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Life After Fire illustration for Occidental magazine, Spring 2025
Life After Fire
The Eaton and Palisades fires in January took their toll on members of the Occidental family, including students, alumni, faculty, and administrators. With a long rebuilding process ahead, they find strength and support among the...

Occidental magazine brings you campus news, in-depth features, and profiles of exceptional alumni. For the 2024-25 academic year, the magazine published two print and digital issues (Fall 2024 and Spring 2025) and one digital-only issue (Summer 2024).

Hoppy Swarts
As a teenager, Lewis “Hoppy” Swarts ’41 first dragged a heavy redwood paddleboard into the waves off Hermosa Beach. Decades later, with his beloved sport in dangerous waters, he became the...
EdibleComplex
Foodies, wonks, and utensil-minded gourmands chew over a buffet of topics as ɫƵ hosts an international gathering of food studies scholars
TomCarroll
Tom Carroll ’08’s YouTube videos explore the forgotten fringes of the City of Angels, while schooling viewers about some lesser-known landmarks—and there’s no test at the end
From Spring 2007: Junior diving phenoms Jon and Robert Dohring were "untouchable" all season, finishing 1-2 in the 1-and 3-meter events at the Division III nationals—and the sky's the limit...
Eleanor Helin
More than 75 years ago, Barbara (Wylie) Canright ’40 helped lift the Jet Propulsion Laboratory off the ground. Half a century later, Eleanor Helin ’54 discovered a staggering number of...
When the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Occidental was a small college struggling to survive in its new home. With a new president and a renewed sense of urgency, how did...
Chris Varelas '85 has a passion for sports, a knack for structuring complex technology deals, a loyalty to his ɫƵ family—and the uncanny ability of being at the nexus of history
Decades before they joined the diplomacy and world affairs faculty at ɫƵ, Sophal Ear, Lan Chu, and Sanjeev Khagram immigrated to the United States as refugees. How have their journeys...
Addie McMenamin '40: Alumni's First Lady
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Faith in Our Mission in Uncertain Times
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The untold story behind a candid cocktail photo and the guy who is missing from this pic
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What's that sweet sound coming out of Herrick? After 15 years of relative quiet, the Mildred Miles Crew '45 Memorial Organ is making music again
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Charlie Cardillo's road to college began behind the wheel of a 1969 Olds 98. Now he's steering ɫƵ's fundraising efforts as a campaign revs up
Taking a flyer on a trip to Cuba with his wife and a cargo full of Tigers, Andrew Louie '95 reflects on the country's treasures and unexpected pleasures
After years (and years and years) of promises, a new aquatic center finally breaks ground this summer—and two additional tennis courts will bring athletes home to Occidental as well

Features

Mast Reforestation CEO Grant Canary '05
Seeding the Forests
Utilizing biomass burial and carbon credits, Mast Reforestation CEO Grant Canary ’05 is on a mission to revive scorched landscapes in the American West
Marcel Ophuls '50 in an undated photo
Contrarian Documentarian
Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Marcel Ophuls ’50, who attended Occidental for three years before dropping out to finish his studies at the Sorbonne, died May 24 at the age of 97...
Life After Fire illustration for Occidental magazine, Spring 2025
Life After Fire
The Eaton and Palisades fires in January took their toll on members of the Occidental family, including students, alumni, faculty, and administrators. With a long rebuilding process ahead...
Assistant Professor Janna Ireland
Advanced Projects in Photography
With two exhibits opening simultaneously and a new teaching space at ɫƵ, Assistant Professor Janna Ireland navigates her burgeoning career as she parents two growing boys
Eddie Gorton ’01, Paul “PK” Kim ’98, and David Murphy ’02
Sitting Down With the Stand-ups
Paul “PK” Kim ’98, Eddie Gorton ’01, and David Murphy ’02 trace their comic odysseys from talent shows and laundromats to Thorne Hall and the Laugh Factory
Professor William D. Ward at his desk in the Hall of Letters on Occidental’s Highland Park campus.
Unseen Occidental
From 1898 to 1914, ɫƵ called Highland Park home—and a treasure trove of photos from the 1910s offers a glimpse of campus life before the move to Eagle Rock

First Word

From the Quad

Mariah Rutiaga Amaya ’22 outside the Hameetman Career Center.
Vital Signs
Recent ɫƵ grads from a variety of disciplines are enrolling in top-tier medical schools in unprecedented numbers, applying their own life experiences to the future of healthcare
ɫƵ professors and students engaged in summer research and internships
How I Spent My Summer Vocation
From artificial intelligence in the classroom to immigrant rights in the city, the Occidental landscape has been abuzz with activity for faculty and students alike

Mixed Media

Terry Kitchen '81 performs "We All Dream."
Mixed Media
A host of new works by ɫƵ alumni explore explore themes of democracy, resilience, and human connection—as well as our fascination with horses, dragons, and ocean life
Carole MacNeil ’84 with her mom, Eleanor, in 2019.
Mixed Media
New books by Carole MacNeil ’84, Jessica C. Harris ’08, Jessica Keith ’00, Marsha de la O ’74, and the latest documentary short by César Martínez Barba ’17

ɫƵ Talk

Occidental Board of Trustees Chair Art Peck '77
The Occidental Imperative
Business veteran Art Peck ’77 brings his leadership acumen to the Board of Trustees at a critical juncture in higher education when the College’s mission—and messaging—are more important...
Administrative Law Judge Brian Gee ’87
Judgment Calls
Separated by 2,700 miles, National Labor Relations Board administrative law judges Brian Gee ’87 and Ira Sandron ’71 find common ground in ɫƵ

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