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CREATIVE THOUGHT Read all over J


ohanna Barr ’10 is busy these days. The En - glish major and government minor is a full- time news editor at the Huffington Post, a lead- ing online news aggregator, while also studying for a master’s degree in journalism at Columbia University. After Skidmore, Barr interned and freelanced


for print, radio, and online news outlets—experi- ence she calls “absolutely essential.” She says, “Working before going to grad school makes the things discussed in class concrete rather than ab stract, and en sures that by the time you enroll, you’re sure that the industry you’re in is the one you want.” She could have gone to Columbia immedi-


ately, but “I had my first interview at the Huf - fing ton Post a few hours be - fore I got my accept- ance letter, and I was offered the job within a couple


days. Needless to say, that was a good week!” She started in Columbia’s part-time program last summer. At HuffPo, Barr focuses on politics but also edits stories on business and finance, science, health, culture, and the arts. Although the final product appears only online, her workstation is a long table rimmed by editors, in the classic newspaper mode, in the old Wanamaker building on Broadway. Having spent three years as a peer tutor in


Skidmore’s Writing Center, Barr says, “Some - times I feel like the job I have now is like being a writing tutor on a larger scale. I interact with reporters in much the same way as I worked with the students I was tutoring, and the skills I picked up there have proven invaluable in my career.”


The daughter of a journalist, Barr also worked


on her high school paper. She says, “I’m a total news junkie who loves to write, and journalism felt like a good fit.” These days, she acknowl- edges, “maybe it’s not the easiest industry to work in, but I love it so far and couldn’t really imagine doing anything else.” —PD


poems in Flyway: Journal of Writing and Environment and in Red Wheelbarrow. In June I moved to NYC, where I live


with Rachel Mosner ’11 and work as a program officer at the Covenant Foun - dation, which supports innovative Jewish educational programming and honors outstanding Jewish educators. It has been a blast running into and reconnecting with Skidmore grads in all five boroughs! Big thanks to “all y’all” (it’s hard to get rid of pretty excellent southernisms) for keeping me posted on your adventures and experiences—it’s making me even more excited to see everyone in three years at our reunion! CLAIRE SOLOMON 104 W. 96TH STREET, APT. 27 NEW YORK, NY 10025-6495 CLAIRE.A.SOLOMON@GMAIL.COM


’11


Erin Donnellan is an agroforestry volunteer with Peace Corps Sene -


gal, working with farmers, women’s groups, and students to plant trees and implement new technologies. In Septem - ber she and volunteers from her region will hold their second annual girls’ leader- ship camp in Saint-Louis, Senegal. She says, “With the help of teachers and com- munity leaders, we will choose a few girls who show dedication and motivation in their school work to spend a week doing activities related to health, career develop- ment, self-expression, sports, and the environment.” The team hoped to raise more than $5,000 to cover speakers, mate- rials, food, etc. ALUMNI AFFAIRS OFFICE SKIDMORE COLLEGE 815 N. BROADWAY SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY 12866


In Memoriam Alumni


Miriam Temkin Kuskin ’34 of Marietta,


CA, died January 17, 2008. An art major, she received an MEd from the University of Maryland in 1965. She taught art and was a museum guide at the National Por - trait Gallery and Hillwood Museum, both in Washington, DC. She leaves a son, a daughter, two grandchildren, three great- grandchildren, and a sister. Her husband, Harry, predeceased her. Margaret Reed Van Name ’34 of Med -


ford, NJ, died July 7, 2007. She and her first husband, Bud Holmes, settled in Som erville, NJ, where she took part in numerous volunteer activities in her com- munity for more than 50 years. Predeceased


62 SCOPE FALL 2012


by Bud and second husband David, she leaves a daughter, a son, three grandchil- dren, and a great-grandson. Marie “Mimi” Heitmann Bender ’37 of


Washington Depot, CT, died February 17, 2011. She was a phys-ed major. She lived for many years in Bronxville, NY, where she was a charter member of the Boulder Ledge Garden Club. After husband George’s retirement in 1980, the couple moved to Connecticut to be nearer their daughter and her family. There Mimi joined the Washington Garden Club while studying for, and attaining, the rank of master judge; she led flower-arranging workshops and judged many shows. She was a church deacon and volunteered for the Washing - ton Environ men tal Council, Housatonic Valley Association, VNA Thrift Shop, and Gunn Library. She and George started a household-waste collection program for the Town of Washington and ran it for many years. She is survived by daughter Marie Bender Synnestvedt ’65, two grandsons, and four great-grandchildren. Her husband predeceased her. Rosalind Mendelson Zalkin ’37 of NYC, died December 26, 2008. She was an art major. She is survived by husband Leonard, a daughter, a daughter-in-law, three grandchildren, and four great-grand- children. Jeanne Hess ’39 of Guilderland, NY,


died June 14 after a long illness. A nursing major, she received a master’s in nursing from Columbia University’s Teachers College, with advanced studies in public health. After Skidmore, she joined the Kellogg Foundation in Michigan to pro- vide and expand rural public-health nurs- ing. She returned east after World War II to work for the Henry Street Settlement House in NYC. She later joined the New York State Health Department to establish public-health nursing services, including home deliveries, in upstate rural counties. At the department’s headquarters in Al - bany, she directed the Office of Nursing Manpower, developing baccalaureate nursing programs, policies for credential- ing public nurses, and standards for nurse midwifery and the emerging role of nurse practitioner. She was active with various national and state committees of the American Public Health Association, National League for Nursing, and NYS Nurses Association. She is survived by a sister, three nephews, a niece, and several grandnieces and -nephews. Frances Astrachan Stark ’39 of Pikes -


ville, MD, died May 31. She was a govern- ment major. Predeceased by husband Alexander, she is survived by a son, a


AT WORK


CHARLIE SAMUELS


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