Virginia Gertmenian Nahigian ’32 by her daughter, Susan Nahigian Miller, and by her son and daughter-in-law, Dee and Patricia Nahigian Evelyn Oremland by her husband, Jerome Oremland Marcia Dixon Owen ’63 by Fay Pfaelzer Abrams ’63, P ’92 Robbyn Panitch ’79 by Betsey Shack Goodwin ’76 Nan Senior Robinson ’52 by the Mills College Club of New York Val Russell by his daughter, Cris Russell ’71 Agnes Rykken by Terry Hove ’76 Eleanor Marshall Schaefer ’29 by Nicole Bartow Anne Sherrill by Willa Berliner Anderson ’65 Rodney Skjons by by his daughter, Kristen Skjonsby ’11 Melody Clarke Teppola ’64 by Colta Feller Ives ’64, Ellen Krosney Shockro ’64 Bethilda “Beth” Olson Vieira ’59 by Sandra Ong ’59 James Wanzer by his mother, Sue Ann Coopman Peterson ’55 Nancy Warner, P ’63, by Suellen Gilmont ’64 Robert and Nancy Warner by their children, Nangee Warner Morrison ’63 and Robert Warner Hugh Wass by his brother and sister-in-law, Warren and Honor Wass Christina Wolfe by her daughter and son-in-law, Shannon Wolfe ’96 and Kayvaan Ghassemieh Meredith Crossley Young ’53 by La Quita Joy Dillingham Dudley ’53 Mildred Zitlau Young ’47 by Sally Mayock Hartley ’48 John Young, husband of Sally Collins Young ’57, by Debbie Beck Rosenberg ’57
Faculty and Staff Robert Ashley, co-director of the Center for Contemporary Music and faculty member in the Music Department from 1969 through 1981, March 3, in Manhattan. A prolific composer, writer, and performer—an experimentalist to the core—Ashley changed the face of opera, creating technologically sophisticated, multidisciplinary, contemporary works that broadened the form in unconventional, even revolutionary, ways. His works incorporated nontraditional vocalizations, Robert Ashley improvisation, and film or video projections to tell stories of ordinary characters. In April, three of his operas were included at the 2014 Whitney Museum Biennial. Ashley played a major role in establishing the Music Department’s reputation as a training ground for composers in the American experimentalist tradition and was instrumental in establishing the Center for Contemporary Music at Mills, building its recording, electronic music, and film studios, while encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration within and beyond music. Survivors include his wife, Mimi Johnson; a son; and a sister. Robert A. Dhaemers, professor of art at Mills from 1957 to 1990, March 12, in Berkeley, California. He earned his MFA at the California College of Arts and Crafts in 1954 and became known as an “organic modernist” for his work in sculpture, jewelry, prints, and photography. An inventive artist and craftsman, his work was exhibited at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottowa, the Oakland Museum of California, and the De Young Museum in San Francisco, among others. He and his wife, Grace “Ty” Searing ’62, regularly summered in Montauk, New York. He is survived by a brother, a sister, and a nephew. Aida Hodges, secretary for the Upward Bound Program at Mills, November 20, in Oakland, California. In her work with Upward Bound from 1995 to 2005, she helped hundreds of students prepare for college and adult life. She was a mentor to many and an outstanding ambassador for the Upward Bound Program.
Clyde McAdams, partner of Berniece Fredrickson Francis ’54, January 22, in San Ramon, California. Dorothy Simpson Myers, mother of Brooke Myers Wickham ’74, December 18, in San Francisco. A. David Neri, husband of Laura Collins Neri ’54, December 18, in San Francisco. Gerald Ross, husband of Catherine Robinson Ross ’75, September 9, in Enderby, British Columbia. Rubby Sherr, father of Frances Sherr ’71, July 8, 2013, in Haverford, Pennsylvania. Leland Smith, father of Teresa Smith Milo ’83, December 17, in Palo Alto, California.
Anna Valentina Murch, professor of studio art, March 26, in San Francisco. She received her BA at the University of Leicester and a master’s degree from the Royal College of Art in London, and then earned another graduate degree at the Architectural Association in London. She came to Mills in 1992 to teach sculpture, installation, and site-specific art, working closely with faculty in the Music Department to explore her interest in the sounds of water and wind. Murch also collaborated closely with her husband, the environmental artist Doug Hollis, and was working on six commissions with him when she died, including a work that will open this summer at San Francisco General Hospital. Additional lighting and water installations are in Europe, Oregon, Florida, and at the Civic Center in San Jose. A gifted artist and a committed teacher, she also participated in the work of the College by participating on several committees. She is survived by her husband, Doug Hollis, and her family in England. Margaret “Peggy” Webb, professor of English, February 3, in Oakland, California. She received her Phd in English from UC Berkeley and finished her teaching career at Mills College in 1986. An activist, pacifist, and organic gardener, she is survived by three children and six grandchildren. SUMMER 2014
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