Mills Quarterly, Winter 2020

REUNION COVERAGE  MILLS AS SANCTUARY  MENTORING STUDENTS

Mills Quarterly Winter 2020

Lila Goehring ’21 English major Campanil copy editor Mills Quarterly editorial assistant

“I feel lucky: my Mills education will stay with me forever.” Under the advice of longtime Professor of English Kirsten Saxton ’90, Lila enrolled in the course Digital Storytelling, and it “changed my life,” she said. “It showed me the possibility of doing what I love as a career—documentary work.” While Lila continues her studies in the art of storytelling under her professors, she is also honing her craft by reporting for The Campanil student newspaper and gaining career skills working alongside campus staff at her job for the Quarterly. Dedicated faculty and staff. Hands-on learning. Campus jobs and internships. Your gift to Mills’ Greatest Need is a “forever” gift—one that enables students like Lila to expand their creative and career potential through the powerful mentorships and opportunities you support here.

Make it possible. Make it Mills. Please make a gift to the Mills College Annual Fund by calling 510.430.2366, visiting alumnae.mills.edu/give, or returning the enclosed envelope.

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CONTENTS

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WINTER 2020

8 Stepping Outside the Classroom by Lila Goehring ’21 A history class ventured to Montgomery, Alabama, to learn about the fight for civil rights in a place that still feels the aftereffects.

10 Pulling Others Up the Ladder Behind Her by Rachel Leibrock, MFA ’05 Miriam Warren ’02 had a tough time navigating her college experience. She mentors Mills students so they don’t face the same problems.

14 Safe Haven by Allison Rost The Mills campus can feel like a world unto itself, but that doesn’t stop questions about citizenship from coming through the front gates.

19 The 2019 Alumnae Awards by Kate Robinson Beckwith, MFA ’13 More about the three superlative alumnae who won commendations from the AAMC at Reunion 2019. Plus, class photos.

Departments 2

Letters to the Editor

3

President’s Message

4

Mills Matters

18 AAMC News 24 Class Notes 29 In Memoriam On the cover: Two students in President Elizabeth L. Hillman’s Civil Rights Today class walk toward the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Read more about the course and trip on page 8. Photo by Carrie Milligan Hall.

Letter to the Editor The summer 2019 issue of the Mills Quarterly arrived, and I was delighted to see Marian Van Tuyl on the cover. The associated article, “Dancing with Destiny,” provided a historical literary feast for me, having earned a BA (1967) Volume CIX, Number 2 (USPS 349-900) Winter 2020 President Elizabeth L. Hillman

and MA in dance (1971). Although I had personally studied with Van Tuyl, Eleanor Lauer, Rebecca Fuller, and Mary Ann Kinkead, I had never known the genesis of the world-renowned

Vice President for Institutional Advancement Jeff Jackanicz

modern dance curriculum itself.

Senior Director of the Annual Fund and Alumnae Relations Nikole Hilgeman Adams

with one innovation. In 1934, Rosalind

Managing Editor Allison Rost Design and Art Direction Nancy Siller Wilson Editorial Assistant Lila Goehring ’21 Contributing Writers Rachel Leibrock, MFA ’05 Kate Robinson Beckwith, MFA ’13 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.

The article’s takeaway is profound: one person, a specific environment, Cassidy, chair of the Department of Physical Education, seized the opportunity to create an academic enhancement

and its renowned instructors, which led

that has morphed into a monumental

him to Mills College in 1939. He did not

legacy. My Mills years studying dance

graduate from the Mills, but attending

fostered a lifelong platform for profes-

the only Bennington-Mills summer ses-

sional and personal pursuits, and I am

sion apparently launched his awesome

forever grateful.

career. Mills College needs to consider

Thank you for publishing the article

reviving a similar summer dance explo-

to document the “subtle secret” I know—

ration. What raw talent, what undiscov-

the dance program has been and is a

ered dancer could likewise be propelled

jewel shining brightly at Mills.

by the reinstatement of such a program?

-Kristen Allison Avansino ’67, MA ’71 Reno, Nevada The article “Dancing with Destiny” in the summer 2019 issue of the Mills Quarterly chose to credit many strong women but left out a key forefather, Lester Horton. Today, we dance in an era where equality and diversity are championed; however, Lester Horton established the first multiracial, multicultural dance company in America. The year was 1932. Horton stressed that dancers be adept in complementary fields to dance including research, lighting, set design, costuming, etc. In 1938-39, Lester Horton was a Mills dance educator, having such equitable and well-rounded philosophy to incubate

(Please use outline)

our formation. (His protégé, Jose Limon, was briefly mentioned in the article, but no credit was given to Lester Horton.) Merce Cunningham is often touted by the College as a famous graduate, but is this truly the case? Cunningham was drawn to the Bennington program

2

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

Who else can Mills College tack on to its glorious legacy to reaffirm its place as a beacon of dance in the West? Perhaps Lester Horton’s philosophy of equal inclusion did not resound loudly enough to include him in the discussion of the initial gestation of the Mills Dance Department. Unfortunately, this hurtful cultural bias is as evident today as when I studied at Mills years ago. Lester Horton’s participation and current exclusion is part of our history nonetheless. Former Professor of Dance at Mills College Thomas K. Hagood forewarns: “If we do not… accept a mature caretaking role for preserving our field and its legacies—artistic, historical, cultural, scholarly, theoretical, pedagogical—who will?” The absence of such an influential figure to the department’s existence is a biased self-portrayal and neglectful betrayal of American modern dance. -Rhani Bigay ’14 Concord, California

A Message from the President of Mills College By Elizabeth L. Hillman This fall semester, fire has become both

us in Alabama, and through the support

a telling metaphor and a terrible, recur-

of generous donors, Mills covered all

ring part of autumn in California. Again,

costs—transportation, lodging, food, and

our state is enduring a tragic fire sea-

admission fees—for our students, ensur-

son, with many schools and communi-

ing that no student was turned away for

ties more deeply affected than we have

lack of resources.

been at Mills. The primary impact on

We prepared for the trip with class

our campus has been power outages—

meetings that included distinguished

intermittent and unplanned, as well as

guests Maxine Gordon, a New York-

threatened and planned—alongside con-

based jazz historian and author who

cerns about air quality.

accompanied us to Alabama, and Crystal

Fire as a metaphor has also framed this

Lucky, associate dean and associate pro-

semester for me. This fall, I taught Civil

fessor of English at Villanova University,

Rights Today, a two-unit mini-course we

who delivered a powerful Convocation

studies and computer science. Students’

added to the growing list of experiential

address at Mills in September about

most frequently stated reason for tak-

learning courses offered by Mills faculty.

her study of civil rights in Philadelphia.

ing this course was curiosity about the

The course took me and 19 students to

True Justice, the 2019 HBO documentary

Deep South and racial injustice in the

Alabama for a first-hand glimpse of civil

on Bryan Stevenson, the inspirational

United States, and they raised ques-

rights history in a state known as the

founder of the Equal Justice Initiative,

tions before the trip about the place of

center of both the domestic slave trade

was also required viewing before the trip.

African American people in Alabama

and the civil rights movement. We came

Once we arrived in Alabama, Mills’

today, whether they would encounter

back “ignited,” to borrow the words of

guests joined students and staff in brav-

visible signs of white supremacy, and

Devin Carr, director of our Center for

ing triple-digit heat and high humid-

how faith-based communities shaped

Leadership, Equity, and Excellence and

ity for planned visits to the Equal

social movements. While we sought

an Alabama native. We learned about the

Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum and

answers to those questions, most of us

history of racial violence across the for-

National Peace and Justice Memorial,

left Alabama with more questions than

mer Confederacy, linking the fear, loss,

the Southern Poverty Law Center and

answers—a good sign of a meaningful

and resilience that shaped the United

Civil Rights Memorial Center, the Dexter

learning experience.

States from its origins in slavery through

Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church,

Upon our return to Mills, students

eras of racial segregation and mass incar-

the Brown Chapel AME Church, the

collaborated to share their experiences

ceration. Compelled to change our own

Edmund Pettus Bridge, and the Selma

with the community. We held a forum

perspectives by what we experienced,

National Historical Center. We received

for staff and faculty the week after we

we returned to Mills ready to share the

an excellent impromptu tour of the

returned, a Founders Society event open

knowledge we gained—and passion for

Alabama State Capitol building from an

to former and current trustees, and a

justice we witnessed—in Alabama.

accomplished local historian who him-

special Board of Trustees meeting lun-

Few students had ever been to Alabama

self had marched from Selma in 1965,

cheon, each of which featured student

before this trip, nor had Mills sent a

when he was 19 years old, and who

presentations. One student gave a pre-

group as large as this one on a course

introduced us to the Alabama Secretary

sentation to her sociology class about

trip. A superb team from the Division of

of State. Students also explored countless

the trip, another wrote an article for Mills

Student Life handled logistics, includ-

historical markers scattered through-

Quarterly (in this issue!), and another

ing ground and air transportation, food

out

and

will include research completed during

and lodging, and medical and mental

dropped into museums as varied as Troy

the trip in the dissertation she’s writing

health support. Jessica Greely ’21, who

University’s Rosa Parks Museum and the

for her doctorate in educational leader-

will earn a degree in politics, econom-

First White House of the Confederacy.

ship. We all found more than what we

Montgomery

and

Selma,

ics, policy, and law next year, helped me

The students who chose to take this

anticipated when we visited Alabama.

develop the curriculum as well as sup-

course had a wide range of disciplin-

We’re committed to seizing every oppor-

port students as my teaching assistant.

ary interests; their majors ranged from

tunity to offer similarly transformative

We shared our itinerary with a group of

history, sociology, education, English,

experiences to even more Mills students

trustees and friends of Mills who joined

and ethnic studies to environmental

in the future. WINTER 2020

3

Mills Matters A Vibrant, Living History On October 11, 2019, the Ethnic Studies

Studies, all three programs were com-

Association of Mills College. The result

Department celebrated its 50th anniversary

bined into a new Department of Race,

of their hard work was an amazing eve-

with a student-programmed evening of

Gender, and Sexuality Studies. This new

ning highlighting the program’s past,

music, dance, and discussion at Lisser Hall.

structure brought together an extraor-

present, and future—including a panel

Here, Assistant Adjunct Professor Natalee Ke-haulani Bauer ’97, MA ’07, and former

dinary cadre of activist scholars into a

exploring ethnic studies across non-

dynamic intellectual community and

academic sites of learning and taught to

adjunct professor and Women’s Leadership

expanded course offerings available to

students as young as preschoolers—and

Institute director Daphne Muse share their

students. Each program retained its own

a website including an interactive time-

reflections:

identity and majors while also enjoying

line of the history of the Mills program.

