Author: Randi Alexandra Plake

Thanks to everyone who answered the call (begging?) for submissions this time around. Glad to have some good stuff to share!

NEW SURROUNDINGS

Doug Russell and his family recently moved to Seattle, where he joined the child psychiatry faculty at the University of Washington. Dani Snyder-Young just moved back to Boston (with husband and toddler in tow) to join the faculty at Northeastern. Melissa Cantiello completed her lifelong dream of moving to the country last year when she relocated to the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York with her husband and two children. As a licensed clinical social worker, she continues to grow her local and web-based psychotherapy practice. Melissa recently enjoyed a visit from Jennifer Dorman. Jennifer is still based in Brooklyn, where she and her husband run a busy design-build landscaping company.

Jason Wong and Pao-Lin Tien moved to the D.C.-area in summer of 2016 with two girls (Zoe, 7, and Emma, 2). Jason works for Novavax, a biotech firm in Gaithersburg, Md., while Pao-Lin had a short stint at the Bureau of Economic Analysis as a research economist, and has now moved to a new position (assistant professor and director of undergraduate studies) in George Washington University’s economics department. They enjoy living in the Maryland suburb of Rockville, and there are lots of Wes alumni around including Rachel Mandal (who works only a few blocks away from where they live) and Nell Robinson. Naomi Huang ’00 also lives just a short drive away.

NEW GIGS

Jordan Vega recently started as a project manager at JPMorganChase in the Business Architecture and Transformation group. Living on the UES for about three years after too many years living in Murray Hill. “It’s ironic because JPM was my first job after Wes. Then after getting my MBA, and six-plus years at a smaller firm, I’m back to same bank where I began. Your email also reminded me the reach out to old friends today, so I’ve been playing phone tag and texting this evening with Geoff Dailey, who was my roommate freshman year in Clark. We both admitted to being the world’s worst former roommate since we only touch base about once year, but it’s always like no time as passed when we do talk to each other.” How about the rest of you? Reached out to your frosh roommate recently?

Ari Gerzon-Kessler had an eventful 2017. In late August, he married Sashi Gerzon-Rose in the mountains outside of their home in Boulder, Colo. William Messer blessed the couple with his presence at their small lakeside ceremony. After serving as an elementary school principal over the past six years, Ari was thrilled to start a new position for his local school district in October as director of parent and family partnerships, working primarily to empower Spanish-speaking families to engage more deeply in the school system. Ari is also working part-time as a financial wellbeing coach as he puts the final touches on a book about financial literacy aimed for people in their 20s and 30s. “Like all good Boulderites, Sashi and I spend much of our downtime in nature going on adventures with our Australian Shepherd pup.”

Katherine Goldberg’s editorial in the peer-reviewed journal, Veterinary Record, “Exploring Caregiver Burden Within a Veterinary Setting” was press released and picked up by several news organizations including CBS, Newsweek, and Huffington Post. The article focused on the first research paper devoted to caregiver burden in owners of seriously and terminally ill pets. No surprise, stress, anxiety, depression, and psychosocial distress are elevated in owners of seriously ill pets compared with healthy pets, and the implications for veterinarian wellbeing are significant. One quote that was picked up in several of the articles, “Arguably, the greatest stressors and most difficult moments for vets have little to do with the animal-related aspects of professional life, but rather the people-related ones. The emotional labor of veterinary medicine is significant; much of this emotional labor is related to client interactions, which can be particularly intense surrounding serious or terminal illness.”

NEW FAMILY MEMBERS

Bill Wilson and Mary Bridges welcomed Louisa Bridges Wilson to the world this February. Jennifer Schockett and husband, Dave, and welcomed their first baby, a boy, Max Lev, in 2016. They also bought their first house in Natick, Mass. “We’re so excited to be settling into our new life!”

NEW HORIZONS

Eve Fox met up with Sarah Benatar ’97 and Jonah Sachs ’97 and all their spouses in late September to celebrate the wedding of Ben Boothby ’97 to Darcy Yellin, overlooking the ocean in Bar Harbor, Maine.

In late September, Arthur Baraf celebrated his 40th birthday with Bill Foster, Alissa Farber, and Greg Tuzzolo ’00 in Providence, R.I., where he is in his 10th year as principal of The Met High School. These days, Arthur is also a Students-at-the-Center Distinguished Fellow, teaching graduate students at Providence College, producing the Student-Centered Learning Podcast, and fathering beautiful 6- and 8-year-old daughters.

