CLASS OF 1993 | 2016 | ISSUE 2
Sue writes: Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well. As you have probably heard, this has been an exciting summer for Wesleyan alumni everywhere with Lin-Manuel Miranda ’02 clinching a well-deserved Pulitzer Prize for his newest hit, Hamilton. While I haven’t yet been able to get a ticket (which is a testimony to the success of this show), it is indeed exciting for Wes alumni and particularly for the class of 2002.
Sarah and I have some exciting updates—trips around the world, new jobs, mini-Wes reunions, and a few marathons. If you haven’t sent an update lately, please write soon. It’s always fun hearing from a fellow Cardinal. And now, without further ado, here is the news from our neck of the woods.
Aaron Barr writes: “My wife and I are now back in Seattle after finishing out a 15-month, 18-country trip around the world, where we met and worked with indigenous artists in as many countries as we could. We documented the whole experience at NoMapRequired.com and continue to add to the site as a local blog. Slowly getting used to being back in the US again and staying in one place for more than a month. The job hunt has now begun!”
Christopher Cowan recently accepted an endowed chair faculty position at the Medical University of South Carolina, and will be moving his family and research lab from Boston to Charleston, S.C. in early June 2016.
Arik Greenberg led an interfaith march on Sunday, March 6, 2016, in Los Angeles as a show of solidarity from all faiths for our Muslim brothers and sisters living amid a world rife with Islamophobia. He still teaches at Loyola Marymount University, and is serving as dean of academics at the fledgling Ezra University, rapidly moving toward initial accreditation. He is also preparing for his first powerlifting meet on June 19.
Arthur Magni e-mails: “I still don my (pilfered) Cardinal-red team singlet with pride during races and did so at this year’s marathon, as I have for many other marathons. But before I continue, I should clarify that unlike past years when I officially qualified and lined up at the start, I only jumped in (bandited) at mile 7 this year to join a fellow alum, Jon Chesto, who started properly with a number and ran a quite impressive sub-3 for a 40-something on a warm day. I’m happy to report that while Jon was the more impressive runner, I got more call-outs from the crowd for ‘Go Wes’ or ‘Wesleyan!’ As a bonus, the supporters knew the difference in pronunciation between our alma mater and Wellesley.”
Emmanuelle Slossberg writes: “Just a quick note to let you know that my husband, Matt, and our daughters, Eva (8) and Mae (4), went to Amy Barrett’s ’94 house for a weekend in Claremont, Calif. Amy and Jonathan have two lovely boys, Everett and Desmond, and of course, let’s not forget Daisy, the Jack Russell queen of the house!
“With all of this parenting, I have realized the little that I know, notwithstanding books and books and ‘how to’s’ so I am organizing a small experimental workshop in New York City led by a wonderful Greek woman named Haroula Ntalla (child, couple and family therapist and professor) on parenting as a way to see how we can all benefit from a little ‘live’ guidance. I will keep you posted. At this point, everyone I speak to is quite receptive to the idea that we can always learn some basics vs. learning on the job. If you think about it, you can learn astrophysics and even playwriting, but one of the most important things we do is a little overlooked. Madeleine Lansky, who is a superstar child psychiatrist in San Francisco, was a great source of support—and humor, too! I also had a quick chat with Dina Kaplan who has since started her own incredible effort to get New Yorkers to meditate.”
Gavin Whitelaw also shared an update: “After eight years of working in Tokyo as associate professor of anthropology at International Christian University (ICU), my family and I will be moving back to the Boston area where I will take up the position of executive director of the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University.”
Suzanna Henshon | suzannahenshon@yahoo.com
Sarah Estow | sarah_estow@hotmail.com