Mulberry Tree magazine, Winter 2016

ST. MARY’S COLLEGE of Maryland

W I N T E R 2 016

CAMPUS COMMUNITY FARM Starting Careers in the Dirt

TINY HOUSES Studying Compact Living Spaces

ST. MARY’S COLLEGE

of Maryland

W INTE R 2 016 , VOL . X X X VI I , NO. 1

www.smcm.edu/mulberrytree Editor Lee Capristo Alumni Editor Kathy Cummings Design Skelton Design Photographer Bill Wood Editorial Board Karen Anderson, Lee Capristo, Kathy Cummings, Carolyn Curry, Missy Beck Lemke ’92, Nairem Moran ’99, Karen Raley ’94, Grace White ’15 Publisher Office of Institutional Advancement St. Mary’s College of Maryland 47645 College Drive St. Mary’s City, Maryland 20686

The Mulberry Tree is published by St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Maryland’s public honors college for the liberal arts and sciences. It is produced for alumni, faculty, staff, trustees, the local community, and friends of the College.

The magazine is named for the famous mulberry tree under which the Calvert colonists signed a treaty of friendship with the Yaocomico people and on the trunk of which public notices were posted in the mid-1600s. The tree endured long into the 19th century and was once a popular meeting spot for St. Mary’s students. The illustration of the mulberry tree on the cover was drawn in 1972 by Earl Hofmann, artist-inresidence when St. Mary’s College President Renwick Jackson launched the magazine.

Copyright 2016 The opinions expressed in The Mulberry Tree are those of the individual authors and not necessarily those of the College. The editor reserves the right to select and edit all material.

Manuscripts and letters to the editor are encouraged and may be addressed to Editor, The Mulberry Tree, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, 18952 E. Fisher Rd., St. Mary’s City, MD 20686.

Photographs and illustrations may not be reproduced without the express written consent of St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

CONTENTS W I N T E R 2 016

ST. MARY’S COLLEGE OF MARYLAND July 2015 — June 2016

F E AT U R E S

ALUMNI COUNCIL

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

PA G E 6

Executive Board Danielle Troyan ’92, President Allan Wagaman ’06, Executive Vice President Alice Arcieri Bonner ’03, Vice President of Operations Angie Harvey ’83, Secretary Mark Fedders ’74, Parliamentarian Jim Wood ’61, Treasurer

Chair Gail Harmon

Elected Voting Members Thomas Brewer ’05 Camille Campanella ’12 David Cribbs ’74 Geoffrey Cuneo ’10 Donna Denny ’81 Barbara Dinsenbacher ’56jc Kate Fritz ’04 Chris Holt ’86 Missy Beck Lemke ’92 Ryan McQuighan ’05 Laurie Menser ’01 Jeremy Pevner ’09 Amanda Kellaher Walker ’01 Jayson Williams ’03 Student Member Helena Klassen ’16 Chapter Presidents Annapolis: Erin O’Connell ’91 Baltimore: Dallas Hayden ’06 Boston: Kyle McGrath ’11 D.C. Metro: Matt Schafle ’10 Denver: Alisa Ambrose ’85 New York: Christelle Niamke ’05 Philadelphia: Vacant San Francisco: Micah Cupid-Benons ’09 Southern Maryland: Cathy Hernandez Ray ’77 Western Maryland: Kristi Jacobs Woods ’97 Staff Dave Sushinsky ’02 Alumni Director Beth Byrd Associate Alumni Director Lauren Taylor ’14 Assistant Alumni Director

More Kale, Please Green Careers Sprout from Digging in the Dirt at the Campus Community Farm.

Vice Chair Cindy Broyles ’79 Secretary Lawrence “Larry” E. Leak ’76 Treasurer Mr. John Chambers Wobensmith ’93 Trustees Carlos Alcazar Arthur “Lex” Birney, Jr. Peter Bruns Donny Bryan ’73 Peg Duchesne ’77 Elizabeth Graves ’95 Rear Admiral Timothy “Tim” Heely, usn Retired Sven Holmes The Honorable Steny Hoyer Captain Glen Ives, usn Retired Gary Jobson Molly Mahoney Matthews John McAllister Ann L. McDaniel Michael P. O’Brien ’68 Katharine Russell Eric Schroeder ’16, Student Trustee Danielle Troyan ’92 Laura Cripps, hsmc

PA G E 1 0

[ PA G E 6 ]

Big Results in Small Spaces The Tiny House Project is part of a new course called “Community Sustainable Design.”

PA G E 14

More Than Its Name The Annual Mark Twain Lecture Celebrates 10 Years.

[ PA G E 1 0 ]

D E PA R T M E N T S

2

President’s Letter

3

College News

19 Alumni Connection 28 From the Archives

[ PA G E 14 ]

C OV E R :

Elaine Bucknam ’16, a co-head of the Campus Community Farm Photo by Bill Wood OPPOSITE:

Shelby Kalm ’14 inspects the honeybees whose bee house is adjacent to the Campus Community Farm.

Photo by Skip Rowland

St. Mary’s College | THE MULB ER RY TR EE | winter 2016 | 1

A

L ETTER

FROM

T HE

PRESIDE NT

FORGING OUR OWN BOLD STEPS

T

his academic year we embarked on the development of a

three-year strategic plan. As we begin the spring semester, we head into the phase of seeking input on a set of goals developed by our Strategic Planning Steering Committee through input from teams of faculty, students, and staff. A robust strategic plan is one that has been vetted with internal and external stakeholders Ted [Lewis] was a trailblazer: and I encourage you to contribute recruiting a remarkable faculty, your feedback to the draft goals strengthening the academic through input mechanisms we profile of the institution, and will announce shortly. The final moving St. Mary’s into the strategic plan will be submitted national media. to the Board of Trustees for its approval in May. Your participation in the process is important.

During the fall, I had the opportunity to meet many external stakeholders who are the proud alumni of this fine institution. From Boston and Manhattan to Baltimore and Prince George’s County, Md., the welcome was heartwarming and the enthusiasm unmistakable. Thank you! It was my pleasure to meet so many who believe in the mission of St. Mary’s College. I appreciate, too, the vigor and passion with which many of you helped to recruit prospective students and their families who joined us.

In November, as we wrapped up our 175th anniversary celebrations, I was able to thank, in person, that individual who led St. Mary’s to its public honors college designation by the state: Edward “Ted” Lewis, president from 1983 – 1996. Ted was a trailblazer: recruiting a remarkable faculty, strengthening the academic profile of the institution, and moving St. Mary’s into the national media. Let us remember his bold ambitions for this institution as we forge our own bold steps for the years ahead. This is our vision: St. Mary’s College of Maryland will increasingly serve as the liberal arts college of choice for intellectually ambitious students, faculty, and staff from diverse backgrounds, attracted by a rigorous, innovative and distinctive curriculum that integrates theory and practice; a talented, professionally engaged, and student-centered faculty and staff; and a strong infrastructure. Students will be part of a collaborative learning community that embraces intellectual curiosity and innovation, the power of diversity, and the College’s unique environment. Our graduates will thrive as responsible and thoughtful global citizens and leaders.

Charge forward with us.

Tuajuanda C. Jordan, President, St. Mary’s College of Maryland

Editor’s Note

E

mployers praise the liberal

arts graduates they hire for their ability to make connections between concept and product, between abstract and concrete.

Professors at St. Mary’s work hard to design courses that provide students the learning opportunities for these connections to be made. From a course that explores sustainable design and managing one’s consumption footprint to a built product that exemplifies those course principles, the tiny house project provides a visible marker, as does a basket of produce that makes its way to a student’s dinner plate or helps to feed the hungry at a local shelter, of how experiential learning is the connector between the head and the hands.

Matthew Crawford is a philosopher and senior fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia, and also a motorcycle mechanic who owns his own repair shop (Shockoe Moto in Richmond, Va.). In his book “Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work” (Penguin, 2009), Crawford makes a case for the intrinsic satisfactions and cognitive challenges of manual work and shows how such work ties us to the communities in which we live and instills in us the pride that comes from doing work that is useful.

St. Mary’s students find personal satisfaction in useful work. Mandy Goodspeed ’16, sums up her Tiny House project experience this way: “It’s a pretty powerful feeling being part of construction projects. Each day you’re making little steps and it doesn’t seem like much, but by the end you see how far everything has come and you impress yourself!” The fact that students become alums who go on to careers that blend, for example, philosophy with urban agriculture, providing fresh vegetables to neighborhoods where mini marts fill in for grocery stores that left for better neighborhoods, suggests that the connection between the head and the hands is real and satisfying.

Lee Capristo, editor 2 | St. Mary’s College | T H E MU LBERRY TREE | winter 2016

COLLEGE

NEWS CAMPUS & COMMUNITY NEWS

Rebecca Webster ’16 and Nicolette Coluzzi ’19 with Julie King, professor of anthropology (center)

Donor Support Helps Success Breed Success for Anthropology Students At the mouth of the Wicomico River in Chaptico, Maryland, lies an archaeological site packed with oyster shell, stone tools, and ceramics. Archaeologists suspect that this parcel of land was the Indian town of Cecomocomo mapped by Captain John Smith in 1608 but little else was known about the settlement.

That changed this fall when students in “Anthropological Research Methods,” taught by Professor of Anthropology Julie King, spent a portion of the semester doing test digs on the site, today known as

Lower Brambly. Their work was funded by a generous gift to the Anthropology Department to support student assistantships made

by Cindy Broyles ’79, current

vice chair of the College’s Board of Trustees. Nancy Wolfe, the owner of Lower Brambly, very graciously gave permission to the students to work on her farm.

The work might have been dirty and monotonous (1,000 pounds of shell fragments for every ounce of something else), but the setting was spectacular! Situated on a bluff overlooking the Wicomico River, the 25-30 acre site is slated for protection by the Wicomico Valley Foundation of Southern Maryland.

The students’ work at Lower Brambly along with Broyles’ investment in their effort were key reasons that a proposal for additional work at the site has just been funded for $47,000. The funds will come from the National Park Service’s Under-Represented Communities program and be used to compare Lower Brambly with a contemporary site in Calvert County. St. Mary’s is partnering with the Calvert County Historic Preservation Program on this effort.

The students concluded that the Lower Brambly site is, indeed, the town of Cecowocomoco and that it was occupied from 1000 BC through 1620 AD.

Food Donations

by Seahawk Athletes The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) donated over 1,000 pounds of food in its annual food drive to correspond with the Capital Athletic Conference Food Challenge. With help from Omicron Delta Kappa and parents and fans of the men’s and women’s basketball teams, SAAC collected more than has ever been raised in the five years of the challenge.

The donation was made to St. Cecelia’s Church in St. Mary’s City.

Topping Out Ceremony for New Anne Arundel Hall On October 29, 2015, the last beam was installed at the new Anne Arundel Hall facility.

Project stakeholders signed the beam and posed for a picture.

From left to right: Trustee Michael O’Brien ’68, Vice President Chip Jackson, Delegate Tony O’Donnell, Historic St. Mary’s City’s Regina Faden, President Tuajuanda Jordan, Director Dan Branigan and Delegate Deborah Rey. Anne Arundel Hall will be home to Anthropology, International Languages & Cultures, Museum Studies, Center for the Study of Democracy, and an Historic St. Mary’s City museum.

St. Mary’s a Top Best CollegeValue Kiplinger’s has named St. Mary’s College to its Personal Finance’s list of the Top Best College Values of 2016. St. Mary’s is ranked among the top 100 on the list of best values in public colleges for both in-state and out-of-state value.

Cindy Broyles ’79 with Scott Strickland ’08 St. Mary’s College | THE MULB ER RY TR EE | winter 2016 | 3

PRESIDENT’S NEWS

Wick Appointed Provost and Dean of Faculty Michael R. Wick has been ap-

pointed provost and dean of faculty. He will join the College community in summer 2016.

