Magazine - Spring 2022

WHEATON The magazine of Wheaton College, Massachusetts

Spring 2022

Diana Davis Spencer Discovery Center opens

PHOTOS BY KEITH NORDSTROM

Features 18

Is there a doctor in the house? Yes, two.

Alumni sweethearts follow passions together in careers as physicians

By Laura Pedulli

22

Diana Davis Spencer Discovery Center opens Reimagined spaces support academic programs, creative expression, collaboration

By Sandy Coleman

28

Social justice through literature KEITH NORDSTROM

Alumni-founded nonprofit focuses on dismantling racism

By Laura Pedulli

Departments

Between the Lines

2

The President’s Page

3

Around the Dimple

4

Conversation 12

SANDY COLEMAN

Lyons Pride

14

Campus Scene

16

Alumni Association Network

32

Class Notes

36

In Memoriam

62

Perspective 64

On this page

Scenes from the new Discovery Center: Fab Lab, faculty offices, collaboration and hangout spaces, and classroom

On the cover

Photo by Keith Nordstrom

Read us online

KEITH NORDSTROM

Find all our stories and more online at wheatoncollege.edu/wheaton-magazine.

Connect with us on social media

WheatonCollege @wheaton Email us: magazine@wheatoncollege.edu SPRING 2022 1

BETWEEN THE LINES WHEATON MAGAZINE

Vol. 112, No. 2

Director of communications and magazine editor Sandy Coleman Designer David Laferriere

Multimedia producer Keith Nordstrom Associate director of communications Laura Pedulli Administrative assistant Ellen Cataloni Magazine editor Sandy Coleman loves spending time in the Diana Davis Spencer Discovery Center.

KEITH NORDSTROM

The light at the end of the tunnel is us ✔ A renewed academic center full of refreshed spaces for learning, collaboration, dreaming and expanding what Wheaton has to offer the world ✔ A new president who has taken the helm and invited us all to help steer the way forward ✔ A new outlook on life in the face of a seemingly waning global health crisis (fingers crossed that a new variant doesn’t come along to spoil it) Spring is looking pretty good from here. After feeling like we’ve endured the longest, darkest winter ever, it is becoming easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel. How we look at things determines what we see.

I’ve decided to put on my rosecolored sunglasses and look for bright, shiny, hopeful things to show up—even in the shadows cast by challenges. This issue of the magazine is a good place to start to recharge your optimism, if it is running on empty with the news of war, inflation, ongoing supply chain issues, you name it.

President Michaele Whelan writes about setting the course ahead in her first 2 WHEATON MAGAZINE

column here. The Marketing and Communications Division had the pleasure of being one of the groups invited to the Presidents’ House to share our ideas about the college’s future with her. She was an attentive conversationalist at the gathering around the dining table that included dessert and coffee. What a relaxing way to contemplate the future.

I’m one who blurts out things without fear of consequences— well, I do fear the consequences, but not until after the fact.

Anyhow … she truly listened and considered all that was being said, which felt very collaborative and was much appreciated.

Our magazine cover story

is about the new Diana Davis Spencer Discovery Center Dedicated to Free Speech and Innovation, made possible by the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation.

The center itself brings joy just walking through it with its yellow walls, sleek decor and seethrough rooms that offer glimpses of students and faculty engaged in coursework and conversation.

And our two alumni feature stories written by Laura Pedulli are so heartwarming. One is about two pediatricians in love with each other, their work and providing empathetic care from their perspective as parents. The other story is about a group of alumni friends working together to understand what it means to be an anti-racist society and to contribute to making that happen.

Happy reading. May your days be full of light.

Sandy Coleman, editor

Assistant vice president of marketing and communications Michael Graca

Vice president for marketing and communications Gene Begin

Wheaton , The Magazine of Wheaton College (ISSN 1068-1558), is published three times a year (winter, spring and fall) by Wheaton College and printed by Lane Press of Burlington, Vt. Periodicals postage paid at Norton, Mass., and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Wheaton College, Norton, MA 02766.

Wheaton College © 2022

Writing our future Stories fascinate me; they always have.

A tale well told transports an audience to another time and place, conveys new experiences, evokes emotion. Writer André Maurois said, “In literature as in love, we are astonished at what is chosen by others.”

Studying literature, I delved into the complexity of narrative—structures and experiments that play with stories, engage and frustrate readers, and invite interpretations.

Since the fall, I have been meeting and talking with staff and faculty, trustees, alumni and students, and I have been listening to their stories about Wheaton and their imaginings of multiple possible futures. I’ve been thinking about how the college’s history informs our community’s shared values today and our aspirations for the future.

One through line in these stories is a commitment to offering an education that is both intellectually challenging and prepares students for professional life.

Eliza Wheaton chose a rigorous curriculum at a time when women’s schools typically focused on domestic education and decorative arts. Wheaton’s first principal, Eunice Caldwell Cowles wrote, “The whole spirit of this institution . . . has been as we all know, solid rather than superficial, useful rather than fashionable and vain.” (The late Professor Emeritus Paul Helmreich noted this in his book on the history of the college.)

At the same time, Wheaton has long been dedicated to the value of pragmatic learning or experiential learning. In 1917, Catherine Filene Shouse, Class of 1918, organized the first intercollegiate Vocational Conference for Women at Wheaton; vocational conferences were held annually on campus for decades. In the 1980s, the college integrated internships and out-of-the-classroom learning through its “second transcript” requirement. Twenty years ago, the faculty made cross-disciplinary study an integral part of every student’s education through Connections, an approach that inspired

THE PRESIDENT’S PAGE

KEITH NORDSTROM

President Michaele Whelan leads a small group discussion with Wheaton staff members.

Since the fall, I have been meeting and talking with staff and faculty, trustees, alumni and students, and I have been listening to their stories about Wheaton and their imaginings of multiple possible futures. other liberal arts colleges to follow suit.

Today, Wheaton’s Compass curriculum builds on those earlier innovations with personalized advising and interdisciplinary pathways that combine classes, experiential learning, and mentorship to prepare students for their futures. Intellectual rigor and pragmatism have served Wheaton students well through time.

The college has now embarked on a path to growth, and it has made significant progress. The courses of study introduced during the past 10 years—such as business and management, film and new media studies, neuroscience, and public health— are among the college’s most popular. To those, we are now adding two more—a bachelor of science in nursing and a multidisciplinary design major—that promise to accelerate that momentum.

The challenge we face is imagining how to write the next chapters of Wheaton’s history. Our path forward will include new academic offerings that complement the college’s existing areas of strength. It will undoubtedly involve strategic investment in people, since faculty and staff are essential to high-quality programs.

And it will further our progress toward becoming a community characterized by diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.

We strive for inclusive excellence, which is necessary for academic excellence.

I believe that we possess all that is needed to grow while being grounded in the college’s historic mission. We have creative, energetic and talented faculty, staff and students; a generous and supportive community, united around a shared commitment to liberal arts and experiential learning; and a long record of accomplishment. Tradition and innovation, both essential to Wheaton’s story these past 188 years, will be the source of our success for the future.

Michaele Whelan, president SPRING 2022 3

AROUND THE DIMPLE

Building leadership skills Zoe Selman ’24—who spent the fall 2021 semester in Boston working for the nonprofit Leading Cities—gained the ultimate leadership opportunity: serving as a panelist at a major national conference alongside “PBS NewsHour” broadcast journalist Hari Sreenivasan.

The opportunity arose during Semester in the City, a 15-week immersive program in Boston offered through the College for Social Innovation. Selman was among a cohort of 52 students from multiple colleges and universities who got a taste of real-world experience at cutting-edge nonprofits in the social sector.

Selman, a political science major, presented during the five-day virtual conference American Cities Rebuilding. The event—organized by The WNET Group— examined the future of cities and featured prominent speakers, including U.S. mayors; former President George W. Bush, Sen. Cory Booker and other political leaders; and renowned journalists Christiane Amanpour and Walter Isaacson.

In addition to moderator Sreenivasan, Selman also was joined on the panel by College for Social Innovation Co-founder and CEO Eric Schwarz and another student in the program, Alexandra Vergera from the University of New Hampshire.

The topics: why Selman (and her copanelist, Alexandra) chose to pursue experiential opportunities in an urban environment and how their on-the-job experiences prepare them for professional careers with organizations working for social change.

Selman, whose passion is exploring ways to solve global poverty through innovative solutions, shared her work as a city resilience fellow at Leading Cities, a nonprofit that connects startups with government agencies. She worked at the nonprofit four days per week, and also took academic courses, including “Social Innovator’s Toolbox” and “Becoming a Problem Solver.”

“My special project focused on developing their newest project, a virtual startup incubator,” she said, adding that many of these startups are focusing their efforts 4 WHEATON MAGAZINE

During her Semester in the City experience, Zoe Selman ’24 served as a panelist at a major national conference alongside “PBS NewsHour” journalist Hari Sreenivasan.

on helping cities that are impoverished.

“I’ve learned about the entire world of nonprofit organizations as well as city resiliency and community outreach.

For me, I’m being appreciative of every opportunity given to me. I’m lucky to be developing my professional career and making connections,” she said.

Reflecting on the panel experience, Selman said the conversation was productive.

“It was great. I didn’t expect to do as

much talking. Hari Sreenivasan was asking everyone the same amount of questions and it gave me a chance to talk about my work,” she said.

Sixteen Wheaton students participated in the Semester in the City program during the fall semester, which is its largest cohort yet, according to Associate Professor of History Dolita Cathcart, who serves as Wheaton’s Semester in the City coordinator.

—Laura Pedulli

Dolma Tsering Lama ’22 takes in the vibrant colors of a neighborhood in South Korea.

Study abroad takes off again Students travel and learn as pandemic restrictions lift

Studying abroad at Wheaton has always been an important priority for music and business and management double major Jadyn Ruzzano ’22, who is from Carver, Mass., and had never traveled outside of the U.S. “It was important to me to experience another culture and environment; there is so much more in this world and I’d love to see it all. I’ve always heard that students’ study abroad experiences are some of the best memories of their life,” she said.

When the pandemic thwarted her plans during her junior year, Ruzzano was devastated and disappointed. “I knew I had to do everything I could to try to make study abroad work.”

Ruzzano is one of many seniors, as well as other students, who took advantage of opportunities after pandemic-related restrictions led to canceled programs.

Traditionally, students in their junior year study abroad, but now seniors are ensuring they benefit from these programs prior to graduation.

Ruzzano was able to spend the fall 2021 semester studying music in Vienna, Austria, through the Institute for the International

Jadyn Ruzzano ’22 explores the palace and gardens of Schönbrunn in Vienna, Austria.

Education of Students (IES Abroad).

“It is the most beautiful city I have ever seen in my life. It is my personal paradise, especially because I am a music major and have always loved music, and Vienna has had many famous musicians study and perform here. My favorite part has to be the abundance of art everywhere you go, and the deep appreciation that Vienna has for the arts,” she said.

For many students, the study abroad experience is a cornerstone of their college education. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, many of Wheaton’s study abroad options—which encompass more than 100 programs in Africa, Asia,

Europe, Latin America and beyond—were put on hold.

“After a few tough semesters, study abroad is definitely making its comeback,” said Alida Gomez, associate director of Wheaton’s Center for Global Education.

Twenty-one students spent their fall 2021 semester abroad, including in Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Greece, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom, and on a large ship cruising around the Caribbean as part of the Sea Education Association program.

Usually, only one or two seniors study abroad each semester. However, 10 seniors studied overseas during the fall semester, according to Gomez.

Senior Dolma Tsering Lama, who was one of those students, said she chose Wheaton in part for its study abroad opportunities. But, like Ruzzano, her plan to study abroad junior year was canceled.

She finally got the experience she hoped for in Seoul, South Korea, through CIEE Yonsei’s Seoulmate program.

“I took film classes along with my two daily hours of intensive Korean language classes. I am now able to add Korean to other languages I speak and I’m so proud of that,” said Lama, an international student from Nepal who is majoring in film and new media studies.

—Laura Pedulli SPRING 2022 5

AROUND THE DIMPLE

A minute with…

Maggie Whitcomb ’23

Maggie Whitcomb ’23, an environmental studies and music double major, completed an internship in January at Food For Free, based in Cambridge, Mass. Wanting to waste not: “After taking ‘U.S. Environmental History’ in the fall of my sophomore year and focusing on the history of food waste in the U.S. for my final project, I’ve kept my eyes open for opportunities to get involved with food rescue. Through my research project for the class, I learned about how the significant amount of food waste in America came to be, its contribution to climate change, and the need for food redistribution. We overproduce food in the U.S., yet we still have millions of people who are hungry. It would make sense for these two colossal problems to solve each other.” Filling up on good work: “I worked with Food For Free’s Just Eats program and food rescue. Through the Just Eats program, I worked alongside volunteers to pack more than 400 Just Eats boxes with fresh fruits and vegetables as well as bags of rice or beans. These boxes are meant to supplement households in need. With food rescue, which was the primary part of my internship, I rode along in different trucks and vans with different drivers, helping them pick up Just Eats boxes and food donations from grocery stores, universities and the Greater Boston Food Bank. In a single day, we would deliver food from these locations to schools, churches, shelters, food pantries and community centers. We saved all kinds of good food, from fruits and vegetables to pre-made meals and desserts.” Getting a taste of the future: “Many of my classes for my environmental studies major focus on the intersection of the environment and other aspects of society. I’m interested in learning about not only the environment, but also how people are impacted by environmental issues. … I have known for a long time that I want a career with which I can help both people and the environment, but my time with Food For Free has helped me realize that I want to do so in a way in which I can directly interact with individuals and get to know them.”

