Class Note 1985
I hope all classmates had a wonderful holiday season! Happy New Year and a great 2019 to all.
I did, thankfully, receive the following press release from Dartmouth.
“For immediate release (why do these always say “immediate”? Is there such a thing as gradual release? Or tomorrow release, like that bar sign, “Free Beer Tomorrow”)—Virginia Beach, Virginia: Board president Andrew Hodge and the board of trustees of the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) are pleased to announce the appointment of Gary Ryan as their new executive director. A Norfolk native, Gary has 20-plus years of leadership experience, including leading business development at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and strategic initiatives at the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y.C. Most recently, Gary served as the director of development at the Katonah Museum of Art in Katonah, New York, where she also assumed the role of interim executive director. ‘Gary is a passionate and creative leader with a proven track record in best-in-class arts organizations,’ said Hodge. ‘We conducted an extensive, national search and are thrilled to welcome Gary back to the area as the executive director of MOCA at a time when the museum is poised for significant growth, both locally and nationally.’ Gary added, “MOCA is a unique cultural organization with an important legacy of not only supporting creative self-expression in the Hampton Roads community, but also providing a fundamental social good—to see the world through another’s eyes. The MOCA program is of the highest caliber. I am incredibly honored to come home and lead such a dynamic institution.” Gary has an A.B. from Dartmouth (why else would she be in this column?) and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University. Way to go, Gary!
How about the tremendous job that Lisa Herrington and Margaret Marder are doing with the class newsletter? Make Shades of Green part of your 2019 reading. Not sure how this relates to this mention of the Tuscany bike trip taken by seven couples: Kathy ’83 and Russ Mitchell, Barry and Pam Bass, Eileen ’83 and Jack Sylvia, Annie and Jim Newman, Chris Mulligan and Sarah Sherwood ’86, Sal Sorce and Karyn Detje, along with me and Cindy. Amazing scenery, superb Italian hospitality, wonderful food and wine, and 30-plus plus years of camaraderie made for an unforgettable experience. I highly recommend everything about Italy and a cycling adventure. There was even a Topo Gigio sighting!
By now, I’m sure most (all?) of us have broken our New Year’s resolutions and are looking for something to assuage (SAT word of the column) our guilt. Why not try sending a quick update or interesting news item to Leslie for the next column? Her contact information is below and she would appreciate it. I’d appreciate hearing about any classmates who are involved in sports officiating. If that doesn’t fire up your response instincts, I’m not sure what will.
—John MacManus, 188 Ringwood Road, Rosemont, PA 19010; (610) 331-6417; slampong@aol.com; Leslie A. Davis Dahl, 83 Pecksland Road, Greenwich, CT 06831; (203) 552-0070; dahlleslie@yahoo.com
