Class Notes 1984

True story: When I was in sixth grade my class voted me “most popular,” “funniest,” and “best personality.” Three separate awards. The only award I missed was “most intelligent,” which should surprise no one. And this was no hollow victory. My competition was stiff. My grade school classmates included Andrew Diamond. Andy and I were in school together from the third grade through Dartmouth. Since our time in Hanover, Andy has gone on to become an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) physician, run the largest ENT group in the country, and now serves as the senior VP of Global Payments, a gigantic payment processing company. If “most likely to succeed” was a category, Andy would have certainly taken that one.

What bothers me most though is, that since that fateful day, I have collected precisely zero awards. None. And believe me, I’ve tried. I’ve entered countless contests. Zilch. It’s difficult to consider, but my high-water mark may have come in 1974.

Though I haven’t won any awards since Nixon was running the show, other classmates have fared considerably better. For example, Dani Klein Modisett was recently selected as one of Forbes magazine’s “50 Over 50.” In a life filled with success, Dani most recently founded Laughter on Call (laughteroncall.com), which runs workshops and training designed to foster connection through shared laughter. Oh, she’s also a stand-up comedian. If we had gone to grade school with Dani, she would have taken “funniest.” I would have been down to two awards. I’m glad Dani didn’t grow up on Long Island.

I wasn’t able to make our reunion this past spring. Not that it matters, but I almost got hit by lightning, repeatedly, while on a small boat several hundred miles offshore. I really wanted to attend, not just because it seems like there would have been less lightning, but also because I was sure there would be awards, and I might win one. I had my eye on “best organizer,” but, having spent no time working on reunion, I realized that I was a long shot for this award. Anyway, it turns out that Beth McGee spent a tremendous amount of time and effort making sure that the reunion was a success. I wouldn’t have stood a chance.

Another multi-award winner is Matty Lopes. Matty, who can often be found at Dartmouth football events, is an attorney and has been a special master for the U.S. District Court in California for the past 26 years. In that time he has won all sorts of legal awards. True to form, he’s also still the most popular guy in the room. Had Matty been with me at the Sunquam school, I would have been down to a single award, tops.

I’m not going to mention any more classmates in this column. I’m barely hanging on to my “best personality” award. If I bring up any name, especially that of my co-secretary, Juliet Aires Giglio, I lose that contest, every time.

—Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net; Juliet Aires Giglio, 4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; julietgiglio@gmail.com

Reunion is over! We will no longer pester you with columns about registering for reunion or the importance of reunion. In fact, we will try to stop using that word “reunion” altogether.

Did I mention that Kaya Kazmirci was an amazing reunion chair, well assisted by co-chairs Maria Cole and David Cumberbatch? See, you should never trust me if say I won’t use the word reunion again. Reunion is defined as “a social gathering attended by members of a certain group of people who have not seen each other for some time.”

Sure, but for the great class of 1984, reunion meant so much more. Reunion meant learning new things, exercising, making new friends, and travel, which for some was thousands of miles. Chris Bird flew in from Colombia. Kaya arrived from Turkey. And first-time reunion-goer Melanie Meunier came from France. Geoff Berlin took the train to the plane from Ukraine. Gretchen Booma brought her aloha spirit from Hawaii. I didn’t major in geography, but Tom Rivard might have won the most frequent flyer miles, having come all the way from Australia.

Twin brothers Paul and Kevin Gorman arrived from Minnesota and California. In fact, there was a huge California contingent: Julie Levenson (our amazing treasurer), Elizabeth Miles, Cary Bernstein, Susie Reynolds, Chrissy Bucklin, Alix Madigan,and more.The class reunion band rocked thanks to Enid Jones Ames, Bill Berry, Hank Erbe, Warner Ide, Joe Holland, and Jim Wooster.

“Crafts & Drafts” at the tent was a huge hit. Elisabeth Jaffe taught Pam Ross and Jack Oswald how to knit. Jack’s now making Dartmouth sweaters. Kathy Krause attempted to teach me but don’t expect a scarf any time soon! Jane Finch and Lucy Patti made CD coasters. Lauren Anderson and Janet Perkins created fleece blankets for charity. Willa Ridinger taught not one but two spin classes for her loyal followers: Allen Waxman, Therese White, Mara Rudman, Dani Klein Modisett, and more.

First-time reunion-goer Rick Ehling had so much fun, he wants to chair our next reunion—only five years away. Time to book the Hanover Inn now. Those dorm room beds aren’t what they used to be—just ask Larry Burnett or Karen Trost,who led the world-class alumni singers; look for their singles on Spotify.

The climate change panel led by Sarah Strauss and Rob Watson was in-depth and thought provoking. The Ukraine panel was moderated by Sissel Wivestad McCarthy, former CNN reporter and featured Geoff Berlin, Peter Callahan, and Peter Gish (who did double duty by hosting a lively first night cocktail party at his Hanover house). Lucia Jackson and Leah Daughtry led a beautiful and inspirational memorial service for the classmates we’ve lost.

Reunion also meant three cheers to our retiring class president, Allyson Bouldon, and to Kaya Kazmiri, our new president. Now, for the final reunion challenge: Count how many times reunion was mentioned in this column. The winner receives reunion swag!

—Juliet Aires Giglio, 4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; julietgiglio@gmail.com; Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net

Greetings all—this is your classmate Derek Chow reporting for duty and guest writing our class column this month. When I volunteered (err, was tricked/suckered) for this task, I reminisced. After all, my better half Jan Gordon and I were once your class scribes. That’s right—I checked and confirmed that we composed our last DAM class column 10 years ago! Juliet Aires Gigilo and Eric Grubman have faithfully carried the mantle since then, but due to busy conflicting schedules, have temporarily returned the reins. Juliet is loving life as a grandma—not possible, given her youthful demeanor—and has her second novel coming out in October, The Trouble with Tinsel. And Eric is head coaching the New England Patriots, fixing Twitter, and performing on a world tour with Rhianna as I write (see what I did there?). The big news of course, is our upcoming 40th reunion June 15-18 in Hanover, which we will share with the classes of 1982 and 1983. In fact, many of us have already begun preparing. Jan and I spent the Super Bowl weekend skiing in Park City, Utah, hosted by Ilyssa Golding and Doug Burke and while there we were serenaded over dinner by Doug’s tasteful harmonica stylings—complete with a moose in his driveway. Maybe he’ll play at reunion with our class band, the Esoterix, featuring Warner Ide, Hank Erbe, Enid Jones Ames, Jim Wooster, John Kim, Bill Berry, and others. Also joining us that weekend in Park City were Rick Bertasi and his wife, Sarah. Rick plans a reprise from our last reunion by setting up camp with his trailer at Storrs Pond. Happy hour cocktails at 5 again? When not blowing bluesy, wailing tunes Doug is busy running musey.tv (museytv.com), his music channel dedicated to live musical performances. From Maine, Amy Worden Smith writes, “A few of our fellow ’84s got to lamenting the trend of smaller weddings (especially since Covid) where we couldn’t possibly invite everyone who we wanted to share the event with. So we decided to hold an ‘un-wedding,’ where a bunch of Dartmouth girls could have quality time to just hang out and catch up outside the whirlwind of reunion. For a few days before reunion, we’ll be relaxing and catching up in Clinton, Connecticut, and then roadtripping together to the wilds of New Hampshire.” We’ll see you all at reunion! Chairpersons Kaya Kazmirci, Maria Cole, and David Cumberbatch, working with some of our most talented and resolute classmates, have curated a full agenda of opportunities for all of us to reconnect and celebrate. Included will be activities from the athletic to the artistic, a seminar on climate change led by ’84s in the field, delicious meals, and plenty of time to gather under the ’84 class tent. It all kicks off Thursday, June 15, with dinner at the home of classmate Peter Gish and his wife, Robin Kaiser ’83. If you haven’t done so already, please visit dartgo.org/reunions to register!

—Juliet Aires Giglio, 47 Chestnut St., Sag Harbor, NY 11963; julietgiglio@gmail.com; Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net

The overall inaccuracy of this column occurs through little fault of my own. Sure, I often get names wrong, print fanciful job descriptions that have nothing to do with the classmate of interest, and outright invent life stories. To the extent that this contributes to the inaccuracies herein, I take full responsibility. But that’s not the real issue. The real issue lies with the publisher of this magazine. You see, I operate under a strict 500-word limit per column. No exceptions. Not even a participle may be dangled. Everyone knows that a picture is worth a thousand words. Thus, this column is worth a half picture. Sometimes a half picture can be misleading. That’s what is going on here. I’m only able to tell half of the story. No wonder it all seems so poorly researched and pretty much made up. If only I had a few hundred more words, I could clear this whole mess up. Anyway, on with the show.

Reunion is coming up this spring. As if turning 60 this year wasn’t bad enough, this is our 40th reunion. You should show up. Kathy Zug says we can all stay at her house.

Your reunion committee is planning an extraordinary event. What sort of things are in store, you ask? Well, for starters, Cary Bernstein will be flying in from San Francisco to attend. Cary is a famous architect and just initiated a bill in California (which was recently passed into law) that received full bipartisan support. What kind of law was this? Well, if we had just a slightly larger word limit, I could tell you. However, you’ll have to come to reunion to find out.

If the crowd around Cary is too big, you might want to wander over to Anne Arquit Niederberger. Anne will also be flying in from San Francisco, probably sitting next to Cary on the plane. Anne currently works to expand markets for energy-efficient consumer products. Given my recent attempts to corner the gas-powered lawn tool market, I may avoid Anne, at least initially.

Another classmate who will probably be at reunion is Paul Hill. Paul is a geological oceanographer at the University of Dalhousie in Nova Scotia. According to Professor Hill, he “studies mud.” As someone who slings a fair amount of mud, I suspect we have a great deal in common. I may even take one of his courses.

Finally, I really hope that Paige St. John Patterson comes to the reunion. Paige, who lives way out on Long Island, would have to drive right past my house on her way to Hanover. Not that Paige owes me a ride, but I’m pretty sure I drove her home from Dartmouth at the end of Sophomore Summer. Seriously, I’m like three minutes off the highway. And I’m good company. I might even bring my collection of 8-tracks. That last reference will mean nothing to everyone from the class of 1992 onward.

See you all at reunion.

—Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net; Juliet Aires Giglio, 47 Chestnut St., Sag Harbor, NY 11963; julietgiglio@gmail.com

Editor’s Note: Most of you are devoted followers of this column. You know that Juliet Aires Giglio and Eric Grubman share the writing responsibilities, alternating the authorship of the column. You likely have a version of the writing schedule on your refrigerator. You often find yourself thinking, “Well, that was another Grubman column. At least the next one will be appropriate.” According to the schedule, this month is a Juliet production. For her column, Juliet thinks it would be great fun to pretend to be Eric. She will try to write in the lyrical voice of Eric, filling the column with personal insults and outright lies and let the ensuing complaints flow toward Grubman. That’s her evil plan. Let’s see how she does….

Hi there, class of 1984! This is the lesser of the co-secretaries, Eric Grubman, writing this column. Juliet had absolutely nothing to do with it. She is off on a book tour or making another movie or something.

Let’s start with Rob Harteveldt. Rob, like so many of us, works at Goldman Sachs, where he is a managing director in the global markets division. Rather than speaking with Rob, I did some internet research, which I have found to be very accurate. I discovered that managing director is an entry-level position at Goldman Sachs. The equivalent to the guy who gets coffee and donuts for people. You think we shouldn’t tease Harteveldt in this column? Take it up with me, Eric Grubman.

After helping to organize our 30th reunion, Ed Kenealy has apparently decided to decrease the stress in his life. He spends most of his time surfing in Portugal. It’s not all fun though. Ed has taken a side gig as executive vice president and chief public affairs officer at Liberty Mutual Insurance. Nice title, but I have it on good authority that Ed never shows up to work. In the insurance industry, this is technically known as a no-show job. I hope I didn’t just blow his cover. Ed, if you get fired, it’s all Eric’s fault.

Did you know that Rob Watson helped pioneer the green building concept and the LEED building rating system? For this minor achievement, he is considered “one of the best environmental minds in America.” He even has his own Wikipedia page…with a picture…and references. In contrast, my Wikipedia page is still “under construction” and has a great deal of content which is considered “unreliable.”

I may be able to improve my reliability by hiring Tamara Loomis. Tamara is vice president of marketing and communications for Baron Capital, an asset management firm in New York. I don’t really have any assets that require managing, but perhaps I would benefit from a little marketing and communications to improve my Wikipedia page and catch up to Watson. I’m sure Tamara would love to help me (Eric).

So, there you have it. The latest column from Eric (not Juliet). Please direct any negative comments toward him. He can take the heat.

—Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net; Juliet Aires Giglio, 47 Chestnut St., Sag Harbor, NY 11963; julietgiglio@gmail.com

I regret to inform everyone that we are all turning 60 this year. As one member of the two-person class secretary team (because it takes two of us to deliver these amazing notes), I will try to offer up some tips on how to handle this inevitable aging process as I just turned the big 6-0.

Tip No. 1: Try to become a grandparent! I recently became a grandma, or as the kids say, “Glamma.” On the one hand you might feel old because you’re getting called “Granny” or “Gramps,” on the other hand you will have a tiny little human to care for and you can pretend it is your own child so everyone will assume that you might be say…40. Remember when 40 sounded old?

Tip No. 2: Pretend you’re still in your 50s. The day after I turned 60, Julie Levenson had a birthday. She had the audacity to turn 59! At least that’s the story that she’s sticking with. Okay, she just faxed me her birth certificate. (Note: If you are still using a fax machine, you are showing your age.) Looks like she’s telling the truth. I think she’s the official baby of the class. Heck, she just put away her training wheels.

Tip No. 3: Climb mountains and show off the photos to all your friends, far and wide. Take Dave Loevinger, who recently downsized to a smaller home, which we all know means he’s one step away from the retirement home. He claims to be an avid hiker. His holiday card showed him climbing Mitchell Peak in Sequoia National Park. Maybe he’s not so old. Then again, it was probably photoshopped. It’s more likely that Dave was at home drinking a beer with some of those Big Green buddies: Eric Grubman, Michael Caplan, Derek Goldberg to name a few.

Tip No. 4: Catch up with old friends. Elisabeth Jaffe can teach a master class in this subject. She recently met up with Peter Ellis, who was visiting from L.A., and then a week later with David Stinson, who was about to ride his bike from San Francisco to L.A. Of course, it helps to live in a beautiful location and be an amazing gardener so that you can feed your guests beautiful meals.

