Class Columns: 1990s

1990

Stephanie Deigan
s_deigan@yahoo.com

President: Open
Fund Manager: T. Brendan Gilligan
Reunion Chair: Kimberly Ramstad Streamer
Web Page Administrator: Beth Altman Saunders

After 15 years as our fabulous class correspondent, Beth Altman Saunders has passed the baton to me. I am excited to take over for Beth and hope that I can provide you with entertaining news three times a year.

The 20th reunion was a blast! Kudos to all the women who attended (see photo), and of course, to the handful of men! Where were the rest of you? It seems impossible that we graduated 20 years ago, but everyone looked amazing, and dancing on the Quad was reminiscent of our college days on the Hill. My personal favorite was the photo booth; I think my partner in crime, Shannon McGurk Hays, and a few others would agree.

I heard from Chris “Bird Dog” Blakelock, who writes that he was sorry he missed the reunion—I am sorry to have missed his classic Levi’s commercial rendition—and lacks anything exciting to report. But in an effort to keep that class connection, he shared that he still has a job as an architect, the same one he has had for 12 years, which certainly counts as a career accomplishment. He has two sons, ages 6 and 2, and has just completed remodeling work on his home.

Liz Dore Napoli and her hubby, Nick, welcomed beautiful son number two, Charles, in early July. He joins big brother Nicholas. The Napolis live in Brooklyn with pup Claus. John and Steph Wolfington Ziegler, reunion attendees, are expecting son number six. That’s right, folks, SIX! Steph looks amazing and sported some super-cute PG outfits (i.e., clothes that her college roomies—you know who you are—would NOT have thrown out the window of Watson Hall back in the day). The Ziegler clan is doing well and looks forward to their new addition.

Andrea Loomis Towey, rock star to the kiddies, also shared news. Always the creative one, “Dre” Towey (see photo) has become quite the sensation with the wee ones. She is a two-time Parents’ Choice winner, garnering acclaim for the witty lyrics and sly educational tidbits she packs into her music, making it fun for both kids and parents. For more about Dre’s music, see her web site, www.littleloomis.com. I can vouch for the groove factor of her tunes, as my nieces and I have rocked out to her fun Chester the Dog CD on many occasions. Dre also opened her own studio, JAM (Junior Art & Music), 140 Water Street, South Norwalk, Conn.

Fran Eatroff Rosenberg writes that Lauren Tuttle Sherwood, Lynn Loxterman, Kim Gursky Rhodes, Kathy Walsh Lops, Liz Clarke McCarthy, Deb Kirwan Wild, Karen Leo Mintzer, and she spent a weekend in Manhattan this spring to celebrate their 20th graduation anniversary (see photo). Fran is a psychologist in private practice with the Morris Psychological Group in Parsippany, N.J. She lives in Rockaway, N.J., with her husband, Kevin, and their two children. Fran shared that Lauren Tuttle Sherwood works as a consultant in Austin, Texas, where she lives with her husband, Scott, and their two children. Lauren’s visits east are often a catalyst for the group’s nearly annual get-togethers, most often hosted by Liz, who graciously volunteers her beautiful home in Ridgewood, N.J. Liz lives there with her husband, Bob, and their two children. Lynn Loxterman made the longest trip out from her home in sunny San Diego, where she works as physical therapist. Kim Gursky Rhodes drove from North Wales, Pa., where she lives with her husband, Rand ’91, and two children. Kim wins the award for most loyal employee, as she has been working for AT&T since graduation and is now a senior business manager. Kathy Walsh Lops also lives in Ridgewood with her husband, Pete ’91, and two children. She is a real estate agent at Marron Gildea & Donohue Realtors. Deb Kirwan Wild lives in Morristown, N.J. with her husband, Scott ’89, and four children. Karen Leo Mintzer is an environmental lawyer at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel in Manhattan and lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Jim, and their two children. A good time was had by all, with lots of catching up, reminiscing, and laughs during great meals, drinks, and a long walk in Central Park. Fran said it seemed like only yesterday that they were hanging out in each other’s rooms in South College, tanning on the roof of the house on Porter Street, or drinking pitchers of beer together at CHT.

In May, Maria Sigmond Warner, along with several other alumni, attended the bar mitzvah of Jim and Michelle Rosenthal Hubertus’ son Jacob.

Cindy Strahler Rhodes reports that she and her husband traveled some this year. They cruised the eastern Caribbean in January, stopping at five islands and having a wonderful time. In March, Cindy and her husband flew to North Carolina to visit a piece of property they bought 31 years ago (yes, folks, you read that right!) in Pinehurst. Their next step is to look at house plans and discuss building a retirement home there. In June, travels took them to Texas to visit their daughter and her family. Despite the heat, they visited Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge in Tyler. Last, but not least, she attended Alumni Summer College in July. Cindy said it was a marvelous educational experience to be a college student again, albeit for a short time, and she came away stimulated, refreshed, and a bit more educated. She highly recommends this experience to fellow alums.

