Mills Quarterly, Spring 2019

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Mills Quarterly Spring 2019

Your support of Mills enables students to dive into high-impact educational experiences, like a study-away course in Honduras where 15 classmates spent their spring break exploring tropical marine ecosystems. Led by Helen Walter, these marine biology students first trained as scuba-certified divers on campus at the Trefethen Aquatic Center and studied Central American cultures before traveling to the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences to witness the complexities of the local ecosystem and participate in efforts to protect it.

High-impact learning opportunities like these help students change themselves, their communities, and the world for the better.

Your dollars could help sponsor the snorkel masks, swimming pool maintenance, or faculty salaries that make this possible.

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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Mills Quarterly

CONTENTS

16

Spring 2019

8 Growing Roots by Dawn Cunningham ’85 The Mills Community Farm gives students the chance to get their hands dirty while learning how to grow their own food—and about larger issues of inequality.

12 An Ever-Changing Campus by Allison Rost What was once an infirmary is now a set of a set of classrooms—and vice versa! Over 150 years, the Mills campus has evolved in many different directions.

16 Fire and Water by Rachel Leibrock, MFA ’05 Rina Faletti ’81 used her background as an environmental historian and art curator to help her neighborhood heal after the 2017 Napa fires.

32 Koa Beck: A Fierce Fourth-Wave Feminist by Arya Samuelson, MFA ’19 Writing truth to power is the mission of journalist and author Koa Beck ’09.

Departments 2

Letters to the Editor

3

President’s Message

4

Mills Matters

20 AAMC News 24 Class Notes 29 In Memoriam

On the cover: Mills students Haley Reeder ’20, Alexia Roditis ’21, and Jocelin Alvarado Gonzalez ’21 put in hard work while nurturing the crops growing at the Mills Community Farm. Those plants— fruits, vegetables, and flowers alike—end up at a campus farm stand and at neighborhood restaurants. Read more about the farm on page 8. Photo by Julia Dashe.

Letter to the Editor I just read of Marion Ross’s death in the Quarterly. Having been a graduate student in dance in 1975–76, I naturally interacted mostly with the dance professors of Mills. But the name of Marion Ross is the only other professor’s name that I learned and still remember to this day. Why? Because she sought out my address and sent me a postcard commending me for my master’s thesis in Volume CVIII, Number 3 (USPS 349-900) Spring 2019

choreography. It was a personal and

President Elizabeth L. Hillman

department. That experience confirmed

Vice President for Institutional Advancement Jeff Jackanicz Senior Director of the Annual Fund and Alumnae Relations Nikole Hilgeman Adams Managing Editor Allison Rost Design and Art Direction Nancy Siller Wilson

thoughtful message from someone who did not know me, who was not in my to me again how nurturing and unique Mills has been.

—Patricia Parker Milich, MA ’76 Davis, California

Marion Ross

We’ll see you at Commencement

Editorial Assistant Lila Goehring ’21

Saturday, May 18, 9:45 am

Contributing Writers Dawn Cunningham ’85 Rachel Leibrock, MFA ’05 Kate Robinson Beckwith, MFA ’13 Arya Samuelson, MFA ’19

this year’s keynote speaker, Lauren Underwood.

Copyright © 2019, Mills College

Congressional District of Illinois in January. She previously worked as a nurse before moving into political service during the Obama administration.

To robe up for the alumnae procession prior to the ceremony, please gather at Reinhardt Alumnae Lauren Underwood

Reunion 2019 is coming up September 19–22, Convocation on September 20 Details on this year’s Reunion, with special recognition for class years ending in 4 or 9, are heading your way soon!

For more information, contact the Mills College Office of Alumnae Relations by email at

(Please use outline)

alumnae-relations@mills.edu or by phone at 510.430.2123.

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

House at 8:00 am.

LS COLL IL SE PT. 19–22

2019 EU

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Printed on recycled paper containing 10 percent post-consumer waste.

States House of Representatives for the Fourteenth

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

Email: quarterly@mills.edu Phone: 510.430.3312

Underwood took office as a member of the United

M

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.

Congresswoman Barbara Lee ’73 will introduce

NION

A Message from the President of Mills College

Preparing for a new reality on the Mills campus

By Beth Hillman As more reports surface about our deep-

ings during the smoke days, including

ening climate crisis and as California

online activities and recorded lectures.

grapples with the greater frequency and

And our Division of Student Life sought

severity of wildfires as a result, Mills is

to support the students in residence on

adapting to protect and preserve our cam-

campus with information, advice, and

pus and community from the risk of fire.

support through our residential life

Last November’s Camp Fire in Butte County north of Sacramento was a stark

staff, counseling and health centers, and chaplain’s office.

reminder of the local devastation and

The Camp Fire and its impact on Mills

broader geographic impact of California’s

redoubles our commitment to reducing

new propensity to burn. Years of drought

the College’s carbon footprint and to

conditions, months of low rainfall, pow-

mitigating the risk of fire right here at

erful winds, and low humidity have

Mills. As a population center in our own

combined with a vulnerable electrical

right, Mills has a responsibility to model

and building infrastructure to create the

ways to address the climate change that

conditions for a terrible firestorm.

has prompted this new normal. We have

The Camp Fire was the deadliest and

created a campus sustainability program

most destructive fire ever recorded in

and climate action plan. This February,

California. It claimed the lives of at least

we sent two Mills leaders—Kristina Faul,

85 people, destroyed 13,000 structures,

an oceanographer and professor of geo-

and caused losses estimated at $16.5 bil-

chemistry and environmental geology;

lion, more than any other global disaster

and Karen Fiene, longtime campus archi-

in 2018. Close to 40 Mills alumnae live

tect and director of construction, com-

in the area surrounding the Camp Fire;

pliance, and sustainability—to the 2019

thankfully, none were in the immediate

Higher Education Climate Leadership

vicinity.

Summit in Tempe, Arizona.

Closer to home, thick, debilitating

The Camp Fire is but the latest fire

experiences in what has already been an

smoke from the fire blanketed Mills and

to challenge Mills and its commu-

eventful year: in January alone, we lost

the greater Bay Area for more than a

nity. During the Wine Country fires of

power for several hours when a high-volt-

week, leading Mills to cancel four days of

October 2017, Mills’ Alumnae Relations

age transformer failed, and separately,

classes before the Thanksgiving break,

Office reached out to those for whom we

we sheltered in place during a police

close some campus offices, and postpone

had addresses in the area to offer cam-

search after suspects fled from Oakland

or cancel many outdoor events. Our on-

pus space and services for any stop-gap

police officers onto the Mills campus. In

campus health center distributed masks

needs and to thank those assisting in

addition, Mills is a Red Cross-authorized

and advice, our facilities team moni-

rescue, shelter, and support efforts. This

staging area for local emergencies, and

tored EPA AIRNow and AirVisual apps

issue of the Quarterly includes a story

the College Officers recently completed

and checked in with nearby colleges and

on one of those alumnae, Rina Faletti

emergency operations training with

universities, and our communications

’81, who curated an art exhibition of

the Federal Emergency Management

team kept the campus community and

works by artists affected by fires across

Agency, which has prepared us to coor-

local media apprised of closures. Our

the state to commemorate the one-year

dinate effectively with outside agen-

provost supported our academic mis-

anniversary of the Napa fires. Faletti’s

cies and strengthened our on-campus

sion by coordinating with Mills’ accredi-

work is a prime example of Mills alum-

response capability capacity.

tors to ensure we could make up for lost

nae’s resilience and creative compassion.

Managing the risk of fire and other

class time appropriately and suggesting

Mills is also preparing for other risks

threats to our academic mission and

alternatives to in-person class meet-

beyond fire and learning from those

community is essential. Mills is ready.

SPRING 2019

3

Mills Matters Native activist and actor speaks on campus Members of the local native commu-

of his work with indigenous causes.

Studi’s appearance comes at a time

nity joined with the Mills Indigenous

He served overseas in the military and

when Mills is expanding its outreach to

Women’s Alliance and other guests on

returned to the United States around

prospective students from similar back-

the evening of Wednesday, January 30,

the same time as the 1969 occupation

grounds. The Native Recruitment and

for a discussion with Cherokee actor and

of Alcatraz, which sparked a new era for

Retention Initiative aims to increase

activist Wes Studi in Lisser Hall. He was

native rights. Studi later participated in

the number of native students at Mills,

introduced to the packed house by his

the occupation of Wounded Knee, South

including

manager, Alexa Pagonas ’91, who has

Dakota, in 1973.

American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and

students

who

identify

as

He said that there are connections

Alaska Natives. Kēhaulani Bauer is direc-

Natalee

between those actions and what’s hap-

tor of the initiative and invites alumnae

Kēhaulani Bauer, assistant adjunct pro-

pening today with similar movements,

who identify as native to connect by

fessor of race, gender, and sexuality

such as the protest of the Dakota Access

emailing her at nkbauer@mills.edu.

studies, Studi delved into the origins

Pipeline at Standing Rock Sioux Nation in

“We’re working on recruitment from

North and South Dakota. “The activ-

a number of directions,” she says.

ism of the ’70s was an awakening for

“Specifically, we have focused on five

many [that], luckily, my generation

sites in the Bay Area—the Peralta and

has been able to pass onto younger

Los Positas Community Colleges, Native

people–we’ve really begun to think

American Health Center, the American

of ourselves in a more positive way,”

Indian Child Resource Center, and

he said. “We [had] formed opinions

Intertribal Friendship Houses in SF

about ourselves that [weren’t] nec-

and Oakland—to reflect [the College’s]

essarily true. Because others looked

commitment to serving the local com-

upon us as third-class citizens, we

munity.” Mills student-run Indigenous

began to believe that.” In addition to

Women’s Alliance is also playing a big

his activism, he has also appeared in

role in the program, especially in regard

dozens of film and TV productions,

to retention.

represented him for more than a decade.

Interviewed

on

stage

by

including Dances with Wolves, The Last of the Mohicans, and Avatar.

Learn more about the initiative on its Twitter account, @MillsNative.

Calendar Artist Lectures All events are free.

March 20  Torreya Cumming A multimedia artist who brings together photography, sculpture, performance, and video, Cumming explores a range of topics from the interaction of history and fiction to Western life. 7:00 pm, Danforth Lecture Hall at Jane B. Aron Art Center.

April 10  Severine Neff Neff discusses composer John Cage’s “Second Construction in Metal” in the context of his mid-1930s studies with Arnold Schoenberg.

4:00 pm, Music Building Ensemble Room.

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

April 22  Gustavo Matamoros Composer Matamoros will speak about his soundscape work with David Dunn as part of their collective, Frozen Music. 7:30 pm– 9:30 pm, Music Building Ensemble Room.

Mills Music Now Concerts All events start at 8:00 pm in the Littlefield Concert Hall (unless otherwise noted). $15 general, $10 to alumnae, seniors, and non-Mills students. See musicnow.mills.edu for updated listings.

