Reed College Magazine March 2010

‰ march 2010

Capturing Infinity Reed mathematics professor Thomas Wieting explores the hyperbolic geometry of M.C. Escher’s Angels and Devils. page 22 FaReWell To The ILIAD page 14

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The origin of the serif page 20

seX, WoRms, and daRWin page 44

BY Thom 1/28/10 1/28/10 12:50 2:42 PM AM

R E U N I O N S 2010 LET’S GET TECHNIC AL Tuesday, June 1–Sunday, June 6 reunions.reed.edu

ALUMNI OF ALL VINTAGES ARE WELCOME! alumni@reed.edu 503/777-7589

M A K E YO U R CO N N E C T I O N .

Explore the enclosed Reunions user’s guide and register at reunions.reed.edu/ or by mail.

CO M P L E T E T H E C I R C U I T AT R E U N I O N S .

Celebrate for your class reunion (1940, 1945, 1950, 1955, 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010), with class dinners on Friday, June 4 and class gatherings on Saturday, June 5.

D O N ’ T B E A R E S I S TO R .

Not your reunion year? Not a problem. All alumni are welcome.

‰ March 2010

DEPARTMENTS 2 From the Editor

What Can You Learn in Three Hours?

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professor of English and humanities

On the Ledge

Cool judgment helped Reed climbing instructor Rodney Sofich avert tragedy in the North Cascades.

By Ted Katauskas

Inscribed in Stone: The Masterful Work of Edward M. Catich 20

Father Catich cut the inscriptions on Eliot Hall and several other campus buildings; his research revolutionized our understanding of the origin of the serif.

By Robert Palladino, former calligraphy instructor

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A Farewell to the Iliad

Achilles, heel! Next semester, Humanities 110 will begin with the Odyssey, relegating the Iliad to optional status. This and several other changes to Reed’s core syllabus are the result of years of painstaking discussion.

By Robert Knapp, 16

Ottomar’s Odyssey. Marsh and the Periodic Table. Remembering Richard Jones. Defending the Citadel (again).

The Outsiders. Don’t Forget Ernest.

Presidential Memories. The Paper it’s Printed On. Stop and Smell the Pages (again). Grains of Truth. Absconding with the Owl. The Quintessential Food. Stop Carvin’ Marvin. Shelley by Streetlight.

Pig-Headed? A Lesson Up a Ladder.

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FEATURES

Capturing Infinity

Exploring the hyperbolic geometry of M.C. Escher’s famous woodcut Angels and Devils.

By Thomas Wieting, professor of mathematics

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Letters

Eliot Circular

Dance professor Minh Tran takes his last bow. Biology professor Janis Shampay cited by Nobel Committee. Coyotes return to canyon. New trustees join board. Giant hamster wheel invades SU.

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The Ripple Effect: How a gift to Reed ripples out through the generations.

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ALUMNI PROFILES 36

Both sides of the Wire.

30 Empire of the Griffin Connecting Reedies across the globe.

Boar’s Head Procession. Reedies gather for Charlie Lave ’60. Turkey Time in Old Blighty. Owl Infiltrates Microsoft.

A Reed Puzzle.

Frank Wesley ’50 saw the horrors of Buchenwald twice—first as prisoner, then as liberator.

Anthropologist finds her element.

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Adventures in the First Person

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Suzanne Hanchett ’62 explores the human side of engineering projects in developing nations.

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Sex, Worms and Darwin.

Coral expert Doug Fenner ’71 examines the impact of the tsunami that swamped Samoa last year.

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Class Notes

Patrick Phillips ’86 explains a vexing puzzle about sexual reproduction.

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Reediana

Kitchy Coup.

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In Memoriam

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Apocrypha

Tradition. Myth. Legend.

The Origin of Hum Play

Alex Nydahl ’01, Adam Peter ’01, and Travis Greenwood ’01 tap hidden market for bunny slippers.

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Centennial Campaign

Where there’s a Wheel.

After a semester abroad in rural South Africa, Jenny Leonard ’09 found a way to help impoverished children get to school.

March 2010 Reed magazine 1

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From the Editor

‰ march 2010

What You Can Learn in Three Hours Over the past year, I’ve grown accustomed to seeing intriguing flyers plastered around campus, imploring me to play go or participate in someone’s thesis experiment or share a ride to Minneapolis.

Most of the time, I’m in too much of a hurry to spare more than a glance. But the enormous Paideia class schedule, taped to the wall of Commons, was just too good to pass by.

Paideia, in case you forgot, is the informal miniature college, run by students, that takes place over ten days in January before spring semester. Anyone can teach, anyone can learn, and no subject is out of bounds (of course, the classes carry no academic credit).

For several minutes, I stood gazing at the catalogue, lost in the beguiling possibilities. The Origins of the Suburban Crisis. The Basic Physics of Music. The Theory and Practice of Memory. Speculative Spaceflight. The Music of Handel and Why It’s Awesome. Was this my chance to learn how to make a movie? Play the stock market? Moonlight as a safecracker?

In addition to the impressive range of the classes, from the eminently practical to the totally outrageous, there was also something irresistible about their sheer bravado. From ragtime to rap in an hour and a quarter! Geology in a single session! Handel demystified! Where else but Reed would students organize—and teach—classes of such wild ambition?

This year, I offered my own modest contribution: “Journalism Bootcamp,” my attempt to distill two decades of experience as a newspaper reporter into three 90-minute sessions. About a dozen students showed up in Eliot 216, the same elegant oak-trimmed classroom where professor Jack Dudman ’42 once introduced me to the joys of the Fibonacci sequence.

At first, I worried that the students might have trouble digesting the vast quantity of material we were covering at breakneck speed. To my surprise, they betrayed no sign of intimidation. On the contrary, they proved curious, perceptive,

www.reed.edu/reed_magazine 3203 SE Woodstock Boulevard, Portland, Oregon 97202 503-777-7591 Volume 88, No. 4, March 2010

Magazine editor Chris Lydgate ’90 503-777-7596 chris.lydgate@reed.edu

and utterly confident that with reasonable instruction no subject, however daunting, was beyond their reach.

That confidence is well founded. By the time they earn their Reed degree, they will have read Homer, Plato, Virgil and Augustine. Cloned bioluminescent genes. Braved rapids. Diagrammed Algonquian grammar. Climbed mountains. Run a nuclear reactor. Proven that 1+1=2.

Reedies are not easily fazed—in fact, I would argue that independence, gumption, and intellectual daring are among Reed’s defining characteristics, from its founding as an upstart challenger to the lives of its graduates and instructors.

Dell Hymes ’50 invented his own subdiscipline. (See page 57.) Frank Wesley ’50 saw the horrors of Buchenwald—twice.

(See page 36.) Patrick Phillips ’86 solved one of the oldest puzzles of evolution.

(See page 44.) Jenny Leonard ’09 is helping impoverished South African children get to school. (See page 52.) Reed’s wilderness instructor Rodney Sofich hiked across miles of treacherous terrain— alone—to get help for his climbing partner. (See page 16.)

At the end of our final session, I knew that I had provided the students no more than a cursory introduction to the craft of reporting. Still, those thousand-mile journeys have to start somewhere—and who knows where they will lead?

class notes editor Laurie Lindquist 503-777-7591 reed.magazine@reed.edu graphic designer Tom Humphrey 503-459-4632 tom.humphrey@reed.edu alumni news editor Robin Tovey ’97 development news editor Matt Kelly

Reed College Relations vice president, college relations Hugh Porter director, public affairs Jennifer Bates director, alumni & parent relations Mike Teskey director, development Jan Kurtz Reed College is a private, independent, non-sectarian four-year college of liberal arts and sciences. Reed magazine provides news of interest to alumni, parents, and friends.

Views expressed in the magazine belong to their authors and do not necessarily represent officers, trustees, faculty, alumni, students, administrators, or anyone else at Reed, all of whom are eminently capable of articulating their own beliefs.

Reed (ISSN 0895-8564) is published quarterly, in February, May, August, and November, by the Office of Public Affairs at Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Boulevard, Portland, Oregon 97202.

Periodicals postage paid at Portland, Oregon.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd., Portland OR 97202-8138.

2 Reed magazine March 2010

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Letters to Reed Ottomar’s Odyssey I just finished reading Robin Cody’s apologia for Ottomar Rudolf’s participation in the Hitler Youth and, subsequently, the German armed forces. It reminded me of when Rudolf ran for public office in Portland, identifying himself as a veteran of World War II without indicating that his participation was in defense of Nazi Germany.

Cody shrugs off Rudolf’s Nazi activism as a youthful indiscretion: “I get that,” Cody muses, “I was a teenage boy . . . Teenage boys are unformed human beings.”

I entered Reed in 1967. I was aware then that Reed had among the highest rates of participation in Mississippi Freedom Summer—teenage boys and girls, as Cody would have it, who risked their lives to combat racism. I was a little young for Mississippi Freedom Summer. I was not, however, too young to be confronted with the ongoing struggle against racism, nor the effort to end the war against Vietnam. As a teenage boy I publicly refused to register for the draft, joining a number of other Reed students in going to prison to oppose an unjust war.

To argue, as Cody does, that many youth succumbed to the demands of the Nazi Party neither excuses nor condemns Ottomar Rudolf.

There is, simply put, no imaginable justification for participation in the Nazi cause. That Rudolf could not recognize that until the defeat of Nazi Germany is tragic.

But the article includes other indications of the Reed alumni magazine’s incredible transformation from college journal to purveyor of false history.

Cody’s implication that the Catholic Church challenged Nazism lacks historical foundation. Had the Catholic Church actively “countered some of the Nazi line” on anti-Semitism, attacks on the working class, homophobia or expansionism, it might have done some good. More incredible is Cody’s acceptance of Nazi racial terminology: “Dreschler, the son of an Aryan father and a Jewish mother . . .” Aryan father? Has Cody no sense of either history or irony?

I can only say that I’m glad that I wasn’t at Reed during Cody’s tenure as dean of admission.

—Paul Bigman ’71 Seattle, Washington Editor’s Note: Ottomar was in fact drafted and served in the U.S. Army as well as the German Army.

I just got to read this article, even though as a staff person in alumni & parent relations, I usually see an advanced draft of the magazine. I went off for vacation in Italy before the final draft of the

me. Cody’s article vividly shows the complexity of the situation. This is not black and white; there is much grey. So this month, this year, when we are faced with so many issues of racism and prejudice both internationally and at Reed, thanks to the Reed magazine for continuing my education and showing me the many sides of understanding the Holocaust.

—Mela Kunitz ’87 Portland, Oregon

Readers respond to our piece on professor Ottomar Rudolf’s memoir of his boyhood in Nazi Germany.

magazine made its rounds amongst staff. I got back, plunged into preparation for Parent & Family Weekend, and waited to receive my magazine at home. My boss mentioned this article in a staff meeting, an alumnus mentioned the magazine to me, and I eagerly awaited its arrival.

Finally it came, and this afternoon, I read about my Hum 220 professor, while snacking on fine cheese and French bread. (Sorry Ottomar, no German wine as an accompaniment, just soda pop.) Robin Cody beautifully captures Ottomar: his essence, his spirit, and his soul. I had heard some of this story when he was my professor. I was young, in my 20s, idealistic, and raised by Jewish parents who were the first generation born in the U.S. Many of my grandparents’ generation didn’t make it out of Europe alive. My great aunt had gone into hiding only to be ratted out and die in a concentration camp. I was taught growing up that German was synonymous with Nazi.

So when Ottomar told his story honestly to our conference, I remember not entirely believing it all. How could he not know about the camps, I thought? And my prejudice towards this entire country and culture continued.

Now 20-plus years later, I have a boss of German heritage who often cooks up a delicious German meal for our alumni board, I treasure Ottomar’s participation in the Reed Chorus, and, when Ottomar waltzes into our office to say hi, he emanates the same charm that Cody mentions during his time at Reed. In Yiddish, we call this kind of person a mensch.

I can now say that it isn’t as simple as I thought so many years ago. I don’t know what I would have done faced with a similar situation, not sure where my own moral compass would have led

I never took a course from Ottomar Rudolf, although he was a member of my thesis committee. But I was a member of the Reed soccer team that he coached. I came to Reed in 1966 and signed up for soccer as a physical education course. What that meant was that I was a member of the intercollegiate team. We were in a club league. I think it was called the Oregon College Soccer League or something similar, and it included Lewis & Clark, University of Portland, University of Oregon, Oregon State, Southern Oregon College, and probably some other teams.

We had some terrible seasons. I remember losing to Oregon by a score of 12–1 one year, but over time we actually were competitive and won our share of games. Ottomar remembers correctly that there were some games where we knocked on doors to find enough players to field a team, but we also had some gifted players: Sam Martin ’72 from Cameroon, Dan Barraza ’71, Stuart Fulks ’71, and Mark Kremen ’71, among others.

What I remember most was that Ottomar and Ed Packel, who coached the team, taught us to play well, but for the fun of it. We wanted to win and actually practiced regularly, but academics came first, followed by the joy of the game. Why else would one play on the Reed soccer team?

I have continued my involvement with soccer since my Reed days and I have tried to carry the spirit of Ottomar Rudolf with me as player, coach, and, for the past 30 years, as a referee.

He really believed in the spirit of the game; it is for the players to enjoy.

—Jeff Kovac ’70 Knoxville, Tennessee Just to get the terminology right, the Deutsches Jungvolk was the junior sub-section of the Hitlerjugend. Ottomar Rudolf ’s Nazi zeal as a boy comes through clearly in the article, a considerable testament to his willingness to reveal an unpleasant truth. In his tragically mistaken devotion, he resembles the teenage fanatic Guenter Grass, who went even further and voluntarily enlisted in the SS. After years March 2010 Reed magazine 3

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Letters to Reed continued of renown as Germany’s leading writer and political scold, Grass only recently admitted his membership. In his memoir, Rudolf may have made less dramatic use of the spiritual torture of having believed something deeply and then being forced to recognize its wretched and downright evil emptiness, but seems on the whole more normal. He also appears to us (at least to me) as typically German because he exemplifies so well that seriousness and intensity that makes all Germans so formidable.

—Paul Overby ’66 Goshen, Massachusetts

Marsh And The Periodic Table

It was a fitting memorial to Marsh Cronyn ’40 for you to condense his rather technical article on “The Proper Place for Hydrogen in the Periodic Table” into a pseudo-centerfold spread for Reed. Thank you for reminding me of his larger contributions than teaching me organic chemistry and being my thesis adviser. Although it was quite refreshing to read Dr. Cronyn taking the eccentric (how Reed, indeed) position of placing hydrogen above carbon, I would suggest that there is an even more bizarre opportunity. Chemists have long realized that the periodic table is connected—right side to left side—placing leftmost lithium (element 3) next to rightmost helium (element 2) and sodium (element 11) next to neon (element 10). But this is not discussed much in polite society because the connection involves shifting a row, which twists the periodic table from its Platonic table ideal (orthogonality) into a kind of epi-cylindrical monstrosity. This is far worse than the dilemma that the flat-Earth theorists faced in moving from a planar model to a spherical model. After all, the sphere is, in itself, just as perfect as a plane. However, when we three-dimensionalize the periodic table, we end up with spatial discontinuities and bizarre loops that correspond to the electronic-orbital shells. And getting back to the topic, the first or topmost pseudo-cylindrical loop is actually not a loop at all, leaving hydrogen stranded in space, kind of like the origin of the universe is stranded in time. So what could be more perfect for Reedies than to discuss the origins of the elements, like they might the origins of life, the universe, and everything?

But getting back to Marsh’s essay, and the point of this letter, if we turn the periodic monstrosity around, from its elegant side (where the noble gases all line up in a pretty row), to its discontinuous side, where loops stick out all over the place, we see an interesting phenomenon. Hydrogen, although stranded, sits above lithium, carbon, and fluorine—all at the same time. So just as politics is fundamentally dependent on perception, hydrogen’s

Steve Fowkes ’75 sent in this magnificent epi-cylindrical periodic table.

(To obtain your own copy, visit www.reed.edu/reed_magazine/.)

connectedness to the second-period elements is dependent on whether you slightly rotate the periodic epi-cylindroid to the right, center or left; right being the traditional placement of hydrogen with the alkali metals, left being the progressive placement of hydrogen with the halides, and center being hydrogen with carbon.

Okay, okay. So the political analogy has done a belly flop off the high dive at this point. But it does allow me to work in a personal homage to my Reed experience of swimming 125 miles in the Sports Palace while a student.

But regardless of your perspective, position and attachment to the origin of the elements, you can always turn the periodic table back around and commune with the noble gases in appreciation of Hum 110.

— Steve Fowkes ’75 Walnut Creek, California

Remembering Richard Jones In the spirit of Truth, I would like to address the issue of Humanities 110 under the leadership of Richard H. Jones. I was a student at the time and not aware of all the facts of faculty hiring and firing. I only know what I experienced as a student in his particular class. I used to write the most outrageously creative papers for him. As

long as they basically pertained to the assigned topic, he would never penalize me in any kind of way or lower my grade. In that respect, he was very flexible and not a “strict constructionist” at all. I took three courses from Mr. Jones.

He always encouraged creativity, and for me was a kind mentor and a loyal friend. When he found out that I had sat in on Mr. Porter’s special session on Erickson’s Young Man Luther, he seemed surprised, but he did not admonish me, or demerit me in any kind of way. After I left Reed and returned to the Boston area, it was only through his effort I was able to earn credits here and write a thesis in absentia.

I would also like to comment on the phenomenon of Christianity at Reed College (Blue Like Jazz). When I was at Reed in the early ’70s, there was a strong Christian presence. Many of this group went on to graduate schools at top divinity schools and became pastors themselves. I went on to work in the nonprofit human service field and to become a regular member of the Catholic church, which also serves Harvard University.

In this kind of Christianity, truth and charity (veritas et caritas) are married, and much good comes from it.

—Amy Burns ’74 Cambridge, Massachusetts

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Jones II

Defending The Citadel (Again)

Roger Porter’s memories of the divisive faculty politics of the 1960s (Letters, August 2009) are undoubtedly accurate, and I am sure his criticisms of Richard Jones are warranted. Dick was an opinionated, ferocious defender of his views on the curriculum and historical studies.

But there was another side to him too, one for which I, and many other of his former students and colleagues, remain grateful.

As a student and later as a colleague I had several tumultuous arguments with Dick about the humanities curriculum, the way history should be taught and written, and which of us would teach English history in a given semester.

We were polar opposites and never agreed on the pedagogical issues.

Nevertheless, I found that Dick tolerated my dissent and never attempted to harm my career for it. In fact, during my two years on the faculty, I became close friends with his wife Alice (whom I adored) and also with him, I think. As an admissions officer, Alice had made it possible for me to enter Reed as a student and after a stroke deprived her of her speech, she and Dick were happy to welcome me to their home on a half-dozen occasions so I could tell her my version of what was happening at Reed and in my life.

When my contract ended and I left Reed for the University of Wisconsin, many people were glad to see me go. (I was a jerk as a colleague, I am sure.) But Alice and Dick were genuinely pleased for me. I continue to respect Dick because he taught me to be a critical historian and to appreciate the qualities of people with whom I had strong political and intellectual differences, and that has served me well since.

I am sorry that Roger, who was also my (admired) teacher and colleague, still does not share my view that in retrospect the most significant thing about those long-ago ugly conflicts is that they were about things that matter: curriculum, pedagogy, methodology, ideas. In the more than 30 years since, at two universities, I have found that faculty conflicts, arbitrary denials of tenure, and back-biting are most often caused by far more trivial issues.

While you were fighting, some of us were trying to take in what both sides offered and never disliked either group of antagonists as much as you did each other. It was for me at least what they now like to call “a teaching moment.”

P.S. Roger, I forgive you for once telling me to my face that history was as a discipline “mere background” to literary studies.

—Michael MacDonald ’68 Ann Arbor, Michigan

The Black Studies crisis tore Reed apart. We woke up one morning to find the administrative floor of Eliot Hall occupied by the Black Student Union, which had issued a series of “non-negotiable demands.” I no longer have the document, but as I remember, chief among the demands was a Black Studies department and curriculum. More controversial was the demand that students have control of the curriculum and the hiring of faculty.

There was an interminable series of meetings, general meetings of the community and long meetings of the faculty who tried to find a response. The faculty resolution quoted in response to the letter from Karen Smith ’70 (Letters, November 2009) was the result. Reading that

Editor’s Note: Sometimes it seems as if Reed College is mere background to the Letters section of Reed magazine. We accept this distinction with humility.

In the 1960s Reed was filled with controversy.

It was a mirror of the times. But those of us who were there received a remarkable education, both in and out of the classroom. I see the faculty who made those controversial decisions as less defending a “citadel” than defending an ideal, the ideal of a liberal arts eduction, an ideal that is increasingly under attack.

—Jeffrey Kovac ’70 Knoxville, Tennessee

The Outsiders

I read Karen Smith’s letter (Letters, November 2009), and was saddened that she’s had no contact with the college since she left in 1970.

She wrote “Reed made me and many of my classmates feel like outsiders”; I thought that

“ I see the faculty who made those controversial decisions as less defending a “citadel” than defending an ideal . . .”

—Jeffrey Kovac ’70 resolution after 40 years, I am struck by several things. First, is the unqualified acceptance of what has come to be called “value free” scholarship, which was certainly the prevailing faculty perspective at the time. Part of what the “young Turks” were challenging was that perspective.

More important at the time was the defense of academic freedom, still an important issue in the university. The student demand for control of faculty and curriculum was a serious challenge to a faculty that remembered the McCarthy era and the Nazi purges of the German universities.

Eventually, a compromise was reached and Reed developed some courses in Black Studies.

Since that time, there have been demands for similar courses and curricula, Women’s Studies for example, and those fields have matured beyond advocacy to solid, valuable scholarship.

In retrospect, I see protests such as the one at Reed as part of the painful birth process of new and important scholarly pursuits. I also see the conservatism of the Reed faculty, obstinate as it may have seemed at the time, as being rather wise. Other colleges responded differently to similar pressure, some to their eventual downfall.

Karen Smith is correct that several popular and talented faculty left Reed, either by choice or because they were denied tenure. The Faculty Advisory Committee that made tenure decisions at the time was widely considered to be very conservative, even reactionary. However, I think Karen is incorrect in some of her memories.

Both Kirk Thompson and Mason Druckman were granted tenure. Thompson left to join the founding faculty at Evergreen State College. I think that Druckman and some of the younger non-tenured faculty left to form a new institution called the Learning Community.

we ALL felt like outsiders, but there wasn’t any “inside” to fit into at Reed, so it was (for me and a lot of my friends) a good match (if not particularly a “fit”).

I left in 1974, vowing I’d never be back, but have found that, over the years, wading through the rivers of life has smoothed my own and my classmates’ rough edges, and, coming back to reunions, find that I have many more good feelings than bad toward Reed and the people there. In particular, I’ve met people of all ages (not just from my own years), who have been lots of fun, some of whom have become good friends. Let me suggest to Karen, and to anyone else with similar feelings, that a visit back to the college will prove to be a visit that you won’t forget—and that you won’t regret.

—David Perry ‘73 Chicago, Illinois

Don’t Forget Ernest

Karen Smith’s cavalier way with facts does a terrible disservice to Senator Ernest Gruening, Alaska, who also voted against the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.

—Frances Burack ’60 Amherst, Massachusetts

Presidential Memories Regarding “Defending the Citadel,” and letters from Binda, Friedrich, Green, et al, I ran into two ex-presidents of Reed during my time at Berkeley.

They made me appreciate how hard it is to defend the citadel against misdirection, and makes me now appreciate more and more the role of doughty faculty members like McKinley and Stewart.

Peter Odegard [president 1945-48] moved to Berkeley when I did, in 1948. He professed poli sci, March 2010 Reed magazine 5

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but you could see by the faraway look in his eyes (and other evidence) that his ambition was to practice it. He had some Reedies to his place for a brief coffee, which was sweet, but he spoke highly of California latifundistos. “These are totally different from the image you got from Grapes of Wrath, and Carey McWilliams’ book Factories in the Field,” quoth he, turning his photogenic profile to gaze dreamily out the window. “These are modern scientific farmers.”

I soon learned from others (and my own travels) that there were lots of labor camps in the Great Valley, with armed guards and warnings to stay away, with braceros replacing the Okies. I figured out that Odegard was courting big money to finance his prospective campaigns for high office. With McCarthy and Jack Tenney and Sheridan Downey coming on strong, who needed labor-lovers from red Reed? (“Red,” then, meant quite the opposite of what it does now.)

Dexter Keezer [president 1934-42] showed up later to recruit economics ABDs to work under him as the chief economist of Business Week. When I mentioned Reed, he snorted with disdain that it reared smart-alec students who knew everything. Then he kept me dancing on a string for several months, while my wife and friends wisely advised me to tell him to take his job and shove it. Suddenly, thanks to Reedie John Krutilla ’49, I learned about an opening at Eugene, which I grabbed. Before signing I invested a substantial part of our limited discretionary budget in a long distance call to NYC to tell Keezer I needed his offer right away. (Yes, young ‘uns, long distance in those days was big money for struggling students!) He just scolded and lectured me on how I must make up my mind between business and teaching—but still no offer, so his was the path not taken. It would have been unholy heck to work under such a guy. Thank you, [William] Blair Stewart ’21 [economics 1925–49] and Charles McKinley [political science, 1918–60], for helping persuade him to leave Reed.

There’ve been more good guys and bad guys since then, and new issues, but those old traditions keep shining through. Oh, yes, I lived in a temp shelter, long since leveled, named for Foster and Scholz, apparently the two good guys from ‘way back. Permanent structures might be named for those the bankers would like better. So don’t judge a college by the names on the lintels.

—Mason Gaffney ’48 Riverside, California

The Paper It’s Printed On I just finished reading the Summer 2009 issue, and saw in Chris Lydgate’s “From the Editor” article that Reed magazine has begun using more sustainable paper sources and printing processes. Having led several sustainability initiatives in the workplace, I know that it can

be a difficult and sometimes thankless job to invest the time and resources necessary to begin translating rhetorical support for “sustainability” as an abstract concept into the actual execution of more sustainable practices. So I wanted to thank you for your recent efforts, and encourage you to keep looking for ways to reduce the environmental impact of Reed’s publications (and operations generally).

—Jeremy Nelson ’98 San Francisco, California

anne weaver

Letters to Reed continued

Stop And Smell The Pages As usual, I sat down to devour Reed as soon as I brought it in from my mailbox. I began with the “Letters,” and when I turned to page six, began to notice this very intense, somewhat offensive, odor. I began sniffing the page, including the Western Union telegram reproduced there, and then flipping the pages to other pictures, figuring it must be the ink. But every time I got close to the page, the odor seemed fainter. Finally, after several more sniffs, I came to the end of the letters section and found, to my surprise, the letter from Linda Young ’92 titled “Stop and Smell the Pages.” Even more astonishing, she asserted that the magazine now smelled better than it used to.

Finally, I looked around and discovered on the table the lovely chunk of now-room-temperature “Legendary Fromage de Chevre” that I bought earlier in the day at my local food co-op. Sure enough. I picked it up, gave it a sniff, and found the source. Say “Goat Cheese”!

—Rachael Dorr ’76 Cambridge, Massachusetts

Grains Of Truth “Grains of Truth” (Summer 2009) did a good job of covering the bioengineering research of Pamela Ronald ’82. However, author Bobbie Hasselbring can be faulted for an inadequate overview of the biotech nexus of mutually affirming publicists, scientists, and financiers, who may soon surpass the oil industry in terms of influence.

Hasselbring breezes past the question of sustainability with a token half-sentence. Nowhere in the article do we see any mention of “terminator seeds” produced by bioengineering sterility via so-called “suicide genes.” These seeds have existed for 15 years, but public outcry led their manufacturers to agree to a moratorium on their use for food crops.

Dr. Ronald’s lab is not involved in bioengineering sterile crops and her work is in the public domain. I salute her for that. Is it merely a “romantic notion” that farmers can use part of each harvest to seed the next planting? Should multinational corporations have the right to sue them for breach of copyright if they do? The sale of seeds is already a $20+ billion per year business, which could double if “terminator seeds” and other forms of Genetic Use Restriction Technology were applied at will. It’s not hard to

Pamela Ronald ’82 inspects rice seedlings.

imagine how lucrative it would be for an oligopoly to control the world’s food supply.

The claim “yield three to five times more grain” may sound like an easily verifiable fact.

However, Dr. Vandana Shiva exposed calculation tricks in her book Monocultures of the Mind. For example, faster time-to-harvest was achieved in the Green Revolution by introducing rice plants that have shorter stalks. Thus, the denominator dropped significantly when calculating the grainto-biomass ratio, resulting in a higher “yield” on paper. As Dr. Shiva explained, one manifestation of a narrow mindset is the belief that non-grain biomass is useless. In many traditional farming communities, straw is used as fodder, thereby cutting the cost of feeding the farmer’s cow or water buffalo.

In regard to the use of toxic pesticides, “Grains of Truth” slides back and forth between the goals of “no” and “reduced.” The 1980s saw increasing awareness of the danger to farmers, as depicted in the Thai documentary Profits from Poison.

Managers in air-conditioned offices began to receive feedback that the impervious plastic ponchos they had recommended for “safe” pesticide application created an unintentional sauna for farmers in a hot, humid climate. Most farmers quickly abandoned the ponchos.

In response, Monsanto genetically engineered soy “humanely” so that the plant would resist the company’s pesticide Roundup. Instead of spraying large areas between plants, farmers could focus the pesticide entirely on the plants themselves, thereby reducing both exposure and expense. This certainly seems more efficient at first glance, but press releases and articles (both pro and con) rarely address the question: Does direct spraying mean that more Roundup finds its way to the supermarket, onto the dinner table, and into the digestive system?

“Nothing we eat is found in the natural world” is a surprisingly absolutist quip from the mouth of a scientist. True, much of what we eat has been modified, but at least it is traceable to the natural world. Excepting cases of hybridization,

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domestication only utilizes an organism’s own genome, which has a holistic integrity. The term “organic” may refer simply to no pesticides when marketing food, but such a legalistic view ignores the qualities of continuity and harmony associated with organic growth. In this light, a “marriage of genetic technology and organic farming” sounds like a monoculture of the mind intended to coopt the term “organic,” which may become as insipid as the word “natural” that now appears on so many consumer products.

— Martin Schell MAT ’77 Klaten, Central Java Editor’s Note: In the tradition of spirited debate, we ran Martin’s letter in its entirety, even though we’re pretty sure that none of his gripes apply to Pamela Ronald ’82.

Absconding With The Owl As a past possessor of that hallowed object of mythical desire, I particularly enjoyed the Doyle Owl material in your last issue. I was chosen as a holder of this sacred object when the nefarious prankster Oliver Davis ’87 approached me with intel on its proposed appearance in front of Eliot Hall at a precise time in order for it to appear in a photograph set up by one Kilian Kerwin ’85.

At the appointed time, Mr. Davis and a couple of beefy compatriots piled into my 1973 Oldsmobile Torornado. I was the wheelman. We tore across the lawn in front of the large, assembled group posing for the aforementioned photo. Before my majestic banana-colored ship had even come to a halt, the muscle leapt from the vehicle as I punched the electronic trunk release. The sightly bird was tossed into that trunk and, in the blink of an eye, we absconded with our quarry.

One aspect which no caretaker ever discusses, however, is the stress involved and diligence required as the holder of this famous fowl. I once had to sing the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” to a packed dining hall at Gonzaga University in order for it to be safely returned to the trunk of that banana-colored Olds (its standard resting place for its time with me) after its significance was discovered (due to the application of much alcohol) by a philosophy professor there who had been my high school debate coach several years before.

