Class Note 1996. With our 30th reunion just around the corner, it’s been a busy summer for the class of ’96! John Strayer announced he was relocating from the Washington, D.C., area (his home base for the past quarter-century) across the country to Washington State. His wife, Angela Ramirez, was appointed by Gov. Bob Ferguson as the state’s newest secretary of the Washington Department of Social and Health Services, following the conclusion of her tenure as chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. When he moved to D.C. in 1998, John said he crashed on Michael Beckley’s floor until he could find a place to live and, some 27 years later, it was fitting that “Mike and his wife sent me and mine off with a steak dinner.” John passed along that he’d love to connect with Dartmouth folks in the Pacific Northwest once settled in Olympia!
I also heard about an exciting new chapter for Courtney O’Brien, who resides in Northern California (where she moved to work in the wine industry 17 years ago). She said she had “left the W-2 life behind last year and started my own consultancy, helping beverage brands of all types start out in this crowded marketplace. Really enjoying the independence and the time to spend with my husband and kids, who are now 8, 10, and 14.”
PaulLim recently found himself in Los Angeles, where he connected with Maneesh Srivastava and family (who reside in Valencia, California). “I have become a bit of an Italian chef and made them a full spread of from-scratch foods, including ragu made with pork rib and amatriciana made with poultry bacon (due to dietary restrictions) as well as multiple types of grilled crostini and bruschetta.” He also relayed a “little-known fact” about his host: “Maneesh has around a dozen med device patents! Genius!”
In even more California news, Briarly (Kessler) Kilburn and husband Bjorn Kilburn celebrated completion of the hike to the summit of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park in late July. It took two years for the couple (who have three daughters and reside in Menlo Park, California) to obtain the camping permit for the roughly 14-hour hike.
The summer was rife with classmate meet-ups in Hanover. Sharon (Spatz) Alexander ended up catching up with Dan Kalafatas and Hadley Mullin while visiting campus for the ’27 Sophomore Summer Parents Weekend. Sharon said it was “super fun to meet their daughter, catch up, and walk down memory lane. It was kinda funny that my son and their daughter ran in the same circles—small world!” Jesse Israel, wife Karen, and their two daughters made the trek from their homebase in California to Hanover for a brief visit in July. Jesse said, “Been too long. I missed my happy place.”
Also in Hanover, Dave Gershenson and husband Mark McIntire, Tim Young and partner Eric Erickson, and Keli’i Opulauoho returned to campus for Dartmouth Gay and Lesbian Alumni Association’s (DGALA’s) 40th anniversary celebration (along with more than 200 other proud alums). Keli’i summed up the milestone event by saying, “If there was ever a moment for Dartmouth and DGALA to throw a fabulous 40th anniversary celebration of the queer community—this was it. A beautiful, rainbow-filled moment to remember.”
Tracy (Canard) Goodluck found herself back on campus in July for the second annual Dartmouth Tribal Leadership Academy.She was able to spend time with John Sirois ’91 and his daughter, Kailani ’27; Hilary Tompkins ’90; Lynn Trujillo ’94; Casey Lozar ’03, and Jonodev Chaudhari ’93 (among others). She also reconnected with professors Colin Calloway and Andrew Garrod.
—Garrett Gil de Rubio, 1062 Middlebrooke Drive, Canton, GA 30115; ggdr@alum.dartmouth.org