Blog Articles

Class of ’58 Zoomers

October 9, 2026 by jhhd2026@pomona.edu Comments Off

In the early months of the COVID pandemic, when isolation was beginning to take its toll, Frank LaHorgue ’58 came up with the idea of gathering the Pomona Class of 1958 together in a Zoom meeting. Enlisting the help of a few others, he invited everyone in our class to the first meeting in the spring of 2020. Six years later, we’re still meeting every month.

Our meetings, which are planned by a committee, consist of a presentation followed by lively discussions. Subject matter has been varied, ranging from slide shows of our reunions to reprises of significant events from our careers to presentations by classmates (“Starting a Coffee Plantation in Panama”) and professors from Pomona College and other institutions (“Artificial Intelligence in Today’s Classrooms”). We have learned about the complexities and uses of seaweed, about the psychological problems of military personnel conducting remote missile and drone attacks, about the cultural and political history that makes China what it is, and about the history of the Gabrielino/Tongva Nation in Trojoatngna (aka, Claremont).

To plan and organize our monthly gatherings, a committee of eight classmates—two of whom have Zoom Pro licenses—meet weekly on Zoom. At these meetings we generate ideas for presentations, which often include taking advantage of contacts from the “outside world.” We send out announcements a week before the presentation, and, a few minutes before the meeting, we send a link. We use the Zoom record function to distribute the meeting for classmates unable to attend.

Our meetings have not only enriched our lives intellectually but have proven to be a tremendous bonding experience for our class as we renew old friendships and create new ones. We’ve also found that our gatherings have amplified our ties to Pomona College and engendered feelings of gratitude for being among its graduates.

—Patrick Muffler ’58
Connie Leas ’58

Faculty Retirements

October 9, 2026 by jhhd2026@pomona.edu Comments Off

Richard McKirahan
Professor of Classics
and Philosophy
53 Years at Pomona

Sharon Hou
Associate Professor of Chinese
45 Years at Pomona

Samuel Yamashita
Professor of History
43 Years at Pomona

Grace Dávila-López
Adjunct Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures
31 Years at Pomona

Nicole Weekes
Professor of Psychological Science and professor of neuroscience
28 Years at Pomona

Board of Trustees Elects Four New Members

October 9, 2026 by Staff Comments Off

Four newly elected members of the Board of Trustees began their term on July 1. Justice Halim Dhanidina (Ret.) ’94, Robi Ganguly ’00 and Cosimo H. J. Thawley ’11 are Pomona alumni. Bill Riley is the parent of a 2026 graduate.

“Trustees play a vital role in the leadership of the College,” says Geoff Pearson, secretary to the board. “They ensure that the College maintains its academic excellence and long-term sustainability through the strategic direction and fiduciary oversight they provide.”

Dhanidina is dean of the Western State College of Law and was the first Muslim judge in California when appointed to the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2012.

Ganguly began his two-year term as president of the College’s Alumni Association Board in July. A co-founder of the software company Apptentive, he now invests in and advises early startups and coaches CEOs of new ventures.

Riley recently chaired the College’s Family Leadership Council. He is a partner at Twin City Dealerships in Knoxville, Tennessee, and was board president for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra.

Thawley is an assistant secretary for the Australian Treasury Department, currently serving as the country’s minister-counsellor and senior treasury representative to China.

Through Their Eyes

October 9, 2026 by jhhd2026@pomona.edu Comments Off

We gave out 20 disposable cameras to first year students to document their first weeks on campus—from move-in to orientation adventure to random moments on campus. When we got the film developed (yes, actual film; yes, we had to wait) we loved what we saw. Grainy film + light leaks + blurry photos = instant nostalgia vibes.

Check out more images in the full story and watch the video below:

The Plunge: Maverick Swimmers, an Unlikely Quest, and the Transformative Power of Cold Water

October 9, 2026 by jhhd2026@pomona.edu Comments Off

Simon and Schuster, 2026
By Chris Ballard ’95

A deep dive into the world of cold water plunging and swimming that combines adventurous journalism with in-depth research.

