News for the Smith College Community //February 7, 2002
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Five Smith Medalists to Revisit Campus Despite the collective 197 years since they attended Smith and resided in campus houses, this year's five Smith College medalists have vivid, and positive, memories of the days they spent here as undergraduates. The five medalists are Jennifer L. Kelsey '64, Celinda Lake '75, Ann Matthews Martin '77, Eleanor W. Wertimer '44, and Lois Quick Whitman '48. The 2002 medalists were chosen because they have demonstrated, "in their lives and work the true purpose of a liberal arts education." This month, they will each revisit their alma mater to collect a Smith College Medal, which is presented each year on Rally Day. Rally Day 2002 will take place on Wednesday, February 20, at 1:30 p.m. in John M. Greene Hall. Smith College medalist Celinda Lake will deliver the keynote address. The annual event, at which seniors can don their graduation caps and gowns for the first time, honors distinguished alumnae, students and faculty. If past Rally Days are any indication, an assortment of flamboyant headware (to call them hats would be an understatement) will punctuate the students' wardrobes. Since their days as Smith students, each of the five medalists has gone on to lead an exemplary life of professional achievement. And for some of them, their early experiences at Smith helped to shape their later lives. Jennifer Kelsey, a professor of health research and policy and former chief of the Division of Epidemiology at Stanford University, lived in Laura Scales house. She was perhaps best known, she says, "for my propensity to have yellow, purple and blue hands resulting from spills from the stains used in the bacteriology lab. If there is one thing I learned at Smith, it is that I was much more suited for a statistical science than for a laboratory science!" Political pollster Celinda Lake, who lived in Hopkins B (which has since been razed), was "very active in S.O.S. In 1972, I was a leader in Students for Nixon at Smith. That was a small group and before my conversion to the Democratic Party. Smith really anchored my commitment to the women's movement and women leaders -- a career and life-long avocation." Some of the medalists' comments on their Smith days show just how much the college has changed. Lois Whitman, executive director of
the Children's Rights Division of Human Rights Watch, says she
remembers that "married students were not permitted to live
on campus, for fear of their contaminating virginal students."
She also recalls that "before the war [WWII], each house
had maids who cleaned up after the students." Jennifer Kelsey is a renowned leader and researcher in the fields of epidemiology of diseases of the musculoskeletal system and women's health. A decade ago, she ran the World Health Organization's special research program on osteoporosis. She has served on numerous advisory committees for the National Institutes of Health, Environmental Protection Agency, academic institutions and nonprofit organizations. The former president of the Society for Epidemiological Research, Kelsey has received numerous awards, including the Distinguished Alumni Award 2000 from Yale's Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, the John Snow Award in Epidemiology from the American Public Health Association, and the Wilbur Cross Medal from Yale. Celinda Lake has become, in a traditionally male-dominated field, one of the most influential political pollsters. She accepts as clients only those whose positions on the issues meet her standards. Described in the media as the "Godmother of Politics," Lake has worked to frame issues to appeal to women voters, concentrating on health care, education, the environment and human rights. Her work has shaped and moved public opinion, resulting in the passage or defeat of important legislation. The Democratic pollster for U.S. News and World Report and an advisor to the Wall Street Journal, Lake has regularly appeared on national news programs. She has served as chief pollster for three presidential campaigns; many senators, representatives and governors; and a long list of high-profile national organizations. Ann Martin has touched the lives of young readers all over the world through her children's books, including several series. Most notable of these are the Baby-sitters Club books, of which more than 150 million copies are in print in 20 languages. Her books address