Simmons College magazine - Winter 2014

simmons magaz覺ne

WINTER 2014

contents WINTER 2014

features 08

8 departments

04

01 From the President 02 From the Editor 03 On Campus 06 Achievements on Campus 13 Alumnae/i Achievements 14 Advancing Simmons 20 Class Notes 32 Voices 33 In Memoriam

x STAY CONNECTED If you want to watch videos of Simmons events, view happenings around campus, or hear from students and faculty, visit: YouTube.com/simmonscollege

WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF A WOMEN’S COLLEGE?

We posed this question to students, professors, and alumni, and the results were astounding. Read eight stories that talk of connections, community, and the bonds that changed lives forever.

BY KATHLEEN S. CARR AND ALIX ROY

32

from the president

S

immons College is at an interesting point in time right now. Recent national discussion has focused on the values and mission upon which Simmons was founded: girls’ and women’s education, leadership, and success. It turns out these topics are just as important today, as they were 100 years ago.

Our founder John Simmons was a true ally of women, and a feminist at a time when we did not even have the language to describe what that meant. While we marvel at his foresight to create an institution that enabled women to “acquire an independent livelihood,” many today believe this idea is outdated and unnecessary. Yet, look at the news.

Sheryl Sandberg’s recent book Lean In created a flurry of conversation about how women can achieve higher leadership positions. The hiring of Marissa Mayer as CEO of Yahoo set off another round of dialogue about working mothers. The young Pakistani girl Malala Yousafzai who was shot last fall while traveling to school, increased discussion about the right to educate girls and women.

Simmons College has been — and is — perfectly situated to address these issues. We recently hosted feminist icon and author Gloria Steinem at two events; Simmons was the academic co-sponsor for the “Women in Politics” event in Boston, which drew nearly 1,000 attendees to hear from current and former female politicians about leadership roles.

School of Management Dean Cathy Minehan has increased our visibility through her work as chair of the Boston Women’s Workforce Council and her comments on the nomination of the first woman to head the Federal Reserve. And this spring, our closing keynote speaker for the Simmons Leadership Conference will be the Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton (see page 4).

I am proud of Simmons’s contributions to this national conversation, and I know our alumnae/i are too.

simmons Vice President of Advancement MARIANNE LORD

Vice President for Marketing & Admission CHERYL E. HOWARD ’71

Senior Director of Marketing Communications ALLYSON IRISH ’04GS

Editor KATHLEEN S. CARR

Assistant Editor ALIX ROY

Writers and Contributors JULIE CHOQUETTE NAFEESA M. CONNOLLY ’14 ROBERT DUNN ELYSE PIPITONE ’07SW JULIE TURNER SARAH ZENGO

Design KAAJAL ASHER

Printing KIRKWOOD PRINTING

Photography JOHN GILLOOLY

Illustration BEN KIRCHNER JULIE MCLAUGHLIN PETER STRAIN LEIGH WELLS Cover illustration by Peter Strain

The Simmons College Office of Marketing Communications publishes the Simmons magazine three times a year. Third-class postage is paid in Boston, Mass.

Diverse views presented in the Simmons magazine do not necessarily ref lect the opinions of the magazine or the College.

(ISSN) 0049-0512. For more information, call 617-521-2049, or visit www.simmons.edu.

CONTACT:

HELEN G. DRINAN ’75LS, ’78SM President

Kathleen Carr Email: kathleen.carr@simmons.edu

alumnet.simmons.edu

1

from the editor Chair LAUREN J. BRISKY ’73

Vice Chair JANE BUYERS-RUSSO ’81

Clerk of the Board of Trustees REGINA M. PISA

Members CARMEN A. BAEZ ’79, ’03HD DENISE A. BENSON ’12 DEBORAH C. BRITTAIN ’74SW JENNIFER KELLY CHOI ’87 BARBARA L. COHEN ’68 DWIGHT B. CRANE HELEN G. DRINAN ’75LS, ’78SM ATSUKO TOKO FISH JAMES D. FLYNN P’12, P’14 JILL A. GREENTHAL ’78 KAREN HAMMOND JOHN W. HUMPHREY YVONNE R. JACKSON LESLIE L. LAKE ’86 KATHLEEN MORRISSEY LAPOINT ’84 NGINA LYTHCOTT ’67, ’04HD JUDITH SAMDPERIL MANN ’83 STEPHEN P. MCCANDLESS JACQUELINE C. MORBY ’78SM SUSAN A. OLLILA ’66 DENISE PAPPAS ’71, ’85SM CHRISTIAN POPE-CAMPBELL ’91 EMILY SCOTT POTTRUCK ’78 FAITH M. RICHARDSON ’84 JO-ANN ROBOTTI ’75 KATHLEEN I. SCHULLER-BLEAKIE ’94SM TOBY M. SLOANE ’60 PAULA A. SNEED ’69 WINSTON TABB ’72LS JANET TRAFTON TOBIN ’67 PAMELA J. TOULOPOULOS ’73 ROSLYN M. WATSON ’71 AMY E. WHITE ’81

Alumnae/i Volunteer Leadership Alumnae Association Executive Board President ENNA JIMENEZ ’91 Graduate School of Library and Information Science Alumni Association President DANIEL J. BORDEN ’11LS School of Management Alumnae Association President CHARLOTTE M. STREAT ’00SM School of Social Work Alumni Council President NANCY L. POORVU ’79SW, ’12SWD

I

Step Up to the Plate

didn’t really get it until I became a student here myself.

During my first semester in the MBA program, I had a class with Communications Professor Mary Shapiro. (If you’ve been taught by Mary, you know that you become a better communicator simply by attempting to emulate her incredible talent.) When we asked her what makes the experience of learning at a women’s college unique, she compared it to baseball: “All your young life you keep striking out. The pitches keep coming fast and furious. There’s no space or time to figure out why you keep striking out, and the fans keep booing. You may even start questioning yourself: Can I succeed in the majors?

Now you have a chance to go to school to get prepared to move from the minors to the majors. You can either go to a school where the pitches continue to come fast and furious, and the coach and team continue to berate you for striking out. Or you can go to a school where the coach works with you to analyze a pitch, learn how to anticipate what the pitcher will throw, and develop competencies to handle a fastball or a slider.

In this supportive environment, you gain a deep understanding of the game and develop the confidence that you’re capable of handling anything life’s pitchers will throw at you.”

As usual, Mary captures the experience perfectly. Being here at Simmons has made me a stronger, smarter, more confident woman. It’s as simple, and as complex, as that.

We talked to current students, professors, and alumni to capture every angle of the Simmons experience. Read their stories, beginning on p. 7.

On p. 17, read about the outpouring of support for “Simmtober,” and about alumnae who give as members of The 1899 Leadership Society and the John Simmons Society.

We know you get it. Write to us and remind yourself what made your women’s education exemplary.

Cheers,

KATHLEEN S. CARR Kathleen.carr@simmons.edu

2

WINTER 2014

on campus CLASS OF 2017

BY THE NUMBERS

FUTURE SIMMONS ALUMNAE

STATES AND

COUNTRIES REPRESENTED

Simmons Co-Hosts Forum on Women in Politics DIFFERENT LANGUAGES SPOKEN

NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY RANKED FIGURE SKATERS

G.P.A. AVERAGE

H

undreds of attendees packed the John Hancock Hall in Boston October 7 for a forum discussing women in politics featuring many of Massachusetts’ female politicians along with feminist Gloria Steinem. The event, “How Women Become Political,” was co-hosted by Simmons and the Grimké Event Committee, and celebrated the 175th anniversary of Angelina Grimké’s address to the Massachusetts Legislature in 1838. Grimké, an abolitionist and feminist, was the first woman to address a legislative body.

Grimké’s great-great-grandson attended the event, and listened as actress Anne Gottlieb performed Grimké’s speech. Later, Steinem cited Grimké as a source of personal inspiration.

“In a way, I’ve always been following Angelina Grimké, and all of our leaders who’ve understood that the caste system of sex and race are always intertwined,” she said.

Steinem was joined on stage for a panel discussion by Boston City Councilor at-Large Ayanna Pressley, Babson College President and former Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, and Chair of Political Parity Ambassador Swanee Hunt. U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren was unable to attend the event but sent a video describing her personal decision to go into politics. Broadcast journalist Callie Crossley moderated the discussion, and Simmons President Helen Drinan provided the welcome.

Coverage of the event appeared in The Boston Globe, the Wellesley Townsman, and the Patriot Ledger.

TEAM CAPTAINS IN ORGANIZATIONS FROM SPORTS TO ROBOTICS alumnet.simmons.edu

3

on campus

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON KEYNOTE SPEAKER FOR LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

T

his year’s Simmons Leadership Conference will have Hillary Rodham Clinton, Former Secretary of State and Former U.S. Senator from New York, as its keynote speaker. Secretary Clinton will deliver the closing keynote address April 23 at the 35th annual Simmons Leadership Conference.

“Secretary Clinton is the most admired woman in the world,” said Simmons College President Helen G. Drinan. “Simmons is deeply honored to host such an exemplary role model.”

In addition to Secretary Clinton, the conference features legendary singer, dancer, and actress Rita Moreno; Campbell Soup Company CEO Denise Morrison; former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison; award-winning journalist Rana Foroohar; and renowned humanitarian Zainab Salbi, co-founder and former CEO of Women for Women International. For more information, visit www.simmons.edu/leadership.

The Simmons Leadership Conference is the centerpiece of SimmonsLEADS, a dynamic series of exciting speakers, programs, and events that focus on the empowerment and development of women leaders. Other programming includes the ENCORE series, which brings back top speakers from the Simmons Leadership Conference; and the annual “National Conversation on Board Diversity” held in tandem with 2020 Women on Boards to raise awareness about the need for more women on U.S. public boards.

CLASS OF 2012 EMPLOYMENT SURVEY Each year the Career Education Center surveys alumnae from the previous year’s graduating class to determine their employment and/or further education status. The most recent survey, conducted in the spring of 2013 for May graduates of the Class of 2012, yielded the following insights:

86%

of respondents are employed or enrolled in graduate school full time

80%

are working in New England (70% in Massachusetts)

five

The most popular fields are: healthcare (47%), business & finance (8%), education (8%), government (7%), and communications & media (6%)

90%

are working in a field that relates to their major at Simmons

40%

found their job by networking,

27%

used an online job site, and

20%

leveraged an internship The average starting salary is

Hear what Simmons students have to say about a variety of topics in the newly launched “Simmons Speaks” video series. The first video asked students to name their favorite woman in politics. View all the videos by searching “Simmons Speaks” on the College’s YouTube page: www.youtube.com/simmonscollege.

4

WINTER 2014

$45,800 (vs. the national average of $42,666)

SIMMONS NAMED A “BEST COLLEGE” Simmons has been recognized for excellence by four premier rankings organizations in recent months, including U.S.News & World Report, The Princeton Review, Forbes.com, and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. In October, Simmons was named a “Best College” by the U.S.News & World Report in its 2014 edition of the “America’s Best Colleges” guidebook.

Simmons ranked in the top tier of schools in the Regional Universities North category. U.S.News also ranked Simmons in the “Best Undergraduate Business Program” category.

Simmons was also featured in The Princeton Review’s “Best 378 Colleges” 2014 college guidebook as an institution that is “rich in history and achievement” and equips students with

Simmons Grad Takes Home Top Prize for Research

R

ecent Simmons graduate KRIS MCDONOUGH ’13 and undergraduate

Chemistry student NINA CHEN ’15 rubbed shoulders with some of the nation’s top semiconductor scholars and industry veterans during the Semiconductor Research Corporation’s 15th Annual TECHCON conference, held in Austin, Texas in September. While there, McDonough presented a research paper entitled “Evaluation of the Photodimerization of 4 Vinyl Thymine Ammonium Chloride Polymers and Copolymers Induced by Ultraviolet Light,” and was awarded first place in the Undergraduate Research Poster Contest. McDonough, who graduated from Simmons last year with a degree in chemistry and physics, was the only presenter to hail from a liberal arts or all-women’s college. Participation in the conference is extremely competitive for undergraduate students, who are required to submit an abstract for review by a committee coordinated by the Semiconductor Research Corporation. “We could not be more proud,” said Associate Professor Rich Gurney, who advised McDonough on the project. “The TECHCON judges recognized what we in the Chemistry and Physics Department already knew – Kris’s accomplishments and abilities in the research laboratory are outstanding.”

the “tools and confidence to succeed in the real world.”

For the fifth consecutive year, the Simmons School of Management was also ranked the #1 MBA with the “Greatest Opportunity for Women” by The Princeton Review’s 2014 guidebook of “The Best 295 Business Schools.”

In a recent Forbes.com ranking, Simmons was among a select group of more than 650 colleges, representing 20% of the nearly 4,000 colleges in the United States.

Simmons also made Kiplinger’s “Best Value” Top 100 Private Colleges List, which measures academic quality and affordability.

Simmons Leading Women Honored Two members of the Simmons leadership team were recognized this fall for their extraordinary accomplishments and contributions to their communities.

In October, Board of Trustees Chair Lauren Brisky ’73 was inducted, along with six other women, into the YWCA of Nashville & Middle Tennessee’s Academy of Women of Achievement (AWA). The AWA honors women who, through excellence and leadership in their chosen fields, serve as role models for other women.

