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w i n t e r 2 0 14v o l u m e 2 7 , n u m b e r 1

YOUNG ALUMNI MAGAZINE

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3 AWhittiefollowsintheBuddha’sfootsteps|Shannon Hall ’11

5 FirstPerson|Clark Blumenstein ’06

6 SubmittoLivewire

7 PeteReidAwardforYoungAlumni,WhitmanOnline, LostAlumni

8 UpcomingEvents

ALUMNI OFFICE STAFF

Nancy L. Mitchell, Director of Alumni Relationsmitchenl@whitman.edu

Jason S. Arp ’94, Assistant Director of Alumni Relationsarpjs@whitman.edu

Jennifer D. Northam ’91, Assistant Director of Alumni Relationsnorthajl@whitman.edu

Rikki L. Gwinn, Administrative Assistant for Alumni Relationsgwinnrl@whitman.edu

LivewireispublishedtwiceannuallybytheWhitmanCollegeAlumniAssociation

345BoyerAve.,WallaWalla,WA99362800.835.9448,ext.1

www.whitman.edu/alumni

Submitallphotos,queriesandcommentstoaddressaboveortolivewire@whitman.edu

EditedbyJason S. Arp ’94DesignedbyChris Bishop ’79,PublicationsDesignManager

CoverphotobyStacie Bellairs ’17

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What is the purpose of the Alumni Board? In 1895, Whitman College alumni organized the Alumni Association to promote the interests of its members and their alma mater. Today the Whitman College Alumni Association continues to foster and maintain those interests between Whitman and its extended family. Tocarryoutthismission,theBoardofDirectorsoftheAlumniAssociationmaintainsstandingcommitteeswhichadvise theAlumniOfficeonalumnimattersandcommunicatealumnireactionstocollegeprograms. Inotherwords,theyworktokeepyouconnected,andtobringyourconcernsbacktotheadministration.

CONTENTS

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J Preston Frederickson ’02,WallaWalla,Wash.,PresidentKirsten Adams Gable ’01,Spokane,Wash.,Vice PresidentAri van Schilfgaarde ’07,Berkeley,Calif.,Young Alumni RepresentativeMary Deming Barber ’78,Anchorage,AlaskaJohn R. Blackmon ’79,LasVegas,Nev.Norman Cheuk ’91, Bellevue,Wash.James E. Dow ’71,BainbridgeIsland,Wash.Minda McLaughlin Merrow ’62, SanDiego,Calif.Nick Paslidis ’82,Sedona,Ariz.Beth Long Salaguinto ’88,Bothell,Wash.Kieta Mall Skoglund ’89,Arlington,Va.Louise Stephens ’07, Stanford,Calif.

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In their words …

AWhittiefollowsintheBuddha’sfootstepsByShannonHall’11

There was order to every moment.Variouslawsgovernedourlivesfromthepositionwesatinduringmedita-

tiontothemannerinwhichwetookouronlymeal.

I had lived in the Buddhist temple innortheastThailandforweeksobservingthesamedaily routine.Wewouldwakeup at3 a.m. to meditate, sweep the pathwaysduringsunrise,takeoursinglemealshortlyafter,andfinishthedaywithpersonalstudiesandmoremeditation.

Butthereisonedaythatstandsoutinmymemory;onedayisremovedfromtherest.It’sthedaywemovedalargeBuddhaintothetemple.

I woke up to a bell ringing across thegroundsanddressedmyselfinablacksarongand a white blouse. In the pitch-dark, Iwalkedfrommykuti–asingle-roomedhutwithoutelectricity–tothemainsala –awell-litopenpavilion.

Fortwohours,IsatbeneathalargegoldenBuddha,deepinmeditation.Butovertime,thecicadasquietedtheirscream–thesheervolumeofwhichremindedmeofBangkok’smissingsirens–and thefireflies lost theirlight.The sky transformed into a brilliantshadeofpink.

Butafewhoursintoourroutine,wedidsomethingunexpected:Weleftthetemplegrounds.

Outside themaingate, I found a largeBuddhastatuesittingonthebedofamovingtruck.EveryBuddhaIhadseensofarhadbeengilded.Butthisonewasmagnificentlywhite and covered inorange robes for thejourney. Monks holding orange umbrellasshadedhimfromthehotsun.

Receiving the Buddha was traditionmixedwithmoderntechnology.Weentered

~ Continued on page 4

“There was order to ever y moment.”

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With each new meditation, we saw the Buddha’s rapidly

changing attire. He turned from white to orange to gold –

a transformation akin to the one the Buddha underwent

beneath the Bodhi tree thousands of years ago.

the templegrounds together.Themonks led, followedby thelaymen,thelaywomen,thecommunitymembers,andlastlytheBuddhaonthemovingtruck.

