11 minute read
In Memoriam
Beth Larson O’Donohoe ’46 by her granddaughter, Jennifer O’Donohoe ’02
Carolyn and Barbara Oscar by Phyllis Oscar, MFA ’17 Leanne Haney Rhodes ’62, P ’93 by her daughter, Alisha Rhodes ’93 Marion Ross ’44 by Rosalie Cuneo Amer ’62, P ’98 Diana Russell by James Graham, Susan Massotty ’70, Katherine Thomas ’88
George “Tom” Sallee by Bette Krause Spagel ’63, P ’79 Jon Sanborn, P ’83, father of Kathleen “Katie” Sanborn ’83, by Sharon Gray Taplin ’83 J. Roussel Sargent by Madelyn Marino ’77 Eleanor Marshall Schaefer ’29 by Nicole Bartow Patricia “Pat” Ellis Severn ’64 by Carolyn King Terry ’64 Anne Hummel Sherrill by Willa Berliner Anderson ’65, Cynthia McLaughlin ’74
Mary Lois Hudson Sweatt ’60, MA ’62 by her sister, Estrellita Hudson Redus ’65, MFA ’75
Sherry Teachnor ’69 by her husband, Michael McCrory Carol Tucker Trelease ’65 by Cynthia Beeman ’66, Anita Aragon Kreplin ’63 Rita Weber by Roselyne Chroman Swig, P ’80 Susan “Sue” Tromp Whalen ’51, MA ’53 by Jeanne Thomas ’51 Peggy Woodruff ’58 by Estrellita Hudson Redus ’65, MFA ’75 Georgia Wright by Victoria Irons Walch ’72 Dorothy and Millard York, P ’71 by their daughter, Nancy York ’71
P=parent. For information about making a tribute gift, contact 510.430.2097 or donors@mills.edu.
Barbara Goldblatt Becker ’63, March 16, in Corte Madera, California. Before her children were born, Barbara worked at IBM in San Francisco and Honolulu. She was a dedicated volunteer in civic matters in Corte Madera, and with late husband Leo, she helped Russian Jewish immigrants leave the USSR and settle in the Bay Area. She is survived by two children, three grandchildren, and cousin Laurie Grossman Friedman ’66.
Martha Fenstermacher Grable ’64, March 11, in San Antonio, Texas. She spent more than 40 years as a leader at Bible Study Fellowship in Silverdale, Washington. Martha’s late husband, Joe, died of COVID in 2020, but she held onto wonderful memories of family hikes, sailing trips, and cycle tours over the last year. She is survived by two sons, seven grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and sister Nancy Fenstermacher ’72.
Cynthia “Cindy” Cole Cain ’68, December 30, 2020, in Austin, Texas. Cindy spent her career working with children; first as a substitute teacher in urban Chicago schools, and later as a counselor and therapist. She was also an enthusiastic painter, dating back to the degree in art history she earned at Mills. She is survived by her husband, Joe; a daughter; a stepdaughter; and two grandchildren. Birdie Pargoud Keal, MA ’81, January 10, 2019, in Rosharon, Texas. Birdie earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, and she put it to use in Louisiana and Oakland classrooms for 38 years. She was especially called to the education of Black children during the chaos of World War II. She later obtained her master’s in child life at Mills. She is survived by a daughter.
Mary Hill, MA ’90, December 26, 2020, in Newfane, Vermont. She was an accomplished pianist who came to Mills in her 40s for a master’s degree in music. After 15 years of living in the Bay Area, she opened a bookstore in Newfane and began living a bicoastal life. She is survived by her partner, Tom White; two daughters, including Molly Boyd Hill ’87; and two granddaughters.
Evelyn Simpson Dennis ’91, March 1, 2017, in Laytonville, California. Evelyn enjoyed painting, ceramics, carving, and glass slumping. Her passion for art was rekindled at Mills while studying with Ron Nagle and Hung Lui. Also a gifted vocalist, Evelyn brought down the house headlining her 65th birthday cabaret show. She loved the beautiful country around her home and studio in Willits, which inspired much of her artwork in her later years.