President Helen Drinan was one of five honorees recognized as a “Leading Woman” by the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts in November. “Leading Woman” honors are bestowed annually on women leaders who have made a “positive impact through their career and in the community.”

alumnet.simmons.edu

5

achievements on campus

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

Assistant Professor TAMARA CADET [1] and Associate Professor PETER MARAMALDI [2] from the Simmons School of Social Work were invited to participate in a White House briefing September 25 entitled, “Addressing the Social Determinants of Health in a New Era: The Role of Social Work Education.” The briefing brought together a select group of social work educators and leaders from across the country.

GSLIS Dean EILEEN ABELS [3] has been elected vice president/president-elect of Beta Phi Mu, the international library and information science honor society. Dean Abels will serve as president in 2014-15 of this international organization. Her election was announced at the society’s annual meeting held during the American Library Association annual conference in Chicago this summer.

School of Nursing and Health Sciences Dean JUDY BEAL [4] has been named one of the 90 Most Influential Yale School of Nursing Alumni in honor of the school’s 90th anniversary.

Communications Professor MARLENE FINE was interviewed on Radio Boston (WBUR,

6

WINTER 2014

90.9 FM) about her recently published book, The Interracial Adoption Option: Creating A Family Across Race. The book, which Fine wrote with her spouse Fern, is meant to help parents who are thinking about adopting a child of a different race.

Associate Professor and Director of the Chemistry and Physics Department RICH GURNEY has been named to the Advisory Board of The Green Chemistry Commitment, a consortium of universities and industry partners that seeks to bring green chemistry into undergraduate curriculum in a systemic and lasting way. They also work to increase the number of green chemists and scientists in the U.S. Simmons College is one of the codevelopers and original signers of The Green Chemistry Commitment, which was named a 2013 Buckminster Fuller Challenge Finalist.

School of Social Work Professor HUGO KAMYA was co-chair of the International Consortium for Social Development’s 18th Biennial Conference in Kampala, Uganda this summer. More than 300 delegates from over 40

countries attended the conference, which was co-hosted by Simmons College and Makerere University. Five Simmons faculty members and 10 students delivered presentations, which underscored issues of social development affecting Uganda, Africa, and the world.

SOM Dean CATHY MINEHAN recently traveled to Austria to participate in the Salzburg Global Seminar, “Restoring the Public’s Trust: Delivering on Public Policy Goals.” Dean Minehan was also named to the 2013 National Association of Corporate Directors, Directorship 100 List, which recognizes the “most influential people in the boardroom community, including directors, corporate governance experts, journalists, regulators, and advisors.” This fall, she was interviewed on NECN’s This Week in Business where she spoke about the state of the economy, current federal reserve policy, and her work as chair of former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino’s Women’s Workforce Council.

In October, she penned an op-ed entitled, “Why Janet Yellen is the Right Choice for Fed Chair,” which ran in the Boston Globe’s Sunday edition. S

cover story

You said you felt empowered, called to act, expected to lead.

But in all of this, you felt elevated by each other, bolstered by a willingness to help others succeed without the need to see others fail. That, you told us, is uniquely Simmons.

Read on to hear from the students, professors, and alumnae who have been impacted by their women’s education.

alumnet.simmons.edu

7

Mary Shapiro PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE, SOM

Laura Saunders

What has it been like for you teaching in a primarily single-sex environment?

For over 20 years, I have loved teaching at Simmons, largely due to the single-sex environment. I enjoy working with Simmons students, who are so motivated and dedicated and ambitious and ready to learn. As a longtime advocate for gender equity, I am passionate about teaching women the strategies and competencies that they need to succeed in any career they choose—and those are the same strategies and competencies that society socializes women not to do. Young girls are socialized to not speak up, particularly if they have a dissenting opinion, and yet we know in organizations, women who don’t speak up are passed over for promotions because they are not seen as leaders or contributors.

What benefits do you see among students?

At Simmons, we offer a curriculum that includes all the same rigorous content students would get anywhere else, but with an added “real world” complexity where women do face gendered barriers. For example, in learning how to build a financial case to get venture capital for a company you’d like to launch, you’ll also learn the gendered obstacles women additionally need to overcome. We also provide a classroom environment where women can ask difficult questions without fear of appearing stupid, and where they learn the critical skills of advocating their ideas and challenging others.

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, GSLIS

Can you describe an experience you’ve had teaching or observing student learning that could only have happened in a single-sex atmosphere?

I often get emails from Simmons graduates that give me an example of how they’ve applied what they learned in my classroom. One example was a woman who got a performance appraisal from her manager where he labeled her as “opinionated and inflexible.” When she asked him for specific examples of that behavior he said that in meetings she would often challenge his or other team members’ ideas, and resist being persuaded off her own position. After thinking about this, she realized that he was misinterpreting her meeting behavior. He saw her “challenging” when she was asking for data to back up their positions; he saw her as “opinionated and inflexible” when she offered alternatives and compared her ideas with theirs. Could he be viewing her through a gendered lens? Did he evaluate her male colleagues’ behavior the same way? She wrote to me that without the SOM single-sex classroom, she would never have thought to diagnose the situation through a larger social perspective.

AYANA AUBOURG | Class of 2016

We need a women’s education because we need more spaces, dedicated to us, to empower, challenge, and support one another. The friends I have made here are fierce and they continue to inspire me. I know that my peers will somehow take part in destroying the glass ceiling for ALL women.

At Simmons I am not only finding my voice, but learning to love it.

8

WINTER 2014

Since GSLIS is co-ed, have you had any opportunities to teach in a single-sex environment?

Last year, for the first time, I taught a single-sex course in the Simmons World Challenge (a course offered to sophomores during winter break). It was a really great experience, and I think I’ve been drawing on it a lot since then.

I’m not saying that a traditional classroom can’t empower women—of course that’s not true—but in a traditional classroom we can’t necessarily support all of the needs of any particular gender, because there are so many groups vying for your attention.

In a single-sex classroom we really can focus on the fact that women do have propensities toward certain types of behavior. Because we’re only dealing with women, we have the opportunity to address these types of things directly.

What benefits do you see among students (male or female)?

It can certainly be helpful to male students because library science is so female dominant. It can also be helpful in the classroom because they will bring a different perspective, and sometimes it might be the dominant perspective out in the world. It’s good to be aware of that and respond to it. Both sexes have the advantage of bouncing ideas off each other, and get a sense of how their thoughts might be received in the larger context.

RAELISSA GLENNON-ZUKOFF | Class of 2017

Can you describe an experience you’ve had teaching or observing student learning that could only have happened at Simmons?

At the Simmons World Challenge last year, we focused on the fact that the news media is failing certain populations. We had one group that wanted to work with women’s images in the news. Their ideas were really focused on how women are portrayed in mass media and how we could teach young women and girls to be more critical of the images they’re seeing

Since arriving at Simmons, I have been struck time and time again by the strength and depth of the ties between the women here. It is these types of connections that define Simmons as an institution that not only educates women, but also links them to one another and the wider world in a meaningful way.

Kristin Dukes ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, PSYCHOLOGY, CAS

What has it been like for you teaching in a single-sex environment?

and then produce their own images. It’s hard to say that couldn’t have happened elsewhere, but the women at Simmons at the undergrad level are so aware of women’s issues and they’re so thoughtful about it – it probably influences a lot of the work they’re doing in the classroom even if it’s not conscious.

What words do you think of in response to the question, Why a women’s college?

Confidence. Awareness of gender issues in general, not necessarily women’s issues alone. Community.

Being at Simmons has definitely stretched my brain. My first year here, I tried to incorporate some type of female empowerment into my courses, thinking this was the way to go. I had assumed that this idea of being a “Simmons woman” was this ideal that was going through all of Simmons, but there are so many ways to be a woman, and there are so many ways to express gender.

My second year, I became more cognizant of gender identity issues and what that looks like for Simmons students. I tried to create an open environment for every student because single-sex education doesn’t mean creating an environment for a certain type of woman. It’s for all women, whatever type of gender identity they want to express.

Having both psychology majors and women’s and gender studies students in class creates a different energy. To have so many different perspectives, and then to talk about gender issues through a psychological lens, results in a great course with great conversations. This is the place where we can interrogate these tough topics.

What benefits do you see among students?

Students feel more open about asking me questions about my career path and career trajectory. I end up having really meaningful conversations with

them about personal things. It doesn’t feel like the students are prying, but it’s not the type of conversation I feel female students at a co-ed institution would even think of having.

How does teaching at Simmons, in a primarily single-sex environment, compare to your teaching experience elsewhere?

I feel inspired teaching in front of a group of women, especially women of color. It’s an inspiring feeling. It’s definitely a different energy. Simmons students value their education in a way I did not see elsewhere.

What words do you think of in response to the question, Why a women’s college?

Confidence-boosting, empowering, sisterhood.

alumnet.simmons.edu

9

Charlene Berube ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE AND INTERIM CHAIR OF UNDERGRADUATE NURSING, SNHS

What has it been like for you teaching in a primarily single-sex environment?

I am struck by the way in which these young women, over the course of their study here, mature both professionally and personally and develop their skills in terms of leadership, being confident, and having a high degree of self-esteem. I am so exquisitely impressed by that. There is a confidence and a competence and a willingness to really engage in academic life without pause, without being apologetic about being focused on their studies.

Joanna Almeida ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, SSW

What has it been like for you teaching in a primarily single-sex environment?

I have a 4-year-old daughter and I’d be thrilled if she went to a single-sex college. I just think the learning environment for girls and young women that is nurtured here allows them to focus on the learning experience. It helps encourage self-esteem and courage in themselves and in their ability to learn and succeed going forward. In classes they’re not distracted by other interests, they’re really there to focus on the learning experience.

What benefits do you see among students (male or female)?

It is nice having a male perspective sometimes on the topics we’re talking about, and I think it’s great for the few men in the classes to hear the female perspective. In the process of learning from each other, stereotypes are undone or the process at least starts. It’s good exposure for the men who are training as social workers to know that, going forward in this field, you’re going to be working with other women.

Can you describe an experience you’ve had teaching or observing student learning that could only have happened at Simmons?

At the Simmons School of Social Work, we have a really strong emphasis on social justice, equal rights for both genders, and equal access. That goal at Simmons has definitely pervaded the classroom. Students have told me that is the reason they decided to come to Simmons: the emphasis on social justice.

What words do you think of in response to the question, Why a women’s college?

Equity, the promotion of self-confidence and esteem, and developing a stronger sense of self than you might at a dual-sex, dual-gender college.

10

WINTER 2014

What benefits do you see among students?

We don’t have the stereotyping that can happen in other settings. We almost share a mindset, and that comes through in our interactions in the classroom.

There’s a comfort that we feel in the classroom, a camaraderie. We feel safe together, and that allows for extraordinary dialogue and feedback between faculty and students.

How does teaching at Simmons compare to your teaching experience elsewhere?

Whether they’re students of nursing or sociology majors, it’s oftentimes the intangibles. When we talk about classroom engagement, students don’t have to hide the fact that they’re serious about their academics. They engage in the classroom. The students are also far more supportive of each other here. I have never seen such support. I don’t know if that’s unique to Simmons, but it is definitely something that I see here – a desire to support each other in being successful, and nursing can be really competitive.

What words do you think of in response to the question, Why a women’s college?

It’s the relationships. That epitomizes Simmons. It’s all about relationships – faculty, deans, the ways in which they connect to Simmons.

Judy Bornstein ’96SM CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, AMERICAN INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDS

Why a women’s education?

Denise Di Novi ’77, ’97HD PRESIDENT, DI NOVI PICTURES, INC.

Why a women’s education? Why did you choose Simmons?

For me personally, Simmons was life-changing in terms of the encouragement and validation I received. I entered college without a lot of confidence, feeling that I never had a real voice. At Simmons, I felt so much support and respect as a young woman, and people really believed in me.

Our cultural norm is co-ed, and our cultural norm is male-dominated. To have a rest from that gave me an opportunity to develop in a way that I would have not been able to otherwise. Today, I think a single-sex education is even more relevant.

Simmons is an oasis. A place where you do not feel diminished in any way.

Looking back, did you learn leadership skills here?

If leadership is about feeling like you and your opinion and sensibility matter, that’s what I got at Simmons. We all came from environments where it was a top priority to be attractive to the opposite sex. That was at least equal to your academic pursuits. Being in an environment where that doesn’t matter at all allows you to create self-esteem and confidence, and that creates the opportunity to be a leader.

My professors were ardent supporters of women, and believed every student could change the world.

What words do you think of in response to the question, Why a women’s college?

When I heard about Simmons, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with myself. I knew men who had MBAs. I had a mental picture that it was sort of like a bunch of former frat guys who were now congregating around problem sets rather than a keg, and I assumed I would hate it. I thought whatever business school is, it’s not for me.

Then I heard about Simmons and was completely intrigued by the idea of an MBA program for women. Right away there was a hook for me.

I could set aside my biases, fears, and apprehensions and look at what an MBA would offer me in terms of my professional development. And thank God Simmons was there for me. I only applied to Simmons and I wouldn’t have gone to another business school.

There’s something very powerful about single-sex education. Women are trained from an early age to defer. We’re not the first to put our hands up to answer a question, or to assume a leadership role. It’s nice to be in an environment where anyone who puts a hand up is going to be a woman. And this is the perfect practice for the work world.

I spent my whole life in co-ed environments; I know how to do that. I didn’t need somebody to show me that. It’s not like you forget. We’re surrounded by men all the time, we remember.

