Mills Quarterly summer 2008

Summertime students



The Pearl M tradition

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Recycling rocks!

Mills Quarterly Summer 2008 Alumnae Magazine

Going away

The Class of 2008

Coming home Reunion preview

12 14

8

16

32

Mills Quarterly

contents

Summer 2008 8 Going away Celebrating the voices of the Class of 2008 • Images of Degree Day • Classy women: Two outstanding graduates • Bent Twigs

14 School’s in for summer by Valerie Sullivan Between spring and fall semesters, Mills hosts programs to broaden opportunities for women, improve access to education, and increase scholastic success.

16 Coming home Reunion 2008 welcomes alumnae back to campus with an array of events showcasing the College’s outstanding faculty, achievements in the arts, and accomplished graduates.

• Dancing in the dorm: Trisha Brown ’58 by Rachel Howard • Spirits of innovation: Darius and Madeleine Milhaud by Valerie Sullivan • Creative space: Hung Liu by Pamela Wilson

32 Pearls of wisdom by Pamela Wilson For generations of Mills women, the Pearl M pin and Lantern Ceremony are meaningful traditions in the metamorphosis from student to alumna.

Departments 2

Letter to the editor

3

Leadership Perspectives

4

Mills Matters

20 Bookshelf 21 Class Notes 29 In Memoriam

“The Milhauds were simply the greatest influences on our lives during those postwar years.”

—Iola Whitlock Brubeck, GR ’47

18 On the cover: The fountain in the terrace named last year for Mills College Trustee Evelyn “Muffy” McKinstry Thorne ’48 frames a view of the Commencement stage on Toyon Meadow. Photo by Catherine L. Smith.

Above photo of Hung Liu, second from right, by Frederic Larson, collection of the Port of Oakland summer 2008

1

Letter to the Editor Th e ob ituary for Made le i n e Milhaud brought back memories of staying in the Milhaud home to take care of young Daniel Milhaud during Christmas vacation, 1940. I believe Darius had been Volume XCVII Number 1 (USPS 349-900) Summer 2008

invited to conduct the Boston Symphony.

President Janet L. Holmgren

at the Office of Record. But I needed

Executive Vice President for Institutional Advancement Ramon S. Torrecilha

Milhauds gave that as compensation.

Vice President for Development Virginia V. Rivera

a psychology major, and was probably, at

Director of Development and Alumnae Communications Dawn Cunningham ’85 Managing Editor Linda Schmidt Design and Art Direction Nancy Siller Wilson Contributing Writers Jessica Hilberman ’03 Rachel Howard Carolyn Jones Kelsey Lindquist ’10 Valerie Sullivan Pamela Wilson

For my part, I could not afford to go home for the vacation and was hired to work board and room for the period, and the I was probably recommended to them because I spoke French pretty well, was that time, dreadfully reliable.

Jane Eddy, a cellist and a senior, lived with the Milhauds, and her friend Mary Kay Damon, a junior, had already been hired for the period the Milhauds would be away. I suspect I was to simply fill in when they were off duty. However, I had a credential I was never asked about, one that was undoubtedly considered irrelevant: I was Jewish, and that, to Daniel, a child who had just escaped the Nazis, meant I offered the kind of security he needed. If the storm troopers came to Oakland (and I suspect Daniel truly

Research Assistance Amber Williams ’10

feared they would), we would be taken

Editorial Assistance Kelsey Lindquist ’10

ter what. He told me, with great worry,

Special Thanks To Anita Aragon Bowers ’63 Jane Cudlip King ’42

dent of a synagogue in Arles. I told him

The Mills Quarterly (USPS 349-900) is published quarterly by Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613. Periodicals postage paid at Oakland, California, and at additional mailing office(s). Postmaster: Send address changes to the Office of Institutional Advancement, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613.

Copyright © 2008, Mills College.

Address correspondence to the Mills Quarterly, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613. Letters to the editor may be edited for clarity or length.

Email: quarterly@mills.edu Phone: 510.430.3312 Printed on recycled paper containing 30 percent post-consumer waste.

together. He had a hand to hold, no matabout his grandfather who was presiabout my Polish grandmother, of whom we had heard nothing since the Germans marched into Poland. He and I ate liver and fried onions while Jane and Mary Kay pushed Kellogg’s and Campbell’s. He came to the Office of Record and waited for me on the days I worked there. Where I went, he went—and vice versa. We were truly bonded for two or three weeks, and then never saw each other again.

Daniel was nine that winter. I was 21.

This year I will be 89; he will be 77. I wonder if he remembers Christmas vacation, 1940, as fondly as I do?

—Harriette Buckner Coret ’41 Boca Raton, Florida

Who brings you the Q? Linda Schmidt has been named managing editor of the Mills Quarterly. She had been filling the position on an interim basis since September 2007 and assumed permanent duties on July 1.

Schmidt has worked in communications for several Bay Area nonprofits, most notably serving five years as an assistant editor at California Monthly, UC Berkeley’s alumni magazine. “Alumni magazines are a wonderful format,” she says. “It’s a pleasure to write for an educated and informed audience, and of course the students, faculty, and alumnae of Mills provide a virtually unlimited source of interesting story topics.”

Her email is lschmidt@mills.edu; her campus phone is 510.430.3312.

f2 gallery

Leadership Perspectives Going Away, Coming Home: A Message from Mills College President Janet L. Holmgren This summer, shortly after graduation, I took an amazing trip that had as its centerpiece a major moment for Mills faculty member and internationally recognized artist Hung Liu: her first two solo shows in Beijing since she left China to do her graduate work at UC San Diego in the 1980s. I wanted to be present for this tage of that opportunity to visit with our alumnae in Hong Kong and China and to pay another visit to Beijing—the first since

A crowd gathers around Hung Liu at the opening of her exhibit in Beijing (above); President Holmgren with Hung Liu and Hung Liu’s mother (right).

I was there in 1995 for the United Nations

one another since 1966. I was so proud to

Fourth World Conference on Women with

share a common link with these women

a delegation of students, faculty, adminis-

through Hung and to share a common

trators, and alumnae from Mills.

heritage in the educational experience

f2 gallery

moment in her life, and I also took advan-

Attending the openings of Hung Liu’s

that had at its core the development of

shows was both exciting and moving. Her

the talents of girls and women. I also had

exhibit at the F2 Gallery brought together

the fun of having my daughter Ellen (who

her most recent paintings, which evoke a

along with her sister Liz had traveled

moment of Chinese women’s history. A

with me to Beijing in 1995) and Hung’s

group of woman soldiers in World War II,

son Ling Chin together at the opening, as

for the new terminal at the Oakland

attacked by the Japanese, walk heroically

well as Hung’s amazing mother, who has

International Airport. Both the images

into the river to certain death, carrying

spent time living with Hung in Faculty

and the title—with its evocation of con-

a slain comrade, in order to escape the

Village; Hung’s husband, Jeff Kelley; and

nection to places and people over time

enemy. The humanity, the sisterhood, the

Mills Executive Vice President Ramon

and space—provide the theme for this

bravery, and the sheer awesomeness of

Torrecilha.

year’s Reunion in September, which will

this scene are all present in Hung’s paint-

Much has changed in Beijing since

mark the beginning of my 18th year as

ings, part of a growing body of work that

1995—the sheer growth in numbers of

President of the College and Hung’s 19th

puts Hung in the forefront of contempo-

people, buildings, and roads, the vibrancy

year on the faculty. As we celebrate the

rary painters.

of the art community, the level of prosper-

opening of the academic year and the

The gallery was filled with artists, col-

ity, the quality of the air (worse not better).

reunion of the extraordinary classes that

lectors, friends, writers, and family, but

I watched the 2008 Olympics with special

have graduated from Mills as under-

the occasion had an additional unfor-

interest to see how this new Beijing looks

graduates and graduates, especially the

gettable element—more than 20 gradu-

to the wider world. But for me Beijing

Class of 1958 and its 50th Reunion, we

ates of Hung Liu’s middle school held

holds a special personal history—a place

are all aware of our interconnectedness

a reunion with her in the gallery. It was

to gather with women from around the

around the globe and of how, through

a reunion of the last class to graduate

world, a place to gather with women with

our common connection to Mills and to

from one of Beijing’s only girls’ board-

a common bond, a place to celebrate the

women’s education, we live the concept

ing schools before the school was closed

resilience of the human spirit.

of Going Away, Coming Home.

as a result of the Cultural Revolution, a

Going Away, Coming Home is the title

reunion that marked the first time many

Hung Liu gave to her beautiful paint-

Welcome home to Mills,

of these accomplished women had seen

ings on glass that create the backdrop

Janet L. Holmgren

summer 2008

3

Mills Matters New center shows how to do well by doing good

the Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business—the center is currently planning a second lecture on October 23 and a third in February,

Just three months after the

reach programs, including a

networking opportunities for

as well as an annual confer-

naming of the Lorry I. Lokey

lecture series, annual confer-

our MBA graduates and other

ence in the spring. The center

Graduate School of Business

ence, online resource center,

mid-career Mills alumnae.”

will also support develop-

and the ceremonial ground-

and summer workshops—all

breaking for its new home,

of which will be open to Mills

vide opportunities through-

MBA Program at the Lokey

Mills’ Business School is

alumnae.

out the year to explore ways

Graduate School of Business.

launching its first center—

Nancy Thornborrow, dean

The lecture series will pro-

of doing well financially by

ment of new courses for the

In 2002, the Elfenworks

the Center for Socially

of the Lokey Graduate School

doing good socially. The

Foundation endowed a lec-

Responsible Business—to

of Business, is particularly

series debuts on September

tureship in ethics, leadership,

enhance one of its primary

enthusiastic about the cen-

11 with a talk by Bonnie

and entrepreneurship for

areas of focus. Funded by

ter’s potential to serve as a

Nixon Gardiner, global

Mills’ start-up MBA Program.

a three-year gift from the

resource for business execu-

program manager at Hewlett

“Today we can thank the

Elfenworks Foundation, the

tives. “The summer work-

Packard for the company’s

foundation for enabling us to

center aims to create socially

shops will permit an entire

Supply Chain Social and

realize a goal that has been

responsible leaders across all

generation of executives to

Environmental Responsibility

important to us since our first

business sectors.

retrofit their experience with

Program (see Calendar, p. 6).

class in 2001: instilling in

Designed to serve as a

new perspectives on the

Directed by Phillip

students an entrepreneurial

locus for innovative think-

social implications and poten-

Gordon—who has taught at

spirit, as well as a sense of

ing and entrepreneurial best

tial of business leadership,”

UC Berkeley’s Haas School

social responsibility and the

practices, the center will offer

she says. “They’ll also provide

of Business, the Norwegian

importance of giving back,”

extensive community out-

essential intergenerational

School of Management, and

says Thornborrow.

To find out about upcoming events organized by the Center for Socially Responsible Business, visit www.mills.edu/mba or contact Phillip Gordon at 510.430.3248 or csrb@mills.edu.

New Trustees installed

School of Education launches Leadership Program in Early Childhood

Six new members of the Mills

college counseling company.

College Board of Trustees,

Caroline Hu ’77 is CEO of

This May, the first MA and

for at least five years. The

half of whom are Mills

her family’s shipping busi-

EdD students in Mills’ new

students include pre-school

alumnae, began three-year

ness, Patt Manfield & Co. She

Leadership in Early Childhood

teachers and people who

terms on July 1 after being

lives in Hong Kong.

