Alumni News

	Pomona Goddess Statue to Reside in Organic Farm
	May 1, 2008 The goddess Pomona is taking up residence in the Pomona College Organic Farm. Ronald Lee Fleming ’63 commissioned the new marble statue, sculpted by noted artist Mark Mennin, as a reminder that Pomona isn’t just the neighboring city where the College was founded, but also the Roman goddess of orchards, gardens and fruit. “I think that when I was a freshman, almost nobody in my class knew that Pomona was the goddess of the orchard,” says Fleming. “So the intent was to help the [students] understand who Pomona is, so we’d be more grounded in the classical connection to the College.” Fleming had decided to commission a Pomona statue for an American Renaissance water garden he’s building adjacent to Bellevue House, a 1910 Colonial Revival mansion he restored in Newport, Rhode Island. Considering the goddess’s connection to the College, he doubled the order. “The one for Pomona is carved from Carrara marble, which we actually quarried in Carrara, Italy. [We also] had the rough carving done over there, and then it was shipped back to the artists’ studio in Bethlehem, Connecticut,” says Fleming. The 76-by-22-by-22-inch statue is anchored to a 28-by-28-inch green granite base, which is attached to a concrete foundation in the Organic Farm. Fleming suggested the location because of its obvious thematic relation to the goddess, but also because of the garden’s personal significance to his family. “My daughter, [Severine Fleming ‘04], worked very hard on that garden when she was an undergraduate. She tilled that land,” says Fleming. “It’s been a place of love and care by the student body.” President David Oxtoby finds the location appropriate, as well. “It is particularly fitting that this statue of Pomona, goddess of the orchard, will be placed at the Organic Farm, where our students are engaged in the hands-on process of growing food,” says Oxtoby. “I'm delighted by this thoughtful and generous gift from Ron Fleming, which represents his commitment to bringing art to public places where it will engage the College community.” Fleming, an urban planner, preservation and public art advocate, and author, heads the Townscape Institute, a nonprofit organization that’s worked with more than 100 communities to conserve and visually enhance towns through “townscape design.” He’s also kept strong ties to Pomona, which both his parents, plus a few cousins and uncles, attended. He commissioned and donated the Pomona goddess relief and the “Pomona” bronze bas-relief artworks in the Smith Campus Center atrium, and donated funds for James Turrell’s Skyspace. He also contributed the essay “Dusty Sage to Urban Oasis: Reflections on a Place” to the book Pomona College: Reflections on a Campus. ···························································································································
	Clarence Lee '57 Designs 2008 Summer Olympics Postage Stamp
	April 17, 2008 Clarence Lee ’57 has put his own personal stamp on the 2008 summer Olympics with his design of the United States Postal Service’s commemorative stamp—his third such venture for the USPS. Lee, who was an art history major at Pomona, was first approached by the USPS in 1992 to design a Chinese Lunar New Year stamp for the Year of the Rooster. “It was to be just one stamp,” says Lee, “but the financial success of that stamp made the postal service develop all 12 Lunar New Year stamps.” Lee was called on again in 1994 to design a joint issue stamp from the United States and China; the stamp featured a crane, an endangered species in both countries. The Olympic stamp was a collaboration for Lee, his design company’s staff, illustrator Katie Doka and art director Carl Hermann. “I was directly involved with selection of colors; refinement of the artwork; and selection, size and position of type,” says Lee. “[I] was [also] in close contact with Carl Hermann and the USPS for their comments and final approval.” Many types of athletes were considered for the central image, but ultimately, “the leaping gymnast worked well in the horizontal shape of the stamp and was positive and uplifting.” The stamp has yet to be released but Lee is hazarding a guess that it will coincide with the opening of the Olympics on 08/08/08. Lee transferred to Yale after his first two years at Pomona, but Pomona remains close to his heart. Renowned local artist and Scripps professor Millard Sheets was an early influence during Lee’s time at Pomona. “I saw some of his calendar watercolors from Pan Am airways and thought I could follow in his success,” recalls Lee. “I tried to fit his art classes into my Pomona courses, but it was not meant to be.” After graduating Yale, Lee worked on the East Coast for a few years, but returned to his home state of Hawaii where he established his own design firm in 1966. Over the years, Lee has been a recipient of many prestigious awards, including the KOA Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts (2001) and a Living Treasure in Hawai’i award (2000). Lee recently retired after selling his firm to a Japanese corporation. Lee often returns to Pomona for reunions, including his 50th reunion last year, and he still counts his Pomona roommate Peter Newman ’57 and Peter’s wife Mary ’59 as close friends and traveling partners. ···························································································································
	Chris Burden '69 Lights Up LACMA With New Sculpture
	February 12, 2008 Stars lined up for photos at the gala opening of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's new Broad Contemporary Art Museum on February 10--and the best photo backdrop (just ask Tom and Katie) was Urban Lights, a meticulously arranged forest of 202 streetlights from the '20s and '30s, created by Chris Burden '69. Burden has been collecting and refurbishing streetlights at his Topanga Canyon studio since 2000. Many of the lamps originate from the streets of Southern California, giving the monumental artwork a distinct sense of place perfect for welcoming visitors to LACMA. Urban Lights is a centerpiece in a new plaza facing Wilshire Boulevard, and visitors can wind their way through the lights, taking in the details of the cast-iron lamps. Famous for his controversial performance art pieces in the 1970s--including Shoot, in which Burden was shot in the arm by an assistant with a rifle--Burden's more recent works include Ghost Ship, a self-navigating yacht that traversed a 330-mile path from Shetland to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, and Hell Gate, a 28-foot-long scale model of a bridge that spans a precarious stretch of the East River in New York. For more on Burden's Urban Lights project and its origins, visit the Los Angeles Times. For a longer examination of Burden's career, read The New Yorker's May 2007 profile. ···························································································································
	Pomona Alumnus Hosts 50-City Chinese New Year Tour
	January 25, 2008 It's the Year of the Rat, and while Chinese New Year doesn't occur until February 7, one Pomona alumnus is already celebrating as the emcee of the 2008 "Chinese New Year Spectacular," a 50-city international performing arts tour that celebrates Chinese culture. The show is stopping in at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles January 18-20. Leeshai Lemish '05, an activist in the Chinese community, majored in Asian Studies with a minor in Chinese language at Pomona. In 2005, the American nonprofit Chinese-language television station New Tang Dynasty Television, which also produces cultural performances and parades, asked him to emcee the Los Angeles Dragonboat Festival. His strong Chinese language skills and flair for comedy have led the Israeli-American Lemish into an unlikely career as a host of Chinese performing arts events. His current gig, the Chinese New Year Spectacular, features songs, dances and epic stories celebrating Chinese cultural heritage, all of which Lemish introduces with a co-host. Lemish was born in Ohio, but grew up in Israel and came to Pomona after his service in the Israel Defense Forces. His interest in the Chinese mediation practice Falun Gong led to his appreciation of Chinese culture; a few Chinese language classes his freshman year at Pomona cinched his choice of a major and minor. Lemish made international headlines after an arrest in China in 2001 where he and 35 international protestors made a stand against the Chinese Communist Party's treatment of Falun Gong practitioners. Lemish was beat up, deported and continues to be banned from China. As he explained in a recent interview in The Jewish Journal's Arts in L.A. supplement: "I'm banned from a country I care very deeply about and have spent lots of time learning about." Chinese New Year Spectacular tour dates From the archives: Leeshai Lemish in The Student Life and Pomona College Magazine ···························································································································
	Leading civil rights attorney John Payton '73 appointed to head NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
	John Payton '73, an attorney known for his successful record in some of the most important and visible civil rights cases in the United States, has been named Director-Counsel and President of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF). "This is both a very exciting and a very humbling moment for me. I have always admired The Legal Defense Fund: it is an historic organization with an important mission," said Payton. "Racial justice and equality are issues that I deeply care about, and being at the LDF will allow me to be involved in that fight every day." As lead counsel for the University of Michigan, Payton argued the affirmative action admissions case successfully before the trial court, appeals court, and ultimately before the U.S. Supreme Court. The New York Times described the case as one that "galvanized affirmative action advocates who produced sociological studies documenting how a diverse campus enhances the educational and long-term life experiences for all students." Payton also has participated in other landmark cases, representing the American Legacy Foundation in its suit against a large tobacco company and represented the NAACP in a suit brought by white merchants in Mississippi. He also has served as Co-Chair of the Lawyers Committee on Civil Rights and as President of the District of Columbia Bar and is a member of the Pomona College Board of Trustees. As director of the LDF, Payton said he hopes to raise awareness of the growing disparities among Americans. "Today, our country has perhaps its highest rate of wealth and income inequality, which is exacerbated when race is taken into account. The Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans was a disaster before Katrina. There are many other Lower Ninth Wards across the country," said Payton. "John is one of the great civil rights lawyers of his generation and a great protector of diversity and equal opportunity in America," said Kenneth I. Chenault, Chairman and CEO, American Express Company, and an LDF Board member. "His accomplishments make him well-suited to follow in the footsteps of Thurgood Marshall as Director-Counsel of LDF." Payton will be LDF's sixth director counsel and president, succeeding Ted Shaw. Payton has most recently been a partner at the Washington law firm of Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering, Hale and Dorr. He is a graduate of Pomona College and Harvard Law School. ···························································································································
	Alumnus' edge-cutting congressional bill may lead to new dollar bills designed to help the blind.
