Class Notes
’40-’47
’48
’49
Would you believe it, but here I am again! It’s been a while since my last column, and unfortunately, I have NO news from our classmates to pass on. So-o-o, I’ll tell you a bit about my new toy, which I’m in love with. My 10th birthday was a milestone for me as two important things changed in my life. First, I was old enough to become a Girl Scout, and second, I got my first two-wheel bicycle! Well, I’m still a registered Girl Scout with a lifetime membership, and I’ve always had a bike until five or six years ago. So you can imagine my excitement when last June I spied a neighbor on a trike. Within a week I had my own Liberty Trike! And liberty it gave me with its electric assist for the worst hills. I put on 150 miles until the weather got a little too cold in October. I mostly rode within the Highlands community where I live but with frequent forays on a bike path out to Main Street, Topsham. My goal this spring is to tackle the bike path along the Androscoggin River. I can hardly wait until April! ✹ And so I come to the end of another column for the ’49ers. Please remember to send me news at any time for my ’49 file and our next column.
50s newsmakers
Courtesy of WGME
’50
’51
There’s not much news from classmates this time around, so I’ll share a bit of my own. Highlights of recent months have been trips to the Lower Mississippi River on a cruise and to Norway and Denmark. On the writing side, there are Early Families of Hollis and Dayton, Maine, in 2023, and the book signing of Early Families of Kennebunkport, Maine, in June. Writing genealogy has proved to be a most satisfying vocation, even in my 90s. My grandson, Samuel Boyle Silver, is a math major at UMass-Amherst, where he is excelling. ✹ It is with sadness that I note the passing of two of our classmates, Albert Stone and Harland Eastman. Obituaries for both gentlemen are in the back pages of this magazine. Harland Eastman was a personal friend of mine, and I’m dedicating my new book to him with the following inscription: “This book is dedicated to the memory of my Colby College classmate, Harland Eastman. Harland was a lover of books and history. His work on behalf of the Springvale Public Library and Sanford-Springvale Historical Society is now legendary. His remarkable books on local history are a testament to his creativity. His support of my books of genealogy has always been appreciated. Thank you, Hal, for dedicating your life to the collection of the written word and the preservation of historical memorabilia.”
’52
Dear classmates: Mary and I have completed our move to a retirement community in Topsham, Maine. Moving from a large house to a small apartment is something I only want to do once. Bob Kline also lives in the same community, but he moves to Florida for the winter. I have not visited the Colby campus recently but planned to see the Colby/Bowdoin basketball game at Bowdoin. We are less than a mile from the Bowdoin campus. ✹ Russ Wallace has been in touch during the year and has a keen interest in Colby events and the Class of ’52. Russ is active and continues to do well in the California clime. ✹ I received a lovely letter from Carolyn Stigman Burnham. She has moved permanently to Wind in the Pines, a family resort she and her husband owned on Sebago Lake. Since she lost her husband, Carolyn and her son, William Jr., manage the cottage rental business. She loves being back in Maine to live and doesn’t mind the snow and ice. Carolyn loves that every summer she gets to meet new friends who come to rent at her resort, and although she no longer travels, she has many fond memories of the trips she and her husband enjoyed. Carolyn enjoys reading, knitting, and crocheting. In the summer and fall, she’s busy with her gardening. She also takes pleasure in watching the many birds and animals that surround her cottage. I hope someone had a great big “WELCOME HOME” sign to greet Carolyn when she got to Sebago! ✹ Where are all of you graduates of 1952? We would love to hear about your travels and accomplishments.
’53
I wish more nonagenarian classmates would share their updates every so often. However, I do have a few items to share. ✹ Loretta “Tommi” Thompson Staples has been in touch with Carolyn English Caci. They wondered if there was a list of current classmates, which I found out is not publicly available. Tommi gave up her car last year, so she now depends on rides to have conversations and coffee in town. ✹ I received a note from the daughter of Harriet Sherman Fortier, Rebecca, who said that Harriet has some wonderful memories of her Colby years. One, in particular, is from Colby’s Winter Carnival 1952 when Harriet and members of Sigma Kappa sorority built a snow sculpture called “Polar Bear Snow Party” between Mary Low and Woodman halls. Harriet’s daughter conveyed that her mother “recalls that her dormitory’s house mother left the outdoor lights on later than usual to allow them to finish, but the cold finally forced them all indoors. By morning it couldn’t be worked on any longer—it was frozen solid! Sadly, the sculpture did not win any prizes, but better than any prize was the lasting memory of the experience.” ✹ Bob Grodberg shared news again. He and Dottie enjoy local travel to visit grandchildren and their first great-grandchild, Oliver. Bob is in his 68th year as a lawyer and depends on his computer and the internet to provide resources. Like all classmates, he has fond memories of Colby and of BU Law School. ✹ Now I have a short note about our 70th reunion last June. Barbara “Brooksie” Easterbooks Mailey and her son Peter, as a Colby guest, attended reunion on a rainy day on Mayflower Hill. Brooksie was hoping to meet classmates at the Golden Mules lunch table. The menu was “All Maine” with lobster rolls, chips, and salad with a whoopie pie for dessert. The table had only three people; JoJo Pitts McAlary ’44, who comes to reunion every year, Bob Grindle, and me. Bob came all the way from Pennsylvania with an attentive friend. Bob and I talked for a little while, and he inquired about getting in touch with Carolyn English Caci. His parting words to me were, “See you in five years!”
’54
Bob “Whitey” Thurston reports that he is “still hanging in there, but my pace is slowing down considerably. I spend a good deal of time taking care of my 11-year-old diabetic dog, whose vision was restored after successful cataract surgery. I now give him insulin shots twice daily and eye drops three times daily. He has much more energy than I do. I have trained him to walk on the treadmill during bad weather days and follow me as I ride my three-wheeled bicycle during good weather. This is not earthshaking news, but it is a major part of my daily routine. Sending best regards to my esteemed classmates.” ✹ The Class of 1954 needs a correspondent to replace Vic Scalise, who passed away Sept. 15, 2023. If anyone is interested in this volunteer opportunity, please contact Colby Magazine at classnews1954@colby.edu or 207-859-4356.
’55
Jean Van Curan Pugh checked in from Naples, Fla. “Like most of our classmates, I turned 90 in December. Lots of celebrations here in Naples, where I spend seven months. The other five I’m at Ocean View in Falmouth, Maine, going ‘upta camp’ in Norway most of June through August. I have a family compound on a wonderful lake that has been in my family for years. My great-grandchildren are the eighth generation on the land. Very special, and it keeps me busy doing puzzles, golfing, boating, and enjoying large family meals. A big plus at Ocean View is I get to spend time with Ann Burnham Deering. Yes, she is as much fun as you all remember her being at Colby.” ✹ From the opposite corner of the country, we heard from Beth Young Baker in Boise, Idaho, where they had record snowfalls earlier this year. After more than 50 years in one house, Beth and her husband, Bob, moved to a single-family home on an irrigation pond with ducks and enjoy watching the wildlife. “We were supposed to take a cruise to Japan in August but canceled because of health reasons. Instead, we took a lovely river cruise down the Mississippi River from Minneapolis to New Orleans. We have two daughters, one is a scientist at Merck in California and the other is a physical therapist who lives nearby. We’re lucky to have good family support. Our cat keeps us entertained; and bridge, walking, and reading are our favorite activities. I enjoy the news of Colby—so many changes.”
’56
Hello, classmates. I didn’t receive news from anyone after my request via email, so I’m sorry to say there’s nothing to report. Please feel free to reach out to me anytime at classnews1956@colby.edu and I will save your news for our next column. Wishing you all good health and happiness in 2024.
’57
’58
For many years, Walter and Maggie Smith Henry have lived in the same house on Long Island, where they raised two sons, who became doctors. The older, Michael, is an infectious disease doctor at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. The younger, Tom, is an anesthesiologist working mainly at Nyack Hospital and ambulatory offices in Manhattan. Michael’s daughter is a sophomore at her dad’s alma mater, Haverford, while Tom’s son is a freshman at the Bronx High School of Science. His daughter was recently accepted early decision to Colby’s Class of 2028, “so I won’t be losing touch with Colby,” Maggie said. ✹ Marty Burger, a risk management consultant for Marsh McLennan Agency in Norwalk, Conn., has finished his 65th year in the insurance business. He continues to race his sailboat from May to October out of Westport. “For the past two years, my team has come in first place in our division. Looking forward to the 2024 season.” He also arranges Zoom calls several times a year with Peter Doran and Al Dean. David Rhoades and Bob Saltz were also included, but both have passed away. Marty is also in touch with Sheila Campbell Rhoades. ✹ I was saddened to receive news from Marian Ludwig Woodsome’s daughter Sarah White, a 1984 Colby grad. “With a heavy heart, I tell you that Mom passed away the morning of Dec. 29, 2023, having entered hospice the day before.” Her daughter Cindy flew over from Germany with her husband, Reudiger, and the family held a celebration-of-life service for her in Boothbay, Maine, Jan. 11. Marian’s ex-husband, John Ludwig, is currently in Germany; our condolences to him and their extended family. ✹ Jane Gibbons previously sent news about her home in Sweden, Maine, (not far from the New Hampshire border), which she has made available for a reasonably priced Airbnb rental. The house dates back to 1828 and has four bedrooms along with lake access to swimming, boating, and hiking trails. It was a good place to observe the April 8 total solar eclipse. Please pass the information on to friends who might be interested or keep it in mind for any Maine trips you might plan yourself. Y After 60 years of practicing law, Douglas Hatfield has fully retired and moved with his wife, Judy (Ingram ’60), into a retirement community in Concord, N.H., close to their former town of Hillsboro, where they are still active in several programs. They are in touch with Colby connections from Judy’s class and with their former minister and his wife, Peter ’70 and Linda Marsh Foss ’70. ✹ Judy Brown Dickson has the travel bug! She went to Greece last summer to stay with a friend near Ioannina, then she met another friend in Anchorage and took the Centennial train to Seward and back to Fairbanks, which made her homesick for Alaska. Next is a trip to Hawaii with her son Fred, followed by one to Maine to be with her son George. Judy is “taking life a day at a time,” as I expect we all are. ✹ Al Dean has been happy to keep up with TDP friends through Marty’s Zoom sessions. He’s also grateful that he and wife Kay (German ’59) have remained in their home in Leominster, Mass. The couple has wonderful memories of past trips to San Antonio and Corpus Christi, Mobile, New Orleans, and St. Augustine, with visits to museums and historic spots. They were looking forward to an April cruise to Bermuda. Al continues with decades-long activities such as hosting at the last Big Band jazz station in New England (Wednesday afternoons on WICN 90.5), being active with an AMA chapter model airplane club, and driving the 1955 VW bug he had at Colby sophomore year. He will soon pass it on to his “motor-head son, Gary.” The car has no rust and “still drives almost like new.” Though the Deans have not returned to Colby since the 60th reunion, they have “fond memories of the many wonderful people in our class and send wishes to all for good health and longevity.”
’59
Bob Younes reports that 2023 was one health trial after another. Being 86 is a trial in itself, he said, but so far, 2024 looks to be healthier. “I retired from medical practice four years ago. I’m optimistic about the future. I’ve taken an interest in prehistory and read a number of books about the Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. My coin collection continues to grow. I plan to continue making micro mosaic art pieces; I have three so far and will begin a fourth. Anne and I are aging in place. Our daughter, Norah, is married to a very nice gentleman, and we are blessed with a grandson named Cassidy.” ✹ John and Denise “Denny” Kellner Palmer sold their 1790 farmhouse (built when George Washington was president) and moved to a condo down the street in Yarmouth, Maine, three years ago. Denny said they “hated to move as we had been there almost 50 years! We do love Blueberry Cove, however, and it was time. Three grandsons went off to college last September, one to Bowdoin (I tried for Colby) and the others to Maine Maritime and Colorado University at Boulder. We keep fingers crossed in the health department and, so far, we are both fine. I wish I could be as optimistic about the health of our nation!” ✹ Denny prompted Tom Connors to check in. Tom met Denny and Dave Bloom at a Colby gathering in Madison, Conn., before they arrived at Colby in August 1955, and they’ve been good friends since. Tom’s Colby roommate Jay Church called him to tell him his stepson resigned his commission in the Army and will enter Wake Forest University School of Medicine’s highly touted PA program. Good news for Tom, who lives near Wake Forest and will see more of Jay when he visits. Tom and his wife, Jocelyn, are huge Wake Forest fans and can easily walk to the school’s athletic complex. One of their fellow residents at Arbor Acres is Judy Guptill Simmons ’65, who works out with Tom. He also sees Doris Kearns Goodwin ’64, who spoke several years ago at the Old Salem Museum and Gardens’ annual forum; Tom and Jocelyn served as her hosts. ✹ Ed Goldberg writes from Bozeman, Mont., where he is active with his new family from Vietnam: his partner, Thuy, and her children. Ed met Thuy seven years ago in North Vietnam, where he frequently travels. Their connection was immediate, and their feelings were sustained through Covid-19 and delays courtesy of the U.S. State Department. Last July, she arrived in Bozeman and has been adjusting to the culture and climate. Ed writes, “Thuy and her children are Buddhist, and we celebrate their culture and the spirit of Vietnam. I am proud to say that Bozeman has welcomed my family as I was welcomed on my first trip to Hanoi in the early ’80s. Each day brings new experiences, whether it be at school or on the ski slopes. I suspect we will return to Hanoi once everyone gets their green cards.” ✹ Hugh Nazor sent a long letter recounting his life since graduation that I can’t include in full. He earned an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at UPenn and eventually started his own small business, living in Bolton and Concord, Mass. He married Linda Smalley Murnick, and together they raised her two boys while in close contact with his two daughters from his first marriage. He built a summer house in Georgetown, Maine, in 1971 and renovated a historic row house in 1983 in Portland, living between there and Georgetown until they moved to Santa Fe, N.M., in 1997. After 11 years in the Southwest, they returned to Portland to be near their children. Hugh and Linda have roamed all over Europe and rented and piloted canal boats all over France. Every summer, they sailed Down East from Georgetown. They are now settled in a year-round home in Blue Hill, Maine. “Eighty-six is no age to be stumbling about on a foredeck, and all of our boats are gone. Years of being on various elected or appointed boards are also over. We did our share of giving back and are enjoying life in the slow lane, avoiding drifting into the breakdown lane. We wish the best to Colby, where I enjoyed accompanying the youngest of nine grandchildren on a campus tour. The College has expanded beyond all expectations.”
60s newsmakers
Rich Abrahamson
Morning Sentinel
’60
This time, I’ll start with my own news. Our fourth grandchild, Holden Gunnar Huerta, was born Feb. 21 to our son Jon ’95 and his wife, Shabnam. Their daughter, Juliet, is so excited about finally having a sibling even though, in her words, he is boring. I talk with Dick ’58 and Susan Macomber Vogt, who live in New Hampshire and are so lucky to have all their children and many grandchildren living near them. Joanne Price Rockett lives in NYC, and we frequently chat about our young grandchildren. Ken Nigro also lives in Sarasota, so I get to see him every once in a while. And yes, he is still reading three newspapers a day! ✹ After college, Don Freedman has led a very active sports life—marathons, rugby all over the world, and skiing. He and his wife, Susan, have traveled a great deal. Unfortunately, his glaucoma and severe dry eye are no longer under control, and in 2023 he was declared legally blind. Although they can’t travel as they used to, they regularly visit their son, daughter-in-law, and 4-year-old granddaughter in Vail. (Another classmate with young grandchildren!) ✹ Tony ’57 and Bev Jackson Glockler have traveled down the Rhine and Moselle rivers, seeing hillsides covered in vineyards, Roman ruins, spectacular castles, and many swans. Later, they sailed down the Columbia River, largely retracing the trip made by Lewis and Clark. All 10 members of their immediate family were together for Thanksgiving, including both daughters, who are Colby grads. ✹ Peg Jack Johnston sold her house in Denver in 2022 and moved into a two-bedroom condo, for all ages. She is involved in setting up owner activities, and she enjoys the park a half-block away with her cocker, swimming, doing fitness classes, etc. Rotary continues to be her main involvement, but she’s also in a serious book club, sees lots of plays, and takes OLLI courses, where she learned mahjong last semester. Each year she enjoys a winter trip to Nayarit, north of Puerto Vallarta, for a week or two. Peg vacationed with her three sons, their wives, and eight grandkids in Maui, one year before the devastating fire. She enjoys Colby news and last fall had a delightful visit with Sarah Bullock, Colby’s leadership gift officer, touring the Denver Art Museum and catching up on changes at Colby. ✹ Waring Blackburn and his wife enjoyed a wonderful seven-week trip to New Zealand and Australia. It was even better than their trip to Africa several years ago. The history and culture of the two countries is so different and interesting. Waring is reading The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes, who documents the history of the founding of Australia. In New Zealand their guide was of both English and Maori heritage, so they learned about the Maori culture and admired what New Zealand is doing to recognize it. Waring’s Colby roommate Peter Van Alyea, who has been to Australia five times, gave them some good pointers, and they had fun discussing their travels upon their return. ✹ In closing, I WANT TO ASK MORE OF OUR CLASSMATES TO RESPOND TO REQUESTS FOR NEWS. This time, only four people responded. THIS IS ME PLEADING WITH YOU ALL!
’61
Aloha, classmates! Here is news from your classmates. ✹ Knute Albrecht wrote to inform us that his wife, Carolyn Evans Consolino Albrecht, has dementia and has been at the skilled nursing facility of The Hill at Whitemarsh in Lafayette Hill, Pa., since early 2022. She also has AMD in both eyes and therefore has very limited vision. Knute also lives at The Hill and is with her almost daily. “Carolyn loved Colby and spoke often of her experiences there, especially her involvement with the Echo and Sigma Kappa. She met her first husband, Joe Consolino ’58, at Colby, and her parents graduated from Colby. Throughout the years, Carolyn kept in touch with her roommate Jill Williams Hooper, and they once took a Colby-sponsored trip to Italy together. Carolyn spent part of every summer on Crow Island, her family’s camp on Little Sebago Lake in Gray, Maine. She has four children and 11 grandchildren. Joe Consolino died in 1988; Carolyn and I married in 1995.” ✹ Marilyn Blom Evans has lived in Moraga, Calif., for 50 years and is content with three children now in their 50s, also residing in California. Her main interests are reading and gardening. Last spring, she and her daughter took a two-week cruise to the Greek Islands. ✹ Sandy Graham and his wife, Linda, have lived in St. James, N.C., since 2020. Until last May, he volunteered as a general dentist in nearby Boiling Springs Lakes at the New Hope Clinic serving low-income uninsured residents of Brunswick County. “I will always be grateful to Colby for the excellent education I received, especially in biology and chemistry. Dr. Terry, my biology professor, visited me at Columbia Dental School during my freshman year to see how I was doing. Such interest by Colby’s faculty in their recent grads is typical of Colby’s nurturing qualities.” ✹ Terry Lee had nothing to report but wished everyone a happy 2024. ✹ Sandy Nolet Quinlan says that she and Dean are fine. They had quite a 2023 but are “constantly and delightedly involved with family near and far.” In February they took a two-week Viking cruise to the far western Caribbean—Belize, Panama, and Costa Rica. ✹ Penny Dietz Sullivan has taken over as president of Craven Concerts, a nonprofit that brings four acts per year to New Bern, N.C. Next year they have a tribute to Simon and Garfunkel and will feature a group called the Moanin’ Frogs, which consists of six saxophones. “Entertainer costs keep rising, so my position is challenging. Paul is busy monitoring the local school board. We are both doing fine.” ✹ Last winter’s cold weather reminded Judy Hoffman Hakola of Mayflower Hill, “when the wind blew so fiercely and we girls (did we think of ourselves as young women then?) literally froze as we walked to and from our dorms to distant classroom buildings. That was one of the few times I envied our male counterparts living so close to the center of campus. I’m sure whoever designed the layout of the ‘new’ Mayflower Hill location intended to protect us from temptations of various sorts by isolating us near the edge of campus, but I’m equally sure that the decision was made by a man! Classmates, what are your striking memories of living on campus?” ✹ As for your correspondent, I continue leading a quiet life reading mysteries, doing crossword puzzles, and occasionally teaching a course for our local senior college. I still practice yoga, am in a weekly meditation class and a monthly book group, sit on the board of a wine-tasting club, and actively support our concert society and small theater. I had several health challenges last year and am recovering, except for a disintegrating right knee. Knee replacement surgery would present its own difficulties, so mostly I just limp along and try not to complain too much.
’62
Pat Farnham Russell Cole
Greetings to the Class of ’62, and in particular to Richard Mittleman. Rich says he is semi-retired, spending most of the winter in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He has been married 61 years with two of his five grandchildren already married. As many of us would agree, he is concerned with the unsettling events in today’s world. ✹ Rosemarie “Roey” Carbino reports on a Rhodes Scholar trip she took to Denali National Park in Alaska. She describes seeing all kinds of wildlife—a bus ride to a receding glacier, seeing puffins, sea lions, whales, and many other birds. Her days were filled with great meals and despite that, on arriving home she had lost four pounds! ✹ Janet K. Hertzberg writes that she is still in touch with ✹ Lynn Kimball. She reports she has undergone numerous brain surgeries and has been given a clean bill of health. ✹ Mike McCabe reports the cancer in his throat is in remission following radiation and chemotherapy. He says he is working his way back to full health following a very debilitating treatment. ✹ Nancy MacKenzie Keating recently traveled to Atlanta to attend the dedication of a series of kneelers she designed for Holy Innocents’ Church in Sandy Springs, Ga., and visit with her daughter and family. ✹ We hear Peter Jaffe recently had some stents put in to help his heart. Nothing like a little plastic tubing to make life better.
’63
We now belong to a very special class of Colby grads known as the Golden Mules! It was great to celebrate our 60th with 20 of our classmates and spouses. ✹ Steve Eittreim’s family stretches from their home in Palo Alto to San Luis Obispo to Thailand. Their golden retriever, Maddie, keeps them well-exercised. Steve and Carole wish everyone good health, happiness, and peace in 2024. ✹ John Reynolds, Marsha Fern Palmer Reynolds’s husband, has invited us to a celebration of Marsha’s life on June 29 at noon at Birdies Grill & Tavern, 168 Saco Avenue, Old Orchard Beach, Maine. He writes, “Marsha loved a good party. Let’s have one that would make her happy.” I hope many of us will be able to join him. ✹ After recovering from her second hip replacement, Peggy Fuchs Singer attended her daughter Ilana’s yoga retreat in Costa Rica. It was a perfect opportunity to return to her active life and an ideal place to write. She says Marsha Fern Palmer Reynolds, her friend at Colby and roommate for several years in NYC, was the most supportive, loyal, and fun friend anyone could ever have.” ✹ Ken and Pauline Ryder Kezer had a great time at our 60th. They were astounded by the new facilities and all that’s going on at Colby. On a cruise to Iceland, they met a Colby ’64 grad who had also lived in Foss and married her high school sweetheart! “Colbyites are everywhere.” ✹ Karen Forslund Falb provided news from her Colby classmates group, which meets regularly. DeeDee Wilson Perry, their organizer and IT expert, is enjoying her dog and family nearby after a “time out” caused by a fall. Laurice Puglia Haines visited a new grandson in Costa Rica; Pat Ey Ingraham has downsized on the Cape; Peter French and Jo-Ann Wincze French’s grandson, Zach, had top scores on ACTs and SATs and is a National Merit Scholar despite autism and Tourette’s syndrome. He’s an applicant to Colby for the fall of 2024. Skeeter ’59 and Karen Beganny Megathlin visited Colby’s new Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts and met with professors at the new Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence and the Halloran Lab for Entrepreneurship. “OMG, what a privilege it is to be a student there today!” ✹ Noel and Judith Allen Austin moved from New Mexico to Durham, N.H., to be near family, who have been a great help with Noel’s Alzheimer’s. Judith enjoyed our 60th reunion and hopes to connect with others in the southern Maine/NH area. ✹ Jody Spear attended the 100th birthday celebration of JoJo Pitts McAlary ’44, her first cousin once removed, in Rockport last August. As a class correspondent for many years, JoJo often mentioned her mother, Diana Wall Pitts, Colby 1913, in those columns. ✹ Don and Elizabeth Doe Norwat celebrated their 50th anniversary taking their son and family to Hawaii. They enjoyed visiting historic sites, boogie boarding, cruising, snorkeling, and hiking. ✹ Teaching at Florida A&M University, Beth Brown Turner is working on her book on Black theater. Her daughter, Dr. Shairi Turner-Davis, chief medical officer for a nationwide suicide-prevention program, was on a mental health panel on Meet the Press with Kristen Welker. ✹ Bill ’62 and Barb Haines Chase often visit their granddaughter, now a junior at Colby, and attend her Colbyettes’ concerts! ✹ While renovating her home in the Mid-Atlantic, Anne Quirion Connaughton spends her best time in her garden. She shares the produce with friends, neighbors, and the local food bank. ✹ In Florida, Al Carville and Linda enjoy boating on the Intra-Coastal Waterway. In Maine, Al still skis and is a senior dockhand at Sunset Marina in South Portland. He connected with Ralph Kimball and with Rod Pierce, who moved back to Connecticut to be near family. ✹ Whit Bond and Faith have left Massachusetts for OceanView in Cumberland, Maine. They’ve been traveling and attending Colby hockey games. It’s great to have them as neighbors!