Wick currently serves as associate vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean of graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, a position he has held since 2009. As provost and dean of faculty at St. Mary’s College, Wick will oversee all academic programs and services, faculty development, sponsored research, the library, the Boyden Gallery, and athletics.

Solidarity March Organized by Students Students, faculty and staff joined in a solidarity march organized by the Black Student Union and Latinos Unidos on November 17, 2015, in the wake of nationwide campus unrest.

St. Mary’s Giving Tuesday Breaks Records On Giving Tuesday, December 1, 2015, St. Mary’s College more than doubled its one-day fundraising goal of $30,000 when a recordbreaking 581 alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends of the College rallied together and donated $66,362, primarily to support the capital building challenge.

175th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS COME TO AN END The week of November 16, 2015, was a full-court press of activity to mark the culmination of the 175th anniversary of the founding of St. Mary’s. The week included soldout productions of “Crossroads: On Common Ground 2015” directed by Merideth Taylor;

a celebratory all-campus luncheon with Former President Ted Lewis helping to cut the cake; and a performance by spoken word artist and national poetry slam champion Clint Smith.

In true St. Mary’s fashion, the week ended at the waterfront, with fireworks!

Trailblazer Award Recognizes Ted Lewis On November 20, 2015, President Jordan honored the presidency of Edward T. “Ted” Lewis, with her Trailblazer Award. At the ceremony, she praised Lewis for the vision and leadership he bestowed upon St. Mary’s during the 1980s and 1990s.

Michael Glaser, professor emeritus of English and former poet laureate of Maryland, wrote a poem for the occasion to celebrate Ted Lewis.

4 | St. Mary’s College | T H E MU LBERRY TREE | winter 2016

President Jordan Moderates Human Relations Panel Discussion

President Jordan at October 16 event in Catonsville, Md. with Joann (Boner) Holland ’46hs, ’48jc and Peg (Fowler) Carter ’48jc

175 Anniversary Tour Resonates with Alumni President Jordan shared recent College initiatives and invited alumni to engage with the College as it moves, from humble beginnings, to a bold global future. Partnering with the Office of Alumni Relations and the Office of Admissions, the events were held in Baltimore, Manhattan, Prince George County, Md., and Boston. Additional tours are planned for the spring.

On October 14, 2015, President Jordan moderated panel discussion titled “Law Enforcement and Race: How Do We Move Forward?” The panelists included Capt. Steve Hall (St. Mary’s Co. Sheriff’s Dept.)

Rev. Michael Barber (Dominion Apostolic Ministries) Colleen Shanklin, (diversity and inclusion manager/EEO specialist, NAVAIR) Prof. Garrey Dennie (SMCM) Crystal Worrell, president of BSU (SMCM). The Human Relations Commission of St. Mary’s County sponsored the event.

FA C U LT Y & S TA F F N E W S Chris Adams, professor of history, is co-editor with her sister, Tracy Adams, of a new book, “Female Beauty Systems: Beauty as Social

Capital in Western Europe and the United States, Middle Ages to the Present” (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2015). The book is a collection of nine essays. St. Mary’s colleagues Jennifer Cognard-Black (professor of English) and Gail Savage (professor of history) were contributors. The book is a true family effort: not only co-edited by sisters, the book cover’s photo is of Tracy Adams’ daughter, Elise. Adams also had an op-ed published in Education Week on December 14, 2015 entitled, “Let the Past Inform our Understanding of the Present,” about teaching amidst trauma.

Charles Adler, professor of physics, was the recipient of the 2015 Science Communication Award for best science writing in books from the American Institute of Physics. The award was for Adler’s first book, published in 2014 by Princeton University Press, “Wizards, Aliens, and Starships: Physics and Math in Fantasy and Science Fiction.”

Todd Forsgren, visiting assistant

professor of art, self-published a book of his photography, titled “Ornithological Photographs” (www.toddforsgren.com). The book has been widely reviewed by The Sunday Times Magazine, The Telegraph, Nature, Slate, Wired, Le Temps, to name a few. Forsgren has had several shows of the work with a museum show scheduled in 2016.

David Froom, professor of music, gave a lecture and a workshop on the creative process for advanced students in the Department of Architecture at Howard University in October 2015. During the fall, Froom’s original music compositions were performed in Boston (“Circling”), Tokyo (“Before the Dawn”), Virginia (“Saxophone Quartet”) and Washington, D.C. (“Fantasy Dances” at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and “Shades of Red” at the winners’ recital of the Johansen International String Competition).

Liza Gijanto, assistant professor of

anthropology, has been awarded funding for her project, “Cremona Collections Curation and National Register Preparation,” from the Heritage Fund, a joint program sponsored by Preservation Maryland and the Maryland Historical Trust. Funding will be used to assess the condition of and to develop a preservation plan for the historical remains of “West Ashcom,” a land grant dating back to the mid-1600s, which has been identified in the bounds of the current Cremona estate in Mechanicsville, Md.

An image from visiting assistant professor Todd Forsgren’s “Ornithological Photographs” series.

Susan Goldstine, professor of

mathematics, has been tapped as an associate editor for the Journal of Mathematics and the Arts, a peer-reviewed journal that focuses on the connections between mathematics and the arts.

This is certainly in Goldstine’s wheelhouse: her mathematical art has been recognized in juried exhibitions across the country.

Joanne Goldwater, associate dean of students and director of residence life, was recognized with an award named in her honor by the Mid-Atlantic Association of College and University Housing Officers (MACUHO), Maryland’s regional professional housing officers association.

Walter Hill, professor of political science, had an op-ed published in the Baltimore Sun on December 13, 2015 entitled, “Remember the NonMuslim Terrorists.”

Julie King, professor of anthropol-

ogy, was awarded a $25,000 grant from the Chesapeake Conservancy for her project entitled, “Identifying and Representing the Nanjemoy Creek Watershed Indigenous Cultural Landscape.”

Scott Mirabile, assistant professor

of psychology, has had his study of the negative effects of parental ignoring on children’s emotional competence published in the European Journal of Developmental Psychology.

Bob Paul, profes-

sor of biology, has been named board chairman of the Board of Directors of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. Craig Streu, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, was lead researcher for a study on the chemotherapeutic use of an azo- compound designed to convert from an inactive to an active form when exposed to blue or near-UV wavelength light. Used in cancer treatments, targeted chemotherapies are valued for minimizing side effects and whole-body toxicity while delivering damage to malignant cells.

St. Mary’s College | THE MULB ER RY TR EE | winter 2016 | 5

6 | St. Mary’s College | T H E MU LBERRY TREE | winter 2016

CAMPUS

COMMUNITY

FARM

More Kale, Please Green Careers Sprout from Digging in the Dirt at the Campus Community Farm

I

By Lee Capristo, editor

t would be incorrect to think of an organic campus

farm at St. Mary’s as a new enterprise: in the fall of 1975, a ¾ acre organic garden run by 20 students under the direction of biology professors Ron Wilson and John Eichenmuller, was highlighted in this very magazine! (Mulberry Tree Papers, vol.

2, no. 1). Paul Randall ’75 and Irwin Fleischer ’77 appear in a photograph in the magazine, holding turnips they’ve harvested. This garden included a cold frame, built by Fleisher, to help transition plants to the garden. Additionally it was to be used as a solar heat source for a methane digester, meant to aid in recycling compost. Dan Fortney ’77 was working on the digester when the magazine went to press.

Organic gardening came back to the College in the early-2000s when students formed the Community Garden Club through the Student Government Association.

All garden labor came from students, with a faculty adviser for the club in English and environmental studies professor Kate Chandler. By 2008, they were looking for a larger space than what the campus could accommodate. In 2010, an agreement was reached with Historic St. Mary’s City to lease a 1/3-acre plot on its property, just south of the College along Rte. 5. The next year, the garden space expanded to a full acre and the Campus Community Farm was in full operation.

In 2012, the farm managers and faculty adviser broke ties with their club funding sources to become self-sustaining. To this day, the farm lives within the budget it has from selling its produce to Bon Appétit, the contracted food service provider for the College. Small grant efforts have made possible the purchase of a mower and a compost tumbler. Another proud moment in farm history came in 2014 when the farm was chosen as the winner of the competitive national Bon Appétit Fork-to-Farm Grant, worth $5,000.

That grant provided the funds for a greenhouse with water and solar electric power.

left: Elaine Bucknam ’16 (psychology and art/art history) and Isabella Lee ’16 (history) are co-heads of the farm. photo: bill wood

St. Mary’s College | THE MULB ER RY TR EE | winter 2016 | 7

C A M P U S

C O M M U N I T Y

F A R M

All farm work for the College is done by students; however, the Campus Community Farm truly is a community garden, for staff, faculty, and community volunteers have garden plots within the acre. Professors incorporate the farm into their coursework, too, which the student farm managers encourage because education is part of their mission: classes in biology,

environmental studies, English, and philosophy routinely have a day in the dirt.

For students, the farm offers satisfaction not found elsewhere. Elaine Bucknam ’16 (psychology and art/art history) and Isabella Lee ’16 (history) are co-heads of the farm, coordinating tasks with volunteers and managing the harvests and sales to Bon Appétit. “More so than any other activity I’ve been a part of, working on the farm makes me feel like an engaged member of the St. Mary’s community,” says Elaine.

“I enjoy working on the farm because it provides a constant, much-needed reminder that my college experience is encompassed by far more than what I do in the classroom.” Isabella shares a love of what comes from the soil. “I’m always excited by seeing my effort turn into something that will nourish,” she admits. “The farm embodies the cycle of life that can be so easy to overlook.”

Adviser Kate Chandler admits that she knew nothing about gardening at the start. “The stu-

dents taught me everything. At first I was not interested, but they got me composting and digging the soil, and that did it. Growing vegetables organically has now become a passion for me. In my spare time, I read and query the master gardeners among our faculty/staff farmers and the community and learn from them. That is how it has worked for the students as well, with some volunteering just to learn, then continuing past graduation into fields related to organic gardening, sustainable farming, and other professions related to growing and educating about local, healthier produce.”

Natalie and Samantha Liu helped Kate Chandler stuff the scarecrow.

8 | St. Mary’s College | T H E MU LBERRY TREE | winter 2016

Gabe McKenna ’15 with harvest in British Columbia.

B

y and large, they’d not farmed or gardened before trying it at St. Mary’s.

But in each of these cases, the dirt on their hands took them to careers connected to the earth.

Meredith Epstein ’08 (student-designed in environmental studies) worked at Even’ Star Organic Farm as an undergrad and with Rachel Clement ’08 MAT ’10 (biology), drafted the proposal for the campus community farm on HSMC’s land that came into existence in 2010. Meredith earned her M.S. in agriculture, food and environment (Tufts Univ.) and completed a certificate in ecological horticulture at UC-Santa Cruz. “The certificate program was a real turning point for me. I started focusing on food production and found that educating a new generation of farmers that utilizes sustainable practices and has strong business management skills is my niche.” She teaches at the Institute of Applied Agriculture at Univ. of Maryland, where she and her students often work at the Terp Farm, where her husband, Guy Kilpatric ’09 (English), is farm manager.

Guy was president of the Community Garden Club while a student at St. Mary’s, working the plots behind Daugherty-Palmer Commons. With Meredith, Guy completed the ecological horticulture certificate at UC-Santa Cruz and says it was the determining factor in finding his own niche, which, as Terp Farm’s manager, is “spreading the word of small-scale organic farming” to the next “crop” of farmers in Maryland.