Tip No. 5: Hold onto your good looks. David Cumberbatch—now there’s a guy who’s always got it together, including great style. I’m going to chalk that up to his ownership of Paris Soul & Beyond. Turns out visiting Paris a lot can keep you young.

Tip No. 6: Here’s my best tip. Be kind! Recently when I became a grandmother—did I mention that I just became a glamma?!—our own Lisa Foy mailed me the perfect gift: a book for me to read to my grandbaby!

I hope these tips help you to ease into the big 6-0. And email me if you are a grandparent so we can get together for some play dates with our “kids.”

—Juliet Aires Giglio, 47 Chestnut St., Sag Harbor, NY 11963; julietgiglio@gmail.com; Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net

Dear ’84 sisters and brothers, your secretaries go all out to deliver you news about your classmates—at their own time and expense. Recently, I went all the way to the Hanover Plain for Homecoming just so I could ferret out more news for you. (Actually, I had to chauffeur my dad to see his ’57 buddies for class activities, but for the purpose of this narrative let’s stick to the story wherein I tug at your heartstrings for my hard work for the ’84s).

During Homecoming I had a rewarding run-in with none other than Chrissy Burnley Bucklin, who’s on the Thayer board and involved in other events that I’m not allowed to divulge. Sitting next to me at the football game was financial whiz Julie Levenson, who also traveled at great expense, all the way from Woodside, California. Alas, I’m not allowed to reveal what Julie is up to either. Sitting behind me in the stands was Doug Burke, and he was much more forthcoming about his recent non-financial industry activities. In fact, he found me in Pine during breakfast and told me all about his exciting new music streaming service and his successful music podcast. Alas I lost his business card and so I can’t share the names for either endeavor. Dr. Ilyssa Golding, Doug’s lovely wife, was enjoying all that the Hanover Inn provided. Okay, she was sleeping! But she was still on West Coast time.

While marching with the class of 1957 in the parade (who knew there was a Homecoming parade?) I ran into John Lubin—another great classmate who didn’t have to travel far, as he is one of the lucky ones who lives in Hanover.

I’d also like to report that Bill Hamlen and his wife are amazing hosts. I’d recommend a meal at their house when you next return to campus—unless they’re at their Nantucket, Massachusetts, home. Regrettably, I did not see Phil Ferneau at Bill’s, which was a great disappointment. I really wanted to give him the money I owed him—for gas and tolls for those D.C.-to-campus drives back in the 1980s. Phil is not only a venture capital guy, but also a professor at Tuck where he teaches…guessing you can figure that out.

One person I did not see during Homecoming was the newest member of our class. Yes, you heard me right. After almost 40 years we finally have a new member to our class! Allyson Bouldon, our fantastic president and incoming president of the Class Officers Association executive board, has negotiated the adoption of the interim dean of the College, Scott Brown, after Michael Salzhauer vouched for him. Can we trust Salzhauer? I hope so because we’ve already given the dean one of those mothball-covered ’84 sweaters.

Here’s hoping to see many of you during my next travels around the girdled earth. Oh, and if anyone wants to help me expense my trip, that would be great.

—Juliet Aires Giglio, 4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius NY 13104; julietgiglio@gmail.com; Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net

Hello, ’84s! This column is being written way past the deadline so bear with me. I’ve moved to Sag Harbor, New York, for the summer and I flaked. Eek. Mea culpa. So, in true ’84 DAM column fashion, there will be truths and half-truths. See if you can figure out which is which.

Eric Grubman wanted to write the column but he’s over in Tokyo getting ready for the Olympics with his sailboat. He’s the oldest contender the United States has ever had but folks say that he’s a dark horse. Maybe he’ll run away with the gold. Who knows? By the time you read this column, the Olympics will be long over. I’m betting on Eric.

Kate Hotchkiss’ debut book, On Harbor’s Edge (which takes place in Maine), is now being turned into an audiobook. The voice-over artist is none other than our own classmate, Laura Nyhagen Dehler. This collaboration between Kate and Laura has a long history. Kate reports, “Laura and I were Vermont high school cross-country, track-and-field (fierce) competitors, became good friends in college, lost track of each other for a while, and then both landed in Maine and reconnected! Our work together in promoting our new ‘senior careers’ (voiceover artist and author) is kind of a fun full circle since Dartmouth days and a happy story and friendship in these tough times. The type of work we are focusing on now is, in part, due to needing to innovate into something we could do while Covid-isolating.

Derek Chow reports that he and Jan Chow are spending the summer in Maine, the home state of his youth. “Since we have been commuting between Boulder [Colorado] and Portland [Maine] since January (I know, Maine in January!) we’re calling it ‘bicoastal’ living. While living here I have connected for happy hour with classmates David Shedd and Lionel Derriey, who both reside in greater Portland. Most recently, I spent a languorous long weekend with Marc Devorsetz and Al Chaker at Marc’s Lake Skaneateles waterfront home—heaven!

Linda Cronin reports, “I live only a few miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge, so I rode out the pandemic in a pretty nice spot with things to do outdoors. Now I look forward to attending the first-place San Francisco Giants games in person. Beat L.A.! My son just finished his plebe (freshman) year at West Point, and we plan to enjoy a couple of weeks with him before he returns for training on repelling out of helicopters. We look forward to attending a college football game at West Point in the fall.”

Homecoming is October 8 and the ’84s are already hard at work at planning various events. Bill Hamlen will be hosting a party for all of us. He lives in Hanover. He’s promised to cook up some Thai delights as well as organize a pong tournament. He’s also offered to let everyone stay at his house and he will pick you up at the airport. More details to follow.

—Juliet Aires Giglio, 47 Chestnut St., Sag Harbor, NY 11963; julietgiglio@gmail.com; Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net

As I write this column, it’s almost a year since the initial mid-March lockdown. It’s been a difficult year for sure. At the risk of toxic positivity, I’ve been wondering if there are any silver linings of the pandemic. I reached out to classmates for their input.

Fran O’Donoghue writes: “I think people are actually communicating more and, in many cases, more effectively with each other because we’ve had to take a few steps back from our unsustainable paces of life. Many people have started to recognize that much of what we’ve been doing has probably not been all that healthy. I’m a high school teacher and I have seen that the students have had to cut back on things simply because they aren’t going on. The result is that the students seem to be a bit better at keeping up with what they are doing and they are not just moving from one thing to the next like zombies.”

Leigh Garry writes: “My son, J.P. ’13, and his extraordinary bride, Maggie ’14, were married in N.Y.C. on February 6. Instead of focusing on logistics and food for many, seven people gathered to witness them start their life together. We still managed to dance and laugh and love! I drove across the country with my daughter and we all lived in a cabin in Maine together—six people and one dog, lost the internet once.”

Elizabeth Brody Gluck writes: “Though it’s hard to see silver linings these days when so many have lost so much, we have been tremendously lucky to stay safe and well. Our nest in Boston was empty for a minute when our youngest child (Matt ’23) headed off to Hanover for his freshman year, only to return home when the pandemic hit. Our other children (Alison and her husband Jonah, 29; and Lauren, 26) left their N.Y.C. digs and came home as well. We were all working from home, which felt like a combination of a B&B and an office building. The silver lining has been recognizing that being together as a family is in fact a silver lining.”

Lucy Patti writes: “Despite my longing to get on a plane to anywhere, this year has had its silver linings in East Montpelier, Vermont. I have been grateful for the ability to be outside year-round with my spouse, my kids, and our critters. Whether gardening, walking, or skiing, I have had the opportunity to appreciate the seasons, the passage of time in our woods. The world goes on.”

Mark Montgomery writes: “I’m learning to make jam in the French way (hat tip to my language study abroad experience in Blois): black currant from bushes in my yard, peach lavender with Colorado peaches, blood orange, rhubarb, quince! I think I’ve tried about two dozen flavors so far: pink grapefruit (not marmalade) and yes, strawberry too (which is dead easy, as it turns out). I even made one with carrots, which was pretty darned good.”

Hope you’re all doing well.

—Juliet Aires Giglio, 4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; julietgiglio@gmail.com; Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net

Alas, the holidays are over. Cookie tins are empty. Decorations are back in their boxes. Even my latest Lifetime Christmas movie, Dear Christmas, (yes, this is a shameless plug) has aired for its 14th time. But never fear, because our class has plenty of heartfelt stories that I will now share with you along with possible movie titles for each of these feel-good tales.

I Found My Heart in San Francisco: Kathy Marshall Diekroger’s son, Kenny, was married in July to his bride, Sarah, while sailing with his family on the San Francisco Bay. Kathy writes: “It was a beautiful day. Just family and photographers on the boat. It was followed by a dinner back at our house in Woodside. They shared a 30-minute Zoom for more than 500 people on which they did a toast, first dances, cut the cake, and thanked everyone for ‘attending.’ It was an awesome Covid wedding.”

Florida Father of the Bride: Ford Allen writes, “Daughter Shelby got engaged to Cameron in July on the beach in Anna Marie Island, Florida. It was an epic setting and very special weekend. The wedding date is still to be set (might be as late as October 22 with so many venues booked due to Covid). This is our first (of three) to get engaged. It feels overwhelming in a good way. I’m feeling very blessed that Shelby has found someone that will love her unconditionally (he better—hah, hah, hah).”

Next-gen Love in the Dorms: Carla Small and Bob Cronin’s son, Brendan, will marry Jim Bloomer ’83 and Melinda Marsh’s daughter, Kelley, in Vermont in August. When Kelley ’14 and Brendan ’15 met for the first time, the month before Kelley graduated, Melinda’s daughter texted her parents: “Did you know a Carla Small or Bob Cronin at Dartmouth?” Simultaneously, Brendan was reaching out to his folks! When the kids met they had no idea that their parents were all friends as undergraduates!

Lockdown Love: Merrie Levy writes, “Son Jake proposed to his college sweetheart on a beautiful October day in Hoboken [New Jersey] on the waterfront and she said yes!” Merrie told me, “If they still want to get married after living together during lockdown, their marriage can survive anything! As the mother of the groom-to-be, I feel blessed that he found his soulmate. Then, of course, I wonder how it is possible that I am old enough to be a mother-in-law!”

The Catch of Their Lives: Sarah Burrell Troxel was engaged in October to Mac Gardner ’83. Sources tell me that they’ve been fishing together in Alaska since 2015.

And just in case any of these wonderful brides and grooms need someone to marry them, consider our own Judge Eric C. Taylor. Although, in truth, Eric might be kind of busy as it was recently announced that “Judges of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County have elected Assistant Presiding Judge Eric C. Taylor to be the presiding judge for the 2021-22 term.”

Congratulations to Eric and all the couples!

—Juliet Aires Giglio, 4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius NY 13104; julietgiglio@gmail.com; Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net

The world’s been on lockdown but one day we will all travel again. As your trusty co-secretary, I am ignoring the students in my Zoom classroom for however long it takes to write this column. I’ll guide you toward some interesting places to visit once the pandemic is over. And who said travel agents were obsolete!

For those of you living on the East Coast, why not drive to Maine? You could visit Kate Hotchkiss. Kate is debuting her first book, On Harbor’s Edge, the first in a series of dramatic, generationally layered stories from 1912 to the present, against the backdrop of Maine island imagery that award-winning author Susan Conley describes as “so rich it is its own character.” Kate is empty-nesting with her husband, Ellard, on a Maine island with their adult sons’ dogs.

And if you live on the West Coast, why not drive up to Alaska? Gas is cheap now. The roads are empty. Shouldn’t take too long. We have four classmates living in Anchorage: Sarah, Steve, Janice and Ken. (There will be a quiz later.) And if you’re not feeling well, never fear, as we have two doctors. Sarah Burrell Troxel, M.D., is a plastic surgeon. Steve Compton, M.D.,is a cardiologist. Steve writes: “My wife and I have two college-age boys who are back for the summer and who knows how much longer. Alaska is probably the easiest state to socially distance. We’ve been getting outside, hiking, biking, fishing, kayaking.” Janice Tanaka Tower is the owner of Tower Health. Ken Miller is president of Denali FSP Fundraising Consultants. Ken writes: “I have been doing well, in contact with a few fellow classmates, including Peter Ellis and Gary Witherspoon. I have been active in the conversations around anti-racism and remain privileged to mentor and support young men of color. Beautiful summer so far in Alaska but miss traveling to the Lower 48.”

Traveling past Anchorage, you could visit Jennifer Reynolds in Fairbanks, where she’s a professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries & Ocean Sciences. Or drive south on the Highway 1 and stop at the Kenai peninsula to see Katie Tongue Bramante, accountant at Peninsula Internal Medicine.

Or you could sail out to Hawaii. Just think of the excuses you’d have to get off that Zoom call. “Sorry, I’m losing you. Boat has limited wi-fi.”

In Honolulu you could visit Terry Yee, M.D., in case you got sick on the boat.

Monica Latini King also lives in Hawaii but over in Kauai, where she’s been the editor of Hawaii Fishing News since 1984. Monica writes: “Almost everyone else in the islands has been fishing, so life is full of thrilling fishing stories and fresh ’ah and ono. Sharing the home time with our two teenage boys has been an added bonus.”

Fishing, hiking, plastic surgery—just be sure to write me a thank you note after visiting all of these great classmates. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.

—Juliet Aires Giglio, 4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; julietgiglio@gmail.com; Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net

All the leaves are brown…And the sky is gray…California dreamin’…on such a winter’s day. On a gray day in upstate New York I reached out to our classmates in the great state of California to see what they’re doing.

After living, working, and traveling in nearly 100 countries, Anne Arquit Niederberger finally found the place she feels at home: Healdsburg, California. Anne, who began her career as a climate scientist, laments that our existence is existentially threatened by climate change. She encourages classmates to visit and join her in a glorious bike ride through the vineyards and kick back with an exquisite glass of Sonoma wine—before it’s too late!

Marian Ziske Baldauf and her husband live in San Francisco and love the weather and easy access to the out-of-doors—swimming in the ocean at Thanksgiving, skiing in the winter. They recently bought electric bikes, which makes cruising around the city really fun, with no need to fear steep hills. Marian loves the diversity of California and the openness to difference.

Nora Bianchi says she “has had the joy of solving epic challenges in Silicon Valley while living compassionately among the great unwashed in Santa Cruz. This is a republic with unparalleled natural beauty and brainpower, trying its best to bring solutions to the world. How do I spend my free time? In gratitude.”

