Dear, ’98s!

Hope your 2024 end-of-year celebrations were cheerful and filled with time-honored traditions. Did anyone try something new this past season? I certainly did. I celebrated Boxing Day (December 26) for the first time. That is right—I attended the annual Boxing Day brunch hosted by Marisa Howe and her husband, Kyle Marchesseault ’99. This festive celebration was complete with Premier League football on the telly and English-inspired food on the table (sausage rolls, anyone?). Hey, Marisa, I hope I am invited back to this annual celebration since I went ahead and booked it as a recurring event in my calendar. Marisa recently returned from a trip to Miami with eight other ’98s: Amy (Feldmann) Hauser, Hae-Seon Song, Meghan Pound, Mona Gupta, Beth Haas, Kate Kenney, Meg (Blakey) Lyons, and Diana (Bullen) Presciutti. Hailing from as far away as San Francisco and London, all had fun, including trips to the beach, drag brunches, long talks and walks, and good food. These ’98s brought the heat to Miami!

Speaking of heat, Chinwe Ajene-Sagna has social media buzzing! To commemorate the 10-year memorial of her dad’s passing, Chinwe (quietly) took on an ambitious project of transforming her Dartmouth senior thesis into a new book titled Borders and the Self.

Chinwe’s book explores African transnational migration, reflecting on “the journey to define oneself, one’s identity as transnational migrants who retain ties to both home and host communities alike.” I remember how blown away I was by Chinwe’s senior thesis presentation in Dartmouth Hall. Twenty-five years later, as we sat in our favorite Indian restaurant in Harvard Square, I felt that same level of excitement as I listened to Chinwe describe her book! Proud of you, Chinwe! Your book is next on my reading list.

Have an update? Write in to share it. One love.

Carline M. (Dorcena) Durocher, 137 Walnut St., Newton, MA 02460; cdurocher07@gmail.com

Dear, ’98s, happy 2025! When you were a bright-eyed freshman sloshing through the snow as you walked across the Green during winter term, how did you imagine your life 30 years into the future? How would the younger you react to your life today? Write me and share your stories!

Before we get too far into 2025, I wanted to give a shout out to several ’98s who were either spotlighted in local papers in 2024 or celebrated for their notable personal wins. I met up with Jasson Walker Jr. and Taheerah K. El-Amin during a short trip to Washington, D.C., in October and I was blown away by their awesomeness. Taheerah recently completed nine half marathons in 2024. Her final race will be next August in Anchorage, Alaska, which will bring Taheerah’s 50 states plus D.C. half marathon challenge to an end. What a feat, T! If anyone is interested in traveling to Alaska or hosting a ’98 mini-reunion to cheer Taheerah on, let me know.

Jasson, who is the founder, president, and CEO of cFocus Software, has been busy running his successful company. He was honored a few years ago as one of Prince George’s County, Maryland, “Top 40 Under 40.” Jasson is a decorated cyber-security and Microsoft technology evangelist with more than 15 years of experience creating solutions for federal government and commercial customers. Fantastic time catching up with the goddess of running and D.C.’s cyber expert.

Back in Boston, Eric Paley, in his role as founder and general partner of Founder Collective,was featured prominently on the “Globe Tech Power Players 50 List” published by The Boston Globe. This isn’t Eric’s first time making this highly selective list. In 2022 he was described as one of the central nodes of Boston’s tech ecosystem, having backed companies including Uber and Whoop, to name a few.

In other news, Steve T. Park, who is the co-leader of Ballard Spahr’s national infrastructure practice, was recognized by statewide news outlet City & State Pennsylvania as a “Building and Infrastructure Trailblazer.” City & State Pennsylvania described him as “one of the most influential Pennsylvanians in the key sectors of building and infrastructure.” Steve’s selection to the 2024 “Building and Infrastructure Trailblazers” list reflects his work on groundbreaking infrastructure transactions.

If you want to talk tech, infrastructure, cybersecurity, or running, you now have an impressive list of ’98s to consult. But what about the arts? Well, S. Isabel Choi received a FY 2024 creative writing fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Isabel was one of 35 writers selected for this prestigious honor, beating out 2,100 other applicants. As noted in the press release, Isabel, who is a former attorney, is finishing a generational memoir titled Let the River Run, which is inspired by the story of her grandfather, who was the chief justice of South Korea’s supreme court. What a legacy, Isabel!

I would love to hear about your life journeys or even life hacks in 2025. So, please, write in often. One love.

Carline M. (Dorcena) Durocher, 137 Walnut St., Newton, MA 02460; cdurocher07@gmail.com

Dear ’98s!

We are just a few short weeks from sealing our end-of-year time capsules. The year 2024 has been marked by joyous celebrations, heartbreaking goodbyes, charged debates, inspiring innovations, and unexpected explosions of happiness. Who knew one could experience perhaps all the emotions on the feeling wheel within such a short period of time? As we prepare to usher in a new year, it is a great time to take a break, reflect on our perfectly imperfect lives, and catch up with our fellow ’98s. Have you watched all the class of 1998’s “The Big Idea” discussion series spearheaded by Kelly Wardwell Ryerson and our class executive committee? This celebrated series has featured classmates including, to name a few, Dr. Lea E. DeFrancisi Lis (“No Shame in Raising Kids with a Healthy Sex Positive Self-Esteem”), Dr. Belinda H.Y. Chiu (“The Power of the Mind, Purposeful Play, and Compassionate Leadership”), Dr. Nita Farahany (“The Ethical Implications of Mind Reading Technologies and Their Potential Impact on Our Freedom of Thought”), and Dr. Peter T. Lanfer (“Finding Faithfulness in All the Wrong Places: Making Sacred Sense of Drunkenness, Deceit, and Debauchery in the Hebrew Bible”). If you are interested in a historical read to deepen your understanding of current events, check out Dr. Tikia K. Hamilton’s recently published essay for the Newberry Library titled “The Great Migration in Historical Perspective.” Of course, re-reading past Class Notes (find them online at dartmouthalumnimagazine.com) is another way to catch up on what your fellow ’98s have been up to. You, dear ’98s, are an impressive and resilient bunch!

I do not know if you are like me and have a soundtrack running in your mind whenever you sit down to do some creative writing. Well, the song that comes to mind as I write this Class Notes column is Rod Stewart’s “Forever Young.” And so, I paraphrase the song by saying as we navigate this thing called life, may the universe guide us down every road we walk and may sunshine and happiness surround us wherever we go in this world. May we approach our mid-lives with dignity and make the world a better place. May our guiding lights be strong. Let us be courageous and brave together and share memories and new experiences that keep us young. Finally, a big shout-out to Kristin H. Dwyer, who welcomed Baby Brooks into the world in August, reminding us of the beauty and enchantment of new beginnings.

Happy holidays and one love.

Carline M. (Dorcena) Durocher, 137 Walnut St., Newton, MA 02460; cdurocher07@gmail.com

Dear, ’98s!

The College welcomed the class of 2028 to our beloved campus this fall. By now members of the class of 2028 have already walked thousands of steps to the Class of 1953 Commons for a meal, across the Green, and to check their Hinman boxes for care packages! For the Dartmouth community every fall marks a fresh start—a new academic year primed for displays of our sense of community. It’s an annual ritual that we all remember. After all, we all have contributed to the fabric of Dartmouth’s community.

I’ve had the pleasure of catching up with several of you these past few months and learning about your efforts to continue to lift each other up. I visited campus in May to attend the 25th anniversary of the Dartmouth Asian Pacific American Alumni Association (DAPAAA25). DAPAAA25 celebrated the stories, achievements, contributions, and experiences of the Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community at Dartmouth and beyond. Belinda Chiu and a team of esteemed DAPAAA alums pull together a memorable event that brought together a multigenerational alumni body that included several ’98s. I got to catch up with Joan Ai, Diane Gilbert-Diamond, Priscilla Cham Kam, Rachel Kim, Vikram R. Krishnan, Gim F. Lau, and Min Jung Lee.Diane, who is shaping the minds of Dartmouth students as an associate professor of epidemiology, led a group of alums on a mindful walk around campus. What a grounding experience! Also, I sat on a panel with Joan Ai, Jaha Cummings ’95, and Sarah Gupta ’19 sharing our stories about solidarity and collaboration within and across cultures. Joan and Jaha shared with the audience their incredible work as cofounders of the Blanchard House Institute, which creates best practices in public-private partnerships for local elected officials and all leaders. Their work includes launching an initiative to revitalize more than 250 cities and rural communities across the United States and establishing the Black Wall Street Trail celebrating the legacy of the golden age of historic African American business districts impacted by urban renewal. DAPAAA25 was not only a fantastic event, it also highlighted the leadership of our beloved ’98s with Belinda at its helm. To top it off, Belinda, Diane, and members of DAPAAA curated an exhibit at Baker-Berry Library highlighting DAPAAA25 and celebrating AANHPI trailblazers. For those of you who were not able to make it to Dartmouth to see this exhibit, you can view it online on the Baker-Berry Library webpage. DAPAAA25 captured what it means to build community not only at Dartmouth but also beyond.

As the world turns, I hope you too will carve out time from your busy schedules to be present in the moment. Let’s spend some time lifting each other up and building community.

One love.

Carline M. (Dorcena) Durocher, 137 Walnut St., Newton, MA 02460; cdurocher07@gmail.com

Dear, ’98s! Summer is often a time when our lives slow down. It’s a time when many of us take vacations, read books and articles, and seek adventure. I can’t believe that the summer of 1994 was 30 years ago!

For many of us, this summer is special. You may be celebrating your children or even a relative’s or friend’s child who graduated from high school. I caught up with Rachel Bogardus Drew and Jon Drew recently and they shared that their oldest, Leah, is headed this fall to Mount Holyoke College, where she will study history or political science. I also heard from Shirley (Sperling) and Eric Paley, who wrote that their eldest, Zoe, is going to Colby College in Maine and plans to study molecular biology and environmental sciences with a side of music! Chris Wang shared that after he retired from a 20-year banking career, he is focused on getting his second and final kid out of the house! Chris’ son is headed to Dartmouth to join his sister (’25).

For some of us, our children are still deciding which college they want to attend or even what new adventure they want to pursue. Allison (Ahart) Geving wrote in to share that her son, Will, is in the process of deciding on a college for this fall. As a mom of a junior who will be immersed in his process this summer, I celebrate Rachel, Shirley, Chris, Allison, and other Dartmouth ’98s who have successfully launched their kids into their life adventure. I’m re-reading Belinda Chiu’s The Mindful College Applicant as a helpful guide through this process. I caught up with Chinwe Ajene-Sagna recently and she shared that after seven years in Paris and then in Lagos, Nigeria, she and her family moved to Cairo, Egypt. Chinwe’s eldest, Abi, will be a junior at Exeter in New Hampshire this fall.

I enjoy hearing about your summer adventures. Jennifer Peters McCurry wrote in to say that she is the (interfaith) coordinator of religious and spiritual life at Carnegie Mellon University and this summer she will be taking a grant-supported trip to Berlin and Prague to explore post-Holocaust narratives and cultural history. Speaking of adventure, do you remember the article “Vanderlust” in DAM? Well, Mary Stanfield Hollendoner is the author of Monkeys on the Road. What is your favorite DAM article?

Recently, Rick Ouimet was featured in a New York Times article titled “A Bronx Teacher Called. Tommy Orange Answered.” Rick said that this article may be of interest to those ’98s who learned their craft in Silsby with Professors Garrod, Lyons, Sanborn, and Jahner and in public schools scattered around the Upper Valley. Rick’s class discussed Orange’s book, There, There. Congrats, Rick! I’m snapping my fingers as I write this part of the Class Note!

Inspiration has many sources. Maurissa Horwitz is inspiring children through animation. At Dartmouth she was a film minor and today Maurissa is the lead editor in Pixar’s Inside Out in theaters on June 14.

Lastly, it is with a heavy heart that I share news about Kiesha D. Sellers’ passing. Kiesha was a psychology major at Dartmouth. She participated in an Asian studies foreign study program and the Women in Science Project. I remember Kiesha’s smile. She was an incredibly kind and positive presence on campus. After Dartmouth she pursued culinary arts and went on to serve as the executive sous chef at the White House residences. Please share your memories.

I hope you take time to relax this summer and strengthen your lifelong friendships with each other.

Carline M. (Dorcena) Durocher, 137 Walnut St., Newton, MA 02460; cdurocher07@gmail.com

Dear, ’98s, do you remember how you communicated with friends on campus in the 1990s? It was before the days of social media as it exists today. We walked to each other’s dorms, met up on the Green during breaks, called each other on landlines, and found each other after classes or sports. We even used good old fashion word-of-mouth to tell a friend to tell the other friend to reach out. But perhaps the most common form of communication was “blitzing.”

Did you know that Dartmouth’s BlitzMail was at the cutting edge of technology! We ’98s, along with our fellow alums from classes as early as 1988, were early adopters of what I would argue was the first social media platform on a college campus.

So, in honor of BlitzMail, I put on my BlitzMail baseball cap from our 25th reunion and turned to social media to select a few updates on classmates for this post.

Ku’ulei Tengan is living with her beautiful family in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she is a teacher in the public school system. I recently read that Ku’ulei and her husband, Ty ’97, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary this fall. If you have recently celebrated a milestone in your life and want to share it with our classmates, please drop me a line at cdurocher07@gmail.com.

Anat Levtov shared a beautiful and moving tribute to our beloved classmate, Miles Bingham, who passed away this summer. Anat wrote a post to Miles stating: “Instead of an amazing birthday party on September 15, we celebrated a life that was well lived but not nearly long enough to get in all the trips, the laughs, the singing. I think you [Miles] would have enjoyed the weekend—lots of people looking their very best for you, turned out at a gorgeous art gallery in purple and camo, drinking Miles Mules to hold back from crying, though not always successfully.” Peter Yoo and many others attended Miles’ celebration of life. Miles’ legacy and the legacies of other beloved ’98s who have left this earth will live on through each and every one of us.

Kelly Wardwell Ryerson recently wrote on social media about a new documentary project—titled Common Ground—that she has been involved in. Kelly wrote on her social media account that “it is a hopeful and critical message of how repairing our soil will heal the planet and our bodies.” Go, Kelly! I’m sitting in my house on October 28 writing this post in 80-degree weather in New England. We all need to start paying closer attention to our changing world.

Please send me your comments, feedback, and updates to cdurocher07@gmail.com.

Carline M. (Dorcena) Durocher, 137 Walnut St., Newton, Massachusetts 02460; cdurocher07@gmail.com

Dear ’98s! First, I’m excited to follow in Gabe Galetti’s gargantuan footsteps as I take the reins as class secretary. Thank you, Gabe, for helping to keep our classmates connected over the years!

In my inaugural Class Note, I wanted to reflect on our 25th reunion! The 25th reunion brought together classmates from all communities of the greater ’98 family. I, for one, reconnected with old friends such as Tiffany Battle, who I had not seen or spoken to since graduation. It was lovely to hear Tiffany’s laugh again and pick up right where we left off 25 years ago.

It truly felt like that fun friend’s wedding party where everyone there knew at least a couple of people while making new friends and connections throughout the entire reunion weekend. Kate Gold and the band of ’98 executive committee members and class volunteers worked hard to deliver a high-touch, warm, and engaging reunion experience! There was a little something for everyone.

Many classmates attended the class-led panel discussions organized by Belinda Chiu and Kelly Ryerson. One such thought-provoking panel discussion featured Vikram Krishnan, Liz Gerber, and Eric Paley, all visionaries who discussed disruptive innovation and the next 25 years. In addition, I had the pleasure of serving on an early-riser panel on Saturday morning with classmates Lani Sipe Curtis, Spiros Miliagros, and Kelly Ryerson. As the sun pierced the horizon, we shared our stories about our life journeys and meanderings in early morning fellowship!

For those thrill seekers among us, there was the daring climb up 86 flights of stairs to the top of Bartlett Tower! Others hiked Mount Moosilauke and canoed on the Connecticut River, while some of us enjoyed our Dirt Cowboy lattes on the lawn chairs in front of the Hanover Inn. As nature would have it, some of us even had a bit of post-traumatic stress syndrome when lightening and heavy rain led to our class tent being evacuated during one of the lunches. It was graduation monsoon all over again except this time our mighty ’98s’ laughter and pure joy filled the air of Occom Commons, drowning out the sounds of nature’s roars. Did I mention the delicious meals that we had throughout the weekend?

At reunion we gathered to remember those beautiful souls in our class who have left this earth to explore the vastness of the universe. We honored their memories through a music filled reflection led by Gabe Galetti and Julie McGuire Turchin (musical lead).It was a simple acknowledgement that every one of those beautiful souls lived and was loved by all of us.

Friends, I share these memories in hopes to reach every single member of our class with one message—keep in touch! Don’t wait until the next reunion to reconnect with your friends of Dartmouth days of old. Share your updates! Celebrate each other today. Peter Hasenkamp, Matt Senesky, John Wilde, and Jack Pien did just that. Peter wrote to say that they got together in San Francisco back in June for a mini-reunion since they were not able to attend the 25th reunion.

So let’s not let a moment go by without reaching out to a member of our Dartmouth ’98 family! Make sure the College has your updated information. Visit alumni.dartmouth.edu/directory to update your communications. Interested in connecting to the greater Dartmouth community via a group? Well, you can find a group at alumni.dartmouth.edu/connect/find-group.

Lastly, I encourage you to reach out to me often to share your musings and meanderings!

Carline M. (Dorcena) Durocher, 137 Walnut St., Newton, Massachusetts 02460; cdurocher07@gmail.com

Greetings for the last time! My five-year stint as class secretary is up, and the role now passes to Carline (Dorcena) Durocher. No doubt she will do a fantastic job keeping us apprised all the way to our 30th reunion. But I still have one more column, and for that I will revisit our 25th reunion. Thank you to everyone who helped put it on, particularly Belinda Chiu and Roger Griesmeyer for helping with the memorial service. Also, my gratitude to the folks who sang at the service: Julie (McGuire) Turchin and daughter Dara Turchin, David Walthall, Emily (Mellor) Grenier, Malia Bodhaine, and Matt Gordon. Thanks to Rev. Nancy Vogele ’85 for leading the service and to Peter Lanfer for helping despite being unable to attend.

I received a couple emails before the reunion that I was unable to include in my previous Class Notes. Bryan Galat was looking forward to reunion and sharing Dartmouth with his kids, particularly showing Baker and Sanborn to his daughter, who is a “library nut.” Abby Gordon wrote from Jordan and Israel, where she was traveling with friends. Kathryn (Balink) Fernandez emailed post-reunion that she appreciated showing her kids the campus. She also enjoyed catching up with old friends, including those from her language study abroad: Christine Cuoco, Beth Turk, Nancy (Fopiano) Conroy, David Walthall, and myself. We visited Siena, Italy, in spring 1996. And there we were Friday night of reunion plotting a Siena meet-up. Since he moved there, David could surely host the festivities.

I felt the reunion was so stimulating compared to the day-to-day. I work from home, where it is mostly my computer and I. Many of my conversations are with my two kids, 4 and 7. At reunion I appreciated the randomness of all the small insights into our class. Dave Smith has become absolutely passionate about catching fish. He fishes in the rain and even wades into the waters of Central Park. I heard about Jeff Beyer’s son in Morristown, New Jersey, who plays piano—just like I did growing up one town over. Greg Vadasdi showed me pictures of his view from the top of Denali. It must have been empowering (or perhaps humbling) to stand among the clouds. I heard about Julie Turchin teaching psychology to high-school students and Abigail Roberts counseling high school students. I am disappointed that my daughter, Martha, was not there to meet the wife, Martha, of my freshman-year roommate Zach Holt. The Martha meet-up will have to wait. To Justin Littlefield, I recommend a show at the Caverns, a concert venue inside a cave in Pelham, Tennessee. To Dan Kerzner and wife Stacy, thank you for the book recommendation Shoe Dog by Nike founder Phil Knight. I picked it up from the library yesterday. As for Nike’s current CEO, John Donahoe ’82, I was happy to attend his talk with our new president, Sian Leah Beilock. Dartmouth is in good hands. And thanks to Gary Jan and Minyoung Sohn for an umbrella, keeping me dry in the hard rain on the walk to the event.

Of course it rained, and it rained a lot. What would you expect? But the reunion was wonderful. To you ’98s who have appeared in these notes the past five years, thank you for giving us content and for so many meaningful exchanges. I really do love hearing from you.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

So did you hear that we had a reunion? As I write this, it is a little less than two months away. But this column should run slightly after the reunion, which I bet was just smashing.

Wendy Cover is looking forward to the reunion, especially the chance to see old friends and familiar faces. She is especially excited to reunite with the crew who lived at 13 School Street senior year: Raimy Kamons, Juan Carlos Serna, Melissa Woo, Kate (Mottinger) Bjordahl, and Chris Saccardi ’97. The group is piling into a couple of houses in Grantham, New Hampshire, for the weekend.

Marlene (Sheehan) Dandler looks forward to reunion too. She owns Seashore Academy, an educational kindergarten through eighth-grade custom-schooling private academy in Southern California with four campuses and a fifth (the first to be franchised) opening in September. She and her husband, Andres Dandler ’97, raise kids Paul (18), Fiona, (16), and Jasmine (13) in Newport Beach, California. The kids take advantage of the weather and sports: tennis, rowing, sailing, and rock climbing. Marlene enjoys daily runs on the beach with girlfriends and cooking family dinners. Marlene also has seen Mary (Albert) Koenen and opined that she is the best.

Rachel (Bogardus) Drew is in charge of reunion recruitment and registration, that is, getting as many classmates as possible back to campus. When not preparing for reunion, she works as the senior research director in the public policy group at Enterprise Community Partners, where she studies the policy-based challenges and solutions to increasing the supply of affordable housing nationwide. She lives in Lincoln, Massachusetts, with her husband, Jonathan Drew, and their two kids.

Lea (Defrancisci) Lis wrote a book titled No Shame: Real Talk with Your Kids About Sex, Self-Confidence, and Healthy Relationships. She wrote that the book is “amazing,” and I confirmed this on Amazon, where the book has garnered an amazing 4.9 out of 5 rating. Lea just opened a psychedelic psychotherapy clinic out on Long Island, New York, in the Hamptons called Hampton Insight. She loves that she can provide cutting-edge healthcare to patients in her community.

Finally, Rob Nutt made it to Raleigh, North Carolina, for the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill vs. Dartmouth men’s lacrosse game. The weather was unseasonably cold, which reminded Rob of Hanover in the springtime. As for the game, Dartmouth won many battles; they won a majority of the faceoffs; but alas, they did not win the game.

Well, that is all I got. I hope you had a fantastic reunion, and if you did not attend, there is always our 30th.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Daniel Jo was named partner by the Connecticut-based trial law firm Silver Golub & Teitell LLP. Daniel wrote that after graduating law school, he worked in N.Y.C. for seven years as a corporate litigator before marriage brought him to Connecticut and he switched over to representing individuals in plaintiffs’ litigation. Daniel has served as the president of the Connecticut Asian Pacific American Bar Association and currently serves as the president of its affiliated educational foundation. Daniel and his wife have two kids, ages 7 and 9.

I heard about Brent Laffoon’s remarkable career journey a couple years back on the Dartmouth 98 Shorts podcast. It was great to hear from Brent recently by email. About 12 years ago he began his unexpected career as a yoga teacher. At the time he thought it would be something he did for a few months until he got his screenwriting career back on track. But life had other plans. The more he taught the more he loved it, and now here he is. Two years ago he started a nonprofit (the Association of Yoga Professionals) to help raise the standards for how yoga is taught around the world. This year he will be leading retreats to Mexico, Sicily, Iceland, and Morocco. It has been a wild ride that has proven to be more fulfilling and enlightening than he ever could have imagined.

Justin Littlefield caught up with classmates Aaron Klein and Chad Trexler at their annual Phish New Year’s run at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Justin and his wife, Emily (MacDougal) Littlefield ’99, have 14-year-old twin boys and spend time these days split between the high school basketball circuit and their new Vermont home in the Mad River Valley.

Kudos to Rachel Federman for tracking down updates from a couple of her friends. Rachel first apprised me of Morning Washburn. After an exciting and intense two years serving as the U.S. Small Business Administration’s director of strategic alliances during the pandemic, Morning needed a better work-life balance. So she joined the U.S. Government Accountability Office in May 2022 as director of domestic relations. Morning is still busy, but says it is nice to have more time for her three kids (6, 11, and 14) even if it is just tutoring her high schooler in logarithms and running her younger kids to soccer and hip-hop classes. Second, Neeta (Raghavan) Vora works at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill as a maternal fetal medicine-clinical geneticist taking care of pregnancies with babies with birth defects while raising two boys, ages 11 and 13.