Program began preparing for

have worked with children in

work as policy makers, pro-

social agencies, hospitals, and

was a Mills Trustee from

gram administrators, agency

elsewhere. Kroll says many

1998 to 2006, returns for an

directors, college professors,

have been learning skills on

resident of Honolulu, Hawaii,

additional term. A resident

and advocates on behalf of

the job; at Mills, they will

was elected as Alumna

of Tiburon, she is the former

young children. Professor of

gain the research and policy

Trustee through a vote

executive director of the

Education Linda Kroll, direc-

backgrounds they need to

organized by the AAMC and

Stupski Foundation. Maribelle

tor of the program, says these

become effective leaders.

open to all alumnae. Flanigan

Leavitt, RN, DNSc, is assistant

students will fill a major gap—

is executive director of the

clinical professor at the UCSF

with many early childhood

Education Diane Ketelle will

Hawaii State Bar Association.

Graduate School of Nursing.

professionals on the verge of

serve as the program’s faculty

Linda Cohen Turner ’68

She lives in San Francisco.

retirement, the field is hurting

director during the 2008-09

lives in Evanston, Illinois,

John McDonnell, also of San

for new leadership.

school year, while Kroll is on

and is the president of The

Francisco, is an attorney with

College Choice, her own

the international law firm

the 15-month program is

mation about the program,

Reed Smith LLP.

designed for people who have

contact Program Coordinator

been working with children

Lea Austin at 510.430.2116.

confirmed by the Board of Trustees.

Lyn Flanigan ’65, a

4

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

Kathleen Burke, who

Announced last November,

Associate Professor of

sabbatical. For more infor-

Mills lands at the top of the compost heap College students have always

on campus, from recycling

competed against rival

to encouraging the use of

institutions for academic

public transit to designing

and athletic excellence, but

new buildings that meet high

what about a competition

Leadership in Energy and

that pits students’ green

Environmental Design (LEED)

actions against each other?

standards.

That’s what happened when

Among the resources on

Mills signed up for the

campus that help advance

RecycleMania competition

the College’s sustainability

last year. Of 400 colleges and

goals—and win such competi-

universities nationwide, the

tions as RecycleMania—are

Mills community composted

Mills College Recycling

more material per capita

Manager Britta Bullard, who

than any other school, taking

came to campus in January,

home the first place award.

and the Sustainability Center,

All across campus, students

which opened in April during

and staff pulled out all the

Earth Week.

stops, throwing their biode-

As part of the campus

Waste not, want not: Diners at the Tea Shop take advantage of the clearly labeled bin system (above); Britta Bullard displays containers that ease the separation of recyclables and waste material (below).

helped. Bullard says, “It was

discarding them into the

gradable plasticware, apple

Sustainability Center, a place

really great to see compost-

landfill,” she says. “The priori-

cores, napkins, and other

connecting students, campus

ing go so much smoother.

ties are to focus on the 5 R’s:

compostable waste into spe-

resources, academic depart-

Before RecycleMania started,

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot,

cially designated bins.

ments, and organizations that

everyone had different sizes

and buy Recycled.” Sending

But enthusiasm for green

work on environmental sus-

of gray bins. You wouldn’t

anything to a landfill is a last

initiatives on campus goes far

tainability issues, Bullard is

have any idea which bin to

resort.

beyond the composting com-

helping Mills reduce its over-

put waste in. The College’s

petition, and the College has

all waste. She has installed

investing in those bins facili-

tinue the process of “green-

embraced a deeper commit-

compost bins in campus

tated a more efficient system

ing” Mills into the school

ment to sustainability. With

apartment complexes and

and more composting going

year to come. “I think people

300 higher-education leaders,

in individual Faculty Village

where it’s supposed to go.”

value our environment and

President Janet L. Holmgren

units. The college invested

Bullard emphasizes that the

just need the push to see that

signed the American College

in a color-coded bin system

College’s methods have been

the choices they make really

and University Presidents

to streamline composting

successful so far, but she

affect this world,” she says.

Climate Commitment last

and recycling in campus

plans to take these efforts

“In higher education, where

summer, and the College

kitchens, and Bullard trained

to the next level. “We will

so many people are interested

has made environmentally

members of the kitchen

be distributing individual

in social justice, they need

friendly practices a priority

staff to use it. The clarity

recycling bins for every resi-

to recognize that their trash

dential room on campus this

ends up in someone else’s

year,” says Bullard.

backyard. The Mills com-

In addition, the Sustain-

Bullard is excited to con-

munity is really proud of the

ability Center is establish-

fact that they compost and

ing a campus Re-Used Stuff

recycle and do their part.”

Depot, where people can

To learn more about Mills

exchange or drop off school and office supplies to be used by others. “The main idea is that students are actively closing the loop to re-use items, rather than constantly buying new items made from virgin materials and then photos by bruce cook

College’s green initiatives, visit www.mills.edu/green and www.mills.edu/recycling. To learn more about RecycleMania, visit www. recyclemania.org.

—By Jessica Hilberman ’03 summer 2008

5

Calendar For information about exhibitions in the Mills College Art Museum, see back cover.

For the Concert Series and the Songlines Series, contact 510.430.2334 or steed@mills. edu. For the Contemporary Writers Series, contact 510.430.3130 or syoung@mills.edu.

September 11  Center for Socially Responsible Business Lecture Series: Bonnie Nixon Gardiner

Milhaud (1902–2008), this year’s concert features the Eclipse Quartet.

24  Concert Series: Rule Britannia!

Women’s Antique Vocal Ensemble (WAVE)

20  A AMC Bylaws Meeting

8:00 pm, Mills College Art Museum $12 general, $6 seniors, free with AAMC card A concert of English music composed during the reigns of Henry V, Henry VI, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, James I, and William and Mary.

9:00 am, Lisser Hall, free (Reunion registration not required) All alumnae are invited to attend this important meeting to vote on proposed changes to the Alumnae Association of Mills College (AAMC) bylaws. The changes are posted at www.mills.edu/alumnae/aamc_ bylaws.pdf.

21  Concert Series: Dewing Piano Recital by Frederic Rzewski

7:30 pm, Danforth Lecture Hall, free A new lecture series at the Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business debuts with a talk by the manager of Hewlett Packard’s worldwide Supply Chain Social and Environmental Responsibility Program. A reception follows in the Mills College Art Museum. Contact 510.430.2344 or pgordon@ mills.edu.

4:00 pm, Lisser Hall; $20 general, $10 seniors, free with AAMC membership card The internationally renowned pianist plays Mendelssohn.

12  The Toyoji Tomita Memorial Concert

24  Latino Heritage Month Film Festival: Yo soy Boricua, pa’ que tu lo sepas

7:30 pm, Lisser Hall; $25 general, $20 seniors, free with AAMC membership card Celebrating the life and work of Mills music instructor Toyoji Tomita, MFA ’86, performers include Roscoe Mitchell and Pauline Oliveros.

15  MBA Open House Information Session 7:00 pm, Reinhardt Hall, free Thinking about earning an MBA? Find out why Mills’ Lokey Graduate School of Business might be right for you. RSVP to mba@mills. edu or contact 510.430.3173 or kperry@mills. edu for more information.

17  Latino Heritage Month Film Festival: Salt of the Earth 7:00 pm, Danforth Lecture Hall This true story of struggle, identity, and solidarity portrays the 1951 strike against the Empire Zinc Company in New Mexico.

18–21  Reunion 2008: Going Away, Coming Home Mills invites all alumnae to return to campus for this year’s Reunion. Visit www.mills.edu/ reunion for a full schedule and online registration, or contact 510.430.3363 or alumnae-relations@mills.edu with questions.

19  Convocation September 19, 10:15 am, Toyon Meadow, free (Reunion registration not required) With keynote speaker Trisha Brown.

19  Darius Milhaud Concert September 19, 8:00 pm, Mills College Art Museum, free (Reunion registration not required) Dedicated to the memory of Madeleine

23  Contemporary Writers Series: Jayne Cortez 5:30 pm, Mills Hall Living Room, free An evening with poet, performance artist, and iconic figure of the Black Arts Movement.

28  Contemporary Writers Series: Mat Johnson 5:00 pm, Mills Hall Living Room, free Johnson’s graphic novel, Incognegro, tells the story of a reporter who goes undercover to investigate lynchings in the Jim Crow south and takes a complicated look at racial identity in the United States.

November 1  MBA Open House Information Session 10:00 am, Reinhardt Hall, free See description for the September 15 Open House, above.

8  Concert Series: Keith Rowe, David Tudor Composer in Residence

7:00 pm, Danforth Lecture Hall A documentary about Puerto Rican identity by award-winning actress and choreographer Rosie Pérez.

8:00 pm, Lisser Hall; $12 general, $6 seniors, free with AAMC card The legendary electro-acoustic composer performs solo pieces as well as works in collaboration with Mills students and faculty.

24  Concert Series: Rzewski Plays Rzewski

10  Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Anne K. Mellor

8:00 pm, Lisser Hall $12 general, $6 seniors, free with AAMC card Virtuoso pianist/composer Frederic Rzewski performs his own compositions.

6:00 pm, Faculty/Staff Dining Room, free A public lecture by the author of books on British Romantic-era writing, women’s studies, and 18th- and 19thcentury British art and literature.

October

10  Songlines Series: Kaffe Matthews

7  Contemporary Writers Series: Sarah Schulman

7:30 pm, Ensemble Room, free

5:30 pm, Mills Hall Living Room, free Schulman, “the lesbian writer Rent ripped off” (Slate), is a novelist, playwright, historian, and activist.

14  Contemporary Writers Series: Combat Paper/Paper Warriors 5:30 pm, Location TBA, free In this project, initiated in collaboration with members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, combat veterans form paper from the fibers of their uniforms, which they then use in books about their experiences in Iraq.

20  MBA Open House Information Session 6:00 pm, San Francisco, free See description for the September 15 Open House, above.

20  Songlines Series: Paul Lytton and Nate Wooley 7:30 pm, Ensemble Room, free

11  Contemporary Writers Series: Homelands Anthology 5:30 pm, Mills Hall Living Room, free Co-edited by Patricia Tumang, MFA ’06, and Jenesha de Rivera, MFA ’07, Homelands collects essays by four creative writing MFA alumnae who explore the complexities of immigration, war, exile, and diaspora.

20–22  Mills Repertory Dance Company Lisser Hall The company performs with special guest AXIS Dance Company. Contact Rachel Berman, rberman@mills.edu.

21  Concert Series: Sergi Jorda 8:00 pm, Mills College Art Museum $12 general, $6 seniors, free with AAMC card Composer Jorda and Mills instrumentalists perform on the ReacTable, a unique multi-user, electro-acoustic instrument.

24  Songlines Series: Sarah Cahill 7:30 pm, Ensemble Room, free

6

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

New faculty continue tradition of excellence Three new tenure-track

both inside and outside the

faculty members join the list

classroom,” Kochly states.

of scholars and artists devoted

“My methods will also enable

to upholding the tradition

them to express themselves

of academic and creative

scientifically, thus making

excellence at Mills College.

them better doctors, scientists, and professionals.”

