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Lucy Carlborg (Rosborough)

SO VERY SAD TO MISS OUR 60TH!  Please share stories and photos with all of us who, for one reason or another, were not able to attend.  Glorious weather and I'm sure the campus looked gorgeous as did all of you classmates who were there!  Sending love, Lucy

Alice Godfrey (Andrus)

Lucy, You were missed. Such a fun time, Wonderfl poetry reading by Barbara Goldberg. Wonderful discussion on Saturday night. Great meals. Met the new President. The campus was exquisite with many new plantings. 

Edith Dulles

Thank you for contacting the Transportation Security Administration. Your submission has been received. While many routine inquiries can be responded to in less than 48 hours, some responses that require additional information may take longer.

     This is the latest on the mysterious malita guard. Tomorrow, I'll take it to Slithwest Airlines Lost & Found Dept. It's the last resort I can think of.

Glad to know it wasn't any of you who lost a mouth guard!

edie 

Alice Godfrey (Andrus)

Thanks to you all who kindly shared your love and care with me as I marked one year since Colby died. We held a concert in his memory with the North Country Chamber Players (mostly Orpheus Baroque Orchestra and other major instrumentalists from around the world and the country). For the past twenty years, Colby and I attending the five week program on concerts. The players have become personal friends.

Every year, the NCCP return to northern NH for a concert series and to provide outreach to underserved students in local New Hampshire schools. I am a great support of racial justice. However, it saddens me that there are many underserved white students in underfunded New Hampshire schools who could benefit from uplifting exposure to music as well as other humanties, but who are not the target audience with current foundation funding

. The NCCP spends abot 60% of their time in the summers providing exposure to children at schools, camps for underserved children and other community areas where opportunities to hear and learn about music is lacking. They provide one on one mentorship to any child who wants to learn an instrument. One of their mentees recently won the NE State competition for the French Horn. 

While the first anniversary has past, there isn't a change in how I feel about losing Colby physically. He is always here. We were very fortunate to have our lives together. 

Love to you all. Enjoy the waning days of summer. Leaves are beginning to turn here. Alice

Mary-Ellen Carey (Moroney)

You have my sympathy.  It is so difficult to lose a husband that you loved so dearly.

Mary-Ellen "Melon" Carey Moroney

Sally Nunneley

Friends,

The college sent us a death notice for Eugenia Wild Schweers who died in Wakefield, Rhode Island in November 2022. We have no electronic record of her and she is not in the Freshman Handbook or Llamarada, but her sister Catherine and two nieces are Holyoke graduates. We note that the obit does not include her apparent married name, Schweers. Below is the notice, which does not mention her education. Does anyone know her story?

Eugenia Louise Wild was born to Edward Herman Wild and Minnie Bertsch
Wild in Broooklyn New York. She was the last of four children. Only
she and her sister Catherine Skinner survived to adulthood.

After 1977 Genie worked and raised two children, Edward and Fredrika
Schweers on her own while continuing to further her education. In 1982
she was admitted to the degree of Master of Arts in Education.

She worked at many jobs over the course of her life. All of them were
centered on helping people. From advocacy, to teaching, to grief
counseling. She loved the arts, nature, and gardening. She never
stopped educating herself and learned everything she could about
anything that interested her .

Intelligent, curious, caring, charitable and hard working. These are
the highest virtues we can attain and Genie Wild embodied them all.

Doreen Mulreany (O'Brien)

I remember Eugenia as a transfer student our junior year. She lived next door to Mary and me on the 4th floor of North Mandelle. Dark hair, great smile. Think she went by Gene but not sure. Perhaps others in N Mandelle that year could add to this memory. 

Karel Mortenson (Koenig)

Our Freshman handbook does show Eugenia Wild's photo and home address in Forest Hills, NY.  I don't remember her. Perhaps she intended to enter in 1959 and then did not enroll until our Junior year.  Karel

Karel Mortenson (Koenig)

Dear Friends, 

    Today, Tuesday, September 5th is Convocation at Mount Holyoke. In addition to be the exciting start of the 2023 -2023 Academic year. This Convocation is the first with Danielle Holley as our President. Her exuberance for the college will surely be inspiring and make the event shine!  

    We are invited to take part virtually via Convocation livestream. The event begins today at 11:30 a.m. EDT.

Edith Dulles

Just saw this, & sorry to miss it, but than you for sending things like this, Karel. Edie

Lucy Carlborg (Rosborough)

It's on now, Edie!!!  You can watch it.... 

Karel Mortenson (Koenig)

Inaguration events for the inauguration and investiture of Mount Holyoke's President, Danielle R. Holley begin tomorrow Wednesday, September 20th.

Introductions to preceding events on Wednesday and the investiture on Thursday at 10:30 will be live streamed.  

Nancy Welker, our Vice President who received a Mount Holyoke Honorary Doctorate of Science in May, will be processing to Chapin as the ceremony begins as a delegate of American University where she received her PhD in physics. A long winded sentence to say I hope you will take advantage of these inaugural events. Daneille Holley is sure to inspire us! I for one trust that she will help make us even more proud of Mount Holyoke as her tenure continues.   

