CLASS OF 1999 | 2017 | ISSUE 2
Ed Hong and a gang of other Wes alumni gathered on idyllic Lake Champlain in Shelburne, Vt., during Memorial Day Weekend to celebrate the marriage of their dear friend, Andrew Merz, to the equally hilarious and kind Simone Lichty. Joining their group were classmates Sam Hoyt, Grace Kim, Rebecca Slotnick, Chris Brody, Jesse Feldman, Richard Kruger, and Janice Gabucan Kruger ’98, and our various partners and kids. Ed is happy to report that they are holding up pretty well at 40. Also in attendance were Bill Purinton ’58, Eric Oliver ’88, and Nils Vaule ’98.
On January 9, Jennifer Karlin and her husband welcomed their first son. They have fun introducing him to all their friends, including Laura Plageman, Jonathan Bloch, Ben Work, Christoph Hanssmann, and Lauren Borowsky, and Jen’s current co-resident, Kaitlyn Krauss ’08.
Jose Stevenson and his wife, Dalia, welcomed their first son, Emmanuel Angel, on May 28, born 7 pounds and 15 ounces. They are head over heels in love with him and are adjusting to all the delights and challenges of new parenthood. Jose’s new favorite pastime is staring down at his son sleeping on his chest.
Elizabeth Shulman and her husband, Andrew Mastronarde, welcomed their second redheaded, Canadian-U.S. dual citizen baby on October 5. Her name is Mia Leona Mastronarde. She is a sweet, smiley girl who loves music and finds her brother to be hilarious.
Ike and Liz Botein Walker ’98 live in Acton, Mass., with their two kids, Rachel (12) and Izzy (9). In November, Ike ran the New York City Marathon for the first time, and classmates Dan Ryan, Jac Lahav ’00, Jada Shapiro, and Shanna Handel cheered him on in Brooklyn. In January, Ike started a new job, putting his computer science degree to use as a database architect for GitHub.
Lena Sadowitz moved back to Connecticut with David Andrews ’02 and their four kids (9, 7, 4, 1). Lena works for Loomis Chaffee and enjoys finding other Wes alumni on campus. She is getting used to a less urban lifestyle, including a barn full of bats and a pond full of frogs. They are happy to have more room for their coffee and baking equipment and they welcome Cardinal visitors!
Susan Landau is a neuroscientist at UC, Berkeley doing research on brain changes in Alzheimer’s disease. Susan and her husband, Pierre Garrigues, have a 4-year-old, Gabriel, and a 1-year-old, Claire, who keep them on their toes.
Dani Snyder-Young is joining the faculty at Northeastern University to teach theater. She and her husband and 2-year-old daughter are very excited to move to Boston.
Amy Martin was featured in the Houston Chronicle for her work representing an appellate client who was convicted of capital murder. Her husband, Zack Becker, sat a five-day zen session with friends at the Houston Zen Center—and survived!
Abby Levine, who has the privilege of teaching dance back at Wes, reports with a sad and heavy heart that her dearest friend and our classmate, Andy Williamson, passed away unexpectedly on May 5. Many Wes folks have come together in NYC and Los Angeles to mourn and celebrate Andy’s life. Donations may be made to the Andy Williamson Memorial Scholarship Fund at Shire Village Camp.
Eve Andrias, Hannah Blitzer, and Nina Kontos had a joint 40th birthday party with about a dozen Wes friends.
Kevin and I continue to enjoy life at 40 and hope each of you are celebrating this milestone by partying like it’s 1999. Be good, be well, and be in touch!
C. Darryl Uy | darryl.uy@gmail.com
Kevin Kumler | kevinkumler@gmail.com