On another occasion, when the winged beast was not entombed in its trunk, it was nicked by some young criminals. A trusted colleague, however, obtained valuable intel on where the pilfered prize was located and, on a dark and stormy night, we made our way out to the off-campus abode of the thieves in question and gained entry into their living room. A swift recovery was executed although, at my current age, I would no longer dream of negotiating that massive hunk of concrete out the window of a Southeast bungalow at three in the morning.

Good times.

—Dan Cross ’89 Hillsboro, Oregon

The Quintessential Food

A recent “In Memoriam” note ran on Sasha McCarthy Clapper ’96. It incorrectly stated that Sasha considered Old Crow bourbon the “quintessential food.” While Sasha was indeed partial to Old Crow, it was of course the potato that earned this title from Sasha. Among other memories of this unique man, I’ll never forget his exuberance upon once purchasing a 10-pound bag of Idaho russets for 99 cents.

Thanks for honoring a Reedie whose infectious spirit enriched the lives of so many around him.

—Zach Vestal ’95 Portland, Oregon

Stop Carvin’ Marvin Your headline to Professor Levich’s lapidary and enlightening letter (“Marv Responds,” November 2009) is simply unacceptable. Marvin Levich is not “Marv”!! He is Marvin Levich, Professor Levich, or some other respectful title. Marv is for Throneberry (Mets fans of ’62 arise) or for news presenters or for used car salesman or… under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, any Marvin who wants to call himself Marv in writing.

—Tom Forstenzer ’65 Vanves, Frances Editor’s note: Point taken!

“ Up the ladder I went, and for a few incredible minutes, Father Catich tried to teach several millennia of stone inscription to a kid.”

—Fred Rogers ’66

Shelley By Streetlight Patsy Garlan’s story about Tom Kelly ’48, Shelley

by Streetlight, and her subsequent encounter with the police (Autumn 2009) sparked a memory.

I was only 17 when I started Reed in 1966.

One night, I decided to explore Portland. I walked across the Ross Island Bridge into Southwest as far as the freeway. On my way back to campus, I was stopped by a patrol car. After the officers checked my ID, they told me that since I was under 18, and it was after midnight, I was breaking curfew. I sputtered something about being newly arrived from California, and unfamiliar with curfews.

The cops laughed and drove me back to Reed, leaving me with a stern warning to avoid any more expeditions until after my birthday. I thought at the time they were just giving me a break. But perhaps they did it for Tom Kelly!

(Ah, I was carrying poetry, but not where the

police could see it. “The Ross Island Bridge at Midnight”—if only I could remember that poem!)

—R. Neil Vance ’70 Morrisville, Pennsylvania

Pig-Headed?

The photo of the boar’s head in the Autumn ’09 issue speaks worlds about Reedies (and most Americans). While we have generally come to understand that exploiting other races (for example) is harmful—and therefore morally objectionable—most of us remain in the dark ages when it comes to animal exploitation. Driven by habit and supported by the weight of the mindless majority, we continue to treat other living beings as if their lives were of no moral importance, as if individuals of another species were merely means to our ends. One day I hope that our circle of justice can expand to include not just other races, and other sexualities, but other species—those who can neither speak for themselves nor defend themselves against our selfish aggressions. Your photo reminds me of just how far we have to go.

—Lisa Kemmerer ’88 Billings, Montana

A Lesson Up a Ladder Page 13 of the Spring 2009 issue includes a photo that is evocative for me. If I’m not mistaken, it’s Father Catich inscribing “Eliot Hall” in Trajan Capitals. [Yes! See page 20—Ed.] In those years, the physics department was HQ’d in the basement of Eliot Hall. I don’t remember the month or year exactly, only that it wasn’t raining. I was bumbling along in my usual way, headed for the east entrance, when to my surprise, I encountered a little guy up on a scaffold pecking away at the lintel over the doorway. So there’s Catich, and there’s me, down on the ground, mouth hanging open. Finally he stopped, peered down at me, and said, “Do you want to come up here?” “Oh yes!” said I. “Okay.” said Catich, “But you’ve got to be humble!”

Up the ladder I went, and for a few incredible minutes, Father Catich tried to teach several millennia of stone inscription to a kid. He was working on the left side of the “O” in “Eliot.” That little guy had more strength in his left wrist than I had in my whole body! You hold that chisel steady, and at the right angle (or Trajan or some wacko emperor sends you to the galleys!). You use your own hand-forged chisel, and you whack it with a mallet you make out of a recycled bowling pin.

Give it a try some day. You bet your unworthy backside you’d better be humble.

Did it happen at Reed? Well, I’m famously non-imaginative, and I didn’t end up anywhere else, so I think it happened at Reed. Probably had something to do with Lloyd Reynolds. It wasn’t raining. That should help fix the date.

—Fred Rogers ’66 Reno, Nevada March 2010 Reed magazine 7

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Eliot Circular

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blaine covert

The Final Bow

Thesis Videos Online The quantum mechanics of the ellipse. The predictive validity of the SAT. Examining worship in virtual reality. These are just a few of the fascinating issues Reed students have explored in their senior theses.

To get a sense of the staggering breadth and depth of the questions Reedies are grappling with, visit our new webpage and watch them talk about their theses. See www.reed.edu/apply/academics/thesis/.

Campus wildlife: a coyote stands near the orchard in the upper canyon..

Coyotes Make Home In Canyon Students slogging home through the canyon at twilight are accustomed to seeing a wide variety of local wildlife.

Squirrels chattering indignantly at one another, rifling through fallen leaves and gorging themselves on their findings, warbling flocks of tiny sparrows, feathers fluffed and swaying with the bitter wind, even slender, ribbonlike, black and yellow garter snakes trying to catch the last of the pale sunshine. Recently, however, there’s been an upswing in sightings of a larger cohabitant: coyotes.

“It’s quite a surprise,” says Molly Radany ’11 . “One minute you’re walking home and the next you see this majestic, sleek creature just trot across the trail in front of you. They’re beautiful.”

Reed’s resident canyon expert, groundskeeper Zac Perry, believes that a pair of coyotes began prowling the upper canyon sometime in the fall and may have built a den in the area below the studio art building. “From the markings, it looks like they may be a male and a female,” Zac says. “But there’s no sign of pups—yet.”

The return of coyotes (along with the wild steelhead trout spotted in the canyon last year) is an eloquent testament to Reed’s intensive efforts to restore the 26-acre canyon to a self-sustaining, ecologically balanced condition. In 2001, the college removed an outdoor swimming pool and built a fish ladder to allow salmon and trout free passage to Reed Lake. This summer, thanks to generous support from donors (including the city of Portland, the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, Metro, and the Jubitz Foundation), work will begin on SE 28th Avenue to replace the culverts that have long choked the creek that issues from the Canyon.

The coyotes’ diet is believed to include downed fruit from the old orchard, squirrels, and the everscrumptious coypu. Are the coyotes dangerous? Not really, according to the Portland Audubon Society, which describes the species as “generally shy, wary of humans, and non-aggressive.” Should you actually come face to face, the recommended course of action is to make a fuss by waving your arms and shouting—though it’s worth taking a moment to stop and stare.—Lucy Bellwood ’12

photo by zac perry

Visiting assistant professor of dance Minh Tran took the final bow of his stage career in “Kiss,” an autobiographical piece commissioned by White Bird and performed in the round at Portland’s World Forestry Center in January.

“Kiss” opens a window into Tran’s emotional memory. It portrays his escape by sea from a war-ravaged Vietnam, his arrival in Portland, and his coming out as a gay man. (See “Dancing Across Borders,” Spring 2009.) Tran teamed up with composer Heather Perkins and film designer David Bryant, and incorporated several different elements in choreographing his swan song, drawing on the Chinese opera training of his youth, Southeast Asian techniques, and modern dance.

The choreography is enhanced with streams of sensual images of body parts projected through the auditorium, which Tran admits were included to stir emotion.

“I’m not looking for acceptance anymore,” Tran told the Oregonian in a recent interview. He called it his definitive work and his most introspective. “It was created for myself. No one else will ever do that piece,” said Tran. “I cried every night on stage, I spilled my guts.”

At 43, Tran remains in exceptional physical condition and moves with grace and explosive speed. But he believes that dancing has become a distraction and that it is time to focus on teaching. “It is more rewarding to see where and how my students realize their potential,” said Tran. “It’s time to give back.”

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Eliot Circular continued

Bio Prof Mentioned By Nobel Committee Biology professor Janis Shampay was elated in October when she heard that the 2009 Nobel Prize in Medicine had been awarded to three of her former colleagues, Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Jack W. Szostak, and Carol W. Greider, for their work on the mechanics of DNA replication, specifically how chromosomes protect themselves from deterioration following cell division.

This particular area of research has long been an interest of Shampay’s. In fact, she was the lead author of a 1984 Nature paper on the subject—a paper that was cited by the Nobel Committee in its commendation—together with Blackburn, who was her PhD adviser at UC Berkeley, and Szostak, their collaborator.

“We weren’t trying to cure cancer,” Shampay explains. “We were trying to understand this perplexing problem of how chromosomes replicate.”

Stripped to its essentials, the problem was that the reigning biological model implied that DNA should fray after replication—progressively shortening the chromosome with each division. Yet somehow chromosomes resist this deterioration. Shampay, Szostak, and Blackburn provided key observations and were the first to propose the existence of a hitherto unknown enzyme that repaired the damage to the DNA. The missing enzyme—now known as telomerase—was found the next year by Greider, and has since opened the door to a vast area of research with potential implications for understanding both cancer and cellular senescence (that’s aging to non-bio majors). Today, Shampay is characteristically modest about her role in the discovery of telomerase, but says the awarding of the Nobel Prize to her former colleagues is a “thrilling development.”

labyrinths filled with mystic symbols, ritual artifacts, scientific instruments, all evoking “alchemy in a modern context”—a proliferation of spiritual, cultural and scientific cues embedded within a sprawling, interactive space. Tonalism, a 12-hour ambient musical happening will be presented by the Los Angeles radio collective Dublab. The week runs March 3–7. Find out more at www.reed.edu/raw/2010/.

New Trustees Join Board

Alchemy is the theme for Reed Arts Week 2010.

RAW Energy

Twenty years after its founding, Reed Arts Week is still going strong. This year’s theme is Alchemy—an invitation to transform everyday objects and experiences through imagination, mad science, and sublime, transcendent vision. New York artist Jonah Freeman will transform the library, Eliot Hall, and other spaces around campus into

Reed welcomes two new trustees.

Jan R. Liss ’74 is the executive director of Project Pericles, a non-profit that promotes social responsibility and participatory citizenship. She previously served as associate director of the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program and was vice president of strategic planning for Consumers Union (publisher of Consumer Reports). Jan earned her BA in psychology and her MBA from Yale University in 1981. She was a Tenenbaum Leadership Initiative Fellow in 2008 at Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy and she is a board member at College and Community Fellowship. Jan has served on Reed’s New York campaign committee; she has also served as an Annual Fund reunion gift chair, admission volunteer, and has participated in the alumni college. Jan’s husband, Jim Coddington ’74, is the chief conservator for the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Jan and Jim

Further Reading Shampay J. How do the ends replicate? Trends in Biochemical Sciences. 35 (1) January 2010, 5-7 doi:10.1016/j.tibs.2009.11.002 Shampay J, Szostak JW, Blackburn EH. DNA sequences of telomeres maintained in yeast. Nature. 1984 Jul 12–18;310(5973):154–7.

live in Eastchester, New York. Jan will serve as alumni trustee until spring 2012.

David M. Gossett ’91 is a partner with Mayer Brown LLP in Washington, DC, where his practice focuses on Supreme Court and appellate litigation. He earned his BA in psychology, his MA from the University of Pennsylvania in 1993, and his JD from the University of Chicago in 1997. David is a cofounder and executive editor of the Green Bag, a quarterly law journal; a member of the American Law Institute; and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He serves on the National Advisory Council of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Amicus Brief Advisory Committee for the Constitution Project, the University of Chicago Law School’s Alumni Admissions Committee, and the Executive Council of the Lawyers’ Committee for the Shakespeare Theatre. David has served on Reed’s alumni board, alumni chapter steering committee, and class reunion committee; he has also served as Annual Fund reunion gift chair and admission volunteer. His wife, Dena Ringold, is a senior economist at the World Bank.

David will serve as alumni trustee until 2013.

Although many of Reed’s trustees are alumni, the so-called “alumni trustees” are recommended to the board by the alumni association and typically serve four-year, non-renewable terms. The two other alumni trustees are Sheldon Hochheiser ’73 and Steve Falk ’83.

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Frank Morton-Park ’10 gains momentum on the giant hamster wheel.

Running In Circles

Yet another enigmatic artifact has materialized overnight in the student union: this one is a majestic structure resembling a behemoth roller bearing, 12 feet in diameter, constructed from lumber and plywood and emblazoned with pictograms.

For several days, its purpose, mission, and meaning remained opaque. Then an intrepid physics senior plucked up the courage to step inside the enormous tube at the heart of the contraption, and reported a peculiar swinging sensation. This impression grew stronger as the student leaned forward to inspect the smooth face of the curved surface before him. Suddenly, with a groan and a shudder, the tube began to rotate. The student quickened his pace; the tube accelerated accordingly, roaring and clattering like a Lexington Avenue subway

train; and the thunderstruck observers realized they were staring at a gargantuan hamster wheel.

After diligent inquiry, we finally tracked down English major Patrick McQuestion ’11, who confirmed that the surreal student group DxOxTxUx (Defenders of the Universe) was responsible for the engineering marvel, and shared some of the nuts and bolts. The tube sits atop 64 rubber roller bearings, made out of longboard wheels and 7-inch steel axles. The group spent six weeks constructing the device; final assembly in the SU required a marathon session of 20 hours.

The group’s previous exploits include the seesaw couch and the couch swing, featured in previous issues of Reed. Plans are in the works to attach a dynamo to the wheel in order to generate electricity. —Anna Mann

Opb Shooting Reed Documentary Oregon Public Broadcasting is working on a documentary about the history of Reed for its series, The Oregon Experience. Thanks to generous donations from the college’s supporters, the project will be broadcast sometime in fall 2011, coinciding with Reed’s centennial celebrations.

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The Ripple Effect Reed College owes its very existence to an act of philanthropy: Amanda Reed’s decision to establish an institute to pursue “the increase and diffusion of practical knowledge . . . and for the promotion of literature, science, and arts.” But the story of philanthropy at Reed hardly ends there.

With every generation of Reedies who give back to the college, the impact of Amanda’s gift is increasingly multiplied. The same is true of your gifts; you don’t have to be Amanda Reed

to have a profound effect on the development of thoughtful, intellectually disciplined young minds (and inspire them to follow your example).

With the help of donors large and small, Reed was able to meet 100 percent of demonstrated need for the 51 percent of students who received financial aid this year.

Want to find out more about the impact of your gifts? Flip through this magazine; you’ll see the ripples on every page.

Amanda Reed’s single act of philanthropy changes the lives of thousands of future Reedies—14,805 and counting. Through her will, Amanda Reed establishes an institute to pursue “the increase and diffusion of practical knowledge . . . and for the promotion of literature, science and arts.”

(No mention of an owl.)

1919 1908

Dana establishes the James B. Small Scholarship in memory of her brother, also a math major from the Class of ’30.

“As excellent as the preparation in the subject matter of mathematics, equally valuable to me as a teacher was to have been taught by a fine teacher, Frank L. Griffin. Teachers tend to teach as they have been taught.”

Dana Small ’23 MAT ’49

1985

1983

Amanda Reed, our illustrious founder

Dana Small ’23 MAT ’49 arrives at Reed; she becomes one of the first Reedite women to earn a BA in mathematics.

Dana teaches high school math for 40 years, nearly all of them at Portland’s Franklin High School.

She is part of a team of outstanding mathematics teachers invited to develop a national “new math” curriculum.

Tyler Morrison ’90 is the third of 17 recipients of the Small Scholarship.

At Reed, Tyler discovers his passion for creating software by building a human operant chamber in the form of a computer game for his thesis. After graduation, he founds Haiku Software, collaborating with various Reedies over the next 20 years.

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How many lives will your gift change?

To make a gift, visit giving.reed.edu or use the enclosed envelope.

Alyssa writes a thank-you note to Tyler in the form of a haiku:

Reed education Equal to much happiness Thank you for the chance.

Tyler establishes the Haiku Scholarship, named after his hometown in Hawaii.

“I always had it in my mind that I would ‘pay back’ those grants so Reed could use that money to give financial aid to someone else.”

2007 1998

Alyssa Calasicas ’11

Alyssa Calasicas ’11 is the fourth recipient of the Haiku Scholarship.

Tyler Morrison ’90, Rachel Altmann ’88, and their son, Benjamin

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A Farewell to the Iliad Next semester, Hum 110 will begin with the Odyssey instead.

Next fall, students in Humanities 110 will not begin the year with the Iliad (as they have for over 40 years), but with the Odyssey, and will end the spring semester not with Augustine’s Confessions, but with the Satyricon of Petronius. These changes, reflecting a farreaching reconceptualization of the aims and materials of Humanities 110, result from the third major syllabus revision that the course has undergone in my 35 years at Reed.

A little background may be in order, beginning with the deep history of our unusual requirement. As most readers of this magazine know, Humanities 110—or the curricular philosophy embedded in that course—has been a central part of Reed College since the presidency of Richard F. Scholz (1921–24). In 1943, the two required courses of that earlier era were combined into one, with a pair of instructors (from history and from literature) directing each conference.

When in 1949 the staff decided that a single instructor would lead each conference, Reed’s humanities program attained a pedagogical structure that has not changed in any essential feature, even though the materials of the course—and more importantly, the approach to them—have undergone considerable challenge and revision.

Two years before I arrived at Reed, the unified course had been divided into three parts, each with a fall semester on ancient Greek materials, succeeded by a different focus in the spring: a continuation of the

Greek materials (an option that lasted for one year, being replaced the next year by a focus on “The Middle Ages and Renaissance”), a focus on the Italian Renaissance, and a focus on late medieval and early modern England. In 1979, the staff of the course proposed to take the further step of asking the Faculty to permit it to disband the common course, replacing it with a set of small, team-taught interdisciplinary seminars in subject areas of each team’s choosing. After extensive debate, the faculty rejected this proposal, instead reaffirming its commitment to a “unified Freshman Humanities course required of all freshmen, with a common intellectual experience, beginning with the Greek culture.” Responding to that directive, the staff developed a new common syllabus, beginning with the Iliad and ending with Dante’s Inferno.

That syllabus, first taught in 1982–83, proved unwieldy and unfocused, so was replaced in 1993 with a syllabus beginning with Homer and ending with Augustine. Subsequent to the events of September 11, 2001, and at least partly in consequence of the way in which this event dramatically altered one’s sense of history, the Humanities 110 staff felt the need to examine the possibility of alternative syllabi for the course, but after lengthy deliberation, decided to keep the

syllabus more or less as it had been. A new round of institutional program review, commencing in 2006, provided the framework of discussion that resulted in the new syllabus to be offered for the first time in the fall of 2010.

A committee of 12 members of the staff—drawn from a range of disciplines, representing the full span of generations, and including two Reed graduates—worked throughout the summer of 2009 to draft this syllabus. We had a general mandate from the staff as a whole—indeed, from what we call the “extended” staff, potentially made up of everyone who has taught the course over the last decade—which set broad parameters, and committed us to teach for a three-year trial period whatever the summer committee developed. Having chaired that committee, I can testify that we vigorously debated several options—among them a couple of different configurations that would have incorporated Islam into the course—but in the end, we decided in favor of a more tightly integrated syllabus focused on ancient Greece and Rome within the larger Mediterranean world.

If you take a look at this syllabus, available on Reed’s website, you’ll see that while the course looks familiar in many ways, much has changed: about half of the texts and artifacts are new (though two-thirds of the authors have stayed the same). Let me quote the headnote describing the new syllabus, then make a few remarks about why we changed the course, and why, in the course of our changes, we stopped here.

photo by steven scardinia

This syllabus, although divided into five areas of focus, provides for a unified look at the ancient Mediterranean world as a polycultural environment from the archaic period to the first century of the Common Era. We decided both to expand the geographical and cultural parameters of the course and to limit the chronological parameters in order to meet goals for the course which were expressed in various ways by faculty in the course, program reviewers, and students. The course continues to provide possibilities for a unified historical narrative that has now been extended into the second semester. It charts strategies of cultural assimilation and resistance, and does so with texts left: Reed library’s oldest copy of the Iliad, printed in Paris in 1554.

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that are (1) aesthetically rich, (2) susceptible to multiple interpretations and disciplinary approaches, (3) thematically connected, (4) significant in the history of Western culture, and (5) eminently teachable. The syllabus also has significantly increased the amount of attention paid to material culture and urban environments. The syllabus, moreover, does not conclude with the “triumph” of any particular culture or historical institution. Rather, it concludes with a Vanity Fair, a genre in which one continues to witness the contestation of values and identities.

I

t should surprise no one that the staff had grown unhappy with a syllabus that has increasingly seemed to embody outdated and ahistorical narratives about the glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome. Without in any way denying the world-historical importance of the cultural achievements, political institutions, and intellectual and material effects of GrecoRoman civilization, we think it historically misleading and intellectually irresponsible to imply that Greece and Rome came out of nowhere, that they owed no debt to other

“scared,” this colleague said, but I think that this “promises to make it much easier to talk about cultural diversity and encounter, the major issues perceived by many to be insufficiently covered by the current syllabus.”

Of course this new syllabus doesn’t, and won’t, please everyone. Some think that it distracts from the essential task of setting out the fundamental texts and problems of the humanistic tradition; others think it doesn’t go far enough, that there’s something illusory and depressingly ideological about this effort to use the ancient world not just as a source for much of “our” own intellectual and political heritage, but also as a model of diversity and encounter that can be useful to students in the cross-cultural present of the early twenty-first century. Speaking just for myself, now nearing the end of my career at Reed, I think that this syllabus will let us carry forward the best parts of a wonderful tradition, that Humanities 110 in this new incarnation should remind us of some important and difficult truths: that in fact we all—at least all of us aspiring intellec-

Of course this new syllabus doesn’t, and won’t, please everyone.

The new Hum 110 syllabus Aeschylus, Oresteia; Persians Aristophanes, The Frogs Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics and Politics Augustus, Res Gestae Callimachus, Aetia Cicero, Second Philippic Curd, ed., Presocratics Reader: Selected Fragments and Testimonia The Cyrus Cylindar in Kuhrt, The Persian Empire: A Corpus of Sources of the Achaemenid Period The Book of Daniel [LXX] Euripides, Bacchae;­Medea The Book of Esther The Book of Exodus The Book of Ezra The Book of Genesis Herodotus, Histories Hesiod, Works and Days/Theogony Homer, Odyssey The Book of Job

cultures, or that within the larger Mediterranean world there was no resistance to, negotiation with, or transformation of Greco-Roman domination. To be sure, we’ve been for many years trying to complicate the story of Humanities 110 with our lectures and with some ancillary readings. But we’ve never found a way to help our students see for themselves how texts and artifacts from other places within the same era can show the real complexity of cultural and political interaction and exchange. That’s what we hope to accomplish with this new syllabus.

Though it begins with Homer, the syllabus uses Odysseus to initiate a circumnavigation of the Mediterranean that recurrently attends to Egypt, to Israel, and to Persia, while maintaining as its central problem the unfolding development of Greece (with a necessary focus on Athens), the spread of Hellenism, and the eventual Romanization of the ancient world.

We all recognize that this syllabus will not only challenge our students to make sense of a broader range of materials, but that it will also require of us a greater intellectual flexibility (to say nothing of new and difficult preparation).

But most of us are convinced that the effort is more than worthwhile. To draw from an email I received just after we circulated a draft: I’m

tuals—share a common heritage, foundational to our ways of thinking and governing ourselves;that this commonality, such as it is, came into being not naturally, but as the result of historically complex and ethically troubling processes; and that none of us can ever claim ownership of these cultural and political goods and facts, or unchallenged authority in their interpretation.

Inquiring minds may nonetheless wonder, will I miss the Iliad? Of course I will. The Iliad has a unique beauty and tragic pleasure; it directly enables certain questions about human value and the structure of the larger world that may be a little harder to raise with the companion epic (that we once also taught in the days before we realized that students just needed more time to absorb these difficult texts). But the Odyssey provokes its own important and morally complex questions, has other, equally compelling, beauties and pleasures; and seems on balance to do a better job introducing the new syllabus. But is there a chance that we’ll revisit this decision?

At Reed, nothing is forever (except—so far— Humanities 110). —By Robert Knapp

Livy, Ab Urbe Condita

Robert Knapp is the Reginald F. Arragon Professor of English and Humanities at Reed. He has been on the staff of Hum 110 since 1974.

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War

Lucretius, De Rerum Natura 1 Maccabees The Gospel according to Mark Miller, Greek Lyric: An Anthology in Translation Ovid, Metamorphoses The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians The Epistle of Paul to the Romans Petronius, Satyricon Philo, Embassy to Gaius Plato, Republic; Symposium Plautus, Miles Gloriosus Polybius, Histories Rabinovich, The Contest of Horus and Set and Sinuhe Sallust, The Jugurthine War/The Conspiracy of Sallust The Satire of the Trades Seneca, On Tranquility of Mind and Letter 47 Sophocles, Antigone Virgil, The Aeneid March 2010 Reed magazine 15

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On the Ledge

The North Cascades boast many forbidding climbs: Dorado Needle is the high point on the left-hand side of this panorama. Eldorado Peak is the high point on the right.

How Reed’s climbing instructor prevented an accident from becoming a tragedy

By Ted Katauskas Rodney Sofich hung up the phone.

It’s not exactly like him to deliberately drop a caller—especially a reporter from the Oregonian—but he had reached the limit of his patience. The reporter had called to interview Sofich, Reed’s instructor of backcountry navigation and rock climbing, about how he helped rescue an injured climber in North Cascades National Park last summer.

He had politely declined to comment. She had persisted.

“I said, ‘This conversation is inappropriate. There’s no story here.’ She said, ‘Well, you work with college students, maybe you can teach them something…’ And I said, ‘When the opportunity arises, I will teach them,’” recounts Sofich.

A professional mountain guide with an unwavering steely gaze, a stubborn shadow of stubbly black beard, and a military-short

buzz cut, the 37-year-old Sofich is one of 65 coaches and outdoor instructors who make up Reed’s robust physical education program (see next page). In addition to showing students the ropes—literally—twice a week, Sofich also leads them on wilderness expeditions, including the renowned fourday Odyssey Trips that take place during O-Week.

“I’ve always been impressed with him,” says Michael Lombardo, director of physical education and athletics at Reed. “He’s an absolute expert and yet he’s so humble. He doesn’t like a lot of attention. But I know this area, I know what that terrain is like, the distance, the elevation, the rigors of what he must’ve gone through… If I was going to put my life in anyone else’s hands in an outdoor environment, it would be Rodney. Absolutely. He’s made of steel.”

E

very summer, elite mountaineers make a pilgrimage to North Cascades National Park to hone their skills and train for expeditions to monstrous peaks in Alaska, Asia, and South America. The park, a rugged 680,000-acre alpine wilderness just south of the Canadian border, offers several forbidding challenges.

First, sheer geographical remoteness—getting to the base of North Cascades climbing routes typically requires backcountry travel of a day or more. Second, hazardous crossings over glaciated terrain. More than half the glaciers in the Lower 48—300 in all—are found here. Third, a skyline defined by cloud-slicing knife-edges of rime-crusted snow (some so sheer, traversing requires a technique wherein the mountaineer straddles the ridgeline as though riding a horse, and scoots to the summit).

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Even the names of the peaks in the North Cascades testify to the unforgiving nature of the climbs: Forbidden Peak, Mount Fury, Mount Terror, and Mount Despair.

North Cascades park rangers typically assist in 10 to 15 rescues every season, and last year was no exception. A week before Sofich’s climb, Craig Luebben, a renowned guide from Golden, Colorado, died when an ice bridge he was crossing between Forbidden Peak and Mount Torment collapsed.

A few weeks before that accident, Sofich’s closest mountaineering friend raced to the top of Mount Terror to phone in a helicopter rescue for a Navy Prowler pilot on his climbing team who had suffered injuries so severe during a 60-foot fall that he had been left dangling unconscious from the end of his rope.

Sofich’s climbing partner that day was Chad Anderson, a dialysis nurse and climbing aficionado who over the years has cultivated a penchant and talent for scaling frozen waterfalls. Anderson was training for an expedition to the Moose’s Tooth, a notoriously difficult climb in Alaska that’s interspersed with steep ice couloirs and sheer faces of crumbly rock. To practice for the rock-climbing portion of that trip, Anderson had picked a route up the southwest buttress of Dorado Needle with similar terrain, and had invited Sofich, a longtime friend, to follow him up the face and coach him through the climb.

“The idea was to kind of push the envelope for Chad so he could mimic what it’d be like climbing in Alaska,” explains Sofich. “If he got himself in a pinch, I could take over and transition out.”

The two climbers arrived at the Eldorado Glacier trailhead on the morning of August 16, shouldered heavy backpacks, and set out for distant Dorado Needle. Just getting themselves in the neighborhood of the spire would be a physical feat in itself.

“The approach is more than a passing matter, because in many ways it symbolizes the wilderness of the North Cascades and the manner in which many appealing climbs are ‘protected’ by unsavory obstacles,” Seattle mountaineer Peter Potterfield writes in guidebook Selected Climbs in the Cascades.

“In this case, one approach goes straight up from the road and gains 5,500 feet of elevation before high camp is reached…Newcomers to the range may find these approaches unreasonable, if not brutal.”

Sofich is in peak physical condition with the aerobic capacity and musculature of

an elite athlete; he exercises every day and has summited Mount Hood more than 100 times. Nonetheless, even he calls the trail to Dorado Needle “an ass-kicker.”

After tiptoeing across the roiling Cascade River over a fallen log, the pair trudged up a steep wooded trail, quickly gaining 2,000 feet in elevation, the equivalent of climbing the stairs of the Empire State Building—twice. Emerging from the forest, they navigated up two talus fields, scrambling around and sometimes over car and housesized boulders, then switchbacked up a path marked with rock cairns, traversing meadows of trampled heather and slabs of slippery granite to a moraine at the lip of Eldo-

“ When the opportunity arises, I will teach them,” Sofich told the Oregonian reporter. rado Glacier, where they donned harnesses and roped themselves together. Wielding ice axes, they marched on crampon-studded boots up a 30-degree snow field, leaping over yawning crevasses a yard or more across and hundreds of feet deep. They traversed around Eldorado Peak, a pyramid of ice and snow resembling a mini-Everest, marched up a snow slope to an island of exposed rock that cleaved two glaciers like a woodcutter’s wedge where, after eating dehydrated meals out of foil pouches, they unrolled foam pads, pulled a tarp over their sleeping bags and, as stars began winking overhead, drifted off to sleep.

T

he climbers woke just after dawn, breakfasted on energy bars, sipped coffee brewed from melted snow, and drank in the panorama of iceencrusted peaks glistening like multifaceted jewels in the first light of day. Traveling light, carrying only bare essentials, they set off for Dorado Needle at seven that morning. Roughly two hours later, Anderson began ascending the pillar, clipping the rope that was knotted to his waist harness into metal chocks and expanding mechanical cams he inserted into cracks for protection from falls.

As his partner advanced upward, Sofich paid out rope from a coil at his feet, shouting encouragement from below. At first, the climbing seemed almost effortless. Anderson danced up the face until he reached the end of their 200-foot rope; then sitting on

Reed instructor Rodney Sofich teaches rock climbing and backcountry navigation and has led students on wilderness expeditions since 2002.

a ledge, he reeled up the rope as Sofich followed and “cleaned” (removed) the fixed protective gear. Within an hour, Anderson was dangling more than 600 feet off the ground, when he reached an impasse: a massive outcropping of overhanging rock (called a “nose”) that blocked his way upward. Wedged beneath the obstruction, he gingerly maneuvered onto the rock face, intending to climb around the nose by jamming his hands and clipping his rope into a crack that, according to his guidebook, was supposed to run up the face of the buttress.

