Fall 2011 - Simmons College

SIMMONSfall 2011 

Academic Leadership 

at Simmons

SIMMONS 

Vice President of Advancement 

Marianne Lord 

Vice President for Marketing & 

admission 

Cheryl E. Howard ’71 

Director of Marketing 

Communications 

Allyson Irish ’04GS 

Editor 

Kathleen S. Carr 

Writers and Contributors 

Rebecca Brown ’09 

Julie Choquette 

Robert Dunn 

Peggy Loeb ’62 

Elyse Pipitone ’07SW 

Kalimah Knight ’09GS 

Hilary Shepard ’11SM 

Design 

Sawyer Design Associates, Inc. 

Diane Sawyer, Art Director 

Nicole Barbuto, Designer 

Printing 

Kirkwood Printing 

Photography 

John Gillooly 

The Simmons College Office of Marketing 

Communications publishes the 

SimmonS magazine three times a year. 

Third-class postage is paid in Boston, 

Mass. Diverse views presented in the 

SimmonS magazine do not necessarily 

reflect the opinions of the magazine or 

the College. (ISSN) 0049-0512. For more 

information, call 617-521-2359, or visit 

www.simmons.edu. 

provost’s letter 

My great aunt, Maggie Lena Walker, 

the first woman in the United States to 

be the founder and president of a bank, 

used to say, “With education and determination, 

you can do anything.” 

I have thought about this quote often 

and about what it means at Simmons 

College. I believe that our mission and 

core values are unique and important, 

and that with the right academic 

leadership, we can do more than we 

ever imagined, learn more than we 

ever thought, and lead more than we 

ever dared. 

I am happy to say that Simmons has 

the right academic leadership in the 

individuals featured in the following 

pages! 

Our five academic deans are leaders 

in their respective disciplines and 

professions. They are collaborators and 

team players, constantly looking for 

new insights and willing to share their 

perspectives and vision with others. 

Our deans are focused on Simmons’s 

strategy, maintaining their school’s 

unique curricula and expertise, while 

working with faculty and College 

leadership to support necessary 

institutional changes. And our deans 

are proud Simmons ambassadors and 

advocates of excellence, constantly 

striving to achieve the best in each of 

our academic areas. 

In addition to the profiles on our 

deans, this issue of the SimmonS 

magazine includes information about 

some of the programs and professors 

we believe best exemplify academic 

leadership. These examples are taken 

from across the College, noting our 

renowned and historic commitment 

to community service and outreach, 

our work with the Japanese Women’s 

Leadership Initiative, a collaborative 

effort with the Boston Teacher’s Union 

School, and a new master’s degree in 

public policy. 

As we head into the second year 

of Strategy 2015, I am confident that 

these five academic deans will help 

position Simmons for continued success. 

They will build upon the strong 

foundation created these past 100-plus 

years, and help us achieve our goal of 

creating a world-class institution that 

will be a resource to our nation and 

our world. 

Charlena Seymore, Provost

SIMMONSFall 2011 

On September 7, 

Simmons celebrated an 

all-College 

Convocation. 

Watch the event at: 

simmons.edu/blog/convocation 

3 

8 

Provost’s Letter 

Editor’s Note /2 

News /3 

Leadership at Simmons /4 

Faculty Focus /7 

Academic Leadership at Simmons /8 

Alumnae/i Achievements /14 

Campaign Giving /15 

Class Notes /21 

Emerities /26 

Obituaries /31 

Voices /33 

Contents 

find us online 

The SIMMONS magazine also can 

be viewed online. Please visit 

http://alumnet.simmons.edu/magazine 

Follow us on Twitter: @SimmonsMagazine. 

And on Facebook at Facebook.com/ 

SimmonsCollege. 

fall 2011 1

Chair 

Lauren J. Brisky ’73 

Vice Chair 

Susan A. Ollila ’66 

Clerk of the Board of Trustees 

Regina M. Pisa 

Members 

Carmen A. Baez ’79, ’03HD 

Deborah C. Brittain ’74SW 

Jane Buyers-Russo ’81 

Jennifer Kelly Choi ’87 

Barbara L. Cohen ’68 

Dwight B. Crane 

Helen G. Drinan ’75LS, ’78SM 

Joyce L. Elden ’80 

Atsuko Toko Fish 

James D. Flynn P’12, P’14 

Jill A. Greenthal ’78 

Karen Hammond 

Jaqueline Hernandez ’05EE 

Anne C. Hodsdon ’75, ’77GS 

John W. Humphrey 

Stephen P. Jonas P’05 

Kathleen Morrissey LaPoint ’84 

Ngina Lythcott ’67, ’04HD 

Judith Samdperil Mann ’83 

Stephen P. McCandless 

Jacqueline C. Morby ’78SM 

Denise Pappas ’71, ’85SM 

Carol Waller Pope ’74 

Christian Pope-Campbell ’91 

Faith M. Richardson ’84 

Jo-Ann Robotti ’75 

Emily Scott Pottruck ’78 

Carole Seigel ’80SM 

Toby Tattlebaum Sloane ’60 

Paula A. Sneed ’69 

Winston Tabb ’72LS 

Janet Trafton Tobin ’67 

Andrea Waldstein ’60SW 

Roslyn M. Watson ’71 

Amy E. White ’81 

Alumnae/i Volunteer Leadership 

Executive Board 

President 

Marsha R. Kirshenbum ’65 P’94 

Graduate School of Library and 

Information Science Alumni Association 

President 

Carl Antonucci, Jr. ’93LS 

School of Management 

Alumnae Association 

President 

Anne B. Denna ’05SM 

School of Social Work 

Alumni Council 

President 

Nancy Poorvu ’79SW 

2 SIMMONS alumnet.simmons.edu 

board of trustees 

editor’s note 

Leadership at Simmons 

A new academic year is underway here 

at Simmons, and the College is bursting 

with energy and hope. As a new 

part-time student at the School of Management, 

I am experiencing firsthand 

what it feels like to start anew. It’s 

exhilarating, exhausting, and enlightening 

— often all at the same time. 

At this year’s Convocation address, 

CAS Dean Renée White challenged all 

of us to think about how we can make 

things better for others, at Simmons, 

and around the world. It’s a fitting way 

to consider a new start, not only in 

terms of ourselves, but also in terms 

of the greater good, and how we can 

use our opportunities and education 

to improve it. 

For this issue, focused around the 

theme of Academic Leadership at Simmons, 

I had the pleasure of interviewing 

each of our five deans. I found 

their responses to be a powerful mix 

of student-focused, driven, and fun. 

Read their profiles, which begin on 

p. 8, to find out: how playing the jazz 

guitar can make you a better leader, 

why Simmons is poised to redirect the 

conversation about the importance of 

higher education, who sees herself as 

a “servant leader,” who learned a valuable 

lesson in the aftermath of 9/11, 

and who views the people who work 

and study at Simmons as “the best of 

Simmons.” 

You’ll also read about additional 

areas of academic leadership at the 

College, on pages 4–6. 

We also wanted to focus on students 

who exemplify leadership. As 

usual, our list of profile candidates 

was long, but in our opinion, Samantha 

Schenk, president of the Student 

Government Association, epitomizes 

what it means to be a student leader. 

And even though she lived in Paris 

and spent time swimming in the 

Mediterranean, she thinks being a 

student at Simmons is better than all 

of that. Read Sam’s story on p. 33. 

I hope you enjoy this issue, and 

I look forward to hearing from you. 

Please drop me a line at Kathleen. 

carr@simmons.edu if you have any 

comments or suggestions. 

Cheers, 

Kathleen S. Carr, Editor 

the class of 2015 

Simmons is proud to welcome a very academically prepared 

undergraduate class to campus. The class of 2015 comes to us 

with strong GPAs and test scores, and more than two-thirds 

were in the top 25% of their graduating class.

news 

College Welcomes New VP of Advancement 

Marianne E. Lord was recently 

appointed the new vice president 

of advancement. 

Lord brings more than 30 years of 

executive experience, leadership success, 

and fundraising accomplishments 

to the College. She joins Simmons 

from Boston College. There she served 

most recently as associate dean of institutional 

advancement, responsible for 

the advancement efforts on behalf of 

Boston College Law School, where she 

oversaw development, alumni relations, 

and the BC Law magazine from 2004– 

2011. During her career at Boston College, 

she participated in transforming 

the development program from one 

producing less than $1 million a year, 

to one that is halfway through the $1.5 

billion campaign, “Light the World.” 

Lord helped shape and execute three 

capital campaigns from the strategic 

planning phase through to successful 

completion. She also created Boston 

College’s first planned giving program. 

Lord is a graduate of Boston College 

with a B.A. and an M.A. in political 

science, magna cum laude. She 

married her college sweetheart, Peter 

Dyson Lord, a financial services executive, 

and the couple has raised their 

two children in Weston, where they 

continue to reside. 

Accolades for Simmons in Top Rankings 

Once again, Simmons has been included 

in several prestigious national 

rankings this year. These rankings help 

to raise our national and international 

visibility, encourage new students to 

apply, and make our students, faculty, 

and alumnae/i proud. These rankings 

include: 

• School of Management ranked #1 

MBA program in the nation for the 

“Greatest Opportunities for Women” 

by the Princeton Review. 

• “Best College” by U.S.news & World 

Report 2012 edition of “America’s 

Best Colleges.” Simmons was in the 

top tier of schools in the Regional 

Universities north category. 

• One of the nation’s “Best 376 

Colleges” in the 2012 Princeton 

Review college guidebook 

• One of “America’s Best Colleges 

2011” by Forbes.com 

• School of Management ranked #18 

in the world by The Aspen Institute 

Beyond Grey Pinstripes ranking, 

which recognizes socially responsible 

management curriculum 

To read more about these rankings, 

please visit simmons.edu/overview/ 

about/news. 

344 

students 

7 

countries 

27% 

ALANA* 

average 

GPA: 3.29 SAT total score: 1123/1696 

* African, Latino, Asian, Native American 

New student facts: 

Girl Scouts Gold Award recipient 

Vice president of Group Council for the 

Quantum Project 

Social entrepreneur and founder of 

So Buttons 

Lived in Vietnam 

Founded Girls Learn International 

at her school 

Presented at The New England Regional 

Showcase for Personalization and 

Performance 

Participant in the Alaska Summer 

Research Academy 

Volunteered with Room to Dream 

supporting families and kids who face 

chronic illness 

Freedom Prize finalist 

Worked with impoverished families as 

a Wellspring House teen mentor 

Worked as an organic farmer in Brazil 


leadership at Simmons 

Simmons College and the Boston 

Teacher’s Union (BTU) are in the 

third year of a three-year partnership, 

led by Assistant Professor of 

General Education Daren Graves. 

Graves was recognized at this year’s 

Convocation with the Faculty/Staff 

Community Service Award. 

daren graves on: 

connecting theory, practice, and service 

why did simmons engage in this partnership 

The partnership was initiated after a series of meetings in the 

Simmons Department of Education, where faculty expressed an 

interest in deepening our partnerships with schools that serve our 

neighbors. We chose to partner with the BTU School because we 

knew it would be an opportunity to help build a school from its 

inception. We were also particularly drawn to working with the 

Union School because of its unique teacher-leader ethos. 

how are students and professors across the 

college involved 

We currently have students, staff, and faculty from the College 

of Arts and Sciences, School of Social Work, Graduate School of 

Library and Information Science, the Simmons Library, and the 

Scott/Ross Center for Community Service who are engaged with 

the Union School. We have education and social work studentteachers/interns 

working in the school; and we have student 

volunteers from GSLIS and the Simmons Library who have helped 

us build the Union School library. Faculty from the Department 

of Education, GSLIS, and social work have helped with various 

professional development efforts. The Scott/Ross Center has also 

coordinated various student community service efforts at the Union 

School. 

Roberta Kelly, director of the Educational Leadership program, has 

been vital in helping the Union School develop, monitor, and reiterate 

its shared governance model. Roberta has also led the Union 

School’s efforts to develop a rigorous peer evaluation program for 

its teachers and has successfully encouraged Union School staff 

to take courses in the Educational Leadership program. We have 

Paul Abraham, chair of the Department of Education, Gary Bailey, 

associate professor of social work, and myself, who serve on the 

Union School Governing Board and help the Union School navigate 

larger strategic decisions around issues of hiring, budgets, 

and development. 


how is this partnership helping simmons students use 

their leadership skills 

This partnership puts students in situations where they are 

prepared to engage with their colleagues and mentors and to be 

accountable for the individuals and families they are serving. I 

have been proud to see Simmons students leading classes of eager 

Union School scholars, coordinating efforts to provide after-school 

tutoring, and even showing up to help run activities at the yearly 

Field Day, for example. 

as you have been involved with the school, what have 

been your proudest moments 

The school is only in its third year, so there is still much work to be 

done. The school has grown from a K–2 and 6th grade, to a K–4 

and 6–8th grade, and will eventually be a full K–8 school next year. 

With this in mind, I know we in the Department of Education are 

particularly proud to see the school grow each year so that we have 

more teachers, children, and their families. 

what is the benefit of simmons’s involvement in 

this partnership 

I see the growth of our students through the improvements 

that we as faculty have made in response to our experiences at 

the Union School. Having had the opportunity to work with the 

staff, students, and families of the Union School has helped us as 

individual and collective faculty members build on our strengths, 

while transforming and re-imagining our own teaching and 

curriculum. This is the true beauty of this type of partnership. 

Everybody benefits. 

The Union School and its community benefit from Simmons’s 

resources and expertise. The Simmons faculty and staff benefit 

from embodying our ethos around connecting theory, practice, 

and service. The Simmons students benefit from the opportunities 

to serve and learn with our neighbors in Boston, as well as to reap 

the rewards of learning from faculty who are teaching from the 

experiences of working on the cutting edge of school reform and 

teacher education.


service leadership 

Commitment to community is a 

hallmark of Simmons, and nowhere 

on campus does this value come alive 

more than with the Scott/Ross Center 

for Community Service (S/RC) and the 

Simmons Institute for Leadership and 

Change (SILC). 

These two programs showcase the 

best of Simmons’s leadership. 

• Established in 2000 through the generosity 

of Trustee Emily Scott Pottruck 

’78, at the S/RC facilitates and promotes 

community service and service 

learning for faculty, staff, and students. 

More than 30 service-learning courses 

are available for undergraduate and 

graduate students, and the S/RC 

works with more than 40 community 

partners in Greater Boston. 

www.simmons.edu/communityservice 

• SILC fosters strong relationships with 

community organizations that are 

committed to the development and 

advancement of women and girls 

from all cultural and economic backgrounds. 

Community partners include 

the Girl Scouts, Big Sister Association 

of Greater Boston, and Teen Voices. 

ssw launches 

research 

center 

The Center for Applied & Community 

Research (CACR), recently launched 

by the School of Social Work (SSW), 

aims to advance excellence in social 

science research while forming strategic 

partnerships within Simmons and with 

outside agencies. CACR addresses 

the integration of research, teaching, 

and practice using an interdisciplinary 

approach and helping to bridge the 

academic and community science. SSW 

Associate Professor Michelle Putnam 

and SSW Professor Hugo Kamya are 

co-directors of the CACR. 

Award-Winning Storytelling 

Every other year, the Center for the 

Study of Children’s Literature hosts 

a summer institute, which is an 

intensive weekend program that pairs 

students with authors, illustrators, and 

editors, giving them the chance to meet 

influential leaders in their field of study. 

Lecturers also provide insight into their 

own careers. In the past, presenters 

have included Newbery Medal winners 

Paula Fox and Lois Lowry. 

This year, for the second time, the 

center also hosted The Horn Book 

Learning to be Leaders 

of Social Change 

Japanese Women’s Leadership Initiative fellows, 

from left to right: Michiko Kohga, Yuri Hatta, 

Yuka Miyazawa, and Yuki Abe. 

Awards in Children’s Literature, which 

presents international children’s book 

awards in three categories: fiction, 

poetry/nonfiction, and picture book. 

The authors and illustrators, as well 

as their editors, also presented The 

Horn Book colloquium that studies 

the winning works. The founder of 

The Horn Book, the nation’s oldest 

and most important review journal in 

children’s books, is Simmons alumna, 

Bertha Mahony Miller, ’04. 