Michael Hakim did his first triathlon and feels great! “The fear of long swims in the ocean is now over. It’s a mental and physical challenge and ready for the next challenge that comes my way.” If anyone is in the LA area, please reach out to him at Mike@mikehakim.com. “Wesleyan should postpone all sporting events on Yom Kippur!”

Marianna Ellenberg’s play Pawel and Ebola, which she wrote and will be directing, will premiere at The Kitchen in February. “I will be hosting a benefit for the play in November at David Lewis gallery in lower Manhattan, with a preview performance. All are welcome. The play stars rising independent film actor Hannah Gross as well as Tavish Miller and Erin Mullin from the Wooster Group.” www.mariannaellenberg.com

Suzanne Bouffard has a new book out! The Most Important Year. Here’s a link.

NEW SUBMISSIONS

Several submissions from classmates who have never sent in notes or at least not in the past decade: Erin Morris and fiance, Michael LoCascio, live in Wilton, Conn., with their two pugs. They both work in Stamford where Erin is a market research manager for Charter Communications and Michael is a senior consultant at The Benefit Practice. Madhu Kannapiran finished OSU med school in 2005, and moved up to Minneapolis with his wife, Kelly, a med school classmate. She went to Williams, coincidentally. They’ve been in Minne ever since. “I’m in pulmonary/critical care, and she’s a pediatrician. We’ve got two daughters, a mastiff, two chickens, fish and caterpillars. Life moves fast…”

Kevin Black catching us up on his life as a first-time submitter (woohoo!). “After graduation in 1999, I enrolled in a PhD program at Boston University and received a PhD in experimental particle physics in 2005. For five years I was first a post-doctoral scholar and then a research scientist at Harvard University. In 2010, I returned to Boston University as assistant professor of physics and was promoted in 2016 to associate professor with tenure. In 2017, I became director of graduate studies and associate chair. I have worked at the Large Hadron Collider for the last 12 years and was part of the team that discovered the Higgs Boson in 2012. I got married in India in 2006 and had a daughter in 2010 who is now in the first grade and currently live in Wellesley, Mass., not so far from the college.”

OLD CLASS OFFICERS

Darryl and Bob are bracing for another Maine winter, after enjoying the sun of summer. Kevin and family continue to amortize their investment in an old Toyota Corolla. Professor Dick Miller would be proud.

C. Darryl Uy | darryl.uy@gmail.com

Kevin Kumler | kevinkumler@gmail.com

Did anyone else catch our friend Kate Wetherhead’s opening skit on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in September? Drawing upon her Wesleyan English degree, she read a book on air. The book, The Emperor’s New Wall, served as witty commentary on President Trump’s promise to build a see-through wall at the Mexican border. I loved seeing our classmate on my television!

Also on television in September, Adam Abel’s organization, SkateQuilya was featured on NBC news. The organization is a youth empowerment program that uses skateboarding as a tool to teach art, community building, and leadership skills to Palestinian girls and boys in the West Bank.

In June, Joshua Stedman’s band, Brothers of Others (brothersofothers.com) released a new album, Space. Based in Miami, the band is described as “a trio of multi-instrumental artists…deeply influenced by the pioneers of blues, soul and rock.”

Lisa Ko’s debut novel, The Leavers, was longlisted for the National Book Award for fiction. The Leavers is the story of an 11-year-old whose mother, Polly, an undocumented Chinese immigrant, fails to return home one day from her job at a nail salon in Brooklyn—leaving the boy alone to navigate a new life as the adopted son of a well-meaning American couple in upstate New York.

I love to hear when my Wes friends are connecting with each other and making new memories together. Abby Posner shared with me that she, her husband Alan Rosen ’97, and their daughters spent time hiking in the White Mountains with Jill Kantrowitz Kunkel, her husband Greg ’95, and their sons over Labor Day weekend. As the families summited Mount Lafayette, they naturally trekked while singing “Guns and Ships” from Hamilton, making it a Wes outing through and through!

I don’t know about you, but I’m astonished that we will celebrate our 20th Reunion in May. I’m already looking forward to seeing all of you back on campus!

Marcus Chung | marcusbchung@gmail.com 

Jason Becton | jcxbecton@yahoo.com

Hi, Class of 1997. Thanks for writing in to share the lovely ways you are making the world a better place through your talents, your work and your love for your families and communities.

