PASSAGES
Oberlin Mourns Passing of Levin and Craig ’53
AWARDS
Oberlin Alumni Win Grammys at 63rd Annual Awards Ceremony Winners of this year’s Grammy Awards include 10 Oberlin conservatory alumni across five different categories. These graduates hail from Oberlin’s vocal studies, composition, strings, woodwinds, and brass performance programs. They have forged careers on operatic stages, in orchestras in leadership positions, in the chamber music realm, and in new music. Best Opera Recording: Denyce Graves ’85, for the Metropolitan Opera’s recording of Gershwin: Porgy and Bess
CHRIS SCHMUCKI ’22
Best Classical Solo Vocal Album: Bass-Baritone Dashon Burton ’05 and Experiential Orchestra Music Director James Blachly ’02 for Smyth: The Prison
OBERLIN ALUMNI MAGAZINE 2021 SPRING
Best Chamber Music Performance: Pacifica Quartet first violinist Simin Ganatra ’96, for Contemporary Voices Best Contemporary Classical Composition: Christopher Rouse ’71 (1949-2019), a Pulitzer- and multiGrammy-winning composer, for his Symphony No. 5
Best Orchestral Performance: The numerous Oberlin alumni of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for Ives: Complete Symphonies, including Principal Clarinet Boris Allakhverdyan ’06, Bass Trombone John Lofton ’77, Associate Principal Oboe Marion Arthur Kuszyk ’88, Solo English Horn Carolyn Hove ’80, Assistant Principal Viola Ben Ullery ’04
richard “dick” levin, an emeritus professor of biology and ardent supporter of Oberlin and the liberal arts, died February 14, 2021. Levin earned his undergraduate degree at Harvard University in 1954 and attended graduate school at the University of Washington, where he studied microbiology and genetics. He came to Oberlin in 1968 and taught microbiology and genetics until his retirement in 2003. Beyond his research, he focused on the AIDS epidemic and developed colloquia on biomedical ethics. A mentor to each of his students, Levin also made time to attend their performances, athletics contests, and recitals. Regarded as a talented poet, composer, musician, and athlete, he embraced the liberal arts experience. A steadfast supporter of Oberlin athletics and member of the General Faculty Athletics Committee, in 2019 Levin was inducted into the Heisman Club Hall of Honor, which recognizes individuals who have brought distinction, honor, and excellence to Oberlin College Athletics. Norm Craig, emeritus professor of chemistry, died March 7, 2021. With a career at Oberlin spanning 63 years, Craig was passionate about undergraduate research and was the embodiment of Oberlin’s ideals. He arrived at Oberlin as a student in the fall of 1949 and in 1953 graduated at the top of his class with a major in chemistry. At Oberlin, he met his future wife, Ann Williams ’55. They were married in 1955. Upon completing his PhD in physical chemistry at Harvard with George Kistiakowski in 1957, Craig returned to Oberlin and served on the faculty for 43 years until his formal retirement in 2000. As professor emeritus, he continued to teach, guide student research, and sustain multiple international collaborations, in a very productive second phase of his career. Craig’s work at Oberlin resulted in over 150 publications, with many featuring Oberlin undergraduates as coauthors. Memorial Minutes for Levin and Craig will appear in future issues of the Oberlin Alumni Magazine. 5