Class Note 1987
Issue
September-October 2021
Thanks to our 35th reunion committee and the chair, Tim Parker, our virtual reunion in June was full of creative experiences for the 145 classmates in attendance. We continued our tradition of having the best reunion “tent” (complete with tables, couches, and a bar) and joined the ’86s for a dance party; Nathan Gilliatt and Regina Speed-Bost dominated the music trivia contest; and co-newsletter editor Julie (Park) Hubble, Andrew McAllister, Patrick Quinton, and Scott Taylor shared personal experiences about community and the human condition.
In November the residents of San Rafael, California, elected Kate (Brew) Colin as their mayor. “My mom is very proud that I am the first female mayor of the city since it was incorporated in 1874,” Kate said. Prior to becoming mayor, Kate served on San Rafael’s city council for seven years and the city planning commission for eight years before that. Kate’s advice to other women who want to make a difference in their communities is to “find out what you’re passionate about and then how to do it; when you’re passionate about something, you have an endless well of energy to keep going at it.”
Pursuing their writing passions, two more of our classmates published books in May. Bethany Rogers, an associate professor of educational history at the College of Staten Island at the City University of New York, is the coauthor of Schooling Teachers: Teach for America and the Future of Teacher Education. According to the press release, Schooling Teachers “tackles the perennial and pressing issue of how this nation will attract, prepare, and retain high-quality teachers for all students, particularly those in our most challenging classrooms.” Bethany’s book draws on the actual experiences of the recent college graduates who participated in the inaugural Teach for America cohort and examines why traditional teacher education has struggled to prepare teachers for the demands of the contemporary classroom.
Michael Keller reports that, “After a long corporate career ending with a CEO role at Pearson Candy Co. in the Twin Cities, I am now a first-time independent author!” His children’s picture book, The Legend of Jet the Gerbil, is a “father-son-rodent love story” based on the true story of 10-year-old Michael’s pet gerbil’s “harrowing encounter with a household appliance and the fast-paced adventure to find and rescue him.” Michael is donating part of his book sale proceeds to Young Authors Publishing, a nonprofit organization that publishes books written by children from underserved and underrepresented communities.
On a final and bittersweet note, this column is my last, as my term as secretary ended in June with the reunion-year change in class leadership. Welcome to the incoming secretary, Lisa Snyder! But with the sad comes the good: I have accepted Julie’s invitation to join her and Betsy (Wall) Rutherford’s newsletter team. Thanks to everyone who graciously shared their news with me these past four years, and I look forward to connecting with many more of our classmates in the years to come.
—Laura Gasser, 746 17th Ave., San Francisco, CA 94121; marcklaurag@aol.com
In November the residents of San Rafael, California, elected Kate (Brew) Colin as their mayor. “My mom is very proud that I am the first female mayor of the city since it was incorporated in 1874,” Kate said. Prior to becoming mayor, Kate served on San Rafael’s city council for seven years and the city planning commission for eight years before that. Kate’s advice to other women who want to make a difference in their communities is to “find out what you’re passionate about and then how to do it; when you’re passionate about something, you have an endless well of energy to keep going at it.”
Pursuing their writing passions, two more of our classmates published books in May. Bethany Rogers, an associate professor of educational history at the College of Staten Island at the City University of New York, is the coauthor of Schooling Teachers: Teach for America and the Future of Teacher Education. According to the press release, Schooling Teachers “tackles the perennial and pressing issue of how this nation will attract, prepare, and retain high-quality teachers for all students, particularly those in our most challenging classrooms.” Bethany’s book draws on the actual experiences of the recent college graduates who participated in the inaugural Teach for America cohort and examines why traditional teacher education has struggled to prepare teachers for the demands of the contemporary classroom.
Michael Keller reports that, “After a long corporate career ending with a CEO role at Pearson Candy Co. in the Twin Cities, I am now a first-time independent author!” His children’s picture book, The Legend of Jet the Gerbil, is a “father-son-rodent love story” based on the true story of 10-year-old Michael’s pet gerbil’s “harrowing encounter with a household appliance and the fast-paced adventure to find and rescue him.” Michael is donating part of his book sale proceeds to Young Authors Publishing, a nonprofit organization that publishes books written by children from underserved and underrepresented communities.
On a final and bittersweet note, this column is my last, as my term as secretary ended in June with the reunion-year change in class leadership. Welcome to the incoming secretary, Lisa Snyder! But with the sad comes the good: I have accepted Julie’s invitation to join her and Betsy (Wall) Rutherford’s newsletter team. Thanks to everyone who graciously shared their news with me these past four years, and I look forward to connecting with many more of our classmates in the years to come.
—Laura Gasser, 746 17th Ave., San Francisco, CA 94121; marcklaurag@aol.com