“What is your favorite memory of spring term at Dartmouth?” Jenifer (Budgett) Islas’ highlight is “walking to Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital and giving birth to my daughter Chloe Islas on May 19, 1990, with my husband and three of my best friends present at her birth (all Dartmouth ’90s who went on to become amazing doctors: Dan Kairys, Di Berger and Sadie Peters).” Marvelous! Making use of the class of 1990 “anonymizer,” a classmate reports that his favorite spring term memories were “the hook-ups in senior spring with everyone I’d had crushes on but hadn’t had the courage to ask out.” Roth Herrlinger writes of exploring in Leningrad during the white nights and being stranded on a new island in Leningrad at 3 a.m. after the drawbridges were raised. He was tired in class the next day but reports the memory was worth it. Jay Davis writes, “Freshman spring and the Choates volleyball court showed me the limitations of ‘tomorrow’ as a plan for getting school work done.” His senior spring activities—Trip to the Sea and senior week overnights on the porch of John Rand Cabin, the top of the ski jump and the roof of C&G—showed him “just how fleeting and precious the time is that Dartmouth provides to connect with each other.” There were also some excellent answers to Rob’s “Dartmouth inspiration” question. Chrissy Kirkmire Mazzola answered, “In French class with Keith Walker I discovered a love of and passion for Francophone African literature. When I did my master’s my thesis was on the work of a seminal poet and author from Senegal. As a teacher I have shared my passion with my high school students during the last 20 years, teaching them African culture, history and literature in French. Andrew Garrod’s education courses also marked me and set me on a career path that has been both personally and professionally rewarding. I am forever indebted to my Dartmouth professors for the excellent teaching and guidance they provided.” Michael Keller found athletic inspiration through adversity. He writes, “Once I broke my wrist and had to quit the football team after freshman year. Intramural volleyball (not to mention backyard hack-ball behind Sig Ep) became a passion and I am still playing 20 years later!” Megan Hammond reports that she and her husband, Bruce, and their 7-year-old daughter Cailie welcomed twins in February 2009. She writes, “After wanting more children for some time we feel tremendously blessed. Classmate Mark Schiffman and his wonderful family took care of Cailie when the twins were born. Classmate Dr. Sarah Stearns, a child psychologist at DHMC, provided me with moral support, books and chocolate during subsequent early-day hospitalizations (we are all fine now). Jay Davis’ wife, Julie Saunders Davis ’91, was the twins’ doctor in the hospital and subsequently.” Megan is one of four managing directors of Dartmouth’s endowment, a position she has held since 2007. Congratulations to James McCutcheon, who was elected partner at the firm of Jackson Walker in San Antonio, Texas. From the wire, James is a partner in the Tax practice group and “represents clients in virtually all aspects of federal taxation, with emphasis on partnership, corporate and generational wealth planning.” If you ever have the time I recommend reading the Class Notes section from beginning to end (something I had not done in years). It is an amazing slice of American life and, perhaps, will grant some new perspective on the road you have traveled and the one that lies ahead, courtesy of the other members of the Dartmouth family.


—Walter Palmer, 87 South St., Rockport, MA 01966; palmerwalter@mac.com; Rob Crawford, 27 Roberts Road, Wellesley, MA 02481; robertlcrawford@yahoo.com