Alumni

Notice Board

December 3, 2020  by Staff Comments Off on Notice Board

Welcome, Nathan Dean ’10

Nathan Dean ’10In July Pomona College welcomed Nathan Dean ’10 as the new National Chair of Annual Giving. Nathan will serve a two-year term as the College’s primary proponent for annual giving and as an ex-officio member of the Board of Trustees.

Working to lead and support fundraising for top priorities, Nathan will partner with the Office of Advancement and the Board of Trustees Advancement Committee to set and monitor Annual Fund goals, assist with volunteer recruitment and serve as a spokesperson for Annual Fund initiatives.

Visit pomona.edu/give and support current students through the Annual Fund today!

Say Hello to Alisa Fishbach,

Alisa Fishbachour new Director of Alumni and Parent Engagement

The Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement welcomed Alisa Fishbach as its new director this past summer. Alisa is a graduate of Occidental College and brings with her to Pomona College more than 30 years of experience in nonprofit and corporate management, event production, fundraising and higher education community building. In addition to her background in higher education, Alisa has extensive experience in theatrical production and promotion, working with Broadway’s Shubert Organization and Theatre L.A., Los Angeles’ consortium of performing arts organizations. Alisa was born in India and lived there and in Iran and Hawaii before settling in California, where she enjoys life with her family. Alisa shares that, as a product of the liberal arts, her commitment to the philosophy and tenets of the mission of Pomona College is firmly rooted, and she is thrilled to be working on behalf of Sagehen alumni and families. Chirp! Chirp! 

Save the Dates for Big Sagehen Celebrations in Spring 2021

We are excited to announce two celebratory virtual events coming next spring to bring some joy and rejuvenation to all.

Our annual 4/7 Day will celebrate and honor Sagehens for their local and global contributions. All are invited for a special day of recognizing and discovering the extraordinary impact that alumni make in so many ways in their hometowns and across the world, bearing their added riches!

On May 1, classes whose years end in 1 or 6 are invited to our Pomona College Reunion Celebration. Planning is underway for an online event filled with opportunities for alumni in reunion to gather, reminisce, explore and celebrate! And don’t forget, it’s never too early to start contributing to your Reunion Class Gift. Visit pomona.edu/class-gift to give today.

Watch your email for details on these special spring events! Need to update your contact information? Go to pomona.edu/update-your-info.

Shifting to Virtual Alumni and Family Events This Year

Along with many other changes in the pandemic (hello Zoom!), our alumni and parent programs have pivoted quickly to reshape our events and continue to provide opportunities to come together in our virtual world. Thanks to Alumni and Parent Engagement and the partnership of the Career Development Office (CDO), the Benton Museum at Pomona College, the Orange County Regional Alumni Chapter and others, the fall presented a variety of online events for alumni and parents to engage with Pomona. To highlight a few of those:

DACA 101: The Supreme Court Decision, the Sagehen Community and Beyond

In September, the Pomona College Orange County Regional Alumni Chapter hosted “DACA 101: The Supreme Court Decision, the Sagehen Community and Beyond,” a panel discussion on the current state of the DACA program and the impact on the Pomona community should DACA end. Panelists included:

  • Gilda Ochoa, professor of Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies at Pomona College and moderator
  • Arely Zimmerman, assistant professor of Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies at Pomona College
  • Paula Gonzalez ’95, immigration attorney and co-founder of the Pomona College Pro Bono Legal Network
  • Daniel Caballero, assistant director, First-Generation & Undocumented Student Programs at Pomona College
  • Aldair Arriola Gomez ’17

Trustee Talks from the Workplace

In October, the CDO and Alumni & Parent Engagement launched “Trustee Talks from the Workplace,” a series featuring Pomona College trustees sharing career experiences and advice with students and young alumni. With nearly all industries impacted by current public health and economic conditions, the talks focus on how industries are adapting, as well as job market realities and current and future opportunities. This first talk focused on “Hollywood in the Time of COVID” and featured panelists:

  • Aditya Sood ’97, president, Lord Miller, Pomona College trustee
  • Gregory McKnight ’90, partner, United Talent Agency
  • Ryan Engley, assistant professor of media studies and moderator

Faculty Chirps & Chats

At the end of October, the new event series “Faculty Chirps & Chats,” presented by the Alumni Association Board, began with “Six Days Left! A (Most Unusual) 2020 Election.” Each month, alumni and families are invited to join Pomona College faculty talks where speakers will discuss their current research, projects and interests. This recent chat featured a close look at the 2020 election and a lively bipartisan discussion about the fight for the White House and the Senate. Panelists included:

  • David Menefee-Libey, Pomona College professor of politics and coordinator of public policy analysis
  • John J. Pitney, Claremont McKenna College Roy P. Crocker professor of politics
  • Don Swan ’15, Alumni Association president and moderator

Watch your email for ongoing event announcements and registration information.

Notice Board

June 24, 2020  by Staff Comments Off on Notice Board

Sagehen Student Summer 2020 Opportunity Fund

Sagehen Student Summer 2020 Opportunity Fund

Many students are facing a loss of critically needed income due to the loss of summer jobs, internships, and research prospects. The College has established the Remote Alternative Independent Summer Experience (RAISE) program to facilitate a broad range of remote activities that will continue to provide academic and professional growth opportunities throughout the summer. A gift to this Fund ensures that, even during these challenging times, students can continue to explore their interests this summer in experiential and immersive environments. Visit pomona.edu/give-today to give to the Sagehen Student Summer 2020 Opportunity Fund.

A Record Show of Philanthropic Support

Sagehen Emergency Impact Challenge

We’re excited to share the successful outcome of the Sagehen Emergency Impact Challenge crowdfunding campaign that ran May 1-2 to increase support for the new Remote Alternative Independent Summer Experience (RAISE) Program and the Draper Center’s Pomona College Academy for Youth Success (PAYS) students and families.Partnering with the One Pomona: A Virtual Sagehen Gathering event, the challenge far surpassed its goal of 470 donations to reach a total of more than 800 donations that raised over $70,000 and unlocked $147,000 in challenge bonus funding.

Thank you to everyone for coming together in this time of difficulty to help meet critical needs for Pomona students and our PAYS students and families. The kind generosity shown was not only impactful but also contributed to our most successful 47-hour participatory campaign to date!