Across the Bay Area in 1968, students

I am honored to be a part of this pro-

of color and their white allies fought

gram and its rich and powerful history,

to transform a system of higher educa-

and am excited to a part of the future

tion that erased the voices and histories

imagined by students and faculty over

of communities of color. Although the

the past 50 years. I’d like to thank my stu-

story of resistance at UC Berkeley and San

dents in ETHS 111 for their work in mak-

Francisco State is now well known, the

ing this history public, the students who

struggle for ethnic studies at Mills College

in 1969 took up space and demanded to

has been overshadowed. Mills was the

be heard and valued, and all of the other

first independent college to establish an

students and faculty who built ethnic

ethnic studies program and did so in 1969,

studies at Mills into what it is today—a

the year the discipline was founded.

living, vibrant discipline.

While most program histories focus on

–N. Bauer

the local Third World Liberation Front strikes, students at Mills—led by the

Congratulations on 50 years of ethnic

Black Student Union—staged an equally

studies at Mills College. Many nation-

powerful 150-student sit-in at then-

ally and world-renowned scholars, art-

president Robert Wert’s office. Students

ists, writers, and educators forged heady

were supported and mentored by women

battles related to diversity, pedagogy,

from the Black Panther Party, including

the affiliation with a wider community

and curricula as they worked diligently

Kathleen Cleaver, to create a list of strug-

of learning and social change.

in a highly charged racial climate to cre-

celebration

ate the program we know today. Those

demands for remediation. Out of this

held in October was the culmination of

who first chaired Ethnic Studies fought

fight, the Ethnic Studies Program at Mills

a semester’s worth of student work to

relentlessly for courses to be approved

College was born just six months later

uncover and make public our history

by deans and faculty who often did

(in October 1969). The program subse-

and to position Mills rightfully within

not have the empirical knowledge of

quently grew into a department with a

that historical struggle for ethnic studies

the disciplines. Thank you to the pio-

rigorous program of study specializing

in the Bay. Students studied social move-

neering scholars, artists, and educators

in intersectionality, community engage-

ments around the world; they then spent

who established and developed the pro-

ment, and research justice.

countless hours in the archives at Mills

gram—especially former heads Herman

In 2017, recognizing the shared theo-

and the Oakland Public Library, inter-

Blake, Joyce King, Francille Wilson,

retical and political commitments to

viewing faculty past and present, and

Clyde

intersectional and transnational anal-

hearing firsthand accounts of the move-

Goodrich, Melinda Micco, Vivian Chin,

ysis across Ethnic Studies, Women,

ment from members of the Alumnae of

and Déborah Berman Santana, and cur-

Gender, & Sexuality Studies, and Queer

Color Committee, part of the Alumnae

rent program head Chinyere Oparah.

gles faced by students of color and their

The

50th-anniversary

Taylor,

Robert

Allen,

Linda

–D. Muse 4

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

LOGO BY OLI V IA MCK NIGHT ’21 AND THE S TUDENTS OF E THS 111

Honoring the Legacy of 50 Years of Ethnic Studies at Mills

Mills College at a glance Student Body 2019–20 Undergraduates

96%

713

First year

of undergraduates and

134

Transfer 101 Living on campus

58%

Students of color

63%

First-generation 43% Resumers 18% Graduate students

409

Women 80% Men 20% Students of color

Faculty

55%

full time

part time

80

101

Female faculty

74%

76%

Faculty of color

46%

42%

Total

Student-to-faculty ratio

10:1

Average class size

12

Affording Mills

90%

The 2019–20 Mills student body has

of graduate students receive financial aid

1,122 students representing 40 states and 17 countries

Budget & fundraising highlights, 2019–20 Annual budget Total revenue Total expense Endowment value (6/30/19)

$66.3 million $84.0 million $89.8 million $196.4 million

Sources of revenue

Undergraduates Tuition $29,340 % receiving financial aid

96%

Total aid $19.6M Amount funded by Mills $9.1M Graduate students

Tuition & fees...........................................59% Housing, food, & conferences........... 14% Endowment payout 10% Gifts & grants 13% Other 4%

Tuition $34,840 % receiving financial aid 90% Total aid $9.1M Amount funded by Mills $2.0M For undergraduates, 92 percent receive some portion of their aid directly from Mills, and the average award is $28,706.

Sources of gifts Alumnae 23% Estates 33% Foundations & Corporations 18% Trustees 13% Parents, friends, others 12%

WINTER 2020

5

Accreditation committee commends Mills The Senior College and University

strengths and weaknesses. The WSCUC

had gone into preparing for the commit-

Commission of the Western Association

committee responded with questions

tee’s visit did not go unnoticed. “During

of Schools and Colleges paid a visit

three months later, and Mills supplied

[the committee members’] exit report in

to Mills in September 2019 as part of

responses in July 2019. After the on-site

the Mills Hall living room, they com-

the College’s reaccreditation process.

visit, the four-person committee will

mended the dedication and insight of the

During the previous accreditation, Mills

offer a report and recommendation for

Mills faculty, the innovative and collab-

had received a 10-year renewal, which is

reaccreditation, which will be received

orative work of our staff, Mills’ vision of

the highest possible rating.

in February 2020.

inclusive excellence, the bold steps we’re

The official visit came near the end

According to President Elizabeth L.

taking to build a new economic model,

of the reaccreditation schedule, which

Hillman, even though the final report

and our commitment to anchoring the

began in December 2018 with the pro-

was still a few months off, the work that

communities around us,” she said.

duction of a report by the College on its

Calendar Artist Lectures February 2 ■ Kari Marboe See Duplicating Daniel description, left. Marboe is an assistant professor at California College of the Arts and has exhibited researchbased, ceramic works at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, The Museum of Craft and Design, and The Museum of Northern California Art, among others. 7:00 pm, Danforth Lecture Hall.

Music Department Concerts

Mills College Art Museum Duplicating Daniel ■ January 22-March 15 Opening reception, January 25, 5:00 pm–7:00 pm Duplicating Daniel is a visual inquiry from ceramicist and sleuth Kari Marboe into an artwork by clay master Daniel Rhodes that disappeared from MCAM’s permanent collection. Pursuing a web of living and archival leads, Duplicating Daniel is populated with attempts to recreate the lost Rhodes sculpture based on data collected from research, interviews with artists, an antique photocopy, and an accession number. The museum is open 11:00 am–4:00 pm Tuesday through Sunday and until 7:30 pm Wednesday. Admission is free. Visit mcam.mills .edu for more information.

Performances March 6 ■ Undergrad Underground An evening of performances showcasing original works by undergrad students. 7:00 pm, Rothwell Theater.

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

February 3 ■ Micro Micro Presented by Tania Caroline Chen, Micro Micro is a meditation on listening and an exploration of minimalism through movement, sound and astro-electronics, concept, and spontaneity in performance. An investigation of duration, dynamic, the relationship between performance and the physical body of the performer, and the physical body of sounds within physical space. 7:30 pm–9:30 pm, Ensemble Room. February 10 ■ 0th Rhomboid Set RM Francis will present a new synthetic sound work for solo laptop. Francis will perform real-time modifications of generative algorithms developed using the SuperCollider programming language to realize a hybrid semi-improvisational/systems-based performance. March 30 ■ The Whale Listening Project Annie Lewandowski performs her immersive musical piece, The Whale Listening Project, with humpback whale songs she recorded with renowned bioacoustician Katy Payne and the Hawaii Marine Mammal Consortium off of Hawaii’s Kohala Coast in February 2019, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Songs of the Humpback Whale. All events start at 7:30 pm in the Music Building Ensemble Room (unless otherwise noted). $15 general, $10 for alumnae, seniors, and non-Mills students. Visit performingarts.mills.edu for more information.

Campus kudos A selection of recent achievements by faculty, staff, and students Barbara Lee Distinguished Professor

Mills College itself received a num-

MA ’18; and Samantha Reisz ’10,

ber of commendations in the latter

MA ’11 presented their theses at the

of Women’s Leadership Margo

half of 2019. U.S. News & World Report

conference, and Rachel Acereto ’15,

Okazawa-Rey spoke with scholar

ranked the College as third in Best

MA ’16; Cherry Chan ’18, MA ’19;

Vanessa Eileen Thompson on KPFA

Value Colleges in the West, fourth

and Gabriela Vargas ’18, MA ’19 also

94.1’s radio program Women’s Magazine

in Most Innovative Schools in the

presented work.

on October 7, 2019, about the com-

West, and fifth among Best Regional

Adjunct Professor of Studio Art

parisons between racism in the United States and Europe.

Universities. In addition, the Princeton

Glen Helfand delivered a Visiting Artist

Review named Mills one of the Best

Lecture at San Francisco State’s College

385 Colleges in the United States and

of Liberal & Creative Arts on October

Payne headlined the 20th San

included the College on a list of the top

7, 2019. Helfand writes about art and

Francisco Electronic Music Festival,

20 LGBTQ+ friendly colleges.

has curated exhibitions at museums

which was held at the Brava Theater

such as the Asian Art Museum, San

Center from September 12-15, 2019.

Professor of English Elmaz Abinader wrote a piece titled “Breaking the

Francisco Art Institute, and de Young

Addiction to Hate Language” in

Museum.

Professor Emerita of Music Maggi

Chair of the Board of Trustees Katie Sanborn ’83 wrote an opinion piece in

International Policy Digest, focusing

Adjunct Professor of English Kim

the Half Moon Bay Review on August

on how hate speech propagates with

Magowan’s 2017 short story “Brining”

21, 2019, that extolled the virtues of a

the help of the 24/7 news cycle and

was featured as part of the opening

liberal arts education.

social media.

session for the seventh season of

Ensemble Director Daniel Schmidt

Stories on Stage Davis, held at the

released a limited-edition vinyl

President Elizabeth L. Hillman were

Pence Gallery in Davis, California,

album titled Abies Firma (Recital) on

featured in a July article in The New

on September 14, 2019.

November 8, 2019. Schmidt creates

Sunshine Anderson ’20 and

York Times about the trend of colleges

Professor of Ethnic Studies and

drastically cutting tuition costs, as Mills

English Ajuan Mance’s 2018 piece

did in 2018.

