Whitman College Winter 2018

WINTER 2018: Collaboration
magazine

WINTER 2018
PRESIDENT
Kathleen M. Murray
VICE PRESIDENT FOR ENROLLMENT
AND COMMUNICATIONS
Josh Jensen
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Gina Ohnstad
DIRECTOR OF CONTENT
Peter Szatmary
MANAGING EDITOR
Daniel F. Le Ray
WRITER
Gillian Frew ’11
CLASS NOTES
Jennifer Dilworth Northam ’91
FREELANCE DESIGNER
Kirsten Erwin
If recipient has moved, contact Sarah Jones at jonesst@whitman.edu.
LETTERS AND COMMENTS
Contact Peter Szatmary, director of content, by mail at Whitman
College, 345 Boyer Ave., Walla Walla, WA 99362; by email at
szatmap@whitman.edu; or by phone at (509) 527-5116.
CLASS NOTES, IN MEMORIAM, MARRIAGES/UNIONS,
BIRTHS/ADOPTIONS
To submit, go online to whitman.edu/classnotes.
HONOR YOUR CLASSMATES
If you would like to make a gift in honor of a classmate or friend who
has died, send a check to Whitman College, 345 Boyer Ave., Walla
Walla, WA 99362. Your gift will be added to the Memorial Scholarship
Endowment unless you designate otherwise.
WHITMAN MAGAZINE
Published four times a year—February, May, September and
November—by Whitman College, 345 Boyer Ave., Walla Walla, WA
99362. Periodical postage paid at Walla Walla, WA, and additional
mailing offices (USPS 968-620). ISSN: 0164-6990.
MAKE A GIFT ONLINE
Go online to whitman.edu/give.
NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY
magazine
Whitman College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color,
sex, gender, religion, age, marital status, national origin, physical
disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any
other basis prohibited by applicable federal, state or local laws.
AROUND THE CAMPUS
2 President’s Message
3 Letters to the Editor
4 News: Men Making Meals, Hub teen center, radical art
projects, Summer Read wrap-up, revised environmentalism
course, Scrambles 40th retrospective, NSF research grants,
Scholars at Risk, assistant coaches initiative, total solar eclipse.
ALUMNI NEWS
36 Class Notes
39 Marriages/Unions
39 Births/Adoptions
40 In Memoriam
45 Whitman Collection
46 Reunion Recap
FEATURES
16 A Home Away from Home
Many international students participate in Whitman’s Friendship
Family program that pairs them with local families.
20 Seeing Double
More than 100 students double major at Whitman, including
Gareth Jones ’19, Fathi Assegaf ’19 and Lauren Wilson ’19.
24 Unconscious Collaborator
Editorial cartoonist Peter Dunlap-Shohl ’81 creates an
autobiographical strip about his diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.
28 What We Do for Others
Maherin Ahmed ’11 is a U.N. World Food Programme
communications officer in her native Bangladesh.
32 The Notes Between the Cracks
Trombonist and Department of Music Chair Doug Scarborough
blends jazz with classical Middle Eastern music.
48 Crossword
A Blues brainteaser! The longest clues riff on the theme of
“collaboration” and some short clues include Whitman trivia.
Whitman Magazine is printed on paper composed of 30 percent postconsumer
waste.
This page: Whitman students harmonized about social justice during the annual
Freedom Songs performance last November at Harper Joy Theatre; singers,
spoken-word artists and dancers furthered discussion of diversity and inclusion
at Whitman. Before the show, a cappella groups rehearsed the finale, “Ella’s
Song,” by Sweet Honey in the Rock, by breaking into voice sections. Photo by
Jake Barokas ’18.
On the cover: Maherin Ahmed ’11 engages with community members during a
United Nations World Food Programme flood response operation in the Kurigram
District in Northern Bangladesh in August 2017. Photo courtesy Maherin Ahmed.

The Value
and Necessity
of Strategizing
Together
magazine
As I sit writing this, we are having our first day this
winter of the phenomenon referred to as “freezing fog”
in Walla Walla, which (as most of you know from
personal experience) brings with it unpredictable patches of
slippery pavement. Yesterday, I was enjoying temperatures
in the 70s down in Santa Barbara, where I was visiting
with friends of Whitman. It would have been a beautifully
sunny day had it not been for the dense smoke from the
wildfires burning just south of where I was. Uncertainty
and unpredictability surround us, no matter where we
are or what we are doing, and I am convinced, now more
than ever, that we do our best work in the face of that
metaphorical “slipperiness” when we work together, when
we collaborate, when we bring a smart group of people
together to strategize about next steps.
How does that play out on a college campus? One
example is how the senior leadership of the college works
together as a team. We meet together weekly, sharing
challenges and opportunities in
our work, with the expectation
that each person at the table
knows enough about the entire
institution and about the work
of every other person at the
table to contribute thoughtfully
to the discussion. Nobody is
expected to have all of the
answers, and nobody gets a free
pass from thinking about the
issues at hand.
In our effort last year to
develop a set of strategic
imperatives to guide the work
of the college over the next five
to seven years, a smallish group of faculty, staff, students
and governing board members met weekly to brainstorm
and develop initial ideas. Then, those ideas were “tested”
I am convinced, now
more than ever, that
we do our best work ...
when we work together,
when we collaborate,
when we bring a
smart group of people
together to strategize
about next steps.
repeatedly with faculty, staff and students; with our full
governing boards; and with alumni and friends of the
college all over the country. Because of this collaboration,
each iteration of the priorities was stronger than the last,
until we arrived at the set that was approved by the board of
trustees late last summer.
Nearly every day we read about challenges on college
campuses around issues of freedom of speech. The senior
leadership team spent time this past summer thinking about
how best to help the Whitman community prepare for and
deal with these tensions. We decided it would be best to
engage the community in a yearlong series of conversations
focused on freedom of speech and its implications for
our work together. Beginning with the convocation
that welcomes our new students to campus in August
and continuing through most of my public appearances
throughout the fall, I have shared four basic principles
that I hope will guide these and other difficult conversations
we may have this year: 1) We want more speech, not less.
2) Silence, and especially silencing others, is antithetical to
intellectual inquiry. 3) We want dialogue, not monologue.
Listening is as crucial a part of dialogue as talking, and we
expect speakers to create ways for other people to speak.
4) We want intellectually responsible speech. Assertions
need to be supported with evidence, and other speakers’
evidence needs to be considered.
These principles were meant to be the beginning of the
conversation, not the end. I have been very pleased with the
level of discourse around these issues in the fall, and more
events and opportunities for conversation are planned for
the spring.
This issue of Whitman Magazine is filled with other
examples of powerful collaborations within and beyond the
Whitman community. Enjoy!
Sincerely,
Kathleen M. Murray
SUMMER 2017: Creativity
Creating Freshwater Collaborations
I was inspired to write a letter after reading the summer issue of Whitman Magazine, theme of creativity,
to let you know about complementary efforts I have recently been involved in. The issues
of greatest interest to me were the Gary E. Davis ’60 letter to the editor about his experience
with the United Nations Development Programme in 10 African countries and the joint feature on
oceanographer Nancy Prouty ’93 and evolutionary biologist Katie Wagner ’04—because aspects
of their careers overlap with some of my own pursuits.
During the past 17 years, I have held the position of communications and policy specialist
at the Great Lakes Fishery Commission in Ann Arbor, Michigan, while simultaneously spending
much of my time living, working and conducting research in Africa. Upon completing my Ph.D. at
the University of Michigan examining communities living around Lake Victoria in Uganda, Kenya
and Tanzania, I and a group of professionals from Africa, North America and Europe have been
developing the African Center for Aquatic Research and Education (ACARE).
Created last July, ACARE hopes to positively affect policy and management on Africa’s Great
Lakes, allowing those who depend on these valuable freshwater resources to realize their own
vision of livelihoods, justice, equity, democracy and peace. ACARE will do this by training Africa’s
next generation of freshwater scientists, managers and politicians through experiential education.
Additionally, in partnership with African universities, management agencies and research institutes,
ACARE is creating a collaborative process by which research can be used to improve the quality of
science and information to inform good governance, eventually realizing each country’s development
agendas, and get closer to meeting the United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals.
Although ACARE—agl-acare.org—is in its infancy, I invite the Whitman community to join us
and watch us grow. My vision is that, one day, Whitman and ACARE will have a joint program.
—Ted Lawrence ’96, Ann Arbor, Michigan
United States Geological
Survey scientist Nancy
Prouty ’93 uses an
underwater drilling system
to collect coral skeleton
samples from Hawaii in
July 2013 for climate and
land-use studies. Photo
by Josh Logan (USGS).
Write to Us!
Whitman Magazine welcomes
comments from readers. We reserve
the right to edit for grammar, length,
clarity, accuracy and civility. Send
letters to Peter Szatmary, director of
content, at szatmap@whitman.edu or
by mail c/o Office of Communications,
Whitman College, Boyer Ave., Walla
Walla, WA 99362. We regret that we
cannot publish all messages.
2 President’s Message WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
Letters to the Editor WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
3

Marshaling Community Resources to Help Teens
Men Making Meals
Program Caters to
Area Seniors’ Needs
“That was easy,” said Randy Klassen, a retired
pastor, about why he attended a new local
community partnership, Men Making Meals,
in early November. “My wife, Joyce, insisted I
come. She thought it would be a good idea if I
learned a little about cooking; otherwise, she
does it all,” continued Klassen, also an artist
who has exhibited work with his spouse. “I
think it’s fair that I should share in that load—
she shares in mine.”
Men Making Meals offers weekly cooking
classes for widowers, caregivers, Meals on
Wheels recipients and others who may never
have learned their way around the kitchen. It’s
a national effort supported by AARP. Whitman
College’s Student Engagement Center, the
Walla Walla Senior Citizens Center and the
United Way collaborate on the Blues iteration
and funded it through a grant from the Council
of Independent Colleges (CIC). Part of CIC’s
Intergenerational Connections project, Men
Making Meals provides these tasty deliberations
through culinary companionship with student
chefs such as Adam Rooney ’21.
“I thought it’d be cool to have more contact
with elderly folks,” said Rooney, who counts
two senior citizens as friends in his hometown
of Klamath Falls, Oregon. “Also, I like to cook.”
The budding foodie crafts curries and pasta
sauces with his mom and made a pizza oven for
his high school senior project.
Men Making Meals addresses an important
need identified by Whitman’s community
partners, said Noah Leavitt, director of the
Student Engagement Center. “It builds on
what we know is one of the strengths of our
existing Adopt-A-Grandparent program,”
he explained, “which helps foster close
intergenerational friendships.”
And learning to cook can keep otherwise
high-functioning seniors out of full-time
care facilities, added Howard Ostby, former
Photo by Abby Seethoff ’16
Photo by Jake Barokas ’18
Katy Woodall ’18 (second from left), a sociology
major and religion minor from Auburn, California,
demonstrates cooking techniques to Randy
Klassen (far left) and Bill Lake ’47 (third from
left) at the August Men Making Meals pilot
program at the Walla Walla Seniors Center.
executive director and nutrition director at the
Senior Center. He came up with the idea to
bring Men Making Meals to Walla Walla.
“It is very cost-effective for society to keep
individuals in their homes,” Ostby said, yet
“male seniors in particular may not have been
brought up in a culture where they can take
care of themselves.”
While older women often have more
experience than men in the kitchen, cooking
skills are key to all seniors’ independence.
Studies show that elderly men often suffer
more from poor nutrition after their wives
become sick or die. In addition to tackling
this nutritional concern, the classes reduce the
isolation that seniors may feel and increase
the mindfulness of students, said Professor of
Sociology Michelle Janning, who consulted on
the proposal.
“When I heard about Men Making Meals,
I was thrilled not only because it bridges
Whitman and the Walla Walla community in
a thoughtful way, but also because it centers on
what research tells us works well for community
development and cooperation: namely, building
relationships across groups that don’t usually
interact,” Janning said.
Case in point, Klassen and his cooking
partner, Grace Dublin ’21.
“I do a fair amount of cooking at home and
at school, and I wanted to have the opportunity
to share what I do know and to learn more,”
said Dublin, from Newtonville, Massachusetts.
Measuring ingredients for the week’s
recipe—a Thai yellow curry—Klassen observed:
“I’ve always enjoyed the teacher, the people and
the students. It’s been very helpful.”
Sociology major Katy Woodall ’18, who
helped organize the program and led the Thai
curry class, summarized why the five-week fare
succeeds: “There is a lot to be gained in terms of
mutual understanding and friendship between
these two distinct groups,” she said. And “food
really connects people.” —Staff report
Written by Gillian Frew
For Scott Bieber, chief of police for the city of Walla Walla, the rationale behind building
The Hub on 3 rd was simple: House more resources for struggling teens under one roof. “That’s
why I like this whole concept,” he said, referring to the new structure, located near Lincoln
High School, that offers primary and mental health services, Early Head Start childcare and,
soon, an emergency overnight shelter for homeless youth.
“When we run into kids out on the street who need help, it’s really good for us to have a
place like this where we can refer them.”
Local officials and nonprofit workers collaborated on the specialized facility. Numerous
Whitties—students, alumni, faculty and staff—also participate through internships,
fellowships, research, employment and volunteerism. The space is owned by Blue Mountain
Action Council, with The Health Center occupying one wing, Children’s Home Society of
Washington another and forthcoming teen center, to be called The Loft, operated by Catholic
Charities, the third.
“Walla Walla has a lot of innovation in terms of the social work and services that they’re
providing, and it’s been really eye-opening to see all of the work that’s going on in our backyard,”
said Erin Coffey ’17, a psychology major who joined the project through a Whitman fellowship
and now serves as teen shelter planning assistant with Catholic Charities. “Learning more about
the prevalence of youth homelessness and the huge need, it was a drive to stay involved.”
The Hub also is implementing a trauma-informed approach to teaching and intervention
based on teens’ Adverse Childhood Experience scores, which measure risk factors such as abuse
or addiction that may lead to negative outcomes. Lincoln High School has received national
recognition for this and been featured in the documentary Paper Tigers (2015).
Sophia Webb ’20, a student intern at The Health Center, added that she plans to take classes
that will complement her experience there: “I like being able to be a part of this community.
There’s so much to learn.”
The Hub on 3 rd brings
together community
organizations offering
a range of services
for youth, including
a six-bed shelter,
childcare provider and
health center.
Catholic Charities director Tim Meliah commended Whitties
involved in The Hub: “Whitman students give so much. They
bring in enthusiasm, knowledge and heart.”
Walla Walla County Commissioner Jim Johnson adds that
The Hub is “something the community can be very proud of,”
and “I’m really impressed with what goes on here and what the
staff provides for teens in transition.”
For an in-depth multimedia look
at The Hub on 3 rd , go online to
whitman.edu/at-the-hub.
4 Campus News WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE Campus News WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
5

1 2
The Radical Art of Collaboration
Written by Daniel F. Le Ray // Photography by Leo Corrales ’21
Last semester, students in Associate Professor of Art Nicole Pietrantoni’s Intermediate and Advanced Printmaking courses worked with Whitman faculty
and staff members to create a duo of related posters inspired by radical political printmaking—one envisioned jointly with their collaborator and one
crafted on their own. Then, students in Assistant Professor of Art History and Visual Culture Studies Lisa Uddin’s Introduction to Art History and Visual
Culture Studies wrote curatorial statements about the solo pieces.
The artworks’ themes ranged from climate change to gender identity, war and U.S. politics. Two political print collections recently acquired by
Whitman inspired both classes: “La Autonomía es La Vida. La Sumisión es La Muerte” (2014), by La Escuela de Cultura Popular Revolucionaria Mártires
del 68, which confronts repressive state regimes; and “We Are the Storm” (2016), by the CultureStrike and Justseeds Artists’ Cooperatives, highlighting
community responses to climate change.
Here are two of the five collaborations exhibited at the Fouts Center for Visual Arts last December.
(1) “Even in Dark Times,” a print by
Mercer Hanau ’18, and (2) “Connection,”
a collaborative print by Hanau and Senior
Assistant to the President Jennifer Casper.
(3) “Ingredients,” a print by Alyssa Taylor ’18,
and (4) “Ponderosa Pine,” a collaborative
print by Taylor and Lecturer of Biology
Susanne Alterman.
“We decided we wanted to create a hopeful message that called on the
viewer to be an agent for positive change. The design was influenced by the
classic radial sunburst patterns and graphic style in many political posters.
We chose the color scheme and imagery to evoke the slow, dedicated work
of raising children to be tolerant and empathetic people.”
—Student artist Mercer Hanau ’18, an art major/film and media studies
minor from Portland, Oregon, on their collaborative print, “Connection”
“The Charlottesville protests [supporting white supremacists in August
2017] took place just as this project launched. Themes of racism, bigotry,
hate, white supremacy, ​peace, love, tolerance and change all percolated
to the surface. The innocence of our image, portraying a clean slate of
possibilities, conveys a strong message that each of us has the opportunity
to effect positive change for generations to come.”
—Staff collaborator Jennifer Casper, senior assistant to the president, on
working with Hanau
“I really enjoyed working with my collaborator. … I also learned a lot from
my collaborator, and she even took me on a drive into the Blues to look at
Ponderosa Pines, the subject of our [collaborative] print.”
—Student artist Alyssa Taylor ’18, an environmental humanities major/art
minor from Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, on working with Alterman
“The challenge of making a political poster about climate change for me was:
what can I stand behind? What can I promote without laying a guilt trip or
invoking fear? The tree’s geographic distribution will likely shift to higher
elevation in the Blue Mountains and the tree may become more common than
it is now. … Under climate change, ponderosa pine will likely still be here,
which is what we hope for ourselves.”
—Faculty collaborator Susanne Alterman, lecturer of biology, on their joint
work, “Ponderosa Pine”
3
4
“The fireflies illuminate the faces of children, allowing them to be seen in
the darkness of the night. Furthermore, the contrast of light and dark is
depicted through the kids, who suggest the ability of science and curiosity to
lead the world to a better place.”
—From curatorial text written by Peter Stephens ’21, from Auburndale,
Massachusetts, about Hanau’s print, “Even in Dark Times”
“This print calls out the human tendency to selfishly pollute the oceans and
illustrates how this act is actually an indirect form of self-destruction. The
piece has an accusatory feel and forces the viewer to experience a sense of
guilt for the negligent act of polluting oceans.”
—From the curatorial text written by Kendall Stevens ’20, from Anchorage,
Alaska, about Taylor’s print, “Ingredients”
6 Campus News WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
Campus News WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
7

Acclaimed
Author Lauds
Whitman
Written by Gillian Frew
Jennine Capó Crucet enjoyed more than the opportunity to share
her work with 400 new readers when Whitman College selected her
debut novel, Make Your Home Among Strangers (St. Martin’s Press,
2015), as its 2017 Summer Read for incoming first years. The collaboration
also brought her full circle after an uplifting encounter
with a Whitman admission officer years earlier at a Los Angeles-based
nonprofit where she had worked assisting low-income teens with the
college application process.
“The biggest thing that I remember from
that day: He kept referring to ‘pre-documented
students,’” said Crucet during her visit to
Whitman in September to hold a reading and
otherwise engage with Whitties. “This was a
term we didn’t use in our office,” she continued.
Summer Read
author Jennine
Capó Crucet
poses in Reid
Campus Center’s
Stevens Gallery.
Photo by Jake Barokas ’18
“So I did what anyone with a strong liberal arts education does, which
is ask questions. I said, ‘You keep saying pre-documented. What do you
mean by that?’”
The answer “said so much about Whitman and what an inclusive and
intellectually robust place this is,” explained Crucet, an assistant professor
of English and ethnic studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “He
said, ‘Well, we believe at Whitman that there will be a way through this,
it’s just a matter of time before the DREAM Act passes, and we want to be
on the right side of history. We know how much power language has, so
we say ‘pre-documented students.’”
She added, “I totally wanted to go to Whitman by the time he was
done, even though I was already an adult who had gone to college. I was
still totally convinced that Whitman was the right place for me.”
Make Your Home Among Strangers grapples with germane themes such
as immigration and class discrimination. Winner of the International
Latino Book Award for Best Latino-themed Fiction, it tells the story of
first-generation Cuban American college student, Lizet. Her first visit
home to Miami, Florida, is overshadowed by the media circus surrounding
5-year-old Ariel Hernandez, whose perilous voyage from Cuba by raft is a
fictionalized account of the 2000 Elián González case.
Whitman students found her tale inspiring and enlightening.
The book “brought up great discussions with my family about concerns
I have about starting college as a person of color from a lower income
family,” said Leyla Hertzig ’21 of Coconut Grove, Florida. “Even if
students couldn’t personally relate to the story as I did, it helped them
better understand what some of their classmates could be going through.”
Jordon Crawford ’21 from Portmore, Jamaica, “could relate wholeheartedly”
to the issues addressed in the text, “whether it be the elitism,
the cultural differences, the family and identity crisis, etc.”
For Tacoma native Thomas Harris ’20, a student academic adviser
in Jewett Hall, the reading sparked important conversations. “Characters,
including the less-than-altruistic narrator, Lizet, are constantly making
and breaking assumptions about themselves and about each other, and the
book is most fascinating when it is exploring those assumptions.”
Crucet, a first-generation college student herself, shared an anecdote
with the audience at Whitman about her own orientation at Cornell University:
“The confusion started right away,” she recalled. “We didn’t know
families were supposed to leave pretty much as soon as they unloaded
your stuff from the car.” As a result, she said, her parents, younger sister
and grandmother, who had accompanied her to Upstate New York from
Miami, stayed around until after her classes had officially started.
“The book teaches us that coming to college is not just about moving
to a new location on a map. For many, it is about moving into a complex
new culture,” said Noah Leavitt, director of the Student Engagement
Center. “As Whitman has taken large steps over the last few years toward
welcoming talented students from around the country, and as we have
made significant changes in how we help those students join and grow
from and contribute to our community, I can think of no better book to
meet that moment.”
Whitman’s annual Summer Read Program requires incoming first-year
students to read the same book prior to their arrival on campus. They discuss
it during Orientation Week with their resident and student academic
advisers as well as in classes. The book’s author also gives a public lecture
on campus in the fall semester. Previous Summer Reads have included
Leslie Jamison’s essays The Empathy Exams (2016); Edwidge Danticat’s
memoir Brother, I’m Dying (2015); Sherman Alexie’s novel Reservation
Blues (2014); Dave Eggers’ narrative nonfiction Zeitoun (2010); and Marjane
Satrapi’s comic-strip autobiography The Complete Persepolis (2008).
Rethinking Environment
Written by Daniel F. Le Ray
Examining artistic representations of climate change, questioning
concepts of wilderness and famine and understanding impacts of
industry on agriculture. Twenty-five faculty members have spent
more than a year collaborating on a new cross-disciplinary curriculum
for the popular foundational Introduction to Environmental Studies
course that encompasses all of these topics and more.
“We were looking for ways to leverage the expertise of
environmental studies faculty to provide instructors from every
division with ready-to-teach ideas and resources,” said Miles C. Moore
Professor of Politics and Director of Environmental Studies Phil Brick.
“We are blessed with a living laboratory of environmental challenges
right outside our doorstep. We hope to connect our students to the
place they call home for four years, and, hopefully, later, they will see
similar patterns and connections in their future homes.”
We took a look at four of the six new modules that investigate
regional and global environmental issues through the natural and
social sciences, the arts and humanities.
THE WILD AND
THE TAMED
On the syllabus:
An examination of artist
Joseph Beuys’ 1974 performance
art piece, “I Like
America and America Likes
Me,” in which he tried to live
with a wild coyote in a confined
New York City space.
Key questions:
What constitutes wilderness
versus wildness? How has
the concept of the “wild”
informed environmental
thought and practice in
the United States?
Faculty perspective:
“Students think about the
tame and the wild through
philosophy, the arts, archaeology
and history.” —Eunice
Blavascunas, assistant
professor of anthropology
and environmental studies
Other faculty contributors:
Delbert Hutchison, associate
professor of biology and
environmental studies codirector;
Nicole Pietrantoni,
associate professor of art;
Matt Reynolds, associate
professor of art history
and visual culture studies.
RENEWABLE
PARADOXES
On the syllabus:
A field trip to Stateline
Wind Farm on Vansycle
Ridge (the border between
Oregon and Washington),
where students seek
inspiration for creating a
work of art that expresses
their positive or negative
reactions to turbines.
Key questions:
Given the scarcity and en-
Graphics courtesy of Vecteezy
vironmental cost of fossil fuels,
what is the appeal of renewable
resources? What possible problems
exist with wind energy?
Faculty perspective:
“We focus on wind energy and
the issues it raises: intermittency
problems, environmental
problems, the aesthetics of
wind turbines and matters of
intergenerational equity and
energy use.” —Jan Crouter, associate
professor of economics
Other faculty contributors:
Patrick Frierson, associate
professor of philosophy and
Paul Garrett Fellow; Kurt
Hoffman, professor of physics;
Bryn Kimball, former visiting
assistant professor of geology.
CLIMATE
VULNERABILITY
AND RESISTANCE
On the syllabus:
Students identify as an
“artist” or a “scientist,”
then visit Whitman’s
Organic Garden and record
observations about it via
their self-selected role.
Key questions:
What differentiates “ideas
about nature” and “nature”
itself? What issues
arise when artists try to
visualize climate change?
Faculty perspective:
“Natural systems, and
human interactions with
them, are not only more
complex than we know;
they are likely more
complex than we can
ever know.” —Brick
Other faculty
contributors:
Michelle Acuff, associate
professor of art; Lyman
Persico, assistant professor
of geology and environmental
studies; Jason
Pribilsky ’93, professor
of anthropology and
interdisciplinary studies.
WHEAT AND FAMINE
On the syllabus:
An excursion to a local wheat
farm to understand the
benefits of this dry crop over
irrigated crops like grapes or
apples, which require more
labor and more insecticides.
Key questions:
How have technology and globalization
changed agriculture?
Should we consider famine
an anthropogenic disaster, a
natural disaster or both?
Faculty perspective:
“One of the things we
wanted to do was introduce
students to some of the
key environmental issues
associated with agriculture,
focusing on wheat because
it is a major industry in the
area.” —Jakobina Arch,
assistant professor of history
Other faculty contributors:
Nick Bader, associate professor
of geology; Amy Molitor,
senior adjunct assistant
professor and co-director of
environmental studies and
sports studies; Don Snow,
chair and senior lecturer
of environmental humanities
and general studies.
8 Campus News WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
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9

Scrambles
Program
Turns 40
Written by Gillian Frew
From humble beginnings in 1977 as an informal,
student-led outing to the current lineup
of 20 in-depth nature trips, the first-year
Scrambles program has become a hallmark of
the Whitman experience and a rite of passage
beloved by generations.
“Going on a Scramble was a really nice way
to make meaningful friendships before the
school year began,” said Grace Dublin ’21.
“Whenever you go into the outdoors with
people you become really close really fast,”
she continued. “It was also just a lot of fun
and a good way to end the summer.”
Every August, the incoming class has
the option to sign up for a Scramble that
acquaints arrivals with new peers and the Pacific
Northwest. About 180 first years participate annually,
along with about 65 returning students
who volunteer as Scramble leaders.
Emma Struebing ’20 admitted to being
nervous about starting college last year and
emphasized “how valuable participating in a
Scramble was for allaying that fear.”
She added, “Being able to participate in
the Scramble program again, this time as a
leader, and having the opportunity to build
relationships with new students and answer any
questions they might have about Whitman, were
equally valuable and rewarding, and I hope
to continue my involvement in the Scrambles
program next year.”
Scramble locations span Washington,
Oregon and Idaho, and include the Elkhorn
Mountains, Strawberry Mountains, Olympic
Coast, San Juan Islands, Salmon River,
Wallowa Mountains, Smith Rock State Park,
North Cascades National Park and Mount
St. Helens. Participants hike trails, scale summits,
cook over campfires, kayak, raft, swim
and paddleboard together. Last year, some
witnessed a full solar eclipse.
“Scrambles are one of the many ways new
students are introduced to the dynamic region
where they will be spending their next four
years,” said President Kathleen Murray. “The
wilderness adventures foster unique bonding
experiences for students that last throughout
their time on campus and beyond.”
Brien Sheedy, director of outdoor programs,
agreed. “Scrambles are an amazing opportunity
for incoming students to build community,
bond with other students and develop deep and
meaningful relationships.” Participants and trip
leaders “are able to challenge themselves and
thrive in a supportive community that then gets
even bigger once they get back to campus.”
While many colleges and universities offer
Photos courtesy of the Whitman Outdoor Program
Right photo by Matt Banderas ’04
Above: Students backpack along Washington’s
Olympic coast in 2012. Below left: Scramble
participants hike in Washington’s Glacier Peak
Wilderness in the Northern Cascades last summer.
eco-orientation, Whitman’s program includes
several unique elements, Sheedy explained. In
addition to being one of the nation’s oldest,
it gives participants the chance to master
more outdoor skills over a longer period of
time—six to nine days. And Whitties lead the
excursions—not outside companies, as is the
case at many other schools.
Scrambles foster lifelong friendships, as
thousands of Whitman alumni can attest. In fact,
Scrambles are such a revered tradition that Whitties
often plan their own reunions with Scramble
buddies, just as they might with Greek groups or
intramural sports teams.
San Rafael, California, native and biologyenvironmental
studies major Eva Geisse ’17
went on a Scramble in Washington’s Olympic
National Park and then led that trip for three
subsequent years, a practice known as completing
a grand slam. “The relationships I made
through Scrambles are some of my most special
and strongest that I made during my time at
Whitman,” she said.
Eliza Wyckoff ’20 contributed reporting.
NSF Grants Promote
Faculty-Student Research
Written by Gillian Frew
Four Whitman faculty members received
three-year National Science Foundation
(NSF) research grants emphasizing the
integration of teaching and research:
Benjamin H. Brown Professor of Physics
Mark Beck, Assistant Professor of Biology
Arielle Cooley, Associate Professor of Physics
Moira Gresham and Assistant Professor of
Physics Greg Vaughn-Ogin.
“This award will allow me to work with
Whitman students on characterizing quantum
information processors, with the goal of
detecting and eliminating errors in these
systems,” said Beck. “Being able to do this will
improve our confidence in the reliability of new
quantum-physics-based technologies.”
Cooley’s research centers on the genetic
mechanisms underlying repeated evolution,
using a model organism.
“I find it really interesting to explore how
tiny changes at the molecular level—like a mutation
that alters a single one of the 3 billion
DNA letters in a human cell—can sometimes
result in dramatic changes in the appearance
or function of a living thing,” Cooley said. “Instead
of working on this question in humans,
who are not always the most cooperative of
study organisms, I work with a group of plants
in the ‘monkeyflower’ genus Mimulus.”
Since 2013, research grants from the NSF
and elsewhere have funded an increasing
number of summer research students; 35
science students at Whitman received funding
in 2017. Faculty members and students both
benefit, according to Director of Grants and
Foundation Relations Rachna Sinnott ’93, as
summer research students can work on thesis
research with their faculty mentors, earn a
stipend for work related to their studies and
gain experience for graduate school.
Meghan Feldman ’18, a physics and
astronomy major, conducted research in Beck’s
lab over the summer and received support
from the NSF to travel to Washington, D.C. to
present the results at a national conference.
“My research over the summer allowed me
to help verify theories that, when implemented,
would help make quantum communications
more secure,” she said.
Gresham’s NSF grant will support her
investigation of the nature of dark matter
and may strengthen understanding of
fundamental physical laws and the evolution
of the cosmos; Vaughn-Ogin’s award is part
of a multi-institutional grant to the Laser
Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory
(LIGO) Scientific Collaboration Center
for Coatings Research and will address the
problem of thermal noise in the interferometer
mirrors of LIGO’s gravitational wave detectors.
Three scientists instrumental in creating and
fostering LIGO’s success won the 2017 Nobel
Prize for Physics last fall.
Whitman faculty members have seven
active NSF grants, among other research
grants that include collaborations with
major research institutions such as Harvard,
Stanford and Yale. NSF is the only federal
agency with a mission that includes support
for all fields of science and engineering
(excepting medical sciences) and is the major
funder of basic scientific research in the United
States. NSF grants are highly competitive,
with an overall funding rate of about 25
percent for all programs; in 2016, there were
37,000 applications.
Assistant Professor of Biology and
Garrett Fellow Arielle Cooley, one of
four National Science Foundation grant
recipients, works with a group of students
in her genetics class on protein structure.
10 Campus News WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
Campus News WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
11

Supporting
Scholars at Risk
Written by Daniel F. Le Ray
O’Donnell Visiting Assistant Professor of Politics and Race and Ethnic
Studies Saladdin Ahmed’s teaching on topics such as totalitarianism and
ethnic persecution owes a lot to lived experience.
Facing persecution in his native Iraqi Kurdistan in the late 1990s,
Ahmed escaped to Damascus, Syria, and ultimately sought refuge in
O’Donnell​ ​V​isiting ​Assistant ​Professor of ​P​olitics and ​Race
and ​Ethnic ​Studies​​Saladdin Ahmed​, shown in his campus
office last December, ​wrote about Iraqi nationalism and
Ba’athism as part of his doctoral dissertation. He had to
request that his university remove that chapter from its public
archives because the content could have put him at risk.
Canada in 2000. More recently, the scholar’s work
investigating racism and the treatment of Kurdish
refugees and minorities made him a target during
academic appointments at the University of Duhok
in Iraqi Kurdistan and Mardin Artuklu University
in Mardin, Turkey. During the latter appointment in
2014-15, non-Turkish Kurds like Ahmed—along with
many other foreign faculty members—came under
threat from then-new President Recep Erdoğan’s
authoritarian government due to his background and
liberal political stance.
“The Erdoğan regime started getting harder on
everyone who was not considered a loyalist,” Ahmed
recalled. After an encounter with law enforcement,
Ahmed realized that they had been keeping tabs on
him. Following that encounter, he continued, “I went
home, and we left two days later.”
Returning to Canada, Ahmed applied for assistance
from Scholars at Risk (SAR). Founded in
1999 at the University of Chicago, SAR is a network
of more than 450 member institutions that offer temporary
research and teaching positions for academics
and scholars whose work puts their lives, liberty and
wellbeing in jeopardy.
In fall 2016, Whitman became the first institution
in the Northwest to join SAR, which to date has
provided sanctuary for more than 700 scholars.
“Our membership will allow us to be a resource
for scholars in danger in their home countries, as well
as bringing truly global perspectives to our campus,”
said Provost and Dean of the Faculty Alzada Tipton
in an email to the Whitman community.
Ahmed came to Whitman in spring 2016, when he taught a course
titled Unpacking Racism. The enthusiasm of his students—who wanted to
know what they could do to combat racism—impressed him.
“I liked that spirit,” he said. “And, always, my answer is: We need to
know the scale of the problem before we can do anything.” Thankfully, he
added, “this generation has been historically absolutely the most progressive
in terms of awareness of questions of social justice, and I see that every
day—that openness.”
Ahmed came back this year to teach four courses: Introduction to Race
and Ethnic Studies; Totalitarianism; The Problem of Culture; and Introduction
to Ancient and Medieval Political Theory. He earned his doctorate
in philosophy from the University of Ottawa in 2013 and incorporates
philosophy into his classes.
In Introduction to Race and Ethnic Studies, students examine “the
Photo by Leo Corrales ’21
invention of the notion of race,” exploring both historical colonialism and
contemporary everyday racism. As a final project, they create Wikipedia
pages for a noted figure from a marginalized or underrepresented group in
North America.
In Totalitarianism, the class investigates the history of totalitarian
regimes as well as the underlying principles of totalitarianism that persist
to this day, drawing from theoretical accounts as well as regime-specific
case studies.
“What’s most exciting to me about Saladdin’s class is the way
it’s taking the concept of totalitarianism, which is really tied up
with historical regimes like Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia, and
freeing it up from these more historical connotations,” said Olivia
Gilbert ’19, a German
studies major from
Belmont, Michigan. He
Pushing back against
oppressive systems is
“the least one could
do as a writer and a
scholar,” he observed.
inspires them to “move
beyond the stereotypical
notion of a dictator and
blatant propaganda,” she
continued, “to see the
way in which our current
social order—capitalism,
WhitMail Project
Offer words of encouragement to
a graduating senior with WhitMail!
liberalism and enlightenment thought, for example—are totalitarian.”
Associate Professor of English Gaurav Majumdar, who spearheaded
Whitman’s efforts to join SAR, said: “The increasing persecution of
intellectuals worldwide makes it imperative that institutions of learning
act as spaces of refuge for those engaged in difficult and increasingly
precarious inquiry and expression. By joining the network, Whitman
showed ethical leadership and a commitment to different cultural, as well
as pedagogical, perspectives.”
Ahmed’s application demonstrated that he could contribute to interdisciplinary
programs at Whitman, including race and ethnic studies,
politics and global studies, added Majumdar, who heads Whitman’s SAR
committee, which also includes Associate Professor of Chemistry Tim
Machonkin, Professor of Foreign Languages and Literatures (French) and
Interdisciplinary Studies Zahi Zalloua and Assistant Professor of Politics
Elleni Zeleke.
Despite finding comparative safety at Whitman, Ahmed does not plan
to change his approach to his writing and research. Though the topics he
writes about—from fundamentalism to authoritarianism—may put him in
danger, there are always bigger issues at stake, he said.
Pushing back against oppressive systems is “the least one could do as a
writer and a scholar,” he observed. “Did [the work] cause problems for me?
Absolutely, always. But, you know, that’s the price.”
Every member of the class of 2018 receives a handwritten
postcard from an alum as spring semester finals begin.
1. Buy a postcard. Choose one that depicts
where you are writing from, if possible.
2. Write words of encouragement for
a senior graduating in May.
3. Sign legibly and include your class
year, but do not include your phone
number or email address.
POSTCARD
4. Mail your postcard to
WhitMail Project
Alumni Office
345 Boyer Ave.
Walla Walla, WA 99362
Deadline for postcards to arrive to the Alumni Relations Office for distribution: May 4.
Go online to whitma n.edu/alumni and click on Be Connected.
12 Campus News WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE Campus News WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
13