’64
Hello, “Golden Mules!” It’s our 60th reunion year! Here are updates from classmates who contributed to our column. ✹ Richard Larschan has purchased a New York City co-op but is still a resident of Westport, Mass. He continues to teach at the 92 Street Y and Big Apple Greeting. He also teaches at the Lenox Hill Neighborhood Association. Richard celebrated his 80th birthday in California with grandchildren and great-grandchildren. ✹ Nancy (Greer ’65) and Andy Weiland began a tradition of Colby graduates, now including their daughter and granddaughter, Class of 2024. ✹ Richard York is in a rehab facility in Washington State and could not attend our class reunion. He writes that he misses all his friends and classmates, particularly Jim Harris, Todd Sherman, and Bob Gelbard. ✹ Jack Mechem and his wife, “Mike,” visited Colby last September, touring the new athletic and recreation center with Blaise MacDonald, the ice hockey coach. They also visited the museum, the new Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts, and the downtown Waterville art gallery. Jack and Mike tried to find Onies and the Bob-In, but they have disappeared! Instead, they found the Lockwood Hotel just around the corner, a “splurge,” Jack noted. ✹ Judith Milner Coche Anderson is enjoying retirement in Haddonfield, N.J., after many years of teaching, clinical practice, and authoring books and columns. She enjoyed media appearances supporting the benefits of professional help and noting recent advances in health insurance, which is now willing to cover mental health needs. Judith and her husband spend time with their children, grandchildren, and two Italian water dogs. ✹ A highlight of Larry Dyhrberg’s year was a visit with John Oaks and Bob Gelbard. They enjoyed sharing updates and a “reconstruction of Mayflower Memories!” Larry hopes to begin the process of self-publishing a two-part novella set in a Maine mill town. ✹ Judy Fassett Aydelott now lives in Durham, N.H., near UNH, where their son and daughter-in-law (Colby graduates) work and just minutes from their daughter’s house. While they love their new community, home, and interesting new opportunities, Judy misses living in the White Mountains. Last winter she went to a UNH ice hockey game, which brought back memories of Colby hockey when she would rush through dinner to get a good seat at Alfond Arena to watch the fabulous Colby teams. ✹ We have received the sad news of the passing of Heather Macdonald Shaughnessy. Heather’s obituary appears in the obituary section, along with classmates Doris Bergeron, Janis Hillery Hirsch, Martha Farrington Mayo, and Charles White.
’65
Thanks for all your responses. Last year I stopped in South Carolina on my way to Florida to have dinner with Dick Van Hall, who had just celebrated 50 years as an active (and beloved) professor of history at the University of SC. ✹The sad passing of Denis Carter last October in Minnesota generated many tributes, including from Eliot Terborgh, who still makes an annual visit from San Francisco to visit his sons in Vermont and Massachusetts, often stopping to see Sunny Coady in New London, N.H. I had dinner with Sunny in Naples, Fla., in January, plus Bucky and Anna Owens Smith. Sunny continues her worldwide travels with Rick and Nancy Winslow Harwood, having toured Jordan and Egypt with Overseas Adventure Travel last year, now considering Japan as their next destination. Bucky and Anna recently moved into a retirement community near their home in Stockbridge, Mass. Bucky shared some interesting stories about their neighbor years ago, Norman Rockwell. Sunny also is close to George Hooker’s daughter, Penny, who recently moved to Thailand to help care for George with his Parkinson’s illness. ✹ Norman Miner in New Hampshire enjoys vicariously re-living activities of American Revolutionary heroes. He also took a memorable cruise on Viking from Portugal to the Bahamas. ✹ Jim Spates retired 10 years ago after 43 years as a professor of sociology at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, N.Y., receiving a “distinguished faculty award.” Jim is now focused on converting a locally treasured building in Geneva into an art museum. He is also writing a book on the work of John Ruskin, the famous 19th-century British art and social critic. ✹ David Fearon, another professor, has been busy doing podcasts based on a book he coauthored, On Practice as a Way of Being, although he still found time to play 200 rounds of golf last year. ✹ Fred Wetzel now permanently resides on Cape Cod after years of splitting his time at Campobello Island, N.B. After his granddaughter fell ill a few years ago, Fred was so inspired by the care she received that he enrolled in an LPN (licensed practical nurse) program. He graduated last June and will start a comprehensive RN program next year, by far the oldest nurse around. Very impressive, Fred. ✹ I received an amusing email from Stan Garnett in St. Petersburg, Fla., where he reminisced about ATO being put on probation back in the day. Said it was all George Hooker’s fault. Despite adding a few “replacement parts,” he is enjoying life. ✹ Barbara McGillicuddy Bolton is still writing books and teaching at the UFT Retiree Program in Brooklyn, spending summers in her hometown, Houlton, Maine. She stays in touch with Barbara Howard Traister and her former roommate Jean Ferguson Cole. ✹ Lew Krinsky visited Maine last summer and had breakfast with Parker and Ann Beverage. He recommends seeing the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory in Prospect and the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay. ✹ Judy Eyges saw Eric Spitzer at an 80th birthday party in their hometown, Marblehead, Mass. She also spent a few days with Susan and John Cornell in South Freeport, Maine.✹ Linda Stearns keeps busy visiting her kids all over, Germany, the Caribbean, Maryland, and Maine. She even became a great-grandmother in October. Linda stays in touch with Janie Patterson Paxton and Kay Tower Carter ’66. ✹ Jim Foritano is “inspired by the way … Colby is moving in a better direction … toward community with all our scholars, both students and faculty.” ✹ Betsy Stevens Palmer continues to win numerous awards for her artwork. ✹ I had lunch with Charlie ’63 and Pam Plumb Carey at their winter home in Delray Beach, Fla. Pam is still writing, although Charlie’s recent hip replacement has delayed their frequent travel. We spent time with John Tewhey and Rick Davis on the Cape last August. John had a fun week in Manhattan using his AMEX points to enjoy the opera and Broadway shows. Rick and Gail finally toured the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria. May-Lis and I took a cruise to Greece and Turkey last year then stopped to see our daughter in London.
’66
Dearest classmates, your responses are proof that we ’66ers are coping with our age with gusto and determination! ✹ Christie Higginbottom says that turning 80 “…is like entering a new room.” She is adapting to hearing aids and no longer prunes trees from a ladder but otherwise remains healthy and active, working part time at Old Sturbridge Village and about to publish Finding William Lewis (1819-1895): The Every-day Life of This Singular Man, a book she and husband Bruce Craven have been researching for 12 years. ✹ Gary Knight reports that trips to various medical practitioners keep him moving, allowing him to enjoy the arrival of his first great-grandchild and to attend his oldest grandson’s wedding in San Francisco. ✹ Anne Ruggles Gere writes: “I’m edging toward ‘active retirement’ at UM with still some research projects and dissertation students. Budge and I still ski and plan more traveling. I’m faculty lead for an alumni trip to Australia and New Zealand in February, and in June we’re headed to Greece.” ✹ Brian Schacter stays active with running, pickleball, and refereeing soccer, but he admits, “I’m a very good napper.” Last year he was inducted into the Massachusetts Interscholastic Soccer Officials Hall of Fame. He also traveled to Iceland before the recent volcano erupted. ✹ Iceland must be trending because Dean “Dag” Williamson writes: “Jackie and I escaped for a great August week around Iceland with stops at five towns close to the ocean and avoided the recent volcano eruption.” ✹ Fran Finizio turned 80 on March 17 and doesn’t consider 80 OLD! He reports much travel in 2023, including a July visit with Peter Lax in Oregon, September in France with Mandy, October in California for a granddaughter’s fourth birthday, and then a November journey to Naples, Fla., where he and Mandy spend the winter. ✹ George Cain writes: “Yes, the bad news is that 80 is a big number. My good news is that I am still able to work in my real estate business, competing with agents two or three decades younger. Bottom line, I am having fun. I like to discover interesting restaurants and nice places to visit. Life is good!” ✹ Susan Mahoney Michael reports that after three major operations and fears of physical decline, she hasn’t felt better in years. She planned to celebrate her 80th birthday in April with her children in LA. She still loves politics, trips to Portugal with her husband, editing for Danish clients, and summer gatherings with Colby girls (plus Andy Maizner). ✹ Peter and Ellie Eichmann Densen both turn 80 this year and are grateful for 55 years of marriage. The highlight of the 2023 Densen year was spending September in Europe, except for the “free cases of Covid acquired going through security in Barcelona!” They enjoy doting on their four granddaughters and are now happily spending winters at their new condo in Fort Myers, with Marilyn and John Cookson visiting in March. ✹ JoAnne Rydel Ackman turned 80 on Feb. 2 and celebrated in Puerto Rico in January, in Miami in February, and finally at home. She says, “Why limit the celebration to one day?” She recently saw classmates Terry Saunders Lane, Ginny Grelotti Connolly, Kate Hollinshead Dixon, Deb Anglim Higgins, and Susan Ebinger Spencer. She still ice skates, bike rides, swims, and finds mahjong “lots of fun and good for the gray matter.” ✹ Susan Footer Hummer turns 80 in July and remains active with golf, fieldwork, hiking, and camping. Despite some medical challenges, she and Jim traveled last year to London, Italy, Colorado, and San Diego. They also hosted Susan Mahoney Michael, Jan Atherton Hoffman, Donna Tyler Cummings, and myself in October for a wonderful lunch and tractor ride at their home and Christmas tree farm in Bath. ✹ Pat Berg Currier has decided to spend her 80th year following the advice of the poem “Warning.” She intends to wear purple while she drives her new red Honda and do crazy fun things “…. to make up for the sobriety of her youth.” Call her if you’d like to come along. ✹ I myself am still playing tennis and just returned from an 80 for Brady-type trip to Key West with three gal pals. Tom didn’t show up, but we had a blast. Best regards, and happy 80th to you all!
’67
John Cooper finally retired as of May 1, 2023. After 26 years with Follett Higher Education at the University of New England in the bookstore, he is a free man! He plans to rekindle relationships with friends and family, enjoy the lovely Maine weather, and do nothing stressful. He has started looking into his genealogy through several sites. Back to Ben Franklin on his mother’s side! ✹ Eric Rosen spent much of his time and energy as chair of a committee at his temple, whose goal is to fight the epidemic of anti-Semitism. He does this mainly in the interfaith arena, and he is gratified that other faith communities share his goal of ending the scourge of anti-Semitism. ✹ Martin Gliserman had an exciting year in 2023 and wishes all of us the best. ✹ Laurie Hunt Beasley continues to travel extensively, both domestically and internationally. This year she is focusing on the Iberian Peninsula and Central America. The highlight of last year’s journeys was Ireland. After several decades of enduring 14 hours or more on international flights to obscure destinations, she has decided to focus on the Americas and Europe. Laurie loves retirement. ✹ Clemence Mershon enjoyed four days at Christmas with her family at her son’s house near D.C. It was the first time they had been together since her daughter’s wedding in October in Detroit. She also spent time with her two grandchildren. She has worked on her farm clearing piles of wood and repairing fences, and she is working on preparing a new garden. In the summer and fall of 2023, she attended in-person Quaker retreats in Ohio and Michigan, participated in international committee meetings, and toured Mayan sites in Guatemala. ✹ Phil Kay is still skiing and running road races in Evergreen, Colo. He does, however, admit starting to feel his age a little. He does mostly novice and intermediate slopes at Vail; and he set a nine-minute-mile pace for the 5K town race, which secured him third place. But at 78 years old, that’s pretty good. Earlier this year, Phil was in Austria skiing. He credits all of his athletic achievements to taking PE at Colby. He must have had Vern Ullom as his instructor. ✹ Sally Ray Bennett writes that she is doing well but has not traveled much this year since attending her granddaughter’s graduation in New Jersey. Her granddaughter is now attending the University of Glasgow. At Christmas, Sally enjoyed time with three of her children and their families. And, they did all the work and would not let Sally cook or clean. Wow!! Do they hire out? ✹ Caroline Kresky is still well and practicing law full time at Kresky Law, where she specializes in high-net worth/high-conflict divorces and related matters. In 2023 Forbes/Fortune magazine did an article on Kresky Law. Caroline is, however, thinking of retiring in the next 12-18 months and doing some traveling.
’68
Greetings, classmates! At the outset, please join me in expressing thanks to Lynne Oakes Camp for 10 years of outstanding work as our class correspondent! ✹ Thom Rippon, McDonald’s maestro who recently made a momentous donation to Colby for financial aid, reports that his Pennsylvania farm received a significant snowstorm in January. He continues to be a busy guy. ✹ Chris Austin Barbour, a fellow opera lover, runs Barbour Computing. She continues in her quest to complete Will Durant’s Story of Civilization. (She’s in volume 10 of 11—Chappie would be proud!) ✹ Dave and Nancy Dodge Bryan wrote from Key West, where they awaited Don and Betsy Clark Gemmecke and Greg and Nancy Thomas Fritz for some warmth, relaxation, a sunset sail, and unknown amounts of wine and beer. Last fall this same group, along with Phil and Hethie Shores Parmesano, Steve Campbell, and Mary Jo Calabrese Baur, met at a VRBO on Penobscot Bay for a similar agenda. ✹ George Rideout lives in his childhood home in Wellesley, Mass. He manages two Roger W. Babson Foundations, the Gravity Research Foundation and the Open Church Foundation. George enjoys time with his four children and 16 grandchildren. ✹ Jeff McCabe is a nationally certified translator of German/English at all courts in Europe and translates daily Avalanche Bulletins into English. And he’s studying Turkish. ✹ Mary Lee (Merrill ’70) and Mike Metcalf completed a 10-year section hike of the Appalachian Trail. They plan to keep on hiking and climbing mountains. ✹ Ken Young’s (forever a Mainer) two children live in Germany and Austria. His daughter works for the Bosch Foundation and his son is a climate scientist at the German Polar Institute. Ken and his wife are avid travelers, with visits to Tucson and Florida and jaunts to Paris, Florence, and Germany. ✹ Now an of-counsel attorney, Jay Sandak can spend time with his wife, ski with grandchildren in Vermont, and enjoy traveling. ✹ After nearly 50 years in Hawaii, Joyce Ingram-Chinn returned to New England to be closer to family and friends. Joyce is upping her game with weaving, her favorite hobby. ✹ Lee Urban, an entrenched tuba player, enjoyed New Orleans’ Carnival with one of his sons. He sought out every street parade, which, he reports, are unequaled. ✹ After many years in Vermont, Steve Campbell moved to Dracut, Mass., where he enjoys the best of the Boston area from (just a bit) afar. ✹ Jann Semonian Czarnetzki and her husband traveled to Park City, Utah, for a ski trip. She’s active with a book club and enjoys regular contact with Clarke and Cathie Smith Keenan, a friendship she calls “the gift from Colby that keeps on giving.” ✹ Speaking of Cathie and Clarke, how does spending the winter in Santa Barbara, Calif., sound? Clarke describes this as “tough, but slugging through.” ✹ After 23 years as a trial judge and Supreme Court justice, Joe Jabar is leaving the bench—but not the law. He returned to the firm he founded, Jabar & LaLiberty, in Waterville a mere 46 years ago. ✹ Jessie McGuire, an “inveterate traveler,” organizes trips with about a dozen friends. Recent destinations included Mongolia and Antarctica. Next up: Morocco. ✹ Lawrence Furbish lives in southern Maine in the house built by his grandfather. After years of dedicated service with civic organizations, Lawrence enjoys life with his wife and two English springer spaniels. ✹ Last summer Deirdre and Brad Merritt attended the Hingham Civic Music Theatre’s production of Grease, which starred Colby student Maura McGraw ‘24. Maura “not only shone onstage but was a delightful and gracious young woman.” Also in attendance were local historian and lecturer Bob Jackman ‘67 and Frank ’73 and Nancy Capers Mellen ‘72. ✹ Wendy (Slater ’69) and Alex Palmer live on Martha’s Vineyard, where he’s had a lengthy career in elementary education. Each summer they get together with Gary Weaver, Rich Beddoe, Richard Colby, John Birkinbine, and Rick Mansfield (DU lives on!) and have occasional Zoom calls with Joe Jabar, Dave Demers ’69, Jay Dworkin ’70, and myself. Alex and Wendy enjoy annual visits with their son and grandchildren in San Francisco. ✹ Terry and I enjoyed a great trip to Umbria last fall. (My tourist Italian was serviceable!) We planned to visit Belgium and Holland this spring. We continue to enjoy life in Colorado and maintain contact with our respective classmates (hers from Pembroke/Brown).
’69
To echo the intro from our dearly departed classmate and class correspondent Ray Gerbi, ‘Greetings, classmates!’ I would much prefer that he was continuing to write this column. Rest in peace, my friend. With this 55th reunion year (oh my, oh my!), most of us, it appears, including myself two years ago, have taken down our business shingles and are enjoying other adventures. ✹ Class president Cathy Cyr Latvis, her husband, Bill ’66, and friends have visited Eleuthera in the Bahamas (“magnificent, mostly because it’s sparsely populated!”) and Isla Mujeres, off the coast of Cancun. She and Bill are eager to attend the high school graduation of their granddaughter, Ruby, who has been accepted at several colleges in the Northeast. ✹ Mike Foose recently retired from the U.S. Geological Survey after 47 years, a career during which he worked in more than 27 states and 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East. He now enjoys spending time with Janis (retired State Department/USAID), their four children, and four grandchildren. He stays active with travel, tennis, white-water kayaking, and playing his guitars. ✹ Ines Ruelius Altemose is having a “blast” teaching Nia, a dance-fusion fitness practice, volunteering for various nonprofits, participating in four book clubs, including the Colby PBC Guru one, and traveling with her daughter Kristen. She’s also staying connected with monthly Zoom calls with Susie Mathews Szydlowski and Jeanne Bryant Stanwood. ✹ Two classmates love their professions so much that they’re continuing to defy the odds. Sandy Hoe still practices government contracts law at Covington and Burling in Washington, D.C., but is now on an agreed reduced workload. With remote work now possible, Sandy and his wife split their time between Annapolis, Md., near one daughter and four grandchildren, the New Jersey shore, and Santa Monica, near their other daughter. They also spend time in Charlotte, N.C., where they visit their son, his wife, and two boys. Sandy has had a run of medical issues in the last few years, all involving cancer. He thanks God that “all have been addressed successfully with surgery and a great medical team at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.” ✹ Karen True-Samson still works with a full-time private psychotherapy practice in California. Her clients present the spectrum of what’s going on in the larger environment. “Anxiety spikes around here in the fall as the dry season threatens wildfire. Fear of Covid lingers, particularly amongst my older clients. Drug addiction in our teens has some of my mothers terrified. So, my practice keeps me informed in a very intimate way of the world around me.” Karen is grateful that her life continues to be rich with good fortune. Central to that is her family and friends. “Two granddaughters who are teens and navigating the baffling landscape of social media are endlessly fascinating.” Karen is grateful to the spinal neurosurgeon who operated on her last December. “I anticipate being no longer in pain. And can’t wait to get back in my kayak.” ✹ Bill Lyons, along with several coauthors of The African American Baseball Experience in Nebraska (McFarland & Company, 2021), participated in a book signing at the Great Plains Black History Museum in North Omaha, Neb. Bill and I learned, in a recent exchange, that our paths had unknowingly crossed in late May 2004, when we were both part of volunteer recovery teams in Hallam, Neb., following an F4 tornado that leveled the town. Remarkably small world. ✹ Howie Cutler and his family are doing well in Portland, Ore., where they have lived since 1988. Recently, he’s experienced some nerve damage in his legs but otherwise is in good spirits. His family is looking forward to the September wedding of the youngest of his three children. ✹ In closing, let me echo a sentiment from Ines, “I hope you are all not just surviving, but thriving.” While our bodies may try to scream at us otherwise, age is as much a mental state as physical. Hope you are living life to the fullest, with an attitude full of gratitude.
70s newsmakers
’70
Kudos to Libby Brown Strough for all the faithful reporting she delivered over two terms as class correspondent. Good job! Word on the street is that this new scribe bears watching, however. This column has a word-count restriction that clashes with the huge response received for publication. So, what follows is a synopsis. Standby for a later e-blast containing what Steve Cline would call the “director’s cut.” ✹ Mike Self checked in from North Carolina, his home for 45 years. Still working. Kids and grandkids nearby. Life is good. Mike’s still willing to stoke his memories of ice time at Alfond Arena. ✹ Pam Warner Champagne and a friend enjoyed a Covid-delayed trip to British Columbia last year. Plush accommodations and living large. Retirement exceeds expectations! She keeps up with a French conversation group, practices yoga, and has a full social schedule. ✹ Barry Hurwitz decided to retire, just hasn’t done so yet. He did buy himself a retirement present, though. More on that in the extended-play version. He’s hosted Jim Martin and wife Sheila. Standby for news on fish and guitars. ✹ Bruce McNamee feels Barry’s pain. Bruce is trying to retire, too, just not succeeding. Also balancing kids, grandkids, and skiing at Sunday River. Bruce and wife Linda narrowly escaped damage to their chalet, but Sunday River saw so wet a summer that mudslides did a number on much of the area. ✹ Sarah “Sally” Vose Mackenzie has been busy recently: three trips to Europe last year! One with her sister Deborah ’75. ✹ Jane Stinchfield Sexton reports that she and husband John visited England last fall. Seven stage plays and a museum in one short visit, risking cultural overload. ✹ Deborah Anderson remains in sunny Seattle. After wandering in their 20s, both her daughters have returned to the nest. They actually have homes now, on either side of Deb and husband Mike. Deb also reports she’s gaining grandchildren at a bodacious rate. Expect extended travel in the spring! ✹ Alison Harvey still lives in Waterville. In May she makes her 50th consecutive performance with the Waterville Area Community Chorus. Has she got a song to sing! Alison also reports she recently attended a 50th reunion at Messalonskee High School in Oakland, Maine. Immediately after graduating from Colby, she and Sally Vose Mackenzie were first-year faculty members together, teaching the high school class of ’73. ✹ Joan Katz finds that walking in Boston in the winter creates flashbacks of trudging back to Dana after hockey games. She and husband Arthur still get to Maine every year—in the summer! ✹ In March 2023 Chip and Judi Kelly Lord cruised in Norway with Bruce and Gail Cuatto Kilgour. Aurora Borealis from the quarterdeck. Chip and Pete Foss got to visit Todd Smith toward the end. They felt he recognized them. Now, Todd is gone, sadly. ✹ Norma Rivero de Biermeyer had lots of news. Politics of Venezuela: Bummer. Cohesion of the citizens of Caracas: Impressive. Life for her daughter and family in Valencia, España: Distant. Still, the tropical climate there has become her home, and she tenaciously clings to it. ✹ Greg Andrews actually did retire. He had been the CFO of Saddleback Ski Area in Rangely, Maine. He and wife Elyse live in town. They enjoy winter sports, volunteering, and running a retail shop in town. Get down to the corner of Pond & Main and demand the Mule’s discount! ✹ Watch your email for a more detailed version of this report. Spoiler alert: There may be photos and hot links to accompany the florid text. Even all these years after a shared experience, we remain classmates and a very particular kind of neighbors. So, don’t hold out on those who know and respect you! Send along a few notes on what’s cool and current in your life so we can keep this blog going.