Huge congratulations to Joshua Dubler, assistant professor of religion at the University of Rochester, who is one of 33 national recipients of a 2016 Carnegie Award for his work studying prison abolition. More details here.

Alek Friedman Lev writes, “Desperately jealous of the amazing work that my WOW-buddy Mia Lobel has done producing the fantastic Revisionist History podcast with Malcolm Gladwell, I am hosting and producing Talking Buster Keaton, a podcast about the life and work of the great filmmaker. We talk to Leonard Matlin, Teller (of Penn & Teller fame) and our very own Jeanine Basinger. Go to talkingbusterkeaton.com.”

Congratulations to Trevor Griffey and Allison Perlman on their summer wedding in Seattle. They had a huge Wesleyan Greenhouse 1993-94 posse at the wedding. Courtney Cavellier, Jennifer Kelly-Dewitt and Mike Shen, Kevin Strait, Maria Magana, Ama Greenrose, Sabelo Narasimhan, Caleb Tucker-Raymond, and Caroline Cummins. Plus, Brodie Welch ’98, Lauren Berliner ’98, Monique Daviau (Smith ‘98, attended Wesleyan for a year), Sarah Wilkes ’00, Chris Wade ’00, Katrin Wilde ’92, and Abby Bass ’98 were in attendance.

Andrew Frishman and Leigh Needleman ’96 continue to love living just outside Central Square in Cambridge, Mass. Their two kids attend a Spanish/English bilingual immersion school, together with other Wes kiddos, including Laura Warren ’98’s. Andrew is the co-executive director of Big Picture Learning (bigpicture.org). They are doing amazing work to improve the education system in many places across the U.S. and internationally. Leigh started a new position last year as a liaison between architects and scientists assisting with the coordination of the design and construction of a very large new Harvard School for Engineering and Applied Sciences building just across the Charles River in Allston, Boston. And in their spare free time, they hang out with Jesse ’06 and Annie Leavitt ’06, and Christian Housh, and a number of other Wes folks.

Monica White is in England, teaching medieval Russian studies at the University of Nottingham. She recently visited Kazan and Vladimir with some of her students (Monica, please send us pictures —sounds amazing). In August, she was “delighted to get a visit” from Professor Emeritus Duffy White ’62 and his wife Izzy, who came to the University of Nottingham campus for lunch. “We enjoyed catching up about travels to Russia, our students, and research.”

Kevin O’Leary cannot believe it’s been 20 years since we’ve graduated. Neither can we, Kevin, neither can we. He’s living in Park Slope, Brooklyn, with husband Brian Esser and their sons Keith, 6, and Jason, 3. Kevin is a book collaborator/guide on numerous projects, including Gabrielle Union’s We’re Going to Need More Wine and Bob Roth’s Transcendental Meditation, Strength in Stillness. Kevin’s husband is a family law attorney and advocate for same-sex families, and “he is the bee’s knees.”

We look forward to hearing from you via e-mail. Your class co-secretaries,

Jessica Shea Lehmann | jessica.lehmann@gmail.com

Sasha Lewis Reisen | alewisreisen@gmail.com

Hello, all! Thanks to those who shared their news.

Shu-Mei Chan had an exhibition of ceramic works at Sculpture Space NYC in October.

Chris Meredith moved to Bellingham, Wash., to take a position in private practice with a group of three neurosurgeons. His two children are in preschool and pre-K and enjoying the outdoor life.

Colby Evans and Sara Kirchhoff Evans love living in Austin. They sold their dermatology practice last year and are spending more time on gardening (Sara) and coaching fencing (Colby). They visited Japan and Ireland this summer with their children, Quinn, 9, Malcolm, 8, and Ruby, 6. Colby completed his tenure as the chair of the board of the National Psoriasis Foundation and continues to volunteer with the organization.

Shelby Hyvonen writes, “After 15 years in California, we packed up two years ago and moved back East to raise our kids (Fern, 9, and Otto, 7) near family. We are living the quintessential New England small-town life in the Happy Valley (Easthampton, Mass.), just ‘down the road’ from grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and a wide community of friends. I’m working at Baystate Medical Center as a clinical child psychologist and my husband, Seth Koen, is immersed in the art world here, both through work and studio practice, with a recent show in the Hudson Valley and an upcoming one in San Francisco (our first trip back to California since our move two years ago).”

