Mills Quarterly Fall 2020

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Mills Quarterly Fall 2020

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by Yétundé Olagbaju and Cristine Blanco, uses the visuals of invasive and non-invasive plants to symbolize t supremacy in institutions of higher education.

CONTENTS

Fall 2020

10 A View from the Frontlines Two graduates from the College’s pre-professional healthcare programs report on what they’re seeing in their hospitals and exam rooms.

12 Changemakers by Rachel Leibrock, MFA ’04 The Lokey School prepares its public policy grad students with real-life case studies. How will that affect the 2020 election?

16 A Future for Old Women by Dawn Cunningham ’85 In her new book, Professor Emerita Ruth Saxton delves into the complex fictional worlds (and goes beyond the stereotypes) of elderly women.

Departments 2

Letters to the Editor

3

President’s Message

4

Mills Matters

22 AAMC News 24 Class Notes 29 Bookshelf 30 In Memoriam

On the cover: The last four years have inspired legions of Americans to immerse themselves even more in the political process. That naturally includes Mills alumnae/i, particularly graduates of the Lorry I. Lokey School of Business and Public Policy. Read more about what some of them are doing on page 12 (and remember to vote on November 3!). Illustration by Moremar for Shutterstock.

Volume CX, Number 1 (USPS 349-900) Fall 2020

Letter to the Editor Wasn’t the spring 2020 Quarterly amaz-

In 1963, I met my husband, Richard

President Elizabeth L. Hillman

ing? So very humbled and proud to be

Harris, who was a student at Starr King,

an alum of Mills, an institution that’s

and we courted through 1964 at Mills

Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement Nikole Hilgeman Adams

leading the way in sustainability and

when I graduated. He passed away in

outreach to the community.

1985, but would have been delighted to

Managing Editor Allison Rost

–Laurie-Sue Betts ’69, Phoenix, Arizona

Contributors Dawn Cunningham ’85 Rachel Leibrock, MFA ’04 Kate Robinson Beckwith, MFA ’13 Editorial Advisory Committee Angela Bacca, MBA ’12 Sheryl Bize-Boutte ’73 Melissa Bender Henley ’99 Sarah Lehman ’86 Mira Mason-Reader ’15 Mari Matoba ’03 Livi Perez ’14, MA ’17 Mason Stockstill, MFA ’09

colliding of memories.

–Sharon Polson Harris ’64, Lake Forest Park, Washington

Design and Art Direction Nancy Siller Wilson Editorial Assistant Lila Goehring ’21

see Starr King at Mills, as I am. Such a

Corrections In the summer issue of Mills Quarterly, we included the incorrect name for one of our alumnae authors in the Bookshelf section. Love & Lies: A Secret Memoir was written

by Ann Beckman Hymes ’67.

Also in the summer issue, we mislabeled a photo of Janet Kulig ’76 in Class Notes.

We sincerely regret these errors and any confusion they may have caused!

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 © 2020, Mills College Address correspondence to Mills Quarterly, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613.

Email: quarterly@mills.edu Phone: 510.430.3312 Printed on recycled paper containing 10 percent post-consumer waste.

Janet Kulig ’76

100 Years of the 19th Marjorie Moore Brown ’02 (as in 1902!) worked to gain women the right to vote in Nevada in 1914, later lobbying for final passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920.

She wrote a piece about her experiences

(Please use outline)

for her 1968 book Lady in Boomtown that also appeared in the winter 1981 edition of Mills Quarterly. Read the piece on our website at quarterly.mills.edu.

Brown was also the mother of the late Marjorie Brown ‘36 and the grandmother of Kathleen Brown Martinez ‘72.

2

M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

A Message from the President of Mills College

By Elizabeth L. Hillman

AFTER A SUMMER of preparation and

 Building COVID-19 recovery plans

uncertainty, Mills College is approach-

and posting them for easy access and

ing a fall semester that promises to

with near-constant updates to accom-

answer many pressing questions: What

modate a dynamic public health envi-

will students and faculty experience as

ronment; drafting specialized safety,

Mills shifts virtually all of its educa-

health, and operational guidelines for

tional opportunities online? With but a

students, staff, faculty, and—eventu-

fraction of Mills students returning to

ally, after the campus is able to open

live on campus (perhaps 200, compared

further—for guests and visitors.

to a usual campus population of three times that), and the vast majority of staff and faculty working remotely, can Mills keep the coronavirus at bay? Will virtual instruction limit the negative impact of the changing climate and “smoke days” during a fall wildfire season in Northern California that is already off to a horrific,

 Engaging our faculty in digital pedagogy, trauma-informed teaching, antiracism, and a new learning platform as well as welcoming new faculty colleagues, including in chemistry, education, gender and sexuality studies, political science, and sociology.

lightning-induced start? How will the

 Creating an outdoor tutorial to ful-

2020 US election season play out in the

fill a new requirement for in-person

context of rising demands for equity and

instruction for international students,

racial justice, widespread economic cri-

exploring the uses of mats on our ten-

sis, and a global pandemic? How quickly

nis courts for dance classes, and add-

can medical advances in preventing

ing risk-reducing protocols for access

granted only some women the right to

and treating COVID-19 overcome the

to biology and chemistry labs as well

vote. It did not enfranchise most Black

uneven policies and logistical challenges

as art and book art studios.

women for whom suffrage would come

that have hindered the United States’ response to date?

Some questions, however, we can already answer, having learned quite a lot about Mills in recent months. Perhaps the most fundamental is whether the College is up to the challenge of stewarding its people and mission through such chaotic times. I can assure you that it is, and that, with the support of students,

 Convening frequent virtual town halls that have attracted hundreds of participants and dozens of questions, creating a sense of community in the spaces and ways that are available to us.

legal successes of the civil rights movement. No woman has ever been elected president or vice president in the 100 years since 1920, and this year’s US Congress, the most diverse in history, is

 Securing emergency funds for stu-

more than three-fourths male. Change

dents to support them through the

may, at last, be at hand. This fall, for

ongoing financial crisis.

the first time, a Black woman–Kamala

staff, faculty, alums, and trustees, Mills

 Continuing partnership conversations

will continue to adapt and innovate as

with our UC Berkeley colleagues as we

we both recover from COVID-19 and

work together to protect the health

refine the contours of an expanded part-

and safety of our communities and

nership with UC Berkeley. Our teams are

prepare for the future.

moving on many fronts at once, to wit:

only decades later, after the political and

Harris—is the vice presidential candidate of a major political party.

Since I arrived at Mills, I’ve voted in person at a polling site located in the Mills Student Union. Like so many familiar rituals, the election this November

Perhaps you share my sense that we’re

promises to be different. Local election

 Meeting regularly with leaders of

living in momentous times. Of course,

officials are adapting polling places and

our Black community and prepar-

that’s not new for Mills. A century

times to reduce the risk of COVID-19

ing an antiracism plan to respond to

ago this month, during Aurelia Henry

and ensure access to voting, and Mills is

demands that Mills do more to over-

Reinhardt’s long tenure as president

standing by to support this effort how-

come systemic and anti-Black racism,

of Mills College, the United States rati-

ever we can. Soon enough, those plans

support all students in their educa-

fied the 19th amendment, a crucial

will be made clear, and soon after, we’ll

tional aspirations, and build a more

step toward gender equity in American

know more about what this new world

equitable, inclusive community.

politics. The 19th amendment, however,

will bring.

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3

Mills Matters A Semester Unlike Any Other: The 2020–21 School Year Meets the Pandemic Health, the College’s student health

At this point, it’s old hat to describe

With most courses online and

anything that’s happened in 2020 as

residence halls reopening with pre-

service, will provide health services for

“unprecedented.” And yet, the semes-

determined lower capacities to assure

students on campus and can still offer

ter that kicked off at Mills College on

social distancing, a handful of new

remote healthcare to those in Alameda,

August 26 is one that has no precedent

and returning students began to arrive

Contra Costa, and San Francisco

in our 168 years, even through two

on campus August 22. After President

Counties, while another medical group

World Wars and another pandemic:

Hillman’s email, the number of hous-

will virtually serve students out of the

classes conducted with very few stu-

ing contracts dropped as more residents

area. The Division of Student Life is still

dents physically present on campus.

opted to conduct their studies remotely;

planning a broad selection of activities,

about 200 opted for on-campus hous-

albeit over Zoom.

After a summer of investigating ways to hold socially distanced classes on

ing versus the usual 500. “For some

National news stories over the sum-

campus, President Elizabeth L. Hillman

students, this is the only home they

mer questioned whether many college

made the announcement on July 27

have,” said Dean of Student Life Chicora

students, especially first-years, would

that Mills would stick to a mostly vir-

Martin in an August 20 virtual town

opt to take a year off rather than

tual schedule due to a surge in COVID-

hall for faculty and staff. As a result,

learn online or return to campuses

19 cases in the region. Only about 15

five residence spaces—White, Ross,

with imposed restrictions and lim-

courses—in lab science, studio art, and

Larsen, Ege, and Mary Morse—have

ited activities. Even with scaled-down

dance—are meeting in person this fall,

been shuttered for the time being.

expectations at Mills, the numbers

all with appropriate social distancing,

Bon Appetit, which provides meal

look promising—especially for the

disinfection practices, and face masks

service at Mills, is similarly scaling

pre-existing online MA program, with

per coronavirus guidelines issued by

back, with food available only at the

126% higher enrollment than last year.

the State of California mid-August.

Tea Shop and Suzie’s Cafe this semes-

In June, the Board of Trustees approved

(The dance classes will take place on

ter, complete with markers on the floor

a move to keep tuition and fees at the

the tennis courts!)

and touchless card readers. Vera Whole

same level they were in 2019-2020, and the College is also making iPads

“The College is more than the sum of its classes.”–Chinyere Oparah

available for distance learning at a 50% discount, which has proven quite popular.

In the meantime, most faculty and staff members continue to work remotely to limit the number of people on campus. Those who do come to Mills must fill out a health check on the MillsGo mobile app and show their results to personnel at the front gate. While the campus did not have any incidents of COVID-19 for

MERILEE MCCORMICK

the first several months of sheltering in place, over the summer, two employees received positive diagnoses. Both situations were handled with the proper isolation and contact-tracing protocols, and no further cases have been reported.

Visit mills.edu/covid-19 for updates throughout the semester.