—Laura Pedulli Go online to read more about other recent internships at wheatoncollege.edu/wheaton-magazine

KEITH NORDSTROM

6 WHEATON MAGAZINE

KEITH NORDSTROM

Wheaton is one of 66 institutions selected for the 2021–22 Association of American Colleges and Universities Institute on Open Educational Resources.

Supporting student success The Association of American Colleges and Universities has selected Wheaton to participate in two new open educational resources projects aimed at improving educational quality and equity and supporting student success.

The latest development builds upon Wheaton’s ongoing efforts in implementing open educational resources (OER) initiatives for the benefit of student learning.

Wheaton is one of 66 institutions selected for the 2021–22 Association of American Colleges and Universities Institute on Open Educational Resources. As an institute participant, Wheaton also has been chosen to participate in a multi-institutional cohort in the OER as the Means to Enhance Integrative Learning project.

OER materials are free for faculty and students to use, customize and share.

Having a broad implementation plan helps colleges increase affordability and reduce gaps in student performance, considering that the high cost of some traditional course materials can be prohibitively expensive for some students.

The institute and the integrative

learning project are funded by grants to the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) from the Davis Educational Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

This new yearlong institute is designed to support educators in launching, expanding or hastening campus adoption of free and affordable instructional materials.

The OER as the Means to Enhance Integrative Learning project will guide interdisciplinary faculty-led campus teams in identifying, creating and deploying free or low-cost educational materials for both students and faculty, according to an AAC&U announcement.

At Wheaton, Karen McCormack, associate provost and professor of sociology, and Megan Brooks, dean of library services, lead the team participating in the projects. The team includes Barbara Darling, assistant professor of religion; Kelly Faulkner, director of research and instruction; Susan Friedman, student success advisor; Cary Gouldin, humanities liaison; Christopher Kotyk, assistant professor of chemistry; Julie Searles,

instructor of music; and Gretchen Young, dean of the Center for Global Education.

“I’m excited about the link that AAC&U is making between OER and integrative learning for equity reasons. With experiential learning at the heart of the Compass curriculum, we want to ensure that all of the co-curricular activities and internships are available to all students at Wheaton—all of the things that can have cost limitations, for example, study abroad,” said McCormack, who is involved in centering integrative learning within the Compass curriculum.

Brooks pointed out that for the past six years Wheaton has been involved in OER initiatives that have been successful.

“We know it has made an impact because we continue to have new faculty interested in adopting OER for their courses and we have returning faculty who want to do additional adoptions,” Brooks said. “I’m excited to be working on projects that involve a broader range of people across campus in thinking about OER.” —Sandy Coleman SPRING 2022 7

AROUND THE DIMPLE

The art of advocacy What role can art institutions and those who work in the field of art play in creating a more just and welcoming world?

That question was the inspiration behind the Wheaton-hosted conference “Pass the Mic! Create. Curate. Care.”

During the two-day event in October 2021, artists, curators, authors, scholars and others gathered virtually to discuss ways to ensure inclusivity and engagement among all communities and share the work in which they are fostering equity and compassion.

“I think that most cultural initiatives right now recognize the need to respond with more immediacy to the realities of inequity,” said Ellen McBreen, associate professor of history of art and department chair. “This truly is a global conversation, but I do think that art has an incredible power because it allows for open conversation. It’s designed to provoke new ways of imagining reality. I think historically— and in our contemporary moment—that is the power of art.”

McBreen came up with the idea for the conference and has led logistics as one of several co-organizers of the event, which was funded by the Evelyn Danzig Haas ’39 Visiting Artists Program.

The other co-organizers were Kim Miller, professor of women’s and gender studies and history of art; Claudia Fieo, professor of visual art; Leah Niederstadt, associate professor of museum studies/ history of art; Elizabeth Hoy, director of the Beard and Weil Galleries; and Shaya Gregory Poku, associate vice president for Institutional Equity and Belonging and co-chair of Diversity, Equity and Access Leadership. Campus partners included the African Studies, African American, Diaspora Studies program and the student-published ARTHive Revue.

“The title ‘Pass the Mic!’ was meant to highlight a main theme for the conference, which is how cultural institutions can work collectively with multiple, even conflicting, voices being heard at once,” said McBreen.

Among the many invited speakers were: Laura Raicovich, former president and executive director of the Queens Museum 8 WHEATON MAGAZINE

LUIS MAY

Conference presenters Laura Osorio Sunnucks, a curator from the British Museum in London, and Lorena Ancona, an artist from Mexico City, are collaborating on Maya blue. Scientific knowledge about this ancient Mesoamerican pigment is being reframed with local Indigenous artistic methods.

in New York and author of Culture Strike: Art and Museums in an Age of Protest; Tanekeya Word, artist and co-founder of Black Women of Print; and Laura Osorio Sunnucks, head of the Santo Domingo Centre of Excellence for Latin American Research at the British Museum, London.

Sunnucks also visited McBreen’s “Contemporary Art” class in person to talk about the inequities around language that categorizes creations by Indigenous people as folk or traditional art rather than contemporary art and why that distinction matters.

The conference was open to all, but co-organizers said it was a particularly important learning opportunity for

students.

Emily Gray ’22 and Olivia Doherty ’22, as part of an independent study with McBreen, created a website for detailed information about the conference and speakers and for extended engagement after the conference.

The conversations fostered through this conference about the role museums and galleries can play in building equity are essential, noted Hoy. “These are important issues for the Wheaton community and beyond and are key questions I think about as the director of the Beard and Weil Galleries and as an educator of emerging artists,” she said.

—Sandy Coleman

Jake Marrazzo ’25 shares a message of acceptance during visit to Wheaton’s Elisabeth Amen Nursery School.

KEITH NORDSTROM

Jake Marrazzo ’25 celebrates differences On a Wednesday afternoon in a cozy preschool classroom at Wheaton’s Elisabeth Amen Nursery School, first-year student Jake Marrazzo introduced a special character to 20 eager preschoolers during storytime: the number One. In the children’s book he published, One Wants to be a Letter, the number declares that he wants to be just like his friends—who are all letters—so he feels like he fits in. But by the end of the story, he discovers his own talents and learns how to embrace his unique self.

“It’s cool to be different and celebrate how unique and awesome you are,” Marrazzo told the preschoolers during his November 2021 visit.

Marrazzo shared with the youngsters that he relates to the character One through his own personal story. At age

8, he was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a rare incurable genetic disease that causes progressive muscle weakness and damage. Over time, he has learned to embrace what makes him different, he said.

The visit to the nursery school is one of many he has made to various venues— both in person and virtually—since the publication of One Wants to be a Letter in 2020 through Civin Media Relations.

“This is an opportunity for me to go to different schools, teach them about my disability, talking about differences—like being in a wheelchair. It’s good to instill this message while they are younger, so they can learn to be respectful,” Marrazzo said.

His story has resonated with many across the country. He has participated in a reading with Jeff Kinney, the author of

the popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.

He also was featured on the “Dr. Phil” show in April 2020.

Marrazzo, who is planning to major in film and new media studies at Wheaton, said he loves storytelling in all forms— from books and movies to theater.

As for the nursery school students, director Michelle Curran-Mason said Marrazzo’s visit made a real impact on the kids.

“At about 3 years old, children begin to notice the differences in others, and at about ages 4 or 5, children start to become fearful of differences. Jake brought a good message: We are the same, we are different, but as humans, we are all unique. Our uniqueness is what makes us special,” Curran-Mason said.

—Laura Pedulli SPRING 2022 9

AROUND THE DIMPLE

DEI accolades for Wheaton Wheaton was selected to receive a Providence Business News 2021 Diversity and Inclusion Award in recognition of exceptional efforts in promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Wheaton also was recognized on the 2021–22 Equity and Inclusion Colleges of Distinction list.

Providence Business News (PBN) announced its honorees in an article published in October 2021. The college was presented with the award in the higher education category at PBN’s 2021 Diversity and Inclusion Summit and Awards program held in December.

Wheaton was one of 13 honorees (12 organizations and one individual) being celebrated. In addition to the awards presentation, a profile of each of the winners appeared in a PBN special report.

The Equity and Inclusion Colleges of Distinction list highlights institutions “that provide noteworthy support to underserved students who might not otherwise study and thrive on a college campus,” and “not only enliven their curriculum with high-impact practices, but they also make these practices accessible in a welcoming community,” according to the Colleges of Distinction website.

Colleges of Distinction is a resource for parents, students, guidance counselors and others looking for the best fit among the many choices for higher education.

—Sandy Coleman

Guide notes green initiatives Pigs at a local farm get dining hall leftovers so nothing goes to waste. Solar panels enable energy efficiency for several buildings, and campus groups and theme houses focus on sustainability. All of these efforts have contributed to landing Wheaton in The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges: 2022 Edition, released in October 2021.

Wheaton is among 420 colleges chosen to be profiled in the guide, which lists environmentally responsible schools “up to the task of training the next generation of leaders, who will be responsible for putting green ideas into practice,” according to The Princeton Review website.

The Princeton Review chose the schools included in the guide based on its survey of administrators at 835 colleges in 2020–21 about their institution’s commitment to the environment and sustainability. The company’s editors analyzed more than 25 survey data points to select the schools, including sustainability-related policies, practices and programs.

Wheaton received a “green rating” of 83 on a scale of 60–99 designed to provide a comprehensive measure of a school’s performance as an environmentally aware and prepared institution.

During the past several years, Wheaton has incorporated sustainability into as 10 WHEATON MAGAZINE

JOSH EDENBAUM

Solar panels on the roof of a campus building are an example of the sustainability commitment.

many projects and initiatives as possible, including the design of new buildings, the renovation of existing ones, the creation of a solar farm and the encouragement and support of student theme-based residences that focus on conservation.

Also, the Student Government Association Sustainability Board engages students in developing sustainabilityrelated plans, initiatives and events.

—Sandy Coleman

Teaching, research recognition

Professor of English Deyonne Bryant and Professor of Psychology Gail Sahar each have been recognized with a five-year endowed faculty professorship that will allow them to devote more time and resources to their field of scholarship.

These professorships recognize faculty for their teaching, research, service and ability to engage students and the community. They have been created by generous gifts from Wheaton alumni and friends.

Mary Heuser Chair in the Arts

Deyonne Bryant, professor of English

KEITH NORDSTROM

Bryant, who has taught at Wheaton for 21 years, has been named the Mary Heuser Chair in the Arts, which recognizes outstanding teaching and research in the arts.

Bryant teaches courses in fiction writing and personal essays as well as literature and first-year writing.

She has served as chair of the English Department and is co-director of Wheaton’s Center for Collaborative Teaching and Learning.

“In my fiction and essays, I try to discover answers to questions that interest me, and I’ve long been interested in the questions: What might human flourishing look like

for African Americans after the post-civil rights movement, and what are the obstacles? The Mary Heuser Chair in the Arts will give me the time and resources to complete fiction manuscripts I’ve been working on and return to an old project, a family memoir, with fresh approaches,” she said.

The Mary Heuser Chair also will enable her to fuse digital technology and creative writing pedagogy. She has been introducing students to flash fiction and will use this time to explore pedagogical strategies intended to support this form of writing.

Jane Oxford Keiter ’64 Endowed Professorship Sahar has received the Jane Oxford Keiter ’64 Endowed Professorship, which is awarded to a senior member of the faculty in the humanities or social sciences for excellent teaching and research that strengthens the college’s traditional liberal arts curriculum and reinforces its commitment to scholarship and creative teaching.

Sahar’s research and teaching focus on social and political psychology, quantitative research methodology and statistics. She has published a number of articles on attitudes toward poverty, abortion, war and terrorism.

“I am deeply honored and grateful

to have been awarded the Keiter chair.

It will allow me to finish a book manuscript on the role of blame in political attitudes, which I am very excited about,” said Sahar, who has been at Wheaton for 27 years.

The professorship will support her efforts to create a new course on psychology and social justice that will contribute to the Taylor and Lane Scholars Program. She plans to work with the Center for Collaborative Teaching and Learning on programs in anti-racist pedagogy and student teaching and learning assistants as key facilitators of the educational process.

—Laura Pedulli Gail Sahar, professor of psychology

KEITH NORDSTROM

SPRING 2022 11

CONVERSATION

Examining the ‘Great Resignation’ During the pandemic, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported a major uptick in workers leaving their jobs. Intrigued about why and how, Wheaton magazine editor Sandy Coleman wanted to know more from the perspective of Professor of Economics John Miller. For more than two decades, Professor Miller has been a contributing editor with Dollars & Sense, a popular economics magazine based in Boston, and has discussed the subject recently in his “Macroeconomic Theory” course.

Tell us about the course in which this subject was explored.

“I have the most to say about the ‘Great Resignation’ in my ‘Macroeconomic Theory’ course. The students begin the semester by grading the performance of the U.S. economy since the pandemicinduced economic shutdown in March 2020. They examine several key economic variables in Economic Indicators, a compendium of economic data and charts published monthly by the Council of Economic Advisers. I’m convinced that knowing something about the current state of the macroeconomy is a prerequisite for learning theories. Employment growth and unemployment rates are always two of those key variables. It is in that context that we discuss the ‘Great Resignation.’”