Check out this farm documentary

by Eli Ayres ’16: https://youtu.be/9dQuLpAKYTI

“ Farming is a form of art; if you want to be a good farmer you have to look at the farm as a whole, as a masterpiecein-progress.”

— Eva Shpak ’15

vegetables, using reclaimed land within the city.

Rich loves the urban agriculture scene in Baltimore: “There is a lot of space to use and interest in experimenting with it by the city government and members of the community.” Rich runs into Bryan Alexander ’10 (Asian Studies) on a regular basis; Bryan works with Baltimore’s RealFood Farm as a field manager for its Clifton Park site.

Erica Maust ’09 (art/art history) does urban agriculture in Philadelphia (see p. 22).

Meredith Epstein ’08 and Guy Kilpatric ’09 at the Terp Farm, University of Maryland.

Aaron French ’11 (religious studies) came to the soil through his St. Mary’s Project and Professor of Religious Studies Katherina von Kellenbach. Aaron organized the volunteers of several local churches near the College to farm, as a community, a plot on the Campus Community Farm. The food grown in this ecumenical garden was donated to the needy.

Aaron worked for two local organic farms after graduating where he says he got an invaluable “crash course in small-scale sustainable agriculture,” then for FoodCorps in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Now he’s farm manager for Community Crops in Lincoln, Nebraska. Community Crops is a nonprofit that provides a network of community, school and youth gardens around the city.

Aaron runs the seven-acre training farm, providing land, skills, tools, and business management training to low-income and refugee farmers who can rent land from the farm as they learn their way toward independent farming. He also runs the Community Supported Agriculture program, which provides produce raised by the farmers in the training program to families and individuals in Lincoln.

Nathan Beall ’11 (religious studies) picked up the ecumenical garden in 2014 that Aaron French started as his St. Mary’s Project. The third-acre plot is farmed by volunteers from Trinity Epis-

copal Church, where Nathan is a priest, and the crops harvested go to local food pantries, soup kitchens, and to families just coming out of homelessness. There is no budget for the garden; all plants and labor are donated, just like the harvest.

This past November, 250 pounds of sweet potatoes, dug by hand, were donated to a local soup kitchen for its Thanksgiving meal.

Rachel Clement ’08 (biology), with Meredith Epstein, served as the College’s first sustainability fellows, laying the foundations of the campus community farm that thrives today. A teacher at the Lab School of Washington, D.C., Rachel teaches global citizenship, helps with the school’s garden, and leads seventh graders as “Tide Turners,” focusing on sustainability and social justice.

Rich Kolm ’10 (philosophy) used the routine of farm work as the rhythm against which to construct his undergraduate philosophy papers in his head. “It got to the point that I would set aside problems for myself as I did my formal academic work, and come to the farm with a problem to solve during the mental free time ahead of me.”

After two seasons of farming in Colorado, Rich moved to Baltimore and now works in urban agriculture for Big City Farms and does green roofs for a company called Furbish. Big City Farms produces small-scale organics, mostly leafy green

Shelby Kalm ’14 (public policy studies and art/ art history) helped out at the campus community farm as an undergrad and as the sustainability fellow. Her legacy to the farm is honeybees! She introduced them in 2015 in an effort to promote pollination across the farm. Now she’s a finalist for a climate and energy internship at the National Wildlife Foundation.

Eva Shpak ’15 (economics) and Gabe McKenna ’15 (English) headed to British Columbia after graduation to apprentice at an organic farm through the SOIL (Stewards Of Irreplaceable Land) program. For four months, they worked seven acres of vegetables and fruits, doing everything outdoors and then cooking with the family to prepare food orders for Vancouver restaurants.

Eva says the experience taught her that farming “is a form of art; if you want to be a good farmer you have to look at the farm as a whole, as a masterpiece-in-progress.” She’s applying to FoodCorps with the goal of employment in fields relating to food access and nutrition education, “so that people can eat more healthy food and also support their local organic farmers.”

What’s next for the Campus Community Farm?

In the plans are a wildflower buffer around the edge of the farm to act as a “pollinator haven” to attract and preserve good garden bugs, bees and butterflies. The bees, introduced to the farm in spring 2015, are ready to do their part. The students stay ready. 

St. Mary’s College | THE MULB ER RY TR EE | winter 2016 | 9

BIG THE

BY LEE CAPRISTO, EDITOR

TINY

HOUSE

PROJECT

RESULTS Cross a course called “Applied Sustainability Practicum” with one called “Art for Educators and Community Activists” and you get a new course called “Community Sustainable Design” and the opportunity to do something BIG. Put a teaching trio of Barry Muchnick (assistant professor of environmental studies), Carrie Patterson (professor of art) and Harold Garrison (home systems instructor at Forrest Career and Technology Center) together with eager students and you get the Tiny House project.

opposite: St. Mary’s students worked with local children at a community build day held at the Forrest Career and Technology Center where they learned about the Tiny House project and helped build something for the project.

IN SMALL SPACES

These courses, as a year-long effort, have been dubbed the Tiny House project, since the tangible results of the effort are two residential dwellings, each less than 200 square feet.

St. Mary’s College | THE M ULB ER RY TR EE | winter 2016 | 11

T H E

T I N Y

H O U S E

P R O J E C T

Structured as a hybrid seminar/studio design course, with discussion around the central ideas of community, art education, sustainability, and design, the academic objective is to explore how environmental and arts education reveal opportunities to identify creative connections between sustainability, design, and civil society. Students are developing critical thinking skills while learning practical, hands-on skills including sustainable house construction, tool safety, and project management. They are applying course concepts to create an experience for someone else too, since one of the houses, funded by the Greenwell Foundation, will be the home of a displaced veteran through Greenwell’s camp host program. Funding for the St. Mary’s tiny house comes from a three-year grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for expanding civic engagement and service-learning opportunities. The construction plans were donated by Tumbleweed.

It’s a collaborative project, between St. Mary’s, the Forrest Career and Technology Center, the Greenwell Foundation, Lexington Park Elementary School, and the Three Oaks Center (shelter for men).

“The partnership between environmental studies and art exemplifies the college’s investment in cross-disciplinary studies as well as its commitment to sustainability and community engagement,” says Patterson. “This project provides students with the unique opportunity to learn how design and sustainability fit into the context of everyday life from two professors with differing areas of expertise.”

Students from St. Mary’s and the Forrest Career and Technology Center have been stoked about the Tiny House project since the first day of firing up the power tools, but those students who came into the project as environmental studies minors got an added bonus with the announcement, in September, that environmental studies had been approved as a major. Students in the environmental studies major specialize in one of three tracks: natural sciences, social sciences and policy, or humanities, and participate in at least one applied learning component (like Tiny House). “The Tiny House course, like other experiential learning opportunities offered as part of the new environmental studies program, cultivates critical thinking and problem solving skills through meaningful exploration of society’s environmental, social, and economic challenges,”

T

Barry Muchnick, assistant professor of environmental studies and Carrie Patterson, professor of art, inside a tiny house.

“

12 | St. Mary’s College | T H E MU LBERRY TREE | winter 2016

is project provides students with the h unique opportunity to learn how design and sustainability fit into the context of everyday life from two professors with differing areas of expertise.”

— CARRIE PATTERSON, PROFESSOR OF ART

says Muchnick. “We are preparing our students for the job market, but also helping them become engaged and effective citizens and stewards through solutions-based, hands-on learning.”

Art Education is built into the class structure in three ways: in the working relationship with the high school students, in the after school program with Lexington Park Elementary School, and in community build days.

Reflecting concepts learned in class, St. Mary’s students developed curriculum and two projects for children enrolled in the Lexington Park Elementary After School Program. The program is part of the 21st Century Grant and is directed

by Joe Dantuano, known by the students as “Mr.

D.” In the spring, Patterson will design two more projects St. Mary’s students will implement with the Lexington Park Elementary School children.

“By April,” she says, “our hope is that the Tiny House will roll down the road to the elementary school so that the kids can see it in person.”

So what is it like to be part of the build? Here’s what students have had to say about the Tiny House project thus far: Mandy Goodspeed ’16 (political science and public policy studies double major) says the project has been “an amazing opportunity to see how much work goes into such a small space!

It’s a powerful feeling being part of construction

Visit www.smcm.edu/tinyhouse to follow the progress, learn more, and help.

above: Salvaging reclaimed materials from a dilapidated corn crib, students employed harness skills learned in class to brace a leaning barn in December 2015. Both the corn crib and the barn are on property owned by Historic St. Mary’s City and the work was done in collaboration with Joe Kangas of HSMC.

right: “House Face” and “Home for a Gnome” were two curricular projects led by St. Mary’s students for elementary school children. The projects introduced ideas essential to design, art history, building, and the economic impact of material choices.

projects. Each day you’re making little steps and it doesn’t seem like much, but by the end of the project you see how far everything has come and you impress yourself.”

She continues, “We’ve been able to learn a lot from the high schoolers and they’re great teammates for this project. I’m looking forward to continuing with the project next semester: it’s been fun working on the bones of the house but I can’t wait to learn more about other skills like electrical and plumbing so I can flush out (no pun intended) my construction knowledge.”

Cole Meyerhoff ’16 (art and environmental studies double major) views the tiny house in itself as “the perfect blend of art and environmental studies as the very idea requires careful planning to successfully build an environmentally conscious structure.” He adds that it is also the perfect application for artistic design: “With the tiny houses that are being made now, there

above: Cyrus Chimento ’15 (SMCM sustainability fellow) and Abigail Hughes ’16 discuss plans for convertible picnic tables that were built as a means to learn the skills needed for the Tiny House project. The picnic tables will be an outdoor accessory for both tiny houses.

are endless possibilities when it comes to interior and exterior design which are visually appealing and functional.” He’s been pleased to learn that the construction plans leave some room for creative design. At 6’4” tall, Cole admits that he would want to make some architectural adjustments to the tiny house plans if he were building it for himself.

Dario Durastanti ’16 (chemistry major) says he’s glad for the hands-on experience of the Tiny House project, because “I can now hold conversations pertaining to the class topics of sustainable design and community arts as an educated individual with hands-on experience, instead of as someone from the outside looking in.”

Sophie Caradine-Taber ’17 (environmental studies major) says that “being an environmental studies major gave me a strong background on sustainability and community, while the art stu-

dents [on the project] have a strong background in design and arts education. The course gives us all the chance to apply our prior knowledge while learning about a more unfamiliar subject.”

As for the extreme smallness of the tiny houses, Sophie comments, “St. Mary’s students are already used to living in small spaces (on campus), but having a tiny house on campus might help all of us as members of the campus community change our mindset regarding consumption, simplicity, self-sufficiency, and adventure.”

By May 2016, the two tiny houses will be ready for residents. Since they’re built on trailer frames that meet highway standards for recreational vehicles, relocating them is simply a matter of securing the hitch on the back of your pickup truck. One house will go to Greenwell State Park, for a veteran to live in while working at the park. The second house will go to St. Mary’s College campus, to become a showcase for students and a site of ongoing exploration and experimentation around the connections between sustainability and civil society.  St. Mary’s College | THE M ULB ER RY TR EE | winter 2016 | 13

PHOTO: BENNETT MILLER

THE

MARK

TWAIN

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amuel Langhorne Clemens

MORE THAN ITS NAME: The Annual Twain Lecture Celebrates 10 Years

By Ben Click, professor of English and director of the Mark Twain Lecture Series on American Humor and Culture

Since 2007, the Mark Twain Lecture Series on American Humor and Culture has presented the Annual Twain Lecture every spring. That event celebrates its 10th anniversary this April with best-selling author and arguably America’s most recognized literary humorist, David Sedaris.

