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PERMIT #375 Nashua NH
D a n a
DANA HALL SCHOOL 45 Dana Road / P.O. Box 9010 Wellesley, MA 02482-9010
Non-Profit Org. US POSTAGE
B u l l e t i n
Director’s Bowl winner Aluna Herrera ’22 and outgoing Director of Middle School Caroline MacNichol
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The Class of 2022 gained a new title on June 8: Upper School students. At the annual Middle School Moving-Up Ceremony, members of the 8th grade reminisced about their years as Middle Schoolers, with many reading a reflection during the event. At her final Moving-Up Ceremony, Director of Middle School Caroline MacNichol presented the Director’s Bowl to Aluna Herrera ’22. MacNichol, who has served as the Director of Middle School since 2006, announced her semi-retirement plans in November 2017. “Caroline’s dedication to the school and her special passion for the education of middle school girls is renowned,” said Head of School Katherine Bradley. ”She has deftly helped hundreds of girls and their families navigate the sometimes tricky middle school years.” MacNichol will relocate to Kennebunk, Maine, where she will be near her daughter.
S U M M E R
Moving Up to the Upper School, Moving On from Dana Hall
Dana Bulletin SUMMER 2018
A Closer Look AISNE Middle School Students of Color Conference
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On Saturday, February 10, Dana Hall hosted the AISNE Middle School Students of Color Conference, where 289 attendees from 29 independent schools spent a day getting inspired by keynote speakers, workshop sessions and networking with fellow Middle School students and educators from across New England. Middle School Social Studies Teacher and Coordinator of Multicultural Affairs Sarah Martin led the event planning, which began in September 2017. “It did take a village,” Martin said. “Thanks to Carol-Ann Mcintosh from AISNE, Caroline MacNichol [director of Middle School], Holly Congdon [executive assistant to the Head of School] and Tamara Nikuradse [5th grade teacher], we were able to plan and implement this exciting conference that had many moving parts.” Many Dana Hall faculty members, students, parents and alumnae led workshop sessions, which ranged from making fairy tales come to life in the Makerspace, to using dance to reflect personal testimonies, to a celebration of the Chinese New Year complete with dumpling cooking and eating.
ON THIS PAGE: Well known on today’s Dana Hall sidelines, the Dana Dragon has come a long way since its debut in 1990. Learn more about the history of the beloved school mascot on page 24. ON THE COVER: Samantha Diaz ’18 and C.C. Dent ’18 show off their new diplomas at Dana Hall’s 137th commencement exercises. See more from commencement on page 28.
The Dana Bulletin is published twice a year by Dana Hall School. Notification of change of address may be sent to:
EDITORIAL BOARD
DESIGN
Katherine L. Bradley Head of School
Studio A Design www.studioadesign.com
Dana Hall School Advancement Office 45 Dana Road, P.O. Box 9010 Wellesley, MA 02482-9010
Liza Cohen Director of Communications
PHOTOGRAPHY
Julie Gray P07, 10 Director of Advancement
John Gillooly jgillooly.smugmug.com
Nia Jacobs Academic Dean
Adam Richins www.adamrichins.com
Jessica Keimowitz Director of Upper School
Andy Weigl www.weiglphotography.com
Molly Kentala Assistant Director of Communications
PRINTING
Caroline MacNichol Director of Middle School
Puritan Capital Hollis, N.H.
Dana Hall School does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national or ethnic origin, or sexual orientation in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
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1. S . Esposito ’25 (center) asks a question during Director of Upper School Jessica Keimowitz’s session, “I Am From: An Exploration of Background and Identity through Poetry.”
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2. S tudents brought their favorite fairy tale to life in the Makerspace with help from Upper School Math and Computer Science Teacher Anita Lavakumar (far right) and Engineering and Computer Science Department Head Pat Townsend (back, center). 3. C andace Taylor ’09, Ariann Williams ’08 and Alena Horton ’09 led workshops. 4. D . Nwachukwu ’18, B. Jenkins ’18, M. Darville ’20, B. Smith ’19 and C. Cadasse ’18 co-led a discussion on diversity, equity and inclusion in independent schools.
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5. U pper School Mandarin Teacher Shujun Xiang shared the art of dumpling making. 6. Alejandra Baez ’12 and Alena Horton ’09 led workshops. 7. Alejandra Baez ’12 led a session on international diplomacy. 8. C andace Taylor ’09 showed students how to use dance to honor and share the lives they have lived.
