Class Notes
’40-’48
David C. Weber ’47 stays in touch with the College through periodic emails. He is proud of Colby and particularly grateful to three of its former professors, including Alfred King Chapman in the English Department. “Colby gave me so much that my wife and I endowed the Clara C. and Carl J. Weber Library Fund. Decades later, we gave the two Weber Family columnar maple trees that front Miller Library. After another few decades, my son L. Jefferson Weber and I gave the library relevant books and selected documentary correspondence from my father’s teaching efforts, who published the Library Quarterly.” In 2024 David published the Garden of Printed Words, inspired when he asked his daughter Sarah to name her favorite book, Charlotte’s Web. Illustrated by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, it is a candidate for the John Newbery Medal. The book includes an image of a small dish, given to David by the Fresney family of France when he had finished service in World War II and was about to be shipped home. “It is a unique memento wishing me a bon voyage. For three years I had to take a break to serve my country in wartime. Then it was back to Colby for my junior year and to graduate in 1947. My dish reminds me every day to be grateful for human good and kindness as well as tolerance of and to learn from the bad.”
’49
Greetings ’49ers! Unfortunately, I, again, have NO news from our classmates to pass on. So I shall have to bring you up-to-date on my Liberty Trike. In my last column, I told you I’d put on 150 miles in my first riding season. My second season of riding was over in October 2024, and I was able to add another 350 miles before cold weather set in—at least too cold for me to ride comfortably. I have a picture of me at age 2 or thereabouts sitting on the handlebars of my brother’s big trike! It would seem my life is bookended by trikes! ✹ 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.
’50
’51
Hello, classmates. I didn’t receive any news from you, so our column is thin. I’m planning to publish my 14th book, Early Families of Parsonsfield, Maine, later this year. Otherwise, I’m still active and am traveling a bit. I send my best wishes from Sanford, Maine.
’52
I hope all is well for fellow members of the Class of 1952. As it turns out, no one has returned our plea for news. So, I will tell you about Mary and me. We continue to enjoy our life at the Highlands, a retirement village in Topsham, Maine. We have a two-bedroom apartment in the main lodge. The facility has many activities: there is a heated, saltwater indoor pool, many musical groups entertain us each week, and a gym full of exercise equipment, etc. Also, the food is very good and the staff is very helpful. As Mary is 95 and I am in my 98th year, we need all the help we can get. Yet, we are both quite active. I continue to drive and do the shopping. I walk some but not too far, and I still play a mean game of cribbage. This was a good choice for us. I hope you will let us know your thoughts and news.
’53
Greeting! I had a nice note from Electra Paskalides Coumou. She and Karl are in good health and were fortunate to travel in the summer of 2024 with four friends. She said, however, that travel gets more difficult at their age. They flew to Oslo, where they took a cruise up the coast of Norway. While everyone on the East Coast was too warm, they were wearing down coats and heavy sweaters. The cruise was cool, but not too cool to enjoy the spectacular scenery before them. They ended their summer trip with a few fun days in London. This past winter, to get away from cold and snowy East Coast weather, they rented a house in Scottsdale, Ariz., near family to enjoy their children and grandchildren. ✹ I still do quite a bit of emailing with Priscilla Eaton Billington as we exchange book titles and family news. Priscilla emailed from her home in Florida that she had to give up golfing due to energy issues. Now her “sport” is at a table with bridge players! ✹ As for me, Barbara, my winter was changed to a very quiet one when I was no longer able to take daily walks with my golden retriever. In early December, during the end of one of these walks, a friend’s large husky jumped on me, resulting in a broken ankle. My son took over the daily chores and even did some good cooking. Enjoy the rest of 2025!
’54
Lindon Christie checked in from Rumford, Maine. He’s feeling pretty good, he said, and can care for himself. He has a wonderful partner with whom to share each day. ✹ Bob Thurston sends greetings from Englewood, Fla. “The increasing ferocity of what used to be a mild hurricane season is somewhat troubling, but not enough to cause me to move to a safer location. Nate ’55 and Winnie Robertson Miller live nearby, and I maintain frequent contact with them. My daughter, Tracy, lives with me and takes wonderful care of my daily needs. Several months ago, I fell down playing ping-pong but, fortunately, didn’t break any bones. Now I only play shuffleboard, pool, and bocce and ride my three-wheel bicycle. My best regards to all of you.”
’55
Richard “Dick” Cole sent along a recent newsletter from the 70+ Ski Club in North Kingston, R.I., that included a photo of Dick and a claim that he is the “world’s oldest snowboard racer.” Dick, who lives in Boston, is 90 and has won his age group at the NASTAR Nationals on both skis and snowboard. He has an impressive collection of race awards, but he hasn’t been a lifelong athlete or competitor. He told the newsletter editor about trying out for the hockey team at Colby, and the coach just looked him up and down and said, “I don’t think so.” He started skiing by watching his two adult sons race. Last season he raced at Snowmass in the nationals on skis, and he admits that he’s a better skier than a boarder. Dick credits his rigorous workout routine for maintaining the strength he needs to snowboard. His advice for younger skiers? “Work out and keep a great attitude.” You’re an inspiration, Dick!
’56
’57
The editors at Colby magazine collected news for this column after learning that your correspondent, Don Tracy, passed away last November. ✹ Bill Bois leads the news for your class. He said, “Changes in our lives are fewer as the years zip by. Lou, my bride of 67 years and a former employee many years ago at Colby, has had mini-strokes, affecting her short-term memory. Needing to pay closer attention to her needs, we sold our large one-of-a-kind home and downsized to an easier-to-maintain condo in Winslow, Maine. Otherwise, our health is good, ‘for our ages,’ as doctors always add. We no longer winter in Florida, nor do we travel overseas, having already been to Europe nine times, to Alaska, to Hawaii, and to the Caribbean many times. So, this little boy from a farm in Sidney, Maine, feels very fortunate.” ✹ Michaline “Mikki” Chomicz Manno wrote from North Carolina, where she lives a mile away from her daughter and family friends. She reports that “2024 found me up and about with church activities, new interests via the senior center (even playing mahjong), and all of the shows, concerts, and lectures that the UNCW and the city of Wilmington have to offer. The ocean is more than two blocks away, but is still doable if one chooses an occasional ten-minute drive. Highlights of last year include a Panama Canal cruise in February with my California cousin to seven countries I’d never visited before; a week in Ocean Grove, N.J., in July to sing in the town’s annual choir festival; and a Caribbean holiday on the high seas in December with the family (nine of us), plus three friends, to celebrate 2025. I would love to get back to campus and see all the new buildings plus the town of Waterville … ‘wouldn’t that be lovely’(My Fair Lady)!” ✹ Dave Palmer checked in from the central Florida community of The Villages, where he moved in 2013 from Naples. He is still driving but is not fully active, and neuropathy has stopped golf for him. There are more than 700 holes of golf in The Villages, and more than 160,000 people. “Too many,” reports Dave. He has a “wonderful partner,” who moved to Florida in 1993. They now use their golf cart more than the car. Dave says, “Hello to any and all ’57ers left!”
’58
Family and social relationships are important to Janice Klem Benicek, who enjoys going to painting class, then visiting Dunkin’ Donuts with class members to sit and talk. Her family enjoyed a cruise to Bermuda, accompanied by her Colby roommate Peg Beebe Ramsay and family. Graduations are coming up—one grandson is finishing high school and another college. “It’s great to live such a long life, but it’s difficult to lose so many friends. I lost two in October who went back to elementary school and high school. We’d been going to lunch once a month for more than 50 years.” ✹ Bruce Blanchard and wife Coleen have been together for 72 years and have four great-grandchildren. He was recently honored as a reader at a kindergarten class and introduced as a great-grandfather. He told the class, “That means I would be a father to your grandfather.” One of the 5-year-olds asked, “Did you know Abraham Lincoln?” Bruce also knows the sadness of losing so many classmates and friends. He recently looked at a picture of the 15 Lambda Chi pledges our freshman year singing to the Bixlers and realized only three of them are still living. ✹ Sally Fritz recently “shed a ton of stuff” when she and her dog moved into a perfect small apartment with only her favorite furniture: her mother’s Boston rocker, the table her dad refinished, and one-tenth of the books. “It’s been cleansing for my soul!” There was a measure of grief to it all, transplanting herself from Cape Cod to upstate New York, but her trusty old VW gets her over the hill to her daughter’s, and “I’m nourished by deepening friendships in this beautiful retirement community.” ✹ Marcia Griggs Atsaves enjoys her neighborhood of “slower, lower” Delaware, where the beach is marvelous, restaurants serve fine seafood, and games of pickleball and tennis are frequent. She even has room for Colby guests, a tempting invitation. ✹ During their first years of retirement, Walter and Maggie Smith Henry traveled frequently to Europe, the Southwest, Maine, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. Now, they enjoy a quieter life in Massapequa, N.Y. The grandchildren are in college, one a freshman at Colby and enjoying it very much. Maggie now sees how much the campus has grown since we were there and gets frequent emails from the school updating her on what faculty and students are doing, “so it’s very nice to be back in touch again.” 2024 was a very busy travel year for Dot Greenman Ketchum. First was a trip to Minneapolis for her grandson’s wedding, then a drive to Burlington, Vt., with Carol Conway Denney and Susan Sherman White, to visit me (Mary Ellen Chase Bridge) for a reunion of the four freshman roommates. Next, a September trip to the beautiful, historic town of St. Andrew’s, Scotland, where two of her grandchildren are going to college, and finally, a Thanksgiving trip to Oregon to visit her daughter and her three grandchildren. “I’m so fortunate to be able to do this roaming around the world!” ✹ In August Ginny Angney Bushee and I stayed with Jane Gibbons in her Airbnb in Sweden, Maine. We borrowed her family’s electric car and drove to Colby, echoing Maggie, to see how things have changed. We toured the Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts, the Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center, with its Olympic-sized pool, and the Colby Museum of Art and had lunch at Dana, a far cry from the cafeteria 70 years ago. New dorms are being built along Mayflower Hill Dr., near the ones we knew then. Great to see the campus busy and thriving! ✹ In October family members invited me to join them in Paris, where my son-in-law was honored by his company. Highlights included dinner under the pyramid at the Louvre, a boat ride on the Seine, a tour of the Musée d’Orsay, and the Picasso museum. “Not bad for an 88-year-old,” I told myself. ✹ Best wishes to all, and keep on keeping on!
’59
Art Goldschmidt continues to lecture and write, mainly about the Middle East. He has given 10 lectures about the Gaza War, Egypt, and Syria. The fifth edition of his Historical Dictionary of Egypt came out in 2023, and the 13th edition, this time coauthored by Ibrahim Al-Marashi, of A Concise History of the Middle East was published by Taylor and Francis in October 2024. His Brief History of Egypt (second edition) has been published by InfoBase Publishing in an online version. He also writes his memoirs and occasional articles for Miscellany, the literary magazine of Foxdale Village Retirement Community, where he and his wife, Louise Robb Goldschmidt ’60, live. ✹ Margaret Lippincott Brezel was excited to be going to a 100th birthday celebration of a family member with her daughter last winter in Boston. They planned to spend a few days after the celebration going to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Harvard Glass Flowers collection, and other sights around town. At age 87, she didn’t think she would ever fly again. Living in Hawaii, just two blocks from the beautiful beach in Kailua, 20 minutes to Honolulu, is living in paradise. Although she grew up in Newton Center across from a 21-acre park, where she thought she lived in paradise, Hawaii beats them all. Over the years she has traveled to most places in Europe and Asia. She is happy to live in Hawaii. Great weather, friendly people! Aloha to all! ✹ John and Denny Kellner Palmer went out to Monhegan Island last fall, and on the way out from Port Clyde they went past Benner and Allen Islands, which were previously owned by the Wyeth Foundation and are owned by Colby and known as the Island Campus. She could see quite a few buildings that belonged to the Wyeths. Denny hopes to get out there one of these summers to see for herself! ✹ For 18 years Ed Goldberg has lived in Bozeman, Mont., which has changed from a ranching community to an upscale enclave for people from California and elsewhere. It is sad to see but a trend that is occurring throughout the West. Ed plans to return to the Thar Desert in India to participate in a healthcare mission. It is a strenuous trip but worth the effort. He has travelled to Vietnam twice this year to join his wife’s family and for the children to reconnect with their culture. Ed wonders if anyone is planning to return for reunion on campus this year. ✹ Mike Ferber follows the latest news on the woodsmen’s history. The following people, in addition to Mike, were all on one of the first teams to compete for Colby: Skip Tolette, Capt. Andy Sheldon ’60, Ian Tatlock, George Auchincloss ’60, and Doug Thompson ’60. They were members of the Woodsman’s Club. ✹ Wendy (Ihlstrom ’61) and Robert Nielson are hoping to visit Colby this year and maybe tour the new buildings (athletic center, performing arts center, etc.). They are in contact with Mike Wormser and hope to see him, too. “Retirement has been good, and Wendy and I are well!” ✹ I am well and have recovered from my fall last year. I’m always glad to hear from you.
60s Newsmakers
’60
Steve Curley wrote that the Class of 1960 lost a big man with a bigger heart. Phil Shea was the pride of Gardiner, Maine. He was Steve’s friend, and also friend to anyone else who ever met him. He was simply the kindest and nicest person, and he has left a hole in Steve’s heart. Many of us will remember him and smile when we say his name. I (Jane) for one can agree. Also, Steve recognizes that there are some of us who have stayed connected since 1956. Wow, say that again. 1956! He cherishes the friendship he has with Ed Marchetti, Jock Knowles, Michael Silverberg, and, he has to admit, especially Peter Emmett Cavari. ✹ Mike Silverberg still works three days a week, which keeps his mind active and allows him to maintain relationships that are good for the soul. He continues to keep cancer under control. The side effects of treatment are not all that pleasant but worth the effort. His marriage is on its 56th year; “We are very fortunate,” he said. He speaks with Steve Curley, Hank Silverman ’61, and Dick Fields ’61 often. ✹ Marna Hansen MacLean ’61 was sorry to inform us that her husband, Bob MacLean, passed away Dec. 14, 2024, at their home in Wilson, Wyo. You can search online for his obituary in their local paper, the Jackson Hole News & Guide. ✹ As for me, Jane Holden Huerta, I too am still working as it does keep my mind active. My job in customer service for a small software company keeps me busy and often challenges me to decipher emails! Once a week, I direct a bridge game at a duplicate bridge club here in Sarasota, and three times a week I direct bridge games online. Two of my granddaughters (the gymnast and the actress) live in Las Vegas, and my other granddaughter (the athlete) and her year-old brother live in Greenwich. I don’t see them as much as I would like, although FaceTime and WhatsApp make it possible to “see” them frequently. I often speak with my cousin Susan Macomber Vogt and with Joanne Price Rockett. They are both doing well. Juan and I are in good health and will be cruising for 33 days from Cape Town to Rome by way of Gibraltar, Geneva, Greece, Turkey, Croatia, and Montenegro. ✹ Please send your news! We’d all love to hear from you. And plan to attend our 65th Reunion June 6-8 in Waterville. See you there!
’61
Aloha, from seismic activity in Volcano National Park on Hawai‘i Island. Never a dull moment in paradise. Your correspondent thanks everyone for sending news and hopes to greet all who can travel to Colby in 2026! ’61 Mules: still kicking! ✹ Bev Lapham wrote about this fall’s gathering of “The Colby Varsity,” a group initially of mostly DKEs and their families initiated by Norman ’58 and Cici Clifton Lee. Liz (Rowe ’63) and Bev proposed an adults-only event that now takes place in New Hampshire. Last year, they met at Rockywald Deephaven Family Camps on Squam Lake (remember On Golden Pond?) and will return there this fall. The Laphams send love to all! ✹ Quimby “Q” Robinson heads to Sugarloaf whenever the snow is good, but he says, “Getting into and out of my boots gets harder each season.” He hopes to attend Colby’s reunion festivities for ’60 and ’61 this year and next. ✹ Judy Hoffman Hakola says her “body is falling apart piece by piece but from the neck up, I am still relatively functional.” She still teaches Senior College courses and was delighted to welcome Gary Lawless ’73 to a recent one. Judy will be at our 65th if she is “still able to walk (a serious issue, unfortunately).” ✹ Bill Clough has been in touch with Jock Williams ’62, who along with his wife, Debbie (Lucas ’62), deals with major health issues. The Cloughs travel to NH to watch their granddaughter Daisy star on Dartmouth’s women’s soccer team. ✹ Mary Sawyer Bartlett still makes “the brutal drive to Castine every summer, accompanied by my dog.” Last summer she visited Jock ’62 and Debbie Lucas Williams ’62 at their house in Mt. Desert for lunch. “It’s always a pleasure to get together. Bob DiNapoli used to join us but, alas, he is no longer with us. Mary-Jane Rutherford Carroll and I converse on email, and recently I was pleased to connect with Gene Rainville. I’m looking forward to our next reunion when we can be taken back to a more innocent time that was full of hope.” ✹ Terry Lee reports that everybody is healthy and “nobody’s in jail.” They had all three daughters and families there for the holidays. Last fall the Colby Eight 75th reunion was memorable. Pete Merrill ’57 reminded the audience that, “Nobody up here is under 80.” Terry said, “Since some of us had sung at class reunion dinners, we had a well-practiced group. Audience members appreciated hearing a rendition of the original Colby Eight.” ✹ Penny Dietz Sullivan continues as president of Craven Concerts, an organization that brings live music to New Bern, N.C. Her husband, Paul, is busy working with the local school board. Penny mourns the loss of Carla Possinger Short, a childhood friend as well as her Colby roommate. May the best memories bring you comfort, Penny. ✹ Dean and Sandy Nolet Quinlan had a dramatic year in 2024. They escaped a cold Maine February with a Viking cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Cartagena, Colombia. In April they witnessed the thrilling total solar eclipse in a tiny Arkansas town, experiencing seven minutes of totality! May and June brought three more college graduations of their grandchildren. By October, life changed when they learned and adjusted to treatment for Dean’s lung cancer. In 2025, they’re learning to live a whole different way and appreciating their blessings. Sandy writes, “I hope that you, dear classmates, enjoy life as much as you can.” ✹ In 2024 Denny Dionne and his wife, Mary, moved to a senior living facility, the Mayflower in Winter Park, Fla., a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC). Right now, they are in the independent living section. They are 10 minutes away from their son and his family, and they still travel to New England each fall to meet the “Colby Varsity” group in New Hampshire. In April, they’re taking an 18-day transatlantic cruise from Miami to Barcelona. ✹ Class President Bob Burke writes from Naples, Fla., where they are from November to early May. They spend the rest of the year at the Ridge Club in Sandwich, Mass., on Cape Cod. “Donna’s son Mike and his family live in our old hometown, Winchester. Thankfully, my four children and their spouses have homes near us on the Cape, and we see them and my 11 grandkids often. They are all out of college, but only one, Kate, is a Colby grad! Donna is now the golfer and plays several days a week while I play rarely. My substitute is duplicate bridge, and I play at least five days a week. We hope to make it back to Colby for reunion this year. Hard to believe it is the 64th! And the 65th is 2026!”
’62
I announced my new role as class correspondent in January. Pat Farnham Russell, our former co-correspondent, has since passed away. You can find her obituary, along with other classmates’, in the back pages of this issue. ✹ Peter Duggan reports he and his wife moved full time to their home in Naples, Fla. He is now on a fentanyl patch for back and knee pain. He keeps in touch with several of his fraternity brothers and follows Colby sports. ✹ Patch Jack Mosher says for the last two years, several Tri Deltas from all over the country had been doing Zoom once a month to stay in touch. Linn Spencer Hayes initiated the meetings, although a decision was made to suspend the meetings as health has not been kind to many in the group. ✹ Eleanor Tomlinson writes that a dear friend’s son graduated from Colby last May and it was quite special to see the graduation live on the internet. She saw Ian receive his diploma and enjoyed the whole ceremony. A huge plus was the commencement address by Doris Kearns Goodwin ’64. ✹ Bob Ipcar tells me that he and Ms. Cosi do therapy dog visitations at the VA Brooklyn Medical Center. Cosi is an Italian mountain dog, the largest of the wire-hair breeds. ✹ Peter Leofanti says things are fine with him and his loved ones. He recently attended a Providence-Boston College hockey game with other Colby alumni. It reminded him of when Colby would beat BC. ✹ Frank Mainero says a sedentary retirement is a “no” for him. So, over the last 24 months, he began to write children’s books. He reports he has nine published (see Amazon). They are selling well. ✹ Richard Mittleman tells me he is semi-retired. He does a lot of strategy planning for corporate clients and acts as trustee and advisor for valued clients. He is still playing golf but his drives are getting shorter and his scores getting higher. (I know the feeling.) ✹ Roey Carbino relates the highlight of 2024 was her 21-day tour to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and Patagonia in November and December. She flew from snowy Wisconsin to springtime in Santiago, visited Valparaiso the first day, then flew 2,200-plus miles (on her birthday) with her group to fabulous Rapa Nui for six days of touring the moa. ✹ Linn Spencer Hayes reports she has found acupuncture to be particularly effective for sciatic and back pain. It is important to find an acupuncture provider who specializes in one’s particular concern and to stick with it for several sessions.✹ Mary “Muff” Symonds Leavitt tells me, “Each Saturday when I read Colby News, I realize my days on campus were very long ago. I continue to be impressed by how the offerings and opportunities available to students have expanded over the years! As an example, a recent article about Jan Plan reminded me of its simple start, our senior year, and how it has continued its innovative trajectory.” ✹ Nancy (McKenzie Keating) and I (Mike McCabe) continue to wage war with the vagaries of old age. I am three years out from my last cancer treatment and so far, there are no signs of recurrence. We are very fortunate to have wonderful medical care here in Maine. We get to Colby about once a year for special exhibitions at the museum.
