Clark University Magazine, winter 2024

W I NTE R 2 0 24

The Mushroom Moment In a burst of popularity, the once-humble fungus has captured the kitchen and conquered our culture.

Clark mycologist

DAVID HIBBETT believes

he knows why.

Clark University Magazine

Contents

Features

The Mushroom Moment

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The once-humble fungus has captured the kitchen and conquered our culture. And Clark mycologist David Hibbett is all in

Bogotá Dreams

30

With Clark University’s help, struggling residents in Colombia’s capital are transforming their backyards into fields of possibility

Heroes of the Hadwen

36

How students and faculty breathed new life into Clark’s urban forest

In Bonnie We Trust

46

Trusted Media Brands CEO Bonnie Kintzer ’82 is reviving a treasured publishing legacy by embracing the digital future

Departments

Red Square

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NEWS FROM OUR CAMPUS GATHERING SPACE PLUS: Jack Foley’s Street Cred; The Umpire Channel Throws Strikes; New Department Launches With an Amplified Mission; and more.

Alma Mater

51

CELEBRATING CLARK’S ALUMNI COMMUNITY PLUS: A Rock (and Clark) Legend Resurrected; Chima Egbuzie ’19 Maxes Out; Clark’s Biggest Champion Passes; and more.

Winter 2024

President’s Message David B. Fithian ’87

A World of Difference In talking with alumni, I am regularly reminded of the positive impact Clark has on the individual lives of our students. But I often also hear from alumni, among many others, of the great impact Clark has in and on the world.

The work of the world is the work of Clark. We see it in the project underway in Mexico City, where an interdisciplinary team of Clark faculty and students is investigating the impact of climate change on vulnerable water supplies. The Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise last spring led a trip to Ghana that lent our students special insight into matters of heritage and culture—an immersive experience they approached with deep curiosity and returned from with boundless empathy.

In this magazine you’ll find the imprints of our footsteps in Bogotá, Colombia, where School of Management Professor John Dobson teaches struggling residents how to launch their own businesses using entrepreneurial principles he’s honed, and in Ethiopia, where Professor Morgan Ruelle of the Department of Sustainability and Social Justice is working with local farmers to develop strains of grain that can more reliably feed that country’s people.

I also relish that two of our former soccer stars, INONGE KALOUSTIAN ’21 and JAMIE JOSEPH ’22, MAT ’23, found success playing abroad, on teams in Zambia and Iceland respectively.

I used the word “footsteps” above because I believe it’s the appropriate metaphor to describe how Clark operates in the world: We blaze new trails with care. We tread lightly and we tread smartly—with purpose and compassion, and in partnership with our fellow members in the global community. We never stomp but we leave evidence of our presence.

A tribute within these pages to the late Richard Ford, the legendary professor and pioneer of international development, notes his insistence that “the efforts of the few can elevate the circumstances of the many.” This is so true, and emblematic of the good work of Clarkies on every continent.

Clark can be a fulcrum for transformative change, achieved by the efforts not just of the few, but of the many. To help accomplish this, our University will continue to operate with confidence, deliberation, and care throughout the world, with the added expectation that we will also find more avenues to bring the world to Clark—through conferences, lectures, and with more abundant and amplified opportunities for scholars and students to teach and learn here.

The successes and struggles of nations are dramatically intertwined, and the challenges—from climate change to economic disparity to political instability—have never seemed more acute. Inhabiting this shared and crowded planet confers on Clark a responsibility to pursue effective solutions, to press for meaningful action, and, always, to be a powerful and positive force wherever we step.

2 Clark University Magazine

WINTER 2024

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Jill Friedman EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Jim Keogh Editor’s Note

Clark

Squared

The patch of red bricks at the center of campus is known to generations of Clarkies as Red Square. Here, in the shadow of Jonas Clark Hall, is a place to be seen and heard, to experience and be experienced. It’s a place for student art displays and pop-up markets; for dialogues, rallies, and protests; for learning and mentoring, chatting with friends, and taking selfies with the Freud statue. When someone says, “I’ll meet you at Red Square,” that same collection of bricks turns into a launch pad for adventures both humble and grand.

With this issue, we are introducing a redesign of Clark magazine that we hope will become, like Red Square, another coming-together space to celebrate who we are and what we do. The new look gives us an opportunity to flex our muscles—most evidently through the vivid images of university photographer Steven King—and reimagine how we tell the story of Clark’s work in the world, from Worcester to wherever. This will include an online version of the magazine with additional content and interactive possibilities for the Clark community. And as you pore through these pages keep an eye out for the “breadcrumbs” we’ve sprinkled at their edges—short quotes pulled from our stories, some inspirational others just fun, all memorable in their own right.

You’ll notice that several of the feature stories in this issue focus on our relationship with the natural world, because, well, we do very cool things when we’re outdoors—and for those of us in cold-weather climates, any kind of visit to green spaces is welcome this time of year.

Our cover story about eminent Clark mycologist David Hibbett features his highly cited research into the hidden life of fungi and unpeels how the subject of this once-obscure area of expertise has mushroomed into a full-blown cultural phenomenon.

In “Heroes of the Hadwen,” we chronicle the reclamation of the Hadwen Arboretum, 26 acres of Clark-owned woodlands just a short walk from campus that, thanks to thousands of hours of labor and an unshakeable commitment from students and faculty, have been transformed into an urban oasis.

Urban gardens also play a critical role in the efforts of John Dobson, professor in the School of Management, who annually visits Bogotá, Colombia, where he partners with some of the city’s poorest citizens to transform their backyards into mini-farms and thriving businesses. Among his closest allies are a group of Bogotá nuns who are caring, collaborative, and not to be trifled with—like Clarkies.

No matter the look of this magazine, our goal always is to celebrate the legacy and impact of Clark University, which our students, faculty, staff, and alumni build upon every day—red brick by red brick—and anticipate the ways Clark will continue to meet its potential. In this way, we hope to contribute to the vibrancy of our University square, even as we come full circle.

Jim Keogh ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Melissa Lynch ’95, MSPC ’15 DESIGN

Patrick Mitchell/MO.D EDITORIAL STAFF

Angela Bazydlo Melissa Hanson Meredith Woodward King UNIVERSIT Y PHOTOGRAPHER

Steven King CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR

Melinda Beck — Printed by Allied Press — ADDRESS CORRESPONDENCE TO:

Jkeogh@Clarku.edu OR MAIL TO:

Jim Keogh Marketing And Communications 138 Woodland St. Worcester, MA 01610 —

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Winter 2024 3

Letters

Laird, Bibace Legacies Live On The Spring 2021 issue of Clark magazine appeared in a pile of magazines and I had a chance to thumb through it, a bit delayed. Of course, I scan the stories, look at the class notes and in memoriam to see if I recognize the names of former Clarkies. I graduated in 1970 with a major in psychology and a minor in education. Thus, I was struck by the passing of both Dr. James Laird and Dr. Roger Bibace.

Both professors had an important influence on my understanding of psychology from multiple perspectives.

Dr. Laird coaxed us to make up social psychology experiments for extra credit of which I fully engaged in the creative process. Dr. Bibace led a seminar that introduced concepts related to children with disabilities and guided us to read several seminal works about the current approaches of the day.

After graduating, I went on to earn a master’s degree in special education and then a doctorate, where I did research on attitudes of children toward people with disabilities. Further, I joined the special education department at a college in New Hampshire, where I taught

courses in child development, special education, learning theory, and eventually women studies. Clark University set the stage for me to be a constant learner.

I write this letter for the families of Dr. Laird and Dr. Bibace to let them know that their legacy remains in the hearts and minds of former students. They did good work.

NANCY SAVINO LORY ’70

‘No Nukes’ Remains a Rallying Cry I was interested to read the story “A Clarkie stands tall against nuclear proliferation” in a recent Clark alumni magazine.

In the late 1970s, with the guidance of then-faculty sociology Professor Sidney Peck, Clark students formed a chapter of Mobilization for Survival, a national organization with four goals: Zero Nuclear Weapons, Ban Nuclear Power, Stop the Arms Race, and Meet Human Needs.

As a founding member of that student group, I want to remind the alumni community that we held teach-ins, workshops, and protests on campus and with allies in the city of Worcester calling for nuclear disarmament.

Many of us participated in the rally held during the first United Nations Special Session on Disarmament in 1978, calling for nuclear disarmament and attention to the needs people have around the world.

I went to the rally in support of the second Special Session on Disarmament on June 12,

p “I don’t believe that anything truly dies.”

1982, with a large group of Clarkie friends, where we joined one million people in Central Park in what was the largest peace protest to date, advocating nuclear disarmament.

At that time, the nuclear nations were the u.s., ussr, China, England, and France. Since those days, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea have acquired nuclear weapons. Currently, all the nuclear states, particularly the U.S., are engaged in a new nuclear arms race to upgrade their stockpiles and are building lower-yield nuclear weapons, which increases the danger that nuclear weapons will be used. The cost of this arms race for U.S. taxpayers is heading toward $1 trillion over the next decade.

None of the nuclear states have joined the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which entered into force on January 22, 2021, and therefore hold the planet hostage, under a constant threat of nuclear weapons use.

We should remember that the U.S. is the only nation to have used nuclear weapons against a civilian population at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively.

Fifty to 100 nuclear bombs destroy Planet Earth in one hour.

The Doomsday Clock stands at 90 seconds to midnight.

Decades ago, Clark students were very aware that horrific consequences would ensue when/if these weapons were used in one of the many flashpoint conflicts around the world and took action, as we still need to do in our communities.

THEA PANETH ’80

My Blydenburgh Road Trip I’m sorry to hear of Professor John Blydenburgh’s passing.

He was my advisor freshman year, 1977. I was just out of the U.S. Army and having John as an advisor eased the transition from military life to academia; he was always available to talk.

As a work-study student in the Clark Communications Office at the time, occasionally writing articles for the alumni publications, I accompanied John to the Boston State House press room as he introduced his first Clark Poll to the political reporters. It was a fun day as his inaugural efforts were launched. What I vividly remember about that day was the drive into Boston. John was driving his green Volvo as we left Clark. We took a few quick turns to avoid traffic and traffic lights, and magically appeared at the entrance ramp to the highway to start our trip.

I memorized that route since it was the shortest and quickest way to the highway.

Every time I would take that route, I would loudly proclaim to anyone in my car, “This is the John Blydenburgh cut-off ” and proceed to drive. I would also loudly proclaim the John Blydenburgh cut-off to an empty car as respect to John’s Magellan-like skills.

The small things that you remember made for a wonderful Clark life.

Thank you, John, for the memories.

EMIL BRIGNOLA III ’80, MBA ’84

“This one scholarship made it possible for me to be here.”

Julia Calisto ’26

family to go to school here, I get to be part of my parents’ dreams, and make a dream come true for myself.”

Lori Wittman started her namesake scholarship with a simple goal: to help another person experience all that Clark has to offer. Since graduating, she has remained engaged with the University, and today she serves on Clark’s Board of Trustees.

The gift of a first-rate education The word “first” is particularly meaningful to Julia Calisto ’26.

She is the firstborn, leading the way for two younger siblings; the first person in her family to go to college; the first-ever Clarkie in her family; and the first recipient of the Lori B. Wittman ’80 Scholarship.

The Clark sophomore is pursuing a double major in political science and Spanish, with an eye toward a law career.

“I think it’s so special for students to know that actual individuals are doing this for them,” Julia says. “Because of Lori Wittman’s generosity, I get to be the first one in my

“My Clark education taught me how to critically think about the world, and allowed me to grow and be successful in business,” Lori says.

“I could think of no better way to give back than to help someone who may not have access to financial resources experience the world-class education at Clark.”

Knowing that a fellow Clarkie is invested in her journey has made a powerful, lasting impact on Julia Calisto.

“Having that specific connection to someone makes me fight harder because someone is actually rooting for me, and someone is actually helping me get to where I want to be.”

Make your gift today at alumni.clarku.edu/magazine to inspire other Clark students like Julia Calisto, or use the envelope inside this issue of Clark magazine.

Winter 2024 5

Sky’s the Limit RED SQUARE News from Clark’s Campus Gathering Place

STE V EN KI N G

TH E CENTER FOR M EDI A A RTS , C O M P UTI N G , AND DES I G N M AKES ITS DEB UT A N D O P ENS N E W H ORI ZONS FOR CL A RK . SEE PAGE 1 2

RD SQ Campus Heroes

“ I Need to Be Here”

STE V EN KI N G

To contribute to scientific advances in everything from cancer research to energy storage, researchers in Clark’s Gustaf H. Carlson School of Chemistry and Biochemistry study the structure, identity, and behavior of molecules.

They can measure and observe these chemical dynamics by inputting samples of biological or physical matter into scientific instruments called nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers. Inside are giant superconducting magnets that cause subatomic particles to spin, allowing scientists to extract chemical data.

The school houses four NMR spectrometers, with three constantly running air conditioners, a chiller, and additional cooling via liquid helium and liquid nitrogen. The cold environment keeps the NMRs at 25K on the Kelvin scale used by scientists—that translates to 414.67 degrees below zero Fahrenheit—allowing the magnets to work.

To keep the spectrometers running smoothly, Clark relies on chemist and physicist Guoxing Lin, whose sole duty is to ensure the instruments— which would cost over $1 million to replace new—don’t fail, and that the faculty and students he trains use the equipment properly and safely.

His refills of liquid nitrogen once a week and of liquid helium every two months are critical to maintaining the machines and ensuring their availability for Clark’s researchers. He even builds his vacations around the task.

“You cannot forget to refill. If you forget, then you get in trouble,” he says. “If the NMR rises in temperature, you will lose the superconducting property.”

Lin is the only one trusted to do helium transfers, and he takes extreme caution. He wears long-sleeved shirts and special gloves so his skin doesn’t freeze and stick to the canister, similar to what might happen to your tongue if you licked an ice tray.

“Helium transfer is dangerous. If you do not have a good experience, you may get frozen,” he says. As for liquid nitrogen: “If it touches your skin, it is more dangerous than fire.”

Lin arrived at Clark in 2000 as a postdoctoral researcher in chemistry.

With a Ph.D. in physics from Xiamen University in China and a deep knowledge of NMR diffusion dynamics, he became the University’s NMR facility manager in 2005.

Lin notes that caring for Clark’s finely tuned NMRs requires a good deal of patience, and he is always on call to respond to any kind of NMR emergency, and even for regular maintenance. “Every week,” Lin says, “I need to be here.”

Clark University MagazinE 7

Media

Burning Questions

geography professor Abby Frazier was flying back to Boston from Honolulu after spending the summer conducting climate research in the Hawaiian Islands when deadly wildfires swept through Maui. The inferno ultimately claimed the lives of 100 people, left several hundred missing, and wiped out the historic town of Lahaina.

In the days and weeks that followed, dozens of national and international news organizations, including Reuters, CNN and Anderson Cooper 360, Nature, Outside magazine, The Guardian, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and BBC Radio, called upon Frazier to help make sense of the changing conditions—notably, variable rainfall patterns and drought—that contributed to the devastating events in Maui. “There’s likely a climate change signal in everything we see,” Frazier told The New York Times.

Frazier also led the Hawaii and Pacific Islands chapter of the Fifth National Climate Assessment, mandated every four years by Congress, which was released in December 2023.

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Clark University Magazine

Student Success

UMPIRE AND MEDIA STAR NOAH KATZ ’26 MAKES THE RIGHT CALL NOAH KATZ ’26 was 16 years old and want-

ed to earn money. His employment prospects didn’t thrill him.

The endless supply of fast-food jobs around his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia, were of little interest. Besides, he was hungry for a new opportunity.

One day, Katz, the third baseman on his high school varsity baseball team, was chatting with an umpire who persuaded him to give umpiring a try. The money was good, he insisted, and the job would provide Katz an opportunity to indulge his love for the game once his playing days were done.

After some training, Katz found himself behind the plate, calling balls and strikes and making rulings on the basepaths. He loved it. Not only was this his dream job, he felt like he’d been inducted into a secret society with its own rhythms, culture, and community. Why didn’t more people know about this?

Because Noah Katz hadn’t told them yet.

The secret is out. Katz is the creator and promoter of The Umpire Channel on YouTube, which he describes as “the leading source of umpiring-related content in the world.” As of this writing, his channel celebrating all things umpiring has attracted an astounding 130,000 followers and 60 million views. He’s taken his video camera into ballparks throughout the country to interview umpires and players at just about every level of the sport—from youth leagues to Major League Baseball—becoming a

familiar pregame presence on the field.