Describe the “Great Resignation” from your point of view.

“‘Resignations’ is not a term economists use. What economists track is ‘quits,’ employees who leave their jobs voluntarily. Quits increased rapidly with the economic recovery from the pandemic recession, reaching 4.5 million in November 2021, the highest level on record.

Economists do use the term great, as in the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009, and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Calling today’s record level of quits the ‘Great Resignation,’ however, is most likely an exaggeration. Historical evidence suggests that quit rates were higher than the current record rates in 1945 at the close of World War II and 12 WHEATON MAGAZINE

KEITH NORDSTROM

Professor of Economics John Miller explores employee “quits” in “Macroeconomic Theory.”

likely higher in the late 1990s during the dot-com bubble.”

How is the “Great Resignation” impacting the economy?

“Great or not, surprising or expected, today’s resignations have had a profound impact on the economy. Workers hold on to their jobs for dear life in an economic downturn. Quits only rise when the economy expands, creating more jobs and making it easier for workers to find another job. There is good evidence that by and large workers are quitting their jobs, not work.”

What is the takeaway for workers?

“The ‘Great Resignation’ is a moment when workers are evaluating their jobs.

The large number of layoffs during the pandemic shutdown gave workers time to reflect on their work life. And the rising number of job openings provides them with an opportunity to switch jobs if

that’s what their gut told them to do.”

What do you hope your students can learn about their futures?

“My students undoubtedly already knew that a college degree gives them a leg up in the labor market. But I don’t think they appreciated just how much of an advantage it provides in the pandemic and post-pandemic economy. The Monthly Labor Review found that during the pandemic shutdown 67.5 percent of workers with a college degree could do their jobs from home, while that was true for just 24.5 percent of workers with only a high school diploma.

“Beyond that, the “Great Resignation’ is a compelling example of how changes in the macroeconomy shape the opportunities and life-chances of my students as well as those of workers of all stripes.”

Go online to read the full interview at wheatoncollege.edu/wheaton-magazine

PUBLICATIONS, HONORS AND CREATIVE WORKS

Faculty Primrose Boynton, assistant professor of biology, co-wrote the article “Yeasts from Temperate Forests” in the JanuaryFebruary issue of Yeast. She also managed an international team of 30 co-authors to produce an extensive review of what is known about the ecology of yeasts in temperate forests.

Delvyn Case, associate professor of music, in January was named Distinguished Composer of the Year by the Music Teachers National Association for his piece ”Psalms of Ascent,” for flute, clarinet, violin and cello, which he wrote as the association’s 2021 commissioned composer for the state of Maine.

Imran Chowdhury, associate professor of business and management, co-wrote the chapter “Social Entrepreneurship and Nonprofit Management: Negotiating Institutional Complexity,” in Social Entrepreneurship (Business and Society 360, Vol. 5); and co-wrote the chapter “Innovation, Institutions, and Social Change in Peer-to-Peer Lending: Evidence from China,” in Entrepreneurship for Social Change (Emerald Publishing Ltd., 2021).

Francisco Fernandez de Alba, professor of Hispanic studies, wrote Sex, Drugs, and Fashion in 1970s Madrid (University of Toronto Press, 2020) that was translated into the Spanish version, Antes de ser modernos. Sexo, drogas y moda en el Madrid de los setenta (Altamarea, Madrid, 2021).

Michael Drout, professor of English, presented the Symposium on the Inklings keynote lecture “J.R.R. Tolkien’s Scholarship and How He Created It,” at Hillsdale College in Michigan in January. Drout was an invited keynote speaker for the first annual J.R.R. Tolkien in the World conference and presented (remotely) “From Center to Margin (and Back Again): The Dynamics of Centralization and Resistance in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and its Para-texts,” in February at the University of South Africa, Johannesburg. He also co-wrote the article “The Author and the Authors of the ’Vita Ædwardi Regis:’ Women’s Literary Culture and Digital Humanities,” in Interfaces: A Journal of Medieval European Literatures in December 2021. Jillian Valerio ’17 was one of the co-authors.

Tommasina Gabriele, professor of Italian studies, wrote the article ‘L’amore che non conosce età:’” Reading Dacia Maraini’s Tre donne (2017) through Corpo felice (2018) published in A Life Devoted to Writing: Festschrift in Honor of Dacia Maraini (De Rada Institute and conSenso Publishing, 2022).

Nancy Kendrick, professor of philosophy, and Jessica Gordon-Roth ’04, associate professor of philosophy at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, presented a section of the book they are co-authoring, Unheeded: Epistemic Harms Against Women, Then and Now, at the New School for Social Research in New York City in October 2021.

Jennifer Lanni, associate professor in biology, co-wrote the article “Modulation of bioelectric cues in the evolution of flying fishes” in the November 2021 issue of Current Biology and the article “Why I teach my students about scientific failure” in the December 2021 issue of Science.

A. Javier Trevino, professor of sociology, wrote the volume chapter “C. Wright Mills on the Character and Role of the Soviet Intelligentsia” in The Routledge International Handbook of C. Wright Mills Studies (Routledge, 2021).

Alumni Jill Hunting ’72 wrote For Want of Wings (University of Oklahoma Press, 2022).

Robyn Walsh ’02 wrote The Origins of Early Christian Literature: Contextualizing the New Testament within Greco-Roman Literary Culture (Cambridge University Press, 2021).

SPRING 2022 13

LYONS PRIDE

Swimmer of the year

Senior Lydia DaCorte, a business and management major, is the most decorated swimmer in Wheaton history. In February, she was named the 2021–22 New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Swimmer of the Year after the championship meet, capping off her college career.

DaCorte earned the honor for the third time, having been selected NEWMAC’s top women’s swimmer following both the 2018–19 and 2019–20 seasons. (The 2020–21 championship season was canceled due to COVID-19 precautions.)

She is the first swimmer in Wheaton history to be tabbed three times and only the third swimmer in conference history to be chosen more than twice.

Lydia’s life in the fast lane:

» Named an All-American 10 times, including three times each in the 1650-, 500- and 200-yard freestyle events, in addition to the 200-yard medley relay

» Won the 200-, 500- and 1650-yard freestyle events with NCAA ‘B’ cut qualifying times at the NEWMAC championship to become the only swimmer in the conference to win all three of her individual events

» Only swimmer in conference history to win the gold medal in the 1650 and the 500 all four times during her career, according to records dating back to 2007 » Earned individual crowns in the 1650 and the 500-yard freestyle four times, while winning the 200-yard freestyle three times

» Won the 400 individual medley title at the 2019 NEWMAC title meet and helped the Lyons capture the 400yard freestyle relay championship as a first-year team member in 2018

» Owns six individual school records in the 200-, 500-, 1000- and 1650yard freestyle; the 200-yard butterfly; the 400-yard individual medley; four relay standards in the 400- and 800yard freestyle relays and both medley relays in the 200- and 400-yard events » Holds a pair of NEWMAC records with the best all-time conference marks in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle races 14 WHEATON MAGAZINE

KEITH NORDSTROM

Fall and winter season highlights Basketball

school records this year.

The men’s swimming and diving team broke three school records, including two from firstyear team member Sean Hill.

Barrett Roberts ’07 was named the NEWMAC Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career here.

The artistic swimming team won the East Regional Championship. Juniors Kelsey Dolack and Sydney McClaren won the duets competition for Wheaton.

Junior Alex Carlisle got off to one of the best starts in school history for the men’s basketball team and was ranked among the nation’s top five scorers for the first six weeks of the season. During his incredible start, he broke the school record for points in a game with 46 against Roger Williams University in November 2021. Wheaton finished the season ranked 10th in the nation as a team for making 77 percent of its free throws.

The women’s basketball team was led by first-year player Abby Fernandes, who earned NEWMAC Rookie of the Year honors to become the first Wheaton player to be chosen the top newcomer since 2006.

Track and field

Cross country

Senior Dom Sclafani was named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Men’s Cross Country All-Region Team after placing 13th at the NCAA Division III East Region Championships. He became Wheaton’s first All-Region honoree since 2004 and placed 11th at the NEWMAC championship meet.

Field hockey

The field hockey team had one of its finest seasons in more than a decade, finishing fourth in the NEWMAC standings and hosted its first playoff game since 2010. The Lyons beat Springfield and Worcester Polytechnic Institute for the first time in 10 and five years, respectively. Wheaton posted its highest conference win total since 2011.

Sophomore Emma Lapreziosa earned First Team honors—a first in more than a decade for Wheaton.

Soccer

Seniors Diego Medina, Troy Mattos and Nick

Field hockey team

Alex Carlisle ’23

Vanini were named All-Region, and senior Alex Nickerson became the first men’s soccer player to earn College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District accolades since 2013.

The women’s soccer team received votes in the national poll and earned a playoff spot in the NEWMAC Tournament for the 26th year in a row—the longest streak of any conference school. Seniors Jaime Rattenni and Chloe Troy were named All-Region.

Swimming

Nine women’s team swimmers in March traveled to Indianapolis, to compete in the NCAA Division III Championship—the largest contingent in Wheaton history. The Lyons scored 55 points and placed 15th, their highest point total and finish at the national meet in school history. Wheaton has broken seven

PHOTOS BY KEITH NORDSTROM

The women’s track and field team has enjoyed a successful season, with six athletes qualifying for 10 events at the NCAA Division III New England Championship meet. Among them was senior Margaret Walker, whose time of 7.64 in the 60-meter dash set a school record. It is the fifth-fastest in the nation and is just five onehundredths of a second off the fastest mark.

Men’s track and field sent a formiMargaret Walker ’22 dable front to the NCAA Division III New England Championship, with six athletes qualifying for 11 events.

Volleyball

The volleyball team earned a regional ranking throughout the season and finished with a 15–10 mark to give the Lyons a winning record in five straight seasons. Juniors Bailey Madrzyk and Sophie Wilhelm were named to the All-New England Team by the New England Women’s Volleyball Association.

—Wheaton College Athletics Communications SPRING 2022 15

CAMPUS SCENE

Winter wonderfulness

KEITH NORDSTROM

This light fluffy snow that blanketed the campus at the beginning of January was fun. The blizzard at the end of January?

Get back to us for an answer when we’re wearing flip-flops.

16 WHEATON MAGAZINE

Making math fun

KEITH NORDSTROM

Mathematics professor Rachelle DeCoste’s fall semester “Geometry” course engaged students in fun hands-on learning and execution of concepts through a collaboration with Wheaton’s Innovation Spaces and Programs.

Pop-up art

EMILY EDDS ’23

Student photographer Emily Edds ’23 captured the unexpected small-scale sculptures scattered about campus in the Dimple, on building steps, in hedges and elsewhere during the 2021 fall semester. The sculptures were created by 17 students in the “Sculpture 1” class taught by Associate Professor of Visual Art Kelly Goff.

SPRING 2022 17

Is there a doctor in the house?

Yes, two.

18 WHEATON MAGAZINE

Is there a doctor in the house?

Yes, two.

Alumni sweethearts follow passions together in careers as physicians

By Laura Pedulli Time is precious for physicians Chris Wilbur ’05 and Danielle Erkoboni-Wilbur ’05. The married doctors not only manage a home with two young daughters, but also demanding, fulfilling careers with busy schedules.

Chris, a pediatrician at both Jefferson Abington Hospital in Abington, Pa., and Nemours Children’s Health in Wilmington, Del., works eight 24-hour shifts per month while Danielle, a pediatrician and policy researcher at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, balances alternating clinical and research days.

Carving out 30 minutes in their complex day, the couple sat in the living room of their home in Blue Bell, Pa., and shared their remarkable personal and professional journey during a Zoom interview.

Their mutual love for and support of one another enabled them to complete their science majors at Wheaton, medical school and residencies, and eventually thrive in their respective specialties.

They’ve come a long way since Wheaton, which helped them hone their scientific research and communications

Dr. Chris Wilbur ’05

Dr. Danielle Erkoboni-Wilbur ’05

skills and, most importantly, provided the opportunity to meet during their first year at college and get engaged on the Dimple after graduating. Now, their days are filled with helping others have healthy lives that support dreams.

Chris and Danielle have a lot in common. Both felt a calling to become doctors at a young age.

“I had known very early on that I wanted to go into medicine and be a

doctor. My mom used to read me a book when I was 6 years old called Simon Visits The Doctor, where the little boy went to the pediatrician. I would have her read it to me like three or four times each night,” recalled Chris.

For Danielle, her interest stemmed from positive experiences as a child in the doctor’s office. “I had a wonderful pediatrician who was very enigmatic; he was a pediatrician’s pediatrician with a SPRING 2022 19

red clown nose on and a toy box and funny little jokes and stories.

I just loved that it was a comfortable space to be in.”

“I hope I do a fair job at emulating that relatable, jovial pediatrician today. I want to create a place that feels safe for kids and that’s something I work really hard on, even during my worst, toughest, busiest days in my practice,” she added.

Making a connection at Wheaton The couple’s matching career aspirations meant that their paths inevitably crossed when they enrolled in similar courses at Wheaton. As first-year students, they found themselves in the same four science courses together. They both prized engagement on campus; Chris as the javelin thrower on the track and field team and Danielle as a member of the college’s coed a cappella group The Blend and as a Student Government Association senator. As alumni, Chris serves as the class secretary and Danielle is the class treasurer.

