In this issue…

Volume 1   •   13 December 2006  •   Issue 11 

	Welcome from the Executive Director A time to enjoy		Alumnae Trustee Nominations due January 15
	Mount Blog Final papers, exams, and J-term plans		Holiday E-cards Send a greeting from MHC
	Christmas Vespers Sounds of the season		Campus Calendar Holiday club events
	Online Class Notes Read the latest news from your sister alumnae

Welcome from the Executive Director

e’re in the thick of the holidays now—celebrated in many faith and family traditions.  No matter which way you choose to acknowledge the season during this whirlwind time, I hope you take a moment for yourself to replenish, reflect on what the holidays mean to you, or simply put up your feet and sip some hot spiced tea. Once you’re cozy, please enjoy our special holiday edition of the Laurel Chain. No breaking news this time, no in-depth articles or important announcements (well, maybe one, but it’s short). This month, knowing how hard it can be to find a little breathing room amidst all the bustle, we offer an e-newsletter that’s short and sweet. You’ll find warm wishes for the season, links to holiday music and images, and a look at the ways alumnae clubs are celebrating the holidays and, especially, their MHC friendships.

Be good to yourself this season. Here at the Alumnae Association, we’re hoping your holidays are filled with joy and peace—and the knowledge that your MHC sisters around the world are celebrating with you.

With affection,

W. Rochelle Calhoun ’83
Executive Director, Alumnae Association of Mount Holyoke College

Alumnae Nominations

he Alumnae Association’s Nomination of Alumnae Trustees and Awards committee is seeking help from you in identifying candidates. Selection process for the 2008 Alumnae Trustee nominee begins January 2007. An Alumnae Trustee nominee is selected for her willingness and ability to involve herself actively in the workings of the College, to participate in the policy-making discussions of the Board of Trustees, and to use her expertise in special areas to enrich those discussions. If you know alumnae that meet the criteria please fill out our online recommendation form or e-mail Karen Griffin. Thank you for your continued support.

Mount Blog

ulling all-nighters in your dorm room, with M&Cs and your roommate’s radio to keep you going. Pounding out your final papers and finishing up your lab work. Making plans for the long (and longed-for) winter break. Remember life at MHC as the fall semester came to a close? The newest student blogs on our popular Web feature, “Mount Blog,” will bring it all back to you. I-pods have replaced radios, and laptops are a necessity, but some things stay the same—as this sample from a recent post by Mary Duffy, FP ’08 shows:

In my mind’s eye, I see the year laid out before me, just like a map. (Actually, I literally see the year as though it were a map; it’s part of a little known condition called synesthesia… check it out here.) And at the end of the year, time squishes itself together into a big messy puddle of work, snow, shopping and vacation.

I don’t shop or work much, if I can help it, during the rest of the year.  But between December 1st and December 20th my workload looked something like this… More…

Holiday E-cards

t’s easy, quick, and fun to send a holiday greeting to a far-flung MHC classmate—or to anyone you’re thinking of during the season. Our e-card feature, located in the “Virtual Café” section of our Web site, offers a variety of beautiful e-cards for the season, each displaying a different campus scene. Check it out in our Virtual Café.

Christmas Vespers

he traditional Mount Holyoke Christmas Vespers concerts, held on campus in Abbey Chapel on Sunday, December 3, and in New York City in St. Bartholomew’s Church on Friday, December 8, were standing-room only affairs, as alumnae, students, families, and guests packed the halls to hear—and sing with—150 MHC student singers and musicians. Audiences were treated to performances by the Mount Holyoke Glee Club, Chamber Singers, and Chorale, directed by Kimberly Dunn; the Vocal Jazz and Chamber Jazz Ensembles, directed by Mark Gionfriddo; the Mount Holyoke Orchestra, directed by Eric Benjamin; and the English Handbell Choir, led by Heather Waddell ’07.

The concerts began with a ceremonial candlelight Gregorian chant processional, followed by A Ceremony of Carols for women’s choir and harp by Benjamin Britten. Interspersed throughout the Britten performances were traditional sing-along carols, which brought the audience to its feet as hundreds joined together in song. The concerts closed with Eric Benjamin’s composition, “Ideo Gloria,” written for the combined choirs, Handbell Choir, and orchestra.

For links to previous Christmas Vespers choral recordings, please visit the College’s Web site.

Campus Calendar

he mount Holyoke Club of New York alternates hosting the annual Christmas Vespers concert with the Boston club each December. In Central Ohio, club members will meet at the Spaghetti Warehouse for a post-Christmas luncheon, a “favorite holiday tradition.” In Detroit, members of the local alumnae club will gather at the comfortable home of a club member for a holiday party, enjoying conversation and dessert with one another and with current and prospective students. Check our events calendar to find out what other clubs are up to this holiday season.

Online Class Notes

o read more online class notes, or post your own notes and photos, please visit our Web site.

Shawn (Reilly) Mills (1985)
Shawn (Reilly) Mills (1985) writes, “I, am living in Steamboat Springs, Colorado with my husband, David Mills, a General Contractor, and our son Benjamin, 4 and daughter Naomi, 2. We spent the last year in southern Vermont, while Naomi prepared for, and recovered from, corrective surgery on her spine at Boston Children’s Hospital. It’s been a long couple of years, and we are ready for a normal winter filled with skiing, sledding, hockey and hot cocoa. If there are any other moms out there who have a child with congenital health issues - particularly of the spine, bladder and kidney - I’d love to talk with anyone who may have bits of wisdom for me...”  

Marybeth (Frazier) Mitts (1985)
Marybeth (Frazier) Mitts (1985) recently accepted a position at Williams College located in Williamstown, MA as Assistant Director of Corporate and Foundation Rel. “I was leafing through the classifieds one Sunday and spotted a part time position at Williams College. Lo, these 60 days later, and I’m employed again after being at home with my children for the past 8 years...”  

Laura (Melton) Frasca (2002)
Laura (Melton) Frasca (2002) and Jeffrey Frasca are happy to announce their marriage on July 8, 2006 in Dallas, TX. They currently reside in Oakland, CA. Rachel Vigour (2002) and Maggie Trias (2003) were bridesmaids. They had no time for a honeymoon right away but are planning to hike the Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier.