Mills Quarterly winter 2004

Mills QuarterlyWinter 2004 Alumnae Magazine

El Campanil Gets a New Garden andCelebrates 100 Years

Julia Morgan at Mills

The Girls Are Coming Home

Reunion and Convocation 2003

Recollections of Life at Mills 1929–1933

The clockworks of El Campanil are being

repaired and will return to campus on time for

the centennial anniversary of the starting of the

clock by Susan Mills. President Janet Holmgren

will set the clock in motion once again on

March 12 at noon. Photo by Bruce Cook.

CONTENTS WINTER 2004

ABOUT THE COVER: El Campanil was recently graced with a new garden and fountain, the gift of Evelyn White Thomson Affleck, ’37. The handsome Mills landmark was designed by Julia Morgan, who also designed five other buildings on campus. Cover photo by Bruce Cook.

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Mills Quarterly

10 Reunion and Convocation 2003Nearly 300 alumnae returned to campus for Reunion 2003. A busy schedule includedConvocation, the official opening of the academic year.

12 The Girls Are Coming Home Susan Ito, MFA ’94In September 2004, the Julia Morgan School for Girls will welcome 150 middle-school students to their new home on the Mills campus. They will move into a renovatedAlderwood Hall, originally designed by the woman for whom the school is named.

14 Julia Morgan at Mills Susan Ito, MFA ’94When Susan Mills hired Julia Morgan to design a clock tower for the Mills campus in 1904,the young architect was largely unknown. After El Campanil withstood the devastating earth-quake of 1906, Morgan’s career took off.

16 Recollections of Life at Mills: 1929–1933 Esther Rosenblatt Landa, ’33, MA ’37Esther Rosenblatt Landa entered Mills in September of 1929. One month later, the stockmarket crashed. The eminent alumna, who just celebrated her 70th Reunion, remembers herundergraduate years at Mills.

35 Elect Your Alumna Trustee

D E P A R T M E N T S

2 Letters

3 Calendar

4 Inside Mills

8 Mills MattersA Tribute to German at Mills, by Mary Akatiff Cudahy, ’93Maggi Payne Wins Sarlo Faculty Award for Great Teaching, by Adam Blum

18 Alumnae Action

20 Profiles

22 Passages

ARIEL EATON THOMAS, ’63 MICHAEL ROSSNEY COURTESY MORGAN–FORNEY COLLECTION

Volume XCII Number 3(USPS 349-900)

Winter 2004

Alumnae DirectorAnne Gillespie Brown, ’68

EditorDavid M. Brin, MA ’75

<[email protected]>(510) 430-3312

Design and Art DirectionBenjamin Piekut, MA ’01

Editorial AssistanceKatrina Wardell, ’07

Quarterly Advisory BoardRobyn Fisher, ’90, Marian Hirsch, ’75

Jane Cudlip King, ’42, Jane Redmond Mueller, ’68Cathy Chew Smith, ’84, Ramona Lisa Smith, ’01, MBA, ’02

Sharon K. Tatai, ’80, Heidi Wachter, ’01Lynette Williams Williamson, ’72, MA ’74

Class Notes WritersBarb Barry, ’94, Laura Compton, ’93

Barbara Bennion Friedlich, ’49, Sally Mayock Hartley, ’48Heather Hanley, ’00, Marian Hirsch, ’75

Cathy Chew Smith, ’84

Special Thanks toJane Cudlip King, ’42

David M. Hedden

Board of GovernorsPresident

Karen May, ’86

Vice PresidentsJudy Greenwood Jones, ’60

Jane Cudlip King, ’42

TreasurerBevo Zellick, ’49, MA ’50

Alumnae TrusteesLeone La Duke Evans, MA ‘45

Sara Ellen McClure, ’81Sharon K. Tatai, ’80

GovernorsLynne Bantle, ’74, Micheline Beam, ‘72

Anita Bowers, ’63, Harriet Fong Chan, ‘98 Lynn Eve Fortin, ’87, Amy Franklin-Willis, ‘94

Mary Liu, ‘71, Leah Mac Neil, MA ’51Rachael E. Meny, ‘92, Nangee Warner Morrison, ‘63

Ruth Saxton, MA ‘72, Ramona Lisa Smith, ‘01, MBA ‘02Diana Odermatt, ’60, Sarah Washington-Robinson, ’72

Lynette Williams Williamson, ’72, MA ’74 Thomasina Woida, ’80 Sheryl Wooldridge, ‘77Student Representatives: Cynthia Guevara, ‘04

Kathleen Stavis, ‘06

Regional GovernorsJoyce Menter Wallace, ’50, Eastern Great Lakes

Joan Alper, ’62, Middle AtlanticAlbertina Padilla, ’78, Middle California

Adrienne Bronstein Becker, ’86, Middle CaliforniaJudith Smrha, ’87, Midwest

Linda Cohen Turner, ’68, North Central Brandy Tuzon Boyd, ’91, Northern California

Gayle Rothrock, ’68, NorthwestLouise Hurlbut, ’75, Rocky Mountains

Colleen Almeida Smith, ’92, South CentralJulia Almazan, ’92, Southern California

Dr. Candace Brand Kaspers, ’70, SoutheastElaine Chew, ’68, Southwest

The Mills Quarterly (USPS 349-900) is published quarterly in April, July, October, and January by the

Alumnae Association of Mills College, Reinhardt AlumnaeHouse, 5000 MacArthur Boulevard, Oakland, CA 94613.

Periodicals postage paid at Oakland, CA and at additional mailing office(s). Postmaster: Send addresschanges to the Mills Quarterly, Alumnae Association ofMills College, P.O. Box 9998, Oakland, CA 94613-0998.

Statement of PurposeThe purpose of the Mills Quarterly is to report

the activities of the Alumnae Association and itsbranches; to reflect the quality, dignity, and academic

achievement of the College family; to communicatethe exuberance and vitality of student life; and to

demonstrate the worldwide-ranging interests, occupations, and achievements of alumnae.

Mills Quarterly

Letter to the Editor

On this Issue

Julia Morgan’s name runs throughout this issue. The famous Bay Areaarchitect broke many barriers that blocked the ambitions of women inthe late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1894 she graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a degree in engineering, and in 1902 she received adiploma in architecture from the prestigious (and tradition-bound) Ecoledes Beaux Arts in Paris. She inspired generations of women and girls,and when the Julia Morgan School for Girls looked for a suitable rolemodel and namesake for their school, Julia Morgan was the logicalchoice. By a happy set of coincidences, the school is moving to theMills campus and will be housed in a building designed by JuliaMorgan. You can read about the school and their move in Susan Ito’sarticle beginning on page 12.

On March 12 we will celebrate the centennial of El Campanil, JuliaMorgan’s first building on campus. The landmark clock tower wasrecently given new landscaping; details appear in the Inside Mills sec-tion on page 5. In addition to El Campanil and Alderwood, soon tobecome the Julia Morgan School for Girls, Morgan designed two of themost beautiful interior spaces on campus: the Student Union and theBender Room in the Margaret Carnegie Library. These buildings standas quiet monuments to what women can achieve, another reminder toMills women that barriers are meant to be broken.

I was pleased to receive a copy of theQuarterly here in my home in Lahore,Pakistan. I was delighted to see the pic-ture of a new student on the cover whois from Pakistan! Closer reading revealedher to be Fiza Fatima Asar of the class of2007. What a lucky young woman tohave the Mills experience ahead of her!My words of guidance to her would beto explore and venture into areas of per-sonal growth to the full, for Mills is aunique place to do so.

I would like to congratulate theQuarterly on the Book Shelf section,which is of particular interest as it reviewsbooks published by alums. I enjoyed thediversity of the subjects—I don’t know of

many institutions that would nurtureauthors on subjects as diverse as dealingwith death, pampering yourself, waterissues, and women pioneers in Californiahistory. I would like to add my own firstpublication to your reviews, GreenPioneers (published by UNDP Pakistan,March 2002) that tells the stories of extra-ordinary men and women who have pio-neered environmental change in Pakistan.

Finally, as an alum, I enjoy seeingphotos of the changing physical land-scape at Mills. Images of the new use ofthe children’s school, and others like it,are relished by those of us who are farfrom California.Mehjabeen (Mamie) Abidi Habib, ’85

MILLS QUARTERLY WINTER 2004 3

ONGOING THROUGHMARCH 7Works by JenniferBartlett and ElizabethMurray, from theAnderson Collection ofthe Fine Arts Museumsof San Francisco. ArtMuseum. (510) 430-2164

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 55:00 PM, DINNER, 7:00 PM PROGRAMLunar New YearCelebration, presentingDanny Dancers, withDanny Nguyen, MFA ’99Sponsored by the

Diversity Committee ofthe AAMC. Founders Commons(510) 430-2111

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 105:30 PMContemporary WritersSeries: Pam Houston.Faculty Lounge(510) 430-2236

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 238:00 PMConcert Series:Percussion Music by LouHarrison. Concert Hall.(510) 430-2296

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28,9:00 AM–NOON AND 1:00–4:00 PMWhy Women Need toInvest. Sponsored by theAlumnae StudentRelations Committee ofthe AAMC and the

National Association ofInvestors Corporation(NAIC). Lucie Stern 101For more information,send an email to<[email protected]>.

TUESDAY, MARCH 25:30 PMContemporary WritersSeries: April Sinclair.Faculty Lounge(510) 430-2236

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, SATURDAY, MARCH 6,8:00 PM, SUNDAY,MARCH 7, 5:00 PM

Mills College Theatre:Shakespeare’s Henry V.Lisser Hall Studio Theatre(510) 430-3308

TUESDAY, MARCH 9 8:00 PMConcert Series: PianistHoracio Gutierrez.Concert Hall.(510) 430-2296

SATURDAY, MARCH 27,9:00 AM–NOON AND1:00 PM–5:00 PMWhy Women Need toInvest. See February 28listing.

FRIDAY, APRIL 2, SATURDAY, APRIL 3,8:00 PM, SUNDAY,APRIL 4 5:00 PM,THURSDAY, APRIL 8–SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 8:00 PMMills College Theatre:Dancing at Lughnasa.Lisser Hall Main Stage.(510) 430-3308

THURSDAY, APRIL 8–SATURDAY, APRIL 10,8:00 PMMills College RepertoryDance Concert.Haas Pavilion.(510) 430-2175

TUESDAY, APRIL 135:30 PMContemporary WritersSeries: Dan Bellm.Faculty Lounge(510) 430-2236

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14,11 AM–12:00 NOONSpring Colloquium withdancer Lori Bellilove anddance historian Julia Levien.Lisser Hall

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14,4:30 PMHigh Tea with Lori

Belilove & Company.Student Union. (510) 430-2110

FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 8:00 PMLori Belilove & Companyin performance.Lisser Hall(510) 430-2175

SATURDAY, MAY 18:00 PMConcert Series: AlvinCurran May Day Concert.Concert Hall.(510) 430-2296

You can find fine artsevents on the MillsCollege website bygoing to <www.mills.edu> and choosing “Fine Arts EventsCalendar” under“General Information.”

