Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018 - 41

Beyond Vassar

ternship with a traditional Chinese
naturopath, she moved to Las Vegas
and opened her doors. Two years ago,
she and her business and life partner
launched Dr. Monica's Vegas Holistic
Health Emporium online.
"This is where the passion part
comes in," she exclaims. "I'm healing people with my essential oils and
elixirs and loving every minute. My
clients are very diverse, from a twoyear-old with severe asthma and allergies to a grandmother who loves
her 'facelift in a bottle.' All ages, ethnicities, genders. It's a beautiful
thing."

Len Seligman '77
Computer science researcher
to award-winning musician

usic has always been my greatest passion," says Len Seligman. At Vassar, he was
a regular solo performer at the Coffeehouse and neighborhood clubs. He also
performed with the band Dancing Bear
and opened for folk legend Phil Ochs at the Vassar Chapel.
Seligman moved to Boston after graduation and spent
two years as a professional musician, playing and writing
music for rock and roll bands and as a solo folk artist. As
much as he loved making music, he found "living in smoky
bars for low pay" a tough row to hoe.
After a short-lived fund-raising gig, he started a long and
fruitful career in computer programming. As a Senior
Principal Scientist at the MITRE Corporation, Seligman did
applied research and systems engineering for federal clients, including the Department of Veterans Affairs and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and amassed
over 60 publications in his field.
Though he still does a bit of consulting, Seligman, now
62, has rebooted his music career. "Once my kids left home
and graduated from college, I began to get more serious about
music again," he says. "The biggest challenge was giving myself permission to do it. I inherited some of my parents'

Len Seligman has
finally rededicated
himself to music.

Depression-era mentality, the notion
that you can never have enough financial security. Yet gradually, I've
come to realize that I have enough,
and there's no time like the present."
Seligman's first album, Head Over
Heels, an upbeat blend of folk and
world-music influences, garnered a
Washington Area Music Award nomination for Best Inspirational/Gospel
Album. He released a second, Shine
Your Light, in May. Grammy-winning
cellist David Darling has praised
Seligman's "passionate originals and
soulful, virtuoso guitar playing."
Azalea Records artist Carey Creed
has noted that "Len radiates joy;
when you listen to him, you'll find
your spirit lifted to a higher, truer
realm-and you may just find yourself dancing." (Much of his music can
be found at lenseligman.com.)
Seligman calls this a "tremendously rich and creative
time" in which he's been able to focus both on his music and
on his spiritual life. Recently ordained as an interfaith minister, he often performs at houses of worship, meditation
centers, interfaith events, and senior living communities.
"It's never too late to do what you love," he attests. "Like many
baby boomers, I'm discovering my 60s to be a wonderful
time for reinvention."

Lorraine Robell Sherman '50
Chemistry teacher to patent attorney

orraine Robell Sherman reinvented herself
under challenging circumstances: early widowhood and the threat of unemployment. But
the resilient alumna shrugs off these hardships. "I was walking an unconventional path
from the get-go," she says.
Born in Brooklyn, Sherman attended Vassar on scholarship. The chemistry major did graduate work at the University
of Minnesota and was the only female student in her class.
In 1951, she started teaching at Macalester College and
VA S S A r Q U A r T E r LY

http://www.lenseligman.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vassar Quarterly - Spring 2018