April 6  X Sound Festival

April 13  Joanna MacGregor Piano Recital For this year’s Dewing Piano Recital, pianist Joanna MacGregor performs a program of works by Beethoven, Chopin, Ginastera, and Liszt.

May 9  Student Showcase Concert

Contemporary Writers Series April 2  Critical Works in Progress Students and faculty in the creative writing program present from their critical and scholarly projects, including poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. 5:30 pm, Mills Hall Living Room.

Donors provide strong support for College programs Mills College gratefully acknowledges

works and to participate in “Mills

launch new initiatives, and meet stu-

the following gifts, grants, and pledges

Presents: Oakland Performing Arts/

dent needs more effectively.

of $50,000 or more received from July 1

Oakland Performing Humanities.”

The Hellman Foundation continued its

to December 31, 2018.

Barbara Williams ’68 and her husband, E. Paul Williams, made a gener-

support of the Hellman Foundation Math

ous pledge in memory of Dr. Robert

optimize its campus gained the support

and Science Summer Bridge Program,

Edgren, professor emeritus in psychol-

of Trustee Leslie Decker ’79 and her

which gives students the opportunity to

ogy. The endowed fund will provide

husband, Stephen Rimmer; former Mills

study STEM subjects through structured

support for student mental health

Trustee Richard Barrett and his wife,

coursework, hands-on workshops, and

services at Mills.

Elaine; and Mei Kwong ’70 and her hus-

team-building activities.

The College’s ongoing efforts to

The Bernard E. and Alba Witkin

band, Laurence Franklin. This project

The Stuart Foundation renewed

Charitable Foundation donated to the

aims to transform underutilized cam-

a grant to sustain the Mills Teacher

Mills College Children’s School, in sup-

pus spaces into community resources

Scholars Program, which prepares Bay

port of assistantships in the preschool

that bring in additional funds.

Area teachers to examine the learning

and infant care program and scholar-

process through self-directed collabora-

ships at the Children’s School. Support

tive inquiry.

from the foundation enhances profes-

The College’s project “We Are the Voices We Have Been Waiting For:

Sue Graham ’63 and her husband,

Poetry, Performance, and Public

sional development opportunities for the

Humanities” got a big boost from the

Kim Loren Graham, generously pledged

teachers who will educate young minds

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Directed

to establish the Kim and Sue Graham

and helps make quality early childhood

by Associate Provost Sheila Lloyd, the

Family Endowed Scholarship to help

education accessible to more students.

project creates opportunities for stu-

students from all backgrounds access a

dents and faculty in civic engagement,

Mills education.

Marlene Hess ’70 and her husband,

experiential learning, and participatory

A generous contribution from former trustee Barbara A. Wolfe ’65 played a key role in establishing an online

James Zirin, made a gift to Mills’

curriculum for the Master of Arts

local artists and scholars. The Mellon

Greatest Need. Their contribution helps

in Educational Leadership program,

Foundation’s support makes it possible

Mills attract and support students with

enabling students with careers and

for students to create a digital histori-

the greatest potential and enables the

families to complete the coursework for

cal archive to document local cultural

College to respond to urgent needs,

this degree in a more accessible setting.

April 9  MFA Alumnae Reading & Reception Claudia Castro Luna, MFA ’12, and Renee Macalino Rutledge, MFA ’07, return to Mills to celebrate newly admitted graduate students and read from recent works. Castro Luna, who is the poet laureate of Washington state, has written two books and is working on a third, Like Water to Drink, which is a memoir of her escape from El Salvador’s civil war. Rutledge has contributed to publications such as Mutha Magazine and Colorlines, and her first novel, The Hour of Daydreams, was a Foreword INDIES Gold Winner and a finalist for the Institute for Immigration Research New American Voices award. 5:15 pm, Mills Hall Living Room.

TIM AGUERO

action research in collaboration with

Claudia Castro Luna

Renee Macalino Rutledge

Calendar, continued on page 6 SPRING 2019

5

Audrey Tanner named VP of Enrollment and Marketing On January 22, Audrey Tanner

“I am pleased to

Until recently, Tanner was dean of

was appointed to the position

join Mills College

enrollment services at Massachusetts

of vice president for enrollment

at this exciting time

General Hospital’s Institute of

and marketing, a job that had

in Mills’ evolution.

Health Professions in Cambridge,

been filled in an interim capac-

For me, joining

Massachusetts. Before that, her career

ity by Kathy Baugher for the

Mills is an oppor-

in higher education took her to institu-

previous three years.

tunity to come full

tions such as California Institute of the

circle: the experi-

Arts, University of Saint Joseph, San

Comstock Scholar at Smith

ence of being a

Francisco Art Institute, and Dominican

College, where she earned

non-traditional

University of California. All of them

a BA in art history with Phi

student at a wom-

benefited from her perspective in

Beta Kappa distinction. She

en’s college is really

enrollment and student services, which

Tanner was an Ada

earned her EdD in higher education

what propelled me into higher educa-

is one that values diversity and inclu-

leadership from Nova Southeastern

tion as a career,” Tanner says. “I feel

sion, and seeks collaborative connection

University, and also holds additional

great resonance with the Mills mission,

with campus and community partners.

degrees or certificates in psychology,

community, and the students that

Mills College would like to thank

management, fiction writing, and mar-

Mills serves and I am eager to help

Kathy Baugher for her leadership dur-

keting. In addition, she has trained as

Mills advance and thrive through the

ing a critical time in Mills history, and

a yoga teacher and Reiki practitioner.

vital work of enrollment and marketing.”

we wish her well in her next endeavors.

Performances

Mills College Art Museum

April 10-13  A Letter to My Ex, The Musical Musician and actress Be Steadwell brings her original production depicting the breakup of a LGBTQ couple to Mills. Tickets can be purchased at www.besteadwell.com/ the-musical. 7:00 pm, Rothwell Blackbox Theater.

Frixion: 2019 Senior Thesis Exhibition April 2–19 Opening reception April 6, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm Studio art majors exhibit work in their first show in a professional art museum. The artists in Frixion use their art to examine

identity, diaspora, mental health, family, spirituality, and embodied experience.

Calendar, continued

Russell Women in Science Lecture Neuroscience, Technology, and Collaboration: A Personal View  April 10 Cori Bargmann, the Torsten N. Wiesel Professor at The Rockefeller University and head of science at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, is a renowned neuroscientist and geneticist. In this free lecture, she will speak about pushing science forward by collaborating and taking risks. 5:30 pm, Student Union.

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

PHOTO BY JULIANNA LOPE Z; DESIGN BY JOHN BORRUSO

April 11-13  MFA Thesis Concert Dancers in the second year of their MFAs perform choreographic work. Two different programs each feature the choreography of four students. 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm, Lisser Hall.

The museum is open 11:00 am–4:00 pm Tuesday through Sunday, 11:00 am–7:30 pm Wednesday, and is closed Monday. Admission is free. See mcam.mills.edu or contact 510.430.2164 or museum@mills.edu.

Campus kudos A selection of recent achievements by faculty, staff, and students An op-ed authored by Mills College CHICOR A M ARTIN

President Elizabeth L. Hillman and Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students Chicora Martin was printed by The Advocate. The piece, which appeared online on January 17, exhorts readers to push for civil rights for the LGBTQ community on a local level and mentions the College’s transgender admission policy.

The musical accomplishments of Milhaud Professor of Music Roscoe Mitchell were recognized by several organizations. The famous Parisbased Ensemble Intercontemporain performed a program of pieces by African American composers for the first time, which included Mitchell’s composition “Useful News.” He is also the recent beneficiary of the United States Artists Fellows program award of $50,000, which the organization says is intended for “recognizing artists for their contributions to the field, and allowing them to decide how

is bestowed by The ZKM | Center for

immigration. Upon the class’s return,

to best support their lives.”

Art and Media Karlsruhe in Germany.

Professor of Biology Lisa Urry and

Along with the other three members

As part of a January Term course

student Ma’kaya Washington spoke

of The Hub, a computer network “band,”

called Borderlands: An Immersive

about their experiences on the air

Professor of Music John Bischoff and

Experience, 11 students headed

for Oakland’s KTVU television sta-

Professor Emeritus of Music Chris

down to the border towns of Nogales,

tion. Other media coverage of the

Brown were named the recipients of

Arizona, and Nogales, Sonora, Mexico,

class included a piece on KCBS radio.

the Giga-Hertz Award. The honor recog-

to learn more about the many issues

Read students’ blogs about the trip at

nizes excellence in electronic music and

involved in the current debate over

tinyurl.com/mills-borderlands.

New courses heading to Mills catalog There will be 12 new courses in classrooms this fall when the 2019–20 school year gets underway. The innovative slate of classes includes: • Tropical Marine Conservation • Innovation in Social, Business,

• Music History and Culture Seminar • Financial Derivatives • California Community College Finance

The epidemiology course will be taught by Mi-Kyung (Miki) Hong ’95 and reflects many of the issues that face neighbors of the College in the Oakland and East Bay area.

• Fundamentals of Epidemiology and Social Justice Health

and Governmental Organizations

SPRING 2019

7

JULIA DA SHE

Growing Roots

The campus farm connects students with community, environment, and history By Dawn Cunningham ’85 ON A SUNNY SLOPE NEAR RICHARDS GATE,

cate program in sustainable urban agriculture

a cornucopia spreads across two acres of campus.

at San Diego City College. “For most of the stu-

Collards and kale, chard and beets grow in neatly

dents working here, it’s the first time they’ve ever

mulched rows. A soft hum emanates from honey-

farmed.”

bee hives, while scents of lemon verbena and sage

Every Wednesday, 25 students gather under

waft up from herb beds. Tomatoes, peppers, egg-

the canopy of a majestic oak tree for Dashe’s

plants, and more will ripen in the summer along-

farm practicum class, sitting on hay bales as she

side flowers blooming in every hue. In a couple

explains organic farming methods such as per-

more years, a terraced orchard of young trees will

maculture and French intensive gardening. They

yield apples, citrus, stone fruit, and other treats.

discuss the relationship of farming to the issues

But the most important growth nurtured at the Mills Community Farm is human. “The farm

of environmental sustainability and the effect of race and class on people’s access to food.

serves as an outdoor laboratory where Mills stu-

“Students are excited about growing food for

dents can come together and exchange ideas

the community,” Dashe observes. “And they’re

about issues like food justice, find solutions, and

really interested in social justice and how that

make their own connections to the land,” says

relates to food.” Together with a dozen paid stu-

Farm Manager Julia Dashe, who came to Mills

dent workers, Dashe and her class handle all the

in 2018 after founding and directing a certifi-

farm chores, from composting to transplanting

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

Opposite, top: Farm Manager Julia Dashe shows alumnae around the farm at last fall’s Reunion. Bottom: Students sell the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor at a weekly farm stand outside the Tea Shop.

