Elise Mudd Marvin
Reprinted from the Pasadena Star-News

Elise Mudd Marvin passed away at her home in Pasadena on Jan. 13, 2009. Elise is the mother of Darian Dragge '69 and Wendel Bruss '70.

Born on Valentine's Day 1929, Elise Mudd Marvin spent her life inspiring creativity, generosity and adventure in her family and friends. A Pasadena resident, Marvin is remembered by her daughters as one of the most adventurous and unpretentious women they were blessed to know.

"Mom had a sophistication about her, probably due to her upbringing, but she was also incredibly natural," said daughter Darian Dragge. "She gave to everyone as much as she got."

The daughter of Dr. Seeley Greenleaf Mudd, a former Dean of Medicine at University of Southern California, and granddaughter of Colonel Seeley Wintersmith Mudd, who founded the University of Southern California's Mudd Hall of Philosophy, Marvin was encouraged in the arts and education. Her uncle, Harvey Seeley Mudd, founded Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif.

It is no suprise then that while attending college on the East Coast Marvin met her husband, Murray Sands Marvin. The couple returned West to make Pasadena their home.

Throughout her eighty years, Marvin was actively involved in local philanthropic circles. Although the list of organizations and programs Marvin donated to is long and distinguished, her style of giving was quiet and gracious. She never talked about the extent of her philanthropy, she would never brag about it, said her daughters.

An avid horticulturalist, Marvin was committed to the Garden Club in Pasadena where she won numerous awards for her flower arranging, said her daughters. As an artist and, according to her family, an encourager of imagination Marvin also gave her time to the Art Center College in Pasadena.

Marvin is remembered by her family as a woman who was just as comfortable wearing a ballgown to a black tie event as she was riding on the back of a camel. They will never forget her devotion, her zest for the adventures of life and her generosity of spirit.

"She was very interested in everything and exceedingly devoted to her family," said daughter Wendel Bruss.

Marvin passed away Jan. 13. In addition to her two daughters, she is survived by sons Murray Sands Marvin Jr. and Guru Amrit Khalsa, six grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

A memorial service for Elise Mudd Marvin will be held at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 20 All Saints Church, Pasadena. In lieu of flowers the family requests memorials be made to The Elise Mudd Marvin Scholarship Fund at Harvey Mudd College. Contact Maya Chalich (909) 607-0899.

1948
Elvena M. Green
From classmate Marie Muirhead Escher '48: "Elvena and I have been friends since we were 10 years old. We graduated from Westridge School in 1948 and Mills College in Oakland in 1952. She was the maid of honor at my wedding in Pasadena in 1957. In her later years, she was an avid bridge player and spent her time playing in tournaments."

1953
Joan Howard Sammis
Reprinted from the Los Angeles Times

Joan Howard Sammis died on November 25, 2008 after a valiant nine month battle with pancreatic cancer.

She was born on May 7, 1935 in Pasadena, CA to Nelson and Betty Howard and lived an idyllic childhood in Pasadena, Houston, Texas and Watertown, Connecticut while her father was in the Navy in the Aleutian Islands during WWII.

She and her sister Natalie (Class of 1950) attended Westridge School in Pasadena from kindergarten through high school and she met her husband, Lee Sammis, at Cal Berkeley, where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Joan and Lee moved down to Newport Beach in 1962 and raised their four daughters there. Joan began playing tennis in grade school and was a member of the tennis team in high school, winning the Ojai tournament in 1952. She loved tennis and continued to play two to three times a week until just recently.

She was a very active member of the community, heading up many boards over the years, including the Newport Harbor Service League which became the Junior League, Planned Parenthood, Newport Harbor High School PTA, American Field Service, Children's Home Society, Adoption Guild, Angelitos de Oro, and the Decorative Arts Society. She believed in volunteerism and had trouble saying no when someone asked her to contribute her time. But her family always came first!

