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Class Notes
Class Notes do not appear in the online edition of Mills Quarterly.
Alumnae are invited to share their news with classmates in the Mills College alumnae community. To submit notes for publication in the next available Quarterly, send your update to classnotes@mills. edu. Class Notes do not appear in the online edition of the Mills Quarterly. Alumnae are invited to share their news with classmates in the Mills College Alumnae Community, alumnae.mills.edu. To submit notes for publication in the next available Quarterly, send your update to classnotes@mills.edu.
Notices of deaths received before January 6.
To submit listings, please contact alumnae-relations@mills.edu or 510.430.2123
Marian Cobb Carlson ’42, September 21, 2020, in Portland, Oregon. After Mills, Marian graduated from Oregon State and taught business and accounting in Portland public schools while raising her family. Though petite in stature, Marian was “towering” in intellect and curiosity, particularly enjoying gardening, politics, and an evening glass of wine. She is survived by four children; seven grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and cousin Deborah Campbell Dittman ’68.
Mary Donovan Bunning ’42, October 2, 2020, in Rock Springs, Wyoming. After Mills, she graduated from the Tobe Coburn School of Fashion Careers in New York and operated a shop, Hetts Ladies Ready to Wear, with husband Bob for 12 years. Mary volunteered extensively and served as an executive director with Girl Scouts of America in Sweetwater County. She is survived by four children, 11 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.
Marjorie “Marge” Kaljian Chomiak ’47, September 9, 2018, in Hamilton, Montana. She is survived by two children and a sister, Sybil Kaljian Balatti ’45.
Joy Randall Eoff ’47, July 17, 2016, in Salem, Oregon. Joy graduated from Mills in three years. A woman of many talents, Joy was a ski instructor in Sun Valley, a pilot with a floatplane rating, a gourmet cook, and the founder of a “candy stripers” organization at Salem Hospital. She is survived by her husband, Joe; two children, including Jennifer Johnson Francis ’73; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Helen Rode Conrad ’47, October 26, 2019, in Petaluma, California.
Katherine “Kate” McGinity, MA ’10
Adjunct Professor of Dance Kate McGinity, who also earned a master’s in dance from Mills in 2010, died of cancer on January 12. She is survived by her husband, Chris Griffin, a lighting designer with Mills Performing Arts.
Kate had taught at Mills ever since she graduated, elevating the Dance Cultures class she took over from department chair (and her former teacher) Ann Murphy, as well as working with students in pedagogy and ballet courses. She was developing a comprehensive pedagogy program within the department at the time of her death, which was to serve as a cornerstone of a future dance credential, and she had one more course to complete to take her MA to an MFA.
A professional ballet dancer, Kate performed with the Eugene Ballet, State Street Ballet, and Inland Pacific Ballet, among other companies, but she was also renowned for her skills in tap dance and comedic timing. Her love of the comic mixed with the tragic led her to write her master’s thesis on the dances of Pina Bausch and the antics of clown Bill Irwin.
“Few could match Kate’s tough, funny, and deeply ethical style of teaching. Students adored her,” Murphy said. “Being part of the Dance and Theater Studies Department was exactly where she wanted and loved to be. Her loss is immeasurable.” Jacqueline Johnson Miller ’48, September 26, 2020, in Denver, Colorado. She was a longtime resident of Chicago, spending 65 years there after graduating with her master’s in musicology from the University of Chicago, before moving to Denver in 2014. Her piano playing and sparkling blue eyes will be greatly missed. She is survived by three children and three grandchildren.
Nancy Lindauer Garrison ’48, July 20, 2017, in Snohomish, Washington.
Ellen Myers Taves ’48, October 19, 2020, in Redmond, Washington. A Seattle native, Ellen met her husband, Don, while volunteering at the University of Washington’s student center. She later earned a teaching credential and her master’s in counseling. Ellen took those degrees to Planned Parenthood, serving as counseling director at the branch in Rochester, New York, for 14 years. After retirement, she took to the airwaves for her senior center’s radio station. She is survived by Don, four children, and four grandchildren.