Dancer and musician

Meredith Monk will

perform on Saturday,

February 14 at 8:00

p.m. at the Concert

Hall. For information,

call (510) 430-2296.

C A L E N D A R

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4 MILLS QUARTERLY WINTER 2004

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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

The Mills Sesquicentennial Campaign countdown continues. As of October 2003,total receipts had reached $84 million, leaving just $16 million to reach our $100million goal. Since then, new pledges have been received for the public policyprogram, the Mills Art Museum, scholarships, and other purposes. By the time youread this, we may already have less than $15 million to go!

I am pleased to report that Mills has again bucked a national trend. The Chronicleof Philanthropy, a nationally recognized publication, recently reported that charita-ble giving in 2002 in the United States had decreased for the first time in morethan a decade. In contrast, Mills’ total receipts last year were higher than the pre-vious year. What accounts for this? Bequests received from the estates of two Millsalumnae, Suzanne Adams, ’48, and Ruth Gillard, ’36, more than made up for amodest decrease in current gifts. In addition, Mills enjoys a very strong record offoundation support for academic programs. Thank you to everyone who makesMills a success.

At the October meeting of the Board of Trustees, the chair of the board, VivianStephenson, announced her appointment as chief operating officer of Williams-Sonoma Inc. She is the former executive vice president and chief information offi-cer for Target Corporation. I know you will join me in congratulating Vivian. We areproud to have a woman of such accomplishment as chair of the Mills board.

The calendar for spring semester 2004 is packed with exciting events. Here is justa sampling to give you a taste of the intellectual, cultural, and historic offeringsavailable to our community. In January, the social science division will begin mov-ing into their new quarters in the Vera Long Social Science Center. Watch for theannouncement of an open house and dedication, to be held around mid-semester.On February 23, there will be a wonderful performance in the Concert Hall, cele-brating the work of the late composer Lou Harrison. Mills is lucky enough to havereceived a remarkable collection of percussion instruments, some of which weremade by Harrison and his partner, Bill Colvig. Some of these instruments will befeatured in the concert. On March 12, at noon, we will celebrate the centennialanniversary of the starting of the clock in El Campanil by Susan Mills. In April,alumna Lori Belilove, ’76, and her dance company will perform at Mills in a tributeto dance pioneer Isadora Duncan. Also in April, the Mills College Theater produc-tion of Dancing at Lughnasa may be seen in Lisser Hall, and no fewer than eightdifferent musical performances will enliven the Concert Hall. The annual NativeAmerican Powwow is scheduled for April 17. The exhibition of work by alumnaeJennifer Bartlett, ’63, and Elizabeth Murray, MFA ’64, continues until early Marchat the Mills Art Museum, where the schedule for April and May includes the exhi-bitions of work by graduating seniors and MFA students. Please come to campusfor as many events as you can.

JENNIFER SAUER


S E S Q U I C E N T E N N I A L C A M PA I G N N E W S

EVELYN AFFLECK, ’37, GIVES MILLS A GARDEN

On October 26, 2003, Trustee Barbara Ahmajan Wolfe, ’65,hosted the second annual Oenophile wine tasting event at

her Sonoma County wine-country home. More than 100 Mills alumnaeand friends gathered to taste wines from five wineries affiliatedwith Mills: Galante Vineyards, Mayo Family Winery, PrestonVineyards, Trefethen Vineyards, and Tres Sabores. Guests enjoyedwines, hors d’oeuvres, and conversation with President JanetHolmgren, Provost Mary Ann Milford, Museum Director StephanJost, and members of the art department faculty, despite themid-fall heat wave that brought temperatures to 96 degrees.

Right: Lou and Susan Preston, MA ’96, share wines from their vineyard withOenophile guests.

Prepare to be surprised the nexttime you visit El Campanil. Instead

of a sea of ivy, you will find a beautifulnew garden, complete with a marbleVictorian fountain surrounded bybenches, paths, rose bushes, jacarandatrees, and hundreds of perennial flow-ers. The garden at El Campanil is thegift of Evelyn White Thomson Affleck,’37, and is made in memory of herOrchard Meadow hall mother, VictoriaFrench Allen.

The garden draws visitors to thebase of El Campanil and accentuatesthis historic structure, which wasdesigned by architect Julia Morgan.While restoring the site, the Millsgrounds crew discovered old gardenpaths underneath dense ivy and incor-porated the paths into the design.

The garden, dedicated onSeptember 18, 2003, has alreadybecome a popular location for socializ-ing and studying. Most mornings, tod-dlers from the Children’s School can befound playing on the garden lawn oreyeing the fountain.

Mrs. Affleck and her children flewto campus from their home in San

Antonio, Texas, to attend the dedica-tion and see the garden for the firsttime. Mrs. Affleck liked the idea ofenhancing a historic structure. “Myown mother was a wonderful garden-er,” she says. “I grew up around beau-tiful gardens and have always appreci-ated them.” She dedicated the garden

to Victoria French Allen because “sheand I hit it off beautifully. She took aspecial interest in me, and I was crazyabout her.”

To learn more about how to helpenhance the Mills campus, please con-tact Adam Blum, director of major gifts,at (510) 430-2364 or <[email protected]>.

OENOPHILE: MILLS AND THE ART OF WINE

The new fountain, with El Campanil in the background.

President Janet Holmgren and Evelyn WhiteThomson Affleck, ’37, in the new garden.

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insidemills

Ninety-four percent of Mills studentsreceive financial aid, including

merit scholarships as well as need-based aid. Eighty-three percentreceive some or all of their aid directlyfrom Mills. Total aid awarded to students in 2003–04 is $14.6 million,of which Mills funds $6.3 million. Overthe years, many alumnae, friends, andfamily members have establishednamed scholarships at Mills, and eachyear, the Alumnae Association of MillsCollege designates one-half of itsannual gift for financial aid.

Whether a scholarship is awarded inrecognition of academic achievement(Trustee Scholarships are a good example) or to make a Mills experienceaffordable, students are eloquent inarticulating the positive effect scholar-ships have upon their lives. Each year,some students write to “their” donors.We think you will be inspired by theirwords.

“I would like to thank you for my schol-arship. . . . I am a Trustee Merit Scholar. I am currently beginning my secondyear here and am very excited about it.. . . Being able to be a part of the Millscommunity is very important to me.Without this scholarship, I would prob-ably be a number at my local stateschool. This letter cannot adequatelydescribe my gratitude. Thank you verymuch!” Trustee Scholar, Class of 2006

“I am writing to thank you and theClass of 1948 for your generous gift ofassisting my education at Mills. Lastyear was my last at Mills, and I was able

to complete itthanks to you. . . .My year was aneventful one:after my returnfrom studying inScotland, I tookseveral difficultclasses in mymajor, computerscience. I tookthe most difficultand rewardingclass I have evertaken at Mills lastspring from[Professor] EllenSpertus, entitledSoftware Engineering. I was able towrite code for an entire Tetris game, aswell as part of a basic interpreter. . . . Ialso finished my minor in studio art. Iwas given a ceramics award at the endof the year. This made me especiallyproud. . . . After a wonderful few filmclasses at Mills, I am very interested inthis field. Film would allow me to usemy computer skills and combine themwith my artistic interests. This is mynext big goal.” Class of 1948 Scholarship recipient,Class of 2003

“I entered Mills as a sophomore afterretiring from my job as a balletdancer. The warmth that greeted methat year, and the feeling of continuedencouragement from professors andfellow students, have made Mills awonderful and unique environment inwhich to study and grow. This fall, I’mexcited to be entering my senior year,

and will graduate with a major in bio-chemistry. I feel that the challengingcourses offered in the biology andchemistry departments, and myinvaluable experiences with theundergraduate summer research program, have prepared me well forgraduate study in the medical field.Thank you so much for your generousgift, which has made my dream of aMills education possible.” Bernard and Barbro Osher ResumerScholarship recipient, Class of 2004

“My time at Mills has been unforget-table, and I feel fortunate to have hadthe opportunity to attend MillsCollege. I remember how exciting itwas to find out I was going to school inOakland, California, a long way frommy home in Durham, North Carolina. Ihave enjoyed discovering the Oaklandarea more and more every year andhave grown to love it. . . . My mother

Scholarship Students Say Thanks

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attended Mills College. She passed away my first year atMills. I felt lucky to be at the college that she had attended,as well as to live in the area where she was born andraised. . . . This last spring semester, I had the incredibleopportunity to attend a study-abroad program in WestAfrica. I spent four months in the city of Dakar, the capitalof Senegal. From the moment I set foot in Senegal, theabundance of music and art amazed me. . . . I will alwaysremember Mills for the inspiring professors I have met, as

well as the intelligent and talented friends I have made. I am excited to leave Mills carrying all the knowledge andconfidence that the College has instilled in me. Thank youfor making my attendance at Mills possible. . . . Mills hasbecome a part of who I am as well as the choices I willmake in my life, and I am grateful for that.” Harry and Eva Ladnier Scholarship recipient, Class of 2004

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MILLS MATTERS

Last spring, the College madethe difficult decision to elimi-nate the German studiesmajor at Mills. This fall markedthe first year in the history ofthe College that German lan-guage was not on the sched-ule of classes. Although therehad not been more than fourGerman studies majors since1997, German has been animportant part of Mills overthe years. The program isfondly remembered by manyalumnae as a high point intheir College careers.

The need to justify theexpense of language offeringshas arisen time and again inthe College’s history. Germanhas now gone the way of Latinand Greek, once an integralpart of the Mills experience,now just a memory. In a flurryof memoranda to PresidentReinhardt in the 1940s, facultydebated the language require-ment then in effect for allundergraduates. ProfessorMargaret Prall argued that“now, more than ever before,all corners of the world seemto be in communication sothat there is practical value inknowing more than one lan-guage.” In the academic year1980–81, President Mary Metzheld a dinner with industryleaders called “Focus onForeign Languages andCareers” to inspire students tosee the practical applicationsof language learning.