Top left: Assistant Coach Taylor Stewart helps put
the team through its paces prior to the Blues’ home
match against University of Puget Sound on Oct. 13.
Whitman won 3-0. Bottom left: Stewart counsels
first-year Kalli Dickey at warm-ups before the Blues
battled University of Puget Sound.
Whitman
Athletics
Gains Eight
Assistant
Coaches
Written by Michelle Foster ’20
“One of the benefits of having an assistant coach
is receiving more one-on-one coaching,” said
Jenna Gilbert ’18, a member of the women’s
tennis team at Whitman College, praising the
new Assistant Coaches Initiative. “By making
notes of important statistics while our head
coach runs certain drills,” continued the biology
major, “we can see areas we need to improve on.”
Noah Cavanaugh ’18, a defensive player
and co-captain on the men’s soccer team,
appreciates having an intermediary. “It’s much
more comfortable for me to share certain things
with an assistant coach than to go up to the head
coach,” said the psychology major. Assistant
coaches “add dimension, add character and add
multiple ways of communicating.”
Whitman Athletics recently received gifts to
significantly enhance paid part-time assistant
coach positions in eight varsity sports through
2021, thanks to a partnership with the W
Club, which supports Blues sports. Before this
undertaking, limited budget dollars resulted
in minimal part-time hires and hours for these
positions. The Assistant Coaches Initiative fills
in most of these gaps without burdening the
college’s bottom line. “Our goal is that every
student athlete in our program has an equitably
outstanding experience,” said Athletics Director
Dean Snider. “This initiative builds equity by
ensuring that all of our student athletes have
access to assistant coaches.”
Whitman seeks permanent funding for these
positions, said John Bogley ’85, vice president
for development and alumni relations. “The W
Club has made this a priority,” he said, “and
will be reaching out to friends of Whitman
varsity athletics interested in making gifts to an
endowment fund that will allow these positions
to be supporting student athletes in perpetuity.”
Photography by Gregg Petcoff
Photos courtesy Nathaniel Paust ’98
Gifts and pledges currently underwrite new
assistant coaches for women’s volleyball, women’s
tennis, men’s tennis, women’s lacrosse, cross
country and men’s soccer and second assistants
in men’s basketball and women’s basketball, said
Snider. Baseball, men’s basketball and women’s
basketball were the first teams to receive assistant
coaches in 2007, followed by swimming in
2009, and these positions are now built into the
operating budget. In 2015, women’s soccer was
added, as was a second assistant in baseball by a
gift to the endowment. Whitman competes in
15 varsity sports.
Student athletes gain another mentor in
assistant coaches, said Taylor Stewart, new
assistant volleyball coach, and often, assistant
coaches are closer in age to players than head
coaches. Besides making things more relatable for
student athletes, assistant coaches bring different
styles and perspectives, which serve players well,
she said.
Plus, observed Head Volleyball Coach Matt
Helm, “I’m a male coaching a female sport.
Having a female assistant coach is very beneficial”
as an additional role model and adult figure.
Assistant coaches help in myriad other ways.
They handle paperwork, recruit players, coordinate
travel, drive vans, plan meals, manage equipment
and analyze film, said Helm, permitting head
coaches to focus on strategy, teaching and
mentorship. Assistant coaches further act as a
“sounding board” for head coaches, he stated, and
contribute positively to their work-life balance.
Because volleyball is a position sport, Helm
breaks players into groups during practices.
Stewart oversees defense and Helm setters and
hitters, he explained. “We’re getting multiple reps
with our players,” he said, “and they’re getting
specific feedback for their position, which is really
helpful in building our players’ volleyball IQ and
skill set.”
New Assistant Women’s Tennis Coach Brian
Elliott agreed. “It’s important to have other
coaches on court for players because there are more
eyes analyzing things and finding ways to improve
the team,” he said.
Astronomy Professor, plus other Whitties,
Take Measure of Eclipse
Written by Gillian Frew
When a total solar eclipse cast shadows across the contiguous United States last summer,
Associate Professor of Astronomy Nathaniel Paust ’98 took advantage of the rare cosmic
event to conduct research. He and his Louis B. Perry Summer Research student, astronomy
and physics major Lucas Napolitano ’18, studied the appearance of the sun’s outer layers and
collected data from their vantage point in John Day, Oregon. “The moment when totality hit was
a surreal experience,” Paust said.
Napolitano added, “Having the
opportunity not only to see a total
eclipse but also to prepare a full
observation plan, including how to
monitor temperature and pressure data,
as well as camera exposure specifics, was
truly a once in a lifetime experience.”
Accompanying them on their
scientific expedition were Paust’s
wife Kirsten Johnson Paust ’98 and
their two daughters, along with former
NASA astronaut Dottie Metcalf-
Lindenburger ’97, her husband Jason
’99 and their daughter, among others.
Back at Whitman, a large group
assembled on Ankeny Field to view the
96 percent eclipse through solar-safe
telescopes; theatre major Lud Brito ’18
also led a group of international
students on an outing to Sacajawea
State Park in Pasco, Washington.
Top: Nathaniel Paust ’98 poses by the
telescope with former classmate Dottie Metcalf-
Lindenburger ’97. Pictured in the background
from left to right: the Paust family’s au pair,
Victoria Westphal; Dottie’s husband, Jason
Metcalf-Lindenburger ’99; and Lucas Napolitano
’18. Kirsten Johnson Paust ’98 stands in front
with the children: Cambria Metcalf-Lindenburger
and Sarah and Anna Paust. Middle: According to
Paust, the sun’s corona extends out into space by
approximately three to five solar radii, meaning its
total extent can be up to five times bigger than the
rest of the sun.
14 Campus News WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
Campus News WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
15

A HOME AWAY
FROM HOME
Generations of Whitman international students
form tight-knit bonds through the college’s
Friendship Family program—and the goodwill
and learning go both ways.
Written by Gillian Frew // Photography by Jake Barokas ’18
Sharon Ndayambaje ’21, from Kigali, Rwanda, negotiated
her first year in America with the help of James and
Jennifer Winchell, her friendship family. Growing up near
the equator, she was shocked at how cold Walla Walla
can get even when the sun is out. They gathered in Reid
Campus Center in December for this photo.
When Margarita “Maggi” Banderas ’05 arrived at Whitman
from Quito, Ecuador, more than 15 years ago, she was
overwhelmed and knew little about her new surroundings. The Hodgsons,
a family with three kids, had her over for dinner and eased her integration.
They had just moved in next door to then-International Student and
Scholar Adviser Kris Barry. She encouraged them to join Whitman’s
Friendship Family program, which she ran from 1994 until her
retirement in 2015.
“With all of us being new to town, a strong connection developed
very quickly,” Banderas recalled. “I went over to their house and had long
conversations about all kinds of things. They wanted to learn about me,
my family, my country, and they helped me understand a lot about U.S.
culture and traditions. We played cards a lot, something I grew up with,
and they taught me new games.”
She continued, “The amount of time that I spent with them ebbed
and flowed depending on their schedules and how things changed for me
through my four years, but they were always there for me, providing a
familiar grounding from which to work through all the culture shock and
homesickness as I navigated my college experience.”
Jeanne Hodgson, a former ESL teacher, said, “It was really fun being
part of her life and helping her get settled. She fit into our family like she’d
been there for a long time.”
The Hodgsons also hosted Banderas’ parents when they attended her
graduation. Banderas majored in art history and visual culture studies,
earned her master’s in student affairs from Colorado State University and
now serves as assistant director of Whitman’s Intercultural Center—where
one of her responsibilities is spearheading the program that had meant so
much to her as a student.
“One of the really critical things about this program is how unique it
can be for each individual student and family,” Banderas said. “Like all students,
international students have their own individual needs and interests
and an important part of my role is matching them to the right family for
the support they need,” she continued. The Intercultural Center sponsors
three dinners each year for friendship families and encourages each pair to
find a balanced relationship that works on both sides.
“I love how the program creates opportunities for families that are not
related to Whitman to connect with students here, and how families of
staff and faculty members can connect with students in a way that wouldn’t
otherwise be possible,” Banderas added. “It allows international students
the opportunity to expand their connections to the Walla Walla community
in a way that is meaningful.”
About 50 students and their corresponding families currently participate
in the Friendship Family program. It has paired international students
with local families for more than four decades. (To read about another
Friendship Family participant, see page 28.) Many friendship family relationships
continue for years, even decades, after the time at Whitman.
“Administering such a program puts us in a minority group of colleges
and universities that help their international community integrate in such
a way,” said International Student and Scholar Adviser Kyle Martz, who
coordinated the program from 2015 to 2017 under that role. “As someone
who had exchange students at home in high school, and who later became
one himself, I think these types of intercultural relationships are very
important, both for overcoming culture shock and successfully completing
the cultural adjustment process.”
ADJUSTMENT
Since the Friendship Family program was founded, the number of international
students at Whitman has risen dramatically—from about 2 percent
in the late 1980s to nearly 7 percent today. Friendship family students
make up around half of all international students at Whitman. Sometimes
they face hardships in adjusting to college life in a foreign country: homesickness,
language barriers and cultural misunderstandings, to name a few.
“It is difficult enough moving your life to a town that you must initially
insist to your family—and, in secret, to yourself—is a real place,” quipped
Nanda Maw Lin ’10, who majored in politics and art and directs a design
agency in Yangon in his home country of Myanmar. “Jetlag and completely
foreign social cues did me in a few weeks into the semester, although I
wasn’t willing to admit it. Friendship families helped with the secret yearning
for a much-needed home away from home.”
Sharon Ndayambaje ’21, hailing from Kigali, Rwanda, remembers
a grueling journey followed by feelings of isolation on campus as she acclimated
to drastically different weather and food.
“English being my third language, I found it hard to laugh at jokes, and
I had to quickly learn so many new words,” she said. “Shifting from speaking
my language, Kinyarwanda, all the time to speaking only English was
exhausting at first, but it gets easier with time.”
James and Jennifer Winchell, retired adjunct assistant professor of
foreign languages and stewardship coordinator for Whitman, respectively,
serve as Ndayambaje’s friendship family. They helped Ndayambaje prepare
her wardrobe for winter weather and have taken her out for Mexican food,
her favorite new cuisine. She also celebrated Hanukkah with them.
The benefit is mutual. “We feel especially grateful to her for teaching
us more about Rwanda,” said Jennifer Winchell. “We’ve learned quite a bit
about Sharon’s daily life at home and the current Rwandan government. It
reminds you how little most of us know about the rest of the world.”
Barry explained that international students’ experiences in the United
States “are enriched by meeting people of different ages” who act as surrogate
siblings, parents or grandparents, stepping in if students need a ride
or a sympathetic ear. The interplay between the host families and international
students provides “a world-expanding experience.” And friendship
families offer a balm for bouts of sadness—especially for those who cannot
afford to go home for summer breaks.
“There are times when I get really homesick, but every time I am at my
friendship family’s house, I feel like I am at home,” said Buyaki Nyatichi
’20, a German studies and computer science major from Nairobi, Kenya.
“I have also enjoyed telling them more about my culture. I found that a
16 Friendship Families WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
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17