4

M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

Black Lives Matter at Mills On June 10, President Elizabeth L. Hillman sent an email to the Mills community about the Black Lives Matter movement. In it, she said, “Mills stands in solidarity with the members of our Black students, staff, and faculty and their allies against anti-Black racism, police violence, and racial injustice. In response to the rising Movement for Black Lives Matter (BLM), it is incumbent upon Mills to lead at this critical moment and

At Mills, 10 percent of under-

ways to reframe some common class-

fulfill our commitment to pursue gender

graduate students and 17 percent of

room interactions that have prompted

and racial justice. It is essential that our

graduate students are Black (compared

student complaints to her office. They

actions have lasting impact and are inte-

to four percent on both counts at

included adding context to insensitive

gral to the fabric of Mills College.”

similar institutions), while 13 percent

racial terms that were once commonly

She also acknowledged that it was a

of faculty and 15 percent of staff are

used and acknowledging the racist

mistake to wait so long to speak out. For

Black (versus four and eight percent,

roots of many fields of study, such

some, it was an insufficient response to

respectively). There are a number of

as art history and world languages.

the resurgent outpouring of grief and

student-led groups, including the

anger over racism and police brutal-

Black Student Collective and Black MBA

driven much of the College’s recent work,

ity around the world in the wake of

Students Group, who have been offering

just like it has in other areas in the past.

the killings of George Floyd, Breonna

extensive input on the process to make

Immediately following Floyd’s death,

Taylor, and other Black Americans.

the Mills experience more just and

students who were sheltering on campus

As a result, and after meetings with

accessible for that population.

erected a scrim at Richards Gate (pic-

Black faculty, students, and alum-

The Black student experience played

Indeed, student activism at Mills has

tured) that featured the names of Floyd,

nae—including the Alumnae of Color

a part in a day of action on Friday,

Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. Columns at

Committee of the Alumnae Association

August 28—the 57th anniversary of

the gate now boast artwork from alum-

of Mills College—the college officers at

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a

nae artists of color that tie the College’s

Mills are working on a plan to make the

Dream” speech. Non-essential staff

continuing efforts in anti-racism to

College an anti-racist institution.

were given the day off and classes were

its surrounding East Oakland neighbor-

cancelled after 12:00 noon to give the

hoods. The artwork, created by Yétundé

of immediate changes, including the

Mills community a chance to reflect

Olagbaju, MFA ’20, and Cristine Blanco,

official recognition of Juneteenth as a

and learn about anti-racism and how

MFA ’20, uses the visuals of invasive

Mills holiday, and the appointment of

it can manifest in the classroom. One

and non-invasive plants to symbolize

Associate Vice President for Human

virtual workshop, “The Necessity of

white supremacy in higher education.

Resources Kamala Green to the new

Abolitionist Teaching in These Times,”

position of special assistant to the presi-

brought together professors from the

met, the installation will rotate different

dent for equity and inclusion. But much

School of Education and the Ethnic

creative takes on Black Lives Matter

of the work will be ongoing, including:

Studies Department with Bettina L.

throughout the 2020–21 school year. To

• Improving the classroom experience

Love, the author of We Want to Do More

support the art project, use the enclosed

Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and

envelope or visit alumnae.mills.edu/give

the Pursuit of Educational Freedom.

to make a gift, and add “Front Gate Art

There have already been a number

and school support for Black students • Recruiting more Black faculty and staff members, and providing antiracist training for current employees • Creating new systems for complaints about racial discrimination on campus

In the second session, “Generation Z and Racism in Higher Education,”

If fundraising goals for the project are

Project” to the alternate designation field.

Stay up to date on anti-racist

Associate Provost for Recruitment and

actions at Mills by visiting mills.edu/

Student Success Maggie Hunter offered

blacklivesmatter.

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5

New arrivals and roles for the 2020-21 school year As with the start of every academic year, this virtual fall semester brings with it a host of new faces to the Mills community. Here’s a rundown of recent

Clockwise from top left: Sahar Abi-Hassan, Amy Chu, Susan Stryker, Lorena Muñoz

additions and changes:

CTA Director Carrie Maultsby-Lute is the new director for the Center for Transformative Action (CTA), which was known as the Center for Socially Responsible Business prior to 2018. An assistant professor of business practice in the Lorry I. Lokey School of Business and Public Policy, Maultsby-Lute has been at Mills since 2017. She specializes in teaching marketing practices, having worked at Salesforce and collaborated on a digital marketing program with the Peralta Community College District.

ment and chair of the Faculty Executive

Supreme Court and the interest groups

In her new role, she looks to continue

Committee’s Educational Policy

that lobby them.

building CTA’s partnerships with local

Subcommittee.

businesses and communities of color, as

Amy Chu is an assistant professor of chemistry. Her PhD came from

well as bolstering CTA’s profile

Board of Trustees

and fundraising.

In addition to Adrienne McMichael

researched methods by which chemical processes can be made more sustainable.

the University of Illinois, where she

Maultsby-Lute is taking over for

Foster ’74, who was profiled in the

Darcelle Lahr, who completed two

spring 2020 issue of the Quarterly,

one-year terms in the position. Lahr is

the other new alumna trustee is Tara

sor of ethnic studies. She received a

returning to a full-time position on the

Singh ’05, MBA ’07. Singh, who lives in

PhD in geography from the University

faculty of the Lokey School, and this

Auckland, New Zealand, is the founding

of Southern California, and she focuses

fall, she will be examining how COVID-

chair of NEXUS India & South Asia and

on how place and space intersect with

19 has affected Black-owned businesses

NEXUS New Zealand & Pasifika, which

gender, sexuality, health, and race.

in East Oakland.

are offshoots of a global organization

Lorena Muñoz is an associate profes-

Susan Stryker is a visiting professor

that brings together social entrepreneurs

in the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality

with funders to solve a broad range of

Studies Program and history, as well as

Associate Professor of Chemistry Beth

societal problems. She is also involved

the Barbara Lee distinguished chair in

Kochly has been named the interim

with the United Nations, most recently

women’s leadership. She holds a PhD in

associate provost for curriculum and

as the deputy chair for UN Women’s

US history from UC Berkeley, and she is

academic resources, taking the place of

Empowerment Principles New Zealand.

a leading scholar on transgender studies.

Faculty Members

professor of psychology. He obtained

State University. Kochly has been on

Sahar Abi-Hassan is an assistant pro-

his PhD in biological sciences from UC

the Mills faculty for 12 years, and she

fessor of political science. She earned

Davis, and he studies neurobiology and

also serves as the director of the Russell

her PhD in political science at Boston

sexuality.

Women in Science Program. Previously,

University, and in her work, she stud-

she was head of the chemistry depart-

ies the behavior of the justices of the

Provost’s Office

Elisabeth Wade, who is the new dean of science and technology at Sonoma

6

M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

John Ruys is an assistant adjunct

Boe Benaz Mendewela is an assistant adjunct professor in chemistry, and he

just earned his PhD from UC Merced.

Bollinger (art and visual culture), Brigid

Institutional Advancement

His work thus far has concentrated on

Brown (School of Education), Juliet Ellis

nanoparticles and solar energy films.

(public policy and political science),

Senior Director of Alumnae Relations &

Dana Chalupa Young is an assistant adjunct professor in sociology. Her PhD

(literatures and languages), Leona

in sociology came from Michigan State

Kwon (School of Education), Raina Leon

University, and her research centers

(School of Education), Kija Lucas (art

on deconstructing homogenous Latinx

and visual culture), Suhaila Salimpour

immigrant experiences in the US.

(dance and theater studies), Sue Slagle

We also welcome the following incom-

K AREN FIENE

Pamela Hopkins (business), Aviva Kana

(music), Ariel Hansen Strong (book

ing adjunct faculty: Aamina Ahmad

art), Sara Tiras (School of Education),

(literatures and languages), Jennifer

Nhi Truong (School of Education), and

Baldassari (School of Education), Rebeca

Deirdre Visser (art and visual culture).

Annual Fund Nikole Hilgeman Adams has been named the new associate vice president for institutional advancement. The former vice president, Jeff Jackanicz, has taken a similar position at San Francisco State University. Adams has been a member of the Office of Institutional Advancement for 10 years, and she is a graduate of Chico State.

The pandemic closures on campus this summer gave the facilities crew the opportunity freshen up F.W. Olin Library while students weren’t working in the carrels.

The stacks and seating in the reference room (at left) were removed—with the furniture heading for the Lisser Hall workshop (for use in sets) and the Reuse Depot— and replaced with a greater variety of workspaces (below). Whenever students can congregate inside again, they’ll find a brighter space for studying.

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7

LUAN S TR AUSS

Gifts bolster College programs and initiatives Mills College extends the utmost gratitude to the following donors for their gifts, grants, and pledges of $50,000 or more, received between January 1 and June 30, 2020.

Richard and Elaine Barrett and Barbara A. Wolfe ’65 made generous donations to the College’s ongoing campus optimization project, which seeks out new partners for the Mills campus to diversify programs and boost revenues.

Richard and Elaine Barrett also provided support to the Jill Barrett Biology Research Program.

Catherine Coates ’65 and Glenn and Ellen Voyles donated significant sums to Mills’ Greatest Need, a discretionary fund that helped underwrite many of the unexpected pandemic-related costs that popped up this spring.

Mary Lynn Bianco, MA ’15, has given her support to the Music Department in honor of Professor David Bernstein. The gift will help the department continue to develop the next generation of musicians that push creative boundaries.

Donald A. Cotton, husband of the late Fin Cotton ’58, has established the Cotton-Prieto Ceramics Endowment, which will conserve the ceramics collection at the Mills College Art Museum—particularly pieces by Antonio Prieto.

Charlene and Derry Kabcenell and the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation gave boosts to the Mills Teacher Scholars Program, which enables students in the School of Education to continue their growth into empowered teachers who can improve learning outcomes and address social-emotional learning.

Mei Kwong ’70 and Laurence Franklin underwrote the F.W. Olin Library Renovation, the results of which are on the previous page. Their gift was given in honor of Vice President for External Partnerships Renee Jadushlever.

Those students who remained on campus for the duration of the shelterin-place order still had a source of entertainment in May: goats! Used to control wild grasses, the goats were moved around campus over the course of about 10 days, gobbling up extra foliage to lessen fire risk. Word of the goats’ location spread over social media, with photos popping up on Twitter and Instagram from those students lucky enough to find the temporary caprine workers, and Facilities Manager Luan Strauss compiled regular “goat cams” of video footage she shot and then shared for meditation purposes.

Calendar Trans Studies Speaker Series A new series spearheaded by Barbara Lee Distinguished Chair in Women’s Leadership Susan Stryker. All events will be held online; visit performingarts.mills.edu at least five days prior to each event for registration links.

October 9 ■ TRANS // HISTORY A conversation with Morgan Page, host of the trans history podcast One From the Vaults.

