Tributes to alumnae from friends and family
Nancy Poteet Kaul ’42 died on Aug. 19, 2023, at 101. Nancy attended Wellesley from 1938 to 1940. She recalled trying to navigate across campus on one of her first days on campus (at age 16) as the surprise 1938 hurricane came through. She graduated from the University of Missouri and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. While caring for husband and five children, Nancy also volunteered as a docent for 37 years at Kansas City’s Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. A strong supporter of the local Wellesley club, she was president from 1980 to 1982 and helped with many fundraising garden tours. Even very late in life she did volunteer storytelling for preschoolers, took continuing education classes, and painted vibrant watercolors. Nancy’s graciousness, upbeat personality, and “Why not?” attitude enriched many lives.
Libby Kaul Clark, daughter
Madeline “Lin” Dyer Knapp ’46 passed away on Nov. 16, 2023, at age 99. Madeline was born on Feb. 10, 1924, in New Bedford, Mass. She graduated from New Bedford High School in 1942. She married Hugh Knapp in 1946 and moved to Hugh’s home town of Camas, Wash., where Hugh began practicing law. Madeline was a part-time Spanish teacher at Camas High School from 1963 to 1987. She was an accomplished pianist and for 12 years played for Camas High School musical productions. She enjoyed an active lifestyle of swimming, golf, and walking.
Deb Knapp, daughter
Constance “Connie” Anderson Tate ’48 died peacefully on Oct. 6, 2023, at the age of 96. Connie attended the Brearley School in New York City and earned an M.A. in education from Bridgeport University. She was married for 44 years to Robert Tate, Jr., an Exxon lawyer, who died in 1992. Connie had a career as an English teacher at several private girls schools in Manhattan. She was a leader in the YWCA-USA and YWCA-NYC. She is survived by two sons, Robert and John, seven grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter. A third son, Gerald, died in 2021.
Robert Tate, son
Adelle Dean Buck ’49 died on Oct. 7, 2023. Mom was proud of her Wellesley lineage: grandmother Grace Grenell Farmer 1893; mother, Lois Farmer Dean ’24; and daughters, Carolyn Buck ’78 and Nancy Buck McCormick ’80. Mom loved her Wellesley friends, Paramecium Pond, the Botanic Gardens, and, of course dragonflies, the topic of her senior thesis. She was very active in her church community, owned a successful antiques consignment shop for many years, and loved to garden. Above all, Mom loved her family. She lived a full life and will be sorely missed.
Carolyn Buck ’78 and Nancy Buck McCormick ’80, daughters
June Crehore Gulick ’50 died on Aug. 17, 2023. Her diverse, impressive career spanned more than six decades. She worked as a financial analyst and accountant in New York. Her most enduring legacy was teaching first grade through high school at Princeton Day School and The Hun School, both in New Jersey. Her passion for building strong foundations in reading and mathematics left a positive and lasting impact on many of her students. In the 1960s, June co-founded and ran the Wellesley Antique Show in Princeton to fund scholarships at Wellesley. She provided financial assistance to numerous local organizations. These commitments extended into her 80s.
Katherine Hoffman, daughter
Edith Liffman Roberts ’51 passed away at 93. My mother was everything, I think, that Wellesley at the time hoped for a Wellesley woman—principally, smart and independent. She lived and worked in the U.S. and abroad during the Mad Men era of advertising, for those who understand that TV show allusion. She didn’t bother getting married until her late 30s, which was quite a social statement then. I’ve always been grateful for what Wellesley meant to her and hope that the school means as much to students now as it did, in a very different time, to her. My youngest will certainly visit Wellesley as she gets closer to college age.
Glen W. Roberts II, son
Judith “Judy” Fargo Ostrow ’55 died on Nov. 1, 2023, in Seattle. Judy was born in 1933 in Los Angeles. She was married for 57 years to Donald Ostrow, M.D. (1930–2013). She earned a master of library science and worked as a librarian in Evanston, Ill. Judy was involved in the Episcopal church, League of Women Voters, Evanston Ecology Center, Women’s University Club, Cathedral Kitchen Garden, and Gilbert & Sullivan Society. She enjoyed all things British—traveling, gardening, performing arts, serving on organization boards—and was an excellent sweater knitter. Judy is survived by her sister, three children, and four grandchildren.