’63
Bill ’62 and Barb Haines Chase have had fun attending their granddaughter Dierdre O’Rourke’s spring and winter concerts. Dierdre, a senior at Colby, sings with the Colbyettes. Barb keeps up with Sally Morse Preston and Mary Michelmore Ackerman-Hayes. ✹ Arlene Jenkins Graber and husband David celebrated their son Brian’s wedding in Maine with their whole family of 15. They stayed on their island in Windsor, Maine, while David finished his book on environmental engineering, which Arlene proofread! She reported the sad news that Ruth Shafer Sarrica and her husband, Tony, died last fall, two months apart. The Grabers kept in touch with them since college and will miss them. ✹ After retiring as chief global economist at Cumberland Advisors, Bill Witherell is enjoying painting (watercolor, pastels, and acrylics) and fly-fishing. He and wife Edie spend much time with their five children and eight grandchildren. They still have their home in Massachusetts but spend January through April in Venice, Fla., with many New England friends. They’re both in good health but have cut back their travel. They have a strong desire to return to Paris, where Bill lived for 27 years and Edie 16 years. ✹ David Hunt and Jackie visited Jackie’s family in Taiwan to meet her 100-year-old mother and family. Her mother is a former surgeon who escaped the communists in 1951. He says, “Taiwan is marked by common-sense government with emphasis on education, hi tech, and opportunity for all. Efficiency reigns, super-clean cities, modern, fast public transportation, everyone polite and friendly.” He and Jackie gave a lecture together to the Maine Chapter of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers on “USA/China/Taiwan.” David continues to give lectures and keeps up with foreign policy issues. He and Jackie are in Stonington and Deer Isle in Maine over the summer and would be delighted to see any Colby alumni. (dhunt3503@gmail.com) ✹ Portugal beckoned Betsy Doe Norwat and her husband, who visited Lisbon and Porto and cruised the Douro River. They learned a lot of Portuguese history, saw beautiful sights, and tasted lots of good wine. Reaching the border of Spain, they traveled to Salamanca, where Colby has a center at the university. In her email, Betsy included a photo of the Colby sign at the University of Salamanca, which I wish I could include here. ✹ Jon Hall keeps busy doing musical groups. He’s out three evenings and one afternoon with bands or low brass groups. He says, “It’s still fun.” ✹ The Colby 7 have been meeting monthly for years and are still going strong! It was great to chat with Karen Forslund Falb, who gave me a very general overview. Members Didi Cross Washburn, Karen Beganny Megathlin, Pat Ey Ingraham, Jo-Ann Wincze French, Cathy McConnell Webber, Laurice “Pooch” Puglia Haines, and Karen are all doing well, keeping up with health. Some are getting physical therapy and some are moving to condos. At a recent gathering, they shared Jan Plan stories. After all, we, the Class of ’63, were Jan Plan pioneers! ✹ After more than 50 years in a very old house in Warren, Maine, Pen Williamson and Bev bought a much smaller lakeside house 10 minutes away in Union. Their next-door neighbor is a Colby ’75 football and basketball player! Pen and Bev play pickleball twice a week and feel “lucky to still be able to enjoy life.” Their best news of all is that they’ve gained entry into the Great-Grandparents Club! ✹ Despite a long recovery from lumbar fusion surgery, Ruthie Pratley Madell visited Betsy Doe Norwat in Kansas City, where they heard Doris Kearns Goodwin ’64 speak about her new book. She also visited her daughter and twins in San Francisco. Ruthie keeps up with Ann “Booty” Bruno Hocking, Marcia Achilles McComb, and Judy Allen Austin. ✹ Many thanks to all who wrote in. ’Til next time!
’64
Hello, Class of 1964! Sending news from our classmates. ✹ Bob Emmet lives in Galesville, Md., with two sailboats in the water. Although Colby is a long drive to attend reunions, he cherishes his Colby years. He’s an electrical engineer with patents and products. Bob has recommended Colby to several local students, particularly because of the Island Campus in Muscongus Bay. He wishes us fair winds and following seas. ✹ John Oaks still maintains his etching studio in Wisconsin, Crooked Line Etching Studio, in what has become a cooperative of nine studios and artist inhabitants called Ground Floor Studios (search for it on Facebook). John and his wife, Becky, are winnowing household responsibilities. He wishes a good year for classmates. ✹ Jim Harris, our class president, enjoyed seeing the new buildings on campus and the “new” downtown in Waterville during reunion. A highlight was a tour of the athletic complex and the Colby Museum of Art. Three generations of Jim’s family (including Jim) are alumni and attended Reunion Weekend. He and his wife, Madie, headed to San Diego this winter for a cruise to Hawaii. Last August, Jim attended a memorial service with a U.S. Coast Guard Color Guard presentation in honor of our classmate Dick York.✹ Richard Larschan notes that he has reached the stage when his desk calendar records more doctor appointments than social activities. He still teaches seniors at the 92 Street Y and the Lenox Hill Neighborhood Association in New York City. His “theme” classes have titles such as “Revenge: A Dish Best Served Cold” and “People of the Book: Major Jewish Writers.” Richard’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren continue to proliferate, with six of the latter aged 5 and under, with one more on the way. ✹ Jonathan Allen combined study of the physical sciences with Colby’s emphasis on the humanities. Jonathan earned an M.S. at UMass, Dartmouth, and later a Ph.D. in physics from Washington University in St. Louis. Most of his career has been in solar photovoltaic R&D. Jonathan and his wife, Shirley, have 2-year-old grand-twins. He does volunteer work and occasional consulting. ✹ Barbie Carr Howson and her friend Len visited Joan McGhee Ames at her home in Marlborough, N.H. Susan Ellsworth also came to spend a day with them. Barbie and Len traveled to Key West to spend time with Natalie (Bowerman ’66) and Frank Zaremba. She’s busy with church activities, writing a memoir, doing jigsaw puzzles, and staying in touch with her four children and four grandchildren. As for thoughts on aging, Barbie states that her principal strategy is not to think about it! ✹ Moving from Arizona to Annapolis, Md., Jack Ross and his wife, Jean, are now closer to children and grandchildren. They live in a retirement community in Easton on the Eastern Shore. They look forward to kayaking on the Tred Avon River, a tributary of Chesapeake Bay. Jack and Jean practice yoga several times a week and enjoy reading at home. ✹ Charles Fallon lives in western New York State and heads to Florida for the winter. He was sorry to miss our 60th reunion but was traveling in Alaska during that time. Charles’s wife passed away in 2017. He hopes to travel to Maine, with a visit to Colby, with his friend, Robin. They visit other countries and see their children and 10 grandchildren. He volunteers for a local agency that provides seniors with free rides to doctor appointments. Charles reports that he’s well and active, even on the pickleball court! He wishes our classmates good health and happiness. ✹ Sally Berry Dixon resides in Kennebunk, Maine. She enjoys playing the cello and painting, and she had a well-received art show at the Kennebunk Library. Her son has also moved back to Maine, stirring wonderful memories of summers and winters with their grandmother on the marsh in Kennebunkport. She sends love to all her classmates in the Class of 1964.
’65
Thanks to everyone who responded with your newsy updates. I received very interesting emails from some classmates (see * next to their name), but I can’t replicate all of it here due to their length. I will gladly forward their letters if requested. ✹ Randy Antik* lives in Naples, Fla., where he started the Imagine Solutions Conference in 2010, a nonprofit foundation that has attracted more than 500 reputable thought-leaders and scientists, with more than 1,000 attendees each year, including President David Greene from Colby in March 2024. Randy stays in touch with his neighbors, Andy ’64 and Nancy Greer Weiland, plus Eliot Terborgh and Allen Post. ✹ David Fearon has resumed teaching with podcasts, digital books, and virtual gatherings after his wife, Connie, sadly passed away last August. ✹ Thomas Donahue* summarized his past 60 years, living and teaching in five foreign countries and six states, now teaching at a local university in central Michigan, where his daughter is a professor of political science. ✹ John ’63 and Nancy Godley Wilson* are enjoying all the cultural and lifestyle activities at their new home at Loomis Village in South Hadley, Mass., after leaving Deer Isle, Maine, at the end of 2023. Last year they visited Charlie ’63 and Pam Plumb Carey in Delray Beach, Fla., and also spent time in Boothbay Harbor with Betsy Stevens Palmer, who continues to show her artwork at the local gallery. ✹ Arnie Repetto recently moved to North Providence, R.I., to be closer to his son and daughter-in-law, who are expecting their first child. ✹ In contrast, Margo Beach* now has a second great-grandchild. She is impressed with the new buildings on Colby’s campus and in Waterville. With her unique sense of adventure, she described her “puffin tour” off Port Clyde, Maine, where puffins were re-introduced from Newfoundland. ✹ Marty Dodge* is the ultimate outdoorsman. He re-started the woodsmen team at Colby, taught, and coached the woodsmen team at Finger Lakes Community College for 39 years, retiring in 2011. Marty now spends summers at his “getaway” in Wiseman, Alaska (north of the Arctic Circle), traveled to Nepal and Patagonia, Chile, and wrote a book, For the Love of Nature, in 2021, plus has 33 video programs on his YouTube channel. ✹ Jane Patterson Paxton* has had a fascinating 40-year academic career in Maine, with various teaching jobs and leadership positions at the Maine Education Association. She also got involved in local and state politics as a Democrat, including as a member of the Maine Human Rights Commission. Today, Jane is involved in the University of Maine Augusta Senior College as a teacher and student. She mentioned that her cousin David Begg is a professor emeritus at the University of Alberta, living in Edmonton, and Bryan Harrison Curd lives in Portland, Ore. ✹ Rodney Gould* is still practicing law, mainly in travel and transportation, and speaks at various bar association and trade shows. ✹ I had lunch with Starbuck and Anna Owens Smith and Sunny Coady in Naples, Fla. Sunny recently moved to RiverWoods, a senior living community in Exeter, N.H. In spring 2024, she traveled to Paris, Provence, and Amsterdam, where she met with Don Le Beau. ✹ Rick and Nancy Winslow Harwood continue their exotic travels, including a lengthy cruise from Fiji to Bali last winter. ✹ John Tewhey finally decided to buy his condo in Saco, Maine. He is still managing special environmental projects. ✹ Rick Davis is back playing tennis and golf after a partial knee replacement, splitting his time between Needham and Chatham, Mass. Rick and Gail will be touring Scandinavia in September. ✹ May-Lis and I will take a cruise to Iceland and Norway in late June before our daughter and family arrive from London to spend the summer with us in Connecticut. Meanwhile, our son in Manhattan had their first child, Hadley, in July 2024. Hope to see you at our 60th Reunion in early June.
’66
Dearest classmates. How wonderful to report that ’66ers are still pursuing their bucket lists and goals in an impressive fashion. ✹ Terry Saunders Lane teaches and takes courses at the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement. She also co-chairs the board of directors for Metro Housing/Boston, a nonprofit that provides 14,000 housing vouchers to low-income families and eviction prevention funds to 9,000 poor households in the Greater Boston area. ✹ Barry “Bass” Kligerman recently published the first two volumes of a young adult fantasy fiction series on Amazon: Book of Stone and New Realms. The series is meant to inspire young people to make a positive contribution to the world. Barry also keeps in shape and recently won the 80-84 age bracket gold medal in pickleball in the North Carolina Senior Games. ✹ Pat Berg Currier just finished transcribing her great-aunt Ellen’s 1942 diary and compiling an inventory of all her photos, letters, and memorabilia. Her major bucket list item is finding a place to donate these historic mementos. Ellen was Colby Class of 1907 and spent almost 30 years as a teaching missionary in Hangchow, China. In 1942, and again in 1945, she helped feed and clothe Chinese refugees when the Japanese invaded China. ✹ Anne Ruggles Gere, now “active retired” from the U. of Michigan, has just finished what sounds like a fascinating book on “Indigenous women who taught in boarding schools.” Anne’s bucket list includes regular visits to her three grandchildren in New Jersey. ✹ Susan Mahoney Michael continues her writing goals and regular travel to Portugal. She also enjoys those “Colby ’66 Girls” lunches with Mary Sue Hilton Weeks, Ann MacMichael, Pat Berg Currier, Jan Atherton Hoffman, and Colby guy Andy Maizner. ✹ Mary Sue Hilton Weeks mentions those lunches as well, including a July one in Bremen with Michael Clivner. She continues to be the scenic artist for the Lincoln County Community Theater’s productions, and her paintings were on exhibit during the winter at the Waldoboro Library. ✹ Martha Watson LeRoi feels gratitude for living near family, with bucket list plans for lots of pottery projects and a trip to Maine. ✹ Barbie Wise Lynch’s bucket list is “family, family, family,” with four grandchildren living right in her hometown. ✹ Larry Eckel reports moving from the Midwest to Brunswick to be near his daughter, her husband, and four grandchildren. He finds it a treat to be “retired and living in Maine.” ✹ Sue Turner’s bucket list is to continue hiking with good friends, spending months in Bar Harbor, keeping in touch with Colby friends, and continuing her photography. Sue is grateful for all the support she received after losing her husband last February. ✹ Of course, travel was big on people’s lists, with John C. “Daisy” Carvellas and wife Betty spending three weeks in Europe last fall. ✹ L. Gary Knight still has three states, Oregon and the Dakotas, on his travel bucket list and also hopes to continue umping and get back on the tennis court. ✹ George Cain’s bucket list includes “travel, baby, travel.” He hopes to stay on the list of the living for a while and recapture the excitement of being 18-24. ✹ Pete and Ellie Eichmann Densen continue to winter in Florida and summer on Mt. Desert, with travel to Iowa City and other places in between. They are planning a Civil Rights loop trip in the fall. ✹ Mandy and Fran Finizio underwent the major transition of selling their MA home of 40 years and downsizing to a Peterborough, N.H., townhouse. Fran says he has more of a “HOPE” list: maintain good health, continue to travel, keep a positive attitude, and keep up his golf game. ✹ Finally, Dag Williamson recommends a book by former UNH English professor Donald Murray, My Twice-Lived Life, which offers perspective on the challenges and joys of aging. Sounds like we should all put this book on our bucket list to ease the difficulties of aging that (I know) you have NOT reported to this column. ✹ Our 60th Colby Reunion is on my bucket list, and I hope on yours as well. Fond regards!
’67
Sookie Stockwell Weymouth lives in Maine but spends winters in South Carolina, where she is an invasive plant patroller. While in S.C. she volunteers at the front desk of the local free medical clinic. ✹ Sarah Shute Hale lives in Arden, Ontario, in the same house she bought in 1972. She continues to make batik art and sells her work from her home studio and sometimes online. Several years ago, she visited the campus on Mayflower Hill and was very impressed with the developments. ✹ For 14 years, Laura Hunt Beasley ran a gallery specializing in Haitian art. She closed the shop in 2010, focused on writing about her travels, and published a blog at ridgeartravels.com. Currently, she is exploring the Iberian Peninsula and will cruise the Greek and Italian coast. ✹ Bob Field does not know the meaning of the term ‘senior citizen’ and has no concept of retirement. He continues to produce documentary projects for Boston Productions. He has worked on topics ranging from the Larry Bird Museum in Indiana to a piece about a WWII submarine on a special mission. Bob makes the point that every person has stories to tell, and these stories inform, inspire, and educate us. His work is part of our national legacy, and we can thank him for it. ✹ Tom Saliba, like Bob Field, has not gotten the memo about retirement. Tom has started a lecture series called Freeport Speech, which has been very successful and included speakers such as Heather Cox Richardson, Senator Angus King, and Amy Walter ’91, among others. In his free time, Tom serves on President Greene’s Leadership Council. ✹ Joanna Snyder Richardson is also continuing to ply her trade. She reports that along with publishing an occasional journal article on aspects of library science, she has added being an international external examiner of Ph.D. theses to her résumé. She has been sent a couple of manuscripts a year from the University of Bahawalpur in Pakistan. She keeps busy and engaged. ✹ Another classmate who remains active, Robert K. Merrill, lives in Sugar Land, Texas, and continues to work in geoscience. He volunteers with Geoscientists Without Borders, a group with the mission to empower local communities to collaborate on solving critical environmental and resource-related problems such as clean water access, disaster preparedness, and environmental sustainability. Robert spends summers in Vermont. ✹ Kurt Swenson has a better grasp on the idea of retirement as he plays golf regularly to the tune of a 12 handicap. He lives in Vero Beach, Fla., and writes that his granddaughter has enrolled at Colby and plays field hockey. His granddaughter was an attraction that brought Kurt to campus, where he was most impressed by many of the new facilities. ✹ Ann Russell Starr sends greetings from Hilton Head, S.C., where she and Michael are in good health and good spirits. They had a surprise snowstorm last winter, and Ann had many memories of snow from her Waterville days, trudging through snow drifts on the way to class. On a warmer note, Ann’s youngest daughter moved to Savannah, and she loves having her nearby. And wait, there is more! Ann is a grandmother: Julianna Madison Starr has arrived.
’68
Happy 57th reunion year, classmates. Thanks to everyone who sent updates. ✹ Jay Sandak and his wife, Judge Mary Sommer, are both retired from the legal world. They enjoyed trips to Vietnam and Cambodia, the Amazon region of Peru, and the Dalmatian Coast. They also enjoy time with their eight grandchildren. And—they devote time to numerous nonprofits. ✹ Our co-class president, Jolan Force Ippolito, and her husband, Jim, enjoy time with their six grandchildren, skiing, and basketball. ✹ Peter Jost has retired from a truly exceptional law practice. He looks forward to spending time with his granddaughter in Boston and for some quality time on the Jersey shore. ✹ Donna and Alan Gray moved from Concord, Mass., to Litchfield, Conn., to be closer to their son, his wife, and children. Their youngest daughter and son are living with them. Alan professes that 2025 will “likely be” his last year of full-time employment at the Boston-based insurance consulting and auditing company that he founded. Hmmmm. ✹ Mary and Steve Ford continue residing in the Philadelphia suburbs with summers in central Maine. They spend time with the children and grandchildren (Is there a pattern here?) and have taken trips to Belgium, Spain, and the Panama Canal. Next up: the Great Lakes, southern France, and northern Italy. ✹ Courtney and Pete Rouse are enjoying life in the Washington, D.C., area. ✹ Carol (Baker ’71) and Dan Libby live in York, Maine, on the same street as Martha and Art Brennan. They are involved in local climate action and political groups. ✹ Speaking of Art Brennan: he is active in the Old York Historical Society. Plans for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution are underway. Art visited Colby last September and reports that changes led by President David Greene are truly inspiring. ✹ Skip Fucillo spent last summer with Chris and Gerry Ogus at the JFK Museum. He dined with Joe Boulos, Linda and Peter Frizzel, and Chris and Gerry Ogus in Naples, Fla. He also plays golf with Richard Habeshian in Vero Beach. ✹ Sarah and John Birkinbine live in Venice, Fla., a quarter-mile from the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricanes notwithstanding, they are pleased with their decision to settle down there. John adds, “If this strikes your curiosity or urges you to travel, put us on your itinerary.” ✹ Retired Maine Supreme Court Justice Joe Jabar has returned to the law firm he founded, Jabar Laliberty, in Waterville. His son Jason is a partner there. His other son, Joseph Jr. (Colby ’92), is a partner in a financial advisory firm. Joe and Renee will celebrate their 58th anniversary in August. ✹ Congratulations! Wendy (Slater ’69) and Alex Palmer celebrated their 56th anniversary in Oakes Bluff on Martha’s Vineyard. Alex is in regular contact with Rich Beddoe, John Birkinbine, Richard Colby, Rick Mansfield, Gary Weaver, and yours truly. They enjoy time visiting their son and two grandsons in San Francisco. ✹ Marty and Bill Palombo took what sounds like a marvelous trip to Barcelona, followed by a Mediterranean cruise with stops in Morocco, Malta, and Casablanca. ✹ Terry and I had an excellent trip to London and Paris to celebrate her milestone birthday. We also traveled to Washington, D.C., and look forward to our annual weekend in Vail for the Bravo! Vail Music Festival. We also regularly attend Colorado Symphony Orchestra concerts.
’69
Hello, class! Hope you’ve all had a good year thus far. Here’s a summary of what some of our classmates have been up to. ✹ At our 55th last June, Jon Eustis was recognized with one of five Colby Bricks for his consistent and dedicated service to Colby and our class. Jon joins a number of our other distinguished classmates who have been recognized with a Brick Award: Rae Jean Braunmuller Goodman, Eddie Woodin, Ellen Haweeli, Sari Abul-Jubein, Cherrie Dubois, and Robert Anthony. ✹ Eddie Woodin, an all-star philanthropist, in May 2024 received the Distinguished American Award from the Maine Chapter of the National Football Foundation. This honor is given to a former football player, coach, or contributor who has distinguished themselves in their community and given back. As you may recall, Eddie was our football team’s quarterback back in the day. What many of you may not know is that Eddie is an extremely successful business owner and active philanthropist in the South Portland, Maine, region. “He has contributed to countless nonprofits and initiatives. When Woodin donates to a cause, he often goes further than writing a check. When he recognizes a need, it grabs his heart and he’ll do anything he can to light a fire, contribute, and collaborate until the need is met,” said Dwayne Hopkins, executive director of the Food Cupboard. ✹ Ines Ruelius Altemose writes, “This past year has had challenges, but also rewarding experiences. I’m grateful for good health and the opportunity to explore many pursuits that I couldn’t during my career years. I practice and teach a dance fusion fitness practice called Nia, and I’m active in five local nonprofits. Additionally, I am in four book clubs, one of which is the Colby-sponsored PBC Guru. They have interesting author talks as a bonus. Check it out! I stay in touch with some of our classmates via Zoom, which is totally fun! I wish everyone a wonderful 2025.” ✹ 2024 appears to have been an active travel year for some of us. Bill ’66 and Cathy Cyr Latvis enjoyed their travels in the Caribbean in between wintering at their home in Florida and summering at their rental in Scarborough, Maine. A trip to Thailand is tentatively planned. ✹ Ed Beard and his wife, Meg, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with what he describes as “a wonderful two-week trip to Hawaii in April, followed up by a cruise to Bermuda in August with our two daughters and their families, including our eight grandchildren (ages 17 to 7)!” ✹ My wife, Patti, and I were on the road quite a bit. On a self-guided trip last spring, we toured Italy for 25 days before cruising down the Rhone and Rhine from Arles, France, to Amsterdam. After visiting friends throughout New England, in conjunction with the 55th at Colby, we took a brief pause before exploring wild Alaska and then the beautiful Canadian Rockies near Banff. ✹ Celebrating their 40th anniversary, Howie Cutler and his wife, Pamela Echeverio, escaped rainy and cold Oregon in January to the temperate, relaxed, and sunny Mexican city of San Pancho, near Puerto Vallarta. In April they headed to “magical, laid-back New Orleans, their favorite city, for percussive music and great food around every corner.” ✹ Bill Lyons writes about “the joys of growing older.” He has been dealing with some significant health challenges. This hasn’t kept him down though. He serves as chair of the Castine, Maine, Zoning Board of Appeals and finds time to indulge his love of baseball. He took one of his grandsons to his first Major League Baseball game in 2024 and plans to see MLB games in three Midwestern ballparks with his son and grandson this summer. Bill also enjoyed seeing Minor League games in Hartford, Conn., Worcester, Mass., Manchester, N.H., and Portland, Maine, last summer. He hopes to continue MiLB road trips this summer. ✹ Anne York Samson is also in the recovery mode, from hip surgery. “It’s wonderful to be mobile again!” She’s looking forward to a trip to Hawaii and a wedding in NYC. ✹ Best wishes to all, grace and peace.