Welcome to the Farm Spring brings several occasions for alumnae and the public to experience and support the Mills Community Farm: PLANT SALE & FARM FESTIVAL

April 27, 10:00 am–2:00 pm, Mills Community Farm Enjoy food, music, all-ages art activities, and hands-on gardening.

Bring home plants for your garden and produce for your table.

The farm is located to the right of Richards Gate when entering campus. RSVP to jdashe@mills.edu.

FARM STAND

Thursdays, 12:00 pm–2:00 pm, Suzanne Adams Plaza Support farming at Mills by purchasing fresh organic vegetables, herbs, and flowers from the weekly stand outside the Tea Shop.

OPPORTUNITIES TO VOLUNTEER

Whether you want to get your hands dirty or focus on social media, the farm has a place for you! Contact Julia Dashe at jdashe@mills.edu or 510.430.2230.

JULIA DA SHE

TERESA TA M

SPRING 2019

9

to harvesting. They sell produce and flowers to

Meadow Halls now stand, while kitchen gardens

the community at a farm stand outside the Tea

and pastures occupied the slopes near today’s

Shop each Thursday. They also sell vegetables

Founders Commons.

directly to Bon Appétit—the company that runs

As industrialization transformed the scale of

the College’s dining halls—and neighborhood

agriculture across the country, Mills—like many

eateries Communitē Table and Sequoia Diner.

other liberal arts colleges—gave up on the cam-

Unsold produce goes to the Mills Pantry, which

pus farm. For much of the 20th century, agri-

provides free food to students in need.

cultural science remained the domain of large

Mills borders an area of East Oakland where

land-grant universities. But around the end of

supermarkets are scarce and fresh produce is

the century, a new trend emerged: students at

in short supply. Yet this land produced food for

Dartmouth, Pomona, Middlebury, and Bowdoin

centuries: The native Ohlone people would peri-

Colleges, among others, took the initiative to

odically set fires in the meadows here to encour-

break ground for organic farms that enabled

age the growth of grasses that attracted game,

them to explore environmentally sustainable

such as elk and deer. Spanish colonizers brought

ways of producing food.

longhorn cattle to nearby meadows, which they

“The rise in college farms reflects a grow-

incorporated into the East Bay’s vast Rancho San

ing awareness of the connection between food

Antonio. After College namesakes Cyrus and

systems and people’s health and environmental

Susan Mills purchased a tract of the former ranch

degradation,” explains Karen Fiene, director of

in 1871 and relocated their women’s seminary

construction, compliance, and sustainability at

from Benicia to Oakland, they maintained a farm

Mills. “At the same time, colleges are realizing

with grain fields and a dairy herd to feed stu-

that farms are a big draw for students. They help

dents and faculty. As late as 1916, a large orchard

with student retention and provide practical

spread over the area where Olney and Orchard

experience and service learning opportunities.”

“Before I came to Mills, I had never experienced organic farming or thought about planting a native pollinator garden. The farm gave me more of a purpose.” –Coco Kennedy ’18 JULIA DA SHE

Students grow a wide range of produce at the farm, including this rainbow of tomatoes.

10

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

Mills students began reclaiming the campus’s

not only support the farm’s productivity and stu-

agricultural heritage a decade ago, when volun-

dents’ hands-on learning, but also help make the

teers planted a small community garden within

farm a welcoming place for community groups

the College’s botanical garden. In 2010, Lauren

to visit. Volunteer organizations have dedicated

Messmer, MBA ’11, wrote a thesis proposing a

workdays to the farm and grade school groups

larger campus farm to provide food for the din-

have learned about organic gardening.

ing halls as well as educational opportunities for

Mills students continue to make a profound

students. In the same year, graduating seniors

impact on the evolution of the farm and to learn

designated their class gift to the farm’s develop-

new skills in the process. Coco Kennedy ’18, an

ment. Former president Alecia A. DeCoudreaux,

experienced beekeeper who transferred to the

an early advocate for those goals, allotted the

College as an undergraduate in 2016, says, “I

current site for the project, and students began

thought it would be great to have honeybee hives

cultivating a small vegetable garden there.

on the farm. Alisha helped me make that happen.”

In 2015, the Clarence E. Heller Charitable

Kennedy soon found herself doing much more.

Foundation funded creation of a master plan for

She learned to write grant applications, one of

the farm, envisioned as a “place that demonstrates

which enabled the farm to win a $5,000 grant

the values of Mills College—leadership, social jus-

from the Bayer Feed a Bee initiative. She contin-

tice, and equity.” The plan showed how the farm

ued to assist with the project after graduating last

could not only be financially and environmen-

year, working with Dashe to plant native flora that

tally sustainable, but also serve as a learning hub

support native bees, nature’s most efficient polli-

for students and a community hub connecting

nators. “Before I came to Mills, I had never experi-

the College with its neighbors. A major gift from

enced organic farming or thought about planting

the former chair of the Mills board of trustees,

a native pollinator garden,” she explains. “The

Kathleen Burke, and her husband, Ralph Davis,

farm gave me more of a purpose, more ideas about

enabled intensive development of the site to

where I wanted to take my interest in beekeep-

begin in 2016 under the direction of the farm’s

ing. Now I want to focus people’s attention on the

first manager, Alisha Strater. Last year, Strater

importance of native bees to growing food and of

enrolled as a student at Mills and handed off

helping these bees survive climate change.”

responsibilities to Dashe.

Coco Kennedy ’18 (left) established honeybee hives on the campus farm and later helped plant a pollinator garden to support the role of native bees in the ecosystem.

Recalling her student days on the farm, she

Today, alongside the orchard and garden

says, “The minute I stepped on this little piece of

beds, the farm contains a greenhouse, kitchen,

land, I knew it was special. There are a lot of stu-

toolshed, irrigation equipment, solar panels for

dents at Mills who’ve never had the opportunity

electricity, and an artistic metal gate forged by

to put their hands in the dirt. But they really fall

sculpture students and faculty. These facilities

in love with it here.” ◆ SPRING 2019

11

EDWARD MU Y BRIDGE

CAMPUS

An Ever-Evolving

L

Mills Hall, 1871

IKE ANY LIVING ORGANISM, a college campus

The history of how the campus came to be as

grows and matures over its lifetime, and that is

it is now is a long and storied one—one that we

abundantly clear at Mills. Early maps of the cur-

attempt to document over these next three pages.

rent campus, which was established in 1871 after

We took a deep dive into the Mills archive and

the College’s move from its original location in

previous issues of the Quarterly, and each of the

Benicia, show a much narrower tract of land than

buildings listed could easily fill an article by itself.

what modern-day students might recognize. The

(For example, did you know that the delegates to

wedge that hosts today’s only campus entry on

the 1945 San Francisco conference that led to the

Richards Road was not part of that initial pur-

creation of the United Nations used Carnegie Hall

chase, and the southern edge of the Mills prop-

as their official library?)

erty went well beyond Faculty Village, ending several blocks southwest.

And that history, as it’s recounted here, doesn’t even cover several historic buildings that came

Beyond that, though, how the campus has been

down over the years, mostly because of structural

used has also evolved in the nearly 150 years since

damage (or the fear of it), such as Tolman House,

Mills came to Oakland. In the beginning, there

College Hall, and Nathaniel Gray Hall of Science.

was Mills Hall, which served nearly every purpose

Their omission from this piece is simply a matter

needed on campus. Today, there are more than 50

of space.

buildings and complexes devoted to educating and housing the College’s students and faculty.

A 2008 report titled Celebrating the Cultural Landscape Heritage of Mills College lays out three eras in the evolution of the current Mills campus: 1871–1916, driven by College founders Cyrus and Susan Mills and their partnership with renowned architect Julia Morgan; 1916–1949, characterized

by President Aurelia Henry Reinhardt’s work with

By Allison Rost

campus architect Walter Ratcliff, Jr.; and 1949 to present, which has been marked by a variety of leaders and approaches to campus growth. Much like the city and state surrounding it, the one constant at Mills is change.

Top: The Gathering Hall in the Lokey School of Business and Public Policy is a prime example of a modern, tech-enabled space on the Mills campus.

Left: The old gymnasium was removed due to earthquake damage, making way for today’s Rothwell Center; the pool became a plaza in the 1990s.

12

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

1. President’s House: This started its life as Spring Cottage, which was part of the original property before Mills College relocated to Oakland. It was faculty housing until 1916 when Aurelia Henry Reinhardt commissioned the architects Bakewell & Brown to make it into a home. It’s been relocated twice over its life span, moving to its current spot when what’s now the Aron Art Center expanded into a larger footprint.

2. Lisser Hall: This stately building has been a performing arts facility since its opening in 1901, with three major renovations—including one that was completed in 2018. (See the winter 2019 Quarterly for more on this project!)

3. Rothwell Center: While the complex didn’t get its current name until 1969, it took shape in 1916 with the opening of Alumnae Hall, a Julia

Morgan-designed building that now serves as the Student Union.

A gymnasium and an outdoor pool were added in the early 1920s, but the gymnasium was later demolished due to earthquake damage. The pool remained until the 1990s, replaced by what is now the Suzanne M. Adams Plaza, along with the seismicallysound structure that contains the Tea Shop and Mail & Copy Center.

4. Larsen House & Ross House: These Victorian cottages were built in approximately 1871 and served as housing in early Mills days for immigrants who worked in the dining halls. The structures were repurposed in the mid-1990s as co-ops for on-campus student living, which they still are today. Larsen House is the sustainability building, while Ross provides a quiet living space for residents with disabilities.

A

Z

D

A

RS

KI

1916

Top: Carnegie Hall; Middle: Spring Cottage; Below: Kapiolani Cottage

5. Mills Hall: In 1871, Mills Hall was Mills College (or Mills Seminary, as it was known then), containing every classroom, office, and dorm room. Soon enough, the burgeoning school outgrew those French Second Empire-style walls, and new academic and residential buildings popped up to contain the growth.

The last students moved out of Mills Hall by the time of its centennial in 1971, and the top two floors were shut down. The Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 did extensive damage to the building, but after a $5-million revitalization effort, Mills Hall reopened in 1994. It is still the beating heart of campus, containing classrooms, faculty offices, and administrative departments, including the President’s Office.

RT

EN

6. Sage Hall: The only remaining original element of this building, constructed in the late 19th century, is a section of vaulted roof above what is now the cashier’s office. Sage Hall was the College’s first free-standing library until the collections outgrew the small building just 15 years later, and longtime campus architect Walter Ratcliff, Jr., designed a new administrative structure that swallowed it up in the 1920s. That building now houses a number of offices, including human resources and finance.

7. Kapi’olani Cottage: Another Julia Morgan building that was completed in 1909, Kapi’olani Cottage (built with funds raised by students from Hawai’i) has served a number of purposes. In its early years, it was the campus infirmary, then it became a residence for missionary travelers and campus caretakers. The cottage now contains offices for the campus architect, sustainability coordinator, and the associate vice president for operations.

