Penny Ann Levin ’71 of Johns Pass, Fla., died January 12. A government major, she earned a JD from Boston College Law School and an LLM in ocean- coastal law from the University of Miami. She was an assistant district attorney in Boston and in-house counsel for the National Marine Fisheries Service and Raymond James, where she established its compliance program. She later founded a mediation company, Equitable Solutions. A longtime Special Olympics volunteer and board member of the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, she was a philanthropist who supported a number of civic organizations. She was a member of the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, Mensa, and the Massachusetts Audubon Society. She served Skidmore as a cam- paign volunteer. She is survived by two sisters and several nieces and nephews. Deborah Renjilian Kwiatoski ’75 of Highland, N.Y., died December 12 of can- cer. She completed a bachelor’s at Indiana University. She was owner and editor of the Hudson Valley Journal. She is survived by husband Stephen, two daughters, her parents, and four brothers. Nikki Brink Beare, UWW ’79, of Havana, Fla., died November 10. She majored in women’s studies. A longtime journalist who contributed to the Miami News, Tallahassee Democrat, and South Dade Free Press, she also ran her own PR consultancy. She was one of the first female lobbyists in Florida and represent- ed such clients as the Florida Hospital Association, the Florida Bicycle Association, and Kodak. A women’s rights activist, she fought for the Equal Rights Amendment and was a founding member of the National Organization for Women, the Florida Women’s Political Caucus, and the Veteran Feminists of America. She co- founded the Havana Learning Center and served on the board of Refuge House, a shelter for victims of domestic violence. The author of several books, she attended the third UN World Conference on Women in Nairobi in 1985 and the fourth in Beijing in 1995. She is survived by hus- band Richard, a daughter, and six grand- children.


Jennifer Warner ’79 of Ballston Spa,


N.Y., died December 7. A geology major, she was a senior hydrogeologist for Nova Consulting of Minneapolis. Active in the community, she was captain of the Saratoga YMCA’s indoor rowing team. She is survived by a son. Alice Kittredge ’83 of Rockland, Maine, died September 8, 2009. An art major, she pursued graduate studies at the Maryland


66 SCOPE SPRING 2015


School of Art. She worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art before launching careers in telecom sales and hotel management. An accomplished artist, she mentored others in her studio in Rockland. She is survived by her father and an uncle.


Doreen Hudson, UWW ’89, of Madison, Conn., died September 5 from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. She majored in business administration and later earned certification as an electronics technician. She and her husband, Donald, ran their business, Respond Systems, for more than 30 years. She is survived by a son, two stepchildren, and three grand- children.


Trustees and others Former first lady Anne Tonnesen Palamountain, a history-making figure at Skidmore, died January 24 in Saratoga Hospital from pneumonia. She was 91 years old.


She came to campus in 1965, accompa- nying husband Joseph C. Palamountain Jr. as he became the fourth president of Skidmore. At his side and through her own initiatives as a fundraiser and com- munity liaison, she played a pivotal role in the life of Skidmore and Saratoga for 50 years.


During Joe Palamountain’s presidency, 1965–87, Skidmore built and occupied a new campus, adopted coeducation and doubled the size of the student body, chartered a chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society, launched a pioneering University Without Walls program, and grew its dangerously small endowment to stabilize the college’s financial footing. When Joe Palamountain retired and died soon after in 1987, Anne continued her advocacy and leadership. Her greatest pas- sion was building endowment for finan- cial aid, to make Skidmore accessible to a wider range of students. In 1979 she spearheaded the annual Palamountain Scholarship Benefit, a polo gala that soon became a key event of the Saratoga sum- mer season. She went on to preside over the event for 35 years, and remained active in it up until her death, helping the Palamountain Scholarship Fund reach $5.8 million today. She also took part in hundreds of Skidmore events on campus and around the country.


Anne Palamountain was named an hon-


orary alumna of the Class of 1973; she also received a 1986 alumni award for outstanding service, a 1987 Kemball-Cook Award from the board of trustees, and a 1997 honorary doctorate. She was an


advisor for the development of the Tang Museum, whose Palamountain Gallery was named in her honor. In 2004, she was awarded Skidmore’s Lucy Scribner Medal. Just as active in the wider community, she received the President’s Award of the Hudson Mohawk Association of Colleges and Universities in 1994, a Woman of the Year Award from the Saratoga County Soroptimists in 1999, the Kathryn Starbuck Award for community service to Saratoga in 2001, and an honor from the city’s Rotary Education Foundation in 2003. She was a recipient of the county bar association’s Liberty Bell Award and was twice honored in resolutions by the New York State Assembly.


She was board president of the Lake George Opera and board member of the Yaddo artists’ retreat and WMHT public television. Other beneficiaries of her sup- port and service ranged from Planned Parenthood and the League of Women Voters to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center and the National Museum of Racing. An avid traveler, she was a US del- egate to the Pan-Pacific South East Asia Women’s Association. Survivors include sons Bruce and Bromley. A memorial service was held May 13 at Skidmore’s Zankel Music Center. Memorial contributions may be made to the Palamountain Scholarship Fund c/o the Advancement Office at Skidmore.


Faculty and staff Shirley Webb, a longtime staffer at Scribner Library, died October 17 in Albany. With her RN degree, she worked at New


York City’s Bellevue Hospital as a critical- care pediatric nurse, spent three years in Japan while her husband was stationed with the military, and then worked for nearly 20 years in a Saratoga Springs pedi- atrics practice. Webb’s father had worked in the Skidmore Post Office, and in 1976 she joined Skidmore’s library staff, first as a reference assistant and then in interli- brary loan; she retired in 1994. Fellow library retiree Mary O’Donnell says, “Shirley was a beautiful lady who provid- ed lots of laughs. We were a tight group that fit together like a puzzle.” Webb was also active in her church and its choir. Survivors include husband Leroy, a son and daughter, five grandchildren, and two cousins. Memorial donations may be made to a local ASPCA in her name.


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