What happens is, for a limited period of time, there is an environment for women to practice the skills we don’t always get in the course of

growing up. Whoever is going to be first in class will be a woman. Whoever is a leader is going to be a woman. And we get to find where we are in those roles, and nothing is prescribed. It opens up all the opportunities. This doesn’t guarantee success. If you want to be a star, you get to be a star. Nobody will hand it to you, but you are never counted out.

Looking back, did you learn leadership skills here?

I had a lot of leadership skills in my life growing up. I went to business school for the content of business school, and I worked very hard. It was really a proving ground for me. When I work hard, harder than I think I possibly can, I can achieve something big. That stays with me the most.

OLIVIA ANDERSON | Class of 2016

For me, Simmons has been a home away from home. I never expected to find such a supportive community. Being pre-med, I expected to find a healthy dose of competition, but at Simmons, no one has been anything but supportive. This is a small community with a ton of connections.

Oasis. Sanctuary.

alumnet.simmons.edu

11

DANA PRESCOTT | ’12 SW, ’14 Ph.D.

Stacy Mullaney ’90 VP, FIDUCIARY TRUST COMPANY

What does it feel like to be a male student at a women-centric college?

I have had a fortunate career that has allowed me to participate as a lawyer in many academic, political, and institutional environments. My work over the past 30

What was it like for you to be a student at Simmons?

years, and particularly with colleagues across disciplines

Fabulous. I credit the school with changing the trajectory of my life. As I’ve looked back on it, it goes back to the thought, “You are the company that you keep.” Who are these 18-year-old girls who choose this different path? It’s special and unique, but it’s different. What type of girl is drawn to that? It may not be for reasons they know; it wasn’t for me, something just drew me to it. That type of girl just wants something different, something more. You are surrounded by 18-year-old girls who want that something more. You’re around girls who don’t just want to perform, they want to reach. These girls think, “Of course I’m going to grad school.

Of course I’m going to run for office.”

It’s powerful to be around that pulse and that energy.

And the professors were not only committed to educating women, they were committed to empowering women. They expanded my view of my own capabilities and my goals.

I went on a tour with a junior, and I wanted to be her. She was so poised, so articulate, so impressive, she was an incredible young woman, which I attributed to Simmons. My parents said the same thing: if she was the Simmons product, that was what they wanted for their daughter.

At Simmons, I became more inquisitive and questioning, instead of just taking what was given to me. Not everybody gets that spark in them during college. That was a tribute to the professors and the other women around me. It’s empowering. And that changed my perspective of my own abilities.

I can do more! I’m going to graduate school. And then law school. I didn’t want to stop. Simmons expands your own personal vision.

Whatever that end game is, you will reach your potential and be fulfilled, and that reaching wasn’t in me until I got to Simmons.

in the areas of child custody, divorce, and interpersonal

Looking back, did you learn leadership skills here?

Being around highly competent and ambitious women, you learn leadership and collaboration. They’re not just showing up, they are there to participate.

I also learned a lot about working with others horizontally, and I bring that into my current job.

What words do you think of in response to the question, Why a women’s college?

Reach. More. Expand. View. Empowered.

12

WINTER 2014

violence, had always involved many extraordinary professional women in practice, conferences, and policy. Thus, when I entered the Ph.D. program at Simmons, I did not find my status as a male in a “womencentric institution” unusual for me in any way.

What Simmons offered, however, and what I found unique, was an academic environment that provided a synergy between an accomplished faculty and a group of extraordinary women in the Ph.D. cohorts who were encouraged and mentored to become leaders; to transform the profession of social work and make a difference outside academia, not just obtain the privilege of a degree. My privilege has been to observe and learn from these colleagues in ways that I really do not think would so easily or seamlessly occur in other places.

Indeed, I had always thought of the culture at Simmons as uniquely collaborative, but never really attributed that to more than the people themselves.

Simmons has a rich history and culture of educating women as leaders and that fosters a non-adversarial

I have rarely seen such a willingness to help others succeed without the need to see others fail. This feature of the Simmons

environment for learning.

experience as a women’s college was also reflected in

my experiences as an adjunct in the MSW program.

The MSW program draws a gifted and diverse group of students, the vast majority of whom are women, who are supported and encouraged to succeed as critical thinkers and dynamic leaders. Although I am only an observer and consumer, this mission of Simmons, and its unique gift to the broader community, is needed more than ever today.

alumnae/i achievements

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

The Boston Globe Magazine recently published a list of the top 100 women-led businesses in Massachusetts. This annual list features femalerun, for-profit companies with the biggest revenues and included: CAROLYN CASHMAN ’79, president of CRC Co., DARLENE MURPHY ’84, president and co-founder of Wellesley Investment Advisors; and INDIRA PATEL ’83SM, president and CEO of New England Office Supply.

BARBARA CHAMBERS ’79 was appointed

senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Cambridge Savings Bank. In this role, Chambers will oversee the bank’s strategic marketing initiatives including advertising, branding, digital marketing, and strategic planning.

RACHEL CHATALBASH ’03LS was appointed as the inaugural senior archivist in the Reference Library at the Yale Center for British Art. Her position involves working closely with the Center’s sister institution in London, the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, and institutions associated with Paul Mellon, such as the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. [1] LEANNE CORDISCHI ’88, P ’15 wrote Remember Me! (Five Peas Press 2013), a picture book about the importance of a child’s

name. Her daughter, Patricia Cordischi, drew the illustrations. With poetic expression and whimsy, the main character Henry conveys his frustration with his teacher who mistakes him for another child, causing him to believe that she has forgotten him.

[2]

MIRIAM GLASSMAN ’84GS recently published Call Me Oklahoma! (Holiday House, 2013). Illustrated by the author, this humorous chapter book follows the ups and downs of Paige Turner, who sees the start of fourth grade as the chance to reinvent herself into a braver, more assertive person. And it all begins with a gutsy new name: Oklahoma! This is Glassman’s third children’s book.

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin named REBECCA HOLCOMBE ’05SM to be the

state’s next secretary of education. Holcombe is currently director of the Dartmouth Teacher Education Program in Hanover, N.H. The governor noted that Holcombe’s ability to bring people together proves she can work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders to get tough things done.

JUDITH TURNER PHAIR KING ’68 was recently

inducted into the National Capital Public

Relations Hall of Fame. In October 2010, she received the Public Relations Society of America’s highest individual award, the 2010 Gold Anvil Award, which is presented to an individual whose work significantly advanced the profession and set high standards for those engaged in the practice of public relations. Phair King is president of PhairAdvantage Communications, LLC, an independent consulting firm founded in 2002.

[3] ANNA STANISZEWSKI ’06GS published

The Dirt Diary (Sourcebooks, 2014), a middlegrade novel about Emily Lee navigating eighth grade while helping out with her mom’s new house-cleaning business. Her diary starts to fill up with all the dirty secrets she learns cleaning the homes of the most popular kids in school.

Staniszewski is also the author of the My Very UnFairy Tale Life series.

[4] SARAH THOMAS ’73LS has been elected to the American Philosophical Society. Thomas was recently named vice president for the Harvard Library; she currently serves as librarian and director of the Bodleian Libraries at the University of Oxford. She is the first woman and non-British citizen to hold that position in 400 years. S

alumnet.simmons.edu

13

advancin SIMMONS

What causes mean the most to you?

We’re very focused on museums and hospitals. Most of what we have will go to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and our collections will end up there. At present, our collections are used for permanent and traveling exhibitions in the United States and abroad. Right now, we have exhibits at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, and in Boston at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The exhibit at Brigham’s is nurses’ uniforms over the years, starting in 1900. When you put art in hospitals, it gives patients something to look at and think about other than why they are there.

What’s the most important quality you look for in an organization seeking your support?

The organization has to have a people-oriented mission.

What do you most enjoy about being philanthropic?

Conversation on Philanthropy Jean Strouse Sharf ’61

J WINTER 2014

What do you consider to be your most significant philanthropic achievement?

ean Strouse Sharf ’61 is among the most dedicated, consistent supporters of the College’s annual fund – The Simmons Fund – having made gifts every year for nearly 40 years. She and her husband Frederic A. Sharf are accomplished philanthropists whose activities include sharing their wideranging collections of art, design, and cultural artifacts with others through exhibitions in museums and hospitals.

You’ll find an expanded version of the conversation online at alumnet.simmons.edu/SharfQA.

I would say our involvement at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston – the expansion of their collection, and the museum’s exhibit mission.

What inspires you to give?

I think you should select an institution in which you can have fun in the process of helping. Then you need to make sure your help is meaningful.

We have to have an interest in the institution. And we want to get enjoyment out of helping that institution.

14

We’re always looking for a project to participate in – we enjoy seeing projects through to completion. And it’s so rewarding to witness the results. For example, we organized a traveling exhibit of car designs that’s now at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The art is by an auto designer who, as a child, spent six months in a hospital and watched cars going by outside his window. That led to his career choice. At Children’s Hospital, his designs inspired a child to draw a flying car and explain that “in the future, the hospital will come to me. I won’t have to go to the hospital.”

Sometimes children can express more through art than they can through words.

Which living philanthropist(s) do you most admire?

Ned Johnson [chair and CEO, Fidelity Investments]. I don’t think anyone will ever know how much he has done for Boston.

He does it so quietly, even anonymously.

What should everyone who aspires to be philanthropic know?

Supporting Future Leaders Members of the 1899 Leadership Society Advance Simmons The 1899 Leadership Society recognizes alumnae/i, parents, and friends who support Simmons with annual gifts of $1,899 and above; each member plays a critical role in advancing Simmons’s mission.

In June, Elizabeth Fender ’84 will mark her 30th Reunion by returning to Boston to celebrate with her classmates and friends. Since her graduation, Fender has held Simmons close in her heart and mind.

“The faculty and staff served as tremendous mentors for me. They were passionate about their professions and generous with their advice,” says Fender. “I never would have secured that first job that launched my career without Simmons.”

As a generous testimony to her gratitude, Fender supports The Simmons Fund at the President’s Circle level with annual gifts of $25,000.

“We need more educated, independent women to be involved in business, government, and philanthropy,” says Fender. “Simmons needs to be able to offer scholarships to all those future leaders out there.”

As a student, Mary Murphy ’75 started to hone her skills in business, government, and philanthropy as the coordinator of new student orientation and through an internship with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

“Simmons was a laboratory for me to experiment and grow in,” says Murphy. As a member of the Dean’s Circle, whose members give between $10,000-$24,999, Murphy supports The Simmons Fund so that high-caliber students can continue to afford to attend the College.

“When my college acceptance came, it included a generous scholarship that allowed me to attend. I’m so grateful to the generous alumnae who contributed to the College before I arrived,” Murphy says. “This is my way of paying it forward.”

Lucy Pastore McCarthy ’91 is a volunteer on the fundraising committee for the 1899 Leadership Society and member of the Centennial Circle which honors those who make annual gifts of $5,000-$9,999. She, too, credits the Simmons community with encouraging and supporting her as she became a leader.

“Women’s colleges are relevant and important – now more than ever – and I want them to continue to thrive,” she says. “I developed a strong inner voice at Simmons, and students today need to do the same to come forward as leaders themselves.”

WARBURG GIFT BRINGS GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES TO SIMMONS

As part of Leadership Weekend, Simmons celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Warburg Chair for International Relations, which was generously established by Trustee Emerita Joan M. Warburg ’45, ’97HD, pictured above at Reunion Weekend 2010. The event honored Warburg’s transformative gift to Simmons, which has had a profound impact on students since 1983. The 13 Warburg professors who have held the chair each enriched scholarship at the College with their distinguished records in international relations, enhancing academic excellence across campus.

Women’s colleges are relevant and important – now more than ever – and I want them to continue to thrive.

LUCY PASTORE MCCARTHY ’91

To join the 1899 Leadership Society, visit alumnet.simmons.edu/1899.

alumnet.simmons.edu

15

advancing simmons

Planning for Simmons’s Future The John Simmons Society – Continuing our Founder’s Legacy

The John Simmons Society, named for the College’s founder, honors alumnae/i, parents, and friends who have decided that including Simmons in their estate plans – through a bequest or other planned gift – is a powerful way to achieve their philanthropic goals.

One week after graduating from Simmons, Cathie Behrend ’70 took the advice of one of her studio art professors and moved to New York City to start graduate school.

Behrend has been a fixture in the arts scene there ever since, working as a professor, emerging collector, and serving under six New York City mayors. In 2000, Behrend partnered with Simmons to create the biennial New York City Arts Administration Summer Institute.

“I learned that students were going all over the world to study art,” says Behrend. “I knew that they could have an equally enriching experience in New York City.”

The program immerses students in arts administration, complementing their classroom experiences. Behrend’s commitment to Simmons inspired her to support the art and music department, as well as the Institute, through a bequest.

“I believe you should give to places that you are passionate about,” says Behrend. “For me, one of those places is Simmons!”

Janine Dusossoit ’82SM is equally appreciative of the impact Simmons had on her career. After spending years in the corporate world, Dusossoit tested her entrepreneurial spirit by launching her own business.

“Without Simmons, I wouldn’t have had the courage to make this massive career switch,” says Dusossoit. The company she founded, Way2Go, helps seniors transition to smaller living spaces.

Without generous support from her great-aunt Delphine Dusossoit Greene ’11, Dusossoit may not have been able to attend the School of Management.

“It’s my turn now to do that for other Simmons students,” says Dusossoit, explaining why she has named Simmons in her will. “I know that my planned gift will be used wisely to help other women succeed and advance.”