Over the decades, theGerman program has pro-duced more Fulbright scholarsthan any other major on cam-pus. An exhaustive survey ofalumnae who graduated in the’70s, ’80s, and ’90s reveals that

the beauty of the program layin its outstanding faculty, wholavished individual attention ontheir majors. In the words ofPatricia McDonnell, ’78, theGerman department’s greateststrength was “the nimbleminds and golden hearts ofthe faculty.”

Faculty are at the centerof small colleges like Mills.One cannot bid farewell tothe German major at Millswithout remembering thosewho made it happen.

In the early 1920s, theGerman program at Mills wasflourishing with Dr. TheodoreBrohm at the helm. A memo-randum from the Collegearchives reveals that 35 stu-dents were enrolled.Offerings included advancedliterature courses and MiddleHigh German. The Germandepartment sponsored ayearly program of chambermusic and song, presentedby both students of Germanand members of the musicdepartment. Appropriatelydubbed “Eine kleineNachtmusik,” it featured themusic of Mozart, Schubert,Schumann, and Brahms.

The 1930s and ’40s wereexciting times for German onthe Mills campus. ExiledGerman Jewish scholarssought refuge from their nativeland, finding safety and inspi-ration at Mills, and enrichinggenerations of students. In1936, Dr. Bernhard Blume, apublished playwright and liter-ary critic from Stuttgart,Germany, arrived on campuswith his wife and two sons. In a1936 Mills College Weekly arti-cle, Edith Jane Robbins inter-

viewed the then-brand-newfaculty member at FacultyVillage, where he showed herpictures of “the elaboratestage settings required to pro-duce [his work] in Berlin,” andtold her that he was enjoyingteaching at Mills, especially forits being a “nice source forobservation material.” Blumewould become a strong figureon campus, giving several lec-tures in the late 1930s on the

rise of fascism in Europe,bemoaning a Germany that“lack[ed] the freedom of indi-viduality” that it once had.Although he said he earned hisdoctoral degree only as a wayto ensure himself a career out-side of Germany, Blumebecame one of the finestGermanists in the UnitedStates, later becoming a professor of German art andculture at Harvard.

Bernhard Blume was notthe only respected Germanauthor on campus thosedays. Dr. Alfred Neumeyer,

director of the Art Gallery,professor of art history, andauthor of several well-received short stories andnovellas in his native Berlin,spent decades on the Millscampus beginning in themid-1930s. He invited numer-ous German artists of inter-national reputation to teachand exhibit at Mills, includingMax Beckmann and LyonelFeininger, artists labeled as“degenerate” by the Nazis.

The noted Olympic fencerHelene Mayer began lectur-ing in German language inthe academic year 1934-35and taught German coursesat Mills for over a decade. A1946 yearbook reports thatPauline Steiner, instructor inGerman, “enlivened meet-ings of the German club withher witty good humor.” Sheand Mayer both taught in thedepartment in the 1940s.

Another little-known sidenote to this lively exile historyis the case of Olga Schnitzler,widow of the eminentAustrian-Jewish novelistArthur Schnitzler, whose useof the stream-of-conscious-ness writing technique pre-ceded even James Joyce’s.Olga Schnitzler taughtGerman at Mills in the yearsimmediately following thewar. College records showshe lived in Olney Hall.

In the 1950s, the depart-mental course offeringsdeclined measurably as theexile community dispersed,but beginning in the mid-1960s, course offerings inGerman deepened again, andone begins to see a rich arrayof classes in advanced litera-

A Tribute to German at Millsby Mary Akatiff Cudahy, ’93

Hunter Hannum, a popular professorof German in the ’60s.

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N E W S O F T H E C O L L E G E

Designed to recognize excel-lence in teaching, the SarloFaculty Award was establishedin 1996 by George and KimSarlo, MA ’97. This fall,Associate Professor of MusicMaggi Payne became thesixth member of the Mills fac-ulty to receive the award.Provost and Dean of theFaculty Mary-Ann Milford pre-sented the award to her atConvocation in front of stu-dents, parents, staff, faculty,and hundreds of reunioningalumnae. “What makes Millsgreat is our faculty, saysProvost Milford. “At Mills,teaching comes first. TheSarlos are helping us toreward and support the workof outstanding teachers.”

“Teachers don’t get paidenough, and I seldom see

teachers recognized for goodteaching,” says George Sarlo,who with his wife, Kim, estab-lished Sarlo Faculty Awards atseven Bay Area colleges anduniversities. Each award win-ner receives a $5,000 cashgrant that can be used forany purpose. Maggi Payneused some of her award tocompensate dancers partici-pating in one of her recentperformance compositions.

Kim Sarlo, who received amaster’s degree in English atMills, teaches English toimmigrants in San Francisco.Kim always knew she wantedto be a teacher. It was herpassion for teaching that ledthe Sarlo Foundation toinvestigate how best to sup-port and acknowledge teach-ing. One of their answers was

the Sarlo Faculty Award. At Mills, Sarlo Award

recipients are nominated bythe deans of the academicdivisions, who make their rec-ommendations to the provostand president based on teach-ing evaluations from students,

letters of recommendationfrom faculty members at Millsand other institutions, and liveobservations of classes.

The hallmark of Mills isgreat teaching. The SarloFaculty Award helps to nurtureand support that tradition.

ture. Hunter Hannum arrivedon campus in 1964, havingreceived his PhD from Harvardin 1963. He was a dynamicinstructor whom StephanieMills, ’69, credits as teachingone of the best courses shetook at Mills. Hannum ulti-mately left Mills and collegeteaching to focus on transla-tion, which he has pursuedsuccessfully ever since.

Dr. Monica Clyde beganteaching at Mills in 1967,and had a long tenurethrough the early 1980s. Thedepartment continued tooffer a comprehensive majorunder her leadership. Dr.

Elisabeth Siekhaus was hiredin 1978; she led a rigorousGerman program throughthe 1980s and ’90s. In 1984she hired Dr. Richard Gray,who inspired students withhis lively lectures and com-mitted teaching style. He leftMills in 1990. Since then, Dr.Siekhaus has operated thedepartment on a skeletonbudget, with the assistanceof Dr. Rosemary Delia, mak-ing do without two tenure-track professorships (afterGray left, there was a hiringfreeze) but neverthelessinspiring several generationsof students to study in

Germany on Fulbrights, takeup careers in German-related fields, and pursueadvanced degrees inGerman literature at Yale,Princeton, and Berkeley,among other institutions.Professor Siekhaus is knownfor her talent in the class-room as well as her devotedtutelage of individual stu-dents. The German LanguageHouse was a thriving institu-tion under her leadership,and German-language students were stimulated bynumerous lectures and cultural programs.

The College is changing:

while German-related courseswill still be offered, there willbe no German languagecourses. We must make duenotice of the implicationsthese changes carry, but atthe same time, take thisopportunity to honor a pieceof College history.

Mary Akatiff Cudahy, ’93,majored in German at Mills,and then continued her studies in German at U.C.Berkeley, where she receivedher PhD in the spring of2003. She is currently seekingemployment as an assistantprofessor of German.

Maggi Payne Wins Sarlo Faculty Award for Great Teachingby Adam Blum, Director of Major Gifts

The Sarlo Award recognizes excellent teaching at Mills. Left to right:Associate Professor of Music Chris Brown, Associate Professor of MusicMaggi Payne, Associate Professor of English Cynthia Scheinberg, Kim Sarlo,MA ’97, George Sarlo, Professor of Education Anna Richert, Professor ofEconomics Roger Sparks. Not pictured: Professor of Education Linda Kroll.

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Nearly 300 alumnae returned to campus in September for

Reunion 2003. Reunioning alumnae were kept busy with a

full schedule, which included Convocation, the official

opening of the academic year; the President’s Colloquium

on women, social responsibility, and today’s business

world; the President’s Garden Reception; a concert of

music by Milhaud and Mendelssohn; the “State of the

College” reports; a picnic lunch on Saturday; the

Celebration of the Arts; class gatherings; and just being

with old friends and classmates. The Class of 1953 had a

special tour of the Berkeley City Club, designed by Julia

Morgan, and of the Morgan buildings on the Mills campus.

Many alumnae expressed their delight at being back at

Mills and reconnecting with the College and friends.

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1 Faculty and alumnae leaving theMusic Building after Convocation.

2 President Janet Holmgren receives acheck for $250,317.50, the gift of theClass of 1953.

3 Mills College Trustee PatriciaPineda, ’74, delivered the Convocationaddress. She spoke on “A MeaningfulJourney,” and remarked, “When Iarrived in 1970 as a freshman, I imme-diately felt at home, I felt acceptedand at once I felt a sense of commu-nity. I was challenged and nurtured in away that would help me discover whatI was truly capable of achieving andbecoming.”

4 Mills alumnae singing “Fires ofWisdom” at the conclusion ofConvocation.

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1 Megan Thomas ’93, left, with Mills Collegechaplain Maud Steyaert, ’88, center, and KatieThomas ’88.

2 With the help of a megaphone, Lynn EveFortin, ’87, rounds up alumnae to have their Classphotos taken.

3 President of the Alumnae Association KarenMay, ’86, left, with past president Sharon Tatai, ’80,at the studio arts exhibit. Painting in the background is by Nangee Warner Morrison, ’63.

4 Marilyn Mercer Graham, ’68, displayed herpaintings at the studio arts exhibition on Saturday,September 20.

5 Sara Wintz, ’07, enjoys the work of HelenGilbert-Bushnell, ’43, which was on display atthe Art Museum. Mrs. Gilbert-Bushnell had adistinguished career as a practicing artist and asprofessor of art at the University of Hawaii,Manoa. She died at the age of 80 on April 8, 2002.

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In September of 2004, 150 middle-school girls from the JuliaMorgan School for Girls will walk through the doors of MillsCollege’s Alderwood Hall to begin the new school year. They willbe entering to learn about algebra and ancient civilizations, robot-ics and Renaissance art. But they will also be realizing a symbolicand spiritual homecoming that has been decades in the making.

Alderwood Hall—designed in 1924 by Julia Morgan as ahome for orphaned Chinese girls—will once again ring with thevoices and laughter of young girls. The Julia Morgan School forGirls (JMSG) will come to a permanent home in a historic buildingdesigned by its namesake. And the East Bay’s only all-girl middleschool will put down roots at the East Bay’s only college dedicat-ed to the education of women.

“We are pleased to have an independent school with aneducational mission that integrates so well with ours join thecampus community,” says Mills president Janet Holmgren. “Wealso are delighted with JMSG’s plans to preserve and enjoy awonderful old building on campus that was designed by architect Julia Morgan.”

