Mills Quarterly summer 2009

C o n g r at u l at i o n s g r a d u at e s

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B e at i t w i t h W i l l i am W i n a n t

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Gear up for Reunion

Mills Quarterly Summer 2009 Alumnae Magazine

the issue

Class of 2009

“I’m a resumer and transfer student from a college where my favorite instructor was a Mills alumna.

I like the balance between dance and academics at Mills and have enjoyed the intellectually stimulating environment in all my classes.

I want to major in everything!”

Fiona McCann ’10

Help more students like Fiona attend Mills!

Major:

Dance.

This year, Fiona received the Mary E. Lanigar Endowed Scholarship for students from Northern California.

How Mills invests in her:

What she likes most about the Dance

Classes contain undergraduates and graduate students, which adds a rich flavor to the learning experience—and provides more exposure to choreography than is usually available to undergraduates.

Department:

Make a gift by phone: talk to the student who calls you on behalf of the Mills College Annual Fund or call 510.430.2366.

Send a gift in the enclosed envelope.

Give online at www.mills.edu/giving.

Rediscovering Mills Reunion ’09 October 1–4, 2009

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16

Mills Quarterly

contents

Summer 2009 9

Commencement 2009

From student speeches to the keynote address, the power of education to overcome adversity was a theme for the Class of 2009. Plus: Bent Twigs.

13 Pursuing passions, achieving excellence by Sarah Stevenson, MFA ’04 Three outstanding graduates exemplify today’s “Mills woman.”

16 Bang a gong by Pamela Wilson William Winant, MFA ’82, wows the world of percussion with his energetic performances and genre-breaking collaborations.

18 Living a simple life by Linda Schmidt In conversation with Convocation speaker and Reunion honoree Stephanie Mills ’69, we explore the joys of community, nature, and scaling back.

32 I came, I SAW, I conquered by Monique Parker ’04, MBA ’06 The Summer Academic Workshop gave this woman—and hundreds of others—the keys to success in the classroom and in her career.

Departments 2

Letters to the Editor

3

Leadership Perspectives

4

Mills Matters

20

Bookshelf

21

Class Notes with Notes from Near and Far: Alumnae Activities Report

30

In Memoriam

“I encourage you to explore, to employ the privilege of this education.”

—Commencement speaker Kavita Ramdas

On the cover: Along with 242 other women, Lilian Gonzalez and Nadine Hachouche received their baccalaureate degrees at Mills College on Saturday, May 16. The College also awarded graduate degrees to 219 women and men, as well as scores of certificates and credentials to students in a variety of fields. Photo by Bruce Cook. summer 2009

1

Letters to the Editor Mills

storage bags for groceries, produce, and

was once more brought to light in the lat-

travel are all made in America using sus-

est Mills Quarterly issue on sustainability.

tainable or recycled fibers.

The

Volume XCVIII Number 1 (USPS 349-900) Summer 2009 President Janet L. Holmgren

relevance

and

currency

of

When I was at Mills in the early 1970s,

—Louise Hurlbut ’75

we participated in the burgeoning green

Denver, Colorado

movement. It became part of our consciousness, though challenging to carry

T han k

out in everyday life past college. In recent

passing of Dean Shirley Weishaar in your

years the awareness of, participation in,

spring 2009 issue. Shirley was dean during

and avenues for being green have blos-

my first year at Mills and the first person

Director of Development and Alumnae Communications Dawn Cunningham ’85

somed—and hopefully this time it is more

I met at Mills College. During the open-

than just a movement.

ing luncheon for the Summer Academic

Like the three Mills graduates featured

Workshop program, she introduced her-

Managing Editor Linda Schmidt

in the spring Quarterly, I have put the

self and walked me across Toyon Meadow

skills from my corporate career towards

to hear President Holmgren speak at Mills

Design and Art Direction Nancy Siller Wilson

an environmentally friendly business,

Hall. That moment solidified my choice

Beneterre (www.beneterre.com). We wanted

to attend Mills. Shirley was an incredible

Contributing Writers Monique Parker ’04 Sarah Stevenson, MFA ’04 Pamela Wilson

to eliminate some of the barriers to being

human being, my dear friend, and a great

green by designing products that were

mentor. I miss her very much.

Executive Vice President Ramon S. Torrecilha

you

for

ac k nowle d g i ng

th e

appealing, functional, and friendly to the

—Daisy Gonzales ’07

environment. Our line of shopping and

Fairfield, California

Research and Editorial Assistance Kelsey Lindquist ’10

Special Thanks To Anita Aragon Bowers ’63 The Mills Quarterly (USPS 349-900) is published quarterly by Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613. Periodicals postage paid at Oakland, California, and at additional mailing office(s). Postmaster: Send address changes to the Office of Institutional Advancement, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613. Copyright © 2009, Mills College.

Address correspondence to the Mills Quarterly, Mills College, 5000 MacArthurBlvd., Oakland, CA 94613. Letters to the editor may be edited for clarity or length.

Email: quarterly@mills.edu Phone: 510.430.3312 Printed on recycled paper containing 30 percent post-consumer waste.

Have a comment or opinion? Write to us at Mills Quarterly, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613 or email quarterly@mills.edu.

At Mills, for Alumnae Alumnae Relations 510.430.2123 Alumnae-relations@mills.edu www.mills.edu/alumnae Find out about Reunion, alumnae clubs, and events; update your contact information; and request our @mills enewsletter.

Laura Gobbi, Director.....................510.430.2112 Alexandra Wong, Program Coordinator.................... 510.430.3363 Caitlin McGarty, Program Assistant........................ 510.430.2123 Career Services 510.430.2130 Connect with other alumnae in your field through Mills’ career network.

Alumnae Admissions Representatives 510.430.2135 Help prospective students learn more about the College.

Joan Jaffe, Associate Dean of Admission Email: Joanj@mills.edu

2

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

Giving to Mills www.mills.edu/giving Make gifts to the Mills College Annual Fund or the AAMC endowment.

Holly Stanco, Annual Fund Director Email: hstanco@mills.edu ...........510.430.2366 To contact any of these Mills College staff or offices by mail, please write to: Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613 Alumnae Association of Mills College (AAMC) Learn about AAMC membership, merchandise, travel programs, Board of Governors, committee meetings, or reach your elected representatives on the College’s Board of Trustees.

Email: aamc@mills.edu..................510.430.2110 Anita Aragon Bowers ’63, President....................................... 510.430.3374 Email: AnitaAragonBowers@alumnae.mills.edu Bill White, Accountant................... 510.430.3373 To contact the Alumnae Association of Mills College, please write to: AAMC, P.O. Box 9998, Oakland, CA 94613-0998

Leadership Perspectives

A Message from Mills College President Janet L. Holmgren Mills depends upon its alumnae for renewal Every summer, the people who make

will have the opportunity to tour this

up the Mills community are renewed

contemporary

in myriad ways. About one-third of our

and learn about the resource-saving fea-

student body changes: a few months

tures that make it a case study in environ-

ago, 463 undergraduate women and

mentally sustainable design.

architectural

landmark

graduate women and men successfully

The concept of “institutional renewal”

completed degrees at Mills and now, as

in higher education—coupled with the

summer draws to an end, we are wel-

concept of sustainability—signifies all the

coming well over 500 outstanding new

ways that an institution grows and adapts

students to campus, drawn from our

in order to remain effective in pursuing its

largest-ever applicant pool. We are also

mission, including enrolling greater num-

welcoming new tenure-track professors

bers of students, building new facilities to

in English, education, and dance (and will

accommodate new learning technologies

begin several faculty searches this fall);

and activities, redesigning curricula to

new Trustees; a new vice president for

meet the changing needs of our students,

institutional advancement; a new art

and hiring new faculty with expertise in

museum director; and other talented fac-

evolving curricular areas.

ulty and staff.

The renewal taking place at Mills right

Also during the summer, our continu-

now can’t be taken for granted, however.

To continue the pursuit of institutional

ing students and faculty take a break

For many educational institutions, reces-

renewal in the face of recession, Mills is

from classes. Students typically use the

sion has been a much stronger theme

calling upon alumnae to participate in

time for internships, focused research or

than renewal this summer. California’s

a resurgence of support for the College.

creative projects, jobs on or off campus,

public universities are faced with unprec-

Last year, the rate of alumnae participa-

or travel. Our faculty renew themselves

edented budget cutbacks requiring fur-

tion in giving to the Mills College Annual

through their own research—often with

loughs for faculty and staff, elimination

Fund reached 27 percent. By the end of

the collaboration of their Mills students—

of programs, reductions in enrollment,

June 2010, we hope to achieve a 35 per-

and by developing new classes. While our

and steep tuition increases.

cent participation rate. In time, we aim for

students and faculty renew, the campus

Whether a private college can pursue

our rate to rival that of other top women’s

itself is a beehive of activity. This was

institutional renewal—or whether it finds

colleges, some of which boast annual sup-

the first summer that Mills hosted the

itself defined by recession—depends in

port from 50 percent of their alumnae.

Middlebury College Language Schools

great part on the support of its alumnae/i.

We are also looking forward to a con-

program, which brought some 300 stu-

Mills has been fortunate that, to this day,

tinued resurgence in Reunion attendance

dents to live and study on campus.

alumnae from every class year regularly

this year. Participation in Reunion 2008

Our campus is enjoying renewal this

help renew the College by volunteering

was more than 50 percent higher than

season, too. At the intersection of Richards

time and expertise, recruiting new stu-

the preceding year, and early registra-

and Kapiolani Roads, we’re putting the

dents, and making gifts, including very

tions for Reunion 2009 promise another

finishing touches on the “green” building

generous bequests. Thanks to these con-

great turn-out. When you come back for

for the Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of

tributions, Mills continues to invest in the

Reunion, you not only have the chance

Business. This new facility not only serves

excellence of our faculty, in the beauty

to witness the results of institutional

as a space for learning—students have

of our campus, and in service to our stu-

renewal firsthand, but you also have the

already begun attending lectures and

dents. We have made it a priority to keep

opportunity—through your presence and

seminars there in multimedia-enabled

Mills within the reach of students who are

encouragement of our faculty and stu-

rooms—but also symbolizes the connec-

up to the intellectual challenges we offer.

dents—to help renew the collective power

tions Mills builds between liberal arts

We’ve limited this year’s tuition increase

of our community.

education and graduate programs that

to just 3 percent for undergraduates, and

prepare women for leadership. Alumnae

our commitment to providing scholar-

Sincerely,

who come back for Reunion in October

ship support is stronger than ever.

Janet L. Holmgren summer 2009

3

Mills Matters

AAMC appoints new leadership

Viji Nakka-Cammauf, MA ’82, president of Little Flock Children’s Homes, a

This summer, the Alumnae Association

and has held leadership positions for the

ministry to orphans and widows. Nakka-

of Mills College (AAMC) installed five

Black MBA Association and the Golden

Cammauf holds a doctorate from the

new members on its Board of Governors.

