Family Tree: The Tranquada Family

When Ernest Tranquada ’27 married Katharine Jacobus ’29 in Little Bridges, it wasn’t just the joyous union of two people who found love on the Pomona College campus, it was the start of a grand family tradition that has continued for generations. Ernest and Katharine’s children, Robert Tranquada ’51, former chairman of the Pomona College Board of Trustees, and Carolyn Tranquada Prestwich ’54, both met their spouses while attending Pomona College and each couple had a child who did the same. In addition, several cousins of Ernest and Katharine also were Pomona graduates who married other students, making for a large and varied family tree with branches that include a connection to Robert Strehle ’19, the long-time track and field coach and athletic director for whom the school’s Strehle Track facility is named. “Pomona College has been sort of a marriage mill for our family,” Bob Tranquada said with a laugh.