Sandra “Sandy” Davidson ’98, December 11, 2020, in San Jose. Sandy had a vivacious personality, attending hundreds of rock concerts from the ’70s on—especially The Who. The arts were her calling, and she spent time promoting concerts, interviewing bands for publications, and serving on the board of the San Jose Stage Company. She is survived by her parents, two siblings, and six nieces and nephews.
Katie Rabon ’05, October 18, 2020, in New Orleans. She lived a life of creativity and grace. Among her many talents were sewing costumes and anything else that would take a needle and thread, and singing while playing acoustic guitar. Katie also found inspiration in the gardens and beaches of the Gulf Coast. She is survived by her father and two sisters.
Nina Wread ’11, November 19, 2020, in Arcata, California. Nina bravely battled breast cancer for several years. She is survived by her parents, a brother, and sister-in-law Jenny Sit Wread ’03.
Kehontas “KeKe” Rowe ’14, March 9, in Phoenix. At Mills, KeKe participated in crew, soccer, and track and field. She was also a Navy veteran, and she worked in cybersecurity and taught martial arts. She is survived by her mother, her grandfather, a sister, and two nephews.
Vanessa Dilworth ’17, March 25, in Berkeley. She earned a certificate in massage therapy at the National Holistic Institute and had hoped to return to Mills to finish her degree in English—Vanessa was an aspiring poet. She is survived by a grandmother, seven siblings, and 15 nieces and nephews.
Faculty and Staff
Yvette Fallandy, former assistant professor of French literature, January 15, in Santa Rosa, California.
Margarethe Kulke, former professor of biology, January 24, in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
Friends
Lucy Campbell, former Associate Council member, January 22, in Berkeley.
Carol Holzman Wolf ’80 is a playwright, author, filmmaker, and teacher. Her play, The Thousandth Night, was performed in French as La Millième Nuit at the Avignon Theatre Festival in 2019. Her book Playwriting: the Merciless Craft is No. 4 on the list of BookAuthority’s 70 All Time Best Books on Playwriting.”
The Magic Beans of Mills
By Carol Holzman Wolf ’80
THIS TIME OF YEAR, when the green beans ripen in my garden, I always think of Libby Pope.
Elizabeth Pope taught English at Mills for 38 years, and had been head of the English Department for many years when I entered in 1976. I was thrilled to learn that she was the Elizabeth Pope who had written two of my favorite books. She was the first author I met in person. Libby had taught English and Shakespeare to my mother when she went to Mills in the early ’50s.
I took her Shakespeare class my second year. Libby suffered from polio as a child, and by the time I met her, she had replaced her cane with a walker. She had an assistant who did her shopping and driving. In the late spring, Libby took a fall on a Friday afternoon and couldn’t get up. She lay there for five hours, facing the prospect that she might not be found until her helper returned on Monday. Fortunately, a neighbor in Faculty Village came by and discovered her.
Because of that incident, she decided that she wanted someone to live with her over the summer. I had a job in the graduate admissions department and needed housing. Libby offered me room and board, and in return, she had someone around just in case.
I wrote my first novel that summer, in longhand, at her dining table. We had discussions about which book was her best. Libby won the Newbury Honor for The Perilous Gard, which she thought was her best. I loved both her books, but I love her earlier novel, The Sherwood Ring, more. The Revolutionary War setting, in upstate New York, was new and exotic to me, since I’d read many historical fiction and fantasy books set in Europe. I was moved by so many elements in that book, the old house, “Rest & Be Thankful,” the time travel, and the ghosts.
She told me stories of her childhood, and about living next door to Katharine Hepburn. I learned that I did not like sherry, and I learned that you do not freeze fresh fish before cooking it. (I don’t know if Libby ever forgave me for that.) I brought friends to her living room for bardic circles where we read poetry to each other, so I hope the benefits of that summer were not all one-sided.
The summer I lived with her, Libby’s helper had—at her command—planted some pole beans in her yard. Libby kept a close eye on those beans, and at last, when some of them were big enough, I was sent to pick them. I did not understand how she could be so excited by a few beans. There were five. I knew about green beans—you dropped them out of the can and heated them up, and for a little more zest, you could add a splash of vinegar. Such excitement over five just-picked green beans seemed, well, silly.
Libby insisted on splitting this bounty. She oversaw the cooking, and had me add a little butter and just a touch of nutmeg. And she gave me two and a half green beans with my dinner.
