51吃瓜网

[ The Key Changer ]

Frances Walker-Slocum (Ph.D. 鈥�72, M.A. 鈥�52), a pio颅neering black classical pianist and the first tenured female African-American professor in history, died in June at 94.

Walker-Slocum overcame childhood burns that permanently damaged her right arm to perform at and other prominent venues.

The granddaughter of a slave, Walker-Slocum graduated from Oberlin in 1945 and met Chet Slocum, who was white, while teaching at in Mississippi. The couple moved to New York, where inter颅racial marriage was legal, and Walker-Slocum studied at TC under Charles Walton.

In her Carnegie Hall debut in 1959, Walker-Slocum earned praise from The New York Times as 鈥渁 young pianist of considerable talent鈥� who played with 鈥渟weep and impetuosity.鈥� Her Bicentennial concert performance at Oberlin won Walker-Slocum a faculty appointment there in 1976.

[ TEACHING AT SCALE ]

Jane Smisor Bastien (M.A. 鈥�58), co-author with her late husband of piano lesson books used worldwide, died in March at 82.

The Bastiens鈥� books, published by the and translated into 16 languages, have sold millions of copies. They range from to the soon-to-be released Bastien New Traditions All In One Piano Course. With the Bastien method, beginners follow numbered finger patterns rather than musical notation.

Born in Hutchinson, Kansas, Jane Bastien began studying piano at age three and by age nine performed on her own radio show. She attended and then . As an adult, she studied piano with Isabella Vengerova, Leonard Bernstein鈥檚 teacher.

[ THE GLOBAL LINGUIST ]

Imagining a Multilingual World

Mar铆a Torres-Guzm谩n believed that children鈥檚 home languages are a critical learning resource

Mar铆a Torres-Guzm谩n, a pioneer in multilingual and multicultural education, passed away in August.

鈥淢ar铆a鈥檚 life was about la lucha 鈥� her struggle for social justice, especially for ethnolinguistically marginalized groups,鈥� said Carmen Mart铆nez-Rold谩n, Associate Professor of Bilingual/Bicultural Education. And A. Lin Goodwin, TC Vice Dean and Professor of Education, called Torres-Guzm谩n 鈥渢he face and the heart of the bilingual education program at TC.鈥�

Raised both in Puerto Rico and the United States, Torres-Guzm谩n said, "I became a comparative linguist when I was 11.鈥� During the 1970s, at , she created one of the nation鈥檚 first teacher education programs in bilingual education. In 2011, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award for championing her belief that culture is embedded in language and that 鈥渃hildren need access to all the resources they have in order to learn 鈥� and their home languages are a resource.鈥�

Arriving at TC in 1986, Torres-Guzm谩n took over the College鈥檚 Bilingual/Bicultural Education program and focused it on teacher education. In 2004, with , now at the , she hosted a global conference on how local and global forces combine to include or exclude different languages in education. Subsequently Torres-Guzm谩n, Garc铆a and Danish scholar published the landmark book, . Tor颅res-Guzm谩n also collaborated with local schools. She led a teacher study group at P.S. 165, a dual-language school on Manhattan鈥檚 Upper West Side, that included many of her for颅mer students. As recounted in their book, , Torres-Guzm谩n and the school鈥檚 principal, Ruth Swinney, forestalled closure by the state and remade 165 into a widely hailed model that rejected rigidly standardized curricula driven by testing and assessments.

[ THE MENTOR ]

The Professor Who Cared 51吃瓜网 Learning

Lee Knefelkamp believed that college is for the students

It鈥檚 become an apocryphal tale: How Lee Knefelkamp left her hospital bed to attend an advisee鈥檚 dissertation defense 鈥� and then checked herself back in.

