Melanie was my dear colleague in Comparative Literature at Berkeley in the late 60s, early 70s. She was a leader and sister-feminist to the multitude of women who formed the grassroots student movement that established the first women‘s literature courses at Berkeley. Melanie taught me to be brave and how to persist through in the trials of doctoral exam-taking. Her youthful generosity & wisdom helped guide me through a successful academic career.
Love to you, Leslie, & to all Melanie’s family & friends. I share your grief.
—Bridget Connelly, Emerita Professor of Rhetoric, University of California, Berkeley