It’s summertime. Which means that its time to go to the beach and curl up with a good read, like back issues of the Reed magazine (June 2014).
One year ago, the summer issue of the magazine looked back at Rev. Thomas Lamb Eliot, “the intellectual godfather of Reed College.” Eliot was a visionary and capable of persuading the fantastically wealthy Simeon and Amanda Reed to do something extraordinary, and something that was not at all in the self-interest of these consummate capitalists, namely, to bequeath their $2 million estate for the establishment of “an institution of learning” in Portland. Our board of trustees struggles with these same issues of self-interest and the greater good: should the endowment be invested in coal and other fossil fuels?
Chemistry and global warming probably did not figure in the discussions Eliot had with Simeon and Amanda Reed, but chemists and global warming both appear prominently in this issue of the magazine. Prof. Rebecca LaLonde ’01 participated in a panel discussion about gender dynamics in the sciences (p. 7). The event was sponsored by STEM Femmes, a campus group that supports, informs, and encourages women who are interested in STEM fields like chemistry. The next page informed us that Drew Gingerich ’15 was named as the first recipient Abigail Garcia Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship is named for chemistry major Abby Garcia ’10 who died in a car accident during the summer following her sophomore year, and is awarded to “a science major with financial need.”
Abigail Garcia ’10
Luke Kanies ’96
On p. 11 we discovered that Mad Magazine was started by a PhD chemist named Bill Gaines. Bill was not a Reedie, but that hasn’t stopped Reedies from collecting back issues of Mad, or meeting in large groups to compare their Mad thoughts (What, Me Worry?). Life Beyond Reed (p. 13) described some of the careers that alumni have carved out for themselves. One of the featured alumni was Luke Kanies ’96, CEO, Puppet Labs, who offered readers a lesson that he had learned in Reed’s pool room: “There’s a strong correlation between programming and the things it takes to succeed at pool in terms of focus and practice, and not necessarily playing to win, but playing to figure out how to win. The game isn’t necessarily about winning tournaments or making specific shots, but about becoming a better pool player.”
President’s Summer Fellowships, a new program designed to encourage and support creative summer projects, were awarded to eight students, including Johnny Mendoza ’15 (p. 17).
Johnny Mendoza ’15
Johnny’s project, “Green Molecules and Green Chemistry Labs,” was carried out under the supervision of another Reed chemistry graduate, Dr. Julia Robinson-Surry ’06, at Bard High School Early College Queens in New York City.
Another award went to ex-biology major Katie Halloran ’15 (p. 15). Illustrating the eclectic interests of Reed science students, Katie proposed “Bluegrass and Community in Modern Appalachia,” a project that would improve her mandolin skills. Pick it, Katie!
Katie Halloran ’15
Green chemistry and chemical toxicity were also the themes of “Keeping the Flame” (p. 26). The article traced the professional life and battles of Arlene Blum ’66, founder and executive director of the Green Science Policy Institute. Finally, Reediana provided a snapshot of the newest book from Barbara Ehrenreich ’63, “Living with a Wild God: A Nonbeliever’s Search for the Truth and Everything.”
Bijou & Remi Paramore
Class Notes reported that Leo Macdonald ’97 and his family are “living an environmentally sustainable family life in rural Erwinna, Pennsylvania.” Samantha Bates Paramore ’03 and Sterling Paramore ’02, along with daughter Bijou, have welcomed a second baby into their home, a “new, enormous son, Remi Kai, on January 9, 2014.”
Cole Perkinson ’13 described his graduate school plans: study for MPhil in physics at Cambridge and live at Clare College “for a duration of one year, after which I intend to pursue a PhD in physics either at Cambridge or at a university in the United States. And that’s it!”
A lengthy In Memoriam section reported the passing of more Reedies than one can comfortably contemplate. Here are the stories of four chemists that appeared on these pages.