Created in 2006, the Japanese 

Women’s Leadership Initiative Fellows 

program (JWLI) aims to teach Japanese 

women best practices of successful 

nonprofit management in the United 

States, and to prepare them to lead 

organizations in Japan. The JWLI 

works in partnership with the School 

of Management’s Center for Gender in 

Organizations (CGO) to help Japanese 

women move from their traditional 

roles and become leaders of social 

change. 

This mission took on new importance 

in Japan in the wake of the 

devastating earthquake and tsunami 

in March 2011, when the critical role 

of effective nonprofit leadership was 

elevated. Among the ongoing priorities 

of nonprofits are providing direct 

services to those impacted by the 

tsunami, monitoring government 

response, and advocating for policies 

that include human, economic, and 

environmental considerations. 

“Women must learn to lead and become 

deeply involved in moving Japan 

forward. Our society needs them,” 

said JWLI co-founder and Simmons 

Trustee Atsuko Toko Fish of the Fish 

Family Foundation, which funds the 

program. 

This fall, JWLI hosted four Japanese 

women in the United States for four 

intensive weeks of training in the 

American nonprofit sector to develop 

their leadership potential, bringing 

the total number of women who have 

participated in the program to 19. The 

women were paired with executives 

of leading nonprofit organizations in 

Greater Boston where they focused on 

management, strategy, and fundraising 

in the program areas of domestic 

violence, elder care, and child care. 

They also took the Strategic Leadership 

for Women course at the School 

of Management. CGO Director and 

Professor Patricia Deyton, the JWLI 

faculty advisor, oversaw the coordination 

of the four-week program and 

provided additional tutoring and 

mentoring. 



Innovation in Curriculum 

Professor Paden, left, and Professor Doherty, right, worked as a team to bring the new Master’s in 

Public Policy program to life. 

When President Helen Drinan called upon 

faculty members last year to submit innovative 

curriculum ideas, Political Science 

and International Relations Professors Leanne 

Doherty and Catherine Paden knew 

they had something exciting to share. 

“It was like the perfect storm,” said 

Doherty. “We knew Simmons was the perfect 

place and this was the perfect time.” 

Last fall, Doherty and Paden submitted 

their proposal for a new “3+1” Master’s 

in Public Policy (MPP) program. The 

program will allow students to receive 

a bachelor’s degree in political science, 

economics, or sociology, and a master’s 

degree in public policy, all in four years. 

Theirs was one of the winning 3+1 proposals, 

all of which offer new opportunities 

for curricular innovation and crossdisciplinary 

work. 

It’s no surprise that the two were able 

to submit a winning proposal. They have 

become close friends during the past few 

years, merging their complimentary but 

different areas of expertise and teaching 

styles. Doherty teaches the American 

political system, with a concentration 

on gender, sports, and popular culture; 

Paden specializes in American Politics 

with a focus on social movements, racial 

politics, and how underrepresented 

groups gain political representation. 

“Working with Leanne is a pleasure. 

We bounce ideas off of each other, and 

seem to foster each others’ creativity,” 

says Paden. 

The pair hopes that their collaboration 

will work well for the students in the new 

MPP program, too. 

“I hope the students leave the program 

with the skills necessary to work at the 

state level, federal government, direct 

services, nonprofit, etc.,” said Doherty. 

“I also hope they understand the political 

system and use it for the ability to make 

the change they want to see.” 

GSLIS Leaders in Action 

The Graduate School of Library and Information 

Science trains professionals to be 

leaders in the evolving LIS field. GSLIS 

has been on a hot streak lately, earning 

a coveted top-10 spot in the U.S.news & 

World Report ranking, and having several of 

its own faculty, alumni, and students take 

on high-profile positions. 

• United States Archivist David Ferriero is a 

’74 alumnus of GSLIS. The “top librarian” 

for the nation, Ferriero was on campus 

this summer speaking to the Archives 

Education and Research Institute, which 

held a week-long session at Simmons. 


• GSLIS student Dominic McDevitt-Parks 

was named the first Wikipedian in Residence 

at the U.S. National Archives and 

Records Administration this year. The 

news of this new position garnered media 

attention from the Washington Post, the 

Huffington Post, and the Boston Globe. 

• GSLIS Professor of Practice Maureen 

Sullivan was recently elected president of 

the American Library Association (ALA) 

for the 2012–2013 term. Maureen follows 

GSLIS alumna Molly Raphael who is 

currently serving in the President’s role 

(see p. 14). 

Research to Improve 

Women’s Health 

Nutrition Professor Teresa Fung, S.D., 

R.D., has been quoted in dozens of major 

media outlets, including the new York 

Times, USA Today, Fitness magazine, 

mSnBC.com, and the Huffington Post, 

for her groundbreaking research that 

focuses on women’s health and diet. 

Fung’s discoveries have led the way in 

linking dietary patterns and chronic 

disease development. 

Her recent study, published in the 

September issue of the American Journal 

of Epidemiology, found that women with 

diets rich in vegetables, fruit, and legumes 

tended to have a lower risk of developing 

certain breast tumors. Fung’s research 

continues to be recognized worldwide, 

while she continues to educate Simmons 

students in the nutrition field.

faculty focus 

notable achievements by simmons faculty 

GSLIS Professor of Practice 

Dr. Camila alire was recently 

named the Achievement in Library 

Diversity Research Honoree 

by the American Library 

Association. 

Social Work Professor 

Gary Bailey was quoted in the 

September 19, 2011 issue of 

the BBC news magazine for 

his perspective on the effects 

that austerity cuts in the U.S. 

Congress could have on young 

Americans. 

Political Science and International 

Relations Professor 

leanne Doherty recently published 

the book Level Playing 

Field for All: Female Political 

Leadership and Athletics (Lexington 

Books, 2011). The book 

initiates a conversation about 

the growing role of participation 

in athletics as a potential 

calling card for political candidates, 

particularly women. 

Nutrition Professor Teresa 

fung played a crucial role in 

the development of the Best 

Diets rankings, released by 

U.S.news & World Report 

this year. Fung was a member 

of an invited panel of 22 health 

experts, selected by U.S.News 

to develop its rankings. The 

experts reviewed information 

on 20 well-known diets, from 

Atkins to Zone, and rated each 

diet on specific measures such 

as heart health and nutritional 

completeness. 

Priscilla Gazarian, assistant 

professor of nursing, has been 

selected by the Commission on 

Collegiate Nursing Education 

(CCNE) to be a site evaluator. 

Established in 1996, CCNE is 

the premier accrediting agency 

for baccalaureate and graduate 

degree programs in nursing 

and is nationally recognized by 

the U.S. Secretary of Education. 

Author of The Parent’s Guide 

to Psychological First Aid, Gerald 

Koocher, associate provost, 

recently appeared on New England 

Cable News’s The morning 

Show discussing how to talk to 

kids about September 11th. 

Chemistry Professor and 

Department Chair Rich Gurney 

and his students Amanda L. 

McLaughlin and Katrina M. 

Thistle, were recently featured 

in the prestigious Chemical & 

Engineering news for their work 

“reengineering the undergrad 

lab” experience. The trio also 

presented at the American 

Chemical Society national 

meeting in August. 

SOM Professor lynda 

Moore’s article, “The Spirit of 

Family Business: A comparative 

analysis of Anglo, Germanic 

and Nordic Nations” was 

published in the international 

Journal of Cross Cultural management. 

Associate Professor of 

Chemistry Jennifer Roecklein- 

Canfield recently was awarded 

a $477,000 grant from the National 

Science Foundation with 

her collaborators at Georgetown 

University and the J. Craig 

Venter Institute in Maryland. 

The grant, titled “Generating a 

Community for Undergraduate 

Research Through the Use of 

Comparative Microbial Genomics,” 

involves the creation of an 

online community of science 

educators interested in learning 

the most recent techniques in 

functional genomics, proteomics, 

and bioinformatics. 

Professor Becky Thompson’s 

book of poetry, Zero is the Whole 

i Fall into at night was named 

a finalist for the Main Street 

poetry prize, a chapter of that 

manuscript won the Creative 

Justice poetry prize, and several 

of the poems from the manuscript 

were finalists for the University 

of New Orleans poetry 

contest. The manuscript is due 

out in December. 

SOM Assistant Professor 

Spela Trefalt co-authored the 

paper, “Autonomy vs. Interdependence: 

How Professionals 

Navigate Intra-Firm “Free 

Markets” to Achieve Work- 

Life Balance.” The paper was 

accepted for the 4th Annual 

People and Organizations 

conference at Wharton. 

An extensive interview with 

Professor afaa Weaver has been 

published in Contemporary 

Literature, the major scholarly 

journal devoted to contemporary 

literature. In October, 

Weaver also gave a master class 

and reading to the graduate 

writing program at UMass 

Boston. 

GSLIS Assistant Professor 

Katherine Wisser received 

an Institute of Museum and 

Library Services Laura Bush 

21 st Century Librarian Program 

Grant for an early career development 

project. Her project 

was one of 24 funded out of the 

144 applications and is the only 

project funded in Massachusetts. 

The project will result in 

recommendations for best practices 

in archival description. 

GAry BAILEy 

TErESA funG 

jEnnIfEr roECkLEIn- 

CAnfIELD 

AfAA WEAVEr 

kAThErInE WISSEr 


LEADERSHIP 

What does it mean to be an academic 

leader in the most competitive higher 

education market in the United States 

It takes discipline, strategy, collaboration, 

a passion for learning, and — as one 

of our deans says — moxie. 

In the pages that follow, we share insights from our five academic deans to find out 

how they will ensure that their schools remain student-centered and educate a new 

generation of leaders. We’ve asked them to share some of their thoughts on the leaders 

they admire, how they and their schools approach leadership, and what they see as 

challenges for higher education and for Simmons. 

We think their answers will inspire you, and remind you of Simmons’s purpose. 

8 SIMMONS alumnet.simmons.edu

“Simmons is an institution that could be perfectly 

poised to offer a counter-narrative about the 

essential nature of higher education.” 

RENÉE WHITE 

College of Arts and Sciences 

› leading expert on gender, race, and HIV/AIDS 

› former professor of sociology and Black studies at Fairfield University 

› areas of research and teaching include: reproductive health, social 

inequality, sexuality, and social justice 

› B.A., Brown University 

› M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology, Yale University 

Renée White, new Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, 

describes Simmons as innovative, collaborative, and equitable. 

She describes herself as a leader who likes to inspire others to 

take chances, and she is convinced that Simmons has the opportunity 

to develop “new habits of mind” for the 21st century. 

hoW Do you ThInk SIMMonS AnD your PArTICuLAr 

SChooL APProACh LEADErShIP In my view, the College 

has the opportunity to develop what I would call new habits of 

mind that will bode well for the 21st century. Within 

the College of Arts and Sciences, the kind of leadership that is 

valued respects the perspectives of all stakeholders and allows 

for disagreement and differences. 

WhAT LEADEr Do you ADMIrE AnD Why There are a 

few different people I admire. I have always been fascinated 

by Fannie Lou Hamer and Ella Baker. Both were civil rights 

visionaries who were involved with the NAACP, the Southern 

Christian Leadership Center, and the Student Nonviolent 

Coordinating Committee. They were working women who 

developed unique styles of leadership within a male-centered 

coterie of leaders. 

If you hAD A DAy To Go AnyWhErE or Do AnyThInG, 

WhAT WouLD you Do AnD WhoM WouLD you 

BrInG I would go to Costa Rica, where my mother was born, 

and visit the banana farms my grandfather had; back to Tuscany 

— to either il Duomo or Pitti Palace/Boboli Gardens; or to 

New Orleans for a po’ boy at Mother’s or breakfast at Surrey’s. 

In all three cases, I’d bring my best friend and favorite travel 

partner, my husband Jeff. 

WhAT ArE SoME of ThE ChALLEnGES AnD oPPorTunITIES 

you SEE for hIGhEr EDuCATIon There are a 

few messages within public discourse that have been problematic. 

First is an anti-intellectual strain that proposes education 

is elite, exclusionary, and even undemocratic. Of course, none 

of this is the case, and I would argue that Simmons is an 

institution that could be perfectly poised to offer a counter-narrative 

about the essential nature of higher education. Secondly, 

higher education is often assessed in relation to employability 

and cost-benefit analysis. What this means is that the less 

tangible values inherent in education are rendered invisible — 

learning to be a critical independent thinker, having comfort in 

unfamiliar situations, developing an interdisciplinary sensibility, 

and just being well-rounded. This is not to deny the importance 

of crafting education that enhances students’ abilities to 

be effective in their jobs, but that’s not the only value of higher 

education. 

TELL uS ABouT A TIME you fAILED AnD WhAT you 

LEArnED froM ThAT ExPErIEnCE. I was a figure skater 

and I had a bad accident. No matter how many times I tried, I 

could not overcome my fear of falling (or perhaps failing). I 

decided that I would stop competing and would instead teach 

little kids to skate. I learned from that experiene that you can 

be your own worst enemy and critic, that it takes time and skill 

to quiet the nay-saying in one’s own mind, and that it’s better 

to fail and try again than to give up, but ultimately it is important 

to forgive yourself when you do fail. 

WhAT IS your fAVorITE WorD A word that I’m drawn to 

is grace. It evokes a state of being, peace, spirit, stillness. 


MICHÈLE V. CLooNAN 

Graduate School of Library and Information Science 

› former associate professor and chair of the department 

of information studies at the University of California, 

Los Angeles 

› areas of expertise include preservation of cultural heritage 

and book trade history 

› B.A., Bennington College 

› M.A., University of Chicago 

› M.S. and Ph.D., University of Illinois 

Michèle Cloonan, dean of the Graduate School of Library and Information 

Science, says she is a dean because she believes in academic 

service and wants to promote research, teaching, and outreach. 

Cloonan describes Simmons as a place that has moxie, and a place 

that deserves to have more visibility for the quality of its education. 

WhAT SorT of LEADEr ArE you I am a servant leader. My focus 

is on people, work, and community. Success is all about people. 

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has a slogan: “All lives have 

equal value.” That is how I feel about the work place. The Graduate 

School of Library and Information Science has been successful 

because of everyone in the community: students, faculty, staff. Only 

by recognizing the contributions of everyone can you achieve value. 

WhAT LEADEr Do you ADMIrE AnD Why Vartan Gregorian 

is a leader whom I greatly admire. He is charismatic, compassionate, 

and smart. He has successfully led a diverse group of institutions: 

the New York Public Library, Brown University, and the Carnegie 

Foundation, and has one talent that I really envy: he remembers 

everyone’s name! 

WhAT ArE SoME MEMorABLE PLACES you’VE TrAVELED 

I have been to all 50 states, most of Europe, several countries in 

the Middle East, and several countries in Asia and South America. 

Spectacular beauty makes for one kind of experience: the Swiss Alps, 

Mt. Rainier, Highway 1 in California, the Dalmatian coast, the ruins 

in Petra, Jordan. But interactions with people are equally powerful. 

Joining an anti-war protest march in Osaka, Japan, in 1970 when 

I was 14; experiencing the coup in Moscow in 1991; spending two 

incredible hours chatting with a taxi driver in Detroit just recently; 

and hiking up to Roman ruins in the mountains of Lebanon with a 

Simmons alumnus. 


you SEE for hIGhEr EDuCATIon The number one challenge 

to higher education is the high cost of providing a good education to 

students. I travel a lot, and whenever people find out that I work in a 

university, they ask why college tuition is so expensive. 


WhAT WouLD you Do AnD WhoM WouLD you BrInG 

The Sydney Opera House to hear a concert with my husband. I have 

never been to Australia. 

TELL uS ABouT A TIME you fAILED AnD WhAT you LEArnED 

froM ThAT ExPErIEnCE. I am not sure that I can identify a 

specific failure. Rather, there have been many times in which I could 

have done something better. I am learning all the time. 

Do you hAVE hoBBIES I collect fine-press books and enjoy any 

kind of movement classes like ballet, Nia, and Zumba. 

WhAT IS your fAVorITE WorD These two words have served 

me well: serendipity and deipnosophist. Serendipity has taken me on 

my journey, and on it, I have learned to be a deipnosophist. 

“The Graduate School of 

Library and Information 

Science has been successful 

because of everyone in 

the community: students, 

faculty, staff. Only by 

recognizing the contributions 

of everyone can you 

achieve value.” 


