Tag: 2001

First, some contributions from people who wrote in last time, but had to be bumped to this edition because you were all so fantastic at sending me notes. So while it may be a little out of date, here’s a dispatch from Tara Colton: “On Feb. 26, 2013, my husband Jed and I welcomed our son, Benjamin, into the world. He is the most wonderful, curious, beautiful, sweet, silly little boy. I apparently thought having a baby wasn’t enough change in one year, as I returned from maternity leave to a new job, leaving Mayor Bloomberg’s office to oversee program development and planning at FEGS, one of the largest health and human services agencies in the country. We live in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, which has one of the best views (and the best tacos) in NYC.”

Chris and Wendy Jeffries are still enjoying life in Baltimore, though they are taking as many trips as they can in their spare time. During their recent travels, they have seen Brian Fair and Luke Cash in Boston and Liz Collins Bliss during a trip to Wesleyan where Wendy and Liz gave a presentation to students on using data and measuring outcomes for schools and non-profits. They also regularly see Adriana Jones Laser, who lives nearby. When they are not traveling, Chris is keeping busy working as a business ligation lawyer and Wendy manages training and evidence-based practice on international child protection issues for the U.S. branch of an international federation.

Steve Gray officiated at the wedding of Erica Gersowitz and Kagiso Bond at the end of November. They were thrilled that so many Wes alums were able to join them for the celebration in Anguilla, including Tanya Ellman, Rachel Chasan, Courtney Orange, Ben Leff, Saj Rahman ’03, Mariela Rosario ’02, Julio Pabon ’02, Dave Bowers, Martha King, and Chuck Duffney ’02.

Rachel Feinstein Stevens moved to Northampton, Mass., and welcomes all friends and passing alums for a visit in the Happy Valley, just an hour from campus. She now works with her husband at their firm, Maple Street Architects, and just completed a deep energy retrofit of their two-family home.

Andee Marksamer, a geologist for Chevron, writes, “My husband, Ken Downey, and I, and our 2-year-old son, Harrison, have been living in Bangkok, Thailand, since Feb. 2013. We are all thoroughly enjoying Thailand…eating yummy spicy food, meeting lots of new people, learning to speak Thai, and traveling throughout Asia.”

Jamie Chin sent in this happy news: “On March 29, 2014, my fiancé, Cory McArthur, proposed to me on Foss Hill at Wes.”

Anthony Clark and Megan Joiner write, “We welcomed our daughter, Arden Lucia Joiner-Clark, into the world on 11/12/13 in New Haven. Anthony finishes in the joint MBA and master of environmental science program at Yale in May. The family will be in Connecticut through the summer. Miller’s Pond, here we come!”

I had the sweetest, most fun visit when Jess Firestone blew into town to tour colleges with her completely awesome friend/former student Julizza in mid-March. After a number of years teaching elementary school in Oregon, Jess has an awesome adventure planned for next year: “I’m taking a much needed break from the testing culture of American public education to teach at Las Terrenas International School in the Dominican Republic. Whale season is January to March and I welcome all visitors to the beach town where I’ll be teaching.”

Have you noticed a new magazine called Modern Farmer on newsstands, basically everywhere? Did you know it is the outfit of our very own Reyhan Harmanci, chief editor? In its first year, the publication garnered two National Magazine Award (Aka ESME or Ellie) nominations. Unfortunately there is no ESME category for Excellence in Baby Animal Coverage, because then they’d be a triple threat.

Please keep the notes coming!

MARA VOUKYDIS | MaraVee@gmail.com

Sam Globus graduated from his PhD program in molecular biology at Cornell in March and started a job as a biotech/pharma consultant in NYC shortly thereafter. He writes, “My wife and I had our first child, Madeline Ensign Globus, on Aug. 15, 2013; she is looking forward to taking her place in the Wesleyan class of 2034 in a few years! I also was a groomsman in Ezra Steinberg’s wedding that just took place in the beginning of June.”

“As for me, I’m still kicking it in public radio,” reports Maureen McMurray. “I’m the producer/editor of NPR’s debate series, Intelligence Squared US, and most recently spent five months reporting for WWNO, New Orleans Public Radio. After 12 wonderful years in NYC, my husband and I are heading to the wilds of Concord, N.H., where I will be working for New Hampshire Public Radio. I’ll be sure to keep everyone apprised of the presidential hopefuls passing through town.”