One Pomona:
Sagehen Gathering Brings Alumni Together for a Virtual Trip Home

One Pomona: Sagehen Gathering Brings Alumni Together for a Virtual Trip Home

Nearly 1,200 alumni from 27 countries registered to take a virtual trip home to campus for One Pomona: A Virtual Sagehen Gathering. May 1-2, Sagehens from the Classes of 1949 through 2019—and one from the Class of 1946!—came together for Pomona’s first-ever, online alumni gathering to attend specially curated livestreamed events with President Gabrielle Starr, Dean of the College Robert Gains, Dean of Students Avis Hinkson and others. Attendees also got a sneak peek tour of the new Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College and perused the Best of Pomona video catalog of distinguished guest speakers and Blaisdell Award winners. Alumni celebrating class reunions this year were treated to their own unique class chat rooms and Zoom meet-ups.

While on Pomona’s virtual campus, attendees could also engage in direct chats with groups or individuals and download special content to save. Many alumni took the 47-question Pomoniana Challenge trivia quiz and also played Cecil’s Participation Challenge, earning points for exploring the site. Congratulations to our 71 prize winners! Chirp!

Bobby Lee ’02Thanks, Bobby Lee

Our deepest appreciation goes to Bobby Lee ’02 for his three years of service as Pomona College’s National Chair for Annual Giving: 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20. During his tenure, the Pomona College Annual Fund raised more than $15M, and in 2018, marked its first increase in alumni participation in 14 years. Under Bobby’s leadership, the Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement adopted its first crowdfunding platform, which enabled a new style of targeted fundraising campaigns used for the Draper Center, Empower Center, Pomona College Internship Fund, Alumni Scholarship Fund, and many more areas of need. Bobby steps down from his role on June 30, and we are pleased to welcome our new National Chair for Annual Giving, Nathan Dean ’10.

2020 Alumni Awards

The Alumni Distinguished Service Awards

Frank Albinder ’80

Frank Albinder ’80

Jim McCallum ’70

Jim McCallum ’70

Harry E. Pukay-Martin ’70

Harry E. Pukay-Martin ’70

The Alumni Distinguished Service Award pays tribute to an alumnus or alumna in recognition of that person’s selfless commitment and ongoing volunteer service to Pomona College. Many thanks and congratulations to our 2020 Distinguished Service award winners (photos above, left to right): Frank Albinder ’80, Jim McCallum ’70 and Harry E. Pukay-Martin ’70. Read about these exceptionally dedicated alumni at 2020 Alumni Distinguished Service Award Winners.

The Blaisdell Distinguished Alumni Awards

The Blaisdell Award recognizes alumni whose contributions and achievements in their profession or community mark them as distinguished persons even among the distinguished body of Pomona alumni. Congratulations to this year’s Blaisdell Award recipients (photos below, left to right): Steven G. Clarke ’70, Jennifer Doudna ’85, Ann Hardy ’55 and Anjali Kamat ’00. Learn more about these extraordinary alumni at 2020 Blaisdell Distinguished Alumni Award Winners.

Steven G. Clarke ’70

Steven G. Clarke ’70

Jennifer Doudna ’85

Jennifer Doudna ’85

Ann Hardy ’55

Ann Hardy ’55

Anjali Kamat ’00

Anjali Kamat ’00

Bulletin Board

March 4, 2020  by Staff Comments Off on Bulletin Board

Mark Your Calendar

Alumni Weekend 2020, which will take place April 30 to May 3It’s time to mark your calendars for a return to campus on Alumni Weekend 2020, which will take place April 30 to May 3. For more information, go to the Reunion & Alumni Weekend website.

2020 Winter Break Parties

This past January, Pomona’s annual Winter Break Parties welcomed over 400 Sagehen alumni, students, families and friends at events in New York City, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles and Orange County, Calif. Attendees enjoyed time to reconnect, meet new members of the Pomona community and learn about news from campus. Thank you to everyone who attended and to our hosts Elizabeth Bailey and David Bither P’21, Donna Yoshida Castro ’83 P’21, Jim McCallum ’70, Kathryn & Charles Wickham P’20, Tricia and Steve Sipowicz P’22, Meg Lodise ’85 and Diane Ung ’85 and the Orange County Alumni Chapter, all of whom helped make each event memorable for everyone!

Pomona Now and Next Campaign Raises Nearly $400,000 For Scholarships

Alumni at a Winter Break party in Newport Beach, Calif.

Alumni at a Winter Break party in Newport Beach, Calif.

Alumni at a Winter Break party in New York City.

Alumni at a Winter Break party in New York City.

Alumni at a Winter Break party in Los Angeles

Alumni at a Winter Break party in Los Angeles.

Running in tandem with the Ideas@Pomona Summit, the Pomona Now and Next crowdfunding campaign set out to support the Pomona liberal arts experience and scholarships and to meet a goal of 1,000 donors with $250,000 in bonus gifts unlocked by the end of the Summit. Thanks to the generosity of several Pomona College Trustees who contributed to create the unlocking gifts and the 1,200+ donors who exceeded the goal and gave almost $150,000 by the campaign’s close, Sagehens collectively raised nearly $400,000!

Our most successful crowdfunding campaign to date, Pomona Now and Next received gifts from over a third of the Summit attendees who excitedly watched the progress bar increase during the event and counted alumni, parents and more than 100 students among its donors.

Thank you to everyone for the incredible generosity shown in support of Pomona students. Chirp! Chirp!

Join the All-New Sagehen Connect

Announcing the launch of the all-new Sagehen Connect alumni community! New features include desktop and mobile versions, updated privacy settings and Sage Coaching for career interests and graduate school. For those who still have the previous Sagehen Connect mobile app, please be sure to remove it from your device as it is no longer functional.

With the new Sagehen Connect, alumni can:

  • Access Pomona’s full, official alumni directory with multiple search options.
  • Choose what profile information you want to display and share with fellow Sagehens.
  • Log in with email, LinkedIn, Google or Facebook.
  • Easily integrate your LinkedIn information with your profile.
  • Register as a Sage Coach to help alumni or students with career and graduate school advising, job and internship search, resume review, career panels and presentations and more. You choose your level of involvement.
  • See who has already registered on the site and invite your Pomona friends to join Sagehen Connect directly from the site, using email or social media.
  • Opt-out at any time.

Visit Sagehen Connect to learn more and set up your login today.

Call for Alumni Association Board Nominations

The Pomona College Alumni Association Board consists of highly-engaged alumni who foster connection, action and impact among the 25,000-person strong alumni community. Members serve three-year terms and are selected based on self-nominations and recommendations from active alumni. The Board represents a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences and professions and spans every decade from the 1960s through the 2010s.

Nominate yourself or another alumnus/a for the Alumni Association Board online.

Hablas Baseball?

October 14, 2019  by Robyn Norwood Comments Off on Hablas Baseball?
Emily Glass ’15 with Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Quijada

Emily Glass ’15 with Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Quijada

Walk through the Miami Marlins clubhouse and there’s a chance you’ll hear a Spanish phrase common in the Dominican Republic: “¿Qué lo que?”