Except that the crack wasn’t there.

Panicked, Anderson called down to Sofich, who was standing on a sloping slab of rock 175 feet below and yelled back that his partner had probably wandered off the established route.

Unable to climb back down, palms sweating, forearms knotting with lactic acid, Anderson struggled to find his next move. Desperate, he lunged upward for a handhold. But as soon as he weighted the flake, it peeled away in his fingers, pitching him backward, sending him cartwheeling head over heels onto a narrow ledge 20 feet below, where he landed hard, tail first, impaling his right gluteal muscle on a dagger-shaped shard of rock.

“I remember tumbling and tumbling, hitting something, and eventually the rope stopped me,” recalls Anderson. “I tried to sit up but my ears were ringing, I was feeling light-headed and nauseated. I remember Rodney calling up, ‘Chad, are you okay?’

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c o u r t e s y o f r ay b e lt

c o u r t e s y o f N a t i o n a l Pa r k S e r v i c e

On the Ledge continued

Sofich and climbing partner Chad Anderson before heading up to Dorado Needle.

Later that day, Anderson was lifted out by helicopter.

‘I’m fine,’ I squeaked out. But I wasn’t fine. I didn’t know I was bleeding.”

Sofich scrambled up and found his partner sprawled on a narrow ledge, slumped in a pool of crimson blood beside the rock spear.

“Suddenly, he wasn’t my climbing friend who I shared beers with,” Anderson says.

“Rodney went into guide mode. He was stone-faced, which is good, because you don’t want your rescuer to get all emotional.

He got matter-of-fact and said, ‘This is what we need to do.’”

Following the tenets of wilderness first responder training, Sofich stabilized his patient, dressing the wound—the rock had sliced through layers of tissue and muscle— with a quartered handkerchief and staunching the flow of blood by cinching the harness tight. Although Anderson was conscious, he exhibited symptoms of shock and could barely stand, much less climb. It was clear that he needed immediate medical attention.

Sofich’s first order of business was to move his friend down to the less exposed—and more accessible—sloping rock face where he’d been standing when the accident happened.

“I told him, ‘This is going to hurt. I’m sorry, but I have to do this,” recalls Sofich.

He gently lowered Anderson on the rope, then downclimbed to the sloping slab, while his friend tethered himself to a nylon sling

looped around a chockstone. Sofich checked his cell phone: no service. He would have to seek help himself.

Which meant he’d have to hike out alone and somehow reach the ranger station at Marblemount—a 20-mile drive from the trailhead—before dark. Otherwise Anderson would be stranded on the ledge for an entire night, if not longer. (During the Mount Terror mishap a few weeks earlier, one climber endured four miserable nights on the mountain after a freak July blizzard grounded search and rescue efforts.)

Sofich sat his friend down on a foam pad, bundled him in his fleece jacket and insulated coat, leaving him the first aid kit, all their food (a few energy bars) and all their water (two quarts). Then he said goodbye and rappelled over the edge, pulling the rope down after him, leaving Anderson uncomfortably slung in his harness, staring out at the peaks of the North Cascades, alone with his thoughts while his blood trickled down the sloping rock face.

“I wasn’t in my right mind because I was shocky and nauseous,” recalls Anderson. “But I remember clearly fearing for his safety because he had to walk across three glaciers of crevassed terrain and over snow bridges that potentially could collapse. I thought, ‘My God, if he dies because of my

sorry ass, I’m gonna be really pissed.’ I was really, really freaking out.”

Sofich didn’t walk. He ran, racing the sun, picturing his friend sitting on that ledge alone. He ran across precarious snow bridges and boot-skied down the slope leading from Dorado Needle. By the time he reached their bivouac, he had an agonizing thirst, but decided it would take too much time to set up the cookstove and melt snow for water. Instead, he steeled himself to run his own personal backcountry marathon, the endurance event of a lifetime. Before long, his mouth was parched, his legs were burning, his lungs were screaming. And his mind was racing.

“I’m trying to think about my years of learning about rescues, that oftentimes rescuers end up getting themselves hurt or killed,” Sofich recalls. “I had to slow things down and put things in perspective. I’ve got to take care of myself because if I get hurt, Chad doesn’t get saved. I went through the whole range of emotions. I was scared. I was nervous. I was pissed. I’m thinking, ‘Am I doing the right thing? Am I going to be quick enough?’”

Burdened with 25 pounds of gear, his friend’s fate weighing heavy on his mind, Sofich ran for hours, pausing only to check his cell phone (always no bars), and scoop handfuls of snow into his mouth. Slaking his thirst from a pool of brackish snowmelt

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near a trail junction, he spied a lone figure on the trail to Eldorado Peak. Should he sprint after the climber to ask if he had a working cell phone? Should he try summiting the peak himself to increase his chances of acquiring a signal? Considering the hours he’d lose if his side trip proved fruitless, he continued down the mountain. “Those were unknowns,” explains Sofich. “The known was that I could get down and get help.”

He leaped over crevasse after crevasse like a track star clearing hurdles. Further down the trail, he encountered a trio of climbers on their way to Eldorado Peak, and paused long enough to ask if anybody in the party had a working cell phone (they didn’t). “What’s going on?” one of the climbers shouted.

“Somebody’s been hurt,” Sofich yelled over his shoulder. To make it to the ranger station in time, he had to keep moving.

Down the talus fields, he vaulted over boulders, plunge-stepped down the steep forested trail, wrapping his arms around tree trunks and grabbing at roots. Sometimes it felt more like a controlled fall than a downclimb. At last, just after 3 p.m., he made it back to the trailhead. Moments later he was barreling down the road to Marblemount in Anderson’s Jeep, flashing his lights, laying on the horn, and swerving around tourists out for scenic drives. One aggrieved motorist tailgated him all the way to the ranger station parking lot, sputtering with indignation until Sofich shouted a brief explanation (punctuated with a few choice expletives).

Just before 4.p.m., Sofich burst into the Wilderness Information Center, interrupting a visitor who had been chatting amiably with a volunteer staffing the information desk.

“There’s been an accident on Dorado Needle,” he gasped. “I need some help.”

He briefed district ranger Kelly Bush, who dispatched a search and rescue team (she later would tell the Oregonian that it would have taken her two days to cover the same terrain). Two hours later, Anderson, still bundled against the mountain chill, stepped out of a search and rescue helicopter into Sofich’s embrace.

“It was hard to talk because of the noise from the helicopter rotors,” says Anderson, who, excepting the sutures in his backside, emerged from the ordeal remarkably unscathed. “But I did express my thanks. I told him he earned a Chad Anderson gold card.”

Which means free beer for life.

The next morning, back at home in Port-

Sports At Reed Reed offers an impressive array of activities to fulfill the college’s longstanding physical education requirement. (Six quarters of P.E. or no diploma!) Here’s a partial list of classes. For more, visit. www.reed. edu/sports_center/.

Aerobics Aikido Archery Backcountry Navigation Badminton Ballet Ballroom Dance Basketball Belly Dance Bowling Canoeing Capoeira Cross-Country Skiing Fencing Folk Dance Hip Hop Dance Horseback Riding Jazz Dance Jitterbug Judo Juggling Kayaking Kenjitsu Meditation Pilates Retro P.E. Rock Climbing Rowing Rugby sailing Self-Defense snowboarding soccer softball Squash Swimming Tai Chi Tango Tennis Ultimate Frisbee Volleyball Weight Training Whitewater Rafting Yoga

Sofich leads the Outdoor Odyssey, a four-day climbing adventure for incoming students.

land, Sofich reached for the Motrin. Suffering from delayed onset muscle syndrome— pooled lactic acid in his sore-to-the-touch legs—he had trouble climbing out of bed.

“My wife said, ‘It’s good to see that you can actually feel pain,’” jokes the stoic Sofich.

Recuperating at home, he called the Reed sports center to let everybody know that he’d been in a climbing accident, and that he’d recover in time for the customary O-week expedition to Smith Rock.

“He said, ‘I’m a little sore,’” laughs Lombardo. “I would’ve been in a coma.”

Four days later, Sofich, wearing a t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops, was standing at the base of a cliff in the high desert outside Bend, introducing the latest crop of Reed freshmen to the thrills of vertical rock.

He had worried that the Oregonian article would trigger an avalanche of questions.

But nobody wanted to know about what had happened in the North Cascades. They were more interested in learning how to climb.

Which suited Sofich just fine.

Ted Katauskas is a Portland writer and a member of the Mazamas climbing group. This is his first article for Reed.

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Inscribed in Stone

The Masterful Work of Edward M. Catich p h o t o g r a p h s C o u r t e s y o f S p e c i a l C o l l e c t i o n s , E r i c V. H a u s e r M e m o r i a l L i b r a r y, R e e d C o l l e g e

Generations of students, parents, and visitors to campus have admired the elegant stone inscriptions adorning Eliot Hall and the Old Dorm Block, reflecting the college’s long tradition of calligraphy. What is perhaps less well known is the fascinating story of their scribe, Father Edward M. Catich.

The study of calligraphy at Reed began with Professor Lloyd Reynolds [English and art, 1929–69], who offered the first class in response to student demand. The course was incorporated into the academic schedule in 1951, and continued to be one of the most popular in the entire curriculum until it was dropped in 1984.

Lloyd was familiar with the world’s leading calligraphers: Alfred Fairbank in England, Herman Zapf in Germany, Chris Brand in Holland, Tom Gourdy in Scotland, and many others. For building inscriptions, however, there was little doubt whom he would invite.

Father Catich (known as Ned to friends and colleagues) was an internationally renowned calligrapher, stonecutter, teacher, and scholar, whose research revolutionized our understanding of the history of letterforms.

N

ed was born in Stevensville, Montana, in 1906. He lost his parents at an early age, and grew up with his three brothers in an orphanage in Illinois. (Dr. Francis Newton, former director of the Portland Art Museum, was also a child at the same orphanage, and the two remained friends throughout their lives.)

During his years at the orphanage, Ned completed an apprenticeship in sign writing under type designer Walter Heberling, which started him on a career of fine writing.

In 1924, he moved to Chicago, where he worked as a show-card writer for Marshall Field & Company, attended classes at the Chicago Art Institute, and organized a jazz orchestra. He attended St. Ambrose College, in Davenport, Iowa, where he received a BA in 1934 (and covered his expenses by conducting the college band). He earned an MFA at the University of Iowa a year later, after which he went to Rome to study for the Catholic priesthood at the Pontifical Gregorian University.

During his years in Rome, Ned engaged in intensive paleographic and epigraphic

Father Catich cutting the inscriptions for Eliot Hall in the letter style of Trajan Imperial majuscule; 1963.

research, studying all the stone inscriptions he could find—principally the Trajan—in addition to thousands of manuscripts in the Vatican Library. As a result of these studies, he formulated the connection between the inscription letter-making of Imperial Rome and sign-writing he had been doing in Chicago.

Following his ordination in 1939, he returned to St. Ambrose, where he taught art, mathematics, music, and engineering.

M

y formal introduction to Ned occurred in 1969, after Lloyd had persuaded him to tutor me at St. Ambrose as a private student. (I did not know it at the time, but Lloyd’s intention was to prepare me for taking the position of calligraphy instructor after his retirement later that year.)

I arrived at the airport on a cold evening in January. Ned was there to meet me and began my instruction while we waited for my luggage! For the next six months, I stud-

ied under the most intense teacher-artist I have ever encountered. His day began with an early Mass in the college chapel, followed by a quick meal. He was in his studio-classroom long before other faculty members finished breakfast, and typically worked 13 hours a day. On weekends, we helped with Masses at various churches in the Tri-City area. In addition to his achievements in calligraphy and paleography, he was also a symphony musician, an historian, a liturgical artist, and a photographer.

His instruction reflected an historical methodology of art. He began by teaching me about the reed pen, which he called “the granddaddy of writing tools”; I came to use it a great deal of the time. Ned believed in self-sufficiency, having made his own way through life. He taught me to cut the bamboo reed pen and to insert the piece of metal for the ink reservoir. Next, it was the red-sable lettering brush, which, he said, gave the Roman letters their nuances and distinctive serifs.

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clockwise: Roman alphabet, Scriptura Monumentalis, executed by Fr. Edward M. Catich

With Lloyd Reynolds, 1964 An analysis of a letter R Catich liturgical art

For many centuries, the leading authorities on the subject of Roman letters were in agreement that the shape of written letters evolved from the stone inscriptions. They also maintained that the stone inscriptions were designed with hard-pointed tools. Both of these misconceptions were dislodged in 1968 when Ned published The Origin of the Serif, in which he argued that the stone inscriptions were designed by brush writ-

ting required great precision and patience.

To make a stone inscription, I had to cut a piece of black slate to the correct size using a hacksaw. No electric tools in his studio!

Next, I used a flat stone to hone the surface of the slate to a smooth consistency for the inscription. Then, I painted the letters onto the smooth slate using red paint, as the first century Roman scribes would have done.

The actual incising began by cutting a line

His remarkable attitude towards teaching was evident in 1963, when he came to Reed to cut the inscriptions for Eliot Hall and invited students to mount the raised platform at the south entrance to Eliot and try their hand at cutting. ing. No one before had even admitted this as a possibility; in fact, the eminent British authority Graily Hewitt had declared that the brush had nothing whatever to do with the development of the Roman alphabet.

Nonetheless, Ned marshaled impressive graphical and paleographical evidence in support of his theory—then proved it by writing the letters with his brush and incising them in stone.

After working with the reed pen and brush at great length, I finally moved on to the chisel and mallet. The process of stonecut-

down the middle of the brush stroke. The chisel would cut one side, then the other, until the edge of the brush stroke was reached. A definite rhythm was necessary to keep the cuts evenly deep and all at the same angle. When the inscription was finished, the letters were painted or gilded with gold leaf. A protective coat of sealer made the piece of work complete.

It was inspiring to watch the master at work. He could cut a letter from beginning to end in 20 minutes. The student was happy if he could do the same in an hour.

H

is remarkable attitude towards teaching was evident in 1963, when he came to Reed to cut the inscriptions for Eliot Hall and invited students to mount the raised platform at the south entrance to Eliot and try their hand at cutting. [Ed. Note: See Letters.] He also cut inscriptions in slate for Old Dorm Block and Music and created the alphabet stone that is prominently displayed in the library’s special collections.

Years later, when I was teaching calligraphy at Reed, I invited Ned to return to campus. In addition to students, his classes drew many professional letter-artists. At his closing lecture, there was standing room only.

Edward Catich enriched the Reed campus with his art and has left a lasting heritage, inscribed in stone, which is worthy of honor in the history of the college.

—By Robert J. Palladino Robert J. Palladino taught calligraphy at Reed from 1969 to 1984. Today, he is a retired Catholic priest, but still an active calligrapher, and lives on a pioneer farm on the Old Barlow Trail.

Further Reading Edward Catich’s volumes on Roman majuscules are widely acclaimed as the leading resources on the writing of the Roman Empire.

The Trajan Inscription in Rome, by Edward M. Catich (Catfish Press, 1961).

The Origin of the Serif: Brush writing and Roman letters, by Edward M. Catich (Catfish Press, 1968).

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Capturing Infinity The Circle Limit Series of M.C. Escher

By Thomas Wieting

In July 1960, shortly after his 62nd birthday, the graphic artist M.C. Escher completed Angels and Devils, the fourth (and final) woodcut in his Circle Limit Series. I have a vivid memory of my first view of a print of this astonishing work. Following sensations of surprise and delight, two questions rose in my mind. What is the underlying design? What is the purpose? Of course, within the world of Art, narrowly interpreted, one might regard such questions as irrelevant, even impertinent. However, for this particular work of Escher, it seemed to me that such questions were precisely what the artist intended to excite in my mind.

In this essay, I will present answers to the foregoing questions, based upon Escher’s articles and letters and upon his workshop drawings. For the mathematical aspects of the essay, I will require nothing more but certainly nothing less than thoughtful applications of straightedge and compass.

The Dutch artist Maurits C. Escher (1898–1972)

Escher completed CLIV, also known as Angels and Devils, in 1960.

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Regular Division III (1957) demonstrates Escher’s mastery of tessellation. At the same time, he was dissatisfied with the way the pattern was arbitrarily interrupted at the edges.

Day and Night (1938) is the most popular of Escher’s works.

Capturing Infinity

In 1959, Escher described, in retrospect, a transformation of attitude that had occurred at the midpoint of his career: I discovered that technical mastery was no longer my sole aim, for I was seized by another desire, the existence of which I had never suspected. Ideas took hold of me quite unrelated to graphic art, notions which so fascinated me that I felt driven to communicate them to others.

The woodcut called Day and Night, completed in February 1938, may serve as a symbol of the transformation. By any measure, it is the most popular of Escher’s works.

Prior to the transformation, Escher produced for the most part portraits, landscapes, and architectural images, together with commercial designs for items such as postage stamps and wrapping paper, executed at an ever-ris­ing level of technical skill. However, following the transformation, Escher produced an inspired stream of the utterly original works that are now iden­tified with his name: the illusions, the impossible figures, and, especially, the regular divisions (called tessellations) of the Euclidean plane into potentially infinite populations of fish, reptiles, or birds, of stately horsemen or dancing clowns.

Of the tessellations, he wrote: This is the richest source of inspiration that I have ever struck; nor has it yet dried up.

However, while immensely pleased in principle, Escher was dissatisfied in prac­tice with a particular feature of the tessellations. He found that the logic of the underlying patterns

would not permit what the real materials of his work­shop required: a finite boundary. He sought a new logic, explicitly visual, by which he could organize actually infinite populations of his corporeal motifs into a patch of finite area. Within the framework of graphic art, he sought, he said, to capture infinity.

Figure A

Serendipity

In 1954, the organizing committee for the International Congress of Mathematicians promoted an unusual special event: an exhibition of the work of Escher at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. In the companion catalogue for the exhibition, the committee called attention not only to the mathematical substance of Escher’s tessellations but also to their “peculiar charm.” Three years later, while writing an article on symmetry to serve as the presidential address to the Royal Society of Canada, the eminent mathematician H.S.M. Coxeter recalled the exhibition. He wrote to Escher, requesting permission to use two of his prints as illustrations for the article. On June 21, 1957, Escher responded enthusiastically:

­

­

Immediately, Escher saw in the figure a realistic method for achieving his goal: to capture infinity. For a suitable motif, such as an angel or a devil, he might create, in method logically precise and in form visually pleasing, infinitely many modified copies of the motif, with the intended effect that the multitude would pack neatly into a disk.

With straightedge and compass, Escher set forth to analyze the figure. The following diagram, based upon a workshop drawing, suggests his first (no doubt empirical) effort:

­

Not only am I willing to give you full permission to publish reproductions of my regularflat-fillings, but I am also proud of your interest in them!

­

In the spring of 1958, Coxeter sent to Escher a copy of the article he had written. In addition to the prints of Escher’s “flat-fillings,” the article contained the following figure, which we shall call Figure A:

Workshop drawing

Escher recognized that the figure is defined by a network of infinitely many circular arcs, March 2010 Reed magazine 23

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Capturing Infinity continued together with certain diameters, each of which meets the circular boundary of the ambient disk at right angles. To reproduce the figure, he needed to determine the centers and the radii of the arcs. Of course, he recognized that the centers lie exterior to the disk.

Failing to progress, Escher set the project aside for several months. Then, on November 9, 1958, he wrote a hopeful letter to his son George: I’m engrossed again in the study of an illustration which I came across in a publication of the Canadian professor H.S.M. Coxeter . . . I am trying to glean from it a method for reducing a plane-filling motif which goes from the center of a circle out to the edge, where the motifs will be infinitely close together. His hocus-pocus text is of no use to me at all, but the picture can probably help me to produce a division of the plane which promises to become an entirely new variation of my series of divisions of the plane. A regular, circular division of the plane, logically bordered on all sides by the infinitesimal, is something truly beautiful.

Soon after, by a remarkable empirical effort, Escher succeeded in adapting Coxeter’s figure to serve as the underlying pattern for the first woodcut in his Circle Limit Series, CLI (November 1958).

One can detect the design for CLI in the following Figure B, closely related to Figure A:

Figure B

Regular Division VI (1957) illustrates Escher’s ability to execute a line limit.

Frustration

However, Escher had not yet found the principles of construction that un ­d erlie Figures A and B. While he could reproduce the figures empirically, he could not yet construct them ab initio, nor could he construct variations of them. He sought Coxeter’s help. What followed was a comedy of good inten­tion and miscommunication.

The artist hoped for the particular, in practical terms; the mathematician offered the general, in esoteric terms. On December 5, 1958, Escher wrote to Coxeter: Though the text of your article on “Crystal Symmetry and its Generalizations” is much too learned for a simple, self-made plane pattern-man like me, some of the text illustrations and especially Figure 7, [that is, Figure A] gave me quite a shock.

Since a long time I am interested in patterns with “motifs” getting smaller and smaller till they reach the limit of infinite smallness.

The question is relatively simple if the limit is a point in the center of a pattern. Also, a linelimit is not new to me, but I was never able to make a pattern in which each “blot” is getting smaller gradually from a center towards the outside circle-limit, as shows your Figure 7.

I tried to find out how this figure was geometrically constructed, but I succeeded only in finding the centers and the radii of the largest inner circles (see enclosure). If you could give me a simple explanation how to construct the following circles, whose centers approach gradually from the outside till they reach the limit, I should be immensely pleased and very thankful to you!

Are there other systems besides this one to reach a circle-limit?

Nevertheless I used your model for a large woodcut (CLI), of which I executed only a sector of 120 degrees in wood, which I printed three

­

Figure AB Escher based the design of CLI on Figure B, which he derived from Figure A. The two are superimposed in Figure AB.

Escher completed CLI, the first in the Circle Limit Series, in 1958.

times. I am sending you a copy of it, together with another little one (Regular Division VI ), illustrating a line-limit case.

On December 29, 1958, Coxeter replied: I am glad you like my Figure 7, and interested that you succeeded in reconstructing so much of the surrounding “skeleton” which serves to locate the centers of the circles.

This can be continued in the same manner.

For instance, the point that I have marked on your drawing (with a red on the back of the page) lies on three of your circles with centers 1, 4, 5. These centers therefore lie on a straight line (which I have drawn faintly in red) and the fourth circle through the red point must have its center on this same red line.

In answer to your question “Are there other systems be s ides this one to reach a circle limit?” I say yes, infinitely many! This particular pattern [that is, Figure A] is denoted by {4, 6} because there are 4 white and 4 shaded triangles coming together at some points, 6 and 6 at others. But such patterns {p, q} exist for all greater values of p and q and also for p = 3 and q = 7,8,9,... A different but related pattern, called <<p, q>> is ob­tained by drawing new circles through the “right angle” points, where just 2 white and 2 shaded triangles come together. I enclose a spare copy of <<3, 7>>… If you like this pattern with its alternate triangles and heptagons, you can easily derive from {4, 6} the analogue <<4, 6>>, which consists of squares and hexagons.

•

­

One may ask why Coxeter would send Escher a pattern featuring sevenfold symmetry, even if merely to serve as an analogy.

Such a pattern cannot be constructed with straightedge and compass. It could only cause confusion for Escher.

However, Coxeter did present, though

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is “absolute nothingness.” And yet this round world cannot exist without the emptiness around it, not simply because “within” presupposes “without,” but also because it is out there in the “nothingness” that the center points of the arcs that go to build up the framework are fixed with such geometric exactitude.

As I have noted, Escher completed the last of the Circle Limit Series, CLIV, in July 1960.

Of this work, he wrote very little of substance:

Despite its simplistic motif, CLII (1959) represented an artistic breakthrough: Escher was now able to construct variations of Coxeter’s figures.

ver y briefly, the principle that Escher sought. I have displayed the essential sentence in italics. In due course, I will show that the sentence holds the key to deciphering Coxeter’s figure. Clearly, Escher did not understand its significance at that time.

On February 15, 1959, Escher wrote again, in frustration, to his son George: Coxeter’s letter shows that an infinite number of other systems is possible and that, instead of the values 2 and 3, an infinite number of higher values can be used as a basis. He encloses an example, using the values 3 and 7 of all things! However, this odd 7 is no use to me at all; I long for 2 and 4 (or 4 and 8), because I can use these to fill a plane in such a way that all the animal figures whose body axes lie in the same circle also have the same “colour,” whereas, in the other example (CLI), 2 white ones and 2 black ones constantly alternate.

My great enthusiasm for this sort of picture and my tenacity in pursuing the study will perhaps lead to a satisfactory solution in the end.

Although Coxeter could help me by saying just one word, I prefer to find it myself for the time being, also because I am so often at cross purposes with those theoretical mathematicians, on a variety of points. In addition, it seems to be very difficult for Coxeter to write intelligibly for a layman. Finally, no matter how difficult it is, I feel all the more satisfaction from solving a problem like this in my own bumbling fashion.

But the sad and frustrating fact remains that these days I’m starting to speak a language which is understood by very few people. It makes me feel increasingly lonely. After all, I no longer belong anywhere. The mathematicians may be friendly and interested and give me a fatherly pat on the back, but in the end I am only a bungler to them. “Artistic” people mainly become irritated.

Six months after his breakthrough with CLII, Escher produced the more sophisticated CLIII, The Miraculous Draught of Fishes. (1959).

Success

Escher’s enthusiasm and tenacity did indeed prove sufficient. Somehow, dur­ing the following months, he taught himself, in terms of the straightedge and the compass, to construct not only Coxeter’s figure but at least one variation of it as well. In March 1959, he completed the second of the woodcuts in his Circle Limit Series.

The simplistic design of the work suggests that it may have served as a practice run for its successors. In any case, Escher spoke of it in humorous terms: Really, this version ought to be painted on the inside surface of a half-sphere. I offered it to Pope Paul, so that he could decorate the inside of the cupola of St. Peter’s with it. Just imagine an infinite number of crosses hanging over your head! But Paul didn’t want it.

Here, too, we have the components diminishing in size as they move outwards. The six largest (three white angels and three black devils) are arranged about the center and radiate from it.

The disc is divided into six sections in which, turn and turn about, the angels on a black background and then the devils on a white one, gain the upper hand. In this way, heaven and hell change place six times. In the intermediate “earthly” stages, they are equivalent.

Perhaps Escher intended that this woodcut should inspire not commentary but contemplation.

Remarkably, while CLI and CLIV are based upon Figures A and B, CLII and CLIII are based upon the following subtle variations of them:

­

Figure C

In December 1959, he completed the third in the series, the intriguing CLIII, titled The Miraculous Draught of Fishes.

He described the work eloquently, in words that reveal the craftsman’s pride of achievement: In the colored woodcut Circle Limit III the shortcomings of Circle Limit I are largely eliminated. We now have none but “through traffic” series, and all the fish belonging to one series have the same color and swim after each other head to tail along a circular route from edge to edge. The nearer they get to the center the larger they become. Four colors are needed so that each row can be in complete contrast to its surroundings. As all these strings of fish shoot up like rockets from the infinite distance at right angles from the boundary and fall back again whence they came, not one single component reaches the edge. For beyond that there

Figure D

Figure CD

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Constructing the Scaffold

To that end, I propose the following diagram:

The following diagram illustrates both principles:

Escher wrote much about the designs for his regular divisions of the Euclidean plane, but nothing about the principles underlying the Circle Limit Series. He left only cryptic glimpses. From his workshop drawings, one can see that, in effect, he created a “scaffold” of lines in the “nothingness” exterior to the basic disk, from which he could draw the circles that compose the desired figure. However, one cannot determine with certainty how he found his way. Did he reconsider Coxeter’s letter? Did he discover (by trial and error) and formulate (in precise terms) the principles which underlie the design of Figures A, B, C, and D? Lacking the certain, I will offer the plausible.

Straightedge and Compass Let me describe how I myself would reconstruct the critical Figure A, with straightedge and compass. Such an exercise might shed light on Escher’s procedures. To that end, I will suppress my knowledge of mathematics beyond elementary geometry. However, at a certain point, I will allow myself to be, like Escher, preternaturally clever.

To begin, let me denote by H the disk that serves as the foundation for the figure. Moreover, let me declare that the radius of H is simply one unit.

I note that there are six diameters, separated in succession by angles of 30 degrees, that emphasize the rota­ tional symmetry of the figure. I also note that, among the circular arcs that define the figure, there are six for which the radii are largest. By rough measurement, I conjecture that the radii of these arcs equal the radius of H and that the centers of the arcs lie √2 units from the center of H. I display my conjectures in the following diagram:

Step 1

The bold brown disk is H. Clearly, the six red circles meet the boundary of H at right angles. By comparison with Figure A, I see that I am on the right track.

The diagram calls out for its own elaboration. I note the points of inter­ section of the six red circles. I draw the line segments joining, in succes­ sion, the centers of these circles and I mark the midpoints of the segments.

Using these midpoints and the points of intersection just mentioned, I draw six new circles. Then, from the new circles, I do it all again. In the follow­ ing figure, I display the results of my work: the first set of new circles in green; the second, in blue.

Step 2

Now the diagram falls mute. I see that the blue circles offer no new points of intersection from which to repeat my mechanical maneu­ vers. Of course, the red circles and the blue circles offer new points of intersection, but it is not clear what to do with them. Perhaps Escher encountered this obstacle, called upon Coxeter for help, but then retired to his workshop to confront the problem on his own. In any case, I must now find the general princi­ ples that underlie the construction, by straightedge and compass, of the circles that meet the boundary of H at right angles. I shall refer to these circles as hypercircles.

The Polar Construction

Again, the bold brown disk is H. The perpendicular white lines set the ori­entation for the construction. I con­ tend that, from the red point or the blue point, I can proceed to construct the entire diagram. In fact, from the red point, I can draw the white dogleg.

From the blue point, I can draw the blue circle. In either case, I can proceed by obvious steps to complete the diagram.

Now, with the confidence of experience, I declare that the red circle is a hyper­ circle. Obviously, it meets the horizontal white diameter at right angles.

I shall refer to the foregoing con­ struction as the Polar Construction. In relation to it, I shall require certain ter­ minology. I shall refer to the red point as the base point, to the blue point as the polar point, and to the white point as the point inverse to the base point.

I shall refer to the red circle as the hypercircle, to the (vertical) red and blue lines as the base line and the polar line, respectively, and to the (horizon­ tal) white line as the diameter.

By design, the polar constructions and the hypercircles stand in perfect correspondence, each determining the other. However, to apply a polar con­struction to construct a particu­ lar hypercircle passing through an arbitrary point, one must first locate the base point for the construction, that is, the point on the hypercircle that lies closest to the center of H. In practice, that may be difficult to do. I require greater flexibility.

By experimentation with the Polar Construction, I discover the elegant Principle of Polar Lines: If several hypercircles pass through a common point then their centers must lie on a common line, in fact, the polar line for the common point.

and a specialized but useful corollary, the Principle of Base Lines: If two hypercircles meet at right angles then the center of the one must lie on the base line of the other.

Principles of Polar/Base Lines

For the first principle, the com­ mon point is the red base point for a polar construction and the common line is the corresponding blue polar line. Moreover, the two green hyper­ circles pass through not only the base point but also the white point inverse to it. Finally, in accord with the facts of elementary geometry, the angle of intersection between the two hypercircles coincides with the angle between the two corre­ sponding green radii.

For the second principle, the orange base line for the lower hyper­ circle passes through the center of the upper hypercircle.