Robert Mather P24 Assistant Head of School Heather Glavin Yetman ’06 Director of Alumnae Relations
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9. D avid Coleman, director of Choral Music, talked with students about taking inspiration from comic books and music to change the world in bigger and more effective ways.
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Table of Contents A Message from Head of School Katherine L. Bradley....................... 2 Class of 2018 College Matriculation List................................................ 3 Bulletin Board............................................................................................ 4
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Class Day.................................................................................................... 19 Blue and White Night.............................................................................. 20 Choosing Joy Remarks from Rinehart Chair Honoree Heather Panahi......................... 22 Dragon Tales: A Brief History of the Dana Dragon As Told By Those Who Know It Best.................................................... 24 Meet the Class of 2018: An Open Letter to Our Alma Mater By Melissa Klein ’18, Class Historian..................................................... 27
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Dana Bulletin SUMMER 2018 | volume 80, number 2
Commencement 2018............................................................................... 28 Reunion Weekend..................................................................................... 32 Distinguished Alumna Award: Nina Garcia ’83.................................. 36 Distinguished Young Alumna Award: Elizabeth Hylton ’03............. 37 Distinguished Service Award: Julia Sawabini ’73................................. 38 Events and Receptions.............................................................................. 39 Class Notes................................................................................................. 43 In Memoriam............................................................................................. 68
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A Message from
Head of School Katherine L. Bradley F
or much of Dana Hall’s history, the Upper School was primarily a boarding school that a few day students attended. Over the past few decades, however, the Upper School has evolved, and now day students outnumber boarders, yet the dorms remain warm, nurturing places where girls develop deep and long-standing friendships.
Heading into my second year at Dana, I created the Head’s Council for Boarding and Day Life, with the goal of helping boarding and day students strengthen their friendships and understand each other’s experiences. It consisted of seniors, some of whom boarded since at least 10th grade, and others who boarded for their senior year only. We met at every Community Dinner and then convened at Grove House after dinner for further discussion. Our conversations were enlightening and action-oriented. We discussed having activities in the fall for 9th graders that are designed to connect all students, offering more weekend activities that might bring day students back to campus, offering Friday evening events that day students might want to stay for, having day students affiliate with particular dorms and encouraging day students to invite boarders to do things on the weekend. Members of the Head’s Council spearheaded a student thank you note campaign for staff members. Our work continues, as we are retooling communications around weekend activities, which present amazing opportunities for all of our Upper School students to explore the vast cultural gifts that Boston and New England have to offer. I am grateful for my time with the members of the inaugural Head’s Council, and I learned a great deal from them. Their commitment to making their school and — by extension — their world a better place keeps in character with the rest of the Class of 2018. This group of talented, thoughtful, strong, confident young women is ready to take on the world. In this Bulletin, we celebrate them and the rest of our students and faculty who found success, on both a large and small scale, in the 2017-18 school year. We also honor several of our alumnae who are already making an impact and serving as shining examples for the newest members of their special community. As we turn our attention to another new school year, we have much to applaud and many reasons to be proud. F Head of School Katherine Bradley pins a flower crown on Christina Blake ’18.