Everywhere I’ve lived, from the time I left graduate school, I’ve grown a garden. I’ve begged median strips in apartment houses, the edge of a driveway, or traded part of a shared lawn for some shared vegetables. I grew green beans every time. Later I added tomatoes. Today I have lettuce, cucumbers, potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, peas... and green beans. I picked the first handful yesterday, and I thought of Libby Pope.
There is a lot of discussion these days about the value of college. Why go to college, when it costs so much? What are you going to get from it?
The answer is: you don’t know. But college is a place where, in a short time, you are challenged to open your mind and heart in so many ways that you emerge a different being. A greater being, with so much more potential to bring to the world.
Mills was a bounty to me in more ways than I can enumerate. You do not know how your life will change, and one way mine was changed was that Libby gave me some green beans. She didn’t have to share. I wouldn’t have cared, then. But she was a teacher all her life, so perhaps she did.
XThe Eucalyptus Suite
Bring the lovely Mills College campus into your home with one or all three items from our Eucalyptus Suite! The AAMC has artisancrafted eucalyptus-scented candles, gold and silver eucalyptus pins made from actual leaves picked on campus, and a beautiful brass ornament featuring a eucalyptus grove available in our online store. Acquire these or many other lovely Mills College mementos at aamcmerch.square.site. All proceeds benefit the AAMC unless otherwise noted. Please email us at aamc@mills.edu with any questions.
2021AAMC Travel Programs Paris featuring the African American Experience
September 4–12, 2021
Discover how African American culture shaped Paris on this seven-night trip to the City of Light. In the years following World War I, luminaries such as Josephine Baker, Langston Hughes, and Eugene Bullard felt accepted in Paris, thousands of miles from the States. Trace this rich history on specially designed walking tours. Along the way, enjoy quintessential Parisian experiences from the city’s celebrated cuisine and local jazz clubs to a Seine River cruise. Watch a documentary about the African American influence in 1920s and 1930s Paris. Afterward, meet the filmmakers for a Q&A session. This small-group program, ideal for active travelers, features first-class accommodations and an extensive meal plan, including wine with dinner.
For more information about this or other trips on offer in our travel program, visit the Travel Program section of aamc.mills.edu or email aamc@mills.edu.
Mills College 5000 MacArthur Blvd. Oakland, CA 94613-1301 510.430.3312 quarterly@mills.edu www.mills.edu
REUNION 2021
Alumnae are invited to campus:
Thursday, September 23, through Sunday, September 26! The Office of Alumnae Relations is pleased to announce that we will welcome alumnae to gather in person this fall, as we honor the Golden Alumnae of 1970 and 1971 and those from class years ending in 0, 5, 1, or 6. We will also offer activities virtually, to be inclusive of alumnae off campus as well.
Highlights include: • Convocation • Mills After Dark bingo • Book Art Program presentation and Writers’ Salon • Updates from College Officers and from the AAMC • Storytelling Hour • Class luncheon and AAMC awards ceremony • Tours of the Community Farm, Lisser Hall, and the Art Museum • Class dinners and photos
REGISTRATION OPENS MID-JULY Visit alumnae.mills.edu/reunion2021 later this summer for the full schedule and to register by September 10. Space on campus is limited, and registration will be first-come, first-served, but we will seek to prioritize alumnae in Reunioning classes. Brochures will be mailed to all alumnae from class years ending in 0, 5, 1, or 6.
RESERVE YOUR ACCOMMODATIONS NOW Take advantage of special rates available until August 15 at the Executive Inn & Suites (below) or the adjacent Best Western Plus Bayside Hotel near Jack London Square— or get the full campus experience by staying in a residence hall. Visit alumnae.mills.edu/lodging2021 for rates and details. PICK UP A BOOK THIS SUMMER On Thursday during Reunion, join first-year students for a faculty-led conversation about this year’s book-incommon, The Names of All the Flowers by Melissa Valentine, MFA ’13. In this memoir, Valentine reflects on growing up in a mixed-race family in 1990s Oakland with her brother, who ultimately falls victim to gun violence. It is both a personal account of the school-to-prison pipeline and a love letter to the brother Valentine adored.
