Smith Quarterly

Alum News

The Longest Night

Telling a Smithie Titanic survivor's story for the first time.

  • Alum News
  • July 17, 2024

A Magazine for the Smith of Today

For the first time in more than 25 years, the magazine has undergone a complete redesign, now with a more contemporary look, a bolder color palette, and new features that highlight the intellectual culture of Smith as well as the many ways its entire community—students, staff, faculty, and alums—is uplifting the liberal arts and changing the world.

Read more about the new Smith Quarterly

Scene

A group of students clapping and smiling at Ivy Day, holding roses.

Voices of Change

Among the many inspiring words spoken at this year’s Commencement weekend in May were those by senior class president Hamssatou Almahamoudou Maiga ’24, left, and Ivy Day speaker Mariam Ahmed ’24, right. “We can bring change; we have priceless work to do,” Maiga told 667 fellow degree recipients gathered on May 19 for their graduation ceremony. At Ivy Day, Ahmed spoke in her family’s language of Arabic to touch on the multiple meanings of “generosity” shown by fellow classmates and alums. “I have countless examples of Smithies advocating to make a difference,” she said. “It is my hope that the generosity of Smithies will continue to inspire each of us to advocate for each other, and to advocate for a better world.”

Photo by Henry Amistadi.
Four alums in a row boat on Paradise Pond

A Splash of Tradition

Boating on Paradise Pond is a longstanding Reunion tradition—a way of reconnecting with people, places, and memories. As part of Reunion activities, the doors to the 100-year-old boathouse are opened to “let folks meander through and take a boat out on the pond or up the Mill River,” says Scott Johnson, outdoor adventure program manager for Smith athletics and a 25-year veteran of Reunion weekends. Canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards are all options, Johnson says, but rowboats are “very quintessential Smith.” Many of the 1,600- plus alums who returned to campus in May for Reunions I and II took advantage of open paddling hours on the pond.

Photo by Jessica Scranton.
A group of alums wearing blue at Ivy Day, posing together in the crowd

If the Suit Fits

Dressed up as “Wonder Women” for the Ivy Day parade during this year’s Reunion I weekend, Letitia (Tish) Roberts ’64, right, proudly sports her original Smith gym suit—a Wright & Ditson white shirt and blue cotton-knit bloomers. Carolyn Erdmann Brewer ’64, left, wears a gym suit belonging to a classmate who couldn’t attend the celebration, while Julia Chase-Brand ’64, center, would have worn her old suit were it not already on display as part of Smith’s Historic Clothing Collection. “What a sight!” Roberts said of class members marching around campus with close to 1,000 fellow alums from across the decades.

Photo by Jim Gipe.

Data Point

-$2,415,890

The reduction in student loans taken out by Smith undergraduates in 2023-24, following the shift from loans to grants in student financial aid packages three years ago.

Favorites: Smithie Stuff We Love

Apparel

A painter based in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Marlene Rye ’93 broadened her business to offer clothing after beating breast cancer and becoming a personal trainer. “After being in pain for so long, being able to exercise was such a gift,” she says. “Exercise became joyful. And now I have found a way to bring my art and the joy of exercise together.” Instead of traditional prints, Rye’s Seek Joy Apparel line showcases her original artwork on leggings, sports bras, and more. By Megan Tkacy.

Get the look

Archetypes: Exploring Smith College Special Collections

Round the World with Nellie Bly—Board Game, 1890

By Cheryl Dellecese

In 1887, Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochrane, 1864–1922), a pioneering investigative reporter for the New York World, made a name for herself when she went undercover as a mentally ill patient for Ten Days in a Mad-House, a six-part exposé on life in an asylum. Her next big project, in 1889, was a record-setting trip around the world in 72 days (inspired by Jules Verne’s novel Around the World in 80 Days), during which Bly sent daily dispatches to the New York World from far-flung locations around the globe. Ever the feminist, she also used the trip to dispel the stereotypical image of the female traveler laden with luggage by traveling light, taking only the dress she wore, an overcoat, several changes of underwear, a small bag of toiletries, and a sack of English and American currency tied around her neck. By the time she returned to America, she was a bona fide celebrity, and her image appeared on all sorts of products from playing cards to the Round the World with Nellie Bly board game manufactured by McLoughlin Bros. The board consisted of 72 illustrated squares that described Bly’s location on each day of her journey. Players used a spinner to determine how many squares to move forward or backward. (Specifically, players used the “McLoughlin Bros.’ Indicator,” described as a “Complete and Unobjectionable Substitute for, and Improvement upon Dice, Teetotums, &c.”) The first player to arrive at square 73—which represented a return home to New Jersey—was the winner.

You Had To Be There

In October, dozens of Smithies traveled from around the world to attend a four-day Smith in Asia gathering. The event’s highlights included a visit to the historic Baek In-je House in Seoul, where Smithies wore traditional hanbok dresses; a candlelit dinner at a restaurant coincidentally named Smith Hanok; a Korean makeup tutorial at Jung Saem Mool Beauty; and a talk on the global rise of Korean pop culture hosted by Hyo-Won Lee ’05. During a stop at Seoul’s famous Gwangjang Market, from left, Başak Kocaman ’02, Mahbina Waheed ’95, Habiba Hussain ’17, and Aamena Gilani ’17 sat down to enjoy a bounty of freshly prepared street food. “I wish I could go back,” Kocaman says. “It was the best trip ever.”

Check Out Class Notes

Puzzle: A Feminist Icon Turns 90


Issue Archive

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Past Reads

Check out some articles from past issues of the Smith Quarterly to see how members of the Smith community have been working to push the world forward.

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Change in Obituary Policy

The Quarterly recently revised its obituary policy. Beginning with the Summer 2024 issue, the magazine will continue publishing a comprehensive “In Memoriam” listing of deceased alums but will no longer print 100-word obituaries. The reasons for this change are addressed here.

Q: Will the names of deceased alums still be listed in the magazine?
A: Yes. The “In Memoriam” listing of deceased alums and faculty members will continue to appear in each issue of the magazine. You can view a recent example of the list in the online version of the magazine. There is also a section of Legacy.com specifically dedicated to obituaries of deceased Smith alums and other members of the Smith community, populated with notices published by a host of major newspapers. 

Q: What’s the reasoning behind eliminating 100-word obituaries?
A: Over the years, many readers, including family members of deceased alums, have expressed concerns about the fairness of the magazine’s obituary policy. They wondered why some alums are memorialized with 100-word obituaries while others are not. Magazine staff did not write these obituaries but instead published submissions from family members and friends of deceased alums. Recent data shows that only 20% of deceased alums—one in five—received an obituary in the magazine. Moreover, individuals were often frustrated by the magazine’s 100-word limit as well as the often long delay in printing obituaries because of our quarterly production schedule. We believe that running the “In Memoriam” list is the most appropriate and equitable way to recognize our deceased alums.

Q: Why is the magazine changing this policy now?
A: With the Summer 2024 issue, the magazine will debut a top-to-bottom redesign. It represents the first time the magazine has been redesigned in decades. Ceasing the publication of 100-word obituaries has been a topic of discussion for some time, but the decision to do so in tandem with the magazine’s redesign felt most appropriate. Celebrating the lives and accomplishments of our alums will continue to be the heart of the magazine’s mission.

Q: Can I still report the death of an alum?
A: Yes. The Smith College Office of Alumnae Relations accepts and fact-checks death notices from family members and friends of deceased alums. To report a death, use our web form or email the records department directly at smithierecords@smith.edu. 

Q: How else can alums honor deceased classmates?
A: Alums are welcome to submit a class note with a short reflection or memory of a deceased classmate or family member for possible inclusion in the magazine. (Please note, full obituaries will not be published in the class notes section.) We encourage class officers to publish classmates’ obituaries on Smith-hosted websites. And alums can find Smithie obituaries on the Smith community page of Legacy.com. Please be assured that the decision to run only the “In Memoriam” listing in the magazine was made after much thoughtful reflection and in the best interest of our readers.