Fall 2008 - Simmons College

aT SImMonS.
alL ROadSbEgIn
ReTuRn to SIMMonS.
ALL roADs
SIMMO NS
FALL 2008
CAS Edition
Report of
Philanthropy
INSIDE
For many of you, your time at Simmons was
only the beginning of great things to come. To show you
that Simmons hasn’t veered from its mission, we’ve
created an easy way for you to return.
The reconnectwithsimmons blogazine – an online
magazine and blog – is our way of helping you stay
connected to old (and new!) friends.
The site – contributed to by interesting alumnae/i,
faculty, & staff – provides honest, fresh, fun, and thought-
provoking stories about Simmons and its community
members who are making a difference in the world.
The site also includes sections titled GPS: Globally
Positioning Simmons, Simmons Spotlight, and Simmons Fun
& Facts. You can read the blogs, post messages, comment
on any topic, and buy great reconnectwithsimmons stuff.
If you have any comments or questions,
please contact Nicole LeBlanc at 617.521.2368, or email
nicole.leblanc@simmons.edu.
simmons.edu/reconnect
SIMMONS |
300 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115-5898
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NONPROFIT
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PAID
N READING MA
PERMIT NO. 121
why art
matters
THE VALUE OF ARTS
IN EDUCATION
Arts and Sciences
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
also in this issue:
Q CAS PARTNERS WITH ERIC CARLE MUSEUM
Q NEW NAME FOR WOMEN’S STUDIES
SEE
PAGE
21
SIMMONS SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
Celebrating 30 Years of Women’s Achievements
Vision to Voice
voices:
leadership in the global age
PEGGY ADELSON SASLOW ’44
Join friends and classmates at our 30th anniversary conference for an experience
to remember. In keeping with this milestone event, all
Simmons College
alumnae receive a 30% discount off the registration fee. It’s a day of
HOMETOWN: New
retired high school home
economics teacher
OCCUPATION:
inspiring speakers, thought-provoking sessions, and great networking with nearly
3,000 professional women that is guaranteed to energize your life and career.
May 2, 2009
For program details
and registration information
please visit
Seaport World
simmons.edu/
leadership
Trade Center
Boston, MA
Diane Keaton, actress & film director
Milford, New Jersey
REGISTER EARLY
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Mary Robinson
Antonia Novello, M.D.
women’s rights advocate & author
former president of Ireland
former U.S. Surgeon General
All proceeds support scholarships to the Simmons School of Management. This is a tax deductible event.
ON HER OPTIMISTIC LIFE VIEW: “I am
inordinately content with my life —
I loved my husband and children
and I thought we were incredibly
fortunate. I always figured
I was a pretty lucky gal.”
“When I think of
Simmons, I think
of my friends.”
Ask Peggy Saslow ’44 what she thinks about her life and she’s likely to give a very upbeat response.
With a sharp wit and the energy of a teenager, this octogenarian epitomizes not only the “Greatest
Generation,” but also the quintessential Simmons woman.
“I think that I’m part of the greatest generation ever, and I know part of that is because of my
Simmons experience,” said Saslow.
The youngest of seven children — and the fifth girl — Saslow grew up in Boston’s Beacon Hill
neighborhood. Her parents were Russian immigrants who believed strongly in education. One of
her brothers went to MIT, a sister to a music conservatory, and Peggy? Well, her choice for college
was an easy one.
“I always wanted to go to Simmons. It’s the only college I applied to. If anyone asked me, I’d tell
them I want to go to Simmons and be a dietician,” said Saslow. And that’s exactly what she did.
Saslow entered Simmons at the tender age of 16 as a commuter student. She enjoyed her time
in college, studying hard, learning to play bridge, and making lots of friends. After graduation, she
wasted little time building her career. Moving to New Jersey, Saslow lived and worked at Newark
Beth Israel Hospital, first as a dietetic intern, and then as a staff member. The following year —
1946 — she met and married the love of her life, Sidney.
A happy marriage, two daughters, a son, and a full-time job as a high school home economics
teacher ensued, filling Saslow’s life for many years. Later, other activities would follow, such as elected positions on the Board of Education and the Friends of the Library, volunteer work for Temple
Beth Tikvah, and teaching AARP driver safety classes. But always, there was Simmons.
Among her many connections to Simmons, Saslow has been president of the Class of 1944, 2004
Reunion chair for her class, secretary to the Alumnae Association Executive Board, co-director of
the Northern New Jersey Simmons Club, a class officer, and the recipient of two alumnae awards.
She also is a regular donor, having made several leadership gifts, including the Florence Saslow Gift
Annuity and naming a space in the new library for her niece.
As if that wasn’t enough, Saslow also is the matriarch of an impressive Simmons lineage: both
of her daughters, a niece, and her granddaughter all graduated from Simmons.
“When I think of Simmons, I think of my friends,” said Saslow. “It’s been absolutely thrilling to
be involved with Simmons for all these years. I enjoyed my time at Simmons and made some wonderful, lifelong friends. Simmons has done a lot for me.” Q
SIMMONS
Fall 2008
Volume 90, Number 3
Vice President of Advancement
Kristina G. Schaefer
Vice President of Marketing
Cheryl E. Howard ’71
Editor
Allyson Irish ’04GS
Associate Editor
Emily Devaprasad
Copy Editors
Lynette Benton ’96GS
Christian Pope Campbell ’91
Elyse Pipitone ’07SW
Why Art Matters
Writers and Contributors
Ivette Argueta
Evelyn Kofler ’03GS
Alicia Potter ’91
Leah R. Eggers
Hilary Shepard
Sarah Zengo ’07GS
BY EVELYN KOFLER ’03GS
Magazine Design
Sawyer Design Associates, Inc.
Diane Sawyer, Art Director
Printing
Kirkwood Printing
#
Cover Photo
Web Chappell
The Simmons College Office of Advancement Marketing publishes the SIMMONS magazine three times
a year. Third-class postage is paid in Boston, Mass.
Diverse views presented in the SIMMONS magazine
do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the magazine or the College. Letters to the editor should be no
longer than 250 words and should be addressed to
Allyson Irish, editor, SIMMONS magazine, Office of
Advancement Marketing, Simmons College, 300 The
Fenway, Boston, Mass., 02115-5898; (fax) 617-5212303; (e-mail) allyson.irish@simmons.edu. (ISSN)
0049-0512. For more information, call 617-521-2359,
or visit www.simmons.edu.
At a time when funding for arts education — as well as attendance at arts
events — is shrinking nationwide,
Simmons is bucking the trend. Arts
programs are flourishing at Simmons
thanks to a thoughtful commitment to
the liberal arts by administrators and
a robust interest by students.
12
A Different Perspective
BY ALICIA POTTER ’91
Every day, in countless social work
settings across the country, practitioners are faced with the delicate task
of helping those who come from vastly
different backgrounds. Read about
two Simmons alumnae who meet
this challenge with a combination
of efficiency and sensitivity.
President’s Letter/ 2
Fenway/ 3
Editor’s Note/ 4
Movers & Shakers/ 7
Faculty Focus/ 9
Words, Etc./ 17
Graduate News/ 21
Giving/ 26
Undergraduate Class Notes/ 29
Emerities/30
Obituaries/ 47
Report of Philanthropy
Voices
departments
departments
18
About the cover: Rebecca Brown ’09
is a senior at Simmons majoring in
communications, with a focus in public relations and journalism, and
a minor in marketing. After graduation, Brown would like to work in a
public relations agency and come back
to Simmons for a master’s degree.
fall 2008
1
president’s letter
note
Chair
Lauren Brisky ’73
Vice Chair
Stephen P. Jonas P’05
Clerk of the Board of Trustees
Regina M. Pisa
Members
Carmen A. Baez ’79, ’03HD
Robert E. Branson
Deborah C. Brittain ’74SW
Helen G. Drinan ’75LS, ’78SM
Joyce Elden ’80
Atsuko Toko Fish
Eileen M. Friars ’72
Helen K. Gee ’85, ’04HS
Maha Ghandour P’06
Jill A. Greenthal ’78
Hope Hirsch ’67
Anne C. Hodsdon ’75, ’77GS
John W. Humphrey
Pamela H. Jackson ’85
Kathleen Morrissey LaPoint ’84
Judith Samdperil Mann ’83
Stephen P. McCandless
Jacqueline C. Morby ’78SM
Kevin C. Phelan
Carol Waller Pope ’74
Emily Scott Pottruck ’78
Lucia Luce Quinn ’75
Faith M. Richardson ’84
Jo-Ann Robotti ’75
Barbara B. Scolnick ’64LS
Carole Seigel ’80SM
Toby M. Sloane ’60
Douglas Smith-Petersen
Paula A. Sneed ’69
Janet Trafton Tobin ’67
Adeena Weiss-Ortiz ’94
board of trustees
Ngina Lythcott ’67, ’04HD
Andrea Waldstein ’60SW
Amy E. White ’81
Alumnae/i Volunteer Leadership
Undergraduate Alumnae Association
Executive Board
President
Amy Klotz ’96
Graduate School of Library and
Information Science Alumni Association
President
Kristen Liberman ’87LS
School of Management
Alumnae Association
President
Joan Tomaceski ’91SM
School of Social Work
Alumni Council
President
Sonia Michelson ’85SW
2 simmons
alumnet.simmons.edu
One can never underestimate the
importance of telling the truth, even
in times of hardship. That is the single
most valuable lesson I have learned in
my years of professional leadership.
It is with this philosophy of trust
that I write to you about the financial
situation at our College today. This is
a very sobering time for our country.
With the global economy in a tailspin,
many of you are having to make difficult choices for you and your family.
Simmons also is making some
tough choices. This summer, we
carefully reviewed our projected
2008–2009 budget, and determined
that in the absence of significant reductions, we would likely face an operating
deficit. Thanks to the hard work and
conscientious efforts of all the division
heads, we identified more than
$3 million in operating cost savings for
this year, and the budget was adjusted
accordingly. However, this is not the
only change we will have to make.
Increased fuel costs, lower-thanexpected enrollments for our incoming
undergraduate class, and rising
expenditures for new faculty members
hired to meet reaccreditation and accreditation standards have exacerbated
this issue. In addition, this summer it
was determined that despite what was
previously reported to the Board of
Trustees, the College actually had operating budget deficits from fiscal years
2005 through 2008. These deficits
were made more difficult to identify
because of incomplete internal budget
reports and a 2005 change in the auditing report format.
I have been talking at length with
our community about this situation.
While it is difficult to acknowledge
these problems, I believe that all members of the Simmons community have
a right to know what is happening, and
what the College is doing to remedy
these issues.
As I write this letter at the end of
October, we are continuing our efforts
to revise the 2008–2009 budget with
as little disruption to the College and
to our fellow employees as possible.
Going forward, we will achieve a
balanced budget to ensure a healthy
future and restart our strategic review
in light of the financial realities. I have
made it my personal goal to do everything possible to restore our financial
health. Doing so will require teamwork
from every member of the Simmons
community.
Throughout this process, I have
been heartened by the optimistic
and encouraging attitude from staff
members, professors, trustees, and
alumnae/i, many of whom have
made gifts to the College as a sign of
support. With this support — along
with participation from the Simmons
community, strong new financial
leadership, a management team firmly
dedicated to rebuilding our financial
health, and a creative approach to new
opportunities — we will emerge from
this process even stronger and more
vibrant.
I thank you for all of your help, for
your continued contributions to Simmons, and for your trust.
Helen Drinan ’75LS, ’78SM
President
fenway
New Fens Renovation Completed
A ribbon-cutting ceremony in September commemorated the completion of
the expansion of the Fens Café dining
facility, located in the Main College
Building. The renovation added an extra 6,000 square feet of space, making
room for 456 seats; a two-story atrium
with floor-to-ceiling windows; and a
balcony on the College Center level.
The lower-level dining hall, originally
constructed in 1977 and renovated in
1997, now features an enlarged kitchen
and serving area, a tunnel to the new
underground parking garage, and improved shipping and receiving areas.
The College decided to fund the
expansion because of an expected
increase in traffic due primarily to the
opening of the new School of Management/Academic Building in winter
2009. The Fens currently provides
dining services to approximately 1,700
students, faculty, and staff daily; that
reduce heat. In addition, the College
is installing energy-efficient lighting
and kitchen equipment. Contractors
maximized building reuse and used
materials that limit chemical emissions
and have high recycled content. Q
number is expected to increase to
2,200 when the building opens.
The new Fens boasts a number
of sustainable options, including an
increased amount of natural light to
the area, and passive solar shading to
Top photo: View of the newly
expanded Fens Café, which adds 456
seats and more natural light to the
dining facility.
Left: New booth-style seating in the
lower level, Fens Café.
Right: Java City, which is located on
the upper level above the Fens Café.
Back by popular demand!
Simmons will continue its educational conference series
this spring, and we look forward to hosting you.
MARCH 21, 2009
peabody marriott
peabody, mass.
MAY 30, 2009
>>> Spring
educational conference series
photos by webb chappell
simmons for a day
“This is an incredible experience. I am proud and pleased that
Simmons is recognizing the importance of offering educational
programs. I intend to attend all four.” — Florence Pressman ’58
SAVE
THE
DATE!
simmons for a day
at reunion 2009
simmons campus
Sample classes may include:
œ
œ
œ
œ
green chemistry
novel writing
behavioral health
branding and marketing
Visit alumnet.simmons.edu for more details.
fall 2008
3
Simmons Designated
a “Best” College
editor’s note:
On a recent trip to my neighborhood
Starbucks, I started a conversation with
a young woman, Melissa DiLiegro. As
it turns out, Melissa is a 2004 alumna
who graduated with a degree in fine
arts and communications. She’s currently enrolled at Salem State College
working toward a master’s degree in
teaching art.
Once I told her what I did for work,
we started talking about Simmons and
the people we knew, like Art Professor Vaughn Sills. Professor Sills was
Melissa’s advisor at Simmons, and the
two still keep in touch. At Simmons,
Melissa took a variety of art classes,
though she began her first year as a
science major. Art classes, she said,
“pushed me to think about everything
I learned more abstractly, and encouraged me to express myself in ways I
never had before. I learned to ‘think
outside the box’ and that sometimes it
was better not to follow the rules.”
Melissa’s experience is similar to
many students and alumnae who have
taken advantage of the plethora of
arts programs at Simmons. Whether
choosing to major in art or joining the
Simmons Chorale for fun, students
and alumnae say these experiences
have provided a venue for self-expression that has enriched their academic,
professional, and personal lives. While
funding for arts programs continues
to decline nationally, Simmons and
many other liberal arts colleges hold
firm on their commitment to this approach, and our story on page 12
outlines the many reasons why we
believe in the arts.
Another story on page 18 demonstrates the keen sensitivity and judgment needed to be a practicing social
worker these days. Two School of Social
Work alumnae show the daily challenges they face as they work for and
with clients of differing backgrounds,
beliefs, and cultures.
Many of you will receive this magazine at the end of the year. I hope you
take the time to read through this issue
and appreciate the “gift” of a Simmons
education and the value that it continues to bring to your life.
Allyson Irish ’04GS, Editor
allyson.irish@simmons.edu
Our parents make a difference
Simmons recently was named a “best”
college by several renowned rankings.
The 2009 U.S.News & World Report
“America’s Best Colleges edition,”
often cited as the premier collegeranking publication, placed Simmons
in the top tier of schools in its category
of master’s-level universities in the
northern U.S. Simmons was listed as
one of the nation’s “Best 368 Colleges”
and a “Great School for Education Majors” in the Princeton Review’s 2009
college guidebook; and Forbes.com
ranked Simmons as one of “America’s
Best Colleges 2008” in its inaugural
ranking of undergraduate colleges and
universities.
In their summary of Simmons, the
Princeton Review editors said the “excellent academics and Boston location”
of the undergraduate women’s college
“make Simmons a worthy option” for
women. The Forbes.com list, which will
be published annually, ranks 569 of
the nearly 4,000 undergraduate institutions in the nation, using a methodology that the Forbes.com editors say
“attempts to put itself in a student’s
shoes,” basing their ranking on “the
quality of the education they [the colleges] provide, and how much their
students achieve.” Q
“Simmons College gave me an
environment where I could
THE PARENTS FUND
flourish, and now is doing the
Simmons College is committed to ensuring that each student
is an important part of a stimulating environment that inspires
learning and growth. Your gift to the Parents Fund enhances the
educational experience of every Simmons student.
same thing for my daughter.
For more information about the Parents Fund, contact
Marianne Blaney, assistant director of parent giving, at
617-521-2312 or marianne.blaney@simmons.edu.
for you, it’s a natural response
TO MAKE A GIFT
Call 1-800-831-4284 or visit alumnet.simmons.edu/giving.
4 simmons
alumnet.simmons.edu
When someone is truly there
to want to give back.”
— Maurene Merritt ’96, P’10
fenway
Simmons Pilots Autism Program
A unique pilot program at Simmons
will focus on a special college curriculum directed at students with autism.
In partnership with the Autism
Higher Education Foundation,
Simmons will offer a grouping of
introductory-level academic classes
beginning in spring ’09. The first of
its kind in the country, the partnership
also includes the Boston Conservatory and Massachusetts College of Art
and Design, which will concentrate on
music and arts, respectively. If the program goes well, the foundation plans
to replicate it at colleges nationally and
inter-nationally.
Associate Education Professor
Michael Cameron is the program liaison at Simmons, and said that college
is particularly daunting for students
with autism because many of them
have severe problems with socialization. Some have difficulties with common collegiate scenarios such as using
a library, being involved with group
presentations, and having to pay attention in large classroom settings. As
a result, Cameron said that Simmons
and the other schools have tailored
their curricula to focus on multimethod instruction with a lot of oneon-one support from professors.
“College is particularly daunting for students
with autism.”
—PROFESSOR MICHAEL CAMERON
“At other colleges, students with
autism receive accommodations, but
nothing this specialized,” said Cameron, who also is director of Simmons’s
behavioral education program.
Attorney Vanda Marie Khadem,
whose daughter has autism, created
the Autism Higher Education Foundation last year in order to provide higher
education opportunities for children
across the autism spectrum. Her
Massachusetts-based law firm focuses
on advocacy for children with special
needs, including autism, and Khadem
says the collaboration with Simmons
has important implications.
“This is the next frontier in civil
rights,” said Khadem. “For a large
majority of these children who are not
high functioning, society views them
as incapable of learning. I’d like to debunk the myth that most of the autism
population is mentally retarded and
can’t do anything. Simmons is a visionary institution to recognize this.” Q
What is Autism?
According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism is defined as
one of a group of disorders known
as autism spectrum disorders or
ASDs. The disorders are “developmental disabilities that cause
substantial impairments in social
interaction and communication,
and the presence of unusual behaviors and interests.” CDC data from
2007 indicates that about 1 in 150
eight-year-old children in multiple
areas of the United States had an
ASD. Current estimates show that
nearly 560,000 individuals in the
U.S. between the ages of 0 to 21
have an ASD.
For more information, visit www.
autismhighereducationfoundation.org and www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/
autism. Q
GSLIS Partners with Korean University
GSLIS has developed a partnership
with Yonsei University in South Korea
to allow students from both universities the opportunity to experience
librarianship overseas. In the first official act of the partnership, GSLIS visiting Professor Ross Harvey taught an
intensive course on digital preservation
at Yonsei this past summer. Simmons
faculty will teach there next year, and
the courses will be open to both Yonsei
and Simmons students.
GSLIS also plans to offer a course in
Boston for Yonsei students in summer 2009. By 2010, GSLIS hopes to
include students from other American
library and information science (LIS)
programs in the program in Seoul.
GSLIS Dean Michèle Cloonan and
Dr. Lee, director of the LIS program at
Yonsei, first discussed the possibility of
a partnership during the 2006 International Federation of Library Associations conference in Seoul, and have
worked together since then to build
this international partnership between
the colleges.
“Yonsei is the best LIS program in
Korea. Our faculties and programs
complement each other, so we were
looking at ways in which students from
each school could take courses on each
other’s campuses. We also hope that
our faculty will find ways to collaborate,” said Cloonan.
Yonsei is the oldest university in
Korea, founded in 1885, and has a
LIS program that was established in
1957. It currently offers four related
majors to choose from: library management, information services, information organizations, and information
retrieval. Q
more online
For more information, visit:
www.simmons.edu/gslis/
or www.yonsei.ac.kr/eng/
fall 2008
5
fenway
A Conversation
with President Drinan
During her first year as president,
the SIMMONS magazine will publish
a regular Q&A feature with Helen
Drinan ’75LS, ’78SM. The purpose of
this section is to provide readers with
a better understanding of President
Drinan’s vision and goals for the College, and her perspectives on higher
education.
Q
Q
You recently met with former President
Bill Holmes. What did you talk about
with him and did he have any insights
for you on being the president of
Simmons?
President Holmes and I had a long
lunch together recently, and he shared
with me many of the experiences he
had during his tenure as president. He
has an enduring love for this college,
and his absolute commitment to the
best outcomes for Simmons is evident.
He underscored for me the competitive advantage Simmons has with regard to our combination of liberal arts
and professional education. Whenever
I have a conversation with a person
like Bill Holmes who knows and loves
Simmons, I am struck by the opportunity we have to build on this competitive strength. I left the lunch with a
redoubled interest in strengthening
this message for the outside world.
6 simmons
alumnet.simmons.edu
How has the economic
downturn affected the College?
Q
Like many of us, Simmons is facing
some significant financial challenges
this year. Soaring energy costs, the
private loan market in shambles, plummeting housing prices, a stock market
decline, and a weakened job market all
have factored into our planning this
year. These problems have been exacerbated by some additional, unexpected
challenges for Simmons, namely a
decrease in anticipated 2008–2009
revenues. I have spoken at length to
faculty and staff regarding these challenges, and many of you have read
my email to alumnae/i outlining this
situation. Our leadership team has
worked hard to study the budget these
past few months in order to minimize
spending, assess how we can work
with greater efficiency, and realize cost
savings. My letter on page 2 provides
more specifics about this situation.
With everyone’s help, I am confident
that Simmons will weather this storm
and remain a viable institution for
years to come.
What have you learned so far from talking with and meeting students?
Our students are highly motivated
and focused; they are working to get
the most they can out of their education. Many are concerned about the
cost of their education, and wonder
how the College can find ways to
help them with that challenge. Simmons students — both graduate and
undergraduate — carry heavy course
loads while doing many other things.
Undergraduates have high levels of
extracurricular activity while also often
working, and many graduate students
work and/or have families while studying. I would say our students demonstrate a high level of industriousness
all the time. Q
To read more about President Drinan,
including her favorite Simmons events
and the College’s efforts to increase diversity, visit www.alumnet.simmons.edu.
fenway
movers and shakers
accomplished graduate and undergraduate alumnae/i
MARC BOFF ’02HS, ’06HS
GWEN IFILL ’77, ’93HD
ANITA NAGER ’72
Kathryn Lent Battillo ’79LS recently was
named executive director and vice president of development at the Fletcher Allen
Foundation, a community hospital located
in Burlington, VT. Previously, Battillo
served as vice president for advancement
at Suffolk University, where she launched
a $75 million capital campaign.
Marc Boff ’02HS, ’06HS recently was
named head athletic trainer for the Milwaukee Bucks. Previously, he spent four
seasons as assistant athletic trainer with
the Chicago Bulls. He also has worked
with the New Orleans Hornets and the
Boston Celtics. Boff is a licensed athletic
trainer, a licensed physical therapist, and a
certified strength and conditioning coach.
Faye E. Coleman ’68 recently served
as co-chair of the Center for Women’s
Business Research Symposium 2008.
The symposium identified obstacles
faced by women business owners of color.
Coleman is the founder of Westover
Consultants, Inc., a Maryland-based
multidisciplinary consulting firm of
nearly 50 employees.
Elementary school music teacher
Christopher Grammer ’05GS has been
named a 2008 Educator of the Year by the
Boston Public Schools. Picked by an independent committee after a peer-nomination process, the 15 winners were honored
in a June ceremony. Grammer teaches
at the Hamilton Elementary School in
Brighton, MA.
On Oct. 2, Gwen Ifill ’77, ’93HD, was
moderator of the vice presidential debate
between Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and
Senator Joseph Biden, Jr. The 90-minute
debate, which took place at Washington
University in St. Louis, MO, marked
the second time Ifill has been chosen to
moderate a vice presidential debate by
the non-partisan National Commission
on Presidential Debates. In 2004 she
moderated the discussion between John
Edwards and Richard Cheney.
Debra Kaplan Lacks ’75 has been
named president and CEO of Wordsworth
Academy. Founded in 1952, Wordsworth
provides behavioral health, child welfare,
and education services to children and
families in the Greater Philadelphia area.
The nonprofit serves more than 2,000
clients and has facilities in southeastern
Pennsylvania and Harrisburg.
Thomas Merrell ’80GS recently was
named president of American Overseas
Marine General (AMSEA), the ship-operating segment of Dynamics American
Overseas Marine. Merrell joined AMSEA
in 1984 and has served as vice president
of marine operations since 2004. Previously he managed eight ships as AMSEA’s
Fast Sealift Ship program manager.
The Breast Cancer Fund recently honored Anita Nager ’72 as a 2008 Hero for
her efforts supporting the environmental
health movement through philanthropic
leadership. The Brooklyn, NY, resident is
a senior program officer at the New York
Community Trust, and is involved with
the Beldon Fund, the Health and Environmental Funders Network, the Environmental Grantmakers Association, and the
Hudson River Foundation.
A senior manager in the Competitive
Intelligence Center of Excellence at Pfizer
Global Research & Development, Marjorie
Norman ’88SM recently was awarded
a Pfizer Global Health Fellowship for
2008–09. The fellowship will allow her to
move to Nairobi, Kenya, for a six-month
assignment where she will partner with
Population Services International, a nonprofit social marketing organization. The
goal of the Pfizer program is to partner
with organizations around the world to
improve health for those in need by transferring skills and building capacity
to expand services.
Correction
Due to a writing error, the summer
2008 SIMMONS magazine incorrectly stated that Elinor Lipman
’72, ’00HD was honored at the
Palm Springs International Film
Festival. The film Then She Found
Me received the audience award,
not Lipman.
fall 2008
7
fenway
Students & Alumnae Connect for Success
Liz Robertson ’77, CPA and Tashanna Williams ’08
Emily Catallozzi ’07 never dreamt that
her participation in the Success Connection would propel her into one of
the most well-known media companies
in the world. But only months after
job-shadowing Olivia Cohen-Cutler ’75,
’00HD, ABC’s senior vice president
of broadcast standards and practices,
last year, Catallozzi landed a position
at the Disney Channel.