Matt Sinclair’s big news is that he is finally getting a little more sleep, as his twin girls head toward their second birthday in December (phew!).

Joined by Noelle Bastardi Anderson and Kim Hart Hein, I had the pleasure of visiting Jeanne McIntyre in Chicago. Jeanne was quite the host, with an endless supply of wine and entertainment. We went to Ravinia to see Sting with the symphony orchestra (AMAZING!) and to Wrigley Field for a Cubs game. We also took the architectural boat cruise, which was cool (figuratively, as the weather was hot as blazes and humid). Transformers 3 was being filmed, so stage sets were scattered throughout the city; sadly, there were no Josh Duhamel sightings.

For now, that’s all she wrote. Many thanks to all of you who sent in updates. Please keep the news coming!

1991

Susan Githens Cable
506 Jennifer Lane
Gibsonia, PA 15044
cable_susan@yahoo.com

President: Patrick J. Mazur
Fund Manager: Open
Reunion Chair: Catherine Moran Lippman

In June, our class started the countdown to our next reunion, 20 years! I hope that many of you are considering trekking to campus. I am, and I would love to see familiar faces. I hope that you took time to voice your opinions on the event through the email survey that you should have received in August. It’s our event, and the College wants our feedback.

Our 20th reunion will see the end of my third term as class correspondent. Fifteen years is long enough, don’t you think? Please let me know if you would be interested in stepping into my shoes.

Great news from Houston: Rich Guether married Anne Conyers Leader there in April. Rich is a city planner in the Bronx for the New York City Department of City Planning. He received a master’s in city and regional planning from Ohio State. Anne will continue to use her maiden name in her job as an art history professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta. Anne graduated from Emory University and received her master’s and doctorate in art history from New York University. Dave Kruse said that many SAEs attended, and he had the photos (see photo section) to prove it.

Thanks to Facebook, I have three more updates to share with you. Bill Griese, immersed in music lately, spent much summer time in the recording studio working on his long-overdue second album. The album features all original music with some “killer musicians” and was planned for release this fall with a grand CD-release party. You can find Bill on Facebook if you are interested in more information on his music and album.

In addition to recording, Bill writes a lot of music and often plays gigs around Morristown, N.J. He has been doing freelance writing and creative direction in marketing for two and a half years. Bill, his wife, and their kids, ages 9 and 7, have lived in Morris Plains, N.J., for five years.

Nicole Mandarano ’91

Nicole Mandarano ’91

Nick Mandarano lives in Jersey City. She recently started a new job as a grant writer at the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law. The Brennan Center is a public policy and law institute that focuses on the fundamental issues of democracy and justice.

Lisa Salkin Harrington may be the first member of our class with a college-bound child! Her eldest heads off to the University of Montevallo in the fall to pursue an art degree. In addition to parenting her other four children, Lisa enjoys working part time as a psychiatric nurse and as a Girl Scout troop leader. Congratulations to Lisa and her husband, Darrell, who will celebrate 20 years of marriage June 1—just in time for our 20th reunion!

Remember to let me know what you are doing so I can let your classmates know. Even if it’s old news to you, it’s new to the rest of us!

1992

Rachel Gordon Skrzypczak
224 Central Ave.
Pleasantville, NY 10570
srmk22@verizon.net

Presidents: Laurie Gormley Broderick, Jennifer Van Cleef Wilke
Fund Manager: Thomas J. Costello
Reunion Chair: Christine O’Hea Pitluk

Greetings, classmates! Many more updates this time around, so I will get right to it.

Deborah Kirschner and her husband, Harlan Weinberg, welcomed their daughter, Ava Grace, May 18. Ava weighed 5 pounds, 12 ounces, and was 18 inches long. Deb, Harlan, and baby Ava are all doing well, having enjoyed the summer in their Brooklyn home.

Aimee Meyer writes that she has worked as a small animal veterinarian in southwest Minneapolis for years. She still races sailboats and this August competed in the Ensign National Regatta on Lake Huron, north of Mackinac Island, Mich. “I miss all my old friends from Lafayette,” says Aimee. “If ever you are in Minnesota, look me up!”

Donna Barsamian Sirounian ’92

Donna Barsamian Sirounian ’92

In September 2009, the first Armenian Church in Arizona was constructed and consecrated. Over the past seven years, classmate Donna Barsamian Sirounian has helped raise money and awareness to build this church in Scottsdale. With the church building completed, Donna now serves as the Armenian and Sunday School superintendent. In May, WV Magazine (www.wvmonline.com) recognized Donna for her accomplishments, both professionally and philanthropically.

Jason and Holly Epstein Ojalvo write that they live in Brooklyn and are “happy as clams in white wine sauce.” Daughter Zoey, 5, had a rockin’ jam session with Lucy Mahoney, the daughter of Whelan ’94 and Kristin McGinn ’95 Mahoney. Zoey, on guitar, and Lucy, on drums, serenaded the crowd with “ABC” and “Twinkle Twinkle” (see photo).