Thanks to an innovative education program led by Emily Glass ’15, that might be an English-speaking player engaging in Spanish banter that roughly translates as “What’s up?” And you’re just as likely to hear a Latin player greeting his U.S.-born teammates in English.

With Glass’s help, the Marlins are trying to become the first bilingual organization in Major League Baseball (MLB). “We’re teaching English to our international players and Spanish to our domestic players, but then also life skills, from financial planning to cooking classes,” says Glass, whose work as the Marlins’ first education coordinator has been featured in The New York Times and The Washington Post. “The philosophy behind that is that we live in a globalized world, and Miami is at the center of that,” Glass says.

More than a quarter of the players on major league rosters at the beginning of this season were born outside the U.S., with a record 102 from the Dominican Republic, 68 from Venezuela and 19 from Cuba. In Miami and some other cities, the fans are increasingly Spanish-speaking too.

“Our new stadium is in Little Havana, so it’s in a neighborhood where everybody speaks Spanish,” Glass says. “So we want to give our players and all of our front-office employees the ability to interact with our fans that come to the ballpark and with the community, in both Spanish and English.”

Working for an MLB team seems glamorous when you see Glass bumping fists with a major leaguer on the field before a game. But the former Pomona-Pitzer softball player also spends at least a month each winter in the Dominican and much of the season on the road visiting Marlins minor- league players on teams like the Batavia Muckdogs, the New Orleans Baby Cakes and the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

Though her path to the big leagues has been winding, she has been preparing for this work even before she stepped on the Pomona College campus. She played baseball with her brother on youth teams until she was a teenager and then switched to softball for high school and college. She started every game for the Sagehens her first season, batting .386. But Glass would play only one more season of softball because competing campus interests and a love for hardball led her to recreational baseball with the guys in what she euphemistically calls a “carbonated-beverage league.”

Her first-year Critical Inquiry class at Pomona, or ID1 as it’s known, was Baseball in America with Lorn Foster, now an emeritus professor, who became such a close mentor that the two still have a standing phone call each Sunday at 3 p.m.

“She was a very gifted writer—that’s first and foremost,” Foster says. “But her interest in baseball was abiding.”

Glass later served as a teaching assistant for the class, and honed her high school and college Spanish while studying abroad in Salamanca, Spain. When it came time to write her senior thesis for a degree in public policy analysis, she again chose baseball as her topic, delving into a renowned program for disadvantaged youth called Reviving Baseball in the Inner City (RBI), founded by former major-league player John Young in Los Angeles in 1989.

She also won a coveted Watson Fellowship, which provides a stipend of more than $30,000 for a new graduate to engage in a year of independent research abroad. Glass studied international baseball while traveling to seven countries, including the Dominican, Japan and Australia. In Japan, she coached Little League on a field onto which she believes only one other woman had ever stepped. There she faced language and cultural barriers and “just baffled confusion from some people of ‘Why are you here?’”

On her return, she reached the final round of interviews for a position as an assistant of baseball operations with the New York Yankees but didn’t get the job. She then worked as the chief sales officer for a company called Acme Smoked Fish in Brooklyn for a year and a half before realizing, “I want to work in baseball. I don’t want to work in smoked fish.”

Mayu Fielding, the education coordinator for the Pittsburgh Pirates, became a mentor and referred her to multiple teams. Glass made it to the final round for a job with the New York Mets and interviewed with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Cincinnati Reds.

“My dad had always said to me that it takes six months to get the job that you want,” she says. “But if you try for six months and you put in the time and you trust the process, it will work out.”

Finally, the Marlins called, and Gary Denbo, the organization’s vice president of player development and scouting, gave her the only chance she needed.

The shared language of baseball often starts with pitches. Recta for straight fastball, curva for curveball, cambio for changeup. For catchers and pitchers in particular, it’s important nothing gets lost in translation.

“Baseball is a game of inches,” Glass says, “whether something is a ball or a strike or fair or foul, and our players see that by being able to communicate and be on the same page as some of their teammates, everything works better.”

Her mission might be most crucial with the Latin teenagers at the Dominican academy or just starting minor-league careers, many of them trying to break free of poverty and provide for their families. Landing in the hinterlands of the American minor leagues with no English is difficult.

“A lot of our players we sign at 18 or 20 years old; they’ve never cooked meals for themselves,” says Glass, who hires teachers to work with various Marlins teams in classes limited to 12 students—a hat tip to her small-class experiences at Pomona. She also shapes the curriculum, part of which is delivered by mobile phone or online.

“All of it truly is encompassed in service in the highest sense of the word—the skills they are going to need when they’re in a rookie league making very little money and trying to support themselves,” she says. “So we really tailor things toward interview skills and toward the off-field and money management skills—how to send money to your family abroad and how to communicate professionally at the field and away from the field.”

Jarlin Garcia, a 26-year-old Dominican pitcher now in the majors, remembers how challenging it was when the amount of English he spoke was nada.

“It’s a little bit hard, because you want to talk with the people, with the fans, and like when you’re out to eat,” he says in English, sitting in the visitors’ dugout at Dodger Stadium. “That’s why we need to learn.”

Beside him was Luis Dorante, a player relations and Spanish media relations liaison who works closely with Glass and travels with the major-league team to translate when necessary.

Like Glass, he is cognizant of the importance of life skills. “Some of these guys come from very humble places,” he says. “They have no idea what is a debit card, what is a credit card. Credit is difficult to explain. I say, ‘Son, be careful, you have to pay that later on.’”

Of course, only one in 200 minor leaguers ever reaches the big leagues. And even for those who do, the money may not last forever. “What we tell them is that many of these players won’t make it. Unfortunately, it’s a statistical fact,” Dorante says. “They need to enjoy this period in their life where they’re learning many skills and also gaining friends that might last for life.”

Jose Quijada, a 23-year-old pitcher from Venezuela, echoes Garcia, once again in English. “I think it’s important for me because, like, you play here in America, you need to talk with your friends from America who speak English. When you go to the bank, you need to talk English.”

It’s Glass’s job to make that happen—even if players’ Spanglish is sometimes charmingly imperfect. “Emily’s my friend,” Quijada says. “She’s a good guy.”

An Unforgettable Halloween

October 14, 2019  by Paul F. Eckstein Comments Off on An Unforgettable Halloween
In this photo of the 1958 freshman football team, the author is number 30 in the center of the back row.

In this photo of the 1958 freshman football team, the author is number 30 in the center of the back row.

