Salem Connections
Jane Moss (Robert E. Diamond Professor of Women's Studies and French) opened the 1997-98 Women's Studies Colloquia series in September with a lecture on I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem, a novel by Maryse Conde. Two members of the audience had more than an intellectual interest. Susan Conant Cook '75 (associate director of planned giving) sat next to Sally Baker (director of communications) and whispered that her husband, Jim Cook '78, had an ancestor who was convicted during the Salem witch trials. Baker whispered back, "My ancestor was one of the judges." Cook traces his family to Rebecca Nurse, a resident of Salem Village who was tried and executed as a witch in 1692. Baker's relative, Samuel Sewall, was one of seven men who sent the "witches" to their deaths. In 1697 Sewall became the only former judge to publicly acknowledge his error, asking that God, "who has an Unlimited Authority, would pardon that sin and all his other sins." A little late for Rebecca Nurse.

Libby, Thelma Retire
Two gentlewomen who have given years of service and friendship to Colby retired this year, and each will be missed not only by colleagues but also by legions of students who have enjoyed and appreciated their wise counsel and assistance. Libby Todrank is retired after 36 years of teaching and advising in matters of off-campus study, and Thelma Plusquellic finished in September after 25 years as a secretary, first in the Registrar's Office and, later, in the Dean of Students Office.

Colby @ Colby
A number of Colby grads are back with jobs on the campus, including Meg Bernier '81, new assistant director of alumni relations, replacing Demetra Giatas '88, who is off to other things. Alex Chin '96 has returned to serve as assistant director of student activities. Kim Parker '97 is back for a one-year stint as sports information director. Four recent grads have taken positions as counselors in the admissions and financial aid offices--Michael Montgomery '96, Matt Russ '96, Molly Bracken '97 and Natalie Collins '97. And Cynthia Whittier Wells '83 has been promoted to director of student financial services.

And Still Pretty Happy
Colby got a great media ride in 1995 when the Princeton Review said we had the happiest students in the nation. In 1996, the College's rating in this dubious category slipped to seventh and, in 1997, to ninth. Bragging rights are protected in the current edition, which has Colby eighth in student happiness. The College hits the top 20 in two other categories as well--beautiful campus, 12; and great food, 10.

Barb Makes the Cut
Women's ice hockey sensation Bar-bara Gordon '97, of Glendale, Calif., has made the penultimate cut in the selection of the U.S. Olympic team in women's hockey, a sport that will make its debut as a medal sport at the Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, next February. Barb was selected for one of 25 slots on the team, which is now touring Sweden and Finland before the final team of 20 women is chosen in February.

Moosecellaneous
The Antigone at Warsaw, a play by Dick Sewell (performing arts), not only won first place in the Dubuque Fine Arts 20th Annual National One-Act Playwriting Contest, but it is being broadly praised. Michael Anderson of the Dubuque Players calls Sewell's play "outstanding," noting that readers and judges are saying the work is "the best play they have read in years." . . . Peter Bowden '98 of Guilderland, N.Y., has been named to the Honorable Mention Academic All-America Division III swim team by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America.

To Name a Few
Cedric Bryant (English) has again agreed to conduct a seminar for Maine high school teachers as part of the Maine Collaborative. Sixteen teachers from around the state will participate in four Colby campus sessions titled Many Rivers to Cross: Understanding and Teaching African-American Literature. . . . Margaret McFadden has won the American Studies Association's annual Ralph Henry Gabriel Dissertation Prize. . . . Tony Hoagland (English) has won the prestigious James Laughlin Award, given by the Academy of American Poets. . . . Tom Longstaff (religious studies) and Tris Hussey '91 are co-authors of a chapter in a new book, Palynology & Cultural Process: An Exercise in the New Archaeology, published by Atlanta Scholars Press. . . . New Line Cinema has hired Jim Boylan (English) to write the screenplay for a movie based on his next novel. The story, currently titled Getting In, concerns the plight of a dysfunctional family riding around in a Winnebago visiting all the New England colleges with their children.