When asked which professor most shaped their Wheaton education, the couple looked at each other during the interview and Chris declared, “We both really have the same answer.”

That individual: former Professor of Chemistry and Chemistry Department Chair Elita Pastra-Landis, with whom they took the seminar course “The New Genetics.” Incidentally, it was in that course that they first met.

Pastra-Landis ran a welcoming and close-knit department where the Wilburs said they felt supported academically and personally. She also impacted their decisions about majors: Chris double majored in chemistry and biology and Danielle majored in chemistry with minors in biology and music performance.

“We tell her frequently that she shaped our lives and really helped to make Wheaton feel like a place that was really home,” Danielle said. “I recall when I wasn’t feeling so well one day and I came in and Elita said, ‘Come here’ and she felt 20 WHEATON MAGAZINE

Joy captured a few moments after Chris proposed to Danielle on the Dimple

my forehead and she was like, ‘No. You need to go home.’ And it was like having someone who just cared about you that extra way on campus. She is just phenomenal in that and taught us so much.”

Another lesson they learned from the professor: how to present complex scientific information.

“Chris and I talk about this all the time.

There’s so much more outside of the hospital ward and the exam room and you are always talking with people and interacting with people and giving presentations, whether it’s to students or colleagues. So much of what we learned about being a professional really goes back to things we learned in that First-Year Seminar,” Danielle said.

Pastra-Landis fondly recalls her former students, whom she said were “top of the curve” in their classes. “They were students with imagination. In one lesson I asked them, ‘If you genetically engineer animals, what would you come up with?’ I just remember both of them went beyond applying what they were taught and came up with incredible answers.”

They also helped nurture the family-like environment of the Chemistry Department, Pastra-Landis said, by being hard workers and helping their classmates master the material.

“They were kind and helped others—a characteristic you’d hope for in any future physician,” she said. “Also, they urged each other on in the most positive way. They completed each other.”

The Wilburs, who began dating in March of their freshman year, echoed that they often spent time supporting each other academically. This habit followed them to medical school.

“We do very well as support partners in academics. There was no time when we were studying that it wasn’t together,” Danielle said. “I think we both survived and thrived because of that. ... It continued through medical school, it continued through residency. In fact, it wasn’t really until our fellowship that we were ever at that point, probably after 15 years of being together academically, that we had a different job from each other,” she said.

Pursuing passions in pediatrics After Wheaton, Chris and Danielle’s relationship continued to develop and grow—leading Chris to pop the question on the first anniversary of their graduation. And he knelt on one knee in the place where it all began: Wheaton, on the Dimple. Newly married, they were determined to stay together and not be long-distance during medical school.

They applied to 41 schools as a couple and found that Chicago Medical School best suited both of their needs.

After completing the academic portion of their studies, they both pursued a yearlong internship followed by a three-year residency at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. It wasn’t until after these residencies that their paths finally split: Danielle pursued an academic pediatric fellowship in research and health policy and Chris participated in an infectious disease pediatric fellowship helping children with serious infections and those with immunocompromised conditions.

In hindsight, these diverging paths made sense, Danielle said.

“Despite our paths that have always

Chris Wilbur ’05

brought us together in pediatrics, Chris has always had a mind that is much more analytical. I have always wanted to be a big picture thinker, and public health and policy has been a place where I have spent time and thought,” Danielle said.

In Danielle’s case, she was selected for the National Clinician Scholars Program at the University of Pennsylvania. The goal of the program is to cultivate health equity, eliminate health disparities, invent new models of care and achieve higher quality health care at lower cost by educating and empowering medical professionals on these issues.

“It was an incredibly competitive program. I was with a cohort of seven others, both nurses and doctors from pediatrics and internal medicine and all other representatives there working together to gain knowledge around public health and policy,” she said. The experience compelled Danielle to also earn a master’s degree in health policy from the University of Pennsylvania.

At that time, Chris completed a threeyear fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, studying pediatric infectious disease.

“I had worked with immunology and research before, so I was interested in immunocompromised types of conditions.

Danielle Erkoboni-Wilbur ’05

At the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, there were a lot of patients with leukemia and cancer, and other immunocompromised conditions, and I gained experience working with a team caring for those kids and treating complex infections,” he said.

Providing care from a parent’s perspective The married couple, having worked themselves through medical school and years of fellowships and residencies, are now physicians and researchers making a mark in their respective fields.

Danielle is both a practicing pediatrician at the CHOP Karabots Primary Care Center, Norristown, and she is faculty within the PolicyLab at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She also serves as the associate medical director of Reach Out and Read Greater Philadelphia, a nonprofit that provides books and guidance on early literacy in pediatric primary care clinics.

As for Chris, he works as a pediatric hospitalist at Nemours Children’s Health for a program called Care For the Hospitalized Child that offers treatment for children with common conditions, including pneumonia, cellulitis and asthma.

“I see patients that come in fairly sick and need to stay overnight with our nurses and our resident team. It’s fulfilling as

I get to see them get better and improve.

Little kids are very resilient and they get better within 24 or 48 hours and are in a much different place. Also, I get to see the parents be relieved that they’re better and that they get better,” Chris said.

The Wilburs both say that being parents makes them better doctors. They can put themselves in the shoes of the parents with sick children, and do their best to create environments that are warm and welcoming to families.

“We both do our best to wear the hat of a doctor when we’re with patients—but also the hat as a parent of young kids. I think it comes back to the foundation that drove us together, many years ago, that we both find it really important to make that connection with families and say, ‘Look, we are here for you,’” Danielle said.

The couple also support each other, as they always have, as their greatest and most loyal resource.

“That has led us to the point where we are today where we clinically have careers that are very supportive. We call each other with reasonable frequency when we have clinical questions, much to the chagrin of whoever happens to be having a moment or sleeping or whatever,” Chris said. “It’s a person you know will always pick up the phone.”

SPRING 2022 21

Diana Davis Spencer Discovery Center opens Reimagined spaces support academic programs, creative expression, collaboration 22 WHEATON MAGAZINE

By Sandy Coleman The Diana Davis Spencer Discovery Center Dedicated to Free Speech and Innovation is now open and bustling with classes, research, events, makerspace projects, academic program development and more.

The center, named in honor of Diana Davis Spencer ’60, is the result of a dramatic $31 million renovation that began in spring 2021. The reimagined building, previously affectionately known as the “Old Science Center,” includes updates to Kollett Hall, which houses the Filene Center for Academic Advising and Career Services.

All of the refreshed spaces—complete with new furnishings, fresh paint and extensive smart-room technology—are designed to inspire collaboration, ideas and intellectual growth.

Open floor plans are incorporated throughout and there are plenty of common areas for gathering on sofas, in artsy lounge chairs and at tables. Design and decor choices were made in collaboration with faculty and staff, and with input from various academic departments. There was even a week of chair testing to choose the best, said John Sullivan, Wheaton’s assistant vice president of business services and physical plant, who oversaw the renovation from start to finish.

The glass walls and doors of the Social Entrepreneurship Studio, Fab Lab, classrooms and offices invite curiosity. Natural light pours in through floor-to-ceiling windows, and large-scale whiteboards on walls throughout the building welcome brainstorming.

One of the gems among the center’s many treasures is the suite where Wheaton will launch its new bachelor of science in nursing program. It looks like the wing of a real hospital and has skills labs where students will get simulated hands-on clinical training in caring for patients. Wheaton’s inaugural Dean of Nursing Colette Dieujuste led the designing of the space.

Here are a few of the key elements of the building renovations:

Above, Associate Professor of Visual Art Kelly Goff with students in the Fab Lab. Below, the skills lab in Wheaton’s new bachelor of science in nursing program suite Above, a gathering space outside of two classrooms. Below, the Filene Center, featuring the apple tree design from the college seal.

PHOTOS BY KEITH NORDSTROM

Windows One of the big improvements to the appearance and comfort of the building is the replacement of the original 1966 windows. The new insulated windows are more thermally efficient with highperformance glass that reduces glare while keeping the building bright.

Floor plans The room layouts have been carefully arranged so that views extend all the way through the building in a few locations.

Sunlight now can be brought deeper into the building in many places. A wall in the main lobby was removed to allow the Innovation Spaces, including the Social Entrepreneurship Studio, the Fab Lab and Shop, and the Student Project Room to be seen immediately, emphasizing the experiential learning taking place here.

Classrooms, offices and bachelor of science in nursing suite All classrooms are equipped with flatscreens for presentations. The main entrance of the building includes an updated lobby. The business and management program’s suite has eight offices and two meeting spaces. The Psychology Department suite has 11 offices, a lounge-collaboration room, several labs and research rooms.

Wheaton’s new bachelor of science in nursing program suite spans 8,800 square feet and includes seven offices, a workroom, several simulation labs for hands-on training and conference rooms.

The Filene Center The Filene Center for Academic Advising and Career Services is now fully accessible with the installation of an elevator. The design around the elevator displays a portion of the apple tree featured on the

Wheaton seal. One area of the grand lobby is home to the Gertrude Adams Career Design Studio that bears the name of the mother of Adrienne Bevis Mars ’58.

Computer Museum The Computer Museum now features new display shelving for the college’s collection of functional personal computers. It also has been given a greater sense of context with the addition of a photographic larger-than-life mural depicting the programmers.

Key partners in the renovation General contractor: Commodore Builders Architect: MDS/Miller Dyer Spears Owner’s representative: Nauset Construction Corp.

Furnishings: Workflow

See online photo gallery at wheatoncollege.edu/wheaton-magazine

SPRING 2022 23

Discovery Center named for Diana Davis Spencer ’60

By Michael Graca

When asked to choose the subject that she would most like to study if she could return to college, Diana Davis Spencer ’60 paused for a moment and then began a list: social entrepreneurship, English literature, science and business, among others.

“Being exposed to different areas of knowledge and having the time to appreciate how disciplines relate to each other is so important,” the Wheaton life trustee said during an interview in October 2021.

Spencer’s deep appreciation for intellectual exploration and the breadth of the liberal arts has been the motivation for her lifetime of support for Wheaton.

And, in turn, the college has honored her by naming the renovated science center the Diana Davis Spencer Discovery Center Dedicated to Free Speech and Innovation.

Spencer and her daughter, Abby Moffat, who was awarded an honorary degree from Wheaton in 2020, had gathered for an update on the renovation project at Spencer’s home in Washington, D.C., in lieu of a campus visit. They were enthusiastic about the opening of the new building and the ways in which it will bring students, staff and faculty together.

The newly renovated spaces within the 70,000-square-foot building will serve as the home for the business and management program and Psychology Department, the social entrepreneurship

24 WHEATON MAGAZINE

REBECCA HALE

Diane Davis Spencer ’60, right, with her daughter, Abby Moffat, a 2020 honorary degree recipient

programs, and the Fab Lab makerspace as well as the Filene Center for Academic Advising and Career Services.

Moffat, who is president and chief executive officer of the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation, sat next to her mother and offered an anecdote about her late father, John Spencer, who taught history in private schools, as an illustration of the family’s deep appreciation for liberal arts learning.

“My father had a student who told him, ‘Mr. Spencer, I’ve not learned a thing in your class. The only thing I’ve learned is how to think.’ For my father, that was the greatest compliment,” Moffat said.

“A liberal arts education should help you develop the ability to be a critical thinker, which is crucial to becoming a successful leader in whatever you do.”

The building’s dedication to free speech

and innovation underscores the relationship between entrepreneurship and the liberal arts.

“The Discovery Center is designed to encourage students to collaborate with each other and with faculty, to share ideas and perspectives and to be creative,” Spencer said. “Liberal arts education was founded on dialogue, encouraging an open mind and hearing all sides.

Socrates asked his students to challenge themselves and each other to see the world differently. That’s a tradition worth preserving.”

This out-of-the-box thinking is exactly the entrepreneurial mindset Spencer and Moffat hope the Discovery Center will instill in Wheaton’s students. Both business-minded and creative from young ages, the women credit learning

KEITH NORDSTROM

Imran Chowdhury, Diana Davis Spencer chair of social entrepreneurship and associate professor of business and management, talks with Aidan Travis ’22, a business and management major, in the Discovery Center.

communication skills and problemsolving as crucial aspects of their success.

The powerful impact of good teaching remains a touchstone for Spencer. “When I was a sophomore at Wheaton, Professor Curtis Dahl had a huge influence on me.

He created a Henry James essay contest, which I entered and won,” said Spencer, who majored in English at Wheaton. “I wrote a critique of The Bostonians, I think.

What I do remember is how affirming that experience was.”

In fact, it inspired her to continue writing after graduation, launching a career in journalism that saw her interview diplomats, public leaders and an astronaut; advocate for the environment; and have articles featured in several magazines and newspapers. It also equipped her with skills she finds essential to her work today.

“Education is all about discovery. To me, free speech and free inquiry spark creativity, innovation and new ideas,” Spencer said.

Reflecting on the connections between free speech, intellectual freedom and the development of innovative ideas, Moffat noted links between the bravery and ingenuity of the nation’s founders and their role as innovators and entrepreneurs.

“Entrepreneurship and innovation are inherently American attributes, and they are the natural byproducts of a true liberal arts education.”

In 2018, the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation provided the initial spark to make the $31 million renovation of the former science center possible. The foundation’s $10 million gift to the college that year included a $5 million challenge grant to raise support for the project; the balance established an endowed professorship in social entrepreneurship and provided funds for entrepreneurial education programs.

