Loads of news this edition and most said they would be at the Reunion Memorial Day Weekend!
Liza Carter published a well-reviewed book, Moving with the Seasons: Portrait of a Mongolian Family. Check it out: MovingwiththeSeasons.com.
Jim Flynn writes in from New England: “Claudia Mosher ’78 and I are living in St. Johnsbury, Vt. I am raising money for our community hospital, which is doing some interesting work in primary care and management of patients with chronic disease. Claudia is working in admissions at nearby Lyndon State College. Our daughter, Kate, is living in San Francisco and our son, Zach, is a senior at UVM.”
Katherine L. McKenna lives an interesting life in Woodstock, N.Y., as an artist. Her daughter is in high school. Her husband Mark is busy with his company Markertek, which caters to the broadcast industry. She is exhibiting 12 new paintings at the Rockwell Museum of Western Art, Corning, N.Y., in an exhibition called Painted Journeys: In the Spirit of the American West, which runs Jan. 29th through May 14, 2014. Her next exhibition is in Wickenburg, Ariz., at the Desert Caballeros Museum, Cowgirl Up!, March 21–May 14, 2014.
Shari Runner had the distinct pleasure of accompanying 23 teens to China this summer. She commented: “We visited Bejing and Shanghai, as guests of the Chinese government. For 13 weeks our students studied Chinese language, society, and culture in preparation for the two-week trip. These kids came from various levels of exposure; some had never left Chicago, been on a plane, or left the country. Having traveled the world early in my career as a foreign exchange trader, I can easily say this was the most important trip I have ever taken. The people we met, food we tasted, the art, artifacts, and monuments we saw, and the knowledge we gained was beyond our wildest expectations. Standing in Tiananmen Square, climbing the Great Wall, exploring Las Vegas-like big cities, and walking an old river town was humbling. I have a newly expanded family of incredible youth who are now global citizens, new Chinese friends, and memories of an ancient culture facing the 21st century. Never did I think my work at the Chicago Urban League would take me in this direction. I could never have imagined spending all of my life in Hyde Park, in Chicago, or the U.S. I grew, like our class anthem, singing ‘ain’t no stoppin’ us now’—now these kids know that, too!”
Robin Locke Nagele writes: “I am a healthcare attorney and principal in the law firm of Post & Schell in Philadelphia. My clients are largely hospitals and health systems. Yesterday, my son Chris turned 20, causing me to think back nostalgically on a wild ride up the N.J. Garden State Parkway at 4:00 a.m. two decades ago, when, stopped for speeding, my husband was able to say, quite truthfully, “Officer, my wife is having a baby!” Chris is now a sophomore at Haverford College, studying astrophysics. My daughter, Rosie, is a senior in high school, knee deep in college applications—and, yes, Wesleyan is on the list. My husband Drew, a neuropsychologist is now executive director of Beechwood Neuro Rehab. On Labor Day, we spent an enjoyable afternoon with KJ Browner-Elhanon and her husband, Gai, chatting and watching the rain fall at Arthur Ashe stadium, where the US Open tennis we had come to see was not happening. And last year at this time, I had fun seeing Julie Doern ’80, Laura Tully, and other alums with their kids at Wesleyan’s Alumni Sons & Daughters college program.
Matt Okun says he may not be the first in our class to be a grandparent, but he is probably the happiest. He writes: “My daughter, Nina, who was married about two years ago, is just about to turn 30! She is pregnant and due in February. My youngest, Lia, is hard at work on her PhD in psychology at the New School. My wife, Annie, and I just celebrated our third anniversary. I am still teaching for Seattle Public Schools and diligently hunting for a faculty job in teacher education in a ‘blue’ state on either coast.”
This past August, Julie Hacker was a speaker with her partner, Stuart Cohen, at the CRAN (Custom Residential Architect’s Network-AIA) symposium on On Adding On: Incremental Architecture. “I also sat next to architect alumni Joan Craig at a ‘Luxe Home’ event in September and caught up with her and her practice. As a fellow of the AIA, I have been mentoring young architects, helping them navigate this crazy profession in these crazy times. My son, Gabriel, started his first undergraduate year at RISD.”