“We need to focus on the value of what we’re 

teaching, helping students do as much as 

they can with their own lives and careers, and 

making it more and more relevant to them.” 

Cathy Minehan, dean of the School of Management, is new to 

Simmons but already has spent countless hours talking to professors 

asking them, “What would you do if you were me” She 

sees herself as a leader who sets targets and goals, and who 

listens and revises her decisions based on others’ input. 


SChooL APProACh LEADErShIP We approach it as a 

subject we teach, knowing that reality might not always go 

by the book. Most of our students are working while they’re 

taking classes. We can play a very important role for our MBA 

students, whether they’re part time or full time, and particularly 

the part-time students who are further in their career and 

have seen some of the issues we teach at work in the business 

environment. 


you SEE for hIGhEr EDuCATIon Somewhat 

like healthcare, a business whose costs grow annually at a 

rate faster than GDP is ultimately going to have trouble being 

affordable. Higher education has a problem, and I’m not sure 

how we solve it yet. Technology is part of the answer, but it will 

never replace that wonderful experience of interacting with a 

professor who has a deep understanding of a body of study. We 

need to focus on the value of what we’re teaching, helping students 

do as much as they can with their own lives and careers, 

and making it more and more relevant to them. 

WhAT ThrEE WorDS WouLD you uSE To DESCrIBE 

SIMMonS Simmons is mission-driven, collegial, 

and exciting. 

TELL uS ABouT A TIME you fAILED AnD WhAT you 

LEArnED froM ThAT ExPErIEnCE. The morning of Sept. 

11, 2001, I was on the phone with a woman at Goldman Sachs 

and she said, “A plane just flew into the World Trade Center.” 

I was the president of the Boston Federal Reserve and we 

needed to keep the financial economy working. My error was 

in never fully appreciating how scared the rest of the people 

who worked for us were. Many people on my staff believed the 

planes were aimed at the Fed, the Hancock, and the Prudential, 

and there was real fear gripping them. I learned that you really 

need to think about the people who work for you, particularly 

in a crisis. You have to look at what you’re doing and how it 

might be perceived. You can never communicate too much and 

you can never listen too much. 

WhAT ArE SoME MEMorABLE PLACES you’VE 

TrAVELED I recently took a trip for 10 days golfing in 

Scotland with my husband. I’m an avid golfer, but that’s 

different from being a good golfer. We’ve also gone salmon 

fishing in Iceland during the white nights of June. I didn’t 

catch any fish my first year, but I caught 13 the second year. 

CATHY MINEHAN 

School of Management 

› recognized business and finance expert 

› served nearly 40 years with the Federal Reserve System; 

former president and CEo of the Federal Reserve Bank 

of Boston 

› Chair of the Massachusetts General Hospital Board 

› B.A., University of Rochester 

› MBA, New York University 



BrInG I would like to go to the Middle East, Jerusalem, and 

into Egypt. I would bring my husband, who has traveled there. 

I’ve always wanted to go down the Nile and see the pyramids. 

WhAT IS your fAVorITE WorD Daffodil. I smile every 

time I see this word. It evokes the first taste of spring, hope, 

and new beginnings. 


“ I believe that I have built a culture of opti- 

mism, trust, respect, collegiality, and hope at 

the School of Nursing and Health Sciences. 

Being an authentic leader is critical.” 

JUDY BEAL 

School of Nursing and Health Sciences 

› served Simmons College for nearly 30 years as interim dean, 

associate dean, and professor at the School of Nursing and 

Health Sciences 

› vice president of the Massachusetts Association of Colleges 

of Nursing 

› B.S.N., Skidmore College 

› M.S.N., Yale University 

› D.N.Sc., Boston University 

Judy Beal, dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, 

has grown — and grown up — at Simmons. Beal has been 

an educator, researcher, and leader at Simmons for nearly 30 

years. She cares deeply about the College, and has worked to 

strengthen its visibility and reputation. She sees her school, 

in particular, as a collaborative and collegial contributor to 

Simmons and to the world. 

WhAT SorT of LEADEr ArE you My leadership style is 

dynamic — always evolving with experience and internal and 

external demands. I also hope that I am viewed as an inspirational 

and transformational leader….I certainly strive for that. 

I have an established track record as a builder — of people, of 

relationships, partnerships, programs, and opportunities. I 

believe that I have built a culture of optimism, trust, respect, 

collegiality, and hope at the School of Nursing and Health 

Sciences. Being an authentic leader is critical to success as a 

leader. But equally important is skill in business planning, and 

alignment and coherence of external trends with vision and 

resources. 

WhAT LEADEr Do you ADMIrE AnD Why I admire 

Desmond Tutu because he was such a humanitarian. One 

of my favorite quotes of his is, “Do your little bit of good 

where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that 

overwhelm the world.” 



BrInG I would go for a long walk — either on the beach 

or in the woods — either alone or, better yet, with my two 

adult children. 

Do you hAVE hoBBIES I love jazz, mostly jazz piano — to 

listen to, not play! I am a gourmet cook and thrive on hosting 

parties — the more the merrier. 


you SEE for hIGhEr EDuCATIon The growth of 

commercial and corporate influences is both a challenge and 

an opportunity. The Academy struggles with many questions: 

What is the essence of an education Is it learning, or is it getting 

a good job upon graduation Does everyone in the United 

States need to have a college degree Is the customer always 

right How do you develop strategic partnerships and share 

resources The future of higher education in the health professions 

and education at Simmons College requires leading in 

lean times, strategic thinking, partnerships, and innovation. 

hoW Do you DESCrIBE SIMMonS The people are 

Simmons. Harvard Business School professor and renowned 

business thinker Rosabeth Moss Kanter once said, “Love is the 

true hallmark of great leaders — love for their work and love 

for those with whom they work.” For me, the people who work 

and study at Simmons are what is best about Simmons. 

WhAT ArE SoME MEMorABLE PLACES you’VE 

TrAVELED Egypt and Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Zambia, 

and Tanzania. But my favorite spots in the whole world are 

Provence and Tuscany. 

WhAT IS your fAVorITE WorD My favorite word 

is fabulous...because I feel fabulously happy, and life is 

fabulously great! 


STEFAN KRUG 


› former community mental health clinician 

› member of the teaching faculty at the Boston Family Institute 

› most recently SSW associate dean, doctoral program 

director, and chair of the Clinical Practice Sequence 

› B.A., University of California, Santa Cruz 

› M.S.W. and Ph.D., Simmons School of Social Work 

Stefan Krug, dean of the School of Social Work, describes Simmons 

as values-driven and community-focused, with a strong social 

justice mission. Krug says Simmons attracts a certain type of student, 

and he expects both students and alumni to exercise their “leadership 

muscles” at Simmons, in their placements, and in their 

future careers. 

WhAT SorT of LEADEr ArE you I am very drawn to Ron 

Heifetz’s model of adaptive leadership. The central idea is that 

leaders need to act to meet today’s challenges, and then exercise a 

kind of improvisational flexibility to meet tomorrow’s contingencies. 

From this view, one of the primary tasks of leadership is providing a 

holding environment in which people can bear the necessary stress, 

and distress, of change. It’s a way of thinking about leadership that 

fits the clinical skill sets of social work practitioners. I also draw on 

my father’s experience as a clergyman. I like the idea that we move 

forward together, as a community, over time, and “shepherd” each 

other through good times and bad. 

WhAT ArE SoME of ThE ChALLEnGES AnD oPPorTunI- 

TIES you SEE for hIGhEr EDuCATIon The higher education 

industry is being transformed as a result of new technologies, the 

influence of for-profit education institutions, and consumer demand 

for more flexible pathways to degrees. In addition, ever-increasing 

financial pressures have put higher education out of reach for too 

many. At Simmons, I see opportunities for us to develop more joint 

degree programs, which add value for students and increase their 

competitive advantage in the marketplace. 


SChooL APProACh LEADErShIP Many of our students are 

propelled into leadership positions in community agencies, and we 

want them to be well-prepared. Students in the Urban Leadership 

Program, which is focused on the development of leadership skills 

for social workers, take courses in leadership, public speaking, grantwriting, 

and community politics. At the same time, we also believe 

that leadership is an activity that can be exercised from any position 

in an organization, with or without formal authority. 

TELL uS ABouT A TIME you fAILED AnD WhAT you LEArnED 

froM ThAT ExPErIEnCE. I’ve experienced many failures! Sometimes 

my timing has been bad, or an idea hasn’t ripened, or I’ve tried 

to go it alone when I should have developed allies. Most often, failure 

isn’t fatal, and one has another chance to get it right. I think failure 

is probably a necessary and unavoidable consequence of experimentation, 

which is key to surviving in a tumultuous environment. The 

trick is to not let your failures immobilize you. 

Do you hAVE hoBBIES I’m a jazz guitarist. I have recently 

reclaimed this part of my earlier life, as a musician, that I lost somewhere 

along the way. The skills required of musicians are not totally 

unrelated to those required of administrators. In my role as dean, I 

have to improvise. I need to know how to play well with others in an 

ensemble, sometimes leading and sometimes following. It helps to 

have an ear for harmony and for dissonance, and an ability to follow 

the melody line even when it seems to have disappeared. 

WhAT IS your fAVorITE WorD Pareidolia. A psychological 

phenomenon in which people perceive meaning in a vague, random, 

or abstract stimulus — a classic example would be gazing at clouds 

and seeing face-like features in them. 

“ I think failure is probably a 

necessary and unavoidable 

consequence of experimentation, 

which is key to surviving 

in a tumultuous environment. 

The trick is to not let your 

failures immobilize you.” 


MArIA BEnTAIn- 

MELAnSon ’00hS 

MoLLy rAPhAEL ’69LS 

MAurEEn SyrACuSE ’68 

alumnae/i achievements 

accomplished graduate and undergraduate alumnae/i and authors 

farah assiraj ’09GS has been 

awarded a Fulbright Award in 

Teaching. Assiraj is one of approximately 

40 teachers worldwide 

selected for the 2011–2012 award. 

She will use the award to spend 

time teaching in Morocco. Assiraj 

works at the Boston Public Schools 

as a senior academic specialist. 

Previously, she taught at the Boston 

Renaissance Charter School. 

Susan Ballard ’75lS is the 

President-Elect for the American 

Association of School Librarians 

(AASL), a division of the American 

Library Association. AASL serves 

the needs of 10,000 school library 

media specialists in the United 

States, Canada, and around the 

world. Ballard is also an adjunct 

professor in GSLIS’s School of 

Library Teacher Program. 

Sarah Entine ’02SW is the 

director of the award-winning 

film, “Read Me Differently.” The 

film tells the story of how family 

relationships through three generations 

were affected by learning 

disabilities. It was selected for the 

CINE Golden Eagle Award in 2010 

and won an Achievement Award 

at the 2011 Superfest International 

Disability Film Festival. The film 

was inspired by Entine’s own selfdiagnosed 

dyslexia, and recently 

aired on WGBH, Boston’s public 

television station. 

Maria Bentain-Melanson ’00HS 

was recently honored with the 

prestigious Circle of Excellence 

Award. Presented by the American 

Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 

the award recognizes those who 

exemplify excellence in the care 

and outcomes of acutely and critically 

ill patients and their families. 

Bentain-Melanson is one of only 

22 people nationwide to receive the 

award this year. She is a nurse educator 

in the cardiac surgery ICU at 

Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 

Boston. 

Jill fargo ’96, ’97HS has earned 

the nurseWeek National Nursing 

Excellence Award. Fargo was 

named the national winner in 

the management category. Fargo 

oversees the Children’s Hospital 

of Orange County’s medical and 

surgical unit, short stay unit, and 

float pool. 

Susan Kelley ’97 recently 

published i oprahed, and other 

Adventures of a Woman of a Certain 

Age. The memoir covers Kelley’s 

own experiences balancing a 

career as a writer and relationship 

expert (including an appearance 

on Oprah); a trip to an AC/ 

DC concert in Paris; living as an 

ex-pat in Florence, Italy; marriage 

to a well-known painter; motherand 

grandmotherhood; and the 

travails of aging in a youth-oriented 

culture. The collection of loosely 

linked essays highlights Kelley’s 

trademark hilarity and empathy. 

Kyle Murphy ’11GS recently published 

the young adult novel Wildefire 

(Simon & Schuster, 2011) under 

the pen name Karsten Knight. 

Wildefire, the first in a series of 

three books, follows character Ash 

Wilde, a 16-year-old adopted Polynesian 

volcano goddess. Escaping 

from her biological sister, Wilde 

transfers to a boarding school in 

California and discovers that a 

group of fellow gods-on-earth has 

mysteriously convened there and 

that a war among gods looms. 

Molly Raphael ’69lS recently 

began her yearlong term as American 

Library Association (ALA) 

president. Raphael, former director 

of libraries at Multnomah County 

Library in Portland, OR, and the 

District of Columbia Public Library 

in Washington, D.C., has been 

honored with many accolades, 

including the Simmons GSLIS 

Alumni Achievement Award and 

the Arthur Flemming Civil Rights 

Award for efforts to increase diversity 

in libraries. 

Joan Shapiro ’64 was recently 

honored with the Great Teacher 

Award from Temple University, 

where she is a professor of educational 

administration in the College 

of Education. After beginning her 

career in women’s studies, Shapiro 

joined Temple’s education faculty 

in the 1980s. She holds a doctorate 

from the University of Pennsylvania 

in educational administration. 

Shapiro is the best-selling 

co-author of Ethical Leadership and 

Decision making in Education. 

Congratulations to Maureen 

Syracuse ’68, who won the Washington, 

D.C., bar’s highest honor: 

the William J. Brennan Jr. Award 

for Public Service. Syracuse has 

directed the D.C. bar’s pro bono 

program for the past 19 years and 

is now retired. She is credited with 

expanding the program into one of 

the largest providers of free legal 

services in the District. Under Syracuse’s 

guidance, it launched clinics 

for poverty law, immigration, 

divorce, and custody proceedings, 

and resource centers for landlords 

and tenants, and for probate, tax 

sale and consumer law. 

Dr. Esther Wilkins ’38 was 

recently named one of the 2011 Top 

25 Women in Dentistry by Dental 

Products Report. Wilkins is author 

of The Clinical Practice of the Dental 

Hygienist, the definitive textbook 

for dental hygiene which is now 

in its 11th edition. Wilkins is a 

clinical professor of dental hygiene 

at Tufts University and formerly 

was the founding director of the 

dental hygiene program at the 

University of Washington. Among 

many other accolades, Wilkins was 

recently named the recipient of the 

Simmons Alumnae Association 

Lifetime Achievement Award. 


SIMMONS 

CAMPAIGN NEWSLETTER FALL 2011 

making educationWORK WORK. 

Thanks To You, We’re more Than 

halfWaY To our Goal! 

Ever since I joined the Simmons community in 

September, I’ve been impressed again and again 

by the vision, passion, and generous spirit of you, 

our alumnae/i, parents, and friends. I’ve also 

appreciated your warm welcome. 

WHAT’S INSIDE 

PRoGRESS To GoAL 

INITIATIVES AND IMPACT 

DoNoR PRoFILES 

WAYS YoU CAN GIVE 

In these turbulent economic times, it is more 

important than ever that Simmons succeed in its 

mission to “make education work” for our students and alumnae/i. 

It is a privilege to be partnering with you at such an important 

moment for philanthropy and such an exciting time for Simmons. 

Thanks to your active participation, we are more than halfway to 

achieving the $85 million goal of the Making Education Work 

Campaign. Every single one of your gifts is having an impact. We 

now have more scholarships than ever before to offer students who 

aspire to a Simmons education. Your support is also funding new 

investments in our academic programs, further strengthening our 

ability to provide an education that prepares students for life’s work. 

I’m eager to work with you on the second half of the Campaign, and 

I know we will succeed in achieving our goal. When we do, Simmons 

will be in an excellent position to face the future with confidence, 

well prepared to help generations of students link their passion with 

lifelong purpose. And that will be part of your legacy. 

Gratefully, 

Marianne E. Lord, Vice President of Advancement 


DONORS PuSH 

MAKINg EDucATION WORK cAMPAIgN 

PAST HAlfWAy MARK 

Gifts in support of students Top $42.7 million 

Thanks to the alumnae/i, parents, and friends who have given so far, 

the $85 million making education Work Campaign — the largest 

in simmons history — has achieved more than half its goal. 

more than 42.7 million has been raised to support the main 

initiatives of the Campaign: 

> educating women for empowerment and leadership 

> Building a vibrant educational community 

> enriching and supporting the student experience 

The Campaign directly supports initiatives outlined in simmons’s 

five-year strategic plan, which provides the foundation for fulfilling 

our vision for the next 100 years. 