Caia Brookes identifies strongly both as a New Englander, where she grew up, and a Californian, where she’s lived in San Francisco for 29 years. Caia loves the weather and natural beauty of the state, and appreciates the diversity, tolerance, and mostly liberal tendencies of the people in the area.

Jim Kreissman moved to San Francisco in 1999 to open the Silicon Valley office of Simpson Thacher and has been there ever since. Jim’s a litigator handling securities litigation and government and internal investigations, with clients in the United States and Asia. Jim believes northern California is the best place in the United States for the combination of weather, food, wine, outdoor activities, interesting people, and economic dynamism. Other than traffic, life is good.

Lauren Woodhouse Mathews recently had one of those rare California experiences: boogie boarded in the Pacific Ocean in Half Moon Bay on a warm, sunny Wednesday and two days later had a bluebird ski day in the Sierra Mountains at Lake Tahoe!

Paul Meijer moved to California in 1989 and loves all the outdoor activities, including road-cycling, camping, hiking, and skiing. Paul’s worked at Apple, security startups and nonprofits, and has worked with really talented people, all of whom were also drawn to California. Paul still sees his freshman roomie, Glen French, and their kids worked together during a summer.

Peter Murphy and his wife have been in L.A. for 32 years. Peter serves on public and private boards and manages his portfolio of early stage tech and media investments. Outside of work Peter maintains an amazing garden at his 1909 house in Pasadena, where he’s busy pruning roses, citrus, vegetables, and natives.

—Juliet Aires Giglio, 4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; julietgiglio@gmail.com; Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net

As the year 2019 comes to an end, and I watch yet another heart-warming Lifetime holiday movie, I take a moment to reflect with some classmates.

After a long career in journalism, Susan Schoenberger now works as the director of communications for Hartford Seminary, an interfaith graduate school. Her 2019 highlights include making the last tuition payment after putting three kids through college and signing a contract for her next book, The Liability of Love, due out in 2021.

Ray Wood spends his days working in N.Y.C. and traveling across the United States, Europe, and Asia. For fun he took several trips to the Upper Valley and Vermont to visit his daughter at Middlebury and his parents in Hanover. Best thing to happen to Ray in 2019 was a new 4-month-old puppy at home.

For Linda Freeley the best part of 2019 was reuniting on vacation in Mexico City with Barbara Mair. Naturally they spent lots of reminiscing about their ’84 Dartmouth days. It was a magical time!

Speaking of magical, that’s what it was for Mary Fabio when she happened to run into Carla Small and Bob Cronin in N.Y.C.’s East Village.Mary was moving her daughter, Emma, a new University of Virginia graduate, into N.Y.C., just by luck two buildings down from Michaela Cronin (Carla Small and Bob Cronin’s daughter). “Getting one kid off the payroll” was another 2019 highlight. Mary ran into more classmates at Homecoming, where she saw Heather Keare, Chris Huff, Wendee Hunsinger Lundt, Willa Ridinger,Carla Small,and Amy Eisenberg Folbe.And when she’s not busy with her own children, Mary is working at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as a pediatrician and director of the CHOP Refugee Health Program.

And our class jetsetter, Ed Keannely, wrote me as he was landing in London: “I have had a really great 2019, so hard to think of one ‘best’ thing. Work took me to Washington, D.C., a lot this year and I got to see both my kids, who have been there since they graduated from college. The other good thing is that we got to spend a great deal of time in Maine at a cottage on Great Pond, Belgrade Lakes, that we bought at the end of 2018 and spent time and energy renovating. Had great visits from Anjali Chuttani and Paul Groark.”

And from another world traveler, Elizabeth Miles Waring, I heard: “Hmm, just waking up in Seoul (Korea is a new country for me!). I’ve been busy getting ready for Apple TV+. The best thing about 2019 has been reconnecting with people—I saw Karen Plafker for the first time in years, attended Juliet Aires Giglio’sdaughter’s wedding, went to Vegas with my sisters. I feel like we’re at a time in life where it’s really important and rewarding to try to pull all the threads together. Which is a challenge, since I’ve never been busier!”

Eric Grubman and I look forward to hearing about more great memories from fellow ’84s in 2020.

—Juliet Aires Giglio, 4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; julietgiglio@gmail.com; Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net

I’m not going to lie: Writing the ’84 column this month is going to be rough. My shirking-his-duties co-secretary Eric Grubman should be writing it but he’s out sailing a big boat in the Caribbean. I’m in Syracuse, New York, kayaking my little boat. What’s wrong with this picture?! But I promise this won’t stop me from bringing you the latest news of our great class.

Tracy Newsome reports, “After spending 27 years in Seattle, I decided it was time to trade in my Washington apple for a Georgia peach and moved to Atlanta about 10 months ago. I’m loving the warmer weather and sunshine, friendliness of the people, and cost of living. After working in marketing for Microsoft for several years I’ve recently opened my own information technology marketing consulting business. One of the best parts of being in Atlanta is being able to hang out with my best friend, Kevin Carson.”

I wonder if Eric is sipping a fruity drink with an umbrella on his yacht right now. I bet David Cumberbatch knows because in addition to his lawyering, he owns a successful travel business.

And speaking of another class entrepreneur, Susie Reynolds started a new company called Mindhood, in part because of the mental health crisis among teens and college students that is being amplified by 24/7 connectivity and social media. Yes, everyone is on their phones too much! Except for Eric Grubman. He won’t take my calls! Susie piloted the Mindhood program at Dartmouth last summer building mindful college communities through intentional use of technology and face-to-face relationships. Where? Dartmouth fraternities. Why? For some unknown reason, several ’84s are the lead trustees in fraternities, and they invited Susie to speak to the current students about digital wellness. Gig Faux at Phi Delt, Scott Sipple at Beta, Jim “Sid” Calmus at TDX, JB Daukas at Chi Gam (former Kappa Sig), and Phil Forneau at Bones Gate. With those introductions, Susie reached more students across sororities, the Student Mental Health Union, sports teams, and student government. One of the most valuable takeaways for Susie was realizing that Gen Z will solve this problem with digital distraction and negative impact of social media if we ask them to create, innovate, and activate their own solutions.

And our own Hali Croner was featured recently in the Marin (California) Magazine. Hali is the CEO of the Croner Co. and took over the business from her father and his business partner in 1999. Since then Hali’s been running the show, and she was its first employee to look at compensation in the emerging world of video game production. According to Hali, her dad still drops by the office in between tennis and golf games. But there’s no question who’s boss. “My father has been a model of how to step back when it’s time for someone else to come forward,” Hali says.

Speaking of stepping forward…Eric Grubman, it’s time to put down the mai tai and return to land.

—Juliet Aires Giglio, 4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; julietgiglio@gmail.com; Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net

No one tells me anything. My classmates all avoid me. Most class secretaries would find this disconcerting, but most class secretaries didn’t have my junior high school experience. I was built for this. Also, I understand your reluctance. No one wants to appear in the “Eric Grubman Class Notes,” especially when the more factually accurate “Juliet Aires Giglio Class Notes” are available. I get that. You all send the information to Juliet. However, allow me to remind you all of a simple fact: Juliet and I alternate writing the column. So, if your timing is off by as little as a day or two, your message to Juliet ends up in my hands. Such is the misfortune that recently befell Willa Ridinger. Willa, who lives in my sleepy town of Woodbridge, Connecticut, is usually very clever. I never see her. To date, she has avoided running into me for almost 20 years. Until now. You see, Willa wanted to share some good news this past summer. Willa kept the news quiet while carefully studying the calendar. She waited until she thought the coast was clear, and then sent the good news to Juliet. Or so she thought.

It turns out that Willa is a teacher and a tutor and married her best friend back in August. I was not invited. I did find out that they registered for the wedding at Pottery Barn. I went online to get her a gift, but the registry has been picked clean. Anyway, Willa has started a new business, painting and doing calligraphy on pottery. Her work is available on her website, willaware.org. It is not available at Pottery Barn. Go figure.

Anyway, the wedding sounds like it was quite an event. Carla Small and Bob Cronin were there. Now, these two are smart. They know enough to send my phone calls directly to voicemail. No matter. I did some research on the Internet and learned that both seem to have very complicated-sounding jobs somewhere near Boston. Neither works at a Pottery Barn. Tisa Hughes and Mary Fabio also played some role in the wedding. I would have been able to tell you more about the roles they played, however, as noted above, I was not invited. In my own town. Where I am a justice of the peace. Maybe this is a little more like junior high school than I care to admit.

Bill Hamlen recently moved back to Hanover from Singapore. Due to jet lag, Bill accidentally called me instead of Juliet. Before he realized his mistake, I learned that Bill is planning a two-week sailing trip up the coast of Japan. An avid fisherman, Bill plans on landing a big one somewhere off the coast of Fukushima.

Finally, please stop sending all your information to Juliet. I’m very mature and can be trusted. Stop avoiding me. This isn’t junior high. Also, if anyone is free June 14 and wants to go to prom, I need a date.

—Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net; Juliet Aires Giglio, 4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; julietgiglio@gmail.com

This has been a challenging column to write. You see, 2019 marks the sestercentennial anniversary of Dartmouth, and all class secretaries were asked to incorporate this important event into our columns. Well, that’s been difficult. I usually don’t do so well with instructions, but I thought I’d give it a try.

Sestercentennial. A huge word. Sounded very important. I wondered what it meant? I decided to google it. It seems that sestercentennial is a Latin word that translates to the number 250. It’s an important-sounding word. I’m always trying to make this column seem more important. Perhaps if I added a bit of Latin to the column, people would take me for the serious thinker that I am. First problem is that I don’t speak Latin. No worries, I could ask my old roommate Keith Dickey for help. Keith was a Latin major. Or a classics major. Definitely one of those. He has a Ph.D. in classical archaeology. He’s also been to Greece. I figured I would write the column, Keith would sprinkle in some Latin phrases, and, ipso facto, we’re all set. So I proceeded to look him up. It seems that Keith works for Michigan Medicine. It sounds like a great job and it’s a very impressive website, but I don’t think Keith has a job that uses very much Latin. Also, I’m pretty sure Keith’s pictured on the website wearing a tie that he “borrowed” from me in 1982. Decided to avoid the awkward conversation.

What about our classmates who became real teachers? They might be able to help. After all, teachers know Latin. This could be the solution to my problem, without having to interact with the tie-stealer. I quickly looked up Beth McGee, who teaches at Thetford (Vermont) Elementary School. This seemed promising. Unfortunately, Beth teaches art and theater. Unless Beth is teaching the students to make statues without arms, I realized that she would not be much help in the Latin department. Also, Beth recently wrote a moving essay about her relationship to the College, which is posted on our class Facebook page. Unlike this column, Beth’s essay has a point and is largely true. Well, to each their own, or, as they say in Latin, suum cuique.

On to Pam Ross. Pam molds impressionable minds as a fourth-grade teacher at the Oyster-Adams Bilingual School, which is located in Washington, D.C. This could be perfect. Emotionally, I am often compared to a fourth-grader. Not always favorably. Anyway, Pam was very helpful. She pointed out sestercentennial is not the best word choice for this auspicious event. There are far better words, according to Pam. Sure, other schools have already used the ever popular semiquincentennial and bicenquinquagenary. However, the best Latin word for 250 of all, quarter millennial, is still available. That’s it! We should all urge the College to change sestercentennial to quarter millennial before it’s too late. Imagine, if successful, we would all finally become millennials, if only fractionally.

—Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net; Juliet Aires Giglio,4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; julietgiglio@gmail.com

Well, as many of you know, the class of 1984 recently celebrated its 35th reunion. Though turnout was excellent, I was not among those in attendance. I suspect that several of the readers of this column were also unable to attend. Fortunately, my co-secretary Juliet Aires Giglio was in Hanover for the festivities. Juliet gave me a rundown of the event, so I could share some of the excitement with the rest of our class. Well, hearing about it made me feel even worse. As a service to those of us who stayed home, I will relay Juliet’s story of our reunion, with a few minor changes, in hopes of making those of us who missed reunion feel a little less badly.

If you missed the reunion, this is exactly how it went down. If you attended the reunion, perhaps you should skip to the class of 1968 notes, or something in that neighborhood of the magazine. Nothing to see here. Move along.

David Cumberbatch, who is one of our three class vice presidents, opened the reunion by making a lovely toast in the class tent. During his remarks, David, who is an attorney and seems to spend an awful lot of time in Paris, accidently knocked over a candle, setting fire to a few of the tables in the tent as well as a portion of the stage. Not to worry, co-vice presidents Kaya Kazmirci (who lives in Turkey) and Derek Chow (who lives in Colorado) were ultimately able to extinguish the flames. The damage was limited to about 40 percent of the tables in the tent, which were completely destroyed. The 1984 ice sculpture did not survive. That was pretty much the first night.

The next day there were several panel discussions. Sarah Strauss, who is a professor at the University of Wyoming (one of the square states in the middle, I believe), moderated a lively session. Sarah and Allyson Bouldon (our new class president) then led everyone back to the class tent, where Allyson accidently tripped over one of the tent stakes, causing a collapse of a significant portion of the tent. Fortunately, damage was limited to a large stack of cookies and several of the remaining tables. Bill Hamlen, who was attending his first-ever reunion, was slightly injured. Bill, who recently moved back to Hanover, immediately put his house up for sale.

Undeterred, Karen Trost, who had organized the “35th reunion singers” took to the non-charred portion of the stage to lead a rousing rendition of several Dartmouth songs. Unfortunately, several amplifier cables fell into the puddle that had, until recently, been the 1984 ice sculpture. The resulting short-circuit left the class tent in the dark. Jolie Epstein Kapelus, who was probably attending her second reunion ever, was last seen sprinting across the Green, toward the safety of the class of 2008 tent.

Then it rained.

So, there you have it. That’s essentially how Juliet relayed the story. We really didn’t miss much. No reason to feel bad.

—Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net; Juliet Aires Giglio,4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; julietgiglio@gmail.com

If I timed this right, this column will find you winging your way to our 35th reunion. Reunion can be a stressful time. First of all, it’s been only 34 years since we graduated, and I personally don’t like the idea of the College attempting to speed up time. Secondly, you will be spending the next few days with people who you have not seen in many years. These people will look different than they did in 1984. In addition, they all seem to have different jobs, which makes things even more challenging. It can be overwhelming.

Have no fear, dear readers. I have come up with a way to smooth this process. I will simply use the bully pulpit of class secretary to help you through those awkward early moments of reunion. Think of this column as a primer for reunion. Simply commit it to memory, and you’ll be the hit of the weekend.

