{"id":4888,"date":"2017-01-25T09:58:41","date_gmt":"2017-01-25T17:58:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/chemistry_news\/?p=4888"},"modified":"2017-01-17T09:36:02","modified_gmt":"2017-01-17T17:36:02","slug":"alumni-news-from-reed-magazine-september-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.reed.edu\/chemistry_news\/2017\/01\/alumni-news-from-reed-magazine-september-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni News from Reed Magazine, September 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

The search for alumni news continued in The Art of the Conference<\/strong><\/a> in the September issue of the Reed magazine<\/strong>. Conferences have held a time-honored place in chemistry courses for at least 50 years, but the conduct of “conference” has always been malleable, embracing whatever tweaks seemed in the interest of students and subject matter at the time. Over the years, problem-solving, group work, and more, have all found places under the Conference Tent.<\/p>\n

My first glimpse of a chemistry alum came with decidedly mixed feelings on p. 1 of the magazine, the Table of Contents. The Table was topped with pictures of the 12 members of the Class of 2015 being profiled in the What Is a Reedie Anyway?<\/strong><\/a> feature on p. 26. Smack in the middle, with his trademark tinted hair, off-kilter hat, and ever-present smile was a photo of the late Mark Angeles ’15<\/strong>. Sadly, Mark was taken away from us only a few days after his graduation when a truck struck him and his bicycle in a fatal collision<\/strong><\/a>. As I read the profile of Mark on p. 37, I was reminded of the wonderful things that Reedies accomplish during<\/em> their four years at Reed. Mark’s life was filled with gusto and joy, and he shared his passion for living with an open heart. Mark’s family and friends have established a very fitting memorial: the Angeles Fellowship<\/strong><\/a> that will “support a SEEDS student intern, whose work on campus continues Mark\u2019s legacy of volunteerism and commitment to physical engagement as a component of service.”<\/p>\n

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Surprises awaited me in the Letters to Reed<\/strong><\/a> feature. John Graef ’60 wrote in (“Triumph on the Slopes”<\/strong><\/a>) to share his sadness over a recently deceased classmate and ski buddy, Terry Chase ’59, and also to tell us about his participation in a dorm prank during his freshman year. The prank, a classic one that has been repeated countless times on countless campuses, involved stacking #10 cans in front of the dorm door so that they covered the doorway. The target of Graef et al. was Prof. John Hancock<\/strong> [chemistry 1955-89] who maintained living quarters in the dorm. The confrontation between pranksters, the “curtain” of cans blocking the doorway, and the returning prof unfolded in true Hancockian fashion, “he was characteristically unruffled, reached out the handle of his ever-present umbrella, and pulled out one of the <\/em>bottom<\/span> cans<\/em> [emphasis added]. There ensued the most deafening din in the history of the school when those empty cans hit the floor in the corridor. He calmly stepped over the pile of cans and went into his room without a word.<\/em>” Another letter writer, the retired Prof. Angela Ayres [Spanish 1966-73] reminded the magazine’s editor (“Corrections”<\/strong><\/a>) that her late husband’s name was Fred<\/strong>, and not Frederick<\/strong>. The mistaken moniker had appeared in the In Memoriam section of the June 2015<\/strong><\/a> issue.<\/p>\n

Reed Profs Win $2.2 Million in Grants, Set 10-Year Record<\/a><\/strong> (p. 10) gave a respectful nod towards Prof. Rebecca LaLonde ’01<\/strong> [chemistry 2013-], the recipient of a $40,000 grant<\/strong><\/a> from the Research Corporation.<\/p>\n

Two pages later, the magazine traded on family relationships to sneak the names of two Reed chemists into a news article. The article not only introduced Deborah Kamali ’85 as one of two New Trustees<\/strong><\/a>, it also revealed that she was the spouse of Reed chemistry alum Kevan Shokat ’86<\/strong> and the parent of future chemistry alum Mitra Shokat ’18<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Organic chemistry got a special shout-out from graduate Will Horner ’15, as part of his profile in What Is a Reedie Anyway?<\/strong><\/a> Describing the Obstacles I overcame<\/strong>, Will pointed to a frustrating performance in the early weeks of o chem, and his eventual solution, “working many, many long nights in the library, I finally put the pieces together.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Class Notes<\/strong> informed us that James Gaw ’59<\/strong>, who is currently teaching chemistry, kayaking, and skiing, recently returned from a sabbatical (#3) divided between Denmark, a town in Western Australia and Tasmania … Claire Trageser ’05<\/strong> and Seth Hall celebrated their wedding with several Reedies in attendance (photo, p. 46) … while back in 2013 Ian MacDonald ’10<\/strong> and 15 other Reedies celebrated the wedding of Richard Beaumont ’08 and Michelle Christiansen (photo, p. 46) … and, finally, news that Megan Brophy ’10<\/strong> had received her PhD in biological chemistry from MIT, and moved back west to start a postdoc in fall 2015. Congratulations, Megan!<\/p>\n

In Memoriam<\/strong><\/a> told us of several Reed chemists, old and young, who had passed away in 2015. In brief,<\/p>\n