Empire of the Griffin

Meet Your Alumni Board Nominees

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In accordance with the constitution of the Reed College alumni association, and following a call for nominations to all alumni in the May 2013 edition of Reed magazine, the nominating committee of the alumni association hereby gives notice of the following nominations to the alumni board (AB). All terms begin July 1, 2014. These sketches have been edited for space.

President (One-Year Term):

Scott Foster ’77 [biology], Gualala, California. While at Reed, was a soccer team goalie, KRRC DJ, and widely feared at the billiards table. He went on to a 26-year military career as a U.S. Naval officer, specializing in healthcare administration. Scott has entertained Reunions goers with jazz-ensemble performances and has volunteered as a D.C. chapter representative, 30th-reunion class leader, admission volunteer, and as at-large member of the alumni board. Scott and his wife, Susan Rudy ’79, reside on the remote northern California coast, where he is the director for a bi-county emergency medical services district. He is currently serving a one-year term as vice president of the alumni board.

Vice President (One-Year Term):

Kristen Earl ’05 [English], Portland, Oregon. Served on the alumni board in 2007–10, was a Portland chapter coordinator and interviewer for the Reed Oral History Project, and has been known to partake in other alumni shenanigans. Kristen is the development manager for Bradley Angle, a nonprofit providing support services for all people affected by domestic violence. In addition to serving on the Reed alumni board, Kristen is in her second year as board secretary for the Willamette Valley Development Officers. She lives in northeast Portland with her handsome husband, Eric. Kristen is currently serving a one-year term as secretary for the alumni board.

Secretary (One-Year Term):

Richard Roher ’79 [English], Chappaqua, New York. Rich is chairman of Roher Public Relations, a 46-year-old firm based in New York with an office in downtown Portland. He came to Reed as a junior-year transfer student. A longtime Reed donor, his steady participation in alumni activity began as class leader for his 30th-class reunion. He subsequently went on to one-year appointment and then three-year appointment as an at-large member of the alumni board. There, Rich worked on the Reunions/Reedfayre committee, first on class leader recruitment, and then chairing the committee for two years. Rich looks forward to continue serving the college and the Alumni Association as an alumni board officer.

At-Large Board Members (3-Yr Term):

Bennett Barsk ’82 [physics], Alexandria, Virginia. Math tutor. Bennett is a self-employed math tutor in the D.C. area. Both prior to and after becoming the current chair of the D.C. Reed alumni chapter, Bennett has conceived of, planned, and organized a variety of events, ranging from monthly Restaurant Club meetings to events including a private inaugural ball; art and photography exhibit receptions featuring Reed artists/photographers; and a brunch at his home featuring Diane Morgan '77, cookbook author, at which Diane and other attendees prepared dishes from her recent cookbook. Bennett's private parties (not official alumni events) have individually attracted up to 30 alumni.

Serena Golden ’07 [English], Washington, D.C. Serena is associate editor of Inside Higher Ed, a national, online news publication, where she has worked for the past five years. At Reed, she worked at the sports center and as a tour guide for the admission office; now she is an alumni admission representative and a member of the Reed Career Network. She served on the “Write, Edit, Publish!” panel at Working Weekend 2013, and was a featured speaker at this year’s D.C. edition of Reed on the Road. She has the personal goal of helping to improve Reed’s relationship with the news media.

Constance Putnam ’65 [philosophy], Concord, Massachusetts. Constance is an independent scholar working primarily in medical history. She has published widely and is the author or coauthor of four books. In 2005–06 she was a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Budapest.  n active Reed volunteer, Constance served as a one-year alumni board member immediately following graduation, was an admission volunteer for several years, and frequently helped organize local alumni events. She has worked on capital campaigns, serving on both the National Advisory Council and the Centennial RCC. At home, too, she is a dedicated volunteer. In 2010, she was presented with the Foster-Scholz Club's Distinguished Service Award.

Clara Siegel ’09 [mathematics], Seattle, Washington. Clara recently earned an MBA from Stanford University and is starting work with Amazon's wine business in product management. Clara loves Reed and has remained very involved with the school since graduating by volunteering with Reunions, the Career Center, Start Up Lab, and Working Weekend. While at Reed, Clara served as student body treasurer and was involved with Renn Fayre, murals, and policy committees. She looks forward to continuing her involvement with Reed by serving on the alumni board.