	November 30, 2006 Getting an innovative legislative bill through Congress can be as tricky as trying to get a particularly crumpled dollar bill to feed into a vending machine: It can take many tries and plenty of time. Consider the case of attorney and Pomona College alumnus Richard Foster '80, who made his first attempt back in 1979 and just this week discovered his idea may yet get another shot. Then, Foster was a congressional intern through the Washington, D.C. semester program (run by Claremont McKenna), still finishing his senior year, when he came up with an idea designed to help visually-impaired Americans use paper money by making various bill denominations identifiable by touch. After evaluating markers ranging from Braille writing to polyethylene drops, Foster determined it would be more practical and cost-effective to literally cut corners to differentiate the various bill denominations. Attempts to cheat the unsighted by snipping off additional corners wouldn't make sense: the $1 bill would be trimmed on all four corners, the $2 bill on three corners and so on. Rep. Pete Stark, the Bay Area Democratic congressman Foster was working for, liked the idea, and introduced a bill in the House of Representatives. The 21-year-old Foster was hailed in a lengthy Los Angeles Times article titled "Mr. Foster Goes To Washington: Persistent Intern Cuts Corners for the Blind." The piece detailed Foster's quest: testing corner-clipped bills in subway change machines, lobbying the Bureau of Engraving and Printing for a meeting and tour, learning the bill-printing-process, lining up support from other members of Congress and advocacy groups for the blind. But, like so many bills, this one never got its White House signing ceremony, never became law. (Even so, Foster credits Stark for giving an intern's idea a shot, and not just once; the congressman reintroduced the bill in 1981 and 1983 to no avail.) Foster went on to law school and went on with his life. His one-semester legislative adventure was just a memory. Until this week. In response to a lawsuit by the American Council for the Blind, a U.S. District Court judge on Tuesday ruled that the government must come up with currency that the visually-impaired can differentiate. Though the government had argued that such a change would be too expensive and create an undue burden, Judge James Robertson noted that of the more than 180 nations that issue paper currency, only the U.S. prints bills that are identical in size and color in all their denominations. The judge even made mention of Stark's 1979 bill in his ruling. And guess what? USA Today reports that Rep. Stark, still in office, is dusting off that old bill with plans to reintroduce it next year. Of course, there are no guarantees, but Foster says, "it’s great to see that something I worked on in Washington may actually happen, especially because it can benefit so many people, even if it took 27 years." Read more about the case ···························································································································
	Tech entrepreneur Grace Stanat '87 uses text-messaging to help register thousands of young voters in innovative mobilization effort.
	If all goes as planned, tech entrepreneur Grace Stanat '87 will be responsible for helping to bring thousands of young, first-time voters to the polls on Nov. 7. He is leading an innovative voter mobilization effort that uses cell phone text-messaging to make it easier for young people to register to vote -- and then reminds them to actually show up at the polls. As co-director of the the non-profit, non-partisan Mobile Voter organization, Stanat helped created software that allows cell users to simply text-message the keyword "voter" to 75444 to get help registering to vote. Users then are asked for their name and address, and a voter registration card with most of the information already filled in, following the rules for their state, is sent to their home. Now get this: The card is tracked through the postal system, and participants receive a text-message reminder if they don't send it in. And, as Election Day nears, participants receive messages providing polling place information and reminding them to vote. That's impressive on its own, but the real power of the Mobile Voter campaign, according to Stanat, is that individuals and organizations also can use the system, choosing their own keyword. This exponentially increases the number of people who can be reached, and groups ranging from Voto Latino to World Wrestling Entertainment are taking advantage of this opportunity to engage young people in civic life. The advantage of this system over other registration efforts, according to Stanat, is that young people tend to have their cell phones with them at all times, so they can act immediately to register. "It really is anytime, anywhere," says Stanat. Registration deadlines for the Nov. 7 election have now passed by for most states, including California. So Mobile Voter's focus has shifted to reminding people to show up at the polls, and assessing the impact of the mobilization campaign. Stanat estimates that once they sift out duplicates and people who were already registered, the effort will have registered somewhere in the ballpark of 50,000 new voters, with as many of 40,000 of those people in their target 18-29 age group. Stanat graduated from Pomona College with a dual degree in mathematics and fine arts before heading to Oxford University as a Marshall Scholar. At Oxford, he earned a Master's in computer science and a second fine arts degree. He later founded the San Francisco-based web development firm 415 Productions and he currently lives in the Bay Area. For the voting project, Stanat teamed up with Ben Rigby, another web development wizard who was already working to put technology to use to mobilize voters. Today they are co-executive directors of Mobile Voter, which last year received a $220,000 grant from the Pew Charitable Trust and also has been granted funding from the MacArthur Foundation. Stanat says he hasn't been deeply involved in politics in the past, but this project offered the chance to involve thousands of young people, whose voter turnout is lower than the general population. He notes that by 2015, Generation Y will account for 37 percent of the electorate. "It's an enormous voting bloc," he says. "This felt like a powerful thing to do for the nation." Looking ahead, Stanat expects a much larger effort for the 2008 presidential election. ···························································································································
	NCAA names Shelley Keeler '92 most outstanding student-athlete in Division III tennis in the last 25 years.
	The NCAA has announced that Pomona College alumna Shelley Keeler '92 has been named the Division III Tennis Most Outstanding Student-Athlete for her accomplishments in NCAA championship competition. The honor, which was bestowed as part of the NCAA's 25th Anniversary of Women's Championships celebration, takes into account outstanding performances over the past 25 years. Keeler qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championships four years in a row in both singles and doubles. In singles, Keeler earned All-American all four years, and capped her collegiate career by winning the singles title in 1992. In doubles, Keeler was again a four-time All-American and won an unprecedented three straight doubles titles--once with Caryn Cranston (1990) and twice with Erin Hendricks (1991, 92). In her 1992 senior season, Keeler, a co-captain, led the Pomona team at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles and helped the squad win the NCAA team title. Keeler's exploits earned her the Volvo Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Association (ITCA) Senior Player of the Year Award in 1992, and she also earned the Pomona College Most Valuable Athlete Award in 1991. In 1992 she was named the Honda Broderick Award Winner for women's tennis. Married with two daughters, Keeler, now Shelley Keeler Whelan, lives in Mercer Island, Washington and is a marketing manager. She earned an MBA from the University of Washington in 1998, and a degree in anthropology from Pomona. An NCAA panel selected the most outstanding student-athlete in the sport of Division III tennis. The panel consisted of current and former coaches, athletics administrators, sports information directors, and coaches association members, who used historical data and championship results to make their decision. -- NCAA ···························································································································
	Susan Barnard '69 named Washington's Teacher of the Year.
