Class Notes 1988

This column marks the end of one era—the Traci Byrne Gentry administration—and the start of another, as Steve Cook becomes class president in an enviably uneventful transfer of power.

Members of the new cabinet wish to thank, from the bottom of our hearts, Traci and others who so ably served over the last six years, deftly navigating the dark COVID-19 era: Tory Woodin Chavey (secretary), Kim Fasolo-LoMonaco (treasurer), Ann Jackman and Elena Barr Baum (newsletter coeditors), Valerie Fasolo and Kristin Cartwright (costewards), Geoff Hyatt (gift planning), Bob Striker (webmaster), Luzi Robinson (Alumni Council), and Larissa Roesch, Bob Victor,and Cuong Do (head agents). Reunion chairs Cindy Smith Wilson and Stephanie Welsch Lewin truly outdid themselves organizing a 35th that hit all the right engaging, inclusive notes.

Incoming class officers include veterans and neophytes alike: Alongside Steve are Steve Hochman (vice president), John Replogle (Bartlett Tower Society), Cindy Smith Wilson (webmaster), and us, Bill Bundy and Sarah Jackson-Han (class secretaries).To their eternal credit, Kim, Elena, Valerie, Kristin, and Geoff have generously agreed to serve another term. We all look forward to keeping our class connected in the years ahead—during which we hope you will continue building on friendships forged as long ago as freshman trips and as recently as June.

On that note we include the following news.

Pam Crandall,who lives in Hanover and coaches triathletes as well as mere mortals, in all-around physical fitness, recently received funding from College President Beilock’s office to teach free swimming classes to Dartmouth students year-round. She’s also working with an on-campus student-faculty committee to enhance student engagement in the outdoors.

Michelle Stowe reconnected with old friends and discovered new pals at reunion: Gonzalo Escajadillo, with whom she discussed future trips to work and volunteer in Arequipa, Peru; Derek Pew, who lives in Philadelphia and remains an avid surfer and paddler; and Tim Ambrose, who—wait for it—lives in Sydney and recently traveled to Berlin, where he managed to meet his foreign study program host sisters Minke and Julia for the first time since 1988. “We spent five hours talking over dinner. I mentioned that Lisa Gates lived in Hamburg. Minke (Sabine) was stunned: She and Lisa were friends from university in Hamburg but had lost contact. I immediately video-called Lisa. What an absolute joy. I sent pictures to Oliver Klein, who had met my host family while we were studying there.”

Many of you have commented on the spirit of warmth, gratitude, and grace that prevailed at reunion. Although the number of classmates we mourn grows each time we gather, so, it seems, does our appreciation for each other and for the education and friendship we are so privileged to share.

With that, we invite volunteers to host mini-reunions and ask all of you to write and tell us what you’re reading, thinking, or doing; what keeps you going when times inevitably get tough; or just write and brag about someone else. With our thanks and warmest wishes.

—Sarah Jackson-Han, 6213 Winnebago Road, Bethesda, MD 20816; smjhan2@gmail.com; Bill Bundy, 442 Cedar Lane, New Canaan, CT 06840; bill.bundy@mac.com

As this column will be published just after our reunion, it is an opportune time to thank our class officers. First, president Traci (Byrne) Gentry has been a strong communicator and relationship builder, despite Covid arriving in the midst of her term. From convening classwide Zoom calls and organizing mini-reunions to the less glamorous work of ensuring classmates’ contact information is updated, she has done an amazing job, and we are all most grateful to her. Traci commented on her tenure: “It has been an honor to serve the class of ’88 for the past six years. We’ve come away from this experience having connected with people we did not know at Dartmouth and reconnected with so many others. We are indeed a special class, and we wish the next team of class officers continued success and ’88 love.” Kim Fasolo-LoMonaco has served as treasurer and Bob Striker as our longtime webmaster, both critical roles that operate largely behind-the-scenes and thus are particularly thankless. Both have served with a high degree of professionalism that is much appreciated. Geoff Hyatt is our gift planning chair. Having served as a class officer in different capacities more than 16 years, Geoff offers wise counsel and has sought to refresh our class giving. He told me: “It is always a joy to reconnect with old friends and meet new classmates. I learned how to build a website and moderate a Facebook group. Currently my goal is to set a Dartmouth class record for Bartlett Tower Society members for planned giving and we are very close. Please join us!” As newsletter coeditors, Ann Jackman and Elena Baum are responsible for those inspired missives we all look forward to receiving. Elena is newer to the role and says she is happy to be helping the long-serving Ann, who still does most of the work. Elena notes: “I have really enjoyed how this role has allowed me to connect with classmates who I knew and did not know in college. We are a pretty impressive group, and I am happy to have helped Ann and served the class.” Similarly, Ann commented that serving as editor “has offered me the opportunity to connect with so many people I did not know in college, both through reaching out to (some might say pestering!) ’88s for their stories and being part of many great class officer teams. It has been such a joy to chronicle all the fascinating, funny, and heartwarming stories.” Luzmilla “Luzi” Robinson has served for the last three years as our alumni class councilor and has represented us at recent significant college events, including Catherine Craighead Briggs’ acceptance of the 2022 Alumni Award. Kristin Cartwright and Valerie Fasolo keep us connected in their roles as class stewards, and Cuong Do, Larissa Roesch, and Bob Victor serve as our head agents, working hard to focus the generosity of our class on benefiting current and future Dartmouth students. Thank you all for your contributions to the class of 1988!

—Tory Woodin Chavey, 128 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119; dartmouth88classnotes@gmail.com

Hello, ’88s!

Get excited because this column is all about our reunion this June, and it comes to you from reunion co-chairs Cindy Smith Wilson and Stephanie Welsch-Lewin.

They write: “We know for many of us it is cold and snowy outside, but June will be here before we know it and we will be reunited on the Hanover Plain. The entire reunion committee—including Jevin and Janine Eagle, Kim Fasolo-Lomonaco, Mary Flounders Green, Margie Gibson, Regina Glocker, Todd Jackson, Jere Mancini, Gregg “Aldo” Nourjian, John Replogle, Luzmila “Luzi” Robinson, Jacques Steinberg, Tom Ward, and many others—has been working hard to make this the best reunion ever, and we hope you will be inspired to attend, reconnect, and enjoy some time with your wonderful classmates.

“Reunion registration information will be hitting your email soon or feel free to email us with any questions (d88reunion@gmail.com).

“What will be happening at the reunion? We will enjoy a fully packed schedule from Thursday, June 13, through Sunday, June 16, with your survey responses guiding the reunion committee as to what will be offered.

“So far, the plans include yoga, meditation, a scavenger hunt, morning walks, an insider’s look at our class service project with Dartmouth Partners in Community Service, and our class memorial service. And, yes, the storytelling event from our last reunion was such a huge hit that it will be back. We are excited to hear our classmates’ stories about how Dartmouth and our Dartmouth family have enriched their lives. Our stories will be complemented by shared perspectives from Dartmouth faculty. Come share these powerful moments with your classmates. Another popular event from our last reunion was the silent disco, which will be back for this reunion on Saturday night. So pack your dancing shoes or alternatively you can enjoy the quieter seating areas available for those wanting to catch up with classmates.

“We also will eat and drink very well all weekend. The committee is planning wonderful meals and wants to make sure to accommodate vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, and any food allergies. You can note such requests in your registration responses. We will have fantastic swag options as well that we know you will love.

“At least some of us will need to sleep during reunion weekend, and the reunion registration will offer the option to stay in the dorms. We expect to be assigned a prime dorm location close to our tent on the Gold Coast, so you can be at the center of the reunion action.

“We hope you feel as excited about this reunion as we do, and we look forward to seeing you in June, whether you are a veteran reunion attendee or it will be your first time back in Hanover since graduation. Come one and all ’88s—you are most definitely welcome and wanted at this reunion!”

Thanks, Steph and Cindy, for this information and for serving as reunion co-chairs!

—Tory Woodin Chavey, 128 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119; dartmouth88classnotes@gmail.com

Greetings, ’88s! With our next reunion coming up in June 2024, I plan to continue to fill this column with stories our classmates have shared with me about what they love about Dartmouth, even 35 years (gulp!) after we graduated. You will not be surprised to learn that a great number of the “what I love most about Dartmouth” stories focus on bonds with our fellow classmates, relationships that have stood the test of time. Dana Beard shared that she has taken an annual camping trip with fellow ’88s for the last nine years, but this year they switched gears and took a bicycling trip along the Velodyssey in Bordeaux, France. In addition to Dana, the group included Jeni Anderson, Steve Gutmann, Pam Kislak, Catherine Rainey, and Kristen Steck. Dana sums it up perfectly when she writes: “Having been ‘mates’ for almost 40 years, through thick and thin, we are blessed to have one another, our extended families, and our formidable Dartmouth ’88 community.” Michelle Stowe Ong shared similar sentiments, writing, “I love traveling the world and connecting with Dartmouth ’88s. I have been through so much the past few years, as we all have, and am most thankful for Dartmouth friends, new and old, that have held me up! I am starting to spend more time in Northern California and have reached out to Julie Pelkan and Kate Lilienthal, among others.” Michelle also saw Patrick Rutty on a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland, in May. With both of her daughters now married, Michelle says she is thinking about her next chapter and is planning to return to Peru to teach in a clinic, volunteer, and possibly lead adult volunteer trips there. Brent Frei too has spent time recently with great ’88 friends, letting me know he had a terrific “quick mini-reunion” this summer with Eben Frankenberg, Tom Kollmorgen, and Andy Russell in Seattle, where they enjoyed boating and relaxing by the pool. Speaking of mini-reunions, I was thrilled to have two of my own in July. I met Robin Kass for a wonderful weekend at the Jersey Shore, a midpoint of sorts between her home in Florida and mine in Connecticut, and I also caught up with Lisa Bransten on a trip to San Francisco, where she lives. Lisa continues her work as director of partnerships at the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department and she has just been named to the board of advisors of the Hood Museum at Dartmouth. Congratulations! And I am pleased to end this column by extending an additional note of hearty congratulations to Damon Singletary, who just concluded a run playing Walter Lee Younger in A Raisin in the Sun at the New Rep Theatre in Watertown, Massachusetts.

Please write me with your news and updates and especially your stories about what you love most about Dartmouth, which I will continue to share in the months leading to our next reunion.

—Tory Woodin Chavey, 128 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119; dartmouth88classnotes@gmail.com

Greetings, ’88s.

I begin this column with news of Bill Gifford’s just-published book, Outlive. As I write this column, the book has already spent weeks near the top of the bestseller list. Congratulations, Bill! Many of you will recall that, in 2015, Bill wrote Spring Chicken: Stay Young Forever (or Die Trying), which was a funny yet serious exploration of popular anti-aging theories. Bill describes the new book, which he cowrote with Dr. Peter Attia, as being in many ways a sequel to Spring Chicken. Bill told me: “Our goal was to be like Freakonomics for health, taking a kind of upside-down look at things we kind of reflexively believe about health, diet, exercise, hormones, etc., and asking, is this really true?” He aptly notes our classmates are “at the age where we’re facing this double whammy, watching our parents endure the trials of old age while trying to keep ourselves from falling apart at the same time.” I purchased his book and hope you do the same. Perhaps we can then do some sort of classwide book discussion. Bill lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with his partner and their 15-year-old son and enjoys seeing fellow ’88s when they are in town to ski. Those he has seen recently include Sturgis Woodberry, Steve Hochman, and Jonathan Altman.

Speaking of skiing, I received news from Peter Vorbrich, who told me a cool story about skiing in Vail, Colorado, a few years ago. He was skiing with both his son, who is a student at Dartmouth, and Gerry Huttrer ’60. They were at the top of Riva Ridge, which is named for a famous World War II battle fought by the 10th Mountain Division and is marked by a plaque. “Sarge” Brown was part of the 10th, is named on the plaque, and was later a ski coach at Dartmouth. Interesting Dartmouth connections abound! Pete reports that he is “currently in the fun phase” of his career, which he also described as the “no jerks” phase. He is advising startups, including med-tech and med-device firms and serving on nonprofit boards. Pete has lived in Minnesota since 1991, except for a five-year stint in Japan from 1998 to 2003. He is also enjoying time to travel with his wife, Mary Sue, and family and has seen Alan Moss on campus when both are visiting their sons who are students.

Finally, my freshman dormmate Bob Yee shared an update from Hawaii, where he recently was promoted at Central Pacific Bank to group senior vice president and branch banking division manager. He also recently celebrated his 29th anniversary with his wife, Jodie. Congratulations, Bob, on both of these accomplishments! To celebrate the anniversary, Bob and his family traveled to Japan to see the cherry blossoms and other sights. Earlier this year Bob saw Bill Storo and his wife when they traveled to Hawaii, and he saw Mark Brooks and Anlee Kuo on their visit a few months later.

Please stay in touch!

—Tory Woodin Chavey, 128 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119; dartmouth88classnotes@gmail.com

Greetings, ’88s.

As I begin this first column written in 2023, I wish you all a Happy New Year and am excited to share some terrific updates from classmates who are leaders in their fields and face varied and interesting challenges:

Betsey Cuervo Tilson has served as North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services chief medical officer and state health director since 2017. In this role she promotes public health and prevention activities and provides leadership and oversight on the state’s top priorities. Of late her work has involved the Covid-19 pandemic response, the opioid epidemic, early childhood issues, and Medicaid transformation. Betsey is board-certified in pediatrics and preventive medicine and, in addition to receiving her medical degree from Johns Hopkins, she earned a master’s in public health at UNC-Chapel Hill. Prior to her current role Betsey had various leadership roles at Community Care of North Carolina, while also providing primary care services at Wake County Human Services. Betsey remains connected to Dartmouth as a member, and past co-chair, of the friends of Dartmouth cross-country and track and field alumni advisory council.

Tim Ambrose writes: “I’m starting a new professional and personal chapter in the form of public interactive conversations targeting emotional and relational challenges. Drawing on my experience, my passion for communication, and nearly three decades in the field of clinical psychology, my hope is that through these conversations people will gain practical insights into themselves and the human experience. Since childhood my desire has been to reduce emotional pain in the world. I hope this new vehicle allows me to do that and reach many more people. I also hope that this chapter creates opportunities for more travel more and connection with friends old and new, including my Dartmouth family.” I know many of us look forward to the opportunity to connect with Tim as he embraces this new venture.

Jere Mancini, who preceded me in the role of class secretary and author of this column, is in her 24th year as in-house counsel at Pearson and is experiencing her first year as an empty-nester, after her only child started college last fall. She writes: “I’m working in the higher education and direct-to-consumer spaces, learning lots of new things, but dreaming of the end of tuition bills and retirement, I hope in the not-too-distant future.” Jere reports that they are adjusting to the empty nest and look forward to as much skiing as possible this winter. The family recently traveled to Norway and Jere and her son toured Iceland with friends just before he started college. Finally, Jere mentioned she is already looking forward to our next reunion in 2024 and looks forward to seeing classmates then.

Wishing you all the very best. Please take a moment to drop me a line with your news. I look forward to hearing from you!

—Tory Woodin Chavey, 128 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119; dartmouth88classnotes@gmail.com

Greetings, ’88s.

This December will mark one year since we lost our classmate Scott Evans. Since his passing there have been many tributes to and remembrances of Scott, noting his impressive accomplishments, numerous leadership roles, and impact near and far. In this column I am honored to share with you some personal reflections on Scott from Dave Zipps and Andy Winslow, who were close to him and whose words, I believe, can give us all some thoughts to ponder about how we live our lives.

From Dave: “My wife, Jennifer, and I were in Denver in late May for the memorial service for Scott Evans. Family and friends gathered at a clubhouse by a reservoir on a Saturday afternoon. It had snowed overnight, but the sun was breaking through the clouds as we started and the snow was beginning to melt, which made for some beautiful views from the rooms. Scott had coached a minister’s son in lacrosse and he and the minister became friends. The minister led the ceremony and did a really nice job. Five of us spoke: his sister, Lisa; his son, Brendan; a friend from Denver since his childhood days; a bandmate and friend from Charlottesville, Virginia; and me. As we shared our memories there was some laughter and some tears and reminders of how it felt to spend time in the company of one of the most vibrant, authentic, and decent persons we have known. After the service the wife of one of Scott’s friends mentioned that Scott and her husband both loved the Toadies’ cover of ‘Someone Great.’ I find myself listening to that song often these days, and if you were a friend of Scott’s or spent time with him or danced to the music of NRO on a Saturday night give it a listen. It’s a great soundtrack to remember him by.”

From Andy: “Scott, Derek Pew, Brian Fusonie, and I came together in the fall of our freshman year to form NRO (‘Put an NRO on your weekend’), which we changed to The Option our junior year (we had visions of a reach beyond Dartmouth). As Scott told us in 2018, life is neither easy nor glamorous, and the same applied at Dartmouth. Practices had disagreements, with fights about who got to sing what for lead and backup. (Scott got Petty’s ‘Breakdown’ and Talking Heads’ ‘Life During Wartime,’ among others.) Once Scott almost missed a gig due to a hand injury from a fight he lost with a parking meter behind Baker Library. Scott, like the rest of us, was figuring out his way through life. Back then, as in the June 2018 reunion, he was living life ‘where his feet met the sand.’ Thank you, Scotty, for always being real.”

—Tory Woodin Chavey, 128 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119; dartmouth88classnotes@gmail.com

Greetings, ’88s. Following up on my last column, which featured updates from numerous classmates in California, I will start with a few more.

Elizabeth (Apple) Fee has taught math and money to middle schoolers in the Bay Area for the last 12 years and is happy to be back in the actual classroom after teaching virtually in the pandemic. She is adjusting to the empty-nest life now that both her kids have graduated from college and recently has begun skiing again after two pandemic knee surgeries.

Ted Waters, who lives in San Diego, also has been enjoying some skiing. Earlier this year, he spent a terrific four days in Park City, Utah, hosted by Sturgis Woodberry. Traveling from all across the country to join the trip were Fred Ludtke, Brad Grenham, and H.J. Kim. Ted reports they had a blast while skiing in spring-like conditions in February.

Next we turn to news from several doctor classmates who are doing great things.

Sarina Schrager has been appointed editor-in-chief of Family Medicine, the official journal of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. Having served as a family medicine educator for more than 25 years, Sarina’s work in her new role will include highlighting scholarship on issues of primary care education as well as seeking out diverse voices as editors, peer reviewers, and authors. In the announcement of her appointment, Sarina’s colleagues lauded her as having “a truly impressive track record of success in the editorial world” and “a collaborative leadership style.” Previously Sarina served as editor-in-chief of Wisconsin Medical Journal, medical editor for Family Practice Management, and editorial board member of the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine and coedited five books.

A group of classmates who are ophthalmologists have been busy collaborating. Bill Trattler is working with Neil Friedman to update the fourth edition of their ophthalmology boards review book, to be published this summer. Bill joined fellow ophthalmologists Rex Hamilton and Amir Khan at an industry event in Washington, D.C., this spring and participated, along with Amir, in a panel discussion organized by Janine (Rausch) Eagle at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, which she joined in 2020 as a pediatric ophthalmologist.

Bill, who lives in Miami, joined Larry Spiegelman, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Miami, to celebrate their 30th reunion at University of Miami Medical School earlier this year. Bill and his wife, who also is an ophthalmologist, have four children, from college-aged to preschool. Bill took a break from all the various ophthalmology-related events to get together recently with Jeff Carton when he was visiting Miami.

Finally, I am pleased to report that Matthew Garcia received the Vermont Bar Association Pro Bono Attorney Award earlier this year. Cited in support of the award was Matthew’s pro bono representation of more than 120 people around the state, especially in adult guardianship cases, since 2012. Matthew serves as the executive director of the Windsor County Mentors, which aims to help youth thrive by creating intergenerational mentoring relationships.

—Tory Woodin Chavey, 128 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119; dartmouth88classnotes@gmail.com

Greetings, fellow ‘88s,

I begin this column on a sad note with a remembrance of Scott Evans, who passed away in December in Colorado. His loss is mourned by the many classmates who came to know and love him during our days on campus and in the years since then. Scott came to Dartmouth from Colorado Academy, and he made a big impact on our class. We certainly remember him singing and playing bass and guitar as part of the wildly popular band NRO. He majored in government and, after graduation, went to University of Virginia Law School. From there, he returned to Colorado, working as a trial lawyer and writer, running for state senate, raising a daughter and a son, and coaching lacrosse with passion and devotion for more than 20 years. Scott was a leader in our class in many ways, including participating as a member of our class executive committee for the five years after graduation. More recently, Scott prompted an important conversation among hundreds of our classmates on social media in the months leading to our 30th reunion about how we are connected to each other and to the College. Scott’s immense talents, big heart, and dedication to what he believed in will be sorely missed, and we extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends.

I have continued to hear from classmates about recent mini-reunions they have enjoyed with other ’88s. Jeff Carton told me of a gathering of several ’88s to climb Mount Moosilauke in the summer of 2021. The group included Bill Bundy, Jay Fogarty, Brent Forester, Ken Leonetti, and Jack Steinberg, and Jeff reports that they had a great time catching up on the trail. Jeff continues to keep busy practicing law in Westchester County, New York, where he handles complex litigation and other matters in his 10-attorney firm.

John Herrick, who continues to live in the Cleveland area, let me know that he and his wife, Laura, enjoyed spending time last year with Regan (Foster) Diaz and Albert Diaz in New Orleans, as both had children graduating from Tulane.

I also received an update from Sherri (Burkholder) Fosdick. She and her family have recently moved to Newport News, Virginia, where she works as the data analyst and stewardship coordinator for the Riverside Health Foundation. Sherri and her husband have two grown sons and were excited about the birth of their first grandchild last year. Sherri tells me she enjoys weight training and hiking and is looking forward to participating in all the water sports that come with coastal living.

Please contact me with your latest news and life happenings, and I look forward to hearing from you soon!

—Tory Woodin Chavey, 128 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119; dartmouth88classnotes@gmail.com

Greetings, ’88s!

In my last column I invited you to share your memories from Sophomore Summer, and I am pleased to highlight several classmates’ recollections from that memorable summer of 1986.

Jeff Green, who was promoted this year to full professor in the psychology department at Virginia Commonwealth University, remembers the “surreal” experience during Sophomore Summer of having his mother on campus. She took a computing course at Dartmouth, lived in MidMass, and even befriended the chair of the psychology department, whom Jeff did not know even though he was a psych major. Jeff also recalls loving the classes he took that summer, including a psychology statistics class that he views as sowing the seeds of his becoming a social psychology professor. Finally, Jeff told me he talked to Frank Wang every day summer term about the Red Sox, who then broke their hearts in October.

I also heard from Bill Gifford, who is living in Salt Lake City, Utah, and reports having skied nearby with Sturgis Woodberry and Jonathan Altman this past winter. Bill took time out from working on a sequel to his book, Spring Chicken, about the science of longevity, to tell me his Sophomore Summer memory: setting his “then-fabulous” hair on fire in his dorm room and feeling lucky there was a sink nearby.

Julia (Mairs) Weisbecker, who is a physical therapist and is in training to compete in her fifth Ironman triathlon, remembers a hilarious drive with Amy Beller from Minnesota to Hanover for summer term. They took Amy’s stick-shift car, which Julia did not exactly know how to drive but took turns driving anyway. Julia also said it was a dream to live for the summer in her sorority house with Kajy (Rejaie) Vicinelli and many other good friends.

Peter Ryan, who chairs the department of geology at Middlebury and recently published the second edition of his textbook, recalls listening during Sophomore Summer to great reggae and ska music. He cites those influences on his music even now, including the album All Over the Place his band, The Almendros, recently released. Peter also told me about a three-on-three basketball tournament summer term in which his teammates Dave McCusker and Luke Smith, as hockey players, “did all the dirty work and let me take more shots than I could count.”

Matthew Garcia said two memories from Sophomore Summer stand out for him: spending a lot of time partying with Paula Zagrecki and discovering Kurt Vonnegut, all of whose books in Baker Library Matthew then aimed to read during the summer.

Chuck Young lived with Jay Sotos and Bash Derti in Mid-Fayer Sophomore Summer, and he remembers the three of them competing in what they called the “leisure olympics,” complete with a handmade scoreboard. Chuck also participated in the summer cabaret and did a parody of Miami Vice that was called Hanover Vice and featured Scott Bertetti and Chuck as skateboarding campus security officers.

Hope you enjoyed this flashback to 1986, and please keep in touch!

—Tory Woodin Chavey, 128 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119; dartmouth88classnotes@gmail.com

Greetings, ’88s! I am excited to focus this issue’s column on news from several classmates living abroad.

First is Kendra (Lehnertz) Morgenstern, who lives in Tokyo. She lived in Japan for five years after graduation and, after returning in 1997 with Northwest Airlines “for 18 months or so,” she is still there. When I asked about a favorite part of the city, Kendra said she has had more time to walk during the pandemic and “the fun of this city is that almost none of the streets are straight and you can actually still get lost and find yourself at a hidden shrine or a tiny bakery or some other gem off the beaten path.” Kendra will travel to the United States this summer when her two children return to college and hopes to see classmates then.

Our next update is from Rudolph Stewart, who moved from Oman to Finland in 2020. He made the move after his partner, who is originally from Finland, went there in March 2020, only to have the borders close as a result of the pandemic. After Rudolph sought unsuccessfully to work remotely from Finland, he decided to move anyway. He lives in the old capital city of Turku and will start intensive Finnish classes after renovating a newly purchased flat. Rudolph hopes to give visiting classmates a warm tervetuloa (welcome).

Patrick Rutty also moved in 2020, from Denver to Edinburgh. He arranged with his employer to assume a new role and work remotely out of Scotland, arriving last February just before the lockdown began. He and his partner live in what Patrick describes as a Victorian tenement in central Edinburgh. In response to my question about a favorite part of the city, he highlighted Holyrood Park, which features both an extinct volcano and a castle. Patrick too looks forward to welcoming visitors, for whom he says he has the futon and his “modest whiskey collection” ready.

Our last two reports come from Australia. Tim Ambrose lives in a beautiful part of Sydney, overlooking Rushcutters Bay and park, and loves his work as a clinical psychologist. With the city’s coastal and harbor beaches, Tim regularly takes swims in the ocean and walks along the coast as well as on hilly footpaths. While he appreciates having lived in Australia for more than five years, he says he misses cultural and intellectual opportunities in New York City, as well as proximity to friends and family, and looks forward to traveling back to the United States soon. Melinda Harrington lives in New South Wales, where she has worked from home since March 2020. She reports feeling fortunate with the low number of local Covid cases and hopes to travel this year, perhaps to New Zealand. Melinda is passionate about ocean swimming, which she was able to resume last November, braving both pollution due to floods and a bluebottle sting. Her swimming group raises money for cancer research and so she persists, despite the obstacles.

Please send me your news and updates!

—Tory Woodin Chavey, 128 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119; dartmouth88classnotes@gmail.com

Greetings, ’88s! I am writing this column, my first of 2021, at the end of 2020 in the midst of devastating pandemic news across the United States. Like many of you, one of my pastimes during the last nine months has been searching for good news in the face of the global health crisis. Happily, I have been able to find much good news, and it appears in various forms, from the kindness of a stranger to the generosity of a neighbor to the dedication of an essential worker to the willingness of a teenager to take a walk with his mother. So, too, have I found positive news about some of our classmates:

Moira RedCorn was one of several Osage artists featured at the recent virtual opening of “Creativity 2020: Art from the Community,” at the Osage Nation Museum in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. The show highlighted a colorful and moving painting that Moira created this year. It also included a short video of Moira discussing her art in the time of Covid and giving a tour of her studio, where she has other art projects underway, from beading to ribbons to drawing. Congratulations, Moira!

Charlie Wheelan, who is a senior lecturer and policy fellow at the Rockefeller Center, has published a new book. Titled We Came, We Saw, We Left: A Family Gap Year, the book describes the trip Charlie and Leah (Yegian) Wheelan took with their three teenagers to six continents in nine months a couple of years ago. An advance release from the publisher, W.W. Norton & Co., calls the book “a winning blend of humor and humility” as it “juggles themes of local politics, global economics, and family dynamics.” Congratulations, Charlie!

Tyler Hoffman, who is a professor of English at Rutgers University-Camden, published a book in late 2019 titled This Mighty Convulsion: Whitman and Melville Write the Civil War. As coeditor of this collection of essays published by the University of Iowa Press, Tyler is credited with presenting an important critical examination of Walt Whitman and Herman Melville as Civil War poets. Tyler currently serves as chair of the department of English and previously was associate dean of the college of arts and sciences. Congratulations, Tyler!

Howard Roughan also published a new book in late 2019, cowritten with James Patterson and titled Killer Instinct. This book is Howard’s most recent collaboration with James Patterson, with whom he has now written eight books; Howard himself also has written two novels. Congratulations, Howard!

Karen Morton continues to live in the Upper Valley, where she serves two roles important to the local community. She is the executive director of Good Beginnings in West Lebanon, New Hampshire, which provides support to families with new babies, and she and her husband, Craig Morton ’89, are lead pastors at a nondenominational church in West Lebanon called Wellspring Worship Center. Congratulations, Karen!

As always, I invite you to share your news, updates, and stories with me.

—Tory Woodin Chavey, 128 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119; dartmouth88classnotes@gmail.com

Greetings, ’88s! From my home office in Connecticut as I write this column, the sun is bright, and the air carries just a touch of cool autumn—ah, my favorite season.

I caught up recently with F. Eric Freeman, who has been living in Wilmington, North Carolina, for about the last 10 years and teaches math at Cape Fear Community College. Eric also operates a firm that provides consulting services to businesses on infrastructure, especially tax issues, and is pursuing an advanced tax degree at the University of Denver. As you may have seen on the Dartmouth ’88 Facebook page, Eric posted this summer about an experience he had in 1984 as an incoming member of our class, and he and I talked more about that when we spoke. It seems timely to relate some of Eric’s experiences here as a way of embracing the diversity of our class and seeking to move forward even all these years later. Eric was an accomplished math student in high school, but recalls being assigned to Math 1 (Pre-calculus) in our first-year fall. When he asked why, he was told that all African-American students in our class were placed in Math 1, but he could take a placement exam if he sought a different math class. He did take the exam once on campus, placed into Math 13 (Calculus III), and ended up as a mathematician. Eric also told me that, for much of his time at Dartmouth, he lived in Cutter Hall, which at that time housed the Afro-American Society, and which Eric described to me as his “safe space.” The building is now the site of the Shabazz Center for Intellectual Inquiry, the mission of which the College describes as “to enhance the intellectual and cultural milieu of the Dartmouth College campus with particular regard to those issues which pertain to the historical and contemporary experiences of people of African descent.”

This summer our class formed a steering committee on social justice, and the committee has already started meeting and planning. The committee aims to make recommendations on the development of programs and initiatives to address ways to curtail racism and intolerance of all marginalized groups at Dartmouth and among alumni. The committee is mindful of the joint statement from College trustees and senior leadership dated July 1, which expresses strong support for the movement to end systemic and systematic racism and makes numerous commitments related to that issue. Please contact committee members if you have ideas to share. They are Jonathan Altman, Sandy Broadus Chontos (chair), Daron Fitch, F. Eric Freeman, Margie Wallace Gibson, Sarah Hoit, Cari (Lynel) Jackson Lewis, Moira RedCorn, and Tom Ward. Richard Cloobeck serves as an advisor, and Lisa Ellis, who is our class’ vice president of community, has been instrumental in creating the committee.

I wish all of you the very best, and I look forward to hearing from you with news, updates, and your stories to share.

—Tory Woodin Chavey, 128 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119; dartmouth88classnotes@gmail.com

Greetings, ’88s! As I write this column in early May, the pandemic is the dominant topic of the news and daily conversation. I cannot help but wonder if filling this column with the usual assortment of anecdotes about our classmates might seem inappropriately trivial or even tone-deaf to the suffering and fear around the world. Yet I know many of us take seriously the idea that we can be together even while we stay socially distanced. In that spirit, then, perhaps this column can play a small role in encouraging the great class of ’88 to come together more than ever.

This period of social distancing has prompted interactions among classmates in fun new ways, and I encourage you to take part. For example, a number of dorm groups have held Zoom mini-reunions, and small groups of classmates are doing yoga or having happy hour “together” virtually. Also, while we are mostly staying home, some classmates are sorting through those dusty old boxes in the attic. From those searches have come amazing artifacts from college days, and it is great to see the sharing of photos or descriptions of what you are unearthing. What other ways have you found to connect virtually with classmates during the pandemic? Let me know, as I would love to mention it in a future column.

So what else is new with our classmates? Anne (Chmielewski) Kushwaha, who is semi-retired, said she was disappointed to have missed trips this spring, when she would have seen Catherine (Craighead) Briggs, Amy Keller, and Tracey (Nelson) Tiedman. Anne has started gardening as a hobby and says she sees it as almost like a biology lab. Anne also has spent time hiking with her dog in Maine and on Martha’s Vineyard, where she aims to complete all 52 hikes on the island and to see Becca (Strock) Latimore this summer.

I also heard from Dave McConnell, who is developing creative ways for his community-centered business (Three of Strong Spirits, a craft distillery, in Portland, Maine) to operate during the pandemic. While converting some of the operation to making hand sanitizer to sell at cost, the business—which he called a “family affair” involving Janine Lambert and their three children—is holding virtual classes and happy hours for now.

Finally, I was inspired by a note from Christina (Perry) Katz, who told me she celebrated her 25th anniversary of sobriety in March, “probably the biggest accomplishment of my life thus far, and I am pretty darn proud of it.” As you should be, Christina! She also will mark 20 years of marriage this year and will see her daughter start college to study musical theater and dance. Living in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Christina is a dedicated gardener, with a cut flower bed for the first time this year. Her bouquets, which she highlights on social media, are not only gorgeous, but also provide a welcome spot of positivity for me.

I look forward to hearing from you!

All the best.

—Tory Woodin Chavey, 128 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119; dartmouth88classnotes@gmail.com

Greetings, ’88s! Several of you have asked how you can provide information for inclusion in this column, and here’s how: Send updates about yourself or a classmate to me at the email address below, or respond to the occasional messages I send from that same email address inviting your thoughts on selected topics.

I love hearing from you and aim to highlight as many different classmates as I can. Toward that end, please email me your input for two anticipated column topics for later this year: starting a new hobby in your 50s and adventures with pets.

Let’s start with news from Kendall (Grigsby) Carbone, who saw many classmates at different events in the last months of 2019. First, Kendall and Paul Steinwald hosted a mini-reunion for ’88s in Denver in September, with Julia (Fulwyler) and Steve Brunner, Meagan McCorkle, Sally (Johnson) Meier, Elizabeth Pike, Patrick Rutty, Maura (O’Neill) Spangler, Tracey (Nelson) Tiedman, and Brad Winslow in attendance. What I love about Kendall’s description of the event is that she said the attendees did not all know each other well, but they made it easy—a potluck, kids included, starting at Kendall’s house then moving to Paul’s house (around the corner). Kendall’s advice about having a mini-reunion: Do not overthink it, as the whole point is just to get together. Also in September, Kendall was in New York for the U.S. Open finals, and she caught up with Chris Redpath.

Elena Baum and Kendall then updated me on a gathering of ’88s for a November weekend in New York, including the football game at Yankee Stadium; in addition to Kendall and Elena, the group included Kathleen Bartels, Diana (Carlson) Hine, Nancy (Krupicka) Cotrell, party planner Christy (Gilmartin) McElynn, Kathleen Morgan, Val (Robbins) Price, and Kathy (Beams) Wiseman. Elena said they saw many other ‘88s at the game, including Karen (Deitz) and Scott Bertetti, Val Fasolo, Kim Fasolo-LoMonaco, Eben Frankenberg, Ish McLaughlin, to name a few, and then had brunch with Alex Daniels the next day.

Kendall also started a new job in December, as chief financial officer of Offen Petroleum, a growing fuel distributor in Denver. Congratulations, Kendall!

Cherise (Glick) Bransfield also sent news of an ’88 gathering at her home on Nantucket, Massachusetts. Three ’88 couples—Leah (Yegian) and Charlie Wheelan, Barb (Turley) and Scott Marr, and Deb (Kozart) and Fred Ludtke—enjoyed a summer weekend with Cherise and her husband, Bobby.

Finally, Hong Jin “H.J.” Kim, who is chief of the division of surgical oncology and endocrine surgery at UNC School of Medicine, was honored in October with the Ted B. Seagroves Jr. Distinguished Professorship. This position was established to honor and recognize H.J.’s importance to the UNC department of surgery and its cancer center. Wow—congratulations, H.J.!

I look forward to hearing from you and hope to see many of you this year.

All the best.

—Tory Woodin Chavey, 128 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119; dartmouth88classnotes@gmail.com

Greetings, fellow ’88s! I am happy to share news of many gatherings of our classmates around the country, with a special online event coming up in November. First, I heard from Michelle Stowe Ong, who is in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area, that she enjoyed a visit from Pauline Garris Brown in late August, and before that a visit from Julie Zahniser and her family, with whom Michelle spent time at nearby Lake Norman. Michelle reports she was impressed that both Julie and her daughter easily got up on waterskis on the lake. Chris Mehl, who lives in Bozeman, Montana, and is the deputy mayor there, also was pleased to host a visit from a classmate, reporting that Tim Burger texted out of the blue that he would be in town. They took in a Steve Earle show, and Chris reports Tim is doing well in Southern California and has a newborn.

I also heard from Val Robins Price, who had fun seeing Todd Zywicki in Washington, D.C., when Val was visiting her daughter who is working there. Todd is the George Mason University Foundation Professor of Law at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, and he teaches bankruptcy and contracts, among other subjects, while also writing and commenting frequently on legal issues. Val also shared that her family had an amazing trip to Tanzania this summer to celebrate her younger daughter’s high school graduation as well as her older daughter’s college graduation. As new empty-nesters, Val, who is a physician in greater Boston, and her husband are hoping to join Steve Cook and Michelle Stowe Ong on some upcoming medical volunteer trips.

In Portland, Maine, Dave McConnell is looking forward to frequent visits from classmates, among others, as he launches a small batch distillery, Three of Strong Spirits, with a cofounder. The business had its grand opening in August and will produce rum, give tours, and add to the vibrant community in East Bayside. And now for news of a special event: Tom Ward tells me that he has organized several of our very talented artist classmates to create a group art show with an online opening on November 14. Our whole class is invited for first viewing on that date, and, in addition to Tom, the featured ’88 artists include Ruth Cserr, Amanda Hanson, Barbara Jenny, Nick Nobili, Wendy Pabich,and Moira Redcorn. This should be a wonderful expression of creativity and inspiration, and Tom promises that he will provide more information on our class Facebook page as the date approaches.

Please continue to send me your news and updates about yourself or other ’88 classmates.

All the best.

—Tory Woodin Chavey, 128 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119; dartmouth88classnotes@gmail.com

Summer greetings! I begin this column by continuing the “what it means to be part of a community” theme that started in the last column, and then update you on several classmates’ new jobs and professional adventures. Hope you enjoy the news, and please send me the latest about you or another classmate. In the meantime, look for my continued email outreach with questions intended to elicit your varied and thought-provoking responses.

On the topic of community, Caroline (McKeldin) Wayner offered her view that “kindness is the most important characteristic for a strong community.” As the president of her small Baltimore neighborhood, she uses kindness as her guiding principle—“and humor, of course.” Caroline also notes she really likes the way our class has come together in kindness through the years. Kathy (Beams) Wiseman says that, when she thinks of community, she thinks back to her time in Tibati, Cameroon, for two years in the Peace Corps, where she worked to help with the healthcare infrastructure. She says she gained so much from the experience, as the people there were welcoming, helpful, and friendly, and there was a sense of enjoying time with each other: “Things happened slowly, but that was okay.” Please keep sending me your reflections on community and what it means to you.

Turning now to several classmates’ professional journeys, I will start with Laura Weylman Turner and Kristen Morwick, whom I had the great pleasure of seeing at a New England Small College Athletic Conference track meet in April. Kristen is the highly decorated head track-and-field and cross-country coach at Tufts University, where she has established an impressive record of accomplishments since arriving in 2000. Laura is a family practice doctor in Middlebury, Vermont, and earlier this year opened her “dream practice,” where she and a colleague put together an innovative structure designed to allow them to spend more time with each patient. From her empty nest in the D.C. area, Stephanie (Welch) Lewin is engaged in a professional labor of love of her own: her business helping high school students with innovative approaches to finding the right college. Our class president, Traci (Byrne) Gentry, has started on a new professional path as well: Traci, who has worked at companies such as Hershey and Reebok, now has a senior role in a recruitment and talent advisory firm that focuses on the consumer goods industry. Two of our classmates are taking new head of school roles this summer. Dave McCusker will join the Manlius Pebble Hill School in the Syracuse area, and so he and Steff McCusker will be getting to know central New York. Carrie Brennan will leave Tucson, Arizona, where she founded and led a charter school, and will return to the Upper Valley as she takes the helm at Thetford (Vermont) Academy. Also in the Upper Valley, Leah (Yegian) Whelan finished her first year as principal of Canaan (New Hampshire) Elementary School.

Best regards for a great summer, and I look forward to hearing from you.

—Tory Woodin Chavey, 128 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119; dartmouth88classnotes@gmail.com

Almost a year has passed since our 30th reunion, and, of the many amazing moments for me, a highlight was an impromptu Velvet Rocks hike with an interesting and funny group: Randi Barshak, Emily Britton, Kathy (Corbett) Brooks, Jennifer Taylor,and Caroline (McKeldin) Wayner. I left the hike enriched and inspired by our conversation…and reminded of the joy of a walk in the woods with friends. Since the reunion it has been great hearing from many of you about the outdoor activities you most enjoy now and how they compare to those you enjoyed while at Dartmouth. For Cuong Do, it was and is skiing. He writes: “Dartmouth changed my life in so many ways, including my introduction to skiing. I learned to ski on the Dartmouth Skiway. I’ve kept up with it since then, and my family now skis every weekend. It serves to bring my family together.” Andrian Dacy,too, is still enthusiastically enjoying the same outdoor activities as he did at Dartmouth (and even before arriving on campus): “hiking (followed by skiing).”

Emily Britton, however, tells me her current, favorite outdoor activity is not the same as it was during college, as she now loves taking her 11-year-old yellow Lab Lucy on long walks, especially when they find running water so Lucy can swim and Emily can take in the blissful sound of the water. Sue Breen reports that, in addition to biking as one of her favorite things to do outdoors, she is still enjoying spending time on trails in the woods, as she did at Dartmouth, but back then she was running and now is mostly walking. Echoing my own feelings and those I’m sure many of you share, Sue says she is grateful to have had the experience of learning in a place as beautiful as Dartmouth.

Bill Davis has found some beautiful new places to enjoy unique outdoor adventures. Since he and family moved to India in 2017, they have been “exploring the mountain kingdom of Ladakh in the Himalayas, visiting the magnificent desert fortresses of Rajasthan,” and scuba diving in Thailand. Bill also has shared some amazing trips with Dave Wrigley, from rafting through icebergs to fishing with grizzlies, and they have taken multiple wilderness backpacking trips, recently bringing their teenaged sons on a rugged trip in Alaska.

Before I leave you to consider your own outdoor inspirations and aspirations, I must share the sad news of the passing in November 2018 of our classmate Kanani Kauka, whom many of us will always remember as a passionate advocate who was such a visible leader on our campus. Our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends.

—Victoria Woodin Chavey, 128 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119; torychavey@gmail.com

In my inaugural Class Notes column, I want to begin with an enthusiastic thank-you to Jere Mancini, who has inspired, regaled, and informed us writing this column during the last five years. Kudos to you, Jere, on a job extremely well done! We appreciate your work in support of the ties that bind this wonderful class into a supportive community that is truly “Better Together.”

As I begin my tenure as the author of this column, I ask that you please let me know your news, your personal or professional milestones large and small, your chance meetings with other ’88s around the globe, and other notes of interest Thank you in advance for the privilege of serving in this role, and I look forward to hearing from you!

And now to news of our classmates.

Two classmates have recently moved to new communities. Leigh Dingwall has moved back to her home state of North Carolina after nearly 20 years in Connecticut, where she worked at her alma mater Choate Rosemary Hall as a teacher, coach, and advisor and also developed its women’s studies program. Now that she is back in North Carolina, she is living in a “tiny house,” and her abode was featured in a design magazine earlier this year. Sandy Broadus, too, has made a move, but hers is westward to California, where she and her husband and three adorable children will trade the Northeast’s snow for the West Coast’s surf.

Speaking of the California surf, Jennifer Taylor reports that she enjoys going surfing with Amanda Hanson in the Bay Area, and that they also have formed an active book group. A former lawyer, Jennifer has embraced a new career path working as an educational consultant helping families identify appropriate academic or therapeutic programs around the country for their children. With her own two boys at boarding schools, Jennifer has been putting in many miles on her bicycle and will ride from Prague to Budapest this fall. Amanda is also a former lawyer who made a career change. She now works as an acupuncturist in her own clinic after earning her master’s.

Back in Boston, two classmates are long-time contributors to their academic communities. Susan (Lindsay) Lively earned her Ph.D. in history from Harvard University, where she has taught history and expository writing and has held numerous other posts, including assistant dean for the arts and humanities. Susan currently serves as secretary of the faculty, with responsibility for working with faculty, staff, and students regarding policies and practices of the faculty of arts and sciences.

Miyuki Yamaguchi is a research technician at Brandeis University, putting to good use the Ph.D. in biochemistry she earned from Duke University.

Miyuki, who was my freshman-year roommate along with Townley Slack, is married with two boys and has enjoyed living in Newton, Massachusetts, for nearly 20 years.

I look forward to hearing from you.

—Victoria Woodin Chavey, 128 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119; torychavey@gmail.com

Before our 30th reunion (June 14-17), I’d like to introduce the core class officer team who will lead us through the next six years. (We resume clustering, and our 35th will be in 2024.)

President Traci Byrne Gentry lives in Monroe, Connecticut, with husband, Scott Gentry, and their two children, Braedon and Carina. Braedon is a high school senior and will study engineering at the University of Maryland beginning this fall. Carina is in seventh grade. Traci is an executive recruiter at Lack + Daily, a boutique search firm that focuses exclusively on marketers. “After spending 25 years in marketing, I’m enjoying helping others build their marketing careers. Scott and I have stayed in close touch with many Dartmouth friends, and I’m looking forward to reconnecting with classmates at reunion and making new friendships during the next six years as class president.”

VP Lisa Ellis lives and works in New York City, just west of her home village of Roosevelt Island. She is an information services librarian and associate professor at Baruch College, CUNY, where she teaches, consults on research, serves on committees, and publishes. She loves working with faculty and students, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college. In fact, last weekend she, together with two advertising professors, accompanied marketing students to the regional National Student Advertising Competition. Lisa also served for 20-plus years as a weekend docent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, leading three tours: museum highlights, Impressionism, and modern art. She hopes to return as a docent when she retires. In her leisure time Lisa enjoys attending art exhibitions, hosting get-togethers, babysitting her nephews, and catching games at the Barclays Center to cheer on her favorite team, the Brooklyn Nets.

Correspondent and class secretary Tory Woodin Chavey lives in West Hartford, Connecticut, with her husband of 26-plus years, Mark ’87, and their two children, Helen (a junior at Colby College) and Paul (a high school junior). Tory and Mark met at Dartmouth and attended law school together at Boston University. Mark became a high school history teacher about five years ago, and Tory continues to practice law at a national labor and employment firm. Tory is attempting to rekindle the runner inside, including joining a race on the spur of the moment in Bozeman, Montana, last August during a cross-country road trip with Mark. Tory volunteers with local nonprofits focused on empowering women; she serves on the board of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the development (fund-raising) committee of the Aurora Foundation. Finally, Tory is a connoisseur of breakfast spots: “I am constantly searching out the best breakfast places wherever I go. To get my nod of approval, it’s got to have great coffee, some interesting menu selections, and a unique vibe. I’m contemplating a blog devoted to my quest, but we’ll see how that goes. Two of my favorites in the last year—both of which are popular among locals—are Biscuit Head in Asheville, North Carolina, and Lula Belle Coffee Shop in Gillette, Wyoming.”

Treasurer Kim Fasolo-Lomonaco lives in Lincoln Park, New Jersey, with Gerard, her husband of 26 years, daughters Alexa, 16, and Ashley, 11, and golden retriever Daisy. She enjoys skiing, cheer coaching, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. After Dartmouth. Kim earned several graduate degrees, all while working at New Jersey Bell (now Verizon). Kim then took a buyout and now holds multiple volunteer leadership positions in her community, earning her the community’s Citizen of the Year Award. This summer Kim looks forward to a two-week vacation to Spain, France, and Italy—including Sicily, where Kim’s grandparents were born—to celebrate milestone birthdays for her mom, dad, and daughter.

—Jere Mancini, 34 Wearimus Road, HoHoKus, NJ 07423; d88correspondent@gmail.com

In the run-up to our 30th reunion (please save the date: June 14-17), our tour of first-year dorms continues. Next up, the River Cluster. Tom Kollmorgen has been in Eugene, Oregon, since finishing his urology residency at the Mayo Clinic in 1998. “I am a founding member of the Oregon Urology Institute, the largest single-specialty private urology practice on the West Coast, and I practice urology with a focus in urologic oncology. I remarried in 2010 to Julie Andries. Both of my sons, Thayne (21) and Max (20), attend Santa Clara University in California. Thayne will graduate this year (unfortunately, the same weekend as our reunion), and Max is a sophomore. I also have three stepchildren: Tyler (24) works in Seattle; Alyssa (22) is moving to L.A.; and Megan (19) is a sophomore at CU Boulder. Our German shorthair pointer Lucy completes the household. We love all that Oregon has to offer, including snow and water skiing, hiking, golf and hunting. We also enjoy relaxing at our lake cabin on the Oregon coast. We are looking forward to a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ trip to Africa next fall. I continue to keep in touch with several Dartmouth friends, including Brent Frei, Steve Dettelbach, Alan Moss, John Rajala, Dave Geithner, Bob Fitzpatrick, Ish McLaughlin, Dave Youker, Andy Russell and Eben Frankenberg, and we all manage to get together every year or two.”

Chris Mehl’s River Cluster experience lasted four years, as he also roomed in nearby apartments as an upperclassman. “Being close to the river, and a bit away from town, was just right for me.  And classes were still only a short bike ride or walk away.”  After many years in Washington, D.C., Chris moved to Bozeman, Montana (“to hike, ski, canoe—then repeat”) in 2001, where he soon met his wife, Laura Hoehn.  Bozeman’s been a great fit and in November Chris was elected as the city’s next Mayor. Finally, an update from a local, Ed Merrens: “My wife, Peg Lamb Merrens ’87, and I have been here in the Upper Valley for the past 18 years, since completing my medical training in Seattle. I’ve held a variety of roles, and in addition to a continued clinical role as a hospitalist, I’ve taken on a number of administrative roles and currently serve as the chief clinical officer for the Dartmouth-Hitchcock system. I’m thrilled to work with our new CEO, Joanne Conroy ’77. I’ve continued my commitment to skiing and have been fortunate to work with Max Cobb ’87 and Max Saenger and a host of Dartmouth alumni and athletes in my work with biathlon and the U.S. Olympic Committee. After serving as a team physician for the past 15 years and going to the past four winter Olympic Games, I’ve transitioned from being the team physician to a seat on the board of directors for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, where I can continue my commitment to fair sport on a national and global level. Living in Norwich, Vermont, driving through the campus on a daily basis and being able to experience Dartmouth in all its seasons has been a life experience for which I feel exceedingly fortunate. Not only do I get to see Dartmouth friends all year long, but we also became much more engaged in day-to-day Dartmouth life while our son, Sam Merrens ’17, was on campus. He’s now an alum and has moved on to San Francisco, where a bunch of other Dartmouth alumni live and work. I look forward to seeing friends old and new at our reunion in June!”

—Jere Mancini, 34 Wearimus Road, HoHoKus, NJ 07423; d88correspondent@gmail.com

This will be the first of a series focusing on our first-year dorms, beginning with some of my Russell Sage dorm mates.

Karen Redding Morton, Lynda Jones Maitland and Cyndi Brandenburg lived in Room 404. Karen and her husband, Craig Morton ’89, have lived in the Upper Valley since graduation and have raised their four children there. Karen and Craig actually got married the day before Craig graduated, so that his Dartmouth football friends could attend. Three of their children attended and played sports at University of Richmond; their youngest is a sophomore and plays football there now. Their other daughter, Moriah, graduated from Dartmouth in 2017 and was on the track and field team; she was the 2017 New England women’s javelin champion. Karen is the executive director of Good Beginnings, a nonprofit servicing the families of new babies, and still enjoys running the trails of Hanover and Lebanon, New Hampshire. Craig, after 20 years in IT at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Hospital, is now a pastor of a church near campus.

Lynda lives near Burlington, Vermont, with her husband, John Maitland, and has three children: a recent college graduate, a college student and a senior in high school. “I have loved living in Vermont. We have hiked, biked, skied and skated right outside our back door. I have had the privilege of teaching children in Vermont public elementary schools ever since graduation. It’s hard to believe we’re all 50-plus. My youngest child is a senior in high school, yet I feel like it was yesterday that I was getting ready to go to Dartmouth.”

Cyndi lives in Jericho, Vermont, with her partner, Bill Vespa. Cyndi and Bill have three children: Joey, a junior in high school; and Sarah and Maria, both sophomores at Smith College. Rounding out the family is a shih tzu named Mojo who “suffers from an extreme case of mistaken identity, thinking he’s a really big badass dog when he is actually quite the opposite.” Cyndi is a professor at Champlain College, teaching interdisciplinary courses (with themes such as food and community or evolution, adaptation and extinction or healthcare as a global human right) and often travels with students to unpredictable places like Morocco, Jordan, India and Sri Lanka. “The fourth floor of Russell Sage was a place to expect the unexpected. I loved my roommates to pieces and I also adored the guys down the hall (Scott Sabol, Justin Hlavin and Mark Kelsey), even though I came back one night to find all my furniture in the hallway and once got out of the shower to discover that my bath towel had been replaced with a washcloth.”

Ken Leonetti, Room 307, now lives in Newton Highlands, Massachusetts, and is the co-managing partner of Foley Hoag LLP in Boston, where he has practiced bankruptcy law since 1995. Ken and his wife, Susan Amster, have two kids, Chuck (17) and Isabel (15), both of whom are ski racers. The family loves to ski and travel together, spending almost every winter weekend, and a good portion of each summer, in New Hampshire. Ken and Susan also do a yearly 100-mile fundraising bike ride for the Dana Farber Cancer Center in Boston. Ken keeps up with Sigma Nu brothers Jay Fogarty, Brent Forester, Jevin Eagle, Larry Spiegelman, Jeff Carton and Bill Bundy, many of whom meet up for an annual weekend hike in the White Mountains. “Funny, but for a guy who grew up in the strip-mall suburbs of Long Island, I spend a lot of my free time outdoors in New Hampshire. Clearly, Dartmouth was a good influence on me.”

Hope to see you in Hanover for our 30th—June 14-17, 2018.

—Jere Mancini, 34 Wearimus Road, HoHoKus, NJ 07423; d88correspondent@gmail.com

Michael Babick, who lives in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, shared the following update: “I currently work part-time in structured finance, the same line of work that I have been doing since graduating from Penn State business school. The part-time work and being single with no kids provides me with a lot of time for golf, biking and hiking the local trails in Westchester County, New York, with my flat-coated retriever, Otis (yes, named after Otis in Animal House). In addition to Eric Olson, I see Frank Wang regularly when he is around the New York area for various sporting events in which his children participate. Jim Crane is also nearby in Katonah, New York, and has children approaching college age, which will, I hope, free up some more time for golf with Jim in the near future.” Otis is Michael’s second rescue dog; he got him about five years ago, when Otis was 4. According to Michael, Otis loves Frank Wang and sometimes serves as Frank’s pillow when he visits.

You may have caught the mention of Jay Kumar in the May/June issue of this magazine. It prompted me to reach out for a more personal update. Jay lives in Lebanon, New Jersey, with his wife Catherine, son Connell (15) and daughter Lily (13), and runs SASQ Media, a business he founded. In addition to creating and publishing digital content targeted at enthusiasts, SASQ Media also provides consulting services for other digital media businesses. (And, if you’re wondering what Jay and company mean by “enthusiasts,” they mean individuals who have a passion for something, which could be a sport or other pastime, or a product, family of products, a lifestyle or a particular brand or anything else.) Jay writes: “Cath is good, working for the family biz (consulting side). Connell is a freshman, playing lax at Seton Hall Prep. Lily is in seventh, wishing she was in ninth so the evil girl thing would be over. She’s also into the sprints and very close to God, which is very cool. Went to the Florida Keys for my 50th (sorta)—always wanted to go—didn’t catch a single dang fish! God for sure has a sense of humor.”

Matthew Lansburgh recently wrote in to share the news that his collection of linked stories, Outside Is the Ocean, won the 2017 Iowa Short Fiction Award and is forthcoming from the University of Iowa Press in October. In selecting Matthew’s book as the winner of this prize, Andre Dubus III described the book as “mesmerizing.” Matthew first started writing fiction at Dartmouth, where he won the Grimes Prize and had a play produced in the Frost Competition. After college Matthew received a J.D. from Stanford Law School, then moved to N.Y.C., where he lives with his partner, Stan Hsue. Matthew earned an M.F.A. in creative writing from New York University in 2015 and has published short fiction in several national journals, including Glimmer Train, Ecotone and StoryQuarterly. You can find out more about his writing by visiting him at matthewlansburgh.com. On top of all of that, Matthew continues to practice law three days a week as an in-house lawyer for Hudson’s Bay Co.

As hard as it is to believe, we are beginning our 30th year out; in fact, 33 years ago many of us were on our freshman trips or getting ready to start classes in Hanover. Please mark your calendars for our upcoming 30th reunion, which will be June 14-17, 2018. If you want to help, please contact reunion co-chairs Anne Chmielewski-Kushwaha and Taylor Thomas at d8830thcochairs@gmail.com. Keep the news coming!

—Jere Mancini, 34 Wearimus Road, HoHoKus, NJ 07423; d88correspondent@gmail.com

Matthew Lansburgh lives with his partner (Stan Hsue) in N.Y.C., where he works part time as a lawyer and spends his free time writing. “I’m currently working on a novel, and one of my stories (“Driving North,” published in the Michigan Quarterly Review) was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize. That story and some of my other fiction is available online at www.matthewlansburgh.com.”

Judith Greenberg lives in N.Y.C. with her husband, Ira Joseph, and kids Claire (17) and Sasha (14). She has taught for 13 years at NYU’s Gallatin School for Interdisciplinary Study after stints teaching at Yale (where she got her Ph.D. in comparative literature), Dartmouth and Williams. “My writing and research explore intersections of trauma and literary studies. In 2003 I put together the book Trauma at Home: After 9/11 and I am trying to finish a decade-long project called Cypora’s Echo about cousins during the Holocaust and the transmission of trauma across generations. My Dartmouth friends—classmates and professors—remain among the dearest people in my life. Some of my columns for The Huffington Post remember classmates and feelings from Dartmouth. I am also an avid crafter, dog-lover, party-hoster (especially for worthy causes) and enthusiastic attendee of N.Y.C. theater, dance and art.”

After working with the U.S. ski team for seven years in junior development, Terry DelliQuadri took a coaching position with Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (Colorado) four years ago. Last year his family moved to his wife’s hometown in Germany. “We rented a house in a small village near her parents, her brother and sister and their families. Our kids—Esther Rose (17), Cisco (14), Peppi (12)—did not speak any German but we enrolled them in the local gymnasium (school) for the year. They had the full immersion experience. The boys played on hockey teams and our daughter joined a ski jumping club. I stayed back in Colorado for work, but was lucky enough to spend August with them and then three more one-week stints throughout the winter. It was tough being apart, but such a worthwhile experience for the kids.”

John Patten lives in New Canaan, Connecticut, with wife Carolyn, kids Anna (15) and Christopher (13) and dogs Nala and Abby. The family moved there last year to live closer to the kids’ school, King Low Heywood, where Carolyn is head of the English department. “Happy to say there are still plenty of woods where our dogs can run unleashed. Both Anna and Christopher are doing well with field hockey, soccer and lacrosse and everyone is still skiing, even on the colder days in Vermont.” John worked for National Geographic for 15 years, selling advertising and sponsorships, then worked for two years in venture capital, joining Facebook in 2009. John sees his Dartmouth roommate, Gregg Nourjian, in Stowe, Vermont, and is also in close touch with Toby O’Connor, with whom he roomed for a time after Dartmouth (he and Toby spent a month trekking in Patagonia, Chile, in 1996). John also flew a Cessna for 10 years: “There’s always a story to tell in flying. One night, departing a Vermont airport in light snow, I heard a loud bang in the cockpit and thought ‘Damn, this is how it all ends, pushing it to try to get home.’ In quiet resignation I waited to see which needle would climb into the red. After several uncomfortable minutes when nothing alarming happened, I became aware of a distinct vinegary aroma coming from the back. I turned around to find that all of the potato chip bags in my grocery bags had exploded.”

—Jere Mancini, 34 Wearimus Road, HoHoKus, NJ 07423; d88correspondent@gmail.com

Eben Haber,who lives in Cupertino, California, sent in some musings on turning 50: “Turning 50? Well, I certainly don’t feel ‘old’ at this point or as old as I would have imagined feeling looking ahead when I was a student. While my close vision requires glasses now and much of my hair has gone, the years have been otherwise beneficial. I’ve accumulated a depth of knowledge in many areas and a level of wisdom and perspective that help me better engage with the world and I’m always learning new things to add to that. I have a lovely family that keeps me on my toes, and my children especially help to keep me up with what’s new in the culture. Finally, I’m faster and have better endurance on my bike than when I was younger, in part due to really focusing on it. All that is definitely worth needing to wear reading glasses, not that there’s any choice in the matter! From a distance 50 may seem to be a milestone, but up close it is just another day to live and learn and contribute.”

In other news Laura DeNardis, who lives in Washington, D.C., with her wife, Deborah Smith, received the 2016 Virginia Tech Graduate School Alumni Achievement Award during commencement exercises on May 12. Laura, a globally recognized Internet governance scholar, earned a master’s from Cornell University and her Ph.D. in science and technology studies from Virginia Tech. With a background in information engineering, she studies the social and political implications of Internet technical architecture and governance. She has worked with the State Department and United Nations and her work has been published in numerous publications. She has also authored several books, most recently The Global War for Internet Governance, published in 2014. Laura taught at New York University and Yale Law School and is an affiliated fellow of the Yale Law School Information Society Project, where she served as its executive director from 2008 to 2011. She is a senior fellow of the Centre for International Governance Innovation and a frequent keynote speaker at global universities and institutions. She currently is the director of research for the Global Commission on Internet Governance.

After studying and performing classical guitar at Dartmouth, Laura has continued to play and occasionally performs in the Washington area. “One surprising element of my life is how much I’ve traveled for work (and pleasure), most recently to Jordan, Indonesia, Turkey, Korea, Brazil, the Fiji Islands, South Africa and throughout Europe. I need to put Hanover on this list very soon because I haven’t yet attended any reunions! But in the past year or so Deborah and I enjoyed swarming the Georgetown football stands with the Dartmouth Club of Washington at the Georgetown-Dartmouth game and attending a spring dinner gathering of ’88s at Stephanie Welsch-Lewin’s house—Stephanie is our local mini-reunion chair for Washington. I love being a professor and author and increasingly realize how much the trajectory of my life has been shaped by my engineering degree at Dartmouth. To mark my 50th birthday, and after playing classical guitar for 43 years, I decided to take up piano and am enjoying feeling like a complete beginner again.”

Beginning with a gathering in Brooklyn, New York, on September 22 and continuing through a gathering in the Bay Area, California, on November 12 we will be hosting our all-class virtual reunion and 50th birthday bash. Details will be communicated by email and in our fall newsletter. And remember, it’s never too early to start planning to attend our 30th reunion in June 2018.

—Jere Mancini, 34 Wearimus Road, HoHoKus, NJ 07423, d88correspondent@gmail.com

The celebrations continue. Susan Brody celebrated her 50th birthday in April: “I spent my 50th walking from inn to inn in the Lake District in northern England with my sister, Lynn ’85. It was beautiful—stonewalls, green fields and adorable lambs everywhere we turned. I was lucky that my birthday fell during my school break (I’ve been an elementary school teacher in Maplewood, New Jersey, for the last 10 years), so it felt extra special to be doing something I love in a gorgeous setting with the person who has known me longest on my actual birthday. I couldn’t have asked for more.”

Meredith Larson, who lives in Washington, D.C., plans to mark her 50th birthday with her first visit this summer to Yellowstone National Park, where she managed to secure lodging in the park. Why Yellowstone? “I spent part of my childhood in a country torn by crisis and conflict; back in the United States at age 10, I watched and then read Roots, one of my most important learning experiences. Dartmouth later helped build a curiosity for the world and sense of possibility. Perhaps shaped by all of these and other experiences, I’ve spent much of my adult life working on human rights and humanitarian issues. I feel I’ve become acutely aware that there’s a lot of cruelty in this world—however, there’s also a lot of beauty. I’m finding at this stage of my life I’m appreciating that beauty in different ways, including being outdoors and enjoying my sweet, funny 9-year-old and the community of friends and family, including our class—in this momentous birthday time, no less! Yellowstone is part of this, and my son and I will soon be off to enjoy one of the most extraordinary and magical places of our planet.”

Kendra (Lehnertz) Morgenstern shared with us from Tokyo her service-inspired birthday challenge. Yes, she had cake and champagne during her joint birthday celebration with her husband, but the essence of her celebration is captured in her well-viewed Facebook challenge to friends: “I’ve been doing a lot of studying on happiness the past few years and a constant theme is how service brings joy to all and good deeds beget more good deeds. In the theme of celebrating 50 years of good fortune, I’m doing 50 good deeds, which I hope will continue to pay it forward. It’s a small effort to bring more joy and peace into our world. Will you join me and promise to do so?”

Finally we wanted to take this opportunity to remind everyone about the “mega-50th” celebration that we are planning for this fall. The main event will be in Hanover during Homecoming Weekend (October 28-29), with a post-game gathering at John Replogle’s home on Rope Ferry Road. There will also be a number of satellite celebrations, the majority of which will be either the weekend before or the weekend after Homecoming, in the places where we already have mini-reunion organizers: Atlanta; Boston; Chicago; Connecticut; Washington, D.C.; Denver; Houston; Los Angeles; Minneapolis; New York City; Portland, Oregon; Seattle; and San Francisco. As well we are hoping to organize events in Australia; Hawaii; Madison, Wisconsin; Park City, Utah; Philadelphia; Portland, Maine; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Tokyo. We are also planning a virtual celebration on our Facebook page. If you want to help organize or make sure you are on the invitation list for any of these events, please send an email to d88classofficers@gmail.com.

And it’s not too late for you to let us know how you marked, or plan to mark, this milestone.

—Jere Mancini, 34 Wearimus Road, HoHoKus, NJ 07423; d88correspondent@gmail.com

Gail (Hobson) Rodgers: “I have three children, Lauren (22) and 12-year-old twins (Christopher and Alexis). Yep, 10 years between them—I know, what was I thinking! As for plans for the big 5-0, I share my birth year with my husband, Carlton, and two of my brothers-in-law. We’re thinking about throwing a huge party. We’ll see how that works out. If it happens, there will probably be some ’88s in attendance, as I’m still in touch with a few of my esteemed classmates.”

Michelle Stowe Ong: “My updates are interesting this past year. I am an internal medicine doctor with a specialty in geriatrics and integrative medicine, which combines alternative and standard medicine. I’ve practiced for 20 years in the Lake Norman, North Carolina (outside Charlotte), area, but with the stress and changes in primary care medicine and the approach of my 50th birthday I started to feel burned out and decided to take a sabbatical. I’ve spent a wonderful six months writing, spending time with family and traveling. My oldest daughter is a junior at Dartmouth and loves it. My other daughter will graduate high school this year. My husband and I are contemplating moving to Asheville, North Carolina, to begin new jobs and the empty-nest lifestyle! As for celebrating my 50th, I had always wanted to attend Jazz Fest in New Orleans during college, but never got the chance. So I have booked a house and will be attending this year with a group of ’88 women.”

Sam Braverman: “My plans for celebrating my 50th have changed because (as we are all aging a bit) I have developed a nagging hip and decided that the heli-trip might be too much. I am planning instead on a golf trip to Scotland (where my oldest is studying for a year at University of Edinburgh). I was lucky enough to get a tee time in the annual lottery at the Royal & Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews, so will play in May with three friends at St. Andrews, Turnbury, Gleneagles and maybe a course in the Highlands, such as Royal Dornoch. I’ll then pick my daughter up from school and am planning a further trip to St. Petersburg with my mother, wife (Jennie Arlin) and daughter. Work is still busy. I cofounded a white-collar and general criminal defense firm (Fasulo Braverman & Di Maggio, LLP) in New York. Jennie is an associate with my firm, working in the appellate practice, and we are both adjunct professors at Pace University Law School; I teach trial advocacy and Jennie teaches advanced appellate advocacy. I just finished my term as president of the Bronx County Bar Association and am a member of the house of delegates for the New York State Bar Association.”

Kirby Fowler, with wife Carmina Perez and daughters Tory and Maya, lives in Baltimore, Maryland. He practiced law with a firm until 2001, when he joined the then-mayor to create and implement various economic and community development initiatives, such as the adoption of arts districts with financial incentives for artists. Since 2004 he’s been the CEO of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, a nonprofit dedicated to growing and promoting downtown Baltimore. To celebrate his 50th Kirby plans to rent a minibus, stocked with beer and wine and loaded with close friends and family, to host a party in the rooftop club room at 10 Light, a newly renovated apartment building in downtown Baltimore. Kirby will DJ, playing highlights from years of collecting music for his iPod.

Please tell us your celebration plans, and hope to see lots of you in Hanover in October.

—Jere Mancini, 34 Wearimus Road, HoHoKus, NJ 07423; d88correspondent@gmail.com

I present here ’88s in the military, Part II.

Cynthia Marshall laughingly refers to her “commitment issues” when asked about her pre-Army careers, which included admissions officer, fundraiser, operations consultant and student—she has an M.A. from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and earned a law degree at age 40. An Army lawyer for nearly eight years, Cynthia will be promoted to major, effective December 1. She’s just finished three years living and teaching constitutional and military law at West Point. “Being on their faculty is probably the best posting in the Army. It’s a beautiful, historic place and the cadets are some of the most inspiring college-aged people you’ll ever meet. For fun, when you talk to West Point grads, ask how many hours they walked and why.” The Army will next send Cynthia to its judge advocate generals legal center and school to get an LL.M. in military law. Cynthia notes that a highlight of her time at West Point was a visit by Susan and Jim Wright, who spoke to the faculty about creating an inclusive environment at a formerly all-male institution. “They impressed everyone. Jim gave great lectures to cadets about America’s historic relationship with its veterans and the origins of the GI Bill and about My Lai. It was a great two days, making me even more proud of Dartmouth.”

John Sinnott writes, “After graduating I reported to Marine Corps Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia, where I unexpectedly ran into Oliver Jenkins before we had the pleasure of having our heads shaved for the first time. Subsequent duty stations included Lawton, Oklahoma (artillery school); Mount Fuji, Japan (platoon commander, cold weather training, work with Japan’s self defense forces); Okinawa, Japan (fire direction officer, jungle warfare school); and San Diego (series commander at Marine Corps boot camp, leading drill instructors and recruits undergoing the transformation from civilians to Marines). I ended up in New Orleans. Now a lawyer, I defend pharmaceutical companies and other manufacturers in mass tort litigation. My wife, Ann, and I have two sons, ages 9 and 7.”

Tim Stretch joined the Air Force after graduation and was recently promoted to colonel. He has flown F-16s for most of his career, both on active duty and as a reservist, “including a great time in the late 1990s with the Green Mountain Boys of the Vermont Air National Guard.” After marrying Tim shifted gears, spending a few years as a commercial pilot for United. He rejoined the Air Force after 9/11, and served as an instructor in Arizona for 10-plus years. Since then, “I’ve had numerous tours over Iraq, Bosnia and Afghanistan. My wife, Heather, and our two kids, ages 12 and 9, are currently stationed in Germany—headquarters for U.S. air forces in Europe and Africa—where I fly a desk.” Tim says they travel as often as they can, although “President Putin keeps hampering our travel agenda.”

The Navy sponsored Rowland Wu’s medical education at Columbia and also permitted him to continue his civilian medical training with an anesthesiology residency at Massachusetts General Hospital while on inactive reserve. Rowland switched to active duty in 1997, completing basic training in Newport, Rhode Island, then serving as assistant professor of anesthesiology at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. During tours on the USS Comfort Rowland visited Sweden and Lithuania. “Someone was watching over me. I was never sent into harm’s way; the real thanks go out to all the residents I trained who were sent into action.” Since retiring as a lieutenant commander in 2001, Rowland has been in private practice in Boston.

—Jere Mancini, 34 Wearimus Road, HoHoKus, NJ 07423; d88correspondent@gmail.com

Hilary Justice and her husband, David Kovar ’85, are enjoying life as East Coast expats in central Illinois with their two cats, Agatha and Dumbledore. Hilary has lived in Illinois since she started her Ph.D. program at University of Chicago in 1996. Since 2001 Hilary has taught at Illinois State University (ISU), where she currently is associate professor of English studies (and co-advisor for ISU Quidditch). Hilary published her second book last December: A Groundling’s Guide to Shakespeare’s Hamlet, which is designed to teach seriously curious readers (including classroom teachers!) how to read Shakespeare generally and how to read Hamlet in depth. (Hilary’s first book, published in 2006, was The Bones of the Others: The Hemingway Text from the Lost Manuscripts to the Posthumous Novels.) Also, Hilary was recently named director of undergraduate studies at ISU, with the position to start next year. As Hilary notes: “I see other ’88s on Facebook a lot—wish I could see them in person, but we’re pretty rural here.”


Ed Sim moved from Singapore to McLean, Virginia, in mid-2013 and has an international trade law practice, shuttling between his firm’s Washington, D.C., and Singapore offices. According to Ed: “I spend about 25 to 30 percent of my time in Asia, mainly working for Asian companies and governments. I also am an adjunct professor and lecturer at two law schools, National University of Singapore (NUS) and Universitas Pelita Harapan in Jakarta, teaching the law and policy of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the regional bloc that covers Southeast Asia (like the European Union in Europe). That is also the focus of my two books: The Foundation of the ASEAN Economic Community and Rules of Origin in ASEAN, which I coauthored with Stefano Inama, as well as the focus of my ASEAN economic community blog (http://aseanec.blogspot.com). My wife, Lin, is an NUS law alum and my boys, Ryan (12) and Jordan (9), have adjusted well to the United States. Looking forward to the Dartmouth-Georgetown football game this fall!” 


From Bennett Schwartz: “I may be the longest-serving ’88 professor, having joined Florida International University’s (FIU) psychology department in 1993. I’ve written two textbooks, Memory: Foundations and Applications, second edition, and Sensation and Perception. My research focuses on memory and consciousness, mostly from the perspective of cognitive psychology. One consistent focus has been researching the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon, which occurs when we are sure we know something but cannot recall it at the moment. I also work in applying scientific principles to improve people’s learning efficiency. My research has been covered by, among others, NPR and The Boston Globe. The best thing about being an academic is the freedom and flexibility to pursue what interests you most. My wife, Leslie Frazier (Syracuse ’86, Ph.D. ’93), is also a psychology professor at FIU. We live in Pembroke Pines, Florida, a Miami suburb. We have one daughter, Sarina, 15. I still do whitewater kayaking when I can, often with Jonathan Altman, and I scuba dive, mostly in the nearby Florida Keys, with my wife and daughter. I also shoot trap and play Scrabble. Next summer, when my daughter turns 16, I’ll fulfill a promise to her—we’ll learn to sky dive together. At 16, she’ll need my approval. At 50, I’ll need my doctor’s approval.”


Many of you responded to a survey to assist Jeff Green, who is a psychology professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, with a research project on feelings about one’s college experience. Stay tuned for details on his results in an upcoming column or newsletter.


I would love to feature more academics, so get in touch if you fit the bill—I have some leads, but I’m sure I’m missing some. 


—Jere Mancini, 34 Wearimus Road, HoHoKus, NJ 07423; d88correspondent@gmail.com


Margie Wallace Gibson is our new VP of community, a sphere that was pretty active this fall. According to Margie: “We had an exciting and busy fall. During the course of eight mini-reunions (planned and impromptu) more than 75 ’88s reconnected. From Hanover to San Francisco; Princeton, New Jersey, to Boston; Cohasset, Massachusetts, to Chicago; and New York to Denver, classmates enjoyed listening to President Hanlon, socializing at restaurants and homes and watching football and hockey. How fun to catch up!” If you’d like to arrange a mini-reunion in conjunction with a visit to your area by President Hanlon, the following are some of his upcoming visits: March 18, Piedmont, North Carolina; March 19, Atlanta; March 24, Miami; and May 12, Minnesota. Or arrange an ’88 gathering for the fun of it—just contact Margie at vpcommunity@gmail.com to coordinate.


Paul Wlodkowski, who has been professor of engineering at the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine, since 2002, was recently named a Fulbright scholar to Russia. From January to July Paul, his wife, Alexandra, and their three children will be living in St. Petersburg, Russia, where Paul will conduct research and teach engineering courses in both English and Russian at the Admiral Makarov State University of Maritime and Inland Shipping, while the children will attend school in St. Petersburg. According to Paul: “It should be a fantastic cultural experience for all.”


Paul is fluent in Russian, having grown up speaking the language at home, and was an exchange student at Lomonosov Moscow State University in 1988. During that trip Paul met President Reagan after the president’s summit speech at the university. Paul also worked as a translator for CNN during the Reagan-Gorbachev summit.


And, finally, an update from Heather Rogers: “Greetings from the left coast! It’s been a blessed year for me and my family. I was fortunate enough to finish my master’s in education this year at the University of Hawaii, Manoa. I proved my theory correct: If one must get a graduate degree, one ought to do it in Hawaii. It was a spectacular learning experience! My research has served me well, as I am in my fifth year as middle school head at Prospect Sierra School, a fabulous K-8 independent school in El Cerrito, California. My two sons, Dylan and Alejandro, 11 and 8, respectively, attend the school with me, only they head to their homerooms and I head to the principal’s office. My partner, Kathy, and I adopted our boys from Guatemala when they were infants and they are the joy of our lives. For me it is a true gift to watch them grow each day in my work setting and their school environment. Truthfully, it is a gift to work in a school and watch all children grow and thrive! I hope to make an East Coast trip this summer and when I do, Hanover will surely make the list of places to visit. Here’s to blessings to you all in the new year!”


In an upcoming newsletter Dan Estabrook will share his amazing story of finding his birth parents and meeting his half siblings. We’d love to gather other stories about adoption—if you’ve adopted a child, have an adopted sibling or if you were adopted yourself, please email me at d88correspondent@gmail.com.


—Jere Mancini, 34 Wearimus Road, HoHoKus, NJ 07423; d88correspondent@gmail.com


Lance High, his wife and three daughters (twins age 16 and a 14-year-old), have lived in Singapore since July 2012. Lance manages a team of lawyers and staff for Caterpillar. Lance’s twins are taking SATs and picking colleges and his youngest entered high school this fall. “Living in Singapore adds a complex layer to the college search process, and we find ourselves planning very carefully in order to maximize our short time in the United States this summer.” Some remarkable family experiences include the opportunity to feed orphans in India and raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “I’ve tried to teach my girls the importance of prioritizing organizations such as this—being passionate about a cause, whatever it may be, is so much more fun than apathy.” They’ve bungee jumped in New Zealand, ridden elephants in Thailand and hiked the Great Wall of China. 


Kate Lilienthal also lives in Singapore, with husband Mark Inkster ’85 and three kids. “Not sure where to start—maybe 17 years ago when Mark asked me to marry him and in the same breath announced we were going to China. When, exactly, he didn’t know. But if I wanted to tie it up with him, China would be part of the deal. Paris, London? Nope—China.” Four years later Kate, Mark and two small children were China-bound, where Mark worked for eBay and Kate started a parenting magazine. Three years later Kate, Mark and now three kids moved to Singapore. “It’s been expensive, hard, but after all this time our strange lifestyle, with a foot on two continents so different from each other, seems normal. When we graduated there was so much that I never would have imagined. Like, ‘Around the girdled earth they roam’ wasn’t just a catchy line!”


Karl Engkvist and wife Aja have lived in Hong Kong since 2012. Despite missing his stepdaughter (studying at University of Nevada, Las Vegas), Karl is “thoroughly enjoying life in Asia. Most of my career has been focused on business development for education companies. One of those brought me to Beijing in 2003. After a few years I returned to the United States, but, missing the pace of change in Asia, came back. I’ll start a new job in September that will involve developing stronger partnerships among universities seeking to prepare their students for the global economy. Recent fun excursions have included diving in the Maldives and hiking in Qinghai, one of China’s least-known provinces.”


Paul Bartels, also in Hong Kong, wrote to me from Heathrow after visiting friends and relatives in England and Ireland (including Catherine Rainey). Paul has lived and worked in Asia since graduation; first, two years in Japan teaching English, then Hong Kong to do quality-control work for an import company. Next, he started his own trading company, that has sold many different products, “including selling millions of shoes to Russians before the 1997 financial crisis.” Paul now also runs a retail mail-order catalog business in Australia. He had lunch with Melinda Harrington in Australia in April. Paul continues to play ultimate Frisbee, representing Hong Kong at regional tournaments, mainly in Shanghai, Bangkok and Manila.


Bev Hagerdon Thakur, based in Manila since 2006, worked as the chief of party for the International Foundation for Electoral Systems. Bev has traveled widely in the Asia Pacific region, including Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. She sees Paul and Bob Haskins in Hong Kong several times a year. Bev is transitioning to a consultancy position and looks forward to working and traveling in other regions as well this coming year. 


—Jere Mancini, 34 Wearimus Road, HoHoKus, NJ 07423; d88correspondent@gmail.com


Our class is known for trying new things. We hosted an online March Madness pool, which was quite popular, with prizes donated by Pauline (Garris) Brown (a LVMH gift basket), Lindsay Held and Jeff Carton (a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue) and Al Samuels (tickets to 50 Shades! The Musical). The first-, second- and third-place finishers were, in order, Jonathan Risch, John Replogle and Andy Lerner; Bev (Hagerdon) Thakur won the drawing for a Dick’s Sporting Goods gift card. 


Jennifer (Taylor) Hendrick also sponsored a virtual mini-reunion on March 29 (the 88th day of the year), asking classmates to post photos of themselves from that day on our Facebook group. In addition to Jennifer, ’88s who posted photos included Tim Ambrose, Sandy (Broadus) Chontos, Ruth Cserr, Lisa Ellis, Mary (Flounders) Green, Mark Kelsey, Nicole Sakowitz, Jim Shields and Bob Striker. Bonus points go to Dan Estabrook, who posted a photo from Dave Goran’s wedding, which took place that day. Congratulations, Dave. Based on Dan’s photo, ’88s in attendance included Dan, Scott Bertetti, Ron Grant, Walter Mutter, Nicolas Nobili and Russell Stevens. 


I am just back from a driving trip on the West Coast with my family. During my trip I spent a weekend with Gail (Davis) McCallister, her husband, Tom ’87, and their amazing kids Maggie (17), Brady (15), Katie (11) and Riley (9). One highlight of the weekend was watching Gail, her kids and my son Jackson (10) play basketball. (Let’s just say that some players were less thrilled than others to have Gail on their team.)


I received the following update from Jennifer Arlin, who is married to Sam Braverman: “Sam and I are both on the board of the Dartmouth Lawyers Association (DLA) and we attended the 2014 annual meeting in Alyeska, Alaska, in March. I was appointed chair of the newly formed women in the law committee of the DLA. Hoping to make some progress in empowering women in the law, whether in school, workforce, home or re-entering the workforce. Sam and I practice criminal defense law together (with him going to court and managing the practice and me working mostly from home on writing projects). Our main office is in downtown Manhattan. Our oldest daughter, Sarah, is finishing her first year at Mount Holyoke and has not yet declared a major. Our second daughter, Rebecca, is a junior in high school and studies classical voice at the Manhattan School of Music on weekends; she is currently college shopping. And our son Robert, known as Bobby, is a freshman in high school. He enjoys playing the guitar and the piano and eating us out of house and home.”


Finally, congratulations to Al Samuels, writer, director and producer of 50 Shades! The Musical. The show, which opened off-Broadway in N.Y.C. on March 12, has received a number of favorable reviews, including from the New York Post, New York Daily News and Variety, and has been named a “Critics’ Pick” by The New York Times. Several ’88s, including Lisa Ellis, Margie (Wallace) Gibson, Beth Hoffmann and Adam Rabiner, attended the show on March 11. It was great to see some faces we hadn’t seen recently— including Steve Cook (who was in town, with his wife, Wendi, from Tacoma, Washington), Rachel Dratch, Kevin Griffin, Chris Kelly, Brett McDonald and John Osborn—the next night for opening night.


—Jere Mancini, 34 Wearimus Road, HoHoKus, NJ 07423; d88correspondent@gmail.com


Our 20th (i.e. 21st) reunion has come and gone. What a treat it was for me to make the cross-country jaunt to visit with old buddies! It was my first time away from my two toddlers (as everyone who saw me heard). Maybe since it was my first trip to campus as a parent or maybe it’s just my advanced age, but boy did things seem different. Not just the new construction, but staying in a single in Ripley, I was struck by the small room, then the state of the fraternity buildings and the smell of the basements, neither of which had bothered me as a student or even at our 15th. 


I made my usual rounds to Theta Delt, Phi Delt and 5 Olde, walked around Occom and through Sanborn. I had conversations with far too many classmates to list here, ranging from water rights to adoption to education issues to furniture making.


I spent a good chunk of time hanging with Julie (Clyma) DiRemigio, who was there with her daughter Cassidy (2 1/2) and son Gibbs (4), Luke Smith, Tom McLaughlin (who is a furniture maker), Wendy Pabich (a newlywed of six months) and Julie (Pelkan) Glusker (who skis for at least a few hours on most days). I also caught up with Dave and Steff (Solms) McCusker (Dave’s entering his second year as headmaster at Cardigan Mountain School), Russell Stevens and wife Jill (with whom I had one of many great convos about the state of education) and Susan Brody (who recently joined the teaching ranks—third grade?).


And it goes on. Good chats with John and Bridget (Mahoney) Jenkins, Scott and Barb (Turley) Marr, Catherine (Craighead) Briggs, Beth Hofmann, Betsy (McCooey), Kim (Mango) Thompson, Bev Hagerdon Thakur (now in the Philippines with her husband). Quick hellos with Kelly Kyriakos, Pete Killilea, Chris Frisina and Dave Duckenfield and his family.


What fun it was to be in Phi Delt’s basement with Pat Walsh, Jim Hughes and Alec Casey at 2:30 a.m. when an order of 10 EBA’s chicken sandwiches arrived (last delivery order taken at 2:10). And to go back in time to shared bathrooms (Danielle Green and I had several chuckles over our similar schedules for bathroom breaks). Talk about flashbacks: Robin Kass spent the weekend in her freshman room in N. Fayerweather!


For me children certainly played a role in this reunion, from college-bound—Margie (Wallace) Gibson starting to tour colleges for her oldest child—to infants—Alec Frisch with new baby (8 weeks old?). It was quite surreal to watch Dave and Steff’s sons play horseshoes with Luke and Tom on Heorot lawn then, when the game was over, see Julie DiRemigio’s toddlers use the same horseshoe pits as a sandbox.


We all experienced Dartmouth in different ways and carry a variety of memories with us, but those were surely formative years full of fun, travels, intellectual stretches and many challenges.


Kudos and thanks to everyone involved in the planning; amazing to hear that meetings are already underway for our 25th!


With every reunion comes elections of new officers: As I’ve mentioned in previous notes I am stepping down as class secretary and will be passing the torch to Jane Grussing Lonnquist. You can help make her first column easy by sending her lots of news: jjlonnquist@earthlink.net.


—Townley Slack-Stevens, 18920 Viking Way, NW, Poulsbo, WA 98370; tcslack@comcast.net


Greetings from your new class secretary! Although Townley Slack’s farewell column shared highlights from our 20th reunion celebration in June (it sounds like you really made the most of your toddler-free weekend, Townley!), I want to add a few more reunion recollections. Three hundred eight classmates attended—a 20th-reunion record!—plus 386 guests so there were familiar faces all over campus. Thanks to Steph Welsch Lewin and Regina Glocker for putting the reunion together with such flair. Special thanks to those who invested significant time and money to travel ’round the girdled earth all the way to Hanover: Ana Coyne and her beautiful daughter came from Nicaragua, Tim Ambrose from Hawaii, Tom Molnar and his lovely wife from London, Saad Iqbal from Dubai, Cynthia Marshall from Germany and Melinda Harrington and her charming husband from Australia. 


As we reconnected with (increasingly!) old friends in Hanover an air of sincere gratitude permeated most conversations. Whether due to mid-life maturity or recession-induced sensibility we seemed to be beyond the stage of automatically reciting resumes and cataloging children and were just happy to be able to spend time together once again.


Aside from the long conversations with dear old friends it was the little unexpected moments that made the reunion so memorable. Here are a few of mine: Seeing Sonja Kuftinec on my flight from Minneapolis, rocking the sundress-with-hiking-boots look as only a Dartmouth woman can; recalling some goofy 1980s dance moves with Tom Ward; admiring the big hair in the photos that Kris (Ramstad) Carlock brought along; detecting slight limps in the post-Moosilauke gaits of Brian Corcoran and Paul Gorzyca; agreeing with Laura Weylman that mini LSA-reunions are in order for the 25th; hearing how Dudley King and Gregg Nourjian resourcefully gained entry to Mid-Mass after the student dormmaster had locked up for the night; learning that Mich Dupre’s watch alarm is synchronized to go off at the same time that her kids’ watches do, thereby eliminating the need to call them home for dinner; getting Paul Steinwald’s reports of late-night dorm poker; wondering with Amy Beller why Kate Haffner didn’t make it, then spotting Kate diving toward us seconds later; and finally, seeing Ed Gray “reading” in Sanborn on Sunday morning.


What about you? What nuggets did you glean at reunion to share with those who couldn’t be there? What would you have shared if you could have been there? Don’t be stingy or self-conscious—no one loves to write the news but everyone loves to read it. (And remember this threat: If I run out of updates from you I’ll be forced to submit saccharine stories of the Fun Bunch.) I look forward to hearing from you!


—Jane (Grussing) Lonnquist, 4510 Drexel Ave., Edina, MN 55424; jjlonnquist@earthlink.net


I received one more response to my request for motorcycling memories. My sources had identified Jonathan Hunt as a motorcycle man, but he downplays the claim: “I’m afraid I wasn’t much of a college motorcyclist, although I think I did have a little Kawasaki 100 during sophomore summer. I remember that I transported it to Hanover in the trunk of my 1968 Buick LeSabre. That tells you how small a motorcycle it was (or how big a car it was). Here’s the report: I teach in the writing and rhetoric program at Stanford (their fancy name for freshman composition, I believe Dartmouth called it “English 5” in our day). I live in San Francisco with my wife, Hiya, a lovely and talented journalist. I still have a motorcycle license, but I haven’t ridden one since about 1993, I guess. I spend a good deal of my free time riding bicycles instead, which is a habit I picked up at Dartmouth and haven’t been able to shake.” Thanks for the update, Jonathan. 


News from Ed Sim in Singapore: “I’ve transferred my flag to Appleton Luff, a specialty trade and investment law firm. Still doing international trade dispute work for Asian clients, only with a more focused law firm. Most interesting case this year was representing a Sri Lankan flour mill in an Indonesian dumping case, visiting Sri Lanka several times during the war. I’m also active in the American Chamber of Commerce board, bar associations, Dartmouth club (where I saw Modesta Levy-Groth recently) and of course with my boys Ryan (7) and Jordan (4). Finally, 881 (‘bye’ in Chinese).” 


And for all of us who are pleased with ourselves when we manage to get away for a weekend, raise your glass to Mary Flounders Green, who sent this inspiring update: “In November of 2009 I accomplished the unthinkable and left my job and family (for a month) to study Kundalini yoga and meditation on an ashram in Rishikesh, India. It was the experience of a lifetime, communing with monkeys, swimming in the Ganges at the foothills of the Himalayas—and of course doing lots and lots of yoga. I look forward to teaching more as my schedule permits in 2010 and beyond (although I am still happily employed at GE Asset Management). Anyone with questions about Kundalini or yogic lifestyle, please drop a line (mary.f.green@ge.com).”


Our class has created a new position, class steward, that will be filled by the perpetually upbeat Kristin Ramstad Carlock. Class leaders often get word of personal news of classmates and wanted a better way to follow up and stay connected with one another. So don’t be surprised if you receive a note from Kristin in the future! 


After four years of terrific service Alec Casey has retired as head agent. Thanks to Catherine Craighead Briggs, John Osborne and John Replogle for stepping up as our new head agents. This trio is pioneering a new “triple bottom line,” asking ’88s to donate their time, talent or treasure. Their new tagline for our class—“caring for our girdled earth”—sounds like a fresh approach that goes beyond traditional fundraising to promote stewardship in a broader sense. Stay tuned. 


Class president Steph Welsch Lewin writes, “Please send your e-mail address to stephlewin@aol.com so that our class can communicate via e-mail as much as possible, as we did to gather folks for the ‘Green with Envy’ parties held across the country in February. Don’t assume I have your current e-mail unless you updated it online, and let me know if you don’t want it shared with the College. Thanks!”


Cheers,


—Jane (Grussing) Lonnquist, 4510 Drexel Ave., Edina, MN 55424; jjlonnquist@earthlink.net


The pipeline has been dry (send news!) so I will fill in with updates on three classmates I had the pleasure of seeing recently. First, I met Jeanne Cochran for lunch and can assure you she is as smart and sporty as ever. She left private practice a few years ago for a more family-friendly legal career with the Minnesota attorney general’s office. She and her husband, Andy, have two kids and enjoy living in Stillwater, a great small town perched on the bluffs of the St. Croix River. Next, I enjoyed reconnecting with Mainz LSA buddy Paul Scheible at a wonderful Dartmouth club event. We listened to religion professor Susan Ackerman ’80 give background on the discovery and significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls before touring an exhibit on the scrolls at the Minnesota Science Museum. Paul and his wife, Jennifer, and their two kids have settled in a groovy Minneapolis neighborhood after living in Fontainebleau, France, and Neuchatel, Switzerland. I was relieved to learn that his expatriate years included lots of time at a family home in Germany, thereby explaining why his German fluency is still outstanding, while mine is schlechtlich. Paul does project management for General Electric. Lastly, Meegan McCorkle made a stopover en route from her home in Papillion, Nebraska, to a family wedding in Michigan. (Meegan’s husband, Jeff, who has built a successful career in the Air Force, would join her later by plane.) It was wonderful to see her three beautiful kids in action, including the nearly 2-year-old Marin, who is keeping Meegan smiling and laughing, as always. 


It is with deep sadness that I share the news that Anita Hum Wong died peacefully on June 15 in Boston after a long and spirited battle with breast cancer. Even as her health declined Anita remained resolute, calm and generous. Anita’s inspiring story is captured in the blog www. myheromyfriend.wordpress.com made by her dear friend Lori (Gontarz) Pajor. In February Lori and two of Anita’s high school friends organized a celebration that was just what Anita had hoped for—a joyous event that allowed her to reconnect with those whose lives she had touched most deeply. Anita and Lori were joined by Steph (Ascoli) Tallo, Mark Nowacki, Jessica Smith, Heidi (Stowell) Nichols and Sandy Broadus Chontos, Tracy Kloeckl-Jimenez ’87 and 44 others. In March Lori and Steph joined Anita and her family on a road trip to Hanover—Anita’s first since graduation. They checked in at the Hanover Inn, left notes for the current owners of their old HBs and then got down to business: EBA’s chicken sandwiches! Sandy wrote the following tribute to Anita: “In my mind I keep seeing her in and around Topliff, with a mischievous smile, dimples two inches deep and that dark curtain of thick black hair, wearing a Dartmouth sweatshirt and shorts (even when I thought it was too cold out for them). Thankfully, I have been so blessed to have reconnected with her over the past couple of years and to have been invited to share in her life over the past few months. Anita taught me a lot about faith and grace and humor, but mostly about how fleeting things are and about the important things that will last.”


Anita leaves behind her devoted husband, Lawrence, and their 12-year-old son, Justin. Friends and family have established a fund in Anita’s honor to defray some of Justin’s college expenses. Details for donating, a fuller obituary and photos are posted on the class site, www.dartmouth.org/classes/88. Justin hopes to attend his mother’s alma mater. 


—Jane (Grussing) Lonnquist, 4510 Drexel Ave., Edina, MN 55424; jjlonnquist@earthlink.net


If you haven’t seen it already, Jennifer (Taylor) Hendrick put together an amazing slideshow of photos from our 25th reunion. It’s long, but worth the time to watch, even if you weren’t able to make it to Hanover for the reunion. Jen used most, if not all, of the photos that classmates submitted after the reunion. You can find the slideshow on our class website (www.dartmouth88.org), YouTube (search for “Dartmouth Class of 1988”), or the class of ’88 Facebook page. (By the way, if you are on Facebook, but have not yet joined our class of ’88 group, please consider doing so. It is a great place to find out about mini-reunions, and other class activities and news.)


Some of you may already have heard about or even may have seen 50 Shades! The Musical, written, directed and produced by our own Al Samuels. The show is a musical parody, based on the best-selling Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, and has been performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and in Chicago. There is also a touring company currently performing in L.A. at the Kirk Douglas Theater. As of this writing the show is in previews in N.Y.C. and will be opening off-Broadway at the Elektra Theatre beginning on March 12. Andrew Asnes ’87 is executive producer for the show and Brett McDonald is co-producer. John Osborn and his BBDO team created a 15-second television ad for the show. To learn more about the show, please check out its website, 50shadesthemusical.com.


In January I received an update from Brent Frei, the co-founder of not one, but two, companies (Smartsheet.com, an online work management software company, and HarvestWest Investments, an investment fund formed to invest exclusively in farmland) and the father of five kids, aged 6 and under: “All is great on my end. Easy to be happy when five awesome kids act as your personal cheering section every time you enter the house. Oldest is 6 now, and I’d have five more just like ’em if I was sure it wouldn’t put my wife in the asylum.” Brent also told me that Smartsheet is going very well. In fact, Brent told me that a company named Populous used it to “coordinate every nit and nat of the whole Super Bowl. Broadcasters, beer delivery, halftime show—everything.” Brent also said that nearly 40,000 companies use Smartsheet now, and it’s easy enough to use that people also sign up for home use. Finally, according to Brent: “Of course Dartmouth continues to figure prominently in everything I do. Eric Browne, Mark Mader and four other Dartmouth folks work with me at Smartsheet, and Bob Fitzpatrick, Ish McLaughlin and David Geithner have been brave financial backers of one or both of my current companies.”


Finally, I am saddened to report the passing of Amy E. Smith Settle on February 7 at her home in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Amy was an international teacher, who lived, worked and traveled all over the world. The following classmates were able to make it to her memorial service in North Carolina: Dana Beard, Karl Engkvist (who traveled all the way from Hong Kong), Heike Milhench, Deana Moody, Tom McLaughlin, Ellen (Moynihan) Bober, John Replogle, Jimmy Roussel, Michelle (Stowe) Ong and Paula Zagrecki. While a full obituary will follow at a later date, a beautiful movie tribute to Amy, created by John Osborn and his BBDO team using photos contributed by classmates, is posted on our class website and the class of ’88 Facebook page. 


—Jere Mancini, 34 Wearimus Road, HoHoKus, NJ 07423; d88correspondent@gmail.com


As I write it has been nearly three months since our record-breaking 25th reunion and, by now, some of the glow probably has worn off. But we have a plan to keep some of that magic from the reunion alive. In fact, we have this great new team of mini-reunion chairs and liaisons (led by VP Regina Glocker), whose members will be working tirelessly during the next five years to keep us connected to the class and College. This column seemed like the perfect opportunity to introduce them to you and to share with you some of the highlights of the reunion weekend, from their perspective. 


Without further ado, they are Alec Frisch (Atlanta), Andy Axel (Chicago), Lyn Salsgiver Kobsa (Connecticut), Maura O’Neill Spangler (Colorado), Lisa Ellis and Adam Rabiner (New York), Steph Welsch Lewin (Washington, D.C.), Nova Akashi-Reed and Kelly Mortell Prime (Seattle), Jen Taylor Hendrick (San Francisco), Jen Kates and Christopher Kelly (Dartmouth Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Alumni Association reps/liaisons), Sandy Broadus Chontos (Black Alumni of Dartmouth Association rep/liaison) and Larissa Roesch (Daughters of Dartmouth chair). 


When I asked these folks to share one or two things about the reunion weekend that were highlights for them, people mentioned the seminars and panels, dinner on Baker lawn, the fun run, “fireworks after a rockin’ dance party on the Green” (Jen Taylor Hendrick), “walking across the Green at night to see the stars” (Lyn Salsgiver Kobsa) and having the chance to visit old haunts such as Baker Tower and old dorm rooms. One of my own favorite moments was the class picture on the steps of Dartmouth Hall—I just loved seeing 450-plus classmates around me in that beautiful, end-of-the-day sunlight. And for Steph Lewin it was the hugs and squeals of joy in the class tent when people saw each other for the first time.


But almost everyone also mentioned catching up in person with old friends and also having the chance to make new connections with someone not really known at Dartmouth. Maura Spangler said: “We have so many accomplished, intelligent, well-spoken, thoughtful, witty classmates. It always seems like the more I get to know alums, the more I am impressed with what great, well-rounded, interesting people they are.” And Adam Rabiner shared a great story with me: “For some reason I kept bumping into Patrick Rutty, whom I had never before met. We seemed to share interests in many of the activities offered. First, he was there at the Dartmouth power plant and underground tunnel tour. Then we ended up by chance sitting next to each other at one of the lectures. The next day I spied him not far from me on the Green during the Big Apple show. At that point I asked for his card and e-mail, saying we were meant to stay in touch, and we have since become friends on Facebook.” 


We are in good hands with this group. However, they cannot do it alone. For one thing, we are missing mini-reunion chairs for several key areas, such as Boston—how can we not have someone for Boston?—southern California, Texas, Philadelphia. Other possibilities are the N.Y.C. suburbs in New Jersey and Westchester, south Florida or even London. We apparently even have a cluster of classmates in Anchorage, Alaska! If anyone is interested in taking on one of those areas, or another area that we haven’t identified, please let me know (e-mail below). Also, don’t be afraid to get creative; this is about staying connected to Dartmouth, so go ahead and combine ’88s with other classes or plan a mini-reunion with your teammates, dorm buddies, Greek organization or any other affinity organization.


—Jere Mancini, 34 Wearimus Road, HoHoKus, NJ 07423; d88correspondent@gmail.com


Paul A. Wlodkowski sent a great batch of news—you can too! Here are Paul’s updates: “I am a professor of engineering at the Maine Maritime Academy (MMA). At MMA I am also the coordinator for the marine systems engineering program and hold an appointment to the graduate faculty at the University of Maine. I live in Ellsworth, Maine, with my wife, Alexandra, and children Roman, Leo and Mila. Alexandra is the director of Dirigo Montessori School. My oldest son, Paul Jr., just completed his freshman year at the University of Maryland, where he is studying mechanical engineering. In my free time I enjoy hiking, cross-country skiing and biking with my family in nearby Acadia National Park. Rex Hamilton is busy teaching medical students, ophthalmology residents and fellows as an associate professor of ophthalmology at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA. Rex specializes in cataract and refractive surgery. Rex married a UC Irvine College of Medicine classmate, Maria, who is now an internist at UCLA. Rex and Maria have a wonderful son, William, who turned 7 this past February. Steve Huettner still works at Science Applications International Corp. in northern Virginia, designing and writing information security software. Steve has been married to wife Teresa since 1995 and they have two kids. In his spare time he is often umpiring his 12-year-old son Will’s baseball games or cheering on 9-year-old daughter Caroline at her softball and basketball games. Several years ago Steve entrusted his eyesight to the laser knife of Dr. Rex Hamilton, and is pleased to report that he can still see with 20/20 vision. After getting his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia (UVA), Jeff Crandall joined the UVA faculty and is currently a chaired professor in the school of engineering and applied science. He directs a research group known as the Center for Applied Biomechanics that investigates how the body is injured when subjected to impact loading. When he is not researching car crashes and sports injuries, he enjoys living in the Virginia countryside and spending time with his wife, Anna, and sons Spencer and Myles.


Did you know that 121 of us list our career in the category of education? That’s 12 percent of our class (which edges out the 10 percent of classmates involved in financial careers). Some ’88s have made mid-career moves into education, as did Elizabeth Fee (known to us in Hanover as Betsy Apple). Elizabeth shared this update, “I am in my second year teaching eighth-grade math. It is a total change from my high-tech days in manufacturing operations, but I am really enjoying it!” 


Congratulations to Al Samuels, who is apparently still very funny. He helped to write a short pilot that won Comedy Central’s competition in this category during the New York Television Festival. Let’s hope The Venue gets picked up so we can all enjoy it. 


Looking for a good book? Kirsten Gillibrand has started an online book club called Off the Sidelines to “get more women involved in the issues they care about.” See www.offthesidelines.org to join or view her reading list on the class website.


Cheers, 


—Jane (Grussing) Lonnquist, 4510 Drexel Ave., Edina, MN 55424; jjlonnquist@earthlink.net


I am very sorry to report that Heather (Van Blarcom) Gumuchian passed away in July. She leaves behind her husband, Gary Gumuchian, and two children. If you would like to contribute to the memorial endowment fund established in her name, contact the Congregational Church of Littleton, Massachusetts. If you knew Heather and would be willing to share some memories, I would be grateful for your help in creating an obituary for our class website that captures some of her kind and wise spirit.


With apologies for the abrupt transition, our class also has some celebrations to report. Karl Engkvist got married this summer—congratulations Karl and Aja. I had the pleasure of attending Paul Steinwald’s wedding to Laura Nosko in July—look for a full report of this joyful occasion in the newsletter.


I begged my friends for permission to share their good news: Kate Kellogg wrote Challenging Operations: Medical Reform and Resistance in Surgery and is a professor of organizational studies at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. Pam Codispoti and Mark Habner welcomed twin boys last January. Colin and Ryan are full of fun and ready to rumble! 


Here’s a great new book by Wendy Pabich, Taking On Water: How One Water Expert Challenged Her Inner Hypocrite, Reduced Her Water Footprint (Without Sacrificing a Toasty Shower), and Found Nirvana.Described as “part memoir, part investigation, part solution manual,” this sounds like a must-read for anyone concerned about our fresh water supplies (or interested in Wendy’s blissful Idaho existence). 


Even though I‘m writing this during the Summer Olympics, you are reading it when the international sports euphoria has faded. So here’s a headline from the Valley News to set our sights on 2014 in Sochi, Russia: “The Doc Answers the Call for Team USA.” Our own Doug Weiss is the volunteer orthopedic physician for the U.S. men’s under-18 hockey team. Congratulations, Doug, and best wishes for a great hockey season to all.


Cheers, 


—Jane (Grussing) Lonnquist, 4510 Drexel Ave., Edina, MN 55424; jjlonnquist@earthlink.net


I am writing on a snowy February morning, knowing that you will be reading these notes on a warm spring day, just weeks before our 25th reunion. With the reunion in mind I wrote a few classmates to ask about reunion plans. Kim Bomar responded that she plans to be there with her children, along with Nicola (McLeod) Pitter and her kids. Kim added, “I was struck by how beautiful the place was when I went to my 20th. I had forgotten. Lots of physical changes to the campus that I’d like to see too.” Steve Dettelbach wrote that he is likely coming by himself to reunion and is most looking forward to “seeing old friends and all joining in making up stuff we did together at Dartmouth that we all know sounds 20 times more rebellious and crazy than we really were!” Steve also answered my update request, sharing that “I am still back in Cleveland, Ohio, and after the reelection I am continuing the second term serving as the president-appointed U.S. attorney for the northern district of Ohio. That does me no good at home, however, where my lovely wife, Karil, and two incredible kids (Allie, 9, and David, 7, who, thank God, look just like their mom!) could not care less who is the ‘head fed’ here and still have me firmly ensconced in my rightful place at the bottom of the pecking order!”


As much as I’m looking forward to our reunion, I wonder if anyone else shares my reunion worry of becoming tongue-tied? Maybe it is the wave of nostalgia, the over-stimulation or an inability to speak clearly after less than six hours of sleep. Whatever the cause, here are four ways to combat this problem. First, you can accomplish something so noteworthy that classmates will approach you to discuss your feat. I’ll suggest that Mary Pavel falls into this category by recently being named the staff director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Congratulations, Mary! Second, you can try the approach of Sonja Kuftinec and her husband: Produce the most-recent ’88 baby and bring the adorable bundle along with you. Harris Matija Kuftinec Arsham is a good-looking baby (see the newsletter for proof) and sure to be a conversation starter. Third, I asked Steve to suggest some tips; he offered this list. 


Conversation starters: “Forget you. Just tell me about your kids.” “Look at this place and these people. Can you believe how stupid we were not to appreciate our time here more every day?” “Need another drink?”


Lines to avoid: “You don’t know who I am, do you?” “You look like you had a rough night last night.” (It was okay to ask this when we were younger and there was no chance that this is just how we look normally!) “Hey kid! I remember your dad when he had hair.” Or “I remember your mom when she had brown hair.”


Lastly, you can dust off some synapses and improve your name-recall speed by watching this video: http://bit.ly/Dartmouth88 made by John “Ozzy” Osborne. People I hadn’t thought of for ages brought instant smiles and memories: Kathy Beams, Jonathan Danziger, Elisa Murray, Jen Wertz and Tom Ward! It was great to see you on my computer and I hope to see you each in person soon. I’m sure we will all recognize one another, as no one has aged a bit. 


Cheers.


—Jane (Grussing) Lonnquist, 4510 Drexel Ave., Edina, MN 55424; jjlonnquist@earthlink.net


Congratulations to Hilary Kovar Justice on her selection as keynote speaker at the Idaho Hemingway Festival next fall. Hilary, an Associate Professor of English Studies at Illinois State University, wrote The Bones of the Others about Ernest Hemingway and his lost manuscripts. Here’s her report from the heartland: “My husband, David Kovar ’85, and I both miss New England, but life’s treating both of us well.” I asked Hillary to share some book recommendations and received a great list including many from her current course on food and culture. They are posted on www.dartmouth88.org in a new tab for book picks. Thanks for launching this literary list for our class, Hilary!


Additional congratulations to John Replogle who was just named CEO of Seventh Generation in Burlington, Vermont. (Is anyone else having selfish thoughts right now about forgoing the Burt’s Bees swag bags that John provided for our 20th reunion and facing recycled toilet tissue goodies for the 25th?) Seriously, it’s great to know that ’88 talent will be leading this socially responsible company. 


Catherine Craighead Briggs reports from California: “Had dinner with Robin Joy, Kate Phillips and Kristen Steck. All look better than ever! Kate’s off to South Africa for a five-month work stint with her family. Kristen and Robin live in San Fran and lead ultra-active lives. I’m helping a nonprofit expand—it supports impoverished women in 24 countries by selling their artisan goods. Dartmouth College Fund plug: Class of ’88, we can beat the participation record for 23 years out (54 percent)—just 55 more donors than last year. Any amount that you can give by June 30 helps the College and will make the ’88s great! Questions? E-mail dartmouth88@gmail.com.” 


Did you catch the terrific article “Happiness and the Classics” by Paul Christesen in the Jan/Feb issue of this magazine? Paul argues that studying the humanities helps us lead a more contented life. If you’d like to read his full lecture, go to www.caneweb.org/pubsnref/ChristesenBradleyLec.pdf. I asked Paul for an update: “Life in Hanover is good. I’ve been on faculty since 1999 in the classics department. I teach ancient Greek history and lead the classics department’s FSP to Greece every other year. It took a little getting used to being back in Hanover after more than a decade in Manhattan, but I’ve come to appreciate, more fully than I did as a student, just how extraordinary a place Dartmouth really is. I count it a great privilege to have the opportunity to teach some of the brightest students in the world and to learn with and from them. And the Upper Valley is improbably beautiful, in different ways at different times of the year.” Thank you, Paul!


Finally, I am deeply sorry to report the death of our classmate Carl D. Deblois on December 29. Carl died at his home in Miami after battling brain cancer for more than three years. Our heartfelt condolences to Carl’s family and his wife, Sue Carter ’90. The Miami Herald’s obituary chronicling Carl’s successful career in technology and his amazing charitable efforts is linked through the class website’s “In Memoriam” section. The comments posted there by Carl’s friends and family describe a man brimming with talent and kindness. As Ceda Ogada wrote, Carl’s “friendship made me laugh, relax, make time to smell the roses. How I pray that our friendship gave you even half as much as it gave to me! You will be greatly missed.”


—Jane (Grussing) Lonnquist, 4510 Drexel Ave., Edina, MN 55424; jjlonnquist@earthlink.net


Among the retrospectives on Steve Jobs following his death, this quote jumped out at me: “Our goal was to bring a liberal arts perspective to what had traditionally been a very geeky technology.” This got me thinking about our class, the first in the nation to be offered computers for purchase and a wired campus platform in which to use them. I asked some of the ’88s who were featured on the cover of the Boston Globe Magazine, happily receiving their Macintosh 128K computers in the fall of 1984, to share some Mac memories.


Bill Cummings recalled, “We were exiting one of the buildings after picking up the big white boxes with the Apple logo on the side. A Globe reporter asked if there were any Massachusetts natives in the crowd and then swooped in and took the picture. I still have an issue or two up in my attic somewhere. There was also another very cool picture in the article that showed a long line of white Apple 18-wheelers traveling along the highway headed toward campus. I’m not positive, but I remember the Macintosh being really expensive—maybe even somewhere north of $2,000. And if you purchased a printer as well the outlay was even more. As an English major I remember using it mostly for writing papers. I also used it for writing letters home and for resumes and cover letters (no more typewriters). As for video games, I remember playing a lot of Lode Runner and some crude boxing game. No Internet obviously.”


Steve Carlotti sent this great list: “1) They were small. That’s part of what made them cool. They were these little boxes sitting on your desk as opposed to the big and clunky things connected to the cathode ray tube monitors of old. 2) They were fun. I remember the watch icon and the smiley face at startup. So different from what had come before—blinking cursors and the like. 3) With the benefit of decades of hindsight, they really didn’t work that well. They crashed a fair amount, which would be unacceptable in today’s world. The original hard drives had almost no memory. I remember that the largest MacWord document I could keep was about eight pages when I was a freshman. 4) They got better really fast. I wrote my senior fellowship paper on a Mac. It was a good 200 pages long and I think it all fit in two files on the hard drive rather than on a collection of floppies. 5) Seemingly overnight, they were everywhere—dorm rooms, the computer lab, Baker, everywhere.”


There was a dark side of this technological trailblazing, of course. Remember the screams echoing down the hallways at 2 a.m. when someone’s screen flashed a bomb icon and hours of work had been lost? Remember the ugly rumors of classmates requiring intervention to break their XYZ gaming addictions? Perhaps we should leave these memories in the past and dedicate a future column to our favorite apps instead! 


Sincere thanks to Regina Glocker for serving as our Alumni Council representative for the past three years. The class will choose her successor from a list of several terrific ’88s who expressed interest in the position. If you haven’t already voted, please do so via the link on www.dartmouth88.org before March 1. 


Cheers.


—Jane (Grussing) Lonnquist, 4510 Drexel Ave., Edina, MN 55424; jjlonnquist@earthlink.net


Happy summer! This is likely reaching you around the time of our reunion, but since I am writing in April (during a blizzard) the Hanover news will be in the next issue. (Which will be my last Class Notes—who will step up to be our next class secretary? Send an e-mail if you’d like to help with this or other class roles.) For my penultimate column I asked a few classmates to describe their most memorable meal in the last year.


Laura Weylman Turner: “Surprise dinner on the deck. When my husband and I came home from work one night last summer, my kids (ages 13, 11, 8) waited on us. They acted as waitstaff and served us wine, salad, main course, dessert. We sat out on the deck and were not allowed into the kitchen. My husband and I were absolutely in heaven...not sure how the food tasted, but it didn’t matter.”


Cuong Do: “My wife, Lori, and I love fine foods—especially fine French food. Our 11-year-old daughter Stephanie has picked up our culinary habits. Her favorite meals involve joining Lori and me for tasting menu meals at top restaurants around the world. Her favorite place is Pierre Gagnaire in Paris, and Pierre beams when she returns each year. Last year we discovered a restaurant in Paris named La Truffiere—seven courses, lots of truffles and too many paired wines later, we’re hooked.”


Anne Irza-Leggat: “Working in children’s publishing I am often greeted with blank looks when I mention the names of the wonderful authors I work with. Last fall at a conference I had the chance to have dinner with Katherine Paterson (U.S. national ambassador for young people’s literature, author of Bridge to Terabithia and more recently, for my company, The Flint Heart) and Marc Aronson (an author who has written on enormously diverse topics from Israel to J. Edgar Hoover and is a well-known name—in my world—on nonfiction for kids). Such illustrious people! It was a small dinner and the conversation was marvelous—ranging from kids to the old days of publishing to current events. I could have stayed all night. I am sure the food was good, but like all the best dinners the company made the night.”


Bob Fitzpatrick: “My most memorable meal in the last year was dinner with my 15-year-old son at one of the Boston steakhouses. For the last few years we have tried to do it every year.”


Scott Gentry: “A year ago our family spent spring break in Brazil and had many wonderful meals, including an amazing dinner at the base of Sugar Loaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar) in Rio de Janeiro, lunch on a secluded island after a day of boating in the Bay of Kings and a traditional Brazilian barbeque (churrasco) with my extended Brazilian host family. During a gap year before Dartmouth I spent a year in Brazil as a foreign exchange student, living with three host families who all treated me as one of their own children. I hadn’t been back to visit, although we’ve kept in touch through the years. Finally I was able to share this experience last year with Traci and my kids, and they were as warmly accepted as I was almost 30 years ago. We hope to go back next year for the World Cup and perhaps again in 2016 for the Summer Olympics.”


Susie Belgrad Hayes: “It’s a tossup between Chuck E. Cheese and Red Robin.”


Cheers.


—Jane (Grussing) Lonnquist, 4510 Drexel Ave., Edina, MN 55424; jjlonnquist@earthlink.net


“It’s Rachel Dratch here. Just having read the last ’88 notes about our classmates’ kids headed off to Dartmouth, I must share my news from the slower track—that I gave birth to a son, Eli, in August. I hope that can serve as encouragement to anyone out there still trying to have a child, as we are now of ‘advanced maternal age,’ as they call it. And also as a precaution to those who think they are done having kids! It’s kind of a kooky story, which I hope will be available at a bookstore near you, if bookstores still exist by the time I finish writing it. I see Mary Flounders Green and her three sons out in Stamford, Connecticut. In addition to her job with GE Asset Management she teaches yoga once a week and is involved with setting up her company’s wellness program. Jeff Hoover is a general do-gooder traveling the world, where he makes sure funding is being used properly for medical programs. His last email had him traveling in Lagos, Nigeria, with an armed guard. I also see Dr. Chris Kelly, whom I brought to a movie screening where some guy keeled over and they yelled, ‘Is there a doctor in the house?!’ Chris was off like a shot and came to the rescue and the guy ended up being okay.” Thanks, Rachel, and welcome, Eli!


Congratulations to Sal Tiano for being recognized as one of the nation’s top financial advisors in Barron’s 2010 Top 1,000 Financial Advisors list. I asked Sal for an update: “I was in Hanover in March to show my son Salvatore ‘Tory’ our alma mater. He just turned 18—I cannot believe how fast time flies. My findings are that it is much more difficult to get accepted today than when we applied. I think President Jim Kim is very impressive, as is Harry Sheehy, the athletic director. I live in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, with my wife, Kim, and four children. I moved from Boston in 2005 and opened an office here for Bear Stearns. I went through the sad demise of Bear Stearns but have to say I am very happy with JP Morgan and continue to work as a managing director at JP Morgan Securities. I am very busy with my kids, who are all athletes. It seems like all I do is work and coach. The great thing is my wife, Kim, is an excellent golfer so in our spare time we play as much golf as possible. I serve on two local boards as well as the Jimmy Martello Foundation, which I founded for a close friend who died in 9/11. I stay in touch with some of my old buddies at school, but not as well as I should. I speak with Billy McInerny, John Osborn, Paul O’Hern and Dave McCusker from time to time.”


Since the deadline for these notes is Earth Day, I’ll close with a request. Please send me two ways you seek to reduce your environmental impact: one that was an easy change to make and one that—despite your good intentions—isn’t quite a regular habit. Thanks!


Cheers.


—Jane (Grussing) Lonnquist, 4510 Drexel Ave., Edina, MN 55424; jjlonnquist@earthlink.net


Two bits of good news from the West Coast: Michael Wilner was appointed a U.S. magistrate judge for the central district of California and Cynthia Monroe was awarded first place in the Pacific Northwest Writers’ Association Literary Competition for her poetry. Congratulations to you both!


Sam Braverman sent a great update: “Jennie Arlin and I have now been married 20 years. We went to Spain this year with the kids and had a chance to spend a week with Chris Baldwin ’89 and his family on the Mediterranean Sea in Sotogrande, which was so relaxing. Jennie is no longer living the law firm life in N.Y.C., but has agreed to become my chief brief writer. She is also writing a blog called ‘Still Life with Crockpot’ that seems to have struck a chord with its followers. For me, it is such a change to go from state murder trials (my bread and butter for the last 10 years) to nearly only federal criminal cases, each with 10,000-plus documents and thousands of hours of wiretaps, all requiring a staff of attorneys. A good example of ‘be careful what you wish for!’ I passed the Series 7 securities licensing exam recently, because maybe after 20 years in one trench, it is time to try another field. Time will tell. Jerry Hughes and his familywill join us to ski in Park City, Utah, for Presidents Week and then our family will head to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to join the Dartmouth Lawyers Association for its mid-winter meeting. I have recently spoken with Stevo Davidson, Simon Cordery and Richard Lerner ’87,all of whom seem to be doing well.” 


Thanks to the 572 of you who gave to the Dartmouth College Fund last year. This amazing show of support set a new record and earned our class two big fundraising awards! The College also named Stephanie Welsch Lewin the Class President of the Year and Geoff Hyatt the Webmaster of the Year. They, of course, modestly say the awards belong to the entire class, so congratulations to us all. 


In reading Geoff’s award citation, I learned about a fantastic organization he founded called Good Sports and asked him to tell us more about it: “I had an idea years ago that we should get all the unused sports equipment out of our garages and basements and into the hands of kids who don’t have much. With a few others we started working on it in the evenings. Ten years later we now partner with most of the sports equipment manufacturers and retailers to get their excess sports equipment (they have much bigger ‘garages’ than what I had ever imagined when we started). We also have partnerships with professional sports teams in several cities. Originally we served Boston, and have now replicated the model in Philly (thanks to great help from the Eagles), Atlanta (thank you, Falcons!) and Chicago (thanks, Blackhawks). Currently we distribute several million dollars worth of equipment to community youth athletics organizations that serve kids who can’t afford much, helping to give them a sense of belonging and pride, giving them a productive afternoon activity and keeping them a bit healthier too. If anyone has an introduction for us or wants to play a role in their community, just let me know.” 


Cheers.


—Jane (Grussing) Lonnquist, 4510 Drexel Ave., Edina, MN 55424; jjlonnquist@earthlink.net