James Fei has been newly appointed as assistant professor of electronic arts after teaching at Mills on a part-time basis since 2006. An active composer, improviser, and electronic musician, Fei left his native Taiwan in 1992 and moved to the United States to study electrical

and his compositions for vari-

program’s director. She holds

engineering. He holds BSE in

ous live and electronic media

a PhD in psychology from

computer engineering from

have been performed at the

the University of Michigan

Princeton University, an MA

Library of Congress, Carnegie

and a BA from UC Berkeley.

in music composition from

Hall, and jazz festivals around

Much of Zirkel’s work focuses

Wesleyan University, and

the world, including Verona

on two areas: multicultural

will soon finish his doctor

Jazz Festival in Italy, Ljubljana

and multi-ethnic education,

of musical arts degree at

Jazz Festival in Slovenia, and

and human personality. She

Columbia University. “Despite

“Jazz em Agosto” in Portugal.

states, “My research focuses

my background in digital

He notes that although his

on identity: its develop-

hardware, in my art practice

work occupies a wide scope

ment in adolescence and the

I have often glanced back at

of genres, his goal for every-

transformation of identity

Assistant Professor of

history, drawing from the out-

thing he creates is the same:

throughout adulthood. Of

Chemistry Beth Kochly

dated but visceral applications

“In all of these efforts I have

particular interest is the

comes to Mills from the

of electricity to counterbal-

sought to maintain a certain

development of academic

University of Notre Dame,

ance our relentless progress in

conceptual clarity, whether in

and professional identities

where she received her PhD

technology,” he says.

compositional form, structure,

and the way these are shaped

or electro-acoustic process.”

by gender, race, and class.”

in organic chemistry in May; her doctoral dissertation

Fei performs on saxophones and live electronics,

Professor of Educational

She adds that her most recent

is entitled “Advances in

Leadership Sabrina Zirkel

work “has focused on how

Carbocation Chemistry.”

transitions this year from

young people of color and

visiting status to a full-time

women negotiate academic

classes include developing

position in the School of

and professional identities in

her students’ problem-

Education. Since 2006, Zirkel

a context of discrimination

solving abilities in the field,

has taught in the Educational

and stereotyping.”

helping them master the

Leadership Program, and

fundamentals of chemis-

during 2006-07 served as the

Kochly’s goals for her

Zirkel has published in such journals as The Urban

try, and giving them an

Review: Issues and Ideas in

understanding of commu-

Public Education and Journal

nication at a professional,

of Social Issues and has

scientific level. “With these

received fellowships from

goals in mind, I will lead

the Research Institute of

students to develop not

Comparative Studies in Race

only a working knowledge

and Ethnicity at Stanford

of chemistry, but also the

University and the Rollo May

ability to logically tackle a

Foundation.

wide variety of problems

—By Kelsey Lindquist ’10 summer 2008

7

Going away

Great grads (this page, clockwise from top): Soon-to-be alumnae prepare to march. Senior speaker Kate Swartz (center) and friends.

Ella Wolfgramm peers out from among layers of leis as she receives her MBA. PLEA major Adrianna Hutchinson. A group of friends share a joyous moment—Linda Abdallah (top), Tenzin Kundron and Kathryn Chew (middle row), Elina Rios, Karla Flores, and Grizelda Soto (front row).

8 

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

photos by bruce cook

U n de r a b laz i ng s u n, a new class of graduates donned the hoods that mark their transition from students to alumnae of the oldest women’s college in the West. On May 17,245 undergraduate women and 220 graduate women and men, as well as students receiving certificates and credentials, joined together in a hallowed rite of passage.

And though all come from diverse backgrounds and will proceed to divergent goals in life, they have shared the Mills experience of intellectual discovery and growing self-awareness.

“We’ve all taken a course we didn’t expect to love, argued with a professor who knew our name, and yelled fervently at ‘that girl’ who always had something to say in class,” said senior speaker Kate Schwartz as she addressed the gathered graduates, their families, and friends. “And now, most of us have actually become that woman who always has something to say.”

Graduate speaker Aries Hines related her misgivings after having come across the country to pursue an MFA in English and creative writing.

But her academic pursuits and inspiring teachers provided the touchstone she needed: “Reading the works of innovative writers made me feel powerful and driven. I found my voice at Mills,” Hines said.

“I too found my voice on this campus,” said honorary degree recipient Renel Brooks-Moon ’81, the announcer for the San Francisco Giants, host of a morning radio show, and community activist who was recently inducted into the Bay Area Broadcast Hall of Fame. “My voice is who I am and what I do. My voice has opened up unimaginable opportunities and allowed many of my childhood dreams to come true. It is a voice that I hope speaks up for and inspires others. And it is my wish for you, Class of 2008, that you find your voice, speak up, and use it well.”

In addition, the senior class presented a generous gift to the College: a portion of the funds will help a Sudanese scholar to attend Mills College, and the remainder will support the Mother’s Club and make the campus more welcoming to the A matter of degrees (this column, from top): One student keeps her cool in style. MBA candidate Charlene Harrison. Graduate speaker Aries Hines. Far right, from top: Graduation becomes a family affair. A flurry of confetti in the seniors’ class color adds a festive touch. Lauren Searle-LeBel and Kimi Taira enjoy the celebration. Cameras capture unforgettable moments on stage.

needs of students with children. Totalling well over $5,000, this is more than twice the amount of any previous class gift.

Congratulations and good luck to the Class of 2008!

summer 2008

9

Classy Women:

Two outstanding graduates Every Mills graduate has a unique story. Here we present those of two members of the Class of 2008, one undergraduate and one graduate, whose accomplishments epitomize the high degree of academic and creative excellence cultivated at Mills. Whether pursuing the science of economics or the art of new music, these two women show how the College’s brilliant faculty, availability of financial aid, respect for individual talents and interests, and support of women’s education creates the leaders who are earning recognition today and will change the world of tomorrow.

“She’s an outstanding student, with enormous intellectual alacrity,” says her advisor, David Roland-Holst, professor of

Eliza Rogers

economics. “She takes a deep interest in scholarship, rather

Most students with a knack for numbers head to Wall Street.

than just learning skills, and is extremely supportive of her fel-

Elizabeth “Eliza” Rogers ’08 is heading in the opposite direction: fighting global poverty.

Rogers, who will begin her studies toward a PhD in economics at MIT this fall, plans to work as an academic researcher and use her expertise to help form policy affecting developing nations.

“I’ve always been interested in what I could do to improve the world,” says Rogers. “I’m good at math and economics, and this is a way I can use my skills to improve things.”

If her success at Mills is any indication, Rogers’ career is off to a stellar start. Rogers, a double major in economics and mathematics, won the George Backus Brown Award for outstanding scholastic achievement in math. She’s also one of only a handful of students nationwide to win a National Science Foundation fellowship.

low students.” Rogers served as a teaching assistant and reader for other undergraduate classes and took graduate courses in math and economics at UC Berkeley.

Rogers grew up in Delaware, Florida, and Indiana, and came to Mills on a Trustee Scholarship. She knew immediately that Mills was the school for her. “When I visited campus, I was drawn in by the friendly environment,” she said. “I wanted to attend a small school, with a strong sense of community.”

Attending a women’s college was critical to her success in the male-dominated fields of math and economics, she adds.

“Mills provided me with a supporting and encouraging environment that allowed me to discover my interests and talents free from the competitive pressures of other schools,” she says.

“With the confidence I found at Mills, I feel well prepared to

President Holmgren confers three honorary degrees “I too found my voice on this campus….

And it is my wish for you, Class of 2008, that you find your voice, speak up, and use it well.”

–Renel Brooks-Moon ’81

San Francisco Giants announcer Renel Brooks-Moon ’81, pictured at left with President Janet L. Holmgren, received an honorary doctor of arts and letters degree from the College during Commencement 2008.

Also honored was Commencement speaker Rita Moreno, the awardwinning actress, singer, and dancer (third from left), with a doctor of fine arts degree. Glenn Voyles (right), an investment management expert who has been a Mills mentor, advisor, fundraiser, and donor since 1996, received a doctor of business degree. Voyles is now serving in his fourth term as a member of the Mills Board of Trustees.

10

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

compete and excel at my current program at MIT and in my career as an economist.”

During her undergraduate studies at McGill University in Montreal, Chan’s professors and friends encouraged her to pur-

Rogers does find time to relax every now and then. Before

sue new music performance, especially improvisation. “I am

heading off to MIT’s economics department, among the top in

interested in how you can create a unique and very individual

the country, Rogers and her boyfriend spent two months travel-

form of expression in improvised music. From that, I feel that

ing in Europe. “It was good to have a break,” she says. “But I’m

contemporary improvisation emphasizes the collaborative and

looking forward to the next challenges.”

organic characteristics of music making,” Chan says.

—Carolyn Jones

Charity Chan Combining innovative techniques, in-depth scholarly knowledge, and an exuberant sense of fun, MFA graduate Charity Chan explores new frontiers of music performance using piano, accordion, and vocalization. She has performed at numerous new music festivals throughout Canada and the United States and has presented her academic research at several music societies and conferences.

Chan grew up in Guelph, a small college town in southern Ontario. She was surrounded by music from an early age. Her mother began teaching her classical piano at age two, and as a child she participated in choirs, school bands, and orchestra. “I had a very active imagination,” Chan says, “and I was fascinated

The experimental bent of the Music Department at Mills was a strong draw for Chan. “I decided to attend Mills because of the quality of the faculty, their commitment to new music and improvisation, and their openness to allowing me to pursue work in both performance and scholarly research,” she says. She studied improvisation with professors Fred Frith and Roscoe Mitchell, among others. Mills supported Chan’s work with a full graduate fellowship and a graduate research opportunity grant, as well as two additional scholarship awards. This year, she received the Flora Boyd Piano Performance Prize.

After performing at jazz and experimental music festivals in Montreal this summer, Chan will release a solo album this fall.

She is also beginning a PhD program in musicology at Princeton University. Though Princeton’s program focuses primarily on scholarly studies, Chan plans to continue to perform in tandem with her research.

She feels well prepared to continue her studies and practice.

“The faculty in the Mills Music Department were very supportive of me pursuing both performance and research work in improvisation,” she says. “It is very encouraging to have such well-respected scholars and artists supporting and cultivating

with the moods and stories that I could hear in the music I was

your interests.”

learning.” Her imagination was further broadened through expo-

To help Mills provide scholarships to students like Rogers and

sure to the acclaimed Guelph Jazz Festival and the active music

Chan, call the Mills College Annual Fund at 510.430.2366 or

scenes and new music festivals in the nearby cities of Toronto

use the enclosed envelope.

and Kitchener-Waterloo.

Alumnae banner bearers welcome new graduates

In keeping with the Mills tradition of unity and support, alumnae came out in force to welcome this year’s crop of graduates. Pictured here, left to right, are banner bearers for three of the participating classes: Rina Faletti ’81; Class of 2007 representatives Gema Ornelas, Tee Sullivan, Jessica Mosqueda, Jackie Antig, and Daisy Gonzalez; and Rita Stuckey, MA ’01, EdD ’05. summer 2008

11

A Bent Twig is a Mills student or alumna whose family tree includes another Mills alumna. We are proud to recognize Bent Twigs in this year’s graduating class.

3

2

4

1

Bent Twigs 2008 Bent Twigs

’Tis education forms the common mind:

7

5 12 

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

6 5

m u s i c b u i l d i n g m u r a l d e ta i l s b y r ay m o n d b o y n t o n

8 photos by bruce cook

10 9

11

12

Just as the twig is bent, the tree’s inclined.