For more information on planned giving at Simmons, please contact Sharon Wheeler at 617-521-2354 or sharon.wheeler@simmons.edu.

16

WINTER 2014

LEADERSHIP WEEKEND HONOREES During Simmons’s annual Leadership Weekend in October, the Alumnae Association Executive Board presented achievement and service awards. Linda Charpentier ’68 was honored with the Mary Logan Canavan ’38 Planned Giving Award for her dedication to furthering the planned giving mission at Simmons, which was founded with a bequest from John Simmons.

Other award recipients included Bobbi Thompson ’77, P’11, winner of the Alumnae Service Award; the Hon. Amy Nechtem ’76, winner of the Community Service Award; Julia Roy ’05, winner of the Recent Alumna Achievement Award; and the Class of 1969, winner of the Hoyt Trophy.

Linda Kotzen Paresky ’64, ’99HD was on campus in October to meet with recipients of the scholarship she named in honor of her parents, the Gilbert and Marcia Kotzen Scholars Program. Alyssa Conley ’16, Raelissa Glennon-Zukoff ’17, and Jazzmine White ’17, pictured above, are among the recipients.

“Simmtober” Generates Buzz – and Support Trustees’ Generous Matching Challenge Inspires Giving

W

hen you combine popular October Simmons events with a lively social media campaign, a fundraising challenge, a giant birthday card, and an appearance by “John Simmons” himself, the result is – Simmtober!

Thanks to the participation of alumnae/i, students, parents, trustees, faculty, staff, and friends, Simmtober – a month-long celebration of all things Simmons – generated lots of activity on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and on campus. The community rallied around two Simmtober goals: raise $1.899 million for The Simmons Fund from 1,899 donors by October 31. The fundraising got a big boost from a generous Trustee Challenge, which matched all gifts made in the last 10 days of the month.

By the end of Simmtober, 1,934 people had made gifts, exceeding our goal. Though we missed our ambitious $1.899 million goal by $72,710, the number of gifts set an end-of-October record: $2,322.

“The community’s enthusiastic, generous response to Simmtober and the Trustee Challenge is wonderful. The funds raised will support scholarships and other essentials that benefit our students,” said Trustee Kathy LaPoint ’84, chair of the Making Education Work Campaign.

Simmtober tapped into the energy around multiple October events: Family and Friends Weekend, the “How Women Become Political” forum co-hosted by Simmons (see story on page 3), Leadership Weekend, the 30th anniversary of the Warburg Chair in International Relations, and Founder’s Day marking John Simmons’s birthday.

Throughout Simmtober, a camera-ready cutout of John Simmons popped up everywhere from Fenway Park to Shanghai, and “John” himself stopped by Leadership Weekend to chat with President Drinan – and sign autographs.

HERE’S A SAMPLING OF MESSAGES FROM THE BIRTHDAY CARD FOR JOHN SIMMONS: “Your legacy lives on in the 1,000s of women who lead better lives because of your generosity – including me.

Thank you.” JENNIFER WEISS ’07, ’14SM “Thanks for creating such an accepting and diverse community. [Happy birthday to the best college founder there ever was!]” VICTORIA ALVES ’17 “Thank you for changing my life!”

LESLIE LAKE ’86, TS

“Simmons has helped me determine my life goals!” COLLEEN CARMODY ’16 “Thanks for creating an environment for me to grow in!” KRISTIE FLAHERTY ’12

100

80

60

Making Education Work

PROGRESS TO GOAL

Help us raise $85 Million

by June 30, 2015 Currently at: $64,854,201

40

20

Trustee Kathy LaPoint ’84, Board Chair Lauren Brisky ’73, and President Helen G. Drinan ’75LS, ’78SM pose with John Simmons’s birthday card.

0 [Progress to date as of October 31, 2013]

alumnet.simmons.edu

17

advancing simmons

2

Events A full calendar of upcoming events can be found at alumnet.simmons.edu/events.

These and other photos from Simmons events can be found at flickr.com/simmonsalumni.

1

3

8

6

1 George S. Dotson, President Helen G. Drinan ’75LS, ’78SM, and Phyllis Nickerson Dotson ’62. 2 Clotilde Zannetos ’58 and Louise Razin Brown ’58, ’77LS meet “John Simmons” during Leadership Weekend 2013. 3 President Helen G. Drinan ’75LS, ’78SM joined panelists and featured guests to celebrate “How Women Become Political” (see story on page 3). 4 Amy L. Concannon ’13, Necy Lopes ’10, Jessica Kowalski ’09, Elissa Goldman ’11HS, and Mercedez Lemieux ’13 at the Evening of Appreciation during Leadership Weekend 2013. 5 The Hon. Amy Nechtem ’76, winner of the Community Service Award, and the Hon. Karyn F. Scheier ’72 at the Evening of Appreciation during Leadership Weekend 2013. 6 Linda Charpentier ’68, winner of the Mary Logan Canavan ’38 Planned Giving Award, and AAEB Vice President Lisa J.B. Peterson ’03 at the Evening of Appreciation during Leadership Weekend 2013.

7 Bobbi Thompson ’77, P ’11, winner of the Alumnae Service Award, and Board of Trustees Chair Lauren Brisky ’73 at the Evening of Appreciation during Leadership Weekend 2013. 8 Julia Roy ’05, winner of the Recent Alumna Achievement Award, and Lisa J.B. Peterson ’03 at the Evening of Appreciation during Leadership Weekend 2013.

18

WINTER 2014

7

4

5

THE ENTIRE SIMMONS BOARD OF TRUSTEES (SEE PAGE 2) PARTICIPATED IN SIMMTOBER AND ISSUED A GENEROUS TRUSTEE CHALLENGE, WHICH MATCHED ALL GIFTS IN THE FINAL 10 DAYS OF OCTOBER. OTHER ESPECIALLY GENEROUS MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY INCLUDE THOSE LISTED BELOW; ALL MADE GIFTS OF $1,899 OR MORE TO THE MAKING EDUCATION WORK CAMPAIGN AND SIMMTOBER BETWEEN JULY 1 AND OCTOBER 31, 2013. EVERY GIFT TO SIMMONS COUNTS, REGARDLESS OF THE SIZE. A list of $50K+ donors to the Making Education Work Campaign as of December 31, 2013 is available online at alumnet.simmons.edu/donorlist.

$100,000 - $499,999 Noreene Storrie ’86SM

$50,000 - $99,999 Aveo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Wanda B. Bagdon ’37* Carole Aherne Hauke ’61 Barbara Lloyd Hayes ’57 Hewlett-Packard Company

$25,000 - $49,999 Anonymous Sada Louise Seki Hoare ’45* Margaret Meo Houlahan ’64 Louise F. Lincoln ’40* Semiconductor Research Corporation Education Alliance Diane and Martin Trust and the Trust Family Foundation

$10,000 - $24,999 Alice S. Ayling Scholarship Foundation EMC Corporation Gail Kendall ’77 Janet V. Lew P ’07, P ’10LS and Emmalia E. Harrington ’07, ’10LS Dr. Nina R. Meyer Jessie G. Morse* Jane R. Mosakowski ’79LS and William S. Mosakowski Helene Goldberg Oppenheimer ’56 and Martin J. Oppenheimer

Abbreviation Key CP

Corporator

EM Emeritus Faculty/Staff GD

Garland

GS

College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate Studies

HD Honorary Degree HS School of Nursing and Health Science HT Honorary Trustee LS

Graduate School of Library and Information Science

P

Parent

SM

School of Management

ST

Staff

SW School of Social Work

Natalie Petzold ’47* Susan Snyderman Rowley ’64 Stuart Schaffner Esther M. Wilkins ’38

$5,000 - $9,999 Anonymous Elizabeth Maxwell Chace ’69 Linda J. Charpentier ’68 Eleanor C. Dell ’83GS* Mary Glanzrock Edlow ’66 Mary Hay ’68 Margaret J. Hornady David ’78SM Laurie A. Kaplan ’67 Nancy Kosciolek ’86SM Claire Meyer Kretschmer ’52 Dorothy Harrington McKenna ’42* Jennifer B. Pinck ’86SM Carol Castleman Pohl ’63 Rachel Feinsilver Reck ’64 Charlotte M. Streat ’00SM Kathleen M. Sullivan ’74 Pamela Street Walton ’68 Katherine Wenc ’76 Clotilde Chaves Zannetos ’58

$2,500 - $4,999 Agnes M. Lindsay Trust Dorothy A. Bell ’78, ’90 Maria Nieberle Bueche ’61, EM Charlotte Goldfine Chefitz ’58 Lynn Voulelis Clydesdale ’70 Jennifer Kane Coplon ’67, ’69SW Eventbrite Mary M. Fenoglio ’72 Jane E. Fisher ’57LS Ann M. Glannon ’88LS Thomas N. Godfrey Henry J. Halko EM Jane P. Hardy ’86 Janet Harford Teresa Winter Messer ’68 Sheila Orlinsky Nadler ’57 Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation AG Sylvia Ohanesian ’56 Jerry and Helen Oliver Robin Parry ’84SM Willow Pasley ’82SM Lucy Pastore McCarthy ’91 Linda A. Peterson ’63 Emily I. Reardon ’99LS

Lois Howk Scammon ’56 Jean A. Schmidt ’49 Enid A. Shapiro ’67SW, CP Patricia A. Spellman ’96SM Deborah Stephenson Reed ’91 Bobbi Magidoff Thompson ’77, P ’11 Marion Walter ’10HD Emlen L. Wheeler ’72SW Ann Kvaraceus Ziegler ’70GD

$1,899 - $2,499 Marilyn Parker Asplundh ’53 Karen Temko Backilman ’65 Beth Fellman Bahler ’60 Anne Stevens Blomstrom ’60 and Bruce Blomstrom Susan P. Bloom ’60, ’81GS, EM Margery Friberg Blume ’69, P ’13 Robert E. Branson HT Debra LaCava Bulkeley ’79 Susan Brodsky Burnett ’86 Josephine Morello Butz ’57, ’07HD Jean Chin ’69 Olivia Cohen-Cutler ’75, ’00HD, CP Catherine Arlauskas Coleman ’49 Elizabeth Cook ’77SM Rita Chentko Cuker ’65 Victoria L. Danberg ’68, ’88SM Catherine Gloekler DeGraw ’85 Kristen Storrs DeLaMater ’84 Anne B. Denna ’05SM, ’07EE, ’09EE Sandra Rosenfeld Dickerman ’58 Mary E. Dotson ’65 Barbara Perry Elkins ’59 Sandra Labas Fenwick ’72 Prudence Adams Finn ’66 Janice Florin ’69 Eleanor Newman Galin ’59 Gail Foote Gamble ’68 Adria Deasy Giordano ’92 Christine J. Gleim ’91 Reeva Golub ’75 Helen Gerzon Goransson ’75 Susan Mathes Greenberg ’61 Arlene Ross Gross ’47, P ’78 Buffy McLean Haas ’75 Diane M. Hallisey ’82, ’89GS, ST Mary Jane Bronfenbrenner Harris ’75 Donna Carter Hazard ’66 Paula A. Hindle ’88SM Anne Collins Hodsdon ’75, ’77GS, HT Eleanor Gladding Hoehn ’63

9

Jane Jenkins Indoe ’68 Elizabeth Spencer Ivey ’57 Pamela Hardee Jackson ’85, HT Lynn Waldman Kaufman ’62 Maggie Keefe ’88SM Marsha Rosenfeld Kirshenbaum ’65, P ’94 Zina Kondratiuk ST Antonia Smerlas Lakis ’44, ’46SW Margaret West Laun ’46 Patricia Spear Lemer ’68 Carolyn R. Levinson ’70 Constance L. Lewis ’63 Roberta Abrams Liblit ’61 Lois Malatsky Liss ’60 Susan I. Luchetti ’81 Janice Stremlau MacKesson ’50 Lauren R. Martinez duPont ’93 Patricia A. Melanson ’83SM Esther Marmas Miller ’59, ’61SW Mary Grill Murphy ’75 Sarah Neill ST Jane Nixon Niederberger ’82 Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Inc. Carmen Chabot Pope ’74 Sharon D. Raney ’80SM Meredith B. Reece ’03 Barbara Warren Reed ’53 Lisa M. Rideout ’84, P ’08 and Michael J. Foley P ’08 Kathleen Rogers ST Catherine F. Ryan ’80 Georgette McMurray Sampson ’54, ’73GS Peggy Adelson Saslow ’44 Nora Sheehan Schaaf ’64 Karyn F. Scheier ’72 Janet Bloom Schlein ’52 Laura Bratko Schlesinger ’49 Maureen Thornton Syracuse ’68 Janice B. Taylor ’07GS Priscilla Trayers Tennant ’55 Sharon L. Tennstedt ’69 Ruth Flescher Tepper ’75 Romayne Layaou Thomas ’50 Ann E. Vietor ’51 Eileen Brenner Willig ’43 Catherine Santos Wilson ’69 Bonnie Cravets Yankaskas ’67

1

* Deceased

alumnet.simmons.edu

19

class notes

GRADUATE

CAS Miriam Glassman ’84GS recently published her third book, Call Me Oklahoma! (Holiday House, 2013). Illustrated by the author, this humorous chapter book follows the ups and downs of Paige Turner, who sees the start of fourth grade as the chance to reinvent herself into a braver, more assertive person.