Kathleen “Kay” Hall Porter ’49, September 15, 2020, in San Diego. Kay was a giant in the movement to restore historic buildings in San Diego, from replacing the organ at the Balboa Theatre to physically moving the Sherman-Gilbert House to Heritage Park. With four friends, she purchased Villa Montezuma in 1969 and helped turn it into a museum. She is survived by four children, including Leslie Porter Whalen ’74; four grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Nadine Dolnick Gelman ’52, December 13, 2018, in Evanston, Illinois. She is survived by two daughters, four grandchildren, and a sister.
Patricia “Patti” Reiswig Morrow Moulton ’52, December 14, 2020, in Issaquah, Washington. Patty graduated from high school at 16, and as her family puts it, she was a strong woman before it was cool. She loved to be active, whether through skiing, tennis, hiking, or pickleball. Over the years, Patti taught school, sold real estate, and traded stocks. She is survived by a son, three stepchildren, and four grandchildren.
Olive Duncan Lookabaugh ’53, December 7, 2020, in San Antonio, Texas. Olive graduated from Mills with a degree in teaching, which she took with her to six states and four countries due to her husband’s work in the oil industry. She was deeply spiritual and, among other hobbies, wrote a book of poetry and devotionals. Before Olive’s husband died, the couple established a foundation to support those studying geriatric medicine. She is survived by two children and two grandchildren.
Dorothy Czerny Britton, MA ’54, October 10, 2020, in Castro Valley, California. She graduated from San Jose State with a bachelor’s degree in art, and while teaching art at Washington High School in Fremont, she pursued her master’s at Mills. Overall, she inspired budding artists—including renowned painter Kurt Walters—for 37 years, retiring in 1983 to enjoy her own artistry in ceramics, leather working, and jewelry. Her late husband, Donald “Curly” Britton, died in 1993.
Sally Schrepferman Reeds ’55, November 17, 2020, in Broomfield, Colorado. While raising her family, Sally worked for what is now the Aspen Skiing Company. She and her late husband, Ted, moved the family to England in 1978, and after they moved back to the US, Sally became a travel agent to fund the couple’s love of travel. She also founded the League of Women Voters chapters in Aspen and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. She is survived by three children, three stepchildren, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
Sharon Robinson ’14, MPP ’15
Sharon Robinson, the first-ever recipient of the Alumnae of Color (AOCC) Committee’s Endowed Scholarship—and the only one to receive it twice—died on December 24, 2020, in San Leandro. She is survived by her partner, Rahman Batin; five brothers; and many nieces and nephews. The eighth of nine children, Sharon enrolled in the BA/MPP program at Mills in her 50s after a career as an entrepreneur and activist (including with the West Oakland Community Collaborative and the United Way of the Bay Area). She was fiercely dedicated to educational equity and took her degrees to her work with the Oakland Public Education Fund, where she led the development of Oakland Unified School District’s Central Kitchen, Instructional Farm, and Education Center, with the goal of tying nutrition to education programs and preparing 35,000 meals a day for students.
She will be remembered for her advocacy; her love of travel, adventure sports, and African drumming; and the family reunions she organized that brought people together from around the world. And through Sharon’s continuing work with the AOCC to raise funds for the Endowed Scholarship, she strove to ensure that other Mills students of color had the same opportunities she did: “I remember her saying on numerous occasions that contributing to our scholarship was making an investment,” said Lynette Castille-Hall ’75. “An investment in a student just like herself.”
Mary Emde Auble ’56, October 1, 2020, in Sacramento. Mary spent much time volunteering with the Assistance League of Sacramento and the Cerebral Palsy Guild. She and friend Pat also won many domino tournaments. Mary is survived by her husband, Jim; three children; nine grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Jo-Ann Ordano ’58, October 29, 2020, in Half Moon Bay, California. After Mills, she moved to New York for a career in public relations and broadcasting, eventually returning to the Bay Area as public information officer for the San Francisco mayor’s office. Jo-Ann was also an accomplished photographer, publishing her own shots and teaching many others. Retirement in Half Moon Bay was busy and joyful, with lots of friends and time to create.