’71
Floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, avalanches, blizzards, fires, mudslides … and some declare there is no such thing as climate change. How do you feel about it? It’s been a while since I’ve gathered news. It’s amazing that at our tender ages, so many of us are still in the game. Maybe some body parts are getting tired, but many of us are still moving and grooving. Good for us. ✹ Bill and Carolyn Additon Anthony are busy with their respective accomplishments. Bill has written a novel, Farnsy, which remains a top seller with Maine Authors Publishing. There’s a Colby connection in it. The Anthonys live in Damariscotta, Maine, for about five months; otherwise, they’re in Evanston near family. Carolyn is active in international library work. She also serves on a number of boards. No rocking chairs and shuffleboard for them! They keep in touch with Harry Dickerson, Michael Guiliano, and Ken Didsbury as well as Kathe Cahn Morse ’70 and Peggy Swanson. ✹ Jim “Hawk” Hawkins is happy to report that he was successful in establishing a homeless shelter in his area, having begun with absolutely nothing six years ago. It now houses 18 crisis beds and 22 permanent housing units as well as onsite services for literacy, mental health, and addictions. His next endeavor is a housing project for low- and middle-income seniors. ✹ From Virginia Beach, Val Thibeau Yates writes that she is thrilled with the birth of a second grandson. Val still works at South University in Virginia Beach in the bachelor of science in nursing degree department. ✹ Bob and Anne “Tocky” Wetherill Bialobrzeski checked in with a brief note. ✹ From Cape Elizabeth, Maine, Martha Smith Mickles said a highlight from last year was having lunch with Field Reichardt. Martha and Calien enjoyed a birding trip to Arizona and are next planning a trip to Charleston, S.C. They are both deeply involved in OperaMaine. ✹ Nick Nash promised to send more info after he shoveled 15 inches of snow off the roof and officiated at two high school basketball games. ✹ Another one with no moss on him is Rich Abramson, who is still president of his homeowners’ association in Portland. He’s also president of the Great Moose Lake Association. He enjoys his twin granddaughters and stays in touch with John Bubar ’68. ✹ Bill Simons sat in a courtroom two rows behind the defendant, now a convicted mass murderer, from the Pittsburgh Tree of Life massacre. He wrote several powerful articles about this trial. Bill has retired from full-time teaching at SUNY Oneonta, but he still teaches a bit and is still involved with baseball. ✹ Chip Altholz and his wife love their RV in Arizona for the winter. They also love pickleball and hoped to have lunch with Dave Nelson. Chip says there are only two things left to do: give away as much love as possible and seek adventure! ✹ After 60 inches of rain last summer, Leslie Anderson and her husband are traveling again. She sees her “Dana Hall” group regularly—Debbie Messer Zlatin, Karen Hoerner Neel, Janet Blatchford Gordon, Mary Jukes Howard, and Pat Trow Parent. ✹ Nancy Howatt Wilson downsized from a house to a condo and moved to Massachusetts from New Hampshire to be near family. Her four grandchildren keep her hopping. She keeps in touch with Paul and Susie Sammis Spiess and Pat Kress Greer. ✹ Among the travelers are Dick Lewin and his wife, Margot. They drove across the Southern U.S. and saw Jeff Hood and Nick and Suzi Harding Preston. ✹ Bonnie Belanger Gauthier writes with news of surgery and PT for both her and her husband. She also had a publishing offer for her novel, which she hopes will materialize. ✹ From her new home in Michigan, Debbie Wentworth Lansing writes of her year of adventure moving from Florida to Michigan. She’s still doing research for the Mayflower Society. Y My life continues to be busy with singing and dogs.
’72
I heard from a record number of classmates—15! We have limited space here, so I shortened everyone’s news. ✹ Kathleen Otterson Cintavey and her husband built a lovely home in Florida. They still have their camp about 10 miles from Colby and will spend summers there as long as possible. ✹ Sally Chester Williford and Joyce Bemak Hanes attended a York Antique Show last winter. Sally sits as a senior judge and travels throughout Maryland. ✹ Mark ’73 and Tina Murphy Serdjenian wrote from Venice, Fla., where there’s a large contingent of Colby friends. At reunion last year, Mark was pleased to be invited to speak at the Class of ’78 dinner, where they reconnected with more friends. ✹ Pam Fallon Jagla is retired and lives in Oregon with Kevin ’71, her husband of 50 years. They have two grandchildren with a set of twin boys due to arrive. They spend summers in Mashpee, Mass., and part of the winter in Jaco, Costa Rica. They rent their beachfront cottage if anyone wants to surf in a town that has hosted three world surf championships. ✹ Lou Griffith wrote that life is good. Lou and his wife, Wendy, spend time traveling. Last winter he took a trip to Austria with Jay Peabody, Art Young, and John Koons. ✹ Marilyn McDougal Meyerhans and her husband still live the dream on their farm in Fairfield, Maine, growing apples, pears, plums, and now peaches as well as vegetables for their market. Travel plans include Costa Rica, Florida, Western states, and more of Maine. ✹ Bill Earnshaw has lived the last 30-plus years a mile from the road in the Scottish hills near Peebles, south of Edinburgh. Bill recently lost his wife of 36 years, Margarete, to cancer. On a brighter note, the fourth edition of his textbook Cell Biology was published by Elsevier. In 2023 he spent a month in the Himalayas, the homeland of his Tamang friends. A highlight was being in Gatlang, Nepal, for the Buddha’s birthday celebration, a bit analogous to Mardi Gras. ✹ Susan Buttner Lavelle said that life is terrific and welcomes one and all to travel with her. Last year she visited Iceland in March, Jordan and Israel in April, Paris in the summer, and Sedona, Dubai, and India in the fall. ✹ Art and Jeanne Emerson Young checked in while awaiting a flight to Switzerland to ski with fellow KDRs Lou Griffith, Jay Peabody, and John Koons. They planned to go to ZÜrs, Austria, then on to Zermatt. ✹ James Colburn enjoys retirement with lots of camping, skiing, and being an on-call babysitter for his four grandchildren. ✹ Christine Hanley Pike teaches full time at Southern New Hampshire University, a nonprofit that offers opportunities to students worldwide who might not be able to achieve a college degree. She loves her job, but she plans to retire in August. Last summer she traveled to Ireland with her daughter and granddaughters, who were dancing with the dance troupe Riverdance. Chris downsized to a condo in North Andover, Mass. She visited Colby with her granddaughter and loved seeing the amazing changes, even since our recent reunion. ✹ In 2023 Bill Alfond enjoyed another wonderful summer in Maine with his children and seven grandchildren. He enjoyed skiing at Sugarloaf with his family as well. Joni and he were fortunate to travel to New York to enjoy Thanksgiving with family and Paris over the Christmas/Hanukkah holidays. ✹ Donald “Nipper” Harding enjoys retirement in Yarmouth, Maine. He plays hockey a few days a week and sings with various groups. He just released a solo album of songs by various French composers. ✹ Roz Teto Johnson is retired and lives in the California Bay Area. Last year she went on her first riverboat cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam, and it was “fantastic!” ✹ For Nancy Chin-Stromberg, a highlight of 2023 was becoming a first-time grandmother. She sees her granddaughter often as she lives close by in Denver. She also celebrated her 70th birthday, three years later due to Covid. She and her husband enjoy traveling and look forward to our 55th reunion. ✹ My news is that I traveled to Eugene, Ore., in June 2023 to attend my niece’s wedding. It was a family reunion as my four brothers and I stayed together in an Airbnb. It was sort of magical as we were kids once again.
’73
The Class of ’73 gathered for its 50th reunion last year, and it remains central to our news. ✹ Geoff Legg was first to write in about his three big reunions last year; following Colby in June he attended the Iceland Radar Sites (stationed there in 1965) veterans organization reunion in Montgomery, Ala., followed by his 62nd high school reunion in Brattleboro, Vt. He talked about their yearly reunions now with both groups and began the conversation about what we want to do next for our gatherings, including suggestions for more frequent reunions or possibly mini-reunions and regional reunions. Lisa Kehler Bubar, Susie Yovic Hoeller, and Anne Badmington Cass quickly joined the conversation, which grew to include Pat Flanagan Olsen and Gary Fitts with ideas of how our class can actively be connected through Zoom conversations. With a starting place of gathering everyone who wants to be included, we can determine how, where, and when we want to be together. Susie also spoke of reunion and mentioned that she will attend reunion with the Class of ’74 this year, having regrettably missed ours last year. Stay tuned for messages about staying connected. ✹ Jan Stafford Wood had “so much fun” at reunion and was grateful for the amazing organization and planning, citing a highlight of seeing classmate Betty Rippere Long and her husband. Jan and husband Jon enjoy their kids and grandkids and recently attended their oldest son’s wedding. They have a cabin, just completed at Lake George, N.Y., and Jon is a newly trained ski patroller on Blue Mountain. ✹ Martha Wetmore Scott and her husband enjoyed meeting classmates at reunion that they didn’t know as well, including Richard Gawthrop, Linda and Thane Pratt, and Deirdre (Fitz-Gerald ’72) and Henry Sockbeson. Thank you to Richard Cass for his newest book, which kept Martha up at night awaiting the arrival of her first grandchild, Harlo. Rounding out the busy year of 2023 was a family wedding and a trip to the Bahamas. ✹ Mark Serdjenian thanks everyone who planned and helped with our reunion, making it “wonderful and heartwarming.” He loved catching up and reconnecting with past friends and was grateful for the “deluxe treatment” from Colby. ✹ Ellen Kornetsky (my old bestie from Sanford, Maine) added happy news about her youngest grandson, who is in advanced training at Quantico for a Marine embassy post. Ellen continues to work part time in her therapy practice, finding the role difficult to retire from with very special clients and still plenty of time to “read compulsively.” ✹ Debbie Mael Mandino eloquently summed up our 50th Reunion with these special moments. “So privileged to walk by Mary Low lounge and catch a spontaneous jam session with talented classmates. Ida Dionne Burroughs was at the piano and, regrettably, I can’t remember who else was playing and singing, but it was wonderful! Seeing our forever friend Lisa Kehler Bubar beaming with pride about the class hitting fundraising goals. She was gracious, funny, and excited as she took to the mic! Having my husband and best friend, Waxie (Tom), my daughter Michelle, and my two granddaughters, Evie and Riley, on campus dancing, running, grabbing swag, and celebrating the magic. Next time, we’ll add their little sister, Harper, born in December.” Debbie is in her 48th year of teaching—three writing classes of college first-year students. “Last fall we did an audience activity where I asked them to email their best friends. I wrote with them and sent a message off to Jackie Nienaber Appeldorn, Carol Chalker, and Lisa Kehler Bubar, holding Chris Mattern Way in my heart. I’m so grateful for meeting these women in the fall of 1969!”
’74
The team of classmates in charge of our 50th Reunion was exceptionally busy planning for our gathering in June on Mayflower Hill, producing copious communications about the reunion, including emails, videos, and Zoom calls. So, we hope that you have felt closely connected to Colby in recent months. In this spirit, here are updates from classmates who kindly sent us tidings. ✹ Art Bell, Remi Browne, Mark Curtis, and Rocky Goodhope convened in Jupiter, Fla., last December to conduct the quartet’s second annual Septuagenarian Pentathlon, a true test of creaky old bones as participants engage in five highly competitive sports—golf, pickleball, ping-pong, pool, and tennis—all in one day. In true come-from-behind fashion, State Representative Bell (D-Yarmouth) successfully defended his title on the last stroke of the day. But we all know the true winners were Advil and Heineken. ✹ For Tim Glidden, post-retirement life has proven his elders’ folk wisdom that he would be “busier retired than when he was working.” Tim is managing a friend’s campaign for the Maine State Senate and helping a regional organization that provides emergency housing to raise funds for a new residential facility. Giving back to the community and seeking new intellectual challenges, Tim has taken on executive coaching assignments for a new land trust and joined local advisory boards. His soulmate, Kathy Lyon, is nearly 100-percent retired but cannot quite let go of her favorite gig at the Navy’s substance abuse program at the Kittery Shipyard. ✹ Former Waterville mayor Karen Heck is loving retirement. She now has tons of time for travel, which in 2023 included trips to Italy, Morocco, Portugal, and Québec, plus boating on Penobscot Bay. ✹ David Bailey is in his 38th season conducting the Hollis, N.H., town band. David has been repairing musical instruments since 1976 and teaching private music lessons for much longer. ✹ Last year Ann Earon and her husband, post-pandemic, resumed their usual busy travel schedule, making trips to Key West, London, Montreal, and Paris. Plans for 2024 will take the couple on a river cruise from Vienna to Nuremberg, on visits to the Scandinavian capitals, and to Maine … twice! ✹ Jeff Barske enjoyed a warm 2023 winter in coastal Connecticut followed by a week at the beach in Clearwater, Fla. During the summer, Jeff worked his Hammonasset State Park campground job and, in the fall, sailed aboard a 53-foot catamaran with friends in the waters surrounding Antigua. Both Ph.D. daughters prosper, Lindsey managing a genetics lab at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and Carrie as director of the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area. ✹ Laurence Kominz recently retired from his university professorship at Portland State University but continues to teach a Japanese drama course and direct student performances of kabuki and kyogen theater arts in English. This past year, his students performed The Adventures of High Priest Kôchi—a play that had been lost for nearly 300 years—first in Portland, then in Japan. “Audiences on both sides of the Pacific loved the show,” said Larry, who, with his wife, Toshimi, purchased an apartment in Tokyo to be able to spend time near the couple’s two children, who live and work in that city. ✹ Meanwhile, Mark O’Connell still “tills the soil” as a consulting civil/structural forensic engineer.” His children have “cleared college,” one as a Colby grad. Mark stays in touch with KDR “denizens from the wonder years.” One recent KDR gathering hosted by Bob Cooper ’76 at his “hacienda” in Cumberland Foreside, Maine, featured “golf, lies, lobster, and libation, not necessarily in that order.” Attending the festivities were Steve Colella, Mike Mather, and Bill Callahan (who, by the way, can still work a room).
’75
Jacquelyn Lindsey Wynn, our class president, keeps active with Colby with class communications, fundraising, and the upcoming 50th Reunion. Their 57-year-old family business and her national denominational church position keep her extremely busy with work and travel. She and her husband, Omar ’74, have enjoyed traveling to visit their daughter, whose promotion has her now working in Port Vila, Efate, Vanuatu, in the South Pacific. Besides loving to spend time with family, Jacquie stays in touch with Camilla Moore Doctor and Curtis Johnson, plus with James Glover ’74 and his family. ✹ Carol Majdalany Williams has four grandchildren under the age of 3 who live in Virginia. But since she’s in Lebanon, N.H., she can’t be of much help to the parents. Instead, she visits them all in Virginia several times a year. Carol looks forward to seeing everyone at our 50th Reunion. ✹ (Janice) Taylor Bond Suflita and her husband, Joseph, a retired environmental microbiology professor, have spent the past 42 years in Oklahoma. Taylor had “the privilege” of staying at home to raise their children, who have now “given them five grandchildren—no greater gift!” Their own little piece of heaven is on a small nearby lake, where they enjoy fishing, kayaking, and swimming. Life is good! ✹ Maria and Charlie LeRoyer were fortunate to do more traveling last year, hiking in the Scottish NW highlands and Island of Skye, spending time in Inverness, even trying haggis, in April; biking the Confederation Trail on Prince Edward Island in September; and in October a return trip to Switzerland for a visit and hiking with Swiss friends in the Valais region. ✹ In 2024 Brad Smith heads back to Southeast Asia for another four months of travels in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam, following a similar four-month itinerary in 2023. Back home in Tampa, Fla., Brad continues performing as a drummer at Disney and all the best beach venues along the Sunshine State’s west coast. ✹ Many years after studying classics with Mrs. Koonce and Mr. Westervelt, Eleanor “Woofie” Fleming Amidon finally visited Greece in September with her husband. The trip was wonderful, especially seeing Mycenae, Olympia, and the islands of Naxos and Santorini. ✹ Ted Snyder has been enjoying a last phase of academic work at Yale School of Management, teaching a course on high-tech industries and a new seminar on managing stakeholders. He is very impressed with Colby’s development. ✹ Jim Merrick retired last April after 14 years in Special Collections & Archives at Colby’s Miller Library, where he was privileged to work with wonderful colleagues, engaging faculty, and many amazing students, including his youngest daughter, Class of ’21. He decided it was a good time to retire before his 50th Reunion came around. He spends time tinkering with bikes in his new home workshop and planning bike trips near and far. ✹ Curt Gowdy Jr. recently retired after 46 years as an executive and producer in the sports broadcasting and entertainment industry. He spent 29 years at ABC Sports and then had the opportunity to create and launch a successful, Emmy Award-winning sports network, SNY, in New York City. He resides in New Canaan, Conn., with wife Karen near their three daughters, two sons-in-law, and three young grandchildren. He loves to fish and continues to write and play music. They visit their working ranch in Wyoming as often as possible. Earlier this year, he attended the Colby Board of Visitors and Trustee Emeriti Summit meeting in NYC and enjoyed catching up with President Greene and classmates Peter Clark and Paul Boghossian. Curt looks forward to seeing everyone at our 50th! ✹ Laurie Fitts Loosigian, our 50th Reunion chair, has news to share! “We are gearing up for our 50th Reunion June 5-8, 2025! We have set up a planning group plus teams to contact classmates to encourage them to come. If you would like to help with that process, just let me know at laurie.loosigian@gmail.com.”
’76
Greetings, my friends! It’s been awhile; let’s jump right to the updates. ✹ Bill Silverman retired two years ago from the faculty of medicine (gastroenterology) at the University of Iowa. He’s active with the American College of Gastroenterology, the Emeritus Faculty Council, and the Iowa Coldwater Conservancy. He enjoys fly-fishing for trout, steelhead, and carp in the upper Midwest, but after a January snow was heading off for backcountry skiing. ✹ Frank Malinoski retired from the vaccine industry in December 2023. He’s now invested in a film based on The Huntsman, a novel by his wife, Judith Sanders. Frank is enjoying life full time in New Hampshire. ✹ Melissa Day Vokey retired after 20 very fulfilling years as a founding member at Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats in Newburyport, Mass. During those years, she caught the birding bug, saw parts of the world she never expected to see, rallied daily for ecological conservation, and worked with hundreds of excellent people. Now she ushers for a local theater, serves on the library friends board, and plays bridge. She spends glorious time with her grandchildren. Melissa and her husband, Mark, took a spontaneous, serendipitous trip to Waterville to catch a hockey game—then missed the game because they had the splendid art museum all to themselves. Every day gives Melissa reasons to feel blessed and hopeful in the face of a big, troubled word. ✹ Kate Cone is a snowbird, dividing her year between Maine and Charleston, S.C., where two of her three kids live. She is still writing, devoting time to her mystery novels and a short memoir (A Drink at the Rialto) of her times in Italy with her late husband, Colby’s Zacamy Professor of English, Emeritus Pat Brancaccio. Kate vows to attend our 50th Reunion and is planning her dance-song requests! ✹ Marty Hubbe received the Gunnar Nicholson Gold Medal Award, the highest award from the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry, in recognition of his contributions over many years, including 18 years offering a course in papermaking chemistry for people employed in the industry. He donated the cash award ($75,000) to support BioResources, the scientific journal he cofounded and edits. It’s the world’s second-largest scientific journal devoted to the science of cellulosic materials. ✹ Don Gentile writes that his degree in French and Spanish at Colby continues to pay dividends professionally. He’s been the intelligence community’s senior language authority for the past seven years in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. ✹ Since her retirement in 2020, Toby Bobbitt has worked part time as a school adjustment counselor—several years with her alma mater in Amherst and now at a newly re-opened public elementary school in Warwick, Mass. The school has 27 students in grades K-6 this year and 45 acres of land to use for outdoor learning. It’s been a fun change of pace. ✹ Harry Nelson retired after 17 years with Fluid Imaging Technologies, a small company in Scarborough, Maine, that developed an imaging particle analyzer used by scientists worldwide to study and monitor microscopic particles in marine and freshwater environments. He had a blast traveling all over the world selling the “FlowCam.” He adds that he benefited immensely from the Jan Plan he and Rick Clunie had working at a marine biology lab in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Harry joined Mike Boyson and Jamie Stubner on a Sun Valley ski trip. Mike notes they were a bit slower and visited the lodge more frequently, but were representing as best they could. Mike is now in his second year of retirement and enjoying volunteer work with the Portland Parks Conservancy. ✹ Joth Davis is still loving life in the Pacific Northwest. While putting a toe into the retirement pool, he couldn’t let go of wonderful projects working with seaweed, shellfish, and climate change resiliency on Puget Sound. He and Louise split their time between Bainbridge Island and Bozeman, Mont., enjoying family. ✹ Closing this column with a reminder that our 50th Reunion is June 2026. Donate to the Colby Fund. And contact that classmate who’s been on your mind!
’77
Heidi Neumann Hansen lives in Cape Elizabeth, and after founding and running three companies, she retired four years ago and is now actively involved with SCORE (score.org) mentoring entrepreneurs. She served 21 years as a trustee of Maine Medical Center and is now on the board of Hospice of Southern Maine and active with Portland Ovations. She’s in touch with her freshman roommate, Cilla Bondy Dube, as well as her human development major bud Peggo Horstmann Hodes. Try connecting with Heidi on Facebook. ✹ This spring Alan Shaw Taylor published a new book, American Civil Wars: A Continental History, 1850-1873, with W. W. Norton. Alan is the Thomas Jefferson Chair in American History at the University of Virginia. ✹ William Calhoun reports that his beautiful wife, Anne E. Fogarty, also graduated in the Class of ’77, but from Duke. His youngest sister is now a dean/vice president at Princeton. He has great memories of Willard Wyman, Eileen Curran, Jack Foner, Frazier Cox, and Alfred Chapman. Each contributed to his becoming a librarian. He recommends Social Justice Fallacies by Thomas Sowell. ✹ In October Kent Wommack joined Jamie Cowie and Kathleen Keegan for a trip to Waterville. They loved the transformation of the campus and new initiatives. Well worth a visit. ✹ Steve Ford lives in Walla Walla, Wash., where he is earning an associate’s degree in the Enology and Viticulture Program at the local community college. Walla Walla is home to more than 130 wineries, but he has “only” been to about 50. He is dating a “wonderful woman” in Portland and enjoys traveling down the Columbia River Gorge to see her. He reconnected with Tommy Marlitt ’80 there in December. ✹ Phil Bruen retired from MetLife as SVP of life and disability product management after 44 years but continues to do consulting work. Phil lives with his wife, Janet (Deering ’79), in Falmouth, Maine. Since retiring, they’ve traveled to Italy and spent six weeks in New Zealand and Australia. Part of that time included biking and hiking with Ted Reed ’80 and Susan Pollis ’78 and Ted Tinson ’80 and his lovely wife, Renie. They have four daughters, one married and living in Eugene with their two granddaughters. The other three were married over a 12-month whirlwind from July 2022 to July 2023. They feel blessed to have four sons-in-law in their lives. ✹ Jenny Holan lives a quiet life with cats at her family home in southern Vermont. She works part time shipping farm products nationwide between occasional editorial jobs. She chats with Chris Beale Burchstead ’75 and Gretchen Markiewicz ’08 when they meet with others in the area to practice their German-language skills. Jenny is still fond of music and theater and has good memories of both (and their practitioners) at Colby. “If you’re writing a book, I can make an index for it. To order great cheese, shop at vermontshepherd.com.” ✹ Nancy Garnett-Thomas teaches history at a public charter school in Cranston, R.I., and will retire in two years. She took a road trip last summer to Maine and dropped by Colby to enjoy the art museum. She writes, “My son, stepdaughter, and granddaughter are well, but sadly we lost my daughter last October. She is sorely missed, but her 4-year-old son gives such an awesome ‘side eye’ that it’s like she is still with us!” ✹ Mike and Denise Martell Martin have eight healthy grandchildren, seven girls and one lone male, who came from their own band of three daughters and one son. Mike plans to retire at 70 from the bank and looks forward to hobbies he has put off. Denise has had many careers: a retail buyer, a shoe designer/buyer, a stockbroker, and self-employed as a communications coach, trainer, and consultant. She’s planning her next career in a Chinese medicine herbal clinic. Next year, they will take all 17 family members to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in grand style! ✹ Alex Levintow Howell resides in Brunswick, Maine, where she’s finishing a four-year remote research grant at the VA Medical Center in White River Junction, Vt. She plans to retire soon to enjoy traveling, including trips to visit her first grandchild, Bryson, born in January. My son, David ’11, also lives in Brunswick, and Alex and I plan to meet up soon.
