Grads

The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) Alumni Council held its annual commencement reception on Sunday, June 8. Nancy Silliman '95 (MALS'96) organized the event, and there was general agreement that this year's was the best yet. At the end of a spring in which it just wouldn't stop raining, it stopped raining for the entire day! In addition to the perfect weather, Nancy's work crew now functions like a well-oiled machine. Colby Bent (MALS'82) and Arnold Castagner (MALS'79) have perfected the art of champagne procurement and arranged a seemingly endless flow. Nancy lott (MALS'92) did her usual, splendid job of baking petits fours. She is in the process of selling her restaurant in Quechee, and may, at long last, be able to make a personal appearance at the reception next year. Judy Chypre (MALS'99) showed up at the crack of dawn and proceeded to do whatever needed to be done.

Joan Kersey (MALS'96) provided the spring flower arrangements. In addition to being a font of botanical information, Joan is the volunteer services coordinator at the Southwest State Correctional Facility in Windsor, Vermont. One of her responsibilities is to train and supervise Dartmouth undergraduates, who volunteer at the prison through the Tucker Foundation. During the spring term she had 11 students, who came on a weekly basis. Some conducted one-onone reading sessions with the prisoners. Others organized book and film groups or taught classes in piano, chess and (this is not a misprint) sculpture. Joan describes her work in a very offhand manner but, obviously, she and the students she works with are affecting other lives in a profound way.

In addition to the '03 graduates, MALS alumni, faculty, and friends and family of the graduates were invited to the reception. For MALS alumni one very special guest was Barbara Pringle, retired administrator of the program. We all enjoyed catching up on her news and her post-MALS life.

Graduate alumni attending the event included Frank Anthony (MALS'84), who was busy with final preparations for his annual summer writers' conference; MALS Alumni Council board president Mike Beahan (MALS'97); Grace Hill (MALS'75); Keoki Johnson (MALS '01), who now works with computers at Mascoma High School; Elizaveta Moussinova (MALS'02), who will be leaving the area this summer to begin a Ph.D. program in folklore at the University of Indiana in Bloomington; Margaret Richard (MALS'85); and Joan Tomasi (MALS '77).

Several of our new MALS alumni celebrating at the reception included Nicole Dupre (MALS'O3), who, with her husband, is moving to Turin, Italy; Lingling Zeng (MALS'03), who will also be leaving the area for a job in marketing and international business development; and Bill Tishler (MALS'03), who intends to continue pursuing his interest in film and media by writing popular literature on politics and working on documentaries. Since Bill will remain in the Hanover area, we hope to include him in alumni activities and to hear more about his projects in the near future.

The Arts & Sciences Graduate Alumni at Dartmouth (ASGAAD) presented its second poetry reading at Wheelock Terrace, an assisted living facility in Hanover, on Saturday, June 28. We intend this to be an ongoing project. If you are interested in joining us to read or listen to poetry, please call Nancy Silliman at (603) 646-3651.

175 Greensboro Road, Hanover, NH03755; (603) 643-3789; m.jme.welskadvgi8@alum.dartmouth.org