Alumni

‘Coach Bud’ Moves West

Mike Budenholzer at a press conference. Courtesy of Phoenix Suns.

Mike Budenholzer at a press conference. Courtesy of Phoenix Suns.

Mike Budenholzer ’92 grew emotional as he returned to his native Arizona in May and was introduced as the new coach of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns with family members and friends from his hometown of Holbrook on hand.

“My dad, Vince Budenholzer, 94 years old, sitting here in the front row. We call him the original Coach Bud, ’71 state championship with my brother Jim,” Budenholzer said at his first news conference. “I love you, Dad.”

Budenholzer, who won the 2021 NBA title as coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and twice has been chosen NBA Coach of the Year, grew up following the Suns.

“I don’t know what the word is, surreal or wild,” said Budenholzer, who reminisced about past players including Alvan Adams, Walter Davis and Paul Westphal and “my dad taking me in the backyard and teaching me Paul Westphal, reverse pivot into a pump fake into a step-through.”

At Pomona, Budenholzer was a four-year player and senior co-captain of the Sagehens basketball team and also played golf, while majoring in philosophy, politics and economics. Though he didn’t play for former coach Gregg Popovich at Pomona-Pitzer, he spent 19 years working for Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs, first as a video assistant and then for 17 seasons as an assistant coach, helping the Spurs to four NBA titles.

He’ll be trying to get the Suns, led by Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, to the NBA title he helped deny the Suns in the 2021 Finals.

“I can’t wait to get to work,” he said.

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From the Alumni Association Board President

Hello Sagehens!

2024 Alumni Chapters from Northern California’s Bay Area, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Southern California’s Orange County, the Puget Sound region of Washington state and Washington, D.C.With just a handful of months left in my term as Alumni Association Board president, I’ve been reflecting on my time as a board member these past several years. One of the best things about my involvement has been the opportunity to connect with so many of you. I continue to be awestruck that Pomona grads really do blanket our globe. And whether it’s been chatting with alumni at College events, catching up with classmates at informal gatherings, or a random meeting with a fellow Sagehen after spotting a Pomona T-shirt, it reminds me every time of the broad and unique community we have. We often talk about the Pomona experience referring to our time as students, but it only begins there. Meeting up with each other through events, work or chance encounters reminds us that the Pomona experience extends beyond the Gates and throughout our lives.

With this in mind, I am truly thrilled to see the revival and growth of our regional alumni chapters over the last few years. These chapters have been an important part of our post-pandemic reconnection and ongoing Pomona experience. I’m grateful to our chapter leaders for the many hours spent meeting, planning and coordinating meaningful and fun events for alumni to gather in Northern California’s Bay Area, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Southern California’s Orange County, the Puget Sound region of Washington state and in Washington, D.C. They have organized beach cleanups, trips to museums and a Major League Baseball game, alumni speaker presentations, casual meetups, meals—and the list goes on. My thanks to my fellow board members past and present, and especially to Julie Siebel ’84 and Andrew Brown ’77, for their dedication and leadership in relaunching and helping to rebuild our alumni chapters.

If we haven’t crossed paths already, I hope to meet you at a chapter event or at one of the many other alumni events planned for this spring. The Alumni Board and I will be at Alumni Weekend in April as well. Please stop and say hello when you see us!
Alfredo Romero ’91 Alumni Association Board President

Until next time … chirp!

Alfredo Romero ’91
Alumni Association Board President

Find information on alumni chapters and get involved at pomona.edu/alumni-chapters.


Alumni Weekend 2024 Registration Now Open

Register online now through April 15. Walk-up registration will be available at AW Registration Check-In during Alumni Weekend. Find additional information and register at pomona.edu/aw-registration-info.

Alumni Weekend & Reunion Celebrations: April 25-28, 2024.

  • April 1: Early bird deadline
  • April 2: Registration fees increase
  • April 15: Online registration closes
  • April 25-28: Alumni Weekend & Reunion Celebrations

Alumni and Families Pulse Survey

Share your Pomona story with us in the Alumni and Families Pulse Survey. Check your inbox for the survey link. Curious to see the results of our previous survey?

Visit pomona.edu/afas-survey.