Anne Pizziferri Benoit ’93GS recently completed her Ph.D. in educational studies with a concentration in adult learning at Lesley University. Her 2013 dissertation was titled “Learning From the Inside Out: A Narrative Study of College Teacher Development.” Benoit is on the faculty at Curry College in Milton, MA. Kathleen M. McDonald ’02GS recently took on the position of director of development for the Stoneham Theatre, which is listed in the 2012 Boston Business Journal as Boston’s fifth largest performing arts organization.

Previously, she was associate director of advancement communications at Salem State University.

GSLIS 1 Ann Wolpert ’69LS was a leader in her field as a pioneer in digital stewardship, and her career was international in scope. She had been director of MIT libraries since 1996, and an honorary trustee at Simmons. Wolpert also served as a member of the board of advisors of the Ph.D. program in managerial leadership in the information professions at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science.

She passed away on October 1, 2013.

Sarah Thomas ’73LS has been named vice president for the Harvard Library. In this role, Thomas will have overall responsibility for the Harvard Library and will collaborate closely with the board, the Faculty Advisory Council and the Library Leadership Team.

Thomas currently serves as Bodley’s librarian and director of the Bodleian Libraries, as well as pro-vice-chancellor and member of the faculty of modern languages at the University of Oxford.

20

WINTER 2014

Jennifer Swanson ’81LS, of the Draper Lab Library, has authored “Start Learning Project Management Skills,” in the July /August 2013 issue of Information Outlook.

1

Eva Semertzaki ’88LS, deputy head of the library of the Bank of Greece, has been elected a member of the International Federation of Library Associations Knowledge Management Standing Committee.

Mallory Stark ’88LS is audio visual librarian at The Redwood City Public Library in CA. Courtney Louise Young ’97LS is presidentelect of the American Library Association. As ALA president, she will be the chief elected officer for the oldest and largest library association in the world. She is currently head librarian at the Penn State Greater Allegheny Library.

Ahmad Khudair ’98LS is associate professor at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia.

Laura Saunders ’01LS, ’10LSD and Simmons Assistant Professor Mary Wilkins Jordan gave their award-winning research presentation “Reference Competencies from the Practitioner’s Perspective: An International Comparison” at the 2013 ALISE conference in March 2013. Their article, “Significantly Different: Reference Services Competencies in Public and Academic Libraries,” was featured in the Spring 2013 Reference & User Services Quarterly.

Abby Blachly ’05LS was featured in the GSLIS InfoLink for her work with LibraryThing: http://bit.ly/158kR91.

Dory Codington ’06LS has published two historical novels, Cardinal Points and Fate and Fair Winds (AuthorHouse, 2013).

Sarah Griffis ’09LS has been named senior reference librarian at the Sawyer Library of Suffolk University. She also completed her J.D. in 2013.

Monica Shin ’09LS is digital projects librarian at the Boston Public Library.

Andrea Davis ’10LS was featured in an article on the Council on Library and Information Resources Blog for spearheading a group of librarians to present at the 2013 South by Southwest Interactive Conference. Margy Avery ’09LS of MIT Press was also highlighted for her work at the conference: http://bit.ly/ ZD3zJf. Sondra J. Murphy ’10LS is now library director of the Oak Bluffs Public Library in Oak Bluffs, MA, where she also worked as the children’s librarian.

Andromeda Yelton ’10LS was featured in the GSLIS InfoLink for her entrepreneurial work with UnGlue.it: http://bit.ly/1abmBxD. Cressida Hanson ’11LS is a cruise ship librarian for the Holland America Lines. She shared her experience in a recent article: http://bit. ly/16r41NT. Andrea Cronin ’12LS was elected as a public library trustee to the Medfield Public Library.

Cronin was made curator at the Medfield Historical Society in November 2012, and also took on the role of librarian.

Sean Crawford ’13LS was hired in April by the serials cataloging unit of the Harvard Library.

Jan Day ’13LS was awarded the Kenneth R. Shaffer Outstanding Student Award in May 2013.

Michelle Fredette ’13LS was awarded the GSLIS Western Campus Leadership Award in May 2013.

Emily Houston ’13LS was awarded the Daniel Fleming Outstanding Student Library Teacher Award in May 2013.

Jasmine Jones ’13LS, ’13GS was awarded the Estelle Jussim Award in May 2013.

Arthur Liu ’13LS was awarded the Outstanding Information Science Student Award in May 2013.

Jade Kara Mishler ’13LS has been promoted to library director at CIRMA in Guatemala.

UNDERGRADUATE

1932

Dorothy Boyer Gornick celebrated her 102nd birthday on September 1! She enjoys the SIMMONS alumnae/i magazine and makes annual gifts to the College.

1939

REUNION

Marjorie Duggan Murphy 302 Brooksby Village Drive, Unit 607 Peabody, MA 01960 Elinor Olson Butman shares, “We have been spending our vacation at Long Beach in Rockport as we have done for years and will return to Marco Island in October for the winter. Paul and I are well but slowing down.” | Frances Albert Leavitt writes, “At 95 I am holding on, hoping to keep up shape to enjoy my children, seven grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren all scattered across the U.S. and Canada.” | Clare MacPherson Peters is still “hanging in,” still driving, and still very happy living at North Hill. Happy memories of life at Simmons! | Anne McLean Corson celebrated her 95th birthday with family and friends on July 5. She was able to dance with her grandson at her granddaughter’s wedding in June. She still enjoys watching all of her plants grow through the various seasons and

indulges in her passion for bird watching. She is looking forward to attending her youngest granddaughter’s graduation from Westminster Choir College in Princeton in the spring.

1944

REUNION

Joan Keating Lowney 1202 Greendale Avenue, Apartment 119 Needham, MA 02492 Peggy Adelson Saslow writes, “I recently celebrated my 90th birthday with immediate family and requested that donations be made to Simmons in lieu of gifts. Of course if I had a big party, Simmons would have received more.

Reunion is coming up May 30 - June 1, and you need to put it on your calendar now. Just think, we will be a group of ‘hot’ 90-year-olds. Stay tuned.”

1945

Bernice Diamond Levinson 22 Hawthorne Village Concord, MA 01742 bernicel22@comcast.net Alice Whittaker Latimer writes, “I’m still in my own home with help to do household chores and gardening. During fall, winter, and spring I attend classes at Furman University sponsored by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. The classes keep me alert.” | Janet E. Campbell made two trips back to Massachusetts from North Carolina this year for memorial services. “They come faster and faster these days, and I go with my walker and cane.” | Mildred Starratt Robbins is happy and well at Bristol Glen Retirement Home. Good library, card games, and nice people make life a pleasure. | Judith Epstein Banks writes, “We’re awaiting the arrival of our eighth great-grandchild. We enjoy all the advantages of symphony and other events in the city. Henry and I are blessed to be together for 68 years. Best to all.” | Esther Sherburne Bickford shares, “We are both reasonably well and find life quite pleasant in the independent living facility where

we have lived for three years. Recently we enjoyed a family get-together at Stratton Mountain in Vermont. The highlight of the weekend was when several in the group tried the zip-line, a summer attraction for the ski areas.” | Doris Mauke Sheard’s husband John writes, “Doris is currently doing her third year of residency at a senior care facility here in Williamsburg, NY, only five minutes away from our house, so life is good.

We celebrated 66 years of marriage in July.”

1946

Priscilla H. Hanks ’73LS 6 Wildon Road Wellesley, MA 02482 pat.hanks@verizon.net Norma Berman Imershein is a busy volunteer with her local food pantry, docent at the Chesapeake Bay Biological Lab Visitors Center, and has “various jobs” for the League of Women Voters and the Calvert County Master Gardeners. For a vacation, she and her daughter went on a river cruise from Budapest to Nuremberg. | Back in the U.S., Wanda Williams Cook, Connie Prescott Hudson, Jackie Burns Harrington, and Ruth Rados Horgan keep in touch with younger alumnae at meetings of the South Shore Simmons Club. Connie’s granddaughter, Ashley Hudson ’13GS, received a master’s in behavior analysis from Simmons. | Jackie attended the graduation of her granddaughter Sarah Kidde from Northeastern University, plus the weddings of her grandchildren Fern and Shawn. | Jeanne Brown Reever’s granddaughter, Samantha, just graduated from NW Missouri State University and her sister Nanette is enrolled in a nursing program in Kansas City.

1949

REUNION

Emily Macy Salaun 101 Tower Avenue Needham, MA 02494 esalaun@juno.com Emily Macy Salaun reports that going south is a great way to meet fellow classmates. | Laura alumnet.simmons.edu

21

class notes

UNDERGRADUATE

Bratko Schlesinger and husband William of Brookline visited former judge Hon. Katherine Izzo at her home in Sarasota, FL, this past winter. | Virginia Lowe Fiske, in Pittsburgh, PA, maintains a “keep moving” schedule, volunteering at her church as hospitality coordinator and hearing from many of us at Christmas time. She has 13 nieces, nephews, and one grand-niece. | Rachel Stavrolakis has moved to River Landing. Her new address is 5357 Mackenzie Lane, Colfax, NC 27235. | Sylvia Cohen Sheketoff has moved from Florida to 32100 SW French Prairie Rd., Apt. 213, Oregon, 97070. | Condolences are extended to Elizabeth “Chris” Klein Matthys, on the passing of her husband, Lee. She now lives at 579 Back Island Rd., Apt. 172, West Yarmouth, MA 02673.

1950

Dorothy Rose Nord Chester Village West 317 West Main Street Apartment 8201 Chester, CT 06412 drnord@comcast.net Ginger Brown White wrote that she and Fred moved to River Woods Retirement Community in Exeter, NH, last April.

1952

Ann David Young 126 Berwick Place Norwood, MA 02062 drocey@comcast.net Nadia Ehrlich Finkelstein finehr@aol.com Longfellow’s Wayside Inn, a National Historic Site in Sudbury, MA, was the setting for our class spring mini-reunion luncheon in April 2013. Class Vice President Edna Cohen Landesman planned a delicious menu, and we enjoyed a beautiful sunny day. | Barbara Scannell Devlin informs us she and her husband, Ted, now have two great-granddaughters, Olivia, age two and Aleya, seven months. They visited in February for a week, and Ted saw them for

22

WINTER 2014

the first time in person. Barbara says they love communicating via Skype. | Cynthia Hardy Johnson and husband Bob celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary in August 2012. “Cinny” is still wheelchair-bound as a result of a stroke in July 2007. They continue to enjoy summers at their lakeside home in Vermont. | Elane Goren Jacobs remains active playing bridge and mahjong and volunteers at a Naples museum. She attributes the longevity she and her husband share to living in Florida and participating five times a week in water aerobics. In October they will become great-grandparents. | In March Mary “Mimi” Bonner Hocknell and her husband, Ted, visited Ann David Young and husband Bob for lunch in Norwood, MA, and had an opportunity to catch up on news. | The class extends sympathy to Janet Bloom Schlein and her family on the death of her husband, Herb, in March.

1953

Dorothy Halloran Fowerbaugh 6733 South Bend Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46804-6267 pauldotty1@netzero.com Elenore Reill Selin 37 Gravesleigh Terrace Pittsfield, MA 01201 suneselin@verizon.net Dorothy Halloran Fowerbaugh reports that our 60th Reunion was well attended; 26 classmates were at the Class dinner. | Many thanks go to Barbara Warren Reed who compiled updated mini-bios from classmates at the dinner. Barb has lived in a Falmouth, ME, retirement community for 10 years. She volunteers at Maine Medical Center, keeps in touch with physical therapy classmates, and has acquired an interest in antique cars as well as gardening, hiking, and swimming. | Congratulations to Mary Bartlett Bunge ’06HD, who received the Distinguished Faculty Award from the University of Miami.

Her decades of work with Schwann cells in the spinal cord injury field contributed to FDA approval for a human trial cell

transplantation into a patient’s site of injury. | Joyce Maney Savoca ’86GS volunteered for the Simmons Admission Office for six years. She enjoys her four children and thirteen grandchildren. Currently, Joyce is studying sculpture and working in a studio. | Our condolences go to Joanna Tavares Long on the death of her husband, Carl, in 2010.

Son Carl Jr., who retired from the Air Force Band in July 2013, just earned a doctorate in musical arts. Daughter Barbara is a technical writer for Lockheed Martin. | According to Caroline Huppi, her mother-in-law, Virginia Van Der Voort Huppi, may be moving to Ohio from her California assisted living residence. Ginny’s husband, Rod, passed away in April 2013. For many years, Ginny and Rod traveled from California to attend our Class reunion. | Jody DeRoma Dow has retired after 20 years in national Republican party politics. She now aids other women running for political office. Jody’s family is doing well and lives nearby. | While staying in Evans Hall during Reunion weekend, Joan Riviere Hudiberg enjoyed reminiscing with Nancy Billings Bursaw and Mary Lou Sperry Kruse about their senior year there 60 years ago. Mary Lou especially enjoyed seeing Dorothy Goldberg Juitt again. They had been roommates while attending the University of Washington. Dot’s current address is: 14 Madrid Square, No. 10, Brockton, MA 02301. | Our sympathy goes to Jan Loring Guidoboni on the death of her husband, Dick, in May 2013. Jan, who lives in Kingston, is looking forward to showing Nancy Billings Bursaw around Duxbury and environs, as Nancy has just moved to a condo in Duxbury to be near her daughter. Nancy’s address is: 6 Carriage Lane, Duxbury, MA 02332. | After a successful double knee replacement in 2010, London resident Molly Storck hobbled off to two weddings, one in France and one in the States. | Our deepest sympathy goes to Eleanor Doane Quirk on the death of her husband, Bob, on June 7, 2013. In addition to being our very proficient Class president, Ellie has been active in the parish nurse movement for many years. | Special thanks go to Ellen Budge

Stumpf and her committee for planning our 60th Reunion. Ellen worked as a nurse practitioner for 25 years. Currently, she is an elected trustee of the “over 55” community where she moved three years ago. Ellen has four children and four grandchildren.