“My Success Connection experience
was unforgettable,” said Catallozzi, an
executive assistant for Disney’s on-air
promotions marketing department.
“Olivia helped me pave the road to
where I am right now, and I will always
be thankful to her. She is a role model
for me, and I feel incredibly lucky to
have had the opportunity to get to
know her.”
Launched in 1995, Success Connection is a one-day mentoring and job
shadowing experience for undergraduate students. Each year, up to 25 seniors
are selected and paired with alumnae
mentors in executive or leadership positions. The program was created by the
Simmons Leadership Council, a group
of successful alumnae who serve the
College in a variety of ways, including
advisory and mentoring roles.
Through the years, more than 260
alumnae and students combined
have paired up to explore career goals
together.
“Mentoring is a great way to reconnect with Simmons and — more importantly — a way to help a young woman
just starting out,” said Liz Robertson
’77, a CPA who works as a service controller at Kronos, Inc. in Chelmsford,
Mass. and who recently was paired
with Tashanna Williams ’08.
The Success Connection experience
made such an impact that Williams
realized she wanted to pursue a different but related path — financial
advising. Now the young alumna is
a financial planner at New York Life
Insurance Company in Waltham, Mass.,
and is thankful that her experience with
Success Connection helped clarify her
career goals. Q
For more information about Success
Connection, or to find out about other
volunteer opportunities, contact Sarah
Zengo ’07GS, assistant director of volunteer engagement in the Office of Alumnae/i
Relations, at sarah.zengo@simmons.edu
or 617-521-2112.
During its spring meeting, the Board of
Trustees added six new members, each
of whom will serve a five-year term.
Hope Hirsch ’67 has sat on numerous nonprofit boards and lives in
Rhode Island with her husband, David,
a daughter, and two sons. Toby Sloane
’60 sits on several nonprofit boards
in the Boston Jewish community, is a
trustee of Gann Academy, the new Jewish High School, and lives in Swampscott, Mass. She and her husband of
nearly 50 years, Carl, have three children and five grandchildren. Adeena
Weiss-Ortiz ’94 is an assistant general
counsel with the Chicago Board of Education. She is married to Professor J.
Damian Ortiz from the John Marshall
Law School, and the couple have one
daughter. Both she and her husband
sit on various nonprofit boards, are
very active in community affairs, and
8 simmons
alumnet.simmons.edu
promote the rights of women and
minorities.
During a career that spanned more
than 20 years, Andrea Waldstein
’60SW has worked as a clinician and
counselor in Framingham, Mass. A
wife and the mother of three children,
Waldstein also is active in many socially
conscious organizations, including
Project Kesher, a nonprofit grassroots
organization dedicated to promoting
women’s leadership and activism in the
former Soviet Union; Boston Jewish
Community Women’s Fund; Jewish Vocational Services; and the Jewish Community Relations Council. She received
her B.A. from Vassar College.
A business consultant to medical
practices, Carole Seigel ’80SM is involved with the Massachusetts General
Hospital Cancer Center, the American
Cancer Society, the National Cancer
Institute, and the School of Management’s new building advisory group.
Jill A. Greenthal ’78 is a senior advisor in private equity at the Blackstone
Group. For more than 20 years, Greenthal has advised, financed, and invested
in media companies. She previously
was a senior managing director in the
corporate and mergers and acquisitions
advisory groups; co-head of the Global
Media Group; and a member of the
executive board of investment banking
at Credit Suisse First Boston. Greenthal received an MBA from Harvard
Business School and is on the board
of directors of Akamai Technologies,
Freedom Communications, Orbitz
Worldwide, and Universal Orlando.
She also serves on the investment committee of Noble and Greenough School
and the Women’s Executive Council of
Dana Farber. Q
photo by len reubenstein
Six Alumnae Join Board of Trustees
fenway
faculty focus
notable achievements by simmons faculty
GARY BAILEY
PATRICIA DEYTON
RAQUEL MARIA HALTY
SSW Associate Professor Gary Bailey testified before the U.S. House of Representatives in July, speaking to the Committee
on Education and Labor’s Subcommittee
on Healthy Families and Communities.
Bailey provided an overview of social
work’s role in caring for the nation’s
vulnerable citizens and some of the
challenges of the profession. Bailey also
recently was named clinical associate
professor at Simmons’s School of Health
Sciences.
Paul Abraham and Janet Chumley of
the Master of Arts in Teaching English as
a Second Language Program (MATESL)
hosted 25 English language educators
from across the globe at Simmons this
spring. The group, sponsored by the
Department of State and World Boston,
represented 24 countries, including
Algeria, Costa Rica, Kuwait, Nigeria,
and the Republic of Tajikistan. Abraham
and Chumley presented on the MATESL
program, the context of English language
teaching in the U.S., and current trends in
second language teacher education.
Judy Beal, associate dean of the School
of Health Sciences and chair and professor of the Department of Nursing, has
been selected for the 2008 Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse
Fellows Program, an advanced leadership
program for nurses in senior executive
roles who are aspiring to lead and shape
the U.S. health care system.
Patricia Deyton, director of the Center
for Gender in Organizations at the School
of Management, convened the third annual meeting of the Network of African
Universities Gender Focal Points in Accra,
Ghana this past May. The network is
supported by a grant from the Carnegie
Corporation to work with five sub-Saharan
universities in Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, and Ghana. Deyton also traveled to
Japan in May, where she joined Simmons
Trustee Atsuko Toko Fish for a series of
meetings for the Japanese Women Leadership Initiative, which brings women
interested in nonprofit leadership to the
SOM for an immersion program.
Raquel Maria Halty, professor of Spanish and director of the Graduate Program
in Spanish, recently was elected vice
president of the International Institute in
Spain, a non-profit organization promoting cultural exchange between Spain and
the U.S. She has been a member of the
organization since the mid-’70s and has
served on the board and the executive
committee for more than 20 years.
In an effort spearheaded by GSLIS
Professor Peter Hernon, the Graduate
School of Library and Information Science recently received $955,700 from the
Institute of Museum and Library Services in support of the school’s doctoral
concentration in managerial leadership
in the information professions. Simmons
received the seventh largest grant of the
year, competing against universities, state
and city library systems, and research
institutions.
Janie Ward, professor of education and
chair of Africana studies, participated in
the National Endowment for the Humanities 2008 Summer Institute, “African
American Civil Rights Struggles in the
Twentieth Century,” at the W.E.B. Du Bois
Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University. Ward
joined leading scholars from around the
world in an intensive program of reading
and discussion of new scholarship in the
fields of African American history, literature, religion, and music.
College Names
Sloan Fellows
Five Simmons faculty recently were
named as the College’s first Alfred P.
Sloan Fellows. The faculty are: CAS
Professor Renee Bergland; GSLIS
Assistant Professor Rong Tang; SHS
Associate Professor John Lowe; SOM
Associate Professor Sylvia Maxfield;
and SSW Associate Professor Abbie
Frost. This is the first year of the Sloan
Fellows Program at Simmons, which
will provide leadership development
opportunities — including individual
mentoring and strategic management
— to expand and enhance flexible
career paths for faculty. The program
is funded by a $200,000 grant from
the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Simmons was one of only six universities
to receive the award.
fall 2008
9
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Student Creates Literacy Program in Haiti
While other college students spent
their summer vacation on faraway
trips, jobs, and beach excursions, Marie
Gay ’09 did something a bit different:
she went to a rural region of Haiti,
outside the seaport of Les Cayes, the
hometown of her mother, implementing a program she developed to combat
illiteracy.
Gay’s project, which she named
Project Youth for Community Education/Jèn Pou Edikasyon nan Kominite
à, was funded by a $10,000 grant from
the Davis Projects for Peace, a national
competition open to college students to
design grassroots peace-building projects. This was the second time that Gay
received funding to do work in Haiti.
The mission of Project Youth for
Community Education is to raise
awareness about youth illiteracy and
to encourage youths to become leaders
and partners in the development of
their community. Gay partnered with
local teachers and community leaders
Top: Project Youth members
and staff.
Right: Marie Gay ’09 with
Les Cayes youth.
Bottom: Children in the Project
Youth classroom.
10 simmons
alumnet.simmons.edu
to help implement the six-week
curriculum.
“Being at Simmons and going into
my senior year, I have never felt more
passionate and appreciative of education, so when it came down to choosing
a project this year, I didn’t think twice
about having literacy be the prime
focus. Words cannot explain how it felt
to see 21 children sit and learn material
that will change the quality of their
lives forever.”
Gay coordinated three, five-hour
literacy classes per week for the 21
children in the program, who ranged in
age from three to 12. Students also took
art lessons, played games, and received
meals, clothing, and books. Basic math,
writing, and reading lessons were offered in both Creole and French.
The Davis Projects for Peace was
made possible by Dr. Kathryn Wasserman Davis, an accomplished American
internationalist and philanthropist, on
her 100th birthday. A former employee
of the Council on Foreign Relations,
Davis said she established the project
to “bring new thinking to the prospects
of peace in the world.” Q
more online
For more information on the Davis
Projects for Peace, visit www.kwd100
projectsforpeace.org.
fenway
Simmons Welcomes New VP of Finance and Administration
In addition to President Helen Drinan
’75LS, ’78SM, Simmons welcomed
another senior administrator this year.
The new senior vice president
of finance and administration, and
treasurer, Stefano Falconi, began his
tenure at Simmons in July. Falconi
oversees accounting services, business
affairs, public safety, facilities, technology, internal auditing, purchasing and
accounts payable, financial services,
budget, and business analysis.
“I am very pleased to accept this
position and to help guide the financial growth and overall well-being of
Simmons during these challenging
economic times,” said Falconi.
Falconi has more than 20 years of
experience in higher education administration. Prior to joining Simmons, he
was vice president, chief financial of-
“I am very pleased to accept this position and
to help guide the financial growth and overall
well-being of Simmons during these challenging economic times.”
—STEFANO FALCONI
ficer, and treasurer of Stevens Institute
of Technology in Hoboken, N.J. Falconi
also was vice president for administration and chief financial officer of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh,
Penn. Additionally, Falconi worked
at MIT as director of finance, and at
Harvard University, where he held
several positions in academic planning,
sponsored research, and finance.
Falconi holds a J.D. maxima cum
laude from the University of Padua in
Italy, and an MBA from the Harvard
University School of Business Administration. He is a member of the Italian
bar and practiced corporate law for several years in Italy prior to moving to the
United States. Falconi is married with
two daughters. His outside interests
include automotive engineering, watch
design and technology, photography,
and classical music. Q
Grant Funds Undergraduate Science “Renaissance” at Simmons
Thanks to a $245,000 grant from the
W.M. Keck Foundation, the College is
embarking on a three-year transformation of its science curriculum that will
result in a renewed focus on undergraduate research.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to build upon our already-successful programs in biology, chemistry,
and physics,” said Hazel Dick Leonard
Professor of Chemistry Len Soltzberg,
principle investigator and project
coordinator. “We are now able to offer
students the opportunity to engage
in the same type of high-level research
projects found at much larger institutions.”
Dubbed the Undergraduate Laboratory Renaissance by Soltzberg and
his colleagues, the program’s new
structure will allow sophomores to
experience the excitement and collegial
collaboration of serious research, and
will provide seniors with the opportunity to mentor and guide younger
students.
Simmons began to make revisions
over the summer by replacing the
laboratory component of several science courses with research-based work
related to faculty research. Money also
was allocated to summer salaries for
faculty integrating their research into
course laboratories; academic stipends
for student research mentors and
instrument assistants; and travel ex-
“We are now able to offer students the opportunity
to engage in the same type of high-level research
projects found at much larger institutions.”
—CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR LEN SOLTZBERG
penses for student and faculty presenting at conferences.
“This restructuring will benefit faculty because it leverages the time available for research. We expect publishable results to emerge from this work,”
said Soltzberg.
This is the first award Simmons has
received from the W.M. Keck Foundation, one of the nation’s largest philanthropic organizations, which supports
outstanding science, engineering, and
medical research, and undergraduate
education. Q
fall 2008
11
Why Art Matters
BY EVELYN KOFLER ’03GS
“The arts encourage
students to come up with
different answers and to
realize there isn’t just one
right answer.”
—PROFESSOR VAUGHN SILLS
12 simmons
alumnet.simmons.edu
PHOTOS BY LEN RUBINSTEIN
As I waited in line for a concert at the Spoleto Arts Festival in Charleston, S.C., I couldn’t
help but notice that I was conspicuously the youngest person there — by far. Although
I’m only in my mid-30s, this is not the first time I’ve experienced the “graying of audiences” phenomenon, which has gradually increased in the U.S. as younger arts patrons
have failed to replenish older supporters.
A 2006 study by the National Endowment for the Arts found that from 1982 to
2002, young adult attendance at classical performances — such as the one I attended in
Charleston — declined from 12.2% to 8.5%. The study concludes that this trend should
be noted, because “this cohort’s current and future engagement levels will determine the
viability of our arts and our communities.”
Some may shrug off these decreases as a cultural shift, but others, such as Jessica Hoffman Davis ’71, founder of the Arts in Education Program at the Harvard Graduate School
of Education, see a larger problem that has major implications for our educational system
and society as a whole.
The author of Why Our Schools Need the Arts, Davis says that several factors, such as
finances, classroom time constraints, and increasing pressure from standardized testing
— a direct result of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 — have placed arts education in
“deep peril.” The No Child Left Behind Act requires that all students in the country meet
state-determined standards in core subjects by the year 2014. While the act recognizes
the arts as one of 10 “core academic subjects,” schools are currently required to report test
Story continued on page 14
Jessica Chloros ’01, an art history major,
landed her first job in the Objects Conservation laboratory at the Museum of Fine Arts,
cleaning and polishing silver objects for
the American and European decorative arts
departments. “Art is vital to society,” says
Chloros.
“We need to include the arts in education
not because they serve other kinds of
learning (and of course they do), but
because they offer opportunities for learning that other subjects do not.”
—JESSICA HOFFMAN DAVIS ’71
ARTS ADMINISTRATION INSTITUTE/NEW YORK CITY
Offered in June, this exhilarating travel course exposes
students to New York City’s cultural riches — and to a host
of careers in the arts and in arts administration.
For one month, students live in New York and immerse
themselves in the arts world. Each day begins with classes
where discussions and guest speaker topics range from
the responsibility of museums in educating the public,
to the difference between arts and entertainment. In the
afternoon, the group tours cultural organizations such as
Christie’s, The Frick Collection, Lincoln Center, Museum
of Modern Art, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Evenings are dedicated to seeing shows and attending art
openings.
With the help of alumnae such as Cathy Behrend ’70,
deputy director of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs,
students get a personal introduction to many of the influential people who make the NYC art scene come to life.
“Every day, we met influential people in the New York
art scene,” said Catalina Rojo, ’09. “We had to be ready to
make connections — to hold our own in a conversation
with a curator or gallery owner and to present ourselves as
competent, professional young adults.”
s
Painter Daniel Kohn (in red shirt) talks with a group of Simmons students
at his Brooklyn art studio. At right is Barbara O’Brien, assistant professor
and director of the Trustman Art Gallery.
fall 2008
13
Continued from page 12
results only for reading and mathematics,
thus making arts education an unaffordable extravagance in the eyes of many
academic administrators.
“The standardized test movement has
really decimated our schools and dimmed
the spirit, hope, and excitement of art
teachers and students,” said Davis.
Despite these disturbing trends, liberal
arts colleges like Simmons consider the
arts an essential component of a student’s
education. Those at Simmons argue that
a liberal arts education requires a wideranging, cross-disciplinary knowledge of
many subjects, including the arts. This
type of academic training also provides
students with a sense of personal and social responsibility, and an ability to apply
their knowledge to complex problems.
“The balance of liberal arts and professional training that characterizes a
Simmons education means that students
can have real-world experiences without
being narrow technicians,” said Diane
Raymond, dean of Simmons’s College of
Arts and Sciences.
“Employers choose Simmons grads
because they know our students can think
critically and creatively, and come up with
unique solutions to problems — skills
they get from studying and participating
in the arts.”
As part of Simmons’s general education requirement, all undergraduates take
courses in six “modes of inquiry,” which
include the creative and performing arts.
“Every student should have knowledge
in each of these areas,” said Raymond.
“This is how we educate a well-rounded
student.”
In addition to the modes of inquiry,
Simmons offers majors and minors in art,
art history, music theory and history, music performance, arts administration, and
photography. The College also recently
unveiled two new minors: performing
arts, and cinema and media studies. (See
sidebar on page 16 for more arts programs at Simmons.)
Through the arts, students learn to
analyze form, pay attention to detail, use
their imaginations, and enlist critical
thinking — all skills that are necessary for
successful careers in a competitive global
economy.
“If all we ever do is come up with
the same solutions to problems, then
we aren’t really moving forward,” said
Vaughn Sills, professor of photography
and chair of Simmons’s Art and Music
Department. “The arts encourage students to come up with different answers
and to realize there isn’t just one right
answer.”
Davis agrees that students with a liberal
arts/interdisciplinary background are better prepared in the professional world, no
matter what their career.
“We need professionals who can look at
problems from many directions — nurses
and doctors who think like artists. It’s all
about considering multiple possibilities
and having the courage to make decisions
that are informed by interdisciplinary
consideration. The arts prepare you for
that,” said Davis.
Many Simmons students have used
this academic “cross training” to their
advantage.
After working at several arts organizations and private art collections, Jessica
Chloros ’01 is now a conservator at the
>A
2006 survey of business
leaders by the Association
of Colleges and Universities found that 70% of
business leaders want
colleges to place more
emphasis on “creativity
and innovation.”
> In
the 2007–2008 school
year, 685 students took art
and music courses.
Assistant Professor of Art Barbara O’Brien views a sculpture with Simmons students.
14 simmons
alumnet.simmons.edu
A Si
Simm
mon
ons student wo
w rk
r s
o a piece off art.
on
arrt.
good for you, to solving complex problems
in an innovative way, the arts have given
me both a personal creative outlet and a
unique approach to my field of study.”
These alumnae, say Dean Raymond,
are the reason why Simmons continues
its commitment to the liberal arts.
“Simmons is dedicated to providing
both career preparation and a liberal arts
education, without sacrificing the quality
of either. Whether they are art and music
majors, or they experience the arts through
the modes of inquiry and our many arts
organizations, all Simmons students know
the value of the arts.” Q
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Evelyn Kofler
’03GS has a bachelor’s degree in arts administration from Wells College, worked in the
Trustman Art Gallery at Simmons in the
’90s, and participated in the Colleges of the
Fenway Orchestra and Simmons Concert
Choir. She currently sings with the Charleston
Renaissance Ensemble in Charleston, S.C.
Daniela Blau ’08, a nutrition alumna
from Costa Rica, recently won a peer
music Latin scholarship from the BMI
Foundation for her song “Y Si No Lo
Sabes.” “Music has allowed me to utilize
my creativity,” she said.
photo by christian liu
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. At
Simmons, Chloros was an art history major; she later received her M.S. in conservation at the University of Delaware and a
fellowship at the Harvard Art Museum.
“Art is vital to society,” said Chloros.
“People have been making art from early
times, and that artistic expression is an
essential part of life. Art gives us a visual
record of what was important (or not) in
society throughout history. We really need
art to understand how other people interact and view the world.”
Another alumna, Daniela Blau ’08,
(pictured at right) chose a different artistic
path. Although she did not focus on music
while at Simmons, this nutrition major
from Costa Rica recently won a music
scholarship from the BMI Foundation for
her song “Y Si No Lo Sabes” (“And if You
Don’t Know it”).
“To me, music always has been about
thinking outside of the box and being able
to express myself in a unique way,” says
Blau. “From making up short songs for
kids about how fruits and vegetables are
fall 2008
15
the arts at simmons
Colleges of the
Fenway Orchestra
Majors
• Photography
This auditioned ensemble is
comprised of students, faculty,
and staff from the six Colleges
of the Fenway colleges — Emmanuel College, Massachusetts
College of Art and Design, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy
and Health Sciences, Simmons
College, Wentworth Institute of
Technology, and Wheelock College. Since its inception in 2003,
the orchestra has grown from 15
members to 60, and now brings
more than 350 audience members to its concerts each year.
• Music
The Sirens
• Performing Arts
The Sirens is a 15-member
a cappella women’s singing
group open to Simmons College
students by audition. The group
performs concerts, sings at various school events, and records a
CD every other year.
• Art, with art history or art
practice tracks
• Music, with performance
or music history and
literature tracks
• Arts Administration,
with concentrations
in art or music, and communications or management tracks
Minors
• Art
• Arts Administration
• Cinema and Media
Studies
Trustman Art Gallery
Given in honor of Julia Myerson
Trustman ’24 by her husband
Benjamin, this public gallery
exhibits the work of professional
artists in a variety of media,
along with selections from
the Simmons art collection,
throughout the school year. Students enrich their arts education
by hearing artists talk about their
work at opening receptions.
Each year Simmons students
enrolled in the “Arts in the
Community” course organize an
exhibition under the supervision
of their instructor. The gallery
also hosts an annual exhibition
of student art work.
16 simmons
Simmons Gospel Choir
COF Theater Project
The 20-member Simmons Gospel Choir performs at a number
of events throughout the year,
such as Family Weekend, the
Festival of Lights, and the
annual Community Soul Food
Dinner.
The new COF Theater Project
is open to all Colleges of the
Fenway community members
interested in theater, regardless
of skill or experience — from
beginning actors to aspiring
playwrights and directors.
Simmons Theatrical Society
This student-run organization
performs one full-length play per
semester.
Simmons College Concert Choir
The Simmons College Concert
Choir — in existence since 1902
— is a 30-member women’s
chorus open to students, staff,
and faculty. The choir sings a
wide variety of music — from
classical choral pieces to world
music, folk songs, and Broadway
show tunes.
The Colleges of
the Fenway Chorus
This 30-person mixed chorus
features students, faculty, and
staff from the Colleges of the
Fenway. In 2007, the chorus
performed Handel’s “Messiah”
with an orchestra, and in 2008
performed Benjamin Britten’s
“Ceremony of Carols” and Robert
DeCormier’s “Shout for Joy,” with
an orchestra.
alumnet.simmons.edu
Passes and Discounts
Simmons Dance Team
This student organization offers opportunities to dance or
choreograph ballet, hip hop,
jazz, lyrical, modern, and tap.
COF Dance Project
This newly formed group offers
Colleges of the Fenway students,
faculty, and staff regular performance opportunities in modern
jazz and ballet. Students also
choreograph their own works.
Simmons students have unlimited access to the Isabella Stewart
Gardner Museum and Museum
of Fine Arts with their Simmons
ID cards. They also can purchase discounted student rush
tickets at the Boston Symphony
Orchestra, Huntington Theatre,
Boston Ballet, and many other
arts performances in Boston on
the day of shows.
fenway
words, etc.
publications by simmons faculty and alumnae/i
Shana Burg ’99GS is the author of A
Thousand Never Evers (Delacorte Books
for Young Readers, 2008), a historical
fictional account about the Civil Rights
Movement set in Mississippi in 1963.
The story is told by Addie Ann Pickett,
whose careless act leads to her brother’s
disappearance, but who ultimately finds
her voice to lead a civil rights march all
her own.
Nathalie Handal ’92, ’93GS is co-editor
of Language for a New Century: Contemporary Poetry from the Middle East, Asia, and
Beyond (W. W. Norton, 2008), an anthology of poems representing 55 countries and
themes ranging from political and apolitical to monastic and erotic. Each section of
the anthology, organized by theme rather
than national affiliation, is introduced by a
personal essay from the editors.
C. Joyce Farrar-Rosemon ’74, ’76SW
uses the biblical story of Joseph to create
a 14-step plan to overcome stress and
depression in her self-published book
How to Get to the Palace from Your Prison!
(2008). Joseph’s trials, tribulations, and
triumphs are used to illustrate the idea
that self-transformation is greatly aided by
one’s belief in a higher power.
Signal’s Airport Adventure (Bay Media,
2006) is the first children’s book by
Stormy Friday ’69, the author of several books for the facilities management
industry. The book, which chronicles the
adventures of a cat named Signal who gets
loose in an airport, is specifically designed
to be read aloud to children ages 5–10.
Anne Barry Jolles ’84SM has selfpublished Rise and Shine Anytime: Simple
Questions to Wake Up Your Life (2008),
which illustrates how grace can open
one’s mind and heart to new insights.
Jolles writes one chapter for each letter in
the word “grace” (gratitude, release, acknowledge, create, and embrace), offering
questions to consider and thoughts
to ponder.
Mindfulness-Based Elder Care: A CAM
Model for Frail Elders and Their Caregivers
(Springer Publishing, 2008) draws on
Lucia McBee ’69’s experience as a geriatric social worker and mindfulness-based
stress reduction practitioner. Providing
detailed instructions for elders, their
families, and professional caregivers, the
book conveys the benefits of mindfulness through meditation, yoga, massage,
and other complementary and alternative
medicine (CAM) techniques to enhance
one’s inner strengths and resources.
Mameve Medwed ’64’s fifth novel,
Of Men and Their Mothers (William Morrow, 2008), explores the ever-complex
bond between a man and his mother
through the eyes of Maisie Grey, recently
divorced from her “mama’s-boy” husband.
Maisie struggles to be a non-judgmental
mother to her teenage son and his “completely unsuitable” girlfriend, while trying
to find herself a man unfettered by any
apron strings.
Nan C. Merrill ’53 recently published
Journey Into Love: From Fear to Freedom
(Continuum International Publishing
Group, 2007), in which she shares the
details of her spiritual journey into “LoveConsciousness.”
At age 27, Elva Linnea Nelson ’43LS
met Swami Akhilananda, a monk from
India who was a pioneer in advocating
meditation and spiritual practices for
mental health. Nelson compiled details
about and photography of the Swami’s
life, teachings, and work as a bridgebuilder between East and West in A Monk
for All Seasons (Llumina Press, 2007).
Calling All Authors
If you’ve recently authored a book and
would like it to appear in the “Words,
Etc.” section of the SIMMONS
magazine, please send a copy of the
book, along with a cover letter including your name and graduation year,
to: SIMMONS magazine, Simmons
College, 300 The Fenway, Boston, MA,
02115-5898. You also may fax information about the book to 617-521-2303 or
e-mail simmonsmagazine@simmons.
edu. Books will appear in “Words,
Etc.” at the editor’s discretion and as
space allows.
fall 2008
17
© images.com/corbis
A Different
BY ALICIA POTTER ’91
18 simmons
alumnet.simmons.edu
“If you look at the demographic changes in
Boston over the last 10 years, students will
likely be working with populations that are
different from themselves.”