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Class of 2018 College Matriculation List
University at Albany, SUNY
Emmanuel College
University of Arizona
Emory University
Arizona State University
Georgetown University
Barnard College
George Washington University (3)
Bentley University
Grinnell College
Boston College
Hamilton College (2)
Boston University (3)
Haverford College
Brandeis University
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Brescia University
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
University of British Columbia Brown University Bucknell University (2) University of California, San Diego Case Western Reserve University Clemson University Colby College Colgate University (2) Dartmouth College Dickinson College University of Edinburgh Elon University (2)
Parsons Schools of Design at The New School University of Pennsylvania University of Richmond Rochester Institute of Technology Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Scripps College Southern Methodist University (3) St. John’s University (Queens) St. Lawrence University
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Stony Brook University
King’s College London
Syracuse University
Lehigh University
Texas Christian University
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Trinity College
University of Massachusetts, Lowell
Tulane University
University of Miami
Vanderbilt University (2)
New York University (3)
University of Virginia (4)
Northeastern University (3)
Wake Forest University
Northwestern University
Washington University in St. Louis
Oberlin College
Wheaton College
Ohio Wesleyan University
College of Wooster
Summer 2018
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ACTIONS + ACHIEVEMENTS STAY UP-TO-DATE ON THE LATEST DANA HALL NEWS AND EVENTS: visit www.danahall.org Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/DanaHallSchool Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @DanaHallSchool
DANA STUDENTS ON THE MOVE Both Middle School and Upper School students traveled near and far this spring. During the School’s Spring Break in March, a group of 43 students and seven chaperones traveled to South Africa for 12 days. Social Studies teacher Heather Panahi led the trip, which included a visit to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, time spent with sister school students at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG), and volunteering at the Kliptown Youth Project, among many other stops. Also over Spring Break, Arianna Stetson ’19, Sophia Shaikh ’19, Julia Burke ’20 and Grace Kosowsky ’20 left for their two-week exchange program at Colegio Sansueña in Zaragoza, Spain. In April, the 7th grade traveled to Philadelphia and visited the National Liberty Museum and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, while the 8th grade took on New York City and toured the United Nations and the Museum of Jewish Heritage. 4
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1. Students heading off to Spain for a two-week exchange program 2. Dana Hall and OWLAG students 3. The 7th grade at Independence National Historical Park 4. At the Museum of Jewish Heritage, the 8th grade met Rene Slotkin, a Holocaust survivor who had been imprisoned at Auschwitz concentration camp.
FRAMINGHAM MAYOR SPEAKS AT STEM X-BLOCK On February 26, Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer visited Dana Hall to speak at the STEM X-Block, an annual assembly dedicated to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math themes. Mayor Spicer, who urged Dana students to “never be afraid to learn something new,” shared a story about her 7-year-old self. She wanted to know more about how a blender worked, so she used a screwdriver to take it apart but was not able to reassemble it. “Never be afraid to challenge yourself,” she said. Mayor Spicer added, “Be open and receptive, and have courage to step outside of your comfort zone.” Mia Housman ’22 and Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer Top: Kelly McGucken ’19’s Gold Key winning photo, Submerged Bottom: Grace Wang ’19’s Gold Key winning photo, Green Tiles
SCHOLASTIC ARTS Nineteen Dana Hall students stood out from thousands of entries in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards program, the longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in the United States. The students received awards and honorable mentions in a number of categories, including photography, drawing, printmaking, sculpture and mixed media. GOLD KEY
• Kelly McGucken ’19, Photography • Grace Wang ’19, Photography (four awards)
SILVER KEY
• Julia Burke ’20, Photography • Saaniya Desai ’19, Photography • Carissa Dragat ’19, Photography • Lindsey Gilfeather ’20, Photography • Ida Jia ’18, Poetry (two awards), Dramatic Script • Anna Park ’18, Poetry • Julia Ran ’19, Photography • Jin (Maggie) Zhang ’18, Sculpture
HONORABLE MENTION
• Julia Burke ’20, Photography • Echo Chen ’20, Painting • Lily Foregger ’18, Photography • I da Jia ’18, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Writing Portfolio • India May ’19, Photography • Kelly McGucken ’19, Photography • Lauren Merullo ’19, Photography • Nancy Park ’20, Design • Sruti Ramaswamy ’19, Mixed Media • Kayla Terzioglu ’19, Painting •C harlene Tsai ’20, Painting, Drawing and Illustration • Grace Wang ’19, Photography • Zhihan (Stella) Wang ’18, Painting
ALUMNA RETURNS AS MLK CONVOCATION SPEAKER Pamela Martin Green ’81, president and founder of PMG Arts Management, returned to campus to speak at Dana Hall’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation, held on January 16. Green reminded students that Dr. King was “one of the greatest storytellers in modern history.” She shared how the artists she represents use their craft of dance and performance art as their means of storytelling. Pamela Martin Green ’81 with SHADES co-heads Breanna Jenkins ’18 and Brittney Smith ’19
Summer 2018
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ACTIONS + ACHIEVEMENTS (CONTINUED)
CUM LAUDE SOCIETY WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS
MODEL UN COMES TO THE MIDDLE SCHOOL On Fridays throughout Trimester II, Middle School students with an interest in learning the art of persuasive public speaking and collaborative problem solving joined the new Middle School Model UN Club (MSMUN). The club introduced basic United Nations concepts such as territorial sovereignty, domestic jurisdiction, human rights and sustainable development using well-known fairy tales and children’s stories as case studies. At one meeting, MSMUN members debated labor exploitation and slavery by asking the question: Is Willy Wonka a benevolent employer or is he exploiting/enslaving the Oompa Loompas who work at his factory?