—Alexander Pope, 1734

1. Karen D. H. Hargraves ’78 and her daughter Kristina G. H. Hargraves ’08 2. Susanne Pierce Dyer ’73 and her cousin Nashwa Emam ’08 3. Kristie Kern ’02, MBA ’07, and her twin sister, Kathie Kern ’02, MBA ’08 4. Ashley Eisele ’08 with her sister Emily Eisele ’06 5. Gloria Fong ’08 and her mother, Wendy Lau Fong ’84 6. Jennifer Heystek ’04 and her sister Stephanie Neira ’08

13

7. Carmen Hartono ’90 with her daughter Stephanie Joy Hartono ’08 8. Julia McIlroy ’04 with her sister Katrina McIlroy ’08 9. Cheryl Daniels ’73 with her daughter Anna Winsemius ’08 10. Christina Walker ’08 and her aunt Glynda Cober Hardin ’77 11. Angelina Nicole, MFA ’03, and her sister Aviana Lynn ’08 12. Paulette Boudreaux ’91 and her stepdaughter Ariana Frances Lloyd ’08 13. Morguine Sefcik ’00 and her sister Johanna Flynn-Sousa ’08 14. Alexa Kehoe Goldstrom ’08 with her mother, Linda M. Kehoe ’81

14 summer 2008

13

School’s in for summer

By Valerie Sullivan

represented groups. Besides the Toyota

Foundation, is open to girls who are about

Math and Science Experience, such pro-

to start high school, where they are able

grams include Upward Bound, for inner-

to choose their classes for the first time.

city youth; the Hellman Summer Science

“Those decisions are critical,” Lemon

and Math Fellows Program, for incom-

says. “If you opt out of science and math

ing Mills freshwomen; and the Summer

courses, you’re decreasing your options

Academic Workshop, which provides

for your college studies.”

academic support for first-generation college students entering Mills.

T

Students are chosen from the 350 sixththrough eighth-grade girls who attend

Upward Bound, a federally funded,

the Expanding Your Horizons conference,

he 28 teenage girls looked anything

academic program for teenagers from

a day of fun science and math lessons for

but homesick as they bent over their com-

impoverished neighborhoods, has oper-

middle school girls hosted each spring by

puters, making multimedia presentations

ated at Mills since 1966. Mills’ program is

Mills. Selected students spend two weeks

of their first week of activities at Mills.

one of the largest and most successful in

on campus in July, living in the dorms

Photographs of using dry ice to make ice

the country, sending almost all its gradu-

and attending classes. Many of them

cream, taking a nature walk, meeting with

ating seniors on to college. This summer,

will be first-generation college students.

a local author, and learning how to take

106 Upward Bound teens lived on cam-

“In some ways, that’s the most powerful

their blood pressure filled their screens,

pus for five weeks, taking classes in sci-

aspect of these two weeks,” Lemon says.

with an occasional giggle or groan over

ence, technology, engineering, and math.

“It shows them there are other parts of

a presentation gone wrong. The girls

Both the Toyota and Hellman pro-

were part of the Toyota Math and Science

grams are designed to encourage women

Experience, a two-week summer program

to pursue careers in mathematics and

designed to strengthen their interest

the sciences, disciplines in which they

Math Fellows Program, funded for five

and abilities in mathematics and the sci-

are traditionally underrepresented. The

years by a grant from the Hellman family,

ences. “It’s like a camp where you get to

programs involve engaging, hands-on

provides a similar framework for incom-

stay for two weeks,” said Rebekah Lama,

activities, lectures, and interaction with

ing Mills freshwomen and aims to equip

a remarkably self-possessed 14-year-old

female science faculty who serve as

them for success in college science and

who plans to become a doctor. “I love

inspirations “for what these students can

math courses. For four weeks, students

math and science. It was also interesting

be,” says Lisa Lemon, coordinator of the

live on campus and attend classes, includ-

to know new friends and sleep in a dorm

Toyota Math and Science Experience.

ing a three-hour nightly study session.

the world out there.”

The Hellman Summer Science and

room,” added Ana Pena, 13, who wants to

The Toyota program, funded for three

“Students learn best when they can see

be an architect or work in the computer

years with a grant from the Toyota USA

the application of theory to the real world,”

industry.

Although the academic year is over

out the summer. Most of these programs

“I kicked and screamed like a three-year old child all the way here. But the people I met in those first 20 minutes are my best friends at school today.”

expand access to education for under-

–Elena Whitely ’11, Hellman Math and Science Experience participant

and most students have abandoned campus, Mills bustles with programs through-

14

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

Work and play: Hellman students get hands-on experience in the field (far left) and in the lab (right).

The program includes activities, like the photo safari (center), to help build supportive social networks. All photos were taken by the students.

and come out of school with options,” he says. “I want them to have a sense of being a social change agent, making the says Helen Walter, program director. Last

ensure success by bringing together

world a better place.”

year, for example, students learned about

first-generation college students from

environmental science by testing the pH

low-income neighborhoods. Over a four-

To find out how you can support the

level of Leona Creek and about biology

week period, students live on campus

by isolating their own DNA and examin-

and log 57 hours of classroom time, tak-

ing it for a particular genetic marker. They

ing courses in math, English, and sociol-

even learned how to identify a theoretical

ogy. Participants also agree to mandatory

criminal CSI-style, by analyzing the DNA

study halls through their sophomore

of four possible suspects. Emphasis is also

year. The combination of academic

placed on improving study skills, which

preparation and social support network building has paid off admirably: SAW stu-

“Most students do not really learn until

dents exhibit a grade-point average well

they start teaching others. You can’t learn

over 3.0 and first-year retention rates 15

science on your own. You need to be in

percent or more above the campus aver-

groups where you’re talking and discuss-

age. The program models the academic

ing concepts,” Walters says.

experience all first-year students will

Sixteen students participated in the

face, including the development of criti-

program this summer. Of the 15 who took

cal thinking and analytic skills, says SAW

part in summer 2007, all but one (an art

Director Bruce Williams, Fletcher Jones

major with an interest in science) contin-

Professor of Sociology.

ued to pursue science and math during

This summer, 25 students participated

the academic year. One of these is Elena

in SAW, the largest group ever. Williams,

Whitely, who admits her first reaction to

who became director in 2000, admits

the proposition of spending four weeks of

that he may appear to be a drill sergeant

her summer in school was a “big, fat no.”

when students first arrive. Underneath

“My big mistake was letting my par-

that surface toughness, however, is a

ents look at the invitation,” she laughs.

passionate belief in students’ ability to

Both doctors, they urged her to attend.

excel. “My whole philosophy is you don’t

“I kicked and screamed like a three-year-

underestimate these kids. I err on the

old child all the way here,” she says. “But

side of overestimating rather than under-

the people I met in those first 20 minutes

estimating them,” he says.

Williams was a first-generation college

are my best friends at school today.”

2007

student who dropped out of college for

“Hellwoman”, says she appreciates the

three years before meeting a mentor who

nightly study sessions, which helped

encouraged him to believe in himself. “He

identify her learning style and improve

taught me that I had the wherewithal to

her own habits. “I went to a good high

be an intellectual and a scholar if that’s

school, but not a lot of emphasis was

what I wanted to be,” Williams says.

Katelyn

Ricks,

another

placed on study skills,” she says. “Here,

He hopes to impart a similar message

I learned a lot about how I study and

to his students. “I want them to be able

things I could improve on.”

to write and think at a far more sophis-

Now in its 20th year, Mills’ Summer

ticated level than when they came in. I

Academic Workshop (SAW) works to

want them to have a sense of themselves

call 510.430.2097.

SummerDance Some 30 students danced, twirled, and stretched their way through a variety of dance classes during the first SummerDance, an instructional workshop offered this June by Mills College.

Future SummerDance programs will include instruction in modern dance as well as ballet, says Sonya Delwaide, assistant professor of dance and department chair.

This year’s program focused on ballet and drew participants from throughout the area, including advanced dance students from Mills and professionals from the community.

By bringing in leading guest artists, the program will help keep Mills engaged in the wider dance community. Delwaide says, “The Mills name will be out there as a real source for the dance community.”

Guest artist/instructors this year included Amy Seiwert, assistant director of the Smuin Ballet, and Joanna Berman and Muriel Maffre, both retired from the San Francisco Ballet. Other guest artists included Pampa Cortes and Gigi Jensen in tango, and Mestre Sueli in the popular Brazilian dance/martial art form, capoeira. bruce cook

includes learning to work collaboratively.

Toyota, Hellman, or SAW programs,

summer 2008

15

Coming Home Stars in dance, music, and art welcome alumnae back to campus The four days of Reunion 2008—September 18, 19, 20, and 21—will feature more than 40 events that showcase the great intellectual and creative power of Mills faculty, students, and alumnae and celebrate the bonds that keep alumnae connected to the College and to each other.

On the following pages, we present a preview of three highlights of the weekend: Learn more about Convocation speaker Trisha Brown ’58, who has created a lasting impact in the world of modern dance; the continuing legacy of composer Darius Milhaud and his wife, Madeleine, an accomplished artist to whom this year’s Milhaud Concert is dedicated; and Professor of Studio Art Hung Liu, who will host a tour of the studio where she creates her monumental and thought-provoking works.

There are plenty of additional activities to choose from—including campus tours, a literary salon, panel discussions, and a chance to meet new Provost and Dean of the Faculty Sandra C. Greer—and there is still time to sign up to join in this memorable event. Go to www.mills.edu/reunion for a full schedule and online registration. A few activities during Reunion—such as Convocation, the President’s State of the College Address, the Darius Milhaud Concert, and the AAMC Bylaws Meeting—do not require payment of registration fees.

Alumnae Awards honor the best At noon on Saturday, the Alumnae Association of Mills College will host the second annual Alumnae Awards Luncheon. Join your classmates to honor Trisha Brown ’58 with the Distinguished Achievement Award. The Outstanding Volunteer Award will be presented to Peggy Weber ’65 of Minneapolis, who has served with unparalleled enthusiasm as an alumna admissions representative, a Trustee of Mills College, and a volunteer on many AAMC committees; and the Recent Graduate Award will go to Ramona Lisa Smith ’01, MBA ’02, of Oakland, who has gracefully balanced service as treasurer and a member of the AAMC Board of Governors with family and career in the years since her graduation.

Reunion registration required.

just added to the schedule Latin jazz pianist and composer Rebeca Mauleón ’89, MA ’97, and her quintet will entertain alumnae at Mills on Friday, September 19, from 10:00 pm to midnight.

Reunion registration required. To learn more about Mauleón, who will perform the following day at the Monterey Jazz Festival, visit www.rebecamauleon.com.

Going Away, Coming Home is from the collection of the Port of Oakland. Photo by Jack Fulton

Dancing in the dorm Lessons learned at Mills enabled Trisha Brown ’58 to transform the modern dance scene

By Rachel Howard No artistic movement in dance is more

Trisha Brown performing her 1985 piece, Lateral Pass.

synonymous with New York than the Judson Dance Theater postmodernists, and arguably no choreographer from that movement is more influential and revered than Trisha Brown. Winner of the dance history.

MacArthur Foundation’s “genius grant,”

routines” as a girl in rural Aberdeen,

the National Medal of Arts, and practically

Washington, she dove into serious train-

After nearly four decades of push-

every other accolade in her field, Brown—

ing at Mills, which at that time empha-

ing the boundaries of dance in New

who will deliver this year’s Convocation

sized the methods of the mother of

York, Brown—still performing at age

keynote address on September 19 and

modern dance, Martha Graham. But some

71—looks back fondly on her Mills years.

receive the 2008 Distinguished Alumna

of Brown’s favorite dance lessons took

She remembers studying French with

Award on September 20—jumped in with

place in the dorm, where she and friends

Madeleine Milhaud, wife of avant-garde

the other rebels presenting their work at

would throw on records after lunch. “The

composer and Mills professor Darius

Manhattan’s Judson Church in the early

lunch period was highlighted by this dra-

Milhaud; Brown worked in their house

1960s and founded her Trisha Brown

matic, wild dancing,” she says. “Almost

and would join the couple for Sunday teas.

Dance Company in 1970.

daily, for years. It was wildly fun.”