JMSG’s students, teachers, and families joined Mills faculty,staff, and students on November 1, 2003, to celebrate the start ofJMSG’s 25-year lease of Alderwood Hall. But the roots of thisinspired partnership go back further—not just to JMSG’s foundingin 1997, but to the original vision for Alderwood Hall.

Julia Morgan had no idea when she designed this elegantand gracious building that it would be a place for educatinggirls in the next millennium, but she had girls’ comfort and edu-cation in mind when she drew her plans. Known for decades onthe Mills campus as Alderwood Hall, the building was originallyknown as the Ming Quong Home for Chinese Girls. It servedas both home and school for orphaned, homeless, and aban-doned Chinese girls. It was not only a place to educate them,but to retain and nurture their Chinese culture. Morgan includ-ed many intricate details in the building’s architecture, such ascarved openings in the dormitories’ wardrobe doors, in orderto reflect Asian aesthetic influences and to give the girls asense of comfort and familiarity. These historical remnants willbe saved and reused as the building is renovated over the nexteight months and will be integrated into the building’s future.

At the November 1 celebration, girls’ voices and energyagain filled the courtyard and hallways of Alderwood. Eighthgraders holding fluttering green banners led tours throughwhat used to be small dormitory rooms for the orphans andwhich will be redesigned as larger classrooms and gatheringspaces. They enthusiastically pointed out the marked drawings

on the walls, “Water fountains go here!” (something lacking intheir current rented space at Holy Names College).

To celebrate the homecoming, Julia Morgan girls tied a ribbon around the entire building, wrapping it as a bountifulgift for future generations. Current Julia Morgan students andalumnae wrote their wishes for the girls who would inhabit thebuilding in years and decades to come on a long ribbon.

Eighth-grader Shona Curtis found her wish draped over one ofthe back banisters: “I hope that every girl that enters Julia Morganwill be enriched in every way . . . that every girl will express herselfand that she will find a new her inside that she did not know. Alsothat every girl finds her home right here at JMSG.”

Kati Chan wrote, “I hope when I come back to Julia Morgan atMills College that I will see many capable, confident young womenwho are excited to learn and are filled with loving energy.”

After listening to the exuberant sounds of taiko drums andthe middle school girls’ Jam Band, Mills College presidentJanet Holmgren spoke with genuine emotion of the auspiciousmarriage of these two institutions, each dedicated to the visionaryeducation and growth of girls and women.

Then, as the afternoon darkened into evening, and thousandsof twinkling white lights illuminated the elegant arches anddoorways of the building, founding member and board chairIlana DeBare took scissors in hand to cut the wish-laden ribbonand declare the creation of a new home. A collective cheerwent up from Julia Morgan students and teachers, from parentsand supporters, from girls who had graduated in the past twoyears, and from younger girls who dream of one day being students at the school.

Looking around at the hundreds of enthusiastic faces, and thesilhouette of the beautiful former orphanage, it was hard tobelieve that nine years ago, the Julia Morgan School for Girls wasnothing more than a hopeful dream. Ilana DeBare experienced apivotal moment when she read Reviving Ophelia, Mary Pipher’sgroundbreaking and disturbing book about the perils facing


GirlsThe by Susan Ito, MFA ’94

Are Coming Home

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adolescent girls. DeBare was shaken by Pipher’s observation ofmany young girls who, at middle-school age, lose spark, interest,and even IQ points as a “girl-poisoning” society forces a choicebetween being shunned for staying true to oneself and strugglingto stay within a narrow definition of female. DeBare and a pas-sionate group of parents became determined to create a moreencouraging environment for adolescent girls, and the dream ofJulia Morgan School was born. The dream filled a real need, andin 1999, they opened their doors to 35 girls. By the second year,enrollment was up to 91. Today, 146 students are bursting at theseams at their rented rooms at Holy Names College.

“We were willing to rent space above an auto-repair shop,”said Ilana DeBare, “and had no grand dreams of one day actuallyinhabiting a historical Julia Morgan building. We just wanted tocreate a challenging and inspiring learning environment for girls.”DeBare and the other founding parents chose Julia Morgan as theschool’s namesake because she embodied all of their hopes andaspirations for their girls. Julia Morgan was a Bay Area residentand a woman who broke countless professional barriers forwomen. She was one of the first women to graduate from theCollege of Engineering of the University of California at Berkeley,the first woman admitted to and certified by the Ecole des BeauxArts in Paris, and the first licensed woman architect in the state ofCalifornia. Many of her public works are buildings specificallydesigned for use by women. The school’s founders also agreedthat Morgan’s work merged the disciplines of science and art in away that they found inspirational, and which would be the cornerstone of the educational philosophy that drives the school.

When she was first launching her career, in spite of hermany achievements, Julia Morgan had to struggle to be visible,just as decades later, as Mary Pipher and many other authorsand researchers observe, girls still often struggle to make theirvoices heard. Middle school is the crucial time when once-confident girls often begin to falter. Research published by theNational Coalition of Girls’ Schools shows that in coeducationalclassrooms girls often contend with fewer opportunities to participate, pressure to conform to stereotypes, loweredteacher expectations, limited encouragement in math and science, and insufficient female role models. In contrast, JMSGgirls find not only equal opportunity, but every opportunity, justas the women at Mills College find every opportunity.

There are many links between Mills and the Julia MorganSchool that go beyond their core dedication to empoweringyoung women. The middle school’s stated mission is to

“prepare the confident, capable, creative, and compassionatewomen of tomorrow.” Julia Morgan director Ann Clarkeemphasizes that “compassionate” was an addition to the missionstatement from the school’s first graduating students. “What goodis being capable,” they asked, “if we don’t also learn to care?”

Both Mills and the Julia Morgan School help young womensucceed in areas that have traditionally been off-limits to them:areas like math, science, and technology. The middle school hasoffered a unique after-school program in technology that hasbeen open to girls in the community since its first year.Students can explore high-tech robotics, digital moviemaking,animation, video-game production and digital music mixing.

The first year that Julia Morgan math teacher Liz Gibbsstarted an after-school math club for girls who wanted extrachallenges in math (not remedial work—extra hard work!), anastounding 30 out of 51 seventh-graders signed up. The mathteam (calling themselves “mathletes”) has gone on to participatein math competitions statewide.

Mills College, which has a long history of interaction with thelarger community around it, will find now within its gates a trulydiverse school that reflects the community of Oakland and theEast Bay. Julia Morgan students come from 60 different elemen-tary schools, ranging from inner-city West Oakland to suburbanLafayette. Forty-six percent are girls of color. Thirty percentreceive financial aid, an extraordinarily high number for an inde-pendent school, especially a young school that does not yet havean endowment or alumnae donors to support the aid program.

In 1904, Mills College gave an emerging woman architectan opportunity to prove herself and to demonstrate her out-standing talent. Now, the legacy of Julia Morgan’s life and workcontinues to be a deep influence. Mills is providing a long-term, nurturing and inspiring educational home to young girlsat the crossroads between childhood and womanhood. It is apartnership that will flourish in strong women’s voices fordecades and centuries to come. �


MICHAEL ROSSNEY (3)

Facing page: Members of the Millscommunity and parents, teachers,and students from the Julia MorganSchool for Girls gathered in front ofAlderwood Hall on November 1.Right: Eighth-graders Sarah Fong,left, Emily O’Brien (with micro-phone), Jane Appert, and CeliaFogel took part in the celebration.Top right: When the renovation ofthe building is complete, these second-story rooms will becomeclassrooms. Lower right: Studentsperform on taiko drums.


The career of Julia Morgan did not begin with themagnificent design of Hearst Castle at San Simeon,

the structure for which she is most famous. In fact, shewas given some of her earliest work here at MillsCollege. When she was hired by President Susan Millsto design El Campanil in 1904, she had recentlyreturned from Paris, where she had completed her edu-cation, and she was largely unknown.

Julia Morgan’s first job at Mills began with thequandary of the ten silent and homeless bells on cam-pus. Cast for the 1898 World Exhibition in Chicago forthe 400th anniversary of Columbus’ “discovery” of theNew World, they were donated to Mills by David Hewesof San Francisco. The bells sat for years in Lisser Hall,decorative but nonfunctioning. “We had no funds toerect a suitable tower for such a chime and he had bestbestow them elsewhere,” said President Susan Mills.“But the bells arrived and found a quiet resting placenear Lisser Hall, and there, amidst the stir and merry lifeof our young people, they alone were silent. Our silentten, we called them.”

In 1904, two College trustees, Mr. and Mrs. FrankMarion Smith of Oakland, were touring the campuswhen they became aware of the “silent ten” andexpressed their wish to donate a bell tower to Mills.Suitably housed, the mute bells would at long last findtheir voices. President Susan Mills had heard of a newarchitect named Julia Morgan, and she became interestedin commissioning the job for two reasons: she wantedto further the career of a woman architect, and, eagerfor work, Morgan came at a lesser price than her malecounterparts.

Julia Morgan designed El Campanil, the Spanish-style clock tower, to stand at the edge of a grassy oval,framed by oak and eucalyptus trees. She constructedthe 72-foot tower with reinforced concrete, a revolu-tionary building material at the time, and topped it witha red tile roof. El Campanil is believed to be the firstbell tower on any college campus in the United States.Its Mediterranean style set a precedent for most otherbuildings at Mills, including those designed by Morganas well as those by Walter H. Ratcliff, Jr. Reviewerspraised Morgan’s “gem of a tower,” but the praisegrew exponentially after the 1906 earthquake, when ElCampanil was left unscathed. Morgan received greatrenown for her use of reinforced concrete, which hadsaved the tall structure from natural disaster.

Julia Morgan’s career was unstoppable from thenon. She continued to design buildings on the Mills cam-pus, and five of her six designs are still standing. TheMargaret Carnegie Library, named after AndrewCarnegie’s daughter, was dedicated November 17,1906. Morgan also designed the Ming Quong Home for

Chinese girls, which was originally outside the Collegegates, and was purchased by the College in 1936. Thebuilding is now being renovated and will house the JuliaMorgan School for Girls (see article on page 12). TheStudent Union with its two stately fireplaces was built in1916; Morgan’s other buildings at Mills includeKapiolani Cottage, a private house on campus, and theCollege’s original gymnasium and pool,which stood on the site where theTea Shop and Suzanne AdamsPlaza are now located.