At this point, I should note that, in his letter of December 29, 1958, Coxeter offered the Principle of Polar Lines to Escher.

With the foregoing principles in mind, I return to the former point of stagnation. I engage the diagram, as if in a game of chess. For any new point of intersection between hyper­ circles offered by the diagram, I draw the corre­s ponding polar construc­ tion. I determine which among the other hypercircles passing through the point are required for progress.

Applying the Principle of Polar Lines, I draw them. (Sometimes, the Prin­ ciple of Base Lines provides a short­ cut. Sometimes, good fortune plays a role. These elements lend a cer­tain piquancy to the project.) That done, I look for new points of intersection offered by the diagram: those defined by the new hypercircles that I have drawn. And so I continue, relent­ lessly, until I encounter a failure of motor control, of visual acuity, or of willpower.

I present the following diagram, with a challenge: Justify the drawing of the orange and purple circles.

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Capturing Infinity continued For instance, in Figure D and in CLIII, the eight vertices of the central octagon correspond, alternately, to threefold focal points of the noses and the wings of the flying fish. Similarly, in Figure B and in CLIV, the six vertices of the central hexagon correspond to fourfold focal points of the wing tips of the angels and the devils.

Clearly, Escher had found and mastered his new logic. Within the frame ­w ork of graphic art, by his own resources, he had captured infinity.

A Subjective View

Detail of a challenge

Mathematicians cite CLIII as the most interesting of the woodcuts of the Circle Limit Series. They enjoy especially the application of color, because it enriches the interpretation of symmetry, and they are delighted by the various implicit elements of surprise.

Indeed, the redoubtable Coxeter called attention to one such element, namely, that the white circular arcs in CLIII, which guide the “traffic flow” of the flying fish, meet the boundary of the ambient disk not at right angles but at angles of roughly 80 degrees, in contradiction with Escher’s prior, rather more poetic assertion. Coxeter wrote: Escher’s integrity is revealed in the fact that he drew this angle correctly even though he apparently believed that it ought to be 90 degrees.

A challenge

The Circle Limit Series requires refined ground plans, defined by legions of hypercircles. In preparing the plans, Escher gave new meaning to the words “enthusiasm” and “tenacity.”

To draw such a figure as Figure A or Figure C, one must know where to begin. In primitive terms, one must be able to construct the triangles at the centers of the figures. For the case of Figure A, the construction is simple.

As described, one begins with a hypercircle for which the radius is one unit and for which the center lies √2 units from the center of H. However, for the case of Figure C, the construction is more difficult. Of course, Escher must have found a way to do it, since he used the figure as the ground plan for CLII and CLIII. In any case, I have posted a suitable construction on my website: people.reed.edu/~wieting/essays/ HyperTriangles.pdf.

Perhaps it coincides with Escher’s construction.

In my estimation, however, CLIV stands alone. It is the most mature of the woodcuts of the Circle Limit Series. It inspires not active analysis but passive contemplation. It speaks not in the brass tones of the cartoon but in the gold tones of the graceful and the grotesque.

Like its relatives in the ornamental art of the Middle East, it prepares the mind of the observer to see, in the local finite, hints of the global infinite. It is, in fact, a beautiful visual synthesis of Escher’s meditation on infinity: We are incapable of imagining that time could ever stop. For us, even if the earth should cease turning on its axis and revolving around the sun, even if there were no longer days and nights, summers and winters, time would continue to flow on eternally. We find it impossible to imagine that somewhere beyond the farthest stars of the night sky there should come an end to space, a frontier beyond which there is nothing more . . .

For this reason, as long as there have been men to lie and sit and stand upon this globe, or to crawl and walk upon it, or to sail and ride and fly across it, or to fly away from it, we have held firmly to the notion of a hereafter: a purgatory, heaven, hell, rebirth, and nirvana, all of which must continue to be everlasting in time and infinite in space.

The Hyperbolic Plane

On May 1, 1960, Escher sent a print of CLIII to Coxeter. Again, his words reveal his pride of achievement: A minimum of four woodblocks, one for every color and a fifth for the black lines, was needed.

Every block was roughly the form of a segment of 90 degrees. This implicates that the complete print is composed of 4 x 5 = 20 printings.

­

Responding on May 16, 1960, Coxeter expressed thanks for the gift and ad­miration for the print. Then, in a virtuoso display of informed seeing, he described, mathematically, the mathematical elements implicit in CLIII, cit­ing not only his own publications but also W. Burnside’s Theory of Groups for good measure. For Coxeter, it was the ultimate act of respect. For Escher, however, it was yet another encounter with the baffling world of mathematical abstraction. Twelve days later, he wrote to George: I had an enthusiastic letter from Coxeter about my colored fish, which I sent him.

Three pages of explanation of what I actually did. . . . It’s a pity that I understand nothing, absolutely nothing of it.

One can only wonder at Coxeter’s insensitivity to the context of Escher’s work: to the steady applications of straightedge and compass; to the sound of the gouge on pearwood and the smell of printer’s ink. That said, one can only wonder at Escher’s stubborn refusal to explore what Coxeter offered: an invitation to the hyperbolic plane.

Let me elaborate. For more than two millennia, the five postulates of Euclid had governed the study of plane geometry. The first three postulates were homespun rules that activated the straightedge and the compass.

The fourth and fifth postulates were more sophisticated rules that entailed the fundamental Principle of Parallels, characteristic of Euclidean geometry: For any point P and for any straight line L, if P does not lie on L then there is precisely one straight line M such that P lies on M and such that L and M are parallel.

Specifically, the fourth postulate entailed the existence of the parallel M and the fifth postulate entailed the uniqueness.

The following diagram illustrates the Principle of Parallels in Euclidean geometry.

The rectangle E represents the conventional model of the Euclidean plane: a perfectly flat drawing board that extends, in our imagination, indefinitely in all directions. The point P and the straight line L appear in red. The straight line M appears in blue.

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Capturing Infinity continued

E

Euclidean parallels

In the beginning, all mathematicians regarded the postulates of Euclid as incontrovertibly true. However, they observed that the fifth postulate offered nothing “constructive” and they believed that it was redundant. They sought to prove the fifth postulate from the first four. In effect, they sought to prove that the existence of the parallel M entailed its own uniqueness. To that end, they applied the most flexible of the logician’s methods: reductio ad absurdum. They supposed that the fifth postulate was false and they sought to derive from that supposition (together, of course, with the first four postulates) a contradiction. Succeeding, they would conclude that the fifth postulate followed from the first four. For more than two millennia, many sought and all failed.

At the turn of the 18th century, the grip of belief in the incontro­v ertible truth of the fifth postulate began to weaken. Many mathematicians came to believe that the sought contradiction did not exist. They came to regard the propositions that they had proved from the negation of the fifth postulate not as absurdities leading ultimately to a presumed contradiction but as provocative elements of a new geometry.

Swiftly, the new geometry acquired disciples, notably, the young Russian mathematician N. Lobachevsky and the young Hungarian mathematician J. Bolyai. They and many others proved startling propositions at variance with the familiar propositions of Euclidean geometry. The German savant K. Gauss had pondered these matters for 30 years. In 1824, he wrote to his friend F. Taurinus: The theorems of this geometry appear to be paradoxical and, to the uninitiated, absurd; but calm, steady reflection reveals that they contain nothing at all impossible. For example, the three angles of a triangle become as small as one wishes, if only the sides are taken large enough; and the area of a triangle can never exceed a definite limit.

However, the specter of contradiction, once sought by all but now by many feared, continued to cast its shadow over the planes. Fifty years would pass before mathematicians found

a method by which they could, decisively, banish the specter: the method of models.

Let me explain the method in terms of a case study. At the turn of the 19th century, the French savant H. Poincaré suggested a novel interpretation of the points and the straight lines of the new geometry, using the elements of the Euclidean plane E itself. He declared that the points of the new geometry shall be interpreted as the points of the unit disk H, the same disk that would, in due course, serve Escher in his plans for the Circle Limit Series. He declared that the straight lines of the new geometry shall be interpreted as the arcs of circles that meet the boundary of H at right angles.

“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”

These interpretations can be justified, in a sense, by introducing an un ­usual method for measuring distance between points in H, with respect to which the shortest paths between points prove to be, in fact, subarcs of arcs of the sort just described. Moreover, the lengths of the various straight lines prove to be infinite. The same is true of the area of H. Poincaré then proved that H served as a model for the new geometry. That is, he proved that the first four postulates of Euclid are true in H and the fifth postulate is false. He concluded that if, by a certain argument, one should find a contradiction in the new geometry, then, by the same argument, one would find a contradiction in Euclidean geometry as well. In turn, he concluded that if Euclidean geometry is free of contradiction, then the new geometry is also free of contradiction.

By similar (though somewhat more subtle) maneuvers, one can show the converse: if the new geometry is free of contradiction, then Euclidean geometry is also free of contradiction.

The following diagram illustrates the Principle of Parallels in the new geometry: For any point P and for any straight line L, if P does not lie on L then there are many straight lines M such that P lies on M and such that L and M are parallel.

The disk H represents the model of the hyperbolic plane designed by Poincaré. The point P and the straight line L appear in red.

Various parallels M appear in blue while the two parallels that meet L “at infinity” appear in green.

H

Hyperbolic parallels

After more than two millennia of contentions to the contrary, we now know that the Euclidean plane is not the only rationally compelling context for the study of plane geometry. From a logical point of view, the Euclidean geometry and the new geometry, called hyperbolic, are equally tenable.

I

n light of the foregoing elaboration, I can set Escher’s Circle Limit Series in perspective by describing the strik­ing contrast between regular tessellations of the Euclidean plane and regular tessellations of the hyperbolic plane. Of the former, there are just three instances: the tessellation T, defined by the regular 3-gon (that is, the equi­lateral triangle); the tessellation H, defined by the regular 6-gon (that is, the regular hexagon); and the tessellation S, defined by the regular 4-gon (better known as the square). These are the ground forms for all tessellations of the Euclidean plane. The tessellations T and H are mutually “dual,” in the sense that each determines the other by drawing line segments between midpoints of cells. In that same sense, the tessellation S is “self-dual.” In the following figures, I display the tessellations T and H superimposed, and the tessellation S in calm isolation:

Figure TH

Figure S

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Of the hyperbolic plane, however, there are infinitely many tessellations, with properties that defy visualization. Indeed, for any positive integers p and q for which (p - 2)(q - 2) exceeds 4, there is a regular tessellation, called (p,q), by regular p-gons, q of which turn about each vertex. The following two illustrations suggest the superposition, Figure B, of the mutually dual tessellations (4,6) and (6,4) and the superposition, Figure D, of the mutually dual tessellations (3,8) and (8,3). One can see that these are the tessellations that served as Escher’s ground plans for the Circle Limit Series:

Escher contemplates Angels and Devils in his study.

Acknowledgements: The several graphics works (CLI,

CLII, CLIII, CLIV, Day and Night, Regular Division III, Regular Division VI, and Hand with Reflectings Sphere) and the photographs of Escher are printed here by permission of the M.C. Escher Company-Holland © 2010. All rights reserved. www.mcescher.com. The line illustrations are my own, though I must confess that I made them not with Escher’s tools, the straightedge and the compass, Hand with Reflecting Sphere (1935) Figure B

Conclusion

In the first figure, one finds regular 4-gons (in red), six of which turn about each vertex; and regular 6-gons (in blue), four of which turn about each vertex. In the second figure, one finds regular 3-gons (in red), eight of which turn about each vertex; and regular 8-gons (in blue), three of which turn about each vertex.

For the regular tessellations of the Euclidean plane, the various cells of a given color are, plain to see, mutually congruent. Remarkably, for the regular tessellations of the hyperbolic plane, the same is true. Of course, to the Euclidean eye, the latter assertion would seem to be wildly false. However, to the hyperbolic eye, conditioned to the “unusual method” of measuring distance, the assertion is true.

Of course, the assertion of congruence applies just as well to the various motifs that compose the patterns of the Circle Limit Series. Although there is no evidence that Escher understood this assertion, I am sure that he would have been delighted by the idea of a hyperbolic eye that would confirm his

omnipresent computer program Mathematica, informed by the symmetries of the hyperbolic plane. For the

procedure for capturing infinity and would refine its meaning.

Figure D

but with the graphics subroutines which figure in the

Seeking a new visual logic by which to “capture infinity,” Escher stepped, without foreknowledge, from the Euclidean plane to the hyperbolic plane. Of the former, he was the master; in the latter, a novice. Nevertheless, his acquired insights yielded two among his most interesting works: CLIII, The Miraculous Draught of Fishes, and CLIV, Angels and Devils.

Escher devoted 25 years of his life to the development of strik­ing, perplexing images and patterns: those that so fascinated him that he “felt driven to communicate them, to others.” In retrospect, it seems to me altogether fitting and proper that non-Euclidean geometry should have served, at least implicitly, as the inspiration for his later works.

Coda

In my imagination, I see the crystal spheres of Art and Mathematics rotating rapidly about their axes and revolving slowly about their center of mass, in the pure aether surrounding them. I see ribbons of light flash between them and within these the reflections, the cryptic images of diamantine forms sparkle and shimmer. As if in a dream, I try to decipher the images: simply, deeply to understand.

source of the Workshop Drawing, I am indebted to D. Schattschneider. The excerpts of correspondence between Escher and Coxeter are drawn from the Archives of the National Gallery of Art. The excerpts of letters from Escher to his son George are drawn from the book

by H. Bool, M.C. Escher: His Life and Complete Graphic Work, 1981. The several excerpts of Escher’s essays are drawn from two books by Escher, M.C. Escher: the Graphic Work, 1959, and Escher on Escher: Exploring the Infinite, 1989; and from the book by B. Ernst, The Magic Mirror of M.C. Escher, 1984. The papers by Coxeter appear in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada, 1957, and in Leonardo, Volume 12, 1979. The excerpt of the letter from K. Gauss to F. Taurinus appears in the book by M. Greenberg, Euclidean and NonEuclidean Geometries,1980. Of course, the pronouncement by Humpty-Dumpty appears in the book by L. Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass, 1904.

The language of the Coda carries, intentionally, a faint echo of the beautiful reverie with which Escher brings to a close his essay, Voyage to Canada. The Coda itself expresses, from the heart, my metaphor for the relation between the magisteria of Art and Mathematics. Finally, I am indebted to C. Lydgate, the editor of Reed, for his encouragement during the preparation of this essay and for his many useful suggestions for improvement.

About the Author: Professor Wieting received

the degree of Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Washington and Lee University in 1960 and the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics from Harvard University in 1973. He joined the mathematics faculty at Reed in 1965. His research interests include crystallography, cosmology, and ornamental art. Professor Wieting draws inspiration from Chaucer’s description of the Clerke: Gladley wolde he lerne and gladley teche.

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Empire of the Griffin con n e c t i ng re e d alumni acro s s t he gl ob e

T h i s pa g e : p h o t o g r a p h s b y o r i n z y va n ’ 0 4

Keepers of the flame: David Olson ’75 and Doug Holmgren ‘77 lead candlelit procession at the alumni holiday party. right: Gingerbread fun for Jen Sedell, Robin Parker, Chris Chen ’01, Claire Dennerlein Manson ’03, Mike Weinberg ’01, Gordon Feighner ’02, Erin Cooley ’01, Will Cooley ’02, Katie Prevost ’01, Angelina Clarke ’04, and Paul Manson ’01.

Wassailing Away Reed’s annual holiday party drew a record number of alumni and guests—an impressive 253—to Kaul Auditorium to drink, feast, sing, and dance the night away. The hallowed traditions were duly observed: the echoes of the bagpipe, the candlelit procession of the boar’s head, the merry yuletide song, led by Virginia Oglesby Hancock ’62. After dinner, alumni thronged to the stage to pose amid fanciful holiday props such as life-sized gingerbread structures and giant candy canes.

For more photos, see www.reed.edu/alumni/.

Defining Reed How do you define Reed? How did it define you? Alumni gathered to discuss these questions at the centennial-launch events we held around the country last spring. But it’s not too late to join the conversation! Check out some highlights—and add your own comments—at alumni.reed.edu/.

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Chapter spotlight: London

Giving Thanks In Old Blighty The cold and damp English weather having led to a string of wistful emails about pumpkin ale and turkey, the London/Europe chapter held an alumni Thanksgiving in historic Greenwich. In true expatriate fashion, the dinner was not on actual Thanksgiving day (rather it was Saturday, November 28), and it featured more quirky menu items such as doughnuts alongside the standard turkey with all the trimmings. A last-minute plea for yams led to a glut of sweet-potato dishes and the bottles of wine outnumbered the participants; there were 18 of us in attendance, including Jeff Frank ’72 and partner Yann, Steve Brocchini ’84 and daughter, Patrick Hurley ’85 and wife Lauren, Kurt Myers ’86, wife Angie, and children, Adam Warner ’96, and Alexis Pott ’00. In addition, we were joined by several exchange students who missed Reed—Nick Castell ’12, Thomas Gore ’12, William Greaves ’12, Alex Jenkins ’12, and Alex Moran ’12! After a turbo clean-up session, everyone moved to the neighborhood pub of our generous hosts (Angie and Kurt) and drank ale while overlooking the Thames.

—Mina Miller ’04

Remembering Charlie Lave ’60 Family and friends gathered at a favorite Charlie Lave haunt, La Push, on the Washington coast, the middle of last August. It was the Northwest’s only grey week all summer, but the two middle days celebrating Charlie, right on the beaches, were brilliant.

It was a fine occasion. Brother Lester’s market skills dockside secured salmon. Wine was abundant. So were Charlie stories, back to the Lave family’s early migrant years in Philadelphia, forward to Southern California, Reed (who was more consummate a Reedie?), Irvine, and with Bethany on the rug circuit, and on this coast he constantly visited. Commemorative hikes took the party through mushroom country Charlie stalked and along some beaches he loved, from Rialto to Third.

Charlie’s ashes mingled with Second Beach waters at a perfect mid-day, with a breeze for kites and an incoming tide. His splendidly elfin granddaughter Nell, on his daughter Rebecca’s shoulders, marked the generational passage and made certain joy balanced solemnity.

Those present included Reedies Rebecca Lave ’93, Lester Lave ’60, Joyce Kerley ’60, Milt ’60 and Judy ’61 Krieger, and Barbara West ’64, and all were glad for all things Charlie Lave, whose 50-year reunion would have been 2010.

Owl Infiltrates Microsoft

Matt Giger ’89 sent us this magnificent shot of a certain furry-feathery creature posing with assorted Reedies outside an obscure Redmond software company.

So far, we have identified the following individuals (in no particular order): Rachel Altmann ’88, Patrick Minahan ’87, Lucinda Gilman ’91 , Matt Giger ’89 , Jiro Feingold ’94, Tyler Morrison ’90. Can anyone help us with more? In keeping with longstanding tradition, the owl was nabbed shortly after this photograph was taken.

Centennial Cometh In June 2011, alumni will converge on campus and share their talents in a Centennial Alumni College as part of our expanded Reunions 2011 celebration. Check out the plan and follow the links at reedcac.blogspot.com/.

Social Media Follow a variety of alumni news on Facebook (including ReediEnews and Reed magazine), LinkedIn, and Twitter (the Doyle Owl has been spotted there too!). Look for local chapter groups on these forums as well. For more information, see alumni.reed.edu/

PUZZLE CORNER

Structural Integrity A quick puzzle to test the powers of the old liberal arts education. A common theme runs through the answers; and there’s a certain type of person who would know all of them. Beware the red herrings and connect the circled letters to find a common name for these masters of arcana. —Marty Smith ’88

1. Songwriter Stephen: ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ 〇 2. Times critic Walter: ⎯ 〇 ⎯ ⎯ 3. Writer Arthur C.: ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ 〇 4. Alan or Cheryl: ⎯ ⎯ 〇 ⎯ 5. Musical Jones: ⎯ ⎯ 〇 ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ 6. Poet Thomas: 〇 ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ 7. House in London: ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ ◯

Stumped? Email puzzled@reed.edu for hints; specify “structural integrity.”

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Adventures in the First Person

By Douglas Fenner ’71

Corals and Tsunami in Samoa On the morning of September 29, 2009, I was getting ready to drive to work when the shaking started. My house groaned and swayed, but it was a smooth side-to-side motion that was slow for an earthquake. Once, in Philadelphia, I was in a minor quake that had short, sharp motions, and things clinked on the shelf and fell off. Not this time. I walked outside, and watched the car jiggle back and forth for about a minute. I knew it was a big one.

I live on American Samoa, a 17-mile-long rock in the middle of an ocean that covers half the planet. American Samoa is thought to be the starting place for the Polynesians who spread across the Pacific, discovering and inhabiting islands from Samoa to Easter Island to Hawaii to New Zealand. For 2,000 years, they were the world’s greatest navigators. Their great catamarans were capable of traveling vast distances and could outmaneuver the clunky wooden ships of the European explorers. Lacking the compass, they navigated by observing the stars, the wave patterns, the birds, bits of algae, cloud formations, and clever strategies to explore vast oceans and get back home. When outsiders came, Samoans called them “palagis” (“g” is pronounced “ng”) which means “burst from the sky.”

American Samoa lies north of the Tongan Trench, where the rigid plate beneath the Pacific dives under the Australian plate. Like the San Andreas Fault, it tends to stick and every once in a while break loose, generating an earthquake and—every once in a while— a tsunami. (The last big one was in 1917.)

After the catastrophic Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, the territorial government here set up a warning system that consisted of signs on the waterfront stating that tsunamis could happen. No joke. In fact, it takes the warning center in Hawaii 10 minutes to figure out if there is a tsunami after it detects an earthquake. We are about 120 miles from the Tongan Trench, and tsunamis travel at over 500 miles an hour. You do the math. We had about five minutes’ warning—at least, we should have had five minutes’ warning. Turns out that $13 million that was supposed to pay for a tsunami warning system can’t be accounted for. It certainly never paid for a warning system.

“ Pumps at a gas station were bent over flat on the ground with the outsides ripped off.

A car was sticking out of a second-story window.”

AMERICAN SAMOA Tula Pago Pago AUNU’U I SL A ND

TU TUIL A I SL A ND

Poloa Tafuna Fagatele Bay

South Pacific Ocean

North America

Hawaii

South America

American Samoa Austrailia

South Pacific Ocean New Zealand

So the earthquake stops. What now?

I’m due at work. The Tongan Trench almost never produces tsunamis. So I hop in my car and head to the office. I work for the local government, monitoring coral reefs. Take data each year to see how they are doing.

Raise the alarm if there are any problems.

Did I mention that they pay me to dive on beautiful coral reefs? Wonderful job, best I ever had.

The two-story building where I work is in the harbor. The harbor, by the way, is why the U.S. owns American Samoa. It is the finest harbor in the South Pacific. Nearly cuts the island in two. It is maybe 200 feet deep, and when the QE2 came here, I went up on a hill to photograph it. It looked tiny, dwarfed by vertical green walls rising a thousand feet on every side. The island is very steep, and still covered with rainforest. It is so steep that farming and logging are impossible. The land had no commercial value, so outsiders didn’t want it—unlike in Hawaii, where they pushed the Hawaiians off their land. If you go to Hawaii and listen, you will soon realize there is resentment. You can see why. But not in American Samoa, where all the U.S. really wanted was a coaling station for the navy. The deal went

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photos courtesy of douglas fenner

something like this: Cede your islands to us.

We will use the harbor. You keep your land and your culture. We will protect you. No resentment here.

Before long, there’s a police roadblock.

They’re turning everybody back. I drive back home. I can’t tell anything is happening. It is a nice day, I talk with some neighbors, I check the internet.

Later that afternoon I finally manage to drive down to the office. I was stunned. Devastation everywhere. The area around the harbor was littered with the hulks of cars, boats, and random junk. All the vehicles in our parking lot had been swept out into the street, their engines ruined by salt water.

A 50-foot fishing vessel was sitting on the grass beside the road, leaning up against a telephone pole. A cyclone fence was flattened to the ground. Pumps at a gas station were bent over flat on the ground with the outsides ripped off. A car was sticking out of a second-story window. An entire wooden house had been lifted off its foundation and bent over.

Only later did we learn the full extent of the damage. In some parts of the island, the water reached as far as a mile inland. One tiny village had every house flattened. The tsunami killed at least 33 people in American Samoa and demolished hundreds of structures. Later I heard that a yacht was pushed right up the middle of the road, clipping off telephone wires with its mast.

The word “tsunami” is Japanese and means “harbor wave.” They are hard to detect out at sea, but once they reach shoreline they swell. The bay acts like a funnel to concentrate the energy and build the wave higher.

It is not a breaking wave like surf, but rather like a tidal bore—a wall of water 40 feet high rushing inland at 50 miles per hour (they slow down as they near the shore).

Checking the reefs over the following days, I found patchy damage. A few small areas were completely obliterated by the water motion. Overall, however, the tsunami was not a disaster for the reefs. For a little perspective, consider that this island is 1.5 million years old (young by geological standards). If tsunamis happen roughly once every 150 years, then there have been approximately 10,000 tsunamis in the life of the island, and the reefs are still here.

Tsunamis are sudden, brief, natural events, with many years in between for the reefs to recover. Some recovery has already

The Tsunami of 2009 wrought widespread damage to the islands of Samoa and American Samoa. Above, a beached boat leans against a telephone pole. Left, a car dangles from a second-story window. Below, a house has been dragged from its foundation.

begun—new coral branches were starting to grow after just three weeks. (Granted, they were only a couple millimeters long, but it’s a start!) My guess is the hardest-hit areas will take 10–20 years to recover. Reefs have adapted to hurricanes and tsunamis over millions of years. They recover well from natural disasters. The real threat is not tsunamis, but humans, especially climate change.

FURTHER READING “Scores are killed as tsunami hits Samoa islands,” Meraiah Foley, New York Times, September 30, 2009.

“Samoa tsunamis obliterate some coral, spare others,” Audrey McAvoy, AP, October 17, 2009.

Douglas Fenner is author of Corals of Hawaii, published by Mutual Publishing in 2005.

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Class Notes

These Class Notes reflect information we received by December 1.

The Class Notes deadline for the next issue is March 1.

Class Notes are the lifeblood of Reed magazine.

While a Reed education confers many special powers, omniscience is unfortunately not among them; your classmates rely on you to tell us what’s going on. So share your news! Tell us about births, deaths, weddings, voyages, adventures, transformations, astonishment, woe, delight, fellowship, discovery, and mischief. Email us at reed.magazine@reed.edu. Post a note online at iris.reed.edu. Find us on Facebook. Scribble something in the enclosed return envelope. Or mail us at Reed magazine, Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd, Portland OR 97202. Photos are welcome, as are digital images at 300 dpi. And don’t forget the pertinent details: name, class year, and your current address!

1936

Bob Wertz, at 95, still enjoys receiving news from Reed. “Always be Reed. Do not change.” We were sorry to learn that his wife, Jean, died on February 8, 2009, after a two-year illness. Bob says they had a wonderful 62 years of marriage.

After a little prying, we found out that Bob was a mathematics major at Reed and went to UCLA for graduate work until World War II. Then he joined the U.S. Army and trained pilots in the Army Air Force in trigonometry, navigation, and other cockpit mathematics. He settled in Salt Lake City, where he married Jean, had five children, 26 grandchildren, and an ever-growing number of great-grandchildren. The day we called, he was out watching some of those grandchildren play basketball!

1941

We had the pleasure of chatting with Walter Ihl, who joked that he is “still fairly intelligent” at the age of 92! Walter wrote his thesis in political science about a proposed constitutional amendment that would have required a popular vote before the president could declare war.

“Reed gave me an intellectual background that could not be equaled.” A quick peek into the archives reminded us that Walter performed in the Reed Anniversary Play in the open-air theatre in 1938, with Sol Stern ’38 playing Simeon Reed and Betty Jean McCaskill playing Amanda Reed.

After graduation, Walter worked in the shipyards, sang tenor, had a career as a social worker, and was a music critic for various newspapers. He currently resides at the Valley View Center in Ukiah, California, enjoys following international

news, and continues to vote at every election. Walter said nice things about Reed and added that he would like to get in touch with Reed alumni from 1936–44.

1942

Nedra Gray Firestone continues her work on the board of directors of Polk Community Development Corporation and also does volunteer work in the corporation’s office.

Margaret Niemi Hatchard continues to volunteer at a local grade school, and enjoys taking art, painting, and exercise classes. She lives in a retirement community in Tacoma, Washington.

1944

Following the death of her husband, Ralph, on November 8, 2008, Margaret Sprinkle Newton sold the home that they had shared for 18 years, in Gold Canyon, Arizona, and moved back to Portland.

“It’s good to be near family and longtime friends, and I’m looking forward to attending some Reed functions once again.” We’re happy to have you back in the neighborhood, Margaret.

1947

We had the pleasure of hearing from Pat Cain Koehler, who enjoyed the profile of professor Ottomar Rudolf, her former neighbor, in the last issue of Reed.

During World War II, Pat worked as an electrician in the Vancouver shipyard, wiring battleships and aircraft carriers. The top wage was $1.20 an hour for a journeyman. “That’s how I paid for school,” she chuckles. Later she donated her shipyard hard hat to the Oregon Historical Society. She and her husband,

above: Nature’s Lace, 2007, by Margaret Zundel Shirley ’55.

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REED

Annual Fund former navy pilot Frank Koehler ’48, live in Eastmoreland, just down the street from the college.

Jean Pouteau is living a quiet life, reading history, evolution, genetics, geography, and travel, and doing some creative cookery. “My ailments are under control and I’m enjoying life.”

“I would not find myself here without the support, tangible and intangible, of more people than I could ever hope to thank explicitly.”

—Cora Payne ’12, current student

1950 60th reunion

Margaret Churchill Binda turned 81 in October—“seems like good news to me!”

Her recipe for living well combines walks with her dog, lots of yoga and T’ai Chi, and the presence of high-energy grandchildren (ages 3 and 5).

Sylvia Sherter Fraser writes: “I’m not the same person that I was at Reed in 1946–48.

Over the years, I’ve lost some parts and acquired others. It all seems to work together, though, the natural and synthetic. The modern era! A blend, as at Reed.”

Make a connection.

1953

Alice Fell Rene has been discovered and identified as a Reedite, thanks to the mention of her year at Reed (1949–50) in her memoir, Becoming Alice. Her life since Reed has been spent in California, where she earned a master’s degree in social welfare at UC Berkeley (1955). She has been a medical caseworker, travel consultant, and, more recently, a writer. For more about Alice and her awardwinning book (see Reediana) visit www. alicerene.com.

1954

David Lowe writes that he is recovering from widowerhood and is discovering life again. Thank you, David, for your inspirational example.

1955 55th reunion

Kay Tousley writes: “I seem to be incapable of saying no to Reed, so here I am, the only person on the 1955 reunion committee.” Kay encourages classmates to come to reunions and to help her plan special events for the occasion.

Margaret Zundel Shirley continues her teaching in drawing and painting at Marylhurst University and will have an exhibition of her recent work at Laura Russo Gallery in Portland in May. “I also have a wonderful grandson, who is now two years old.”

1956

Now where did those damn stamps go?

The Annual Fund is a point of intersection between philanthropic support and student scholarship.

Mail your gift in the enclosed envelope, or visit giving.reed.edu.

1957

The inimitable Art Washburn wrote us a beautiful card from Colorado’s San Luis Valley. “Temperate days, crystal skies, no warning—yet—of the snows to come.”

For the third year in a row, Art’s poems were published in the annual anthology Poetry for the Spirit. “Always a thrill for me,” he writes. Congratulations, Art, and thanks for your kind words.

1958

General strike paralyzes Venezuela.

1959

Jill Hunt Fanning and Mike Fanning will celebrate their golden wedding anniversary on September 22, marking the occasion with a party, three days later, in Whitefish, Montana. “We are both fit, active, and happy at this point. Hope we make it to September 25!”