Dacque Tirado ran into Stacey Samuel in the NPR offices in D.C., at an event for the NPR podcast What’s Good with Stretch and Bobbito, hosted by Bobbito Garcia ‘88.

Elura Nanos Kish lives with her family in Cherry Hill, N.J., where she is a TV lawyer and media figure. She is a featured columnist for LawNewz.com where she regularly enjoys riling up e-haters who would never have survived Wesleyan. Last summer, Elura and her family spent a great couple of weeks in San Diego with Shana McDaniel, who is an anesthesiologist.

Leigh Needleman shared the following: “Back in February, Ellen Bourque Johnson, Rebecca Bookie Neuburger ’95, Amy Todeschini, and Sasha Dennis Moreno had a long-awaited get-together in Boston. Much fun was had romping around the Boston area and catching up. Everyone is doing great with fantastic jobs, new kids, and great spouses!”

Tracie Bloom writes, “Flock and Rally, the integrated communications firm I co-founded when I moved back to my hometown of Columbia, S.C., just celebrated its seven-year anniversary, and our firm had the pleasure of managing our region’s total solar eclipse tourism campaign this year. It was surreal and amazing, and it was very fun seeing Wes friends across the country post on Facebook about their experiences with totality! 2024 anyone?”

Hope to hear from everyone soon for the next issue!

Dara Federman | darasf@yahoo.com 

Dacque Tirado | dacquetirado@yahoo.com

Katy writes for this issue: Fall brings news from an array of places. This issue I’m particularly glad to share news from people who are writing for the first time, or not since a long while. Please do keep coming out of the woodwork so that we can include you!

Kirsi Baird Barber writes: “I live in Portland, Ore., with my husband, Tony. We’ve been here about 18 years. I received my master’s in education at Portland State University in 2009 and am starting my eighth year working for Camp Fire Columbia, a nonprofit youth development organization serving families across the Portland metro area. I am in my sixth year as the director of our before-and-after-school program, which serves about 750 youth in 12 schools across two school districts. I love working with youth and families, and partnering with schools, state child care professionals, and other local and national out-of-school-time organizations.”

Jeanne Bonner writes: “I’ve just begun teaching Italian part-time at UConn. The new job comes on the heels of a major relocation to Connecticut, after nine years of life in Atlanta. It seemed like the right move now that my son Leo, 5, is starting kindergarten. We wanted him to be closer to family and friends. I’d love to connect with anyone from Wes who is living in the state where we spent our collegiate years! You can actually still e-mail me at my Wes address!”

Cheryl Mejia got in contact, as well. Cheryl is a doctor of osteopathic medicine in the National Spine and Pain Centers in Hagerstown, Md. She particularly appreciates the mentions that she’s had in others’ class notes!

Aisha Claire Mike started her personal image business, Perfectly Claire, a few years ago to help people enhance their appearance and achieve inner clarity. After a career as a model and singer/songwriter working with names like Nike, Puma, Essence, Glamour, Carly Simon, Luther Vandross, and Talib Kweli, this new role came naturally. She now styles on-air talent, corporate executives, media professionals, and full-time moms who all simply want to look and feel their best.

Beth Shilepsky Price writes: “Greetings! I am still a family medicine doctor, but I changed locations almost two years ago and now work at a Navy base outside of Charleston, S.C. I love providing care to the spouses and children of active-duty members and retired servicemen and servicewomen who have dedicated their lives to serving our country. Go, Navy! My husband, Kevin, our three kids (David, 13, Madeline, 11, and Lily, 8), and I had a visit this summer from Steve Belin ’96 and his family. He and his wife, Danielle, have two kids (Zoe and, Jackson) and live in Colorado, where he is a general contractor (and part-time movie assistant director in Hollywood) and she is a teacher. Looking forward to seeing you all at the next Reunion!”

Sabrina Prince is doing well and has relocated to Harlem in NYC. She sees Jacqueline Moon often and attended the christening of the son of Frank Truslow, Theodore Hopkins Truslow, in October.

Hannah Knott Rogers and Tom Rogers are entering their seventh year in Decatur, Ga., and love living in intown Atlanta and 5th congressional district #JohnLewis. Hannah is head of information services at the Health Sciences Center Library at Emory, and Tom is an associate professor in the Department of History there, with a focus on modern Brazil. They have two girls, Dinah (13) and Juno (11), in middle school, and it is not nearly as bad as it sounds. Hannah enjoys conducting alumni interviews for high school seniors applying to Wesleyan.