El Campanil is silentonce again. The origi-nal clockworks, set inmotion in 1904 byPresident SusanMills, are some ofthe very fewr e m a i n i n gm e c h a n i c a lclockworks stillin use today.T h e y w e r eremoved anda r e b e i n grepa i red bymaster clockcraftsman LloydLarish of Fairbault,Minnesota. Theten bells are still inplace, but theclockworks that areresponsible for theirchiming are undergoingan intricate repair process.They will return to Mills in timefor a centennial celebration andrededication on Friday, March 12 at 12:00 noon.President Janet Holmgren will then set the clockworks inmotion, and the four bells that mark the hour, namedFaith, Hope, Peace, and Joy, will again be heard acrossthe campus. They will once again enact their purpose,as is inscribed on tablets beside the heavy bell-towerdoor: “In loyal remembrance of those who by tongue orpen, by generous gift or noble deed have aided womanto her upward way, these bells chime on.”

Susan Ito received her MFA in English and creativewriting from Mills in 1994. She is the parent of aneighth-grader at Julia Morgan School for Girls and co-editor of A Ghost at Heart’s Edge: Stories andPoems of Adoption (North Atlantic Books).

Julia Morgan at Millsby Susan Ito, MFA ’94

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These changes are being proposed bythe Bylaws Committee of the Board ofGovernors of the Alumnae Associationof Mills College and will be voted on atour annual meeting on Saturday, May 15,2004, at Reinhardt Alumnae House, at2:00 p.m. All alumnae and alumni areinvited to participate in this meeting andto vote on these proposals.

(Additions to the Bylaws are indicated byitalics and deletions by strikethroughs.)

ARTICLE IV—BOARD OF GOVERNORS Section 3—Election of Governors andRegional Governors; Tenure . . . Each elected Governor and RegionalGovernor shall hold office for a term ofthree (3) years commencing on June 1July 1 of the fiscal year following the

date of her the election and ending uponthe commencement of the term of herthe duly elected and qualified successor.

Section 6—Alumnae Trustees. . . The Nominating Committee shallchoose up to three members of theAssociation as candidates for eachexpired term of an Alumnae Trustee.

Section 14.A—Executive CommitteeThe Board of Governors shall have anExecutive Committee consisting of thefollowing members: the President, allVice-Presidents, Treasurer, AlumnaeDirector/Corporate Secretary, and three(3) additional members including at leastone (1) Alumnae Trustee.

14.B. The three additional membersshall be nominated and elected by the

Board of Governors at a May its last regular meeting following the annualmembership meeting of the fiscal year.

ARTICLE VI—NOMINATING COMMITTEESection 2—Composition and Selectionof Nominating Committee. . . The Nominating Committee Chairshall serve a term of one (1) year com-mencing on June 1 July 1 of the year inwhich she/he is elected and until thecommencement of the term of her/hisduly elected and qualified successor. . . .Nominating Committee members shallserve for a term of one (1) year com-mencing on June 1 July 1 of the year inwhich they are elected and until thecommencement of the terms of theirduly elected and qualified successors.

AAMC Trips 2004Art and Architecture in Seattle, Tacoma, and VictoriaMarch 29–April 5Visit the new Tacoma Museum, Chihuly’s Bridge of Glass to the Museum of Glass, the new Seattle Library,the Seattle Museum, and the Royal Museum of Victoria. $2,176, plus air

Alumni College in Ronda, Spain April 19–28Lodging will be at the site of the historic old town hallconverted to an opulent parador for modern travelers.The convenience of unpacking once with excursions toSevilla, Costa del Sol, Jereza, and Cadiz. All mealsincluded. $2,195 land only; $3,195 includes air

Alaska Inland Passage on the Yorktown ClipperMay 29–June 5A naturalist and historian will be on board to speak on eachday’s events. $2,250 plus air; Many optional excursions

A Tale of Two Cities June 4–13Cost effectiveness and comfort of group travel. Fourdays in London and four days in Paris. Included is apanoramic tour of each city and plenty of time for yourown adventures. Go to <www.orionworldwidetravel.com/mills> for details and registration. $1,310 plus air

For a listing of additional trips, please see the travelpage on the AAMC’s website. Go to <www.mills.edu>,choose “Alumnae” and then “Travel.” For more informa-tion about AAMC trips, please call (510) 430-2110 oremail <[email protected]>.

PAAMCC House Tour 2004

Charming Cottages, the 13th annual Palo Alto AreaMills College Club’s benefit for the Alumnae Fund,will take place Friday, March 26, and Saturday, March27, at five attractive cottage remodels in Palo Alto.This house tour features once small homes that havebeen remodeled within the budget of the averagehomeowner of the area. No decorators’ showcasesthese! They are shown “as lived in” by their owners.

Tickets are $25 by mail or $30 after a cut-off date(yet to be determined) or at the door on tour days.Tickets may be ordered after March 1 by calling (650) 368-5798; the recording provides all necessaryinformation. Call the same number and leave a message if you would like to be a hostess (hostessesare expected to buy a ticket in order to tour theother houses).

It takes approximately 100 women to produce thistour, with a central committee of about eight and therest acting as hostesses on tour days. If other branchesaway from the San Francisco Peninsula would like toproduce a similar tour, we stand ready to provide guid-ance. Our tour has enabled us to provide $20,000 eachyear for several years for the AAMC annual fund.

Recommended Modifications of the AAMC Bylaws


On a warm, sunny September day in1929, eight girls from East High Schoolin Salt Lake City, Utah, arrived at Millsto start their college careers. Somemay have dreamed of going back eastto one of the seven sister colleges, butback east was a long, long way fromSalt Lake City. Through the influence ofthe East High librarian, they learned ofMills College, and Mills became theirchoice. Not realizing how warmSeptember can be in California, theirmothers had outfitted them in new,but too heavy college clothes. Theycame by car, at least a two-day drive,or via the Southern or Union Pacifictrain by way of Ogden, Utah, throughNevada to the Oakland Mole.

My cousin, a junior transfer, and Icame by car with my parents. I wasassigned a front room on the secondfloor of Mills Hall looking directly at ElCampanil, whose bells either lulledone to sleep or kept one awake. Mostof the freshmen were assigned to MillsHall, but some went to College Hall.All meals were taken in the Mills Halldining room. Chinese cooks served usa healthy, albeit fattening, diet. Wesoon began to put on pounds fromcorn or brown bread, mystery meat,cheese soufflés, and fruit cobblers.Dean Hettie Belle Ege presided at thehead table to the right as you enteredthe dining room. I don’t rememberhow our seats were assigned, but Ithink everyone eventually had anopportunity to sit at Dean Ege’s table,where grace was said.

Hall elections were held soon afterour arrival. I think I became head proc-tor, and my friend Ruth became firechief. Our classes started, and fromthat first year I recall especially myEnglish class with Grace Hoover, anexcellent teacher. We were assigned

RECOLLECTIONS OF LIFE AT MILLS: 1929–1933

by Esther Rosenblatt Landa, ’33, MA ’37

Two students on the Mills campus, from a scrapbook, circa 1933.

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compositions. Mine was about a moth circling the lone lightglobe that hung from the ceiling in my room. It got a goodgrade. Of course there were no televisions. I had a little crystalradio set with headphones where you jiggled a needle on thecrystal, and if you were successful, you could hear One Man’sFamily on KGO. We followed the stories of Father Barber andhis family in San Francisco’s Sea Cliff neighborhood faithfully.

Early one morning, the sophomores jolted us all out of oursleep, herded us down to the Oval, jangled chains, and chant-ed, “The sophomores are watching the Class of ’33.” The originof this weird tradition is a mystery to me. Not having any bettersense, we perpetuated the tradition the following year and per-formed the ceremonial rite on the Class of ’34. We learned thatwe were not allowed to sit on the senior bench. We wore ourred Class of ’33 caps and soon learned the songs that weresung in the dining room, including such favorites as “My NameIs MacNamara, I’m the Leader of a Band,” and “Hennessy,Hennessy, Toots the Flute and I the Drums Do Bang.” We soonsettled into our class routine and tried out for the athleticteams, the Mills College Weekly, the yearbook, and plays fromthe drama department. The fall play was always Shakespeare,held in the Woodland Theater, with all parts played by females.Ruth and I were assigned to handle stage lighting in booths oneither side of the theater. This meant we had no acting talent.The Pres [President Reinhardt] complimented us anyway.

Little did we know what was going to happen to our collegecareers, but when the stock market crashed on October 24,1929, that cataclysmic event changed life for so many people.None of our fathers jumped out of windows or shot themselvesin the head, but probably for most of them, their financial sta-tus was drastically altered. One classmate recalls her fatherphoning her to tell her that he had to cut the wages of hisemployees and he had to cut her allowance.

Our modest allowances still enabled us to have a cigaretteat the permanent and continuous bridge game in the RecRoom, to trudge up the Hill for a hot-fudge sundae, and totake an occasional trip to the city.

We continued with our classes and activities through the fall,and in December started singing, “Ten days to vacation, thendown to the station, back to civilization, the train will carry usthere. . . .” Before leaving, however, we listened to PresidentReinhardt read A Christmas Carol at a Student Union program.(Earlier in the fall, we Jewish students had attended our holidayservices at Temple Sinai in downtown Oakland.) Mills was on thesemester system then, so we had to spend part of our holidaystudying for finals, which took place soon after we got back. Asfar as I remember, every Salt Lake girl was able to return for thesecond semester; our fees already may have been paid for thewhole year. But the following year, only five of us continued. Bythen, the Depression had begun to take its toll, and several fami-lies just could not afford to send their daughters back.

The Smith twins waited on tables; others did telephone dutyor other jobs during those years, and thus they were able tocomplete their educations. My cousin stayed home to be mar-ried. My junior year, I stayed in Salt Lake City, as we lived withinstreetcar distance of the University of Utah, where I continuedmy studies in English, philosophy, and history. This proved to bea valuable experience in light of my future relationships with the

University of Utah. Somehow, my dad scraped together enoughmoney to send me back to Mills for my senior year, and I hadthe distinct honor of becoming a Mills graduate, but only afterfinally passing, at the last minute (post-comprehensives exam),the swimming test—something I had neglected to do previous-ly! We trudged up to Lake Aliso in the Lantern Procession,singing, “Farewell friends, we leave you, all the stars call to usto come away, may you ever be happy in your busy days ofwork and play.”

