From the President
VOL. 115 NO. 1
Editor Jeff Hagan ’86 Senior Designer Ryan Sprowl Designer Nicole Slatinsky
T
wo seniors came to see me in march, just after i had announced that a once-in-acentury pandemic was forcing the college to close its campus and move classes online. Their tears and pleas for a less painful course reflected the reality of the hour: Our Oberlin community was being ripped apart. As I said to the students in those waning hours on campus, these events will define all of us in profound ways. They will realign your worldview, even reframe how you perceive your college experience. It was not in-the-moment wisdom that I was imparting; rather, it was knowledge born out of having spoken to alumni throughout the ages about their time on campus during world-changing events. I knew from those conversations that from turbulence and pain emerges context and perspective. When matters feel their most chaotic, we invariably find purposefulness and clarity. Throughout Oberlin’s 187 years, we have survived many periods of hardship when we questioned, wept, and pleaded. In these moments of greatest challenge, we have always remained anchored. Amidst times of uncertainty, what is certain is Oberlin. During the flu pandemic of 1918, Oberlin followed the instructions of Ohio health officials and shut down all public assemblies for several weeks in the fall. According to the October 16, 1918, issue of the Oberlin Review, male students in the Student Army Training Corps were quarantined from female students and the town of Oberlin to prevent the spread of disease. (Apparently the women needed the extra protection of social distancing.) Ill men were transported to “an infirmary at Mrs. Lillian Martin Sherrill’s farm just outside town.” When cases spiked after winter break, leaders suspended large gatherings again. We were in the midst of World War I—the war to end all wars. Oberlin faced the challenge of maintaining adequate enrollment as young men were drawn into service. The March 1918 installment of this magazine was a “Special Help-Win-the-War Issue.” In the decades that followed, we continued to meet history as other challenges threatened the security and sanctity of Oberlin. World War II. The Civil Rights Movement. Vietnam. After the Kent State shootings, Oberlin canceled its classes for the rest of the year. September 11, 2001, brought its own unique difficulties. Through it all, Oberlin has been resolute in its mission and remained a true, steadfast reminder of an evolving vision to improve the world. We have learned, adapted, and innovated. The COVID-19 pandemic will be recorded as the next in a series of historic moments that have compelled us to lead. We will respond to this time with the same determination, purpose, and optimism with which we have met every other difficult period in our history. A century ago, the 1920 college yearbook was devoted entirely to those who served, and dedicated to those lost, during World War I. It was introduced with these words: “We offer you not a mere account of the past year, but with profound humility and just pride we have attempted to honor every Oberlin man and woman who has given his and her best thought, strength, and life in service during these years of conflict.” It seems important in this current historic moment to recall our history of perseverance. To seek the purposefulness and clarity that challenging events often obscure. To remember with humility and pride those who have given their best thoughts. And to affirm once again in times of tumult and uncertainty—what is certain is Oberlin. carmen twillie ambar President, Oberlin College 2
Photography Projects Manager Yvonne Gay Director, Print and Publications Kelly Viancourt Vice President for Communications Ben Jones ’96 The Oberlin Alumni Magazine (ISSN 0029-7518), founded in 1904, is published by Oberlin’s Office of Communications and distributed to alumni, parents, and friends of Oberlin College. EDITORIAL OFFICE
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TA N YA R O SEN -J ONE S ’ 97
What is Certain is Oberlin