70s Newsmakers
’70
Libby Brown Strough and husband Bob are settled in as residents of the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. That does not preclude them from visiting their digs in Jupiter, Fla., to avoid the sub-zero blasts. ✹ Mary Hepler bid farewell to her longtime, award-winning mount, Gem. It was a passage that also cleared the decks for Mary to focus on caring for her husband, Fred Gallasch. His spinal fusion surgery was successful, and the couple are back to planning retirement travel. ✹ Ben Kravitz reports a staccato schedule shuttling from Longboat Key, Fla., to Lake Sunapee, N.H., to a Whiskey Trail bike tour of Bourbon County, Ky., to an Alaskan cruise, to dinner in metro Boston with Joani Katz. ✹ Debbie Hawks Kelley is also busy in so-called retirement. She hones her language skills as a concierge in Boston. She keeps her pipes in tune singing with the Quincy Chorale. Deb also takes her gardening skills to artistic heights at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, crafting floral arrangements to complement paintings on display. ✹ Susan Doten Greenberg remains in close touch with former roommates Lori Gill Pazaris and Carol Lewis Jennings. The three amigas! Susan was directly involved with the act of moving her Unitarian Universalist congregation from a building in a flood plain to one on higher ground. Plenty of secular administrative details had to be managed. Still, isn’t seeking higher ground always a sacred concern for us all? ✹ Margaret Swanson published her latest book last year. Leaving Tristan Da Cunha is a history of, perhaps, the most remote inhabited location on earth. (So don’t feel badly if you’ve never heard of it.) Peggy has, so if your interest has been piqued, order a copy of her book! She is retired from a long career in community planning. That means she can now devote herself to her avocation from her home base in Winter Haven, Fla. ✹ Steve and Debbie Fitton Mansfield checked in from Warren, Maine. She is busy with a garden, genealogy, and advanced study of Français. He and she also face the frequent efforts needed to maintain their 200-year-old home. Thankfully, Steve reports that maintenance on their grandchildren is far less constant or taxing. That means they’ve had time to board their motorhome for a tour of Gulf coastal Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. On that trip, the couple combined birding, beaching, and the blues. They refer to the B.B. King Museum, in Indianola, Miss., as a “must-see.” ✹ Wayne Blanchard spun a tale of medical treatment run amok, which actually had a happy ending. Turns out one seemingly straightforward procedure also yielded an unforeseen diagnosis, requiring another minor surgery and antibiotics. All this delayed previously scheduled cataract surgeries. So, Wayne got even more practice at his driving skills using the Braille method. The fact is, he has adequate medical coverage, as well as access to world-class care. That meant the story was one of bureaucratic snowballing paperwork and unforecast tasks landing on his desk, rather than any real danger to life and limb. I can relate. Can you? To Wayne’s credit for having a positive attitude, one of his key concerns in telling his tale was the needling he would surely receive from former Johnson Hall roommates Ed Bogh, Greg Andrews, and Andy Hayashi. ✹ This is a summary of the class news that has been emailed quarterly since early last year. If you haven’t seen the longer versions, it’s because the College doesn’t have your email correctly logged. You can either let them know your current address, or just go to the Class of ’70 landing page, where all quarterly newsletters may be found: alumni.colby.edu/class-of-1970-newsletters. By the way, no matter how pithy the prose is in these newsletters, there needs to be content in order for them to be worth your time. Please spend a few minutes to forward details of your life these days!
’71
Greetings in a new year, after a noteworthy presidential election, horrifying wildfires in California, and devastating hurricanes and tornadoes down South. May you all be safe wherever you are. ✹ How is it possible that we are all looking at crazy numbers in terms of how old we are? ✹ Leslie Anderson’s news includes her love of living in Portland, Maine, with so many resources available and fun things to do. She is still painting and playing music. Her husband has retired from their flower farm, and they’re looking forward to a rescheduled trip to the Dordogne region of France to see the art of the Lascaux Caves. They still love spending time in Sedgwick, Maine, when the weather cooperates. ✹ While settling into life in Michigan, Debbie Wentworth Lansing writes that she enjoys season tickets to the Detroit Lions and the cooler weather (better than Florida). She planned a cruise in February from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Santiago, Chile. ✹ Kudos to Dennis Cameron, who, with Paul Edmunds and Jim Faulkner, established a Class of ’71 Football Endowment honoring Coach Jack Cosgrove. There’s even a plaque in Coach Cosgrove’s office with their three names on it. He encourages everyone in our class to designate our donations to our class endowment (Colby Class of ’71 Football Endowment) when donating. ✹ Alan Levine connected Bill Simons, his Colby roommate and history professor at SUNY Oneonta, with former Boston City Council President Larry DiCara to talk about history and politics. Alan and Bill got together for lunch. ✹ Bill Simons and his wife are anticipating the birth of a fifth grandchild. He watched his granddaughter and her cheering squad perform at Fenway Park. Bill also had the opportunity to watch his son try a federal court case in California (he won!). He remains a co-director of the Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture. He’s also still teaching and still serves as an officer in his union. ✹ Retirement agrees with Kevin Jagla and his wife, Pam Fallon Jagla ’72. They have four grandchildren under the age of 3 (whoa!) and are busy babysitting. They also spend winters in their beachfront cottage in Jaco, Costa Rica. ✹ Val Thibeau Yates looks forward to a family trip to Ireland in June. She couldn’t bear to be absent from a new grandson for a whole month. ✹ Having renewed their love of travel, Rich Abramson and his partner, Susan Isenman, returned from a trip to Montreal, Toronto, and Burlington, Vt. They’re preparing for a short trip to Florida, a South Carolina road trip, and a bucket list trip to the Columbia River Gorge. They work as event staff for the City of Portland in between other responsibilities. ✹ Highlights for Field Reichardt include being one of the leaders of a rare bipartisan political success in Michigan defeating an incumbent extremist. Their efforts were chronicled over a two-year period with five articles in the Washington Post. Field serves as a road commissioner and parks commissioner in his county. He and his husband enjoyed a road trip through the West and saw all kinds of American wonders, including Las Vegas. He wants to know where Dave Freeman is! ✹ John Slagle and his wife, Pinky (Maurer ’72), sent me a note, but it was intended for someone else. ✹ With nothing to report, Rob Wilson wrote to say, “Happy New Year.” ✹ Last year was a tough one for Joe Greenman. His wife passed away just after celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. But Joe enjoys his two new grandchildren in California. ✹ We are all shocked and profoundly saddened at the sudden deaths of our classmates Janet Beals and David Nelson. They both passed away on the same day in October 2024. Our sadness trickles down through our entire class. ✹ I am still singing and entertaining three dogs.
’72
Tom and Ellen Woods Sidar are enjoying their retirement in Portland, Maine. They sold their camp of 20 years in Belgrade Lakes on Great Pond in October 2022, and in March 2024, they bought a camp on Rangeley Lake. They celebrated their first grandchild’s birth in September 2024. ✹ Henry ’73 and Dee Fitz-Gerald Sockbeson are selling their last sailboat after 50 years of sailing; it was getting to be too much work. Dee recently picked up her childhood hobby of stamp collecting and has joined two clubs. She travels to Florida several times a year to visit her son in Jacksonville and several friends and relatives who have moved there for the winter. She still lives in Connecticut but finally traveled abroad to Paris after four years of staying stateside. She is still in touch with her Colby roommate Roz Teto Johnson, who lives in California. ✹ Bill Earnshaw still lives in the Scottish hills a mile from the nearest road and gets his internet by microwave. He continues his passion running a lab studying the structure of chromosomes when cells divide. After 30 years of funding, the Wellcome Trust will terminate his funding in September this year as a result of an administrative decision. He’s trying to find other funding sources, including the European Union, for another five years. His wife of 35 years, Margarete, died last August, but he’s decided to keep working. His children, Charles and Irina, are both doctors, a dermatologist and an oncologist. Bill has a beautiful cottage on his land across a stream from the main house, and visitors are always welcome. ✹ Norma Ouellet O’Reilly wrote that after losing her husband, Tom (who thoroughly enjoyed attending Colby reunions), she has been adjusting to a new chapter in her life. She spends time with family at their lake house in New Hampshire, leads tours of art exhibitions at Boston College’s McMullen Museum, and plays pickleball. Since her children and grandchildren live at a distance, Norma has traveled a fair amount and looks forward to seeing more of the world in the years ahead.
’73
The Class of ’73 continues to stay connected to classmates individually and in groups. ✹ Anne Badmington Cass became involved in discussions among committee planning members and Colby following our reunion, as many classmates wanted to stay in touch. Anne describes “Colby ’73” as an online gathering with quarterly Zoom meetings at 7 p.m. Eastern on the THIRD Tuesday of March, June, September, and December. We have held three so far with varying numbers and classmates. They are casual ways to catch up with each other, loosely facilitated by a group member. There will be no fundraising requests in/from this group—ever. Classmates have opted in to receive email links to these meetings. If anyone wants to join, contact Anne at annebcass@gmail.com. ✹ Dick and Anne Badmington Cass enjoy southern Maine and volunteer for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, where they teach and do committee work. Dick’s eighth book was published recently, the last in the Elder Darrow Jazz Mystery Series: Closing Time. ✹ Following reunion, Peter Rinaldi has been reminiscing about our years at Colby, recalling many dear friends from our class he has lost, including Chris Mattern Way and, more recently, Wendy Knickerbocker and Lucia Whittelsey. In Peter’s words, “The delightful memories persist, a reminder of the good friends I had and the excellent education I received at Colby.” He and his wife, Anna, continue to live in Bonita Springs, Fla., near their children and in Moretown, Vt., near skiing. ✹ Jonathan Glynn sent a web address to read about his work with Wings Over Haiti (wingsoverhaiti.net), an initiative he started in 2010 when he flew over that country following an earthquake. After reading a recent Washington Post opinion page article about this group (“In Haiti, Where is Hope?”) and then exploring the website, I am sharing it as there is much to learn about this amazing initiative. ✹ Allan Hill writes about the activities that make him feel he is doing something worthwhile. These include volunteering weekly with a physical therapist who works with disabled kids doing hippotherapy, which is horseback riding. Allan and his band, the Island Pickers, play monthly at a nursing home on Tybee Island. “The residents love us, and we love them. It’s a whole lot of fun.” ✹ Bob Diamond’s sixth granddaughter, Violet Diamond, arrived last fall to her family in London. He encourages anyone with granddaughters to check out his daughter’s company, Hill House (hillhousehome.com), for a nap dress. Bob continues to love being on the Colby Board of Trustees (23 years) and is especially proud of his youngest son, Charlie ’12, a member of the Board of Visitors. This gives them more time to enjoy together. ✹ Amy (Brewer ’71) and Gary Fitts spend the cold-weather months in North Port, Fla., and summers at their camp on Sibley Pond in his hometown of Pittsfield, Maine. They enjoy their many grandchildren, following their many achievements and celebrating a milestone birthday (50) for their oldest daughter. Gary and Amy planned a four-week trip to Europe this spring. They recently had dinner at the Lion’s Den Tavern in Waterville with a “rowdy bunch of Choppers” and spouses, including Joe Mattos (wife Pam), Dick Beverage (wife Pat), John Krasnavage (wife Dawn), and Mark Curtis ’74. ✹ Jon and Jan Stafford Wood remain active and have enjoyed hiking, sailing, wine touring, and traveling to the WTA Open in South Carolina. They stay home for four months, during which Jon is a ski patrol for a local mountain. Jan also wrote about her oldest daughter’s recent wedding, athletic achievements, and how much fun she is to be around. ✹ So many of us are fortunate to be able to enjoy our adult children and grandchildren. Thank you all for taking the time to write!
’74
Dear classmates. I write this as a placeholder for future news about each of us in this 51st year since our graduation. As your new class president, an honor I did not seek nor do I think I deserve, it’s been a slow start getting things organized. I apologize for that delay, but other life commitments intervened. I can’t say my new regime will promise “bread and circuses,” but I do plan to hold at least semi-annual Zoom cocktail gatherings, which were so successful and so much fun leading up to our 50th, and find other ways to stay in touch as we inch our way to Golden Mules status at 55 years. (Funny, I never aspired to such a title…) ✹ About reunion, we are deeply beholden to all our classmates who made that such an extraordinary event, from breaking attendance records to creating a new Class of ’74 Scholarship endowment (with over $200k in contributions and pledges) to organizing pre-reunion events, to creating a fabulous yearbook, to giving talks and leading walks, to wine and spirit tastings, to a lovely and moving memorial service for our lost classmates. We were able to enjoy a reception and dinner at the new Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts as well as our official class dinner the following night, when we recognized a number of our classmates for their extraordinary contributions to the College and to the world. There was a wonderful recounting and acknowledgement of the roles played by our classmates in a June 27, 2024, email, after the reunion, by the one person who did not get mentioned—Deb Wathen Finn. Deb is the one person who stands out above all others as our indomitable, energizing, ultimate organizer and College booster! There is no doubt in my mind that we would have had much less of a reunion if Deb were not silently and behind the scenes working to present ideas and keep us on task as we approached reunion. I think all of us can join in a resounding “thank you” to Deb for all she has done for the College and our class! ✹ As we head into 2025, I would like to invite anyone with a hankering to help out to let me know. Before doing so, I want to thank Dennis Delehanty for his exceptional work as class correspondent these last five years. Dennis also offered many creative ideas to spark interest in our reunion. We need a class correspondent, others to help with fundraising, and still others to make our ad hoc Zoom gatherings work. Please let me know if you are interested and we’ll get to work on these things together (rburges250@comcast.net). In the meantime, please stay safe and healthy, and I look forward to seeing you soon!
’75
Celeste Keefe Wesner knows she’s been out of touch for many years, despite the efforts of her dear friend Susan Staples Smith to draw her closer to the Colby family. Sue is a tireless “historian” and recently surprised Celeste when she uploaded some precious old photos, bringing back memories of when they were exchange students in Spain during our junior year. The chance of seeing former classmates at our 50th Reunion is very alluring, but with the reality of being a very busy grandmother and “nanny” for her two grandchildren, ages 3 and 5, while both parents work full time, Celeste realizes that she has lots to juggle to make it happen. ✹ Andrea Ward Antone is feeling wonderful, content in her retirement years and very grateful for her good health. Andie lives near her older daughter and four grandkids, so she is involved in their everyday lives, which include lots of sports. She also volunteers at an assisted living facility. Since retiring, she has traveled a lot with her younger daughter as well as on her own. Andie’s son is currently stationed in England, so she visits him and her other three grandkids annually. Andie looks forward to seeing classmates who are able to attend our 50th Reunion in June! ✹ When Alan Berry retired from teaching math in 2023, he and his wife moved to their home on Schroon Lake in Upstate NY’s Adirondack Park, which they find very quiet and isolated after the summer folks head south. They spent last fall in Northumberland, England, volunteering at a Christian retreat house. Alan still enjoys skiing, though his arthritic knees make it more difficult, and they walk regularly on the lake ice. Grandparenting is a major focus! ✹ Michael Lynes sent news about him and his wife, Kristine Bowen Lynes. After retiring several years ago from a nonprofit educational agency, where she managed a large grant portfolio, Kris now regularly visits their two kids, spouses, and five grandkids, who live in opposite directions, equidistant from their Connecticut home. Kris continues exploring her artistic creativity with painting classes and her interest in the textile arts. Michael is still a faculty member at UConn, where his research keeps him busy working on a therapeutic antibody for chronic inflammatory diseases, as well as finishing up some studies on Covid biomarkers in children. Recently, Mike published a scientific paper and patent with son, Matthew Lynes ’05, and another paper with Matt and his wife, Maureen Sherry Lynes ’05. The four Lyneses will be at Reunion Weekend, at the 50th and the 20th. ✹ Jeffrey Frankel and his wife both still work as a lawyer and M.D., respectively. However, they enjoy more travel time as they near the end of their careers. Last year their big trip was to Egypt, and this year it is to India, the Philippines, and Morocco (with Cancun thrown in for recovery!). 2025 is busy with their daughter’s wedding in April, followed by a cruise, time in Cabo, Mexico, with extended family, ending up back in Waterville in June for Jeff to revisit all his old dreams and memories. ✹ Ted Snyder is very happy to be married to Jenny, mother of three adult children; he has three adult children as well. These days, Ted enjoys being a “regular faculty member” at Yale School of Management, teaching (high-tech industries) and conducting research (anti-trust). He’s proud of how Colby has developed and sends his best wishes as he’s unable to attend our 50th. ✹ In my final column as class correspondent, I, Susie Gearhart Wuest, would like to thank all of you who have responded to my requests over the years. I really enjoyed connecting with so many of you—the frequent, the occasional, and first-time-ever responders. Looking forward to seeing many of you in June at our 50th Colby Reunion!
’76
Hello, ’76ers! First things first, circle your calendars for June 4-7, 2026. Our 50th Reunion is rapidly approaching. Scott McDermott and I hope to see you there! ✹ Martha and Rab Bell relocated to New Hope, Pa., to be closer to their wonderful grandson, Harry. Martha retired after 20-plus years with the College Board. Her colleagues gave her a lovely send-off. Rab is negotiating the sale of his association management business. ✹ David Systrom continues to diagnose and treat long Covid as a pulmonary and critical care doctor at Brigham and Harvard Medical School. His wife, Kathy, is an endocrinologist at MGH. Daughter Hannah, a GI at Dartmouth, got married in 2022; her twin brother, Conor, who works in the music business between ski and mountain bike runs down Whistler, also got married. ✹ Bill Silverman thrives in his retirement from the University of Iowa’s faculty of medicine. Through his work with the Iowa Coldwater Conservancy, he helps monitor the integrity of cold-water streams in northeast Iowa. He recently corresponded with old roommates Mitch Brown and Will Parrish. ✹ Jan Barber Ferguson completed her career teaching Spanish in a Virginia public high school for students gifted in arts and technology. She and her husband, Keith, enjoy retirement, recently traveling to Peru (where they climbed Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu) and China. Egypt is next on their list. ✹ Paul Kueffner and his wife, Sue, are developing plans for a new house on Westport Island, Maine. Classmates Martha and Rab Bell and Brandon Kulik were helpful, along with Mike Cantara ’75 and Bob Cumler ’77. ✹ Three years ago, Michael and Joy Sawyer-Mulligan returned to New England from the western slope of the Wyoming Tetons, having retired in 2018 from an academic life. They’re happily ensconced on the shores of the Merrimack River in Newburyport, Mass., while building a home in Woodstock, Vt. Most of Joy’s non-reading / writing / walking-the-dog time goes to teaching and otherwise helping two Afghan refugee families who’ve settled there. Through those efforts, she reconnected with Bill Campbell, who had tutored one of the fathers for many months. Joy tries to keep up with the “astonishingly on-the-go” Annie Dunlap LeBourdais. Meanwhile, the Butler Broads (Joy, Wendy Swallow, Heather Finney Eng, Kathleen Jewett ’77, and Julie Stewart) continue to connect regularly: “wing-women for life! Thank goodness for ’em!” ✹ Michael Boyson wrote from his now-annual Western ski trip. He was in Alta, Utah, with partner Nancy, heading to Jackson, Wyo., to connect with Jamie Stubner and maybe Harry Nelson. They ski more carefully now but still enjoy the mountains. In December he, Sandy Buck, and Ned Smith saw Colby’s men’s hockey team beat Bowdoin. He looks forward to seeing everyone at reunion. Meanwhile, Harry and his wife, Liz, were in Vermont in January to see Ed Harvey perform with his Grateful Dead cover band, Dark Star Project, at Rimrock’s Mountain Tavern in Stowe. Ed and his wife, Martie, are looking forward to another Ice 9 gathering in South Freeport, Maine, this August. He sends peace and love to all the ’76 Mules. ✹ Sherry DeLuca Delany had a knee replacement this winter. Her husband, Cort, continues to practice trusts and estates law. Their son Joe ’26 is a junior studying Middle Eastern history at Colby. Joe’s twin brother, Koo, studies marine conservation at Eckerd College in Florida. ✹ James and Heather Finney Eng joined Pittsburgh’s North Hills Chorale, singing in their spring and winter concerts. Last summer they traveled with another choir for a week as choir-in-residence at Lincoln Cathedral in England. A highlight was the 128-step climb into the bell tower for a change-ringing practice. Heather and James challenge us all to find one thing each week we can do for others—over-tipping a hard-working server, calling to chat with an elderly person, or simply exchanging a kind word with a stranger. ✹ Wendy Broadbooks Pickett is enjoying retirement, but she has had an eventful couple of years. She lost her mother in 2023 and then her dear husband, Jack, less than a year later. She truly embraces the phrase, “May they rest in peace.” Balancing her loss has been welcoming two precious granddaughters, born just six weeks apart. They fill her life with joy. ✹ As for yours truly, I performed in White Christmas at the Algonquin Arts Theatre in Manasquan, N.J. As I write this column, I’m in rehearsal with them for Footloose. Don’t forget to donate to the Colby Fund. And contact that classmate who’s been on your mind!
