Inspired by this issue’s survey, I sent 100 random ’93s the following prompt: “You win $5 million from the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes and the same day as that big Ed guy gives you the check, aliens land on the Earth and say they’re going to blow up the world in two days. What are you gonna do with the money?” Savvy filmgoers from the year we graduated high school will recognize this as the “lunchtime poll” from Heathers—and lo, folks responded!


Brandon Elliott says: “I now have three kids, Mason (12), Thomas (9) and Anna (6). In August I left Friess Associates after 10 good years trying to dodge market fluctuations and make money for clients invested in the Brandywine Funds. I have now jumped to the other side of the investment table and joined Consol Energy as VP of investor and public relations and have relocated my family to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It’s true this place is nuts about their Steelers—and their Penguins! As for the money and the world ending: one last good day of powder skiing or fly-fishing depending on the season the aliens arrive.”


Annie Edgerton has my favorite response, appealing to my taste buds: “I would bring everyone I love to a gorgeous deserted island in the tropics and we would stuff ourselves with amazing food and incredible wine until the world goes ‘Boom!’ I am currently doing yet another stint in Broadway’s Mamma Mia! and have continued with my Major League Baseball anthem quest—to date I’ve sung for 11 of the 30 teams, and hope to add six or eight more in 2011. Big Green baseball-lovers, keep your eyes peeled for me at a stadium near you! I am also having a ton of success in the wine business, primarily teaching classes and writing my blog: wineminx.blogspot.com. You can keep apprised of both projects on Facebook; my pages are ‘Annie Edgerton Anthem Quest’ and ‘Wine Minx.’ ”


Farrell Harwood includes a great defensive maneuver: “Pool the money with others to build something to destroy the aliens? Or go to Fiji with the family so we can enjoy some family time in the sun and go out with a tan and cosmo in hand. Nothing radically cool happening over here, but if any ’93s are in London, reach out so Dan Subin and I can show you a couple of our favorite pubs. If you don’t support Chelsea, don’t let Dan know.”


Andrea Greer has hope beyond the apocalypse: “Just in case the aliens changed their minds, I’d invest $2 million for my retirement, donate $1 million to the Sunflower County Freedom Project in Mississippi and start a foundation with the final $2 million. Two years into working for myself as a fundraising consultant for nonprofits I finally took a vacation and visited León, Nicaragua. Fantastic!”


Dan Foster also provided a great update: “Last spring I joined Lawyers Without Borders in Hartford, Connecticut, as senior counsel. I have spent most of my time working on a trial advocacy training program for lawyers and judges that we conducted in Monrovia, Liberia, in November. The Liberia program focused on human trafficking. We hope to return to Liberia to conduct a similar program next year and to continue our work in other countries in East and West Africa, but everything depends on obtaining funding. On a more personal note, my older daughter, who attended our graduation in ’93, is now at the Maryland Institute College of Art, and my younger one just started high school. Tempor fugit nimis.”


More next time—and send in your own response to the lunchtime poll!


—Jeffrey Middents, 505 Ethan Allen Ave., Takoma Park, MD 20912; dartmouth93@gmail.com