2008–09 Annual Report
T h e m o s t g e n e r o u s g e n e rat i o n
C o l l e g e p ra n k s 1 0 1
Mills Quarterly Winter/Spring 2010 Alumnae Magazine
the
Value added
issue
Women’s perspectives inform economic studies
Who gives to Mills? Kate Eltrich ’99 Associate Director for Legislative Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, The White House Career:
Major:
Political, legal, and economic analysis
“Rowing crew. I was never terribly athletic, but at Mills there were women at all levels of ability. The most important thing was to contribute to the team.” What she learned to love at Mills:
“Being able to interact with people from any background. Having an ease about meeting people has been good for me professionally.”
Most useful thing she learned:
Why she contributes to the Mills College
“To make sure that women are always able to go to Mills and benefit from the small class sizes, opportunity for discussion, and strong sense of community.”
Annual Fund:
Join Kate in supporting the education of tomorrow’s leaders. > Make a gift by talk to the student who calls you on behalf of the Mills College Annual Fund or call 510.430.2366. phone:
> Send a gift in the enclosed envelope.
> Give online at www.mills.edu/giving.
9
12
26
Mills Quarterly
contents 3
Winter/Spring 2010
A message from the President and the Chair: Leadership transition
President Holmgren announces that she will not seek renewal of her appointment as President beyond June 30, 2011
9
More than money by Kate Rix
In both research and teaching, Mills economics faculty bring a woman-centered perspective and other alternate analyses to their field.
12
Women power the transfer of wealth by Janis Johnson
As trillions of dollars pass from one generation to the next in the coming decades, women have an outstanding opportunity to support the causes they believe in.
14
A family affair by Heather Haas
A clan of Bent Twigs honors family bonds and the tradition of music at Mills by naming seats in the Jeannik Méquet Littlefield Concert Hall.
26
Sound off! What is your best Mills prank?
The college lifestyle is tailor-made for creative practical jokes. Mills pranksters and prankees alike share some of their “extracurricular activities.”
Departments 4
Mills Matters
15
Class Notes with Notes from Near and Far: Alumnae Activities Report
23
In Memoriam
Cover illustration by Stephanie Dalton Cowan
Special insert
Building on Our
Gifts
2008–09 Annual Report of Giving With much gratitude, Mills publishes this honor roll of donors who made gifts to the College between July 1, 2008, and June 30, 2009.
winter/spring 2010
1
A Message from the Chair Volume XCVIII Number 3 (USPS 349-900) Winter/Spring 2010
How fortunate Mills College has been to
President Janet L. Holmgren
Holmgren’s decision to step down from
Executive Vice President for Institutional Advancement Ramon S. Torrecilha
ship transition at Mills that follows an
Vice President for Institutional Advancement Cynthia Brandt Stover
under the President’s leadership, the Mills
Senior Director of Communications Dawn Cunningham ’85
total is nearly double the average amount
Managing Editor Linda Schmidt
President
Design and Art Direction Nancy Siller Wilson Contributing Writers Heather Haas Janis Johnson Kate Rix Editorial Assistance Kelsey Lindquist ’10 Special Thanks To Anita Aragon Bowers ’63 Cynthia Guevara ’04 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 © 2010, Mills College.
have Janet L. Holmgren serve as our President for almost 20 years! President the Presidency in 2011 initiates a leaderamazing era of transformation and growth. As you will read in our annual report, community raised $18.2 million for the College in the 2008–09 fiscal year. This raised annually in the early 1990s, when Holmgren
arrived
at
the
College. Also in the past year, we added
programs of the past 20 years of recom-
a new architectural treasure to the cam-
mitment to women’s education and carry
pus: the building for the Lorry I. Lokey
this forward into the future as a mandate
Graduate School of Business. Its opening
for the next President of Mills College.
represented the culmination of a decade
We are now convening a Presidential
in which Mills invested $100 million in
Search Committee to be led by Wendyce
capital projects. Meanwhile, the value
Hull Brody ’68, who is a Mills College
of our endowment increased from $71.2
Trustee as well as an alumna. This com-
million in 1990 to $175 million today.
mittee will work closely with the Board
While
strengthening
the
College’s
of Trustees and will seek input from
finances and physical plant, President
alumnae and other members of the Mills
Holmgren has also transformed Mills’
community on the attributes and com-
student body. Since 1991, the College’s
petencies we seek in our next President.
enrollment has climbed from 1,044 to
In the weeks ahead, we will outline our
1,510 students. Diversity has increased
search process on a special section of
apace, with a population of 39 percent
the College’s website. Meanwhile, we are
undergraduate students of color and 25
developing a series of events to honor
percent faculty of color today, compared
President Holmgren’s contributions to
with 21 percent students of color and 5
the College. Alumnae will have many
percent faculty of color in 1991, when
opportunities to participate.
President Holmgren arrived.
President Holmgren’s work at Mills
Generations of students to come will
College is not done. We are fortunate to
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.
benefit from the President’s thoughtful,
have her energetic and dedicated leader-
strategic, and creative leadership in posi-
ship over the next year and a half. We
tioning Mills to continue as one of the
will continue to build for the future as we
country’s leading women’s colleges. The
simultaneously celebrate her leadership
Email: quarterly@mills.edu Phone: 510.430.3312
Board of Trustees is deeply committed
and seek a worthy successor.
to fulfilling the College’s mission of edu-
Thank you for providing the support
Printed on recycled paper containing 30 percent post-consumer waste.
cating undergraduate women and pro-
that will sustain our forward momentum
viding strong professional and graduate
throughout this period of transition.
programs for women and men. We will
Sincerely,
build on the strengths and innovative
Kathleen J. Burke Chair, Board of Trustees
2
M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly
Leadership Perspectives
A Message from the President
Leadership transition continues a tradition of institutional renewal “Building on our gifts,” the theme of
classroom with students—especially the
our 2008–09 annual report at the cen-
engaged, inspiring students who make
ter of this Quarterly issue, highlights
Mills such an exciting place to be.
the enormous contributions of our
Our leadership transition process will be
alumnae and friends in making Mills a
inclusive and thoughtful. A Presidential
strong, creative, diverse institution.
Search Committee, made up of alumnae,
With your help, we have built a wom-
Trustees, faculty, students, and staff, will
en’s college of national prominence. We
be convened to identify my successor.
have supported cutting-edge curricula,
You will hear more about this committee
research, and creativity. We have devel-
and the national search process in future
oped innovative graduate programs
communications from Mills and the Chair
that leverage the strengths of our
of our Board of Trustees, Kathleen Burke.
undergraduate departments. We have
In the remaining 16 months of my pres-
preserved and enhanced our human
idency, I will work to ensure that Mills
and physical resources, while raising
continues to attract outstanding students
enrollment to an all-time high. We are a
and faculty and to raise the funds needed
diverse community committed to intel-
to support the College’s mission. I will be
lectual and social integrity.
turning to you for help in making these
There is no better place to study,
efforts a success.
no better place to teach or work, and
We will have many opportunities—
certainly no better place to be a college
including Commencement in May and
president.
Reunion in October—to come together in
Our position of strength makes this an
celebration of the College’s achievements
ideal moment to plan for changes that
since its recommitment to women’s edu-
will ensure Mills’ future. At the end of
cation 20 years ago in May 1990. At that
February, I announced a big change to
historic moment, heeding protests by stu-
alumnae (via email) and to the campus
dents and alumnae, the Board of Trustees
community: I have decided not to seek
reversed a decision that Mills would
renewal of my appointment as President
become coeducational at the undergrad-
beyond June 30, 2011, the 20th anniver-
uate level.
sary of my arrival at Mills.
Today, the College is unwavering in its
I love Mills and am deeply grateful for
commitment to women’s education and
the amazing opportunity I have had to
leadership. I am proud of our shared val-
lead and support the College. But now
ues, and I am grateful for the support that
I am called to return to writing and
has enabled us to achieve excellence in
research that I have put on hold for
all that we do. I look forward to your par-
nearly two decades. I also plan to teach
ticipation as we continue to build on our
as a member of the Mills faculty. This
gifts in the coming months.
semester I am teaching Development
Sincerely,
of the English Language, and I am
Janet L. Holmgren
rediscovering the joy of being in the
President
For more information on the presidential search, visit www.mills.edu/presidential_search winter/spring 2010
3
Mills Matters Athletics Department honored for diversity efforts The Mills College Athletics Department has received a Diversity in Athletics Award for its diversity strategy from the Laboratory for Diversity in Sports at Texas A&M University in collaboration with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Mills was one of 11 award recipients selected from 199 NCAA Division III athletics departments. Criteria for
Cyclones dash to victory
selection included the influence of diversity on the department’s processes and outcomes; its proactive diversity management strategy; its inclusive work environment; and steps taken to ensure
As Mills student-athletes sprint, row,
Cazares ’10 (lead runner in photo
the diversity-related momentum in the
paddle, and volley their way through
above). At an awards ceremony follow-
department.
spring meets and matches, many of them
ing the championship meet, co-captain
are propelled by pride in the accomplish-
Perla Cantu ’10 was honored with the
ful student-athlete population,” says
ments that defined this year’s fall season.
