Classes & Obits

Class Note 1994

Issue

Jul - Aug 2016

Happy summer, ’94s! I fondly remember our Sophomore Summer, drifting down cool rivers on lazy, sunny days, eating “healthy” Collis sandwiches on the Green and studying on the grassy knoll outside of Dartmouth Hall. I hope this summer update finds y’all happy and healthy and reflecting on warm Dartmouth memories as well.

Hunter Buckner kindly responded to my email and offered an interesting post-Dartmouth story. He serves as president of Clutch Communications in Dallas, where he lives with his wife, Robyn. Robyn is a graduate of the University of Alabama and I like her already—roll Tide! They have three children; Luke is 11, Ford is 14 and Tabitha is 16. Hunter notes, “The boys have already professed a strong desire to play football at Dartmouth when their time comes. It’s all part of a selfish ploy to give me an excuse to visit Dartmouth with greater frequency.” Hunter stays in touch with fellow Dartmouth alumni, many of whom were fellow football players, and he even traveled to St. John this past winter with Sue and Dave Schumacher ’95, Kristin Kuroda Boran ’97 and Chris Boran ’95.

I was thrilled to hear from Jennifer Chan, my first-year roommate, and read about the amazing road she has taken since graduating early from Dartmouth. After teaching biology at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire, Jen moved to Canada for medical school at McGill University in Montreal. She completed her residency in anatomic pathology and her fellowship in neuropathology at Harvard University. She spent several years practicing and researching genetics and neuropathology at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital. Currently, she and husband Eric are at University of Calgary, where she continues her practice in neuropathology, studying brain development and brain “tumours.” Jen admits that she has become very Canadian since she now writes tumor with the added “u” and says “eh.” If you’re ever up in the Great White North, check in with Jen, Eric and their two daughters, Harmony and Aurora, eh?

Speaking of neuroscience, Frieda Polli’s company, Pymetrics, has made headlines recently for its leading-edge business model. Pymetrics is transforming the hiring process, using new technologies that assess specific characteristics of job applicants through neuroscience games rather than the traditional self-reported, question-and-answer approach. I was impressed to read a Berkshire Hathaway report highlighting the innovation and recent investments made by Mercer and other organizations. Perhaps we can convince Frieda to bring some of her neuroscience games and analysis to our next reunion?

Matt Berkhold also kindly answered an email from me. He shares that he is living in his hometown of Cozad, Nebraska, with his wife Anne (Gibson) ’97. In fact, they recently celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary—congratulations! Matt is running his family’s diversified agricultural business, growing alfalfa and corn, both conventionally and organically. He also runs an alfalfa dehydration plant, making alfalfa pellets, which are marketed under the name Alfagreen Supreme and are used in animal feed. Anne runs a beef finishing lot, and I invite you to check out her blog site, FeedyardFoodie.com. They busily zigzag around the area, taking their three daughters from cross country or swimming to speech club to even more club and sport practices. I hope the admissions office is reading these updates; the Berkholds plan to visit Dartmouth this summer as Ashley (16), Megan (13) and Karyn (11) begin thinking about college plans.

Please send me your updates and plans for fall! I’ll be back with more news in two months.

Laura Hardegree Davis, 1664 Cambridge Court, Bethlehem, PA, 18015; lauradavis723@mac.com