CLASS OF 1997 | 2024 | FALL ISSUE
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We are sorry to have to share the sad news that we lost two classmates.
Sid Nayak passed away in February (https://branchfh.com/obits/siddhartha-nayak/), and David Potocki passed away in April (https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/david-potocki-obituary?id=54906214). We send our deepest condolences to the friends and families of Sid and David. May their memories be a blessing.
Our Wes professor classmate Sadia Shepard wrote: “I am entering my fourth year as an assistant professor of Film Studies at Wesleyan, and I love teaching at Wes and being part of such a dynamic community of colleagues and students. My husband, Andreas Burgess ’01, and I live nearby in New Haven, Connecticut, with our two kids, Noor Jehan (12) and Idrees (8). In the last year, visiting with Wes alums has been great fun as folks return to campus for guest lectures, Reunion weekend, and college visits! Recently, I’ve had the great pleasure of hosting Abe Forman-Greenwald ’98, Par Parekh ’01, and Libertad Gills ’06, who spoke and presented their work in my documentary and film adaptation courses. Please drop by the new Jeanine Basinger Center for Film Studies and say hello if you’re on campus! I’m there Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, and you can reach me at sshepard@wesleyan.edu. I am excited to be taking my first sabbatical in the spring of 2025, during which I will work on film and writing projects.” We hope you have a fun and productive sabbatical!
Alejandro and Min Santandrea still live in Weston, Connecticut, with their two kids, four chickens, and Wally the dog. Alejandro took a road trip with Christian Housh to visit James Forren in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he is chair of the architecture department at Dalhousie University. Alejandro and Min were also able to see Tyler Moriguchi ’95 and Thy Pham as they toured colleges for their eldest son. And recently “had dinner with Professor John Paoletti and his lovely wife, Leslie, in the home he designed in Durham, Connecticut. Finally, Min’s shoe company, SantM, is celebrating its sixth anniversary.” Alejandro said, “She has been such an inspiration; I have been exploring my own entrepreneur endeavors, launching a creative network event series, ThereWillBeSnacks, with one of our first guest speakers being Mia Lobel.” We cannot wait to listen! And we always love Min’s shoes!
Brion Winston and Melanie Schoen are 10 years into raising organic grass-fed beef in upstate New York. Their kids help a “little.” Melanie is a nurse at a large hospital. Brion is a cardiologist specializing in valve implants and repairs and makes time to release songs and produce theater under the name “Ray Conte.”
Josh Borenstein wrote: “The last year has been very exciting for us. My wife, Katherine Hagmann-Borenstein ’98, became a Connecticut assistant attorney general in the Consumer Protection Division. She is particularly focused on firearms and marijuana regulation (or maybe that’s what she tells me to explain her Google search history). Our older daughter graduated from high school in June, and she will start her first year at Mount Holyoke College in the fall. Our younger daughter is entering fifth grade, and she has a lot of enthusiasm for the flute and is great at taking care of our dog. We still live outside of New Haven, where I teach arts administration graduate students as well as consult with arts organizations around the country. We had a blast visiting Sacha (Shapiro) Emerson over the summer at her home in Martha’s Vineyard.” Wonderful news!
After 15 years of service, Brent Spodek recently became the rabbi emeritus of his synagogue in order to focus full time on helping couples develop emotionally intelligent communication skills in preparation for marriage. Alison just finished her term as chair of the Chemistry Department at Vassar College where she has been a professor since 2009. They recently lived in Wellington, New Zealand, for six months with their kids Abe (13) and Jax (17) and are back at home now in Beacon, New York.
We were also very happy to hear from Sasha Harris-Cronin. “After graduation, I did technical theater in New York and got my master’s at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program. I moved to San Francisco in 2002 and have been there ever since. I’ve been working for BBI Engineering for 22 years first as a programmer, then project manager, and then took over co-ownership in 2019. We do audio and video installation, specializing in complex and high-end systems and interactive museum exhibits. We work all over the country and highlights include the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in D.C., the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, and several Yellowstone National Park visitor centers. We are currently doing all the audio and video for the Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago. I have a fantastic partner and a 12-year-old kiddo and feel pretty darn lucky.” Amazing!
David Vine wrote: “After living in Oakland, California, for most of the past four years, I’m excited to have moved officially, officially, officially to the Bay Area. Among other activities, I’m continuing to work on scholarship, writing, and organizing related to U.S. wars, dismantling the military-industrial complex, the exiled Chagossians from Diego Garcia, and Palestine/Israel/Gaza. If you’re in the Bay Area, I’m always excited to see Wes folks!”
Sam (Samantha) Wilt wrote: “My eldest kid, Paul, is starting at Wes next week; here’s hoping Clark is less fun than our first year.” We always get so excited for ’97 kids going to Wes! Congratulations and have a great time (which will likely include fun in Clark).
In June, Jess and her family caught up with Saskia Herz Mower and her daughter in London over dinner, and they saw Guys and Dolls together.
And here’s something to look forward to in early 2025: Josh Suniewick writes, “I hope you all can join The Solids at Bowery Ballroom in NYC on Saturday, January 11, as they play hits written by classmates Carter Bays and Craig Thomas featured on the show they also wrote, How I Met Your Mother. The Solids are almost 100% Wes alumni and also feature Pat Butler ’98, Becky Lichtenfeld ’97, and Gaby Moss ’98. . . . This is a great night of music if you are a die-hard HIMYM fan and also tons of fun if you wanna catch up with other Wes folk.” Josh said that “this is a charity event in support of pediatric cardiac research (a cause very near and dear to the band).
Wishing everyone a peaceful fall 2024 and looking forward to seeing you all again soon!
Take care,
Alexandra (Sasha) Lewis-Reisen and Jess (Shea) Lehmann
JESSICA SHEA LEHMANN | jessica.lehmann@gmail.com
ALEXANDRA (SASHA) LEWIS-REISEN | alewisreisen@gmail.com