Jason spent 2010 running all five New York City borough half marathons as part of his “before I turn 40” bucket list. On weekdays, Jason churns out hundreds of audiobooks as the vice president of content creation for Audible.com, a subsidiary of Amazon.com. Jason says that the highlight of the year was serving as executive producer of Woody Allen’s collection of audiobooks, as well as filming an in-depth interview with Woody about the project. Jason described the experience as “a dream come true for this New York Jew!” He added, “And now I can say I made a film with Woody Allen. Sort of.” In addition, Jason is busy building a new business unit for Amazon, the details of which are still top secret. It should launch in time for the next edition of Class Notes, so stay tuned.

Holly co-runs a New York Times blog about teaching and learning at learning.blogs.nytimes.com. She has been with The Times for two years now and loves it!

Another classmate in the journalism field is Laura Buchwald. She writes that she lives in Chelsea, N.Y., “with my musician and my dog, and the arrangement is harmonious.” Laura is a freelance writer and editor, and she does some editorial projects with her father’s agency. She also is “s-l-o-w-l-y” finishing her novel. Laura adds that she has “had a couple of fun mini reunions in the past year, a few nights out with Stacey Kolba Space, Melissa McCarthy, Tracey Guttierrez Sigalos, Billy Shaw, Hansdip Bindra, and Diane McCammon. Kristen Manuel Zucker and Jen Woodworth Sulc came to town for Di’s birthday, which was a swanky rooftop affair, with photos I hope do not make it to Facebook.” Laura can be reached at laurabuchwald@earthlink.net.

In early summer, Mike Curi and his wife, Lisa, moved with their three boys—Emile, 5, Kiefer, 3, and Adib, 1—from Annapolis, Md., to Maplewood, N.J. Mike has a new position as chief of vascular surgery at New Jersey Medical School in Newark. “We are happy to be returning to New Jersey to be closer to family,” says Mike, “and to reconnect with many other ’Pards who live in the area.” Mike adds that already reconnected with Jason ’91 and Tracy Guttierrez Sigalos, who also live in Maplewood, during the summer’s Maplewoodstock festivities.

Pete Abitano sent a brief note about meeting with Rob Slaght in late July in Long Beach Island, N.J. Rob was visiting from Colorado with his family. “The two of us got together at a local pub and laughed about some old stories,” says Pete. “While some of the details are fuzzy, it reminded both of us how much fun we had in those four short years.”

Hongyi Yin writes that during the past year he translated papers and essays from respected American sources including NPR, The Heritage Foundation, The Rand Corporation, The Wall Street Journal, Time, and WhiteHouse.gov. He notes that America’s leadership in information flow and idea creation stands in stark contrast with the rest of the world, something Americans take for granted. Changes in his life include work on a master’s in finance through McCann University and a new-found faith. “I was converted to Tibetan Buddhism one or two years ago in Beijing,” he states. “I went through it happily.”

Las Vegas was the setting for a mini reunion and 40th birthday celebration for ’Pards Tara Fleming Albaum, Stacey Miller Liebowitz, Yuki Itoh Haynes, Kelly Hall Wilke, Meredith Renk Marks, Lori Pisano Gilbert, Christine Emerson Frees, Becky Kinal, and your faithful class correspondent, Rachel Gordon Skrzypczak. Caesars Palace, The Garden of the Gods cabanas, numerous restaurants, hot clubs, relaxing spa treatments, and Daytime Emmy Award winners—it was all part of the fun of our long weekend away. We didn’t sleep, but we laughed a lot. What a way to celebrate 40.

May you all have wonderful 40th (and other) birthdays this year, fellow classmates!

1993

Stan G. Horowitz
342 E. 67th St., Unit 3E
New York, NY 10065-6239
stan4105@gmail.com

President: Alexis J. Belladonna
Fund Managers: Monica Morgan Levy, Ryan E. Schedler
Reunion Chair: Mark Suffredini

Does it seem like it has been a long time? Well, it has been. Somewhere, I missed a deadline (maybe two?), so there was little to read in this particular part of Class Notes. Well, now there is more to report than before, but still not a lot. If you are reading this, take a moment, type me a quick email, send me a picture, and find time to reconnect with some friend that has not yet stalked you on Facebook. While writing this article, I saw that there are 239 members of the Class of 1993 on Facebook. If 10 percent of you wrote me, this could be a more enjoyable article to write and to read.

So what can I share? Several ’Pards and I got together for cards this past summer. In attendance were Andy Burdick, Ryan Schedler, Randy Oser, Michael Kimelman, Phil Berkeley, Dino Capuano, Pete Izmirly, Greg Bazarian ’94, David Lafalce ’94, Brady D’Elia ’94, Morris Fodeman ’94, and Jeff Wylde ’95. Considering the potential, it was a well-behaved evening. Perhaps we are getting older.