—SSW ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR SUZANNE SANKAR
A
Portuguese-speaking man enters Brigham and Women’s Hospital with a traumatic head injury. The patient
doesn’t speak English, nor do his two older brothers,
his only family in Boston. He has no insurance; his siblings, no experience with the American health care system. Ahead
lie months of critical decisions — medical procedures, rehabilitation, payment issues — made all the more urgent by a difference
in language and culture.
Enter School of Social Work alumna Rachel Holley ’04SW. The
only clinical social worker on staff fluent in both Portuguese and
Spanish, she is a crucial link between the medical and administrative teams and the diverse populations who are admitted each
day. With such responsibility, it’s easy to assume that Holley
herself hails from a bilingual family. But she is Caucasian and
middle-class, a native of Acton, Mass. — about as far away from
the barrios and favelas as you can get.
“As I tell my patients,” says Holley, “I am 100 percent gringa.”
Across the Charles River, at the Cambridge Health Alliance,
another story unfolds. Dr. Ana Nava ’01SW is a clinical social
worker in the Alliance’s mental health and addiction services.
Nava consults mostly with Portuguese, Cape Verdean, and Brazilian clients in their native language. For this emigrant of Portugal,
the cultural divide surely isn’t as wide — or is it?
“A client and I may be from the same country, the same village,
the same street,” says Nava, ”but that doesn’t mean we are the
same.”
Both scenarios illustrate the very essence — and the formidable
challenges — of cross-cultural social work: practitioners reaching
out to communities that are different, either patently or subtly,
from their own. How to do so with effectiveness and sensitivity
is a hot topic in academia. Yet where the tensions and benefits of
cross-cultural practice really play out is in the field, which grows
more diverse each year.
“I don’t think you can be a social worker today without a crosscultural perspective,” says Suzanne Sankar, associate professor
and director of field education at the SSW.
Further broadening the gap is the evermore complex definition of culture. Increasingly, the term “cross-cultural” has come
to include class, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, and
even veteran status. “Culture is complex, dynamic, and always
evolving,” explains SSW Associate Professor Hugo Kamya, who
grew up in Uganda and now works with Sudanese and Hispanic
populations. “It can be quite unpredictable.”
How, then, to fully prepare graduates for cross-cultural practice? For Holley and Nava, as well as faculty members in the field,
the answer lies in a paradoxical, almost overwhelming idea: you
can never completely know another culture — even your own.
“Cultural competency” — the ability to meaningfully interact
with people of other cultures — certainly remains the goal. And
that means gathering experience. Lots of experience.
The SSW always has offered a hands-on, clinically focused
curriculum, and in recent years, has expanded its commitment to
cross-cultural training to reflect the increased demand for social
workers with these skills. The results are both practical —
a Spanish-language immersion course — and more broad, such
as the formation of a Global Task Force, a seven-member faculty
committee dedicated to integrating international education into
the curriculum. Yet it’s the hallmark of the SSW program that
remains the biggest eye-opener for many students: two required
field placements.
“One of our major interests is that students work cross-culturally during their time in the program,” says Sankar. “If you
look at the demographic changes in Boston over the last 10 years,
students will likely be working with populations that are different
from themselves.”
For Holley, who has an undergraduate degree in Spanish
language and literature, and has spent time
in Brazil and Ecuador, experience buys
credibility and trust. After completing placements at the Boston Adult
Technical Academy and the South
End Community Health Center,
and working for two years at the
hospital, she knows of almost all
of the city’s Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking psychotherapists.
She handles culturally delicate
situations daily, such as balancing
the hospital’s legal obligation to inform
Perspective
Interpreting the Rigors — and Rewards —
of Cross-Cultural Social Work
fall 2008
19
patients of their diagnosis, with the families’ belief that loved ones should be protected from bad news. Holley has learned
that talking to the relatives first, with the
patient’s permission, eases the problem.
And when the prognosis is terminal, she
helps clients and families to let go.
Indeed, Holley’s level of involvement
can be intense. In the instance of the
Portuguese-speaking man with the head
injury, she was immersed in all aspects
of the months-long case, going so far as
to assist with negotiations regarding the
removal of surgical staples in his scalp.
Nava’s effectiveness relies on a shared language and experience, yet she must rein
in the temptation to make assumptions
based on her own background.
“I may feel that I automatically know
what they’re going through,” she explains,
“but I make it clear that in no way am
I imposing my view on them. I make it
clear that they have choices.”
To better understand her clients’ needs
and to help other practitioners, Nava
has begun to organize conferences that
explore the immigration experiences and
social work needs of Portuguese speak-
Cultural competency — the ability to meaningfully interact
with people of other cultures — certainly remains the goal.
Nava’s work, too, depends on clients
recognizing the authenticity of her background. Like Holley, she’s found that her
clients, almost all immigrants like herself,
prefer to speak in their native language.
“When you’re anxious or depressed or
stressed out, even if you speak English,
you tend to fall back on your mother
language,” she says. “You can express
yourself better.”
To work with her handful of U.S.-born
clients, Nava, who came to the U.S. 30
years ago, adjusts her work style accordingly. “It’s not uncommon for a Brazilian
client to hug me, or a Portuguese woman
to give me a kiss on the cheek at the end
of a session, but that would scare the
Americans!” she says, laughing.
Yet how to handle end-of-session
pleasantries is the least of her concerns.
One of Nava’s daily struggles is overcoming cultural biases against psychotherapy;
often her patients feel embarrassed, balk
at medication, and fear being labeled
“crazy.” As a result, they come in for a
few sessions and then may disappear. The
fact that there are few additional support
services for Portuguese speakers doesn’t
help. But sometimes clients trickle back
in; one recently returned after seven years.
Nava believes that many of her clients
wouldn’t seek therapy at all if they didn’t
see their own cultures mirrored in the
Alliance staff. Still, it’s a fine balance;
20 simmons
alumnet.simmons.edu
ers, particularly women. The most recent
conference, “Mulher: The Evolving World
of Portuguese-Speaking Women,” was
held at Simmons in April. Also on the
agenda for Nava: conducting and publishing research on Portuguese women and
mental health.
Nava and Holley agree that with each
new challenge and client, their effectiveness increases — whether it’s becoming
aware of a new resource to recommend,
or finding a way to interact more knowledgeably and compassionately.
This indefatigable desire to listen
and learn, says Professor Kamya, is what
effective cross-cultural social work is
all about.
“Just when we think we have the
answers, we need to go back and look
again,” he says. “We need to keep
asking questions — and questioning
ourselves.” Q
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Alicia Potter ’91
is a Boston-based freelance writer who has
published articles in numerous magazines,
including Health, Self, Elle, and FamilyFun. Her first work for children, a picture
book titled Fritz Danced The Fandango,
will be published next summer by Scholastic.
The Cross-Cultural Landscape
• Nearly seven million Americans — 2%
of the population — self-identify with
two or more racial categories.
• Nearly 38 million people (12%) of
people in the U.S. are immigrants.
• More than 300 languages are spoken
in the U.S.
• The U.S. is the fifth-largest Spanishspeaking country in the world.
• Portuguese speakers are the secondlargest linguistic group in Massachusetts.
• The U.S. is home to more religious
groups than any other country.
• The number of immigrants living in
Massachusetts has increased more
than 15% from 2000 to 2005.
• Latin Americans comprise Massachusetts’ largest group of new immigrants.
Sources:
Wikipedia; U.S. Census Bureau 2005
American Community Survey; Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers;
National Virtual Translation Center;
Working Immigrants; Adherents.com;
The Diversity Training Group
CAS
college
schoolof
ofarts
library
andan
and
sciences
information
graduatescience
studies
Assistive Technology —
a Ticket to Academic Freedom
BY ALLYSON IRISH ’04GS
Debra Hand ’01GS spends her days
helping students with disabilities
to learn. For Hand, an assistive
technology specialist for the North
Attleborough (Mass.) Public Schools,
new technologies are critical to the
learning success of her students,
who struggle each day to realize their
potential.
“Assistive technology is incredibly
exciting to me. I see my job as providing students with options and a
ticket to freedom to learn and express
themselves. Every student has a right
to learn no matter what his/her disability,” said Hand.
Hand is one of nearly 100
alumnae/i who have graduated
from Simmons’s Assistive Special
Education Technology Program. The
PHOTO BY SARAH GORHAM ’06GS
A Boston-area
student from the
Greater Lawrence
Educational Collaborative uses an
assistive keyboard to
participate in classroom activities.
program, which has been part of the
Department of Education for more
than 10 years, prepares educators
and therapists to help students with
During the four-day conference, 10
alumnae/i including Hand presented
interactive showcases that featured
on-site demonstrations, poster
Every student has a right to learn no matter what
his/her disability.
— DEBRA HAND ’01GS
learning challenges access a general
curriculum. The students in the
program do so by learning how to
recognize, create, implement, and
assess various assistive technologies.
Simmons’s program was recently
highlighted at a major international conference in April run by the
Council for Exceptional Children.
presentations, videos, and a customized wiki.
“Simmons’s Assistive Special
Education Technology Program is
recognized as a best practice model
nationally and internationally,” said
Madalaine Pugliese, program coordinator. “The outcomes from our work
continued on page 24
Examples of Assistive Technology
An assistive technology device is defined as “any piece of equipment used
by a person with a disability to increase,
maintain, or improve his or her functional capabilities.”
Examples of assistive technology
devices include:
Low-Tech: low-cost, typically nonelectronic devices
• adapted furniture, tools, or utensils
• raised-line, colored, or grid paper
• correction tape or pens
• highlighter tape or pens
• Velcro™
• manual communication boards
• large print books
• magnifiers
• line guides
• pencil grips
Mid-Tech: moderately priced, easy
to operate electronic devices
• tape or digital recorders
• electronic dictionaries or organizers
• audio books
• special lighting or acoustical
treatments
• adapted keyboards
• audible word scanning devices
High-Tech: fairly expensive devices
that contain microcomputer
components for storage and
retrieval of information
• talking calculators or word
processors
• word prediction, graphic organizer,
or flowchart software
• scanners
• reading pens
source: teaching resources for
florida ese
fall 2008
21
college of arts and sciences graduate studies
CAS Partners with Eric Carle Museum to Offer New Degree
PHOTO BY PAUL SHOUL © 2003 THE ERIC CARLE MUSEUM OF PICTURE BOOK ART/PAUL SHOUL
BY HILARY SHEPARD
The Center for the Study of Children’s Literature at Simmons is
partnering with the Eric Carle
Museum of Picture Book Art in
Amherst, Mass., to offer the master
of fine arts (M.F.A.) in writing
for children. The M.F.A. program
opened in fall 2008, and takes place
at the museum — the first full-scale
museum in the U.S. devoted to
national and international picture
book art. Program courses will be
taught by Simmons faculty, and will
also tap into the rich community of
children’s literature professionals in
the Pioneer Valley area.
According to the center’s director,
Cathryn Mercier, this partnership is
a match made in heaven. “The Carle
just marked its fifth birthday, as did
the Simmons M.F.A. program. The
timing was perfect,” said Mercier.
More than 30 years ago, Simmons
was the first institution to offer a
master of arts degree in children’s
literature. The Carle’s vision of
bringing appreciation and understanding of the art of the picture
book complements the center’s mission to engage in academic study
of children’s literature as art, text,
history, and culture.
The two-year M.F.A. program at
the Carle joins the suite of renowned
graduate programs in children’s
literature at Simmons. Programs
on the Boston campus include the
M.A. in children’s literature, and
the M.F.A. in writing for children as
well as a variety of dual degree programs that combine the scholarship
of children’s literature with professional degrees in library science
and education.
The program, which will accommodate 10-15 students in its inaugural class, will feature a cohort model
of learning, where all students start
and finish the program as a group. Q
more online
For more information, visit simmons.edu/gradstudies/liberal-arts/
academic/childrens-literature/ericcarle.shtml or www.picturebookart.org.
Graduate Degrees Offered at Stonehill College
Since September 2008, Simmons
has offered two graduate degree
programs at Stonehill College in
Easton, Mass. Courses are offered in
the master’s of science program in
communications management and
the master’s of science program in
behavioral education. Both programs
meet the growing professional needs
of adults in the South Shore/Cape
Cod/Rhode Island area and will
22 simmons
alumnet.simmons.edu
allow participants the opportunity
to pursue high quality, graduate
level work with Simmons, but closer
to home.
CAS Dean Diane Raymond says,
“The partnership with Stonehill provides each partner with important
benefits. Stonehill currently offers
only undergraduate programs; our
relationship allows them to offer select, high-quality graduate programs
for their students. For Simmons we
can extend our geographic reach
and offer two of our most dynamic
graduate programs to new audiences. It’s an ideal collaboration.” Q
For more information, contact the
Office of Graduate Studies: gsa@
simmons.edu or 617-521-2915.
college of arts and sciences graduate studies
Master’s in History
Degree Makes its Debut
The Department of History recently
began offering a new master of arts
degree in history.
There are fewer than 40 master’s
in history programs in New England,
most of which are in large universities. “We are thrilled to be able to
offer this level of programming,”
said CAS Dean Diane Raymond. “It
is very unusual for a smaller school
to be able to offer this quality of
specialized education.”
According to Raymond, history
is a prominent discipline within
the liberal arts. Offering a master’s
degree in history will enrich the College’s liberal arts graduate programs
as a whole by directly contributing
to and elevating the caliber of the
curricula in children’s literature,
education, English, and Spanish.
Similar to other master’s programs at Simmons, the master’s in
history program will collaborate with
the undergraduate college to offer an
accelerated program where students
obtain both their B.A. and M.A. in
history in five years. Q
more online
For more information, visit www.
simmons.edu/gradstudies/liberalarts/academics/history.
New Name for Women’s Studies
What’s in a name? Is it identity, characterization, or is it simply a social
category? At Simmons, it’s a more
accurate identity — Gender/Cultural
Studies has been renamed Women’s
and Gender Studies.
“Adding gender to the title more
clearly reflects the additional emphasis on gender that has become
part of women studies theory,” said
Laurie Crumpacker, founder of the
Women’s Studies program in 1978,
and professor and chair of the history department at Simmons.
That more than half of the courses
in the program examine gender with
a focus on women’s issues was
one of the deciding factors on the
name change.
“The name includes ‘women’
because we would like to preserve
the history of the discipline,” said
Jill Taylor, professor and chair of
Women’s and Gender Studies.
Women’s studies majors have
led to careers in management,
academia, and healthcare, among
others. This undergraduate program
features a major, minor, and interdisciplinary minor in social justice for
those interested in activism. Q
more online
For more information, visit: http://
www.simmons.edu/academics/
undergraduate/womens_studies/
index.html.
Dean’s Message
This issue of the SIMMONS magazine includes a feature article about
arts in higher education and about
some of the exciting new programs
that are now a part of the Simmons
curriculum. I hope you’ll feel as
inspired as I do about these activities.
As the article makes clear, Simmons
students, despite cutbacks across the country in funding and
other support for the arts, continue to find ways to express
their talents in and passion for work in the arts.
Graduate and undergraduate students alike — regardless of their majors or programs — realize the importance
of artistic expression and find ways to channel their artistic
energies. I’m proud that Simmons supports — in so many
different ways — the creative and artistic dreams of our students. For example, our arts administration program offers
a dynamic interdisciplinary mix of art, music, management,
and communications courses to provide students with the
practical skills, and theoretical grounding they need to move
into exciting careers in the arts. Simmons graduates have
interned or worked at the Boston Ballet, the Museum
of Fine Arts, and the Gardner Museum, among many others.
The Trustman Gallery at Simmons, open to the public, is
beginning its 27th exhibition season with a reinvigorated commitment to showcasing contemporary art in the context of
liberal arts education. The Trustman is especially committed
to highlighting the work of women artists. The new minor in
performing arts, offered through our Colleges of the Fenway
consortium, is meeting a need revealed through a survey
where students told us that they value the opportunity to receive academic credit for performance. Simmons has become
the most active participant in that program, and in five years
participation has increased from 180 students to 1,200!
Though few of our students will go on to earn livelihoods as practicing artists, they do leave Simmons knowing
the value of the arts. This past year, 22 students graduated
with majors in our arts programs. Nearly 50 students have
declared majors or minors in the arts. The balance of liberal
arts and professions that characterizes a Simmons education
means that students can have real-world experiences without
being narrow technicians. Their successes tell a great story!
I hope that you enjoy the latest edition of our SIMMONS
magazine and that, like me, you feel a sense of pride in our
students’ passion for performance and for the arts.
Sincerely,
DIANE RAYMOND
DEAN, COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
fall 2008
23
college of arts and sciences graduate studies
faculty news
LYNDY JOHNSON
AFAA MICHAEL WEAVER
24 simmons
Department of Political Science
and International Relations Chair
Zachary Abuza presented a paper
titled, “The Disengagement and
De-radicalization of Members of
Jemaah Islamiyah: Lessons Learnt
from Malaysia and Indonesia”- at
the United Nations International
Peace Institute in New York in April.
Judith Aronson, assistant professor of communications, presented
her Type Book project at the international TypeCon ’08 conference in
Buffalo, NY, in July. The Type Book
project is a 36-page book about type
that her students constructed and
designed during four weeks, while
researching various typefaces and
learning how to lay out a book using
the principles of design.
Donna Beers, professor of mathematics, gave a presentation
on “How Can We Help Students
Grow More FIT (Fluent in Information Technology) for Mathematics?”
at the northeastern section meeting
of the Mathematical Association of
America (MAA) in Burlington, VT,
in May. She also gave a presentation and served as a case study
session leader for Leading the
Academic Department, a professional enhancement program for
new mathematics department chairs
sponsored by MAA, this summer in
Washington, D.C.
English Professor Renee Bergland
recently published Maria Mitchell
and The Sexing of Science: An
Astronomer Among the American
Romantics (Beacon Press, 2008), a
story of astronomer Mitchell’s life
and work in the mid-1800s.
Education Professor Lyndy Johnson gave a presentation in March on
“The Principal’s Role in New Teacher
Induction” at the national conference of the Association for Supervi-
alumnet.simmons.edu
Assistive technology
continued from page 21
sion and Curriculum Development
in New Orleans. The conference
attracted 16,000 educators from
around the world.
Shirong Luo, assistant professor of philosophy, gave a guest
lecture on “Balancing Filial Piety and
Parental Love in the Age of Caring”
at the National Endowment for the
Humanities 2008 Summer Seminar
for College and University Teachers
at Wesleyan University.
Sociology Professor Becky
Thompson is co-author of When
the Center Is on Fire: Passionate
Social Theory for Our Times
(University of Texas, 2008), which
looks to classical social thinkers such
as W. E. B. Du-Bois and Karl Marx
to help understand 21st-century
social traumas, including the 9/11
attacks, Abu Ghraib prison abuses,
and Hurricane Katrina.
Alumnae Endowed Chair Professor of English Afaa Michael Weaver
was awarded the “Ibbetson Street
Press Lifetime Achievement Award”
in November at the Somerville News
Writers Festival VI in Somerville,
Mass. Other writers and authors
at the event included Pulitzer Prize
winner Junot Diaz (The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao). Weaver
also was honored by the city of
Baltimore, during its CityLit Festival.
The city proclaimed April 19 “Afaa
Michael Weaver Day,” in recognition
of Weaver’s literary achievements as
a native of that city.
more online
To read more about CAS faculty,
including 11 new professors/
lecturers, visit www.alumnet.
simmons.edu.
provide successful technology interventions for educators and — most
importantly — students.”
So what exactly are assistive
technologies? According to Pugliese, these are a suite of tools that
educators use to help students with
learning challenges. As one can
imagine, the style and sophistication
of these tools can vary as widely as
the students themselves.
For example, a student who is
deaf may need to use a TTY (text
telephone), or a blind student may
need to use technology with a computer-generated voice. Pugliese said
one low-tech solution for a student
could be something as simple as a
special pencil grip, while a student
for more information visit
• Simmons’s Assistive Special
Education Technology Program —
www.simmons.edu/gradstudies/
education
• Simmons’s Assistive Special
Education Technology Wiki —
http://simmonsatshowcase.
wikispaces.com
Created for the Council for Exceptional Children conference.
• The Council for Exceptional
Children — www.cec.sped.org
Provides information about national and state policies, educational
textbooks, and resources for various disorders and/or disabilities.
• The Family Guide to Assistive
Technology — www.pluk.org/
AT1.html
Provides information for families
through a guide funded from The
Federation for Children with Special Needs by the Office of Special
Education and Rehabilitation
college of arts and sciences graduate studies
alumni news
with cerebral palsy who is unable to
speak may need a customized communication device.
Despite the recent explosion of
integrated education programs,
Simmons is one of the few programs in the country to offer a graduate degree in assistive technology.
Another differentiator, said Pugliese,
is Simmons’s focus on “real-world”
implementation. Students learn not
only about different types of technologies, but also how to evaluate
effectiveness.
“That is what makes the Simmons
program stand out. We provide the
understanding of these tools, and
the strategies for implementation
and success,” said Pugliese. Q
these web sites:
Services (OSERS) U.S. Department
of Education.
• The Assistive Technology (AT)
Training Online Project — http://
atto.buffalo.edu
Provides information on AT
applications that help students
with disabilities learn in elementary classrooms.
• The Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA) — http://
idea.ed.gov
Katherine Butler Jones ’67GS
recently was profiled in the Mount
Holyoke Alumnae Quarterly for
her achievements as a professor,
activist, historian, and writer. Jones
received her B.A. from Mount
Holyoke in 1957 and a doctorate
in education administration from
Harvard.
Olivia Miller ’84GS recently
published The Healthy Back
Deck: 50 Simple Techniques for a
Pain-Free Back (Chronicle Books,
2008), a deck of 50 cards offering
step-by-step guidance for a variety
of exercises to relieve back strain
and pain, improve posture, increase
flexibility, and decrease stress.
Each illustrated card also includes
tips, called “Back Talk,” on exercise
techniques and basic back care.
Kelley Chunn ’90GS and Alicia
Canady ’03, co-chairs of the 2008
Black Alumnae/i Symposium, were
recently featured in the Bay State
Banner.
Lauren Miller Rozenvayn ’04GS
was married on May 6, 2007 to
Yuri Rozenvayn. Rozenvayn works
as an inclusion specialist for the
town of Belmont, and the couple
lives in Chestnut Hill with their two
cats, Jack and Millie.
Kim King ’05GS recently was
appointed chief marketing officer
at SiteSpect, a company providing
services to enable web marketers
to optimize website effectiveness
through multivariate testing and
behavioral targeting. The service is
the first and only non-intrusive solution available. Previously, King was
director of marketing communications at Bit9.
Isabel Aller ’08GS recently
was hired as interactive marketing
manager for The Phoenix newspaper in Boston.
Simmons Alumnae/i View Archives Exhibit
Simmons alumnae/i as well as other members of the Essex County Home
Economists in Education and Massachusetts Association of Family and Consumer Science gathered at the Beatley Library with archivist Jason Wood
’01LS to view the historical exhibit on household economics. The organizations are beginning the Centennial Celebration in 2009 of what is now called
Family and Consumer Science.
U.S. Department of Education site
focused on IDEA, which ensures
services/education to children with
disabilities.
• National Instructional Materials
Accessibility Standards (NIMAS)
— http://nimas.cast.org
Provides downloads of NIMASrelated tools, U.S. Department of
Education reports on NIMAS, and
a link to a NIMAS listserv.
From left to right: Retired home economics/family and consumer science
teacher Jane Cappuccio Stauffer ’78GS, Simmons Archivist Jason Wood
’01LS, Dorothea Blanchard ’66GS, and Alice Lovely ’58GS
fall 2008
25
giving
Gift Addresses Nursing Shortage,
Promotes Diversity
BY LEAH ROTHSCHILD EGGERS
Phyllis Nickerson Dotson ’62 and her husband, George Dotson
Phyllis Nickerson Dotson ’62 and her
husband, George, describe giving as
one of life’s pleasures. “There’s constant gratification that you have given
back and you have honored an institution like Simmons. Part of your legacy
is the life you live, and we want our
children to know that this is the kind of
life we live,” Phyllis Dotson said.
The Dotsons’ recent $2 million gift
to the Simmons nursing department
addresses the nationwide shortage of
nurses by seeking to correct racial and
ethnic disparities in the nursing profession. The Phyllis Nickerson Dotson ’62
and George S. Dotson Fund for Academic Excellence will launch a tutoring
program for nursing students. Through
academic support and mentoring from
faculty and multidisciplinary experts,
the program will strengthen efforts to
attract and retain ethnically and culturally diverse students. The fund also will
26 simmons alumnet.simmons.edu
enhance the technology infrastructure
of the nursing labs.
“The Dotsons are generous supporters,” said Judy Beal, associate dean of
the School of Health Sciences (SHS)
and chair of the department of nursing. “This gift enables us to develop a
stronger, more ethnically and culturally
diverse pipeline of nursing candidates.”
As a nursing student at Simmons,
Dotson says she learned organizational
skills and how to be more compassionate — skills that helped her and her
family tremendously when their young
son died in 1978 after being diagnosed
with cancer.
Dotson has since worked to ease the
burdens of seriously ill children and
their families. She helped establish the
Tulsa (Okla.) Ronald McDonald House,
and she created the Pediatric Volunteer
Program at Tulsa’s St. John Medical
Center. She has worked with other
organizations including the Mental
Health Association and Domestic
Violence Intervention Services in Tulsa,
as well as the Tulsa Library and the
Junior League of Tulsa. Today she also
is a leadership volunteer in Tulsa for St.
Simeon’s Episcopal Home, an assistedliving community.
“I don’t know that there’s any organization with which we deal that has the
same personal touch and the ability to
communicate our participation and
our role that Simmons has,” George
Dotson said. “All of those things go
together to make participation with
Simmons a real treat for our family. It’s
never a task or a chore. It’s always a
real memorable experience. I say that,
having never attended a class or spent
a day at Simmons College; I got the
best of a Simmons education by walking away with one of your graduates!”
Phyllis Dotson says this gift is a
vote of confidence in the SHS and the
College’s leadership.
