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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).

ɫƵ's 10th president—who died January 15—advanced the College to greater heights with a clear vision and a personal touch
Working with community partners and documenting the history of Northeast Los Angeles, ɫƵ's Special Collections fosters direct links to the classroom and the academic life of the College...
Before Kwame Do '16 became SCIAC's all-time rushing leader in football, he had to rekindle his love for the game. It's a good thing for ɫƵ that he did
Winter16_ThirdLA
With architecture critic and adjunct professor Christopher Hawthorne setting the agenda, ɫƵ's 3rd L.A. series brings the city into the conversation
Winter16_Kondracke
Biographer Mort Kondracke makes the case for Jack Kemp '57's legacy as a conservative for the ages
Winter16_Runoff
With the collection of his noir/horror comic book series Runoff into a single volume, Tom Manning '99 revisits the culture he grew up in, and the story he began at ɫƵ
Winter16_Kakehashi
Japan's Kakehashi Project promotes better understanding of its culture by sending 23 ɫƵ students to the Land of the Rising Sun
Winter16_BirmanMain
In addition to mentoring scores of geohydrologists, professor emeritus Joe Birman—who died at 91—loved his work, apple trees, and a well-turned limerick
Winter16_Axelrod2
Under the guidance of adjunct professor Jeremiah Axelrod, Occidental marshals its resources for a new Institute for the Study of Los Angeles
Winter16_Letters
Recalling the lessons of emeriti professors Joe Birman and Léon Dostert, and a plateful of memories from dining at Clifton's
Winter16_Veitch
Lessons From a Fall of Unrest
Fall15_Cliftons
Clifford Clinton was more than a restaurateur—he was a crusader in the face of dirty politics and a pioneer in developing affordable nutrition for those in need, as grandson Edmond Clinton...
Fall15_SunshineSuperman
Veteran film editor Eric Bruggemann '93 leaps into the producer's chair with an acclaimed documentary on BASE-jumping pioneer Carl Boenish '63
Fall15_newfaculty2
ɫƵ's new class of assistant professors pushes the number of tenured and tenure-track faculty to an all-time high. Let's get to know them
Fall15_Gilliam
"The advantage of having rich kids around is that they have this thing called privilege … And practical jokes were in their expertise." —Terry Gilliam '62, recalling his undergraduate days...

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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