8. El Campanil: With its steelreinforced concrete, Julia Morgan’s first project at the College in 1904 survived the great earthquake two years later, leading to a booming business for its architect. The bells were originally cast for a California display at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

9. Carnegie Hall: Yes, it’s named for that Carnegie, or rather his daughter, Margaret. Andrew Carnegie crisscrossed the United States in the early 1900s funding library projects, and Mills desperately needed one to replace the overflowing Sage Library.

Built in 1906, Carnegie Hall later received multiple additions to contain the expanding collections before they moved to the F.W. Olin Library in 1990. Carnegie—the original building and its extensions—is now home to a number of support offices, such as the registrar and the M Center, which handle student records and accounts.

SPRING 2019

13

1949

2. Richards Lodge: This slight structure once marked the campus entrance from Hopkins Street (later MacArthur Boulevard). After the College acquired the last strip of land along the west edge of campus, the actual gate outside the lodge was dismantled and reconstructed right off the street, but the lodge remained and was renamed Richards—along with the gate and entry road—after Grace Camden Richards, who funded the reconfiguration. The lodge now houses the offices of the Dance Department.

3. Music Building: An impressive presence along Richards Road, the Music Building was completed in 1928 with 31,000 square feet of space designed by Walter Ratcliff in an elaborate Spanish colonial style.

Muralist Raymond Boynton created the vivid frescoes that decorate the ceiling inside. Those works of art and the building itself were restored in 2008 with a full seismic and accessibility upgrade, the removal of a skylight to improve acoustics, and the installation of a state-of-theart sound system.

ROBERT JOHN WRIGHT

1. Julia Morgan School for Girls: The eponymous architect designed the several structures here in 1924 separate from her partnership with Mills. The buildings first served as the Ming Quong Home for Chinese Orphans, but then came under the College’s jurisdiction in 1936. Renamed Alderwood Hall and Geranium Cottage, the area became the Graduate House until 1960, an undergraduate dorm for the nine years after that, and later served as the Mills Conference Center. The Julia Morgan School for Girls has resided in this building complex for 16 years.

N DA A R T ZE

8. Ethel Moore/Mary Morse Halls: A rapidly growing student body is what prompted the establishment of these twin residence halls. Ethel Moore came along first in 1926, and Mary Morse followed with a similar layout in 1935.

Both buildings still house students, though some areas—like the dining rooms—are no longer in use.

Top: Reinhardt Alumnae House; Below: Richards Lodge

5. Art Museum/Aron Art Center: What is now a sprawling complex started as just the museum space, then known as the Art Gallery, in 1925. It was originally designed and constructed to face north to better interface with a former streetcar line.

Along with a new entry, additional studio spaces were installed, later razed and replaced by the Aron Art Center. The museum itself gained a new wing in the mid-2000s.

14

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

6. Reinhardt Alumnae House: As a mid-century modern structure, RAH stands out on the Mills campus.

Built in 1949 by the AAMC and named in memory of Aurelia Reinhardt, the house has always served as a meeting place for alumnae, who had previously scraped together space in the old gymnasium. Today, the office space is shared by the AAMC and the Office of Institutional Advancement’s Alumnae Relations and Annual Fund team. Events regularly take place in the building’s “living room,” and the AAMC recently sponsored a full renovation of the kitchen.

RAH always has been and always will be a home on campus for Mills alumnae.

7. Vera M. Long Building for the Social Sciences: This is one of the many structures on campus that began life as a health clinic! The Norman Bridge Health Center opened in 1930 in a building renowned for its unique design by the American Institute of Architects.

After the health center moved to Cowell, the building became a home for the education department and the Mills College Children’s School.

When those relocated in 2000, the Social Sciences Division moved in.

It took a $3.3-million renovation to turn it into the building we know today: the Vera M. Long Building for the Social Sciences.

M ARTIN J. COONE Y

4. Orchard Meadow & Warren Olney Halls: As many alumnae recall, these were originally three separate residence halls, with Olney completed in 1917, Orchard Hall in 1919, and Meadow Hall in 1921. They were renovated and upgraded over the years, with one big change being the internal joining of all three buildings with a large kitchen and two ornate dining rooms during Walter Ratcliff’s time, and an accessibility upgrade in the early 2000s.

R SK I

9. Faculty Village: This complex dedicated to housing Mills professors started as a group of nine single-family and duplex homes built between 1928 and 1940—with the first few constructed by faculty members themselves. Additional units were later added, and this area still serves the same purpose today.

10. Kimball House: Mills purchased this private home in 1921 and moved it onto campus to serve as the home for the Music Department. After the Music Building was completed, it was one of several structures to house the Social Sciences Division. It now contains the administrative offices for the Graduate School of Education.

11. Wetmore Lodge: In 1925, a new entry to the Mills campus and lodge were constructed on the southern edge of campus and named after Mary Camden Wetmore, whose generosity led to their establishment.

After the Wetmore Gate closed, the lodge remained, later welcoming young students as the K-3 school and to worshippers as the Chapel. It is currently rented out as a performance space to community groups.

2019

2. Haas Pavilion: After the original gymnasium was damaged in an earthquake, more space was needed for physical education and dance classes. The pavilion, which was partially constructed underground, opened in 1971 with a large convertible auditorium, several studios and classrooms, and a space for costumes. The nearby soccer fields were added in the 1990s, and the adjoining Trefethen Aquatic Center opened in 1998.

3. Lokey School of Business and Public Policy: This modern building incorporates large expanses of glass, a quartzite stone wall, and a “green” roof—among other innovations that qualified it for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold ranking. It was also at least four times as large as the existing space for the business school in Reinhardt Hall when it opened 10 years ago.

4. F.W. Olin Library: The fourth building to house the College’s library, the airy space opened in 1990 with 280 working spaces for students and faculty.

ARIEL THOM A S

1. Chapel: Built in 1967, this unique structure appears to be floating in a raised garden with views to the trees and a labyrinth beyond.

Top: Olin Library; Right: Prospect Hill

ARIEL THOM A S

Lokey School of Business and Public Policy

5. White/Reinhardt/Ege Halls: When Mills Hall closed to on-campus residents in 1971, those students needed a place to go, so these three new buildings took over. White Hall is still partially a residence hall, though it’s also the home for some in the Office for Institutional Advancement. Reinhardt was the Graduate School of Business until Lokey opened in 2009. Ege is currently rented out as needed to outside organizations such Girls Leadership summer camps.

6. Founders Commons: After dining in residence halls ended in the mid-to-late 1990s, this hall— built in 1970 to feed residents in White, Reinhardt, and Ege Halls—became the main spot for on-campus meals.

7. Apartments: Several buildings provide on-campus apartments to non-traditional students (such as resumers). The first of those was the Underwood Apartments along Underwood Avenue, providing another way to access the southern edge of campus from Richards Gate.

Prospect Hill opened in 1993 for 32 students, and the nearby Courtyard Townhouses were dedicated in 2006 to housing an additional 95 residents.

GOOG

TH LE E A R

11. CPM: While this 1971 building was named for the three departments it initially contained— chemistry, physics, and math— it should be called the M today!

Chemistry and physics moved to NSB’s expanded space in 2007, leaving classrooms and offices for the Department of Public Safety and student health as well as the Mills Children’s School and the Book Art Program.

8. Cowell Building: While originally built as a health center/ hospital complex in 1966, this is now the spot where you can find the dean of students and a whole slew of student services.

9. Lucie Stern Hall: This unique building was constructed in 1965 as a lecture hall with four seminar rooms. It now houses the College’s IT department, and its classrooms have been outfitted with the latest in computer technology for instructional purposes.

10. Betty Irene Moore Natural Sciences Building: This complex, also known as NSB, is an amalgamation of several structures— a few classroom wings from the 1940s, a larger building with labs and research facilities from the early 1980s, and a 26,000 square-foot facility that replaced the main entrance and opened in 2007. It was the first construction on campus to earn the LEED platinum certification, which it did with eco-friendly features, including a rainwater reuse system.

12. Education Complex/ Children’s School: Dedicated in 2000, this series of buildings not only allowed Mills to increase enrollment in the popular Educational Leadership Program, but it reflected a Spanish “revival” style to match much of the rest of campus.

Thank you to Library Director Janice Braun; Director of Construction, Compliance, and Sustainability Karen Fiene; and Vice President for Strategic Partnerships Renee Jadushlever for their help in researchng this story.

SPRING 2019

15

Fire and Water

After spending much of her professional life exploring the role water plays in her home state, art curator Rina Faletti ’81 comes up against its polar opposite in the Wine Country fires.

WRITER: RACHEL LEIBROCK, MFA ’04 / PHOTOGRAPHER: TERESA TAM

16

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

R

Left: A piece of metal melted by the 2017 Wine Country fires drips down a wall between two photographs

by Jeff Frost. All were on view at First Street Napa as part of Art Responds: The Wine Country Fires.

Below: Rina Faletti ‘81, who curated the exhibit, guides visitors during a tour on December 9, 2018.

INA FALETTI ’81 sat in a cramped

The illustrations were

hotel room, distraught and afraid. It was

part of Art

October 2017 and, miles away, her fam-

The Wine Country Fires,

ily’s newly built house stood directly in

an 11-artist exhibition

the path of a firestorm.

that debuted nearly a

Responds:

Just two days earlier, Faletti had

year to the day after a

evacuated, along with her husband and

series of wildfires tore

daughter, forced out by the deadly Wine

through

Country wildfires.

of Napa, Sonoma, Lake,

It would be days before they learned

large

swaths

Mendocino, Butte, and

the fate of their home, perched in the

Solano

Mayacamas Mountains above Glen Ellen,

fires burned more than

about 20 miles northwest of Napa. But

200,000 acres, destroyed

Faletti already had an idea, one that

thousands

would pull her through months of uncer-

and killed more than 40

tainty and rebuilding.

people.

As an art curator and environmental

Counties.

Faletti

of

homes,

conceived in

Responds

The

of that

historian, Faletti has studied California’s

Art

waterworks infrastructure for years,

hotel room just days

curating exhibits that document the

after the fires broke out.

effects of humankind on the state’s geog-

Breathtaking in scope,

raphy and climate change. The Wine

the finished collection

Country wildfires, however, shifted her

included

focus from one of nature’s elements to

large-scale installations,

another—and helped her bring together

stunning

the local creative community.

photography, and inti-

impressive time-lapse

A year after that terrifying moment,

mate portrayals of things found adrift in

For Faletti, the works displayed in Art

Faletti paused before a wall in a tem-

the ashes. Each piece represented a par-

Responds represent those stages, whether

porary Napa art gallery and pointed to

ticular experience and point of view; col-

they visually position the viewer directly

a series of graphic illustrations that, in

lectively, the whole spoke to an effort to

in the flames or their aftermath. “You

part, are a realization of her idea. Starkly

face the fire’s destruction and aftermath.

don’t have to feel the flames, but you

rendered, some of the images are black

The exhibition also included photo-

sure feel what happened,” she said about

and white, others full color. In one,

graphs submitted by the public, each

the pieces. “That’s what it is: it’s being in

people watch as flames roar in the dis-

depicting various levels of loss and

it, and [the artists] did that in an amaz-

tant hills. In another, a family escapes

destruction, as well as two films that

ing, very kinesthetic, visceral, and emo-

as wildfire threatens to consume their

framed the fire’s story in distinct ways.

tional way.”

home; yet another highlights one man’s

Kevin White and Stephen Most’s

For Faletti the exhibition is, of course,

grim realization that everything’s gone.