Gate Association of Health Underwriters.

Graduate Theological Union and serves

Julia M. Almanzan ’92 was elected

“I look forward to using my leadership,

as an adjunct professor at American

Alumna Trustee by the general member-

fundraising, and advocacy expertise to

Baptist Seminary of the West in Berkeley

ship of the association and confirmed

promote leadership and education to the

and Logos Evangelical Seminary in El

by the Mills College Board of Trustees at

Mills community through community

Monte, California. As a Mills student,

its May meeting. She will represent the

outreach and service,” says Balabanis.

she served on the Alumnae Student

voice of alumnae on the College board

Lucy Do ’75, who has held various

Relations Committee. “As a member

and serve on the AAMC board until June

engineering and research and devel-

of the Board of Governors, I hope to

30, 2012. (See more about Almanzan in

opment positions with Cordis-Dow

strengthen the ties between the students

the winter 2009 issue of Mills Quarterly.)

Corporation and Chevron Corporation,

and the Alumnae Association,” says

during which time she spent four years

Nakka-Cammauf.

The following alumnae were nominated as governors by the AAMC

working in Kazakhstan. She and her hus-

Nominating Committee and approved

band now own and operate a mechanical

senior regulatory analyst at Pacific Gas

unanimously by the Board of Governors

manufacturing shop in Oakland. “My

and Electric Company. Pierson says, “I

in May:

experience worldwide has fortified my

hope to maintain an open and produc-

conviction that education, especially for

tive relationship between the alumnae

Area health and wellness business

women, is an absolute requirement for

and the College so the entire Mills

consultant. She serves on the AAMC

the improvement of all lives,” Do says.

community can continue its tradition of

Finance Committee as well as the Mills

She recently joined the AAMC Travel

teaching women to be strong, confident,

College Alumnae of Color Committee

Committee.

and effective leaders.”

Calendar

October

November

1–4  Reunion 2009: Rediscovering Mills

7  Orange County Mills College Alumnae fall fundraiser

Darice Balabanis, MBA ’08, a Bay

For information about exhibitions in the Mills College Art Museum, see back cover.

September 17  Center for Socially Responsible Business Lecture 7:00 pm, Lokey Graduate School of Business Gathering Hall, free Noah Alper, founder of Noah’s Bagels, speaks on integrating community service with business. For more information, contact the center at 510.430.3248 or csrb@mills.edu.

24  Latina Heritage Month: Elizabeth “Betita” Martinez 7:00 pm, Rothwell Center Faculty–Staff Lounge, free Come meet one of the mothers of the Chicana/o movement and an internationally recognized leader for multiracial justice.

Martinez has been involved in most U.S. movements for social justice over the past half-century and has written many acclaimed books and articles used by educators and activists

4

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

Visit www.mills.edu/reunion or call 510.430.2123 to request a full brochure.

12  Listen Up, Mr. President: An Insider’s View of Leadership with Journalist Helen Thomas and Congresswoman Barbara Lee ’73 7:00 pm, Littlefield Concert Hall, free Helen Thomas, White House bureau chief for UPI, has covered the administration of 10 U.S. presidents in a career spanning almost 60 years. Join her in conversation with Congresswoman Barbara Lee ’73 for an insider’s look at the White House. For information, contact Bonnie Gibson, bgibson@mills.edu or 510.430.2040.

Sharon Tong Pierson ’06, MBA ’07, a

11:00 am, Newport Beach Yacht Club, 1099 Bayside Drive, Newport Beach Buy unique artwork by Mills alumnae at the branch’s November fundraiser to support student scholarships. For information, contact Kirsten Lynn Challman ’89, 949.244.8780 or kirstenchallman@yahoo.com.

12  Dance concert honoring Ellen Rogers ’63 8:00 pm, Lisser Theater, free Featuring works by Mills dance professors Molissa Fenley ’75 and Sonya Delwaide, Japanese guest artist Shinichi Momo Iova-Koga, and others.

28  Can Women Make a Difference in the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict?

12  Ethnic Studies at Mills: 40 Years of Struggle and Social Justice

6:30 pm reception, 7:00 pm lecture, Lokey Graduate School of Business Gathering Hall, free Linda Gradstein, Israel correspondent for National Public Radio since 1990, shares a journalist’s perspective. The Friedkin Lecture Series was made possible by a gift from Morton and Amy Rothschild Friedkin ’68.

RSVP to rsvp-oia@mills.edu or 510.430.2373.

5:30 pm reception, 6:30 pm program, Student Union, free Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Mills College Ethnic Studies Department, one of the first in the nation. Johnnella Butler, provost and vice president of Spelman College, presents the keynote address. Contact Jean Wong, 510.430.2080 or ethnic@mills.edu.

Bobi Céspedes

Laleh Khadivi

Andrew Sean Greer

Mills Music Now: Concert Series

Contemporary Writers Series

All performances at 8:00 pm, Littlefield Concert Hall, $15 general, $10 seniors and non-Mills students, free with AAMC card.

For more information, contact Steed Cowart, 510.430.2334 or steed@mills.edu.

All events are free in the Mills Hall Living Room, 5:00 pm–6:30 pm, unless otherwise noted. For more information, contact Stephanie Young, 510.430.3130 or syoung@mills.edu.

October 2  Darius Milhaud Concert

September 22  José Rivera

Free. See page 17.

5:30 pm. Rivera is the author of 28 plays and 13 screenplays, including the Academy Award–nominated screenplay for The Motorcycle Diaries.

October 10  Nick Didkovsky, Krys Bobrowski, and Cheryl Leonard A one-of-a-kind performance by the founder of avant-rock octet Doctor Nerve, a sound artist who transforms everyday objects into musical instruments, and a performer who has recorded sound in Antarctica.

Greer is author of The Confessions of Max Tivoli, The Story of a Marriage, and other novels.

November 3  Mark Nowak

The Czech violinist and singer shares her passion and talents on her favorite musical instrument.

The author of Coal Mountain Elementary has facilitated “poetry dialogues” with workers around the world.

October 30  Mills Performing Group: Music for Multiple Pianos

November 10  Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge

Featuring the works of Morton Feldman, Fred Frith, José Maceda, Meredith Monk, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Steve Reich, MA ’63.

Berssenbrugge teaches at the Institute of American Indian Art in New Mexico, has collaborated to produce several theater works, and is the author of multiple volumes of poetry.

The Afro-Cuban singer, dancer, and percussionist performs infectious Cuban dance music.

November 13  Center for Contemporary Music with Special Guest Stephen Vitiello Sound artist Vitiello performs with composers from the Center for Contemporary Music.

Reunion ’09 October 1–4, 2009

October 13  Andrew Sean Greer

October 15  Iva Bittová

November 7  Bobi Céspedes

Rediscovering Mills

November 17  Laleh Khadivi, MFA ’06, and Carolina de Robertis, MFA ’07 Two novelists discuss how their experiences in areas from immigration to the criminal justice system have influenced their writing.

Songlines Series: Symposia on Sound, Nature, Technology, and Performance All events at 7:30 pm, Music Building Ensemble Room, free. For more information, contact John Bischoff, 510.430.2331 or bischoff@mills.edu.

October 19  Theresa Wong The composer and cellist performs songs and discusses her work on the site-specific improvised opera, O Sleep.

November 2  Thollem McDonas McDonas is know for eclectic music with influences from symphony concertos to Javanese gamelan to afro-punk rock.

There’s still time to register for Reunion 2009 and rediscover the Mills people and places that you love most. This issue of the Quarterly highlights a selection of Reunion events; for details on all the weekend’s activities, see www.mills.edu/reunion or call 510.430.2123 to request a Reunion brochure. You may register online or by mail using the form in the brochure.

Reunion 2009 honors, in particular, the Golden Girls of 1959, alumnae from class years ending in 4 and 9, and this year’s recipients of the Alumnae Association of Mills College Awards.

Class Luncheon and AAMC Awards Ceremony Gather with classmates at 11:45 am on Saturday, October 3, to enjoy lunch and toast three outstanding alumnae.

Stephanie Mills ’69 will receive the Distinguished Achievement Award (see page 18); Leone LaDuke Evans, MA ’45, will take home the Outstanding Volunteer Award for her many years of extraordinary commitment and service to the AAMC and the College; and Angela Adams DeMoss, MA ’99, will receive the Recent Graduate Award for her enthusiastic participation in two Southern California alumnae branches, including serving as president of the Los Angeles Mills College Alumnae.

Reunion registration required.

November 9  San Francisco Tape Music Collective An evening of works by members of the collective, Mills students, and others. summer 2009

5

Mills College Trustees install new members At its May 2009 meeting, the Board of Trustees elected a new chair, two new

Kathleen Burke

vice chairs, and three new Trustees—

tional institution, and Mills students are the hope and bright light of our future.”

The following new Trustees were

and confirmed the AAMC Board of

elected to begin terms on July 1:

Governors’ election of new Alumna

Gordon H. Chong, FAIA, of Berkeley,

Trustee Julia Almanzan ’92.

an architect whose firm collaborated on

Kathleen Burke, of Tiburon,

the design of San Francisco’s California

California, who returned to the board

Academy of Sciences and a Mills Trustee

for a second term last year after serving

between 1997 and 2000;

as a Trustee between 1998 and 2006, is the new chair. Prior to retiring in 2007,

Margaret B. Wilkerson, PhD, of Nan Gefen, of Berkeley, the new first

Kensington, California, professor emerita

she was executive director of the Stupski

vice chair, is the founding editor of

at the University of California, Berkeley,

Foundation, preceded by 20 years in

Persimmon Tree: An Online Magazine of

former director of media, arts, and cul-

the financial services industry, where

the Arts by Women Over 60. Of her elec-

ture at the Ford Foundation, and a Mills

she was the one of the highest-ranking

tion, Gefen said, “I’m deeply honored to be

Trustee between 1999 and 2008; and

women at Bank of America. “Chairing

the new first vice chair of the board. Mills

Alexandra Widmann ’08, of

Mills’ Board of Trustees is a tremendous

College, which does such important work

Carmichael, California, a first-year

honor and a tremendous responsibility,”

educating women for the 21st century, is

student at the University of California,

Burke said. “I went through a number of

very dear to my heart, and I’m pleased to

Berkeley, School of Law, who was

economic cycles while I was in financial

be able to support it in this way.”

president of Associated Students of Mills

services; with this background and a

Helen Muirhead ’58, an artist and

College in her senior year.

strong team of experienced Trustees, we

Tiburon resident, is the new second vice

will move forward on the strategic plan,

chair. She remarked, “I am honored to

Stephenson was named Honorary

maintain Mills’ legacy, and weather this

serve as second vice chair of the board.

Lifetime Trustee.

economic storm.”

Mills College is an outstanding educa-

CSMS Spring Garden Party

In addition, former board chair Vivian

Mills welcomes new Art Museum director Stephanie Hanor took the helm as assistant dean and director of the Mills College Art Museum on September 1.

