Pomona College Alumni Awards

Dr. Peter Caldwell ’61 is a pediatrician and pediatric cardiologist whose life reflects deep commitments to medicine, service and storytelling.

At Pomona College, Caldwell spent all four years playing on the men’s basketball team and was a member of the Alpha Gamma Sigma fraternity. After graduating from Pomona, Caldwell earned his medical degree from the UCLA School of Medicine and completed a postgraduate internship at the University of Washington in Seattle. He then served three years in the Naval Reserve — his first year was spent in Vietnam as a battalion surgeon with the U.S. Marine Corps, followed by two years of service in Hawaii. After completing his military service, Caldwell returned to Seattle for two years of a pediatrics residency and two years of fellowship training in pediatric cardiology.

He later spent 32 years with the Hawaii Permanente Medical Group before retiring from full-time practice. Caldwell has remained devoted to service, volunteering with the Hawaii Medical Mission and serving as an admissions interviewer for the University of Hawaii School of Medicine. His mission work includes three return trips to Vietnam with a local group and helping fund open-heart surgeries for Vietnamese children.

An accomplished author and photographer, Caldwell has published multiple books documenting war, wilderness and Hawaiian culture, including “Bac-si: A Doctor Remembers Vietnam,” a personal reflection on his wartime experiences.

Caldwell is celebrating his 65th reunion with the class of 1961.

Stephen Marc (Smith) ’76 is an accomplished documentary and street photographer, digital montage artist and educator whose career spans more than four decades. Marc is an emeritus professor of photography in the Herberger Institute’s School of Art at Arizona State University, where he has taught since 1998, following two decades on the faculty at Columbia College Chicago. Professionally exhibiting and publishing as Stephen Marc since 1979, he has authored five photography books of his work, including “American/True Colors,” an Independent Publisher’s (IPPY) 2021 Gold Medal recipient for best book in photography.

A Chicago South Side native, Marc became a six- time track and field All-American at Pomona College and was inducted into the 1986 Pomona-Pitzer Hall of Fame. He went on to earn his MFA from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University. In 2021, he was named a Guggenheim Fellow in photography, recognizing a career marketed by sustained creative excellence and cultural impact. His work has been widely exhibited at major institutions, including the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Chicago Cultural Center, the Gibbes Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Institution; and his two major archives are housed at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson.

Stephen Marc’s landmark project, “Passage on the Underground Railroad,” explored the routes that fugitive slaves traveled in search of freedom. The project was published as a book, presented as a five-site traveling exhibition organized by the University at Buffalo, and is registered as an Interpretative Program of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, a division of the National Park Service.

Stephen Marc is celebrating his 50th reunion with the class of 1976.

Dr. Pamela Schaff ’76 is a professor of medical education, family medicine and pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and director of the Humanities, Ethics, Art, and the Law (HEAL) Program and the MS in Narrative Medicine Program. Alongside her academic work, she continues to practice pediatrics. A national leader in medical education, Schaff was among the pioneers of narrative medicine, launching the country’s second master’s program and helping advance the integration of the arts and humanities into physician training.

In addition to teaching in the M.D. and narrative medicine programs, Schaff designs curricula that integrate arts and humanities instruction in courses, clerkships and electives through all four years of medical training. Widely recognized for excellence in teaching and mentoring, she has received numerous awards for her contributions. Her scholarly interests include professional identity formation, narrative medicine and the role of the arts and humanities in medical education.

An english literature major on the pre-med track at Pomona College, Schaff earned her medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, graduating first in her class and completing her residency at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. She later completed her doctorate in literature and creative writing from USC in 2020. Schaff continues to inspire new physicians with her knowledge and unique blend of science and humanities.

Schaff is celebrating her 50th reunion with the class of 1976.

Dr. Woutrina Smith ’96 connects animal, human and environmental health to help tackle complex challenges around the world, training many future leaders along the way. As associate dean for global programs and a professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the world-class UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine, she was recently appointed executive director of the UC Davis One Health Institute. Previously, she served as director of the USAID One Health Workforce-Next Generation Project, where more than 60,000 people were trained on the collaborative One Health approach across 15 countries in Africa and Southeast Asia.

Smith’s excellence as an educator has been recognized with the school's Distinguished Teaching Award. She also received UC Davis’ highest honor — the 2025 Alumni Achievement Award, underscoring her sustained commitment to veterinary medicine, public health and education.

Growing up in Alaska, Smith earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Pomona College and was captain of the women’s soccer and tennis teams. She went on to UC Davis where she obtained her veterinary, master’s and doctorate degrees. Today, her work spans education, research and global partnerships, and she currently leads the multicampus UC Global Health Institute Planetary Health Center of Expertise. Her work has included advancing major initiatives across Africa, Asia and California.