	Susan Barnard '69 has been named the state of Washington's Teacher of the Year. In making the announcement, state schools superintendent Terry Bergesen said Barnard’s effectiveness as an educator with heart and skill make her an outstanding example of the teaching profession. For the past 10 years, Barnard has been a language arts and reading teacher at CHOICE, an alternative school serving the Shelton School District in Mason County. When not in the classroom, Barnard lends her expertise to the district as its language arts curriculum leader and literacy team leader. A small, tight-knit community of 8,500, Shelton is a proud timber town but has experienced economic struggles with the decline of the forestry industry. Many of the students enrolled at CHOICE come from homes impacted by poverty; nearly 50 percent have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives. Bergeson read part of a nominating letter from one of Barnard’s students, Amanda Anderson: "Sue has helped to open up my abilities and creativity in writing and comprehension. It is thanks to her and the support of my family that I have decided to go to college to become an author...This is only my story. I know that Sue has influenced many lives for the better, and I hope that she will continue for a very long time." The Teacher of the Year program is part of a nationwide initiative to recognize and celebrate exceptional educators. Barnard went on to become one of four finalists for the national Teacher of the Year award, and in April attended a ceremony at the White House, where President Bush mentioned her in his remarks. photo courtesy of Washington Education Association Read more about Barnard ···························································································································
	Richard (Rip) Rapson '74 to head $2.9 billion national foundation that works to strengthen communities.
	Richard (Rip) Rapson '74 has been named president and CEO of The Kresge Foundation, a $2.9 billion national foundation that seeks to strengthen communities by strengthening nonprofits. Rapson was most recently president of the McKnight Foundation, a $1.8 billion private foundation in Minneapolis. He will succeed The Kresge Foundation’s current president and CEO, John E. Marshall, III, who completes his 27-year leadership of the foundation in June 2006. “It is clear to us that Rip Rapson has the experience—and a demonstrated enthusiasm—for the work we do at The Kresge Foundation,” says Irene Y. Hirano, chair of the Foundation’s board of trustees. “His career has included community development, environmental protection, work with local and national government and public service,” says Hirano. “We believe these experiences have prepared Mr. Rapson to lead The Kresge Foundation in strengthening nonprofits and the communities they serve across the United States and abroad.” Based in Troy, Mich., The Kresge Foundation is a national foundation with $2.9 billion in assets. In its core program, the Foundation provides challenge grants for capital projects, encouraging nonprofit organizations to leverage their capital campaigns as an opportunity to grow. Its additional grantmaking initiatives focus on strengthening Detroit, nonprofits in South Africa and Mexico, community foundations, and historically black colleges. The newest, a Green Building Initiative, encourages nonprofits to build green. During his six years leading the McKnight Foundation, Rapson created a strategic framework for the Foundation’s programming; developed a new program in regional growth and development; managed annual grant distributions of between $75 million and $92 million; launched an initiative that convened public, civic, business, and higher education leaders to address regional challenges in Minneapolis and St. Paul; and guided a comprehensive statewide effort to elevate the priority of investing in early childhood development. Prior to his tenure with McKnight, Rapson served as a Senior Fellow at the University of Minnesota, as the Deputy Mayor in Minneapolis during the early 1990s, and acted as a liaison between Washington and Minneapolis as a legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. Donald Fraser from the mid- to late-1970s. Rapson holds a Juris Doctorate from Columbia University Law School in New York, and a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College. He and his wife, Gail, plan to move to the Detroit metro area in late spring 2006. ···························································································································
	Optical scientist Karen P. Scott '87 is honored for her work on International Space Station.