Sagehen Stories of Impact Online

Read alumni, student and faculty Sagehen stories on the newly launched Stories of Sagehen Impact website. Learn about Professor April Mayes ’94 P’26 and her longtime involvement with the Draper Center, Alumni Association Board member Robi Ganguly ’00 and the remarkable startup company that resulted from a chance meeting with fellow alumni, and many more stories of Sagehens making their marks in the world.

Visit pomona.edu/stories-of-impact for news about Sagehens bearing their added riches in their own neighborhoods and across the globe.


Pomona College: ‘Reflections on a Campus’
New Edition Now Available

Pomona College: Reflections on a Campus coverWritten predominantly during the pandemic, this second edition of Reflections by Marjorie Harth, emerita professor and director of the former Pomona College Museum of Art, updates and expands the scope of the first, published in 2007. Like the first edition, this 292-page book documents and reflects upon the campus of Pomona College as an architectural entity and visual expression of the history and identity of a great academic institution. Many of the original entries and essays have been edited and updated, as have the photographs. Among new entries is Scott Smith’s essay on landscape architect Ralph Cornell.

Pomona College: Reflections on a Campus inside spread of Smith Campus Center.

These stunning photographic strolls through campus and poignant essays recount the exceptional transformation of Pomona from desert patch to a “college in a garden.” Would you like to add this special keepsake to your book collection? Copies may be purchased at pomona.edu/reflections-book.

Shelley Keeler Whelan ’92 To Join Women’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame

Playing as Shelley Keeler at Pomona, Whelan won three NCAA Division III doubles titles, a singles title and a team championship.

Playing as Shelley Keeler at Pomona, Whelan won three NCAA Division III doubles titles, a singles title and a team championship.

She was a three-time NCAA Division III doubles champion, the 1992 Division III singles titlist and led the Sagehens to the 1992 Division III national championship.

In recognition of her extraordinary career, Shelley Keeler Whelan ’92 will be inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Women’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame on October 5, 2024, in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Known as Shelley Keeler during her collegiate career, Whelan was a four-time first-team All-SCIAC player and two-time SCIAC Player of the Year. She qualified for the NCAA championships each year in singles and doubles and swept the championships her senior season, sharing the doubles title with teammate Erin Hendricks ’92, claiming the singles title and anchoring the Sagehens’ national championship, Pomona-Pitzer’s first team title in any sport.

A two-time All-American, Whelan was inducted into the Pomona-Pitzer Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002, along with the entire 1992 team.

Notice Board

Greetings from the President of the Alumni Association Board

Hello Sagehens!

Alfredo Romero ’91

Alfredo Romero ’91

I hope the fall is off to a good start for you. The 2023-24 Alumni Association Board kicked things off with our first online meeting in August to welcome new members, establish this year’s board committees and discuss key initiatives. Our first in-person meeting during the PCAAB Retreat Weekend on campus in October offered a meaningful opportunity to work together closely, gather with the Class of 2024 for a panel presentation and mixer, and connect with members of the Board of Trustees, who also met that weekend.

This year, the board is excited to work to expand our regional chapters, find opportunities to engage with alumni near and far, help plan and support Alumni Weekend 2024, build our online Sagehen Connect community and, of course, connect with students to learn how we can be helpful to them.

There will be many opportunities for us to meet up this year through regional chapter and on-campus events. Stay up to date with information and announcements through the Alumni Chirps newsletter and event invitation emails. If you’re in the Claremont area on Saturday, October 28, I’m hoping I’ll see you at Pomona’s 2023 Payton Distinguished Lecture with Anita Hill, the noted lawyer, educator and advocate for equality and civil rights. I’ll keep an eye out for you.

Until next time … Chirp!

Alfredo Romero ’91
Alumni Association Board President

See the current Alumni Association Board roster and learn more about serving on the board.


Update Contact Info

Moved or changed your email recently? Stay connected with Pomona by updating your contact information.


Family Weekend Pomona CollegePomona College Welcomes Sagehen Families at Family Weekend

Pomona welcomes hundreds of Sagehen families for Family Weekend each October. With a variety of special programs curated just for the weekend and plenty of time to spend with their students, families can enjoy visiting, learning and exploring. Planned highlights for October 27-29, 2023, include tours of our beautiful new Center for Athletics, Recreation and Wellness (CARW), a special welcome event with President Starr, a food truck dinner on Friday evening, exhibits at the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College and much more. Members of the Family Leadership Council are always on hand to assist with the weekend and answer questions.