Opposite page, surrounding Mark Twain, top row: Ron Powers, Bob Hirst, Firoozeh Dumas, Peter Sagal; 2nd row: Mo Rocca, David Rakoff; 3rd row: Larry Wilmore; 4th row: Sarah Vowell, John Hodgman; bottom row: Aasif Mandvi, David Sedaris, Ben Click

adopted the name and persona of Mark Twain in 1865 and was known worldwide by that name.

The name “Twain” became synonymous with American humor in Clemens’ lifetime and still is. Twain’s conception of humor reached far beyond his original goal of “exciting the laughter of God’s creatures” to recognize humor as “the only thing, the saving thing,” and that “against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.”

By “nothing,” he meant all matter of prejudice and human folly. And from that broad definition of humor, the Mark Twain Lecture Series on American Humor and Culture took its cue.

Although always “annual,” the Mark Twain Lecture Series on American Humor and Culture isn’t always directly about Twain, and certainly isn’t a lecture anymore. In fact, our seventh Twain lecture speaker, John Hodgman, found fodder for humor in the lecture’s title in his opening remarks: “My name is John Hodgman. It is such a pleasure to be here to deliver the seventh annual Twain Lecture. I’m glad to be here, but I’m a little disappointed. I thought there was going to be a Mark Twain impersonator here. And, I was going to get to lecture him.”

But let’s back up to the beginning.

For the first two years, the Twain Lecture Series seemed typical of other lecture series, offering academic talks on the work of Twain and culminating in the annual Twain Lecture – a lecture on Twain. The inaugural Twain Lecture, in 2007, featured noted author Ron Powers delivering “Mark Twain: Making Him Fresh Again.” In 2008 Twain historian/archivist Bob Hirst, who I call the “oracle of all things Twain” presented, “Better Shove This in the Stove: Tales from the Mark Twain Papers.” However, in 2009, to gear up for the Twain Centennial, the annual Twain Lecture broke from the “lecture on Twain” format to bring a humorist who, like Twain, offered some cultural perspective. Iran-born author Firoozeh Dumas, who uses humor to illustrate “our shared humanity,” read from her best-selling memoir, “Funny in Farsi,” and answered questions following her reading.

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In 2010, the Centennial Event, titled, “Twain’s Relevance Today: Race, Religion, Politics, and the ‘Damned Human Race’” returned to the format of discussing Twain. However, this event forever changed the face of the annual lecture in three distinct ways: from here on, it would no longer be focused solely on Twain, no longer be held in St. Mary’s Hall and never draw an audience of less than 700.

Honoring the centennial of Twain’s passing, this event featured Peter Sagal, host of NPR’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me. ..”, Mo Rocca (“CBS Sunday Morning”) Amy Holmes (then regular FoxNews and CNN commentator), and Twain scholar Professor John Bird. Over 1200 people (students, faculty, local community members, and D.C. and Baltimore residents) attended the event in the Michael P. O’Brien Athletics and Recreation Center. In his familiar role of host, Sagal engaged panelists in talking about Twain’s influence on contemporary political humor, the limits of humor, and humor’s ability to actually effect change. One highlight that night came from John Bird, who was asked about what Twain would have thought of the then-emerging Tea Party. Bird facetiously claimed to have channeled Twain earlier that day to ask him the same thing. Twain’s response: “When my daughters have a tea party, they dress up in outlandish costumes and live in a land of make believe.”

For the 2011 annual lecture, those expecting another Twain-focused event and possibly Hal Holbrook, dressed in white, performing “Mark Twain Tonight” (which, by the way, he still does at the age of 91), were treated instead to Larry Wilmore, then a “Daily Show” correspondent.

Wilmore, who now hosts his own popular Comedy Central show, “The Nightly Report,” used humor to address current issues of race and politics in a raucous stand-up routine. He satirized the conspiracy theory that President Obama was not born in America and was really a Muslim. “Such theorists require evidence for the obvious, but then you have to swallow the preposterous. For example, I know [Obama] was born in Hawaii because he said so; I took him at his word. George Bush said he went to an Ivy League school; I took him at his word . . .

But we’re supposed to swallow the preposter-

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wain’s name allows for a wide range of topics to explore. For Twain, no subject matter was off limits; no line of thought escaped his brand of humor.

ous idea that [Obama’s] a secret Muslim. How do you sneak praying to Allah five times a day in when you’re the president?”

The annual lecture has been not only political but also poignant. In 2012, acclaimed essayist David Rakoff read from his various works, including excerpts from his just published book, “Half Empty.” In the book, Rakoff defends “defensive pessimism,” a coping mechanism for dealing with the anxieties that face us all. During the question and answer segment of the evening, a student unabashedly asked, “I’m a diehard optimist. Were you and I to meet, what would you recommend me to do for a sustainable conversation?” After a long pause, Rakoff offered this analogy, “Just as there are no atheists in foxholes, there are no seriously ill pessimists.” Rakoff himself was seriously ill, yet courageously kept his promise to be our speaker for 2012. David Rakoff died less then four months later on August 9. The Twain lecture was his last major reading performance. As my colleague Beth Charlebois, put it, he was “Profound. Poignant. Insightful.

Excoriatingly funny. Gracious.” Rakoff too must have channeled Twain for he understood what Twain meant by humor being “nature’s effort to harmonize conditions. The further the pendulum swings out over woe the further it is bound to swing back over mirth.”

Following the loss of David Rakoff, the 2013 Twain lecture certainly needed mirth. It got it in John Hodgman, best-selling author, actor, “Daily Show” correspondent, and “PC guy.”

A crowd of 1300 witnessed Hodgman’s range of humor from making comedy out the Maryland flag being the only state flag to “induce seizures,” to impersonating Mark Twain impersonating John Hodgman.

As the first seven years of the lecture exemplify, Twain’s name allows for a wide range of topics to explore. For Twain, no subject matter was off limits; no line of thought escaped his brand of humor. The Twain Lecture embraces that same attitude as the next two years of the Lecture demonstrate. In 2014, cultural historian/humorist Sarah Vowell gave a reading in which she critiqued the Disney World version of U.S. Constitution and “literary legacy of Mark Twain” as well as the Americanization of Hawaii. In 2015, actor and “Daily Show” correspondent Aasif Mandvi broke our attendance record, packing the house with 1600 guests.

Reading and performing from his book, “No Land’s Man,” he offered his unique perspective as a cultural “turducken, an Indian baby wrapped in an English schoolboy, wrapped in an American adult,” which he claimed was useful on ‘The Daily Show’ because [he] was able to tell stories [as an American and] as an outsider at the same time.

Now we come to the 10th anniversary of the Twain Lecture. It seems fitting to celebrate it with a contemporary name synonymous with American humor – David Sedaris. Like Twain, Sedaris avoids no topic and embraces many comic forms, writing openly about the human condition. Whether he’s commenting on the tax benefits of being married under the “Same-Sex Marriage” Act or penning animal fables that critique all kinds of human foibles, or basing his own self worth on his ability to solve a New York Times crossword puzzle (as seen on the facing page), David Sedaris is a funny and insightful writer. Only the namesake of this annual lecture (not really a lecture) would be a better choice to celebrate its 10th anniversary. 

ALUMNI

CONNECTION

1940s Bertie Stone Horak ’48HS, ’50JC writes about her time at St. Mary’s Seminary and Seminary Junior College. A “city girl” until her parents bought an 87 acre farm in Accokeek, Md. when she was 13, she attended Gwynn Park High School for three years. Knowing her parents expected her to go to college; she convinced them to send her to St. Mary’s Seminary where “they really made you work!” She says she would sit in her closet with a flashlight and study long after “lights out” blocking the light with a towel under the door so the hall monitors wouldn’t discover her. She had a wonderful senior year; lead in the class play, played varsity basketball, performed two piano duets with Miss Gay, the piano teacher, and was voted May Day Princess by her class. Bertie and her roommate Jeannine Collinson Tucker ’48HS were photographed for a Washington, D.C. newspaper in their pajamas with curlers in their hair leaning on the bannister of Calvert Hall with other similarly clad classmates.

Although she only attended St. Mary’s Seminary Junior College for one year before transferring to the University of Maryland to be near her boyfriend who she later married, Bertie says she has a lifetime of memories from her two years at St. Mary’s. She lives in White Plains, Md.

Karen Peterson Yochim ’58HS has had her fifth Cajun murder mystery, “Nobody’s Grave,” published. The setting is again the fictional St. Beatrice Parish, close to the vast Atchafalaya Swamp in Louisiana. All five of her novels are available at Amazon.com. Karen, who lives in Arnaudville, La., would enjoy hearing from her classmates.

She can be contacted at karennorwegian888@gmail.com.

1970s Sherri-Le White Bream ’73 has been appointed by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan to the Carroll County Community College Board of Trustees.

During her 39-year career as a teacher and administrator she held positions as teacher, science chair, assistant principal and high school principal. From 2006-2014 she served as the director of high schools for Carroll Public Schools. Since retiring in July 2014 she does community volunteer work. Her accolades include “Maryland High School Principal of the Year,” Carroll County Woman’s Fair’s “Woman of the Year,” and Maryland State Department of Education and Citigroup’s “Principal of a Leading Edge High School.”

She also was named “Volunteer of the Year” for the ARC Carroll County. Sherri and her husband Bob live in Westminster, Md. Chris Kohler ’73 [1], professor emeritus of zoology at Southern Illinois-Carbondale and St. Mary’s College’s 2008 Distinguished Alumnus, has published extensively in scientific literature including co-editing a popular college textbook about inland fisheries management in

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North America. He recently wrote his first novel, “Cracked Island,” set in the island nation of Haiti. The novel, whose title is a metaphor for the 2010 Portau-Prince earthquake, draws on personal experiences, stories from friends and colleagues, and other research about Haiti, its people, and its rich culture.

Chris is working on his second novel, tentatively titled “Rasta Gold,” which takes place in the Virgin Islands and includes a Rastafarian as a main character.

For more information about what Chris is doing, check out his website www.chris-kohler. com. He and his wife, Charlee Sue Thompson Kohler ’75, live in Hertford, N.C. Terry Shawn ’74 [2] writes that former classmates, teammates and housemates from the 70s gathered for their annual post-Thanksgiving get together in Old Town Alexandria, Va. Lively philosophical discussions and pontifications abounded about sports, current social issues, retirement plans and joint replacement. Shown here, from left to right, front row; Larry Leak ’76, Andy Chovanes, Steve Tazlaar ’79, Denny Shaneybrook ’76, Brian Murphy ’75, Pete Koch ’75 and Terry Shawn ’74; back row: Rich Fortwengler ’73, Duke Metz ’75, Donny Bryan ’73, Kevin O’Neil ’75, Joe Stone

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’94, Clay Evans ’76, Mike Loughran ’75, J.C. McKibben ’76 and Kevin Smith ’76.

Paul Manning ’78 has spent the last 27 years working in information technology except for a three-year break when he was the senior pastor to a midsized Baptist church. Starting as a systems integrator and developer, he progressed to network engineer, senior software engineer, database designer, testbed engineer, risk management and finally cyber security, his focus for the last 10 years. Considered a subject matter expert in several areas of cyber security, he has been a certified information systems security professional since 2007. Stationed overseas with the U.S. Army, he speaks Russian fluently and Spanish, German, Portuguese (Brazilian) and American Sign Language well enough to get around. For someone who majored in history at St. Mary’s, he’s had fun learning the math required for his jobs. Paul attributes much of his professional success to the tools his liberal arts education at St. Mary’s provided and to his professors who encouraged him to fully explore the issues.

1980s Cindy Wettengel Greb ’87 is the executive director of the Southern Maryland Resource Conservation & Development Board, Inc., a non-profit organization serving the southern Maryland counties of Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s whose mission is to partner with community groups and organizations to address natural resource and quality of life concerns. She brings to the organization over 30 years’ experience in environmental planning and residential and commercial land development. Cindy lives in Leonardtown, Md.