National Association of Intercollegiate
Athletic Director Themy Adachi.
Athletics (NAIA) Champions of
Reflecting on Mills athletes’ participa-
California Pacific Conference meet in
Character individual award, an honor
tion this year in national championships
early November, a victory that took them
given to one athlete on each team com-
in cross country and swimming, Adachi
to the NAIA National Championships
peting in the championship meet who
observes, “These successes stem from
hosted by Cascade College and Nike
models the qualities of respect, respon-
an inclusive work environment with
in Vancouver, Washington, later that
sibility, integrity, servant leadership,
coaches who are encouraged to under-
month. In competition with more than
and sportsmanship. Cazares and fellow
stand and honor differences…. It’s not
300 of the best runners in the country,
senior Elena Adler were recognized as
about molding each person to fit into a
the Cyclones performed well; their top
Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athletes for
team system, it’s about discovering what
three finishers were co-captain Angie
maintaining a minimum GPA of 3.5.
makes each person whole and what
The cross country team won the
makes each one thrive.”
Sandoval ’10, Kim Chew ’11, and Lupe
Adachi receives Trailblazer Award
student-athletes, Adachi has been
Themy Adachi, director of athletics at
Alameda County’s diverse populations,
Mills College, has received the Northern
particularly through her efforts in
California Diversity Committee
co-founding the Mills Community Tennis
Trailblazer Award from the United States
Program in 2000. The program provides
Tennis Association (USTA). The award,
personalized tennis instruction and
presented in San Francisco on January 30,
academic tutoring for elementary and
honors Adachi’s “lifelong and ground-
middle school students in Oakland, many
breaking service in bringing tennis to,
of whom have had little or no exposure to
and growing the sport in, traditional and
the sport. Program participants gain
non-traditional communities.”
familiarity with a college environment
In addition to her work with Mills 4
M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly
“We have a very diverse, success-
Photos by Elese Lebsack
instrumental in providing community outreach and accessible programs to
and have the opportunity to enter Mills
Rothrock accepts second term as Alumna Trustee
At Mills, for Alumnae Alumnae Relations and Annual Giving www.mills.edu/alumnae 510.430.2123 Alumnae-relations@mills.edu Find out about Reunion, alumnae clubs, and events; update your contact information; and request our @mills enewsletter. Laura Gobbi, Senior Director........ 510.430.2112
Gayle Rothrock ’68, who has served as Alumna Trustee since 2007, will continue to hold this position for the period 2010– 2013. “It has been my privilege to serve the interests of the Rothrock. “I am fascinated by
Alexandra Wong, Associate Director, Alumnae Relations........................ 510.430.3363
the work and feel particularly
Caitlin McGarty, Coordinator........ 510.430.2123
alumnae and the College,” says
engaged by the sustainability issue, both as applied to the operation of the College and campus and to our financial health. I think it is applicable to the relationship of the College and its alumnae, too.” A resident of Vancouver, Washington, Rothrock has 36 years of experience in public and nonprofit administration and community college teaching. She has served on state boards adjudicating land use, natural resources, pollution control, and large-scale energy plant siting proposals and permit appeals. She has been a board member and volunteer for several nonprofit organizations and is a certified community mediator. Rothrock currently chairs the Board of Trustees’ Ad-Hoc Committee on Alumnae Relations. “We look closely at the continuing improvement and robustness of the ties between alumnae and the College,” she says. “The talented and motivated College staff and AAMC officers and branch activists are finding their way to intelligent and practical resolution of outstanding matters and putting us on good footing for this 21st-century environment. “Serving on the AAMC Board of Governors and the College’s Board of Trustees means keeping the past, present, and future all in mind. I look forward to being an Alumna Trustee for another three years.”
College’s nationally acclaimed Upward
In 2005, Adachi was inducted into
Bound program. The Community Tennis
the Alameda County Women’s Hall
Program runs each fall semester and is
of Fame.
now led by Head Tennis Coach Jesse Medvene-Collins. Adachi has been a strong leader of
“The Trailblazer Award acknowledges that others have noticed what a difference Mills students are mak-
other community service activities,
ing,” Adachi says. “Mills strives to
including the Women’s Cancer Resource
educate women to ‘make the world
Center’s Swim-A-Mile fundraiser; the
more,’ and our Mills Community
Mills College “You go, Girl!” afterschool
Tennis Program is one way students
program, which builds self-esteem
can practice being leaders and giving
through participation in sports; and unit-
to their communities. Students learn
ing the athletic teams to complete one
the power and satisfaction of making
major community service event per year.
a difference in the lives of others.”
Career Services 510.430.2130 Learn how Mills can help with your career. Alumnae Admission Representatives 510.430.2135 Help prospective students learn more about the College. Joan Jaffe, Associate Dean of Admission Email: Joanj@mills.edu Giving to Mills www.mills.edu/giving 510.430.2366 mcaf@mills.edu Make gifts to the Mills College Annual Fund or the AAMC endowment. Alumnae Association of Mills College (AAMC) Learn about AAMC membership, merchandise, travel programs, Board of Governors, committee meetings, or reach your elected representatives on the College’s Board of Trustees. Email: aamc@mills.edu..................510.430.2110 Anita Aragon Bowers ’63, President....................................... 510.430.3374 Email: AnitaAragonBowers@alumnae.mills.edu Bill White, Accountant................... 510.430.3373 To contact the Alumnae Association of Mills College, please write to: AAMC, P.O. Box 9998, Oakland, CA 94613-0998
winter/spring 2010
5
Calendar
Mills artist exhibits around the world Professor of Studio Art Hung Liu has created a collection of paintings reflecting on the aftermath of the 2008 earthquake in the Sichuan province of her native China, in which nearly 90,000 people were killed or went missing. The series title, Apsaras, refers to wingless angels or female spirits of the clouds and waters depicted in ancient Buddhist images. When Liu’s images were exhibited at the Nancy Hoffman Gallery in New York last fall, New York Times critic Holland Cotter wrote, “Everything—the images, the overlays, the forthright brushwork, the pictures as a group—is soberly judged, deeply felt, mature. It’s hard to ask for more.”
Come to Commencement 2010
The collection continued on to the Fort Collins Museum of
Nancy Pelosi, the first female Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, will be our Commencement speaker on Saturday, May 15, 2010.
Contemporary Art in Colorado, where Kyle MacMillan, the
An alumna of Trinity College, a women’s college in Washington DC, Pelosi has represented California’s Eighth District in the House of Representatives since 1987. Her legislative record includes strong initiatives to improve educational opportunity, environmental policy, women’s health, and workers’ rights.
This exhibition is the latest of several high-profile shows
Denver Post’s fine arts critic, called it a “stunning, at times haunting, exhibition.” and events by Liu. She completed commissions for artwork installed at the Oakland International Airport in 2006 and at the San Francisco International Airport in 2008, and last year the artist traveled to Hong Kong to attend the opening recep-
Join us in welcoming this distinguished and groundbreaking leader to campus as we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the student and alumnae protests that resulted in Mills’ recommitment to women’s education.
tion of her solo exhibition, Prodigal Daughters, at the well-
March
9–10 Mills Music Now: X Sound Festival
30 Senior Thesis Exhibition Mills College Art Museum, free; opening reception April 3, 3:00 pm An exhibition of works by Mills senior studio art majors on view through April 18.
30 The Chana Bloch Reading of Writers in Translation: Ammiel Alcalay 5:30 pm, Mills Hall Living Room, free A poet and scholar, Alcalay’s translations include Sarajevo Blues by the Bosnian poet Semezdin Mehmedinovic, Keys to the Garden: New Israeli Writing, and Outcast by Shimon Ballas. For information, call Stephanie Young, 510.430.3130.