’78
Hello, Class of ’78! Our 45th reunion, though cold and very rainy, was a terrific opportunity to share old stories, learn about changes on Mayflower Hill, and get caught up on the lives we live now. I hope we’ll see a great turnout in 2028. A half-century since Colby is a long time, and it will be good to be together as a class again. ✹ Gary Winer had a year of highs and lows in 2023. He and his wife, Donna, visited Israel and Jordan, celebrated their youngest daughter’s wedding, and learned that they will welcome a granddaughter in April. Sadly, a routine physical discovered that Gary has leukemia. He hopes that early diagnosis and care will lead to remission, and we wish him all the best. It’s a good reminder to be diligent about medical care, especially when there are no symptoms of illness. ✹ Greg Jordan and his wife, Betsy, had a very full 2023. Their son Colby was married last summer! A trip to Scandinavia included celebrating the engagement of son Gregory while in Norway. Southeast Asia figured in their journeys, cruising to the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Kota Kinabalu, and Kuala Lumpur. Greg continues to work in medical-device manufacturing, and Betsy coaches tennis at Sage Creek High School. ✹ Jeff Wheeler has two new grandchildren! Slater was born in September and Zoe in October. He and Peter Schmidt-Fellner spend time together. ✹ Retirement is in the works for James and Grace Coddington Thrall. From their home in Chapel Hill, N.C., James commutes to his job as director of religious studies at Knox College in Illinois while Grace remains at home pursuing her psychiatric practice. They’ll both continue to work for a bit, James doing research in religion and popular culture and Grace as an adjunct professor at Duke. Plans include hiking the Appalachian and other trails, playing guitar (James), quilting (Grace), and spending more time with their daughters and seven grandchildren. ✹ Retirement suits Susan Pollis and her husband, Ted Reed ’80. Home is Cumberland, Maine, but during summers, they live on their sailboat. Loving to travel, earlier this year they spent a month in New Zealand with Ted Tinson ’80 and Phil ’77 and Janet Deering Bruen ’79. Their daughters live in Seattle, and they visit often. ✹ John Devine attended the College’s winter Board of Trustees meeting and is very excited about improvements made to Colby’s Fair Shot Fund, which will now offer significantly lower tuition, room, and board to even more families that meet certain financial conditions. ✹ Finally, Nancy Piccin took the journey of a lifetime last summer. She and her husband, Ken, spent three weeks on their 44-foot motor trawler Live 42 Day (yes, from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy). They cruised 566 miles, departing Portsmouth Harbor and going down the coast, through the Cape Cod Canal and on to Cuttyhunk and Block Islands. The adventure continued west to Long Island Sound, into New York Harbor, up the mighty Hudson River, arriving at Lake Champlain via the Champlain Canal. Nancy was navigator and cook, while Ken (a “boat guy” and ex-Coast Guard) manned the helm. Along the way, they saw Ann Marie Hobson Pesarik, Judy Fairclough, and Fritz Martin and his wife. She wasn’t able to visit with Pat Hotchkiss Bakir but hopes to meet up with her next summer.
’79
Liz (Yanagihara ’80) and Barry Horwitz welcomed twin granddaughters in July and now enjoy three grandchildren. Last summer Barry joined fellow Choppers at a golf outing—the Chopper Open—in Burlington, Vt., and had a great time reconnecting. Barry also published a book this year, The Strategy Game: 41 Essays on Playing to Win for Competitive Advantage. Find it on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions. ✹ Bob Kinney continues to practice law after retiring from the NJ Attorney General’s Office in June 2021. He trained as a civil mediator last June, and in October had his first jury trial ever, with a successful defense of his client. Bob was elected to the Borough Council of Doylestown, Pa., last year as well. When not practicing law, Bob and his lovely wife, Kay, attended a total of 56 concerts, sporting events, and theatrical productions! ✹ Catherine Courtenaye exhibited her most recent work, What the Nighthawk Knows, at Echo Arts in Bozeman, Mont. The Whitney Western Art Museum in Cody, Wyo., purchased a painting out of the exhibition for their permanent collection. This spring Catherine will travel to Italy, having enrolled in a month-long Italian-language immersion program. Afterward, she will travel in the Veneto region, seeing art and practicing her conversational Italian. ✹ Last year was a tumultuous one for Emily Grout Sprague. She and Phil traveled to Turks and Caicos and Ireland. She lost her beloved father, Don Grout ’54, her reunion buddy for the last 20 years. Her parents met at Colby and are the reason she chose Colby. In September her daughter Caroline got married with Betsy Bucklin Reddy, Stacey Cox Slowinski, and John ’78 and Susan Raymond Geismar in attendance. Right after, a new grandson arrived to join the family. ✹ Phil Baker published his first novel, Hunger Hill, a crime thriller set in Portland, Maine. It’s available everywhere, but it’s best to purchase it at philipbakerauthor.com. Read about a first-time hit woman and three detectives and an underage bartender trying to solve the case. ✹ Jane Gair Prairie continues her interest in healing through energy interventions such as acupuncture and hands-on healings such as therapeutic touch and polarity therapy. She recently trained as a Reiki practitioner, now at the “mysteries” level. Jane has recently become more involved in Buddhist communities. ✹ Janet Deering Bruen had a milestone year, three brides in 12 months. There was also the addition of a new granddaughter! She and Phil ’78 have all girls—four daughters and two granddaughters. They ended the year starting a two-month trip to Australia and New Zealand, joined by Ted Tinson ’80 and Ted Reed ’80 and Susan Pollis. ✹ Betsy Bucklin Reddy enjoyed her visit to Washington, D.C., last May, walking miles in three days and seeing most of the monuments and museums. She also visited the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay in September. She and Jim still play tennis and golf regularly. They welcomed Jim’s first great-grandson, Thomas, in November. Both her daughters and their families, including 2-year-old grandson Milo, live in Vermont, making it easy to spend time together. ✹ I want to thank my Colby family for reaching out to me over the loss of my husband, Tom, in October 2023. The emails, calls, FB posts, and visits reminded me that I was surrounded by friends who cared and shared my pain. Our 45th reunion was one for all of us to remember the classmates we have lost and the family members who are part of our Colby story. Reunion was also a time to reconnect with one another. I was there (along with my daughters representing their dad). We had a lot to celebrate and cherish.
80s newsmakers
’80
Mimi Brodsky Kress is still building custom homes in the DC suburbs. She and her husband spend their free time sailing the Chesapeake Bay on their 30-foot Catalina. Her daughter, Jenna, is newly engaged and planning a 2024 wedding in either DC or California. Her son, Max, lives nearby in DC. In December Bill and Debbie Pugh Kelton stopped by for a visit on their drive to Florida; Mike and Gretchen Huebsch Daly planned to visit in March. ✹ After many years working for the City of San Jose, Calif., Hoang Vu retired in 2019. He’s been translating English-language materials into Vietnamese—so far, four novels and a work of nonfiction. If any classmates know how to get publishing rights, please reach out! Hoang attended our 2022 reunion and visited with the mother of Robert Cusack ’82 (who died in 2012) on his way back down the coast. In May of 2023, he attended his high school (Lycée Marie Curie in Saigon, Vietnam) reunion in Paris and visited a cousin in Strasbourg he hadn’t seen since his junior year abroad at the Université de Caen. Hoang would love to reconnect with Lisa Paskalides Grimmig, Tamara Hannah, and Diane Farrell-Guthmann, who were in Caen with him. ✹ In June 2023 Lynn Collins Francis welcomed granddaughter Alice Eleanor. In September she and her husband traveled to the Azores, and in October, she had a wonderful reunion with Diana Herrmann and Patty Valavanis Smith. ✹ In 2023 Michael Childers and his wife, Allison, celebrated son Quaid’s completion of his M.A. from Cambridge University. Quaid earned his B.A. from Northwestern in three years and has recently been accepted into the Ph.D. program at Cambridge, so it looks like more trips to the UK for the Childers! ✹ John Flerlage played in the Colby alumni hockey game in December 2023 and later attended the Colby-Bowdoin game and alumni reception (with a nice comeback tie by the home team!). Other classmates in attendance were Paul Quaranto, Dan O’Halloran, and Brad Richards. ✹ After 33 years, Patty Valavanis Smith retired from IDG, Inc., where she had managed the corporate intranet. She’s loving this “new chapter,” which includes volunteering at the Power of Flowers Project (with Lynn Collins Francis), a new stint at a cat rescue organization, and more pickleball. She’s also on the new Colby Women’s Basketball Alumni Board, which helps with career development, mentorship, and program support and continuity. Patty’s husband, Mark Smith, is busier than ever as a one-person general contractor specializing in clean-room construction. ✹ In August Esmé McTighe welcomed grandson Rafael. Rafael’s parents, Niall and Grace, are in the entertainment industry and live close to Esmé in Los Angeles. Her daughter Petra, also in SoCal, is founder and a partner in a sustainable innovation firm and cofounder of Amelia Air, an animal rescue nonprofit. Esmé and I carved out time for dinner in Santa Monica in October. I also reconnected with Steve Ford ’77, who lives in Walla Walla, Wash., and is pursuing studies in winemaking. Mark Garvin and I met up with Miguel Browne ’78 and Lindy Williams ’79 for a week of skiing at Miguel’s home in Driggs, Idaho. Carson Stanwood ’82 drove up from his home in Jackson Hole to join us for dinner one evening. ✹ Don’t forget that our next class reunion will be in June 2025. Class presidents Kevin Fahey and Liz Martin and the rest of the reunion planning committee (Susan Sullivan Hinrichs, Elliott Pratt, Lynn Collins Francis, and Tom Marlitt) are getting ready and looking forward to seeing as many classmates as possible in Waterville. Be on the lookout for updates in the coming months.
’81
It’s here—the age of Medicare! Many of you expressed disbelief that the time has come. Yet here we are. Time sure has flown, and here’s how some of us have filled it. ✹ Eleanor Campbell Swank writes from Ambler, Pa., that she has one granddaughter and five dogs. Eleanor competes with her dogs in obedience, nose work, and agility. She volunteers at various canine events and is an American Kennel Club delegate. Eleanor visited Nancy Welsh Isbell and her daughter (Eleanor’s goddaughter) at Thanksgiving. ✹ Mark Bloom reached out to say hello from Asheville, N.C. ✹ Marisa Barber also said hello. ✹ Marc ’82 and Kate Moore Jeton continue to enjoy life in Acton, Maine. Kate’s equine passion is fueled in her role as program director for a therapeutic riding facility. It’s no surprise that she continues to ride regularly. She and Marc stay in touch with Colby friends, notably Cami Yale Davis ’82. Their son, Luke, remains the focus of much of their travel, although he recently deployed to Japan. ✹ Barbara Bullock lives in Austin, Texas, where she is a professor at the University of Texas. She attended a Colby Welcome to the City event in fall 2023 and ran into Joanne Freeman Terry Swanson. ✹ Linda Clifford Hadley has lived in Longmeadow, Mass., for more than 30 years and has worked for a law firm in West Hartford, Conn. She has cut back her hours, aiming for a year-end retirement. Linda and her husband welcomed a granddaughter in November and identical twin grandsons in December. Linda shared that in October 2023 Chris Morrill coordinated a happy hour Colby get-together that included Jay Krusell and Brian Picard. ✹ Jon Light has been very active since retiring more than five years ago. He is passionate about climate change-related issues and volunteers for a nonpartisan, nonprofit, grassroots organization called Citizen’s Climate Lobby. He finds this work very rewarding and feels like progress is being made. ✹ Tory Sneff Schulte still works full time and enjoys working fully from home. Her oldest daughter had a baby girl in September 2023, and a September 2024 wedding is planned for Tory’s youngest daughter. Tory continues to run marathons and combines them with Colby reunions. She saw Toni Ciota Chandler in Boston in April 2023 and Sam and Susan Wolff Weiser in Chicago in October 2023. Tory plans repeat marathons and visits in 2024. She sees Dani Nemec Micsan regularly as they train on the same trail and enjoy post-run breakfasts. ✹ Christian Melby is retired, took up tenor saxophone at age 60, adopted an eight-week-old golden retriever in summer 2023, and spends time traveling with his wife and their daughter, Lily Melby ’21. They enjoyed a summer 2023 adventure in Greece. Christian splits his time between his home near Boston and one in Friendship, Maine. ✹ Mary Coe Connolly has retired from full-time work as a college counselor at Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose, Calif., and works on a limited basis doing independent college counseling. She sums up retirement with three Gs: grandchildren, golf, and gardening. Mary has seven grandchildren, plays golf often, and has begun the UC master gardener program. ✹ Jodie Hewey Murphy has retired from teaching at Nashoba Valley Technical High School in Westford, Mass., and is enjoying traveling. She took a six-week trek throughout the U.S. and plans a European river cruise and a cruise around the British Isles with fellow Mule Jana Kendall Harrison ’78. ✹ Jennifer Sears Supple and her husband visited Susie Lankton-Rivas and her husband at their part-time home in Quito, Ecuador, in July 2023. It was an amazing adventure touring Quito and the tropical rainforest and hiking at high elevations near volcanoes. They also visited the Galapagos Islands, which Jennifer highly recommends! ✹ Finally, Victor and I enjoyed long overdue reunions with Clay Hutchison, Skip Neville, and Peter Buzzini for Memorial Day 2023 and with Tim and Dawn Brydon Sweeney in September 2023. And now off to sign up for Medicare. … Happy 65th, all!
’82
Duncan McGillivray is president of HWH Community Development Group, a fifth-generation, family-owned company located outside of Dallas, whose parent company is the oldest commercial construction company in Texas (since 1887!). Duncan, however, works remotely in Naples, Fla. He invites Colby alums to contact him if you plan to visit Naples or if you’re seeking to buy a home or condo in Naples––he’s also a state of Florida licensed realtor. ✹ Cindy Koehler Bernstein writes: “After 37 years of corporate life, I left my most recent job at AIG as chief claims officer, North America, in June 2023 and started my own business, working as an arbitrator, mediator, expert witness/consultant. It’s been a nice change of pace, and I love being my own boss! Our sons, Sam and Ben, are both married, gainfully employed, and giving us grandchildren! Our first, Rory Chapman Bernstein, arrived in June 2022. He is the spitting image of his grandfather, and at just over 18 months is an absolute riot. We just wished he lived closer, but we always enjoy our trips to Chicago to see them. Our second grandchild, a girl, is due in April 2024, and we are delighted that she will be growing up just a mile or two away from us here in Newton, Mass. I continue to enjoy regular get-togethers with Nancy Briggs Marshall, who visited us in the Florida Keys in January. Still love my regular rendezvous with Julanne Cully Wright and Karen Scott Dennis, but we’re very much missing our classmate and regular dinner companion Ruth Harkins Lawler after her untimely passing in 2022. With the kids working and married, grandchildren checked off, and rigid corporate schedule now out of the way, John and I are planning our ‘bucket list’ travel, including an upcoming safari in Botswana and Zimbabwe in the fall. Life is good, and we are most thankful for our many blessings.” ✹ Jeff Brown became a grandfather Dec. 14 to a little boy named JJ (Jeffery James), named for the two grampas. JJ is a blast so far! And, Jeff trained to run the Boston Marathon in April as part of the Dana-Farber team. He hoped to see classmates cheering him on. Go, Jeff! ✹ Susan Hartley Brisson lives in Rockport, Mass., and works as director of admission at Olin College of Engineering. Susan’s highlights included her interview with Max Larkin of WBUR regarding the SCOTUS decision in June 2023, which eliminated the use of race in college admissions. “This is and was a very important topic in higher education, and I was delighted to discuss the ways that Olin’s race-neutral admission policies will continue to allow us to enroll a diverse class.” Susan’s daughter recently completed her Ph.D. and now teaches at Bowdoin. Yay, Maine! She sees her good Colby pals Robin Meisner Lindquist, Lori Douglas Clark, and Margaret Klawunn at least twice a year and is grateful always for a lifetime of their friendship. ✹ As usual, lots is going on in the Morissette household. Garry and I are selling our Massachusetts house and moving to our place in Bethel, Maine. Garry is still working, so we’ll keep a small apartment in the Boston area for the time being, but I plan on spending most of my time in Maine. Our oldest daughter is engaged and will marry in fall 2025 (in Maine ☺). The other is a Navy nurse at Camp Pendleton in California, and both sons are in Texas. It’s always fun when our grandsons visit, and despite being Texans, they are skiers! Regards and good health to all!
’83
Hey, gang! Thanks for all the news! First up, I heard from Ron Walutes, writing from Alexandria, Va., where Ron and his wife are federal prosecutors in the United States Attorney’s Office, “trying violent crimes across the spectrum of criminal offenses.” Their daughter graduated from Colby this spring and has been admitted to the University of Virginia School of Law in the fall. Their son is a junior at Carleton College and suffered some brutally cold weather in Minnesota last winter. Of his Colby visits over the past few years, Ron shared his amazement “at how much larger the College has grown. Fortunately, it has not lost its striking beauty during this growth. The College has certainly served our daughter well. However, armed with four years of personal experience, she now disputes my own recollections of the incredibly deep snow. A waitress at the Purple Cow did defend me and said the weather had warmed over the intervening decades.” ✹ I received a quick note from Geoff Ballotti, saying that he and Leslie are now grandparents and are looking forward to the weddings of two more daughters. ✹ Christopher Easton has upgraded to a 30-foot sailboat, which sounds like a restoration projection. Chris is still the local fire chief, now sits on the school board, and continues his teaching at the community college. His daughter graduates from UNH in May, and his grandson turns one in December! ✹ Meg and Bill Lloyd have gone from one grandchild to four in a single year, with several of them living close to their Geneseo homestead. I did secure my coveted invitation to western New York State, and I’m pledging to make that pilgrimage in 2024. #INCOMING!! ✹ I heard from Liz Mason Cousins: “My husband, Neal ’84, and I retired from independent school life this past June. Although there was a bit of ‘What will we do in September when everyone goes back to school,’ we happily fill our days and can’t imagine how we ever got anything done while working. Our greatest joy of 2023 was the birth of our granddaughter, Kiera, born to our daughter Molly in mid-September. We happily travel to Massachusetts from Philly once a month to see that sweet little face. Although I think we all have a love/hate relationship with social media and the invasiveness of technology, we adore receiving pictures and videos. Spring of this year sees us taking a river cruise in Holland and Belgium to celebrate the ability to travel at some time other than a school vacation.” ✹ Paul Lezburg writes with this wonderful news: “Things are looking better and better for me as I separate from successful treatment for lymphoma. I won’t say that it’s the most fun that a guy can have, but I learned a lot about myself and the wonderful people around me.” Paul did get together with Dan Marra and Barb Leonard last summer and “heard that the reunion was a lot of fun. Looking forward to #45! I’ve had a great run working at a medical device company involved in organ transplantation for 19 years and, as interesting as it’s been, I won’t lie that semi-retirement sometime soon-ish pops into the brain quite a bit. Looking forward to that next adventure!” ✹ Deb Fanton writes: “Lots happening! Our son George Fanton Manley ’13 married Britt King and expected Jackson King Manley in March. We just sailed the British BVI with son Todd Fanton Manley ’17 as captain. Jake Filoon, Chris Schmidt, and Rob Leary ’82 will attend daughter Robyn’s wedding this June on the Vineyard. I’m still working with fashion designers and am halfway through my M.F.A. in creative writing through Fairfield University. Rick is still a senior partner at Locke Lorde in Boston.” ✹ Keep the cards and letters coming, and if you’re passing through Albany, hit me up. I have a friend who has discovered that we’re halfway from his place to Canada, with a conveniently located Walmart Super Center for charging his EV.
’84
So many folks wrote in who we have not heard from in a while—thank you! ✹ Denise Brunelle Priess retired after 39 years from Raytheon Technologies, where she was a systems engineer on the FAA STARS system that provides air traffic control services to controllers at terminal facilities across the U.S. ✹ Lorna Neligan Colarusso released her book Lost in Lombardy (under the pen name Lorna Neligan) in March. She and her husband split their time between New York and Ireland. She is still president of the alumni association of the Lycée International outside of Paris. ✹ Fredrick “Fritz” Canby and his wife purchased their next home in Hilton Head, S.C., as they gear up toward retirement. Fritz retired from the U.S. Navy Reserve Dental Corps in 2019 after 34 years of active and reserve duty. ✹ Katherine Soderberg and her partner took a Viking cruise in 2023 to Greece, Croatia, Montenegro, and Slovenia and headed to the U.S. West Coast in March for the Indian Wells Tennis Tournament. Katherine still plays tennis competitively and is on teams out of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. She continues to grow Soderberg Insurance Services and enjoys spending time with clients and staff. ✹ Carl Raymond has been in New York City for decades and has a wonderful podcast we all need to hear called The Gilded Gentleman with some fascinating interviews. Valerie Miller Brancato, Carl, and I had lunch in NYC in January and spent four hours just catching up! ✹ Peter Mendes and his wife are approaching empty nest status and moved to Branford, Conn., last year. Their daily walks bring back fond memories of the rocky coast of Maine. He is winding down his work life at his factory for precision-machined parts in Massachusetts. He and his wife plan a trip to Paris this year so she can visit her family and friends; they may extend their stay to explore Ireland and Scotland. ✹ After living in the Boston area since graduation, Ann Brachman returned to her roots in Milwaukee, Wis., in May 2023. She is retired and settled near her mother and sibling. Ann’s daughter lives in Seattle, so she saw Lia Lundgren in June 2023 when she visited. Lia is thriving in the Pacific Northwest! ✹ Jenn Cleary Calabro is in New Hampshire with her husband. They have two grandsons nearby. They plan to retire in a few years to a lake house they’re building. Jenn has worked as an attorney in the same office for 34 years. ✹ Gretchen Gehrke Baker spends time with family and friends, walking and hiking often. She alpine skis and works out on her Hobie pedal board. She and her husband plan to divide time between Carrabassett Valley, Maine, and Portsmouth, R.I., after retirement. ✹ Bill Sheehan moved back to Rhode Island and has taken up disc jockey gigs. ✹ Craig and Diane Perlowski Alie are breeding cock-a-doodles in Portsmouth, N.H. ✹ John and Deb Pazary Ayer enjoy traveling. Their next trip is to Disney, Japan! ✹ David Rosenberg did a trip last spring with the Alies, Burroughs, Ayers, and Bill Sheehan to the Turks and Caicos. He also saw Nathan Emerson recently in Boston. ✹ Nils and Janet Kelley Gjesteby purchased a small cheese manufacturer in Vermont. ✹ Warren Burroughs has taken up boxing and looked forward to his first amateur fight in March.