“It will be exciting to have one building with classrooms, faculty offices, the entrepreneurship programs, the makerspaces and advising all in one space,” Spencer said. “Being together creates opportunities for students to share ideas and be exposed to different spheres of knowledge.”

Promoting discovery and the value of diverse perspectives—now more important than ever—has long been a central theme in the family’s philanthropic support for Wheaton, seen most recently in the sponsorship of the Diana Davis Spencer Debate Series, the creation of a negotiation course and the development of a Wheaton version

of the Chicago principles.

Encouraging Wheaton’s commitment to free inquiry and expression, Moffat said, “Diversity of thought, grounded in civil discourse and the tools to think for oneself, is what has made the American liberal arts tradition recognized around the world.” It also plays a role in Wheaton’s international makeup and global perspective.

Spencer and Moffat understand this all too well. Their family helped the college launch the Center for Global Education, and they have provided support for a wide variety of global education initiatives, including the Davis International Fellows Program, the Davis International House, the Shelby Cullom Davis Professor of Russian Studies and the Undergraduate Colloquium on Russian and Eurasian Studies at Wheaton, Wellesley and Harvard.

The impact of those investments is visible in numerous ways, including the international makeup of the student body, which represents 40 countries; the large percentage of students who study abroad during their Wheaton career (50 percent); and the more than 100 college-approved study abroad programs available through the global center.

SPRING 2022 25

Career design studio honors mother of Adrienne Bevis Mars ’58

By Michael Graca

The floor on which Adrienne Bevis Mars ’58 stood in October 2021 was a cloud of smoke and slate-colored dust from the renovation that was underway in the Filene Center for Academic Advising and Career Services.

The evidence of heavy construction was everywhere. Exposed ductwork, partial walls, power tools and building materials were all on view.

Mars scanned the cavernous room as her tour guide described how the space would be improved: the addition of an elevator for accessibility, installation of extra-large screens for group presentations in the main room, dedicated space for peer advising sessions and study groups, new conference rooms for testing, and more.

“It’s going to be fabulous,” she said.

The Filene Center’s update was part of the larger renovation project that resulted in the Diana Davis Spencer Discovery Center Dedicated to Free Speech and Innovation. Funding for the $31 million project began with a $5 million challenge grant from the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation in 2018. Mars and her husband, John, were among the

26 WHEATON MAGAZINE

KEITH NORDSTROM

Board Life Trustee Adrienne Bevis Mars ’58 gets an October tour of the renovations taking place to the Filene Center with John Sullivan, assistant vice president of business services and physical plant at Wheaton. Left, Mars stands near the unfinished area that will be the Gertrude Adams Career Design Studio, named in honor of her mother.

leadership donors to answer the call.

In celebration of that commitment, one of the main spaces in the Filene Center is named the Gertrude Adams Career Design Studio in honor of her mother.

“I wanted to do something special for my mother. She was a very interesting lady, very much an independent-minded person,” Mars said, explaining why the career design studio is such a good match for honoring her mother. “She had

many different jobs during her life. She was in one of the first ‘Rosie the Riveter’ classes at the Parker plant in Cleveland, Ohio, making airplane parts during World War II. When we lived in Florida, she opened a gym and massage business.

She was way ahead of her time.”

The idea of the career design studio would appeal to her, Mars said. “My mother was very practical and believed in following her own mind with confidence.

The now-finished Gertrude Adams Career Design Studio is a place for students to work with trained peers to explore their futures.

And that’s what I would want for all Wheaton students—that they would have the courage and conviction to do whatever it is that they want to do.”

The space provides a home for the peer-mentoring program that is part of career services. The students who work in the studio have undergone special training to help peers explore potential career paths with the center’s full-time professional counselors and their faculty mentors. Established in 2020, the program aims to deepen engagement in career and professional planning early in the college experience to ensure each student takes full advantage of the opportunities Wheaton offers.

The career design studio will not be the first Wheaton resource to bear the Gertrude Adams name. The Mars family made a gift in 1988 to establish a career development program that bears her name and has benefited hundreds of students over the years.

And the impact of Mars’s devotion to

Wheaton extends far beyond the college’s career services program. Now a life trustee, she served actively on the Board of Trustees for 31 years, holding a variety of roles, including vice chair of the board and the executive committee, campaign co-chair and presidential search committee member.

The family’s philanthropic investments in Wheaton, which began with annual fund gifts immediately after Mars graduated, have transformed the college, too. Their $10 million gift to Wheaton inspired construction of the $46 million Mars Center for Science and Technology and supported the renovation of Meneely and Watson halls, which are now known as Mars Arts and Humanities. Beyond that, other programs, including studentfaculty research collaborations, have also benefited from their generosity.

During her tour of the Discovery Center, Mars jumped at the opportunity to follow the hallways that connect the latest renovation to the science building that bears her family’s name. Sunlight

KEITH NORDSTROM

streamed through the hallways on this particular Saturday morning, lighting up the labs and classrooms.

Near the Diana Davis Spencer Café, she stopped to peruse a collection of historical photos hung on the wall and pointed to an image from 1956 of two young women examining a small plot of land in the Wheaton Woods.

“A biology class studying their quadrats.

I took that class and spent a year with my quadrat,” she said.

The recollection led the history major to reflect on professors with whom she studied during her four years at Wheaton, including the legendary and beloved Jane E. Ruby, a professor of history from 1954 to 1976 and provost from 1976 through 1978.

“She would invite us to her home on a regular basis; I was great friends with her after I graduated, too,” Mars said.

“The faculty at Wheaton have always been fabulous because they care about the students.”

SPRING 2022 27

Social justice through literature

28 WHEATON MAGAZINE

Alumnifounded nonprofit focuses on dismantling racism

By Laura Pedulli In 2020, the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor galvanized communities to engage in deeper reflection and conversations around racism and social justice.

Compelled to make a difference, a closeknit group of Wheaton alumni and friends led by Zhanu Bowden ’00 decided to effect change through action. The group formed 16 Lyrics, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that is working to dismantle systemic racism through education, community outreach and support of others.

The nonprofit already is making an impact. Its recently launched Representation Matters initiative put 605 books in the hands of students at four schools nationwide: York Middle School in York, Maine; The Ethical Community Charter School in Jersey City, N.J.; Cameron Middle School in Framingham, Mass.; and the University of Chicago Charter School-Woodlawn.

Thanks to a successful fundraising effort that yielded $17,000, 16 Lyrics purchased the books from Black-owned bookstores to donate to schools. All of

Peter Butler ’00, left, delivers books to DeVear Peters, the dean of curriculum and instruction at the University of Chicago Charter School-Woodlawn.

them were chosen for increasing representation in literature.

Timothy Allen ’00 said that the establishment of 16 Lyrics stemmed from virtual conversations with fellow alumni and other friends around the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

“Our conversation often switched to the social injustice that was becoming more and more apparent in America. But it was really the Ahmaud Arbery situation that lit our fire. The Black guys in the group seemed so unsurprised, and the white guys were devastated by what happened and devastated by this reaction from our Black friends. When Zhanu, who lives in a suburb of Boston, calmly announced that he always brings his license when he goes jogging, we were speechless.

“There was clearly so much that we did not understand. This led to a lot of reflection, learning and, ultimately, taking action by starting 16 Lyrics,” said Allen, who double majored in education and psychology at Wheaton and currently is principal at Birchland Park Middle School in Longmeadow, Mass. Allen serves as the secretary of the organization.

Friends who are part of 16 Lyrics include Bowden, Allen, F. Michael Bruno ’00, John Paul “J.P.” Burlington ’99, Adam Donroe ’01, Jeremy Hancock ’00, Mathew Kiernan ’99, Damel Ling ’99, Jeremy Mirick ’99, Peter Butler ’00, Geoffrey Taylor ’99, Nick Fournier and Ryan McCollum.

According to Bowden, the lyrics represent words that the group is passionate about and align to its overall mission: SPRING 2022 29

anti-racist, opportunity, guidance, advocate, unity, love, community, empower, equality, commitment, education, empathy, listen, justice, diversity and inspire.

Bowden and Bruno serve as the president and vice president of 16 Lyrics, respectively. Bowden, who was a sociology major at Wheaton, is business analysis vice president at State Street, and Bruno, who majored in theater at Wheaton, is the senior marketing manager at athenahealth.

Collaboration was at the heart of the Representation Matters initiative, as it involved the nonprofit, schools, Blackowned bookstores and a mobile museum.

“We knew that we wanted our work to support anti-racism from start to finish. We wanted to work with schools of all demographics and from different geographic areas. We wanted to support Black businesses. And we wanted to increase representation in the types of assemblies and discussions that schools participated in. It became clear that to do anti-racist work, we needed to be thoughtful with each step,” Allen said.

“To be honest, as much as this work has been about the schools and students, it has been wonderful working with small, Black-owned bookstores as well. We’ve learned just how vital these independent stores are, just how integral they are to their neighborhoods. Initially, we thought this would be an initiative that has a beginning and an end, but now that we see its impact, we are keeping it open and looking to work with more schools in the future,” he said.

Choosing which books to disseminate also was collaborative in nature. The nonprofit compiled a list of 90 books from diverse authors and/or with diverse characters as a guide, but left it up to the schools to choose which books best suited their needs.

“We gave them autonomy to choose from our list or to request books of their choosing, as long as they did indeed increase representation in literature. It was amazing to give this autonomy because schools took it in many directions. York Middle School chose a couple of copies of almost 50 different books. Our school 30 WHEATON MAGAZINE

A few books selected by schools from 16 Lyrics’ list: This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds Dear Justyce by Nic Stone Fast Pitch by Nic Stone

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Black Boy Joy by Kwame Mbalia

The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore in Jersey City selected classroom sets of three titles. These are very different models, but they both fully promote representation in literature for middle school students,” Allen said.

Butler worked with Donald Gordon and DeVear Peters from the University of Chicago Charter School-Woodlawn (UCW) campus for more than two months to finalize a book list. The final drop-off was very rewarding, he said.

“We opened the boxes of books together outside of the school, and Donald and

Jeremy Mirick ’99 with York Middle School English teachers Ellen Rothwell and Britni Rowe

DeVear were ecstatic. Knowing that we provided books to UCW to be used for instruction, written by Black authors and that have Black main characters, was just great. The drop-off was even more exciting as we will be bringing the author of one of the books selected by UCW, Kwame Mbalia, who wrote Black Boy Joy, to a virtual author visit,” said Butler, who majored in sociology at Wheaton and currently serves as a school social worker at Evanston Township High School in Illinois.

UCW expressed its appreciation for the work of 16 Lyrics in helping realize its school mission—which is to cultivate culturally aware critical thinkers and leaders. “[UCW] is delighted to have a new partner in our mission to provide our students with anti-racist education and experiences, and we thank 16 Lyrics for selecting our campus as an inaugural partner for their Representation Matters initiative,” school officials wrote in a press release on the UCW website. “In particular, [we’d] like to thank 16 Lyrics team member Peter Butler for delivering hundreds of books to our campus in September—we loved

Alumni board members of 16 Lyrics

Timothy Allen ’00

Zhanu Bowden ’00

Jeremy Hancock ’00

F. Michael Bruno ’00

Mathew Kiernan ’99

John Paul “J.P.” Burlington ’99

Damel Ling ’99

Peter Butler ’00

Jeremy Mirick ’99

Adam Donroe ’01

Geoffrey Taylor ’99

Their ‘why’ inspires involvement in seeking change

“I pledge to educate myself and others about racism, the history of racism, and the importance of becoming an anti-racist because ‘uninformed’ can never be an excuse when referring to racial equality and equity.”

F. Michael Bruno ’00

“As a member of 16 Lyrics, I look forward to educating and being educated on how to be antiracist. The type of opportunity to be part of a group of people who have one mission in mind and want to work together to achieve it does not come around very often.”

“As a white male, I am joining 16 Lyrics to educate and open myself further to becoming an antiracist activist who is actively engaged in fighting for change. 16 Lyrics provides a path to address systemic racism. I am proud to be on that path.”

“I believe in the mission of 16 Lyrics, knowing full well that inaction in the face of systemic racism and inequity in our society is akin to outright support.”

Mathew Kiernan ’99

Adam Donroe ’01

John Paul “J.P.” Burlington ’99

having you back on campus!”

The group is working to bring more authors to schools. On January 25, in an equal partnership with Yale University and the New Haven Free Public Library, 16 Lyrics donated $2,500 to sponsor a presentation by New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds (who wrote All American Boys and Look Both Ways) to high school students in New Haven, Conn. They also were able to include their Representation Matters schools in this

incredible experience, bringing the total to more than 1,200 students impacted.

In March, 16 Lyrics teamed up with the four schools for a virtual presentation with Khalid el-Hakim of the Black History 101 Mobile Museum. Founded by el-Hakim, the museum is a collection of more than 10,000 original artifacts of Black memorabilia dating from the trans-Atlantic slave trade era to hip-hop culture.

The middle school students also had the opportunity to enter a nationwide essay

“I have become increasingly disquieted with how parts of my identity have been leveraged and weaponized to deprive and disenfranchise so many of so much.

Now, I choose to fight back and mobilize my willingness to grow, learn, teach and connect through the work of 16 Lyrics.”

Geoffrey Taylor ’99

competition coordinated and sponsored by 16 Lyrics for its partner schools. They submitted an anti-racist presentation or wrote an anti-racist essay to demonstrate the ways in which they have engaged with their reading. The nonprofit awarded gift cards to Black-owned businesses to the student winners and displayed the projects on its website.