April 3 Mills Music Now: Lore of Moments 8:00 pm, Littlefield Concert Hall, $15 general, $10 seniors and non-Mills students, free with AAMC card
An evening of improvisational music with Mills faculty, keyboardist Wayne Horvitz, percussionist Le Quan Ninh, and others. Call 510.430.2296 or see musicnow.mills.edu.
6 Contemporary Writers Series: Laila Lalami 5:30 pm, Mills Hall Living Room, free Lalami’s first novel, Secret Son, was described by the New York Times as “a nuanced depiction of the roots of Islamic terrorism, written by someone who intimately knows one of the stratified societies where it grows.” For information, call Stephanie Young, 510.430.3130.
9 Center for Socially Responsible Business Annual Conference See back cover.
Save the Date
known contemporary art gallery 10 Chancery Lane.
8:00 pm, Littlefield Concert Hall, free A festival of works by current Mills senior composers. For information, call 510.430.2296 or see musicnow.mills.edu.
15–17 Dance Department Graduate Thesis Concerts 8:00 pm, Lisser Hall, $10; additional performance April 17 at 2:00 pm Graduate dance students present the culmination of their work. For details, contact 510.430.2175 or dance@mills.edu.
28 MBA Information Session 7:00 pm, Lokey Graduate School of Business Gathering Hall, free Learn about curriculum, admission, and financial aid for the Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business. RSVP to Katherine Perry, 510.430.3173 or mba@mills.edu.
May 2 MFA Thesis Exhibition Mills College Art Museum, free; opening reception May 1 An exhibition of works by students completing Mills’ graduate program in studio art, on view through May 30.
15 122nd Commencement 9:45 am, Toyon Meadow, free Gather to honor and celebrate the graduating Class of 2010 with Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Alumnae will robe up for Commencement procession at 8:00 am at Reinhardt Alumnae House.
15 AAMC Annual Meeting 2:00 pm, Danforth Lecture Hall, Aron Art Center For information about this important meeting open to all alumnae, contact the Alumnae Association of Mills College at 510.430.2110 or aamc@mills.edu.
Reunion 2010: September 30–October 3
Celebrating class years ending in 5 and 0 and the 50th Reunion of the Class of 1960 6
M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly
The paintings displayed there were based on a Chinese
Other faculty news
propaganda film from 1949 in which eight women soldiers
• Visiting Assistant Professor of English Stephanie Young was
fight off the Japanese and, with their backs to a river, choose to drown rather than be taken prisoner. This spring, her paintings are on display at the Rena Bransten Gallery in San Francisco and, until April 11, at the Bedford Gallery of the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, California. Liu has also collaborated with poet and playwright Michael McClure to produce the artist’s book Deer Boy, published by Magnolia Editions in 2009.
awarded the Irvine Fellowship at the Sally and Don Lucas Artists Residency Programs, an international multidisciplinary residency at Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga, California. The Irvine Fellowship is an award for emerging or mid-career artists from California who are working in areas of visual, performance, or literary arts. • Professor Maggi Payne, co-director of the Center of Contemporary Music, was awarded a 2009 El Capitan Award in the Environmental/Mountain Film Competition at the 2009 Yosemite Film Festival for her video work titled Liquid Amber, for which she shot and edited the video and composed the music. • David Donahue, associate professor of education, has published three papers within the past year. His topics cover the experience of students of color in service-learning, professional development in a diverse urban public school, and connecting classrooms and communities through Chicano mural art. • Professor of Educational Leadership Sabrina Zirkel is part of a team that has been awarded a National Science Foundation grant to investigate barriers inhibiting women pursuing stud-
Apsaras, White, by Hung Liu
ies in science, technology, engineering, and math.
Finding the bottom line Mills offers course in financial literacy Mastering your money is more complicated than ever in
“We’ve spent a lot of time examining the importance of liquid
today’s world of volatile financial markets, job insecurity, and
assets and of building your net worth.”
rising debt. But women must learn to do so in order to suc-
Among the 40 students enrolled in the course, one third are
ceed in their careers, support families, and manage wealth.
economics majors; according to a class survey, more than half
To prepare undergraduates for financial independence,
have student loans, and 20 percent carry unpaid credit card
Mills is offering a pilot course in financial literacy this spring,
balances, while 25 percent expressed that they are worried
Dollars and Sense. The course covers topics from managing
about being able to meet future loan payments.
debt (including student loans) and building credit to devel-
“I’ve had students work out their financial balance sheets,
oping a budget, understanding insurance and taxation, and
but we’re also looking at non-financial assets, such as their
planning for large purchases, investments, and retirement.
skills or stable relationships,” says Kennedy. “We have come
Offered by the Economics Department, Dollars and Sense
to see how these things work together. You may have great
also features visits from financial professionals, such as bank
artistic talent, for example, but if you can’t manage a budget to
managers and insurance brokers, who answer student ques-
purchase supplies and materials, you’re prevented from using
tions, and research projects on a variety of topics.
that non-financial asset to its fullest.”
“People can spend money they don’t have quite easily
The course is made possible through a $10,000 grant from
now,” says Robert Kennedy, who teaches the class. Kennedy
Bank of the West, which has also provided support for the
is a property and small business developer who also teaches
Summer Academic Workshop (SAW) and scholarship funding
economics and financial and managerial accounting at the
for students in the Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business.
College of Marin. “And most people don’t understand the
“This course gets people started in learning to ask the right
difference between income and wealth, and the trappings
questions,” says Kennedy. “True financial literacy is built over
of wealth—a nice car, expensive clothes, and so on,” he adds
a lifetime.”
winter/spring 2010
7
More than money By Kate Rix
N
adine Dixon ’09 is in her second semester of the public policy master’s program at Mills, but she’s been an economist most of her life. As a mother, Dixon fed, clothed, and nurtured more than 30
children—for all but one, as a foster parent—in her San Francisco home, budgeting the limited resources of time, energy, and money. She was, in fact, that anomaly in American society: the paid mother. “The government paid me to parent other people’s children,” Dixon says. “I went to soccer games. We had homework hour together. We listened to books on tape. I’d ask my kids, ‘What do you enjoy? Do you like to paint? Do you like to play basketball?’”
The Mills Economics Department encourages women’s perspectives and other non-traditional views of the field
As a single parent to one biological daughter, Dixon received welfare. As a foster parent, she received financial support as well, though much more than what welfare paid. Recognizing this discrepancy made her want to understand why care-giving is valued more in the foster system than under welfare law. During that time she also began to question one of the basic assumptions of market economics—the scarcity of resources—particularly because she had made do with so little for so long. “Scarcity is a created concept,” says Dixon, who is 50 and received her undergraduate degree in economics from Mills last year. “As women, the concept of scarcity is something we live with on a regular basis, but we have a different mindset. We can create what we need. We always have, for ourselves and for our families. We sew and cultivate gardens. Women are creators.” With this line of inquiry, and with her experience as a foster mother trading goods and services with other parents, Dixon had entered into an only recently mapped landscape, known to economists as the non-monetary market. It is a place occupied largely by caregivers. In many cases, the network is made up of women who trade support without the use of money. It is a market where the traditional laws of supply and demand are not the only forces at work. This is a place increasingly familiar to faculty economists at Mills, who integrate concerns about historically “feminine” issues in their research, such as the role of supportive social structures on the economic well-being of women and children, the rise of collaboration rather than competition as a business model, and, perhaps most urgent in our time, the growing importance of ethics in business. In the classroom, too, students like Dixon are encouraged to bring their own perspectives to the analysis, to put the needs and concerns of women at the center of the discussion, and to question the traditional frameworks underlying economics scholarship.
