Class Notes 1981

When we started our collective Dartmouth experience, we were young, bright, optimistic, and true. Honest curiosity motivated us. The College, at its initiation, resonated the same spirit. With patina, transcendent truths remain. We are one.

In an effort to reflect on ties that bind us in our personal 60th year and the College’s 250th year, your class executive committee initiated an email-based approach named the Big Questions Series; first one: What moment would you re-experience? The response of Linda Gundal was, “Spontaneously a feeling came to mind. I had just finished playing an interdormitory water polo game. It was nighttime. I was walking alone across the Green back to my dorm, hair still a bit wet, weather cold, crisp, and clear. And a moment of freshness and belonging overwhelmed me and felt just perfect.” Allison Pingel Cooley had a few: “My first meeting with my freshman roomie, Nancy Kopsco Rader, at Hinman Hall. I was flooded with relief since I immediately realized she was the stuff of dreams, not of nightmares.” And “necking with my future husband (class of ’77) at Occom Pond.” Michael Holmes responded that a highlight of his college experience was the night he was tapped for Casque & Gauntlet: “We all had our little corners, but this felt like campus-wide recognition. That meant something.” Two members recalled Moosilauke. Dave Focardi recalls “my freshman trip summit was so clear we could see the Green Mountains in Vermont. Though I’ve had many summits since, none were that clear.” Chip Bettencourt noted the warm post-freshman trip feeling of “walking into Moosilauke Ravine Lodge.” Jon Herron wrote, “Sitting down to dinner backstage with the Grateful Dead before their concert while working as a cook and stage crew freshman fall.” In terms of further exciting moments, Steve Pignatiello recalls “the day John Rassias asked me to be his teaching assistant in Blois, France, for the spring 1980 term.” We all owe a great debt to our teachers, but there is a special debt Vaughn Halyard owes to recently named chairman of mathematics at Oregon State University Bill Bogley. Apparently, Bill’s assistance with Math 3 freshman year eliminated the “very good chance I would be graduating this week from a community college somewhere in Wisconsin.” The experience aided Bill also, since he has earned numerous graduate and undergraduate teaching awards and developed one of the first-in-the-world web-based courses in differential calculus called CalculusQuest.

In “give a rouse” news, our co-presidents Pat Berry and Robert Goldbloom were awarded the 2018 Class President of the Year Award and our very own Lynne Hamel Gaudet was honored at Homecoming as an Alumni Award winner. Bob Gaudet was inducted into the New Hampshire Legends of Hockey Hall of Fame just a few weeks earlier.

Stay tuned for the next installment question for our Big Questions Series, and respond as many times as you wish or write to us spontaneously. Long live the inspired.

—Emil Miskovsky, 520 Seneca St., Suite 312, Utica, NY 13502; (802) 345-9861; emilmiskovsky@gmail.com; Veronica Wessels, 224 Buena Vista Road, Rockcliffe, ON K1M0V7, Canada; (613) 864-4491; vcwessels@rogers.com

The granite of New Hampshire may be in our muscles and our brains, but we all have amazing heart and soul as evidenced by the astounding acts of the past few months. Our very own Annette Gordon-Reed ended her eight-year tenure as a member of the board of trustees with a wonderful smile and a statement of devotion saying “what an honor to be asked to serve, and to serve.” She oversaw the distribution of the precious big “D” parchment to our palindromic pair class of ’18, some of whom have proud parents in our class, including Barnes Darwin, Jane Alexander, Robert Webb, Cathy Haley Rost, Grace Macomber Bird, Tom McGonagle and Anne Hallager McGonagle, David Edelson,and Annabelle Brainard Canning. Also getting measured for the lone pine robes of the trustees is the highly distinguished Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, who is the executive director of the global digital policy incubator at Stanford University Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. Eileen joins classmates Bill Burgess and chair Laurel Richie on the board.

On the Fairfield University campus David Frassinelli was honored with the Distinguished Faculty/Administrator Award. He is the vice president of facilities management and oversees campus operations as well as capital planning and construction. He has overseen the construction or renovation of more than 500,000 square feet of campus facilities that include a stadium, residential buildings, a dining hall, a center for nursing and health sciences, parking garages, and now a new $42-million school of business. He obtained a master’s in finance from Fairfield in 1992.

Down in Virginia Yvonne Howell is professor of Russian at the University of Richmond. She enjoys the music scene with her husband, Carter Blough ’76, who is a bass player in several bands there. Her next book is a translation of a “Russian feel-good book” called Moments of Happiness.

In Bourges, France, nearly 40 years after her 1979 language study abroad trip, Julie Koeninger rekindled relations with her host family in the shadows of the cathedral. She shared this family one term later with Sharon Washington, and they recalled the interesting 10-kilometer journey each morning on bike for Julie and moped for Sharon. The “memories came flooding back” for Sharon, who recalled the incredible home-cooked meals and the daily visits to the patisserie. I personally recall the speedy, intrepid mobilette driver Sharon weaving through traffic to get to classes as I hoofed it through farm fields along the river, casting my fly rod, if I had time! The College’s “spell on them remains” indeed.

Send news, or we will have to put on our creative caps.

—Emil Miskovsky, 520 Seneca St., Suite 312, Utica, NY 13502; (802) 345-9861; emilmiskovsky@gmail.com; Veronica Wessels, 224 Buena Vista Road, Rockcliffe, ON K1M0V7, Canada; (613) 864-4491; vcwessels@rogers.com

“Remember, in the years ahead, you are not alone. It is the special quality of the Dartmouth family that in times of need, we will rally behind its members. Use your very, very considerable talents to make this a more compassionate world for all of us….For all mankind is your brother, and you are your brother’s [and sister’s!] keeper.” Inspired by this charge to our class by President John Kemeny at our graduation, along with compassionate networks created by our fellow Dartmouth classes, Chris Morrison, Anne Scott-Putney and Polly Duncan Collum are spearheading an initiative called Compassio ’81, to create a group of volunteers to support classmates who are undergoing challenging life events, such as a serious illness for themselves or in their family. Chris writes, “The mission of Compassio ’81 is to connect classmates who are seeking advice about something outside of their knowledge area with those more knowledgeable and to help set up support groups around issues our classmates are concerned about.” He and the Compassio ’81 team encourage all classmates to consider getting involved to share their talents and experience in support of fellow ’81s. Take a look at the ’81 class web page and click on “Compassio ’81” for more information. Give a rouse indeed!

Kinetics matter. Philip J. Gibbs left the corporate world and joined the New York City Fire Department from 1990 to 2010. He drew similarities between the purposeful life of firefighting and his experience at Dartmouth, stating in a recent DAM article that both experiences made him feel “comfortable, happy, part of something good. I’ve always felt the two are much more similar than they would seem.”

We may have to engage song writers to come up with a rendition of “As the backs go tearing by” for the Big Green hockey team since their leader Bob Gaudet recently reached the 300 wins at Dartmouth mark. The team talent level and esprit de corps continues to impress. Well done, Coach!

To the dismay of many of our era, there appears to be a need to resurrect passion for snow sculpture construction on campus. A Winter Carnival sculpture did appear this season, but aficionados such as our own Mitchell Arion have continued the construction of significant oeuvres for many years after graduation. Our nature, our tradition, our fellowship.

I understand how consumed with life’s demands and challenges we all are, but consider a reset and reach out to others, including your class secretaries and other members of the class, perhaps also via the Compassio ’81 route.

—Emil Miskovsky, 520 Seneca St., Suite 312, Utica, NY, 13502; (802) 345-9861; emilmiskovsky@gmail.com; Veronica Wessels, 224 Buena Vista Road, Rockcliffe, ON K1M0V7, Canada; (613) 864-4491; vcwessels@rogers.com

As I write this column, the splendorous autumn colors grace all surfaces outside. Variations of amber and scarlet replace previously omnipresent, unripe verdancy. Especially on the Hanover Plain, sugar maples surge with radiant hues, replicating the energy we all experienced each fall while blessed to be undergrads there. Reality of Terra Firma and spirit of alma mater join.

The two have joined this football season to produce historic success on the gridiron. Devout fan Toby Reiley continues his run of organizing Dartmouth tent events. He was seen with Dawn Decker, Nancy Baskin, Jody (Awad) Evans and his wonderful wife, Sally Ankeny Reiley, at the Harvard game and earlier in the month with Kim Young, Betsy Brew, Pat Berry and Bob Van Wetter. Sally has recently finished her fifth sub-3:38 marathon in Chicago, raising funds for ALS research. This year’s finish at the Boston marathon was 3:29 on her way to raising $132,000 for eye research. All of these “runs” were completed this decade; inspired am I.

Earlier in the fall in Boston our own Peter Oudheusden and Danielle Dyer lit up the course at the Head of the Charles crew race on a beautiful Saturday morning, resplendent in awesome Big Green gear. The ranks of ’81s who have been honored as Wearers of the Green expanded to include Anthony Desir, who continues to roll the dice by playing rugby to this day. Remarkable.

Not to be too proud or anything, but class officer props went to the class officers of ’81s and ’82s for an outstanding fall mini-reunion last year. It was a spectacle and, to be honest, we should do it a lot more often. There is great joy in getting back together, or meeting for the first time, at these events.

Elizabeth Wang has worked her mini-reunion magic again, this time to the Civil War Manassas Battlefield (Bull Run). She was joined by Betsy Slotnick Rubinstein, Beth Shapiro Lewyckyi, Kathy Kiernan and Tom Kiernan. A winery tour followed for some. For all of you in the D.C.-to-N.Y.C. corridor, pay attention to the class of ’81 newsletter for more events.

Doug Bates represented the class at the inaugural public opening of the Ravine Lodge at Moosilauke. He took in the first dinner, overnight and breakfast. From all accounts, it is highly energy efficient and architecturally enticing. A long way from the original and sounds like a destination spot for sure. Many classmates made lifelong friendships there, such as Grace Macomber Bird and Anne Hallager McGonagle.

Regretfully, professor Vincent Starzinger passed from this earth September 6, 2017. There are few of us who were not touched by the force of intellect and awesome discipline known respectfully as “Zinger.” His prophetic insights into the politics of the center (middlingness) are worth reexamination.