You can learn more about this group and its work at 16lyrics.org.

SPRING 2022 31

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NETWORK

Say cheese Alumna makes Food & Wine Top 50 list for dairy deliciousness

Crooked Face Creamery and owner Amy Rowbottom ’06 earned praise in Food & Wine magazine in the article “The Best Cheese in America: These Are the Top 50 U.S. Cheesemakers.”

In the December 2021 article, writer David Landsel noted that “Rowbottom uses raw Jersey milk to create some of the most prized American-made ricotta, alongside aged beauties like Bonfire, a winning raclette style, washed with local ales and ciders.”

Rowbottom, who majored in English at Wheaton, worked as a journalist and as a marketing executive after college. She loved both. However, while living in Vermont she was surrounded by farms and a lifestyle that felt right to her—especially as she considered starting a family.

So, she let her passion lead her to the perfect work-life blend. Rowbottom, who grew up on a dairy farm, has been in business in Skowhegan, Maine, for 12 years.

Hungry for more details, we asked her a few questions.

What makes your cheese a standout?

“With cheese, people want the whole picture. They want to know the story. I think this ties into my Wheaton experience and pursuing a degree in writing.

There are stories behind all my products, where I get my milk, how the cheese is made, why it’s unique.”

Do you have a personal favorite?

“That’s a toss-up. I love our raclette style, which we wash in a local Juniper pale ale.

We take our big wheels and melt it over grilled vegetables and bread, accompanied by pickles and mustard, and salami. It’s a meal in itself and always a good time.”

What is the most popular cheese?

“Our most popular cheese is the pressed herbed and smoked ricotta.

32 WHEATON MAGAZINE

Owner Amy Rowbottom ’06 is happy that Crooked Face Creamery is on the top 50 in U.S. list.

It’s what we are known for. When I first started making it, customers would walk by my sign at the farmers market and see ricotta, and I could hear them say, ‘I don’t like ricotta; it doesn’t have any flavor.’ What I didn’t have the chance to tell them is that my ricotta is so different! So, I started just advertising ‘fresh cow’s milk cheese’ and customers would line up to try it, and the rest is history.”

By season, which cheese is best to enjoy?

“In spring, our new pudgy soft-ripened washed rinds served with local honey; in summer, fresh herbed ricotta made with

local chives, lemon verbena, fresh pesto or cilantro and scallions; in fall, our buttercup havarti made with grassy summer milk; and in winter, our Bonfire, raclette.”

Any advice on wine pairings?

“In general, stick to light white wines, as red can take over the flavor of the cheese.

However, reds do pair wonderfully with cheeses with bold flavors. I love a simple white wine alongside our Swissy and buttery havarti.”

—Sandy Coleman Go online to read her full interview and get a recipe for ricotta gnocchi at wheatoncollege.edu/wheaton-magazine

Forbes features Ross Franklin ’02 Biology major’s passion for wellness led to juice franchise

Ross Franklin ’02, who majored in biology and was a member of the men’s cross country team at Wheaton, took his passion for health and wellness and poured it into building a juice business. Forbes magazine has recognized his success as CEO of Pure Green Franchise.

“The Next 1000 2021: The Upstart Entrepreneurs Redefining the American Dream” on the Forbes website features individuals “who are redefining what it means to build and run a business today.”

They were chosen by “nominations and screened by top business minds and entrepreneurial superstars.”

Pure Green Franchise is a nutrient-rich juice and smoothie franchise that Franklin started in 2014 with his first location in New York City. Now, there are locations in Atlanta, Chicago, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Michigan and New Jersey.

“Being on the Forbes list is certainly an honor that feels humbling. We have a mission of building healthier communities around the globe at Pure Green and publications like Forbes help us to reach more people,” Franklin said.

The idea for the business developed out of Franklin’s experiences postgraduation, his own personal quest for optimal health and his desire to support healthy lives.

After he graduated from Wheaton, he worked in the fitness industry and later started his own consulting firm opening new fitness centers and turning around struggling locations. As he worked with dietitians, personal trainers and fitness leaders, he said he came to realize more and more the significant role that nutrition plays in ideal health. Franklin himself has avoided processed foods and eaten organic foods for many years.

When he chose his major at Wheaton, he originally thought he wanted to be a

Ross Franklin ’02 is on the Forbes list for “redefining what it means to build and run a business today.”

doctor but later realized that he wanted to be an entrepreneur and help others seeking the same path.

“As CEO of Pure Green Franchise, I love building entrepreneurs. Successful entrepreneurs are developed over time learning through experience,” he said.

His advice to students dreaming of starting their own businesses? “Learn the fundamentals through modeling

others who have achieved what they want to achieve. Find the best entrepreneur in the world in the area you are looking to get into and learn directly from them. This is called ‘modeling.’

Take an internship working directly with them, even if there is little to no financial compensation.”

—Sandy Coleman SPRING 2022 33

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NETWORK

A new voice in local politics

Shamar Mahon ’20 elected town council’s youngest member ever Shamar Mahon ’20 is gearing up to make a difference at the local level. The alum recently was elected to the Bloomfield Town Council.

He is the youngest member ever to serve on the legislative body that governs Bloomfield, a town of 21,535 in Hartford County, Connecticut.

“The race was very exciting. I was the underdog. I put in a lot of hard work and long hours and was relieved that the effort paid off. And that’s just the beginning.

There is a lot more to be done,” said Mahon, who majored in political science at Wheaton.

The Hartford Courant news story “Meet four barrier-breaking municipal leaders who made history when they won on Election Day in Connecticut” noted his victory.

Mahon, a Republican, developed an interest in politics in his ninth-grade civics class. He channeled that passion to become the class president of his high school, and later served in several roles on Wheaton’s Student Government Association—including class president, treasurer and senator-at-large.

Mahon, who works for his family’s business, currently is heading up various projects, including an internship program for high school students. He also has been involved in fundraising and efforts to support food banks and families in need.

34 WHEATON MAGAZINE

Shamar Mahon ’20

He previously worked for Promise Zone Youth Employment for Success, a federal program.

All of these efforts tap into Mahon’s passion for community service, a family ideal that he traces to his grandmother, who immigrated to the U.S. from Jamaica.

“One thing she loves to do is prepare barrels of food, school supplies and clothing to help out schoolchildren. My love of community service stems from her and her service mindset,” he said.

Mahon’s past experiences running for student government at Wheaton prepared him to execute a successful campaign, he said.

“I had to fundraise, host events, knock on doors. It was pretty exciting. The thing I loved most about campaigning was meeting people and hearing about their concerns and what they want to be addressed in the upcoming term. I approach every interaction with an open

ear and open heart. It takes a lot of listening and care,” the council member said.

Mahon credited Associate Professor of Political Science Bradford Bishop for inspiring students to get engaged in local politics. His courses, specifically “Congress and the Presidency,” also offered valuable opportunities for civic discourse, Mahon said.

“He encouraged diverse opinions and for students to explore, develop and evolve their beliefs. We had a cross-pollination of ideas through candid conversations; we were exchanging and growing,” Mahon said.

“We all have a common goal—to see the best in society. I’m trying to get more young people interested in politics. It is very important to have young people vote and not be afraid to come to meetings.

We need to get out there to get our word out. Otherwise, we won’t have a voice in sculpting our future,” he said.

—Laura Pedulli

Alumni share career advice Seniors preparing for life after college this winter benefited from advice from individuals who know what it’s like being in their shoes: Wheaton alumni.

During Senior January Jumpstart, a virtual event cosponsored by the Filene Center for Academic Advising and Career Services and Alumni Relations, 26 alumni representing a variety of careers engaged in meaningful conversations with students about life after college. A few of them shared wisdom that we can all use for success.

—Laura Pedulli

Geoffrey Fenelus ’09, standards institute facilitator, UnboundEd.org

“Be open to multiple opportunities. Identify, understand and leverage your strengths. Build a network of people that will support you yet challenge you at the same time.”

Haley Knight ’17, research associate, biospecimen sample management, Affinia Therapeutics

“Connections are everything. Use your alumni network, ask friends if they have family connections in the field you are interested in, and reach out to companies on LinkedIn. A connection isn’t a guaranteed job, but it’s a foot in the door. Don’t be afraid of rejection; it’s a sign there’s another opportunity.”

Roxy Azari ’10, director of coaching, Story2; adjunct lecturer, Hunter College

“A former dean at Wheaton, Dean Carlson, once told me to follow my bliss and the money will follow. I think so often we get caught up in what society says success has to look like—but I have found that following the things that bring me joy while being in community with others has made work and my days feel more meaningful.”

Leah Smith ’14, creative director, Tape Art

“Say ‘yes’ to every opportunity to try new things. I met my current collaborator when I agreed to join him on a project he was working on. At the time I was not sure I wanted to make art for a living, let alone jump into an ambitious video project with a first-time collaborator. Ten years later I am still collaborating with that artist and have built my career around our work. Saying ‘yes’ to new experiences opens unexpected doors.”

Sidra Scharff ’09, implementation specialist, Office of Family Visiting, Rhode Island Department of Public Health

“Stay connected to your internship, volunteer, academic and job contacts as you never know when a job will arise. Networking is key in any field.”

Antonio Jakes ’12, Southeast public relations manager, American Honda Motor Co.

“Make as many connections as possible in the field you’re interested in. Prepare yourself for any situation—whether that is an interview, chat or meeting. Never show up unprepared.”

SPRING 2022 35

CLASS NOTES

Giving back, together

Marty Hayden Curtis ’76, Bev Burt Peirce ’76, Caren Cranston ’76, Cindy Cook Roeber ’76 and Lynne Johnson McKay ’77 at the Boston Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk

Fun on the slopes

Wheaton alumni and friends converged on Wachusett Mountain in Princeton, Mass., for an enjoyable day of skiing and snowboarding. Pictured: Michael Hall ‘13 (left) with partner Kendall Carney; and (above) Caroline Chaffiotte ’22 with sister Lauren Chaffiotte (accepted into the Class of 2026), who attended the event with their mother (not pictured), Christine Redmond Chaffiotte ’89

36 WHEATON MAGAZINE

Class years in BLUE are Reunion years.

Commencement/Reunion is May 20–22, 2022

History illuminated

Author Jessica Knauss ’97 delights readers with stories about fascinating characters from medieval Spain. Read more, Page 55

ANA GAMBUTO

Rachel Bowie ’14

Listen and learn

Achievement in film

KEITH NORDSTROM

Dominick Torres ’20 has won the inaugural YES Award (Young EmergingFilmmaker Showcase) for his film “Aguante” at the 2021 Newburyport Documentary Film Festival. “Aguante” is a documentary about the Puerto Rican battle against gender-based violence. It is a story about the impact that machismo culture and a complex history of colonialism in Puerto Rico has had on generations of women.

The Young Emerging-Filmmaker Showcase featured seven short films produced by current and recent graduates of Boston-area colleges and universities. As the winner of the YES Award, Torres will receive funding to support his next creative endeavor.

“The festival was an incredible event to be a part of, seeing what other filmmakers had centered their documentaries around was so interesting. Being awarded the YES Award was such a surprise because there were many films that were outstanding and so to be selected was such an honor. It was a subtle reminder that there are many more opportunities out there for me and I just have to be patient and put in the work necessary,” Torres said.

—Patrick Johnson, associate professor of filmmaking

These days, there is a podcast for every curiosity under the sun.

For Rachel Bowie ’14, who was a sociology major at Wheaton, her love of all things British royalty compelled her to launch the podcast “Royally Obsessed” with co-host Roberta Fiorito in March 2018.

The podcast is attracting many fans. In December 2021, “Royally Obsessed” landed on Town & Country magazine’s list of “The Best Podcasts to Listen to Now.” Town & Country editor Lauren Hubbard, who described the podcast as hilarious, said, “From details on every single Meghan or Kate appearance to a dedicated appreciation of the royal kids, this is the perfect podcast for those looking for a weekly update on their favorite royals.”

So far, Bowie and Fiorito have released more than 220 episodes of “Royally Obsessed.” One featured Wheaton’s very own Sally Bedell Smith ’70, a best-selling author and expert on the British monarchy and Wheaton honorary degree recipient in 2020. (Search “Christmas Episode: Dissecting ‘The Crown’ with Sally Bedell Smith” in Apple Podcasts to have a listen.)

—Laura Pedulli Do you have your own podcast? Please tell us about it at magazine@wheatoncollege.edu.

Did your contact information change?

Report changes of address and email to Alumni Relations at 508286-8207 or alum@wheatoncollege.edu.

Is your class year missing and you have news to share?

Contact us at classnotes@wheatoncollege.edu and we will put you in touch with your class secretary.

Looking to volunteer?

Contact our Alumni Relations Office to get involved at 508-286-8207.

SPRING 2022 37

CLASS NOTES

Alumna praises Wheaton in Boston Globe

Article highlights advantages of college’s personalized education Christine Koh ’95 lauded her Wheaton education—and its long-term impact on her personal and professional growth—in a recent Boston Globe Magazine article that explores the challenges of the college admission process.

In her piece “College rejection season doesn’t have to hurt this much,” published February 23, Koh wrote that a successful college experience with positive outcomes essentially boils down to how engaged students are in their classes and communities.

She identified access to mentors, internships and multi-semester projects as specific factors leading to student success—which she said she found in spades at Wheaton.