	The Society of Women Engineers has honored Karen P. Scott '87 with the 2005 Resnik Challenger Award for her leadership and technical contributions in developing a special glass portal used in scientific research aboard the International Space Station. Scott, a senior engineering specialist and optical scientist at The Aerospace Corporation in Houston, has supported a wide range of customers, including NASA Johnson Space Center's Space Shuttle Program Office. Most recently, as a result of the Columbia accident, Scott has been involved in developing an on-orbit evaluation program to examine the thermal protection system of the space shuttle orbiters. Perhaps Scott's most important achievement is the development of the four-pane 20-inch-diameter International Space Station Destiny Science Window which, when launched in February 2001, became the highest quality window ever flown on a crewed space vehicle. She was instrumental in proposing and developing the window port, leading a team of more than 30 people during the final testing and calibration. The window's extraordinary clarity provides a platform for remote sensing Earth science. Scott also has been extensively involved with the development of the space station's Window Observational Research Facility a rack system that enables researchers to mount cameras, sensors, and telescopes behind the research window with sufficient stability to conduct Earth observing experiments. According to NASA, space station crews have taken more than 13,000 pictures of our planet. Studies have found that the images were achieving six-meter resolution, compared to 10- to 25-meter resolution for higher-altitude commercial imaging satellites. "Dr. Scott has brought her technical expertise to bear on several challenging projects and demonstrated unique leadership skills by applying her scientific knowledge to a variety of issues," says Dr. Sally K. Ride, renowned astronaut and professor of physics, University of California, San Diego. "Her efforts have had a significant impact on elements that are now flying in space." Scott earned her B.A. degree in physics from Pomona College, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in optical sciences at University of Arizona, Tucson. The Resnik Challenger Medal was established in 1986 to honor SWE's Dr. Judith Resnik, NASA mission specialist on the ill-fated Challenger space shuttle flight of January 26, 1986. It is awarded only as merited for visionary contributions to space exploration. ···························································································································
	Scott Olivet, Pomona College Class of '84, is named CEO of famous sunglass company Oakley.
	Scott Olivet, Pomona College Class of '84, has been named CEO and director of Oakley, the famous maker of sunglasses, ski goggles and other products. Effective Oct. 10. Olivet will succeed Oakley, Inc. founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim Jannard, who will continue as chairman of the board of directors. Jannard had decided to return his focus to design and invention. "We are extremely excited with the appointment of Scott Olivet as the new CEO and leader of Oakley's unique blend of 'science meets sculpture' philosophy," said Jannard in the company's press release. "Scott brings a broad base of exceptional business acumen including a well-demonstrated record of driving growth and profitability, strategic intuition, product development and retail experience that will strengthen and grow the Oakley brand." Since 2001, Olivet, 43, has served as Nike, Inc.'s Vice President, Nike Subsidiaries and New Business Development where he led, developed and executed the company's multi-branding strategy including making three acquisitions. In Olivet's role as head of Nike's subsidiaries which included Cole Haan, Converse and Hurley, the CEOs reported directly to him. These businesses grew collectively to represent $1.7 billion of wholesale revenue for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2005. Prior to working at Nike, Mr. Olivet served as the Gap, Inc.'s senior vice president of real estate, store design, and construction, responsible for the Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy brands from 1998 to 2001. During this period he worked to increase the Gap, Inc.'s store count from 2,130 to 3,676. He worked with Bain & Company, one of the world's leading management consulting firms, from 1984 to 1998, serving as a partner and head of the firm's worldwide practice in organizational effectiveness and change management from 1993 to 1998. Mr. Olivet received his M.B.A. from Stanford University and his B.A. from Pomona College. He is an avid photographer, a collector of photography and contemporary art, and a supporter of arts/creativity in education programs. Based in Orange County, Calif., Oakley had more than $615 million in sales last year, selling products in more than 100 countries. Best known for its premium sunglasses, Oakley also sells performance apparel and accessories, footwear, watches and electronics. The company has about 20 percent of the world market for sunglasses, according to the Orange County Register. ···························································································································
	Mercedes Fitchett '91 Named One of the 2005 Ten Outstanding Young Americans by Jaycees.
	Mercedes Fitchett '91 has been named as one of the 2005 Ten Outstanding Young Americans by the Jaycees (United States Junior Chamber). Fitchett, 36, has centered her career on international civilian service. Born in Argentina, she arrived in the U.S. at the age of five, speaking Spanish and growing up in a bicultural world of Peruvian and American influences. She has also mastered French, some Portuguese, and now, Arabic, for her focus on Iraq. Upon completion of her Bachelor of Arts at Pomona College and Masters in Foreign Service at Georgetown University, Ms. Fitchett became a trade negotiator for the DOC International Trade Administration (ITA). She was the youngest member of the U.S. trade negotiating team for NAFTA Accession with Chile, worked closely with U.S. business in securing greater access for U.S. companies to international markets, and as a Trade Legislative Fellow to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, worked on issues such as China’s accession to the World Trade Organization. In June 2003, Ms. Fitchett was asked to serve on the Iraq Task Force, working closely with U.S. and Iraqi companies on fostering the new commercial relationship. When an opportunity arose to serve in Iraq, Ms. Fitchett volunteered to be the U.S. Commercial Attaché extending her initial 45-day assignment to six months. In Iraq, Ms. Fitchett helped establish the U.S. Commercial Service Office that works with U.S. businesses, Iraqi businesses and Iraqi government officials. At USTDA, she continues her work on Iraq by funding training and technical assistance programs, in addition to continuing the foundation development for the next generation of Iraqi leaders. Annually since 1938, The United States Jaycees has sought out the ten young men and women who best exemplify the finest attributes of America’s youthful achievers. The presentation of the 67th annual black-tie awards ceremony will be held September 17, 2005, in the Boston, Massachusetts World Trade Center. Read Fitchett's first-person account of her time in Iraq. ···························································································································
	John Lucy '71 earns Guggenheim Fellowship to study the impact of language differences on intellectual development.