’77
Turns out that the old adage “birds of a feather flock together” holds true for Colby alums. Russ Lowe and I rarely crossed paths at Colby, but over the last 20 years, we’ve traveled in many of the same circles. So, when Russ’s volunteer work expanded exponentially in retirement, I was happy to lighten his load and take over as class correspondent. Thank you, Russ, for your fine work in the community and as class correspondent! ✹ After retiring as a business consultant in 2021, my focus is now on connecting with groups working on social justice, climate change, and sustainability. Linda (Donnell ’78) and I live in a net-zero, fossil fuel-free community in Concord, Mass., and spend most of the summer in Ocean Park, Maine. The following notes include some updates that Russ wasn’t able to fit in last year’s column, but to keep you up to date, I’ve squeezed them in this time. ✹ Dick Conant kicked off a year of adventures last May with a technical climb with his eldest son to the summit of Mt. Hood in Oregon. In 2025 he’s planning a trip to ski Sun Valley in Idaho with two of his sons and the hopeful overuse/abuse of his Ikon ski pass in New England. If all the body parts are in working condition after ski season, he might hike in the central Appalachians in May. ✹ After teaching for 18 years in Norwich, Vt., and North Conway, N.H., Jonathan Fenton and his wife, Corinne, moved to Falmouth on Cape Cod. Now in “semi-retirement,” Jonathan is a volunteer math and writing teacher in the local elementary school. He communicates regularly with Frank Wemyss and often shares delightfully philosophical group texts with Frank, Dave Rich ’81, and Russ Gilfix ’80. ✹ The big news from David ’78 and Terry Grassey Sciore is the birth of their first grandchild to son Tim ’11 and his wife, Caroline. Terry plans to retire in 2025. ✹ Sue Harvey and Vicki Johnson just passed the two-year mark living in a small but lovely 55+ community in Northborough, Mass. They also took a nice road trip through Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island last fall, featuring beautiful scenery, Acadian history, gorgeous farms, and all the seafood you could ever want. ✹ Peter Cohn works for an agency that sends him to teach science to homebound students. The science demonstrations are given at a student’s home or local library, so the classes are similar to a typical class, but without behavioral disruptions. Peter keeps busy playing in the L.I. Harmonica Band, swing dancing, and repairing his ancient wooden kayak in the garage. ✹ RP Higgins works and lives near Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach, Fla. He plays keys with St. John’s Wood, a band that plays British Invasion music (1964-72) twice a month. A big focus now is the Higgins Brothers SurgiCenter for Hope in Haiti (higginsbrotherssurgicenter.org). Following a series of mission trips there with his brother Ted, a vascular surgeon from Kansas City, they helped to launch the surgical center in 2010. RP has not been down there since the collapse of the government in 2020, but he continues to raise funds to support its mission. ✹ Qaiser Khan retired after 38 years as an economist at the World Bank in October 2022. He’s consulting a few days a month, and during 2024 he took advantage of his leisure time to travel to Georgia and Armenia, including hiking the high Caucasus Mountains and visiting Turkey, Bangladesh, India, and England. ✹ After living in Texas for many years, Mike and Ann Atherton Poulin moved back to Maine three years ago and live in Kennebunk. They’re happy to be back in the Northeast, as one of their daughters also lives in Maine and they see more of their friends and Colby classmates. Mike enjoys attending Colby hockey games and participating in alumni events. Now semi-retired, Mike consults occasionally, and Ann works two days a week. ✹ Valerie (Jones ’76) and Steve Roy saw Peter Skoler, Herb Magid, Dave Lillich, and Ron Davids ’78 while vacationing in Naples, Fla. A highlight was witnessing Herb make a hole in one on the golf course. The trajectory of the shot will not be mentioned, but it was as straight as an arrow! Living in South Portland and nearing retirement, the Roys are always eager to hear from old friends. ✹ In September 2023 Ken Colton and his wife, Cindy, attended a multi-day program at the French Embassy in honor of Operation Dragoon (Operation Overlord: Operation Dragoon was part II and Normandy was part I) that culminated in liberating Southern France. ✹ Janet Josselyn is designing and installing large floral installations for the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and prepping her late mom’s oceanfront home in Harwich Port for sale. ✹ Jane Hoffman reports that after separating from her husband in 2023, she has happily settled into a wonderful condo in Larchmont, a town she loves and in which she has many friends and acquaintances. She still works as a college admissions adviser, though she’s winding down as the college admissions terrain becomes ever more insane. ✹ Sandy Pardee and his wife retired in 2023 and to celebrate, they took a long trip hiking in Europe: the Italian Dolomites, Austria, Bavaria, Switzerland, and Lake Maggiore back in Italy. Fellow alumna Marta Ruth ’79 joined them in the Dolomites and then opened her home to them in Switzerland. They noted many signs of climate change, such as Mount Eiger with no snow on its peak. Beautiful weather for tourists, but not so promising for the ecology.
’78
Hello everyone, and thanks for all the great updates! ✹ Suellen and Jeff Wheeler moved from Concord to Scituate, Mass., to be nearer their children, grandchildren, and the beach. Last fall, they attended the Colby-Bowdoin football game, which our Mules dominated! ✹ In 2022 Paul Fackler retired after 35 years as a professor in agriculture and resource economics at North Carolina State University. He now lives in Brunswick, Maine, where he stays in contact with fellow alums and sees Professor Emeritus Hank Gemery as often as possible. ✹ Brad Germain planned to attend the Colby-Connecticut College swim meet in January and was looking forward to seeing a much-improved team from the time he was a member. He and his wife, Bev, have four children, Ashley ’05, Shaelyn ’08, Rory, and Charlotte. Last summer, he visited Colby roommate and fellow swim team member David Van Winkle and his wife, Tari, on Mason’s Island, Conn. He and Bev also accompanied granddaughter Aurelia when she saw Colby at the beginning of her college exploration. He wrote “…not that the Colby campus wasn’t beautiful in the ’70s, but today’s Colby is a true work of art.” ✹ Nancy Paterson Salit was originally a member of the Class of ’74 but left during junior year. Four years later, she wanted to return and is very grateful to the Dean’s Office for helping her meet the academic requirements necessary, fulfill her major of English literature, and graduate as a member of the Class of ’78. ✹ To help her daughter relocate, in June Nancy Piccin spent five days driving cross-country from Massachusetts to Portland, Ore. Her last real road trip was with Kim Marsh Valentine when returning from her semester at Pomona. She is in regular contact with Anne Marie Hobson Pesarik and Jim Cook and hosted Judy Fairclough on her boat in July. Her help with our 50th Reunion will be invaluable as she just ran her 50th high school reunion. ✹ Lisa Klein Boldt retired from her “much-loved” Millburn (N.J.) Middle School Guidance Office. She and her husband sold their house of 28 years and now live an apartment life in Summit, N.J., as they look for their next hometown. Suggestions are welcome! ✹ Among family and friends, Jack Landry married Judy Walsh Oct. 21, 2024. They are happily caring for Daff, the dog they share with Lisa Mathey Landry. ✹ Last June in Massachusetts, Joanne Anthonakes Cushing hosted a mini-reunion with Hope Reed Spillane, Lisa McBride Logan, Susan Chilton Jamback, Joann Barry Getchell, and Dotty Farrell Shelton. They had fun catching up and reminiscing, but missed Lyn Hildebrandt Holian. ✹ Sandra Walcott lives in New York City, where she’s taught at the Fashion Institute of Technology for 33 years. She loves running into Colbians at Yankee Stadium. Last season, she met Amy Scott ’86 at a Yankees-Red Sox game. Amy was carrying a Colby tote bag, which started their conversation. We are everywhere! ✹ Sadly, Pierce Archer died Dec. 29, 2024. He was married for 40 years to Cindy, had two daughters, Kate (Alex Richards ’09) and Emily (Thomas Cheeseman), and was granddad (aka “Gaga”) of two grandchildren. The Philadelphia area was home to him all his life, where he had a successful career in financial management. Pierce was wry and quick-witted with a keen sense of humor. When speaking at Emily’s wedding, he said, “Archers tend to see humor in places where other people don’t see places.” He loved the outdoors, gardening, collecting minerals and fossils, and exploring the national parks. Mike Slavin, his roommate sophomore and senior years, recalls that as Stu-A social life chair, Pierce brought numerous bands to campus, including Nils Lofgren, and that tickets ranged from $2 to $4! A celebration of Pierce’s life was held March 8, 2025. ✹ Our class also lost Chris Hughes, who died unexpectedly Feb. 25, 2025. Chris was an accomplished pediatric dentist and professor who taught at the Indiana University School of Dentistry, Boston University’s Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, and Rutgers University School of Dental Medicine. He was also a founding board member of Global Smile Foundation, participating as a team member on at least 12 missions to serve children in Central America, South America, and Africa. We send our condolences to his family.
’79
Let’s jump in with all the news! Lots of classmates writing in for the first time or after a long time. ✹ Cari and Carl Lovejoy welcomed their sixth granddaughter, Charlotte Baker Lovejoy, last spring. Carl is still having too much fun to retire, but Cari is enjoying retirement and kicking Carl’s butt on the golf course. ✹ Laurie Borden welcomed her third grandchild last year and continues to Alpine ski in the Rockies (Montana) and soak in hot springs. While in retirement mode, she continues to facilitate grief groups by Zoom. ✹ After “retiring” in May 2024, Bob Kinney and his lovely wife, Kay, have spent much of their time going to music events, among others, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, and the Foo Fighters. He also continues his tenure as a borough council member in Doylestown, Pa. ✹ Last fall Melinda Edgerley Pearce moved to oceanfront property on Douglas Island (across the bridge from downtown Juneau, Alaska). She lives remotely and loves it! Her two grandkids, ages 9 months and 3 1/2, bring their grandparents so much joy! ✹ After graduating from Colby, Constance Breese attended Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine. She was retiring last year. ✹ Debra Wallace had a very eventful 2024. January was a fantastic trip to Patagonia with her son and daughter-in-law. She spent her summer on Chebeague Island, Maine, where they have a cottage and a base for the concert season. Her husband is the founder and artistic director of the Assabet Valley Mastersingers, which just finished its 46th season. November brought cancer news for Debra—a malignant form of brain cancer. She is enrolled in a Dana-Farber clinical trial, hoping for a positive outcome. Lastly, she welcomed a fifth grandchild. ✹ John Crispin (first timer) retired two years ago after a 35-year career as an anesthesiologist. He has lived in mid-coast Maine on Westport Island these last 15 years. John and his wife, Ann, have four children and four grandchildren living all around the country. When John wrote, they were on their sailboat for the winter, in Key West, and headed to the Bahamas for three months before heading home for the summer. ✹ In November David Linsky was re-elected to a 14th consecutive term in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He also serves on the national board of directors of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. ✹ On Dec. 7, 2024, Richard Uchida, Phil Redo ’78, and Kirk Paul hosted a three-hour radio show on Colby’s WMHB to celebrate its 75th anniversary. They featured music from the ’70s and had great fun with the listening audience and current WMHB staff. Both Richard and Phil were station managers while students. ✹ Gerrit White is hanging out in Tuscany, writing and recording music, playing in a band, reading, mountain biking, porch-sitting, and gardening. He went to Madrid in December to see McCartney in concert and indulge in flamenco. ✹ Robert Mack resides in Vermont’s Champlain Valley and gigs intermittently around the state. Teaching completes his time, as well as involvement with the Charlotte Recreation Commission. He recently travelled to the Dolomites in Italy. ✹ In December, to celebrate the holidays, 10 Colby grads got together in Hong Kong over dinner, including Joseph Meyer, Chih Chien Hsu ’80 (in from Taipei), and Keith Yuen ’81. ✹ Last year, 2024, brought two more grandkids for Gayle Amato, six in all. Thanksgiving was held in Alabama, where the newest grandbaby lives, and three are local, so Gayle can spend quality time. She continues to sing with the Hartford Chorale, and she and her husband are avid birders. ✹ In June 2024 Sarah Russell MacColl’s daughter Katy had a baby boy, who Sarah sees often, living 10 minutes from Katy in South Portland. Sarah was in St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands with Nancy Chapin ’80 this March. She plays cards monthly with Patty Valavanis Smith ’80, Nancy Chapin ’80, Jan Barker, Robin Kessler ’77, and Sal Reynolds ’77. ✹ Kathy Bleakney Pawley’s 2024 highlights were our 45th Reunion, her son’s joyful and beautiful marriage to his wonderful Mar, taking a Spanish class, and lots of travel, including seeing Cheri Bailey Powers and her family in Colorado and Monique Fecteau in Paris. She hopes that everyone will put June 2029, our 50th Reunion, on their calendar. Want to help in any capacity? Send an email to ColbyReunion1979@gmail.com. ✹ Thanks everyone for writing in and helping us keep this magazine going!
80s Newsmakers
’80
A big thank you to Patty Valavanis Smith who, after a series of strange email glitches, connected me with Becky Brunner-Peters. Becky is still living in Switzerland. A brain aneurysm in 2020 has kept her from skiing and tennis, but she stays busy with family and travel. Becky’s recent travels have taken her to Berlin, Alghero, Sardinia, and family reunions in Florida and Oklahoma. Her daughter, Nicole, earned a master’s in finance and banking from the University of St. Gallen and works in corporate finance at Swiss Reinsurance Co. ✹ Mimi Brodsky Kress saw Mike and Gretchen Huebsch Daly and Bill and Debbie Pugh Kelton at her daughter Jenna’s wedding last August. When not working, Mimi enjoys sailing her 30-foot Catalina and taking family ski trips to Park City. ✹ Glenn Rieger is working remotely, and he and his wife, Tami, split time between Devon, Pa., Stone Harbor, N.J., and Naples, Fla. Their daughter, Katy, lives five minutes away, so they see their granddaughters, Sloane, 3, and Cece, 1, frequently. ✹ Last May Tony Cunningham retired as a philosophy professor in Minnesota and moved to Woodbury, Conn. His days are filled with writing fiction and nonfiction, outdoor projects, fiddling, and spending time with family. ✹ Elliott Pratt lives the good life in Sunapee, N.H., and enjoys spending time with his four grandkids. ✹ Last November Hoang Vu and his wife had a great time visiting Portugal and Spain on a trip organized by Gate 1. ✹ Anne Hussey’s daughter, Emma ’27, spent her Jan Plan in Beijing in a Mandarin immersion program. Emma crossed paths with Cate Talbot Ashton at Colby’s DavisConnects while seeking advice on medical school aspirations. Anne is retired but sits on the board of her family company, Hussey Seating, with her nephew Philip ’14 and on their family council with her brother Rich ’89. ✹ Sean and Lisa McDonough O’Neill are in their ninth year at Harbour Ridge in Palm City, Fla. Lisa saw Kitty Weyl Dove and Suze Connolly Levere at the wedding of Kitty’s daughter, Caroline, in Virginia in September. Lisa’s son, Richard, splits his time between Florida and Japan running his antique Japanese sword business. Lisa’s been involved in a variety of charity work with Treasure Coast Hospice, United Way, and Safe Space. ✹ Sue Thompson Sadler is in her eighth year as head of Bryn Mawr School, an all-girls PK-12 independent school in Baltimore. By the time this magazine comes out, she’ll have achieved her lifelong dream of becoming a grandmother! ✹ Rachel Lavengood, Lisa Turner, and Lydia Mason spent a week together in December enjoying the sun and sea in Yelapa, Mexico. Lots of tequila was consumed. ✹ In January Joy Crafts McNaughton’s son, Nick, and his wife, Amanda, welcomed Noah Anthony into their family. “Grammie Joy” continues to do mediation work for the state of Maine and as a contractor in private practice. ✹ Warren Rosenthal’s final act is working as a business developer/project manager for a commercial solar company. He still keeps his hand in land trust work managing a preserve. Warren and his wife enjoy the Hudson Valley, hiking, biking, swimming, and skiing when they can. ✹ And don’t forget, our 45th Reunion will take place June 6-8. The planning committee (Kevin Fahey, Liz Martin, Jack McBride, Patty Valavanis Smith, Bob Bower, and Sue Sullivan Hinrichs) hope to see you there!
’81
Greetings, classmates! As I read through everyone’s news, it occurs to me that many of us are embarking on our next great adventure just as we were in the late 1970s when we all came together. Here are just a few of those journeys. ✹ San Orlandella Asato has carried on his family’s wealth management practice and is proud to share that his eldest son is now the successor designee for their third-generation practice. San plans to continue alongside his son until retiring at 75. ✹ Leslie Breton recently retired after 43 years of teaching high school math and has been substitute teaching. She sold her house in Bowdoin to move in with her mother in Topsham, Maine. Leslie enjoys working in stained glass and painting with oil and watercolor. ✹ After a career in the corporate sector, Ken Bruder founded a company helping communities build more sustainable habits. It works with local organizations to make textile recycling an easy and effective way to reduce waste, and they also fund community programs. ✹ Al Jones has retired after 45 years of aerospace and IT management. He and his wife, Carol, are moving to Anacortes, Wash., to enjoy the ocean sunsets. ✹ Jon Light and his wife continue their efforts on climate-related issues. One recent success was organizing a large team of climate activists that helped push Orange County, Calif., to move faster in creating its first-ever climate action plan. ✹ In 2019 Ellyn Montgomery retired after 30 years of work at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and USGS and moved to Middlebury, Vt., with her husband, Tom Bolmer ’74. They spend time hiking, biking, XC skiing, kayaking, and working around the house and yard. Ellyn is in contact with Bonnie Turnbull and Alex Gauss Andrews and was back on campus last May for Tom’s 50th Reunion. At that time, they also enjoyed a trip to the new Island Campus. ✹ Dale Oak and his wife, Janet, both retired, continue to enjoy splitting time between Maine, where they’re close to their 2-year-old grandson, and Virginia, where they’re close to their new grandson, born in August 2024. ✹ Michele Adams Prince enjoyed a recent trip to New Orleans for a conference and spent time with her brother, Dr. Michael Adams ’83, who teaches chemistry at Xavier University. Michele lives oh so close to campus in Winslow, Maine. ✹ After 38 years of marriage, Larry Roop has divorced and moved back to Maine, settling in Lewiston to be close to family. Larry lists several fellow Mules (’81 and others) with whom he has recently connected. He’s looking forward to continuing and renewing these longtime friendships. ✹ Jeff Russell operates his own business doing mobile outpatient orthopedic physical therapy in Winter Park, Colo. He serves as the team physical therapist for the Winter Park Competition Center, a feeder club for United States Ski and Snowboard. He has also been coaching cross-country skiers for the club for several years. Jeff volunteers for the Grand County Wilderness Group, an organization that helps preserve the wilderness experience for hikers and backpackers. In the summer Jeff enjoys mountain biking, hiking, and photographing beautiful landscapes with his wife, Christina, in the Colorado mountains. ✹ Scott Vandersall and his wife, Amy, have enjoyed getting together more frequently with several Colby alumni in the past few years. Golfing with Bob Clark, Steve Pfaff, and Joel Harris has become an annual event. They have also enjoyed frequent visits with John Clevenger and his wife, Terri, now that they have a home on Cape Cod. ✹ Victor Vesnaver and I are contemplating what our next great adventure may be. Stay tuned…
’82
Greetings, classmates! Retirement (or not) and travel seem to be the themes of this issue’s column. I’ve been able to take advantage of both and am thankful for the health and resources that allow it. Many of us will hit age 65 this year, though I certainly don’t feel like a senior. Based on what I hear, neither do many of our classmates! ✹ Sarah Perry Indelicato enjoyed a visit with Colby roommate Diane Zavotsky at Diane’s home in Maine, despite that they were also attending Andrea Brantner’s funeral in Bangor. Sarah shared that it was a beautiful day, and the service was a great tribute to a friend who’s gone far too early. Sarah’s committed to enjoying life, seeing friends and family, and traveling. She and husband Paul enjoy trips to new places, especially as Paul has developed a passion for astrophotography. In August ’24 they visited Bar Harbor and viewed mind-blowingly beautiful, humbling views of the Milky Way. They also scuba-dived in Cozumel, where the coral, sponges, and fish are so healthy and beautiful, and the current makes for easy drift diving. Sarah also plays pickleball for exercise and laughs. She and Paul have lots of exciting travel planned for 2025 and 2026, so keep us posted on your adventures, Sarah! ✹ Fidel Fajardo has published another scholarly book, The Poetry of the Medieval Troubadour, William IX of Aquitaine: The Songs that Built Europe, from Lexington Books, Roman & Littlefield, 2023. His full list of publications can be found at creighton.academia.edu/FidelFajardoAcosta. ✹ Nancy Marshall still loves her PR work and plans to keep doing it for years to come. In her free time, she skis Sugarloaf and spends summers at her cottage on Damariscotta Lake. Nancy’s sons are grown and doing well in their careers. She stays in touch with her sophomore-year roomie, Cindy Koehler Bernstein, whom she joined in Florida for a week in February. Writes Nancy: “I am so grateful for the life I lead.” ✹ Linda Zee has submitted her first news ever! Linda writes, “I’m now in year six of being happily retired from Utica College. Husband Randy and I recently hiked 110 miles of the West Highland Way in Scotland; the previous year we did the same distance along Hadrian’s Wall in northern England. We’ve also done a Nile cruise, several trips in the U.S., and plan two weeks in France in March, followed by a river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest. My marathon-running days are over, but I’m still cross-country skiing, running a bit, cycling, and walking. We have 21-plus homemade beers on tap in our house, so I have to keep moving! If anyone’s passing through the Utica/Syracuse/Adirondacks area, the bar is (almost) always open!” ✹ Congratulations to Matthew ’80 and Susan Reese Krevat on the birth of their first grandchild! Susan retired from her teaching career when Matt was diagnosed with cancer. They’ve adopted a Texas street dog, who Susan says has brought much joy to their lives. She also has a Peloton, and one of the hashtags is #ColbyCollege. There are currently 138 users, and Susan hopes others will add this hashtag, too! ✹ Carolyn Berry Copp is not yet sure if 2025 will be the year of retirement. She’s a fundraising consultant and will continue to work to pay for fun vacations. Carolyn spent the holidays in Austria (sounds beautiful!) and looks forward to taking a “semester abroad” in France for a two-week French immersion course in the fall. While it isn’t a year or a semester, it will give her the exciting homestay experience that she missed out on while at Colby. She’s also participating in an Expert Knitting Certification program in preparation for retirement and long plane rides traveling the world. ✹ Paul Maier has hung up his hockey skates for golf clubs and relocated to Jupiter, Fla., for eight months of the year and four months in Marshfield, Mass. Despite retiring after 40 years, he has started 9th Avenue Advisory Services to keep the mind active. Paul and family recently enjoyed a great vacation to Thailand, and he proudly wore his Colby Hockey hat in the picture he sent. He stays in touch with the hockey guys and, of course, the boys at the DKE house.