Okay, here we go. Start by walking into the reunion tent. Is someone dancing on a table? Undoubtedly, that will be Meredith Levy. Meredith may or may not have something to do with organizing the reunion. Turns out that she works at JP Morgan, where she is “global head of research compliance in the investment bank.” This is a very impressive-sounding job title. Probably made up, but it certainly sounds good. Wish I had that title, instead of “ex-caddy.” Anyway, I think that Meredith’s title is so impressive that we should all adopt it, at least for the weekend. For example, what about Kim Bailey? Kim, who will likely be dancing on a table adjacent to Meredith, currently works for Sara Lee. I’m really not sure what she does there, but let’s just say that Kim is “global head of research compliance in the pound cake division.” See, you already know two people!

Mike Salzhauer will also be at reunion. Mike is the head class agent. We will refer to him as the “global head of research compliance in the class agent division.” Mike will likely be found in the reunion tent, in close proximity to the bar, asking you to pony up some money for a construction project at the college or something.

Marty Lempres and wife Liz have recently become empty-nesters. In response, they have moved from their suburban Boston home. Marty has asked that we not reveal his current address, lest the children find out and move back in. Marty may be somewhat difficult to find at reunion, as he will likely be wearing a disguise. Anyway, Marty works for the American Red Cross, where he is the global head of research compliance in the blood donation division.

And there you have it, the beginning of a successful reunion. Just locate the aforementioned organizers, smile and ask about their job as global head of research compliance. It will work like a charm. Unless you run into Salzhauer. Then run the other way, or they’ll be naming a library after you.

—Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net; Juliet Aires Giglio,4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; julietgiglio@gmail.com

I like science fiction movies, especially ones where the characters are in deep space and awaken from a cryogenic sleep only to discover that the world has changed dramatically while they were asleep. Writing this column is sort of like starring in that type of movie. If my calculations prove correct, you are reading this column on January 7, 2145. The following information is likely a bit dated, but it wasn’t really that accurate when I wrote it, so it’s probably no worse for the wear. However, in an attempt to make my writing seem slightly less dated, I have decided to add some future fabrications to the column.

I received a long missive from superhero Ted Cooperstein. When we last left our hero, Ted was working in Florida as a federal prosecutor. Ted eventually vanquished all felons in the sunshine state and has moved to our nation’s capitol, where he is training his sights on villains in our federal government. Ted’s cover is as general counsel of the U.S. office of personnel management. This job requires him to wear a jacket and tie—a clever ruse. Underneath said outfit are his regulation superhero tights, cape and utility belt. Though his superhero identity remains a secret at the time of this writing, I’m sure it will be revealed before this column hits the newsstands.

Living in the “wild west,” Gail Chicoine Richards has begun teaching a course in entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado. Gail also continues her work as a marketing consultant for a variety of companies, including one that is working to reduce concussions and traumatic brain injuries. Gail and husband Paul ’85 remain die-hard New England Patriots fans. In the future these two influences will collide and Gail will abandon her beloved NFL in favor of the burgeoning professional curling tour, where concussions remain thankfully rare.

Phyllis Utley was named as one of the eight most influential people in Asheville, North Carolina, by Mountain Xpress, a newspaper in that part of the world. There is an amazing article about Phyllis, describing her work helping underrepresented students further their education. Phyllis does a lot more than that, but there were a lot of words in the article and only one picture. My attention span remains quite limited. In the future, Phyllis becomes president. She calls on Cooperstein from time to time to battle evil.

Finally, Juliet Aires is a professor in the department of English and creative writing at SUNY Oswego, which is located in Oswego, New York. Now, I’m originally from New York. I’ve never heard of this “Oswego” place. I’m not sure it even exists. Come to think of it, the only person who ever mentions it is a certain professor of “creative writing” at a school reputed to be right there in downtown Oswego. Sounds a bit suspicious. But I’m the one who falsifies large portions of the column? In the future, we find out which class secretary really tells the truth. (Hint: Not Juliet.)

—Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net; Juliet Aires Giglio,4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; julietgiglio@gmail.com

I recently decided to go off the grid. It’s like living in the good old days—pre-1995, pre-Internet, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. So I write this column the old-fashioned way. From sleepovers to breakfasts, to hearsay, I gathered the information for this column. Here’s the news that’s fit to print in June 2017.

Andrea (Kaufman) Aronson visited me recently with her husband and youngest daughter. Andrea lives in Westfield, New Jersey, where she works as an independent college counselor. Her business partner is Mark Montgomery who lives in Denver. Together they’re like an encyclopedia for all things related to college admissions. Andrea was not only a great guest, she also provided me with news about other classmates. The first was Dan Adel, whom she literally ran into while they were both on a college tour at Colgate. Dan lives in the D.C. area. He has some kind of marketing job. I wish I could be more specific but since I’m off the grid I can’t email him.

Marsha Trant, sorority sister of Andrea’s, lives outside Baltimore. She was at IBM for many years and recently separated from the company. She now evaluates her next move. One of her kids will graduate from Dartmouth in June.

Andrea met up with Mara Rudman at the D.C. women’s march. Mara is a lawyer in government and is transitioning. Andrea suggested I check with co-secretary Eric Grubman for more specific details. But Eric just informed me that he’s now off the grid too. Seems it’s catching on.

According to Andrea, here’s a bunch of news: Nancy (Ferrell) Getter also lives in Baltimore and Brett Aronow is traveling the world. At least I think that’s what my notes say. If only I could Facebook message Brett and double check. Mary Meeker lives in Nevada and lobbies for change in local education.

Last week I caught up with John Gilstrap over scrambled eggs and salmon in N.Y.C. John is CEO at Ravenscourt Partners, a high-stakes public strategy firm specializing in business development, PR and communications and government relations. Ask John about his “war room” approach to public strategy. Or I can just tell you what it is: a critical communications program to uncover issues and shield your organization in times of crisis and distrust.

And before I went off the grid, the College gave me some great news about Phyllis Utley. She was appointed to the first African American Heritage Commission of Asheville and Buncombe County (North Carolina) in 2014 and reappointed in 2016. And she was recognized as one of Asheville’s eight influentials for 2016. Why? To quote her nominator: “She has proven to be a diamond in this region and many people trust her with their lives. Phyllis is informative and assertive. She has not given up on those who people call hopeless. She is hope for the underrepresented population.” Wow! I hope she shows up for our 2018 reunion! Speaking of reunion, that’s something for which we should all get on the grid.

—Juliet Aires Giglio,4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; julietgiglio@gmail.com; Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net

As most of you know, I’ve been writing this column, on and off, for many years. I like to think that during that time I have developed a reputation for delivering a compendium of half-truths, innuendos and flat-out falsehoods. I didn’t ask for any recognition or accolades, it’s just how I do business. I thought of it as news that’s mostly fake—fake news, if you will. Imagine my dismay to hear that some in governmental service are attempting to ascribe my formula for success to other media outlets! Fake news was invented right here, in the Class Notes section of this magazine, under the heading “1984.” What follows is a master class in fake news.

Karen Plafker works in New York at Wellspring Advisors, a private philanthropic advisory firm. Karen has special expertise in women’s rights. Basically, she tells you how to give your money away. I’m sure she has some good ideas. At the moment I don’t need her ideas, as I am giving all of my money away in the form of large tuition checks. Works great for me. Why should you trust Karen with your money? Well, she and I went together to high school, where she refused to go the sophomore dinner dance with me. Her judgment has always been impeccable.

See what I did there? Part of the above is true and part is fake. That’s how it’s done.

It turns out that Krishna Narine is “still” an attorney in Philadelphia. According to the website, he is an “A.V. rated” lawyer. Now, I have no idea what that means, but I was on the “A.V. squad” in high school, so I assume it’s pretty much the same thing. Means he’s probably good with a slide projector. Anyway, Krishna recently spent several weeks in Israel watching his son play lacrosse in the Israeli Premier League and touring the country. I imagine that the filmstrip of the trip projects perfectly.

Unlike Krishna, Jolie Epstein Kapelus is not “still” a lawyer. This implies that she was a lawyer at some point in time. We don’t know exactly what she does, but we do know that she still sees Carol Walker. Carol, who apparently lives in New Hampshire, is also not a lawyer anymore. She may never have been one, I don’t know. Apparently she is now a consultant, which means that she bosses people around, people like Jolie.

Now, in the above paragraph, almost none of the information is true. Again, fake news was invented right here. This is like seeing the Beatles perform—live. You are watching history being created.

Finally, rumor has it that Ilyssa Golding lives in Park City, Utah, where she is a skiing radiologist. Both she and her husband, Doug Burke, have graciously offered their guest bedroom to any classmates visiting anywhere in Utah or Colorado or any of those other square states out there—or not.

There you have it. Fake news. You read it here first.

—Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net; Juliet Aires Giglio,4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; julietgiglio@gmail.com

Well it’s a new year and my co-secretary, Juliet Aires Giglio,has asked that I make a few changes to my columns. She has asked that I include more truthful anecdotes about our classmates. She also asked that I pay a bit more attention to the facts.

While I will disregard Juliet’s crazy-person suggestions, I have decided to make a few changes to the column, in an attempt to stay current. I’ve decided to go totally high tech with this column. You know, harness the power of the interweb. Become cool, like my millennial children. I have decided to ditch the ol’ Smith-Corona Selectric and create this column electronically. In addition, I will liberally reference the Google and that YouTube place. There will be links to websites. Unfortunately, most of you are probably reading the paper version of this magazine, so cutting and pasting the links will still require the use of actual scissors and glue. Also, the act of cutting will irreparably damage part of class of 1978 column, which sits on the other side of this page. Well, you wanna make omelets, you gotta break a few eggs.

I recently heard from Liam Shannon, after I sent him a message on the facebook of people. Liam, who was busy posting pictures of his cats, informed me that he recently finished five years as the global executive creative director at Vistaprint. While there, he produced a video that won some giant award. I can’t really remember the name of the award. I think it was “best video in the world” or something. You can watch it for yourself at lshannon.com/brandspot. If you can’t find it, head for the googles and search “postcard commercial.”

Geoff Berlin is currently in Atlanta, where he founded Retrofit America. The goal is to make U.S. homes energy efficient. Geoff asked me to mention his company in the column. I pointed out that the word “retro” doesn’t really fit in my high-tech column motif and I would be unable to talk much about his company.

I did speak with someone who roomed with Susanne Stewart Cambern. She asked to not be mentioned in this column and I am good to my word. Susanne lives in London, where she is busy uncoupling the British economy from the rest of Europe. Okay, I may have made most of that last sentence up. But she does live in England, which is very old, and decidely not high tech. So, enough about her.

Katie Tongue lives in Alaska, in a town called Kasilof. Katie will be visiting Susanne this summer. Summer in Kasilof lasts a grand total of about 17 minutes, so it will likely be a really short trip. The remaining 548 people in Kasilof will just sit tight while Katie is gone.

Well, that’s it for this month. I’m happy with how the column turned out. And, Karen McCarthy, I’m good to my word. Never used your name. Not even once.

—Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net; Juliet Aires Giglio,4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; julietgiglio@gmail.com

Surprisingly, this month’s column will be a little bit different. Rather than serve up inspiring tales about the exploits of our classmates, I’d like to devote our column to politics. Specifically, I’d like to use the column to formally announce my intention to seek the office of the president of the United States. If my calculations are correct, you should get this issue in the late summer, which is somewhere around Election Day.

I know that many of you will be skeptical. You might say things like, “Wasn’t that guy a biology major?” or “He can’t know a thing about politics,” or “Is it too late to get an honorary degree from some other class and become an ’83 or something?” Well fear not, my constituents, I will assemble a top-notch team to help prepare me for my presidency.

I will first contact Allen Waxman. From my research, Allen seems to be a lawyer and works for some big pharmaceutical company (Eisai). I realize that this may not seem like a good fit, but I know that Allen lived in Washington, D.C., after graduation and I imagine he would be a big help in navigating the labyrinthine streets of that city. Therefore, he will be my secretary of transportation. I found Allen on LinkedIn. Allen has had a number of jobs since graduation, so I’m sure he won’t mind quitting one more.

Every president needs to deal with crises. It’s a safe bet that my reign will lurch from one crisis to the next. Thus, I will hire Eric Dezenhall. Eric is a “crisis communication consultant.” I will definitely need at least one of those, maybe two. Eric is also an author, having written several books, including one titled Damage Control. I’m thinking of using that as my campaign slogan, “When you think Grubman, think Damage Control.” I think it would look good on a baseball cap.

I will avoid people like Leah Daughtry and Mara Rudman. People such as this, with their intimate knowledge of our governing institutions, could only be a giant drag on my presidency. I might have Dezenhall send them a few baseball hats, but that’s it.

Given my nominal medical background, the people might be interested in my choice for surgeon general. I am thinking about picking Andrew Ryan. Either Ryan or Mike Patsis. Both are surgeons. I really can’t decide. Andrew lives in Kentucky, which is somewhere in the middle. He is an orthopedic surgeon. He often makes fun of me on Facebook. He will keep me humble. Patsis is a plastic surgeon. He lives in New Jersey. He avoids all contact with me. Probably a smart move, right up to this moment. Right now, Ryan has the edge, but the election is still a long way off.

So, that’s it. For the rest of you, I’m sure I get to appoint more people to jobs. Send me your resumes. I look forward to seeing all of you at my coronation.

—Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net; Juliet Aires Giglio,4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; julietgiglio@gmail.com

In our never-ending quest to bring you, our dear classmates, only the most up-to-date scintillating information, we’ve farmed out our column this month to our own Ted Cooperstein. Thank you, Ted! We assume our good thanks will be enough. If not, we’ll buy you a beer at the next reunion. Wait, the beers are free? Then we’ll buy you two beers! This is where I’d put an emoji, but alas, it’s not permitted by the constraints of the DAM style.

And now in Ted’s words, let our column begin: “I am still an assistant U.S. attorney for the southern district of Florida, prosecuting federal felony crimes out of the U.S. courthouse in Fort Pierce. This past year has been a good one for connecting and seeing ’84 friends. In January 2015 I went to Hanover for the Club and Group Officers Weekend (CAGOW), representing the Dartmouth Club of Vero Beach, for whom I am the treasurer (as well as the youngest member, I think). I traveled to Hanover by way of Cambridge, Massachusetts, where I stayed one night with Zete brother Brian Kinney and his family.