Bruce Ostrow, son
Michiko Hosomi Asano ’55 passed away on Nov. 19, 2023, at age 91. Asano-san is survived by son Yoshihiko and daughter Yukari. She was preceded in death by her husband, Kaisaku. She attended Japan Women’s University for two years before winning a scholarship to study abroad. Her parents supported her dream at a time when female Japanese exchange students were rare. After graduating, she taught English at Japan Women’s University. In the 1950s, she was secretary to the chairman of the commission reappraising Japan’s constitution after World War II. She was president and then a lifelong member of the Tokyo Wellesley Club. We will miss Asano-san’s elegant presence, her kind spirit, and her warmth in welcoming new alumnae in Tokyo.
Mihoko Manabe ’81, president, Tokyo Wellesley Club
Jean Evelyn Andersen ’57 died in March 2023 at home in Centre Island, Oyster Bay, N.Y. In her career, Jean spearheaded a program combating childhood malnutrition, sponsored by the Coca-Cola Company. She traveled widely, teaching about nutrition and distributing nutritional supplements in East Asia. When on Long Island, Jean spent many happy hours in competitive sailing. In later life, she enjoyed being a docent at the Naples Art Institute in Florida. Jean never married but became an active participant in her brother’s family in which she had a nephew, three nieces, and their nine children. A delightfully humorous, optimistic, positive person, Jean was much loved and is missed.
Shirley Petersen Andersen ’55, sister-in-law
Betsey Brown Steeger ’57 died on Oct. 2, 2023. Betsey was devoted to family, friends, and music. She majored in history and sang with the Widows. She received a master’s from Columbia, afterward teaching high school history. Betsey became a writer for Argosy magazine, whose editor, Hal Steeger, she married in 1959. Under the byline of Bettina Nyborg, she wrote many articles for Argosy. In NYC, she was a member of St. James Episcopal Church, the Cosmopolitan Club, and the Junior League, and she served on the board of the Single Parent Resource Center. Betsey sang with the Collegiate Chorale and the Berkshire Choral Festival. She shared this passion for singing with Arlene Herman Berrol ’57, a devoted Wellesley roommate.
Marie Steeger, daughter
Jeanne Gleason Register ’59 died on Oct. 3, 2023. After Wellesley, Jeanne earned a master’s in education and began a teaching career. After marrying, she moved to California, where she continued to teach. She became dean at Westridge School, then headmistress of Mayfield Senior School. Both schools are in Pasadena, Calif. Jeanne was a longtime women’s rights activist and recently received the inaugural Lifetime Service Award from the National Women’s Political Caucus, Greater Pasadena. She also wrote a historical romance, Acadian Passage, set in French-speaking Canada. She is survived by her husband, Fred, three daughters, and three grandchildren.
Joyce Gleason Rourke ’61, sister
Ruth Hodge Thouin ’60 died on April 8, 2023. Ruth and I were classmates from seventh grade through high school on Cape Cod. Ruth’s father was the principal of Barnstable High School, so education and proper behavior were her mantra. At Wellesley, Ruth lived in Claflin and majored in political science. She won the Wellesley Hooprolling contest our senior year. After graduation, Ruth worked as a cryptanalyst at the National Security Agency in Maryland. She was the only woman on a team that received the Meritorious Civilian Service Award from the NSA. Ruth and her late husband, David Thouin, a fellow cryptanalyst, leave three sons and six grandchildren.
Dianne Horgan James ’60
Myra Katzen Levenson ’61 died on Nov. 4, 2023. She devoted her life to others, using her Harvard M.Ed. as a family counselor in Tucson, Ariz., where she and her first husband, Alan, raised their children, Jon and Nancy. At 54, she earned a J.D. from UC Law. Applying her mental health expertise, she practiced Social Security disability law and headed the Marin County (Calif.) mental health board. Myra nurtured friendships, traveled, and supported Planned Parenthood and opera. Words cannot capture her empathy, energy, and impact. Myra is survived by her second husband of 30 years, Gerry Goldsholle, her children, six grandchildren, and her sister, Luise Katzen Levy ’63.