Some dates and events are indelibly imprinted in our memories. The obvious ones are typically the saddest—such as Pearl Harbor Day, the day President Kennedy was assassinated and the day the World Trade Towers were leveled. We remember where we were, who we were with and what we were doing when we received the news.

Halloween 1958 was not nearly as momentous and was far less significant to our national history. But it is still a date I’ll never forget.

Sixty-plus years ago, I was a freshman at Pomona College and (barely) on the freshman football team. In those days, freshmen had their own schedule and could not play on the varsity team. Not that I could ever have made the varsity football team and surely not as a freshman.

I chose Pomona in part because I thought of myself as a football star even though I never played in high school and could never have made the state championship team at my 3,500-student high school. Division III was for me.

What funny games the mind can play.

When I arrived at Pomona, I went out for football. The coaches needed cannon fodder for practice, so I was allowed to practice and then to suit up for real games. We played a schedule of seven games. I think I played in three of them.

I recall having a really good game against Caltech—participating in maybe 10 plays in which I made a number of unassisted tackles and a few quarterback sacks.

In those days college football players played both offense and defense. Fuzz Merritt was coaching at Pomona and insisted on using the single wing, which was in style when he had played for Pomona in the 1920s. It was decidedly not in style in 1958. Only Princeton, UCLA and Tennessee and perhaps a few other schools were still using the throwback single wing.

There are four backs in a single wing offense: a tailback who runs and throws the ball after receiving a direct snap from center, a quarterback who calls signals and sometime takes a direct snap from center, a fullback who blocks up the middle and a wingback who takes reverses and catches passes, among other things. The linemen often pull to block for the backs on power plays over tackle and around the end.

I played right guard on offense and nose guard on defense. I weighed 175 pounds. We all were small.

One of the teams on our schedule was San Diego State, which then was at the nadir of its football prowess. (Pomona would no more think of scheduling San Diego State for a football game today than scheduling UCLA.) We played San Diego State on Oct. 31, 1958, in the old, old Aztec Stadium on the San Diego campus.

We boarded a bus in Claremont in the early morning—all 25 of us—and headed south on Highway 101 to San Diego. We had a picnic lunch at a rest stop along the highway and arrived at Aztec Stadium around noon. There was no locker room for us. We changed clothes in a big room with bales of hay spread on the floor.

When we took the field, we could see the Aztecs were a lot bigger than we were. The person across the line from me was a giant. I estimate that he weighed 220 pounds, which would make him a running back today. But because we ran the single wing, which no one knew how to defend, and because our linemen typically blocked at an angle while running, we did all right.

We pushed San Diego State up and down the field but could not penetrate their 20-yard line. They couldn’t penetrate our 20-yard line either, until late in the game when our center hiked the ball over our tailback’s head and some 220-pound Aztec (probably my man) tackled our tailback in the end zone for a safety. That was the only score of the game: San Diego State Freshmen 2, Pomona College Freshmen 0.

We were solemn as we boarded the bus for the trip back to Pomona College. Our line coach, Ben Hines (for whom the baseball field at La Verne University is named), kept shaking his head and saying: “2–0. I can’t believe it. That is a baseball score, not a football score.” He must have repeated those words a dozen times.

By the time we approached Claremont, it was dark and the trick-or-treaters were out. To lift our spirits, one of our tailbacks, Hal Coons, began gustily singing a popular song of the day, the Big Bopper’s “Chantilly Lace.” Over and over again. We all joined in. The mood lightened considerably, and we all felt better.

I still hear that song in my mind every Halloween.

Most of us on that freshman football team have lived long and productive lives. We include four physicians, three Ph.D.s in physics (one of whom became a Buddhist monk and administrator of the Zen Center of Los Angeles), a Ph.D. in economics, two dentists, three lawyers, a career Army officer, the founder of the well-regarded American Museum of Ceramic Art, the president and CEO of a Fortune 500 company, a minister and several high school teachers and businessmen.

So why is Halloween 1958 burnished into my hippocampus?  Who really knows?  Perhaps it is because for the first time in my adult life, I was able to be a part of a team, however minor that part was.

Paul Eckstein ’62 is a trustee emeritus of Pomona College.

Bulletin Board

October 14, 2019  by Staff Comments Off on Bulletin Board
Miami Summer Welcome Party hosted by the Pomona College Parents Leadership Council

Miami Summer Welcome Party hosted by the Pomona College Parents Leadership Council

A Super Set of Sagehen Summer Welcome Parties

Denver Summer Welcome Party hosted by Doug Gertner and Maggie Miller P’21

Denver Summer Welcome Party hosted by Doug Gertner and Maggie Miller P’21

It was a busy summer season as we welcomed the class of 2023 and their families at Pomona College’s 14 welcome parties across the country and abroad. Each year during the months of July and August, the Office of Parent Engagement and Giving works with the Major Gifts Office and Parents Leadership Council members around the country to coordinate Summer Welcome Parties for incoming first years, transfers, and returning students and parents. In addition to the new students and their families, alumni and current students also attend our parties to help answer questions and offer their personal perspectives on the Pomona College experience.

We kicked off the party season the weekend of July 13 – 14 in San Francisco and Palo Alto, CA and Seattle, WA, then made our way on July 20 to Del Mar, CA, Miami, FL and Minneapolis, MN. Portland, OR was our next stop on July 25, and then we headed to Denver, CO, Chicago, IL and Hong Kong on July 27. On July 28, we made a short trip over to the Los Angeles party in Pacific Palisades, and then to our final party destinations in the East Coast to New York City, Washington D.C. and Boston.

Los Angeles Summer Welcome Party hosted by Beth Abrams and Stuart Senator P’20.

Los Angeles Summer Welcome Party hosted by Beth Abrams and Stuart Senator P’20.

All in all, more than 600 people attended these special event parties. It was a whirlwind of activity, but very enjoyable meeting our new students and chatting with their parents. We would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who traveled near and far to attend our parties and to our wonderful hosts who helped us welcome the newest Sagehens into our college family!

Alumni Association Board: New Year, New Leaders

Jon Siegel ’84, Alumni Association President

Jon Siegel ’84, Alumni Association President

The Alumni Association Board begins its year in October with a meeting that will include a visit from President Starr, an update on the College’s strategic planning process and identifying possible cities for Regional Chapter expansion over the coming year.

Don Swan ’15, Alumni Association President-Elect

Don Swan ’15, Alumni Association President-Elect

The board will be led in 2019-20 by Alumni Association President Jon Siegel ’84 and Don Swan ’15 will serve as president-elect. The group welcomes the following new members: Chris Byington ’12, Paula Gonzalez ’95, Jade Sasser ’97, Robin Melnick (Faculty Representative), Miguel Delgado-Garcia ’20 (ASPC President) and Alanzo Moreno (Alumni & Parent Engagement Representative).