SAVE THE DATE Family Weekend: October 26 & 27 Current families are welcomed to campus where they’ll get a taste of Dana Hall’s class schedule; enjoy an instrumental, vocal and performing arts performance in Bardwell; and cheer on the Dragons at the Homecoming games against rival Newton Country Day School — all while taking in the beautiful New England fall weather. See www.danahall.org for more details. 6
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On Monday, April 23, 18 students were formally inducted into the Cum Laude Society. This academic honor is bestowed upon students in grades 11 and 12 based on their cumulative grade point average during their sophomore, junior and senior years (weighted with advanced placement and honors courses). CLASS OF 2018
CLASS OF 2019
Ruth Baker Sofia Barros Katherine Gardner Lucy Hamann Zoe Lillis Eva Mayo Yassmeen Youssef Jin Zhang
Yunyi Cai Jillian Early Anna Ferrazzi Lindsay Hendrix Tissana Keerasuntonpong Victoria Kuntz
Kelly McGucken Abigail Niles Kayla Terzioglu Jorryn Wu
SPRING FORUM On May 3, Dana Hall hosted The Forum: A Conversation on Girls in the #MeToo Era. Panelists Mary Beth Medvide, Ph.D., visiting assistant professor at the Lynch School of Education at Boston College and a licensed psychologist at Child Therapy Boston in Westborough, Mass.; Jen Slonaker, MSW, vice president of Education and Organizational Development at the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts; and Linda M. Williams, Ph.D., senior research scientist and co-director of the Justice and Gender-Based Violence Research Initiative at the Wellesley Centers for Women, discussed ongoing societal concerns regarding the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment, and the significant awareness that is being raised throughout our culture as a result. Watch the full event and access additional resources at www.danahall.org/forumspring18.
SAVE THE DATES
YOUNG ALUMS SHARE THEIR STORIES AT SHIP DAY During Ship Day 2018, students listened to two morning panels that shared personal stories of the dangers of substance abuse, and what the Boston community is doing to help fight and prevent it. The second panel included alumnae Katie Grape ’03 and Gracie Deale ’09. Grape lost her brother in a car accident where he was the passenger of a friend of who was driving drunk. She shared how the accident ripped through her close-knit family, and continues to affect them to this day. “The biggest misconception about loss is that it goes away,” Grape said. Deale’s boyfriend passed away after falling to his death while he was under the influence of drugs. Deale talked about her boyfriend’s stellar academic record, admittance to top schools and prestigious financial job in New York City, adding “addiction doesn’t care who you are.” Every February, Dana Hall Upper School students participate in Ship Day, which is a day outside of the regular class schedule that is dedicated to exploring health and wellness issues. Gracie Deale ’09, Katie Grape ’03, Catherine Minahan ’11 (who is the Corporate Relations Manager for the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program) and John Suby, director of Athletics, Health and Wellness.
Amor Caritas Day: September 15 This day connects the entire Dana Hall community through service projects. Sign up to volunteer locally at Cradles to Crayons or on an outdoor clean-up project, or organize a service project in your area. See www.danahall.org/acd2018 for more details and to register. The Forum: November 15 The Forum at Dana Hall School is a symposium series designed to examine a topic of particular relevance to girls and girls education. As a leader in girls’ education, Dana Hall School is well suited to lead an informative and thoughtful discussion on adolescent girls and these timely issues. See www.danahall.org for details and the confirmed Forum topic.
PROJECT UPDATE: OUTDOOR RIDING RING NEARS COMPLETION Dana Hall is making progress towards completing the outdoor riding ring at the Karen Stives ’68 Equestrian Center. The project kicked off in late December 2017, though the very cold weather conditions in January provided a slow start. However, the project has an estimated completion date of mid- to end of August, just in time for the opening of the 2018–19 school year, according to Chief Operating Officer Charlie Breslin.