’85
Hello, classmates! Thanks to those who took the time to write in for the Class of ’85 news. ✹ Meghan Casey’s family celebrated the wedding of her oldest daughter, Fallon Parker, to Liam Hecht (both Holy Cross, Class of ’16) last August on a beautiful sunny day on Peaks Island, Maine. In attendance were Carol Eisenberg and David Simpson ’86, Diane Albert Khiel, and their families. ✹ Roy Hirshland is enjoying life in Boston’s Back Bay with his wife, Chris, and their crazy yellow lab, Jojo. Roy is grateful to have successfully sold T3 Advisors, the company he cofounded and spent 20 years building. Roy now works for T3’s London-based parent company, Savills. Roy said, “Selling the company was kind of like sending a kid off to college. It is a bit weird having a boss now and doing expense reports, etc., but life is good.” In addition to his day job in corporate real estate at Savills, Roy joined a couple of corporate boards, which he finds interesting, and continues to chair the board of nonprofit BUILD, which “fills his soul.” He shared lots of laughs over dinner in NYC with Greg Shefrin and Greg Dumark ’86 and ran into Cici Bevin Gordon and Katie Hollander Adams and their spouses at an event in Boston in January. ✹ Cici Bevin Gordon continues to run two different bell companies—Bevin Bells (of which she is sixth generation!) and Guardian Bell, a new company she purchased with her cousin. Cici and her husband, Tom, also excitedly welcomed their first grandchild, Myles, in July 2023, starting a whole new chapter in their lives. He lives very close to their second home in Maine, so they see him most weekends. Cici continues to see a lot of her “Colby besties,” Katie Hollander Adams, Carrie Rymer Elliott, Laurie Herlihy Murphy, Dawn Gale, and Sue James Geremia. She also stays in contact with John “Gin Pup” Collins, Rob Boone, and Scott Lainer ’87. ✹ When John Prorok was visiting his daughter in DC in March 2023 for his 60th birthday, he was surprised by Elliot Kolodny, who helped them celebrate. John met up with Brad Whitaker, Richard MacNeille, Keith Turley, James Ffrench, William McDermott ’86, Alex Spare ’88, and Douglas Turley ’87 in Myrtle Beach for a golfing trip, where Keith won several large bets with Brad. John and his wife, Renee, then walked parts of the Camino de Santiago in Portugal and Spain with friends. He’s still practicing law in Pittsburgh, where he keeps in touch with Dr. Andrew Miller ’82, who was John’s freshman dorm advisor back in 1981. ✹ Kevin Bruen continues to spend time with Tom Valinote on various surfing adventures. They recently went to El Salvador for an unforgettable surf trip with 10-foot waves and water temperatures in the high 80s. “We never wanted to leave,” said Kevin. He spent a lot of time back at Colby last fall attending his son Christopher’s (Class of 2025) water polo tournaments. Kevin and his wife, Carolyn Boynton Bruen ’84, got back from Ireland earlier this year after dropping off Chris at the University of Limerick for the second semester of his junior year—where it’s considerably less expensive than paying for college in the United States! Kevin says if your children go abroad for a semester, use the savings on travel when you’re visiting them. ✹ Laura Kozloski got together with Lisa Diffley Hernandez, Lauren Russo Chocholak,Kim Glendon Getschow, Cindy Smith Wing, and Sheryl Larson Mortensen. They spent a long weekend in Sedona, Ariz., in June 2023 to celebrate “their big birthday year.” They had a blast hiking, catching up with each other, and going on an exciting pink jeep tour in an amazing setting.
’86
Greetings, Class of 1986! Many thanks to everyone who sent news! ✹ Guy Holbrook reports that he has a child at Tulane. He continues to work in private equity real estate, acquiring multi-family properties. He’s enjoying it so much he doesn’t see retirement in his immediate future. He skis every weekend (presumably in the winter) at Sugarbush. He’s also the assistant coach for the Duxbury (MA) High School tennis team, which won the state title last year! ✹ Joyce Sutton Anderson and Brian Norris both retired on the same day after long teaching careers at the same high school in Winchester, Mass. Joyce was a French teacher and Brian was in special ed. ✹ Torgny Anderson sent news that he’s been living in Kansas City, Mo., since 1996. He met his wife in Europe in 1995, and they have three boys. The oldest son is a U.S. Marine, living in California. The second is 22 and a senior at Mizzou. The youngest, 18, will graduate this year from Rockhurst High School. Torgny keeps a connection to Maine by spending a week with his family most summers on Long Pond. ✹ David Quillen was promoted to full professor at the College of Medicine at the University of Central Florida, but he has relocated to the Bay Area in California to start a new family medicine residency program for Stanford University. He and his wife, Amy, will celebrate 34 years of marriage this year. All three of their kids have mostly moved out of the house. He continues to serve in the Army National Guard and is looking forward to connecting to a California medical support unit. ✹ After two decades at L.L. Bean followed by a decade in nonprofit fundraising at Maine Public Broadcasting, Bates College, and Mercy Hospital, Jen Imhoff Foley turned the page once again when she joined the management team at Now You’re Cooking, an independent premier cookware store in Bath, Maine. She loves it. And what’s not to love about selling pots, pans, espresso machines, wine, and cheese? She and her husband, Brad, are also grandparents to lovely Charlotte. ✹ As for myself, I had a fun visit last summer with Ted Wolff and Anne Clarke Wolff ’87 during their stay on Great Pond. We shared travel stories and a mutual interest in bourbon. Professionally, I continue to serve as pastor and teacher at Old South Congregational Church UCC in Hallowell, Maine. My husband is now among the older members of Colby’s faculty (how in the world did that happen?) and chair of the Government Department. Our daughter is happily living in Philadelphia. Our son is trying to figure out his next adventure after hiking the entire Appalachian Trail last year. Y Finally, a very big congratulations to our own M. Jane Powers! Jane is one of four women selected to have one of the new Johnson Pond dorms named in her honor. Jane was specifically selected for being “the first woman to serve as chair of the Board of Trustees and a trailblazing advocate for the rights of LGBTQIA+ communities.” We are so proud! Best to all!
’87
Okay, we didn’t get a ton of news this time around. That may mean people are so busy making news they simply don’t have time to share it. Or perhaps they’re modest or think it isn’t worth expressing. Believe me, people want to know how you’re doing. So please feel free to speak openly next time. In fact, at the end of this, I will be way oversharing. And won’t that be fun? ✹ Karen Lawes Webb recounts that in 2010, “I moved back to Waterville. My husband and I are family doctors and came back to Maine to serve this underserved area. (Pretty awesome, Karen.) My three kids completed high school, and the older two went out of state for college, but my youngest chose Colby! She graduated in May 2023. She walked onto the basketball team sophomore year, then walked onto soccer her senior year and was the leading scorer! (I walked onto the basketball court a few times. But I don’t think it’s the same thing because security had to escort me off.) She spoke at the C Club banquet last year on the experience of being a Colby athlete. She connected with a lot of my classmates/friends there, as Tim O’Donnell was recognized at that banquet. After years of cheering three kids on the sidelines, it has finally come to an end. Now starting to contemplate retirement ourselves.” (I’m planning on retiring too, though my timeline is more toward 85-ish.) ✹ Steve Sanborn wrote, “Hopefully this message finds you well. Just writing in to say hi. I really haven’t got anything newsworthy to share. Now next year, that will be a different story. (Well, that makes me curious!) But for now, my clan is healthy and mostly content. Perhaps that’s newsworthy enough in itself.” (Yes, Steve, it is. Knowing you’re doing well brings a smile to the faces of all the readers. Except the ones who are jealous, which numbers in the thousands.) ✹ Jane Nicol Manuel says, “As I’m the class correspondent for Middlesex, my high school, I know what it’s like to send out a plea for news and get crickets. I hope I’m not too late to include a little update. We are now grandparents, as my eldest, Ben, and his wife, Rachel, had a sweet little girl last March, named Louisa Jane. (Gee, Jane, you sure don’t look like most of the grandmothers I know. Now you’ll have to start wearing aprons all the time, even when you’re out to dinner, and baking lots of bread pudding. Because that’s the law.) After raising three boys, it’s so much fun having a little girl around! All is well in Charleston. If any classmates are visiting the area, please let me know.” (Let’s all meet at Jane’s house!) ✹ Okay, now I’ll share some news that is a bit less upbeat. Despite the illusions of social media, not everyone is bouncing around the globe, winning the life lottery, and thriving. In fact, almost everybody is fighting some kind of battle. In my case, for the last year I’ve been confused about the next step of life, my Act III. I’m suddenly working remotely all the time (shout-out to Covid), and my son, now a teenager, naturally doesn’t need me the same anymore (What, no Thomas the Tank Engine?) I didn’t prepare for the transition, and it’s brought me down an unexpected path that can be quite scary. Bottom line, at 59, life is a completely different world. And it requires a fight. So, if you’re having anything that is affecting you negatively, from job to family to health to finding purpose, remember how important you are to the people around you and the world. Don’t forget that you matter beyond yourself, to reach out (that’s a big one), that change is inevitable, as is reinvention. We’re on the ride, which is a privilege in itself. Just like writing this column is for me.
’88
Greetings, Class of ’88! It was wonderful to see so many of you at reunion last June. We definitely proved that we can dance to “Footloose” and “Don’t Stop Believing” better than alumni half our age! Upon arrival on Friday, temperatures were in the 90s, which seemed very toasty by Waterville standards. As we were decorating our class headquarters in the new Johnson Pond Houses with old pictures and memorabilia, it started to hail, which reminded many of the storm during our Freshman Convocation at President Cotter’s house. Hail, Colby, Hail! Saturday morning was cold and wet, so the Parade of Classes was moved into the large tent. The silver lining was that all of us were present to see Rick Angeli receive a Colby Brick Award. Congratulations, Rick! ✹ Mel Brown Bride was back on campus for Colby’s Homecoming in October to support Jen Lally Kent ’90 as she received the Carl E. Nelson Sports Achievement Award. Mel was blown away by all of the changes to campus since she was last there. Among Lal’s cheering section were lacrosse teammates Jane Nicol Manuel ’87, Karen Reilly Quirk, Lynn Sullivan ’89, Jodie Brown Lawlor ’90, Julia Dodge ’89, Emilie Davis Kosoff ’90, and Liz Leroy Clothier ’90. They felt so lucky to be reconnected that weekend because just days later was the horrible shooting in Lewiston. Mel and her husband love living in New Bedford, close to family and friends, kayaking, biking, and great food. Mel was recently appointed as the next executive director of the San Miguel School in Providence, a tuition-free Lasallian middle school for boys, where she has served as director of advancement and strategic partnerships for five years. ✹ Kevin and Heidi Irving Naughton hosted weddings of two of their children last summer at their home in Vermont. In addition to wedding planning, Heidi was named to the Board of Trustees of the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine. Heidi has long supported the Farnsworth and encourages Colby alums to visit if they are in the area. ✹ Speaking of trustees, Nancy Donahue finished up her tenure on the Colby Board of Trustees this year. Not to worry, the Class of ’88 will continue to be represented as Jeff Packman starts a four-year term on the board in May. Nancy attended Colby’s Celebration of Progress and Promise in Boston last January. In addition to Dare Northward, the Fair Shot Fund, and Lunder Foundation updates, Nancy most enjoyed hearing directly from current Colby students. She found their poise, intelligence, and excitement to be inspiring. Nancy senses that these students are getting everything they can from Colby and must be making great use of the Miller Library resources beyond the comfy chairs on “The Street!” Nancy reports that the Dare Northward campaign surpassed its original goal by the end of 2023. The updates to the Colby campus and downtown Waterville are evidence of this successful campaign. Colby has decided to extend Dare Northward to the end of 2027. Priorities for this second phase include creating a new state-of-the-art science facility, improved and expanded residential experiences and facilities, as well as continuing efforts to provide access to all talented students regardless of means. Also announced at the celebration was the naming of the four Johnson Pond Houses, our class headquarters at reunion. The houses are named for four remarkable women of Colby, including Jane Powers ’86, another dedicated trustee and the first woman chair. ✹ It is amazing to see so many alums from our era continuing to help shape the future of the College that we love so dearly! Until next time, classmates!
’89
Whether it was flattery or reminding everyone how fast time is passing, I received updates from many folks who have never or rarely written. Like Matt Burke, who is glad to be back in Maine—Lisbon Falls—after a full career as associate professor of art at the University of Kansas. Matt teaches sculpture at Southern Maine Community College and the University of Southern Maine, and he works as a funeral attendant at a funeral home. He and his wife, Melissa Watson, have a son, Angus, who is in his first year at McGill in Montreal. Matt keeps in touch with Brian Axel and Curtis Carlson Russet and reports that they are well. ✹ Tucker Offutt planned to come east from Jackson, Wyo., for our 35th now that he sold his business, Western Medical Equipment, to a long-time employee. He’s figuring out what to do next and completed the first of six two-week bike trips that will take him from Bogotá to Patagonia. If any classmates are in the Andes, let Tucker know! ✹ After years in Silicon Valley, Tammy Parker Estes and her husband bought a house in the Santa Cruz mountains, where she is gaining respect for classmates who have bought 200-year-old farmhouses. Tammy is working for a tech company and hoping to get back to working for nonprofits. ✹ In more sobering news, Shaun Dakin was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2023. Although it was caught early, there is no cure. Shaun remains positive and is glad to have a supportive wife, a job that allows him to work at home, and a son who is happy in his pre-med program at Seattle U. ✹ Jennifer Joseph also had a heck of a 2023, with kayaking trips to Belize and Chile, the death of both of her parents, and retirement. She’ll be in Croatia and not Mayflower Hill in June. ✹ Bill Bullock changed careers, leaving Berkshire School for an organization dedicated to saving Atlantic salmon. ✹ Mark Cosdon is still at Allegheny College, although he spent last fall in Palermo, Sicily, teaching a course on contemporary U.S. theater. He’ll be back in Italy in May with Allegheny students so will miss reunion again. Mark writes that “life is good, but sometimes I miss the chaos of Dana Hall on a Saturday evening.” Don’t we all, Mark? ✹ Suzi Schumann Van Alstyne is teaching middle-school ELA in Lafayette, Colo. Her triplets will attend college in a few short years; until then, they spend time skiing and hiking. ✹ Christin Haight Barnett keeps busy with one daughter in college and another in high school and her job at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. She and her husband hope to travel to Colorado in June—you should look Suzi up, Chris! ✹ If anyone’s a fan of the New England Revolution soccer team, get in touch with Tripp and Heidi Lombard Johnson. Their son William ’22 is an analyst for the team, and the Johnsons go to every game. Son Matt ’20 is in his third year of med school, and daughter Abby ’18 just got married, so Tripp and Heidi hope to have a new generation of Mules! Heidi was diagnosed with breast cancer last fall and is finishing radiation treatment and grateful for a good prognosis. ✹ Scott Jablonski is still in Rhode Island, working on “edutainment” projects that you can find on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music. He has two books on Amazon, too, so check them out. Just before Christmas Scott visited Dan Sullivan on the Cape, where they FaceTimed with Lawrence Collins in Bordeaux. Scott sees Robert Coupe frequently. ✹ Dave and Cindy Cohen Fernandez met up with Suzi and Matt Sotir and Stephanie and Marc Rando over New Year’s, with the women winning charades in a blowout. Dave and Cindy chaired the reunion committee and planned a great reunion, I’m sure. Unfortunately, I missed it because my younger daughter graduated from the Naval Academy this year. I’ll see you at our 40th!
90s newsmakers
’90
Salutations! Megan Blumenreich’s daughter and Gretchen Granger Hartley’s daughter found themselves guarding each other at an Ultimate Frisbee game last fall at Smith College. Gretchen’s daughter, Lucy, a junior playing for Smith, recognized Maggie, a sophomore playing for Vassar, from seeing each other when they were very young through their tweens. Gretchen and Megan (freshman roommates) received selfies of their daughters together from the game. Gretchen currently lives in Maine with her husband, John, and their dog, Alfie, and she is a certified school librarian. Megan is a professor of childhood education at City College of New York and resides in New Jersey with her husband, Jon, and their dog, Thor. Gretchen and Megan both have older children, Grace and Hank respectively, who are out of college. ✹ Saïd Eastman and Mary “Mim” Siegel, Steve Coan, Tom Parker, Matt Ovios, Janet Boudreau Ceddia, Kelly Cogan Calnan, and Beth Poole Parker are in regular communication in support of our class’s philanthropy efforts. Some of them cross paths in person in southern Maine, on the Hill for Homecoming games, and points beyond. Mim spent New Year’s Eve with Saïd and Jon and Nori Sterling Gale celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary in Boston. ✹ Chris ’88 and Maria Elena “Muggy” Gravano Whelan celebrated the marriage of their daughter Nita Whelan ’18 to Eric Nesto ’17 last summer in Newport, R.I. The Whelans were fortunate to have 26 fellow Colby grads attend the festivities, including Martha Walsh and Peter Weltchek ’88. Maria Elena and Chris reside in Saunderstown, R.I. Congratulations! ✹ Andrea (Krasker ’93) and Chip Gavin met up with Jen Milsop Millard, Megan Millard ’20, and their daughter, Sophie Gavin (Class of 2030) in NYC for dinner. Their gathering included Johanna Neeson ’20 and Anna Jantzen ’20. Andrea and Chip currently reside in Portland, Maine. Andrea works for Hospice of Southern Maine, and Chip works for Maine Public Employees Retirement System. “We spend as much time as work and life allow sailing on Casco Bay during the summer.” Chip is on Colby’s Alumni Council and gets to Mayflower Hill several times each year, including attending the Lovejoy Award for Courage in Journalism last fall. ✹ Stephen Nahley and his wife, Susan, have loved living in Falmouth, Maine, for the past two years. They have reconnected with many classmates, including Kirsten Rossner Buchanan and her family, and had dinner last December with Dave Descoteaux ’91. They recently returned from checking on their apartment in Manhattan, where they had lunch with Jimmy Reynolds, and they were thrilled to come back home to Maine. ✹ In August 2023, I met two Colby alumni, Laurie Fitts Loosigian ’75 and her daughter Megan ’05, in Freedom, N.H., at Camp Huckins, where I was a camper and Laurie was a staff member many years ago. Laurie started the women’s ice hockey team during her freshman year at Colby and subsequently worked as a skiing, water skiing, and water aerobics instructor and did some fundraising for Camp Huckins. Laurie got her start in fundraising while working in Colby’s Development Office. She and her husband were married at Lorimer Chapel, and she has earned a Colby Chair and Colby Brick Award. Laurie’s ties to Colby run deep! Megan currently lives in Puerto Rico on Vieques Island and manages a small boutique hotel. Post-college, she worked as a Spanish teacher. ✹ Christina Hager and her husband, Gary DeAngelo ’89, reside in Holliston, Mass. She was awarded a 2023 New England Emmy for “Outstanding Health/Medical/Environmental/Science News” reporting for a series of stories she did about neighbors in a Boston suburb overwhelmed by potentially toxic air pollution from a nearby concrete plant. As a result, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection required the plant to take steps to contain materials to prevent dangerous dust from blowing off its property. Christina also won an Emmy in 2020 for “Outstanding Business/Consumer” reporting. She has worked as a television journalist at the CBS-owned station in Boston, WBZ, for the last two-and-a-half decades. Congratulations! ✹ Thank you all for your updates, and please stay in touch!
’91
Greetings, classmates! I hope 2024 is treating you all well so far! Here is our news for this issue. ✹ R.B. Kiernat continues to enjoy sell-side investment banking at Hennepin Partners in Minnesota. He is enjoying an empty nest as his two kids have graduated from Bates and Hamilton and now live and work in Boston.✹ Josh Wolman and his wife, Rachel, have been in Aspen for 10 years. They moved from Washington, D.C., where Josh worked at Sidwell Friends School; currently, he is head of Aspen Country Day School. ✹ Candace Green Blust is grateful to share award-winning recognition of her creative pursuits in 2023. Her pilot/short film, Lucille, is a finalist for the annual Independent Shorts Awards in Los Angeles for Best Web Series/TV Pilot, Best Ensemble Cast, Best Original Score, and Best Original Story. Lucille also won Best TV Series/Pilot/Web at the Chicago Indie Film Awards and won Best Narrative Short at the Vegas Shorts Festival. She wrote the screenplay from a dream her husband had, and the two directed the short together. Check out the trailer for Lucille on YouTube. More to come as they continue on the festival circuit! ✹ It’s always great to hear from you, so keep the news coming in! I hope to hear from more of you for our next column.
’92
In January, 500+ Mules—including myself, Alice Johnson Handwerk, Anika (Smith ’94) and Torin Taylor, Jenny Alfond Seeman, Warren Claytor, and Mike and Jessica D’Ercole Stanton—took over the State Room in Boston to celebrate Colby’s Dare Northward campaign. It was an amazing night highlighting the College’s momentum on campus and around the globe. When Colby comes your way, be sure to RSVP “yes!” Fun fact: Alice and I have known each other since we were born—literally. Our moms met in the labor and delivery unit at Philadelphia’s Lankeneau Hospital in August 1970. Eighteen years later, their jaws dropped when they recognized each other at JFK airport while dropping us off for our “Colby in Dijon” semester. Alice and I have been friends ever since. ✹ Sarah Haynes Cooney writes from Arizona, “In addition to being a VP at Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, I’ve been a ski instructor at Arizona Snowbowl for the past 16 seasons. Last January, I was thrilled to learn that a student in my lesson, Carly Thomas ’19, was a Colby graduate! Her friend Cam Clouse ’19 skied up to us at the end of the lesson sporting a Colby gaiter. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have known about the connection. We are all living in Phoenix and lucky to have skiing nearby. It’s not hard to believe that Colby alums would find each other in the outdoors!” ✹ Sarah Hamilton Barringer writes from Connecticut: “Last summer Jen Kosek Walker, Jenn Pelson Hopkins, Deb Brown ’90, and I had a mini-Colby reunion in NYC, taking advantage of Jenn being home from Singapore for a few weeks. Jenn and her husband teach at the Singapore American School. Though Jen just barely survived the Edge, the weekend was a blast.” The Edge is a glass-floored sky deck 100 stories over the city. Very cool! ✹ Dan Connolly and his wife, Kimberly, live in Northern Virginia, outside of DC. “We became empty nesters this spring when our daughter, Sarah, graduated from the nursing school at Texas Christian University, and our son, Ryan (who graduated from the Pamplin School at Virginia Tech), settled down in Austin, as he works for Oracle.” In January Dan hosted a sizable crew of Colby football alums for a festive weekend of birthday celebrations and a Baltimore Ravens playoff game. Dressed in their finest purple and black, Dan, Greg Burns ’93, James Colligan ’95, Adam Cote ’95, Steve Hatch ’93, Sean Hayes ’94, Mitch Rogers ’93, and Frank Toce cheered on the Ravens—and supported the Ravens’ general manager, Eric DeCosta ’93—in the NFL Divisional Championship. ✹ Warren Claytor’s oldest daughter, Pepper ’27, played on the women’s varsity squash team last winter and is loving her Colby experience. Warren is a member of the Parents Executive Committee and continues to work with the College to grow Dare Skyward, the Jan Plan aviation course he developed three years ago. “This year, the course grew to 23 students of varying backgrounds, fueled by their curiosity and sense of adventure. It is so inspiring to see them take advantage of the purpose of the Jan Plan, to try something new that they may not otherwise ever get an opportunity to try. It is also wonderful to see the positive relationship between Colby and the Waterville community expand to the Waterville airport.” With Jan Plan courses like Dare Skyward and Picturing Maine: The Wyeth Family and the Meaning of Place, co-taught by Victoria Browning Wyeth, iconic American painter Andrew Wyeth’s granddaughter, I think I could happily survive many Colby winters. ✹ Our classmate Mark Boles passed away on March 4. Many of us were lucky to call Mark a friend, and we will miss his easy laugh. May his soul rest in peace. ✹ In closing, I echo Ted Bosco’s note: “Been a while since the last reunion, yet still feels good to have spent time on campus with the other attendees as we took a reality break to enjoy a weekend of past and present Mule times. Hope to connect at some of the future Colby or random gatherings.” Be well!