“In early February Kaz Lawler made a point of returning to his Boise, Idaho, home from a convention in Miami, by way of visiting us before flying out of Melbourne, Florida. Highlights included a dinner at a Japanese-style steakhouse, which prompted comparisons, through dim memory, of the late Pagoda restaurant in West Lebanon, New Hampshire, during our undergrad days.

“At CAGOW I sat at the Floridian lunch table with Dr. Ivan Castro, president of the Orlando alumni club. In June Ivan converged on Vero Beach at the same time as Ted von Hippel and his wife, Pamela, to join us for a minor mini-reunion weekend. Not long after that Ted and Pamela relocated north of us to Daytona Beach, where Ted is a tenured professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Ted and I regularly correspond and debate by email on varied and sundry topics, along with Mike Salzhauer and Geoff Berlin. We have yet to reach consensus on a group nickname, let alone most other topics, for that matter, but Ted and I are conspiring to arrange a face-to-face meeting of the full foursome here in Florida when it should prove possible.

“All classmates are welcome to contact us and drop by as well if you should pass through southern Florida. As a result of this year’s visits Ted and Pamela von Hippel now are tied in first place for the number of visits to see us in Vero Beach, along with Kaz Lawler (who with his wife, Anne, was gracious enough to take part in our 2008 wedding in Florida) and with Al Chaker, who also has been to see us twice. Honorable mention goes to Jim Schaefer, who only made it so far north as Stuart, Florida, but we have hopes of seeing him again, too.”

Next month we’ll hear more lies, I mean stories, from Eric Grubman.

—Juliet Aires Giglio, 4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; (315) 682-5501; julietgiglio@gmail.com; Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net

Greetings from the Hanover Plain! I know that Eric Grubman and I make this class secretary thing look easy, but I want you to know that we take our jobs very seriously. So seriously that we will do anything to dig up news of you, our fellow classmates. Even if that means jeopardizing our jobs to hang out in Hanover for an indefinite period of time. Since Eric’s saving lives as a doctor, at least that’s what Elisabeth Jaffe of San Francisco told me, he can’t leave his job as easily as a professor can.

Why Hanover? It turns out that you, our dear classmates, love to hang out at our alma mater. While drinking at the Hanover Inn I recently discovered that Steven Morris of Chicago was once considered for the CIA but turned them down. And Marc Devorsetz of Dallas is the house-husband of Richard Jelsma of Dallas. Richard is a big shot surgeon and happily married with twin sons at Dartmouth.

I caught up with Eric Taylor, a judge in Los Angeles, over in Butterfield, where he was trying to install a bar in his daughter’s dorm room. Wait, I didn’t say that. And I found Chrissy Burnley Bucklin of Manhattan Beach, California, at the volleyball court, where we discussed the College’s new drinking rules. We were not drinking at the time.

In a makeshift tent outside Blunt I found a bunch of Homecoming virgins. And I mean that in the nicest way. This group of guys had not been to a Homecoming since our senior year. Give a rouse for Rich Borroff, a director of management information systems at the Harvard extension school (I’m going to leave that Harvard joke alone, but Eric, feel free to grab it in the next column); David Wood, an otolaryngologist in Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Dan Skiest, chief infectious director at Bay State Medical Center in Longmeadow, Massachusetts; David Bough, another otolaryngologist from Upper Saddle River in New Jersey; and Rob Harteveldt, an asset manager in Connecticut.

Non-Homecoming virgins I found at the tent were Heather Keare, co-owner of KS Design in Wellesley, Massachusetts; Wendee Hunsinger Lunt, owner of a consultant business for luxury brands in Bergen County, New Jersey; and Frohman Anderson, private equity wealth management in Rhode Island. This trio has collectively been up to Homecoming for more than 60 years. I guess we know where they’ll be next October.

Chris Cogguilo of Milford, Connecticut, can’t get enough of Homecoming, as he’s come up over the last three years. A dentist, Chris was not bringing up candy for his daughter, but lights for her Halloween party in her “senior” apartment. Besides drilling teeth, Chris also loves fishing with Greg Bekelja. I have no idea what Greg does or where he lives so I’ll leave that up to Eric discover when he takes off his scrubs.

I hope you appreciate all this in-depth information about our classmates. I also hope I still have a job at SUNY Oswego.

—Juliet Aires Giglio, 4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; (315) 682-5501; julietgiglio@gmail.com; Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net

As you read this column, my dear classmates, I will be joining the Empty Nesters Club (ENC), where I’ll have stronger wi-fi and a clean kitchen and won’t have to share my car. So after I wipe my tears and turn off the Beatles classic, “She’s [we gave her most of our lives] Leaving [sacrificed most of our lives],” I’ll share some helpful suggestions from our classmates.

Lisen Stromberg: “We’ve launched into empty-nesthood and have nothing but good things to say about this next phase of life. We’ve moved from Palo Alto, California, to San Francisco (and have plenty of room for guests now that the kids are all gone).” Okay, let’s just pause here. Lisen wants us to stay at her house for free! Lisen’s new book on women in the workplace addresses the notion that while you can’t have it all at once, you just might be able to have it all over the course of a lifetime. Lisen’s husband, Bill Rossi, works in the home energy space as chief operating officer at Bidgeley and advises other clean-tech companies (got to do something to address climate change).

But what should I do with the empty bedrooms in my house? I’ll call Cary Bernstein, an esteemed San Francisco architect to remodel. One of her recent projects—Hill House—was recently featured in Dwell magazine. And after you remove the swing set in the back yard, consider adding an ice rink, like Eddie Eacueo did in New Hampshire, and host awesome bonfires for your classmates.

If you’re thinking about redoing your will, Krishna Narine is not only a fine lawyer, he’s been training for two half marathons, so he can outrun your kids when they realize you’ve changed the locks on the doors.

Too much free time? Try traveling. Kathy Krause, French professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, vacationed in Transylvania last year and, as of this writing, is not a vampire. And now that you no longer have to attend your kid’s sporting events you can rediscover professional sports. Kathy and Becca Gottlieb are both psyched for baseball season as the Royals and the Tigers battle it out for first place in the AL Central.

ENC makes early retirement seem intriguing, but reflect on Mark Lange’s story. He semi-retired from tech marketing consulting, then did the three-kid-tuition math and went back to work. Then he got sucked into an alumni eight entry at the Head of the Charles with Christopher Cross back in October, from which neither has fully recovered. They spotted Rush Fisher and Caryn Reynolds racing there too.

Most of all, remember that being in the ENC is the opportunity to fulfill your own dreams. Consider Ruth Bedell, who recently earned her first-degree Level 1 black belt in tae kwon do from the Tiger Rock Martial Arts Franchise.

So there you have it: ways to deal with the ENC. And don’t forget to book your flight for San Francisco. No hotel necessary!

—Juliet Aires Giglio, 4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; (315) 682-5501; julietgiglio@gmail.com; Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net

I was recently perusing Amazon.com, and noticed that the book that contains my chapter is now ranked No. 1,336,030. It’s hard to admit that there are a million books better than my chapter. Actually, 1.3 million. Obviously, I need to move up in the rankings. I have an idea, but I will need the help of several of our literary classmates. The way this works is pretty simple. If you’ve written a book and it’s more popular than my chapter on Amazon (a given), please have it removed from the site. You pull your book from Amazon, I move up. Simple. Now, if you’ve forgotten that you are an actual published author, let me help jog your memory.


Eric Dezenhall. Eric recently published a book, Glass Jaw. Something to do with defending your reputation in an age of instant scandal. I read it. I must say that it is quite interesting and I learned that my reputation is toast. However, if I may be a bit critical, your book is 261 pages long and contains fewer than 12 funny cartoons. That’s not enough. Ideally, a 261-page book should have maybe 12 written pages and the rest funny cartoons. That is the optimal ratio for a bestseller. For example, check out my book chapter. It’s on Amazon, down near the bottom. Still, Eric, please have Amazon remove the book. Thank you in advance.


Dani Klein Modisett. Her book, Take My Spouse, Please, is a humorous take on marriage. It is currently in press and can be preordered on Amazon. Dani’s book already has a higher Amazon rating than my chapter, and it isn’t even available yet! I’m losing to an imaginary book! This is the worst form of humiliation. Dani, you have several other books on Amazon as well. Each one is destroying me. Perhaps we can use some sort of mercy rule, like in Little League? Pull the book, Dani. Pull all the books.


Susan Schoenberger. Now, this is a real problem for me. She keeps writing the novels and I pay the price. Each Schoenberger novel is an automatic (-1) for me. Her latest, The Virtues of Oxygen, was published last July. More people have already reviewed her book than have purchased mine. Let that sink in for a moment. She even has her own Amazon page. Maybe she would rent me some space on her Amazon page to boost my visibility.


Jim Collins. Jim wrote The Last Best League, which chronicles the season of a Cape Cod League baseball team. It really is a great book and has been reprinted as a “10th anniversary edition.” Really, Jim? Two editions of the same book? It wasn’t enough for you to beat me once, you had to do it twice? With the same words? Nice.


Well, these are baby steps, but it’s a start. Next month we move on to Kathy Zug and that dermatology book. Big problem for me. With everyone’s help, we break the million mark. Thanks.


—Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net; Juliet Aires Giglio, 4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; (315) 682-5501; julietgiglio@gmail.com


Welcome back to me! After a brief hiatus of 25 years, I’m back as one of your class secretaries. Before you rush to cancel your subscription to the alumni magazine, there is a glimmer of hope. Juliet (Aires) Giglio and I will be sharing the responsibilities, so only half of the columns will come from me. Juliet is a great partner in this. She and I came up with some ground rules for the column, which I will share with you, the gentle reader. In order to avoid duplicating news, we have decided to divide things up. This is how it will work: I will tell the unvarnished truth, and Juliet’s column will be filled with innuendo, half-truths and complete fabrications. Simple to remember. Eric equals truth. Juliet equals not truth. As an example, remember all that stuff she said in the last column about the people who made up that excellent reunion band? Well, those guys are in prison. Every one of them. 


Speaking of reunion, the signature drink Naked on Occom Pond was designed and built by Kelly (Freeman) Wilson. In addition to cocktail design, Kelly recently began work as a docent at the Getty Villa in Malibu, California. I plan on visiting the villa and maybe making off with a statue or something. I won’t get caught. I know a docent.


Bob Lucic is an attorney outside of Boston. As I think he described it during reunion, his work as an environmental lawyer involves burying large quantities of heavy metals in various landfills around New England. Bob gets up to Hanover fairly often, which doesn’t bode well for the environmental health of the College. He is quite successful and his car has this funny glow about it. “Just don’t sit in the back seat” is his motto.


John Gilstrap works at Empire State Development, where he helps develop the business climate around New York State. He is also deeply involved in the organic farming community in New York. I suspect that John spends a fair amount of time digging up the stuff that Lucic just buried. Circle of life.


When not working as clerk of court for a trial court in New Hampshire, Julie (Walden) Howard competes in eventing, which is the “triathalon of the horse world,” on a retired thoroughbred racehorse. In a show of support I attempted to place a $20 bet on Julie and horse to show in the fifth at Belmont last Saturday. Apparently, this is some type of equestrian faux pas.


Phil Ferneau is a professor at Tuck. I’ll just let that one sink in for a moment. The Tuck website even has a box that says, “Professor Ferneau.” You can click on it and everything. He has as many letters after his name as there are in his last name. He teaches the popular “From Fraternity House Manager to Venture Capital Tycoon” seminar at Tuck. 


Well, that does it for this month. Remember, Eric equals truth, Juliet equals not truth.


—Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net; Juliet Aires Giglio, 4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; (315) 682-5501; julietgiglio@gmail.com


Greetings from your new class secretaries! Eric Grubman and I will be sharing the duties. Thanks to Jan and Derek for keeping us informed these past five years. 


Our 30th reunion was outstanding! It gave us many firsts. The following classmates all popped the proverbial cherry by attending their very first reunion! After selling his World Wide Poker business, Steve Lipscomb’s living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and wouldn’t divulge his next great idea. Chris Covert-Bowlds is one of those amazing family practice docs in Seattle and no, he’s not on Grey’s Anatomy, but he did credit Steve Lipscomb for getting him back to Hanover. Paul Groark lives outside Boston and when he’s not working as a lawyer—he’s hanging with Eva Mendes at weddings (but not his own)—this is still a very eligible bachelor. George Mannes is a senior editor for Money magazine in N.Y.C., where he edits personal finance stories for online, print and video. Peer pressure from Mark Montgomery induced George to attend reunion. Wallace Butler, assistant general counsel for Serco in Reston, Virginia, also had “encouragement” from long-lost classmates. Wallace had a great time and is disappointed it was his first time back. Lisa Foy is retired from Lehman Brothers and is now doing something she really loves in Queens: Creating and writing the gluten-free website, kissmyglutenfreebuns.com, which has been featured on Thomas Keller’s Cup4Cup website.


Paul Gorman and Eric Taylor brought their daughters from Minnesota and Los Angeles, respectively, to visit Dartmouth for the first time. But the daughters of Lisa Brody, Heather Keare,Chris Huff and Wendee (Hunsinger) Lunt won’t be applying. That’s because they’re already on campus! 


Braving rain and 60-mph winds at the top of Moosilauke, a group of five hiked the mountain for the first time since graduation. Elisabeth (Adair) Jaffe is a math tutor in Mill Valley, California, and she pulled up her entire front lawn to put in an organic vegetable garden, doing her part for the drought-ridden state. Dave McCormick, a geologist living in Concord, Massachusetts, pointed out interesting rock formations on the trail. Peter Neuman sprinted up the mountain, having just traded a lifetime in Shanghai for Santa Monica, California, where he’ll continue to practice law. Chris Covert-Bowlds and I also enjoyed the hike.


Thanks to David Cumberbatch, reunion entertainment chair extraordinaire, we had the first-ever class photo booth. Kappa Kappa Gamma “womaned” the booth. The Kappas are mostly M.D.s—either the medical or the banking kind. Sarah (Burrell) Troxell is a plastic surgeon in Anchorage, Alaska. Common procedures include bear injuries and botox, but no botox for the bear. That would be unethical. Anjali (Hulyaker) Chuttani is a sought-after dermatologist specializing in melanoma in Boston and has two sons attending Dartmouth. Catherine (Sikorovsky) Lachenauer is a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital and the director of its infectious diseases clinic. Susie Huang is an uber successful managing director and vice chairman at Morgan Stanley in N.Y.C. in mergers and acquisitions. Julie Levenson of Woodside, California, is a former managing director and now cofounder of her own business, La Honda Advisors.