serious issues that are relevant to the psychological development and education of their readers, mostly young girls. Through the success of her books, Martin established the Ann M. Martin Foundation, which uses the proceeds from the sale of Baby-sitters Club merchandise to benefit children, education and literacy projects, homeless people and animals. She also cofounded and devotes time to the Lisa Libraries, a nonprofit organization that accepts donations of new children's books from publishers and authors for distribution to schools, prisons and daycare centers. Eleanor Wertimer has had an enormous effect, through her professional and volunteer work, on the welfare of families and children in her community. A practicing attorney in upstate New York, particularly for the Oneida County Department of Social Services, Wertimer has also served as a law clerk to the Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Claims, acting Utica City Court Judge, and town justice. In all her roles, she has acted as a catalyst, moving the community forward. She has devoted her volunteer leadership to her local United Way, school board and children's hospital, and to the Oneida County Jail advisory board and its managed care advisory, alternatives to incarceration and ethics boards. Lois Quick Whitman is a pioneer in protecting and promoting the rights and welfare of children in the United States and around the world. She has investigated and brought attention to the plight of children and has followed through to achieve real change in curtailing child labor, as well as in improving conditions for children in orphanages, foster care, and correctional facilities, and for homeless children and child soldiers in several countries, including the United States. As a social worker, Whitman began law school (at age 46) and subsequently founded and built the Children's Rights Watch Division of Human Rights Watch, which she continues to direct. Rally Day began in 1876 as a celebration of George Washington's birthday. Since then, it has evolved from a social occasion into a two-day college celebration, with a students' Rally Day Show, which raises money for charity; the Rally Day party, an after-hours gala for students; individual presentations on campus by each of the medalists; and the convocation. The Rally Day Medal, which was first awarded in 1964, has been presented at Rally Day since 1973. Spring Series Notes Legend of Orpheus In Greek mythology, the supreme musician Orpheus emitted a song so powerful that it could overpower the death-songs of the legendary sirens and charm the animals and natural world. The classic story of his love for the condemned nymph Eurydice, his travels to the Underworld to rescue her, and his ultimate failure has inspired artists, writers and composers for centuries. Some of those inspirations will be presented during a concert on Saturday, February 9, when soprano Jane Bryden, the Iva Dee Hiatt Professor of Music, performs with the Aulos Ensemble, a baroque chamber group. The concert will kick off a spring series titled "The Legend of Orpheus" that celebrates the stories and myths of the classic Greek god of music. Throughout the semester, the series will feature other concerts, films, a play reading and lecture. The project, initiated by Bryden, is sponsored by the music department and the Kahn Liberal Arts Institute. The February 9 concert, which will take place at 8 p.m. in Sweeney Concert Hall, will feature music from Claudio Monteverdi's opera l'Orfeo (which, notably, had its American premiere at Smith College in 1929), as well as Come Woeful Orpheus, an English consort song by William Byrd; Orfeo, a cantata by Giovanni Pergolesi; the "Dance of the Blessed Spirits" from Orfée et Euridice by Christoph Willibald Gluck; and Orphée, a cantata for soprano, flute, violin and continuo, by Louis Nicolas Clérambault. The Aulos Ensemble, with musicians Christopher Krueger on flauto traverso, Marc Schachmann, baroque oboe, Linda Quan, baroque violin, Myron Lutzke, baroque violoncello, and Arthur Hass, harpsichord and organ, was formed in 1973 by five graduates from Juilliard School of Music. Since then, the ensemble has become one of the country's foremost baroque performance groups with an extensive touring schedule and numerous recordings. "The Legend of Orpheus" will continue on Thursday, February 21, with a lecture, "Beethoven's Orpheus in Hades" by Owen Jander, professor emeritus at Wellesley College, and a performance of the Andante