’93
College roommates Brandy Shafter Chapman, Claudia Tejada Riley, Cristen Coleman Mastroianni, and Laura Steinbrink met up near Lake Winnipesaukee. Brandy reports, “Cristen was kind enough to host us in her condo on the lake. It was a perfect fall weekend to relax and catch up with dear lifelong friends.” ✹ Susan Kairnes Baker is president of the board of the Elizabeth Buffum Chace Center, a Rhode Island nonprofit helping those affected by domestic violence and sexual assault. She said, “EBCC’s diligent management team and staff never waver in their dedication to providing the services and programs so critical to empowering our clients and giving them strength to build happier lives.” Sue notes that domestic violence can happen to anyone, and the biggest hurdle can be reaching out for help. ✹ Isabelle Gagnon Johnson has lived in Maryland, outside of DC, for 19 years. “I run a family office for a former pharmaceutical entrepreneur and our associated foundation, with annual awards for artists, a national science award, and a philanthropic portfolio for nonprofits in the city. I don’t know why the liberal arts degree has such a bad rap these days: It’s been crucial for learning how to learn, manage, and lead such a variety of work.” ✹ Bill Charron is a lawyer and co-chair of the art law practice at Pryor Cashman in New York City. He cofounded the Court of Arbitration for Art in The Hague, Netherlands, and teaches art law as an adjunct professor at the University of Virginia School of Law. ✹ Angela Tennett Butler welcomed her first grandson in fall 2022. Angela is executive vice president and chief banking officer at Katahdin Trust Company, where she oversees the commercial and retail loan departments, cash management, branch network, and Katahdin Financial Services. Angela sees Karyn Rimas regularly and keeps in touch with Jorma Kurry, a math teacher and successful track coach in Falmouth, Maine. ✹ Ned Brown is a producer living in Los Angeles. His son is a college freshman at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. He’s in regular contact with Sharon Rosen DiPietro, Heather Bucha Whaley, Erica Fertig ’95, Sara Regan, and Matt Marden ’95 and recently bumped into Tobias Perse ’92 in Berlin. ✹ Tobin Slaven writes form South Florida, where he has founded a school and is working on an AI for education startup. ✹ Vanessa Lloyd Beauchaine serves as assistant superintendent of schools in Wrentham, Mass., and recently moved to Falmouth, Mass. ✹ Simone Cella Miller puts her Colby anthropology major and geology minor to good use as an adjunct instructor in cultural anthropology in addition to teaching sixth grade science full time. Simone is planning a family trip to Ireland this June. ✹ After spending almost 17 years in Toledo, Ohio, Crawford Strunk and his family moved to Cleveland, where Crawford works at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital. ✹ Jonathan Eddinger writes from New Hampshire, where he is a cardiologist. He saw Rod Gerdsen on an impromptu trip to Blairstown, N.J. Jonathan hopes to catch up with Flint Hobart in New York City for a Tough Mudder or Spartan and would love to get a Colby crew together for one of the races. ✹ Kristine Duepree Cramer works for King County Wastewater Treatment Division in Seattle. She writes, “I love my job. I mean, I never thought ‘sewage’ would be a dream job, but there it is! I lead communications for some of the region’s biggest capital infrastructure improvements.” ✹ After many years in New Zealand, Hillery Hugg now hails from Austin, Texas, where she lives with her husband and three kids and works as a museum and art publications editor. She continues to write fiction and notes that one of her kids is about to start at Barnard College, where Jenny Boylan now teaches. Hillary sees Kelly Mendonca and Glendon Roy often and said, “Recently, we recreated Skitchwiches at home and reminisced about our days spent in the Joseph Family Spa.” ✹ Sarah Burditt McDougall traveled to New Zealand, where she caught up with Gretchen Skea in the Marlborough Sounds with some hiking, paddle boarding, and wine drinking. Kia Ora! ✹ Greg Burns stayed at the home of Matt Gaudet ’95 in St. Paul, Minn., where he took in a Pearl Jam show with Dan Connolly ’92, Steve Hatch, James Colligan ’95, and Eric DeCosta. Greg also saw Ryan Friel and is planning a trip to Whitefish soon. ✹ Mike Murphy attended the 30th reunion in June and had a blast. One highlight was heisting a security cart from another Colby alum who’d heisted a security cart. Murph sends a shoutout to Scott Parker for renting the tent and being DJ, and he is grateful to the many classmates who showed up. ✹ Speaking of reunion, a roster of ’93 Mules kept the Tiki tent busy outside Johnson Pond House Headquarters, including Amy O’Mara, Claudia Tejada Riley, John Smith, Jen Larsen Daileanes, Rick Wallace, Gregg Suffredini, Tim Merrigan, Mike and Katy Donovan O’Neil, Pam Crebase Chudzik, Chuck Martin, Nate Lewis, Scott Abrams, Janine Deforge Olson, John Bonello, Kimberly Carr, Sherri Patelle, and Chris Anderson. Add in lobster lunch in the new field house, a class dinner in Foss, record reunion giving, live music by Mark Radcliffe, and a Colby Brick for Rod Gerdsen and it was a weekend to remember! ✹ Thank you to all who answered the call for news!
’94
Greetings, classmates! ✹ Ryan and Christine Messier Feeley live in Maine, where Ryan is assistant head of school at Berwick Academy. Christine spends her time running, doing photography, and supporting their daughter, who continues to recover from treatment for a brain tumor. Their eldest son graduated from Tufts and works in Colorado; their youngest son is enjoying Skidmore. Colby friends in southern Maine, New Hampshire, and Boston should look up gigs by Ryan’s band, Gnarly Darling, in the Portland, Portsmouth, and Newburyport areas. ✹ After nearly 30 years in Massachusetts, Chris and Andrea Bowman Rogers have moved across the country to Highlands Ranch, Colo. The empty nesters are loving every bit of the high altitude and new adventure. They hope to meet up with Jessie Newman and Amy Alderson Artmann, and they invite any Colby alumni to visit! ✹ On a more somber note, I am saddened to share we have lost two beloved classmates. Marina Netto Campos passed away in late fall. She leaves behind her husband and two daughters. She is remembered by classmates for her kindness, compassion, and her warm smile that could brighten even the darkest days. Ed Ramirez passed away this January after a heroic battle with cancer. Our thoughts are with his wife, Kara Gilligan Ramirez, and his three children. He is remembered by all who knew him for his devotion to his family and a life defined by his connections to people and community. ✹ It’s our 30th reunion year! Drop me a note with your reunion highlights. In the meantime, be well, Class of ’94.
’95
Mike Keller and his family moved from New Jersey to St. Augustine, Fla. Mike is coaching high school baseball at Beachside High School, where his twin daughters are students. ✹ Last summer, Ben Bartlett and his family went on a sailing trip to Turkey on the Aegean Coast with Ryan Wagner ’94. Ben, a city council member for Berkeley, Calif., is running for a seat on the Board of Supervisors for Alameda County, Calif. ✹ At the end of December, Ken ’94 and Julia Rentz Dupuis hosted Ned and Kristen Hanssen Goodell and Erika and Ben Damon and all their kids, “none of whom we’ve convinced to go to Colby at this point, but there’s still time,” writes Kristin. Ken still rows crew and is part of race operations for the Head of the Charles. Julie Rentz Dupuis was recently promoted to executive vice president of the Optical Systems Division at Physical Sciences Inc. ✹ Regina Wlodarski Kruger celebrated Lenia Ascenso’s birthday with her in Boston last spring, along with Sue Hale Levine. Regina has enjoyed catching up with fellow alums at Colby athletics events. She saw Alyson Angino Germain at the Colby-Tufts football game tailgate and planned to bring her daughter Anika, 19, to Sugarloaf for the Colby Carnival and ski team alumni reception. Last fall Regina and Allison Wilkin Hallin went to Napa and Sonoma, Calif., for some wine tasting. ✹ For Jen Gennaco, this past year deepened some Colby connections. She enjoyed spending time with her former roommate Cheryl Johnson Dutrumble, who teaches and lives in Connecticut and recently started a Ph.D. program. Jen attends a monthly book group with Sara Palmer Perfetti and Danielle Lacombe King and went for a hiking weekend in Rangeley, Maine, with Karen Rose, Elizabeth Franco, and Michelle Friedland Gagnon. In 2023 Jen published her first peer-reviewed research article about her work with ePortfolio and nursing students at the University of New England in the open-source journal Across the Disciplines. ✹ Andrew Vernon, Mike Rosenthal, and I got together in Boston to celebrate Marc Rubin’s 50th birthday with family and friends last summer. It was great to get together after many years to enjoy some quality time together.
’96
I got this haiku from a classmate who will remain nameless: Sinks sometimes leave walls. / And when the flooding begins / It’s time to go hide. ✹ On that note, Adam Mueller shared that he filmed his second standup comedy-hour special last December, which will be released later this year. ✹ Vince and Niki Shinneman Yarnot celebrated 23 years of marriage this year. Their oldest son is now a sophomore at Case Western Reserve University, their middle son is heading to college in the fall (still TBD), and their youngest son is now in fifth grade. Niki is head of career assessment for Wanderlust Careers. Additionally, she works to educate and advocate for students with dyslexia, providing training to staff of local schools. As a family, Niki and the guys continue to explore as many of the national parks as they can get to, and she is anxiously awaiting the day they make it to Acadia! ✹ Josh Morris shared that he’s currently working at Power Engineers in Freeport, Maine. He and his wife, Morgan, welcomed a daughter, Margaux, in October. Josh said that there’s more to the previous 27 years, but hey—at least he wrote in! ✹ Sarah Eustis and Andy Meeks hosted 27 friends aboard the windjammer Angelique out of Camden, Maine, last August to celebrate Sarah’s 50th birthday. Sarah’s brother and best childhood friend were there, along with close friends from Oregon, California, Montana, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Washington, D.C., NYC, Massachusetts, and even Spain. Colby alums included Jess Boyles, Lauren Iannotti, Chris Greenfield, Kara Marchant Hooper ’97, and two parents of an incoming Colby student. Many French 75s, lobsters, and other tasty treats were consumed. One of the highlights was an ’80s-themed dance party with everyone in full regalia. Getting older has never been so much fun! ✹ And finally, last year, somebody sent me a picture of Gregg LeBlanc on the Fenway Park jumbotron. ✹ Send more notes, please.
’97
Karen Blaisdell Faiman recently changed jobs and is director of development for the YWCA in Princeton, N.J. She and Chris Downing Chludzinski spent a day in NYC and saw Chicago on Broadway. ✹ After 16 years working for hospital systems, CJ Polcari and his wife opened Beacon Pediatrics, their own private practice in Norwell, Mass., and love the change of pace. Speaking of pace. The Polcaris were headed to Japan in March to run the Tokyo Marathon, complete their sixth Abbott World Major, and earn a Six Star medal. ✹ Morgan Filler lives in Petaluma, Calif., with her husband and kids (grades 4 and 6). She spends her free time swimming, surfing, and building her women’s exercise swimsuit brand, See Her Swim (seeherswim.com)—often with Colby anthropology students and alumni. She is always looking for leads. ✹ Kelsey Miller reports that the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania, where she works as a grants and compliance director, delivered more than 16 million pounds of food and served more than one million people in 2023. Her PSA for us: those “round-up” campaigns in grocery stores really do help feed our neighbors. ✹ Mika Hadani Melamed is in her 17th year at Robert Half and is an SVP lead recruiter. She recently self-published Peter Plumber’s Perfect Plan, a children’s picture book about music appreciation that encompasses her own love of literature and the arts. Signed hardcover copies are available at woodlandpondpress.com; paperback is available on Amazon. Her eldest child is studying in London—full circle to when Mika studied abroad there. ✹ Diana Dresser Nehro heads the Cross-Border Practice Group at Ogletree Deakins and started a new role on the board of directors last year. She and her husband, Greg Nehro ’96, live in Darien, Conn., with their three teenage girls: sophomores Marin and Stella, 16, and eighth-grader Arden, 14. She recently met Cassie Donn Duncan and Michelle Lin Greenip for dinner in NYC. ✹ Zoë Kaplan Presley spent a lot of time with Colby friends in 2023. Last winter, she snowshoed Mt. St. Helens with Mark Sinclair. After seeing Amy Stengel in Portland, Ore., in April, she glamped on the California coast with Sue Hesselbach Pierce in June, then went to a Portland Thorns soccer game with Andy Meeks ’96 and Sarah Eustis ’96. Although she didn’t get to visit with her, Katie Nevin Naylor offered her condo while Zoë explored the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska during July. Next up was backpacking on Mt. Rainier with Mark and Chrissy Killheffer Sinclair and their kids in August. Looking forward to more adventures with Colby friends in 2024, Zoë loves that after 30 years, her COOT leader, Lindsay Frantz Field ’96, is now her local adventure buddy. ✹ I also was happy to catch up with several classmates in person recently. Last summer, I met Jennifer Soules Wik in Kennebunkport; she’d just done a college tour of Colby for her daughter, along with her brother, Jason Soules ’93. Jenn teaches at a Montessori elementary school and lives in Clarkston, Wash., with her husband and two teenagers. They spend time rafting the rivers of Oregon, Idaho, and Washington; horseback riding; and running off to sports, 4H, and music and theater events. I saw Betsy Eisen Porada at Red Sox games in both Boston and Washington, D.C. Betsy, husband Mark, and children Carolyn and James live in Ashburn, Va., where she teaches high school math. In September I celebrated Oktoberfest in Munich with Tom Moffitt. Over the holidays, I saw Susanna Montezemolo in Concord, Mass., and visited Katie McGovern and Sarah Robinson Padgett in Portland, Maine. Sarah and husband Preston live in Delray Beach, Fla., where she’s a project manager at a health care company. She enjoys the beaches and warm weather but definitely misses Maine, family, and friends. It’s great hearing from and seeing so many of you. Please stay in touch!
’98
Pete and Sarah Eno Felmly and their two daughters had a great family vacation in Breckenridge, Colo. Sarah still beats Pete at pickleball daily. ✹ Dave Dodwell continues to manage the helm at the Reefs Hotel in Bermuda. He was recently featured in a local publication as an up-and-coming hotelier. ✹ Raja Bala still works at Cushing Academy, and either Raja or Liz Hooper Bala can often be found in the mascot’s costume! ✹ Jonathan Neil Foster lives in Fort Lauderdale and has been active in growing the ✹ Andrew Littell has moved on from his post at Google and is now traveling the world to incorporate AI in crop production. Recent trips have included Peru, where he enjoyed learning bareback horseback riding through the Sacred Valley. ✹ It was wonderful seeing Alan and Rachel Westgate Briggs, Patrick and Katherine Littell Hinchey, Steve and Megan Hauptli Everett, Pete and Sarah Eno Felmly, and Raja and Liz Hooper Bala on Martha’s Vineyard last summer. We hope to see everyone again soon!
’99
This is a big year for us, our 25th reunion year. I look forward to hearing and sharing your memories from your weekend on campus if you made the trek to Waterville. ✹ Ben Grasso continues working as assistant head of faculty at Thornton Academy in Saco, Maine. He also keeps a busy schedule running around after his 9-year-old daughter. He has recently completed a gravel bike race as well as four triathlons, including an Ironman. His wife’s work continues at Bates, which leaves Ben “happy for the state of Maine but also yearning for my days as a Mule!” ✹ Alex Wall’s daughter, Lillian Marguerite, visited his Colby study-abroad family in Dijon and Metz, France, last November. She then turned one year old in December. ✹ Bill Hinton moved back to the East Coast and is now CEO of the South Mountain YMCA Camps outside Reading, Pa. He was able to support Colby men’s basketball on their Trinity/Wesleyan road trip weekend last winter. ✹ Katie Frank currently lives in Bamako, Mali, and works as a foreign service officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development. It’s her second tour, and she’s there until August. “I will be coming back to the U.S. for home leave and spending time in Maine with my family before moving to Washington, D.C., to learn Spanish for my next post. I’ll be heading to Guatemala in 2025!”
00s newsmakers
Kim Truett/University of South Carolina
’00
I write to you all with a mixture of news this time around, some profoundly sad, including the loss of a beloved classmate and friend, alongside a collection of happy life updates. ✹ Several members of our class reached out regarding the sudden loss of one of our classmates. Vanessa Wade Wehmeyer wrote, “I am heartbroken to share with our class that David Famiglietti passed away March 11, 2023, at the age of 44 after a brief, courageous battle with appendiceal cancer. Dave had a larger-than-life personality, an infectious positivity, and one of the best laughs I’ve ever heard. Dave was a fantastic friend to many, myself included. We shared countless adventures over the years. While I am grateful that he is no longer suffering, I miss him fiercely. In addition to his many friends, Dave leaves behind his beloved family, including his parents, sister, brother-in-law, nieces, nephew, aunts, uncles, and cousins.” More information can be found in the obituary section of this magazine. ✹ Benjamin Ritz still works as a lawyer in Texas. Last year, he was recognized for commercial litigation, and this year he was named a Texas Rising Star. He also serves on the board of trustees for the Houston Young Lawyers Foundation, granting funds to local charities, raising funds, and organizing charitable activities. His son, Charlie, is in fifth grade, working on Cub Scout skills, basketball, and Lego robots. ✹ From a parent with kids a bit older, Mary Larios Gatlin notes, “It’s hard to believe that we’ve hit the milestone of college tours for our son, Jackson, who is finishing his junior year of high school. It will be both strange and wonderful to look at Colby through the lens of a prospective parent. Jason enjoys working as director of chemistry for Tome Biosciences in Watertown, and I’m still involved in managing community gardens and other volunteer work in Lynn, Mass. We manage to see Vanessa Wade Wehmeyer and Christine Casey Hutchinson once or twice a year. It’s a great way to feel like college wasn’t that long ago after all!” ✹ Taylor Tribble mentions, “I am still managing the organic farm that I started over 20 years ago in Columbia County outside of Hudson, N.Y. I have three kids, ages 7, 12, and 18, and I spend my days raising berries, tree fruit, log-grown mushrooms, and assorted herbs and vegetables. We sell them mostly direct at the Hudson and Albany farmers’ markets and work closely with our communities to keep these direct lines of exchange open and local culture alive and thriving.” ✹ It’s always a joy for me to get the chance to hear from you all and to help share the news with others. If you haven’t reached out in a while, please don’t hesitate! Send your news on and we’ll be sure to include it in upcoming columns.
’01
Jason Meadows retired from the military in May and will start an airline job shortly after. He has no idea where he’ll end up living, but it’ll be near an ocean and in the South, unless he follows his wife, who wants a doctorate in psychology, then who knows. He’s looking forward to flying around the country and running into old friends. ✹ Amy Millett Scallon and her husband moved to Portland, Maine, last summer with their three kids. ✹ Evan Reece and his family moved to the Boston area in summer 2021. They’re happy being back to the seasons despite missing their California Colby friends. Evan recently kicked off a new adventure professionally, building a new startup, truest.me. ✹ Cara Erdheim Kilgallen is an associate professor of English at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. She stays busy chasing her daughter, Jenna, writing book projects, keeping up her sports, spending quality time with family, and enjoying friends—some of her dearest ones are from Colby. ✹ Kate Isley is in Winchester, Mass., with her husband and three daughters, 9, 5, and 4. Kate works for the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office in the Trial Division. She ran into Laura Montgomery Malone, who recently moved back to Winchester. ✹ Piper (Elliott ’02) and JJ Abodeely continue to live in Sonoma, Calif. After selling his business, JJ now works with Piper in their coaching and consulting business while they manage to travel extensively, with and without their three kids. They had a blast seeing friends and showing the kids the Colby campus at reunion. ✹ Todd Miner lives in Atlantic Beach, Fla., with his wife, Emily, and children Gray, 7, and Oliver, 3. Todd is trying his hand at surfing as much as possible. Professionally, he is providing talent strategy for corporate clients and enjoying it. ✹ Sarah Belanger Hay reported on the latest installment of “Colby Dana Girls” weekend in Portland last October. It’s become a popular (easy) destination since Jessica Alex Keenan and Sarah Breul are both in South Portland and Michelle Cook Plenn is in Falmouth. Bethany Knorr Chung flew up from the DC ’burbs, Janice Greenwald from Brooklyn, Becky Downing Tynan drove up from Connecticut, Martha Beebe Sprague from the South Shore in Mass., and Sarah Belanger Hay is not far away in Wakefield, Mass. They happened to run into Mike Kleinman while on a walk in the woods by the ocean. ✹ Danielle Fornes Quinlan is supplementing her voice-over work with a new office manager position in the Extended Education Department at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City. After 15 years of being self-employed and working from home, it has been quite the culture shock to return to an office, but she loves working in higher ed. ✹ Lauren Schaad enjoys Colorado and spent last summer exploring hiking trails and jazz festivals in Summit County. In her spare time, Lauren is a drama arts facilitator and performer in Denver’s improvisation community, with a special focus on empowering women, individuals with disabilities, and incarcerated people. ✹ David and Stephanie Mendell Hodgson welcomed their second child, Maya Hodgson, in November 2022, the day before Stephanie’s birthday. Luckily, Covid-19 restrictions had lessened and Lisa Hart Olson was able to celebrate Maya’s birth and Stephanie’s birthday in the hospital room. Janice Greenwald, Liz Oberlin Kessler, and Stephanie enjoy getting their young children together for playdates, whether it’s at the apple orchard or Liberty Science Center. ✹ Daniel Martin is executive producing and show-running the TV shows So You Think You Can Dance and I Can See Your Voice for Fox. More importantly, he has a beautiful 1-year-old baby girl, Noah Revel Martin! Along with his partner, Emily, and their golden retriever, Cruiser the Bruiser, life is busy but better than they imagined. ✹ Shanna Brownstein lives in Portland, Ore., with her husband and two boys, 12 and 6, and works on the charging team at Tesla. ✹ It was deeply bittersweet to reconnect with so many old Colby friends at Justin Ehrenwerth’s funeral in New Orleans in May 2023. The music never stopped. And I couldn’t have this column be complete without mentioning the incredible loss of Justin, our class president while at Colby, who passed away in May 2023. Justin’s wife and our classmate, Dana Dupre Ehrenwerth, and their two children reside in New Orleans. Justin was one of the cofounders of the Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Diversity Conference our senior year and went on to have an incredible professional career post-Colby. Please take a moment to read one of the various online obituaries. Justin, you will be missed by all.
