Empire of the Griffin

From the Alumni Board President

Beyond Reed

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By Chantal Sudbrack ’97

Chantal Sudbrack ’97 Photo by Leah Nash

Did you know that the alumni association includes nearly 17,000 living members spanning 80 years of the life of the college? To tap into the incredible energy demonstrated on campus for Reed’s centennial year and Reedfayre Reunions celebration, the 25 members of the alumni board have been working on a broad base of initiatives that engage alumni with each other and the greater Reed community, including parents, staff, and faculty.

Though Reed produces some of the highest percentages of graduates with PhDs, the majority of our alumni do not go on to pursue careers in academia. Not surprisingly, many alumni have successful careers in jobs seemingly unrelated to their undergraduate major. Such nonacademic career paths are often not linear; and in today’s workplace climate, they may have slow entry and frequent transitions.

Recognizing these challenges, the alumni board began work in the spring of 2011 with Reed’s career services and alumni & parent relations on the “Life Beyond Reed” (LBR) initiative. Conceptually, LBR embraces the successes and pitfalls along one’s career path. The LBR committee of the alumni board is working toward a broad platform that supports the career development of current students, recent graduates, and midcareer graduates through mentoring and experiential learning opportunities like formal internships and shadowing experiences. We welcome your ideas and thoughts on this effort. If you are interested, send email to the chair of the LBR committee, Tony Fisher ’80.

A short nine months after its inception, LBR brought to campus Reed’s first student-focused Working Weekend event, with nearly 200 students participating. The weekend also included a three-day StartUp Lab, where teams of students presented and marketed their original ideas to potential investors.

The second Working Weekend and Reed StartUp Lab will be February 1–3, 2013, which coincides with meetings of the board of trustees and the alumni board. During these few days, alumni will organize workshops for students and recent graduates, meet with students one-on-one or in groups, sit on industry or expertise panels that address specific topics, and share job and internship opportunities. Some areas of focus for the panels include fine arts, law, media, diplomacy, medicine, education, consulting, physical sciences, and business.  If you are interested in volunteering as a panelist, a StartUp Lab mentor, or for one-on-one meetings with students, submit an inquiry online.

In the spirit of LBR, I invite you to consider joining the Reed Career Network, an online network where you can provide valuable information, advice, and referrals to Reedies as they pursue career goals, graduate school, or professional school. Your participation helps enrich our community.

The outreach committee of the alumni board develops initiatives that help strengthen the connection between alumni and the college. The committee also works closely with local chapter leadership to improve volunteer opportunities and events in chapter cities. This year, expect to hear more about an online book club for Reedies everywhere, a community-focused volunteer program in Portland, and a program to connect underrepresented students with underrepresented alumni mentors. We welcome your thoughts on these and other ideas for programming. If you are interested, email the outreach committee chairperson, Beverly Lau ’06.

The alumni association itself will soon be celebrating a milestone: it will turn 100 in 2015. The alumni board is assisting alumni & parent relations in developing programming that celebrates this momentous occasion. In the meantime, I hope you’ll make your plans to join us for Reedfayre ’13, June 12–16, 2013. No matter whether or not it is your reunion year, all are invited to partake in the festivities!

Next Time You’re on Alberta Street . . .

Monograph Bookwerks

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By Laurie Lindquist

Blair Saxon-Hill ’02 Photo by Jenn McNeal

Imagine a bookstore as a curated space, where visitors engage in a rigorous dialogue about art, make discoveries, and find inspiration.

Now step into Monograph Bookwerks on Northeast 27th Avenue off Alberta, run by artists Blair Saxon-Hill ’02 and John Brodie since 2010.

“One of the things that becomes very exciting is how dialogues inspire and forward work and may not be necessarily one that I’m having with someone else, but one that jumps out of the experience of being there,” says Blair.

Art was integral to Blair’s childhood and a direction she took early on. At Reed, she studied studio art with Gerri Ondrizek [art 1994–], Michael Knutson [art 1982–], and Geoffrey Pagen [ceramics 1987–]. Ethan Jackson [art 2001–05] served as adviser for her thesis on installations. “Part of what was so wonderful about going to Reed was the mix of really critical readings and having a conceptually driven studio practice that allowed me to explore a variety of approaches,” she says. “That kind of integrative thinking is something that I brought to the bookstore.”

Monograph is a serene and elegant space where rare, uncommon, and new and used books on contemporary art and artists, architecture, graphic design, fashion, photography, and art criticism share space with original prints and oil paintings, studio pottery, vintage art, and a curio or two, such as a hefty pair of tailor shears. This fall, Blair taught members of Reed’s Scriptorium how to make ink, and her handmade walnut ink is also available at the shop. Everything is for sale—though not online.