lot of people are scared of asking me about myself because they are scared of
offending me, but with my friendship family, I feel like I have the space to
be myself.”
For Laurinda Nyarko ’19, a chemistry major from Accra, Ghana, her
friendship family’s “resemblance to my actual family is incredible. They are
always available when I need them and they do their best to support me
in any way that they can,” she said. “It makes such a big difference to have
people you can call family and rely on—people who love you like family
and help you make the best out of your time here.”
HOLIDAYS
Many friendship families include their international students in American
holidays as a way to introduce them to new traditions.
“Having a friendship family really helped because they’d invite me to
come over during the holidays that have family traditions such as Easter,
Thanksgiving and Christmas,” said Nyarko. “They really taught me how
American families celebrate these holidays.”
Nandin “Nadia” Ganjoloo ’21, from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia,
credited her friendship family, Walter Froese, Whitman controller, and
Danielle Swan-Froese, program coordinator for Walla Walla Community
College’s Institute for Enology and Viticulture, for helping her “immerse
into American culture” through such gatherings. Last year, she joined their
Thanksgiving table.
“It was fun to share our Thanksgiving traditions and to learn about
what traditions and holidays are special to the Mongolian culture,” said
Swan-Froese. Student and family also exchanged presents: Ganjoloo gave a
replica of a traditional Mongolian instrument and an illustration, while she
received a hat and mittens. “I admire her spirit for adventure,” said Swan-
Froese. “She is really a delight—very smart, kind and personable.”
And Betty Zhang ’20, a sociology and rhetoric studies major from
Hangzhou, China, said her friendship family gave her a pair of stockings as
a Christmas gift so she could bundle up.
SURPRISES
Even with the support of friendship families, international students
may confront inevitable confusion navigating a new country. Peijun
“Peipei” Cai ’21 from Guangzhou, China, was surprised at the number
of Whitties wearing brands like Birkenstock and Patagonia and worried
about purchasing root beer, assuming it was alcoholic. Talking through
“highs and lows” with her friendship family while making cookies or going
From left: Former Friendship Family program coordinator
Kris Barry, sociology-environmental studies major Lola
Albarral Bravo ’20 (Spain), physics/pre-engineering
major Bashar Haidar ’19 (Lebanon), Stewardship
Coordinator Jennifer Winchell, retired adjunct assistant
professor of foreign languages James Winchell, Sharon
Ndayambaje ’21 (Rwanda), Sandra Cannon, Candice
Chen ’21 (China), Language Assistant Esma Selvi
(Germany), Becca Lastoskie, Assistant Director of the
Intercultural Center Maggi Banderas ’05 (Ecuador) and
politics-environmental studies major Ted Liu ’18 (China)
assemble in December at Reid Campus Center.
shopping smoothed the way and made Walla Walla “feel like home.”
Nyatichi recalled her first time at the Walmart checkout line. “I had
my little pocket money from home and I was putting things into the cart
while keeping track of the cost,” she said. “Little did I know that, unlike
in Kenya, the price on the shelf does not include tax. So when the cashier
told me the price, I was ready to tell her how they must have put the wrong
prices on the shelf.”
The expectation to tip at restaurants bewildered Yohan Jeon ’21, from
Seoul, South Korea. Apprehensive about leaving Asia for the first time and
facing a new continent alone, he appreciates having a “friendly and humorous”
friendship family to get to know.
Evgeniya Sicheva ’18 from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, enjoys getting
to know her friendship family’s children and grandchildren and practicing
her language detective skills by deciphering phrases her friendship dad
remembers his grandparents, who spoke some combination of Polish, Czech
or Croatian, using. “He would throw a few words at me to see how similar
they are to Russian,” she said. “Sometimes we understand each other.”
CUSTOMS
Whitman’s trap shooting club interested Haoming “Ovi” He, a Sherwood
Scholar from Shantou University in China, because his home country
forbids guns. “I amazed my friends when I hit my first three shots!” He took
advantage of a partnership between the two schools that brings one Chinese
student to Whitman each fall to learn about American culture and refine
his or her English skills while promoting understanding of Chinese culture.
His friendship family, Off-Campus Studies Coordinator Laura Cummings
and her husband, Ted, a retired Walla Walla High School math,
science and physical education teacher and tennis and volleyball coach, also
took him to volleyball and basketball games.
“Ovi is enthusiastic, bright, inquisitive, honest, reliable and a great
communicator,” Laura said. “He will sometimes email me a question of
how best to handle a situation with his roommate, work or school, and after
emailing back and forth a bit or visiting in my office, he comes up with a
successful plan.”
The friendship family of politics and environmental studies major Ted
Liu ’18, from Changchun, China, helped him get a driver’s license and buy
his first car, he said.
Sicheva’s friendship family, in addition to taking her out to eat and
checking up on her during stressful times like midterms and finals, took her
to her first rodeo. “It was truly an American experience,” she said.
World map courtesy of Freepik
GENERATIONS
Some friendship families participate in the program for many years, make
it a type of branch of their family tree. Mary Jo Fontenot, a retired reading
teacher at Green Park Elementary School, counts almost 30 years of
volunteering. She fondly recalled when family members of one student from
Mongolia came for a visit. “I made a special dinner of Louisiana gumbo
honoring her graduation. Granddad wanted the recipe! It was so touching
and sweet.” The grandfather made a speech thanking Fontenot and her kin
for their hospitality; the student translated it.
Retired Whitman Bookstore director Douglas Carlsen ’74 and his
wife, Mary Cleveland ’82, who is in charge of the local Aging & Long
Term Care office, have been involved since the early 1990s and still keep
in touch with all of their past friendship students, who hail from Brazil,
Japan and many other nations.
“It was always special when our students would ask to come over
without invitation,” he said.
Carlsen also referenced Christmas tree decorating and trips to Palouse
Falls State Park—as well as attempting to explain the plot of It’s a Wonderful
Life to an international student unfamiliar with the 1946 film’s
portrayal of angels.
“We have watched them become adults, some married with children,”
he said.
Yuan-Ming Chiao ’03 majored in history at Whitman and works as a
special officer for the Eden Social Welfare Foundation in Taipei, the capital
of his native Taiwan. Having grown up primarily in the United States, he
was unsure whether he would benefit from a friendship family. However, he
ultimately connected with the Carlsens.
“Whether it was holiday dinners, attending productions at the local
Little Theatre of Walla Walla or just having an impromptu conversation,
HOME
COUNTRIES
This is a sampling of some
of the home countries
of Whittie international
students who have been
part of the Friendship Family
program since its inception.
Canada
Mexico
Guatemala
Colombia
Ecuador
Peru
Honduras
Chile
United Kingdom
Nicaragua
Venezuela
Brazil
France
Portugal
Netherlands
Belgium
Spain
Trinidad and Tobago
Senegal
Gambia
Uruguay
Argentina
Croatia
Denmark
Germany
Montenegro
Sierra Leone
Ghana
Nigeria
Albania
Botswana
South Africa
both of them helped me overcome some of the solitude associated with long
durations away from home,” he said.
“On my last day in Walla Walla, I had somehow missed my flight to
Seattle that was to take me back to Taiwan. Douglas and Mary drove me
from Walla Walla in a subsequently unsuccessful bid to catch another connecting
flight in a neighboring town,” he said. “It was a mini-road trip, race
against time, full of contingencies, that both approached with such ease
and aplomb that I remember fondly still. That night while dining together,
I urged them to visit us in Taiwan. Lo and behold, they both arrived in
Taiwan a few months later.”
In 2014, former program coordinator Barry organized a 40th anniversary
celebration honoring friendship families going back to the mid-1970s.
Around that time, former Intercultural Center director Mark Francis ’77
asked volunteer Joyce Fogg to head the effort, according to Barry. Fogg
died in 2017; her obituary lists her longtime leadership of the program as
“a wonderful legacy.” Banderas, who considered Fogg a dear friend, said
her determination “is what motivates me and inspires me in moving this
program forward.”
Banderas and her husband, Walla Walla Community College Development
Specialist Matt Zimmerman Banderas ’04, pay it forward by
serving as a friendship family themselves. They’ve done so since 2006; last
year, the couple flew to Aligarh, India, to celebrate the wedding of their first
friendship student, Neda Ansaari ’10, a psychology major and counselor.
“To this day I call her my ‘baby daughter.’ That was an amazing
experience to have the opportunity to be part of her support network,” said
Maggi Banderas. (They also hosted Ansaari’s father when he journeyed to
Whitman for his daughter’s graduation.) “We haven’t looked back since—
Neda knows she has a friendship family here, and we not only gained a
daughter, but an entire family on the other side of the world.”
Sweden
Macedonia
Mali
Cameroon
Lithuania
Greece
Egypt
Lesotho
Czech Republic
Austria
Romania
Bulgaria
Swaziland
Slovakia
Zimbabwe
Uzbekistan
Georgia
Turkey
Israel
Iraq
Jordan
Rwanda
Ethiopia
Tanzania
India
Uganda
Russia
Mongolia
China
Myanmar
Kenya
Pakistan
Vietnam
Sri Lanka
Nepal
Australia
Bangladesh
Japan
Thailand
Hong Kong
South Korea
Cambodia
Taiwan
Philippines
Malaysia
Singapore
Indonesia
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Friendship Families WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
19

s d
WHITMAN DOUBLE MAJORS
e o
EMBRACE TWOFOLD
e u
OPPORTUNITIES AND
i b
RESPONSIBILITIES IN
n l
CROSS-DISCIPLINARY PURSUITS
g e
Written by Gillian Frew
Taking field notes in Spanish about
South American frogs. Setting up
campus-wide conversations about
the sociopolitical context of the
Quran. Tackling ethics of genetic
testing and reproduction. Scores of
Whitman College students declare
unique double majors each year.
Just ask Spanish and biologyenvironmental
studies major Gareth
Jones ’19, politics and economics
major Fathi Assegaf ’19 and philosophy
and biology major Lauren
Wilson ’19, respectively. They
combine seemingly unrelated fields
and collaborate with faculty from
different departments to pave an
interdisciplinary path to graduation.
For Jones, the perspective and
skills gained from double majoring
and studying abroad have proven
“irreplaceable,” he said. Aspiring
attorney Assegaf holds that the
strength of his education has been
“knowledge being diffuse, so you
can take all these classes and find
connections between them.” According
to Wilson, double majoring
engages “both sides of my brain” and
broadens her worldview.
There are more than 100 double
majors at Whitman. The college supports
them by being flexible about
how major requirements also count
for distribution requirements.
“I think that students value the
opportunity to see how their two
majors interact in terms of subject
matter as well as intellectual skills
and mindsets,” said Provost and
Dean of the Faculty Alzada Tipton.
“I believe that students recognize
that they will use what they have
learned in both majors in what they
do after they leave Whitman and
that the multidisciplinary problems
and projects they will be tackling require
multidisciplinary approaches.”
Here’s a look at a trio of Whittie
double majors.
G
ARETH JONES’
commitment to his twin
majors—biology-environmental
studies and Spanish—began
with his enrollment in a dualimmersion
elementary school in his
hometown of Corvallis, Oregon.
“I’ve been surrounded by the
fantastic language and culture of
Spanish since first grade,” he said.
“Coming into Whitman, I already
had my eye on the biology-environmental
studies major. My decision
to shoot for a Spanish major has its
roots in the wonderful bilingual
education I received growing up.”
Another factor was a trip he took
with his parents in sixth grade to
Chile and Argentina to examine
ecological succession—the biological
process of a species changing over
time—after a volcanic eruption.
Jones’ mother chairs the
Geography Department at Oregon
State University and his father
worked for the United States
Geological Survey and U.S. Forest
Service, studying Mount St. Helens.
Thanks to Jones’ early foundation in
Spanish and interest in science, he
was able to “conduct interviews with
local people affected by the eruption,
help my parents with soil profiles
and catch frogs for a herpetologist
who was traveling with us.”
Last summer, he journeyed to
Sweden with Professor of Biology
Heidi Dobson to participate in Pollination
Biology, a course that is part
of Crossroads, Whitman’s short-term
off-campus studies program.
Opposite page, from top: Gareth Jones ’19,
Fathi Assegaf ’19 and Lauren Wilson ’19
approach their studies from the standpoint
of two distinct majors, a choice that demands
significant commitment, including completing
senior assessments in both subjects. Top
photo by Dan Temmen. Other photos and
centerpiece design by Jake Barokas ’18.
20 Double Majors WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
Double Majors WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
21

“He is quite well-traveled, loves
to learn about the world and has an
easy way in his approach to life. He
was active in joining other students
for cooking meals, exploring the
area on bicycle and trying different
eateries,” Dobson recalled. “He
is also very sensitive to and aware
of students around him and their
needs and concerns. He is modest,
accommodating, respectful and a
good listener.”
For Jones, protecting natural
landscapes for future generations
“seems like a noble and wholly
fulfilling pursuit.” He said he has
“always found a remote natural setting
to be the best way to de-stress,
rest, reset one’s perspectives and
remember that really simple experiences
like hiking in a forest can be
some of life’s greatest moments.”
Jones fostered his love of Spanish
as Whitman coordinator of the
Green Park Elementary Bilingual
Program, a community service
project run through the Student
Engagement Center, during his
sophomore year. He also took a
course called Medieval Poetry from
the Iberian Peninsula, taught by
Assistant Professor of Spanish Nico
Parmley, and “after thoroughly enjoying
the ride through a demanding
class like that, I knew I would
really enjoy pushing myself toward
a Spanish major,” Jones added.
Parmley, one of Jones’
advisers, agreed.
“His insights into difficult texts
and his ability to articulate critical
problems with nuance in two
languages is marvelous,” he said.
“He was always prepared, engaged
and insightful. I am particularly
impressed with how he is able to
ask good questions of texts in both
discussions and papers, sitting with
the tension, ambiguity and doubt of
not knowing.”
Jones studied abroad in
Quito, Ecuador, through the SIT:
Jones (right) chats with host brother and guide, Santiago
Recalde Coca, in the town of El Placer, Ecuador, in fall 2017.
Assegaf, who attended international school in Indonesia, enjoyed
Whitman’s international orientation. As a resident adviser, he gives
back by reaching out to fellow international students in his section.
He posed for this photo shortly before fall semester finals.
Ecuador Comparative Ecology and
Conservation program, which offers
an overview of the biological and
social components of ecological
issues. The program was split
between a homestay and excursions
across the country, culminating in a
month-long project in Spanish. He
intends to turn his effort—a survey
of herpetofauna (amphibians and
reptiles in a given region, habitat or
geological period) in a previously
unstudied reserve known as Río
Machay in central Ecuador—into
the basis of his senior thesis.
“My experience in Ecuador
reaffirmed the value and success
of the education I’ve received at
Whitman,” he said. “Whether it’s
expressing my thoughts clearly and
powerfully in Spanish or connecting
the specifics of pollination
biology to overall ecosystem health,
I feel that I have a solid educational
foundation on which the rest of my
career can grow and flourish.”
Jones hopes to work with a
conservation-focused NGO “that
would allow me to employ both
my Spanish language abilities and
biological/ecological education in
order to help small communities
become more environmentally
friendly and sustainable.”
F
ATHI ASSEGAF’S
journey to a politics and
economics double major
began when his mother, who works
in education policy, read about
American liberal arts institutions in
Colleges That Change Lives (Penguin,
1996) by Loren Pope. The family
visited Whitman as part of a college
tour and felt immediately drawn to
the small, scenic campus.
Assegaf grew up in the teeming
metropolis of Jakarta, Indonesia.
Arriving at Whitman, he confronted
differences that were “striking
at first and sort of isolating,” he recalled.
“But at the same time, in the
face of a homogeneous community,
you find that you can explore your
difference more. I think being at
Whitman helped me find myself.”
Head of the Muslim Student
Association, Assegaf views his
faith as a source of community at
Whitman and “something that I
use to make sense of the world.”
The student group, which meets for
Friday prayers and an annual Eid
al-Adha dinner, organized campus
discussions on the Quran, which is
included on the first-year Encounters
syllabus. “It’s validating to have
literature that I grew up with in a
class like Encounters,” said Assegaf.
Left photo by Dan Temmen
Top and right photos by Jake Barokas ’18
Assegaf describes his academic
field as “humanities enmeshed
in a social science framework.”
Politics and economics are “kind
of in dialogue with each other,
and that’s my main interest in
taking them together.” Another
benefit of the interdisciplinary
approach is its “balance of ideas.
You read a lot of interesting
stuff, a lot of really beautiful
works by political thinkers and
philosophers, but at the same
time, you get a sense of theory
and the concreteness of real world
problems and current events.”
Part of what prompted Assegaf
to pursue politics with economics
was taking International Politics
with Associate Professor of Politics
Bruce Magnusson. Associate
Professor of Economics Halefom
Belay, one of Assegaf’s advisers,
also complimented his performance
in his class and called him a
pleasure to have as a student.
“It’s funny, because politics
and economics come into tension,”
Assegaf said. “Politics provides this
framework to critique economic
principles. I would go to economics
class and learn all of these classical
assumptions about the free market
and how things operate within
the world in that sense. Then my
politics classes would be very much
a critique of those assumptions that
underpin economic calculations.”
He also took Islam and Politics
with Assistant Professor of Politics
Arash Davari, his other adviser.
Assegaf found the course
“enlightening.” Davari returned the
praise, calling Assegaf “diligent,
smart, receptive and self-reflective.
He engages with his peers and
course material in genuine
dialogue without compromising an
admirable commitment to visions
of social justice.”
After Whitman, Assegaf hopes
to attend law school. Belay said
that he was certain Assegaf “will
keep excelling in whatever he puts
his mind and hands to.”
L
AUREN WILSON
wants to become
a professional
Renaissance woman.
“If you look back, ancient
philosophers were scientists first
and foremost, and scientists
throughout history have been
philosophers,” said the biology and
philosophy major from Carnation,
Washington.
“It’s only recently that we’ve really
seen this division. Back then, you
had Renaissance people, and I feel
like that’s the best way to conduct
science and philosophy,” Wilson
said. She cited a class on evolution
as an example of this commingling
of academic discourses.
“We started the first day
talking about Aristotle, Socrates
and Plato, their conception of the
universe and how their essentialism
has influenced scientific study
and scientific understanding. I
really don’t think you can have
one without the other,” she
said, referencing the debate over
reproductive rights for people with
genetic disorders as an instance
requiring both perspectives.
The recipient of a Perry
Grant for genetics research,
Wilson worked with Arthur G.
Rempel Professor of Biology Dan
Vernon on the molecular aspect
of genomics, trying to create a
cross-genetic plant. This semester,
she is studying philosophy at the
University of Oxford’s Worcester
College in the United Kingdom
as a visiting student.
She hopes to spend a gap
year after Whitman working
for an organization like the Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation
while contemplating medical or
graduate school.
“She is bright, strongly
motivated, has an inquisitive mind
and effuses energetic enthusiasm
for learning,” said her adviser,
Professor of Biology Heidi Dobson.
“She is incredibly driven and very
passionate about her interests
Wilson, photographed last fall, likes to trade off study techniques, using
flashcards and drawing diagrams for quantitative analysis subjects before
switching gears to reading and writing for humanities.
and has a mind that allows her to
easily and lucidly grasp concepts in
philosophy and science.”
The intersection between
the two fields fascinates Wilson,
since “science doesn’t occur in a
vacuum and is heavily influenced
by what’s going on around it,” she
explained. “I try to meld as many
points of view as I can into my
decision-making, because I think
that’s the only way you can come
to a good decision.”
This measured approach also
informs her longtime participation
on the Ethics Bowl team, which
competes in debates around the
country. During each of her three
years at Whitman, Wilson has been
on the squad that made it to the
national championships. Associate
Professor of Philosophy and Paul
Garrett Fellow Patrick Frierson,
faculty adviser for Ethics Bowl, also
sponsored Wilson’s independent
study on the philosophy of biology
and lauded her mental agility.
“She is committed to
understanding and applying
basic science that is essential
for beginning to address these
issues, but she is also deeply
committed to the philosophical
reflections that are needed to use
this science well,” Frierson said.
“She combines a willingness to
continue reflecting until she can
actually see what is true and right
with openness to the perspectives
of others and earnestness in
philosophical dialogue.”
Her experiences have buoyed
Wilson’s resolve to see the big
picture. At Whitman, “no matter
what your major and whether
you have one or whether you have
multiple, there’s this dedication to
seeing multiple perspectives.”
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24 25

26 27

WHAT WE DO
FOR OTHERS
IN SHARING STORIES OF PEOPLE FACING HUMANITARIAN
CRISES IN BANGLADESH, MAHERIN AHMED ’11 B R I D G E S
THE WORLDS OF THE PRIVILEGED AND THE POOR.
Written by Daniel F. Le Ray
Photo: WFP/Kamrul Mithon
Across the street from the high-rise apartment building in Dhaka,
Bangladesh, where Maherin Ahmed ’11 grew up with her parents
was a slum, filled with men, women and children sleeping
in the scorching sun. Next to the slum was a UNICEF office.
Even as a young girl, Ahmed wondered about these stark divides.
“The struggle between the worlds of plenty and the worlds of need—
that is something that I really wanted to explore,” said the economics major
and religion minor.
Ahmed has tried to bridge these two worlds in a career “where I can see
people being helped and where I could play a part,” initially at humanitarian
aid organizations such as UNICEF, Red Cross, Plan International,
Save the Children and Oxfam and, as of last August, at the United Nations
World Food Programme (WFP).
Her work as a WFP communications officer—a role she also held in
2015 and 2016—is “a very different kind of a job. It’s challenging, but it’s
also very rewarding.”
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
WFP is the world’s largest food aid organization, providing assistance
to approximately 80 million people in 76 countries each year. Ahmed’s
position with WFP Bangladesh encompasses media relations, communications
and producing written and visual content highlighting WFP’s
emergency and disaster response.
She recently spent three weeks in a remote part of the country at
Rohingya refugee camps. According to a recent U.N. report, more than
600,000 Rohingya people—a Muslim ethnic minority fleeing Myanmar—
have arrived in Bangladesh since August.
“That was a very intense experience. The crisis is still very much fresh,”
Ahmed said. Many of the refugees she spoke to had walked for 12 or 13
days without food or water, hidden in jungles to escape life-threatening
situations or had family members die during their flight.
Ahmed also has to respond at short notice to emergency situations. On
one such trip last fall, she traveled to the site of a flood in Northern Bangladesh.
She talked with beneficiaries of WFP’s disaster response teams, which
provided money or food—primarily high energy but easy-to-prepare staples
like rice and lentils—to people recovering from the flood.
“It is a very difficult thing and it is mentally exhausting,” Ahmed added,
so aid workers, too, must take care of their physical and mental wellbeing.
“When I’m in a disaster response area or in the camps, I cannot tune
out and come back to my hotel and forget about it, because it’s just not
human to function in that way,” she said. “We forget how fortunate we are
until we see these kinds of dire situations, and then we realize that we have
food to eat or a country to call our own. These really are privileges and
blessings of life that we forget.”
SHARING THEIR STORIES
When conducting her research, “The first step is finding someone who is
ready and willing to talk to us and is in a mental state to communicate
28 Maherin Ahmed WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
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29