Madeleine Milhaud told her, “Patricia,

She made dances with simple impro-

The work was serious in the studio,

get married.” She didn’t listen—and found

visational commands like “lie down” and

where professor Rebecca Fuller schooled

the rest of her Mills education pushed

“sit,” dances that sent performers scal-

Brown in basic composition. “I was buffa-

her towards independence. Jewelry class

ing the sides of buildings, dances whose

loed on the subject of choreography and

taught her unexpected lessons: “The

startling torques and torsions changed

wanting very much to learn more about it,

teacher was irritated that I didn’t access

the idea of how the human body could

and Becky took me in to the dance studio

abstraction at all,” she recalls. “I think

move. She became a star artist of a quint-

and said, ‘OK,’” Brown says. “I said, ‘OK,

about that every once in a while, as I

essentially East Coast intellectualism.

what?’ I began developing small phrases.

think about how later I slid effortlessly

But her maverick talent has its roots in

It was an arduous process, but one that

into abstraction.” A lecture with icono-

the West, at Mills, with lessons that tran-

gave me ideas I could go on to work with

clastic composer John Cage, she says, was

scend any aesthetic camp.

in the future.”

“a life-changing experience.”

“The women teaching me at Mills

The biggest step in that future arrived

Continuing to make experimental new

were very strong women, with their

thanks to Fuller. Brown had gradu-

dances to rave reviews, Brown promises

hair pulled back,” remembers the 1958

ated and was teaching at Oregon’s Reed

fresh insights in her Convocation key-

graduate, writing via email during a

College when Fuller suggested she take

note speech. “If I shirked my duty of tell-

performing tour this summer in France.

a summer workshop with a woman

ing the students at Mills all my secrets,”

“They worked like draft horses. I recall

named Anna Halprin, in Marin. Halprin

she says, “I would be remiss.”

Eleanor Lauer saying, ‘You are not tired.’

taught radical new notions of improvisa-

Trisha Brown ’58 will be the keynote

The foundation of my work ethic to this

tion, suggesting that a quotidian task like

speaker at Convocation on Friday,

day was learned at Mills.”

sweeping a deck could be a dance. Brown,

September 19. This free event takes place

So was the foundation of Brown’s

along with now-famous Halprin students

at 10:15 am on Toyon Meadow and is

dance technique. After performing what

like Yvonne Rainer and Simone Forti,

open to all alumnae. Reunion registra-

she once called “Hollywood-style dance

soon moved to New York—and the rest is

tion is not required. summer 2008

17

Spirits of innovation The French composer Darius Milhaud and his wife, Madeleine, created a lasting artistic influence at Mills and around the world

By Valerie Sullivan their own voices. “His students adored

One has only to look around the Mills

Anita Aragon Bowers ’63, president of

campus and talk to people who knew

the Alumnae Association of Mills College,

Darius and Madeleine Milhaud to under-

recalls presenting Milhaud with a blue

While Madame Milhaud devoted much

stand the powerful legacy of the composer

beanie and Mills beer stein when he was

of her life to supporting her husband’s

and his wife. This year’s Reunion will fea-

made an honorary member of her Class

work, she also was an actress, musician,

ture the annual Darius Milhaud Concert,

of 1963, one of the classes being honored

intellectual, and close associate of some

in honor of the prolific composer who

at Reunion 2008. “He was a thoroughly

of the leading artists of the time. At Mills,

taught at Mills from 1940 to 1971, spend-

gracious and congenial man,” she says.

she taught classes in French diction and

him,” Bernstein says.

ing alternate years at Mills and the Paris

The Milhauds arrived at Mills in 1940

literature. She wrote libretti for Milhaud’s

Conservatoire after 1946. The concert is

after fleeing their beloved Paris when

operas, performed speaking roles in works

dedicated to Madame Milhaud, an artist

the Germans invaded France. They were

by Stravinsky and Arthur Honegger, and

and intellectual in her own right, who

invited to campus at a particularly cre-

was among the first actresses to perform

died in Paris in January.

ative time. “It was a golden age at Mills…

on the radio.

Accolades such as “generous,” “gifted,”

an incredible time in the fields of dance,

At one time, Bernstein and his family

“gracious,” and “open minded” regularly

art, and writing,” says Professor of Music

lived in the faculty house once occupied

accompany reminiscences of the two.

David Bernstein. “Milhaud was just a per-

by the Milhauds. His interest prompted

“The Milhauds were simply the greatest

fect match for Mills. He contributed to

him to visit Madame Milhaud at her

influences on our lives during those post-

the ongoing development of experimen-

Paris home in 1994. Her apartment, filled

war years,” Iola Brubeck, a graduate stu-

talism in his own way through his per-

with artwork by legendary artists such as

dent at Mills in 1947, wrote in one such

sonality, aesthetics, openness, teaching,

Picasso, was a testament to a long life, well

remembrance. Her husband, jazz great

and musical example.”

lived. “There aren’t many of those people

Dave Brubeck, studied under Milhaud in 1946–47.

The Mills Music Department is inter-

around today—people who have in their

nationally known for its experimental

memories the experience of living in the

tradition in composition, free improvi-

entire 20th century,” Bernstein says.

sation, electronic music, and computer

Bernstein recalls being struck by her wit,

music. Bernstein credits this spirit of

charm, and keen, penetrating eyes. “She

innovation to composers like Milhaud,

was a woman intellectual who held her

who was unafraid to explore new musical

own during a time when that wasn’t an

techniques, including indeterminacy and

easy accomplishment,” he says. “She would

noise. Milhaud also experimented with

not sacrifice her convictions for anything,

polytonality (writing in two or more keys

but she also wasn’t intolerant. She had

at the same time), delighting in the audi-

strength of character without arrogance.

ence’s spontaneous and overwhelmingly

And, like Darius, at the core of her person-

negative response to one of his perfor-

ality was a profound humanism.”

mances. As he explained in his autobiog-

During the Darius Milhaud Concert

raphy My Happy Life, “It is the indifference

College Art Museum, the all-women

siasm, or vehement protests, are proof

Eclipse Quartet will perform Milhaud’s

that your work is alive.”

String Quartets 1 and 18. The perfor-

Milhaud was a close associate of

Madeleine and Darius Milhaud 18

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

at 8:00 pm, September 19, in the Mills

of the public which is depressing: enthu-

mance will be filmed by the French–

composers such as Erik Satie and Igor

German channel ARTE for their upcoming

Stravinsky. He was also “an extraordi-

documentary film on Darius Milhaud.

narily generous and gifted teacher” who

Admission to the concert is free and does

encouraged students like Brubeck to find

not require Reunion registration.

Creative space

Hung Liu with two works in progress (see the finished pieces on page 3); In front of her work Going Away, Coming Home (below), collection of the Port of Oakland.

both Chinese and Western political idejeff kelley

als, and exploring the ensuing contradic-

Hung Liu works historical motifs and cultural themes into art on a grand scale

tions is at the core of much of her work.

Liu grew up in China in the midst of the Cultural Revolution; as a young adult she was sent to the countryside for reeducation, where she began drawing and photographing peasants. Liu earned an MFA at the Central Academy of Fine Arts

By Pamela Wilson

Oakland International Airport, integrates

in Beijing and began teaching there. She

two other touchstones of Liu’s style: mul-

later earned an MFA at UC San Diego.

Hung Liu’s studio, just over a mile from

tiple circles—a figure that symbolizes, in

At the front of her studio, works in

the Mills College campus, is a peaceful,

Chinese and other traditions, that the uni-

progress feature menacing, prehistoric-

bright oasis. High ceilings, abundant sky-

verse has no beginning and no end—and

looking fish, representing subtle, ambig-

lights, and impossibly white walls exude

dripping paint, which introduces gravity

uous emotions: In one piece, they may

tranquility and order. There is room here

and chance into the artistic process.

embody unconscious memory as they

for the imagination to take flight as well

A second mural, Take Off, was installed

swim into the forehead of a serene,

as room for Liu’s enormous paintings,

at San Francisco International Airport in

thoughtful older woman. In another, one

which require a great deal of space both

early spring. In May, two solo exhibitions

big fish lurks beyond the frame of a por-

to create and to appreciate. Her work is

opened in Beijing (see page 3) and another

trait of a bride on her wedding day. Photos

big—physically, intellectually, and emo-

was mounted in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

taken by American visitors to China over

tionally.

Liu’s work is also included a show at the

a century ago provide the source material

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

for these paintings. “I feel like somebody

through October 6.

long ago from the West captured some-

The tranquility of her studio masks the artist’s enormous creative energy. Liu combines her training as a muralist in

One might expect to find some evi-

one in the East, captured these Chinese

the socialist realist style with a postmod-

dence of this hustle and bustle in Liu’s

women,” Liu says. Her re-appropriation of

ern approach that questions all received

studio, but all is orderly and peaceful,

those images, in a sense, reclaims those

knowledge, regardless of its cultural or

creating an ideal environment for taking

who have been objectified, along with

political

in Liu’s art.

the right to interpret their images.

foundations.

She

sometimes

In the back of the studio, several pieces

The artist’s trip to Beijing this spring

side or layers images and interpretations

provide an overview of Liu’s artistic explo-

allowed Liu glimpses into history in the

from different epochs and traditions. The

rations since coming to Mills in 1990. In

making—including

cranes in Liu’s Going Away, Coming Home,

Modern Times, from 2005, portraits of Marx,

of May’s massive earthquake in China’s

the piece that gives Mills’ 2008 Reunion

Engels, Lenin, and Stalin vie with portraits

Sichuan province and preparations for the

its theme, originally appeared on a 12th-

Liu copied from Van Gogh to present two

2008 Olympic Games—which is supply-

century Chinese silk scroll; now they are

versions of the modern era—one that values

ing inspiration for several new works. As

superimposed on 21st-century satellite

the political above all and another that val-

she comments on her website, www.kel-

images. The mural, which is installed at

ues the artistic. The canvas includes three

liu.com, “History is not a static image or

working alarm clocks produced in China

a frozen story. It is not a noun. Even if its

during the Cultural Revolution, each with

images and stories are very old, it is always

a Red Guard waving a copy of Mao’s Little

flowing forward. History is a verb.”

Red Book on its face.

Hung Liu’s studio will be open to

frederic larson

places contradictory readings side by

“The revolutionary clock is still ticking, even though we’re now in a different century,” Liu explains. Her stance is profoundly ambivalent: She appreciates the dreams and aspirations that underlie

television

coverage

Reunioning alumnae on Saturday, September 20, by advance registration only. Space is strictly limited to the first 50 registrants. A bus to the studio will leave the Mills campus at 3:30 pm.

19

Bookshelf The poetics and politics of identity Kissing Dead Girls and other recent work Daphne Gottlieb, MFA ’01 Soft Skull Press, 2008 DaphneGottlieb.com

Standing six feet tall in black combat

“I want to examine representations and push at them to see where they bend or if they can be broken.”

boots, with a sheaf of raven dread-

Award and was a finalist for the Lambda Literary

locks hanging to her waist and sport-

Award. She has also produced a graphic novel,

ing a gallery of vivid tattoos, Daphne

Jokes and the Unconscious (Cleis Press, 2006), with

Gottlieb, MFA ’01, cuts a striking fig-

cartoonist Diane DiMassa, the creator of Hothead

ure as she reads from her latest book,

Paisan. This summer, in addition to Kissing Dead

Kissing Dead Girls. But what’s even more extraor-

Girls, Gottlieb has released F***ing Daphne (Seal

dinary than Gottlieb’s physical presence is the

Press), the second collection of stories she has

poetry she shares with the several dozen listeners

edited, which gathers appearances of her own char-

at Booksmith book store on San Francisco’s Haight

acter in works of fiction by other writers.