As I write this, our milestone 25th reunion is finally starting to feel real. I look forward to seeing you. I want to note that I am organizing an event to remember and to pay tribute to our classmates who are no longer with us: Allison Price Groff, Jeannette Lee, Joseph Nagraj, J. Mulei Nthenge, Suzanne Michels Obenshain, Jun-Kyu Park, David Pichler, Walter Rodriguez, and Nicole Wiley. If you have memories, such as stories, pictures, etc., that you would like to share, please send them my way. Thank you.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Toshiaki Komura shared two important updates. First, he and wife Kelly had a baby in January 2022. Baby Emily joined big sister Lily, age 9. Second, Toshiaki’s book Lost Loss in American Elegiac Poetry: Tracing Inaccessible Grief from Stevens to Post-9/11 won the American Literary Society of Japan’s book prize in October 2021.

Tracy Van Dorpe is still living outside of Boston, in Arlington, Massachusetts, which made it easy for her to attend two ’98 mini-reunions in October.

Chris Egan, Dune Thorne, and Jojo (Blaxall) Lognecker hosted one, where Tracy caught up with Lia Monahon, Yuri Feldman, and Matthew Blanton. Tracy and Lia shared memories of their foreign study abroad in Toulouse, France. Yuri is spending one week per month in Boston with a new job, commuting from Fairfield County, Connecticut. Matthew continues to teach at Milton Academy and shared insight into the mental health crisis facing teens, an issue Dartmouth is trying to get a handle on too.

The second reunion was hosted by Shirley (Sperling) Paley, Rachel (Bogardus) Drew, and Carline (Dorcena) Durocher out in the Boston suburbs. Here Tracy caught up with Justin Littlefield, who had just returned from a jam band concert in Seattle. Tracy also spoke to Will Scarbrough about his son’s first year at university. Tracy could not believe that a classmate’s kid is in college.

Speaking of Will, he has twin 19-year-old sons. Rhys and Neo have been figuring out college and adulting in Denmark and Connecticut. A third son, Tate, is a 15-year-old sophomore in high school in Lexington, Massachusetts. Will and wife Jodi are looking ahead to being empty-nesters in a few years and hope to travel to biking destinations around the world. Will continues to build data and analytics teams in the built environment and education industries. And with the pandemic easing up, Will and family managed to take a trip to South Africa to see family.

Finally, during the Thanksgiving holiday my family visited the Washington, D.C., area, where we saw Dave Ware, Dan Kerzner, Charles Davant, and their families. We met at Dave’s house in Alexandria, Virginia. Dave was hosting the pie breakfast, an annual pre-Thanksgiving tradition where friends bring pies and gather at Dave’s to mingle and to feast. Dave had also just been named partner at the law firm Gibson Dunn.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Minyoung Sohn emailed that in October he visited Gary Jan in Los Angeles. The two attended a concert by the bands New Order and Pet Shop Boys at the iconic Hollywood Bowl. The show was fitting: At Dartmouth Minyoung and Gary hosted the MSG Synth Pop Show on 1340 AM WDCR. This reminds me of disc jockeying at Dartmouth’s other radio station, 99.3 FM WFRD (99 Rock), which the College sold last year after owning for 45 years. Additionally, in September Minyoung presented at the Dartmouth Entrepreneurs Forum in San Francisco for the panel “My Entrepreneurial Journey.” He spoke about his impact finance company, Blue Room, and its audacious goal of solving the housing crisis by using prefabricated modular construction and leveraging a unique philanthropic capital structure.

Dan Mazzucco runs a startup medical device company and teaches at Rowan University in New Jersey. Recently Dan participated in a Zoom book club with Kevin Walsh and Joshua Papsdorf. Kevin is co-directing the “Project on Constitutional Originalism and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition” at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. Joshua is a professor of theology at Newman University in Kansas. Also Dan recently saw Dennis Bergeron and his family in central Pennsylvania. Dennis is a high school teacher and weight trainer. Dan himself is married with five kids. His oldest is at Grove City College in northwest Pennsylvania. Another son toured Dartmouth this past summer, and Dan and family were impressed by how welcoming the community was. Chris Wang’s daughter, Ashley, is attending Dartmouth as part of the class of 2025. Chris finds himself reading The Dartmouth online to see what Ashley might be up to.

Christine Alvarado stays in touch with a small group that includes Tracy (Tylee) Silberfein, Kathleen (Eibl) Steele, Katey (Ritrovato) Dadakis, Erica Brandling-Bennett, Candace (Cornell) Kristensson, and Bennett Arble ’99. The group is busy planning their nearly annual get-together, which will be held in January in central Oregon. The theme will be wine.

Finally, I was emailing with Rachel Federman, who wrote that for the next issue she will send updates about the amazing things her ’98 friends are doing. Rachel knows they are making advances in medicine and other fields but could not gather all the details in time for the deadline. Rachel is still in New York City, where she continues her work for nonprofit organizations and various book projects. Her ghostwritten book How Am I Doing? by Dr. Corey Yeager, life coach for the Detroit Pistons, was released by HarperCollins on October 18.

And there you have it: the latest from the class of 1998. Keep the updates coming. I love hearing from you.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

I have been in touch with Amie Breeze Harper. She is writing her second book, an Afrofuturism and fantasy novel titled Seeds of Sankofa, scheduled to be published next year. Afrofuturism concerns the intersection of the African diaspora culture with science and technology. Breeze aims to inspire decolonization of the imagination during a time when many believe that the future can only be dystopian. She writes, “I have fallen in love with all my characters and their deep connections to justice…soil, seeds, water, and what it takes to birth and create for a future of sustainability and freedom.” If you would like to learn more, visit abreezeharper.com.

Lani (Sipe) Curtis updated me that she recently left her post as director of development at the Oceanside Museum of Art for an associate director position at the San Diego Museum of Art. She also hosted a group of about 20 San Diego-area alums for a private tour of the museum’s current Monet to Matisse exhibition. And at the end of July, her middle son, James, got successful shoulder surgery from Andy Pennock ’99, who lived across the hall from Lani her sophomore year. Lani also recently returned from a two-week sojourn in Europe, a trip rescheduled from 2020. After her sons played in a rugby tour through Ireland, her family bounced over to Croatia just for fun.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Matt Rothe is three years into being a cofounder and the chief technology officer of Blue Ocean Barns, which has developed an algae-based feed supplement for cattle that radically reduces their methane emissions (and climate impact). When Matt is not at either of the facilities in San Diego or Kona, Hawaii, he is intercepting his wife, Kate Maher ’97, and their dog, Blue, in Palo Alto, California—Kate is a professor in earth system science at Stanford—or in Crested Butte, Colorado—where she conducts her research (“between epic mountain bike rides”). Matt sees a close group of Dartmouth friends on a near-annual basis and most recently connected with Will Harper to hike the “rim to rim to rim” trail of the Grand Canyon.

Eric Paley was selected by The Boston Globe for its first annual “Tech Power Players 50,” which recognizes the most influential and interesting individuals in the Massachusetts technology space. Eric is a partner at Founder Collective, a seed-stage venture capital fund, where he led investments in Uber, Whoop, and Formlabs, among others. Previously Eric founded Brontes Technologies, a 3-D-imaging firm that was acquired by 3M.

Kim (Rogers) Leslie emailed me from Seward, Alaska, amid a luxurious span of sunny days on the Alaskan coastline. She, her husband, and daughter just returned from their annual “Father’s Day Family Ski Camp,” which Kim wrote is held on “the mountain behind our house.” For the event, families don heavy backpacks and hike up to make base camp in a natural bowl that holds snow year-round. They then climb up, ski down, and repeat. This year the camp was visited by one black bear, four mountain goats, and many marmots. Kim was also about to take an intensive sailing course, challenging herself to learn something new. She hopes her 45-year-old body and brain cooperate with the steep learning curve. Good luck, Kim; let us know how it goes!

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Incredibly we are now less than one year from our 25th reunion, June 15-18, 2023. Now is the time to block these dates and make a firm commitment to attend. And if you would like to make your mark by helping to plan this milestone, do not hesitate to contact Kate Gold (kategold98@gmail.com), who is heading things up.

Baxter Wasson emailed me four updates. First, this winter he enjoyed a ski trip in Park City, Utah, with Carter Jackson, as well as one dinner with Andrea and Adam Himoff and two dinners with Berit Campion ’96. Second, Baxter regularly speaks with Brook Detterman. Last summer they hiked up Mount Moosilauke, and Baxter visited Brook at his new home in Maine. Third, Baxter recently enjoyed a wonderful long lunch with Catherine Baumann. Fourth, Baxter is engaged with a wide range of Dartmouth lightweight rowers to revive and align the program with the priorities of the College since lightweight rowing was canceled and then reinstated. Chris Egan wrote that he lives in Boston with his wife, Alexis, and their four children: Madeline (14), Jack (12), Charlotte (10), and Christopher (9). Chris’s family spent New Year’s with Keith Zadourian, Bill Curran, and their families. Chris looks forward to the 25th reunion.

I was so pleased to read that Roger Johnson’s contributing to Class Notes one year ago yielded emails from long-lost friends and even a visit from David Walthall, traveling from Siena, Italy, to Mobile, Alabama, to see family. Roger lives in nearby Pensacola, Florida, where he owns a “hidden gem” of a wine shop. Roger is also an alumni admissions ambassador, which means he interviews applicants to Dartmouth. Through the years Roger has interviewed more than 100 students all across the country, yet only one has matriculated at Dartmouth! Lately Roger is on hiatus. Owing to the pandemic, interviews have been shunted to Zoom, and Roger prefers to live in the real world, something I wholeheartedly endorse.

Another long-time ’98 ambassador is Chris Wang, who resides in Beijing. He shared the story of his most memorable admit: the first student ever admitted to Dartmouth from a public magnet school in northeast China. The student was keenly interested in Dartmouth and had a clear goal of studying philosophy, backed up by his experiences. For example, he had increased access to Western philosophy by translating works into Chinese and publishing them on an online bookstore. Chris found the student’s love of the subject, depth of thought, and passion to be convincing and inspiring. Fast forward a few years and the student graduated from Dartmouth Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Sylvie (Hogg) Murphy, Kate (Knaus) Galston, and Abbey Doolittle enjoyed catching up over a weeklong Roman holiday in early February. Along with spectacular art and architecture and even some urban spelunking by the Colosseum, they enjoyed good weather and outdoor pasta and pizza meals with plenty of Franciacorta. The group met up with classics professor Roger Ulrich and his wife, Imogen, who live part-time in the Italian seaside town of Anzio. They all enjoyed a lovely day, complete with a decadent seafood lunch, a walk along the beach (home to ruins of an imperial Roman palace), and reminiscing about the 1997 classics foreign study program.

Jasson Walker Jr. was spotlighted by the Microsoft Partner Network for its 2022 Black History Month campaign. The initiative selected Jasson for his work as president and CEO of cFocus Software, which provides information technology services to federal government agencies.

Chris Houpt and son Lucas made the front page of the local newspaper for their team’s finishing first in robot design at the Hudson Valley (New York) First Lego league qualifying tournament. Chris coaches Lucas and five other sixth- and seventh-grade boys in building and coding a Lego robot to solve challenges. Chris also skied for only the second time since his Dartmouth Skiway days and found it more challenging than he remembered. Finally, Chris reported that, while he has not seen a ’98 in-person in a while, he keeps up with Kenji Hosokawa’s bouldering exploits on Instagram.

Jaime (Staples) King wrote that she, her husband, James King, and their two sons (8 and 12) moved to Auckland, New Zealand, last year. Jaime took a job at the University of Auckland as the John and Marylyn Mayo chair in health law. Jaime and family have been loving life in a faraway land. They have traveled to the Cook Islands, as well as Queenstown and Wanaka on New Zealand’s South Island. Jaime and James have kept up with ’98s via Zoom and FaceTime and welcome folks to visit once the borders open.

I previously reported on Mary Hollendoner’s travels and the book she wrote about her family’s three-year road trip. Marc Lewinstein cited Mary as inspiration for recently completing a six-state, eight-resort ski trip out west in a Sprinter van with his girlfriend, daughter of Michael O’Neill ’71, and Marc’s dog. While the adventurers had issues with running water, heat, and even basic hygiene, they enjoyed great snow and good times, especially visiting three national parks. Aside from shearing the air conditioning unit off of the van’s roof, they managed to return the van in otherwise working order. Last May Marc and Greg Vadasdi climbed Denali, North America’s highest mountain. It was Greg’s second time up Denali; this time fulfilling his ambition to ski off of the summit. The expedition presented challenges, including violent stomach troubles and mild frostbite brought on by an unplanned bivouac in a storm on the way down. Marc is also due to appear shortly as an extra in the HBO series The Gilded Age. He wrote, “If someone with a full beard and wire-rimmed spectacles standing behind Nathan Lane seemed familiar, you’re correct.”

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

For this column, I attempted to contact ’98s who write. In particular, I asked how Dartmouth inspired their writing.

Kristen Hinman has been a journalist for the last 20 years. She credits English professor Terry Osborne as an influence. He was “electric” in the classroom and taught so many aspiring writers how to find their own voice. Through numerous conversations in office hours and across BlitzMail, he pushed Kristen to look beyond the Dartmouth bubble. Kristen had a wonderful visit with Professor Osborne a few years before his death in 2020, when she was working on an article for the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. Currently Kristen lives with her husband and 4-year-old daughter in Washington, D.C. They recently moved from the Capitol Hill neighborhood to a woodsy spot along the Potomac River full of hardcore outdoor enthusiasts. Kristen has spent almost a decade overseeing all longform narrative for Washingtonian, the city magazine for the D.C. area. And oh, during these past few years there have been stories to tell! Kristen regularly sees Jessica Clark and last summer had a fun meetup when Deirdre (Driscoll) Siegert and Catherine Sterling came to town.

James Panero cited the daily journal that classics professors Edward Bradley and Roger Ulrich urged their students to keep during the foreign study program (FSP) in Italy. James credits the process of keeping the journal, not his actual writing. But his old notes have helped him in writing for The New Criterion, where he is an editor, and other venues. For example, James has been researching the Allied landing at Paestum, Italy, during World War II. Paestum was founded by the Greeks as Poseidonia, which James visited during the FSP. James may also write something about D.H. Lawrence’s essay “Etruscan Places” after studying the painted tombs of Tarquinia in Lazio, Italy. And for Spectator magazine, James recently compared New York City’s Tenth Street Baths to the baths he saw in Ostia Antica, an ancient Roman port. James follows Professor Ulrich on social media and is glad to see these trips continue and to revisit memories from nearly 30 years ago!

Mary Hollendoner finally returned from her epic voyage driving from the United States to Argentina. She, her husband, and 6-year-old daughter lived on the road for more than three years, experiencing heartwarming personal encounters, breathtaking wilderness campsites, and the occasional terrifying situation. This was the cover story from the September/October 2020 issue of this magazine. Mary recently wrote a book about it, Monkeys on the Road: One Family’s Vanlife Adventure South in Search of a Simpler Life, published in November 2021. For Mary, nothing stood out from college as inspiring her to write. Dartmouth did, however, spark a love for the outdoors, which led Mary to embark on adventure and to write a book about it.

Emily Hodgson Anderson is a professor of English at the University of Southern California. Her 2018 book, Shakespeare and the Legacy of Loss, discusses how 18th-century actors and artists immortalized the plays of Shakespeare. Emily wanted to write before she came to college, and at Dartmouth her professors inspired and guided her. Emily still holds onto assignments she wrote for Monika Otter, Jim Heffernan, Alex Halasz, and Tom Luxon, professors who are now colleagues. Recently Emily has been writing more personal essays, prominently featuring her New England upbringing.

Beyond these “professional” writers, we all write and were all influenced by our time at Dartmouth. If anyone else wants to add to this dialogue, I would love to hear from you.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Marene Jennings and her boyfriend are moving to south Florida. After nearly two decades living in her hometown of New York City, Marene is relocating to help open a new and expanded West Palm Beach office for Goldman Sachs. Marene has been there for more than 17 years and is a managing director in the asset management division. Marene wrote, “I’m excited for this new adventure and looking forward to seeing many ’98s when folks are fully traveling again and in south Florida for work or fun.” Marene also returned to Dartmouth in October, allowing her to witness those incredible fall leaves. In other work news, for Glen Patashnick, this fall marks his 10th year teaching actuarial science at Boston University.

Finally, Nathan Cook wrote from Lexington, Kentucky, where he has lived for more than 20 years. He and his wife will soon celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. Their stepdaughters are about to turn 16, making them eligible for learner’s permits. Nathan anticipates more time in the passenger seat and a potentially elevated blood pressure. Good luck, Nathan! For work, Nathan is a software engineer at Oracle in its cloud division. Also keeping Nathan busy is his home, a 1920s bungalow that requires perpetual home improvement work. His latest effort has been tearing down the garage and replacing it with an outbuilding to serve as a living space either for in-laws or for an old friend with a debilitating degenerative disease. Nathan keeps in touch with a few ’98s, notably Allison (Ahart) Geving in California.

I was actually in Lexington in August to attend the Railbird Festival, two days of rock music and bourbon. One of the headliners was the Dave Matthews Band, which brought my mind back to college. For me, no other music conjures up mid-1990s Dartmouth like Dave Matthews. On that note, please keep the updates coming, as I love hearing from you.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Hello, ’98s. I write with a renewed affinity for you and for Dartmouth. Last month I visited the College; my first time there in nearly 10 years. It was wonderful to walk the now-sprawling campus with my wife and kids (2 and 5). I also met up with old friends Belinda Chiu and Dave Smith. Another highlight was staying at a bed and breakfast in Lyme, New Hampshire, and talking Dartmouth with proprietor Rich Yurko ’75.

Jen Tetler and wife Emily Battle ’05 now have two 2.5-year-olds. Jen and Emily were pregnant at the same time—they swapped embryos and gave birth two months apart. For Jen, raising kids is finally getting easier. This summer Jen had a breakthrough Covid infection. It was a mild case, although she lost her sense of smell for a few days. In addition Jen teaches science at an independent high school in Oakland, California.

Shannon (Jarosh) Walsh wrote en route to South Bend, Indiana, with husband Kevin Walsh to drop off their oldest child at Notre Dame University. Shannon and Kevin are just getting started, as they have five more children at home, ranging in age from 2 to 15. Shannon is an emergency medicine physician at an academic medical center in Richmond, Virginia. Covid has deeply impacted her day-to-day experience. Last August she contracted the virus. Thankfully, her symptoms were mild and her family stayed healthy. For Shannon it is difficult to see Covid case numbers trending in the wrong direction. She encourages anyone who has not to get vaccinated.

Karen Lefrak is also an emergency medicine physician. During the pandemic her emotions have run the gamut of “exhaustion, worry, gratitude, concern, pride in my team, feeling appreciated (briefly), frustration, hopefulness, compassion fatigue, feeling underappreciated, elation, irritation, positivism, resentment, gratefulness, dismay, more frustration, more exhaustion, and more hopefulness.” Karen and her medical colleagues are searching for light at the end of the tunnel. On a positive note, Karen feels fortunate that last year her daughter’s school did an excellent job providing in-person education.

Andrea (Stern) Himoff and Adam Himoff appreciate how living in Park City, Utah, has allowed them and their two girls to get outdoors during the pandemic. These times have inspired Andrea and Adam to prioritize what matters. Adam has turned most of his focus to his art, creating contemporary and pop-infused linocut, digital, and painted pieces with a humorous and provocative twist. You can check out Adam’s work on Instagram. Andrea has leaped into politics to launch the U.S. senate campaign of Becky Edwards, a former Utah legislator running against Mike Lee in 2022. Andrea and Adam have recently had fewer visitors than usual. Nonetheless, they welcomed Peter Lanfer and wife Sarah Drew, who was acting in a new TV series filming in Salt Lake City. The Himoffs also saw Kara (Josephberg) Paldino and family during their stays in Park City and Aspen, Colorado. Despite recently evacuating her house due to a wildfire threat, Andrea wrote that life is good.

And there you have it—the latest from our class. Keep the updates coming. I love hearing from you.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

I present to you the latest in ’98 class news. For Josh Mooney Covid vaccination enabled outdoor adventures with Dartmouth friends. In early April Josh, Justin Wells ’95, and Colter Leys ’96 embarked on a four-day backcountry ski tour in the Sierra Madre mountains. The tour was the penultimate segment of a 20-year project to ski the entire “Red Line Route” of the Sierra Crest. The route runs from Mount Whitney (east of Fresno, California, and the highest point in the continental United States) to the Yuba Pass (north of Lake Tahoe, California). If that was not enough, in late April Josh, Justin, Darryl Knudsen ’96, and Carter Wray ’97 whitewater kayaked for four days on the Smith River in northern California. Josh sent me links to photos from both adventures, some of which will be published in an upcoming class newsletter!

Alexander Hancock felt lucky that during the pandemic his three children (10, 5, and 5) were able to attend in-person school. They did, however, miss out on activities such as the zoo, planetarium, and local amusement park. In April Alex quit his job to start his own firm managing individuals’ assets. And in June Alex and his wife visited Las Vegas. Alex reports that Las Vegas is back to its pre-pandemic self, which is good to hear, I guess. Jojo (Blaxall) Longnecker wrote in with a silver lining from the pandemic: she, husband Jeff Longnecker ’97, and three children (13, 11, and 8) spent lots of time in the Upper Valley at a family condo in Quechee, Vermont. Another pandemic highlight was Jojo’s spending the night in a tent in Heather (Duckworth) Smith’s backyard.

P.J. Halas wrote from Monmouth County, New Jersey, to share the highs and lows of his pandemic experience. He has missed family and friends, including having to skip this year’s annual trip to Hanover to catch up with Dartmouth basketball. Last summer, however, Matt Burke and family visited P.J. in Bayhead, New Jersey. P.J. and wife Jessica, a photographer, have three children (Trinity, 10, Fiona, 9, and Noah, almost 8), whom they homeschooled this past year. P.J. described homeschooling as “unbelievably rewarding,” particularly for Fiona. She has Down syndrome and really benefited from the extra attention. In addition, Covid freed up 15 hours per week that P.J. previously endured commuting. He used this time to develop a new and profitable line of business for his medical records company. He also got back into the ocean to surf and to teach his children. When he emailed, P.J. was getting ready for an annual camping trip to the Youghiogheny River for whitewater rafting and unplugging.

Taheerah El-Amin wrote from Washington, D.C., where she is an attorney in the civil division of the U.S. Department of Justice. One of Taheerah’s favorite pandemic activities has been hanging out on the porch of neighbor and sorority sister Llezlie Green ’97. In early June Taheerah traveled to New York City to visit Daniel Rivera and his wife, Derly. Recently Taheerah ended a three-year term as vice president of the Black Alumni of Dartmouth Association and began a new term as membership chair. Finally, Taheerah is excited to return to campus in July with her niece, a rising high school senior. Taheerah cannot wait for her to fall in love with Dartmouth like Taheerah did during her first visit in spring 1994.

Ah who can forget the first visit to Dartmouth? Mine was summer 1993, the start of something good. Thank you for the submissions—I love hearing from you.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Fellow ’98s, I cried in the wilderness for news from you. Here is what I found out.

Chinwe Ajene endured seven months of separation from her husband thanks to Covid-19! She and her two children (14 and 10) had been in Lagos, Nigeria, where Chinwe started her own real estate consultancy, Catalyst Realty Solutions. Chinwe’s husband was in Cairo, Egypt, with the African Export and Import Bank, commuting between Cairo and Lagos. Then Covid hit. Borders were closed, and Chinwe’s family was split in two. Finally, they were able to reunite by repatriating to Washington, D.C. Six weeks later, returning to Africa, they decided to all head to Cairo. Chinwe made it work by enrolling her kids in a terrific international school and commuting to see clients. Chinwe described her experience with Covid as “terrifying.” She gained, however, a greater appreciation for family, which supported her through her ordeal in Lagos. Another lesson learned is to make the best of the situation at hand. For example, over Easter Chinwe took a cruise up the Nile River, from Aswan to Luxor, relishing Egypt’s rich history.

Gabrielle Tito described this past year as “strange and challenging.” Her eldest daughter went away to college, and Gabrielle has treasured the extra time with her youngest daughter. Gabrielle is an artist, and the pandemic has been productive, affording her extra time in her home studio. Gabrielle’s last ’98 sighting: Mary (Albert) Koenen pre-quarantine at the Museum of Modern Art. Next spring Gabrielle’s youngest daughter will graduate high school. Then Gabrielle plans to move back to New York City. She is a New Yorker at heart and looks forward to a new chapter in the city.

Although the pandemic has limited in-person meet-ups, actual communication has increased through mediums like group texts and Zoom. For example, Tracy (Tylee) Silberfein, Katey (Ritrovato) Dadakis, Erica Brandling-Bennett, Candace (Cornell) Kristensson, Christine Alvarado, Kathleen (Eibl) Steele, and Bennett Arble ’99 have a standing weekly virtual happy hour. I heard from a few of them.