Wilder Than Wild: Fire, Forests and the

deeply personal. After she and her hus-

“There’s nothing left,” he says, a bewil-

Future trained a documentary lens on

band, David Huang, and their 9-year-old

dered sense of loss on his face.

the 2013 Rim Fire that burned through

daughter, Xochi Huang-Faletti, evacu-

from

Stanislaus National Forest, as well as

ated, she plummeted into a state of

Brian Fies’s just-released graphic novel,

the Wine Country fires, using both to

depression.

A Fire Story, document the immediacy of

address bigger issues about climate

“It was almost a feeling of ‘I can’t do

the Wine Country fires and their devas-

change, fire suppression, science, and

anything. I have no control over this,’”

tating aftermath.

indigenous traditions. Correspondingly,

she said.

The

illustrations,

excerpted

“If you get up close, you’ll see Brian

Jeff Frost’s California on Fire assembled

She and her family finally made it

telling the story in his own way but also

500,000 still photographs to move the

back up the mountain where they found

in way that includes us and allows us to

viewer through a time-lapse art piece

their house miraculously intact. Still,

feel,” Faletti said, addressing the group

that chronicled the five stages of grief:

the trees, land, and utilities around their

that gathered with her on a chilly Sunday

denial, anger, bargaining, depression,

property were so damaged that they’d

evening at the pop-up gallery space.

and acceptance.

spend seven months living in a hotel.

SPRING 2019

17

That’s where Faletti first started working on Art Responds.

Her journey to the exhibit, however, goes back much further—decades, in fact.

Springs and Streams As a child growing up in San Jose and Reedley, a small California town along the Kings River just outside of Fresno, Faletti spent summers on long road trips in a station wagon with her parents, taking in the state’s vast landscapes.

“My childhood was informed by seeing the results of the post-Depressionera big New Deal waterworks systems,” she said.

Faletti remembers a sense of wonder upon visiting such structures. One trip to the San Luis Dam, in Merced County, left a particularly strong impression.

A charred typewriter, found in the burnt-out remains of photographer Norma Quintana’s home, plays a key role in her Forage From Fire series.

“It’s just ingrained in my brain, seeing these teensy, little ant-sized yellow giant

Ultimately, this keen interest in the

tractors on this dam face and looking so

state’s water systems defined Faletti’s

small,” she said. “I was overwhelmed by

academic

work,

advisers] with all these super awesome,

the scale of landscape.”

and

professional

frustrated her.

“I kept coming to [my dissertation

although it would take years to realize it.

art historical projects—I had a whole

Faletti’s parents also instilled in her

She majored in English at Mills and

thing on Picasso’s female figures,” she

a respect for nature. There were hikes

remembers her experience there as a rich

said. “They’d say, ‘Yes, it’s a great project,

along the John Muir Trail, which mean-

“humanities education,” taking classes

but it’s not really you.’”

ders through the Sierra Nevada moun-

across a diverse spectrum. Art, however,

tain range, and trips to a Central Valley

wasn’t part of her chosen curriculum.

campground, where her grandparents

Although she loved the subject and oth-

“My adviser said to me, ‘Where’s the

leased a spot.

ers encouraged her to take related classes,

water?’ and I said, ‘What are you talking

Faletti says she shied away from it because

about?’” she recalled.

During these journeys, Faletti forged an interest in all things water, particularly

it didn’t fit into her professional path.

Instead, they nudged her in another direction.

As it turned out, water already flowed everywhere in Faletti’s body of academic papers: ancient Roman aqueducts, water

“ You don’t have to feel the flames, but you sure feel what happened.” –RINA FALETTI ’81

imagery in ancient pictograph manuscripts, an examination of Renaissance fountains.

Her resulting dissertation, “Undercurrents of Urban Modernism: Water, Architecture, and Landscape in Cali-

watersheds—areas or ridges of land that

Instead, after graduation Faletti taught

fornia and the American West,” set the

separate waters flowing to various rivers,

high school English for 10 years. She

groundwork for her next chapter, a

basins, and oceans.

enjoyed the classroom experience but

two-year post-doctoral fellowship at the

“Not only did I see it—the water

decided to follow a different calling and

Center for Humanities at the University

impounded and collected and distrib-

enrolled in an art history program at the

of California, Merced, where she taught

uted at the Central Valley level, and sea

University of Texas at Austin.

faculty and students how to use visual

level—but I was also seeing the dams

She didn’t know it at first, but eventu-

exhibitions to instruct on interdisciplin-

built in the late 19th century, early 20th

ally that early love for California’s water-

ary issues related to water and the envi-

century,” she said. “I was informed by the

sheds would ultimately shape Faletti’s

ronment in the state.

watershed and its use from a very young

master’s degree, PhD, and curatorial work.

It’s this role, Faletti said, that finally

age. Water was just always there in my

She can laugh about it now, but those

connected her love of art with her inter-

days of intellectual struggling initially

est in the environment. It also estab-

life and on the ground.”

18

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

lished her position as an “environmental

approached her with the idea for Art

humanist,” with a mission to approach

Responds.

the impact of climate change with an

partially funded through fire recovery

eye toward anthropology, urban studies,

grants, ultimately meant different things

and fine art.

to each viewer, she said.

“All of those things help us find a com-

The

resulting

exhibition,

aerial images gave a bird’s-eye view of the same forests atop the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains.

Downey said Art Responds proved itself a way to heal as well as jump-start

“She was really able to weave a story

important discussions.

that brought all of this together,” Dodd

“All of us tried to find our own per-

Faletti followed her fellowship, which

said. “Some people couldn’t [view it]; it

sonal way to process it, and what we

ended in summer 2017, with a new role

was too hard. For others, it was cathar-

did was create a whole new, substantial

at UC Merced as a project researcher in

tic—it was what they needed.”

body of work about fire,” Downey said.

mon language,” she said.

the university’s Global Arts Studies pro-

A sense of artistic catharsis was evi-

“You’re seeing a great deal of considered

gram. It was around this time, too, that

dent within many of the exhibit’s pieces.

work about the topic, about the way fire

she started working on an exhibit on

Art Responds included four artists who

is connected to the environment.”

California’s watersheds.

lost their homes in the blazes, includ-

For Faletti, currently at work on a

ing documentary photographer Norma

book that will use art to address water

Quintana.

and the environment in California, it’s a

The Wine Country fires, however, changed her focus.

The River Bed

Before the blazes, Quintana only

way to help people more clearly under-

worked in film photography. Afterwards,

stand the issues through the lens of art

Back in that hotel room, Faletti soon

with

and the humanities.

both

her

home

and

studio

connected her watershed research to the more pressing issue in front of her.

Suddenly, the exhibition she’d envisioned on 1950s-era waterworks constructions and other large bodies of water no longer resonated quite so strongly.

Instead, she turned to a friend. Linda Gass, a Bay Area textile and glass artist, had already crafted Reclamation, a vibrant silk textile. The piece, simple yet evocative with carefully stitched waves of purple land and bursting orange flames, reinforced Faletti’s thoughts on climate change and helped shift the direction of her exhibit.

“We’re so darned fearful of fire in California—not just for the obvious reasons, but because it’s seriously threatening the watershed,” Faletti said.

Drought, erosion, and the resulting damages to landscape and flora are central ways we interpret what’s hap-

Jennifer Busta with the Alpha Omega Winery Foundation takes a closer look at Severely Burned: Impact of the Rim Fire on the Tuolumne River Watershed, a textile art piece by Linda Gass.

pening with water, she explained, and they’re integrally part of our conversa-

destroyed, she picked up her iPhone to

tions on fire.

document what she found in the ashes.

Though she said her expertise on the

“That’s the voice of the future for these problems,” she says.

The resulting series of photos, titled

It is also, of course, about moving

relationship between watersheds and

Forage From Fire, documented fam-

through all those stages of grief. To that

fire might be unique, she also knew oth-

ily heirlooms, tools, photos, and other

end, Faletti says that—in a way—she’s

ers would likely be interested.

objects, each piece placed against the

reached acceptance.

“If it hit me like a flash of lightning, then the dots are going to connect for every-

backdrop of a black hazmat glove.

“You can’t just sit back and say, ‘OK,

Elsewhere, Julia Crane’s wall-sized

I’ve accepted that, that happened, put

Memory of the Trees used ash, charcoal,

that in a box, put it away. Now I’ll move

Olivia Dodd, then-president and CEO

and charred earth on paper to reflect,

on,’” she says. “It has to be, ‘I have to run

of the Napa Valley Arts Council, rec-

up close, detailed landscape damage,

into the fire, so to speak, and find out

ognized that correlation when Faletti

while photographer Lowell Downey’s

what’s there.’” ◆

body else at some point too,” she said.

SPRING 2019

19

AAMC NEWS & NOTES A Message from the AAMC President One of the joys of serving as president of the Alumnae

fundraiser for the Audrey Gibney Endowed Scholarship for

Association of Mills College (AAMC) is being able to work

Mills Promise Students, which grants scholarships in accor-

alongside governors, alumnae, and students who are commit-

dance with the Oakland Promise initiative started by Oakland

ted to supporting the mission and needs of the College and to

Mayor Libby Schaaf. The event celebrated the release of

strengthening the partnership between the AAMC and Mills.

Maxine Gordon’s Sophisticated Giant: the Life and Legacy of

In the fall, I had the pleasure of watching Pierre Loving ’77

Dexter Gordon, and featured a great lineup of film clips, a panel

mastermind the renovation of the Reinhardt Alumnae House

discussion, and musical performances celebrating Dexter’s life

(RAH) kitchen. She is a perfectionist with an artistic flair who

and work. Our very own President Beth Hillman played the

knows a lot about construction, and my various trips with

saxophone!

her to pick out appliances and cabinetry were great fun. The

It is always wonderful to see you on campus for events such as

AAMC and the College are truly indebted to Pierre for her tire-

these! I hope to see you at Commencement on Saturday, May 18,

less service to this project. Our beautifully renovated kitchen

as we celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates, followed

makes RAH a more appealing place for alumnae and others to

by lunch and, at 1:30 pm, the annual meeting of the AAMC. I must finally add that this is the time of year to play your

hold events.

In addition, a group of Mills MBA students—including

part in electing our next alumna trustee. Details of the voting

Eleanor Strader ’13, MBA ’18, the AAMC’s graduate assistant

process are in this issue of the Quarterly, as well as online at

last fall—developed a plan for the AAMC to market RAH as a

alumnae.mills.edu/alumna-trustee-ballot. If you are interested

rental venue. Their ideas will help us increase rental revenues

in serving on the Board of Governors, nominations are due

that benefit the AAMC and the College.