This past May, Brian Kelly became a senior associate at the Southfield, Mich., law firm of Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth & Heller P.C. Prior to joining the firm, Brian was a partner at Bush Seyferth & Paige PLLC in Troy, Mich.

Robert Kole was named by Law360 one of the top 10 “Insurance Law Rising Legal Stars Under 40.” He is the group leader of the insurance and reinsurance group at Choate Hall & Stewart LLP.

Brian Hutchison ’93

Brian Hutchison ’93

Brian Hutchison is performing in the Manhattan Theatre Club world premiere of Beau Willimon’s Spirit Control with “Law & Order” and “Six Feet Under” star Jeremy Sisto plus Mia Barron and Charles Borland. It opened Oct. 26, 2010, at New York City Center.

Steve Luminati was appointed lead web project manager at the U.S. Department of Energy.

That is all that I have. Email me, call me, or find me on Facebook.

1994

Mara Weinstein Friedman
15 Rainbow Ridge Drive
Livingston, NJ 07039
(973) 994-1128
marajaye15@gmail.com

President: Wendy R. Furrer
Fund Manager: Open
Reunion Chairs: Wendy R. Furrer, Melanie Armstrong Jaenicke
Web Page Administrator: Tracey Long Berton, bertont@lafayette.edu

Greetings, everyone! I hope you enjoyed your summer. I spent my days golfing, playing tennis, and cleaning up all the junk in our house that has accumulated over the year. This seems to be an annual summer project!

Congratulations to Neelah Alpert, who married Jason Pincus May 15 at the Eden Roc Hotel in Miami Beach. I was one of the bridesmaids and cannot remember the last time I had so much fun! They actually had real, live wedding crashers who started a brawl outside the reception and left in police cars! But don’t worry; the party went on for another few hours. My husband, Paul Friedman ’92, and I partied with Kathryn Kerge like the good, old days.

Tom Kenny made headlines after he stopped a fugitive while on duty as a police officer. He also co-authored two workbooks aimed at “improving couples communication.” Check out his web site, www.thecompletereferenceguidetome.com.

Craig Kunitsky was promoted to global marketing director for MIDI Inc., a microbial identification system manufacturer in Newark, Del., which sells its products to biodefense, pharmaceutical, quality control, public health, and university laboratories. Craig and his wife, Bera, had their second child, Sierra Isabella, in December 2009.

Holly Paul ’94

Holly Paul ’94

Holly Paul has been named U.S. recruiting leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). She previously served as national sourcing operations leader for campus and experienced recruiting. She will lead the campus and experienced recruiting activities for the firm, which is among the largest employers in the U.S.

Koren Miller Kratchman sent me a quick note: “Jarrett and I took the kids—Alyson, 8, Emery, 6, and Logan, 2—to Toronto and Niagara Falls in late June. We met up with friends from Australia and had a wonderful time, despite being there during the G-20 and G-8 U.N. summits. Even with a heavy police presence due to riots, we managed to have a good time and experience Canada with the kids. To cap off our fun-filled summer, we headed to Hershey Park in late August.”

Ted Kein let me know that he and his wife, Amber Gerry Kein ’96 had a baby, Zachary Edward, March 22. They also have daughter, Noelle, 3½, who adores him. Zachary is the grandson of Donald Kein ’59.

Thomas Dunlap ’94

Thomas Dunlap ’94

Thomas Dunlap was named among the top 100 “power lawyers” in Hollywood, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Tom is a litigator for Dunlap, Grubb & Weaver, based in Washington, D.C., but achieved notoriety for filing a massive lawsuit against tens of thousands of anonymous individuals who pirated The Hurt Locker and other independent movies online. The article noted Tom’s long list of experiences and skills, including serving as a captain in the Army National Guard and as a former Virginia county prosecutor, plus knowledge of biotech companies and Fortune 500 commercial banks, and his current pursuit of an MBA.

1995

Vicki Salemi
c/o Pfenning Alumni Center
Lafayette College
Easton, PA 18042
vicki@bigapplebytes.com

President: Karen L. Hughes
Fund Manager: Meegan E. McVay
Reunion Chair: Siobhan Crann Winograd
Web Page Administrator: Vicki Salemi

The pig book. Pong. Plant Op. The Courts. Mini refrigerators. Pledge class. One Hundred Nights. Beirut. Barroom parties. All-College Day. Pardee 101. Lafayette–Lehigh. Mad Dog. March Field. When it comes to Reunion, there is something downright spectacular about words unheard in a long time, classmates you have not seen in just as long, and that special institution nestled on College Hill.