Outdoor riding ring progress as of June 8, 2018
Summer 2018
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ACTIONS + ACHIEVEMENTS (CONTINUED)
STUDENTS WALK OUT IN SUPPORT OF ENDING GUN VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS A group of about 200 Dana Hall Upper School students left class and marched to Wellesley Town Hall as part of the National School Walkout on April 20—the 19th anniversary of the school shooting at Columbine High School. The walkout was student-led and had support throughout the planning process from Dana Hall administration. Ryland Rich ’18 came up with the idea to organize a walkout after the February school shooting in Parkland, Fla. “I came into my last year at Dana looking to leave it better than I found it; building a sense of advocacy and engagement here seemed like the best way for me to do that, and therefore I felt a need to make our voices heard beyond the Dana bubble,” she said. With the help of fellow students Brooke Bossert ’19, Anna Kalvelage ’19, Julia Burke ’20, Lindsey Gilfeather ’20, Deena Husami ’18 and Sophia Miettinen-Garrett ’19, she worked with the administration to organize the morning’s activities, which included a “die-in” with 13 students lying down in Common Ground to represent the 13 students who were killed at Columbine High School in 1999, followed later that morning by student speeches by the tennis courts before the group marched to Wellesley Town Hall.
WELCOME TO DANA: NEW DIRECTOR OF THE MIDDLE SCHOOL On July 9, Dana Hall School welcomed Dr. Lauren Goldberg as the new Director of the Middle School. Most recently the curriculum coordinator at the Foote School in New Haven, Conn., Goldberg is a career educator with more than 30 years of experience in classroom instruction, curriculum design, teacher training, research and supervision. Community and excellence in teaching always have been central to Goldberg’s work. “I feel as though I’ve been preparing for this position for the past 20 years,” Goldberg said “I am so excited to blend my academic and professional interests in middle grades education, girls’ development and female empowerment in the healthy, vibrant community that I have found at Dana.” In her most recent role, where she had the opportunity to shape the teaching and learning experience at Foote, Goldberg cites her time in the classrooms and hallways of the middle school as the best part of her day. Prior to her time at the Foote School, Goldberg was the director of teacher training at Belmont Day School, where she was responsible for professional development programs for teachers. She also served as an adjunct professor at Curry College and continues to be an adjunct faculty member at Lesley University Graduate School of Education, where she teaches graduate courses in education, psychology and literacy. She is a frequent presenter at academic and educational conferences. 8
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STUDENTS EXPLORE SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND LEADERSHIP The 2018 Girls Summer Entrepreneurship Program (GSEP), now in its fifth year, gave 17 rising Dana Hall juniors and seniors first-hand experience in the evolving world of business for women in the 21st century. The program, which ran from June 18–June 23, builds business acumen as well as fosters confidence, perseverance, leadership and creativity in the participants. This year’s program featured four young alumnae mentors who each facilitated one team. Program highlights included a meeting with Sweet Cheeks owner and world renowned chef Tiffani Faison, a trip to Bentley University for an overview of entrepreneurial sustainability and a tour of the nation’s only solar powered student arena/hockey rink, and a “Power Panel” of Dana alumnae and business executives. The program culminated in a Shark Tank-style business plan competition called the Dragon’s Lair; first prize went to PetPal, an animal collar and app designed to ensure the safety and health of pets in an environmentally safe and productive way. Now in its the eighth year, the Girls Summer Leadership Program (GSLP) welcomed 24 participants to campus June 23–29. The program provides a special setting for girls to work with 10 high school mentors and two young alumnae mentors to gain valuable skills and GSLP High School Mentors and participants resources that they can take with them as they enter high school. This year, GSLP welcomed back Raya Husami ’16, who attended the program in 2013, served as a high school mentor in 2015 and 2016, and worked with the participants as a young alumna mentor in 2017, and McKenna McLean ’17, who served as a high school mentor in 2017. The seven-day residential program is open to girls who have completed eighth grade and will enter high school in the fall.
AFTERNOON OF COMMUNITY LEARNING On Wednesday, May 2, Upper School students, faculty, staff and administrators came together for an Afternoon of Community Learning. For two hours, participants engaged in a series of workshops and discussions focused on the broad topics of student activism and changemakers. Of the 20 breakout sessions, Upper School students led 12 of the sessions. Topics ranged from how to disagree without being disagreeable and the shifting definition of feminism to rap music as an agent of change and storytelling as a means to share your story. Dana Hall held a similar event last year—the Community Day of Learning—that focused on human rights and individual responsibility. Nana Yaa Forson ’19 led a session titled, “Understanding the Way People See Each Other in Today’s World.”
