CLASS OF 1988 | 2015 | ISSUE 2
Peter writes for this edition.
Sarah Rickless Baker reports that she has been studying and teaching at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., for the past 10 years. “I am now on the slow track to a PhD in writing and rhetoric. In addition to lots of teaching, last year I became director of the Northern Virginia Writing Project (nvwp.org), which runs and hosts programs for K–12 teachers and young writers. I live in Arlington, Va., have a 13-year-old daughter (we celebrated a bat mitzvah this May), and make good use as a teen-sitter of the older daughter of our one-block-down Wes neighbors Eric Lotke ’87 and Amy Mortimer ’87.
Kara Stern shares: “After a lifetime in NYC, my family and I are moving up to Woodstock, N.Y., where I will be head of school at Woodstock Day School (thanks to a tip from Adam Rohdie ’89). Would love to connect with Wes folks in the area!”
Justine Gubar’s new book, Fanaticus: Mischief and Madness in the Modern Sports Fan, hit bookstores June 16th. I pre-ordered it!
Rich Pham contributes: “I managed to catch up with Rob James in Las Vegas back in April. We had some great meals and spent most of the evening talking about Wes. As you may know, I have been living abroad for the past 20 years (Tokyo, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh, Singapore) and loving it. I now live in Ho Chi Minh and anyone stopping by should give me a shout. I managed to get on the cover of Esquire Vietnam. They did a cover story on me as a businessman with a unique hobby of racing. I have been racing formula and touring cars for the past nine years in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.”
Kellina Craig-Henderson updates: “I continue to enjoy my post heading the National Science Foundation’s regional office in Tokyo, located in the U.S. Embassy.”
Daniel Rosenberg writes from the Northwest: “Mai-Lin and I are finally back home in Eugene, Ore., after two years of academic adventures in Berlin, Germany, and in the SF Bay Area. Along the way, our 2-year-old, Milo, became 4 and fluent in German, and acquired a younger sister, Beatrice, now a year-and-a-half old. We’ve stayed in touch with old Wesleyan friends, including beloved mentors, Richard Ohmann, Henry Abelove, and Laurie Nussdorfer.”
Jacqueline Freedman Bershad lets us know that “Since graduation I lived in S.F., went to architecture school in N.C., and spent 20 years in Philly. There I grew up, married a nice guy named Joe, designed museums and zoos, and had a kid. Last year we moved to Baltimore. I was lucky to land a job at the National Aquarium as VP for capital planning and facilities.”
My fellow R.I. resident Gail Agronick advises: “My husband, daughters, and I are still in Smithfield, celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary, and Zoe is graduating from high school this week. Addie will be a sophomore in high school next year. She is curious about Wes, so I have hope yet.”
After 20-plus years in various marketing roles, Chris Pearson embarked on a career change, trading a desk job for building tiny homes. He and his wife, Susan, are somewhat dumbfounded that they are so old their eldest daughter, Paige, is now embarking for college. They also have an eighth-grader daughter and live happily in Santa Cruz, Calif.
Steve Morison lets us know that “after four lovely years in Jordan at King’s Academy, my wife and I have found a new home at St. Stephen’s School in Rome. We spend our summers in our cottage on Mount Desert Island in Maine. Next year, our daughter, Talia, will be a junior at St. Stephen’s. If you’re in the Eternal City for vacation, friend me on Facebook, and I’m happy to meet you for a drink.”
Majora Carter has launched a new 501(c)(3) incubator called Hometown Security Labs (www.hometownsecuritylabs.org).
John “Sparky” Ferrara happily reports, “All is moving forward here and life is good. The highlight of my year last year was watching Wesleyan baseball as an alumnus father of a Cardinal rookie, my son AJ ’18 (he is now also a XY brother). My daughter, Claudia, just finished her sophomore year in high school. My maniacal son Jack is just a banger—into football, lacrosse and wrestling. We just did a trip to the Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands, which, if you have never been, we would highly recommend as a bucket list box to check.”
David Silverberg is now the director of the Telego Center for Educational Improvement at Ashland University in Ohio, which provides university outreach to school districts across the country. He is president of the university’s chapter of Phi Delta Kappa International, the editor of the Ohio Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) Journal, and a faculty member of ASCD International’s professional development team.
Vivian Johnson is doing well. She resides in Oakwood, Ohio, with her 11-year-old adopted niece, Regina. For the summer, Vivian will be doing research at her alma mater, Harvard University, where she earned her Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.
The YMCA of Greater New York announced Sharon Greenberger as its new president and chief executive.