But the most amazing first from our 30th reunion was—drum roll please—Washington, D.C., consultant Mara Rudman spontaneously got married during the reunion (a.k.a. Dartmouth elopement) to Jeff Moscow, DMS ’82, her sweetheart of four years. Eric Grubman was the flower girl and wants you to know he wore pink Dior. Viva Hardigg catered and Lucia Jackson officiated. Mara’s registered at the Dartmouth Co-op. But don’t buy the set of four Dartmouth shot glasses because that’s what I’m getting her. 


—Juliet Aires Giglio, 4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; (315) 682-5501; julietgiglio@gmail.com; Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net


While many of us are far flung around the girdled earth, I received this note from our very own and esteemed Mara Rudman, principal at Quorum Strategies LLC and visiting lecturer at Dartmouth: “I am really enjoying the experience teaching at the College. My course is titled ‘Smart Power, the National Security Process, and the Shaping of U.S. Policy in the Middle East.’ The students have a mock National Security Council deputies meeting, a congressional consultation and an international consultation. The intent is to have them grapple with some of the challenges of facing hard policy choices with limited and competing time, information, resources and interests. The 15 students in the seminar are just great—they are engaged, curious and eager to improve on often bad choices. I think my Washington, D.C., colleagues might do well seeing their fresh approaches sooner rather than later! I do have to stop and remind myself that I am the teacher and not the student. I can walk around and forget that our student days ended 30 years ago, until I bump into an ’84 progeny and I know for sure that we’ve passed on that torch to the next generation. I also have had a great chance to reconnect with our classmates who are living or have homes up here: Lucia Jackson and Carin Reynolds live in the area; Ann Armbrecht is nearby in Montpelier, Vermont; and Viva Hardigg has graciously provided housing while I am here. I’ve been able to see Marsha Trant (whose son Evan Schlick is a ’17) and hope to see others such as Carla Small, Bob Cronin and Anjali Hulyalkar Chutanni when they are here this fall visiting their kids. I hope to catch Lisa Ragen Ide (whose daughter Maisie is a ’16) and Michelle Dorion in early November while they are here for the Dickey International Center board meeting—’84 women seem to be dominating that board now. Since I am close by I joined Wendy Folberth Miller (two of her kids attend Dartmouth) and Ben Potter at Hope Walks, a cancer center fundraiser at Newton-Wellesley Hospital near Boston. Our team honored the memory of our classmate Dianna Rynkiewicz.” Mara’s past work experience includes deputy assistant to the president, executive secretary on the National Security Council and deputy envoy and chief of staff for the State Department Office of the Special Envoy for Middle East Peace.
Are you going to be “Homeward Bound” for our 30th reunion June 11-15? Ed Kenealy reports that after a first of its kind Facebook poll, “Homeward Bound” was selected for our 30th reunion theme! If you didn’t know about the Facebook poll, maybe we don’t have a valid email address for you. With email being our primary means of communication, we need your correct email address. If you haven’t been receiving reunion or other class emails, go to our class website www.dartmouth84.org and update your info. Or you can send your correct email address to dartmouth84@gmail.com. The 30th reunion team will be making a concerted effort to update our class email records so we can reach everyone. And while you are online join our class Facebook page: “Dartmouth College Class of 1984.” You can also let your classmates know that you will be heading to Hanover this June for our very own 30th Reunion Facebook page: “Homeward Bound: The Class of ’84 30th Reunion, 6/11-6/15.” Many of you already have said that you will attend. And, if you’ve got any reunion questions or want to help out, just email Ed at ed.kenealy@dartmouth84.org.
—Jan Gordon and Derek Chow, 132 Wildcat Lane, Boulder, CO 80304; (303) 448-1580; janandderek@comcast.net



When we first arrived at Dartmouth in 1980 we were thrilled about the possibilities…that is, until we saw our dorms. Banished to Siberia—Derek to the Choates and Jan to 44 College Street—we weren’t quite sure we were going to make it. However, we soon understood it would be the people, not the actual dorm, that would save us. So we dedicate this column to catching up with some of our past roommates.


Terry Ann Kremer Tatro—I lived with Terry Ann junior year, but met her on our freshman trip, cooking starchy food, paddling in the rain and laughing over our pathetic sleeping bags—hers, cotton, mine, synthetic with broken zipper. T.A. writes, “I moved about 15 years ago back to my hometown of Titusville, Florida, where I still work as a freelance book editor.” She adds, “I help perfect the college-level accounting textbook. Doesn’t that sound deadly?” Actually, freelancing helps give her time to be an active mom to boys Case (13), Evan (11) and Tyler (10). Also, “freelancing has given me time to attempt making a quilt out of the T-shirts my boys have gotten from their swim, tennis and soccer meets.” T.A. writes, “Bet they’d rather have something electronic!”


John Minier—John was my roommate senior year at Dartmouth. We shared a room at Alpha Chi. Any attempt to keep our room habitable failed miserably. Maybe it was the half-filled chew cups. Maybe it was Strat-o-matic baseball cards strewn about? This update from John who defends doctors in malpractice cases in Durham, North Carolina: “I coach my son Sam (11) in baseball and my son Jack (10) in football. Our football team doesn’t win often. Building character.” He adds, “Sam is blessed with smoothness that I did not have. Jack is more like me. I am only slightly neater than when I was your roommate. But my golf game is good. I shoot in the high 70s.”


Susan Schoenberger—Susan was one of my roommates in New Hamp. We roomed again after college in Litchfield, Connecticut, where she wrote for a local paper and I was a reporter/producer at a nearby radio station. We lived above a pizza parlor owned by a crazy Greek guy who made us sign a lease that prohibited having guests. Luckily, the demands of working in the media made us too tired to care. To this day Susan continues her successful writing career. She’s worked for the Hartford Courant and The Baltimore Sun and just recently left the dying newspaper business (her terminology) for fiction writing. She is currently working on her second novel. She resides in West Hartford, Connecticut, with husband Kevin and children Andrew (17), Jenna (14) and Claire (12). Happily, we both own our own homes and can invite over whomever we want!


Mark Lange—While technically more of a dormmate than roommate (we lived in closet singles in the Choates), Mark writes, “Rob Watson visited me in the Bay Area, where we ate the kind of meal we could only dream of as lightweight rowers a quarter-century ago.” He added that the entire freshman eight of the 1984 class—John Harris, Dave Shuler, Christopher Cross, Casper de Clercq, Rush Fisher, Rob Watson, Steve Hoxie, Joe Holland, Mark Lange and coxswain Keith Dickey—committed to return and race in October’s Head of the Charles this year, only to have their entry denied (we’re still unclear why, but believe intense anxiety among Harvard alums was a factor). “This came as a great relief because we got to talk smack without having to do any actual rowing.” 


—Jan Gordon and Derek Chow, 132 Wildcat Lane, Boulder, CO 80304; (303) 448-1580; janandderek @comcast.net


Back in 1982, in the small French town of Arles, riding on a bus on a quaint, tree-lined country road, with the mistral winds swirling, we met. All right maybe it wasn’t quite that romantic—after all we were pals back then and mostly drank beer at the Grande Café de La Bourse and played a lot of Pac-Man, but we did meet in the Dartmouth-infused atmosphere of the language study abroad program. And it turned out to be a meeting that would result in long-lasting friendship and marriage. 


There are many others we know who met through Dartmouth and ended up tying the knot. This month we took the time to catch up with a couple!


It was Freshmen Week during Streeter ’Tails where Doug Burke claims to have met his future wife of 21 years, Ilyssa Golding. Unfortunately, she has no recollection of this meeting! If Ilyssa’s memory serves her correctly (she admits, it may not) they met later and did not go out on a date until Doug got up his nerve senior year. After college they spent many years in New England together, Ilyssa doing her master’s in public health at Harvard (boo, hiss—sorry, we can’t help it) as well as going to Dartmouth Medical School and Doug getting his M.B.A. at Tuck. Ilyssa and Doug got married in 1989 and eventually ended up in Los Angeles, where Ilyssa grew up. There they had their children Connor (10) and Cameron (7). Ilyssa currently works parttime as a radiologist and Doug, who previously worked in banking for Tucker Anthony and Sutro, has left that behind to become the general manager for a software company. When they are not hard at work they love to ski, frequenting the powder in Utah and Colorado. (Ilyssa is pretty hardcore. Once, while skiing in Vail’s back bowls, the lift broke. She had to hike all the way out!) To relax Doug has been known to play the harmonica while driving in L.A. traffic. (He doesn’t signal either, but we’ll save that explanation for a future column. It has something to do with not tipping off the enemy!)


Another Dartmouth couple, Lisen Stromberg and Bill Rossi, actually met at Dick’s House. Although Bill, who was tending to a knee ailment, claims that Lisen was stalking him Lisen insists that she had a horrible flu and really was sick—really! That chance meeting (we believe you, Lisen) was in October 1983 and they have been together since. Married 22 years, the couple lives in Palo Alto, California, where in their spare time they attend Stanford football games, “pretending we went there,” with their three kids William (15), Maret (13) and Soren (10). Since college Lisen has been a marketing executive and founded a nonprofit called Supporting Our Sons (www.supportingoursons.com). She is currently doing her M.F.A. in writing and is working on a collection of short stories. Bill, who got his M.B.A. at Harvard (boo, hiss—sorry, we can’t help it), is an executive at Google. When they are not working Bill is back on the ice playing hockey and they both love to travel to faraway lands such as Vietnam, Thailand and Costa Rica. On their next road trip to Argentina they plan to visit fellow ’84 Alex Featherstone. 


If you haven’t already, please show your spirit of ’84 (no, you don’t have to marry a Dartmouth classmate) by visiting our class Web site (www.dartmouth84.org) and clicking through to pay your class dues, bundled with a $19.84 contribution to the Dartmouth College Fund and $30 toward the 30th reunion project. 


—Jan Gordon and Derek Chow, 132 Wildcat Lane, Boulder, CO 80304; (303) 448-1580; janandderek@comcast.net


In early March the Dartmouth Club of the Vail hosted Winter CarniVail, its annual weekend in which alumni gather to participate in winter activities, cocktail parties and symposia. Concurrently (and not to be outdone) I too host an annual mini-reunion affectionately known as “the annual boys ski trip” in which fellow ’84s stay at my home in Vail. My gathering also features skiing and cocktails but our symposia consisted of spirited discussions on solving current major issues. Not healthcare and nuclear disarmament, but rather how to navigate YouTube, snoring solutions and hair removal from one’s back. Among the attendees this year was Dr. Richard Jelsma, an orthopedic surgeon in suburban Dallas. He gave each of us annual physicals, checking knees, hips and shoulders. He also wrote prescriptions for Lipitor, Rogaine and Cialis. Also Tom Parker, director of global IT for Gypsii, a social networking website, who lives in Bolton. Perhaps his social skills helped wrangle that extra bottle of Caymus at Terra Bistro for no charge. Or maybe it was Ray Wood’s persuasive negotiating—dealmaker that he is. In the real world Woody is a leading alternative energy investment banker for Credit Suisse and is “living the dream in Jersey” (if that’s possible). Ford Allen came in from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, where he owns an insurance company. Having not skied since a high school trip to the Poconos in Pennsylvania, Ford kept a very low profile on the slopes. We later learned that his 11-year-old son Case schooled him all over the mountain. David Carlson flew in after a stop in Deer Valley, Utah, to join us. I’m hoping he’ll send tasteful photos, as he did for the 25th reunion. When not jetting to desirable ski destinations David works for Merrill Lynch in Bolton, Massachusetts. Marc Devorsetz arrived from New York City just in time to see his Syracuse Orangemen basketball team begin its long, slow slide to mediocrity. Just like the Knicks. And the New York Giants. I hope the Yankees are next. Marc works for Juniper Capital in the city, where he and his wife, Betsy, are raising two great kids. Dr. Albert Chaker attended from Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he’s still burning jet fuel on taxpayers’ dollars, occasionally seeing patients as payback as a naval flight surgeon. Albert’s best advice from the trip: “Don’t eat the undercooked $12 hamburger at Two Elks Lodge.” You don’t need medical training to imagine what that might do to your system at 10,000 feet. Albert likes to ski slowly, but at least he didn’t fall off the mountain onto his face as he did at Moosilauke during the reunion last summer. While having lunch in Vail’s back bowls during the weekend I randomly bumped into John Isaacson and his wife, Linda Tuck Isaacson, visiting from faraway Maine. Ike told me he was there for an annual ski trip with his extended family. They looked happy and healthy—must have avoided the aforementioned expensive hamburger. 


Later in the ski season Jan and I had the pleasure of hosting Caroline Bergman Gottschalk at our Vail home as well. She stopped in with her husband, Michael, son Benjamin and daughter Julia on their way home from a ski trip to Snowmass. Caroline is a law partner with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and lives in New York City. Judging by her board game skills she must play Scrabble more than she reads depositions.


Lastly, you will be hearing more about the Memorial Day weekend dedication of the Class of 1984 Moosilauke Cru Cabin involving many ’84s. Visit dartmouth84.org/moosilauke. Happy summer, everyone—and think snow!


—Jan Gordon and Derek Chow, 132 Wildcat Lane, Boulder, CO 80304; (303) 448-1580; janandderek@comcast.net


We’ve yet to write anything even remotely timely since we were handed over our 1984 class secretarial duties. Probably because we have a hard enough time planning day to day to try to calculate two months out (this column is always published two months after we write it). So in an attempt to try and come up with something timely, we wracked our brains for days and came up with Halloween!


As a parent, I’m sure that this holiday is nobody’s favorite. Buying expensive costumes, going door-to-door trick-or-treating with our kids or wondering where they are or what trouble they are getting into (if they are teenagers and acted anything like us when we were growing up!). And then there is the candy—an obvious parental, dental nightmare. To manage the inflow of sweets, a friend told us years ago that we should tell our children that they can keep 10 pieces (of the hundreds they received) and that the rest was being given to those less fortunate. Our friend then instructed us to dump the excess in the garbage. That trick worked for years until our youngest queried, “If they are less fortunate, why are we giving them candy, which is unhealthy and bad for their teeth?” Busted!


Anyway, although today many of you probably grumble on the days leading toward Halloween, we know that you enjoyed it back then. For instance, Revell Horsey once accompanied me (Jan) to a Sigma Kappa formal that was so rudely scheduled on, you guessed it, Halloween. As a joke, we dressed up like a homeless old man and lady and with our masks on, went undetected almost the entire night (they thought we were just weirdos who crashed the party!) These days Revell finds himself recently remarried!