GSEP participants took a field trip to Boston and met with Tiffani Faison, owner and head chef of Sweet Cheeks and Tiger Mama.
SAVE THE DATES Join us at one of our Open Houses this fall for prospective Dana Hall families: Middle School Open House: Thursday, October 4, 5-7 p.m. Tour the campus, meet teachers, and discover Dana’s vigorous curriculum and programs. Upper School Open House: Sunday, October 14, 1 p.m. Visit demo classes and experience the dynamic teaching and learning at Dana Hall. Prospective families will also have the opportunity to hear from current students, alumnae and administrators, and explore the campus. Athletic Open House: Tuesday, November 13, 5:30-7 p.m. Meet Varsity and Middle School A coaches and team captains. Hear perspectives from current studentathletes and alumnae collegiate athletes. Tour our impressive athletic facilities. Summer 2018
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ACTIONS + ACHIEVEMENTS (CONTINUED)
RECENT ACQUISITIONS FROM ALUMNAE AUTHORS Dana Hall alumnae authors represent decades of writing excellence, with work that spans genres and subject matter. Many have donated their books to the Helen Temple Cooke Library. The newest additions to the collection include: Top Left: On the Shoulders of Grandmothers: Gender, Migration, and Post-Soviet Nation-State Building Cinzia Solari ’93 Top Right: The Cuba Archive: Photographs 1990–1996 Tria Giovan ’78 Bottom Left: Good Day, Good Night Margaret Wise Brown 1923 Bottom Right: The Integrity Advantage: Step into Your Truth, Love Your Life, and Claim Your Magnificence Kelley Kosow ’78
WITH NEW LEADERSHIP IN PLACE, WORK CONTINUES ON EQUITY AND INCLUSION In the fall of 2017, Dana Hall engaged in a School Culture Study, which was facilitated by consultants from Diversity Directions. They were tasked with gathering qualitative data about what Dana Hall does well to make the school community as diverse, equitable and inclusive as possible, and what could be done better. Based on their findings from interviews conducted in October 2017, the consultants recommended the creation of a new Administrative Team position, to better align with current best practices at leading independent schools. At the beginning of July, Erica Ramirez, formerly the Dean of Students at the Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami, Florida, joined Dana Director of Community, Equity Hall as the Director of Community, Equity and Inclusion. In this new position, Ramirez and Inclusion Erica Ramirez will work collaboratively with students, administrators, faculty, staff, families and trustees to nurture and strengthen a diverse, inclusive and culturally responsive learning community. A graduate of an all-girls high school, Ramirez earned her B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and her M.A. from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. Prior to becoming Dean of Students at the Carrollton School, she served that community as Director of Social Awareness and Service Learning. Previously, she taught language arts, history and religion at St. Mary Magdalen Middle School in Los Angeles. “I am humbled by the opportunity to lead Dana Hall in its commitment to equity and inclusion and continue the excellent work that has been done to uphold Dana’s mission and diversity statements,” said Ramirez. “More than ever, Dana girls must be prepared to lead in a complex world and build community across the bounds that separate us. My goal is to provide the Dana Hall community with tools that will empower all of us to navigate fierce conversations and form meaningful relationships as people of hope, grit and integrity.” This new position is one product of the commendations and recommendations that Diversity Directions shared with Head of School Katherine Bradley. Areas of focus included: • A Philosophic Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion • Leadership for Diversity and Inclusion • School Climate and Culture • Hiring/Retaining Faculty Diversity 10
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• Diversity of the Student Body • Diversity Beyond Black and White • Other Components of Inclusion
NEW TRUSTEES JOIN DANA HALL’S BOARD In May, the Dana Hall Board of Trustees said goodbye to retiring trustees Warren Cross P11, Shannah Frambes P17, 19, 22, Lisa Unsworth P15 and Kathy Whelan P01. The following new trustees were elected to the Board at the annual Meeting of the Corporation. Courtney Caruso ’05 is a Senior Associate at Hogan Lovells LLP. As a litigator in Hogan’s Investigations, White Collar and Fraud Department, Caruso represents clients in criminal matters and during government investigations. She joined Hogan Lovells (formerly Collora LLP) in 2017 after serving as a law clerk to the Honorable Jennifer C. Boal in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Prior to her clerkship, Caruso practiced law as a litigation associate at Cooley LLP. While in law school, she served on the Board of Directors of Harvard Defenders and as a student attorney for Harvard’s Criminal Justice Institute, where she represented individuals in criminal proceedings in Massachusetts state courts. She is the co-chair of the Associate Board of Generation Citizen and serves as a volunteer and mentor at Year Up. Kristen Erdlen Curtin ’86, P22 is a marketing executive with more than 25 years of experience helping companies transform their businesses through digital technology. She