Ann Kaplan: “Since our 30th Reunion, a lot has happened. The organization I work for vastly expanded and moved to a larger space. My own project, focused on measuring education fundraising outcomes, is also thriving. My daughter, Ariel, works as an elite personal trainer at Crunch Fitness. She also models and studies pole dancing. She can deadlift 200 pounds! My passion has been traveling and scuba diving. Since we last saw each other on campus, my scuba travel has taken me to Saba, Belize, Grand Turk, Little Cayman, Bali, Komodo, Alors, and Sipidan. On the way to Sipidan, I took a breathtaking side trip to the primary rain forest in Borneo. This month marks a year since Sandy hit the city. I lived in a hotel for most of a week, though I hardly suffered compared to true victims of the storm. I’m looking forward to my “F*ck You, Sandy” memorial bar crawl, when some friends and I will revisit the establishments that were open and became refugee club houses during that crazy week. I’ll be wearing my 12/12/12 concert T-shirt and a big smile! I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in Middletown in May. Different T-shirt. Same smile.”
Marcie Greenfield-Simons reports in with the sad news of the death of Fran Smith and offers the following tribute:
Fran Smith became my friend in August, 1975, on our first day at Wesleyan, where we both lived in Foss Hill Five. She became my hero in October, 2002, the day of her son’s bar mitzvah — one day after she was first diagnosed with breast cancer. What ensued for the next eleven years was inspirational.
I have great memories of Fran in college – she was generous: always sharing her mother’s care packages of home-made cookies, or offering help with some tough assignment; she was fun: struggling through the step-shuffle-shuffle-ball-change as we auditioned for a 92nd St. Theater performance; and she was passionate about lab research: setting her alarm for 5:15 AM to be there for the hatching of the damn fruit flies. Fran was brilliant and humble, silly and wise. She flew from New York to Boston to surprise me for my 18th birthday. I was so happy and stunned to see her that I fell down the stairs, which dislodged a kidney stone and landed me in the hospital a few days later. We laughed about that for years. Fran was there for me when my father died unexpectedly at age 44 during my sophomore year.
Fran received her PhD in Biology from Johns Hopkins University, did post-doctoral work at University of North Carolina, and subsequently served on the faculty at UNC, UMass Medical Center and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Fran married David Echelman whom she met while at Johns Hopkins. Fran and David’s honeymoon was planned so that partway through, they could my wedding to Richard Simons. Over the next fifteen years, Fran and David had three wonderful boys, Daniel, Matthew and Adam.
When her boys were very young, Fran found her true calling. She wanted to bring her love of science into their preschool, so began volunteering weekly and became known as “Fran, the Science Lady.” As her boys grew, Fran became involved in elementary school science, and eventually joined the faculty of Worcester Academy in Worcester, Massachusetts where she taught for ten years. Twice the student body dedicated their yearbook to “Doc Smith,” and she was the only teacher ever to be voted twice as “Teacher of the Year.”
Fran had an illustrious career while been published many times and receiving numerous awards and accolades –but you can read that elsewhere. What distinguished Fran as a truly extraordinary human being was her ability to change people’s lives – literally. A good number of today’s young scientists were inspired by Fran, their chemistry teacher. So many adolescents, who were in pain due to personal issues and family hardships found solace because of the support, guidance and love provided by Fran.
Back to 2002. Fran and David decided to approach the cancer treatment aggressively. Five weeksafter the diagnosis, on the day before Thanksgiving, David was killed in an automobile accident. He was exactly the age my father had been at his death, and now, at age 44, Fran was a widow, the mother of three boys, ages 7-13, and one who had to get up from her mourning to return to chemotherapy.
