Congratulations and thanks to our new class officers elected at reunions this summer. President Corey (Fleming) Hirokawa looks forward to connecting classmates with each other and the College and writes: “I’m very open to any ideas that will advance those goals—please reach out! I am honored to have the chance to serve as our class president for the next five years. On a personal note, this new role comes at a perfect time for our family—son Dylan is in the class of 2029. Ben and I look forward to lots of opportunities to visit Hanover and make new connections. I’m very excited for the opportunity to work with this amazing group of class officers!”
Treasurer Pam (Brockmeier) Armstrong is in Newburyport, Massachusetts, “a very visitable little city. Come visit. These days I consider myself semiretired, and I spend some of my time pretending there’s potential for a professional tennis run in me. (There’s not. Never was. But it adds spice to life.) I am looking forward to being class treasurer because I think spreadsheets are nifty, and my organizational skills are pretty sharp. And, in all seriousness, I thoroughly enjoyed being reunion treasurer and look forward to staying connected by staying involved.”
Tara Gulla and Jared Sprole are returning as mini-reunion cochairs. Tara recently returned to the Boston area for a new job with State Street as a managing director, product office chief administrative officer. Jared works in private equity in Wichita, Kansas, recently got engaged (congratulations!) and is often in Boston visiting his two boys: Tristan, who is matriculating at MIT this fall, and Aiden, a senior at Northeastern. Tara and Jared look forward to bringing our classmates together for meaningful, memorable gatherings. “Whether it’s a casual catchup or a special event or virtual gathering, we are excited to foster connections and build on the incredible spirit of our class. If you are interested in hosting a mini-reunion or have other suggestions, please reach out to us at taraleighgulla@gmail.com and jksprole01@aol.com.”
Our alumni councilor Tom Trainor lives in Los Angeles and is an attorney with the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. He is married with four sons, one of whom will be with Corey’s son as a member of the class of 2029.
Jen (Sopko) Hee lives in Walpole, Massachusetts, and recently started her 28th year of teaching in the Newton public schools after a summer spent with her boys. “With my oldest already in college and my youngest a rising high school senior, I have an acute sense of how ephemeral this family time is. I’m delighted to step into the role of Empathos cochair with Ray Wadlow, who has been at its helm since the committee’s creation in 2017. For those who don’t know, Empathos is our class’s compassion committee. We aim to reach classmates in need and hope to organize some panels on pertinent life topics throughout the year. Stayed tuned for more from us shortly!”
Executive committee member Evelyn Brady has exciting news, which Natalie Herring shared with me in June: “I’m writing to brag about Ev, whom I’ve known for 34 years, all thanks to Dartmouth! On Saturday she was elected chair of the Delaware Democratic Party. She was amazing! I’m sorry my little cluster including Ev and Candace Howell couldn’t make it to reunions. It’s always wonderful to be on that beautiful campus with no homework or responsibilities!”
Last but not least, I’m delighted to be joined by our new cosecretary, Beth (Wilson) Webster, who will introduce herself in the next issue. Until then, keep your news coming!
—Kaja (Schuppert) Fickes, 2 Bishops Lane, Hingham, MA 02043; kaja.k.fickes.95@dartmouth.edu; Beth Webster, 7304 Venice St., Falls Church, VA 22043-3038; websterew@gmail.com