Class Note 1995

Having just returned from my town’s Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza, it’s a bit odd to wrap my head around a column that will hit the newsstands when the leaves are changing, kids are heading back to school and Homecoming is on the horizon (October 17-19, by the way!). I hope everyone had a wonderful summer. Congratulations to James Budd and his wife, Kelly, on the birth of their son, James Jr., in June. Congratulations also to Melissa Norton on the birth of her son, Thomas, in March. And best wishes (I think that’s the proper etiquette) to Rukmini Callimachi on her marriage to Mikhael Lafarge in Dakar, Senegal, this spring and her new position as foreign correspondent with The New York Times. What an amazing year you’ve had!


I ran into Deb Thomas at a professional luncheon this spring, and she followed up on our conversation as a fount of news: “My husband, James (Thomas ’94), and I live in Hamilton, Massachusetts, with our daughter, Elin (7), and our dog Owain. James is a lawyer in Boston and I ‘retired’ from the practice of law in 2008. Since then I have been enjoying volunteering. I work with the Center for Women & Enterprise in Boston and am chair of the board of trustees at Harborlight-Stoneridge Montessori School in Beverly, Massachusetts. I’m learning a lot about fundraising and nonprofits and enjoying it.


“We get up to Hanover twice a year or more; always for the Covered Bridges Half Marathon and Homecoming. We usually meet up with Jeff Munson and his wife, Johanna, at the half marathon, although I have no hope of keeping up with either on the course. They live in Norwich, Vermont, with their boys, Ethan and Gavin.


“I keep in contact with a few other ’95s. Jodi Walker and I get together once a month. She’s another happily ‘retired’ lawyer and she and her husband, Jeff Crisan, live in Belmont, Massachusetts, with their two boys, Nate and Tommy. We also see Steve Vanourny, his wife, Krista, and their kids, Jack and Emily. They live in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and every summer we finagle an invitation to their place at Lake Winnipesaukee, where we always have a great time. Last fall we met up with Bart Rountree and his wife, Lisa, in Vermont, where they were taking a break from their very busy lives in Virginia as parents (they have a daughter, Riley Grace) and professionals (he’s a doctor, she’s a corporate executive). Also far away from Boston but close to my heart are Deb (Nathanson) and Scott Cushman. They moved from Massachusetts last year when Scott graduated from medical school and matched to a residency program near Buffalo, New York. I hear his first year is going well, but I miss them! We will get together this summer with Deb and their kids, Abby and Seth, while they are in Massachusetts visiting family.


“We also plan to see Kim (Worboys) and Jeff Olson this summer when our vacations in Wales overlap by a few days. We have family in Wales and we go every summer, so after years of hearing us rave about it, Kim and Jeff finally decided to see what the fuss is all about. Kim and Jeff are physicians in St. Paul, Minnesota, and have three boys, Chris, Charlie and Henry. I dearly hope those boys like castles, meat pie and sheep or else I’ll feel responsible for a miserable vacation!” 


Thanks for all of the updates, Deb! Hope to see you all at reunions in June, if not before (Homecoming, perhaps?). Keep your news coming!


—Kaja (Schuppert) Fickes, 2 Bishops Lane, Hingham, MA 02043; kaja.k.fickes.95@dartmouth.edu