Family Weekend information and schedule available on our website.


Call for Distinguished Alumni Award Nominations

For over 30 years, the Pomona College Alumni Association has paid tribute to alumni who represent the values, spirit and excellence that are at the core of Pomona College by presenting Distinguished Alumni Awards. Nominations are now being accepted for:

  • Blaisdell Distinguished Alumni Award
  • Alumni Distinguished Service Award
  • Inspirational Young Alumni Award

Honorees are selected by a panel of past presidents and/or current members of the Alumni Association Board, and awards will be presented during Alumni Weekend in April 2024. The deadline to submit nominations is November 30, 2023.

Submit your nomination and learn more about past recipients.


Alumni Weekend and Reunion Celebrations April 2024Save the Date

Mark your calendars to save the date for Alumni Weekend and Reunion Celebrations next spring, April 25-28, 2024. All classes are invited back to campus to enjoy a festive weekend of reconnection, curated programs and events—plus hugs from Cecil. Classes ending in 4 or 9 will celebrate milestone reunions with class gatherings and Reunion Class Dinners on campus. Registration opens in early February, and now is a great time to take advantage of special room rates at local hotels for Alumni Weekend.

Visit for more information on making your reservations.


Welcome Chirps to Christina Tong ’17 and Jack Storrs ’19, National Chair and Chair-Elect of Annual Giving

A big warm welcome to Pomona’s National Chair of Annual Giving Christina Tong ’17, who began her 2023-24 term this past July. Tong is excited to serve in this vital philanthropic role to connect with the alumni community and partner in creating support for current students and faculty. Hitting the ground running, she began collaborating with the Office of Annual Giving last summer on several initiatives for this year and to establish a student philanthropy program with the aim of increasing students’ understanding of donor impact, the Pomona College endowment and the importance of alumni paying it forward and giving back. National Chair-Elect Jack Storrs ’19 will work alongside Tong to help support giving campaigns and other philanthropic endeavors to prepare for his transition to the lead role next year.

Pass the Torch to current and future Sagehens.


Get Involved With Regional Chapters!

Reach out to your local Pomona College Regional Alumni Chapter to help plan or attend events, casual gatherings and share all things Sagehen. Current chapters:

  • Bay Area
  • Chicago
  • Los Angeles
  • New York City
  • Orange County, CA
  • Puget Sound, WA
  • Washington, DC

Get in touch and learn more about starting a regional chapter.


Join the Sagehen Connect Online Alumni Community

  • Create Sagehen affinity groups
  • Access the official Pomona College Alumni Directory
  • Read Pomona College Magazine Class Notes
  • Provide student and alumni mentorship as a Sage Coach
  • Share announcements, photos and videos
  • Find and message classmates
  • Plus more!

To learn more, visit Sagehen Connect.

How To Find Class Notes

The Pomona College class notes and obituaries are password-protected online for privacy.

To access them online, alumni can visit Sagehen Connect and sign in or join now to register.

Once signed in, look for Class Notes & Resources in the list on the left side, just above Info and Support.

In Memoriam: Robert E. Tranquada ’51

Robert E. Tranquada ’51

Robert E. Tranquada '51

Robert E. Tranquada ’51

Public Health Advocate and Trustee
1930—2022

Bob Tranquada ’51, former chair of the Pomona College Board of Trustees and former dean of the medical school at USC, died on December 4, 2022, in Pomona. He was 92.

A diabetes researcher turned public health advocate, Tranquada was instrumental in increasing access to health care for underserved communities across Los Angeles County. He was a founding board member and chair of L.A. Care, today the country’s largest publicly operated health plan.

The son of two Pomona alumni and father and grandfather of others, Tranquada was a constant friend of the College. As a Commencement speaker and recipient of an honorary doctorate in 2007, he said, “I have been couched in the arms of Pomona College for a long time. It would be impossible to return more than a fraction of that I have received.” Awarded an Alumni Scholarship as a student, he returned much, both in service and financial support. The student health facility that serves The Claremont Colleges bears his name as the Robert E. Tranquada Student Services Center.