Will Swarts ’92 [American studies], Brooklyn, New York. Will works in public relations in New York and writes book reviews. A former chair of the social affairs board and student caucus member, his Quest contributions helped him down a winding path in journalism in the Pacific Northwest, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Berlin. In New York, he helped revive the local alumni chapter in the early 2000s and was steering committee chair and chapter representative to the alumni board. He coaches youth baseball and enthusiastically attends Reed on the Road events. Will and his partner, Heather Malin, have two dogs, Neo and Fox.

Nominating Committee (1-Year Term):

Alea Adigweme ’06 [Russian], Iowa City, Iowa. Alea is a writer, artist, and educator. During her three-year term on the alumni board (2011–14), she has worked with the Office for Institutional Diversity to facilitate meaningful connections between alumni and current students from underrepresented groups and their allies. In 2007–09, Alea was an assistant dean of admission at Reed, and in 2012, she received an MFA in nonfiction writing from the University of Iowa.

John Bergholz ’83 [international studies], Oak Park, Ilinois. John is the vice president of institutional advancement at the National Louis University in Chicago. A first-generation college student, John drove a truck to pay tuition at Reed. He has been a Reed donor since he paid off his last student loan. He has also served on Reed's alumni board, board of trustees, and the Chicago alumni chapter steering committee, and helped to establish the Class of '83 Well-Endowed Scholarship. He serves on the board of directors for Thresholds, an organization providing service to people with severe mental illness. John and his wife, Katherine, have four children.

Jonathan Make ’98 [international studies], Washington, D.C. Jonathan is the managing editor of a newsletter company in Washington, D.C., where he is a member of the local alumni steering committee. He is a past president of the committee and past chapter representative. He enjoys attending cultural and food-related gatherings with other Reedies, meeting new ones, and planning events to bring alumni together.

Alumni Trustee (Four-Year Term):

Jay Hubert ’66 [physics], San Rafael, California. Jay is retired from Chevron, where he worked as manager of the analytical sciences unit. In 1970, he earned a PhD in physics from Texas A&M University. He has been an alumni admission representative for at least 30 years and has enjoyed interviewing prospective students and talking to their parents. His involvement with the college increased further while his son George ’93 was a student at Reed. After retirement in 1999, Jay built much stronger contacts with staff at the college. Jay was a Reunions gift chair for 2006 and participated in the Oral History Project. He joined the alumni board in 2006 and retired as past president in 2013. He has contributed to the Annual Fund virtually every year since graduation, and with his wife, Mayme, funded a major matching-gift initiative for the centennial. He has been a member of the AFR steering committee since 2009. He and Mayme have three grown children.

O.R.G.Y.

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

DOWNLOAD THE GROUP PHOTO IN HI-RES

Star Craving

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By Jessica Gerhardt ’11

The paparazzi should’ve been out for the Griffith Observatory Star Party on August 17, when SoCal alumni ranging from the classes ’62 through ’13 met up to take in a view of the heavens. Star Parties involve astronomers and stargazers from around Los Angeles, who congregate on the lawn outside the observatory, setting up telescopes directed at various celestial objects. At the beginning of the evening, finding each other proved to be more challenging than one might expect, due to the number of nerdy folks who tend to come together at Griffith, but eventually we all gathered on the observatory lawn, introduced ourselves to one another, and chatted about Olde Reed. Then we proceeded to explore some of the exhibits, taking cheesy photos with the displays, and eventually made our way outside to the telescopes, where we got to enjoy the sight of the moon, Saturn, a double star in the constellation Cygnus, and many other pieces of astronomical
eye candy.

Clued In: Reedies in London

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UK Reedies held a September Thirsty Third Thursday at the Sherlock Holmes pub in central London and even had former exchange students in attendance!

From left to right: Michelle Hennessy ’02, Georgina Meakin (exchange student 2001–02), Jeff Frank ’72, Juan Brito ’10, Will Greaves (exchange student 2007–08), Tom Gore (exchange student 2007–08). Not shown in the picture: Josh Simon ’05 and Dawn Teele ’06.