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Emily Nagoski (standing, second from left) serenades
her school charges in The King and I. |
Emily Nagoski,
director of wellness education, starred recently as
Mrs. Anna Leonowens, the school teacher, in the
’s (ACT) production of The
King and I,
a classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical based on the book
Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon. The
ACT is a nonprofit community theatre company based in Greenfield,
Mass. Performances took place at the Shea Theater in downtown
Turners Falls, Mass. Nagoski in her character was surrounded
by a cast of 50 performers, including two dozen local children
playing her students, and actors from several nearby communities,
including Jerry Marcanio or Royalston, Mass., playing the
King of Siam.
Gloria
Heath ’43, who served
as a member of the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASP)
during World War II, was named in July as a recipient of
the Congressional Gold Medal for her service with the pilots
group. The Congressional Gold Medal is among the highest
honors bestowed by the United States Congress to express
national appreciation for distinguished achievements and
contributions. Past recipients include George Washington,
Zachary Taylor, Thomas Edison, and numerous other notable
figures in American history.
Laura Putnam ’10 was recently
named the winner of the 2009 Lisa MacFarlane Prize, given
annually by the .
The prize is awarded in honor of the best paper or project
written and developed by an undergraduate on an American
studies subject. Putnam’s paper, written under the supervision
of Daniel Horowitz, the Mary Huggins Gamble Professor of
American Studies, is titled “Kings of the Wild Frontier:
Folk Revival in 1950s American Popular Culture.” Putnam was
awarded $100.
 Louka Katseli ’72 was recently named Minister
of Economy, Competitiveness and Shipping in Greece. Before
her appointment, Katseli served most recently as a professor
of economics at the University of Athens and as Director
of the Development Centre for the Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD), in Paris. Katseli has
published widely on development finance, international migration,
foreign investment and exchange rate policy. In related news,
Georgios Papandreou (Amherst College ’75) has been named
Prime Minister and Ministor of Foreign Affairs in Greece.
 A
new book, Lessons from Oz, by
Julienne La Fleur ’90,
recaptures the magic of the classic film The Wizard of
Oz as the 70th anniversary of the movie’s Hollywood
premiere approaches on August 15. “Lessons from
Oz illuminates
35 lessons that we, as grown-ups, forget,” according
to a press release for the book. “Some are whimsical,
some are serious, and some might make you want to go skipping.” La
Fleur’s book was among the bronze medal winners this
year from Independent Publisher in the inspirational/spiritual
books category. Lessons from Oz is La Fleur’s
first book. She notes that among the titles on her shelf
of “books that move my soul” is Gift from
the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh ’28. “Neatly
tucked between the pages is my very first letter from Smith,
dated June 18, 1985, announcing that I had won the Smith
College Book Award.”
 It’s been a good year for Sharon Sears ’96.
Following the birth of her daughter Cypress Diana Schaff,
on January 31, she was recently awarded the New Faculty Teaching
Award from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo., where she
is an assistant professor of psychology. After graduating
from Smith, Sears earned her doctorate in psychology at the
University of Kansas, and completed a clinical internship
and postdoctoral training at the Palo Alto Veterans Administration
Medical Center in California. Sears largely credits her Smith
education—and in particular her research with Barbara
Brehm-Curtis, professor of exercise and sport studies, on
health, wellness and stress management--for her achievements. “I
am ever grateful for the excellent training I received at
Smith,” she recently wrote in a message to Brehm-Curtis
about her award. “When I was interviewing for academic
jobs, numerous people remarked about how desirable my Smith
education was to them. I want to express my appreciation
to you having served as such a positive role model to me
for how to be a good teacher and mentor.”
 Robyn
Ostrander ’93,
medical director of Child and Adolescent Services at The
Brattleboro [Vt.] Retreat, co-authored a textbook, Neuroanatomy
for Students of Behavioral Disorders, recently
published by W.W. Norton & Co. The book is targeted for
use among graduate-level students in psychology, social work,
psychiatry and related fields. Ostrander also serves as a
psychologist and lecturer in psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical
School. She produced the book with Ronald Green, professor
of psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School.
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People News is a column for publicizing
the achievements, distinctions and notable activities of people in the Smith
community, PeopleNews welcomes your submissions. If you -- or someone you know
in the Smith community -- have recently received an award, participated in
an interesting event, or are involved in an important endeavor, please
let us know. |
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