A complete list of members and a nomination form.

Rivalry Weekend

Rivalry Weekend

Join the Sagehen football team for Rivalry Weekend 2019! Starting Friday, November 15 and ending Sunday, November 17, the weekend will be highlighted by the big game on Saturday as the ‘Hens go for a three-peat against the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags. The game will be at John Zinda Field starting at 1 p.m. Sagehens from far and wide will gather at Merritt Field in advance of the game for light bites and free swag. We’ll then march across 6th Street as #OneTeam to beat the Stags. Go ‘Hens!

Keep your eye on social media for registration information. Questions? Please contact Michelle Johnston in the Pomona-Pitzer Athletics Department at (909) 621-8016.

The Book Club’s Fall Selection

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste NgThe fall selection of the Pomona College Book Club has been getting rave reviews, like this one:

“Witnessing these two families as they commingle and clash is an utterly engrossing, often heartbreaking, deeply empathetic experience… The magic of this novel lies in its power to implicate all of its characters—and likely many of its readers—in that innocent delusion [of a post-racial America]. Who set the littles fires everywhere? We keep reading to find out, even as we suspect that it could be us with ash on our hands.” – New York Times Book Review

This fall, join us as we read Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, Amazon, The Washington Post and many more. In-person events will be taking place October through December throughout the country. Visit the Pomona College Book Club web page to learn more about events near you or to sign-up to host a book club. If you can’t wait for an in-person discussion, join the Pomona College Book Club on Goodreads to chat with alumni, professors, students and staff around a common love of reading.

Regional Volunteers Unite!

Orange County Regional Chapter Happy-Hour.

Orange County Regional Chapter Happy-Hour.

After leaving campus, alumni establish themselves in communities across the globe. Wherever you choose to take up roots, you can find and create opportunities to connect with nearby Sagehens by joining or starting a Regional Chapter. Regional Chapters support events such as Winter Break Parties, 4/7 and Book Clubs and also create unique activities for their local community.

If you are interested in starting your own chapter, or connecting with other volunteers in your area, contact Alanzo Moreno, Assistant Director of Community Development and Annual Giving, for more information.

Bulletin Board

May 9, 2019  by Staff Comments Off on Bulletin Board

Ideas@Pomona Summit

With featured speaker: Ari Shapiro, host of NPR’s All Things Considered

Ari Shapiro

Ari Shapiro, host of NPR’s All Things Considered

The Ideas@Pomona Summit, Pomona’s premier lifetime learning event, is an energetic, day-and-a-half conference dedicated to bringing together Pomona College alumni, parents and friends for a weekend of meaningful connection and active dialogue around timely, newsworthy and captivating ideas. It will take place Oct. 25–26, 2019, at the Hyatt Centric Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco.

“Liberal Arts NOW and NEXT” will serve as the weekend’s theme. What does cutting-edge research tell us about the NOW and the NEXT, about who we are and where we are going? How are liberal arts values such as critical thinking and creative learning being brought to bear on today’s unique challenges and opportunities?

Featured speakers will include Ari Shapiro, host of NPR’s All Things Considered; Laszlo Bock ’93; Martina Vandenberg ’90; Liz Fosslien ’09; professors Kevin Dettmar and Nicholas Ball; and more.

The Ideas@Pomona Summit promises to curate the best content from around campus and the greater Pomona community to ignite discussion, share ideas and highlight exciting research and trends.

Registration opens spring 2019 at Ideas@Pomona Summit.

4/7 #SagehenImpact

Orange County Sagehens at a 4/7 event at the Back to Natives Nursery

Orange County Sagehens at a 4/7 event at the Back to Natives Nursery

Sagehens turned out across the globe to celebrate Pomona’s 4/7 Celebration of Sagehen Impact. Volunteer service events as near as Claremont and as far as Hong Kong brought enthusiastic alumni and parents to the Food Bank of the Rockies, the Sacred Heart Community Service Food Pantry, Teach4HK, Special Olympics and other impactful organizations. Others chirped across Sagehen social media about the ways they are changing their communities for the better.

Start planning your #SagehenImpact for next year’s 4/7.

Alumni Travel Program

Andalucía: The Enduring Legacy of Islam
April 4 to 12, 2020

AndalucíaThe real charm of Andalucía lies in its countryside, featuring blindingly white mountain villages (the so-called pueblos blancos) and endless olive and almond groves. Infamous for its scalding summers, Andalucía is equally renowned for its mild springs, the perfect season for enjoying the countryside the way it is meant to be enjoyed: on foot. The southernmost tip of Andalucía greets its visitors with whitewashed splashes on its craggy hillsides and minarets reshaped into Christian bell towers. Herds of wild bulls roam the upland pastures, pigs root for acorns under isolated oak trees, and Egyptian vultures soar overhead. Hike by day and enjoy village life by night in the midst of a week-long festival leading up to holiest of Christian holidays: Easter. What better way to appreciate the uniqueness of the southwesternmost corner of Europe?

For complete tour information, please visit Alumni Travel Program.

Mentor Current Students with SagePost47

SagePost47Have you checked out SagePost47, Pomona’s online platform that bridges the gap between students and alumni by fostering one-on-one connections and mentorships? Founded by an alumnus and a student in 2014, SagePost47 has grown to feature 100-plus alumni mentors, blogs, panel events and mock interviews. Learn more and sign up today at SagePost47

Alumni Service Awards

47 Chirps to our Alumni Distinguished Service Award Winners

The 2019 Alumni Distinguished Service Award winners, selected by a committee of past Alumni Association presidents, are:

  • Lisa Prestwich Phelps ’79 P’12

    Phelps

    Lisa Prestwich Phelps ’79 P’12, who initiated the growing tradition of regional service events for 4/7 with the first-ever such event in Seattle and has served on the Alumni Association Board and class reunion committees.

 

  • Susanne Garvey ’74

    Garvey

    Susanne Garvey ’74, who has served as a regional leader for Washington, D.C, an admissions volunteer over many years, and former Alumni Association president.

 

  • Faye Epps

    Epps

    Faye Epps, the first to receive a special honorary Alumni Distinguished Service Award in recognition of her tenure as the administrator for Pomona’s alumni programs over four decades.

Blaisdell Awards

The 2019 Blaisdell Distinguished Alumni Award winners, selected by a committee of Alumni Association Board members for their contributions and achievements in their profession or community, are:

  • Earl Maize ’72

    Maize

    Earl Maize ’72, manager of the Cassini Program, a mission that began exploring the Saturn system in 2004 and concluded operations in 2017 with a spectacular plunge into Saturn’s atmosphere.