After an adventurous wedding ceremony during a Nor’easter at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Revell returned to West Hartford, Connecticut, where he lives with his wife, Katherine, and her children. During the week, however, Revell calls Washington, D.C., home. There he is busy with his startup, HelloWallet. The new service provides its members with customized financial plans, 24/7 personal money management and monitoring and an individualized bank shopper service, which looks at more than 50,000 different financial products to find better prices for its members. Most recently HelloWallet was featured on ABC news as a startup to watch! You can read more about it at www.hellowallet.com.


On October 31, back in the day in Hanover, Roy Forbes could be found trying to impersonate the “emperor’s new clothes” at the local cemetery or perhaps he was attempting to be the Invisible Man. In any event, he eluded arrest for indecent exposure and more recently has decided to wear clothes from his wife’s organic clothing line, Raw Earth Wild Sky. (Oops, I guess that’s women’s clothing.) Fresh from the outback, Roy writes: “Literally just got back two hours ago from a multi-day backpack trek at 11,000 feet in the Sierras with my wife, Samantha, 9-year-old daughter Merryn and Australian shepherd Hobie. We’re living in L.A. in a 1923 Spanish house we just updated with solar panels, so doing our part for the earth. For the past four years I’ve been director of business development for Grossman Burn Centers, a medical practice specializing in the comprehensive treatment of burn injuries. When I’m not working I’m out on the ice, playing hockey every Tuesday! More importantly, Merryn just completed softball all-stars with the daughters of three other Dartmouth alums: Ian Weiner ’83, Chris Frisina ’88 and Sonia Ooten ’89. We have the nucleus of Dartmouth’s future women’s softball team right here in L.A.!”


—Jan Gordon and Derek Chow, 132 Wildcat Lane, Boulder, CO 80304; (303) 448-1580; janandderek @comcast.net


For this month’s column, always written at the busiest time of year, I thank Derek for his holiday leftovers. (The stuff that reached him after our last deadline!) Always the best part!


From Marsha Trant: “I just returned from a very quick (16-hour) trip to Hanover. I’ve had more time there in the last six months than in the past five years as my son Evan started this fall as a ’17. It’s brought up all kinds of fun class connections. First, his trip leader, Ed Kennealy’s son Andrew, gave him a great introduction to his freshman year. When we arrived after his trip to move him into his dorm we had fun catching up with Beth McGee, who is teaching art in a neighboring town. On a more personal note, I’m working at IBM (still—24 years!—I must be in a rut) as the VP for global cloud sales. Cloud is a pretty interesting space and I get some good opportunities for global travel so on balance it’s still fun. I live in Ellicott City, a Baltimore-D.C. suburb, with my husband, Jordan, daughter Claire, dog and two cats. (We’re adjusting to being one kid down!) I also spend a lot of time volunteering as a youth leader at church.”


From Mary Meeker Alber: “I now have in hand a Ph.D. in transformative learning and change and am currently writing a condensed, user-friendly version of my dissertation (from 450 to 50 pages if possible!). From that resource I aim to help students and education and business organizations develop themselves through discovering and leveraging their unique passions, talents and collaborability (new word I just coined!).
 Also thinking about how to apply the process to those of us at this midlife juncture when big shifts in our sense of purpose and future are surely under way for many of us.” (Okay, where do I sign up?) From Viva Hardig: “My husband, two sons and I are moving to Hanover next summer from Greenwich, Connecticut. Having grown up milking goats, chopping wood and cross-country skiing on a farm in western Massachusetts, it was only a matter of time before I heeded the call of the North Country. I hope classmates visiting Hanover will come and find us at 34 Reservoir Road, the last house on the left on the way to Storr’s Pond. Among other things, we are looking forward to being within walking distance of Anna Sonnerup’s childhood home and her parents.”


And lastly from Jennifer Kelly: “I’ve been living in Walpole, New Hampshire, since 1993, married since 1990, one son, Sean, who is studying for a B.F.A. in acting at Chicago College of Performing Arts. I’ve been a freelance financial writer since about 1988, when my last employer, Drexel Burnham Lambert, flamed out in a blaze of something besides glory. Just for fun I also write about music for a few online websites. I’m still a runner but probably not a marathoner anymore (those 50-ish joints finally getting tired of me). I go to Dartmouth once in a while, never on any kind of official reunion-type occasion, but just to be there. It still makes me happy in a way I can’t explain.” 


—Jan Gordon and Derek Chow, 132 Wildcat Lane, Boulder, CO 80304; (303) 448-1580; janandderek@comcast.net


“How did it get so late so soon? It’s night before it’s afternoon. December is here before it’s June. My goodness how the time has flewn.”—Dr. Seuss


Trivia question: What do my very good friend Peter Garfield and the late actor Tony Randall have in common? Answer: Introducing Quinton Zhang Garfield! With a baby born May 18, Peter is the newest first-time father in our class—congrats! You can read more about Peter and other classmates who have pursued careers in the arts in the latest edition of our class newsletter (www.dartmouth84.org). Thanks to Cary Bernstein, Dani Klein Modisett, Karen Thomsen Trost, Kathy Krause and Liz Brody Gluck for compiling the latest edition. While Peter is just beginning parenthood, other classmates have recently witnessed their offspring graduate with the class of ’13, such as Amy Worden Smith, whose daughter Emily wore a mortarboard in June. Also marching on Baker lawn was Rick Bertasi’s daughter Reilly. Speaking of Rick, he and his wife, Sarah, are hosting a party in Santa Barbara, California, this summer to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. That’s right, 25 years ago a motley crew of ’84s witnessed this event (along with the elephants, giraffes and other assorted wild beasts) at the Santa Barbara Zoo. Did I just say wild beasts and Dartmouth ’84s in the same sentence? Coincidence? I think not. Among the original congregants who may attend (if memory serves) are yours truly and Jan Gordon, Ricardo Worl, Ray Wood, Marc Devorsetz, Rich Jelsma, Ford Allen, Dave and Kim Kendall Robertson, Tom Parker and Al Chaker.


Folks, make sure you block your calendars for a return trip to Hanover for the 30th reunion of the great class of 1984, which will run from June 12 to 15, 2014. Our 25th reunion may not feel like it was all that long ago, but our 30th reunion chair Ed Kenealy has been reaching out to fellow ’84s to join our 30th reunion committee. There are plenty of ways to help out, from organizing sports activities to working on meals and entertainment to assisting with and selecting symposia topics. You can check out the “Reunion Team” section of our 25th reunion website (25th.dartmouth84.org) for a sampling of some of the ways you can participate. This will be our last ’84-only reunion for quite some time so let’s pull out all the stops to make this the most memorable one ever. If you’d like to lend a hand or just offer some constructive ideas for the reunion, you can e-mail Ed at ed.kenealy@dartmouth84.org. Ed also writes “I am currently international general counsel for Liberty Mutual Group located in Boston, although it feels like I am out of the country as often as I am in it. My wife, Deborah, is also a lawyer and focuses on domestic abuse issues. My son Andrew is a ’15 at Dartmouth and on the heavyweight rowing team. My daughter Diana just graduated from high school. Coincidentally, Andrew was high school classmates with the sons of Carla Small and Bob Cronin and Anjali Chuttani and her husband. All three boys are now ’15s at Dartmouth—small world. Along with Paul Groark, who practices law in central Massachusetts and primarily represents Spanish-speaking clients, I tend to see fellow ’84s Garry Douglas, Howard Jones, Roger Mann and Dave McCormick with some frequency because Dave does a great job organizing group lunches about once a quarter. I also just reconnected with my freshman- and sophomore-year roommate, Marc Koehler, who is currently a Foreign Service advisor with the Department of State, advising the joint chiefs of staff. ”


—Derek Chow and Jan Gordon, 770 Union Av., Boulder, CO 80304; (303) 448-1580; janandderek@comcast.net


This just in regarding the class of 1984’s newest additions to leadership positions: Congratulations to Wendee Hunsinger Lunt for her appointment as class representative to the Alumni Council. Wendee writes: “Since graduating from Dartmouth I have lived in N.Y.C./suburban New Jersey. I am married to Geordie Lunt ’83 and have two daughters—Katie, who is a Dartmouth 2015, and Becca, a junior in high school. Both are driving now, so life (and the roads of north Jersey) is a little scarier these days! I have spent the last 25 years in various roles in luxury retail, working for global brands including Tiffany, Coach, Tumi and Dylan’s Candy Bar. For the last four years I’ve had a consulting practice, and enjoy making my own schedule. I am on the board of the Bronx Academy of Letters, a public high school in N.Y.C. founded on the belief that students who can express themselves well in writing will do better in life.” Many thanks to Marty Lempres, who preceded Wendee, for representing our class very well and we congratulate him for his appointment as president of the Dartmouth Alumni Council!


Additionally, we have also selected four classmates to serve as charter class trustees—congratulations to Ruth Bedell, Christine Burnley Bucklin, Robert White and Ricardo Worl,who will join as ex officio members of the class executive committee. The class trustee is a new position, approved in our new class constitution and is designed to ensure that our class governance is proactive and directed for the good of the class and with the purpose of providing continuity and oversight. Thanks to Lucia Jackson, Kyle Gore and Eric Taylor for managing the nominating process. The illustrious and aforementioned Robert White writes: “I am taking my parents on a cruise in the South Pacific to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. My 90-year-old father, Robert White ’42, is one of the last Iwo Jima veterans alive. After sailing across the Pacific from Beijing, I am visiting Steve Compton in Anchorage, Alaska.”


On a different note, Eric Dezenhall’s latest novel is due out in July. It’s called The Devil Himself and is based on the true story of the U.S. Navy’s collaboration with organized crime figures in WW II to help secure the east coast waterfront from Nazi sabotage and help plan the invasion of Sicily. For those who have not followed Eric’s career, he co-founded the communications firm Dezenhall Resources Ltd. and serves as its CEO. His first book of nonfiction, Nail ’Em!: Confronting High-Profile Attacks on Celebrities and Business, pioneered techniques for understanding and defusing crises. The author of five previous novels, he lives in the Washington, D.C., area.


Speaking of the greater Washington, D.C., area, Tom Callahan reports: “I’ve been with Lockheed Martin [LM] since 2007 after my time at the State Department. LM recently divested PAE Inc., a company it bought in 2006 and I’ve joined PAE as VP for government affairs. PAE does a lot of interesting work in expeditionary training and logistics for the State Department, the Department of Defense and the United Nations. Lots of work in sub-Saharan Africa, Afghanistan and Iraq. I’m looking forward to returning to Hanover this summer to attend my wife’s (Kathy Gord ’86) 25th reunion with our daughters Grace (14) and Claire (11). I am also looking forward to a motorcycle trip this summer with a couple South African friends from Johannesburg to the Makgadikgadi Salt Plains in Botswana. Our extended family currently includes a cat and four dogs—one of whom is a temporary resident sent to us by friends serving at the U.S. embassy in Yemen (no place for a Bernese mountain dog!).”


—Jan Gordon and Derek Chow, 132 Wildcat Lane, Boulder, CO 80304; (303) 448-1580; janandderek@comcast.net


I recently received an e-mail from one of my best Dartmouth friends and it read, “Turning 50 next year! This is it—our big excuse to go on a big trip and really relax! I have a friend with a beautiful little home in the quaint village of Panicale, Italy—in Tuscany.”


Fifty years old! Seems like a lot until I think about my grandmothers, both of whom are still alive and kicking (98 and 102)! It occurs to me that I’ve only lived half of my life so far.


So what better way to ring in the next 50 years than with a big party at an Italian villa with my best Dartmouth girls! Amy Worden Smith, who sent the e-mail, made her way from working in Silicon Valley upon graduation to the great Northeast, where she’s been slugging it through Maine winters and basking in glorious lake house summers since 1991 with husband Nate ’81 and kids Allie (22), Emily ’12 and Jake (17). There she is a computer user interface design expert and consultant and abides by the 80/20 rule (must be having fun 80 percent of the time, otherwise time to find a new job)! In her spare free moments she runs the crew team ragged, a club whose enrollment has doubled since she started it in 2007 with daughter Emily. Amy’s view on turning 50? “I feel so lucky to have family and friends who are always willing to be fished for fun!” (Let the fishing begin!)


Flying to Italy will also be Amy Eisenberg Folbe, who has been working hard to help couples reach amicable divorces in Michigan since 1998. As a partner at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn, she once helped an 80-year-old couple call it quits—can you say material for Saturday Night Live? There she holds down her own happy marriage with husband Jack and kids Aaron (18), Elana ’15, Jonah (16) and Aidan (14). On turning 50, Amy says, “Instead of doting on my new wrinkles and inability to get carded no matter how hard I try, I am looking forward to a year of celebrating this milestone with friends and family every chance I get.” 


Also, from the Midwest Susan Lidstone Theiss will hop on a plane out of Chicago to meet us abroad. After an illustrious legal career and years teaching high school history, she has taken over full-time management of a great project—her four children! (I always said that a fourth would have put me over the edge, hence Derek’s vasectomy!) Susan and husband Paul are almost out of the woods with Peter ’12, Katie (19), Will (17) and David (12). On turning 50, Susan says, “I’d like to write a novel, open a knitting shop and breed soft-coated wheaten terriers.” I’ll take one potty-trained, non-shedding pup, please! 


And last, but not least, Robyn Fishman Kerner will have the shortest flight from New York City, where she settled after being freaked out by the 1994 California earthquake. Since graduation she has segued from Stanford Business School to entertainment marketing for Universal in L.A. to the Muppets in New York. Now living in Westchester County, where she holds down an all-male fort—husband Lou, kids Max (13), Cole (10) and Jack (8)—she has bravely served six years on the school board. On turning 50, Robyn remarks, “I thought when I was 50 I would be settled and looking back. Instead I am looking forward—what to do next and how to make a difference.”


Here’s hoping that the entire class of 1984 goes big at its 50th! 


—Jan Gordon and Derek Chow, 132 Wildcat Lane, Boulder, CO 80304; (303) 448-1580; janandderek @comcast.net


I turned 50 last November. No big deal. Really—not an issue. I don’t mind the hair growing out of my nose and ears, my aging knees (just got ’scoped), my receding hairline or that my 11-year-old daughter Grace constantly chirps, “You are really, really old.” No, I simply consider it a phase I am going through. Something I can recover from. The real test of my durability happens next week when Jan leaves the country for a week for her 50th birthday celebration and I am left alone with our three children. I hope I remember to pack lunches that “I wouldn’t mind eating” and organize every soccer bag without leaving a shin guard behind—just two of the 604 line items in the 112-page document that Jan is leaving behind for me. Wish me luck! Seems that most of our classmates are weathering the 50-year-old storm better than I.