Maherin Ahmed ’11 speaks with a man (previous spread) and a woman
(right) affected by monsoon floods in Cox’s Bazar, Southeast Bangladesh,
during a WFP flood response operation in July 2017. Bottom: Ahmed
interacts with schoolchildren in Satkhira District in Southwestern
Bangladesh on an assignment with UNICEF in January 2014.
with us happily, because what we do not want is to add to the trauma,”
explained Ahmed, who also worked as a newscaster for Bangladeshi
television station ATN Bangla before she came to Whitman.
Most beneficiaries are not used to video equipment and are daunted
when Ahmed goes over the filming process.
“It’s also not only [vital] that they understand, but also that their
family understands,” she said. “Because of the patriarchal and conservative
structure of Bangladesh, when a wife is being filmed, the husband
has to be okay with it.”
After they gain consent for filming, WFP staff sometimes turns the
camera on without letting interviewees know because “when someone’s
aware that this is the final take, they get nervous. But when it’s still a
dry run, then they’re more comfortable. We tend to get good shots during
a dry run,” Ahmed explained.
Quayyum Abdul, a communications officer for the United Nations
Development Programme in Bangladesh, described Ahmed as “a great
team player.” They also collaborated when Abdul was at Oxfam and
Save the Children.
“We worked together on many projects—one of them in a humanitarian
sector in a flood-prone area—where her support was tantamount
in terms of getting the stories out timely and efficiently,” Abdul said.
“She has proven herself a very hard worker who is ready to go anywhere
when there is a need and get the deliverables ready on tight deadlines.”
THE INFLUENCE OF FRIENDS
The other humanitarian organizations for which Ahmed has worked take
slightly different approaches to their work. Red Cross, for example, provides
food aid like WFP but also has longer-term programs like blood banks.
“On the other hand, organizations like Save the Children or Plan
International work with child protection and child rights, so they don’t
immediately jump when there’s an emergency,” Ahmed explained. And
while WFP and UNICEF are both branches of the U.N., the latter has “a
bigger umbrella that works with child protection and education.”
Ahmed traced many of her career choices back to Humayun Kabir, a
retired director in the U.N.’s Office of the Under-Secretary-General for
Management. Kabir became friends with Ahmed’s father through a mutual
connection—Kabir’s university roommate was Ahmed’s uncle.
Kabir visited when Ahmed was 12 or 13.
“I was really fascinated that he worked in this organization where you
can work in different countries,” Ahmed recalled. “I am still in touch with
him and he knows how fond I am of him, but I don’t think he knows that I
actively pursued a career in the U.N. because I was so influenced by him.”
“From the time she was a junior school student, Maherin showed
early signs of promise as an exceptional girl: focused, talented, culturally
inclined and aware of pressing social issues,” Kabir wrote in an email. “She
is committed to improving the lives of the less privileged and makes it her
mission to achieve results to that end.”
Kabir also inspired Ahmed to major in economics—a field he studied at
the University of Dhaka.
When she met Kabir, she thought: “You only have to study economics
to have that kind of career!” But soon after she started economics classes at
school, Ahmed began to see how the field helped her understand issues such
as: “Why is there a slum? Why do they live the way they live and why do we
live in an apartment building? These things intrigued me, and this is why I
really wanted to explore my questions by studying economics.”
Her mentor was also instrumental in Ahmed’s college trajectory.
Kabir wrote: “I tried to inspire her to focus on world issues that require
a global response and encouraged her to secure higher education abroad to
get exposure.”
Left photo courtesy Maherin Ahmed ’11
Top photo: WFP/Kamrul Mithon
FROM DHAKA TO WALLA WALLA
“I always wanted to get a U.S. education,” Ahmed recalled. “It was kind of
a dream—something as a child that I really wanted.”
But she and her parents—a housewife and a corporate affairs manager
at Nestlé—faced a hurdle: the significant financial aid they would need.
After high school, Ahmed took a year off to research and apply to colleges
in the United States.
When she opened Whitman’s letter, “it was really like a dream come
true,” said Ahmed, who learned that she had received a full scholarship.
Coming to Walla Walla from Dhaka—a metropolitan area with a
population of more than 18 million—involved a fair share of culture
shock for Ahmed—“you could actually walk through the streets and not
see a lot of people”—but she soon settled in.
“With academics, you really forget,” she said. “You have your friends
and you have the library to work in; you are really challenged; and you
have all these activities. You see it from a very different perspective than
how you see it in the first few months.”
Whitman’s Friendship Family program, which pairs international
students with local families to support students during their time
in Walla Walla, also eased the transition. Former Walla Walla
City Manager Duane Cole and his wife, Maryann, a retired higher
education administrator, invited Ahmed into their household during
semester breaks, hosted her parents for Commencement and spent
time with her throughout all four years.
“It was our great pleasure to have Maherin in our home and with
us on adventures numerous times during her tenure at Whitman,”
said Maryann.
The couple appreciated Ahmed’s intellect and talent, and her
enthusiasm for new experiences—including snow.
“Cold weather was completely new for her,” said Maryann. “The first
snow in Walla Walla after her arrival came about 7 a.m. one morning. We
called and woke her up to tell her to look out the window of her residence
hall. She was amazed. It was not long after that we took her to the
mountains to wander through lots of snow.”
The Coles stay in contact with Ahmed and hope to meet up to discuss
“what she and others her age plan to do with the world,” added Maryann.
“They are the light on the horizon of leadership—just waiting to shine.”
Another formative moment was Ahmed’s Encounters course with
Clement Biddle Penrose Professor of Latin and Classics Elizabeth Vandiver.
“I learned to understand what critical reading is with Elizabeth,”
Ahmed said. “I always wanted to understand what her views were. But
I could never tell what she really thought about a situation because she
always spun it around to what the student is trying to say, working like a
mirror to help the student develop their thought processes.”
Ahmed went on to work in the Office of Admission, take part in the
International Students and Friends student club and serve as a resident
assistant for the Global Awareness House and the Asian Studies House,
which “really taught me to be in a leadership role,” she noted.
Appreciative of such positive memories, Ahmed recently started
giving back to Whitman, hoping to help future students in need of
financial support.
“I am so thankful and grateful for the experience I got, and I realize if
I didn’t have that opportunity, I probably would have missed out on a lot
of experiences that I’m having now,” she said. “It is definitely a college that
has changed my life in a lot of ways.”
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THE NOTES
BETWEEN
THE CRACKS
Department of Music Chair Doug Scarborough pioneers a fusion
between jazz trombone and classical Middle Eastern sounds.
Written by Daniel F. Le Ray // Photography by Nhi Cao ’20
Although Doug
Scarborough’s
primary instrument
is jazz trombone,
he is also at home
as a bass player,
pianist and vocalist.
T
rombonist Doug
Scarborough spent
his childhood
soaking up
musical influences:
the blues of his
native Mississippi
Delta, contemporary pop, jazz and
classical records.
“It’s an additive synthesis. I was
always hearing new people, new
directions, new ideas—trying to
synthesize that and learn from what
they were doing,” said Scarborough,
chair of Whitman College’s Music
Department and director of jazz
studies. He joined the Whitman
faculty in 2011.
The most recent example of this
musical synthesis is Bridges (2015),
Scarborough’s third album. The
record features internationally acclaimed
musicians from the United
States, Morocco and Palestine
and marks the first collaboration
between an American jazz trombonist
and Middle Eastern classical
musicians. Samuel Jones, composer
in residence at the Seattle Symphony
from 1997 to 2011 and Scarborough’s
uncle, called the CD “immediately
likable and superbly crafted”
and an “exceptional album that
blends Doug’s deep knowledge of
American jazz with sounds learned
from his travels in the Middle East.”
In the classroom, too,
Scarborough brings a collaborative
approach, guiding his students as
they explore theory, performance
and composition.
BLUE NOTES AND
QUARTER TONES
Long before the trombone came
voice—his first musical tool. On
family road trips, “My parents
would sing the melody and my
sister and I learned how to sing
harmony,” he said. His sister
learned first, which “caused me as
a younger sibling to play catch up.”
By seventh grade, he was playing
trombone and deciphering chord
sequences to his favorite pop songs
on his father’s piano.
Though Scarborough has
become an accomplished bassist,
pianist, singer and composer (in
addition to his primary work
as a trombonist), he would not
necessarily say he was a natural
musician. “[But] I can tell you this:
It’s a lot of work, and it dries up if
not tended to, like a garden.”
Being an educator, however, did
come naturally. When his parents
couldn’t find a babysitter, the young
musician would sit in the back of the
classroom watching his father—a
32 Doug Scarborough WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
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33

physics professor and sometime
classical pianist—as he taught.
“Just hearing the way he would
explain things made me a teacher.
Because you hear your dad do it,
you kind of follow suit.”
Scarborough earned his D.A.
in music theory and composition
from the University of Northern
Colorado, with a focus on jazz
pedagogy. The genre’s expressive
breadth is part of what makes it
unique, he said.
“It’s the notes themselves, it’s
the melodies, it’s the direction you
want to keep it going,” Scarborough
explained. “What you’re
doing is playing with the expectations
of your listeners. It’s all about
setting up the expectations. You’re
fulfilling it, you’re fulfilling it—
and then you deny it in a way that’s
artistically moving and that might
produce a certain aesthetic effect in
your listener. How to do that is the
art of it.”
Bridges exemplifies these dual
notions of musical synthesis and
confounding expectations. The
CD’s nine tracks fuse jazz with
Middle Eastern rhythms, modes
and scales known as maqamat (or
maqam, in the singular). These
scales use quarter tones—notes that
would “fall between the cracks” on
keyboard or valved instruments.
Imagine a piano keyboard. A C
sits immediately to the left of a C
sharp, which is a half tone higher
in pitch than the C. A quarter tone
falls between the C and C sharp,
making it unplayable on the piano.
However, on a slide instrument like
the trombone, that quarter tone
(which would be called a C halfsharp)
can be played by moving the
slide in or out. On a string instrument
like a guitar, bending a string
to raise its pitch can also produce
a quarter tone—the way jazz and
blues guitarists create “blue notes.”
Middle Eastern sounds first
grabbed Scarborough—who has
also released two singer-songwriter
records, Childsplay (1996) and
Mood du Jour (2000)—during his
spring 2014 sabbatical teaching jazz
camp at Notre Dame University-
Louaize in Beirut, Lebanon.
“The sounds just hit my ear in
a way that nothing ever had,” he
explained. “There are notes that,
when you first hear them as a
Westerner, they just sound wrong
because they’re not one of our
12 pitches. Yet they keep going
back to those notes and everybody
is saying: That’s awesome! And you
feel like you’re the oddball in the
room who doesn’t get the joke.”
Like any regional cuisine, he
analogized, “You have to try the
food a few times before you’re
able to say: Okay, those are the
spices, now I get it, now I see
what they’re going for.”
Scarborough recognized the
affinity between Middle Eastern
music’s quarter tones and jazz’s
blue notes, but the differences
intrigued him more. Each maqam
scale, for example, possessed a
specific and strong association with
a certain mood. Although there are
parallels in Western music—major
scales are joyful and minor scales
are morose—it is more nuanced
with maqamat: one intended as
triumphant and regal, for example,
another as melancholy or reflective.
“When a player switches into
that other maqam, you can see that
everybody in the room instantly
gets it. It’s this other code—they
speak in that code, they hear in that
code and they get the association
with triumph or contemplativeness
or sadness.”
BRIDGES OF
COLLABORATION
Recording Bridges in Portland,
Oregon, a few months after the
sabbatical was “all about collaboration,”
Scarborough said. Acting as
guide for his American and Middle
Eastern studio-mates, he encouraged
them to bring their own
sensibilities to their parts.
“Between the alleys is a bumper
like in a bowling alley,” he recalled
telling them. “Somewhere between
here and here is what I want, but I
want you to be yourself. Play how
you play, within these confines.”
Scarborough recruited bassist
Damian Erskine, drummer Gary
Hobbs and pianist Jeremy Siskind,
all American jazz musicians and
scholars. He added Middle Eastern
collaborators Tarik Banzi, who
played oud (a string instrument
“PART OF MY ROLE” WHEN COACHING STUDENTS,
SCARBOROUGH SAYS, “IS TO LISTEN TO THEM
AND BE WITH THEM AS THEY EXPLORE.”
similar to a lute) and Mahmoud
Shaikhhussein, who played doumbek
(a type of drum) and riq (a
type of tambourine). The result was
a record that jazz trombonist Bill
Watrous called “some of the most
interesting, original music coming
from anybody in a long, long time.”
“Doug has a unique voice in
jazz,” said Erskine, an adjunct professor
at Portland State University.
“The way in which he seamlessly
blends his strong jazz vocabulary
with his love of other world musics
is inspiring—and a total blast to
play.”
Erskine added: “Knowing that
I had Doug’s trust went a long
way toward feeling comfortable
interpreting the music openly. I also
knew that if I wasn’t hitting the
mark, he would be able to direct me
and get me well on my way. Trust
in each other as musicians was the
key to the success of this musical
endeavor.”
The album blends sounds both
familiar and unfamiliar to Western
ears. On the track “Red Pill,” for
example, Scarborough’s trombone
runs across musical phrases peppered
with quarter tones while
Middle Eastern rhythms provide
the scaffold for mixed meter time
signatures. The song relaxes for a
moment with piano interludes from
Siskind that evoke the romance of
jazz standards, but soon, the horns
return and the percussive doumbek
and oud round out the Middle
Eastern sounds once more.
A major influence on Scarborough’s
approach to Bridges was acclaimed
American guitarist Shawn
Lane (1963-2003), with whom
Scarborough toured.
“Ten years before I did,
Shawn caught fire on Pakistani
music,” explained Scarborough,
who has also performed live with
jazz luminaries such as Arturo
Sandoval and the New York Gypsy
All Stars. “He wound up playing
with the top Pakistani musicians
in the world. He reinvented his
career by learning this entirely
different musical vernacular.”
Scarborough’s own jazz fusion
earned praise from scholars,
composers and performers. Gregg
Akkerman, a former jazz studies
professor at the University of South
Carolina Upstate, pianist and
author of books including Experiencing
Led Zeppelin: A Listener’s
Companion (Rowman & Littlefield,
2014), wrote: “Scarborough has
accomplished the daunting task of
combining complex rhythms and
exotic harmonies with improvisational
swagger, resulting in
something as sophisticated as it is
downright fun.”
Scarborough’s next project is
a follow-up to Bridges. The Color
of Angels, to be released this year,
will feature collaborations between
Scarborough and a new group of
Middle Eastern musicians.
A STUDY
IN EMPATHY
When working with music students
in jazz theory or pop music classes,
in one-on-one lessons or conducting
them in Whitman’s Jazz Ensemble
I, Scarborough demonstrates a
similarly collaborative style. At an
ensemble rehearsal two days before
the group’s fall end-of-semester
concert, his tasks included finding
fixes for individual players, solving
problems for whole sections and
mentoring soloists.
How he defines his role:
“Negotiating and managing all the
ideas and bundles of energy to get
to that point down the road—
that final product, which is going
to be exciting and moving and
clean and motivating.”
For the brass section, some of
whom struggled with a difficult
note, Scarborough advised: “Music
is about going from point A to
point B.” Leave out the note before
the troublesome one, he suggested,
to “make sure your arrival points
are hit and you’re playing together
with your neighbors.”
Scarborough then stepped
aside to listen to the group’s soloists.
After Seattleite and economics
major Jake Barokas ’18
ended his guitar solo, Scarborough
praised the student’s fervor but
suggested that he hold back some
for the concert. Eve Goldman
’18, a Spanish and psychology
double major from Portland,
then rehearsed the Portuguese
vocal introduction to the song
“Black Orpheus” (written by
Brazilian guitarist and composer
Luiz Bonfá for the 1959 movie
of the same name and arranged
by Eric Richards), pausing to
listen to Scarborough’s feedback
on how she and her bandmates
might better coordinate.
Goldman has taken several
classes with Scarborough, including
Meet the Beatles and his Songwriting
course. In the latter, she wrote
a Spanish-language song. Scarborough
scored horn parts for the piece
and Goldman has since performed
it with the ensemble.
“It was a truly incredible
moment that Doug provided for
me, and I am forever grateful,”
she said. “Doug gave us enough
structure and more freedom to
write music—something I have
wanted to do for a long time. He
provides constructive criticism
while maintaining an attitude
that makes everyone excited to
work with him and play music.”
Scarborough’s excitement
stems in part from his belief in
his student collaborators.
“Every student is very, very
valuable,” he said. “They think
in different ways, they learn in
different ways, and because of
that, they are going to contribute
to society in very different ways.
I want them to know that they’re
respected and listened to, so part of
my role is to listen to them and be
with them as they explore whatever
they’re exploring.”
History major Steven
Aslin ’18, who plays drums in
the Jazz Ensemble, appreciates
Scarborough’s interest in
helping him grow his musical
abilities through performing
outside of Whitman.
“I come away from every gig a
better player,” Aslin said. “Doug
has what I call the ‘look,’ where, in
the middle of the tune, he will very
suddenly look over at you and have
one of two expressions. One says:
‘Nice, man,’ and the other, ‘Um,
what’re you doing?’” he said with a
laugh. “That constantly keeps you
on your toes.”
Left: Scarborough rehearses with Seattleite
Sami Braman ’20 in his campus
office last November. Above: Jake Barokas
’18 (left), an economics major from
Seattle, performs with Jazz Ensemble
bandmates Steven Aslin ’18 (center), a
history major from Seattle, and James
O’Brien ’20, from Pleasanton, California,
at the group’s fall concert last November.
Scarborough believes the benefits
of studying music go beyond
the rehearsal room.
“When students get away
from music, they can synthesize,
harmonize, collaborate, cooperate,
respond with razor-sharp quickness,”
he explained. “What the
study of music does is make some
connections for you in ways that are
very mysterious, but have parallels
in their other enterprises in life.”
Musical performance is about
working together in the moment
and understanding other players, he
added—thus enhancing empathy.
“And if we can teach empathy,
then we really have done a good
service to that student. They’ll have
more successful relationships, a
more successful family life, better
interactions with coworkers,”
Scarborough said.
That’s only part of what music
teaches, he concluded. “You don’t
have to know how it works to know
that it works. I’ll leave that for
somebody else to figure out.”
34 Doug Scarborough WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
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35