1955

Barbara L. Keough ’83GS 25 Great Rock Road Sherborn, MA 01770 barbarakgh11@verizon.net Patricia Chisholm Wallace 72 North Mill Street Apartment 4 Holliston, MA 01746 pwallace10@verizon.net The Class of 1955 held a mini-reunion at the College on April 20, 2013. Attendees included Jackie Pell Tuttle, Barbara Meaney Keough ’83GS, Alice Koerner Wolf, Laura Bondi Carchia ’60LS, Shirley Trull Hardy, Pat Chisholm Wallace, Edith Syrjala Eash, Dorothy Shapiro Shannon, and Rita Taddonio Walsh. | Doris Kallias Copoulos and husband Nick enjoyed their first winter as full-time Harwich, MA, residents. There are many retirees there and lots of things to do. They joined a newcomers club and made many new friends. | Elaine Katsos Antonakes has been teaching two courses a year for the Explorers Life Long Learning Institute at Salem State University. She and husband Michael are living at Brooksby Village Retirement Community in Peabody, MA, and enjoy it. | Marilyn Paul Chapman reported that the new librarian in her little town of Fairlee, VT, is a Simmons 2012 graduate. She is a charming young lady and full of energy. Marilyn reported that her own 88-year-old body is not keeping up with her young mind. | Sonia Parker Davis reported that her older grandchildren are teaching and her younger grandchildren enjoy playing ping pong at her home. | Melissa Walker Wolfe reports that all is well in Minocqua, WI. She and husband Phil do a lot of crosscountry skiing. | Froso Metalides Delianides

and her husband, George, are official Jupiter, FL, residents. They plan to keep tight ties with New York and New England with summer trips. | Barbara Bickelhaupt Carter is still living in Tucson, AZ, but it is hot and dry in the summer months so she spends part of the year in Colorado. | Marjory Ahara Kraske reports that she and her husband, Dave, enjoy “limited living” on their wonderful tree farm. Their son Chuck and his family keep them “involved” as much as possible, as well as entertained.

Their babysitting has changed to youth sharing! | Ellie Morrison Brockway and her husband, Gordon, enjoy living at Briarwood, a retirement community in Worcester, MA. They keep busy, stimulated, and informed. | Judy Lamprey McLain reported that she was opening up her lake house in New Hampshire late and missed the Class of 1955 spring reunion. We hope she will be able to attend in October. | Jane Freitas Armstrong reported she has a wonderful grandson who is getting married in June. She has been busy having fun in Florida this winter. | Suzanne Mills Dennis heads north in May after a good winter in Florida. | Jackie Wray Buck ’60SW heads from Florida to New Hampshire in June. | Adele Cohen Goldstein ’72SW sends love to all and is keeping busy after a knee replacement. | Alice Koerner Wolf reports that she is slowly adjusting to a new life and wonders where it will lead. She spent many years in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. | Nancy Reid Whitman keeps busy with garden club activities, town meetings, and her family. | Mary Alice Thompson-Allen Spangler is not too happy being 80 and wants to stick to 75. She and her husband have lots of old-age problems but are “still stumbling around!” Mary Alice’s new email is maryspangler3@gmail.com. | Jackie Pell Tuttle is sticking to 77, as she likes double numbers. Jackie was born on the 22nd in ’33. Jackie was in New Rochelle, NY, in June when the town honored its 1689 debt and turned over a “Fatt Calfe” to members of the Pell family. The payment in calf was written into the 1689 deed transferring 6,000 acres of land from John and Rachel Pell to

CLASS NOTES SUBMISSIONS 1All Notes received will be posted in full on Alumnet 1Individual Notes should not exceed 35 words 1Notes published in the magazine will be edited for space and content 1Submit Notes on the Class Notes section

of alumnet.simmons.edu 1Email Notes to

classnotes@simmons.edu 1 Send Notes to your Class Correspondent 1Mail Notes to

Simmons College,

300 The Fenway,

Boston, MA, 02115

Attn: Advancement,

Class Notes Editor 1Call the Office of Advancement,

800-831-4284 or email classnotes@simmons.edu with questions

12 Huguenot families who wanted to settle in the area. Sixty members of the Pell family attended the ceremony. | Jackie Racicot Grandpre and her husband, Roland, are looking forward to coming east for the Class of 1955 60th Reunion. They will be attending a granddaughter’s wedding in Portland, OR, this summer. | June Sanders Sattler fell hiking in February and broke her ankle. She is still having problems getting around but is planning a trip to England at the end of May on the Queen Mary II, one of her bucket list items! | Adrienne Kennedy Powell has limited mobility from serious back surgery this winter. Adrienne is home recovering and would love to hear from her college friends. Her number is in our directory. She is improving slowly and hopes to be moving well by summer. | Rita Taddonio Walsh said she is still struggling with mobility issues and hoping for improvement. She is a wonderful

alumnet.simmons.edu

23

class notes

UNDERGRADUATE

Class agent and tries her best to get us to send in small donations to keep our Class participation status up! | Jean Cameron ’78LS marvels at all the changes at Simmons.

She remembers the climb to the third floor to the library and the lounge on the first floor and finds it hard to believe Simmons now has underground parking! Jean keeps fit with yoga and aerobics three times a week. | Joan Reed Buckman spends weekends on Cape Cod and is unable to attend the mini-reunions. | Doris Johnson is now at home, recovering from a hip replacement. | Linda Sprague McElroy is home in Acton, MA, after having a hip replacement. She is improving every day. Give her a call!

1957

Margaret Witton Russell jhrx642@comcast.net Sylvia Coutts Lansberg divides her time between homes in Chatham on Cape Cod and Siesta Key in Florida, where she’s active in the Sarasota Simmons Club. She has three children and seven grandchildren. Last year she accompanied her son and granddaughter, Hayley, to Scotland, where Hayley is now in her second year at St. Andrew’s University.

Recently Sylvia attended a reunion in Toronto of cousins from the Scottish side of her heritage. Another granddaughter, Zoe, is in musical theatre and while she was performing in the Albany, NY area, Sylvia had a delightful visit with her Simmons roommate, Mary Frances Moran Collins. | Margaret Eberlein Philbrick retired six years ago as a development officer from Harvard Law School, where she worked closely with the dean, now U.S. Associate Justice Elena Kagan. She and her husband, who also retired from Harvard, live in the Coolidge Corner area of Brookline and, like so many of us, are thinking of making a move. Her two daughters live in New England, and her son and his family recently moved to Houston, TX. Peggy occasionally sees Barbara Lloyd Hayes. | Helen Jean Addison Blakelock and husband Bob have left Belmont and permanently moved to their longtime second home in Nobleboro, ME, and have “settled in”

24

WINTER 2014

to a manageable pattern. My husband and I visited them there several years ago and can understand why they made the move to their delightful home, filled with Helen Jean’s collection of frogs! | Lorrie Kechejian Gurun and her husband, John, have lived in Dallas, where John has his own investment firm, for 47 years.

She retired from The Suicide & Crisis Center in 2007. They have taken many cruises and on several, John was a lecturer. Lorrie enjoys the arts, cooking, reading, and spending time with her three children and four grandchildren. She keeps physically active with tennis, exercising and yoga, and keeps in touch with Judy Davis Berg and Nancy Garland Stoddard. | Sandra MacLean Clunies and Ruth Angell Finn are both active in the Daughters of the American Revolution and met up in Washington at the DAR Continental Congress in June 2013.

1958

Dianne Kofman Chirls diannechir@aol.com Our unflappable and perennial Reunion chair, Sandy Rosenfeld Dickerman, did it again!

She and her fabulous committee planned a 55th Reunion all of us will remember. As Sandy said “It’s all over but the memories.” And what memories we all have! Joan Blumenstiel Galbraith came the furthest from Dallas, and Mary Ann Bond Gebhart came the second furthest from Clarendon Hills, IL, both going home with Simmons sweatshirts. | Michele (Cookie) Lalli Genua commented that despite two nights without hot water in the residence hall, the Reunion was a huge success. She was so pleased that Joyce Weinberg Blackman was able to attend the Saturday evening dinner where she received so many warm greetings from her classmates wishing her well. | Norma Livingstone Silber captured it perfectly: “My elevated sense of pride in my college, the fabulous Pops, the fun of staying on campus, attending a lecture which examined the social consciousness of Simmons women, and connecting with my friends from 55 years ago.” | Thelma Warner Jarnigan and Gail Schailler Storms once again shared a suite on campus as they did when they were undergraduates. |

President Helen Drinan, as always, continues to impress alumnae as well as their guests.

Sandy reports that President Drinan makes sure that Simmons is on the cutting edge of education. She spoke about online education opportunities through the nursing program. | Nancy Sandler Gavrin gave an intriguing lesson about the secrets of staying fit and getting the best out of life as we age. Nancy is the owner of StayFit/NY in Scarsdale, NY and has been helping women of all ages to maintain their balance, flexibility and strength.

She was pleased to be invited to be interviewed on “The Today Show-Simmons Style.”

Nancy’s daughter, Beth Gavrin, is attending Simmons as a graduate student for a master’s in education. | Our new Class officers elected at reunion are Co-Presidents Louise Razin Brown ’77LS and Valerie Abdou Wyckoff; Co-Vice Presidents Phyllis Brown Cohen and Judy Epstein Levine; Secretary Dianne Kofman Chirls; Treasurer Patricia Keegan Harden; Co-Reunion Chairs Sandy Rosenfeld Dickerman and Hannah Lewin; and Publicity, Michelle Lalli Genua. | On behalf of the Class of 1958 I want to thank Sandy and her wonderful committee for the outstanding reunion: Deanna Rothschild Alpher, Louise Razin Brown, Elaine Rosenberg Cohen, Dianne Kofman Chirls, Lee Stargardter Feinstein, Nancy Sandler Gavrin, Michele Lalli Genua, Ellie Forscht Hadley, Patricia Keegan Harden, Judy Epstein Levine, Ginny Metcalf Lucil, and Valerie Abdou Wyckoff. | Please keep sending news via email, mail, or phone!

1959

REUNION

Joan Halpert joan.robih@gmail.com Barbara Petroske’s first effort at blogging details her three months in 1961 traveling around Europe by train. To refresh her memory she used letters she’d sent back to a boyfriend in NYC. To reminisce about Paris in the early ’60s go to www.firstimpressionsblog. wordpress.com.

1960

Elaine Gilboard Goralnick romaxe@aol.com Ann Devine Gross igross@bellsouth.net Barbara J. Zlotnick-Sanders zlotnicksanders@verizon.net Elaine Gilboard Goralnick had dinner with Barbara Colitz Dembo and her husband, Gil. She and Gil are still involved after 40 years with real estate along with their sons.

Barbara keeps busy swimming twice a week, checking her pedometer, and babysitting her granddaughter, Ruby. They are looking forward to a trip to Bali in the fall. | Ann Devine Gross reports that she is having a splendid year including zip-lining in Costa Rica. Ann attended a Downtown Abbey Tea which was a fundraiser for a local public TV station and now has become hooked on the series. Ann can be seen in the June issue of Bella magazine as one of the tea goers! She and Irwin travelled to the Everglades this past February and toured Marco Island but she was unable to catch up with Ellen Daly Higgins in Naples. | Clare Rosoff Holland is still happily singing with the Sweet Adelines. She and Rich are planning to go to Hawaii in November where Clare will compete with the Farmington Valley Chorus of Connecticut at the Sweet Adeline International convention. She reports that she had a chance to catch up with Cynthia Wilson Baylor and Lois Malatsky Liss over lunch, which Clare described as “what a hoot!” | Ellen Daly Higgins is back home on the Cape following the winter in Naples, FL, and sends her regards to all. | Barbara Safier Shoag and Lee will be off this fall to visit five “stans” in Central Asia: Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, etc.

Barbara has signed up for art and memoirwriting classes in between selling real estate.

1961

Claire B. Rubin cbrubin@gmail.com A 1961 mini-reunion was held at Capital Grille in Burlington, MA, in June. Fredda Kramer

Sage, Marsha Yoffe, Marion Geber Berman, Pat Weill Park, Deena Shriber ’63SW, Nancy Stern Klayman, and Carol Schlafman Woolf ’83SM were there. Nice to see everyone and we had a great time as usual. | Our sympathies go to the family of Hadale Nyman Groman and her husband, Phillip. Hadale had been suffering with Parkinson’s disease for many years and died in May.

1962

Myrna Abbott Kasser myrna@twokassers.com Sheila Hodge Willmott hosted Sudee Boyd Hering, Sue Sperry Hicks, Lynda Taylor Hedges, and Mary Kelligrew Kassler for a mini-50th reunion in Delray Beach, FL, last April. | Bobbi Zimmerman Perlmutter wrote that she and her husband, Burt, took a river cruise in Russia from St. Petersburg to Moscow, which was “educational, fun, and made many new friends.” They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in December and took a delightful four-day cruise from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, to Cozumel, Mexico, with their three daughters, their husbands, and children.