Yvette Luxenberg and Jeff Rose welcomed son Jasper Atticus Rose into the world July 22, 2012.

Kannan Vasudevan writes: “I got engaged to a Ms. Katie Zaffrann! Our fusion wedding is slated for next fall in upstate New York.”

Sarah Tew’s wedding and portrait photography business is buzzing along in NYC, where she lives with her husband, Keith, and their two sweet cats. Check out her recent work at the recently updated sarahtewphotography.com.

From Emily Archibald: “My husband, Ben Paradise, and I had a baby boy in February. We named our Groundhog Day baby Henry Archibald Paradise. He is growing well and enjoying life in Needham, Mass. Ben is still working in asset management and I am staying home with Henry while I complete my master’s in higher education administration at Boston University.”

Kathryn Van Nimwegen Lachenmaier is living in Seattle, Wash., with her husband, Tom, and busy, almost 20-month-old, Nora. She has frequent play dates with her brother’s, Michael Van Nimwegen ’98, and sister-in-law’s, Nikki Forlenza Van Nimwegen ’98, daughters, Margo and Kate. Kathryn continues to work in early intervention, serving children, birth to 3, with special needs. She will be a manager of therapy staff at a new early intervention site set to open in January located just north of Seattle, in Bothell, Wash.

Elizabeth Savage and her husband, Michael Schopf, welcomed their first child to the world on March 20, 2013. After teaching English and composition in Cameroon, Mississippi, and Louisiana, Elizabeth returned to her hometown of Portland, Oregon. She graduated from Lewis & Clark Law School this January, and will join her husband as a member of the Oregon State Bar this spring.

Lizzie Salzfass writes that she was able to legally marry her wife, Lena McQuade, this past summer in California. They bought a house in El Cerrito—which, she reports, is “surprisingly full of gays who can’t afford to live in SF or Berkeley”—and recently welcomed their first child, Tavi Sabine, to the family.

Alex Gordon writes, “My wife, Lucy, and I celebrated the arrival of our first child, Timothy Jan, on Aug. 23, 2013.”

In 2013, Ben Spatz performed his solo work Rite of the Butcher at the Lincoln Center Rubenstein Atrium and received his PhD from the CUNY graduate center. He is moving to England in 2014 to take a position as lecturer in drama, theatre, and performance at the University of Huddersfield.

Elizabeth Owen is now working as the legal director of the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center.

Sarah K. Levin writes, “I’m a clinical psychologist working with children and adults in my San Francisco private practice. It was a loooong road, but I’m loving that I’m finally back in the real world now. And it feels like an added perk that I really enjoy what I do every day. I’m happily partnered and also a proud new owner of Aloha Louie, my shelter rescue dog. He’s the best. And finally, I’ve started ‘Zero to Wonder,’ a program for babies and parents focused on developing social emotional health.”

While I wish I could take credit for the following fabulous sentence, it was supplied courtesy of Ben Hurwitz: “Dave Bihldorff (married to Carolyn Clark Bihldorff ’02), who runs the family farm in Mass., with his now two strapping sons, Caden and Logan Dai, and Maneesh Sharma who now lives in D.C. and still considers himself a ‘good’ person, plan to join Ben Hurwitz, who still lives in L.A. and has sired his own son, Milo, for Dave’s farm, for the wedding of Josh Koch next fall in Colorado, despite Josh residing in Alaska, which would make for a cooler wedding… Regardless, this wedding will hopefully produce more children for Dave’s workforce. These grads speak often, and fleetingly, of Baja.”

Here in Boston I have been hanging out with a host of awesome Wesleyanites. Sam Wechsler ’95 is my Tuesday morning coffee date, Anthony Zannino ’06 and Jon Zorn ’02 just came over for brunch, and I really miss neighborhood walks with Yael Tarshish ’09 since she moved to Virginia to go to medical school. To make up for it, we text each other occasional pictures of beautiful foliage/flowers/plants. By the time of this publication, Dana Hale ’00 will have moved to a small antique house in the woods, away from the city, but we will continue to find ways to wreak havoc together (which may or may not mean sitting around and chatting for hours).

Lastly, I just have to tell you all that recently Mary Robertson both ran the New York Marathon and was nominated for an Emmy. Mary, when will you get off the couch and start actually getting things done?!

Please be well and keep in touch.

MARA VOUKYDIS

MVOUKYDIS@WESLEYAN.EDU