Joan and Lee were avid boaters and cherished their time on their Hatteras, the Shazam, sharing it with countless friends and family. Catalina holds many memories as does the Caribbean, Mexico, Snowmass, Mammoth and Alisal Ranch. They were both Hawaiiophiles and spent many wonderful weeks there throughout the years. She loved to travel, have breakfast with her friends, Almond Roca, all animals, Smoke Tree Ranch, Napili Kai, Peppermint ice cream, gardening, watching her grandchildren compete in the Junior Lifeguard's Monster Mile, Mai Tais, Hawaiian music, good books, the Lakers, sailor's wools, Dad's donuts on Balboa Island, and her family.

She went to Wimbledon and on an African safari with daughter Annie and the Orient with daughter Diana. She is survived by her mother Elizabeth Buckingham Howard of Santa Barbara, sister Natalie Anne Howard of Los Angeles, her husband Lee Chapin Sammis of Newport Beach, her daughters Anne Elizabeth Sammis, Caroline Howard Sammis, Virginia Lee Sammis, and Diana Buckingham Sammis Brookes, son-in-law Robert Jordan Brookes, Jr. and beloved granddaughters Chelsea Lee Anne Beck, Savannah Julia Beck, Cassidy Caroline Gayner, Joanna Buckingham Brookes, Christina Valentine Brookes, Michelle DeForest Brookes and Alena Lucia Arrigo, her grandson Sammis Nelson Gayner, who is a United States Marine stationed in Iraq, as well as nieces, nephews, and hundreds of great friends who will miss her profoundly.

Joan Sammis was one of the traditional great ladies. She had no adversaries. She was as well-loved as any person can be in this life. It is inconceivable that she will not be here to see her great-grandchildren, but her kindness, love, strength, class and style will be an example to which we aspire. Her favorite saying to her children and grandchildren every time they walked out the door will be passed down through the generations - "Remember who you are and what you represent."

We will never forget you Jou Jou! You were an extraordinary woman and a tough act to follow.

1954
Sally McLaren Evans
Reprinted from the Malibu Times

Sally McLaren Evans of Sea Lane Drive in Malibu, died June 25, 2009, after an extended fight with cancer. Her sister is Ann McLaren Gregory '56.

Sally was born in 1936 in Pasadena, the daughter of John McLaren of Chicago, Illinois, and Margaret Huntington of San Marino, California. Her mother was a 1926 graduate of Westridge.

She was the fourth generation of her family to live in San Marino and attended middle and high schools at Polytechnic and Westridge. She attended college at Smith and University of California at Berkeley and graduated from UC Berkeley in 1957. After college, she worked for the US government in post-war Tokyo for several years before returning to California in 1965 where she met and married Sanford Evans Jr. (Sandy) of Malibu, a physicist working on the US Space Program. They have resided in Malibu ever since.

The fact that Sally’s fight was lost even though aided by the best cancer treatment, clearly shows how much more research is needed. She would encourage all of her many friends to contribute to an area of cancer research of their choice.

1956
Anne Douglas Ruedas
Anne Douglas Ruedas died on March 25, 2009 at her home in Whittier, CA. Born June 7, 1938 in Salt Lake City, Anne was 70 years old. Anne worked as a Handicap Home Supervisor for Development Mentally Handicapped Company for 23 years.

She leaves behind her husband, Robert Ruedas, daughters Roberta Perez, Phyllis Franklin, and Charlene Timmermyer.


Molly Sturges Tuthill
Molly Sturges Tuthill died April 18, 2009 at her Menlo Park home of breast cancer, with which she had lived for 21 years. At her request, no services will be held. Her sister is Ann Deyo '62.

In addition to her sister, Molly is survived by her brother David Sturges; nephew and niece Scott and Lisa Deyo; stepchildren Mark Tuthill, Cynthia Tuthill, and Kathryn Thome; and three grandchildren. Her husband of 27 years, Robert Tuthill, died in 2007.

Memorial gifts may be made to Pathways Hospice, 585 North Mary Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94085, or Breast Cancer Connections, 390 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94306.

