Best of CASE District VII Award
 

Institution: Pomona College

Title of entry: Pomona College Magazine: Origins

About this entry: Our theme of "Origins" for the Spring 2022 issue already was in place and we were approaching deadline when a fierce January windstorm brought down 17 of Pomona College's beloved campus trees. Among those that fell were towering eucalyptus trees and coast live oaks, including five dating from the early 1900s that for decades had shaded graduating students as they lined up for Commencement. Unable to add a feature story, instead of an image of downed trees on the cover we photographed longtime grounds and landscaping manager Ron Nemo, holding out two of the coast live oak acorns from which new trees will grow. Art Director Eric Melgosa and photographer Jeff Hing decided to focus tightly on the acorns in Nemo's work-worn hands, capturing even his thumbprint and bits of campus soil on his nails. Nemo's face, one of the best-known on campus because of his friendly greetings as he cares for the grounds, is blurred in the background but unmistakable to those in the know—students, faculty, staff and alumni of the last two decades. The cover carried through the theme of Origins in the accompanying features but also created an opportunity for the opening letter and table of contents to relate the loss of the trees and Nemo's philosophical reaction: "The trees have a lifespan, just like everything else." Photos of the cleanup, plans for replacing the trees and an in-focus portrait of Nemo on the table of contents page reveal his identity for any who didn't recognize him.