1990s Missy Beck Lemke ’92 is the 2015-2016 Ailsa Mellon Bruce Sabbatical Curatorial Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts. This fellowship, for qualified art historians at the National Gallery of Art, affords the fellow an opportunity to pursue full-time independent study, research or publication not directly related to a Gallery project. Missy, the Gallery’s image specialist for Italian art, is doing special research on art historian and photographer Clarence Kennedy

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which will allow her to write a book about him entitled “Clarence Kennedy in Focus.” Missy, who also is a member of the College’s Alumni Council, and her husband Hans Lemke ’94 live in Hanover, Md. Calvin Schermerhorn ’98 [3] is an associate professor and head of the history faculty at Arizona State University. A historian of slavery, capitalism and human trafficking in America and the Atlantic world, he has had his third book, “The Business of Slavery and the Rise of American Capitalism, 18151860,” published by Yale University Press. In the book he follows the money of American slavery to the ends of long chains of credit that financed it, exposing slave traders’ business strategies and the responses of enslaved Americans. Calvin is working on another book, “United States Slavery: A Family History,” to be published by Cambridge University Press in which he uses family history to contextualize changes in North American slavery from the Revolution to Reconstruction. Calvin and his family live in Tempe, Ariz.

Christian O’Brien ’99 is living and working in Asia. He was an academic coordinator and taught dance in Taiwan before moving to Vietnam. There, he gives private dance lessons.

In his spare time, he explores historical and cultural sites.

2000s Matt Fishel ’01 works at Stanford University in a new position as art media technologist for the Department of Art & Art History. His job includes supervision, implementation and training related to art and media production technology.

Matt has relocated to Palo Alto, Calif. with his fiancé and cat and looks forward to continuing his career as a practicing artist in a completely new setting.

Michael Evans ’01 credits St. Mary’s, particularly a PRISM Fellowship and over two years of uninterrupted research with Professor Andy Koch involving organic synthesis, as the major reason he got offers from the best U.S. graduate organic chemistry programs. An experienced and award winning chemical biologist, he obtained his doctorate in organic chemistry from The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif. and did a postdoctoral fellowship in molecular imaging from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, N.Y. Trained in biomarker discovery and development for nuclear imaging and medicine, he is an assistant professor in residence in the radiology and biomedical imaging department at the University of California, San Francisco, a leader in the precision medicine movement.

He leads a research group in developing new radiologic tools to monitor the activity of the main drivers of disease with the overall goal of creating an archive of imageable biomarkers that can selectively measure the activity of all disease drivers.

Michael also is a member of the scientific advisory board of ORIC Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology company dedicated to discovering and developing new therapies for treatment-resistant cancers.

Jared LeClerc ’02 is a user researcher at Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Wash. After St. Mary’s, he joined the Peace Corps and served for two years in Mali, West Africa. When he

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returned to the U.S., he and some Peace Corps friends moved to Seattle, Wash. where he worked as a research assistant for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

In 2008, he began a doctoral program in cognitive psychology at the University of Washington, graduating in 2014. A motorcycle hobbyist, he also plays the flute in a local orchestra on Bainbridge Island, Wash. and recently got engaged to a grad school colleague, Sianna. Jared lives in Seattle, Wash.

Michelle Sivilich ’02 is the assistant director at Gulf Archaeology Research Institute, a non-profit, scientific research organization which takes a holistic approach to studying the past by combining social, biological, and physical science research to comprehensively investigate past peoples and the environments they inhabited. She received her master’s degree from Indiana State University where she studied molecular archaeology and her doctorate in conflict archaeology from the University of South Florida where she did research on the Seminole Wars.

Michelle lives in Ocala, Fl. Lindy McBride ’03, a Ph.D. candidate in economics at Cornell University, led a Skype session with Professor Dowla’s “Economics of Developing Countries” class on Wednesday, December 3, 2015. McBride, a sociology/anthropology major at St. Mary’s, went on to serve in the Peace Corps in Burkina Faso, then earned a master’s degree in writing at Marquette University in Wisconsin, followed by a master’s degree in international

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development at American University. She worked as a senior research assistant for the International Food Policy Research Institute before starting her Ph.D. program. She’s also a blogger on “economics that matters” (www. econthatmatters.com).

Paul Takacs ’04 directed the New Worlds Theatre Project’s off-Broadway world premiere of David Pinski’s comic tragedy, “Professor Brenner,” during a limited November 2015 run.

Based in New York City, he is the founding artistic director of The Shop Theatre Company and is a faculty member at The Stella Adler Studio of Acting.

Paul and his wife, Sarah Ellis, live in Edgewater, N.J. Randolph Bridgeman ’04 has written his fourth poetry collection, “The Poet Laureate of Cracker Town.” He was back on campus in September 2015 for the VOICES reading series.

Randy and his wife Dee live in Lexington Park, Md. Will Hemsley ’05 [4] is a fulltime sculptor and painter during the week, and the captain of a Chesapeake Bay fishing boat on the weekend. He says that growing up and working on the Bay have provided much of his artistic inspiration. In November 2015, South Street Art Gallery in Easton, Md., featured

his work in a show that also included a free tasting of craft beers from Roy-Pitz Brewing Co., a brewery in Pa. that commissioned Will to design their label art. His sculptures are displayed in a variety of businesses and institutions, and include a bronze sculpture commissioned by the Stetson family commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Stetson Hat Company. He recently completed a 20 foot tall sculpture placed at Aberdeen Proving Ground dedicated to the fallen soldiers of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and in memory of Maj. General Harry Greene, the highest ranking casualty in an overseas conflict since Vietnam and a prominent figure at the base. Check out www.willhemsley.com to see a selection of his paintings and sculptures. Will, his wife Stacy and their three children live in Centreville, Md. Stephanie Simmons ’05 was selected by the National Law Journal as one of its 2015 “Rising Stars – 40 under 40,” for Boston, Massachusetts and was profiled in the November 2015 supplement to the National Law Journal. For the past four years, she also has been named to the Rising Star list of Massachusetts SuperLawyers and to the Top Women Attorneys in Massachusetts list. Specializing in medical malpractice defense,

Message from St. Mary’s College of Maryland Alumni Council

profit organization dedicated to better enforcement of environmental laws. Her research focuses on spotlighting and reducing pollution from agricultural activities and the extraction and processing of fossil fuels. Patrick and Courtney live in Washington, D.C.

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Stephanie joined the law firm of Murphy & Riley, P.C. in September 2015 and has taught at the New England School of Law, her alma mater, since 2011 as an adjunct legal research and writing faculty. Stephanie lives in Boston, Mass.

Parker Bennett ’06 [5] is deputy country representative for USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives in Côte d’Ivoire. A history major at St. Mary’s, Parker served in the Peace Corps in Cameroon. She worked for the Dept. of Defense before joining USAID. In this photo, she joined Ken Cohen, associate professor of history, at the Marine Corps Ball in Cote d’Ivoire this past fall.

Cohen is currently a Fulbright professor of American Studies at Université Félix HouphouëtBoigny. The marines are part of a detachment that protects the Embassy in Cote d’Ivoire.

Don Johnson ’06 has received his doctorate from Northwestern University and joined the faculty at North Dakota State University as an assistant professor of history where his research and teaching focuses on colonial America and the early Republic.

Don lives in Fargo, N.D. Freddie Rohner ’06 is a finalist in the best new graduate resume category in the 2015 Toast of the

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Resume Industry Resume Writing Competition sponsored by Career Directors International.

In 2014 he was a finalist for the best accounting resume award.

Freddie has worked for iHire since 2010 and specializes in the fields of accounting, finance and human resources. He also works with job seekers from other fields including legal, construction, environmental, engineering, manufacturing, quality control and logistics. Freddie and his wife Chelsea Ebmeier Rohner ’06 live in Knoxville, Md. Patrick Bernhardt ’07 has joined the Washington, D.C. law firm WilmerHale as an attorney, where he advises companies on U.S. and international privacy, consumer protection and data security laws and represents clients in privacy and data security investigations by the Federal Trade Commission and other federal and state regulators.

Courtney Kutchins Bernhardt ’08 is a senior research analyst for the Environmental Integrity Project, a non-partisan, non-

John Henry Adams ’07 received his doctorate in English literature from Arizona State University in December 2015.

His dissertation, “Book Culture and Assembled Selves in the English Renaissance,” focuses on how books, both as physical objects and as texts, were imagined to contribute to the formation of the human self. He says the books we encounter—whether as writers, users, or readers— change who we are in a variety of fascinating ways, whether in the sixteenth century or today as the book enters the digital phase of its evolution. John will continue teaching at Arizona State University as he explores books and their significance.

Jamar Winder ’07 and Kyle Sullivan ’08 [6], both civilian employees at the District of Columbia (D.C.) National Guard, have completed Officer Candidate School and have been commissioned as Second Lieutenants in the D.C. Army National Guard and federally recognized as officers in the U.S. Army. As members of the D.C. Army National Guard, they drill one weekend each month during the year and spend two weeks annually on active duty.

Jamar, shown on the right, lives in Germantown, Md., is a platoon leader and drills with the 547th Transportation Company where he is responsible for 40 soldiers. He’s the third generation in his family to serve in the military beginning with his

The Alumni Council is proud to represent the over 14,000 members of the St. Mary’s College of Maryland Alumni Association: graduates from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and its previous institutions, St. Mary’s Junior College and St. Mary’s Female Seminary. However, membership is not limited to graduates. Students who attended for one year or earned at least twenty-four (24) credits are also alumni.

Although our roots date back to 1840, over 80 percent of our alumni joined the Association after 1990. The relevance of a liberal arts education in the 21st century and nurturing and positioning global citizens for lifelong success is our story. We are global and we are local. We innovate and transform lives in ways both big and small. smcm alumni are doctors and scientists, artists and authors, business leaders and elected officials, historians and curators, lawyers and policymakers, parents and mentors of future alumni, and, above all, committed citizens. St. Mary’s taught us the importance of adding value to the world in which we live, and this is a lesson we share throughout our lives.

As the Council seeks nominations for the 2016-17 term, we hope you will consider joining us or your regional chapter committee. The Council has 22 voting members, including a current smcm student who meets the criteria for Association membership. Council nominations are accepted until March 15. Information can be found at http:// www.smcm.edu/alumni/council/.

The Council exists to foster alumni engagement, represent the alumni perspective to the larger college community, and act as a conduit to ensure a strong, positive relationship between the College and the Alumni Association. We liaise between alumni and campus community stakeholders, to include Admissions, Career Services, and Advancement.

Many of you see us in June during Alumni Weekend, but we work hand-in-hand with the College throughout the year. In January, we advise soon-to-be grads at Bookbag to Briefcase, and as many of you saw in December, Giving Tuesday.

The Council is dedicated to the St. Mary’s Way. We embrace our responsibilities as members of the Association’s governing body and pledge to protect the trust placed in us by our fellow alumni. Future issues of The Mulberry Tree will feature profiles of your Alumni Council. We hope our stories will inspire you to reconnect with smcm and lend your voice to the conversation, either as a Council member, as a part of a regional chapter committee, or as an alumni ambassador.

You are critical to the future of St. Mary’s, not just the keepers of fond memories. We hope we can count on you to continue the tradition of meaningful alumni engagement.

Sincerely, Mark Fedders, smcm ’74 Chair, smcm Governance Committee

grandfather who served in the Army for 20 years and followed by all of his uncles. Kyle lives in Columbia, Md. and drills with the S-1 section of the 372nd Military Police Battalion.