“Anything we can do to help with the
future plans of Simmons, financially,
in our small way, is important. We wish
President Drinan and the faculty much
success and we look forward to many
trips back to campus,” she said. “When
you see your money well-spent and the
impact that it has made, you want to
give again.” Q
2007–2008 Report
of Gifts
Thank you to our 1899 Society and
John Simmons Society members,
whose generous support helped
us raise more than $10 million for
Simmons during this past fiscal year.
Please turn to page 49 to view the Annual Report of Philanthropy. For a full
donor list, please visit www.alumnet.
simmons.edu/annual report
giving
$100,000 to Support SSW Scholarships and Initiatives
There was no doubt about it. Priscilla
“Polly” Dickson ’52SW always knew
she wanted to be a social worker. And
when it came to choosing a school,
there was no doubt it would be Simmons. Recently, Dickson made another
important life decision: choosing to
make a $100,000 gift to the School
of Social Work (SSW).
such as course-releases and facultystudent research.
Originally from Minnesota, Dickson
now lives on a picturesque horse farm
in Weston, Mass., which was previously owned by the parents of her late
husband, Edward. In 1997, she and her
husband donated an 11-acre meadow to
a non-profit developer for construction
across the U.S. Additionally, she has
served on urban justice committees in
Greater Boston.
“My Simmons degree didn’t just
provide me with training for my profession,” said Dickson. “It educated me
on how to help people throughout my
entire life.” Q
“This gift will allow more students to benefit
from the same quality Simmons education
—PRISCILLA DICKSON ’52SW
that I received.”
“It was the right time for me to
make a significant gift to the SSW,”
said Dickson, who has been a perennial donor to the College. “This gift will
allow more students to benefit from the
same quality Simmons education that
I received.”
Dickson’s generous, current-use gift
will support two SSW needs: student
scholarships, with priority given to
African-American students and underrepresented populations; and the
Dean’s New Initiatives Fund, to
enhance the dean’s flexibility in response to opportunities and challenges,
of mixed-income housing in Weston.
A subsidized portion of the meadow
was used to attract first-time homebuyers.
That was not the first time that Dickson has been an agent of social change.
A mother of four and grandmother of
six, Dickson has been involved with numerous social justice and anti-racism
programs for several decades. A practicing Episcopalian, Dickson helped to
create an anti-racism training program
in the 1980s for the Episcopal Diocese
of Massachusetts, which has been
used as a model in anti-racism training
Priscilla “Polly” Dickson ’52SW
photos by john gillooly
Celebrating the Spirit of Giving: Reunion 2008
Reunion is a time for celebrating
wonderful memories and lifelong
relationships. It’s also a time when
many undergraduate alumnae honor
Simmons by making a gift to the
College.
During Reunion 2008, alumnae
demonstrated their support by giving
more than $2.4 million to the College.
These gifts are from alumnae whose
classes span the decades — from the
1920s to our most recent graduates.
This year, the Highest Participation
Award went to the 55th Reunion Class
of 1953 for achieving a 66% participation rate.
The 50th Reunion Class boasted
a 62% participation rate and endowed
the Class of 1958 Endowed Scholarship
with gifts totaling $108,000 — far surpassing the original $50,000 goal for
this fund. In addition, the Class of 1983
also endowed a scholarship fund. Q
At left, members of the Class of 1993
return to Simmons to celebrate their
15th Reunion; at right, 1958 classmates
pose after being part of the 50th Reunion
Daisy Chain.
fall 2008
27
giving
$2.6 Million in Bequests: Legacies
that Support Learning, Research
During FY08, Simmons received bequest gifts totaling $2.6 million
from the estates of 19 donors. These
legacies provide vital support for
students and faculty, including funding
for scholarships, research, and classroom equipment.
Bequests to Simmons are deeply
personal gifts included in a donor’s
will along with gifts to family, friends,
and other causes that matter most to
the individual. Every bequest gift is
a thoughtful expression of support
for the College; last year, Simmons
received bequests ranging from $1,000
to $1.75 million.
The John Simmons Society recognizes alumnae/i and friends who have
included Simmons in their plans for
the future through a bequest, a gift
annuity, or other types of planned
gifts. If you would like to learn more
about creative ways to support Simmons through your estate plans, please
contact the Office of Planned Giving
at 800-831-4284 or plannedgiving@
simmons.edu. All conversations are
confidential. Q
Constructing a Legacy: SOM and
Academic Building Initiative
Stunning. Beautiful. Impressive.
Alumnae/i use these words to describe
the latest addition to the Simmons academic campus. Opening in January, the
School of Management and Academic
Building also will be one of the most
environmentally friendly structures in
Massachusetts.
For Carole Seigel ’80SM, the building symbolizes the success of the
School of Management. Seigel made
a leadership gift to name a space in
the building, which she believes is “a
permanent legacy we leave to future
students. This is an opportunity for
me to give back to the institution that
is the cornerstone of my professional
life. I hope my fellow SOM alumnae
will join me. It is a chance to think
big, beyond our annual gifts, and it is
consistent with Simmons women assuming a leadership role in business,”
Seigel said.
Along with Seigel, Sudi Staub ’90SM
and Diane Valle ’02SM are co-chairs of
the volunteer fundraising committee.
For more information on how to
support this project, please contact Deb
Taft ’00SM at 617-521-2350 or
deb.taft@simmons.edu. To keep track
of progress on the building, visit www.
simmons.edu/som/building. Q
East Asian
Studies Program
Receives
$200,000 Grant
Simmons recently received a
$200,000 grant from the Freeman Foundation for its East
Asian Studies program. The
money will help improve its
curriculum and offer enhanced
learning and exchange opportunities to undergraduate
students.
The grant will help fund:
scholarships for students traveling to, or conducting research
in, East Asia including China,
Japan, and Thailand; the addition of another language faculty
member; and campus activities that support East Asian
Studies.
Established in 1996, Simmons’s East Asian Studies program offers interdisciplinary
majors and minors, Chinese
and Japanese language study,
and specialized short-term
courses in Thailand, China,
and Japan.
This is the second grant
awarded to Simmons from
the Freeman Foundation. The
first was awarded in 2001 when
Simmons received $860,000. Q
more online
View from the Quad
28 simmons
alumnet.simmons.edu
ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF CANNON DESIGN
For more information about
Simmons’s East Asian Studies
program, visit www.simmons.
edu/academics/undergraduate/east-asian.
classnotes
Undergraduate Classnotes
CLASS NOTES/ALUMNI NOTES POLICY
submissions: there are four ways to submit
information
•
•
•
•
Send news to your class secretary
Provide news via alumnet.simmons.edu
Email news to classnotes@simmons.edu
Mail news to: SIMMONS magazine,
Attn: Classnotes Editor, Office of Advancement Marketing,
Simmons College, Boston, MA 02115
photos
• Photos can be submitted using any of the above methods
• If you mail a photo and would like it returned, please include
a return address
• Photos submitted electronically must be 300 dpi or higher to
be considered for publication in the magazine
deadlines
• There are three yearly issues of the magazine
• For inclusion in an upcoming issue, please submit notes by
November 15, March 15, and July 15
publication
• All Class Notes/Alumni Notes received in any way will be posted
in full on alumnet.simmons.edu
• All Class Notes/Alumni Notes will appear in the magazine but
may be edited for space and content
• Photos will appear in the magazine if space allows
• Undergraduate Class Notes will appear in the back section of
the SIMMONS magazine
• Undergraduate Class Years with no Class Notes will only list
the Class Secretary
• Undergraduate Class Years with no Class Notes and no Class
Secretary will not be listed, unless they are a Reunion Class
• Graduate school Alumni Notes will appear in the appropriate
graduate school section
If you have any questions, please call the Office of Advancement
Marketing at 617-521-2380, or email classnotes@simmons.edu.
1931
1935
Florence Aliber Lipsky
64 Hastings Avenue
Keene, NH 03431-5208
Helen Katzen
615 Heath Street, Unit 305
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467-2146
1932
1937
Natalie Nicholson
87 Washington Street
Newport, RI 02840-1567
nnn@mycidco.com
Edith Samuelson Eastman
12 Louisburg Square
Centerville, MA 02632-1922
eseastman@aol.com
1938
1940
Esther Wilkins writes, “The
Reunion was declared a success.
The five happy classmates that
attended were Dorothy Mays
Ives, Ella Simpson Leadbetter,
Catherine McCarthy Murphy,
Ruth Nute Tabor, and me. We
were proud to receive three
awards: the Highest Reunion
Class Gift, the Highest Simmons Fund Gift, and the Kay
Heggie ’35 Planned Giving
award. We were sorry our
president, Marjorie Bean Fall
and secretary, Dorothy Brown
Wrigley were unable to attend
and thank them for serving our
Class. | Congratulations to Edith
Sanford Wiley and husband on
their 69th wedding anniversary.
| We invite all members to send
news for the magazine to our
newly elected president, Ruth
Nute Tabor, 11C Greenwich Bay
Manor, 945 Main Street, East
Greenwich, RI 02818. | Also,
the 10th edition of my textbook,
Clinical Practice of the Dental
Hygienist was published last
spring — nearly 50 years since
the 1st edition.”
Miriam Gosian Madfis
8615 Chevy Chase Drive
Boca Raton, FL 33433-1805
1939
REUNION ’09
MAY 29–MAY 31
Eleanor Moore Kaiser
6 Paul’s Way
Newbury, MA 01951-1121
Frances Albert Leavitt writes,
“Now enjoying a new life style
in an independent and assisted
living community. Family — 3
children, 7 grandchildren, and 2
great-grandchildren — residing
in California, Vancouver, New
Mexico, Canada, and New York!”
1942
Dorothy Siegfried Silhavy
357 Grant Hill Road
Tolland, CT 06084-3830
asilhavy@aol.com
Dot writes, “Last December,
Helen Nelson Jarvis had open
heart surgery. She is recovering gradually. Please send me
YOUR NEWS.”
1943
Barbara Prance Fluck
19 South St.
Plainville, MA 02962
barbpf@verizon.net
Barbara reports: After five years
of coaxing we are receiving
notes from several of you. | Kay
Wingate was in Turkey and went
on a five day cruise. | Peg Coffey
Hamilton and her daughter,
Terry, flew to Singapore in
January to visit Terry’s son who
teaches in a private school. Peg
and Terry took a side trip to Bali.
| P.K. Smith had a wonderful
family Christmas celebrated at
home. | I chatted with Barbara
Mayhew Donald. I must make
my official apology for incorrectly identifying her late husband
as a doctor. Barbara’s father
was the doctor. | Mary Zecchini
Bryant wrote of the many snow
storms over the winter which
made it difficult for folks to get
about. Mary has spoken on the
phone with Jane Veazie Nelson
who is living in Scarborough. |
Elva Nelson’s latest book is in
fall 2008
29
classnotes
print, called Swami Akhilananda, 1894–1962. | Ruth Olmstead
Roundy wrote that our classmate, Virginia Lovett Kilham
died at her home on January 21,
2008. She had had cancer for
some time. The class sends its
sympathy to Ginny’s family.
1944
REUNION ’09
MAY 29–MAY 31
Joan Keating Lowney
1202 Greendale Avenue,
Apt. 119
Needham, MA 02492
Joan says, “Writing in the midst
of a snow storm — what else
in the winter of 2008! Keep in
touch!” | Peggy Adelson Saslow
writes, “I was thrilled to share
the Mary Canavan Award with
Toni Smerlas Lakis ’46SW. I am
happy to stay on the Alumnae
Association Executive Board for
another three years.” | Marge
Coleman Berg organized a
tea for Simmons grads at the
Wakefield Inn in Wakefield,
NH. | Ruth Riceman Shire stays
busy as a children’s librarian.
She is a community volunteer
and a regular at exersize classes.
She has three sons and five
grandchildren. The eldest is a
freshman at Harvard. | Rachel
emeri-ties
updates on emeriti faculty and staff
Earlier this year, Phyllis Moore
(Nursing) received the 2008
President’s Award from the
Massachusetts Nurses Association. She was appointed
to the advisory committee of
the University of Massachusetts’s Boston Nursing Scholars
Program, which supports
students interested in nursing
who are from disadvantaged
backgrounds, including racial
and ethnic minorities and
underrepresented populations
in the profession.
Lydia Smith (Education)
reports that she is teaching,
both at the Harvard Institute
for Learning in Retirement,
and at Brookhaven in Lexington,
where she lives. Courses include
American and International
Short Stories, and Jane Austen’s Novels and Significance.
The ever-active Lawrence
Langer ’96HD (English) gave
the closing keynote address
on “The Survivor as Author:
Primo Levi’s Literary Vision
of Auschwitz” at an international conference on Levi at
Yale University. He also gave
two lectures at the Holocaust
Museum in Houston, Texas, on
30 simmons
alumnet.simmons.edu
“The Artists of Theresienstadt”
and “Interpreting Holocaust
Testimonies.” In August he
spoke on “Memory and Identity: Understanding Holocaust
Testimonies” and “Psychological
Responses to the Holocaust”
at a research symposium on
Understanding Genocide at the
University of Copenhagen in
Denmark.
Ynhui Park (Philosophy)
continues to publish in French
and in English. Recently some of
his collected work appeared in
the journal Poésie published by
Editions Belin in Paris. Poems
in English have recently appeared in the journal Damn the
Caesars, published in Buffalo,
New York.
Alden Poole (Communications) and his wife Janet were
honored last January by the
Quincy Human Rights Commission for their “long record of
advocacy for peace and social
justice” at the annual Martin
Luther King, Jr. breakfast.
The annual AAUP/Simmons
luncheon last May was well
attended by emeriti and longterm staff. College of Arts and
Sciences undergraduate faculty
present included Peter Bowers
(Chemistry) who entertained
with his stand-up comedy,
Peter Castle (Psychology),
Diane Coulopoulos (Psychology), Laurie Crumpacker
’63 (History), Kathleen Dunn
(Education), Alicia Faxon
’98HD (Art), Henry Halko (History), Susan Keane (French),
Lawrence Langer, Peggy Loeb
(Public Information), Ann Lord
(Nursing), Richard Lyman (History), Charles Mackey (French/
Dean), Phyllis Moore, George
Nitchie (English), Alden Poole,
John Robinson (Education/
Dean), Richard Sterne (English), and Judy Wittenberg
(English). Deanna Brooks and
Priscilla Riley represented the
School of Social Work, with Josephine Fang and Bob Stueart
P’88 from the Graduate School
of Library and Information Sciences. Later that month, about
two dozen emeriti and longterm staff attended Simmons’s
pre-Commencement dinner at
the Boston Harbor Hotel.
Please send news of emeriti
and long-term faculty and staff
to Peggy Loeb, pegloeb@
yahoo.com.
Josefowitz Siegel has moved to a
retirement community near her
former home. She travels to visit
family and writes. | Alice Saunders thanks her two cats for
keeping her in good spirits despite many physical problems. |
Jean Alvord Cramer’s husband
died in June 2007 — just short
of their 64th wedding anniversary. Her immediate family (33
in all) have been her support.
| Connie Luby Thurber died
December 31, 2007, after a long
illness. Lois Butler and Peggy
Saslow attended her funeral. |
Lee Washburn Stearns was the
oldest alumna at a recent Southwest Florida Simmons Club
meeting. She attends theatre
and symphony concerts, sings
in a mixed chorus, plays bridge,
and travels. | Joanne Williams
Tripp is back from three weeks
in Maui. Arthritis from Lyme
disease is slowing her down.
1945
Jacqueline Zeldin Colby ’75LS
289 Mill Street
Newtonville, MA 02460-2437
JCOLBY@RCN.COM
Jackie reports: I keep busy as
President of the Newton, MA,
Food Pantry. My granddaughter,
Erica Colby ’08, graduated from
Simmons in the spring. | I am
sad to report that Susie Kaldeck
Gray died last November. She
had had several strokes. After
retiring as head of the Boston
Public Library, division of science and technology, Susie was
elected to a number of terms as
library trustee in Sharon, MA.
Her daughter, Janet Gray ’74, is
a graduate of Simmons. | Betty
Emhoff Green, Class treasurer,
reports that our finances are in
good shape. The total receipts
available are $19,681.41. | Connie Ramsdell Blair spent time in
Sicily last year with her son. On
a trip to San Francisco the previous year, Connie saw Blanche
classnotes
Erlandson Campbell. Blanche
has moved to senior living. Her
address is 2770 Pleasant Hill
Rd., #332, Pleasant Hill, CA
94523. | Alice Whittaker Latimer
and husband Chuck enjoy traveling. They traveled to England
and Germany, and cruised to
Bermuda, the Adriatic, and
the Baltic sea. A drive through
New England last fall enabled
them to see Simmons. | Bunny
Diamond Levinson lost her husband, Mendy, last spring after a
long illness. | Yolanda Romanelli
sings with the Quincy Choral
Society. Last fall she spent
several enjoyable weeks in North
Carolina. | Marie-Clare Welch
Rowbotham and her husband
enjoyed spending Christmas
with their daughter, Sara, her
hubby, three grandchildren, and
four pets. | Ruth Henrickson
Sangren writes that although
she and Ward have slowed
down, they travel and play tennis and bridge.
1946
Elicia Carroll Kelley ’48GS
16 Paulman Circle
West Roxbury, MA 02132-1223
Betty Albee Robinson writes,
“My husband of over 60 years,
Perley B. Robinson, died on
April 22, 2008. I’m hiking, paddling and downhill skiing, with
time for church and community
activities.” | Wes Lindsey, husband of Marjorie Bell Lindsey,
died December 23, 2007. He
was inurned at the Naval Academy columbarium.
1947
Barbara Burke Garlick
43 Whitehall Street
Dedham, MA 02026-2227
Barbgarl43@aol.com
Jane Bowler Conway writes,
“Our 13 grandchildren are ages
8 to 30 years. We have two sets
of triplets.” | Virginia Congdon
Davies writes, “Still living alone
in my home in Fort Worth, TX.
Have 4 great-grandchildren
in Tulsa and Texas.” | Priscilla
Wheelock Duncan writes, “I’ve
moved from Marblehead to
Wenham, trading my harborfront for a townhouse close to
my granddaughter and daughter-in-law.” | Mary Ebersole
Leslie writes, “My grandson
Patrick Leslie graduated this
May from U. of Southern California, school of acting.” | Teddy
Santoro Lumpkin writes, “Book
#13 is a diet book. Still in Connecticut with horses and dogs —
for 46 years!”
1948
Jane Washburn Parker
1210 Evergreen Avenue
Plainfield, NJ 07060-2618
parkerjg@comcast.net
Jane reports: Our 60th Reunion
brought back the following
classmates: Jean Vanicek Babcock; Elinor Custance Bettencourt; Elizabeth Nelson Bleiler;
Jean Blessington; Mary Burgess;
Marcia Snow Darnell; Doris
Downing; Rosamond Muldoon
Finocchio; Katharine Morris
Fisher; Pauline Sidman Grand;
Virginia Jackson Hamilton;
Roberta Prescott Hansen; Lois
Fogg Jackson; Jeanne Quinlan
Kirk; Virginia Nowell Klein;
Elizabeth Adams Laub; Clare
Hoey Morash; Barbara Cochrane
Nicholson; Margery Garland
Nickerson; Jane Washburn Parker; Lorelle Lundeberg Schiewetz;
Jane Bergwall Shattuck; Mildred
Stevens; Theodor Cassani
Sweeney-Berry; Elizabeth Brimley Tunno; Margaret Adams
Ware; Jean Mahoney Whelan.
| Special events included a
lobster dinner; evening at Pops;
luncheon in Alumnae Hall (The
Refectory); our Class banquet in
the Trustman Art Gallery; and
brunch with President Helen
Drinan. | Elizabeth Adams Laub
produced the Reunion Booklet
from the 40+ responses she received. Most of us have retired,
some are widows, many travel
the world, grandchildren and
“greats” keep us young. Contact
Betty for a copy. Our new class
officers are: President Elizabeth
Adams Laub, Vice President
Jean Vanicek Babcock, Treasurer
Virginia Nowell Klein, Secretary Jane Washburn Parker,
and Class Agents Nancy Ryder
Brissette and Mary Queeney
DiGiovanni. | Florence Cavagnero Gullen now lives at Mary
Ann Morse Nursing Home, 45
Union St., Natick, MA 01760.
She would like to hear from
classmates. | Ruth Ann Baggs
retired from the U.S. Government having worked for 35 years
in Barcelona, Spain, Montreal,
Canada, and Washington, DC.
She is living happily in Harwich
Port, MA. | We were sorry that
Jan Blanchard Carmel, our past
president, missed the 60th due
to illness. Jan has two children,
Nancy and David, who is married with two children. Jan’s
good pal is her cocker spaniel. |
Marie Ochs Keefe lost her husband Joe in 2005. Marie spends
time visiting her six children.
| Burnice Freeman Williams
retired from jobs as a testing
coordinator for the U.S. Armed
Services and an adult care home
information specialist. She and
her husband have two boys,
two girls, eight grandchildren
and three great-grandchildren. |
Margaret Mawn Yuen developed
health problems in 2007 which
limit travel but she enjoys her
many nieces and nephews. |
Jane Bergwall Shattuck attends
the Harvard Institute for Learn-
ing in Retirement. Her family
added two great-grandchildren.
| Nancy Ryder Brissette’s son
Joseph, a single dad, adopted a
second son in April 2007, making 14 grandchildren. | Marion
Berkman Lipson attended the
wedding of her neighbor’s
daughter, and discovered that
her neighbor was a Simmons
grad as well: Edith Gordon
Lasner ’66. | Jean West Ross
won the Peace Corp’s 2007
Lillian Carter Award from the
San Francisco Bay area. Jean
and her husband Clayton served
in the Peace Corps in Papua
New Guinea. | I am saddened to
announce that Velma Thompson Dietrich died in Spring,
2008. She had been serving as
chairperson of our nominating
committee.
1949
REUNION ’09
MAY 29–MAY 31
Emily Macy Salaun
101 Tower Avenue
Needham Heights, MA
02494-1911
esalaun@juno.com
Emily reports: Ina Butterfield
Phelps, Wendell, MA, and husband Mason volunteer protecting the open space of Whetstone
Wood Wildlife Santuary. | Nancy
Hoagland Powderly, Jackson,
NJ, has improved her golf game
despite a $400 accident with a
golf cart. Her warning: “Stay out
of golf carts, especially when I’m
driving.” | Rachel Gallup Stavrolakis, Decatur, GA, and Chris
Klein Matthys continue to travel,
visiting scattered family members. | Condolences to the family
of Elizabeth Little Pike, Dalton,
GA, widow of Donald Pike, Jr.,
who passed away in February. |
Dorothy Allison Caprera, Esq.,
Yarmouth, ME, visited Jean
Macrae Moseley, San Francisco,
CA, while enroute home from
undergraduate classnotes
fall 2008
31
classnotes
a trip to Hong Kong, Shanghai,
Beijing, Tokyo, Vladivostock,
Russia, Alaska, and Vancouver.
Jean has visited Monhegan, ME,
and her hometown of Portsmouth, NH. | Margaret Claire
Carolan Powell, Beverly, MA,
“tripped” to Greece and is a
Floridian snowbird in St. Petersburg in the same condo building
as Muriel Ferris. They toured
and gambled away the winter. |
Mary Jane Buxton Goodrich and
her husband George, Cincinnati, OH, have retired from
work and travel, after 17 years of
being Maine summer residents.
| Patricia Yelle Ryan, Minneapolis, MN has taken off to France
and Ireland. | The second book
of Sen Sahir Silan, Antayla,
Turkey, Self Exhile — My Letters
to Bibi, was published by an
international women’s group
called Soroptimist. | Elaine Caulfield Brosseau, Sonoma, CA,
is looking forward to our 60th
Reunion the weekend of May
30, 2009. | Blanche Dodge Day
writes, “It has been a rough time
for me as my husband, Wendell,
injured himself and died May
11, 2007.” | Helen Suprenant
Jefts, Lake George, NY, and her
husband Charles closed their
real estate office after 50 years
of business. “It will take the
rest of our natural lives to clean
out the records, furniture, and
junk.” | Mildred Feldman Levitt
writes, “After teaching Hebrew
at Congregation Mishkan Tefila
for 42 years, I am resigning. My
granddaughter Aviva Schwartz
’07 graduated from Simmons
magna cum laude. My other
granddaughter Arielle broke the
tradition of Simmons and is a
freshman at Brandeis. I enjoy
the Cape in the summer.” | Emily Macy Salaun, Needham, MA,
celebrated her 80th birthday
with family, fun, food, flowers,
and a crowd of starry balloons. |
Robert Slocum writes, “Completed New York State in Fiction
(1751–1999). Have completed 20
32 simmons
years of retirement from Cornell
University Libraries. Trying to
stay busy — caretaking my wife
who is recovering from bladder cancer. Still volunteering at
Dryden Kitchen Cupboard and
supporting the bicentennial of
the 1st Presbyterian Church of
Dryden, 1808–2008.”
1950
Carolyn Millinger Holland
32 Dartmouth Street
Beverly, MA 01915-1633
cm.holland@verizon.net
1951
Virginia Willon Clark
4519 Baybrook Drive
Pensacola, FL 32514
ginlee@cox.net
Virginia reports: I had a wonderful trip last summer with
daughter Meredith, to Nova
Scotia and Newfoundland. Being raised in a family where our
second home was our sailboat
“Scampi” she had always wanted
to see the Bay of Fundy. | Betty
Gaffey Stone’s granddaughter,
Brittany Stone, is a member of
the freshman class of 2011, and
loves Simmons. | Still hoping to
get news from all of you as our
Class notes can only be as good
as the Class makes them.