Keep sending us your news and updates—we’d love to hear from you!

Bo Bell | bobell.forreal@gmail.com 

Katy McNeill | mcneill40@gmail.com

Hi, everyone. I hope you are doing well. We have exciting news to share, including career updates and a new baby. It is hard to believe that our 25th Reunion is approaching, and that it has been nearly a quarter century since we haunted Mocon and Foss Hill. We hope you will consider returning to Middletown to rekindle old friendships, explore the new parts of campus, and hang out with fellow Cardinals this May.

Jacob Bricca writes, “I’m living in Tucson with my wife and son, and teaching at the University of Arizona. Focal Press will be publishing my first book, Documentary Editing: Principles and Practice, next February. It’s based on my 20 years of experience cutting documentaries, and features interviews with editors such as Geoff Richman (The Cove), Kim Roberts (The Hunting Ground) and Mary Lampson (Harlan County, USA). I’m currently cutting two documentaries: Marriage Cops, which chronicles the exploits of female police officers engaged in marriage counseling sessions with couples of all kinds in northern India, and my wife Lisa Molomot’s documentary Missing in Brooks County, a portrait of a Texas city far from the border where an interior border checkpoint is causing scores of migrant deaths.

Scott Robbins writes, “I am still in Poplar Bluff, Mo., where I am a partner in a five-lawyer firm. My practice focuses on representation of rural water and sewer districts, as well as the general practice of law in small-town Missouri. I was recently elected to the Missouri Bar’s Board of Governors, where I look forward to helping preserve Missouri’s non-partisan court plan, which has been adopted to avoid judicial elections by more than 30 other states.”

Ivan Sheldon writes, “While my favorite job is taking care of three spirited daughters, I also feel lucky to be working in the thriving Chicago technology scene. Specifically I am advising a number of large firms on highly automated driving/the future of mobility and mentoring leaders of small start-ups. Speaking of start-ups, it was particularly fun to meet Leeatt Rothschild ’02 and learn about her great social impact company, Packed with Purpose (packedwithpurpose.gifts). The firm offers corporate gifts with products made by organizations that help individuals and communities in need.”

Antonia Townsend writes, “Jack Townsend Marshall was born May 3, 2017. Recruitment starts young. I’m still running my lingerie business, Enclosed. I’ve recently seen David Derryck, Erica Terry Derryck ’95, Chris Mulhauser ’92, and Jenny Work Blattner in San Francisco and Lucius Outlaw when I visited D.C.”

SuZanna Henshon | suzannahenshon@yahoo.com 

Sarah Estow | sarah_estow@hotmail.com

Greetings and salutations from Washington, D.C., where nothing (and I mean nothing) is normal. I wrote that last January. Still true.

This is a short update—I’ll call it the post-Reunion issues blues. If you’re jonesing for more, send updates to Adam Berinsky for the next issue. Speaking of said Adam, he stopped doing push-ups during alumni events to appear on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee to once and for all address the controversy of whether he is a virgin. Hear his side of the story by searching Samantha Bee fake news or find it here.

Jennifer Blaine’s new solo show, The Vicissitudes of Travel, premiered in September in Philadelphia as part of FringeArts Festival. Jennifer plays 10 characters as they travel through a loved one’s brain surgery. She writes, “My brother survived brain surgery nine years ago and ever since I have wanted to pay tribute to this journey.”

Kevin Prufer has two new books out this year. The first is about the art of literary translation: Into English: Poems, Translations, Commentaries (from Graywolf Press). The second is a collection of his poetry called How He Loved Them (from Four Way Books). Kevin is the editor-at-large of Pleiades: A Journal of New Writing, co-curator of the Unsung Masters Series, and professor in the creative writing program at the University of Houston and the low-residency MFA at Lesley University.

After 13 years living and working as a rabbi in Eugene, Ore., Maurice Harris and his family moved to the Philadelphia area, where he’s begun work as associate director of affiliate support, Jewish Reconstructionist Communities. His third book, The (Book) of Joshua (Wipf & Stock), is expected in 2018. The book tells of the impact on the shape of Judaism of a rabbi, Joshua ben Hananiah, who lived about 1,900 years ago.

Andrew Springman moved to the Charlotte, N.C., area and works as a Web applications developer for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. His youngest son, Benjamin, was married in Sterling, Mass.