Chris Cammarata ’09 participated in the College’s natural science and mathematics colloquium in November, delivering a lecture entitled, “Development of a chemotherapy delivery system

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to improve tumor targeting and safety.” In May 2015 he received his doctorate in pharmaceutics and drug design from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Pa. He chose pharmaceutical drug design because he wanted to apply his passion and skill for chemistry and biochemistry into a field that would help people. First hired in January 2015 as a science contractor with Eurofins Lancaster Labs, he began working for Janssen Research and Development in December. Chris researches and develops monoclonal antibody drugs using analytical techniques to assess the critical characteristics of the active pharmaceutical ingredients as well as inactive ingredients. He lives in Philadelphia, Pa. In 2014 Erica Maust ’09 [7] and her friend/business partner, Andrew Olson transformed a vacant quarter-acre city lot in Philadelphia’s Mantua neighborhood into a vibrant cut flower garden as a neighborhood beautification project . The project quickly turned into “chicory,” a small-scale urban flower farm and design studio (www. chicoryflorals.com). A year later, what started as two friends with day jobs who were passionate

flower growers has evolved into an urban enterprise producing sustainably-grown botanicals to create unconventional and elegant floral designs for weddings and special events. Erica and Andrew also provide free community workshops about urban gardening and are looking for more vacant city land to expand their growing space. Erica lives in Philadelphia, Pa. Lindsey Sitz ’09 [8] has written, directed and edited a film entitled “Cowlick” for her master’s degree in film and video at American University.

The short comedy film is about an anxiety-ridden and superstitious 12-year-old who believes his entire adult existence will be cursed if something goes wrong on the day of his Bar Mitzvah.

To raise the necessary funds to make her film, Lindsey ran a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, attracting 150 backers who pledged almost $13, 000.00. Filming took place in the Washington, D.C. area including the Historic Sixth & I Street Synagogue. The film’s release date is February 2016.

Shane Hall ’09, a doctoral candidate in environmental studies at the University of

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Oregon, gave an October 2015 lecture at St. Mary’s College entitled “War by Other Means: Environmental Violence in the 21st Century.” He discussed how social justice is connected to environmental conditions and management decisions and how these relationships are tested by climate change and militarized responses to it. An English major, after graduation he served as the College’s sustainability fellow and helped coordinate campus sustainable initiatives, including helping to start the campus farm. Shane studies the impacts of climate change, international development, and militarization on social and environmental justice.

He teaches in the environmental studies and English departments of the University of Oregon.

Frederick “Spike” Meatyard ’09 presented a lecture entitled, “Finding a Balance between Culture and Ecology” at St. Mary’s in October 2015. Spike received his master’s degree in landscape architecture in 2014 from the Rhode Island School of Design and works as a landscape designer for OCULUS in Washington, D.C. In 2009, Spike and his father founded the Double T Oyster Ranch, an

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oyster aquaculture operation in Herring Creek, Md. and continue as business partners, raising and selling marketable oysters to Maryland restaurants.

2010s Laura VanBlargan ’10 has received her doctorate in biology from the University of Maryland and is working as a postdoctoral research associate in a lab at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo. Her research focuses on investigating the pathogenesis of emerging mosquito-borne viruses such as West Nile, dengue, and chikungunya viruses.

Thomas Montgomery ’10 has received his doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Chicago where he studied metal-catalyzed reactions under Dr. Viresh Rawal. Moving east to Philadelphia, Pa., Thomas is completing his post-doctoral research with Dr. Amos Smith at the University of Pennsylvania.

Thomas and his wife Joanne Buchbinder ’10, MAT ’11 live in Philadelphia, Pa. Emilie Campbell ’11 is a graduate student at Northwestern University’s McCormick

School of Engineering and Applied Science where she is pursuing a doctorate from the department of materials science and engineering. She credits Northwestern’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, which she participated in the summer of 2010, for introducing her to graduate research and for being the reason she decided to get her doctorate.

Lily McCowan ’11 [9] spent the past summer on the island of Borneo in East Malaysia studying model communitybased efforts to preserve Bornean species along the Kinabatangan River in Sabah.

She is pursuing a master’s degree in biology through Miami University’s Global Field Program. Since St. Mary’s College, Lily has interned as an animal keeper at The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, Md., spent two months interning at the Alouatta Sanctuary in Chiriqui, Panama, almost two years at the University of Maryland Baltimore as a research assistant and has started her own company, Lily’s Lotions (www.LilysLotions.com) which sells the all-natural skin care products she designs. She lives in Lutherville, Md.

Jonathan Weber ’13 teaches 10th grade geometry and 11th grade probability and statistics at the Green Street Academy, a public charter school, in west Baltimore, Md. A summa cum laude graduate who majored in history and political science, he thought he would work for the federal government. But while he was job-hunting, he also was a substitute teacher for the Frederick County, Md. public schools for two years and found that he enjoyed teaching. A friend suggested he join Teach for America, an AmeriCorps program that does not require teacher certification or a master’s degree. So he did and for the next two years he’ll be teaching in the Baltimore City public schools. He’s also

Matt Anthony ’13 has been a bird watcher since he was ten years old. The College of William and Mary, where Matt is pursuing a doctorate in American Studies, profiled him as part of its series exploring unusual student internships. Matt interned last summer at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Md. working with the North American Breeding Bird Survey. This survey, a partnership between the U.S. Geological Survey and Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service, is one of the largest and longest running citizen-science projects in this country. What Matt is exploring is the contributions citizen scientists make to ornithology and conservation by looking at the historical and cultural studies perspective.

Emily Grey ’14, MAT ’15 teaches fourth grade at North Glen Elementary School in Anne Arundel County, Md. which is the same school both her parents attended as students. Emily lives in Severna Park, Md. Catherine Shanahan ’15 has joined the athletics staff of George Washington University as its first full-time assistant sailing coach. A collegiate sailing star and two-time team captain at St. Mary’s, she has competed in nine national championship regattas including a first place finish at the 2014 Navy Fall Women’s Intersectional. Catherine lives in Washington, D.C.

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MARRIAGES

& UNIONS Dan Schiffman ’91 and Lisa Newcomb were married Aug. 8, 2015 at Ceresville Mansion in Frederick, Md. Curt Gisriel ’90 and honorary alum Rich Edgar were in the wedding party. The couple honeymooned in Paris, France. Dan is a financial advisor with Northwestern Mutual; Lisa is a stay-at-home mother.

They live in Middletown, Md. Robert Reif ’98 and Maria Angelica Arafiles ’00 [1] were married Aug. 1, 2015 at the Church of the Resurrection in Ellicott City, Md. Members of the wedding party included best man Randall Reif ’06; matron of honor Karen Beck Stysley ’00; groomsmen Michael Hughes ’98 and Michael Lummis ’98; bridesmaids Julie Nanavati ’00, Heather Jackson ’00 and Theresa Vorreyer Mitchell ’00; and reader Kristin Montgomery Hughes ’99. The couple honeymooned on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

Bob is a neurologist with Wellspan Neurology; Angel is a dentist with Touch of Smiles Dental Care.

They live in Red Lion, Pa.

Melissa Boyle ’99 and Richard Acuti [2] were married Oct. 17, 2015 at Cove Point Lighthouse in Lusby, Md. Wedding guests included Christy Carter Bright ’98, Kristina Borstnik ’99, Matthew Jones ’98, Melinda Suchy Deras ’99 and Allison Castellan ’99. The couple honeymooned in Florence, Italy. Melissa works for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Maryland Park Service as the assistant park manager at Point Lookout State Park in Scotland, Md.; Rich is a network engineer with Northrop Grumman. The newlyweds split their time between Edgewater, Md. and Scotland, Md.

DARLING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Christopher Bing ’13 is a staff reporter at DC Inno, a subsidiary of the American City Business Journals, where he covers technology, national security, tech policy, business, startup and investment news. His work has been featured in the Washington Business Journal, Technically DC, The Washington City Paper, DCist.com and Politico’s popular daily newsletter, Playbook. Prior to working with DC Inno, he studied political science and wrote as a freelancer about the influence of American foreign policy on South America and the Middle East.

received an AmeriCorps grant which covers his tuition costs at Johns Hopkins University where he’s working on his master’s degree in education. Jonathan lives in Baltimore, Md.

Nina Bonano ’02 and Hasan Wethers [3] were married Dec. 13, 2014 in Chicago, Ill. Colleen Conley ’02 and Amanda Pfeifle Stroud ’02 were wedding guests. The couple honeymooned in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Nina is the fundraising manager of special gifts at PetSmart

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BIRDS OF A FEATHER PHOTOGRAPHY, LLC

Paul Spranklin ’11 and Tessa Searle ’10 [10] hiked the entire Appalachian Trail (2189.2 miles) in six months. They started on April 10, 2015 from Springer Mountain, Ga. and finished on Oct. 12, 2015 at Mount Katahdin, Maine where they also got engaged on top of the sign at the finish line. Paul says, “We were looking for one hell of an adventure and we found it!”

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Lorien Evans ’05 and Graham Covelly [7] were married Oct. 4, 2014 in Sunbury, Pa. and honeymooned in Stowe, Vt. Jeffrey Darrion Siler II ’07 was the wedding officiant and Chantal Buchser ’05 was a bridesmaid. Many St. Mary’s alumni attended the wedding and weekend campout. Lorien is an elementary math teacher in Harford County, Md.; Graham is a mason. They live in Pylesville, Md.

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Aubrey Delaney ’07 and Drew Dahlke [9] were married Oct. 3, 2015 in Roxboro, N.C. Members of the wedding party included matron of honor Ayse IkizlerRickard ’07 and Giselle Rahn ’07. Wedding guests included 2007 alums Maggie Dimock, Katy Caperna Trundle and Rachael Carter Reilly and Glenn Hanner ’08. Aubrey is a health education specialist at the Durham County, N.C. Department of Public Health; Drew is a software engineer. The couple lives in Durham, N.C. with their two dogs and 13 chickens.

BARBARA OLIVEIRA

Ayse Ikizler ’07 and Jack Rickard [10] were married May 25, 2013 at Historic St. Mary’s City, Md. Aubrey Delaney ’07 was a maid-of-honor and Maggie Dimock ’07 was a bridesmaid.

The couple honeymooned on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.

Ayse, a doctoral candidate in counseling psychology at the University of Tennessee, is completing her internship at the University of Maryland College Park counseling center; Jack is a public policy specialist for Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. The couple lives in Washington, D.C. Alyssa Nayyar ’08 and Jan Volek [11] were married May 24, 2015 in Andover, N.J. Corrie Byrne ’08 and Clare McLean ’07 were in the wedding party.

The couple is planning a 2016 honeymoon in the Faroe Islands. Alyssa is an investigations technician for Target Corporation and is pursuing a certificate in homeland security management through Long Island University’s Homeland Security and Terrorism Institute; Jan is working on his doctorate in history at the University of Minnesota. The couple lives in Minneapolis, Minn.

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NATALIE LANE PHOTOGRAPHY

Kate Fritz ’04 and Stefan Kunz [5] were married Oct. 24, 2015 at the Annapolis Maritime Museum in Eastport, Md. Wedding guests included Stephanie Thompson Hall ’05, Ben Carr ’04, Dan Fox ’05, Angela Sintes ’04, Keri Pessagno Weaver ’04, and Rachael Wilke ’04. The couple honeymooned on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia in January 2016. Kate is executive director of the South River Federation; Stefan is a party chief at Bowman Engineering. They live in Annapolis, Md. with their dog Natty Beau.

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AMANDA MCMAHON PHOTOGRAPHY

Kristina Dunman ’02 and Nirzwan Bandolin [4] were married May 23, 2015 in Havre de Grace, Md. Michelle Sivilich ’02 was in the wedding party. The couple honeymooned in Saba, Dutch West Indies. Kristina is a program manager for Quality Information Partners; Nirzwan is an environmental engineer for the Department of Defense. They live in Havre de Grace, Md.

