Class Note 1997
Issue
May-June 2022
Congratulations to Drew Spencer, who was recently featured in the San Francisco Chronicle. Drew, the coach of Great Britain’s national baseball team, found some things need translating when teaching new kids the fundamentals.
“ ‘Go out to the outfield and shag!’ the Sacramento, California-born, lifelong A’s fan told his young charges, to gasps and chuckles from parents nearby. ‘I got a great look from some of the moms, who were like, ‘Wait—what?’
“ ‘I do have to often tell people we don’t play matches, we play games, and it’s not called a pitch, it’s called a field,’ ” Drew told the paper. “ ‘Some of the culture stuff is obviously like Ted Lasso—the American coaching style in the British system. It’s funny, when you talk to a group of British players before or after a game, the speeches have to be a little bit different than if you’re back in California talking to a group of kids.’ ”
Congratulations to Stephanie Yu, who is now serving as first executive vice president of the Association of Alumni. Prior to taking on this role, Stephanie served for a decade in various other alumni leadership roles, including Alumni Council representative for the class of 1997 and the Dartmouth Asian Pacific American Alumni Association (DAPAAA) and cochair of DAPAAA. Stephanie reported that she and Sarah (Cho) Choi are part of a DAPAAA subcommittee advocating for an Asian American studies program at the College, and they have also worked with other alumni to establish the Academic Enrichment Fund for Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities within the College’s Call to Lead campaign, which went live in early December at dartgo.org/aapi. “The fund will advance scholarship and research related to the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, and although the fund is different from an enduring Asian American studies program, we hope it will lead to one,” Stephanie wrote. “Lead donors for the fund, committing a combined $200,000, are the Chen Family in memory of Michael Chen ’95 and Takahito Kent Dahn ’95 family.”
Finally, congratulations to Caroline Chubb Calderon for working to make a difference in the world. “We went to Guatemala to build a home for an indigenous family,” Caroline wrote. “Dulce was abandoned by her husband and lost her father in a car accident. She is now raising her two kids, Jesus and Gilary, and caring for her mother, Silvia, on her own on an extremely low housekeeping salary. With From Houses to Homes Guatemala, we were able to give her a modest home with a new working stove and 10-year water purifier to help her pave a safer and healthier future for her family, to help her feel hope. In this incredibly uneasy time I am left with this: I think love and hope are the way,” Caroline noted. “I think every one us of doing something every day is what it will take.” Caroline added her 13-year-old son, Sebastian, wore her Dartmouth hat while they worked “so Dartmouth was very much present in Guatemala with us.” She hopes to return with 11-year-old son Mattias and husband Felipe.
Our amazing 25th reunion will soon be here on June 16-19. To register, follow the link in the email you received from the College or visit https://alumni.dartmouth.edu/reunions/class-1997-25th-reunion. See you in Hanover!
—Jason Casell, 10106 Balmforth Lane, Houston, TX 77096; jhcasell@gmail.com
“ ‘Go out to the outfield and shag!’ the Sacramento, California-born, lifelong A’s fan told his young charges, to gasps and chuckles from parents nearby. ‘I got a great look from some of the moms, who were like, ‘Wait—what?’
“ ‘I do have to often tell people we don’t play matches, we play games, and it’s not called a pitch, it’s called a field,’ ” Drew told the paper. “ ‘Some of the culture stuff is obviously like Ted Lasso—the American coaching style in the British system. It’s funny, when you talk to a group of British players before or after a game, the speeches have to be a little bit different than if you’re back in California talking to a group of kids.’ ”
Congratulations to Stephanie Yu, who is now serving as first executive vice president of the Association of Alumni. Prior to taking on this role, Stephanie served for a decade in various other alumni leadership roles, including Alumni Council representative for the class of 1997 and the Dartmouth Asian Pacific American Alumni Association (DAPAAA) and cochair of DAPAAA. Stephanie reported that she and Sarah (Cho) Choi are part of a DAPAAA subcommittee advocating for an Asian American studies program at the College, and they have also worked with other alumni to establish the Academic Enrichment Fund for Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities within the College’s Call to Lead campaign, which went live in early December at dartgo.org/aapi. “The fund will advance scholarship and research related to the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, and although the fund is different from an enduring Asian American studies program, we hope it will lead to one,” Stephanie wrote. “Lead donors for the fund, committing a combined $200,000, are the Chen Family in memory of Michael Chen ’95 and Takahito Kent Dahn ’95 family.”
Finally, congratulations to Caroline Chubb Calderon for working to make a difference in the world. “We went to Guatemala to build a home for an indigenous family,” Caroline wrote. “Dulce was abandoned by her husband and lost her father in a car accident. She is now raising her two kids, Jesus and Gilary, and caring for her mother, Silvia, on her own on an extremely low housekeeping salary. With From Houses to Homes Guatemala, we were able to give her a modest home with a new working stove and 10-year water purifier to help her pave a safer and healthier future for her family, to help her feel hope. In this incredibly uneasy time I am left with this: I think love and hope are the way,” Caroline noted. “I think every one us of doing something every day is what it will take.” Caroline added her 13-year-old son, Sebastian, wore her Dartmouth hat while they worked “so Dartmouth was very much present in Guatemala with us.” She hopes to return with 11-year-old son Mattias and husband Felipe.
Our amazing 25th reunion will soon be here on June 16-19. To register, follow the link in the email you received from the College or visit https://alumni.dartmouth.edu/reunions/class-1997-25th-reunion. See you in Hanover!
—Jason Casell, 10106 Balmforth Lane, Houston, TX 77096; jhcasell@gmail.com