Smith is celebrating her 30th reunion with the class of 1996.

Guy Lohman ’71 has been a dedicated Pomona College alumni volunteer for more than five decades, serving on numerous class reunion committees, from his 15th through 55th reunions, and co-chairing his 47th, 50th and 55th. He served on the Alumni Association Board, chair of the (San Francisco) Peninsula Chapter and the Pasadena Council. He also was an Alumni Admissions interviewer for 18 years and organized two 4/7 Day of Service events.

Professionally, Lohman spent 34 years at IBM, 27 at the now-shuttered Almaden Research Center in San Jose, CA. There, he led a group researching disruptive information management architectures, prototyping, patenting and publishing research to improve the performance and functionality of IBM’s database management products. Before joining IBM, Lohman was a group supervisor for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he led a technology transfer team. His work included co-authoring a proposal to the U.S. Geological Survey to build a multimodal sensor network for earthquake prediction throughout California.

He received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Pomona and his master’s and doctoral degrees in operations research from Cornell University. In retirement, Lohman has volunteered as a tutor for high school students, drawing on his background in mathematics to support the next generation.

Lohman is celebrating his 55th reunion with the class of 1971.

Julius Torres Kellinghusen ’16 is an assistant teaching professor of public health at Montclair State University. An educator and researcher with more than a decade of global health experience spanning HIV, mental health and health systems strengthening, his work bridges organizational leadership, implementation science and workforce wellbeing.

Kellinghusen has collaborated with international organizations including UNAIDS, UNICEF, PAHO and HealthRight International, supporting programs in Vietnam, Kenya, Uganda, Ukraine and New York. His early fieldwork as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Panama focused on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) initiatives in rural and indigenous communities, where later, he served as president of the Volunteer Advisory Council, implementing strategic plans to improve organizational support for the agency.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in international relations at Pomona, he went on to obtain his master's and doctorate degrees in public health from New York University. Kelliinghusen's career reflects his commitment to strengthening organizations, supporting communities and advancing the wellbeing of those working on the frontlines of global health and humanitarian response.

Kellinghusen is celebrating his 10th reunion with the class of 2016.

The Blaisdell Award, one of the most prestigious awards given to Pomona alumni, recognizes individuals for their high achievement in their professions or community service. These are alumni who have carried the spirit of the College beyond the Gates and lived up to President James A. Blaisdell's inscribed words: "They only are loyal to this college who departing bear their added riches in trust for mankind."

Recipients of this award are selected by a committee of Past Alumni Board Presidents.

The Awards Committee shall name the award winners following a confidential process that does not share information about nominees or outcomes. The Committee and the Alumni Association do not respond to nominations or provide any explanation for the process of the Committee. In addition, the Committee may choose to select from current year nominations or past years’ nominations.

Please note, special consideration is given to nominees whose class is in an anniversary reunion year. For 2025, that includes all classes ending in 5s or 0s.

Past Blaisdell Award Honorees

• 2025: Susan Blaustein ’75, Douglas M. Haynes ’85, Charles E. Phelps ’65 
• 2024: Anson “Tuck” Hines ’69, Evelyn Nussenbaum ’84, Mary Walshok ’64
• 2023: Linda Alvarado ’73, Michelle Williams Court ’88 and Peter Shelton ’73
• 2022: Mike Budenholzer ’92, Colleen Hartman ’77, Bret Price ’72 and John Roth ’62.
• 2021: Cathy Corison ’75, James Strombotne ’56, Martina Vandenberg ’90 and Nathan Wang ’79.
• 2020: Steven G. Clarke ’70, Jennifer Doudna ’85, Ann Hardy ’55 and Anjali Kamat ’00.
• 2019: Brian Schatz ’94, Debra Cleaver ’99, Earl Maize ’72, Lynda Obst ’72 and Marilyn Ramenofsky ’69
• 2018: Esther Brimmer ’83, Bernard Chan ’88 and Cruz Reynoso ’53
• 2017: Penny Dean’77, Myrlie Evers-Williams ’68, Richard G. Taranto ’77 and Brian E. Tucker ’67
• 2016: Gretchen Berland ’86, Ed Krupp ’66, Julian Nava ’51 and George C. Wolfe ’76
• 2015: Bill Keller ’70, Richard Post ’40, Mary Schmich ’75 and James Turrell ’65
• 2014: Ifeanyi Menkiti ’64, Joe Palca ’74 and Rip Rapson ’74
• 2013: William Bader ’53, Cladd Stevens ’63 and Garrett Hongo ’73
• 2012: Richard Frank ’46 and Tom Redburn ’72
• 2011: Irving "Sonny" Brown ’56, Hashim Djojohadikusumo ’76, Carlos Guangorena ’76 and Dr. Robert E. Tranquada ’51
• 2010: R. Stanton Hales ’64 and Tracy Westen ’62 and Robert Stern ’66
• 2009: Bill Block ’71

Established in 1990 and inaugurated in 1991, the Alumni Distinguished Service Award is bestowed annually to an alumnus or alumna in recognition of that person’s direct selfless commitment and ongoing volunteer service to Pomona College.

