alumni

“K” Alum Travels to Japan Following Natural Disasters

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Ethan Segal ’90, professor of Japanese history at Michigan State University, made two trips to Japan following the March 11, 2011, earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown that continues to dramatically affect the northeastern part of the country.

Segal earned his B.A. in biology and did his study abroad in Japan (Waseda University in Tokyo). He earned advanced degrees from the University of Washington (M.A.) and Stanford University (Ph.D.). He is currently the 2011-12 Visiting Scholar at the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University. You can read his impressions from his recent visits to Japan here.

“K” Student and Alumni Earn Alpha Lamda Delta Honor Society Fellowships

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Two Kalamazoo College alumni and one current student have combined to earn three of the 23 national fellowships awarded this year by Alpha Lambda Delta honor society for outstanding students who are working towards a graduate or professional degree.

Emma Perry ’08, pursing a graduate degree in English at Boston University, received a $5,000 award. Amel Omari ’09, in the master’s of public health program at the University of Michigan, received a $3,000 award. Matthew DuWaldt ’12 earned a $3,000 award and will attend law school at a yet to be determined institution in the fall. Founded in 1924, Alpha Lambda Delta recognizes students who have succeeded in maintaining a 3.5 or higher GPA and are in the top 20 percent of their class.

Teju Cole Wins 2012 Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award

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Teju Cole
Author Teju Cole. Photo Credit: AP

Obayemi Onafuwa ’96, who writes under the pen name Teju Cole, has won the 2012 Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for a distinguished first book of fiction for Open City. Cole will receive a $10,000 prize from the Hemingway Foundation and PEN New England, as well as a residency in The Distinguished Visiting Writers Series at the University of Idaho’s MFA Program in Creative Writing.

The Hemingway award was founded in 1976 by Mary Hemingway, widow of Nobel Prize-winning writer Ernest Hemingway. Patrick Hemingway, the writer’s son, will present the prestigious literary award to Cole on April 1 at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.

Past recipients of the award include Edward P. Jones, who received an honorary degree from Kalamazoo College in 2011.

Cole is a writer, art historian, and street photographer. Born in the United States to Nigerian parents, he was raised in Nigeria and currently lives in Brooklyn. He received his B.A. in studio art and art history from Kalamazoo College; his M.A. in African art history from the University of London; and his M.Phil. in 16th-century northern European visual culture from Columbia University, where he is working on his Ph.D.

“Cathy McCann Drive” Named to Honor “K” Alum

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Catherine (Rutherford) McCann ’55 was a longtime resident and public servant of South Miami, Florida. She served 10 years as city commissioner and four years as mayor.

McCann passed away on April 19, 2009, at age 75. But recently, family and friends gathered to honor her legacy with the naming of Cathy McCann Drive in South Miami. The naming honors, in particular, her quest for affordable housing for all residents of her community.

Kiran Cunningham Appointed Teagle Pedagogy Fellow

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Kiran Cunningham ’83, Anthropology, has been appointed a Teagle Pedagogy Fellow by the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA). She is one of 20 Teagle Fellows chosen from GCLA member colleges for their knowledge of research on human learning and pedagogical technique, as well as for their strong interest in enhancing liberal arts teaching and learning.

Teagle Fellows will engage with faculty on their own and other GLCA campuses to explore different modes of pedagogy aimed at enhancing student learning and achievement. The fellowship program is funded by the Teagle Foundation, an influential national voice and catalyst for change in higher education dedicated to improving undergraduate student learning in the arts and sciences. The GLCA is a consortium of 12 private liberal arts colleges that includes Kalamazoo.

Alum John Davies Writes, Directs, and Produces the Play “Phunny Business: A Black Comedy”

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Phunny Business: A Black Comedy, produced, written, and directed by John Davies ’75 debuted Thursday, February 23, on Showtime.

The documentary chronicles the rise and fall of All Jokes Aside, a Chicago-based comedy venue considered by many to be the preeminent black comic showcase in America throughout the 1990s. The club provided early exposure to major talent like Steve Harvey, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Jamie Foxx, MoNique, Bernie Mac, D.L Hughley, Cedric The Entertainer, and others.

Davies’ documentary includes footage of these stars “back in the day,” as well as current interviews with them discussing the importance of the venue to their careers. The documentary will air throughout March and April.

SIPs into Published Works: Alumni Collaborate in Research

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When alumni mentor seniors doing their Senior Individualized Projects it can lead to co-authorship of published papers. The proof: Rebecca (Becky) Tonietto ’05 and Katherine (Katie) Ellis ’09. The two are coauthors of the paper “A comparison of bee communities of Chicago green roofs, parks and prairies,” which appeared in the journal Landscape and Urban Planning 103 (2011) 102-108.

Tonietto was a mentor for Ellis during the latter’s SIP, and the published article includes results from Katie’s senior research. Tonietto is working on a Ph.D. in plant biology and conservation at Northwestern University. According to Associate Professor of Biology Ann Fraser, the biology department has many examples of alumni serving as SIP mentors for seniors, “and entomology has been an especially fruitful area for this kind of collaboration,” she added.

Alum Takes Appellate Judge Seat for the District of Columbia Court of Appeals

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Corinne Beckwith ’85 was sworn in as an appellate judge for the District of Columbia Court of Appeals during ceremonies in Washington, D.C. She was nominated last spring by President Obama, earned Senate confirmation in November, and has been serving in the post since December.

Cori earned a B.A. degree in English from Kalamazoo and while here served a student internship at the Holland (Mich.) Sentinel newspaper. She earned a master’s degree in journalism from University of Illinois and later worked as a reporter at the Midland Daily News.

She earned her law degree in 1992 from the University of Michigan Law School. Since 1999, she’s worked as an attorney representing the rights of indigent criminal defendants on appeal in the Appellate Division of the Public Defender Service in Washington, D.C., and was appointed a supervisor in that office in 2009.

Alum Aubrey Parker Covers “Run Across Palestine”

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Aubrey Parker ’08 with a 200-year-old olive tree that was named in her honor
Aubrey Parker ’08 with a 200-year-old olive tree named in her honor

Alum Aubrey Parker Covers “Run Across Palestine” as Journalist series chronicling the event, and she plans to write an article on water issues related to olive farming for Circle of Blue. Parker is also pitching the story to other various media organizations.