Tracy lives in Seattle with husband Adam Silberfein ’99 and their twin 8-year-old boys. The pandemic has taught Tracy to reprioritize her time: less work, more family. She loves seeing her sons more, even if they can be a handful. This past year the family has embraced outdoor activities; Tracy has even taken up skate skiing. Recently her family met up with Kathleen’s to ski in Park City, Utah. Coming up this summer, an “epic” road trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.

Katey is still in Southern California with husband Jason Dadakis ’99 and their two daughters. They navigated the pandemic with a last-minute RV trip around California, a couple ski vacations, weekly virtual cooking classes, and binge watching The Amazing Race. Going forward Katey is eager to get back East to see family and friends, particularly Molly (Hershey) and Kevin Arista.

Erica has relied on the support of other professional women during the pandemic. She is “super grateful” for her fellow Dartmouth moms as a source of support. Erica commented that it is working mothers who have to deal with middle-of-the-day interruptions from kids, along with micro-managing their schedules. Meanwhile, if dads are home with their children, they are granted quasi-hero status. Erica concluded that this pandemic has magnified the inequalities in parenting and pushed working mothers in impossible ways. Erica and husband Ron Gregush ’97 each work in healthcare, forcing them both to be physically present at work. Thankfully, their two children recently returned to in-person elementary school, albeit for just two hours per day.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Greetings, ’98s, from Music City! I am in a good mood thanks to our new class podcast, Dartmouth 98 Shorts. Each episode features a ’98 answering eight questions from hosts Roger Griesmeyer and Kelly (Wardwell) Ryerson in nine minutes. Driving back from Costco the other day, I binged the first four episodes: Chris Ott, Liz Gerber, Joy (Lisi) Rankin, and Matt Rothe. I was so impressed by the thought-provoking questions and just how interesting you guys are. The next three episodes are queued up for my next drive: Danielle (Flanders) Jensen, Charlie Fiordalis, and Brent Laffoon (who is apparently a famous yogi!). Who’s next? I will certainly be listening.

Elinor Actipis spent 2012 to 2018 in San Francisco enjoying its vibrancy and intensity. Sometimes it felt like Hanover West; Elinor regularly ran into Michelle Kraemer, Eric Petitt, Vince Cannon ’99, and Andrea Gonzalez ’99. But alas the abundant sunshine and excellent produce (not to mention the insane cost of living and poor city management) were too much. In 2018 Elinor returned to her spiritual home of New England. She now lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She keeps busy with her two boys, ages 5 and 7, and working at Autodesk, a software developer, in content strategy. This past year has been an eye-opener for Elinor as institutions she used to trust have completely failed. For example, public schools in her town have offered zero in-person learning options to grades four to 12 since March 2020, a “travesty.” Elinor does her part by agitating for these schools to reopen. Besides this she keeps in touch with her ’98 crew—Dorothy Hui, Veena Shankaran, Neeta (Raghavan) Vora, Rachel Federman, Morning Washburn, and Kajal Jhaveri—via an endless text thread.

I reached out to Dan Protz, who has lived in Zurich, Switzerland, since 2009. He is married to a lovely lady both Italian and Swiss but who acts Italian. They have one son, Alessandro, age 7. He speaks four languages fluently and cringes when Dan cannot communicate in the local dialect. Dan is constantly reminded that he should have paid more attention in German drill at Dartmouth. But now Dan works hard to scale up his startup, FlavorWiki, which helps the food and beverage industry evaluate consumer perception. He enjoys life and appreciates the “boredom” of Zurich.

Cary (Allen) Ullman moved back to the United States from London a few years ago. In Connecticut she raises three boys with her husband and works as a lawyer with financial technology startups. In a bid to do something she actually enjoys, Cary recently started her own French kitchen and home boutique. The website is www.cantinefrancaise.com, and I am sure you can orchestrate yourself a discount if you contact her directly. Take the opportunity to check out something different and get back in touch with a fellow classmate all in one go. I can attest that the website and its offerings are impressive.

As class secretary I can also attest to the amazing things you do. Thanks for the updates. I love hearing from you.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

 

For my fifth note of the pandemic I asked classmates to reflect on 2020. Here in Nashville, 2020 has brought the dismal trifecta of a tornado, pandemic, and Christmas bombing. We hope for better luck in 2021!

Tim Bruckner and wife Melissa Lodoen are professors at the University of California, Irvine. At the beginning of 2020 Tim visited Mexico City with Steve Zrike and both of their oldest daughters for their annual father-daughter trip. Tim is an epidemiologist, and when the pandemic began he led a seroprevalence study in partnership with Orange County, California. The study informed public health efforts to assist Latino communities hardest hit by Covid-19. Tim and Melissa have regular distanced gatherings with Andres ’97 and Marlene (Sheehan) Dandler, who live nearby. For Tim’s birthday he shared laughs and lamentations via Zoom with Matthew Blanton, Lia Monahon, Leah (Fergenson) Allen, Erica (McAuliffe) Esrick, Kytja Weir, Barrett Shaver, and Catherine Baumann. According to Tim, all these ’98s (annoyingly) do not seem to age.

Doug Heyman reflected that 2020 helped us slow down to appreciate family, friends, and relationships. Over Zoom Doug reconnected with Tom Loughrey, Adam Weigold, Damon Ferrara, Hank Brier, James Roberts, Jason Jones, Jay Danzi, Spencer Doyle, PJ Halas, Paul DeGaetano, Joe DeCristofaro, Bill Tarr, Danny Gans, Peter Sperger, and John Coleman. Doug commented that everyone looked terrific, albeit a little grayer. Professionally Doug moved from Goldman Sachs to BlackRock to lead opportunistic investing. He loves working from home with wife Eva (Sheibar) Heyman ’96 and their three children, one of whose middle name is Hanover.

Simone Swink and her team at ABC News went home in March and have not been back. Simone’s workday is filled with Zoom calls, where she helps run Good Morning America. Simone is comforted by how technology has brought people together. In particular she has stayed connected weekly with her three senior-year roommates, Kristin (Terry) Abati, Julie (Herron) Gendler, and Karen Yen ’99. Still, Simone cannot wait for the pandemic to be over. Amy (Feldmann) Hauser works as a general pediatrician at the Santa Clara Valley (California) Medical Center. As such she is grateful that children have generally weathered Covid-19 well. Outside of work Amy spends much time with her two young daughters. They have grown to love outdoor adventures and can entertain themselves with rocks, sticks, and dirt. Post-pandemic Amy looks forward to reuniting with friends in-person instead of virtually.

Peter Lanfer’s update showcased his creativity. For example, he and wife Sarah have started recording songs and posting them to YouTube. Peter also pulled off a pandemic live-action musical version of The Greatest Showman with his and the neighborhood’s kids. Yet another musical effort is the Reindeer Tribe, which Peter described as an “ephemeral collective.” This means the group comes together for a few days each year to create an album and share in a mutual love of music. Check them out at reindeertribe.com or on Spotify. Professionally Peter continues to teach, virtually, at Occidental College. During the pandemic he speaks regularly with Alex Keally, Chad Trexler, Dan O’Neill, Blair Kenney, and Graham Gallivan. Peter feels more connected to these friends than he has felt in years. Finally, Peter recently hosted the first ’98 “Big Idea” gathering. He hopes it will be a quarterly Zoom call for classmates to share ideas growing out of the amazing things they are up to.

As class secretary I can attest to the amazing things you do. Thanks for the updates. I love hearing from you.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

With sadness I begin with what many already know: Suzanne (Michels) Obenshain passed away in September. Reading about Suzanne and listening to classmates’ reflections, I am inspired by the richness and depth of her experiences across 43 years. It is a painful loss and an extraordinary life. An obituary is available on the magazine’s website. Donations on Suzanne’s behalf can be made at danafarber.jimmyfund.org/goto/suzannemichelsobenshain.

Kyle Teamey wrote that he and family moved to Boston this summer. He is happy to connect with any ’98s in the area, but of course it would have to be socially distanced. Kyle commented that he is not a fan of pandemics but appreciates that we are now spending more time with people outdoors. (Note that Kyle wrote this in August!) I recently listened to a podcast produced by the news website Axios featuring my first-year roommate Matt Peterson, who is leading a $2-billion investment program at Amazon to reduce carbon emissions. Matt spoke eloquently about Amazon’s efforts to go carbon neutral by 2040, a truly worthy initiative. Marc Lewinstein unexpectedly reconnected with Kristin Dwyer after getting “bashed in the forehead with a flying surfboard.” Marc ended up in the emergency room at Newport (Rhode Island) Hospital. Although not working there that day, Kristin called ahead to the attending physicians regarding Marc. He was fine and remarked, “It was quite comforting to have a Dartmouth doctor involved!”

Roger Johnson emailed with a caveat that you might not remember him, as he took advantage of the Dartmouth plan to study in Finland, South Africa, Canada, and Greece. After Dartmouth he continued his “peripatetic” ways, changing careers and cities multiple times. Now Roger has settled in the “hidden gem” Pensacola, Florida, where he owns a wine bar. The bar celebrates the diversity of wine that Roger has discovered through travel and getting to know winemakers near and far.

Giordan Del Rosario is another classmate who acknowledges staying under the radar at Dartmouth. Giordan was last in the United States in 2001 and graduated Dartmouth in 2002. Afterward he lived in Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, India, and, around 2008, returned to the Philippines. Giordan’s post-Dartmouth experiences are marked by studying biological sciences as well as journeys of self-discovery. Now he teaches high school science, virtually, for the Pax Et Lumen International Academy from his home in Quezon City, the Philippines. I am grateful to Giordan for opening up about his general sense of alienation: the feeling that he has no true home—not fitting in at Dartmouth and then feeling culture shock upon returning to Asia. But Giordan also shared a fondness for the United States, particularly the opportunities and choices available in the 1990s during the Clinton administration. Well, much has changed since then. I write this one week before our election, for publication at the end of 2020. When you read this, I hope that America is in a healthy, stable, and peaceful place. Happy holidays!

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Greetings, ’98s. For my third note of the pandemic, I inquired about how you were holding up. I specifically asked for your thoughts on travel. Here is what I found out.

Colleen (O’Connor) Jo wrote in late August amid a long weekend at Dartmouth with her husband and three children (13, 11, and 8)—the family’s first time visiting the College. Colleen opined that life during Covid-19 reminds her of her Dartmouth experience. Her family has slowed down to re-center their lives around values and purpose. They head to the mountains to take in simple pleasures such as hiking, biking, and boating—the same activities Colleen enjoyed as a Dartmouth student. Also relishing the mountains were Marc Lewinstein and Greg Vadasdi, who ventured to Wyoming’s Teton Range. There they completed the Cathedral Traverse, summitting three of the Teton’s highest peaks. The adventure continued in Newport, Rhode Island, where Marc and Greg finished a 50-mile sailing race. Prior to racing Marc hosted Greg, his wife, Katie (Bardzik) Vadasdi, and their two kids. Marc has stayed in Newport since mid-March and regularly surfs with Josh Gallitano.

Julie (McGuire) Turchin wrote from San Jose, California, where she was starting her third year teaching high school psychology. Julie shared numerous strategies for entertaining children at home. For example, during the summer she transformed her house into a camp featuring activities such as fencing, circus arts, cooking in the fire pit, improvisation, and swimming. This year Julie has Zoomed with Anat Levtov, Brad Evans, Belinda Chiu, David Walthall, Christine Utter, Caroline Kerner, Austyn Fudge, Emily (Mellor) Grenier, and Wendy Lee. Julie even joined with Craig Sakowitz ’93 to host a West Coast Outing Club screening of the “classic” Schlitz on Mount Washington.

Also emailing from northern California was Cindy (Yang) Weller, who lives with her husband, Todd Weller ’99, and 7-year-old son. Cindy is an anesthesiologist. With the constant threat of Covid-19, she has turned to activities such as meditation, drawing, and baking. Cindy reminisced about traveling to Hokkaido, Japan, in February and doing things now unthinkable, such as riding the subway without a mask and eating buffet breakfasts. She feels grateful that her family did not get sick. Also expressing gratitude was Sarah (Boynton) Pitts, specifically for health, jobs, shelter, and food. Sarah is an adolescent medicine specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital, while husband Edward Pitts works at an architecture firm. The Pitts will soon begin another job, as their two children were poised to start virtual schooling.

Owen Russell wrote that he, wife Aubrey, and two children were weathering the pandemic the best they could. They live in Perrysburg, Ohio, and are grateful for the extra space—they previously lived in the confines of Brooklyn. Owen occasionally rides his Peloton exercise bike virtually along with Josh Freeman and Dong Shen. Owen also keeps in touch with Daniel Goren, Michael Beckerman, Michael Pryor, and Eddie Chung.

Covid-19 has kept Natalie Berger busy as dean of faculty at Souhegan High School in Amherst, New Hampshire. Since June she has focused on safely reopening the school. To Natalie the task is daunting, yet she is excited to be doing such important work. When not on the job, Natalie enjoys exploring the outdoors with husband Erik Saunders ’99 and their two children, 12 and 9. They are crossing their fingers for a full winter ski season to help them get through this challenging time.

I can second that, as I hope to take my family skiing without hiking the backcountry or leasing our own gondola. Now more than ever I appreciate these correspondences, as I love hearing from you.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Hello, ’98s. I reached out to you for your thoughts, including whether current events made you rethink your Dartmouth experience. Here is what I found out.

Christine Lin took a break from Zoom to write in for the first time! During the pandemic Christine has reconnected with Kimberly Coffey through regular Zoom chats. Christine has also had Zoom reunions with classmates from her summer 1995 foreign study program (FSP) in Beijing: Joan Ai, Lilei Huang, Eric White, Gary Jan, and Kevin Nguyen. They have been joined by Kenneth Leon and his wife, Meier Hsu, along with Christina Campo and Young Bae. While these ’98s would not have thought to meet before the world shut down, they have had a ton of fun reminiscing, catching up, and laughing. The group also has a soundtrack, as Christine unearthed a mix tape of songs playing in Beijing nightclubs during the FSP that she shared via Spotify. Christine also wrote that, although Dartmouth could have done better at promoting certain values, her experience there contributed to her pursuing a career as an attorney in social justice and advocating and representing asylum seekers and refugees. For the past eight years Christine has worked at the University of California, Hastings, College of the Law Center for Gender and Refugee Studies.

Natalie (Wood) Vogel wrote in from Reno, Nevada, where she resides with husband Alex Vogel and their two kids, 9 and 12. Recently they enjoyed a socially distanced, back-deck reunion with Nora (Bryan) and Scott Behrens and their three kids. Both Natalie and Alex work in healthcare, allowing them to see firsthand the effects of Covid-19. Natalie is the chief medical officer of a small health center that cares for indigent patients, Alex is an interventional radiologist. Natalie opined that 2020 has been quite a year. She and Alex feel optimistic that our country’s newfound attention and energy will lead to real change at every level. Natalie also hopes that our Dartmouth family is making it through this with curiosity, love, and kindness, our strongest tools.

Denise (Saunders) Norse is happy to report that she, her husband, and three sons are all doing well. Denise teaches math and introductory computer programming at Shelton (Connecticut) High School. Recently she has encouraged students to participate in Girls Go CyberStart, which fosters creativity and problem-solving through exploring cybersecurity. Last year Denise had five students sign up. This year the number increased to 17, and Denise’s top four students were invited to the two-day online national competition. There they finished 66th out of 366, including first in the state of Connecticut, which made Denise a very proud teacher.

I connected with fellow attorney James Jung, who checked in from northern Virginia and wrote that he is wrapping up active duty service as an officer in the Navy Judge Advocate General Corps. We reflected on our time in Hanover and our new perspectives on a Dartmouth education in light of Covid-19. As it turns out, James and I are both big fans of the New York Mets, so we spent the bulk of our time strategizing my next steps as his co-counsel for a class-action suit against Mets ownership on behalf of aggrieved and emotionally harmed fans everywhere.

As a history major, I can appreciate the significance of the times in which we live. On one hand, I am astounded to be witnessing the events of 2020. On the other, I just hope that you all are staying safe and sane. Please continue to keep me updated, as I love hearing from you.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Hello, ’98s. During this challenging time, I am grateful for the Dartmouth community, especially friends with whom I am staying in touch. I am also thankful for being your secretary, which allows me to engage with even more of our amazing class. I asked you how life has changed since Covid-19 struck. Here is what I found out.

Elizabeth (Sumida) Huaman has been working almost nonstop at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She also wrote about the pandemic for the online blog Praxis Center. The blog produces essays for teaching and social justice activism. In her essay Elizabeth thoughtfully addresses the contradiction of the breath of life causing coronavirus death. Elizabeth keeps in touch with Natalie Garza and Belinda Chiu. I keep in touch with Belinda as well, and I recently listened to her on Zoom lead an alumni workshop, “Resilience: Navigating Uncertainty and Stress.” The workshop left me inspired and more relaxed. Also writing in was Kathryn (Balink) Fernandez, who has been substituting in special needs classrooms in Denver public schools.

Eric Paley emailed that he and his wife, Shirley (Sperling) Paley, are grateful for their health and for more time together as a family. For work, Eric is with his venture capital fund, Founder Collective. And Shirley is the general counsel of Formlabs, a 3-D printing company currently producing materials in response to Covid-related market shortages. Eric and Shirley also help their two children, 9 and 14, with remote learning and staying connected with friends. Having a roughly similar experience is Kara (Josephberg) Paldino, who is working from her Florida home as an attorney for NBCUniversal. She too helps her two children, second- and fourth-graders, with their daily Zoom classes. And Kara has enjoyed spending more quality time as a family instead of the rush of nonstop kids’ activities. Also juggling work and virtual school for two kids is David Rosman. He is a radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital; his wife is a pediatric emergency doctor. David has volunteered to staff a Covid-19 unit. While he waits to be called, he is contemplating a summer in quarantine and how to keep his kids entertained. David feels lucky to have a job and to be able to help.

Jeff Wadlow wrote that in mid-March, experiencing flu-like symptoms, he tested negative for Covid-19. Professionally, however, Jeff was at the peak of his achievement as a writer and director of feature films. He had two movies in theaters. But when the economy shut down, the movies were prematurely consigned to at-home streaming. If it means saving lives, Jeff is happy to have people stay home and watch. He reports that the Hollywood consensus is that the theater business will return, so Jeff is homebound writing new projects. During this time he managed to sell a pilot for a new TV show over Zoom. Also via Zoom, Jeff has connected more frequently with his ’98 friends.

Meanwhile Kate Gold is fighting for the continued existence of three Vermont state colleges: Northern Vermont University (NVU) Lyndon (where Kate and her husband work), NVU Johnson, and Vermont Technical College in Randolph. Kate shared that the closure of these campuses at this time would be a travesty that would impact her entire region, which she says is one of the poorest in the country. She should know more when this goes to print in about two months. Best of luck, Kate.

And I guess we will all know more. I hope that these next couple months are better than the last two. Once again, drop me a line. I love hearing from you.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Hello, ’98s. I have a couple wonderful updates to share. The first is from Scott Listfield, who went a decade between mentions in these notes. Scott gave me the rundown on his path from Dartmouth to becoming a full-time painter in Los Angeles. You may remember Scott at Dartmouth as the guy perpetually at the Hopkins Center, majoring in art and eating Hop fries. When he graduated he moved to Boston to start a career as a designer. He also continued to paint, and four years ago he left his day job to pursue painting full-time. One year ago Scott and wife Joanna moved to L.A. Around this time Scott connected with fellow artist Mark Brosseau, who was in L.A. exhibiting his work. Scott now shows his work in local galleries and many other places worldwide. Recently he published his first book, Astronaut: Paintings by Scott Listfield. If you would like to connect with Scott about painting or anything else, he is eager to talk and is easy to find online. Drop him a note and check out astronautdinosaur.com.

Lara Hoffman provided my second update. Lara works with the federal public defender’s office, where she began doing trial work for homeless and indigent clients. She now focuses on the post-conviction defense of wrongly convicted clients. Lara finds the work challenging, but feels lucky and grateful for the opportunity to practice this type of law. During the holidays Lara and her family (husband Nishad Chande ’97 and their two kids) celebrated with the family of Anna (Moran) Anderson. Last summer Lara and Anna, and their families, spent the Fourth of July weekend at the ranch of Lee Kuhn in Sonoma County, California. They were joined by the families of Kathleen (Dunleavey) Walsh, Stacey Sheriff, and Kristin Dwyer, all former roommates at Dartmouth. Also in attendance were old friends from Barcelona, whom Lara and Lee met on their language study abroad in spring 1996. I inquired further, and Lara wrote that she and Lee introduced the friends to each other, too. And six months after returning to Hanover, Lara and Lee got a call that the friends were a couple. Nearly 25 years later, these friends are married with kids and still staying in touch with and visiting their Dartmouth matchmakers. What a great story!

I recently connected with Dartmouth by writing a recommendation for a cousin who is applying for the class of 2024. Through talking to him and putting pen to paper, I saw Dartmouth through the eyes of a potentially pea-green freshman—an illuminating experience indeed.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Hello, ’98s! This issue I’m sharing a few professional updates from our hard-working classmates.

Marisa Howe is currently a deputy director for program development and performance quality at Kids In Need of Defense (KIND). She represents unaccompanied children in their deportation (removal) proceedings, works on issues affecting immigrant children at the southern border, and advocates for immigrant children on the policy front. Marisa informed me that Shirley (Sperling) Paley serves on KIND’s Boston advisory committee and that Laurie Carafone ’99 is senior director of legal services and Marisa’s boss. Marisa has been an immigration lawyer since graduating from law school in 2003 and has been at KIND since September 2015. She is also married to Kyle Marchesseault ’99—they have two kids, a daughter, 12, and son, 9.

Jennifer (Matthews) Stewart runs the fraud investigation department for Blue Cross of Massachusetts. She has a skilled team of attorneys, medical professionals, former law enforcement, and coders that works across the country and even internationally to track down fraud in the healthcare system. The team also partners with prosecutors and law enforcement to take on fraudulent actors attempting to take advantage of the system.

In October Jennifer met up with Ann Marie Nee in N.Y.C. to catch up and get their kids together. For the holidays, Jennifer is spending Christmas with family in Boston and then heading to Maine to ski and snowmobile. Speaking of Maine, Abby Gordon has landed in Portland, Maine, after several years of splitting time among Maine, France, and New York. She joked that the move singlehandedly lowered by 20 years the average age at Dartmouth Club of Maine luncheons. Abby is starting her eighth year as a senior director with Lateral Link, where she matches attorneys with law firms and in-house roles around the world.

Thank you for the updates. You never know what a ’98 will be doing 21 years out, and I love hearing all about it.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Hello, ’98s! Jasson Walker Jr. has some news: In August he married Dr. Madeliene Gainers in Miami. The couple then honeymooned in Turks and Caicos. Jasson and Madeliene reside in Largo, Maryland, right outside of Washington, D.C. In September Jasson celebrated the 13th anniversary of his company, cFocus Software, which provides cybersecurity and information technology services to federal government agencies.

Shannon (Jarosh) Walsh wrote that earlier this year, she and Kevin Walsh welcomed baby No. 6, Colleen Moira, to the family. Shannon and Kevin live in Richmond, Virginia, where she works as an ER physician at night and Kevin is a law professor. Shannon described life (with six kids) as “mostly joyful chaos.” Their oldest is 16, and Shannon cannot believe that they are about to embark on the college admissions process. Speaking of which, Belinda Chiu wrote a book, to be published in November, on college admissions. In The Mindful College Applicant, Belinda examines how emotional intelligence, mindfulness, and self-awareness can prepare the next generation to thrive during college admissions and beyond. In other news Belinda attended Homecoming for the first time in 21 years, and she marched with classmates Adam Weinstein, Sarah Crockett, Rachel (Bogardus) Drew, and Marc Lewinstein. Belinda commented that the ’98 contingent was positioned in the latter third of the parade, making her feel, almost, like a young alumna. Ah, Homecoming.

Dorothy Hui wrote from London, where she moved four years ago and works at Sony Music UK’s 4th Floor Creative as vice president of digital and audience development. Dorothy finds the experience amazing, especially since she loves British music. She has seen Anil Doshi, who moved to London in 2015. She also gets back to N.Y.C. and recently caught up with Rachel Federman and Kajal Jhaveri over a glass of rosé. Staying in Europe, I reached out to Katherine Milligan in Geneva. Katherine recently joined Bamboo Capital Partners, an impact investing platform, as head of gender and diversity. Katherine will work to further equality, particularly through investments in growth stage companies in South and Southeast Asia. In a press release announcing the hire, Katherine said, “We must do better to shape new norms, policies, and practices on investing in female and local entrepreneurs.” In one more bit of news from Europe, last summer Brandi Kenner-Bell spent two weeks in Greece with her husband, Juan Bell ’99, Folarin Dosunmu ’99, and his wife. Back home in Chicago, Brandi partakes in the drama of raising two boys. Her oldest just started middle school. As for sixth grade, Brandi is not a fan of the new math, especially all the homework and the way it always asks for estimates. Brandi misses the old math, like working through a long division equation to nail down the exact answer. When she is not wrestling with the new math, Brandi is helping to plan the best-ever bachelorette weekend for Latia Curry, who is getting married in 2020.