The purpose of this award is to pay tribute to an alumnus or alumna for unheralded, selfless and direct service to the College, in evidence over a period of years. Every effort is made to seek a recipient who has not otherwise been already honored and care is given to select worthy candidates from Pomona’s vast alumni body, with first consideration given to those who have not served in the Alumni Association’s highest leadership positions, as trustees, faculty or staff of Pomona.

A committee of Past Presidents of the Pomona College Alumni Association Board selects the award recipient(s).

Please note, special consideration is given to nominees whose class is in an anniversary reunion year. For 2025, that includes all classes ending in 5s or 0s.

• 2025: John Rabold ’75, Nancy Treser-Osgood ’80 
• 2024: Thomas Doe ’71, Verne Naito ’77, Julie Siebel ’84, Jonathan Siegel ’84
• 2023: Ann Rose Davie ’58
• 2022: Georgia Ritchie McManigal ’54, Marty Jannol ’77 and Penny McManigal ’58
• 2021: Peggy Olson ’61, Kelly Perine ’91 and Dodie Bump ’76
• 2020: Frank Albinder ’80, Jim McCallum ’70 and Harry E. Pukay-Martin
• 2019: Faye Epps (honorary), Lisa Prestwich Phelps ’79, P’12 and Susanne Garvey ’74
• 2018: Cathie Brown ’53 and John Thornton ’53
• 2017: Barbry Amberg Hogue ’72 and Joan-Patricia (JP) O’Connor ’72
• 2016: John Edwards ’64 and Pat Riggs ’71
• 2015: Jeanne Buckley ’65 P'92 and Stan Hales ’64
• 2013: Rosemary Choate ’63 and Carlos Garcia ’73
• 2011: Pat Newton ’51
• 2010: Peter and Sandy Briggs ’64
• 2009: Lee '48 and Claire ’47 Kingman McDonald
• 2008: Robert Herman ’51
• 2007: John Fisher ’67
• 2006: Byron Hayes '56
• 2005: Bruce Prestwich ’55 and Carolyn Tranquada Prestwich ’54
• 2004: Verne Orr ’37
• 2003: Eleanor Pierson ’41
• 2002: Patricia Sullivan ’55
• 2001: Ed Malan '’48 & John Pendleton ’51
• 2000: Marylin Vaughn Jacobsen ’55
• 1999: Nick Polos ’51
• 1998: Lee Harlan ’55
• 1997: Anne Shaw Price ’44
• 1996: Robert B. Dozier ’23 & Fannie Boyd Dozier '24
• 1995: Leonard Agee Shelton ’32
• 1994: Nancy Barrett Ringle ’41
• 1993: William Fellows ’33
• 1992: C. Crawford Thompson ’40
• 1991: Mason L. Hill ’26

The Inspirational Young Alumni Award honors a young alumnus or alumna (a graduate within the last decade) in recognition of their dedication, perseverance, and consistency in following the inscription on the College Gates: “They only are loyal to this college who departing bear their added riches in trust for mankind.”

• 2025: Priya Amritraj ’15
• 2024: Kelebogile Zvobgo ’14
• 2016: Marlies Talay ’10
• 2015: Jessica Ladd '08
• 2014: Lt. Francine Segovia '04
• 2013: Maggie Fick '07
• 2012: Elena Shih '04
• 2011: Jane Chen '00
• 2010: Maia Sophia Campbell '01
• 2009: Melvin Yee '00
• 2008: Janelle Lin '00
• 2007: Maria Luz Garcia '01
• 2006: Emily Arnold-Fernandez '99
• 2005: Enriqueta Ramirez '00
• 2004: David Holmes '97
• 2003: Cuc Vu '92
• 2001: Loriq Charkoudian '95
• 2000: Casey Trupin '95
• 1999: Karin Zaugg '93
• 1998: Ed Tessier '91
• 1997: Martina Vandenberg '90
• 1996: Gretchen Berland '86

Established in 2012, the Faculty Alumni Service Award honors faculty “in recognition of exemplary service to the alumni association over a period of years.’’

• 2024: Donna Di Grazia
• 2023: Donna Di Grazia
• 2018: Lorn Foster
• 2017: Shahriar Shahriari
• 2016: Frank Pericolosi
• 2015: Char Miller
• 2014: Ken Wolf
• 2013: Monique Saigal
• 2012: Jonathan Wright