“As for cold, we tend to view it as something to be endured, teeth gritted, or better yet, avoided, opting for warm homes and hot showers.

But combine swimming and cold, and do it with others, out in nature? Therein lies the sweet spot. There, you get it all: endorphins, adrenaline, camaraderie, and awe, creating what renowned open water swimmer Lynne Cox has called ‘an acute awareness of your life, in the moment.’

It makes sense. Jump into the ocean or a lake, and where else can you be but right there, right then? No emails, reminders, or to-do lists. No social media scroll, mortgage payments, or broken garage door. You can’t dwell or obsess or loop, because how can you when you’re in five feet of chilled water, a tourist in a foreign ecosystem? In an age when so many of us fight for a moment of clarity or calm, turning to meditation apps, breathing regimens and prescriptions, here is an age-old solution.”

5 Questions for: Danielle Lynch

October 9, 2026 by Brian Whitehead Comments Off

Pomona-Pitzer Director of Athletics and Chair of the Physical Education Department

Danielle Lynch traces her competitive nature to childhood, when as a young fan of Olympic champion sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner, she raced friends down her northern New Jersey neighborhood streets barefoot.

She almost always won.

“That’s when I learned I don’t need anything but who I am to be successful,” she says.

Lynch used that outlook to become a first-generation student-athlete at Rutgers University, and it’s the same perspective she’s brought to Pomona-Pitzer as director of athletics and chair of the Physical Education Department, a role she began in April.

“I felt the love immediately,” she says. “I felt supported. People are asking the right questions and then truly listening for the answers to the solutions they’re seeking. People are truly wanting to engage in meaningful ways to learn about my experiences and how I’m going to work with our students.”

Lynch recently answered questions about the Sagehen community, philanthropy, holistic development and wellness, and the hallmarks
of great athletic departments.

What traits do great athletic departments have in common?

Great athletic departments have core values that are strong. They’re student centered. They have coaches that are teaching and building culture. Winning helps people feel good, but great athletic departments have a healthy, successful culture that develops young people holistically. A byproduct of that, oftentimes, is winning, and not only winning in the sport, but also winning in life. I’ve been at a lot of places that do things really, really well, and I’ve gained different tidbits of excellence from those spaces to work into my own ethos and core values on how I’d like my department to be run.

How do you hope to strengthen connections between student- athletes, alumni and the broader Pomona community?

College is full of incredible opportunities, but it’s also a time when students face real challenges—academically, socially and personally.

Danielle Lynch with Pitzer President Strom C. Thacker (middle) and Sagehens Coach Alex Rodriguez after the women’s water polo team captured a fifth straight national title in May.

When alumni and families stay engaged, they help create a network of people who care deeply about student success and well-being. I think one of the most powerful things we can do is create opportunities for just that by bringing people together around the things that matter most—supporting student wellness, celebrating their achievements on and off the field and ensuring they have what they need to thrive.

Alumni and families can play such a meaningful role in both celebrating those successes, while also helping address the obstacles students face along the way.

What role do alumni and families play in the success of an athletics program?

Alumni show our current student-athletes what a Sagehen life looks like after they’ve left the bubble of collegiate athletics with an excellent liberal arts education. They help us with mentorship as well as career networks, and they model what our current student-athletes and students in general hope to become. Families are partners in the developmental mission. We recruit families, not just athletes.

We are also incredibly grateful for the many alumni and families whose generosity strengthen Sagehen Athletics. Their support helps create opportunities for student-athletes to pursue excellence while benefiting from the full Pomona experience—from competitive athletics and leadership development to academic achievement and personal growth.

That spirit of support is reflected in Sagehen Athletics Giving Day, where alumni and families have consistently rallied behind our athletes, supporting everything from team travel to facility upgrades. Their generosity is a powerful expression of the lifelong connection so many have to Pomona and its athletic community.