“Now, I often think about how lucky I was that Wheaton

admitted me. On my printed acceptance letter, the admissions officer added a handwritten postscript to tell me that I had written a wonderful essay. As I proceeded through my first year and experienced the richness of mentorship and small classes, I realized I had hit the jackpot.

My journey at Wheaton included internships [including being one of the college’s first White House interns], great academics and countless community enrichment opportunities that helped me thrive and find my place in the world,” wrote Koh, who double majored in music and psychology.

“I graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa and went on to get my doctorate. It was at Wheaton where I discovered my field of academic interest, thanks to my mentor, the late

Grace Baron, who sat with me at a library computer terminal and suggested we do a literature search on music and psychology—a conversation that shaped my research trajectory from that moment all the way through completion of my postdoctoral fellowship,” she wrote.

Koh is a former music and brain scientist turned awardwinning multimedia creative.

She is a creative director who specializes in social impact projects; founder of the parenting blog Boston Mamas; host of the lifestyle podcast “Edit Your Life;” and the co-founder and designer of Brave New World Designs. In 2013, she authored the book Minimalist Parenting: Enjoy Modern Family Life More

by Doing Less (Gildan Media).

—Laura Pedulli

Christine Koh ’95

JILL KRAUSE

Imaginative retellings of history

Alumna’s short story collection honors medieval Spanish king Author Jessica Knauss’s passion for the Middle Ages is so strong that she chose to make Zamora, Spain, her home—a city known for its historic sites and architecture of that time.

“People are often surprised to find out that things as wonderful as books and buttons and many other inventions we take for granted come to us from the Middle Ages,” said Knauss, an English and Hispanic studies double major at Wheaton (Class of 1997) who earned her Ph.D. in Spanish literature from Brown University. “I’m fascinated by the colorful art, the lively music and the precocious expressiveness of languages when they were becoming the English and Spanish we speak today.”

Zamora was the perfect place to research and write her recently published short story collection, Our Lady’s Troubadour (Encircle Publications, 2021), with both English and Spanish editions. This collection celebrates the 800th birthday of the era’s Spanish ruler Alfonso X, known for his enthusiastic acceptance of the cultural and scientific currents of his age.

“I like to highlight what’s fun and multicultural about the Middle Ages for my readers. The figure of Alfonso X is a great springboard for discussions about openmindedness and intellectualism in the world today,” Knauss said.

In the book, Knauss also offers imaginative

38 WHEATON MAGAZINE

retellings of the Cantigas de Santa Maria, which are 420 poems with musical notation, written in the medieval Galician-Portuguese language during the reign of Alfonso X. The Cantigas—which Knauss said she first heard during her semester abroad in Spain as a Wheaton student—was the subject of her Ph.D. dissertation while at Brown.

“Having studied them for so long, the Cantigas were easy to adapt into stories.

They talk about miracles, which are already stories with characters and a beginning, middle and end. I imagined what it would be like to live through these experiences to give the characters the psychological depth that today’s readers demand,” she said.

There’s an incredible richness just under the simple surface of these old stories, Knauss added.

“I sometimes had to supply a sense of place, because the original poems don’t always mention where the miracles occur.

Honestly, that was the most fun because I could imagine the events in places I’ve visited and know well,” she said.

Because Our Lady’s Troubadour was published in both English and Spanish, Knauss was able to have a unique book launch in Zamora.

“My musician friends rehearsed for months, and with the music, my reading of one of the stories, and projection of images from the manuscripts, we were able to draw

Jessica Knauss ’97

an audience that filled the auditorium and provided the same kind of multimedia experience the Cantigas still offer today,” she said.

—Laura Pedulli

Oscar-worthy

Allison Chaves ’21 got cast as an extra in ‘Don’t Look Up’ No, it wasn’t your imagination.

For filmgoers who thought they recognized the Dimple or Mary Lyon Hall while watching the Netflix film “Don’t Look Up,” you are correct!

The Wheaton campus was among several Massachusetts locations featured in the film— which now has the distinction of being nominated for Best Picture by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In the comedy, written and directed by Adam McKay, two astronomers go on a media tour to warn people about an approaching comet that will destroy Earth. The star-studded cast features Jennifer Lawrence,

Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Jonah Hill, Timothée Chalamet and Tyler Perrye.

The film also includes Allison Chaves ’21, who now can add her appearance in an “Oscarnominated film” to her resume.

During a super-secret November 2020 filming day on the Dimple and in Mary Lyon, Chaves applied and got cast as an extra to “play” a college student.

She was in two scenes on campus, had one wardrobe change and hair-and-makeup styling.

Also, to her surprise, she was called back for two scenes filmed later in January 2021 in Boston.

“I can actually see myself in

the trailer,” said Chaves, who double majored in film and new media studies at Wheaton. “In one of the Boston scenes, there’s an establishing shot of people walking down the street and you can see me walking down the street talking on the phone and holding a little bag.”

During the fall semester 2021, Chaves had been on campus working in the Visual Art Department as a video producer.

Prior to this, she was a production assistant on an Apple TV+ film.

Stepping in front of the camera was a nice change, she said. “I was very excited to do it. I wasn’t really nervous at all. I was excited to see the environment,

Invest Today. Inspire Tomorrow.

“My sociology major has given me the keys to better understand how society works, opened doors to so many opportunities and paved the way for my future career. Last summer, my internship at Phoofolo, Inc., an online company that connects local dog owners to service providers, vendors and resources, gave me great real-world experience. When I graduate, I hope to work in recruitment at a company with a family-oriented, friendly team. I am deeply thankful for all of the financial support that has allowed me the freedom to explore various career possibilities that I may not have considered before.”

Pierre Morse ’22

Sociology major Judge Nancy Ann Holman Washington State Scholar Ketcham Family Wheaton Fund Scholar Barbara Bissell ’72 Intern

Give to the Wheaton Fund today to support the dreams of tomorrow.

Go online to learn more about how your contributions create opportunities for Pierre and other students. wheatoncollege.edu/giving

Allison Chaves ’21

KEITH NORDSTROM

how the whole movie production works because I had never really seen that before. It was really interesting to see all of the different people doing all their different jobs and how the crew set up and broke down for each kind of shot.”

—Sandy Coleman

For class secretaries: How to submit your Class Notes

By email: Submit Class Notes to classnotes@wheatoncollege.edu.

Include your class year in the subject line (e.g., “Class Notes, 2001.”)

Deadlines

Fall: June 7, 2022 Winter: Sept. 27, 2022 Spring: Jan. 17, 2023

Photos

To submit digital photos, email them as an attachment to classnotes@wheatoncollege.edu. For full guidelines, visit wheatoncollege.edu/wheaton-magazine/ submitting-digital-images.

For all photos: Please supply a brief description of the event and all the names and class years of the alumni in the picture.

Please note: The photos you send in must be sharp and clear.

Photos that are out of focus, or that have harsh shadows, overexposed areas or “red-eyed” subjects may not be usable. Often we receive more photos than we can use in any one issue. When this happens, we will select photos that represent a variety of class years and timely events.

SPRING 2022 39

IN MEMORIAM

1944

Jane Pfeiffenberger Luer, 99, died on Dec. 8, 2021. She graduated from Wheaton with a bachelor’s degree in music. She was married to the late Carlyle Luer. In addition to raising five children, Jane loved nature and enjoyed excursions with her husband through the swamps of Florida, jungles of Ecuador and Colombia, and mountains of Peru and Bolivia in search of orchids. Jane had a lifelong love of music. She was involved with organizations, including the Symphony Women’s Association (later the Women’s Exchange), La Musica Di Asolo, Friends of the Gardens—Selby Associates, Sarasota Garden Club, Sarasota Orchid Society and Sarasota County Medical Society Alliance.

1945

Mary Richardson Brock, 97, of Sewickley, Pa., died on Jan. 5, 2021. She was married to the late Gibson Brock. Mary graduated from Wheaton with a bachelor’s degree in government and history. She worked as a secretary for a law firm and loved to travel with her husband.

1946

Adele Saklad Hoffman, 97, died on Dec. 5, 2021. Adele majored in psychology at Wheaton and spent her early career before marriage focused on psychological testing at a number of university-affiliated clinics. She stayed active in politics and social justice causes throughout her life, as a poll worker, committee person, delegate and campaigner.

She met her future husband, Mike Hoffman, through a mutual friend.

Together, they raised two daughters, enjoyed annual fishing vacations and cherished the community of her Newton neighborhood. In the 1960s and 1970s, Adele worked as a part-time special education teacher. When Mike passed away in 1975, she became a full-time special education case manager, a position she held for 20 years. In 1995, Adele pursued a degree in gerontology and spent the next 25 years advocating for local seniors. She was an active and engaged Wheaton alumna who served as a class secretary for many years.

Janet Unz Phyfe, 97, died on Oct. 28, 2021. Janet graduated from Wheaton with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. She worked in New York for several years before getting married, settling in Darien, Conn., and raising five children. She enjoyed tennis into 62 WHEATON MAGAZINE

her 80s and many volunteer activities at St. Luke’s Parish. Janet was also the president of Darien Book Aid and a volunteer at a thrift shop that raised money for Planned Parenthood. She moved to Rowayton, Conn., in the mid1970s and reveled in creating multiple gardens around her home, chatting with passersby, taking children and grandchildren to the beach and mowing her lawn with a push mower until she was in her 80s. Janet was a member of the Rowayton Gardeners Club. In 2006, she relocated to Wallingford, Conn.

1947

Irma Mendelsohn Lampert died on Dec. 13, 2021. She attended Wheaton.

1948

Elizabeth “Betty”Arnold Reynolds, 94, died on Nov. 27, 2021, in FuquayVarina, N.C. She majored in history at Wheaton. After graduation, she went to work for the phone company, where she caught the eye of her future husband, Gordon. They married in 1952 and enjoyed 68 years by one another’s side. In the 1960s and ’70s, she was the quintessential stay-at-home mom with a seemingly endless supply of energy. She was an avid volunteer and a voracious reader. Betty and Gordon loved to travel and took their children all over the country. In 2005, they moved from Greensboro, N.C., to Holly Springs, N.C., to be near family.

Virginia “Ginny” Didier Wales, 95, died on Sept. 22, 2021. She graduated from Wheaton as a music major.

She did her graduate work at the Arthur Flagler School of Music and went on to become a social worker at the City Missionary Society with the Congregational Church until 1954. She married David Wales in 1953. They had three children and settled in Sudbury, Mass., in 1963.

Ginny always planned expeditions for her family centering on the great outdoors of New England. She loved cooking and entertaining. Next to family, Ginny loved gardening and was passionate about decorating.

She became an interior decorator, creating beautiful homes resulting in a dedicated client base for years.

Ginny volunteered at Emerson Hospital, The Goodnow Library and the Sudbury Senior Center.

1949

Cary Fellows Reich, 94, died on January 17. She graduated from Wheaton with a bachelor’s degree

in psychology. While working as a school psychologist for the New Britain, Conn., public schools, she also attended Yale University part time and earned a master’s degree in psychology. Cary moved to Boston, where she worked at the Human Engineering Laboratory and met and married her former husband, Donald Reich, with whom she had three children. The family lived in Oberlin, Ohio, for more than a decade and also spent six months living abroad in Kyoto, Japan. The family later moved to Brooklyn, N.Y., and then Sudbury, Mass., where she worked for H&R Block before starting her own tax preparation business called Money Counts. She subsequently relocated to Hanover, N.H., to be closer to family. In 2018, she moved to Lebanon, N.H.

1951

Marjorie “Marcie” Spaulding Kirschbaum died on Aug. 25, 2021.

She attended Wheaton.

1952

Nancy Proper Tibbals, 91, died on January 7 in Middletown, Conn. She received her undergraduate degree from Wheaton in English and library science master’s degrees from Southern Connecticut State College and Wesleyan University. While raising her children, she had a 25-year career as a librarian working at The Edna C. Stevens Elementary School in Cromwell, Conn., and Coginchaug Regional High School. Nancy enjoyed theater, playing bridge, traveling and spending time at the beach. She was an avid reader.

1953

Gloria “Cookie” Kreuter Wolfner, 89, died on Aug. 11, 2021. She graduated from Wheaton with a bachelor’s degree in English. She raised five children with her former husband, George Meehan. She later married John Wolfner. In recent years, she was a resident of Palm City, Fla. She loved playing bridge, dining out with friends and exercising her mastery of crossword puzzles. She was an avid golfer and a devoted parishioner of Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Palm City. Cookie was recognized around town as “the lady in the hat.”

She maintained an elegant warm presence throughout her life and always drew attention when she entered a room.

1955

Virginia “Ginny” Brennan Enright, 88, died on Nov. 15, 2021.

After graduating from Wheaton, she

worked for Compton Advertising in New York City until she had children. She worked for a time for the town of New Castle and coowned and operated the Vanier Real Estate Co. in Armonk, N.Y. Recently, she was employed by the Chappaqua Public Library. She was a communicant of the Church of Saint John and Saint Mary in Chappaqua. She enjoyed serving as a frequent election inspector in her community. Ginny loved her neighborhood of Castle Road in Chappaqua and continued to follow the exploits of its close families long after they and she moved away. She was an avid sports fan, especially of the New York Giants and the New York Yankees.

Vanessa Petrillo Treash, 88, died on Dec. 17, 2021. Throughout her childhood, she loved to ride horses.