Such a fascinating group! I hope you are having festive and fulfilling holidays, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Hello again, ’98s. For this latest Class Notes, I will once more give the floor to those of you living abroad. I checked in with Mary Hollendoner, who continues her adventure driving from California to Argentina in a camper van with her husband and daughter. They recently crossed the border into Peru, where their van broke down, keeping them in a tiny town for several weeks. Now they have moved on and are enjoying Peru’s northern ruins, remote pueblos, and gorgeous mountains of the Cordillera Blanca and the Chachapoyas regions. Read their stories at their blog, www.monkeysontheroad.com, and follow them on Instagram @yosemite2patagonia. Mary added that she would love to meet up with alumni who live in the countries she plans to visit, so please reach out to her if you are in Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, or Brazil!

Alfonso Montero is also in Peru; he has been there since graduating. Recently Alfonso partnered with Guillermo Miro Quesada, joining his asset management company, Salkantay Partners. According to its website, Salkantay is an “activist investment firm that creates value for its clients by developing and nurturing innovative and sustainable companies that improve people’s lives.” Great work, guys. I asked Alfonso to reflect on his country compared to the United States. He shared that, although Peru is very conservative, he has been pleasantly surprised by the rapid advance of movements such as women’s and LGBT rights and addressing climate change. Alfonso credited technology and its empowering individuals to speak out, creating a more tolerant and inclusive society.

Kenji Hosokowa did not think he would settle down in Tokyo. But when the Internet bubble burst during his third year of law school (2000-01), the Tokyo job market stayed hot. Kenji found Tokyo to his liking, and he does not plan to move. Kenji has also been president of the Dartmouth Club of Japan for approximately the last five years. He says that the Dartmouth community in Tokyo is a great crowd. I’m sure it is! Kenji does make it back to the United States a few times a year and still misses northern New England, especially the outdoors and the beer.

Finally David Walthall wrote me from Italy with a thoughtful submission. I especially enjoyed his answer to my query about the world view from Italy. David wrote: “Certainly when one visits the country it is easy to fall in love with the history, food, art, beauty, music. Living here allows one to enjoy this year-round, and I love being a guide and showing people my favorites spots, views, restaurants, festivals, etc. But, of course, we also deal with all the normal ups and downs of daily life. So I think many people, both native Italians and expats, experience a kind of dual reality. We are surrounded by all this amazing culture and beauty and want to make the most of it, but you also necessarily must live in the real world and be aware of the issues and challenges we face, such as the debates on immigration, nationalism, and populism in Italy and all across Europe. Interestingly, in a way, this duality reminds me a bit of Hanover. It is a very idyllic place, and while we were on campus at times it was tempting to tune out the ‘real’ world and just live the beauty and opportunities of our immediate surroundings. Yet I feel we were (and still are) called to use our talents and education to better our world.”

Great stuff, ’98s. Whether near or far, I love hearing from you.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Greetings, ’98s. For this Class Notes column I contacted all the classmates I could track down who live abroad to ask about their experiences. You are truly a global bunch, and I was thrilled at both the quantity and quality of your responses.

Anil Doshi was not looking to move abroad in 2015 when he sought out academic appointments. But when University College London gave him an offer, he packed up his wife and two boys. Anil wrote to say that life is good; he cited all that London offers, such as easy international travel and his community of friends. Anil keeps in touch with acquaintances from college too, including his good friend Martin Kessler, who moved to London in 2016. Anil’s and Martin’s boys are in the same class together and they are buddies—great to hear, guys. Anil attended last year’s reunion, where he caught up with Eric Petitt, David Berkowitz, Edward Kim, Sharat Raghavan, and Khalid Osbourne-Roberts. Anil has resided in London during a tumultuous time politically. He shared that living there has given him a more global view of current events, particularly the rise of populism and authoritarianism. Anil’s insights have committed him to speak out about changes to our level of discourse and our institutions. Anil is not alone—I know that other ’98s have also become more involved politically of late.

Kerry (Vance) Summers and her English husband always wanted to live abroad. That and a work opportunity for Kerry led them to Germany, specifically Nuremberg, where they have resided for the past four years. Kerry appreciates the ease of traveling to other countries, as well as Germany’s strong healthcare. She also commented on some quirks of German life, such as enforced quiet on Sundays (most stores are closed and typical chores such as mowing the lawn and washing the car are prohibited).

Keeping up with classmates, earlier this year Kerry saw Angela Scott in Vienna and Alex Reitman in London. As for what she misses, besides the people, Kerry mentioned American conveniences, such as being understood, available customer service, and pay-at-the-pump gasoline. Kerry also wrote that she misses mood lighting in restaurants, which apparently is not a thing in Germany.

Chris Wang took a job in Hong Kong thinking it would be a two- to three-year tour. He ended up loving it and stayed 12 years, obtaining a Hong Kong passport, which he currently holds. Since 2012 Chris has lived in Beijing so that his kids can be educated in mainland China. Chris returns to the United States about once per year, mostly during summer so his kids can attend camp. Chris was also at the 20th reunion, where he saw roommates Dom Lanza, Kevin Ritter, Erik Swanson, Eric Walania, and Forest Wester, as well as Joachim and Richard Raanaas and their dad, Jens Raanaas ’68, all the way from Norway. By the way, Richard wrote that he would give me hiking tips if I ever swung by. Chris also connects with classmates through email, but not U.S. social media, which is unavailable in China. Chris instead recommends WeChat, China’s and the world’s most popular social media app. As for something Chris misses, he cited fresh air, which we Americans take for granted. And for politics, Chris demurs, although he has gotten some good laughs out of the ongoing (trade) war between our two countries.

I will continue this international exposé next time, so please keep the updates coming. For anyone abroad or closer to home, I love hearing from you.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Greetings, fellow ’98s. While most of us have just begun summer, I heard from a classmate who lives in a land of eternal summer. Ku’ulei (Reyes) Tengan wrote from Honolulu with her first update since graduating! Ku’ulei is married to Ty Tengan ’97 and had just returned from Boston. There she reconnected with Martha Zegarra and her husband by dining at swanky restaurants and attending her first game at Fenway Park, a Boston Red Sox win. Ku’ulei also met with Nidhi Desai, who matriculated as a ’98 but left after her sophomore year to pursue studies elsewhere. Nidhi was visiting from Baltimore. The two returned to Dartmouth, where they reminisced over the fireplace in Pine Restaurant at the Hanover Inn in typical 35-degree April weather. Also on the agenda, Ku’ulei visited her son, a first-year student at Amherst College. Back home Ku’ulei has a daughter who is set to graduate high school in two years.

Kevin Robbins was sorry to miss last summer’s reunion on account of multiple commitments. He and his wife live in McLean, Virginia, with two boys, ages 10 and 12. They recently closed on a farm in Virginia’s wine country, which Kevin described as an escape pod from the crazy fast pace of life in the Washington, D.C., area. The pace stems from Kevin’s work with two businesses that he cofounded in 2009: Wolf Den Associates, a consulting boutique that caters to federal contractors, and Blue Delta Capital Partners, an equity fund that invests in government services companies. In addition, Kevin was recently named to the board of directors of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. Kevin stays plugged into Dartmouth through recruiting for Wolf Den and keeping in touch with classmates. And in other Dartmouth-related news, this summer Kevin will celebrate the 80th birthday of his dad, E. Lee Robbins ’60, with a family trip to the Galapagos Islands and Machu Picchu. Give a rouse!

I’ve been emailing with Joan Ai about her work with the DQ Institute and the World Economic Forum to bring global awareness to digital intelligence. DQ stands for digital intelligence quotient and is a set of competencies that are fundamental for readiness in an era of rapid technological progress. The DQ Institute recently announced the world’s first attempt to define a global standard for digital literacy, skills, and readiness. Joan works to help children and adults thrive in the digital world.

In other professional news, in March the Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington, named Benjamin Wright its artistic director. The school is a premier international center for glass art education. In the appointment announcement, Benjamin was hailed as having the marks of a visionary to produce inspiring and relevant programming that advances the glass community. For the past four years Benjamin held the position of director of education at Urban Glass in Brooklyn, New York.

Chris Ott wrote that last year he left the U.S. Department of Justice after a long stretch prosecuting white collar and cybercrimes. He is now in private practice—retained to solve problems stemming from the intersection of human fallibility with new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, and ransomware. Chris appreciates the challenge of helping companies avoid problems, rather than his former prosecutorial role of evaluating damages from those problems. Chris encouraged classmates to drop him a line. He recently managed to see Dominic Lanza and Jeremy Donaldson.

I am consistently amazed by the breadth and uniqueness of my classmates’ experiences. Please continue to keep me updated—I love hearing from you.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave, Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Hello, classmates! Sarah (Hood) Fraser wrote in from Cheshire, Connecticut, where she resides with her husband, Drew, and their sons, ages 11 and 13. She wrote that her head hockey coach at Dartmouth, George Crowe, recently passed away. Sarah shared that George and his assistant coaches, Judy Parish Oberting ’91 and Patti Crowe, showed Sarah how rewarding a career in college athletics could be. Accordingly, she works as deputy athletic director at Quinnipiac University. Sarah also coaches her sons in hockey and is active on the board of directors for USA Hockey as chair of the women’s national team advisory committee. Also working in college athletics is Michelyne Pinard, who just completed her 17th season as head women’s soccer coach at Williams College. Michelyne and her squad are on a tear: In December they won their second straight Division III title and third in the last four years. On the family front, Michelyne added a third child. Her family roster now features three girls, ages 2, 6, and 8. Sticking with sports, in January Matt Burke joined the National Football League’s Philadelphia Eagles as defensive special assistant.

Kenji Hosokawa emailed from Tokyo, where he lives with his wife, Lisa (O’Brien) Hosokawa ’97, and their daughters, ages 11 and 13. Kenji was about to head north to Niseko, Japan, for the fifth Niseko Green weekend. The gathering brings together Dartmouth alumni from across Asia to network and educate in Japan’s ski country. Back in Tokyo, Kenji and Lisa work with Third Space Tokyo, a startup that co-creates English content with Japanese clients. Kenji observed that the work has been a challenging but rewarding journey.

Allison Abrahms wrote that her three children recently reached a milestone: skiing together for an entire day, as the youngest, age 6, kept up with siblings, ages 9 and 12. Their Vermont ski trip was also an opportunity for Allison to bring her family to an old College haunt, the Skunk Hollow Tavern in Hartland, Vermont. She reported that the Skunk remains the same as when she visited 20-plus years ago.

Former class secretary Jeffrey Beyer wrote in that he was happy to bump into Jessie Gabriel in Washington, D.C., back in November 2018, when both of them were sworn in—along with a handful of other Dartmouth graduates—as members of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar. Jeffrey and Jessie enjoyed the experience, which was made possible through the Dartmouth Lawyers Association. Their admission to the Supreme Court Bar was sponsored by Greg Garre ’87, former U.S. solicitor general. After the admission ceremony, Jeffrey, Jessie, and the other newly admitted attorneys stayed to observe oral arguments before the justices. Jeffrey lives in Morristown, New Jersey, with his wife and three kids, and is a partner with the firm of Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti. Jessie leads the investment funds team at BakerHostetler. She and her husband live in N.Y.C.

A quick update from newsletter editor Kate Gold. Kate recently attended a Vermont Statehouse Lobby Day to advocate for public higher education funding. There she sat in on the Working Vermont Caucus meeting, which was co-chaired by none other than State Rep. Brian Cina. Kate also arranged a reception with two representatives from her corner of Vermont, the Northeast Kingdom. Kate’s newfound political involvement is belied by a self-professed aversion to crowds and conversing with strangers.

Well, if Kate can overcome her fear, surely you can drop me a quick update! I am amazed by what our class is up to, and I love hearing from you.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Hello out there, fellow ’98s. I reached out to several of you to compile these latest notes and have the following news to share.

Tim Farrell migrated to the Mountain West in 2009 and presently lives in the Salt Lake City, Utah, area with his wife and two kids, ages 4 and 8. Tim works as a geriatrician at University of Utah Health, participating in patient care, research, and medical education. He also works on several projects involving medical and ethical issues that affect vulnerable older adults. Outside of this rewarding work, Tim and his family enjoy hiking and skiing.

James Panero visited Dartmouth in October with family in tow to take in the recent renovations to the Hood Museum of Art. James wrote about it for the December 2018 issue of The New Criterion, for which James serves as executive editor. The article gave him a chance to critique the Hood’s new design and to reconsider the many architectural styles that surround the Green. I enjoyed the article and revisiting campus through James’s eyes. Thanks for sharing.

Sara (Tullis) Wester wrote in that she and her husband, Forest Wester, are doing well in Miami. Sara is an oculoplastic surgeon. That means, according to Sara, treating myriad eyelid and orbital tumors, orbital diseases, eyelid malpositions, and tearing problems, as well as performing oculofacial rejuvenation. Sara has recently participated in more international speaking and work, which she enjoys. As for Forest, he is a partner at Trivest Partners, a private equity firm. Sara and Forest love living in Miami with their three young children. They have been lucky to see Dartmouth friends and have a trip planned with several ’98s early this year. Sticking with medicine, I reached out to Maya Lodish when I was notified that she was selected as the Selna L. Kaplan Distinguished Professor in Pediatric Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco. Maya added that her husband, Jonathan Zimmerman, is now a privacy attorney at Adobe in San Francisco. Their daughters, Isabelle and Talia, are enjoying the West Coast. Maya and Jonathan have recently gotten together with Stephanie (Adamson) King, Jo (Weingarten) Golub, and Spencer Doyle.

Kerry (Vance) Summers emailed from her home in Nuremberg, Germany. She and her husband were about to head out for a long weekend in Austria with Suzanne (Michels) Obenshain and her family. Suzanne lives in Zurich and has met Kerry at a different European Christmas markets each of the past few years. For the holidays Kerry planned to return to the States, where she would see Kate (Rice) Nilan in New London, New Hampshire. Coincidentally, both of their parents now live there, a short drive from Dartmouth. Kerry works for Reebok, where lately she has been involved in 1990s-themed marketing campaigns. Her work has made her nostalgic for Dartmouth, and she shared several reminiscences with me in a wonderful lengthy email.

Speaking of Kate (Rice) Nilan, she, too, wrote in with a newsy update. Kate lives in Natick, Massachusetts, with her husband, 3- and 5-year-old girls, and two dogs. Kate spends her time teaching an occasional horseback riding lesson, parenting, and working for her own company, Stable Secretary, barn management software that launched in 2013. She writes that she has been lucky to have seen so many of her classmates recently, including Kerry, Jennifer Moeller, Peter Yoo, Avery Rueb, Angela Scott, Susanna McFadden, Abigail Roberts, and Wendy (Simon) Habeski.

That’s all for now, but keep the updates coming. I love hearing from you.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Hello, fellow ’98s. Let me begin by congratulating Dartmouth on the big anniversary. Looking good at 250! And some news of my own: On September 1 my wife, Evelyn, and I welcomed Martha Cate Galletti into the world. We are overjoyed, as Martha and big brother Louis, age 2, are happy and healthy.

In honor of the milestone, Brad Jefferson wrote of a tradition shared by ’98s on the football team. Each year they try to meet at a game to cheer on their teammate and NFL assistant coach Matt Burke. Matt is now defensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins. As I write, Matt’s Dartmouth teammates plan to join him at the Dolphins’ game against the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on November 11. The following gaggle of ’98s plans to attend along with Brad: Ken Bollens, Will Harper, Erik Swanson, Lloyd Lee, Damon Blechen, Forest Wester, Kevin Ritter, Dave Regula, Jason Cecchini, Trevor Keenan, and Dominic Lanza. This last ’98 has news of his own: On September 6 Dominic was confirmed to be a U.S. District Court judge for the District of Arizona.

John (Yalcin) Anderson checked in from San Diego, where he moved in 2010 after finishing law school. About one year ago he started a tax representation firm, which keeps him busy. John has also been keeping up with Dartmouth’s current football team as it continues its outstanding play. For John it brings back fond memories of attending home games as an undergraduate.

Also writing in from the San Diego area, Lani (Sipe) Curtis shared that she is the new director of development at the Oceanside Museum of Art, a San Diego museum that exhibits contemporary southern California artists. Lani loves the museum and the work—as an art history major, she is excited to once again work with art. Lani recently visited Dara Denberg in New York City. Dara is a partner at the law firm Latham & Watkins. The two ’98s shared a wonderful weekend catching up and seeing lots of art.

In other ’98 southern California art news, Mark Brosseau recently exhibited his work in Los Angeles at Tiger Strikes Asteroid, an artist-run space that builds community through art. Mark moved from Philadelphia to Greenville, South Carolina, about two years ago. He lives with his wife and two dogs and he teaches at Clemson University and the Greenville Center for Creative Arts.

Matt Wakeman, who is still in Philadelphia, wrote that he is staying busy growing an analytics consulting practice with a software engineering company. For the past five years Matt has been the president of the Dartmouth Club of Philadelphia, the 2014 and 2018 winner of the Dartmouth Alumni Large Club of the Year Award. Matt wrote that he runs into Elizabeth Magner every once in a while and the two catch up about everything.

I have so enjoyed reconnecting and hearing what is going on with the class of 1998. Please drop me a line to update me on whatever is going on, personally, professionally, or otherwise.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave, Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Hello, fellow ’98s. It is a privilege to write my initial Class Notes. A big thank-you to my predecessor, Jeff Beyer, on five years of stellar updates and for helping me transition to class secretary. For me the past few years have been full of transitions. In 2015, after living in New York and New Jersey nearly all my life, I moved from N.Y.C. to Nashville, Tennessee. Feeling somewhat disconnected in my new home, I reached out to other ’98s in the South to ask what brought them here and to find out what is going on in their lives.

Neeta (Raghavan) Vora moved from Boston in 2012 when the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill offered her a job as a maternal fetal medicine-geneticist. In this role she researches the application of new genomic technologies to diagnose pregnancies with prenatal congenital abnormalities. She also sees patients with high-risk pregnancies. Neeta, along with her husband and two sons, ages 7 and 9, lives in Chapel Hill and enjoys tennis, hiking, and going to the beach. Neeta’s family also travels frequently: In July they visited Iceland and Belgium. Laura Guogas also moved from the Boston area to work at UNC-Chapel Hill. She has now settled in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area and works at Biogen, a biotech company that focuses on treating neurological diseases. She and her husband have two kids, ages 4 and 7. Laura enjoys the outdoors, including rowing, running, and gardening. Taking advantage of outdoor activities year-round is a common refrain among ’98s in the South.

Fellow Tennessean Abigail Roberts has been in Chattanooga since 1999, working at the McCallie School, an all-boys private boarding and day school. Six years ago she transitioned from teaching to its college counseling office. Abbie has taken part in activities such as remodeling homes, getting certified as a master gardener, and playing Ultimate Frisbee. She met her husband at a Frisbee tournament and was married two years ago in her hometown of Gilmanton, New Hampshire. Abbie also attended this summer’s reunion, and was especially thrilled to see Clair Jones. Former Tennessean Jessica (Schefter) Devin wrote in to say that after nearly 20 years in Nashville, she recently relocated to Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Nathan Cook moved back home to Lexington, Kentucky, in 2000 to take a job in software engineering at Lexmark, where he has been ever since. He married last year and became a step-father. Nathan writes that now, with twin middle-school daughters, he feels caught up with his classmates. Along the way he has traveled extensively. Highlights include a road trip through Mexico to Belize, traveling by road and ferry to Juneau, Alaska, mission trips to Haiti for earthquake relief, and a “soul-searching trip across the country.” Traveling has allowed Nathan to stay connected to his classmates: Two years ago he visited Erica Thrall and Allison (Ahart) Geving.

David Walthall, by contrast, has roamed far from the South. The Alabama native has spent most of his time post-Dartmouth in Italy, where the University of Siena just offered him a tenured position. There he teaches a variety of courses ranging from contemporary political rhetoric to English for the wine trade. David commented on the strong sense of place and history he has felt in Italy, the South, and New England, too. In Italy he continues to lead historical and cultural tours and would love to help Dartmouth folks coming his way.

Twenty years after graduation, I am thrilled to have a reason to reconnect with classmates. Regardless of where you are these days, I would love to hear from you.

Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com

Hey ’98s!

Well, this is my official last column as your class secretary. It’s been a blast serving you these past five years, and it is now my sincere pleasure to be passing the baton to Gabe Galletti. Gabe loves the class of 1998 and is so excited to be taking over as class secretary. You’ll see his first column this fall, so be sure to pass him along any news and notes starting right away at galletti@gmail.com.

But before I go, I wanted to give a shout-out to so many of the people who I got a chance to catch up with at reunion a couple of months back. It was incredible being back in Hanover and seeing so many old friends, and, in particular, the ’98s who I haven’t had a chance to see lately. So, in no particular order, it was great seeing Chris Atwood, Aaron Klein, Steve Zrike, Josh Freeman, Tara (Bennett) Bristow, Katy (Bieneman) Romita, Ryan Broderick, Tracy Van Dorpe, Simone Swink, Noah Schneiderman, Ed Kim, Kristen Hinman, Kara (Josephberg) Paldino, David Hoverman, Abby Smith, Dave Smith, Ruth Douzinas, Paul Borchardt, Peter Lanfer. Marc Lewinstein, Spiros Maliagros, Jason Jones, Brian Fleming, Shannon (Jarosh) Walsh, Kevin Walsh,and Amanda (Nelson) Greenwald.

Special shout-out to my old pal Ben Cooperberg, with whom I had the pleasure of sharing a house in Quechee, Vermont, along with our families, for the reunion. And a special mention to my fellow outgoing class officers, including Jo (Weingarten) Golub, Rodrego Byerly, Stuart Davidson, Rachel (Bogardus) Drew, and Kate Gold. It’s been wonderful getting to represent the class with all you guys these past five years.

Last, but certainly not least, best of luck to our newly elected slate of class officers: class president Roger Griesmeyer, VP Kelly (Wardwell) Ryerson, treasurer Mark Franklin, and my successor as secretary, the aforementioned Gabe Galletti.

If I saw you at reunion but forgot to mention you here, please don’t take it personally—my 41-year-old brain isn’t retaining information as well as in years past. But if you were at reunion, I am sure Gabe would love to hear from you and to get an update on how things are going with you. So shoot him a note! As for me, I won’t say goodbye; just “until we meet again….” Happy trails!

Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hey, ’98s! It was wonderful seeing so many of you in Hanover for our 20-year reunion. The names of folks I had the pleasure of catching up with are too numerous to list in this column, so I’ll just say that I enjoyed seeing you all. I hope that we do a better job keeping in touch in the next 20 years than some of us did in the last 20. It has been a great pleasure serving as your class secretary for the last five years—but it’s time to make way for a new secretary and give someone else the chance to bring you all the great ’98 news! We are still working out the details, so you may get one more column from me this summer; otherwise, this will be my last column. I truly hope you all stay in touch—please reach out at the email address below any time! Until we meet again.

Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hey, ’98s!

I can’t believe I’m even writing these words, but this is the last 1998 Class Notes column you’ll see in the alumni magazine before we’re all together in Hanover for our 20th reunion from June 15 to 17! But before we see each other in person, a little classmate news.

I saw a news item back in January that Dominic Lanza has been nominated by the president of the United States for a federal judgeship with the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. Dominic has worked as a federal prosecutor for the past nine years, and worked for a private law firm prior to entering government service. As of this writing, Dominic was still awaiting Senate confirmation. Congratulations, Dominic, and best of luck!

Also making the news recently is Phoebe Suina, who was featured in an article in the Albuquerque Journal in February. The article discussed Phoebe’s return to New Mexico back in 2001, and her work at the environmental consulting company High Water Mark, which she founded. High Water Mark works with pueblos and local governments on floodplain, storm water and watershed management. And, as the article noted, Phoebe has generously donated nearly 3,000 hours of professional services to the Cochiti, Santo Domingo and San Felipe pueblos in New Mexico. Awesome job, Phoebe!

My good friend Simone Swink also checked in recently. Simone, who still lives in New York City, reports that she still regularly sees her College roommates Kristin (Terry) Abati, Julie (Herron) Gendler and Karen Yen ’99—and that they are all planning to come to reunion together! On the work front, Simone has been at ABC’s Good Morning America for the last seven years and, at present, she is the executive broadcast producer of the 8-9 a.m. hour. As Simone proudly reports, last year GMA won a Daytime Emmy! Simone is also in regular contact with Jeff Giuffrida and his family, as well as Charles Davant and his family.

On a personal note, my family and I also recently had the pleasure of visiting with Ben Cooperberg and his family at Ben’s home outside of Philadelphia. The aforementioned Charles Davant and his family were also on hand for a wonderful weekend.