Buoyancy, fluidity, equanimity and joy to you all. Please reach out to all of us through the class of ’81 Facebook page or directly to Vee or myself via email or snail mail.

—Emil Miskovsky, 77 Bates St., Suite 202, Lewiston, ME 04240; (802) 345-9861; emilmiskovsky@gmail.com; Veronica Wessels, 224 Buena Vista Road, Rockcliffe, ON K1M0V7, Canada; (613) 864-4491; vcwessels@rogers.com

Our 81st day virtual Facebook reunion was a huge success. Classmates from far and wide participated by sending greetings, photos and updates. Even those without Facebook found ways to communicate, including through our new class news email address, d.81.news@gmail.com. Check out our latest class newsletter for extensive coverage of this fun event.

John Sconzo reports that a great time was had by all who attended the Magic Mountain mini-reunion during St. Patrick’s Day weekend. The weather was perfect, having benefitted from the blizzard just prior and some gorgeous sunshine with moderate temperatures. John skied and dined with Ted Hibben, Geoff Hatheway and Greg Hale and family members. A sequel is being planned for next year.

David Carradini sent this update from Ashburn, Virginia. “I’ve been blessed with an adventurous life: after Dartmouth a stretch at a law firm in N.Y.C., followed by Yale Divinity School, then work in upstate New York with Rick Bellows, several years at AT&T, five years in Spain studying philosophy and theology and teaching English as a second language, time with my family in Oklahoma, several years in Washington, D.C., that included teaching religion at an all-boys school, attempting a turnaround of an independent primary school, eight-plus years in the faith-based initiative under Presidents Bush and Obama and three years as head of a diocesan high school in Rhode Island. All this work has given me rich perspective on the challenges and opportunities faced by everyone who lives in the United States and throughout the world. I look back with particular pride and joy on my time in the initiative, as there I learned about the crushing poverty and inequities experienced by so many of our brothers and sisters in this country, as well as solutions, programs and initiatives that can really work. During our current distress I’ve been honored to be in dialogue with so many of our classmates, sharing perspectives on issues that affect us all. We have an amazing class and I am honored to be part of it. President Kemeny’s words still ring in my ears: ‘Men and women of Dartmouth, all mankind is your brother and you are your brother’s keeper.’ May we be worthy of that commitment.”

Brent West writes that all is well in Maine, where he works at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works as the program director for the design and construction of three Zumwalt Class destroyers for the Navy. He enjoys exercise and travel as well as spending down time at his camp on Worthley Pond in Peru, Maine, and at the family cottage on Lake Michigan.

Jim Kinealy has been honored by the Massachusetts Medical Society as the 2017 recipient of the Special Award for Excellence in Medical Service, an award recognizing a physician who has made a distinguished demonstration of compassion and dedication to the medical needs of his or her patients and the general public. Congratulations, Jim!

Happy summer to all and please remember to send us your news!

—Veronica Wessels, 224 Buena Vista Road, Rockcliffe, ON K1M0V7, Canada; (613) 864-4491; vcwessels@rogers.com; Emil Miskovsky, 77 Bates St., Suite 202, Lewiston, ME 04240; (802) 345-9861; emilmiskovsky@gmail.com

The winter season finally resembled the “back in the day” 1980s style. Heavy drifts were the norm and there were plenty of school “snow days.” Now we rise. Spring sparks the interest of all of us.

Tickets to the new National Museum of African American History and Culture in D.C. are sold out for three months, but our own Elizabeth Wang wrangled enough for 12 classmates and their family members for a rousing mini-reunion tour. By all accounts the information was edifying and thought provoking, “sobering, yet hopeful.” She retired recently from the World Bank and promises to continue her mini-reunion activities in the D.C. to N.Y.C. corridor, so stay tuned. 

Doug Harrison traveled up by train from eastern North Carolina with his wife to take in a Shakespeare play and dovetailed in the mini-reunion. Each semester he writes checks to Northwestern University, where his daughter studies. Through her he relives his own college experience and recognizes the importance of mind-opening discussions late into the night with fellow New Hampshire dorm mates. And so it was also with his visit to the museum. He is a practicing general surgeon and recently completed a Dartmouth Institute health policy program. Frank Broner, proudly sporting a Big Green ski team jacket, brought his 86-year-old mother and his family to the event. His high school senior son, who kicks 65-yard field goals, raved about the quality of the food on the top floor. Frank’s two other children are Middlebury graduates, and so was his father, which Frank says makes him the “green sheep” of the family. Others who made the trip are Thomas Duke, Gregg Ramm, Judy Stagg, Jill Martin, Juliette Rossant, Jeff Meer, Beth Shapiro Lewyckyi, Pat Berry and Jim T. Pearson.

Anne and Tom McGonagle chaired the first fundraiser outside New England for the Kelly Brush Foundation, devoted to supporting ski race safety and specialized sports equipment for disabled athletes. In a spectacular site in downtown Denver, the event was an instant mini-reunion. Many ’81s were on the organizational committee and many of their children helped out before, during and after the event. Grace Macomber Bird traveled from Boston, where she and her family are involved with the same organization and other programs benefitting ski racing programs. Tim Itin and Bob Van Wetter represented the financial services sector and Betsy Brew gave the general surgery perspective. Others supporting the cause included John Haroldson, who traveled from his home in eastern North Carolina and can still ski the back bowls at Vail, Colorado. Local Coloradans showed up with broad smiles, including Amy Beringer, who lives in Boulder, and Kevin Lewis. There was much dancing and appreciation of music. We have much to be thankful for. Please keep the mini-reunions rolling! Veronica and I would love to hear from you.

—Emil Miskovsky, 77 Bates St., Suite 202, Lewiston, ME 04240; (802) 345-9861; emilmiskovsky@gmail.com; Veronica Wessels, 224 Buena Vista Road, Rockcliffe, ON K1M0V7, Canada; (613) 748-6248; vcwessels@rogers.com

Newsflash: The epic ’81-’82 reunion during Homecoming weekend was the envy of the campus. Our own class leaders Robert Goldbloom and Pat Berry inspired this get-together along with erudite ’82s. Supreme kudos to the organizers Sally Ankeny Reiley, Lynne Gaudet and John Sconzo. Toby Reiley served up 17 gallons of chili (Lee Carson a prominent evaluator) and we broke records for involvement in the Friday parade. Aside from class officers, confirmed sightings included Bob Spears, Pam Donovan and Jake Gehret, Paul Kinson, Caroline Rudd, Nadine Pearce, Wendy Harris, Bob Crowe, Thomas Duke, Lydia Herman Lazar, Blair Tucker Gilman, Peter Little, Fraser Smith, Cathy Haley Rost, Byron Boston, Sue Reed, Betsy Rubenstein, Claudia Sweeneny Weed, George Alexakos, Lizzie Eldridge, Tony Brand, Jim Delisle, Jerry Pierce, Lon Povich, Dan Evans, David Edelson, Dave Shula, Chris Niehaus, Pete Weller, Susan Adler Funk, Kent and Cathy Whitaker, Mark Brown, Niels Sokol, Frank Ryan, Richard Page, Ellen Brout Lindsey, Tim Phillips, Kate Silberman, Su-Moon Paik, Marty Cetron, Steve Quatrano, Alain Moureaux, Charlie Craig, Tom Waterman, Sally Weldon, Laura Barbuto DeAngelo, Randall Bodner, Kirk Wilson, Mark Davis, Bill Burgess, Tony Shaw and Scott von Eschen. The bonfire glinted off the freshly replaced copper roofing of Baker library and tower despite the cool drizzle. Kevin Kerin led a hike up the Dartmouth Skiway, there was a smackdown crew race between classes and a sartorially splendorous evening gathering at the DOC House felt so right, complete with dance moves that could injure. “A wonderful celebration of all things Dartmouth” was the sweet refrain.

Best performance of the Homecoming weekend goes to proud parents Tom and Anne McGonagle’s daughter Morgan, who was awarded player of the match in the women’s rugby victory.

Reunion in Rio? That’s what Martin Weinstein did with his college track coach at the Olympics. Martin went to law school and his coach went on to become the head coach for the U.S. team. The statement, “I think I made the right choice,” is a gauge of his humility. Certain U.S. swim team members might have sought out Martin for his legal advice but that is on the down low. Dean Lodmell and Shawn O’Neil also had fond remembrances of their coach—something about silliness and driving him crazy at times.

We seem to be getting better in many ways. People such as Rahn Flemming make the world a much better place. He is a highly prized educator and coach at Champlain Valley Union High School in Vermont and the father of two college-graduating, football-playing, straight-out scholars.

’Tis the season and if you have not heard it enough, make it an attitude adjustment choice and say, “Have a happy, happy and a merry, merry,” to all around you and the guy/gal in the mirror. Veronica and I care very much to hear from you in any format that you choose.

—Emil Miskovsky, 77 Bates St., Suite 202, Lewiston, ME 04240; (802) 345-9861; emilmiskovsky@gmail.com; Veronica Wessels, 224 Buena Vista Road, Rockcliffe, ON K1M0V7, Canada; (613) 748-6248; vcwessels@rogers.com
 

Floral patterns and the agrarian cycle govern our thoughts at the time of writing this column in mid June. We are a group of remontants, forever re-blooming.

Whether it is the celebration of multi-decade relationships, career transitions, the births of grandchildren (gulp!) or the graduations of middle schoolers through medical schoolers, our callings mature, diversify and refocus. The expressions of glee prevail now: smiles as great as when we were younger, lingering vestiges of a bygone era perhaps, but for many of us some of the most balanced and truthful happiness of our time.

David Shula was at it again, pushing the envelope of age and physiology by competing in a triathlon not only against father time but also his Dartmouth-era mates (James Rill, Joe McLaughlin, Shaun Teevens ’82) who competed as a team against him.

Medical assistance was provided by Robert Higgins, who did not appear to have gone through the same rigorous athletic training, but whose smile in pictures deserves splendid praise. Give a rouse for the work of Allen Hance, who directs the engaged scholarship student program at Brown University. The mission is to couple academic work with real-life social change.

