Hilary Justice and her husband, David Kovar ’85, are enjoying life as East Coast expats in central Illinois with their two cats, Agatha and Dumbledore. Hilary has lived in Illinois since she started her Ph.D. program at University of Chicago in 1996. Since 2001 Hilary has taught at Illinois State University (ISU), where she currently is associate professor of English studies (and co-advisor for ISU Quidditch). Hilary published her second book last December: A Groundling’s Guide to Shakespeare’s Hamlet, which is designed to teach seriously curious readers (including classroom teachers!) how to read Shakespeare generally and how to read Hamlet in depth. (Hilary’s first book, published in 2006, was The Bones of the Others: The Hemingway Text from the Lost Manuscripts to the Posthumous Novels.) Also, Hilary was recently named director of undergraduate studies at ISU, with the position to start next year. As Hilary notes: “I see other ’88s on Facebook a lot—wish I could see them in person, but we’re pretty rural here.”


Ed Sim moved from Singapore to McLean, Virginia, in mid-2013 and has an international trade law practice, shuttling between his firm’s Washington, D.C., and Singapore offices. According to Ed: “I spend about 25 to 30 percent of my time in Asia, mainly working for Asian companies and governments. I also am an adjunct professor and lecturer at two law schools, National University of Singapore (NUS) and Universitas Pelita Harapan in Jakarta, teaching the law and policy of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the regional bloc that covers Southeast Asia (like the European Union in Europe). That is also the focus of my two books: The Foundation of the ASEAN Economic Community and Rules of Origin in ASEAN, which I coauthored with Stefano Inama, as well as the focus of my ASEAN economic community blog (http://aseanec.blogspot.com). My wife, Lin, is an NUS law alum and my boys, Ryan (12) and Jordan (9), have adjusted well to the United States. Looking forward to the Dartmouth-Georgetown football game this fall!” 


From Bennett Schwartz: “I may be the longest-serving ’88 professor, having joined Florida International University’s (FIU) psychology department in 1993. I’ve written two textbooks, Memory: Foundations and Applications, second edition, and Sensation and Perception. My research focuses on memory and consciousness, mostly from the perspective of cognitive psychology. One consistent focus has been researching the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon, which occurs when we are sure we know something but cannot recall it at the moment. I also work in applying scientific principles to improve people’s learning efficiency. My research has been covered by, among others, NPR and The Boston Globe. The best thing about being an academic is the freedom and flexibility to pursue what interests you most. My wife, Leslie Frazier (Syracuse ’86, Ph.D. ’93), is also a psychology professor at FIU. We live in Pembroke Pines, Florida, a Miami suburb. We have one daughter, Sarina, 15. I still do whitewater kayaking when I can, often with Jonathan Altman, and I scuba dive, mostly in the nearby Florida Keys, with my wife and daughter. I also shoot trap and play Scrabble. Next summer, when my daughter turns 16, I’ll fulfill a promise to her—we’ll learn to sky dive together. At 16, she’ll need my approval. At 50, I’ll need my doctor’s approval.”


Many of you responded to a survey to assist Jeff Green, who is a psychology professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, with a research project on feelings about one’s college experience. Stay tuned for details on his results in an upcoming column or newsletter.


I would love to feature more academics, so get in touch if you fit the bill—I have some leads, but I’m sure I’m missing some. 


—Jere Mancini, 34 Wearimus Road, HoHoKus, NJ 07423; d88correspondent@gmail.com