Herb Ladley ’40 lives in
Kingsport, Tennessee, volunteers
in a reading program for
children in grade school and
attends meetings of the local
Kiwanis International.
Junius Rochester ’57 received
the David Douglas Award from
the Washington State Historical
Society for his work as president
of the Pioneer Association of the
State of Washington, including
publishing articles; presenting
history tours, public programs
and college courses across the
Northwest; and leading an expansion
of the Pioneer Association’s
operations through the acquisition
of artifacts, additions to
Class Notes
its library and the retrofit of Seattle’s
105-year-old Pioneer Hall.
Ann Shelton Foster ’59 writes
from Vancouver, B.C., “Bad
news about me is a terminal
diagnosis of squamous cell
cancer, with no prediction on
how long I’ll live. I’m hoping
to celebrate my big 8-0 in June.
More cheerful news: I read and
enjoyed three of the first-year
reading selections. I highly
recommend other alumni, especially
older ones, to give this a
try. It’s good for our aging brains
and conversations at reunions!”
David Grant ’61 wrote from
Branford, Connecticut, to
Howard Paulson ’63 enjoyed a spur-of-the-moment
reunion with fellow Tau Kappa Epsilon members in Spokane
last fall. Sid Kasuga ’62 missed the 55 th reunion because
his wife was having surgery. So Bob Christianson ’62
hosted a gathering of Kasuga and four former classmates,
reconnecting after more than 50 years and resulting in four
hours of laughs and fellowship. Left to right: Paulson, Bob
Cline ’62, Christianson, John Wells ’62 and Kasuga.
share the sad news of his wife’s
unexpected passing. Loretta
Parducci Grant died at home
in her sleep on Sept. 2, 2017.
William Hartwell ’61 shares that
there is now a vocal scholarship
in his name at Texas Tech
University in Lubbock, where
he was an associate professor
of voice and music for more
than 30 years. “I thank all of
my ‘memorable friends’ who
have been so kind to send
a contribution in my name
to the school of music!”
Alice Hoagland Erickson ’63
reports that no news is
good news! Husband Roy
Logan Hazen ’72 shared
a Whittie sighting: “At the
end of June, my wife and
I attended a wedding in
Bellingham, Washington.
At one point, we stepped
out for fresh air and struck
up a conversation with a
nice couple because the
mother of the bride thought
we might have a special
connection. We quickly discovered
that we were connected
by Whitman; here is
a picture of me (right) and
Kent ’80 and Kelley Knutson
Phillips ’80, with the
Bellingham yacht harbor in
the background.”
Tom McCracken ’63 writes, “I have recently completed a CD entitled Do Your Part, which
contains 14 songs I have written over the past several years. With humor and perspective
from personal experience, the songs are based on a lifetime of enjoyment of folk,
Celtic, bluegrass and traditional country music. They are recorded with a background
of acoustic guitar, dobro, mandolin, keyboard, fiddle and bass. The greatest joy of the
project was the collaboration with my four sons, Colin ’88, Brian ’89, Kevin ’93 and
Brendan ’01; schoolmates Mal Hawley ’63, Tom McKean ’63 and Dick Sandvik ’65;
and my brothers, Dave, who attended Whitman in the mid-’60s, and Steve, whose
daughter is Darrah ’02. Brendan co-produced the CD with me. It’s available at the
Whitman Book Store.” Left to right: Brendan, Kevin, Colin (seated), Brian and Tom.
Ashley Apel ’06 and
Rolf Torgerson ’78 met
unexpectedly in Dillingham,
Alaska. Torgerson has
been a commercial salmon
fisherman in Bristol Bay
for almost 40 years. Apel,
who manages the seafood
program at Fair Trade USA
in Oakland, California, was
in Alaska to assist a group
of fishermen preparing
for their first audit. Both
majored in environmental
studies/sociology.
Erickson ’63 suffers from
Parkinson’s disease. “He’s
holding his own,” she says.
Alec McKay ’63 completed
the Shikoku Henro pilgrimage
to the 88 temples on the
island of Shikoku in Japan in
fall 2016. Last year, he took
up Taoist tai chi. McKay
lives in Chilliwack, B.C.
Chuck Cusak ’68 passed the
10-year mark for retirement
and living “the good life” in
Arizona. “And no! The summers
aren’t that hot!” Cusak says.
“Hope to see everyone at
the 50th reunion in May.”
Lesley Johnson Farmer ’71
received the American
Association of School Librarians’
Distinguished Service Award.
Farmer is a professor of
library media and department
chair of advanced studies in
education at California State
University, Long Beach.
Terry McConn ’74 retired after
30 years from the Walla Walla
Union-Bulletin. He reported
primarily on emergency services,
courts, county commissioners
and the Washington State
Penitentiary. McConn and
his wife, Sherry Fletcher
McConn ’74, plan to travel,
volunteer and spend time
with family and friends.
Margaret Hadaway ’76 and
her husband, George Jobanek,
recently traveled from their
home in Eugene, Oregon, to
Washington, D.C., with the
South Willamette Valley Honor
Flight as volunteer guardians
for two Korean War-era
veterans. Writes Hadaway,
“The trip was immensely
rewarding and profoundly
moving. We were lucky to be
matched with two outstanding
gentlemen with whom we will
remain lifelong friends.”
Marcus Amerman ’81, a
Choctaw bead artist based in
Kooskia, Idaho, was featured in
the fall issue of First American
Art Magazine, with his 1995
piece, “Moonrise over the Little
Big Horn,” on the front cover.
Amerman works in many other
media, including painting, glass
and fashion.
Lucy Peckham ’83, who owns a
live sound engineering business,
designed sound for a show off
the West Coast for the first time.
Alaxsxa/Alaska had a limited run
off-Broadway at La MaMa in
New York City last October. She
worked in cooperation with New
York-based Ping Chong and Co.
Robbie McKinzie Johnson ’86
earned the designation of master
trustee upon completion of
a program sponsored by the
Texas Association of School
Boards (TASB), Leadership
TASB. Johnson is in her second
term as a Lancaster Independent
School Board trustee.
Ben Lenhart ’91 joined the law
firm of Tonkon Torp in Portland,
Oregon. Lenhart, a mergers
and acquisitions attorney,
became a partner in its business
department after practicing law
at Lane Powell for 20 years.
Kate Morrison ’95 became
executive director of Lower
Nehalem Community Trust
Tom Rumpeltes ’83
shared this photo of three
generations of Rumpeltes men
at Whitman. Left to right:
Tom, Luc Rumpeltes ’20
and Dan Rumpeltes ’50.
in Manzanita, Oregon. The
trust is dedicated to the conservation
and restoration
of natural lands along the
northern coast of Oregon.
Brent Nourse ’96 became
director of rugby at New Mexico
Institute of Mining and Technology
in Socorro, New Mexico. A
native of El Paso, Texas, Nourse
returned to the Southwest after
three decades in the Seattle area.
Moonwater ’98 was named
2017 Professional Woman of the
Year by Whatcom Women in
Business. Since 2005, Moonwater
has been the executive director
for Whatcom Dispute Resolution
Center in Bellingham. A
Courtney Whitmore Wyckoff ’97 sent a photo of a summer
“WhitmanPalooza” in Edmonds, Washington. Left to right: Anne
Marie Shields Charnholm ’97, Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger ’97,
Jordan Kirk Royal ’97, Kirsten Johnson Paust ’98, Jason Metcalf-
Lindenburger ’99, Wyckoff, Greg Wyckoff ’97 and Associate
Professor of Astronomy Nathaniel Paust ’98.
36 Class Notes WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE Class Notes WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
37

mediator, facilitator and trainer,
she earned a master’s degree in
public administration at Seattle
University, where she specialized
in nonprofit management.
Michelle Perrin Roberts ’98
won a Governor’s Leadership in
Management Award from Gov.
Jay Inslee of Washington as
director of the Office of Immunization
and Child Profile at the
Washington State Department of
Health. Roberts lives in Olympia
with her husband, Jason Roberts,
and 8-year-old daughter, Caitlin.
Steward Campbell ’02 completed
his master of education
in history at Bielefeld University
in Germany. He is pursuing
an 18-month secondary
school teacher-training program
in Minden, Westphalia.
James Millikan ’09 professed first vows as a Jesuit at Loyola Marymount
University’s Chapel of the Sacred Heart in Los Angeles. Family
present included his brother, Dan Millikan ’00, parents, sister and niece.
He is pursuing an M.A. in philosophy and social science from ITESO,
Jesuit University of Guadalajara, and credits Whitman courses in philosophy,
Spanish and economics for preparing him. Left to right: Maya Laing,
Jessica Millikan Laing, Millikan, Catrina Millikan, Dan and Peter Millikan.
Jessie Runnoe ’08 studies the relationship of the evolution of galaxies to
the black holes at their centers as a postdoctoral researcher at the University
of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She is using the Magellan Baade telescopes at Las
Campañas Observatory, 7,900 feet up in the Atacama region of Chile.
Allison Bolgiano ’14 was part of a group of 12 Whitman friends to raft the Colorado River
through the Grand Canyon last spring. They enjoyed 20 nights of camping under the stars,
exploring secluded side canyons, making music on the beach and navigating the adrenaline
of big rapids. Back row, left to right: Tanner Bowersox ’14, Jesse Lanci, Tia Herdman ’14,
Nathan Liechty ’14, Kemper Brightman ’14 and Austin Easter ’14; middle row, left to
right: Molly Hayes ’14, Season Martin ’08, Bolgiano, Claire Martini ’14, Kari Paustian ’14
and Ross Kellogg; front row: Chase Martin ’14. Not pictured: Meg Robinson ’14.
Samantha Howell ’04 received
the Public Citizen of the Year
award from the New York State
Chapter of the National Association
of Social Workers (NASW-
NYS). The award is given to a
non-social worker who is committed
to the lives of marginalized
and oppressed populations
and whose accomplishments exemplify
the values and mission of
the social work profession. Most
recently director of pro bono and
outreach for Prisoners’ Legal Services
of New York, Howell is executive
director of NASW-NYS.
Emily Arneson ’06 was
selected by the Washington
State Bar Association as Outstanding
Young Lawyer of the
Year 2017. She serves as the
community ombudsperson
and accessibility officer for the
Spokane Transit Authority.
Lindsey Case Thompson ’06,
Walla Walla-based owner/practitioner
of Thompson Family
Acupuncture Clinic, launched a
Chinese medicine-based nutrition
film series to teach the use
of food as medicine. She uses
the same principles that dictate
Fritz Siegert ’12 (left) is
living in Uganda as a Fogarty
Global Health Scholar,
researching pediatric sickle
cell anemia before returning
to University of Washington
to finish medical
school. “One of the best
parts of my year in Uganda
is that I am living with my
fellow Whittie Allan Okello
’13,” writes Siegert. “He
and I were TKEs together
and played rugby together;
Allan was one of my closest
friends in college. Despite
that, I had not seen him in
almost five years. We are
living together in his family
home in Kampala, and it’s
like things never changed.”
acupuncture points on patients
to determine people’s diets.
Lea Negrin Baker ’13 graduated
from San Diego State University
with an MFA in creative writing.
Marriages/Unions
Michelle Krall ’10 to Aaron David ’08, April 29,
2017, in San Diego, California.
Jackson Bellaimey ’12 to Mackenzie Hales ’12,
May 27, 2017, outside of Zion National Park in Utah.
Rachel Quednau ’13 to Jack Eckblad, June 16, 2017,
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Leah Wheeler ’11 to Ben Elstrott ’12, Aug. 5, 2017, at Jasper House Farms in Eugene, Oregon. Left
to right: Brigitte Meyer ’11, Will Cooper ’13, Claire Oatey ’11, Cam Deamer-Phillips ’11, Ben Gourlay
’11, Bennett Baucom ’12, Alyssa Nevel ’12, John David Davidson ’11, Elstrott, Wheeler Elstrott,
John Hodges ’11, Hannah Payne ’11, Courtney Sanford ’12, Kayla Chory ’11, Ilona Davis ’11, Kristen
Coverdale ’11, Ken Anderson ’08, Emily Nickels ’11, Chris Hansman ’11 and Seb Elstrott ’12.
Births/
Adoptions
To Carl and Deanna Weber
Prine ’94, a son, Oberon Ash,
and a daughter, Maeve Annabell,
born Aug. 30, 2017. The family
relocated from Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, to San Diego,
where Prine’s husband is an
investigative reporter for
The San Diego Union-Tribune.
To Charles and Crystal Borm
Ellis ’01, a daughter, Caiya
Ruth, born June 25, 2017. She
joins sister, Caitlynn Marie, 3.
To Paul and Penelope Jane
Van Hulle Smith ’99,
a son, Gabriel Patrick Smith,
born May 20, 2017.
To Chris and Katie Cabot
Steipp ’01, a son, Daniel Jude
Steipp, born Sept. 4, 2016. He
joins Mathew, 5, and Andrew, 3.
Andy Coulson ’09 to Sarah Engstrom, Sept. 3,
2017, in Palmer, Alaska. Left to right: Emily
Fassler ’09; Blair Feehan ’08; Laura Coulson
’12; Kimberly ‘Kiki’ Brennan ’09;
Jillian Varonin ’09; Engstrom Coulson;
Coulson; Tom Bugert ’09; Dave
Blanchard ’09; and Gus O’Malley ’09.
Ari van Schilfgaarde ’07 to Margaret Rosano, Oct. 21, 2017, in Stinson Beach,
California. Front row: Aaron David ’08, Michelle Krall ’10, Jeff Bernstein ’07 and
Cat Lewis ’08. Back row: Kevin McNellis ’07, Elliot Tilden ’07, Jon Loeffler ’08,
van Schilfgaarde, Rosano, Molly Stenovec ’06, Savanna Ferguson ’06, Eli Zigas,
Matt Stenovec ’08 and Carl Brodersen ’07. Not pictured: Tory Amorello ’06,
represented by the paper plate head with yarn hair, says van Schilfgaarde.
To Christie Wolf ’01 and
Chuck Harrison, a son,
James Lucas Harrison Wolf,
born Dec. 15, 2016.
To Benjamin and Christine
Mumford Mitchell ’03,
a daughter, Astrid Grace
Mitchell, born April 9, 2017.
She joins sister, Ada, 4.
To Daniel ’05 and Megan
Schedler Cook ’05, a daughter,
Audrey Charlotte Cook, born July
20, 2017. She joins sister, Lucy, 2.
To Mihak Hagel ’05 and
Matthew Maynard ’04,
a daughter, Eliana Hagel
Maynard, born Jan. 18, 2017.
To Rachel Stein ’09 and Michael
Rossol, a son, Levi Alexander
Rossol, born June 6, 2017.
To Chad and Lydia Hayes
Owens ’08, a son, Beau Edward
Owens, born May 13, 2017.
38 Class Notes WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE Births/Adoptions and Marriages/Unions WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
39