1952
Ann David Young
126 Berwick Place
Norwood, MA 02062-1915
drocey@comcast.net
Ann reports: Our spring mini
reunion/luncheon at the Colonial Inn in Concord, MA, was a
great success with 25 in attendance. | We missed Class Agent
Sylvia Hershfield Bloom who
is recovering from surgery. We
wish her a complete recovery.
| Patricia Whittemore Hunter
alumnet.simmons.edu
and husband John moved
from Wellesley to Brookhaven,
a retirement community in
Lexington, MA. | Evelyn Mayo
Finneran, Doris Comick Kellett,
and Ann David Young met for
lunch at the Wayside Inn in
Sudbury, MA. | Elane Goren
Jacobs’s husband Mel celebrated
his 80th birthday with family
and friends in Naples, FL. They
play tennis and bridge. Elane
volunteers at the Naples Museum of Art. | Lillian Anderson
Rowe is recovering from a hip
fracture. | Joanne Patterson
Porter and husband Bob spent
several days in December on
Barbados. Their youngest son
John is off to Shanghai for three
years as a litigation lawyer. |
Maryrose Condon is tutoring in
an after-school program through
the Salvation Army. | Constance
Walker Haddleton attended a
surprise 50th wedding anniversary celebration for Bessie Zotos
Tsokanis and her husband Peter.
| Another 50th anniversary
was celebrated by Devvy Vogt
Mosley and husband Everett on
a cruise with family along the
St. Lawrence Seaway. | Edna
Cohen Landesman is enjoying
her latest of nine grandchildren,
Sadie, born in September of
’07. | Evelyn Green Litman is
living in Florida year round. In
addition to her four children
and five grandchildren, she
welcomed her first great grandchild in October ’07. | Geraldine
Jamiolkowski Elion’s grandson
Nathan graduated from Penn
State. | Eleanor Bayer Stanske
enjoyed three Elder Hostel trips
in 2007: New Zealand, Oregon
and a Navaho Reservation at
Canyon de Chelly. | Janet Bloom
Schlein and husband Herb took
a riverboat trip from Moscow to
St. Petersburg. | Our sympathy
goes to Lucy Hopkins Buckley
who lost her longtime companion Edwin Jepsen. | Milly
Thompson Colahan reports how
much she enjoyed our 55th class
Reunion. | Nadia Ehrlich Finkelstein spent Thanksgiving week
on a Carribean cruise with her
family. | Ann David Young and
husband Bob met with Mimi
Bonner Hocknell and husband
Ted in the fall and enjoyed
brunch in Baltimore. Ann and
Bob helped daughter Jeannette
Le Chevallier ’79 celebrate her
50th birthday in California in
October. | Gerness Rosenfeld
Alpert lives in Boynton Beach,
FL, and enjoys a summer home
in Bay Shore, Long Island. Gerness retired from her career as a
special education teacher. She is
president of L’Chaim Hadassah
at Coral Lakes, FL. | The Class’s
sympathy goes to the families
of Marilyn Roach Parsons,
Joyce Appel Hayward, Louise
Holleran Drenan, and Carolyn
Goodell Kanter who recently
passed away.
1953
Dorothy Halloran Fowerbaugh
6733 South Bend Drive
Fort Wayne, IN 46804-6267
pauldotty1@netzero.com
Dotty reports: Class attendees at
our 55th Reunion weekend were:
Class President Ellie Doane
Quirk ’57HS, Vice President
and Reunion Chair Ellen Budge
Stumpf, Nancy Billings Bursaw,
Doris Livingston Doull, Jody
DeRoma Dow, Betsey Pool
Erickson-Brown, Mal Bellini
Fall, June Leonard Goodman,
Beverly Elliott Hadley, Mickie
Metz Halaburt, Babsy Cofman
Krichmar, Mary Lou Sperry
Kruse, Mary Lou Kenney Logan,
Miriam Kagan Margoshes, Miki
Spiegel Marnoy, Nancy Tucker
McLaughlin, Ethel Elbein Milas,
Barbara Warren Reed, Arlene
Oldberg Rome, Sue Snell Solomon, Phyllis Powers Taylor, Sara
Bedini Weaver and Secretary
Dotty Halloran Fowerbaugh.
| At Reunion time, 135 class
members (66.5%) had given
classnotes
for a total of $73,991. Our Class
received the Highest Participation Award. Our 55th Reunion
gift, the Class of 1953 Endowed
Scholarship, has initial funding of $37,926. Thanks to Class
Agents Beverly Elliott Hadley,
Lucille Cofman Krichmar, and
Barbara Warren Reed, and
Audry Lovell Parowski for her
loyal service as Class Treasurer
since 1993. Class officers elected
for the next five years are:
President Eleanor Doane Quirk
‘57HS; Vice President Ellen
Budge Stumpf; Secretary Dotty
Halloran Fowerbaugh; and Class
Agents Beverly Elliott Hadley,
Babsy Cofman Krichmar, and
Barbara Warren Reed. Please
update your information by
e-mail, phone call, or letter to
Dotty Halloran Fowerbaugh. |
Nancy Arms Alden and husband
Phil winter in Naples, FL, and
summer in Vermont. They enjoy
traveling and visiting their three
sons and families. | Marilyn
Bellini Fall’s 18-year-old health
care agency recently attained
a license for home health care
in addition to geriatric care
management. Mal also ballroom dances. | Congratulations
to Nancy Crerie Merrill who
received the 2007 Magdala
Project award. Her fifth book,
Journey Into Love: From Fear to
Freedom, is a resource text for
retreats. Nan continues to offer
retreats as her health permits. |
Condolences to Dorothy Hardy
Sawyer on the loss of her husband in 2006. In 2007, Dorothy
traveled to New Zealand to
visit daughter Cynthia and her
children. | Meg Powers Pauling and husband, Ed traveled
to southern Italy. They have
children and grandchildren on
both coasts, and make bi-coastal
trips as often as possible. |
Nancy Tucker Mclaughlin and
husband George enjoy time with
their four married children and
eleven grandchildren. Nancy
volunteers at church and with
the Hanson VNA. Nancy, Betsey
Pool Erickson-Brown, Jan Loring Guidoboni, Babsy Cofman
Krichmar and their spouses get
together for lunch annually. |
Molly Storck sends greetings
from London; she would enjoy
seeing any classmates. She
spends time in Normandy,
France restoring a farmhouse.
Molly sees Pat Gannon Smith
in New York, and has been in
touch with Marilyn Parker Asplundh. | Barbara Warren Reed’s
new e-mail address is: breed3@
maine.rr.com. | Miki Spiegel
Marnoy writes, “For 16 years I
was a Val-Pak salesperson. Adele
Kittridge Broder got me into it.
Now I’m a shopper and hospice
volunteer.”
1954
REUNION ’09
MAY 29–MAY 31
Georgette McMurray
Sampson ’73GS
8 Bedford Street
Lexington, MA 02420-4408
Georgette reports: Send me your
cards or there will be no more
news in this column. Volunteer
work is very popular with our
class. Janet Johnson Smith volunteers at the local senior center
and plays golf with roommate
Jan Flewelling Windhausen.
After losing her husband last
June, Jan moved to a condo in
Bedford, NH. | Connie Lamprey
Krapf helps with Newborns-InNeed, which services 14 hospitals and 3 pregnancy centers. |
Gunny Sterner volunteers with
senior citizens who want help
with Medicare prescription
plans. | Bernice Katkis Lichtenstein enjoys being a director for
the Simmons Club of Boston.
| Edie Lloyd Clark moved to
Hendersonville, NC, and loves
the mountains of western North
Carolina. Edie and her husband
celebrated their 50th wedding
anniversary at a party given by
their children. In attendance
were Edie’s Simmons roommate
Jean Armknecht Stuart, sister
Barbara Lloyd ’57, and mother,
who attended her 80th Wheaton
College Reunion last year at
103 years old. | Cynthia Coleman Mortberg and her husband
Dick went on a Mediterranean
cruise this past year. | Sue
Rosenfeld Bender published her
second book, Everyday Sacred:
A Women’s Journey Home. Her
first book, Plain and Simple: A
Woman’s Journey to the Amish,
was a New York Times bestseller. Sue lives in Berkeley,
CA, with her husband and two
sons. | Joan Wright Bray writes,
“Moved to Tampa, FL, in August
to be near my family — son,
Robert, daughter, Caryn Bray
’78, and seven grandchildren.”
| Katherine Murphy Dickson
published her fourth book on
balancing family and personal
life: Post Partum Papers: March
1972–November 1973. | Lorraine
Fraser, Class vice president and
Reunion chair, writes, “The
planning committee for our 55th
will be held the last weekend
in May in Westborough, MA.
If you would like to be on this
committee, please let me know:
lorrainefra@msn.com. The
committee includes Bea Medoff
Fay, Jean Armknecht Stuart, Jan
Smith, Jan Windhausen, Florence Wilson, Georgette Sampson, Alice Southworth Schulman, and Marilyn Sarkisian
Woloohojian. Remember The
Totem Pole? Last May seven of
us met for lunch at the location,
now the Riverbend restaurant,
to visit with Californian Joan
Audet Audette. Joan Potter Baldwin, Janet Johnson Smith, Janet
Flewelling Windhausen, Diane
Hanna, Nancy Shulze Lamb,
Lorraine Fraser, and Mariel
Bither Sherburne ’53 attended.”
| Susan Richmond Levenson
exhibited her paintings at the
Weymouth Art Gallery at the
Wells Public Library in Maine.
| Thekla Talis Wolfson writes,
“Still with real estate — husband retired. We are proud
of our five grandchildren and
enjoy traveling.”
1955
Barbara Meaney Keough ’83GS
25 Great Rock Road
Sherborn, MA 01770-1609
Patricia Chisholm Wallace
72 North Mill Street, Apt. 4
Holliston, MA 01746-1022
pwallace10@verizon.net
Nancy Reid Whitman
190 Nahant Road
Nahant, MA 01908
nrwhitman@mediaone.net
Patricia reports: Our Class
President Jackie Pell Tuttle
enables those of us who write
this column to have a very easy
job! She connects with classmates by phone, postcards,
and email, and forwards the
news to us. Jackie’s number is
631.749.0274. | Shirley Trull
Hardy is recovering from back
surgery. She and her husband
got to Florida to enjoy their
time-share. | Bev Chaffee
Lindstrom has a few more
grandkids (one son has 9) and
a new son-in-law in CA. | Babs
Weaver McCorison and husband
Peter went on a September
2007 cruise on the Coho, their
boat. | Priscilla Trayers Tennant
was in Philadelphia for the
American Dietetic Association
meeting during the fall minireunion. She and Bud traveled
to California after the meeting.
On a trip to Alaska, she caught
a 35-pound salmon. | Dee Sweet
Slosek and husband Ted traveled to Hawaii and North Lake
Tahoe, where they celebrated
their 51st wedding anniversary.
Dee planned their vacations, including trips to South America
and Antarctica, around the fall
mini-reunion. | Shelah Smith
Fried and husband traveled to
undergraduate classnotes
fall 2008
33
classnotes
Munich, Dubrovnik, and Paris.
| Gloria Sloat Stolman and husband traveled to Chile, Argentina and Brazil. Their youngest
grandchild entered kindergarten
and their oldest graduated from
Milliken University. | Ruth Reed
Cretella ’88GS and husband
Hank have bought an additional
printing business. She printed
our 50th Reunion Book. | Jackie
Racicot Grandpre and husband
Roland celebrated their 50th
wedding anniversary in 2007.
They retired a few years ago,
bought a motor home, and traveled around the country. They
have settled in Arizona. | Dottie
Parker Patten wrote that life in
Hilton Head, SC is fabulous.
She’s catering and baking
desserts for all her wonderful
clients. She returns to Lowell,
MA and Laconia, NH frequently.
She and husband went on an
Alaskan cruise. | Donna Goldberg Reynolds moved to Fort
Lauderdale, FL, from Scarsdale,
NY. She raised two sons and had
a corporate management career.
| Li-Chun Chu Wu wrote that
the Berkeley Chinese Alumni
International Association hosted
a Chinese delegation to the Bay
Area. What a surprise to find
a fellow Simmons alumnae in
the group. When he asked for
Li-Chun’s class year, he said he
was not even born yet! | Esther
Baum Davidowitz’s recently
published a photography/poetry volume titled Pennsylvania
Seasons. | Jean Bedford Cameron
’78LS wrote that it’s never too
late to fulfill your dreams! Take
a look at her website www.
ByArrangementWithJean.com.
| Melissa Walker Wolfe and her
husband are enjoying Wisconsin
Northwoods — lots of snow,
great cross country skiing and
snowshoeing with a wonderful
group of retirees. “If anyone is
ever driving on Route 51 please
stop to see us in Minocqua.”
| Last fall, Joyce Finnin Lekas
bicycled through Vietnam. The
34 simmons
group started in Hanoi. The first
six days they were pounded by
the edge of a typhoon and had
to be re-routed. The Mekong
Delta was what she imagined
Vietnam to be – rice paddies
and fruit trees, water buffalo
cooling in the mud. | Jackie
Pell Tuttle wrote that the Gold
Coast Simmons Club held its
winter meeting at Mar a Lago
in February. The Class was
represented by Jacqueline Wray
Buck ’60SW, Froso Metalides
Delianides, Betsy Cohen Hoffman, Gloria Sloat Stolman, Sandra Ferriera Smith, and Jackie.
| Jackie received a note from
Dick Eickaker, husband of Sue
Skelton Eichacker. Sue is now a
resident in a care giving facility
as her dementia has worsened.
The facility is only five miles
from their Maine home so he is
able to visit easily. | Adele Cohen
Goldstein ’72SW and husband
Arnie recently returned from
a trip to India. She said “it is
perhaps the most fascinating
country we have visited, and we
are grateful for the experience.”
| Jean Bedford Cameron winters
in Arizona and has moved to
Sequim, WA, where she is an
interior designer. | Suzanne
Mills Dennis and husband Larry
winter in Sarasota and enjoy
the Simmons Club of Sarasota
program. | Sandra Rodman
Kaufman has two new grandchildren, one in New York and
another in Israel. | Joanne Davis
Laubner P ’87 celebrated her
daughter’s wedding on May 25
in Nahant, MA, where she and
Nancy Reid Whitman enjoy the
sunsets over Boston. “Come join
us at the beach!” | Judy Lamprey
McLain and her husband Cliff
joined Edie Syrjala Eash and
husband Maurie on a tour to
Paris. | Stella Palladino Reynolds
is recovering from heart surgery,
cheered by her 9 grandchildren. | Jean Nettleton Sanders
is a fan of UConn women’s
sports. | Gloria Sloat Stolman
alumnet.simmons.edu
enjoys winters in Hawkes Cay,
FL. | Melissa Walker Wolfe has
moved from Indiana to Wisconsin.| Class Agent Rita Taddonio
Walsh thanks the 85 classmates
who were donors for the April
Challenge. “You helped Simmons achieve that special gift
of $500,000. Jackie Pell Tuttle,
Laura Bondi Carchia ’60LS and
I called many classmates and
your response was fantastic. Our
Class has a total of 116 donors
from our 155 members, with
a participation rate of 74.8%!
Our Class is in contention for
winning the Hoyt Trophy again.
With your continued participation, winning could become
habit-forming! Encore all
’55ers!!” | Nancy Reid Whitman
writes, “20 Class members enjoyed a mini-reunion luncheon
at Simmons in May. Wait til you
all see the wonderful campus
changes when we return for
our 55th.” | In 2007 three of
our classmates passed on: Mary
Blanchard Kirkiles, Elaine
Carlstedt Mrkonich, Mary-Hope
Carini Ferrara. Our sympathy to
their families.
1956
Dorothy Bruce Willis
24 Bradford Lane
Basking Ridge, NJ 07920
dandfwillis@verizon.net
Dot reports: 2007 has been another year of travel for Corinne
Hord Yetman: to Hong Kong,
Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore,
and Bangkok, to U.S. national
parks, and to St. John with her
son Peter and his wife. | For 30
years Mary Hammond Ticknor
has been a volunteer docent at
the Carnegie Museum of Art.
Mandy and husband Art have
four children and travel to Australia every year to visit their son
and his family. Mandy is skiing
and hiking. | Sally Gowdy Wood
is a physical therapist. Until her
husband Bob’s death in 2005
she also helped with the family
farm. Bob had been a state representative in the VT legislature.
Sally has two children and
3-year-old twin grandchildren
— a boy and a girl. She keeps in
touch with Carolyn Brown Leiby
and Jeanne Barcomb Oakes.
Jeanne is retired and enjoying
summers in Maine and traveling. | Sandy Schor Litner has
four children and nine grandchildren. In her retirement she
has become a painter and takes
classes at Salem State College.
She works part time for Weight
Watchers and has taken up Israeli folk dancing. | Sally Nissley
Malm and husband Duane celebrated their 50th anniversary
on a cruise with their two sons
and four grandchildren. | Nancie
Dwinell Godwin who lives in
the US and England enjoyed a
visit from Jane Krebs English
and her daughter Meredith in
Stratford-Upon-Avon. Nancie
and her husband Nigel spend
most of their time in England
with their son, daughter, and
two grandsons. Last summer,
Nancie visited Jeanne Ferguson
Kinney in Maine. | Sally Malloy
Crane traveled to Rome for a
wedding and has been raising
money for her sister’s notfor-profit. Her sister, who is a
Catholic nun, lives in Cameroon
and buys pipes that bring clean
water into villages. | Sue Kranich
Granoff and family traveled to
Albania to be present when her
son Michael became an honorary citizen of Albania. President
Clinton appointed Michael to
serve as chairman of the Enterprise Fund, which raises money
to start banks in Albania. | Ina
Seinfeld Bechhoefer’s son Andy
was married in December ’07
on the Island of Vieques (P.R.).
Her other son John is a physicist
at Simon Fraser University in
Vancouver. This past summer Ina was in Rhode Island,
San Francisco, Vancouver, and
Alaska. | Charlotte Crestin
classnotes
Farber writes, “Married 52 years.
Enjoying life with my husband.
Reading, bridge, and traveling
are most enjoyable. We have
visited Antarctica, Galapagos
Islands, Europe. Just came back
from the Panama Canal. Have 2
children and 5 grandchildren.”
| Joyce Davidson Franklin,
Class president, traveled to Sicily in the fall. | Gail Townsend
Johnson recently traveled with
a friend to Africa. Gail and
husband Bob celebrated their
50th anniversary with family
at a ranch in British Columbia.
In October they celebrated in
NH with family and friends.
Classmates Dot Neville Starkweather and Dot Bruce Willis
and their spouses celebrated
with them. | Mo Moore Marsh
is on several boards including
VA and hospice, and is a docent
for “Castle in the Clouds.” Mo
recently visited with her son in
California and then with Fran
Ford Morse. Fran and husband
Dave are retired and enjoy traveling and living close to their
children and grandchildren. |
Sylvia Ohanesian came east in
April ’07 to visit Jamestown,
Williamsburg, and Washington
DC.. She then visited the Grand
Tetons, Yellowstone and Mt.
Rushmore. | Helene Goldberg
Oppenheimer has moved from
a house to a condo in Summit, NJ. Helene spends time
with her mother who is 102.
Helene, who has been our Class
vice-president, has resigned.
Many, many thanks to Helene.
Nancie-Ann Dwinell Godwin
has graciously agreed to replace
Helene. Nancie-Ann lives in
England and Cape Cod. | Cynthia Whiting Peterson writes,
“We recently moved from Concord, MA, where we lived for 47
years, to Brighton, NY. We have
three sons, one remaining in
Concord, another in Connecticut, and a third one here in New
York.” | Joanne Trojano Remy
writes that after nine years of
working as a chemist and taking time out to raise twins she
then went to law school. She is
still in the law field. Joanne and
husband David recently sailed
around South America on the
Queen Mary 2. | It is a must to
read Mim Bamford Smith’s bio
in our Reunion booklet. Mim
and husband Harold keep busy
with travels associated with his
clients and his research at the
Goldman School at UC Berkeley. They spent three weeks
in France last spring. | Ann
Murphy Springer writes, “Still
doing management consulting
with fire and other emergency
service organizations. Retired
as fire chief. I teach and exhibit
watercolor paintings — www.
anniemurphyspringer.com.” |
Dot Neville Starkweather and
her husband Dave celebrated
their 50th anniversary in August
with family and friends. Dot and
Dave live in Biddeford, ME overlooking the water. | It is with
sadness to learn of Sally Scannell Litzow’s death in January
2008. Sally was the president of
our Class senior year. She leaves
4 children and 13 grandchildren.
Her husband John passed away
April 2007.
1957
Claire Austin Anderson
15 Juniper Lane
Madison, CT 06443
bankerscasualty@sbcglobal.net
Barbara Linington Hamlet
writes, “Following a fabulous
Simmons 50th Reunion, we
celebrated our 50th wedding
anniversary on June 15, 2007.
We took two trips to Europe.” |
Sheila Orlinsky Nadler writes,
“Just a reminder to send your
dues — a bargain — five years
for $25.00. Make out the check
to Simmons College and mail
the check to Sheila Nadler, 55
Eugene Ave., Montville, NJ
07045. A donation would also
be appreciated and is tax deductable. A donation helps build a
reserve for our 55th reunion.”
1958
Dianne Kofman Chirls
3 Robinhood Drive
Mountain Lakes, NJ 07046
diannechir@aol.com
Dianne reports: Three cheers
for Sandy Rosenfeld Dickerman,
Reunion chair, and her committee for the most fabulous
50th Reunion ever! This is the
first column I am writing for
our class and I want it to be
filled every issue. That’s your
assignment! As for me, I still
volunteer for National Council
of Jewish Women. Allen and
I are enjoying his retirement,
traveling and spending time in
Manhattan with the grandchildren. We enjoy our home in
Florida during the winter. Our
new Class officers are Louis
Razin Brown ’77LS, president;
yours truly as secretary; Pat
Keegan Harden, treasurer; and
Sandy continues as Reunion
chair. | Hannah Lewin says
we all looked good as septugenarians. She met with Anita
Oppenheim Malina and Nancy
Sandler Gavrin to congratulate
them on the memory book.
| Louise Razin Brown ’77LS
is a guide at the DeCordova
Museum and Sculpture Park in
Lincoln, MA. Her granddaughter Carly is attending Smith
College and grandson Neal is
attending Greenacres School in
Rockville, MD. | Jan Kline and
Rima Kartez Burroughs, roommates at Simmons, caught up
with each other after 41 years.
Rima writes, “I am a caterer
(Cityfarm catering), golfer, skier,
wife, mother, and grandmom.”
Jan is a senior associate for the
Corcoran Group, the largest
real-estate company in New
York. | Katharine Drummond
Didham-Gracier writes, “At-
tending Napa Valley College for
preschool teaching. Married
for the second time to Albert
Gracier, Jr., an architectural
designer. One son, 33 years old.”
| Meryl Gray Finkelstein is the
proud grandma of a two-year
old grandson. | Patricia Keegan Harden missed Reunion
at the last minute due to the
sudden death of her sister. Our
thoughts were with Pat. Pat
retired in December and moved
to Maine which she thoroughly
love! | Clotilde Chaves Zannetos writes, “Last February, we
received news of the passing of
our classmate — Lois O’Grady,
MD. She was a forerunner for
women entering the fields of
medicine and law and greatly
admired by all who knew her.”
| Don’t forget to visit our Class
website on Alumnet for more
news about our classmates.
1959
REUNION ’09
MAY 30–MAY 31
Barbara Peretz Shulman
9 Woodhollow Lane
New Rochelle, NY 10804-3419
barbhal@optonline.net
Jane Drooker Frahm
1350 North Oxford Road
Grosse Pointe, MI 48236-1855
pppt@comcast.net
Mary Smith Courtney
2 Liberty Drive
Mansfield Center, CT 06250
mcourtney38@sbcglobal.net
Joan Halpert
1 Wayland Avenue,
Unit 307, South
Providence, RI 02906-4558
joanhalpert@yahoo.com
Esther Marmas Miller ’61SW
writes, “I continue to practice
psychotherapy on the North
Shore of Boston. I’m fortunate
to have my granddaughters
close by. I see Joyce Poulos
Chunias, Karen Down Kischer
’61SW, and Ann Chiamelinski
Anderson ’61SW.” | Dorothy
undergraduate classnotes
fall 2008
35
classnotes
Morris writes, “Longtime Simmons friends have been meeting in August for the past few
years — Joyce Poulos Chunias,
Anne Cuddire Hunt ’84SM,
Dorothy Morris, Ellen Donovan Searls, and Janet Donovan
Horita.” | Carol Korb Sachs
P ’89 writes, “We became grandparents when our daughter, Lisa
Sachs Goodman ’89, gave birth
to Kate on January 8, 2008.” |
Susan Atwood Warren writes,
“I’m sending this from Naples,
FL, where I spend four months
in the winter. My husband, Dick,
passed away in February after
37 years of marriage. Children
John, Debbie, Kathy, and David
are thriving!”
1960
Elaine Gilboard Goralnick
(For July 15 submissions)
13200 Pacific Promenade
Playa Vista, CA 90094
romaxe@aol.com
Ann Devine Gross
(For March 15 submissions)
4881 La Belle Terre Boulevard
Pensacola, FL 32504-7859
igross@bellsouth.net
Gail Teuten Noyes
(For November 15 submissions)
18 Latham Wood
Plymouth, MA 02360-8258
gailnoyes@pinehills.net
Elaine reports: We’re back on
track!! Murray is doing great
and my son has returned after
16 months in Iraq and has just
received the Bronze Star Medal.
Thanks for your well wishes
during this time. Keep in touch
by e-mailing Gail, Ann or I. We
would love to hear from you. |
Spent a great day with Harriet
Gorfinkle Diamond. She and
Alan are enjoying retirement
between living in Marblehead
and Boynton, Fl. They travel
to San Francisco every three
months to visit their granddaughter. Harriet’s youngest
36 simmons
daughter, Jill, was married in
August. Harriet and Alan visited
with Norma Potter Fisch and
husband Joe in Florida. Norma
and Joe are living full time in
the Poconos. Harriet sees Toby
Tattlebaum Sloane and Carl in
Swampscott and FL. | Myrna
Karp Isenberg is still working
and collects antique pressing
irons and anything that displays
an iron. | Barbara Safier Shoag
and husband Lee recently returned from a trip to Egypt and
Jordan. They took their three
children and their families to a
Club Med in Guadeloupe where
Barbara and her 4 grandchildren
took turns on the flying trapeze!
| Clare Rosoff Holland and Rich
are traveling up a storm! She
sings with the Sweet Adelines.
| Ann Devine Gross reports:
Greetings from Pensacola,
Florida. Our son and wife gave
birth to Dylan Gross in May,
who joins our two granddaughters. | Barbara Zlotnick-Sanders
retired from Class Agent duties.
Thanks for years of note-writing.
Barb chairs the Harwichport
Resort Club board, enjoys time
on the Cape, and golfs. | Barbara
Bunyan Williams and Mitzi
Dobbins Conlon travel together.
