Class Note 1991
Issue
March-April 2022
Greeting, ’91s!
Last fall I greatly enjoyed following the cross-country adventures of Jay Matson, chronicled on Facebook. The pictures and stories were so engaging that I asked Jay to document his trip for this column, including the classmates he saw along the way.
“In September, for reasons that still elude me, I decided to drive my youngest, Abby, along with her fish and a car full of stuff, from northern Virginia to Santa Clara University, where she was starting her freshman year. We enjoyed several notable experiences. We swam in a sink hole filled with fresh water in the middle of New Mexico and ziplined across the stark red landscape of Utah in the shadow of Arches National Park. Along the way I spent some time with Andy Ranson, catching up and reminiscing over oatmeal and a warm latte in a bustling little coffee shop. Andy is working for Oklahoma State University, fostering international trade and commercial relationships between Oklahoma and various countries.
“Upon arrival in the Bay Area, Abby and I unloaded the car, sought dorm supplies that had long been sold out at every Bed, Bath & Beyond in northern California, and hugged goodbye. While there I stole an evening with Sundar Rajan and his wife, Nandini, who live just up the road in Palo Alto. We chatted among the fruit trees they had planted in their backyard, and then they filled me with delicious food and good stories (as they always do). Sundar continues to work in tech in the Silicon Valley.
“Ready to embark on the 3,000-mile drive back, Tom ‘Fin’ Repczynski flew in from L.A. (where he and Ann Rosamond Repczynski had just dropped off their youngest at UCLA) to join me. As we worked our way across the country, Fin and I biked at several points: along the Snake River in Idaho Falls, in the shadow of the Grand Tetons to Jenny Lake, and through the corn fields of western Minnesota. In Jackson Hole [Wyoming] we spent an afternoon climbing the cliffs of a Via Ferrata. In Yellowstone we saw Old Faithful erupt, drove perilously close to an elk that was clearly not happy (we stayed safely in the car), and sat on the edge of our seats as some buffalo seemed to be charging a Winnebago (only to turn off the road and up a hill at the last minute). We threw axes in Cedar Falls, Iowa, mainly (I think) because we had been joking about doing it somewhere on the journey and we finally decided to put our money where our mouths were. (By the way, Fin has much more talent than I when it comes to throwing sharp objects at a target.) And we wrapped up the trip up with Laurie Gill and Dave Voss ’90 in Columbus, Ohio, enjoying a relaxing evening in their backyard watching football and eating s’mores. Laurie and Dave had just taken a few days away from their car dealership to take their youngest to Stanford, but they had the good sense to fly both ways!
“It was roughly 6,000 miles in 19 days and an awesome experience. For those who have never driven cross-country, I recommend doing it once (but maybe not twice). And be sure to catch classmates along the way!”
I hope 2022 is off to a great start for everyone! Send me your updates!
—Sara Burbine Potter, 108 Hillcrest Road, Fairfield, CT 06824; sara_burbine@yahoo.com
Last fall I greatly enjoyed following the cross-country adventures of Jay Matson, chronicled on Facebook. The pictures and stories were so engaging that I asked Jay to document his trip for this column, including the classmates he saw along the way.
“In September, for reasons that still elude me, I decided to drive my youngest, Abby, along with her fish and a car full of stuff, from northern Virginia to Santa Clara University, where she was starting her freshman year. We enjoyed several notable experiences. We swam in a sink hole filled with fresh water in the middle of New Mexico and ziplined across the stark red landscape of Utah in the shadow of Arches National Park. Along the way I spent some time with Andy Ranson, catching up and reminiscing over oatmeal and a warm latte in a bustling little coffee shop. Andy is working for Oklahoma State University, fostering international trade and commercial relationships between Oklahoma and various countries.
“Upon arrival in the Bay Area, Abby and I unloaded the car, sought dorm supplies that had long been sold out at every Bed, Bath & Beyond in northern California, and hugged goodbye. While there I stole an evening with Sundar Rajan and his wife, Nandini, who live just up the road in Palo Alto. We chatted among the fruit trees they had planted in their backyard, and then they filled me with delicious food and good stories (as they always do). Sundar continues to work in tech in the Silicon Valley.
“Ready to embark on the 3,000-mile drive back, Tom ‘Fin’ Repczynski flew in from L.A. (where he and Ann Rosamond Repczynski had just dropped off their youngest at UCLA) to join me. As we worked our way across the country, Fin and I biked at several points: along the Snake River in Idaho Falls, in the shadow of the Grand Tetons to Jenny Lake, and through the corn fields of western Minnesota. In Jackson Hole [Wyoming] we spent an afternoon climbing the cliffs of a Via Ferrata. In Yellowstone we saw Old Faithful erupt, drove perilously close to an elk that was clearly not happy (we stayed safely in the car), and sat on the edge of our seats as some buffalo seemed to be charging a Winnebago (only to turn off the road and up a hill at the last minute). We threw axes in Cedar Falls, Iowa, mainly (I think) because we had been joking about doing it somewhere on the journey and we finally decided to put our money where our mouths were. (By the way, Fin has much more talent than I when it comes to throwing sharp objects at a target.) And we wrapped up the trip up with Laurie Gill and Dave Voss ’90 in Columbus, Ohio, enjoying a relaxing evening in their backyard watching football and eating s’mores. Laurie and Dave had just taken a few days away from their car dealership to take their youngest to Stanford, but they had the good sense to fly both ways!
“It was roughly 6,000 miles in 19 days and an awesome experience. For those who have never driven cross-country, I recommend doing it once (but maybe not twice). And be sure to catch classmates along the way!”
I hope 2022 is off to a great start for everyone! Send me your updates!
—Sara Burbine Potter, 108 Hillcrest Road, Fairfield, CT 06824; sara_burbine@yahoo.com