Class Note 1991
Issue
May-June 2021
Happy spring, ’91s! I have been hearing that many of you have been vaccinated, especially our classmates in the medical field, so maybe with the beautiful weather and more time outdoors, life can slowly regain some sense of normalcy. I know we are all disappointed that we won’t get to celebrate our 30th reunion in person in Hanover—but I hope there will be some way for us to gather in the not-so-distant future.
In my last column I asked classmates to share how Jim or Susan Wright made an impression on you, and Karin Markey Jonas’ mother, Joan Markey, responded! “Although I am not a classmate, my daughter, Karin, is and my husband was Richard Markey ’53 (deceased). I was fortunate to join the Dartmouth family on a Vietnam cruise in autumn 2017, when Professor Wright was the main speaker. In fact, that is one of the main reasons I chose the excursion. I couldn’t believe the warmth and friendship that both the Wrights bestowed on me as an octogenarian traveling alone. To this day I look forward to the arrival of Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. This month’s ‘Dream Team,’ was a delight as I am a recreational tennis player who used to live in Cleveland. I had no idea of the Federer-Godsick-Fernandez relationship. Needless to say, I also check out your column each month.” Thank you so much for writing, Joan!
CNN recently announced new anchor roles for its Washington, D.C.-based programs, and beginning in April Jake Tapper’s program, The Lead with Jake Tapper, expanded to 4-6 p.m. In addition, he will continue in his role on Sunday mornings, now co-anchoring State of the Union with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. Jake will also serve as the network’s lead anchor for all major Washington events. I guess we’ll all be seeing a lot of Jake this year!
I hope you all saw that my friend Diraj Mukherjee was the subject of the Q&A in the March/April issue! Diraj, who as many of you know cofounded Shazam, talked about being a “wantapreneur” and starting a business. It’s so great seeing members of the class of 1991 profiled in the magazine!
Lastly, I have the very sad task of sharing the news of the passing of our lovely classmate Catherine “Kate” Collins Curnin. I reached out to her dear friend Carrie Heinonen and asked her to share some memories of Kate. Here is what she sent: “Kate Collins was my bosom friend from the day we met on ‘the new dorms’ steps until we lost her this year. I teasingly called her ‘the domestic goddess’ because I found it unbelievable that she could actually cook a pot roast (I’ve never learned). Her long-jumping prowess gave her the indoor track-and-field record and in the classroom she was all about literature—especially the Brontës and Austen. She took that love to a successful career as a women’s fiction editor (keeping my mother flush with the latest romance novels). Kate also took domesticity to the next level, marrying Mark Curnin ’90 and raising four amazing kids. Kate took a big piece of me, Katie Jewett, and Stacy Ritter with her when she left this world—we shared some epic adventures.”
Sending you all good thoughts and wishes for a happy and healthy spring!
—Deb Karazin Owens, 166 Colonial Drive, Fairfield, CT 06824; djowens@optonline.net
In my last column I asked classmates to share how Jim or Susan Wright made an impression on you, and Karin Markey Jonas’ mother, Joan Markey, responded! “Although I am not a classmate, my daughter, Karin, is and my husband was Richard Markey ’53 (deceased). I was fortunate to join the Dartmouth family on a Vietnam cruise in autumn 2017, when Professor Wright was the main speaker. In fact, that is one of the main reasons I chose the excursion. I couldn’t believe the warmth and friendship that both the Wrights bestowed on me as an octogenarian traveling alone. To this day I look forward to the arrival of Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. This month’s ‘Dream Team,’ was a delight as I am a recreational tennis player who used to live in Cleveland. I had no idea of the Federer-Godsick-Fernandez relationship. Needless to say, I also check out your column each month.” Thank you so much for writing, Joan!
CNN recently announced new anchor roles for its Washington, D.C.-based programs, and beginning in April Jake Tapper’s program, The Lead with Jake Tapper, expanded to 4-6 p.m. In addition, he will continue in his role on Sunday mornings, now co-anchoring State of the Union with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. Jake will also serve as the network’s lead anchor for all major Washington events. I guess we’ll all be seeing a lot of Jake this year!
I hope you all saw that my friend Diraj Mukherjee was the subject of the Q&A in the March/April issue! Diraj, who as many of you know cofounded Shazam, talked about being a “wantapreneur” and starting a business. It’s so great seeing members of the class of 1991 profiled in the magazine!
Lastly, I have the very sad task of sharing the news of the passing of our lovely classmate Catherine “Kate” Collins Curnin. I reached out to her dear friend Carrie Heinonen and asked her to share some memories of Kate. Here is what she sent: “Kate Collins was my bosom friend from the day we met on ‘the new dorms’ steps until we lost her this year. I teasingly called her ‘the domestic goddess’ because I found it unbelievable that she could actually cook a pot roast (I’ve never learned). Her long-jumping prowess gave her the indoor track-and-field record and in the classroom she was all about literature—especially the Brontës and Austen. She took that love to a successful career as a women’s fiction editor (keeping my mother flush with the latest romance novels). Kate also took domesticity to the next level, marrying Mark Curnin ’90 and raising four amazing kids. Kate took a big piece of me, Katie Jewett, and Stacy Ritter with her when she left this world—we shared some epic adventures.”
Sending you all good thoughts and wishes for a happy and healthy spring!
—Deb Karazin Owens, 166 Colonial Drive, Fairfield, CT 06824; djowens@optonline.net