spent 15 years at Fidelity Investments where she held leadership roles spanning all aspects of digital strategy, marketing and digital experience design and development. Most recently, she was Senior Vice President of Fidelity Labs, a team focused on using Design Thinking to identify and launch new businesses. Previously, she was Chief Marketing Officer for Zagat Survey in New York City prior to its acquisition by Google. Lynn Wood Harwell P24 is the Administrative Director of the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Her career in biomedical research has included roles as Executive Director of the Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center and Deputy to the Governing Board Chair (Finance, Policy and Outreach) for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Jennifer Houston, P21, 24, will be Dana Hall’s Parents’ Association (PA) Chair from 2018 to 2020 and will represent the PA on the Board of Trustees during her term. Houston was the Middle School PA Chair from 2015 to 2017 and served as the Co-chair of the 2018 Blue and White Night. She has led efforts to welcome new families to Dana Hall through the Parent Ambassador program and support the equestrian program at The Karen Stives ’68 Equestrian Center. William E. Mone P22 is a partner at Ropes & Gray LLP with U.S. and European experience representing private equity sponsors across a range of investment transactions. From 2011-2015, Bill was a partner in the firm’s London office and helped launch its European transactional practice.
“ This summer, the Administrative Team will design a strategy for prioritizing the equity and inclusion recommendations and then create a plan for implementing them. We acknowledge that while we already have done a great deal of good work in this area, we still have much to do. In fact, we will never be finished, but I remain optimistic that we can make great strides toward making all people in our community feel that they are included.” – Head of School Katherine Bradley
Yin Wah (Chloe) Suen ’00 is Chair of Simon Suen Foundation, a registered charitable organization in Hong Kong established in 2012 that aims to promote, preserve and advance Chinese culture, arts and heritage. Additionally, she serves on the Education Heritage Advisory Committee of Hong Kong Museum of Education and Sha Tin Arts and Culture Promotion Committee. Suen is an honorary member of the Court of Hong Kong Baptist University, an honorary director of the University’s Foundation, and serves on the school’s Department of Chinese Language & Literature Advisory Committee. Chloe also serves on the Board of Stewards of the Education University of Hong Kong Foundation, as well as the Sponsorship and Development Fund Committee at the Open University of Hong Kong. At the K-12 level, Suen is an independent manager (equivalent of board member) at Yan Chai Hospital Ho Sik Nam Primary School and Yan Chai Hospital Yim Tsui Yuk Shan Kindergarten. In her remaining time, Suen is the Vice Chairman of ASL Group, a family office based in Hong Kong. She previously held roles in various financial services institutions in the US and Hong Kong. Summer 2018
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GLOBAL SCHOLARS MAKE HISTORY
The first Dana Hall graduates to earn Global Scholars Certificates: Caroline Cohen ’18, Jenny Jung ’18, Rachel O’Brien ’18, Ryland Rich ’18
On June 9, Dana Hall’s 2018 commencement ceremony was the scene of a subtle, but historic milestone. Four seniors were awarded the first Global Scholar Certificates, representing their completion of a four-year program that focused both on gaining knowledge about the people of the world and an empathetic mindset. Established in 2014, the program has four components: activities, courses, travel and programs. The 9th and 10th grade curriculum is incorporated into other required courses, while student in 11th must choose to participate in a Sustainability Program (including an environmental project) and students in 12th grade must enroll in a minor course seminar to meet the requirements. In the seminar, the students chose from five lenses to explore their own topic for a Capstone Project: society, technology, economics, geopolitics and the environment. Led by Social Studies teacher and program coordinator Alexandra Siemon and Library Director Stephanie Donohue, who taught the senior seminar, the four Global Scholar candidates began their Capstone course exploring anthropology before debating the pros and cons of voluntourism. They reviewed information and news literacy techniques, investigated current topics, drafted countries for a fantasy geopolitics league, and fact checked their summer reading. Social Studies Department Head Brian Cook shared an Economics 101 lesson, and the girls delved into a unit on poverty, including a study of food stamps. They moved to learning about the impact natural disasters and urban planning have on disadvantaged populations by looking at Hurricane Harvey through mapping with Social Studies teacher Karl Neumann. They examined Nauru and the Three Gorges Dam in China. They bravely tackled a unit call “Poop Week,” where they learned about fecal transplants, the Big Stink and cholera, the history of sewers and contemporary wastewater treatment facilities and their economic potential, with guest instructor Science teacher Sarah Belliveau, who was a civil engineer before she joined Dana Hall’s faculty.