	Lucy '71, a professor at the University of Chicago, has received a 2005 Guggenheim fellowship in the 81st annual competition sponsored by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. The foundation grants funding to fellows based on “distinguished achievement in the past and exceptional promise for future accomplishment.” This year’s fellowship winners include 186 artists, scholars and scientists selected from more than 3,000 applicants for awards totaling $7,112,000. Lucy, the William Benton Professor in Comparative Human Development, Psychology and the College, will use his fellowship for a project titled “The Impact of Language Differences on Intellectual Development.” A leading figure in the study of how language affects thought, Lucy will build on earlier work with adults and advance an approach to the topic that brings together theoretical perspectives from American linguistic anthropology, Soviet historical psychology and contemporary cognitive developmental psychology. The approach will be illustrated with an extended case study that compares the development of American English and Yucatec Maya children. Lucy has done extensive fieldwork in Mexico, where he has studied language, cognitive development and other areas of interest, including religious ritual. He is working with his wife, Suzanne Gaskins '72 of Northeastern Illinois University, on the project examining grammatical categories and cognitive development. He also has written Language Diversity and Thought: A Reformulation of the Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis (1992) and Grammatical Categories and Cognition: A Case Study of the Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis (1992). Lucy joined the Chicago faculty in 1996, and served as master of the Social Sciences Collegiate Division, deputy dean of the Social Sciences Division and associate dean in the College between 1999 and 2002. In 2002, he was interim dean of the Social Sciences Division. He earned a B.A. in mathematics from Pomona College in 1971, and a Ph.D. from the University’s Committee on Human Development in 1987. He served on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania’s Anthropology Department before joining the Chicago faculty. ···························································································································
	Kimberly Dodgson Labinger ’80 earns California Teacher of the Year Award for her classroom creativity.
	With 18 years of teaching and nine awards already under her belt, Kimberly Dodgson Labinger ’80 was honored in January as one of the 2005 California Teachers of the Year. A fourth grade teacher at Thomas A. Edison Elementary School in Glendale, Labinger was one of five honorees to receive this prestigious award. Started in 1972, the California Teachers of the Year recognizes five exceptional individuals who best represent California’s 310,000 teachers. Labinger was chosen by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell for her commitment to teaching a standard curriculum interlaced with art, music, history, literature, and dance instruction. A daughter of medical missionaries, Labinger attended the local schools in Assam, India, schools that routinely incorporated such activities as cricket, Thai boxing, dance, and Indian classical music. She became accustomed to a style of hands-on learning. "Much of the foundation for my philosophy and teaching style was laid there among the rice paddies, tea gardens, teeming cities, the great Himalayas and a mission hospital," says Labinger. "My experiences kindled a passion for teaching that envelops the whole child.” In her classroom, science experiments become art projects as students create watercolor renditions from the microscopic view of a butterfly’s wing. Observations develop into dances as movements of a paramecium or the classroom walking stick are studied and performed in small groups. Poetry becomes a wall-hanging of woven ribbon, lessons in California history lead to square dancing and the successful metamorphosis of a meal worm excites the imagination and sense of accomplishment for every “parenting” student. A ceremony held January 18 in Sacramento honored the five award recipients. Labinger was recognized along with Stanley Murphy of San Diego, Alan Siegel of Lake County, Ray Williams of Orange County, and Eric Burrows of Santa Barbara who, coincidentally, is the brother of the late Chris Burrows ’80 and wife Christina ’80. Labinger will speak over the course of the next year at a number of conferences, including an upcoming art conference in San Jose. She hopes to inspire more flexibility and creativity in the curriculum as she shares her work with other educators. And, lastly, she gives thanks to her students for simply being themselves. - by Erika Gamst '01 ···························································································································
	Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran, Class of '69, chosen as next president of Kalamazoo College in Michigan.
	Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran '69 has been selected as the next president of Kalamazoo College in Michigan. She is currently dean and vice president at Salem College, a private liberal arts college for women in Winston-Salem, N.C., and will begin her duties at Kalamazoo in July 2005. "Eileen is a woman of extraordinary intellect, unwavering courage of her convictions, passionate dedication to her students and her colleagues and undaunted optimism," said Salem College President Julianne Still Thrift. "In her 10 years at Salem, she has created stability and built high expectations. She has allowed all of us to dream bigger and to trust our capacity to achieve our greatest goals. She is a shining star!" During Wilson-Oyelaran's tenure, the College strengthened its academic component by renovating the science laboratories, creating a women in science program, establishing the Salem College Center for Women Writers and spurring new degrees in School of Music and in Salem's graduate teacher education program. Wilson-Oyelaran earned her B.A. in sociology from Pomona College, an M.A. and Ph.D. in education from the Claremont Graduate University. She served as associate professor and chair of the department of education at Winston-Salem State University. She also taught in the departments of education and psychology at the University of Ife (now known as Obafemi Awolowo University) in Nigeria for 14 years and served as acting head of the department of psychology there for five years. Her honors and awards include the Kent Fellowship, the Ford Foundation National Fellowship for graduate study and the Ada Mae Fitts Woman of the Year, awarded to the most outstanding senior woman by the Pomona College faculty. She also received the American Council on Education Fellowship, one of the most prestigious leadership training programs in higher education. “We are immensely fortunate and very excited to have found such an extraordinarily gifted academic leader,” said Donald R. Parfet, chairman of the Kalamazoo College Board of Trustees. ···························································································································
	Kris Kristofferson, Class of '58, is inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in nationally televised broadcast from Nashville.
