Editor’s Note: The first half of this column was inadvertently dropped from the September/October issue, when it should have appeared.
Heartfelt greetings from the inside of my home, where I am spending far too much time due to Covid-19. I hope that you and your loved ones are safe,and that you have been able to weather this unprecedented time emotionally, financially, and in good health.
Geoff Bronner reached out to send an update from Hanover. He works in information technology, which is beyond “essential” these days, and was instrumental in helping manage the campus switch to online learning. He also reported that spouse Kristy Bronner is working remotely at Dartmouth-Hitchcock researching the very important issue of hospital bed utilization in the United States during the pandemic. He closed with a wish I’d like to echo: “Let’s hope for a vaccine in time for our 30th reunion next June.”
Stephanie Rouzee Pendleton has a weekly VIM (very important meeting) via Zoom with Bari Anhalt Erlichson, Tracey Rous Hoke, Paula Girouard O’Sullivan, Audrey Price DiMarzo, Karin Markey Jonas, Suzie King Kornblum, and Melissa Robbins Mahr. They “discuss critical current events, including what cocktail Ina Garten recommends in these troubled times, along with how we are coping with everything else.”
Alex Kapp has been keeping busy with episodes of Coronavirus Isolation on YouTube. She and her buddy Tricia O’Kelly are making viewers laugh out loud with shenanigans that range from visiting an old storage unit (and running down the car battery because they played music the entire time) to dealing with fruit flies that might be attracted to the scent of wine.
Megan Brimijoin Vaules let me know how she and her husband, Will ’89 (both physicians, she’s an obstetrician/gynecologist and he’s a primary care doctor), are handling the pandemic. “We are safe so far, trying to do as much telemedicine from home as possible, but I am heading into four nights in a row in the hospital at the end of this week, which is scary to think about.” Son Charlie is heading to Dartmouth this fall, daughter Becca is a rising junior at Bates, and son Alec is a Dartmouth ’20, “with no baseball season and no senior spring and possibly no graduation. We love having them here but hate that they have to be here away from school and friends.” She heard from Terry Cheon (also an obstetrician/gynecologist) that she was safe in N.Y.C., “and one of our favorite nights so far was a Dartmouth mini dinner party over Zoom with former Glee Club friends Tom Hong and wife Alix, Becca and John Kornet ’90, Jen Jacobs and Clayton Gates ’90, and all their families. We tried to all make the same thing for dinner (within reason as it was early in quarantine and we didn’t all have access to fully stocked grocery stores) and had a great visit!”
Jonathan Perry has been teaching high school English and American studies in Keene, New Hampshire, since graduation. He wrote that “teaching remotely has been a challenge, but it is one to which the vast majority of teachers and students have risen admirably.” He shared a timely message that he posted on his Facebook page about educators and how the pandemic is helping to change the perception of those in his chosen profession. “In many ways,” he wrote, “educators and schools are the steering wheel to society’s car. No one spends much money on it. No one pays much attention to it. It isn’t glamorous or exciting. However, try driving the car without one.” Teaching right now is a daunting task, so thank you, Jonathan (and all of our 1991 teachers), for everything you do!
As I write this at the end of August, many 1991s are staying close to home, but there is still some news to share.
Jake Tapper’s book, The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor, about the Battle of Kamdesh has been made into a widely acclaimed movie. The film is directed by Rod Lurie and the cast includes Orlando Bloom and Scott Eastwood. It is being hailed as “engrossing and deeply wrenching” and is available on streaming services now. Jake’s work on behalf of veterans and Gold Star families is a central part of his career and community service, and I’d like to thank Jake for using his public platform to bring attention to these important, personal stories.
Julie Grace Burke was recently appointed to the board of trustees of the Burke Rehabilitation Hospital. The facility is located in White Plains, New York, and is a renowned inpatient rehabilitation center. Julie’s mother, Bonnie Grace, was a patient there after experiencing a stroke in 2018. Julie was quoted as saying, “It means so much to me to join the Burke board of trustees because I’ve seen the amazing work of their clinical staff firsthand. I’m excited to help make the hospital as strong as possible and bring Burke’s compassionate care to as many people as possible.”
I am working in the legal department of United Rentals now, finally getting back into the world of law after a long detour into publishing, communications, and marketing. I am fortunate to be able to work from home with a great team of attorneys. I recently connected with Rob Mairs via text, as his son, Joe, a tennis player like his dad, was heading off as a first year at Middlebury College, where my son is a sophomore. Tad Truex’s daughter, Abby, is also a first year there. Rob and I chuckled about how time has flown and how our freshman fall does not feel like it was that long ago! “When I went there in 1987 my dad and I drove out. He dropped me off at Mid Mass and went on his merry way. Little did I know that George Dunston and T.C. ‘The Crusher’ Badalato were waiting for me. Really does feel like yesterday!”
In response to my last column when I asked about Sophomore Summer memories, Priscilla Huff reached out with a beauty: “One morning, walking from Topliff to Robinson Hall around 5:45 a.m. for a very early radio shift on 99Rock, I thought to myself, ‘Oh the lyrics to “Dartmouth Undying” are accurate! Verse 2: who can forget her sharp and misty mornings.’ It was literally exactly that walking across the Green.” Nice memory, Priscilla, and thank you for sharing.
Finally, I am sorry to share the sad news of the death of one of our classmates. Peter Caress passed away on August 1 after a courageous fight with cancer. After leaving Dartmouth, where he was a computer science major, Peter obtained a master’s in electrical engineering at Purdue University. He worked as a computer engineer and was also active in the community theater scene in Columbia, Maryland, where he lived with his wife. His parents, Virginia and Edward Caress ’58, shared the news with me. The full obituary has been posted online. My deepest condolences go out to all who knew Peter.
—Deb Karazin Owens, 166 Colonial Drive, Fairfield, CT 06824; djowens@optonline.net
