GSLIS Edition - Simmons College

classnotes
print, called Swami Akhilananda,
1894–1962. | Ruth Olmstead
Roundy wrote that our classmate,
Virginia Lovett Kilham
died at her home on January 21,
2008. She had had cancer for
some time. The class sends its
sympathy to Ginny’s family.
REUNION ’09
1944 MAY 29–MAY 31
Joan Keating Lowney
1202 Greendale Avenue,
Apt. 119
Needham, MA 02492
Joan says, “Writing in the midst
of a snow storm — what else
in the winter of 2008! Keep in
touch!” | Peggy Adelson Saslow
writes, “I was thrilled to share
the Mary Canavan Award with
emeri-ties
updates on emeriti faculty and staff
Earlier this year, Phyllis Moore
(Nursing) received the 2008
President’s Award from the
Massachusetts Nurses Association.
She was appointed
to the advisory committee of
the University of Massachusetts’s
Boston Nursing Scholars
Program, which supports
students interested in nursing
who are from disadvantaged
backgrounds, including racial
and ethnic minorities and
underrepresented populations
in the profession.
Lydia Smith (Education)
reports that she is teaching,
both at the Harvard Institute
for Learning in Retirement,
and at Brookhaven in Lexington,
where she lives. Courses include
American and International
Short Stories, and Jane Austen’s
Novels and Significance.
The ever-active Lawrence
Langer ’96HD (English) gave
the closing keynote address
on “The Survivor as Author:
Primo Levi’s Literary Vision
of Auschwitz” at an international
conference on Levi at
Yale University. He also gave
two lectures at the Holocaust
Museum in Houston, Texas, on
“The Artists of Theresienstadt”
and “Interpreting Holocaust
Testimonies.” In August he
spoke on “Memory and Identity:
Understanding Holocaust
Testimonies” and “Psychological
Responses to the Holocaust”
at a research symposium on
Understanding Genocide at the
University of Copenhagen in
Denmark.
Ynhui Park (Philosophy)
continues to publish in French
and in English. Recently some of
his collected work appeared in
the journal Poésie published by
Editions Belin in Paris. Poems
in English have recently appeared
in the journal Damn the
Caesars, published in Buffalo,
New York.
Alden Poole (Communications)
and his wife Janet were
honored last January by the
Quincy Human Rights Commission
for their “long record of
advocacy for peace and social
justice” at the annual Martin
Luther King, Jr. breakfast.
The annual AAUP/Simmons
luncheon last May was well
attended by emeriti and longterm
staff. College of Arts and
Sciences undergraduate faculty
Toni Smerlas Lakis ’46SW. I am
happy to stay on the Alumnae
Association Executive Board for
another three years.” | Marge
Coleman Berg organized a
tea for Simmons grads at the
Wakefield Inn in Wakefield,
NH. | Ruth Riceman Shire stays
busy as a children’s librarian.
She is a community volunteer
and a regular at exersize classes.
She has three sons and five
grandchildren. The eldest is a
freshman at Harvard. | Rachel
present included Peter Bowers
(Chemistry) who entertained
with his stand-up comedy,
Peter Castle (Psychology),
Diane Coulopoulos (Psychology),
Laurie Crumpacker
’63 (History), Kathleen Dunn
(Education), Alicia Faxon
’98HD (Art), Henry Halko (History),
Susan Keane (French),
Lawrence Langer, Peggy Loeb
(Public Information), Ann Lord
(Nursing), Richard Lyman (History),
Charles Mackey (French/
Dean), Phyllis Moore, George
Nitchie (English), Alden Poole,
John Robinson (Education/
Dean), Richard Sterne (English),
and Judy Wittenberg
(English). Deanna Brooks and
Priscilla Riley represented the
School of Social Work, with Josephine
Fang and Bob Stueart
P’88 from the Graduate School
of Library and Information Sciences.
Later that month, about
two dozen emeriti and longterm
staff attended Simmons’s
pre-Commencement dinner at
the Boston Harbor Hotel.
Please send news of emeriti
and long-term faculty and staff
to Peggy Loeb, pegloeb@
yahoo.com.
Josefowitz Siegel has moved to a
retirement community near her
former home. She travels to visit
family and writes. | Alice Saunders
thanks her two cats for
keeping her in good spirits despite
many physical problems. |
Jean Alvord Cramer’s husband
died in June 2007 — just short
of their 64th wedding anniversary.
Her immediate family (33
in all) have been her support.
| Connie Luby Thurber died
December 31, 2007, after a long
illness. Lois Butler and Peggy
Saslow attended her funeral. |
Lee Washburn Stearns was the
oldest alumna at a recent Southwest
Florida Simmons Club
meeting. She attends theatre
and symphony concerts, sings
in a mixed chorus, plays bridge,
and travels. | Joanne Williams
Tripp is back from three weeks
in Maui. Arthritis from Lyme
disease is slowing her down.
1945
Jacqueline Zeldin Colby ’75LS
289 Mill Street
Newtonville, MA 02460-2437
JCOLBY@RCN.COM
Jackie reports: I keep busy as
President of the Newton, MA,
Food Pantry. My granddaughter,
Erica Colby ’08, graduated from
Simmons in the spring. | I am
sad to report that Susie Kaldeck
Gray died last November. She
had had several strokes. After
retiring as head of the Boston
Public Library, division of science
and technology, Susie was
elected to a number of terms as
library trustee in Sharon, MA.
Her daughter, Janet Gray ’74, is
a graduate of Simmons. | Betty
Emhoff Green, Class treasurer,
reports that our finances are in
good shape. The total receipts
available are $19,681.41. | Connie
Ramsdell Blair spent time in
Sicily last year with her son. On
a trip to San Francisco the previous
year, Connie saw Blanche
30 simmons alumnet.simmons.edu