con moto of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 by Monica Jakuc, fortepiano, and the Smith College Orchestra, with Jonathan Hirsh conducting, at 4 p.m. in Sweeney Concert Hall. On Friday, March 1, the film Black Orpheus will be shown at 4 p.m. in Earle Recital Hall, with an introduction by Marguerite Itamar Harrison, assistant professor of Spanish and Portuguese. The series continues on March 8 with a reading by students of Cocteau's Orfée, at 4 p.m. in Earle Recital Hall at Sage. On March 14, the film Orfeu will be shown, with free admission, at the Pleasant Street Theater at 5 p.m. as part of the series. On March 26, Music in the Noon Hour will feature student performances of "Orpheus with his Lute" from Shakespeare's Henry VIII, and a premiere of a work by Rebecca Raymond '02, at 12:30 p.m. in Sweeney Concert Hall. The series will conclude on Friday, April 12, at 8 p.m. in Sweeney Concert Hall with a concert of contemporary music based on the Orpheus legend, including the premiere of Orpheus on Sappho's Shore. This new composition by Luna Pearl Woolf MA'02 with libretto by Eleanor Wilner, will feature Bryden and tenor Jon Humphrey with members of the Five College music departments. All series events are free and open to the public. After 30 Years, Composer Takes Leave After an illustrious career that has spanned three decades, composer Ronald Perera will take his leave from Smith at the end of the year. Perera, the Elsie Irwin Sweeney Professor of Music, first arrived at Smith in 1971. Since then, he has become a renowned and respected composer. His library of works is expansive and includes operas, song cycles, and numerous chamber, choral and orchestral works. His cantata The Golden Door, based on Ellis Island archives, was premiered by the New Amsterdam Singers in New York in 1999. His two-act chamber opera The Yellow Wallpaper premiered in Northampton. Perera, who came to Smith by way of Syracuse University and Dartmouth College, studied composition with Leon Kirchner at Harvard, and electronic music with Gottfried Michael Koenig at the University of Utrecht. In addition to his operas and chamber works, Perera has also set to music the literary texts of a variety of writers, including Dickinson, Joyce, Grass, Sappho, Cummings, Shakespeare, Francis of Assisi, Melville, Ferlinghetti, Updike and Henry Beston. While balancing careers as a professor and composer has kept Perera busy over the years, he says Smith has helped him thrive in both pursuits. "Smith has been a wonderful place to have a career, and the college has been very supportive of my work," he says. "I've had some fellowships from Smith that have supported my work. The college has always been very sensitive to the needs of the creative people on the faculty, the performers and composers on the faculty, and I've had great support from the administration all along." And while Perera looks forward to his retirement, when he will be able to "put on the composing hat as a full-time job," he will miss his employer. "It's been a bittersweet experience to retire," he says. "I've really enjoyed my 30 years here." Thankfully, he notes, "I'm still young enough to have an expanded second career, and that feels right at this point." Though Perera's colleagues in the music department are excited for the opportunities his retirement will bring him, they will miss his presence. "I'm happy for him," says Donald Wheelock, a fellow composer and the Irwin and Pauline Alper Glass Professor of Music. "But the composer he leaves behind in this department is very sad to see him leave. It's been wonderful to work with him. He is as generous a colleague as I've ever known, and he's been a very active member of this department." His colleagues in the music department and musical guests will pre-sent a concert in honor of Perera and his Smith career on Sunday, February 17, at 8 p.m. in Sweeney Concert Hall, featuring his compositions. "He's one of the nicest people
and one of the best colleagues in the department, to say nothing
of his composing," says John Sessions, professor of music,
of his colleague Perera. Sessions has worked with Perera for
the duration of Perera's 30-year tenure at Smith. "It'll
be bad for the department when he leaves," he said. ScoreBoard Basketball Squash Skiing Swimming and diving Track and field Sources of further information, if any, are indicated in parentheses. Notices should be submitted by mail, by e-mail eweld@smith.edu) or by fax (extension 2171).