Siobhan Reilly (right) with a student 8
M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly
Nadine Dixon ’09 phil channing
“Economists like to look into the mar-
pose questions about the way society values, or
ketplace, to see what’s bought and sold, what the
does not value, children and their care. One of the
prices and wages are. But a huge portion of what
social realities that drives their research is the high
is important has to do with resources that don’t
poverty rate among children in the United States:
have a market value,” says Siobhan Reilly, profes-
nearly 18 percent in 2007, according to the U.S.
sor of economics at Mills since 2001. “The activities
Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey.
of the non-market economy include child-rearing,
Reilly and Evenhouse have conducted two
breastfeeding, caring for elderly family members,
recent studies examining the economic impact of
and maintaining a household. These things don’t
welfare law on the behavior of mothers. The wel-
have a price and don’t go into calculating the Gross Domestic Product. This devalues women and gives a distorted view of the economy.” Reilly and her husband, Assistant Professor Eirik Evenhouse, conduct research together and co-author all of their academic articles. They also have four children. Their lives as parents and partners form a backdrop to their lives as scholars; they have published several papers on poverty, inequality, and welfare reform and they quite specifically Dav id Schmit z
“The activities of the non-market economy include child-rearing, breastfeeding, caring for elderly family members, and maintaining a household. These things don’t have a price... This devalues women and gives a distorted view of the economy.” —Siobhan Reilly winter/spring 2010
9
fare system was originally intended to provide cash support for children whose fathers had died or abandoned them. While the rules were later changed to create some small exceptions, Reilly and Evenhouse note that the criterion that made most families eligible was the absence of a biological parent. The cash benefits of welfare may not have amounted to much, but recipients auto-
Eirik Evenhouse
matically became eligible for Medicaid—that is, government-provided health insurance—and food stamps. “We wondered whether the fact that mothers living with unrelated men were treated so much more generously than mothers living with their children’s fathers might have an actual impact on behavior,” Reilly says. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation, Reilly and Evenhouse tracked the variation in welfare benefits among states and over time from 1985 to 1996 (prior to major welfare reforms implemented in 1997). Because the survey also documents the relationship between every pair of individuals in a household, for each woman receiving welfare they were able to determine whether the woman’s children all had the
s te ve babul jak
same father, and also whether her male partner, if she had one, was the father of
activities, you stunt your society,” adds Reilly. “This
any or all of her children. So while right wing pundits often blame government
is what we have done. Under this model, it doesn’t
support to single mothers for the decline of the nuclear family in America, Reilly
pay to take care of the environment, or to take care
and Evenhouse concluded that increased welfare payments do not signifi-
of children or sick people or old people. Nobody
cantly increase the number of children living with only one biological parent.
rushes to do that work.”
“This has big implications for policy,” says Reilly. “Our findings suggest that we could make our social safety net considerably more generous without
Nancy Thornborrow , head of the Mills
producing large negative responses, including split relationships or parents
Economics Department and founding dean of the
shirking their responsibilities.” If welfare benefits could be raised substantially,
Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business, focuses
Evenhouse adds, poor children in the United States would no longer be so
her research on women in the labor force, includ-
much poorer than their counterparts in other rich countries.
ing analyses of the rigidity of fringe benefit plans,
Evenhouse notes that in parts of Scandinavia and Europe, care-giving par-
which would benefit women more if they could
ents receive a government stipend. “Our current American model is highly
negotiate for more pay in place of benefits. Her
compatible with the typical 1950s family, but not modern families,” he says.
paper, “Women in the Labor Force,” co-written
“While our society has made gains in many ways—women’s rights and gay
with Professor of History Marianne B. Sheldon for
rights—even with the family-friendly policies that have been implemented, we
the 1995 book Women: A Feminist Perspective, is a
haven’t taken the hard edges off of capitalism.”
seminal reference for scholars of gender and labor
In short, Reilly and Evenhouse argue, a society in which the economic struc-
issues. She also engages students in challenging
ture supports women and families goes a long way toward solving some of
traditional notions of economics in her course,
our biggest social problems. “If you don’t do things to foster non-remunerated
Women and the Economy. “My goal is not to dismiss the neoclassical model of supply and demand,” Thornborrow says, “but to expand upon the analysis by including additional
Nancy Thornborrow
variables and information from other disciplines that acknowledge that preferences are also shaped by social norms and by individual psychology.” She cites labor market discrimination as an example of the irrationality of the marketplace. According to the neoclassical model, employers who discriminate will be driven out of the market by competitive forces, and wage differentials will disappear in the long run. Since this clearly has not happened, there must be non-market factors that influence economic behavior. Thornborrow has her students read a variety of different writers to analyze this problem and encourages debate about whether economics provides the appropriate tools to analyze gender equity.
10
M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly
dav id schmit z
While the Economics Department offers
heroic side, there’s the WorldCom whistle-blower, Cynthia Cooper, who dis-
an undergraduate core curriculum rooted in
covered and revealed fraud within the accounting firm where she worked,
rigorous scholarship and critical thinking, it
and Sherron Watkins, a vice president at Enron who helped uncover massive
also supports related master’s degree programs
accounting abuses within that company.
in business and public policy. “Good business
“At great risk to their careers, these women alerted authorities and called
decisions are based on sound economic reason-
attention to wrongdoing within their companies,” Williams says. “We study
ing,” says Thornborrow. She points to the MBA
how these women looked at the problems and what they did to take action.”
course Ethics, Leadership, and Entrepreneurship
Students also review the misdeeds of female executives such as Martha Stewart
to illustrate how Mills encourages alternate
and Leona Helmsley.
models to the stereotype of the economics or
“We study classic cases from contemporary business,” says Williams. “When
business student as a profit-driven corporate
Nike operates in a developing country, should they pay a living wage or the
shark. In the course, students examine potential
prevailing wage? If Merck discovers a drug that cures a debilitating disease in
conflicts between corporate interests and indi-
the third world, but the potential patients cannot afford the medicine, should
vidual responsibility through a variety of philo-
they spend corporate resources and effectively tax shareholders’ dividends in
sophical lenses.
order to provide free distribution?
Nancy Williams, who teaches the ethics
“Milton Friedman wrote that the business of business is business, not char-
course, offers examples of women who, in the
ity,” she continues. “But the only way to make a decision that you can live
end, have made both good and bad decisions
with is to think it through using all of your reasoning tools—including tools of
when confronted with ethical choices. On the
classical philosophy and even religious beliefs.”
“The only way to make a decision that you can live with is to think it through using all of your reasoning tools—including tools of classical philosophy and even religious beliefs.” –Nancy Williams
Other economics faculty bring their own experiences as women and concerns as citizens to bear in their research and in their course curricula. Assistant Professor Lorien Rice focuses on poverty, discrimination, inequality, and transportation and its relationship to employment. Her paper, “Cars, Employment, and Single Mothers: Do Welfare Restrictions on Assets Have an Effect?”
Nancy Williams
examines how access to transportation affects employment options for poor women. Visiting Assistant Professor Zohreh Niknia has conducted extensive research on immigrant women in the U.S. as well as on gender, globalization, and development. At Mills, the study of economics is rigorous; the department’s core is built on quantitative accounting and statistics courses. But the department also embraces research that turns traditional economic theories inside out, takes into account the ways that women’s work is often undervalued, and aims to help women become leaders with balanced lives. The Mills program purposefully expands upon traditional “supply and demand” market discussion and delves deeply into an array of issues that affect economic conditions, including family, education and training, volunteerism, and labor force participation. Economist Julie Nelson wrote in her 1995 article “Feminism and Economics” that this kind of expanded analysis might not be “feminine” nor “female” but rather “an improvement of all economics, whether done by female or male practitioners.” Or, as one student wrote in a final exam essay for Thornborrow’s course, “there are many conflicts between work and family, and unfortunately women tend to bear the brunt of that conflict. The solution, however, is not . . . to make it easier for mothers to work, rather for the structure of work to shift, and for participation in the non-market activities to be more equitably shared within families.”
dana dav is
winter/spring 2010
11
women power
the transfer of
wealth By Janis Johnson
m
ary Lanigar ’38, who made history by becoming the
made a tremendous difference to the College’s financial strength.
first woman partner in a “Big Eight” accounting firm,
In 2008–09, Mills received 30 such gifts, ranging in size from
was a passionate investor in the future. “She understood the
$1,000 to $1.8 million and adding up to $8.9 million, nearly half
importance of philanthropy,” says Clare Harding Springs ’66,
of all private giving in that time period. These gifts help the
an estate planning attorney who administered
College build for the future and make great progress
Lanigar’s $6.3 million bequest to Mills College.
toward its important goals of fiscal sustainability and
Lanigar designated most of her bequest to
institutional renewal.
the Northern California Regional Scholarship,
Many alumnae from the 1930s, such as Lanigar,
now renamed the Mary E. Lanigar Endowed
were able to accumulate wealth partly because of
Scholarship. Twenty Mills students received the
the remarkable economic growth in the half-century
scholarship this year; hundreds more will ben-
following World War II and partly because of the
efit from it in the years to come.
high value they placed on saving. Their propensity
Lanigar’s generous and strategic gift planning
to distribute wealth to charities as part of this inter-
was forward-looking in another significant way.
generational transfer is a fortunate trend, but not a
Her estate symbolizes the power that women
permanent source of funding.