Charlotte Gould Warren has written a memoir about her childhood in India and coming of age in the states, moving from the Himalayas to the Olympics and

graduating from Reed along the way. “From sitting on Gandhi’s lap as a little girl to holding a grandchild in my arms today, life is full of mystery and wonder.”

1960 50th reunion

Bob Crow, Ned Dairiki, Bob Gerbracht, Eleanor Himoe, Roberta Marlowe, Richard Morgan, and Armand Schwartz—otherwise known as the Class of ’60 reunions committee—write: “Has it really been a half century? In May 1960, many of us listened to John Kenneth Galbraith give the commencement address in the amphitheatre, Ike was still president, and we were getting ready for whatever came next—and, boy, has a lot happened! “Next” has worked itself out over five decades, as we moved with our shared heritage as Reedies and the value that the Reed experience has conferred on our personal and professional lives. Now it is time to return to these formative grounds for our 50th reunion, relive those days of adventure and discovery, reconnect with old friends, and share experiences with march 2010 Reed magazine 35

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Both Sides of the Wire

Psychologist recalls imprisonment and liberation at Buchenwald Berlin, November 9, 1938. In the gathering gloom, Frank Wesley ’50 watched as the windows of synagogues and Jewish shops shattered under a barrage of projectiles flung by Nazi troops in the orchestrated riot that would later become known as Kristallnacht—the Night of Broken Glass.

He considered getting out. Making a run for the border. He even had a car ready. But he’d seen what became of those who were caught escaping: the special gallows reserved for traitors.

Violence reigned in the streets until Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels called for an end to the pogrom that he had instigated and announced that the Jews would be evacuated from the cities for “special protection.”

The nightmare of Nazi Germany seemed a world away from his childhood. Born in 1918 to a German-Jewish couple in the then-German province of Silesia, Frank had grown up in a beautiful farmhouse, enjoying the yield of cherries from the family’s orchard each summer. Now, at the age of 20, he found himself marching in step with his father and thousands of other Jews through the streets of Berlin, flares lighting their way, crowds cheering. The scene was eerily celebratory until they passed out of the civilians’ sight. Then the pace quickened and the beatings began. Even those bent and crippled with age were kicked and rushed to the shipping yard and packed into trains.

The engines rumbled to life and carried them away towards the barbed wire fences of Buchenwald.

One of the most infamous and brutal of the Nazi prison camps, Buchenwald was notorious for its policy of “extermination through labor,” a program specifically designed to work its inmates to death.

Behind its looming iron gates, crowned with the chilling words Jedem das Seine (“Everyone gets what he deserves”), an estimated 56,000 prisoners perished from starvation, sickness, medical experimentation, fatigue, and execution from 1937 to 1945. alumni profile

Frank spent his first weeks in the camp chained to hundreds of other men, trudging endlessly to and from the quarry, hauling rocks by hand to build the autobahn from Dresden to Berlin. Prisoners were given half a pound of bread each weekday and thin, salty soup on weekends when the water was turned off. Unaccustomed to manual labor, he struggled under the inhuman working conditions. “If our stones weren’t large enough, we were attacked and beaten by

The iron gates of Buchenwald were crowned with the chilling words Jedem das Seine— (“Everyone Gets What He Deserves.”) the SS officers,” he says. “I saw men shoved into the pile where we were dropping our stones—buried alive in the rubble because they were too weak to move.”

In those days, prior to the implementation of the Final Solution, inmates were sometimes released from the camp after relatively brief sentences. Shortly after Christmas, Frank and his father were miraculously freed and given three days to get out of the country. “It was the happiest day of my life,” he says, carefully. “I decided at that moment never to be angry again.”

Leaving Germany, however, was easier said than done. The authorities had confiscated everything he owned. The rigors of Buchenwald had left him horribly malnourished. Standing at 5 feet 5 inches, Frank weighed only 105 pounds—too scrawny to qualify for an American visa. Fortunately, he was able to bribe his way across the border to Belgium and eventually escaped to the United States.

Arriving stateside, Frank worked a series of jobs over the next several years (including a spell in the Portland shipyards) before volunteering for the U.S. Army in 1944.

Why?

Frank Wesley ’50

“I really thought that if we didn’t win the war with Hitler . . .” he trails off, spreading his arms expressively and giving a slight shrug. It’s a simple gesture, but it conveys all the desperation of such a dark time. The alternative to victory was too horrifying to imagine.

Frank joined the 21st Infantry Division of the Baltimore National Guard and was shipped to the European front. Then, in an astonishing twist of fate, he was assigned as a liaison to the troops being sent to liberate the very camp he had suffered in seven years before. The memory remains bitterly sharp even today, and his face grows grave when he describes the heaped rows of corpses which met their gaze when they marched through the gates on April 11, 1945. “The Nazis had run out of petrol, so there was no way to dispose of the bodies,” he says.

“They were piled five high and three deep all around. Some were even still alive, but there was nothing we could do.”

However bleak, the liberation of Buchenwald marked the beginning of the end.

When Frank returned to America the following year, he and his fellow veterans were offered the choice between $20 a week for unemployment or free college tuition plus an allowance of $75 a month under Roosevelt’s G.I. Bill. “The unemployment line was so much longer than the college line that I just chose college,” he chuckles. Thus Frank entered Reed in 1947 as one of only five psychology majors in the whole student body.

Frank remembers the students as “exceptionally well-informed and very sympathetic.” Undaunted by his past or his status as an “older student” (he was 29 years old) he dove into college life and made many friends— though he attributes some of his appeal to his major. “People were always asking me to hypnotize them at parties, though I had no idea how to,” he says. “But I’ll tell you: I became a hit. I was probably the busiest psychologist in town before ever taking a single psychology course.”

After graduation from Reed, Frank earned a master’s degree in psychology

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Photo by Rhiana Meade ’12

Frank Wesley ’50 saw the horrors of Buchenwald twice: first as prisoner, then as liberator.

from Washington State and began a teaching career which would last a lifetime. He selflessly devoted his time to education— working at Portland State University as a full professor and volunteering at the school’s “Storefront University,” a project designed to promote education for residents of Portland’s ghettoes during the 1960s.

Hypnosis remained a handy skill in Frank’s repertoire during those years. One evening, during a lecture, a group of students deposited a leghorn chicken on his desk and challenged him to put it into a trance. In that moment, he knew all the respect he had gained as a professor would be lost if he couldn’t pull it off. “Had I known a chicken prayer at the time,” he admits “I would’ve said it.” Fortunately, the chicken complied, lapsing into a catatonic avian daze, and his mesmerizing reputation remained intact.

Frank remained an active scholar in his own right, publishing several books covering everything from child-rearing psychology to the history of anti-Semitism. His most

recent work, however, takes a more personal tone. Naked Psychology: Stories Behind the Mind Game describes his education and teaching career, weaving together personal impressions of psychologists such as B.F. Skinner; humorous stories from his time at Reed, such as a catastrophic production of Anton Chekhov’s Jubilee; and insightful stories about his time spent traveling the world as a professor.

After 50 years of educating the city’s knowledge-hungry youth, Frank retired from teaching in 2008. Now 91, he remains a Reedie at heart, his face lighting up with laughter when he recalls the unusual boldness of fellow students “all openly harassing the teacher, saying things like ‘Define your terms!’ It was terrifying!” Or his unusual thesis research methods: “I was studying the behavior of cats—about 30 altogether —and the ladies of Reed kept them for me.

Each day I was observing the animals for an experiment, I went around to all the girls’ dorms to collect them, then brought them all back at the end of the day.”

He even preserves that unique variety of Reedie dress sense, relating stories from his life with his feet up on the coffee table, each one of them sheathed in a threadbare, rainbow, tie-dyed sock—“Made for me by my editor, you know,” he crows.

He shows no signs of slowing down.

Whether taking his Labrador, Hercules, for two hour-long walks a day, or inner-tubing in the snow with his grandchildren, an activity he claims to despise (the twinkle in his eye suggests otherwise), he remains full of zest. When asked if he misses teaching, he gives an enormous, full-bodied laugh and a resounding “No!” “Now,” he whispers conspiratorially, “it is time to goof off.” —Lucy Bellwood ’12 Further Reading The Holocaust and Anti-Semitism by Frank Wesley (International Scholars Publications, 1998).

Naked Psychology: Stories Behind the Mind Game by Frank Wesley (Little Verona Press, 2008).

Night by Elie Wiesel (Hill and Wang, 2006).

(An account of Wiesel’s imprisonment at Buchenwald.)

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Class Notes continued

right: The “One-&-Only Original First-Ever” LSD poster,

by Robert Ross ’61

a draper and pattern maker in the frenetic garment business. After making a full recovery from two abdominal surgeries, she is looking forward to apprenticeship in antique garment restoration.

After working to make solar energy a significant energy source for the world for 35 years, Robert McConnell says “maybe, just maybe, the United States will finally understand and just do it!”

1964

above: Ayn Ruymen and Robert Ross ’61 tie the knot!

people we did not know well but who grew up to be absolutely fascinating. Each of us has friends to see and experiences to share, regardless of whether we were at Reed for one year or six. Most of all, this is an opportunity to have a great time on our still-gorgeous Reed campus. Come marvel at new buildings, admire the restored canyon, and just have a roaring good time with friends that you would otherwise have never met. Call your special friends and get them to join you and the rest of us venerable youngsters.”

“ Has it really been a half century? ” —Class of ’60 reunions committee

1961

Robert Ross provided a four-part update for events in 2009. In summer, he taught figure drawing at the California State Summer School for the Arts. In September, he married Ayn Ruymen, star of the 1972 cinematic cult classic Private Parts. In October, he was featured in a

70th-year retrospective of his artwork at the Mendocino Art Center in Mendocino, California, where he coordinates the weekly drawing sessions of the Mendocino Figure Drawing Collective (a representative selection of his work can be seen at www.robertrossstudio.com and www.mendocinofiguredrawingcollective). Finally, in November, he completed a commission from the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (M.A.P.S.) to reprint his historic work, the “One-&-Only Original First-Ever” LSD poster. “The poster was originally commissioned by Drs. Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert, for their first large public presentation on LSD and consciousness expansion, at Town Hall, New York, in 1964. A limited edition of large-format hand-printed woodblock prints resulted. I printed a second edition from the original blocks in 1992. The current third signed and numbered edition is dedicated to M.A.P.S. fundraising.”

1962

In March 2009, Robert Needham was badly injured in an automobile accident, which took place in front of his home.

He was returning home in his sedan and was hit head-on by an elderly man in a truck, who suffered a fatal heart attack.

“My left femur was badly shattered and I am experiencing a slow recovery (still on crutches), given the many little bone fragments which have had to grow together.”

In June, Robert completed 42 years as an ordained (theologically conservative) Presbyterian minister. His wife, Barbara Ferguson Needham ’63, has successfully survived breast cancer and double mastectomy surgery. They look forward to the arrival of their fourth grandchild.

1963

Cricket (as she is still known) GieseParker is happily retired from 36 years as

In retirement, Marlaine Lockheed teaches at Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School, “helping make ‘scholar-doers’ for development, with special focus on the role of education in raising girls and women out of poverty.”

Marsha Steinberg reports: “I am recently retired from the work-for-pay world but remain active in social justice causes.

Healthcare not warfare, I say.”

1965 45th reunion

Reunion cochairs Steve Wax and Adam Wilkins have set up a Class of 1965 Facebook page (to join, send your FB name to Steve at swax@campfirenyc.com). They write: “1965 was not only the year of our launch, but also: Medicare, the Mustang, Help!, mandated health warnings on cigarette packets, and it was the year the first combat troops were sent into Vietnam.

Our reunion provides us with an excellent opportunity to look back on 1965 and, also, for some present-day stocktaking.

Most importantly, it’s an opportunity to reconnect with many of those unique individuals with whom you went to school.”

Lynn Bowers is working on a photo essay on home-based pesticide businesses located in residential neighborhoods and is a volunteer with the nonprofit Forestland Dwellers.

Gwen Lewis says that she has been successful in being able to exhibit her traditional, black-and-white documentary photography. The District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities purchased her photograph Hostess Cake for its collection Art Bank 2009. In June and July 2009, Gwen mounted the exhibition Moods of Nature, with two other photographers, at Holy Cross Hospital’s Community Gallery. Images from this and other recent shows can be seen on her website, mysite.verizon.net/montlewis.

In September, Stephanie Hoyer Pincus was named to the board of directors for

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left: Hostess Cake, by Gwen Lewis ’65

the CEPA Gallery, a nonprofit organization dedicated to photo-related and electronic arts in Buffalo, New York.

1966

Fred Dunbar, senior vice president for National Economic Research Associates (NERA), was appointed economic fellow in the economic analysis office of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in September. We learned from NERA that Fred joined the firm in 1979 and founded its securities and finance and mass torts and liability practices. He has also taught at Tufts and Northeastern Universities and has served as an adjunct professor at the Fordham University and Columbia University law schools. NERA president Andrew Carron stated: “The SEC’s decision to appoint Fred to this position at such a critical time for financial regulation in general and the Commission in particular reflects his status as one of the nation’s leading securities and finance experts.”

Steve Kahn reports that the exhibition, Flamenco Project: A Window into the Vision of the Stranger 1960–1985 opened in September 2009, in the Salas Cajasol of Sevilla, Spain. “The show looks fabulous and is getting great coverage and praise. I’m very pleased. Even the catalog came out great.”

Steve wrote about the project and his experiences in Andalusia in Reed last year.

We heard that Laurel Wilkening was awarded the UC Irvine Medal, the university’s highest honor, for her service as chancellor 1993–98. During her reign, Laurel helped nudge UC Irvine into the ranks of the nation’s top 50 research universities; was instrumental in creating a public-private research park; played a key role in increasing the number of Regents’ Scholarships to transfer students; and

above: Steve Kahn ’66 (right) poses with Flamenco Project publisher and production partner Ignacio in Sevilla, Spain.

strengthened outreach programs to local schools. A chemistry major at Reed, Laurel pursued a career in planetary science, became an expert on comets and meteorites, and has served on numerous NASA committees and space-related bodies. She also served on Reed’s board of trustees 1992–2002 and has been instrumental in restoring the Reed canyon.

left: John Cushing ’67 is busking at Foggy Bottom Farmers Market in Washington, D.C.

1967

For Christine Hanson, “no news is good news.” We’re not sure we subscribe to this particular epistolary philosophy—if we did, this magazine would get pretty dull—but we appreciate hearing from you, Christine!

1968

In the dead of night, it comes to you—a vivid memory of the last time you saw the Doyle Owl. Please send us a note with the relevant details.

1969

France Bennett Giddings is on the board of Northwest Sufi Camp (nwsuficamp. org/), and her daughter started high school this year.

1970 40th reunion

After 35 years of daily newspapering, Alan Hayakawa retired from the Patriot News of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on December 31, 2008. “Finally—time for some serious guitar playing.” His second grandchild is expected this April.

Henry Millstein shares what he terms “very belated news”: he completed a PhD in Jewish Studies in May 2006 in the joint program of UC Berkeley and the Graduate Theological Union. His dissertation, Empire Embodied, examined the image of the Roman emperor and of Roman power

in pagan, rabbinic, and early Christian literature. “And now—I am doing a mindless but pleasant clerical job in San Rafael and writing (and trying to market) historical novels set in ancient Israel. So another Reedie comes down with Permanent head Damage . . .”

In October 2009, Alan Ridley hosted a Growing Green Careers Symposium at Cuyamaca College for career technical educators, administrators, and counselors.

“This is part of a short-term grant serving nine community colleges in San Diego and Imperial counties.” Alan also has green business opportunities for members of the Reed community. For details, visit his website, www.ecomates.com/aridley.

We were sorry to learn that Daniel Roark Abrams is dealing with failing health. In his update to the college, he also added: “It is always a pleasure to hear from Reed. I have very fond memories of my days there.”

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Class Notes continued

above: Spencer Smith ’71 departs the Azores—Pico in the background—aboard Nottoway, bound for Lagos, Portugal.

Nottoway is now in Menorca, Balearic Islands, Spain.

1971

Alice Estill Miller joined the redevelopment division of the Economic Development Housing Department for the city of Santa Rosa, in order to manage the city’s Gateways redevelopment district. Husband Vern continues his work in environmental consulting, mostly for HUD-funded projects, as principal of Aem Consulting.

Spencer Smith’s most recent book publishing projects are The Hawk & The Dove: World War II in Okinawa and Korea,

by Roland Glenn, a harrowing account of hand-to-hand fighting in the Pacific and a life challenged to this day by PTSD; and John Rousmaniere’s Green Oasis in Brooklyn: The Evergreens Cemetery 1849–2008, an award-winning history with stunning outdoor photographs by Ken Druse. Next off press, says Spencer, is Harbor Ice, by K.D. Mason, a thriller set in coastal New Hampshire. Spencer is also spirits columnist (“that’s booze, not séances”) for Taste of the Seacoast magazine. He divides his time between coastal Maine and his sailboat in Martinique, latterly in Menorca, Spain, and waits patiently for a graduating Reedie to call him up and ask his advice about a career in books. Reach him by email at bizbks2@aol.com.

1972

Martha Allbritten retired in November 2008 from her position with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and since then has been reading, writing,

right: Sensational Scientists, a fourth book

by Barry Shell ’73

fishing, and remodeling. She continues to do some wildlife biology and is taking classes in music theory. “Looking forward to the next ’72 class reunion!”

1973

Robert Kahn’s book Beethoven and the Grosse Fuge: Music, Meaning, and Beethoven’s Most Difficult Work will be published this year by Scarecrow Press, a division of Rowman & Littlefield. Robert asks Leila Falk to please accept this book in place of his last assignment on Elliott Carter’s first string quartet, which Robert “totally botched.” He says he is still not ready to hand in that assignment.

The Wichita Business Journal presented an overview of John Kennalley’s law career on the occasion of his election as president of the Wichita (Kansas) Bar Association in September 2009. While in high school, John considered a career as a Roman Catholic priest, but decided against attending the required program in Indiana in favor of attending his home school, Wichita State. Two years later, he entered Reed and earned a BA in general literature. John indicated that the preparation for his initial calling fortified his intent to help others in his career in business law; he is now with Martin and Churchill in Wichita. In addition to his law practice, he works for the bar association’s paralegal course at Newman University, and plays in a softball league for lawyers.

Laura Leviton continues in her role as special adviser for evaluation at the Robert

Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton, New Jersey. Laura published a forthcoming chapter in the Annual Review of Public Health for 2010 on evaluation of public health programs, and, together with colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control, has developed a new method for identifying innovations in health and social services that are worth evaluating. This work will be described in a monograph in New Directions in Evaluation (Jossey Bass), January 2010.

Willie Luntao, MAT, sends news about his son, Lange, who is now in his second year at Harvard. In summer 2009, Lange was an intern at 826 Valencia, a San Francisco nonprofit, providing tutorials for students in the Mission District.

Roger Perlmutter was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for “distinguished contributions leading to a more detailed understanding of signaling pathways controlling lymphocyte development and activation and to the discovery and development of novel biotherapeutics.” Roger leads research and development efforts at Amgen in Thousand Oaks, California, and is a Reed trustee.

David Perry provided this update: “I emailed my old buddy John Penney ’75, who’s surviving the collapse of Detroit and who has a new jazz program. Jazzfest Detroit airs 7–9 p.m. (eastern time) Saturdays at 90.9 FM and streams on wrcjfm. org. He says to look for him at Reunions 2010! Chantal Sudbrack ’97, one of the founders of the Chicago alumni chapter, took a job in Cleveland with NASA. While it’s nice to have a rocket scientist in the family, I miss Chantal. Chicago’s a big place, but it seems a little bit emptier to me now that she’s gone. Me? Doing a lot of walking these days. Spotted a coyote in the woods near my house last week, with breakfast (a fresh-killed squirrel) in his mouth. And yes, I do live in the city of Chicago, not in some exurb!” continued on page 42

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far left: Suzanne and associate Rozana Akhter talk with villagers in Bangladesh about the rerouted Jamuna River. left: Suzanne displays a statue of the goddess of the Ganges River in her Southeast Portland home.

Anthropologist Finds Her Element Suzanne Hanchett ’62 It was a vexing puzzle. In the farthest reaches of the Ganges delta, hundreds of Bengali villagers were dying each year from arsenic in their drinking water. A UNICEF engineering team had installed filtration systems in the area, but people, especially children, continued to die.

The engineers were at a loss to determine what was going wrong—the filters were in perfect working order—so a group of anthropologists, led by Suzanne Hanchett ’62, was called in to investigate.

The anthropologists interviewed villagers and found that more scrupulous parents often prevented their children from drinking filtered water because it was too “cold.”

Not physically cold, but metaphysically cold.

According to traditional Bengali beliefs, food and drink contain certain principles, or essences, which must be kept in balance.

Drinking lots of water that contains too much tanda (the Bengali term for the cold principle) could be very unhealthy.

Suzanne recommended that UNICEF address these concerns head-on and distribute pamphlets explaining that the water’s metaphysical temperature posed no danger to children. At first, the engineers argued that the villagers’ beliefs were nothing more than ignorant superstition and not worth taking seriously, but eventually Suzanne prevailed.

“You do have to take care of the technical side, but there are always going to be larger alumni profile

social questions to address,” she says.

Suzanne’s interest in anthropology was first awakened by professor David French ’39, who was well known about campus for his brilliance as well as for his eccentricities. He and his wife Kay took evening naps so they could stay up all night in intensive research sessions. They focused on reinterpreting the ethnographic standbys such as worldview and society. Living in their on-campus house, Suzanne drank much from the Frenches’ well of knowledge, and she would continue to feel their influence throughout her life. “Dave always used to say, ‘It’s not your performance in a course; it’s your attitude,’” she recalls. “I wanted so much after that to recreate the Frenches’ magic academic environment.”

Suzanne wrote her thesis on Aleutian semantics, taught anthropology at several East Coast campuses during the ’70s, and wrote a monograph on Hindu symbology, Colored Rice, which was published in 1988.

Even after 25 years in the field, she would jokingly ask friends what they thought she should do when she “grew up.”

The answer became clearer after she was hired as a consultant for a USAID Bengali flood response study in the early ’90s. This experience showed her that water could prove an even more elastic site of cultural negotiation than the ritual foodstuffs of

Colored Rice. In 1997, she participated in a Bengali sanitation study and began to carve out a career as a hydro-anthropologist.

Water is the most problematic of all the Aristotelian elements, she says, because it is essential for life but has become increasingly proprietary. The issues are especially acute in South Asia, where people developed elaborate systems of irrigation thousands of years before the first Roman dreamed of building an aqueduct. One of the worst confrontations of her career arose during the construction of a massive bridge across the Jamuna River, one of the widest and most important waterways in Bangladesh. To reduce construction costs, the government diverted the course of the river, wreaking havoc with the intricate system of distributaries that local people relied on to water their crops—a classic example of the perils of centralized planning.

Suzanne entered the fray to mitigate the damage to the people who lived along the river. Ironically, within a few years a massive flood swept away the levee and more or less restored the river to its original path.

Negotiating cultural sensitivity for the sanitation and irrigation projects of Southeast Asia is now all in a day’s work. And what is her favorite strategy for solving conflicts? Get everyone together around the table for discussion over tea, pastries, and a pitcher of pure, cool water. —Raymond Rendleman ’06 March 2010 Reed magazine 41

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Class Notes continued Barry Shell is research communications manager in the office of the vice president of research at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia. He also writes, edits, and publishes the newsletter Applied Thinking (www2.fas.sfu.ca/news/ FAS-Thinking/) and runs the science.ca project, which includes a collection of profiles on Canada’s top scientists. Barry’s fourth book, Sensational Scientists, won a national book award in 2005.

1974

Congratulations to Jan Liss, who is now a Reed trustee. Jan runs Project Pericles, a New York nonprofit that encourages and faciliatates commitments by colleges and univerisities to include social responsibility and participatory citizenship as essential elements of their educational programs.

Also, we learned from the Wall Street Journal (“What’s Your Workout” feature) that her husband, Jim Coddington, plays squash four times a week—often at 6 a.m.—to decompress from his day job as chief conservator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Jim learned to play squash at Reed.

Leo Rubinfien was presented with the Artist of the Year Gold Award at the 2009 Lianzhou International Photography Festival in China. He will contribute a group of his early photographs to the exhibition Starburst: Color Photography in America 1970–1980, opening this month at the Cincinnati Art Museum.

(See Reediana.)

1975 • 35th reunion

For the reunions committee, David Olsen writes: “Who knew in that halcyon year of 1975, when we were taking class notes using real ink and paper, and banging out our theses on actual typewriters (now antique legacy technology), that many of us would still be around 35 years later to reminisce about what it was like to graduate from Reed without benefit of the internet or iPhone? How exciting was it to be around during the same year Saturday Night Live was launched; Mitchell, Haldeman, and Ehrlichman were sentenced to prison; and President Ford pardoned Nixon . . . Do you remember what it was like to go out into the cold, cruel postgraduate world before the Bee Gees went disco? These and many other subjects are worth exploring, as we surely can and will at our 35th class reunion.”

Steve Fowkes has finally realized his 30-year quest to figure out the underlying

mechanism of Alzheimer’s disease. His PowerPoint presentation, “Preventing and Reversing Alzheimer’s Disease,” has now been converted into a nonproprietary format and is available as a set of minivideos on YouTube for anybody and everybody.

In summer 2009, Rebecca Gordon received a PhD in ethics and social theory for her dissertation on the American use of torture after 9/11. She is now teaching ethics at the University of San Francisco.

Eric Rubin directs the Homebound

above: Leo Rubinfien’s Leaving London, 1980, to be included in the upcoming exhibition Starburst: Color Photography in America 1970–1980, at the Cincinnati Art Museum

to agents in clinical trials for cystic fibrosis, cancer, degenerative diseases, and autoimmune inflammatory diseases.” Ken runs the Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Recognition Section at the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland, is author or coauthor of over 500 scientific publications, and is an inventor on 35 issued U.S. patents.

1976

Raid on Entebbe.

“ Do you remember what it was like to go out into the cold, cruel post-graduate world before the Bee Gees went disco?”

—David Olsen ’75 Elderly Program in the Columbia University psychiatry department. He and his wife, Anna Schwartz, have two daughters.

Ken Jacobson was among three chemists to be inducted into the American Chemical Society Division of Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame in 2009. The award recognized his creativity and ability to combine the field of chemistry with those of pharmacology and molecular biology, which, in turn, has been influential in biomedical research and therapeutic development. “Over the course of two decades at NIH, Dr. Jacobson has made major contributions to the pharmacology of cell surface receptors, in particular purinergic receptors. His research has led

1977

Writer John Hedtke has four books in line for publication this year, and suspects that he will wear out his 11th keyboard in the process! Not content to write books, he is also starting up a new publishing company. “The focus will be on medical, health care, and disaster preparedness professionals. We’ll offer publishing, technical editing, book packaging, and book consulting services. And, because I didn’t have enough to do, I’m going to go to college locally.” He is beginning with drawing and painting, with the goal of learning to be a painter, something he has wanted to do for 40 years. “In the course of this, I may finally get a college degree, but learning to draw and paint is much more important. For pure fun, I’m taking Marilyn on a Royal Caribbean cruise later this year (the southern Caribbean) and at least one Royal Caribbean cruise next year (St. Petersburg & the Baltics).” We also learned from a reliable source that John writes pithy texts for a button company in his spare time.

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Some of our favorites: “Stop me before I log on again,” “Death is nature’s way of telling you to turn off the computer,” “I never thought I’d miss Nixon,” and “Failure is not an option—it already comes bundled with the software.” (See also Reediana.)

Diana Peterson Walsh teaches elementary school in Des Moines, Iowa. Husband James retired from his position as a federal special agent with Homeland Security due to poor health, but now he has been diagnosed with Addison’s disease and he is getting stronger every day!

1978

A mysterious event in the Crab Nebula sends a blast of psionic energy pulsing through hyperspace, interfering with the neural patterns of the class of ’78 and turning you into killer zombies. But wait!

The shock wave won’t actually arrive for another 6,300 years! You’re saved! Now please write us a note.

1979

Bruce McQuistan asks and answers: “Where was I? Busy, family fulfilling but wondering where my peers went. I’m back to poking bits for a living and even more obsessed with skiing, which now involves two wee pink things, which are becoming less and less wee as time accelerates by. We got involved with a dream in the mountains of Southwest Colorado and have been participating in that as much as possible and with so much madness, it landed us in the New York Times “T” section and in the regular travel section. I do get around to stitching down the ephemera in words that have marked the pages of the Ski Journal. The fall smells and morning mists remind me of Reed.”

1980 30th reunion

We read that Women of Cyprus, a documentary by Bushra Azzouz, is now touring internationally. Learn more about the film at womenofcyprusfilm.com. Bushra teaches at the Northwest Film Center in Portland.

Lucinda Herrick is still having fun in Missouri.

Sarah Movius Schurr was ordained into the Unitarian Universalist ministry and volunteers with campus ministry at Reed.

Marcia Emerson Watt teaches book arts workshops at the Robert C. Williams Paper Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, and several pieces of her paper jewelry are included in the international traveling exhibition The Paper Runway. She also cocurated the exhibition at the Georgia Tech library,

Make An Impression! The Art of Combining Handmade Paper and Print, which ran October 2009–January 2010. Marcia spent the past two summers teaching English in China. Her husband, Alan Watt ’78, works at McKesson Corporation, and plays the bagpipes in a pipe and drum band.

Don’t forget, people, this is a reunion year!

1981

Mass High Tech (the journal of New England technology) recognized Roger Tung as a 2009 All-Star for his contributions to the pharmaceutical industry. The annual award honors pioneers and leaders across several business and technology sectors in New England. Roger has been a pioneer in the fight against AIDS. He coinvented two key HIV protease inhibitors that were used as commercial drugs, Agenerase and Lexiva, plus various other compounds to treat hepatitis and cystic fibrosis. His colleague Richard Aldrich is quoted: “Roger Tung is the best ‘drug hunter’ I’ve worked with, and I’ve worked with a lot of scientists over the years. What really distinguishes Roger from everyone else is that he is all about finding a drug that can be really useful for patients. He’s not interested in impressing people with papers.”

1982

In early August 2009, Bennett Barsk performed a recital of jazz and rags on the new Steinway concert grand piano at the National Institutes of Health, in Bethesda, Maryland. A roving audience of hundreds included fellow Reedies and friends Gwen Lewis ’65 , Dave

Montgomery, Dan Muldrew ’01 , and Adam Messinger ’91. This event celebrated Bennett’s 19-month cancer-free checkup. Bennett was last spotted on campus at David Griffiths’ epic retirement party, during which he and the Multnomah Boys performed Toch’s Geographical Fugue.

Patrick Nevans Locke notes that the number of Reed graduates at the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) plummeted by 33 percent in September 2009, when Beth Robinson was nominated

above: Bruce McQuistan ’79 poses with his wife, Lisa, and children Tarn and Rillian, at a height of 12,300 feet, near Silverton, Colorado. At age 7, Tarn was the youngest person to have skied from the top.

“ The fall smells and morning mists remind me of Reed.”

—Bruce McQuistan ’79

by President Obama as chief financial officer at NASA. Beth was a physics major at Reed, earned a doctorate from MIT, and went on to study geophysics before moving to Washington, where she held a succession of increasingly impressive-sounding jobs in various government agencies. We wish her well in holding down those skyrocketing costs. Meanwhile. Patrick and Doug Norwood ’66 remain, “toiling away at OMB’s Budget Analysis Branch to produce Obama’s fiscal year 2011 budget.”

