Alumnae Memorials

Diane Winston Crocker ’47 passed away on July 22 in Bethesda, Md., at the age of 98, surrounded by family. Diane was a trailblazing female pathologist, graduating from BU Medical and going on to Brigham and Women’s for a decade. She then achieved leadership positions at Temple University, USC, UT-Memphis, and Cook County Hospitals. She was a full professor at Temple, USC, and UT-M. Diane authored over 200 medical publications and received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from BU in 1982. She enjoyed ballroom dancing, working with the American Cancer Society, and managing her avocado farm in her spare time. She will be sorely missed by her children and grandchildren.

Anne Crocker Hefter, daughter

Joan Saltman Levy ’49 from Bridgeport, Conn., died at age 97 on June 7. Joan always bloomed where she was planted and enjoyed a long, fulfilling life. Some of her happiest memories were made at Wellesley. She proudly attended class reunions, most recently her 75th with cherished roommates Sandy Pletman Rosenblum ’49 and Gretchen Rous Besser ’49. In 1950, she married Maurice Noel Levy, Jr., also of Bridgeport. Noel predeceased her in 2009. They spent nearly 50 years in Texas, raised their family, and never looked back. She enjoyed travel, politics, and community service.

Elizabeth Levy ’82, daughter

Mary Clifton “Clif” Griswold Horrigan ’54 died in Portsmouth, N.H., on Jan. 16 at the age of 92. Originally from Louisville, Ky., Clif studied chemistry at Wellesley. In 1955, she married James Horrigan, a college professor. While raising her three children, Timothy, Eleanor, and Katherine, Clif earned two master’s degrees: one in education at Notre Dame and one in hydrology from the University of New Hampshire. She worked at the University of New Hampshire and was a tireless volunteer for many environmental causes, with a deep love of the ocean and respect for all creatures great and small.

Ellie Horrigan Spyropoulos ’80, daughter

Lynn Brussock Barrell ’55 died on Nov. 16, 2024. Born on May 16,1933, in Milwaukee, she was a proud member of the class of 1955. After Wellesley, Lynn went on to earn an M.B.A. at University of Pennsylvania’s prestigious Wharton School, one of the first women to do so. Lynn had a brief career working as a financial analyst at the University of Pennsylvania and later at Girard Bank. After marrying Stanley Barrell, Lynn retired from professional work as she and Stan started a family. From then on, Lynn was very committed to raising their two children, Susan and Ted.

Susan Campbell, daughter

Susan May ’56 died on Aug. 3 at age 90. She was the daughter, granddaughter, sister, and sister-in-law of Wellesley alumnae. From 1968 until 1996, Susan was a beloved English professor, faculty senate leader, and scholar at Longwood University in Virginia. Her life’s work, building on her University of Pennsylvania Ph.D. dissertation and assembled tirelessly over a half-century, long past her formal retirement, was the New Variorum Edition of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, summarizing 400 years of literary criticism. In 1984, Susan married fellow Longwood professor Robert May, whose last name she already shared, and who survives her. Susan taught thousands of students, inspiring many future English teachers and fostering in countless others a love of literature.

Larissa Smith, provost and vice president for academic affairs, Longwood University

Elsa Kahn Ramin ’56 died on June 29. During her last few years, she was a model of determination, strength, and resilience, just as she had been for her whole life. We were roommates before Elsa married Jerry at the beginning of junior year and then commuted until graduation. She was the mother of three sons when she earned an M.S.W. and worked for 25 years as a psychiatric social worker at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Her family (including five grandchildren and one great-grandchild) was most important to her. They respected her for her warmth, keen intellect, and unswerving integrity. My dear friend will be missed.