“Delusions of Safety” is included in

music using gamelan instruments that he builds himself. Professor of Practice Victor Talmadge

Over the summer, Professor of

the new anthology Drawing Power:

appeared in the Ubuntu Theater

Psychology Carol George chaired a

Women’s Stories of Sexual Violence,

Project’s production of Eugene O’Neill’s

symposium titled “Intergenerational

Harassment, and Survival. Mance’s

Long Day’s Journey Into Night, which

Transmission of Caregiving” at the 2019

piece, which was done in the style of

ran at Flax Arts & Design in Oakland

International Attachment Conference.

comic art, was featured by Publisher’s

from October 5-27, 2019. He also spoke

Master’s degree recipients Steffani

Weekly in its online review of the

with KALW 97.1’s Open Air program on

Kizziar, MA ’18; Amber Hester,

anthology.

September 25 about the play.

New website illustrates Mills performing arts The full breadth of the Mills performing arts program is on vivid display thanks to a new website: performingarts.mills.edu. A collaboration between Mills Performing Arts Executive Director Alex Zendzian and the Marketing Department, the site brings together images, information, and event listings across the departments of music, dance, and theater arts for a comprehensive view of what’s happening on stages all across campus. The site is also emblematic of the work that the performing arts program is doing to bring in artists from around the community now that the spaces in Lisser Hall have been upgraded and made available to the public. WINTER 2020

7

Stepping Outside the Classroom By Lila Goehring ’21

Two days of learning in Alabama changed this group of students and staff members forever. If I could have one wish after visiting Alabama, it would be

the names of some 4,400 documented people who had been

for the state to become as popular of a tourist destination as

lynched in the US between 1877 and 1949, etched in steel.

Philadelphia or Washington, DC. Everyone in the United States

Stark life-sized figures of enslaved people stood beside us as we

would know that visiting the National Memorial for Peace

read powerful quotes from luminaries such as Martin Luther

and Justice and the Edmund Pettus Bridge is as essential to

King, Jr. and Toni Morrison. Another statue, seen on the way

understanding this country’s history as the Liberty Bell or the

out of the memorial, featured a dozen faces with their arms

Washington Monument.

above their heads. Our group was particularly struck by this

“Think about it like this,” posited Sunshine Anderson ’20.

piece, which seemed to show its subjects rising up. “But what

“You could be a science major, and the best way to get expe-

if they’re really sinking?” one student asked. As it turns out,

rience with science is to immerse yourself in a lab; if you’re

the piece, created by Hank Willis Thomas, is a comment on the

studying a language it’s good to go abroad and immerse your-

current issue of police brutality; the figures are holding their

self in that language. With history, you have to do the same

arms up in surrender.

thing: you have to immerse yourself in history, and going to museums and memorials are the best ways to do that.”

At the accompanying Legacy Museum—located in the area of a former warehouse used to house slaves—we read heartbreak-

Anderson and I, along with 17 fellow Mills students, were

ing stories of families torn apart by slavery as well as news-

lucky enough to spend two full days in Alabama in early

paper ads from parents and children searching for each other

October 2019 as part of a study-away course, taught by

after emancipation. We saw signs from the Jim Crow era and

President Elizabeth L. Hillman, titled Civil Rights Today. As

even holograms depicting slaves behind bars—one woman’s

much as the course taught us about history, it raised questions

spiritual singing rang in my head for hours.

about the future of civil rights in an age where racial violence and discrimination are still prevelant.

The museum made clear the trajectory from enslavement to racial violence today in the forms of mass incarceration and

Created by the Equal Justice Initiative, the National Memorial

police brutality. We saw photos of children sentenced to death,

for Peace and Justice has hosted more than 400,000 visitors

and handwritten notes to lawyers from people in prison—some

since its opening in April 2018. To me, our early visit to this

children themselves—and others who seemed to have given up

memorial—as a group of California college students—felt historic.

on ever being released.

When we visited, it was 100 degrees outside. With the heat

“I struggle with calling it history,” said Devin Carr, dur-

and humidity pushing down on us, we ran our fingers over

ing one of many reflection circles on the trip. “It’s all still hap-

8

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

C ARRIE MILLIGAN HALL

C ARRIE MILLIGAN HALL

pening today.” Carr, an Alabama native who works as the director of the Center for Student Leadership, Equity, and Excellence at Mills, was tasked with preparing us students—most of whom had never been to the South—for interacting with a culture vastly different from our

The Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, includes collections of soil from locations throughout the state where lynchings took place.

own. Many students expressed fear toward a place they had learned to view in a negative

opposite

way, given its history of racial violence.

The group from Mills in the shadow of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma.

“We are in the bubble of Mills and the Bay Area, and terrible things happen here, too,” Carr said. He explained that racist symbols such as the Confederate flag mean that Southerners are more direct about their views—something he prefers to those who hide their bigotry. Rather than scaring them away, any hateful views observed in the South highlighted issues faced in California for students.

the unexpected things, the surprises, that tipped our experience from enlightening to heartwarming.

“A lot of people painted a really scary and intense place to me,”

During an hour of free time to explore in Montgomery, we

Anderson said. “But in Alabama, I thought... this could be Mills.

planned to briefly peek inside the state capitol building—partly

Mills could be here. We’ve had police brutality a block away.”

for the air conditioning. Instead, we were greeted by tour guide

At a later visit to the Southern Poverty Law Center, we were

Aroine Irby, a state historian of Alabama who participated in

particularly moved by the details that lawyers and other staff

the march on Selma. During Irby’s hour with us, he led us to a

members shared with us about the work they are doing to fight

central space and asked us to form a circle. Our group obliged,

systems of inequality. In a state that removed its Confederate

open to anything, as he instructed us to turn around, lie down

flag from the state house only four years ago, there’s a lot of

on the cool marble floor, and look up.

work to be done.

“I don’t normally do this, but this is the best way to see it,” he

For student Hannah Esteban Landis ’20—an ethnic studies

said. What we saw was the incredible dome ceiling—patterns of

major who calls California home—the trip was humbling, and

pink and gold, intricate murals, and the autumn light shining

highlighted advantages she didn’t even realize she had.

through green and yellow stained glass.

“When I went to Alabama, I realized it’s a privilege to learn

In addition to fortuitous moments like this, one of the big-

about these things in a classroom and be able to put them

gest takeaways for students was bringing this experience back

away—these things are impacting people today, and it made me

to Mills in the form of activism or education. Amanda Padilla

rethink my priorities,” she said. “This trip challenged the way

’21 is one of many who feels the need to speak up about vot-

I think and talk about people from the South. Assuming that

ing rights.

everyone there is racist really invalidates the people of color

“When we were actually crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge

living there and the people doing a lot of good work—even

and then met the people who had been a part of Bloody Sunday,

though there is a lot of racism, there are people working to

that was the moment where I thought, people died for my right

combat that.”

to vote,” she explained. “That’s why I’m so passionate about

Esteban Landis was not alone—most students were surprised and sometimes delighted by the interactions they had with

making sure that I register to vote and that people understand that we should register to vote.”

Southerners, who seemed open to discussing their state’s

Padilla and teaching assistant Jessica Greely ’21 are planning

history. For instance, a choir member invited us to enter the

a “Know Your Rights” week at Mills this coming semester to

Brown Chapel AME in Selma, which was one of those little

educate students not only about voting rights, but about issues

things that connected us with places and people who are liv-

appearing on the ballot. “Being able to actually read and com-

ing, breathing, and singing history.

prehend what is being said in a non-biased way is something

“It’s important that your work in social justice is influenced

that I want to bring to the community,” Padilla said.

and informed by a multitude of different experiences and

As for me, I laughed, dined, roomed, and reflected with stu-

understandings of how the world works,” Carr said. “If you

dents I’ve never connected with on campus. The trip brought

only have one experience, or if you’ve only lived in one place,

me out of my own bubble-within-a-bubble-within-a-bubble,

I don’t think you can fully show up and do the work of holisti-

the English department—so now, when I leave Mills Hall, my

cally creating a more equitable society.”

dorm room, or my workplace, I’m greeted by 18 new yet famil-

The sites and stops on our itinerary exceeded our highest

iar smiles on campus. This trip to Alabama reminded me of

expectations, brought us to tears, and educated us in ways a

Mills’ unique, intimate nature, and the experience will forever

classroom never could. But many of us expressed that it was

shape my memory of my time here. ◆ WINTER 2020

9

Pulling Others Up the Ladder Behind Her Words RACHEL LEIBROCK, MFA ’05,  Photos TERESA TAM

On November 8, 2019, Miriam Warren ’02 took Mills students on a Career Trek at the Yelp offices in San Francisco. Career Treks are part of the Mills Career Connections and Community Engagement Center’s programming.

10

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

After stumbling her way through applying to college and entering the workforce, Miriam Warren ’02 mentors Mills students in the hopes of easing their paths.

I

t was 2014, and Miriam Warren

I could be a proxy for that.”

places a special focus on connecting

’02—more than a decade out of col-

Barbosa instantly recognized how

them with women. “I want to lift other

lege—found herself pondering a big

Warren could help. As a first-generation

women up,” she says. “I’m a big believer

question: How could she best give back

student, Warren could empathize, share

in the old girls’ network.”

to the school that had shaped her life in

experiences, and offer critical guidance.

Warren’s journey to that network has

“She didn’t always know the right

taken many turns over the years, some

such a profound way? The Yelp executive was already mak-

questions to ask [as a student], but now

harder than the others, simply for a lack

ing a point of regularly donating to the

she is a sounding board for students,”

of knowing. When she applied to col-

Mills College Career Connections and

Barbosa says. “She understands the

leges, for example, the whole rigmarole

Community Engagement Center to help

range of possibilities that exist.”

that came with it—the application process, test prep, and career possibilities—

others follow their dreams. Still, she

Mentoring, as it would turn out, also

thought, there must be other ways to

offered Warren her own space to grow

invest her years of professional experi-

and learn. “I first said, ‘Just send me some

“There were a bunch of things I didn’t

ence in Mills, from which she’d gradu-

students and I’ll sit down and have lunch

know, and when I found out that I didn’t

ated with a degree in ethnic studies.

was such a mystery.

with them and figure out what they

know those things, I’d assume it was my

The College had just launched a new

need,” she says. “That was a bit naive on

fault for not knowing,” Warren says. “I

mentoring program, and in an off-handed

my part—eating lunch with them wasn’t

realize now that if you don’t have people

comment, Warren told Inés Barbosa, the

going to actually change anything. They

in your family who’ve been to college,

Mills assistant dean for advising, career,

didn’t know what they needed yet.”

then there are a lot of things you don’t know.”

and global learning, that she wanted to

Warren changed her approach. In

help others gain access to networks they

addition to sit-down chats, she invited

For starters, she says, maybe submit-

might not otherwise have. As a student,

students to her workplace where they

ting that college essay on brightly col-

Warren explained, she’d seen first-hand

could observe, ask questions, and meet

ored paper wasn’t the best idea. Warren

the financial and informational edge

others. The process evolved into one that

laughs about it now. After all, she was

others had if they had wealthy or well-

included not just talking to mentees, but

accepted at Mills College despite the

connected parents.

actively listening to them as well.

neon purple.

