Class Note 1996
Issue
May - Jun 2019
We have lots of exciting updates by way of social media and I am happy to convey some exciting developments for members of our ’96 family.
First, news from our own Suzanne Leonard, who was informed in early February that she was promoted to full professorship! She has been an associate professor of English at Simmons University in Boston since 2005 (when it was Simmons College and until just last year when it became a university). Suzanne is also co-coordinator of the college’s interdisciplinary minor in cinema and media studies and an affiliate of the women’s and gender studies department. It was this time last year that Suzanne published her first book, Wife, Inc.: The Business of Marriage in the Twenty-First Century, a project that examines 21st-century wives in female-centered media culture. Hearty congratulations go out to Suzanne and all the students that will receive the benefit of her amazing teaching prowess!
Also received news from Dan Miller, who shared exciting career news for his wife, Kendra Miller. “Congratulations to my amazing and now even more accomplished wife, who was promoted to executive vice president! Best thing I ever did was ask her to marry me.” Kendra is indeed now executive vice president and general counsel at BJ’s Restaurants Inc., a company with which she has worked for the past eight years based in the Huntington Beach, California, area.
Congratulations also go out to one of our class couples, as Jim Brennan and Katie (Shutzer) Brennan welcomed their daughter, Eloise, on January 21. Weighing in at 7 pounds, 9 ounces and 20 inches in length, Eloise joins older brothers Jack and William and big sister Charlotte. Congratulations to the now family of six and welcome to the Dartmouth family, Eloise!
In other happy news, congratulations also go out to Philip Hanaka and his new bride, Crystal; the lovely couple wed in a January ceremony marked by perfect weather in Palm Beach, Florida, and then honeymooned in the Bahamas. Philip is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he is a shareholder with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC. Congratulations and wishing you both many years of wedded bliss ahead!
Lastly, “welcome home” to Amy Peller, who went on a life-changing trip to Tanzania in late December. In her own words, “This was a true adventure, packed with so many new experiences—both in nature and in culture. I continue to think about one Tanzanian woman’s story that really left a mark on me, the story of a woman named Mama Anna. About 20 years ago she received a donation of a single cow from an international aid organization. Initially she milked the cow and engaged others to sell the milk. When Mama Anna learned some of the women were taking part of the milk for themselves, she felt she had to figure out a better solution to raise the overall welfare of the community. Recognizing cheese was more valuable than milk, she spent a year going to a cheese trade school, walking and traveling a long distance each day so she could learn to make cheese. From selling the cheese, she then built a broader women’s cooperative, employing women to make cheese, coffee, honey, and handicrafts. She saw the need for a local school and raised the money and organized to build it (the school will be opening this year). I am so inspired by how one person’s kindness, dedication, and action has made such an extraordinary difference. This trip has been a tremendous journey—while it was just a little more than two weeks, the intensity and richness made it feel so much longer.”
—Garrett Gil de Rubio, 1062 Middlebrooke Drive, Canton, GA 30115; ggdr@alum.dartmouth.org
First, news from our own Suzanne Leonard, who was informed in early February that she was promoted to full professorship! She has been an associate professor of English at Simmons University in Boston since 2005 (when it was Simmons College and until just last year when it became a university). Suzanne is also co-coordinator of the college’s interdisciplinary minor in cinema and media studies and an affiliate of the women’s and gender studies department. It was this time last year that Suzanne published her first book, Wife, Inc.: The Business of Marriage in the Twenty-First Century, a project that examines 21st-century wives in female-centered media culture. Hearty congratulations go out to Suzanne and all the students that will receive the benefit of her amazing teaching prowess!
Also received news from Dan Miller, who shared exciting career news for his wife, Kendra Miller. “Congratulations to my amazing and now even more accomplished wife, who was promoted to executive vice president! Best thing I ever did was ask her to marry me.” Kendra is indeed now executive vice president and general counsel at BJ’s Restaurants Inc., a company with which she has worked for the past eight years based in the Huntington Beach, California, area.
Congratulations also go out to one of our class couples, as Jim Brennan and Katie (Shutzer) Brennan welcomed their daughter, Eloise, on January 21. Weighing in at 7 pounds, 9 ounces and 20 inches in length, Eloise joins older brothers Jack and William and big sister Charlotte. Congratulations to the now family of six and welcome to the Dartmouth family, Eloise!
In other happy news, congratulations also go out to Philip Hanaka and his new bride, Crystal; the lovely couple wed in a January ceremony marked by perfect weather in Palm Beach, Florida, and then honeymooned in the Bahamas. Philip is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he is a shareholder with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC. Congratulations and wishing you both many years of wedded bliss ahead!
Lastly, “welcome home” to Amy Peller, who went on a life-changing trip to Tanzania in late December. In her own words, “This was a true adventure, packed with so many new experiences—both in nature and in culture. I continue to think about one Tanzanian woman’s story that really left a mark on me, the story of a woman named Mama Anna. About 20 years ago she received a donation of a single cow from an international aid organization. Initially she milked the cow and engaged others to sell the milk. When Mama Anna learned some of the women were taking part of the milk for themselves, she felt she had to figure out a better solution to raise the overall welfare of the community. Recognizing cheese was more valuable than milk, she spent a year going to a cheese trade school, walking and traveling a long distance each day so she could learn to make cheese. From selling the cheese, she then built a broader women’s cooperative, employing women to make cheese, coffee, honey, and handicrafts. She saw the need for a local school and raised the money and organized to build it (the school will be opening this year). I am so inspired by how one person’s kindness, dedication, and action has made such an extraordinary difference. This trip has been a tremendous journey—while it was just a little more than two weeks, the intensity and richness made it feel so much longer.”
—Garrett Gil de Rubio, 1062 Middlebrooke Drive, Canton, GA 30115; ggdr@alum.dartmouth.org