- Robert Joseph Corruccini ’38 (deceased January 10, 2014 in Boulder, Colorado). The son of an Italian opera singer, who became founding musical director of the Portland Opera, and an operatic singer from Nebraska, Joe earned a BA in chemistry from Reed, an MA from Oregon State College (University), and a PhD from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, in physical chemistry. While at Oregon State, he met graduate student Mildred B. Witham; they married in 1941. Joe worked for the U.S. Bureau of Standards (National Institute of Standards and Technology) as a research physicist, and later as an administrator for 30 years in Washington, D.C., and in Boulder. His work on calibration of thermocouples was later incorporated into the International Practical Temperature Scale. In the ‘60s, he did research on liquid hydrogen fuel for the Saturn V rocket program that carried astronauts into space. Joe fostered an appreciation for opera, played bridge, enjoyed reading, and did mountain climbing. He made the first ascent of the Reid Glacier Headwall route on Mount Hood in 1938. Survivors include two sons, a daughter, and four grandchildren. His wife died in 2013.
- Chester Albert Schink ’41 (deceased November 22, 2013, in Portland, following a short illness). Born and raised in Portland, Chet came to Reed, where he earned a BA in chemistry. He went on to complete a master’s degree in biochemistry from Oregon State College (University), and was recruited for service in World War II by the Hercules Power Company in Washington, D.C.. He also served at Radford Ordinance Works. Following the war, he returned to Oregon State, where he completed a PhD in organic chemistry, and where, on a blind date, he met Hannah Johnson. “Her willingness to type his PhD dissertation convinced him that he’d met the right girl.” The couple married in 1947 and moved to New Jersey, where Chet worked for the DuPont company in their research and development office. In 1951, Chet and Hannah and their children returned to Oregon. He was employed with Krishell Laboratories, a small agricultural chemical company that did research on antitumor agents and heterocyclic and other biochemical compounds. In 1956, he began a 30-year career at Tektronix, where he managed the electrochemical laboratory, developed a company-wide chemical safety system, and was a leader in worker safety. He was a member of the American Chemical Society and a founding member of the Portland Section. He also taught general and organic chemistry at Mt. Hood Community College. Colleagues greatly respected Chet for his integrity and support; his wealth of knowledge, generously shared; and his practical insights, humor, and wisdom. Chet is also remembered as a patient, determined, and compassionate individual. He loved to travel and he achieved a lifelong goal of visiting all 50 states; he and Hannah also traveled to western Europe, Scandinavia, and Australia, and cruised the Mediterranean. A great conversationalist, and loyal to friends and family, Chet maintained strong friendships throughout his life. He gardened and enjoyed community activities, including a longstanding role with the Masons and as a volunteer with the Boy Scouts, 4-H, DeMolay, Job’s Daughters. He was also a member of St. Mark Lutheran Church. In retirement, Chet used his keen interest in history to volunteer for the Portland-based Urban Tour Group, a nonprofit providing historical tours of Portland for schoolchildren. Chet and Hannah established the Chester and Hannah Schink Science Book Fund at Reed. Survivors include Hannah, a daughter and son, one granddaughter, and two great-granddaughters.
- Margaret Rose Sullivan Guthrie ’47 (deceased December 4, 2013, in Santa Rosa, California). Madge (or Sully) was a valedictorian in her Colorado high school and received a scholarship to Reed, where she pursued an interest in chemistry. Madge and George B. Guthrie ’40 married in 1946 and moved to Pasadena, where Madge enrolled at Caltech and completed a BS in chemistry. They then moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and began a family. Following their divorce in 1960, Madge went to California. She was a science editor for the Stanford Research Institute, and there met Bruce Barclay. They married and made a home in Malibu. She became a resident of Santa Rosa in 1991. Madge was a photographer, a writer, and an editor, who sought to convey intellectual joy and to combat ignorance through her work. She took pride in her personal library and read thousands of books, noting each one in the journal she began in high school. Beyond an enjoyment of reading and a passion for learning, Madge developed an expertise in numerous other subjects that fascinated her, including sewing and acting. She is remembered as an engaging individual who enjoyed lively and in-depth conversation on a wide range of topics. Reflecting on her education later in life, Madge stated that Reed was part of a continuum of learning and a gem in recollection. “The variety of learning Reed provided increased knowledge and confidence, useful in my several occupations.” Survivors include three sons and three grandchildren.
- James Edmund Story ’68 (deceased February 27, 2010, in Roseburg, Oregon). Jim completed a BA in chemistry from Reed and went on to earn an MS in counseling psychology from Lewis & Clark College and a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of New Mexico. He was program director for the ADAPT counseling outpatient program in Roseburg. Jim and his wife, Margaret, had one daughter.