’83
Nick Silitch wrote that he retired two years ago, “with the idea of my wife and I spending a lot more time in Bozeman and other Western meccas skiing, biking across Europe, and in New Hampshire. While that part has been terrific, I also taught a Jan Plan course last year and now this year on campus. While Waterville, Maine, is a long way from places I call home, it has been a terrific experience. The current generation of Colby students is extraordinarily bright, motivated, and great fun to interact with, both during class and afterward as they seek to find their next stop on their life journey. I recommend that everyone with the time and inclination give it a try!” ✹ I myself will be at this year’s Colby commencement. A student reached out to me a couple of years ago for some mentorship, and I was touched when he asked me to act as his parent for this important ceremony. Through him, I have been able to experience a couple of Colby events and follow him virtually through his year abroad and Jan Plan. I look forward to the graduation. In the meantime, I am working as a tech and business analyst for the great State of New York and supporting a tech startup, staying up to date on the impact of AI on everything that we do. My great joy is my pottery practice, which lets me integrate handwork, line, and color in one piece. I work at Empire State Plaza, which has a robust public art collection, and I love the visual stimulation I get from walking through the concourse to the elevators. PS: Fans of The Brutalist: come to Albany, a mecca for Brutalist architecture enthusiasts! ✹ Paul Revere III wrote, “After our kids graduated from college, I have really gotten back into serious one design sailing and sail about 100 races a year with five or more regattas—and sailing in Newport, R.I., in the winter thrown in. I even won one regatta last year with my son, Paul IV, who was visiting from San Francisco. My daughter, Kira, lives in Provincetown, and we see her all of the time.” In addition, his family skis, and when he wrote, he and wife Stasia were preparing for a weekend at Sugarloaf! Paul practices law with a concentration on complex environmental and real estate permitting in his area of southeastern Massachusetts. ✹ Sal Lovegren Merchant moved to Georgetown, Maine, in June 2024 having met a wonderful Colby guy, Christopher Whiting ‘77, a few years ago through mutual “friends*” (*code for an amazing life in recovery). Our gal Sal is currently enjoying long walks at Reid State Park, substitute teaching at the local pre-kindergarten through grade six school, and other fun retired-person endeavors. She would love to see any classmates visiting Maine! ✹ Deb Fanton wrote with lots of family news for her and Rick Manley. Deb is finishing an M.F.A. at Fairfield University and will graduate this July. Exciting to hear that her book, A Matter of Choice, is being submitted as a candidate for the University Book Award. She notes, “Rick and I went to Santorini, Greece, this October with Jake Filoon and wife Gretchen for our respective anniversaries. Kathy (Musser ’84) and Gordon Marshall organized a wonderful Colby reunion last fall in Gloucester with the Filoons, Chris Schmidt, Rob Leary ’82, Brian Neligan ’80, Steve Kirstein ’80, and Greg Keenan ’82.” Glad to hear of any and all Colby reunions! ✹ Lastly, Paul shared the sad news that our classmate Lisa Murray MacLean passed away last October. They remained good friends through the local sailing scene.
’84
Hi everyone, and thank you all for your wonderful information. ✹ Lorna Colarusso has a new book coming out, The Butterfly and the Web, under her pen name, Lorna Neligan. She spent time with Lynne Fuller Scarfo ’86 and Jane Smyth Sutton ’85 last fall reminiscing about Colby. Otherwise, she lives between Dublin and Connecticut, and as a European citizen is house searching for a new holiday home in France or Ireland. ✹ Lisa Kuzia Krueger looked forward to celebrating with Denise Brunelle Priess in April when her oldest daughter tied the knot. Lisa is also so proud of Catherine Walsh, whose superb editorials continue to inform and enlighten. Lisa welcomed her newest grandniece, Sadie June. She is the most recent addition to the Kuzia clan and the granddaughter of Stan Kuzia ’85 and the late Susan Robertson Kuzia ’82. ✹ Mike Mahaffie and his wife, Karen, are in South Burlington, Vt., where they practice partial retirement and dabble in musical and theatrical pastimes. In January they visited their youngest child on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. In June they celebrated the marriage of their eldest, in Toronto, Canada, in the Toronto Reference Library among the stacks. Somewhere in there, Mike spent a lovely day with Thalia Tringo, Walter Judge ’82, and Laurellie Jacobs-Martinez and her husband, Carlos, at Thalia’s place in Woodstock, Vt. ✹ Dave Augeri started a nonprofit organization called WISE—World Institute for Society and the Environment. It’s based in Jackson, Wyo., and is continuing to be developed. Dave is also still running his environmental consulting business, Biodiversity Unlimited (biodiversityunlimited.com). ✹ Chris Hyun wanted to note the passing of our classmate Stephen Garrity on July 26, 2023. (dolanfuneral.com/obituaries/stephen-t-garrity) Chris and Steve were roommates at Colby, fraternity brothers at ATO, traveled Europe with classmate Dan Kramer their sophomore summer, and remained lifelong friends. Chris knows that all who knew Stephen will remember him with great fondness for his intellect, musical performing talent, wit, and fun-loving spirit. ✹ In May 2024 Ann Brachman left the Boston area and returned home to Milwaukee to help care for her mother. Lack of interest in working and perhaps a bit of ageism caused Ann to retire and love life. Her son is in Madison, so she sees him somewhat frequently. She did get out to Seattle to visit her daughter and was happy to stay with Lia Lundgren. Ann would love to see you if you end up in Milwaukee! ✹ Cathy Walsh really enjoyed our 40th Reunion, talking with classmates in the dorm, over meals, and while roaming the beautiful (and much-changed) campus. She looks forward to keeping these connections going as life allows. She is in her 12th year as a writer for the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, an order of Catholic nuns dedicated to mitigating climate change, supporting immigrants, overcoming racism, and empowering women. Cathy has traveled with them to the U.S.-Mexico border and the Philippines. They also support several Haitian migrant families in Boston. A recent trip to the Swiss Alps with her seven siblings and mom was a lot of fun. She is grateful to Colby for the life she has.
’85
Imogen Mintzer Hinds recently retired from her job as assistant vice provost for student housing operations and Stanford conferences. She celebrated her 25th-year work anniversary at Stanford University in July 2024. Imogen and her husband, Steve, sold their home in the San Francisco Bay Area—where they resided for almost 30 years—and moved to a small agricultural town near Chico, Calif. They bought a home with a small walnut orchard and look forward to learning more about the walnut business and getting involved with their new community. She’s joined the local Rotary and Women’s Community clubs and started taking classes offered by Chico State University’s adult learning center. ✹ Kevin Bruen attended his last Colby Parents Weekend in the fall—his youngest son, Chris Bruen, graduates in May 2025. Kevin’s first Colby Parents Weekend was in 1973 when he went up to see his brother Phil Bruen ’77 with his parents. That’s a lot of weekends in Waterville spread out over 50-plus years! Kevin returned to New England in October to watch Chris play water polo vs. Middlebury. He then went on a surf vacation in Portugal with Tom Valinote. They enjoyed uncrowded surf spots, warm water, 75-cent beers, and excellent food. Kevin also saw the Mules take on Bowdoin in the fall and capture the CBB football crown! ✹ In August 2024 Buster Clegg, his wife, and their third-grade daughter made a temporary move to San Juan, P.R., from Newburyport, Mass., which was “an awesome experience and adventure.” Buster’s other children are all well, three out of college and two in college (one in her final year at Trinity College in Dublin and one in his second year at University College of London). Buster reports, “It’s been a real treat and gift to go through the parenting thing again at our advanced stage of life!” Buster and his family will spend the summer in Maine and then move to London. He’s still working in the gas/oil brokering sector. ✹ In June 2024 Terry Martin retired as a teacher from Maine’s Mt. Ararat High School after 37 years. Terry has a 2 1/2-year-old granddaughter! He will celebrate his 16th wedding anniversary in June with his second wife. ✹ Roy Hirshland reports the following: “Last summer, a group of Colby friends gathered on Dodge Pond in Rangeley, Maine, to remember our Colby friend, Peter Murphy ’87, who sadly passed away in a tragic drowning accident on nearby Mooselookmeguntic Lake in July 1999. Murph and I lived together after Colby in Portland, Maine. He made me smile and laugh every day. Among those joining me were Tom Colt, Mark Burke ’86, Doug Parker ’86, Chris Parker ’86, and host Jim Sullivan ’87. Murph’s widow, Jen, and daughter Anna were there to celebrate Murph’s life, smile, and spirit. It was a weekend that celebrated both Murph and all that is good and special about Colby friends.” ✹ Jim King works in Bozrah, Conn., at Hillandale Farms. Jim’s son, Michael, continues to pitch in the MLB for the San Diego Padres. ✹ Lynn Brunelle and her husband, Keith, now empty nesters, had a great visit with Charlie and Debbie England Gray last autumn and had fun trips to NYC and San Diego. Lynn continues to write and had three books come out last year. One of them, Life After Whale, won the American Library Association Sibert Medal Award for outstanding nonfiction children’s book of the year. Congratulations to Lynn! ✹ Megan, my wife, and I are in our eighth year living in Shanghai, where we both work at international schools. Last summer we made a trip to the States, where I was able to attend the memorial celebration for Peter Murphy ’87 (who Roy refers to above). Outstanding organizational work by Jim Sullivan ’87 to set up the event and bring everyone together. We also had a great time in Maine and Massachusetts catching up with Gordon Tweedie and Linda and Paul Swartz. We continue to travel as much as possible with trips over the past year to Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Morocco, France (for the Olympics!), Cambodia, Nepal, Bhutan, and Uzbekistan.
’86
Greetings from Waterville! Not a lot of news to share this time around. Many thanks to the few of you who responded to my plea. Next time, if I don’t hear from enough of you, I’ll make up some news. You’ve been warned! ✹ In November 2024 Sally Jaffe Curley celebrated the seventh anniversary of her consulting business (launched after retiring from Cardinal Health, Inc.’s executive team). She and her husband, along with two dogs, split their time between homes in Savannah, Ga., and Asheville, N.C. She’s grateful that she experienced only minimal damage from Hurricane Helene. She’s now focusing on helping her neighbors, who were not so lucky. In September 2024, she traveled to Italy to celebrate her big birthday along with close friends. She keeps in close touch with others from 1986, including Heather Frasier Chabot, Colette Cote Mayerhoeffer, and Doug Parker. ✹ David Mace is still enjoying living in Somerville, Mass., where he’s working (at the time of writing) for FEMA’s Region 1 office, in media relations. In terms of travel, he recently went to Brazil to meet his girlfriend’s family. ✹ Rodney Southworth is living in Atlanta. His son graduated from Auburn, and his daughter is currently a student there. Rodney and his wife, Clarisa, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in February by traveling to Portugal and France. ✹ Lila Hopson Monahan sent a nice note (with photos) with her news. In December she met up with Cindy Castro Minnehan at Cindy’s home in Tampa, Fla. At the end of December, Lila saw her very last primary care patient, after 28 years as a primary care pediatrician in Nashua, N.H. Last year, she traveled to Hawaii. The group included Dawna Eastman-Gallo ’83 and Donald Gallo ’83. ✹ As for myself, I’ve seen a few classmates in the last year, although several of those visits were under very sad circumstances. Last December there was a little Class of 1986 cohort that sat with me and my husband for the funeral of Sandy Maisel—Ted Wolff, Anne Clarke Wolff ’87, and Jen Imhoff Foley. Since I moved back to Waterville in 1997, Sandy had become a good friend. His passing is a huge loss. At last year’s honorary degree dinner, I shared cocktail time with Jane Powers, who now has a dorm named after her! I’m sure any Colby student would be proud to live in “Ja-Po”! In terms of travel, my husband and I finally got to Peru in 2024 (the third time was the charm). This year, we are looking forward to hiking in the Dolomites. Best to all!
’87
News, anyone? I mean, besides this whole Presidential thing. And I’m sure nothing will come of that. So, let’s switch gears. ✹ Deb Gassner is “still happily settled in Seattle.” She’s an experienced design director at a consultancy focused on healthcare clients. Deb is married to Joe Park, a fine artist and home-fixer extraordinaire. “He’s always doing projects and will never be done, which keeps our marriage cheerful. (Never being done with a project translates to lazy, Deb. Just an opinion.) We’re empty nesting, after two daughters—one graduating from Macalester this spring and one at UBC. We got a pandemic puppy, Billie, and she’s beyond wonderful. I don’t see Stefanie Greenfield enough, but she sends me good New Yorker cartoons via text.” (The New Yorker has cartoons?) ✹ Teri Scally Kinsella says: “We’re still living outside DC, in Bethesda, Md. Our three sons, Cole, James, and Devin (not too pretentious, Teri), will all graduate from college in the next 18 months, from Indiana University, University of Maryland, and DePaul University, respectively. My husband and I are looking forward to being able to keep all of the money we make, once these guys are off the payroll! (About $17/week.) We’re mostly enjoying the empty nest (Doesn’t anyone have a full nest anymore?), but love having everyone home for the holidays and planning ski and beach vacations together. (Wow, I didn’t even know you could ski on a beach.) Since Tim and I can both work from anywhere, this past year we started traveling on each other’s business trips, if they are in a cool location. We are hoping to do more of that in 2025.” ✹ Michael Zarate Salvador writes: “First, a shout-out to Ingrid Hoffman, Peter McKinley, Charles Herrera, Richard Bachus, Tammi Parker ’89, and Lesley Tolpa Glorioso ’89—hope you’re all doing well! Would love to catch up. And ‘Hey Brett, what’s cooking buddy? You’re in our thoughts!’ As for me, life has been a rewarding ride. After Colby, I built a career in law and had the honor of serving as both a state and federal judge in civil rights and labor employment law. (Booooring!) Along the way, I’ve taken on roles at Dartmouth, the University of California, and California State University (sorry, Mike, never heard of them), where I continue working to support their civil rights and compliance initiatives. Let’s keep this connection strong.” ✹ Wendy Barrows Lyles recounts, “My husband and I did a ‘thing’; we built a home with our youngest son, his wife, their four kids (boys, ages 5, 3.5, and 1.75, and baby girl, 7 months) and our three puppers. Our room is on the first floor. Our daughter, her husband, twin 1-year-olds, and a giant doodle are a few doors down. Our oldest, his wife, and their son are just down the road a piece. I have discovered my superpower is keeping my sh*t together amongst chaos, most days.” (And so few people can have their own village.) ✹ Geoff Johnson writes: “Life is great in northern MA. Ann retired and has time now in her downtown studio, creating and teaching. Daughter Cate, Colby ’17, and son Sam are both local and thriving in the Portsmouth, N.H., area. Always nice to catch up occasionally with Chris Van Horne. He and Vicky are loving life with their grandkids. Pete Ackerman and Elizabeth Applegate stay in touch from Seattle. Son Henry is also in Cate’s Colby ’17 class. Rediscovering Maine and beautiful, coastal summers at our cottage in Harpswell. It’s Bowdoin country, but proudly sporting my Colby garb locally!” (Yes, I’m sure that makes all the difference when you’re getting beaten up.) ✹ I know there’s all kinds of news, good and bad. Especially as we get older. But if you think everybody is swimming in beer and vacationing in Aruba, rest assured, the beer is stale and Aruba is so overrated. So, love yourselves hard, dear classmates. And remember, I love you, too!
’88
Greetings, Class of 1988! ✹ It was nice to hear from Brannon Claytor, who is working in the suburbs of Philadelphia as chief of plastic surgery at Main Line Health. Brannon reports that his brother Warren ’92 has been instrumental in starting the aviation Jan Plan program at Colby, which ran for the third year in 2025. Brannon is looking forward to seeing everyone at our next reunion. Mark your calendars for June 2028! ✹ Thank you to Greg Lawless, a professed “long-time lurker, first-time writer,” for finally contributing! In recent years, Greg has spent a lot of time in Colorado, where two of his children have attended college. Greg regrets not connecting with me when up in the mountains, explaining that his time in Colorado has been generally focused on the kids, some fishing, and a lot of odd jobs to keep his property in good rental condition. With Greg’s oldest son well established in Illinois, daughter getting married in August in a beautiful ceremony in San Clemente, Calif., and youngest son finishing his degree in November in Denver, Greg felt that the time was right to accept an international assignment from his employer. Currently, Greg is living in Amsterdam with his wife, Charlotte. He regretted not taking part in his junior year abroad while at Colby. Now Greg and his wife are going to do the adult version, which means a very different price point and no hostels! Greg is leading the human resources function for ManpowerGroup across Europe. Before Charlotte came over and they had a chance to move in, Greg dropped his bags at a hotel storage room in Amsterdam and was off for meetings in Paris, Porto, and then Frankfurt. Greg is incredibly excited about this European adventure and would be happy to connect with any ’88s who are passing through! ✹ Mary Jane Carty Brown serves on the local League of Women Voters board, and her responsibilities as an elected library trustee in Hamilton-Wenham keep her busy, especially in these times of disappearing local journalism, voter suppression, and library funding challenges. MJ feels that it is critical to build and foster local community in light of national division and partisanship. Dan Harris ’93 has been keeping MJ sane for a decade now with his mindfulness meditation content! Taking Dave Scannell’s 2023 Reunion advice to heart, MJ has been trying to be more mindful about connecting with classmates and making mini-reunions happen. In late July, that took the form of sharing a weekend in Rockport with Dave (and Kim), Dean (and Ann) Schwartz, Kath Lowney, Mark Wylie, Amy Lumbard Holbrook, Karen Hentz Merriam, and Susan Zimmermann. They shared tons of laughter, delicious meals, and refreshing swims. MJ hopes to make it an annual event with a wider group. Colby ‘88 energy is restorative! Well said, MJ!
’89
You know I love hearing from any and all of you, but it’s always a good day when someone new writes in with their news. ✹ Elaine Kingsbury Fryda was inspired to check in for the first time because her daughter is a freshman on Mayflower Hill. Elaine reports that she is having a great time, thanks to Colby’s “wonderful, welcoming community.” Elaine has taught high school social studies in rural Maine for 28 years. Thanks for doing the lord’s work, Elaine! ✹ The stem-cell transplant Shaun Dakin endured last year put his multiple myeloma in remission. Such fantastic news! Shaun continues to run Dakin Associates, doing digital marketing and social media for environmental organizations. It is, as you might imagine, a busy time for him. ✹ Look for a show on Amazon written by our own John “Johnny P” Reynolds, premiering at the end of 2025. It’s an adult animated series called Kevin starring Whoopi Goldberg and Aubrey Plaza. Parental discretion is definitely advised. ✹ Bill “Manute” Carr still lives in Seattle with his wife and two sons, although one is a freshman at Bowdoin so obviously out of the will. Bill runs a small management consulting company but spends part of his time in Sun Valley, Idaho, skiing, cycling, and golfing. From Day 3 of a polar vortex in Minnesota, that sounds awesome. ✹ Scott Jablonski’s big news is that he continues his work on a children’s inspirational framework called Stand Out Stand Out!, creating books, music, videos, and other materials to be shared with kids by teachers, parents, and the like. Scott’s picture book, How Do You Stand Out? You are Unique. Make a Difference! just won two awards: a gold medal Global Book Award and an International Impact Award. Congrats, Scott! In only slightly less exciting news, Scott also sees Rob “Coupes” Coupe often. ✹ Despite having issues emailing my class notes email address, Ruth Bender keeps giving it the old Colby try. Y’all are welcome to use my personal email: AnitaLTerry -at- gmail.com, if the class notes address is uncooperative. ✹ Finally, I highly recommend retirement. I traveled by Amtrak in October to see Meg Christie in Chicago, where her daughter is a senior at Columbia College, and I just returned from a trip to Spain to see my younger daughter, who is newly stationed in Rota and needed her pack-mule parents to bring over her stuff. Please stay well and keep the news coming!