Tranquada’s path to medicine began early. Hospitalized with a broken leg at age 5, he was so impressed with the doctors who treated him he decided to become a physician. After graduating from Pomona College, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, he attended the Stanford University School of Medicine and joined the faculty of the USC medical school in 1959.

Tranquada’s career took a dramatic turn in 1965, when the California Army National Guard medical battalion he commanded was activated during the Watts Uprising to treat casualties of the violent confrontations between L.A. police and residents. Afterward, he was asked by then-USC Medical School Dean Roger Egeberg to head the new Department of Community and Preventative Medicine and to organize a public health clinic in Watts. Tranquada was one of the founders and the first director of the South Central Multipurpose Health Services Center in 1965 (now Watts Healthcare Corp.), one of the country’s first community health centers.

His experience in working to launch the health clinic, which opened its doors in 1967, led to a 40-year career in public health. Two years later, as associate dean of the medical school, Tranquada was appointed medical director of Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center. After five years as medical director, he became director of the Central Health Services Region of the L.A. County Department of Health Services.

Following other leadership positions, in 1986 Tranquada was recruited to become dean of what is now the Keck School of Medicine at USC with a mandate to develop a new private teaching hospital, today’s Keck Hospital of USC. It was while serving as dean that he was appointed to the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, better known as the Christopher Commission, formed in the wake of the 1991 Rodney King beating. He also headed the Los Angeles County Task Force on Access to Health Care following the 1992 civil unrest, which led to the creation of Community Health Councils, a nonprofit that works to promote health and wellness in under-resourced communities.

After stepping down as USC medical school dean in 1991, Tranquada held an endowed chair in health policy before becoming professor emeritus upon his retirement in 1997. During his long and distinguished career, he was elected a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

In addition to his service on the Pomona College Board of Trustees beginning in 1969, Tranquada was chair of the Claremont University Consortium board from 2000 to 2006. He served on numerous boards and was a particularly effective advocate for increasing the number of women and people of color in medicine, serving as a longtime board member of New York-based National Medical Fellowships, a member of the founding board of Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and a board member of Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital.

Born in Los Angeles, Tranquada was the son of Ernest Tranquada ’27 and Katharine Jacobus Tranquada ’29. He married Janet Martin Tranquada ’51 after meeting at Pomona. In addition to his wife of 71 years, he is survived by children John ’77 (Lisa Sackett Tranquada ’77), Jim (Kristin) and Kate Tranquada; grandchildren Matt ’08, Jessica and Alex Tranquada; and his sister, Carolyn Prestwich ’54.

The Places They Go

Outcomes LogosSpeaking broadly, last year’s Class of 2022 was similar to many other Pomona classes: About 71% secured jobs, internships or entered military service after graduation, and 21% were pursuing further education. Another 3% received fellowships, 2% began service opportunities and 3% had other plans.

The Class of 2022 First Destination Report features data gathered through surveys and data mining for the College’s Career Development Office. Top industries included internet and software companies (14%), management consulting (11%), higher education (9%) and investment banking and management (9%).
For the real nitty-gritty about the specific jobs and graduate degrees Pomona’s Class of 2022 headed for, check out the fascinating interactive dashboard at pomona.edu/outcomes-dashboard. Want to see how many went to work for Amazon and how many went to Accenture? It’s all there, along with how many were destined for graduate school in Cambridge (Massachusetts or England) and elsewhere.
For an early look at destinations for some of the Class of 2023 graduates, see the inside back page of this issue.

Sagehens Still in the Spotlight

Ryan Long ’21 Strikes Out Mike Trout

Photo by Paul Stodart, British Baseball Federation/GB Baseball

Photo by Paul Stodart, British Baseball Federation/GB Baseball

The situation Ryan Long ’21 found himself in on March 11 was almost unfathomable. The 6-foot-6 former Sagehens pitcher was on the mound for Great Britain against Team USA in the World Baseball Classic in Phoenix when Mike Trout came to the plate. Long, a minor leaguer who was drafted 497th overall by the Baltimore Orioles in 2021, was facing Trout, the three-time American League MVP and 10-time All-Star.

And down went Trout after Long struck him out with a 94-mph fastball.

“It was just a really surreal experience. Something that I’ll definitely hold onto forever,” Long says of playing in the World Baseball Classic.

