Tag: 1995

Please write to your class secretaries.

Katy writes: Glad to close out 2023 with updates from our fellow classmates. We all have things going on in our lives and communities—big and small. This issue features some great snapshots of everyday life, including from some first-time contributors.

Carolyn Renzin writes, “Nothing much has changed in YEARS. . . . I’ve lived in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, for 13 years, with my husband of 21 years, Lee, and our two kids—one a college freshman, the other a high school junior. Maggie McLean Suniewick ’97 and Josh Suniewick ’97 also live in Hastings-on-Hudson . . . we were all friends from the pool/swim team/water polo/lifeguarding days and now our kids hang out! I love watching the next generation from town head off to college—many to Wes. [A] college visit this fall to Wes for my daughter had me texting old friends: Rachel Hitch, Jieho Lee, and Susannah Kerest, as thousands of memories flooded in. And work (I’m lawyering at online betting company, FanDuel) and life continue apace with gratitude as we—the sandwich generation—parent our kids and care for our aging parents.”

Marc Schleifer writes, “Update on my end is that after nearly 20 years in D.C. (how that happen?), have relocated to New York after my wife took a job here. We still have our place in D.C. and my work is still there, so I haven’t entirely cut the cord. But it’s wonderful to finally be in the Big Apple, only took 28 years after graduating from Wes!”

Brandon Patton moved to Seattle in 2020 and connected with former Wesleyan Spirit Michael Roufa ’96 after the pandemic ended, getting roped into performing in an Earth, Wind & Fire–themed performance of the story of Esther for Purim at a local synagogue in 2023. The rabbi wore platform heels and Bootsy Collins sunglasses.

Jason Segal writes, “All well here in Manhattan. Approaching our 15th anniversary of our climate-focused merchant bank, Javelin Capital—welcome all Wes grads who are fighting the good fight against climate change and undergrads interested to work in the space to reach out. Children Julia (10) and Ari (8) are doing great and all enjoying life in the city.”

Rick Meyerson writes, “I’m still living in San Francisco with my wife, two teens in our public schools, and a weird dog, [and] working in climate tech. My older kid is a senior in high school, and we had the honor of touring Wesleyan in October. It’s amazing how beautifully both the campus and Middletown have evolved. I visited Klekolo World Coffee and I donated a 30-year-old business card, advertising a logo contest, from when they first opened. My daughter loved the campus tour, especially the WestCo kids who launched into a wild improvised breakup scene from their balcony when they saw our tour walking by. Why did they need to cancel legacy admissions this year of all years? (Kidding. Kind of.)”

Lara Tupper is one of 11 authors included in a charity anthology, Maine Character Energy (Rogue Owl Press). The book features stories and poems that celebrate Maine’s small towns, rugged wilderness, rocky coasts, and the everyday characters that make the state special. All proceeds from the sales of the book will support Everytown for Gun Safety, in honor of the victims, survivors, and families affected by the Lewiston-Auburn massacre that took place in October 2023.

Finally, a couple of alumni encounters of my own. Recently I was glad to run into Jessica (Gerald) Young at our town’s high school orchestra concert (where her son, Joey, was playing violin in a group along with my eldest). And last month I had the fortune to see alumni, staff, President Roth, and others at Boston’s Celebration of Something Big. The event was a fun chance to see acquaintances old and new, and I enjoyed saying hi to Brendan Coughlin. The evening culminated at the Wes alum–owned Cantab Lounge, with a performance—featuring President Roth on the keyboards—of a spirited rendition of the Beatles’ “Money (That’s What I Want),” encouraging our support of Wes.

Take care everyone, and best wishes to you and your loved ones for 2024.

Please write to your class secretaries.

Please write to your class secretaries.

Katy writes for this issue: Hope your 2023 is going well thus far. We have a full range of news—sad losses, pictures of everyday life, and encounters with many other alumni. This round features many first-time contributors—we’re so excited to hear from you and it’s never too late to get in touch!

