For nearly six decades, the Oldenborg Center for Modern Languages and International Relations put Sagehens at the world’s doorstep. This spring, the Pomona community said goodbye to the well-loved building with a series of celebrations.
“Oldenborg’s impact lives on through the people who studied, taught, worked and built community there,” says Pierre Englebert, the H. Russell Smith Professor of International Relations and Professor of Politics and Oldenborg Faculty Fellow. “That’s why it was so important to share the place—one that has meant so much to generations of Sagehens and friends—through celebrations that honor those stories and the lasting mark Oldenborg has made.”
Dear Oldenborg, Let Me Tell You a Story
You don’t make it to 60 years without collecting a few great stories, and Oldenborg has plenty. During Alumni Weekend on May 1, the College hosted a storytelling celebration in Rose Hills Theatre where speakers revisited their favorite moments onstage.
Stories were shared by (from left) Nimal Perera, community friend; Karin Zaugg Black ’93; Trustee Emeritus Bernie Chan ’88; Terril Jones ’80; Anne Dwyer, emcee and chair of German and Russian and a former director of the Oldenborg Center; Jacqueline Cordes ’25; Spanish language resident Blanca Lopez Sagarra; Adan Amaya of Mail Services; Liam Bayer ’27.
One Last Time at the Tables
Oldenborg slipped back into its natural rhythm during the open house celebration as guests gathered for a final meal at the language tables. Live music echoed through the corridors while alumni, students and 
visitors conversed across languages, greeting friends both familiar and new. Adding special resonance to the event, honorary language table hosts—former directors, emeriti faculty and longtime conversation partners—returned to Oldenborg to share in the celebration and reconnect with the community.
“Arriving at Oldenborg, walking by the hallway photos, passing through those dining hall doors, being greeted by faces both familiar and new—it felt like coming home,” said Rita Bashaw, former Oldenborg director and German conversation partner.
Anne Bages returned to the Greek table where she met Maria-Sophia Sotiropoulou ’28, who comes from the same Greek village as Bages’ family.
Oldenborg, Piece by Piece
Oldenborg has always been a place where people leave with something—a new language, a new perspective, a new connection. This time, they left something behind as well. On April 15, students, faculty and staff gathered to begin a memory tile project, decorating tiles that captured what Oldenborg meant to them.
Over the course of three weeks, the collections grew as more members added their tiles, creating a shared mosaic that will carry Oldenborg’s legacy forward. The project culminated during Alumni Weekend.
With Love, the Friends of Oldenborg
Led by Trustee Emeritus Bernie Chan ’88, alumni and friends are supporting a campaign to name a space in the Center for Global Engagement in honor of the “Friends of the Oldenborg Center,” ensuring that its legacy of community is represented in the new facility.