Have-A-Heart Food
Drive Talent For a Cause Tribute to Yusef
Lateef Valentine's Day
Buffet Campus Center Project Trivia Challenge
Night Biosciences Research
Symposium Pitching-Catching
Clinic Open Batting Cage Students Join Sophomore PUSH Summer Interns Needed Marine Internship
Support Sciences Po Applications Pap Test Appointments Study Abroad Info Peer Writing Assistance Student Affairs
Staff Free Counseling
Sessions Course Registration
and Changes Smithsonian Internship
Program SSEP Summer Jobs 2002-03 Alumnae
Scholarships Make-up Examinations Community Service
Fair Study Abroad Deadlines Study Skills Workshops |
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Sources of further information, if any, are shown in parentheses at the end of event descriptions. An asterisk following a listing indicates that the event is open to the public. Admission charges, if any, are listed when known. Items for this section must be submitted on Event Service Request Forms.
Lectures/Symposia Lecture "Thoreau, Mary Oliver, and the Poetics of Landscape." Dean Flower, English. Part of LSS 100, Issues in Landscape Studies. 2:40-4 p.m., Seelye 106* Biological Sciences Colloquium "Evolution of Genome Duality in Ciliates." Laura Katz, biological sciences. Refreshments preceding in McConnell foyer. 4:30 p.m., McConnell B05 Lecture "Lucky Charms: Eliminating Change in Japanese Religions." George J. Tanabe, Jr., professor of religion, University of Hawaii. Sponsors: Ada Howe Kent Fund; East Asian studies and religion departments; East Asian languages and literatures; Lecture Committee. 4:30 p.m., Seelye 201* Meetings/Workshops Pre-Health informational meeting Brenda Armstrong, Duke University School of Medicine, will discuss medical school. Lunch provided to those who respond via email to bjameson@smith.edu or manderso@smith.edu by February 10. Noon, Burton 101 Informational meeting Weekly meeting for students interested in studying abroad, including a review of opportunities and procedures, and a question-and-answer period. 4 p.m., Third Floor Resource Room, Clark Informational meeting Smith TV. 4 p.m., Media Services, Alumnae Gym Informational meeting National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Internship Program 2001 fellows will discuss their internships with this government agency in environmental and marine sciences and policy. Pizza served. Sponsor: Environmental Science and Policy Program. 5:30 p.m., Engineering 102 Meeting Smith Democrats. 6:30 p.m., Davis Downstairs Lounge CDO Infosession A representative from This Week on Martha's Vineyard, a weekly publication of entertainment events on the island, will discuss summer internships. 7:30 p.m., Dewey Common Room Religious Life Service "Invitation to Silence." Take time for reflection, renewal and respite in the quiet of the chapel. Candles available. All welcome. Noon-1 p.m., Chapel* Other Events/Activities Language lunch tables French, Italian. Noon, Duckett Special Dining Rooms A, B President's open hours First come, first served. 4-5 p.m., College Hall 20 Yoga class Noncredit, for students. All levels. 4:45-6 p.m., Davis Ballroom Kickboxing class Noncredit, for students. Show up any time. 7:30-8:20 p.m., Ainsworth Gym Tuesday, February 12 Lectures/Symposia Sigma Xi luncheon talk "Of Mice, Men, and Women: Healing the Weekend and Naïve Warrior." Stylianos Scordilis, biological sciences. Open to faculty, emeriti and staff. Noon, College Club, Lower Level Global issues forum "The Changing Boundaries of Nation and the Masculine in Jewish Israel." Tamar Mayer, geography professor, Middlebury College. Sponsors: International Relations Program; government department; Lecture Committee. Refreshments served. 4:30 p.m., Seelye 201* Panel "The Japanese American Buddhist Experience." Presentations on "Buddhism in Hawaii," by George Tanabe, University of Hawaii; "Buddhism in the Internment Camps," by Duncan Williams, professor of Japanese religions and cultures, Trinity College; and "The Prospects of Pure Land Buddhism," by Taitetsu Unno, professor emeritus of religion. Sponsors: Ada Howe Kent Fund; East Asian studies and religion departments; Asian American studies; Lecture Committee. 7 p.m., College Club, Lower Level* Five College Geology Lecture "Digging up Dirt on Ancient Climates and Atmospheres: Soils, Paleosols and the Stories They Tell." Claudia I. Mora, geological sciences, University of Tennessee. 7:30 p.m., McConnell Auditorium* Lecture "Trickster Travels: A 16th-century Muslim Between Worlds." Natalie Zemon Davis, Henry Charles Lea Professor of History Emerita, Princeton University. The Frank and Lois Green Schwoerer '49 Annual History Lecture. 8 p.m., Neilson Browsing Room* Performing Arts/Films Meetings/Workshops Meeting Campus Climate Working Group. Noon, Neilson Browsing Room Weight Watchers at Work All welcome. 12:15-1:45 p.m., Wright Common Room* Meeting Amnesty International.
Informational meeting Current sophomores and juniors interested in applying for a student fellowship in the Kahn Institute project for the 2002-03 academic year, "The Question of Reparations: The U.S. Context," should attend. 5 p.m., Kahn Institute Lounge, Neilson Informational meeting
An Arcadia University representative will meet with students
interested in studying in Australia, Ireland or the United Kingdom.
(See notice, page 3.) Workshop "PowerPoint
for Students." This workshop will cover the basics of Microsoft
PowerPoint, as well as more advanced features, such as animation
and working with images. Enrollment is limited. To register,
send email to ldecarol@email. SGA Senate meeting Open forum. All students welcome. 7:15 p.m., Seelye 201 Religious Life Meeting Hillel. Noon, Kosher Kitchen, Dawes Episcopal Fellowship meets for worship, friendship and fun. Eucharist, fellowship and light lunch provided. Students, faculty, staff and friends welcome. Noon, St. John's Episcopal Church Living Room* Meeting Newman Association.
ECC Bible study Student-led discussion of topics raised by the Sunday morning worship community. Snacks provided. All welcome. 10 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel Other Events/Activities Language lunch tables Chinese, German. Noon, Duckett Special Din-ing Rooms A, B (alternate weekly) Religion lunch Noon, Duckett Special Dining Room C Yoga class Noncredit, for students. All levels. 4:45-6 p.m., Davis Ballroom Pancake supper for Shrove Tuesday (also known as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday), a traditional day of festivities when foods are consumed in preparation for Lent, which begins on February 13. Free; all invited. Sponsors: Ecumenical Christian Community; Newman Association. 5:30-7 p.m., Gamut S.O.S. community service fair Meet with agency representatives and get information on local volunteer and outreach opportunities. 7 p.m., Davis Ballroom CDO open hours for library research and browsing. Peer advisers available. 79 p.m., CDO, Drew Basketball v. Springfield. 7 p.m., Ainsworth Gym* Aerobics class Noncredit, for students. Show up any time. 7:30-8:20 p.m., ESS Fitness Studio Wednesday, February 13 Lectures/Symposia Meetings/Workshops Meeting Smith TV, to discuss new programming. 7 p.m., Media Services, Alumnae Gym Meeting MassPIRG. 7 p.m., Seelye 310 Religious Life Ecumenical Service Ash Wednesday. Lunch provided. 12:10 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel Buddhist meditation and discussion. 7:15 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel ECC Bible study Student-led discussion of topics raised by the Sunday morning worship community. Snacks provided. All welcome. 10 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel Other Events/Activities Classics lunch Noon, Duckett Special Dining Room C Yoga class Noncredit, for students. All levels. 4:45-6 p.m., Davis Ballroom Kickboxing class Noncredit, for students. Show up any time. 7:30-8:20 p.m., ESS Fitness Studio |
Thursday, February 14 Lectures/Symposia Lecture "New Family Narratives: The Transformation of American Families and Assisted Reproductive Technologies." Topics will include issues facing families and clinicians in new approaches to conception and pregnancy. Part of the Smith College School for Social Work's Fall/Winter Speaker Series. 4 p.m., Wright Auditorium* Performing Arts/Films Theater The Vagina Monologues. A benefit for local agencies working to end violence against women and girls. Tickets: $5, available at the door. 8 p.m., John M. Greene Hall* Meetings/Workshops CDO infosession The Peace Corps will present information about volunteer opportunities. 4:30 p.m., Seelye 207 S.O.S. meeting Fund
