The theme of this month’s column is mini-reunions! Although not official class gatherings, classmates are finding lots of ways to connect.


As mentioned in my last column, Jarmal Richard was in the country from Australia during Labor Day Weekend and was part of an unofficial mini-reunion of the Chi Gam ’91 pledge class in Chicago. “It was awesome. We golfed on Friday at the Glen Club in Glenview, went to dinner at Rebar in the city, then on to the Godfrey rooftop bar, where we shared a few drinks and music with Chicago’s finest. On Saturday we tailgated at the Northwestern vs. Cal Bears football game; at halftime we took the train to the White Sox vs. Detroit Tigers game (where Brad Ausmus, fellow Chi Gam, was managing the Tigers to victory). After the game we had some good old-fashion fun at the trendy country western bar Bub City in Chicago. We all flew and drove home to our respective families on Sunday. In attendance were Dave Bartels, Matt Miller, Greg Portland, Daniel Bryant, Peter Wheelan, Hutchin Stone, Dave Vaccaro, Dave TerMolen, Tom Gladden and me. We are planning a Nashville trip for 2015—this time with as many Chi Gam pledge classes as we can get our hands on!”


After 14 years living in the Green Bay, Wisconsin, area R. Aileen Yingst and her husband, Ross Nova ’94, recently moved to Brunswick, Maine, as Ross just recently started a new job at L.L.Bean in nearby Freeport. To celebrate their return to the Northeast Mark Nowacki ’88 and his wife, Susan Stewart, threw a “welcome to New England” party in centrally located Wilmington, Massachusetts, in October that included alumni from various classes and many Alpha Thetians.


Classmates included Grace Alden, Lissie Bates-Haus, Geoff Bronner, Kristy Bronner, Jeff Spencer and me. The two-day gathering featured optional laser tag for kids large and small, as well as lots of food, drink, conversation and Star Trek. In case you’re wondering, Aileen and Ross have kept their Packers season tickets and manage to get back to some home games during the season.


I saw Aileen, Ross, Geoff and Kristy again in October at Homecoming in Hanover, and there were a number of other classmates in attendance for the weekend. I chatted with Kim (Goodman) Genzer at a reception for the classes of ’89, ’90 and ’91 at the new Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network Innovation Center. (I apparently just missed seeing Tracy (Kavanaugh) Walsh!) It was great to see that several of our classmates were instrumental in the founding of the new center and their names were listed on the wall of fame: Anne Fleischli Blackburn, Jeff Blackburn, Hoyoung Huh, Andrea Reisman Johnson, Emily (Nielsen) Jones and Robin Reynolds.


Congratulations to two classmates who were inducted into the Wearers of the Green, Dartmouth’s athletic hall of fame, during Homecoming Weekend! Thomas K. Loughlin was recognized for his contributions in men’s rowing and Patrick B. Kalaher for men’s track and field. Thomas and Patrick were honored at the Friday Dartmouth Night parade and ceremonies in front of Dartmouth Hall, during halftime at the football game Saturday and at a special induction ceremony and reception on Saturday night.


I think I caught a glimpse of John Pepper marching in the Dartmouth Night parade on Friday but I didn’t have a chance to catch up with him (although we chatted at Class Officers Weekend in September). John had his drones flying over the bonfire taking some pretty awesome pictures from the sky!


—Sara Burbine Potter, 108 Hillcrest Road, Fairfield, CT 06824; sara_burbine@yahoo.com