Warren imagined it this way: What if

“One of the things that has been really

Still, things could have been easier.

someone showed you all the things that

exciting about mentoring women at

Conceived in the Philippines, Warren

are possible for you—things you may

Mills is that it can manifest in so many

moved with her mother, a German immi-

have never imagined on your own?

different ways,” Warren says. “I think

grant, to Las Vegas when Warren was

It’s this simple idea that motivated

that sometimes when people think

just six months old. There, her mother

Warren, now vice president of engage-

about taking on a mentee, they think,

married an American who adopted her—

ment, diversity, and belonging at Yelp,

‘I’m going to have to figure out every-

and Warren wouldn’t meet her biologi-

to explore mentorship, both within

thing for them.’”

cal father again for years.

her company and at Mills. The concept

It’s not so much about solving someone

The experience had a profound effect

has—in some ways—also guided her to

else’s problems as it is helping them dis-

in forging her perspective. “I grew up as

embrace the unexpected.

cover a wealth of solutions. For example,

a really brown girl in a very white fam-

many of the students with whom Warren

ily,” she says. “I never knew my biologi-

When Warren first started at Mills, she didn’t

works have never been inside a tech com-

cal family until I was 17 years old.”

have anyone in her life who could guide

pany before, much less understand what

her through all of the nuances of college

career options such a place could hold.

life, but she saw the difference it could

When she did finally connect with her birth father and his family, it didn’t

“I didn’t want to just show them my

go quite as Warren expected. She had

desk—I wanted to introduce them to

expected that all the alienation she felt

“I noticed how it could get you intern-

other people,” she says. “I want to intro-

as that brown-skinned girl would disap-

ships, it could help you with your college

duce them to what these jobs look like.”

pear. The puzzle pieces would finally fit

admission essays, it could get you into

While Warren says she welcomes all

grad school,” she says. “I thought, maybe

opportunities for her mentees, she also

make.

together. But they didn’t. “I realized that, no, WINTER 2020

11

they were just as Filipino as my German family was German, and then my white American family was white and American,” she says. Fundamentally,

she

realized,

she

embodied all of these identities. “When you’re all of these things, you are yourself and new things, too,” Warren says. The experience is a key reason why ethnic studies interested her as a major, she adds. “These days, if you have a mixed-race kid or one who’s transracially adopted, you would probably try to expose them to their culture, but that didn’t happen for me,” she says. In high school, Warren excelled at speech and debate and wanted to study law in order to become a civil rights attorney. Before she started classes at Mills,

race, class, gender, and sexual orienta-

and if things go well, maybe try dinner

Warren was invited to tour the campus as

tion,” she says.

at this place.’”

part of an overnight preview trip. During

The summer after her first year at

“You’re really good at this,” her boss

her stay, Professor Emerita of Ethnic

Mills, Warren took an internship in the

told her at one point. “You should do this

Studies Melinda Micco told Warren about

marketing department at a tech company

for a living.” A couple of recruitment gigs

an introductory ethnic studies course,

in Minneapolis. While there, a coworker

later, in fact, Warren ended up at Yelp. It

and she decided to enroll.

suggested Warren would make a great

was there, however, that she realized she

recruiter for the company. “I didn’t even

wanted more.

“It was just an eye-opening experience—there’s this whole world of history,

know that was a job,” she says.

“I would recruit people and then they

particularly about people of color in the

The tech firm had an Oakland office

would work on some other team or at

United States and the intersection of

so, once back at school, Warren con-

another company,” she says. But she

tinued her work there. The experience

soon realized she was sending them off

led to a full-time recruiting job offer

to do the work that made Yelp into a

from another company, this one in San

household name instead of getting to do

Francisco. Initially, she turned the job

that herself.

12

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

down—she was intrigued, but still in

She’d already been doing some of that

college. Eventually, the firm came back

on her own, posting numerous reviews

to her with another offer, this one part-

and photos to Yelp—she was one of the

time. Warren agreed, deciding to take

site’s earliest “elite” users—and throwing

a semester-long leave of absence from

parties for friends on the side. When a

Mills before she convinced the company

community-building position came up,

(and herself) that she could juggle both.

Warren leapt at the chance.

After graduation, Warren took another

The job took her to Washington, DC,

recruiting job, this one at an executive

where Warren used Yelp as a way to get

search firm in Berkeley.

to know her new city. Since then, her

It was there that Warren inadvertently

work with the company has taken her to

started on the path that would lead her

many countries, and included stints liv-

to Yelp, the popular website that spe-

ing in New York and London.

cializes in gathering and sharing user

Warren landed in San Francisco in

reviews for all kinds of businesses. Her

2012. Since her start at Yelp, the com-

boss at the time, newly single, liked

pany has expanded from 50 employ-

Warren’s fresh perspective on all things

ees to more than 6,000. Along the way,

hip: “I would plan her dates and say, ‘You

Warren’s position has grown as well;

should go have cocktails at this place

over the years she’s held many positions

within the company, including vice presidents of new markets and of enterprise engagement and culture. It’s that growth and all those experiences that have helped her advise others. Mindy Walsh ’17, MBA ’18, worked with Warren as an undergraduate and says her guidance gave her clarity on what it meant to apply for a job or internship. “Miriam provided an excellent potential perspective from the point of the interviewer, and that really helped me

Become a mentor — or find one— through MillsConnect

take a step back and really think about my answers to each question,” she says. Her expertise and enthusiasm are

These days, Warren also serves on several

nonprofit

boards,

including

key, Walsh adds. “She’s encouraging and

Reading Partners, an organization that

willing to share skills and knowledge,”

addresses literacy for children in kinder-

Walsh says. “[Warren] has a positive atti-

garten through third grade. She also reg-

tude and helped me set goals—not only

ularly moderates Yelp-sponsored panels,

throughout the job process, but after-

including a recent one addressing legal

wards as well.” Walsh now works as an

services for undocumented immigrants.

assistant facilities manager at McCuen Properties in San Francisco. Warren’s natural curiosity also makes her a good mentor, Barbosa says.

Although she says motherhood has slowed her down a little—daughter Matilda was born in 2017—Warren aims to keep pushing herself. She wants to

“Miriam asks questions in a way that

continue mentoring (it’s a “privilege,”

lets students thoughtfully explore what

she says), but she’d also like to publish

their options may be,” she says. “I think

op-eds and speak at events.

Miriam is just genuinely interested in

“I have a lot of opinions and I have a

helping, sharing knowledge. She’s inter-

lot I want to share with people, whether

ested in learning about the process.”

that’s about nonprofit service or leader-

Warren says she tries to bring that same mindset to her work at Yelp.

ship, or creating a sense of belonging in the workplace,” she says.

During her 12 years with the company,

Through these activities, Warren says

she’s learned a lot about the importance

she’s learned a lot about the concept

of asking questions and listening.

of success and how different people

Her current role as the company’s vice

achieve it. There’s no linear path, she

president of engagement, diversity, and

says, and it’s important to welcome life’s

belonging allows Warren to focus on

unexpected twists and turns.

community development within her own

“It’s not ‘Oh, I’m so smart, I’ve made

workplace by addressing a range of issues,

such great decisions, look at my life

such as the representation of people of

now,’ she says. “It’s more like, ‘We’re all

color in leadership and confronting one’s

faking it until we make it.’ Even today

own biases. Some of the policies she’s

I make decisions and I don’t know how

helped lobby for and implement at Yelp

they’ll turn out, but it’s OK.”

include designating gender-neutral bath-

Warren says that’s one of the key

rooms and, for new mothers, private lacta-

takeaways she tries to instill in her men-

tion rooms. Among the many connections

tees: just go for it, and if it doesn’t go

she’s helped students make, she also

as planned, that’s not necessarily a bad

helped bring another Mills alumna into

thing. “You can make bad decisions and

the company—Lupita Vaca ’18, who spent

things will still turn out fine,” she says.

a year with Yelp as an account executive.

“You’ve still got so much time.” ◆

If Miriam Warren’s path to mentorship sounds intriguing, keep in mind that you have the opportunity to mentor current Mills students as well as other alumnae through MillsConnect. The MillsConnect online platform was created for students and alumnae to help ease all of the professional difficulties Warren describes—not knowing where to start, what questions to ask, or who to look toward for advice, and how to figure out what you’re truly meant to do. Many students and recent graduates don’t even know what sorts of paths are available. Developed by the Alumnae Association of Mills College in cooperation with Mills College and its Lorry I. Lokey School of Business and Public Policy, MillsConnect enables students and alumnae to engage in discussions about their working lives. Members can build personal profiles, explore others’ profiles, send emails, schedule meetings and video chats, ask and answer questions, and locate resources full of tips for cultivating mentoring relationships. One can benefit from having a mentor at any stage of a career, whether just starting out, seeking promotion, or taking a leap of faith into another field entirely. Warren’s story illustrates that you can benefit from being a mentor, too. Through mentoring others, you can come to understand yourself more deeply and learn new perspectives and approaches to the work that you do. To join MillsConnect, visit connect.mills.edu and log in using your email address. If the address you provide matches the one in our records, your account is pre-approved. If not, your account will be approved within one or two business days. If you have questions, contact 510.430.2110 or connect@mills.edu.

WINTER 2020

13

Safe Haven

The Mills campus is a home away from home for many, but can it truly shield students from the outside world? The history is complicated. By Allison Rost

On December 8, 1941—the day after “a date which

its students. But as an institution, Mills has long

will live in infamy”—then-president Aurelia Henry

welcomed members of marginalized communi-

Reinhardt wrote a letter to all Mills families. With

ties, and outside restrictions have not altered the

the hindsight of nearly 80 years, it’s a surreal read;

campus culture of acceptance.

the main point of the letter was not to offer sol-

The Mills archive still has copies of the correspondence sent to the College by Darius Milhaud over the summer of 1940, including telegrams, letters, and his contract—featuring handwritten notes. 14

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

ace or organize war efforts, but to reassure par-

In recent years, the term “sanctuary” has become

ents that the Mills campus was unlikely to face

a buzzword in our charged political environment.

any danger from a Japanese attack. “The English

But in a historical sense, the concept originated

Channel is 26 miles wide; New York is 3,500 miles

with the sacred. In ancient Greece, spaces that

from Europe; California is 5,500 miles from Japan

honored the gods provided some measure of

and 2,500 miles from our nearest possession in

immunity to individuals escaping laws of the state

the Hawaiian group,” she wrote. “May I assure you

(with limited success), and in Rome, Romulus

that there exists no reason to change in any way

established a zone on Capitoline Hill where asy-

the schedule and curriculum of this college in the

lum seekers from other places could find refuge.

spring term which begins Monday, January 5.”

