Class Note 1998

Hello, ’98s. I have a couple wonderful updates to share. The first is from Scott Listfield, who went a decade between mentions in these notes. Scott gave me the rundown on his path from Dartmouth to becoming a full-time painter in Los Angeles. You may remember Scott at Dartmouth as the guy perpetually at the Hopkins Center, majoring in art and eating Hop fries. When he graduated he moved to Boston to start a career as a designer. He also continued to paint, and four years ago he left his day job to pursue painting full-time. One year ago Scott and wife Joanna moved to L.A. Around this time Scott connected with fellow artist Mark Brosseau, who was in L.A. exhibiting his work. Scott now shows his work in local galleries and many other places worldwide. Recently he published his first book, Astronaut: Paintings by Scott Listfield. If you would like to connect with Scott about painting or anything else, he is eager to talk and is easy to find online. Drop him a note and check out astronautdinosaur.com.

Lara Hoffman provided my second update. Lara works with the federal public defender’s office, where she began doing trial work for homeless and indigent clients. She now focuses on the post-conviction defense of wrongly convicted clients. Lara finds the work challenging, but feels lucky and grateful for the opportunity to practice this type of law. During the holidays Lara and her family (husband Nishad Chande ’97 and their two kids) celebrated with the family of Anna (Moran) Anderson. Last summer Lara and Anna, and their families, spent the Fourth of July weekend at the ranch of Lee Kuhn in Sonoma County, California. They were joined by the families of Kathleen (Dunleavey) Walsh, Stacey Sheriff, and Kristin Dwyer, all former roommates at Dartmouth. Also in attendance were old friends from Barcelona, whom Lara and Lee met on their language study abroad in spring 1996. I inquired further, and Lara wrote that she and Lee introduced the friends to each other, too. And six months after returning to Hanover, Lara and Lee got a call that the friends were a couple. Nearly 25 years later, these friends are married with kids and still staying in touch with and visiting their Dartmouth matchmakers. What a great story!

I recently connected with Dartmouth by writing a recommendation for a cousin who is applying for the class of 2024. Through talking to him and putting pen to paper, I saw Dartmouth through the eyes of a potentially pea-green freshman—an illuminating experience indeed.

—Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com