connections
daughter Erica is a sophomore at UC Davis majoring in bio systems engineering and playing D-1 lacrosse. Robin keeps in touch with Shelley Clark Ott ’79 and Lynne Atkinson Florian ’79 and is on Facebook with Edie Peach Mauser ’80 and many others. Robin says, “We need to get the Best Dorm crew together in 2016, as there are several of us who live in CT.” Sue Copeland Taylor ’84 (2nd from left) with her daughter Jesse (far left), daughter Sam (2nd from right) and husband Mike (far right).
volunteering for the National MS Society, Forever Morgans and the Museum of New Art–Portsmouth. Her passion is riding and showing her Morgan mare, Gracie. Last year, the 2 were Reserve World Champions. Carla keeps in touch with Ann Venie Fitzgerald, Sareen Sarna, Janet Mahon Vinzce ’78 MT, Margaret Murphy Crossen ’78, Sue Eilertson Haber ’78 and Karen Wessel Cohen ’80. Karen Hill Maloney and her oldest daughter, Lauren, own a gym on the water on LI. Karen has 3 other children, Breanna, Ryan and Maclain, who love snowmobiling and quad riding at their homes in Wilmot and Sutton, NH.
1981
PAMELA AIGELTINGER LYONS pamalyons@verizon.net Stephanie Clarke lives in Woodbury, CT. She is still involved in the horse world but has taken it to the backyard, recently purchasing 27 acres. She is refurbishing a 1760 cape and building a barn. She hopes to do a little antiques business, as well as a layup and rehabilitation center for horses. Robin Mohn Ely has been married for 26 years and moved to Ridgefield, CT, from NJ years ago. She worked on Wall Street for 25 years as an institutional equity sales trader and is currently a financial adviser with Merrill Lynch in Ridgefield. Robin is active with her local regional hospice and is involved with the Girl Scouts of CT. Her
68 colby-sawyer magazine
1982
SUSAN HOLDERNESS CUSACK sehchoy@aol.com As the foliage peaked in New London, the scenery was especially beautiful for the Alumni Fall Festival weekend. On Oct. 17, my husband, Noel, and I, Susan Holderness Cusack, attended the Saturday Night Social in Ware Student Center. It consisted of music presented by two DJs, dancing under disco lights, a fabulous dessert buffet and a full bar. As the hour got late, there was stiff competition on the dance floor with one large alumni group performing an impressive, enthusiastic, interactive reenactment of Meatloaf’s “Paradise by the Dashboard Lights.” We especially liked it when the students and dining and catering staff joined us. Earlier that evening, we attended a concert of the Timbre Drums Ensemble, an interactive event of African and Afro-Cuban drumming, song and dance led by Grace Grasmere Schust ’83 and her daughter Lindsey. Grace and her family make African-style hardwood drums, ashikos and djun-djuns. Grace has studied African percussion since 1983 and now teaches drumming. You may remember Grace from the Studio Art Department. She continues to make art and especially enjoys drawing and painting. It was fun catching up with her!
CLASS OF 1981 COME BACK FOR YOUR 35TH REUNION OCT. 14–16!
1984
DIANE PLACE STATKUS d.statkus@comcast.net Michelle Dulany-Spidle wrote, “For the past 20 years I have been in Montessori education. Founded a private Montessori school in Bath, ME, where I administrated and taught from 1999 to 2007. Moved back to Central FL and founded a new Montessori school in 2007, where I have also been teaching children and leading the school. After CSC, I received my M.Ed., K-12 Administration. Concurrently, I have written a proposal for and founded a public Montessori Charter School for K-8, and I have one year to go before I graduate with a doctoral degree in education. My retirement plan is to teach early childhood education courses at a college. I’ve been busy! I have 3 grown children and 5 grandchildren! I live in Winter Garden with my 2 charming standard poodles.” Barbara Woodbury Marzelli ’85 sees best friend Margaret Coulter regularly. Barbara writes, “We never really strayed too far from CSC and the community…I am doing well in Newbury, NH, married with 2 children. Our oldest had a heart transplant just over a year ago. It’s been an 18-year roller coaster ride. He’s doing well, and we are working hard as a family to find our balance.” About 4 years ago, Margaret Coulter started the nonprofit Road To Independence on a farm in Goshen, NH. They offer a nonriding equine-assisted learning program and a farm-based learning program for individuals who are differently abled. She writes, “We are one of a very few programs who work with donkeys in an equine-assisted program. We started and maintain a garden and run a booth at the weekly Newport Farmer’s Market and bring our veggies and donkeys there. In addition to working on a variety of farm projects, we participate in a number of area parades with the donkeys and compete in a few donkey shows. We also take our donkeys visiting to 2 memory-care residences and an adult day program. Currently we are an all-volunteer, part-time pro-
gram and I write numerous grants to maintain our funding. It is wonderful to have the support of Barbara Marzelli ’85, who is a board member and an enthusiastic volunteer. I invite all to visit our Facebook page and look under Road To Independence to learn more.” In Jan. 2002, Marion Quinn McElwee and her husband, Brian, founded the company easyBackgrounds, a provider of background screening services. Quinny writes, “We are based out of Newfields, NH, and have 25 employees. Our business is internet-based and our background checks are done nationwide. As far as family, Brooke is 26 and Jack is 22; he will graduate in May from Roanoke College in VA. Brooke is a photographer and a world traveler. Brian and I have been married 29 years and have lived in Newfields for 17.” Amye Jarnes Newhall is an instructional designer for Fidelity Investments. She lives in Marblehead, MA, with her husband, W.F. Their daughter, Piper, is a freshman at the U of DE. Sue Copeland Taylor says, “I’ve been married to my husband, Mike, for 25 years, and we have lived in Essex, MA for 23 of them. We have 2 daughters: Jesse, who graduated from George Mason U, is 22 and lives in Arlington, VA; Sam, 20, is a sophomore at UCLA. After being a stay-athome mom and sports coach for 15 years, I have been working for the past 4 as the water/sewer billing clerk for the town of Manchesterby-the-Sea. We love to spend time on our boat going to the back side of Crane Beach. Some things never change!” Frances “Cammie” Pur-
Amye James Newhall ’84 with her family.