Empire of the Griffin

Reedfayre ’12

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Alumni Hordes Seize Campus

Generations of alumni sacked campus for Reedfayre (the celebration formerly known as Reunions) in June. We submit for your approval some random images: the class of ’67 declaring victory outside Old Dorm Block; President Colin Diver brandishing a CliffsNotes version of Comrades of the Quest; a self-propelled conveyance known as the Pedalounge darting across campus with alarming vigor; Reedies lacing up the skates for a boogie session on the roller rink in Kaul; and the class of ’92 belting out Bohemian Rhapsody. 

Reedfayre Honors Cricket and Comrades of the Quest

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By Alexander Blum ’13

Reedfayre ’12 traveled backward and forward through time to celebrate outstanding alumni, staff, and faculty.

Cricket Parmalee ’67 was honored with the Babson Society Award for her contributions to the Oral History Project and the Reed Stories Project—the stories collected by both projects were central to the making of Comrades of the Quest. Presenting the award, alumni board president Jay Hubert ’66 described Cricket as a “storytelling master” who has delighted audiences with stories painstakingly collected from generations of alumni.

Cricket recounted a favorite story, that of George Joseph ’51, who visited Reed as a prospie. He met professor Dorothy Johansen ’33 [history 1938–69], who showed him the library and said, “the rest is up to you.” Leaving this meeting, George came out the north exit of Eliot—the same steps where Cricket stood as she unwound the tale—and saw a couple in the woods “doing something that I had never seen done outdoors before.” Impressed by these two experiences, George decided that “Reed was the place for him.”

John Sheehy ’82 was honored for his role as editor of Comrades of the Quest, a volume of “almost biblical” dimensions that was, John said, the closest thing Reed has to scripture. Despite its heft, he noted that the “director’s cut” would be longer: “Reedies appear incapable of expressing themselves in a single sentence when a dissertation will do just as well.”

Finally, honorary alumni status was granted to retirees: Professors Steve Arch [biology 1972–2012], Steven Black [biology 1989–2012], Librarian Vickie Hanawalt [1987–2012], and President Colin Diver [2002–12]. Arch, who taught at Reed for 40 years, recalled a student evaluation shown to him by an administrator at the end of his first semester that read simply, “Fire Arch.” Looking back on his long career, Arch concluded, “I’m really glad he didn’t fire me.” 

Reedies Reunite in Israel

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In 1948, a young Reed student named Elihu Bergman ’50 joined volunteers to bring holocaust survivors to Israel before it became a recognized State. In April 2012, 64 years after Eli’s brief but important sojourn, 18 Reed alumni and family members who live in Israel gathered together to celebrate the Reed Centennial—the first gathering of Reed alumni in Israel.

Many in the group originally came to Israel on visits or married Israelis and remained; others were Zionists who moved to live a more complete religious life.

The genesis of the gathering came when Don Green ’54 was visiting his son in Israel and happened to meet Nahum Gilbar ’79, who works as a tour guide at Shilo, where Jews lived for the first 300 years after leaving Egypt. Don called alumni & parent relations for names of other Reedies in Israel, and together they agreed to meet in the city of Rehovot in April for what proved to be an emotional reunion.

“For expatriates, meeting Reed alumni is an especially rare opportunity,” said Martin Land ’77. “Before this gathering I had never been among 18 Israelis who had even heard of Reed College. It was an absolute pleasure to spend a few hours with people who share the Reed experience and speak about the kind of education we enjoyed in a common language.”

“I could not have become the person I am today without my experience at Reed,” said Rich Brownstein ’85.

Don kindly wrangled updates from the Reedies in attendance, which are included in this issue’s class notes. But, he asks, why stop there?

There are 750 alums residing abroad, scattered among countries in all continents. Reed boasts impressive contingents in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Beijing, Athens,  Berlin, Paris, and major cities in Australia, New Zealand, India, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, not to mention the UK and Canada.

Meet Your Alumni Board

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A new slate of officers took the helm of Reed’s national alumni board in July and will serve a one-year term in the following roles. Meet the executive committee below and find out who participated in Foster-Scholz Battle of the Bands, who worked as a security dispatcher, and who’s interested in amateur radio!

 

Four Join Alumni Board

We extend a hearty welcome to four sterling alumni who were elected to three-year terms on the alumni board:

Steven Seal ’01
Portland, OR

David Devine ’96
Vancouver, BC

Julia Chamberlain ’03
Boulder, CO

Paul Levy ’72
Washington, DC

 

What do these committees really do?

Life Beyond Reed (LBR) supports the career development of current students, recent grads, and mid-career grads through mentoring and other opportunities.  The LBR committee helped orchestrate the first Working Weekend in February. Nearly 200 students participated in 10 career panels plus a “StartUp Lab,” where students presented their ideas to potential investors.

The outreach committee works closely with chapter leaders to increase alumni engagement by developing events, creating opportunities to connect via social media, promoting IRIS participation for a stronger career network, and helping foster a broader relationship with the Portland community.

The Reedfayre committee develops programming for Reedfayre (aka Reunions) such as alumni college, Gastronomy NW, and local excursions. The committee also supports leaders from milestone years in increasing attendance and enouraging a gift from their class.

The nominating committee selects five new at-large members of the alumni board who will serve three-year terms. Committee members are the immediate past president of the alumni board (chair), the current president, and three non-members of the alumni board.