Street on a brisk July evening.

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

“This anthology takes control over my own

Informed by a mix of feminist theory and pop

myth,” she says. “There are all these portraits peo-

culture, Gottlieb’s poems burst with humor and

ple have written about me…most of them are false.

violence, longing and heartbreak, gritty reality and

I see it in the papers, too—the promo for the read-

philosophical reflection, all pushed by an immedi-

ing called me a ‘kinky sex poet.’ Now I think I’m a

acy that leaves the reader breathless. She describes

lot of things, but I don’t think I’m a kinky sex poet.

the origins of her new book, saying, “I wanted to

The myth is there, but this Daphne ‘character’ isn’t

take a look at the myths of Mata Hari and Helen

me, there was already a separation.”

Keller and Clara Bow and Josephine Baker—all

This is a natural progression for a poet who has

these women who are dead and so well known and

always poked at the preconceptions embodied in

documented that there’s nothing left

all sorts of archetypes and stereotypes, from the

of them but a name, which is a myth.

femme fatale to the housewife to the other woman.

I wanted to see if I could dig under

Her 2003 book, Final Girl (Soft Skull Press), which

the surface and tell an absolutely

won the Audre Lorde Award in Poetry, is con-

beautiful lie, written as a lover.”

structed around the concept of the last surviving

Born in Philadelphia and raised in

character in slasher films, who is frequently female

upstate New York, Gottlieb started

and must make the choice to be killed or to stand

writing very early in life. “I had my

and fight.

first poem published when I was

“I want to examine representations and push at

eight, in a library’s journal for kids,

them to see where they bend or if they can be bro-

and I thought, ‘Hey, this is pretty

ken,” Gottlieb says. And that exploration is at the

cool.’ We do the things we get a lot

heart of Gottlieb’s creativity. For her, poetry allows

of approbation for early on, and I got

“a deeper searching, whether it’s political or social

that for my writing.”

or existential. It’s a way of making sense of things,”

Since completing her MFA at

she says. “I write to make sense, or if there’s some-

Mills in 2001, she has published

thing I need and can’t find—you have to write it,

four volumes of poetry: her second,

finally, yourself.”

Why Things Burn (Soft Skull Press,

20

2001), received the Firecracker Alternative Book

—Linda Schmidt

SINK SWIM OR

By Colleen Kinney ’90

Colleen Kinney (left) on the morning of Sharkfest with her Olney Hall porchmate Heather Brown.

I was about to turn 40, and didn’t feel especially happy about it.

admit that they would remain forever the weaker sex” (America’s

But heck, since the milestone was unavoidable, I decided I may as

Champion Swimmer by David A. Adler). Ederle proved them wrong

well commemorate it. The big question was, How?

in 1926, when she became the first woman to swim the Channel—

I opted to take part in Sharkfest 2008, a 1.5-mile swim in San Francisco Bay from Alcatraz Island to the city’s Aquatic Park, sans wetsuit, in 57-degree water.

and shattered the men’s record in doing so.

There were some rough parts during the swim from Alcatraz. I’d completed races at longer distances in midwestern lakes, but the

It had been more than 20 years since I swam at Hellman Pool

bay felt like a deep chasm of immeasurable depth. I tried to keep

for coach Karen Koshak. So much has changed at Mills and in my

my stroke strong and my breathing regular despite the waves

own life. Hellman pool has been replaced by Trefethen Aquatic

that drenched me each time I turned for air. Gulping seawater, I

Center, and I have become a sleep-deprived, stressed-out, stay-

thought of open-water sensation Lynne Cox, who swims through-

at-home mother of four healthy, active youngsters. Triplets Jack,

out the world in extremely frigid, rough water. At 16, Cox cap-

Mary, and Ben were almost two years old when baby Ivy came

tured the world record for crossing the English Channel. When

along. I admit I was feeling old. Luckily, I discovered that swim-

the cold bay waters chilled me through, I thought, “C’mon, this

ming a few times a week helped keep me sane. I started training

isn’t the South Pole.”

with Central Iowa Aquatic Masters and took part in several open water races, including a five-kilometer swim in Lake Michigan.

Looking up every few meters, it was difficult to make out San Francisco landmarks, such as Coit Tower, because although it was

So when I initially heard of Sharkfest, the spontaneous side

a typical foggy morning, smoke still lingered from the California

of me thought, “Why not be daring?” Yet the rational side of me

wildfires. I was concerned about missing the entrance into Aquatic

thought it was absurd, even suicidal.

Park, which would have meant the unbeatable current would

But many other women have done it, some of them decades ago.

have pulled me too far to swim in. It would also have meant that

Anastasia Scott, 17-year-old daughter of a staff sergeant stationed

I would have to be brought back to shore on a boat, a huge disap-

at Alcatraz, was the first woman to complete the swim, according

pointment. When I saw the Ghirardelli Chocolate sign, one of my

to the San Francisco Chronicle on October 18, 1933. The reporter

landmarks, I raced as fast possible. My heart was pounding. Once

even noted that Scott did it “without batting a dusky eyelash.”

I made it past the jetty walls, I sprinted to the finish.

Some 75 years later, on June 28, 2008, I nervously boarded one

It’s been 20 years but Koshak’s mantra, “You know yourself,” still

of the two ferries at Pier 41 and headed to Alcatraz with about

sticks with me, whether I’m going bonkers raising four youngsters

800 mostly wetsuit-clad swimmers. Apprehensively, I questioned

or training for a swim. Her words remind me of my potential—and

why I was there.

limitations—in working to achieve a goal. The challenge of com-

When it was my turn to take the plunge, I hesitated slightly

pleting Sharkfest was exhilarating and unforgettable. I finished the

before diving into the brisk water. Anxious and cold, I focused on

race in 44 minutes, emerging from the water with salmon-colored

other remarkable female swimmers in history, such as Olympic

skin and numb feet, and earned first place in my age group.

medalist Gertrude Ederle. Skeptics said Ederle would fail in her attempt to cross the English Channel and “that women must

Not bad for an old lady. Now what will I do to celebrate my fiftieth?

I dedicate this swim to Sydney Silverman Lindauer ’31, 1909-2005, who led an active life for over nine decades. Until her death, Mrs. Lindauer wrote a weekly column for the daily paper in Red Bluff, California, participated in many community causes, and swam almost daily. It is my hope that my life will be half as fulfilling. —Colleen Kinney

summer 2008

27

Alumnae Club Report Alumnae as far from Mills as Saudi Arabia and China enjoyed opportunities this past spring to meet with President Janet L. Holmgren in their home towns, hear the latest news about Mills, and catch up with each other. President Holmgren—accompanied by Executive Vice President for Institutional Advancement Ramon Torrecilha and Vice President for Development Virginia Rivera—travelled to Jeddah to join alumnae in the Middle East for dinners at the homes of Maha Al-JuffaliGhandour ’82 and Deema Al Sulaiman Kabani ’82 on March 9 and 10. On May 10, the President attended the Los Angeles Mills College Alumnae’s spring general meeting (more news on this event below). In Hong Kong on May 21, President Holmgren, College officers Torrecilha and Rivera, and 30 Mills alumnae and friends gathered for a festive Hong Kong Mills Club dinner, hosted by Carol Chiu ’63 and arranged by Lillian Chan ’76.

On May 4, the Oakland–Berkeley Branch…

The Santa Barbara–Ventura Mills Alumnae Branch enjoyed a walking tour of Lotusland estate and botanic gardens on May 3.

Branch President Aliza Shima ’59 and ten other people attended this event to raise funds for Mills scholarships at the unique 37-acre garden created by opera singer Ganna Walska. Afterwards, the group happily lunched together at a restaurant overlooking the Santa Barbara Bird Refuge.

On May 4, the Oakland–Berkeley Branch enjoyed the company of classmates and students at the Mills College Art Museum when they gathered for a sneak peek of the MFA Exhibition prior to the opening reception. Museum Director Jessica Hough gave the group a private tour and introduced alumnae to the artists.

The Phenomenal Women of Color event drew alumnae back to campus on April 18 to honor Mills seniors of color. Courtney Donnell ’08 received the Ethnic Studies Outstanding Student Award, Silvia Kim ’08 was honored with the Reaching Beyond Award, and the Spirit of Dolores Huerta Award was presented to Maria Dominguez ’08. The event was co-sponsored by the Alumnae Association of Mills College Alumnae of Color Committee and the Ethnic Studies Department. Alumnae had the unique opportunity to view the last academic year in pictures through the Ethnic Studies Department slideshow, and all participants left the event inspired after

28

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

hearing featured speaker Amina Mama, Barbara Lee Distinguished Chair in Women’s Leadership.

Want to get involved with your local branch?

Contact alumnae-relations @mills.edu or 510.430.3363 to find out who’s in your area.

The Los Angeles Mills College Alumnae held their spring general meeting at the Skirball Cultural Center, one of the world’s most dynamic Jewish cultural institutions, on May 10. A group of over 40 guests gathered to enjoy networking with alumnae representing five decades of Mills classes and to meet President Janet L. Holmgren, Alumna Trustee Susan Brown Penrod ’71, Vice President for Development Virginia Rivera, and newly appointed Director of Alumnae Relations Laura Gobbi. The day’s activities included a luncheon and a private tour of the exhibition Bob Dylan’s American Journey, 1955–1965.

A special thanks to the many who organized this event, including Laurel Burden ’68, Julia Casey ’92, Bonnie Leaver ’58, Nangee Morrison ’63, and Barbara Werlin ’50.

An intimate group of alumnae met for a delicious breakfast at The Cottage in Laguna Beach on June 28. The breakfast, organized

by Julia Almanzan ’92, was followed by a docent-led tour of the visiting exhibition at the Laguna Art Museum. Enthusiasm was high for the re-establishment of the Mills College Club of Orange County and planning began for a summer board meeting at a local alumna’s home.

Maha Al-Juffali Ghandour ’82 with President Holmgren in Saudi Arabia.

President Holmgren enjoyed the hospitality of the Hong Kong branch. From left: Carol Chiu ’63; Cecil Leong, P ’80, ’83, ’86; Vice President for Development Virginia Rivera; Mary Leong, P ’80, ’83, ’86; Shin-Chak Chiu; President Holmgren; and Lillian Chan ’76.

The Santa Barbara–Ventura Branch at Lotusland.

This year’s Phenomenal Women of Color award winners with Professor Julia Sudbury (at far right).

In Los Angeles, Nangee Morrison ’63, President Holmgren, Laurel Burden ’68, and Julia Casey ’92.

In Memoriam Notices of deaths received April 2–July 1, 2008

Alumnae Rowena Stadtmuller Beeghly ’30, February 7, in Woodland, California.

Aubrey Kennedy Ingraham ’32, January 30, 2007, in Clovis, California. She was a member of the Oakland community for nearly 70 years and was active in the Women’s Athletic Club and the Piedmont Community Church. She is survived by three children and eight grandchildren.

the Vernell Candy Company with her husband and served as vice president for a chain of grocery stores. An avid golfer and supporter of community organizations, she is survived by her husband, Lavern; three children; and three grandchildren.

Eileen Kelly Johnson ’36, April 5, in Riverside, California.

Hazel Willis Quinlan ’36, March 16, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The matriarch of the family, she provided guidance to many. Survivors include her husband, John; five children; and 16 grandchildren.

Relda Levy Eschen ’33, April 20, in San Rafael, California. A dedicated volunteer for Camp Fire Girls and the American Red Cross, she is survived by two daughters and four grandchildren.

Margaret Fisher Hubbell ’37, May 8, in Mesa, Arizona. A longtime resident of Pasadena and Glendale, she is survived by her husband, Frank; three children; and eight grandchildren.