90s Newsmakers
’90
Hello! It has been 35 years since we graduated from Colby College (hard to believe)! Please save the dates of June 6-8 for our 35th Reunion. ✹ Anna Brookes returned to Colby in July 2024 as the new associate vice president of campus safety and security. She also shared that Jen Millard is a new trustee! ✹ Tom Powers relayed that his son, Connor ’23, graduated from Colby in May 2023 with a government degree. Connor played football and enjoyed studying music and guitar while at school. Connor attended Colby with some of his dad’s hockey alums’ kids, including Jack Rickards ’22 and Katelyn Angeli ’22. ✹ Last September several alumni from the 1990 hockey team gathered for the Colby Hockey Golf Tournament fundraiser. Joining the outing were Chas Riopel ’91, Scott Rickards, Dave Losier ’89, Mark Lombard ’92, Tim Sullivan ’92, Mike Venezia ’89, Rick Angeli ’88, Chris Hurley ’88, and Neil Menard ’89. It was a beautiful day for golf, libations, and laughs. ✹ Scott Meyers visited Boston last year. He is living in Oregon and running an outdoor adventure business. ✹ Kinda Remick Priestley wrote that her son Harry will attend Colby next fall. ✹ Scott Kessell and his wife, Marianne (former high school sweethearts), raised their three daughters in Rockport, Maine, before moving to Lincolnville, Maine, seven years ago. Scott is in his 28th year as a technology project manager for a financial services company. He plays saxophone in two local bands: the 18-piece Mondaynite Jazz Orchestra (aka MoJO; playing at 6 p.m., July 14 on Beech Hill overlooking Penobscot Bay) and an 11-piece funk/soul/R&B band called the Right Track (playing at 6 p.m., July 4 at Camden Harbor). Scott encourages all Colby alumni to dust off their horns and give him a call! (h) 207-789-5100; (c) 207-691-7165. ✹ Stephen Nahley recently saw Toby Bell ’88 and attended both the Colby-Bowdoin football game and the Colby crew regattas. He was happy to see Professor Sandy Maisel at the C Club Awards Dinner over Homecoming Weekend before Sandy’s passing Dec. 9, 2024. They conversed about bow ties, among other things. Steve also reported meeting up with Ann Armstrong ’88 for dinner at the Lockwood Hotel in downtown Waterville. ✹ After returning from Vietnam just over three years ago, Roger Woodberry landed in San Francisco. Roger looks forward to getting overseas again to explore different opportunities outside of academia in sunny California. ✹ Cinda Jones, through her company W.D. Cowls, Inc., gave 500 acres of land to the Nipmuc Tribe of central Massachusetts. “The land donation will support the tribe’s environmental initiatives and traditional ecological knowledge-based land stewardship.” The gift was part of a larger conservation effort by W.D. Cowls, Inc., which has protected more than 10 thousand acres of Massachusetts forestland. ✹ Holly Peirce and Sean Pratt now live in Arlington, Va., after a year in Newport, R.I., where Holly obtained a master’s degree with distinction in national security and strategic studies. They enjoyed being back in New England instead of being assigned to an embassy in Latin America or the Caribbean as they had in the past. They met up with Kevin and Christy Law Blanchard, made it up to Rangeley, Maine, for a few long weekends, and admired Colby’s growing campus. ✹ Erin Coyle Giesser wrote that her three sons are Colby Classes of ’24, ’26, and ’28. “It’s been fun to have them share some of my favorites (Professor Bryant’s courses and Maine) and then find their own passions (rugby and Salamanca). ✹ Steve Coan’s daughter, Elizabeth, started college at Dartmouth last fall. It’s bittersweet since she is their only child, thus making Steve and his wife empty nesters. After 20-plus years working at FootJoy, he started a new job as a marketing director with Titleist in 2024, which he is enjoying. ✹ Congratulations to all! We love hearing from everybody, so please continue sharing your news. Mark your calendars for Reunion Weekend and watch for announcements from Colby regarding registration and event details. Hope to see you there!
’91
Greetings, classmates! I hope 2025 is treating you all well! I’m guessing people must be busy because there weren’t many responses. Still, I welcome notes any time you feel like writing. ✹ I did hear from Kay Cowperthwait, who had some news to share. She writes, “My son was recently accepted early decision to Colby for the Class of 2029! He’s very excited, and so are we. My wife and I still live in Northampton, Mass., where we have been for over 25 years. I am teaching fitness classes at the Northampton Y, which is a wonderful way to be involved in our local community. My wife is a chiropractor in town, and our daughter graduated from Elon University in 2023. She lives and works in New York City, and we are happy that she is not too far away. I see Michael Doubleday frequently because he is a teacher at Williston Northampton School, where our son goes. I’m hoping to attend the Colby women’s lacrosse networking event in Boston in March with some of my former teammates. I love keeping up with both the women’s ice hockey and lacrosse programs at Colby. I made a lot of great connections two years ago at the 50th anniversary of women’s ice hockey at Colby. I look forward to visiting Colby a lot during my son’s time there!” ✹ As an aside, if you haven’t been to Mayflower Hill in a while, I highly recommend a visit. The changes are amazing, but there are enough familiar sights to bring back all sorts of great memories … AND, coincidentally, we have a reunion to look forward to next year, so you’ll have the perfect opportunity. Until then, keep that news coming!
’92
Bob Gramling writes, “Last September George Linge, Mike Gorra, and I did our almost-annual hike for five sunny days on the southern Pacific Crest Trail—an amazing time together, as usual.” They showed their unwavering Colby pride, wearing matching Colby boonie hats as they hiked. Join our Class of 1992 Facebook and Instagram pages for the pic and other photos submitted by classmates. ✹ Jen Jarvis McLin is keeping busy in Switzerland. “After getting my master’s in neuroscience and psychology from King’s College London, I now run my own private therapy practice in Lausanne. I practice in English and see both teens and adults. I travel, too, whenever I can—most recently to Mallorca, the Cotswolds, and London (saw some great shows!), then to Tromsø, Norway, to run a portion of the PolarNight Marathon with my husband, Alex, a lawyer/governance expert in the international sports world. It was minus 14 degrees, and I loved every minute of it! ✹ Jen met Alice Johnson Handwerk and Elaine Bueschen O’Grady in the south of France last summer—a mini-Colby reunion. Alice writes, “Every day was filled with amazing adventures, fabulous food (oh, the cheese plates!), delicious wine, and lots of reminiscing about Colby and D.C. days.” ✹ Matt Brown writes from Colorado: “I’m still working for The Nature Conservancy supporting our global programs and enjoying as much time in the backcountry as I can between travel.” ✹ John Cook visited Colby last summer on a trip between Québec City and Cape Cod. “Add me to the list of those astonished by all the construction! But looking at the library tower from the chapel—it’s still Colby. Many things to be grateful for this year—especially that my husband, Gabe Speyer, and I are celebrating 25 years together. (Ferris Bueller was right about the speed of life!) This spring, I took a short sabbatical from my environmental consulting work, aiming to come back refreshed and re-energized. I stay active hiking in and near San Francisco, playing pickleball, swimming, and volunteering.” ✹ Jessica Maclachlan Gauthier lives in Hilo, Hawaii, and is celebrating 20 years of living on Hawaii Island. “I own and operate Salt Water Real Estate, which I launched in January 2020 … and which quickly became a radical thing to have done on the eve of the pandemic! I’m happy to report that my company is thriving. I have a small staff plus 15 realtors. We also manage dozens of licensed vacation rentals, employing many service providers. We maintained more than 60 local jobs in 2024 and continue to grow. Creating jobs is my greatest joy and honor.” ✹ Tabby Biddle writes from California, “We navigated our way through the LA fires in January and adapted to the changes here in our city. During our evacuation period, I spent some time reconnecting with Dakota Glenn Smith in Venice, Calif. Over this past year, I’ve been focused on helping more women leaders and emerging leaders find their voice, give TEDx talks, and grow their thought leadership. I’ve had the honor of working with women trailblazers from around the world. I’m having a lot of fun seeing my seventh-grade son find a passion for running cross-country. We ran our first 5K together last summer! More to come!” ✹ In January Jim Condron had his first solo art show, Jim Condron: Collected Things, at the New York Studio School in NYC. “The exhibition presented 24 sculptural works and explored ‘thing theory,’ where everyday objects become something new as they collide and converse with other things through Condron’s engagement with them.” ✹ Warren Claytor: “I had the great pleasure of being a Jan Plan professor interacting with Colby’s bright and insightful students in our fourth year teaching the Dare Skyward aviation course. Students received flight instruction in a Cessna 172 at the Waterville airport. They completed the entire FAA private pilot’s license ground school course, read Beryl Markham’s memoir, West with the Night, and David McCullough’s The Wright Brothers and took field trips to the Portland Jetport air traffic control tower, Northeast Aviation FBO and maintenance, and the Owl’s Head Transportation Museum. They also wrote personal, reflective essays at the end of the course. Kids loved it—even the non-science majors!” ✹ During Colby’s January governance meetings in Boston, I caught up with ’92 all-stars David Leavy, Jenny Alfond Seeman, and Jessica D’Ercole Stanton. So much love for our class and for all that everyone is doing to live their best lives. Cheers, and be well.
’93
AG Gillis lives in Portland, Maine, where he works as a special ed case manager and teacher at Deering High School. He works alongside Brendan Scully ’92, who is a chemistry teacher. AG sees Krisy (Nordgren ’94) and John Southall and chats frequently with John Cully. AG spent last summer traveling, including a stop in Tokyo, where he visited Ari Druker. He says, “My goal for 2025 is to reconnect with Colby classmates!” ✹ John ’92 and Jen Larsen Daileanes’s son Andy left for a study-abroad semester from Davidson College in NC all the way to Sydney, Australia. Andy is studying at the University of New South Wales, the same university that Jen attended in 1992 with Erin McTernan Aaron, Sarah Oelkers, and Eric Most for Colby’s study abroad. Jen writes, “We had so much fun living in Sydney for a semester, and it’s weird to have a son having a similar experience 33 years later! Andy already has surfed, fed kangaroos, and thrown back some pints. Cheers, mates!” ✹ Lael Hinman Stanczak writes, “Big news is that I am a grandmother! My son and his wife had Mabel in December five weeks early, so we got an early Christmas present.” In August Lael and husband Jim moved to New Hampshire, where they love living around lakes, hiking, and skiing. Lael said Sarah Burditt McDougall visited shortly before they moved and looks forward to hosting her in New Hampshire. ✹ Chris Chamberlain hails from the suburbs of Pittsburgh, where he has lived since 2008. He says, “My wife is a preschool teacher, and we have three boys: a junior at Penn State, a recent high school graduate deciding on colleges, and a sixth grader. For the last four years, I’ve been the CFO of Allegheny Petroleum, a national industrial lubricant and fuel additive company. I have stayed in close touch with Doug Morrione, whom I’ve visited several times in Dubai. I attended his youngest daughter’s baptism in Waterville several summers ago with the extended Morrione clan and spent some time boating and having fun on Great Pond. Last fall I caught up with Sue Furlong Kiggins and her family for a mini-reunion while passing through Brooklyn. Also in 2024, my oldest son and I had a ski week in Vail with Pete Wingate. Pete and I were ski bums there the winter after graduation. Pete is living in Colorado and doing great.” ✹ Be like AG and make it a goal to reconnect with your classmates in 2025! Whether it’s hot off the presses or aged to perfection, share your news anytime at classnews1993@colby.edu.
’94
Greetings, classmates. ✹ Rebekah Freeman Schulze has been busy in her role as associate professor of higher education at FIU. She is continuing her important work on college student mental health and recently published a chapter in a book and has another forthcoming. She has had numerous opportunities to present nationally on the topic. She was recently in Boston, where she caught up with Heather Lounsbury and Kim Morrison Lysaght ’90. ✹ Jon Kaplan writes from his home in Washington, D.C. He is still working at the Open Society Foundations and writing his newsletter on how professional cycling explains the world. Check him out at RIDING WITH on Substack. ✹ Prentice Grassi and Polly Shyka run Villageside Farm, an organic farm in Freedom, Maine. Their eldest son, Joseph ’25, studies government at Colby, and last year, Joe and his friend Bibatshu Thapa Chhetri ’25 were awarded a prestigious $10,000 Davis Projects for Peace grant to improve internet access in rural Nepal communities and help farmers better use technology to market their goods and connect with customers. ✹ Like many, I am in the throes of the college application cycle as my oldest sorts through where to spend the next four years. The whole process makes me nostalgic for our years on Mayflower Hill. I can only hope she has a similar experience and she too meets lifelong friends. Speaking of lifelong friends, I was lucky enough to spend a few days with Josette Huntress Holland, Jay Hartshorn, Kamin McClelland Macomber, and Lori Cohen Sherf. We are now busy planning a trip to Banff this summer. ✹ It is always great to hear from classmates, and while this publication is infrequent, you can always drop an update or two on our Colby College Class of 1994 Facebook page. Be well.
’95
Vicki Ferrini is a senior research scientist at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO). She was the keynote speaker at the Library of Congress GIS Day in November 2024 and spoke about the history and evolution of ocean mapping. Her talk can be seen on the Library of Congress YouTube Channel. ✹ Last summer, Regina Kruger and her significant other, Stephan, visited Lenia Ascenso and her family. They enjoyed a fun picnic complete with sidecars made by Stephan. Lenia and her spouse, Michelle, grilled some delicious chicken kebabs, and Regina made tomato mozzarella salad. ✹ Darragh Fitzsimons Young was at her youngest son’s middle school ice hockey game and ran into Toby True, the opposing team’s coach! They had a great conversation after the game. “It was great catching up. We shared who we stay in touch with and agreed to get together for dinner with our respective spouses.”
’96
First of all, huge thanks to Hillary Brennan McKellar for hosting a truly epic tailgate at the Colby-Bowdoin football game last November. It was a multigenerational affair, with Chuck and Betsy Low Bowen, Adam Cote ’95, Mark Gallagher ’94, and John Jordan ’94 leading the charge. The best part was watching forlorn Bowdoin students and alumni gawk at Colby’s SEC-worthy spread—a sight worth its weight in Spa ’chos. The icing on the cake was watching Colby demolish the Polar Sloths, which guaranteed a happy ending. ✹ OK, on to the notes! Andrew Rice shared that he’s still in his hometown of Oklahoma City, where he and his wife will officially become empty nesters this August. These days, he keeps busy leading men’s retreats and initiation rites for teenage boys, writing poetry, and ensuring his blue heeler gets enough exercise. You can follow along with Andrew’s work at resentmentville.com. ✹ The good professor Mark Mortensen checks in from Paris, where he’s still killing it at INSEAD. He reports that the family is happy, healthy, and growing. Lately, he’s spent time working in the Middle East—and sent his class notes update from the tarmac in Abu Dhabi before takeoff. (Editor’s note: Class notes have been a little light lately, folks … but see what Mark did?! Just carve out a few minutes to send me a quick update while waiting for takeoff, your coffee, or just lounging on a Saturday. I need material, people!) ✹ Jenney Smith Maloy wrote from Western Massachusetts, where she and her husband, Mark, were enjoying the winter whenever there was enough snow for cross-country skiing. They spend the season watching the Nordic Skiing World Cup races in Europe, especially excited to see current and former Colby Nordic athletes competing at the highest level. Something special is happening with the Colby Nordic program right now—Go Mules! ✹ Football teammates Dan Rheaume and Ryan Sullivan both have a son playing football at “Hot” Carleton College in Minnesota. How “Cool” is that? ✹ As for me, I keep busy with my advisory work for Rootstock Philanthropy and growing the Philanthropy Network, a LinkedIn group I founded that’s grown to about 120,000 members. Check it out at philanthropy.network. I catch up as much as possible with Kevin Pirani, Jeff Sklarz, Ryan Sullivan, Dan Rheaume, Gregg LeBlanc, and Jean-Michel Picher. I also ski a lot and spend as much time as I can with my girls. You can also find me on Chebeague Island. Send more notes, please.
’97
Congratulations to Henry Lo, who was re-elected to a second term on the City of Monterey Park City Council in California. ✹ Mark House joined Wellness Pet Company (makers of Whimzees and CORE+) last spring as a VP of information technology. His oldest daughter, Sophia, began college at St. Olaf last fall, while his wife, Kara, and middle daughter, Laura, toured colleges in the winter. ✹ Last July, I met up with Dave and Alicia Nemiccolo MacLeay for a Colby alumni island excursion. We saw puffins around Eastern Egg Rock and then toured Colby’s Allen Island campus. If you ever get a chance to visit the Island Campus, I highly recommend it! While a fun time, it was sad to be in central Maine but not able to go to Big G’s, which closed last July. Later in the summer, the MacLeays went to Chile to ski in the Andes and hike in the Patagonia region before dropping off their son, Burke, for a semester abroad in Patagonia. Their daughter, Adelle, recently began the college search. Later in November, Alicia met up with Sarah Molly Lampe for a hike in New Hampshire as a fun way to hang out and catch up, but also to work out some post-election anxiety. ✹ Also in November, I attended Kim Berget Salmon’s birthday party, which was a mini-reunion with Carole Reid Bird, Kathleen Mulcahy Hopper, Sarah Molly Lampe, Katie McGovern, Suzanne (Kulin ’96) and Tom Moffitt, and Chris Sullivan. Kim, Chris, Tom, and I are planning a trip to Germany for Oktoberfest in September! ✹ At the beginning of the year, I visited John and Erica Moore Coombs at their home in Greenland, N.H. Their oldest daughter, Abigail, is in her second year of nursing school at Endicott College and will study abroad in Spain next year. Their daughter Haley had an awesome soccer season in her first year at the University of New England and will play against Colby next year. Also visiting the Coombses was Betsy Eisen Porada. Her daughter, Carolyn, is in her first year at Virginia Tech. ✹ Karen Blaisdell Faiman celebrated her 50th with a girls’ trip to New York with Christina Downing Chludzinski. Karen is proud to report that her son will be part of the Colby Class of 2029! ✹ Matt Logan lives in Rochester, N.Y., where he and his wife welcomed their second son in October. According to Jess Miller Pachler, both of Matt’s boys have inherited his red hair and their mom’s brilliance. 😉 ✹ It’s great hearing from and seeing so many of you. It’s unbelievable reading about all the kids being the same age (or older) as many of us when we first met. I hope you and your families are well and that 2025 brings happiness and health. Please stay in touch!
’98
Hope everyone is doing well. ✹ Kristelle Aherne Gill, Katherine Littell Hinchey, Rachel Westgate Briggs, Meghan Hauptli Everett, Sarah Eno Felmly, and Liz Hooper Bala had a great time catching up in Florida. ✹ Mary Ellen Shuttleworth Miller, Shelley Wollert, Betsy Kies Raftery, Melissa Carpenter Haire, Mimi Sotiriou Raygorodetsky, Dawn Seckler, Montine Bowen Fredrickson, Leah Bernstein Jacobson, Laurel Hart, Kristina Smith Gates, and Samantha Sheridan Spielman all spent time together in Mexico to celebrate their 30 years of friendship. ✹ Dave Dodwell, his family, and many other families from Bermuda spent time in Florida and met up with Brian Gill and his family. ✹ Jon Foster splits time between his work at Red Smith Foods, Inc. and researching mysterious tar balls that washed up on several beaches in South Florida. ✹ It’s great to hear from everyone. Please keep the news coming!
’99
Big thanks to everyone who’s sent in their stories from all over! It’s always amazing to hear from you all; your stories add something special to our community. Don’t wait for the yearly shout-out to share what’s new—whether it’s a random meetup with a classmate or a significant life event, we want to hear about it. Your tales bring us closer and shine a light on the strong friendships and connections we’ve built. ✹ Alex Wall, alongside his spouse, Marie Kent, loves life as a dad to their smart, funny, and independent-minded daughter, Lillian Marguerite, out in Portland, Ore. Alex continues evolving his career as a privacy attorney, focusing on AI governance. ✹ Chrissy Barnett Miller and her family—husband Kevin and daughters Mai and Aya (now 12 and 9)—have resettled in the DC area after seven years in Japan, enjoying family reconnections and U.S. travel. Chrissy contributes her talents as an associate producer for Maryland Public Television and looks forward to exploring Spain and Portugal with her family this summer. ✹ A group of classmates, Louisa Williams West, Kim Barry, Kara Schiebel Kacmarcik, Kelly Bregou, Christina Schleicher O’Donnell, and Stephanie Patterson, rekindled their friendship with a vibrant weekend in NYC. Their idea of relaxation involved powering through back-to-back fitness classes, fangirling at Peloton Studios, and relishing that they didn’t have to cook dinner! It was a weekend filled with reminiscing, commiserating about middle age, hysterical laughter, and finding soreness in muscles they forgot existed. ✹ Kelly Williams Ramot continues her impactful work as executive director of a scholarship fund in NYC, where she has lived for 16 years. An unexpected meet-up with Heather Garni at a conference in Idaho brought them great joy and great memories. ✹ Sean Foley and his family stayed safe during the LA fires, a reminder of the support and concern that stretches across our class, regardless of distance. Sean navigates the adventures of raising three boys (ages 9, 7, and 5), cherishing the everyday moments. ✹ Christie Browning Rana had a chance to catch up with Louisa Williams West and Caroline Kasparian Myler while visiting Boston College, sharing walks and memories. Christie’s involvement with the Colby Women’s Lacrosse Board marks her anticipation for celebrating 50 years of Colby women’s lacrosse. I also look forward to catching some Colby women’s lax games this spring and hope to see others there, too! ✹ Caroline Kasparian Myler also recounts the delightful spontaneity of their meet-up, a testament to the enduring connections and shared memories that continue to bring us together. ✹ These stories, from family life to career moves and fun reunions, show off the vibrant journeys our class is on. Keep the stories coming! Let’s celebrate our paths and keep supporting each other.
00s Newsmakers
’00
Class of ’00, it’s been 25 (!) years since our final spring semester on Mayflower Hill! I continue to love getting the opportunity to hear from so many of you. ✹ Kat Kaminski Johnson writes, “Me and the fam are doing well. Still living in Acton, Mass., and working in environmental health and safety at Harvard University. As often as possible, we get to hang out with Lisa Cardillo DeMarco, Lara Bonn, Chrissie Marzano Davis, and Janine Schwartz, but never as much as we would like. Looking forward to seeing everyone in June at the reunion!” ✹ From Mary Larios Gatlin, “The big news is that despite our best efforts, our son Jackson will not be attending Colby in fall 2025. He committed early decision to Middlebury, and now we’ll have to learn a whole new fight song. In other news, Jason and I both started new jobs recently. Jason is director of R&D chemistry at Regeneron, and I am the grants coordinator for Mass Audubon. We will be relocating to White Plains, N.Y., after Jackson goes to college in the fall, and we’re looking forward to exploring a new area. We won’t be able to make it to reunion this year, but we’ll be thinking of everyone and wishing we were there!” ✹ Who knew when the Sharks with Frickin’ Laser Beams Attached to Their Heads (SWFLBATTH) came to life in 1997 to play I-Play football, soccer, and broomball that it would only be the beginning? Nearly 30 years later, some contingent of SWFLBATTH carries on annually in the Reach the Beach 200-mile relay race. Each September, Reed Bundy, Brian DiBello ’99, John ’99 and Melissa Gerbi Doyle ’99, Kelly Fanning, Sean Foley ’99, Chris Greenfield ’96, Liz Magyar Stockwell ’98, and Dan Zipin ’99 meet up at the house of Jeremy “Bad Dog” Donovan, where they gear up before spending 30-plus hours racing from the White Mountains down to Hampton Beach. Most importantly, none of this ill-advised adventure can happen each year without the tireless support from Sean Foley’s wife, Stella. The Sharks, who are currently “training” for their lucky 13th annual race, welcome all Colby alums to come out and offer them encouragement and/or a ride to the finish line. ✹ Peter Hans and Michael Siegel traveled to Finland last summer to cheer on Ross Frankenfield as he competed in the World Wife-Carrying Championships. While Ross didn’t win, his competitive spirit proved admirable. Siegel also ran into Eric Saucier at the Newark airport. Unfortunately, Siegel’s head nod went unreciprocated by Saucier. ✹ Cipperly Good is putting together an exhibit on Maine’s now-dead sardine industry at the Penobscot Marine Museum. Grab a can of kippered herring and stop by Searsport, Maine, before or after reunion to reflect on the boom, bust, and revitalization of communities dependent on the extraction of natural resources. ✹ Krikor Daglian reports, “I’m currently in year 25 of living in New York City and still going strong. In fact, in 2021 I decided to go full time with my walking and food tour business here in the city, helping people from around the world take a deeper dive into the culture and history of New York. Among the guests last summer: Tony Frangie ’01 and his family. We rambled through Central Park and then hit some food spots in the East Village. I have to admit that I didn’t have much of a plan on how to use my Colby history major when I graduated, but I got there eventually!”