 

  • Marilyn Ramenofsky ’69

    Ramenofsky

    Marilyn Ramenofsky ’69, Olympic medalist and former world-record holder in swimming, and researcher into the physiology and behavior of migratory birds.

 

  • Brian Schatz ’94

    Schatz

    Brian Schatz ’94, senior United States senator from Hawai’i, focusing on climate change, access to higher education, privacy and consumer rights, and health care.

 

  • Debra Cleaver ’99

    Cleaver

    Debra Cleaver ’99, founder and CEO of Vote.org, the leading nonpartisan, nonprofit organization increasing voter turnout.

 

 

  • Lynda Obst ’72

    Obst

    Lynda Obst ’72, one of Hollywood’s most successful film and television producers, known for Interstellar, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Sleepless in Seattle, The Fisher King, and Good Girls Revolt, among many others.

Pomona College Book Club

Madeline Miller’s CirceSeeking your next spring novel and a way to connect with fellow Sagehens? Join the Pomona College Book Club on Goodreads to chat with alumni, professors, students, parents and staff around a common love of reading. Visit Pomona College Book Club or attend an in-person discussion in your city. This spring, we will be reading Madeline Miller’s Circe, described by The New York Times as “a bold and subversive retelling of the goddess’s story that manages to be both epic and intimate in its scope, recasting the most infamous female figure from the Odyssey as a hero in her own right” and named one of the best books of the year by NPR, The Washington Post, Time, The Boston Globe and many others.

 

Pomona College Book Club of Chicago

Pomona College Book Club of Chicago

Book Club Events Near You

  • Honolulu, HI – Saturday, May 18 | 2 p.m.
  • Los Angeles, CA – Sunday, May 19 | 2 p.m.
  • Chicago, IL – Saturday, May 25 | 2 p.m.
  • Shenzhen, China – Sunday, May 26 | 2 p.m.
  • Austin, TX – Sunday, June 2 | 2 p.m.
  • Seattle, WA – Sunday, June 2 | 2 p.m.
  • Denver, CO – Monday, June 3 | 6 p.m.
  • Washington, DC – Thursday, June 13 | 7 p.m.
  • Pittsburgh, PA – Saturday, June 22 | 2 p.m.
  • St. Paul, MN – Saturday, June 22 | 7 p.m.

Alumni Profiles

May 9, 2019  by Staff Comments Off on Alumni Profiles

Scott Kratz ’92
Spanning the Divide

bridgeScott Kratz ’92 was having breakfast with a good friend, who at the time was director of D.C.’s Office of Planning, when he asked an offhand question about all the construction going on with an old bridge over the Anacostia River. To his surprise, Harriet Tregoning began to lay out her dream for transforming that old span into a park.

“You want to help?,” she asked.

That was six years ago. Kratz, a history major in his Pomona days, eventually quit his job at D.C.’s National Building Museum to lead an effort that now employs nine full-time staffers and has set a $139 million goal that includes bricks and mortar as well as investments in nearby neighborhoods to ensure local residents can thrive in place by the time it opens in 2023.

Along with lots of good press, the project has drawn financial backing from the city, foundations and corporations as well, with Building Bridges Across the River, (a nonprofit where Kratz is vice president), so far securing $85 million of the needed funding while engaging the community in a positive vision for the future.

Ambitions for the 11th Street Bridge Project were big from the start. Take an abandoned bridge connecting the well-off Capitol Hill and Navy Yard neighborhoods to low-income and often overlooked Anacostia. Turn it into a vibrant park devoted to recreation, environmental education and the arts. And, in some way, help bring the city together.

Plans soon grew even more ambitious.  During one of the 1,000 community meetings held to date, one thing became clear: there were much greater needs in Anacostia—for wealth creation, housing, jobs and more. The effort shifted toward the concept of equitable development, with the aim of getting ahead of gentrification and potential displacement. The key question: “Who is this for?” asks Kratz, noting the massive disparity in household incomes between the mostly white area west of the river and mostly black Anacostia to the east.

Some of the answers: launch workforce development efforts to help people get jobs in fields such as construction, start a homebuyers club and a community land trust, a mechanism that allows people with limited incomes to become homeowners. (Simply put, buyers purchase the house, but the trust owns the land beneath it, which reduces the price. Deed restrictions limit buyers to those within a certain level of income.) Already, 71 renters have become homeowners. Long-term plans call for 1,000 units of affordable housing. Kratz recently piloted 5-to-1 matched savings accounts for 110 east-of-the-river families to support access to college.

Of course, economic justice isn’t the only aim of the project. Everything from urban agriculture to an environmental education center to public art and performance space are part of the plan.

This may sound like a lot for one span to hold, but for Kratz it’s not so much about the bridge as the communities it will connect. Kratz notes how D.C. is booming, with a growing population, but areas such as Anacostia have been left behind.

“It’s really tempting to think, ‘This isn’t our job,’” says Kratz. But “if we don’t get this right, then we’re probably not going to get it right in this city.”

—Mark Kendall

 

Mike Budenholzer ’92

Coach of the Year—Again

Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach Mike Budenholzer ’92

AP Photo/Aaron Gash

Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach Mike Budenholzer ’92 was already the talk of the NBA before his selection in April by a vote of his fellow NBA coaches to receive their Coach of the Year award for 2019.

“In less than a year since taking over as head coach,” Matt Velazquez in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote the day the award was announced, “Budenholzer has totally transformed the Bucks. They went from being one of the worst defensive teams to the best in the NBA. They rebound at a high level, they don’t foul and they punish opponents with a potent offensive attack built on points in the paint and letting three-pointers fly. After years of up-and-down play, the Bucks were consistent on their way to recording the best record in the league this season. They lost two games in a row just one time and won the season series against every Eastern Conference foe. Budenholzer’s schemes, love of efficiency in all aspects of life and individual development— known as ‘vitamins’— are hallmarks of his philosophy that have paid dividends since the day he arrived in Milwaukee last spring.”

In his first year with the Bucks, Budenholzer guided his team to a league-best record of 60-22 and the top seed in the playoffs. The last time Milwaukee had 60 regular season wins was almost 40 years ago, in 1980–81, the era of Marques Johnson, Bob Lanier and Sidney Moncrief. This year’s record was a 16-victory improvement over last season and gave the Bucks their first divisional title since 2000–01. The Bucks were the only team to rank in the top four in both offensive and defensive ratings, and had the best net rating in the NBA.