Ourhierarchywalkedinbarefeetwhilechanting.WewerewelcomingtheBuddha–a tradition inevery temple thathaslastedforcenturies.Asweenteredtheforest,themonksletthetreesshadehimandloweredtheirumbrellas.

Itwaswelloveranhourbythetimewereachedthedoorstothemainsala.TheBuddhawasapproximatelyeightfeettallandweighedoveraton.Somanagingtogethimoffthetruck,upmultiplesetsofstairs,andfinallyontothetallshrinetookalotofdeliberationandveryminimalmovement.

ThemonksandlaymenwouldattempttomovetheBuddhawhileyellingateachotherinThai.Thewords“stop!”“left!”and“right!”filledthenormallyquiettemple.

WhentheBuddhafinallyreachedtheshrine–aprocessthattookoverfourhours–hisgreatesttransformationwasyettocome.Foraweekheremainedwhite.Butthenonemorning,awomanarrived to gold leafhim.Sheworked all day andnight, onlypausingwhenweusedthemainsalaformeditation.

With each new meditation, we saw the Buddha’s rapidlychangingattire.Heturnedfromwhitetoorangetogold–atrans-formationakintotheonetheBuddhaunderwentbeneaththeBodhitreethousandsofyearsago.

Originally from Portland, Ore., Shannon Hall ’11 received her B.A. in physics-astronomy and philosophy from Whitman in 2011. She was a student academic adviser and a resident assistant while on campus. But she also studied abroad in Scotland and worked on her pilot’s license after returning. Since graduating she has finished her M.S. in astronomy and has lived in Laramie, Wyo., Seattle and Cambridge, Mass. The next few years will likely take Hall around the U.S. while she continues to gain experience in science journalism.

Shannon Hall ’11 (right)

~ Continued from page 3

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ByClarkBlumenstein’06

In2003,friendSam Johnson ’06tippedmeofftoanexhibitofmassivewoodenspeakersandvacuumtubeamplifiersthatlookedlike“miniaturesubmarines”intheSheehanGallery.AdditionalreportscameinfromfriendsGus Gustafson ’06andDrew Lorona ’06ofhavingtheir“mindsblown”inthewoodshopofTerryCainofCain&CainAudioduringafieldtripoftheirMusicTechnologyclasstaughtbyProf.PeterCrawford.Itwasstrikingtomethatmusicreproductioncouldbeconsideredanartforminitsownright.

AftermeetingTerry,Iwascompelledtostudythisundeniablypowerfulsourceoffunandpeacecreatingconvincingmusicreproduc-tion.Someofyoureadingthismayhavedancedtothe“3-wattdisco”PAsystemthatTerrybuiltforme.

Junioryear,Ibecamemoreseriousaboutthestudyofacoustics,hearingloss,andmusicalinstrumentconstruction.Ineededtoroundoutmystudies,soIconsideredamusicmajor.AlthoughIhadneverplayedaninstrument,thedepartmentwassupportive.JackieWoodhelpedmewiththelearningcurveofthepiano.SusanPickettandherWomenasComposers class especiallyhadadeep impactonme,showingthatintelligentuseofone’sresourcesmakesitpossibletoshedlightonafrontierofbeautifulworkfromunderrepresentedartists.

Aftergraduatingin2006,IstartedmyowncompanyoutofatinshedinthebackyardofarentalhomeonHopeStreet(adeadend)inWallaWalla.Inevercouldhaveimagineditwouldleadmetoappren-ticeinJapan,orthatIwouldsendapairofspeakerstoresearchersinAntarctica,orhavethechancetoreconnectwithsomanyWhitmanalumni.

ConversationsduringthesemeetingswithotherWhittiesinevi-tablydrift.Acommonthemethatrunsthroughgenerationsofalumniisthedesiretobecomeworldcitizens,affectingchangebyembracing,asopposedtoignoring,ourinterdependenceanddiversity.Throughmycompany,Ihavelearnedthatmanufacturingisattheforefrontofglobalpracticesthatneedreform.Weneedtomodifyourphysicalworldmoreintelligently,andtalentisneededatthefrontlines.Thisiswherethebenefitsofaliberalartseducationcomein.EventhoughIwasunabletoresearchthemanufacturingtopicsIwasinterestedinfromanacademicstandpoint,Whitman’sliberalartsethictaughtmetoself-educateandcollaboratewithconfidence.

Asmanufacturingcontinuestocatchupwiththerestofthegreeneconomy,wearegoingtoseemoreandmorewell-designedproducts.Ihopethatthesuccessstoryofournon-toxicwoodshopfacilitatesabetterunderstandingoftheimpactofourbuyingdecisionsonsoil,airandocean.