Hanor received her baccalaureate degree from Tulane University, her master’s from the University of Minnesota, and

The next event for CSMS members will be a breakfast with the President during Reunion on Saturday, October 3. For information on joining the CSMS, contact 510.430.2366 or mcaf@mills.edu.

her doctorate from the University of Texas, Austin—all in art history. She joined the staff of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in 2001 and was promoted to senior curator and head of the curatorial department in 2007. During that time, she has been responsible for several major exhibitions, d a n a d av i s

Florence Eyre Bryan ’46 (above) welcomed 75 members of the Cyrus and Susan Mills Society (CSMS) for a spectacular garden party on May 23 at her estate in the Napa Valley, Sycamore Vineyards. The party featured a wine tasting, a performance by flutist April Wood ’08, and an address by President Janet L. Holmgren. The CSMS honors individuals who give $1,500 or more to the College in a fiscal year.

presented solo exhibitions for younger artists, and overseen the installation of prominent outdoor works. Hanor succeeds former Mills College Art Museum director Jessica Hough, who joined the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles as director of exhibitions and publications.

6

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

Appointment of new vice president for institutional advancement Cynthia Brandt Stover, a development

recently served as associate dean for

and communications executive with

external relations at Stanford’s School

a strong background in higher educa-

of Humanities and Sciences, where in

tion, will become vice president for

2008 her development team surpassed

institutional advancement, commencing

the five-year fundraising average by fifty

October 1, 2009. Her charge at Mills is

percent, and also has served as director

to strengthen philanthropic partnerships

of development and associate director

with alumnae and friends of the College

for the Center for Advanced Study in the

and implement strategies to achieve

Behavioral Sciences. Previous employ-

fundraising goals as well as to build a

ment includes three years as planned

vibrant and responsive alumnae rela-

and major gifts officer of the National

tions program.

Wildlife Federation and work as a chari-

“I’m thrilled to join this community of people with a shared mission—to

Cynthia Brandt Stover

table trust officer.

“Cynthia brings a dynamic personality

Stanford University.

“My interest in philanthropy was

educate women for leadership,” Brandt

and track record of professional success

Stover says. “I’m eager to get out and

to this position,” says President Janet L.

shaped in part by my own experience,”

meet alumnae and parents in the Bay

Holmgren. “Her strong academic back-

she says. “As a student I always had at

Area, California, and around the world. I

ground and deep enthusiasm for Mills’

least one job, but I also received gener-

want to hear about your experiences on

mission made her our top choice among

ous scholarships at both Vanderbilt and

campus, what you value about Mills, and

a strong field of candidates.”

Stanford. I am grateful to the donors

how you would like to be involved with the College now.”

Brandt Stover comes to Mills after five years at Stanford University. She most

Brandt Stover studied English and

who supported my education and I am

art history as an undergraduate at

very motivated to provide educational

Vanderbilt University; she also holds

opportunities for current and future

an MA and PhD in sociology from

generations of Mills students.”

What can today’s investment of $50,000 yield?

A life-changing education for generations of Mills students far into the future.

Until June 30, 2010, you can establish a scholarship endowment at Mills College with a gift of $50,000, which may be paid over a five-year period.

Each subsequent year, your endowment will generate scholarships that support outstanding Mills students. These scholarships will bear your name—or the name of someone you choose to honor—in perpetuity.

Lina Au and David Stranz

In July 2010, the minimum gift to fund an endowed scholarship will increase to $100,000. As student need for scholarship support increases, the College must seek larger endowments to meet this need. Today, Mills students receive an average financial aid award of more than $30,000 dollars. More than 20 percent of the College’s budget is devoted to financial aid.

To find out how you can establish a scholarship endowment at Mills, call 510.430.2097 or email donors@mills.edu.

Lina Au ’77 and her partner endowed the Lina Au and David Stranz Scholarship Fund in memory of her mentor Carol Lennox, Mills computer guru from 1971 to 2000. “I received a full scholarship to attend Mills, so it was important to me to give back to the College,” she says. “We set up the scholarship as a way to focus our philanthropic efforts and extend the opportunity of a Mills education to current and future students.

We’ ll continue to contribute to the scholarship fund, even though it is now fully endowed.”

Lina’s Legacy:

summer 2009

7

New faculty combine practice and instruction Assistant Professor of Education Priya

there are no reasonable answers in sight;

Shimpi knows exactly what she wants to

writing becomes a way of investigating.”

do when she gets to Mills this fall: “I plan

A graduate of Wellesley College,

to work closely with students, guiding

Powell has taught writing and literature

them in developing ideas that are both

courses at Stanford, Harvard, Queens,

intellectually and personally fulfilling.”

and Middlebury Colleges, and has pub-

Shimpi, who received her PhD in

Patricia Powell

lished four novels. Her writing is defined by a passionate desire to deconstruct

Priya Shimpi and her son, Deven

common misconceptions about the world around her. “I’m concerned about the way we live in the world, the injustices we heap onto other people because of difference—race, class, gender, sexual Six years after her arrival at Mills as a

identity, cultural identity,” she says. “I

developmental psychology from the University of Chicago, is one of three

should not have to be Chinese to write

visiting professor of dance, the College

about the plight of the Chinese back

has granted Sonya Delwaide tenure

in the 1800s or even today. I should

track status as of fall 2009. Delwaide has

not have to be gay or a gay man with

taught, choreographed, and performed

AIDS to be concerned about the ways

with a variety of dance institutions in

in which homophobia kills all of us, gay

the United States and Canada, includ-

and straight alike.”

ing Ballet Austin, AXIS Dance Company,

Also joining the English Department

Hubbard Street 2, and Compagnie

new tenure-track professors joining the

is Faith Adiele, distinguished visit-

de Danse l’Astragale (Montreal). She

Mills College faculty in the 2009–10

ing writer from 2009 to 2011. Adiele

has received grants from the Irvine

academic year. Her work focuses on

is author of Meeting Faith: The Forest

Foundation, Zellerbach Family Fund,

language development in infants and

Journals of a Black Buddhist Nun (W.W.

and Canada Council, and was honored

children. As a researcher with the Ounce

Norton & Co., 2004), which received the

with a Sarlo Award last year. Delwaide

of Prevention Fund, an organization that

PEN Beyond Margins Award in 2004. A

was listed as one of Dance Magazine’s

works to close the achievement gap for

widely published essayist and experi-

“Top 25 to Watch” in 2002 and won an

children in poverty, Shimpi co-authored

enced teacher, she is developing a class

Isadora Duncan Award for best ensemble

a grant implementing programs to

at Mills based on Coming of Age Around

performance in 2001.

improve the language and pre-literacy

the World, an anthology she co-edited.

—Kelsey Lindquist ’10

skills of children in the organization’s Head Start classrooms.

“As a teacher, my responsibility is

New faces greet alumnae and donors

to provide intense training in theory,

Callers to Reinhardt Alumnae House are likely to hear a new friendly voice: that of

to encourage active participation in

Caitlin McGarty, who joined the Alumnae Relations staff as program assistant on July

research, and to help students become

31. McGarty will play a vital role in expanding the alumnae volunteer network and

critical consumers of knowledge,” she

managing the Class Secretary Program.

says. “It is important to me that my stu-

A graduate of Tufts University, McGarty has organized successful events for her

dents become experts at linking theory

alma mater’s alumni in the Bay Area. For the past four years, she has worked as com-

and practice so that they may be espe-

pany manager and casting assistant for TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, where she fulfilled

cially effective teachers and advocates

a broad range of administrative and event responsibilities.

for young children.”

Patricia Powell, a visiting writer at

In May, Phoenix Reed Feinbloom ’93 joined the Office of Institutional Advancement as associate director of major gifts. Her personal experience of the

Mills in 2007, is the newest addition

benefits of a Mills education and extensive professional knowledge in fundraising and

to the English Department’s full-time

volunteer management make her an excellent ambassador for the College.

faculty. In discussing the inspirations

In addition to her Mills degree in music, Feinbloom earned her master’s in vocal

behind her writing, she says, “I write

performance at Mannes College in New York. She has held positions at Stanford

because I have so many questions and

University, the Marin Opera, and CMP Media.

8

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

Commencement

20 09

summer 2009

 

9

“T

oday i s th e day

you are going to hear the words of speakers who speak

of courage, who speak of strength, and who speak of having built on their educational experience,” President Janet L. Holmgren said to the throng of Mills students, families, alumnae, and friends gathered for

Commencement on May 16.

An optimistic outlook in the face of adversity was a recurring theme for the Class

of 2009. Students graduating this year know that economic times are tight and job prospects may be hard to come by, but the women of Mills seem unfazed by the obstacles that lie ahead—whether they be personal difficulties or social injustices.

“Education lies on my side,” said senior speaker Breyon “Boots” Austin, a political, legal, and economic analysis major. “I have an army, where the generals are my professors, and the soldiers are my fellow students, my weapons are my textbooks, my pen, my paper, my laptop, and my voice.”

Austin, who will study law at the University of New Mexico as the next step in her goal to empower underrepresented youth, had surprising words of encouragement for her compatriots: “You will fail. All of you…. But in this moment, you have a tremendous opportunity to determine where you want your life to go. Don’t let go of that for anything. Fail, make mistakes, and get back up.”

Graduate speaker Anita Kaur Sufi, who received her MA in educational leadership, has faced defeats and triumphs of her own. She came to Mills, she said, to discover “a new understanding of why I was an educator.” Sufi currently teaches at San Quentin State Prison, leading a class in which inmates write their life stories.

Sufi was once told by a high school counselor that she should pursue vocational training, but found the courage to determine her own path. She urged her Mills classmates to do the same: “Your stories matter, you matter. Your stories have formed you,” she said. “As you move out into the world you will form new narratives and, with those narratives, I believe you will create a world full of hope.”

Celebrate good times

20 09

Previous page, top then left to right: Vivianna Pena beams with pride. Child development majors Camellia Gaerlan, Amapola Obrera, and Caitlin Alegre-Thiry enjoy their big day.

Jessica Brooks-Gary prepares to receive her master’s degree in educational leadership.

Graduating becomes a team sport: Hannah Peragine, Lilian Gonzalez, Claudia Bugarin, Stacy Villalta, Paige Gardner, Trevina Caldwell, Daniella Pineda, Sarah Gonzalez.

This page, from top: Even the youngest family members take part in Degree Day. Ashley Aaron-Williams has no problem accessorizing her cap and gown. Senior student speaker Breyon “Boots” Austin (far left) shares some love with friends Bridget Carls, Jennifer Beitzell, and Alexa Hall.

Facing page: A flower gives Amelia Hogan’s ensemble a festive burst of color. Alumnae banner bearers make a proud entrance.

Presentation of the Senior Class Gift.

10

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

photos by bruce cook

K

eynote speaker Kavita Ramdas, president and chief executive officer of the Global Fund for Women, stood as testament to the necessity of finding your own way and the power of education.

