Notes from near and far: Alumnae activities report
1-2 Oakland–Berkeley: Lucy Caponio Seereiter ’77 and Maryann Noel Valentine ’97; Leone La Duke Evans, MA ’45, and Elfie Hanson Larkin, ME ’61. 3-4 Palo Alto: Phoenix Reed Feinbloom ’93, Diana Fleming ’93, Dede Farabaugh ’93, and Cynthia Mahood Levin ’95; PAAMCC President Patti Peters Zussman ’74, PAAMCC Vice President Susan Crain Hansen ’78, and Susan Schumacher Morris ’70. 5 Rossmoor: Professor Christie Chung, Lou Ann Berardi ’52, AAMC President Anita Aragon Bowers ’63, Flo Wong ’55, and April Hopkins, MFA ’03.
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lumnae at the Rossmoor community in Walnut Creek gathered on October 16 to hear a presentation by Mills Professor of Psychology Christie Chung. Chung gave a lecture on her research about memory and aging to a group of 20, including AAMC President Anita Aragon Bowers ’63, Director of Planned Giving April Hopkins, MFA ’03, and Director of Alumnae Relations Laura Gobbi, who provided brief updates from the College. On October 18, Director of Alumnae Relations Laura Gobbi joined the Palo Alto Area Mills College Club (PAAMCC) for their fall kick-off brunch at the Menlo Circus Club and gave a talk about her vision and goals for alumnae relations. She was joined by more than 30 club members as well as Chasty Ayson ’11, recipient of the PAAMCC Scholarship, who spoke to the group about her progress and experience as a sophomore majoring in anthropology and art history.
3 The PAAMCC also gathered in December to celebrate the season with their annual holiday tea at the home of Anne Steiner ’63. AAMC President Anita Aragon Bowers ’63 and Alumna Trustee Susan Brown Penrod ’71 joined the group. In Seattle, 40 alumnae gathered at the home of Shannon Wolfe ’96 for dinner and conversation with President Janet L. Holmgren and new Provost and Dean of the Faculty Sandra Greer on October 28. Alumna Trustee Gayle Rothrock ’68 also provided updates from her work on the Board of Trustees. Fifteen Mills College alumnae living in the United Kingdom and Europe enjoyed an afternoon tea with President Holmgren at the London home of Patricia Chadwick ’41.
Want to get involved with your local branch? Contact alumnae-relations@mills.edu or 510.430.3363 to find out who’s in your area.
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M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly
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5 Eighteen alumnae gathered for a luncheon and camaraderie in early December at an event organized by Monterey Bay Area branch leader Rachel Mueller ’68. Laura Gobbi was the featured speaker who provided the group with her vision and goals for the alumnae relations program at Mills College. In attendance were April Hopkins MFA ’03, director of planned giving, and Alexandra Wong, alumnae relations program coordinator. The Oakland-Berkeley Branch of the Alumnae Association of Mills College celebrated their annual holiday tea at the home of Wendy Markel ’90 with special guest Meredith May ’91, investigative reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. May spoke to more than 60 alumnae about her
career in journalism and about her work in Uganda with the women who founded BeadforLife, an organization of craftswomen who create sustainable opportunities for women to lift their families out of extreme poverty. Beaded jewelry by these craftswomen to benefit the organization was sold at the event. On January 18, nearly 50 alumnae from the Washington DC area gathered with President Holmgren, Dean of Student Life Joi Lewis, Women’s Leadership Institute Director Daphne Muse, and a group of current students who traveled to the nation’s capital to witness the inauguraton of President Barack Obama. Read more about this story on page 6.