Class Note 1987

My news this month focuses on entertainment of all shapes and sizes. Back in my mini-reunion chair days, Abdhish Bhavsar was a stalwart organizer of the Minneapolis gang, so I knew he would be a good source of Class Notes tidbits. Abdhish is an ophthalmologist specializing in diseases of the retina and was just selected to serve on the board of directors of the historic Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. He sends a shout-out to Marc Belton ’81, the past board chair, for encouraging him to join. “I am fortunate to be able to help influence the course of the theater in the areas of diversity, inclusion, and equality,” Abdhish said. He also hopes to “structure educational programs featuring Dartmouth professors who will be invited to lecture on topics in the humanities, arts, and government that directly relate to works performed at the theater.”

Earlier this spring Abdhish was at Dartmouth for First-Year Family Weekend and spent time with Dave Wachen. Dave and his wife, Kimberly—both of whom were law school classmates of mine as well—live in Potomac, Maryland. Seeing their daughter at Dartmouth “brought back fond memories of freshman year,” Dave said. While on campus he and Abdhish also attended a Dartmouth Broadcasting reunion. Remember listening to WFRD? Dartmouth Broadcasting is still running strong in Robinson Hall, completely managed by students.

In May Sharon “Shay” Holland donned headphones of her own and was on air on Black Hollywood Live, the first online broadcast network dedicated to African American entertainment. She participated in a panel discussion on how one’s age affects opportunities to host entertainment programs. An actor in the Los Angeles area, Shay also recently was cast in the film Motorvation, an inspirational, faith-based comedy about a man who inherits a motivational speaking company after his brother dies and learns to find joy and meaning in life.

Moving from big screen to small screen, Nick DiGiovanni—recent Harvard graduate and son of Sudie (Naimi) DiGiovanni and Chris DiGiovanni—is a contestant on season 10 of the television reality series Master Chef, where talented home cooks battle for the title and $250,000. Fellow Rhode Islander Ken Block shared this fun news on our Facebook group page. As of the date I submitted this column, Nick was one of 17 remaining contestants!

If you are in N.Y.C. the weekend of November 9, you can enjoy the best of live entertainment by catching a Dartmouth football game: Dartmouth plays Princeton at Yankee Stadium. Watch the website and the newsletter for details of when and where the ’87s will be gathering.

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