I have never known anyone stronger. Fran followed through with the plan she and David had made which included chemotherapy, radiation and a double mastectomy. She was resolute that she would get well. And she did. She returned to teaching, was an ever-present mom who allowed her boys to grow with independence, and, never having been a distance bike rider, trained to ride in the Pan Mass Challenge, the largest bike-a-thon fundraiser in the country, with all proceeds going to Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
In 2005, Fran became the faculty advisor of Worcester Academy’s “Walk and Rock,” a combination walk-a-thon and music festival also dedicated to raising funds for Dana Farber. This event proved to be empowering and nourishing for many of Fran’s students who had experienced their own losses.
Outside of school, Fran lived vibrantly. There was great joy in Fran’s home, and she and the boys laughed a lot. They hiked, kayaked, traveled, went to theater and the movies and spent time with friends. Fran and I cherished our annual family get-togethers, dinner and game-night in the Berkshires. Our children became like family. Fran was the personal tutor for each of our daughters as they navigated the pleasures of AP chemistry!
About three years ago, when Fran and the boys were visiting our home, she complained that she’d been suffering pain in her arm. We tried to hide our alarm and worry – and were devastated but not too surprised to learn a few weeks later that the cancer had returned. And metastasized.
After signing on for a clinical trial at Dana Farber, the next big decision Fran made was to travel with Daniel, Matthew and Adam. She had never visited Israel, and wanted to go there as a family while she was able. The trip meant suspending the treatment for a few weeks, and it meant travelling with three strapping, athletic sons — the ultimate physical challenge. The “Brothers”, as Daniel, Matthew and Adam refer to themselves, did test Fran every day, and she passed with flying colors. It was a vacation of a lifetime.
Fran always went for aggressive treatment because she was adamant about living for as long as possible — wanting to see her boys graduate, first from high school, then college. She shared with me her hopes to see them married, and maybe even become a grandmother. She knew that participating in clinical trials was risky, but she trusted her Dana Farber medical team and was willing to try anything – even when she had to travel multiple times a week through Boston rush-hour traffic, and spend 12 or 14 hours a day at the hospital. I can’t count how many times she said, “I’ll do whatever I have to do – anything, to be here for my boys.” Fran was blessed with the most spectacular friends and neighbors who helped her every step of the way. Of course, to have good friends, you must be a good friend.
Back in the late ‘70s, Fran, our roommate Cathy Chin and I had gone to a James Taylor concert. In 2012 Fran told me that she really wanted to see him again, and knew he performed every summer at Tanglewood, near my home. We made a date. By July 4th, Fran was already pretty tired. We were able to squeeze a nap in between Pittsfield’s Hometown Parade and the concert. It was a glorious day from start to finish – the kind of day you remember for years to come.
Worcester Academy invited Fran to be the graduation speaker this past May. Her youngest son, Adam, a member of the graduating class, was a student speaker, making the day even more special. With all her wisdom and life experience, Fran’s remarks hit it out of the park; she shared important life lessons about resilience, support, perspective, friends and happiness. Everyone in the auditorium that day knew Fran’s story. Her presentation was tremendous – she made everyone cry, but she made us all laugh, too.
At the beginning of August, Fran wasn’t feeling well. The doctors found brain lesions. Even then, Fran said she was still in fighting mode and there was reason to be hopeful. She agreed to start full brain radiation and then take whatever next steps were recommended. At the same time, she made plans to take Adam to his first day of college. Two weeks later, she did just that, and made his bed just as she had done for Daniel and Matthew on their first day of college.
In early September, about five days before she passed away, Fran shared with us that she was ready to go. She knew she had fought a good fight, and didn’t want any more pain and suffering. Even in that decision, Fran showed tremendous courage. We took Fran to sit outside one last time. She smiled serenely and commented how beautiful everything looked, including the garden she and the boys had planted in David’s memory.
I miss Fran very much, but when I feel sad and teary, I remind myself that I can honor Fran best by emulating her, by being resilient, brave, hopeful and, above all, by finding joy in life every day. And when I talk or visit with Daniel, Matthew and Adam, three truly remarkable young men, I know Fran, my friend and my hero, is still here on earth.
Gary Breitbord and Ann Biester Deane
gbreitbo@aol.com
Abdeane@gmail.com