April 8. Guidelines for nominating are available at aamc.mills

In December, the Alumnae Student Relations Committee

.edu in the “Leadership” section. Additionally, if you are inter-

distributed snack bags to 150 students during finals week and

ested in serving on any of our committees, I encourage you to

partnered with the College’s alumnae relations team to host our

visit the AAMC website to check them out.

Winter Celebration to acknowledge mid-year graduates. The

Acting as president of the AAMC is both challenging and

celebration was a festive time with many graduating students,

fulfilling. The best part is that I get to share the joy that all of

family members, governors, and college officers in attendance.

us feel in being able to serve our cherished alma mater.

In January, Alexa Pagonas ’91 invited acclaimed actor and activist Wes Studi to campus for a presentation in Mills

All my best,

College’s newly renovated performing arts center, Lisser Hall.

Viji Nakka-Cammauf, MA ’82

In February, Black History Month, Pierre Loving organized a

President, Alumnae Association of Mills College

AAMC president re-elected At its December meeting, the AAMC

implements the 2017 Memorandum of

Board of Governors enthusiastically re-

Collaboration and Agreement (MOC)

elected Viji Nakka-Cammauf, MA ’82, to

with Mills College.

serve as president of the association for a

The governors are committed to build-

second term of up to three years, begin-

ing a stronger and more vital AAMC and

ning on July 1. The governors deeply

to fulfilling their commitment to the

appreciate Viji’s willingness to accept this

College, in accordance with the AAMC

charge, which provides the board with

bylaws and the MOC. We welcome all

the stability and time it needs to develop

those interested in serving the AAMC

future leaders and to undertake a review

in any capacity—including as governors

of the duties of the president, a volun-

for the 2019–22 term—to contact us at

teer position. These responsibilities have

aamc@mills.edu. Nominations for gover-

been growing considerably as the AAMC

nors are due on April 8.

20

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

All alumnae are invited to the

AAMC Annual Meeting Saturday, May 18 1:30 pm (after Commencement) Reinhardt Alumnae House Hear an update on AAMC activities, learn the results of the alumna trustee election, and choose candidates for critical roles on the Board of Governors. To robe up for the Commencement procession, arrive at 8:00 am.

RAH kitchen receives Loving upgrade Built in 1949 with funding from Mills

meeting frequently with Karen Fiene,

is a state-of-the-art contemporary kitchen

alumnae, Reinhardt Alumnae House

the College’s architect. She recruited

with top-of-the-line appliances, made

(RAH)

architect

architectural firm Stevens & Associates

possible by the Gibney Trust as well as

Clarence Mayhew to serve as the cam-

to create the preliminary drawings of

generous donations from Orange County

pus home of the Alumnae Association of

the project, and after interviewing 12

Mills College Alumnae, Los Angeles Mills

Mills College (AAMC). While RAH con-

different contractors, the firm helped her

College Alumnae, Wynne West Dobyns

tinues to fill its original purpose, today

settle on Oakland’s American Precision

’66, Miki Hong ’95 and Mark Morodomi,

it also serves the wider community as a

Builders to get the job done. Loving

Louise Leck ‘11, and Jeanne Vance ‘91.

venue for events of all kinds, from wed-

closely and thoughtfully monitored

At its December 2018 meeting, the

ding receptions to meetings.

every step of the renovation, including

Board of Governors voted to name the

widening the entry to make the kitchen

kitchen the Loving Kitchen in honor of

more accessible to wheelchair users.

Pierre’s hard work. The name is fitting,

was

designed

by

The house’s facilities, however, have not always kept pace with its expanding functions. The kitchen, in particular,

The project took more than a year, from

as Loving hopes for the kitchen to be a

was long in need of a major renova-

the start of planning to the renovation’s

loving center of community on the Mills

tion to better serve the AAMC as well

completion in November 2018. The result

campus. She notes: “I would like to see

as those renting RAH for events. Two

alumnae come back and use Reinhardt

recent developments enabled the AAMC

Alumnae House as their home on cam-

Board of Governors to launch this reno-

pus and as a friendly space for events.

vation in 2018: the signing of the 2017

Everyone who has had an event here has

Memorandum

and

fond memories, especially those who got

Agreement between the AAMC and the

married at the chapel and then had their

College, which reaffirmed the AAMC’s

reception here. So come use it—and tell

rights to RAH; and a gift from the trust

other people about it! I want this house

of the late Audrey Ditmer Gibney ’46.

to be the most popular spot in Oakland

of

Collaboration

Pierre Loving ’77, former governor

to rent for activities!” For information

and RAH Committee chair, enthusiasti-

on renting RAH, contact the AAMC at

cally spearheaded the renovation. She

510.430.2110 or aamc@mills.edu.

designed the kitchen’s layout herself,

–Kate Robinson Beckwith, MFA ’13

SPRING 2019

21

Honor our best and brightest with the 2019 alumnae awards Nominate honorees for the AAMC’s coveted alumnae awards, which will be presented during the class luncheon at Reunion in September. We are seeking qualified candidates for: • Distinguished Achievement, for distinction in professions, arts, or sciences; • Outstanding Volunteer, for commitment in serving the AAMC and the College; and • Recent Graduate, for volunteer efforts that exemplify a spirit of caring and community.

Nominations must be received by July 15 and candidates must be able to attend the award ceremony on September 21.

To nominate candidates for 2019, please send information about their achievements to Susan Ardisson ’77 and Lynette Castille-Hall ’75, Alumnae Awards Committee co-chairs, at aamc@mills.edu or AAMC, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., MB #86, Oakland, CA 94613. See profiles of past award recipients at www.alumnae.mills.edu/awards.

The Mills College Pearl M is a beautiful tradition passed down through the decades. A modern version of an antique Pearl M, our pendants are custom-crafted for the AAMC from 24-karat gold and real pearls. Quantities are limited, and each pendant is $360.

To order, call the AAMC at 510.430.2110; email aamc@mills.edu; or send payment to AAMC, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., MB #86, Oakland, CA 94613.

Prices above include shipping and handling. See more AAMC merchandise online at aamc.mills.edu.

Proceeds benefit the AAMC.

22

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

Elect your alumna trustee VOTE BY FRIDAY, MAY 3,

to elect an alumna to serve as the voice of Mills graduates on the Mills College Board of Trustees from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2022.

The elected alumna trustee will also serve as a member of the Alumnae Association of Mills College (AAMC) Board of Governors during this same period.

Alumnae trustees present the views of alumnae and of AAMC governors to the leadership of Mills College. They are full members of the boards of both the AAMC and the College, responsible for participating on committees as well as in board meetings, and serving as liaisons between the two boards.

Please review our candidates’ statements, then vote for one using the paper ballot on the inside back cover of this magazine or the online ballot available at alumnae.mills.edu/ alumna-trustee-ballot. See detailed instructions about how to vote on the inside back cover.

All members of the AAMC are eligible to vote; any former Mills student who has completed at least one full-time semester and whose class has graduated from Mills is considered a member of the AAMC. All ballots must be completed and received at Reinhardt Alumnae House by 5:00 pm on May 3, 2019.

The candidate winning the most votes will join continuing alumnae trustees Ammie Felder-Williams ’76 and Pam Versaw ’73.

Yvonne Payne Daniel, MA ’75, is completing her term in July. Yvonne has been an outspoken and engaged trustee and governor, serving as an active member of the Alumnae of Color Committee, among others.

We proudly thank her for her service to the AAMC and the College.

For more information about AAMC bylaws, scheduled meetings of the Board of Governors, or the nomination and election process, call 510.430.2110 or email aamc@ mills.edu.

Jenny Lynn Sheridan ’80

Debi Wood ’75

Mills is perfectly poised to lead women’s education in the 21st century. Society is recognizing that much progress is still needed for women to gain true equality in public life. I would like to see Mills preserve and enhance its residential liberal arts education for women while increasing the opportunities for those women when they graduate. Mills is uniquely positioned to partner with Silicon Valley leaders to improve their lack of gender and color diversity. The AAMC and its members could create partnerships with the technology sector to develop internships for students while in college, and employment positions upon graduation.

I see a bright future in the relationship between the AAMC and Mills, as the College embraces the value of its alumnae. As ambassadors of Mills, the AAMC and its members are on the front line, telling the Mills story as they assist undergraduate student recruitment and admissions and strengthen Mills’ position among other small liberal arts colleges. Alumnae are pivotal in attracting eligible students to Mills’ top-tier academic experience and in retaining students through our transformative initiatives. The AAMC is the crucial connection between alumnae and ongoing viability of the College.

Mills boosted my confidence at two critical junctures in my life. I first entered the beautiful Mills campus as an 18-year-old embarking on life’s journey as an adult, then re-entered nearly 40 years later as a graduate student transitioning to a new chapter of adulthood. As a young adult, the Mills community of faculty, fellow students, and staff offered me an unparalleled opportunity for learning and fostered the development of my identity in the world. Returning to this community mid-life encouraged me to continue the self-discovery journey. During this second stage of development, I gained additional skills, and—more importantly—a supportive community to encourage me to launch my own business.

As a young person, I chose Mills because of its reputation as a top-tier liberal arts college, but I received so much more. I found my voice, developed my confidence, and realized the breadth of my talents and leadership abilities, skills that led to my practice of law and a successful advocacy career in Washington, DC. During my sophomore year, I volunteered with a local nonprofit organization, directing a program that connected ex-offenders to critical job-readiness programs and reunited them with their families. Years later, I was legal counsel and cofounder of Naissance, a nonprofit organization that provided expanded educational, social, and cultural exposure to children, similar to the Oakland Promise initiative. My dance studies at Mills led to my work with children for enhanced creativity and human potential through dance.

Liberal arts education faces challenges, but also opportunities for the 21st century. My liberal arts education fostered my creativity, sharpened my critical thinking, and enhanced my communication skills. It prepared me for a successful professional career that has included travelling and living overseas, and for working with diverse cultural communities.

Current studies show best learning outcomes are achieved with a hybrid model that combines face-to-face class time with online learning. Technologically mediated learning done well offers institutions the opportunity to significantly expand their brand as well as the cultural community of learners. I would like to see Mills College continue to expand the reach of its graduate programs with technologically mediated programs.

Mills is clearly on a trajectory of reinvention to meet 21st-century challenges and is a leader in creating viable solutions to these challenges. My expectations are high that while the three pillars of MillsNext—continued academic excellence in core disciplines; new expanded learning opportunities and internships with nonprofits and businesses, and programs and community engagement that promote racial and gender justice—will transform Mills’ structural viability, the academic experience at Mills is becoming even more relevant to 21st-century liberal arts education.