First some very sad news of the death last year of one of our classmates, Alyson Tischler. Longtime friend and roommate Alice Moore writes: “My college roommate of four years, Alyson Tischler, passed away in April of 2021. You can read a lot about and by her online. But you can’t hear her, that awesome laugh, all in as she told the student hairdresser to just shave my head already, as we manipulated her little wooden man in our room in the Bayit, as we danced—at Wesleyan, in Germany, in Paris, in Poland. Alyson took me to my first Broadway show and we cried together in front of the mound of spectacles at Auschwitz. When I visit Wes, I can still see and hear us, careening down the hill on Church Street, pointing bananas at each other and screaming ‘It’s been so long!’—an inside joke that will never be funny to anyone else, shaped by a shared college experience.” You can read Alyson’s obituary at: https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/20717196/Alyson-Tischler.

Andrew Hindman writes: “I was selected to be on a team of 25 riders (out of 500 applicants!) who will be riding the Tour De France 2023 (one week ahead of the professional cyclists). Literally we are riding the whole course of TDF 2023 (starting in Bilbao, Spain, and ending in Paris). 2,200 MILES. The purpose is to raise >$1.5M for leukemia/cancer research and patient care.  More can be found out on www.TheTour21.co.uk—it’s a great charity organization where all funds go directly to patient care and research to cure leukemia/cancer.  I am riding in memory of not one but two family members (mother and brother) who died of cancer in 2022.” Let’s all wish Andrew a meaningful experience and keep him in our thoughts June 23–July 16, 2023!

Andrew Dickson writes: “Still holding it down in Portland, Oregon. Working as a copywriter by day for companies like Apple, Adidas, and Absci. Performing, auctioneering ,and hosting storytelling shows for The Moth by night. Hanging with my teen, tween, and wife Susan, who is a craft book author, by evening. We often see Ryan (Myers) Tinsel and family, and I keep in close touch with Bill Tsitsos who is teaching sociology at Towson University. Shouts-out to Wells Tower ’96, Vanessa Grigoriadis, and Henry Myers for looking me up when they’ve been in town over the years.”

Alison North writes: “I live in Seattle where my fabulous grown kids, their partners, and their kiddos bring me freaking daily joy!!  I work a lot because, well, the city I love is expensive. I’m a nurse midwife primarily providing abortions, transgender care, and, well, anything that others feel judgmental about. I dance a lot to keep my sanity.” Cheers to Alison!

Suzanne Snider writes: “Hello from the Hudson Valley. I have been living and working in both Hudson and New York City for the last decade plus, more fully upstate since 2019 with my nine-year-old daughter. I continue my work as an oral historian and writer, moving into my 11th year of directing Oral History Summer School (which now runs yearlong) to train documentarians/folks of all stripes in principles of ethical documentation, collecting trauma-centered narratives and recording stories to radicalize the dominant record. I also teach at the New School and currently engage with Bard’s Center for Curatorial Studies as visiting faculty. I have the pleasure of collaborating, this year, with Wes alum and podcast wizard/executive producer Mia Lobel ‘97 on a project for Johns Hopkins University and Pushkin Industries, centered on the subject of bioethics. I newly discovered that I love to play tennis with Wes alum Ed Morris ’94 who relocated to Hudson with his partner Susannah Sayler ’93; they run, together, an amazing organization called Toolshed out of Hudson, New York. Adrienne Truscott ’94 claims she will join us on the tennis court when she finds her racket. In the meantime, Adrienne continues to create incredible performances and also to manage Bard’s Center for Human Rights and the Arts. Last summer, I visited Elsie Kagan’s (’99) amazing art residency, Interlude, upstate and was happy to learn that Elsie and her partner are also Wes alums. Holler if you’d like to connect with more Wes friends in the Hudson Valley!” Great to hear about all of the Wes activity in this great region (but being from the Hudson Valley myself, I should declare a bias . . . ).