For centuries, places of worship have operated

At that point, no one knew that many students

as spaces where people could take shelter, and

of Japanese descent would soon opt to leave Mills,

it’s still happening today—churches around the

hoping to avoid separation from their families as

world house migrants seeking to avoid deporta-

they were forced into internment camps across

tion back to war-torn homelands.

the United States. In the years leading up to World

The idea of sanctuary gained popularity in the

War II, President Reinhardt had approached a

United States in the 1980s when Central Americans

number of European artists and intellectuals to

began to flee their home countries in the wake of

offer them a place at Mills as the Third Reich

civil unrest, but Mills took on the responsibility of

marched across the continent and sent to concen-

offering it 60 years earlier in the early days of World

tration camps anyone it deemed a threat, includ-

War II. In the 1961 book Aurelia Henry Reinhardt:

ing Darius Milhaud and other notable figures in

Portrait of a Whole Woman, Chaplain George

the College’s history, but that welcoming spirit

Hedley wrote that President Reinhardt contacted

couldn’t protect some of her own students.

the Emergency Committee in Aid of Displaced

When it comes to political and cultural forces

German Scholars (later Foreign Scholars) to invite

outside the campus gates, the College has his-

intellectuals to Mills as soon as Hitler took power in

torically been limited in what it can do to protect

Germany in 1933. Hedley noted that legends were

SHU T TERS TOCK

Reinhardt after learning that Milhaud was fleeing to America and connected the two. Milhaud cabled his acceptance of the position and, a few months after arriving on campus, Dean of Faculty Dean Rusk (later US Secretary of State during the Vietnam War) wrote to the State Department to plead his case for Milhaud’s continued residency in the United States, which hinged on his history of contribution to the arts. Milhaud taught on and off at Mills from 1940 until 1971. Milhaud’s influence on the Music Department (and the rest of the College) is well known, though he was not the only academic who molded Mills in indelible ways during this time. Helene Mayer, a champion German fencer at the 1928 Olympics, was studying at Scripps College when Hitler rose to power in her home country. She then enrolled at Mills for a master’s in French. While on campus studying for her MA and, later, teaching German literature, she founded the Mills College Fencing Club, jump-starting an organization that lasted for decades. And it’s to the credit of these scholars that the German Department at Mills built

told of Reinhardt physically transporting those

a strong enough foundation to eventually send

scholars to campus herself.

many of its students abroad as Fulbright scholars.

A number of professors soon made their way to Oakland, including Alfred Neumeyer, who taught

The situation with students of Japanese descent

art history and directed what was then the Art

was not nearly as easy to solve, however, with

Gallery, and the married couple Bernhard Blume

President Franklin D. Roosevelt establishing

and Carlotta Rosenberg. A German playwright,

internment camps less than three months after

Bernhard headed up the German Department at

the Pearl Harbor attack.

Mills until 1945, and Rosenberg was a proponent

Alumnae who were at Mills during the attack

of educating workers and women.

remember that day as a sunny one, with word of

Of course, the most well-known Mills expats

the incident filtering in as they arrived back in

were the musician Darius Milhaud and his wife,

their residence halls after Sunday chapel service.

Madeleine. In speaking with the author Roger

Japanese American students soon found their

Nichols in 1991, Madeleine detailed her fam-

freedoms curtailed bit by bit, starting with an

ily’s reaction when the Nazis entered Paris in

Army-ordered curfew that restricted their move-

June 1940: “We knew... that Milhaud was among

ment even on the Mills campus.

the first on a list of intellectuals to be arrested

May Ohmura Watanabe ’44, who was born in

because he was well known in Germany as a

California to American citizens, wrote about her

Jewish composer, and also because he did not share their right-wing ideals.” The Milhauds made their way to Lisbon with plans to fly to New York, using an invitation from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to obtain visas. But upon arrival in Portugal, their plane tickets were declared invalid because they had been bought with French francs. The three—Darius, Madeleine, and their son—were just about to board an American freighter to cross the Atlantic when a telegram arrived with an offer to teach at Mills. The San Francisco-based French conductor Pierre Monteux had contacted President

experiences in multiple issues of the Quarterly. The Tanforan Racetrack in San Bruno was one of several sites turned into internment camps during World War II. Grace Fujii Kikuchi ’42 (top) and May Ohmura Watanabe ’44 (bottom) were two of the Mills students of Japanese descent who left the College to avoid getting separated from their families as detention approached.

“I remember Dr. Hedley, the chaplain, was very upset and angry. I can still feel his hand tightly holding mine, his body slightly bent forward as he hurried to look at the curfew proclamation posted on the telephone pole just outside the campus,” she wrote in 1985. “He even took me to the Army’s headquarters in San Francisco to protest and to state his disbelief. All in vain.” Watanabe soon left Mills and returned home to Chico so that she wouldn’t be sent to a different internment camp than her parents and brother. She spent a year at the Tule Lake Relocation Center WINTER 2020

15

near the Oregon border, then was released as part

On

of a program allowing some detainees to work or

two days after 11 were

attend school in special approved zones. Watanabe

killed in a shooting at the

was allowed to transfer her credits to Syracuse

Tree of Life Synagogue in

University, where she studied nursing. “I remem-

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—

ber the special arrangements Mills made for me

President

before evacuation to take my exams in Chico

Hillman sent an email to

supervised by my high school dean,” she wrote.

the Mills community. In it,

2018—

Elizabeth

L.

she harkened back to the

lar choice to leave Mills to avoid separation from

College’s history of pro-

her family. As a senior, she was more easily able

viding sanctuary to Jewish

to bring her time at Mills to a close, though it

scholars during World War

wasn’t a happy time. “My professors at Mills had

II and the inspiration they

arranged for me to take my [exam] at a nearby

provided to generations of

high school,” she wrote in the same Quarterly

students. “Higher educa-

issue. “All I know is that I was graduated in absen-

tion institutions like Mills

tia with my class. Not to be able to attend my

have a special role to play

commencement after four hard years of work was

in creating and sharing

a bitter disappointment to me.”

knowledge across bound-

The frustrations of the Mills administra-

aries of faith, race, gen-

tion during this era were captured in a play by

der, and background,” she

Catherine Ladnier ’70, which she based on actual

wrote. “We can only fulfill

letters President Reinhardt received from stu-

our mission when everyone in our community is

dents who left the College due to World War II,

safe, respected, and able to grow and learn.”

TERESA TA M

including Japanese American students in intern-

In the last few years, President Hillman has

ment camps. Titled A Future Day of Radiant

sent a number of similar emails to the campus

Peace, the play details the personal turmoil these

community after attacks, in the United States

students experienced as they abandoned their

and abroad, that have targeted historically mar-

bustling lives at Mills for the uncertainty of the

ginalized groups. According to Dean of Students

camps. It also demonstrates what little power

Chicora Martin, the typical campus response

anyone on campus had to prevent the exodus.

finds its roots in Mills history. “Whenever an inci-

In the aftermath of the war, however, Mills

dent happens, we’re among a community where

was able to provide sanctuary to several students

people may not always know what to do, but they

whose home countries were suffering. Catherine

are prepared to do something,” they said. “It’s

Cambessedes Colburn ’47 and Noramah Sumakno

part of our culture.”

Peksopoetranto ’56 traveled to the College from

“In times of immense crisis and identity-based

France and Indonesia, respectively. In the spring

violence, there is this depth of emotion and

1997 issue of the Quarterly, Colburn wrote about

despair, but also a desire to be in community,”

the strangeness of going from a country recover-

says Dara Olandt, campus chaplain and director of

ing from war to a land of plenty.

spiritual and religious life. “It has been very mov-

I owned next to none of the items, nor could I get

ing for me to see the ways in which students have offered leadership and shown up for each other.”

them. Coupons, given out rarely, were required

Olandt attributes the campus-wide attitude of

to buy anything. Besides, the stores were next to

acceptance and protection to the College’s past reli-

empty,” she wrote. “I exchanged my wine ration

giosity—in particular, President Reinhardt was the

with a friend for her fabric coupon and my ciga-

first woman moderator of the American Unitarian

rette ration with another for hers, and got enough

Association. (Olandt herself was ordained by the

material for two [clothing] items.”

Unitarian church.) The chapel “is a refuge, and

Peksopoetranto earned her opportunity to

a place of deep hospitality. That’s what the fore-

attend Mills through a one-year scholarship from

bears [who created] this chapel were really about,”

the Edward H. Hazen Foundation. At the end of

Olandt says. “There’s power in this symbolic place

the year, Dean Anna Hawkes offered her room

where people are welcome in the fullness of their

and board for a bachelor’s degree in education;

lives, no matter their identities.”

she spent that summer staying in the home of Librarian Elizabeth Reynolds. M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY

29,

The late Grace Fujii Kikuchi ’42 made a simi-

“Mills had sent a list of what I would need, and

16

October

She also counsels those who travel to Mills from outside the country and hail from distinctly

across the country, which became known as the “sanctuary campus” movement. On November 16, 2016, President Hillman was one of hundreds of signatories to the Statement in Support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program, which underscored the contributions that its recipients have made to college communities across the country. “America needs talent—and these students, who have been raised and educated in the United States, are already part of our national community,” the statement reads. “They represent what is best about America, and as scholars and leaders they are essential to the future.” Hillman also joined with more than two dozen college leaders in December 2017 as founding members of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, which advocates for fair treatment of DACA and SHU T TERS TOCK

international students, and she continues to contribute to amicus briefs compiled by the alliance on behalf of DACA students. In practical terms, Martin says that Mills provides grants to affected DACA students to cover the legal paperwork required to renew their statuses, and the College will provide financial assistance to any undocumented student in the same different societal and religious backgrounds than

amount the student would have received from a

their US-born peers. That demographic has natu-

Pell Grant, which is a federal program and there-

rally been part of the student body for decades,

fore off-limits to non-citizens.

but provides a different set of challenges due to

But in terms of sanctuary? If immigration offi-

the requirements of F-1 and J-1 student entry

cials asked Mills to turn over student records, the

visas. Dean Martin serves as the principal desig-

College is theoretically protected by the Family

nated school official on the Mills campus, so they

Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which

are the first point of contact for the US govern-

prohibits the disclosure of student information,

ment. “Every year, we have someone who can’t

including immigration status, to parties beyond

make it here because they can’t get a visa,” they

those that need to know for the purposes of that

say. “There are lots of restrictions with interna-

student’s education. Nothing like that has hap-

tional students, and there’s a lot of documenta-

pened yet, but administrators say that it’s really

tion that you have to provide just for them to do

not the point. The last few years have, in the end,

normal-ish things, like getting a Social Security

cemented the kind of institution Mills wants to be.

card or a driver’s license.”

above Students supporting DACA take to the stage at Convocation on September 15, 2017. Below: A similar demonstration at UC Berkeley on the same day.