1983

We were delighted to encounter Michael Becker and Susan Hay MALS ’04 longdistance swimming on a remote beach on Kaua‘i, along with their children, Adin and Kyla. Not only was the entire continued on page 45

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Sex, Worms, and Darwin Patrick Phillips ’86 Birds do it. Bees do it. At first blush, sexual reproduction seems like such a ubiquitous fact of life on earth that its prevalence can be taken for granted. To evolutionary biologists, however, this plenteous procreation is a bit of a puzzle, because of an awkward paradox known as “the twofold cost of males.”

Consider two species. One consists of “outcrossers,” that is, males and females who reproduce by methods familiar to many readers. The second consists of “selfers,” or hermaphrodites who replicate all by themselves without the fuss and bother of finding a mate. All other things being equal, selfers should quickly overwhelm outcrossers, because in selfing species, all individuals produce offspring, whereas among outcrossers, half the population lounges around watching TV and scarfing down the food supply. (In mathematical terms, selfers should outnumber outcrossers by 2n-1 to 1 after n generations, assuming equal proportion of males and females.)

So why isn’t selfing more common?

“It’s a profound evolutionary problem,” says Patrick Phillips ’86, who directs the Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Oregon. “In theory, selfing species should take over the world.”

To explore the puzzle, Patrick turned to a remarkable worm, Caenorhabditis elegans, that can reproduce either by outcrossing or—when the mood is right and neither end has a headache—by selfing.

Using genetic manipulation, Patrick’s research team at UO put a stop to this decadent gender-bending, creating a colony of outcrossers and a colony of selfers, and then subjected the worms to various indignities to test their fitness. In one case, the worms were exposed to a chemical that dramatically increased their likelihood of genetic mutations, and then forced to work harder to find food. In another, the worms were infected with a virulent bacterial pathogen with a high mortality rate.

After 50 generations, the two groups showed pronounced differences: the outcrossers had adapted to their new environment, evolved resistance to the bacteria, and gave every indication of being a happy, healthy, writhing mass of worms. The selfers, on the other hand, were substantially weaker, were less able to compete for food, alumni profile

left: Those remarkable worms, Caenorhabditis elegans

pat r i c k p h i l l i p s

“ As a male, it’s reassuring to find out you have a useful biological function.”

—Patrick Phillips and generally lacked backbone. In the most extreme case, their overall fitness had declined by 80 percent. “They were headed for extinction,” says Patrick.

The fundamental problem with selfing, it turns out, is that there is no way to combine advantageous mutations. One lineage may develop resistance to a pathogen, and another may develop resistance to cold, but the two lineages cannot create offspring that share these attributes. By contrast, outcrossing is an excellent mechanism both for purg-

ing harmful mutations and for sharing beneficial ones; over time, new generations tend to inherit all the strengths of older ones.

These results, published last year in the journal Nature, prompted a flurry of amusing headlines (Oregonian: “Why Bother with Sex?” Daily Emerald: “Why Mating Matters.” eSarcasm: “Scientists: Please Have Sex with Others.”), and some lively email (see below). More important, they also provided the first real scientific demonstration that males, despite certain inherent design weaknesses, perform a vital role in the propagation of species.

“As a male, it’s reassuring to find out you have a useful biological function,” chuckles Patrick, who credits professors such as thesis adviser Bob Kaplan and Steve Stearns in biology and Allen Neuringer in psychology for awakening his interest in the natural world. “Going to Reed was like watching this giant world of ideas come into focus,” he says. Patrick won a Guggenheim fellowship in 2006 and is continuing his research into the genetic basis of complex traits such as sexuality, aging, and longevity.

photograph by jarod opperman

above: Patrick Phillips in his University of Oregon labratory.

—CHRIS LYDGATE ’90

Further Reading “Mutation load and rapid adaptation favour outcrossing over self-fertilization,” Levi T. Morran, Michelle D. Parmenter, & Patrick C. Phillips, Nature, 21 Oct 2009.

“Lonely worm seeks mate, C elegans,” www.uoregon. edu/~pphil/lonelyworm.html

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Class Notes continued clan looking remarkably fit, but Michael still concocts a mean margarita! Michael teaches English and history at the FrenchAmerican School in Portland; Susan teaches at Madison High School.

Craig Mosbaek won a prestigious fellowship from the American Public Health Association. Officially known as the Public Health Fellowship in Government, the award will allow Craig to spend a year in Washington, DC working with legislators on health policy issues. Craig, who was a physics major at Reed, worked on tobacco prevention for the state of Oregon for many years, and is also one of the cofounders of the Portland Farmers Market.

Way to go, Craig!

Dan Revel works for CollegeNET running a website where students can participate in online forums and vote to decide who will win a scholarship each week. “We give away over $250,000 in scholarships to college students annually.” His partner, Rachel Elizabeth ’88, runs Jonny Sport LLC, the luggage company they launched nearly a year ago.

1984

In October 2009, Matthew Bergman was honored by the Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College as their distinguished graduate. He was introduced by the Honorable Bobby Baldock (10th Circuit), for whom Matt had clerked. In his remarks, Matt recognized sociology professor John Pock, as well as mentors at Lewis & Clark, and those who supported his professional career—including the other honoree of the evening, the Honorable Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain of the Ninth Circuit. The Distinguished Graduate Award is given to a graduate whose contributions to the legal profession and the community have brought honor and distinction to the law school. Matthew is founder and managing partner of the Bergman and Frockt law firm, based in Seattle, Washington.

1985 25th reunion

Reunions czars Alison Rose , Roger Simon, and Gaynor Hills write: “Can you believe it’s been 25 years since we graduated from Reed? Those were such amazing years of our lives, when we left the comforts of home for the rainy yet charming world of all-nighters in the library, intense discussion at humanities conferences, classes held on the lawn on those rare sunny days, marimba music at socials, and of course the ultimate decadence of

far left: Bennett Barsk ’82 left: Still by William Morrison ’87

Renn Fayre. Don’t you wish you could turn back the clock and relive those magical days? Well, we have great news! You can do exactly that by attending our 25th reunion.”

Paula Scott writes that she and JeanLaurent Rosenthal ’84 have been married for 20 years. They have spent the last decade moving back and forth between Los Angeles and Paris, France. JeanLaurent was at UCLA but has moved to Caltech, and they are now settled in South Pasadena, California—at least until their daughters, Isabelle (15) and Juliette (12), graduate from high school. “Having left academia some 12 years ago for pretty much full-time mothering, I have nonetheless managed to get a book about the history of Santa Monica published (Santa Monica: A History on the Edge [Arcadia Publishing, 2004]) as well as doing some freelance historical writing for nonprofits. Aside from that, I have honed my appreciation for PTA ladies by becoming one myself.”

Katherine Sher lives in Oakland, where she is raising her children and practicing law. “It’s the same-old-same-old with something new every day.”

Writer and photographer Kurt Opprecht has hatched an inventive idea to bring a dozen American storytellers to Iran in the fall. “We’ll play games with the children, drink tea with the old men, help with the dishes, whatever; the point is to tell our stories and listen to their stories.” Kurt intends to produce a film of the encounter, and has already lined up filmmakers, storytellers, Iranian contacts, and a nonprofit sponsor (The Translation Project).

Now all he needs is cash! Find out more at kurtopprecht.com.

Anthony “Avo” Orkin is editing the series Team Umizoomi for Nickelodeon.

“It’s time for action!” From the industry newsletter Animation Insider, we learned that the cartoon is intended to help preschoolers learn math. “In Umi City, math is everywhere, and the math-powered siblings of Milli and Geo (along with their robot pal Bot) are on the case whenever the Umi alarm sounds.”

1987

Ken Belson is now writing about the business of sports for the New York Times.

We read that Eric Galler joined the D.C. office of Wilson International Law in the corporate and securities practice group.

Eric represents private and public companies in matters dealing with private equity transactions, mergers, acquisitions and disposals, company reorganizations, and commercial transactions.

above: Photo by Kurt Opprecht ’85 in Amritsar, India

“ No sooner have we grasped the present, it is relegated to the past, where it only exists in the subjective history of each individual.”

—Bill Morrison ’87 This past October, the Northwest Film Center in Portland presented “An Evening with Bill [William] Morrison.” At the event, Bill talked about his work and introduced a number of his short films, including The Film of Her (1996), Ghost Trip (2002), The Mesmerist (2003), Light is Calling (2004), and The Highwater Trilogy (2006). In his words, “the frame pauses briefly before the projector’s lamp and then moves on. Our lives are an accumulation of ephemeral images and moments that our consciousness constructs into a reality. No sooner have we grasped the present, it is relegated to the past, where it only exists in the subjective history of each individual.” Among Bill’s list of awards are a march 2010 Reed magazine 45

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left: Igor Vamos’ The Yes Men Fix the World was on the screen at Clinton Street Theater in December.

Class Notes continued

below: Eliza and Geneva pose with new sister, Ivy—all daughters of Robin Adler Palmer ’95 and Ben Palmer ’95.

Guggenheim, an Alpert award, two Bessie awards, and an Obie. Four of his works are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. M. Rudy Brueggemann finally has changed his name to Rudy Owens, and is still living in Alaska.

1988

Liam Moore received his PhD in medieval history from Columbia University in October 2009. Way to go, Liam! Maybe now you can help us understand the Great Vowel Shift.

1989

Last fall, Janet Bray Rubert, MALS, sent her first novel to an agent. We look forward to reporting on its publication in a future Reediana.

a house that she shares with two friends and her son. She’s working as registrar and special projects manager for the Process Work Institute (a tiny psychology graduate school in Northwest Portland).

And she recently celebrated her 40th birthday with a trip to the Netherlands and Paris. “Life is different but very good.”

Scott Rausch was recently awarded tenure at North Seattle Community College, where he teaches world history, U.S. history, and modern East Asia. Every fall he devotes as much as 50 minutes lecturing on all of ancient Greece and Rome.

He lives in a converted beach house, two blocks from Puget Sound, with his wife, Erin Sweet, and two cats.

1990 20th reunion

Is genetic manipulation letting a demon out of a bottle or a wonderful opportunity for innovation? Do cell phones improve or downgrade the quality of our communications? Your humble reunions czars (Sandy Blake Boles and Chris Lydgate) encourage you to join the playful discussion of science and technology—not to mention reuniting with long-lost classmates, familiar and otherwise—at Reunions.

Tim Berard and his wife, Kauser Razvi, welcomed their second child, daughter Jinan Grace Razvi Berard, on November 3, 2008. Tim received tenure and a promotion to associate professor in justice studies at Kent State University in Ohio in 2007 and serves as undergraduate coordinator for the department. Congrats, Tim! Legendary prankster Igor Vamos has struck again. His latest film, The Yes Men Fix the World, chronicles an outrageous series of publicity stunts that are the stuff of nightmares for PR types. The Yes Men specialize in impersonation, usually of business entities they loathe. In one scene, Yes Man Andy Bichlbaum poses as a spokesman for Dow Chemical Company (utterly gulling a BBC reporter) and apologizes for the infamous chemical leak in Bhopal, India, that poisoned thousands of people, and promises $12 billion in reparations. The stock of Dow Chemical plunged by three percent after the interview was broadcast, leaving the company in a mad scramble to sort out the PR mess. The Yes Men’s tactics are usually entertaining and often deceptive, but their message—that free-market capitalism will not magically fix all its own mistakes, no matter what

1993

Milton Friedman says—is genuine. For more about the film, see theyesmenfixtheworld.com.

1991

Duncan Williams was recently appointed the Shinjo Ito Distinguished Chair in Japanese Buddhism at UC Berkeley. He has also completed his term as director of Berkeley’s Center for Japanese Studies.

1992

After more than 20 years of being on the Reed campus almost every day—first as student, then as staff member—Johanna Colgrove has embarked on many lifechanging adventures this year. She moved to the fifth quadrant of Portland (North), where she enjoys the charms of the nearby Mississippi neighborhood and lives in

above: Tony Netting ’58 escorts his daughter Lara Netting ’98 on the occasion of her marriage.

Doug Spink was finally reunited with his beloved show-jumping stallion Capone I, following a bizarre theft, smuggling, and hostage experience of 18 months. We will not attempt to summarize this remarkable tale: for details, see Doug’s website, www.stallions.net.

1994

June Dershewitz and Kevin Van Yserloo welcomed their daughter Uma Violet Van Yserloo on February 17, 2009, in San Francisco, California. “She is a double Reedie math major baby.”

Congratulations2!

Rick Wilson started Café Vélo, which has become a fixture at the seasonal Portland Farmers Market in the Park Blocks. Rick pedals coffee and tea aboard a customized Dutch cargo bike to various city locations and has plans for a permanent location in downtown Portland. For this, he intends to serve coffee and pastries, as well as a menu “marked by the vivid flavors of Morocco, Tunisia, and Spain.” We read about Rick’s

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left: Seven-month old Uma, daughter of June Dershewitz ’94 and Kevin Van Yserloo ’94, poses while vacationing at the Szechenyi Baths in Budapest.

work in the Oregonian in October 2009, have sampled his wares at the market, and invite you to learn more at www.cafe-velo.com/.

far left: Thomas Galvani-Gonski, son of Stephanie Galvani ’00 and Jeffrey Gonski

1995 15th reunion

Brandon Barnett, electronic resources librarian at Multnomah County Library, has been appointed to EBSCO Publishing’s Public Library Advisory Board. She also has been selected for the Horner Library Exchange. In November 2010, she will travel with the Oregon delegation throughout the Fujian Province of China, working, lecturing, and consulting in many types of libraries. Follow her blog at mercatorial.blogspot.com/. She and coconspirators Tiffer Tarnstrom and Bear Wilner-Nugent encourage you to come to Reunions!

Kasandra Griffin resisted leaving Portland for most of 15 years, but finally did in order to pursue a master’s in public policy at UC Berkeley, starting in August 2009. She’s thrilled to be taking a food policy journalism class with Michael Pollan, and confuses her fellow students by laughing through intro to microeconomics, thinking about all the funny things her friend Yoram Bauman says in his stand-up comedy routines about economics. She has every intention of returning to Portland after this two-year visit to her native California.

Eve Lyons recently wrote and directed a 10-minute play, He Really Was A Good Son, for the production Ten Tiny Shows, an evening of ten 10-minute productions by queer-identified women. Ten Tiny Shows premiered on September 19, 2009, at the Cambridge YMCA Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “It was well received and my actresses did a great job.”

Robin Adler Palmer and Ben Palmer welcomed their third daughter on July 21, 2009. Ivy Beatrice joins big sisters Geneva (6) and Eliza (3). Congratulations!

See you at Reunions!

1996

Among the many things we learned by reading an interview with Mark Bitterman in the Oregonian in October 2009 is that he is working on a book— the first to provide an in-depth view of artisan salt—written by a true selmelier.

Mark and Jennifer Turner Bitterman ’95 own and operate the Meadow, a shop in North Portland that offers a wide array of exotic table salts, chocolates, wines, and flowers. Check out www.atthemeadow. com, and be prepared to salivate.

In November, the University of Wyoming announced the appointment of

above: Reed Balmer ’99 with daughter Tessa

Kristiana Hansen as assistant professor in the agricultural and applied economics department. Kristiana received her PhD from UC Davis in agricultural and resource economics and did postdoctoral work at the Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium.

The Oregonian recently ran a piece on Luke Kanies, founder of Reductive Labs in Portland. The company’s product is Puppet—an open-source system administration software created by Luke. Reductive Labs also runs training programs for system administrators and offers technical support from NedSpace, in Portland’s Old Town.

In October 2009, Williams College announced the appointment of Nate Kornell as a tenure-track assistant professor in psychology. His research interests include human learning and memory, memory monitoring and self-regulated study, optimizing learning, applying principles of learning and memory to educational settings, and memory and memory monitoring in animals. His work has been published in more than 20 scientific

above: Newlyweds Katia Jo Dunn ’00 and Joel Thomas Riddle are joined by Reed alumni (left to right) Samuel Schaeffer ’01, Jessica Troiano ’00, Jesse Huber ’00, Bridget Cross ’99, and Megan Barrett ’00

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Class Notes continued left: At the wedding celebration for Naomi Edelson ’02 and C.J. Evans ’01 were (top row, left to right) Kenny Liu ’02, Michael Goard ’01, bride Naomi and groom CJ, Nicole Busto ’00, Marian Macindoe ’02, David Velasco ’00, Mollie Godfrey ’01, Alex Nydahl ’01, Laurel Kinney ’01, and Kristen Orr ’01; (front row, left to right) Sophie George-Glasser ’00, Amanda Macindoe ’00, Amy Subach, ’03, and Erik Kofoed ’99. Not pictured: Farida Jhabvala ’00.]

journal articles. Nate received his PhD in psychology from Columbia University in 2005.

Speaking of Williamstown, Amanda Wilcox and Chris Lovell welcomed new neighbors Nate Kornell and Renee Ridberg ’99, who moved in next door to them in June 2009. Amanda, Chris, and son Ben share a side-by-side duplex with Nate and Renee and their two girls. “Our house in Williamstown is now a Reed house, through and through.”

1997

You don’t call. You don’t write. You don’t even text! We’re going to sulk until we get a note from someone—anyone—from the class of ’97.

1998

Kym Buchanan started his fourth year as a professor in education at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point. He and his wife, Jodi, recently celebrated their 10th anniversary. They have two daughters, Bayli (5) and Dani (2). As a teacher, Kym says he owes much to Max Muller in the Reed theatre department, and as a scientist, to Professor Dan Gerrity in chemistry. Kym’s scholarship focuses on motivation and technology, including teaching using games. More at kymbuchanan.org.

In 2003, Lara Netting and Toby Shea were married in a lovely, Portland-like ceremony in Central Park, officiated by Tatiana

Martushev ’98. Tony Netting ’58 made the trip to New York, after failing to convince Lara to simply elope. Six years later, Lara and Toby are amazed and tired new parents to Everett, who enjoyed his first visit to Reed in June 2009. Just two weeks before Everett was born, Lara finished her PhD in East Asian studies at Princeton. In October 2009, she began a curatorial fellowship at New York’s Asia Society. Wow!

1999

Tessa Waverly Balmer was born to Reed Balmer and Melissa Gonzalez-Padron on October 1, 2009. “She laughs, but doesn’t sleep.” Congrats!

Gretchen Vanderbeek is having tremendous fun biking to work, volunteering at the Wallace Clinic, and coming home to

her husband every night. “So long, intern year. No more overnight calls!”

2000 10th reunion

Katia Jo Dunn and Joel Thomas Riddle were married on July 18, 2009, at David Hill Winery in Forest Grove, Oregon. Katia and Joel live in Washington, D.C., where they both work as producers at National Public Radio. They met working on the overnight shift at the morning news program Morning Edition. In one of their first nights working together, Joel stepped in at the last minute and rescued Katia when she was minutes away from missing an onair deadline. Over the next three years their relationship grew—even as they spent many months apart. Both Katia and Joel went separately to Baghdad to cover the

left: Will Myers and Sunny Daly ’03 (front) are joined at their 2009 wedding celebration by (left to right) Muntasir Sattar ’02, Samia Rahimtoola ’02, Natalie Tschechaniuk ’03, Ethan Wilensky-Lanford ’03, Noah Rindos ’02, Tai Young-Taft ’03, Becky Bart ’03, Kater Murch ’02, Hung U ’03, Matt Harmon ’02, Joanna Arkema ’02, Jon Murphy ’02 and Drew Skillman ’02 (facing one other), Peter Jordan ’03, Mike Campbell ’02, Rebecca Biederman ’03, Andrew Rumbach ’02, Amy Armstrong ’03, Shannon Taylor ’02, Jesse Mischel ’02, Yesica Hurtado Hurd ’02, Elana Shneyer ’03, Ashley Bowen ’05, Hal Haggard ’02, and Adam Clark ’04. (Not pictured, but present: Emily Johnson ’02, Rachael Relph ’03, and Claire McCabe ’02.)

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“ We are working on teaching about healthy foods, gardening practices, and developing-teaching sustainable curriculum to our youngest learners.”

—Amanda Macindoe ’00 war; between the two of them, they have been there four times. Congratulations!

Thomas Jeffrey Galvani-Gonski was born on December 14, 2008, at two in the morning, to mother Stephanie Galvani and father Jeffrey Gonski. “He weighed in at just six pounds, two ounces, but is now a big, strapping nine-month-old boy. He has already attended his first Reed event and can’t wait to become a member of ORGY.” Hooray!

Amanda Macindoe is sustainability/ Gardenburger grant coordinator for the Gladstone (Oregon) Center for Children and Families (GCCF), where she teaches. “We are working on teaching about healthy foods, gardening practices, and developing-teaching sustainable curriculum to our youngest learners.” GCCF has several programs for children ages 3–6, including Healthy Start, Head Start, and

kindergarten. “We are working on incorporating the UN’s definition of sustainability into our curriculum: the three Ps: people (social justice), planet (environmental impacts), and profit (economic impacts).”

The school’s most current project is getting vermicomposting systems in place in the school cafeteria. Amanda is also completing an English to Speakers of Other Languages endorsement at Lewis & Clark College, where she has earned a reading endorsement and an MAT. “Busy days!”

Lauren Schmidt MacKenzie works as a nurse-midwife in Newberg. She and her husband, Joe, welcomed their first child, Ruby Claire, on February 22, 2009, at home in Portland. Congrats!

More congratulations are in order for Tina Purnat, who married Stefanie Dannemann on October 14, 2009, in Bonn, Germany.

See you at Reunions! (We promise no one will ask you to sing the school fight song.)

2001

Melinda Kausek is a certified instructor at Core Pilates in San Francisco.

She received her Pilates Academy International certification in June 2009 and is also a certified specialist in pre- and postnatal Pilates. An article on examiner .com in November 2009 revealed that Melinda’s initiation into Pilates began at Reed and evolved with her passion for Argentine tango.

We read in Willamette Week about Michael Weinberg and several classmates who have launched a novel Thanksgiving tradition—webcasting their meatsmoke.

They film the preparation and smoking of their turkey, provide real-time temperature tracking, and somehow figured out how to turn the whole thing into a fundraiser for the Oregon Food Bank. (See turkeytracker .com for more.)

above: Molly Dodge ’04 and Stefan Minasian ’02 were joined by a host of Reedies at their wedding in Maine in August 2009. Guests included (back row) Dan Swift ’03, Seth Belber ’02, Chris Huge ’03, Harold Gabel ’03, Erik Cameron ’05, Meredith Larson ’02, Chris Boniface ’06, Emily Janega Boniface ’01, Marty Mulvihill ’02, Brian Austin ’00, Chris Moses ’02, John Saller ’03; (middle) Meg Anderson ’05, Ligaya Beebe ’03, Kasia Bartoszynska ’04, Gemma Petrie ’04, Alison Annunziata ’03, Colleen Rosenfeld ’03, Margot Sigur ’03, Ruchama JohnstonBloom ’02, Lisa Shaner ’02; (front) Stefan and Molly, Kater Murch ’02, and Becky Bart ’03.

2002

Naomi Edelson and Christopher (C.J.) Evans ’01 were married at the Hamlin Mansion in San Francisco in October continued on page 51

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Kitschy Coup Alex Nydahl ’01, Adam Peter ’01, Travis Greenwood ’01 Don’t underestimate the cult of bunny slippers. This is what I learned from internet entrepreneurs Adam Peter ’01 and Alex Nydahl ’01, cofounders of bunnyslippers.com, just one of their five active online outlets. “We’re purveyors of the finest in plush and novelty footwear the internet has to offer,” boasts Alex. If bunnies leave you cold, maybe you’d prefer the microwaveable fuzzy cat slippers (complete with lavender-scented insole!) or even (wait for it) the Freudian slippers. There are 45 different slipper styles to tempt you, marketing manager Travis Greenwood ’01 tells me.

Before you start wondering if this is an elaborate spoof or asking how three guys were led down the primrose path of plush, it should be noted that much of their inspiration can be traced back to the 1985 cult favorite Real Genius. The film, which glorifies goofball brainiacs in the physics department at a thinly disguised version of Caltech, features a young Val Kilmer padding around campus in bunny slippers. The film has been held dear by several generations of Reedies, and a fateful screening at the Clinton St. Theatre brought these great minds together. Greg McClellan ’01 organized a viewing to celebrate his 25th birthday, and it was there that Adam realized how much he coveted the “I Toxic Waste” T-shirt worn by Val’s character. Unable to find a replica, Adam realized that there might be an untapped market for similar kitsch. Thus Found Item Clothing was born in 2004.

At that time, Alex and Adam were friends and roommates living in Portland; once the website was up and running they brought on fellow classmate Travis to help out with fulfillment and marketing. Asked if they can attribute certain business skills to their Reed experience, their answers include “ability to work independently and proactively,” “people skills,” and “perfectionist tendencies.”

Painstakingly reproduced via close study, the Real Genius shirts were the first to be developed, and they remain among Found Item’s most popular designs. My personal favorite is the “International Order for Gorillas” logo on a classic butter-yellow tee; the color may be right out of the 1980s, but all silk screens are done on au courant American Apparel t-shirts.

But back to the bunnies . . . a costume promotion for Halloween produced alumni profile

—Alex Nydahl real demand for the furry footwear, and Ad am snag ged the domain name of bunnyslippers.com. Usefulthings.com came next, and pretty soon they realized they had a real business model.

Ecommerce is no longer a novelty, but it has been the perfect medium for novelty items. As Alex observes, “Online retail offers access to goods and services unobtainable locally; likewise, it gives producers of niche products instant access to the largest market in the world.”

Found Item is as comfortable in this specialized corner of the apparel market as a broken-in pair of Shar Pei slippers. As the films behind the clever T-shirts have aged, they’ve gained cult followers who “obsess over small details and arcane minutiae,” and this sentimental affection for kitsch is an economic force to be reckoned with. As these enthusiasts themselves begin to age, they are willing to shell out for that connection to their childhood or to other kindred spirits who spot the references.

Travis sums it up nicely: “Some of our customers relate to the characters that wear the shirts (the nostalgia) and some of them want the shirt for its message or design (the content).

We’re at our best when we take advantage of both sides of the coin.” —Robin Tovey ’97

photograph by vivian johnson

“ We’re purveyors of the finest in plush and novelty footwear the internet has to offer.”

above, from left: Travis Greenwood, Adam Peter and Alex Nydahl are co-founders of bunnyslippers.com.

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Class Notes continued 2009 and are “amazingly happy.” The couple live in San Francisco, where Naomi works as a psychologist, and is doing a postdoctoral residency at Kaiser Permanente in adult service and crisis work, and C.J. is a contributing editor at Tin House magazine and books, and is also doing other editing projects in the Bay Area. Way to go, guys!

2003

This past year was a busy one for Sunny Daly, who completed two MAs from the American University in Cairo in political science and gender studies, with a focus on young women’s activism in Egypt, and accepted a position as grant writer at the Ms. Foundation for Women in New York.

“I’m very interested to stay involved in this topic of young women’s activism—here and abroad—and this job I have now will only help me do that.” One of her essays also won a competition (see Reediana). The year’s excitement culminated in her marriage to Will Myers in Babylon, New York, in October. Will works at the Museum of Modern Art. Congrats!

2004

Congratulations to Molly Dodge and Stefan Minasian ’02, who were married in August in Molly’s dad’s back yard on the coast of Maine. They are thankful for the many friends and family who helped to make the day special.

Hats off to Elliot Levin and Amanda Cort ’07, who were married June 14, 2009.

2005 5th reunion

It’s not hard to find online reviews of local hangouts, but how do you know if the latest coffee bunker/quilting factory is wheelchair accessible? Just ask whereslulu.com, created by Toshio Meronek and Caitlin “Lulu” Wood ’09. The website provides reviews of Portland shops, clubs, and restaurants with an eye to accessibility for the disabled. Toshio explains that his friendship with Caitlin, who uses a wheelchair due to muscular dystrophy, opened his eyes to the challenges faced by the disabled community. Adds Caitlin: “Through normalizing disability you erase stigma, which reduces barriers. By reducing barriers, you bring people together. That is the ultimate reason we started Where’s Lulu.”

We learned that Elly Blue, managing editor of BikePortland.org, has been writing for the BikePortland team website since 2006. Her work for the team and website includes writing news stories, editorials,

above:

and product reviews; managing advertising accounts; working with new writers; and doing event planning. To read some of her articles, visit bikeportland.org/author/elly/.

Don’t miss Reunions!

2006

Andre Bach has just moved to CERN, near Geneva, Switzerland, and is continuing his PhD research with UC Berkeley there. He is in experimental particle physics and will be in the thick of it when the Large Hadron Collider restarts, “hopefully by the time you read this!” He plans on exploring Europe and hopes to discover new physics.

Peter Miller is a graduate student majoring in political science at UC Irvine. “In particular, I’m studying electoral behavior and state violence (but not both at the same time).” He and former RCA roommate Graeme Blair—now a graduate student in political science (focusing on African politics) at Princeton—spent a weekend in Joshua Tree. “Apparently there is a great deal of snow in Princeton, so Graeme flew to Southern California, and we drove to the national park. We spent two days hiking on a number of trails in the park. On the second day, we spent most of the time in the western half of the park, admiring Joshua trees and seeing some of the gold mine technology left over from the nineteenth-century gold boom, and shut down before the area was named a national park in 1994.”

After falling for each other during orientation week seven years ago, Hannah Gildea and Raymond Rendleman tied the knot at Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood

on September 5, 2009. Miranda King ’05 and Evan Ward ’06, dressed as the prince and fox respectively, performed an excerpt of The Little Prince during the ceremony, directly following the Unity Cocktail. As the first snow fell, family members and close friends, including Tom Giese ’69, Nora Lehnhoff ’69, Ben O’Donnell ’05, and Rachel Sprague ’05, donned feather boas and joined the couple in dancing the night away to Vagabond Opera. Congratulations!

above: The Elliot Levin–Amanda Cort wedding was celebrated by Reedies (left to right) Kai Prenger ’04, Beth Reddy ’05, Adam Sargent ’05, Elliot ’04 and Amanda ’07, Elias Morrel-Samuels ’04, Rachael Horst ’04, and Tamara Failor ’04.

“ Through normalizing disability you erase stigma, which reduces barriers.

By reducing barriers, you bring people together.”

—Caitlin “Lulu” Wood ’09 (see 2005)

2007

Dan Toffey was appointed new media director for U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu in October 2009. Dan was associate research director for the Early Voting Information Center at Reed, and also conducted research for Senator Landrieu’s reelection campaign.

2008

Danny Steinmetz , MALS , received a Richard Hofstadter Fellowship in March 2009 to pursue a PhD in modern French and German intellectual history at Columbia University in New York. Upon acceptance at Columbia, he was awarded a Lilly Doctoral Fellowship. march 2010 Reed magazine 51

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Class Notes continued right: Hannah Gildea ’06 and Raymond Rendleman ’06 step out to take their first dance as a married couple to Vagabond Opera.

p h o t o b y F h at u wa n i M a k u ya

above: Peter Miller ’06 and Graeme Blair ’06 snap a picture on top of Mastodon Peak, on the Lost Oasis Trail, in the southeastern region of Joshua Tree National Park in 2009.

2009

Xeno Acharya attends the University of Washington in Seattle, and is earning a master’s in public health. “The program I am in, called Community Oriented Public Health Practice, has small conferencestyle classes, where students research and discuss real-life public health problems (called cases). I hope to utilize the skills I learn from this practice-based program in my work with Namaste Kathmandu (www.namastekathmandu.blogspot.com).

I am learning a lot about nonprofits and am trying to come up with a model that is effective and sustainable.”

Jonathan Frank Kominsky currently is working at the Yale Cognition and Development Lab as lab manager and research assistant. “I plan to stay here for two years and then head to grad school in developmental psychology sometime around 2011.”

Jenny Leonard, in South Africa, on her way to work.

