Cynthia RockwellBenh Zeitlin ’04, director of Beasts of the Southern Wild, and producer Dan Janvey ’06 joined Director of the Cinema Archives and Corwin-Fuller Professor of Film Studies Jeanine Basinger on Nov. 12 for a free-wheeling Q&A on the making of their indie hit, Beasts of the Southern Wild. The talk took place in the Goldsmith Family Cinema. They began by showing a segment on the making of the film—“a world premiere,” they noted, adding that it will be included on the DVD when the film is released for home viewing. Currently the Sundance and Cannes award-winner is still showing in theaters and…
Nicholas Dirks ’72, a College of Social Studies major, and currently Columbia University's executive vice president and dean of the faculty of Arts and Sciences, was selected as University of California Berkeley's 10th chancellor, pending a vote on the terms by the U.C. Board of Regents in late November. Currently Dirks is the Franz Boas Professor of Anthropology and History at Columbia. He is the author of three books on India, including The Scandal of Empire: India and the Creation of Imperial Britain (Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2006). His 2001 book, Castes of Mind, published by Princeton University…
Kimberly Muellers ’12, communications director for the nonprofit Brighter Dawns, spent part of her post-graduation summer in Bangladesh, helping provide a village with access to clean water. The Boston Globe highlighted the work of Massachusetts native Muellers in a recent article titled “Westwood Woman Helping in Bangladesh.” “There are so many preventable diseases that can be solved so easily just by having clean water and good hygiene,” Muellers told The Globe. “Our main focus is on sanitation issues.” Muellers was joined this summer in Bangladesh by Tasmiha Khan ’12, Brighter Dawns CEO, as well as Fahim Zaman, Brighter Dawns director…
Bekkie Wright '85 has had an ongoing goal: An under-four-hour marathon in all 50 states. A member of Team Marathon Bar for the past two years, Wright succeeded in her quest on Oct. 24, 2012, in Mason City, Iowa, running the Newman Marathon. "Currently there are less than 30 people who have achieved that mark and I was only the fourth woman to reach that milestone," she notes. A soccer player at Wesleyan, Wright didn’t start her marathon running until 1993. Her first took place on a snowy, 17-degree Chicago day—but she didn’t stop there. Since then, she’s run more…
At Wesleyan's Neighborhood Preschool on Lawn Avenue, a 23-year-old wooden playscape with safety issues needed to come down. Mark Woodworth ’94, father of current NPS student Dylan, and head coach of Wesleyan's baseball team, signed up to help. On Oct. 5, Woodworth and his team set aside the baseball bat and took swings with sledge hammers and mallets, wielding tools, and lifting timbers between their Friday morning classes. During playtime, the NPS students looked on in amazement, repeating to each other what their teacher, Karyn Hurlbert reminded them, "Stay out of the sandbox"—where the baseball team was dismantling their old climber. The…
Musician Jack Freudenheim ’79, working in conjunction with Larson Associates and the John Cage Trust, created an app that allows one to play the sounds of John Cage's “prepared piano." It was released in time to celebrate what would have been Cage's 100th birthday. An ethnomusicology major at Wesleyan concentrating on South Indian music, Freudenheim remembers reading John Cage’s book, Silence, as an undergraduate in the course “Introduction to Electronic Music” (taught by then-graduate student Nicolas Collins). He still considers reading the book a life-altering experience. After college, he became a computer programmer—as well as a musician— “and whenever possible…
(Story contributed by Lily Baggott ’15) West Coast artist Evan Bissell ’05 has a new project: "The Knotted Line." Bissell, who holds a B.A. in studio arts and American studies from Wesleyan, was previously known for his work on What Cannot Be Taken Away: Families and Prisons Project, a series of portraits depicting prisoners and their loved ones. The multimedia installation is an “interactive history of freedom and confinement in the geographic area of the United States from 1495 to 2025.” Available online, on smartphones, and in a print version, the project is designed for educational purposes in schools and…
The American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy and Resources Law (SEER) has elected Seth Davis ’72 as its publications officer. A partner in Elias Group LLP and adjunct professor in Pace Law School’s environmental program, Davis will oversee the quarterly journal National Resources & Environment and the annual Year in Review, as well as the section’s books and newsletters. The ABA Section of Environment, Energy and Resources represents nearly 11,000 lawyers, serving as a forum for strategies and information and keeping its members up-to-date on development trends, court decisions, legislative initiatives and statutes. "I have been an active member…
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(Contributed by Gabe Rosenberg ’16) Two years after he passed away, Werner T. Angress ’49 is having his story told to the world – again. While Angress found himself as a prominent subject of another Wesleyan alum’s book – The Virginia Plan: William B. Thalhimer and a Rescue From Nazi Germany (The History Press, 2011), Robert Gillette ’59’s history of the successful rescue effort of 21 Jewish adolescents during World War II – he finished translating his own memoir from German to English. Angress died before either account of his life could be released, however, so his children took it upon themselves to publish…
(Contributed by Gabe Rosenberg ’16) One of this year’s most influential foreign policy leaders is a Wesleyan alumna, and she’s part of The Diplomatic Courier’s “99 Under 33.” Stephanie Schwartz ’08 has been named as someone who “mobilizes people in the foreign policy community with bold new ideas,” as part of the publication’s project, together with the nonprofit Young Professionals in Foreign Policy, to name the top 99 leaders under the age of 33. Schwartz, who holds a B.A. in government from Wesleyan, is the author of Agents of Change: Youth in Post-Conflict Reconstruction. The book examines the role of…
John Brown ’85 recently joined INTECH as senior vice president and global head of client development, a newly-created role designed to focus on continued client-service excellence. Previously, he was managing director of the sales, marketing and product development team at Hartford Investment Management Company. INTECH is located in West Palm Beach, Fla. with its research office in Princeton, N.J., and international division in London, England. As of June 2012, INTECH had approximately $39.4 billion under management and 80 employees worldwide. Prior to working at Hartford Investment Management Company, Brown was affiliated with Fortis Investments in Boston, where he was an executive vice…