drive training dinner for house representatives. CDO infosession A representative from Jackson Laboratory, a genetics laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, will discuss research assistant positions. 7:30 p.m., Dewey Common Room Religious Life Drop-in stress reduction and relaxation class with Hayat Nancy Abuza. Refresh body, mind and spirit. Open to all Five College students, staff and faculty. Sponsor: Office of the Chaplains. 4:30-5:30 p.m., Wright Common Room* Sahaja Yoga Meditation Open to all religious backgrounds. 7 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel* Intervarsity Christian Fellowship All welcome. 8-9:30 p.m., Wright Common Room Unitarian Universalists meeting Open to all Five College students and faculty who want to talk, play games and have fun together. 8:30 p.m., Bodman Lounge, Chapel Other Events/Activities Language lunch tables Korean, Russian. Noon, Duckett Special Dining Rooms A, B (alternate weekly) Glee Club lunch table Noon, Duckett Special Dining Room C Valentine's Day Dinner Live music by the Mark Ricker Trio. For reservations, contact the Smith College Club, ext. 2341, smithclub@smith.edu. (See Notice, page 1.) 5:45 p.m., College Club Step intervals class Noncredit, for students. Show up any time. 7:30-8:20 p.m., ESS Fitness Studio Friday, February 15 Lectures/Symposia Performing Arts/Films Theater Naming the Days. Deborah Lubar, writer, performer; Marianne Lust, director. Lubar performs this one-woman show about three women thrown into close quarters by war, each trying to piece together the broken bits of what their lives have become. Tickets (call 585-ARTS): $12, general; $7, Smith faculty and staff; $5, students. 8 p.m., Theatre 14, Mendenhall CPA* Meetings/Workshops Religious Life Shabbat Services Dinner follows in the Kosher kitchen, Dawes. 5:30 p.m., Dewey Common Room. Other Events/Activities Language lunch table Hebrew. Noon, Duckett Special Dining Room C Alumnae Association tea Emerson and Wilson houses are cordially invited to attend. 4 p.m., Alumnae House Living Room Saturday, February 16 Lectures/Symposia Performing Arts/Films Theater Naming the Days. See 2/15 listing. 8 p.m., Theatre 14, Mendenhall CPA* Other Events/Activities Sunday, February 17 Performing Arts/Films Meetings/Workshops Meeting Smith African Students Association. All welcome. 4 p.m., Mwangi Basement, Lilly Meeting Feminists of
Smith Unite. Religious Life Quaker (Friends) meeting for worship. Preceded by informal discussion at 9:30 a.m. All welcome, childcare available. 11 a.m., Bass 203, 204* Meeting Smith Baha'i Club. 2 p.m., Dewey Common Room Roman Catholic Mass Fr. Dan Liston, and Elizabeth Carr, Catholic chaplain. Dinner follows in Bodman Lounge. All welcome. 4:30 p.m., Chapel* Other Events/Activities CDO Open Hours for library research and browsing. Peer advisers available. 1-4 p.m., CDO, Drew Exhibitions Charles E. Skaggs Collection
An exhibition of books and book covers designed by book designer
and calligrapher Charles E. Skaggs. Through March 31. Mortimer
Rare Book Room Entrance, Neilson Library* The McGrath Collection: Contemporary Book Arts from the Connecticut River Valley A selection of fine press books and ephemera printed by Harold P. McGrath for local artists and publishers. Through March 28. Morgan Gallery (first floor) and Book Arts Gallery (third floor), Neilson Library* A Space Odyssey 2001 An exhibition of photographic art by Anne Ross '55, featuring her newest digital images that explore the inner work of dream landscapes and surreal places. Exhibit hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Extended through April 5. Alumnae House Gallery* |