Enter Reunion Weekend! How impressive is this? Steve Ripic traveled from California, Asela “Zilla” Gunawardana from Seattle, and Priscilla Gabilondo Selembo from Charlotte. How fantastic that you all made the long-distance trip. The DGs, Pi Phis, DKEs and engineering majors rocked it with their solid attendance. Thanks to Siobhan Crann Winograd, our class reunion chair, whose devotion to planning really paid off.

Suffice it to say, revelers seemed to enjoy each other’s company, whether it was chatting on the steps of Farinon College Center after our class photo or dancing (um, check that—technically, we were spinning) on the Quad to the tunes of Lady Gaga and oldies like “December 1963 (Oh, What A Night)” by The Four Seasons. So much fun! As we nestled into our tiny dorm rooms (and I do mean tiny—seriously, how did we ever live like that?) on second floor McKeen Hall, Jen Unterberger and I reminisced about our RA and weekly floor meetings in the lounge during our first year. She mentioned it has not been 15 years since we stepped foot in that dorm; technically, it has been 19. Yikes! By the way, McKeen was air-conditioned. Speaking of dorm living, in good, ol’-fashioned form, the fire alarm blared at 9 a.m. on Sunday morning. Ah, memories.

Random classmate’s quote overheard at dinner on Saturday night: “They’re selling ping pong balls at Wawa!”

It was great chatting with Evan and Michelle Weinberg Zuckerman and meeting their two adorable daughters, the elder of whom told me she is “6 and ¾ years old.” Kudos to my sorority sister Heather Martis Hilfiker for carrying our class banner in the parade. It was terrific catching up with Heather and her husband, David ’94, and meeting their three cute kids, with their sons being Phillies fans and their daughter liking the Red Sox. Props to the Zuckermans and Hilfikers, who came up for the day on Saturday, which just goes to show that Reunion is not all or nothing; you can still manage to get your LC fix for a day and see whom you run into on the Quad.

Deb Zulick O’Donnell has two year-old twins, a girl and a boy, and lives in Pennsylvania with her family. We had a nice convo on the Quad, which illustrates why Reunion is the crown jewel of alumni events. Though we may never have crossed paths on campus, it is never too late to meet cool classmates, as we swapped funny stories from our first year. Somehow, the virtue of being on campus makes memories resurface and come to life. In a solemn moment on the Quad, a few of us acknowledged a classmate no longer with us, David “Shaggy” DeWolf. We would be remiss by not remembering Daniel Boone as well. May they both rest in peace.

Sitting across from Scott Harris and Zilla during dinner in Kamine Gymnasium (yep, a new gym built a few years ago, since Alumni Memorial Gymnasium has a new name, Oechsle Hall, and now houses the psychology department) and amidst the cheers and howls from Class of ’05ers during their giant game of flip cup, I recalled their column from senior year in The Lafayette: “Skippy and Zilla’s Gripe of the Week.” Some of the gripes they reminisced ranting about: the biology department not allowing students to have a double major and the debate over reducing the course load from five courses each semester to four.

Another classmate overheard at dinner: “Guys, I just found the vodka in the house. It’s in the watermelon.”

In case you ditched the notion of attending a class reunion because none of your friends were going and you didn’t see the point, just think, in five years you will have an opportunity to make up for lost time. Seriously! Case in point: Our postreunion chats on Facebook trying to figure out who set off the fire alarm were priceless, as were creating new memories, such as spontaneously hitching a ride to the Quad by minivan. (When else would you be able to do that? Thanks to Brian Waerig ’94, who made a cameo at Reunion and snapped a pic of us from the shotgun seat to capture the moment; I think eight or nine of us were packed in there.) It felt like a combination of our first orientation and senior week, only 15 years later. Good times!

J. Bayard Smith submitted an update that he remains in contact with his fraternity brothers, who were fully accounted for at our reunion, as was Bayard: Scott Harris, Zilla, Dave Kiefer, and Matt Stauffer. Bayard continues to serve in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. “I am currently a major and attending the Command and General Staff College so I can be promoted to lieutenant colonel.”

Priscilla Gabilondo Selembo sent a note after our reunion with her wonderful updates: “Finished my chemical engineering Ph.D. in November 2009. Four wonderful and super-energetic kids and a supportive husband. Starting a couple of companies, one in engineering consulting and research, collaborating with the University of North Carolina, and another in real estate. Also, working as a realtor with licenses in North Carolina and South Carolina, so if anyone is ready to buy that fabulous beach house, contact me! We live in Charlotte, N.C., but love to travel—going to Peru for three weeks with a side trip to the Galapagos Islands.”

Deb Campbell Ryan sent a note that she lives in Arlington, Va., with her husband, Sam, and two daughters. Molly turned 3 this September, and Catherine will celebrate her first birthday this December.