1963
Jill Zimmerman
Reported from Class Representative Lynne Saito

Jill died on January 1, 2009 from cancer. Jill leaves a daughter, Krista. At her 40th Reunion, Jill spoke of enjoying the opportunity to travel with Krista. Notes from the 40th Reunion wirtten in 2003 are below:

"Jill has worked in advertising sales, career placement, and retired a few years ago from the financial business. She has lived in Corona del Mar for more than 20 years where she raised her daughter, Krista. Jill now considers herself bicoastal as she spends time both in California as well as New York where she bought an apartment in Manhattan. She enjoys the best of both worlds.

"Krista is now out on her own and owns a home in Long Beach, not too far away. Mom and daughter like to take a major trip together every year. Last year they explored China, and this year they adventured in Africa. Jill enjoys travel and when in New York City, she takes trips with a friend from Puerto Rico to visit that country."

Those of us at our 40th would remember Jill as spirited and energetic, as she was when a classmate at Westridge. She also baked the most delicious cheese cake for our dessert. We surely have many fond memories and will miss her.

1970
Priscilla Gentry Beckman died August 2, 2008.
Published in the South Bend Tribune.

Priscilla Jo Beckman, 55, died August 2, 2008 in her home. Survivors include her husband, Robert; a daughter, Bethany (Jeremy) Beckman of Michigan City; a son, Kevin Beckman of Michigan City; a brother, Perry Gentry of Nyack, NY; a granddaughter, Jaden Beckman; a niece, Lydia Gentry; and a nephew, Christopher Beckman.

2004
Silpa Yetur died Tuesday, March 10, 2009.
Classmate Sarah Bruning has reported that after a three-year battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Silpa '04 died Tuesday, March 10. She was surrounded by her mother, father, and sister, Pallavi '02.

The memorial service was held on Sunday, March 15 at 11 a.m. in the Skyrose Chapel at Rose Hills Memorial Park, 3888 Workman Mill Rd., Whittier, CA.


Westridge Faculty

Reeves, Dee Harmon died February 18, 2009.
Reprinted from the Los Angeles Times

Dee Harmon Reeves passed away after a four year battle with ovarian cancer. She was 67 years old and born in Troy, NY the daughter of Irving and Trina Shell, both from New Jersey. She grew up in Elmsford, NY, graduated from Vassar College and later received her master's from Teachers' College, Columbia University.

She spent her entire professional career as a math teacher. She began teaching at Methodist Boys High in Lagos, Nigeria as an early member of the Peace Corps, and also taught at Riverdale School in the Bronx, at Greenfield Community College in Massachusetts, and locally the Marlborough School in Los Angeles and Westridge School in Pasadena.

Dee Harmon created a parallel career in mathematics education which she continued after retiring from high school teaching in 2005. She was a frequent presenter at mathematics teaching conferences, on the board of LACTMA, and leader of numerous teacher preparation courses at several local school districts under the auspices of UCLA Math Center X. While undergoing treatment, she became an editor of a revolutionary program for students struggling to prepare for algebra written by the UCLA Math Content Programs for Teachers and Students and recently adopted by the State of California.

Dee Harmon was a wonderful cook and gracious host, who enjoyed reading, tennis, and producing a constant stream of knitted clothing and hand-made quilts for the children of her family and her friends. Her sense of color and style, evident in her clothing creations, the decor of her home and her always outfit-matching shoes, was honed by selling women's shoes as part of the family business starting at age 12. She was a life member of the Sierra Club and led canoe trips in the Maine wilderness as part of the Club's Outing program.

She is survived by Robert, her husband of nearly forty years, her children Katherine and Daniel, her granddaughter Margaret, her sister Dana and many cousins in her close-knit family.

A memorial gathering of her family and friends will be held at her home on Saturday, February 28.

If you wish to make a contribution in Dee Harmon's memory, a donation to the American Cancer Society would be appropriate and appreciated. Ovarian is third most prevalent among woman's cancers, kills twice as many of its victims as the next most virulent, and receives a fraction of the funding needed to fight it successfully.