Long realized he was eligible to play for Great Britain because his mother, Liz, was born in England. He asked Pomona-Pitzer Coach Frank Pericolosi if he had connections to the British Baseball Federation and Pericolosi put him in touch with alumni who did.

Months later, Long was pitching at Chase Field in Great Britain’s opening game against Team USA.

“I think before this the biggest crowd I ever played in front of was about 7,000, maybe 8,000. This was 40,000,” Long says.

His early nerves settled after he went on in relief in the fourth inning.

“Once I got out there and got on the mound, my heartbeat started to slow down a little bit, which was cool,” Long says.

He gave up a home run, “one that I’m not too upset about because it’s a major league All-Star,” he says of the blast by Kyle Schwarber, who led the National League in homers last season.

The next inning, Trout came to the plate.

“First of all, he’s obviously an amazing hitter but their whole lineup was filled with All-Stars and future Hall of Famers,” says Long.

He got Trout to a 3-2 count and decided to stay with his best pitch, his fastball.

“He fouled the first two off,” Long says. “He didn’t seem like he was seeing it as well as he might normally be. I decided to throw it again and it got past him. That was a very, very exhilarating feeling—a lot to take in.”

Long moved up to the Orioles’ High-A team in Aberdeen, Maryland, this season and still has a goal of reaching the majors, but he won’t forget playing for Great Britain.

“I think that will go down as one of the best, if not the best, experiences I’ll ever have in this game.”


Melissa Barlow ’87 Officiates NCAA Tournament Game

Melissa Barlow ’87 Officiates NCAA Tournament GamesIn a banner year for women’s college basketball, Melissa Barlow ’87 was in the middle of an NCAA tournament that garnered record ratings.

Decades after she played point guard on Pomona-Pitzer’s standout teams of the 1980s, Barlow still runs the floor as a top NCAA Division I women’s basketball official. She called three games during the 2023 tournament, including the Sweet 16 game in which Iowa star Caitlin Clark scored 31 points in a win over Colorado.

Barlow has officiated in 10 Final Fours and three NCAA championship games, assignments that are earned through round-by-round reviews by officiating supervisors. She also has been yelled at by some of the best in the business—the late Pat Summitt of Tennessee, Geno Auriemma of Connecticut, Kim Mulkey of Louisiana State—and can laugh it off later.

For years, officiating was a sidelight to a highly successful career in the pharmaceutical industry that enabled Barlow, a biology major at Pomona, to retire at 53 from her job as national sales director for the metabolic division of AbbVie.

She encourages other former women’s players to get into officiating, too.

“I try to tell them: You get the best seat in the house, you get a workout and they pay you to watch these great games.”

Alumni Voices: A Friendship That Bridged 50 Years

Alumni Voices: A Friendship That Bridged 50 Years
Helen Anderson ’47 took part in weekly demonstrations by seniors in Mill Valley, California, into her 90s, as seen here in 2018. Photo by Scott Strazzante / San Francisco Chronicle / Polaris

Helen Anderson ’47 took part in weekly demonstrations by seniors in Mill Valley, California, into her 90s, as seen here in 2018. Photo by Scott Strazzante / San Francisco Chronicle / Polaris

The road to my friend Helen Heyden Anderson ’47 was never long, and my heart always felt lighter crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Her active senior community in Marin County reminded me of Blaisdell, where we lived 50 years apart.

Even at 97, Helen greeted me with bright eyes and a cheerful “Come in.” The scent of magnolia blossoms wafted through from the garden. “I was born in 1926. The flowers transport me to when I was 9, swinging from oak trees by the magnolias,” she said, remembering the San Fernando Valley ranch where she grew up. Helen entered Pomona College during World War II and was affectionately nicknamed Kanga by her suitemates, after the A.A. Milne character. In later years, she became “Great Helen” to her grandchildren and friends.

I met Helen more than 30 years ago, when I was applying to Pomona. She was leading a program addressing childhood hunger, and my friends and I raised a few thousand dollars toward her efforts. I recall visiting her ranch-style home in Tustin where Helen, surrounded by her watercolor canvases, talked about a service trip to Mexico with her husband Gordon. She was fascinated with the people she met, and I was taken with her life of service.

Her 10th decade of life found Helen leading a spirited social activist group called Seniors for Peace. With walkers and wheelchairs, Helen and some of her neighbors gathered to hold up poster board signs for various causes at a nearby intersection one afternoon a week. Her keen interest in restorative justice grew, and she worked with a group that successfully secured fair housing for low-income minorities in Marin.

Helen Anderson ’47, left, with Leena Ved ’97.

Helen Anderson ’47, left, with Leena Ved ’97.

During my turn as a student at Pomona, I wrote about Helen for Professor Jill Grigsby’s class called the Life Course of Women. Helen encouraged my self-designed major in economic development. I visited schools for girls in South Asia with Professor Tahir Andrabi and, like Helen, I had my first career in K-12 education. Helen subtly counseled me on my life choices when I’d ask—career changes, having a second child and recently, on moving back to Tustin from the Bay Area with my little girls. We’ll do that this summer, coming full circle. One of her greatest gifts was how she listened with gentle presence. With her advice, I’m currently managing social impact investments, including housing with dignity for lower-income Americans.

The geographies of our lives intertwined. We moved from Orange County to the Bay Area at the same time, and Helen and Gordon guided me through the wilderness of my 20s and 30s as I wrestled with life’s big decisions. On Marston Quad during one of our common reunion years, Gordon advised me, “Marry for chemistry,” he said. “And shared values,” Helen said before Gordon added, “I met Helen when she was a spry 68, and we’ve had fun since.” Helen lost Gordon to complications from COVID-19 in 2021.

Helen lived through two pandemics. When she was a senior at Pomona, she contracted polio at a friend’s wedding. In her 70s, Helen experienced late effects of the disease, but continued moving forward with a leg brace, orthotics and undeterred optimism. She remembered the dramatic impact of Dr. Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine in 1955 and found it strange that COVID-19 vaccines were politicized. (She approached people she disagreed with politically with curiosity, not judgment.)

Anderson holding Ved’s first baby, Serena.

Anderson holding Ved’s first baby, Serena.

Last year, I met with Helen as a respite to juggling my preschooler, pregnancy and increased professional responsibilities. I asked how she managed years ago as a young mother to simultaneously raise young children alone (when her first husband left), earn a master’s degree and teach.

“We had four children,” she told me. “It was still the era where women could mostly become either a teacher or a nurse. So after Pomona I became a reading specialist. My mom watched the children, which kept me afloat. It made my family so much closer after that era when we were faced with sink or swim.”

That practical attitude pervaded all Helen did. When I asked how she kept up with the news, she grinned over her Jell-O. “I scan the biggest-sized headlines first. If I can take action on it, then I’ll read more.”

Helen was remarkably resilient despite three heart blockages in her last six months. On our final visit, I asked her how she maintained her optimism. “From this age, I see the tough times,” she said. “For me, it was after Gordon was gone. It comes down to gratitude. I always wanted a spiritual tie, so I had a church community. That helped me, as well as gaining a worldview, interacting with young adults, and traveling and seeing the hardships people have. Others lifted me in my life, so I did the same.”

Notice Board

Pomona College Alumni Award recipients, from left: Ann Rose Davie ’58, Peter Shelton ’73, Linda Alvarado ’73 and Michelle Williams Court ’88.

Pomona College Alumni Award recipients, from left: Ann Rose Davie ’58, Peter Shelton ’73, Linda Alvarado ’73 and Michelle Williams Court ’88.

Congratulations to Our 2023 Alumni Award Winners

A committee of past presidents from the Pomona College Alumni Association Board has selected the 2023 alumni award recipients.

Three alumni received the Blaisdell Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of high achievement in their professions or community service: Linda Alvarado ’73, Michelle Williams Court ’88 and Peter Shelton ’73. These alumni have carried the spirit of the College into the world and embodied the inscription on the College Gates: “They only are loyal to this college who departing bear their added riches in trust for mankind.”

In addition, Ann Rose Davie ’58 was honored with the Alumni Distinguished Service Award in recognition of her selfless commitment and ongoing volunteer service to the College.

To learn more about this year’s award recipients, visit 2023 Pomona College Alumni Awards Announced.


