I have a soft spot in my heart for my across-the-hall freshman dorm neighbor Dawn “Bumble” Roberts. For countless hours in their small South Hinman living room, she and her roomie Nancy Wahls listened to my social woes, always with patience and quirky senses of humor. Bumble sent me her news from Khanty-Mansiysk in western Siberia, where she is evaluating advisory services the World Bank provides to Russia and Kazakhstan to promote policies that support economic development in those countries. “Modern technology has reduced the need to travel for work, so I am usually found living an idyllic life in South Portland, Maine, with my wife of 25 years, Alison,” Bumble said. “We’re highly amused and regularly outsmarted by our two kids, Valya (age 15) and Jeremy (age 12), along with our dog, cat, and rabbit.” Bumble admits she hasn’t done well at keeping in touch with old friends, so would be delighted to see anyone passing through the Portland area. Looking back on our college years, Bumble said she would “simply offer reassurance to my younger self. Life is a fascinating journey of ups and downs. Be kind, follow your heart, and worry a lot less about what others think.”

One way to stay connected to your classmates is through the new ’87 virtual book club, organized by our class mini-reunion team, Kathleen (Joyce) Kusiak, Allison (Obermann) Exall, and Pam Haering. According to Kathleen, the February kick-off “was a blast.” Participants read Professor Donald Pease’s Theodor Geisel: A Portrait of the Man Who Became Dr. Seuss. “Professor Pease was the perfect author for this first gathering, and could not have been more accommodating, gracious, and brilliant,” Kathleen said. “He had a lot of fun recognizing some of his past students and has offered to join us again. Several of us mentioned how much it made us miss our days at Dartmouth.” A video conference option allowed participants to see people they don’t normally get to see, “although there were plenty of classmates who opted to skip the live video—sort of like sitting in the back of the classroom,” Kathleen said.

In addition to the mini-reunion team, attendees included Abdhish Bhavsar, Karen (Wicke) Boyle, Liz (O’Connell) Burn, Cathy (Welch) Dinauer, Diane (DeLuca) Gabianelli, Jennifer (Lane) Hamlin, Bethanne (Telford) Hinkle, Ken Hittleman, co-newsletter editor Julie (Park) Hubble, Sarah Katz, Sarah Manchester, social media chair Hermann Mazard, Melissa Mikami, Gwen (Pearson) Noone, Tom Palisi, Meg (Crone) Ramsden, Betsy (Wall) Rutherford, president Tracey Salmon-Smith, Diane Shank, and Caroline Sobota. “Classmates asked great questions and received insightful answers,” Kathleen said. If you missed this inaugural virtual book club, a second one is planned for later this year.

On a final and very sad note, Steve Lough passed away on February 23. As Star Bailey wrote on our Facebook page, Steve had a “heart of gold” and brought much joy to those around him. An obituary will appear in the class newsletter or in DAM online.

—Laura Gasser, 746 17th Ave., San Francisco, CA 94121; marcklaurag@aol.com