Where can community support make an immediate impact?

Sagehen Athletics creates a powerful entry point for Pomona alumni, families and friends to invest in student success. Their involvement—whether through mentorship, volunteerism or cheering in the stands—supports an experience that helps our Pomona-Pitzer student-athletes develop as leaders and scholars. Donor support in particular strengthens wellness, expands career development opportunities and helps ensure that every student has the resources needed to learn, grow and thrive.

I also encourage Sagehens to reach out to me directly so I can hear what is needed, and what concerns and questions we all have. We need to have honest and open conversations about opportunities to create community, excellence and holistic development.

What responsibility do athletic departments have in shaping good citizens and leaders?

Some of my doctoral research looked at social justice and leadership. Student-athletes have social capital, especially on liberal arts campuses that lack fraternity and sorority life. We want to help develop our student-athletes to become conscientious leaders who are bringing solutions to some of the larger issues we’re facing—not only as a country but worldwide.

Student-athletes have the power to shift culture and to make change on a large scale, so it’s our responsibility to help them understand the power they hold and activate it for good.

Babylon, South Dakota

October 9, 2026 by jhhd2026@pomona.edu Comments Off

Little, Brown and Company, 2026
By Tom Lin ’18

A saga about a Chinese couple trying to eke out a living on their Dakota farm, which takes a supernatural turn when the U.S. Army builds a nuclear missile silo on their land.

“Called to this distant land by the death of an unknown kinsman and the promise of a new life came Hsiu Keng and his wife, Lee Mei, thirty-seven and thirty-three, who owned together but one suitcase full of clothes and an old leather knapsack filled with treasures that had survived the furor of the revolution: untranslated documents attesting to their births and marriage, three and a half misshapen taels of gold, a jade pendant carved into the shape of a monkey, a red coral bracelet too small for either of their wrists, a little booklet of family photographs, a transistor radio, and a silk bag of chrysanthemum seeds. They took possession of one hundred and sixty acres of soil that sloped, south to north across folded ridges, down to an overgrown pasture.”

Khalab Blagburn ’27 Named a Beinecke Scholar

October 9, 2026 by Brian Whitehead Comments Off

When Khalab Blagburn ’27 won a $35,000 Beinecke Scholarship this spring to support his graduate education, the cognitive science and mathematics double major became the first Pomona student since 2013 to receive the prize, which is awarded annually to outstanding juniors throughout the country in the social sciences, arts and humanities.

“I’m thankful and the recognition is great,” Blagburn says, “but the financial support is amazing and a testament to the people around me, the opportunities I’ve pursued and the work I’ve put in.”

At Pomona, Blagburn began working in the lab of Eric Hurley, professor of psychological science and Africana studies, as a sophomore, and was soon running point on a project about verve—the level, intensity and variability of immediate and environmental sensate simulation a person prefers and in which they are able to function optimally—in African American culture.

Blagburn says he has used a childhood fascination with optical illusions and magic to “pivot toward education, examining how students’ perceived social conditions shape psychological constructs like achievement motivation and sense of belonging, which, in turn, influence academic outcomes.”

A right back on the Sagehens men’s soccer team, Blagburn plans to earn a Ph.D. in education with a focus on educational psychology.

“I’m interested in conducting social psychological interventions to support underserved and minoritized students,” he says. “Then after my Ph.D., I’m eager to work within or with academic institutions to lead program development, curriculum development, and to make sure those students are being met where they need support.”

Books by Sagehens

October 9, 2026 by Lorraine Wu Harry '97 Comments Off

Language and Health in Action
Oxford University Press, 2026
By Emily Avera ’05 (editor)
This volume, co-edited by Avera, explores the far-reaching consequences of communication practices on health and well-being outcomes.

