How Women Came to Kenyon

Kenyon's first females graduated forty years ago. To mark the occasion, the Bulletin recalls how coeducation came about — from the fiscal crisis, to the clamor, to the uneven welcome on the Hill.

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The Making of Sean M. Decatur

Biochemist and Beatles aficionado, Kenyon's new president grew up with the lessons of learning.

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Linking Arms

An immensely complex transplant operation gives a soldier two new limbs. On the team that made it happen: a husband and wife, both Kenyon grads.

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Taste of Wilderness

Discovering Danville's famous raccoon dinner, a Kenyon student muses on socio-culinary boundaries and the people behind the slow cookers.

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Also In This Edition

Whether you go for escape, exercise or simple pleasure, it's hard to beat an outing on the Kokosing Gap Trail.

Middle Path is lovely in all seasons, but fall is its most glorious.

Student Life

A Shaping Voice

Students describe the impact made by two Trustee Teaching Excellence Award recipients.

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Alumni News

The Storyteller

From Bosnia to Iraq, Göran Hemberg ’63 uses storytelling in the service of peace and democracy

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Kenyon in Quotes

"It's been overwhelmingly positive for what we hoped to achieve." — Marco Saavedra '11, after his release from federal detention along the border with Mexico as part of the Dream 9 immigration-reform protest, in the New York Daily News

Arts & Culture

Viva la Vida

A photographer explains the genesis of a striking portrait and reflects on its resonance.

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Arts & Culture

Treasures in Glass

Professor Emeritus of History William B. Scott reflects on the Peirce Hall windows devoted to the Gettysburg…

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Classy Classmates

A U.S. presidential campaign intern, an anti-bullying activist, a private pilot, and several self-identified "nerdfighters" were among the 484 members of the Class of 2017 who joined the Kenyon community this fall.

Margin of Error

A somewhat scientific survey

88 — Percentage of Kenyon students who are on Facebook

15 — Percentage of Kenyon students who smoke

49 — Percentage of Kenyon students who think buying and wearing clothing made of animal fur is acceptable

Heavy Petting

In April, with exams looming and stress rising, community advisors hosted a petting zoo in front of Caples. Faculty and staff were invited to bring in their dogs and cats to help soothe the nerves of frazzled students and help those who missed their own pets. The scholars presumably got calmer, but we wonder whether the animals got any smarter.

Class Notes

Recent Class Notes
’88

Shelley G. Swank-Anderson and Kevin J. Anderson are empty-nesters now that son Scott is off to DePauw. “He was admitted to Kenyon, but really likes the vibe of the Tigers, so he is the only Anderson who is not a Lord/Lady/Owl. It’s fun learning other colleges’ traditions! We actually own black and gold fan gear now! Our daughters, Kiele L. Anderson ’21 and Leah N. Anderson ’23, struggle to cheer for DePauw teams, except men’s tennis, because they do still strongly root for their brother! Formerly a goalie, Leah was named NCAC Defensive Player of the Year, and in Kiele’s senior year she won the ’21 Falkenstine Award. Kevin still works as a banker in Peoria, Illinois, and I try to be helpful in the community with Meals on Wheels and substitute teaching. I am considering getting more involved with the local Multiple Sclerosis Society, as time and confidence permit.”

’00

Benjamin D. Bagocius published “Queer Mrs. Ramsay, or Virginia Woolf’s Geomorphic Family” in Modern Fiction Studies and “Pheoby’s Queer Quietness in Their Eyes Were Watching God” in Mississippi Quarterly: The Journal of Southern Cultures. His first book of poems, “The Canaanite Woman,” appeared in 2022, and “The Gospel According to B.” comes out in 2024. Other recently submitted work on the mystical aesthetics of Virginia Woolf, Kazimir Malevich and Emily Dickinson soon to appear. “Learning Finnish to become more involved in the Finnish literary community.” Visit BenjaminBagocius. com.

’02

Robert W. “Winston” Sale, Washington, D.C., donated a kidney on Sept. 21. “My friend Rob was suffering end-stage renal disease caused by a hereditary kidney condition. The trans-plant was a success, and Rob will be able to return to a normal life without dialysis in a few months. Statistically speaking, kidney donors live longer than the average population, and I expect to live a normal, healthy life with my remaining kidney. If you or anyone you know is thinking about kidney donation, please reach out.”

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