hold in the transfer of wealth from one generation to the next. It also symbolizes their power to sustain the institutions and causes that they believe in—and to exercise this power beyond their lifetimes. More than $41 trillion is expected to pass from one generation to the next or to nonprofit organizations in the first half of this century. Because women, on average, live seven years longer than men, they are expected to have or inherit
Subsequent generations demonstrate different giv-
Women have stepped up and realize that philanthropy is part of their responsibility. –Clare Harding Springs ’66
as much as 70 percent of this wealth to spend,
ing patterns. For Baby Boomers, affected in several critical ways by the recent recession, a temporary “reset of the giving button” is already noticeable, says Springs, founder and CEO of San Francisco law firm Springs & Associates, a Mills Trustee for the past 19 years, and chair of the College’s Board of Trustees from 1996 to 2001. “Baby Boomers are facing financial responsibilities for their children’s education and other needs, delayed retirement, and a longer life expectancy after retirement,” she says. Many members of this genera-
invest, and donate, according to a report last year by Boston
tion are reconsidering their giving plans and approaches in light
College’s Center on Wealth and Philanthropy and Forbes maga-
of these unforeseen obligations.
zine. In fact, their impact is even more sweeping: research by
“But that is no reason to stop thinking about philanthropy,”
the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University shows
adds Springs. “People may need to readjust their sights, but the
that, in addition to their own giving, married women also have a
basic principles should not change. Women should be support-
major influence on their spouses’ philanthropic decisions.
ing the causes they believe in, such as women’s education.”
Estate giving at Mills
Education is a key focus of women donors
More than 400 alumnae have announced plans to make an
New research from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute shows
estate gift to Mills—that is, they have included Mills in their
that women who take the lead in making choices for their
wills or have established annuities or trusts that will benefit the
households or who give independently from their husbands
College. Whether large or small, estate gifts have consistently
are more likely to give to education. In such instances, women
12
M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly
Mills women share the wealth Estate gifts large and small help Mills support talented students, recruit top-notch faculty, and develop innovative programs. Here are three more alumnae of different generations whose careful planning has made a big difference at the College.
also give nearly twice as much. “As women’s wealth increases, so does their visibility and leadership in business, government, and the nonprofit sector,” according to Women’s Philanthropy on Campus: Releasing the Energy of Women Donors and Embracing the Winds of Change, published by the institute in December 2009. “Concomitant to these developments is a desire to expand the philanthropic base. Women’s philanthropy is emerging as one of the key trends that will change the course of society and the face of philanthropy today.” The Women’s Philanthropy Institute has identified a phenomenon it calls “the contemporary women’s philanthropy movement.” As more women attend college, their earnings have increased, enabling them to give independently; in addition, women have begun to realize their power to support causes that are important to them. “Women have stepped up and realize that
Read about Michelle Crede ’70 on page 19 of Mills’ 2008–09 Annual Report of Giving (insert). Crede has used her inheritance to set up an annuity that will fund a scholarship for resumers at Mills. Upon her death, the principal of the annuity will endow the scholarship in perpetuity. Marine zoologist E. Alison Kay ’50 earned her PhD at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, and served as a professor there until her death in 2008. As a result of her studies of native mollusks, Kay became an environmental activist, fighting to save the volcanic crater Diamond Head from development and serving on the Science Advisory Board of the Environmental Protection Agency. To ensure Mills’ academic excellence, she left $1.75 million for the College to use in fulfilling its greatest needs. In 1939, Jean Jenkins ’35 sent Mills a gift of $1 with a note that said she wished she could give more. A homemaker and mother, she married a circuit court judge and inherited family wealth. She stepped up to manage the couple’s personal investments and land holdings after her husband suffered a stroke in 1990. When she passed away in 2008, she left 90 percent of her estate to the College. Her gift has provided scholarship support to 293 students.
philanthropy is part of their responsibility,” Springs says.
Understanding women’s opportunities Women can increase the power they hold in the transfer of wealth by carefully planning their wills. They should take into
How estate gifts make a difference at Mills
account the potential impact of estate taxes, ways that planned gifts to charities can reduce such taxes, and the financial circumstances of their loved ones. Some children, grandchildren,
Endowed Student Support 13%
and other family members may have their own earning power, while others may have significant financial needs. “The question to consider is the amount that you feel that you can commit to your charity while still taking care of your family,” Springs
Endowed Academic Support 17%
advises. Conversely, when parents are planning their wills, financially successful daughters can suggest that their stake in
Current Support and Scholarships 70%
a family’s wealth be contributed to Mills or to other nonprofit organizations they support. Loyalty, passion, and relationships to an alma mater or other cause are major influences in women’s decisions about charitable giving, and many take seriously the chance to teach the next generation of philanthropists to do their part. “Mills has achieved great status, and it’s very important for those of us
This chart shows the distribution of estate gifts that came to the College between July 1, 2008, and June 30, 2009.
who know Mills to continue to support it,” says Springs. “Mills presents an opportunity for women that we must preserve: a high-level education combined with an environment in which women come first. In this economic climate, we need women to
To learn more about how you can contribute to Mills through
think strategically about how they can best use their power and
your estate planning, contact Director of Gift Planning April
wealth to support the people and places they care most about.
Hopkins toll-free at 877.PGMILLS (877.746.4557) or by email
“It’s a good time to rethink the things that are important.”
at aprilh@mills.edu.
winter/spring 2010
13
A family affair
W
Helen Drake Muirhead ’58 and her clan sponsor a row of seats in the Jeannik Méquet Littlefield Concert Hall
By Heather Haas
hen Mills announced the
women describe their family as
was a resumer working on my
The entire family plans to
opportunity to name seats in
“extremely close,” which meant,
BA, and a friend was prepar-
visit the Littlefield Concert
the newly-renovated Jeannik
in this case, that Helen began
ing to go abroad for a semes-
Hall—and their seats—far into
Méquet
Concert
calling other relatives to see if
ter. We threw a going-away
the future. All say that Mills
Hall in winter 2009, Ellen
they might be interested in cre-
party for her, and her fiancé
has been an important part of
McDaniels Sanford ’88 imme-
ating a row of named seats.
brought
to
their lives, and their relation-
Littlefield
Walter
Sanford
diately thought of her mother,
In all, nine seats were named
the party.” Ellen and Walter
ship to the College is one of the
Dorothy Barton Cone: “My
for members of the family,
soon began dating, and Ellen
many ties that binds them.
mom couldn’t afford to go to
seven of whom attended Mills:
met her future in-laws on the
Mills, but she lived nearby and
Helen; her son, Walter Sanford,
Mills campus. She recalls, “We
walked to Mills twice a week to
MA ’93; Walter’s wife, Ellen;
attended a Shakespeare play
take piano lessons. The 20th
their daughter, Kaila Sanford
in Lisser Hall. I was so ner-
anniversary of her passing is
’11; Krista M. Muirhead ’88,
vous to meet Helen!” Ellen
this year, and I still deeply miss
MD, Helen’s step-daughter and
needn’t have worried, though;
her. My daughter, Kaila, has
an oncologist; Cynthia Morris,
she and Helen grew close, she
now transferred to Mills, so
MD, Helen’s niece, now a fam-
and Walter married and had
it seemed appropriate for my
ily practitioner who completed
a daughter, and Walter began
mom, my daughter, and me to
her
pre-
work on a master’s degree in
‘sit together’ in the beautiful
medical certificate at Mills in
interdisciplinary computer sci-
concert hall.”
