Class Note 1989
Sarah Nilsen writes in from Vermont, where she’s an assistant professor at the University of Vermont in film and television studies, focusing on race and ethnicity, screenwriting and Disney! She’s currently working on a cultural history of The Mickey Mouse Club and another history of hip-hop culture in film and television. Her book Projecting America: Film and Cultural Diplomacy at the Brussels World’s Fair of 1958, will be published this summer. Sarah lives in Shelburne with her husband, Mike Ashooh, and their children Josh, 9, Lena, 7, and Samara, 4. She recently had time for a quick N.Y.C. reunion with Julie Minkow Forstner, a radiation oncologist in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Jeff Kauman has left California behind after almost nine years in Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, moving to Dutchess County, New York, with his wife, Uschi, and 2-year-old daughter Heidi to be closer to family. Jeff, who did his medical training at Cornell and the Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York, is joining a large group of orthopedic surgeons. While his wife and daughter did the journey by plane, Jeff enjoyed a cross-country adventure, driving east from California with their dog Maggie, stopping along the way to snowshoe and visit old friends.
John Van Hooser has been living in the San Francisco Bay area for the last 16 years with his wife, Tracey, and their children Jack, 8, Scott, 7, and Kate, 4. John left his private equity firm two years ago and raised a small high-yield specialty finance fund with a new business partner. He says he’s having fun running his own business and greatly enjoying not traveling as much, giving him time to coach soccer and baseball for his kids. He gets back to Hanover with his family every summer since his parents live in Norwich, Vermont. Trish and Todd Timmerman and their son Ryan checked in with John’s folks during their recent visit to Hanover during the 100th Winter Carnival.
Amy Herrick marks 20 years residing in Lisbon, along with her husband, Luis, and their children Ana and Lou. She writes, “I’m very lucky these days to be based here in this beautiful country, but telecommute to Colorado to help out at our family office. If it weren’t for the time difference, it would be perfect!” In Portugal she’s involved with a technology company called Ydreams and is helping to get a new international baccalaureate school, where her children have graciously agreed to be among the first year’s guinea-pigs, off the ground. She invites any Dartmouth friends passing through Portugal to get in touch.
Finally, for all you Sudoku fans out there, a note from George Heineman, associate professor of computer science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, about his new book from Sterling Publishing, Sudoku on the Half Shell. He writes, “I’ve designed a variation of Sudoku called Sujiken. Imagine a Sudoku board cut in half to form a triangle and all standard rules apply except now no digit can repeat diagonally in any direction. I’ve also developed a Facebook application that allows online playing of a set of Sujiken puzzles.” You can visit www.sujiken.com for all the details. George recently spent a week in Florida and had chance to watch the space shuttle launch along with his wife, Jen, and two children.
Have a great summer everyone!
—Jennifer Avellino, 5912 Aberdeen Road, Bethesda, MD 20817; javellino@mac.com