’01
Hello, friends! Thanks for letting me write this column for over 20 years. When I signed on, it was a four-year commitment, and I guess I never left. But getting the news is really a highlight when it comes around each year. My oldest daughter will begin her junior year in high school this fall, and it’s wild to me that I am now starting the college process for the next generation. Time to reread Becky Munsterer Sabky’s book Valedictorians at the Gate. I assume there are a bunch of us with kids this age, so check it out on Amazon. I’m still living in Connecticut and traveling like crazy with my kids, who took up sports that have us all over the country and beyond. I am really hoping to bring the whole crew to reunion, and I look forward to seeing so many of you again soon. ✹ Evan Reece wrote that he and his wife, Annie, are missing their CA friends but enjoying life back on the North Shore of Massachusetts. Evan is working on his new company (truest.me), building simple tools that help people be more successful and fulfilled at work (career-management software but for the worker, not the enterprise). Their kids have been playing hockey, which means less skiing than they’d like, but they seem to be having fun. ✹ Stuart Luth is still in NYC with his family, doing what he loves: helping people communicate better. Following seven years at Own The Room (LifeHikes), he recently joined the team at Templar Advisors, a global leader in spoken communications since 2000. His most challenging/rewarding client? Eight-year-old Auren, who is already writing comedy sketches and reciting Shakespeare. ✹ Shanna Brownstein lives in Portland, Ore., with her husband and two sons, ages 12.5 and 7. She’s serving on the board of directors of Oregon Adaptive Sports, a nonprofit that enables people with disabilities to access the outdoors. She got to hang out briefly with Seth Arens last fall, and it was super fun to see him. ✹ Hannah Smith Harrison finished her seventh author-illustrated picture book—The Good Shepherd and the Stubborn Sheep (Zonderkidz)—which came out in February 2025! ✹ Michelle Farrell was promoted to full professor at Fairfield University, and she just completed her three years chairing the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. After 24 years, she reunited with the 2000-01 Colby Oak Fellow Hector Mondragón in Bogotá, Colombia. During his time at Colby, Michelle was his Spanish interpreter for his course on human rights. Being chosen to work as his interpreter at Colby was one of the experiences, along with courses in the Spanish Department, that made her pursue a career studying Latin American film and literature. Reminiscing with his family on how important their semester at Colby was made her realize one of the many gifts that Colby has given her. ✹ Julie Hall Williams left the security of full-time employment to venture out with her own fundraising consulting firm. She enjoys working with Mules from all over and with great causes, including Labor Mobility Partnerships with Elicia Carmichael and the Knox Clinic with Paul ’70 and Jeannie Cook Klainer ’71. Julie is looking for volunteers for the Reunion Committee (coming in June 2026!). Please reach out to her if you can help at all.
’02
It remains a thrill to receive updates on all our classmates’ adventures. We continue to expand our professional horizons, our families, and our contributions to the world. ✹ Greg Jaboin shares that, professionally, 2024 was a year of significant growth and opportunity. He had the privilege of serving as a guest lecturer and adjunct professor in financial management at Northeastern University, where he shared his industry experiences and mentored aspiring professionals. Additionally, he has begun work in UC Berkeley’s Master of Information and Cybersecurity program within the School of Information. This program directly complements his work in technology infrastructure at Workday, where he focuses on managing large-scale projects and aligning identity and access management with business and security objectives. On a personal note, he celebrated a wonderful milestone—his five-year anniversary with his husband, David. It was a special moment of reflection and gratitude for their journey together. ✹ Eugenie Montague’s debut novel, Swallow the Ghost, was named a best crime novel of the year by the New York Times. She lives in El Paso, Texas, with her family. ✹ Megan Cassella Hand earned a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation and continues to run her own financial services firm, Grace Financial Strategies. She lives in Vermont, where she rocks a work-life balance that allows her to spend more than 50 days on the slopes. ✹ Jenn Coughlin Haran is happy to share that she and her husband, Devin, welcomed their son, Jack, to the world Jan. 13, 2025. Big sister Caroline (age 2.5) is thrilled, and they are happily settling into life as a family of four. It’s wild for them to be embarking on the parenting adventure as some of our classmates are beginning to tour colleges with their kiddos, but they are grateful for the chaos of it all. ✹ Pete Morelli and Lib Diamond (Bates ’04) welcomed their first child, Niko Christopher Morelli, last summer. Pete is appreciating the finer points of diaper changes and sleep training just as other classmates are sending their kids to Colby already! He is balancing parenting with his work as a partner at Holden Advisors, a consulting firm that designs pricing strategies for B2B companies.
’03
Justin Stempeck returned to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission as deputy general counsel in November 2023 after spending two years at a regulatory technology startup. Last summer, he spent time with Doug LaLiberte at his house on a lake in Maine and caught up with Justin Ossolinski on Cape Cod. He also occasionally sees Mike Cox when he can convince him to drive south from New Hampshire. Justin hopes to organize a gathering this year for the group, including Spencer Hutchins and Katrina Noyes. ✹ Katrina Noyes brought her son, Jasper, home in July 2024 after more than two years in the hospital. He’s happy and getting healthier every day and will start home-based preschool in March. She’s been so happy to see Doug LaLiberte and Justin Stempeck over the past year. Whenever she does, she feels 22 again! ✹ Kate Zimmerman Marlow loves teaching middle school English and spending time with her three kids, husband Jonathan Marlow ’02, and their aptly named dog, Colby. Each summer, the Marlows travel to Maine, where a highlight is reconnecting with Dee and Megan Shannon-Winterson Michaud and their three kids. It is like no time has passed when they see Colby friends and spend time up north. ✹ Lesley Loss and Josh Weitz enjoyed their first real winter in years and were outpaced by their 11- and 8-year-old boys on the steeps in Vermont and Colorado. In an effort to indoctrinate the boys early on, they’ll be enjoying camps in Maine and visiting Colby as a family. Through Colby’s professional development network, Josh has been fortunate to mentor James Lau ’24 and his partners as they launched their app, DIALED, and ride the rollercoaster of entrepreneurship. Josh also closed a Series A funding round last summer for a stealth-mode life sciences company and looks forward to sharing more as it grows! ✹ Keagan Russo checked in from Atlanta, where one big perk is being within an easy drive of his old roommate, Peter Newberry. Newbs and Ebony recently welcomed a baby boy, so Keagan and his youngest, Reese, 9, took a road trip to meet the newest addition to their family! ✹ Clay Smith and his family are enjoying life in Golden, Colo. Clay serves as general counsel for Arq, Inc., a small environmental company that manufactures activated carbon for air and water filtration. Outside of work, the Smiths make the most of Colorado’s great outdoors—rafting on the Colorado River in the summer and skiing across the state in the winter. ✹ Last fall Karli Jaffe Efron joined the team at the National Diaper Bank Network, working to ensure families across the country have access to basic needs like diapers and period supplies. ✹ Sarah (Schleck ’06) and I are enjoying our time in DC, where our 7- and 4-year-old boys keep us busy in and around the city. Otto, 7, is in year two of Scouts and has loved the additional escapes outdoors, including the pack-wide, 100-plus-person camping trips. ✹ We’d love to hear from you! Share your updates—big or small—so we can include them in the next class news: classnews2003@colby.edu.
’04
’05
Lots of exciting news to share! ✹ Steve Bogden was interviewed on Jim Grant’s podcast, Current Yield. ✹ Good news that Peyton McElyea’s house in the Los Angeles area didn’t burn, nor did Jeff Lederman’s childhood home. ✹ Matt Bucklin was expecting a baby girl in April. He also became president of the Yale Club of Palm Beaches. ✹ Melissa Mullen Davis was granted tenure and promoted to associate professor at Millersville University, where she teaches chemistry and biochemistry. ✹ Abbey McGuire Wright welcomed a baby girl, Norah Elizabeth Wright. ✹ Jackie Dao Dinneen, Tara Studley Mejia, Jess Hardy Kelly, Karinna Russo Allen, and Katie Markowski Dru kicked off a Galentine’s tradition this year. ✹ Christo and Katie Markowski Dru and their son, Harry, moved from Denver to Ventura, Calif. She’s now corporate counsel at Cottage Health and welcomed baby Julia last June. ✹ Miranda Silverman Gaudet, Caitlin Grasso, Emily Gavryck Childs, Meredith Jalkut Gibbons, and Abby Lowell Barjum reunited for their annual winter getaway in Lenox. ✹ Chris and Laura Hudecek Noyes, an urgent care/emergency PA in Newport, Wash., welcomed their first, William, last August. ✹ Hillary Wiley McAllister resides in Maine with her husband and 13-year-old daughter. Hillary works as a licensed clinical social worker at Community Concepts. ✹ In 2021 Elliott Katz, his partner, Léa, and his stepson, Gustave, welcomed baby Ezra. The family splits their time between Burlington, Vt., and Montréal. Elliott maintains a sculpture studio and practice in Burlington and is preparing for his first solo museum exhibition, at Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, in November 2025. ✹ Katie and Liam McDonnell and their kids, Keagan and Kennedy, have settled in Portsmouth, N.H. Katie, a social worker for NH Health and Human Services, loves her job. Liam, at MSU Portsmouth, is also taking strategic studies classes at the Naval War College. ✹ Allison Neumeister Frye, Haid Garrett Bloxham, and Sarah Eilefson reminisce about days at Sugarloaf as they ski their respective backyards: Tahoe for Allie and her three boys; Alpental in North Bend, Wash., for Haid and her son; and Spirit Mountain in Duluth, Minn., for Sarah. Haid recently welcomed a daughter, Elizabeth. Alana Willhite sent her regards to the slopes from Burning Man last year. ✹ Christina Pluta, a life sciences sales leader at Amazon Web Services, welcomed a second boy last year. Her sons are now 3 and 1. ✹ Abe Summers and his wife, Xingxing, live in Philly. He works in the golf business and keeps out of trouble with kendo and ice hockey—playing it and coaching his two kids. ✹ Last summer Mike Sirois and his wife hosted Frederik ’03 and Natalia King Rasmussen, Emily (Quann ’04) and Eric Luth, and Kelly Klemarczyk Kaineg and her husband for a barbecue with all their kids. ✹ Patrick Harner recently worked with Xavier Garcia’s media company on a successful multimedia (video, music, and poetry) presentation for a Massachusetts museum. Patrick is currently exploring working for Teach for America while his family is taking care of a small rescue bunny, Nimble. ✹ Ilana Saxe completed a second Ironman 70.3 last summer in Augusta. She enjoys her role as assistant dean of faculty at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. ✹ Warner Nickerson married a few years ago and expected a second girl earlier this year. He and his family live in Stockholm, and he runs a small fashion brand, c’est normal. He enjoyed a vacation to the White Desert in Egypt and went seaplane lake camping in Nevada. ✹ Lastly, it’s with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to Kathy Rittner, who died last October. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine in Worcester in 2010 and thrived in the world of primary care. Over the course of her career, she served Native Americans in Arizona, New Mexico, and Alaska as well as Indigenous people in Australia. She also served at a Christian clinic in Honduras, and for the last several years she worked in clinics in Colorado and South Carolina. Her last position was at the Federal Prison Hospital in Devens, Mass. Our condolences to her family.
’06
I am always so impressed with the great things the Class of 2006 is accomplishing all around the globe! ✹ Stephen Planas and his wife, Katherine, now live abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland, having relocated for Katherine’s work. They miss the Colby crew in DC but are embracing the adventure of expat life, particularly exploring Scotland and traveling throughout Europe. Stephen is also really enjoying the opportunity to hit the links in the home of golf! ✹ Tomas Vorobjov and his wife, Hanka, are excited to celebrate their youngest, Charlotte, as she turns 2 on July 20! She’s been the perfect addition to their family, keeping up with her big sister, Marina, who’s been brightening their lives since 2020. They are happily settled in Bratislava, Slovakia, where Tomas works as associate director of technology at AT&T Slovakia. ✹ After living in the San Francisco Bay Area since graduation, Katie (Himmelmann ’07) and Charlie Hale moved to London with their two kids, Corinna, 7, and William, 4. Charlie started a new job leading public policy for an advisory firm called Milltown Partners. Katie’s considering her next challenge after 10 years as a pediatric nurse practitioner. They live in the borough of Richmond and would love to reconnect with or meet any Colby grads in the area. ✹ Melissa McNulty is with the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, where she manages foreign assistance programs supporting Mexico’s efforts to stop the flow of fentanyl and other drugs. She also is an avid sailor and recently returned from cruising Panama’s San Blas Islands. ✹ Chris DeSantis spoke at the 2025 World Aquatic Development Conference. The title of his speech was “Practical Application of Positive Psychology in Swimming.” Chris also hosts a popular swimming podcast called The Swim Brief, where he interviews coaches from around the world. ✹ Bram Geller and his wife, Ashley, live outside Portland, Maine, with their three amazing kids: Maverick, 8, Addison, 5, and Remington, 3. Bram continues to work as a critical care cardiologist and has authored a variety of statements from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology. Bram feels very blessed and is certainly filled with fond memories of Colby. ✹ Last fall Ander Tallett launched Dash Bio, a tech- and AI-driven clinical research organization designed to accelerate drug development. It grew out of experience at Moderna and other well-funded biotech companies that still struggle to bring drugs through clinical trials. He also founded and runs DigitalRadius, the #1 Smartsheet (a spreadsheet software company) implementation partner. He lives in Park City, Utah, and has three kids, Rose, 2, Alden, 5, and Charlie, 7, with his wife, Beth Tallett. ✹ Two classmates have new additions to celebrate! Josh ’05 and Emily Greene Kahn welcomed their third child, June, in … you guessed it, June. She is plump and delightful and adored by her big sister and older brother. ✹ Anders ’07 and Jess Seymour Woods welcomed their third child last fall, joining her two older brothers. The family continues to ski and adventure in Boulder, Colo. Jess has paused her career as an educator to focus on kids and family but hopes to work supporting education and teachers in the upcoming year. Anders started a new job as a software engineer for a startup based in San Francisco, works remotely, and enjoys the mountains in every season. They run into other Colorado/Denver-based Colby alumni here and there, always enjoying their shared memories from Mayflower Hill.
’07
Liz Boeheim reports that she “went fully feral” last year, solo hiking the John Muir Trail (where she met fellow alumna Jen Beever Gozzy ‘83!) and competing in her second and third ultramarathons. She’s planning to celebrate 40 by mountain biking in Turkey with Kathryn Bartholomew O’Leary! ✹ Annie Mears Abbott (that’s me!) and Doug Abbott welcomed Charles “Chip” Abbott. We are a happy family of four living in Pomfret, Vt., where we get plenty of ski days at our local hill, Saskadena Six. Toini Rivas ’06 and Caitlin Blodget Pingree also ski there regularly with their families, and it was fun running into them every weekend! ✹ Karli Gasteazoro McGill, Sarah Eilers, Katie Maland Schupack, Alisa Perry, Elisa Chiniara, Natalie Ginsburg Rose, Jamie Kline, Erin Schlossman, Meg Davis Smithwood, Lucy Hitz Denning, Ali Fulreader, and Annie Mears Abbott celebrated their 40th birthday together in Cancun, Mexico. They wish happy birthday to all of their classmates celebrating a milestone birthday. ✹ Mary Warlaumont Thom ran into Gabe Adams ’06, her freshman-year HR, at a Little League softball game. They realized they had both been living in Charlottesville, Va., for at least 10 years without running into each other. ✹ Elisa Chiniara created a Jan Plan for herself last fall, traveling around Greece for a month and participating in the olive harvest on Crete to make premium olive oil. She’s also happy to be connected back to Colby by advising students at the Halloran Lab for Entrepreneurship this year. ✹ Stephanie Finn splits time between Portland, Maine, and Cape Town, South Africa. Jordan Levinson also lives in Cape Town, and they regularly get together. They discovered they both live in Cape Town when Jordan submitted an update to Colby magazine for our class notes! ✹ I hope more people share even a simple update about where they’re living for future class notes because you never know who might be right around the corner!
’08
Last year Kostadina Nacheva and her partner welcomed their first child, a boy named Daniel. He is now 1, and they are incredibly excited for this chapter in their lives. Earlier this year, they were also busy planning a spring wedding in Bulgaria. ✹ Elizabeth Petit married Shane Wilkins Oct. 24, 2024, at Cambridge City Hall. Afterward, they had a small celebration with friends, including fellow ’08ers Jamie O’Connell, Lane Marder, Vicki Hayne Selesnick, Laura Pomponi, and Emily Plumb.
’09
Nick Nassikas, M.D. and Sommer Engels, J.D. recently published a piece in the New England Journal of Medicine discussing how recent Supreme Court rulings affect public health. They have also collaborated on a series of legal briefs defending air-quality regulations issued by the Biden administration. ✹ Last summer Shirmila Cooray moved with her husband and two daughters from San Francisco to Raleigh, N.C. They are loving their new home, and Shirmila was happy to reconnect with Joanna Fisher-Whilden and other Colby folks in the Triangle. ✹ Benjamin Hauptman and I enjoyed seeing everyone at our 10th Reunion last spring!
10s Newsmakers
’10
Life has taken Nick Ruocco west to the Front Range in Colorado. His wife is a surgeon at CSU Vet School and is back in the Reined Cow Horse Arena. They have a 2-year-old son who already swings the bat better than his dad ever did. Nick just opened his second Coyote Ridge Veterinary Clinic and has plans to build the third. They are on that Rocky Mountain high! ✹ Jessica Williams got married Sept. 2, 2023, and finished a pediatric nephrology fellowship at Stanford in June 2024. She started a position as a pediatric nephrologist at Kaiser Santa Clara in November 2024. ✹ Jess Levasseur completed her Ph.D. from Duke and now works for the U.S. EPA as an exposure scientist. She spent a weekend kayaking in Maine with Emma Gildesgame in the fall of 2024. Jess still lives in wonderful Durham, N.C., with her husband and two kiddos. ✹ Will Price lives in a serious, practical home in North Carolina, where whimsical things very rarely take place with his wife, Adrienne, dog Rosie Lou, cats Georgia May and Frederick Bones, and fresh new human Laurel Gray. He continues to work for the state doing environmental work and reflects fondly on his decision to stop being a sad lawyer. When Will thinks back on the Northern People he went to college with, he has unanimously positive recollections and cannot recall ever once being annoyed by a thing that a Northern Person did or said. ✹ Sarajane Blair and her family live outside of Philly, in Ardmore, Pa. She is the general manager for CIC, a full-service lab, office, and coworking space provider. And now, this human development major uses phrases like “Zeiss Microscopy Solutions Center” and other science words she never expected to know. She recently read the Southern Reach books (all four) and loved them. If anyone wants to talk about how wild, trippy, creepy, and amazing they are, reach out! ✹ Nick Tucker and his wife welcomed Liliana Aug. 26, 2024. They are enjoying bonding with her and watching their son, Kenzo, grow into a puzzlingly caring big brother. ✹ Emily Barlow Darrow started a new job in November as director of development and external affairs for College Visions, a nonprofit that supports college access and persistence for first-generation and low-income college students. She lives in Rumford, R.I., with her husband and two kids, Sam, 3, and Ellie, 5, and is looking forward to the reunion in June! ✹ Patrick Findaro moved from Miami Beach, Fla., to Bordeaux, France, with his French wife and two kids. He enjoys long walks with his family around the historic city center as well as frequent surf trips to the coast. ✹ Dan Nolan and Elise DeSimone Nolan ’12 live in Quincy, Mass., with their 1.5-year-old son, Bode. Their golden retriever puppy, Wally, is 53 pounds at 5 months old, which means he fits in nicely with their 99th-percentile-sized family! ✹ Coyne Lloyd is all right, but he got hit by a car in Brooklyn while on a Citibike. He encourages you to wear a helmet, even if you’re on a bike share! He was wearing one that cracked through—potentially saving his life, and definitely saving him from worse injury. If you live in a major city that has bike shares, get a helmet! ✹ Leigh Bullion and Ross Nehrt are looking forward to spending more time in their small garden this summer at their house in Portland, Maine. They are growing some new-to-them flowers (leaving one bed empty for exclusive mud play for their 6- and 4-year-old sons, obviously). Defying all millennial stereotypes, they place MANY phone calls to their senators.