In Memoriam
Margaret Bell Graham ’36,
Sept. 2, 2017, in Pomeroy,
Washington. While at
Whitman, she met and married
Harold Graham ’34 and
became a farmer’s wife. They
had three daughters. Graham
was a 4-H leader and attended
United Methodist Church. In
the 1980s, the Grahams moved
to Walla Walla due to health
issues and remained involved in
their church and community.
Graham was preceded in
death by her husband. She is
survived by three daughters,
including Roberta Graham
Paulson ’62; 21 grandchildren;
many great- and great-greatgrandchildren,
including Jillian
Briglia ’19; and great-nieces
and great-nephews, including
Adam Graham-Squire ’98.
Eleanor Thompson Wolff ’44,
July 18, 2016, in Boise, Idaho.
She taught English and
history in public and private
schools, worked in the city
library and wrote articles for
regional newspapers. Wolff
traveled the world. She was
a lifelong theater patron and
established the Dramatic
Arts Library Endowment at
Whitman’s Penrose Library.
Wolff was preceded in
death by her husband of 55
years, William Wolff. She
is survived by her daughter,
Roberta Wolff Kerr ’74.
Brian Laird ’46, March
30, 2017, in Gig Harbor,
Washington. Laird began active
service in the U.S. Navy in the
V-12 program at Whitman.
He was married to his high
school sweetheart for 72 years
and they raised their family in
Tacoma, Washington, where
he was a custom-home builder
for more than 50 years. He
is survived by his wife, two
daughters and a grandson.
Doris Burch Saunders ’47,
July 9, 2017, in Renton,
Washington. She was married
to Richard Saunders ’47 until
his death in 1985. She earned a
master’s degree and a teaching
certificate in music at the
University of Oregon in Eugene
and taught instrumental and
vocal music privately and for
the public schools in Eugene.
After returning to Walla Walla
in 1978, Saunders worked for
the Army Corps of Engineers
until her retirement in 1992.
She played violin with the
Eugene Symphony for 30 years
and was a lifelong member of
the Walla Walla Symphony.
Saunders was predeceased by
her husband and two children.
She is survived by four children,
including Janet Saunders
Smith ’78 and husband Steven
Smith ’78; seven grandchildren;
and a great-grandson.
Mary Peringer Cutler ’48,
March 17, 2015, in Nine
Mile Falls, Washington.
After Whitman, she married
Maynard Cutler ’48. They
worked on family farms and
raised six children in the
Spokane area. Cutler was part
of a long line of Whitman
alumni and preceded in death
by her mother, Pearl Peringer
1909; brother, Roy Peringer
’49; and sister, Faith Peringer
Thorn ’41. She is survived
by her husband; six children,
including Dan Cutler ’73, Kit
Cutler ’74 and Katie Cutler
Talbot ’88; 13 grandchildren
and 12 great-grandchildren.
Elaine Cation Fisher ’48, Sept.
11, 2017, in Salem, Oregon.
She earned a master’s degree in
Christian education from San
Francisco Theological Seminary,
at which she met Harold Fisher.
They married in 1950. His work
took them to Beirut, Lebanon,
where their daughter was born,
as well as to various countries
in Africa. Upon their return
to the U.S., they settled in the
Midwest, later retiring to Salem.
Church community was vital
to her everywhere she lived.
She was predeceased by her
husband; her parents, Forest
Cation ’22 and Willena Long
Cation ’23; and sister, Janet
Cation Houser ’51. Fisher
is survived by her daughter,
two granddaughters and
numerous nieces and nephews,
including David Soloos ’81.
Sayre Stevens ’48, April 9,
2015, in Lottsburg, Virginia.
Stevens earned his Ph.D.
in Soviet studies from the
University of Washington.
Stevens had a significant career
in national security: as deputy
director of intelligence for the
CIA; as a senior representative
to the Strategic Arms Limitation
Talks with the Soviet Union;
and as a two-time recipient of
the CIA’s highest honor, the
Distinguished Intelligence
Medal. Later, he served as an
executive vice president with
System Planning Corporation,
managing work associated
with ballistic missile defense
and intelligence programs, and
retiring in 1997. He is survived
by his wife and six children.
Shirley McCartney Coleman
’49, June 24, 2017, in Lewiston,
Idaho. After Whitman, she
married Bob Coleman ’50 (see
next page) and they raised two
children. With her husband,
Coleman built the family business,
Coleman Oil, by serving as
credit manager, chief bookkeeper
and co-visionary. She was on
the Idaho governor’s task force
on education and involved with
the Lewiston League of Women
Voters. She is survived by her
daughter; son, Bob Coleman,
Jr. ’77; daughter-in-law, Jennifer
Brown Coleman ’78; and
grandson, Ian Coleman ’11.
Joyce Horn King ’49, July 6,
2017, in Seattle. King taught
English and drama at Granite
Falls (Washington) High School
and third and fifth grades
in the Sultan (Washington)
School District for more than
25 years. She retired to West
Seattle and became active
with the West Seattle Senior
Center, playing with its ukulele
band for almost 20 years. She
is survived by her sister, three
children, four grandchildren
and three great-grandchildren.
Mary Reid Moersch ’49,
July 19, 2014, in Trabuco
Canyon, California. She was
predeceased by her husband. A
son and daughter survive her.
Jane Meadowcroft Robison
’49, July 19, 2017, in Walla
Walla. After graduation, she
married Jim Robison ’48 and
they settled on the Robison
Ranch outside Walla Walla. Robison
was a consistent volunteer
for Whitman: class representative
for annual giving, on the
Alumni Association board of
directors, as a chair for the 20th
and 50th reunions of the class
of 1949 and as a host for many
reunion events for the classes
of 1948 and 1949. Robison
Ranch was primarily a wheat
operation but expanded to Walla
Walla sweet onions and shallots;
later, a specialty foods company
was added to operations. The
Robisons added a winery to the
list from 2007 through 2015.
Robison was predeceased by her
husband and brother, Thomas
Meadowcroft ’52. She is sur-
vived by five children, including
JoAnn Robison Cornelius ’74.
Janet Pink Ross ’49, Aug. 20,
2017, in Sacramento, California.
She moved to Portland upon
graduating from Whitman and
worked at Swift and Company,
one of the largest meat packing
plants at the time, as a
secretary. There she met Edgar
Ross, who purchased livestock
for the production facility; they
married in 1952, began their
family in Portland and settled
in Salem. Ross then spent 28
years at Chemeketa Community
College as lead secretary to the
dean of students. Her husband
preceded her in death. Ross
is survived by her daughter,
son and two grandchildren.
Harry “Russ” Casson ’50,
Oct. 8, 2016, in Seattle. Casson
reconnected with classmate
Margaret Peach ’49 and
they married in 1985. He
was preceded in death by his
wife and is survived by their
combined six children and
dozen grandchildren.
Bob Coleman ’50, June 12,
2017, in Lewiston. After graduation,
he married Shirley Mc-
Cartney ’49 and they raised two
children. Coleman worked for
Standard Oil Co. in Cragmont,
California, then took over the
distributorship in Lewiston. He
spent the remainder of his professional
life building Coleman
Oil to a 60-employee operation
and retired in 1992. Coleman
was active in community organizations
and his church; his
philanthropy included the Boys
and Girls Clubs and scholarship
at Lewis-Clark State College.
He was predeceased by his sister,
Marylou Coleman Kegley ’43.
He is survived by his daughter;
son, Bob Coleman, Jr. ’77;
daughter-in-law, Jennifer Brown
Coleman ’78; and grandson,
Ian Coleman ’11.
Margaret Cowan Schindler
’50, Dec. 13, 2016, in Des
Moines, Washington. She was a
homemaker who worked for
H & R Block for 15 years during
tax season. Schindler was
an active P.E.O. member since
1946. She was predeceased by
her husband of 65 years, Donald
Schindler; her mother, Josephine
Shields Cowan ’24; and
brother, Ronald Cowan ’52.
She is survived by six children,
including Neal Schindler ’78;
eight grandchildren; and 12
great-grandchildren.
Arthur Whitman ’50, Jan. 7,
2017, in Belfast, Maine.
Whitman served in the U.S.
Navy before attending the
college with whom he shared
a name. Upon graduation,
he taught English at Robert
College in Istanbul, Turkey.
He married Marianne Morse
in 1957 and spent several years
establishing a public relations
and fundraising program at
the American University of
Beirut (AUB). Whitman then
worked for AUB development
in New York and then returned
to his family’s farm in Auburn,
Maine. He served as executive
director of the World Affairs
Council of Maine, executive
director of Maine Organic
Farmers and Gardeners
Association and treasurer of
the Veterans for Peace/Maine.
Whitman was a member
of many social justice and
social outreach organizations.
He was predeceased by
his wife of 56 years. He is
survived by his daughter,
son and granddaughter.
Beverly Mulhair Coats ’51,
June 7, 2015, in Gresham,
Oregon. She met and married
James Coats ’49 at Whitman,
graduated from Portland State
University and became a
teacher at Cherry Park Grade
School. Coats was a member of
Portland’s First Congregational
Church and the Optimist Club.
Her husband preceded her in
death. She is survived by her
sister, Joyce Mulhair Seebart
’49; brother-in-law, Don
Seebart ’48; three children;
five grandchildren, including
Charles Coats ’17; and four
great-grandchildren.
Otis Harlan ’51, Aug. 12, 2017,
in Yakima, Washington. After
Whitman, Harlan moved back
to Yakima to work at his father’s
business, which he eventually
developed into Hi-Country
Foods Corporation in Selah,
Washington. He was also one of
the founders and director of the
Selah Bank and served on the
board of directors of West One
Bank. He supported the local
YMCA, serving as president
of the board and as a trustee.
He also supported many other
community causes. Harlan
was preceded in death by a
daughter. He is survived by his
fiancée, Bobbi Jo Quigley, three
children, three granddaughters
and four great-grandchildren.
By an earlier marriage to
Harriette Bandy Harlan, he is
survived by three stepchildren.
Erwin Horton ’51, Dec. 16,
2015, in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.
He had a long career in
banking, first in California and
later in Connecticut. Horton was
Nat Penrose ’55, Aug. 18, 2017, in Shoreline, Washington. He married Dorothy “Poo” Allen in 1960; they had three
children. Penrose worked for Peoples Bank of Washington from 1958 to 1983, managing branches in Kirkland and
Tacoma, before joining the main office in Seattle in 1979. He was a partner in Business Telephone Systems until retiring
in 1998. Penrose served for many years on the boards of the University of Puget Sound, St. Joseph Hospital, Franciscan
Health System, the Washington State Hospital Association and the Seattle Children’s Home. He was a former president
of the Tacoma Country and Golf Club and a member of the Seattle Golf Club since 1981. Penrose was from a long line
of Whitman alumni, including grandfather Stephen B. L. Penrose, college president from 1894 to 1934. A committed
volunteer, he served as co-chair of the 45 th reunion of the class of 1955 and regularly attended area alumni events. He is
survived by his wife of nearly 57 years; sister, Penny Penrose Bignold ’56; sister-in-law, Nancy Allen Silvernale ’56;
three children; five grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews, including Bruce Bignold ’84. Donations in his
memory may be made to the Paul Pigott and William M. Allen Professorship in Ethics at Whitman.
40 In Memoriam WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE In Memoriam WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
41

Russ DeRemer, Oct. 15,
2017, in Marana, Arizona.
President Robert
Skotheim hired him as
dean of students in 1978
to build a strong student
services program (today
called Student Affairs). The
foundation he laid until his
resignation in 1994 remains
the cornerstone for Student
Affairs: to uphold student
learning inside and outside
the classroom, to engage
students in meaningful
ways through internships,
employment and volunteering
and to develop
student interpersonal and
leadership skills. “Russ
taught me the ways of
student development at a
time when I had little background
in that field,” said
Chuck Cleveland, recently
retired dean of students. “I
also learned from him that
humor can serve one well
and that it is sometimes
most important to be the
calmest person in the room.
The highest honor that
Student Affairs bestows to
students is aptly named the
Russell J. DeRemer Award.”
active in the American Institute
of Banking for the Pasadena
chapter. He was preceded in
death by his brother, Robert
Horton ’54, and cousin, Janice
Nye Baxter ’48. He is survived
by his nephew, William Baxter,
Jr. ’78.
Robert Cameron ’52, July 23,
2017, in Vancouver, Washington.
After Whitman, Cameron
served in the U.S. Navy,
returned to his hometown of
Camas and eventually became
paymaster of the paper mill. He
married Carolyn Bradford in
1951; they had four children.
She passed away in 1962. He
married Agnes Lori in 1963.
Cameron was very active in his
community: baseball coach,
Crown Camas (Lacamas)
Credit Union board of directors
member, volunteer firefighter,
cemetery board member, Lions
Club member. He is survived
by his former wife, three sons
and five grandchildren.
Shirley Gose Hammar ’52,
Oct. 17, 2016, in Honolulu,
Hawaii. She was married
to S. L. Hammar in 1956.
She is survived by a brother,
Gerald Gose ’50.
Robert Nelson ’52, Feb. 22,
2014, in Galveston, Texas. He
earned his M.D. at Northwestern
University and had a career as
an anesthesiologist in Texas.
Barbara Hedinger
Steinkamp ’55, May 30, 2017,
in Chaska, Minnesota. She
earned a master’s degree in
biology at Stanford University.
She worked as a stockbroker
for more than 25 years.
Steinkamp also was a board
member of the League of
Women Voters Minnesota. She
is survived by her husband,
Donald Steinkamp, five
children, eight grandchildren
and a great-grandson.
Lee “Pete” Silvernale ’56,
July 24, 2017, in Colorado
Springs, Colorado. Silvernale
attended graduate school at the
University of Nebraska and
University of California, San
Diego, studying physics and
communication theory. He
married Pearl McKenny in 1959;
they had three children. The
couple built their dream home
on an acre with avocado trees in
San Diego. Silvernale worked for
Western Electric, specializing in
developing complex computer
numerical control for the
machining of aircraft structural
components. He then took a
senior engineering position
developing guidance and flight
control for the Centaur rocket
for NASA. Silvernale is survived
by his wife, three children
and seven grandchildren. His
brother, Grant Silvernale ’50,
died Oct. 31, 2017; his
obituary will appear in the
next issue of this magazine.
Beverly Chichester Hall ’58,
July 26, 2017, in
Placerville, California.
Wilbur Spencer ’59, Aug. 17,
2017, on Vashon Island,
Washington. He enrolled in
the U.S. Marine Corps Officer
Candidates School at Quantico,
Virginia, but had to return home
and served the remainder of his
military term as a reserve while
working for the family business.
Spencer married Marian Evans
in 1961. His career then caught
fire. He served as volunteer fire
chief for Vashon and became fire
chief for Snohomish County,
Spring Glen and the City of
Auburn. Spencer also served
as the first fire marshal for
Whatcom County. In 1985,
he became a deputy state fire
Gordon Philpot, July 4,
2017, in Beaverton, Oregon.
Born a British citizen,
Philpot joined the British
military after graduating
secondary school and
traveled throughout Asia
and Africa as a Grenadier
Guard. When his service
ended in 1962, he earned
his undergraduate degree at
the University of California,
Santa Barbara and his
Ph.D. in economics from
the University of Wisconsin
at Madison. He accepted
a job at Whitman in 1969
and retired as professor of
economics in 1996. Philpot
was an avid duplicate bridge
player and became an
American Contract Bridge
League Life Master in 2011.
His wife, Sonja Brekke,
predeceased him in 2003.
He is survived by two
daughters and a grandson.
marshal. Upon retirement in
2002, he volunteered at the
island’s history museum and
served on the neighborhood
water system board. Spencer
is survived by his wife, three
children, four grandchildren
and three great-grandchildren.
Gary Burrus ’61, May 31,
2014, in Bradenton, Florida.
He served as a pilot in the U.S.
Navy and spent more than
30 years as a pilot for United
Airlines. Burrus is survived by
his wife and two children.
Richard May ’61, Aug. 23, 2017,
in Spokane. May earned a master’s
degree in 1963 and a Ph.D.
in psychology in 1966 from
Claremont Graduate School.
He married Marjorie Stevenson
in 1962. May was hired by the
newly established University
of Victoria, in Victoria, British
Columbia, in 1966. He retired
in 1996 as chair and professor
emeritus of psychology. He
published numerous articles
and was the senior author of
a computer-age textbook on
statistical methods; it came with
software. May is survived by his
wife of 55 years, two sons and
seven grandchildren.
Kary Wilson Hyre ’64, June 24,
2017, in Olympia, Washington.
He earned a master’s degree
from the University of
Wisconsin. Following a career
in government in Wisconsin, he
was Washington state long-term
care ombudsman from 1989 to
2006, advocating for nursing
home residents. He served as
organist and choirmaster for
United Churches of Olympia
for 18 years and at St. John’s
Episcopal Church for 10. Hyre
was preceded in death by his
first wife, Bonnie McMartin
Hyre ’65. He is survived by
his wife, Janet, among others.
Kathleen Gaston Kelso ’64,
May 14, 2017, in Seattle. After
Whitman, she graduated from
University of Washington. In
1965, she married Duncan Kelso
and they settled in Seattle. They
divorced in 1985. In 1974, she
began to work for The Mountaineers
Club of Seattle. She was
the registrar of Antioch University
Seattle from 1985 to her
retirement in 2002. She earned
an M.A. in whole systems design
from Antioch and in 1990 took
a sabbatical to travel to the
Antarctic as a steward on an
oceanographic survey ship. In retirement,
she volunteered for the
Center for Wooden Boats and
the Mountaineers Foundation.
She is survived by her sister, two
children and two grandchildren.
Linda Roehrig Knapp ’66,
Aug. 11, 2017, in Edmonds,
Washington. After Whitman,
Knapp earned her undergraduate
degree from Boston University
and then served in the Peace
Corps in Malawi, Africa,
where she met Mike Knapp.
They married in 1976 and had
three children. Knapp wrote
weekly columns for Seattle-area
newspapers, several novels and
John R. “Jack” Freimann, Jan. 3, 2018. A member of Whitman’s Harper Joy Theatre faculty for more than
30 years, he oversaw an annual lineup of 10 to 15 productions. Freimann founded the facility’s famed poster collection—contributing
to it until his death at age 91—and built it into the largest of its kind in the nation. He also
assembled musical theatre recordings and donated hundreds of playbills, books and memorabilia to Penrose
Library. At his retirement in 1992, Harper Joy Theatre’s 70-seat “black box” studio theatre was renamed after
him, and more than 200 alumni and friends of Whitman theatre contributed to a fund that would become the
John R. Freimann Visiting Artist in Drama Endowment. Retiring to New York City to resume his acting career, he
appeared in movies, TV shows, commercials and theatre, including 14 seasons at The MUNY in St. Louis, Missouri,
the nation’s largest and oldest outdoor musical theatre. Born and raised in Selah, Washington, Freimann
earned a B.S. in theatre at New York University and an MFA from Fordham University. He also studied at the
American Conservatory Theater, HB Studio and British Drama League. Hired at Whitman by Rod Alexander ’41,
the first formal director of Harper Joy Theatre, to succeed him, Freimann came to Whitman in 1962 from New
York University, where he had taught for five years. He took over Whitman theatre in 1967 and, during his
tenure, also directed, performed and designed for more than a dozen summer and winter stock programs. He
was a member of Actors’ Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild and United Scenic Artists and volunteered for
entertainment industry organizations and charities including Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, The Actors
Fund and the Theatre Development Fund. Freimann returned to Whitman periodically in later years to design,
direct and mentor. In 2001, he spoke at Whitman’s commencement and was awarded an honorary doctor of humanities.
In November 2016, Whitman threw him a 90 th birthday party in New York City. He had recently moved
to Huntington Beach, California, to be near his niece, Shaun Meagher, and her husband, John. At Freimann’s
request, there was no formal memorial service. His niece is compiling a memory book; send photos and notes to
sjmeagher@aol.com. His family asks that memorial gifts be made to Whitman’s John R. Freimann Visiting Artist
in Drama Endowment. To read more about him, go online to whitman.edu/newsroom and enter his name.
nonfiction books about teaching.
She also wrote for Apple
Education News when computers
were new tools in teaching and
became a senior writer for Apple
Computers. Knapp is survived
by her husband, three children
and four grandchildren.
Steven Van Wyk ’67, Oct. 30,
2016, in Poulsbo, Washington.
After Whitman, Van Wyk
served in the U.S. Navy
and taught in the industrial
trades department at Olympic
College in Bremerton,
Washington. He is survived
by his wife and four sons.
Elaine White Raines ’70,
July 6, 2017, in Burien, Washington.
After Whitman, she
married R. Lee Raines ’69,
and they moved to the San
Francisco Bay Area, where she
earned a master of science at the
University of California, San
42 In Memoriam WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE In Memoriam WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
43