Katrina Wallingford Ettlinger ’33, March 29, 2007, in West Hurley, New York. An accomplished pianist, she performed with the USO in Europe during World War II. With her husband, Don, she co-wrote episodes of the television series I Remember Mama. She is survived by three children and four grandchildren.

Margaret Hawkins Houghton ’38, March 24, in Hollister, California.

She was a schoolteacher and a member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Republican Women, and Native Daughters of the Golden West. Survivors include a nephew and several cousins.

Helen Thom Francis ’33, MA ’34, February 16, in Twain Harte, California. She was a church organist, supervised school music programs, and conducted research on early American music.

Survivors include her son, Richard.

Margaret Shaffrath Hollingsworth ’33, January 10, 2007, in Portola Valley, California. A botany major at Mills, she worked as an elementary school teacher in Bakersfield for several years.

Georgia Thomas Peel ’35, June 24, 2007, in Tucson, Arizona. Survivors include her niece Heather Walker Wentworth ’68 and great niece Amy Wentworth ’94.

Eleanor Mitchell Fortin ’36, January 15, in Seattle. She started

Joelle Kaufmann Kornell ’39, February 5, in Healdsburg, California.

Mary Fisher Moller ’39, October 16, 2007, in San Diego. She was a well known artist who worked in a variety of media, often reflecting her San Diego environment or her travels to Spain, Mexico, and Brazil. A member of The Artists Guild of the San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego Art Institute, and the Clairemont Art Guild, she is survived by a daughter and two granddaughters.

involved with Girl Scouts, establishing a scout camp with her husband, was vice president of Holmquist Grain and Lumber Company, and provided musical accompaniment for her church choir for 50 years. She is survived by her husband, Robert; four children; and seven grandchildren.

Carolyn Buchmann Parks ’41, January 21, in San Francisco.

She was a professional ballet dancer in the 1930s, toured with her own company throughout Europe and South America, and directed the Academy of Ballet in San Francisco. She was also instrumental in founding the Marin Civic Ballet and consulted with the Kirov Ballet School.

Survivors include her husband, Richard; three nieces; and many members of her extended family.

Helen Gay, MA ’42, April 16, in Rockwood, Michigan. She received her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and worked as a cytogeneticist for 40 years. She was a professor of zoology and biology at the University of Michigan, was a member of numerous professional organizations, and contributed to many scientific journals.

Harriet Bradley Tegart ’42, January 7, in Lake Oswego,

Oregon. She worked as a medical lab technician and later operated a dairy farm with her husband.

She was the first female board member at Physicians and Surgeons Hospital and volunteered for many organizations.

She is survived by her daughter, Lee Ann Tegart Labby ’75; a son; and two grandchildren.

Elaine Brimberg Dundy ’43, May 1, in Los Angeles. Born Elaine Brimberg, she took the stage name Elaine Dundy when she decided to become an actress. She played small parts in Europe and soon married the critic Kenneth Tynan, with whom she frequented London’s elite social and artistic circles. She wrote the bestselling novel The Dud Avocado, as well as two more novels and several biographies, including her 2001 autobiography, Life Itself! She is survived by her daughter.

Helen Ford Mahaney ’43, April 17, in Sacramento. She was a devoted wife and mother, painter, and equestrienne, and was involved in several charitable organizations. She is survived by her husband, John; five children; and 11 grandchildren.

Constance Irvine McVey ’43, May 9, in Walnut Creek, California.

Elizabeth Minnes ’40, March 15, in Sonoma, California. After retiring from teaching high school in 1979, she enjoyed extensive global travels. Survivors include a nephew.

Mary Holmquist Peters ’40, February 10, in Oakland, Nebraska. She was deeply

summer 2008

29

McVey was a member of several volunteer and social groups, including bridge and book clubs, as well as the Great Expectations Investment Club of Santa Maria, which she started in 1997. She is survived by three children and four grandchildren.

Cornelia “Connie” Dodge Fraley ’44, December 21, 2006, in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania.

She supported the Natural Lands Trust, the Chester County Mental Health Clinic, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, and the Pennsylvania Ballet.

She is survived by four children and eight grandchildren.

Delphine Sparks ’44, May 15, in El Cerrito, California. She earned a teaching credential and worked as a physical education teacher.

Elaine Walker Lis ’45, March 2, in Beaverton, Oregon. She earned a PhD in nutrition at UC Berkeley, studied the effects of war on soldiers in Korea, and operated a lab at the University of Oregon Medical School.

Survivors include her sister Marilyn Walker Decker ’40 and three children, including her daughter Victoria “Vicky” Lis ’84.

Therese Froelicher McKinney ’45, June 13, in Randolph, Vermont.

She was an x-ray technician in New York City before moving to Vermont, where she taught kindergarten as well as community college. Survivors include four children and nine grandchildren.

Georgiana Michael ’45, May 8, in Murphys, California. As a young adult, she worked at Western Sample Company, and was always an enthusiastic collector and crafter.

Survivors include two cousins.

Frances Martin Andrews ’46, February 4, 2007, in Phoenix, Arizona. She generously gave her time and energy in support of the auxiliary at Scottsdale 30

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

Healthcare for more than 25 years.

She is survived by eight children.

Catherine Corneau Lenox ’46, June 1, 2007, in Santa Cruz, California. She was a teacher at the Mills College Children’s School and led English language and literacy GED classes; later, she taught adult education classes in long-term care facilities. She is survived by four daughters and seven grandchildren.

Jean Dold Youngling ’47, January 31, in Hillsborough, California.

She was president of the Auxiliary for the Children’s Hospital at Stanford and led fundraising efforts for that organization.

She is survived by her husband, George; two children; two grandchildren; and her sister Jeannette Dold Bernhard ’49.

Barbara Berkey Kiser ’48, February 13, in San Diego. She was a dedicated volunteer for several museums, an active outdoorswoman, a poker player, a musical enthusiast, and an avid shell collector. She is survived by her husband, John; three children; and two grandchildren.

Marcia Cole Saville ’49, February 27, in Topeka, Kansas.

Throughout her life, she was a volunteer and leader for many local and regional organizations. She is survived by three children and five grandchildren.

E. Alison Kay ’50, June 9, in Honolulu. She completed her PhD at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, where she became a researcher and faculty member.

An expert on marine mollusks, she updated Charles Edmondson’s Hawaiian Marine Shells. A species of cowrie, Cypraea alisonae, was named after her. A pioneering environmentalist, she lobbied to make Diamond Head Hawaii’s first state monument. She is survived by her brother Gordon.

Gynne “Jean” Stern ’50, May 23, in Tiburon, California. She had a 20-year career in teaching

and counseling before joining an ad agency, where she collaborated on radio spots, including the famous “Farms? In Berkeley?” slogan. The author of the book The Dark Goddess, she is survived by two daughters.

Marion Tonkon Kaufman ’51, May 31, in Dallas. She enjoyed art, ballet, her garden, and her family. Survivors include three children and two grandchildren.

Dorothy Roller Brewer ’55, March 20, in Reston, Virginia.

She was a gracious hostess, an intrepid traveler, a docent at the Art Institute of Chicago, and hosted more than 20 high school exchange students. She is survived by her husband, Bob; three sons; and four grandchildren.

Robert Coleman, MA ’55, March 16, in Angels Camp, California.

He was a professor of art at San Jose State University, specializing in jewelry making and goldsmithing. Survivors include his wife, Mary, and two children.

Sarah “Sally” Renner Farr ’55, October 18, 2007, in Denver.

She is survived by her husband, Robert; a daughter; and two grandchildren.

Nancy Laston Gilmore ’68, May 21, in Portland, Oregon. She was an avid reader and an energetic volunteer for the Beaverton Library in Portland. Survivors include three daughters.

Barbara Jacobson ’68, January 8, in Medford, Oregon. She worked as an occupational therapist in London for many years, designed jewelry, and played violin in the North State Symphony Orchestra.

She is survived by a sister.

Madelain Urrere ’75, June 20, 2007, in Santa Cruz, California.

Toyoji Tomita, MFA ’86, April 17, in Oakland. He was an accomplished trombonist and a music instructor at Mills, as well as president of TPT Gardening, a sustainable landscaping firm.

He is survived by his wife, Marianne, and his mother.

Christin Irwin Stock ’95, February 24, in Port Angeles, Washington. A child development major at Mills, she completed a master’s degree in education from the University of Phoenix. She is survived by her husband, Steve; two daughters; her parents; and a brother.

Marilyn Kolakowski ’01, March 29, in Oakland. A successful selfemployed graphic artist, she was a resumer at Mills and had a black belt in karate. She is survived by her partner, Rick Schiller; a sister; and three brothers.

Family Joseph Del Aragon, father of Anita Aragon Bowers ’63, April 18, in Danville, California.

Norick Bizé, father of Sheryl Bizé-Boutté ’73, January 31, in Stockton, California.

Harold Daubenspeck, father of Elizabeth Ann Daubenspeck Marks ’71, May 21, in Seattle.

G. Donald Flaith, father of Rachel Flaith ’80, MBA ’06, March 25, in Pennsylvania.

Robert Gaspich, father of Mary Gaspich ’73, April 17, in Los Altos Hills, California.

James Harper, husband of Nancy Martin Harper ’80, father of Kristin Harper Bush ’78 and Kim Harper Brooks ’90, uncle of Marian Harper Weldin ’62 and Nettie Harper ’65, May 7, in Pleasant Hill, California.

Charles Muller, husband of Patricia “Pat” Peregrine Muller ’57, April 8, in Denver, Colorado.

Guy Neely, husband of Eleanor Stauffer Neely ’38 and uncle of Caroline Fahlen ’69, December 29, 2006, in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Brenton Palmer, father of Michele Palmer Price ’81, March 31, in Boulder Creek, California.

Forrest Riegel, husband of Frances Barrington Riegel

Gifts in Memory of ’51, March 1, 2007, in Palos Verdes Estates, California.

(Received March 1–May 31, 2008)

William Ryan, husband of Sally Diekman Ryan ’51, April 10, in Los Altos, California.

Joseph Del Aragon P ’63, by Nangee Warner Morrison ’63, Virginia Rivera

Neil Westen, husband of Elizabeth Barnes ’74, March 25, 2007, in Oakland, Oregon.

Dorothy Profant Artaud ’43, MA ’44, P ’70, by June Holden Schneider ’43

Erwin White, husband of EmmaJane Peck White ’35 and uncle of Elizabeth Peck Hutchins ’47, November 19, 2007, in Walnut Creek, California.

Laura Balas, MA ’92, by Helen and Arne Hovdesven

Robert Wills, husband of Melanie “Lani” Kask ’68, April 8, in Ukiah, California.

Mary Helen Barrett, by Roussel Sargent

Christina Wolfe, mother of Shannon Wolfe ’96, October 31, 2007, in Seattle.

Friends Warren Callister, April 3, in Novato, California. A nationally known architect who brought a warm, organic feeling to modern design, he was known for crafting buildings with special attention to their site, function, and the people who would use them. He created the Mills College Chapel, which he last visited in December 2007 (see winter/spring 2008 issue of the Quarterly) and referred to the sanctuary as one of his favorite projects in a 2004 interview with the San Francisco Chronicle. He is survived by two sons and four grandchildren.

George Jewett Jr., May 23, in San Francisco. A Mills College Trustee from 1967 to 1970, he was also a trustee of the Academy of Sciences, helped establish the Asian Art Museum, and supported the San Francisco Ballet.

He was a director of the Potlatch Corporation and chaired five America’s Cup syndicates for three yacht clubs from 1973 to 2000. He is survived by his wife, Lucille; two children; and four grandchildren.