Ben Lee writes: “I live in Cheviot Hills (Los Angeles) with my wife and our three sons. After graduating Wes, I worked in the music industry before heading to law school and then worked as a lawyer for a few years before pursuing a career in residential real estate. I’ve been with Coldwell Banker Beverly Hills for many years now, focusing on Los Angeles’ westside. When I’m not buying and selling houses, I spend as much time surfing as I can, even got the opportunity to surf in Indonesia for a few weeks, which was a dream come true. I try to stay connected to my Wesleyan roots—in fact we host an annual reception for Los Angeles families with high schoolers applying to Wes. We look forward to hosting this party every year—the best part is meeting so many people interested in attending our fabulous school!”

Eric Meyerson writes, “It’s been an exciting year getting back to post-pandemic life and travel. I just marked 20 years in San Francisco and 22 in the Bay Area. Back when we were in school, I never figured myself to become a Californian, but here I am raising a family in this amazing region. My daughter is a junior in one of the Bay Area’s largest public high schools, and she’s now looking at colleges. (I know one school in central Connecticut that might actually be a pretty good fit for her interests.) We took a quick family trip to D.C. this past summer, where we had a big night out in Capitol Hill with Seth Kaufman and Bill Goldberg ’94. Bill also had a big birthday in Vegas back in February with a lot of ’94 Cardinals, and included a super-cool Red Rocks hike in a snowfall. I recently took another hike through the Oakland Hills with old buddy Ben Foss, who, like me, has spent the last few years in the climate tech industry. I’m always excited to hear from more Wes alumni in the Bay Area.”

In early 2022, after 20-plus years of being an editor at Ugly Duckling Press, Matvei Yankelevich left the Brooklyn nonprofit publisher, which grew out of his Wesleyan-era zine The Ugly Duckling. He is now editor-in-chief of World Poetry Books, a nonprofit press that publishes a diverse range of poetry from around the globe for English-language readers and brings attention to literary translators. It’s based in New York City and affiliated with the UConn’s Humanities Institute and Translation Program. After a yearlong grant for translation and research from the National Endowment of Humanities, Matvei is back to teaching literary translation for the writing MFA at Columbia University’s School of the Arts. Meanwhile, his most recent chapbook of poems—Dead Winter (Fonograf Editions, 2022)—has been reviewed in Tablet, Zyzzyva, and other journals, and his translations of Osip Mandelstam have appeared in the New Yorker, Harpers, and elsewhere. In May, he visited his cousin Katya Semyonova ’98 and her two boys in D.C.”

As for my own alumni encounters, in early December I saw Stacy (Theberge) Taylor in Portland, Maine. I was there with my eldest, who has a passion for animation; as you’ll recall, Stacy and her husband run an animation firm (Little Zoo Studio), and graciously talked to us about the field. So lucky to have such an engaging alumni network!

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

Hello fellow ’95ers! Lots going on this time—let’s jump into it.

My co-secretary, Katy McNeill, writes: “I’m excited to share that after three years of studying part time, I have completed an MBA from the University of Warwick Business School. A broad-based degree for leading organizations, I also focused on organizational behavior. Next, I’m thrilled to have a new position in which to apply it—directing an initiative at a scholarly society. I just started as program director of DataWorks! at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). This new initiative will foster data sharing and reuse in the biosciences, which can both advance knowledge and foster open and reproducible research. Anyone working in this field—I’d be keen to connect!”

Patrick Hutter-Bluml writes: “I moved back from being a chef and househusband to freelance 3D artist, but I also started advanced studies in 3D modeling and animation for film. So, yeah, I’m basically a student again and loving every bit of it. During the pandemic I assisted in a project organized by an American university, for which my team did a particle simulation used for predictability of aerosol dispersion.”