Sara Levy Danziger ’56

Patricia Nicoll Agnew ’59 died peacefully at Hospice House in Bloomington, Ind., on April 9, due to complications from a fall. A history major, Pat met her future husband, Gates Agnew (Princeton ’57), on a blind date at Wellesley. After marrying in 1958, she completed her degree at the University of Hawaii. The couple were married for 63 years, until Gates’ death in 2023. Pat became a highly respected clinical psychologist and was active in Trinity Episcopal Church in Bloomington and in local social justice initiatives. She is survived by her four children, Emily, Elizabeth, Ken, and Andrew, and by nine grandchildren.

Elizabeth Agnew, daughter

Neylan Akra Bâli ’60 passed away on April 3. Neylan majored in political science. At the University of Pittsburgh, she earned a master’s and a Ph.D. in public and international affairs. She joined the United Nations, where she had a 33-year career, retiring in 1999 as director of the Security Council, the first woman to serve in that role. She arrived at Wellesley from Istanbul, and credited the College with preparing her for a career in international public service and instilling in her the sense that she could achieve whatever she set her mind to. At the UN, she worked to advance the status of women, paving the way for generations of women who followed her into the organization. Ishan, her husband of 57 years, two daughters, and three grandchildren survive her.

Asli and Elif Bâli, daughters

Carol Ohta ’62 died on May 3. Carol taught and then was a middle school librarian at Punahou School in Honolulu for 40 years. She also devoted countless hours to helping others and volunteering at the Church of the Crossroads, the first intentionally interracial church in Hawai‘i. She danced the hula and enjoyed yoga. She and her husband, Jim, backpacked through Spain, Switzerland, Japan, and South America. They had two sons, David and Matthew. A friend described her as “unflappable. … She could handle anything. She had a wonderful laugh and a smile that turned the day on.”

Polly Aird ’62

Catharine Watkins Foster ’65 died on June 26. Born in Worcester, Mass., Cathy attended school there and in Morris Township, N.J., graduating as valedictorian. She worked at the Telegram and Gazette newspaper for 23 years as a society reporter-editor and pioneered the layout of pages by computer. There she met her husband, Robert Foster. In 1989 they moved to Kennebunk, Maine, where she volunteered at the Kennebunk library, delivering books to shut-ins. Cathy was a brilliant writer, loyal fan of the Red Sox and Arnold Palmer, and my friend for 64 years. She will be greatly missed by stepchildren Mark Foster and Cynthia Smith, nephew Peter Antos-Ketcham, four grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

Barbara Parkhurst McCall ’63

Carol White ’66 of San Francisco died of a stroke on April 6 while in Morocco. Carol was a sociology major, and after receiving a master’s degree in social work had a 40-year career with the City of San Francisco, followed by a second career as a tax preparer. After retirement, she traveled the world. The day before she died, she rode a camel across the Sahara sand dunes. Carol was a regular participant in class mini-reunions, the last being less than three weeks before her death. She leaves behind her son, grandsons, siblings, and the many friends and colleagues who crowded into her house in June to celebrate her life.

Nancy Ober ’66

Charlotte “Charli” Dent Unger ’71 died on July 2, one year after a diagnosis of ALS, which she faced with characteristic strength and quiet determination. We met as freshmen from Seattle. She spent her first two years in Severance, then moved to McAfee. Senior year, she married her MIT sweetheart, Tom. After living in Seattle, the family, with sons, Geoff, Graham, and Spencer, moved to Sun Valley, Idaho. There she embraced the outdoors: hiking, backpacking, downhill and backcountry skiing. She applied her economics background to community philanthropy and was particularly proud of her role as founder of the Wood River Women’s Foundation. Charli lost Tom to cancer in 2012. Her smile and enthusiastic spirit is missed by many friends, her sons, and two grandchildren.

Marcia Williams ’71

Geraldine “Gerry” Gallow Tucker ’73 died on May 6. I met Gerry in the first hours of the first day we arrived at Wellesley. We both lived in Freeman and soon became close friends. Coming from a very small town in central Louisiana, Gerry was often both amused and bemused by Wellesley life—especially its foodways. (“What are popovers, anyway?” and “Why is it so hard to find good hot sauce up here?”) After school, she married and, after several years, divorced. She ended up living most of her life very quietly in and around Boston but had little connection with Wellesley after leaving it. Gerry died in early spring, after a long illness. She is survived by a daughter, a son, and six grandchildren.