My folks drove down for Commencement. They were veryproud of me: a member of Phi Beta Kappa, a Palladium graduate,

and winner of the Ardella Mills literary prize. I was equallyproud of them for being able to provide me with a liberal-arts education. We packed up and headed home, where Ienjoyed a summer of golf and tennis. In spite of all my academic honors, in order to find work in the fall, I had toenroll in business college to study typing and shorthand. A BA degree, no matter how distinguished and from such aprestigious college, did not entitle one to employment in theDepression-plagued fall of 1933. �

Esther Rosenblatt Landa has received many honors for her commit-ment to community service, including the 2003 Eleanor RooseveltAward. She was instrumental in the founding of the Women’sResource Center at the University of Utah. Named to two presidential commissions, she was also a delegate to the UnitedNations Women’s Conference in Copenhagen. She served as presi-dent of the National Council of Jewish Women from 1975 to 1979,traveling many times to Israel, South Africa, Australia, and NewZealand. Esther holds three honorary doctoral degrees, including adoctorate of humane letters conferred by Mills in 1980. This articlewas dictated to and edited by her daughter, Carol Landa.

Esther Rosenblatt Landa in 1975. At the time, she was the newlyelected president of the National Council of Jewish Women.


A L U M N A E A C T I O N NEWS OF THE ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION

Double Your Money!Matching Gifts Help Mills

AAMC Gives Mills College $875,000The Alumnae Association of MillsCollege is proud to report a gift of$875,000 to Mills College for the fiscalyear 2002–2003. Our gift supports student scholarships and facultysalaries and is made possible by generous donations from Mills alumnae, alumni, parents, and friends.

As usual, a variety of fundraisingactivities supported our efforts andmade our gift possible. Specialthanks to all our donors and to ourtireless volunteers: the Board ofGovernors, Class Agents, ClassSecretaries, and many committeemembers who gave their time andtalents to aid our efforts. We are alsothankful, albeit sad, that we wereable to supplement our gift to theCollege considerably because of abequest from Suzanne Adams, ’48,who died in November of 2002.

At the beginning of fiscal year2003–2004 we increased the minimumamount required to join the Cyrusand Susan Mills Society from $1,200to $1,500. This change was made inlarge part so that we could extendthe support we give Mills studentsthrough our gift to the College.Tuition for the 2003–2004 academicyear rose by $2,000 from the previ-ous year, and our gift helps make itpossible for qualified students toattend Mills.

Fundraising efforts in the2003–2004 fiscal year have gotten offto a great start. If you haven’t alreadydone so this year, please continueyour support and participation with agift to the Alumnae Fund. If you havealready made your gift, thank you.Every gift counts.

“Who wouldn’t want to double their gift toMills?” asks Karen Kang, ’76. Karen dou-bles her gift to the AAMC through thematching gift program of Adobe Systems,the company her husband works for.

You may not know that many compa-nies, big and small, match donations thattheir employees give to charitable causes. Ifyou suspect that the company you or yourspouse or partner works for or retired frommight match gifts, check with the compa-ny’s human resources department; gettingyour gift matched may be as easy as fillingout a form or going online. (You can alsofind out if a company has a matching giftprogram by calling the AAMC; we keep alist of companies with matching gift pro-grams, although it’s not complete.)

“I know that if I add my $50 contribu-tion to my company’s $50 contribution, itreally can make a huge difference to Mills.And no gift is too small. It really does mat-ter,” says Joyce Fung-Yee, ’90, who hasher gift doubled by her employer, LeviStrauss & Co. Joyce is in charge of Levi’scommunity service program, known atother companies as “Dollars for Doers.”

Many of our alumnae are alreadyhaving their gifts matched by generouscorporations. While it might be expect-ed that large companies such as J.P.

Morgan Chase, Sun Microsystems, orOccidental Petroleum match gifts madeto the AAMC, it may be a surprise tofind companies such as the East BayExpress, the Global Fund for Women,and Toshi Union Square Salon on the list.Because of the benefit to the AlumnaeFund, the entire amount of a gift and itsmatch is used when placing an alumna ina gift club. And it’s always helpful toremember that the portion donated bythe alumna is tax-deductible.

“The companies like doing this,”Karen Kang says. “They have set asidemoney for charities anyway, and want tomake their employees happy by giving tothe charities of their choice.” Since Karenand her husband give to several “favoritecauses,” Karen simply filled out one ofAdobe’s matching gift forms and madephotocopies. “When I make a contribu-tion, I just have Jon sign the form, and Isend it in with the check,” she says.

Joyce is now busy with a young fami-ly, but she still feels it’s important to giveback. “It’s very rewarding, that’s why Icontinue to do it. . . . I’m here at Levi’sbecause of an internship I did while atMills; I want to make the kinds of oppor-tunities that were available to me avail-able to other women.”

2002–2003 Alumnae Association ExpensesGift to the College 49%

39% from the Alumnae Fund; 10% from a bequest from Suzanne Adams, ’48Fundraising 28%Quarterly 11%Alumnae Relations Programs 6%Reunion 6%

In addition to the Alumnae Association’s gift of $875,000, the Class of 1953raised over $250,000 for their 50th Reunion Gift. The majority of their gift willgo toward renovating the historic Music Building. Thank you to all our alumnae and alumni and particularly to the Class of 1953 for your generosity.

explore

create

dream

Every year the Alumnae

Fund supplies capable

students with scholarships

and supports

distinguished faculty.

Your annual gift to the

Alumnae Fund encourages

students to explore, create,

dream, and achieve.

Taught by faculty who

are leaders in their fields,

Mills' programs educate

talented students

who strive for excellence.


LUNA KIDS DANCEby Lori O. Lara,’92

“If I were only a dancer, I would not speak. But I am a teacher with a mission.”— Isadora Duncan

Mills has always attracted women of vision and purpose to its campus. For thewomen of Luna Kids Dance, the pull was more than just the College’s reputationfor academic excellence. What they recognized at Mills was a drive to form life-changing connections with each other and with a broader community. The bondsthey formed at Mills helped these women to pursue a common goal—to effectsocial change through their art; and with their will and each other, they are deter-mined to make a difference in the world.

Luna Kids Dance (LKD) is a nationally recognized arts organization helping tomove dance education into the 21st century. Among its founding and currentmembers are a number of dedicated Mills alumnae—Patricia Reedy, ’80, MA ’00,Nancy Ng, ’92, Lori O. Lara, ’92, FreesiaPaclebar, ’85, Julie Regalado, ’94, JudithSims, ’76, and Isabelle Sjahsam, ’02.

LKD began in 1991 when alumnaPatricia Reedy opened a dance studio in themidst of a crippling recession. A couple ofyears later, Reedy joined with Julie Regaladoand Megan Nicely, ’94, to fill the void of thethen-disabled publication, InDance.Together these Mills alums launchedTerpsichorean Dance Journal, which helpedto keep Bay Area dancers informed and con-nected during a difficult time for the artscommunity. After a number of years,Terpsichorean Dance Journal merged withInDance, now reborn and run by Dancers’ Group. During times of fear and doubt,these women remained committed to their art and to the mission of bringingabout change through dance.

Reedy recognized the limitations of studio ownership, and Luna Kids Dancebecame a partnership in 1998 with a new mission: to bring all children to dance anddance to all children. In 11 years, the program has grown from a local children’sdance program to a nationally recognized dance education organization that pro-vides services to children and adults. Today, LKD supports the creative developmentof children, families, artists, educators, and communities through teacher educationand children’s services. As leaders in the field of dance, LKD staff is active in theCalifornia Dance Educators Association and National Dance Educators Organization.Members of LKD also serve on many local arts and education committees. In everyaspect, the women of Luna Kids Dance seek to emphasize the power of leadershipthat stems from making work of one’s own, building education for social change thatstems from the powerful place where body, mind, and spirit come together. Therecould be no stronger indication that these are indeed Mills women.

The women of Luna Kids Dance embrace a dual dance and education heritagerooted in foundational philosophy and active pedagogy. They foster creativity,encouraging students to make choices, to investigate possibilities, and to respecttheir own choices and those of their peers. Luna’s work is process rather thanproduct-based, where individual discovery and collaborative exploration fuel eachendeavor. These Mills women are challenging society’s values by fostering leader-ship and autonomy through self-expression.

Luna Kids Dance is on a mission to use the transformative power of dance andthe power of women working together to change the world. In August 2004, Lunawill open its Institute for Teaching and Learning in Dance in west Berkeley to pro-vide a viable resource for teachers, dancers, and individuals wanting to tap into thebreadth and depth of dance education. Luna Kids Dance is also actively workingwith the California Dance Educators’ Association to establish competency guide-lines and working conditions for dance-arts teachers in California. As the organiza-tion continues to grow and evolve, no doubt Mills women will be at its heart.

To learn more about Luna Kids Dance, or to become involved yourself, visit<www.lunakidsdance.com>.

Left to right:Patricia Reedy, Lori Lara, Julie Regalado, and Nancy Ng.


JUST A GIRL FROM KANSAS JEAN SIRIUS, ’93by Stephanie L. Mazow, MFA ’02

Jean Sirius took this self-portraitwhile she was in Paris in 2003.

She’s “just a girl from Kansas,” says Jean Sirius, ’93, on thehomepage of her website. But defining this vibrant Millsalumna takes much more than the name of a state. Whatbrought Jean to Mills in the early 1990s is the same drive thatkeeps her reaching for ever-evolving forms of self-expression.

Jean was born in Salina, Kansas, in 1949. After a shortstint at Colorado State University, she dropped out in 1968 infavor of “sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll.” For the next two years,she lived on a commune in Hawaii, and then found herselfmoving between coasts for most of the 1970s. In 1982, shesettled in Oakland.

Jean had a ten-year career as a typesetter but saw the“juggernaut of desktop publishing coming along to threatena living wage,” and began to think about going back toschool. Overwhelmed by decisions about her future, shethought community college might be an inexpensive way tofind out exactly what she wanted to study, so in January 1989,she enrolled at Laney College in Oakland, where she studiedmath and basic design.

When it came time to look at four-year schools, Jean visit-ed the campuses at Cal State Hayward, U.C. Berkeley, andMills. “At Hayward, people looked sad and lost,” she says;“At Cal, people looked hunted, driven, and unhappy.” Millswas different. “At Mills,” she remembers, “the women lookedlike they owned the earth.” And Jean took that confidence asa sign that she had found her place. She transferred in the fallof 1991 and earned her BA in computer science in 1993.

After graduation, Jean took a job working as a qualityassurance engineer at Ask Jeeves, but she continued to bedriven by her passion for creative expression. Though themedium may change, the commitment is constant. She start-ed out as a writer. That’s how she saw herself from a veryearly age, always afraid that she would be the inspiration for agreat novel rather than writing it herself. She published sever-al books of poetry in the 1980s, writing with deep emotionand feminist pride.