	Pomona alumnus Kris Kristofferson, Class of '58, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Nov. 9 during a nationally televised broadcast of the 38th Annual CMA Awards. At Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, Willie Nelson and Faith Hill paid tribute to Kristofferson by performing his “For the Good Times” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” respectively. Randy Travis sang “Sunday Morning Coming Down” before Kristofferson came on stage to sing “Me & Bobby McGee” with Nelson, Hill and Travis, according to the CMA's Website. Started in 1961 by the Country Music Association, the Hall of Fame includes 86 individuals and groups. Kristofferson joins superstars ranging from Tammy Wynette to Merle Haggard. Kristofferson will be profiled in the next Pomona College Magazine, due after the holidays. ···························································································································
	Alex Gonzalez '72 chosen to lead Hispanic college organization.
	Alexander Gonzalez '72, President of California State University, Sacramento, has been elected chair of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), the nation’s leading voice for the higher education needs of the country’s largest ethnic population. Gonzalez will guide an association that represents more than 390 colleges and universities which collectively serve more than two-thirds of all U.S. Hispanic higher education students. HACU’s international membership includes leading higher education institutions located throughout Latin America and in Spain. “I am honored to assume this new role for a respected national association with an international reach,” said Gonzalez after his unanimous election during HACU’s 18th Annual Conference in Miami in October. “Our membership represents those colleges and universities at the forefront of every major effort to address the education needs of our country’s fastest-growing college-age population. As a nation, we must embrace every opportunity to support these institutions. They will educate the next generation of innovators and leaders.” Gonzalez also is a member of Pomona College's Board of Trustees. As president of Sacramento State, the veteran educator presides over one of the largest campuses in the massive 23-campus California State University system – the largest university system in the country. Shortly after Gonzalez arrived at Sacramento State in 2003, the ambitious “Destination 2010” initiative he mapped out to rapidly expand the university’s infrastructure and reach prompted Comstock’s Business Magazine to feature him in an article with the headline, “Pure Oxygen Arrives at CSUS.” Before coming to Sacramento, Gonzalez led a period of rapid growth and successful fundraising campaigns as the acclaimed president of Cal State San Marcos, from 1997 until 2003. He previously spent 18 years at California’s Fresno State as a professor, department chair and administrator. Gonzalez holds a doctorate and master’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a bachelor’s degree in history from Pomona College. He was a Ford Foundation postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, and also attended Harvard Law School. ···························································································································
	Ken Dueker '91 has a flare for invention; he invented a new kind of road flare.
	Reserve police officer Ken Dueker '91 has stepped beyond the traditional call to “protect and serve” by inventing a new device designed to replace incendiary road flares. Dueker invented the PowerFlare, an electronic beacon about the size of hockey puck and strong enough to withstand the weight of fire trucks passing through flare patterns. Without smoke and flame, PowerFlare allows users to avoid the risk of smoke inhalation and accidental burns to their hands, face and bodies. PowerFlare also eliminates the risk of roadside blazes caused by “fusee” road flares. And it's good for the environment. Traditional road flares can contain perchlorate, a chemical -- that can lead to soil and groundwater contamination. If consumed in large enough quantities, perchlorate is disruptive to the proper function of the thyroid gland, and can present a risk for pregnant women and growing children. Asked about his motivation to create this new safety device, Dueker says he “was interested in improving safety of first responders who often must work on the roadways under very trying and dangerous circumstances. Police, firefighters, and other responders are routinely injured or killed while assisting on the road.” Dueker is a reserve officer with the Palo Alto Police Department in the Silicon Valley. After graduating from Pomona, Dueker earned his doctoral degree in law from Harvard University, specializing in intellectual property and business management. He also is a venture capitalist and he founded C Speed Corporation, a pioneering optical telecom (photonics) hardware company, before starting the PowerFlare business. The first commercial version of the PowerFlare was released in May of this year, and Dueker says interest in the product has extended beyond the original traffic safety applications. The PowerFlare has a hermetic seal, designed to prevent explosion in the presence of gasoline or other hazardous materials. As Dueker points out, a safety light that is waterproof to 300 feet lends itself well to many recreational activities, including SCUBA diving, boating and other marine operations. Additionally, PowerFlare is ideal for Search & Rescue operations; helicopter landing zones; or safety lighting for bicycles, motorcycles, even the individual hiker. www.PowerFlare.com -- by Erika Gamst '01 ···························································································································

	Pomona alumni are granted award to create university class studying Asian and Latino women in a global context