’11
Matt Smith and Katherine Murray Smith ’12 happily welcomed their first child, Lila Jade Smith, into the world March 5, 2024, in Atlanta, Ga. ✹ Ala Solsvig Dewberry is enjoying her new role as product line manager in Broadcom’s cloud infrastructure software business, VMware. More importantly, she and partner Michael adopted a very cute English springer spaniel, Sherlock, who has his Ph.D. in cuddling on the couch. The Dewberrys also discovered that it is always ski season somewhere with an August trip to Chile to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. ✹ Last fall Tasha de Sherbinin, Leslie Hutchings, and Amy Hernandez Slowik reunited at Tasha’s home in Massachusetts for a fun-filled fall weekend with their husbands and three little girls. In November Amy and Tasha each welcomed their second children—Pippa Slowik and Lowen Greenwald were born only 12 hours apart! ✹ Sonia Mahabir transitioned from her position as director of college counseling at the Mastery School of Hawken in Cleveland to the Kiski School earlier this year and moved to western Pennsylvania. ✹ On Sept. 16, 2024, Mike and Anne Geraghty Marinella welcomed a baby girl, Sophia. ✹ Last spring, Rian Ervin launched a small, boutique wine label—Wrightwood Wine. Check it out at wrightwoodwine.com. ✹ In 2024 Mason Roberts ’12 and Amanda Palffy made the bold choice of welcoming a puppy and a baby in the same six months. Their home continues to be full of love (and chaos) with Poppy, the golden retriever, and their daughter, Ava, who was born Sept. 6, 2024. ✹ Over the last year, Katherine Gagnon has been busy launching her new business: Zinnia Wellness Painting LLC. It’s a hands-on wellness painting workshop designed for corporate executives and healthcare providers. Katherine says, “My message is simple: by prioritizing self-care practices we are better equipped to fulfill our responsibilities toward others. If you are interested in working together, please don’t hesitate to reach out!” She teaches workshops locally in Charleston, S.C., and travels throughout the United States. Learn more at zinniawellnesspainting.com. ✹ In July 2023 Noah and Annie Wardwell Atlas welcomed a baby boy, Max Atlas, to their crew. Max is now 1 1/2, and Henry, 4, loves his big brother role. ✹ Sai Chavali and his spouse moved into the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn, N.Y. They are now closer to family and a cute nephew. Sai would love to (re)connect with other Colby folks in Brooklyn. ✹ Katie Billington McGarry and her husband are overjoyed to announce the arrival of their baby girl, Emma Anne McGarry, born Oct. 1, 2024. She’s already stolen their hearts, and with a Colby lineage as strong as hers, it’s only a matter of time before she’s sporting blue and gray. Between her great-grandma Priscilla Eaton Billington ’53, great-aunt Dianne Billington Stronach ’75, and aunt and uncle Morgan Gallagher ’15 and Jon Stronach ’15, it’s safe to say Emma has Colby in her DNA. Whether she’s future-bound for Mayflower Hill or just perfecting her campus-ready nap schedule, we know one thing for sure—she’s already Mule material! ✹ Aaron Kaye recently moved to Boston after finishing his Ph.D. in business and economics at the University of Michigan. He is now a postdoctoral fellow at MIT and will join Boston University as an assistant professor of marketing next fall. He’s excited to reconnect with fellow Colby alums in the Boston area.
’12
Meg Kruithoff will complete her IM chief resident year at the University of Rochester Medical Center in June 2025. She will then trade snowy Rochester for sunny Philadelphia, where she will begin a fellowship in endocrinology at the University of Pennsylvania. She is looking forward to living near her nieces and exploring a new city. ✹ Aileen Evans and Ben Grimmig welcomed their son, Rory James, in 2023. They live in Salt Lake City and love adventuring in the mountains with their dog, Colby. ✹ Caitlin Burchill got hitched in the Floridian sunshine in April with Colby women’s volleyball teammates Maggie Taylor ’13, Emily Varni ’13, and co-captain Anne “Mackie” Sewall by her side. The dance floor wouldn’t have been the same without them. ✹ Andy Estrada lives in Seattle with his wife, Andie, and recently celebrated his eighth anniversary with the Gates Foundation. A regular highlight is hopping onto Discord every Thursday night to check in with a rotating cast of great fellow Mules, including James Hootsmans ’13, Nate Katsiaficas, James Lasher, Gabe Lerner, Nathan Lord, Tendai M’ndange-Pfupfu ’13, Dave Oxnard, Jason Parrett, Jon Riesenbach, Trip Venturella, Dave Wollin, and Mike Zarfos. ✹ In August 2024 Abbey Wallace Eddy welcomed her second son, Webster, who joins big brother Gust, 3. She lives in Park City, Utah, and works in development at the Park City Community Foundation. In December she and Webster traveled to San Francisco to visit Gemma Yie and Katie Ricciardi and Katie’s new baby! ✹ Sarah Janes Bien (yours truly!) and her husband, Alex, moved to Northborough, Mass. They welcomed their daughter, Willa “Willie” Frances Bien, in October 2024.
’13
It’s always great to hear from so many 2013ers around the country! Here’s what those who wrote in have been up to lately. ✹ Pasquale and Georgie Hurst Eckert welcomed their first child, Graham, in June last year! The three now reside in Concord, Mass. ✹ Chelsea Tyler married Ryan Stephansky in Vermont last June. Mules in attendance included fellow ’13ers Evangeline Condakes, Ellie Kidson, Debbie Amato, and Emily Barr, as well as Kelsey Tyler ’12. The couple will honeymoon in Norway this year. ✹ Kristina Haney lives and works in Boston. ✹ Jessica Pires Brown was recognized as one of Boston’s Ten Outstanding Young Leaders for 2024. She is currently the diversity, inclusion, and belonging leader for Brown & Brown, Inc. ✹ Hilary Barr married Matt Mantikas at Okemo Mountain Resort in Vermont last fall. ✹ Cassady Roberts is enjoying life in Steamboat Springs, Colo. After teaching for 10 years, she is now an assistant principal at an elementary school. Working in education continues to be challenging yet so rewarding, she says. Cassady loves to catch up with other Mules when they come through Steamboat, so reach out if you find yourself in northwest Colorado! ✹ Holly Mawn still lives in Pittsburgh with her husband, Austin Sutherland ’11, and their 2-year-old, Camden. Holly writes, “I stepped back from teaching third grade this year and have been enjoying a different pace of life, spending more time at home with Camden and teaching after-school enrichment classes and spin classes at a few studios around town.” Last fall, Holly enjoyed catching up with Hillary Sapanski in D.C. and with Rachel Rosenbaum, who stopped in Pittsburgh on a cross-country road trip. Holly adds, “It’s amazing how many more people have made their way through Pittsburgh over the past few years. I’m always happy to catch up with fellow Mules when they do!”
’14
Najah Magloire graduated with her master’s degree in rhetoric at Carnegie Mellon University last spring. ✹ Shannon Kooser Miller welcomed a new baby girl, Reagan, in summer 2024. She joins older brother Walter in their new home in Chicago. ✹ Torie Palffy had a wild 2024 in Colorado, bringing home a dog, getting married, and starting her own marketing company, Freeline Digital Marketing. She writes, “I’ve had the pleasure of both reconnecting with old Colby friends and meeting new alumni in the marketing or outdoor space. I’m excited for more Colby weddings in 2025!” ✹ Angelica Bishop English took a trip from Massachusetts to rural Virginia to visit Katie McDonald Millette so the next generation of Mules could meet. Natalie and James (future Colby Classes of ’45 and ’46, respectively) know the Colby bond runs deep! ✹ Camille Inman Gross had a very busy May 2024, welcoming her second baby boy, Atlas, the same month she completed her master’s in mental health counseling at UNC Chapel Hill. He joins big brother Elian in North Carolina. ✹ Sarah Large Sullivan is enjoying married life as a newlywed in Dover, N.H. She recently became a NH certified wetland scientist, which she’s been working toward for the last five years. She writes, “I am truly so grateful for such a wonderful year, both personally and professionally.” ✹ Kelsey Cromie got engaged to Jordan Lorenz ’15. They can’t wait to celebrate together this summer with lots of Mules in attendance. ✹ Lindsay Jarrett Potter welcomed a baby girl, Josie, last summer. They go on regular stroller walks with me, Kayla Lewkowicz Voigt, and my 2-year-old, Teddy, in central Massachusetts.
’15
Katrina Belle is CEO and president of Maine Passive House, a construction company working to improve the built environment and reimagine the role of business in society. Over the past year, she and her business partner transitioned the company from an LLC to a worker-owned benefit corporation. She also serves as president of the board for passivhausMAINE, a nonprofit working to decarbonize the built environment. ✹ Sam Glaisher graduated from Drexel University College of Medicine in 2024 with Alpha Omega Alpha honors and was nominated as the Class of 2024 graduation ceremony class speaker. He matched into the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency at the University of Pittsburgh. ✹ Gregory Naigles lives in Concord, N.H., and works for the New Hampshire DOT. In his spare time, he continues to enjoy epic adventures in the mountains, from steep and rugged climbs to remote wilderness treks. He has nearly completed his goal of hiking every trail in the White Mountains and hopes to finish this year. ✹ After teaching kindergarten for nine years, Molly Nash transitioned to the nonprofit field and is executive director of Teton Valley Community Recycling, a small nonprofit that advocates for waste reduction. She lives in Teton Valley, Idaho, with her partner and cat, and she enjoys gardening, community organizing, and walking in the woods. ✹ Haley Oleynik married Nick Warner ’14. They live with their dog, Bella, in Vancouver, where Haley is pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia, focusing her research on exploring drivers of Pacific salmon population declines and identifying novel management actions to conserve wild salmon. ✹ Ronnie Vesnaver works for a small environmental nonprofit, Upstream Alliance, which mostly works in Camden, N.J., on the Delaware River on public access and clean water issues. Upstream Alliance is preparing for the launch this summer of the Firefly, a solar-electric catamaran for environmental education programs on the Delaware. If approved by the Coast Guard, it will be the first passenger-carrying vessel to run on lithium batteries. Ronnie will build out the curriculum for the boat, which will be aligned with the school curriculum in the area, and will oversee the program.
’16
Hope everyone is doing well! Here are some updates from Mules in the Class of 2016! ✹ Katie Southworth is happy to share that she has successfully published her first book, Dr. Roy G. Biv: Healing from Trauma One Colorful Painting at a Time. It is an abridged memoir and collection of her most impactful art and writing over the past three years as a full-time artist. It’s currently available on Amazon in hardback and paperback. ✹ John and Erin Trainor Morrow moved to York, Maine, in July 2024 and welcomed their daughter, Vella Faye, in August. Bode, 3, is proving to be a wonderful big brother! ✹ Caroline Tegeler married Brooke Green in August 2024 in New Gloucester, Maine. In attendance were Cassandra Biette, Spencer Jeffrey, Parwana Ayub, Chloe Geffken, and Grace DiBari. ✹ Meg Giblin Upton will graduate from Tufts University with her doctorate in occupational therapy in May 2025. ✹ Emily Sapoch and Jonathan Matamoros were married June 15, 2024, in Belfast, Maine. They celebrated with close friends and family, including maid of honor Emily Berry and bridesmaid Grace DiBari. Jon and Emily live in Dallas with their dog, Ella.
’17
Greetings 2017 Mules! As your class correspondent, I seek to uplift your stories and provide exciting updates. 2025 has carried many of us into exciting new chapters as we figured out what it means to finally “go back to normal.” Those of us in New York City toasted to Colby’s successful Dare Northward celebration a couple of months ago. I sampled champagne and took selfies with Amar Šehić, Burcu Sagiroglu, Duncan Gans, Sonita Hav, Tommaso Montagni, and Yannik Büchi, among others. On Mayflower Hill, I visited students with my fellow Alumni Council member Matt Hawkins as we offered career coaching and the SGA gospel to ambitious seniors. ✹ What are other classmates up to? Jenner Foster makes a splash as our newest executive director of the Virginia House Democratic Caucus, while Kadish Hagley rounds out his first year as a financial analysis manager at Jefferies. Both are enjoying each other’s proximity as neighbors in the buzzing city of Richmond, Va. ✹ My first-year Foss neighbor Sam LeFeber keeps busy in the Portland (Oregon) area as a real estate broker and ski patroller. ✹ Gerald Owusu showed me how bowling is done during a “guys night out” with fellow SOBHU alumni Carlvin Sanon ’15, Chy Ward ’15, Fabrice Charles ’15, and Omari Matthew ’14. ✹ Larry Patrizio zoomed past my window in style during the 2024 New York City Marathon with a run time of under three hours! ✹ John Kensinger completed his master’s in business management at Wake Forest University before beginning a two-year physician’s assistant (PA) program at the Wake Forest School of Medicine. He will wrap up the first year of PA school before beginning a year of clinical rotations across a variety of specialties through the following summer. We are rooting for his wife, Natalie, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2024 and continues to prove just how resilient she is. Natalie has completed chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. We wish both continued health and stability. ✹ Cara Goldfarb moved from San Juan Island in Washington State before hiking for two months along the scenic Pacific Crest Trail last summer. She then traded in her trail shoes for law books and began her first year at the University of Oregon School of Law based out of Eugene. ✹ In other legal headlines, Caroline Ferguson was named lead spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Massachusetts, as well as chief of the office’s Public Affairs Unit. She was also honored to receive the 2024 Excellence in Justice Award. Fun Fact: Caroline grew the office’s social media following by 10,000+ in 2024 alone! She finds it incredibly rewarding to play a part in such important work. ✹ Aremi Tapia leads students into fulfilling careers and a supportive environment as an associate college counselor in Naples, Fla. ✹ Mardene Haskell approaches her second year as an investment banking associate at Barclays in New York City, while Kai Frankville approaches his third year as an associate analyst at Voya Investment Management. ✹ Talia Richkin serves the states of New York and Maine by analyzing timely data on mental health trends among Middle Eastern migrants. ✹ Thank you to all who took the time to share your stories. Two years into my term as an Alumni Council member, I hope to continue repping our class well while visiting campus or setting up Zoom calls at home. We have a DavisConnects Committee ready to support each of you in your next steps. Consider visiting Waterville or one of our True Blue Mixer events in a city near you. In the meantime, you can stay involved between columns by updating your contact info at alumni.colby.edu. I am always happy to discuss ideas or make introductions throughout the Colby network. Reach out anytime for a snack or drink when you are in DC or New York!
’18
’19
Merrill Read lives in Boulder, Colo., with her fiancé, Tom Feenstra. Tom proposed Feb. 1, 2025, at the top of the Sapporo TV Tower in Sapporo, Japan. She first met him while living in Portland, Maine, the summer after graduation. “So, our love traces back to Maine,” she said. She enjoys skiing and running with Amy Tournas and Avery Gibson ’20 out West. Both she and Amy completed their first marathons this past fall. ✹ Tenzin Passang Lim landed in the San Francisco area after an eventful 2024. Now married to Albert Lim, she earned her Ph.D. in oncology and cancer biology from Emory University in Atlanta last spring. In November, she started working for Genentech as a scientist 3 in translational oncology. She loves her job and is settling into the Bay Area, where she looks forward to hiking and savoring the warm Californian air. ✹ Send a note to classnews2019@colby.edu if you’re interested in volunteering as correspondent for your class to keep your column going.
’20
Only a few new updates from your Class of 2020, but I promise they’re good ones! ✹ Emily Buckman recently started working as an occupational therapist at NYU Rusk Rehabilitation, which has been her dream job since her senior year at Colby. She and partner Wyett MacDonald ’19 also recently adopted their first puppy, Toast, an English cocker spaniel. Congratulations, Emily! ✹ Margaret “Maggie” Hall is in her second year of graduate school at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, working on her Ph.D. in clinical psychology. Last fall, Maggie was awarded an APAGS/Psi Chi Junior Scientist Fellowship for her thesis on evaluating social-emotional learning programs and identifying young students who may need targeted interventions. Outside of graduate school, Maggie “coaches a club soccer team of 9- and 10-year-olds, creates crafts that she sells in a local artisan store, and explores the beautiful, but flat, trails, and dreams about the mountains in New England.” ✹ Finally, Grace Crowell is engaged to her now-fiancé Nate Hitchcock (Trinity ’17)! The two live together in San Francisco, where Grace teaches elementary school and coaches lacrosse at Mount Tamalpais School.
’21
Four strange years have passed since the Class of 2021 roamed Mayflower Hill. I, Hannah Johnson, am still working toward my Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Florida, chomp chomp! ✹ Scott Jackson has left the Northwest to begin work at the MacArthur Foundation in Chicago, where he joined a band with Cat Merkle ’23! ✹ Drummond Poole will earn his master of landscape architecture degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Design this May. ✹ Elise Crutchlow will be graduating vet school this summer and starting an internship at Mt. Laurel Animal Hospital Emergency Department. ✹ Dean Strup is a fourth-year medical student and is applying to neurology for residency alongside his roommate, Matt Johnson ’20. ✹ Danny Farr spends his days as an electrical engineer in renewable energy for a Norwegian oil and gas company, a life of contrast. Dia duit from across the pond! ✹ Annabel McLaughlin is in med school at the University of Limerick, and Molly Smith is a tour guide at the Irish president’s house (while pursuing a master’s in history at Trinity). ✹ Congrats to Henry Harris and Anna McClean ’20 on their upcoming wedding this October! ✹ Julia Pfau graduated with honors from the University of Texas School of Law and is now a licensed attorney at Jones Day in Houston. ✹ Marta Torelli is living in NYC, where she’s pursuing an M.P.A. in global policy at Columbia SIPA. She loves seeing her Colby friends (Cara Moynihan, Ben Woollcott, and Noah Gewirtz) in the city and rowing up at Harlem River Community Rowing in Inwood. ✹ Catie Riley is new to NYC, where she started PA school at the Weill Cornell Medical College. ✹ Jason Dunn moved from St. Louis back to Boston to start a Ph.D. in economics at Boston University. ✹ Alli Bassman-Lyons lives in Greenville, N.C., teaching eighth grade math. ✹ Callie Nesbitt started medical school at Trinity School of Medicine and has loved exploring the island of St. Vincent. ✹ Cheers to another Colby couple! Nick Malkemus and Adrienne Kaplowitz are getting married this August. Nick is in his second year of law school at UC Berkeley, and Adrienne is working in UX design at a startup. ✹ Sam Kwon is finishing his master’s program at Tufts this spring and is excited to start his first year at medical school next fall. ✹ Genesis Cazalez Moreno got married and became an LPC-A in Texas. ✹ Jack Taylor just completed his master’s at the University of Georgia and the USFS on long-term prescribed fire effects. Now he’s living in Italy for the next few months and getting his Italian citizenship! ✹ In a year of adventure, Minou Farrokhi surfed in Indonesia with her sister, snowboarded out West with friends, and surfed again in Costa Rica with Tate Ewing. She is so grateful for this year of recreation with people who make her smile. She is ready to start working for the Washington State Department of Health this spring. ✹ Grace Horne is back on the East Coast, interning with Native Plant Trust and the Appalachian Mountain Club to promote native plant and insect conservation in New England’s alpine zones. ✹ AJ Dela Cruz is a therapeutic mentor for Child and Family Services, providing one-on-one, strength-based support in social, emotional, and daily living skills for youth under 21. ✹ Margaret Dent is working at a wind company, Vestas, as a contracts professional. Sadly (her words), she is living in the other Portland. ✹ Grace Neumiller is in her second year of water resources environmental consulting. She is gearing up for her fourth American Birkebeiner ski race on the Twin Cities Ski Club board of directors. She cheered on her Colby swim teammates from afar as they competed in NESCACs! ✹ Another year, another whirlwind series of updates from the legendary Class of 2021. Until next time…
’22
Wow! Three years have already gone by since the Class of 2022 took its final steps across Mayflower Hill. I, Alyssa Kent, live in Boston and work for an investment bank, specializing in biotech. I recently traveled to Philadelphia with Emily Simas and Laura Powell to run the Philly Marathon! ✹ Teddy Storrs live in Brookline and works in solar energy with Mia Kaldenbaugh ’23. ✹ Nell Coues moved to Colorado last summer. ✹ Houston Newsome is producing music in Nashville. Check out his music as the Phantom! ✹ Yusuke Fukuda moved to California and is working for the LA Dodgers. ✹ Dora Wang is drawing and publishing graphic novels in LA. She encourages everyone to check out your local bookstore and support your town’s library. ✹ Alessandra Amano, Abby Conway, and Sarah Gold ’23 live together in NYC. ✹ Ana Molestina will be attending Fordham Law in the fall. ✹ Katie McKinley moved to London to continue her career in life science consulting. She has joined Jordan McClintock across the pond. Jordan is pursuing a Ph.D. at Northeastern University London on the impact of digitalization on healthcare. ✹ Kat Specht is a first-year medical student at UMass Chan Medical School. ✹ Lillian Fisher will be attending Larner College of Medicine at UVM this summer. ✹ Minori Cohan is pursuing her master’s from Harvard while spending her free time coxing at the Riverside boathouse. She’s moving to Portland, Maine, this summer. Yay, Maine! ✹ Morgan Honor is living in Portland and studying at Tufts University School of Medicine’s Maine Track Program. ✹ Laura Powell and Eliza Pohle have also continued to explore Maine and have become board game aficionados specializing in Catan, Wingspan, and mahjongg. ✹ Lukas Alexander is in his second year at Washington University in St. Louis for his Ph.D. in political science. ✹ Sloane Hauck will be attending grad this fall in Connecticut. ✹ Meredith Griffin is studying for her J.D.-M.D.A. at Northwestern University. She is looking forward to Meghan Garrett ’23 joining her in Chicago this summer. ✹ Emily Simas moved to Boston last year and is working for an investment management company. ✹ Lexi Phillips is in her first year at Syracuse University College of Law. ✹ Natalie Simonton moved to Jackson, Wyo., and is working for TRC Companies and coaching volleyball in her free time. ✹ Stewart Egan is a ski instructor at Deer Valley and a river guide at Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City, N.C. ✹ Katelyn Angeli started as the sole social media manager for the Boston Fleet of the PWHL this fall. ✹ Ellie Batchelder is finishing up her master’s in environmental studies at the University of Victoria and staying busy exploring British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest.
’23
Are you interested in volunteering as class correspondent for the Class of 2023? Send an email to Colby magazine at classnews2023@colby.edu if you’d like more information. Thank you!
’24
Are you interested in volunteering as class correspondent for the Class of 2024? Send an email to Colby magazine at classnews2024@colby.edu if you’d like more information. Thank you!