One of Jean’s greatest fears was that she would fall inlove, become happy, and lose her will to write. And indeed,not very long after she met her partner, Cara Vaughn, in 1979,Jean says she did run out of things to say. She stopped writ-ing in the early 1980s, which she admits was a tremendousblow to her identity. “But I got over it,” she says.

Jean’s design courses at Laney later helped to inspire anew form of expression. She began doing collages after taking an art class on a whim. Soon thereafter, Cara was diag-nosed with cancer. While caring for her dying partner, Jeanworked on torn-paper collages on a card table she had set upat the foot of her bed. “It was the kind of work where I couldbe interrupted at any moment to be available to her,” shesays. In 2001, Jean published the collection of collages inSeeing Double/Rose Windows, which she calls a “visual history”of that time that tracks the progress of her grief. Jean’s col-lages are striking in their precision and vibrancy. They resonate emotion through a range of colors and textures asseasons passing. Each piece of paper is a carefully selectedword in her visual poem.

Jean’s newest medium is digital photography. She hasassembled mini-books of photos from a trip to Europe she tookin the spring of 2003, entitled This Is Me in Europe, Signs ofPeace in Europe, and My Feet Go to Europe. More of Jean’scurrent work can be seen on her website: <www.jeansirius.com>.


Gifts in Honor ofIsabelle Hagopian Arabian, ’45,

by Laura LundegaardAnderson, ’45

Phyllis Cole Bader, ’35, by David Brin, MA ’75,Carolyn Reese, Elise “Liz”Feldman Rosenfeld, ’47,Bruce Senders, MargaretSpatafore, Harriet BradleyTegart, ’42, Mary AusplundTooze, ’44, and Julia Zukowski

Mary Helen Barrett, by David Brin, MA ’75

Richard Battle by Edythe “Edy”Chan, ’71, MA ’72

Anne Gillespie Brown, ’68, by Lynne Bantle, ’74

Patricia Ann Bueno by P. Doreen Bueno, ’97

Kenneth Burke by Michelle Balovich, ’03

Terry Hinkle Fairman, ’68, by Esther “Es” RosenblattLanda, ’33, MA ’37

Eleanore Lundegaard Nissen, ’42,by Laura LundegaardAnderson, ’45

Richard Olmsted by Edythe“Edy” Chan, ’71, MA ’72

Sally Millett Rau, ’51, by Jane “Jinx” Rule, ’52

Aaron Rosand

by Lauren Speeth, ’81Darlene Mahnke Simpson-

Brown, ’52, by Ann McKinstry Micou, ’52

Margaret “Margie” ThompsonStryble, ’35, by David Brin, MA ’75

Mary Ausplund Tooze, ’44, by Phyllis Cole Bader, ’35

Yoko Kawasaki Umeda, ’53, by Seiko Kawasaki Tamura, ’62

Katharine “Kathie” MulkyWarne, ’45, by Phyllis ColeBader, ’35, Philip Krozek, andMary Ausplund Tooze, ’44

Elka Weber, ’02, by Virgina Weber

Erwin White by Phyllis Cole Bader, ’35

Edith “Edy” Mori Young, ’51, by Jane “Jinx” Rule, ’52

The Class of 1954 by Marilyn“Daz” Dalziel Spencer, ’54,and Elizabeth “Liz” Wills, ’54

The Bay Area Alumnae from theClass of 1948 by Nancy Butts Whittemore,’48

Gifts in Memory ofSuzanne Adams, ’48,

by Elizabeth BurwellJerome Barnier

by Betsy Taves Whitman, ’46June Barnum, ’50,

by Virginia Ong Gee, ’51, andBarbara Gilinsky Werlin, ’50

Katherine Caldwell by Caroline Herrick, ’68

Beverley Nielsen Canterbury,’50, by Jeanne Aurel-Schneider, ’51, KristiConsentino, Christine Gee,Yoshiko Kanazawa, JuneDeaton Karnok, ’59, ThomasLackovic, Sherli Micik, AnnNichols, David Nielsen,Richard Nielsen, PeterSchenck, and Jack Stednitz

Virginia “Ginnie” ChisholmCase, ’33, by Ellen Locke Crumb, ’59

Jane Cassedy, ’37, by Louisa Pownall Wagner, ’38

Callie Beatty Coker by Ann McKinstry Micou, ’52

Evelyn “Peg” Deane, ’41, by Mary Hart Clark, ’42, andElaine Bowe Johnson, ’62

Rona Murray Dexter, ’45, byIsabelle Hagopian Arabian,’45, and Paula Merrix Sporck,’46

Gerald FitzGerald by Francisca“Cisca” de Larios Hansen, ’68

Lori Chinn Fong by Marilyn Learn

William Giles by Francisca“Cisca” de Larios Hansen, ’68

Ruth Gillard, ’36, by Elizabeth Burwell and JeanLogan Henderson, ’34

Alice Gordon by Mary Doerfler Luhring, ’61,Carolyn Jensen Monday, ’61,and Donna Riback, ’61

Kayla Grodsky by Jerome Oremland

Helen Sutton Gulick, ’34, by Jean Logan Henderson,’34

Lucille Gunston by AliceGunston Zakian, ’73

Elaine Johnson Gutleben, ’44,by Isabelle Hagopian Arabian,’45, Patricia “Pat” TiggardBoese, ’50, Caroline Booth,Jacklyn Davidson Burchill, ’44,Marjorie Christensen, ’85, MA’90, Emily Dow, GeneEdwards, Barbara Frandsen,H. Gregg Hodes, HubertJames, Joseph Lester, PhyllisLevers, Charles Luce, JanetteMcClelland, ’81, Carol NicolaiParker, ’44, Martha “Marty”McMaster Quimby, ’51,Marion Ross, ’44, F.E. Strauss,Margaret “Marge” MiskellyThomas, MA ’67, Anna Waltar,and Catherine “Kay” TaylorZehnder, ’94

Rona Murray Dexter, ’45Rona Murray Dexter, ’45, a prominent writer and teacher, died suddenlyof a heart attack on July 9, 2003. Known by her maiden name, RonaMurray was a poet, playwright, theater critic, novelist, and editor, and awell known figure in the arts community of Victoria, British Columbia,where she lived. Her 14 books garnered many awards. She was espe-cially known for her best-selling autobiography, Journey Back toPeshawar, which recounted two journeys to India, where she lived untilthe age of eight. Of British ancestry, her family had lived in India formore than a century; her parents took Rona and her sister to Canada in1932. Rona’s memories of growing up in India, as told in Journey Backto Peshawar, recount a vanished life of India under the British.

Rona Murray studied English at Mills (according to Paula MerrixSporck, ’46, her favorite Mills professor was Elias Olan James) andreceived a PhD in English literature from the University of Kent inEngland. She spent 25 years teaching English and creative writing atuniversities and colleges in British Columbia. She and her husband, thepotter Walter Dexter, had moved to a new home shortly before herdeath. Alisa Gordaneer, writing in Monday magazine, a publication forwhich Ms. Murray served as theater critic for 18 years, stated, “Thatwillingness to go forward in creativity, and to inspire others to do so aswell, was one of the most wonderful things about Rona Murray.”

PASSAGES


Elizabeth “Betsy” RulisonHarrington, ’40, by HelenSmith

Lorraine Hamilton Havens, ’30,by Betsy Watkins

Anna Hawkes by Janice “Jan”Church Mann, ’53

Lynne Honus, ’68, by Caroline Herrick, ’68

Mary Buck Jelinek, ’53, by Laura Chiu, Esther Felzer,Anna Hermansen, John Rossi,and Margaret Wallace

Irma Cummins Johnson, ’34, by Jean Logan Henderson,’34

Gloria Kimber, ’43, by Eloisa Segovia

Richard Koontz by Ann Sulzberger Wolff, ’42

Lorraine Dewing Laird, ’37, by Mary Calvin

Henry and LaVerne Mahnke by Darlene Mahnke Simpson-Brown, ’52

Diane Bell Marra, ’56, by Susan Shaw Gerrity, ’55

Georgiana Melvin by Katherine Harrison Baum,’53, and Marion “Joy” WilsonDrinker, ’53

Esther Mirmow by Gaye Kawano, Mary Metz,Diana Birtwistle Odermatt,’60, Eda Regan, Marion Ross,’44, Roussel Sargent, KarenCardon Swearingen, ’63,Katherine “Katie” Thomas,

’88, Margaret “Marge”Miskelly Thomas MA ’67,Theodore “Ted” Thomas,Allan Wendt, and LaurieZimet

Glenn Mowry by Sheila Grieve Barton, ’54,and Jane Boardman Mowry,’54

Nadine Madsen Norton, ’15, by Theodore Norton

Franklin Ott by Katharine “Kathie” MulkyWarne, ’45

Apollo and Athena Pazdral by Jennifer Moxley, ’93

Elizabeth Pope by Elaine Bowe Johnson, ’62,and Jane “Jinx” Rule, ’52

David Porter by Janet Hopkins Richards,’36

Jeanne Stanton Porter, ’53, by Richard Porter

Louise Arness Poussaint, ’52, by Ann Arness Drover, ’53

Margaret “Meg” Quigley, ’63, by Elaine Bowe Johnson, ’62

Miriam Van Vorhis Reynier, ’37,by Helen Metz Lore, ’43

Ray Rosen by Lauren Speeth,’81

Laurence Sears by Marion “Joy” WilsonDrinker, ’53

Jean Dondero Schmidt, ’45, by Katharine “Kathie” MulkyWarne, ’45

Jean Thomas Taylor, ’25, by John Taylor

Louise “Weezie” HayesVanderliet, ’53, by BarbaraAnderson, ’53, Lou Ann SmithBerardi, ’52, and Julia SwiftFekula, MA ’49

E. Helen Waite by Lynda Taves Ogren, ’54,and Aletha Waite Silcox, ’54

Dorothy Hunter Wiles, ’32, by Beverly Babb and DianePike

Katharine “Kay” French Willi,’47, by Suzanne “Sue” BrundLamon, ’47

Janet Minnes Williams, ’34, by Jean Logan Henderson,’34

Susan Hawkes Koons, ’76Susan Hawkes Koons graduated from Mills with a major in music and taught piano until a congenitalear problem forced her to pursue a different career. She studied law at Golden Gate University in SanFrancisco, became a member of the California and Maine Bar Associations, and was sworn before theUnited States Supreme Court. During the Reagan years she was a special liaison in theIntergovernmental Affairs Office at the White House. Later, she became an assistant in the AttorneyGeneral’s Office in Maine, and was then promoted to Assistant District Attorney. In 1985 she openedher own private practice and became a familiar face around Maine’s state capital. Her lobbying effortsserved many high-profile clients. She was also the chairwoman of the Maine Arts Commission. She issurvived by her husband, Dr. John D. Koons and her mother, Mrs. Francis Hawkes Gordon.


