“Was it a slow day at the office or a truly sub-par attempt to sue a client that inspired lawyer Stephen B. Kaplitt to write what is possibly the greatest response to a cease-and-desist letter ever?” So wrote The Huffington Post about Steve’s response to the township of West Orange, New Jersey, on behalf of his pro bono client. The town attorney accused the client of confusing readers about the ownership of his website. Steve wrote, in part, that since his client “had not previously encountered a humorous lawyer, he actually thought your letter may have been a serious effort by the township to protect its legitimate interests. Rest assured, I’ve at least convinced him that it was certainly not some impulsive, ham-fisted attempt to bully a local resident solely because of his well-known political views. After all, as lawyers, you and I both know that would be flagrantly unconstitutional and would also, in the words of my 4-year-old, make you a big meanie.” The entire letter made me laugh out loud and it went viral worldwide. Luckily, since it’s probably too late for a comedy career, Steve has found success working in international finance and government at the State Department, USAID and later Beacon Financial. He’s now an independent attorney in New York City and lives, no surprise, in West Orange, New Jersey.
Much to my great surprise, Nellie Huang and her husband, Jon Winslow ’87, live around the corner from me in Bethesda, Maryland. They moved back to the states from Hong Kong in 2011 and have 7-year-old twins Jack and Chloe and 9-year-old daughter Kate. Nellie is senior associate editor for Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, after years of writing for The Wall Street Journal, Money magazine and SmartMoney magazine.
Sydney Williams launched the first alumni sprints rowing regatta in Greenwich, Connecticut, in April. The event welcomed more than a hundred rowers from 14 colleges and universities. Dartmouth’s Ever Green boat club won five events, and the rowers included Syd and Marc Monplaisir. Alex Simpson helped on the administrative side and Syd says he has contributed enormously to the growth of the Ever Green Boat Club.
Warmest congratulations to Barbara Kuck Close, who married Paul Swerbul in Darien, Connecticut, in June. In attendance on the beautiful day were Pam Peedin, Elizabeth Eilender, Shannon Reid, Erin Flanigan and Susan Kuran Lodge. Barbara’s first husband, Steve, passed away in 2008.
Finally, a heartfelt thanks to the classmates who stood for all of us at Jamie Kershaw’s memorial service at Dreamworks in Los Angeles in May. Anton Anderson spoke on behalf of our class, surrounded by Linda Salzhauer Swenberg, Caroline Luft, Alec Scott, Allison Moir-Smith, Patrick Munoz, Adam Glick, Katy Beierle Klinkenberg, Julie Livingston, Catherine Atwell, Kim Hall, Anne Gazzaniga, Karen Berlin Cooperstein, Seth Skolnik and Jennifer Downs O’Shaughnessy, who delivered a moving eulogy. Jamie, she said, was already a legend after five minutes of freshman year. She recalled his voice, his smile and that fabulous evil glint in his eye. She remembered a brilliant intellect and a pure light, which, “when it shone on you, you just felt so grateful.” She concluded, “In honor of Jamie, I will be game—I will jump on the trampoline with my children, I will dance to Barry Manilow and I will try to shine a bit of that light on anyone who needs it. Remember the glee and the twinkle and that open-mouth hug and share it with someone else.”
—Jennifer Avellino, 5912 Aberdeen Road, Bethesda, MD 20817; javellino@mac.com