The Umpire Channel cross-pollinates several things: Katz’s deep admiration for the profession, his undeniable entrepreneurial gene, his skill with social media, and, above all, his passion for baseball.

His desire to respect and preserve the integrity of the game emerged when he was umpiring high school baseball games, and the rigorously nonpartisan Katz would call friends out on strikes. They didn’t give him a hard time, he insists. “At most, the batter might say, ‘You know, that wasn’t a strike.’ ” He smiles. “But it was.”

The day after he finished high school, Katz visited the Little League field where he’d played ball much of his life. He had his brother film him talking about the challenges and joys of umpiring. “We filmed two videos, and each one of them got 300,000 views in a day, primarily on TikTok. We reached 10,000 followers on TikTok within the first two weeks.”

Katz’s evangelical zeal for this narrowest of niches was evident—and The Umpire Channel was born.

“Basically every video I make is a video that’s never been made before,” Katz says.

“No one was recording umpires walking out to the plate for their pregame meeting, or talking to Major League umpires about their experiences, or taking you behind the scenes of umpire school. We put it all together on the channel.”

Umpiring is not without its challenges, which take center stage in the digital

sphere. Countless videos capture umpires being harassed by impossible-to-please parents at youth and high school games.

At the Major League level, every missed call has the chance of being immortalized online. If your team loses, you’re likely to lay some of the blame on the person who called strike three on your favorite player.

Katz approaches umpiring differently, intentionally emphasizing the positive aspects through his conversations with umpires and players (yes, the players grudgingly acknowledge that the task of arbitrating a game can be thankless).

Baseball leagues across the country are experiencing an umpire shortage, and Katz is determined to repopulate the ranks.

“I get it. Officiating is a tough job. Parents can be bad, coaches can be bad. I’m most interested in showing the human side of umpires; let everyone see the person behind the blue uniform,” he says.

The marketing major recently launched The Umpire Channel’s “Guide to the World of Umpiring,” which lists resources such as umpiring camps and clinics, posts instructional videos, and provides a journey map detailing the steps needed to progress through the profession, all the way up to the Major Leagues.

His goal after this?

“I want to get the number of my followers into the millions.”

JIM KEOGH

RD SQ

STE V EN KI N G

“The batter might say, ‘That wasn’t a strike.’ But it was.”

Fall/Winter 2023

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Noah Katz ’26, creator of The Umpire Channel.

Clark University MagazinE 9

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Clark University Magazine

Global

A New Era for IDCE: The Department of Sustainability and Social Justice Launches CYNTHIA CARON ’90 and LAURIE ROSS ’91, M.S. ’95, arrived at Clark in the 1980s thinking

Farmer Hasan Abagaz and researcher Seid Hassen examine a traditional mixture of wheat and barley in Kutabir District, South Wollo, Ethiopia. Professor Morgan Ruelle is partnering with farmers and researchers on the project.

A L E X M C A LVAY

they would major, respectively, in sociology and psychology. But they found their true calling in geography and international development and social change. Studying with professors including the late Richard “Dick” Ford (who recently passed away; see p. 61), Barbara Thomas-Slayter, and Dianne Rocheleau, Caron and Ross embraced the scholars’ work on participatory research and gender analysis.

“Dick and Barbara merged sociological theory and concepts of community development with their fieldwork in Kenya,” Caron recalls. “I sat in class thinking that I wanted to be Barbara Thomas when I grew up.”

Caron went on to do development programming in South Asia, including in Sri Lanka for two decades. Ross, after studying and researching in Central America and with Rocheleau in the Dominican Republic, became deeply involved in Worcester, partnering with residents to pursue consequential initiatives in their neighborhoods using Ford’s pioneering concept of Participatory Rural Appraisal, or pra, which invites communities to determine their destinies.

Eventually, the two alums returned as faculty members in what had become the International Development, Community, and Environment Department (idce).

Now they want their students to have the same meaningful opportunities they did.

Alongside their colleagues, they have launched the Department of Sustainability and Social Justice, a reimagining of idce that, Ross says, captures the spirit of what Ford and Thomas-Slayter first envisioned. It includes continued partnerships in Worcester along with Global Learning Collaboratives, which will allow undergraduate and graduate students to pursue new and emerging learning opportunities from Latin America to Africa, Asia, and Europe.

“I see this as an opportunity to deepen and amplify what we always have done best: provide opportunities for students to work with faculty and to partner with communities on projects that matter. This remains the core mission and spirit of our depart-

p “We are here to celebrate life.”

Winter 2024 11

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ment,” says Ross, director of the new department and professor in the Community Development and Planning Program, which she started with Ford’s support nearly two decades ago.

“Our students are asking for more handson opportunities and to be more engaged with the world,” she adds. “At the same time, the complexity of the world today requires us to provide students with an education where they can better anticipate—and address—emerging global challenges.”

In their practice and research, students will focus on interconnected issues including climate change adaptation, forced migration and human rights, gender equality, youth well-being, food justice, global health, and access to quality education and affordable housing. They will collaborate with a diverse range of stakeholders and changemakers in Worcester and across the world.

“The world is facing multiple systemic crises, and people are divided about how to solve them,” Ross says. “Our students see that this is the world they are coming into, and they long to make things better.”

All of the department’s undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs will remain, with the addition of a new Master of Science in Sustainable Food Systems, where students can explore innovative initiatives and social movements for food security, sovereignty, and justice.

The department’s curriculum and learning outcomes, however, have evolved, making them even more interdisciplinary and centered on the world’s challenges, which are exacerbated by climate change, according to Ross. Faculty have redesigned courses and experiences to better prepare students to become professional practitioners in education, government, and nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations.

Regardless of major or degree, students in the Department of Sustainability and Social Justice will take a course on sustainability studies, and another on social change and community transformation, allowing them to span natural and social sciences, examine problems more holistically, and learn how to engage with institutions to produce more

Laurie Ross, director of the Department of Sustainability and Social Justice.

sustainable and equitable outcomes.

“One of our core values is the idea of reciprocal, mutually beneficial partnerships,” Ross notes. “We need to understand how communities are impacted by policy and research and how one can involve affected communities in the policymaking and inquiry processes. Understanding and navigating power dynamics among individuals and institutions is critical in ethical community engagement.”

Within the core curriculum, students will take a common seminar on Principles and Ethics in Community Engagement.

“I appreciate how the department’s transformation has given faculty and staff a space to think about the how we want to train and create opportunities for students to actively participate in the world,” says Caron, director of graduate studies for the department and coordinator of the undergraduate program in international development and social change. “We’ve been thoughtful and intentional about the changes that we have made to our new curriculum, and frankly, I can’t wait to use it.”

MEREDITH WOODWARD KING

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Clark University Magazine

Views

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winter 2024 13

RD SQ CENTER OF ATTENTION The Center for Media Arts, Computing, and Design opened this fall after 16 months of construction. The fourstory, 70,000-square-foot building, located between Woodland and Hawthorne streets, houses the Becker School of Design & Technology, the Department of Computer Science, and several Visual and Performing Arts programs, with access to a multi-floor tiered classroom, a multimedia gallery, robotics lab, and studios for audio and video production. Above all, the space is designed for use by the entire Clark academic community to foster collaboration, inspire creativity, and be a hub for interdisciplinary learning, research, and innovation.

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Clark University Magazine

HR, ADMISSIONS LEADERS JOIN CLARK

Jack Foley Earns the Ultimate Street Cred In his 45-year Clark career, Jack Foley, the retired vice president for government and community affairs, would have organized the unveiling of a sign signifying that a portion of Woodland Street had been renamed in honor of a longtime employee. But the May 5, 2023, ceremony was different. In front of a crowd of family and friends, Clark employees and trustees, and representatives of Worcester and state government, Foley watched as the wrapping was removed to reveal that the section of Woodland rising up to the center of campus from Main Street now bears the honorary title of Jack Foley Way. A roster of speakers extolled Foley’s deep and long-standing commitment to, and partnership with, the city of Worcester, particularly the Main South neighborhood.

President David Fithian noted, “Jack is and always has been a tireless champion of Main South, a neighborhood that he embraced, emboldened, promoted, and loves.”

Clark added two key leaders in 2023.

Emily Roper-Doten (below right) was appointed vice president for undergraduate admissions and financial aid. With a nearly 20-year portfolio of experience in admissions and enrollment management, Roper-Doten brings to Clark a track record of innovation and creativity in recruiting and enrolling academically strong and diverse incoming classes. Before joining Clark, she served as dean of admission and financial aid at Olin College of Engineering in Needham, Massachusetts. Prior to that role, she spent nine years in admissions at Tufts University, including as associate director of engineering recruitment and assistant director of undergraduate admissions.

Randi Nichols has assumed the newly established position of chief human resources officer. In her role, Nichols will lead all aspects of talent development and employee relations at Clark University, overseeing the reorganized Office of Human Resources and Organizational Excellence. She brings to Clark more than 30 years of human resources leadership across a range of sectors, most recently as chief human resources officer for Bayhealth Medical Center, a major hospital system located in the mid-Atlantic, where she led all of the system’s human resources functions as well as efforts to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion. She has also served in human resources leadership roles in manufacturing and high tech.

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“It Put Us on the Map”

Oh, Rats!

Clark’s Rodent Research Clark geographer Florencia Sangermano, M.A. ’08, Ph.D. ’09, is working with collaborators in Brazil to examine how habitat and biodiversity loss in the rainforest could affect rodent populations, possibly leading to the transmission of infectious diseases to humans.

Funded by the National Science Foundation, the research team on which Sangermano is serving also is examining whether restoring the forest could improve “biodiversity networks”—the interconnected world of diverse plant and animal species—that, in turn, might benefit human health.

Sangermano is creating digital maps that indicate how land and rodent populations in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest—which lies east of the Amazon—could change over the next 10 years, leading to increased health risks for humans.

“Our hypothesis is that a degraded ecosystem will have more diversity of rodents that carry a larger number of viruses known to pass to humans,” she says. “Now humans are moving to these areas where they can come into contact with these rodents.”

Fragmented landscapes, such as that of the Atlantic Forest, “are hotspots for human-animal contact and can affect pathogen transmission patterns,” the scientists point out. “In fact, land-use change can be linked to more than 40 percent of emerging infectious diseases.”

Using satellite data to project changes in land cover and rodent populations, the scientists are examining whether any alterations— such as restoring habitats and increasing biodiversity—could lead to more positive outcomes, with fewer disease risks for humans.

The windows of Room 202 in the Shaich Family Alumni and Student Engagement Center offer an unobstructed view of Jonas Clark Hall, a testament to Clark’s treasured history.

But on Sept. 27, 2023, inside Room 202, the focus remained squarely on the future.

Clark’s new Center for Geospatial Analytics made its debut with a conference that drew nearly 40 stakeholders from the U.S. and abroad to discuss the issues and advances in a field that is revolutionizing geography. And it was in geographic parlance that the Center’s director, Hamed Alemohammad, characterized the impact of the launch event: “It put us on the map.”

Geospatial analytics leverages satellite imagery and other location-specific data to help researchers, policymakers, and the public study the Earth and visualize the impact of human activities on our environment. The workshop was designed to foster frank conversations about a range of subjects related to the geospatial analytics field, among them: technological breakthroughs and their use in addressing pressing problems; the need to encourage and cultivate widespread data literacy; training the next generation of scientists and innovators; and building a more diverse geospatial community.

“One of the goals of the workshop, from a Clark perspective, was to learn how we can tap into technological advancements in a way that benefits Clark, but also in ways that allow us to be contributors,” Alemohammad said.

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Clark University Magazine

Sports

Two Countries, One Goal

ZAMBIA WNT

It’s not every day that a Clark student-athlete goes on to play in a professional league after graduation. But in 2023, women’s soccer had two alums playing not only professionally, but internationally.

INONGE KALOUSTIAN ’21 joined the Zambia Institute for Sustainable Development fc (zisd) in March 2023—where she earned a call-up to the Zambian national team—and her former Clark teammate, JAMIE JOSEPH ’22, MAT ’23, played a season with Afturelding fc in Iceland beginning last May. Joseph began exploring the idea of competing internationally after her planned study abroad experience in Colombia was canceled during the pandemic. Because the pandemic also prevented her from playing during her senior year, she was eligible to remain on the team as a graduate student while pursuing her master’s degree in teaching.

“I would describe my last season at Clark as kind of a breakthrough,” Joseph said. “When it was ending, I was sad, because I felt like I was just getting to the good part.” But Coach BRIENNE SMITH ’01 convinced her that she had more games to play, and with that motivation, Joseph contacted an agent.

Her résumé was impressive.

Among her accolades, the former Clark captain was named to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American Second Team, was awarded newmac Player of the Year in 2022, and

INONGE N A I T S U O L A K

“It’s definitely more aggressive, very fast, and physical.”

INONGE KALOUSTIAN

was a two-time winner of Clark’s M. Hazel Hughes Award, which is given annually to the female student-athlete who makes a significant contribution to the athletics program.

“Jamie is probably the best player to ever play at Clark,” Smith said. “She played almost every minute of her entire career. Jamie’s performance and leadership helped lead our team to the first conference final in program history. And she’s had a huge impact in Iceland—her club came close to being promoted to the next division.”

Kaloustian competed on the Clark women’s team for four years, including one as team captain. She also co-founded the Clark Athletics Inclusion Coalition (caic), which earned her a President’s Achievement Award for Inclusive Excellence in 2020. A double major in biology and psychology, she also worked in several research labs on campus.

Kaloustian studied abroad at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, playing on a team there. She already had reached out to the football association in Zambia to inquire about opportunities since she has family connections to the country (her mother was born and raised in Zambia).

“Inonge’s legacy will go on forever at Clark,” Smith said, not only because she was an impact player, but also because of her work with caic. Kaloustian was a junior when George Floyd’s murder spurred national protests.

She organized a team discussion during which Black players shared some hurtful things they had heard in their own locker

Winter 2024 17

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room.

“It was a powerful discussion, and we were forced to think long and hard about our own mistakes,” Smith said.

The team created a Call to Action “about who we think we are and what behaviors we will not accept, and pledging to speak up if we see them,” she said.

After graduating from Clark, Kaloustian enrolled in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to pursue a master of health science in epidemiology. But she missed her sport, so she joined an adult league for experienced players in the Washington, D.C., area.

Kaloustian went to Zambia to attend her grandfather’s funeral in December 2021. While there, she met with a Zambian coach who assessed her strengths and recommended her for a senior team. Kaloustian was invited to play for zisd, a club team, in 2023. In April, she was called up to the Zambian national team to play in a friendly match against South Korea and then finished the season with zisd. After a brief visit to the U.S., she returned to Zambia, where she is now a naturalized citizen.

Language was a challenge.

Kaloustian’s extended family comes from the Western Province and speaks Lozi, but they live in Lusaka, the country’s capital, where the prevalent language is Nyanja.

“Everyone in Zambia speaks English to a certain extent,” Kaloustian said in an interview last August. “If I’m with my family, like with my grandma, they’ll be speaking Lozi and English mixed together. And when I’m with my teammates, they’ll

be speaking Nyanja and Bemba. So I’ve done a lot of learning.”

She also had to adapt to a different style of play. “It’s definitely more aggressive, very fast, and physical. A lot of stuff that would be legal in Zambia would be considered fouls in the U.S.,” she said.

“I had teammates who are just phenomenal athletes,” she added. “When we were training, I’d be looking at them and thinking, I cannot believe we’re on the same field right now.”

Joseph felt welcomed by her teammates, which included two other American players. “It’s crazy to think that coming from Clark I would have the opportunity to play with—and against—athletes from big Division 1 schools,” she said.

When her season ended, Joseph returned home to New York, where today she works as a youth program administrator at LeMoyne College.

Kaloustian has completed her master’s thesis at Johns Hopkins. She has a job offer from a public health policy firm, and has been allowed to defer her start date until she’s done playing soccer.

They might have to wait a little longer—Kaloustian now has her eye on making the Zambian Olympic team.

MELISSA LYNCH ’95, MSPC ’15

AFTUREL DING FC

JA M I E JOSEPH

“ It’s crazy to think that coming from Clark I would have the opportunity to play with athletes from big Division 1 schools.”