Richard Romer ’04 and Laura McKeever [6] were married Oct. 10, 2015 at Brookside Gardens in Silver Spring, Md. Jayson Williams ’03 was in the wedding party; Alice Arcieri Bonner ’03, Kevin Warring ’03, Tava Chay Cleghon ’03, Maggie Doran ’04 and Matt Newcomer ’05 were wedding guests. It was a festive, fall-themed wedding and masquerade party with Testudo, the University of Maryland mascot, helping the couple cut the cake. Rich works for AAA public affairs in Washington, D.C.; Laura works for Connections Education. They live with their three children in Silver Spring, Md.

KATE & MICHAEL MARCHETTO, MKM PHOTOGRAPHY

Charities; Hasan works in business continuity at PetSmart.

They live in Phoenix, Ariz.

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Randall Reif ’06 and April Wynn [8] were married June 20, 2015 at St. Mary’s College in the courtyard between Schaefer and Goodpaster Halls. Members of the wedding party included Robert Reif ’98, Michael Hughes ’98, Zachary Siegel ’06 and St. Mary’s College assistant professors Elizabeth Leininger (neurobiology) and Michelle Milne (physics). The couple honeymooned in Clearwater, Fla. Randy and April met while they were visiting professors at St Mary’s College and now teach at the University of Mary Washington; Randy as an assistant professor of chemistry and April as an assistant professor of biological sciences. They live in Fredericksburg, Va.

VICKI GRAFTON PHOTOGRAPHY

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BETH STREMLAU OF MADISON JAMES PHOTOGRAPHY

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Christa McAllister ’09 and Andrew Rice [13] were married Sep. 12, 2015 in Boyds, Md. Christa’s brother, Mark McAllister ’06 was the officiant and bridesmaids included her sisterin-law, Gwen Calhoon ’06 and her college roommate, Rachel Reckling ’09. Kyle Wichtendahl ’10, Christen Butler ’09, Emily Walters Ross ’09, Sean Ross ’09, Candace AndrewsPowley ’08 and Le’Jenn Brown ’10 were wedding guests.

Christa is an academic advisor at Hagerstown Community College; Andrew is a financial accountant for the University of Maryland, Baltimore. The couple lives in Frederick, Md.

Laura Youngborg ’10 and Tara Hutton ’11 [16] were married June 20, 2015 at St. Mary’s College in the Garden of Remembrance. Kaitlyn Grigsby-Hall ’11 and Megan Anderson ’11 were bridesmaids. Class of 2011 guests included Laura Sipe, Michael Youngborg, Elizabeth DaviesPinta, Amie Severino, Rachel Peffer, Matt Smith, and Katie McAfee. Also in attendance was Kat Ryner ’86 and Laura Wigginton Moore ’09 as photographer.

Alexander Borman ’10 and Christine Flanagan ’13 [14] were married Oct. 12, 2014 in Rockville, Md. Denise Flanagan-Doyle ’06 and Laura Flanagan ’12 were matrons of honor; Zachary Borman ’08 was co-best man; She’Tiel Coley ’13 was a bridesmaid; and Michael Damiano ’10 and Nathan Bossie ’10 were groomsmen. The couple honeymooned in Europe. Alex is an attorney; Christine is a statistician.

They live in Hyattsville, Md.

Jenny Housley ’14 and Shane Cameron [17] were married Aug. 29, 2015 at the State House in Historic St. Mary’s City, Md. Jamie Baab ’14 and Rebecca Quick ’14 were in the wedding party. The couple honeymooned in Key West, Fla. Jenny is a communications specialist for St. Mary’s County, Md. County Government; Shane is a deputy for the St. Mary’s County, Md. Sheriff’s Office. The couple lives in Mechanicsville, Md.

BIRTHS&

management specialist at Hassett Willis & Company. The family lives in Silver Spring, Md.

To Michael Eaton ’97 and Theresa Sotto ’98, a son, Calder Elliott Eaton [1], born Aug. 10, 2015. Michael is a video editor; Theresa is a museum educator and writer. The family lives in Los Angeles, Calif.

To Josh Alexander ’02 and Diana Alexander, a daughter, Claire June [4], born Sep. 17, 2015. She joins big sister, Emma who’s almost 2. Josh owns Regional Food & Drink (RFD), a Washington, D.C. bar and restaurant; Diana is a stay at home mother. The family lives in Annapolis, Md.

ADOPTIONS

To Stacey Hellman Rempert ’97 and Lucas Rempert, a daughter, Susanna Joy [2], born Aug. 15, 2015. Stacey is a psychotherapist and works at Blake Psychotherapy; Lucas is a service coordinator at Carefirst. The family lives in Columbia, Md. To Debra Kemp Fleischer ’99 and Richard Fleischer, a daughter, Eleanor Meredith [3], born Aug. 27, 2015. Nora joins big brother Ben, age 3. Debbie is a senior associate at Abt Associates specializing in environmental policy; Rich is an emergency

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To Kyle Bishop ’04 and Kevin Broadnax, a daughter, Sienna Skye Broadnax [5], born Oct. 22, 2015. Kyle is the executive director of the Wellness Center at St. Mary’s College of Maryland; Kevin is a cost analyst at Naval Air Systems Command. The family lives in Piney Point, Md. To Robert Campbell ’04 and Sarah Hunter Campbell ’07, a daughter, Caroline Quinn [6], born June 15, 2015. Sarah is an environmental compliance specialist for a private firm in Annapolis, Md; Rob is a manager

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BARNETT PHOTOGRAPHY DANA MITCHELL SHARMILA PHOTOGRAPHY

Mary Elise Gottschalk ’10 and Robby Burns [15] were married July 29, 2012 in Pasadena, Md. Lauren Ramsey ’10 was a bridesmaid. The couple honeymooned at Walt Disney World. Mary is a dental assistant in Woodstock, Md. and also is a freelance artist and muralist; Robby is a middle school band teacher in Howard County, Md., and a private percussion instructor. The couple lives in Columbia, Md.

JILL SPRINGER

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CRAIG VOLPE, SECOND SUN PHOTOGRAPHY

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LAURA ELIZABETH PHOTOGRAPHY

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JILL CHRISTINE DESIGN & PHOTOGRAPHY

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Tiffany Hauck ’09 and Zachary Johns [12] were married Oct. 25, 2014 at the Sparrows Point Country Club in Baltimore, Md. Bridesmaids included Jacqueline Caminiti ’09 and Sarah Marks Witow ’08. The couple honeymooned in Honolulu and Waikaloa, Hawaii. Tiffany is a financial planner with Northwestern Mutual; Zachary is a member of the Baltimore County Fire Department. They live in Baltimore, Md.

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of conservation planning at a non-profit in Silver Spring, Md. The family lives in Chesapeake Beach, Md. To Carol Schmoeller Hatton ’04 and Matt Hatton, a son, Maxwell Parker [7], born May 21, 2015. He joins big sister, Reese, age four and a half. Carol is the director of athletics at Roland Park Country School; Matt is the director of athletics at Archbishop Curley. The family lives in Baltimore, Md.

at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. The Wilsons reside in San Antonio, Texas.

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To Melissa Arndt McEvoy ’04 and Gerard McEvoy, a son, Jack Edward [8], born October 22, 2014. Jack celebrated his first birthday with Sienna Skye Broadnax, the daughter of Melissa’s college roommate, Kyle Bishop ’04. Both babies were born on the same day! Melissa is a second grade teacher for Anne Arundel County, Md. public schools; Gerard is a construction worker for Marine Technologies. The family lives in Annapolis, Md. To Alun Oliver ’04, MAT ’09 and Cathy Oliver, a son, William Rhys [9], born November 7, 2015.

Will joins big sisters, Rebecca, age 3 and Samantha who’s almost 2. Alun is the head coach of the Seahawk men’s soccer program; Cathy works in finance for Naval Air Systems Command. The family lives in Leonardtown, Md. To Natalie Friend Wilson ’04 and Stuart Wilson, a son, John “Jack” Broderick [10], born Sep. 8, 2015. Jack joins big brothers James Walter, age 7 and Andrew Dale, age 2. Natalie is an associate at Langley & Banack, Inc., where her legal practice focuses on commercial bankruptcy and related litigation and appeals. Stuart is the operations superintendent for the 92nd Cyber Operations Squadron

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To Lauren Hannon GottliebMiller ’08 and Joshua GottliebMiller ’08, a son, Owen Moses [12], born Sep. 22, 2014. Lauren received a master’s degree in library and information studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2014 and is pursuing her doctorate in the same department. Joshua received his masters of fine arts in poetry from the University of Houston in 2012 and works as the writing center coordinator for Madison Area Technical College’s northern campuses. The family lives in Madison, Wis. To Nezia Munezero Kubwayo ’08 and Jean Calmere Kubwayo, a son, Nathan [13], born May 27, 2015. He joins big brother, Carl, age 3. Nezia is the executive director at Night of Peace Family Shelter; Jean Calmere is an engineer at KCI Technologies. The family lives in Baltimore, Md.

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To Katelyn Turner Scrittore ’05 and Joe Scrittore, a daughter, Cecelia Anne [11], born Oct. 12, 2015. She joins big brother Henry, age 2, who is very excited to have a little sister. Katelyn is a technical writer for Booz Allen and also does freelance work for the Southern Maryland Newspapers; Joe is an engineer with Naval Air Systems Command. The family lives in Lexington Park, Md.

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To Tiffany Hauck Johns ’09 and Zachary Johns, a daughter, Morgan Elizabeth [14], born Oct. 28, 2015. Tiffany is a financial planner with Northwestern Mutual; Zachary works for the Baltimore County, Md. fire department. The family lives in Baltimore, Md.

IN MEMORIAM Caroline Benson Schaeffer ’47JC, of Annapolis, Md., died Oct. 22, 2015, at age 87. Born in Baltimore, Md., she graduated from Western Maryland College in 1949. Shortly after graduation she married Bill Schaeffer.

They retired to Annapolis, Md. in 1983 where she was involved in a variety of community and volunteer organizations. In addition to her husband of 66 years, Caroline is survived her children, Jim Schaeffer and Sarah Schaeffer Robitaille; four grandchildren; and her brother, George Benson Jr. Ann Lewis Lovekin ’50JC, of Albuquerque, N.M., died Oct. 6, 2015, at age 84. Born in Clifton Forge, Va., she received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland and worked for the Episcopal Diocese in Washington, D.C. As the spouse of an Air Force officer, Ann lived and traveled for many years in Asia, Europe, Canada and the U.S. before moving to Albuquerque, N. M. in 1969. In 1977, she married The Rev. A. Adams Lovekin, Ph.D., an Episcopal priest and clinical psychologist. She worked in his private clinical practice, and assisted in his founding of the Samaritan Counseling Center in 1987 and the Church of the Holy Cross in 1995. In addition to her husband, Ann is survived by her children; Peter Isburgh, Susan Isburgh Price, Kathryn Isburgh Wilson, Carolyn Isburgh Crombie, Ann Isburgh Staab, Michael Lovekin, Sue Lin Lovekin, and Stephen Lovekin; 14 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Thurman “Buddy” Harrison III ’61JC, of Rolla, Mo., died Aug. 22, 2015, at age 73. He grew up in St. Mary’s County, Md. and played tennis at St. Mary’s Seminary Junior College.

He continued his education at Concord Teacher’s College before joining the U.S. Air Force.