鈥淚 heard it all the time,鈥� says , Vice President for Student Affairs at . 鈥淎nd I鈥檇 say, 鈥楾hat really happened. I was the student.鈥� And P.S., as she was leaving, she said, 鈥楾here鈥檚 a bottle of Cham颅pagne in my office.鈥欌��

Lee Knefelkamp, Professor Emerita of Psychology & Education, who died in early September, brought student development theory to the student affairs profession, focusing the field on transforming college campuses into developmental communities. She spearheaded a 21^st-century reshaping of liberal arts education by the . With TC psychologist W. Warner Burke, she created TC鈥檚 for officers of the . And she taught at a New York state women鈥檚 prison.

Yet above all, Knefelkamp advocated fiercely for students and student learning.

鈥淟ee traveled across disciplines to the question of, 鈥榳hat is it that鈥檚 to be learned here?鈥欌�� says Burke. 鈥淗er ultimate concern was with the partic颅ular student, and was the student learning, for heaven鈥檚 sake 鈥� and if not, she鈥檇 see to that.鈥�

In , Knefelkamp, Carol Widick and Clyde A. Parker translated the develop颅ment theories of William Perry, Arthur Chickering, Lawrence Kohlberg and others into tools for student affairs professionals.

鈥淏ecause of Lee, everyone who gets an M.A. to work in student affairs takes a course in student development theory,鈥� says , Dean of Students at . 鈥淭he student affairs profession is now concerned with student life issues and the kinds of environments we create so that students grow and thrive.鈥�

[ THE FRIEND ]

Enormous Generosity, With Little Fanfare

Trustee Emeritus John Klingenstein was a visionary philanthropist and TC鈥檚 staunchest supporter

51吃瓜网 Trustee Emeritus John Klingenstein died in August at age 89. He served on TC鈥檚 board from 1979 through 2014, and during the late 1970s established TC鈥檚 , now the nation鈥檚 preeminent program for private school leadership training. In 1992, he received TC鈥檚 Cleveland E. Dodge Medal for Distinguished Service to Education.

Together with his wife, Pat, Klingenstein gave nearly $55 million to the College, including a $20 million endowed bequest to the Klin颅genstein Center, making him the most generous donor in TC鈥檚 history. His daughter, Nancy Simpkins, is a current TC Trustee.

鈥淛ohn Klingenstein was a visionary philanthropist and one of the College鈥檚 staunchest supporters,鈥� said TC President Thomas Bailey. 鈥淗e was a quiet, self-effacing gentleman whose extraordinary vision and belief in the power of education will endure for generations to come.鈥�

Bill Rueckert, TC鈥檚 Board Chair, called Klingenstein 鈥渙ne of the true senior statesmen of our board 鈥� always forthcoming with wisdom and advice, and always backing it up with his incred颅ible generosity to TC.鈥�

As long-time President of the , created by his parents and now led by his son, Andy, Klingenstein advanced understanding and practice in areas he cared about and felt were over颅looked. These included neu颅roscience (a niece suffered from epilepsy); the separation of church and state in science education; and most notably, independent school education (he was a proud alumnus of ).

The Klingenstein Cen颅ter, which he created with guidance from the and educator 鈥� and which now claims nearly 4,500 alumni 鈥� reflects his belief that independent schools are key venues for instilling a sense of civic responsibility, leadership and public service.

鈥淛ohn knew what few philanthropists understand: how to motivate people, engender commitment and act on his values,鈥� said Pearl Rock Kane, who stepped down in September after 37 years as the Klingenstein Center鈥檚 Director, but contin颅ues to teach at TC. 鈥淗e was a wonderful advocate and source of strength.鈥�

鈥淛ohn鈥檚 life was distin颅guished by enormous acts of generosity, done with very little fanfare,鈥� said TC Trustee Ruth Gottesman. 鈥淗e was modest, intelligent, a loyal friend, and deeply committed to education and to all the principles that TC stands for.鈥�

To honor John Klingenstein鈥檚 memory, donations should be made to the Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership. Contact Linda Colquhoun at 212 678-3679.