Permafrost Is an Archive and Other Inheritances from the Alaska-Yukon Borderlands
West Virginia University Press, 2026
By Corinna Cook ’07
In this collection of essays, Cook wrestles with difficult pasts and an uncertain ecological future of the Alaska-Yukon borderlands through a deeply personal lens.

A Horse’s World: A Neuroscientist’s Journey into the Equine Mind
Little, Brown and Company, 2026
By Janet Jones ’84
A neuroscientist and veteran horse trainer, Jones explores the science of how horses think, feel, learn and connect with their human companions.

The Age of Fury
Penguin Random House, 2026
By John Stephens ’94
The setting for Stephens’ historical romantic thriller is Gilded Age New York, as a 17-year-old Irish girl joins forces with a young gangster to hunt down her sister’s killer.

Social Security for Future Generations: Sustainability, Equity, Simplification
Upriver Press, 2026
By John Turner ’71 (co-author)
Turner, a leading economist and scholar on Social Security and pensions, presents feasible solutions to uphold Social Security for
future generations.

Tiny Garden: A Picture Book
Abrams, 2026
By Deborah Underwood ’83
In this picture book by Underwood (illustrated by Jax Chow), a boy who loves plants grows his own tiny garden in a neighborhood full of
big, showy gardens.

A Bridge to the World

October 9, 2026 by Christy McCarthy Comments Off

A student trip to China leaves a lasting legacy.

Chiu-Mi Lai ’83, pictured here on her 1981 journey to China (Metate, 1983).

When Chiu-Mi Lai ’83 boarded a train in Hong Kong bound for mainland China in 1981, she carried more books than luggage. She also carried a rare opportunity to see a country that had only recently reopened to the world.

More than four decades later, that journey has come full circle in the form of a new gift to Pomona College.

Lai and her husband, David Mohrig ’83, established an endowed fund honoring Emeritus Professor of Politics David Elliott and his wife, Mai Elliott, whose mentorship left a lasting mark on her life.

“This gift is an acknowledgment of the impact a professor can have on students, which is the greatest reward for a teacher,” David Elliott says.

The fund will support Pomona students pursuing experiential learning opportunities in Asia, covering costs including travel, research and service projects.

“About half of Pomona students study away, and we are committed to expanding those opportunities so more students can engage in the transformative learning that has long defined the College,” says Kara Godwin, assistant vice president and chief global officer.

The 1981 trip took place as China was slowly emerging from the devastation of its cultural revolution and was tentatively opening to the outside world. This allowed Nanjing University to accept a group of students from the College as part of an exchange, making Pomona students, as David Elliott says, “pioneers”—part of an unofficial diplomatic opening between the U.S. and China.

Lai recalls lectures unfolding on trains, stacks of books hauled overseas and the close-knit group navigating an unfamiliar world together.

Group photo of Chinese and American students and professors

Group photo taken at the gate of Nanjing University. Left to right: front row, third from left, Mai Elliott holding Bryan Elliott; fifth from left Profesor David Elliott. Back row: second from let and continuing, Jeanne Wong, Rudi Jeung, Tillie Fong, Janie Stoddard, Chiu-mi Lai, Teacher Zhang, and Jeannie Lee

“David and Mai had to manage everything—courses, travel, bureaucracy—all with their 5-year-old son in tow,” Lai says. “Looking back, I appreciate even more the sacrifice they made in taking us there.”

For David Elliott, the experience was just as formative.

“Whenever Mai and I reminisce about that trip, we remember the students’ curiosity about a country they had known only through classes,” he says, “and the unfailing warmth and generosity of the Chinese people, who had so little at the time, yet showed such resiliency and hope for the future.”

Lai, who along with Mohrig taught at the University of Texas at Austin before retiring in spring 2026, says she and her husband shared the lessons from their Pomona experience with their students, as well.

“Learning happens in the classroom, but so much of what stays with you for the rest of your life happens outside of it,” she says.

To learn more about supporting study away opportunities for Pomona students, contact Kyle Davis, senior director of development at Kyle.Davis@pomona.edu.

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