Time TBD. October 21 ■ Joel Sanders and Seb Choe Sanders is the founder and Choe is the associate director of MixDesign, an inclusive design firm in New York that examines design issues through a social justice lens. The two will discuss Stalled!, a series of public bathroom prototypes that are adaptable to many different users. 5:00 pm.

8

M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

October 23 ■ TRANS // FEMINISM A conversation with Emma Heaney, author of The New Woman: Literary Modernism, Queer Theory, and the Trans Feminine Remainder, and other guests TBA. Time TBD.

November 20 ■ TRANS // AETHESTICS A conversation between Maxe Crandall, author of Emoji for Cher Heart, and Jeanne Vaccaro, author of Handmade: Feelings and Textures of Transgender. Time TBD.

November 5 ■ Jordy Rosenberg Rosenberg, who authored Confessions of the Fox, a faux memoir of the 18th-century folk hero Jack Sheppard, speaks with Susan Stryker in conjunction with the “We Are the Voices” speaker series. Time TBD.

December 4 ■ TRANS // GENRE A conversation between Daniel Lavery, author of Slate’s “Dear Prudence” column, and Jordy Rosenberg, author of Confessions of the Fox. Time TBD.

November 6 ■ TRANS // SEX A conversation between Eva Hayward, author of SymbioSeas, and Cael Keegan, author of Lana and Lilly Wachowski: Sensing Transgender. Time TBD.

Mills Performing Arts Check performingarts.mills.edu throughout the semester for links to virtual events.

Campus kudos A selection of recent achievements by faculty, staff, and students Assistant Professor of Practice of Public

and Innovation Ajuan

Policy Sharon Cornu and Tucker Brofft,

Mance’s cartoon, “Ghosts

MBA/MPP ’19, were featured in an April

of the Apollo Theatre,”

article in The New York Times that show-

was featured in the

cased their work at St. Mary’s Center

Daily Shouts section of

in downtown Oakland. Cornu is the

The New Yorker in May.

executive director there and works with

Professor of English

a team, including Brofft, which ensures

and Dean of Graduate

that the unsheltered populations that

Studies Juliana Spahr

use St. Mary’s stay safe from COVID-19.

has been awarded a

Assistant Adjunct Professor of Ethnic

Ajuan Mance

Hung Liu

year-long fellowship at

Studies Susan Ito was quoted in a

the Stanford Humanities

San Francisco Chronicle Datebook

Center, where she will use a range

Professor of Studio Art Catherine

article in June titled “The Writers Grotto

of approaches such as data collec-

Wagner is featured as one of 50 art-

carves out new paths to survive,” which

tion, computational analysis, archival

ists in a free new digital publication,

discussed the adaptation of the San

research, and close reading to write a

50X50: Stories of Visionary Artists from

Francisco Writers Grotto in the midst

book about contemporary US literature.

the Collection, compiled by the San Jose

of the pandemic as well as its inclusion

Professor of Biology Lisa Urry

Museum of Art in celebration of the

of people of color. Ito has written and

was featured in the fifth episode of

museum’s 50th anniversary. Professor

taught for the organization since 2012.

Pearson’s Unwritten webinar series,

Emerita of Studio Art Hung Liu is a

titled “The Biology of the Virus,” in

contributing author to the exhibit’s

Education Nolan Jones was featured in

which she spoke with Gen Z student

artist chapters.

an August article in University Business

host Saleem Abu-Tayeh about how the

titled “Harnessing ‘Hamilton’: 6 ways

coronavirus has evolved.

Associate Adjunct Professor of

to use hip-hop pedagogy” in which

Coach Neil Virtue was featured in

Adjunct Professor of English and Director of Graduate Programs in Literatures and Languages Stephanie

he discussed engaging with young

an August article in Outsports, which

Young won a 2020 Lambda Literary

learners by way of hip-hop and the

discussed his leadership of OneTeam,

Award in the category of bisexual

smash Broadway musical Hamilton.

a program in the NCAA that educates

poetry for her book, Pet Sounds, which

Professor of Ethnic Studies and

people in Division III athletic depart-

was announced in a virtual ceremony

ments about LGBTQA+ inclusion.

on June 1.

celebrate: a new athletic league. On

in New York, Mount Mary University

May 26, the Capital Athletic Conference

in Wisconsin, and Salisbury University

(CAC) announced that Mills is one of

in Maryland.

English and Dean of Digital Learning

six schools to join the NCAA Division

In a press release, Director of

III league starting in the 2020–2021

Athletics, Physical Education, and

school year.

Recreation Allie Littlefox said, “We look

The CAC is a nation-wide league,

forward to both the expanded opportu-

with member schools from California

nities for our student-athletes and the

(Mills and UC Santa Cruz) to

new connections and camaraderie with

Massachusetts (Pine Manor College).

schools across the country. This excit-

The other members are Christopher

ing step provides Mills, and our fellow

The pandemic may have postponed

Newport University and University of

ACAA schools, with continued con-

the fall athletic season at Mills, but

Mary Washington in Virginia, Finlandia

ference stability and helps to secure

the Cyclones still have something to

University in Michigan, Pratt Institute

the Cyclones’ place in Division III.”

Cyclones join the CAC

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9

A Vmiethwe fro s e n i l t Fron BEFORE COVID HAPPENED,

I worked on the telemetry (a.k.a. cardiac) floor. I

loved that job, but my floor was going to be transitioning into something new, so we closed down. I was floating around the hospital, so I started going to the COVID floor because it’s staffed on a volunteer basis, and there are a lot of nurses who don’t want to go down there.

The patients are of a wide variety of ages. I worked with one patient who was as young as me, and it was eye-opening. It was such a meaningful experience, both for him and for me. He said, “Thank you so much for being here, you’re making a difference.” I also had another experience where a patient told me, “You’re not scared to be around me,” and that really broke my heart.

Of course, the patients have this virus, and we’re still learning so much about it and discovering treatments, but these are still human beings. I want to make sure that they’re still shown all the love and attention and care they deserve. This is already an emotional job because there’s energy being shared between a patient and me, and I’m Alumna and registered nurse Kiera Simon ’09 took advantage of a program that often flies under the radar at Mills: pre-nursing. After two years at Mills, she moved on to complete her nursing degree at Samuel Merritt University.

And now, she finds herself on the frontlines with COVID-19. Simon, who works at a Dignity Health facility in a suburb of Sacramento— volunteered to staff her hospital’s dedicated floor for coronavirus patients starting in April. In mid-July, she spoke with the Quarterly about her ongoing experiences as a healthcare worker in a pandemic, just as case numbers were spiking to dangerous levels in her area.

so open to whatever they need from me, but now it’s really emotional because there’s no other human contact. There’s no visitation—families are connected through FaceTime, etc.—so I’m one of the only people who a patient sees and gets to visit with.

It’s really refreshed my nursing experience, in a sense. This is why we do what we do.

We all say on the COVID unit that this is hard work, but it’s so rewarding.

When I’m talking with patients who are positive, I’m constantly asking, “Where do you work?” There were a couple patients who worked at restaurants, one who worked for a local prison, others who were at nursing homes. There’s still so much to learn about viral load and how it spreads, people who are asymptomatic versus symptomatic—but as a bedside nurse, I have taken care of patients who are struggling on oxygen at 28 years old and at 83 years old.

There are 15 beds on the COVID floor where I work, and each patient usually has their own room, but yesterday, we started “cohorting” patients, which is putting two patients in one room. We’re figuring out how we can handle more numbers in the same space. I work at a hospital that’s taking a lead on COVID in the Sacramento area, so we get a lot of transfers. We were even getting people from Southern California at one point. But given our surge plan, I think they had to stop doing that. There’s a certain number we reach where we can’t take any more from outside facilities because we have to be able to service the people in this community. We are definitely getting up there, that’s for sure.

10

M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

Wear a Mask!

Before this, I saw a wide array of patients, but my skill set has increased during this process. There are all these things I never had to do before, like proning, which is putting people on their stomachs so the lungs can expand. I’ve hung Remdesivir, which is an antiviral. I’ve hung convalescent plasma. We have something called a Code Hope, which is when a COVID-positive patient is discharged, and we cheer them out. They’ve been on such a journey! Some of these patients have been intubated, on a vent[ilator], and they’re finally able to go home. There were times when we thought some of those patients weren’t going to make it. We once had four Code Hopes in one day, and we were so emotional.

It was starting to take a toll on me, because I do have older parents who live nearby, and I was like, “I’m not going over there.” It’s one thing to be working in the hospital, but when I’m volunteering on a COVID floor? Those are two people I haven’t been able to see, which is so hard. For a lot of us, we miss our families, but we just want to be supersafe. Near the beginning of the pandemic, getting Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was a little dicey. We had to twist people’s arms for N-95 masks, but after a certain point, they showed up along with face shields, shoe covers, etc., so we’ve been fine since then.

All nurses are frontliners, but we’re talking about people who have put into writing that they are volunteering to work in this unit, so it’s like a little family.

There’s not a lot of us, to be clear. We have people who float in, but there’s this core group of us who are willing to be in the trenches. It’s been great to work with them. The Blue Angels flew over one day, which the nurses thought was really cool. One other thing that has been absolutely fantastic is all the food!

Restaurants are donating food, which is so cool. Or people will bring us goodies—anything to say that they’re thinking of us and here for us. People have been reaching out to check on me because I’m a healthcare worker, and I’ve found it so sweet. It has really touched me. These are scary times for us during the pandemic, so if [readers] wanted to reach out to the healthcare workers in their lives, I would encourage them to do that. It’ll put a smile on our faces.

Besides pre-existing co-morbidities, we aren’t sure why some people have it worse than others, but why wouldn’t we want to err on the side of caution and

At the end of January 2020, I watched a video on Reddit about a new virus emerging from China—and grew concerned as I began to read more news day after day. By the middle of February, my gut told me this would be a major event. To say I have been exhausted and burned out by the coronavirus after five months of this is a fair statement.

My wife’s aunt in Tehran died in June, and I had a handful of patients with severe disease who were either admitted to the hospital with oxygen or were otherwise touch and go for a week. But I’ve seen the test results and seen the patients and heard their stories firsthand.

There are also patients in my office who have resisted wearing a mask, or otherwise are not convinced of the severity of the disease as reported in the news. I can only explain to them my experience, yet still some are unconvinced. Where does this distrust come from? The risk of harm from asymptomatic medical conditions is real, as is the perceived lack of harm when there are no symptoms.

Honestly, I can understand the confusion, but I do think there is something about our nation’s culture and personality that makes distrust and a desire not to go along with the status quo somehow valuable and desired qualities. It is incumbent upon each of us to encourage others to wear masks and protect others. Let us all remember that individual freedoms come along with individual responsibilities. As citizens of this country, we have both.