1985; and Eric Sanford, MD,
ence at Mills. He would drop
Ellen called her mother-in-
Helen’s son, who completed his
Kaila off at the Children’s
law, Mills Trustee Helen Drake
post-bac pre-med certificate in
School on his way to class. Eric
Muirhead ’58, who remem-
1988 and now practices family
Sanford commented, “We have
bers, “When Ellen told me that
medicine for the underserved.
more generations of girls in
To name a seat—or seats for your
post-baccalaureate
When you make a gift to name one of the Littlefield Concert Hall’s 442 fixed seats, your name—or the name of a relative, friend, or professor you choose to honor—will be engraved on a brass nameplate on the seat’s armrest. Two donation levels are available: with a gift of $2,500, you may name a seat on the main level, which is closest to the stage. With a gift of $1,500, you may name a seat in the upper tier.
she planned to name seats in
“I wouldn’t even be a part
the family who are growing up
entire family—contact Allison
the Littlefield Concert Hall to
of this wonderful family if it
and hearing about Mills, so we
Murdock,
help support the renovation
weren’t for Mills,” Ellen Sanford
may have some additional Bent
coordinator, at 510.430.2301
effort, I was all for it.” Both
explained. “In the late 1980s, I
Twigs in the future.”
or amurdock@mills.edu.
donor
relations
dana davis
Best seats in the house: The Sanford and Muirhead families gather in the Littlefield Concert Hall. Front row, left to right: Walter Sanford, MA ’93; Helen Drake Muirhead ’58; Cynthia Morris ’85, MD. Back row, left to right: Ellen Sanford ’88; Kaila Sanford ’11; and Krista M. Muirhead ’88, MD. Not pictured: Eric Sanford ’88, MD. 14
M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly
In Memoriam Notices of deaths received before December 31, 2009
Alumnae Elaine Baker ’31, October 5, in Roseburg, Oregon. She was an accomplished weaver, spinning her own wool and attending workshops in Greece and Scandinavia. She is survived by two children and six grandchildren. Kathryn Miller Bowden, MA ’35, October 4, in Seattle. A docent at the Seattle Art Museum and the Asian Art Museum, she is survived by three daughters and six grandchildren. Dorothy Shwayder Heitler ’35, November 26, in Denver, Colorado. She is survived by five children, including Lynn Heitler ’70; sister Norma Shwayder Degen ’43; cousin Eleanor Sims ’64; and 17 grandchildren.
Maybelle Clark Macdonald ’40, December 10, in Portland, Oregon. A leading philanthropist, she established a charitable fund which supported a wide variety of organizations advancing education, the arts, health, and public welfare in the Portland area. She is survived by a son and 11 grandchildren. Virginia Hoag Stephenson, MA ’40, November 12, in San Antonio, Texas. She spent 20 years as an Army wife before settling in San Antonio, where she was active in the Belle Meade Garden Club and various organizations at Trinity University. She is survived by her daughter and two grandsons. Ernestine Johnson Gonzales ’42, October 14, in El Monte, California.
Elizabeth Chandler McEwen ’36, January 20, 2006, in Albany, Oregon.
Katherine Eaton Bennett ’43, November 6, 2007, in Monterey, California.
Harriet Burnside Russell ’36, July 7, 2001, in Rancho Mirage, California.
Katherine Philipsborn Rosenblatt ’44, November 10, in San Leandro, California. She was an educator, writer, lesbian activist, and advocate for older women. She also served as class agent and a member of the AAMC Board of Governors. She is survived by her partner, Joyce Pierson, and three children.
Louise Ganteaume Littlehale ’37, October 7, in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Yvonne Ford Bowman ’39, October 20, in Salemtowne, Oregon. An Oregon native, she spent most of her adult life in Hawaii, where she was the organist for several churches as well as accompanist for the Honolulu Symphony Chorus. She was also assistant choral director at Kailua High School. Survivors include three children and four grandsons. Jean Hinton Bennion ’40, June 16, 2003, in Worley, Idaho. A longtime resident of Spokane, she was a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints, the PTA, and Chi Omega sorority. She is survived by her husband, Irving; five children, including Kathleen Bennion Barrett ’64; 14 grandchildren, including Andrea Barrett ’90; and niece Margaret Young Orlando ’69.
Mary Scofield McIntosh ’45, April 26, 2009, in Salinas, California. Margery Foote Meyer ’45, November 25, in Carmel, California. A founding member for the Casa Abrego Club for Women and an accomplished swimmer, she raced from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco at the age of 71 and was inducted into the International Masters Swimming Hall of Fame in 2009. She is survived by her husband, Bruce; two children; and two grandchildren. Ruth Armstrong Reid ’45, July 29, in Medford, Oregon. She was a master gardener, a dedicated civic volunteer, and a longtime horsewoman and skier. She is survived by three sons and six grandchildren.
Ruth Church Gupta ’38 (left), September 18, in San Francisco. She and her husband established the law firm of Gupta and Gupta, where she practiced until her retirement in 1995. An advocate for women’s rights, she was the first female president of the Lawyers Club of San Francisco, served as the first woman on many professional and government committees and commissions, and was named Hastings College of Law alumna of the year in 1981, the same year she presented the Commencement address at Mills. Survivors include many nieces and nephews.
Elizabeth Raines Harrop ’47, October 11, in San Diego, California. Raised in a Navy family and later married to an Army officer, she learned about cultures surrounding her at posts from Austria to Guam to Palestine. She was a gracious hostess, an active member of the Episcopal Church, and a world traveler. She is survived by two children and five grandchildren. Marilyn Endres Larsen ’47, October 26, in Sacramento, California. After a 20-year career as a teacher, she enjoyed traveling, playing bridge, and volunteering as a docent at the Sacramento Zoo. She is survived by two children and three grandchildren. Babette Harris Meyers ’47, May 5, 2009, in San Bernardino, California. She served on her community hospital foundation and the library board, and was a leader in other civic organizations. She is survived by two sons and three grandchildren.
Jean White Sell ’47, July 1, in Concord, California. Lucy Perkins Shauer ’48, Sept. 20, in Camarillo, California. Survivors include a son. Barbara Johnson Piper ’49, August 2, in Hutchinson, Kansas. She had a long career in real estate sales, was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and supported her local library and arts organizations. Survivors include two children. Sammie Loftin Carlile ’50, April 18, 2008, in Coronado, California. Devoted to her friends, family, boating, and cruises, she was a longtime member of the San Diego Yacht Club. She is survived by her husband, Morton; four children; six grandchildren; and her sister, Sterling Dorman ’47. Philomen Kelly Severance, MA ’50, July 15, in Sonoma, California. A high school teacher and community volunteer, she was an excellent bowler, chairing the California Senior Women’s winter/spring 2010
23
Tournament for 23 years, competing in 38 championship tournaments, and editing the state Golden Nugget bowling newspaper. She is survived by her husband, Robert, and a son. Elizabeth Chase Ward Wheelock ’50, November 24, 2008, in Edina, Minnesota. She is survived by her husband, Bob; two children; and five grandchildren. Lucy Wichers Rathjens ’51, June 18, in Lexington, Massachusetts. Anne Johnson Scepansky, MA ’53, November 4, in Houston, Texas. As a military wife, she entertained dignitaries in posts around the world; later, she founded a chapter of Pi Beta Phi and was
active in that organization’s activities. She is survived by her husband, Joseph; a daughter; and two grandsons. Martha McInally Hadsell ’54, January 27, 2009, in Naples, Florida. She was an advocate for education for underprivileged children, an avid golfer, and a skilled seamstress. Survivors include her husband, Norman; three sons; six grandchildren; and sister Mary McInally Grover ’61. Annette Lee Park ’55, November 24, in Colusa, California. She was co-owner of Chung Sun Market, a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, and a staunch Republican. She is survived by her husband, So Han; two children; and three grandchildren. Patricia Ducommun Frey ’56, October 25, in Walnut Creek, California. A longtime resident of Santa Barbara, she was active there with Community Covenant Church. She is survived by her husband, Gerald; three children; and five grandchildren. Katherine “Kitty” Sinclair Collins ’57, November 7, in Belvedere, California. She was a supporter of the de Young Museum and a longtime member of the Francisca Club. She is survived by her husband, Tim; two children; and three grandchildren.
Wynetta Spencer Kollman ’73, October 13, in Sacramento. She earned her PhD in chemistry at Howard University and had a long career with the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. She was a member of Delta Sorority, the Order of the Eastern Star PHA, and the Order of the Golden Circle. She is survived by her parents, four siblings, and many nieces and nephews. A part of Kollman’s estate will fund a scholarship at Mills for African American women pursuing degrees in physical sciences. 24
M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly
Letitia Thoreson Teeter ’57, December 3, in Knoxville, Tennessee. An accomplished flutist, she was a volunteer teacher’s and library aide and worked occasionally as a freelance book editor. She was an active member of Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO) and of the Ossoli Circle women’s club. She is survived by her husband, Dwight; three children; and a grandson. Earlene Neill Martin, MA ’58, June 22, in Bandon, Oregon. Tekla Henningsen Budd ’60, May 3, 2005, in Welches, Oregon. She is survived by her husband, Donald; two children; two stepchildren; and eight grandchildren.