Skirting cyber sales promotes the experience of engagement, Blair says. Hands on, conversation, and engagement all contradict the experience of viewing art online. “It goes back to the sense of it being present, of having a work with you when it’s held in a book, that is really different than needing to recall the artist or work using a computer.” 

O.R.G.Y.
(Offspring of Reed Generations of Yesteryear)

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Reed alumni and their excited/nervous/nonplussed Reedie progeny (future alumni!) represent O.R.G.Y. 2012: Left to right (back) Jazz Weisman, Anthony Leong, Rose Gittel, Jody Hoffer-Gittel ’85, Galen Blair, Kurt Blair ’92; (middle) Joe Weisman ’65, Keith Allen ’83, Sarah Allen, Darryl Leong ’72, Ruben de la Huerga, Lafcadio Flint, Maria Blair ’91, Gavin Flint ’82; (front) Anne Gendler ’81, Naomi Gendler, Sandra Moffet ’79, Millie Dunn, Corinna Jackson, Holly Hurwitz ’79.
Photo by Leah Nash

New Reedies with alumni parents (or other relatives) qualify as members of a prestigious organization fondly referred to as O.R.G.Y. (Offspring of Reed Generations of Yesteryear). They, along with family members, were invited to join other Reed legacies for a group photo in August during new student orientation. Gorgeous weather graced this photo shoot on the chapel steps, and everyone received an O.R.G.Y. button to wear proudly! 

“Let us servire cantico”

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Attend the alumni holiday party on Saturday, December 8! Reed’s own boar’s head procession is still observed with accustomed ceremony; please help us keep this beloved tradition alive by joining the Boar’s Head Ensemble Singers. 

For more information, email or 503/777-7589. (If you did not receive a party invitation in the mail, please see the details and register online.)

Alumni Board Nominations

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The nominating committee of the alumni board proposes the following nominees to fill five at-large positions on the Alumni Board for terms beginning  July 1, 2013, and ending June 30, 2016.

Forrest Alogna ’95 [philosophy] practices corporate law in Paris, France, primarily focusing on major cross-border transactions. He was a sounding board for Adam Riggs ’95 in the planning of Reed’s first Working Weekend, and may hold the record as the person who traveled the farthest to attend the event.

Cindy Joe ’08 [physics] is an accelerator operator at Fermilab, the U.S.’s flagship research facility for high-energy physics. Her official roles at Reed included astronomy club founder, nuclear reactor operator, and dorm host for prospies. As Chicago’s chapter representative, she enjoys organizing fun events for local Reedies; giving tours of her workplace; and working with admission and career services to talk to future and former Reed students. When not smashing protons, she enjoys creative endeavors and personal challenges, and so has calligraphed her Christmas cards, taken up Argentine tango, and tried rock climbing and flying trapeze.  

Beverly Lau ’06 [physics] just earned a PhD in medical physics from the University of Chicago. She will start a post-doctoral fellowship in physics and biomedical engineering at the University of Houston, where she will study breast cancer detection. She got involved with the alumni association as the Chicago chapter representative in 2010, and served as the chapter’s chairperson in 2011. Beverly spearheaded the successful board game nights for the Chicago chapter. At Reed, she operated the nuclear reactor and sang in the chorus. She also was a dorm hostess for the admission office.

Michael Stapleton ’10 [English] is the director of marketing at Gild, a San Francisco startup that develops recruiting technologies. He also serves as an admission volunteer and is on the steering committee of Alumni Fundraising for Reed, where he focuses on young alumni giving. During his senior year at Reed, Michael and three of his classmates started the first student-funded scholarship, which continues today as the Reedies for Reedies initiative. He lives in San Francisco. 

Richard Thomason ’84 [history] wrote his thesis with Professor Ed Segel on the decline of the British Liberal Party 1914–24. After Reed, he was staff to U.S. senator Bill Bradley before getting a master’s degree in public affairs from Princeton. Richard has held a variety of positions developing state health policy with the California Legislature, Kaiser Permanente, and the Service Employees International Union. He is currently a program officer with Blue Shield of California Foundation. Richard is a longtime member of the Reed Career Network and served for five years as Bay Area chapter chair and chapter representative to the alumni board.  

Additional nominations may be submitted by petition. Said petitions must contain the name and a biographical sketch of the nominee, the office to be filled, and the signatures of 50 or more members of the alumni association. Petitions must be received in the alumni relations office on or before February 15. Contact Mike Teskey, director of alumni relations, at teskeym@reed.edu for details.