Kristin Palmquist Warriner ’59, January 7, 2020, in Redmond, Washington. She is survived by three children, including Elisabeth Anton-McIntyre ’85.
Sharon Graham Niederhaus ’63, October 24, 2020, in Palo Alto, California. She was an accomplished educator, earning five teaching credentials and developing more than 100 Adopt-A-School partnerships. Sharon also co-authored a book with her brother titled All in the Family: A Creative Guide to Successful Multigenerational Living, which she discussed on Good Morning America. She is survived by her husband, Don; two children; three stepchildren; and six grandchildren.
Lynne Stein Gilberg ’63, January 1, in Los Angeles. After staying at home while raising her children, she was an assistant curator of Jewish objects at the Skirball Cultural Center, a book editor for Sunset magazine and its books division, and a professional organizer. Lynne celebrated her 60th birthday with a six-week backpacking trip along the Campostela Del Santiago trail in Spain, just one of many enjoyable hikes. She is survived by two children, including Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz, PMC ’91; and four grandchildren.
Gifts in Memory of
Received September 1, 2020 – November 30, 2020 Robert Ashley by Kazuko “Koko” Tsunematsu Tajima ’69, MA ’71 Marjorie “Midge” McLaren Bolton ’35, TCRED ’36, P ’69 by her daughter, Jorie Bolton Townsley ’69 Katie Dudley Chase ’61 by her spouse, William Chase Ella Marie Crain by Susan Crain Hansen ’78 Jennifer Ewing Bolton ’56 by Deborah Boisot ’59 Barbara Coleman Frey ’68 by Clarence B. Coleman & Joan F. Coleman Charitable Foundation
Susan Clark Gillum ’66 by Carole Kieley Hayes ’66 Laura Gobbi by Beverly Curwen ’71, Linda Jaquez-Fissori ’92, Gayle Rothrock ’68, and Molly Fannon Williams ’75 Jerome “Moe” Graham by his spouse, Barbara Manning Graham ’61 Marilyn Grimes Hill ’56, P ’83 by her daughter, Linda Hill ’83 Elijah Clair Keller, son of Nicki Benkula Keller ’03, by Michelle Balovich ’03, MBA ’18 Donaldina “Donnie” Cameron Klingen ’63 by Kathryn Forsyth Ashworth ’63 Michael Lovgren Langner ’48 by Dorothy “Dotty” Braaten Kennedy ’48 Charles Larsen by Kazuko “Koko” Tsunematsu Tajima ’69, MA ’71 Richard Lee by Rosita “Rosa” Montalvo Schloss ’57 Carol Lennox ’61 by Angelique Di Schino Felgentreff ’90 Leah Hardcastle MacNeil, MA ’51, P ’75 by Barbara Sachanko Dalmau ’75, Linda Jaquez-Fissori ’92, and Carolyn Wade-Ouse ’67 Marcia Miller ’63 by Mary Root Campbell ’63 Barbara Forster Mitchell ’63 by Diane DeFreitas Stein ’63 Robbyn Panitch ’79 by Betsey Shack Goodwin ’76 Lee Simpson Phillips ’44 by The Phillips Family Trust Marion Ross ’44 by Susan-Ellen Gilmont ’64 and Linda Tu ’91 Margaret “Marge” Feldman Senders by Lorinda Bader Reichert ’67 Ellen Myers Taves ’48 by Dorothy “Dotty” Braaten Kennedy ’48 Katherine Zelinsky Westheimer ’42 by Susan “Susy” Stern Fineman ’68
Marian McCormack Wilkie ’45, P ’78 by Eileen McCormack, Allan Treseder, and Marian Treseder
Robert and Betty Chu Wo ’46 by Wendell Wo Ann Sulzberger Wolff ’42 by Linda Cohen Turner ’68 Peggy Woodruff ’58 by Deborah Boisot ’59 and Gwendolyn Jackson Foster ’67 Helen Wood Wyatt ’49 by Laura, Gillian, and William Wood
P=parent. For information about making a tribute gift, contact 510.430.2097 or donors@mills.edu.