Sara McClure, ’81Current Residence: Albuquerque, New MexicoMills Major: Music

Employment Experience: Career Fundraiser and Non-Profit Executive: 1996 to date—University of New Mexico,Major Gifts Director (01 to date), College of Fine Arts (96-01); 1993–96—Manager, Major and Planned Giving,American Heart Association/ New York City; 1991–92—Director of Annual Giving, NY Hospital-Cornell MedicalCenter; 1990–91—Executive Director, New Orchestra ofWestchester; 1989–90—Orchestra Management Fellow,American Symphony Orchestra League; 1986–89—Directorof Annual Giving, AAMC; 1984–86—Prospect Researcher,Mills College; 1981–84—fundraiser, Mills College Art Gallery.

Volunteer Experience: My current non-Mills work includesboard member and past-president of the Association ofFundraising Professionals—NM; President of Friends ofMusic, and founding board member of Flicks on 66 DigitalFilmmaking Festival in New Mexico.

AAMC Involvement: I currently serve as an Alumna Trusteeand on the AAMC Board of Governors. I also serve as the“coordinator” for the NM Alumnae—there is no formalbranch here. In New York I served on the alumnae boardfrom 1990–1996, with the last two years as President. Iserved on the board of the Oakland Mills Branch, eventuallyas President. I have been a class agent. I helped recruit mystepdaughter to Mills, too.

How My Mills Education Has Affected My Life: It was thegenesis of my becoming a truly strong, able leader and inde-pendent thinker. I was encouraged by my teachers, peers,and administrators to push myself just a little further than I

Birgitt Stepanow Adams, ’82Current Residence: Newport Beach, CaliforniaMills Major: Administration & Legal Processes, Emphasis inEconomic Processes. (Although not available at the time, Icompleted the equivalent of a minor in German Studies.) Student Activities: I was unable to be very involved in cam-pus activities while at Mills as I worked two jobs while car-rying a full load.

Employment Experience: American Hawaii Cruises, SanFrancisco, CA 1982–1986 (reservations, customer service);Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Rancho Mirage, CA andWashington, D.C. 1986–1991 (sales manager); JeffersonHotel, Washington, D.C. 1991–1993 (director of sales);Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, New York, NY 1993–1995(director of sales); Stanhope Hotel, New York and LosAngeles, 1995–1997 (western regional director of sales);Luxury Link.com, Los Angeles, CA 1997–present (co-founder;board of directors); Stay-at-home-mom since 1999

Volunteer Experience: Whitman Walker Clinic,Washington, D.C. (Buddy) 1991–1993; God’s Love WeDeliver, New York, NY (Kitchen) 1993–1995; OrangewoodChildren’s Home, Orange, CA (Buddy) 1995–1997;Newport Canyon Homeowner’s Association, NewportBeach, CA (President, Board Member, Social Committee,Newsletter) 2000–2003

AAMC Involvement: Tri-State Chapter Board Member,1993–1995; AAMC—Orange County, CA Chapter,Founded chapter and served as President, 1995–present;AAR—2000–2002

How My Mills Education Has Affected My Life: Twothings strike me as the most important ways Mills affected

ELECT YOUR ALUMNA TRUSTEEPLEASE VOTE FOR ONE OF THE TWO CANDIDATES .


Adams continued: my life. First, I received a high qualityliberal arts education. My classes were small, my profes-sors knew me by name and ability, and I had a variety offascinating classes at my disposal. Second, in the atmos-phere that is Mills, I blossomed in the nurturing environ-ment. I would not have had the same experience in alarger or co-educational institution.

On the Future of the AAMC: The Alumnae Associationshould continually try to involve as many alumnae withMills and to raise money for the college.

On the Significance of our Alumnae Association’sIndependence from the College: In order for theAAMC to meet the needs of the alumnae it needs tooperate as an independent entity. This allows alumnaeto grow the association into an organization that bestmeets their needs.

My Hopes and Expectations for the Future of MillsCollege: My hope for Mills is that it remains a woman’s col-lege, that it be financially strong, that it continues to offerwomen a spectrum of choices within a liberal arts curricu-lum and that it becomes truly diverse.

On the Role of Women’s Colleges in Higher Education:Women’s colleges have a role in higher education as theyprovide a haven for women in which to develop andbecome better prepared to enter the world. My experi-ence at Mills gave me an education, confidence and abroad perspective. I wish that for all Mills Women.

McClure continued: thought I’d be comfortable going, whichthen emboldened me to go even further. However, my life asan alumna has also added to my “Mills Education”—the Millswomen and men I meet, and the opportunities afforded, addimmeasurably to my life. There is not a person in my businessor personal life who doesn’t know I am a Mills woman.

On the Future of the AAMC: It’s important to try to find acommon thread to tie together 18,000 women and menwho, as students, were encouraged to find their own nichein the world. AAMC should be involved in: � Raising Funds—The financial health of any college isdependent upon ongoing contributions from its alumnae/i.Teaching the value of philanthropy and support of one’salma mater is an important role.� Being Inclusive—My experience as President of twobranches has confirmed how important it is to have aninclusive branch structure. � Being Relevant—with more graduate students on thealumnae rolls we need to make the Alumnae Associationrelevant to undergrads and grads.

On the Significance of our Alumnae Association’sIndependence from the College: It’s a good thing!Having separate governance is an asset to both theCollege and the Association. An important aspect of theseparation is the BOG gives its directors the chance tohave true fiduciary responsibility, not just responsibilityfor programmatic functions.

My Hopes and Expectations for the Future of MillsCollege: That Mills remains a women’s college at theundergraduate level. That it continues to be internationallyknown for its alumnae and faculty. That it continues torecruit traditional-aged students, and encourage resumersto come back to school. I want Mills to remain a leader inwomen’s issues.

With the new emphasis on graduate education andexpanding the graduate programs, the College needs tocontinually commit to undergraduate education forwomen. We should be able to encourage and supportboth the undergraduate and graduate programs equally.

On the Role of Women’s Colleges in Higher Education:Women’s college education is as relevant today as at anytime. Look at the women holding prominent leadershippositions in corporations and elected government – theoverwhelming majority are women’s college graduates.While this is only one way to measure the relevancy of awomen’s college education, it’s an impressive way.

Getting the women’s college message out to prospec-tive students is the challenge. Women who are the benefi-ciaries of this unique education should continue to set anexample for others by their achievements — and write reg-ular, generous checks to keep their alma maters going.Inspired by the institutions and their graduates thereshould always be women in the pipeline ready to takeadvantage of this wonderful educational opportunity.

CorrectionsThe Annual Giving Report, which appearedin the center of the fall Quarterly, erroneouslyreported the top class for participation forthe decade of the 1950s. The Class of 1957holds that distinction, with 76 percent participation. Furthermore, the Class of 1957had the highest percentage of any class.

The Quarterly regrets having erroneouslyreported a gift in memory of MargaretThompson Stryble, ’35, in the last issue. The gift was made in honor of Mrs. Stryble’s90th birthday by Phyllis Cole Bader, ’35. We apologize to both Mrs. Stryble and Mrs.Bader.

Class Notes do not appear in the online edition of Mills Quarterly.

Alumnae are invited to share

their news with classmates in the Mills College alumnae community. To submit notes for publication in the next available Quarterly, send your update to [email protected].

Class Notes do not appear in the

online edition of the Mills Quarterly.

Alumnae are invited to share their

news with classmates in the Mills

College Alumnae Community,

alumnae.mills.edu. To submit notes

for publication in the next available

Quarterly, send your update to

[email protected].

ELECT YOUR ALUMNA TRUSTEEBallot for Alumna Trustee for 2004–2007

Please indicate your choice for alumna trustee:

Ballots must be received at Reinhardt Alumnae House by 5:00 p.m., Monday, March 1, 2004, to be counted. You may use the Alumnae Fund envelope in the center of this magazine to mail in your ballot.The ballot is printed on the reverse side of your Quarterly mailing label. No ballot will be accepted without the label on the reverse side. In order to maintain voter confidentiality, the Association’s mailopener will verify that the mailing labels are authentic and then ink out voters’ names before passing ballots on to the Alumnae Director and Nominating Committee chair for counting.

Upon request, the AAMC will send a winter Quarterly to replace the one from which you have cut this ballot.

The first black paper doll was printed in1863 as a promotion for Uncle Tom’s

Cabin, the most popular book of its time.These precious paper playthings reflectnot only the fashion trends of the periodin which they were created, but also thevalues and mores of the times.

For the past 140 years, paper dolls inmagazines, newspapers, comic strips, andgreeting cards have chronicled the chang-ing roles, images, and stereotypes ofAfrican Americans. In the 1940s, CrackerJack included a “mammy” doll as one ofits prizes. However, in 1937, JackieOrmes, the first syndicated AfricanAmerican female illustrator, created thecartoon character Torchy Brown, a shape-ly, sophisticated, no-nonsense fashionmaven, who appeared in the Black-ownedPittsburgh Courier. With the civil-rightsmovement, integrated paper doll setsand Black-pride dolls began to be seen.Paper doll artists have recently createdlikenesses of Josephine Baker, MartinLuther King, Jr., Oprah Winfrey, and many others.

To view these and other rare paperdolls from the extensive collection ofArabella Grayson, MA ’96, visit the OlinLibrary from January 20 throughFebruary 29.

You can cut out the Arabella doll anddress her in a Mills T-shirt!

“Arabella Doll.” Arabella Grayson, the owner of the collec-tion on exhibit, as a girl. Created by Laura Wattles. Used bypermission. Please see Paper Kids, <www.paperkids.com>.

Exhibition of Paper Dolls Celebrates Black History Month

ELEC

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Alumnae Association of Mills CollegeReinhardt Alumnae House Mills CollegePO Box 9998Oakland, CA 94613-0998510 [email protected]

PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT OAKLAND, CA AND AT ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICE(S)

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Mills Quarterly

Printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks.

Imbolc by Jean Sirius, ’93.From a series of eighttorn-paper collages entitled Rose Windows.Imbolc is the Celtic celebration of mid-winter.See page 29 for a profileof Jean Sirius.

Mills Quarterly winter 2004

Documents

Transcript of Mills Quarterly winter 2004