That’s a Wrap: Alumni Weekend and Reunion Celebrations 2023

Alumni Weekend and Reunion Celebrations 2023

More than 1,300 Sagehens returned to Pomona April 27-30 to celebrate Alumni Weekend and Reunions on a fully decked-out Marston Quad and other iconic campus spaces. In addition to places across the U.S., alumni and guests traveled from Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Canada and Mexico to reunite and reminisce with classmates, professors, staff members—and of course, Cecil! Class years ending in 3 or 8 celebrated milestone reunions ranging from the fifth through 70th this year as Pomona welcomed back eight decades of alumni, ages 23 to 93.

Alumni Weekend 2023

Alumni Weekend 2023

Alumni Weekend offered more than 160 programs and events, including signature events such as A Taste of Pomona Wine Tasting with alumni vintners, the Friday night All-Class Dinner on the Quad, Reunion Class Dinners across campus, the Party at the Wash and Class Parade through the Gates. Other programs included Blaisdell Alumni Award winners’ talks at Ideas@Pomona and presentations from faculty and the dean of the College. For the first time, several events were also livestreamed this year.

Next year’s Alumni Weekend and Reunion Celebrations will be April 25-28, 2024, and will celebrate reunions of class years ending in 4 or 9. Remember, all alumni are welcome to attend whether in a reunion year or not—so mark your calendars. Chirp!

For more Alumni Weekend photos and to watch the recorded livestreamed events, visit Alumni Weekend and Reunion Celebrations.

There’s still time to make your reunion gift!

Give now at GiveCampus: Pomona College.


A Refresh for Seaver House

Just in time for Alumni Weekend, Pomona’s alumni house, Seaver House, reopened its doors with a warm welcome and a new look. Sagehens were invited to a special open house to meet with Alumni Board members and get a first peek at Seaver’s new alumni photo galleries, items from the new Myrlie Evers-Williams ’68 archival collection and a short documentary on her life, as well as tour the house’s beautifully updated interior. If you find yourself on campus, be sure to stop by for a visit and say hello to the Alumni and Family Engagement team.

Given to the College in 1979 by the Seaver family, Seaver House was built in 1900 and moved from its original location on East Holt Avenue in the nearby city of Pomona to its current site on the Pomona College campus in 1979, where it has since served as the home of the College’s alumni. Read Seaver’s exciting relocation story and see a photo of the move in action at Pomona Timeline: 1979.

Learn more about the Myrlie Evers-Williams ’68 Collection at Pomona College at Myrlie Evers-Williams ’68 Collection at Pomona College.


Alumni Association Board Chirps, Farewells and Welcomes

Cecil sends hearty chirps of gratitude to the Alumni Association Board and regional alumni chapter leaders who were out in full force throughout Alumni Weekend to assist and celebrate with visiting Sagehens! Board members helped with check-in, A Taste of Pomona and reunion class photos and dinners, among many other events throughout the weekend. They also presented the Class of 2023 graduates-to-be with their Commencement stoles on behalf of the Alumni Association and partnered with the Career Development Office at the CDO’s Alumni Weekend Chirp and Chat mixer to talk careers, graduate school and Pomona memories with current students and alumni.

The Alumni Board also met as the weekend wrapped up to ratify new president-elect Andrea Venezia ’91, who will take office for a two-year term beginning July 1, 2024, and to say an in-person thank you to members whose terms end this June 30:
Paula Gonzalez ’95
Megan Kaes Long ’08
Vicki Paterno ’75
Veronica Roman ’95
Dominic Yoong ’88

The board also ratified new members whose three-year terms begin this July 1:
Miguel Delgado ’20
Stuart Friedel ’08
Toran Langford ’21
Te’auna Patterson ’18
Tricia Sipowicz ’85
Jim Sutton ’84


Nathan Dean '10

Thank You, Nathan Dean ’10

Forty-seven chirps to Nathan Dean ’10, who closes out his term as our National Chair of Annual Giving on June 30. During his two years as chair, Dean worked closely with the College’s Annual Giving team to support multiple fundraising campaigns and crowdfunding initiatives. Last year, he helped to raise $5.3 million for the Pomona College Annual Fund, which supported student and faculty needs like financial aid, academic programs, research and internship opportunities and more. Huge thanks to Dean for his time and dedication in serving in this crucial volunteer role for Pomona!

Learn more about annual giving impact at Annual Giving Impact Report.

Reminder! Give by June 30 to make your Sagehen impact now.

Give at Pomona College: Give.