A dropout from Delhi University at the age of 19, Ramdas admitted she was not living “the nice middle-class Indian girl storyline.” To gain experience of the world she wanted to save, she went to labor alongside villagers in a rural area of India. It was an eye-opening experience for the idealistic young Kavita.

“Nothing I had seen until then helped me understand a world where young women were expected to be quiet, not voice an opinion, cook, clean, and serve every male in the family, give up their dreams of school,” she said. It was a village elder who steered her out of the fields and back into the classroom. “My granddaughter dreams of going to school,” the old man told her. “You can read and write…. You really want to help us?

Then use your education and abilities.”

Ramdas returned to school, completing her undergraduate studies at Mt. Holyoke, a women’s college in Massachusetts, and a master’s degree at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. On Commencement Day at Mills, she was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters. In addition to heading the Global Fund for Women, an

President Janet L. Holmgren with Kavita Ramdas

Is there a nurse in the house?

Thanks to the collaboration of Mills College and Samuel Merritt University, the answer to this question will increasingly be “yes.”

organization that provides grants exclusively for programs that support international women’s human rights, she is an advisor to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and participates in the African Women’s Millennium Initiative on Poverty and Human Rights Advisory Council.

“Because of your education, you know that we live in a world that continues to be unequal in terms of gender relations,” Ramdas told the graduates. “Your education will help you be sensitive to issues of race, class, gender, and privilege of all kinds…. I encourage you to explore, to employ the privilege of this education.”

On May 22, the first cohort of the Mills Nursing Program graduated from Samuel Merritt University after completing their first two years of study at Mills. This group consists of 11 of the original 12 students who enrolled in the program; the remaining student expects to complete her studies before next year’s ceremony.

“Our program emphasizes critical thinking skills, ethical decision making, and patient advocacy—the kind of education that is necessary for serving our multicultural community,” said Diane Jassawalla, director of the Nursing Program at Mills.

The intercollegiate program consists of two years of general education and basic science courses taken at Mills, followed by two years of study in nursing theory and clinical experience at Samuel Merritt University. The program, funded by the Betty Irene Moore Nursing Initiative, emphasizes the development of leadership skills through workshops and seminars on cultural literacy, conflict resolution, and healthcare advocacy.

“

One member of our class could not be here today, but she stands out in our memory and in our hearts,” Brittany Taylor-Vernon said as she presented the Senior Gift to President Holmgren. The Class of 2009 raised more than $6,000, with which a bench and olive tree have been placed on campus in memory of Boitumelo “Tumi” McCallum, a member of the class who was killed by her former boyfriend in August 2007. The area near Mary Morse Hall will serve as a place for all alumnae to reflect on the many women who came before them. The remainder of class gift funds will be directed to a scholarship established at Mills in memory of McCallum.

summer 2009

11

Bent Twigs A Bent Twig is a Mills student or alumna whose family tree includes another Mills alumna. We are proud to recognize Bent Twigs in this year’s graduating class.

1 Adrienne Austin and her mother, Katharine Morton Austin ’70

2

2 Laura Buchan and her aunt, Monica Sloboda ’99 3 Emilie Taylor Nachtigall with her sister, Alysha J. Nachtigall ’07, MPP ’08 4 Christopher Delmar Harrison, EdD, and his wife, Nneka Allen-Harrison, MEd ’04 5 Shelby Phillips with her sister-in-law, Megan Brian ’06

6

6 Alexa Kalani Hall and her mother, Patricia Duncan Hall, MA ’03 7 Amelia Corbett-Green with the yearbook in which her great-great aunt Irma Cummins Johnson ’34 appears.

8 Christine Roberts and her grandmother, Nancy Norris ’56

3

4

7

5

8

8

1

12

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

p h o t o s b y d a n a d av i s

20 09 Pursuing passions, achieving excellence

by Sarah J. Stevenson, MFA ’04

I

we invite you to meet three graduates from the Class of 2009 who exemplify today’s “Mills woman.”

They are diverse in their talents and goals: one combines her analytical intellect with an outgoing and energetic personality, the second complements flamboyant performance with serious academic inquiry, yet another supplements economic expertise with a desire for social justice. But each student found that the rigorous academic program at Mills, along with the College’s socially and financially supportive environment, allowed her to follow her desire to accomplish great things.

d a n a d av i s

n these pages ,

Nichole Stockman Mathematics and computer science are

science as well as the McCollum Prize in

computer science at UC Santa Barbara,

disciplines that might seem dry or tech-

Natural Sciences.

where she plans to focus on human–

nical, but not to Nichole Stockman ’09,

One of the highlights of Stockman’s aca-

computer interaction—including innova-

whose passion for both shines through

demic career was a Research Experience

tions such as touch screens and other

with every word. In fact, the Ukiah,

for Undergraduates, which she partici-

interface devices—and machine learning,

California, native took math courses

pated in last summer. Working under a

which is an important part of the artificial

every year in high school, she says, “just

team of graduate and faculty mentors at

intelligence field.

because it was cool.”

UC Berkeley, she studied “fuzzers,” soft-

Before heading off to graduate school,

who

ware tools that locate bugs and other

she’s spending the summer tutoring chil-

attended Mills with the benefit of a

errors that can compromise computer

dren in math and computer science, a

Trustee Scholarship, declared a math

security or cause programs to crash. With

pursuit that was inspired by her involve-

major upon matriculating at Mills. But

Stockman’s assistance, the research group

ment in the Expanding Your Horizons

then she took a computer science course

analyzed different types of fuzzers and

Conference, an annual one-day event

with Professor Barbara Li Santi.

Unsurprisingly,

Stockman,

wrote a paper on the results. It was the

at Mills that encourages sixth- through

“It was coding in Java, writing little

type of hands-on experience that got her

eighth-grade girls to stay interested in

programs, and I fell in love with it.” That

thinking about where her future plans

math and science.

first computer science class was followed

may lead.

“I volunteered for that a couple years in a row, and it’s fantastic,” she says.

by another, and still more. Her advisor,

Academia and industry both hold an

Associate Professor Susan Wang, urged

appeal for her, she says, so she isn’t cer-

Her enthusiasm is infectious. With

her to declare a double major, and this

tain where she’ll end up. No matter what,

such clear motivation to excel in her

spring Stockman graduated with a BA

though, she wants to make a difference,

field, there’s no doubt that we’ll soon be

in computer science and a BS in math-

to be an innovator in the field of com-

seeing this outstanding graduate’s name

ematics, winning both the George Brown

puter science, whether through product

in lights—or at least lit up in pixels on our

and Helen Pillans awards for outstand-

development or academic research. This

computer screens.

ing achievement in math and computer

fall, she begins a doctoral program in summer 2009

13

production—art, movies, music—and how

Stephanie Cooper

regular people in their day-to-day lives

Still waters run deep . . . and sometimes

can use creative expression to initiate

a placid surface hides surprising ener-

social change. A lot of times people only

gies. Stephanie Cooper ’09 has a quiet

look at things in museums as ‘culture.’”

intensity about her, but that reserve

Cooper, who was born in Panama,

hides her exuberant alter ego: the polit-

spent time in North Carolina, Texas, and

ically-minded queer performance artist

Germany before graduating from high

Thisway/Thatway.

school in Hanau, Germany. She then

Thisway/Thatway has appeared in ven-

spent two years at Ithaca College in

ues as diverse as academic conferences

upstate New York before deciding to

and the National Queer Arts Festival,

leave school to work for a labor union.

investigating pop culture and perfor-

After working at several nonprofits in

mance in the black queer community.

Washington

Her shows incorporate the iconography

Parenthood, Cooper chose to return

of drag and burlesque while they impart

to school, not only to pursue her aca-

critiques of fashion and consumerism—

demic interests but also to develop skills

her recent show Laye(red), which exam-

that would be beneficial to community-

ined the Gap’s (PRODUCT) RED campaign,

oriented work.

DC,

including

Planned

is just one example. By day, however,

“The time off helped me figure out

Cooper is an accomplished graduate of

how my education could be most useful,”

Mills’ Ethnic Studies Department who

she says. The emphasis on social justice

served as editor of the Womanist, the

and feminist issues in the Ethnic Studies

literary

Department appealed to her, as did the

journal

of

Mills

women

of

color, and earned the Ethnic Studies

commitment

Outstanding

Achievement

among the faculty. The College’s sensi-

Award. Cooper also received the Tumi

tivity to the needs of resuming students

McCallum Memorial Scholarship and the

was an additional plus. Professors Vivian

Dean’s Scholarship.

Chin and Julia Sudbury were two of

Academic

to

community

activism

“Ultimately, I want to have my own the-

Cooper’s greatest mentors, who encour-

ater company,” she says, one that focuses

aged her investigations. Cooper credits

on political art. “I’m interested in cultural

Sudbury’s support for helping make her

Goldman Sachs partnership propels women to business success Flor Melara is one of 12 women in the first class of Mills MBA students to benefit from Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women initiative, a global philanthropic program designed to increase the number of underserved women receiving a business and management education. Goldman Sachs selected the Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business at Mills College as a partner in this initiative last year.

As a part of 10,000 Women, Mills MBA students who demonstrate academic excellence, financial need, and leadership potential receive financial support and mentoring. The Goldman Sachs scholars, along with all Mills MBA students, also benefit from Goldman Sachs career workshops.

“Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women initiative signals the importance of moving women into business leadership to create a more equitable and sustainable world economy,” says President Janet L. Holmgren. “In keeping with the Mills pioneering spirit, we are very proud to be one of the first U.S. partners in a truly innovative global initiative.”

Research has found that expanding educational opportunities through developing entrepreneurial talent and creating a managerial pool—especially among women—is one of the most direct ways to reduce inequality and to ensure more shared economic growth.

In 2008, Goldman Sachs launched the 10,000 Women initiative with the goal of providing business and management education to 10,000 women in five years. 10,000 Women includes more than 50 academic and nonprofit institutions, including seven of the top 10 business schools in the world.

unconventional undergraduate research successful—her thesis at Mills focused on the performance of black queerness in popular culture, and that research was ultimately what secured her admission to the PhD program in performance d a n a d av i s

studies at UC Davis. When she begins her doctoral studies this fall, Cooper plans to hone her knowledge of cultural produc-

talent for numbers and a strong interest in foreign languages. The relatively new 4+1 program at Mills drew her to the College, and she chose to double major in business economics and French, pursuing a burgeoning interest in economic development throughout the world.

“I could see the passion that the Economics Department had for the MBA 4+1 program,” she says. “From the very moment that I started my educational career at Mills, my two economics advisors, Professors Siobhan Reilly and Nancy Thornborrow, were always on top of

scott chernis

everything that I was doing. They had a

“10,000 Women is designed to open opportunity and stimulate economic growth by investing in women as entrepreneurs, managers, and leaders for the future,” said Dina Habib Powell, managing director and global head of corporate engagement at Goldman Sachs. “In Mills College we found an institution that is specially qualified to open doors to women in business.”