To join in paving the way to a bright future for simmons, please visit 

alumnet.simmons.edu/makingeducationwork, or call 800-831-4284 

to make your gift today. 

CAMPAIGN VoLUNTEER LEADERSHIP 

These dedicated alumnae have stepped forward 

to lead the Campaign, offering their time, expertise, 

and philanthropic support. We are grateful for their 

leadership and commitment to Simmons. 

CHAIR 

kathy morrissey laPoint ’84, Trustee 

Wellesley, MA 

VICE CHAIRS 

Carmen a. Baez ’79, ’03hD, Trustee 

New York, NY 

Deborah C. Brittain ’74sW, Trustee 

Bonita Springs, FL 

Judy samdperil mann ’83, Trustee 

Providence, RI 

Janet Trafton Tobin ’67, Trustee 

Lincoln, MA 

HoNoRARY CHAIRS 

eileen m. friars '72, honorary Trustee 

Charlotte, NC 

linda kotzen Paresky ’64, ’99hD, Trustee emerita 

Fisher Island, FL 

emily scott Pottruck ’78, Trustee 

San Francisco, CA 

Joan melber Warburg ’45, ’97hD, Trustee emerita 

Greenwich, CT 

STEERING CoMMITTEE 

lauren J. Brisky ’73, Board Chair 

Nashville, TN 

helen G. Drinan ’75ls, ’78sm 

Simmons President 

Boston, MA 

Pamela hardee Jackson ’85, honorary Trustee 

Boston, MA 

Carole seigel ’80sm, Trustee 

Boston, MA 

enid shapiro ’67sW, Corporator 

Brookline, MA 

Paula a. sneed ’69, Trustee 

Lake Forest, IL 

STAFF LEADERSHIP 

marianne e. lord 

Vice President of Advancement 

laura k. Brink ’06Gs 

Director, Major Gifts and Campaigns 

PROgRESS TO gOAl 

millions $ 

85 

80 

70 

60 

Help us raise 

$85 million 

by June 30, 2015 

“Thehalfwaymarkisasignificantmilestoneinacampaign 

thatwillforeverchangeSimmons.Thankyoutoallthe 

donorswhohavehelpedusachieveit.Becauseofyou, 

Simmonscanpreparetothriveforthenext100years.” 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

0 

$42,762,593 

Progress to date as of September 30, 2011 

— president Helen G. Drinan ’75ls, ’78sm 

DID YoU KNoW 

The ratio of students to faculty 

ensures that every Simmons 

student gets personal attention. 

13:1 


DoNoR PRoFILE 

Professor emeriTa eDiTh f. helman ’72hD honoreD WiTh 

$700,000 TriBuTe sCholarshiP 

Lifelong Friend Jean T. Nelson Creates Scholarship Using a Planned Gift 

Professor Edith F. Helman (right) works with a Simmons student. 

PhotocreditSimmonsArchive 

She was elected to the Collegium of Distinguished Alumni of 

the College of Liberal Arts at Boston University and the Royal 

Academy of Fine Arts in Spain. Helman’s work, papers, and 

documents are held in a collection in the Simmons Archives. 

The award-winning scholar gave her own gift — itself a 

tribute — that would enrich the Simmons experience for 

students. In 1963, Helman helped establish the Bush Art 

Fund at Simmons College. The fund created a permanent art 

collection for Simmons in honor of Lyle Bush, associate 

professor emeritus of art. 

To make a tribute gift, or for more information about planned 

giving, call 800-831-4284 or visit alumnet.simmons.edu/giving 

The late Professor Emerita of Spanish Edith Fishtine Helman 

’72HD touched the lives of hundreds of students, colleagues, 

and friends in her almost-four-decade tenure at Simmons, 

from 1932–1971. 

Jean T. Nelson was one such friend of Dr. Helman’s. In a 

tribute to their connection, Nelson, now deceased, established 

the Dr. Edith Helman Memorial Scholarship for her “dear friend” 

with a planned gift of approximately $700,000. Nelson made 

her gift by combining a gift annuity with a charitable trust. 

“This extraordinary homage to a half-century friendship is 

heartwarming,” said Arlene Holtzman, director of planned 

giving. “Generations of students will be able to come to 

Simmons because of this gift, and Jean’s generosity and Edith’s 

memory will be remembered and celebrated again and again.” 

The two friends met in the 1940s in Rockport, Mass., where 

both had residences. They established a lifelong bond that 

lasted until Helman’s passing 50 years later, in 1994. 

Nelson, who worked as a counselor in her career, was not the 

only one to celebrate Helman’s achievements. In addition to 

receiving an honorary degree from Simmons in 1972, Helman 

won numerous grants and fellowships to study abroad, notably 

from the U.S. Department of State and the Guggenheim 

Fellowship program. 

Helman, who wrote and edited a number of articles and books 

about the Spanish artist Goya, also belonged to several 

scholarly and academic societies and groups, including the 

American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Phi Beta Kappa. 

IMPACT 

Women’s Colleges and Leadership— 

a Proven Success 

only 2 percent of female college graduates attended 

women-only institutions. Yet they account for 

more than 20 percent of women in Congress, and 

30 percent of a BusinessWeek list of rising women 

stars in corporate America. 

INITIATIVE 

Educating Women for Empowerment 

and Leadership 

Being a women-centered institution makes a difference in 

how we think, teach, and act. our small classes, innovative 

programs, and collaborative community encourage dialogue, 

action, and respect — both within our own community and in 

the education community at large, as Simmons steps up to 

take its place as the lead expert on women in education. 


INITIATIVE 

Building a Vibrant Educational Community 

At Simmons, we give students opportunities that enable 

them to go out and shape the world. Students don’t just 

march through the curriculum. They gain hands-on, 

real-world experience that bridges the gap between 

academics and practice. We are committed to nurturing 

this Simmons hallmark. 

IMPACT 

“WhenIreturned…Ifeltreadyto 

takeontheworld.” 

Scholarship funds helped Honors Program student 

Alyssa Rizzo ’12 achieve her dream of circumnavigating 

the globe with Semester at Sea. The experience has 

inspired her to pursue a foreign-service career. 

DoNoR PRoFILE 

nanCY sanDler Gavrin ’58 ChamPions sTuDenT healTh, fiTness 

$350,000 Gift Supports Peer Health Education Program 

Fitness-program owner and 

instructor Nancy Sandler 

Gavrin ’58 has been in the 

exercise business for more 

than 30 years. So when she 

decided to make a significant 

gift to benefit Simmons 

students in connection with 

the Making Education Work 

Campaign, the College’s Peer 

Health Education Program 

caught her attention. She 

liked what she heard. 

“The program involves students helping to educate their peers 

about important health topics, including physical fitness. The 

goal is to create an awareness of health strategies that can last 

a lifetime,” says Gavrin. “I want to help students understand 

how important it is to make their health a priority in their life 

now — to establish a pattern that will always benefit them. 

Physical, mental, and emotional health — it’s all connected.” 

Gavrin traces her own commitment to fitness back to her teen 

years as a ballet student. “I kept up with dance at Simmons 

through the modern dance club, which performed at the 

College and around Boston,” says Gavrin, who was a publication 

major (the precursor to today’s communications program). 

These days, Gavrin promotes the benefits of moving to music 

at StayFit/NY, the fitness program in Scarsdale, N.Y. she has 

owned since 2006. “We focus on exercises for women of all 

ages, and our classes are always accompanied by live piano 

“AtSimmons,weunderstandtheimportant 

connectionbetweenhealthandwellbeingand 

studentsuccess.Nancy’sgenerousgiftsupports 

ourrichtraditionofpeermentoringinhealth 

educationandgivesustheopportunitytoimpact 

thelivesofstudentslongaftertheygraduate.” 

— Sarah Neill, Dean for Student Life 

music. It’s a luxury, but it’s worth it,” says Gavrin. She cites 

studies that indicate exercising to music can boost cognitive 

ability. Another study shows it can increase endurance. 

“Over the years, I’ve seen how exercise helps women 

feel better about themselves physically and emotionally. It 

increases their self-confidence. Some of my students didn’t 

start exercising until they reached their 60s — they just never 

made the time for themselves. I hope Simmons students will 

get started today,” says Gavrin. 

DID YoU KNoW 

Gifts and endowment income 

help reduce tuition for 100 

percent of our students. 

% 


DoNoR PRoFILE 

TrusTee DeBorah BriTTain ’74sW 

enDoWs neW sCholarshiP 

$150,000 Gift to Benefit School of Social Work Students 

Deborah Brittain ’74SW says 

establishing an endowed 

scholarship at the School of 

Social Work is a natural 

extension of her dedication to 

the school’s mission, Simmons 

more broadly, and the Making 

Education Work Campaign. 

“This scholarship is intended 

for students who will advance, 

shape, and influence the social work profession — just as 

Simmons does,” says Brittain. 

“The goal is to support the aspirations of students who 

have demonstrated a strong commitment to their community 

through service, and who hope to further impact their 

community through their education,” explains Brittain. 

Brittain herself could serve as a role model for such students. 

A recipient of the School of Social Work’s Distinguished Career 

Award, Brittain’s professional life has included many years in 

social work as a practitioner, supervisor, and trainer. She also 

has experience in the academic and corporate sectors, currently 

as executive vice president of the Preod Corporation in 

Princeton, N.J. 

Throughout her career, Brittain has been active in her 

community. Her board and other community volunteer service 

has spanned the fields of social justice, health, education, child 

welfare, and the arts. 

School of Social Work Dean Stefan Krug ’80SW, ’94SWD 

welcomes Brittain’s gift. “I’m grateful to Deborah for 

establishing a scholarship that strengthens our ability to attract 

and retain outstanding social work students — especially those 

who will serve as ambassadors for the profession through their 

commitment to community service,” says Dean Krug. 

Brittain has been a Simmons trustee since 2003. She joined 

the volunteer leadership of the Making Education Work 

Campaign as a vice chair. 

“The Campaign gives all of us in the Simmons community 

an opportunity to have a real impact on the lives of today’s 

students — and on the enduring vitality of Simmons and its 

mission,” says Brittain. 

WAyS yOu cAN gIVE 

Your gift to the making education Work Campaign will have 

a direct impact on the educational experience of simmons 

students. Gifts of all sizes and types make a difference. 

annual GifTs To The simmons funD 

Annual gifts to The Simmons Fund are the foundation of 

all philanthropic support for the College. They help provide 

resources for everything from scholarships and faculty research 

to classroom supplies. Gifts of any amount help boost the 

alumnae/i participation rate — a key factor in determining how 

much grant money Simmons can obtain from corporations 

and foundations. Everyone who makes a gift of $1,899 or more 

becomes a member of the 1899 Society. 

PrinCiPal anD maJor GifTs 

Principal gifts of $1 million or more, and major gifts from 

$50,000 to $999,999 from alumnae/i and friends play a vital 

role in ensuring the financial health of Simmons. Gifts 

establishing named, endowed or current-use funds generously 

support the College’s most significant priorities. 

PlanneD GifTs 

Planned gifts are a key part of the life of the College. They can 

include providing for Simmons in your will, or establishing 

other planned gifts that help you create income and provide 

significant tax benefits. Everyone who makes a planned gift to 

Simmons becomes a member of the John Simmons Society. 

To make your gift or ask questions, visit www.simmons.edu/makingeducationwork, 

or call the Office of Advancement 

toll free at 800-831-4284. 

IMPACT 

“EveryoneatSimmonsisfocusedonthe 

students.Theyexpectstudentstobesuccessful, 

inwhateverthatmeanstotheindividual.” 

—Sasha Nyary ’12LS 

INITIATIVE 

Enriching and Supporting the Student Experience 

our commitment to help grant every deserving student access 

to the highest-quality education and its rewards remains 

unwavering. Today’s students are demanding that higher 

education offer more options and more return on investment 

for their education, and we are committed to doing so. 


lEADERSHIP cAMPAIgN gIfTS TO DATE 

Every Campaign gift counts, regardless of size. We are especially grateful to Simmons alumnae/i and friends 

who have made commitments of $50,000 or more as of June 30, 2011. 

$1,000,000 + 

Anonymous 

Anonymous Family of Donors 

Lauren J. Brisky ’73, TS 

Phyllis Nickerson Dotson ’62 

and George S. Dotson 

Barbara Fish Lee ’67, ’01HD 

Emma Bassinor Robbins ’38* 

Allen Smith* 

Janet Trafton Tobin ’67, TS 

$500,000 –$999,999 

Rosetta P. Ferris ’36* 

Jill A. Greenthal ’78, TS 

Jane R. Mosakowski ’79LS, CP 

and William S. Mosakowski 

Jessie F. Parsons ’42* 

The Saxena Family 

Elinor Alpert Seevak ’55 

$250,000 –$499,999 

Anonymous 

Vera O. Chase ’37* 

Doreen Bingham Conley ’90, ’92HS 

Sarah Molloy Crane ’56 ’04HD, TE* 

and Benjamin F. Crane 

EMC Corporation 

Atsuko T. Fish TS and 

Lawrence K. Fish 

Nancy Sandler Gavrin ’58 

Hewlett-Packard Company 

Roslyn Solomon Jaffe ’50, 

’10HD, HT 

The Katz Family 

Judy Samdperil Mann ’83, TS 

Jean T. Nelson* 

Lois F. O’Grady ’58* 

Susan A. Ollila ’66, TS 

Barbara Bachrach Scolnick 

’64LS, HT 

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation 

Sarah A. Whittum* 

$100,000 –$249,999 

Anonymous* 

Betty Neary Alberts ’61 

and Bruce M. Alberts 

George I. Alden Trust 

Edith L. Ambye ’51* 

Alice S. Ayling Scholarship Foundation 

Carmen Aponte Baez ’79, ’03HD, TS 

Deborah C. Brittain ’74SW, TS 

Cora Duhy Bush ’34* 

Jeannette Cabeen ’36* 

Elizabeth Maxwell Chace ’69 

Jennifer Kelly Choi ’87, TS 

The Coleman Foundation 

Priscilla M. Dickson ’52SW 

E. I. du Pont de Nemours 

and Company 

Eileen Fisher, Inc. 

Virginia Farnham ’29* 

Prudence Adams Finn ’66 

Beverly A. Foss ’50* 

The Freeman Foundation 

Eileen M. Friars ’72, HT 

Katja Goldman ’78 

Frances Hale ’34* 

Laurie A. Kaplan ’67 

W.M. Keck Foundation 

Sharon Keith ’71, CP 

KPMG Foundation 

Kathleen Morrissey LaPoint ’84, TS 

Elaine Lindy ’85SM 

Philip B. Lindy 

Catherine Leamy Lowe ’31* 

The Lowell Institute 

Shirley Leupold Martin ’50* 

Elizabeth Johnson Mills ’30* 

Charlotte G. Moulton ’34* 

Marie Arseneault Nowak ’62 

Regina M. Pisa TS 

Alice James Pope ’30* 

Faith M. Richardson ’84, TS 

Susan Snyderman Rowley ’64 

Emily Scott Pottruck ’78, TS 

and David Pottruck 

Enid A. Shapiro ’67SW, CP 

Toby M. Sloane ’60, TS 

Pamela J. Toulopoulos ’73 

Beverly Kerness Unger ’44 

Joan Melber Warburg ’45, ’97HD, TE 

The Andy Warhol Foundation 

for the Visual Arts, Inc. 

Sandra Yaffie Weinstein ’60 

Esther M. Wilkins ’38 

$50,000 –$99,999 

Alumnae Association of 

Simmons College 

Margery Friberg Blume ’69, P ’13, CP 

Cecile Leinwand Bronfin ’63 

and Barry R. Bronfin 

Margaret J. Canton ’43* 

Alison M. Chase ’97HS 

Irene Christopher ’45 

Barbara Latz Cohen ’68 

Ruth Simon Cormier ’37* 

Marya A. D’Abate ’81SM 

Dolores Amidon D’Angelo ’69, 

’72GS, HT 

Deloitte and Touche 

Miriam Engleman Drake ’58, ’71LS, 

’98HD, HT 

Suzanne A. DuBose ’78 

Kathleen Dunn EM and 

Richard B. Lyman, Jr. EM 

Madeline Paul Durholz ’57* 

Joyce L. Elden ’80, TS 

Gretchen P. Fox ’87SM 

Muriel Kemp Ganser ’31* 

Maha J. Ghandour CP and 

Ali A. Ghandour P’06 

Adele Schwartz Gilbert ’60* 

Mary Jane Buxton Goodrich ’49 

Carole Aherne Hauke ’61 

Jane Hawes ’85LS 

Joanna A. Henry ’32GSC* 

Hope Alperin Hirsch ’67, TS 

Cheryl Doddy Howard ’71, ST 

Pamela Hardee Jackson ’85, HT 

Cheryl and Stephen P. Jonas TS, P ’05 

Sheldon T. and Audrey Katz 

Katherine S. Kaufmann ’69SW 

Elizabeth Beasom Kurtz ’37, ’38SW 

and Alfred R. Kurtz 

Joyce De Silvia Laudise ’57 

Margaret West Laun ’46 

Ruby Winslow Linn ’32, ’85HD 

Mary Luella Kellogg Lubin ’53 

Carolyn and Stephen P. McCandless TS 

Teresa Winter Messer ’68 

Nancy Greene Milstein ’59 

and Herbert Milstein 

Patricia R. Mintmire ’68SW 

Jacqueline C. Morby ’78SM, TS 

Jessie G. Morse* 

The Family of John M. Mugar 

Novartis Institutes for BioMedical 

Research, Inc. 

Helen Nye ’37* 

Ann Gildea O’Keefe CP 

Denise Doherty Pappas ’71, ’85SM, TS 

and Constantine A. Pappas 

Linda Kotzen Paresky ’64, ’99HD, TE 

and David Paresky 

Carol Waller Pope ’74, TS 

and Fred Grigsby 

The Reed Fund 

Reynolds Family Foundation 

Emily Morrissey Ropp ’35* 

William E. Schrafft and Bertha E. 

Schrafft Charitable Trust 

Barbara Safier Shoag ’60 and 

Leon S. Shoag 

Paula A. Sneed ’69, TS 

Helen Sondrol ’45LS* 

State Street Corporation 

TD Banknorth, Inc. 

United States-Japan Foundation 

Pamela Street Walton ’68 

Elizabeth Moore Westbrook ’80 

Amy E. White ’81, TS 

Rhonda Freedman Zahler ’73 

*Deceased 

ABBREVIATIoN KEY 

CP Corporator 

GS College of Arts and Sciences 

Graduate School 

GSC College of Arts and Sciences 

Graduate School Certificate 

HD Honorary Degree 

HS School of Nursing and 

Health Sciences 

HT Honorary Trustee 

LS Graduate School of Library 

and Information Science 

P Parent 

SM School of Management 

ST Staff 

SW School of Social Work 

TE Trustee Emerita/us 

TS Trustee 

JOIN THE MAKINg 

EDucATION WORK cAMPAIgN 

To learn more about the Campaign, make your gift, or share your simmons story with the rest of 

the simmons community, visit www.simmons.edu/makingeducationwork. You can also make your 

gift or ask questions about the Campaign by calling the office of advancement at 800-831-4284. 


classnotes 

Undergraduate Class Notes 

CLASS noTES PoLICy 

submissions: there are four ways to submit 

information 

• Send news to your class secretary 

• Provide news via alumnet.simmons.edu 

• Email news to classnotes@simmons.edu 

• Mail news to: SIMMONS magazine, 

Attn: Class Notes Editor, office of Advancement Communications, 

Simmons College, Boston, MA 02115 

photos 

• Photos can be submitted using any of the above methods 

• If you mail a photo and would like it returned, please include 

a return address 

• Photos submitted electronically must be 300 dpi or higher to 

be considered for publication in the magazine 

deadlines 

• There are three yearly issues of the magazine 

• For inclusion in an upcoming issue, please submit notes by 

November 15, March 15, and July 15 

publication 

• Please visit alumnet.simmons.edu/netcommunity for 

more details 

• If you have any questions, please call the office of 

Advancement Communications at 617-521-2380, or email 

classnotes@simmons.edu. 

1939 

Marjorie Duggan Murphy 

302 Brooksby Village Drive, 

Unit 607 

Peabody, MA 01960-8562 

Aren’t we becoming an elite 

group I have tried to keep 

in touch with our remaining 

members and have found them 

to number 83, outnumbered 

by 242 deceased. It is therefore 

most important for us to keep 

in touch. I have tried to reach a 

good proportion of survivors by 

telephone, since notes are seldom 

answered. Herewith, some 

reports: Priscilla (lima) averill, 

in a Pacific, WA, nursing home, 

called via her daughter who 

visits daily. We went back to our 

commuting days at Simmons. 

Her delightful laugh reflected 

happy memories. Widowed 

twice, she has four children 

after years in Arizona and Washington, 

where she was editor of 

the alumni magazine at Washington 

State University. Her 

attitude shows great adjustment 

after a stroke. | Jean Sunderland 

Davis responded quickly after a 

call to Riverbend Nursing Home 

in South Natick, where she is 

happier than she dreamed she 

could be. Her four children 

are working as a prep school 

alumni director, a teacher/actor 

in San Francisco, a nurse 

in California, and a teacher of 

the mentally disabled. | Selma 

levinson Goldberg and her 

daughter chatted from Marblehead. 

How could they be other 

than happy in that summer 

paradise | Irma Brilliant Resnick 

still lives in Canton after 63 

years of marriage. Widowed, she 

now enjoys memories of years 

of travel — especially one year 

in Europe with her family as her 

husband, a Fulbright teacher, 

led the way. Her two children 

and two grandchildren keep 

her busy. | alice O’Connor has 

recovered nicely from her stroke 

and elected to stay at Windsor 

Place of Wilmington, 92 West 

St., Wilmington, MA 01887. 

She still helps as class agent. 

| Dorothy Head of Peabody 

(my city) is now known as Rev. 

Dorothy Green. She once taught 

in Holliston and, after attending 

a school of theology, received 

her master’s in religious education 

and the title reverend after 

ordination. Dorothy moved to 

Peabody after years as assistant 

pastor in Worcester and Lynn 

and sometimes as organist. 

We plan to meet. | Doris Berg 

Ely called. (Why don’t you 

978-535-6035.) Back home to 

western Pennsylvania after 

a Florida winter, she reports 

seeing several classmates either 

living or visiting nearby during 

recent years: annette Bellinger 

from Norway, now deceased; 

Barbara Golding Blanchard, 

also deceased; and Eleanor 

McCarthy, also deceased. Jane 

Thompson Tukey is also a 

nearby resident who comes 

down from Maine. | Another 

call reached Virginia Beal, who 

has moved to Virginia Beach 

from Amherst, where she was a 

professor at UMass. She is now 

nearer family members. | Mable 

frazier Marley (now known by 

her middle name, Elizabeth) is 

happily ensconced in her West 

Yarmouth home, after an extended 

teaching career. Her children 

visit frequently from the bases 

of their very interesting careers. 

| Dorothy fabian, Prince School, 

of Concord, NH, had an interesting 

career in various phases 

of department store management 

and enjoys hearing news 

of fellow entrepreneurs. | Clare 

Macpherson Peters bounced 

back from surgery and resumed 

driving to museums, glamorous 

dining places, shopping jaunts, 

family gatherings, etc. — that 

is, when she can spare time 

from bridge dates, lectures, gym 

classes etc. at North Hill in 

Needham, where she has retired 

with so many of her neighbors 

from Wellesley. | Barbie allen 

Johnson is on top of the world 

(literally) in Portola Valley, CA. 

We try to convince her to come 

east to live, but her castle on the 

mountainside, and its proximity 

to the Pacific, defeat our cause. 

Remembering our children’s 

refusal of any outside activities 

when she was scheduled 

to visit, I can imagine the joy 

she has brought to the Portola 

kindergarten class during her 13 

years of volunteering. | One last 

picture: can you imagine the 

look on Kay Zottoli’s face last 

year when, as a guest at her local 

Simmons club meeting, she 

was introduced as “the oldest 

living member” Wish it had 

been recorded! | Let me record 

some notes from you for the 

next issue! 

1945 

What’s your 

Simmons story 

story 

tell it at: tell it at: 

alumnet.simmons.edu/net 

community/tellyourstory 


classnotes 

Recipient of the Tennis for Life’s first volunteer award, Peggy Saslow 

’44 (right) and her Simmons family, including daughters Susan Saslow 

’73 and Judy Saslow Bounan ’76 and granddaughter Shanna Saslow 

Engel, were recently featured in a Tennis for Life brochure. 

Bernice Diamond levinson 

reports that Joan Melburg 

Warburg was honored for her 50 

years of service on the board of 

Family Centers, Inc. in Greenwich, 

CT. Joan was president of 

the center for four years. Bunny 

also shared that lucille lundy 

lagerloef was named volunteer 

of the year for her contributions 

to the library and archives at the 

Greenwich Historical Society. 

1946 

Priscilla Hanks ’73lS 

6 Wildon Road 

Wellesley, MA 02482 7115 

pat.hanks@verizon.net 

Eight class members, one 

daughter, one daughter-in-law 

and one husband came to our 

65th Reunion in June 2011. 

Wanda Williams Cook, Jackie 

Burns Harrington, Connie 

Prescott Hudson, Norma Berman 

Imershein, Cricket West 

laun, Ethel Tolchinsky lokshin, 

Dot Stone McMahan and yours 

truly returned to celebrate 

our friendship and admire 

the New Simmons. A few 

off-the-record reminiscences 

were recalled, along with many 

fond memories of the years we 

were in school together. | Norma 

Berman Imershein lives in Solomons, 

MD, and is co-president 

of the Calvert County League 

of Women Voters. | Dot Stone 

McMahan came to Reunion 

with her daughter-in-law, Irene, 

who is a nurse practioner in 

Waterville, ME. After leaving our 

Reunion festivities, they went to 

Millis, MA, to see Dot’s son and 

his family, then on to Waterville 

to attend a grandson’s wedding 

shower. Dot saw five of her 

seven grandchildren that weekend, 

and is now back at home in 

Penobscot, ME, with memories 

of seeing Simmons friends 

and family. | Jackie’s daughter, 

Suzanne Harrington Mullarkey 

’04GS, earned a master’s degree 

from the School of Communications 

and works at Simmons as 

the director of communications 

for the psychology department. 

| Connie Prescott Hudson’s 

granddaughter Ashley started 

graduate work at Simmons 

this summer in a new master’s 

program in behavioral science. | 

Betty albee Robinson recently 

attended the pinning ceremony 

at the University of Connecticut 

School of Nursing in Storrs, 

where she received her master’s 

degree in 1977. She was unable 

to attend Reunion because it 

was Trails Day for the Friends 

of Mansfield Hollow. Betty is 

president of the group, which 

maintains the walking trails in 

the Storrs-Mansfield area. | Marjorie 

Bell lindsey had a different 

reason for not making it to 

Reunion. A great-grandson was 

born on Friday, June 3rd, and 

on Sunday the baby went with 

all his new family to the high 

school graduation of his uncle, 

Marjie’s grandson. That tops 

Reunion! | Janice liverpool Hale 

has two jobs besides caring for 

her husband. She is in charge 

of cataloguing, processing, and 

entering donated books into 

the computerized shelf list at 

the Newbury Court library, the 

retirement community in Concord 

MA, where she lives. She 

also edits and does layout for 

the quarterly publication of the 

Hobby Greenhouse Association. 

It is a 40-page journal with color, 

and she sends it camera-ready 

to the printer. Considering the 

frequent changes in computer 

technology, it’s a challenge! | 

Ethel Tolchinsky lokshin and 

her husband, Ed, celebrated 

their 60th wedding anniversary 

last June. Ed was the brave 

husband who came to our Class 

Reunion and Class banquet on 

Saturday night, which we shared 

with one member of the Class 

of 1941 and her son. 

1947 

Barbara Burke Garlick 

43 Whitehall Street 

Dedham, MA 02026-2227 

Barbgarl43@aol.com 

REUNION ’12 

junE 1–junE 3 

Virginia Congdon Davies of Fort 

Worth, TX, writes she is still at 

home “but slowly getting things 

done. I get to my condo in Padre 

Island a couple times a year 

with family.” | Eleanor McKenna 

Clark of Des Moines, WA, 

writes, “15 close friends and 

relatives joined me for dinner 

to celebrate my 85th birthday in 

March at Wesley Gardens, the 

retirement community where 

Ken (91) and I live.” | Thelma 

Santoro lumpkin of Bethany, 

CT, always has interesting notes 

to contribute, and this one 

is about Jimmy Buck Taylor, 

Teddy’s 38-year-old quarter 

horse. Jimmy Buck Taylor 

enjoyed a sports massage about 

12 years ago, and he loved it. “JB 

had a bad time with his teeth in 

March 2011, stopped eating, and 

almost died. The vet fixed him 

up, and told me he would not 

be able to chew hay anymore... 

gave me a name of a hay substitute 

— one that he could chew 

with his limited grinders and 

digest properly, and old JB put 

back the weight he lost (about 

500 pounds) and came back 


classnotes 

from the brink almost better 

than ever! JB had a second massage 

in celebration of recovery 

and JB would — if he could — 

applaud.” | arlene Ross Gross 

P ’78 of Verona, NJ, writes that 

she is still upright and active as 

possible. She has four beautiful 

great-grandchildren who give 

her great pleasure. Still travels 

a bit and talks to anita Broder 

Garfinkle periodically and has 

made tentative plans to attend 

our 65th Reunion in 2012. In 

October, Arlene went to the 

College for the 10th anniversary 

of the Scott/Ross Center 

for Community Service, which 

was endowed by her daughter, 

Emily Scott Pottruck ’78. The 

center has received national 

recognition and accolades for its 

program and high percentage 

of student participation. The 

students are to be congratulated 

for their volunteerism. Needless 

to say, Arlene’s quite proud of 

her daughter. 

1949 

Emily Macy Salaun 

101 Tower Avenue 

Needham, MA 02494-1911 

esalaun@juno.com 

Patricia Yelle Ryan, Minneapolis, 

MI, was escorted by Marilyn 

Oberle, West Roxbury, for 

a “first ever” tour of campus 

since graduation and was quite 

impressed by its expansive 

efficiency. She was in awe of its 

grandness. | ann Webster Ryan, 

once from Columbus, OH, now 

lives at Brooksby Village Drive, 

Peabody. | As Prince School 

grads, Elaine Caulfield Brosseau, 

Sonoma, CA, and Janice 

Beardsley Burbank, Rochester, 

NY, continue to review together 

the retail sector in their community. 

| Elsa DelVecchio Murphy, 

Brewster, Dorothy allison Caprera 

Esq., West Yarmouth, and 

Elizabeth “Chris” Klein Matthys, 

Mashpee, meet regularly at the 

Simmons Club of Cape Cod. | 

Charlotte Keating, Tucson, AZ, 

enjoys the winter heat and 

not the New England snow of 

our college days. | Sympathies 

are extended to the family of 

Carolyn Benson Cranor, late of 

Roanoke, VA, who passed away 

in July 2010. 

1951 

Virginia Willon Clark 

4519 Baybrook Drive 

Pensacola, FL 32514 

ginlee@cox.net 

Evelyn Van leuvan’s sister Marjorie 

writes that Evelyn passed 

away in 2009, and that she has 

made a gift to The Simmons 

Fund in Evelyn’s honor. Evelyn 

lived in Yalesville, CT, worked 

as a nurse, and was active in her 

church. 

1952 

ann David Young 

126 Berwick Place 

Norwood, MA 02062-1915 

drocey@comcast.net 

REUNION ’12 


Our spring mini-reunion luncheon 

returned in May to the 

Newton Marriott, once the site 

of the famous Totem Pole. Reminiscing 

was followed by a buffet 

and a brief business meeting. 

We were pleased to be joined 

by several husbands. | Patricia 

Whittemore Hunter had a great 

visit with Carol Steinberg Hass, 

husband Walter, and her two 

daughters, Deborah and Catherine, 

at their home on Lake 

Sebago in Maine. Pat’s sightings 

of classmates included Jean 

Burgarella anjoorian, Herb and 

Jan Bloom Schlein and Nadia 

Ehrich finkelstein, whose son 

lives close to Pat in Lexington. 

| Nancy Tenney Newhall keeps 

busy with her children, grandchildren, 

and three great-grandchildren. 