“We were asking questions about our own val-

Over the last four years, the legal status of

ues. The government’s now actively not support-

undocumented students has been called into

ing [these] students, so we have to come out very

question across the country, and as a Hispanic

strongly with concrete statements and actions

Serving Institution, Mills has been prompted to

that clarify for our community where our values

respond. Under the Deferred Action for Childhood

lie,” Martin says.

Arrivals (DACA) program, which began in 2012,

“Aurelia Reinhardt was deeply motivated by

undocumented immigrants who arrived in the US

her values, which had roots in her religious and

before they turned 18 could be granted renew-

spiritual background,” Olandt adds. “She was very

able two-year periods where they would not be

much anchored in a spirit of service and what we

deported. When Donald Trump was elected to the

call today solidarity with marginalized folks. How

presidency, he pledged to end the program—and

can we uphold the best of humanity and live a

set off a chain reaction at colleges and universities

moral and ethical life in the face of challenge?” ◆ WINTER 2020

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AAMC NEWS & NOTES A Message from the AAMC President As the faculty, staff, and students at Mills settle into cooler

attended, and we hope to offer this workshop again next year.

temperatures, I’m reflecting on the events of the fall semes-

We’ve also had great success with our alumnae auditing sti-

ter. Convocation and Reunion bring alumnae from all over

pend program. Funded by a gift from an anonymous donor,

the country back to campus, and it’s a festive time that I look

this program gives financial assistance to alumnae who audit

forward to every year. There were 350 alumnae and guests at

courses at Mills. As of this fall, we have awarded all program

Reunion this past September, with 230 attend-

funds—11 stipends in all. It’s been a great way for

ing the AAMC awards luncheon on Saturday.

alumnae to reconnect with Mills and its faculty,

At the luncheon, three inspiring alumnae

and continue down a path of lifelong learning.

were recognized and celebrated for their con-

With this in mind, we aim to raise funds to con-

tributions to Mills and the wider community:

tinue offering stipends to interested alumnae.

Daisy Gonzales ’07 has done remarkable work

You, too, can contribute to the great program-

increasing access to higher education for his-

ming at the AAMC. It’s time to nominate your-

torically underserved communities; Pierre

self or another worthy and interested alumna for

Loving ’77 has worked countless hours for the

a position on the Board of Governors. Look for

AAMC; and Lauren Speeth ’81 has garnered

more information on the inside back cover of this

accolades all around the world for her creative

Quarterly issue. Please send any questions about the nominating process to aamc@mills.edu.

social entrepreneurship. You can read more about these amazing women and their impressive accomplish-

Lastly, I want to thank the AAMC’s Communications,

ments on the facing page. I wish we could have more such lun-

Marketing, and Fundraising Committee for upgrading our

cheons to recognize all 23,000 Mills alumnae in the United

merchandise program. Take a look at the new merchandise on

States and around the world!

the AAMC website—I hope you are excited to see the variety

Several other AAMC-sponsored events during Reunion also

and range of keepsakes we have available. You can now make

saw strong alumnae participation. I’m particularly grateful to

purchases by credit card through Square—just call us to place

the alumnae volunteers who shared their career knowledge

your order (an online store is in the works). As always, if there

with students at our MillsConnect Career Networking and

are items you would like the committee to consider making

Information Session, and to those who turned out for a meeting

available, please let us know. I’m very grateful to serve on the

with College staff to launch a new volunteer program to help

board with such dedicated and committed alumnae. I look forward to seeing you on campus sometime soon.

with recruiting students. In October, the Lifelong Learning Committee hosted a free

Warmly,

workshop (“Your Financial Journey”) for alumnae who seek

Viji Nakka-Cammauf, MA ’82

to make the most out of their financial lives. It was very well

President, Alumnae Association of Mills College

Treasures from AAMC and Orange County

Eucalyptus pins

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The AAMC’s eucalyptus pins are a keepsake beloved by many alumnae. Each eucalyptus leaf has been hand-picked on the Mills campus and then strengthened with copper and preserved in 18-karat gold or sterling silver. The Class of 1948 originally produced these pins in honor of its 50th Reunion. Gold pins are $45 each and silver are $40 each, plus $5 for shipping and handling. To order, please email aamc@ mills.edu or call 510.430.2110.

The Orange County Mills College Alumnae (OCMCA) also offers a number of special Mills treasures, including beautiful eucalyptusprinted tea towels and notecards, as well as notecards featuring images of eight teapots from the collection of Susan Tolman Mills, a namesake of Mills College. To purchase, visit their online store at squareup.com/ store/ocmca. Tea towel

Alumnae Awards recipient profiles Outstanding Volunteer Award: Pierre Loving ’77 has been serving the AAMC since 2011. As Nominating Committee chair, she overhauled and streamlined the process of selecting governors and alumnae trustees, including initiating online voting. Pierre has spearheaded multiple successful fundraisers for the AAMC and the College, usually incorporating her deep love of jazz. She essentially single-handedly oversaw every detail of the renovation of the Reinhardt Alumnae House kitchen, and in her honor, the AAMC named it the Loving Kitchen. Alongside these projects, Pierre diligently oversaw the financial health of the AAMC endowment while serving on the Finance Committee, managed the Executive Committee, and recognized the work of others on the Awards Committee. Pierre states, “Receiving the 2019 Outstanding Volunteer Award from

From left to right: President Hillman, Pierre Loving ’77, Lauren Speeth ’81, Daisy Gonzales ’07, and Viji Nakka-Cammauf, MA ’82

the AAMC was not as much of an honor for me as serving the College as a member of the Board of Governors along with so many other outstanding alumnae.” Her service cannot be fully illuminated by the number of years she’s been making con-

Distinguished Achievement Award: Lauren Speeth ’81—

tributions nor by the numerous committees on which she’s

author, filmmaker, educator, and social entrepreneur—has a

served. Pierre’s impact goes far beyond mere metrics, and the

lifetime of experience with companies ranging from startup

AAMC thanks her for her tireless dedication.

to Fortune 500 levels. Lauren was named one of 40 Women

Recent Graduate Award: Daisy Gonzales ’07, as president

of Influence by Saint Mary’s College in 2010 and has received

of the Associated Students of Mills College, helped other stu-

two honorary doctorates. She’s earned degrees ranging from an

dents understand the power of their voices through student

MBA to doctorates in business and ministry, in addition to com-

government. A former foster child, Daisy not only defied the

pleting training and certifications in homeopathy, computer

odds against foster youth by graduating from college (only

security, philanthropy, clinical pastoral education, and col-

10 percent do) but also went a step beyond, completing a PhD

lege teaching. Through her company Elfenworks Productions,

in sociology at UC Santa Barbara. While earning her doctor-

Lauren has created critically acclaimed films, books, music,

ate, Daisy helped high school foster youth create an advo-

and multimedia, becoming much sought-after as a public

cacy club to break down the stereotypes they face. Daisy has

speaker. At the heart of Elfenworks’ mission is a drive to uplift

served as vice president of the Santa Barbara Women’s Political

and engage students in their efforts to speak out and act for

Committee and co-founded the Santa Barbara Latina Leaders

a better and more hopeful tomorrow. Lauren’s accomplish-

Network. She became deputy chancellor of the California

ments reveal an unquenchable curiosity about the world and

Community College system in 2018. In that role, she’s devel-

an unmatched depth of empathy for the beings in it. She says,

oped a new online college option, CalBright, a timely response

“As I add receiving this award to my internal memory chest,

to California’s labor challenges. Daisy has clearly demon-

I find myself thinking about how enriched my life has been

strated her commitment to providing educational access to his-

because of Mills: treasured moments, cherished friends, and an

torically underserved communities. She possesses the ability

education that prepared me for the many unexpected turns in

to build teams and communities to create positive change. A

my career path.” In light of the ripples she makes, impacting all

Mills education is all about discovering how you can improve

who know her, the AAMC is proud to honor Lauren with this

the world, and Daisy is an accomplished example of that.

year’s Distinguished Achievement Award. –Kate Robinson Beckwith, MFA ’13 WINTER 2020

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Reunion 2019 PHOTOS BY DANA DAV IS AN D ALLISUN NOVAK

1964

1954 Top row: Aletha Waite Silcox, Lynda Taves Ogren, Harrie Cheim Kordelos Front row: Sandra Reitz Jones, Liz Wills, Sondra Williams, Carole Joseph Silva

1974 Top row: Katharine Bergmann Terry, Judith R. James, Adrienne McMichael Foster, Jacki Brown, Cassandra Buckingham Curry, Chris Bemko Littlefield, Lenore Tate Front row: Sharon Long Carroll, Doris Phelps, Odessa Pearson Bolton, Linda Barton White, Benita Sheffield Harris, Clarice B. Flippin

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Top row: Alex Orgel Moses ’65; Priscilla Taylor, Ann Manuel Ditlefsen, Cathy White Guerra, Mary Wallon Front row: Nancy Symmes Whitaker, Barbara-Sue White, MA ’67, Diana Paxson Studebaker, Carolyn King Terry

50th Reunion

1969 Top row: Hallie von Ammon Strock, Kate Hickam Weigant, Diane Dwyer, Anne Ustick Higuchi, Andrea DuFlon, Cindy Mitchell, Kristen Anderson, Barbara Bond Williams, Maren Anderson Culter, Sue Poznanski Ramar, Harriet Drakos Young, Cora Bolton Lewis Third row: Lynne Smith, Sandi Kirkham Bowen, MA ’71, Kerstin Fraser Magary, Ann Herzog Schneider, Pat King Jackson, Linell McCurry, Laurie-Sue Ptak Retts, Lois Henry Showalter, Laurie Leinonen, Cheryl Ezell Buck, Kate Kretzmer, Margaret Crabtree Freeman, Ann Condon Barbour Second row: Barbara Sande Dimmitt, Linda Sohm Sirianni, Sandy Bowe Teora, Cynthia Graham, Lannie Larson Staniford, Marion Elmenhorst, Kathy Miller Janes, Kathy Paxton Schwartz, Linda Rooney Pertel, Tricia Niederauer, Linda Krigel Lieberman, Karel Herrington, Ellie Ranson Nove Front row: Jane Sneed, Karen Coates, Sharlotte Althausen Swanson, Janice Char Chung, Berry Ponton Crowley, Allegra Fortunati, Gretchen Garlinghouse, Lotte Cherin, Marianne Mancina, Sarah Andrews-Collier, Verna Nelson, Joan Marler