Where There’s a Wheel...

Jenny Leonard ’09 Every weekday, 16-year-old Mercy gets up at 3 a.m. and walks for three hours to get to school—walking back home under the baking South African sun. When biology major Jenny Leonard ’09 met Mercy during her semester abroad, she was shocked to discover that such commutes are a reality for thousands of South African schoolchildren. “Physical exhaustion and time spent walking are huge deterrents to the success of Mercy and her classmates,” she explains. Fortunately, Jenny’s interests in conservation and grassroots activism converged when she found Bicycles for Humanity (B4H), a Canadian organization helping nonprofit chapters to send shipping containers full of bikes, tools, and spare parts to African communities in need. Suddenly, it all made sense. “You can go twice as far, twice as fast, and carry three times as much on a bike,” she enthuses over coffee at Paradox Lost.

Undeterred by her lack of fundraising experience, Jenny founded a B4H chapter in Portland and set to work.

So far she has raised over $4,500 of the $7,000 needed to fill and ship a container, which will serve as a local bike shop upon its arrival in South Africa. Much of the fundraising relies on local supporters like Chris Langford ’86, a fellow biology major who hosted a party for Jenny at his home. She hopes to draw upon this network to collect the most important element of all—the 400 used bikes needed to fill the container. To pitch in, contact Jenny at 925/354-1616, email jennymleonard@gmail.com, or visit www.bicycles-for-humanity.org/Portland/index.php.

—Lucy Be llwoo d ’12

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Reediana b o ok s by re e die s

Kilong Ung ’87 Golden Leaf: A Khmer Rouge Genocide Survivor (KU Publishing LLC, 2009)

This chilling, honest, and deeply touching memoir recounts Kilong’s incredible tale of hardship, survival, and transformation. An ordinary middle-class Cambodian boy when the Khmer Rouge seized power in 1975, he endured nightmarish conditions in the infamous work camps where millions perished from starvation, disease, torture, and execution. Against all odds, he escaped to Thailand and was granted asylum in the U.S., ultimately settling in Portland. Despite scant schooling and possessing no English, his keen mind and facility for mathematics were recognized by his high school teachers, who encouraged him to apply to Reed, where he faced another imposing challenge: Hum 110. The chapters on Kilong’s campus experience will fascinate classmates. After graduation, Kilong pursued a successful career in software engineering, and hopes to use the proceeds from his book to build a school in Cambodia. For more information, see www.kilongung.org.

Taylor Plimpton ’99, coeditor The Dreaded Feast: Writers on Enduring the Holidays (Abrams Image, 2009) The holiday season. A time for joyous celebration with friends and family? Or an anxious ordeal of obligatory parties, shopping horror stories, and ugly sweaters? For those who tend more to the latter, Taylor Plimpton ’99 and coeditor Michele Clarke bring The Dreaded Feast, a collection of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry that might just make the holidays easier to bear. No icon is spared—Santa Claus, fruitcake, and office parties are all justly lambasted. The editors write: “We now know without a doubt that we are not alone in dreading this holiday season of joy . . . as the book proves, the best cure for the holiday blues is undoubtedly laughter.” Even for those not disposed to detest the holidays, this anthology, whose contributors include Hunter S. Thompson, Charles Bukowski, David Sedaris, John Waters, and George Plimpton (Taylor’s father), promises a rollicking laugh.— Alix V ollu m ’ 1 2

William Goldbloom Bloch ’87 The Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges’ Library of Babel (Oxford University Press, 2008) Since its publication in 1941, Jorge Luis Borges’ Library of Babel has become one of the most celebrated short stories of this cerebral writer. In it, the narrator (a librarian) wanders forever through a hexagonal library so immense that it contains all possible 410-page books composed of the 25 symbols of the Spanish alphabet. Generations of critics have explored the story’s literary dimensions, but few—until now—have adventured into its mathematics. In his new book, Bill Bloch ’87 takes us on a dazzling guided tour. Brief work with combinatorics demonstrates the vastness of the library: it contains 1,834,097 books, enough to fill our universe 14,000 times over if each were the size of a subatomic particle.

Bill employs real analysis to interpret Borges’ Book of Sand, a text supposedly containing infinite pages, each infinitely thin.

Through topology, the library is shown to be a limitless sphere, with a center that is both everywhere and nowhere. Graph theory is utilized to examine the structure of the library, as determined by its hexagonal rooms and stairwells. The author assumes no special mathematical knowledge; his book is not rigorous exposition, but more like a Mozart concerto, at once accessible and inspiring. The text is wonderfully clear; both math and writing are well organized and polished. In fact, the author traces his appreciation for mathematical elegance to a combinatorics class he took with Reed professor Joe Roberts.

Technical jargon is thankfully absent, and each chapter is concise and self-contained. The Unimaginable Mathematics is simple and lucid, a triumph of form. In a concise 150 pages, the author demonstrates persuasively that mathematics is not only a tool, but also an art. —Eth an Kn u dson ’10

Elyssa East ’95 Dogtown: Death and Enchantment in a New England Ghost Town (Free Press, 2009) This book was born of an assignment in a painting class with Reed professor Michael Knutson. The assignment, as Elyssa describes it, was “to recreate a painting as a still life.” She ended up copying Marsden Hartley’s Mountains in Stone, Dogtown.” Elyssa, who majored in art history, maintained her love for the modernist painter after Reed and went on to write her master’s thesis on him. Dogtown explores both the mysticism of the landscape that inspired Hartley and the ghost town’s peculiar history of witches, prostitutes, and pirates, not to mention a grisly murder in 1984. Though long since abandoned, Dogtown’s mystique has not diminished. Dogtown is a compelling hybrid of art history, truecrime murder mystery, and personal exploration of the rise and fall of this small town.—Ali x Vo llum ’ 12

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Reediana continued Three poems by John Rees Moore ’40 appeared in the fall 2009 Sewanee Review: “Emily Dickinson,” “Flannery O’Connor,” and “Elizabeth Bishop.”

John frequently contributes both poetry and book reviews to the Review.

Mason Gaffney ’48, professor of economics at UC Riverside, published After the Crash: Designing a Depression-Free Economy (WileyBlackwell, 2009), which analyzes the causes of the current crash by showing how such events derive from real estate bubbles and their interactions with banks and other lenders. For the past few years, Mason has been writing the feature “Insights” for the bimonthly journal Groundswell. Last year Land & Liberty magazine featured his article “The Four Vampires of Capital.” He writes: “Reed was a wonderful mid-passage in my growth. It gave me some quality conventional training, accompanied by freedom to feel my own way.

Moving from Reed to grad school at Berkeley was like going backwards, from high school to primary school.

Art Leigh, my primary mentor, was an optimal combo of conventional trainee from Chicago with the Reed spirit of free adventure so well expressed in the winter and spring issues of Reed. For earnest scholars and gluttons for punishment, zillions of other articles are available on www.masongaffney.org.”

Paintings and Reflections, by Shirley Georges Gittelsohn ’49, was published through the college in 2009 and was celebrated in an exhibition in the Vollum College Center, November 2009–January 2010. More details about her work are at her website, home. comcast.net/~shirleygitt. Paintings and Reflections is available through the Reed bookstore (bookstore.reed.edu).

Sally Watson ’50 wrote The Angry Earth (Booklocker, 2009) a historical novel about the massive earthquakes that shook New Madrid, Missouri, in 1811.

Sally, who has written more than 20 books, was featured in the Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California) in November 2009, where we read that she is a stickler for historical accuracy.

Primarily composed for young readers, her books have been published by Henry Holt and Co., Doubleday, Knopf, Viking, and Dutton. Today, she is self-publishing through iUniverse and Booklocker. See booklocker.com/ books/4402.html.

Murray Leaf ’61 published Human Organizations and Social Theory: Pragmatism, Pluralism, and Adaptation (University of Illinois Press, 2009). Murray told us that the book was intended to be the “big one”—the one that all his previous work led up to, and that will, he hopes, revitalize anthropology as a solidly empirical enterprise. He is now working on a substantial extension of the theory in collaboration with Dwight Read ’64. Although they have not decided on a title, it will probably include the phrase “a new science.”

“ Moving from Reed to grad school at Berkeley was like going backwards, from high school to primary school. ” —Mason Gaffney ’48

above: Alice Fell Rene ’53

Alice Fell Rene ’53 has published the award-winning book Becoming Alice, A Memoir (iUniverse 2008)—a true story about six-year-old Ilse, who watches Nazi troops march down her street in Vienna, beginning an odyssey that takes her Jewish family to Riga, Latvia, and ends in Portland, Oregon.

Told with both pathos and humor, it showcases her triumph over adversity, identity crisis, and family turmoil. More information at www .alicerene.com.

Pam Glenn ’67 has published her novel Barter World (Class Action Ink, 2009).

Once upon a time, she writes, a young girl traded a story for her life, a painter traded his art for stones, a farmer traded his mending for the love of a beautiful woman, and a boy traded his knowledge and patience for the moonagate shooter. And through it all, over centuries, the red stone necklace passed from hand to hand, generation to generation, around the globe.

Linda Hammill Matthews ’67 is the author of Middling Folk: Three Seas, Three Centuries, One ScotsIrish Family (Chicago Review Press, 2009).

The Hammills—millers, wagon makers, and blacksmiths— came from Scotland and Ireland to colonial Chesapeake Bay, and then moved on to the Pacific Northwest, where Linda was born. Middling Folk looks at the experiences of the middle classes—those who “quietly, century after century, conducted the business and built the livelihoods that made their societies prosper.” Cofounder and former publisher of Chicago Review Press, Linda is also coauthor of The Balancing Act: A Career and a Family, and a contributor to the Mill Racer, the monthly newsletter of the Occoquan Historical Society of Occoquan, Virginia. For a look at the book,

reviews, and much more, visit www. middlingfolk.com—a site created by Linda’s son Clark.

Kaori O’Connor ’68 won the Sophie Coe Prize for 2009, an international scholarly award for an outstanding and original work of scholarship on food history, for her paper “The Hawai’ian Luau: Food as Tradition, Transgression, Transformation and Travel.” The paper appeared in the journal Food Culture and Society (2008). She is currently working on a new book, Lycra: The Anthropology of Stuff, to be published by Routledge in the near future.

Deborah J. Ross ’68 is coauthor of the sci-fi novel Hastur Lord (DAW Books, 2010). She also has published several short stories, including “The Price of Silence,” in Fantasy & Science Fiction (April/May, 2009), and “The Casket of Brass,” in Sword & Sorceress 24 (Norilana Books, 2009).

Glenn Littenberg ’69 is the author and editor of Coding Primer: A Resource for Gastroenterologists (American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, 2009).

Tamim Ansary ’70 is the author of The Widow’s Husband (Vox Novus, 2009) —both a tragic love story and an epic work of historical fiction. As far as we can tell, Tamim has created the first novel to tell the story of British imperialism from the Afghan point of view. It is set in Afghanistan in 1841, the last year of the AfghanBritish War. Jeff Kovac ’70 has published the book Refusing War, Affirming Peace: A History of Civilian Public Service Camp #21 at Cascade Locks (Oregon State University Press, 2009), the story of one of the largest and longest-serving camps in the nonmilitary service system—and one of the most unusual. Jeff, who is professor of chemistry at the University of Tennessee–Knoxville, is an expert on scientific ethics and coauthor of The Ethical Chemist (Prentice Hall). He gave a reading at Powell’s Books in October 2009.

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Peter S. Goodman ’89

Past Due: The End of Easy Money and the Renewal of the American Economy Times Books, 2009

In November 2008, a hospital administrator named Dorothy Thomas was pulled over by a police officer in San Jose for driving with expired tags. Two years earlier, Thomas had neglected to pay the $10 registration fee for her 1996 Toyota Corolla, and had already been fined once. Since this was her second offense, the officer wrote her another ticket and had her car towed.

Unfortunately, Thomas was strapped for cash. She couldn’t afford to pay the fines that day. Or the next. Or the next. With each passing day, the fees climbed further out of reach until they ballooned to $1,600—a sum Thomas simply couldn’t afford.

For years, she had relied on credit cards and loans as an integral part of her finances, overextending herself to the breaking point. Without her Peter Goodman car, she lost her job. Without her job, she lost her apartment. Before long, Thomas—who had put two daughters through college—found herself sleeping in a bunk in an Oakland homeless shelter. For her, and for millions of Americans like her, the pyramid of debt had finally collapsed.

In Past Due, Peter Goodman ’89 provides a masterful account of the causes and consequences of the financial crisis of 2008—the worst economic convulsion since the Great Depression. The driving force behind the meltdown, he argues, was a titanic surge of borrowing. Consumer debt swelled to $2.56 trillion by 2008, up 22 percent from the start of the decade. Both individually, as consumers, and collectively, as a sovereign nation, Americans racked up vast quantities of debt, entranced by the Neverland fantasy that the value of our underlying assets—be they shares of Amazon.com or condos in Florida—could only increase.

To understand how we wound up in this fix, Peter revisits the dot-com mania of the 1990s, when irrational exuberance over the internet drove technology stocks to absurd heights. At one point, Ariba, a Silicon Valley book review

startup that specialized in esoteric businessto-business networks, was worth more than $40 billion, despite never having turned a nickel in profit. When the bubble finally burst, investors sought refuge in something solid and reliable—the American home.

One might imagine that, having just lived through one investment craze, with its attendant pixie dust, breathless hype, accounting scandals, and ugly consequences, we would be skeptical of the next. But in reality, the psychology of the housing boom was hard to resist because the apparent benefits were so widespread. You didn’t have to be an internet guru or a software engineer—all you had to do was own a house!

Banks fueled the bonfire by offering teaser-rate mortgages to anyone who could sign their own name. Swank developments sprouted in the desert while Americans borrowed vast sums on the fatal premise that housing prices would never fall.

Meanwhile, Wall Street devised new ways to profit from the housing fever through exotic financial instruments such as mortgagebacked securities and credit-default swaps.

Unfortunately, these instruments were totally unregulated—free-marketeers such as Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and Treasury Secretary Larry Summers blocked attempts to impose government oversight— and their inherent risks went unheeded.

When the music stopped in the fall of 2008, the financial system of the entire world was infected with so-called toxic assets. Lending froze overnight, just as more Americans were deeper in debt than at any time in history.

It is tempting to wag an admonitory finger at free-spending consumers who used their houses as giant ATMs. But as Peter points out, our reliance on debt is a direct consequence of structural changes in the U.S. economy. Over the past two decades, the costs of fundamental pillars of middleclass existence—owning a home, going to

college, and health insurance—have soared, while average paychecks slid backwards.

Americans plugged the gap with debt.

As a national economics correspondent for the New York Times, Peter is the ideal narrator of this sobering tale, with a reporter’s knack for explaining complicated subjects in clear language and an instinct for piecing together jigsaw puzzles. How do we climb out of this hole? Instead of waiting for the Next Big Thing, we must rebuild an economy that produces goods and services, create jobs with decent paychecks, and restore intelligent oversight to the banking sector. In short, it’s time to dust ourselves off. —Chris Lydgate ’90 Excerpt: When housing prices fell in 2007, and mortgages began going bad in large numbers, the Wall Street bankers picked up their phones in unison, seeking out payments from the institutions responsible for covering their losses via their credit default swaps. And then they figured out that no one had actually provisioned for this unfortunate day. It was as if your neighbor—unbeknownst to you, and unwatched by any regulator—had been collecting payments from everyone on the block for the same promise to use the same hose in event of a fire. . . . Now suppose that everyone on the block—confident in their hose contracts— dispensed with smoke detectors, sprinkler systems, and fire extinguishers, and that community leaders, certain that the threat of fire itself had been tamed by your neighbor’s brilliant civic spirit, dismantled the fire department. This is essentially what the people in charge of the American economy did . . . Then they sat back and watched Wall Street build a bonfire big enough to burn down the whole neighborhood.

—From Past Due, by Peter Goodman ’89

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Reediana continued James Eckenwalder ’71 is the author of Conifers of the World: The Complete Reference (Timber Press, 2009).

Comprising three decades’ worth of research, this definitive work provides up-to-date descriptions of all the true conifers of the world. It is the first comprehensive update of conifer taxonomy in nearly a century, and an essential reference for botanists, naturalists, and horticulturalists. James is associate professor of plant systematics in the botany department at the University of Toronto.

“Toward a Steady-State Economy,”

by Susan Arterian Chang ’72, was featured in the summer 2009 issue of the Investment Professional, the magazine of the New York Society of Securities Analysts. Susan is a contributing writer to the magazine and also writes for a number of publications on sustainable investing, risk management, renewable energy, and the new economy. See www. theinvestmentprofessional.com.

Recent and upcoming publications

by Leo Rubinfien ’74 include the essays “Another Trip through ‘The Americans,’” in Art in America (June 2009), and “Colors of Daylight,” in Kevin Moore’s book Starburst (Hatje Cantz Verlag, 2010).

Jonathan Boyarin ’77, professor of modern Jewish thought at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, is the author of The Unconverted Self: Jews, Indians, and the Identity of Christian Europe (University of Chicago Press, 2009).

Jonathan explains that this book was nearly 20 years in the making. The inspiration for it grew out of his frustration at the exclusion of Jews and Jewishness from the emerging postcolonial discourse in the late ’80s. “It was obvious to me,” he says, “that the tendency was to see Jews as ‘already Europeans,’ somehow either complicit with or invisible in the colonial encounter. It was also obvious to me that Latin Christians’ encounter with the Jewish ‘other within,’ and their encounter with the colonized ‘other without,’ should be seen instead as part of one integrated process of mak-

ing and unmaking Christian Europe.

And that’s obviously an endless topic, so this short book should really be seen as an invitation to a necessary conversation about power, universality and the dimensions of difference.”

Alison Butler ’77 published “Microbial Iron Acquisition: Marine and Terrestrial Siderophores” in the journal Chemical Reviews. She is professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UC Santa Barbara, where she heads the Butler Research Group (www.chem.ucsb.edu/~butlergroup/) focusing on vanadium bromoperoxidases and marine siderophores.

Douglas Forsyth ’77 published an article about the historic West End district of Toledo, Ohio, “America the Way It’s Supposed to Be,” in American Bungalow (summer 2009).

The West End is a subject he knows well—he lives there. “It’s quite different from my academic work in historical political economy,” he tells us. “I think there will be more coming in American Bungalow.”

John Hedtke ’77 has published The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Disaster Preparedness (Alpha, 2009) with Maurice Ramirez. “It’s my first non-computer book in seven years and it’s a real pleasure to write about something else for a change. It clears the palate.” Believe it or not, this is book number 26 for John.

The latest book by Diane LevKoy Morgan ’77, The New Thanksgiving Table: An American Celebration of Family, Friends, and Food (Chronicle Books, 2009), brings her collection of published cookbooks to 15. Tuck in for some delicious reading, and then continue the feast at Diane’s website, dianemorgancooks.com.

Mark Aronson ’80 is coauthor of Benjamin West and the Venetian Secret, published in conjunction with an exhibition that ran from September 2008 to January 2009 at the Yale Center for British Art, where Mark is chief paintings conservator.

Some readers will already be familiar with the great Anglo-American painter Benjamin West, but what in heaven’s name is the Venetian Secret? Don’t wonder idly—buy the book and find out.

Emma Weitkamp ’87 is coeditor of Introducing Science Communication (Palgrave, 2009). The book is a practical guide to the rapidly developing field.

“From climate change to stem cell research, this book shows how to communicate complex scientific issues to the masses.”

Patrick Burkart ’91, associate professor in the communication department at Texas A&M University, published Music and Cyberliberties with Wesleyan University Press in January. In the book, he tracks the migration of music advocacy and antimajor label activism since the court defeat of Napster and the ascendancy of the “Celestial Jukebox” model of music ecommerce.

He also is the coauthor of Digital Music Wars: Ownership and Control of the Celestial Jukebox (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2006).

Fritz Juhnke ’92 is the author of Beginning Arimaa: Chess Reborn beyond Computer Comprehension (Flying Camel Publications, 2009).

Fritz is a two-time Arimaa world champion. Order a copy from his website, www.createspace. com/3384106.

Joshua Blu Buhs ’96 is the author of Bigfoot: The Life and Times of a Legend (University of Chicago Press, 2009). In Bigfoot, Joshua traces the “wild and woolly story of America’s favorite homegrown monster,” beginning with nineteenthcentury accounts of wild men in American forests. Joshua earned a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 2001. His dissertation was the foundation of his first book, The Fire Ant Wars: Nature, Science, and Public Policy in Twentieth-Century America (University of Chicago Press, 2004). He is at work on a third. For more information visit www.joshuablubuhs.com.

Melanie O’Brian ’96 is editor of Vancouver Art & Education (Vancouver Pulp Press and Artspeak, 2007), a cross-disciplinary collection of essays on contemporary art and artists in Vancouver, British Columbia, where Melanie works as director and curator of Artspeak.

Andrea Lambert ’98 has written her first novel, Jet Set Desolate (Future Fiction London, 2009), a dive into postmillennial San Francisco, where electroclash cuts lines with the burgeoning dot-com bubble.

Lorazepam and the Valley of Skin, a poetic duo, was published by valeveil of Stockholm in autumn 2009. Andrea earned an MFA in critical studies from the California Institute of the Arts in 2008; learn more about her doings at www.andreaklambert.com.

An essay by Sunny Daly ’03, “Young Women as Activists in Contemporary Egypt: Anxiety, Leadership, and the Next Generation,” appears in the Journal of East Women’s Studies this month.

Freelance writer and editor Leila Kalmbach ’05 (www.eyeforink.com), discussed the increasing challenge the economy has posed for the selfemployed workforce, including freelancers and independent consultants, in her article “Soloists Not Alone,” which was published in the Austin Business Journal in September 2009.

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In Memoriam Dell Hathaway Hymes ’50

November 13, 2009, in Charlottesville, Virginia, from kidney failure and Alzheimer’s disease.

Dell was an anthropologist and linguist of international renown whose theory of language influenced generations of scholars. He played a key role in the development of sociolinguistics and single-handedly invented the subdiscipline of ethnopoetics. Ironically, his budding academic career was nearly cut short by the Korean Conflict; during his freshman year at Reed, he was drafted into the army and sent to Korea, where he worked as a decoder. Fortunately, he was later able to return to Reed and studied under legendary anthropology professor David French ’39 and his wife Kathrine “Kay” Story, who introduced him to the people of the Warm Springs Reservation in central Oregon. The introduction sparked Dell’s passion for anthropology, as well as friendships with members of the Wasco, Wishram, and Sahaptin peoples that he maintained throughout his lifetime.

Dell’s principal work lay in the language, culture, and folklore of Native Americans, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. He also helped found the field of sociolinguistics, which examines how social class and culture affect language—work closely related to his commitment to social justice. “I am always interested in combating elitism and narrowness and the playing of ‘Western mind games’ (as one friend once put it) at the expense of the rest of the world,” he wrote. “The justification for the existence of anthropology is to find out about the world— not produce third-rate philosophers.” Language needed to be studied as a social phenomenon, he insisted, embedded in cultural context, rather than as a self-sufficient, isolated grammatical system. Dell’s work greatly influenced the worldwide study of forms and meanings in indigenous oral traditions. He developed a technique to assist in analyzing speech, known by the mnemonic SPEAKING (Setting, Participants, Ends, Act Sequence, Key, Instrumentalities, Norms, Genre). He pioneered the anthropological crosscultural analysis of the rhythms and metric rules of speech and narrative, a discipline he named ethnopoetics. He also maintained a lifelong belief in the legitimacy and importance of voices often maligned as uneducated, primitive, or hick.

After earning a BA at Reed in anthropology and literature, Dell went to Indiana University, where he met fellow anthropologist and folklorist

Dell and Virginia, 1980. Dell played a key role in the development of sociolinguistics.

Virginia M. Dosch; they married in 1954. Dell returned to Warm Springs that same year and completed his doctoral thesis, The Language of Kathlamet Chinook, a grammar based on texts published by Franz Boas. He taught social anthropology at Harvard, UC Berkeley, and the University of Pennsylvania, where he was professor of folklore, linguistics, sociology, and education. There he conceived of a monumental project, a comprehensive linguistic dictionary of Kiksht, the language of the Wasco tribe. He worked on this undertaking for many years, recruiting several other scholars (including David French) to assist. Progress was slow, however; the dictionary remains unfinished and the number of Kiksht speakers has now dwindled to three.

Dell served as dean of the Graduate School of Education at Penn for many years until 1987, when he became Commonwealth Professor of

Anthropology & English at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, where he remained until his retirement in 1998. He was a resident fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences near Stanford and at Cambridge University; a life fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; and a member of the British Academy. He served as president of the American Anthropological Association, the American Association for Applied Linguistics, the American Folklore Society, and the Linguistic Society of America. He was author, coauthor, or editor of more than 700 publications and founding editor of the journal Language in Society. He also published Language in Culture and Society (1964), for decades the definitive textbook in sociolinguistics; Foundations in Sociolinguistics: An Ethnographic Approach (1974); In Vain I Tried to Tell You: Essays in Native American Ethnopoetics (1981); and Now March 2010 Reed magazine 57

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In Memoriam continued I Know Only So Far; Essays in Ethnopoetics (2003).

Some of Dell’s memories of Reed were recorded in his oral history interview with Suzanne Wong Scollon ’69 in 2004. He cited as key influences professors David French and Lloyd Reynolds and classmates Moshe Lenske ’50 and Gary Snyder ’51. His cousins Linden Bowman ’35, Ellen Bowman Martin ’35, and John Bowman ’57 also attended Reed.

Dell maintained his connection to the Pacific Northwest, spending summers at his cabin in Rhododendron, Oregon, for 30 years. From his public obituary, we read that Dell was a man of strong political views, a lover of music, an amateur pianist, an excellent joke-teller, and was knowledgeable in many subjects—especially, in later years, theology and the history of religion. He attended St. Paul Memorial Church and Peace Lutheran Church in Charlottesville.

Survivors include his wife, two sons and two daughters, five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and a brother.

Elizabeth Drummond Marshall Ackley ’32

August 24, 2009, in Portland.

After earning her BA in history from Reed, Elizabeth taught elementary school in Boardman, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington. “Vancouver did not permit their teachers to marr y until they had served five years. I had been engaged to [Wilson] Lee [Ackley] for seven years, so we threw caution to the winds, I resigned, and we married [in 1935].” The couple and their three daughters lived in Southwest Portland. Elizabeth taught at the Gabel Country Day School, and later was the librarian at Ainsworth School. “I thoroughly enjoyed those years. I was able to do a much needed piece of work and allay the ghost of nonaccomplishment on a personal level.” Elizabeth and Lee retired in 1975, worked on their home—designed and built by Lee—gardened three acres “furiously,” and did some traveling.

“Looking back, I seem to have been mainly a domestic creature, concerned chiefly with home and hearth. Not so. Any Reed College person knows there is a larger scene out there and our concern for the future of our citizens does not diminish. In fact, it’s risen sharply! As someone’s aunt once remarked, ‘Life ain’t neat.’ I would amend it to read, ‘Life ain’t tidy, but it’s sure been neat.’” Her daughters—including Maribeth Dahlberg, former registrar at Reed—survive her, as do five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Her husband died in 2005.

Rose Director Friedman ’32 August 18, 2009, in Davis, California, from heart failure.

Born in a Ukraine village, Rose arrived in Portland as a toddler, emigrating with her family from Russia before World War I. Her father ran a small general store. Rose attended Reed for two years, then transferred to the University of Chicago, where she earned a BA in philosophy.

In a graduate classroom in 1932, she found herself seated next to a bright fellow named Milton Friedman. They married six years later. Their collaboration in the field of economics gained them international recognition—including a Nobel Prize for Milton in 1976. Milton was a free market champion and leading thinker in the “Chicago school” of economics. The couple also founded the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice in 1996, to promote greater latitude in school choice through vouchers and other programs. Rose studied consumer purchases at the Bureau of Home Economics. She also was on the staff of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the National Bureau of Economic Research. Her research on consumer spending was included in Milton’s book A Theory of the Consumption Function (1957). The couple began their collaborative writing with the book Capitalism and Freedom (1962). They followed up with Free to Choose (1980), which became a best seller and the basis of a TV series that was broadcast worldwide. Rose and Milton also wrote Tyranny of the Status Quo (1984) and a dual memoir, Two Lucky People (1998). Independently, Rose published a pamphlet, Poverty—Definition and Perspective, and a series of articles, Milton Friedman—Husband and Colleague, for the Oriental Economist (1976–77). Rose’s cousins Regina Tarlow Kriss ’47 and Pauline Tarlow Mosley ’36 also attended Reed. Survivors include a daughter and son, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Milton died in 2006.

Howard S. Keller ’37

July 19, 2009, in Seattle, Washington, surrounded by his family.

A political science major at Reed, Howard also worked partt i m e at Me i e r & Frank. It was this experience, he said, that alerted him to his aptitude for merchandising and business. Following graduation, he enrolled in the Graduate School of Commerce at Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois. One year later, he was hired as a management trainee for the Interstate Department Stores chain. At this same time, he married Frances Mesher ’37, and entered into a family business. During World War II, he was a staff member on the War Production Board, in charge of the allocation of plumbing materials. “This experience, coupled with my previous activities, gave me what I felt was enough of a background to get started in business for myself,” he stated. In 1945, he opened Keller Supply Company, a specialty plumbing and hardware vendor in Seattle, starting out as salesman, purchasing agent, warehouseman, and bookkeeper. He expanded the business to 18 warehouse operations in Washington, Oregon, and Montana before retiring in 1982. Howard demonstrated his commitment to higher education through generous financial support for Reed and the University of Washington, including the Access Program for adult learning. He attended more than 100 classes in the program over a 20-year period. Among other things, Howard is remembered for his extensive knowledge, sense of humor, and kindness, and for his entrepreneurial spirit. Survivors include Frances, their daughter and two sons, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. His sister, Helen M. Keller ’30, also graduated from Reed.

Harriette Lewis Akin Thompson ’37

April 22, 2009, in California.

Hattie earned a joint degree in art from Reed and the Ar t Museum School. In San Francisco, she taught art, sewing, and art history at the K atherine Delmar Burke School, and was a trustee of Grace Cathedral. In 1969, she married San Francisco internist James H. Thompson, who died in 1977. She moved to Spring Lake Village in 1986, splitting her time

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between Santa Rosa and Lake Tahoe, and participated in the work of the M.H. deYoung Museum’s tapestry restoration guild. Survivors include her longtime companion, Stuart C. Burdick II, and five stepchildren. Her brother, Henry F. Akin II ’33, also attended Reed.

Alta-Ruth Schmidt Young ’39

July 4, 2009, in Oakhurst, California.

Alta-Ruth came to Reed after studying in junior colleges in California. She earned a BA in general literature, and returned to the college in 1941 for a teaching certificate. “The year was well spent, although I subsequently went into social work rather than teaching.” She worked with teenagers through YMCA programs in Portland and in Bellingham, Washington. She married Edward H. Young Jr. in 1946 and did casework in Multnomah County for 10 years until moving with her husband and their son to Los Gatos, California. Alta-Ruth considered her job as a medical social worker at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose to be her most satisfying work experience. After retiring in 1970, she and Edward moved to a home adjacent to Yosemite National Park. They owned a second home in Oakhurst, near their son and his family. Life in retirement remained busy and full. Alta-Ruth said that the years at Reed taught her to treasure time. “‘Free time’ is a luxury I have never since taken for granted!”

Preston Crosby Bassett ’40 July 26, 2009, in Fort Myers, Florida, following a stroke.

to assist them in passing the required 10 examinations to become a fellow at the Society of Actuaries. To remain in this program, you had to average passing one examination each year. I completed my exams in 1950. Thank you, Reed!”