Karl Mergenthaler is active in Wesleyan events, including a summer sendoff for incoming students. He’s looking to connect with alumni passing through Southern Connecticut.

You’re now caught up. Hope to hear from you next issue.

Adam Berinsky | berinsky@mit.edu 

Paul Coviello | coviellop01@alum.darden.edu

I am happy to report that there is lots of news this time so I will get right to it.

Jennifer Teitelbaum Palmer is having a great year representing Maryland psychiatrists as the president of the Maryland Psychiatric Society, the Maryland district branch of the American Psychiatric Association.

The architectural practice of Andre Kikoski, Andre Kikoski Architect, recently hit a big milestone, with over 100 articles in the press this year on three marquee projects! Some excerpts shared by Andre include: One Hudson Yards, their luxury residential building interiors was featured in Architectural Digest for integrating art and artisan work, praised in the New York Times for evoking a boutique hotel, and cited as “suitably seductive” in Wallaper* Magazine. 75 Kenmare, their ground-up condominium designed in collaboration with Lenny Kravitz, was praised in the Huffington Post for “exuding joy and energy,” lauded in Interior Design for its contemporary aesthetic, and written up in the New York Times and The Real Deal, respectively, for architecture that will “set the tone for (buildings to) follow” and brings “subtle gracefulness” and “rich sobriety” to Nolita. 97 Mid Ocean Drive, their $45M oceanfront home in the Hamptons, that was lauded in Mansion Global for its Manhattan style and “flair for clean lines and natural light,” and featured in Cottages & Gardens for its “ultra-modern design” and transparent pool. Curbed Hamptons described the house as “jaw-dropping” and setting a new standard in the Hamptons.

Dan Gilman had a “mini-reunion of some of the East College ‘Aloha Deck’ at his Ocean City beach house in August. Netania Steiner, Jon Bakija, Alan Busby, plus all the wives and kids.  ons of fun getting all the families together. My oldest of four kids just started at Northeastern. Kids going to college! Ah!” Dan went to the alumni son/daughter weekend this fall. He had a great time when he went two years ago and saw lots of ’90 folks there. He is working as an investment banker in NYC and living on the Upper West Side with LB and their 3 other kids (one in high school, two in middle school). Dan’s two smallest kids dance full-time at American Ballet Theater and frequently perform at Lincoln Center with ABT.

Carole Trone headed to the Midwest for graduate school in Madison, Wis., after Wesleyan and “couldn’t pull myself away from this fun town.” This past July, Carole rode 411 miles across the state of Iowa during RAGBRAI with about 30 mostly-Madison friends. They called themselves the MOOKS and you can find their photos and fun on Facebook.

Persis Howe and her family moved from London to the Bay Area over the summer. “It’s been a huge adjustment after 20 years in the UK. The kids are settling into school in Berkeley while I’m building digital services for the City of San Francisco.” Persis would love for any nearby Wes folks to please get in touch!

Kate Hardin is still in Cambridge, Mass., continuing to work at the intersection of energy and climate at IHS Markit. “I have taken on a new project in the past year working on our outlooks for electric vehicle penetration in key markets and assessing the impact on energy demand and carbon emissions. We are still enjoying life in Harvard Square, but really appreciated time spent this summer in rural Wyoming and in the hills of east Tennessee. And the kids are doing well, now 10 and 13!”

David Petti has “decided to take the plunge and change careers. I’ve left the legal profession and I’m in my final year of the clinical MSW program at NYU. Currently I’m interning at the VA in Westchester County New York. I’m enjoying it a lot and I hope to hear from some of my friends in the class of 1990.”

Gabriella Nawi is still head of investor relations at Travelers Insurance, living in Glen Ridge, N.J., where her son is a senior in high school. “I also joined my first nonprofit board this year: Legal Information for Families Today (LIFT), which helps unrepresented people in the NYC family court system, which I’m very excited for and I look forward to engaging more with the Wesleyan community in the area.”

Gregory Lesser, an assistant U.S. attorney, was a member of the team of federal prosecutors, staff, and FBI agents who were presented with the United States Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service at a ceremony held in Washington, D.C., on November 10, 2016. The team received the award in recognition of its efforts in the investigation and prosecution of a number of excessive force, civil rights violation and obstruction of justice cases brought against former personnel of the LA County Sheriff’s Department, which have resulted in the convictions of over 20 former Sheriff’s Department personnel ranging from line deputies to former LA County Sheriff Leroy Baca, on charges ranging from excessive force to obstruction of justice. Greg, a 15-year veteran federal prosecutor, participated in all of the cases filed as part of the investigation.