Reunion 2020 Mark your calendars for Reunion 2020! We will be honoring class years ending in 5 and 0 from October 1 to 4, 2020

WINTER 2020

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ts , hase prin om/ To purc y.c zograph u .l w w v isit w ills2019 clients/m

1979 Top row: Leslie Decker, Kristin Philp Kramer, Tanis King Starck, Anna R. Nicholas, Cindy French McCauley Second row: Leslie Fried Behar, Joy Kieschke, Cheri King, Karen D. Sparks, Ellen Davis Front row: Miriam Clare LePell, Jan Spagel Crosby, Wendy Ng, Julie Wong Noll

1984 Carole L. Luna Miller, Lisa Borden, Janine Kinsey, Lucia Stauffer Savage, Beth Johnson

1989 Top row: Kirsten Challman, Christina Freudenstein Omdahl, April Lampkins Ross, Annie Seaton, Mickey Good Bamrah, Noelle Bruton, Dana Murguia Second row: Ramona Moritz, Tiffaney Gipson Chaplin, Pamela Day, Kirsten Rinehart Hardin, Louisa Spier Front row: Corinne Meadows Efram, Marj Nelson, Kelly Kager, Traci Sickinger Jasper, Julia Myers, Traci Hill Fisher

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1994 Top row: Suzette Lalime Davidson, Jenny Rienzo Chairez, Krista Gulbransen Harless, Lisa Arhontes-Marshall, Lee Bickerstaff Nespor, Jen Dempster Second row: Erika Young, Claire Linder, Zora Daniels, Alissa Hendershot Casey, Lina Andrews Jackson, Jennifer Henderson McDowell ’96, Sheila Mary Koch Front row: Claire Sims, Trace Scott, Grace Lynch-Shannon, Victoria Needham Williams, Carol MacMillan Gagnon, Sam Rowell

2004

2009

Zehrie Ahsan ’03, Nicole Loutsenhizer, Stefanie Moreno, Christine Lester Ashley, Corinne Sklar, Olivia Mora

Top row: Koa Beck, Lily Ann Page, Bridget Carls, Charis Johnson, Nicole McNeil Front row: Lilian Gonzalez, Kyran McCann, Amanda Page Harper, Kari Meno Cichantek, Kelly Stewart

2014 Top row: Lauren Leverone, Kate Harslem, Rose Lopez, MA ’15, Kelsey Whiteside, Alheli Cuenca, Kelly Wong Front row: Katherine Allen-Moyer, Michele Ezaki, Emily Dixon, Maribel Garcia, Casey Honath, Maritza Arreola, Rhani Bigay

WINTER 2020

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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 October 1, 2019 To submit listings, please contact alumnae-relations@mills.edu or 510.430.2123

Alumnae Elizabeth Zoernig Milam ’40, September 1, 2019, in Oklahoma City. After graduating from the University of Oklahoma, Elizabeth started working at Kerr-McGee & Company in 1946, where she remained until 1990 and served as the first female officer on the board of directors. In 1996, she married William Millam and devoted herself to a number of organizations, including Catholic Charities and Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She is survived by eight stepchildren. Phyllis Carman Marling ’41, March 14, 2017, in South Pasadena, California. Francean Campbell Rich, MA ’43, March 31, 2019, in Hamilton, Ontario. With degrees in music from Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music and Mills, she started a career in music criticism for publications such as Vancouver’s The Province, Toronto Star, and Montreal Gazette that took her all over the world. With her late husband, John, she took up long-distance sailing and built a country home. After his death in 1980, she returned to school to learn more about journalism. She is survived by cousins; two nieces, including Joyce Anne Libeu ’68; and a nephew. Bette Jackson Hurlbut ’44, September 19, 2019, in Denver, Colorado. She met her late husband of 72 years, James, on a blind date during her senior year at Mills. Her career spanned a variety of fields, including adult education, banking, and volunteering. In Colorado, she enjoyed her favorite hobbies, such as skiing, mountain and rock climbing, and relishing the outdoors. She earned a master’s degree in special education at Denver University. She is survived by five children, including Louise Alice Hurlbut ’75, and 10 grandchildren. Ruth Clare Menger Johnson ’44, September 22, 2019, in Thermopolis, Wyoming. After Mills, she went to law school and was admitted to the bar in Wyoming, kicking off a 53-year career in community law. Among her many accomplishments were helping to add Legend Rock Petroglyph Site on the National Register of Historic Places, serving as president and secretary of Thermopolis Woman’s Club, and being the first woman inducted into the HSC Hall of Fame. She is survived by three children, including Margo Ann Rushand ’65, and nine grandchildren. Daphne Jung ’45, April 6, 2016, in Monterey Park, California. After Mills, she earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of Michigan. She is survived by her cousin, Doranne Jung ’70. Alice Marshall Treseder ’45, July 28, 2019, in Oakland. Alice was a music major who studied composition under Darius Milhaud. She later gave private piano lessons in her Oakland home for 30 years. In 2000, Alice moved to a nearby retirement home where she often played for other residents, continuing up until her death. She is survived by three children. Catherine Genaro Papale ’48, August 6, 2019, in Napa, California. After Mills, she returned to her hometown of Dallas, where she met her husband, Rudolph, a San Francisco native. They moved back to the Bay Area in 1960 and later to St. Helena full-time, where Catherine became a master bridge player, an expert gardener, and an enthusiastic host to her large family. She is survived by five children and eight grandchildren. Jacqueline “Jacque” Stricker Wisman ’48, July 14, 2019, in Crete, Nebraska. After Mills, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Butler University, later studying to be an occupational

Eda Mendels Regan Former Mills librarian Eda Mendels Regan, who worked in several different buildings over her 27 years at the College, died on July 23, 2019, in Walnut Creek, California. She came to Mills in 1970 with an illustrious education under her belt—in addition to bachelor’s and master’s degrees in French (from Stanford and Middlebury, respectively), Regan also earned a master’s in education from Stanford and a master’s in library science from UC Berkeley. She used that background to dig into any question posed to her by a member of the Mills community in an era before “googling” was a verb. “She was interested in the question far after the patron left and students and faculty gravitated toward her during her tenure,” said Director of Strategic Partnerships Renee Jadushlever, who worked with Regan in the library. “For me, her experience, approach, passion for helping patrons, and insatiable appetite for finding the accurate reference outweighed any book learning or reference philosophy I received in library school.” Regan, who was born to a Jewish family in the Netherlands in 1934, was nearly six years old when the Germans invaded in 1940. She and her sister were separated from their parents and hidden in the attic of a Christian family during World War II, later making their way to the United States to live with an aunt and uncle. Regan learned years later from the International Red Cross that her parents died at Auschwitz. In the late 1990s, Regan spoke about her difficult childhood to a packed audience in the Chapel. Her account is archived at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and in the Mills archives.

therapist. She spent most of her life in Nebraska, where she was honored as the Mental Health Educator of the Year and worked as a coordinator and counselor with various programs. Jacque was also an avid crafter and volunteer with children’s and religious organizations. She is survived by three children and five grandchildren. Joan Hersey Shimer ’49, August 7, 2019, in Putney, Vermont. A Renaissance woman, Joan spent time in the Bay Area, New England, and Mexico. She was a musician who was the executive secretary of the Country Dance and Song Society, an employee at Apple under Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, and the recipient of a teaching degree at the age of 70. She is survived by two sons and two grandchildren. Mary Tsuda Nakamura ’49, April 17, 2019, in Santa Ana, California. For many years, Mary lived in Hawaii, where she was a gardener, especially in bonsai; an expert in the Japanese tea ceremony; and a golfer at the Maui Nui Golf Club. After Mills, she earned a master’s degree in teaching at the University of Hawaii. She is survived by three children. Pat Bell ’50, June 30, 2019, in Irvine, California. She passed less than a month before her 90th birthday. Pat established her own travel agency, and during her life, traveled all over the world. She is survived by her sister, Jane Bell Croul ’52, and Jane’s family, who she took with her on her many adventures. Helen Schroeder Kiesling ’50, July 21, 2019, in Oakland. A San Francisco native, Helen transferred to Mills after initially starting college at the University of Oregon. She went into teaching and spent her summers traveling the world and enjoying time on the Russian River, where she met her husband after picking up a gig at the CazSonoma Lodge. They raised their two children, who survive her, in Guerneville. WINTER 2020

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Alice Goodwin Lenz ’52, August 22, 2019, in Stockton, California. After Mills, she graduated from UC Berkeley. She loved playing bridge and dominoes, traveling, and spending time at Lake Tahoe with her family. A member of a pioneer agricultural family, Alice also served on the boards of the Haggin Museum and the Children’s Home of Stockton. She is survived by four children and eight grandchildren. Mary Stephens Ryder ’54, June 11, 2019, in Dallas, Texas. A lifelong educator, Mary earned a master’s degree and doctorate in education administration from the University of Denver. She taught at Colorado Women’s College and Mesa College and served as the director of teacher certification at the Colorado Department of Education. Even after retirement, she read to vision-impaired students at Richland College. She is survived by two children and four grandchildren. Ann Stewart McClaren ’54, March 14, 2019, in Greenwood Village, Colorado. After Mills, she continued her education at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She returned to Denver in 1959 where she

reestablished her connection with Mills by joining the Mills Club of Colorado. She served the club in many capacities, including as its president. She is survived by her husband, Sam; two children; and four grandchildren. Cathryn Hansen Nordstrom ’56, August 7, 2019, in Southfield, Michigan. She earned a MA in education at Rutgers University after graduating from Mills with her teaching certificate. A dedicated teacher, including as a paraprofessional for 15 years in Seattle, Cathryn was also a gifted singer and piano player who studied at the Peabody Conservatory. She is survived by two children and four grandchildren. Nancy Manes Plum, MA ’57, September 8, 2019, in Okemos, Michigan. A gifted potter, Nancy also studied at Black Mountain College in North Carolina and Cranbrook Art School in Michigan. In her artistic career, she created works that were exhibited across the United States and taught the tradition of throwing pots she learned from the Finnish American potter Maija Grotell. Nancy loved classical music and studying tai chi. She is survived by two daughters and one grandson.