In the “loyal sons and daughters of Dartmouth” realm, Howard Morse serves as the chairman and highly entertaining emcee of the Daniel Webster Award for meritorious public service for the D.C. area Dartmouth club. This year’s awardee was none other than freshly minted U.S. Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning ’90, who credited our own Abner Oakes for his own highly meritorious actions in the heat of battle to learn the art and mechanics of essay writing when he was a middle schooler. Abner, it does not get any better than that for a teacher. Jill Martin Eichner, Beth Shapiro Lewyckyi and Tom Duke were in attendance, along with the other 130 alumni at the storied Army and Navy Club.

To most of us, to run a marathon is nearly equivalent to running “the girdled earth,” but to Sally Ankeny Riley and her two daughters (Julia and Heather) and Ted Hibben, this was a joyous run about town in the most recent Boston marathon in which Sally placed eighth in her age group. On top of that, team Ankeny Riley earned $42,000 for Massachusetts Eye and Ear.

It is with a heavy granite heart but a tremendous amount of pride that I report that our own Lynne Gaudet is officially retiring from alumni relations at the College. Danielle Dyer wrote a fantastic Dr. Seuss-inspired poem that encapsulates how many of us feel about our classmate: “No one could be kinder, dedication defines her, she’s a team player, the best Dartmouth portrayer.”

Plan to make the trip to campus for our upcoming reunion in October with the class of ’82. The tentative schedule is listed in the most recent class newsletter. If you have news of yourself or others, send an email or text to your loyal secretaries.

—Emil Miskovsky, 77 Bates St., Suite 202, Lewiston, ME 04240; (802) 345-9861; emilmiskovsky@gmail.com; Veronica Wessels, 224 Buena Vista Road, Rockcliffe, ON K1M0V7, Canada; (613) 748-6248; vcwessels@rogers.com

Spring will be a welcome arrival for all of us, but especially those in the regions of N.Y.C. and Washington, D.C., where it is said that the price was cheap for the makings of snowmen, something about supply and demand curves, win-win outcomes and such. Nevertheless, the top 1 percent and the bottom majority all experienced equally the joy of the dumping that slowed the heat of the political debates with a loud hissing sound, briefly.

The spirit of vox clamantis in deserto is alive and well for Dave Focardi, who writes, “I went on a trip to Bhutan in November with Phil deRiemer, a kayak guide I happen to work with doing tortoise surveys in the Mojave Desert. While there, we did (the very) first descent of the Sonam section of the Kuri Chu River.” Now the word sonam means “good luck coming from living a good life,” but honestly, attacking numerous rapids at the class IV+ level seems more like testing your luck. Around the girdled earth indeed. Vociferous may be the tone of happenings in the beautiful hamlet of Atherton, California, where our own politico in residence Mike Lempres has been elected vice mayor in a not so contentious election. Literal life can be dangerous. The phrase “granite in their muscles and their brains” may have been expressed more dangerously than is appropriate for our age recently by skiing trainers Vaughn Halyard and Tim Itin. Well-natured William Jenkins was taken from bunny hill to back bowl in a matter of hours, not completely with his consent. No matter. He survived and now knows the power of the granite force in his life. Others were in attendance and may have complicit responsibility, including Marc Belton, Paul Yelder, Bob Van Wetter. Bill summed it up succinctly: “Don’t let them fool you. These clowns tried to kill me.” More fodder for reunions, we suppose.

Elliott Davis always knew how to throw a great ’tails party but now he has developed an exclusive venue: his own craft distillery and tasting room, named Mine Hill Distillery, centered in the circa 1872 Roxbury, Connecticut, train station. The project is a “historic restoration of four buildings with a cool 21st-century look inside.” Stopping by to sip is encouraged.

Finally, we have great news. Do you remember the Oscar acceptance speech of Sally Fields when she said, “This means you like me, you really like me,” or Barbra Streisand’s, “Hello, gorgeous”? Well, both are a propos for the next offering: There will be a reunion of ’81s and ’82s during Homecoming Weekend (October 28-30) in Hanover. There will be a dinner with dancing Saturday night (29th) at the DOC House and many other activities. Let’s be honest, it’s Homecoming vs. Harvard, you must go, so get a Sharpie and let’s pen that in our calendars right now.

Veronica and I welcome input from all of you for this column; please email us your news, we would be delighted to share it.

—Emil Miskovsky, 77 Bates St., Suite 202, Lewiston, ME 04240; (802) 345-9861; emilmiskovsky@gmail.com; Veronica Wessels, 224 Buena Vista Road, Rockcliffe, ON K1M0V7, Canada; (613) 748-6248; vcwessels@rogers.com

Straddling the good vibration moments of the recent reunion and the Thanksgiving through Christmas holidays, I see you for what you are collectively: brilliant, joyous, fun and enriching. We are blessed to have each other, to connect soulfully around the resplendent memories of polychromatic fall foliage, the crispness of an early morning dip in the Connecticut River, the invigoration of a rapid descent on crusty snow and now in new ways, after we have returned from afar. Yes, you do motivate still.

From the region of form and function, James Rill has found his stride with award-winning architectural projects in the Washington, D.C., area, including masterful renovations. In the category of “as the backs go tearing by,” Interamerica Group’s Jerry Pierce continues to share his talent and vibrant smile rounding up the likes of Mark Brown, Jeff Walters, Tom Duke, Beth Shapiro Lewyckyj, Joe McLaughlin, Howard Morse, Greg Jaeger, Terry Bonus, Martin Weinstein and Fred Koberna for a raucous tailgate prior to the inaugural Dartmouth-Georgetown football game. Glory to Dartmouth is indeed a sweet refrain and also happens to be the modus operandi for Houston, Texas-based Barnes Darwin and his wife, Pam, who seem to be omnipresent at all the momentous on-campus events, sharing spectacular images of the Homecoming bonfire as well as choice shots of the Green from reunion. It is no surprise to any of us that the Johns Hopkins Hospital welcomed our own Robert Higgins as the chairman of surgery, long may he reign. There is no doubt that green machines are flowing at the Pat Berry household after her momentous acceptance of the Dartmouth Alumni Award.

John Sconzo is an outstanding anesthesiologist in Glens Falls, New York, but truth be known he has a serious avocation for fine food and drink, including a blog focused on tricks of preparation and spectacular photographs. The high-end N.Y.C. apartment renovation scene has welcomed Julie Whitney for her innate abilities and aptitude. As of the end of September, the Tony Award-winning musical Jersey Boys surpassed Miss Saigon for the 12th longest running show in Broadway history with original cast member Mark Lotito, who also has credits in television for NYPD Blue and Law & Order. St. Louis, Missouri, native Byron Boston is now living in Virginia, where he is president, CEO and co-chief investment officer for Dynex Capitol. Byron and his son are card-carrying fly fishermen, so the trout of the Dartmouth Grant have been duly warned. In the same vein, the inseparable co-cardiologist pair of Maribeth Hourihan and Thomas Ryan has been bitten by the same fly-fishing bug. L.L. Bean, here we come.

This time of year is for personal reflection and renewal. Let’s reach out and share our collective spirit. Involve yourself in mini-reunions. Veronica and I welcome your input here. I am sad to report that Dana Walsh has passed away in Hawaii.

—Emil Miskovsky, 77 Bates St., Suite 202, Lewiston, ME 04240; (802) 345-9861; emilmiskovsky@gmail.com; Veronica Wessels, 224 Buena Vista Road, Rockcliffe, ON K1M0V7, Canada; (613) 748-6248; vcwessels@rogers.com

This is the last Class Notes column I write. Brian Cusack and I are moving on to greater things. As a direct result of our stint as co-secretaries, Brian has been tapped as the next editor-in-chief of The Boston Globe and I have been asked to head several Pulitzer Prize juries.

It is hard to come back to reality after our 35th reunion. “Best reunion ever” was the most common refrain heard as the weekend winded down. If you were there, you knew. If not, just ask anyone who went. It was so much fun, and our class is such a great group of people to hang out with. We owe a huge thank you to reunion chair Rick Silverman, who inspired a terrific group of classmates on the reunion committee, worked alongside them at every step and was a masterful master of ceremonies. Special thanks also to Lynne Gaudet, who orchestrated the event programming and food, and to Claudia Sweeney Weed, who as reunion treasurer had to keep tabs on more than you can imagine.

I wish I could’ve done everything, but of course there were many simultaneous events. Some of the highest of the highlights for me were witnessing an amazing TEDx panel (see our class website), gathering for a class photo in front of Dartmouth Hall, posing on the Richardson steps with four classes of Rapiers for an encore taunt of “Hey Wheeler, you suck!” and hanging out at the tent every night till after midnight. The weekend’s most poignant moment was hearing a replay of Kemeny’s Commencement address at Saturday’s dinner on the Bema. We sat in rapt attention just as we did 34 years ago, but this time the message struck even deeper.

It is always good to see old friends. But it was a testament to the pervasive spirit of camaraderie to have so many great conversations with classmates I met for the first time. (At least I think it was the first time—maybe at our 55th reunion I’ll think I’m meeting everyone for the first time.) I chatted with Kim Dunn, who came from Alaska with her daughters, and Mark Uhrynuk, who came from Hong Kong with his. I talked turkey with Lydia Herman Lazar about university fundraising challenges and with Sue Nutt about N.Y.C. architecture. I had fun talking to Bill Brown, Steve Quatrano and Tom Conner. I am certain that Tom Ryan and Maribeth Hourihan must be the world’s hippest couple of cardiologists. I got to know Cathy Haley Rost, who created magic on a limited decorations budget, and Polly Duncan Collum, who conducted a beautiful memorial service for departed classmates. And I finally disclosed the truth to Jeff Kemp about the bizarre living room shrine of Kemp family portraits maintained by my parents when I was a boy.

Veronica Wessels and Emil Miskovsky are taking over as your new co-secretaries. Be good to them by sending lots of news. And I may just have a Pulitzer waiting for them.