The Mills students participating in the initiative reflect a wide diversity of backgrounds and business interests, with aspirations to careers as varied as healthcare administration, finance, and economic development.

“We are thrilled to be part of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women initiative,” says Nancy Thornborrow, dean of the Business School. “This partnership offers the financial support, mentoring, and professional development opportunities that are needed to succeed.”

Flor Melara ’08, MBA ’09

all along the way.”

Melara also credits her family—particularly her mother, who raised her on her ceed. Growing up in a supportive environment provided her with “pressure, in

Not many people know that one of the

a positive way, that has given me strength

world’s most productive sources of sap-

at those times when I felt like I wasn’t

phires is the island nation of Madagascar,

going to make it.”

off the coast of Africa, or that most of

Melara, the first in her family to attend

those sapphires create profit for foreign

college, worked throughout her time

companies rather than benefiting the

at Mills and was a full-time teller at

local economy. Flor Melara ’08, MBA ’09,

Wachovia Bank in the final year of her

witnessed the situation firsthand, and she

MBA studies. Shortly after graduation, to

wants to change it.

further her aim of working in economic

Melara, who speaks English, French, and

development, she moved on to a position

Spanish, studied not only the Madagascar

at Women’s Initiative in the Bay Area, a

sapphire industry but also the African oil

nonprofit which provides high-poten-

industry and the international diamond

tial, lower-income women with training,

trade during her time in the 4+1 MBA

resources, and support to establish their

Program at Mills. Because of her strong

own businesses. But she sees it as a step-

desire to help residents of other countries

ping stone toward her ultimate goal of

take advantage of available resources

working with the United Nations.

rather than being exploited by foreign

“I want to feel that I’m doing something,”

businesses, her ambition is to work for

she says, “something with a purpose that,

the United Nations in a prominent role,

at the same time, is rewarding.”

studying and working towards the eco-

create social change in everyday life.

nomic development of countries in need

her own performance work, not only as

that I had for myself; they believed in me

own—for encouraging her drive to suc-

tion and how the arts can be used to It’s a topic that dovetails nicely with

vision for me that was equal to the vision

and creating educational opportunities for women.

Thisway/Thatway, but also through col-

Melara was born in El Salvador and

laborations with other local artists such

came to the United States with her family

as the group Mangos With Chili, co-

when she was six years old. While attend-

founded by fellow Mills graduate Leah

ing Lick-Wilmerding High School in San

Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, MFA ’09.

Francisco, she discovered that she had a

20 09 summer 2009

15

Bang a gong From timpani to tins cans, William Winant whacks them all

By Pamela Wilson Prolific percussion virtuoso and Mills

project for me,” remembers Winant, who

ure motivate composers to write expressly

music instructor William Winant, MFA

was awarded a graduate assistantship

for him. When he formed a trio with David

’82, makes playing music look fantasti-

to help with the work. He filed metal

Abel and Julie Steinberg in 1984, there

cally fun. Fun if you like a challenge, any-

bars for metallophones and cut wood

was just one single piece already written

way. When he’s performing a complex

for xylophones, among other tasks. The

for their instrumentation of violin, piano,

and demanding piece, juggling an array

new gamelan, named Si Darius and Si

and percussion—by Henry Cowell. Over

of drumsticks, mallets, and beaters as he

Madeleine for the Milhauds, remains at

the group’s 10-year residency at Mills,

cycles from timpani to marimba to wood-

Mills today along with a collection of

they commissioned over 25 new works

blocks and a gong, his tongue peeks from

instruments that Winant inherited from

for such trios by leading contemporary

the corner of his mouth like that of a

Harrison upon the composer’s death in

composers, many of whom taught or

schoolchild poring over algebra. Even as

2003. “There are things collected from

performed at Mills’ Music Department or

he is clearly plotting out his next moves,

junkyards and instruments picked up

Center for Contemporary Music.

Winant is in the moment as he steps from

in Chinatown along with ones he had

Because he has had the rare opportu-

instrument

built,” Winant explains. “There are brake

nity of working directly with the majority

drums, tin cans, and wood blocks, along

of composers whose work he interprets—

Winant first came to Mills in 1980,

with instruments from China, Korea, and

including John Cage, Steve Reich, and

enrolling in the Music Department to

Japan.” Winant donated the collection to

John Zorn—Winant has benefitted from

study with composer Lou Harrison,

the College, where they are now available

their advice about how their music should

whose prominent use of percussion and

to students and other artists.

be played. He is able to pass down this per-

to

instrument—surefooted,

confident, and just a little bit hammy.

embrace of Asian instruments expanded

After completing his MFA, Winant

formance practice history to his students,

the palette of concert music. Harrison,

stayed on at Mills as a music instructor,

and considers teaching another aspect of

along with Henry Cowell and John Cage,

where he is influencing new generations

his varied musical pursuits. “Performing,

moved percussion from the back of the

of percussion students who are attracted

teaching, recording, or talking about the

orchestra to the center of attention and

by his energy as a performer, his impres-

music all contribute to my ongoing every-

added new instruments, some scavenged,

sive discography of nearly 200 recordings,

day practice of music,” Winant explains.

others specially constructed, and some

and his creative links with musicians and

“And I learn from exchanging ideas with

from non-Western cultures. Harrison had

composers across many genres.

students as I’m teaching them. It’s all part

a

particular

affinity

for

of the same thing.”

Indonesian

Winant is making a lasting mark by

gamelan and was, at the time, building one

expanding the contemporary repertoire

Winant has helped prepare a number of

at Mills with his partner, William Colvig.

for percussionists through commissions

Mills alumnae to move to the forefront of

and collaborations; his influence and stat-

the percussion field, where women have

“Building the gamelan, that was Lou’s 16

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

p h o t o s b y pa u l k u r o d a

historically been underrepresented. “We

wider audiences through his collabora-

have more women studying percussion at

tions with experimental rock bands. He

Mills, it’s true. I treat everybody the same

chose many of the pieces on Goodbye

and try to expose my students to as much

20th Century, a 1999 collaboration with

music as possible,” Winant says. His stu-

Sonic Youth, which features Winant, the

dents at Mills have included Betsey Biggs

band, and friends performing works by

’00 and Shayna Dunkelman ’07. Biggs, now

contemporary avant-garde composers.

a postdoctoral fellow in the Multimedia

Pauline Oliveros wrote “Six for New Time”

and Electronic Music Experiments pro-

especially for the project. And as a guest

gram at Brown University, recently com-

artist with cult band Mr Bungle—a group

pleted her PhD in music at Princeton. In

that seamlessly mashed up death metal,

July, a review in the New Yorker turned the

Persian modes, cartoon music, free jazz,

spotlight on her “soundwalk,” an inter-

horror film soundtrack moods, Indian

active work that called for participants

percussion, and outright noise—Winant

to download a site-specific work com-

was responsible for playing everything

posed by Biggs onto iPods, which they

from timpani to glockenspiel, tabla, Jew’s

wore while touring Brooklyn’s Gowanus

harp, a jangling ancient Egyptian metal

Canal. Dunkelman is in the experimental

shaker, and a South Indian frame drum

bands Slow Children and Mute Socialite

as he contributed to a pair of albums and

and is following in Winant’s footsteps by

world tours.

performing works written especially for

Perhaps it’s not surprising that Winant

her—in Dunkelman’s case by Wu Fei, MA

is equally comfortable dipping into the

’04, and The Norman Conquest, among

diverse worlds of orchestral percussion,

others. She also performs regularly with

electro-acoustic music, and avant rock

Winant’s percussion ensemble.

while simultaneously teaching, record-

In many ways, Winant acts as a ful-

ing, performing, and catalyzing connec-

crum between the modernists of the 20th

tions among musicians and composers.

century and today’s postmodern art-

As proven on stage, he’s a master at jug-

ists, bringing the type of contemporary

gling diverse instruments and tools to

music usually heard in concert halls to

propel scintillating rhythms.

Rediscovering Mills Reunion ’09

More than Milhaud See William Winant and other outstanding Mills musicians perform in the Darius Milhaud Concert at 8:00 pm on Friday, October 2, in the Jeannik Méquet Littlefield Concert Hall. Under the direction of Nicole Paiement, artistic director of Ensemble Parallèle and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music New Music Ensemble, Winant will lead ensembles of Mills students and alumnae in Milhaud’s La Mort d’un Tyran (1932) for chorus and orchestra, and in Milhaud’s rarely performed Second Concerto for Two Pianos and Percussion (1961).

Winant will also perform in Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du Soldat (1918), based on a Russian tale about a soldier who sells his violin to the devil for a book that predicts the economy. For details, see www. mills.edu/reunion or call 510.430.2334.

Admission to the concert is free and does not require Reunion registration.

summer 2009

17

Living a simple

life

Eight questions with Stephanie Mills Bioregionalist, author, and activist Stephanie Mills ’69 will present the keynote address at Convocation on October 2 and receive the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Alumnae Association of Mills College on October 3. In advance of her appearances on campus,

By Linda Schmidt

we talked with her about nature, sustainability, and community.

There’s been a great upsurge of interest in environmental responsibility lately, but do you think there really is a widespread commitment to changing lifestyles? In other words, is sustainability sustainable?

No, I don’t think so. There’s green consumerism, gary howe

and then there are sustainable lifeways, and those are two different things. The kinds of changes that people can make as consumers are not trivial— energy conservation, organic diet, biodegradable cleaners. All those things will temper the destruc-

at the household level and then moving outward

tive practices of industrial civilization; however,

to larger social groupings: a neighborhood, a city,

we need to drastically reduce our consumption of

a region.

resources, starting with our consumption of energy.

I think sustainable lifestyles are peasant lifestyles.

There were relatively more sustainable lifestyles all around planet Earth up until the Industrial

food for one, as well as remanufacturing or utilizing existing stocks of goods that are now catego-

If people were to do one thing to lighten their tread

more self-reliant. I also mean reclaiming some basic

Well, you’ve got to start somewhere. I would say, “Ditch the car and quit flying,” but the infrastructure that most of us inhabit militates against this practice. I do minimize my automobile use, but I’ve got to say I was doing better at that last year, before I fell off my bicycle and broke my femur. That’s an explanation, not an excuse. But I recycle, I buy in bulk, I have a very energy-conserving—although conventional—house. More and more, I think, all such things are getting to be standard operating procedure.

And although I never want to dismiss the impor-

Mills Quarterly

I mean direct production of material necessities:

Revolution.

on the earth, what would it be?

18

What do you mean by “primary productivity”?

rized as waste in order to have households that are skills of making things, making clothes or shelter.

I hope to see more of what is termed “intermediate technology”: energy production, manufacturing, and transportation, built at the human scale.