Finally, I will end with some words about reunion. If you are reading this column and this is the first time you are thinking about or hearing about our 20-year reunion—which is a few weeks from now—the bad news is that you missed out on the early-bird rate. But the good news is that you still have until June 1 to register! Please visit the reunion webpage at www.alumni.dartmouth.edu/reunions/1998 for additional information. For those of you who I haven’t been in touch with in recent years, I sincerely hope to see you in Hanover in June. It is surely going to be a blast! See you in June!

Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hey, ’98s! Happy 2018! I got a recent update from Brook Detterman, who reports that he and Baxter Wasson ran the Ragged 50K last summer in New Hampshire’s Sunapee region. Brook reports that “while the 50K itself was a brutal course—with about a 6,500 vertical over 35 miles—Brian Staveley managed to complete the entire three-day course, with 15,500 feet of climbing across about 80 miles. It was quite the challenge, but enjoyable in its own way and a great chance to connect with some old friends on long training runs.” Brook also shared the great news that he and his wife are expecting their first child in early 2018 (in fact, the child may have arrived by the time you are reading this!)—so Brook has promised to take a break from racing, “at least for now.” In the last several months Brook has also caught up with Rachel (Bogardus) Drew and Jon Drew, as well as Carter Jackson, among others. According to Brook, Carter has “recently escaped N.Y.C. with his family for the greener pastures of Westchester,” which, according to Carter, is a “great change of pace.” On that note, allow me to share some words from our class president, Jo (Weingarten) Golub, about the class of 1998 20th reunion, which, incredibly, is coming up in just a few months, June 15-17 in Hanover. Jo reports that, as with the past two reunions, “we are paired with the ’97s and ’99s and are coordinating with them to put together an amazing reunion—good food, activities for every age group, opportunities to see all your favorite old haunts and discover the College’s new ones. And if you need some financial assistance so you can attend, our new Granite Coalition can help you out. Look for more information in the newsletter and in separate reunion emails and letters. If you’re not getting any of that, reach out to me so we can get you sorted out. See you in June!” Looking forward to hearing from some of you, and seeing even more of you, in June!

Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hey, ’98s! No classmate news lately so I’ll just make a pitch that if you’d like to help with our 20th-year reunion, please reach out to reunion chair Kate Gold—your help will be greatly appreciated!

Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hey, ’98s, as you are reading this, the calendar has turned to summer. It is late June 2017 and the countdown is officially on to our 20-year reunion next June. How can this possibly be? I still have vivid memories of striding across the Green in the days leading up to graduation, and the driving rain we sat through during Commencement ceremonies is still fresh in my mind. And yet, here we are less than a year away from a big reunion. If you would like to help in any way, please reach out to Kate Gold, who, when she is not helping plan the reunion, also moonlights as our ’98 newsletter editor. I am sure Kate would love to hear from you guys at kategold98@gmail.com if you have any thoughts about reunion or would like to help with any of the planning.

As for class news, I recently heard from Latia Curry, who has never before given an update to Class Notes and wanted to let her fellow ’98s know that she is “alive and well.” Latia currently resides in Los Angeles, where she is a principal at an issue advocacy communications firm called Rally, where she advises foundations, nonprofits, philanthropists and corporations on how to build movements around the issues they care about. Latia is also expecting her first child this September with her partner, Giles Harrison, and is “very much looking forward” to our 20th reunion next year!

And that is where we will need to leave things for now, as Latia is the only ’98 who has sent me any news this spring! Please shoot me a note and let me know what’s going on in your lives, personally, professionally or otherwise. I so very enjoy hearing from each and every ’98 who takes the time to reach out!

My best.

Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hey ’98s, well the updates have been very light this summer. Everyone must be enjoying that groovy summer weather and the late sunsets. In absence of having received any ’98 notes—snail mail or otherwise—I’ll give a handful of shout outs to the ’98s I’ve had the pleasure of running into over the last couple of months. I had the pleasure of spending a recent evening with Yuri Feldman attending a U2 concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Yuri and his family live in Greenwich, Connecticut, and it was great to catch up with him.

Also I had the opportunity to spend a nice evening with both Jay Park and Noah Schneiderman in New York City back in June, as we took some time to reminisce about our dear friend David Pichler, who tragically passed away back in 2011. Jay, Noah and I have gotten together pretty much on an annual basis since then, as we attend the yearly awards ceremony at Stuyvesant High School in New York City—David’s alma mater—where a scholarship award is presented in David’s memory to a graduating Stuyvesant senior who is matriculating at Dartmouth the following fall.

And my family and I had a wonderful time a few weeks ago spending the weekend with Benjamin Cooperberg and his family, along with Charles Davant and his family, outside Philadelphia, where Ben lives. Among our three families there were nine kids in total, and everyone got along swimmingly—not bad for a mini-Heorot reunion!

In closing, I hope you ’98s out there will be persuaded by my pitch: If you want to hear less about my friends, and more about your friends, then please shoot me a note and let me know what’s going on in your lives, personally, professionally or otherwise! We have so many awesome classmates in far-flung places all over the world—Kenji Hosokawa and Abiola Lapite, I am talking to you! Please take the time to let your classmates know what you are up to so that we’ll all have lots to talk about next June at our 20th reunion in Hanover!

My best.

Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hey, ’98s, happy spring! I hope that some of you got a chance to do some community service, volunteering or other type of service on the 2017 98th Day of Service earlier this month. This is a great tradition our class has undertaken over the last few years and every year it seems to get bigger and bigger. Please send me a note if you were able to participate; I’d love to know what our fellow ’98s did!

In other class news, I recently got a note regarding the release of Seth Abramson’s most recent book, Golden Age, which Seth describes as a collection of “post-postmodern experiments” on topics including race, ethnicity, religion, gender, class, mental health, social media, celebrity culture and transgressive art.”

Also in ’98 book news, Rachel Federman recently published a kit titled Writer’s Boot Camp: 30 Days to Total Writing Fitness, a series of tips based on Rachel’s “more than 15 years of writing professionally as a social justice advocate” as well as her more than 20 nonfiction books. Rachel also has an upcoming collaboration in the works with the New York Botanical Garden, called “The Mindful Gardener.” Congratulations to both Seth and Rachel on these wonderful accomplishments!

Earlier this year Matt Burke was promoted to defensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins, surely one of a small number of recent Dartmouth graduates to have reached the upper echelons of NFL assistant coaching positions. A Miami Herald article discussing Matt’s recent promotion also talked about his history of “adventure vacations” that Matt takes in the pro football offseason, including a safari in Botswana and a climb of Mount Kilimanjaro. Matt’s promotion to defensive coordinator comes after eight years coaching linebackers for a few different NFL teams. For those of you who may have forgotten back to our days as undergraduates, Matt played safety at the College and was part of the 1996 undefeated Ivy League championship Big Green squad. Congratulations, Matt!

And finally, while it seems hard to fathom, we are now just a little more than a year away from our 20-year reunion! If you have any ideas for activities or any other aspect of the 20-year reunion or want to contribute in any way to the reunion planning, please reach out to the wonderful Kate Gold at kategold98@gmail.com to offer your ideas or your time! Kate would surely appreciate it.

That’s all for now. Please shoot me a note and let me know what’s going on in your lives, personally, professionally or otherwise. I so very enjoy hearing from each and every ’98 who takes the time to reach out!

My best.

Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Happy 2017—and please, get ready for the 98th day of service this April 8 and 9! Check out our Facebook page for more info!

Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hey, ’98s. It’s hard to believe that 2016 is drawing to a close and that, as you read this, 2017 is just days away—which means that our 20-year reunion is now just about 18 months away! With that in mind, here are a few updates to end 2016.

First up, Dune Thorne and Neville McCaghren checked in from Lincoln, Massachusetts, where they live with their three kids, Anne (10), Lachlan (8) and Alida (6). Dune reports, “Life is full, but good and the kids are growing quickly.” My old pal—and freshman year hallmate from Russell Sage—Michelyne Pinard also checked in recently. Michelyne has for several years been the women’s soccer coach at Williams College, and her impressive coaching resume includes not only winning a national championship in 2015 but also holding the distinction of having the all-time most coaching wins in women’s soccer at Williams. Michelyne recently added the title of assistant athletic director to the mix, and this coming February she will be adding a third daughter to the mix as well!

Moving westward, Ryan Gilfoil reported in recently from the Bay Area. Ryan and his wife welcomed their second child, daughter Jaya, last year. A former private practice lawyer at a large law firm, Ryan recently made the jump to in-house counsel at Amazon in Silicon Valley. Ryan bumps into none other than our class president Jo (Weingarten) Golub every now and then at Berkeley’s Little Farm. In addition, Ryan was kind enough to pass along an update chock-full of classmate news: “Alex Katz and his wife welcomed their second daughter, Brooke, in early 2014. Alex also recently took a new job as VP of business development at Opes Advisors, a wealth management firm near his home in Los Altos, California. Adrian Durbin and his wife, Claudia, were surprised with twins, Phoebe and Cassandra, in February 2015, bringing their brood to three, including 5-year-old Spencer. Not long after the family moved out of San Francisco to Orinda, in the East Bay. Adrian also started a new job leading the policy communications team at Lyft just a few months ago. David Mace and his wife, Sterling, welcomed their second son, Marshall, in 2014. Dave is a managing director at GI Partners, an investment firm in San Francisco.” Thanks so much for all the news, Ryan! 

Finally, I heard from Aaron Klein, who recently joined the Brookings Institution to, as he put it, “continue my work writing, researching and speaking on finance, regulation and infrastructure. I have been in the think tank world since leaving the U.S. Treasury Department, where I served the first term of the Obama administration as deputy assistant secretary for economic policy.” Aaron continues to live in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife and two daughters. During the summer Aaron and family vacationed in New Hampshire with Ryan Broderick and his family, including, of course, a stop in Hanover to visit the College.

That’s all for now. Happy New Year to all and I look forward to checking in with more of you as we turn the page to 2017! My best.

Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com
 

Hey, ’98s.

First off, a big shout-out to my pal Noah Schneiderman, who recently became the chief financial and administrative officer of the Trustees of Reservations in Boston after many years as chief financial officer of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The Trustees preserves and cares for some of the best of Massachusetts’ natural, scenic and cultural sites for the public to use and enjoy. Congratulations, Noah!

I also had the pleasure of briefly catching up with Sara (Tullis) Wester. Sara and Forest Wester reside in Key Biscayne, Florida, with their three children. Sara is an associate professor of clinical ophthalmology at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and Forest is a partner at Trivest Partners. In addition, I caught up, albeit briefly, with Dan Goren, who is an associate in the New Haven, Connecticut, office of the Wiggin and Dana law firm, where Dan works as a litigator. I was promised a more detailed update but, unfortunately, did not receive it by deadline time, so we will have to check back with Dan again before the end of 2016!

Which reminds me, the looming end of 2016 means that, amazingly, soon there will be just 18 months until our 20-year reunion! Planning is already underway, so please shoot me a note if you’re interested in helping plan the reunion or if you’re looking for more information about who’s already on the reunion planning committee.

And, of course, as always, please email me, especially if you haven’t done so recently. I would love to hear from you and so would your classmates! Happy autumn and until next time….

Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hi there, ’98s. Rachel Federman recently finished up her master’s in English literature at Fordham University in New York. In addition to her coursework, Rachel has been busy conducting program evaluations for nonprofits, including Jazz at Lincoln Center. And in her free time, she has been writing. For those of you who missed Test Your Dog, you’ll soon be able to check out Rachel’s Test Your Baby and Test Your Toddler.

Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960, jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hey, ’98s. We’re a little light on class updates this issue, so I am going to devote my column to recapping the awesome 98th day of service event that took place (during two days actually) back in April. A big thank-you to the executive committee that worked really hard to get the word out, with a special shout-out to class president Jo Golub for once again really going above and beyond in helping publicize the event and make it successful.

In addition to coordinating the event across the entire class, Jo also helped lead a 98th day event involving gardening at Lake Merritt in Oakland, California, along with Kelly (Wardwell) Rierson, which event I am told was also attended by Jennifer Leahy, Peter Hasenkamp, Carrie Spring and Vikram Krishnan. I’m advised that another well-attended West Coast service event took place at Second Harvest at the Incredible Edible Farm in Irvine, California, where a number of ’98s harvested food, including Katey (Ritrovato) Dadakis, Melissa Lodoen, Kate (Knaus) Galston and Maurissa Horwitz. Karen Thickman took part in a park cleanup in Seattle, Khalid Roberts and Betsy Roberts did the same in Woodbridge, Connecticut, and Stuart Davidson did a beach cleanup in Destin, Florida.

A great number of our classmates from coast to coast donated books, toys, clothing and other items to libraries, Goodwill, thrift stores and all other sorts of very worthy causes—including Peter Lanfer, Kate Gold, Katie (Kirkmire) Vining, Abby Smith, Dave Hoverman, Adrian Durbin, Rachel (Bogardus) Drew and me. Brook Detterman provided pro bono legal services to local farmers and Liz Davison took part in invasive species abatement at the Dyke Marsh Wildlife Reserve in Alexandria, Virginia. And no fewer than another dozen ’98s also took part in the 98th day event, including Adam Himoff, Andrea Himoff, Kenji Hosokawa, Roger Griesmeyer, Taylor Craig Ware, Aaron Grotas, Rachel Federman, Elizabeth Linnell-Oken, Jaime Bedrin, Ellen Halstead and Rodrego Byerly. Please know that my inability to spell out what each and every one of these classmates did for the 98th day (due to a word limit for this column) is in no way intended to diminish the importance of their service or the appreciation of the entire class.

Before I sign off please allow me to make my bimonthly plug for class dues for those who haven’t done so this fiscal year. It’s not too late! Please check out the class of 1998 webpage and look for the PayPal link right on the page!

Finally, and as always, please email me, especially if you haven’t done so recently. I would love to hear from you and so would your classmates! Happy summer.

Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hey, ’98s, after a fairly mild winter (at least up in the Northeast) we’ve now already turned the calendar to spring 2016. It’s hard to believe that pretty soon preparations will be well underway for our 20th reunion in June 2018. Where does the time go?

Unfortunately, classmate news has been a bit slow to trickle in so far in 2016. Nevertheless, I was happy to receive a note about Seth Abramson,who has recently published a new book titled Data. For those of you who didn’t already know, Seth has written several other award-winning books in the poetry field, and when he is not publishing he is an assistant professor of English at the University of New Hampshire. Prior to embarking on his present career, Seth was a public defender in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire. I would certainly encourage all of you to check him out online at sethabramson.net.

Moving on from the classmate news, allow me to ask: Are there any ‘98s out there who took part in this year’s 98th Day of Service on April 9 and 10? If so, we’d like to hear from you. Please send any information about what you did and where and I’ll try to get you a mention in the next Class Notes. Or even better, send the information and any photos to Kate Gold, our awesome ’98 newsletter editor, at kategold98@gmail.com, and she’ll get you a mention in the next class newsletter.

In addition, if I haven’t mentioned this before, please check out the class of 1998 Facebook page and the class website too, at http://1998.dartmouth.org. If I may be so bold, also please accept a quick reminder to pay class dues if you haven’t done so already. This can now be done via PayPal and there is a link directly on the class website. We sincerely thank those of you who already have paid dues for the 2015-16 fiscal year, and for those who haven’t had the chance yet, I would encourage you to at least consider doing so!

Finally, and as always, please email me, especially if you haven’t done so recently. I would love to hear from you and so would your classmates! So let me know what’s going on with you—personally, professionally or otherwise. Until next time….

Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hi there, ’98s.

Hope your 2016 is off to a great start!

I recently had the chance to correspond with Sam Caldwell, who passes along her well wishes from Los Angeles, where she lives with her husband, Brady, and daughters Sophie and Kate (as well as Chihuahua Fred!). Sam said that she gets the chance to see some fellow Dartmouth alums regularly, including Chris Leon. And although it’s around two years away, Sam is already hoping to make it to the 20th reunion. Me too, Sam!

In addition to re-connecting with Sam, I was fortunate to recently have had the opportunity to participate on a class of 1998 executive committee call, which had a great number of participants, including several current officers—such as Jo Golub, Stu Davidson and Rachel (Bogardus) Drew—as well as numerous other ’98s, including Peter Lanfer, Kenji Hosokawa, Unai Montes-Irueste, Ellen Halstead, Roger Griesmeyer, Marene Jennings, Brook Detterman and Karen Thickman.I’m definitely looking forward to catching up more extensively with many of these classmates and I hope to provide more detailed work and family-related updates for many of them in 2016! Also, a huge thank you to Khalid Osbourne Roberts, the outgoing ’98 representative to the Dartmouth Alumni Council, for his years of service on behalf of our class. Khalid will definitely be a tough act to follow at the Alumni Council.

Now, on to a few public service announcements. The 98th Day of Service is coming up soon—and this year it’s actually two days of service, April 9 and 10. As Jo, our class president, recently described it, participation in this worthy event can really be anything from cleaning out one’s own garage and donating stuff to Goodwill, donating books to a library, running a race in honor of something, volunteering at a soup kitchen or anything else that has a public service element to it. We’re hoping to make this a great event so we hope you’ll participate—wherever on the “girdled earth” you happen to be roaming at the moment. And if you do participate, remember to take pictures!

Also, please check out the class of 1998 Facebook page and the class website too, at 1998.dartmouth.org. As always, please reach out with any news you have in your lives—personally, professionally or otherwise. I would be sincerely happy to hear from lots of ’98s in 2016!

My best regards.

Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

 

Hey, ’98s. I can’t believe that it’s time to turn the page on 2015 and that this is the last ’98 Class Notes of the year!

Kicking things off this month, Aimie (Cryer) Black and I had a nice exchange a few weeks ago. Aimie has been living in Austin, Texas, for the last 16 years or so (minus a single year in Boston). She and her husband, Jason, have two children, Ella and Ethan, and Aimie works for Dell SecureWorks.

In “better late than never” news, Peter Lanfer passed along news about the birth of his daughter, Hannah, back in December 2014—joining big brother Micah. So this can actually serve as a little one-year birthday wish for Peter’s daughter! Peter also had opportunity to return to Hanover last year for a visiting lectureship in the religion department, which gave him the chance to have a number of mini-reunions with some friends, including Chad Trexler, Steve Vogel, Alex Keally and Nicolle (Haneman) Keally, among others.

I also got a very long note from Erica Brandling-Bennett a couple of weeks back. Erica and her husband, Ron Gregush ’97, live in Seattle with their two children, Xander (5) and Zoe (3). Erica earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a subspecialty in neuropsychology from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Then, after a postdoctoral training stint in L.A., Erica got a job as a clinical neuropsychologist in a neurology department at a medical center in the suburbs of Seattle, where she has now been for more than seven years! In addition to her very busy work and family life, Erica also makes time to hang with a number of other College alums, including a yearly trip with some fellow ’98 women. Participants in this trip have included Christine Alvarado, Candace (Cornell) Kristensson and Kathleen (Eibl) Steele. As Erica put it, if nothing else, it’s a great excuse “to get away from our kids for a weekend to eat great food and drink lots of wine in California wine country.”

Well, that’s all for this edition of the Class Notes—and for 2015. Happy holidays to you all, however you celebrate, and a happy New Year as well. Here’s hoping for a great 2016. And before I go, a quick plug: Please check out the class of 1998 Facebook page, if you’re so inclined. And also, check out the class website at http://1998.dartmouth.org. Among other things, you can pay your class dues (just look for the PayPal button on the right of the page) and check out the latest class newsletter and other news too. I encourage you all to check it out!

With that, I’ll remind you that, as always, please let me know what’s happening in your lives, personally, professionally or otherwise. As we all get closer to those big milestone birthdays—not to mention our 20th reunion—I hope there’s plenty more good news to share with our fellow ’98s.

Best wishes.

Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hey, ’98s. I hope you’re all having as wonderful an autumn season as I have been! Kicking things off this issue, I had the pleasure of exchanging some correspondence recently with Tracy Van Dorpe. Tracy and her husband, Phil Drape, Tu’05, have been having a fun fall from the sound of it. In addition to hanging out for a couple of weeks on the Jersey shore in early September before the start of school for her children, Tracy and Phil also just recently returned from Hanover, having attended Phil’s 10-year Tuck reunion! And Tracy just celebrated a certain milestone birthday as well.

My pal Jay Park recently left the world of “big law” behind, and began working in-house as a director and counsel at Credit Suisse. Congratulations to Jay, who lives on Long Island with his wife and children. Speaking of career changes, Rachel (Bogardus) Drew also recently checked in to talk about her own career change. Rachel now has taken over responsibilities at her family horse farm outside Boston! Also, her 9-year-old daughter (with husband Jonathan Drew) has apparently become quite the junior equestrienne of late, according to Rachel, having competed in regional dressage shows and local U.S. Pony Club events. All in all it sounds as though Rachel is around the barn quite a bit lately! Rachel added that on the side she does policy analysis consulting, specifically in the areas of social and urban policy. During the summer Rachel was pleased to report that she got to hang out for a girls weekend in Atlanta with fellow ’98s Anna Berkowitz, Heather (Charles) Wells and Joan Ai. According to Rachel, the weekend was so much fun that another one is already in the works for summer 2016. Rachel was kind enough to fill me in on the other ladies’ exploits: Anna lives in Atlanta and works for the Centers for Disease Control, Heather is a foreign languages teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area and Joan does charitable giving management for financial firms in New York City.

Finally, Chad Woodman recently appeared in a full-page ad for Alta (Utah) Ski Area in the late summer edition of the Outdoor Sports Guide, a publication that features articles about adventure, fitness and travel in the Mountain West. None other than Chad’s dad, Ralph ’69, passed along the cool news (along with the ad itself featuring Chad). As Chad’s dad noted, Chad had been working on the mountain at Alta for some 13 years.

That’s all for now, folks. As always, please let me know what’s happening in your lives, personally, professionally or otherwise. As we all get closer to those big milestone birthdays—not to mention our 20th reunion—I hope there’s plenty more good news to share with our fellow ’98s.

Best wishes.

Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hello, ’98s.

Kicking things off this month, congratulations are definitely in order for Steve Zrike Jr., who made headlines in the Massachusetts press earlier this summer for his appointment as the receiver for the Holyoke, Massachusetts, public school system. At the time of his appointment Steve was superintendent of the Wakefield, Massachusetts, public schools. Steve has had a long career focused on school improvement in both the Boston and Chicago areas, which makes him eminently qualified for this latest challenge. Here’s wishing Steve great success in his latest endeavor!

If you all are anything like me, the summer is a great opportunity to get together with old Dartmouth friends. I was recently thrilled to spend a couple of days in Philadelphia with Ben Cooperberg and his family. Ben, his wife and four children live outside of Philadelphia, where Ben is an endocrinologist and clinical assistant professor of medicine affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania Health System. And just as this magazine is arriving in mailboxes, my family and I are looking forward to spending Labor Day weekend down in the Maryland-D.C. area with Jeff Giuffrida and his family. And back in June I had the pleasure of seeing Noah Schneiderman, Yuri Feldman, Jay Park and Steve Oh as we got together to reminisce about our dear friend and fellow ’98 David Pichler, who passed away way too soon, at the age of 34, back in 2011. As some of you may know a scholarship fund in David’s memory was established shortly after his passing that provides a yearly award of $5,000 to a deserving graduating student from Stuyvesant High School in New York (David’s alma mater) who is attending Dartmouth. The aforementioned gentlemen and I had the pleasure of meeting the 2015 winner of the scholarship award and presenting him with the check in a brief ceremony in New York. Incidentally, if anyone is interested in making a (fully tax deductible) contribution in David’s memory to his scholarship fund, please contact me at my email address below and I can get you further information.

And while we’re on the topic, I would encourage you to take a moment from time to time to think fondly not only of David but of the other ’98s who have passed away way too soon since our time together in Hanover, including Joe Nagraj and Nicole Wiley. While I try to use this space to share happy news as much as possible, I think this is also a good forum to remember our classmates who are gone but should never be forgotten.

With that I will bid everyone adieu for a few more weeks. Looking forward to hearing from as many of you as possible between now and this fall! Please send me a note with anything going on in your lives that you’d like to share (work, personal or otherwise) and I’d be happy to share it in this space!

Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hey, ’98s, well, it’s been a great spring and as we begin to gear up for summer, here’s a little bit of class news—including lots of baby news! First, Nita Farahany and her husband, Thede Loder, welcomed a baby daughter, Aristella Loder Farahany, January 27. Also welcoming a baby girl to the family this past winter was Roger Griesmeyer and his wife, who received a Christmas miracle with the birth of their daughter, Sloane Tomte Griesmeyer, on December 25, 2014. Congratulations to Nita, Roger and their respective families on these new additions!


Roger sent along a nice note chock full of ’98 news, including word that Pankaj Gupta also recently welcomed a second daughter into the family—Iyla Jane Gupta—in April of this year. Pankaj recently moved to Rye, New York, so he’s just a stone’s throw from Roger and his family, in Greenwich, Connecticut. Roger mentioned that there are quite a few Dartmouth folks in the area. In addition, Roger recently held his annual Chi Gam BBQ, pong and softball weekend at his home that Roger says he always enjoys, particularly as it involves many adults pretending they’re 20 years old “and running around the Green again.”