Lenn Keller ’84
A groundbreaking photographer, archivist, and Mills volunteer, Lenn Keller died on December 16, 2020, in Oakland.
The Class of 1984 knew Lenn as an enthusiastic class secretary, but the LGBTQ+ community knew her as a trailblazer. After growing up in Chicago and exploring photography with other Black artists in Harlem, Lenn moved to California in 1975. She eventually made her way to San Francisco and then to Berkeley, becoming involved in the Bay Area’s fledgling queer movement and documenting it for the ages, particularly Black lesbian activism.
The artistic skills she picked up in New York came in handy as she shot photos and videos of the movement, from protests to Pride, that were later exhibited to the public in shows such as Queer California: Untold Stories at the Oakland Museum of California in 2019. Lenn enrolled at Mills in the early ’80s to bolster her documentary skills with a degree in communications, later making several films—including one that remains unfinished.
It was in 2014 that Lenn co-founded the Bay Area Lesbian Archives, a repository of materials that she herself had collected over the years. A permanent location is still in the works. “Marginalized histories are often not documented,” she said to the San Francisco Chronicle in 2018. “This history is very important, not just for posterity, but it’s important for us now.”
Just months before Lenn died of cancer, she traveled back to Chicago to care for her brother, Otis, who succumbed to it himself on August 21. She is survived by one other brother and her daughter, Nakiya.
Colorado. Pat earned an MA in history from the University of Pennsylvania before becoming one of the few women in programming at IBM. After obtaining an MBA from Temple University, she rose through the ranks, retiring as an IBM certified project manager in 2015. Pat loved the mountains, and she enjoyed making her own professional clothes with Vogue patterns. She is survived by her husband, Alan; two daughters; two granddaughters; and great-niece Laura Cavanaugh ’20.
Sandra Myers Howard ’69, July 12, 2019, in Alameda.
Meena Surie Wilson ’71, June 1, 2020 in Sausalito, California. After Mills, she earned a master’s in television and radio journalism and a doctorate, and she worked in international leadership at the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina. She founded and chaired Alliances for Women, served as director of Asia Pacific Leadership, and authored a book, Developing Tomorrow’s Leaders Today: Insights from Corporate India. Meena’s laugh was delightfully infectious. She is survived by a son and a brother.
Elaine Li Chu ’72, December 5, 2019, in Calgary, Alberta. She immigrated to Canada in 1974 after spending her childhood in Hong Kong, and she enjoyed traveling around the world throughout the rest of her life. In 1987, she bought an apartment building, eventually expanding that holding into Elite Property Development Limited in Calgary. Elaine is survived by her husband, William; two sons, and a grandson. Josette “Josie” Antaki ’79, March 29, 2020, in Beaverton, Oregon. Josie was a beloved math teacher at Cochabama Cooperative School in Bolivia. After returning to the US, she worked as a migrant education program recruiter and student development specialist. Josie’s time in Bolivia inspired a love for adventure travel, and she also enjoyed gardening, camping, and cooking. She is survived by her husband, two children, two grandchildren, and two sisters: Vivian Antaki ’70 and Amy Antaki Herszenhorn ’72.
Lois “Betsy” Boycott Allbright ’89, TCRED ’90, December 10, 2020, in Prescott, Arizona. A resumer, Betsy used her credential to teach English as a second language, as well as general education at the Vacaville prison. She also published a book, Refugees, a ChineseHawaiian Memoir, inspired by her childhood in Honolulu after evacuation from China during World War II. She is survived by five children; seven grandchildren, including Lily Page ’09 and Rosa Page ’13; and five great-grandchildren.