One granddaughter 

is receiving her doctorate from 

the University of Washington. 

| Carol Rodgers Jaffe and husband 

Don are having fun with 

their 14 grandchildren. | Barbara 

Scannell Devlin and husband 

Ted became great grandparents 

when their oldest granddaughter 

had a baby girl, Olivia Grace, 

in February. Barbara travels 

from California to Boston once 

a year to visit. | Irma Miller 

Brosseau has begun traveling 

and has been to Costa Rica, the 

southern Caribbean, and the 

Grand Canyon. | Elane Goren 

Jacobs has eight grandchildren 

who have been to college and 

are now getting married. Elane 

writes that she is “getting old 

and still very happily married 

for 60 years.” | Eleanor Bayer 

Stanske continues to enjoy the 

weather in Southern California. 

She is looking forward to our 

60th Reunion. | Doris (Dev) 

Vogt Mosley is thoroughly enjoying 

her new home in a retirement 

home in Huntsville, AL. | 

Mary (Mimi) Bonner Hocknell’s 

granddaughter Helen married 

Daniel Sinnett in the fall. Helen 

is a UNH graduate, and Daniel 

is finishing his doctorate at 

Stanford. | Maryrose Condon 

spent a week at Cannon Beach 

in Oregon, which she says looks 

a lot like the Maine seacoast. 

She plans to visit her nephew 

and his wife in Amherst, MA, 

“when the snow is gone.” 

1953 

Dorothy Halloran fowerbaugh 

6733 South Bend Drive 

Fort Wayne, IN 46804-6267 

pauldotty1@netzero.com 

lucille (Babsy) Cofman Krichmar, 

Nancy Tucker Mclaughlin, 

Jan loring Guidoboni, Bev Elliot 

Hadley, Sue Snell Solomon, 

Ethel Elbein Milas, and Barbara 

Warren Reed joined Class 

President Ellie Doane Quirk 

and Class Vice President Ellen 

Budge Stumpf for a mini-reunion 

at Simmons College on 

April 16. They enjoyed a fantastic 

buffet luncheon and an informative 

speaker. | Miki Spiegel 

Marnoy has restarted her sales 

“work” challenging herself, selling 

advertising for Senior news, 

a Texas free newspaper. Bob, 

Miki, and their family moved to 

Houston in 1980. Bob retired 

years ago as director for Shell’s 

medical department. Miki’s 

daughter is currently facilities 

director at St. John’s, a K-12 

private school. Son Steve owns 

a Herman Miller dealership. 

“Three awesome grandchildren 

are evolving.” While enjoying 

a recent fun experience being 

treated to lunch and political 

talk with a descendant of former 

governor Moody of Texas, Miki 

is still a Northeasterner at heart. 

1955 

Barbara Keough ’83GS 

25 Great Rock Road 

Sherborn, MA 01770-1609 

barbarakgh11@verizon.net 

Patricia Chisholm Wallace 

72 North Mill Street 

Apartment 4 

Holliston, MA 01746-1063 

pwallace10@verizon.net 

Nancy Reid Whitman 

190 Nahant Road 

Nahant, MA 01908 

nrwhitman@mediaone.net 

Twelve class members attended 

our mini-reunion in April. They 

enjoyed lunch and a great video 

of our 55th Reunion. | adrienne 

Kennedy Powell had a wonderful 

trip to Greece and Turkey in 

April — ancient ruins, historical 

cities, and spectacular islands in 

the Aegean Sea. | Melissa 

Walker Wolfe had a fun winter 

cross-country skiing. She skied 

twice a week with her ski group. 

| All is well with Priscilla Trayers 

Tennent’s family and friends. 


classnotes 

She enjoyed a trip to the West 

Coast to visit her California 

family, as well as a mini-reunion 

with Edith Syrjala Eash this 

summer. | June Sanders Sattler 

had a fabulous trip to India with 

the Fellows of Contemporary 

Art in February. Her activities 

included visits to artists’ 

galleries, art installations, and 

gorgeous homes. She found the 

contrasts of life there hard to 

fathom — such beauty amidst 

such abject poverty. | Joan Reed 

Buckman missed the meeting 

this spring. She was on the 

Cape tending to her husband, 

who has problems requiring her 

to play nurse — not a profession 

she ever wanted. She hopes 

to see us soon. | Pat Sage West 

has moved to 58 Mulberry 

St., Plantsville, CT 06479 and 

sends her best to everyone. 

| alice Koener Wolf joined 

Shelah Smith fried and Cecille 

Goldberg Wasserman for their 

third annual reunion in New 

York City in May. Shelah and 

Cece both now live in Manhattan 

— and love it. | Mary Jane 

McMahan Warrendorf has a 

new mailing address: P.O. Box 

78, Bay Head, NJ 08742. | A 

trip to Alaska was enjoyed by 

Doris Kallias Copoulos in May. 

| Jane freitas armstrong stays 

in Florida until the end of April 

and then returns to Maine until 

November. | Jackie Wray Buck 

is back in New London, NH, 

for the summer, awaiting the 

publication of the biography 

of her late husband, Dudley. 

She was slowed down a bit by 

a fall that severely damaged 

her thumb, making driving 

impossible — but things are 

improving. | Mary ahara Kraske 

writes that she is trucking along. 

Her family is presently healthy 

and getting accustomed to 

her husband Dave’s paralysis. 

| alexandra angelus Marken 

missed our Reunion in April, as 

she and Charlie were celebrating 

their 50th wedding anniversary. 

| Mary Baker leblanc sang 

Brahm’s Requiem in German 

with the Magill chorus and 

Women Making Music in April. 

She is enjoying her new grandson, 

Daniel James Tiberius Todd, 

and his twin brothers. Her summer 

will be spent doing creative 

writing and gardening. | Ellie 

Morrison Brockway celebrated 

her birthday in June with Rita 

Taddonio Walsh and laura 

Bond Carrchia — a good time 

was had by all. | Elaine Katsos 

antonakes taught a course at 

the Explorer’s Lifetime Learning 

Institute on “People in the Arts.” 

| Nancy Reid Whitman has been 

studying and planting Syringa 

(lilacs) with the International 

Lilac Society — refer any lilac 

questions to her! Otherwise she 

is at the beach in Nahant, swimming 

and gardening for the 

summer. | Our president, Jackie 

Pell Tuttle, and her husband, 

Tut, were honored by the Shelter 

Island Historical Society’s Volunteers 

of the Year at a gala in 

July. Tut was also honored as a 

60-year active volunteer fireman 

0n Shelter Island. Jackie has 

been in Stoneham, MA, to help 

her daughter, Jill, recover from 

knee surgery. Our super president 

sure does get around! 

1956 

Dorothy Bruce Willis 

24 Bradford Lane 

Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 

dandfwillis@verizon.net 

Once again the Class of ’56 

had a wonderful Reunion. At 

the awards luncheon, ’56 won 

the Reunion Class Gift Award. 

This award is given to the class 

that has raised the most money 

since the last Reunion — a total 

of $711,433 for us. This amount 

includes annual fund, major 

gifts, and planned gifts. Another 

highlight of the weekend was 

What’s your 


tell it at: 



President Drinan’s State of the 

College address — it made you 

feel so proud to be an alumna of 

Simmons College. Many thanks 

to those who helped plan such 

a great Reunion, especially our 

Class President Joyce Davidson 

franklin. | anne Handy Church 

wrote, “Walking around the 

area and the College took at 

least 45 years off my age. We 

have all seemed to have aged 

well! The campus has aged well 

too — this was my first visit 

back since the ’50s!!! Having 

moved as we did — and ending 

in Virginia for over 30 years and 

with four children who are all 

married now and have added 10 

children to the family tree — it 

was a real treat to see everyone.” 

Anne now lives on Cape Cod. | 

After nearly 40 years in Kansas, 

Nancy Jehl has moved back 

to the east coast to Summerville, 

SC. Nancy had a private 

family therapy practice. In her 

retirement she keeps busy with 

book clubs, exercise classes and 

enjoying the cultural offerings 

of Charleston. At Reunion, 

Nancy and Grayce Medici Hess 

went back to freshman campus 

(232 Kent Street) to visit. The 

present owners invited them 

inside for a nostalgic tour of the 

now single-family home. Grayce 

lives in both Chaddsford, PA, 

and Ocean City, NJ. Her oldest 

granddaughter teaches 5th 

grade and Grayce spends one 

day a week helping in her classroom. 

She also takes courses at 

the Academy of Life Learning. 

| Norma Collister Walgrove is 

busy supporting her husband, 

George, with his goal of section 

hiking the Appalachian Trail. 

Together they have hiked parts 

of 11 of the 14 states. Maintaining 

fun contact with eight 

grandchildren, who live in three 

different states, keeps her very 

busy. | In June, Nancie Dwinell 

Godwin and her husband, who 

live in Stratford-upon-Avon, 

England, traveled by train to 

Slovenia and Croatia. | In May, 

Mo Moore Marsh traveled to So. 

Pasadena, CA, to visit with her 

first grandchild, Zoe. 

1958 

Dianne Kofman Chirls 

3 Robinhood Drive 

Mountain Lakes, NJ 07046 

diannechir@aol.com 

Ellie Weinstein Davidson and 

husband Larry now live in 

Sarasota, FL, for six months 

and New York City for the other 

half of the year. Seems to suit 

their lifestyle perfectly. | Phyllis 

Brown Cohen is busy acting 

as power of attorney for her 

99-year-old aunt who lives in 

Florida. Her travels have taken 

her and Joey to Berlin, which 

was an emotional experience. 

London then completed their 

trip. | Hunters Run in Boynton 

Beach was the site this year 

of our annual South Florida 

mini-reunion, graciously hosted 

by Beverly Goldberg Halpern, 

whose granddaughter graduated 

from Bard College last May and 

whose twin granddaughters 

celebrated their b’nai mitzvah in 

June. Other classmates attending 

were Joyce Golan Derrow, 

whose daughter is engaged to 

be married in August; Maxine 

ascher Goldberg, who 

was lucky enough to have her 

three-year-old granddaughter 

visit her in Florida; Sue Bleyer 

Jaffin, who joined us for the first 

time and lives in Jupiter, FL, in 


classnotes 

the winter and is a travel agent 

in Manhasset, NY, for the rest 

of the year; Sandy Rosenfeld 

Dickerman, who will be traveling 

to London, Barcelona, Rome, 

and Venice with grandchildren 

who have celebrated their bar 

or bat mitvahs; and your class 

secretary, Dianne Kofman 

Chirls, who was looking forward 

to a belated 50th anniversary 

celebration in June. | Class 

President louise Razin Brown 

attended the annual Scholarship 

Appreciation Brunch at the 

College in March with Sylvia 

Bossman Tolman, Cookie lalli 

Genua, Clotilde Chaves Zannetos 

and her daughter, Lanthe, 

and granddaughter, Christine 

— all Simmons women. Cookie 

commented on how important 

financial aid continues to be. 

She is currently doing freelance 

editing and proofreading work 

on a realtor’s memoir and a 

cancer survivor’s documentary. | 

Norma livingstone Silber’s husband, 

Sig, had his own art show 

in New Jersey, where they live. 

| Classmates florence Pressman, 

Cookie lalli Genua, lee 

Stargardter feinstein, Clotilde 

Chaves Zannetos, Judy Epstein 

levine, Phyllis Brown Cohen, 

and Pat Keegan Harden, all the 

way from Maine, attended the 

Reunion awards luncheon at 

the College in June. | Charlotte 

Goldfine Chefitz from New Jersey 

and Gerda Kilian freedhaim 

from the Washington, D.C., 

area would both like to have 

mini-reunions closer to where 

they live. If you’re interested, 

please email me at diannechir@ 

aol.com and I will pass on the 

information. | Our 55th is right 

around the corner! Look forward 

to your mail and emails for my 

next column. 

1960 

Elaine Gilboard Goralnick 

13200 Pacific Promenade 

Apartment 322 

Playa Vista, CA 90094-2153 

romaxe@aol.com 

ann Devine Gross 

4881 La Belle Terre Boulevard 

Pensacola, FL 32504-7859 

igross@bellsouth.net 

Barbara J. Zlotnick-Sanders 

220 Brook Valley Road 

Post Office Box 41 

Towaco, NJ 07082-0041 

zlotnicksanders@verizon.net 

Harriet Gorfinkle Diamond 

70 Weatherly Drive Unit 302 

Salem, MA 01970-6656 

zircons@comcast.net 

As Barbara wrote, “The melody 

is gone but the memory lingers 

on, and on and on!” | Saundra 

Baker lane arranged for her 

curator to take Barbara Holinger 

Hall, Barbara Kidder Martin, 

Chrisina Joseph Welch, Clare 

Rosoff Holland, Doris Sarno 

Bongiorno, Dorothy Shea Tutko, 

Ellen Daly Higgins, Gail Wilcox 

ledwig, Gail Teuten Noyes, Gail 

Tucker Hughes, Jean Schaler 

Tupper, Jeannie ackerman 

Curhan, lois Malatsky liss, 

lucy Tanneyhill Cromwell, 

Madeline Emery White, Nancy 

lekberg Corson, Roberta Banks 

Pitchell, Ruth ficksman Dolby, 

Sandra Yaffie Weinstein, and 

Susan Glatzer fischer on a 

tour of the new wing of the 

Boston Museum of Fine Arts. 

The highlight of the tour was 

the 90 paintings that are part 

of the Lane exhibit. Saundra 

then hosted a luncheon for all 

at Simmons and graciously 

shared her story. A biography of 

Saundra is due to be published 

this fall, which will include 

some of her amazing stories. | 

Inspired by the gathering at the 

Boston Museum of Fine Arts, 

lucy Tanneyhill Cromwell, Jane 

Gillette Hinckley, Gail Teuton 

Noyes, and Ellen Daly Higgins 

have revitalized the Simmons 

Club of Cape Cod. | Barbara 

Safier Shoag and I attended the 

reception for President Drinan 

in L.A. Barbara shared with me 

that at a previous gathering in 

L.A., a fellow alum told Barbara 

about an endowed scholarship 

she created, which led Barbara 

to do the same. Barbara hopes 

that others will be similarly 

inspired. She is still busy selling 

real estate and in February took 

a trip to Bali, Kuala Lumpur, 

Borneo, and Singapore, and 

spent time over the summer 

with children and grandchildren 

in Stratford, Ontario and Washinton, 

D.C. | ann Devine Gross 

has been to Thailand, Cambodia, 

and Vietnam for an immersion 

in Hindu and Buddist influences 

on history and returned 

just in time for the arrival of a 

second grandson. | Will be back 

in Boston the end of August to 

celebrate Murray and my 50th 

anniversary with family and 

friends. Keep your notes and 

emails coming. 

1962 

Myrna abbott Kasser 

214 Thirteenth Street 

Hoboken, NJ 07030-4435 

myrna@twokassers.com 

REUNION ’12 


Barbara Caneva Stickle wrote 

that she’s still working at the 

high school, and still loving the 

kids she works with. In the fall, 

she’ll be teaching a semester of 

English; this past semester she 

taught Spanish 1 and 2. “Our 

two grandsons, Aidan (11) and 

Brannon (9), play a major part 

in our happiness,” she writes. 

Barbara sent a photo, which 

you’ll find on our website, ClassOf62.org. 

| I am very sorry to 

convey this news from Ellen 

Blumsack Rodman: “It is with 

the deepest sadness I have 

ever felt that I write you about 

the sudden and unexpected 

death of my beloved son, Keith 

Andrew Rodman, age 42, in 

August 2010.” | Barbara firger 

wrote, “I’ve spent most of my 

working life writing either 

directly for public and commercial 

radio and public TV or 

academic public information 

and news, but since moving 

to the bad weather of the Bay 

Area, I’ve been a nanny, done 

some freelancing for various 

clients, and most recently, wrote 

medical-legal reports for an 

orthopedic surgeon.” Barb sent 

a photo, which you’ll find on our 

website. | Margaret Ewing Stengel 

and her husband went to the 

MIT 150th celebration, where 

they caught up with old friends 

Phyllis Nickerson Dotson and 

her husband, George. Pegi has 

been working hard on our 50th 

Reunion, along with Peggy forman 

Shapiro, Joan Conlin Reilly, 

Gail Trust fuchs and Roberta 

Zimmerman Perlmutter. Our 

Reunion celebration will kick 

off on June 2 with Simmons 

Night at the Pops. For those 

of you who plan on staying on 

campus, we’ll be in Arnold Hall, 

and that is also where our Class 

room will be. | Please send me 

your children’s and grandchildren’s 

names as we prepare for 

our 50th Reunion. (No kidding!) 