Carolyn Revelle ’61
Mary Althouse Eikel ’62 died on July 28, 2023. She lived for 50 years in San Diego, Calif., where she made her career as an attorney at the Fourth District Court of Appeals, retiring as principal attorney in 2003. Mary was unfailingly kind and generous, often stepping into the breach when a colleague, friend, child, or fellow Wellesley alum needed support. She was always ready to open her home to visitors and guests and hosted countless parties, receptions, and celebrations. She tirelessly managed both her career and her household and excelled at both. She was a lifelong musician and music lover and was a patron of the San Diego Opera, San Diego Symphony Orchestra, and Bach Collegium San Diego. She is survived by her brother, two children, and six grandchildren.
Robert Eikel, son
Cynthia Hoffman Livingston ’62 died on Sept. 5, 2023. As her energy flagged, she was clear on her wishes: primarily to be at home and to see her kids and grandkids again. At the end, they were with her all day. There were tears, but also laughter and memories shared. We looked through photo books that Cynthia had put together over the years. We ate ice cream cake. Cynthia had time with all of us together and separately. She said she was not afraid. She told us to continue to be together and to love each other deeply, as she did. Cynthia lived a beautiful life. She loved her friends and family. She cherished relationships. Thank you for making her life richer.
Erin Bernau, daughter-in-law
Sarah Kelly Young ’68 died on Aug. 31, 2023, at her home in Brentwood, Tenn. As Sarah Young’s daughter, I was blessed to have a front row seat to the way God used her to impact the world. Her love of Jesus and the truth of the Bible spilled over into her writing in such a beautiful way that it captivated the world and showed us how inviting a relationship with Jesus is. With her books, including Jesus Calling, having sold over 45 million copies, she shared God’s love with more people than we could have ever dreamed. Her legacy of a life devoted to Jesus will live on in her family, as well as her millions of readers.
Stephanie van der Westhuizen, daughter
Lindsay Noble Calkins ’77 died surrounded by family on Aug. 29, 2023, at age 68. She was known for her sense of humor, her love of teaching and learning, and her commitment to family and friends. She was born in Boston, and after graduating from Wellesley, she pursued her love of economics at the University of Michigan, where she earned a Ph.D. She spent her academic career there as an economics professor and later was associate dean at the Boler College of Business at John Carroll University in Cleveland. Lindsay leaves behind her beloved children Sarah, Bradley, Patricia, and Haley. To read a full obituary, go to memorialsource.com/memorial/lindsay-calkins.
Haley Calkins, daughter
Jenifer Lynne Kelly ’78 died peacefully on Nov. 12, 2023. Jenifer grew up in Teaneck, N.J., before coming to Wellesley, which her mother, Ruth Walker Kelly ’52, also attended. A psychology major, Jenifer lived in Beebe Hall, cultivating a core group of friends that remained close throughout their adult lives. After graduation, Jenifer moved to Wisconsin, where she earned an M.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, raised a family, and worked in finance. Jenifer returned to the Boston area to be near friends and family in 2016. She was an active, fun-loving friend, enjoying music, her dogs, entertaining, and above all, her children.
Janet Ceely Langer ’76
Claire Cummings ’15, beloved daughter, sister, and friend, died on Oct. 6, 2023. Claire passed away peacefully in her sleep with her faithful pup, Ellie, at her side. She lived life to its fullest, brightening our world with her effervescent smile, wry sense of humor, and abundant creativity. She graduated with a degree in political science. Following Wellesley, she began her work in public service through AmeriCorps at Tree Street Youth in Lewiston, Maine. In 2019, Claire was the Coos County, N.H. campaign manager for Bernie Sanders. In 2021, she was named executive director of the Vermont Democratic Party. Claire believed in helping people and changing the world for the better.
Cynthia Reedy and Brad Cummings, parents
Shirley Quinn, a Wellesley class dean in the 1970s and early ’80s, died at home on July 24, 2023, at the age of 97. She was predeceased by her husband, Patrick Quinn, a professor in the College’s English department, and is survived by her son, Andrew. Shirley’s intelligence, optimism, and humor won her countless friends, not least among the many Wellesley students she mentored. An enthusiastic athlete and politically active until the end of her life, Shirley loved walking the Wellesley campus, skating on Lake Waban, and playing the Nehoiden golf course. She frequently said that her association with Wellesley was a great stroke of good fortune in an already lucky life.
Andrew Quinn, son
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