Bobbi shared, “We had our annual Maine mini-reunion at Peggy Forman Shapiro and Steve Shapiro’s home in Portland, ME. Our annual group consists of Gail Trust and Marty Fuchs, Joan Conlin Reilly and Paul, Peggy Loeb, and Peggy Ewing Stengel and Rob.” Last but not least, Bobbi has been appointed to the Simmons Alumnae Association Executive Board. | Robin Miller Green shared sad news that she lost her husband of 51 years in April.

“It was fast and unexpected, so our family is taking one day at a time.” She also reported that their Point Pleasant, NY, home, which was wrecked by Hurricane Sandy, is coming along and they are just about done with rebuilding.

Robin added, “I am a Florida resident living most of the year in Longboat Key where it is just paradise. If coming my way, let me know.” | Great news from Dorcas Briggs Miller: “I was fortunate to be inducted into the New England Tennis Hall of Fame this year. The ceremony was held at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, RI.” | Arlene Greenbaum

Cohen is making some moves. “Our son, Paul, who lives in Brooklyn, has just been transferred to Brussels and will be there for the next three to five years. He is taking his wife and my two grandchildren with him! Consequently we have sold our White Plains, NY, home and will become full-time Arizona residents. We will be in Tucson from October through May and in Flagstaff for summers. I am a New Yorker in my soul,” she says.

1963

Barbara Paresky Budnitz barbara@budnitz.com Our 50th Reunion was a singular experience and a wonderful time was had by all. We had a lovely Saturday night dinner together. | Liz Trull Berk says she’s “finally catching up with you all... with our first grandchild, a granddaughter, Zoey, born March 2013, and our son’s Ann Arbor wedding.” She continues to enjoy tennis, golf, singing, and skiing at Okemo Mountain, VT. She says, “Come ski with us!” | Bettsy Brown, who lives in Sharon Heights, OH, says, “I am retired from nursing and now have my own business, Connections to Healing. I am an alternative practitioner doing craniosacral therapy, gestalt therapy, and healing touch modalities.” | Martha Pease Cooper and Bill Cooper have been married 50 years. They have four daughters, all married, and seven grandchildren. She reports playing tennis twice a week, doing water aerobics, walking for exercise, playing bridge, and volunteering in church. Busy lady. They travel one to two times a year and have been to Machu Picchu, the Galapagos, Finland, and Norway in the last two years. Summers are spent on an island in Casco Bay, ME. | Phyllis Slobodkin Cove was an independent consultant for a few hectic years. She is now retired and she and her husband moved to Northampton to be nearer to two of their children and their grandchildren. | From Laurie Taylor Crumpacker we learn she still teaches history at Simmons and is busy writing about Margaret Fuller. She also spends time with three grandsons. | Virginia Hines Fruin writes that her grandson Robert, who

alumnet.simmons.edu

25

class notes

UNDERGRADUATE

2

she has adopted, just turned 16! “We still love Yosemite!” | Marcia Pioppi Galazzi said it was “wonderful to see dear old friends like Phyllis Ross and husband Fred, Shirley Taylor, and Bettsy Brown.” Marcia and her husband Stefan work on Cape Cod. They delivered Simmons t-shirts to their granddaughters whose mom, Alisa Galazzi ’05GS, completed her master’s in management and is enjoying a successful career.

Daughter Misa is a nationally recognized camp leader and gifted artist. Son Chris is executive director of the Cape Cod Maritime Museum. | Mary Ann Price Hayes and Jim celebrated their 50th anniversary on July 13, 2013. They now live in Binghamton, NY. She wrote, “We have three children, Kevin, Elizabeth, and Paul,

26

WINTER 2014

and three grandsons, Joseph, Matthew, and Alex.” | Connie Lewis said it was “wonderful to see everyone. Still working. Don’t know why!” | Alice Martin Roberts, with a master’s in library science, worked for the NY Public Library and the Boston Public Library. She retired “happily.”

She visits her daughter and her husband in Maryland each year and travels overseas occasionally. She hopes to go to Japan in 2014. | Linda A. Peterson retired two years ago and says she has moved to Pembroke. She spends her time at the health club, the town advisory committee, the church choir, and volunteering. | Sally Reed has taken courses and travelled to D.C. to see all the sites. What energy! She says, “Thanks to Simmons’s inspirational training, I

remain a perpetual lover of learning at any time and any place! Love to all my classmates. Our fiftieth was special in every way. I loved seeing you all!” | Barbara Fireman Ross ’95SW wrote “Forty-nine years have been filled with life in Hingham, MA, with husband Nelson.

We have two children and two grandchildren ages 10 and 5, our playmates weekly. I’ve retired after my second career with domestic violence victims. For fun, I sing in two choral groups, write fiction, and love to travel, among other things. Recent trips include Cuba, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. Nelson and I have shown our photographs from traveling, and some have been published. One photo I took in 1976 won the Fenway Park 100th

Anniversary photo contest and hung in the Museum of Fine Arts in a Red Sox exhibit last year.” | Mary-Ann Sulcius Staudenmayer has written that she has retired to Cape Cod and is also a master gardener. | Ambassador Harriet L. Elam-Thomas ’00HD reports that after 42 years in the U.S. diplomatic service, she retired in 2005. She writes, “For the past five years, I have been teaching and learning from the students from the current generation and must admit, it has been enlightening. I shall be working on my memoir in late September.

Many of you know my brother, Judge Harry Elam, died in August 2012. The outpouring of respect at his wake and funeral lifted our entire family. My husband, Wilfred Thomas, has been incredibly supportive during this time after my brother’s transition. What a joy to see all of the 1963 classmates for our 50th. Bravo to all of you, for you look wonderful and you have helped make the troubled world of ours a better place.” | Shirley Taylor Warren is involved weekly with volunteer work for a child and family agency. She also serves on a foundation located in Rochester, NY. She writes, “Basically we support higher education, brick and mortar, medical facilities, and the arts.” | Between reunions, I, Barbara Budnitz, have seen Phyllis Pomer Ross, Betsy Preston Rogoff, Barbara Fireman Ross, and Ann Salmon Robb, whom we called from the dinner to say that we missed her. We missed all of you. Small world! Bev Chernak Sherwat’s daughter, Stacy, and her husband, Miro Weinberger, who is the mayor of Burlington, VT, have connected with our son, Paul Budnitz, and his wife, Sabine, who live in that area, too. Bev’s other daughter and family live in Norfolk, VA. Drop me a line so I can let classmates know how you are. We are all moving forward to mixed adventures and can be a support to one another.

1965

Marjorie Levine Lappen malappen@aol.com

2 Carol J. Trust was named 2013 Outstanding Executive Director of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers. Carol, as the president of the Class of 1965, is inviting class

ARIZONA REGIONAL GROUP

Leslie E. Dykeman ’70 ledykeman@yahoo.coma Arizona alumnae met for lunch in Scottsdale in March 2013. Attendees were: Leslie Dykeman ’70, Nancy Barger Seadler ’75, Joan Pattillo Miller ’74, Marianne Siek ’86LS, and Helen Goldfarb Goldman ’67. Anyone moving or traveling to the Phoenix area please get in touch!

members to let her know how they want to be involved in planning our 50th Reunion. Email Carol at trust@naswma.org.

1968

Pamela Street Walton pawalton@myfairpoint.net

3 Pamela Street Walton shared a photo taken at 1968’s class meeting. In attendance were (front row): Gail Foote Gamble, Maxine Sherburne Williams ’74GS (standing), Pam Street Walton, and Terri Winter Messer.

In the back row: Sally Weinberger Weiner, Laura Buehler Plosila, Linda Sargon Bentley, Maureen Thornton Syracuse, Marianne Bourguet Loomis, and Peg Williamson.

1970

Martha B. Katz-Hyman mbkatzhyman@juno.com Theresa Dale Lafer ran for Borough Council this past fall in State College, PA, after being off the council for two years. She and her husband, Mark, celebrated their 45th anniversary this past September. | Ilene Schneider’s latest Rabbi Aviva Cohen mystery, Unleavened Dead, took first place for published fiction books at the Public Safety Writers Association conference in Las Vegas

in July 2013. | Carol Friedman Anderson and Howard reside in Boston. Howard teaches at the Sloan School of Management at MIT and Carol, who is retired, sits on the board of the Greater Boston Food Bank and is vice chairman of the board of directors of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

They have five grandchildren, eight years old and under, whom they love to bits and with whom they spend as much time as possible. | Ann Crosby participated in the USA Sprint Triathlon Age Group Nationals in Milwaukee, WI, in August 2013. She started doing sprint triathlons in 2008, inspired by her freshman roommate, 4 Millicent Foret Rothman, who had been doing them for years. They both belong to a women-only triathlon team, AIM, whose motto is “Achieve, Inspire and Motivate.” They participated in the annual AIM training weekend in New Hampshire in April 2013 and climbed Mt. Monadnock and sent in a great photo. Ann is on the left, Millie on the right. | Martha Katz-Hyman received the John T. Schlebecker Award at the annual meeting of the Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums in June 2013, which recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the growth and development of the organization.

alumnet.simmons.edu

27

class notes

UNDERGRADUATE

1971

Susan Kupor McHugh marketingedge@msn.com Evelyn Noether Stokvis writes, “After over 40 years in the fragrance and cosmetic industry as a creative director, I finally bit the bullet and retired from full-time work. I have many other interests that I plan to pursue.

The first thing we did after my retirement was to attend my oldest son’s wedding on Cape Cod, which was a joy. It was the perfect way to start the next chapter in my life.” | Anne L. Bryant shares, “At the end of September 2012 I retired after more than 16 years with the National School Boards Association.

Since then, I’ve had a busy year joining five not-for-profit boards and seeing family and friends. I’m also giving a speech or two and writing some, which keeps me engaged in both the education and association worlds. A board meeting for the People to People organization in China was one of the highlights.” | Stacey Binder Gerard writes, “I have been out of touch with Simmons for so long. I retired from U.S. Department of Transporta-

3

28

WINTER 2014

tion five years ago, after overseeing the safety of oil and gas pipelines in the U.S. and all hazardous materials in transportation. Today I raise organic veggies, chickens, and turkeys in historic Sharpsburg, MD, do a little safety consulting, and help out with grandchildren care. I am dedicated to learning how to live to be a 100-year-old woman with as much quality of life as possible.” | Marilynn Adams Albert reports, “I just retired after 16 years of teaching at the University of Washington, School of Nursing. I retired from my nurse practitioner practice three months before that. My first two grandchildren were born this year and I want to have lots of time for them.” | Joy Gabriel Kubit writes, “My husband, Joe, and I were in New London, NH, this summer which is our home when not cruising. This past year, after cruising along the Maine coast, and then south to Florida, we spent the winter months in the Bahamas.

We are enjoying visits with our children and grandchildren, and were thrilled to welcome a new grandson, Gabriel, into the family this June. We also planned a Labor Day Weekend get-together with my Simmons friends, An-

drea Jacobson, Priscilla Gould Malone, and Lisa Petra Wallace.”

1973

Deborah Lerner Duane lerner.duane@gmail.com

5 Barbara Semedo shared a great update!

“In late June, a group of Simmons 1973 graduates gathered in Washington, D.C., to reconnect and reminisce. The weekend get-together included a visit to the Martin Luther King Memorial and Smithsonian gallery featuring exhibits for the new African American History & Culture Museum.

Everyone agreed it was terrific weekend.

We look forward to getting together again in the next two years.” The great group of women who joined us were as follows in photograph, from left to right, in front of The White House: Donna Ramos ’74, Jenita McDaniel, Jewell Young Oates, Pamela Hayling Hoffman, Ann Brown Fudge ’98HD, Valerie Robinson Durant, Lynn Sylvester, Cheryl Pyles McPherson, Audrey Lewis Ratchford, Rita Dudley Grant ’05HD, Victoria Anderson Pinderhughes, Adunni Slackman Anderson, and Barbara Semedo. | Deborah Duane Lerner reports, “Our 40th Reunion in June was lovely, and we have two new officers, president Linda Siperstein Adler and vice president Claudia Oppenheim Cameron.” Says Linda, “Class agents, correspondent, and treasurer remain our intrepid classmates Audrey Kames Curtis, Pam Leven, Deborah Lerner Duane, and Marilyn Riley, respectively.” | Madilyn Raftery is teaching science to three special groups of students at Central Falls, RI, High School. | Michele Evans Mendes completed her third year as an assistant professor at East Carolina University College of Nursing, where she teaches nursing care of children in the undergraduate program. She writes, “The move to North Carolina has made it easier to visit my son Alex, an electrical engineer who lives outside Baltimore, MD.” | The fifth edition of Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook has been released. Nancy writes, “The first four editions helped pay for college

for my son John and daughter Mary. Maybe the fifth edition will help the retirement fund!” | Lynn Davis Aldrich writes, “Reunion was great, but I missed seeing some good friends.”

Lynn plans to retire in the fall to spend time with her husband. She writes, “We live in a memory-impaired assisted living community and plan to return home when our house is renovated. We have six great-grandchildren.

What a trip getting old is!” | Harriet Lipman Gottesman retired after 20 years teaching kindergarten. She shares, “Dick and I are moving to Philadelphia to be closer to our grandchildren, daughter Rachel and her partner Nikki, who met at the Smith School for Social Work.” | Lesley Levine reports, “As other classmates contemplate retirement, I’ve started a new chapter as a college counselor at my local high school, helping predominantly low-income, first-generation seniors. I’m hopeful this volunteer gig will morph into a paid position. Twins Mark and Ethan are college seniors, and son Adam writes for Motley Fool.” | Kathrine Armstrong Nadeau’s daughter Jessica received her Ph.D. in epidemiology from SUNY Albany and is working for Health Research Inc. in children’s vaccines. “Our granddaughter Avery celebrated her first birthday in June.

