Unexpected Moments

A fall mailing from the Fund for Sarah Lawrence asked alumnae/i about their memories of SLC: What inspired you? What provoked you? What was unexpected? Here are some of the responses.

“I went to my European history conference and there was a note on the door. ‘There will be no conference today. Mr. Randall is in jail.’ A light bulb went on in my head: History is real! History is now!”
—Beth Davis Powning ’71

“What I loved, other than my friends, was Bill Park telling me that you could probably guess how someone would feel about ‘Red China’ being admitted to the United Nations based on whether or not they liked Rock Hudson/Doris Day comedies. This alerted me to cultural and symbolic patterns I’ve been exploring for years.”
—Elizabeth Higgins Null ’65

“When visiting painting teacher Larry Brown announced, ‘Fear cannot enter this room’ in class, I felt my whole work open with his words. I had been granted the permission to explore, experiment, and even make ‘bad’ art, and this led me to my most powerful moments as an artist and a student.”
—Sharon Itkoff ’05

“Full-length minks over blue jeans. Satin cocktail coats from the ’30s worn for the Dale Harris class on Diaghilev. The occasional male in full Louis Quatorze regalia, with walking stick. Is all this still done at SLC?”
—Robert McVey ’75

“On the floor of Carol Zoref’s office, with my paper, scissors, and tape: She taught me how to organize my thoughts persuasively. It was just what I needed to learn, just how I needed to learn it.”
—Mary Martha Kobus ’02