During the pandemic, Roxane Williams returned to graduate school for a second advanced degree and made the shift from working in tech and volunteering as a crisis counselor to becoming a full-time mental health clinician, hoping to reach and help folks before they get to a crisis point. She largely works in trauma treatment with individuals and couples for whom PTSD is a factor, and also specializes in work with LGBTQI+ folks, especially with members of the trans community, as certain archaic laws require therapeutic support for those opting for surgical transition. Roxane appreciates the wonderful gift of finding her “calling,” albeit later in life, and is grateful to know what it is to be in love with her work! She also acts as a mental-health first responder at Burning Man and has built large-scale art off and on for a decade or so. Roxane lives in the Bay Area with a menagerie of pets and two grown/launched kids who humble and amaze her with both their worldliness and their loveliness, as both are pursuing their higher education and their careers with a bent toward public service.

My man in Oakland, Matt Duffy, sent in some news: “I am reporting that I continue to work as a superintendent of schools here in the Bay. I recently had an awesome reunion lunch with fellow ’95 alums Sherwin Yoder and Brooke (Leinwand) Jackson and Randy Jackson after many years apart! I also still stay connected with Malcolm Edwards! Best regards to my fellow Wes alums.”

In June 2022, Sabrina Prince was finally able to celebrate her COVID elopement with husband Nenad Apostoloski with family and friends, including Jacqueline Moon in beautiful Chantilly, France.

Looks like it was a blast!

Beth Shilepsky Price writes from Charleston, South Carolina: “Still slogging along as a family medicine doctor. Trying hard to unwind outside of work with my husband, three kids (David 18, Madeline 15, and Lily 13), three dogs, and two horses. David and I competed in an 18-mile NATRC competitive trail ride this spring on our horses and had a blast. We had a super visit with Kristin Dunn ’96 and her 9-year-old daughter Vanessa while they were in town recently. She is still living in Long Beach, California, and doing amazing work (https://www.kdbooks.com/). I think I was the last Wes alum to see Hamilton—it came to town in July and far exceeded my expectations!! Amazing!! As of last night, we also have seven more furry (temporary) additions to the family—our golden retriever gave birth. Hope everyone is doing well!”

Shayne Spaulding is living in the seaside town of Swampscott, Massachusetts, with husband Josh Shepherd and two boys, Wiley and Kieran (ages 14 and 11), and dog Hershey. Shayne is a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, a D.C.–based social-policy research organization, and had the joy of getting together recently with Gabriella Klein, Jennifer Quest-Stern ’94, Kevin Fairley ’94, and Liz Stites in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and swimming in the beautiful waves of Barney’s Joy Beach. “Enjoying being 50 and treating each day lived as a gift.” Sounds right to me, Shayne!

Susannah (Hearn) Kerest reports: Enjoying year 12 living near Lake Champlain with Vermont’s lovely mountains not too far away. I’m taking a break from the nonprofit fundraising world after over two decades, and recently joined a communications and public relations firm called Junapr. Career transition is an unexpected, but welcome brain challenge. Loved being back on campus as both of our kids have toured [Wes] in the last couple of years. Launching kids is not for the faint of heart. While we’ve stayed close to home during these COVID-y times, so appreciate the occasional touch points with classmates Carolyn (Barth) Renzin, Brendan Coughlin, Elizabeth (Meltzer) Bloom, and Constantine Davides as well as rowing pals Meredith Weaver ’96, Enas (Estafan) Hanna ’94, and Wendi Schenkler-Samway ’94. If anyone is visiting the Burlington area, reach out!

Gina Schimpff is super excited to have son Tyler Schimpff begin his Wes experience in Clark this fall, and even more excited that Laurel Williams Wise has her son Will also starting at Wes and they will be hallmates! And continuing the family traditions, Nora Cabrera writes that she and husband George Cabrera ’89 have just taken their son Antonio up to Wes—he will also be class of 2026.