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23

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

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

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

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

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

In Memoriam Notices of deaths received before January 7, 2019 To submit listings, please contact alumnae-relations@mills.edu or 510.430.2123

Alumnae Esther Wessendorf Bunney ’36, October 18, 2018, in Sacramento, California. She was a bookworm and loved serving as the librarian at River’s Edge, her retirement community. Traveling, cinema, and golf were among her many passions. Esther is survived by one daughter, five grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and cousin Nancy Read ’76.

Helen “Betty” Porter Hussman ’43, November 29, 2018, in Carson Valley, Nevada. After graduating from Mills, Betty started working as a flight attendant, and it was on a layover in Honolulu that she met her husband, Bill. Among her many interests were travel, painting, and volunteering.

She is survived by a son.

Katherine Edmunds Neupert ’43, December 3, 2018, in Spokane, Washington. A longtime Spokane resident with her late husband, Jack, Katherine was dedicated to community service, including as one of six founders of the Service League at Sacred Heart Hospital. She is survived by three children, six grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

Marylin Kyne Gunderson ’44, October 25, 2018, in San Francisco.

She shared a deep interest in thoroughbred horse racing with husband Robert, serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the California Jockey Club at Bay Meadows for 25 years. She is survived by four children, six grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

Sylvia Duchane Rajnoha ’44, June 30, 2018, in St. Louis, Missouri. Sylvia was an enthusiast of crossword puzzles and loved visiting the Missouri Botanical Garden. She is survived by three children and numerous grandchildren.

Pauline “Polly” Blodgett Watson ’44, November 12, 2018, in Weston, Massachusetts. Polly build a successful career in women’s fashion by establishing three shops: in Chestnut Hill and South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and Boca Grand, Florida. She was also a national figure skating champion as a child. Polly is survived by five children, eight grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

Barbara Farringer Cheney ’46, July 9, 2018, in Lebanon, New Hampshire.

A lifelong musician, Barbara sang and played the piano over the Armed Forces Network in Germany after World War II and at a dinner for then-President Eisenhower and Charles Lindberg. With her late husband Donald, an Air Force pilot, she lived and traveled around the world. She is survived by five children, including Diane Cheney ’71; 14 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

Madeleine Ebbesen Davis ’46, November 27, 2018, in Lower Gwynedd, Pennsylvania. Madeleine was a renowned pianist and a volunteer at the Jenkintown Library, where she taught in the adult literacy program. She is survived by her three sons, five grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

Virginia “Ginny” Price Kitchell ’47, September 18, 2018, in Seattle, Washington. A Seattle native, Ginny raised four children in the Washington Park neighborhood with her husband, Frank. She enjoyed canoeing and sailing on Puget Sound and hiking in the Northwest, as well as volunteering throughout the region—including more than 50 years as part of the Children’s Hospital Alma Stewart Ballinger Guild.

She is survived by three sons, 10 grandchildren, and three greatgrandchildren.

Valentina Oumansky-Tagaki ’49 Dancer Valentina Oumansky-Tagaki brought her talent for movement with her when she matriculated to Mills, and she kept it going long after she graduated. After earning her BA in dance, Valentina performed in national tours; films such as The Music Man and The King and I; and to her own choreography for Unto These Hills, a historical depiction of early native life in Cherokee, North Carolina.

It was in 1964 when she cemented her name in dance history by establishing the Valentina Oumansky Dramatic Dance Ensemble in Southern California, which debuted at UCLA with two pieces of her original choreography. Nine years later came the Dramatic Dance Foundation, and in the nearly five decades since, the organization has provided dance programming to millions of students in the Los Angeles Unified School District, as well as other groups across Southern California.

In June 2017, Assembly member Adrin Nazarian officially honored Valentina before the California State Legislature with a resolution commemorating her lifetime of dancing and bringing the art form to generations of students. She died on November 28, 2018, in North Hollywood, California. She is survived by a daughter.

Jane Elizabeth Campbell ’48, September 20, 2018, in Napa, California.

After Mills, Jane worked as a bookkeeper for the accounting firm Seiberlich & Company. Her hometown of Calistoga was where she met her husband, Kenneth, with whom she managed their ranch, raising cattle and enjoying horseback riding together. She is survived by a number of nieces and nephews.

Rhoda “Polly” Winton Cutler ’49, January 1, 2017, in Washington, DC. Known professionally as Polly Kraft, she was a renowned watercolor painter, earning accolades from critics and showings in venues such as the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Fischbach Art Gallery. Polly spoke to People magazine in 1983 about her experience as an artist and DC wife to her second husband, JFK speechwriter Joseph Kraft, saying, “I didn’t want to make it by being Joe’s wife.” She is survived by two sons and four grandchildren.

Nancy Lou Lanzit Goodlad ’51, June 25, 2017, in Corona Del Mar, California.

She loved her time at Mills, but after two years of college, she joined the Foreign Service and worked at the American consulate in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Nancy is survived by three children.

Marjorie “Jodie” Horner King ’51, March 30, 2018. She is survived by four children.

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29

Mary de Limur Weinmann ’51, November 23, 2018, in Washington, DC. The daughter of a French diplomat, Mary was born and raised in Paris before her family moved to Washington, DC in 1939. After Mills, she attended the Parsons School of Design in New York City before eventually returning to Washington, where she and her family were dedicated philanthropists. Among her many projects was supervising the renovation of Blair House, the official guest house for the President of the United States. She is survived by three sons, two step-children, five grandchildren, and her cousin Marianne Montoro ’55.

Bonnie Brunton Elliot ’52, October 24, 2018, in Courtland, California.

Bonnie loved the outdoors, especially fishing and taking family trips to Lake Tahoe and Hawaii. She was also the owner and operator of her family’s farm, David J. Elliot & Sons, as well as Stillwater Orchards, in Courtland. She is survived by three children; 12 grandchildren; and a sister-in-law, Elizabeth Elliot Gordon ’51.

Vera Johnson Pitts ’52, August 30, 2018, in San Mateo, California.

After Mills, Vera received her BA from UC Berkeley, a MA from Sacramento State, and her PhD in education administration from Michigan State University. She served as a teacher and administrator in Stockton Public Schools before joining the faculty of California State University, East Bay, where she trained aspiring school principals for almost 20 years. She is survived by two sisters.

Katherine “Kay” Hunt Smith ’52, October 23, 2018, in Richmond, California. At Mills, Kay played on the tennis team and earned a degree in art history. She later worked as a real-estate agent for 39 years before retiring in 2009. She is survived by two children, three grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

Zelda Montgomery Davis ’53, November 29, 2018, in Jackson, Mississippi. After receiving a master’s degree in library science at the University of Oklahoma, Zelda put her talents to work for the Mississippi Library Commission during the civil rights movement. She later joined her family’s banking business and earned a MBA from Millsaps College in 1985. She is survived by her husband, Jack; one son; two grandchildren; and sister Roma Montgomery Porter ’54.

Joanne “Jo” White Miller ’53, May 6, 2018, in Carmel Valley, California.

Jo married James R. Miller in 1958, raised five children, and traveled the world extensively, pursuing her interests in art and anthropology.

A talented athlete in school, she stayed active throughout her life, skiing, hiking, and playing tennis and golf. Her smile, humor, and wit will be greatly missed.

Jane Bradner Harvey ’54, November 30, 2018, in Corpus Christi, Texas.

In addition to careers in teaching and real estate, Jane enjoyed acting and appeared in a number of regional theater productions, including Little Women and The Sound of Music. More recently, she raised and showed award-winning standard poodles. She is survived by her husband, Thomas; three children; and five grandchildren.

Vivian Schwartz Leith ’55, December 25, 2018, in Minnetonka, Minnesota. After Mills, Vivian earned a law degree from Hamline Law School, practicing law and working as an executive recruiter in the Twin Cities. She also co-founded Hearts and Hands Minnesota in 2010 to assist families with sick children. Vivian is survived by her husband, Stewart; three children; three step-children; and four grandchildren.

Ann Stern Kloman ’56, November 1, 2018, in Old Lyme, Connecticut.

A mystery novelist, Ann published three books set in New England: Isabel’s Odyssey, Swannsong, and A Diamond to Die For. She is survived by her husband and four children.

30

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

Sylvia Burnette Gerard ’57, March 11, 2018, in Santa Barbara, California. Sylvia returned to her beloved hometown of Santa Barbara after Mills, where she worked for almost 50 years as an accountant, tax preparer, and Notary Public. She also volunteered as a board member for Pilgrim Terrace Cooperative Homes. She is survived by a daughter.

Findley “Fin” Randolph Cotton, MA ’58, October 11, 2018, in Fullerton, California. A lifelong teacher, Fin loved sharing her passion for art, history, and music, teaching in Southern California for many years. Fin is survived by her husband, Don; two sons; and one grandson.

Garia Luckhart Gant ’58, October 2, 2018, in Walnut Creek, California.

Garia majored in English and theater design at Mills, and she later worked as a marriage and family therapist.

Ellen “Jo” Strother Frentzel ’60, November 30, 2018, in Concord, California. A devout Quaker, Jo embraced a life of service in her roles as a school crossing guard, alcohol recovery center aide, and delivery driver for Meals on Wheels. Hiking, murder mysteries, and dogs were just some of her many interests. Jo is survived by three children and three grandchildren.

Christine Vanderwarker Ness ’63, December 30, 2018, in Greenwich, Connecticut. After Mills, she served as the librarian to the Liberian Supreme Court in Monrovia, Liberia, as part of the Peace Corps. She later launched a successful career as an interior designer. Christine is survived by her husband, three children, and five grandchildren.

Diane Cohen-Alpert ’64, July 4, 2017, in Portland, Oregon. She was a cofounder of Janus’ Insights Teen Parent Program in Multnomah County, which was just one of the ways in which she provided assistance to teenage parents. Diane is survived by a daughter and two sons.

Linda Stingily, MA ’78, November 7, 2018, in Walnut Creek, California.

Linda was a member of the AAMC’s Board of Governors and a wellloved teacher of English and language arts. She is survived by a daughter, two grandchildren, a brother, and four sisters—Jacquelyn Stingily ’78; Paula “Yvette” Stingily-Williams ’85, Cred ’90; Gloria “Bonnee” Stingily ’90; and Adilisha “Maria” Stingily Hodari ’91.

Denise Elaine Foret ’88, March 6, 2010, in Greenwood Lake, New York.

She is survived by her husband, Warren Sirota, MFA ’88.

Suzanne M. Stevenson ’88, February 15, 2014. She was part of the rowing team at Mills, and after graduating, Suzanne stayed in the Bay Area where she worked in the scientific community. She was a big San Francisco Giants fan, and she loved nature, especially orchids, Gerbera daisies, and hummingbirds. She is survived by her mother, sisters, and her twin brother and his family.

Heidi Geissler Wilson ’93, MFA ’95, June 2, 2015. She is survived by a daughter, Lisa Wilson Kirker ’93.

Spouses and Family John Adams, husband of Gaea Freimund Adams ’55, November 11, 2017, in Medford, Oregon.

Ronald Anderson, husband of Joanne Schantin Anderson ’55, October 17, 2018, in Sandy, Oregon.

Gilbert Barnes, husband of Barbara Cook Barnes ’60, October 25, 2018, in Carmel, Indiana.

James Canterbury, husband of Beverley Nielsen Canterbury ’50, September 24, 2018, in Visalia, California.

Gifts in Memory of

Charles Larsen by Alexa Pagonas ’91 Tumi McCallum ’08 by Dennis Coll

Received September 1, 2018 – November 30, 2018

Amy Schanno McCarthy ’58 by Helen Drake Muirhead ’58, P ’89, P ’93

Florence Aragon, P ’63 by Lesli MacNeil ’75

Patsy Ann McVicar by Anna Lewis ’02, MBA ’04

Gilbert Barnes by his wife, Barbara Cook Barnes ’60

Jean Walters Molnar ’65 by Corinne Hamada Tan ’65

James Canterbury by Catherine Schneider-Lewis ’74

Oletta Morency, P ’73 by her daughter, Virginia Morency Rich ’73

Barbara Farris Cole ’50 by Loadel Harter Piner ’50, P ’75

Elizabeth Pope by Elaine Bowe Johnson ’62

Anne Sherwood Copenhagen ’44, P ’74, P ’77, P ’86 by Lesli MacNeil ’75

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

Findley Randolph Cotton, MA ’58 by her nephew, Dean Anderson; Barbara Brinkley; Barbara Wells

Cathy Robinson Ross ’75 by Barbara Sachanko Dalmau ’75; Lesli MacNeil ’75

Charlotte Leahy D’Amico ’50 by Loadel Harter Piner ’50, P ’75

Marion Ross ’44 by Mary Gilbert George ’73; Sharon Page-Medrich ’05

Joy Waltke Fisher ’55 by Diane Smith Janusch ’55

Mid Eberle Rothrock ’41 by Judy Bjornestad

Barbara Coleman Frey ’68 by Clarence B. Coleman & Joan F. Coleman Charitable Foundation; Patti Abelov Demoff ’68; Judy Howard Giles ’68

Florence Fox Rubenstein ’38, P ’64 by Kristy Chan; Lance Crossett

Helen Baer Gaw by her daughter-in-law, Jane Farrell Gaw ’52 Connie Gilbert ’61 by her son, Shadrach Neiss Steven Givant by Yun Miao ’11 Donna Hunt by Cheryl Smith Blankenship ’72 Jeannine Sova Jones ’57 by Joan Rose Enloe ’57

Jane Rule ’52 by Edy Mori Young ’51 Doris Berger Sackett ’50 by Loadel Harter Piner ’50, P ’75 J. Roussel Sargent by Edy Chan ’71, MA ’72; Elaine Bowe Johnson ’62 Stefani Schatz-Duggan ’84 by Tracey Harpole Tillion ’84 Rodney Skjonsby, P ’11 by his daughter, Kristen Skjonsby ’11

Kit Farrow Jorrens ’57 by Mary Parker Lawrence ’57; Constance Ohlsten

Linda Stingily, MA ’78 by Gwen Jackson Foster ’67; Vicki Du Vall Luibrand ’75; Molly Fannon Williams ’75

Beccy Davidson Karlson ’69 by Gretchen Garlinghouse ’69

Nancy Thornborrow, P ’93 by Catherine Smith Morrow ’92

Barbara Newman Kines ’55 by Diane Smith Janusch ’55

Aaron Zimmerman by his wife, Ann Anzis Zimmerman ’61

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

Jane Helen Catterton, mother of Marilyn Catterton, MFA ’86, July 13, 2018, in Danville, California.

Stephen Sommer, husband of Suzanne Micha Sommer ’84, May 26, 2018, in Walnut Creek, California.

Yoshiko Gerald, mother of Shirley Gerald Nelson ’80, May 20, 2017, in Redmond, Washington.

John Stetson, husband of Carol Melkonian Stetson ’56, July 2018, in Santa Barbara, California.

Yngve Hendrickson, husband of Nancy Gustavson Hendrickson ’60, October 26, 2017, in El Cerrito, California.

Thomas Tomich, husband of Lillian “Lanny” Marson Tomich ’52, July 15, 2018, in Orangevale, California.

Randy McCarthy, husband of Lisa Kremer ’90, January 19, in Fircrest, Washington.

Henry Frank Wellington, Jr., father of Rhonda Wellington ’82, October 25, 2018, in Berkeley, California.

R. Burnett Miller, husband of Mary “Mimi” Glide Miller ’50, October 15, 2018, in Sacramento, California.

Fred Welsh, husband of Marilyn Callahan Welsh ’55, September 17, 2018, in Salem, Oregon.

Gerald Nash, husband of Anne Williams Nash ’63, November 5, 2018, in Loomis, California.

Aaron Zimmerman, husband of Ann Anzis Zimmerman ’61, June 28, 2018, in Los Angeles.

Manuel Nestle, husband of Cynthia Foskett Nestle ’58, February 6, 2018, in Santa Rosa, California.

Friends

Libert Kuuleiilunalilo O’Sullivan, husband of Beverly Bell O’Sullivan ’55, January 31, 2017, in Hauula, Hawaii.

George Barton, October 15, 2016, in Portland, Oregon.

Caroline Booth, former member of the Associate Council, April 16, 2018, in Oakland, California.

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Koa Beck: A Fierce Fourth-Wave Feminist

By Arya Samuelson, MFA ’19 As a double English and French major

“I’ve had to reconcile that I’m just going

a novel challenging the modern mythol-

at Mills, Koa Beck learned to think criti-

to be that person who says the thing

ogy surrounding motherhood.

cally about feminism, gender, and the

that makes people uncomfortable.” Beck

For Mills students and alumnae inter-

politics of whose stories are told. By the

attributes her confidence in raising her

ested in entering the field of feminist

time Beck graduated in 2009, she knew

voice about difficult topics to her experi-

journalism, Beck advises that the term

that she wanted to be a journalist and

ences at Mills.

“feminist” should raise more questions

fiction writer dedicated to feminist con-

In late 2018, Beck stepped down from

than it should answer. “I wouldn’t nec-

cerns. “What I didn’t know was how I

Jezebel to work on a book about fourth-

essarily assume that because companies

would accomplish these dreams amidst

wave feminism, an intersectional and

or people who hire you are using the

the economic collapse,” Beck says. But

justice-oriented approach to gender and

term ‘feminist,’ that they automatically

she

driven—she

women’s issues. “Success means I get to

align with your own understandings of

moved to Brooklyn, New York two weeks

focus on the projects, theories, and writ-

politics or gender. It’s an opportunity to

after graduation and immediately hit the

ing that I am most interested in—not just

interrogate further,” she says. And Beck

ground running: responding to Craigslist

what I think should be covered, but what

insists that the time is now: “There is a

ads for nannies, cold-pitching online

I actually want to pursue. Success also

tremendous appetite for your perspec-

publications, and “writing for whoever

means that I don’t work all the time,” she

tives and your lens on the world. Our

would let me.” Drawing from her pas-

says with a laugh. Beck is also writing

industry needs you. We always have.”

was

tenacious

and

sion for language and literary theory, Beck started out her career reviewing books published by women. In the years since then, she has achieved many of the dreams from her undergraduate years, quickly ascending the ranks of women’s media—from senior features editor at marieclaire.com, to executive editor at Vogue, to editor-in-chief at Jezebel.com.

Beck brings the integrity and nuances of her progressive politics to her journalism and her senior leadership roles.

Countering

the

standard

narratives

has reported on sexual violence within queer relationships, the trend of plantation weddings, wage disparities across genders, and contemporary takes on “passing” for white and/or straight.

Despite her shy temperament, Beck says,

“I’ve had to reconcile that I’m just going to be that person who says the thing that makes people uncomfortable.”

32

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

M ARTHA S TE WART

that loom large in women’s media, she

Alumna Trustee Ballot Nominee statements for the 2019–22 alumna trustee are printed on page 23.

To vote on paper:

We offer two ways to vote—online and by paper ballot!

 Jenny Lynn Sheridan ’80  Debi Wood ’75

To vote online: • Go to the Mills College Alumnae Community, alumnae.mills.edu/alumna-trustee-ballot • Alumnae must be registered with the online community in order to cast their vote online.

• Registration is free and easy! Visit alumnae.mills.edu/ alumna-trustee-ballot to register and to vote. Your alumna ID is required to register and can be found at the top of your Quarterly mailing label.

• Online voting will end at 5:00 pm (PDT) on Friday, May 3.

• Use this printed ballot and indicate your choice below:

Vote online or on paper

by May 3

• Please mail ballot in a private envelope to: Chair, AAMC Nominating Committee, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd, MB #86, Oakland, CA 94613 • Paper ballots must include the mailing label on the reverse side.

To maintain confidentiality, voter names will be inked out before ballots are passed on to the Nominating Committee chair.

• No faxed ballots or call-ins will be accepted.

• Ballots must be received at Reinhardt Alumnae House by 5:00 pm (PDT) on Friday, May 3.

NOTE: Whether you vote online or by paper ballot, only one vote per alumna will be accepted.

Any alumna casting multiple votes will invalidate all of her votes.

Upon request, the Alumnae Association of Mills College will send a spring Quarterly to replace the one from which you have removed this ballot.

Call 510.430.2110 or email aamc@mills.edu.

ALUMNAE TRAVEL Our selection of upcoming journeys offers adventure, historical insight, camaraderie, and fun for alumnae of all ages. Make your plans now to join us in 2020!

Tahiti and French Polynesia Under Sail ■ January 28–February 7 Wonders of Peru ■ March 5–16 Apulia—Undiscovered Italy ■ May 6–14 Oberammergau—Passion Play ■ May 26–June 5 Arctic Expeditions—Midnight Sun ■ June 9–19 Iceland Cruise—The Land of Fire & Ice ■ June 22–July 6 Tanzania Safari ■ June 29–July 10 Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and the Passion Play ■ August 31–September 10

The Urubamba Valley, also known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas, a scenic and historic stop on our Wonders of Peru travel program.

Spain—Andalucia in a Parador ■ September 10–18

See the AAMC travel website at alumnae.mills.edu/travel for full itineraries of these and other upcoming trips. For reservations or additional information, call the Alumnae Association of Mills College at 510.430.2110 or email aamc@mills.edu.

SPRING 2019

33

Mills Quarterly Mills College 5000 MacArthur Blvd.

Oakland, CA 94613-1301 510.430.3312 quarterly@mills.edu www.mills.edu

Refer Your Favorite.

You know a Mills student when you see one! Refer an undergraduate student to apply for free. If they enroll, they will receive a scholarship award of $200.

Fall Application Deadlines • First Year Early Action: November 15 • Transfer Priority Consideration: March 1 • First Year Regular Decision: January 15 It’s not too late—you can still refer students for fall 2019. Questions? Contact the Office of Admissions at admission@mills.edu.

APPLY FOR FREE WITH THE CODE:

ALUMFAV