Gifts in Memory of Received June 1, 2019 – August 31, 2019 Allison Behr ’92 by Colleen Almeida Smith ’92, Rennie Joynt Walker ’92

Doris Mount, MA ’40, P ’64, P ’66, P ’71 by her daughter, Barbara-Sue White ’64, MA ’67

Linda Nelson Branson ’77 by her spouse, James Branson

Anna Murch by Marin Hood ’05

Barbara McCall Bryant ’50 by Julia Almanzan ’92, Los Angeles Mills College Alumnae, Mary “Mimi” Glide Miller ’50, Mary Miller

Winsome Nembhard, P ’90 by her daughter, Lois Nembhard ’90

Sara “Sally” Matthews Buchanan ’64 by Carolyn King Terry ’64

Vera Johnson Pitts ’52 by Bonnie Brazelton Hill ’74

Nancy Speer Cody ’44 by her son, Alan Cody

Albert and Irene Romano, P ’79 by their daughter, Jeanette Romano DeBenedictis ’79

Barbara Farris Cole ’50 by Mary “Mimi” Glide Miller ’50 Findley Randolph Cotton, MA ’58 by John Taylor Barbara Bachmann Crane ’49 by Pauline “Polly” Royal Langsley ’49, P ’83, P ’78

Ralph Phillips, P ’80 by his spouse, Alice Hall Phillips ’58, P ’80

Marion Ross ’44 by Cynthia “Cindy” Facer Clark ’64, P ’91; Allegra Fortunati ’69; Katherine “Kathy” Kiffmeyer Mendoza ’86 Mildred “Mid” Eberle Rothrock ’41 by Sharon Coleman ’68

Mrigendramani “Mrigendra” Dixit, P ’84, P ’87 by his daughters, Michiko “Mia” Dixit ’84 and Mamata “Joy” Dixit Fowler ’87

George “Tom” Sallee by Bette Krause Spagel ’63, P ’79

Melody Fujimori ’69 by Jorie Bolton Townsley ’69

Stefani Schatz-Duggan ’84 by Judith “Judy” Lamont Parent-Smith ’61

Barbara Garcia by Janis “Jan” Goldbaum Hernandez ’67

Arvilla Parker Seligman ’31, P ’63 by her daughter, Linda Seligman Schulz ’63

Constance Harden by her niece, Gail Cardenas ’72 Patricia Harden, P ’72 by her daughter, Gail Cardenas ’72 Helen Schroeder Kiesling ’50 by Melissa McDonough ’09, MPP ’10 Charles Larsen by Elizabeth “Beth” Terhune ’90 Alice Goodwin Lenz ’52 by Barbara Smart Lucy Cowdin Maisel ’38 by Alice Jo Lichtman, Virginia Popper Maryann Mangold ’61 by Dorotha Myers Bradley ’61 Boitumelo “Tumi” McCallum ’08 by Karolyn “Kari” Cichantek ’09 Catherine McCormack McGilvray ’56 by Sharon Bramkamp Hohmann ’56 R. Burnett Miller by his spouse, Mary “Mimi” Glide Miller ’50 Elaine Moss ’61 by Dorotha Myers Bradley ’61

Marie-Louise Seaman Sandine ’67 by Carolyn Wade-Ouse ’67

Anne Hummel Sherrill by Abby Everson ’74, Allegra Fortunati ’69, Elizabeth “Beth” Terhune ’90 Linda Stingily ’78 by Neva Kesselring ’78 Ariel Eaton Thomas ’63, P ’92 by Gayle Rothrock ’68, Linda Barker Spear ’63 Virginia Van Derveer Trask ’65 by Susan Titman Fuller ’65 Alice Marshall Treseder ’45 by Marian McCormack Wilkie ’45, P ’78 Bonnie Craig van Oosterom-Craig ’57 by Susan Beeson Maude Catherine White by her daughter-in-law, Barbara-Sue White ’64, MA ’67 Beverly “Bevo” Johnson Zellick ’49, MA ’50 by Marina Kershaw Simenstad ’68, MA ’11

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Bonnie van Oosterom-Craig ’57, July 18, 2019, in Beverly Hills, California. She is survived by her husband, Henry, and three children. Ellen Woody Nichols ’57, July 2019, in Fresno, California. She finished up her degree at Fresno State after getting married in 1955. After a divorce in the ’70s, she started a longtime position as a bookkeeper, later marrying Doug Nichols and enjoying a life filled with music— playing the piano for anything from school choirs to communitytheater musicals to church services. She is survived by three sons and six grandchildren. Ruth Bollinger Holmquist ’60, July 8, 2019, in Modesto, California. Ruth was a longtime middle-school teacher, imparting eighth graders with her love of literature and creative writing. Later, she used her skills to tutor refugees. Her home included a gem of a garden that she meticulously maintained, resulting in inclusion on the Modesto Garden Club’s tour. She is survived by two sons and four grandchildren. Virginia Van Derveer Trask ’65, August 3, 2019, in San Mateo, California. After earning a master’s degree at Stanford University, she taught high school English before entering the business world. Upon retirement, she actively supported feral cat rescue. She is survived by two sisters, and her classmate, Susan Titman Fuller, will especially miss her lasting friendship over the years.

Barbara Bachmann Crane ’49 A giant in the field of photography, Barbara Crane was a Chicago native through and through. After Mills, she finished her degree at New York University and worked as a portrait photographer, later returning to her hometown to earn a master’s degree in design at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The Windy City was Crane’s primary muse; her characteristic Polaroids, collages, and street scenes captured a variety of Chicago landmarks and people, many of which were published in books and exhibited across the country. She joined the faculty at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1966 and taught photography there for decades. In 1985, Crane was one of the first Westerners to photograph China as part of a “cultural emissary” program operated jointly by the US and Chinese governments. She died on August 7 in Chicago. She is survived by her husband, John Miller; three children; and seven grandchildren.

Rebecca Ruff Tepfer ’67, June 18, 2019, in Crete, Greece. An opera singer who retired from the Opéra National de Paris, she was a passionate traveler and cyclist. She is survived by her husband, David, and a son. Holly Hillyard Sposato ’69, September 18, 2017, in Sebastopol, California. Evelyn Simpson Dennis ’91, March 1, 2017, in Laytonville, California. Heidi Keye ’93, June 23, 2019, in Fort Meyers, Florida. At Mills, she played on the tennis team and majored in comparative literature, later earning a master’s degree in French literature from Middlebury College. While she dealt with chronic pain and was dedicated to helping those with mental illness and substance abuse, she still had a wicked sense of humor. Heidi is survived by her partner, Jon Heck; her mother and stepfather; a sister; and a niece and nephew. Cynthia Imperatore ’94, July 28, 2019, in Hawthorne, New Jersey. She was a passionate writer and artist who found purpose in teaching special needs preschool-age children and working as an end-of-life doula. She is survived by three sisters, one brother, and six nieces and nephews.

Spouses and Family Harold Harvey, husband of Joy Glascock Harvey ’60, January 13, 2018, in Springville, California. Edward “Terry” Hogan, husband of Elizabeth “Liz” Livingston Hogan ’63, August 19, 2019, in Palo Alto, California. John Lane, husband of Elizabeth “Betsy” Lancefield Lane ’85, July 20, 2019, in Skokie, Illinois. Martin Ross, father of the late Deena Ross ’88, November 26, 2018, in Beverly Hills, California. G. Thomas Sallee, husband of Joan Selke Sallee, MA ’64, June 15, 2019, in Davis, California. Robert Wo, husband of the late Betty Chu Wo ’46, September 13, 2019, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Faculty and Staff David Keeports, professor emeritus of physics, December 2018, in Oakland. Faith Winthrop, former instructor of private lessons with the Music Department, July 1, 2019, in San Francisco.

Friends Rhea Babbit, June 2, 2019, in Chico, California. Patricia Eliot, former Associate Council member, December 4, 2016, in Santa Rosa, California. Aaron Rosand, July 9, 2019, in White Plains, New York. WINTER 2020

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It was a gloriously beautiful weekend from September 26-29 for Reunion 2019, with 350 alumnae and guests descending on the Mills campus for the usual activities of class dinners, residence hall reunions, and more class visits than ever. Alumnae gathered with students, faculty, and staff for an inspiring Convocation on Friday, and Saturday’s luncheon on the meadow included the presentation of a gift of $583,633.52 to Mills College from all reunioning classes.

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

BOARD OF GOVERNORS CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Contribute your talents and skills to the Alumnae Association of Mills College (AAMC) Join our Board of Governors! NOMINATIONS FOR AAMC BOARD DUE APRIL 6

As a governor you will: • Work with other members of the board to make decisions that best represent alumnae and promote a strong working relationship between alumnae and the College • Attend board meetings (typically four or five each year) • Participate on AAMC committees to develop policies, programs, and events We invite alumnae to submit nominations for the 2020-23 term by Monday, April 6, 2020. See the “Leadership” section of the AAMC website, aamc.mills.edu, for more information. Send nominations to Nominating Committee Chair Cherlene Sprague Wright ’92 at aamc@mills.edu or AAMC, 5000 MacArthur Blvd. MB #86, Oakland, CA 94613.

2020

AAMC Travel Programs

E

xperience an easygoing, languid lifestyle in Italy’s Apulia region, where Mediterranean meals are savored slowly amidst olive groves, ancient seaports, and timeless villages. Spend seven nights in the seaside town of Polignano a Mare, and venture out each day to enjoy the unique character that defines Apulia, the heel of Italy’s boot. Marvel at Alberobello’s trulli, conical-roofed limestone homes built without mortar; the ancient cave dwellings in Matera, a 2019 European Capital of Culture; the white hill town of Ostuni; and the baroque city of Lecce. Contrast the seaside lifestyle of Bari and Trani with inland life at a winery and a family-owned olive mill. An exclusive lecture series complements your excursions. Plus, enjoy ample free time to stroll down romantic cobblestone alleys, drink in soul-stirring views of the brilliant blue sea, and revel in an easier pace of life. For more information, including a full itinerary for this and other trips, please visit the AAMC travel website at alumnae.mills.edu/travel.

Above: The majestic coastal cliffs of Polignano a Mare. Below: Alberobello’s famous trulli houses.

Mills Quarterly Mills College 5000 MacArthur Blvd. Oakland, CA 94613-1301 510.430.3312 quarterly@mills.edu www.mills.edu

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