	Professors Maythee Rojas and Barbara Kim at Cal State Long Beach have been awarded an Enhancing Educational Effectiveness Award to establish a new class on campus titled “The Politics of Desire: Asian and Latina Women in a Global Context.” The award program provides support to individual faculty members and collaborative teams for curriculum development to enhance student learning. The program funds projects related to general education as well as those related to majors and programs. “We were pleased and surprised to receive the award,” said Rojas, an assistant professor in the Women’s Studies Department and expert in Chicana literature. “Our goal was to establish an interdisciplinary course that represented a joint collaboration and addressed international issues and I think we’ve succeeded." The professors are aiming to have the class ready by 2005. “We hope this new class will address the changing nature of immigration in the United States,” said Kim, an assistant professor of Asian and Asian American Studies and expert in Asian-American identity. She noted that Latino and Asian American populations are among the fastest-growing in the United States. Rojas earned her bachelor’s degree from Pomona College and her doctorate from Arizona State University. Kim received her B.A. from Pomona College and her master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. ···························································································································

2004 Inspirational Young Alumnus Chosen: David Holmes '97
	Of all the places David Holmes thought life might lead him after graduating from Pomona College in 1997, the desperate, devastated landscape of post-war Kosovo was not one of them. But now he couldn't imagine being anywhere else. Holmes works for the U.S. Department of State as a political officer, promoting human rights and helping the society to rebuild in the aftermath of a brutal civil war. "I didn't know what I wanted to do when I left Pomona, but I have found it," says Holmes, who has been named Pomona College's Inspirational Young Alumnus for 2004. "It is a life lived in a true spirit of adventure," he says. "It's one that gives me the enviable opportunity to promote the rights of threatened minority communities, to fight the modern-day trafficking of persons, to help shattered families and to promote human rights and a path toward progress and peace." Holmes, a former ASPC president, returned to campus in April to accept his award and, he hopes, to inspire other Pomona College students to consider a career in public service, particularly in the Foreign Service. When a student at Pomona, Holmes had applied for law school and planned to go into politics, but, he says, he always felt that there were other possibilities open to him. Today he credits Pomona with giving him the opportunity to study abroad at Oxford where he learned about his passion for international relations. "Too many people at Pomona think they have to go to graduate school straight away and their only options are law, medicine, business. But that's just not true," says Holmes. "There are so many options out there for serious careers where they can do what they really want to do without having to compromise who they are in order to pursue a type of career that they think is okay." After graduation from Pomona, Holmes worked as a consultant to several organizations, including the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations. In 2000, he received a master in management degree in economics and international politics from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and, in 2002, a master in public affairs from Princeton University. The Inspirational Young Alumni Award was established to honor Pomona College graduates of the last decade for their dedication, perseverance and consistency in following their vision of the inscription on the College Gates: "They only are loyal to this college who departing, bear their added riches in trust for mankind." Nominations can be made by faculty, staff, students or alumni of the College, and the winner is chosen by a committee of current students. To view past award recipients, please go to http://www.pomona.edu/ADWR/Alumni/association/awards/home.shtml ···························································································································
Faye Epps retires after 25 years at Pomona
	After 25 years of dedicated and devoted service to Pomona College, Faye Epps retired from her position as Alumni Relations Office Manager at the end of January. Faye started her Pomona career in the Foundations and Corporate Relations Office. Following that position, she moved into the Annual Giving Office, then to the Alumni Office, where she has been for over 20 years. On January 24, 2004, the Pomona College Alumni Board recognized Faye as an honorary member of the Alumni Association, in recognition of her many years at the College. Many alumni know Faye from her positive and cheery attitude and her hearty laugh that regularly fills the halls of the Seaver House. Faye will be retiring to begin full-time ministry with her husband, John. She hopes to become an ordained minister herself. Faye will be missed by the many alumni whose lives she has touched over the years! ···························································································································

The Peace Corps Honors Pomona College's Dedication to Global Service
	Director of the U.S. Peace Corps, Mr. Gaddi Vasquez, spoke at a special luncheon and ceremony in honor of the College's dedication to global service through the Peace Corps on March 26. The ceremony included the planting of a Peace Pole which will remain a permanent fixture on campus to acknowledge those alumni who have served as Peace Corps volunteers. The Peace Pole is located just north of the Frary Courtyard. ^ Top ····························································································································

California Artist Milford Zornes '34 Highlighted in New Documentary Video
	At 95, Milford Zornes is one of California's great water color painters, a maverick and an adventurer. The Claremont, California resident is the last living founder of the California Water Color Movement that gained national attention during the 1930's for its bold, daring style. Zornes and other young California painters turned the gloomy days of the Great Depression into a golden era for West Coast art. Painters such as Millard Sheets, Phil Dike, Emil Kosa, Phil Paradise, Lee Blair and Milford Zornes joined together to take what they did not know and change the way Americans looked at art and themselves. Zornes recalls the excitement, jealousies and competition among his contemporaries. This documentary is an amazing opportunity to meet Milford Zornes as he travels back in time to go behind the scenes to introduce the artists who took up the challenge to create a new art for a floundering nation. Zornes is still an incurable globetrotter, whose work captures nearly 80 years of history, people and places. MILFORD ZORNES is the first in a series of Artist Documentaries. TO ORDER: Erickson Zapata Productions, PO Box 381155,Los Angeles, California 90038-1155, PHONE: 1-323-309-7576 VHS:$29.75 retail DVD special order ^ Top ·····························································································································