Karen Francis writes: “On July 11, 2010, I married a wonderful guy named Rick DeGolia. We both have business interests in the wine industry and were married at Mayacama Golf Club in Santa Rosa, California, in front of 200 of our dearest friends. Tamara Loomis, my best friend since being roommates at Dartmouth, was my matron of honor and her daughter Sophie was my flower girl. After an adventurous honeymoon on the Canadian coast with 35 pounds of salmon we caught accompanying us home, we settled in Atherton, California. I am CEO of AcademixDirect, a marketing technology company in Silicon Valley and involved as well in many nonprofit interests and boards.”


This from Susan Schoenberger, “I amgoing on a trip to Paris with my sisters in May. Great way to take the sting out of 50. I moved from print journalism to online journalism in 2010, and I’m now working for Patch.com. I’ve been married for 23 years and I have a son in college (Muhlenberg) and two daughters in high school. All three kids are very artistic, so my husband jokes that he’ll never be able to stop working. After a decade of working on my fiction when no one was looking, I had my first novel published in 2011. It’s called A Watershed Year. I’ve been having the time of my life promoting it, and while it’s gone from the shelves at most bookstores by now, it’s available through any online bookseller and on any e-book device. I’ve become adept at skyping with book clubs, so if anyone’s interested in that, let me know. I keep in touch with my fellow ’84 novelist Deb Schupack and with Mara Rudman and a few other ’84s via Facebook, but I’d love to catch up with more of them.”


For those of you who also want to stay in touch, Roy Forbes is spearheading two “big 50” events in Southern California. The first will be March 29 at the Little Bar in Los Angeles. The second will be June 24 at the Will Rogers State Beach. For more information, please contact Roy at (310) 770-1303 or royforbes@aol.com.


Also, in Northern California Jack Oswald has graciously offered to open the doors of his beautiful new home to host a “50th birthday bash” on June 24. The location in the heart of the Sonoma wine country in Healdsburg, California, offers plenty of opportunities for making a long weekend out of it. Please contact Jack at (415) 986-8300.


And, of course, if you want to share your 50th birthday tales of joy (or woe), you can reach out to Jan and me via telephone, e-mail or Facebook.


—Derek Chow and Jan Gordon, 132 Wildcat Lane, Boulder, CO 80304; (303) 448-1580; janandderek@comcast.net


On a constant search to figure out how to use Derek’s airline mileage, I recently schemed to take our middle daughter Emma (13) to Southeast Asia. After all, my uncle and cousins live in Hong Kong and we had never been. Since we were going all the way there, where else should we go? We decided that prior to culminating our travels for Thanksgiving in Hong Kong, we would also visit Siem Reap, Cambodia, as well as Hanoi and Halong Bay, Vietnam.


If I didn’t know any better I’d think President Obama was following us because he had just been in our hometown of Boulder, Colorado, before the elections and was heading to Cambodia just after, as were we, but we decided not to pursue any link in case the Secret Service thought that somehow we were the stalkers.


My main impression of the entire trip was that I felt very safe despite the apparent lack of rules and laws. In Cambodia and Vietnam no real stop lights or traffic direction among the millions of mopeds and tuk tuks. It took me awhile to get into it, but the somewhat daunting task of just crossing a busy street, while dodging every imaginable type of transport, was mastered within a matter of days.  


Emma really got into it by eating jellyfish and pigs knuckles at Dim Sum in Hong Kong too. (Must have gotten that from Derek). As I still reel from the culture shock of re-entry into the United States, I reached out to other ’84s to see where they’d been lately and what their experiences were like.


Tom Callahan writes: “We had a fantastic trip this summer to Tanzania. It was so much fun for me to be in Africa just for fun (no war zones!), and Grace (15) and Claire (12) absolutely loved it. We covered about 900 miles through four parks on a self-drive/guide safari.”


From Adam Burck: “I celebrated my 50th with my wife on a brief trip to Peru—arrived in Cusco, the navel of the world according to the Incas. After acclimatizing at 11,000 feet we started our Andes trek along with three brave mules. We were amazed at the stoicism of the local farmers surviving at 14,000 feet on potatoes grown using Inca tools and techniques. We reached the Pachacutec Pass (15,200 feet) on my birthday—hard, despite our diligent training.” 


John Lubin says: “Recently I went to Feira de Santana, Brazil, to visit my wife, Eli, our daughter Julia (4) and my wife’s family. Eli is a Brazilian national, but has lived in the United States for more than four years and last summer became a naturalized U.S. citizen. Julia, born at Dartmouth Hitchcock in Lebanon, New Hampshire, is a dual citizen too. They left for Brazil at the end of August and are planning to spend seven and a half months in Bahia. I recently spent 12 days there and met my in-laws for the first time in person. I have been to Brazil half a dozen times during the last 15 years. We have a truly intercontinental marriage.”


Jane Blansfield recalls: “After visiting Kaya Kazmirci in Istanbul we made a dramatic transition to the pastoral landscapes of rural Romania. Medieval monasteries painted inside and out were the main draw, but we were surprised and equally enchanted by the Carpathian Mountains in full fall foliage. No travelogue about Transylvania would be complete without reference to Vlad the Impaler, inspiration for Count Dracula, and we caught the spooky mood as we walked the streets of his birthplace, Sighisoara, after dark.”


—Jan Gordon and Derek Chow, 770 Union Av., Boulder, CO 80304; (303) 448-1580; janandderek @comcast.net


As I write this it’s mid-December and early decision acceptance letters were just received by future members of the class of 2015. For those of you considering sending your children to Dartmouth, please consider these statistics:


Applications for early decision rose 12 percent since last year and have increased 37 percent during the past five years;


Twenty-five percent of those admitted ranked first in their class, 87 percent are ranked in the top 10 percent and the combined mean SAT I score is 2,144; and


The group includes a 2010 Olympic gold medalist and the principal trumpet player for the Boston Youth Symphony!


How did we even get accepted? With that in mind, this month’s column is dedicated to the fine art of college admissions!


First I called the expert, Mark Montgomery. Mark is the founder and president of Montgomery Educational Consulting (http://greatcollegeadvice.com), based in Denver, Colorado. His firm provides expert advice to students and their families as they navigate the college selection and admissions process—expertise that should come in handy for his sons Nathan (15) and Theo (12).


Mark’s advice: Find the right fit—consider your interests and find schools that can satisfy those interests. Location and size—consider if you want to be close to home or far away. Also consider if you are a person who thrives in big lecture classes or small intimate groups. Activities—if you want to play sports, but aren’t a D1 recruited athlete, consider that many schools have serious club sports programs that may satisfy what you are looking for. Same goes for music and any other interests you may have. Once you consider the above, Mark continues, build a resume while you’re in high school. Try to be not only well rounded, but unique, and highlight those accomplishments and experiences (beer pong champion doesn’t count).


Juliet Aires Giglio runs Mark’s L.A. office. After being a successful screenwriter she got her certificate in college counseling at UCLA just in time to help her own children, Ava (13) and Sabrina (17), who was just accepted early decision as a recruited swimmer to Wellesley. She echoes Mark’s advice, and adds: “Tell your story. Colleges have their own institutional needs and want more than just valedictorians and kids with perfect test scores. They want a great variety of students from athletes to entrepreneurs to musicians to magicians. Then make sure your essay highlights something special that only you can bring to the college. Also, be open to a variety of choices. Look beyond the U.S. News & World Report rankings!”


Of course, (I hope), it doesn’t hurt to be a legacy. Although this is no guarantee, many classmates do have children at Dartmouth. I recently ran into Scott Sipple, whose son Taylor is class of 2013. Scott is currently a managing director at Putnam Investments. He and his wife, Susan, have two younger daughters, so they are not out of the woods yet. I also met Bill Connolly for cocktails while I was in Boston on that same trip. His oldest son, Will, is a 2014, following in Bill’s footsteps on the Big Green football field. Bill is head of global distribution for Putnam Investments. He and his wife, Barb, have four children (same woods).


I guess the topic of college admissions has been on our minds lately because our son Miles will be applying soon. Okay, he’s only in eighth grade, but you can never be too prepared, can you? Unfortunately, as a double legacy he has already informed us that his short list includes Stanford, Duke and Princeton…now what? Oh, Mark….Oh, Juliet….


—Jan Gordon and Derek Chow, 132 Wildcat Lane, Boulder, CO 80304; (303) 448-1580; janandderek @comcast.net


Thirty years ago how was I to know that I would travel to France (with only 10 weeks of classroom French at Dartmouth, quel dommage), landing in the small southern town of Arles (where my host family spoke no English, “Lentement si’l vous plait”), to hang for a term with a group of incredibly cool and diverse people (including my future husband, Derek Chow, bonne chance, no?).


Recently we caught up with some of those who joined us on our journey abroad.


Sam Weiner writes from southern California, where he solves intricate puzzles while practicing transactional tax law for Latham and Watkins. There he lives in Brentwood (three minutes from O.J.’s old house) with his wife and boys Ben (6) and Griffin (4).


His fond memories of Arles include performing “La Danse des Canards” (French version of the chicken dance) for our French families, racing around on Bram Tobin’s Vespa and playing very muddy soccer matches against the locals. (See Dartmouth ’84 Facebook page for photo.)


Reaching out from New England is Peter Gish, who is partner and co-founder of several renewable energy companies doing wind and solar power projects worldwide under the name UPC. Peter is happily married with three kids, the eldest of whom will be attending Dartmouth next year. When Peter isn’t traveling or working he spends most of his free time at 38,000 feet! He became a private pilot 10 years ago and may get the title adrenaline junkie, as he likes to do flight aerobatics (along with motorcycling, rock climbing and extreme skiing). As far as what he learned in Arles: Don’t make monetary bets after drinking a couple of glasses of wine at lunch! (You’ll never win.)


From Iowa Tom McKay shouts out from his doctor’s office where he practices urology and looks after his 13-year-old daughter, 15-year old son and two Bernese mountain dogs. As Tom plans a return to France (with a side trip to Scotland) for his 50th birthday, he says he’s been back to Arles a few times. (The last time there he noticed that our beloved old Cafe La Bourse was turned into a McDonald’s…si triste). But even that sobering development hasn’t dampened his enthusiasm for the area, prompting him to reminisce about weekend bike rides to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and encounters with the mistral (the great wind).


After a stint in the Canadian Arctic, L.A. and Connecticut, geology researcher Dave McCormick settled with his family in Boston. He works for a company that has a strong international presence in France. Dave says, “In my current role I’ve had the good fortune to be able to go over to France a number of times and to use my pathetic French.”


Dave’s strong memories of Arles include its 2,000-plus years of history with its Roman amphitheater and infrastructure, as well as the incredible farmers’ market with all the cheeses and olives. Dave admits his new Parisian religion includes trips to the Holy House of Bertillon, where “the pear sorbet is an out-of-body experience.”


Peter Garfield, perhaps, has the strongest ongoing connection with Arles. Peter writes from his art studio in New York, where he’s been showing internationally for the past 25 years. “I first went back in winter of 1985 and lived with my language study abroad French family while I worked on my portfolio that got me into the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. “I took my wife, O Zhang, to Arles in 2007 and she loved it.” 


For now, au revoir.


—Jan Gordon and Derek Chow, 132 Wildcat Lane, Boulder, CO 80304; (303) 448-1580; janandderek@comcast.net


Greetings everyone. I hope you are all enjoying your holiday season. Here are some updates from our classmates. 


Michael Whitman writes: “I was delighted to receive the September-October issue of DAM with its extensive coverage of Dartmouth grads who have served our country in Iraq and Afghanistan. My own military adventure in 2010-11 was a bit off the radar screen in Africa. I joined the Navy Reserve in 1991 and was mobilized for the second time in 2010-11. I was deployed to Germany and North Africa, where I served with Joint Special Operations Task Force in Trans Sahara. It’s a small group of Special Forces (SEALS, Green Berets, Marines) working with the militaries in northwest Africa to stem the expansion of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb. Although it was difficult to be separated from my family for an entire year, the assignment proved to be the highlight of my Navy career. Shortly after I returned home I was promoted to the rank of commander. My brother Burke ’78, a Marine Corps brigadier general, performed the promotion ceremony on Thanksgiving day as my family gathered together in Atlanta for the holiday. While I miss some aspects of my recent adventure, I am happy to be back with my wife and children in Cincinnati, Ohio, where I continue to work for Chubb Insurance.” 


Bob Wiskind adds: “In July I began a two-year term as president of the Georgia chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The past two years as vice president have given me a good introduction to advocating for children and pediatricians on a state and national level. I continue to enjoy the individual, personal interactions with patients and families in my practice. After 20 years in the same group some of my former patients are beginning to bring their newborn children to me, which makes me feel honored, but old. A son turning 21 this year (junior at Vanderbilt) and a daughter in her senior year of high school also remind me of my age, though Anne and I are looking forward to the freedom of our empty nest next year. When in Chicago I usually see classmate Tina Chang, a rheumatologist working as a contributing editor at the Journal of the American Medical Association. Every few years Tim Graubert, my Richardson roommate and now a hematologist in St. Louis, Missouri, visits me in Atlanta.” 


And this from Gordon Platt: “After years in TV news producing for ABC’s Nightline and starting a documentary production company, I launched a strategic marketing and communications company with an emphasis on working with firms to integrate social and traditional media. I live in Chappaqua, New York, with my wife, Jodi Katz, and our three boys—Sam, 13, Nathan, 11, and Owen, 9—and the requisite chocolate Lab. All sports all the time. When I can grab some time I’m into running and, more recently, biking. During the summer we spend a lot of time on Long Island on the beach. I recently celebrated my milestone 50th birthday in March with a low-key gathering of friends and family at our home that revolved around an elaborate ’60s theme—a lot of fondue and blue cocktails! I also recently attended a 50th birthday dinner for Shaun Gurl, who’s at American Express Publishing; George Mannes, who works at Money magazine; and Miriam Cilo, who works and consults in education. I speak regularly with Brian Kinney, in Boston, who is pursuing a number of entrepreneurial and nonprofit ventures and Eric Dezenhall, in Washington, D.C., who is managing his crisis management firm. 


—Jan Gordon and Derek Chow, 770 Union Av., Boulder, CO 80304; (303) 448-1580; janandderek@ comcast.net