During World War II, he served with the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific, and in 1950, he joined the firm of Towers, Perrin, Forster, and Crosby, where he was vice president and chief actuary.

He left the firm to establish his own practice in 1978. A specialist in the areas of employment benefit and pension policy, Preston served on the pension committee for the Department of Labor and was a member of President Carter’s Commission on Pension Policy. He was president of all three major actuarial societies: the Conference of Actuaries in Public Practice, the Society of Actuaries, and the American Academy of Actuaries, and was an instructor at the University of Pennsylvania. Preston published numerous articles in the Harvard Business Review and the New York Times, among others, and wrote three books, Financial Aspects of Private Pension Plans, Interpreting Pension Law Developments, and Benefit Accrual Requirements. Preston and Helen lived in Philadelphia, with a second home on Sanibel Island, Florida. Survivors include a daughter and son, four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Claire Elaine Smith Hill ’42

May 16, 2009, in Bend, Oregon.

Claire earned a BA from Reed in psychology. Her brother, Newton B. Smith ’44, was a Reed graduate. She had three sons.

Mary Elizabeth Russell Bauer ’43

Preston’s flair for mathematics was recognized by a teacher at Grant High School in Portland.

“Somewhere along the way, word got to all my Reed professors that I was a mathematics major and should concentrate on that field. For example, Reed required that we have reading ability in either French or German. I passed in French by solving a math problem from a French textbook!” Preston met Helen Edmonds, who was a dietician at Reed, in 1939; they later married.

Professor F.L. Griffin introduced Preston to the actuarial field. Griffin had an arrangement with the Prudential Insurance Company to hire his top mathematician every year, and Preston was hired in 1940. Preston wrote: “Prudential had an education program for these winning students,

January 6, 2009, in Kennewick, Washington.

Mary was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and came to Reed from Bremerton, Washington.

In an oral history interview with Deborah Prince ’71 in 2004, Mary talked about her experience as coxswain in 1941 for the newly formed Reed crew team, a position she held during her sophomore year. “Neither my roommate nor I liked organized sports, so we were honor-bound to put in so much time a week at physical activity.” Mary and roommate Dorothy Cottrell Coppock ’43 rowed in two-person sculls on the Willamette River about the same time several male students and a couple of faculty members organized a crew team. None of the men on the team were small enough to be coxswain, so Mary agreed to take the position, thus becoming the only woman (and the first in the state of Oregon) in collegiate rowing. The story of Mary and Reed’s team appeared in Life magazine, on the front page of the Oregonian, in the Oregon Journal, and in other publications, including Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Thanks to Mary, the team won three out of six races in that first season. She also was on the Griffin staff during her two years at Reed. Later she transferred to the

University of Washington, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing. She married George H. Bauer; they had one daughter. The family lived in Washington, Alabama, and Mississippi. Inspired by a lecture on medical history, Mary enrolled at the University of Southern Mississippi, earning an MA in the field in 1976; she later did post-master’s study in medical history at the University of Washington. Mary’s occupations included public health and office nurse, teaching assistant, instructor in nursing, and research associate. Her brother, physicist and inventor James T. Russell ’53, graduated from Reed.

Laird Charles Brodie ’44

July 31, 2009, at home in Portland, following an extended illness.

Laird was the son of Reed alumni F. Walter Brodie ’23 and medical pioneer Jessie Laird Brodie ’20. He earned a BA from Reed, an MA at the University of Chicago and a PhD at Northwestern University, all in physics. In 1943, he was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Force and studied meteorology at the University of Washington, the University of Chicago, Harvard, and MIT. Laird was a professor of physics at Portland State University (1956– 87). In his innovative approach to teaching, he employed examples from solar energy to illustrate physics concepts, and he also taught courses in the physics of music and photography.

His research involved heat transfer in cryogenic liquids. Laird played the French horn in the Portland Junior Symphony and later in the Portland Opera and Mar ylhurst College orchestras. He also enjoyed hiking, backpacking, and sea kayaking. He married Rosemary G. Eliot in 1948; they had three children. In 1974, he March 2010 Reed magazine 59

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above: A

In Memoriam continued married Mary Ellen Carson ’49, MAT ’65. The couple did volunteer work for Reed, attended symphony and chamber music concerts, and hiked with the Friends of the Columbia Gorge and the Mazamas. Survivors include Mary; his son and two daughters; seven grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; his sister; and brother Alan Brodie ’51.

Jack Leroy Hoffman AMP ’44

July 3, 2008, in Portland, where he lived all his life.

Jack attended Reed for a year in the premeteorology program. He graduated from Linfield College and the University of Oregon law school, and was a partner with Bullivant Houser Bailey law firm. He also was a member of the board of directors and president of the Oregon and American Lung associations. In 1981, he married Lynne Parks, who survives him, as do two sons and two grandchildren.

Joseph William Griffith ’48

September 16, 2008, in Portland.

During World War II, Joseph was a maritime services radio operator at Heitz-Kaufman in California. He earned a BA from Reed in physics. Afterwards, he joined the Institute of Radio Engineers, held a position as tube development engineer for Tektronix, and conducted glassblowing and electronic research on tubes for Electro-Glass Lab in Beaverton. He also worked in the cathode ray tube laboratory at Linfield College and was a physicist with the Schwager-Wood Corporation in Portland. He held eight patents and 12 applications for patents. Joseph sang with the Portland Opera for 10 years and was a member of the Portland Symphonic Choir. He also belonged to the City Club of Portland, the Oregon Badminton Association, and the Multnomah Athletic Club. In 1950, he married Jean McKinney; they had one son.

Charles Wheaton Pomeroy ’49 August 14, 2009, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, from melanoma.

Chuck joined the Army Air Force in 1943 and served in the Philippines and stateside.

At Reed, he met Barbara Hilgren; they were married in the chapel in Eliot Hall.

Chuck earned a BA from Reed in psychology and sociology.

The summer after graduation, he ran a salmon fishing operation on Lummi Island, Washington. He was an instructor in public schools and at Seattle Community College (where he also was

admission director and college counselor-coordinator for social sciences) but returned to commercial fishing each summer until 1985. Every winter he cut, sold, and delivered Christmas trees. Chuck pursued an astonishing range of interests: at various times he was a municipal judge; member of the city’s planning commission; housing contractor; landlord; U.S. immigration inspector; and designer of fishing nets.

He earned an MEd and was ABD in education at the University of Washington. Chuck retired in 1980, played golf at every opportunity, and traveled worldwide. He and Barbara lived in Lake Forest Park for nearly 50 years before moving to Santa Fe. “Reed did not teach me how to make a living; it taught me how to live a big, wellrounded, exciting life—and a productive one, too.” Survivors include Barbara, two sons, one daughter, three grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and his sister.

Jeanne-Marie Bergheim Wyld ’49

May 30, 2009, in Urbana, Illinois.

Following the death of her father, a physician and surgeon, Jeanne-Marie left her hometown of Hawley, Minnesota, with her mother and sister and came to Por tland. S he attended Reed on a s chol arship, and earned a BA in chemistry. She went to Stanford University on a four-year fellowship from the Atomic Energy Commission, ultimately earning a PhD. She taught chemistry at Vassar College in 1954. The following year, she married Henry W. Wyld Jr ’49.

They later moved to Urbana, Illinois, where Henry was appointed to the physics department at the University of Illinois. In Urbana, Jeanne-Marie taught part time at Parkland College and at the University of Illinois and joined the League of Women Voters. She was the first Democrat to be elected to the Urbana City Council and later ran for mayor of Urbana (1969). She was a key figure in the fight against the Oakley Dam, a massive federal project that would have flooded 1,500 acres of parkland in order to provide water for nearby Decatur. As the emissary for the Save Allerton Park Committee, Jeanne-Marie flew to Washington, D.C., and made her case to officials in the Department of the Interior, the Treasury, and the Army Corps of Engineers, and to Senator Everett Dirksen. This effort was ultimately successful: the Oakley Dam was scrapped and the park endures. A snare drummer in high school and

in the Portland Junior Symphony, JeanneMarie enjoyed music throughout her life. In retirement, she cared for elderly family members in her home, traveled extensively with Henry, and was active in the Wesley United Methodist Church. Survivors include Henry, a daughter, a grandson, and a sister; a son and daughter predeceased her.

Janus Yoneo Kurahara ’51

July 21, 2009, in Hood River, Oregon.

Jan was born and raised in California and completed an AA in aeronautical engineering at Sacramento Junior College. In 1942, when he was 21 years old, he was imprisoned in the Tule Lake Relocation Center, along with thousands of other above: An autobiography Japanese-American citizens, because of widespread paranoia about their loyalty. There he met and married Lillian F. Hirasawa. From Tule Lake, Jan was drafted into the U.S. Army Military Intelligence Corps.

(Although they were deprived of their freedom, Japanese-Americans were not exempt from the draft!) Following the war, he moved with his family to Hood River, where he worked in an orchard. Public sentiment there was ugly in 1946, Jan said. “I was refused services at almost 98 percent of the stores in town, even though I wore the uniform of a U.S. Army soldier.” He enrolled at Reed in 1947 and studied chemistry with professor Arthur Scott. After Jan was graduated, Scott continued to play a role in his life, recommending that the Atomic Energy Commission hire him to do civil defense training in Hood River. Jan received the commission’s invitation from a county sheriff, who arrived unannounced one day in the family’s orchard. Jan was ultimately appointed director of civil defense, and served in that capacity for 20 years. At the age of 57, he earned a law degree from Lewis & Clark and was appointed municipal court judge. He also worked for the U.S. Corps of Engineers and as a legal adviser for the space shuttle program at Vandenberg Air Force Base. In retirement, he worked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and was involved in community agriculture, education, and the chamber of commerce. He also was elected to the Hood River County board of commissioners, and was named Hood River County Citizen of the Year. In 1999, he wrote an autobiography, Ganbatte: A Nisei’s Story.

(Ganbatte, roughly translated, means “persistence”.) “This would not have been possible without Dr. Scott,” he wrote. “Who else would

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have enough prestige and nerve to tell a sheriff that he had to appoint me to a position of much trust and leadership in a community— especially at a time that a Japanese was looked on with much distrust and loathing. Dr. Scott was not only my mentor but a solid friend.” Survivors include Lillian, to whom he was wed for 66 years; two sons and a daughter; seven grandchildren; and numerous great-grandchildren.

world traveler and a jazz enthusiast. Survivors include two daughters, a stepdaughter, and five grandchildren. His brother, Grant A. Thorsen ’51, also graduated from Reed.

Hazel Jo Reed ’60

July 9, 2009, in Olympia, Washington.

Barbara Sloate Isgur ’63

Loraine Beryl Nunes Brownlee ’52

July 23, 2009, in Pebble Beach, California, from cancer.

Loraine came to Reed from Hawaii—a place she loved and returned to in 1950 with husband Robert L. Brownlee ’49. She originally aspired to be a teacher, but was devoted to her life as a wife and mother. She held administrative positions while Robert moved through his career in education in Hawaii, Oregon, Colorado, Wisconsin, and California. As an avid golfer, she enjoyed living on the Monterey Peninsula, and being a member of the Pacific Grove Women’s Golf Group and the USGA. For 20 years, she worked at Brooks-Cole Publishing, retiring in 1996 as executive secretary to the president.

Survivors include her daughter, son, and three grandchildren. Robert died in 2008.

Thomas E. Smail Jr. ’52

September 5, 2009, in Sacramento, California, from complications related to Parkinson’s disease.

An Oregon native, Tom attended Reed for two years before transferring to the University of Washington. At Reed, he met (Ella) Lee Stevens ’52; they married in 1952. Tom earned an LLB from the University of Washington and an LLM from New York University. He began his legal career with a clerkship for the U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco. Later he was a trial attorney for the tax division of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., and was appointed assistant U.S. Attorney for Northern California in charge of tax litigation. Tom was national cochairman for the American Bar Association for Incorporations. He also enjoyed golfing. Survivors include Lee, two daughters, five grandchildren, and a brother. A son predeceased him.

Arthur C. Thorsen ’56

May 18, 2009, at home in Rancho Mirage, California.

Art came down with pneumonia in his senior year, which delayed his graduation by a year.

He earned a BA from Reed and a PhD from Rice University in physics. In 1982, he earned an MBA from Lutheran College. His career was at Rockwell International, from which he retired as senior research executive in 1990. In retirement, he moved to Rancho Mirage and enjoyed his hobbies, golf and photography. He was a

Valley Library and as a tax preparer. She was a member of the Communication Workers of America, the South West Organizing Project, and the First Congregational United Church of Christ.

Survivors include her husband, Ruben, to whom she was married for 49 years; her daughter, son, and grandson; her mother; three sisters; and two brothers, including Thomas Giese ’69.

Josie earned a BA from Reed and a PhD from Carnegie Mellon University in mathematics. She was an instructor at California State University– Long Beach and at Oberlin College before joining the faculty at the Evergreen State College, where she taught for over 25 years. She also was a scholar of literature, creative writing, and comparative theologies. In her public obituary, we read that Josie had a knack for spotting the intellectual capabilities of her students and provided them with the support they needed to succeed. She was a gifted photographer who enjoyed recording local images as well as those on train trips she made across the U.S. She also was an exceptional knitter and cook. Throughout her life, she cared deeply for animals; her Washington farm has been designated as a sanctuary for domestic and wild animals. In writing to inform the college of Josie’s death, daughter Anna Mumaw said: “My mother always said that her time at Reed was the happiest of her entire life, and that the college opened her eyes and her mind to all that was possible in life. Reed will always hold a special place in my sister’s and my heart because of what it meant to our mother.”

Susan McVey Giese Martinez ’61

June 2, 2009, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Susan came to Reed from Groton, Massachusetts, and also attended the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. She worked for Mountain Bell (Qwest) for 30 years, was a reading tutor at Los Padillas Elementary School, delivered meals for a local food bank, and volunteered at the South

September 6, 2009, in Woodside, California, from cancer.

Barbara, known to her close friends as Missy, served with distinction on the Reed College board of trustees for 16 years (1993– 2009). Her careful obser vation, wise counsel, energy, and dedication enhanced all aspects of the board’s work. Her commitment to the college’s rigorous education made her a strong leader on the Academic Affairs Committee, where she served as a member and as chair (1995–2008).

Although she was not graduated from Reed, her Reed experience left a profound mark on her intellectual development. She later transferred to Columbia University, earned a BA in sociology, and continued in that field at New York University, where she completed a PhD. She was an instructor and research associate at New York University (1973–80) and an instructor at Brooklyn College (1974–77). In 1980, she began a career in investment banking, software development, and consulting. She retired in 1998 as senior vice president of Strategem, Inc. and served as a director of Activision Blizzard, Inc. Husband Lee S. Isgur ’60 wrote: “She lived intensely and with passion, in defiance of the cancer that was diagnosed nearly seven years ago. She approached her death in the same manner that she lived: with grace, dignity, perceptive consideration of others, and a clear sense of purpose. Missy savored life, fully, widely and deeply. Her far-ranging intellect, inquisitiveness, and vitality set the tone and pace of our 48-year marriage. Her sense of aesthetics and refinement created beauty in our home and gardens. Missy’s heart was especially evident in her love of landscape and flowers. She was a disciplined, adventurous, and flawless cook. We traveled together, energized by her constant search for knowledge and new experiences.”

Reed president Colin Diver noted: “Barbara was a determined and talented woman, with an astonishing array of knowledge and interests. She was an expert chef, a discerning collector, an indefatigable landscape designer and artist, and a voracious reader. Many who knew Lee and Barbara well always made a point of visiting their home in March 2010 Reed magazine 61

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In Memoriam continued the spring to view the spectacular display of more than 7,000 tulips emerging from her garden and a small army of pots. Her fellow trustees are particularly grateful for her stalwart service and unfailing good humor as she battled illness in recent years. Despite severe health challenges, Barbara made extraordinary efforts to attend board meetings. Through the grace with which she carried out her life, she touched so many and made important contributions to the work of the board and the success of the college. We will miss her.”

Thomas Elton Barklow ’64

August 19, 2009, in Hoquiam, Washington, after a brief, courageous battle with brain cancer.

fellowship. In 1970, he joined the faculty of the University of Washington (UW), where he taught physics for 38 years, with professional interests in surface science, nanotechnology, and the teaching of experimental physics. He was awarded an Alfred P. Sloan fellowship (1971–75), was elected fellow of the American Physical Society, and was one of the founders of the UW Center for Nanotechnology. In the ’80s, he returned to Reed to present a seminar and to give the A.A. Knowlton Memorial Lecture in physics. At the time of his death, UW colleagues wrote: “As an assistant professor, he designed and built what was then one of the first and best in the world low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), variable temperature spectrometers. With it, he and his students explored the structure, phases, and molecular dissociation of the first layer of atoms or molecules deposited on the surface of graphite. The results that they obtained were, and still are, the standard in the field.” Further, they noted: “Sam was an unassuming person; his understanding demeanor an example for all of us that science, faith, joy, sadness, friendship, and life can peacefully coexist.” Sam was a photographer, astronomy enthusiast, and bird lover. He was politically active in peace and environmental movements, and was a member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral. Carolyn died of cancer in 1981, and Sam later married Patty Hayes. Survivors include Patty; a son; two daughters; and a sister and two brothers.

Carol Bannister Enman ’70 Tom earned his BA from Reed and his PhD from the University of Oregon in chemistry. In 1963, he married Patricia Wolfe; they had three daughters and later divorced. Tom’s occupation was repairing electronics, which he did at his business, ME TV Service in Aberdeen, Washington.

From his public obituary, we learned that he had an inquisitive mind, shared his love of learning and reading with his children, enjoyed chess and cooking, and did lamp making and woodcarving. Tom had a 1928 Ford, which he maintained from boyhood, and he rode motorcycles. He was a 35-year member of the Aberdeen (Washington) Eagles. In 1991, he married Carol Johnson Libby. They shared numerous interests, including camping and bowling. Survivors include his wife, mother, daughters, two stepdaughters, six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

Samuel Clark Fain Jr. ’65

May 26, 2009, at home in Seattle, Washington, following a long illness.

Sam came to Reed from Tennessee and earned a BA in physics. He met Carolyn Lyon ’66 at Reed; they married in 1966 and lived in Urbana, Illinois, while Sam completed his PhD in physics from the University of Illinois, followed by a year at the University of Amsterdam with a NATO

August 4, 2009, following a brief illness with lung disease.

Carol earned a BA from Reed in general literature, and was a gifted writer, with special interests in cooking, Russian history, and biographies and literature. She was married to Robert Enman for 43 years; they lived in Maine, where he taught music and joined the Bangor Symphony. Carol assisted him in his career, with her work in publications and school placements. Survivors include her husband and sister.

Kurt Derek Sigmon ’70

April 26, 2009, at home with his family, in Tempe, Arizona.

Kurt taught computer science at the University of Advancing Technology in Tempe. Survivors include his wife, Catherine; two daughters; a stepson and stepdaughters; and his mother.

Samuel Trust Bush ’71

August 19, 2009, in Portland, from complications of Multiple Sclerosis.

Sam will always be remembered at Reed for designing and building the Dog Fountain (properly known as the Angus and Marion Pattullo Drinking Fountain; it caters both to people and dogs). A fifth-generation Oregonian, Sam grew up in Portland and attended the Hill School in Pennsylvania before he came to Reed. After studying

art at Reed, he returned to Hill School, where he taught woodworking and design. His studio at Hill School garnered national attention. In 1979, Sam returned to Oregon as head of woodworking at the Oregon School of Arts and Crafts and soon built a reputation as one of the state’s most gifted wood craftsmen. In addition to the Pattullo Fountain, he also built the climate-controlled display cases in the Hauser Library. Sam founded the Guild of Oregon Woodworkers, and was profiled in Ken Macrorie’s collection of outstanding American educators, 20 Teachers (Oxford University Press, 1984). In the program for Sam’s memorial at Sellwood Park in September 2009, we read that he was fearless—surfing in cold Pacific waters before wet suits were in fashion—and that his zest for life was “overflowing and infectious.” He created hundreds of beautifully crafted pieces, many exhibiting his exemplary carving. He loved the outdoors and played bluegrass guitar. To the end of his life, Sam was upbeat and supported his friends and students. His mother, Patsy Livesley Morgan, earned an MA from Reed in education in 1963. Survivors include his daughter and son, and his brother. We thank Towny Angell, director of Reed’s facilities operations, and Alan Borning ’71, Sam’s roommate and housemate at Reed, for supplying the details for this in memoriam.

Kristina Maria Detmer ’75

January 17, 2009, in Georgia, from injuries sustained in a car accident on the Monroe interstate.

Kristina received her BA from Reed in chemistry, and a PhD in biochemistry and biophysics from the University of Michigan (1984). An NIH postdoctoral fellow and California Cancer Research Council fellow, she did research at Martinez VA Medical Center, in Martinez, California, before accepting positions as tenured professor and biomedical researcher at Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon, Georgia. Kristina’s interests outside of work were in early classical music and singing in choirs. She also had a passion for quilting, and sharing her creations with family members, friends, and charities. Thanks to Jennifer Craven ’74 for notifying the college of Kristina’s death and for providing information for this in memoriam. Thanks also to Joe Ried ’74, who wrote to us about Kristina’s death, adding: “Kris was hard-working, fun-loving, and positive.

Kris and her work will be dearly missed.” Survivors include her brother and his family.

Elbert Dannen ’76

September 10, 2009, in Portland.

El received a BA from Reed in biology and the Class of ’21 prize for a creative thesis, Slug Guts: Peroxisomes in a Pulmonate Gastropod. He did graduate studies in cell and molecular biology at the University of Michigan and also was a research assistant in the cardiology group at Washington University Medical School, before

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flawed. Classmates remember John as an “awesome guy” who was talkative and jovial. After Reed, John won a fellowship at Johns Hopkins University in Seneca, New York. He tutored at primary and secondary schools and was certified to teach English as a second language. He also enjoyed music, and hiking with his golden retriever, Kuper. Survivors include his parents, sister, and grandparents.

Lindsay Alyse Leonard ’08

Samuel Bush ’71 working on the construction of Reed’s famous “dog fountain.”

joining the Kobos Company in Portland—a company founded by David Kobos MAT ’66. El was with the company for 16 years, seven as retail operations manager. He later worked for the Clackamas County Department of Transportation, and volunteered at his children’s school in Oregon City, where he established the Odyssey of the Mind program. “I have never felt that Reed specifically prepared me for a job,” El wrote. “I do know that my liberal arts education at Reed prepared me for life; it structured my thinking processes, taught me to search for information, and carefully weigh options. It opened my eyes to a panorama of possibilities I otherwise would have never known.” Survivors include his wife, Judy, and a son and daughter.

president and CEO of A&M-Galveston, told the newspaper. Roger had sailed the regatta numerous times and was an excellent navigator and accomplished seaman. For his heroic valor, his family accepted the Gold Lifesaving Medal from the U.S. Coast Guard. Survivors include his wife of 18 years, Linda; a daughter and son; and his mother.

Roger Winslow Stone ’77

July 22, 2009, at home in Denver, Colorado.

K.D. attended Reed for two years, with a focus in linguistics, before moving to Denver, where she earned an emergency medical technician license and graduated from the Denver School of Massage. She worked as a licensed massage therapist and intended to complete her bachelor’s degree at the University of Denver. Her adviser at Reed, Professor Elizabeth Drumm, remembered K.D. as an enthusiastic, joyful, and inquisitive young woman with many interests. Survivors include her parents, three sisters, and many, many friends.

June 8, 2008, in a sailing accident in the Gulf of Mexico.

Roger was born in London, England, and attended Reed for two years. As a safety officer for Texas A&M University, he was on board the sailboat Cynthia Woods together with five other crew members for the annual Regatta de Amigos—a 700-mile race from Galveston, Texas, to Veracruz, Mexico—when the boat suddenly lost its keel. “Stone, who was below deck, began yelling that the hull was breached,” writes the Galveston County Daily News. “Attempts to start the boat’s engine failed. Within seconds, the boat rolled onto its side, tossing three overboard. Stone assisted two students out of the boat, but was trapped inside.” The two students, plus three other crew members, were rescued after spending 26 hours in the Gulf of Mexico. Roger drowned in the wreckage. “We now know that Roger Stone died a hero in the classic sense of the word,” R. Bowen Loftin, vice

James Patrick Seiter ’82

September 2, 2009, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

James studied at Reed and later received his BA in English and his MA in library science from the University of Oklahoma. Survivors include three brothers and two sisters.

Katherine Dial Baker ’08

John Christopher McCutchen ’08

August 28, 2009, at his home in Jefferson City, Missouri.

John was a political science major at Reed.

In February 2006, he sat on a Reed Union on the college’s policy on political neutrality and argued that Reed’s position was inherently

November 1, 2009, in portland.

Lindsay was a psychology major who wrote her thesis on therapies for Hepatitis C. Lindsay and her roommate, Jessica Finlay ’09, were walking across Southeast Foster Road near 82nd Avenue in a marked crosswalk when they were struck by a car. Lindsay was killed; Jessica sustained multiple life-threatening injuries and remains in a coma. People who saw the crash said a bus in the right lane had stopped to let the two cross, but it appears the driver of the car in the left lane did not see the pedestrians until it was too late. A statement from the family read: “Lindsay was our beloved daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. She was a dynamic young woman with a bright future ahead of her. Lindsay was a travel enthusiast, Magic Castle member, stellar student at Webb High School, and recent Reed College graduate. She had hopes of furthering her education to become a nurse practitioner or doctor. She wanted to explore the use of herbal medicines in her pursuit to help others. She was a ray of sunshine in all of our lives, and we are devastated by our loss.” A memorial service for Lindsay was held in the chapel in Eliot Hall.

Pending: As Reed went to press, we learned of the

deaths of the following individuals; please contact us if you have memories of them that you wish to share.

Martha Wilson Powell ’25, Sally Holloway Evans ’31, Jane Winks Kilkenny ’33, Richard Green ’35, Helen Irwin Schley ’35, Margaret Johnson Larrance ’38, Jeanne Hazen Oliver ’39, Felice Lauterstein Driesen ’40, Arthur Livermore ’40, Dixon Miyauchi ’40, Watford Reed ’40, Hugh McKinley ’41, Jiggs Clark ’42, G. Hays Johnson ’42, Marilois Ditto Kierman ’43, Marcia Swire Weinsoft ’43, Joseph Bruemmer AMP ’44, Melrose Cole AMP ’44, Jean Smithson Heintz ’47, Louis Fulkerson ’48, Robert Gordon ’49, Mary Weible Maxwell ’49, Edwin Jacobs ’50, Fred Rosenbaum ’50, Daniel Fletcher ’52, Richard Long ’52, Eva Stern Silver ’52, Mary Hurd Savela ’53, Garrett Flint ’54, Kaoru Ogimi ’54, James Braun ’55, Louis Glatch ’56, Martin Fishbein ’57, Clyde Lamb ’61, Marjorie Roston Ireland ’62, Monica Moseley ’64, Joshua Diamond ’65, Mark Loeb ’65, Sarah Jenkins ’66, Patricia Ruiz ’66, (James) Michael Joyce ’67, Molly Este Koch ’69, Robert Kubale MALS ’71, Stephen Martin ’75, Mike Zerwas ’75, Donald Breer ’77, Deborah Lithgow ’77, Andrew Linehan ’78, Derek Vaughn Slye ’90, Geno Foster ’93, Jessica Finlay ’09 and staff member Joan White.

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Apocrypha

t r adi t ion m y t h lege nd

Hum Play

Poster from 1997 Hum Play

however. The cast still raids their twin extralongs for costumes. Another constant is cameos by humanities faculty. Classics professor Wally Englert has appeared in almost a dozen Hum plays in various roles. One year, Wally’s character delivered a pizza to a dorm room full of students and then chastised them for not studying. Wally likens Hum Play to an Aristophanic comedy. The production, he says, is a “hilarious celebration of Hum 110,” which simultaneously criticizes the course while also bringing the community together. “Hum Play makes me really happy,” he adds with a smile.

Like Homeric epic, Wally continues, each retelling of Student’s adventure changes to keep up with pop culture. For instance, the story of Dido and Aeneas was recently retold with Dido bemoaning her hardships on LiveJournal. The script also changes along with campus controversies, such as the introduction of the drug and alcohol policy, the comings and goings of celebrity professors, or rare changes to the syllabus. One year, while Wally was on leave, the directors projected a Photoshopped picture of him wearing a redand-white striped hat while the cast yelled “Where’s Wally?!”

To return to Student’s constant question, then, why are the historians, playwrights, and philosophers on the Hum 110 syllabus significant? Why do we study them? Hum Play begins with these questions, but ends with

Photo by Alan Chu ’11

The lights go up. The house is packed—so packed that the audience spills out of the aisles onto the stage itself. Trying to remember your first line, you can’t help but fixate on the breathing wall of Reedies in front of you. Their anticipation hangs heavy in the air. Glancing at the sheet you’re wearing and the cardboard spear in your hand, you take a deep breath, silently praying that the script is as funny as it seemed during all those latenight rehearsals.

The next two hours are a blur. You journey through the best of classical and pop culture—from Troy to Greek tragedy, Star Wars to St. Augustine. Your travels are interrupted only by riotous peals of laughter.

Welcome to Hum Play.

Hum Play takes place in Vollum lecture hall a week before Renn Fayre. Ostensibly, the performance is an opportunity for students to review for their imminent Humanities 110 final. The play opens with the protagonist, a freshman known by the moniker “Student,” frantically cramming the night before the exam. Through a highly implausible series of events, Student finds herself in the middle of the Trojan War pleading with Homer to guide her through a liveaction crash course in Hum 110. Several times along the way, Student demands of her guide, “Why is this guy significant? Why should we have to study him today?” An entertaining romp through the humanities syllabus, Hum Play is also a reaffirmation of a community’s raison d’être—a celebration of the intrinsic value of knowledge.

The first Hum Play was staged over Reed Arts Week in 1994. Its creator, Greg Lam ’96, recalls that the first production was “willfully shabby” and that his goal was simply “to put on a funny play.” For sets, they borrowed shamelessly from the theatre department; for costumes, they took the sheets from their dorm beds. Vollum was only about half full for the first performance, but even this modest crowd exceeded expectations. The next year, Greg entrusted the project to sophomore Francisco Toro ’97, and the play has been handed on from student to student ever since.

In that time, the script has undergone so many rewrites that it bears little resemblance to the original. Central elements endure,

Hum Play ’08: God (Joseph Genser ’10) and Jesus (Kent Coupe ’10) commiserate over God’s Bag O’ Plagues.

laying them aside. There are probably as many answers as there are students who have survived the monster reading list. In the words of Leigh Walton ’07, who codirected the performance in 2006, Hum Play is “an occasion for the community to laugh at, understand, and celebrate itself.” —Rebecca Ok ’09 Special thanks to Gay Walker ’69, Mark Kuestner, Kris Frye ’97, Megan Labrise ’04, Wes Hilton ’09, Laura Birek ’03, Nick Brody ’09, Devin Bambrick ’08, Gavin Kentch ’04, and Paul Burdick ’01.

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which n i e c a e pl “I am th rred.” u c c o s a g h somethin uss évi-Stra

S

—Claude

L

o much of what happens in conference takes place internally—finding your voice, generating ideas, bringing your critical skills to bear.

When you make a gift to Reed in your will, name Reed as a beneficiary, or create a life-income gift, you express your own voice. And through your gift, you participate in traditions—like conference—that support internal growth in Reed students.

Contact Kathy Saitas at 503/777-7573 or Kathy.Saitas@reed.edu to find out how to best support Reed through your estate plans. www.reed.edu/plannedgiving

Reed College 3203 SE Woodstock Boulevard Portland, Oregon 97202-8199

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