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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).

Administrative Law Judge Brian Gee ’87
Separated by 2,700 miles, National Labor Relations Board administrative law judges Brian Gee ’87 and Ira Sandron ’71 find common ground in Oxy
Terry Kitchen '81 performs "We All Dream."
A host of new works by Oxy alumni explore explore themes of democracy, resilience, and human connection—as well as our fascination with horses, dragons, and ocean life
President Stritikus at Oxy's Access and Opportunity Luncheon on April 6.
Oxy students and alumni use their lifelong affinity for learning to answer important questions—beginning with a research-driven liberal arts education
Oxy Live! welcomed visual artist Ed Ruscha to Thorne Hall on February 4.
Ed Ruscha, Deirdre Cooper Owens, and Tom Nichols lead the discourse at Oxy this semester
Eddie Gorton ’01, Paul “PK” Kim ’98, and David Murphy ’02
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
Assistant Professor Janna Ireland
With two exhibits opening simultaneously and a new teaching space at Oxy, Assistant Professor Janna Ireland navigates her burgeoning career as she parents two growing boys
Assistant Professor Natasha Sekhon studies broken stalagmites to decide whether they should be brought back to the U.S. for further research.
Assistant Professor Natasha Sekhon and junior geology major Mira Hart take their research abroad, looking for clues inside Philippine caves
New tenure-track faculty at ñ, 2024-25.
Hailing from China, India, Mexico, and all over the United States, Occidental’s newest cohort of tenure-track faculty embraces the liberal arts in Los Angeles
Anne Marie (Kurtz) '57 and George Novinger '54
Anne Marie (Kurtz) Novinger ’57 checks in at 89—and shares her secret to 67 years of wedded bliss
A second opinion on the last 25 years, and an alternate solution to Oxy's late-'80s crosses conundrum
A second opinion on the last 25 years, and an alternate solution to Oxy's late-'80s crosses conundrum
Professor William D. Ward at his desk in the Hall of Letters on Occidental’s Highland Park campus.
From 1898 to 1914, ñ 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
NFL referee Jim Tunney '51
With three Super Bowls on his resume, Jim Tunney '51 (1929-2024) became the face of football officiating
Members of the Pacific Crossings “Dream Team”: From left, Nakatsuka, Gilder Lehrman program coordinator Leah Baer, administrative assistant Thea Wilson ’24, and Hong.
Associate Professor Jane Hong and a “dream team” of educators bring 150 years of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history into focus
Chris Kim, the Choi Family Director of Instrumental Music, conducts the Occidental Symphony in a performance of Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature.”
A concert for the ages celebrates the generations-spanning clientele of music attorney John Branca ’72 and the launch of the John Branca Institute for Music

Features

Cool Change illustration for Occidental magazine
Cool Change
After years of sleepless nights and hot-weather hacks, every residence hall finally has air conditioning—much to the relief of current and future Tigers
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 Oxy, 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

First Word

From the Quad

Mariah Rutiaga Amaya ’22 outside the Hameetman Career Center.
Vital Signs
Recent Oxy 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
Oxy 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

Detail from Turtle Walker poster
Much Ado About Turtles (and Keanu)
From John Wick to Wittgenstein, and a sea turtle mystery to an underwater thriller, there's something for everyone in our summer reading (and viewing) roundup
Terry Kitchen '81 performs "We All Dream."
Mixed Media
A host of new works by Oxy alumni explore explore themes of democracy, resilience, and human connection—as well as our fascination with horses, dragons, and ocean life

Oxy 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 Oxy

Last Page

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