Last year they loved their river
cruise from Prague to Budapest.
| Gail Wilcox Ledwig (our Washington correspondent) works
at the National Federation of
Republican Women’s headquarters. Her month stay in Scituate
each August with family and
friends on Third Cliff remains a
highlight. | For Roberta McGraw
Vitols, 2007 was “Year of the
Family.” There were two weddings: one, a brother, and the
biggest joy, a son. | A son’s wedding was also a treasured moment for Anne Stevens Blomstrom and family. Anne not only
has a new daughter-in-law, but
her grandson has new stepsiblings, expanding their family
to three “grands.” | Carol Jorjorian Gibbon and husband Sam
alumnet.simmons.edu
recently enjoyed Machu Picchu
and the Galapagos Islands.
Their younger son Matt graduated from Georgetown Law in
2007. | Carole Carsten Everett
and husband Torrey enjoyed a
cruise around Cape Horn, but
their favorite activity is flying in
their Cessna with Torrey piloting. | Lucy Tanneyhill Cromwell
shares her challenges beginning
with a respiratory infection from
a return flight to her son’s home
in England in April 2007. Lucy,
we all wish you good health. |
For all our classmates coping
with illnesses we appreciate
your efforts and pray for your
comfort and recovery. | Elaine
Brutin Winshell loves retirement and her work as president
of a non-profit organization
providing educational programs
for senior citizens in New Jersey.
Her daughter and husband live
in NYC, and her son lives in San
Francisco. Elaine’s “consort” has
retired from his law practice. |
Our Class President and 50th
Reunion Chair Geleta Fenton
Hunsicker and husband Roger
sent a letter at holiday time
that highlights each month’s
activities with pictures. Sounds
like our newlyweds are happy in
their busy life. | Grace Richardson was one of six recipients to
receive the Frank H.T. Rhodes
Exemplary Alumni Service
Award from Cornell University,
where she received her MS in
economics. | Thank you for all
your news!
1961
Judith Lissack Henkewick
450 Claremont Avenue
Westmount, QC H3Y 2N2
Canada
judithenk@yahoo.ca
Judith reports: Your secretary
has joined the Montreal Raging
Grannies: the international
organization of activists who
dress up in clothes that mock
stereotypes of older women
and sing songs at events for human rights and environmental
concerns. We typically write the
lyrics ourselves, putting their
political messages to the tunes
of well known songs. | Marion
Geber Berman writes, “I had
a terrific trip visiting Estonia,
Latvia, Lithuania, Moscow, and
St Petersburg. I travel with
Elderhostel (hard to believe I age
qualify). I’m probably the oldest
Prince graduate still working in retail; I am a part time
merchandiser for Jones Apparel
servicing some of their jewelry
and handbag lines.” | Arlene
Weiner Feingold of Middleton,
MA died suddenly in June. | Lois
Berman Jassie passed away in
July after a long battle. We will
miss her and Larry as regular
reunion attendees. Lois was a
dedicated leader in College and
Class activities over the years.
Her leadership skills were also
prominent in her professional
life as an award-winning microwave chemist, author, editor,
and consultant.
1962
Myrna Abbott Kasser
214 Thirteenth Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030-4435
myrna@twokassers.com
Myrna reports: Just a reminder:
we have our own website now
— www.ClassOf62.org — with
pictures from the 2007 reunion.
And we have a listserv: send an
e-mail to AllGrads@list.ClassOf62.org and reach everybody!
If you’d like to be added to the
listserv, please email me at
myrna@twokassers.com. The
full text of news from your classmates is always on our website.
Please send me your children’s
and grandchildren’s names as
we prepare for our 50th reunion.
(No kidding!) | Diane Torto Malin and Clara Bond came to visit
me in Hoboken. We exhausted
classnotes
ourselves going to museums
and theater and staying up late. |
Helen Wertheimer Hubler is an
artist. Alvah Mendelsohn Parker
asked Helen if she would paint a
portrait of Alvah’s granddaughter. Alvah writes, “Helen worked
from photographs and did two
splendid oils. They are both really wonderful and very special to
me.” | Helen writes, “I am open
to new commissions. Doing oil
paintings and graphite drawings
are both my ‘work’ and my continuing pleasure.” | Joan Conlin
Reilly, our Class president,
recently took a river cruise from
Amsterdam to Budapest. Joan
and husband Paul are settling
into The Hill Farm, along with
pet rooster Roger. | Dorothy Mahoney Hare is enjoying winters
in Naples, FL. Husband Pete is
playing golf and she’s joined a
Bible study group. Dorothy’s 3
grandchildren, 5, 7 and 9, are
a delight. | Arlene Greenbaum
Cohen had dinner with Jane Frohock Baldwin, who has been living in Tucson for several years.
Arlene writes, “Janet Gilman
Hodos attended my son Rick’s
wedding in Sacramento. Janet
held our grandson Samuel Allen
Cohen. Sam was born last year
at 24 weeks gestation and is a
miracle baby!” Arlene is in New
York from May through October,
and then back to Tucson. | Billie
Swett Grover writes, “I’ve created a community adult nature
series, attend tribal arts lectures
with husband Norm, and travel
frequently.” | Hope Strum Myers
writes, “I had a mini-reunion
with Arlene Greenbaum Cohen
and Doris Hershfield Coris in
Tucson. Billie Swett Grover,
Penny Arlen Thurer and I attended a Simmons Alumnae
function in Miami in February.
I’ve also had the good luck to
see Linda Pollingher Schnyder,
Judy Symons Withers, Lynne
Waldman Kaufman, and Alvah
Mendelsohn Parker. I hope
that any classmates who come
to the Gold Coast of Florida
(the area between Miami and
Palm Beach) will get in touch.
954-971-9538. | Janet Weinberger Traister and her husband
have moved from Dallas, TX,
to Arlington, VA. | Pegi Ewing
Stengel lives in Princeton, NJ
and Maine. She writes, “As half
of the Class Agent team, I want
to thank everyone who responded to the $500,000 challenge.
While we are in Maine, I volunteer at the Southport Museum,
a lovely small place that shows
what life on the island was and
is like. For several years, I have
been researching Morgan J.
Rhees. If anyone has a piece of
art work by, or has heard of this
man, please contact me!”
1963
Barbara Paresky Budnitz
734 The Alameda
Berkeley, CA 94707-1931
barbara@budnitz.com
Roslyn Ossen Loiter
5105 Wellinghall Way
Columbia, MD 21044-1330
rozloiter@yahoo.com
Barbara reports: I just returned
from our 45th Reunion. I saw
many friends and we thought of
those we missed. Where are you
folks? Write to me and I’ll pass
the word. We want to plan a rip
roaring 50th and get pods of
folks together in the interim, so
check in for the future fun. | Liz
Trull Berk lives in Concord, MA,
and continues her multi-decade
attempt to launch her golf
game. She enjoys volunteering,
recently with an association for
handicapped citizens. She and
her husband welcome visitors in
Concord or at their Okemo, VT,
home. | Linda Peterson writes,
“Enjoying home, gardens and
golf. Would love to see anyone
on the South Shore.” | Suzanne
Murphy Chaltas writes, “This
stage of life is stretched between
grandchildren — 3 of mine and
5 of Paul’s — church activities,
and family. We live on Cape Cod
with two siblings and their families. We’re glad to be healthy
and busy.” | Mary Ann Price
Hayes writes, “I am retired.
My husband is an attorney. We
just returned from the Netherlands. My major interest is my
three grandchildren, Joseph 14,
Matthew 13, and Alexander 5.”
| Joan Hoffman Levy Martins
writes, “My husband and I are
both retired. We spend seven
months in Framingham, MA,
and five months in Jupiter, FL.
We have children and grandchildren in both places. My mother,
Simmons class of 1931 is almost
97 and doing well in Framingham.” | Leslie Jackowitz Ramler
writes, “Alvan and I ‘migrate’
winters — keys in FL, summers
in Pocasset on Cape Cod. Love
to grandparent, garden, fish,
boat and try to stay healthy.”
| Rosyln Ossen Loiter writes,
“Barney and I are retired. We
live half the year in Columbia,
MD, and the rest in Boca Raton,
FL. We have a new grandaughter Clara by our son David and
his wife Jennifer, who reside in
Washington DC. Our older son
Jeff and his wife Aimee and his
children Zack 8, Talia 6, live in
Shelburne, VT. When we see
them, I also get to see Judith
Harris Auderieth who lives in
nearby Burlington.” | Barbara
Johnson writes, “Retired from
39 years of teaching. I now
work part time for a publishing
company. I see Muriel Reardon
Macdonald and she is generous
in sharing her family with me.
I spend some time in Winter
Haven, FL.” | Carolyn Hale
writes, “My husband Jack and I
celebrated our 30th anniversary
in June. We live in New York
City and enjoy going to cultural events. We spend time in
Naples, FL.” | Phyllis Slobodkin
Cove writes, “Still working. Sold
the house last year and moved
to an apartment in Brookline.
I spend time in Northampton,
MA, closer to my children and 3
grandchildren.” | Marcia Chase
Karp writes, “My husband
Robert and I are still working
and my children are living in
Colorado Springs and Rockville,
MD. I have one grandson who
is severely autistic. Our lives
have been changed knowing this
child and watching our daughter, Andrea, take such loving
care of him. She is my hero.” |
Carol Hillman Oreskovic writes,
“Still working as a high school
librarian. Recently moved from
Scarsdale to New York City. My
husband and I are both enjoying
the city and everything that goes
along with it. I have two sons,
one in San Francisco and one in
Boston, and two grandchildren.”
| Gerry Conway Morenski writes,
“Still working part time and loving it. Am enjoying a new home
in Merrimac, MA. and travelling
as much and as far as possible.
| Harriet Elam-Thomas ’00HD
writes, “I retired from the U.S.
Foreign Service in 2005, but
am still working part time as
director of the new diplomacy
program at the University of
Central Florida. My work with
these students has been inspiring. In January 2008 I became
a member of the Board of
Trustees of the Institute of International Education AND...I am
still happily married to Wilfred.”
| Muriel Reardon Macdonald
writes, “We are still living in
Maine and looking to downsize
soon. Have been there for 35
years. Sold our business two
years ago. We spend winters in
Florida and summers in Maine,
the best of both worlds. We have
8 grandchildren from 2–15 years
old. We enjoy spending time
with them and playing as much
golf as we can.” | Ann Salmon
Robb writes, “I am attempting
to phase out of real estate into
retirement. I moved back to the
U.S. after Peter died in 1999
and still miss London. My oldest
undergraduate classnotes
fall 2008
37
classnotes
grandchild is teaching in the
Bronx for Teach for America
and loves it. The youngest was
born in December and lives
near Barbara Paresky Budnitz,
so I get to see her when I visit. I
love to travel. I spend summers
on Shelter Island, NY where I
garden...also love to read and
play bridge. I am on the board
of the Greenwich Scholarship
Association.” | Jo Ann Curtis
Pippin writes, “My husband
and I live in Grantham, NH. It
is an area we enjoy immensely,
lots of cultural programs, good
medical support, great outdoor
activities and no traffic. I have
a small business as a water
colorist (my post retirement
venture) — jpippinstudio.com.”
Jinny Hines Friun writes, “I
probably am the only one in our
class who is raising an 11 year
old son! (I legally adopted my
oldest grandson when he was
4 years old!) He has lived with
me since his birth. We live in
Cupertino, CA ( Silicon valley),
and I have a vacation home in
Yosemite National Park. I had a
daughter married in Yosemite in
May 2007 and a son married in
Monterey, CA, in April 2008.” |
Leslie Jackowitz Ramler and her
husband Alvin still winter in the
Florida keys. She reports being
in contact with Roz Ossen Loiter. Roz and Barney are in Boca
Raton in the winter. | Phyllis
Pomer Ross and Fred also enjoy
the Florida sun at Longboat key.
| Diane Cogan Volk writes, “My
husband Ken and I are officially
retired. Our winter residence
became Florida in 2007. We
are at Ibis Golf and Country
Club in West Palm Beach. We
have 3 married children and 10
wonderful grandchildren ages
3–16. We have put our home of
39 years in Portland, ME, on the
market and purchased a condo
in Cumberland Foreside. Ken
and I continue to love to travel.
We are busy with golf, book
clubs, bridge, and volunteer
38 simmons
work.” | Helen Smith Rossman
writes, “After close to 20 years I
still find myself duly challenged
and rewarded as a career counselor in St. Paul, Minnesota. My
husband of 44 years, Allan, is
‘actively retired.’ Our two sons
also have very active careers — a
mathematician (math professor)
in Japan and a physicist (rocket
scientist of sorts) in New Hampshire — good Simmons genes??
We are blessed with three grandgirls and one grandboy.”
1964
REUNION ’09
MAY 29–MAY 31
Karen Chaiken Kavet
69 Lincoln Road
Wayland, MA 01778
kkavet@comcast.net
Linda Weinstein Gassenheimer
writes, “My column Dinner
in Minutes is syndicated. My
‘Food News and Views’ WLRN
National Public Radio program
is in its 9th year. My latest book
is The Portion Plan: How to Eat
the Foods You Love and Still Lose
Weight. I am married to Harold
Gassenheimer, with 3 married sons and 7 grandchildren.
Please visit my website, www.
dinnerinminutes.com.” | Louise
King Greene writes, “I’m retired
— living in Portsmouth, NH,
and Clermont, FL. Loving golf
and 6 grandchildren.” | Rebecca
Wollison Holmes writes, “Mike
and I have moved to an apartment in Waltham, MA after
a year in Nashville, TN. I am
executive director of Temple
Emunah in Lexington. There
are several Simmons alumnae
among my congregants. Mike
retired from the computer
business and established Banjo
Camp North. Our daughter,
Stacy, is married, and our son,
Seth, is still playing the field.
Mike and I are looking forward
to retirement and a return to
the bridge table.” | Amy Sharkey
alumnet.simmons.edu
Levin writes, “This year I retired
from my part-time work as a
physical therapist. I’m enjoying
my free time and seeing my
two granddaughters, ages 1 and
4. Playing golf and bridge.” |
Mameve Stern Medwed recently
published her fifth book, Of
Men and Their Mothers, about
the relationships of mothers,
sons, wives, and mother-in-laws.
Mameve’s last novel, How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved My
Life, was a BookSense top twenty
book and won the Massachusetts Book Award Fiction Honor
in 2007. | Christia Seney Ogawa
writes, “Living on Monterey
Bay in California. Husband is a
professor at UC Santa Cruz. Still
working as a nurse but looking
forward to retirement. Two married daughters living in Seattle,
WA. One granddaughter!” |
Ruth Oransky Richards writes,
“Both my children are married
and I have 6 grandchildren
ranging from 4 to 13 years old.
I’ve worked for my husband in
his CPA office for 26 years. We
have been married for 44 years
and have lived almost the entire
time in Needham, MA. We recently bought a condo in Florida
to be near our children. Karen
Davis and I miss our long-time
friend Cindy Rubin who passed
away three years ago. The three
of met once a month for years
at the Cheesecake Factory for
lunch.” | Barbara Starr Schectman writes, “Married to Larry,
a retired periodontist, 43 years.
I am a retired marriage and
family therapist. We divide our
time between Waterford, CT,
and Palm Desert, CA Daughter
Deborah married to Michael.
Grandchildren Emmy, 7 years
and Alana, 4 years. Son Jeffrey
recently married to Leigh.” | Janet Denenholz Silver still works
at least 6 months of the year
as a freelance entertainment
journalist. | Marcia Dreisbach
Falconer writes, “Dave and I
are retired and live in Ottawa,
Canada. We would be happy to
have any classmates visit us.
Grandson Lachlan, 10, lives in
Sydney, Australia — the next
annual trip to “Oz” will be our
14th! Fortunately we have two
little granddaughters who live
only a 10 minute drive from us.
I am working on a book.”
1965
Marjorie Levine Lappen
12037 Great Elm Drive
Potomac, MD 20854-1227
malappen@aol.com
Suellen Wiseman Zima was
awarded First Prize in Nonfiction by the National League
of American Pen Women
for Memoirs of a Middle-aged
Hummingbird. She received
the award in Washington, DC.
While there, she and classmate
Barbara Kaufman Green got
together to catch up on the last
20 years. Another classmate, author Barbara Dinerman, got in
touch with Suellen after seeing
the website for her book, www.
ZimaTravels.com.
1966
Rose Bryant Woodard
181 North Street
Hingham, MA 02043-1871
rosewoodard@verizon.net
Rose writes, “In June some of
our Massachusetts classmates
gathered at Rosie Woodard’s
house in Hingham — some we
haven’t seen for 42 years! Judy
Hargreaves Fichtenbaum, Edie
Schaeffer Hamilton, Lee Keegan
Pakstis, Jeanie Eaton Goddard,
Mary-Beth Stier Whiteside, and
Beverly Silver Simon came and
brought delicious additions
to the buffet. We were sorry
to miss Carol Nesson recovering from an auto accident and
Molly-Jane Isaacson Rubinger
recovering from surgery. Thank
you, Simmons Alumnae Office
classnotes
for helping us with the arrangements. We are looking forward
to seeing the rest of you at our
next big reunion in 2011.”
1970
1967
Marcia Lees Smith
4 Merriam Avenue
Shrewsbury, MA 01545-2358
msmith1006@gmail.com
1968
Pamela Street Walton
11 Flintlock Road
Flemington, NJ 08822-7142
PAWALTON@Embarqmail.com
Patricia Spear Lemer recently
edited the book Envisioning a
Bright Future: Interventions that
Work for Children and Adults with
Autism Spectrum Disorders. Patricia is co-founder and executive
director of Developmental Delay
Resources.
1969
of mindfulness through meditation, yoga, humor, and other
creative therapies.
REUNION ’09
MAY 29–MAY 31
Dolores Amidon D’Angelo ’72GS
6409 Fallen Oak Court
Bethesda, MD 20817-3249
d_dangelo27@hotmail.com
Nicole Woolsey Biggart was
recently profiled in the Sacramento Business Journal. She is
dean of the University of California Davis Graduate School of
Management. | Stormy Friday
has written her first children’s
book, Signal’s Airport Adventure,
the first in the series, “Tails
From Friday Harbor.” Stormy
has written several business
books, and is owner of the
Friday Group, a management
consulting firm. | Lucia Haskell
McBee recently published her
first book, Mindfulness-Based Elder Care: A CAM Model for Frail
Elders and Their Caregivers. The
book discusses the benefits
Martha Katz-Hyman
4 Longbow Court
Newport News, VA 23608-1922
mbkatzhyman@juno.com
Martha reports: I hope you all
received the Class letter that
finally got sent at the end of
2007. Please continue to send
me your news. Only if I have
the news do I have a column
to submit for the magazine! |
Theresa Dale Lafer and husband
Mark celebrated their 40th
anniversary in September. She
is an adjunct professor at Penn
State and is also a borough
councilwoman for State College,
PA. She has been active in many
volunteer organizations over
the years. | Shauvon McGannon
Powell is retired, but keeps busy
with church activities, children,
and grandchildren. She invites
classmates to stop by if they are
ever on the Florida west coast.
| Class Vice-President Peggie
Ferrick Thorsen was given the
“Unsung Hero” award by the
Minuteman (MA) District of
Rotary International. Peggie is
a past president and current
board member of her own club,
and manages the club’s publicity
efforts. | Barbara Harlow is professor of English literature at the
University of Texas at Austin.
Her interests focus on Middle
East studies, imperialism and
orientalism, and literature and
human rights and social justice.
From 2006–2007, she was a
visiting professor at American
University in Cairo. | Carol
Green was recently honored by
Town and Village Synagogue
in New York City for her many
years of service to the congregation. She and husband Ronnie
traveled to Argentina in June
2007 with the choir. They sang
in several of the Jewish communities they visited, including
Cordoba, the first Jewish settlement in Argentina. | Allyson
Young Schwartz, now serving
her second term in the United
States Congress representing
Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District, was presented
with an honorary degree from
Simmons at Commencement in
May 2008. She was recognized
for her leadership in the areas
of women’s issues and health
care. The Class made a contribution to the College in Allyson’s
honor. | Sarah James, co-author
of The Natural Step for Communities: How Cities and Towns Can
Change to Sustainable Practices,
was awarded the 2007 William
R. and June Dale Prize for Excellence in Urban and Regional
Planning by the California
State Polytechynic University,
Pomona. | The class extends its
condolences to Phyllis Haberman on the death of her father.
| After ten years as founder and
CEO of Discovering Justice,
which provides education about
the justice system in American
democracy, Maria Karagianis is
now director of U.S. operations
for Anatolia College, located in
Thessaloniki, Greece. She will
be headquartered in Boston.
| When Ilene Schneider isn’t
working as coordinator of the
Jewish Hospice Program for
Samaritan Hospice, Marlton,
NJ, you might find her out
birding or volunteering with the
New Jersey Audubon Society
Rancocas Nature Center. Or
you may find her on the road,
talking about her mystery book,
Chanukah Guilt. | Emily Thomas
writes, “I am living in Southern
California. I’m mostly laying low
on mercantilism gone askew. I
worked for Federated Department Stores in NYC. I served
in the American Peace Corps as
an agribusiness specialist in the
Asian country of Malaya.”
1971
Amanda Houston-Hamilton
1547 Grove Street
San Francisco, CA 94117-1320
docdmh@aol.com
Michaela Kaminski Hancock
8603 Grimsby Court
Potomac, MD 20854
mhanc10367@comcast.net
Susan Levine Walerstein published her first novel, Dancing
Above the Waves, about a wealthy
Bostonian leading a double life
who is involved in a fatal hitand-run. Susan lives in Pacific
Palisades, CA, with her family.
| Katherine Albert Westpheling
is executive director of the Association of Clinicians for the
Underserved.
1972
Linda Gilmore Monahan
66 Janis Road
Westfield, MA 01085-4017
lamonahan@comcast.net
Judith Tavano ’74GS recently
presented at the 2008 Arkansas
Technology Information Center
for Administrative Leadership
Conference and identified
strategies to prepare for the baby
boomer brain drain the teaching
profession will face in 10 years.
Judith directs the Professional
Development Academy in the
College of Education and Health
Professions at the University of
Arkansas.
1973
Deborah Lerner Duane
29 Maple Terrace
Millburn, NJ 07041-2018
deborah@lernerduane.com
Deborah reports: For those of us
who could attend Reunion in
June, it was a wonderful
weekend. Following are excerpts
from the booklet we put
together — we are all so much
undergraduate classnotes
fall 2008
39
classnotes
more than you’re reading here!
If you want the original copy,
please e-mail me. | Nina Balsam
writes, “I am implementing a
Restorative Justice Initiative in
the state of Missouri. My
daughter graduated from Mass
Art and is working for Enter-
prise Leasing in Fort Collins,
Colorado.” | Karen Birch writes,
“I spent six weeks in India last
winter continuing my studies in
Ayurveda, an ancient healing
system. Last spring I traveled to
Florence, Italy with my niece
Cristina. I am CFO at HCROA,
a not-for-profit, and I continue
to love living in Essex, MA with
Louis and tap dancing.” | Carol
Blacher Henry writes, “I still
teach mathematics at Middlesex
Community College on the
Bedford, MA, campus. I am vice
president of the New England
Mathematical Association of
Two-Year Colleges. Steve and I
celebrated our 36th anniversary
this year. Daughter Suzanne, her
husband Marcus and their
daughter Meital live in California. Michelle and her husband
Tom live in Philadelphia. David
club news
Philadelphia Simmons Community
In March Philadelphia alumnae attended the
“Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination” exhibit at the Franklin Science Institute
Museum and lunched at a nearby restaurant.
Chicago Simmons Community
In April Chicagoland alumnae gathered to
watch a live taping of the NPR quiz program
“Wait, wait. . .don’t tell me” with special host
Drew Carey.
Peninsula Simmons Club
The Peninsula club of California gathered for
their annual strawberry luncheon in May at
the home of Joan Johnston ’58.
San Francisco Simmons Community
In May Bay area alumnae convened for a tour
of the San Francisco Botanical Gardens and
had lunch at a nearby hot spot.
Houston Simmons Community
Special guest emeritus Professor Larry
Langer spoke about his Simmons and postSimmons life at the home of Joy Warren
’68 during an alumnae/i dinner. Dean Diane
Raymond also attended.
Atlanta Simmons Community
Jill Heineck ’93 hosted an evening of networking at a local restaurant in May.
Denver Simmons Community
Rocky Mountain alumnae/i spent the afternoon on a leisurely walking tour of the Denver
art district in July, and then cooled off at a
nearby watering hole.
Simmons Club of Boston
In April the club hosted their Annual Luncheon at the Hampshire House with guest
speaker Lisa Mullins ’80, chief anchor of Public Radio International’s “The World.” Mullins
spoke about her recent travels in North Korea.
President Drinan also attended.
40 simmons
alumnet.simmons.edu
The Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts Club hosted a new student brunch in
August. Guests included (from left to right) Emma O’Brien of Raynham, Mass., Laura Surprenant
of Fairhaven, Mass., Kelly Fagan, Office of Alumnae/i Relations, and Cheri Hurtubise, Office
of Admissions.
Recently, the club kicked off the summer
with its Annual Red Sox game. Over 100
alums and guests enjoyed a barbeque on the
residence campus.
Rhode Island and Southeastern
Massachusetts Simmons Club
The club held its spring meeting in March at
the Blithewood Mansion in Bristol. Long-time
member and Bristol resident Joan Abrams,
director of the Master’s in Communications
Management program, provided updates from
the College.
In August, the club’s board hosted a new
student brunch, attended by 13 area students.
Simmons College Club of Cape Cod
The club gathered for its spring meeting in
April at the Sturgis Library in Barnstable.
David Simser, entomologist and project
coordinator with the Cape Cod Cooperative
Extension Service, spoke about deer ticks
and Lyme Disease in the Cape Cod area.
In June the club enjoyed dinner at the
Hyannis Yacht club. Guest speaker Marie
Brais ’05 discussed green initiatives at
Simmons.
South Shore Simmons Club
The club celebrated its 60th anniversary in
April at the Hearth n’ Kettle in Weymouth.
Marie Brais ’05 spoke about green efforts at
the College.
Maine Simmons Community
In May Meggen Beaulier ’96, president of
Simply Divine Brownies, welcomed alumni
to her new retail location in Freeport, Maine.
Over fifty alums enjoyed a private bakery tour
and tasting.
Simmons College Southwest Florida Club
The club gathered for lunch at the Bonefish
Grill in Sarasota, FL in March. The Honorable
Katherine Liacos Izzo ’49 shared her experiences as a woman in the legal profession.
Special Reception in London
Students studying abroad and area alumnae/i
gathered in March for a special reception
with Dean for Student Life Sheila Murphy,
Dean for Student Life at the Landau at the
Langham Hotel.