Giulia Shanahan, MA ’94, December 1, 2019, in San Francisco. She met her late husband, William, while both were in Indonesia in 1954. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley in 1982 at the age of 56, later coming to Mills to study for a master’s in liberal studies.
Jane Schwartz Deer-Hileman, MA ’99, July 15, 2018, in Seattle. Community was her life: before moving to Seattle, she started food co-ops, community Shabbat dinners, childcare centers, and more in Berkeley. She retired as director of volunteer services with Jewish Family Services in 2018. In addition to her love for her family, she wanted to be remembered as a great dancer. She is survived by three children and five grandchildren.
Spouses and Family
James Baker, father of Kimberly Baker ’95, January 3, in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
Ed Crocker, father of Fiona Crocker Golden ’90, August 25, 2020, in Alexandria, Virginia.
Charles Gelman, husband of the late Nadine Dolnick Gelman ’52, May 23, 2020, in Evanston, Illinois.
Elena “Michelle” Lopez-Watt, mother of Laura Combs ’15, December 6, 2020, in Modesto, California.
Ray Tsukimura, husband of Peggie Honda Tsukimura ’57, April 8, 2017, in Walnut Creek, California.
Faculty and Staff
Robert Sheff, former instructor and technician in the Music Department and a composer/musician with the stage name of “Blue” Gene Tyranny, on December 12, 2020, in Long Island City, New York.
Charles Shere, former professor of music, December 15, 2020, in Healdsburg, California.
The statement of the AAMC’s 2021–24 alumna trustee nominee is printed on page 23.
We offer two ways to vote—online and by paper ballot! To vote online:
• Go to the Mills College Alumnae Community, alumnae.mills.edu/alumna-trustee-ballot.
• Alumnae must be registered with the online community in order to cast their vote online.
• Registration is free and easy! Visit alumnae.mills.edu/ alumna-trustee-ballot to register and to vote. Your alumna ID is required to register and can be found at the top of your
Quarterly mailing label. • Online voting will end at 5:00 pm (PDT) on Friday, May 7.
To vote on paper:
VOTE ONLINE
• Do you approve or disapprove the OR ON PAPER appointment of Jacki C. Brown ’74 BY MAY 7 as alumna trustee? Yes, I approve No, I do not approve • Please mail ballot in a private envelope to: Chair, AAMC Nominating Committee, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd, MB #86, Oakland, CA 94613 • Paper ballots must include the mailing label on the reverse side. To maintain confidentiality, voter names will be inked out before ballots are passed on to the Nominating Committee chair. • No faxed ballots or call-ins will be accepted. • Ballots must be received at Reinhardt Alumnae House by 5:00 pm (PDT) on Friday, May 7. NOTE: Whether you vote online or by paper ballot, only one vote per alumna will be accepted. Any alumna casting multiple votes will invalidate all of her votes. Upon request, the Alumnae Association of Mills College will send a spring Quarterly to replace the one from which you have removed this ballot. Call 510.430.2110 or email aamc@mills.edu.
2021AAMC Travel Programs Journey through Southern Africa September 14–29, 2021
Encounter exotic wildlife and wonder on this 12-night adventure through South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. With expert trackers leading your small group, you can scout lions, elephants, leopards, and rhinos, and learn about these majestic African animals and efforts to conserve them and their habitats. Explore Cape Town, where Table Mountain towers over colorful streets and glistening beaches. Spot penguins on a drive along the Cape Peninsula to the Cape of Good Hope. Travel to Johannesburg and Soweto to see the home of Nelson Mandela and visit community leaders at a local youth program. Relish the riches of Hwange National Park on a game drive, feel the power of crashing Victoria Falls, and spy elephants along the Chobe River during a safari cruise.
For more information, including a full itinerary for this and other planned trips for 2021, please visit the AAMC travel program webpage at alumnae.mills.edu/travel.
