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Elizabeth Maia Powelson ’66

As a result of conversations sparked during the 50th reunion of the class of 1966, it was learned that Liz Powelson, who had for many years been listed as missing, had in fact been tragically murdered in New York in the spring of 1970.

Liz came to Reed from Walnut Creek, California. She was the daughter of Dr. David Harvey Powelson and Marion Wylie Powelson, and had four brothers, David, Roger, Bruce, and Angus, all of whom are still alive. During her freshman year, Liz lived in the Ladd dorm, part of a tight-knit group of freshmen women known collectively as Third Floor Ladd. Liz left Reed at the end of her sophomore year and moved to New York City. Soon after moving to New York, she married Steve Haberfeld ’63, although they had divorced by the time of her death.

Liz had returned to school at Columbia University and was working for the New York Civil Liberties Union at the time she was killed. The murder remains unsolved and is a source of deep sadness for her family, her friends, and those few Reed classmates who were aware of her fate.

Written by Joanne Leslie ’66

Appeared in Reed magazine: March 2017

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