In yet more baby news, depending on when you are reading this, Unai Montes-Irueste and his wife, Sara, either are—or are about to be—first-time parents! Unai and Sara’s daughter was due around August 29. Congratulations to Unai as well! Unai also sent in a brief note about his participation the 98th Day of the Year event this past April, when he helped at a community garden in the Los Angeles area “with the hopes of bringing attention to the food deserts that continue to plague working-class neighborhoods.” I also recently had the pleasure of corresponding with Jaime Bedrin, who is a fellow resident of the great Garden State (that’s New Jersey). Jamie wanted to pass along how she was in Miami Beach this past winter visiting a friend, who it turns out lives directly next door to Kara (Josephberg) Paldino. Jamie said it was wonderful to see a friendly Dartmouth face and to meet Kara’s family.


Last, but certainly not least, I wanted to give a shout out on behalf of my pal Simone Swink, who recently received an absolutely awesome promotion at work. Since she’s too humble to brag about it herself, I will do it for her: Simone was promoted this past March to senior broadcast producer of the second hour of Good Morning America on ABC—America’s top rated morning show on TV. She has previously served as both head writer and senior producer of the show. Congrats to Simone on this super-awesome news.


That’s it for this month. Please give a holler with any exciting news (work, personal or otherwise) involving either you or other ’98s! Happy summer, everyone!


Jeff Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hey there, ’98s!


Let’s start things off in this Class Notes with an update from Elinor Actipis, who checked in a couple of months ago from the Mission District of San Francisco with an update chock full of ’98 news. Elinor admits that her area sometimes feels like “Dartmouth West.” For starters, she regularly runs into Eric Petit and his two girls in Dolores Park. In addition Michelle Kraemer, who works at Google, recently moved to town. Christine Cuoco, who works at Twitter, hails from New York City, but regularly visits San Francisco, as does Dorothy Hui, who is the vice president of marketing of Roc Nation. As for Elinor, she is married to Andrew Bender ’96 and they are busy chasing around their toddler, Otto, who is coming up on his second birthday shortly. When Elinor is not busy with her positions in publishing and online content, she is a California state council member for the Humane Society of the United States, which she encourages any animal enthusiasts to become involved with.


Elinor was also happy to report on her annual reunion with some other ’98s, which takes place every January, including Neeta (Raghavan) Vora, Kajal Jhaveri, Morning Washburn, Rachel Federman and Veena Shankaran.


Rodrego Byerly is celebrating his 10th anniversary with Shakari Byerly ’96 this May. After spending seven years in the San Francisco Bay Area, Rodrego and Shakari moved back to Los Angeles in mid-2014 so Shakari could begin work on a Ph.D. in political science (statistics) at UCLA. A few years ago they started Evitarus, a consulting firm that delivers strategic advisory services to corporate, political and public policy decision makers.


And, last but certainly not least, a big shout out to our ’98 class president Jo (Weingarten) Golub and husband Michael, who welcomed a baby girl, Orly Bea Golub, to the family, on January 27. Orly joins big sister Laila (2) in the Golub clan, which lives in Berkeley, California. I should also add that Jo is a partner at the law firm of Keker & Van Nest LLP. Congratulations, Jo!


Well, that’s it for now. As always, please let me know what’s happening in your life or the lives of other ’98s! Please join the ’98 Facebook page, please make sure we have your current email address and, if you haven’t already, please think about paying your ’98 class dues!


Until next time.


Jeff Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hello, ’98s!


As we start to look forward to spring I’ve had the pleasure of receiving news from a number of ’98s in the last couple of months.


Andrea “Andi” Korber checked in from western Colorado—Aspen, to be exact—where she works as an architect. In 2014 Andi became a partner at her architecture and planning firm, which is named Land+Shelter. She also admits to “enjoying the powder,” which is, as I understand it, pretty much a requirement for Colorado. Also celebrating a career milestone is Tim White, an assistant professor of history at New Jersey City University, whose book, Blue-Collar Broadway: The Craft and Industry of American Theater, was just recently published by the University of Pennsylvania Press. Congratulations to both Andi and Tim for their great accomplishments!


I also traded notes with Danielle (Flanders) Jensen, who lives in Menlo Park, California, with her husband and four children—two girls and two boys. Danielle has been in the San Francisco Bay Area since right after graduation and for the last 12 years has taught high school math at a private school called Menlo School in Atherton, where she reports that she has had the chance to write many college recommendations, including many for Dartmouth! Danielle reports that she absolutely loves teaching, which she finds both “challenging and rewarding all at once and simply gives me so much joy each day.” Raili (Cook) Donnelly also sent me a nice note about life in Denver, where she has lived for more than 10 years and where she recently started a new job at Rose Hospital as a physician assistant for the orthopedics and spine unit. Raili wrote that in surgeries she assists on total joint replacements as well as hip and humerus fractures. And she assists in caring for post-operative patients during their hospital stays. When not working Raili and her husband, Judd, are hanging at home with their three daughters—4-year-old twins Rhys and Shae and 7-year-old Maij—not to mention Raili’s two stepdaughters, ages 16 and 18. Raili also passed along word of a visit she had last summer to the East Coast, where she was lucky enough to see Sarah (Sedgwick) Perno and Eric Perno and got to meet Sarah and Eric’s new little boy, Isaac, who was born last May. Congratulations, guys!


Well I am almost out of column inches already, but I wanted to conclude by passing along an important mention from ’98 class president Jo (Weingarten) Golub about the “98th day” event, which is coming up soon, on April 11. All members of the class of 1998 are encouraged to participate in a community service or philanthropic endeavor of some kind on this day, either by themselves, with a family member or friend or, even better, with other ’98s. We hope may of you can participate, and please take a photo or two, which you can submit to the next ’98 class newsletter!


Please, pass along to me some news about whatever exciting is going on in your life or the lives of other ’98s! And, while you’re at it, please join the ’98 Facebook page and, perhaps most importantly, please be sure to update your email address with us!


My best, as always.


Jeff Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hi there, ’98s!


Well, for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, winter is upon us, and personally I am hoping this one is a mild one. For those of you in the Northeast, you may remember that the winter of 2013-14 was one for the record books, and not in a good way! Here’s to hoping that the 2014-15 winter has a little bit less snow!


On to the class news. Allison (Cuff) Shimooka and her husband, Scott ’95, are currently living in the South Bay Area of California with 3-year-old daughter Tabby. The Shimooka family has been in the area for the last two years, but plans are actually in the works to move back very soon to Washington, D.C., where Allison continues to work at the Advisory Board. In fact, she just celebrated her 10-year anniversary with the company—congratulations, Allison!


Allison also was happy to report on the recent exploits of Jess Ellsworth, who along with her husband, Adam, lives in Washington, D.C., with 2-year-old daughter Libby and brand-new son Brooks. Jess continues to work at the Hogan Lovells law firm, where she has been for a number of years.


I also had an opportunity to catch up with Tara (Bennett) Bristow a few weeks ago. Tara reports that her husband, Erik, recently began a new job, so Tara is presently splitting her time between Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she works for life sciences outreach at Harvard University, and Louisville, Kentucky, where Erik works for ADP. Tara says that they are enjoying weekends traveling the South with its great music and art scene; at the same time they are co-owners of a frame shop and art gallery in Massachusetts and they are always on the lookout “for new artists to feature.” Finally, Tara was happy to mention that she had the opportunity to spend some time this past summer on Cape Cod with Katy (Bieneman) Romita.


Please do not hesitate to let me know how you guys are doing either personally or professionally!


My best, as always.


Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hey, ’98s!


I hope everyone is having a great autumn and trying to enjoy the cooler weather. Up in the Northeast we had a positively mild summer. Just a few quick updates this month—looks like everyone was on summer vacation right around the time this column went to press!


Joe Fitzgerald checked in near the end of the summer to give an update on life in the Pacific Northwest: Joe has now been working in software engineering at Amazon for more than 14 years, which he says makes him feel like he’s risking “becoming a ‘lifer’ ” but also makes him happy to have been with such a “fun and dynamic company for that many years.” Joe recently got to spend some time with Tom Arnold, who was visiting from California, as well as Peter DeSantis (another Amazon employee).


Joe also got the chance to take a nice vacation on Prince Edward Island with his wife, Meagan. The end-of-summer plans for Joe included as much bike riding as he could fit in, with plans to culminate in early October with Levi’s Gran Fondo, a huge charity bike race in Sonoma County, California, that draws several thousand participants. Also planning on riding were the aforementioned Tom Arnold, as well as Marc Lewenstein and Mark Shahinian. I hope one of these gentlemen will provide us with some details about how the event went for the December column!


On a personal note, I had the chance to enjoy some time with Yuri Feldman and his family near the end of the summer. Yuri, his wife and two children recently relocated from New York City (after many, many years) to the suburbs of Connecticut. And for those of you in fantasy football leagues, I hope you’re in a league with other Dartmouth folk, as I am. I recently had the chance to enjoy drafting teams in my league—along with Noah Schneiderman, Steve Zrike, Josh Freeman, Ryan Broderick and Dong Shen, among others.


Please keep those updates coming. I am always absolutely thrilled to be able to pass along any personal or professional news that you or any of our classmates may have to share!


My best, as always.


Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hi, ’98s!


As we wrap up summer, just a couple of quick notes to share with you all. First, a hearty congratulations to Etoile Pinder, who was married on April 12 to James Cercone on the remote and beautiful island of Eleuthera, Bahamas—this according to her good friend Laura (Jastrem) Walther ’99, who was kind enough to write with some details. Other Dartmouth ’98 attendees included Brent Boehlert, and there were some ’99s in attendance as well. According to Laura, the wedding took place on a pink sand beach before friends and family of the bride and groom from more than 32 different countries. Sounds like it was a wonderful celebration—congratulations, Etoile!


I also recently had the chance to trade notes with Lindsay Page, who has a book being published this fall on the “summer melt”—a phenomenon where many students, particularly those from lower-income backgrounds, who graduate from high school planning to attend college never actually matriculate. Lindsay and her husband, Brad Molyneaux, recently decamped from the Boston area (after more than a decade) and now make their home in Pittsburgh. Lindsay is a faculty member at the Pitt School of Education, and Brad runs a research lab and is a neuro-critical care physician at Pitt. Brad and Lindsay have two children, Nora (6) and Caleb (2), and Lindsay told me that after arriving in Pittsburgh they were delighted to find out they had moved into a neighborhood with quite a few other Dartmouth alumni!


And that, as they say, is that! Please keep those updates coming. I am always absolutely thrilled to be able to pass along any personal or professional news that you or any of our classmates may have to share!


My best, as always.


Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hey, ’98s!


As we head into the summer we’ve got lots of interesting and exciting updates to share. Julie (McGuire) Turchin checked in from San Jose, California, where she lives with her husband and two kids, Dara (6) and Eden (4), and works nearby at Stanford University. Aside from work and her family Julie tries to fit in some time to sing (she was a member of the Glee Club while at the College, after all), but these days it is “strictly amateur stuff.” For example, Julie noted that this spring, she played “Queen Sarabi Esther” in a Lion King version of the Purim story—with two cute lion cubs starring as well!


I also enjoyed catching up recently with Corey Chatis, who reports that she is back in Nashville, Tennessee, running her own consulting company after a few years living in Seattle working for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Corey and I exchanged notes about, among other things, our shared love of Nashville. If our conversation is any indication, I think Corey is in Nashville to stay!


Joy (Lisi) Rankin also checked in with an update about her and husband Scott Rankin. Joy and Scott were in Hanover back in April along with their daughter Lucy (2), advising on a documentary film that the College is producing to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the birth of the BASIC programming language and the Dartmouth Time-Sharing System. Joy is finishing up her Ph.D. in history at Yale; she is studying the relationship between American identity and technology, with research specifically addressing the history of computing at Dartmouth. 


Congratulations to Christian Atwood, an attorney at the Boston-based law firm of Choate Hall and Stewart LLP, who was recently named a “rising star” in the field of private equity legal work by Law360, an well-known legal news provider. On the personal front, Christian and his wife, Susan O’Bell, live in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with their two sons Griffin and Sawyer and, as of the time this column went to print, the Atwoods were eagerly anticipating the arrival of their third son.


Alan Grubner checked in from New York City, where he is working on music for a new record and writing and recording string arrangements for other pop artists. Alan recently played fiddle on the Beasts of the Southern Wild film score and is presently part of the production team that does the music for Louie C.K.’s television show, Louie. Also focused on his music is Jonah Blumstein, who is a music teacher at the Brentwood School in Los Angeles and also plays in a band with his wife, Mia. Jonah and Mia have released three albums in the last eight years, and in 2012 they had a “new release” of a different sort—their daughter Rose.


Finally, a few more happy baby announcements. Yuri Feldman and his wife, Allison, welcomed a new daughter, Jill, on March 27. Jill joins big brother Reid. Noah Schneiderman and wife Stacey welcomed a son, Miles, on April 4. Miles joins big sisters Harper and Bailey. And, on a more personal note, my wife, Hallie, and I welcomed a new daughter, Rosie, on April 24. Rosie joins big brothers Charlie and Simon.


So all in all it’s been a pretty exciting spring, for my family as well as many others. As always, please pass along any personal or professional news that you or any of our classmates may have to share!


My best, as always.


Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hi, ’98s! It’s been a busy few months and it’s been wonderful to hear from so many of our classmates about what they’ve been up to.
To start things off, my law school classmate Adam Siegel checked in from Washington, D.C., where he just recently joined the National Parks Conservation Association as associate general counsel. Adam and his wife, Rachel, also welcomed the birth of their second daughter, Evie, this past May. Speaking of new additions to families, Jamie Bedrin and her husband, Scott, welcomed their second boy, Owen, this past July.
Kara (Josephberg) Paldino was in my neck of the woods (the New York area) back in August, when she caught up with a number of fellow ’98s, including Ali (Jacoby) Abrahms, Susanna McFadden, Angela Scott and Kate Nugent. Kara also had the pleasure of catching up with Katie (Malone) Weiss and Kate (Knaus) Galston earlier this year on a work trip to Los Angeles. When not traveling, Kara lives in Miami with her husband and children Livia and Jackson and works as vice president of production legal for NBC Universal Cable Entertainment. And Kara was hardly the only ’98 getting together with classmates. Molli (Hamermesh) Hourihan recently wrote to share her wonderful experience renting a house for a few days this past summer in Naragansett, Rhode Island, with Katy (Bieneman) Romita and Jamie (Udler) Koplan along with their respective families, including six kids among them! Molli, who lives in Southport, Connecticut, was happy to report that Katy has recently moved closer to her, as Katy now resides in Westchester County, New York.
Doug Young also dropped a note to say hi from his job as director of communications and development for the Lower Merion (Pennsylvania) School District. While Doug had a pretty busy 2012—including climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and accompanying some students on a trip building a school in Haiti—2013 has been relatively quieter. Doug spends a few weeks each summer in California helping to run the Kobe Bryant Basketball Academy and recently told me he has just been “enjoying life and keeping busy.” Also keeping busy has been Gabe Galletti. When I checked in with Gabe a couple of months ago he was nearing the tail end of a six-month sabbatical from his job as an attorney at Bernstein Liebhard in New York, and he and his wife (who also took a sabbatical) were traveling through and volunteering in Asia. Among the places Gabe and his wife saw were Bangladesh, Burma, Indonesia and Vietnam. Gabe said the entire experience was a “dream come true.”
Last but certainly not least, I had the great pleasure of catching up with fellow fall of 1994 Russell Sage resident Michelyne Pinard, who checked in from Williamstown, Massachusetts, where she is in her 11th season as the head coach of women’s soccer at Williams College. Micheylne and her partner, Dave Johnson, have two girls, Elle (age 2 1/2 years) and Maeve (9 months).
That’s the latest and greatest. From my family (including my two sons Charlie and Simon) to yours—a very happy holidays and a happy New Year to everyone! Here’s hoping for a great 2014 for everyone in the class of 1998. As always, please send me any news or updates; your fellow ’98s are out there doing great things—let’s get the word out!
—Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; (973) 267-6914; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

I heard over the summer from Mark Zanatta, who reports that he and his wife, Robyn, got married in May 2008 in Canada. A lot of alums attended, including Stu Davidson, George Pasvankas, Justin and Christine Carrino, Chad Woodman, Matt Tarver-Wahlquist, Nevin Patton ’97, Bill Tovell ’96, Eric Schwartz ’96, Carrington Bradley ’96, Kelley Kohout ’00 and Frank Thorn ’00. Mark and Robin then moved to London, where they welcomed a daughter Olivia Rose Zanatta on January 21. Congratulations, you guys!


I also heard from Mariam Alsikafi, who writes, “I am still in Chicago with not as many ’98s as I would like. Erica (Ryu) Wong is here with me and I love that our sons are great friends. Zuhair is almost 4 and Kiyan is turning 2 this fall, which has given me plenty of breathing room and I’m now in the process of launching a higher education consulting firm (Higher Education Advisors LLC) as well as blogging as often as I can (www.ivymama.com). Given the steady stream of ’98 babies I know there are plenty of you with thoughts and insights that I’d love to hear, so definitely reach out!” The site looks awesome and interesting—you guys should check it out! 


Heading to the West Coast, Tim Bruckner checked in: “After living in San Francisco for 10 years Melissa [Lodoen], 7-month-old daughter Arianne and I will move to Orange County, where Melissa and I will start assistant professorships at UC Irvine. Melissa landed a position in molecular biology and biochemistry, while I will join the faculty in public health and urban planning. When not conducting experiments or singing lullabies to our daughter, Melissa plans to moonlight on The Real Wives of the OC. I am excited to start Arianne’s volleyball training early at Laguna or Manhattan beach. We look forward to reconnecting with SoCal alums.” Tim also reported that fellow ’98 Mathieu Pung lives in Amsterdam, where he is working in graphic design!


Lani Sipe Curtis and her family have just made a similar move from San Francisco to SoCal. Lani says they “relocated back to my hometown of Del Mar at the beginning of June. I’m going to try my hand at being a stay-at-home mom for a while. I’m three weeks in and so far so good. My son Cole is now 3 (4 in September) and James is 2. We are very excited to have our boys grow up around their extended family.” Congrats on the move, Lani!


And, finally, news from some East Coasters. Lea DeFrancisci reports that she is a child psychiatrist working out in the Hamptons. Lea is married and sometimes makes appearances on the news as a healthcare correspondent for mental health issues. She’s our Sanjay Gupta.


And Danielle Guthrie Johnson wrote in that a crew recently got together in New York City to see Kara Paldino and her husband, Chris, who were in town from Miami. Susanna McFadden attended as well as Jen and Jared Abbey, who brought their kids Ryan and Sage. Kirby and Mark Grabowski brought their son Linus and Ali Jacoby Abrahms and her husband, Aaron, brought their youngest daughter Lulu! Danielle also sees Dune Thorne and Neville McCaghren and their two kids Anne and Lachlan quite a bit. And, finally, Danielle reports that Jesse Sweet just kicked off his latest documentary project with a fundraising event in N.Y.C. to raise awareness of borderline personality disorder. Danielle attended the event, as did Jesse’s wife, Julia Morrill, Jen Abbey and Susanna McFadden. Thanks for the news, Danielle! 


Have a good fall, everyone!


Jo Weingarten Golub, 93 Arlington Ave., Kensington, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

Happy New Year, ’98s! I hope that you’re weathering this winter well. You should think about heading to campus for Winter Carnival!


Back in the old year I flew up to Montreal for what must have been the best Canadian wedding ever. On October 11, 2009, our very own Alex Reitman married Mr. Jesse Brown of London. Oodles of Dartmouth folk flocked to Montreal to attend what ended up being one very international wedding, with folks from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel and plenty of other places. In attendance from the Big Green were Susanna McFadden; Angela Scott; Jen Moeller and Chris Pennock ’97; Tara McDowell; Jen Jones ’97; Suzanne Michels Obenshain and her husband, Andrew ’96; Kara Josephberg Paldino and her husband, Chris; Graham Gallivan; Maya Lodish and Jay Zimmerman; John Fernquest and Vanessa Berberian Fernquest ’99; Arvidas Remeza; Claire Heleniak Jeffers ’99; Michael Golub ’03; Alan Rottenberg ’66; and proud dad Jeremy Reitman ’66. We feasted and danced and it was a fantastic mini-reunion. Congrats to Alex and Jesse!


I also heard from Anil Doshi, our fearless class president! Anil has just started the doctoral program at Harvard Business School in technology and operations management, which should be a great and fun challenge. Anil also reported that Sharat Raghavan and his wife, Karen ’99, had their second child, named Nithin, in September. Congratulations, guys!


Anil also alerted me to the goings-on of our classmate Scott Listfield, who is living in Somerville, Massachusetts, with his wife, Joanna, and is working as an artist. You can check out Scott’s paintings at www.astronautdinosaur. com. Also, Scott’s painting Waiting Dangerously in Rio is being sold as a limited edition print on 20x200.com, which is really exciting because the site has a great roster of artists on it. Scott has had a bunch of shows at galleries, including most recently at Los Angeles’ Kinsey/DesForges gallery in September 2009. He’s also been featured in Wired magazine and the Boston Globe. Congrats on the success, Scott! Everyone check out Scott’s fantastic work on his Web site!


I hope you all have a happy, exciting, success-filled 2010! I can’t wait to hear about all your big and small news, so keep writing in!


Jo Weingarten Golub, 93 Arlington Ave., Kensington, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

Well, ’98s, you guys have been up to a lot! First, in school and graduation news I learned that Margaret Hiers received her doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine on May 2. While at the University of Georgia she earned a lot of honors, including being a member of the Phi Zeta veterinary honor society, receiving the William Morris Grayson, the Thomas T. and Bernice F. Irvin Foundation, and the Steve M. Lee scholarships and being named a 2008 Salsbury Scholar. Congratulations!


In wedding news Simone Swink wrote in to report that in mid-July Matthew Tarver-Wahlquist married Charn Coonan “in a grove of redwood trees at the Berkeley Botanical Gardens.” Simone said, “It’s the first time I’ve ever heard anyone cite Dostoevsky’s The Idiot in his wedding vows!” Watching the happy couple wed were Simon and Katrina Holmes a Court (and their four adorable kids), Chrissa and Justin Carrino, Nevin Patton ’97, Andrew Fritts and Mark Zanatta. “With Mark exuberantly emceeing the reception, a number of people made memorable toasts, including Simon and Justin (who both roomed with Matt during college—and had plenty of material!).” Matt and Charn honeymooned in the Balkans, spending three weeks traveling from Sarajevo to Visegrad. Congratulations!


And now for a slew of new ’98 kids! In chronological order, everyone please welcome Rachel Gilliar and husband Tyler Smith’s twins Leah and Vivienne, who were born June 21. By all reports the girls are keeping Rachel and Tyler very busy and everyone is healthy and happy!


Please also welcome Peter Holm McCurry, born on July 15. Peter’s mom Jennifer Peters McCurry reports that she and her husband, Jeff, are delighted and busy adjusting to parenthood. Jen also had exciting career news: “I have been called to serve as pastor of Emanuel’s Lutheran Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After a long journey of preparation I will be ordained on August 29 back in my home town near Albany, New York, and plan to begin work in September.” Congratulations on the new addition and the new job, Jen!


Let’s also give a big ’98 welcome to Quint Alec Murphy, also born on July 15, to mom Sylvie Hogg Murphy and her husband, Tim! And just four days later Kelly Wardwell Rierson and her husband, Mike, brought Daphne Remington Rierson into the world! Finally, one August baby to welcome: On August 22 Kate Knaus Galston, her husband, Jay, and their son Charlie welcomed new baby Benjamin Pierce Galston. Congratulations to all the new moms and dads! And have a happy New Year, everyone! See you in 2010, and keep that news comin’!


Jo Weingarten Golub, 93 Arlington Ave., Kensington, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

Happy spring, ’98s, and happy spring skiing! I hope you’re all getting out and enjoying what your cities and towns have to offer you!


I recently heard from Kate Armstrong Hansen, who was writing from Chicago to let us know that she and her husband, Kent, welcomed twin daughters Lorelei and Stephanie into the world on May 28, 2009. Kate says, “They are wonderful babies and growing more active each month. I decided to leave my job at Google to be a stay-at-home mom and enjoy having this time with the girls. We also moved from Lincoln Park to the Chicago suburb of Northfield when the girls were a month old. Needless to say it has been a busy time for us, but we are loving family life.” Congratulations, Kate and Kent! We can’t wait to meet the girls at the next reunion!


Jason Docheff also checked in. Jason is working as a career, resume and school admissions consultant. You can check out his business at www.jasondocheff.com. Thanks for the update, Jason!


That’s the word in ’98 news for this update. Please write in with more news about your lives and those of the other ’98s! And have a great spring!


Jo Weingarten Golub, 93 Arlington Ave., Kensington, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

Happy summer, ’98s. As you probably know by now on April 18 several “98th day” ’98 mini-reunions took place around the country. Stay tuned for news and reports from each of those shindings!