JAMIE JOSEPH

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Clark University Magazine

Bookshelf

Selections from Our Scholars THROUGHOUT THE PAST YEAR, CLARK UNIVERSITY SCHOLARS PUBLISHED WORKS ON A RANGE OF TOPICS, FROM THE COMPLEXITIES OF CITIES AND THE HISTORY OF SEXUALITY TO FAITH-BASED SOCIAL JUSTICE AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN QUEER THEORY AND FOOD STUDIES.

3 EN G L ISH

3 SOCIOLOGY

3 H ISTO RY

3 G EO G R A PHY

3 PSYCH O LO GY

3 PO L ITICA L SCIENCE

Edible Arrangements: Modernism’s Queer Forms

Making Moral Citizens: How FaithBased Organizers Use Vocation for Public Action

French Histories of Sexuality: From the Enlightenment to the Present

How to Think About Cities

The (Mis)Representation of Queer Lives in True Crime

Syria Divided: Patterns of Violence in a Complex Civil War

BY ELIZABETH BLAKE

In her first book, Blake demonstrates that scenes of eating in modernist literature are sites of queerness, depicting and enacting a kind of pleasure that exceeds normative models. This is the first scholarly monograph to combine the subjects of queer theory, modernist studies, and food studies.

BY JACK DELEHANTY

Drawing on rich ethnographic observation and in-depth interviews, Delehanty takes readers inside the world of faithbased progressive community organizing, one of the largest and most effective social justice movements in the U.S., to show how organizers use religion to build power for change.

C O - E D ITE D BY N I N A KU S H N E R

Covering the early 18th century through the present, these essays show how attention to the history of sexuality deepens, changes, challenges, supports, or otherwise complicates the major narratives of French history. Topics range from early empire-building and the Enlightenment to the rise of modern and social media.

BY DEBORAH MARTIN AND JOSEPH G. PIERCE

Many dimensions of life play out and conflict across cities’ intricate landscapes, be they political, cultural, economic, or social. Martin and co-author Joseph G. Pierce describe thinking of cities as sites of contested perspectives, promoting a synthetic approach to urban analysis that emphasizes difference and political possibility.

CO-EDITED

BY ABBIE GOLDBERG

Turn on the TV or open a podcast app and you’re likely to find true crime.

The essays in this collection analyze how LGBTQ+ people are presented in true crime content, finding that stories about LGBTQ+ people, as perpetrators or victims of crime, are told differently— and less often—than stories about their cisgender and heteronormative peers.

BY ORA SZEKELY

The civil war in Syria, which has killed more than 600,000 and displaced over half of the country’s population since 2011, is enormously complex—including in how it is explained.

Szekely argues that the competition to control the narrative has influenced the choices of participants and led many to treat warfare as a kind of performance.

p “Jimi Hendrix played Atwood? It was folklore to me.”

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Students compare classwork at University Park Campus School. (Clark file photo)

Community

‘ OUR COLLECTIVE FUTURES ARE TIED’

STE V EN KI N G

Since its inception in 1995, the University Park Partnership (UPP) has played a vital role in creating pipelines of opportunity for prospective college-bound high school students. Through the awarding of upp Scholarships, qualifying students who have lived within a defined geographic zone of the Main South neighborhood for a minimum of five years can attend Clark tuition-free and take full advantage of Clark resources.

For the first time in more than a quarter century, the University has expanded the University Park Partnership Scholarship Zone, giving an additional 1,100 students on 26 streets an opportunity to pursue and attain a tuition-free education at Clark.

“Not only does Clark wish to continue providing this longstanding benefit to members of our community, we want to expand our reach and make it possible for even more Worcester residents to realize

their dream of getting a college degree,” said Joseph Corazzini, vice president for government and community affairs. “As neighbors and partners, our collective futures are tied.”

The University Park Partnership connects Clark with neighborhood residents and organizations, local churches, government officials, the business community, and public schools in a broad grassroots collaboration focusing on urban redevelopment, including education excellence.

Clark has awarded 165 scholarships since the fall of 2000 and invested $11.3 million in the upp Scholarship program. The majority of the scholarship recipients have come from the University Park Campus School (upcs), a neighborhood school that opened in 1997 as a collaboration between Clark and the Worcester Public Schools. The results of this partnership have been remarkable: the upcs graduation rate for the past two years is 100%, compared to 84% and 87%

in the school district as a whole, and 10th grade standardized test scores are number one in the Worcester district.

“The Worcester Public Schools is tremendously grateful for Clark University committing to serve more of our students through the University Park Partnership Scholarship,” said Dr. Rachel H. Monárrez, superintendent of Worcester schools. “I thank Clark University for working with us to remove barriers and ensure our scholars can achieve success.”

Clark’s Master of Arts in Teaching program also provides a channel for teachers and administrators to work across Worcester’s schools. Approximately 120 of the city’s teachers graduated from the mat program, and Clark alumni are deeply embedded as teachers and administrators at University Park Campus School, Claremont Academy, and Woodland Academy in Main South. Clark grads are principals of all three schools.

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Clark University Magazine

Winter 2024 21

Syllabus

“ The Beauty of Failure Is Perfection” COURSE

Sculptural Dynamics TE ACHER

James Maurelle

In the studio art classes taught by Professor James Maurelle, students must first regard their hands and how they feel. In a digital world, regaining an appreciation for the tactile is the first step.

Maurelle, Clark’s first fulltime professor of sculpture, then helps the students in his Sculptural Dynamics course transform simple materials like wood, plastic, or cardboard into storytelling vessels through the simple but profound act of making and remaking.

“I watch a sense of wonder develop in my students,” he says. “It’s such a grand privilege to see someone have ideas that they didn’t think they could have.”

You frequently work with recycled materials inside and outside the classroom.

Why is that important to you?

STE V EN KI N G

It’s really about my mortality. I don’t believe that anything truly dies. It’s like an exercise of the inevitable, this pattern and circle of life. I have that in mind when I make materials. It’s a second, third, fourth, or fifth chance to be.

You recover materials from landfills and teach Gen Z students who have grown up amid a climate crisis. Does a commitment to recycling give you hope?

I see this will to fight for change that’s amazing and beautiful. So many young folks all around the world are really doing it. Being a Generation X-er, I can appreciate that. We were the scorned generation—latchkey kids, very feral. How do you teach a new generation to care about something that my generation didn’t care about?

What projects are your students working on?

Their first project was to make anything they wanted with soap. It’s a material that is trying—not like Dove soap or something malleable you can impose your will upon.

You have to listen to it. It’s exploring the senses—touch, smell.

The next project was a cardboard self-portrait. Students start by making three 12-inch by 12-inch self-portraits. They choose one of the three and recontextualize it to 3-feet by 3-feet, and then take it out into the world.

The conversations around how we see sculpture are about surface. To have an enriched or full conversation about sculpture, you have to circumnavigate the object.

It’s a dance. You’re going to step on my toes, I’m going to step on your toes, but we’re going to learn this and we’re going to dance.

How do you encourage your students to take artistic risks?

What I feel confident in is that I create a space where lightning can strike and then everyone feels the radiation and the heat from that lightning strike.

The beauty of failure is perfection. I wish we lived in a society where you can fail, get back up and be supported, and then fail again and be supported again. That’s what my father would tell me.

Everyone deserves a right to fail, to grow, and to develop.

But also, to try hard.

The students who arrive at the beginning of this course are going to leave totally different. They’re creating, understanding, recontextualizing, and growing to know themselves. It sprays out from making objects. This is really about life.

MELISSA HANSON

3 A PIECE OF ORIGINAL ART

BY SCULPTOR AND TEACHER JAMES MAURELLE.

22

Clark University Magazine

News In Brief Briefs

Worcester’s Champions Molly Kessler ’24 and Amy Richter, professor and chair of the History Department, were honored with the John W. Lund Clark Community Achievement Award, which recognizes the contributions made to the Worcester community

by Clark faculty, students, or staff members.

Richter was recognized for her years of work with the Worcester Clemente Course in the Humanities, an award-winning college-level seminar for highly motivated low-income adults seeking to build better lives for themselves, their families, and their communities. She was also honored for her involvement with Simon Says Give, which has delivered nearly 3,000 kits of school supplies to middle-schoolers and provided birthday parties for 235 children. The Worcester chapter of Simon Says Give, a national organization, was founded by Richter’s son, Simon, and her husband, Jim Eber.

Kessler was honored for her work with Worcester’s food-insecure and unhoused populations. She led weekly student trips to buy food for and fill the Community Fridge on Main Street, and also organized students to volunteer at the AME Zion Church food bank. Kessler and other students also created hygiene kits and delivered them, along with bagged lunches, to unhoused people in the city.

“You exemplify Jack Lund’s vision for this award with your dedication, talent, and compassion that has resulted in positive change for the Worcester community,” President David Fithian told the recipients.

Above: Molly Kessler and Amy Richter are pictured with President Fithian and Joseph Corazzini, vice president for government and community affairs.

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Getting Gowned Downtown Beginning with Clark’s 120th Commencement ceremony on Monday, May 20, 2024, the University will hold its exercises in the DCU Center in downtown Worcester. “It has become increasingly challenging to sustain our traditional practice of hosting Commencement on our campus green,” President David Fithian said in a message to the Clark community. “Simply, the campus is neither large enough nor equipped to adequately handle the influx of as many as 6,000 attendees and provide the parking, seating, and bathroom facilities needed to accommodate them. We are especially concerned about ensuring that our ceremony is accessible for all who would like to attend.”

The move to the DCU Center and its seating capacity of 10,000 means there will no longer be any restriction on the number of people who can attend the ceremony. The facility is climate-controlled, ADA-compliant, and fully accessible. “The Clark campus will continue to host events that honor the many accomplishments of our graduates, even as the needs for responsibly executing a large-attendance event demand that we make this change,” President Fithian said. It is hoped future ceremonies will be weekend events, depending on scheduling availability.

STE V EN KI N G ( A BOV E )

Winter 2024 23 7 MOVE-IN DAY

GOODBYES ARE ALWAYS HARD, ESPECIALLY WHEN SIGMUND FREUD IS LOOMING OVER YOUR SHOULDER.

Clark Heeds the Calls of the Halls

5 CLARK UNIVERSITY IS PARTNERING WITH ART IN THE PARK TO BRING ART EXHIBITIONS TO VARIOUS CAMPUS LOCATIONS AND TO UNIVERSITY PARK. THESE MULTICOLORED TENDRILS REACH FOR THE SKY JUST BEYOND THE SHAICH FAMILY ALUMNI AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT CENTER.

In 2023, the Clark University Choir, led by Professor Cailin Marcel Manson, performed at two of the world’s best concert halls—including one very close to home.

On March 18, Manson celebrated 20 years as a professional conductor with a performance of Verdi’s Requiem at Carnegie Hall (above), and the 152-voice choir included Clark students. Eight months later, on November 18, Manson, the choir, and the Clark Symphony Orchestra—with guest ensembles and internationally renowned soloists— performed a concert version of Puccini’s Turandot at Mechanics Hall in Worcester.

“It’s one thing to tell students to go see an opera, to go see an orchestra, and listen to how they do it,” Manson said. ”But when they get the opportunity to play and sing alongside professionals, it’s a different level of understanding.”

“ My first message today is that GPA is not destiny.”

7 Presidential Lecturer DR. CHANDA PRESCOD-WEINSTEIN, noted author, cosmologist, and particle physicist, on her early classroom struggles

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Clark University Magazine

The Mushroom Moment

The once-humble fungus is capturing the kitchen and conquering our culture—and Clark mycologist DAVID HIBBETT is all in

BY MELISSA HANSON

PHOTOGRAPHS BY STEVEN KING

Professor David Hibbett among friends at Fat Moon Farm in Westford, Mass.

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Clark University Magazine

“ZOMBIE-ANT

fungi do not reanimate ant corpses.”

It’s the answer to a question that Professor David Hibbett likely thought he’d never be asked. But during the Q&A session hosted and filmed by WIRED magazine inside a Manhattan studio, the mycologist took it in stride, reassuring the world that the parasitic fungus that infects and kills other organisms does not, in fact, create an army of living-dead insects.

Sitting in front of a white backdrop and behind a tabletop bearing varieties of mushrooms, Hibbett fielded a series of fungi-related queries pulled from Twitter (now known as X). He identified the world’s largest known fungus (the 35-foot-long Phellinus ellipsoidius that is found in China), described his personal choice for the all-time creepiest mushroom (the appropriately named Bleeding Tooth Mushroom [Hydnellum peckii], which secretes blood-red droplets), and cleared up any confusion about whether there is such a thing as a carnivorous mushroom (indeed there is).

He also championed fungi as potential allies in the fight against environmental pollutants; revealed the hidden ways in which mushrooms communicate with each other; and extolled the joys of foraging.

The subject matter may have seemed humble, but the response to the video was not. Since it was posted on May 2, 2023, the WIRED piece has earned more than a million views and over 2,600 comments, many of them urging Hibbett to start his own mushroom-themed YouTube channel. “Everybody should be obsessed with mushrooms,” Hibbett gently noted at the conclusion of the video.

Some days, it seems everybody is.

Professor David Hibbett leads a mushroom-foraging excursion for one of his mycology classes.

Fall/Winter Winter 2024 27 2023 Clark University MagazinE 27

The Clark scientist has found himself part of a cultural phenomenon centered on the public’s fascination with all things fungal—expressed in everything from pillow designs to the postapocalyptic miniseries The Last of Us. Foraging groups are sprouting across the globe, luring thousands into the forests. Fungi were even the subject of a bestseller, Entangled Life, which earned the author, mycologist Merlin Sheldrake, the kind of exhaustive New York Times profile normally reserved for film stars and presidents.

Mushrooms—in just about every way possible—are having their moment. And David Hibbett is always ready to share his obsession.

Last summer, Hibbett and several of his students climbed into a canoe and set up the Ipswich River in search of one specific mushroom, carefully scanning the water’s surface as their paddles cut through the water.

He was looking to learn more about the semiaquatic Lentinus tigrinus, also called the Tiger Sawgill, a wood-decaying fungus that grows on trees such as willows, elms, and maples. Hibbett and his students made at least six trips to the river during the spring and summer, working in collaboration with fellow Clark professor Javier Tabima, a mycologist and evolutionary biologist who specializes in genomics and computational biology.

Lentinus tigrinus “fruit,” or blossom, on logs protruding from the river. During a rainy season, like summer 2023, they often end up underwater.

Not a problem. Lentinus tigrinus has adapted to grow into two forms that allow it to thrive as water levels

“ I don’t think mushrooms are going to save the world.

I think people are going to save the world, and mushrooms are the resources that will help us in this pursuit.”

rise and recede. One form has gills that release spores into the air, typical of mushrooms. The other has gills covered by a layer of tissue, trapping the spores inside the fruiting body, which is unusual because “the only function of a mushroom is to release spores,” Hibbett says. He and Tabima want to understand the genetic mechanism behind the two forms.

“We want to know how natural selection is working on those genes.

There’s something called ‘balancing selection,’ a model of natural selection that promotes the occurrence of two different forms in a population,” Hibbett says. “We believe there may be some balancing selection going on here.”

The Ipswich River trip is one of countless forays for Hibbett, who has conducted research all over the world. He’s authored nine articles in the prestigious Proceedings

of the National Academy of Sciences (pnas)—and in nearly 200 other publications, including Science and Nature — that explore the evolution and ecology of fungi. He was deeply involved in the Open Tree of Life, a visionary project to create an accessible resource that would present the evolutionary relationships of all living organisms in one place, an effort that dates to Charles Darwin.

Hibbett’s likeness is so synonymous with mushrooms—Google “mycologist,” and at the top of the page you’ll find an image of Hibbett foraging in the woods—that it’s difficult to imagine him specializing in any other area of science. But that almost happened.

He describes his journey to mycology as “backward, serendipitous, and unplanned.” The Massachusetts native studied botany as an undergraduate at UMass Amherst, but thought mushrooms were “cool” and took a mycology course. He later spent a summer in a forest fungal ecology class at the University of Michigan Biological Field Station.

While pursuing his doctorate in botany at Duke University, pragmatism steered Hibbett into mycology when he realized fungi would make for an intriguing research subject.

And besides, this was not a crowded field. He sensed a wide-open opportunity—and seized it.

Mushroom fandom is an ecosystem of its own.

The North American Mycological Association includes more than 90 affiliated mycological societies in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Hibbett is on the executive committee of the Boston Mycologi-

28

cal Club, which was founded in 1895 and has upward of 800 members.