Switching gears to non-Reunion talk, Lafayette is on Twitter! Follow @LafCol. If you are not a tweeple, no worries; feel free to check www.twitter.com/LafCol periodically. For instance, they tweeted highlights in real time from Joan Lunden’s inspirational commencement speech. Truth be told, I tweeted a little bit during Reunion, as did a Class of ’05 alum, since we were both psyched to be back on College Hill. The hashtag was #LafReun. Twitter is fab for networking; sharing interesting articles, blogs, and videos from the web; getting breaking news by trending topics before they hit mainstream; and connecting with ’Pards. (FYI, most of the twitterers whom @LafCol follows are ’Pards.) One incoming student tweeted me over the summer and was lukewarm about living in Ruef Hall; South College was her first choice. Awww.

On a personal note, it was fantastic celebrating with friends and fellow ’Pards at my book launch party in June: Alison Shipitofsky ’96, Jeff Wylde, Melissa Ehmann, Tinabeth Pina ’93, Carrie Pasternak ’08, Rachel Nelson Moeller ’88, Ed McNally ’65, and Kamaka Martin ’04. Thank you for being part of my special night! Also, kudos to a few ’Pards who sent me a note and caught the Lafayette subliminal message in my book trailer on my YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/user/vickisalemi.

In closing, despite losing contact with each other over the years as lives forge ahead on divergent paths and time zones, I have to say how impressive it was to witness the close bonds of friendship and camaraderie between Scott Harris and his lifelong pals from DKE. After I acknowledged it, he proclaimed, “At our 45th reunion, I’ll start planning to make sure we are in the same nursing home.”

On that note, signing off now. Stay well, and see you in the next column!

1996

Alison Shipitofsky
1500 Hudson St., Apt. 6-S
Hoboken, NJ 07030
alison_shipitofsky@yahoo.com

President: Thomas A. DiGiovanni
Fund Managers: Lynne A. Cavanaugh, Rawle G. Howard
Reunion Chair: Stephen H. Konya
Web Page Administrator: Audrey Twyman Langan, alangan2007@gmail.com

Welcome back to Page ’96! As this column is my personal tribute to the Page Six of The New York Post, it is about time that we have our own Sightings section. Only here is the twist, I was sighted, by Class of ’96ers…. While walking on the Upper East Side one night, I heard, “Alison?” However, it wasn’t any old “Alison” in a male tone of voice, but with an accent, like the World Cup Champions. I turn, and lo and behold, there was Ignacio Fente! Ignacio and I exchanged big holas and hugs and caught up right next to a fruit dealer. Ignacio is doing well. He and wife Celicia have three beautiful children. It was so nice to catch up with an old friend and reconnect. I was next sighted while walking through Bryant Park and I heard, “Alison,” and I turn around and OMG—Jon Shields! We exchanged big hugs, and while I would have chatted, I was running late, so it was more like a hit and run. I can confirm, though, that Jon has not changed; he looks the same—same smile—and it was great to see him. So, like the signs on the subway that say “If you see something say, something;” if you see me, say something.

Let the updates begin…

Jeff Wasserman, wife Sara, and son Chase welcomed Jolie Isabel Feb. 8. Jolie is sweet and easy (which we hope will stay that way), and Chase is a loving and great big brother.

Jen Kaas MacMurray and husband Joel welcomed their first child, Austin John, May 14 at midnight. They live in Allentown, Pa., and in August, Jen will be returning to work part time as a site/civil engineer at Pennoni Associates Inc., located in Bethlehem, Pa., where she has worked for the past seven years.

Susan Garille Higgins welcomed Alice Elsie June 1. Alice joins big sister Vivian, 4, and big brother Leo, 2.

Audrey Twyman Langan and husband Ryan moved to Dallas at the end of July for his job with GE Capital. Any alumni chapter members or Class of ’96 people out there, please connect with Audrey!

Beth Nelson ’96

Beth Nelson ’96

Beth Nelson has been named associate vice president for development and alumni affairs at Lafayette.

Christie Lukens Schofield and family are in Seattle. Their elder daughter, Emma, is in first grade this fall. Christie writes that their younger daughter, Maddie, is only 3, but she acts like she is 6 too. Christie works part time as a social worker at the county trauma hospital; 11 years there and she still loves it. She writes that her family still does all things Seattle. For instance, she uses Microsoft software to update their camping packing list so that they remember everything they will need when it is time to stuff their top Rocket Box for the annual camping trip to Deception Pass, where they will wear fleece. How Seattle is that?

Thank you to all who sent their updates.

1997

Shannon Gregg Agin
325 Lafayette St., Apt. 6
New York, NY 10012
shannonlagin@yahoo.com

President: Kimberly A. Leary
Fund Manager: Timothy E. Herburger
Reunion Chair: Michele Kaplan McMillan
Web Page Administrator: Shannon Gregg Agin

Hey, ’Pards! Did you know…

Timothy Dwenger married Lindsay Bollwahn Sept. 26, 2009, at The Boulder Theater in Boulder, Colo. Fellow alumni Eric Adler, Randy Ahn, Wes Lobo, Brian Kline, Brendan Gill, Elida Nosenzo, Jay Tollen, Ryan Thompson ’98, and Adam Levien ’98 and attended. Tim is the director of program management with Source One Distributors, where he writes proposals, responds to government requests for proposals, and does some sales and marketing work. He also is a freelance music journalist for a local magazine and several web publications. Lindsay is a social worker for children from birth to 3 years old who have developmental disabilities. The happy couple lives in Denver.