—Robert Goldbloom, 324 Warburton Ave., Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706; (914) 231-5117; robertgoldbloom@gmail.com; Brian Cusack, 26 Ocean Ave., Marblehead, MA 01945; (617) 710-7228; briancusack13@gmail.com

Between the time I write this and the time you read this we will have had an unprecedented 17 mini-reunions around the country in tandem with the classes of ’80 and ’79. The number of our classmates who volunteered to make these mini-reunions happen is truly impressive. Many of them have never hosted or helped organize a mini-reunion before. Take Tom and Anne McGonagle, for instance. They volunteered to host a mini-reunion at their house in spite of its dual function as a Dartmouth skiing lodge. Bob Van Wetter and Betsy Brew offered to lend a hand. (They also recently joined the McGonagles at CarniVail along with Tim Itin.) Chris Toll pitched in too. By the way, Chris and Howard Morse were spotted at the Dartmouth Lawyers Association (DLA) midwinter meeting (in Telluride, Colorado—sounds very serious!). Howard, who heads Cooley’s antitrust practice in D.C., just assumed the DLA presidency (earlier held by Chris).


Jerry ’80 and Gay Macomber Bird flew in from Boston to visit the McGonagles a couple weeks earlier—the skiing foursome heading up to Beaver Creek to watch the world championships, with Gay “hanging around afterward for a bit of knee surgery.” (Hmm, perhaps my knee could use a little touch-up, too.) The Birds likewise signed on to help put a mini-reunion together in Boston. 


It was good to hear from Kevin Kerin after he was corralled into promoting the mini-reunion at the DOC house. Living in a parallel universe (on the other side of Vermont) is Peter Weller, who just like Kevin is a doctor at Central Vermont Hospital, married to a doctor, a hobby farmer who enjoys mountain hikes and (most importantly!) volunteered to help promote a local mini-reunion (in Burlington, Vermont). 


In case you’re wondering what all the mini-reunion hype was about, the master plan is to inspire you to make it to Hanover in June for our joint 35th reunion. This is the last notes column you’ll get before reunion. For those of you who are already planning to be there, I am really looking forward to seeing you. For those of you who haven’t yet decided to go, what is your problem!? Our nests are emptying and our careers are starting to wind down. How are you going to spend some of that emerging extra time? Shouldn’t a big part of the answer be “with friends”? Reunion is the perfect time to reestablish friendships and to create new ones. Surely by now you must appreciate how rare it is to find people who are not only bright, well-rounded, talented and energetic, but who also share the values of integrity and trust that Dartmouth instilled in us. Perhaps the best thing Dartmouth offered us was each other. For all you who wish you’d gotten to know more classmates at Dartmouth, it’s not too late! Come to reunion and you just might be amazed.


P.S.: Susan Spencer rocks: multiple New England Newspaper & Press Association award-winner, including New England Newspaper Reporter of the Year! Congratulations!


—
Robert Goldbloom
, 324 Warburton Ave., Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706; (914) 231-5117; robertgoldbloom@gmail.com;
Brian Cusack
, 26 Ocean Ave., Marblehead, MA 01945; (617) 710-7228; briancusack13@gmail.com


Getting a recent note from Steve Kroll was like a ray of sunshine. He has moved to Boca Raton, Florida! Well, actually his job lawyering for Cancer Treatment Centers of America has relocated there. The rest of his life hasn’t quite caught up yet. He is flying back most weekends to Winnetka, Illinois, where his daughter is a high school senior and his wife hangs out with Rob Oldfield’s better half while Steve is away. And he is keeping in touch with classmates: “My wife and I are attending the wedding of Alice and Shep Burr’s oldest daughter in Washington, D.C. And Ben Knox played with me in our golf club’s annual member-guest event. We both played poorly.” [Note to self: Don’t accept any future golf invitations from Steve.] “Ben is enjoying life in the Tri-Cities area of Tennessee, where he maintains an active orthopedics practice and lives with his wife and two daughters on the sixth fairway of a really great golf course in the mountains.”


Guess who came to our class’s recent joint mini-reunion with the ’79s and ’80s at Homecoming? Yes! Vince Pollard! What a rare treat it was to see him and knock back a couple of bourbon and ciders together. Vince was in the midst of a Northeast college tour with Liam, No. 2 of the three sons he and Shika have raised in Indianapolis. 


I actually got to see 25 classmates at that Homecoming mini-reunion. Kudos to Cathy McGrath ’80 and Bill Mitchell ’79, who did more than their share [translation: more than my share] in pulling it off. 


I met three classmates for the first time. One was Chris Andrews, who lives on the New Hampshire coast and was kind enough to answer all my questions about the engineering profession. 


Another was Arthur Hutton. He lives in New York and runs a commercial real estate appraisal business. Note to Lisa Fritz Burditt: Arthur’s kids are only 12 and 10. [Lisa, who is cloistered in Princeton with four teenage boys, felt certain that no other ’81s had younger kids than her 12-year-old.] Anyway, Arthur stopped by the mini-reunion tent with his buddy since freshman year, Ray Woolson, the two having been arrested by the sight of the class tent sporting the new ’81 banner designed by Gail Chen. Ray came all the way from Roanoke, Virginia, for a Homecoming family reunion with his parents and siblings, including his dad, Raymond ’55, and brother Tyler ’85. 


And the third was Annabelle Brainard Canning, who is already my new best friend. Annabelle has just volunteered to host a mini-reunion in Philadelphia this year with her husband, Doug ’79.


And let’s all give a big ’81 rouse for Danielle Dyer, who just received the Alumni Award for longstanding meritorious service to the College on a magical night surrounded by family and friends. Danielle recounts, “We had a great crowd of ’81s there: Julie Koeninger, Jenny Toolin McAuliffe, Karen Calby, Dave Edelson, Lynne and Bobby Gaudet; it was so much fun!”


—
Robert Goldbloom
, 324 Warburton Ave., Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706; (914) 231-5117; robertgoldbloom@gmail.com;
Brian Cusack
, 26 Ocean Ave., Marblehead, MA 01945; (617) 710-7228; briancusack13@gmail.com


Greg Clow writes in: “I had the chance to get together with Andy Churchill and Jeff Gundlach in February for a reunion of Hitchcock hall mates. Andy was in L.A. from Amherst, Massachusetts, and I drove down from San Francisco to meet Jeff in Santa Monica, California. Jeff was an excellent host, we had a great time and Santa Monica was beautiful.


“In June my wife, Kathleen, and I were in New York for my Tuck E.E. class mini-reunion—of which Lisa Sanders was a part. Lisa is balancing her time between New York and L.A. as she runs the Ronin Digital Group, her studio for video games, interactive, animation and visual effects.


“For myself, I finished getting our house in California on the market and in April made the move to Boise, Idaho. The family was already in place in our new home when I arrived. Great to be all together again! In January, on one of my shuttle trips back and forth, I had the chance to share a beer with Mack Lyons, a Boise native, who gave me the lowdown and instructed me not to let the rest of the world know what a fabulous place this is.” [Oops!]


“If there are any other ’81s in the vicinity, or traveling through, be sure to get in touch.”


I got to exchange home-and-away visits with Tucker Gilman. He gave my son and me the insider’s tour of Hollywood when we were in L.A. and the next month he stayed at our house when he had business in N.Y.C. Tucker runs a real estate management company with his wife and also does frequent consulting gigs. 


I heard from Peter Caron, who says, “Life in Seattle is great. I still love this place. No intention of ever moving.” Pete is road and mountain biking, rollerblading, hiking, forest clearing and trail making. And his goal is to keep skiing until he’s at least 75. “Then I’ll hit the pool!” I guess some of us run in a higher gear. Personally, I’m just hoping to keep swimming until I’m 75 and then hit the bridge table. 


Mark Hansson just finished a very challenging stretch recently. If you’ve been enjoying the series Masters of Sex or The Last Ship on TV this summer, you can thank Mark for his work as first assistant director on both of those shows. 


Etienne Boillot is now back in the States after spending a few years in Spain with his family that he says were great. He already misses the wine, the beaches, the hills and the soccer. 


All’s well in Budapest for Steve Oakes. “I’m working on the second edition of Speakout. The first edition is doing well and I’ve had a few fun promo trips along the way, most recently Turkey. My daughter’s 4 1/2 now, alternating between being a charming angel and a total terror.” Let’s hope we get to see both sides of her at our reunion next June.


—
Robert Goldbloom
, 324 Warburton Ave., Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706; (914) 231-5117; robertgoldbloom@gmail.com;
Brian Cusack
, 26 Ocean Ave., Marblehead, MA 01945; (617) 710-7228; briancusack13@gmail.com


This is my hardest Class Notes to write. I’ve procrastinated much worse than usual, and the deadline is only a few hours away. Fortunately, however, I recently made it to Homecoming Weekend for the first time in several years. It was a great time, not least because I got to see so many ’81s. There were 39 of us there!
I admit that I was tempted to go for a new record for most classmates mentioned in a 500-word Class Notes column by naming all 39. But that would not exactly make for interesting reading. So I’ll just mention a smattering of the immense turnout including those I hadn’t seen for a long time or just met for the first time. You see, I was actually a hermit till junior year, when I started hanging out with the likes of Tim Phillips. Seeing “Lips” is always a highlight of any event, and Homecoming was no exception. Then I met football guys like Joe McLaughlin and Terry Bonus. Susanne Strong was back on campus for first time since graduation. She recently moved back to her native New Hampshire and is teaching. I finally met Betsy Field and Su-Moon Paik, who came all the way from California. 
And then there was Claudia Sweeney Weed, who I learned is practically as green as the Gaudets! Both her kids have now graduated from Dartmouth, one married a classmate and Claudia and Jay ’80 are new homeowners in Hanover. Claudia is now the latest in a line of class of ’81 living saints for having volunteered to serve as treasurer for our 35th. I figure the least we can do for her in return is to save money on reunion expenses by all staying at the Weeds’ house. 
I also saw Kirk Wilson, who had an especially good time. He not only got to see his son Chad ’16, but got to gloat that we beat the school in New Haven that his wife, Annette, attended. And when he thought no one was looking, I think I witnessed Steve Risberg giving the secret HPF handshake to Rich Page and Lon Povich. 
A special shout-out goes to Pat Berry and Shelley Wieler for helping our mini-reunion tailgate come together so nicely with the ’79s and ’80s. While I’m at it, I should also thank Toby Reiley, who generously volunteered his much better half Sally to organize the mini-reunion at the Hahvard game. 
I had a virtual chat with a couple former Richardson buddies. I checked in on Tom Waldo after running into a hometown (Juneau) friend of his in Montana. Tom is still saving the Alaska wilderness, God bless him, and cross-country skiing as well. Tom’s two sons are already out of college and he’s now an empty nester—exactly like Jim Payne. Jim, also a lawyer, is now working for the U.S. Patent Office in Virginia. 
And this just in under the wire from Betsy Rubinstein: It’s a girl! Her first grandchild, Maya Adira.
—Robert Goldbloom, 324 Warburton Ave., Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706; (914) 231-5117; robertgoldbloom@gmail.com; Brian Cusack, 26 Ocean Ave., Marblehead, MA 01945; (617) 710-7228; briancusack13@gmail.com



For an hour last evening I followed Dartmouth Night festivities online and at 7:59 p.m. this was posted at The Dartmouth’s stream: “The class of 1981 may win the award for greatest enthusiasm—the yell ‘81’ can be heard up and down North Main Street.” Well done, classmates. Wish there had been audio to that stream.


So who’s the ombudsman for the ’81 newsletter? “I just got the October newsletter,” wrote Bob Spears, “and guess it’s my own damn fault for not going public with the fact that I’m back in South Dakota. As a result Mike Peterson and Steve Sanford received recognition for ‘being the only ’81s living in South Dakota!’ ”


In August Bob, his wife, Chris, and their three kids moved from San Diego to South Dakota, to Dakota Dunes, and Bob wrote that these are “our old stomping grounds from my Gateway days, and we’re having fun reacquainting ourselves with friends not seen since we moved to San Diego in 1998.” Bob is the CEO of InMoTx, a 3-year-old tech company that sells vision-guided assembly-line robotic solutions to food processing companies.


“Our two older kids are at Bishop Heelan High School,” wrote Bob. “Corinne, 11th grade, is playing volleyball this fall and Connor, ninth, is playing football, and our youngest, Tucker, is in seventh grade.” As for work, Bob wrote, “In September I organized a new round of investor financing to recapitalize the company. I’m excited by the professional challenges that lie ahead but hope that I encounter more startup-related challenges this winter than snowdrifts!”


Had some great back and forth with Facebook friend, former New Hamp resident and Los Angelean Jeff Healy. He and I reminisced about the time we spent waiting tables at the Breakers Hotel sophomore winter, and I heard about Jeff’s work, his husband, Chris Cook, their kids Will (8) and Jamie (4) and their summer vacation in Durango, Colorado.


“I am a senior vice president at Citibank,” wrote Jeff, “dealing primarily with corporate finance for companies in Mexico, and Chris works at USC in fundraising. We had a great time in Durango—did 11- and 6-mile hikes, the boys went fishing and we had some great meals.” Will and Jamie are at an Episcopal school five minutes from the house and Jamie has already had the honor of hosting at home Stripey, the preschool class pet, a stuffed tiger. Jeff reminded me that he had lived in Mexico City from 1986 to 1990, and while he travels much less to Mexico, he wrote, “Almost everybody I work with is Mexican—my work life is conducted 90 percent in Spanish, so I think my Spanish has improved in my current job.”


Hugo Ribot is outside Atlanta, in Cartersville, and he and his partner at Cartersville Ob/Gyn Associates have started “construction on our very own ambulatory surgery center, where we’ll be doing some groundbreaking stuff in the world of gynecology.” Hugo continued that he “had shoulder surgery in October, but thanks to my crackerjack orthopedist I returned to work in one week and to doing surgery in 13 days.” Hugo wrote that his oldest, Sydney, is a Dartmouth ’11 in Glasgow on her second FSP. Son Max is a frosh at the University of Georgia and their youngest, Sara, is a high school senior who also wants to attend UGA. Lastly Hugo and a passel of SAE brethren—confirmed are Greg Smyers, Ken Holmes, Mitch Arion, and Tom Kiernan—will head to Lake Tahoe, Nevada, this March for a weekend of skiing and snowboarding.


—Abner Oakes, 4807 Dover Road, Bethesda, MD 20816-1772; aoakes4@gmail.com; Julie Koeninger, 2 Wilson St., Wellesley, MA 02482; jkoeninger@comcast.net


Lynne Gaudet was handing out green glowing necklaces and pompoms as the children of John Sconzo, Byron Boston, Danielle Dyer, Martin Weinstein, Greg Slayton and others clambered onto the flatbed truck carrying a huge, inflatable birthday cake—thus began our 50th birthday party during the Homecoming weekend parade this past October. Kathy Shepard Alexander was there, as well as Molly Sundberg Van Metre, Andy Lewin, Karen McKeel Calby, Debbie Williamson, Wendy Brooks Harris, Jim Delisle, Ken Holmes, Maribeth Hourihan, Tom Ryan, Shelley Warren Wieler, Nancy Baskin, Chip Bettencourt, Patsy Fisher and many others. Cindy Ritter caught up with her old Wheeler roommate Sally Weldon Proctor, who was making her first return to the College since 1981! Earlier in the day Sally Johnson and Holly Dustin played their annual game of “zen tennis.” Along the parade route Molly and I were surprised by our Fire & Skoal roommate Bish Mumford, who, like several other classmates, was making the College tour with his son. At Dartmouth Hall we listened to President Kim and other speakers and cheered the loudest of all the classes (really!) before watching the bonfire in the rain.


Saturday morning we were treated to a 1981 legacy student panel organized by Ann Smolowe and Pat Berry. Kathryn Arion ’11, Hilary Becker ’10, Josh Lewin ’11, Emily Neihaus ’12 and Allessandra Slayton ’13 all spoke articulately, honestly and thoughtfully about their college experiences. 


A few of us, including Greg Clow, Robert Goldbloom, Rick Silverman, Gino Gabinelli, Larry Dunn, Paul Duder, Matt Shannon, Bill Brown, Andy Churchill, Ray Woolson and Brian Hussey, braved the torrential rains to watch Dartmouth defeat Columbia 28-6, ending a 17-game losing streak. Later, at a pre-dinner reception, President Kim attributed the football team’s first win in more than a year to our presence. After meeting the new president Sally Ankeny Reiley, Toby Reiley, Jenny Toolin McAuliffe, Sara Minor, Chris Neihaus, Tim Phillips, Mitch Arion and about 50 other classmates enjoyed an extended cocktail hour where we all took time to listen to each other’s stories of the past 28-plus years. Despite busy lives and challenging personal issues the general sentiment was that folks were happy to be there together and grateful for all the blessings they find in their lives.


Dinner speaker professor Donald Pease gave a classic performance with the same cadence and mannerisms familiar to students in his American drama classes of our era. He spoke about Dr. Seuss, Theodore Geisel ’25, and his career (from Pease’s upcoming book on Seuss). Professor Pease inspired us by noting that Geisel did not completely devote himself to children’s humor as Dr. Seuss until the age of 50—so, life begins at 50! After dinner, along with Pam and Jake Gehret and others, we toured the newly renovated Zeta Psi fraternity, designed by classmates Sue Reed and John Vansant of Smith and Vansant Architects, PC. 


The relaxed atmosphere and the genuine warmth felt among classmates all weekend bodes well for class cohesiveness during the next 50 years. Thanks to Lynne and Patsy for organizing the dinner, Sue for the decorations and Debbie for the truck! Even classmates who couldn’t make it to Hanover wrote to share how they celebrated the big 5-0. Lolly Bates is enjoying playing in a seniors tennis 50-and-over league, and Peter Caron celebrated by surfing, scuba diving, deep-sea fishing and mountain biking on New Zealand’s north island. Tom Waterman successfully completed his first Race Across the Sky in Leadville, Colorado, a 100-mile trail run, the nation’s highest ultra-marathon, in 28.5 hours. Despite altitudes of 9,200 to 12,600 feet and 15,600 feet of vertical ascents and descents, Tom was one of the 275 of 550 starters who finished the race! 


—Julie Koeninger, 2 Wilson St., Wellesley, MA 02482; jkoeninger@comcast.net; Abner Oakes, 4807 Dover Road, Bethesda, MD 20816-1772; aoakes4@gmail.com


As I write this my hometown Boston Red Sox have opened the season with their worst record in recent years, but in Atlanta there is excitement and new hope for the Braves in the person of rookie sensation Jason Heyward, son of Eugene Heyward and Laura Benjamin Heyward ’79. It’s not just the ceremonial opening day first pitch he received from Hank Aaron or the huge first-time-up-in-the-majors home run that Jason launched later that day, but what MLB.com columnist Peter Gammons calls Atlanta’s “unique connection” to a kid who worked his way through Marietta, Georgia’s East Cobb youth baseball program. By all accounts Jason appears to be taking his fame in stride, a tribute to Eugene and Laura’s parenting, and is clearly a player to watch!


Peter Heymann is just back from three years in Tokyo where his wife, Nicole Piasecki, was president of Boeing Japan. Peter and Nicole welcomed the third of three boys, Franklin, to the family nine weeks before embarking on their Japanese adventure. As Peter notes, in addition to the newborn baby, among the more interesting aspects of his experience was his role as “trailing spouse” with his wife “in the role of president of a Fortune 50 company in a country that is perhaps 25-plus years behind the United States in embracing equality for women in the workplace.” Now back in the United States, Nicole is leading a small business development team charged with identifying strategic elements vital to Boeing’s future success, while Peter expects to soon return to consulting work with faith-based organizations in addition to his Mr. Dad duties with Franklin, now 3, Nicholas (10) and Benjamin (8).


Howard Morse has a new job at Cooley Godward Kronish in the firm’s antitrust and trade regulation practice in Washington, D.C. Howard is the former assistant director of the Bureau of Competition at the Federal Trade Commission and co-chair of the antitrust practice at Drinker Biddle and Reath. Howard’s wife, Laura Loeb, also practices law, focusing on healthcare regulatory issues. Their daughters Elizabeth and Marni are a junior and a freshman in high school, respectively. Elizabeth recently appeared in her high school production of Blast 2010 Rock ’n’ Broadway and Marni was in Thoroughly Modern Millie. “They clearly get their talent from someone other than their father,” says Howard.


After 12 years of consulting on diversity issues in the workplace Susan Adler Funk (Harvard M.B.A. ’86) is back in graduate school working on a master of arts in policy studies at the University of Washington. She hopes to work in the nonprofit sector when she completes her degree. Her husband, Allen, is publisher of The Herald in Everett, Washington. Daughter Lindsay is a freshman at Stanford and Rachel is a junior in high school. On a recent college visit trip Susan and Rachel caught up with Molly Sundberg Van Metre in Minneapolis, Minnesota.


Yvonne Howell is associate professor of Russian and international studies at the University of Richmond. She teaches and does research on “the interface between science and literature in East European culture,” publishing articles with sexy titles such as The Liberal Gene: Sociobiology as Emancipatory Discourse in the Late Soviet Union. Yvonne’s husband, Carter Blough ’78, is a bass player who performs and records with various innovative jazz/rock/world combos in Richmond, Virginia. Yvonne notes that daughters Sonia (14) and Marina (11) “have rhythm (from dad), love of language and travel (from mom), generally exceed all our expectations in everything and are a ton of fun to live with.”


Sadly, I must report that Douglas Chang, M.D., passed away on March 23 after a courageous three-year battle with cancer.


—Julie Koeninger, 2 Wilson St., Wellesley, MA 02482; jkoeninger@comcast.net; Abner Oakes, 4807 Dover Road, Bethesda, MD 20816-1772; aoakes4@gmail.com


Before I traveled to England this summer to watch my son Andrew play in a soccer tournament I bought an international Blackberry. The device enabled me to check my e-mail, voicemail and Facebook frequently from the soccer pitch or while sightseeing in London. This inability to unplug, even while on vacation, may not be a good thing, according to a new bestselling book by Nicholas Carr. The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains explores how the Internet is changing the way our brains function, reducing our capacity for creativity and deep thought. By operating in a constant state of distraction, we are making only shallow connections to people and ideas. Nick, who recently moved from Boston to Boulder, Colorado, with his wife, Ann, has this advice for us: “You have to ration your use of the web and related gadgets and also engage in more contemplative kinds of thinking,” but he acknowledges how hard it is to actually do this, as my England experience illustrates. The fact that many of you are similarly addicted does make it easier for me to connect with you to gather information for this column! 


Deirdre Daly, Connecticut’s new deputy U.S. attorney, answered my e-mail plea for details on her career and family from Bar Harbor, Maine, where she was hiking in Acadia National Park with her husband, Al Pavlis, and sons Michael (20), Nick (18) and Will (16). Nick is headed to Dartmouth after a fall hiking trip to Peru and Bolivia. Deirdre and Al met as federal prosecutors in Manhattan and until recently ran Daly & Pavlis LLC, a white-collar criminal defense and civil litigation law firm. 


Byron Boston’s Facebook page includes a great photo of him and Debbie Jackson at an Earth Wind & Fire concert in Richmond, Virginia, last June. “Had a blast dancing and singing outdoors to Earth Wind & Fire —first time seeing Debbie since senior year at Dartmouth,” notes Byron. Debbie works for the City of Richmond department of social services as program manager for employee training and organizational development but is currently developing a citywide strategic plan. Her daughter Kendra is a senior at Haverford College and her son Brandon lives in New York City. Speaking of New York, Byron also reported running into Sharon Washington on 42nd Street recently. Sharon’s most recent play, The Scottsboro Boys, opens on Broadway October 31 at the Lyceum. When not catching up with classmates in Richmond and New York, Byron lives in Jacksonville, Florida, with his wife, Andi, and sons Nicholas and Victor. He is executive vice president and chief investment officer at Dynex Capital Inc.


Dr. Robert Higgins is the new head of Ohio State University Medical Center’s solid organ transplant program. Bob recently left Rush University in Chicago, where he was chief of cardiothoracic surgery and led a successful transplant and mechanical assist device program. At Ohio State Bob will direct the comprehensive transplant program and the division of cardiac surgery. While excited about the new position, he is equally excited about his oldest son, John, starting his freshman year at Dartmouth, where he is also playing football. “Yes, these are exciting times. I’m happy to be part of the OSU team and I look forward to the opportunity,” said Bob. Bob’s wife, Molly, daughter Grace and son Grant will make the transition to Ohio during the next year.


“She radiated a special energy and generosity of spirit that deeply touched everybody who came into contact with her.” So wrote Jill Smolowe about her sister Ann Smolowe, who died on August 14 after a courageous two-year battle with cancer. Read more at http://dartmouthalumnimagazine.com/obituaries.


—Julie Koeninger, 2 Wilson St., Wellesley, MA 02482; jkoeninger@comcast.net; Abner Oakes, 4807 Dover Road, Bethesda, MD 20816-1772; aoakes4@gmail.com


It’s December 23 and this is one of the best times of the year. Festive activities, generosity of spirit and not too much “work” to do. Much better than the time of year when most of us will be reading this—at least those of us in New England and other northern climes—the time of year when we’ve had just about enough winter. Just a few weeks until pitchers and catchers report and the Red Sox begin defending their championship—hang in there. 


When Brad Stone sent this along, he thought it wasn’t “exciting.” Me, I’m trying to avoid anything too exciting. “My wife, Pam, and I became quasi-empty-nesters recently when our youngest child left for boarding school. Our two older children were already away at school, so we’d sampled a quieter household. Still we were unprepared for such change! Unscheduled date nights and new activities ensued, including a track day at Thompson Speedway with Hap Brakeley, his wife, Sue, Tom Kiernan, and Kathy (Rackow) Kiernan. (Tom is the CEO of the American Wind Energy Association and wants ’81s to know that he fully offset his CO2 emissions.) I miss my kids, but we’re having fun reconnecting with friends.”


Mark “Beds” Bedard checked in from Huntington Beach, California, where he’s been for 17 years. Probably doesn’t matter what month it is there—the sun’s always shining. Mark let us know, “I came to help run a tractor-trailer rental business with a couple of high school buddies. We’re still having fun with it. My wife, Debbie, and I have kids Kristen (14) and Stephen (11). Like most other parents we run around taking them to practices and watching their games and performances. I occasionally see some ex-classmates or other Dartmouth alums, if I’m lucky, but for the most part I stay in touch with them through emails. I’m looking forward to seeing many familiar faces again at our next reunion.”


A little more than a year ago Lee Carson married Glenna Waterman ’82. This past October they threw an anniversary party for more friends and family at the Silverado Resort in California. Classmates in attendance were Hollywood (Chris) Halloran, Danny Evans, Geoff Bracken and John Casaudoumecq. There were around 75 people total including a pack of pesky ’82s. 


Sadly, in closing, our class lost Jason Scott Lamb on August 20. In 1983 he received his master of arts degree from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, concentrating in administration planning and social policy, and later attended the Madison School of Law at the University of Wisconsin from 1986 to 1988. In 2002 he obtained the position he had been trained for, senior legal and policy analyst in the office of the secretary of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council. Jason was a father, a grandfather and a friend to many. One of his greatest passions was protecting the rights and civil liberties of Native people; he devoted his time, legal expertise and love to this cause.


—Brian Cusack, 26 Ocean Ave., Marblehead, MA 01945; (617) 710-7228; briancusack13@gmail.com; Robert Goldbloom, 324 Warburton Ave., Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706; (914) 231-5117; robertgoldbloom@gmail.com


As I write this we have just had three class mini-reunions. By now you all would have read in our class newsletter the entertaining account given by Frank “Pancho” Ryan of his first mini-reunion hosting at the Saugatuck Rowing Club in Westport, Connecticut. Among the 10 ’81s in attendance was Peter Oudheusden, recently returned from having completed the Everglades Challenge from Tampa, Florida, to Miami. Peter is the first to complete the course by rowing. And to think that it only took him eight days!


Ann Jacobus was spirited enough to arrange a mini-reunion near San Francisco, building it around one of Sharon Washington’s on-tour performances in Wild with Happy. (I’ve decided I’m starting a groupie club for Sharon. Let me know if you want in.) Ian Christophe and Lucy Irwin came. So did Charmaine Curtis, who thoughtfully dropped me a note: “It was nice to meet alums from ’81s to ’11s and reconnect with ’81s— Carolyn Samiere and Cindy Greco—who I know live in the Bay Area but never see. We all went out for drinks and noshing after the show on a lovely summer night.” Charmaine is a residential real estate developer in San Francisco. She and her husband have twin daughters.


“No one got arrested. I got to tell my favorite dirty joke maybe 10 times. The barbecue was fantastic.” So tells Fraser Smith of the mini-reunion Chris “Spot” Morrison hosted in Indianapolis, Indiana, the day before the Indy 500. Peter Little wouldn’t have missed it. Jon Bassindale, Scott Markman and Tariq Zaman drove in from around the Midwest. And Dave Plough, who lives in California, flew in after attending an alumni/parent regatta in Hanover with his daughter, who is a sailor in the class of ’14. Dave gushed about the wonderful hospitality offered by Spot and his wife and daughter, and also writes that “if you—all Dartmouth folk, not just ’81s—are in the area this fall when Dartmouth will be playing at Butler, Spot and Peter would love for you to attend the Dartmouth tailgate.”


One guy who will definitely be there is Bob Higgins, whose son John ’14 is a running back. I contacted Bob after hearing that he was named chair of the department of surgery at Ohio State. After reading his amazingly impressive bio in the press release, I couldn’t help but be struck by the humility and gratitude expressed in Bob’s note, which he wrote while waiting for a heart transplant case to start. “In the face of terrible tragedy these folks—the organ donors and their grieving families—are the real heroes.” He wrote back later, “P.S.: Transplant went well, finished at 4 a.m. Ready to go for the day!”


A couple other key mentions: Deirdre Daly is now acting U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut. And Naomi Pollock, an architect and writer living in Japan, launched the inaugural Dartmouth/Keio speaker series with a talk on her widely acclaimed book, Made in Japan: 100 New Products. Cool book. Check it out. 


—Robert Goldbloom, 324 Warburton Ave., Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706; (914) 231-5117; robertgoldbloom@gmail.com; Brian Cusack, 26 Ocean Ave., Marblehead, MA 01945; (617) 710-7228; briancusack13@gmail.com


Our 30th reunion started early for me—the Monday before. Dartmouth student Stephanie Pignatiello, daughter of Steve Pignatiello, e-mailed me the weekend before reunion to see if I had time for lunch. She was in Washington, D.C., doing an internship and—small world—she was with her boyfriend, a Dartmouth student I had interviewed when he applied as a high school senior. We ate pizza, talked about cooking meals in fraternities and professed our love for Dartmouth. I had a great grin on my face as those two walked away. Reunion week had got off to a great start.


And then Wednesday Julie Koeninger posted on Facebook a pic of the reunion team, already in Hanover: Julie, Robert Goldbloom, Barney Oldfield, Pat Berry and Nancy Baskin. Our classmates piled on, Facebook-style: John Sconzo commented, “See you later today!” and Larry Dunn worried when he wrote, “Save some beers for the rest of us.” Since our 25th many classmates have connected with others via Facebook, and what we see posted there allowed us quick entries into conversations with classmates. When we saw each other at Friday’s lunch, Susan Spencer and I dove right in to the college tour that she’d just finished with her daughter and had posted about on Facebook.


And as we all know, those conversations are the weekend’s highlights. Dirk Olin, Greg Hale and I debated the best FM radio stations across the United States—where “DJs program the music,” as Dirk said, not computers or management. Maine denizen Helen Hemminger told me of her baseball-playing son Daniel and Scott Bucey and his wife Jennifer filled me in on what to see when I’m in San Francisco next. Dave Focardi drove across the United States with his whitewater kayak, and I look forward to going on one of the river-rafting trips that he guides.


At our 25th our boy played soccer with classmates and their kids; this time it was Frisbee, as Charlie got gentle coaching from Patrick Haid, son of Hallidie Grant Haid. He and Hallidie were heading back to Seattle early Sunday so that Patrick could try out for an elite Ultimate team. But there was soccer on Saturday. Chris Morrison played with bunch of young alums on Whitey Burnham Field, and while he did not admit it, I bet our classmate gave ’em a run for their money. Spot’s in Indianapolis, Indiana, teaching and daughter Olivia is a true tomboy, he said.


The oldest son of Marty Cetron accompanied his father Saturday evening, and I remarked to Marty that I hope our boy grows up to be as mature and thoughtful as his. Doug Schwarz and I talked about his two kids: high school junior Julia is off to France this summer and Marcus just finished his sophomore year at Yale. I remember at our 15th reunion Marcus and I went to look for cookies during our meal at the Bema. As we waded into the crowd, his hand instinctually went for mine, and there is that picture, forever in my mind, Marcus and me hand in hand, talking about cookies, wandering through all of you on the Bema.


It was good to hold your hands this weekend, my classmates, to see you and hear of your lives, your kids, your work, your remarkableness. Big thanks to Nancy and her reunion committee for putting on this grand gathering. There are other stories to tell, but I have run out of room in this, my last column. Thankfully I shift over to the class’s newsletter and will continue there; Robert Goldbloom and Brian Cusack take over here. I feel very lucky that I can continue writing about you, the great class of 1981.


—Abner Oakes, 4807 Dover Road, Bethesda, MD 20816-1772; aoakes4@gmail.com; Julie Koeninger, 2 Wilson St., Wellesley, MA 02482; jkoeninger@comcast.net


With the passage of another reunion, a new slate of class officers moves into place. While several of our new officers have moved into new roles from past positions, there is also a new set of classmates joining the team. Included among them, your Class Notes secretaries, and more on that in just a moment. 


Current officers, who are always looking for your support, input and feedback: co-presidents, Julie Koeninger and Molly Van Metre; vice president, Andrew Lewin; treasurer, Martin Weinstein; Alumni Council representative, Mark Davis; co-webmasters, Jim Jankowski and Will Blanchard; newsletter editors, Rick Silverman, Abner Oakes, Pat Berry and Lynne Gaudet; co-secretaries, Robert Goldbloom and Brian Cusack; mini-reunion chairs and head agent—still to be determined at this writing. Stay tuned or, better yet, volunteer!


Many thanks to our most recent past officers for all of their hard work.


Co-president Julie Koeninger was recently honored with the Dartmouth Alumni Award. This award was established in 1954 and is selected annually by a standing committee of seven past recipients. The primary criterion is meritorious service to Dartmouth with career achievement and community service as additional dimensions. 


Recently winning a ruling before the U.S. Supreme Court was classmate Sean Devlin Bersell. Sean is the vice president of public affairs for the Entertainment Merchants Association and the case revolved around video game sales. In the wake of the ruling Sean’s comments were recorded and broadcast on various TV and radio outlets as well as in the pages of many properties, including the Los Angeles Daily News. There’s making a case for yourself and there’s the Supreme Court! 


As Class Notes secretaries Robert and I will be relying on you to submit information that is inspiring, informative and entertaining. The Class Notes section will be bite-size updates while the class newsletter format allows us to provide more in-depth information. Newsletter editors and secretaries are always looking for fresh content. Even in the day of Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, MySpace (what?) and YouTube it’s easy to keep track of friends and family through your digital life. If you are like me though, you straddle communications platforms—I’m on Facebook, but I still read the Sunday Boston Globe and books, sometimes on the Kindle, sometimes on paper pages. At our certain age that is probably familiar behavior. I know when the Alumni Magazine arrives in the mailbox, the first or second thing I do is turn to Class Notes. It’s great to keep up, it’s a fun seasonal activity—catching up with ’81s and others. Help us keep that up with a quick e-mail. 


Inspire with stories of community service, philanthropy, middle-aged athletic achievement and deep thought.


Inform with updates on you, your career, your family, other ’81s.


Entertain with accounts of escapades with family and classmates, a great joke about that place in Cambridge, Massachusetts, you just heard or a link to your favorite new YouTube video. It’s six months old but have you seen Maria Aragon on YouTube? Take a look, you won’t be disappointed if you haven’t seen it already. 


—Brian Cusack, 26 Ocean Ave., Marblehead, MA 01945; (781) 710-7228; briancusack13@gmail.com; Robert Goldbloom, 324 Warburton Ave., Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706; (914) 231-5117; rgoldbloom@optonline.net


“The economy must be improving and print media must not be dead yet when a daily paper hires a 52-year-old as a staff reporter.” So says Susan Spencer, who recently joined the Worcester (Massachusetts) Telegram & Gazette. On the beat nearby is Rich Barlow. Rich used to be a freelance writer for The Boston Globe, but is now full-time at BU Today. The other big class journalism news is that Dirk Olin, who is editor-in-chief of Corporate Responsibility Magazine, had his newly released book, Rebuilding Justice, featured on the Jim Lehrer NewsHour.


And speaking of books, Steve Oakes co-authored Speakout, a six-level adult course for learning English as a foreign language. The course was the recipient of the English Speaking Union’s Duke of Edinburgh prize for the best new book in English language teaching in 2011. Steve, who is now the proud papa of a 2-year-old girl, has lived in Budapest for more than 20 years.


He spends summers nearby at huge Lake Balaton, and occasionally sees Mike Doyle when he swims down the river from Vienna. Mike works there for the International Atomic Energy Agency, frequently participates in masters swimming competitions and enjoys the Tyrolean skiing in winter. 


Good changes are happening for Julie Koeninger: She has recently transitioned from independent consulting to working at GMO as product strategist for timber and agriculture. As it happens, during the interview process for her current position Julie was taken to lunch by classmate Jody Shuman! Jody’s a client relations manager and partner who has been at GMO since the 1980s. Jody attributes her original hiring to having computer skills, which she would not have learned at Dartmouth had it not been for President Kemeny’s insistence that math majors master computer science.


“I’ve been keeping busy,” Sally Johnson writes, “rebuilding a house on a bike path and the water here in Rhode Island with my boyfriend. I’m hoping to make most of the textiles for the house on a loom I was given by Susan Tenney that we shipped back from her house in California last spring. Been rowing a lot too.”


Susan Hess, who has been actively serving as a member of the College’s alumni liaison committee, shared some good news about her growing Dartmouth family connections. “Our oldest daughter, Christina Wray ’12, is graduating from Dartmouth in June, so we will also be up there for that special occasion. And our youngest daughter, Jennifer, is now officially a member of the Dartmouth class of ’16, so we are Big Green all the way!”


Dan and John Gilroy certainly have their share of Dartmouth family connections, and they share a passion for filmmaking. Dan just co-wrote the screenplay for The Bourne Legacy with brother Tony, who is also directing. John is the editor of the movie, which is due out in August. (Their father, Frank Gilroy ’50, is a playwright.)


Besides marquee names Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz and Ed Norton, the film also features nephew Sam Gilroy ’09 and our own Sharon Washington.


—Robert Goldbloom, 324 Warburton Ave., Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706; (914) 231-5117; rgoldbloom@ optonline.net; Brian Cusack, 26 Ocean Ave., Marblehead, MA 01945; (781) 710-7228; briancusack13@gmail.com


Not sure if it’s just my experience, but it seems we are at the age where when we attend weddings, they are for our generation’s children—ours, our classmates, our neighbors or other younger family members or friends. It’s a rare treat when we get to attend a wedding for a friend our age. It’s even more rare when they are classmates and contemporaries from Dartmouth.


Recently, a few ’81s had exactly that opportunity, joining with classmate Lee Carson (a one-time class secretary, a most honored office) as he and Glenna Waterman ’82married late this past fall.


Celebrated at a breathtaking ranch out Wickenburg, Arizona, way in the Sonoran Desert, the wedding was an extended celebration for friends and family. In the days preceding the ceremony, guests were able to play golf—there were reports that money may have changed hands; ride the desert in motorized vehicles and on four-legged conveyance; hike (I called that golf); and shop Wickenburg (bring home a bolo tie)! Following the rehearsal dinner all were invited to toast the bride and groom, with toasts running deep into the night, bringing equal amounts of tears and laughter.