She is the child of our son Joe and our ‘other daughter Jessica.’ We need to move back to Massachusetts!” | Donna Lau Yee and husband Ken are now retired. She reports, “We see our two incredibly loving and active grandsons daily, since our daughter-in-law and son Jason, an anesthesiologist, also live in Newton. I’m especially fortunate to have Marilyn Bang and Susan Burns ’74 still around to share in milestone celebrations.

Here’s to friendship and a good life to all.”

4

1976

Several former residents of South Hall met in Duck, NC, for a mini-reunion in April. Pauline Fortin, Penelope Gay Livingston, and Judy Pirnie Smith all gathered at the home of Susan Mullen Kaplan for a weekend of reminiscing. Although unable to join us in person, Sharon Gray Hvizdak and Susan Strauss Battestin ’75 joined us by phone. It was wonalumnet.simmons.edu

29

class notes

UNDERGRADUATE

currently at Simmons and is part of the Class of 2015. Amelia loves both Simmons and Boston as much as I do. My middle daughter, Patricia, and I recently published a book titled Remember Me! which highlights the importance of a child’s name, as well as each child’s individuality.”

5

1992

Rebecca M. Cole ’94HS beckclarkcole@yahoo.com Marianne Roche ’94HS marianne_roche@yahoo.com Tamara Russell Jones married Jeff Jones in August 2012. Tamara left the private practice of law in January 2013 to become an in-house employment lawyer for City County Insurance Services. She says, “Please let me know if you ever find yourself in Oregon!” derful being together and trying to figure out where all the years had gone!

1979

REUNION

Debra Casey debcaseyrd@gmail.com Marcy Adler Krumbine just celebrated her one-year anniversary as the assistant director of community development for Burlington, VT. Marcy is pleased to be back in New England, working to improve this local community. She looks forward to connecting with her fellow classmates at Reunion next year. | Gail J. Pituck writes, “On behalf of your class officers, we welcome all members of Class of 1979 and your family or guests to join us at the College for our 35th Reunion. June 2014 is just around the corner, so mark your calendars and come celebrate with us!”

30

WINTER 2014

1986

Karen D. Wedlock-Hunt ’06SM karen_d_wedlock-hunt@raytheon.com Rebecca A. Sanford sanford1217@yahoo.com Susan Cohen Cwieka has been named executive director of the Residence at Watertown Square, a 90-apartment independent, assisted, and memory care senior community located in Watertown, MA.

1988

Erin E. Clement eec0715@cox.net Leanne Griffin Cordischi reports, “I am a mom of three teenage girls, Amelia, Patricia, and Erica, and live with my wonderful husband, Steve, in Sudbury, MA. I am currently executive director of the LincolnSudbury Scholarship Fund; a role I took on after spearheading the United Way of TriCounty’s Metro West Women’s Alliance for several years. My oldest daughter, Amelia, is

2003

Mia E. Wright mia.g.wright@gmail.com Katherine Ferrari Larsen is working on her sixth romantic suspense novel and reports she’s published Saving Caroline, 30 Days, Committed, Dating Delaney, and Tug of War, all available through major book sellers and for Kindles/Nooks. | Julie M. Laverty and her husband, Patrick Warren, welcomed twin boys Cian and Connor on October 30, 2012. Julie is a clinical social worker and loves her work with children and families.

2005

Zahra Kanji Ishikawa kanjiz@gmail.com Kim Williams Thipe is head of marketing and product development for South African Airways.

6

2007

2009

On August 10, 2013, Jacqueline M. Cullen was married at her parents’ home in Spofford, NH. “My fiancé, Andrew, was in the Marines and went to school at UNH, where we met in grad school. We also just bought a house in Dover, NH, and closed on it nine days after the wedding!” | Sarah Gusky Kemer shares, “I married Jacob Kemer in 2009 in a beautiful ceremony in Plymouth, NH. In 2010 I received my master of letters in Renaissance Literature (requiring a brief stint in Virginia). We have been back in Boston since 2010, and in March 2012 we welcomed twin boys Marcus and Gabriel into our family.”

Samantha A. Furbush Taraskiewicz writes, “After four years at Mount Auburn Cemetery, where I was the development assistant and gifts coordinator, I have started a new position as alumnae/i coordinator at the Nashoba Brooks School in Concord, MA.” Sam was married in October 2013. | 6 Catalina Rojo Ianetta, ’10GS married Gerald Ianetta on May 25, 2013, in Lincoln, MA. Wedding guests included Simmons alums and friends Erika Fields ’08, ’11SM, Stephanie Krzyewski (Emmanuel College alumna), Wei Ming Wong ’08, ’10SM, Samantha Furbush Taraskiewicz, Teresa Adam, and Lydia Gordon ’10.

Britta E. DeVolder bdevolder63@gmail.com

REUNION

Addison Haight anhaight@gmail.com

2010

Andrea M. Grant avoccio5@gmail.com Crystal A. Carroll recently joined Northeast Delta Dental as manager of community relations. Previously, Crystal provided media relations support to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund. | Cassandra M. Saikin reports, “I am entering my second year teaching middle school science at the Lyndon Town School in Lyndonville, VT. I received my M.A.T. in Science Education from Plymouth State University in 2012.”

2013

Molly Maidman mollymaidman@gmail.com Stephanie R. Gorosh writes, “My awesome update is that I was hired as the festival coordinator of the Boston Asian American Film Festival (baaff.org)!”

alumnet.simmons.edu

31

voices

SARAH GALVEZ

Woman on Campus In three years, senior Sarah Galvez has made the most of her Simmons experience.

W

hen Sarah Galvez ’14 began applying to colleges, an all-women’s education was not on her checklist.

In fact, the Maryland native was intent on attending a large university – until she visited Simmons. “I walked on campus and thought, ‘This is awesome.’ I just felt such a connection and I knew that I wanted to come here.” She cancelled her other visits that same day.

Three years later, Galvez is at the tail end of an accelerated path to graduation. She managed to fulfill her requirements with a year to spare, thanks to college credits she earned while still in high school. In those three years, she’s kept herself busy: interning with the College’s communications department (she applied for the position before even arriving on campus by responding to a post on Twitter), double majoring in communications and international relations, and taking part in the Sophomore World Challenge. She’s also become an unofficial spokeswoman for the College through her regular “Woman on Campus” videos, which chronicle everything from dorm life to dining hall options from the student perspective. Her most popular video, titled “Women’s College Myths,” has been viewed more than 4,000 times.

In the video, Galvez disputes the notion that women’s colleges are cliquey places where there’s nothing to do but study. “A lot of the myths about women’s colleges are based on stereotypes,” she said. “They really make me laugh, because after being here, I know they’re not true at all.”

Galvez is the first person from her high school to ever apply to Simmons, and none of her childhood friends applied to single-sex colleges. When she returns home to Maryland, Galvez is much more aware of the difference her Simmons experience has made in her life.

32

WINTER 2014

“After first semester, the divide between my friends from high school who attended co-ed schools was stark,” she recalled. “I was willing to speak up more, to say something when I thought things were wrong. Simmons helped foster that and allowed me to feel comfortable. A lot of friends of mine who go to co-ed schools don’t have that. They don’t have people constantly telling you to speak up, share what’s on your mind, don’t be afraid.”

The summer before her senior year, Galvez landed a press internship in the Washington, D.C. office of U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski. Out of 12 interns, she was the only one from a women’s college. Staff quickly labeled her the most ambitious and outspoken, attributes that Galvez accepts.

“That’s what Simmons teaches you,” she said. “I’m a bit more open about my ideas now. Simmons has showed me that I’m not afraid to try new things.” S To watch Sarah’s videos, go to: http://bit.ly/K9d3rV

In Memoriam From May 1, 2013, through July 31, 2013, the Office of Advancement received notifications that the following alumnae/i are deceased.

GARLAND JUNIOR COLLEGE

Viola Lifshitz Sklaver December 17, 2009

1963

1939

Margaret Coyle Weiss January 27, 2012 UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE

1932

Dorothy Harrington McKenna December 16, 2012

Marie Gates Jones June 14, 2013

Emily Hoffman Doerr January 9, 2012

Beverly Rogers Snow May 28, 2013

Lorraine Ferris Moore June 10, 2013

1940

Dorothy Siegfried Silhavy August 19, 2012

Priscilla Edwards Leavitt June 24, 2012

Natalie Robinson Sirkin March 5, 2011

Helen Richardson Coughlin December 23, 2007

Katherine MacDonald Rosberry July 31, 2009

Esther Redman Lucy March 11, 2005

Mary Watt August 24, 2012

Marian Wesley Vanderheyden December 15, 2006

Mary Mercer April 23, 2013

Irene Miller Wax October 5, 2012

Emilie Nelson Webber April 15, 2013

1934

1941

Elizabeth Welch December 25, 2012

Eleanor Dwyer Carlyn November 5, 2011

Louise Kotzian Creider November 8, 2011

1943

1949

Ina Butterfield Phelps March 2, 2013 Eleanor Porritt May 6, 2013 Lois Lowrey Eastman January 5, 2012 Lois Magoon Rivers May 15, 2013

1954

Hazel Connor June 9, 2013

1958

Marion Whitehouse Pak May 27, 2013

Esther Smart Howe May 4, 2012

Eleanor Bartlett May 15, 2010

1935

Ruth Dane Bernat June 27, 2013

Bertha Snyder Marram February 20, 2013

Eleanor Carlson Becker June 20, 2013

Ruth Peterson Hall May 14, 2013

Alice Price Merriam June 19, 2013

Eleanore Kram November 15, 2011

Marjorie Grady November 30, 2011

Rebecca Yeager Heffner November 21, 2012

1942

Elva Nelson May 26, 2013

1961

1936

Ruth Galway Hirst May 16, 2013

1937

Margery Hanson Cornwall June 21, 2013

1944

Evelyn Davenport Greeley March 25, 2013 Margaret Hine Gean May 5, 2013

Christine Waite Covert September 30, 2011

Frances Cullen February 13, 2013

Marjorie Bronne Reinisch February 20, 1998

Joyce Thompson Farough August 28, 2009

Marion Cadieux Fulmer April 30, 2013

1938

Grace Fitzsimmons Fay April 11, 2013

1946

Ruth Berger Greenwold March 7, 2011

1947

Virginia May Mansfield July 2, 2010

1948

Barbara Wemmell Check June 19, 2008 Hazel Enders Cornwell April 5, 2012 Janice True Dearth July 3, 2011 Olive Johnson Raddin March 2, 2013

1945

Marilyn Hart Gerber August 29, 2012 Mildred Levin Keller April 21, 2013 Helen Murphy Bradshaw May 10, 2013

Melanie‑Jane Lyons Deware May 31, 2013 Joyce Juskalian Kolligian June 11, 2013

2009

Tracy Wrighton October 16, 2012

1950

Kathryn Hunter Lanz January 11, 2010

Carolyn Anderson Conrad August 12, 2012

1987

1960

Mary Auerbach Carp April 28, 2013

Hadele Nyman Groman May 10, 2013

1963

Marlene MacLeod Eckstrand February 10, 2012

1964

Rosemary Roberts April 23, 2013

1969

Rose Segall MacKenzie April 25, 2013

1974

Sybil Goldberg Arguijo June 30, 2013

1979

Susie Chin Chin‑Nguyen November 25, 1995

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES GRADUATE STUDIES

1937

1955

Maxine Snyder Boodis May 17, 2013

1958

Marlene Goldberg April 4, 2013

1968

Barbara Proner Turesky March 4, 2013

1975

Edith Sperber October 20, 2012

1976

Alice Touhey Walsh June 21, 1995

Janice Hynes Chadbourne September 5, 2011

1942

1988

Laura Barnard Schnell August 3, 2009

Margaret Hallisey May 29, 2013

1950

Maryrose Jordan Baiano April 27, 2013

SCHOOL OF NURSING AND HEALTH SCIENCES

1954

Dorothy Kendall Harding November 14, 2007

Dorothea Nixon June 18, 2013

1938

2010

Kristin Sinclair May 25, 2013 GRADUATE SCHOOL OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE

1943

Rita Adams November 17, 2010

1952

Mary Starr May 19, 2013

1953

Ruth Marshall May 7, 2013

SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

1987

Joanne Shawcross May 9, 2013 SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK

1943

Jean Barkin Waldstein January 25, 2008

1959

Nancy Gleason June 5, 2013

1954

Brooke Earle Sheldon February 11, 2013 Cora Cobb Hruza May 6, 2013

To make a gift in memory of an alumna/us, please call 800-831-4284, email alumnet@simmons.edu or visit alumnet.simmons.edu/giving.

alumnet.simmons.edu

3

300 THE FENWAY, BOSTON, MA 02115-5898

Nonprofit org.

US Postage PAID Permit #121 N. Reading, MA

LEADERSHIP What does it mean to be an academic leader in Boston— the most competitive higher education market in the United States? It takes discipline, strategy, collaboration, and a passion for learning.

Our provost and our five academic deans have what it takes to ensure that Simmons College, and their schools, remain student-centered and educate a generation of new leaders who will make a difference in society. www.simmons.edu