Any guesses on the most popular baby names of 1973? Strangely enough, Kaja did not even make the list (at least, not in the United States.) No, the top girl’s name was Jennifer (surprise, surprise) and the top boy’s name was Michael. I checked in with some of the 24 Jennifers and 15 Michaels in our class to see what they are up to these days.
After eight years in technology business journalism after college, Jennifer Lien quit to pursue her love of classical singing in the San Francisco Bay Area. Now she is finishing her doctorate in voice from the University of Wisconsin-Madison while living in Schenectady, New York, and juggling 3-year-old Olivia and newborn Paul. Jen’s husband, Cheong Soon Gan, is a professor of history, and this fall the Lien-Gan family will move to Duluth, Minnesota, for his new job at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
Gigi (Widham) Freeman (given name Jennifer) writes: “My husband, Ion and I have two precocious boys, Brooks (3) and Gordon (1). We live in Brooklyn Heights, New York, and love it for its numerous playgrounds and many neighborhood friends within blocks. I am currently the head of online client experience and coverage education at MSCI Inc., an investment tools company. MSCI produces indices, risk measurements models and software. I have been with MSCI for more than seven years now. I love seeing all the updates via Facebook from Dartmouth friends, so keep posting!”
Congratulations to Michael Hauser, who just had his fifth child, David. He works as a tax attorney in the Detroit area and writes that life is good! Life is also good for Mike DiPietro, whose e-mail moniker, shmike95, made me smile. Mike writes: “My wife, Jenn Altbuch ’98, and I had our 11th anniversary in June. This anniversary was special because for our 10th we were consumed with her treatments for cancer, while this year we were celebrating the end of that process. Our daughter Anathea (7) just finished first grade while her little sister Phoebe (5) is gearing up for kindergarten in the fall. Both are excited to go to summer camp then Disney this summer. I’ve been at IBM for the past eight years in a variety of sales and strategy roles. Right now I am responsible for IBM’s relationship with 10 clients around Boston, mostly in the life sciences. Add to our two old cats a new flat coat retriever puppy, Willow, and our lives are crazy busy, but wonderful.”
A couple of creative classmates had some celebrating to do recently. Chris Foley’s one-man show, Off The Desk: Tales of a Mediocre Stockbroker, was accepted into the New York Fringe Festival. Chris performed five shows during the August festival. For more about Chris’ show, check out his website at chrisfoley.com. (By the by, Christopher was the No. 2 boy’s name of 1973.) Katya Czaja was selected earlier this year to compete in Ed Decaria’s March Madness Poetry Tournament. Her aptly titled entry was March Madness:
The school’s bereft of noise,
of running feet,
of shouting voices,
of raised hands,
enthusiasms,
and laughter.
Must be testing week.
Remember, President Hanlon’s inauguration is September 20 and Homecoming is October 11-13 this year (beat Yale!). I hope I’ll see you on the Green for one of these fall events. Keep your news coming!
—Kaja (Schuppert) Fickes, 2 Bishops Lane, Hingham, MA, 02043; kaja@alum.dartmouth.org