I live in Michigan, where the big centralized auto industry appears about to tank completely, but less than a century ago, there were a few hundred auto manufacturers in the state. So I say: let ten thousand mechanics bloom. Let there be machine shops and bike repair people. Let’s encourage that kind of hands-on involvement with simple tools and clever manufacture and judicious use of materials.

tance of individual actions, some kind of collective

You often speak of building community and foster-

action is necessary. The threshold really is com-

ing cooperation. What have been the most surprising

munal living and primary productivity. We need

experiences as you’ve become increasingly engaged

to begin to understand what’s involved in supply-

with your local community?

ing basic needs—food, energy, and so on—starting

I live in a semi-rural area, and it’s been wonderful

to encounter the readiness to help a neighbor, to pitch in and throw a benefit to pay medical bills, or to help each other build houses. Every summer I see haying parties—people will get a keg of beer and 20 friends, and they’ll buck the hay on a hot July afternoon. That’s been wonderful to witness.

What’s unpleasantly surprising is the extent to which people are willing to buy into “flat earth” propaganda—like climate change deniers. There’s scientific consensus around the planet on this, but these hugely amplified, hate-mongering fools are encouraging popular ignorance of the gravity of this situation. I’m kind of shocked by the extent to which this combination of denial and susceptibility to easy answers holds sway. It’s everywhere.

Where does that sense of denial come from, is it media or education or politics?

Well, I’ve got a goodly amount of it myself; if I didn’t I’d be living differently! It’s a matter of institutional inertia. When I, as an individual, get mobilized to change something and come up against entrenched physical and social systems, it’s discouraging. Our American sense of individualism, fostered by so many of our institutions and mythologies, makes it feel strange to undertake a

Rediscovering Mills Reunion ’09 Go green Hear Stephanie Mills ’69 deliver the Convocation address at 10:15 am on Friday, October 2, in the Jeannik Méquet Littlefield Concert Hall. Reunion registration is not required to attend Convocation, but it will allow you to participate in a slew of events on October 2 and 3 highlighting sustainability and the environment. To register for the events listed below, see www.mills.edu/reunion or your Reunion brochure. Call 510.430.2123 for more information.

• Tours throughout the weekend of the Botanic Garden and the new “green” building for the Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business.

• 7:00 am Friday: Campus Bird-watching Walk with Professor of Biology John Harris.

• 12:00 noon Friday: Curb Your “Carb-ons” Lunch showcasing local farmers’ bountiful fare.

• 1:30 pm Friday: Eucalyptus Tree Planting Ceremony for the first of 90 young Eucalyptus saligna to be planted along Kapiolani Road.

• 2:30 pm Friday: Discussion of campus sustainability initiatives with Botanic Garden Coordinator Christina McWhorter.

• 9:00 am Saturday: Landscape Heritage Tour of campus with Professor of History Bert Gordon.

• 1:30 pm Saturday: Screening of EARTH DAYS, a documentary about the origins of the modern environmental movement told through the experiences of nine American activists—including Stephanie Mills, who will sign copies of her memoir, Whatever Happened to Ecology?, after the screening.

cooperative endeavor to make necessary change.

We don’t have a lot of skills to do it. So when you pop up and out of denial, the requirement to act

To play devil’s advocate, why should I do any of this?

puts you into an arena that’s incredibly challeng-

I have my food and water, why should I care?

ing. But what choice do we have?

That’s a fair question. But you’re living a pretty

You’ve also said that rededication to nature can be a spur to change. How can urban dwellers become closer to nature?

Well, it’s really important to meet the neighbors, for starters. Try to form some relationships of mutual aid. If there’s a balcony or community garden, plant some things, maybe something you can eat.

And see what you can do to discover what remains

partial life when you’re disconnected from your sustenance and the life system that supports you.

There’s a much fuller, richer, more empowered existence available through paying attention to these realities. And it is a moral issue. We—and I include myself in this—we’re robbing the future of a range of possibilities. I think we ought to leave future inhabitants of planet Earth a little bit of biology.

of wildness in the city. Where are the creeks, where

It’s a beautiful summer day today and I have to ask:

are the wild little patches of so-called undeveloped

in a life dedicated to simplicity, what do you do

ground where there might be a fox den, or where

for vacation?

are the ledges where the peregrines are nesting?

You know, I almost never take vacation. But I go for

Look around and try to discover what there is of

a walk every day, and I love this square mile or so

nature wherever you are.

that I inhabit. In the wintertime when it’s snowy I

Even city dwellers can learn to perceive them-

cross-country ski; in the springtime there’s a walk I

selves as being in bioregions. Maybe it’s not too

take through a lush little woodland. It’s teaching me

wild a dream to imagine that there could be farm-

about the wildflowers that grow here and the birds.

belts around cities where city dwellers could go to

Today, I’m going to walk over to a neighbor’s lake

have some direct connection with the people who

and go for a swim. So it’s not like I’m suffering. I have

are helping to feed them or the places supplying

a wonderful mix of work and pleasure and I would

the water that flows through their plumbing.

wish this kind of existence for anyone and everyone. summer 2009

19

Bookshelf The Age of Orphans

Khadivi speaks at Mills on November 17 as part of the Contemporary Writers Series. See details and

Laleh Khadivi, MFA ’06 Bloomsbury, 2009

other authors in the series in Calendar, page 4.

This is not a story of happy endings. In fact, many

—Linda Schmidt

readers may find the cruelty and brutality too disturbing to withstand as the author depicts mur-

Mare’s War

der, rape, ethnic strife, abuse, and forced military conscription. But the novel also offers rewards

Tanita S. Davis, MFA ’04 Alfred A. Knopf, 2009

in Khadivi’s pulsing use of language to create a

Sisters Tali and Octavia are

dreamy, poetic landscape of ancient traditions and

less than thrilled to be spend-

conflicted souls.

ing their summer vacation on

Set in the 1920s, in the tumultuous early days

a cross-country road trip with

of the nation that would become known as Iran,

Mare, their sports car–driving,

the book’s main character is a Kurdish boy who

stiletto-wearing, eighty-some-

sees his relatives killed by the troops of Shah Reza

thing grandmother. But Mare’s

Pahlavi; the young orphan travels with the shah’s

stories about her years as a private in the 6888th

army and rises through the ranks to a position of

African American Battalion of the Women’s Army

power and authority. Less than 20 years later, he is

Corps during World War II spur dialogue among

promoted to a position overseeing his old Kurdish

the three travelers about the changing dynamics

homelands, where he is torn between his desire to

of race, family relationships, romance, and child-

be part of the modern industrialized nation and a

rearing. Tali and Octavia soon realize that quirky

sublimated allegiance to his native land, people,

Mare is a stronger woman than they ever thought

and culture.

possible. With its colorful characters, descriptive

The author, born in Esfahan, Iran, to a father

details, and focus on a little-known aspect of WWII,

of Kurdish descent and an

Mare’s War is a valuable and empowering history

Esfahani mother, based much

lesson for young readers.

Rediscovering Mills

of her research on interviews

Reunion ’09

with older relatives. She was one of 10 “writers of excep-

Approaching Neverland

Alumnae Authors Invited

tional

in early career” to receive a

Peggy Kennedy ’76 iUniverse, 2009

Whiting

in

This memoir of growing up

2008 and was the 2007–2009

in a close-knit Irish American

creative writing fellow in fic-

family in the Bay Area in

tion at Emory University in

the 1960s and ’70s initially

Atlanta. A documentary film-

focuses on the confusion that

maker, she has investigated

young Peggy feels as a result

topics

of her mother’s erratic behav-

Bring your published works to the Reunion 2009 Writers’ Salon at 4:30 pm on Saturday, October 3. We welcome submissions in all genres, fiction and nonfiction, ranging from poetry collections to cookbooks, from novels to plays. This event, open to all attendees of Reunion 2009 and Family Weekend, provides the opportunity to visit with fellow alumnae authors and to sell, sign, and/or take orders for your books. If you would like to participate, please contact Anita Aragon Bowers ’63 at anitabowers1@comcast. net or 510.339.0804 by September 10.

talent

and

Writers’

from

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

Award

the

American

criminal justice system to life

ior—a

and culture in Brazil.

mental illness. This alone creates an interesting

In

discussing

her

symptom

of

deeper

debut

family dynamic, but the Kennedy siblings and

novel with the Kurdish Herald

other relatives form a cast of characters who are

newspaper, she said she hoped

both ordinary and extraordinary: with their quirks,

that “readers could read the

challenges, talents, and love for one another, they

story, learn about the diffi-

lead us on a journey through a time of great social

culties faced by Kurds dur-

change and evolving attitudes about mental health,

ing this period, but ultimately

sexual orientation, the role of women in marriage

understand that we are all torn

and in the workplace, and, especially, the necessity

between one loyalty and the

of each person’s finding understanding and for-

next and how artificial nation-

giveness as a step to achieving happiness.

ality actually is.”

20

promise

The first day of the rest of your life Mills’ newest alumnae and alumni—members of the Class of 2009— share news of their plans for the future.

I’ll vacation in Washington, then come back home and search for a job—possibly working in the county health department in preventing alcohol and drug abuse in youth, a program I have been working with since high school. And if there is a location close enough, I might just audition for American Idol this year!

—Amanda Page, psychology with a minor in women’s studies

I’ll be an artist in residence at UC Berkeley’s Poetry for the People program and in October will tour the South with Mangos With Chili, North America’s only queer/ trans of color annual performance tour.

—Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha,

bruce cook

MFA, English and creative writing

Two weeks after graduation I leave for

My future plans are aimed at supporting

Thailand. I’m looking forward to taking

teachers in designing inquiry-based

a break on the beach and traveling

learning environments that help

through the countryside by motorbike.

students deepen their understanding

When I get back, it’s time to start

of math and science, and research-

deciding what my next step might be.

ing ways to support administrators

I intend to take the GREs and apply

in integrating technology into K–12

to several PhD programs. I also have

classrooms.

several oral history projects lined up

—Christopher Harrison, EdD

through the GLBT Historical Society, and I will be volunteering at TGI Justice Project with their pen pal program!

—Nic Weinstein, queer studies

I will be pursuing a PhD in linguistics at the University of California at Santa Barbara this fall, specializing in socio-

I will begin putting my schooling to use

on gender and identity. But first, I’ll

as a pre-school teacher. Next April, my

spend three weeks visiting friends in

husband and I plan to travel extensively,

the Salvadoran village where I used

and I plan to conduct a research study

to live to investigate possibilities for

on education abroad. Upon our return,

doctoral research.

inclusive preschool.

—Lori Aghazarian, MA, education with an emphasis on early childhood education

University in Poland, where I’ll teach literature classes on grief, queer studies, and graphic novels. I’ll be living in and renovating my childhood home in Gdynia, the lovely beach town not far from my school.

—Izabela Filipiak, MFA, English and creative writing

I will be attending the Edward R. Murrow Graduate School of Communication at Washington State University in the fall

cultural linguistics with an emphasis

I will work on opening my own nature-

I am getting a full professorship at Gdansk

—Lynnette Arnold, women’s studies with a minor in anthropology

to work towards my master of arts in communication.