From Greg Rolland: “Living a good life here in western Massachusetts. I’m 10 years in managing finances at Deerfield Academy and my wife survived being head nurse at the Academy through the pandemic (hats off and thank you to med folks!). Our three daughters now have one year together in high school, and the eldest included our alma maters (Bryn Mawr and Wes) in her cut of prospective colleges. These days I’m regularly grateful for the lens of my Wes history education— and I’m very glad to have shared time through the pandemic with alums Peter Follet, Stephanie Flaherty, Justin Stern, James Becker ’97, and Santiago Vazquez ’93.”

Parker Dockray is still living in Oakland, California, and working in reproductive health, rights, and justice; her organization All-Options is funding abortion care, providing diapers, helping people navigate this new mess of abortion laws, and fighting for the compassionate and just world we all deserve. She’s grateful to all the Wes friends who have shown up in so many ways and says look me up if you come through town!

Finally, yours truly is still living in the Hudson Valley and working for StudioLabs, a great digital product shop. Here’s a pic from a trip Lucky (14), Sybil (9), and I took to the Grand Canyon, Zion, and Las Vegas with family back in June.

I turned 50 in September and got to celebrate with friends including Leila Goldmark and Mike Kleinsteuber . . . and, as one of the first from our class to make the semicentenary transition, I can assure you that it’s not too bad.

Katy writes for this issue: We are all thinking of each other, through the local and global challenges of this moment, and I hope these notes find you well.  It’s been lovely to hear your updates.  Read up below on how your classmates are spending their time and talents: composing, writing, serving others, braving major career changes, and making the most of everyday life.

Jeanne Bonner writes: “I won a 2022 NEA translation grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to continue my work translating a transnational Italian author who survived the Holocaust.”

Pat Charlemagne writes: “My EdD from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education was conferred in December. My dissertation will be available via ProQuest: ‘The Unexpected Value of the Coronavirus Pandemic in Elevating the Importance of and Essential Need for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Serving as Youth Development Professionals.’”

We also got word that Simona Kwon joined the New York City Board of Health in 2021.

Christine O’Brien writes: “Alternating between treading water and drowning as an emergency physician in San Francisco.  Enjoying beautiful hikes and my 10-year-old daughter on my days off.”

Sarah Kirkland Snider announces: “In June, at Carnegie Hall, the New York Philharmonic will give the world premiere of my orchestral work Forward into Light, inspired by the American women’s suffrage movement (originally scheduled to premiere in 2020). The same week will see four NYC performances of my Mass for the Endangered, which was released as an album on Nonesuch/New Amsterdam Records last year. Wes friends: holler at me for tickets! I live in Princeton, New Jersey, with my husband, son Jasper (13), daughter Dylan (10), and two dogs.”

Stacy (Theberge) Taylor, still in the Portland, Maine, area writes: “Our son Niko is in first grade, and I have met quite a few families who have moved to town from NYC and other points afar. (One of the only benefits of the pandemic.) Last summer we had two Wes visits: from Ed Lee (who is in Boston) and Bo Bell and family. It’s great to see other Wes folk in Maine. Let me know if you plan to be around Portland and I will treat you to a lobster roll . . .  or two.”

Carrie Turner (née Fischer) exuberantly writes: “For anyone thinking of making a midlife career change, just know that it CAN be done! For 20 years (after a short-lived stint in the world of musical theater), I had a successful run in luxury retail management. Two years ago, I decided that it was time for my next act—and after much soul searching and hard work, I am now in human resources and loving it. I am grateful to a few Wesleyan alumni along the way who gave me great advice, but mostly it was all about the hustle . . . and if I can do it, anyone can.  My partner Nils and I welcomed a new addition to our household two years ago: a French bulldog named Rousseau. Nils and I also still make electro-pop music as Nite Haus, and we still live in NYC. I am still BFFs with Brett Aristegui. Best wishes to everyone out there.”

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

Hello fellow ’95ers!