Tara Feehan O’Mahony and her husband, Brian, welcomed their daughter, Maeve Eileen Nov. 20, 2009. Maeve was 6 pounds, 12 ounces, and 21 inches long at birth. She is the first grandchild on both sides of the family and has already logged many airline miles flying from her home in Tulsa, Okla., to New York and Ireland to visit her grandparents, aunts, and uncle.

Ian Murray was back on campus April 28 as the senior class speaker at Colton Chapel. Ian graduated with an English degree and began working on Madison Avenue in New York City for a public relations firm. In 1998, he decided to invest in a new line of business and is currently the CEO and co-founder of Vineyard Vines, a successful retail clothing brand known for men’s ties. Those who attended his speech received free Vineyard Vines hats customized for Lafayette. In 2005, Ian and his brother/co-founder, Shep Murray, hosted a talk, “Entrepreneurship and the Fashion Industry,” for the CIRCLE Entrepreneurship Series in Oechsle Hall.

Joanna Scholl ’97

Joanna Scholl ’97

Joanna Scholl, who oversees the marketing campaigns for HBO miniseries, films, and documentaries, was named the 2010 recipient of the Andrew Heiskell Community Service Award for her work with the Orphaned Starfish Foundation (OSF). This annual award recognizes Time Warner employees who have made exceptional contributions to public service, chosen from among Time Warner’s 31,000 employees worldwide. Joanna serves as  OSF’s director of development, public relations officer, and board member. Her efforts help bring in 85–90 percent of OSF’s annual budget, and her responsibilities include oversight of OSF’s annual fund-raising gala in October. She was honored and accepted her award at a ceremony at the Time Warner Center in New York City June 8. Jeff Bewkes, chair and CEO of Time Warner, presided over the ceremony, which was attended by CEOs and executives from many divisions.

Dana Goodman married Joshua Fisher over the summer, a happy occasion that the couple celebrated in three ways. First, Dana and Josh were officially married June 18 at City Hall in New York City. Then, their first reception was held June 26 at the Half Moon Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Sharon Grossman Herzog attended that celebration. Finally, Dana and Josh hosted a second reception Aug. 7 at LANDMARC in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Dana is a producer for ABC’s The View, where she has worked for 14 years. Josh is a consultant for Booz & Company.

Seth Brogadir married Dorinda Lee July 31 in Las Cruces, N.M. The ceremony and reception were held at New Mexico Farm and Ranch Museum. I was there, along with Lisa Kelsey Pisano, BethAnn Donofrio Coombs, Adria Lazur Kinnier, Matt Bartlett and wife Rose, and Greg Domber, wife Mira, and their little girl, Tillie. It was a wonderful reunion weekend for us! We were so happy to celebrate Seth and Dorie and enjoy the desert landscape and local cuisine together.

Lisa Hurwitch Raftery and her husband, Dave, have two little girls, Abigail, 4, and Audrey, 1. They live in Wayland, Mass., which means they are close enough to the Cape to enjoy many summer weekends there. Lisa has worked at Meditech, a medical software company, for the past seven years.

That is all the news for now. Congrats to all on all!

1998

Maureen Rafferty Hopper
3424 Wabash St.
Denver, CO 80238
maureen_rafferty@yahoo.com

President: David A. Cheney
Fund Manager: Jonathan S. Ellis
Reunion Chair: Nicole Magnant Morrissey
Web Page Administrator: Maureen Rafferty Hopper

Hey, everyone! I hope this column finds you well. With a bit of regret I report that this will be my last column as your class correspondent. After five years of writing the column, I have decided that it is time to pass the torch. I enjoyed both hearing from you all and gathering the news for our class. Thanks for your great updates over the years, and please continue to keep our class posted on the events of your lives!

I have had a fantastic, busy 2010, so far. My husband, Merritt, and I had a great time in Vancouver at the Winter Olympics in February. I was excited to meet up with Pat and Ashley White Ryan. They enjoyed the Games with their friends and their 4-year-old twins, Lily and Liam. In April, we celebrated our son Ian’s first birthday. His fun “boy energy” keeps us entertained constantly and on our toes. We spent time in spring and summer traveling to both the East and West coasts to visit family. After gearing up for the school year at my new job, I now teach second grade at a school in my neighborhood. I am excited that my daily commute dropped from 70 miles to two!