G. Thomas Edwards, Jan. 10, 2018. He was an historian, teacher, scholar and mentor to generations of Whitman students.
Born in Portland, Oregon, and raised in Taft, Oregon, Edwards earned his B.A. from Willamette University and
his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Oregon. While in graduate school, he taught in Eugene public schools before
accepting a position at San Jose State College. Encouraged by Jim Pengra, a fellow University of Oregon graduate student
on the Whitman faculty, Edwards joined Whitman’s History Department in 1964. His classes on American history,
especially Western American history and the Civil War and Reconstruction, provided rigorous and enriching academic
experiences. He involved students in his scholarship, which included four books and dozens of journal articles, and
inspired many to pursue teaching careers and work in archives and in the study of history. Edwards served as a resource
and adviser to seven Whitman presidents and held numerous leadership roles, including elected chair of the faculty. He
was named the William Kirkman Professor of History in 1985 and earned the Burlington Northern Teaching Achievement
Award and the Robert Y. Fluno Award for Distinguished Teaching. In 1982, he accepted an assignment from
then-President Robert Skotheim to write a scholarly history of Whitman; the publication of The Triumph of Tradition,
winner of the Governor’s Award, in 1992, and its follow-up, Tradition in a Turbulent Age, in 2001, added significantly
to the account of higher education in the Pacific Northwest. Upon his retirement in 1998, former students funded the
G. Thomas Edwards Award for Excellence in the Integration of Teaching and Scholarship. Edwards presented regularly
at reunions and alumni events across the country and led trips for the Whitman College Alumni Association. His talks
on the emergence of Whitman College, Marcus and Narcissa Whitman and Whitman in the age of student activism
attracted large audiences. The alumni association presented him its award for faculty service in 1996. His alumni appearances
continued for 20-plus years, including at a 50 th Reunion Celebration in 2017. Edwards pursued his research
and writing in retirement in his home state of Oregon with his wife, Nannette. In 2003, he received the Robert Gray
Medal from the Washington State Historical Society for lifetime achievement in teaching regional history. Survivors
include his daughter, Stephanie Plowman ’85 (Gary); son, Randall Edwards (Julia Brim), who also attended Whitman;
and five grandchildren. To read more about him, go online to whitman.edu/newsroom and enter his name.
Photo by Doug Clark/Focus503 Photography
U.S. Army in 1982 but suffered
a disabling injury in boot camp
at Fort Benning, Georgia, and
received an honorable discharge.
Mackleit wound up working
for the U.S. Department
of Veterans Affairs in Seattle,
arranging counseling appointments,
making travel arrangements,
coordinating benefits to
families of deceased veterans and
developing claims for disabled
and non-disabled veterans, until
his own disabilities forced early
retirement. He is survived by
his mother, sister and brother.
Whitman
Collection
(1) After the suicide of her
16-year-old son, Tom, Kimberly
Starr ’90 started writing to
process her grief and explore
parallels between her own
struggles with mental illness and
those of her child. She compiled
them in 457 Days: A Mother’s
Journey Along Grief’s Path
(CreateSpace, 2017).
(2) Kelly Cresap ’82, an
instructor at University of
Maryland, College Park’s
Professional Writing Program,
released A Love-Hate Guide to
“Breaking Bad” (CreateSpace,
2017) after team-teaching honors
college seminars on the subject.
He analyzes what even the most
obsessive fans of the AMC series
might have missed.
(3) Tom Cronin, a prominent
American political scientist
and former Whitman president
(1993-2005), examines 40
top American novels about
American politics in Imagining
1 2
3
a Great Republic (Rowman &
Littlefield, 2017). Sample texts:
All the King’s Men, The Grapes of
Wrath, The Plot Against America
and The Manchurian Candidate.
Cronin, who teaches at Colorado
College, detects commonalities
in many: the necessity of moral
responsibility, the multiple
narratives of the American dream
and the need for alertness against
anti-democratic regimes.
Editor’s note
We compile updates from Whitman
family and friends and generally rely on
our submitters for accuracy.
Wedding and baby photos now appear
in Whitman Magazine instead of Live
Wire. Send submissions to Jennifer
Dilworth Northam ’91, assistant director
for alumni relations and Class Notes
editor, at northajl@whitman.edu.
Include your contact information in
case we have questions. Entries are
considered on a first-come, firstserved
basis and on space availability.
Francisco and performed research
at the Salk Institute. Returning
to Seattle in the mid-’70s, Raines
worked in the lab of Russell Ross
at the University of Washington;
they revolutionized the understanding
of atherosclerosis, and
after his death in 1999, she led
the lab. Raines was preceded
in death by her husband and is
survived by her son, Alex Raines
’04; daughter-in-law, Elizabeth
Raines; and two grandchildren.
Joan Carlson Greig ’71, July 18,
2017, in Melbourne, Australia.
She earned a teaching certificate
at Central Washington State College
and then taught in Australia.
She met Ken Greig there and they
married in 1978. She later had a
20-year career with IBM. In retirement,
Greig earned a master’s
degree in linguistics and taught
English in Irian Jaya, Indonesia.
Returning to Melbourne, she
studied at Monash University
and the University of Melbourne,
earning her doctorate in education
at the latter. The couple
traveled extensively. Greig volunteered
at the Asylum Seekers
Resource Centre. She is survived
by her husband, brother, sister
and many nieces and nephews.
Vicki Peiss Judd ’73, July 3,
2017, in Florence, Montana.
While at Whitman, she met and
married Ralph Judd ’72. Their
45-year union produced a son.
Judd worked a variety of jobs,
including real estate agent, Montana
state lobbyist and manager
of community relations in Missoula,
Montana. She was active in
many community organizations,
including the Chamber of Commerce,
United Way and Missoula
Children’s Theatre. She is
survived by her husband and son.
Vern Mackleit ’79, Aug. 28,
2017, in Yakima. He joined the
Call for Petitions: Alumni Board
The Alumni Association board seeks to fill one
opening this year. All alumni are invited to consider
petitioning, with preference given to candidates who
bring diverse experiences and perspectives to the
position, contribute to increasing alumni engagement
in the San Francisco Bay Area and represent
graduates from the last 15 years.
Board members serve three-year terms beginning
July 1. The board should reflect the diversity of the
Alumni Association, demonstrate volunteer service
to Whitman and represent various class years,
geographical areas and interests. The alumni board
meets in Walla Walla two times per calendar year and
via conference call in between. Attendance is required
at meetings and expected at local area events.
Deadline to submit documents related to
petitioning: March 15 c/o Nancy Mitchell, director
of alumni relations, at mitchenl@whitman.edu.
For petitioning, board membership information and bylaws, go
online to whitman.edu/alumni/stay-involved/alumni-board.
For questions, call (509) 527-5952.
Call for Nominations:
Alumni Awards
Nominate outstanding Whitties for
Alumni Association Recognition Awards,
to be presented during
Reunion Weekend, Sept. 27-30.
The Alumni Association board seeks nominations in the following categories:
• Distinguished Service to Whitman College (recognizing outstanding volunteers)
• Lifelong Achievement (recognizing graduates from more than 50 years ago)
• Young Alumni (recognizing graduates from the last 10 years)
• Alumni of Merit (recognizing those who have achieved distinction in their
chosen field, service to their community or service to Whitman)
Go online to whitman.edu/alumni and click on Recognition Awards.
Deadline for nominations: March 18.
WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
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44 In Memoriam WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE In Memoriam and Whitman Collection WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
45

Reunion Recap
More than 1,000 alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends of Whitman convened on campus
during Reunion Weekend 2017 in mid-October. Check out these photos and fun facts from the festivities.
A group from the 5 th -year cluster reunion revels during the All-Class Party. Left to
right: Alejandro Fuentes ’13, Tania Chairez, Brenton Weyi ’12 and Rachel Ramey ’13.
Front: Surabhi Veenapani ’12.
Alumni of all ages mix and mingle during the All-Class Party in Reid Campus Center.
Dee Quinnell Bjorback ’52 and Barbara
Cockburn Danforth ’52 show school spirit
at the head of the Parade of Classes.
Members of the class of 1957 send a message to their absent
Class Representative Hal Harber ’57.
Charlie and Minda McLaughlin Merrow, both class
of 1962, celebrate their selection as the 2017 Gordon
Scribner Award winners for distinguished service.
President Murray gives a campus update during Reunion Convocation.
Co-chairs of the class of 1977 40 th reunion committee present their class
gift of $3,603,311 to President Kathy Murray. Left to right: Reunion Giving
Officer Claire Zunata Evans ’96, Murray, K. Wagelin Baxter ’77, April
Brookins Duvic ’77 and Bob Coleman ’77.
The class of 1986 enjoys the chilly but beautiful fall day during the Parade of Classes.
Reunion by the Numbers:
A group from the
class of 1987 clowns
around at the All-
Class Party. Front,
left to right: Wendy
Wells, Kirstin
Fitzgerald Stocker,
Carla Widell
Gerber and Denise
Garvey Tabbutt.
Back, left to right:
Jamie Cheney,
Ginger Talbot
Williamson, Steve
Swisher and
Cathy Wickwire.
The class of 2007 marches past the Walla Walla High School Band on the
way to Reunion Convocation.
Photography by Sarah Koenigsberg ’02
Drum Major Tony Pham leads the Walla Walla High School marching
band down Boyer Avenue at the head of the Parade of Classes.
3 events at the
Glover Alston Center
8 Greek open houses
12 class reunion photos
75 alumni and 100 students
at Whitties Helping Whitties
career networking
275+ staff, faculty and student
organizers participated
802 alumni, family and
friends attended
$3,733,677 in gifts
and pledges raised for the
Living at Whitman Initiative,
scholarships and other projects
46 Reunion Recap WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE Reunion Recap WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
47

Adam and Eve …
Ernst and Young …
Thelma and Louise … and?
By Jim Bernhard
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1 1 12 13
14 15 16
17 18 19
Tomorrow ...Today
ACROSS
1. Change
6. Monica of the International
Tennis Hall of Fame
11. What some Whitman College
students do in Pioneer Park
14. One of the Montagues
15. Slanted
16. Whitman department housed in
the Fouts Center
17. Notable collaborators in
television sketch comedy
19. Position held by Whitman
alumnus Ralph Cordiner ’22 at
GE from 1958 to 1963
20. Cruelest mo., according to
T. S. Eliot
21. Definitely all right, as astronauts
such as Whitman alumna
Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger
’97 put it
23. Sound from a pound
26. Notable collaborators in 1960s
rock songs
31. Key _____, 1948 John Huston film
33. _____ Camera, 1951 play by John
Van Druten
34. Companion of crackle and pop
35. Trembled
36. Bivalve mollusks
38. McAnuff, acclaimed
theater director
39. Stags’ mates
41. Key in which London’s Big Ben
plays quarter-hour chimes (abbr.)
43. He said, “Politics is war
without bloodshed.”
45. Freeway entrances and exits
49. Hunter constellation
52. Kind of exam
54. Unusual
55. Potters’ ovens
56. Notable collaborators in
frozen desserts
59. Meadow
60. Serious road offense, for short
61. La la preceder
62. Whitman students earn
these, briefly
64. Notable collaborators in
internet technology
72. In the manner of, to a chef
73. Economic resource
74. Ron, who served 28 years as
Whitman registrar and retired
in 2013
75. Common name for Whitman’s
administrative building
20 20 21 22 23
23 24 25 24 26 27 28 29 30
31 32 31 33 34
35 36 37 38
40 39 40 42 41 42
43 44 46 45 46 47 48 49 50 51
52 53 54 55
56 57 58 59
57 58 60 59 61 62 63 64
62 63 66 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71
72 73 74
75 76 77
76. Macbeth or Macduff
77. Michael who played the
titular Alfie in the 1966 film
DOWN
1. Noah’s craft
2. Anonymous John
3. Singer-songwriter Winehouse
4. It may be split
5. A long one is 2,240 pounds
6. Kind of four-line verse
7. Everlasting
8. Prevaricate
9. Annex at right angles to
original building
10. Position normally occupied
by another
11. Notable collaborators in a
nursery rhyme
12. Rock with minerals
13. “Little _____,” 1964 song from
Ronnie and the Daytonas
18. Type of genie in Dungeons
& Dragons
22. Black _____, covert activities by
an espionage agency
For the solution, go online to whitman.edu/magazine.
23. Actor Pacino and Whitman
alumnus Ullman ’35, a longtime
U.S. congressman from Oregon
24. Borleske Stadium cheer
25. Notable collaborators in
fantasy fiction
26. Frequent wild card
27. MDs’ org.
28. Famous person
29. OPEC member on the
Persian Gulf
30. Vinyl discs
32. Sticky substance
37. What the air in Walla Walla
unhealthily turns sometimes
40. Reddish-brown variety
of chalcedony
42. Fleischer or Onassis
43. Unruly crowd
44. Come as you _____ (kind of party)
46. Army rank equivalent to
Navy lt. cmdr.
47. Twelve-year-old, perhaps
48. Notched on the edge
50. Whitman’s annual _____Act
Play Contest
48 Blues Brainteaser WINTER 2018 WHITMAN MAGAZINE
51. Spy agcy. established by
President Harry Truman
53. Profession for Whitman alumnus
William O. Douglas ’20
57. Try to bite, like a puppy
58. Operated
62. One of Chef Emeril’s
favorite words
63. Lambic or stout, for instance
65. Whitman alumnus O’Donnell ’43,
physicist, diplomat and namesake
of a Whitman lecture series
66. U.S. gov’t. admin. agcy.
67. Husband of a duchesse
68. Top half of a bikini
69. MLB stat
70. Bond creator Fleming
71. Opposite of SSW
—Jim Bernhard has written crossword puzzles
for The New York Times and the Los Angeles
Times syndicate, among other media. His books
include You’re On! The Theatre Quiz Book
(2017), Final Chapters: How Famous Authors
Died (2015) and Puns, Puzzles, and Wordplay
(2014), all released by Skyhorse Publishing.
Your legacy gift to Whitman College invests in the enduring values of our liberal arts education.
Office of Gift Planning
whitman.edu/gp
(509) 527–5989
Include Whitman in your will, trust, retirement account or life insurance.

345 Boyer Avenue
Walla Walla, WA 99362
Keynote speakers Alisha Agard ’15, a sociology major (left at podium),
and Ashley Hansack ’15, a sociology-environmental studies major,
summarize what they did at Whitman to challenge underrepresentation.
Examples include creating “The Inside Scoop,” a guide to college for firstyear
students, and “International Workers Day” to bring awareness about
laborers many people take for granted. Photo by Leo Corrales ’21.
Whitman Hosts Regional
Students of Color Conference
More than 150 students from 10 Pacific Northwest
institutions came to Whitman for the first Change Now!
students of color conference on Oct. 28, 2017. Some
attendees identified as members of other underrepresented
groups such as first-generation college students and
LGBTQIA+ students. “I’m not quite sure how to react to
injustice,” said Yuria Osawa, a student at Linfield College.
“I wanted to learn about leadership styles from other people
of color, not just old white men—leadership styles I can
actually relate to,” stated student Fonzy Miranda from
Whitworth University. Participants chose from among 15
student-run workshops on topics ranging from immigration
to Title IX to protests. “It’s important for students of
color to feel empowered,” said Cassandra Otero ’18, a
conference moderator. “It’s incredibly important that we
unify and realize we’re not alone, we’re all together, we have
shared experiences, and our experiences are valid,” said the
sociology major. Kazi Joshua, vice president for diversity
and inclusion at Whitman, conceived of the event after
realizing that area liberal arts schools did not offer collective
meetings for students of color and that on predominantly
white campuses, a myth often arises that they are too few in
number to be considered or make a difference. A Diversity
Innovation Grant from the Whitman’s President’s Office
funded the daylong program. —Staff report
whitman.edu/magazine
facebook.com/whitmancollege
twitter.com/whitmancollege
instagram.com/whitmancollege
Coming Next Edition:
The theme of the spring
edition will be “innovation.”