Judith Kuster Ackerly ’62, October 16, in San Diego, California. She earned her JD from the University of San Francisco and practiced poverty law as civilian counsel for the Navy. She is survived by her husband, Robert Flynn; two sons; and four grandchildren. Martha Latt, MFA ’67, October 5, in Cleveland, Ohio. She was an artist and teacher in drawing, sculpture, and photography. In later life, she was tour guide to thousands of visitors to the Cleveland area. Survivors include her sister and several nieces and nephews. James Shields, MFA ’72, September 17, in Oakland, California. He sang with the San Francisco Opera Chorus and Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir and served as an Oakland police officer. Survivors include his wife, Mary. Phyllis Kelsey ’77, October 27, 2008, in Haddam, Connecticut. Myra Paradise ’77, October 20, in Oakland, California. She worked as an instructor for disabled children, was a gracious hostess, and enjoyed gardening. Linda Alaniz Graff ’78, December 3, in Alameda, California. She was a preschool teacher and a committed volunteer in many church, school, and community groups. She is survived by her husband, Gary; three sons; and three grandchildren. Diane Coffelt Crosby, MA ’02, September 4, in Hayward, California. She is survived by her husband, John; three children; and a granddaughter. Tiffany Thigpen ’05, October 3, in Oakland, California. Leila Abu-Saba, MFA ’07, October 8, in Oakland, California. She was an English composition teacher at local community colleges and wrote the blog Dove’s Eye View, exploring topics of Middle East peace, literature, cooking, sustainable development, and more. Survivors include her husband, David, and two sons.
Faculty and Staff Effie Lee Morris Jones, a lecturer in education at Mills in the late 1970s, died November 10 in San Francisco. She graduated with a BS and MLS from Case Western University and in 1963 moved to San Francisco, where she became the first coordinator of children’s services at the San Francisco Public Library. A champion of making libraries accessible for all patrons regardless of age, disability, or language spoken, she founded the San Francisco Chapter of the Women’s National Book Association and became the first African American president of the Public Library Association. Morris served 12 years on the California State Library Board and was a lifetime member of the San Francisco African American Historical and Cultural Society. Survivors include two children, David and Jacqueline. Thomas O. Bente, November 13, in Palm Springs. An assistant professor of Spanish at Mills from 1967 to 1972, he taught for 25 years in the Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies departments at Temple University in Philadelphia. He retired to Palm Springs in 1999 and continued to teach as an adjunct at College of the Desert. He is survived by his partner, Geoffrey W. LaDomus.
Spouses and Family Yoshiko Adachi , mother of Director of Athletics Themy-Jo Adachi, November 22, in El Cerrito, California. John Baptista, husband of Mary Brady Baptista ’47, in San Leandro, California. William Berreyesa, partner of Diane Caleson Merchant ’58, December 8, in Los Altos, California. Jean Boyce-Smith, mother of Ann Harris Boyce’72, September 25, in Napa, California. Keith G. Coblentz, son of Jane Cudlip King ’42 and brother of Nancy Coblentz Patch ’80, October 6, while on vacation in South Lake Tahoe.
’70
Gifts in Memory of
John Morris Fenley, father of Molissa Fenley ’75, October 21, in Modesto, California. Abdul Ghani, husband of Anees Ghani ’91, MA ’94, May 14, in Dublin, California. Ekkehard Heyder, husband of Betty Wiley Heyder ’60, January 28, 2009, in St. Charles, Missouri. Marian Jackson, mother of Gwen Jackson Foster ’67, October 2, in Los Angeles. Chris Johnson, father of Jennifer Kristen Johnson ’09, April 5, 2009, in Calistoga, California. Harry Kendall, father of Judith Kendall ’84 and Elizabeth Kendall ’75, January 18, 2008, in Oakland, California. Tor Lyshaug, husband of Elizabeth Wilcox Lyshaug ’51 and father of Anne Kari Lyshaug Wortmann ’81, in Wilsonville, Oregon. Elaine Lubisch, mother of Karen Lubisch ’92, March 23, 2007, in Winters, California. James Moritz, father of Ramona Moritz ’89, October 8, in Watsonville, California. Charles Reno, father of Deborah Reno ’78, September 1, in Green Valley, Arizona. John Sartin, husband of Norris Murphy Sartin, MA ’45, November 15, in Metairie, Louisiana. Dorothy Smythe, mother of Suzanne Smythe ’79, June 22, 2009, in Carmel, California. William Turner, husband of Mary Susan Turner ’57, May 21, 2009, in Mesa, Arizona. Randall Y. Warner, husband of Elizabeth Avakian Warner ’76, October 20, in San Diego, California. Delmar Vuksich, husband of Anka Bratichevich Vuksich ’38, August 2, in San Jose, California.
Received September 1–November 30, 2009 Leila Abu-Saba, MFA ’07, by Donna Baranski-Walker and Martin Fong, Nan Bentley, Alistair Black and Deborah Savage, Nicholas Bu-Saba and Maha Farhat, Edythe Chan ’71, MA ’72, Joan Hoelzer, F. Edward Bentley, S. Bayne Bentley, Susan Cregger, Deborah Downer, Eva Eilenberg, Janet and M. Edward Gibson, Joy and Robert Hilden, Ellen and Martin Klein, Katharine Kunst, Lynette Lee, Leah Libow, Stephanie Lipow and Anthony Walecka, Ericka Lutz, Celeste MacLeod, David MacLeod, Lois Mark, Sally and David McIntyre, Eva and Michel Nicola, Katherine and Michael Olivier, Paula Rainey, Hilary and Andrew Redmond, Joan Roderman, Susan and Hiko Shimamoto, Mady Shumofsky, Elizabeth Sibley, John Simon, Vanessa Spear, Susan Yascolt Joan Gilbert Bailin ’51 by Georgian Simmonds Bahlke ’51, P ’80 Sheila Weibert Ballantyne ’58 by Margaret Roberts Tomczak ’58 Janet Costar Bentley ’43 by Evelyn Lenker Hart ’41 Keith Coblentz, son of Jane Cudlip King ’42, by Barbara L. Hunter ’57 Katherine “Kitty” Sinclair Collins ’57 by Jean Mann MacDonald ’57 Jane Curliano ’88 by Cecily Peterson ’88 Evelyn “Peg” Deane ’41 by Mary Hart Clark ’42 Courtney Donnell ’08 by Charles Betsey and Margaret Simms, Carolyn and Elmo Neal, Amber Valdez ’08
David Landes, P ’08, by Daphne Muse, P ’08
Isabel Schemel Mulcahy ’44 by Isabelle Hagopian Arabian ’45, Bret Brodowy, Cathryn and Jon Buurma, C & V Representatives Inc., Anne Sherwood Copenhagen ’44, Michelle Deng, Jean and Arnold Fickett, Julie Wilson Ganz, Marjorie Greene, Judy and Walter Haniger, Allan Howard, Barbara L. Hunter ’57, Jay Jacobus, Albert and Frances Matteucci, Catherine McCormack McGilvray ’56, UCSF Clinical Informatics & Clinical Documentation Team, Janet Meyer, Lorraine and Frederick Mielke Jr., Ronald and Lisa Miller, Tessa Moore and Paul Taylor, Thomas Mulcahy, Newton Remmel Attorneys, Jeanne and George O’Brien, Donald Ostrus, Palo Alto Area Mills College Club, Peninsula Endodontics, Patricia Rivers, Nancy and Norm Rossen, Claudia Rossi and Stephen Sanfilippo, Jeanette Schemel, Kethen So, Joan Spicer, Elizabeth and Raman Stultz, Judith and Larry Suelzle, Neilda and Howard Sussman, Margaret Taylor, Jocelyn Tom, Carol Viele
Marilyn Endres Larsen ’47 by Sheila Zisko
Grace Williams Nicholl ’39 by Nancy Marwick DeMuth ’70
Elaine Lubisch, P ’92, by Karen Lubisch ’92
John Sartin, husband of Norris Murphy Sartin, MA ’45, by Helen Haigh Mills, MA ’46
Edith Lilienthal Dorfman ’42 by Rachel Walter Michaelsen ’41 Sybil “Syb” Johnson Dray ’41, P ’72 by Lester Dray, P ’72, Elizabeth Bryant Miles ’34, Barbara Johnson Penhallow ’46, Jean Morgan Randall ’41 John Gilbert Fall, P ’81, husband of Margaret Bard Fall ’50, P ’81, by Yvonne Steele Byron ’50 John Fenley, P ’75, by the Mills College Club of New York Lori Fong by Marilyn and William Learn Herbert Graham by Carol Lotz Wenzel ’46, MA ’47 Francis Herrick, husband of Mariam White Herrick ’23, by Sally Mayock Hartley ’48 Wynetta Spencer Kollman ’73 by the De Goff family Jean and Y.H. Kwong, P ’54, P ’70, by the family of Y. H. Kwong, Mei Kwong and Laurence C. Franklin
Boitumelo “Tumi” McCallum ’09 by Mildred Hudson, John Jordan, A. Lenora Magubane, Teboho Moja, P ’09, Margaret Moja, Dolores Morris, Lillian Petty, Cynthia Rountree, Mavis Shepherd, Roberta Yancy Robaline Jenne Meacham ’43, MA ’44, by Phyllis Gardiner, Kathleen and John Swart, Edith Walsh Elsie Richmond Monette ’46 by Betty Taves Whitman ’46 Laura Bliven Moseley ’64 by Oakland-Berkeley Branch, Alumnae Association of Mills College
Barbara Miller Schlauch ’48 by Marilyn Wilson Newland ’48, P ’75 Mary and Walter Schreitmueller, P ’86, by Teresa Schreitmueller ’86 Dorothy Shauer Smythe, P ’79, by the Mills College Club of New York Martha Wickland Stumpf ’46 by Carol Lotz Wenzel ’46, MA ’47, Thomasina Woida ’80 Ann Peck Ward ’38 by Peggy Weber ’65 and Robert Whitlock, P ’02 Shirley Weishaar by Deborah Feldman ’89, Thomasina Woida ’80
p=parent; For information about making a tribute gift, contact 510.430.2097 or donors@mills.edu.