Karen Grigsby Bates ’73

Mary Ellen Martin Zellerbach ’73 passed away on June 18. Mary Ellen was a true trailblazer in finance, philanthropy, and mentorship. At Wells Fargo, she introduced the first international index fund, which helped democratize investing and transformed retirement security worldwide. Pensions & Investments recognized her as one of the most influential women in institutional investing over the past 50 years. She was a founder and co-chair of the Wellesley Business Leadership Council. She loved skiing, golf, swimming, art, music, culture, and travel. A devoted Francophile, she took many French cooking courses and was a gourmet French chef at heart. Mary Ellen is survived by her beloved husband of 47 years, John, her two children and grandchildren, and many treasured siblings and friends.

Cynthia Stewart Reed ’77
Jackie Shoback ’88

Nancy Miniszek Phelps ’73 of Danbury, N.H., passed away on June 28. With her Wellesley B.A., Columbia M.A., and Virginia Tech Ph.D. in psychology, she devoted her career to clinical psychology. An Outward Bound graduate and passionate outdoorswoman, Nancy was a skier, mountain climber, and Appalachian Mountain Club New Hampshire trip leader who made more than 1,500 ascents of the 4,000-footers in the White Mountains. Knitting through art history at Wellesley, Nancy began her lifelong creation of handknit gifts, inspired by wildflowers she loved to paint. Remembered for her joy of life, sense of humor, and love for the outdoors, Nancy is survived by her husband, Myrl, two sisters, and countless friends.

Jane Ward ’73

Julia Alexander ’89 died suddenly on May 4 at age 57. Julia was a brilliant art historian, a loving mother, and a dear friend. An art history and French double major at Wellesley, she earned an M.A. in French literature at New York University and a Ph.D. in history of art at Yale. She was a trailblazing leader in the museum world, first at the Yale Center for British Art, then the San Diego Museum of Art, and, from 2013–24, as the Andrea B. & John H. Laporte Executive Director and CEO of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. In 2024, she began her new position as president of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. We will all miss the joy she brought to everything she did.

Jacqueline Marie Musacchio ’89

Jennifer Kok Lyon ’89 passed away on June 19. Born on June 29, 1968, in Kuching, Malaysia, she pursued a life of purpose and dedication. After graduating from Wellesley, she went on to earn her medical degree from Georgetown Medical School in 1993, elected as senior class president. She completed her pediatric residency at the University of California, San Francisco and was chief resident in her final year. Jenny’s commitment to healing and service left a lasting impact on those she cared for throughout her professional and personal journey.

Cindy Kok Hinman, sister

Susan Gies Conley ’93 passed away on June 21. Her scholarship was only surpassed by her care for her Wellesley sisters, continuing as she offered newer graduates her ear, a hug, and advice. She worked for the green class of 1993 through planning committees and running cocktail hours at multiple reunions. She knew what was important! Susan’s deepest passion was singing. At Wellesley, she sang with the glee club and choir, serving on the leadership committees of both, and later at her church, where she was a fierce advocate for the LGBTQIAP+ community members. Those who met her in college or through the Wellesley network will miss her dearly and smile when we think of her patience, kindness, and love.

Emily Dryselius Page ’93

Thelma Pellagrini, former administrative assistant in the Wellesley history department, passed away on Jan. 9, at the age of 91. Thelma built lasting friendships with professors, students, and colleagues over the 17 years she worked at Wellesley. She loved strolling the campus at lunch hour, cheering on her student assistants when they graduated, celebrating the many department professor successes, and keeping the office impeccably organized. Thelma welcomed many whom she worked with into her home, where lively conversations and delicious meals were shared by all. In her later years, mention of Wellesley College continued to produce a warm smile—a testament to her joy of working there.

Diane Pellagrini, daughter