Karel Mortenson (Koenig)

Please visit the college website to access live streamed events tomorrow and Thursday.  

www.mtholyoke.edu › inauguration-president-danielle-r-holley

Alice Godfrey (Andrus)

Good Morning (or not so good, given the Hamas terrorist attack and frightening war in Israel and Gaza)

I'm writing to highlight the Nobel Prize in Economics recipiient, Claudia Goldin. I was acquainted with her a few years back through my Italian economist friends who worked with her. She is an enegetic woman who, as a labor economist, has toiled long to document and divulge historic unfairness to women in the labor market. I've atteneded her review of colleagues' work, including that of some of my friends. 

Reading about her in the local news and from admiring economists, I am struck by how many of us are part of her statistics. I hope it encourages many of us to tell our personal stories of being held back, side-lined, or discounted in many disciplines. "Yet we rise" should unleash a personal "YELP' of triumph for our endurance and accomplishments. I am so proud of all of you who have excelled in your fields (some still working). We were lucky to have a significant cheering squad when were were undergraduates at MHC. Still ,women struggle in the workplace, so we should continue to encourage them to perservere. 

I remember with fondness my mentor, Martha Ellis Francois, MA MHC, PHd Harvard, Professor of Early Modern European History. 

Karel Mortenson (Koenig)

  So many of us are horrified and traumatized by Hamas’ barbaric attacks on Israelis last weekend and the revenge that is being unleashed on Gaza. To those of us who are directly affected, and all of us who share the pain and grief of family members and friends, my sincere empathy. 

  Yesterday, October 10^th, Alice Andrus and I learned that Mount Holyoke students and the campus community are being supported in many ways. President Holley attended a vigil with members of the campus Jewish community at the invitation of the Jewish Student Union. The Office of Community and Belonging are reaching out to support affected students individually, and the college’s Jewish and Muslim faith leaders are actively supporting students as well.

   These are hard and confusing times. May we all find strength, comfort, love, and support.

Eleanor Groeniger (Rogan)

Thanks, Karel, for your simple words.  I'm horrified by the situation and my heart goes out to all the people in Israel and Gaza who are suffering from the violence and their loved ones.  Elli

Gretchen Luft (Harris)

I too am horrified and saddened by the recent events in Israel and the Gaza strip.  The situation there seems neverending and insoluble.  But I am happy to hear that MHC is recognizing that many are affected and providing support for all who need it.

Gretchen

Elaine Cox (Jacoby)

Thank you, Karel, for voicing what so many of us feel about the past week's events in Israel and Gaza.  It seems there is no easy solution to this dire situation. But we can send love and support to all of those affected. Elaine

Jennifer Macdonald (DeWolf)

I was in Jerusalem four years ago taking a course at St. George's College.  The tensions were evident everywhere and threatened to irrupt.  It is very sad that more progress has not been made in a land that three religions call holy.  I am glad that Mount Holyoke is providing support for all students that might be affected.

Nancy Selinka (White)

Thank you, Karel. We all seem to share the same thoughts and feelings, so I will just add my voice to all of yours. I have no other words...

Alice Godfrey (Andrus)

Messaging clearly. I want to clearly state that Hamas attcked Israelis, the civilian population, barbarically. Beyond comprehension: the cruelty and rage against fellow human beings. End Full stop. 

Nancy Welker

There is not much I can add to the eloquent words of our classmates concerning the horrors that have occurred in Israel and the  Gaza Strip in the last week. One thing that has been touched on only lightly and the thing that distresses me even more is that, in all likelyhood, the situation is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.  Many more will suffer and die before a resolution is reached, and there is not a lot any of us can do to prevent it.  Those of us outside the Middle East can at least  take every opportunity we have to promote better understanding among those holding opposing views.  Every little bit helps.

Gretchen Luft (Harris)

Alice

I was brought up short by your post and have been stewing about it and how to respond.  Absolutely, the attack by Hamas was cruel slaughter of helpless civilians.  And since then, thousands (on both sides) have been killed; who knows how many will die in this conflict that has been going on for 75 years since the state of Israel was created.  I read that Israel won't be satisfied until ten times more die in Gaza than Israel - and that these numbers are well known.  What a horrible situtaion.  I wonder if it will ever end.  I freely admit to not being fully informed on all of the issues and history here.  All I can truly say is that I hate the neverending killing of people on both sides.

Gretchen

Alice Godfrey (Andrus)

I agree with Gretchen and Nancy: we need to have sympathy for all victims of these wars. My only point, at the time, is that the barbarism in the Hamas attack was more than unusual...it is rare in our world. Having gone through the genocide museum in Kigali, I recall the room filled with images of the babies and youngest children massacred. Weeping was the only response. The acute rage at the massacre stands for itself. Yet, the sympathy for both Israelies (and the Jewish religious state) and Palestinians (of various religious faiths) is not diminished. Smarter minds than mine will do the best they can about how to go forward. We do have to hope. 

Karel Mortenson (Koenig)

Regarding the war in Israel and Gaza I am heartened by the thoughtful, detailed attention being given to students, faculty, staff, and alums, especially those who are most directly affected by the loss of life and the humanitarian crisis for individuals and families in the Middle East. The Alumnae Laurel Chain newletter sent today describes Mount Holyoke's response from the first news of Hamas' attack on Israel and the bombardment of Gaza, to the ongoing priority of the college in support all members of the campus community. Please take the opportunity to view the Laurel Chain newsletter. If you have not received it, I will forward it to you.