Bo Bell writing here with updates, starting with some sad news from Danny Greene, Leslie (Katz) Genova, and Sarah Hirzel: Our dear friend and classmate Andy Neiman passed away in June. Leslie, Danny, Sarah, Gregg Osofsky, Jennifer (Scheff) Ransburg, Tomer Rothschild ’94, and Jessica Sharzer ’94 gathered in St. Louis to remember him at a memorial service, with many more Wes friends joining online. Many of you will remember Andy’s energy, creativity, and his pie-themed parties. He was a one-of-a-kind person and friend, and we miss him terribly. Donations in Andy’s memory may be made to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, or to his family. We hope everyone will see a Shakespeare play and eat a slice of pie in his memory.

Former class secretary Dwayne Busby was recently appointed to the board of directors of JSC Federal Credit Union, strengthening that institution’s connection to University of Houston–Clear Lake, where Dwayne is executive director of Strategic Partnerships. Dwayne said that he’s so excited about this, because JSC FCU recently finalized their new strategic plan that aimed to become more of a digital resource to the community to which it provides financial resources; his joining the board is helping the credit union become more agile in that way. Nice work, Dwayne!

     “Meanne” Jeanne Bonner writes: “All is well in Connecticut where I moved in 2017 with my partner and my son, Leo, who is now 9. I’m headed to New York in August for a short-term fellowship I won at the New York Public Library to do some research on an Italian writer who survived the Holocaust and whose work I am translating into English. I still work part-time as a news editor at CNN while also teaching writing and literature part-time. I sometimes even teach at Wes! When I returned to campus in 2019, I felt as though I was walking with the ghosts of Jeanne Past! It was actually a thrill, and the campus has changed in some very good ways. Lots of benches to sit back and enjoy!”

     Scott Rubin just started a new position as Assistant Vice President of Development at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. Looking forward to advancing Einstein’s social justice mission and raising funds for groundbreaking research and top-notch medical education.

    Cheryl Mejia continues her work in interventional pain management, working several offices in rural western Maryland, with ownership in surgery centers on the horizon. She’s still supporting LGBT, diversity, and inclusion programs through her wife’s job as LGBT nurse navigator at Hopkins, and she also volunteers, does board work, and helps charities.

     Tavia Nyongo is still teaching at Yale, where “I was recently named chair and William Lampson Professor of Theater and Performance Studies. I’m also active in American Studies, African American Studies, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. After a busy year teaching remotely, I’m looking forward to returning (safely) to the classroom soon.”

     Jason Segal reports, “After 13 years working in climate-related finance, our business, Javelin Capital, is overwhelmed with opportunity as investing in ESG themes has become mainstream. I hope to connect with more fellow climate finance travelers from Wes. Kids (Julia 7, Ari 6) continue to be enjoying life in and around NYC with plenty of time at the beach this summer. Very happy to see them growing up in NYC and attending public schools here—something I never had the opportunity to do. We are pulling for NYC and hanging in through these choppy waters.”

     Ryan Knox was recently named Dean of Students at New Haven Academy, an urban, collegiate-prep charter school.  He’s also in final negotiations to publish his book about his experience during the student protests in Hong Kong, where he also taught and resided as an expat from 2011 to 2015. Ryan lives with his partner, garden, and goldfish in the Little Italy section of New Haven, Connecticut.

     Josh Gilbert writes, I’m happy to let everyone know that my and Carey Bartell’s daughter, Eloise (’25), is now a frosh at Wes, exactly 30 years after we all matriculated! Excited to have great excuses to get back on campus. Also, Temperance Beer Co. (the brewery I founded in 2013 but is perhaps better remembered as the official beer of our 25th Reunion) once again hosted our four-day outdoor concert, Out of Space, on Labor Day weekend. It’s kind of like Spring Fling but without Foss Hill. This year’s acts were Big Boi, J.D. McPherson & the Drive-By Truckers, Neko Case, and (former Spring Fling performer) George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic.