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In memoriam for Aleta Elaine (McClam) Staton written by Wesleyan classmate and dear friend, Allison Brown.
“When she enrolled at Wesleyan University, Aleta had not planned to pursue a degree in the performing arts, but the sounds of the orchestra, the rhythm of the drums, the harmonies of the choirs, the lights of the stage, and the applause of the audience called to her. The theater and the arts became her home. Wesleyan gave Aleta the platform to develop and nurture her innate talents as a phenomenal and charismatic actor, an elegant and powerful dancer, a strong and interpretive vocalist, and most importantly, an unconditional and supportive friend to everyone.
“A friend to everyone that met her, Aleta was an integral part of Wesleyan’s African American community. Whether it was getting your hair braided or cut, like the neighborhood barber or beautician, she was always the shoulder you could lean on, a confidant, and a consummate supporter and advocate.
“After graduating, Aleta dedicated her life to the cultivation of artist in Middletown as well as her New Haven community, serving as an educator, an arts administrator at Long Wharf Theater, as the former Cultural Affairs commissioner and chair, as director of Community Engagement at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, and as an actor in plays as powerful as Ntozake Shante’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf.
“As an educator within her community and a lecturing professor at Quinnipiac and Yale Universities, her students ranged in age from pre-K to mature adults. For Aleta, theater and the arts were her teaching instruments about life, its struggles, challenges, joys, and hopes. She worked tirelessly to inspire the lives of all she came in contact with. Her life was the theater, its people, its growth and evolving diversity, and the impact it has on culture and society.
“When asked about her approach to teaching, Aleta said, ‘Through the years, I have come more into my own as an instructor. I’ve found everybody has a way of communicating. There is no completely prescriptive way of teaching this or that. You have to discover along the way what parts of you can connect with them that you need to share every day . . . I have a lesson for every increment of the subject matter, but the lesson can veer to the right or the left or explode in the center, and those are the magic moments in class! I live for that. . . .’
“For those who knew Aleta, they understood that her own personal struggles and health challenges took a back seat to the work she knew she could accomplish. Aleta ‘lived a full life,’ one that will continue in the lives of her daughter, Jade, her sister, Laura, and all of those who were blessed to have met and been inspired by her.
“On September 25, 2022, while speaking to an audience that came to support her, Aleta said, ‘I am just like y’all. You know, been through, going through, we’ll get on the other end. I don’t know how this is gonna turn out, but it’s already written. So, I have nothing to complain about, I have nothing to worry about. I will be fine. . . .’”
“On July 4, as people celebrated America’s freedom, the curtain closed as Aleta Elaine (McClam) Staton took her final bow.”
The obituary for Aleta: Aleta Staton
Melissa Stern: “It’s been a very exciting time in my family. My son, Max W. Friedlich ’17, has a play on Broadway. It’s called JOB, and I admit we’re all still a little gobsmacked that this has happened. A year ago, we were literally stapling the set together in a tiny theater downtown. And now it’s on Broadway. It’s been nuts!
“I have a solo show opening at DIMIN NYC in Tribeca. I am very excited about it and happy to be working with this fab gallery. It’s called A Leg to Stand On, sculpture, drawing, and assemblage. It opened on September 6 and runs till October 19. (406 Broadway, 2nd floor; Leg to Stand On)
David Hafter: “After 42 years of providing mental health and clinical supervision services, my run comes to a welcome end in December. I run a team of clinicians who provide services for Medi-Cal clients. I will continue doing trainings for the agency a few days a month, but the rest of the time in retirement will be devoted to writing—a novel and a play in the works—and playing with this great band, Wealth of Nations (named after the original WoN from Wesleyan with the original band members from Wesleyan: myself, James Marcus ’81, Kathy Bergeron, and Vic Tredwell). The current band has a blast together.”
James Kent: “I remain in touch with our Wes E&ES professor Pete Patton, who had near-death experience with a pulmonary fungal infection he picked up [in] Death Valley, and as of two years ago, he was going back to—Death Valley! Crazy is a required component in E&ES. Our other professors, Greg Horne and Jelle de Boer, have passed. I went to Jelle’s memorial and told bad jokes about his Dutch accent.”
Amanda Hardy Sloan: “I have found, after picking up riding again at age 50, after my kids were grown and flown (I had been an avid teenage rider and had to give it up at Wes because I couldn’t afford it), that many, many women our age are riding again. Women of ALL backgrounds and abilities. There are many opportunities for women like us to ride. It is so therapeutic and both physically and psychologically good for us!
“I could not afford a horse of my own when I was younger, but hubby, Chris, and I found ourselves in a position to be able to do so on a modest level as we neared retirement. My dear mare was introduced to me by the trainer I was riding with at age 52, and I just fell in love with this horse. She is probably the only horse I will ever own. I’ve had her for 15 years, and we know each other backward and forward. She is now age 23, so slowing down a bit, but we only pleasure/trail ride, so it works out well.
“Mika is a registered Foundation Quarter Horse with champion bloodlines (but even if she wasn’t, I’d love her just the same!). She came east to Massachusetts when her Utah ranch had to be disbanded in the economic downturn of 2008–2009. She was pregnant with a filly. The truck she was on coming East hit an ice storm and flipped over. She was scraped up badly, but no bones broken. The truck with her on it continued to the upstate New York breeding farm that had purchased her. When they saw her injuries, they refused her. She was put back on the truck and went along with two young geldings to Horseplay Stables in Massachusetts, where I was riding. Our kind owner/trainer, Terri Hoy, accepted her, cared for her, cured her, and delivered her filly, Lulu, not long after! It was then that I started riding her and later purchased her. We had many years of trail riding, pleasure riding, and even a dabble into dressage with Horseplay!
“Recently I have moved Mika, as she is aging, to a small family farm in the town where I live. Attached are some photos of a trail hand walk we took with my husband, Chris, and our dog, Sabina, when we first moved to this new barn.
“Professionally, I am a landscape architect! This is my second career; I switched to it in my early 30s after working in nonprofit public relations during my 20s. I have loved the profession—a combination of environmental awareness, advocacy, design, knowledge of nature, and doing a lot of drawing! I am pretty much retired now. I continue to serve as a board member of local environmentally oriented organizations.”
From me, Jaquie:“I don’t know about all of you, but this summer has screamed by for us. Andrew McKenna (hubby extraordinaire) and I have both of our girls home—our older daughter, Xan, just graduated from Williams (a double major in studio art and comparative literature, with a minor in Spanish) and is working four to five part-time (some paying) jobs and also doing volunteer work in the arts as she figures out what the next step is for her (ideas and connections welcome); and our younger daughter, Juliana, a rising junior at Eckerd, spent the summer working on her dive master for scuba diving, lifeguarding, and looking for a marine biology internship for next summer (again, ideas and connections welcome).
“I’ve been taking a summerlong course to become certified as a pollinator advocate. (My head is bursting with all the in-depth information we have learned from this program that is focused on native plant species and native pollinators—absolutely fascinating and so critical for our survival.) And Andrew is hyper focused on his work at the Boulder Airport.
“It’s so special for us to be having family dinners together most nights—lots of laughter and many adventures together as well. We have had a revolving door of visitors—family members and friends. And we have been working on big challenges—Andrew, Xan (committee coordinator), me (committee treasurer), and many others are working hard to save Boulder Airport (trying to get Boulder City residents to vote ‘no’ on two measures on the ballot calling for the closure of the airport. I am happy to report that the measures have been withdrawn, though the work continues to be sure we promote and protect Boulder Airport. And we’re also working with BlueWave Postcards to try to save democracy (Xan is one of the artists—her pastel for the Arizona card just got sold out).
“On November 6, I go in to get my left knee replaced—talk about a game changer on so many levels and a fairly sedentary end of the year as I work hard on PT for my recovery (send all your positive energy on November 6 and going forward—it will be greatly appreciated)!”
Our 45th Reunion is coming up in 2025!!! I’ve signed on as reunion chair and welcome a co-chair and volunteers to make this reunion memorable. Also open to ideas for class speakers both for us and for panels.
JACQUIE SHANEBERGE MCKENNA | jmckenna@indra.com