Still described occasionally as a “disciple” or “acolyte” of the legendary Coach Pop—Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs (and previously the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens)—under whom he served as assistant coach for almost two decades before getting his first head coaching opportunity with the Atlanta Spurs, today Budenholzer has earned his own three-letter nickname—“Bud”—and has emerged as a coaching force in his own right, though he still attributes much of his success to learning at the feet of the master.

Of course, all he did in Atlanta was lead the Hawks to four playoffs and record the team’s first 60-win season while being named 2015 Coach of the Year. Last year, however, with the Hawks in a rebuilding mode, Budenholzer decided that the time was right to move on—and the offer from the Bucks was the perfect next step.

As with Coach Pop, Budenholzer brings to the team not only a deep understanding of the game, but also a host of intangibles that sports writers struggle to describe. Take, for instance, his reputation for making strange faces in the heat of the moment.

“Though friendly with the media, Budenholzer has long eschewed the spotlight, as Pop always taught his staff to do,” reports Chris Ballard ’95 in Sports Illustrated. “Fairly or not, what Bud may be best known for—outside his coaching—are his facial expressions. The cameras started picking them up in San Antonio. His greatest hits include: Disappointed Dad; Dude-Cut-Me-Off-on-the-Merge; Man-Trying-to-Decipher-Legal-Document; and Just-Watched-a-Bull-Gore-Someone. Observers delight in captioning them on Twitter. An example, from Rob Perez of the Action Network: ‘I swear every time Mike Budenholzer is on camera he looks like he just watched the stampede scene from The Lion King.’”

At the same time, however, that naked authenticity seems to be one of the keys to his success as a coach. Ballard quotes Utah Jazz guard Kyle Korver, who played for Budenholzer in Atlanta: “One of the best parts about playing for him is watching him in the film sessions. But that’s how his heart feels, man! He cares so much and he’s just so disgusted with what’s going on in the court, but it’s so genuine. He’s just someone you want to follow because he’s not just a good person, but he’s great at his craft.”

Personally, Budenholzer had previously expressed his hope that the Coach of the Year award this year would go to his former assistant, Kenny Atkinson, for the job he’s done as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets.

“It is an incredible honor to be recognized by your peers, and that makes this award truly special,” Budenholzer said after the award was announced. “Thank you to my colleagues across the NBA, and most importantly thank you to our players and staff in Milwaukee. The players’ and staffs’ work this year has given our team and our fans a very special season.”

—Mark Wood

 

 

Bulletin Board

February 4, 2019  by Staff Comments Off on Bulletin Board

Nominate for the Alumni Association Board

To nominate yourself or another alumnus/a for the Alumni Association Board, use our online nomination form.

The Alumni Association Board consists of highly-engaged Pomona College alumni who foster connection, action and impact among the 25,000-person strong alumni community. Representing a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences and professions and spanning every decade from the 1960s through the 2010s, members serve three-year terms and are selected from the alumni community based on self-nominations and recommendations from active alumni.

Career Webinars On-Demand Now

Anna Hunter

Anna Hunter

Are you a senior starting to panic because you haven’t lined up a job yet? Are you thinking of making a career pivot or taking a career break? Are you trying to climb the leadership ladder at your organization? If any of these questions resonate with you, take advantage of our Career Webinar Series, where we address some common issues students and alumni are facing in their careers. To view the webinars, visit Career Resources, and if you are prompted for a password, enter: Pomona1887.

Elissa Kuykendall Unton

Elissa Kuykendall Unton

One webinar, for example, is titled “Career Strategies for Seniors and Parents” and is presented by Anna Hunter and Elissa Kuykendall Unton, co-founders of the career-coaching firm ArcVida. Other webinar topics     include “Are You a High Potential Learner,” “Networking Effectively at In-Person Business Events,” “Anticipating a Career Path That Includes a Career Break,” “Your Personal Brand,” and “The Art of the Career Pivot.”

Sponsor Shout-Out … Success!

For 47 hours on November 27—Giving Tuesday—and November 28, alumni, parents and students participated in the Sagehen Sponsor Shout-Out to celebrate one of the College’s longest standing traditions, the Sponsor Group experience. Sagehens from across the globe gave 588 gifts, many in honor of their sponsors and sponsor groups, to support current students and student-life programming. All gifts made on Giving Tuesday were matched dollar for dollar, and several generous donors contributed an additional $10,000 once 470 gifts were received. In total, the Sponsor Shout-Out generated more than $80,000 and included support from alumni in classes representing seven decades of enthusiastic Sagehen spirit!

Guy Lohman ’71

“Just donated in honor of my sponsor, Jake Smith ‘69. Jake made us feel welcome, answered a million questions about academic and social life, threw a few parties for us and somehow fostered a real bond among us sponsees. My sponsor group in Clark V coalesced into an instant tribe’ to go to meals with and just hang out with, which helped us weather the uncertainties of that first year and immediately feel at home at Pomona. I’m a huge fan of Pomona’s sponsor program. Thanks, Jake!”

—Guy Lohman ’71

Head Sponsors 1978–79 school year“I found this picture of my fellow head sponsors…. I loved working with you both and Dean Margaret Bates during the 1978–79 school year! Here’s to our 40th Reunion, Ted Stein and Carolyn Sherwood Call!”

—Lisa Phelps ’79

“A chirpy Sagehen shout-out (and donation) in honor of my freshman sponsor, Wig Hall ‘77: Rex Dietz, Class of ‘80. For the life, of me I can’t recall the name of our co-sponsor—maybe my roomie Kevin Fisher would remember. Rex was very cool and made us all feel at home. I will never forget his opening remarks at our first meeting in the dorm—among other things, he advised us in so many words to avoid growing anything ‘exotic’ in the windows facing N. College Ave., because the cops would see it. Never looked back!”

—Jeff Anderson ’81

“Just gave in honor of one of my amazing sponsors and friends, Karen Hou Chung.

I still remember her greeting me with a huge smile and a hug and making me feel like family, especially during my first year at Pomona. This Giving Day is such a cool way to lift up the Pomona community while continuing to make sure others experience the growth and opportunities we all had during our four years. Go ahead and show some love to Pomona!”

—Jordan Castillo ’15

“Kris Skovbroten Gorman warmly welcomed our sponsor group to campus, instilling in us a warm affection for her Minnesotan hospitality. A fond memory—she gave me my first crash course in electrical work, showing me how to install switches in a floor lamp (pretty sure that wasn’t in the sponsor training manual). Still using that skill 10 years later! Thanks, Kris!”