’02
Several classmates have been hard at work in academia and added initials after their names with graduate degrees. ✹ Loryn Traversi-Irwin earned her doctor of social work degree from Simmons University. ✹ Clinton Anthony “Dr. J.” Johnson earned his Ph.D. in education from North Central University with a dissertation titled “Anything Built by Humankind is Destructible: A Phenomenological Study of Elementary Educators Regarding Racism in the Curriculum.” Professors Lyn Mikel Brown and Mark Tappan (now emeriti) provided invaluable assistance by performing an expert review to help him adjust his interview protocol so he could finish his dissertation. He keeps in touch with several other Colby faculty, including Professors Kasser, Gordon, and Leonard as well as retired Dean Jeri F. Roseboro. He continues to reside in Southern California but is thinking about moving back East. ✹ Sarah Piampiano retired from racing triathlons after 11 years as a professional athlete. Along with her husband and son, she moved to Boulder, Colo., and finally moved into their new home after 14 months of renovations. They have been loving Boulder; they run, bike, ski, hike, and try to take advantage of the outdoors as much as possible. She started a new career as a residential real estate broker, and at the end of 2023, she was twice named as one of the top 10 brokers for volume production at her company, 8z Real Estate. ✹ A fun gathering was held this fall to celebrate Lydia Terry Flynn’s birthday in Boise, Idaho. Lydia was joined by Megan Thomas Tanous, Katie Rauch Bailey, Anna L’Hommedieu Boyer, Jen Smyth Curti, Leila Porteous Egginton, Molly Currie Heaney, Vanessa Willson, Sally Hall Bell, and Jess Bennett Shah. ✹ JJ ’01 and Piper Elliott Abodeely continue to reside in Sonoma, Calif., with their three kids trying to navigate the teen years. They find any chance to travel and explore the world. One of her favorite moments was riding up a ski chairlift over winter break with four freshman girls attending Colby. She found an instant connection and instant friends. ✹ Victor Cancel continues to work for the Department of Education in Florida. He met up with Rashad Randolph for a Jacksonville Jaguars vs. San Francisco 49ers NFL game in Jacksonville. His family has been traveling along the East Coast, including a celebration of his daughter’s eighth birthday at the Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, N.C., and a visit to Colby last summer. He is planning a road trip with his son from Florida to Maine in a modified sports car of sorts to our 25th Colby reunion. ✹ My family and I also traveled to Maine with a stop to show off Colby to my sons on our way to the Eastern Provinces. En route, we visited with Anne Paruti Lohnes and Sarah Mockler. Although navigating past new buildings on campus was a bit disorienting, it was a thrill to remember such formative times. As this column serves to remind me, although it’s been 21 years since graduation, our deep connection to Colby and the amazing humans we found there remains.
’03
Sara Blask leads launch communications for Blue Origin, a rocket company founded by Jeff Bezos. She’s based in Seattle but spends a lot of time at their launch sites in West Texas and Cape Canaveral, Fla. If anyone is swinging through, please reach out! ✹ Lindsay Tarasuk Aroesty and Patrick Koch coached skiing together all through their Colby years at Sugarloaf’s ski school, and now they are in year three of coaching together at the Hidden Valley Race Club in western Pennsylvania. They’re excited that each of their kids is racing and are proud that they recently made the podium! ✹ Anna Capezzera, Amy Lansdale Kephart, and Kate Fletcher had a West Coast reunion in Las Vegas to celebrate birthdays and see Garth Brooks perform. Their buffet at Caesar’s Palace brought back fond memories of all-you-can-eat brunches at Dana. ✹ Rob Burton, his wife, Elizabeth, and son Connor moved to San Francisco in January following a six-year layover in NYC. They are excited to explore the West Coast for the first time and would love to hear from Colby alums in the area! ✹ Karli Jaffe Efron and her family completed their adventure of visiting all 48 Maine state parks and historic sites last August. It took eight years, gallons of bug spray, and thousands of PB&Js, but they had the best time. Now they start their national parks journey. ✹ After 20 years off the ice, Hal Hallstein and his team slid into the Denver Pond Broomball Classic Championship. Unfortunately, the Mules were beaten by the Panthers. With seven games in one day, he has never been so sore in his life! ✹ Kelly Miller and her three children still live in Nigeria. It’s been fun to watch the kids grow up abroad and to hang out with Colby alums Mieko McKay ’02 and Rharhaka Isiekwe ’05 and their kids. ✹ Laura Thomason Mazza started a law firm in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2011 with two of her best friends; she practices plaintiff’s employment law and personal injury. She has two kids, Zachary, 11, and Olivia, 6, and a Rhodesian ridgeback puppy, Elsa. She has started writing and performing music again and formed an alt-rock band, Midnight Bake Sale (midnightbakesale.com). Check them out on Amazon, Spotify, and Apple Music. ✹ In fall 2023 Sarah Barclay Hoffman celebrated 10 years at Children’s National Hospital, where she leads their mental health policy and advocacy work. She uses lots of skills that she acquired at Colby to help improve mental health for the Washington, D.C., region’s kids and families. Over the summer, she had a blast at a work conference in Dublin, then visited her extended family in London with her dad. Her kiddos are doing well, and she’s learning more than she ever thought about Star Wars, Legos, and Minecraft. ✹ Mike Richardson started a new position in 2023 as a campus planner for the University of Minnesota. Mike and Haley, his wife, recently celebrated Wilona’s second birthday—she is getting more person-like each day! ✹ Lesley Loss and Josh Weitz tripled the size of their business and are still growing as the leading dermatology and plastic surgery practice in the Rochester, N.Y., region with more than 50 team members. Josh was appointed chief medical officer of Removery, and they just completed their one-millionth laser tattoo-removal session. Their 10-year-old completed his scuba certification, and both of their boys love visiting Colby and hope to attend someday. They enjoyed seeing friends this past reunion and hope to see even more next time! ✹ Have news to share? Large or small, it’s always a treat to hear from Colby friends. Please send your news any time to classnews2003@colby.edu.
’04
Tim Smith got married and started a social-impact consulting firm, Adiemus Impact. He recently met up with Abby Wheeler, Ande Nicoletti Schoenfeld, Susie Blair Rufo, Ted Sullivan, and Marley Orr Reilly at Abby’s home in Maine for a day-long reunion. ✹ Andrew McKenna-Foster got married and lives happily in Eugene, Ore. After completing library school during the pandemic, he now works at Figshare, a data repository platform. ✹ Cassie Cote Grantham became the chief operating officer for Greater Portland Health. In her spare time, she stays busy skiing with her family, coaching cross country for her fifth grader, and cheering on her seventh grader in field hockey, lacrosse, and drama. ✹ Matt Bacon reports that his work in the registrar’s office at the Smithsonian American Art Museum continues to be fun and enriching. He celebrated 15 years there in March. On Oct. 17, 2023, Matt, his wife, Stefanie, and their son Oliver welcomed their second son, Carter Franklin Bacon. ✹ Jo Schroeder is in her 10th year helping run the family backcountry aviation business in Salmon, Idaho. She still guides a couple of river trips on the Middle Fork Salmon every season. ✹ Trevor Mackesey was named director of the Johns Hopkins Engineering Management Program and welcomed his first child. He reports that parenting often reminds him of living with Mike Kennedy, Andrew Scull, and Aaron Blank at Colby. ✹ Hoping to see lots of you at reunion in June!
’05
It has been yet another busy year for the Class of 2005, with professional successes, growing families, and continued rendezvous with classmates. ✹ I first want to take a moment to remember two classmates we’ve lost way too early. Christian Resseguie, who passed away in July 2022, and Corrie Shattenkirk, who died in June 2023. Full obituaries for both of them are in the back pages of this magazine. Christian and Corrie, you are missed, and our deepest sympathies to your families. ✹ Sarah Thein-Weber, husband Owen, and daughter Dagmar welcomed brother Einar in April 2020. Sarah is the executive assistant to the deputy director for external affairs at the Frick Collection in NYC. ✹ John Fallon lives in Cumberland, Maine, down the road from Sheldon Stevenson. John is in his fourth year at Maine Medical Center as a cardiovascular surgery attending, and he is expecting baby girl three this spring. He also has worked together and attended several summer concerts with Matt and Maureen Sherry Lynes. ✹ Emily (Tull ’06) and John Pollakowski, with daughters Lyanna and Willa, welcomed baby boy August “Gus” Theodore. ✹ After flipping over his handlebars and breaking four ribs and a clavicle, which punctured his lung, Stephen Whelpley is building a house in Albany, Vt. ✹ Matt Bucklin launched a communications coaching app called Credible. He also enjoys watching baby girl Margaret swing and push her wagon. ✹ In July 2023 Helen Brown Babst opened Babst Gallery, around the corner from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. ✹ Liam McDonnell, wife Katie, and daughter Keagan welcomed baby girl Kennedy in February 2023. Nearly complete with his tour as an investigation officer in New Orleans, he’ll soon become commanding officer of the Marine Safety Unit in Portsmouth, N.H. ✹ Aaron Stepka successfully launched Drink Mechanics, a canned, craft cocktail brand. He is now in early construction on a one-of-a-kind distillery/restaurant in downtown Hartford, Conn., called State House Distilling Co. ✹ My family and I welcomed baby girl four, Lorelai. ✹ Congratulations to all, and thank you to those who have shared their news.
’06
It was so nice to hear from the Class of 2006 again as I collected news for this column! ✹ John ’05 and Emily Tull Pollakowski welcomed their third child, Gus, in August. ✹ Alex Kozen moved to Burlington, Vt., with his wife, Jen, and two children, Noomi, 3, and Lazlo, 1. Alex is a physics professor at the University of Vermont. His family is excited to be back in New England but is still getting used to the snow! ✹ Anders ’07 and Jessica Seymour Wood still live in Boulder with their kids, Theo, 5, and Baxter, 4. They often fraternize with Clark Stevens ’03 at the school pick-up line. Jess is back teaching middle school Spanish after a four-year, stay-at-home-mom stint, and Anders is on the hunt for the perfect software design job. They recently had dinner with Leigh Audin ’07 and Erik Lambert ’04 and would love to continue connecting with Colby Coloradans. ✹ Josh Montague caught up with Anders to commiserate about the rollercoaster hiring and layoffs in the software industry. He also runs into Erik Lambert ’04 occasionally, especially when Erik offers to make dinner. ✹ Caitlin Peale Sloan and family had their semi-annual reunion in Vermont’s Mad River Valley with Jenny Venezia Faillace and family over a long weekend in January. They’re crossing fingers that their kids will be more enthusiastic skiers next year. ✹ Emily Boyle Westbrooks moved back to Houston in the summer of 2022. Her husband, Michael ’07, took a job as a regional counselor for a set of charter high schools, and Emily is working as a content marketing manager for a tech company. In 2023 they added two daughters to their family, Laylabelle and Angelina, and their adoptions were finalized this spring. ✹ Kim Devine McDevitt lives in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, with her husband and three kids, Eleanor, 8, Jack, 6, and Casey, 4. They spent winter weekends skiing, and in warm weather live between the beach and the pool. She works full time as a dietitian as well as a director for a consumer-facing app called Merryfield that focuses on educating consumers on better-for-you brands. Kim has really been enjoying sitting on the Colby Alumni Council. ✹ Josh ’05 and Emily Green Kahn finally caved and moved to the suburbs, which they find surprisingly enjoyable. They’re expecting baby #3 in June. ✹ Alex Jospe is in her fifth year as head ski coach at Stratton Mountain School. Last year she had the opportunity to coach an SMS alum at Junior Worlds, in Whistler, Calif. Alex enjoys running into Colby Nordic coach Tracey Cote at the Eastern races! ✹ Dominic and Barbara Hough Kallas welcomed their beautiful baby girl, Anastasia, named after her dearly departed maternal grandmother. She was born Jan. 30, 2024. Her brother, Anthony, 3, is very loving and proud. He started preschool in January. ✹ Melissa McNulty is finishing a tour of duty for the State Department as chief political officer at the embassy in La Paz, Bolivia. She found it helpful to have the knowledge she gained during her spring 2005 study abroad in La Paz and subsequent senior research project on the 2005 Gas Wars and the rise of President Evo Morales, which she witnessed firsthand. This time, Melissa built from that knowledge to write investigative reports that garnered praise even from the White House. She caught up with old friends in Bolivia, and she’s very thankful Colby roommate Taylor Snook ’07 visited her there in January. ✹ Sara Booth Petrosillo was granted tenure and is now associate professor of English and director of the Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies Program at the University of Evansville in Indiana. She also published her first book, Hawking Women: Falconry, Gender, and Control in Medieval Literary Culture, with Ohio State University Press in 2023.
’07
Alisa Perry married Mike Sharp in Boston in late 2023. Alisa opted for a smaller wedding but a massive bachelorette party in Miami! Guests included Karli Jane Gasteazoro McGill, Laura Keeler Pierce, Sarah Eilers, Katie Maland Schupack, Natalie Ginsburg, Stephanie Finn, Mary Thom, Erin Schlossman, and yours truly, Annie Mears Abbott. ✹ Jamie Winterbottom and Jamie Kline welcomed Ezra James Winterbottom in October, making them a family of five! We missed her at Alisa’s bachelorette party. ✹ Lucy Hitz reports that “Baby girl Joanne ‘Jo’ Elizabeth Hitz-Denning was born Nov. 20, 2023, joining her brother, Clark, and furborn, Coop. We are happy and tired, thanks to the always-fun three-month sleep regression.” ✹ Courtney Goodie Barker was promoted to managing director in investment banking at Bank of America, where she is the global corporate and investment banking liaison for the Maine market. Courtney reports, “That means I get involved in all investment banking activities we have in the state. I visited campus during Jan Plan to talk with current freshmen and sophomores about our summer internship programs.” ✹ Jamie Tang graduated from Navy Officer Development School in Newport, R.I., in March and will be serving in a reservist capacity with the Defense Logistics Agency based in Fort Belvoir, Va. He will also remain at this civilian job at Alliance Global Partners in health care investment banking. ✹ Kevin Fritze is now leading the sustainability team at Premier Packaging. When he isn’t working, he coaches his kids’ soccer teams, runs his son’s Cub Scout den, and enjoys taking family and friends to Charlotte FC games. ✹ Christian ’08 and Leslie Peterson Crannell moved to Nashville with their two boys, 3 and 5. They are enjoying exploring a new area but miss winter and snow. They would love to connect with any Colby folks in the area! ✹ Finn Teach writes, “After 12 years at the University of Southern Maine, I took a new, 100-percent remote job as a research associate at Westat last September. I also have been using my Maine foster parent license to host some amazing teens.”
’08
Thanks for all of your updates! ✹ Jessica Osborne is in her sixth year at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She was promoted to master technician and continues to support NASA programs and other research projects across the lab. Last year her family grew, adding a dog and cat. Her family will grow again in 2025 when she and her wife welcome a new baby! ✹ Bill Whitledge married Michelle R. Ems Oct. 21, 2023, in a small outdoor wedding ceremony and reception at Fort Hunt Park in Alexandria, Va. The weather was sunny, brisk, and breezy, but they had delicious cake and sandwiches from a local bakery and played lawn games during the reception. Their immediate families and several classmates attended with their spouses, including Luke LaViolet, Eric Hansen, Jennifer Mizen Malpass, Justin Dunn, Brian Putnam, and Katherine Koleski. Bill and Michelle live in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria and see Eric and his family, Katherine, and Justin regularly. Bill continues his work at the Institute for Defense Analyses, and Michelle (University of North Dakota aviation graduate) works for the Federal Aviation Administration. They love Virginia for its food, wine, culture, history, hiking, biking, and outdoor spaces. ✹ Annie Feutz Furlong started a new job as VP of engagement marketing at Carrum Health, where she oversees all of B2C marketing. She enjoyed traveling back to Colby for our 15-year reunion and had a great visit from Kristine Robin and Sam Kennedy-Smith and their daughters in Denver during their fall travels. She continues to love living in Denver with her husband, Chris, daughters Abi, 3, and Sofia, 1, and dog Amy, 6. ✹ Tiffany Ng is back in Copenhagen for the foreseeable future after years split among multiple European countries. She has also launched Étiquette, an alcohol-free winery that has developed a proprietary method of fermenting without creating alcohol. They’re expanding outside of Denmark to other parts of the EU in 2024. ✹ Greg and Jacqueline Grady Smith continue to live in their 1860s house in East Boston with their two girls, Abigail, 5, and Harriet, 2. In October Jacqueline’s startup, Not Just Co., launched two pasta sauces in 240 Targets around the country! Not Just is continuing to expand nationally with multipurpose pantry staples and is on track for a busy 2024. Jackie and Greg are in regular touch with lots of Colby friends, including Tanya Rosbash and Alex Halls ’09, Jimmy McDonough, Regina Wohl Clement, and Kathleen Nicholson. Give them a shout the next time you fly out of Logan or send Jackie a note for a discount code on sauce! ✹ Highlights from 2023 for William Fong were spending time with Christina Feng Collette during Reunion Weekend and meeting her adorable daughter in person for the first time. During the winter holidays, Julie Bero and Billy caught up about life and parenting over yummy Korean food.
’09
Hannah Hickok settled into a new home in Norfolk, Va., with her husband, Jonathan, and their son, Remi, 2. They are enjoying life on the Mid-Atlantic coast. Hannah and Jonathan had the pleasure of visiting lots of friends last year, including ’09 classmates Julia Coffin and Suz Merkelson in Portland (where they met Suz’s son) as well as Liv Sterling and Molly Corbett and her new daughter, Isabelle, in Brooklyn. ✹ Suzanne Merkelson and her husband, Ethan Guy, welcomed baby Simon Guy Merkelson in November 2022. Coincidentally, Simon was delivered at Maine Med by Dr. Elsa Deeran ’08! Suzanne, Ethan, Simon, and pup Yogi now live in Portland, Maine, where they regularly see Colby friends, including Julia Coffin and Brooke Barron and their families. Suzanne started a new job in November at a startup working on commercial electric vehicle infrastructure policy. ✹ Scott Zeller, Dan Heinrich, and Danny Wasserman continued their longstanding tradition of traveling together—this time to Germany, where Scott and Dan ran the iconic Berlin Marathon. Alongside his wife, Sameera Anwar ’10, and their eldest son, Zain, Scott ran a sub 2:55:00 race, which comfortably earned him a PR and a bid in the 2025 Boston Marathon. Dan was joined overseas by his wife, who expected their first child this March. Since then, Scott and Sameera welcomed their second son, Zulay, last November. While Danny opted out of the 26.2 miles (and the parenting), he got plenty of time with Dan in 2023 when they became colleagues at the tech company Gong. Alas, that chapter was cut short when Danny started a new job in January 2024 at Databricks. ✹ Jon and Elizabeth Doran Albertelly welcomed baby Russell in June 2023, joining big brother Max. They are doing well as a family of four and hope to introduce the boys to Mayflower Hill in 2024! ✹ Alexander Richards, Sam Hoff, and Josh Sadownik got together around Christmastime. It was a big change from prior years as it was mostly spent corralling the four toddlers they had in tow. ✹ Byron Meinerth is currently deployed in the Horn of Africa, where he meets up regularly with Nick Cade ’08, who is also there. They are both incredibly thankful for the support back home, particularly from their spouses, Elisabeth Russell ’10 and Christina Evriviades Cade ’08. ✹ Sarah Whitfield is still chair of the select board in her hometown of Wiscasset, Maine, and is running for a third term in June. She just finished the first of three certificates on the path toward licensure/ordination in the United Church of Christ and preaches several times a month at various churches. She and her boyfriend, Dennis, went on a two-week trip to Europe, which included attending the Vienna Philharmonic Ball and visits to Athens, Budapest, Barcelona, and Sicily. In 2023 she enjoyed catching up with friends Patrick Boland, Sommer Engels, and Joe Meyer when in DC, as well as celebrating a baby shower for Amarinda Keys ’14 and her husband, Brendan, in Maine. ✹ Finally, Benjamin Hauptman and I welcomed Lucille Marye Hauptman Apantaku in January.
10s newsmakers
Matt Stanley
’10
Casey Sullivan recently switched careers. He used to be a journalist and now is a recruiter at Corrao Miller Wiesenthal in New York. He focuses on placing partners, counsel, and associates at law firms and in-house law departments. ✹ Piper Haywood currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Sam Baldwin, and son Beck. She’s currently the engineering lead at the Eames Institute and spends most of her free time chasing her toddler around the playgrounds in a two-mile radius. ✹ Tim Brettingen recently came to his senses and moved to Boston, officially joining the ranks of the local 2010 Mules dinner crew of Dan Marden, Mike Baldwin, Reilly Taylor, Scott Veidenheimer, and Doug Sibor. Previous guest stars have included Rohan Dutt, James Westhafer, and Bobby Gooch as well, although rumors of a Scott Brown appearance have yet to come to fruition. But we can dream! ✹ Alex and Carly Rapaport Vargas welcomed twin boys Noah and Simon in August 2023. Times are wild! ✹ Sonia Booth recently moved to Manchester, N.H., with her family and is excited to be back in New England after four years in Chicago. She and her husband welcomed their second child in July, and everyone could use more sleep. ✹ Will Price lives in an extremely whimsical teacup on stilts in North Carolina with his wife, Adrienne, dog Rosie, and cats Georgia, Nyx, and Freddie (aka Fred Bones). Upon discovering that being a lawyer really sucks, he is now happily employed doing environmental conservation for his fine state. Will still holds a mild, level-two grudge against all of the Colby students from 15 minutes outside of Boston who sang along meaningfully to “Wagon Wheel” during the winter of 2009 despite said students never having thumbed their way to North Caroline nor ever setting foot in the Land of the Pines. [Editor’s note: It’s a great song, Will, get over it!] ✹ Sameera Anwar and Scott Zeller ’09 welcomed baby Zulay in November 2023. Big brother Zain is still getting used to his new title! ✹ Chris Englert and Kathie celebrate 10 years of marriage, two kids (first grader and one in daycare), four cats, and one dog. Zero beers in 2023. Lots to be thankful for and heated up about the rest. Missing everybody. ✹ Coyne Lloyd ’11 got a birthday letter from his old roommate Ross Nehrt and Leigh Bullion that brightened his day. He’s hoping 2024 includes a Citi Bike ride to Queens with his friend Jack D’Isidoro for Indian food. ✹ Jordan Schoonover and her husband, Jay, welcomed their second child, Cameron Jon Phillipe, Dec. 5, 2023. They are very tired, but so far, life is good as a family of four. ✹ Todd Herrmann has made himself at home in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley, where he is currently the sober living and outpatient coordinator at Jaywalker Lodge, a substance abuse treatment center in Carbondale. He is also working on his master’s of social work degree at the University of Denver. He spends as much time as possible skiing Aspen/Snowmass, and he still exchanges Wordle scores with Erik Johnson, Doug Wong, Brett Souza, and Caroline Holland daily. ✹ ✹ Leigh Bullion and Ross Nehrt were looking forward to seeing the sun again after a long winter in Portland, Maine. She’s putting her English B.A. to good use explaining the narrative shortcomings of popular fantasy series to her 5- and 3-year-old kids. Ross is spending too much time in the “keyboard mines” but is otherwise doing well. ✹ Hope everyone is having a good year!
