Class Note 1998
Issue
March-April 2021
For my fifth note of the pandemic I asked classmates to reflect on 2020. Here in Nashville, 2020 has brought the dismal trifecta of a tornado, pandemic, and Christmas bombing. We hope for better luck in 2021!
Tim Bruckner and wife Melissa Lodoen are professors at the University of California, Irvine. At the beginning of 2020 Tim visited Mexico City with Steve Zrike and both of their oldest daughters for their annual father-daughter trip. Tim is an epidemiologist, and when the pandemic began he led a seroprevalence study in partnership with Orange County, California. The study informed public health efforts to assist Latino communities hardest hit by Covid-19. Tim and Melissa have regular distanced gatherings with Andres ’97 and Marlene (Sheehan) Dandler, who live nearby. For Tim’s birthday he shared laughs and lamentations via Zoom with Matthew Blanton, Lia Monahon, Leah (Fergenson) Allen, Erica (McAuliffe) Esrick, Kytja Weir, Barrett Shaver, and Catherine Baumann. According to Tim, all these ’98s (annoyingly) do not seem to age.
Doug Heyman reflected that 2020 helped us slow down to appreciate family, friends, and relationships. Over Zoom Doug reconnected with Tom Loughrey, Adam Weigold, Damon Ferrara, Hank Brier, James Roberts, Jason Jones, Jay Danzi, Spencer Doyle, PJ Halas, Paul DeGaetano, Joe DeCristofaro, Bill Tarr, Danny Gans, Peter Sperger, and John Coleman. Doug commented that everyone looked terrific, albeit a little grayer. Professionally Doug moved from Goldman Sachs to BlackRock to lead opportunistic investing. He loves working from home with wife Eva (Sheibar) Heyman ’96 and their three children, one of whose middle name is Hanover.
Simone Swink and her team at ABC News went home in March and have not been back. Simone’s workday is filled with Zoom calls, where she helps run Good Morning America. Simone is comforted by how technology has brought people together. In particular she has stayed connected weekly with her three senior-year roommates, Kristin (Terry) Abati, Julie (Herron) Gendler, and Karen Yen ’99. Still, Simone cannot wait for the pandemic to be over. Amy (Feldmann) Hauser works as a general pediatrician at the Santa Clara Valley (California) Medical Center. As such she is grateful that children have generally weathered Covid-19 well. Outside of work Amy spends much time with her two young daughters. They have grown to love outdoor adventures and can entertain themselves with rocks, sticks, and dirt. Post-pandemic Amy looks forward to reuniting with friends in-person instead of virtually.
Peter Lanfer’s update showcased his creativity. For example, he and wife Sarah have started recording songs and posting them to YouTube. Peter also pulled off a pandemic live-action musical version of The Greatest Showman with his and the neighborhood’s kids. Yet another musical effort is the Reindeer Tribe, which Peter described as an “ephemeral collective.” This means the group comes together for a few days each year to create an album and share in a mutual love of music. Check them out at reindeertribe.com or on Spotify. Professionally Peter continues to teach, virtually, at Occidental College. During the pandemic he speaks regularly with Alex Keally, Chad Trexler, Dan O’Neill, Blair Kenney, and Graham Gallivan. Peter feels more connected to these friends than he has felt in years. Finally, Peter recently hosted the first ’98 “Big Idea” gathering. He hopes it will be a quarterly Zoom call for classmates to share ideas growing out of the amazing things they are up to.
As class secretary I can attest to the amazing things you do. Thanks for the updates. I love hearing from you.
—Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com
Tim Bruckner and wife Melissa Lodoen are professors at the University of California, Irvine. At the beginning of 2020 Tim visited Mexico City with Steve Zrike and both of their oldest daughters for their annual father-daughter trip. Tim is an epidemiologist, and when the pandemic began he led a seroprevalence study in partnership with Orange County, California. The study informed public health efforts to assist Latino communities hardest hit by Covid-19. Tim and Melissa have regular distanced gatherings with Andres ’97 and Marlene (Sheehan) Dandler, who live nearby. For Tim’s birthday he shared laughs and lamentations via Zoom with Matthew Blanton, Lia Monahon, Leah (Fergenson) Allen, Erica (McAuliffe) Esrick, Kytja Weir, Barrett Shaver, and Catherine Baumann. According to Tim, all these ’98s (annoyingly) do not seem to age.
Doug Heyman reflected that 2020 helped us slow down to appreciate family, friends, and relationships. Over Zoom Doug reconnected with Tom Loughrey, Adam Weigold, Damon Ferrara, Hank Brier, James Roberts, Jason Jones, Jay Danzi, Spencer Doyle, PJ Halas, Paul DeGaetano, Joe DeCristofaro, Bill Tarr, Danny Gans, Peter Sperger, and John Coleman. Doug commented that everyone looked terrific, albeit a little grayer. Professionally Doug moved from Goldman Sachs to BlackRock to lead opportunistic investing. He loves working from home with wife Eva (Sheibar) Heyman ’96 and their three children, one of whose middle name is Hanover.
Simone Swink and her team at ABC News went home in March and have not been back. Simone’s workday is filled with Zoom calls, where she helps run Good Morning America. Simone is comforted by how technology has brought people together. In particular she has stayed connected weekly with her three senior-year roommates, Kristin (Terry) Abati, Julie (Herron) Gendler, and Karen Yen ’99. Still, Simone cannot wait for the pandemic to be over. Amy (Feldmann) Hauser works as a general pediatrician at the Santa Clara Valley (California) Medical Center. As such she is grateful that children have generally weathered Covid-19 well. Outside of work Amy spends much time with her two young daughters. They have grown to love outdoor adventures and can entertain themselves with rocks, sticks, and dirt. Post-pandemic Amy looks forward to reuniting with friends in-person instead of virtually.
Peter Lanfer’s update showcased his creativity. For example, he and wife Sarah have started recording songs and posting them to YouTube. Peter also pulled off a pandemic live-action musical version of The Greatest Showman with his and the neighborhood’s kids. Yet another musical effort is the Reindeer Tribe, which Peter described as an “ephemeral collective.” This means the group comes together for a few days each year to create an album and share in a mutual love of music. Check them out at reindeertribe.com or on Spotify. Professionally Peter continues to teach, virtually, at Occidental College. During the pandemic he speaks regularly with Alex Keally, Chad Trexler, Dan O’Neill, Blair Kenney, and Graham Gallivan. Peter feels more connected to these friends than he has felt in years. Finally, Peter recently hosted the first ’98 “Big Idea” gathering. He hopes it will be a quarterly Zoom call for classmates to share ideas growing out of the amazing things they are up to.
As class secretary I can attest to the amazing things you do. Thanks for the updates. I love hearing from you.
—Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com