Class Note 1994

Hello, fellow classmates! I’m right in the middle of a busy admissions season at Lafayette College, where I am a part-time admissions director. It’s inspiring to read the stories of high school seniors about to embark on the mind-opening experience of college. I’m lucky to be reminded daily of the important life-shaping role college can play and my own transformative college experience at Dartmouth. How awesome would it be to go back to Dartmouth as a student for just a few days, knowing then what we know now?

I received an update from advocate Suzie Fromer, who has worked tirelessly on behalf of those suffering from life-threatening food allergies. She and her son, Danny, were featured on Fox News in N.Y.C. in December on Good Day New York. Suzie spoke about oral immunotherapy (OIT), an innovative treatment focused on retraining allergic patients to tolerate moderate amounts of allergens by eating them daily. She has been overseeing Danny’s OIT, which has involved introducing mere milligrams of peanuts to his diet daily, as tolerated. Painstakingly slowly, she has increased the amount of peanuts he eats over months and, as of her update, he eats 12 peanuts or 1 tablespoon of peanut butter every day with no ill effects. Doctors hail this break-through as a potential life-saver for those who suffer from anaphylactic allergies, as Danny does, as well as generally freeing people from the fear and stress associated with extreme allergies. Kudos to Suzie for her relentless research and courage to try new approaches! Success stories are all over the news, and she welcomes anyone to contact her with questions if you are considering similar treatments. If you are interested in watching the news spot, as it was filmed live, here is the link: www.fox5ny.com/good-day/228481362-video.

Class officer Justin Sadrian recently returned from his annual Dartmouth guys ski weekend in Vail, Colorado, with a hearty group of ’94s. He writes, “This year included Jeff Goldfaden, Brian Eller, Matt Niehaus, Todd Carlson, Matt Feeley, Derek Braddock, Logan Johnson, Jason Pollard, Mike Thurlow and Ari Rosenberg. A bit older and certainly grayer, but trying to convince ourselves that we’re still 20-something. This year included skinning up to the top of Vail after the mountain closed and skiing down in the dark.” I have a feeling it included more than that!

Thank you for the updates! I’m all out of class news for now. Please keep the news coming or you’ll tear open the next issue and find this column depressingly empty.

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