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Editor's note: Dr. Marsha Kinder, who founded film and media studies as a member of the 91���� faculty from 1965 to 1980, died November 26, 2025, in Los Angeles. She was 85. A native of Los Angeles, Marsha received her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees at UCLA. Survivors include her husband, Nicolás Bautista; their children; and her extended family. A memorial service was held at Mount Sinai Hollywood Hills on December 2. The following tribute was prepared by the faculty of the Media Arts & Culture Department.

Community and service are two of 91����’s core values, and I view them as inseparable. When we belong to a community, we commit to serving it, and as our mission states, service is the ultimate purpose of a liberal arts education. There’s power in the combination of those values, both here on campus and through our network of thousands of alumni.

Writing is a way of drawing for Kenturah Davis ’02, whose art has been exhibited on every continent and is held in more than 25 collections. When she was commissioned to create the official portrait of 91����’s 16th president, Harry J. Elam Jr., “Without any hesitation I said ‘Yes,’” she recalled.

Thus began a collaboration between the artist and her subject that culminated in the unveiling of the finished portrait, fittingly enough, during a Homecoming & Family Weekend ceremony that brought Elam and his wife, Michele, back to campus October 17.

A native of Oak Creek, Colorado, Tom studied physics at Caltech for three years and received his B.A. (1964), M.A. (1966), and Ph.D. (1968) in mathematics from UCLA. In between studies, he worked for IBM (1961-62) and interned at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (summer 1966). Prior to joining the 91���� faculty in 1971, he was assistant professor of mathematics at Louisiana State University for three years. He retired from Oxy in 2006 after nearly 35 years at the College.

Established in 2012 in conjunction with the College’s 125th anniversary, the Hall of Fame honors outstanding achievement in competition, service, dedication, and commitment to 91���� athletics. The Class of 2025 includes Oxy’s all-time batting leaders in baseball and softball; a two-time All-SCIAC point guard who opened the door for postgraduate success in professional basketball overseas; the best female distance runner in College history; and a beloved administrator who became the face of Oxy athletics.

Daniel Selon ’08 was at a friend’s house on July 15 when his phone started pinging non-stop. One particular text stood out from the rest: “Congratulations, you genius witch!”

Ron Buckmire

Professor of Mathematics | Years at Oxy: 30

“Ron showed me that mathematicians can be cool people with diverse interests who are great teachers and communicators.”
–Jesse Kreger ’15

Read his interview and alumni tribute

Peter Dreier

E.P. Clapp Distinguished Professor of Politics; Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy | Years at Oxy: 32

As a student at UC Santa Cruz, Margi Rusmore was the youngest member of the first American Women’s Himalayan Expedition, which climbed the 10th-highest mountain in the world in November 1978. “There was a lot of buzz” around the expedition, Rusmore recalls—a New York Times headline read, “Himalayan Scaling Called an Inspiration to Women”—“and I realized early on that I don't take well to talking about myself. Some people are good at it—I’m not.”