—Jennifer Safreno, English with a minor in film studies

I will be moving to Chico, California, and trying to find a job in a law firm as a receptionist/assistant, but will soon be moving back to the Bay Area because my partner got into nursing school.

—Shelby Phillips, political, legal, and economic analysis and English literature

summer 2009

29

In Memoriam

Notices of deaths received before June 12, 2009

Alumnae Charlotte Baker Montgomery ’29, April 28, in Nacogdoches, Texas. She taught art, headed the Portland Art Museum in Oregon for five years, and wrote and illustrated 21 books for animal lovers and children. An active member of environmental and animal rights organizations, she is survived by numerous members of her extended family.

Donna Wear Winslow ’41, February 8, in Stockton, California. She is survived by four children and nine grandchildren.

Helen Hotchkiss Foster ’32, September 15, 2008, in Sebastopol, California.

Nancy Scovil Roberts Durning ’42, November 30, 2008, in Prescott, Arizona. She was an avid golfer and bridge player and volunteered for the Girl Scouts. She is survived by two daughters.

Janine Lempereur Mouraille ’32, in 2006, in France. She had a career as a professor of English at the University of Nice.

Elizabeth Ross Danz ’36, February 20, in Seattle. She supported Seattle Repertory Theatre and Seattle Children’s Hospital.

She is survived by two daughters, four grandchildren, and her cousin, M. R. Redd ’60.

Charlotte Menker Decker ’36, March 25, in Corvallis, Oregon. A resident of Corvallis since 1946, from 1981 to 1985 she and her husband lived in Washington DC, where he was a member of Reagan’s cabinet. She volunteered with 4-H, Boy Scout Mothers’ Club, and Benton County Republican Women’s Club.

Survivors include a daughter.

Helen Norton Hudson, MA ’37, in Boise, Idaho. She lived in Texas for many years.

Willa Percival ’37, August 16, 2008, in Sandy Spring, Maryland. She traveled widely and was an accomplished photographer of dignitaries, industry, and everyday life.

Grace Williams Nicholl ’39, April 8, in Leawood, Kansas. She served Mills as class secretary and regional governor for the Midwest area and was an avid tennis player, gardener, and community volunteer. Survivors include her husband, Tom; five children; and 14 grandchildren.

Charlotte Paules Schachter, MA ’39, in Rolling Hills Estates, California.

30

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

Edith Lilienthal Dorfman ’42, March 9, in San Francisco. She served on the board of the Jewish Community Center and volunteered at Congregation Emanu-el.

She is survived by her husband, Ben; a son; and six grandchildren.

Peggie Parker Eccles ’42, May 8, in Jacksonville, Oregon. A WASP pilot in World War II, she later served as president of United Way for Klamath County and the Pacific Northwest Region; she was also a leader on the National Camp Fire Board. She is survived by three children and 17 grandchildren.

Ardell Burnett Davis ’44, May 14, in Edina, Minnesota. She was a founder and lifelong member of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. Survivors include four sons and five grandchildren.

Elsie Richmond Monette ’46, May 25, in Dallas, Texas. She served as director of the St. Michael School in Dallas until 1985. She was on the board of the national and southwestern associations of Episcopal Schools and a member of the Junior League. She is survived by her husband, Bob; two children; two grandchildren; and her sister Daphne Rockwell ’41.

Susan Harnly Peterson ’46, March 26, in Scottsdale, Arizona.

A professor of ceramic arts at the University of Southern California and founder of the ceramics department at Hunter College in New York, she wrote several award-winning books on famed potters and the craft of ceramics and earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts.

She is survived by three children and seven grandchildren.

Martha Wickland Stumpf ’46, May 2, in Arcata, California. She worked for the University of California, Berkeley, for more than 20 years and was a travel tour leader; in retirement, she volunteered as a reader in Richmond elementary schools.

She is survived by four sons and seven grandchildren.

Beryl Fayette Kettner ’47, January 10, 2007, in Laguna Woods, California. A gifted musician, she taught piano and flute and directed a chorus of Harvard Business School wives while her husband studied there; she was also an athlete who trained for the Olympics.

Survivors include her husband, Bob, and five children.

Mayrelee Fallquist Newman ’48, October 22, 2008, in Boone, North Carolina. She was a faculty member in education at Appalachian State University until 1989, with particular interests in adult education, occupational training, and literacy.

Ann Berman Ullman, ME ’48, July 29, 2008, in Santa Rosa, California.

Jeanette Johnston Caston ’49, August 21, 2008, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She was a gifted needleworker, gardener, and golfer. She is survived by three children, six grandchildren, and her cousin Judith Sue Turner ’61.

Catherine Osgood Chanock ’49, January 15, in Bethesda, Maryland. She was a dance instructor and performed with the Washington Dance Repertory Company. Survivors include her husband, Robert; a son; and four grandchildren.

Lorraine Miller Kuppenbender ’49, February 3, in Carmichael, California. She managed a ranch and real-estate investments, and enjoyed bridge and golf. Survivors include four children and ten grandchildren.

Jane Lewis Luers ’49, May 18, in Springfield, Illinois. She was involved in foreign student activities for many decades and supported several community-

building initiatives. She is survived by her husband, Byron; three children; and two grandchildren.

Laura Lee Thompson McClure ’49, January 4, in Princeton, New Jersey. She taught at the New School for Music Study in New Jersey, founded a women’s choral group in Chicago, and served on the women’s auxiliary of the Chicago Symphony. She later completed a master’s degree at Westminster Choir College in Princeton. She is survived by her husband, Donald; three children; three grandchildren; and a step-grandson.

Beverly Baugh Turner ’50, January 29, in Collinsville, Oklahoma.

She was active with community theater and Junior League of Oklahoma City. She is survived by her husband, Robert; three sons; nine grandchildren; and her cousin Virginia Harmon Gohrband ’51.

Joan Gilbert Bailin ’52, January 12, in Upland, California. She was engaged with many community and political groups, including the League of Women Voters and Claremont Adult School, where she taught English as a Second Language. She is survived by three daughters.

June-Marie Fink Engelbrecht ’51, MA ’53, May 11, in Cincinnati, Ohio. She worked as a legal secretary, historian, and photographer. Survivors include her husband, Lloyd.

Martha McDuffie Youngberg ’52, March 27, in Coronado, California.

Marilyn Guild ’53, October 15, 2008, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She spent most of her adult life in San Diego. She is survived by her sister Janice Trigg ’51 and a niece.

Phillipe Mutrux, MA ’53, November 10, 2008, in San Francisco.

Jessie Squire, ME ’53, in Oregon.

She was a nursing instructor and author of Basic Pharmacology for Nurses.

Marilyn Justman ’60, May 27, in Evanston, Illinois. She made her

Gifts in Memory of living as a computer consultant but was passionate about poetry and social justice. She leaves behind a son and two grandchildren.

Laura Bliven Moseley ’64, March 19, in Oakland, California.

Survivors include her husband, William.

Elaine Lee Elliott Flynn ’68, February 17, in Sherman Oaks, California. She worked as a tax accountant and was an avid gardener. She is survived by her daughter.

Agnes Friesen ’87, March 16, in Berkeley, California.

Jane Curliano Mazzella ’88, May 6, in Milan, Italy. An advocate for children’s education, literacy, and the arts, she pursued her interest in cultures by teaching English in Japan, studying art history in Italy, and pursuing art education at Columbia Teachers College.

She is survived by her husband, Marcello, and two children.

Karen Ramey ’96, March 14, in Alameda, California. She was in the first group of women to graduate from the Mills Evening Program. She recently started making jewelry and had already sold many pieces.

She is survived by her husband, Bruce Van den Broucke, her mother, and a brother.

Timanna Tamlyn Bennett ’02, February 8, in Oakland. She loved her time at Mills as an American studies major and women’s studies minor, and was planning on returning this fall to pursue graduate studies.

Faculty & Staff Herbert W. Graham, January 25, in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

An expert in oceanography, paleontology, and beekeeping, he joined Mills as an associate professor of biology in 1939, eventually becoming a full professor, head of the Biology Department, and convener of the School of Natural Sciences.

In 1948, he began work with the U. S. government’s Philippine Rehabilitation Project. He went on to join the Fish and Wildlife

Service, then led the Fisheries Laboratory in Woods Hole until 1971. Survivors include a son, a daughter, and two grandsons.

Received March 1–May 31, 2009 Mabel Ang by Virginia Ong Gee ’51 Laura Balas, MA ’92, by Helen Hovdesven

Spouses & Family

Phyllis Lupton Brislawn ’52

by Virginia Brown Liebergesell ’53

Warren Baird, husband of Mima Goudge Baird ’77, date unknown, in Walnut Creek, California.

Rune Carlson, husband of Christina Ward Miller ’71, by Leah Hardcastle Mac Neil, MA ’51, P ’75

David Bull, husband of Anna Ewing Bull ’52, September 23, 2008, in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Trista Kline Conger ’43 by Mary Kellogg McDonald ’63

Glenn E. Camper, husband of Janis Botts Camper ’51, March 24, in Lodi, California.

Rune Carlson, husband of Christina Ward Miller ’71, April 3, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Virginia Cravanas, mother of Sharon Cravanas Johns ’73 and Mary Mills ’03, April 17, in Oakland, California.

Clifford Henry Evans, father of Barbara Evans ’63, January 30, in Colorado.

Everett Evans, father of Laura Evans ’05 and son-in-law of Jane Boardman Mowry ’54, November 29, 2008, in Orinda, California.

Ted Fisher, husband of Mary Jane Fisher ’70, December 10, 2008, in Thousand Oaks, California.

Penny Z. Hansen, mother of Karen Hansen ’00, February 4, 2008, in Glendale, California.

William Ingram, husband of Polly Ong Ingram ’50 and brother-in-law of Sandra Ong ’59, November 20, 2008, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Michael Majchrzak, former husband of Elizabeth Nusbaum Majchrzak ’75, May 5, in Moraga, California.

Lancelot Orlando, husband of Margaret Young Orlando ’69, April 1, in Bountiful, Utah.

Eric L. Peterson, brother of Yvonne Peterson Noack ’48, December 8, 2008, in Grass Valley, California.

Lloyd Pitts, father of Linda Pitts Custard ’60, March 16, in Dallas, Texas.

Nate Rosenberg, husband of Deborah Beck Rosenberg ’57, February 4, in Palo Alto, California.

Evelyn “Peg” Deane ’41 by Mary Hart Clark ’42 Jean Ginder Dew ’56 by Marilyn Hudson Niepoth ’56 Nancy Roberts Durning ’42

by Alice Gonnerman-Mueller ’42 Gary Erickson by Mary Ann Doty Erickson ’82, P ’79, P ’82 Everett “Bill” Evans, father of Laura Evans ’05, by Flora Kirschner Isaacson ’54 Barbara “Barb” Hazelton Floyd ’48 by Marcia and David Bowen, William Floyd, Margery Friday, and Susan Schmitter Evelyn Crampton Franke, MA ’56

by Carol Castner Staiger ’46 Alfred Frankenstein by Cheri Foster Feiner ’67 Professor William A. Gaw and his wife Helen by Jane Farrell Gaw ’52 Janet Gill ’62 by Susan Shackleford Lounsbury ’62 Caroline Goodwin ’22, P ’52,

by San Joaquin Mills Club Jane Green ’79 by Emilie Reese Green ’45, P ’79 Sara Amodei Grosskettler ’58, P ’83, P ’86, by Amy Schanno McCarthy ’58

Boitumelo “Tumi” McCallum ’09

by Steven Burrell, Margaret Moja, Teboho Moja, P ’09 Laura Thompson McClure ’49

by Donald McClure Charles and Elizabeth Merwin

by Irene Crown Merwin ’67 Madeleine Milhaud by Katherine Farrow Jorrens ’57 Marcia Miller ’63 by Josephine Bailey, Anita Aragon Bowers ’63, P ’84, Grace Dote ’63 Laura Bliven Moseley ’64 by Lucile Pedler Griffiths ’46, MA ’47, P ’75 Grace Williams Nicholl ’39

by Dorothy Prouty Karr ’43 Susan Harnly Peterson ’46

by Lucile Pedler Griffiths ’46, MA ’47, P ’75, Paula Merrix Sporck ’46, Betty Taves Whitman ’46 Ruth Poh by Julie Gonsalves Eseltine ’00 Virginia Hill Roemer ’52 by Judith Hill Jensen ’54 Nate Rosenberg, husband of Deborah Beck Rosenberg ’57, by Myrna Bostwick Cowman ’57, Elizabeth Elston ’57 Barbara Rouse, mother of Robin Buntz Harris ’70, by Nancy Meyer Neal ’70 George and Julia Saslow by Rondi Saslow ’64 Martha “Marty” Wickland Stumpf ’46 by Edward and Audrey Ditmer Gibney ’46, Lucile Pedler Griffiths ’46, MA ’47, P ’75, Helen Barbour Poindexter ’46, Paula Merrix Sporck ’46, Alice Hughes Weber ’46, Betty Taves Whitman ’46 Franklin and Imogene Walker by Katherine Farrow Jorrens ’57

Elizabeth Rulison Harrington ’40

by Helen Smith

Shirley Weishaar by Edward Balzer, MA ’97, Shannon Wolfe ’96

Lorraine Miller Kuppenbender ’49

by Carol Brehm

Cecily Jones Welmers ’61

by Thomas Welmers

Mary Lanigar ’38 by Joan Lewis Danforth ’53, Terry Hinkle Fairman ’68, Irene Panagopoulos ’85, Lorna DuMont Shinkle ’79, Edgar and Patricia Grubb, P ’95

Marian Wickline ’35 by Janet Armes Koupal ’57

Jane Lewis Luers ’49 by Jane Melin Wilday ’43 Emiteria Reyes Manese, P ’72,

by Corazon Manese Tellez ’72

Reynold and Helen Wik

by Katherine Farrow Jorrens ’57 Bonnie Wilkinson, P ’68,

by San Joaquin Mills Club Elaine Amerine Witt ’48 by Sally Mayock Hartley ’48

p=parent; For information about making a tribute gift, contact 510.430.2097 or donors@mills.edu.

31

I came, I SAW,

I conquered

By Monique C. Parker ’04, MBA ’06

I

n the summer of

2000, just before

the start of my first year of college,

Support and success: Monique Parker (second from right) and her SAW classmates.

to reflect on what it means to be a leader

Mills. Some of the women I met through

in the classroom and in life.

the program remain my best friends,

I boarded the plane in Portland,

My idea of success, for one, found an

while others have been instrumental in

Oregon, and headed to Oakland,

entirely new definition. In the past, “suc-

my life as mentors, advisors, and profes-

California. I was excited—and scared—not

cess” meant receiving an A on an assign-

sional references.

knowing what to expect when I arrived

ment or having the right answer in class.

at Mills College to attend the Summer

As I realized that this would happen less

examiner

Academic Workshop (SAW). I had no idea

frequently at Mills than in high school, I

Science University, I believe that I can

that a six-week program would have such

began to doubt whether I could actually

attribute most of my personal and profes-

a tremendous impact on my academic,

succeed in college. Through the support

sional achievements to the skills I gained

personal, and professional life.

of my SAW sisters, staff, and mentor, I was

through SAW, including self-discipline,

Today, as a professional liability claims with

Oregon

Health

and

I joined 11 other young women on a

able to expand my beliefs. Today, success

problem solving, team building and time

summer journey that included classes

means I’ve used all of my resources to

management. The skills I learned that

to help us develop effective study habits

complete a task. It means that I’ve care-

summer validated what my parents had

and build the leadership and team-build-

fully considered every possibility. At the

taught me: “With hard work and dedica-

ing abilities necessary to achieve aca-

end of the day, success is my willingness

tion you can achieve any goal.”

demic excellence. Workshops provided

to try, and then try again. I also came to

a comfortable environment in which to

see that leadership could happen in many

reexamine ideas I had about myself and

ways and extends beyond the vice presi-

I had no idea that a

six-week program would have such a

tremendous impact on my academic, personal, and professional life.

–Monique C. Parker

dent or president of a club.

The classes taken during SAW encouraged me to think critically about my assignments and the questions posed during lectures and on tests. Instead of every problem demanding a dichotomous answer—black or white, yes or no, up or down—SAW enabled me to see the gray areas and to incorporate complexity into my thinking. I felt fully engaged in my coursework and soon found, for example, that concepts from a sociology class became relevant for an English essay.

SAW’s explicit goal of helping students achieve academic excellence inspired me to study harder when I felt like going to sleep or partying, to seek additional help from the writing center when an important paper was due, and to reach out to women who had completed the program before me. In fact, the social relationships established through SAW with fellow students, staff, professors, and mentors were an important factor in my success at

32

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

Rediscovering Mills Reunion ’09 SAW 20th Anniversary Celebration Former participants in the Summer Academic Workshop (SAW) are invited to join the Alumnae of Color BBQ on Sunday, October 4, to celebrate SAW’s 20 years of success in preparing first-generation college students for success at Mills and beyond.

For SAW alumnae and guests, admission is free. RSVP to 510.430.2123. For all other alumnae, Reunion registration is required for this event. For details, see www.mills. edu/reunion or call 510.430.2123.

Alumnae tr avel 2010

The best way to learn about new AAMC travel opportunities is to sign up for our monthly @mills email newsletter.

Every issue lists new tours. To receive @mills, send your email address to alumnae-relations@mills.edu along with your full name, any previous name, and class year (if applicable). Write “@mills” in the subject line of your message.

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Past, present, and future travelers with the Alumnae Association of Mills College can now share their experiences by posting comments and pictures on the “AAMC Travelers” Facebook page. Links to brochures for future trips can also be found under the Events tab of this page.

The Amazon Spend 10 days in one of the world’s most beautiful natural environments, where you will cruise the river in search of exotic wildlife, such as colorful macaws and river dolphins. Visit villages along the river and Peru’s capital city, Lima. Included is an optional one-night camp experience in the Peruvian rainforest, complemented by regional meals.

February 26–March 7, 2010, $4,695 Mysteries of the Mekong: Saigon to Angkor Wat Visit historic venues in Ho Chi Minh City and enjoy a reception and dinner with local Mills alumnae. Cruise from Vietnam to Cambodia, visit a familyowned food business in Vinh Long and a catfish farm in Chau Doc, and see the stunning Khmer architecture of Angkor Wat during this 12-day trip.

March 7–18, 2010, $4,195 Early booking discount: sign up for either of these two trips by September 24 and receive $1000 off!

See the Amazon for $3695 or travel to Asia for $3195

The Civil Rights Movement: Beginnings and Hopes Journey through history with Mills Professor of Sociology Bruce Williams as your study leader. The itinerary includes the home of Martin Luther King Jr. and King Memorial Baptist Church, the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Brown Chapel AME Church, and Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. The six-day trip also includes a visit to the Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective and a meeting with the directors of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

April 6–11, 2010, $2,195 The Flavors of Burgundy and Provence Enjoy a two-day stay in Paris, the “City of Light,” then relax on a cruise from Châlonssur-Saône to Arles in the south of France, where Vincent van Gogh created many of his most famous paintings. Along the way, see the picturesque and historic towns of Tournon-sur-Rhône and Tain-l’Hermitage, Viviers, and Avignon. An exciting excursion to Monte Carlo completes your 12-day journey.

June 12–23, 2010, $3,640

Mills Quarterly Mills College 5000 MacArthur Blvd.

Oakland, CA 94613-1301 510.430.3312 quarterly@mills.edu www.mills.edu Address service requested Periodicals postage paid at Oakland, CA and at additional mailing office(s)

Cuba: Beauty and Decay A Photographic Journey Photographs by Vivian Stephenson Text by Carlota Caulfield Through December 13, 2009 A Havana native and tireless traveler, Vivian Stephenson returned to Cuba in 1999 and 2002 after a long absence. In this exhibit, Stephenson offers a splendid series of photographs of the cities of Havana, Trinidad, and Sancti-Spíritus. These three cities, founded early in the 16th century by Spanish settlers in Cuba, are a testament to centuries of history. Through Stephenson’s eyes, that history comes alive. Her photographs document important architectural treasures: forts, palaces, churches, plazas, civil buildings, and even a ruined sugar mill.

• Vivian Stephenson, former chief operating officer of Williams-Sonoma, has served for 10 years on the Mills College Board of Trustees, which she led as chair from 2002 to 2009.

• Carlota Caulfield, professor of Spanish and Spanish American studies at Mills, was born in Havana, Cuba. Her work includes numerous articles on Latin American and Spanish literature as well as nine books of award-winning poetry.

Museum Hours: Tues.–Sun. 11:00 am–4:00 pm Wednesday 11:00 am–7:30 pm Monday closed Admission is free www.mills.edu/museum 510.430.2164

Vivian Stephenson, Central Park View / Vista del Parque Central. Courtesy of the artist.

Also on view at the Mills College Art Museum Pae White: In Between the Inside-Out Through October 18, 2009 Artist lecture: September 30, 7:30 pm, Danforth Lecture Hall, free Working on the boundary between art and design, Pae White combines intricate craftsmanship with an inventive use of media, from digital imaging to earthenware ceramics. Curated by Sandra Percival, this exhibition of new work and an installation coincides with White’s participation in the 2009 Venice Biennale in Italy.

A Room of Their Own: Bloomsbury Artists in American Collections November 7–December 13, 2009 Conceived to exemplify the breadth and strength of the complex artistic output of the Bloomsbury artists, the exhibition will include over 190 paintings, watercolors, drawings, books from the Hogarth Press, and decorative works from the Omega Workshops. Organized by the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University.