Plus anything you’d like 

posted to the website: pictures, 

thoughts, essays, notes... free 

your imagination! 


classnotes 

1964 

Karen Chaiken Kavet 

69 Lincoln Road 

Wayland, MA 01778 

kkavet@comcast.net 

Following receipt of yet another 

issue of the SimmonS magazine 

in which the Class of 1964 

was not represented, I received 

the following submissions from 

our classmates. Everyone would 

love to hear from YOU, too. | 

Joan Polinar Shapiro wrote to 

tell us all about the prestigious 

Great Teacher Award bestowed 

upon her. Her name will be inscribed 

in the Founder’s Garden 

of Temple University’s main 

campus. | Patricia Kane was 

elected to the executive committee 

of the Connecticut Green 

Nancy Lewis Daigle ’64 bakes 

Christmas cupcakes with her 

three grandchildren. 

Party in May 2011 and will serve 

as secretary. Life in New Haven 

has exceeded her expectations. 

She fled the corporate surroundings 

in Fairfield County 2 years 

ago, but still sees friends there. 

The bar in New Haven is very 

collegial, and since Patricia is 

still practicing law, it’s a good 

place to be active. In May Patricia 

visited her daughter Tanya 

in L.A. Tanya’s dance troupe 

performed, and Patricia sat in 

on one of her daughter’s classes 

at Cal State in L.A., where she is 

a professor of theater and dance 

arts. Patricia just finished her 

second year of studying Spanish 

(using her Latin, French, and 

Russian studies for background) 

and feels the urgent need 

to visit South America and 

speak en español ahora! | After 

graduating from the dietetic 

internship program at Duke 

University Medical Center in ’65, 

Nancy lewis Daigle worked as 

a clinical dietitian specializing 

in critical care nutritional support. 

She went on to graduate 

from the Culinary Institute of 

America with a degree in baking 

and pastry arts in 1992 and 

worked at the Town & Country 

Hotel & Convention Center and 

the Hyatt Regency on San Diego 

Bay, but eventually returned to 

her prior profession and spent 

16 years as the lead dietitian/ 

clinical specialist for Fresenius 

Medical Care. She lives in San 

Diego with her husband and has 

four grandchildren. | Miriam 

allen Black writes, “Great news! 

My daughter Alethea Black 

(Harvard 1991) had her first 

book, i Knew You’d Be Lovely, 

published by Broadway Books, 

a division of Random House. It 

is a collection of short stories. 

Alethea has been named A New 

Writer to Watch by Barnes and 

Noble. I am the proud mother. 

It is available through Amazon, 

in books stores, as well as on 

Kindle and Nook.” 

1968 

Pamela Street Walton 

Post Office Box 33 

Spofford, NH 03462-0033 

pawalton@myfairpoint.net 

Ten days prior to this Class 

Notes deadline content for the 

column was sparse. Simmons 

at my request sent out an 

email blast to the class of 1968. 

Enough news for two columns 

materialized! Thank you, ladies. 

If you did not receive an email 

from me (via Elizabeth Lawton 

at Simmons) last July, it may 

mean that Simmons does not 

have your current email address. 

Update your contact information 

online or by phone to 

the Office of Advancement at 

800-831-4284. We need accurate 

info for our 45th Reunion 

in 2013! | Transition and travel 

are key words in many of our 

lives. We’re cruising, moving, 

retiring, and turning 65. Next 

week I have my meeting with 

Social Security regarding Medicare…how 

can that be | Maureen 

Thornton Syracuse indicated 

that my email was timely; 

she is currently making a major 

transition. She is retiring from 

emeri-ties 

updates on emeriti faculty and staff 

This year’s American Association of University 

Professors Emeriti Lunch was held early 

in May, in the attractive conference room 

atop the School of Management and Academic 

building, which has a fine view of the 

Boston skyline. Among those in attendance 

(including current faculty and staff) were 

Peter Bowers and Iclal Hartman (Chemistry), 

Diane Coulopoulos, Barbara Gentile 

and Peter Castle (Psychology), Alicia Faxon, 

Margaret Hanna and Bob Oppenheimer 

(Art), Susan Keane, (French), Pamela Bromberg, 

Lawrence Langer, David Gullette, 

George Nitchie (English) and his daughter 

Kathy Zola, Helen Reinking, Claire Goodwin 

and Jason Wood (Archives), Bob Goldman 

(Math), Alden Poole (Communications), 

Daphne Harrington (Library), Haley Lamson 

(Advancement), Jack Hunter (History) and 

his wife, Pat Whittemore ’53. 

A highlight was President Helen Drinan’s 

excellent upbeat report on the State of the 

College and projections of various scenarios 

for its future. 

Phyllis Moore (Nursing) has been named 

a “Living Nursing Legend” by the Massachusetts 

Association of Registered Nurses for 

her significant contributions to the nursing 

professions. Her former colleague, Judy 

Beal, now dean of the School of Nursing and 

Health Sciences, said of her recently: “She 

is one of the most dedicated professionals 

I have had the honor to work with. I don’t 

think that Phyllis will ever retire. She loves 

learning and contributing too much. And we 

as a profession in Massachusetts are better 

because of her and her work. She is most 

worthy to receive this honor.” 

— PEGGy LoEB ’62 


classnotes 

her position as executive director 

of the D.C. Bar Pro Bono 

Program after a 20-year tenure 

leading this nonprofit agency, 

which mobilizes lawyers to 

provide free legal services to the 

low-income community in the 

District. Last year they touched 

the lives of 20,000 D.C. residents 

and organizations. At the 

Bar’s 2011 annual awards dinner, 

Maureen received the D.C. 

Bar’s highest award, named for 

Justice William Brennan, Jr., in 

recognition of her career working 

in the public interest. Upon 

leaving, she’ll continue working 

part-time. Spending more 

time with family (her husband, 

Michael, whom she married in 

1994, her three adult stepchildren 

and two grandchildren 

who live near them in Alexandria, 

VA) will be a priority. She’s 

also excited by the opportunity 

to take art classes during the day 

and spend time at their second 

home on the eastern shore. | 

Kathy lePoer, who incidentally 

was in that great photo in the 

last SimmonS magazine of 

several of our PT classmates, 

sent me an update of her life 

since graduation. She worked 

in Boston for 18 months before 

going overseas to Tunisia and 

Indonesia for two years as a 

physical therapist. In 1986, she 

moved to Montreal and married 

John Fowles, an orthopedic surgeon. 

He has since changed his 

career (not retired, he says) and 

is now an artist. In Montreal, 

Kathy worked in hospital and 

rehabilitation management and 

then moved back into clinical 

work. Kathy and John live in the 

Eastern Townships of Quebec. 

She sings in a regional choir, 

takes piano lessons and gardens. 

Gardening is her favorite hobby. 

Kathy and John have 5 grandchildren 

living in Toronto and 

Ottawa, who come for vacations 

to their grandparents’ home 

where they can swim, row a 

boat, and be regaled by stories 

of pirates which John creates 

on paper and in person. Never 

a dull moment there! | Empty 

nester Jean Tepper wrote that 

she didn’t have exciting news 

to relate but I’ll leave it to you 

as to whether it’s exciting. She 

is living in San Francisco and 

working part-time as an attorney. 

Take a look at her blog, which 

originated after she sold her 

house and bought a smaller 

home: downsizinginsf.blogspot. 

com. With both sons living 

in New Zealand in 2010, she 

visited twice that year. One son 

will be returning to the U.S. 

shortly, but the second will 

remain in Wellington for the 

time being. Jean celebrated her 

65th birthday with a tea party for 

40 of her best women friends. 

Each one used a different teacup 

from her collection. Classmate 

Phyllis Helfand was among the 

guests, as was her dear friend 

Debby lipton Kremsdorf ’69. 

| Another transitioner, Harriet 

Keene Wilson, just retired 

from 16 years as the secretary/ 

administrative assistant for the 

Wakefield, NH, school district. 

As for most of us retiring from 

academics, she will miss the 

students and staff, but not the 

long hours! Her husband, Dick, 

is not retired from his dental 

practice, but he is working fewer 

hours. Harriet wrote: “We have 

reached another milestone; we 

both have our Medicare cards! It 

doesn’t seem possible that we’re 

old enough for that! Our son Nathan 

is a college math assistant 

professor in St. Louis, and our 

daughter Rachel is a fourth-year 

surgical resident in Philadelphia.” 

| andrea Ehudin Watson 

emailed me from Taos, NM, 

during a monsoon rain. She 

and her husband, Bill, divide 

their time between Taos and 

Denver. Their first grandchild, 

Hunter, lives in Richmond, VA, 

with their son Graham and his 

wife, Sara. Son William lives 

in Hastings on Hudson, NY, 

with his fiancée, Adelina. Still 

creating, Andrea is a co-editor 

of a poetry book that came out 

in September 2011, Collecting 

Life: Poets on objects Known and 

imagined, featuring the work of 

88 poets on their private collections. 

| Ardent traveler Monica 

Heilbrunn Ruthizer related 

the following medical/travel 

update “My husband, Jeff, has 

recovered from brain surgery. 

A freak condition called an AV 

fistula was removed, and we are 

back on track in our retirement. 

We have cruised down both 

coasts of South America, gone 

through the Panama Canal, 

visited many ports on the Black 

Sea, and spent a week in Alaska. 

Coming up are trips to NY, New 

Orleans, Savannah, Tanglewood 

and finally, a week in Spain 

with our kids to celebrate our 

35th wedding anniversary and 

Jeff’s 70th birthday. My favorite 

trip to-date was a cruise on the 

old QEii up on the Norwegian 

coast to Spitzbergen, which is 

only a few hundred miles from 

the North Pole and completely 

breathtaking.” | Kathy Higgins, 

the final transitioner for this 

column, wrote: “My academic 

preparation at Simmons gave 

me the ‘tools’ to start my lifelong 

commitment to the field of 

education. I have been fortunate 

to serve children as a teacher, 

reading consultant, and elementary 

school principal since 1968. 

The word ‘retire’ does not fit 

what I did last June...I did ‘retire’ 

from the principalship, but I 

prefer to call it ‘changing lanes.’ 

I now have three part-time jobs, 

serve on two boards, and play 

with my grandchildren and new 

puppy.” Kathy is a part-time professor 

at Quinnipiac University, 

serves as an executive coach for 

a principal in CT, and co-directs 

a summer institute for teachers 

in Hartford: www.seedlingsteachers.org. 

Husband Peter 

is on the brink of retirement 

from his job as IT director for 

their town, and stepson Spencer 

is an attorney in Los Angeles. 

Daughter Carole was an elementary 

principal in Cambridge and 

now resides in Amherst with 

her husband and two girls. In 

her spare time, Kathy chases 

her Italian water dog puppy and 

enjoys flower gardening. She 

concluded her note by stating: 

“All my best to our classmates. 

I hope you’ve had good health 

and have found peace, love, and 

fulfillment during the past 43 

years (43 years!). I would love 

to hear from you!” higgins. 

kathleen@yahoo.com. | I, Pam 

Street Walton, reiterate Kathy’s 

sentiments and would especially 

love to hear from all the classmates 

who have not emailed, 

phoned, or sent snail mail in 

the last 3 years. Everyone be in 

touch and send photos! 2013 is 

just around the corner. Send me 

all the news that is fit to print 

and requests for contacting 

long-lost friends…and do send 

Simmons some money! 

1973 

Deborah lerner Duane 

29 Maple Terrace 

Millburn, NJ 07041-2018 

deborah@lernerduane.com 

Eileen Ogintz’s very successful 

Taking the Kids guides have been 

updated, and are available for 

Nook and Kindle, with kid-centric 

excerpts to cities including 

San Francisco, Los Angeles, 

and Seattle, as well as the Great 

Western National parks. Eileen 

is also a regular contributor 

to The Huffington Post, writing 

about traveling with kids, 

a column that started at The 

Chicago Tribune, when her own 

now-grown children were very 

young. | Nancy Hoober and her 

brother Tom recently purchased 

Legacy Used Books & Collectibles, 

located on Main Street in 

her hometown of New Holland, 

PA. Nancy writes, “This is the 


classnotes 

culmination of my years in 

administration, education, and 

retail, and I look forward to 

greeting any Simmons alums 

who visit Lancaster County!” | 

My husband, Dan, and I had 

two marvelous celebrations last 

spring. In May 2011 our younger 

son, Brendan, graduated cum 

laude from Syracuse University’s 

S.I. Newhouse School of 

Public Communication (anyone 

looking for a talented television/ 

film writer), and in June, our 

older son, Michael, married 

Molly Rapoport. I can’t actually 

figure out what’s more astounding 

— knowing all three kids 

are done with college, or being 

someone’s mother-in-law! | 

Your news is always welcome, 

and you can e-mail it to me 

any time! 

1980 

Susan Barrett 

44 Greenhurst Road 

West Hartford, CT 06107-3418 

sue.barrett@aetna.com 

Michelle Mitchell 

6343 Saint Timothy’s Lane 

Centreville, VA 20121 

shelleymichelle20121@yahoo.com 

abby Wool landon recently 

joined the law firm Williams 

Kastner’s Portland office and 

will expand its tax, estate, and 

legacy practice. Landon has 

run her own law firm for ten 

years, is a business owner, and 

a member of several family 

partnerships. 

1992 

Karen Gordon lieberman 

8 Draco Drive 

Randolph, NJ 07869-2703 

jklieberman@verizon.net 

lynne Civitello Marullo 

3 Gordon Avenue 

Enfield, CT 06082 

lram2470@gmail.com 

REUNION ’12 


Beth DeMartino acerbo proudly 

shares the birth of her first 

child. Michael Joseph was born 

on April 18, 2011. Beth would 

love to hear from fellow classmates 

at bademr@optoneline. 

net. Beth and family live in 

Greenwich, CT. 

1997 

Katie Butler Thornell 

4 Greenleaf Drive 

Beverly, MA 01915-1538 

butler_ke@hotmail.com 

REUNION ’12 


Susan Kelley writes, “I have a 

new book out, titled i oprahed, 

And other Adventures of a Woman 

of a Certain Age. It’s available 

now from Amazon.com. There 

is a story about returning to 

Simmons to complete my 

degree — I was on the 30-year 

plan. But I did it, and it was a 

great moment. It is available 

on Amazon.” 

What’s your 


story 

2001 

Danielle Prentis ’05SM 

15 Ralph Piteri Terrace 

Apartment 4 

Watertown, MA 02472-1576 

danielle_lussier@yahoo.com 

Jennifer Holmes Norrod 

’03HSD, her husband, Phillip, 

and big sisters McKenna and 

Marleigh welcomed Maxwell 

Grant on June 25, 2010. Max 

weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces 

and was 20 inches long. 

2004 

Chanelle Peters 

10 Deer Meadow Drive 

Bloomfield, CT 06002-1982 

cpeters8682@gmail.com 

Elizabeth Dube ’05GS 

55 Atwood Street 

Wellesley, MA 02482 

liz.silva@gmail.com 

Catherine Thistle ’05GS writes, 

“On June 18, I married the love 

of my life, Peter Thistle, in 

our home state of Maine. We 

honeymooned in Moorea before 

returning to Maryland, where 

we have lived for the last five 

years.” 

Abby Wool Landon ’80 

recently joined Williams 

Kastner’s Portland, oR, 

law office. 

2005 

Zahra Kanji Ishikawa 

9 Haven Terrace 

Dover, MA 02030-2133 

kanjiz@gmail.com 

amanda White Stupakevich 

married Brett Stupakevich on 

July 9, 2011 in her hometown 

of Scituate, MA. amy Walsh 

Pischel served as matron of 

honor, and fellow classmates 

Meghan Backus Haney, Rachel 

anderson Hughes, Maura 

Tansley, and lori Winters ’04 

also attended. “It was an amazing 

day, and we are moving to 

Arlington to start this next 

chapter in our lives!” 

tell it at: 




“John Simmons enacted a vision that was radical, even 

classnotes 

imagine 

the 100-year ViSion road Show: Coming Soon to a City near you! 

revolutionary, in 1899. that mission is just as powerful 

today. as the stewards entrusted with Simmons’s 

future, we must commit with similar inspiration and 

ambition to ensure the next 100 years.” 