Finally, Karen Fernandez Garity writes from Puerto Rico on her iPhone where, being one of the lucky ones who has AT&T mobile service, she was one of the few who can communicate in all of Puerto Rico. Karen was born, raised and still lives in Puerto Rico, and, “as I am sure you know by now, we were first hit by Irma and only a week later hit directly by Hurricane María. One week later there is no electrical power in all of the Island and only 40% of the Island has water service. I won’t go into details of the horror that our people are going through, as I am sure you have access to more information than us. We are the lucky ones. Our home is solid and withstood the storm well. Only some water damage and a decimated garden. We got water three days after the storm but have no electricity, cable or internet. I feel especially grateful because today we were able to fill our generator. We ration the use of our generator because we do not know when we can get diesel again. Our home has become a refuge for relatives and neighbors who don’t have these luxuries. My husband, my two teenage children and I spent the first five days after the storm clearing debris from neighborhood yards and streets and cleaning up the kids’ school, hoping they can return to some kind of normalcy soon. There are gas and diesel shortages and distribution is not working properly, so food and essential services are limited. Things in the rural areas are much worse than in San Juan, where we live. During this time I am so very grateful for my Wesleyan family who have sent emails, texts, worried for us and have made donations for Puerto Rico. Special thanks to my dearest friend and roommate Jane Randel ’89, Vicki Donnellan ’89, Andy Fairbanks ’90, June Lee ’88 and Peter Schubart ’89, whose messages have brought comfort to me during this terrible time. I pray that I can have better news of our people’s situation soon, knowing I am privileged to have what I need for my family and others who depend on me.”

I’m sure I speak for the entire Wesleyan community in saying that our thoughts and hearts are with all those affected by the recent devastating hurricanes.  I hope we are hearing much better news about progress and recovery by the time of this publication. Wishing all of you a happy and healthy 2018.

Vanessa Montag Brosgol | vanessa.brosgol@yahoo.com

Hillary writes for this issue. As always, great to hear your news!

Rob Wrubel’s new book is called Financial Freedom for Special Needs Families. The book is based on the financial planning work Rob does for families with a member with an intellectual or developmental disability.

Peter Bond writes: “After three great years in Rhode Island reconnecting with classmates Jim Maynard, Ollie Bennett, and Jeff St. Sauveur, I have accepted a new role as VP of consumer activation at Spins Ventures, a natural/organic products market research firm. My wife and I are relocating to Chicago and have a new home in the Bucktown neighborhood. We spent our last East Coast weekend across Long Island Sound at the summer residence of Stuart Ellman and his wife, Susan Ellman ’90.”

Trudy Martell-Olofinboba lives in Farmington, Conn. She is a staff anesthesiologist in Integrated Anasthesia Associates Partners. She and her husband will be celebrating 24 years of marriage and have one daughter.

Lisa Renery writes: “In June I was thrilled to attend the bar mitzvah of Brad Kramer’s son. I’m looking forward to spending time with the Kramer four at our 30th, among tons of others! Andy Laken, Denise Dupont, and Rannylin Dalley —missed you at our 25th. Please come this time!”

Majora Carter acquired a permanent easement on the historic Cass Gilbert-designed rail station in her South Bronx community of Hunts Point, and entered a joint venture to redevelop the unique site for commercial use. She’s looking for creative food tenants. Down the street, she is co-owner of the new Boogie Down Grind Café, the only locally-owned specialty coffee shop in the South Bronx and the first such establishment in the neighborhood in over 30 years.

Kate Hellenga writes: “I am living in San Francisco with my partner, Jason, my 13-year-old stepson, and my Taiwanese rescue dog. In September, I took a new job as staff psychologist for Jail Behavioral Health Services, a unit of the Department of Public Health. Corrections work was my ‘first love’ and I’m glad to be getting back to it after about 10 years away. Aside from that, San Francisco is beautiful, expensive, and hard to imagine leaving. So we indulge in cranky middle-aged nostalgia: ‘Remember 25 years ago when that pricey, curated, self-conscious _____ was a cheap/dive/arty ______?’”

Mark Miller is a founder, CFO, and CSO (Chief Sandwich Officer) of the recently opened Hex & Company, a board game café in NYC.

