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Stella M. Savage Zamvil ’47

Stella M. Savage Zamvil ’47, May 11, 2013, in Palo Alto, California. Born in New York to Orthodox Jewish parents who had emigrated from Russia, Stella graduated from high school at the age of 15 and enrolled at Brooklyn College. In 1944, she married physician Louis Zamvil. His wartime military assignment to the Oregon Medical School (Oregon Health & Science University) brought Stella to Portland, where she studied English and Latin at Reed. She then completed a BA in English and creative writing at San Jose State and earned an MA in creative writing at San Francisco State. Stella taught Latin and poetry to middle and high school students and taught creative writing and film at several area junior colleges and senior centers. She published collections of short stories and poetry, including In the Time of the Russias; My Father Hunts Zulus, My Mother Puts Up Pickles; and Silently You Taught Me Much: and Other Poems. She and Louis were cofounders of Temple Beth Am in Los Altos Hills and Congregation Kol Emeth in Palo Alto. Stella was a choir member at Kol Emeth and also sang in the West Bay Opera. Survivors include two sons and a daughter, nine grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

Appeared in Reed magazine: December 2013

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