SimmonS 100 yearS from now 

what do you See 

President Helen g. Drinan ’75LS, ’78Sm has wrapped up the first leg of the 100-year Vision 

road Show, visiting locations across the new england and new york areas to share the 

Simmons community’s vision for the next 100 years. 

“i am proud to showcase the product of years of hard work by the Simmons community 

— work that will shape the next 100 years of this institution,” said Drinan. “i’m thrilled to 

have met so many alumni, family, and friends already, and i hope to meet many more of 

you in this next stage of the journey.” 

— PreSiDent Drinan ’75LS, ’78Sm 

Clockwise from top: Brenda Sanya ’10gS, 

Donald Sanya, ronald Wolfe, and Lynne Devnew 

’67; three generations of Simmons women: 

mildred Feldman Levitt ’49 (right), Sheryl Levitt 

Schwartz ’78 (center), and aviva Schwartz ’07; 

President Helen g. Drinan ’75LS, ’78Sm (center) 

with husband David Drinan and guest Lisa Craig 

’11Sm; trustee andrea Waldstein ’60SW (right) 

and husband arthur Waldstein with student ambassador 

Samantha Schenk ’12; trustee Kathy 

morrissey LaPoint ’84 (center) with guests 

gisela Bauerle ’83 (left) and Dena trust ’77gS. 

2012 eVentS: 

FLoriDa 

February 7, Palm Beach 

February 8, naples 

Feburary 9, Sarasota 

CaLiFornia 

march 22, San Francisco 

iLLinoiS 

april 18, Chicago 

WaSHington, D.C. 

april 25 

CoLoraDo 

June 19, Denver 

to regiSter ViSit: 

Alumnet.Simmons.edu/roadshow 

or CaLL: 800-831-4284 


classnotes 

Graduate Class Notes 

CAS: 

COLLEGE OF ARTS 

AND SCIENCES 

adrienne McClure ’68GS 

recently won the Alumni Educator 

Award from Framingham 

State University. For over 30 

years, McClure taught home 

economics in Cambridge. She 

has worked tirelessly for affirmative 

action in Arlington, 

her hometown, and chaired the 

African American Society Scholarship 

Committee. McClure 

volunteers at the Benjamin 

Banneker Charter Public School 

in Cambridge. 

GSLIS: 

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF 

LIBRARY AND INFORMATION 

SCIENCE 

The third Archives Education 

and Research Institute was hosted 

by GSLIS and held at Simmons 

from July 11–15. Speakers 

included David ferriero ’74lS, 

the archivist of the United 

States. | At SLA 2011, Jim 

Matarazzo ’65lS and Dr. Toby 

Pearlstein ’77lS,’87lS gave a 

joint presentation on corporate 

libraries and how information 

professionals can survive in a 

time of upheaval by recognizing 

and reacting to danger signs. 

Matarazzo is dean and professor 

emeritus at GSLIS. | The 

Massachusetts Board of Library 

Commissioners named Cynthia 

Roach ’88lS as the new head of 

Library Advisory and Development 

and Government Liaison. | 

Beverly Sweetman ’89lS writes, 

“Publishing under the pseud 

B.J. Lee, my poem ‘A Streetcar 

Named Happily Ever After’ has 

come out in the anthology in the 

Garden of the Crow. Under the 

pseud B.J. Lee, I have over 30 

children’s and adult poems published. 

My poem ‘The Legend 

of the Flying Dutchman’ has 

been nominated for the 2011 

Rhysling Award and has come 

out in the Rhysling Anthology.” | 

Margaret Riley Dikel ’91lS was 

awarded the 2011 JoAnn Harris 

Bowlsbey Award for Excellence 

in the Field of Technology in 

Career Development by the 

National Career Development 

Association. She has been working 

on the issue of the Internet 

as a tool for employment and 

career development since 1993. 

Her website, rileyguide.com, 

is a major resource for people 

seeking career and employment 

information. | Jan Voogd ’95lS 

became the managing editor of 

portal: Libraries and the Academy 

in December 2010. | David Sullivan 

’99lS is the new knowledge 

and information manager at Altman 

Vilandrie & Co. in Boston. 

Altman Vilandrie is a strategy 

consulting firm focusing on the 

telecommunications industry. 

Previously, Sullivan was a senior 

information specialist at L.E.K. 

Consulting in Los Angeles. | 

Manager of library services at 

Seyfarth Shaw, LLP, amanda 

Merk ’01lS wrote an article for 

the SLA newsletter describing 

the mutually beneficial relationship 

between Simmons and Seyfarth 

Shaw, which offers internships 

to current GSLIS students. 

| Mary Brunelle ’04lS writes, “I 

recently accepted a new position 

at my library. I am now head, 

library systems and technology 

at Emmanuel d’Alzon Library 

at Assumption College.” | Brian 

Greene ’05lS is now the head of 

access services at Northeastern 

University Libraries, Boston, 

MA. | Carla Magenheimer 

’06lS has completed her first 

year as elementary school librarian 

at the International School 

of Florence in Italy. | Caro 

Pinto ’09lS wrote a ProfHacker 

guest post, “Showing, Not 

Telling: Prezi and Omeka,” in 

the Chronicle of Higher Education. 

She highlighted these tools 

for classroom use, making the 

case that they can help teachers 

create more engaging presentations 

and encourage students to 

interact with the material. 

| Former Dean’s Fellow for 

Teaching Assistance Holly 

Erickson ’10lS has been hired 

by Systems Resource Management, 

Inc. in Rhode Island as a 

government contract librarian. 

| The Library Journal’s June feature 

story,“The Problem is Not 

the Homeless” highlights the 

experience of two GSLIS alums, 

Joshua Jackson ’08lS and anne 

Gancarz ’10lS. It also mentions 

GSLIS adjunct faculty member 

Shelley Quezada’s course, Literacy 

and Services to Underserved 

Populations: Issues and 

Responses. | The News Division 

Awards committee selected 

Elizabeth Ryan ’10lS to receive 

the News Division/ProQuest 

stipend to attend the 2011 SLA 

conference in Philadelphia 

in June. 

SSW: 

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK 

Elizabeth Barnes ’08SW writes, 

“Since graduating, I have been 

busy parenting my two pre-teen 

girls, writing and publishing 

my book, A Family Guidebook on 

Bullies, Self Esteem and Hidden 

Hurts! and speaking to parents 

of elementary school children 

throughout MA on ‘How To 

Bully Proof Your Child.’ I have 

my Simmons internships to 

thank for directing me towards 

my field of educating parents 

and children on bullying 

prevention!” 


obituaries 

oBITuArIES 

From April 1, 2011, through July 31, 2011, the office 

of Advancement received notifications that the following 

alumnae/i and faculty are deceased. 

Emeritus faculty 

George Nitchie 

June 6, 2011 

Garland junior 

College 

1950 

Esther Anderson 

August 25, 2010 

1954 

Cynthia Pond 


1960 

Joyce Garvey Graziano 

November 19, 2007 

undergraduate 

College 

1931 

Dorothy Hatch Pendleton 

Biology 

April 9, 2011 

1932 

Lois Murdough Smith 

Library and Information Science 

July 11, 2011 

Ruth Kirwin Smyth 

Business Administration 

October 10, 2008 

1933 

Frances Clark Flanders 


May 30, 2011 

Kathleen McNerny Preston 

Home Economics 


Inez Delabarre Reese 

Business 


Ada Bresth Rostler 

Business 


1934 

Gladys Eldridge Burgess 

Business 

February 28, 2011 

Irene Gordon Cantor 



Dorothea Stockwell Wiley 

Social Work 

March 21, 2011 

1935 

Nancy Nash Myers 



Mary Shields 

English 


Viktoria Olson Swenson 

Nursing 

May 5, 2010 

1937 

Elizabeth McPherson Connolly 

Business 


Dahlia Martin DiCroce 

Business 


1938 

Ruth Antaya O’Keefe 

Science 


Elizabeth Brooks Roche 

Social Work 


1939 

Margaret Spicer Dudley 

Retail Management 

August 24, 2008 

Rose Lisker Flink 

Social Work 

April 3, 2009 

Norma Fryatt 

Business 

April 1, 2007 

Ruth Leven Greenberg 

English 

August 28, 2010 

Luise Morrison Henmon 



Beatrice Rome Isenstein 

Biology 


Doris Hills King 


February 7, 2008 

Gladys Ricles Kirtchik 

Business 

August 10, 2010 

Barbara Zang Kistler 


December 18, 2002 

Dorothy Reardon Maceyka 



Helen Coleman Marks 



Jane Williams O’Connor 



Christine Hawkinson Weisblat 


May 14, 2007 

Ruth Lubin Wexler 

Science 


1940 

Jane Allen Carr 



Harriett Davies Dresing 


January 22, 2007 

Arline Caddy Gouzoule 

Business 

September 14, 2010 

Rita Gaull Hamburg 

Business 


Susan Harris Johnson 



Leona Feldberg Karp 

Pre Professional 


Harriet Pilkington Keenan 


January 29, 2011 

Dorothy Lomer Lane 

Nursing 


Elizabeth Barber Pollock 

English 


Margaret Romweber 


June 21, 2008 

Mary Doyle Schmakel 



Edith West Webber 



Elsie Anderson Wolf 

Business 

August 12, 2010 

1941 

Bette Berman Arnold 

Business 


Elinor Freedman Bronstein 

Nursing 

March 18, 2006 

Ruth Charak Deutsch 


May 14, 2009 

Juanita Jackson Handy 

Pre-Professional 


Virginia Bourke Lawrence 

Chemistry 

August 25, 2009 

Madge Line 

Science 


Sylvia Bebchick Luck 

Business 


Priscilla Maltby Mayden 



Elizabeth Kitchen Patton 

English 


Alma Rogers Perkins 


June 16, 2007 

Margery Dayton Sage 

Physical Education 


Charlotte Aubert Scott 

Nursing 

May 16, 2010 

Jean McCoy Shepherd 

Business 


Margaret Wellington Tracy 

Physical Education 

May 3, 2007 

Shirley Logan Young 



1943 

Marjorie Neville Carleton 

Business 


Carolyn Avery Flather 

Business 


Helen Kondelin Nash 


April 19, 2009 

1944 

Marian Roller Chilson 

Business 


1945 

Bernice DeCosta Davis 



Dorothy Winslow Drew 




obituaries 

1946 

Arlene Silverman Ross 



Marion Stiebel Siciliano 



1947 

Catherine Tinkham 

Nursing 


1948 

Marion Quinney Crawford 

Nutrition 


Katherine Murphy 



1949 

Ruth Bartlett Herman 

Nursing 


Maryann Balch Turkington 

English 


1950 

Jennie Pellegrini DeVido 



1951 

Carol Sevin Foster 



Marion John Roach 

Science 


Amy Spaulding White 

Business 


1952 

Nancy Palmer Reid 



Marion Quint Woolwitch 

Science 


1953 

Sandra Jasper Sternberg 



1954 

Ruth Drury Forrest 

Communications 


1956 

Mary Fisher Poulin 



1959 

Mary‐Charlotte Bayles Shealy 

Nursing 


1960 

Adele Schwartz Gilbert 

Education 


1961 

Amy Matz Witkin 

Social Science 

May 21, 2010 

1963 

Jean Gunn Lokensgard 

Science 


Priscilla (Patti) Taft Lovitt 

Pre Professonial 


1969 

Phyllis Factor Scheinberg 

Education 


1974 

Patricia Prescott Norton 

Education 


1977 

Alene Kenig Gurin 

Nursing 


College of Arts and 

Sciences Graduate 

Studies 

1939 

Helen Ramey 

Business 


1997 

Kimberlee O’Neill 

Education 


Graduate School 

of Library and 

Information Science 

1953 

Helen Leighton 


1956 

Claire St. Arnaud Abernathy 


Charles Meehan 


1963 

Malcolm Ferguson 


1964 

Stephen Folts 


1968 

Martha VanRiddle 


1976 

Jane Gallup 


2009 

Susan Leavitt 


School of 

Management 

1984 

Sharen Rozen 



1939 

Emilie Farnsworth 


1950 

Phyllis Coulter Bailey 


1952 

Ella Bayliss 


1962 

Deborah Alden Metzger 


Lilian Shapiro 


1979 

Sue Rabison Kutz 



voices: SAMAnThA SChEnk ’12, SGA PrESIDEnT 

LE ADERSHIp At SIMMONS: 

• Student Government 

Association President 2011–2012 

• Academic Affairs officer 2010–2011 

• orientation Chair 2010–2011 

• orientation Leader 2009 

• Simmons Hall President 2008–2010 

• Emerging Leaders Program 2008–2009 

MAJOR: Double major in English and 

Political Science 

fAVORItE HIKING SpOt: 

“I love Mount 

Monadnock in Jaffrey, NH.” 

fAVORItE tHING 

tO COOK: “I love to 

bake, but I lived in Paris for two months 

this summer, and learned to make pork 

stuffed with spinach and cheese.” 

WHAt ADVICE WILL yOU GIVE tO tHE 

INCOMING CL A SS Of 2022 WHEN yOU 

REtURN 

fOR 

yOUR 

10 -yE AR REUNION: 

“College is a time to learn about yourself and 

explore what you want out of life. Know that 

it’s oK to take chances. People at Simmons 

are here to support you and offer help if you 

need it.” 

Hailing from a small town in New Hampshire, senior Samantha (Sam) Schenk ’12 recently 

lived in Paris for two months, but says although swimming in the Mediterranean 

and jumping off cliffs was thrilling, there’s no place like being at Simmons. 

“After my first visit, I was really impressed with the faculty and how much they cared 

about their students,” Schenk said. “It sounds cliché, but it’s true. You are a name, not a 

number, here. It is so genuine.” 

Schenk knew that when she came to Simmons she wanted to get involved. “When I 

came to college, I wanted to push myself further and reinvent myself into the person I 

always wanted to become,” she said. Schenk began her leadership tenure immediately as 

Simmons Hall president and has not stopped since — working her way to become orientation 

chair and most recently the current Student Government Association (SGA) President. 

“My favorite part about being involved with orientation was mentoring orientation leaders 

and teaching them to speak in front of a group, but also meeting the first-year students 

and their families, because they are just so excited to be here,” Schenk said. “I care about 

Simmons, and I want people to love it just as much as I do.” 

Schenk said she enjoys being the link between the administration and the students, and 

values how much the College cares about having students involved. “There needs to be a 

liaison between the administration and the students,” she said. 

For her senior year, Schenk is balancing her service to Simmons with work and fun, 

too. She is involved with the Simmons College Dance Company, and works at the campus 

bookstore and in the Office of the Provost, all while taking five classes, serving as a First 

Year Experience facilitator and speaking at open houses and admission events. 

With all of these activities, how does Schenk find the time to stay focused on her studies 

Schenk says it is difficult, but she reminds herself that all of these activities will 

benefit her when she begins her job search next year. 

“Being a leader on campus has taught me about myself. Although I may not know exactly 

what I’ll do when I graduate, I know I will be able to voice my opinion and ask for things 

when I need them.” 


SIMMONS | 300 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115-5898 

Nonprofit org. 

US Postage 

PAID 

Permit #121 

N. Reading, MA 

simmons.edu/leadership 

Robin Chase 

Transportation Innovator 

Founder, Zipcar and GoLoco 

Meg Whitman 

Business Innovator 

CEO, HP 

Michele Norrisris 

Host of NPR’s 

All Things Considered 

Billie Jean King 

Sports Innovator 

Tennis Legend 

Jane McGonigal 

Game Innovator 

Director, Institute 

for the Future 

Carmen Wong Ulrich 

Financial Journalist 

An enthusiastic, 

inspiring, and 

practical day to 

focus on yourself, 

your career, and 

your direction 

in life. 

— 2011 Conference Attendee 

Thursday, April 5, 2012 

Seaport World Trade Center, Boston, Massachusetts

Fall 2011 - Simmons College

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