Class Note 1999. Hello, ’99s!
It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is upon us and yet another year is drawing to close. I’m pleased to end the year with lots of updates to share.
First, Laurie Carafone became executive director of Network, a Catholic advocacy group committed to realizing social justice through federal policies. Laurie has pursued social justice throughout her career, including advocating for legal support for immigrant children. Congratulations, Laurie, and good luck in your new role!
Annette Gaines also had exciting job news to share. Annette is transforming career paths at Caterpillar Inc, a world-leading manufacturer of construction, mining, and other engineering equipment. Based in Tucson, Arizona, Annette serves on the design team and advisory board to create apprenticeship degrees as an alternative to a traditional university-based route. This makes meaningful careers at Caterpillar more accessible while strengthening the local economy in southern Arizona.
In other news, Abigail Marsh shared her groundbreaking work on radical kindness on the Hidden Brain podcast. Abigail described a life-changing auto accident where a man risked his life to save hers. She never got his name, but that moment stuck with her, from her time at Dartmouth to her academic work in psychology at Georgetown. Abigail and her team use functional and structural brain imaging to better understand why people help others and other fundamental questions about humanity.
Finally, Catherine Maxson Pieroni writes that she recovered from chairing our 25th reunion last summer and managed to organize a mini-reunion this summer. She and son Josh (a senior at Delbarton School in New Jersey) met Rex Morey in Seattle for lunch and a tour of the Amazon Sphere and offices. Rex works for Amazon Prime and has been in Seattle for 10 years. Catherine then enjoyed a girls’ weekend with Debbie (Bender) Llewelyn, Sara (Zrike) Casey, Elizabeth (Tripoli) Laughlin, Heather (Harnett) Ross, Cynthia (Anderson) Hansen, and Cassie (Miller) Birthwistle. They stayed in Elizabeth’s stunning vacation home on Whidbey Island, Washington, where they hiked, sang karaoke, saw orcas, and caught up with Bruiser, the island’s resident elk. They ended their weekend with lunch with Jorge Valcarcel and his wife, Ariana, at their home. Catherine adds that she and husband Marc recently purchased a holiday home in southern Vermont and look forward to some ski weekends this winter. Catherine now works in real estate, and she encourages any ’99s looking to relocate to northern New Jersey to get in touch!
That’s all the news for now. I hope you all make the most of this holiday season and I look forward to sharing more updates with you in 2026!
—Tony Perry, 8 Marlborough Close, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL64LP, England; tony.j.perry@gmail.com

00Greetings from new class secretary Ben Patch! At the time of this writing, we are fresh from our reunion. Surprising no one but the alumni office, our class participation rate was astoundingly high. Getting drafted onto the reunion committee turned out to be the best time I could have at the event. Almost everyone involved reupped for the 2030 reunion committee so we can keep the energy going. Loved something or didn’t care for it? Let us know for next time. Send your news and updates to me at the email below.
—Ben Patch, 56 Ridge Road, Bristol, RI 02809; dartmouth2000secretary@gmail.com