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Mills support, led us up to date: ‘We’ll have to talk faster and more since we’ve missed lunches the past three years!’ Gulbransen said. “She has added so much to our lives with her rich, positive thoughts and fun ideas.” Former AAMC President Lucy Do ’75 first met Anita as a student when Anita was teaching Spanish at Mills. Anita later recruited Do to replace her as leader of the AAMC. “She was a wealth of knowledge not only of the AAMC but of the greater community, and the history of all subjects concerning Mills College,” Do said. “She will be greatly missed as a beacon and role model for all Mills women.” Anita retired from Oakland High School as vice principal in 2004—after departing her position at Mills, she also taught Spanish at San Francisco University High School. Her volunteerism also extended beyond Mills, where she won the AAMC’s Outstanding Volunteer Award in 2014, including the development of a church group to discuss literature and social issues. And she was a dedicated practitioner of meditation; Do said that it was the reason behind Anita’s trademark mindfulness and calm. In addition to scores of grateful former students and many Mills admirers, Anita is survived by Karl and three stepchildren.
Jocelyn “Joci” Levi Straus ’53, October 8, 2022, in San Antonio. She was a celebrated philanthropist and volunteer in San Antonio, helping to restore several historic theaters and founding the Women’s Leadership Council of United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County. Joci also created the Las Casas Foundation, which grants scholarship funds to high school students who participate in local theater every year at the Joci Awards. She also volunteered for political campaigns, and she had the honor of once meeting Rosa Parks. She is survived by her husband, three children, four grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. Pauline “Polly” Quam Fisher ’54, December 17, 2022, in Santa Rosa. After Mills, she returned to her home state of North Dakota to marry her teenage sweetheart and start raising her family. Post-divorce, she came back to the Bay Area looking for a new challenge, and she found it in the role of general manager of the Santa Rosa Symphony, where she worked for 19 years. The symphony dedicated a series of concerts this past winter to her memory. Polly also loved traveling, studying the classics, and film. She is survived by two siblings, three sons, and four grandchildren.
Margaret Gerber Cheyne ’56, October 22, 2022, in Klamath Falls, Oregon. At Mills, she majored in interior design and later owned her own firm in addition to substitute teaching. Margaret and late husband Charles raised cattle and grains on land once cultivated by her great-grandparents. She loved to travel, and among her various volunteer organizations, Margaret was the longtime co-chair of the AAUW Klamath Chapter’s Antique Show & Sale. She is survived by sister Marilyn Gerber Livingston ’56, two sons, three grandchildren, and a great-grandson. Sylvia Gerber Bruce ’58, October 10, 2022, in Klamath Falls, Oregon. She was a chemistry teacher until her marriage, first moving to Idaho with late husband Max to document portions of the Oregon Trail, then moving to Yuma, Arizona. There, she involved herself with the local PEO chapter and the First Presbyterian Church, and she made sure her children grew up loving horses and the ranch life she enjoyed as a child. Sylvia’s family notes that she was quick to share her opinions, and she never left home without her lipstick. She is survived by sister Marilyn Gerber Livingston ’56; two daughters; four stepchildren; 15 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren. Constance “Connie” Ward Herr ’60, November 7, 2022, in Vero Beach, Florida. She is survived by cousin Joanne Peyton Ward ’58.
Gifts in Memory of Received September 1, 2022 – November 30, 2022 Meg Patten Eaton ’62 by her husband, Sidney Eaton For information about making a tribute gift, contact 510.430.2097 or donors@mills.edu.
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Marilyn Foster Duffield ’61, October 30, 2022, in Portland, Oregon. After Mills, she married her late husband Mike, raising her family in Glenview, Illinois. In her later years, Marilyn and Mike returned to Oregon, where she was born and raised, and they enjoyed spending time all around the state, especially Camp Sherman on the Metolius River. Her family says that she was a wonderful mother whose heart was as big as her smile. She survived by cousin Mary Macy Sogge ’57, three children, and seven grandchildren. Carol Conlee Caughey ’66, November 1, 2022, in Portland, Oregon. She first taught elementary school before transitioning to interior design, initially working with firms in San Francisco and across the country. Carol then went into academia, teaching interior design at Butler University before moving to Oregon State, where she started the interior design program. She was also a dedicated Mills volunteer, spending many years leading the Oregon Mills Club. She is survived by her spouse, Don; two children, including Elin Caughey Sanders ’95; and two grandchildren.