–David Gunn, MFA ’01, PMC ’06; assistant clinical professor at UCLA, and graduate of the Mills Pre-Med Post-Bac Program

protect ourselves? I’m in this day in and day out, and this is really a thing that’s happening. I want to remind people to stay safe. I want to remind people that it’s selfless to wear a mask.

–as told to Allison Rost

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11

CHANGEMAKERS Many in the Mills community were thrown off by the 2016 election.

These students and graduates of the Lokey School are channeling that energy into public service. By Rachel Leibrock, MFA ’04

ALYSA CISNEROS ’16, MPP ’17, still remembers the moment.

November 8, 2016: Donald Trump had just been elected to the US presidency and the world seemed as if it had instantly changed.

She knew she needed to do something—anything—but felt lost.

Cisneros was enrolled in her fifth year at Mills College, pursuing her master’s degree in public policy, but she didn’t want to just look to a textbook for answers. She wanted to get to work.

“I was just sitting there, [wondering] ‘What have I done to myself? ’ ” Cisneros thought.

Her sense of urgency wasn’t singular—it’s a shared drive among students and graduates of Mills’ Lorry I. Lokey School of Business and Public Policy. The graduate program, which offers a master of public policy and a joint MPP/MBA (among other degrees of study), Alysa Cisneros 12

M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

emphasizes a critical outcome: Change the system from within.

POLICE REFORM

That starts with the final two semesters of the program at Mills, which includes a capstone project. MPP students work with nonprofits, government offices and elected officials, putting aside text-

FAIR N S IO E L EC T

books to tackle real-world challenges. After graduating, some alumnae/i have run for office or worked for candi-

AF FO R

ice j us t Al l F or

DAT PRIVAA CY

DABLE

H O US I

dates at the local, state, and national levels. Others have founded their own organizations, or consulted with others, from tiny start-ups to big corporations.

Now, leading up to November’s consequential election, many say they’re motivated by the political and sociocultural events that have unfolded

public safety, and affordable, accessible housing.

“It’s a chance to make myself as effective as possible,” she says.

since 2016, including the coronavirus pandemic

Since the college launched the MPP gradu-

and nationwide protests against anti-Black rac-

ate track in 2007 with just eight candidates, stu-

ism and police brutality. Moreover, students like

dents like Cisneros have put what they’ve learned

Cisneros say their time at the College prepared

to practical use in the political and public policy

them for the moment by connecting class study

sphere, identifying and addressing a range of issues,

with hands-on work.

often with a focus on social and racial inequities.

“At Mills, you learn broadly, asking questions

Sometimes, the challenges are unprecedented.

about how you can evaluate whether a policy will

The global COVID-19 pandemic and other cur-

work or not,” Cisneros says. “Those are the basics

rent events, for example, created a new “obstacle

that you do over and over again [in the field], and

course” of access, according to Ashley Adams,

eventually they become second nature.”

assistant adjunct professor of public policy at

Not long after her world tilted post-election,

Mills. The lockdown brought about challenging

Cisneros struck upon a solution, realizing that

delays as students were forced to postpone focus

it made sense to tap into what she’d learned

groups and other vital data work, but it also laid

so far at Mills. That’s how she came to email

bare critical inequities, she says.

the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of

“This work is more important than

Northern California at 2:00 am with a proposal:

ever,” she says. “Students and professors

she needed a capstone project to graduate, and

are doing research to produce recommen-

the ACLU needed volunteers in its mission to pro-

dations for social change for a lot of these

tect civil liberties—such as free speech and due

problems that have been magnified by the

process—under the incoming administration.

pandemic, including police brutality.”

“I said, ‘I can do this for free, so put me to work,’” Cisneros recalls.

Chalyna Lazo, MPP ’21, a former student in Adams’s Policy and Economic Analysis

The ACLU quickly agreed, assigning her to

class, says that even as she and other stu-

study data privacy, surveillance, and policing in

dents faced frustrating challenges, the pan-

public schools. The work felt vital, she says, pro-

demic has also given them new insights.

viding invaluable hands-on learning she couldn’t

“It’s opened my eyes to so many differ-

necessarily get in a seminar, including how to

ent perspectives on how public policy is

navigate a fast-paced environment.

approached, in terms of who is affected

Now, because “this year is a time for us to reimagine how we do things,” as Cisneros puts it,

Chalyna Lazo

and who the stakeholders are,” Lazo says.

While she has yet to decide on a capstone

she is running for a city council seat in Sunnyvale,

project, she’s already working, writing a plan to

California. Her platform includes policing reform,

address redistricting nationwide for the Drake FA L L 2 0 2 0

13

NG

Institute of Research and Policy, a Washington, DC–based nonpartisan think tank that studies legislation to support women legislators at the state, county, and municipal levels of government.

After graduation, Lazo adds, she’ll be ready to pursue a career in state government. “I will walk away from [Mills] having acquired the skills that will prepare me for potential opportunities,” she says.

This is an advantage for Mills graduates, as the classes they take rely more on current events and real-world examples than stale textbook cases. “I sometimes envy my colleagues at public policy

Lyzz Schwegler

conferences who share the same case they use every year—it’s got all the material in there and they

on training even as she completed her degree.

just hand it to the students,” says Mark Henderson,

“It was incredible because I would learn about

associate professor of public policy and MPP pro-

things in class and then I would be able to actu-

gram director. “With us, there is no binder!”

ally go and apply those concepts right away,” says

Erin Armstrong ’16, MPP/MBA ’18, started seeking her own opportunities during her final

Armstrong, who returned to work for Miley and is now a special assistant.

undergraduate year at Mills as the 2016 election

Eventually, she says, she wants to run for office.

began winding to a close. She remembers sitting

Before Trump, before COVID-19, before the Black

in her Political Efficacy class, struck by the dis-

Lives Matter protests, Armstrong says she might

connect between her lessons and what she saw

have been more inclined to delay her ambitions.

on television. “All the conventional wisdom we

Not anymore.

were learning in class was thrown out the window,” she says.

Trump’s win “lit a fire” within her. She adds: “It also reinforced that I was on the right path.”

By the next summer, Armstrong was volunteer-

Her time in the graduate program didn’t just validate her career goals, Armstrong says. It reinforced that she didn’t need to wait for permission to pursue them. “Mills gave me the tool set to feel confident,” she says.

ing for Nate Miley, who represents District 4 on

For Lyzz Schwegler, the current political land-

the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. That

scape has also played a significant role in her

gig later led to a paid position, working on policy

decision-making process, so much so that she put

for Measure A, a ballot initiative that proposed a

her graduate studies at Mills on hold. Schwegler

30-year sales tax measure to fund, among other

had been enrolled in her first semester in the MPP

programs, childcare and early education.

program when Trump was elected; by January

By spring 2018, Armstrong needed to fulfill her capstone project. She took a leave of absence from

2017, she was seeking a summer internship that would put her in the thick of change.

Miley’s office and tasked herself with devising

A friend connected her with the founder of

uses for Measure A’s innovation fund. While vot-

the Sister District Project, a nonprofit that aims

ers failed to approve Measure A during the June

to turn states blue by winning state legislative

2018 election, Armstrong gained practical, hands-

elections. Instead of an internship, however,

Trump’s win “lit a fire” within her.

She adds: “It also reinforced that I was on the right path.” –Erin Armstrong 14

M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

Schwegler was invited to join the group as a co-

embarked on a run for a Los Angeles City Council

founder. She agreed, and by fall, the project had

seat. The decision, she says, was inspired by the

ballooned, drawing in thousands of volunteers.

Women in Leadership class taught by Lori Droste,

A pursuit that grew out of a “dark, terrible time,”

MPP ’11, who was elected to the Berkeley City Council in 2014.

Schwegler says, soon felt impactful.

“The 2016 election was a milestone,” she says.

Each week, Droste brought in guest speak-

“I’ve come to realize how lucky I was to be at

ers, including elected officials who—as women of

Mills at the time, and have it be a space full of

color—shared advice on and experiences in fund-

connections and community, holding each other

raising, campaigning, and facing double standards

accountable, and honest talk.”

in a male-dominated political field.

Schwegler eventually decided to pause her

“Every single one of them would always say to

to

run for office, even if you have

Washington, DC. Since then, the

the slightest feeling to do it—

Sister District Project has hired 20

just run because we need more

employees, raised millions of dol-

women to run,” she says.

academics

and

relocate

Initially,

lars, and flipped legislative seats

Rivera-Guzman

says, she wasn’t sure she was

in critical states such as Virginia.

Schwegler plans to return to

ready to run but, encouraged

Mills eventually; until then, her

by classmates who later volun-

time at the College stands out.

teered for her campaign, she

In

remembers

decided the effort could give

a California politics workshop

her much-needed experience.

that the College hosted with

She didn’t win the primary, but

Assemblymember

says she’s prepared to run again

particular,

she

Rob

Bonta

in 2024.

(D-Oakland). There, Bonta talked about his activist background—

Ingrid Rivera-Guzman

California’s

farm

labor

Until

then,

she’s

digging

deeper into local politics by

his parents had been part of

attending neighborhood council

move-

ment—and the realization that grassroots work

meetings. Recently, she was elected vice president

wasn’t just about marching in the streets, but also

on the board of directors for the Latino Coalition

about the slog of endless meetings and logging

of Los Angeles, a nonprofit that aims to build

long hours with spreadsheets.

the infrastructure needed to support progressive

That ethos resonated deeply. “Policy work isn’t glamorous, it’s about showing up and getting down to work,” Schwegler says.

candidates and initiatives that will foster change through policy advocacy and other methods.

“We’re trying to be that bridge between elected

For Ingrid Rivera-Guzman, MPP ’19, showing up

officials and the people they’re serving who

means returning to the community that shaped

might not be so knowledgeable about that politi-

her. Born in El Salvador, she grew up in Los Angeles,

cal system,” she says.

and she says she chose Mills for its emphasis on social justice and intersectional politics.

A core philosophy Mills instilled in her is better understanding the connection between past and

She felt energized, studying in a program that

future generations. Take, for example, she says,

allowed her to “have a seat at the table,” she says.

the number of unhoused folks in Los Angeles,

“It’s a system that you need to work within, to

the majority of whom are Black. By examining

some degree, if you want to break it and disman-

past redlining policies as well as legislation that

tle it in some ways.”

resulted from the so-called “war on crime” and

Her capstone project paired her with the

“war on drugs,” it becomes easier to connect the

California Energy Commission, where she drew

dots between policy decisions and their problem-

on her passion for environmental justice to hold

atic effects.

the organization accountable in its efforts to

“Public policy affects every aspect of your life,

affect new environmental projects in low-income

even if you’re not aware of it,” she says. “It didn’t just

and disadvantaged communities.

happen today, it’s coming from the past, and that’s

Now, Rivera-Guzman is thinking about bigger, longer-term ambitions. Earlier this year, she

E T VO

still continuing to affect us today. And the decisions we make will affect our future generations.”  FA L L 2 0 2 0

15

K IRS TEN SA X TON

A Future for Old Women FOUR YEARS AGO, at the age of 75, Ruth

Saxton says she wrote The Book of

O. Saxton, MA ’72, retired from teaching

Old Ladies because she “wanted to com-

English full-time at Mills College, a job

plicate people’s notions of old women.

she had held since 1974. Honored with

We’re capable of a lot more growth and

the title of professor emerita, Saxton had

change than you would guess from por-

earned the right to look back with sat-

trayals in books.” But it’s not only the

isfaction at her career as a preeminent

content of the book that dismantles

Virginia Woolf scholar, an exemplary edu-

stereotypes. Over the past two decades,

cator and beloved mentor, the College’s

Saxton’s own journey as an author and

first dean of letters, and the co-founder

a teacher demonstrates how women of

of the Women’s Studies Program—among

a certain age continue to use their cre-

other accomplishments. For many fac-

ative and intellectual prowess to sur-

ulty, achieving emeritus status means

mount loss, to grow, and to innovate.

it’s time to disengage from the constant demands of students and colleagues, the challenges of learning new pedagogical methods and technologies, and the pressure of publishing.

Professor Emerita Ruth Saxton offers alternate visions for “coming to age” in The Book of Old Ladies

By Dawn Cunningham ‘85

Not for Saxton. Instead, “retirement”

short stories from the 20th and 21st cen-

opened one of her career’s most produc-

turies—that illustrate key themes in plots

tive chapters, a highlight of which is the

featuring “Old Lady” protagonists. In the

recent publication of a landmark work of

book’s introduction, Saxton explains:

literary criticism, The Book of Old Ladies: Celebrating Women of a Certain Age in Fiction. The book provided the foundation for Saxton’s final class at Mills: Coming to Age, a unique communitybased course she taught this past spring in collaboration with the Downtown Oakland Senior Center. To bring both the course and the book to fruition, she mobilized a network of students, alumnae, colleagues, and family.

16

M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

For The Book of Old Ladies, Saxton selected 31 works of fiction—novels and

I have always read fiction to find models for how to live, how to be . . . . Stories offer us ways to make sense of our pasts and to forge a way of being in our presents and futures . . .

I wanted to gather examples of good aging, of wise or surprising women over sixty and into their nineties, like beads on a string, a secular rosary to help fend off the fear of becoming elderly in a society whose mainstream vision of aging women is marked by fear, loathing, refusal, or reduction. I wanted to read the novels in which fictional older women prepare for the journey of aging, inhabit the territory, and become increasingly their truest selves.

CRIS TIAN NE W M AN FOR UNSPL A SH

The resulting rosary ranges from wellknown works by celebrated authors, such as Love, Again by Doris Lessing, to first novels by writers newer to the literary scene, such as Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper. A gifted storyteller herself, Saxton provides engaging synopses of each piece while analyzing how the plots limit or expand the possibilities open to old ladies as they confront romance, sexuality, aging and mortality, loss and growth, and their own creative potential.

The Book of Old Ladies is the culmination of rigorous and highly original scholarship: Saxton reviewed more than 100 works to identify plot themes and make her selections. No other critical work has focused on analyzing the figure of the Old Lady in contemporary

FA L L 2 0 2 0

 

17

literature by women. Yet Saxton avoids

for stories about girls.” One novel in

perpetuate the idea that life is only good

academic writing style and jargon, allow-

particular set her off to write the book:

when you’re young, that romance is all

ing her own passion as a reader to shine

Evening by Susan Minot. Evening’s pro-

that matters.” Most of the stories in her

through. “I didn’t want it to be a scholarly

tagonist, a 65-year-old woman dying of

book feature feisty old ladies who break

book,” she says. “I wanted it to be acces-

cancer, drifts into memories of an affair

away from stereotypes and are as varied

sible, affordable, and available in paper-

she had in her youth. Reviews hailed

as young characters.

back.” Her approach has won accolades

the book, published in 1998, as a com-

For example, in Vita Sackville-West’s

from reviewers, including the respected

plex portrait of a woman at the end of

All Passion Spent, an elderly widow

literary magazine Kirkus Reviews.

life; it later became a movie with Meryl

defies the expectations of her children

Streep. “It drew me in, but I thought,

and retreats to a new home where she

something’s wrong,” Saxton says. “When

forbids any visitors under the age of 70

I’m on my deathbed, I hope I’m not pre-

and makes friends with several eccentric

occupied by some unrequited love from

old men. Debra Dean’s The Madonnas

my adolescence!”

of Leningrad depicts a woman suffer-

The story behind The Book of Old Ladies begins more than 20 years ago, when Saxton was researching and teach-

Saxton includes Evening in the first

ing about the figure of “The Girl” in fic-

section of The Book of Old Ladies as an

her

tion. She edited a volume of scholarly

example of a plot she calls the “Deathbed

with paintings from Saint Petersburg’s

essays, The Girl: Constructions of the Girl

Bookend,” in which “fictional old women

Hermitage Museum, where she worked

in Contemporary Fiction by Women, in

are portrayed at the end of their lives

in the 1940s—and the confusion of her

1998. Narratives about girls’ coming-of-

remembering their youth rather than looking inward or outward at their pres-

by themes of romantic fulfillment or

ent situations.”

rejection—an evolution of the marriage

From then on, “I tried to find imagi-

plot in Victorian novels, which com-

native plots that differed from Deathbed

monly revolved around the questions of

Bookends,” Saxton says. “I didn’t want to

inner

“memory

palace”—filled

CRIS TIAN NE W M AN FOR UNSPL A SH

age, she observed, were often propelled

ing from Alzheimer’s who slips between

whether and whom the young heroine would marry.

Saxton also found that many comingof-age plots involved friction between daughters and mothers. “An older woman— a grandmother or an aunt—would be brought into the plot to help things move forward for the daughter,” she notes. “But we never get inside the older woman’s head.” Typically, neither the mother nor the older woman had much of a creative intellectual or artistic life.

“As I approached 60, I realized I was the age of these old women, and that wasn’t my experience of life at all,” she recalls. “I started looking for stories about old women the way I had looked

current life in the Pacific Northwest.

“Most of these characters have experienced some sort of loss,” Saxton observes. “If you live long enough, there will be major things that happen. What I ask is, what do you do next?”

That question—what do you do after a loss?—has deep personal relevance for Saxton. “In the early days of this project,”

18

M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

SHU T TERS TOCK

she writes in a postscript, “I looked forward to completing the book within two years, hoping to benefit from my discoveries about how to age gracefully and well, but a car accident changed not only my

says Ruth gained “an awareness that

plans but my entire life.”

a [student’s] need for accommodation

One evening in fall 2004, Saxton and her husband were on their way to a res-

does not imply a lack,” which makes her a better teacher.

taurant in Oakland. She recalls, “As we

Saxton also refused to give up on her

were parking, a big SUV rammed into us.

goal of completing the book. Although

It totaled our Volvo, but we didn’t have

writing remained a struggle for her for

a scratch.”

several years after the accident, she

When she returned to the classroom

made progress by working with research

that week, she couldn’t remember her stu-

assistants and other collaborators. “I

dents’ names. She was uncharacteristically

learned to ask for help,” she says. “Now

disorganized and could no longer read or

I have a team of women who’ve worked

write easily. She was only 63 years old; “I

collaboratively with me on the book. I

feared I had early dementia,” she says. Her

rely on these amazing women who have

doctor thought she had a concussion, but

skills I don’t.”

weeks went by and she didn’t improve. Six

Elizabeth Mathews, MFA ’09, served

months later, a scan revealed that she had

as Saxton’s first research assistant while

sustained a traumatic brain injury.

she was a graduate student at Mills.

“Rather than experiencing a gradual

Mathews would review texts that Saxton

decline into old age, I had been hurtled

was considering for the book. “I would

into that strange terrain in an instant,”

come to Ruth’s house, sit in her kitchen,

Saxton writes in The Book of Old Ladies.

talk about the books with her, and write

Her neurologist suggested that she

up notes based on our conversation,”

retire, but she wasn’t ready to stop doing

Mathews says. “By 2010, Ruth was able to

the work she loved. Instead, she devel-

read and write again, and she got into a

oped new daily routines and systems.

routine of writing down general impres-

Linda Gray, MA ’05. Travis set up a web-

In the classroom, she began to ask

sions or close readings in the mornings,

site for the book, ruthsaxton.com, where

students to take more responsibility for

which I would piece together into docu-

Saxton plans to expand the discussion to

presentations and discussions. “I took

ments for her to work with.”

stories not included in The Book of Old

copious notes,” she says. “I talked less

After Mathews left the Bay Area to

and listened more.” Her classes became

begin a PhD program at University of

Kirsten Saxton is another member

more student-centered, more welcoming

California, Irvine, Saxton engaged with

of the team. “Ever since I began gradu-

toward students who faced struggles of

several other assistants who were Mills

ate school in 1990, my mom and I have

their own. Her daughter Kirsten Saxton

students or alumnae, including Emily

been one another’s sounding boards….

’90, now a professor of English at Mills,

Travis, MA ’17; Monique Iles, MA ’16; and

We read one another’s drafts and think

Ladies.

FA L L 2 0 2 0

19

through organizational structures and

Since the early aughts, Saxton had

meet once each month at DOSC so that

how the pieces can be improved,” she

been exploring the figure of the Old

elders could join students in reading and

says. After the accident, Kirsten adds,

Lady not only through her scholarship,

discussing the stories. Fifteen Mills stu-

“I was always confident that my mom

but also through the literature courses

dents enrolled and more than twice that

would be able to return to the book

she taught. One of these was a graduate

number of elders signed up to participate.

because she could talk through the

seminar called Coming to Age, which

“Our first meeting with the seniors

ideas, and even at the worst stage, she

focused entirely on Old Lady stories.

stopped the students in their tracks,”

was able to be a terrific close reader and

After she “retired” to the role of profes-

Saxton noted in her blog. Together they

editor of other people’s work.” She cur-

sor emerita in 2016, Saxton continued to

discussed the short story “My Man

rently helps Ruth manage social media

teach one course at Mills almost every

Bovanne” by Toni Cade Bambara; Saxton

for the book, including Instagram and

year, concluding in spring 2020 with an

described the conversation as “electric

Facebook author pages.

undergraduate version of the Coming to

and filled with surprises, insights, and

Age seminar.

laughter.” The revelations continued

As Saxton healed and regained her writing abilities, Mathews introduced

For this final course, Saxton had the

her to a writing coach, Brooke Warner,

idea of retooling the syllabus to enable

who helped her structure the book and

students

substantively

active the seniors were, how interested

guided as she wrote the chapters in their

with actual old ladies and fulfill the

they were in connecting with younger

current form. In 2018, Saxton completed

College’s new undergraduate require-

people,” says Lila Goehring ’21*. “They

the manuscript, which Mathews edited.

ment for community-engaged learning.

had a lot of thoughts about the books and

Warner selected the book for publica-

She also had the perfect collaborator for

related them to their own lives. They out-

tion by She Writes Press, an independent

this effort: her former student Jennifer

did us and inspired us to work harder.”

publisher she co-founded.

King ’00, MA ’02, who has directed

Another student, Grace Hirschfeld ’22,

the Downtown Oakland Senior Center

found insights relevant to relationships

(DOSC) for 15 years. With King’s help,

in her family: “My grandmother—whose

Saxton designed a plan for the class to

parents immigrated from China—has

to

interact

throughout the course.

“I was heartened by how politically

SHU T TERS TOCK

always been seen as someone who cares for others and rarely does anything for herself. But since her husband died, she’s been taking more time for herself, investing more in what she enjoys. This class gave me more respect for her wishes for herself as an individual.”

“People seemed open and genuinely interested in each other’s ideas and experiences,” says Carole Glanzer, one of the DOSC elders who participated. “The value of intergenerational relationships is that they break down stereotypes and thereby can change negative ageist attitudes, coming from either end of the age spectrum. We don’t forget that we are of different generations, but we are more likely to see each other as individuals.”

Just after the class met for its second book discussion at DOSC, Alameda

*Lila is also the Quarterly’s editorial assistant and shares more thoughts about her experience in the Coming to Age class on our website.

Visit quarterly.mills.edu to read more.

20

M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

County issued shelter-in-place orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

All of a sudden, Saxton had to switch to teaching the class online, while still trying to achieve her goal “to help students see older women as individual persons.”

She invited the elders to participate in class meetings via Zoom. Though many of them initially struggled with the technology, “they stuck with it and figured out how to join the discussions from their own homes,” King says.

Patricia Powell, who teaches creative writing at Mills, joined one of the online sessions as a guest speaker. She read from her work-in-progress, Balm Yard, a novel that explores women’s spiritual practices in rural Jamaica and features a mother-daughter relationship involving older women.

“After years in which I could not find stories focused on the present lives of older women characters—not just their pasts—I am excited to introduce… stories that get inside the heads of old women, see the world through their eyes, and abandon tired old stereotypes,” Saxton wrote in her blog about the class.

King, who is in her 60s and a poet, says the examples provided by The Book of Old Ladies are already providing

The Book of Old Ladies: Celebrating Women of a Certain Age in Fiction

by Ruth O. Saxton, published by She Writes Press in September 2020, is available now through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and various independent booksellers.

For more information, visit ruthsaxton.com.

inspiration for her new work. “I’m writing about love in the 60s. I would never have had the courage to write about that before,” she says. “We don’t lose our sen-

She’s still mentoring former students

narratives that limited her capacity to

suality. It gets more nuanced.”

and writing letters of recommendation,

write, teach, mother, and be a full self.”

The Coming to Age course proved that old ladies don’t lose their adapt-

even as she enjoys having time to spend with a new grandchild.

That woman concludes The Book of Old Ladies by observing: “I have now

ability, either. Students say Saxton’s

Among Mills alumnae, she has estab-

lived longer than many of the female

transition to online teaching was just

lished a legacy of helping women dis-

protagonists whose stories I had hoped

as smooth as that of younger professors.

cover new models for their own coming

would inform me . . . . I have discovered

Yet she is content to let her first online

to age. “Knowing Ruth has changed my

through my own experience that loss

course be her last teaching experience.

perspective on my future,” Mathews

does not need to define us, and that old

“In an odd way, COVID-19 made the

says. “She’s like one of the characters

women have at our disposal many ways

end of my teaching career easier,” she

she writes about. She had this amazing

we can adapt and learn and continue to

says. “There was something magic about

life, then this horrific accident. But she

see the world with wonder and joy.”

stepping into a classroom. I am grateful

still went on to write this entire book

With the publication of The Book of

that I won’t be teaching classes that are

and continue teaching. She has been an

Old Ladies, Ruth Saxton presents a time-

entirely online.”

incredible model of resilience for me.”

less gift to women of all ages: a compen-

Kirsten Saxton says her view of aging

dium of alternative visions for growing

has been shaped by “growing up with

old, coping with loss, and defying expec-

a woman who thinks deeply about the

tations. She reminds us that we always

Despite that, Saxton hasn’t disen-

import of cultural representations and

have time to experience ourselves and

gaged from her professorial role entirely.

who has lived as an example of refusing

our world in new ways. 

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21

AAMC NEWS & NOTES A Message from the AAMC President The past summer was unusually quiet at

Many of us participated

Mills, with just a few students staying on

in President Elizabeth L.

campus to shelter in place. Among them

Hillman’s Zoom videocon-

were several international students. I

ference in June in which she

had opportunities to talk with some of

shared news of the impact

them about the hardships they faced,

of COVID-19 on Mills. The

both financially and emotionally.

pandemic compounds the

In some cases, they had decided not

financial deficits that the

to go home for fear that they would not

College has struggled with

be allowed to return to Mills for the

for more than a decade,

fall semester due to travel restrictions

despite ongoing efforts to

related to the COVID-19 pandemic or

balance the budget by mak-

to changes in US immigration policies.

ing deep cuts and develop-

Yet paying for food, lodging, and other

ing new revenue sources. It

basic necessities in the United States was

also contributes further to

a financial struggle as they had little

lower than optimal enroll-

opportunity to work on campus after

ment,

March, and their visa statuses did not

College’s long-term financial

allow them to work off campus. Some

viability.

which

hurts

the

students were further affected by cur-

In light of these difficul-

rency devaluations in their home coun-

ties, President Hillman also

tries or their families’ hardships when

talked about the potential

parents lost jobs due to COVID-19 or

for an enhanced partnership with UC

wish her well in her dual role as a mem-

became ill themselves.

Berkeley, which could be one solution

ber of the College Board of Trustees.

Viji Nakka-Cammauf

Considering the difficult situation for

to Mills’ predicament. Following the

Mills has always been a place of beauty,

these international students, the AAMC

Zoom-cast, the BOG collected ques-

and during these challenging times, it

Board of Governors (BOG) organized

tions and comments about the partner-

is also a place of tranquility. Summer is

a fundraising campaign to help cover

ship from alumnae and hosted a virtual

fast fading and fall is around the corner.

their room and board, medical insur-

town hall meeting on September 17 to

I think these words from Laura Jaworski

ance, and essential needs for the sum-

address these concerns.

perfectly describe fall at Mills:

mer. Find a report about this fundraising

It is a time of great change, and this

effort and others on the facing page. I am

summer, Mills lost Leah Hardcastle

very grateful to everyone for their timely

MacNeil, MA ’51. Leah was a lifetime

and generous participation in our effort;

member of the BOG and a beloved

it has been a great source of support for

alumna who will be missed by many.

each of the assisted students.

We are grateful for her many gener-

An autumn breeze, A string of words, A star-filled sky— All are poetry

During the summer, the BOG and

ous contributions to the AAMC. You

I wish you all good health, safety, and

its committees also worked to create

can find her obituary in this issue’s In

well-being wherever you are sheltering

pandemic-friendly events for this fall’s

Memoriam section.

in place, and I look forward to seeing you

incoming students. Taco Tuesday had a

Finally, I want to close with my con-

different look this year: students picked

gratulations to Adrienne McMichael

up their tacos at the Tea Shop, and some

Foster ’74, our newly elected alumna

of us governors were there to extend a

trustee. The governors and I are happy

Viji Nakka-Cammauf, MA ’82

socially-distanced welcome to Mills.

to welcome Adrienne back to the

President, Alumnae Association

Board meetings and other events this

AAMC Board of Governors, where she

of Mills College

fall will be virtual.

previously served for one term, and to

22

M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

back on campus when it is safe.

Warmly,

A report on the AAMC’s successful fundraising campaigns The AAMC deeply appreciates the donors

for the AOCC Endowed Scholarship Fund

States (read more about their predica-

who supported two fundraising efforts

on her birthday, through which she

ment in Viji’s letter on the facing page).

by the association, its governors, and its

raised an additional $1,245. The schol-

The AAMC aimed to raise $7,500 from

committees this year. Contributions to

arship, created in honor of former Mills

alumnae, which the association would

these efforts support students of color

president Alecia DeCoudreaux, supports

match with a gift of $7,500. The goal

and international students facing finan-

students of color at Mills. The AAMC

was exceeded in just a matter of days!

cial challenges.

commends Gwen and the entire AOCC

By September, donors had contributed

for their efforts.

more than $33,000; with the AAMC’s

The Alumnae of Color Committee (AOCC) hosted a lively benefit concert for

In July, AAMC President Viji Nakka-

matching gift, the drive raised more

its endowed scholarship fund in February.

Cammauf, MA ’82, and the Board of

than $40,500 to meet the full need of

It was the AOCC’s first event in the newly

Governors launched a drive for an

affected international students.

renovated Lisser Hall, and 100 people

International Student Hardship Fund

attended. By the end of the night, the

to

who

the AAMC’s ability to support the College

group had raised more than $5,000! More

could not return home this summer

and its students. We thank you from the

recently, AAMC governor and AOCC co-

because of travel restrictions imposed in

bottom of our hearts for your continued

chair Gwen Jackson Foster ’67 launched

response to COVID-19 yet lacked funds

support during these difficult times.

another fundraising push on Facebook

to cover living expenses in the United

aid

international

students

Alumnae generosity is the lifeblood of

Nominate the next alumna trustee Make your voice heard on the Mills College Board of Trustees and the AAMC Board of Governors. Nominate yourself or another willing Mills graduate as a candidate for the position of alumna trustee for the three-year term beginning July 1, 2021. Alumnae trustees serve on the boards of the College and the AAMC; they are expected to participate on committees on both boards. For more information on the responsibilities of the position and how to apply or nominate someone, look under the “Leadership” section of the AAMC website at aamc.mills.edu. Nominations are due January 5, 2021, to the AAMC Nominating Committee at aamc@mills.edu or AAMC, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., MB #86, Oakland, CA 94613.

Now purchase AAMC merchandise online!

AAMC swag has officially entered the 21st century through our brand-new online store at aamcmerch.square.site!

While you can still purchase merchandise by emailing us at aamc@mills.edu, you now also have the option of browsing our inventory and making a purchase online.

You’ll find Pearl M pendants, gold and silver eucalyptus pins, eucalyptus-scented candles, scarves, T-shirts, ornaments, and more. Unless otherwise noted, all proceeds benefit the AAMC. JUST ADDED: New limited edition Mills seal mugs! A portion of the sale of each mug supports Mills College.

FA L L 2 0 2 0

23

Class Notes do not appear in the online edition of Mills Quarterly.

Alumnae are invited to share their news with classmates in the Mills College alumnae community.

To submit notes for publication in the next available Quarterly, send your update to classnotes@mills. edu.

Class Notes do not appear in the online edition of the Mills Quarterly.

Alumnae are invited to share their news with classmates in the Mills College Alumnae Community, alumnae.mills.edu. To submit notes for publication in the next available Quarterly, send your update to classnotes@mills.edu.

In Memoriam Notices of deaths received before July 6, 2020 To submit listings, please contact alumnae-relations@mills.edu or 510.430.2123 Ida “Jiggs” Erlanger Scott ’42, March 30, 2019, in Sebastopol, California. Ida lived in Sebastopol for the last 25 years of her life, though she was born in San Francisco and watched the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge. A lifelong volunteer, Ida was a walking encyclopedia who loved sharing knowledge with her family. She is survived by three children and nine grandchildren.

Polly Schwartz Hertz ’42, March 16, in Canoga Park, California. Polly danced with Marian Van Tuyl at Mills, and went on to join the Army during World War II as part of the Women’s Auxiliary Corps. She taught school in Chicago and then worked as a saleswoman in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Polly cherished her Mills education and was strong and proud. She is survived by a son.

Ann Sulzberger Wolff ’42, April 21, in Winnetka, Illinois. Ann spent 75 years as a volunteer with the League of Women Voters, and served as a leader in the Citizens Information Service, a founding member of Lakeside Congregation, and a champion of North Shore Senior Center.

She was a dedicated member of the Mills College Club of Chicago.

Ann is survived by three children and five grandchildren.

Shirley “Kay” Kinspel Manley ’43, December 18, 2019, in New York.

Kay was a professional artist and designer with a passion for the opera. Despite health concerns, Kay was able to travel alone to Paris and Salzburg as well as the Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall to attend performances. Nothing got in the way of Kay’s love for life.

She is survived by two daughters and two granddaughters.

Elizabeth “Betty” Loudon Daugherty ’43, February 22, in Juneau, Alaska. At Mills, she was a champion fencer. She worked as a secretary for a petroleum geologist, and she was credited in a book of his for her knowledge of micropaleontology—a lifelong source of pride. Betty was also a reporter who was passionate about science, hunting, carpentry, and electrical engineering. Betty is survived by six children and nine grandchildren.

Sally Mayock Hartley ’48, May 1, in Union City, California. Sally was senior class president at Mills and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in government. Sally and her husband, Hollis, moved to San Bernardino, where they raised four children, and Sally taught in high schools there for 14 years. At her 70th reunion in 2018, Sally (below, second from right) and her classmates sang the school song to President Elizabeth L. Hillman! Sally is survived by three children and six grandchildren.

Patricia Baillargeon ’49, June 12, in Seattle. As assistant to Eleanor Roosevelt, Pat traveled to all 50 states and many nations in Asia and Europe. Pat later became the assistant to the Consul General of Japan,

Stacey Park Milbern, MBA ’16 A fierce, well-known advocate for people with disabilities, Stacey Park Milbern died on May 19—her 33rd birthday—in Stanford, California. The physical challenges she experienced in her life due to muscular dystrophy led her to organize and galvanize her community and beyond, doing everything from hosting Disability Justice Culture Club and Hidden Army gatherings at her East Oakland home to working on President Barack Obama’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities and co-producing the Netflix documentary Crip Camp. More recently, she organized mutual assistance to keep those on ventilators safe as Pacific Gas & Electric shut off electricity in fire-prone areas of the state.

Stacey was also passionate about ensuring that queer BIPOC would not be erased from efforts for disability justice, in California and across the country. She enrolled at Mills in 2012 to continue that work and inspired her classmates and instructors alike.

A remembrance from fellow Lokey graduates Sarah Garmisa, MPP/ MBA ’15, and Emily Davis ’06, MBA ’14, touted Stacey’s vibrancy: “She was a hustler who worked harder than even the best of us.

Yet she never lost touch with her clever and sarcastic sense of humor that made her approachable and easy to talk to, despite her tremendously powerful presence.” Stacey is survived by her two grandmothers, her parents, and two siblings.

the first woman executive at the Port of Seattle, and a founding board member of the Pilchuck Glass School and the Wing Luke Museum. Well into her 80s, she continued volunteering in homeless communities.

She is survived by two brothers, and 13 nieces and nephews.

Lesley Bollenbach Carnes ’49, on December 24, 2019, in Shoreview, Minnesota. Lesley loved to travel, read, entertain, and garden. She had a gift for making people feel welcome and valued. Lesley will be greatly missed and always remembered as a woman of love and grace with a very quick wit. She is survived by three children and five grandchildren.

Caryl Hollender Susman ’52, on April 26, in Winnetka, Illinois.

After majoring in psychology at Mills, Caryl volunteered extensively with local charities and in Democratic politics. She worked at the Chicago Department of Welfare and volunteered on the boards of several social services agencies. The Mills College Club of Chicago counted her as a beloved member. She is survived by her husband, Bernie; three children; and five grandchildren.

Benjamin “Ben” Johnston, MA ’53, July 21, 2019, in Deerfield, Wisconsin.

Ben was a prolific composer who used microtonal tuning systems to create a large and varied catalog of avant-garde chamber works, stage pieces, and music for orchestras, choirs, voice, and solo piano. He studied with Darius Milhaud in 1951 and went on to work with John Cage in New York. He is survived by three children and three grandchildren.

Diane Ferris Whyte ’54, March 2, in Lafayette. Diane was a beloved elementary school teacher and passionate tennis player. She and her husband, Don, loved spending time in Carmel, especially with their family. She is survived by Don, three children, and seven grandchildren.

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M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

Patricia “Ann” Hunt Lindeen ’54, March 21, in Simi Valley, California.

Ann met her husband, Gordon, at a Mills/Stanford dance. Ann was a founder of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of People-to-People International and served as a docent at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.

She is survived by her husband, Gordon; four children, including Janeen Lindeen McBride ’79, and three grandchildren.

Sarah “Sally” Paul Williams ’54, April 29, in Ocala, Florida. She served on the boards for Habitat for Humanity and what later became Meals on Wheels, and she was the first president of Children’s Home Society. Sally was also active in the First Presbyterian Church of Ocala, where she was a devoted member for 62 years. She is survived by her husband, Bo; three children; and seven grandchildren.

Jennifer “Jen” Ewing Bolton ’56, April 9, in Fresno, California. After Mills, Jen earned master’s degrees in theological studies and clinical psychology. Jen worked for several decades as a marriage and family therapist in San Francisco, as well as a lecturer at Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Jen was an avid player and teacher of piano. She is survived by three children; two step-children, including Jorie Bolton Townsley ’69; and four grandchildren.

Patricia McKenna Taubman ’56, March 13, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After Mills, Patti returned to her home state and graduated from the University of Oklahoma, where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She is survived by four children and six grandchildren.

Susanna “Su Child” Shreeve ’56, June 25, in Cody, Wyoming. After Mills, Su earned a master’s degree in confluent education to pursue her calling of working for indigenous causes. In her final decade, she focused on adding American Indian curricula to schools and facilitated discussion among those undertaking the work. She is survived by two sisters.

Nancy Sterling Bretz ’56, May 15, in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. She had been an active member of her Grouse Creek Park community, and she founded the Community Health Resource Center at the Yampa Valley Medical Center, where she served as director for 20 years. Nancy was an avid fan of the opera, attending performances throughout the world. She was loved by all who knew her, and is survived by two stepchildren.

Earline Stowe Bush ’56, July 6, in Framingham, Massachusetts. After Mills, she worked primarily as a homemaker while caring for her three children.

She was an avid world traveler, counting her trip to Tanzania as a favorite.

After moving to Massachusetts, Earline volunteered at the Boston Museum of Science for many years. Earline is survived by two children and two grandchildren.

Gifts in Memory of Received March 1, 2020 – May 1, 2020 Laura Balas, MA ’92 by Helen Hovdesven KerryLynn Blau-Williams ’65 by Linda Dyer Millard ’65 Frits and Erica “Rita” Weber Brevet ’51, P ’76 by their daughter, Erica Brevet-Stott ’76 William and Mary Butler, P ’85 by their daughter, Kathleen “Kathy” Butler ’85 Mary Copernoll, P ’70, P ’66 by her daughter, Roberta Copernoll Johnson ’70 Richard Croul, spouse of Jane Croul ’52, by Marie Vial Hall ’53 Eleonora “Nora” DeWitt, P ’96 by Kimberlee Garfinkle MacVicar ’95 Seiri Du Pen ’92 by her mother, Carolyn Du Pen, P ’92 Katherine Hu Fan ’57 by Nan Wright Winn ’57 Mary Johnson Foraker ’55 by Anne DeMar David Keeports by Richard “Rick” Grossart, PMC ’06 Jane Cudlip King ’42, P ’80 by Suzette Lalime Davidson ’94 Donaldina “Donnie” Cameron Klingen ’63 by Helen Peterson Brainerd ’64, Lila McCarthy ’61 Margaret Lee, P ’65, P ’71 by her daughters, Lynne Lee Ehlers ’65 and Stephanie Lee ’71 Richard Lee, spouse of Patricia Taylor Lee ’57, by Judith “Judy” Greenwood Jones ’60, P ’92 Boitumelo “Tumi” McCallum ’08 by Dennis Coll Maureen McGee by Kelsey Lindquist ’10 Glenn Segal Melkonian by Barbara Parsons Sheldon ’56 Mary Tsuda Nakamura ’49 by Pauline “Polly” Royal Langsley ’49, P ’83, P ’78 Ellen Woody Nichols ’57 by Myrna Bostwick Cowman ’57 Georgine Dunlop O’Connor ’81 by The Dobbel Family Trust, Mark Mackler William Owen by his spouse, Linda Zumwalt Owen ’59 Dorothy Pinneo ’62 by Maureen Berman Grinnell ’62 Merrill Provence by Carla Rayacich ’77 Eda Regan by Susan Massotty ’70

Leah Hardcastle MacNeil, MA ’51

Leanne Haney Rhodes ’62, P ’93 by her daughter, Alisha Rhodes ’93

After college at San Jose State, Leah served in the United States Navy during World War II and earned a master’s degree in music at Mills. She enjoyed a variety of activities throughout her life, such as producing plays and theatrical events for the Berkeley Repertory Theater, playing piano in concert, and volunteering as the chapter advisor for the Alpha Omicron Phi sorority at the University of California. Her post-WWII stint with the Spamettes, a traveling troupe of female performers that advertised Hormel products, was a favorite story to retell.

Anne Hummel Sherrill by Abby Everson ’74

For Mills, though, she was a dedicated and longtime volunteer.

She served on the AAMC’s Board of Governors for 18 years, spending stints on the Finance and Travel Committees. She was also the co-leader of the East Bay Mills Branch for 14 years and was a frequent presence on AAMC trips with her late husband, Neil.

Robert and Nancy Warner, P ’63 by their daughter, Nangee Warner Morrison ’63

Leah died in Oakland on July 7. She is survived by three children, including Lesli MacNeil ’75; and three grandchildren.

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

Jean Summerville by Martha Sellers ’86 Caryl Hollender Susman ’52 by Linda Cohen Turner ’68 Rebecca “Becky” Ruff Tepfer ’67 by Elinor “Lin” Herod-Vernon ’67 Nancy Thornborrow, P ’93 by Lydia Mann ’83, Catherine Smith Morrow ’92 Bonnie van Oosterom-Craig ’57 by Myrna Bostwick Cowman ’57

Yaada Cottington Weber ’47 by Margaret Jepsen Bowles, MA ’65 Ann Sulzberger Wolff ’42 by Linda Cohen Turner ’68

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Virginia Van Every Morbeck ’58, April 17, in Ipswich, Massachusetts. After Mills, Virginia studied philosophy at Bristol University in England, later sharing her knowledge of art at Boston-area museums for more than 50 years.

She worked to restore several historical monuments such as Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House. She is survived by her husband, Peter; two daughters; and two grandchildren.

Sally Lampson Kanehe ’64, January 10, in Honolulu. Sally moved to Hawaii in 1972 and obtained a master’s degree in social work before lecturing at the University of Hawaii.

She was inducted into the University of Hawaii Founders Club in 2006 in recognition of her contributions to the school, including the creation of three endowed scholarships.

She is survived by two daughters.

Olivia de Havilland Many news articles that came out after the July 26 passing of Hollywood legend Olivia de Havilland correctly reported that she received a scholarship to Mills after graduating early from high school. Though a beckoning career in Hollywood lured her away from the College, it wasn’t her final encounter with Mills: she mentioned not attending as one of her greatest regrets in a 2016 issue of People magazine, and she received an honorary degree in 2018, which her daughter Gisèle Galante Chulack accepted on her mother’s behalf at that year’s Commencement.

And even though Olivia didn’t attend the College, she embodied the true spirit of a Mills woman.

Her fight against Warner Brothers in the 1940s led to the establishment of the De Havilland Law, which clarified that studio contracts could not extend beyond seven calendar years rather than years of actual service. Those efforts gave more power to performers and effectively ended the Hollywood contract system. Despite the disfavor in which she found herself in Hollywood after that decision, she prevailed and eventually won two Academy Awards.

Julianne Spears ’64, October 4, 2018, in Portland, Oregon. After Mills, she finished her bachelor’s degree at the University of Oregon, later working as an office manager and sales rep for a graphics shop.

She is survived by a daughter.

Sandra Buehler ’66, February 2, in Oakland.

Susan Zimmerman ’70, April 26, in Toronto, Ontario. Despite health issues that complicated schooling, Susan was able to attend Mills, and later went on to receive a PhD at Northwestern University. She devoted her life to the L’Arche community, an organization dedicated to creating a home for people with intellectual disabilities. This work took Susan to Japan, where she worked to establish a L’Arche community. She was predeceased by her sister, Eileen Zimmerman Granville ’69.

Cheryl Ingle Olsen ’68, February 10, in Seattle.

Phyllis Pacin, MFA ’73, April 16, 2019, in Oakland. She operated her own ceramics studio and taught her craft around the Bay Area.

Jean Sorensen ’68, March 2020, in Emmett, Idaho. She is survived by her husband, Robert; and four children, including Clover Nolan ’88.

Anna Skinner Stinson ’73, March 11, 2017, in San Mateo, California.

She is survived by a son.

Kenneth Conner, MFA ’70, June 6, in Fallbrook, California. After Mills, Kenneth went on to work as an art teacher in Australia, where he staged numerous shows of his work. Upon his return to California in the 1980s, he continued to make art and enjoyed various jobs, such as working as a park aid. Kenneth is survived by his wife, Amy; two children, including Jennifer Conner ’98; and two grandchildren.

Georgine Dunlop O’Connor ’81, April 17, in Oakland. After Mills, Georgine earned a master’s degree in library science from San Jose State and worked as a law librarian for 26 years. She was active in many school and community organizations, and she was a thoughtful and generous friend known for her holiday gatherings and ability to bring people together.

She is survived by two children.

Katherine Zelinsky Westheimer ’42 A key figure in the construction of Reinhardt Alumnae House, Katherine Zelinsky Westheimer was an enthusiastic member of the Mills alumnae community. She graduated from Mills with a degree in biology, yet she spent a great deal of time as a patron of the arts. (Her late husband, Joseph, was an award-winning cinematographer and special effects artist in film and television.) As a longtime board member with the Los Angeles Mills College Association (LAMCA), Katherine helped organize visits to cultural institutions and performances around the area. She was also dear friends with the late Connie Ong ’42, and was always one of Connie’s greatest artistic champions.

LAMCA Co-President Julia Almanzan shared her reflections in an email to fellow Los Angeles-area Millsies in June: “Another board member accurately describes Kay as a woman who was comfortable in her own skin, had strong opinions, and did not have fear of what others thought when she shared them. Though she was opinionated, she shared her perspective in a way that was never disrespectful, and with a twinkle and wink in her voice, convincing anyone to agree with her. She was a quintessential classy, knowledgeable, and brilliant Mills woman.”

Katherine died on April 23 in Beverly Hills, California. She is survived by a son and a grandson.

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M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

Richard Sala, MFA ’82, May 9, in Berkeley. Richard received an MFA in painting from Mills and went on to become a respected artist of comics known for surreal and stylistic art. He created works such as “Delphine,” “Cat Burglar Black,” and “Evil Eye,” and also worked in television and animation, beginning with the animated short Invisible Hands for Colossal Pictures.

Marie Christensen Dern, MA ’86, May 22, in Redwood City, California. After receiving her master’s in book art, Marie established Jungle Garden Press, where she specialized in handmade letterpress art books. Her work was exhibited at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Fresno Museum of Art, and National Museum of Women in the Arts, among others. She is survived by four children and five grandchildren.

Seiri Du Pen ’92, May 29, 2019, in Seattle. Seiri was authentic, strong, fun, and an advocate for children. She was a gifted photographer and an avid reader who loved philosophies and psychology.

She loved her garden, time spent on Vashon Island, and the ocean.

Seiri is survived by her parents, a brother, and three daughters.

Staff Laura Gobbi, former director of alumnae relations, June 13, in Washington, DC. Laura was instrumental in establishing the Alumnae Relations office during her seven-year tenure at Mills from 2008 to 2015.

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Alumnae Association of Mills College

2021

TRAVEL PROGRAM MOVING FORWARD! With heightened international travel restrictions currently in place for United States residents in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Alumnae Association of Mills College (AAMC) Travel Committee has been hard at work selecting an interesting array of cultural trips for 2021–22 so we will be prepared when the restrictions are eventually lifted.

The new co-chairs, Gwen Jackson Foster ’67 and Debi Wood ’75, are leading a committee that includes AAMC President Viji NakkaCammauf, MA ’82; Sheryl Wooldridge ’77; and Debby Campbell Dittman ’68. Working with the AAMC’s long-standing tour operators, AHI Travel and Gohagan Travel, the committee has put together a slate of international travel opportunities we believe will excite our alums. Information about future tours will soon be posted on the AAMC website at alumnae.mills.edu/travel.

Alumnae, family, and friends will be able to choose from a variety of land excursions and cruises—from the bustling, colorful calles of historic Habana Vieja, the meandering

waterways of the Danube River, and the wonders of the 12th-century Khmer Hindu temple at Angkor Wat to the picturesque lavender fields and vineyards of Provence and Burgundy. There are exciting cultural experiences for every interest.

Over the years, many Mills alumnae have joined graduates from other colleges and universities around the country on these trips, making new friends and sharing in the eye-opening experiences that only time spent in new parts of the world can provide.

A snapshot of the wide-ranging 2021–22 travel program includes:

• Nordic Magnificence • Cuba and Its People • Paris and the African American Experience • Morocco, Land of Enchantment • Inland Sea of Japan • Alaska’s Glaciers and the Inside Passage Adding something new, the travel committee is

also looking to expand the AAMC’s travel program to include domestic destinations, local weekend getaways, and perhaps specialty trips for foodies, adventure seekers, art lovers, and more.

We invite alumnae to share ideas and opinions by completing a brief online survey at bit.ly/AAMCtravelsurvey. If you prefer a hard copy to complete and return, please contact the AAMC at aamc@mills.edu. Please complete the survey by December 4.

The Travel Committee will continue to closely monitor the impact of the pandemic on travel plans. Mills travelers who have signed up for trips scheduled for 2020 and early 2021 have received notice of itinerary changes from their respective travel operators and changed their travel plans accordingly. Every effort is now being made to offer Mills alumnae the best and safest travel experiences in 2021–22.

We wish you well, and when the time is right, let’s travel!

Debi Wood ’75 and Gwen Foster ’67 AAMC Travel Committee Co-Chairs

Buddhist monks outside the famed Temple of Angkor Wat, Cambodia

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Reunion 2020 Goes Online!

We still can’t meet for a full Reunion 2020 in person, but parts of it are coming to a Zoom near you this October. Visit alumnae.mills.edu/reunion2020 for the schedule and to register.

Questions? Contact us at alumnae-relations@mills.edu.

Thursday, October 1

11:00 am–12:15 pm: Faculty panel on 2020 student summer book selection There There by Tommy Orange 5:00 pm–7:00 pm: Virtual Writers’ Salon

Friday, October 2

10:00 am–11:00 am: Convocation 8:00 pm–9:30 pm: Darius Milhaud Concert

Saturday, October 3

1:00 pm–2:00 pm: AAMC Update & MillsConnect information session 4:00 pm–6:00 pm: Virtual reception for the Class of 1970