Sheila Weibert Ballantyne ’58, by Margaret Roberts Tomczak ’58

Vesta Berger, mother of Barbara Berger Pratt, by Barbara Berger Pratt ’53 June Bilisoly ’54, by Anna Lou Fields Ford ’52 Barbara Bundschu ’38,

by Katharine Gregg, Roussel Sargent, Nancy Kenealy Soper ’51 Georgine “Greni” Porter Caldecott ’39, by Cynthia Lowell Wallace ’39, P ’77 Members of Class of 1968 no longer with us, by Kristen Reasoner Apgar ’68 Evelyn “Peg” Deane ’41,

by Mary Hart Clark ’42 Chester Dorman, husband of Sterling Loftin Dorman ’47, by Janet Hopkins Richards ’36 Relda Levy Eschen ’33, by Diane Meyer Keebaugh ’59 G. Donald Flaith, father of Rachel Flaith ’80, by Heather Summers ’80 Allyson Fremouw, grandniece of Anita Aragon Bowers, by Anita Aragon Bowers ’63

Eleanor Hadley ’38, by Kazuko “Koko” Tsunematsu Tajima ’69, MA ’71 Elizabeth “Betsy” Rulison Harrington ’40, by Helen B. Smith George and Helen Hedley, by Sara Matthews Buchanan ’64 Sally Bubb Holland ’43, by Helen Elizabeth Porter Hussman ’43, Helen Metz Lore ’43, Palo Alto Area Mills College Club, Kate Morrow Whitley ’43

Charles Muller, husband of Patricia Peregrine Muller ’57,

by Myrna Bostwick Cowman ’57, Barbara Hunter ’57 Kate Slade Murty ’59, by Ellen Locke Crumb ’59 Margaret McMinn Phillips ’41, sister of Jean McMinn Greenwood,

by Jean McMinn Greenwood ’43 Dorothy Jane McVeigh Raney ’45, by Madeleine Ebbesen Davis ’46, P ’71

Muriel “Tex” Johnston ’42, MA ’46, by Alice Gonnerman Mueller ’42, Helen Haigh Mills ’46, Betty Taves Whitman ’46

Carolyn Nissen Rathbun ’68,

by Gayle Rothrock ’68

Bennett King, husband of Elizabeth “Betsy” Church King ’50,

by Margaret Clarke Umbreit ’49

Forrest Riegel, husband of Frances Barrington Riegel ’51,

by Nancy Kenealy Soper ’51

Michael C. T. Kwok, husband of Mildred Ho Kwok ’52, by Betty Chu Wo ’46

Jane “Jinx” Rule ’52, by Roussel Sargent

Elaine Walker Lis ’45, by Elizabeth Laurens Merritt ’84 Naomia Little, grandmother of Lori Hardacre, by Lori Hardacre ’85, MA ’92 Helen Ford Mahaney ’43, by Jean McMinn Greenwood ’43 Boitumelo “Tumi” McCallum ’07, daughter of Teboho Moja,

by Steven Burrell, Teboho Moja, Mary-Jane Malebye, Jane Letsebe, Sharon Mozgai

Flora Elizabeth Reynolds,

by Roussel Sargent

Lawrence Shrader, by William Eaton, Watson Laetsch Nancy “Emily” Edgar Stafford ’34, by Laurie-Sue Ptak Retts ’69 Susan Magoffin Stoker ’49,

by Carol Blundell Miller ’49 Toyoji Tomita, MFA ’86, by Masako Sakai Hamada ’58 Cynthia Weintraub Weber ’69,

by Susan Roe Lathrop ’69 Dr. Reynold Wik ’74, by Sara Matthews Buchanan ’64

Eleanor “Ellie” McDonald Meyer ’36, mother of Nancy Meyer Neal, by Nancy Meyer Neal ’70

Arnold Wolff, husband of Ann Sulzberger Wolff ’42,

by Chicago Area Branch

Madeleine Milhaud, by Imogene Fluno Whipple ’43

Mary Swift Wuerthner ’51, by Palo Alto Area Mills College Club, Nancy Kenealy Soper ’51

Benjamin Moore, by Peggy Kiehlbauch Woodworth ’53

Barbara “Bobby” Coleman Frey ’68, by Katherine Coopman ’68 Helen Odell GilbertBushnell ’43, by Madeleine Ebbesen Davis ’46

p=parent For information about making a tribute gift, contact 510.430.2097 or donors@mills.edu.

31

Pearls of

Wisdom Traditions Tie Generations of Mills Women Together

Through all our years together we have worked with all our might For we are Mills girls loyal and true.

By Pamela Wilson

But now we must be parting with our lanterns for our light;

In 1902, a young Mills student sketched

bol of the elements of the Mills experi-

a design for a pearl-studded “M” brooch

ence that stand the test of time.

We may wander, but we’ll always think of you.

—The Lantern Song

for her classmates. She took her sketch to

At this year’s dinner in April, Faletti,

then-president Susan Mills, who approved

now a member of the AAMC Board of

the design. For many years, each student

Governors, passed the tradition on to the

young and old carried lanterns to the

who wished to own the symbol of endur-

newest generation of Mills alumnae when

Music Building pond, where Jane Cudlip

ing ties to their alma mater had to travel to

she presented Alison Lazareck ’08 with a

King ’42 led the group in songs commem-

the shop of a particular San Francisco jew-

Pearl M donated by Ann Winsor Doskow

orating the shared experiences of Mills

eler with a letter signed by Mrs. Mills con-

’57. Doskow, an English major, consid-

women, regardless of class year or course

firming her status as a Mills College senior

ered it a “stroke of luck” to find Mills as a

of study: a love of learning, the strength

before a Pearl M could be made for her.

transfer student. Like so many alumnae,

of friendships forged, and the desire to

Now, over a century later, those delicate

she remains in close touch with her Mills

go forth and create positive change in

jewels still represent the bonds of intel-

friends, who came together last year for

the world. And so a new group of women

lect and emotion that tie Mills alumnae

their 50th Reunion.

completed the transition from undergrad-

together. They’re easier to obtain—Pearl

Lazareck, a psychology major who

uate student to Mills alumna that so many

M pins are sold at the College bookstore.

minored in English, served the AAMC

have undergone before, and that many

But some pins are earned, not bought.

and the College while working at the

more will undergo in the future.

The Alumnae Association of Mills College

Quarterly, the Mills College Annual Fund,

holds a small cache of very special pins

and Reunions. She exhibits many addi-

donated by alumnae for a unique pur-

tional qualities that hold value over a life-

pose. Each spring at the Pearl M Dinner,

time: “Alumnae and College staff describe

which kicks off Commencement celebra-

Alison as a dedicated Mills woman who is

tions, the AAMC presents a vintage pin to

bright, hardworking, and cheerful,” Faletti

If you would like to hand down your Pearl M to a future Mills senior, please contact AAMC President Anita Aragon Bowers ’63 at AnitaAragonBowers@alumnae.mills.edu or 510.430.3374.

a graduating senior to honor her exem-

said during the presentation.

plary service to the Alumnae Association and the College.

Lazareck, who began a new job as a development associate for a private pri-

Rita Faletti ’81 is one student who

mary and middle school in July, reflects,

received such recognition when she was

“Receiving the pin was a tremendous

awarded a Pearl M contributed by Joyce

honor. I hugely enjoyed working with

Lobner ’13. Faletti researched Lobner’s

alumnae, and to be recognized for some-

life and found that, while each generation

thing that gave me so much pleasure and

sees its struggles as unique, the model of

on-the-job experience was a great cap-

the Mills woman who finds her voice and

stone to my time at Mills.”

the confidence to stand up for her beliefs

After dinner, with daylight fading from

was already in place at the turn of the last

campus, an array of tiny lights flickered

century. Lobner’s pin—which Faletti still

as seniors and alumnae joined together in

wears and cherishes—is a powerful sym-

the Lantern Ceremony. Dozens of women

32

p h o t o s b y d a n a d av i s

M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly

Passing the pin: Rina Faletti ’81 presents a vintage Pearl M to Alison Lazareck ’08 (above); the Lantern Ceremony creates a magical landscape (top).

A L U M N A E A S S O C I AT I O N T HE GREAT JOURNEY THROUGH EUROPE

OF

MILLS COLLEGE PRESENTS

June 15 to 25, 2009 From approximately $3195 per person (plus airfare) Explore the cultural and scenic treasures of the heart of Europe on this unique cruise and rail itinerary tracing the Rhine River from the Swiss Alps to the North Sea. Begin your “grand tour” in Switzerland, with two nights in a deluxe hotel in the beautiful lakeside town of Lucerne and two nights in the classic alpine resort of Zermatt, nestled beneath the craggy profile of the Matterhorn.

During your stay in Switzerland, you will experience the soaring majesty of the Alps on three of Europe’s most spectacular rail journeys—the Mt. Pilatus Railway, the Glacier Express and the Gornergrat Bahn. Travel overland to Basel and board the deluxe M.S. AMADEUS SYMPHONY for a five-night voyage down the Rhine River through France, Germany and Holland to Amsterdam, passing Gothic cathedrals, medieval castles, terraced vineyards, rustic villages of halftimbered houses and the legendary Lorelei Rock. A special Amsterdam Post-Program Option is also offered.

For reservations or more information, please contact the Alumnae Association of Mills College: Tel.: (510) 430-2110 • Fax: (510) 430-1401 • Email: aamc@mills.edu

AAMC

We want your vote on AAMC bylaws revisions

Saturday, September 20, 9:00 am to 10:00 am, Lisser Hall A number of proposed changes in the bylaws of the Alumnae Association of Mills College (AAMC) need ratification by alumnae at a vote to be taken at this meeting during Reunion.

All alumnae are welcome to attend; registration for Reunion is not required. You may read the proposed changes and amendments online at http://www.mills.edu/alumnae/aamc_bylaws.pdf or you may request a printed copy. Send your questions and comments to Anita Aragon Bowers ’63, AAMC president, at AnitaAragonBowers@alumnae.mills.edu or 510.430.3374.

On view at the Mills College Art Museum www.mills.edu/museum 510.430.2164 September 6–December 7, 2008 The Offering Table: Women Activist Artists from Korea Curated by Linda Inson Choy ’96 Opening reception: Saturday, September 6, 4:00–6:00 pm Reunion Museum Tour: Registered

Angelina Gualdoni, Reflecting Skin 1 (2004) from the exhibition Painting the Glass House: Artists Revisit Modern Architecture; Collection of Asya Geisberg

Reunion participants are invited to join curator Linda Inson Choy ’96 for a guided tour of The Offering Table on Saturday, September 19, 1:30–2:30 pm or 3:00–4:00 pm.

January 21–March 22, 2009 Painting the Glass House: Artists Revisit Modern Architecture

Ginger Wolfe-Suarez:

Curated by Jessica Hough and Mónica

As Long As You Live I Will Live

Ramirez-Montagut, assistant curator

Curated by Jessica Hough, Mills College

of architecture and design, Solomon

Art Museum director, this exhibition

R. Guggenheim Museum

pulls together the artist’s solo works and

Opening reception: Wednesday,

works made with her mother.

January 21, 5:30–7:30 pm

Mills Quarterly Mills College 5000 MacArthur Blvd.

Oakland, CA 94613-1301 510.430.3312 quarterly@mills.edu www.mills.edu Periodicals postage paid at Oakland, CA and at additional mailing office(s) Address service requested

Museum Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 11:00 am to 4:00 pm Wednesday 11:00 am to 7:30 pm Monday closed Admission is free