’11
Noah and Annie Wardwell Atlas welcomed their son, Max, in July 2023. They are enjoying watching him grow along with his 3-year-old brother, Henry. ✹ Susannah Hatch started a new job as chief of staff at the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources in August. She enjoys living in Arlington, Mass., close to her niece and nephew, and singing in the Boston Choral Ensemble. ✹ In October Katie Brezinski started a new job with Major League Baseball as a senior labor attorney for the commissioner’s office. Along with the new job came a move from Florida to New York City, where she is happily settled with her mini goldendoodle, Duke. ✹ Judy Merzbach and her husband, Daniel, welcomed their baby boy, Matías, in November. He already met some of his extended Colby family—Sai Chavali—on a hike in the Bay Area. ✹ In April Ceila Friedman Cowan and her husband, Erich Hochberg ’12, welcomed baby boy Wes. He’s a sweet, fun little guy with an awesome head of hair. ✹ Saikrishna Chavali married his partner in September in upstate New York. They’re now gearing up for wedding part two in Hyderabad, India. Many Colby alumni attended the New York wedding, and a few will be at the festivities in India as well. ✹ In November Laura Berzins and her husband, McConnell Smith, welcomed identical twin boys—Harrison and Darwin. ✹ Katherine (Murray ’12) and Matthew Smith are excited to welcome their first child in March 2024 in Atlanta. ✹ James Bowe lives in Santa Monica with his wife, Priya, and their 2-year-old daughter. They are expecting twin boys this spring. James skied last winter with his brother, Luke Bowe ’13, and Nikolajs Batarags in Mammoth. ✹ Casey Thomas enjoys life in Nashville with fellow Mules Zander Koallick, Ross O’Connor, and James O’Brien ’12. She works for a country music record label and loves visiting Maine when her artists are on tour and watching them fall in love with the state. ✹ Mike Dakers and his wife, Jennifer, are holding down the fort in Cincinnati, eating copious amounts of Skyline Chili along with Rosie, 3, and Elizabeth, 1. Mike cherishes the moments he spends with his Colby friends, reconnecting in Boston, New York, and beyond as frequently as humanly possible. Mike continues his tireless efforts to follow in the prestigious footsteps of his cousin (and Elizabeth’s godmother) Sara Cameron Baldwin ’10 and loves to see her, Mike Baldwin ’10, and their kids. The door is always open in Cincy.
’12
Mandy Reynolds lives in midcoast Maine, where she recently expanded the co-working and event space that she founded, Union + Co, and also works in commercial real estate and development. ✹ Jen Cox is excited for the release of her debut novel, If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come, published under her pen name, Jen St. Jude. ✹ After teaching high school Spanish for 11 years, Rachel Frenkil transitioned to a job in fundraising. She lives with her husband in Natick, Mass., and is an avid runner, qualifying for the 2025 Boston Marathon. She reconnected with Amy Tortorello ’13 over their shared passion for running. Robyn St. Laurent came down from San Francisco to cheer them on at the California International Marathon. ✹ Michael ’11 and Laura Maloney Johnsen welcomed their first child, Oliver James Johnsen, Aug. 21, 2023. ✹ Sarah Hirsch and Max Hogue ’13 moved to Rhode Island with their three perfect cats. Max runs his own primary care micro-practice, and Sarah is an artist, teacher, and writer out of her studio. They love to swim in the ocean and are growing fruit trees! ✹ Emily Fleming left teaching after 11 years to work full time on her consulting business, Yoga in Classrooms and Schools Consulting, where she works to support schools looking to implement customized yoga and mindfulness programs. Emily returned to Colby in October as one of a few alumni entrepreneurs featured during the kickoff event for the Halloran Lab for Entrepreneurship. ✹ Dennis and Sally Klose Gallagher welcomed their daughter, Anna “Annie” Klose Gallagher, in June 2023.
’13
Happy 2024, 2013-ers! It was great to hear from many of you, and I’m happy to share plenty of updates from our class. ✹ In July Charlie Frank will finish his term as chief surgical resident and start a fellowship in plastic and reconstructive surgery at Emory. ✹ Michelle Seares and her husband, Austin Ladusky, have lived in Denver since 2019 and recently purchased their first home. Michelle is an oil, gas, and natural resources litigator at Holland & Hart LLP and was recently promoted to partner in the Environmental, Energy, and Natural Resources group. She got together with the Colby crew (Brett Depper, Charlotte Peck, Charlotte Wiesenberg, Elizabeth Cochrane, Lauren Becker, and Rebecca Aliber) at Eliza Appleton’s wedding in October. ✹ Mike Langley is excited to share his Substack newsletter, The Libel, with the Colby community. “Lots of other terrific things happening in my life, which they can learn more about in the newsletter,” he writes. ✹ Lester Batiste’s debut poetry collection, Angel and Night’s Youngest, will come out this year with the Black Spring Press Group in the UK and is available for preorder. ✹ Chelsea Tyler writes, “My partner, Ryan, and I got engaged last spring and are planning our wedding in Vermont this coming June. We’ll have a few Mules in attendance! In the meantime, we’re enjoying life in Lebanon, N.H.—skiing, hiking, and hosting friends.” ✹ Allison Hess and Dave Wollin ’12 moved to Rochester, N.Y., in 2020, got married in 2021, bought a house in 2022, and got a mini goldendoodle puppy named Stiorra in 2023. ✹ On Oct. 28, 2023, Zoë Herrmann married Bryan Stabbe on a beautiful 80-degree day in Purcellville, Va. There was a great crowd of Mules in attendance, including Zoë’s brothers AJ ’07 and Todd ’10 Herrmann, as well as many members of the Class of 2013: Michaela Pembroke, Emma Mayville, Claudia Camerino, Caitlin Davis, Nina Hatch, Courtney Moran, Jayne Munger, Leah Tichansky, Eliza Larson, Emily Unger, Matt LaPine, Max Kanner, Nick Zeller, and Jacob Marx. ✹ Zach and Rebecca London Lingley celebrated their second wedding anniversary a few days early by welcoming their son, Edgar Scott Lingley III, Aug. 31, 2023. Everyone has settled in well and is already enjoying all Maine has to offer as a family of three.
’14
’15
Ari Porter and Ryan Cole moved back to Maine in December 2023 for Ryan’s new professorship of physics at Bates College (they’ll still be cheering for Colby though). They look forward to exploring Maine again with friends and classmates. ✹ David Watson and his wife, Clare, welcomed their beautiful daughter, Sloane Watson, Oct. 27, 2023! They’re living in Charlotte, N.C., but are on the move to Athens, Ga., this summer to pursue David’s M.B.A. at the University of Georgia. He’s excited about football season. Go Dawgs! ✹ Gregory Naigles lives in Concord, N.H., and started a new job working for the New Hampshire DOT. He still hikes regularly and is actively working on hiking every trail in the AMC White Mountain Guide. He’s about 90 percent finished and hopes to finish this year. ✹ Last fall Jonathan Eichholz passed the final portion of the Master Sommelier exam, becoming the 273rd to do so in the world. He’s living in Manhattan. ✹ Meredith Braun earned her M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with concentrations in economics and behavioral science last June.
’16
Hope everyone is doing well! Here are some updates from Mules in the Class of 2016! ✹ Bonnie Samantha Maldonado currently lives at home in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, conducting ethnographic and archival research on food and food-making practices. She is content and eternally grateful for her family (chosen and by birth), friends, colleagues, and mentors walking alongside her through this journey. ✹ Russ Ollis started business school at Tuck with former lacrosse teammate Cillian Connor ’18. They also enjoy reconnecting with their favorite former faceoff specialist, Max Eberhart, a second-year student there. Y After finishing her Ph.D. and teaching in Korea, Kathy Trafton moved back to the Boston area this year and was hired as a physical scientist for the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Minerals Information Center. She tracks the international production, distribution, and consumption of mineral commodities essential to the U.S. economy and national security and publishes annual reports on these data for her countries of expertise. ✹ Matt Lara ran the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon in November. He ran to raise money for Experience Camps, a nonprofit that works with grieving children who have recently lost a parent, caregiver, or sibling. Among the supporters were Colby classmates and close friends Andrew Elmore and Cam Copeland. ✹ Cassandra Biette and her husband, Stephen, had a baby boy named Adrian in November. ✹ Aaron Liu moved to Portland, Maine, last summer and joined a soccer team with fellow Mules Casey Ballin, Erik Wilson, Allie Phillips, and Natalie Sill ’17. ✹ Cat McClure is finishing her Ph.D. in ecology from Utah State this spring and starting a postdoctoral research position at Colorado State in Fort Collins. She’ll be working with the National Park Service, USGS, and Colorado State to understand how the management of the Colorado, Green, and Yampa rivers’ flows affects riparian plant communities. ✹ Emily Boyce and Teddy Niedermayer ’15 got married in October! Kel Mitchel, Will Hayes ’15, and Sarah Arvidson were in the wedding, and Fabio Castiblanco was their officiant.
’17
Greetings, 2017 Mules! As your class correspondent, I seek to uplift your stories and provide exciting updates. 2024 continues a transition into new post-pandemic norms with crowded subways and in-person dinners becoming the rule again. It warmed my heart (pun intended) to soak up the sunshine with Anita Guaman as we welcomed Gerald Owusu to the married club in Ghana. I also found it pretty “wicked” to make Colby’s Dare Northward celebration in Boston, where I saw Kumba Seddu, Sam Arthur, and Melissa Jean Gaelle. In other news, I am happy to have finished grad school in the DMV area, where I’ll miss hanging with Kadish Hagley and Lucas Lam! ✹ What are other classmates up to? Well, Gianna Nappi and Kiernan Somers tied the knot June 17, 2023, on the lovely waters of Maine. They celebrated with friends and family, including Anita Guaman, Anh Uong, Maria Urrutia, Jack Sears, Drew Martzolf, Carmen Cordova, Katie Discipio, Anna Donovan, Spencer Martin, Collette Gould ’19, Maggie Burgos ’18, Caroline Burlingham ’16, Dan Nesvet ’16, Ben Wardwell, and Rachel Bird ’18. Let’s toast all of the wedding halls packed with dozens of Mules over the years. ✹ Nora Mabie covers Indigenous communities for five Lee Enterprises Montana newspapers. In January, after six months of reporting, more than 3,000 miles driven in Montana alone, and 72 interviews, she published a three-part series on the life-expectancy gap among Native Americans, who tend to die a generation younger than their white neighbors. The USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism National Fellowship supported the project. Let me know if you would like to access links to her work. ✹ Tom Barry got married in Rhode Island last August and finished his first full year at Merrill Lynch as a financial advisor in Providence. ✹ Syman Hossenbux recently moved to Paris as the lead data scientist for a software company. ✹ Meanwhile, John Kensinger studies in the Emerging Leaders Program at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. He is completing his master’s in business management this year before moving on to the School of Medicine in May to begin his master’s in physician assistant studies. ✹ In case you missed it, on Oct. 8, 2022, Katie McLaughlin and Tim Corey ’15 were married at Camp Somerset for Girls on East Pond in Smithfield, Maine. Reach out for pictures! ✹ Hannah and Duncan Sewall Insuik are thrilled to announce the birth of their first child, a boy named Jaime Quinn Insuik! They are excited for their possible member of the Colby Class of 2042! ✹ Julia Dunlavey is getting married to Dan Paseltiner, a Batesie (which she acknowledges is truly unfortunate), and she bought land in Woolwich, Maine, where they are building a house. ✹ Georgia Lubrano just relocated to London and would love to meet other Colby alums there. She works for Bain Capital in their London office on the ESG team and plans to stay for a few years. If you know anyone from the Colby family in the area, please look her up. ✹ Thank you to all who chimed in with updates. I look forward to seeing some of you in Maine or New York this year. As a new member of Colby’s Alumni Council, I will represent our school well while visiting campus every couple of months. My first set of meetings during Homecoming last fall reminded me of the magic that lies on campus. Consider stopping by Waterville. In the meantime, you can stay involved between columns by updating your contact info on alumni.colby.edu. I am always happy to discuss ideas or make introductions throughout the Colby network. Reach out anytime for a catch-up call or hangout in DC or New York!
’18
Near, far, wherever you are, there are Class of 2018 Mules to be found doing big and exciting things. Starting close to home in Maine, I, Marcques Houston, am currently working at Bowdoin College as an assistant track & field coach and living in Portland, Maine, with my partner, Lily Herrmann ’19, and our dog, Navi. I also serve on two boards for nonprofits, one focused on environmental justice and one focused on food justice. ✹ Austin Frederick has stayed in central Maine since graduating and returned to Waterville, where he serves as technical director for the Maine Film Center (formerly Railroad Square Cinema) and the Maine International Film Festival. There is a lot of momentum in Maine’s blossoming arts scene, and he is excited to be a part of it. ✹ Further south in New England, Victoria Cheff spends her days studying poems by dead French lesbians and writing her dissertation. She rides the bus and just started composting. Earlier this year, she found the perfect pineapple upside-down cake recipe. Victoria tends to a small garden, where she grows her girlfriend’s favorite flowers (tulips and dahlias). They share a home in Providence, R.I., with their poodle children, Mikhaïl “Misha” Bulgakov and Butch Toni Sedita Soprano. ✹ Traveling further down the East Coast, Avery Heilbron lives in Durham, N.C., with Mia Hamilton ’19, and they will marry later this year. He recently changed career paths and is now a full-time real estate agent. ✹ In Kentucky, Joebelle Bonete is enjoying her final rotation in Lexington as a fourth-year optometry student. She was excited to graduate in May as the first doctor in her family and plans to settle closer to home in the Pacific Northwest. ✹ Speaking of the Pacific Northwest, Brandon Park graduated from Oregon State University in June 2023 with his master’s of public health in health promotion and health behavior. Since October 2023, he has worked as a community health navigator in Snohomish County, Wash., for MedZed Physician Services. ✹ In Arizona, Benjamin Hartford is working as vice president of sales for a battery manufacturing company based in Phoenix that uses their batteries to convert commercial-fleet vehicles from gas to all-electric. He’s closed several deals with some of the country’s largest fleets and hopes that we’ll start seeing some household names traveling around in trucks without tailpipes. ✹ In the Southern Hemisphere, Clare Murray is starting her dissertation research in Paraguay this year. ✹ A column filled with lots of joy and success. Thank you to all who wrote in, and wishing the best to you all and to the rest of the majestic Colby College Class of 2018!
’19
Hello, everyone! I hope you have enjoyed this past year. The theme of this column for the Class of 2019 is definitely love. ✹ Congratulations to David Miller and Sarah Gaffney, who got married Oct. 14, 2023. We’re all wishing you the best! ✹ Mia Hamilton is now a Ph.D. candidate at Duke University. Mia and Avery Heilbron ’18 are engaged and getting married in November 2024! Congrats to Mia and Avery on these milestones! ✹ Emily Goulette and Jake Hagler also got engaged recently! Congrats! ✹ Keller Leet-Otley and Annelise Walsh ’20 got married in August 2023 at a beautiful farm in Salem, Conn. They had a wonderful day celebrating with family and friends that included a mini-Colby reunion. They headed up to Camden for a mini-honeymoon and enjoyed being back in Maine. ✹ Cam Clouse and Carly Thomas got engaged in June in Breckenridge, Colo., while on a trip with Mikayla McLaughlin, Sarah Hancock, Ben Hartheimer, and Garrett Dickey. The couple moved from Austin to Phoenix last November; in mid-November, they hiked the Grand Canyon with Mikayla and Garrett, whom they see more easily living in Phoenix. Carly and Cam spend most of their time with their dog, Cookie, a husky mutt mix. ✹ Helen Chavey moved to San Francisco in May. She’s taken advantage of the proximity to the mountains to trail run and ski as much as possible. She sees Brit Biddle with great frequency and has loved reuniting with Ella Jackson, who also recently moved to the Bay Area. By January, Brit and Helen had collectively skied 32 days this season and were looking forward to breaking 50. ✹ Charlotte Purcell splits her time between Chicago and NYC. In addition to working, she’s studying for a graduate gemology degree through GIA’s two-year program to eventually pursue fine jewelry design. ✹ Isa Berzansky finished grad school in May 2023 and now works in Boston. She adopted a dog last spring and got married in summer 2023. ✹ Grant Santos lives in Boston. This February, he led a ski vacation to Aspen for the company he works for. It was his first time visiting Colorado and skiing outside New England! He’s thankful for such a cool opportunity through work. ✹ Sam Hoenig is a second-year medical student at Case Western and the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Earlier this year, he presented his research in pediatric cardiac surgery at the Society of Thoracic Surgeons meeting. He’s stayed close with classmates Gabby Venditti, Lydia Venditti, Jonny Cangemi, Keller Leet-Otley, and Riley Whitmyer. ✹ Nam Le lives in Silver Spring, Md., and spends his free time playing tennis and cycling through Rock Creek Park and the trails around the DMV. ✹ Amy Tournas and Merrill Read live it up in Colorado doing a lot of backcountry skiing and training for a half-marathon in May. They celebrated their one-year book club anniversary they started in 2023. Amy is a supply chain manager for Square Trade, and Merrill is a solar project developer for Pivot Energy. Colby friendships DO last! ✹ Christine Lange lives in Cincinnati, where she’s taught Latin at a classical school for almost three years. Through the school, she chaperoned a 17-day tour through Greece and Italy last summer. She and her husband, Andrew, road trip annually from Ohio to Maine to reconnect with Colby friends, including Charlotte Jones, Austin Nantkes, Alicia Elliott, and Jerry Díaz. Christine and Andrew expected their first child in late February or early March. ✹ Jacob Hagler, Emily Goulette, Andrew Destaebler, Tanner Boucher, and Andrew Fumarola keep the spirit of Jelly Sauce alive in Portland! They gig regularly around town and love creating spaces for Colby folks to meet up, see each other, and dance to some funky music. They’re on Instagram as @jellysauceme. ✹ Olivia O’Neill recently started a business creating beautiful hand-painted wedding stationery! Check it out at sites.google.com/view/oliviaoneill.
20s newsmakers
’20
Greetings from Colorado, Class of 2020. Thank you to everyone who wrote to share news—we have an exciting first round of updates for you all! Highlights include entrepreneurial classmates, really cool jobs, and endeavors in continuing education beyond the Hill. ✹ Tessa Schrup and her brother launched a better-for-you protein powder company called Drink Wholesome (drinkwholesome.com). They specialize in simple, easy-to-digest ingredients for sensitive stomachs with a wide range of flavors and multiple vegan options. I was honored when Tessa sent me a sample; I can vouch their product is delicious. And even better, I recognize (and can pronounce) every wholesome ingredient. ✹ Isabel Colón, Willow Grinnell, and Charlie Gomprecht are also proud owners of their own business. Twin Flame Closet (@twinflamecloset on Instagram and TikTok) is a vintage, secondhand clothing pop-up based in Portland, Maine, and soon expanding to Bozeman, Mont. Twin Flame offers curated style bundles shipped directly to you and also collaborates with small businesses to do in-person pop-up shops. In Isabel’s words, “In a world that places too much emphasis on fast fashion, we are passionate about shopping sustainably and cultivating trend-based looks with thrifted pieces.” If you haven’t already, check out their social media. Their pieces are timeless yet unique, and you can clearly see the passion these three have for their Twin Flame mission in every post. ✹ Another entrepreneur, Aidan Cyr, launched his brand ZZZs in the middle of the pandemic. Primarily an art company, ZZZs highlights independent artists, showcasing their work on items like rolling papers and trays (if you’re not cannabis-inclined, they also have incredible merch and artwork for sale). Aidan and his co-owner are on a mission to bring exposure to independent artists through their unique products, hoping to inspire a little creativity along the way. Find ZZZs on Instagram at @zzzsrollingpapers or shop their products at zzzsrpc.com. ✹ In the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Lucie Cunningham is working at the North Carolina Aquarium as a sea turtle rehabilitation technician. Her job is as incredible as it sounds. Lucie works to rescue, rehabilitate, and release four types of turtle species: greens, loggerheads, kemps, and hawksbills. Winter is their busiest season; earlier this year, Lucie’s team had 58 patients in-house, with up to 20 new turtles arriving daily. Thank you, Lucie, for your contribution to keeping our wildlife safe! ✹ Another I-can’t-believe-I-didn’t-think-of-that-career update! Allie Naccara is an enologist at a small winery in Paso Robles, Calif. As someone whose knowledge of wine does not extend beyond the color, I thank Allie for explaining exactly what that means. An enologist is a winemaker; Allie in particular deals with the chemical analysis of wine by monitoring the fermentation of grapes. She spends her free time exploring other wineries in the area and brewing her own rosé just for fun. ✹ Finally, an update from Holly Lauren Garcia and her service dog, Ella (a light-brown dachshund who was truly Colby-renowned). The pair are enjoying the Florida sunshine, where Holly Lauren is receiving her master’s in community psychology at Florida A&M University, an HBCU. Congrats, HL! ✹ Living for your updates, Class of 2020. Send more!
’21
It’s been three years since the Class of 2021 set off from Mayflower Hill to the great big world beyond. I, Hannah Johnson, landed at the University of Florida to start my Ph.D. in clinical psychology … while doing my best to avoid the gators! ✹ Grace Horne spends her days with her new pup, Skipper, and getting her Ph.D. in entomology at the University of California, Davis. ✹ Dominick Leskiw and Scott Jackson have been soaking up all that life in Seattle has to offer! ✹ Chessy Singer will start her master’s in early childhood education at Teachers College at Columbia University. ✹ Genesis Cazalez is getting married this September and graduating with her master’s in clinical mental health. ✹ Nick Ho has been loving life in Bend, Ore., and plans to pursue his master’s in social work. ✹ Congrats to Marina Takagi and Tom Cummins on their recent engagement! Cheers to our Colby couples! ✹ Luke Kelly has immersed himself in the history museum AND bluegrass scenes in NYC. Catch up with him at Mona’s Bar on Mondays! ✹ Selim Hassairi is at the cutting edge of technology, helping with the release of the Meta Quest VR headsets. ✹ Megan Hartnett is pursuing her Psy.D. in neuropsychology and geropsychology at William James College and lives with Paige Hartnett ’19, Kayla Freeman ’19, and Felix the cat in Cambridge. ✹ Maddie Carlini is a senior data scientist in preclinical drug discovery at Eli Lilly. ✹ Alex Heisler is pursuing her M.D. at Tufts University School of Medicine. ✹ Alli Bassman-Lyons is teaching high school environmental science and living with Esther Kim in Hoboken, N.J. ✹ Kara Robak and Laura Sokoloski live very happily in Lebanon, N.H. Laura helped Kara run her first 5K, and now they’ve run several together! ✹ Chioma Akali is pursuing her master’s in social work and living her best life in NYC. ✹ Cole Turner has been enjoying the outdoor life in Tahoe and the Bay Area while working on Kindle at Amazon. ✹ Caroline Epstein teaches high school English and language arts in Hawai`i and manages teacher leadership development for new teachers for Teach for America. ✹ Katie Squires is working on her Ph.D. in chemical oceanography at MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. ✹ Jake Nash is a policy analyst at a boutique telecom law firm and is going to law school in the fall. ✹ Olivia Hochstadt loves being a knitwear designer and teaching fiber art classes in Boston. Follow @k.o.knits on Instagram! ✹ Viki Lin just started her clinical rotations at LSU School of Medicine. ✹ Owen Goldthwaite recently moved to Boston from the Midwest and is happy to be back on the East Coast. ✹ Sarah Montembeau will start medical school this summer after several first-author publications through her research at Emory University. ✹ Macey Broadwater lives in a little mountain town with her two sweet cats. ✹ Grace Neumiller just completed her third American Birkebeiner ski race and is on the Twin Cities Ski Club’s board of directors. Also, shoutout to Sarah Nalven ’13 for connecting her with her current job in water resources environmental consulting! ✹ Max Perrello lives in Kazakhstan (previously in Ukraine) and works as a software engineer for a stem cell banking startup. If you’re ever in the area, reach out! ✹ James Kim completed his master’s in education down in Philadelphia and is elated to be back home in Maine as a sixth-grade humanities teacher at South Portland Middle School. ✹ Michelle Cao is about to graduate from medical school and start her OB/GYN residency! ✹ Emma MacCallum will be entering a Ph.D. program in political science with a focus on comparative Latin American politics. ✹ Regan Bragg works for Disney in their app development team. She gets to go to Disneyland all the time! ✹ George Prekeges is in Spain teaching English for a year. ✹ Jackie Lermond is exploring upstate New York while pursuing an M.D. at Albany Medical College. ✹ Until next time!
’22
Are you interested in becoming the correspondent for the Class of 2022? Send an email to Colby Magazine at classnews2022@colby.edu if you’d like more information about this volunteer opportunity. Thank you!
’23
Are you interested in becoming the correspondent for the Class of 2023? Send an email to Colby Magazine at classnews2023@colby.edu if you’d like more information about this volunteer opportunity. Thank you!