Clark has a new mycology club, attracting students from across disciplines.

“On mushroom walks you meet people in camo, people in tie-dye, and people in Oxford shirts,” Hibbett says. “These public forays have been attracting too many people, which is a good problem to have.

Older club members who remember it being a little elite and obscure are having a hard time adjusting to the new reality; younger club members are really interested in getting more people of color involved. It’s an interesting dynamic.”

Hibbett has researched in Japan, China, and Malaysia and has collaborated with scientists from around the globe. One Jurassic Park-like encounter occurred at the American Museum of Natural History, where he worked with a 94-million-year-old specimen of a fossil mushroom trapped in amber.

Among Hibbett’s favorite foraging trips was a 1992 visit to Papua New Guinea, where he collected in lowland rainforests and found a relative of shiitake mushrooms called Lentinula lateritia. Last summer, he collaborated with a group of international researchers to investigate the genomics of shiitake mushrooms and discovered that the shiitake species boasts a vast genetic diversity.

The allure of mushrooms has a downside, Hibbett says. The nutritional supplement movement has issued significant claims about the benefits of mushrooms—that Lion’s Mane can boost cognitive health, for example. Hibbett advises taking a magnifying glass to the fine print, where one will discover that many health claims have not been tested by the fda. The assertions

Clark University Magazine

“ Mushrooms are a window to a secret world because they are so fantastic.”

are typically based on studies using cultured cells or mouse-model systems, vastly different from human trials and the arduous drug-approval process, he says.

“A lot of money is being made off cheap ingredients, and I have a problem with that,” he says. “People come to me all the time asking, ‘Is this mushroom medicinal?’ I don’t want to be associated with that, because that’s not my business.”

However, fungi do produce a myriad of potent secondary metabolites—small molecules that humans use in drugs such as penicillin, cyclosporine, and fungicides. They also make powerful physiologically active chemicals. “Magic mushrooms” were used for religious and healing rituals centuries ago in Mesoamerica, for recreation during the hippie counterculture of the 1960s and 70s, and more recently as a treatment for depression. A handful of communities across the country, including at least six in Massachusetts, are beginning to decriminalize psilocybin, a naturally occurring hallucinogenic that can be used therapeutically.

Mushrooms have become such a white-hot object of public fascination that Hibbett is concerned about the wider ramifications if people’s interest wanes.

“I’m worried that overhyping and overselling may cause people to turn away and not put in the time, energy, and money needed to develop

the technologies for drug-discovery work related to mushrooms.”

Fungal biology is steeped in the history of Clark sciences. Hibbett arrived at the University in 1999, hired for the position previously held by eminent lichen specialist Vernon Ahmadjian at a time when the department chair was Tom Leonard, a fungal geneticist. Today, Hibbett is one of the University’s most cited researchers, with 33,212 citations on Google Scholar. In 2020, Tabima joined the faculty, giving Clark two mycologists, a rarity for a small research institution.

Tabima approaches biology from a unique perspective shaped by his wanderings in the mountains of his native Colombia, where he was mesmerized by the complexity and beauty of the ecosystem—towering monkey-filled trees, birds swooping across the sky, insects skittering at his feet. Last year, he became the first researcher to discover in Massachusetts a specimen of the Basidiobolus microfungus that typically lives in the guts of amphibians.

“People say that plants are the most important organisms on the face of the earth—but fungi are,” Tabima insists. “How do plants adapt to land? Ninety percent of plant species are associated with fungi that allow the plants to grab nutrients from the ground. What helps ruminant organisms process all the grass they eat? Fungi. What has led to the evolution of human conservation, food preservation, and products like beer? Fungi,” he says, adding with a grin, “which have inspired a bunch of hipsters to start craft breweries.”

As mycologists with vastly different research specialties, Hibbett

Fall/Winter Winter 2024 29 2023 Clark University MagazinE 29

and Tabima bring a distinct yin and yang to the Lasry Center for Bioscience. Hibbett investigates the fungi visible to the naked eye; Tabima’s subjects are microscopic.

The dichotomy extends to their personalities. Hibbett is witty and wry; Tabima is cheeky and irreverent. Hibbett wears neutral-tone button-down shirts; Tabima sports rock band T-shirts.

They complement one another beautifully, which led to the Ipswich River search for Lentinus tigrinus, a project melding Hibbett’s mycological expertise with Tabima’s genomics and population genetics knowledge.

“As a collaborator, David is incredible,” says Tabima of his colleague and mentor. “He knows how to get people involved; he knows how to get grants. He’s been leading international and national efforts on fungal diversity.

“He’s such a good scientist.”

For some, the aesthetic of a mushroom is nearly perfect. Home décor, from pillows to vases, is routinely manufactured in mushroom shapes, embellished with bold colors and funky patterns. For sophisticated foodies, mushrooms are a source of culinary creativity—in 2022, The New York Times called mushrooms the “ingredient of the year.” As the world emerged from pandemic shutdowns, mushrooms came to symbolize a reconnection to nature, with foraging excursions almost a celebratory escape from isolation and political and social tensions.

In the popular hbo miniseries The Last of Us, they also became the boogie man. The television adaptation of a 2013 PlayStation video

game featured a cordyceps fungus that infects humans, transforming them into zombies.

“As a science nerd, I take issue with some of the show’s representation of the actual fungi, but that’s trivial,” Hibbett laughs. “I love the show and think it does what science fiction is supposed to do. It extrapolates, but from a reasonable place.”

But could the postapocalyptic narrative be reversed? Could fungi, in fact, be the hero?

Can mushrooms save the world?

Research supports the idea that mushrooms can decelerate environmental changes, Hibbett says.

Mulch and wood piles inoculated with mushrooms are shown to slow forest fires, and mushrooms can be an asset for industrial purposes, like biofuel production. But these technologies require extensive research.

“It’s well-intentioned and based on real biology,” Hibbett says, “but is it effective? It’s certainly not cost-neutral because growing those fungi requires energy.”

Hibbett believes in a different antidote.

“I don’t think mushrooms are going to save the world,” he says. “I think people are going to save the world, and mushrooms are the resources that will help us in this pursuit.”

Perhaps above all, regardless of whether it’s portrayed as hero or villain, the modest mushroom will continue to be a source of mystery and wonder.

“Mushrooms are a window to a secret world because they are so fantastic,” Hibbett marvels. “They come in all these strange forms and magically appear, growing up from the ground or out of wood. They’re odd and beautiful things.

“They’re otherworldly.”

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Fall/Winter Winter 2024 31 2023 Clark University MagazinE 31

Bogotá Dreams With Clark University’s help, some of the poorest Colombians are transforming their backyards into fields of possibility

BY JIM KEOGH

ILLUSTRATION BY MELINDA BECK

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Clark University Magazine

“Possibilities can be discovered, even when they might not seem to exist.”

When the nuns of Bogotá needed assistance to lift the city’s poorest citizens out of poverty, John Dobson accepted the challenge.

Because it was good work. And because you don’t say no to the nuns.

The associate professor of practice in Clark’s School of Management had been invited to Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in 2015 to present at an entrepreneurship conference, where he learned of the project being led by the Sisters of the Epiphany of Marie Poussepin in one of the Colombian capital’s roughest sections, San Cristóbal del Sur. Dating back to the 17th century, the religious order had been helping struggling mothers and grandmothers gain financial autonomy within this sprawling city that today numbers more than 7 million people. But their more recent efforts, noble as they were, had fallen short. Families still went hungry.

Impressed by the nuns’ tenacity and moved by their mission, Dobson visited San Cristóbal del Sur, where he partnered with the sisters to develop workshops that allowed local women to launch and grow small home-based businesses.

Most crucially, the women cultivated backyard gardens to supplement their families’ nutritional needs and supply a sustainable source of household income from the sale of surplus produce.

“Most of the women were housebound grandmothers who were caring for their grandkids, but now they could be earning their own money,” Dobson recalls. “The real connection here wasn’t about farming. It was about empowerment.”

He knew the project was working when a Javeriana faculty member noted that the grandmothers

weren’t keeping their books. “I found out that they appreciated having a little bit of money to buy their grandkids a birthday present or some school supplies, but they were purposely secretive about the money because if they told their neighbors, they’d be envious, and if they told their kids, they might want it. These little gardens in the backyard had given them agency over their own lives.”

Since 2015, Dobson has returned to Colombia annually (except when covid made travel impossible), some years bringing Clark students with him to tend the backyard Bogotá gardens alongside the grandmothers. In 2018, he established the dyme (Develop Your

A woman sells her produce at a farmers market in Bogotá.

Model of Entrepreneurship) Institute, which partners with schools and centers across the globe to offer aspiring business owners in developing economies access to a world-class entrepreneurial education—a boon in places where traditional funding and educational resources can be scarce.

The urban farming project in San Cristóbal del Sur earned the attention of leaders of the Bogotá Botanical Garden, who in 2020 approached Javeriana and Dobson about collaborating with them to improve the dismal rate of return on the thousands of citizen farms

Fall/Winter Winter 2024 33 2023 Clark University MagazinE 33

THEY MEAN BUSINESS

that the Garden had helped launch throughout the city. At the time, only five families from within the Botanical Garden’s network of 10,000 farms were realizing a minimum livable wage of about $500 a year.

To scale up efforts, Dobson organized a series of workshops where he and colleagues from various universities—including, this past May, School of Management professors Steve Ng and Lawrence Norman (see sidebar), as well as experts from his professional network— train about 120 farmers and technical staff from the Botanical Garden over the course of a week. The participants learn the entrepreneurial skills and tools needed to generate a steady income—everything from financial management to marketing strategies to customer relations.

The workshop attendees then return to their city neighborhoods to share best practices with other farmers. The visiting experts also pair up with local faculty and technical staff to “take it to the field” and work with local residents to turn their lessons into tangible benefits.

The “train the trainers” model has borne fruit: Within a year and a half of the program’s launch, more than 250 families are earning a livable wage from their agricultural pursuits. And their success has attracted additional key stakeholders. Organizers of botanical gardens in other Colombian cities have expressed interest in attending the workshops, and the mayor of San Cristóbal has signaled his support for the project.

The impacts of the dyme projects are far more than monetary for these citizen farmers.

“This is about building social capital within their community rather than simply profit maximi-

In May, I was fortunate to have traveled to Bogotá, Colombia, with DYME (Develop Your Model of Entrepreneurship), an organization founded by Clark Professor John Dobson to help urban farmers enhance their business potential.

It was my first trip to Colombia, and I immediately fell in love with the country, which is energetic and emotional, and as beautiful as it is gritty.

In the song “Try Anything,” the Colombian singer Shakira has a line that says, “I wanna try everything / I wanna try even though I could fail.”

Shakira may not have been referring to urban farmers becoming better businesspeople, but she certainly got it right when it comes to entrepreneurship.

Starting a business isn’t easy. It takes perseverance and belief. Knowledge and resources help, but not everyone has that luxury. The farmers in Colombia came to our DYME sessions determined to learn new ways to grow their businesses. They were highly engaged and asked great questions; they enjoyed the experience of learning practical tips to enhance their businesses and lives.

I had the unique opportunity to teach my Marketing to You course in Spanish for the first time (it took a few months of intense classes with some local Spanish teachers to get ready). My confidence grew throughout my time in Colombia, which is important, considering that my focus was to instill confidence in the farmers to pitch their products! We equip them with skills, knowledge, and support—they take it from there.

It was a wonderful experience, and I can’t wait to return next year. I’m thankful to John for the invite and to all the remarkable Colombian entrepreneurs for their hospitality, attention, and desire to learn. I was honored to center the theme of my presentation around the importance of food to a country’s sense of pride and identity.

And it made perfect sense that we were paid by the farmers/entrepreneurs with an amazing bowl of homemade soup.

La comida es vida. Food is life.

LAWRENCE NORMAN ’94, MBA ’95, IS AN ADJUNCT PROFESSOR IN THE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

34

Clark University Magazine

zation,” Dobson says. “We’ve seen over and over that these women gain a central and important role in the community.” The goal, he says, is to “create a climate of innovation that is economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable” and capable of elevating the circumstances of people who typically get by on as little as $2 a day.

The Mexico-born Dobson brings deep entrepreneurial experience to the enterprise. He started a wholesale and retail import business in Nova Scotia at age 18, growing it into a multimillion-dollar company specializing in the sale of Mexican handicrafts. After 25 years, he sold the business in 2007 to begin a career in academia. His approach at Clark has typically been to “throw away the textbooks” and guide students through the process of developing their own business ventures, often accomplished by “disrupting norms” that turn inspiration into payoff.

Dobson has plentiful examples of successful Bogotá disruptions.

He recalls a group of six families who were collecting and selling about 50 pounds of organic waste each month. They attended a dyme workshop, learned techniques for pitching their product door to door, and immediately sold 50 pounds in a day. They then connected with a farmer on the outskirts of Bogotá who bought 1,000 pounds.

A dyme microloan program allowed one woman to purchase a blender, table, and cooler, dramatically increasing the production and sales of her homemade arepas, widely considered the national dish of Colombia. Similar to a tortilla, but much thicker, it is filled with beans,

meat, eggs, and cheese. The arepa is a typical meal for the working poor.

Another Bogotá mother, loan in hand, bought 30 chickens, which became the starting point for her own catering business.

“The program gives urban farmers the confidence to apply their ideas, and believe in their skills, and work,” says Leslie Aguirre, an entrepreneurship lecturer at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. “They learn that more than theoretical tools or financial aid, they need to trust their field of knowledge and take simple steps to keep an initiative on track. Some of the best ideas come from the least educated but the most observant.”

Dobson remains in steady con-

Making and selling arepas has become a source of income for Bogotá residents who are being taught entrepreneurial skills in John Dobson’s program.

tact with his Bogotá partners and has conducted Zoom classes with the indomitable Sisters of the Epiphany to continue pressing for solutions to the obstinate challenges facing the poorest neighborhoods. He remembers his impatience with one nun who had developed a business plan for providing essential services but who had been sitting on it for five years as she held out for government funding that was unlikely to come.

Some tough love was required.

“I told her, ‘If you don’t implement something by the end of the week, I’m going to kick you out of the class,’” he recalls. “My argument was: Think of all the people who could have been helped as you

Fall/Winter Winter 2024 35 2023 Clark University MagazinE 35

“The real connection wasn’t about farming.

It was about empowerment.”

waited for the perfect plan to take shape—it’s never going to be perfect. So, she contacted a hairdresser and they went to a street corner where they washed and cut the hair of the homeless. Then she recruited a nurse practitioner to conduct basic health clinics and community outreach. She was always willing to do the necessary hard work but didn’t understand that you don’t need perfection before you start something.”

Dobson’s lessons continue to resonate with Bogotá’s women of faith.

When asked to share her experiences applying the dyme model

to elevate the underserved, Sister Alba Leonor Carvajal Carrillo of the Dominicans of the Presentation Charity serves up terms like “breaking mental paradigms” and “stimulating interdisciplinary volunteerism” with the casual authority of a seasoned mba professor. Yet the underlying truths, she notes, are simple, potent, and universal.

“Possibilities can be discovered, even when they might not seem to exist,” Sister Carrillo says. “Maintaining a consistently positive attitude, seeing failures as opportunities to achieve better results, and overcoming selfishness and personal interests help group ventures avoid failure.”

She points to one of her favorite success stories—Machetunas Arepas. Using the dyme model, two women, working with a $50 loan from Dobson, developed a business making and selling arepas and other corn flour-based products. The nuns lent their kitchen, with one woman walking 90 minutes each morning to work on the project.

Within the first month, the women paid back Dobson. Within three months, Machetunas Arepas had generated a profit of $450, increasing the women’s income from zero to $2.50 a day, a life-changing sum in a place bullied by poverty.

They later expanded operations to include five families and moved production from the nuns’ kitchen to a rented space. Today the business continues to thrive and grow.

Eden B. Crucillo, director of international relations at Colegio de Estudios Superiores Administracion (cesa) in Bogotá, has partnered closely with Dobson over the years, and their challenges do not abate. She notes that among Latin American countries, Colombia has one of the highest rates of economic

inequality, and unemployment persists at stark levels.

“Our role is to have an impact in a way that will strengthen the ecosystem for social entrepreneurship,” she says. “Because of John’s large network, he’s able to bring in international professors to share their expertise, their time, their resources.

