Members of the Occidental Class of 2028.
Origin Stories
Before arriving at Occidental, these eight members of the Class of ’28 (and a transfer student from the Class of ’27) discovered their superpowers in the classroom, in their communities, in competition, and in service to their...

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

Undeterred by life's obstacles—including the 15 surgeries he's endured related to his rheumatoid arthritis—Professor Roger Boesche and wife Mandy share a love for the world, adventure, and...
A long-simmering debate over diversity and equity at Oxy came to a boil in November, with hundreds of students demanding institutional reform. As a new semester dawns with the promise of...
Oxy'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, Oxy'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 Oxy that he did
Winter16_ThirdLA
With architecture critic and adjunct professor Christopher Hawthorne setting the agenda, Oxy'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 Oxy
Winter16_Kakehashi
Japan's Kakehashi Project promotes better understanding of its culture by sending 23 Oxy 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

Features

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...
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, Occidental College 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
Filmmaker Angelina Lee '22
Farm to Film
Combining her interest in sustainability with her prowess behind the camera, Angelina Lee ’22 harvests a new documentary around permaculture
Ben Dalgetty ’10 in the Office of the Mayor in Seattle.
Campaign Trails
Campaign Semester can be a gateway to a career in politics, advocacy work, or even elected office, as seven seasoned campaigners will attest

First Word

From the Quad

New tenure-track faculty at Occidental College, 2024-25.
All Paths Lead to Oxy
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
Chris Kim, the Choi Family Director of Instrumental Music, conducts the Occidental Symphony in a performance of Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature.”
The Sounds of Branca
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
Members of the Pacific Crossings “Dream Team”: From left, Nakatsuka, Gilder Lehrman program coordinator Leah Baer, administrative assistant Thea Wilson ’24, and Hong.
Teachable Moments
Associate Professor Jane Hong and a “dream team” of educators bring 150 years of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history into focus

Mixed Media

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
Author Susan Coll '81, photographed at Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C.
Mixed Media
Susan Coll ’81’s latest comic novel, Professor Amy Lyford’s examination of the art and life of Dorothea Tanning, and more

Oxy Talk

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
As program director of Research Corporation for Science Advance- ment’s RCSA Fellows Initiative, Spain will support postdocs in physics, astronomy, and chemistry as they transition into their faculty careers.
To Chemistry and Beyond
After 28 years in the classroom and mentoring 74 students in her lab at Oxy, Professor Eileen Spain pivots to prepare future generations of faculty in the physical sciences

Last Page

Professor Emeritus Eric Newhall '67, author of Always Resisting
Resistance Remembered
Professor Emeritus Eric Newhall ’67 recounts the fallout from his decision to oppose the Vietnam War in a memoir more than 50 years in the making
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