I recently heard from Shephathia (Gordon) Townsend, who wrote in with the following report: “In June of 2009 I graduated from Brooklyn College with a master’s in art history. But more exciting than that on November 22 my husband and I welcomed our first beautiful child into the world—our daughter Jordan Rose Townsend. Our plan is for her to marry Sylvie Hogg Murphy’s son Quint Alec Murphy and make a second-generation Dartmouth wedding!” Congratulations, Townsend family! I like the plan!

Shephathia also reported that she just did her first alumni interviews for the College. Her take: “It was really fun and an easy way to stay connected to the college I love. I recommend it for any and all alums who enjoy talking about Dartmouth.”

In other news Abbey Doolittle, her husband, Joe Scalise, and son Henry (2) just welcomed new addition Thomas Scalise, to the world. Thomas was born February 16 and was 8 pounds, 2 ounces. Abbey and her family live in San Francisco. Congratulations, you guys!

Ben Cooperberg also wrote in to say that he and his wife, Jordana, will be moving from St. Louis to Philadelphia this summer. Ben and Jordana have two children: Ayelet (4) and Elan (1). Ben will be starting a new job as a clinical endocrinologist on staff at Pennsylvania Hospital in Center City. Anyone in the Philadelphia area should get in touch with them. Congrats on the new job and the move, Ben!

Everyone have a great summer and write in with all your great news!

Jo Weingarten Golub, 93 Arlington Ave., Kensington, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

Greetings, ’98s! I hope you’re all having great summers, including some fun vacations! 


In ’98 news we have more and more reports of new additions to our class family. Kara Josephberg Paldino and her husband, Chris, “received the best holiday gift” when their adorable, gorgeous and very smart daughter Livia Neve Paldino arrived on December 19, 2009. The Paldinos live in Miami Beach, Florida, where Kara is a television production attorney for Bravo. Congrats, Kara and Chris!


I also heard from Meg Blakey Lyons, who reported that she and her husband, Matt, welcomed their second child, Noah Thomas Lyons, on April 9. The Lyons family live in London, where Meg has been for the past nine years. Meg is currently on leave from her role as a training manager at a financial services software company. She reports that her “older son Blake, who is 2, is enjoying his little brother so far and has been very helpful and curious about the new arrival.” Meg wants you to get in touch if you’re in London! Congratulations, Meg! 


And, finally, I also got a report about our classmate Stephen Zrike, who has been named principal of one of Boston’s public schools, as part of the federal government’s new Race for the Top education initiative. Boston’s superintendent of schools named Stephen and other leaders as new principals for several underperforming Boston schools, in a massive effort to turn these schools around. It sounds like Stephen’s got a big job cut out for him, but congratulations, Stephen! What an honor, and how exciting! You’ll have to report in and let us know how it goes.


Have a great rest of the summer, folks! Write in with news, practice your Salty Dog for old time’s sake and I’ll check in again in the fall. 


Jo Weingarten Golub, 93 Arlington Ave., Kensington, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

Well, let’s kick off this update with wedding bells! I heard over the summer from Anat Levtov, who reports that she and husband Nick Bowman recently had the official party! She wrote, “Over a year after our courthouse wedding in Ann Arbor, Michigan, we were finally able to celebrate properly with family and friends (I actually highly recommend this sequence of events; it makes the party far less stressful that way!). We spent the whole weekend at a lodge in Hartland, Michigan, with a ‘team’ of wedding helpers, including ’98s Abby Augusta, Uriel Barrera Vasquez and Caroline Kerner. Fellow members of the Activist Girl Posse from our Palaeopitus days—Rachel Gilliar, Candace Crawford and Marene Jennings—also made it out to Michigan with partners and redheaded baby twins (Rachel’s daughters, Leah and Vivienne) in tow. Appropriately, we took the Dartmouth photo in front of the moose head over the fireplace. Abby gave the world’s best toast, the hora was a chance for all the Dartmouth alums to show off the dancing skills they learned salty-dogging, and it was only when Uriel put his music on that the dancing really got going.” Congratulations, Anat!


And now for some happy baby news: Heather (Charles) Wells and husband Justin Wells ’95 welcomed son Angus Charles Wells on May 9. As Heather reports, “Angus shares his parents’ love of dramatic timing, arriving 11 days early on Mother’s Day.” Heather and Justin are excited to be working together next year at a small private school in Mill Valley, California, where Justin teaches English and Heather will teach French and Spanish. Congrats on the new addition, guys!


And finally, how about some outstanding career news, plus a little touch of the Big Green: Obianuju Anya checked in this summer and wrote that she’s presently completing her Ph.D. in applied linguistics and second language acquisition at UCLA. And guess what? Uju was recently awarded the 2010-11 Dartmouth College Thurgood Marshall dissertation fellowship to write her doctoral thesis in residence from August 2010 to August 2011 in collaboration with faculty from the African and African-American studies, Spanish and Portuguese, and linguistics departments! That’s fantastic! Uju, her husband, Robert Vaindiner, and their son Dimitri will be moving to Hanover for a year. Uju reports that the family will “be living at Choate Cottage because, in addition to being the Marshall fellow, I will also be resident advisor for the Cutter/Shabazz Affinity House. I’m absolutely thrilled to be completing my university education at the same place where it began, and welcome all Dartmouth friends and classmates living in New England, New York or D.C. come up and visit.” Congrats, Uju! I hope a bunch of us will see you on the Green!


That’s it for this update, everyone. Have a great rest of the fall. See you at Homecoming (October 29-30)!


Jo Weingarten Golub, 93 Arlington Ave., Kensington, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

The holiday season is coming up, and it seems like our class has lots to be thankful for this year! Thanks to everyone for getting in touch with news—keep it coming!


We have a few new members of our ’98 family to announce! First up, Marisa Howe and Kyle Marchesseault ’99 welcomed their second child, Tyler (9 pounds, 11 ounces), on July 7. Marisa and Kyle’s daughter Eleanor, who’s 3 1/2, is being an awesome big sister. Marisa is working as an immigration attorney in Boston, and Kyle is working for the corporate office of Staples in marketing. Their clan is living in Newton, Massachusetts, these days. Congrats, you guys! 


Dan O’Neill and his wife, Liam, also had a baby boy, on July 28. New son Carter (8 pounds, 15 ounces) joins big brother Kellen to make this a family of four. Dan is a lawyer at Davis Polk & Wardwell in N.Y.C. and the fam just moved out to his hometown of Pelham, New York. And this is where it gets kind of awesome: He ran into fellow ’98 Danielle Guthrie Johnson at their new neighborhood block party—and she and her family live only a few houses away! Nice touch, I think. Congratulations to the O’Neills, and “hi” to the Johnsons! Next up for our growing family: Becky Rottenberg Goldman and her husband, Mattis, welcomed Judah Samuel Goldman into the world on August 11! Becky and Mattis just moved back to D.C. after a couple of years in L.A. Congrats on the new addition, Becky, and on the big move!


Finally, I also heard from Rachel Federman, who wrote in with some great news. Rachel has a new blog for you guys to check out: hers! The URL is http://lastamericanchildhood.blogspot.com. Rachel reports that the blog covers “the bizarro world of the stay-at-home-mom scene and trying to squeeze in a freelance writing career.” Rachel’s been doing program design for nonprofits, as well as writing “various little books on things like Jell-o shots and music trivia.” In fact, she reports that, “The Spanish insults book I collaborated on should be in Urban Outfitters soon—pen name Rachel Perez because editor wanted it to sound more authentic. Ha!” Rachel would love comments and thoughts from her classmates, so check out the blog and see for yourself!


Jo Weingarten Golub, 93 Arlington Ave., Kensington, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

Starting things off this month, Erin (Rath) Moos checked in back in January with an update. After 10 years working on Capitol Hill for former N.H. Sen. Judd Gregg, Erin has for the last six years been in Minneapolis with her husband, Dan, and daughters Casey and Annie. Erin works at Target’s main headquarters, helping lead the company’s reputation management team. At the time we traded messages Erin was eagerly anticipating the upcoming women’s hockey alumni weekend in Hanover in late January, where she was expecting to see, among others, Jen (Lane) Lockwood, Emilie (Schnitman) Liebhoff and Jessica (Clark) Harney. Now all we need is an update and some good stories from that weekend!


Jessica (Clark) Harney wrote to me separately to pass along her well wishes. Jessica has lived in the Washington, D.C., area for the last 10 years and she presently is the upper school dean of students for the National Cathedral School. Along with her husband, Mike, Jessica lives with son Jack and the newest addition to the family, daughter Caitlyn, who was born in June 2013. Like so many of us in the Northeast Jessica’s son Jack has been making the most of this long, snowy winter with plenty of sledding.


And while I didn’t get a chance to formally catch up with Emilie (Schnitman) Liebhoff or Jen (Lane) Lockwood, I do note that they each share an affiliation with Moms as Mentors, a leadership and self-esteem program for mothers and daughters, where Emilie is the founder and executive director and Jen is the director of programs. 


I also recently had the chance to catch up with Grant Chang, who was proud to pass along the news that as of last year, he is the lead animator of Irrational Games, and thus has made significant contributions to the BioShock series of highly successful video games. According to Grant, the BioShock series, including the most recent installment, BioShock Infinite, is one of the most highly rated first-person shooter video games of all time. 


Congratulations to my good friend Ben Cooperberg and his wife, Jordana, who late last year welcomed their fourth child, Noam. Ben lives outside Philadelphia, where he is an endocrinologist and clinical assistant professor of medicine, affiliated with Penn Medicine.


And last, but by no means least, Unai Montes-Irueste checked in with the good news of his marriage this past February to Sara Ceballos. Unai and Sarah were married in Los Angeles, and among the many Dartmouth attendees were several ’98s, including Nicole Ostrowski, Uju Anya, Khalid Osbourne Roberts, Betsy (Lewis) Roberts and Rodrigo Byerly.


A very sincere congratulations to Unai as well as any of our other classmates who have recently celebrated marriages, the birth of children or other important milestones. And please don’t keep these milestones to yourselves—reach out and let me know about them so that I, in turn, can let our fellow ’98s and indeed the whole Dartmouth family know about them. I hope everyone had a wonderful winter and is enjoying the unfolding spring.


My best, as always.


Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; (973) 267-6914; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hi, ’98s! To kick things off for 2014 Sara (Tullis) Wester checked in from Florida. Sara, her husband, Forest Wester, and their daughters Drennen and Ellie recently moved to a new house in Key Biscayne. Sara said she and Forest have greatly enjoyed spending time with Kara (Josephberg) Paldino and her husband, Chris, who themselves recently moved into a new condo on Miami Beach. Sara is an oculoplastic surgeon at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Florida and Forest is a partner at Trivest Partners.


A bit further across the girdled earth, Katie Milligan checked in from Geneva, Switzerland, where she has lived for the past eight years. Katie and her husband welcomed their third child, Gabriel, this past October 7, joining big brother George (age 5) and big sister Maya (age 3). Katie is the director of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, the sister organization of the World Economic Forum. If you are aware of outstanding social enterprises to nominate into the Schwab Foundation network or if you are simply passing through Geneva for personal or professional reasons, Katie invites you to shoot her a note at katherine.milligan@schwabfound.org.


I also recently had the pleasure of trading emails with Christopher Swift, who spends his days practicing international law at Foley & Lardner in Washington, D.C., and his nights teaching national security studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where he is an adjunct professor. Besides the research and his law practice, Chris is also active with the Council on Foreign Relations and has appeared as a guest analyst for Al Jazeera, the BBC, NPR and other major news networks. Chris’s forthcoming book, The Fighting Vanguard: Local Insurgencies in the Global Jihad, draws upon his fieldwork in Afghanistan, Yemen and other “conflict zones” to re-examine the role of local insurgencies in al-Qaeda’s global operations.


Also hailing from the D.C. area is Kristen Hinman, who, along with her husband, Tim Embree, has lived in the nation’s capital since 2011. After two years of editing politics and policy coverage at Bloomberg Businessweek, Kristen left the magazine in November 2013 to become the features editors of the Washingtonian, a well-regarded monthly magazine where she told me she is looking forward to building on the momentum the magazine has recently garnered.


That’s all for this month. Please continue to send me any news or updates. As I have said before, our fellow ’98s are out there doing great things—let’s get the word out! 


Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; (973) 267-6914; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Hello, ’98s! It is an honor and a privilege to be joining the ranks of the ’98 class officers as the newly elected secretary. Thanks so much to Jo (Weingarten) Golub for doing double duty as class president and class secretary for the last couple of years; Jo will certainly be a tough act to follow as secretary, but we are so thrilled to have her continue on as class president for a full five-year term.


I was very sad to be unable to attend our 15-year reunion in Hanover this past June, but I’ve been overwhelmed at the amount of people I’ve heard from recently and the great things that the ’98s have been up to recently. To begin, congratulations to Steve Zrike on two fronts: First, he and his wife welcomed their second child, Edward “Teddy” Ryan Zrike in April; and, during the summer, Steve and family relocated from Chicago back to his beloved New England, where Steve is the newly installed superintendent of schools for Wakefield, Massachusetts.


Also experiencing a recent change of address was Jay Park, who during the spring relocated from New York City to the Long Island suburbs with his wife, son and daughter. Jay reports that he is somewhat terrified in that he has never lived in the suburbs before, but he is excited about, among other things, “entering vegetable-growing contests.” Jay has for several years been an attorney practicing in the structured finance and derivatives group at the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. And on the topic of attorneys, I recently had the pleasure of catching up with Christine Strumpen-Darrie, who is a transactional lawyer at the law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. Christine lives in New York City, has a 5-year-old daughter and was all too modest in relaying that she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro this past summer.


Dan Kerzner recently relocated from the Washington, D.C., area to the California Bay Area. Dan now lives in Lafayette, California, with his wife, Stacy, and sons Max and Toby. And a bit further west, just prior to the deadline to submit this column, Marc Lewinstein checked in from his hotel in Hokkaido, Japan, where he was preparing to take part in an Iron Man competition (swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, run 26.2 miles) on August 31. This was Marc’s sixth Iron Man, and I hope we can get a followup report from him for the next alumni magazine.


Last but not least, I had the pleasure of catching up with Simone Swink, who recently was promoted to senior producer and head writer at ABC’s Good Morning America—wow! Simone updated me on what sounds like an amazing trip she took during the summer—a “dream trip” in her words—to France, visiting everywhere from Mont St. Michel to Monet’s Giverny.


That’s about it for now. As Jo said in the last alumni magazine, we are still finalizing the class of ’98 executive committee and other appointed posts, so if you’d like to be a part of the class leadership, it’s not too late! Please get in touch with any of the class officers, including myself. Looking forward to many more opportunities to catch up with the goings on in the amazing class of 1998. Please send me your news or updates; we’d love to hear from you!


Jeffrey Beyer, 25 Aspen Way, Morristown, NJ 07960; (973) 267-6914; jeffrey.beyer@gmail.com

Greetings, ’98s! It was wonderful to see so many of you in Hanover the weekend of June 14-16! It is still hard to believe that that was our 15th reunion—where has the time gone? But the reunion was an absolute blast! We had 252 total adults in attendance for our class, and a whopping 134 kids as well. It was so fantastic to see everyone! And, as always, so nice to see our friends in the ’97 and ’99 classes as well. We had absolutely amazing weather (especially amazing given our track record). We had a beautiful dinner catered by the inn on Saturday night down by the river. We had breakfasts catered by Lou’s. There was a lovely memorial service for the classmates who have passed. There was a chaotic, awesome lunch in Leverone with bouncy castles for the kids. And the College put on this fantastic day and night of performances, circus and fireworks on the Green. Not to mention that our tent was obviously the place to be (and the tent with the best bar)!


Thanks to Kate Gold and Javier Garcia for spearheading the reunion effort and for making such a wonderful weekend for us all!


We had a changing of the guard at the reunion. Joan Ai finished her term as vice president, Rachel Drew finished her term as treasurer and I finished my term as secretary. Thank you to Joan and Rachel for the amazing work they did!


The class’s new vice president is Rodrego Byerly, the new treasurer is Stu Davidson and the new secretary is Jeff Beyer. So this is my final column, and from now on you’ll be hearing from Jeff and should send him all your news. And, finally, I’m staying on as president. Thanks to all the new officers. I’m looking forward to the next five years!


We are still in the process of finalizing the executive committee and other appointed posts, so please get in touch with me or with one of the other officers if you’d like to be a part of the class leadership. We would love to have you! And don’t forget to send us your reunion pictures, or post them to our Facebook page!


Finally, thanks for sending me news for the past five years. It’s been fun keeping up with everyone, and I look forward to reading much more about you in the upcoming issues of the magazine!


Jo Golub, 851 Indian Rock Ave., Berkeley, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

We are counting down to our 15th reunion, guys, and so far the year has been great! Our classmates in Los Angeles had a mini-reunion in June, which sounded like a ton of fun. Check out the most recent class newsletter for news and photographs from that mini! We will also have photos posted on our class website (www.dartmouth.org/classes/98 if you didn’t know) and our class Facebook group page (we are “Dartmouth Class of 1998,” if you’d like to join!). Thank you to Kate Knaus Galston and Lara Hoffman for organizing the L.A. mini. I know you guys had a great time and are thinking of doing another one—that’s awesome!


There will also be news and photos from the July 26 New York City mini-reunion in our fall newsletter and on the website and Facebook page. Thank you to Joan Ai and Roger Griesmeyer for planning that mini-reunion!


We will also have a mini-reunion in San Francisco on October 11. Thank you to Adrian Durbin and David Mace for planning! If anyone needs details, please let me know.


We plan to have mini-reunions in Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington, D.C., during this fall, winter and spring, heading into our big reunion. If you want to help out, let me know!


I’m also thrilled to announce that our chairs for the 15th reunion are Javier Garcia and Kate Gold, who are going to do a fantastic job! They’ve been busily putting together their committee, which already has several members, but if you’d like to help out in any capacity, to any degree of time commitment, please let me know and I’ll put you in touch with them. Thanks to Javier and Kate for taking on this huge but really important task!


So, everyone mark your calendars for the 15th reunion June 14-16, 2013. Plan on being in Hanover then for an amazing and fun time!


Jo Golub, 851 Indian Rock Ave., Berkeley, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

I heard from Nita Farahany, who’s an associate professor of law and philosophy at Vanderbilt Law School and a visiting professor at Stanford Law School through 2011. She says, “I love the Bay Area and have fallen in love with the gorgeous weather, amazing views and hiking around here.” In April 2010 Nita was also appointed by President Obama to the Presidential Commission on the Study of Bioethical Issues. Congrats, Nita! And let it be known that we Bay Area folks are going to win you away from Vanderbilt permanently!


We can also welcome four members of the class of 2032 to our family! 


David Reynolds ’96 and Lisa Core Reynolds welcomed Wyatt Cameron Reynolds a few days late, on Father’s Day, June 19. Lisa reports, “He thoughtfully delayed his arrival to allow the Boston Bruins to win the Stanley Cup without interruption (important when Mom and Dad are serious hockey fans). David and I even went to the victory parade on Saturday morning, and by Saturday evening I was in labor at our local Greek restaurant with my mother-in-law eagerly timing my contractions!” Lisa’s family lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, and Lisa has been working as an assistant district attorney in Essex County for the last three and a half years, currently as the firearms prosecutor. But she spent the summer enjoying her “well-timed summertime maternity leave.” Lisa and David “are enjoying adjusting to parenthood and are completely in awe of our baby boy. There’s no doubt that he’s the best thing that either of us has ever done. Wyatt is a champion eater and would give Joey Chestnut a run for his money in the milk category. I can’t bear the thought of the day, 18 years from now, that we send him off to Hanover.”


Wyatt’s future classmate Roque David Coelho is Carrie Spring and Camilo Coelho’s new son. Carrie reports that she and Camilo, who live in San Francisco, are “both teachers, so it was mighty thoughtful of our baby to get here on June 12, right after we turned in end-of-year grades, so we could maximize our summer together. We’re enjoying introducing Roque to our people and love the visits and support we’ve gotten from Barb Wentworth ’97, Tara McDowell and Graham Gallivan.” 


Future ’32 Anna Bates is Justin and Aimee Whitenack Bates’s baby girl, born April 12. Aimee writes, “It’s been quite a year! Last June we were back East to get married in my parents’ back yard (many Dartmouth friends traveled to celebrate with us) and this June we’re back so our daughter Anna can meet everyone!” Aimee and Justin both teach at the Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, California. Aimee also reports, “Jenny Karlen Elliott and her family lived right down the hall for two years but moved back East for the 2010-11 school year.” 


Which leads me to James Elliott! His mom, Jenny, reports, “Our life is busy! A little chaotic and crazy at times, but we feel super blessed and lucky.” James was born May 17 and joined his big brothers Sam (7 1/2), Peter (5 1/2) and George (3 1/2). “We even have a male dog!” Jenny says. “This winter we got three female fish (according to me—Petco could not confirm!) to create a little more balance in our house.” Jenny is now teaching in the history department at Phillips Andover, Massachusetts, and says the family is “loving living on campus near our Boston friends and my family in the area.” As Aimee said, “we’re looking forward to a James-Anna wedding in a couple of decades.” You heard it here first! 


Jo Golub, 851 Indian Rock Ave., Berkeley, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

New additions of babies to the ’98 family just keep coming! There are lots of little ones to welcome into the fold this issue.


First up is newcomer Max Pratner—son of Gretchen Gudmundsen and her husband, Jason Pratner—who was born June 5. Max and his family live in Seattle, and he’s totally adorable!


Next is James Gilfoil, who was born on June 10 to Ryan Gilfoil and his wife, Veena. The Gilfoil family is living in the Bay Area, where Ryan is working as an attorney in San Francisco. Congrats, guys!


We also welcome Taylor Taber Keally, who was born July 18. Taylor is the third daughter of Alex Keally and Nicolle Haneman Keally. She joins big sisters Hadley and Cassidy, who appear from the pictures to find her fascinating. Congratulations to the Keally clan! Alex, you’re hopelessly outnumbered, I’m afraid.


I also heard from Alex Prinstein, who reports that her daughter “Ivy Jane Pevnick was born on July 26. Big brother Leo (3 1/2) was excited to welcome her to our family. I work for the college of education at the University of Florida and my husband, Seth Pevnick ’99, is the curator of Greek and Roman art at the Tampa Museum of Art. We just marked our third anniversary in Tampa and are spending a hot and sticky August trying to weather threatened hurricanes, political conventions and sleepless newborn nights. It’s been quite a combination!” Alex also reported that “Bill ’97 and Emily (Hay) Hinsdale and their girls Clara and Rose live just a couple of minutes from us and I think were the first Dartmouth alums to officially meet Ivy.” Thanks for the news, Alex, and welcome to Ivy!


Next up, on August 18 Katie Kirkmire Vining and her husband, Michael Vining, welcomed baby James Mitchell Vining. Baby Mitchell is doing great and already loving life in Santa Barbara, California. Congrats, guys!


And, finally, on August 26 Alex Reitman and her husband, Jesse Brown, welcomed baby Jacob Brown to the world. Jacob and his family live in London. And in honor of that, I’ll report that Jacob weighed in at 3.8 kilograms. Now you go do the math!


That’s the baby roundup for this update! I hope to see all these youngsters at the reunion in June 2013! 


And, now, a challenge for you all: Send me some non-baby news about you! I do love reporting on babies, but I have a hunch there’s more going on in the class than mere procreation. Can’t wait to hear about all your adventures and accomplishments! Have a great fall!


Jo Golub, 851 Indian Rock Ave., Berkeley, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

We’re having a twin boom in the ’98 class! I heard from Tracy Van Dorpe in July. She and her husband, Phil Drapeau, Tu’05, welcomed twin boys in September 2010. Tracy says, “It’s hard to believe that Henry and John are almost a year already. They both started walking (literally, toddling) in the past few weeks so we’re adjusting to their new mobility.” Tracy, Phil and the boys live in Somerville, Massachusetts. Tracy is on leave from her position as a fundraiser at Harvard, where one of her job perks is working regularly with Nancy Fopiano Conroy. Tracy also reports that her freshman-year roommate Bethany Edstrom has come to visit a few times since the twins’ birth. Bethany teaches English at a Catholic secondary school in Connecticut.


Abby Smith and Dave Hoverman welcomed identical twin boys, Roby and Eli, in May. The twins’ big sisters Sarah Jane and Anna turned 4 and 2, respectively, in August, so Abby and Dave spent several months in “four under 4 land,” as Abby called it, “which has been somewhat insane,” she says. They live in Berkeley, California, and Abby and Dave are consultants in San Francisco—Abby at Bain and Dave at Parthenon. 