New York City Simmons Community
In May Ellen Berenson ’66, graciously opened
her home for a special reception with Leanne
Doherty, Professor of Political Science, who
spoke on the presidential race.
Simmons College Club of Greater Hartford
The club convened in August for the annual
garden tour at Elizabeth Park, followed by
a reception.
classnotes
and his wife Melissa live in
Connecticut.” | Marianne Boris
Hunter writes, “My elder
daughter Kate graduated from
William & Mary in ’04. Caroline
graduated from Simmons (!) in
’07. Jonathan will be a sophomore at the University of
Richmond. My husband Jim is a
senior vice president with Key
Technology Finance, KeyBank. I
am an environmental activist,
church and community
volunteer, and health advocate.”
| Beth Anne Bower writes, “Ted
and I live in Stoneham. I am at
Salem State College, working in
the President’s Office on
external affairs. Recent exciting
events: participated in a study
trip to Cuba and led a delegation
to El Salvador through my
previous job.” | Ann Brown
Fudge writes, “I love life as an
‘active retiree,’ and most of all
spending more time with family
and friends, including husband
Rich, son Rich, Jr., and his wife
Nicole and their three children.
Younger son Kevin finished
grad school at Harvard. He and
his wife Cheryl (who graduated
with honors from Simmons
School of Management) have a
little boy.” | Lynn Davis Aldrich
writes, “I’m blessed with a
wonderful husband, Harley, a
challenging job in the behavioral health field, a loveable dog
named Yorkie, and two greatgrandchildren.” | Laurie Epstein
Lawton writes, “My youngest
child Michael graduated from
Illinois Wesleyan University
with a degree in music education. My daughter Jennifer
works for WNYC public radio in
New York City. My middle child
Matt is an accountant. I work for
Lutheran Child and Family
Services as an adoption
supervisor. My significant other
Jacob and I have been together
more than three years.” | Joy
Ginsberg Rothberger writes,
“My husband Richard and I
relocated to California 29 years
ago and live in San Diego. I
enjoyed a career in word
processing/computer sales and
management. Richard is
executive vice president/chief
financial officer for a multihospital system. We have two
wonderful boys — Eric at UCLA
and Brett in high school.” |
Cheryl Greenfield writes, “We
are living in and enjoying
Providence, RI, a move we made
for the education of our sons,
Max and Alec. I am still in solo
pediatric practice in Marion,
MA, near Cape Cod.” | Sylvia
“Flash” Haroian Tarbell writes,
“In 2006 I retired from my job
as a health education specialist
for the Santa Clara County,
California, Public Health
Department. My daughter
Alison graduated from Harvard
in June.” | Robyn Hill writes, “I
retired from my position as New
Jersey’s Chief Counsel for the
Disciplinary Review Board in
2003, and now represent
attorneys on various ethics
issues, instead of disciplining
them! Blake is a senior majoring
in theater and design at Franklin
& Marshall College. Hayley is a
ninth grader.” | Baiba Liepins
writes, “I started my 23rd year
with Accenture — and I’ve loved
every year. I’m in my last year as
president of our church board,
and I moved my mom from
Boston to Chicago to be closer
to me.” | Deborah Lerner Duane
writes, “Two kids out of college,
one a college sophomore, one
retired husband. I’m trying my
hand at playwriting. With two
years to go on my master’s in
Jewish-Christian Studies, I’m
looking for interfaith organizations that want to hire a
gray-headed woman who still
wants to change the world.” |
Pam Leven writes, “In 2004,
and after 15 years together,
former spousal equivalent Bob
Geddes and I threw caution to
the wind and got married. Bob
and I and our three kitties live
in Culver City, California. I
continue to work as a writer for
professionals, corporations and
nonprofits.” | Lesley Levine
writes, “I have formally retired
from the practice of law. My
husband Ed Weinberg and I
have three sons. Adam is a
graduate student at the University of Chicago in a Ph.D.
program in political science.
Ethan and Mark are twins in
high school. Mark, Ethan, and I
volunteer at a local nursing
home and rehab facility, where
the boys play music and I do a
stand-up act.” | Harriet Lipman
Gottesman writes, “We sold our
house, and are living in a great
apartment overlooking Padanaram, MA, Harbor. Dick is
semi-retired and I’m still
teaching kindergarten. Our
daughter Sharon is a nurse
practitioner married to Jon, who
is associate dean of admissions
at the University of Pennsylvania. Rachel is in the Peace Corps
in the Dominican Republic.” |
Jeanne O’leary writes, “I have
been a senior economic policy
advisor to the Undersecretary
for Transportation Policy for the
past 20 years. My husband Tom
retired, and our daughter
Catherine is a law student in
Florida.” | Mary O’Leary Chase
writes, “I am a kindergarten
teacher in the Worcester (MA)
Public Schools. My husband
Michael and I have three sons.
Brendan works for State Street
Bank, Andrew resides in
Portland, OR, and Kevin is an
assistant manager at Hollister. I
volunteer for hospice at UMass/
Memorial Hospital and at the
Hanover Theater of Performing
Arts.” | Marilyn Riley writes,
“Since 1979, I have been doing
cardiac ultrasounds at Beth
Israel Deaconess Medical
Center. I’ve been lucky to be
near lots of my Simmons
friends, and have enjoyed walks,
dinners and 25 years of an
annual Breton Woods ski
weekends. Keep the links
going!” | Mindy Schiffman
writes, “My daughter Hannah
and I are starting to look at
colleges. I work in a fertility
center at New York University,
counseling individuals and
couples, mostly about third
party reproduction — a topic
near and dear to my heart
— and I still have a part-time
psychotherapy practice.” | Judith
Schwartz Stalk writes, “I’ve lived
in California since 1974 and
have two children. My son Marc
graduated from UC Santa Cruz
and was recently married. My
daughter Sarah graduated from
Pitzer College in Claremont,
CA. I’ve worked for The Capital
Group Companies for 10 years.
For the past 15 years I have been
enjoying life with my significant
other, Paul Fisher.” | Micki
Seltzer Seligson writes, “I’ve
retired from Wellesley Centers
for Women, where I did
research and policy work on the
after-school movement. Since
2000, I’ve been training to be
an analyst, Jungian discipline.
I’m co-producer of a documentary film about women artists
who are mothers called Who
Does She Think She Is?” | Arleen
Vannett Harvey writes, “My
husband Jon and I started a new
adventure and moved to
Riverside, CA, where he works
at UC Riverside. Daughter
Jennifer graduated from the
University of Washington. I
continue to edit Ph.D. dissertations and work part-time as a
tournament director for the
American Contract Bridge
League.” | Gerri Williams writes
“I retired as a Foreign Service
Officer with the Department of
State, having served as cultural
affairs officer and public affairs
officer in Portugal, Guatemala,
Brazil, South Africa and in
several Washington, DC
assignments. I recently
graduated with a master’s in
communication (with an
undergraduate classnotes
fall 2008
41
classnotes
emphasis on international
affairs) from Trinity University.”
| Arlene Kelfer Miller writes,
“After a long career in writing
and editing, I returned to school
for teaching. I am about to get a
master’s in humanities after
seven long years! I have been
teaching English for four years.
I relocated to California from
Boston. Son Jake is entering his
junior year at San Jose State.
Daughter Shelley has finished
three years at Sonoma State
University. She is taking a year
off from school to tour with
Disney on Ice!” | Rhonda
Freedman Zahler writes, “My
husband Robert and I celebrated
our 35th wedding anniversary in
May right after our son Jeffery
graduated from law school.
Older daughter Karen is an
actress living in L.A. and our
youngest, Michelle, is a recent
college graduate working for a
publishing house in Baltimore.
We are not truly empty nesters
as we share our home with four
cats and a dog. I volunteer at the
Montgomery County Humane
Society (hence the many pets)
and on the sisterhood board at
my synagogue in Bethesda, Md.,
where I’ll be president for a two
year term.”
1974
REUNION ’09
MAY 29–MAY 31
Mel Patrell Furman
1403 Maple Avenue
Evanston, IL 60201-4322
mpfurman@ameritech.net
C. Joyce Farrar-Rosemon ’76SW
authored two books, How To BE
the HEAD and NOT the TAIL: A
Christian Manifesto for Making
Six Figures and How to GET to
The Palace From YOUR PRISON: Joseph’s 14-Step Program to
Overcome Loneliness, Depression,
Discrimination, Barrenness, &
Abuse. | Roommates Mindy
Fiore and Julie Guinn
42 simmons
Mason reunited over dinner in
Naples, FL. Mindy retired after
32 years at Aetna, most recently
as head of IT Communications.
She and her significant other,
Joe Whitehouse, moved to East
Sandwich, MA in 2007. Julie left
the State Environmental Affairs
Department in 1986 to raise
John (22) and Katie (20). She
helps husband Austin manage
their cranberry bogs, and works
part time in a bookstore. They
both relish that ‘empty nest
syndrome,’ and have traveled to
Greece, California, and Florida.
1975
Debra Harrison Simon
14 Grasshopper Lane
Acton, MA 01720-4607
deb.simon@comcast.net
Roberta Finke and Alan Marc
Franklin were married May 29
in New York. Roberta is the marketing director for the Breast
Cancer Research Foundation.
Alan is an entertainment lawyer.
| Cynthia Maciel Knowles writes,
“I graduated from Andover
Newton Divinity School in May
of 2007 with a Master of Divinity and work as a chaplain for the
Concord, NH Regional Visiting
Nurse Association Hospice and
Palliative Care Program. After
my first husband Robert Maciel
died in 1994 I focused on getting my two children Rebecca
and Joshua through college.
My husband Paul Lizotte keeps
me grounded. Skeeter, if you
are out there, would you please
contact me? Cynthia@iecc.
com or 603-410-9990.” | Lisa
Lezell Levine received the 2008
Southeastern Region Elementary Art Educator Award, given
by the National Art Education
Association. She teaches in the
Richmond, VA, public school
system and is also an artist. |
Janet Snover writes, “I retired
early in 2007 because I have
the most lethal form of brain
alumnet.simmons.edu
cancer. Fortunately, my tumor
was removed in the fall of 2005.
I’m still on chemotherapy. I had
a fulfilling 32-year communications career at MIT. I’ve been
happily married to Jim Stansfield, a charming Brit, for 27
years, and we live in Winchester,
MA. Jim recently joined me in
early retirement so that we could
spend more time together. My
email address is jsnover@mit.
edu in case classmates or former
advisees want to contact me.”
| Jo Anne Wright was featured
in a Xerox Corporation advertisement in Fortune Magazine.
JoAnne is a Global Account
General Manager for Xerox.
1976
Maureen Gavin Reyling
20 Bonair Avenue
Bedford, MA 01730-1502
longheaven@aol.com
Janet Richmond ’79SW was
elected vice president, American Association for Emergency
Psychiatry. | Deborah Kann
Schwarzberg was appointed
chair of the Career College Association Healthcare Education
and Training Issues Committee.
She is also the Founder and
Chairman of KIMC Investments, INC.
1977
Bobbi Magidoff Thompson P ’11
870 Galloway Street
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
bobbithompson@mac.com
Kim Clark, member of The College Club of Boston’s membership and marketing committees,
reports that the Club is redecorating one of their guest rooms
in Simmons College style. In a
reality TV-style competition, designers were given a small budget and a tight time frame. For
more information, visit www.
thecollegeclubofboston.com. |
Emunah Faith Greenberg Hasin
writes, “Returned home to
Jerusalem after 18 months as an
emissary for the United Israel
Appeal in Melbourne, Australia.
(Took a leave of absence from
my position at Shaare Zedek
Hospital). Fantastic experience
down under just so far away
from the rest of the world! Also
had my second grandson in
September!”
1978
Judith Blacher Berger
P.O. Box 1956
Andover, MA 01810-0033
berger56@hotmail.com
1979
REUNION ’09
MAY 29–MAY 31
Gail Pituck
76 Thorndike Street, Suite 3
Arlington, MA 02474-8730
gail.pituck@genzyme.com
Gail reports: Sending greetings
and sharing the good news that
our Class will be 30 years young
this spring. So, let’s reunite,
reconnect and celebrate where
it all began. See you at our
30th Simmons Reunion at the
College in June! | Genevieve
Williams writes, “You may
know me as Beth or Elizabeth. I
now use Genevieve, my middle
name. I spent 17 years working
as an art director in editorial
design, most recently 10 years
at the New York Times. I retired
from the Times to pursue an
MFA in sculpture and painting.
I went back to grad school to
study religion, obtaining an MA
in 2001. I’m currently enrolled
in Ph.D. studies at Columbia. In
2004, I opened a small design
studio, Six Sisters Design, LLC.
I’m a member of the faculty in
the graphic design department
at the School of Visual Arts in
NYC.”
classnotes
1980
Joan Covell Cooper
4750 N 34th Road
Arlington, VA 22207-4210
jcooper4750@hotmail.com
Michelle A. Mitchell
6343 Saint Timothy’s Lane
Centreville, VA 20121
shelleymichelle20121@
yahoo.com
Tracy Garrity Rasmussen was
profiled in the Cape May County
Herald for her work as the
paper’s managing editor, and
her experience of adopting twin
girls. Tracy is currently working
on a memoir.
1981
Heidi Bennett
47 Brewster Drive
Warwick, RI 02889-2203
heidi_bennett@hotmail.com
Laura Anderson Nottie writes, “I
ran the Antarctica Marathon this
past March and won my division
(Females 40–49). I was sixth
female overall and 19th runner
overall. It was an international
run of just under 200 runners.
This was my seventh marathon.
I’ve just left my position as a
product manager in the automotive industry and am considering what to do next. I still hear
from a few Simmons alumnae.
Vula Kalambokis Roumis’s
daughter Danae just graduated
from University of Chicago. Her
son Demetris is at Michigan
University. Margie Hapogian
Markarian is still happily mar-
ried and living in Franklin,
MA, with her two children,
Rebbeca and Peter. Emily Chin
Wong is still happily married
and living in California with her
two children, Bryan and Shannon. My two, daughter Chiara
and son Evan, are fine. Funny
thing — Margie’s, Emily’s and
my children are all about the
same age!”
1982
Darcy De Marco
10525 Bambola Place
Las Vegas, NV 89135-2556
demarcodarcy@aol.com
Jean Chaput Welch ’89HS
accepted a new position as Practice Administrator at Digestive
Health Associates. She loves
her job and is looking forward
to networking with other practice managers.
1983
Gisela Bauerle
94 Franklin Street
Watertown, MA 02472-4022
gbauerle@yahoo.com
Sheri Cain Wilkens reports:
The Class held its 25th Reunion
during the last weekend of May,
and what a spectacular celebration it was! We had over 40
classmates descend on Boston.
South Hall was our home base,
and a few brave classmates,
including Heather Anderson,
Sharyn Hardy Gallagher, and
Brooke Karlsen chose to revisit
the dorm experience. Awaking
Laura Anderson Nottie
’81 wins her division in
the Antarctic Marathon
to sirens on Brookline Avenue
and sauntering over to Bartol
Hall for brunch made it seem
like our days at Simmons were
only yesterday! Deirdre Sweeney
Coffey converted the South Hall
living room into an inviting
space. Gerda Cahill Sullivan
provided each partygoer with
a cheerful gift bag, and copies
of the amazing Class directory
that Martha Ikerd and Gisela
Bauerle compiled. We watched
ourselves grow from incoming
first year students to current
day women during the “Now
and Then” slideshow created by
Sheri Cain Wilkens. With the
help of many people, including Carolyn Supple Calvano,
Shawn Huntley, Mary Luvisi
and Jean Finnegan Probert, on
Saturday our Class successfully
resurrected the Daisy Chain
tradition, where we cheered the
Class of 1958 as they processed
into the Alumni Luncheon. The
crowning Reunion moment was
our Class event at the Absolut
Clubhouse at Fenway Park. The
Saturday night crowd was full
of lots of happy faces including
Carol Anstadt Connolly, Donna
Ferlito-Brown, Michon Reiling Kelliher, Wendy McGrane
and Sharon Garlitz Kelly. The
Fenway crew finally had to ask
us to leave at 10 o’clock because
we couldn’t stop our merrymaking! Keep your eyes open
for our mini-reunion, which
we plan to hold in 2011…just in
time to coincide with our 50th
birthdays! Hope to see you at
the next Class event.” | Sharyn
Hardy Gallagher writes, “Served
on boards of directors at several
organizations. Currently clerk
of the board of a local bank.
Enjoys swimming and tennis.
Trustee and choir member and
youth choir director at church.”
| Laura Thompson recently published Laughter in the Canyon.
For more information about
Laura and her book, visit www.
loralia.com.
1984
REUNION ’09
MAY 29–MAY 31
Sandra Metheny Santanello
6 Supreme Court
Swampscott, MA 01907-2172
sandune9@aol.com
Neeta Chakrabartty writes, “I
regret to inform you that my
mother passed away in March
2008, and my father passed
away in April 1997. However,
I am so glad to be in touch
with all of you. I will very likely
be going back to school here
in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,
Canada at the Saskatoon Business College.” | Amy Mendelson
Krell writes, “I am married for
22 years to a college friend. We
live in South Jersey with 3 kids:
17, 15, and our 7 year old who
keeps us young and busy. I work
part time at a local synagogue
taking care of the press releases. I have a new-found love
of yoga.” | Rebecca Zigelbaum
MacLennan writes, “All is well
in Hollis, NH with husband
Steve (21 years), son Tom (18)
and daughter Heather (13).
If anyone is passing through
Southern, NH, look us up!” |
Annette Pechenick-Horwath
writes, “My oldest son, Yaakov,
graduated from Brookline High.
My younger son, Mordechai,
is a junior. I am busy teaching
first graders and trying to keep
up with my garden. I have been
married to my husband for the
last 22 years.” | Kathleen Perkins
was recently promoted to director of health improvement at
Medical Care Development, Inc.,
an Augusta, ME-based health
systems planning and development organization.
1985
Allyson Hemmer Bal
88 Meadow Road
Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510-1135
abal@blindbrook.org
undergraduate classnotes
fall 2008
43
classnotes
1986
1990
Lynnea Mulligan Brinkerhoff
46 Soundview Avenue
Milford, CT 06460-7877
lynneabrink@gmail.com
Ann Devlin Bayer
18 Harding Avenue
Falmouth, ME 04105
acbay@hotmail.com
Linda Dengenis Anderson was
appointed to serve on the Connecticut State Library Board.
She is also a licensed real estate
agent with Century 21 Landmark
Properties. | Robyn Liverant
Marquis married Roger Marquis
in Cutchogue, NY. Robyn is a
public relations consultant. The
couple lives in NYC.
Heather Forbes Ciccarelli
’92GS writes, “We held a small
‘Friends and Fleece’ reunion at
my parent’s inn, The Katahdin,
in York Beach, ME. It was attended by Karen Bilyard Connelly, Susan Keddy ’93GS, Debbie
Bullock Jurkoic and Becky Avery
Clerkin ’94LS. We were all in
Smith Hall, 2nd floor as freshman. I am living in York, ME,
and got my MSW from UNE in
May. I have one daughter, Grace
(10). I am happily married. I
serve as a council member for
the Maine Chapter Juvenile
Diabetes Research Foundation, and as parent advisor to
the Pediatric Diabetes Dream
Team at Maine Medical.” | After
traveling throughout Europe for
work in the 90’s, Valerie Harding settled down and founded
Ripple Effect Communications,
headquartered in Boston with
offices in NY and CA. She
and Josh, her long-standing
boyfriend from Simmons days,
had a baby in 2005 named Luke.
| Kate Haley Pappano lives on
Guam where her husband Scott
is the Commanding Officer of
the USS BUFFALO, a fast-attack
submarine. To pass the time
living in the middle of nowhere,
she has gone back to school at
the University of Guam where
she hopes to earn an M.Ed. “If
anyone is up for visiting Guam,
come on over! A tour of the
entire island should only take
about four hours...well worth
the 24 hour travel time!”
1987
Sarah Cooper
17 Debra Drive
Dayton, NJ 08810
crashcoop@gmail.com
Susan Emple Lubner writes,
“Wanted to announce the publication of my third children’s
picture book A Horse’s Tale. Read
more about the book at www.
susanlubner.com.” | Kathryn Effgen Scarlata writes, “I
coauthored a nutrition book for
families titled Real People Need
Real Food — A Guide to Healthy
Eating for Families Living in a
Fast Food World.”
1988
Theresa Flanders
3905 Decatur Avenue
Kensington, MD 20895-1532
theresa_flanders@
fanniemae.com
1989
REUNION ’09
MAY 29–MAY 31
Helen Pettit
913 Cecil Road
Wilmington, DE 19807
hnpettit@juno.com
44 simmons
1991
Erin Duffy Wilson
198 Liberty Street
Braintree, MA 02184-6028
emwilson@beld.net
alumnet.simmons.edu
Christian Pope Campbell
135 Chestnut Drive
East Greenwich, RI 02818
chrispc723@aol.com
Anna Schulman Brambilla and
husband, Marco, are pleased to
announce the birth of their first
child, Matteo Lorenzo Hamlin
Brambilla on April 10, 2008.
Anna, Marco, and Matteo live in
Santa Clara, CA. Anna is a consultant services manager for M
Squared Consulting and Marco
is a design manager for ST
Microelectronics. You can reach
Anna at simmons@aeschulman.com. | Elizabeth McEvoy
Henderson has returned to
the work force after staying
home full-time with Josiah (11),
Madeline (9) and Lila (5). She
is a part-time librarian at Curtis
Memorial Library in Brunswick,
ME. Elizabeth sees her roommate, Nicole Bowen Hardy,
often and is happy to report
that Nicole’s daughters, Brielle
and Amelia, are best friends
with Madeline and Lila. Maybe
they will be future Simmons
roomies!
1992
Karen Gordon Lieberman
8 Draco Drive
Randolph, NJ 07869-2703
jklieberman@verizon.net
Lynne Civitello Marullo
3 Gordon Avenue
Enfield, CT 06082
lram2470@gmail.com
Monica Smigliani Desjardins
writes, “My husband, Dan, and
I visited Bermuda. We loved
it! We live in Norwood, MA. I
work as a project manager in
the municipal health insurance
business. Dan is a high-tech
recruiter.” | Linda Wolf Greenberg M.D., and husband Ken
are happy to announce the birth
of their fourth child, Abigail
Yael in January, 2008. Linda is
a pediatrician at Frankford Ave.
Health Clinic in Philadelphia. |
Jill Harmacinski-Beaulieu, staff
reporter at the Eagle-Tribune in
North Andover, MA, was the recipient of a news writing award
from the New England Press
Association. | In honor of Fern
Klapper, the Klapper Family and
the New York Presbyterian Hospital Payne Whitney Westchester
have named a room The Fern
Klapper Family Therapy Room.
Fern passed away from breast
cancer in 2004. She was a
psychologist who specialized
in eating disorders. | Kristyn
Huey Lederer and her husband,
Brendan, welcome their second
child. Annika joined her big
brother Zane on March 16,
2008. | Angela Oriano-Darnall
became the assistant director for
the Survey of Entering Student
Engagement at The University
of Texas at Austin. Angela serves
as a lecturer for the Department
of Educational Administration. She would like to know if
other Simmons Alum are doing
similar work: oriano-darnall@
ccsse.org.
1993
Leah Goldman Lesser
237 Orchard Street
Belmont, MA 02478-2350
llesser@brighthorizons.com
Karen Bliss Haberlin ’97GS
writes, “I live in Avon, CT, with
husband John and 6-year-old
son William and am a stayat-home mom.” | Vanessa
Hunnibell writes, “I’m living
in Dublin, Ireland with my
husband Ray and our beautiful 2 month old son, Aidan
Michael. Career-wise, I’m taking a hiatus to concentrate on
being a mom, but have an MS
degree in printing technology.
My email is vanbell@gmail.
com. Would love to hear from
classmates!” | Anushka PiligianWhite writes, “My husband
Craig and I started off buying a
classnotes
home in Canton, MA. Craig’s
job moved us to Holland. We’ve
been ex-pats ever since! We’ve
lived in Europe, Southeast Asia
and now we’re in Scotland. I’ve
got two girls and one boy. I am
now teaching French and enjoying it very much. You can reach
me at anushkawhite@hotmail.
com.” | Beth Fitzhenry Zinn just
celebrated her 14th wedding
anniversary with her husband,
Shawn. They live in Keene,
NH and recently visited Disney
World with their two daughters
Katelyn (10) and Sarah (5).
1994
REUNION ’09
MAY 29–MAY 31
Laurel Egan-Kenny ’98GS, ’02SM
P.O. Box 44 51
Old Main Street
Marshfield Hills, MA
02051-0044
laurel@turningpointcom.com
Sabrina Greenberg Chalom
writes, “My husband and I made
Aliyah (moving to Israel) in
August 2007. In January 2008
we welcomed twins (a boy and a
girl). The older siblings (ages 8,
6, 4, and 3) have all adjusted
well to a new country and growing family. Any visiting alums
or students are welcome to
contact us — sabrinachalom@
gmail.com”
1995
Andrea Kirkpatrick
57 Broadlawn Park, Apt. 7B
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467-3519
andkirk630@aol.com
Jen Piel Bigora and husband
Kenny are delighted to announce the birth of their daughter, Abigail Rose, on January 28,
2008. Abby had her first trip
to Boston this summer. Jen is
graphic arts director at nGenera.
She can be reached at jbigora@
gmail.com.
1996
Valerie Levanos ’97 and
family
Trelane Clark-Suazo ’97GS
36 Gartland Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130-3321
tre@alumnet.simmons.edu
Wendy Campanella Tripician
took home bronze in the Women’s Lightweight Quadruple
Sculls event in the 2008 FISA
World Rowing Championships,
held in July in Linz-Ottensheim,
Austria. | Pamela FitzGerald
Campbell writes, “Married high
school sweetheart in Nov. 2001.
Bought my parents’ house
in May 2004. Adopted a cat,
Figaro, in Sept. 2004. Adopted
a dog (boxer/ridgeback mix),
Cassius, in June 2005. Adopted
a dog (boxer mix), Laila, in Sept.
2007. Enjoying our days with
our fur clan — redoing the
house!” | Amy Klotz writes, “I
was appointed as special events
manager for Children’s Hospital
Trust where I will be responsible
for managing the NSTAR’s Walk
for Children’s Hospital, Boston.