She was able to ride her horse, Penny, at Wheaton, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. She loved Wheaton and talked fondly of times playing bridge and smoking in the dorm basement—when not in the chemistry lab. She graduated from Wheaton as valedictorian and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. After college, she became a chemist at Eastman Kodak in Rochester, N.Y. There, she met her former husband, Len Treash.

She loved her life in Rochester, where she raised her daughters. She was active in the League of Women Voters and worked with the Perinton Volunteer Ambulance Corps as a first responder. Her real passion, however, was duplicate bridge. She played at the tournament level and became a life master in 1986. She brought that passion with her when she moved to Yarmouth Port on Cape Cod in 2000. She loved the Cape and only left for Woodstock, Vt., to live near family.

1957

Naomi Gallet Bennet died on Nov. 8, 2021. She attended Wheaton.

1958

Nancy Penfield Williamson, 85, died on Dec. 10, 2021. She graduated from Wheaton, majoring in mathematics and earning Phi Beta Kappa.

In 1958, Nancy married Jeffrey Williamson. The couple drove across the country in a Ford station wagon and settled into an apartment on Bryant Avenue in Palo Alto, Calif., where Jeffrey was attending graduate school at Stanford University.

There she put Jeffrey through school working as a computer programmer at Stanford Research Institute—so

rare for a woman in 1958. After her youngest started preschool, Nancy returned to the workforce as a computer programmer at the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin. In 1984, she and Jeffrey moved to the Boston area. Nancy continued her work as a programmer for the Department of Sociology at Harvard University.

Throughout her life, Nancy enjoyed international travel, knitting, needle artwork, and choral and classical music.

1960

Sally Terry Graves, 83, died on Oct. 17, 2021. She studied philosophy at Wheaton. When her children were young, she obtained an M.Ed. in English as a second language from Hofstra University. As the wife of an international banker, she created warm, welcoming homes in Manhattan, Long Island, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines, Singapore, London, Tokyo and West Bath, Maine. Sally made huge efforts for those she loved, often traveling far to see new digs and enthusiastically celebrate milestones. Even at 83, she would offer rides and meals to those who were sick or sad. She always had an independent job to “stay sane;” and, in the constricted corporate culture, she was popular for injecting some fun and spontaneity into stuffy affairs. She taught English as a second language for more than 30 years. She served on many committees and boards, including the Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum, the College Women’s Association of Japan, Maine Maritime Museum, Mid Coast Hospital, The Bath Garden Club and West Bath Historical Society. Sally was an active alumna and generous supporter of Wheaton who attended many Reunions and events. She volunteered in many capacities, including as class secretary.

Martica “Tica” Heyworth Marquardt, 83, died on February 17. She was an art history major at Wheaton. While she was a student, she met Hank Marquardt. Tica and Hank married in 1960 and raised a family in Chicago and Lake Forest, Ill. A devoted and gifted gardener, she was a past president of the Lake Forest Garden Club, a member of The Coterie, the Contemporary Club, and the Founders Board of Children’s Memorial Hospital. She was a lover of Labrador retrievers and champion of copper beech trees, but her abiding, lifelong passion was family. She was deeply dedicated to the honoring of generations past,

and to the ongoing love and care of generations coming of age.

1961

Mary Lu Lucretia Shoemaker, of South Boston, Mass., and Palermo, N.J., died on Nov. 3, 2021. She was preceded in death by her partner of 30 years, Frank MacCormack. At Wheaton, she double majored in mathematics and music. She sang in the choir and with a select small group of musicians. After graduation, Mary Lu began working at what became Verizon as a project manager negotiating contracts. While living in Cambridge, she studied voice and also sang with the choir at the Park Street Church as well as at various concert venues in the city.

Later, she moved to South Boston to be with Frank, where they enjoyed sailing, traveling to Scotland, living near the water, and their various pets.

1962

Joan Packard Lewis, 81, died on February 17. Joan attended Wheaton.

1963

Elizabeth Wolf died on January 24 in New York, N.Y. She graduated from Wheaton with a bachelor’s degree in art. She was a longtime supporter and engaged alumna of Wheaton.

1966

Diane Hatchfield Saparoff, 77, of Arlington, Mass., formerly of Easton, died on Dec. 10, 2021. She graduated from Wheaton with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and from Boston University with a master’s degree.

She was a cherished sister, beloved friend and devoted mother.

1967

Deborah “Debby” Doyle Knowles, 75, of South Dartmouth, Mass., died on January 21. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Wheaton and a master’s degree in Spanish literature from Brown University. She also spent a formative year in Madrid as part of her undergraduate studies and went on to teach high school Spanish in the Rhode Island area, first at the Moses Brown School, followed by Providence Country Day School and Bay View Academy. A language lover with a sharp wit, she enjoyed reading, wordplay and mirthful conversation. In midlife, she joined the Providence Art Club and took up watercolor painting. Debby also spent many years as a homemaker in the Providence area, where she

volunteered at museums and practiced yoga, and in South Dartmouth, where she enjoyed boating on Buzzards Bay.

1970

Sharon Levine, of Chelsea, Mass., formerly of Charlestown, died on March 8. Sharon graduated from Wheaton with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and she received a master’s degree from Duke University in 1972.

Sharon was a successful independent businesswoman. She worked for many companies, including Our Favorite Things, Giselle Bridal Veils, Savoir Flair and Pink Pages. Sharon prized friendships in her life and nurtured a large network of devoted friends, including many Wheaton classmates. She was a longtime supporter and advocate for Wheaton.

She attended many Reunions and other networking events and helped lead many fundraising initiatives in support of the college. In 2020, in recognition of her efforts, Wheaton awarded Sharon the Heather J. Corbett ’86 Fostering Wheaton Community Award​for her unsung contributions that have brought the college community together.

1973

Elaine Elizabeth Bedard, 70, died on Dec. 9, 2021. She graduated from Wheaton with a bachelor’s degree in English and her master’s degree from University of New Hampshire.

She was a longtime English teacher at North High. Upon her retirement, Elaine received a book from students thanking her for teaching them effective English language skills as well as life skills. Elaine lived a life immersed in love given and received, boundless friendship, caring, compassion, interest, tolerance, resilience, acceptance and faith in many things, kindness being utmost.

1980

Nancy Trudeau Cavanagh, 82, of Nashua, N.H., died on May 21, 2021.

She was married to the love of her life, the late Richard Cavanagh, from 1957 until his death in 2001. Nancy settled in Abington, where she became involved with the Planning Board and Council on Aging, and led the South Shore Senior Chorus.

She graduated from Wheaton with a major in music and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. For many years, she was the administrator of the music section within the Department of Humanities at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Nancy loved her friends, food, travel, kitties; playing card, board and online games;

and enjoyed her summer home on Swan’s Island. Most of all, she loved to sing and play guitar.

1985

Bernyce Stovall Mitchell, 97, died Nov. 19, 2021, in North Conway, N.H. Bernyce was an activist who was tireless in her support of equal rights and the elimination of all discrimination. She was an early volunteer with Self Help Inc. and the NAACP in Brockton, Mass. She marched in the 1968 Poor People’s March in Washington, D.C., was a leader in the United Methodist Church’s commitment to empowering women across the globe and was a longtime volunteer with Old Colony Hospice in Massachusetts.

1997

Jessica Paige Ringwood, 46, died on Nov. 17, 2021. She graduated from Wheaton with a bachelor’s degree in English literature. As an English teacher at Monte Vista High School, she inspired her students to read.

She pursued a master’s degree in library science from San Jose State University to become the teacherlibrarian at San Ramon Valley High.

Jessica was equally dedicated to her family and many dear friends. She is remembered fondly for her honesty, curiosity, loyalty and generosity. She loved cooking, gardening and the outdoors. As a dedicated mother, she found joy sharing her love for the outdoors and for reading with her children. Jessica introduced many people to Yosemite, a place she loved deeply, and to the hills and hikes of the greater San Francisco Bay Area.

Relatives

1956 Roberts McCrea, husband of Susan Morrison McCrea, in January 2021 1959 James Meyer, husband of Lora Rabinowitz Meyer, in October 2021 1960 William Morrison, husband of Deborah Green Morrison, in November 2021 1976 George Wilkens, father of Katherine Wilkens Franklin, in January 1978 Dayton Wolfe, father of Sally Wolfe Goodman, in November 2021 1989 Janet Guidrey, mother of Carla Guidrey Stafford, in November 2021 1992 Cynthia Maseko, mother of Nancy Maseko Moloko, in July 2021 1995 Deborah Knowles, mother of John Knowles, in January 2024 Alex Kimmell, father of Gabriel Kimmell, in December 2021

SPRING 2022 63

PERSPECTIVE

KEITH NORDSTROM

The Japanese Zelkova (Zelkova serrata) on the Dimple in the foreground near Knapton Hall had to be removed because of multiple issues.

Goodbye to a beloved tree At Wheaton, trees are special. They help shape the beauty of the campus landscape, connect graduates to the college through the plantings that mark class years, and provide a source of intellectual engagement for students as well as visitors interested in learning about different species.

When they need to be removed for various reasons, including weather-related damage and disease, the loss is noticed as well as lamented by the campus community. Such was the case for the Japanese Zelkova (Zelkova serrata) that for decades dramatically has stood at the entrance of the Dimple near Knapton Hall.

For at least 10 years, the grounds crew had tended to the tree, trying to shore it up, especially when it was in danger of splitting apart. However, it had been slowly losing bark and branches.

In January 2021, it was cut down to protect passersby as well as buildings after a risk assessment by a consulting arborist confirmed multiple issues with the tree, including decay, fungal cankers and nectria canker, said John Sullivan, 64 WHEATON MAGAZINE

assistant vice president of business services and physical plant.

Like many others on campus, the Dimple tree has historical significance because it was adopted by graduates of 1950 as their class tree after their original tree, an elm, died, according to Kate Boylan ’04, Wheaton director of archives and digital initiatives.

The College History page indicates that in 1900, the first senior class chose an already standing elm tree and conducted Commencement around it. The tradition evolved into each senior class choosing a day during the second week of April to plant a new tree on campus.

Over the years, Wheaton has amassed an extensive collection of native and non-native species of trees and shrubs, which are highlighted in the annual tree walk started by the late Professor of Philosophy Holcombe Austin that has been continued by Professor of Biology Scott Shumway.

Shumway, who teaches botany, among other subjects, is well-known for his tree

walk events during Reunion. Ask him why this particular Zelkova serrata tree is special and Shumway’s passion comes through.

“All trees are special. This one more so because of its large size, shape and how it captures the eye of anyone who has ever visited campus,” he said.

“We forget the basics of what makes trees special. Aesthetics is just one thing.

They are our best defense against global warming. They take up carbon dioxide as they photosynthesize and convert the carbon into the building blocks of the plant,” Shumway said. “The wood in this tree is storing about 100 years worth of accumulated carbon that was removed from the atmosphere by the leaves of the tree. Once it dies and begins to decay, that stored CO2 gets released back into the atmosphere. Big trees store more carbon.”

—Sandy Coleman Do you have a fun or special photo memory of this tree or others on campus? Share it with us at magazine@wheatoncollege.edu.

Planning the future.

“I worked for 45 years as a public education analyst and advocate for nonprofit organizations, higher education institutions and government agencies addressing school desegregation, education funding, college access and success, mentoring and teacher recruitment, among other issues. My Wheaton courses in urban sociology played a key role in shaping my academic inspiration, professional success and personal development. So, it is an easy choice to leave a portion of my estate to the institution that so powerfully influenced me. I’m directing my bequest to financial aid for students of color and co-curricular diversity programming for students, faculty and staff. I make this commitment because I am proud of Wheaton’s active recruitment of faculty of color under the leadership of former Provost Hannah Goldberg when I was a member of the President’s Commission and extending through now President Emeritus Dennis Hanno’s insistence that Wheaton cannot equip students for the future without becoming an actively anti-racist institution. Their historical examples, the commitment of President Michaele Whelan, and the daily staff leadership of Shaya Gregory Poku, associate vice president for Institutional Equity and Belonging, give me full confidence that the resources I am fortunate to provide will matter in advancing Wheaton’s legacy.”

Debra Weiner ’67 Retired education policy analyst Founders Society

Giving possibility.

For information, call the Office of Gift Planning at 508-286-3391 or visit giftplanning.wheatoncollege.edu.

Wheaton College, 26 E. Main Street, Norton, MA 02766 wheatoncollege.edu

Invest Today. Inspire Tomorrow.

Wheaton Fund donor and volunteer

“I resolve high-priority business problems by analyzing the issues, recommending system/process changes and then implementing the comprehensive system solutions developed based on the recommendations.

This solutions-oriented approach emphasizes asking about the ‘why,’ building understanding and recognizing the value of the work. It was at Wheaton that I came to realize the value of my own voice, the benefit of building community for collaboration and how to engage critical-thinking skills to meet any challenge. My Wheaton experience left a lasting impression. I felt a part of the community from the first day I stepped on campus. Supporting the Wheaton Fund is important to me because I want other students to be able to take advantage of the Wheaton experience and I want the college that gave so much to me to be around for generations to come.”

Melissa Namiot ’88

Wheaton Fund Your investment today inspires the dreams of tomorrow.

Learn more at wheatoncollege.edu/giving.

KEITH NORDSTROM

Senior systems analyst, consultant Financial services industry Wheaton Alumni Board of Directors member-at-large