winter/spring 2010
25
Sound off! Tell us the best prank you pulled— or that was pulled on you. College life isn’t all about serious academic inquiry. Sometimes it’s more about serious fun.
I had a mouse (a real, live mouse) in my Olney Hall dorm room that really irritated me. I convinced the dorm mother, Mrs. Fusco—a very sweet, softspoken woman—to come to my room, but when we got there someone had placed a stuffed mouse near my closet. Of course, Mrs. Fusco was quite relieved and then didn’t believe that there was really a mouse problem at all. To this day I don’t know who put the stuffed mouse in my room. —Rosemary Passman Trujillo ’63
i l l u s t r at i o n s b y d e b o r a h z e m k e
Want to be part of the next “Sound off”? Sign up for the @mills email newsletter—just send your email address to alumnae-relations@mills.edu along with your full name, any previous name, and class year. Write “@mills” in the subject line of your message. We’ll also post the next “Sound off” question on Mills’ Facebook page. 26
M i l l s Q u a r t e r ly
I r etu r n e d to my top-f lo or ro om
I also snuck into Mills Hall’s third floor
in Olney Hall one afternoon to discover
with some friends on a bored night. We
that my bed was teetering on the wall
donned black outfits, berets, and flash-
of the sleeping porch, right above the
lights, studied the frequency of security
entrance to the dormitory! It didn’t take
patrols, and climbed up the tree and fire
long to gather friends to help me pull the
escape. Spooky! There was a big stuffed
bed back where it belonged. I was sure
St. Bernard dog in the top floor middle
I knew who had done it, so I called her
window—his silhouette got all of our
brother, and he sent me a picture taken of
adrenalin pumping!
her when she was a child. I saw to it that
—Stephanie Griffin ’91
the picture was printed in the next edition
a group of us—including Therese Poncy
of the Mills Weekly (now the Campanil).
’87, Karen Simi ’89, and Cindy d’Armand
The perpetrator was my future sister-in-
’87—enjoyed some “liquid refreshments,”
law Aimee Wolff Minkin ’43. We have
then decided to explore the mysteries of
now lived next door to one another for
the upper floors of Mills Hall, which had
35 years so you know there were no hard
been closed since before we arrived on
feelings!
campus. Somehow we managed to pull —Ann Sulzberger Wolff ’42
down the fire escape ladder and climb in through an unlocked window.
A favor ite of th e Clas s of 1952
At some point, realizing our adventure
was ringing the Campanil chimes 52
would be nothing but a memory unless
times and running fast. We also moved
we did something about it, we climbed
all the furniture from the Mills Hall liv-
back down, ran to the dorm, and picked
ing room to the second floor. Aside from
up Ho-Bag. We somehow managed to get
water bagging over the Mills Hall front
him up the ladder in our inebriated state
portico, I think the best was removing
and placed him prominently in the center
bedroom doors (they came up by lifting
window of the fourth floor.
them off the hinges) and installing them
—Cheryl Reid-Simons ’87
under the victims’ mattresses, awaiting discovery when victims finally decided
A s mall ro om off the entry hallway in
to go to bed after a fruitless search. Good
Ethel Moore Hall is called the Date Room,
Lord, we were energetic!
because in the old days when a gentle-
—Louise Levis Weiss ’52
man came to call on a resident, they had to sit together in the date room under the
For whatever reason, a holiday had
supervision of an adult staff member.
been cancelled—it might have been
One of my dormmates had a date
Du r i ng ou r s e n ior year, we had a
Heyday Playday—and classes were to be
with a guy who had never been to Mills
publication party for our literary maga-
held as usual. Someone (not me, really!)
before, so my friends and I made arrange-
zine, the Walrus. Two of my friends left
stole a piece of President Barbara White’s
ments with her. My friend Rebecca, a
the reception, taking with them one of
letterhead and wrote a memo restor-
theater major, dressed up in spinsterish
the delicious sourdough bread bowls
ing the holiday and cancelling classes.
clothes, pinned up her hair, and put on
filled with spinach dip. A friend and I
The typed and signed (forged, of course)
some spectacles. When the young man
decided to “punk” them by sending them
memo was taped up on the doors of all
in question showed up he had to meet
a letter on ASMC Academic Board letter-
the dorms the night before and so every-
the “dorm mother” in the Date Room. He
head, stating that they were seen steal-
one went crazy and made plans to stay up
and his date sat there for almost half an
ing the spinach dip and potentially would
late, sleep in, blow off whatever assign-
hour while Rebecca peppered him with
not be able to walk the stage during
ments were due.… Administration con-
questions to determine his suitability. We
Commencement. They both panicked;
ceded defeat and we had our holiday.
watched from the next room, trying not
one was on the verge of tears. I let them
to giggle too loudly. After he was given
sweat it out for almost 24 hours, then let
strict admonishments to have her home
the cat out of the bag. I endured a couple
Wh e n we c lean e d out the storage
by 10 and to “act like a gentleman,” they
of their loving expletives, then we all had
area in our dorm, Reinhardt Hall, we
were finally allowed to leave. I don’t know
a huge laugh afterward. Yes, those spin-
found an enormous stuffed St. Bernard
if he ever had the courage to come back
ach dips were quite tasty.
that we affectionately named “Ho-Bag.”
for a second date!
—Sara McClure ’81
A few weeks later, on a warm spring night,
—Sonja Piper Dosti ’92
—Stephanie Saad Thompson ’88 winter/spring 2010
27
Mills Quarterly
Celebrate Commencement
Mills College 5000 MacArthur Blvd. Oakland, CA 94613-1301
May 15, 2010 Honor Mills’ recommitment to women’s education with Speaker
510.430.3312 quarterly@mills.edu www.mills.edu
Nancy Pelosi
Address service requested Periodicals postage paid at Oakland, CA and at additional mailing office(s)
See page 6 for details
The Three P’s: People, Planet, Profit The Second Annual Conference of the Center for Socially Responsible Business Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business at Mills College Friday, April 9, 2010 r 8:45 am–5:00 pm Business and nonprofit executives, economists, policy makers, scholars, and students are invited to learn how a variety of companies fulfill their commitment to sustain the environments and communities where they do business. Speakers at this free one-day event will discuss the idea of the “Three Ps,” in which a corporation’s success is measured not only by the financial bottom line, but also by its social, ethical, and environmental performance. Registration is free but space is limited; lunch will be provided in the Student Union. Please register online by April 8 at www.acteva.com/go/csrb. For more information, visit www.mills.edu/mba/csrb, call 510.430.3248, or email csrb@mills.edu. The Center for Socially Responsible Business is made possible through generous support from The Elfenworks Foundation.
1. Mike Hannigan, President and Co-founder, Give Something Back 2. Simran Sethi, Associate Professor, University of Kansas School of Journalism and Mass Communications; author of Ethical Markets: Growing the Green Economy
1
2
Keynote Speaker: Suzanne Fallender, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy and Communications, Intel Corporation