Thislastyear,ourcompanyhasdoubleditsproductionvolumeyetisstillasmallteamofyoungpeopledoingtheirbesttobeautifymusicand proliferate quality. If you are in the greater Seattle area, Iencourageyoutostopby!

In 2009, Clark moved his business from Walla Walla to Seattle, where he runs a woodshop with his wife, Molly, and a small team of woodworkers, producing home audio speakers and accessories through sustainable manufacturing practices.

Clark Blumenstein ’06 grew up in Seattle, Wash., and Jacksonville, Fla. After earning a degree in music from Whitman College, he began his own audio company, Blumenstein Ultra Fi (now Blumenstein Audio), designing and building original design speakers.

Visit blumensteinaudio.com to find out more.

Clark’s speakers made it all the way to the South Pole.

First person …

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Submit to Livewire!Has something wonderful happened in your life this year? Send a photo and caption for Livewire by filling out the Class Note submission form at www.whitman.edu/classnotes. Then email your photo to livewire@whitman.edu.

Electronically submitted photos must be at least 300 dpi for a three-by-five-inch photo. Or mail original photos to Whitman College Alumni Office, Attn: Livewire, 345 Boyer Ave., Walla Walla, WA 99362. If you would like your photos returned to you, please include a note. Don’t forget to name everyone in the photo!

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WHITMAN ONLINE is the best way to keep in touch with classmates and make connections with other Whitman alumni.

Register at www.alumniconnections.com/whitmancollege/. You’ll need your Whitman ID (WID) to verify your account. Do you remember yours? If not, contact the Alumni Office at alumni@whitman.edu or 1.800.835.9448, ext. 1.

Features::) Search by name, class year, geographic location and more.:) Upload your resumé.:) Set up an email forwarding address to use with sites like Facebook.

LOSTIf you know the whereabouts or the email addresses of any of these Whitties, please send that information to addrchg@whitman.edu.

LOSTa l um n i

2004Juli A. ArmstrongCindy S. Godard-GrossShannon R. MatzingerSamuel and Jeanne K. PetersonNoah B. Sanders

2005Kaileen E. MillerAyman Raouf Mourad

2006Aaron Walter BellGareth Collin CampbellTory Joe CorsonCorinne Cathcart GibbonJordan Richard KlineAndy Chang LeeDonnel Alexander MalkemusNatalie Udwin

2007Carl Lee EdwardsRobyn D. EdwardsAmanda Claire KingMoanapuaaalaokalani Lyman

2008Shaheryar AkbarErik Thor AndersenKatharine Marie AveryGayle Lynn ChungBeth Anne DavisJeffrey Bert DeGrootCecil Clay JonesJessica Si-Dih LeeBenjamin John SexsonJyotsna ShivanandanRobert Scott WestermannKimberly Ann Wetter

2009Alexander Warren AbramsMatthew Robert BarthaJared Michael BurnsJennifer Mochizuki DoaneMegan Helene DuffyMary-Eileen GallagherCharles Beckmann RohrDavid Youngblood

2010Evan Ross AegerterKira Anna BadyrkaGraham Taylor BrewerLuc Lemoine BrodheadNathan Alec ConroyKayla Cordelia CooperIan Arburua DelaneyAlbert Min LeeKendi Marion ThomasKarl Joseph Wallulis

2011Emily N. JacksonWilliam Wagner Reese

2012Pablo Adolfo Vasquez Guzman

WhitmanReconnect through

online

The Alumni Association gives the Pete Reid Award for Young Alumni to an alumnus or alumna who demonstrates enthusiasm toward his or her career, community or Whitman College as exemplified by Pete Reid ’49 in his service to the college. This award is limited to graduates of the last 15 years. Standards for recognition include outstanding recognition in his or her career or field of work, outstanding service to others and a demonstrated commitment to Whitman College.

Please use the form at www.whitman.edu/alumniawards.

Pete Reid Award for Young Alumni

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Whitman College Alumni Association 345 Boyer Ave.Walla Walla, WA 99362

WHITMAN COLLEGE YOUNG ALUMNI MAGAZINE

NONPROFIT AUTOU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDWALLA WALLA WA 99362

PERMIT NO. 41L i v ewire

Upcoming Events

2014 Reunion WeekendSept. 17-21, 2014 Fifth Reunion, Classes of 2008, 2009 and 2010Tenth Reunion, Class of 2004Visit www.whitman.edu/reunionsfor more information and to RSVP.

Smith Rock Outdoor Program Weekend with Brien Sheedy May 9-11, 2014 Camp, hike, climb!Details to follow; watch your email.

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