I continue to serve as president
of the Simmons College Alumnae Association Executive Board
and would love to see more
alumnae get engaged in the
AAEB and the wonderful things
we do for Simmons alums and
current students.” | Alexandra
Massoud has accepted a position as regional manager with
PrexEra. Ali caught up with
Stephanie Gordon on a business
trip to Washington, DC. Ali lives
in Chicago with her husband,
Grant Kuchan, and their son,
Gabriel, 3.
1997
Katie Butler Thornell
4 Greenleaf Drive
Beverly, MA 01915-1538
butler_ke@hotmail.com
Valerie Levanos and Thomas
Esch welcome daughter Luciana
Rosio. Lulu joins big sister
Mimi, age 3. Valerie is a Regional Marketing Rep for New
England Biolabs. | Sarah Leete
Tsitso has been named director
of development and communications for Greater Springfield,
MA, Habitat for Humanity.
1998
Shauna Laprel LaSpina and her
husband Mark welcomed their
first child Julia Kiley on July 14
in Syracuse, NY. Shauna’s baby
shower became her own minireunion, including classmates
Lauren Shultz Roberts ’00HS;
Ana Moura Amaral ’99; Chandra Tallman; Christine Long
DeSantis ’00HS; and Eve Lawrence Metzger. | Jennifer Sweet
writes, “I accepted an analyst
position with athenahealth in
Belfast, ME. This is an exciting
opportunity for me professionally and allows me to be closer
to my family including sister
Sheri Sweet-Holcomb ’97. If you
want to drop me a note, I’ve set
up a page on Alumnet.”
1999
REUNION ’09
MAY 29–MAY 31
Melissa Finn
18 Rice Street
Middleboro, MA 02346-2227
Audreyjello@yahoo.com
Moira McTigue Bundschuh
gave birth to Zoe Marie Bundschuh on March 30, 2008. Zoe
weighed 7 lb. 2 oz. and joins sisters Kianna and Carolyn in New
Hampshire. | Aimee Chevrette
Bear married Paul Bear on April
19, 2008 in Orange, Connecticut. Christy McCallum was the
maid of honor and Kate Allen
’07SW was a bridesmaid. | Karoline Eschwey Grigsby would
like to announce the birth of
her son, Magnus Cole Grigsby.
He was born June 24, 2007 and
weighed 8 lb. 13 oz. | Carrie Libby Sawyer writes, “My husband
and I got married on April 14,
2007. I had a baby boy named
Seth on January 1, 2008. I now
work in the Emergency Room at
Miles Memorial Hospital.”
2000
Alicia Cook
64 Chestnut Avenue, Apt. 2
Cranston, RI 02910-4627
cook_alicia@yahoo.com
Mariah Sylvain Hayes writes,
“In 2003 I married Steve Hayes.
We live outside of Portland, OR,
where I am a trauma nurse.
On March 2, 2007, we had a
baby girl named Rilee Elizabeth
Hayes.” | Carly Gartman Kuper
writes, “Rob and I just celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary.
We live outside Philadelphia. I
lead corporate communications
for Philly’s largest ad agency.”
| Caitlin Tierney Ravin writes,
“Got married in September
2007 atop Loon Mountain in
New Hampshire. Sara Ramsey
and Olivia Zimra-Turley ’02
were bridesmaids and Whitney
Murray and Kristin Kammerer
’02 were in attendance. We
reside in Tyngsboro, MA.”
undergraduate classnotes
fall 2008
45
classnotes
2001
Lindsay Tobor
774 Coleman Avenue, Apt. H
Menlo Park, CA 94025
morgan.tobor@gmail.com
Kate Jenkins Barnabe ’07HS
and Stephen Thomas Barnabe
are happy to announce their
wedding on August 18, 2007
in Freeport, ME. Lindy White
Anderson and Lisa Spellane
’07HS were bridesmaids. Sonia
Sharigian and Katie Carbary
Benner performed readings,
and Hayley Huba, Danielle
Lussier ’05SM and the bride’s
aunt Suzanne Regan ’71 were
in attendance. The couple
reside in Coventry, RI. | Allison
Palmsten ’03HS and Ross Matthews are pleased to announce
their marriage on August 25,
2007. The wedding took place
on a gorgeous day in Allison’s
hometown of Bloomington, MN.
Allison’s classmates Kathleen
Cambra Emet ’03HS, Jennifer
Cote Shapiro, Samantha Bennett
’02, Kerry Casey Fagan ’03HS,
Christine Dahlgren, Melissa
Stillberger and Morgan Tobor
attended. Allison and Ross reside in Chicago. | Amber Sharp
released her second film, Don’t
Go, which received rave reviews
(winner of the Blue Flame award
at the Oakland Black LGBT Film
Festival). Her first film, Triple
Minority, airs regularly on LOGO’s Best in Short Film series.
| Lisa Cormier Valentine joined
PowerPay, LLC in Portland, ME
as marketing manager. Lisa was
also appointed president of the
Maine Marketing Association.
2002
Julieanna Sacchetti
10 Linden Street
Wellesley, MA 02482
jsacchetti@alumnet.
simmons.edu
46 simmons
Elizabeth Barter and Sarah
Levine ’03 are delighted to
announce the birth of their
daughter Teagan Rebecca
Barter-Levine, April 15, 2008 in
Lewiston, ME. Teagan joins big
sister Riley Hannah! Moms and
girls are all doing great! | Colleen Tuohy Fleming writes, “I
graduated FSU College of Law
last May and received my JD.
My husband and I are relocating to Central FL, where I’ve
secured a position as a public
defender.” | Marika Katz McCann is delighted to announce
her marriage to David McCann
on May 27, 2006 in Arlington,
MA. Bridesmaids included
Alicia Ruprecht ’04HS, Quinn
McCoy ’04HS, and Elizabeth Alexander Ross. Marika and David
reside in Ann Arbor, MI. Marika
received an M.A. in higher
education administration at
the University of Michigan and
now works there in institutional
advancement. | Steph Simard
’04GS graduated from the New
England School of Photography,
where she majored in fine art
black and white and minored
in documentary. Steph received
honors in both areas. View her
portfolio at www.stephplourdesimard.com. | Cristy Skiles ’04HS
joined Pinewood Healing Arts
in Somersworth, NH as a
physical therapist. Cristy lives in
Dover, MA.
2003
Alicia Canady, co-chair of the
2008 Black Alumnae/i Symposium, was recently featured
in the Bay State Banner. | After
two years of Peace Corps service
in the Ukraine, Jessica Ferro
entered the Johns Hopkins Paul
H. Nitze School of Advanced
International Studies. She is
pursuing a master’s in international relations with a focus on
European studies and international economics.
alumnet.simmons.edu
2004
REUNION ’09
MAY 29–MAY 31
2006
Elizabeth Martins
5987 Franklin Avenue, Apt. 108
Los Angeles, CA 90028-5572
emartins5@yahoo.com
Leslie Doerr ’07GS
58 River Road
Wayland, MA 01778
ldoerr@gmail.com
Hilary Waterous writes, “I have
recently launched my own
business in NYC, Pride & Joy,
a full-service children’s personal shopping and consulting
company. I would love to hear
from alumna in the area! www.
prideandjoynyc.com.”
Kara Bjornberg Cooley was
married on August 25, 2007 to
Ray Cooley in Stowe, VT. Kara
is a registered nurse at Fletcher
Allen Health Care. The couple
lives in Waterbury, VT. | Jennifer
Larsen has accepted a position
at the American University
in Paris as cultural program
coordinator. | On April 21, 2007
Ashley Mackes Nialetz married
Casey Nialetz in Sanbornton,
NH! All of her amazing Simmons roommates were in attendance! Regine Theodat, Victoria
Ross, Alexandria Carithers,
and Nicole Willis! On August 5,
2007 the couple welcomed their
beautiful little girl Jaelyn Sydelle
to the world!
2005
Rebecca Tanguay
77 Hope Avenue
Warwick, RI 02889
rnt8305@yahoo.com
Tiffany Collins and Tyler Leach
are happy to announce their
marriage August 18, 2007, in
York, ME. Their wedding was
attended by classmates Ashley Cole and Amanda Oswald
as well as friend Nasreen
Rafieymehr Davis ’03, and
Professor Bruce Gray. | Brehana
Vader Darling has two children, Milo Caelan (born Feb.
2005) and Sonia Elodie (born
Jan. 2007). A full-time stay at
home mother, she launched a
business of handmade children’s clothing and accessories,
Coochooloo Designs — www.
coochooloo.etsy.com. | Laura
Glick completed her MS in occupational therapy at Columbia
University and is now working
as an occupational therapist on
the spinal cord injury unit at the
Bronx V.A. hospital. | Desirae
Simmons ’06GS was profiled in
the February/March edition of
Career World in an article about
life after college. She is a site
manager for Jumpstart.
2007
Jessica White
80 Strathmore Road, Apt 8
Brighton, MA 02135-7108
jessicawhite46@gmail.com
Melody Wright was recently profiled in the Somerville Journal
for being a nurse as well as an
avid adventure-traveler.
2008
Wei Wong
7 Parker Hill Avenue, Apt. 2
Roxbury Crossing, MA
02120-3205
weimingwong@gmail.com
Anna Trioufanova has been
selected as the 2008 Outstanding Dietetics Student for a
Didactic Program in Dietetics
by the Massachusetts Dietetic
Association.
obituaries
OBITUARIES
From January 1, 2008 through June 30, 2008, the Office
of Advancement Services received notification that the
following alumnae/i and faculty are deceased.
Garland Junior
College
Ethel Sack Gladstone
Business
January 12, 2008
Catherine Leamy Lowe
Home Economics
September 15, 2007
1928
1933
Ann Bartol Sutcliffe
June 24, 2005
Ruth Bean
Business
December 1, 2007
Marie Bozenhard
Library and Information Science
December 19, 2007
Genevieve Woodard Bucknam
Business
June 15, 2007
Frances Heller Saltzman
Business
March 15, 2008
Yetta Steinberg Whitman
Business
April 2, 2008
Honorary Trustee
C. Vincent Vappi
June 23, 2008
1941
Carolyn Packard Marshal
September 4, 2007
1947
Nancy Shellengerger Utech
September 17, 2004
1948
Caroline Wilson Rogerson
October 28, 2007
1958
Jane Van Vyen Buchanan
February 5, 2006
1960
Susan Harris Stanton
January 16, 2008
Undergraduate
College
1928
Madeline Dik Brown
Nutrition
February 4, 2008
Selma Cohen Chester
Business
January 15, 2008
Barbara Lamb Noyes
Home Economics
April 13, 2008
Anna Batchelder Sinks
Business
February 24, 2008
1929
Mae Wachtel Dolby
Business
December 30, 2007
1930
Elizabeth Johnson Mills
Home Economics
April 19, 2008
Virginia Woodward Smith
Library and Information Science
March 7, 2008
1931
Dorothy Pearson Reid
Business
March 26, 2008
Wilmer Lorenzen Fetters
Library and Information Science
December 24, 2007
Muriel Kemp Ganser
Library and Information Science
April 6, 2008
1934
Ruth Schwartz Banen
Home Economics
March 27, 2008
Evelyn Welch Beale
Physical Education
April 30, 2008
Jeannie Weissman Cohen
Business
January 20, 2008
Eleanor Ridlon Ortlieb
Library and Information Science
December 26, 2007
Ruth Bradbury
Business
November 9, 2007
1935
Elsie Copeland Brown
Home Economics
February 1, 2008
Esther Williams Nicolle
Library and Information Science
March 31, 2008
Ruth Kuhns O’Connell
Science
November 21, 2007
Monica Reynolds
Physical Education
April 19, 2008
Priscilla Greenfield Swain
Business
March 10, 2008
Virginia Ruggles Wright
Home Economics
October 6, 2007
1936
Esther Schoonmaker Pray
Business
February 28, 2008
Catherine Higgins Purcell
Business
April 16, 2008
Elizabeth Stoloff Pingree
Social Work
February 6, 2008
Eleanor Schultz Willard
English
March 5, 2008
Margaret Roberts Yerger
Retail Management
January 3, 2008
1937
Eleanore Frend Folland
Business
September 21, 2007
Jeannette Dodge Gardner
Business
November 12, 2007
Gertrude Hartnett
Pre Professional, Social Work
April 27, 2008
Helen Anderson MacDonald
Physical Education
June 5, 2008
Ruth Custance Miller
Library and Information Science
November 28, 2007
Marjorie Holman
Library and Information Science
December 27, 2007
Mildred Goodale Rayworth
Home Economics
January 11, 2008
Elizabeth Benson Walen
Nursing
December 13, 2006
1938
Barbara Jasper Bales
English
March 4, 2008
Wilmah Scofield Blanchard
Special
June 9, 2006
Rose Zelermyer Dashefsky
Business
January 25, 2008
Jane Pierce Puffer
Physical Education
April 5, 2008
Pauline Cluff Stevens
Business
October 26, 2007
1939
Ruth Waddell Bill
Home Economics
November 6, 2007
Ursula Donahue Ross
Home Economics
May 26, 2008
Ida Showstack
Shwachman ’44SW
Social Work
May 21, 2008
Ruth Dygert Soule
Pre Professional
February 2, 2008
1940
Virginia Orde Church
Business
October 27, 2007
Virginia Sheppard Graf
Business
October 14, 2007
Ruth Sylvester Prior
Nursing
April 12, 2008
Thora Soderberg Sharp
Business
December 12, 2007
Fay Copellman Zarin
Pre Professional
February 14, 2008
1941
Rhea Reilly Grant
Home Economics
February 20, 2008
Dorothy Collins Gurney
Business
June 16, 2008
Sara Jurist-Levy
English
May 14, 2008
Edith Colmes Katz
Business
December 12, 2007
Florence Tayian
Library and Information Science
February 9, 2008
Joanne Condon Teague
English
March 15, 2008
June Whitehouse Vale
Nursing
December 12, 2007
1942
1945
Maryann Langley Buenting
Social Science
September 9, 2006
Frances Flynn ’63LS
English,
Library and Information Science
March 23, 2008
Suzanne Kaldeck Gray ’67LS
Chemistry,
Library and Information Science
November 15, 2007
Rowena Rockwell Langworthy
Retail Management
March 23, 2008
Barbara Dearden Philbrick
Business
January 22, 2008
1946
Ethel Slattery
Nursing
January 31, 2008
1947
Arlene Warner Bredenberg
Advertising
April 28, 2008
Ruth Farrisey
Nursing
September 24, 2007
Ellen Chandler Brown
English
March 24, 2008
Muriel Seaman Corson
Science
March 5, 2008
Clara Sagik Striar
Business
February 12, 2008
Jeanne Adams Hallager
Business
December 29, 2007
Roselyn Gilmore Kem
Pre Professional
November 10, 2007
1943
1948
Evelyn Canova
Business
June 21, 2008
Helen Grace Carlson Franklin
Pre Professional
November 20, 2007
Hyalie Laipson Hurwitz
English
June 16, 2008
Virginia Lovett Kilham
Business
January 21, 2008
Marjorie Kelley Obear
Business
March 11, 2003
Helen McGrath Postman
Science
December 23, 2007
Eleanor McCarthy Shyne
Business
April 20, 2008
Velma Thompson Dietrich
Business
April 21, 2008
Violet Drury
Retail Management
January 22, 2008
Virginia Agababian
Tashjian ’69LS
Library and Information Science
March 28, 2008
1944
Elvera Algeri Glass ’78LS
Chemistry,
Library and Information Science
May 12, 2008
Caroline Russell Ryder
Science
February 26, 2008
Miriam Anderson Wayman
Business
May 20, 2008
Barbara Hallowell Landry
Retail Management
February 25, 2008
Priscilla Lewis MacNaughton
Physical Therapy
April 28, 2008
Marion Cooke Rum
Biology
December 25, 2007
1949
Jacqueline Roth Kane
Psychology
March 18, 2008
Elizabeth Little Pike
Business
February 15, 2008
Ruth Rundlett Ward
Special
March 22, 2008
1950
Alice Relyea Booker
Library and Information Science
May 18, 2008
Natalie Hammond Condon
Business
December 26, 2007
Ruth Nelson Mahan
Home Economics
January 5, 2008
fall 2008
47
obituaries
1951
1959
Edith Ambye
Science
March 31, 2008
Gale Swanson Queen
Nursing
November 14, 2007
Clare Dubin Beckhardt
Business
June 5, 2008
Alice Larkin
Nutrition
May 3, 2008
1960
1952
Joyce Appel Hayward
Nursing
February 17, 2008
Louise Drenan Holleran
Library and Information
Science
January 30, 2008
Carolyn Goodell Kanter
Business
May 12, 2008
Virginia Hood Nixon
Home Economics
September 4, 2004
Marilyn Roach Parsons
Business
December 10, 2007
1953
Rose Oster Blumenthal
Science
April 30, 2008
Joan Lerner Greenberg
Pre Professional
September 6, 2006
1954
Barbara Albert Lavallee
Special
February 21, 2008
Mary Lagace Shaughnessy
Physical Therapy, Science
March 19, 2008
Cecelia Klein Singer
Business
August 7, 2007
1956
Carolyn Collins
English
February 17, 2008
Constance Markert Day
Business
June 14, 2007
Sally Scannell Litzow
Business
January 15, 2008
Irene Galiley Merker
Nursing
March 14, 2008
Jane Blanchard Harrison
Business
April 3, 2008
1961
Arlene Weiner Feingold
Physical Therapy, Science
June 26, 2008
Lois Berman Jassie
Chemistry
June 1, 2008
Thelma Galkin Mattingly
Chemistry
March 21, 2008
Elizabeth Lazar Olaynack
Retail Management
October 3, 2007
1962
Joan Greenstein Gurland
Business
December 10, 2007
1964
Betsy Meirick Kemeny
Psychology
December 25, 2007
Lynda Slurzberg Schachne
Science
February 14, 2008
1970
Dawn Moorad Greeley
Government
May 9, 2008
1973
Helene Jackson
Sociology
April 21, 2008
1974
Bernice Slaughter Reid
Education
May 13, 2008
1976
Susan Smith Terrell
Physical Therapy
January 15, 2007
1977
Gwendolyn Woodard-Johnson
Economics
April 30, 2008
1981
Carole Jaques Russell
Business
April 25, 2008
Shelley Bowen
Education
February 10, 2008
Claudette Lemieux Corbett
Human Services
March 15, 2008
1958
1988
Sheila McKivergan Biggs
Nursing
March 5, 2004
Patricia Wien Cristal
Retail Management
July 9, 2007
Lois O’Grady
Science
December 23, 2007
Evelyn Wolff Smith
Physical Therapy, Science
March 27, 2008
Anne Murphy Lampal
Philosophy, Psychology
February 25, 2008
Susan Witte Plarre
Management
June 21, 2008
1957
48 simmons
2004
Susanne Picard
Nursing
March 8, 2008
alumnet.simmons.edu
School of Arts
and Science
1922
Selma Eversole Henley
Economics
February 16, 2008
1935
Graduate School
of Library and
Information
Science
School of
Management
1930
Claudia McGinnis
Business Administration
February 25, 2008
Elizabeth Miller Littlefield
February 9, 2008
Eleanor Orde Reid
Business
August 10, 2002
1933
1936
1938
Anne Black
Retail Management
March 11, 2002
Helen Fairbanks
November 7, 2006
1937
Esther Holmes
Business
March 3, 2008
1938
Eleanor Wolf Rabb
Business
February 15, 2006
Anna Feeley Voigt
Business
April 10, 2008
1951
Alice Hanley
Home Economics
March 17, 2008
1952
Barbara Mersereau
Home Economics
September 24, 2007
Ruth Atwood Muller
October 31, 2006
1951
Charles Adams
October 29, 2007
1952
John Hallahan
June 14, 2008
1957
Elizabeth Rhoads Faltermayer
April 17, 2008
1959
Allen Sevigny
February 5, 2008
1962
Henry Bates, Jr.
October 9, 2007
1964
Beatrice Sennott
February 6, 2008
1958
1966
Helen Bartley Rich
Home Economics
June 27, 2008
Ruth Lindenfelser
September 16, 2007
Marie Mulkerrin
May 17, 2008
1961
1995
School of Social
Work
1936
Evelyn Shimelman Zeman
June 16, 2008
1940
Vivian Burns McBurney
March 11, 2008
1947
Christine McCaskie Hahn
September 22, 2007
1954
Alice Crays
August 16, 2007
1955
Jocelyn Dugas Von Riesen
November 20, 2007
1959
Ruth Reiner Zucker
June 10, 2007
1961
Margaret Pullen Bishop
April 8, 2008
1964
James Colarusso
January 21, 2008
1967
Susan Klein Schwartz
October 16, 2005
Genevieve Wheeler
Home Economics
September 16, 2007
1969
1971
Richard Ferguson, Jr.
November 28, 2007
Nancy Wessinger Miller
March 19, 2008
1963
1970
1986
Rosemary Currier
Home Economics
January 5, 2008
Dorothy Traub Donio
November 8, 2006
Carol Thiel LoPiccolo
March 15, 2008
1972
1990
Eileen Driscoll
April 2, 2008
Rosanne Labree Coursen
March 14, 2006
Bruce Paradis
January, 2007
1972
Jean Smith
Education
March 22, 2008
1974
Barbara Kohn Katz
Education
April 6, 2008
1974
Jagdish Kapoor
May 12, 2008
1977
1975
Mary Conners Sawtelle
Generic Teacher
May 4, 2008
Jean Tappe
May 2, 2008
2003
Catherine Wells
January 23, 2008
Courtenay Martin
Landmark Program
December 10, 2007
School of
Health Sciences
1985
Kathleen McGowan Schusler
Nursing
January 23, 2008
1976
1985
Larry Larsen
June 13, 2008
1990
Joanne Goodman
October 9, 2007
1996
Diruhi Matevossian Mattian
February 6, 2008
SIMMONS SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
Celebrating 30 Years of Women’s Achievements
Vision to Voice
voices:
leadership in the global age
PEGGY ADELSON SASLOW ’44
Join friends and classmates at our 30th anniversary conference for an experience
to remember. In keeping with this milestone event, all
Simmons College
alumnae receive a 30% discount off the registration fee. It’s a day of
HOMETOWN: New
retired high school home
economics teacher
OCCUPATION:
inspiring speakers, thought-provoking sessions, and great networking with nearly
3,000 professional women that is guaranteed to energize your life and career.
May 2, 2009
For program details
and registration information
please visit
Seaport World
simmons.edu/
leadership
Trade Center
Boston, MA
Diane Keaton, actress & film director
Milford, New Jersey
REGISTER EARLY
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Mary Robinson
Antonia Novello, M.D.
women’s rights advocate & author
former president of Ireland
former U.S. Surgeon General
All proceeds support scholarships to the Simmons School of Management. This is a tax deductible event.
ON HER OPTIMISTIC LIFE VIEW: “I am
inordinately content with my life —
I loved my husband and children
and I thought we were incredibly
fortunate. I always figured
I was a pretty lucky gal.”
“When I think of
Simmons, I think
of my friends.”
Ask Peggy Saslow ’44 what she thinks about her life and she’s likely to give a very upbeat response.
With a sharp wit and the energy of a teenager, this octogenarian epitomizes not only the “Greatest
Generation,” but also the quintessential Simmons woman.
“I think that I’m part of the greatest generation ever, and I know part of that is because of my
Simmons experience,” said Saslow.
The youngest of seven children — and the fifth girl — Saslow grew up in Boston’s Beacon Hill
neighborhood. Her parents were Russian immigrants who believed strongly in education. One of
her brothers went to MIT, a sister to a music conservatory, and Peggy? Well, her choice for college
was an easy one.
“I always wanted to go to Simmons. It’s the only college I applied to. If anyone asked me, I’d tell
them I want to go to Simmons and be a dietician,” said Saslow. And that’s exactly what she did.
Saslow entered Simmons at the tender age of 16 as a commuter student. She enjoyed her time
in college, studying hard, learning to play bridge, and making lots of friends. After graduation, she
wasted little time building her career. Moving to New Jersey, Saslow lived and worked at Newark
Beth Israel Hospital, first as a dietetic intern, and then as a staff member. The following year —
1946 — she met and married the love of her life, Sidney.
A happy marriage, two daughters, a son, and a full-time job as a high school home economics
teacher ensued, filling Saslow’s life for many years. Later, other activities would follow, such as elected positions on the Board of Education and the Friends of the Library, volunteer work for Temple
Beth Tikvah, and teaching AARP driver safety classes. But always, there was Simmons.
Among her many connections to Simmons, Saslow has been president of the Class of 1944, 2004
Reunion chair for her class, secretary to the Alumnae Association Executive Board, co-director of
the Northern New Jersey Simmons Club, a class officer, and the recipient of two alumnae awards.
She also is a regular donor, having made several leadership gifts, including the Florence Saslow Gift
Annuity and naming a space in the new library for her niece.
As if that wasn’t enough, Saslow also is the matriarch of an impressive Simmons lineage: both
of her daughters, a niece, and her granddaughter all graduated from Simmons.
“When I think of Simmons, I think of my friends,” said Saslow. “It’s been absolutely thrilling to
be involved with Simmons for all these years. I enjoyed my time at Simmons and made some wonderful, lifelong friends. Simmons has done a lot for me.” Q
aT SImMonS.
alL ROadSbEgIn
ReTuRn to SIMMonS.
ALL roADs
SIMMO NS
FALL 2008
CAS Edition
Report of
Philanthropy
INSIDE
For many of you, your time at Simmons was
only the beginning of great things to come. To show you
that Simmons hasn’t veered from its mission, we’ve
created an easy way for you to return.
The reconnectwithsimmons blogazine – an online
magazine and blog – is our way of helping you stay
connected to old (and new!) friends.
The site – contributed to by interesting alumnae/i,
faculty, & staff – provides honest, fresh, fun, and thought-
provoking stories about Simmons and its community
members who are making a difference in the world.
The site also includes sections titled GPS: Globally
Positioning Simmons, Simmons Spotlight, and Simmons Fun
& Facts. You can read the blogs, post messages, comment
on any topic, and buy great reconnectwithsimmons stuff.
If you have any comments or questions,
please contact Nicole LeBlanc at 617.521.2368, or email
nicole.leblanc@simmons.edu.
simmons.edu/reconnect
SIMMONS |
300 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115-5898
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUIRED
NONPROFIT
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
N READING MA
PERMIT NO. 121
why art
matters
THE VALUE OF ARTS
IN EDUCATION
Arts and Sciences
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
also in this issue:
Q CAS PARTNERS WITH ERIC CARLE MUSEUM
Q NEW NAME FOR WOMEN’S STUDIES
SEE
PAGE
21