The ’81s joining the celebration were John Casaudoumecq, Tom Waterman and your scribe. Tom went for an adventurous hike, demonstrating his youthful conditioning and prowess while ignoring the auspicious warning provided by the trail’s name—Vulture Peak. 


John C., who was also best man, provided these thoughts on the days together: “It was a great weekend in a beautiful spot with great people. It was fascinating to speak with all the interesting, accomplished people that are the Waterman and Carson families. Their care, concern and joy for Glenna and Lee made a big impression. As much fun as all the outdoor activities, parties and dancing were, what I remember most is what Lee and Glenna said to each other and all of us.”


The Watermans and Carsons brought other generations of Dartmouth to the desert to share their joy: Sibyl Waterman, wife of Charles Dana “Dinny “ Waterman Jr., mother of the bride, honorary ’45, as she lived in Lord Hall and Sachem Village with Dinny and baby Dana after the war while Dinny finished up on the GI Bill. Additionally, in some order: Dana Waterman ’68 (celebrant), Cathy Waterman, junior exchange and Wheaton ’75, John Carson ’79, Libbet Waterman McKeon ’82, David Carson ’85, Ann Waterman Roy and Kanishka Roy, Tu’04.


Finally, as 2012 becomes 2013, while the country tries to reconcile unfathomable violence and legislators haggle while we hang over a cliff, some words from John Stuart Mill to consider: “Those only are happy who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness; on the happiness of others, on the improvement of mankind, even on some art or pursuit, followed not as a means, but as itself an ideal end. Aiming thus at something else, they find happiness by the way.”


—Robert Goldbloom, 324 Warburton Ave., Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706; (914) 231-5117; robertgoldbloom@gmail.com; Brian Cusack, 26 Ocean Ave., Marblehead, MA 01945; (617) 710-7228; briancusack13@gmail.com


It’s hard to believe but our 30th reunion is June 16-19! Reunion chair Nancy Baskin promises an exciting and fun weekend of reconnecting with old friends and classmates. Details will follow shortly, but here’s a pre-reunion look at what some of what your classmates have been up to: 


At the 30th you’ll have a chance to congratulate Bill Burgess, who was recently nominated as a candidate for the board of trustees by the Alumni Council. (See www.voxthevote.org and please vote March 9 to April 6.) Bill is a managing partner of ABS Ventures. Throughout his career he has advised and invested in emerging growth technology companies. He is also an active volunteer, serving as trustee and treasurer of St. Mark’s School and as chairman of the New England Aquarium. Bill and his wife, Barbara, have a blended family of five children from each of their previous marriages. As Bill notes, “We seem to have pretty successively navigated the treacherous waters of merged families and I think that all our children are better for having one more adult who loves them.” Two of Bill’s three sons, Drew (22) and Christopher (20), are at the University of Vermont, while Peter (15) is at New Hampton School. Stepson Willie Mead (15) and stepdaughter Emily Mead (16) are both at Weston High School. Bill stays in touch with Mark Heuberger (who first introduced him to Barb!), Kirk Wilson, Dave Edelson, Dan Evans, Mike Steinharter, Chris Niehaus, Joe McLaughlin and John Westerfield.


Congratulations are also in order for Dr. Dong Kim, whosesister Jenny Kim Voelker ’94 wrote to say he was named 2010 Physician of the Year by the Provena St. Mary’s Foundation of Kankakee, Illinois. A surgeon at Provena St. Mary’s Hospital, Dong was nominated for exemplifying “dignity, compassion, patience, virtue and respect” and “rising up to the Provena mission of healing and hope and the pillars of people, quality, excellence, finance and service.” Dong and his wife, Margaret, live in Kankakee with their children Alex, Daniel and Audrey.


Steve Herzog plans to be at the 30th. Steve lives in San Rafael, California, with his wife, Jackie, and daughter J.J. (6). Jackie and Steve adopted J.J. (Jessica Jingting Qingling Herzog) from China in May 2005 at age 11 months. In Steve’s words, “Bringing her into our life has been the greatest joy imaginable.” J.J. loves soccer, gymnastics, skiing and her two cats. Since 2005 Steve has been a principal, wealth manager and member of the investment committee at Wetherby Asset Management, an independent registered investment advisor to individuals, families, endowments and foundations. He also serves on the board of nonprofit Environmental Traveling Companions (ETC; www.etctrips.org/index.html). ETC provides outdoor adventure trips for people with disabilities and disadvantaged youth. Steve thinks ETC’s mission should resonate with Dartmouth’s active, outdoors-oriented community and would love for classmates to support the organization. As Steve says, “It’s a wonderful organization that really changes lives.” 


Dean Lodmell is an “unpaid strategic consultant” to Lodmell Cellars, a Walla Walla, Washington, winery owned by his first cousins. As Dean explains, “I lend them a hand in various areas, some welcomed and others not, including manufacturing (crushing and fermentation), testing (tasting the wine while it is still in the barrels—my favorite part) and sales and marketing. Dean gave up his day job in the hedge fund industry sometime before 1999, but he’s currently looking for the right property from which to continue the family wine tradition with a “very small, super premium winery.” When not immersed in the wine business Dean spends time skiing at Mt. Hood and reports that he skied every month of the year in 2010!


—Julie Koeninger, 2 Wilson St., Wellesley, MA 02482; jkoeninger@comcast.net; Abner Oakes, 4807 Dover Road, Bethesda, MD 20816-1772; aoakes4@gmail.com


It’s late April as I write this, and it’s either winter, spring, summer or some season Al Gore has not yet named. As you read this it should be early summer, the weather should have settled on a pattern and you’ll be getting ready to watch, or even attend, the Summer Olympics in London. Here’s a preview and update from Andrew Lewin, class VP and recently relocated London correspondent. 


“There is a great deal of scrambling for tickets. About 1 million will go on sale in early May, but only to those who registered a year ago, and it seems there will be more losers than winners even for those. The games will take place all over London. Beach volleyball will be near us, behind the royal horse guards in St. James Park. While a lot of people we know will be going out of town to avoid the crowds, some are planning to stay and enjoy the atmosphere, if not the actual games.


“On a recent trip to Berlin with my son Nate ’14 in March I visited with our classmate Matt Hunter. Since 2006 Matt has been a violist for the Berliner Philharmonic, the finest orchestra in the world. I believe he is the first American to do so. Those of you who remember Matt from Dartmouth may remember that he was heading to banking after graduation. Fortunately, he decided to go to conservatory instead. He lives in Berlin with his wife, Karen, and three daughters.”


If you are lucky enough to attend in London, you’ll likely be living the life one associates with someone 31 years out of college. In contrast, Chris Morrison remembers a trip to the Lake Placid Olympics with classmates Stu Levenson and John Connolly. Details are scarce, but reportedly it was very cold in the back of an unheated VW bus driven by an ’80, whose name has been withheld. 


Though not Olympian, Chip Bettencourt reports an epic effort, also happening as you read this. In June Chip and Chris Andrews will participate in the Newport to Bermuda Sail race. “Our boat Hakuna Matata (“no worries”) is a Cal 39, one of the smallest in the race. Two years ago our goal was to finish the race and not be last. There was one boat behind us, and several dropped out. Our goals are the same this year. Chris is the captain—so if we go slowly, blame him. I am navigator; so if we get lost, blame Chris for making me the navigator. The rest of the crew also play hockey. The race should take us five days, give or take a day. Our crew gets special invites to all the best parties at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club—and you can’t miss us wearing Bermuda shorts, knee-high socks, our own favorite hockey T-shirts and baseball hats—among the crowd of matching preppy shirts and blazers.” Track Chip and Chris on the web.


—Brian Cusack, 26 Ocean Ave., Marblehead, MA 01945; (617) 710-7228; briancusack13@gmail.com; Robert Goldbloom, 324 Warburton Ave., Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706; (914) 231-5117; robertgoldbloom@gmail.com


I can see that point in life coming when I begin shedding responsibilities of parenting and working. And strutting to Mick Jagger’s “I’m free…to do what I want…any old time.” I know I’d like to spend more time with friends and classmates in the golden years. I’ve often thought it would be fun to hang out again with Jan Gaynor Bandeen. We were good friends senior year. We often went to Peter Christian’s for dinner on Sundays with Jim Delisle and Ann Jacobus. I really enjoyed Jan’s mischievous laugh, her sharp wit and her savvy understanding of the world. She lived in California most of the years since Dartmouth. We didn’t get to talk too often, and I hadn’t seen her for quite a long time. And now, I won’t get to see her at all. Incredibly, Jan died in September. One night she suddenly fell into a coma from which she never recovered. I guess it goes to show that we shouldn’t wait too long to do the things we yearn to—like getting together with old friends. 


Beth Shapiro Lewyckyj and John Sconzo have the right idea. They organized a mini-reunion dinner at CityZen in Washington, D.C., when John and his wife, Kitty, came through town. Kate Silberman Balaban, Abner Oakes and wife Lolly, Jerry Pierce, Tina Jones Silberman, Becky Nyren Shepherdson and Jill Martin Eichner were all enjoyed the fabulous food as well as each other’s fabulous company.


At Homecoming this fall more than 20 ’81s were on campus for the festivities. And for some of them it was no small jaunt: Carolyn Samiere came from California, as did Cas Stimson, who came with his wife and daughter; Susan Hess came from Dallas; Marty Cetron and his wife from Atlanta; and Byron Boston drove up with his wife and son from Richmond, Virginia. Elliott Davis showed off the campus to his son for the first time. And Kate Balaban doubled down by making her second class mini-reunion in as many weeks! Thanks to the classes of ’78, ’79 and ’80 for sharing a mini-reunion with us before the football game. 


The reviews from The New York Times describe Sharon Washington’s performance in Wild with Happy as “sensational.” By the time you read this a group of 24 of us will have gathered for dinner, seen the show at N.Y.C.’s Public Theater and then toasted Sharon in the theater’s adjacent lounge. 


—Robert Goldbloom, 324 Warburton Ave., Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706; (914) 231-5117; robertgoldbloom@gmail.com; Brian Cusack, 26 Ocean Ave., Marblehead, MA 01945; (617) 710-7228; briancusack13@gmail.com