I recently ran into Tim Thornton, who just moved into my neighborhood. He and his wife, Genefer, had their second child, Lauren Elizabeth, in March. They then relocated from DC to Denver to be closer to their families. Both made career transitions in the process: Genefer is now a civilian in the Air Force, and Tim works as a housing economist for the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Many other classmates added little ones to their families as well! Amman and Lindsay Laird Pope welcomed Reese Isabella April 2, weighing in at a whopping 8 pounds, 4 ounces. She joins big sister Riley, who could not be more excited. Rick Eagles and his wife, Marielle, welcomed their third child May 16, Adam Joseph. They are doing well, and Rick reports that they enjoyed moving from “man-to-man to zone defense” as a family. Jason Charles and his wife, Jaci, welcomed their first child June 17, Devin Jude. He was 7 pound, 9 ounces. They live just outside of Philly, where they often see Ali Milliken Conlon and Kirsten Blakeman MacFarland. Ali and her husband, Denis, had their second baby, Tosh, May 28. Kirsten and her husband, Jeff, had their second baby, Anna, December 2009. Karin Savitsky FitzGerald and husband Adam welcomed their second son, Parker John, May 26. Parker joins big brother Ryan, 3. The family is doing well. Heather de Vries Jordan and her husband, Sherman, welcomed their first daughter, Paige Isabella, June 16. She weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces. They live in Washington, D.C. Tim Farmer and his wife, Laura, celebrated the birth of their first daughter, Vivienne Lynne, May 22. She was born 7 pounds, ½ ounce, 20¼ inches long, and with a full head of blonde hair. Tim and Laura love parenthood and all the smiles Vivie gives them! Heidi Kozic had a baby boy, Asher, in September 2009. She absolutely loves being a mom! Heidi and her husband, Matthew, who is a hand surgeon, both continue to work in Delaware but moved their family to Kennett Square, Pa. Yolanda Wisher Palacio gave birth to a little boy, Thelonious, Sept. 29, 2009. Yolanda is an English teacher at Germantown Friends School.

Nathan and Karen Ohsiek Beyeler live in Ireland and were expecting their fourth child in September. Their three little boys—Luke, 6, and Timothy and Jonathan, 4—are ecstatic about having a little sibling. The Beyelers vacationed in America and enjoyed seeing family and friends, while eating tons of pizza, bagels, ice cream, and snacks unavailable in Ireland. Once back home, they readied their home for the new baby and enjoyed the fall-like weather with zero humidity.

Kristen Janiak married Denis Goggin from County Kerry, Ireland, July 25. The wedding took place in Cape Cod, Mass., which was a great meeting place for family and friends from all over the world. Alumni in attendance included Bob and Jenny Pazymino Davis, Heather Thompson Votava, Amanda Martin Sheehan, Gavin and Lauren Howe Cuneo, Cory Taylor McKee, Jim and Maureen McLoughlin Levelis, Laurie Simes, Sean ’97 and Anne Scheetz ’97 Damon, Brian McKeon ’97, and Greg Koskinas ’00. Denis and Kristen will continue to reside in San Francisco.

Lauren Caruso married Shawn Barnes June 26 at Bonnet Island on Long Beach Island, N.J. The wedding party included her sister and maid of honor, Kristen Caruso ’02, and bridesmaids Susan O’Leary Sundahl and Erin O’Connell Miller. Wedding guests included Kate VanGulik Stewart, Meghan Schuster Madeira, Michelle Fels Walasavage, and their spouses. Shawn and Lauren live in Mount Laurel, N.J.

ohn Barry '98

ohn Barry '98

John Barry married Michele Rupert in April. They live in Honolulu. John works at Hawaii Pacific University as the sports information director. He was selected as the inaugural Pacific West Conference Sports Information Director of the Year, given for professionalism and passion for the sports information field.

Fletch Thomson ’98

Fletch Thomson ’98

Fletch Thomson enjoys practicing law. In May, he won a $50.5 million trade secrets judgment, the largest jury verdict in Connecticut history. More recently, Fletch was named a “2010 New England Rising Star,” a peer-nominated distinction limited to 2½ percent of young lawyers practicing in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Brooke Hanna Irving and her husband, Scott, live in Ngunguru, New Zealand, about 2½ hours north of Auckland on the coast. Jaime Lovejoy Resmini remains in San Francisco with her husband, Eros, and 2-year-old son, Lucca. The family bought a fixer-upper last December and is busy on what seems like endless projects, but they enjoy the process. Jaime and Eros also are preparing for the birth of their second son this December. Finally, John Waldie got engaged to Sarah Dworak on Memorial Day.

Congratulations to everyone on their milestones and achievements. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. Take care!

1999

Pamela Perez
11660 Church St., Apt. 65
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
pamelaperez99@alumi.lafayette.edu

President: Amanda Alpert Knight
Fund Manager: Amanda Alpert Knight
Reunion Chairs: Taryn Boland, Megan Sweeney Waite
Web Page Administrators: Adriana Franceschini Casey, Jennifer Padgett Ferrie

1990s Photo Gallery