“Now we’re engaging our students to design packaging materials for the products; students are helping with marketing efforts.

These are students from privileged backgrounds who are engaging with these urban farmers and learning from them. And it’s all because of the methodology imparted

by John.”

Bogotá is a prized destination for migrants from neighboring Venezuela who stream into the city hungry for opportunity. Dobson has worked with Venezuelan educators to develop best entrepreneurial practices, but because of the security challenges in that country, representatives from 12 universities traveled to Cucuta, Colombia, to receive their training.

He’s also a presence in his native Mexico, teaming with En Acción, a network of over 100 nongovernmental organizations, to devise methods for better serving their clients. The latter assignment sends him into Mexico City where the Oblate Nuns of the Virgin Mary escort him through neighborhoods with a reputation for violence.

He’s never been bothered nor feared for his safety, he says, because what holds true in Mexico City is the same that holds true in Bogotá: “You don’t mess with the nuns.”

36

How students and faculty breathed new life into Clark’s urban forest

BY MEREDITH WOODWARD KING PHOTOGRAPHS BY STEVEN KING

38 HADWEN HISTORY — 01 —

— In the 64 years that he owned Magnolia Farm, Obadiah Hadwen planted more than 1,000 trees, including the Scottish poplar, Kentucky coffee, Japanese gingko, Chinese cork, apple and pear, and 15 species of his beloved magnolias.

A half mile from the Clark campus, on land once home to the Nipmuc and later tended lovingly by a 19th-century horticulturalist and farmer, three Clarkies built a trail.

Over several weeks, KASYAN GREEN ’21, M.S.-GIS ’22 , NATALIE HANNA ’23, and ALEXANDER FRASHER ’23 pulled weeds, raked leaves, and laid down mulch, carefully sculpting a three-footwide path that hugs the hillside and winds through cucumber magnolia, black walnut, gingko, bald cypress, fernleaf birch, and dozens of other century-old trees planted by dairy farmer Obadiah Hadwen.

One day in 2023, while working on the trail, Green noticed a small puddle.

“It’s unusual to see a puddle in a forest—usually that water would disappear,” he recalls thinking. “We pulled away the leaves, and we could see water bubbling up. We found a beautiful little spring was hiding there all along.”

The aptly named Hidden Spring Trail now connects with several other paths crisscrossing the Hadwen Arboretum, owned by Clark since 1907, when Obadiah died at age 83 and bequeathed the University his family’s 18-acre Magnolia Farm.

The parcel included more than 1,000 trees—around 100 varieties—declared the “finest collection of trees, native and exotic,

39 Professor John Rogan (back center) leads a tour of the Hadwen Arboretum.

HADWEN HISTORY — 02 —

— For the first decade after Hadwen’s death in 1907, Clark employed a full-time caretaker to manage the property. The University grew produce there for its cafeterias.

that exists in New England” by a botanist that Clark commissioned to survey the site. In 1931, Hadwen’s daughter, Amie Hadwen Coes, donated more land, expanding the Arboretum to 26 acres.

Like that hidden spring, the Arboretum has yielded many discoveries over the past four years as a rotating crew of Clark students, working alongside Geography Professor John Rogan, has hacked through a jungle of climbing bittersweet vines, pulled invasive knotweed and poison ivy, and cleared dead branches to recover once-ailing trees.

“I introduced the students to the Arboretum and provided them with the resources, but then I really let them do their own thing, and good things have come from it,” Rogan says.

Through Rogan’s classes, the Arboretum Advocates club, and Clark’s Human-Environment Regional Observatory (hero) research program, nearly 100 Clark students have revitalized this hilly green space at May and Lovell streets, in the Columbus Park neighborhood. Their goal is to make the Arboretum more inviting and accessible so scholars and schoolchildren alike can enjoy and study it up close.

To tackle this monumental project, Rogan’s urban forestry class in 2019 used the tools of geographic information science to inventory and map nearly 70 tree species and develop a management plan for the Arboretum. Green delved into its history with ANNA BEBBINGTON, M.S.-GIS ’22, and JULIETTE GALE ’20, M.S.GIS ’21, “gaining a deeper understanding of what the space was,

40 HADWEN HISTORY — 03 —

—

what it is now, and what it could be in the future,” he says. They created a digital timeline and content for a Clark Arboretum website.

Rogan first imagined the Arboretum’s potential in 2018, when then-City Councilor MATT WALLY, M.A.-CDP ’06, reached out. Rogan was known around Worcester as a tree lover. Every summer, a cohort of students in the hero program—which he manages with Geography Professor Deborah Martin—researches the impact of stressors like invasive insects, climate change, and human activity on urban trees.

Accompanied by Jack Foley, then Clark’s vice president of government and community affairs, Rogan and Martin met with Wally, who described the Arboretum as a tangled mess, overgrown with invasive plants and riddled with trash. To the neighbors, it felt unsafe and unwelcoming.

Around the same time, ANTHONY HIMMELBERGER ’19, M.S.GIS ’20, shared a research paper

with Rogan. Active in the Arboretum Advocates, the earth system science major had researched the area’s history and surveyed and mapped over 300 trees there. For help, he recruited GALEN OETTEL ’21, M.S.-GIS ‘22, an environmental science major with a knack for identifying species.

“I was passionate about the space and hoped that someday it would get the attention it deserved,” Himmelberger says.

“It was just good timing. Everything kind of happened at once.”

“When John got involved,

In 1925, Biology Professor David Potter outlined for President Wallace Atwood how best to manage the Arboretum “for the educational benefit of the University”: clear dead trees and brush; identify, label, and catalog trees and plants; plant new specimens; and take soil samples. Atwood, no fan of the previous caretaker and loath to hire a new one, essentially told Potter, “The job is yours.”

41

that was a game changer,” recalls Oettel, who, in his first year at Clark in 2017, joined Himmelberger in Arboretum Advocates, which held occasional cleanups and hikes. “John could do so many things that we couldn’t do with the club. Once John started, we had a consistent team of people working there multiple times a week.”

Rogan recalls a key turning point: Arbor Day in April 2019, when he and the students joined Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (dcr) employees to clear dead trees, bag trash, and hack through vines and knotweed.

“When I saw that sort of collective action, and how nice the site looked, I thought we should do more of this,” he recalls. “That’s when I started doing the work here, and I haven’t looked back.”

HADWEN HISTORY — 04 —

— Potter did the best he could with Clark’s limited resources.

Starting with its founding in 1931, he led the Hadwen Botanical Club, which collected thousands of specimens of plant life, that were later donated or sold.

Over time, Rogan and his students have strategically selected and planted more trees, established a mile of new trails with the help of Clark’s Facilities Management crews, erected wayfinding signs, split fallen trees to craft benches, and created an outdoor classroom now used by local schools.

NICHOLAS GERON, PH.D. ’23, was involved with the project from the beginning as a teaching assistant for Rogan’s classes and the HERO program. He’s now an assistant professor of geography at Salem State University.

“It was just completely revolutionary in terms of what education could be,” Geron says.

“One day you could be clearing a

42 HADWEN HISTORY — 05 —

— During World War II, as an act of patriotism (and agriculture), the Clark University Board of Trustees voted to allow the planting of a community Victory Garden in the Arboretum.

trail, and the next day you could be mapping invasive species or doing tree identification. It opened my mind to how higher education can interact with the surrounding environment and local community. Seeing John’s persistence and continued investment is really inspiring.”

To guide the ongoing project, Rogan has tapped into a network of advisors from Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum, the dcr, Worcester Tree Initiative, New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, and the Greater Worcester Land Trust. Last summer, the Worcester Native Plant Initiative planted a pollinator garden near the May Street entrance.

“It’s usually a two-way interaction where we learn something from these people, and they learn something from us,” he says.

The Clark team first cleared a trail that brings people into the heart of the Arboretum. It follows abandoned Appleton Road, which once led up the hill to Fairlawn Hospital and provided access to the Hadwen family’s farmhouse, fruit orchard, and plant nursery. Near the bottom of the trail, Green rebuilt the stone wall that would have welcomed guests to Hadwen’s farm amid hostas and other perennials planted long ago.

“A part of me would have just loved to stay there forever because I really love the Arboretum,” says Green, who continued working in the Arboretum for six months after graduating from Clark. “It felt very much like a sanctuary for me.”

The Arboretum has evolved

43 David Henriques ’22, M.S.-GIS ’23, and Galen Oettel ’21, M.S.-GIS ’22, were among the many Clark students who brought new life to the Hadwen Arboretum.

into a community resource— long unnoticed, even by neighbors, it is now a source of pride.

Residents walk the leafy trails.

Hikers cut through the space, which is part of Worcester’s 14mile East-West Trail, headed to and from abutting Coes Reservoir. Others maintain plots in a community garden at the top of the hill.

For 20 years, DARIA MESHENUK ’72 lived a half mile away, yet she didn’t know the Arboretum existed until three years ago. She now exercises there regularly, running into Rogan as he’s pulling weeds or watering newly planted trees.

“I was very impressed by John’s vision for the place and how he so comfortably and easily involves other people,” Meshenuk says. “He cares about making the world a better place and has the tools needed to work constructively and bring people together.”

HADWEN HISTORY — 06 —

— A Clark professor studied animal behavior at the Hadwen Arboretum, apparently using a shed to harbor two alligators and a porcupine “trained to do a number of tricks and stunts.” The porcupine escaped; the reptiles didn’t survive the winter.

Rogan envisions turning the Arboretum into a living, working laboratory where Clark researchers can study the effects of global climate change at the local level—an effort that aligns with the University’s goal of launching a school for climate studies. Ideally, that would include staff responsible for maintaining the space, with an electric-powered central building and water hookups for yearround education and property management.

“If a university anywhere were really conscious about climate change and community engagement, such a university would

44 HADWEN HISTORY — 07 —

— A Clark group studying uses for the property once proposed building dormitories there.

want a green space to facilitate that—to do experimentation and to engage the community,” Rogan points out. “And we already have that. The Arboretum has remained this hidden jewel, and there are a lot of interesting things already going on there. In 10 years, it could be all that we’re hoping for.”

Clark faculty and students, he notes, already are tapping into the Arboretum for research and coursework.

Biology Professor Kaitlyn Mathis’ classes head there to observe the interactions between plants and insects. “The Arboretum is a fantastic resource because it’s within walking distance to campus, and we’re able to collect samples of a wide range of insects,” says Mathis, who researches the ecology of ants in managed ecosystems.

Her colleague, Professor Erin McCollough, was excited to find a nearby thriving ecosystem where she could collect dung beetles as part of her investigation into their mating habits.

Professor David Hibbett, an eminent mycologist, regularly brings students into the Hadwen to conduct research on local fungi.

Professor Morgan Ruelle and students from the Department of Sustainability and Social Justice head to the Arboretum to observe seasonal changes, informing their broader study of humans’ connections to place and the environment.

Two years ago, Ruelle’s graduate research assistant, EVAN COLLINS, M.S.-ES&P ’21, researched bats for his master’s thesis with the help of DUNCAN DRAPEAU ’21, M.S.-ES&P ’22. They

45

compared bat activity and species diversity in the Arboretum with that of nearby Coes Reservoir and Mass Audubon’s Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary. “One night at the Arboretum, we had near constant activity of bats, more than any of the other sites we checked,” Collins recalls.

Ruelle hopes to set up acoustic stations to capture more data about the bats frequenting the Arboretum. This year, he plans to set up low-cost weather stations to monitor precipitation and temperature so students can research the impact of climate change locally, while testing out the equipment for use by indigenous communities globally.

HADWEN HISTORY — 08 —

— Clark fielded two significant purchase offers for the property: from the city of Worcester, which sought to build a new high school there, and from nearby Fairlawn Hospital. In 1985, the Board of Trustees made the firm decision not to sell the property.

When students are gone for the summer, Rogan can be found working in the Hadwen Arboretum several times a week. In heatwaves and drought—like the one in summer 2022—he hauls water from his house in gallon jugs to care for newly planted trees.

“He goes about his work very quietly,” Kas Green says. “There have been times when I’ve been in the Arboretum, building a trail or taking ivy off the trees, and as I’m leaving, I’ll see that John was there the whole time as well.”

The place is a respite from the frantic city energy surrounding it, perhaps more so for those who have shaped the paths leading into the heart of Obadiah Hadwen’s gift to Clark, and shared a vision for what it could become.

In Bonnie We Trust

Winter 2024 47

Trusted Media Brands CEO BONNIE KINTZER ’82 transformed a family of print magazines into a digital powerhouse with a precious ally: The public

BY MELISSA LYNCH ’95, MSPC ’15

48

an amusing tale is shared about life

in these United States.

A cherished recipe gets passed along between generations.

A cockatoo cozies up to his canine best friend.

A man attempts a complicated skateboard trick … and tumbles into a pool.

Thes e s e emingly disp arate scenes and anecdotes are all products of Trusted Media Brands—formerly known as the Reader’s Digest Association—which boasts a family of publications and platforms whose content entertains, informs, and celebrates their audiences.

And the biggest fan of it all is BONNIE KINTZER ’82, the Trusted Media Brands ceo who finds endless inspiration and opportunity in the parade of humanity marching across her magazines and, yes, skateboarding and splashing on her company’s digital channels.

In fact, she’s made quite a splash herself.

To truly understand what Kintzer has accomplished with Trusted Media Brands requires a step back into publishing history. Reader’s Digest made its first appearance in 1922 when DeWitt Wallace, while recovering from war wounds, was inspired to gather articles—one for every day of the month, on a variety of subjects and from a variety of sources—and put them into one easyto-read volume.

Five thousand copies of that first issue were printed; in just seven years, the signature magazine’s circulation grew to 290,000. It became one of the best-selling magazines in the world, with a peak circulation of 17 million and 49 foreign editions.

But as print magazine readership

Clark University Magazine

began to wane, Reader’s Digest found it difficult to adapt in an increasingly digitized world. The magazine’s parent company, Reader’s Digest Association (rda), filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection twice, first in 2009 and then in 2013—and when the company emerged from Chapter 11 in 2014, Kintzer was at its helm.

She was already very familiar with the company, having worked at rda from 1998 to 2007 as vice president of global strategy and business redesign, general manager of North American operations, and finally as president of the u.s. publishing division. As president, she helped launch the Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine and brand, and greenlit the acquisition of AllRecipes.com (both brands have subsequently been sold).

“I definitely came back on a mission,” Kintzer says of her return as ceo. “Part of it was because I had been here before—and had been here for better days—and I was shocked at what had happened to the company.”

At the time, along with its flagship magazine and The Family Handyman, RDA was home to Taste of Home, Birds & Blooms, Reminisce, Country Woman, Country, and Farm & Ranch Living.

Kintzer’s first fix was to change the corporate name. “It wasn’t reflective of what the company was. Taste of Home was—and still is—a huge food brand, and The Family Handyman was number one in diy. And yet the company was known as Reader’s Digest—it seemed like a defensive posture, as opposed to being proud of both Reader’s Digest and the other brands.” So Trusted Media Brands was born.

She also recognized the need for a major culture shift. “The focus had to be digital first. We were a

Bonnie Kintzer, center, accepts an award on behalf of Trusted Media Brands during the 2018 United Through Reading Tribute to Military Families.

print-dominant company; the essence of the transformation had to be an entire shift of focus and mindset.”

The shift worked quickly and decisively. cnbc reported in 2020 that by 2017—just three years into Kintzer’s tenure—the company had eliminated its debt. Total digital revenue grew by 98% from 2015 to 2019.

“Reader’s Digest is ‘the forever brand,’” Kintzer says. “People grow up with it. It’s multigenerational, and beloved within the home. I think it will always be a print magazine because that’s part of its brand identity. The issue we faced was how to protect the brand in print while expanding it digitally, which is a different experience for the reader.”

Reading a print magazine is an experience that is carefully crafted by a magazine’s creators. For example, Reader’s Digest features pages of reader-submitted jokes and anecdotes between articles tackling more

Winter 2024 49

“ We’re here to help you make a great meal, to teach you something, to make you laugh.”

P H O T O B Y U . S . A R M Y S G T. J A M E S K . M C C A N N / D E PA R T M E N T O F D E F E N S E

serious subjects. “You read something of interest, you learn, then you chuckle,” Kintzer says. “There’s an emotional arc in a print product.”

Digital content is a different story. “If you want to read jokes, you’re going to click over to that page. If you want to read about a particular topic, you go there,” she says.

“You decide.”

A common denominator does exist between print and digital: Trust. The user knows that the content they are getting is worth their time. “The value of being entertained, of learning something, is very important,” Kintzer says. “Our editors and content people are critical in ensuring that the magazine can live in another medium and still be Reader’s Digest.”

Trusted Media Brands’ publications, both print and digital, feature “content inspired by you,” Kintzer says.

“We’ve always been a consumer-first company. Without the community,

we don’t have anything.”

The community expanded in 2021 when TMB acquired Jukin Media, a digital firm specializing in acquiring and licensing user-generated videos.

With Jukin, tmb added several popular digital brands to its portfolio— FailArmy, The Pet Collective, People Are Awesome, and WeatherSpy. “FailArmy and The Pet Collective are juggernaut video brands that are all about people contributing and enjoying, and that is really the definition of who we are,” Kintzer says.

(Often with a good side of laughter: The pool-bound skateboarder is a FailArmy video.)

The acquisition also allowed Trusted Media Brands to expand its existing content into free ad-supported tv, or fast. The Family Handyman now has a streaming channel­­—At Home with the Family Handyman. Another channel, The Healthy, is a digital-only component of Reader’s Digest. People Are Awesome, The Pet Collective, WeatherSpy, and FailArmy are all available as streaming channels, and Taste of Home and Birds & Blooms have dy-

namic websites that invite the public to contribute content.

“We are here to celebrate life,” Kintzer says of the company’s brands. “We’re here to help you make a great meal, to teach you something, to make you laugh.

“We’re the anti-snark company.”

Born and raised in Brooklyn “before it was cool,” Kintzer enrolled at Clark University with a clear career goal.

“Like probably three-quarters of the student body, I went to Clark to become a psychologist,” she recalls.

“Somewhere along the way, I thought about becoming a diplomat. And by the time I graduated, I wanted to go into international business.” She ultimately graduated with a major in government and international relations and went on to climb the career ladder in marketing, sales, and consulting.

“My classes broadened my sense of the world,” says Kintzer, who also interned at the Department of Commerce in Washington, d.c., and San Francisco. “It made me think so much more about the world at large—and that has definitely stayed with me.”

Kintzer insists that she hasn’t strayed far from her original plans.

“I always say that being a ceo is part psychologist and part diplomat,” she says, “so I did, in fact, achieve those goals—just in a much different way.

“When you’re working in the business world, it’s important to connect with people and be interested in who they are and what motivates them.

That is part of the Clark ethos, and it serves you well in the business world—or any other career. Business is about people.”

It’s a lifelong lesson, as Kintzer has proven. One that’s well worth digesting.

YOU make the

DIFFERENCE Last year nearly $3 million in gifts to The Clark Fund made a difference to our community.

Gifts to The Clark Fund provide unrestricted funding to support and enhance the student experience, including athletics and activities, research and internships, campus improvement, and more!

85% of students received financial aid in fall 2023, made possible in part because of The Clark Fund—Scholarship

WAYS TO GIVE

296 requests granted

20 new research databases

11 students

added with the help of gifts to Clark Libraries, helping increase access to full academic e-books by 700,000 titles

participated in an alternative spring break trip to Ghana supported by the D’Army Bailey ’65 Diversity Fund

through the Student Emergency Fund

n Use the envelope in this magazine to mail a check n Visit us online at alumni.clark.edu/magazine n Call 888-257-5363 to make your gift by credit card

For more information on how to give, including through securities or IRA transfer, please call 508-421-3716.

Winter 2024 51

Alma Mater

Celebrating Clark’s Alumni Community

Jimi Hendrix Kisses the Sky Once Again Summer Williams ’01, M.A.Ed. ’02, Revives a Rock (and Clark) Legend

p SEE PAGE 52

52

Clark University Magazine

The Arts

“ We All Have a Dream Inside Our Head”

By Jim Keogh

SUMMER L. WILLIAMS ’01, M.A.ED. ’02, missed Jimi

ing their own relationship to what they’re watching and hearing. That gave me chills.

“There’s enough in the play for everyone to hold on to the idea that we all have a dream inside our head, and we have to honor that dream at any age we can.”

Like every performing arts group, Company One was forced to confront the loss of human connection during the pandemic.

While live theater was put on hold, the company “activated our philosophy” to address the social issues that typically center their plays by hosting The Better Future Series, a collection of online dialogues that brought together artists, activists, community and political leaders, and local changemakers for spirited and hopeful conversations.

“We shared light and attention ab out top ics like mental health, food insecurity, and the ugly treatment of Asian American and Pacific Islanders during the pandemic,” she says. “The Better Future Series put us directly into the conversations we needed in that moment.”

Williams, who serves as dean of students at Brook-

p “It is more dangerous than fire.”

STE V EN KI N G

Hendrix’s legendary Clark University concert by a good three decades. But even those who arrived on campus long after he shook up venerable Atwood Hall share some ownership of Hendrix’s appearance here, as though his guitar strings produced a magical echo that only a Clarkie can hear.

“It was folklore for me,” Williams says. “Jimi Hendrix played Atwood?

How wild and cool that must have been.”

How wild and cool then (and, given the Clark connection, oddly logical) for Williams to revive the rocker’s spirit as director of The Boy Who Kissed the Sky, which was inspired

by Hendrix’s evolution from boy to man to musician to rock demigod.

Written by Idris Goodwin, the play formed the cornerstone of the summer schedule of Company One Theatre, the highly regarded Boston-based company founded by Clark alumni that is celebrating its 25th year.

The Boy Who Kissed the Sky is not a straight Hendrix biography; all the music is original to the production. The only explicit nod to his

songs is captured in the play’s title, a reference to his “Purple Haze” lyric, “’Scuse me, while I kiss the sky.”

“I was intrigued by the notion of a story that is somewhat biographical but is more about the intention and inspiration one can find despite their circumstances,” Williams says. “There’s virtue in being able to look at someone’s story and not name the individual hardships they faced, but instead find the common experience from those hardships that can be used to inspire us.”

The Boy Who Kissed the Sky received warm reviews from the critics for its crackling rhythms and lush staging, yet the enthusiastic audience reception was even more gratifying than the positive press, Williams insists.

“Our work at Company One often centers issues of race and class in unique ways, not necessarily big, full technicolor plays with music that cater to all generations,” she says. “The most meaningful responses for me were to hear little kids say, ‘Oh my gosh. That’s so cool,’ and to watch their parents and loved ones hav-

Winter 2024 53

line High School in Brookline, Massachusetts, plans to direct one or two shows in Company One’s anniversary season. She will helm the world premiere of Kirsten Greenidge’s Morning, Noon, and Night, which wrestles with questions about the infiltration of social media and ai into post-pandemic lives, filtered through the lens of a fracturing mother-daughter relationship.

This past summer, Clark’s Alumni and Friends Engagement office arranged a special get-together at a performance of The Boy Who Kissed the Sky. A family obligation prevented Williams from attending, but she fondly recalls last year’s Clark event, where a former professor presented her with a photo taken of Williams and her classmates after they’d graduated from the master’s in education program.

“It was mind-blowing,” she laughs, “because I still feel like that 22-yearold.”

Summer Williams inside the Paramount Theatre, Boston.

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Garrett Abrahamson Alumni Notes

Alumni Efforts Are Helping Clark Keep Pace This past November, the Alumni Council met on campus, bringing together alumni from California, Puerto Rico, and even Clark’s backyard of Worcester. We continued our two-year-old tradition of meeting concurrently with the gold Council and reconnecting with the Council’s past presidents and current members of the Student Alumni Relations Committee.

In a jam-packed weekend, we heard from Emily Roper-Doten, vice president for undergraduate admissions and financial assistance, who described the steps Clark is taking to meet the challenges of increased applications coupled with a demographic and demand cliff in higher education.

We also met with Joseph Corazzini, vice president for government and community affairs, who recently celebrated the expansion of the University Park Partnership and is working closely with community members and businesses as Clark looks to reinvigorate its Main Street frontage.

Last year, we walked by the frame of the Center for Media Arts, Computing,

and Design. This year, we toured the building with Paul Cotnoir, dean of the Becker School of Design & Technology, and saw students taking classes in a building that was nothing but a shell 12 months ago.

More than halfway through my twoyear term as the Alumni Council president, I am excited to continue increasing the reach of the Alumni Council.

One way we will do this is through the creation of the Alumni Experience Committee to be chaired by BRIGID PALCIC ’11, M.A. ’12. The committee will map the ways Clark engages alumni with each other, with faculty and University leadership, and with current students to build connections that foster intellectual, professional, and emotional bonds.

While I marvel at the big changes on campus, the heart of our alma mater are the people who call themselves Clarkies.

One of my favorite lines from the November gathering: Being an alumnus/ alumna lets you stay a Clarkie forever.

Along with parents, students, and friends, Clark alumni helped drive one of the most successful Giving Tuesday

campaigns in our history with the money raised going directly to the Student Emergency Fund to help students cover costs of emergency travel for personal or family crises, supplement the cost of laptop repair, and address food insecurity. For those who supported the Fund on Giving Tuesday, thank you!

When making your annual gift, you can designate it to the area on campus that is most important to you, or you can make an unrestricted gift to The Clark Fund. No matter what area you choose to support, you are making a difference for our campus community.

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO?

Did you get a promotion? Get married? Write a book?

Meet up with fellow Clarkies for a mini-reunion? We want to hear all about it, and your classmates do, too.

Send your class note to: classnotes@clarku.edu

resolution as possible (preferably 300 dpi) and send it as an attachment to your email.

Want to send a photo? Please be sure it’s as high

Fiat Lux, Garrett Abrahamson ’07, MBA ’08 President, Clark Alumni Council

Or, if you prefer snail mail: Melissa Lynch, Associate Editor, Marketing and Communications, 138 Woodland St., Worcester, MA 01610

Winter 2024 55

the financial wherewithal to afford it.”

1972 — DR. STEVEN P. LORTON,

who majored in biology at Clark, is the past president of the Association for Applied Animal Andrology, an international scientific society.

He is also co-editor and author of a recently published text, Manual of Animal Andrology.

retired in 2022, and for contributing to multiple public history projects in Kentucky (while teaching a full course load!). He also has authored books on a wide range of topics: the Civil War in Kentucky, Irish-American history, shoe making in Massachusetts, Michigan during the Great Depression, religious history, and more.

1980 — EMIL BRIGNOLA III ’80,

1973 — 1959

GERALD ZARR ’59, his daughter, JOCELYN ’90, and JONATHAN

WILLIAM MULLIGAN,

BURTON ’92 met for dinner in Glen Echo, Maryland, during the

M.A. ’73, PH.D. ’82, was awarded the 2023 Frank R. Levstik Award for Professional Service from the Kentucky Historical Society. The award is presented to a recently retired staff member of a museum or another history-related organization in Kentucky who has demonstrated exemplary work and dedication to their institution. William was honored for his 29 years as a faculty member at Murray State University, from which he

summer. Recollections of long-standing Clark friendships occupied much of the evening’s conversation.

1959 ELLIOT RAPHAELSON has written a syndicated personal finance column for Tribune Content Agency for 11 years. The column, which covers basic principles of prudent financial planning, is published nationally by many media outlets, including the Chicago Tribune, MSN, Hartford Courant, and Arizona Daily Star, among many others. You can read it online by searching for “Elliot Raphaelson/The Savings Game.”

very long gestation,” he writes—he put the finishing touches on a graduate text, Linear Models and Design, which was published by Springer Nature this past November. “It goes without saying that my teachers at Clark were very influential in developing my abilities and interest in math— Connor Lazarov, Zalman Rubenstein, and especially Seymour Hayden and John Kennison.” Jay and his wife have three sons and six grandchildren, all of whom live in the Chicago area.

1968

1970

—

—

JAY BEDER retired in May

ROBERT MCMASTER has

2021 after 39 years on the faculty of the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (including a year of teaching remotely during the pandemic). Over the following year—“after a

published Rose of Glenkerry: A County Wicklow Mystery. He previously published four historical novels set in Holyoke, Massachusetts, as well as the first biography ever written about Edward Hitchcock, a native of

—

Massachusetts who was the first scientist to find evidence of dinosaurs in North America. Learn more at wicklowmysteries.com and edwardhitchcock.com.

1971 — WILLIAM DALTON has published Brother Martin, the Saint who Trudged Beside Me. He writes, “It’s not just the story of our journey through recovery from alcoholism, but my discovery of a loving God, a spiritual way of living, a loving bond that lasted 26 years, his lifetime, and a memory that will last my lifetime. I established the Brother Martin Scholarship Fund to provide, from the proceeds, a scholarship voucher, or at least a contribution to, an alcohol or drug rehabilitation program for a person who is in need of treatment yet hasn’t

MBA ’84, is a principal at American Container Equipment and Supplies, a family-owned business in Marietta, Georgia. “I’ve carved out time this season to give back to my community by officiating high school basketball here in Georgia,” he writes. “I had previous experience refereeing high school basketball in the Worcester area while at Clark, and decided to get back on the court.

The student-athletes are great, the coaches demanding, and the fans … well, they’re fans. What I find difficult is keeping up with teenagers who

Four Clarkies from three graduation years celebrated a friend’s wedding—(left to right) NOEL EISENSTAT ’82, BETH ROSENBAUM ’82, JOEL FISH ’75, and TALIA FISH ’14, MPA ’15.

1982

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Clark University Magazine

He successfully built the group into the industry’s leading consultant and manager for multifamily developers and institutional investors. As division president, Marc will continue to lead his team of consultants and managers as the business diversifies; most recently, he served as senior vice president of the New Development Group, which now comprises more than 50 associates.

1989 — TODD L. SHIMKUS has published his first book, I’m Not Ready For This.

In this memoir, Todd shares what he learned about Alzheimer’s disease, COVID-19, resilience, and being a caregiver and a community leader as he simultaneously advocated for his mom with Alzheimer’s and, as the president of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, worked to help his community navigate the pandemic. The book is

1984

In April, AMY (RUBIN) MINDELL, KATHY (DICKS) MCNICOLL, and SUSAN (BINDMAN) PEIKIN had a mini-reunion in Stamford, Connecticut.

They hope to return to Clark for their 40th reunion in May.

are running at full speed!

It’s rewarding to give back to our community and impact young adults in a positive way. By the way, I still have a fulltime job.”

1984 — SCOTT MARLOWE, M.D., is a partner with Radiology Associates of Florida at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. In May 2023, he was

recognized as a fellow of the American College of Radiology. ACR Fellowship is awarded to members who have demonstrated significant accomplishments in scientific or clinical research in the field of radiology, made substantial contributions to the literature, and provided outstanding work as a teacher of radiology.

Only 15 percent of current College members have been awarded this honor.

1987 — MARC KOTLER is president of the New Development Group of FirstService Residential, New York’s leading residential property management company. Marc joined FirstService Residential in 2004 as a senior property manager and was promoted to vice president after one year, forming the New Development Group in 2005.

available at northshirebookstore.com or on Amazon; all proceeds will go to the Alzheimer’s Association.

1990 — JEAN-MARTIAL RIBES has been appointed vice president of communication for Moët Hennessy, the world-leading wines and spirits division of LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton). He leads the central Communications and Events team and provides functional leadership for communications leaders at all LVMH houses in all regions and markets. An expert in corporate, lifestyle, and crisis communications, Jean-Martial previously was managing director of communication for Paris Saint-Germain and director of communication for Qatar Sport Investments. He also served as vice president of Europe global operations at Ketchum, an international communication agency.

A group of Clarkies celebrated together at the wedding of Elizabeth Ann Goldstrom, daughter of CAROLINE GOLDSTROM ’87. From left: PETER SONNENREICH ’87, MARC GUP ’87, CAROLINE GOLDSTRUM ’87, Mark Goldstrom, MATT CHAFE ’87, Deborah Sonnenreich, and John Levesque (Marc Gup’s husband).

1987

Winter 2024 57

1995 — AILENE GERHARDT, a Board-certified patient advocate, certified senior advisor, and founder of Beacon Patient Solutions and the Navigating Solo Network, was named Independent Advocate of the Year at the 2023 Healthcare Advocate Summit in New Orleans.

She was recognized for her contributions to the field of independent patient and health care advocacy and for her innovative work with solo agers—older adults who, by choice or circumstance, are without the support of adult children or adult family members.

Ailene spent 17 years as a human services professional on college campuses before her

mother became gravely ill, and she experienced firsthand how draining and challenging it is to navigate the health care system while actively being a caregiver. The experience led her to a career change and her calling as an independent patient advocate.

the management of a Phase 3 pivotal trial using gene therapy to treat wet age-related macular degeneration. Adrienne lives in Southington, Connecticut, with her husband and two teenage boys.

2002 —

2000

FATHER GREGOIRE FLUET,

KEN HOWARD ’12 and Elena Pizzotti were mar-

—

PH.D. ’02, chaplain and

ADRIENNE (O’QUINN)

director of campus ministry at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, New York, has been named the college’s interim president. Ordained a priest in 1982, he has served in parishes and has taught at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. In addition to being chaplain at Mount Saint Mary

ried on June 25, 2022, at the Crane Estate in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Clarkies in attendance included JEN ABALLO ’11, EUGENE ARSENAULT ’11, DAN HEELAN ’11, MARGARET (CAMPBELL) PRIESTLEY ’82, JEREMY GERBER ’12, JULIE NOLAN-YOUNG ’82, ANDREA (PELOSI) PIZZOTTI ’82, Ken, GRAY HIRSHFIELD ’82, GABY KENT ’15, CHRIS JOHNSON ’12, PHIL WINSLOW ’12, TRAVIS DURKIN ’12, M.S. ’14, and GUS BREWER ’11.

PORZYCKI was promot-

ed to senior project manager at REGENXBIO, a gene therapy leader driven by an ongoing commitment to develop gene therapies that improve treatment options for people with significant unmet needs.

Adrienne, who has been with the company since 2020, is responsible for

2012

College, Fr. Greg teaches religious studies and history courses as an adjunct professor. He is well-known on the campus for cheering students on, whether on the sidelines of an athletic game or while helping them through life’s challenges.

2007 — BROOKS MARMON ’07,

JUDITH (HOGAN) FRANKEL ’03 of Surfside, Florida, organized a lunch 2003

for visiting Clark alumni (and staff) JONATHAN KAPPEL ’81 and JONATHAN BURTON ’92 (rear) at Josh’s Deli, owned and operated by

JOSHUA MARCUS ’96 (right). Judith is the town planner for Surfside and also serves on Clark’s South Florida President’s Leadership Council.

M.A. ’08, has published Pan-Africanism Versus Partnership, a revision of his 2020 University of Edinburgh doctoral thesis exploring the impact of African decolonization on colonial Zimbabwe in the 1950s and 60s.

“My intellectual interest in this historical topic was directly inspired by my junior semester abroad experience when I studied in Namibia and subsequently toured Zimbabwe following the completion of that program,” he writes.

Brooks is currently a post-doctoral scholar

with the Mershon Center for International Security Studies at The Ohio State University.

2008 — GEORGE CHARLES ALLEN

has been named to the board of the National Association of Flight Instructors. He is the founder and CEO of AeroVenture, which is the only school twice named National Best Flight School by The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. In 2018, George received the Dr. Wendell G. Mohling Outstanding Aerospace Educator Award from the National Science Teachers Association. He also was presented the Civil Air Patrol’s Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager Aerospace Education Award for excellence in educating the general public and was elected a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society, based in London—the oldest aeronautical society in the world.

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Clark University Magazine

Vocation

Chima Egbuzie’s Max-imum Career

By Jim Keogh

Be seen. Be heard. Prove you belong at the table.

These were among the critical lessons that CHIMA EGBUZIE ’19 shared with Clark students of color at a February 2023 event titled Panel of the Decades, in which alumni laid out the strategies they’ve used to navigate their professional lives. As one of the youngest marketing executives at Max (formerly hbo Max), Egbuzie was uniquely positioned to describe how he contributes to the decision-making around the promotion of popular hbo shows and specials like The Righteous Gemstones, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Friends: The Reunion.

“When I started, I was the baby of the marketing team,” he laughs. “I don’t think they’d worked with a lot of Nigerian people like me, but that’s good. Hollywood can be like The Hunger Games, and you have to understand how the game works and play it to your advantage.”

As an associate creative manager who’s heavily engaged in the social media marketing of Max’s comedy content, Egbuzie has collaborated with people throughout the industry to ensure that a show’s promotional components are aligned— which can encompass media coverage, advertising spots, and in-person appearances.

He recalls the hbo team accompanying The Righteous

Gemstones star Danny McBride to a nascar racetrack for a promotional appearance, an appropriate venue given the program’s Deep South setting.

Egbuzie learned quickly to bring his ideas to the table and convince others of their value—pitch and persuade.

“If you don’t speak up, people will forget you,” he says. “Effective presentation skills are so important when you’ve got an audience.” To that end, he notes the one class he didn’t take at Clark that would serve him well now: acting.

Egbuzie acknowledges he’s enjoying a “good run” with the streaming service, one that he traces back to his Clark days, when he trained to become a filmmaker and was recognized around campus for his local documentaries. An internship with the Multicultural Advertising Program earned him a position with the McCann ad agency in New York, where he worked with companies to enhance their digital presence in the marketplace. When the pandemic curtailed much of the available work, Egbuzie launched himself into networking mode, meeting virtually with fellow professionals, including Clarkies—“They were so kind. Always willing to help somebody out”—before landing his position at Max. Egbuzie is considering other branches of the entertainment industry that he

may one day pursue, including animation and music. He sees real potential for the Afrobeats style of music that is only now catching on in Los Angeles.

He’s also ready to help other Clarkies make their inroads into the hypercompetitive world he inhabits,

including by recommending them for internships and other opportunities.

“There’s a lot of gatekeeping in Hollywood,” he notes.

“Now that I’ve made it this far, the only way for me to measure success is to see how many other people I can get into the system.”

“If you don’t speak up, people will forget you.”

Winter 2024 59

The Law

JUDGE GUZMAN JOINS THE FEDERAL BENCH

“I’m going to be fair. And I’m going to bring a different voice.”

When she was a teenager, MARGARET GUZMAN ’89 wrote a letter to the Boston Red Sox offering to be the team’s first batgirl, just for a day. Though team manager Don Zimmer gently declined her request, Guzman, in a couple of paragraphs, had made a compelling case for herself.

It was far from the last argument she would deliver … or consider. As a public defender and then as a private-practice lawyer in Worcester, Guzman proved to be a fierce advocate for her clients in the courtroom. Later, as a Massachusetts District Court judge, she carefully weighed the evidence and the arguments presented

to her before rendering decisions from the bench. She was very good at her job and could easily have kept at it until retirement.

Then the President of the United States came calling.

On March 3, 2023, after being nominated by President Biden for a seat on the federal bench and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Guzman received her commission as a United States district judge.

She was sworn in on August 8 at Mechanics Hall in a ceremony attended by family, friends, and colleagues, who were also celebrating a piece of history: Guzman is the first person of Hispanic heritage to serve as a federal judge in

Massachusetts.

“I’m going to be fair,” she says. “And I’m going to bring a different voice.”

Born in Worcester, Guzman was one of eight children raised by a single mother. While her family didn’t have much, getting by on food stamps and free school lunches, her mother conducted herself with grace and dignity and expected the same from her children. She insisted that Margaret, always an excellent student, would go on to do great things.

After working a series of jobs, Guzman entered the University of Southern Maine at the age of 25, and within a year and a half had trans-

ferred to Clark, “my North Star.” A summer internship in the Worcester public defenders’ office solidified her law aspirations, and, after graduating from Clark, prompted her to earn her J.D. from Boston University School of Law. Guzman worked as a public defender in Worcester for 17 years, then went into private practice until 2009 when she was appointed a District Court judge, presiding over courtrooms throughout the state. She would serve in leadership roles on judicial committees that examined the roots of decision-making through the lens of not only justice, but compassion.

When Guzman was approached about the possibility of a federal appointment, she didn’t give it much weight. She had no political connections—“I didn’t belong to any secret society,” she laughs—and her background as a public defender made her a longshot. Still, at the request of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, she completed the 40-page application and tossed her robe into the ring.

The vote at her Senate confirmation hearing broke across party lines, 49-48, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaker.

“My mother is smiling somewhere,” Guzman muses. “And she’s saying, ‘I knew it. You should have listened to me.’”

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Clark University Magazine

In Memoriam

“ TOM DOLAN WAS A FORCE OF NATURE” TOM DOLAN SR. ’62, M.A.ED. ’63, loved to tell the story of the time he arrived at Clark University to seek admission as a student.

He’d completed two years at Holy Cross before interrupting his studies to serve in the U.S. military in California and Germany. On his return in 1960, a Holy Cross dean suggested that Clark actually might be a better fit for him.

Dolan immediately drove to campus, spied a student walking across the green, and asked for directions to the admissions office. “At Holy Cross, they would have led you by the hand to the office, or at least pointed out how to get there,” he recalled in a 2012 interview. “This student turned to me and said, ‘Why do you ask?’

“What a great question!”

His endless fascination with, and affection for, Clark and Clarkies led Tom Dolan into a 42-year career that saw him become an indefatigable champion and inspired evangelist for the university—a legacy he continued adding to long after he’d retired in 2004. When he died on June 28, 2023, at the age of 87, his loss was felt across generations of this community, many for whom he was the face and spirit of Clark.

As a student, he made the most of his time at Clark, which included earning varsity letters in baseball, tennis, and basketball—where his rugged build, competitive streak, and “sharp elbows” not only earned him the team captaincy but made him a one-man scarlet-andwhite wrecking crew under the boards. That pugnacity would later help him successfully beat

back cancer several times, persevering through the surgery and strength-sapping treatments that narrowed his frame but never diminished his spirit.

After earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Clark (he later earned a law degree at Suffolk University), he joined the admissions team and would go on to hold seven distinct jobs at the University, including leadership positions in admissions, alumni affairs, advancement, and the administration, capping his career as senior vice president. He was fond of saying: “I held every job at the place except two: being president and running the boiler room.”

His jobs meant traveling around the country and overseas with his late wife JOAN ’60, M.A.ED. ’74, to preach the Clark gospel and secure gifts that would prove essential to the University’s growth. Joan’s calm demeanor, he insisted, counterbalanced “my Irish malarkey” as he forged relationships and charmed donors wherever an infusion of Clark goodwill was needed. (The couple’s sons are both Clarkies: TOM JR. ’79 and BRIAN, MBA ’87.)

Among Dolan’s many accolades, the Clark athletic field house on Beaver Street was named for him and Joan, and he earned membership into the Clark Athletic Hall of Fame.

He also enjoyed two “firsts.” He was the first member of the administration to be named an honorary member of the Clark faculty; and on the occasion of the 50th reunion of the Class of 1962 (which he good-naturedly, and often, touted as “the greatest class in the history of

Clark”), he was presented with the University’s first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award.

Over the years, many shared their personal stories of Tom Dolan’s special relationships with Clarkies—remembering his wit, his kindness, his positivity, and his unrelenting devotion to his alma mater. He stood at the center of countless photos taken at Reunion celebrations, always smiling, his long arms slung around the shoulders of fellow Clarkies, coaxing them into the picture.

“Tom was a force of nature,” said VICKI GREY ’81. “He was absolutely passionate about Clark and used every opportunity to first and foremost build community.”

His classmate and longtime

friend BARRY EPSTEIN ’62 noted that Tom always insisted he was guided in life and career by the four things he held dearest: friends, faith, fortitude, and family.

Perhaps one more “F” term should be added to Tom Dolan’s mantra and cap his story. The one inscribed on the seal of the institution that he couldn’t have loved any more deeply had he laid the bricks of Jonas Clark Hall himself. The one he always used to conclude the thousands of personal notes he wrote to thank Clarkies for their generosity, congratulate them on their successes, console them in their grief, and remind them of their enduring connection to Clark University.

Fiat Lux.

Winter 2024 61

DICK FORD’S GLOBAL LEGACY In 1967, Richard “Dick” Ford was doing what he loved best: enmeshing himself in the vibrant cultures, social rhythms, and political nuances of Africa as a professor at the University of Natal, South Africa, when he accepted a job offer at Clark University. He brought with him his passion for international development, becoming a leading force in laying the foundation for the International Development, Community, and Environment Department, which today has evolved into the Department of Sustainability and Social Justice (see page 10).

Ford, who passed away on Nov. 5, 2023, at the age of 88, shaped a personal and professional legacy around his insistence that the efforts of the few can lift the circumstances of the many anywhere on the planet. With partners from across the institution, he built the international development program from the ground up, pioneering a methodology called pra (Participatory Rural Appraisal), used to empower communities to shape their desired destinies. This approach focused on educating and encouraging villagers throughout rural Africa to cultivate leadership, organization, and progress from within by integrating traditional practices with contemporary decision-making and policy, land use and management, and community-based planning. Beyond Africa, he conducted field work and training in India, the Philippines, Romania, Iraq, Bangladesh, and the South Pacific.

“The work and travel energized Dick, and he was always finding opportunities to do more projects in Africa,” his family said in a tribute. “He took the time to understand the obstacles, goals, and strengths confronting a community. Everyone loved him! In Machakos (Kenya), they called him ‘Mutua’—meaning the one who had come to dwell among them. He became friends with village chiefs and had special respect and admiration for women. He always said that village women are the heart and soul of Africa.”

In his 2005 book, Changing the World: Clark University’s Pioneering People, 1887–2000, the late Clark President Richard Traina noted that Ford also worked in the Main South neighborhood and in Lewiston, Maine, where he helped bridge culture gaps between longtime residents and the Somali refugee community. Though his reputation stretched across continents, he regarded his work humbly, saying, “We just wanted to be this little entity that brings good people together.”

CHRISTOPHER CONDON ’98

Christopher Sean Condon ’98 passed away on January 30, 2023. After graduation, Chris worked on campaigns and became a key player in the Massachusetts labor movement. He joined SEIU 509 in 2000 and led the organization’s political and legislative efforts for 20 years, working tirelessly on behalf of nearly 20,000 human service workers and educators throughout the Commonwealth. He played an essential role in passing legislation allowing home family child care providers to join a union, protecting collective bargaining for public sector employees, securing the $15-per-hour minimum wage, and implementing statewide paid family and medical leave.

He campaigned relentlessly for progressive candidates across the state, canvassing on behalf of or alongside a legion of current and former political leaders in Massachusetts. In 2022, after two full decades at SEIU, Chris branched out on his own with his friend Jay Cincotti to form The CinCon Group. For 25 years, he coached basketball at St. Peter’s Church, shaping entire generations of Worcester kids into arguably better players and undeniably better people. He leaves his wife, Meghan, and children, Cameron and Claire.

LEE GUREL ’48

Lee Gurel ’48, whose history of philanthropy at Clark included significant gifts in the areas of psychology, urban education, and Asian studies, passed away on July 24, 2023. The Worcester native enjoyed a long career as a research psychologist with the Veterans Administration, last holding the position of chief of research in mental health and behavioral sciences at the Washington, D.C., VA Hospital.

His love of learning inspired him to make a $500,000 gift to the Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise in 2008 to support and amplify Clark’s efforts in the area of urban education. He also established the Lee Gurel/ John E. Bell Endowed Student/ Faculty Achievement Award in psychology, the Gurel Asian Studies Endowed Fund, and two new endowed funds: the Dr. Lee Gurel ’48 Scholarship, which will provide financial assistance to undergraduate students majoring in psychology, and the Dr. Lee Gurel ’48 Student Emergency Assistance Fund to help students who encounter unforeseen circumstances that may curtail their academic trajectories. Each summer for nearly 20 years, he funded a conference that brought psychology teachers from around the country to campus for a multi-day workshop co-hosted by Clark and the American Psychological Association. “Lee

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was someone who cared deeply about Clark and the opportunities Clark provided him and others like him,” recalled Nancy Budwig, professor of psychology and longtime organizer of his annual teachers’ conference.

“His generosity, humble nature, and his belief in the importance of quality teaching were clear to anyone who had the privilege of meeting him.”

ALLEN GLICK ’63

TIMOTHY J. CONNOLLY

Timothy J. Connolly, a longtime adjunct professor of journalism in the Clark English Department, died on May 3, 2023, after a battle with ALS. Tim was a sports and political reporter at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette for 21 years before moving into public relations, working as the communications director for the Massachusetts Department of Revenue and then for Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. He also taught journalism at his alma mater, Assumption College. “I learned how to read before going to school by reading newspapers at home,” Tim said in an interview with Clark in 2021. The Telegram & Gazette wrote upon his death: “Tim Connolly’s name will always be synonymous with journalism at its best.”

and monetary policy. A master at connecting with students, he “changed lives by virtue of his quiet intellect, his humor, and his supreme manner of teaching at Clark University.” His passions were many and varied.

Hughes-Cromwick remembered during one summer stretch meeting Weinrobe for daily fivemile runs that were punctuated by his “soliloquies on music, birds, plants, odd people, culinary delights, the town of Worcester, relationships, and many topics in economics beyond my dissertation.” In retirement, he rarely talked economics but instead engaged in “discussion about new areas of exploration, his reflections on helping those in hospice, his volunteer work, his music, books he read, hiking, and his family. He always spoke of them with such love.”

DR. MARY D. LEKAS’49, D.SC. ’97

MAURICE “MAURY” WEINROBE

Emeritus Maurice “Maury” Weinrobe, a driven researcher, gifted teacher, lover of classical music, and avid runner and hiker, passed away on May 16, 2023. Weinrobe earned his B.S. from Bradley University and his Ph.D. in economics from Cornell University. He taught at Michigan State University from 1969 to 1976, before joining the Clark faculty in 1976 and working until his retirement in 2010.

ELLEN HUGHES-CROMWICK, PH.D. ’86, M.A. ’88, knew Professor

Weinrobe as a treasured mentor in her graduate fields of public finance, economic development,

Dr. Mary Despina Lekas ’49, D.Sc. ’97, a pioneer in Rhode Island’s medical community, passed away on January 24, 2023, at the age of 94. In her more than 60-year career, Dr. Lekas was a trailblazer for women pursuing the practice of medicine with distinguished academic, professional, civic, and philanthropic accomplishments. A practicing otolaryngologist specializing in head and neck surgery, she was the first woman to head the Otolaryngology Department at Rhode Island Hospital, as surgeon-in-chief from 1983 until she retired in 1996. She was also the first woman to be a professor of clinical otolaryngology at Brown University’s medical school. In 1980, she was the first woman elected president of the New England Otolaryngological

Society. in 1992, Dr. Lekas was named Rhode Island’s Woman Physician of the Year, and was awarded the President’s Citation from the Triological Society the following year. In 1997, Dr. Lekas and her husband, Harold Picozzi, established the Dr. Mary Despina Lekas, M.D., D.Sc. Endowed Chair in Biology at Clark University.

BETTY SINGER ’71

Betty Singer ’71, retired owner and editor of the Options Publishing Company and former ensign of the U.S. Navy, died on November 1, 2023. As a student, Betty was active with Clark Hillel and encouraged faculty to integrate Jewish history and culture into mainstream courses. She was the author of Friends of the Jews (1976), a compilation of non-Jewish historical figures who demonstrated kindness or tolerance to the Jewish people, and Conversations with My Soul (1977), an examination of Jewish identity. She edited and published a wide range of writings over her lifetime and was the editor and publisher of Options, a Jewish resources newsletter, for 26 years. A Clarkie to her core, she attended nearly every campus reunion since 2006 and served as an Alumni and Parents Admission Program volunteer for over three decades. Betty characterized the University’s unique environment, or “Clark Mystique,” in a letter to the editor in the spring 2011 issue of the Clark alumni magazine stating, “The Clark Mystique appears when reason and compassion combine to nurture people’s souls, their natures, their ambitions, their dreams, their intellect, their consciences, and lets people define their lives in their own ways.”

p “I held every job at Clark except president and running the boiler.”

Allen Glick ’63, a member of Clark’s Board of Trustees for 14 years, died on March 12, 2023. Allen was inspired by his own family in building his business, a group of five automobile dealerships in the Framingham, Massachusetts area. He joined the Board of Trustees as an alumni-elected trustee from 1987 to 1993, and then as a board appointment from 1993 to 1997. He rejoined the board in 2001 and served on the Audit, Major Gifts, and Investment committees, and as chair of the Audit Committee for several years. In 1973, he established The Lillian and Selig Glick Scholarship Fund in honor of his parents, followed by the Allen M. Glick Chair in Judaic and Biblical Studies, in 1996.

He most recently established the Dr. William E. Topkin ’60, M.A.Ed. ’63, Ed.D. ’67, Scholarship Fund in honor of his cousin, who is a former dean of students at Clark and a Clark trustee emeritus. Throughout the years, Allen also helped to build the Dolan Field House, Higgins University Center, and the Traina Center for the Arts.

The Clark University Alumni Association presented him with the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2013.

Clark University Magazine

Winter 2024 63

Passings 1940–49 ¨ Julian F. Feingold ’40 ichard E. Hunter ’41 ¨R ¨ Mervin J. Weston ’42 ¨ Priscilla (Karle) Leach ’44 rusilla (Monroe) Calitri ¨D ’47 alph F. Lumb ’47, ¨R Ph.D. ’51 ¨ W. Louise (Stuebi) Tagliavini ’47 ¨ Ashur G. Chavoor ’48 ¨ Lee Gurel ’48 ¨ Carolyn (Knight) Dik ’49 ¨ Syma (Birnbaum) Gruss ’49 ¨ Ruth M. Gwiazdowski ’49 ¨ Mitchell Jaffe ’49 ¨ Mary D. Lekas ’49, D.Sc. ’97 1950–59 ¨ George H. Davis ’50 ¨ Robert P. Goodell ’50 ¨ Thomas B. Ahern ’51 ¨ Burton F. Berg ’51 ¨ Raymond J. Castriotta ’51, M.A.Ed. ’61 ¨ Claire Lorraine (Seay) Gordon ’51 ¨ Daniel F. Pawling ’51 ¨ Betty (Youngren) Slechta ’51 ¨ Raymond W. Forgit ’52 ¨ Evelyn (Bergstrom) Harris ’52

¨ Ann T. (Larava) Spitaels ’53 ¨ Robert F. Guerrin ’55 ¨ Herbert H. Hoffner ’55, P ’09 ¨ Norman R. Laine ’55 ¨ Alfred J. Richard, M.A. ’55, Ph.D. ’58 ¨ Stephen Steinbrecher ’55, P ’80, P ’81, GP ’10 ¨ Robert A. Tibbetts ’55 ¨ Richard F. Galvin ’57 ¨ Paul J. Shapiro ’57 ¨ Carl R. Swenson ’57 ¨ Barbara A. Tucker ’57, M.A.Ed. ’61 ylvie J. (Eriksson) ¨S Turner ’57 ¨ Joan (Litsky) Wetzler ’57 ¨ Richard L. Anderson ’58 ¨ Mary-Ellen C. Boyle ’58 ¨ Joan John P. Glennon, Ph.D. ’58 ¨ C. (Bernard) Maxham ’58 ¨ Paul J. Zambarano ’58 ¨ J. Richard Aronson ’59, Ph.D. ’64 ¨ Gwendolyn (Melville) Hayes ’59 ¨ Ruth M. Katz ’59 ¨ Richard E. Robidoux ’59

¨ Andrew P. Goldberg ’61 ¨ Levis W. Hayward ’61

¨ Raymond J. Paulin ’66 ¨ Richard J. Petit ’66

¨ Graham B. Horton ’61 ¨ Richard F. Parslow ’61, MBA ’66

¨ Frederick V. Stone, M.A. ’66

¨ Barbara Hubbard ’77 ¨ Lee E. Babiss ’78

¨ Robert B. Williams ’66 ¨ Charles Ciaffone ’67

¨ Jan T. Bogdanski ’78 ¨ Mark D. Lewis ’79

homas M. Dolan, Sr. ’62, ¨T M.A.Ed. ’63, P ’79, P ’87 ¨ Ihor Y. Gawdiak ’62, M.A. ’69 ¨ David H. Groll ’62 ¨ Jacques L. Jolicoeur ’62 nita C. Stokes, ¨A M.A.Ed. ’62 ¨ Joyce P. (Sullivan) Westbrook ’62 ¨ Sandra (Lumb) Eddy ’63 ¨ Elaine (Casdin) Feingold ’63 ¨ Allen M. Glick ’63 ¨ F. Reed Hainsworth ’63 ¨ Michael Lefferts ’63 ¨ Elsie-Marie (Zajac) Niiler ’63 ¨ Allan M. Short ’63 ¨ John S. Toppin ’63

(Seay) Burke, ¨ Heather M.A. ’64 ¨ Donald J. Clough ’64 ¨ Thomas J. McCarthy, M.A.Ed. ’64

¨ Robert J. Sullivan, M.A. ’59

¨ Paul G. Nadeau, M.A. ’64 ¨ David F. Oberhauser, M.A. ’64

1960–69

¨ Richard E. Preston, Ph.D. ’64

¨ John P. Cocchiarella ’60 ¨ Linda (Griffith) Finan ’60 ¨ Steven T. Kerxhalli ’60

oyce (Berger) Virostek ¨J ’64 ¨ Thomas M. Hearne ’65 ¨ Judith M. Lorimer ’65

¨ Sandra Locke ’60 ¨ Juliana (Thayer) Williams ’60

¨ William F. Westerlind ’65 ¨ Richard A. Jakubauskas ’66

¨ Kenneth H. Steingold ’52

¨ Margaret A. (Gillies) Adams ’61

¨ Harry C. Briggs ’53, P ’88 tanley J. Mann ’53, M.A. ’58 ¨S

¨ Kenneth J. Billings ’61 ¨ Cornelia (Scott) Bugbee ’61

¨ Colin D. Johnson ’66 ¨ Henry J. Murin ’66

¨ Violette Nicholas ’52 ¨ Norman J. Richardson ’52

“ Tom Dolan was known as ‘Mr. Clark,’ but I think that may even be an understatement.”

MAURICE DONSKY ’62

¨ Ransford W. Palmer, Ph.D. ’66

¨ William W. Rawstron, MBA ’67 ¨ Helen (Guillette) Vassallo, Ph.D. ’67 ¨ Peter A. Chiasson, MBA ’68 ¨ Lester A. Mindus, M.A. ’68 ¨ Dennis J. Benjamin ’69 ¨ Zella B. Jones ’69 ¨ Lee A. Milner ’69 ¨ Harlan Sherwin ’69 1970–79 ¨ David S. Berglund ’70 ¨ Terrence E. Coyne, M.A. ’70, Ph.D ’92 ¨ Guido J. Deboeck, M.A. ’70, Ph.D. ’72 ¨ Dena M. Janson ’70 ¨ Nicholas A. Tasi ’70, P ’88 ¨ Louis M. Caplan ’71 ¨ Jeffrey A. Kitaeff ’71 ¨ Carl S. Klorman ’71 ¨ Mark W. Mandler ’71 ¨ Mark L. Needleman ’71 ¨ Leslie J. (Smith) Pentland ’71 ¨ Joanne (Stone) Wyman ’71, M.A. ’72 ¨ Robert G. Gleason ’72 ¨ Paul W. Lepore ’72

¨ Michael J. Fishbein, M.A. ’77, Ph.D. ’81

¨ David A. Richardson ’79 1980–89 ¨ Vaughn R. Leonard, MBA ’80 ¨ Joseph N. Stiso ’80 ¨ Barry S. Levine ’81 ¨ Amy L. Wasserman ’81 ¨ David R. Conna ’82 ¨ Brad M. Reiss ’83 ¨ Deborah A. Robinson, M.A. ’83 ¨ Michaelina F. (Casey) Aylward ’84 ¨ Jean H. (Fenner) Beale ’84 ¨ Timothy J. Morrissey, MBA ’84 ¨ Harrison S. Campbell ’85 ¨ Susan J. Weagle ’85 ¨ Mary Jane (Nikitas) Munzell ’86 ¨ Paul S. Keddy, MBA ’87 ¨ Karen J. Johansen ’88 ¨ Therese I. Vigliatura ’88 ¨ George T. Guinane ’89 ¨ Thomas C. Lepenven ’89 1990–99

¨ Rise (Andler) Liskov ’72 homas M. Owens, ¨T MBA ’72

¨ Karen E. Noll ’90 ¨ Aku Amenu-Kpodo ’92, M.A. ’95

¨ Marcia J. Horwitz ’73 ¨ Nadine I. (Gigi) Hoyt ’73

¨ Mark P. Davey ’92 ¨ Laverne Bertin ’93

¨ James T. Kudrak ’73 ¨ L. William Murray, Ph.D. ’73

¨ Michael J. O’Connor ’93 ¨ Gary M. Samela ’98

¨ Edward F. Radik ’73 ¨ Prosper K. Awuma ’74

2000–

¨ Eric S. Freeman ’74 ¨ David A. Salminen ’74

¨ Aaron M. Shafer ’03 ¨ Alexandra Bullock Olsen ’04

¨ Andrew L. Waks ’74 ¨ John B. Ferrigno ’76

¨ Ruth Tino, M.A. ’06

L. Hart ’76, ¨ Patricia M.A.Ed. ’78

¨ Evelyn M. Witkin, D.Sc. ’06

¨ Bobby P. Weinstock ’76

¨ Julie M. Cariglia ’08

64

Clark University Magazine

Clarkives

Lena Love Who remembers the Clark kangaroo?

We don’t, either. But the scarlet-andwhite marsupial, complete with a baby in its pouch and adorned with the letters CU, was a presence on the Clark campus in the late 1940s.

The stuffed kangaroo made it back to Clark last year as part of the disposition of the estate of JOSEPH KOURI ’47 and his wife, Isabel. With no children or family, the estate’s trustee worked to find meaningful homes for the Kouris’ belongings. And what could be more meaningful than sending the kangaroo back where it started?

Clearly, the toy was known on campus in Joseph Kouri’s time— the 1946 Pasticcio features a large photo of it, sitting on a counter in what appears to be a store that sold candy like Mounds bars and Washburn’s Ko-Ko Bombs (2 cents each). A year earlier, The Scarlet editors had strongly urged the adoption of “Leapin’ Lena” as the school mascot: “Why shouldn’t Clark have its Kangaroo?

Can you imagine the innovation when the Scarlet and White takes the floor and a Kangaroo is jumping center!!”

Obviously, Leapin’ Lena never became the official Clark mascot, and athletic teams were simply known as the Scarlets until the late 1960s. The teams now compete as the Cougars, a more ferocious representation of their physical prowess and fighting spirit than Lena could ever be.

Could there be other species of scarlet-and-white animals out there bearing the CU stamp? If you know of one, we’d love to hear about it.

MELISSA LYNCH ’95, MSPC ’15

Even at more than 70 years old and with child in tow, Lena seems ready and willing to make the leap to Clark mascot.

For love of the lab When Professor Emeritus Dr. David Stevens joined Clark’s faculty in 1965, he brought a love of experimentation with him.

that lights a fire, and that’s where, hopefully, we can help make a match.”

“I found that designing clever studies to test hypotheses is really fun,” he recalls.

To see the impact of their philanthropy before the Fund is endowed, David and Marj will start making annual gifts using the IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution with the Fund’s first grants being awarded in spring 2024. Fueled by their generosity, students will pursue new knowledge in the lab, just as David did as a student and educator.

David taught psychology at Clark for 42 years before retiring in 2007. His research on individual differences in odor quality, tastemixture phenomena, and experimental research methodology earned nearly 1,700 citations.

Today, David wants to be sure Clark students experience the same joy of hands-on learning inside a lab. He and his wife, Marj Albright, plan to create an endowed fund designating Clark University as a beneficiary of their tax-deferred retirement account. The Professor David A. Stevens Fund will provide grants to faculty working with undergraduates on research projects utilizing controlled experiments.

“I think it’s important to stress that we both have been lucky in life,” Marj says. “We know the power of bumping into the right person, walking into the right lab, or encountering the right ‘something’

“I’m a scientist,” David says. “I believe the best way to learn is through experimentation.”

To learn more about using your tax-deferred retirement account to make a tax-savvy gift now or via your estate, visit clarku.edu/planned-giving or contact Mary Richardson, director of planned giving, at 508-793-7593 or marichardson@clarku.edu.

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CLARK UNIVERSITY WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS

CLARK UNIVERSITY

Reunion MAY 17–19 2024

Reconnect with classmates on campus and experience a vibrant Worcester.

Registration Clark’s iconic pea pod poster — both the original and updated versions — is now available at the Campus Store located in opens early 2024. the Shaich Family Alumni and Student Engagement Center. For all your Clark apparel and merchandise, visit the store

Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m., or go online at campusstore.clarku.edu.

For additional details on hotels and more, visit clarku.edu/reunion.

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