Beth Kaufman Miller ’86 is finishing her studies at the New School and teaching ESL at The Sanctuary for Families in downtown NYC. They are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their band, Spuyten Duyvil, with a Midwest tour and the making of a new CD of original music. The Ladle and the Fire-Pan is a follow up to 2016’s International Folk Music Awards Album of the Year-nominated The Social Music Hour, Vol. 1.

We hope to see you at our 30th Reunion!

Peter V.S. Bond | 007@pvsb.org 

Hillary Ross | hrossdance@yahoo.com

Dear Classmates, I made it up to school recently and saw Wesleyan in all its fall glory as the campus readied for the second-ever night football game on campus—it was pretty exciting and I don’t usually go for that sorta thing. Tailgating and everything. Anyway…

Nice to hear from some new correspondents like Jenifer Goldman Fraser. “Earlier this fall, my husband and I saw our son, Eli, off to the University of Vermont where he is majoring in environmental studies and enjoying the natural beauty of the Burlington area. Our daughter, Sasha, is a junior (who has Wesleyan somewhat on her radar) and youngest, Lily, is a fifth grader. I celebrated a delightful 52nd birthday in the company of Sarah Plagenz Liepert, enjoying the extraordinary chamber music of Julie Scolnik ’78. Her ensemble, Mistral, is extraordinary. If you live in the Boston area, go get your tickets now! Last fall, I got to see Nelly Taveras after many years on one of her trips to the Northeast to visit her daughter, Alina, now a sophomore at Brown.”

Great update from Liz Kromelow with an immediate reply: “Kirsten Edstrom and I are under an umbrella right now in Santa Monica sucking down some fruit beverages. Kirsten just came back from her surf sesh and we’re doing our best to help the LA economy, shopping and eating. Buying all the same stuff I could get in NYC at twice the price, plus shipping.”

Amy Baltzell was elected president for the Association of Applied Sport Psychology.

She has a book coming out with Springer—Mindfulness Power:  Mindfulness Meditation Training in Sport 2.0. “It’s a trade book with my mindfulness and self-compassion intervention in the appendix, a program I and others have been running and studying for the past few years. Also, I’m now a reiki master and find this approach to healing and balance incredibly powerful and helpful. Perhaps more importantly I am going to Sue Anthony’s birthday party tomorrow night. I am going with Bronwyn Malicoat Bois (as lovely, wise, and kind as ever). I hadn’t seen Sue in 25 years, but bumped into her at here on Cape Cod where we both live now. She has had a beautiful journey and now is a well-respected artist in Welfleet, Mass.”

John Phillips and his wife, Kate, “bravely moved into the adventure of being empty-nesters so we’re now gunning for a second career in film, musicals, or dance.  Until then, we look forward to news from our tax-paying children, Michael, 26, who is in real estate development in LA; Sophie, 23, a marvelous art therapist in Michigan working with children with autism and behavioral disorders; and Juliette, 18—or is it 35?—a freshman at Penn State.”

Rachel Richardson is a clinical social worker/psychotherapist in a community mental health clinic in St. Paul, Minn. “I love my work and have been there since 1993 when I finished graduate school and was hired from my internship. I moved to the Twin Cities in 1987 a couple months after graduation with my now-husband, Michael Deppe. He repaired and built string instruments for 12 years and then went back to grad school and has been an elementary teacher for the past 14 years. We have two daughters: Louisa, 22, who graduated from the University of Chicago this summer, and Charlotte, 20, who is at Grinnell College, incredibly busy and happy as a studio arts major. I have a life I really like with my husband, my children, extended family, my neighborhood, colleagues and friends. One of my daughter’s best friends just graduated from Wesleyan so I feel a little aware of the campus through him. I returned for campus tours for both daughters when they were looking at colleges and to see my dear former boss at the library, Margery May. It was so nostalgic to be there.”

And lastly, Jason Loviglio is chair of media and communication studies at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. “I’m serving on the Library of Congress’s Radio Preservation Task Force, which is working to identify and save endangered collections of radio recordings for historians, educators, and archivists. Also serving as a judge for the Peabody Awards in the radio and podcasting area. Also, on the board of Wide Angle Youth Media, a Baltimore nonprofit that teaches Baltimore youth media skills.”

Here’s to a happy 2018 with less tumultuous times.

Amanda Jacobs Wolf | wolfabj@gmail.com