Returning to St. Mary’s County in 1967, he worked for the U.S. Postal Service before becoming a chemist for Potomac Electric Power Company. He later bought Baily’s Restaurant in Leonardtown, Md. He retired to West Virginia and after his wife’s death in 2014, moved to Rolla, Mo. to live with his daughter Shannon. Thurman is survived by his son Clinton; daughters Shannon Harrison Hux and Valerie Harrison Moersch; and five grandchildren.

Francis William “Bud” Stringer III ’61JC, of Washington, D.C., died Sep. 17, 2015, at age 74. Born in Baltimore, Md., he moved at a young age to Washington, D.C. Bud attended Oxon Hill High School, St. Mary’s Seminary Junior College and Towson University. During his 30 year teaching career, he taught at three different high schools beginning with Lackey in Indian Head, Md., then Potomac in Oxon Hill, Md., and finally Friendly in Fort Washington, Md. Bud then began a new career as a media specialist director for Prince George’s County, Md. Board Of Education where he created classroom programs to help develop student selfesteem. Never really retiring, he stayed active in the arts as an actor, director and writer. After his wife of over 40 years, Dale, died, Bud’s bulldog, Winston became his “partner in crime.” They would have many adventures including winning the Humane

Society’s “Owner & Dog Looka-like Contest.” Winston died a few months before Bud but his ashes were placed in Bud’s coffin so they could continue their adventures. Bud is survived by his son, Andrew Stringer; his granddaughter, Brittany Stringer; and his sister, Marsha Stringer Merchant.

Phyllis Nagel Ward ’63JC, of Myrtle Beach, S.C., died Nov. 18, 2015, at age 73. Phyllis is survived by her husband James; daughter Jill Ward Dickmyer; and granddaughters Lydia Dickmyer and Hannah Dickmyer ’16.

Casimir “Caz” Szlendak ’65JC, of Sunol, Calif., died Aug. 13, 2015, at age 70. Born to Polish parents in a German farm-labor camp at the end of World War II, Caz and his family moved to the U.S. three years after the war settling first in Roanoke, Va., before moving to Abell in St. Mary’s County, Md. By 1972 he had moved to California where he began a career as a real estate broker and developer in Silicon Valley.

Although he lived in California, he stayed active in St. Mary’s County real estate development.

He bought and later sold the historic Porto Bello property to Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn; bought the old St. Mary’s Academy property now the Leonardtown, Md. campus of the College of Southern Maryland; sold what is now Myrtle Point Park to the St. Mary’s County Government; and developed the First Colony residential, commercial and office area in California, Md. Caz is survived by his wife of 48 years, Mary; his mother, Stasha, brothers Karl, George and Joe; and sister, Christine Szlendak Morgan.

Ronald Lee Stone ’72, of Hollywood, Md., died Sep. 19, 2015, at age 65. A native of Frederick, Md., he remained in St. Mary’s County after graduation. He owned and operated Stone’s Seafood from 1977-1988 and Family Flour Antique Store from 1978-1982 and beginning in 1989 he worked as a contracts manager at The Center for Life Enrichment. Ronald is survived by his daughters, Nicole Stone Drury and Stefanie Stone; and his brother Thomas.

Dorothy Klein Dustmann ’75, of Catonsville, Md., died Aug. 29, 2015, at age 62. Born in Baltimore, Md., she attended St. Mary’s College for her freshman year before transferring to Towson University where she received her bachelor of science degree. In 1992, she received her master’s in early childhood intervention from Johns Hopkins University. She worked for the Baltimore City, Md. public schools for one year and Baltimore County, Md. public schools for 22 years in the Infants & Toddlers Program.

Dorothy is survived by her husband, Walter; daughter, Cara; and son, Sean.

Geoffrey Sweeney ’79, of Virginia Beach, Va., died Sep. 30, 2015, at age 59. Born in Hagerstown, Md., he loved nature, especially the mountains and was passionate about classic cars, antique tractors and the Green Bay Packers. Geoff is survived by his wife of 26 years, Pia; his son, Geoffrey “Jake”; his parents, Herman and Charity; sister Cheryl Sweeney Raleigh; and brother Kevin.

FRIENDS OF THE COLLEGE Daniel Burdett Greene, of Lexington Park, Md., died Aug. 7, 2015, at age 75. A native of Long Island, N.Y., he graduated from Syracuse University with a bachelor’s degree in forestry, served in the Peace Corps for two years, and worked for over 15 years for the Maryland Parks and Planning Board. However, his greatest love was basketball and he was acknowledged as the Seahawk men’s basketball team’s number one fan. He could often be found playing noon basketball at the College. In his memory, the College held the Dan Greene Memorial Invitational Nov. 13-15, 2015 in which both the men’s and women’s basketball teams played. Dan is survived by his wife, Barbara; sons, Davey and Neil; stepsons, Doug and Jim Patton; three grandchildren; and his brother, Dave.

Agnes Kane Callum, of Baltimore, Md., died July 22, 2015, at age 90. A prominent genealogist, her paternal grandfather, Henry Kane, was born a slave at Sotterley Plantation in St. Mary’s County, Md. At age of 44, she went back to school, earning her undergraduate and master’s degrees from Morgan State University. Named a FulbrightHayes Scholar in 1973, she studied at the University of Ghana in Legon, Ghana. In 1979, she published her first book, “KaneButler Genealogy—History of a Black Family” and went on to edit and publish the “Flower of the Forest,” a genealogical journal named after a St. Mary’s County tract that the Butler family owned for nearly 125 years.

She was a founding member of the Commission to Coordinate the Study, Commemoration and Impact of Slavery’s History and Legacy in Maryland.

The Baltimore chapter of the African American Historical and Genealogical Society was named in her honor in 2007. In 2008, she received an honorary doctorate in history from St. Mary’s College and was named to the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame in 2014. She donated 19 volumes of her research to the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture. Agnes is survived by her son, Martin; two daughters, Dr. Martina Callum and Agnes Callum Lightfoot; three grandchildren; three greatgrandchildren; and her sister, Edna Kane Aiden.

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ARCHIVE S

MYTHBUSTING: Was St. Mary’s Ever a Finishing School?

By Kent Randell, College archivist and assistant librarian

The 1834 bicentennial anniversary of the Calvert’s settlement of St. Maries City came and went without any monument being placed on the site. Five years later, instead of proposing a monument of stone, the 1839 legislation proposed to establish St. Mary’s Female Seminary as a living monument designed to honor the Calvert family and religious tolerance.

Emily Louis Clayton Bishop (1900) went on to study sculpture under Augustin Rodin. “Miss Lettie” Marshall Dent Gough (1911) became St. Mary’s County Superintendent of Schools, the first woman in Maryland to hold such a position. Marie Briscoe Croker (1891) became Maryland’s first Poet Laureate and Alice Anna Deckman (1895) became a doctor. While studying the composition booklet and valedictory address of Emma Jane Griffith (1885), St. Mary’s editor emerita Janet Haugaard commented that it was written in a very high style, and renders themes that are both classical and derived from Latin.

The goal of finishing schools was to prepare woman for high society and marriage.

Such schools actually discouraged classical learning, as this might make a woman a less suitable candidate for marriage (fittingly, such schools no longer exist today). St. Mary’s Seminary principal M. Adele France wrote in the 1926 course catalog: “the time is past when we educated our daughters for ornaments only,” and pledged the Seminary to “greater service” in preparing its graduates for “an economic place in the world.” She also pledged that “St. Mary’s Seminary will undertake increasingly to lay the foundation for every type of work: for college, business, homemaking, industry, fine arts, music.” Miss France then provides further evidence that St. Mary’s was, in fact, the very opposite of a finishing school: “The state maintains 27 full scholarships – one from each county and four from Baltimore City…. Clothes for school wear should be simple and neat. There is no occasion for elaborate costumes, and décolleté gowns are not permitted.”

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At www.smcm.edu/archives, in the “Online Publications” section, you can read J. Frederick Fausz’ history of the institution, “Monument School of the People: A Sesquicentennial History of St. Mary’s College of Maryland 1840-1990,” and find no mention of a “finishing school.” There is a direct line, extending 175 years, between the high academic standards and spirit of inclusion by way of scholarships of the 19th-century Seminary, a tradition designed to honor the Calvert family’s ideals of religious toleration, and the College’s current status as a top-ranked public liberal arts college.

So please, even if it means you need to be impolite, aggressively go out and disabuse anybody who perpetuates the “finishing school” myth.

Seminarians, not debutantes, tending to a garden and playing croquet in the early 20th century.

Calendar of Events Brian Ganz Piano Recital January 26 at noon Auerbach Auditorium of St. Mary’s Hall

Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Harold Stanley February 29 at 8 pm Cole Cinema

Legislative Reception January 27 at 5:30 pm Lowe House Office Bldg.

Annapolis

“Striptease”/Catastrophe”

by Slawomir Mrozek/Samuel Beckett directed by Mark A. Rhoda March 2–5 at 8 pm March 6 at 2 pm Bruce Davis Theater

Speaking of Race (reprise) January 27 at 8 pm Bruce Davis Theater VOICES Reading Series January 28 at 8:15 pm Authors Sofia Sokolove ’11 and Michael Sokolove Daugherty-Palmer Commons February 11 at 8:15 pm Poets John Hoppenthaler and Leah Naomi Green Daugherty-Palmer Commons Economic Inequality Film Series: “A Tale of Two Schools” February 25 at 8 pm Cole Cinema VOICES Reading Series February 25 at 8:15 pm Poet Ada Limón Daugherty-Palmer Commons Jazz Concert February 26 at 8 pm Montgomery Hall, Room 25

47th Annual All Student Art Exhibition March 3 –April 1, Boyden Gallery Economic Inequality Film Series: “The One Percent” March 17 at 8 pm Cole Cinema Public Forum: Economic Inequality and Opportunity Gap March 30–31, Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards VOICES Reading Series April 7 at 8:15 pm Writer/poet Brian Gilmore Daugherty-Palmer Commons Spring Break-a-Sweat April 9 Seahawk Stadium Orchestra Concert April 14 at 8 pm Montgomery Hall, Room 25

The 10th Annual Twain Lecture: David Sedaris April 15 at 7:30 pm Michael P. O’Brien Athletics & Recreation Center Arena World Carnival April 16 at noon Admissions Field Art SMP Final Exhibition April 18 – May 3, Boyden Gallery “Machinal”

by Sophie Treadwell directed by Amy Steiger April 21-23 at 8 pm April 24 at 2 pm Bruce Davis Theater Awards Convocation April 22 at 3 pm Michael P. O’Brien Athletics & Recreation Center Arena

Economic Inequality Film Series: “Inside Job” May 12 at 8 pm Cole Cinema Commencement May 14 at 10 am Townhouse Green Alumni Weekend June 9–12 River Concert Series June 17 – July 22 Friday evenings at 7 pm Townhouse Green www.smcm.edu/events/riverconcert Chesapeake Writers’ Conference June 19–25 To apply: https://chesapeakewritersconference.submittable.com/

Chorus Concert April 30 at 4 pm Montgomery Hall, Room 25

Golden & Beyond Reunion (for classes celebrating 50th, 55th, 60th anniversaries) June 23–25

Young at Art: Artwork from St. Mary’s County Schools May 9 – 31, Boyden Gallery

43rd Annual Governor’s Cup Yacht Race August 5–6

Young at Art: An Exhibition of Art from St. Mary’s County Schools May 11– 31, Boyden Gallery

Check for event updates and additions: www.smcm.edu/events/calendar

PHOTO: ALEX BIRD ’16

Non-profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit #10001 Leonardtown, MD

Daffodil Gulch It may seem far away, but spring will burst forth in Daffodil Gulch before the next issue of Mulberry Tree is published. This lovely spot in Historic St. Mary’s City is a favorite destination for St. Mary’s students.