And Mark and Kirby Grabowski had twin girls Julia Claire (6 pounds, 11 ounces) and Sylvie Jean (6 pounds, 1 ounce) in June. Kirby says, “Big for twins (as was I)!” The twins also have a big brother, Linus, who is 2 1/2. Mark works at Catterton Partners, a private equity firm in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Kirby is a professor of applied linguistics and a teacher of English to speakers of other languages at Teachers College, Columbia University. Kirby reports, “Like most ’98s we lead very busy lives, but we feel blessed each and every day.”


I also heard from Adam Siegel and his wife, Rachel, that they celebrated the birth of their first child, Clara Violet, on March 11. The Siegels live in Washington, D.C., where Adam practices environmental law at Hogan Lovells and Rachel works as a policy analyst at the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Welcome to the ’98 family, Clara!


And finally, this December Andy Smith and his wife, Sara ’03, will be moving to Guatemala for two years to volunteer at Hospitalito Atitlan, with their 18-month-old daughter Rosie in tow! The hospital is located in Santiago Atitlan on the banks of picturesque Lake Atitlan.


Andy writes, “As the largest Mayan community in Central America, Santiago Atitlan is a place where the indigenous Tz’utuhil language and culture still flourish despite increasing influences from the outside world. Victimized during Guatemala’s 36-year civil war, the indigenous Mayan people continue to strive for basic human and economic rights. As the only hospital within two hours, Hospitalito Atitlan serves a crucial role for the health of the community. It is a locally run nongovernmental organization that depends heavily on long-term international volunteers to provide a substantial portion of the medical care. Sara and I spent a month in Atitlan in 2006, had the opportunity to work at Hospitalito Atitlan for two exciting weeks and always dreamed of returning for a long-term stint. I will be volunteering as a staff physician. Sara will be volunteering with the maternal-infant program. We hope Rosie will be making some Mayan friends and learning some Tz’utuhil. To learn more about Hospitalito Atitlan and our mission or to help support our work, visit our website, www.smithsinsantiago.com. We’d appreciate any advice on potential sources of funding available for long-term international medical and service work. Dartmouth visitors or volunteers are welcome anytime!” Thanks for giving us the scoop, Andy, and good luck with your amazing adventure!


Jo Golub, 851 Indian Rock Ave., Berkeley, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

It’s time for our 15th reunion! It will be wonderful to see everyone on campus!


In January I received an adorable birth announcement and note from Karen Lefrak! Karen and her husband, Jonathan Salvin, welcomed Laurel Elisabeth Salvin to the world on October 13, 2012. Laurel weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces, and was 21 inches long. Karen wrote, “The biggest change for us is that this will temporarily curtail our international travel. We freaked out our obstetrician by traveling to Zambia and Botswana during the pregnancy. However, as soon as Laurel got clearance to go on a plane at three months we took her to San Francisco.” The family’s two beagles are also not so sure about the baby right now, but they are “eagerly awaiting the day when cheerios fall from the sky (or high chair).” Karen is currently the chair of the department of emergency medicine at Union Hospital in Maryland. Congratulations, Karen and Jonathan!


And this month I have news of my own to share: My husband, Michael Golub ’03, and I welcomed our first child, Laila Mae Golub, on January 18. Laila was 8 pounds, 2 ounces, 21 1/4 inches long, and had a full head of hair at birth, which seems to cause a lot of jealousy. We’ve been having a blast with her! And on Laila’s fifth-week birthday she had the very unusual and exciting privilege of going with me to Santa Rita jail in Dublin, California, where I was excitedly welcoming my client Ronald W. Ross back into his life. After five years of fighting for him my firm Keker & Van Nest LLP and I finally won his freedom and exoneration for a wrongful conviction from 2006. It was a wonderful day, and so fun to share it with my little girl! Michael, Laila, and I live with our dog Milo in Berkeley, California. We love seeing our classmates out here and hope everyone will get in touch when they vacation out this way!


And as one of those coincidences you could never make up, Jen Moeller and Chris Pennock ’97 welcomed their own bundle of joy on the very same day that we did! On January 18 Jen gave birth to gorgeous and adorable Wilhelmina in New York City. With identically aged babies, Jen and I have been commiserating and celebrating a lot by text. Jen is working as a costume designer in New York and has designed shows around the country, on and off Broadway, and even at dear old Dartmouth, where she also occasionally teaches costume design classes. Congrats, Jen and Chris!


Just six days later, on January 24, Aimee Whitenack Bates and her husband, Justin, and daughter Anna welcomed new family member Theodore James Bates. Theo was 8 pounds, 4 ounces at birth, and he’s absolutely adorable in his pictures. Congratulations, Bates family! We hope to see you all in Hanover.


Have a great month, ’98s, and I’ll see you on campus!


Jo Golub, 851 Indian Rock Ave., Berkeley, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

Mary Hollendoner reports that she and her husband, John Stanfield, had a beautiful baby girl last July named Lillian after Mary’s grandmother. Mary says, “I was lucky enough to get six months off from work to spend with her which was great, but now I am back at work (at Google). We got to take her on a few trips to Yosemite (our favorite place) as well as to Washington (where my husband is from) and Costa Rica during Christmas time. We are really enjoying our time with her and are eager for her to start running around playing with us!” Mary and John met when they were both living and working in Yosemite, California, and now they live in Mountain View, California. Congratulations, guys!

Also in the Bay Area, Carrie Langsdorf Weinstein and her husband, Drew, welcomed baby Theodore Myers Weinstein on November 7, 2011. “Seven pounds, one ounce of perfection!” Carrie, Drew, baby Teddy and big brother Charlie live in San Francisco. Congratulations, Carrie! 


Peter Lanfer and his wife, Sarah, welcomed son Micah Emmanuel Lanfer on January 18. Micah weighed in at 7 pounds, 4 ounces, and was 19 inches long. Pete reports that everyone’s doing great. The Lanfers live in Los Angeles. Pete will be returning to Dartmouth to teach this spring and will be doing the bicoastal commute to visit Sarah and Micah. Not only that, Pete expects his first book to be coming out with Oxford University Press in July! Busy guy! Pete, don’t forget to give us all the details when the book is published. Congrats!


Ginger Kreitler Pingree, her husband, Brennen, and big brother Bear celebrated the birth of Hawken Kreitler Pingree on February 24. Hawken was 7 pounds, 15 ounces, and 20 inches long. Congratulations to the Pingrees!


I also heard from Roger Griesmeyer, who read the last column and “was inspired to write in after a busy year.” (I love hearing that!) Roger married Lindsay McGrath on September 10, 2011, at Stratton Mountain, Vermont. Pankaj Gupta and his wife were even there when Roger popped the question! Lindsay does business development for Shearman & Sterling in New York and Roger works at the law firm he formed in Manhattan in 2008 after leaving Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz. His firm, the LaSasso Griesmeyer Law Group PLLC, has grown from two lawyers to 10, and Roger says they run into Dartmouth folks all the time. “Just pitched an ’88 at his private equity fund a couple weeks ago! We offer special rates for Dartmouth alums, so all are welcome.”


Tons of Dartmouth folk attended Roger and Lindsay’s wedding, even in spite of nine babies being born to their Dartmouth friends within a couple months of the wedding! The wedding party included Pankaj Gupta, Brian Mosley, Charlie Fiordalis, and Josh Oberman ’99. Roger wrote, “Since I gave the toast at all three of the ’98 weddings, you can only imagine what the rehearsal dinner and wedding party were like. There were definitely some Dartmouth and Chi Gam traditions observed and I think we did the College proud (or, as proud as a bunch of mid-30s can do these days).” Other ’98s in attendance included “Wes Maclaggan (who recently had first child Charlotte), Spiros Maliagros (who just had his third child, son Leo), Brian Wachob (who just had his second son, Aaron), John Maldonado, Eric Walania, R. Gregory Webster, Chris Ott, Hugh Pfabe and Dave Ellingrud.” And that doesn’t even list all the folks from other classes! Thanks for all the news, Roger, and congratulations on everything!


Jo Golub, 851 Indian Rock Ave., Berkeley, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

Greetings, ’98s! I hope some of you are headed up to school for Green Key Weekend, which is on May 20-22! Oh you know you want to. Go ahead! 


And while you’re on campus you can stop by and check in on our classmates who are currently studying and teaching at Dartmouth! Don’t forget, Obianuju Anya was awarded the 2010-11 Thurgood Marshall Dissertation Fellowship to write her doctoral thesis in residence from August 2010 to August 2011 in collaboration with faculty from the African and African-American studies, Spanish and Portuguese, and linguistics departments. Uju, her husband, Robert Vaindiner, and their son Dimitri are in Hanover for the year! And remember that Peter Lanfer is teaching in the religion department through spring 2011. Stop by his office in Thornton Hall if you are on campus!


In non-Hanover news we have two Valentine’s Day (or close) babies to celebrate! Chad Trexler and his wife, Taryn, were overjoyed to welcome daughter Wynne Marguerite into the world on Valentine’s Day to “great squalling and kicking of her long, froggy feet.” They think she’s fantastic. For those of you who like the details, Wynne was born 7 pounds, 1 ounce, 20 inches long, has huge eyes and a mass of wavy dark hair. Congratulations, Chad and Taryn!


And then, one day later, on February 15 Nora Bryan Behrens and Scott Behrens welcomed their third child, son Miles Richard Behrens. Big brother Bryan and big sis Rowan have so far been very welcoming to the newcomer. The Behrens family lives in Incline Village, Nevada. Check them and their restaurant, Tomaato’s, out if you make it up to the North Lake Tahoe area! Congrats, guys!


I hope everyone’s doing well and enjoying the spring weather in your neck of the woods. Please write in with your news, whether momentous and life changing or just a fun update on what you’re up to and where you are. We want to hear it all! Until next time, take care.


Jo Weingarten Golub, 93 Arlington Ave., Kensington, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

Greetings, ’98s! Our reunion is fast approaching and the reunion committee is spending a ton of time putting together all the activities and plans for the big weekend! We hope you’ve got June 14-16 on your calendar and are planning on being there! 


A letter went out in the late fall with lots of information for reunion. If you did not receive it, please contact me so that we can make sure the right address is on file with the class and with Dartmouth! We want all of you to have the information you need to join us on the Green!


In this month’s news I heard from Jojo Blaxall Longnecker. Jojo and her husband, Jeff, welcomed their third child, Edward John Longnecker, on October 4, 2012. Big sister Eve (4.5) and big brother George (3) are very excited! Jojo and her family have been living in Boston for the last 15 years, and she’s looking forward to seeing everyone at reunion in June!


I also heard from Shannon Laughlin-Tommaso, whogot married last year to Chris Tommaso in Chicago. Classmate (and former roommate) Elizabeth Magner joined in the festivities. And on October 30, 2012, Shannon and Chris welcomed their little girl Ella Kathleen (who shares her birthday with her dad). Shannon is currently working at Mayo Clinic, and she reports that the family is enjoying life in Minnesota!


Thanks for the news, ladies! Members of ’98, please keep sending in news, and plan on being in Hanover in June! If you have even a little time and would like to help out with the planning, please contact me and I’ll get you in touch with the right people. See you soon!


Jo Golub, 851 Indian Rock Ave., Berkeley, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

It was great to hear about some new additions to the ’98 family in late 2011. Betsy and Khalid Roberts announced the arrival of Paige Elizabeth Roberts on November 1, 2011. Paige weighed in at 8 pounds, 4 ounces, and was 21 inches long at birth. She and her parents are doing great. The Roberts family is living in Woodbridge, Connecticut. Congratulations, Betsy and Khalid!


And Maya Lodish and Jay Zimmerman welcomed Talia Hannah Zimmerman on November 17, 2011. Talia weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces, and was 19 inches long. Big sister Isabelle is happy about and adjusting to her new role and is keeping her parents entertained with her observations about little Talia. The Zimmerman family lives in Bethesda, Maryland. Congratulations, guys!


I also wanted to let the class know about a change in the class officer ranks, as well as to send out an invitation to join us in class activity planning. After three and a half great years Anil Doshi is stepping aside from his post as class president and I am going to step in to fill out the rest of his term. Anil, thank you so much for all the time you put into our class and for everything you’ve done!


If you can believe it, we are just a year and a half out from our next big reunion! I will be talking with the other class officers in the coming months to set a plan for the last 18 months of this term and to plan for our 15th reunion. We would love to have help from any and all of you! If you’re interested in participating—either with planning a mini-reunion in your area, helping with the 15th reunion committee or helping out in any other way—please reach out to me using the contact information listed here. Any bit of time or energy that you can spare will be put to good use! Have a great spring, everyone!


Jo Golub, 851 Indian Rock Ave., Berkeley, CA 94707


Hey, ’98s! I hope that the winter’s been treating you well and that the approaching spring brings all kinds of good things! Speaking of which, here are a few good things I’ve heard from our classmates:


In our most recent news, Kelley Moohr Kinney and her husband, Aaron, welcomed their new baby boy, Pierce, on November 9, 2010. The Kinney family lives in San Francisco and Kelley is a brand-new partner in the Palo Alto office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where she practices in the litigation and securities litigation departments. Congratulations on everything, Kelley! That’s a pretty great way to start 2011—as a new partner and new mom!


I also got an update from Sara Tullis Wester and Forest Wester, who report that they live in Miami and just had their second child, Ellie, in June 2010. Their oldest, Drennen, turned 2 in September. Sara is an oculoplastic surgeon at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami and Forest is a principal at Trivest Partners, a leveraged buyout firm in Miami. 


Sara and Forest often see Kara Josephberg Paldino and her husband, Chris, who live nearby. They’ve also gotten visits from Danielle Guthrie Johnson, her husband Teddy ’94, and their two boys Teddy and Charlie; and from Lisa Zeytoonjian Glenn, her husband, Rich, and their two girls Olive and Callie. 


Sara and Forest also get to see Dune Thorne and Neville McCaghren a bunch because they often visit Florida to see family. Sara reports that Dune and Neville just welcomed their third baby in June 2010, too! Congratulations, Dune and Neville! And thanks for all the news, Sara!


Have a great spring, everyone, and please write n with all your exciting news!


Jo Weingarten Golub, 93 Arlington Ave., Kensington, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

This issue of the magazine will be hitting your mailboxes after our 15th reunion has passed, but it has to be written before the reunion has taken place! So stay tuned for the next issue, which will have more news about our reunion and how fabulous it will be/was! In the meantime, a bit of news.


Huge congratulations go out to Christine DuRocher Carrino! Chris and her husband, Justin, welcomed Rosalie Ruth Carrino to the world on March 19. Rosalie was born in Lima, Peru, where the Carrinos are currently living. She weighed 3.5 kilograms at birth and measured 52.5 centimeters. Congratulations, guys! We will miss seeing you and meeting Rosalie at this reunion, so you’d better come for the next one!


Looking forward to seeing everyone on the Green and reporting back on the fun we have there!


Jo Golub, 851 Indian Rock Ave., Berkeley, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

Erin Wright and her husband, Eric Pilotte ’95, welcomed baby Andrew George on October 19. Andrew “is absolutely adored by his big sister Caroline (who shares a birthday with Betsy Lewis’ baby girl Paige, by the way).” Erin and her family live in Benicia, California, where Erin is a veterinarian and Eric is looking for a position as an elementary school teacher. 


C.J. Gelinas and his wife, Lauren, had their first child, Livia Ann Gelinas, on March 8. Livia was 6 pounds, 15 ounces, and 20 inches long at birth. C.J. says that Livia’s name was inspired by “the excellent classics education I received from our friends in Reed Hall!” The Gelinas family lives in Jersey City, New Jersey. C.J. is a counsel in the capital markets group at SNR Denton US LLP, and an adjunct professor at the financial services LL.M. program at New York Law School. 


Carter Jackson and his wife, Sarah Kate, welcomed baby girl Sofie Beatrice Jackson on March 15th. The Jacksons “are living out in Brooklyn, New York, and are busy with our new lives as parents of Sofie and the theater group we launched in 2011, d.i.r.t. company. After a wildly successful season of staged short-play readings at the Players Club last fall (called DIRTy SHORTs), 2012 is off-to a great start, with one of our plays from the readings making it into the finals of the 18th Annual American Globe Fifteen Minute Play Festival. (Support for our semifinal performance included fellow ’98 and N.Y.C. theater heavyweight Kyle Ancowitz).”


Tanner Morris Van Dusen and her husband, Edwin, welcomed Tate Alburn Van Dusen, who arrived a few days late on March 28. Tanner reports that Tate “weighed in at a whopping 10 pounds, 2 ounces. He has been a total joy and we are all slowly adjusting to life as a family of four. Max is thoroughly enjoying his new ‘big brother’ status and is very grateful that Tate did not arrive on his actual due date (the 26th), which happened to also be Max’s third birthday. I’m sure there will be plenty of years of joint birthday parties but at least each boy has his own day.” The family recently moved from Chicago to the suburb of Lake Forest. She says, “It’s been wonderful to have my family nearby and we are enjoying life in the burbs but certainly miss the hustle and bustle of city life (not to mention takeout).” Tanner also recently incorporated her own business, where she does freelance consulting work in market research and strategy. “It’s been a great (but busy) balance of work and mommyhood.”


Kara Josephberg Paldino and her husband, Chris, welcomed Jackson Miles Paldino to the world on March 29. Jackson was 6 pounds and 14 ounces and 19 inches long. Kara reports, “Big sister Livia is thrilled and loving him! We also just bought a new house in Miami Beach so are now officially Floridians. I am still working as a production lawyer for Bravo’s unscripted programming.”


Sara Lewandowski Proulx and her husband, Scott, welcomed Brendan Leo Proulx on April 12. Brendan—who weighed 7 pounds and 13 ounces and was 21 inches long—joins big brother Ryan, who is just 18 months old, “so we have our hands full!” Sara says. The Proulx family lives in Rye, New York. And Sara reports that she’s “still working at Brown Brothers (going on 13 years now!) but enjoying a summer vacation of maternity leave.”


Congratulations, everyone! Please keep sending in news and be on the lookout for a mini-reunion near you in the summer of 2012!


Jo Golub, 851 Indian Rock Ave., Berkeley, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

Remember sophomore summer, friends? Just writing this column up and thinking about when it will be published—deep in the heart of summer—makes me think back to what a great time that was. If only things were so easy now, right?


Well, at least I can say that it seems like the class is doing just fine! You guys have been pretty quiet recently, so I don’t have a lot of news, but I think that just means everyone is happily busy!


For this issue the spotlight is all on Mr. Adrian Durbin and his new bride! I’ll let him say it in his own words: “On January 15 I was lucky enough to marry Claudia Launer-Campos, a Harvard ’98 whom I met at the beginning of 2009. The wedding took place along the San Francisco Embarcadero and was attended by several Dartmouth alums, including ’98s John Ladson, Ryan Gilfoil, Dan O’Neill and Alex Katz as well as my dad, Jerry Durbin ’68, and uncle Tack Burbank ’70. Claudia and I live in San Francisco, where she works as in-house counsel for Macy’s and I am a director of corporate public affairs for McKesson, a large health services company. We recently got the fantastic news that we are expecting a child in early December, so, first things first, I’m planning to play as much golf as possible before then.” Congratulations on all this fantastic news, Adrian!


As for the rest of you, enjoy your summer and let me know about how things are going! 


Jo Weingarten Golub, 93 Arlington Ave., Kensington, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

Happy New Year, 1998s! The year ahead is a big one for us, with our reunion coming up June 14-16 back on campus! Stay tuned for news about reunion and multiple mini-reunion events that will be happening around the country!


Jo Golub, 851 Indian Rock Ave., Berkeley, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you’re all kicking the new year off well and have great things planned for 2012. Among those things, I hope, will be some great mini-reunions around the country. Our 15th reunion is—believe it or not—coming up next year, so it would be great for folks to start getting together and gearing up for the big party in Hanover. If you have any interest in throwing together a fun, mini-reunion bash, please reach out to the class officers (or to me, and I’ll put you in touch with the right folks). For Bay Area people, I’d love to organize something this spring or summer, so please let me know if you’re interested in helping out!


In terms of news, we need to send belated congratulations to Adam Himoff and Andrea Stern Himoff, who welcomed daughter Madeline Elsie on July 11, 2011. Madeline “was born about a week late but then nearly popped out in our Subaru on the way to the hospital. We just made it and Andrea delivered her in the ER three minutes after our arrival.” Big sister Isabel (2.5 years) couldn’t be happier about her new plaything, Adam reports. Andrea and Adam live in Los Angeles with their brood, which also includes new dog Huckleberry. Andrea is a writer/screenwriter and Adam recently graduated with top honors from UCLA Anderson’s M.B.A. program and is in the process of launching a private equity investment venture with a business partner. Adam reports, “When we’re lucky, we get to hang out with fellow ’98s Max Swedlow, Marc Cohen, Jeff Wadlow, Doug Burnaford, Tim Bruckner and Melissa Lodoen.” Thanks so much for the news, Adam, and congratulations to the Himoffs! 


If you have news of any kind—family-related, job-related, moving-related or just of general update interest—please send it along! One of the best things about the magazine is getting to see what your classmates are up to, so don’t be shy! Have a great rest of the winter, and let me know if anyone heads up for Winter Carnival, which is the weekend of February 10-12!


Jo Golub, 851 Indian Rock Ave., Berkeley, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

Happy New Year, ’98s! To kick things off I have an update from Peter Lanfer, who finished his Ph.D. in Near Eastern languages and cultures at UCLA in June 2010. Now, Peter is returning to Hanover to teach in the religion department in winter and spring 2011! Stop by his office in Thornton Hall if you are on campus. And if you can’t make it to Hanover, keep an eye out for Peter’s wife Sarah (UVA ’02) as April Kepner on Grey’s Anatomy. Congrats, guys!


I also heard from Kristen Hinman: In early 2005 Kristen was working in St. Louis, Missouri, and reporting a story about a Democratic campaign staffed, among others, by a friendly Marine named Tim Embree. As Kristen wrote, “For some reason, after I quoted one of Tim’s off-color comments in the piece, he still wanted to buy me a drink! Four years and one tour in Iraq later we got hitched in Rome, New York, where I’m from, with many Dartmouth alums (going all the way back to the class of 1946) in attendance.” Kristen and Tim recently moved to D.C., where he works on legislative issues for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and Kristen is a freelance reporter. They’ve enjoyed reconnecting with Kytja Weir and her husband, Binya Appelbaum, and Jess Clark and her husband, Mike Harney, as well as Jon Heavey ’97 and Meghan Drueding ’97 and her husband, Tim O’Rourke. Thanks for the great update, Kristen—and hello to all you D.C.-dwellers!


In other news, the fall was a big baby time for the ’98s. First Matt Gordon got in touch to announce the arrival of Liam Alexander Gordon, who was born September 27, 2010, at a solid 9 pounds. “QB for the class of ’31!” (Wow, that’s a crazy number!) Matt, his wife, Kelly, and Liam live in Riverdale, New York. Matt works as a project manager for a web software company in Manhattan. Congrats, Gordons!


Next up is Eli Joseph Vogel, born September 30, 2010. Alex and Natalie (Wood) Vogel and big sister Calista (2 1/2 years) are very excited to welcome Eli and everyone is doing well. The Vogel family had a big fall adventure in 2010, with a move to Philadelphia for Alex’s fellowship in interventional radiology. Natalie is taking a temporary leave from pediatrics to take care of the kids for this gap year. And they’re interviewing for the next move, one that they hope will be more permanent, after moving from Massachusetts to Seattle and then Tucson, Arizona, during the last 10 years. But they’re enjoying their current digs: “Philly’s urban lifestyle is treating us well. We’re enjoying walking everywhere, neighbors who actually talk to one another and the food!” Natalie also reported the fun news that she and Alex have had the chance to reconnect with fellow ’98 Peter Yoo, his wife, Jocelyne, and their beautiful 3-month-old daughter Carolina. Peter and his family, like the Vogels, are in Philly for his fellowship, in transplant surgery. Congrats to the Vogels and the Yoos on the new arrivals! 


Finally, Nicolle Haneman Keally and Alex Keally welcomed Cassidy Elsie Keally to the world on October 14, 2010. Alex reports that Cassidy was “21 inches and a scale-topping 9 pounds, 6 ounces (so much for the sub-8 predicted).” Alex and Nicolle’s older daughter Hadley is 2 now and is by all reports being a great big sister. Alex confesses, “We recently moved out of Boston to the suburbs and also bought a minivan so we’re feeling very mature.” Yes, we’re all feeling frighteningly mature these days. Congrats, you guys!


Jo Weingarten Golub, 93 Arlington Ave., Kensington, CA 94707; jgolub@kvn.com

Portfolio

Book cover that says How to Get Along With Anyone
Alumni Books
New titles from Dartmouth writers (March/April 2025)
Woman wearing red bishop garments and mitre, walking down church aisle
New Bishop
Diocese elevates its first female leader, Julia E. Whitworth ’93.
Reconstruction Radical

Amid the turmoil of Post-Civil War America, Amos Akerman, Class of 1842, went toe to toe with the Ku Klux Klan.

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Kirsten Gillibrand ’88
A U.S. senator on 18 years in Washington, D.C.

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