—Paul Roach ’07

The Winter Selection of the Pomona College Book Club is…

Less: Andrew Sean GreerThis winter, join fellow alumni, parents, students and faculty as we read Less, a book that the Los Angeles Times called “a hilarious Pulitzer Prize–winning novel full of arresting lyricism and beauty.” Named a Washington Post Top Ten Book of 2017, Andrew Sean Greer’s work follows a struggling novelist who travels the world to avoid an awkward wedding.

In-person Book Club events for the winter selection are taking place January through March in the following cities: St. Paul, MN (January 19); San Francisco, CA (February 9); Seattle, WA (February 21); Austin, TX (February 24); and Denver, CO (March 18). Additional gatherings are also being planned in Chicago, IL, Honolulu, HI and New Haven, CT. Visit the Pomona College Book Club web page to learn more about events near you and to read along with alumni, professors, students, parents and staff around the world.

Mark Your Calendar

Save the dates for these favorite annual events and update your contact information at Alumni Update Your Information to hear about more opportunities to come together with the Sagehen community.

Family Weekend, February 15–17, 2019. on campus

Payton Distinguished Lectureship: Anna Deavere Smith and “Notes from the Field,” February 28, 2019 on campus

4/7 Events throughout April in many regions

Alumni Weekend, May 2–5, 2019 on campus

Sagehen Fans Celebrate Rivalry Weekend

Sagehens footballOn the evening of November 9, more than 200 student athletes, coaches, alumni, parents, family members and dozens of Champions of Sagehen Athletics gathered on the portico of Big Bridges to kick off Rivalry Weekend 2018 and celebrate Sagehen football. The nighttime festivities helped to prepare the team for their biggest game of the season—the Sixth Street Rivalry—against the CMS Stags. Don Swan ’15, former captain of the Sagehens football team, served as master of ceremonies, and Head Football Coach John Walsh called the P-P vs. CMS rivalry the most unique rivalry in all of college football. The following day, hundreds of Sagehens came together to cheer on the blue and orange, and Sagehens captured their second-straight Sixth Street Rivalry victory with a 24–19 win over CMS. The victory marked the best season in Sagehen Football since 1999. Of the win, Coach Walsh said, “We have an extraordinary group of student-athletes and assistant coaches in this program. Our players come in every day and work hard and buy into what we are trying to do here. They earned it.”

Alumni Voices

February 4, 2019  by Sneha Abraham Comments Off on Alumni Voices

Mastering Music at Pomona and Beyond

Adrien Redford ’13 and Hayden Eberhart ’07

L.A. Master Chorale members Adrien Redford ’13 and Hayden Eberhart ’07

Two Sagehens. One professor. Two of the 100 voices in a prestigious big-city chorale. The main road to the acclaimed Los Angeles Master Chorale started at Pomona for baritone Adrien Redford ’13 and soprano Hayden Eberhart ’07, with Professor of Music Donna Di Grazia as their guide.

Redford had been in middle school choirs and attended a performing arts high school but planned to major in media studies. Then came the Pomona College Choir and Glee Club, which became the hubs of his social life. With those ensembles came a conductor who doubled as a cheerleader. “It felt great to have a place to express myself artistically [and] Donna was—and still is—very focused on encouraging singers to see beyond the ink on the scores and to internalize the music to bring forth an earnest, personal performance,” says Redford, who adds that’s still very much a part of his practice today.

Eberhart was similarly inspired. Singing with the choir and Glee Club with Di Grazia was the most meaningful part of her time at Pomona, she says, the evidence being that nearly all of her Pomona friends were members of the Glee Club, or “Gleeps.” (She married a Gleep as well.) Eberhart points to Di Grazia as the reason she came to Pomona in the first place.

“I met her on Stover Walk during ‘prospie’ weekend, and she knew who I was. I had sent in a tape with my application, and talking to her made me feel as if I wasn’t just another prospective student, but that Pomona was where I belonged,” says Eberhart. That sense of belonging at Pomona grew into a sense that she belonged to music. Immediately after Pomona she took her training to USC to get her master’s in voice. Following her time there, she auditioned for the Los Angeles Master Chorale in 2009. Eberhart got in.

Di Grazia wasn’t just a cheerleader; she was a networker. While they didn’t overlap at Pomona, Redford and Eberhart crossed paths there when the now master chorale member Eberhart was a guest performer with the Pomona College Choir for the choir’s Mozart Requiem performance. But Eberhart’s appearance turned out to be more than just another guest visit; for Redford, it was an inspiration. “I discovered that graduating didn’t mean the end of my musical career,” says Redford.

Auditioning for the master chorale terrified him, Redford says. But a few years after graduation, Di Grazia urged Redford to reach out to Eberhart. Eberhart, along with current Pomona College music faculty and chorale member Scott Graff, offered Redford guidance as he competed for one of the coveted 100 chorale spots. He auditioned, and the spot became his.

In the following years, Redford and Eberhart not only shared the stage but overlapped in working in the chorale’s administrative office. They often chat about their days at Pomona and are “always raving about how awesome Donna is,” says Redford. Part of the fun of touring together, says Eberhart, is seizing photo opportunities to send pictures of the two of them back to Di Grazia.

Currently, the chorale is on a two-year global tour performing Orlando di Lasso’s a cappella masterpiece, Lagrime di San Pietro, with stops from Melbourne to Mexico City. The piece is conducted by Grant Gershon and staged by Peter Sellars. The composition is about the seven stages of grief that St. Peter experienced after denying knowledge of Jesus Christ on the day of his arrest, prior to his crucifixion.

“The story is biblically rooted but is actually a very human story. Anyone can remember a time they let someone down, or they disappointed their parents, partner or best friend. This piece is about denying someone you love and seeing the hurt you’ve caused and living with that forever,” says Redford, who calls touring Lagrime di San Pietro intense and emotionally and technically demanding.

Working on the piece started with a focus on technique and tuning. But “now it’s become a personal story from each of us, and the audience can tell. It’s so great to take this very human narrative around the world and for the art to cross the barriers of language and culture. Music truly has no borders,” Redford says.

Eberhart is wowed, too. “I honestly feel that this is the coolest thing I have ever done and probably will ever do—at least as a musician—and I don’t think I could ever get tired of it.”

What makes it hard is what makes it fun for Eberhart. “Everyone in the group is such a strong musician and singer, I feel that I am constantly challenged not to be complacent and to continue to improve not only my singing voice, but my musicianship as well,” she says.

Eberhart and Redford frequently talk about how they wouldn’t be a part of the master chorale without Di Grazia and the choral program at Pomona College. “The music program is like a hidden wonder of the Southland and is easily one of the best places to get a music education,” Redford says. “Hayden and I are very fortunate to be where we are now, but who’s to say we can’t be joined by more Sagehens in the future?”