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“International Relations has always been something of interest for me, so when I heard about Global Scholars during my freshman year, I knew I had to join,” said Ryland Rich ’18. “Over the past few years, having Global Scholars as a motivator for widening my worldview pushed me to see culture, society and the world from different perspectives. My most rewarding experience was traveling. Last spring I travelled to Washington, D.C. for The School of Ethics and Global Leadership semester. Even though it was still within the U.S., I learned more than I ever thought possible – and believe me, I had high expectations.” Each senior completed a Capstone project designed to demonstrate her expertise in a globally significant issue. They presented their projects to the School community at an X-Block assembly. • Rachel O’Brien – Clean Water Shortages • Jenny Jung – Saving Nauru • Caroline Cohen – Technology, Economics and the Environment: A Global Intersection • Ryland Rich – ISIS Radicalization in the United States “The inaugural Global Scholars class exemplified some of the best of Dana Hall. Hailing from around the world, they encouraged and pushed each other, and displayed deep kindness, empathy and curiosity,” said Stephanie Donohue. “Their projects, while vastly different in scope and reflective of their personal growth and passions, at their core display their desire to always engage in the world, ask tough questions, creatively and courageously tackle difficult problems, and a deep respect for cultures near and far. We couldn’t have asked for a better group; I was so lucky to work with them!”
THE GLOBAL TRAVEL OPPORTUNITY FUND As an avid traveler and successful business woman, Katherine Bishop ’66 believes that every Dana student should have access to travel programs, regardless of their financial means. “I know that travel is a transformative experience,” Bishop said. “I know that Dana girls can use that experience to expand and deepen their personal and professional lives.” Dana Hall offers a number of travel opportunities for students through initiatives such as the Global Scholars Certificate Program. Most students must pay for travel, and the average trip costs $4,000. Dana Hall is able to support some students on these trips through its operating budget. In the past year, the School was able to support five students out of 30 who requested assistance. In 2017 Bishop established an endowment fund—The Global Travel Opportunity Fund—that will support travel experiences for Dana Hall students in perpetuity. The preliminary goal for the fund is $1.5 million. At that level, the fund should generate approximately $60,000 per year, supporting approximately 15 travel opportunities each year for Dana Hall students. To reach that goal, Bishop created a challenge, agreeing to match two-to-one every gift to The Global Travel Opportunity Fund until the $1.5 million goal is reached. (For example, a gift of $1,000 would be matched with $2,000 for a total of $3,000 to the Fund.) At the Blue and White Night event on May 5 (see page 20), donors gave $142,925 in support of the Fund, which will be matched with $285,850, for a total of $428,775 for the Fund. To learn more about Dana Hall’s Global Travel Opportunity Fund, contact Director of Leadership and Planned Gifts Anne Richter, (781) 489-1368 or anne.richter@danahall.org. The Travel Opportunity Fund will support students who wish to take advantage of Dana Hall trips that typically take place during March break or the summer.
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VARSIT Y ATHLETICS VARSITY LACROSSE ended its season with a 6–8 record, going 5–4 in the EIL and earning a 5th place finish.
Varsity Swim with the EIL Tournament trophy
VARSITY SWIM ended the season with a 4–6 record, coming in 2nd in the EIL at 2–3. They placed 1st in the EIL tournament—the 9th time Varsity Swim has achieved that— and took 3rd place at the New England Championships Division 2. • MVP: Lucy Hamann ’18 • Rookie of the Year: Iroha Okuhara ’20 • Most Improved: Julia Burke ’20
• EIL All-League: Lilah Blond ’18, Caroline Breslin ’20 and Lauren Copeland ’20 • EIL Honorable Mention: Amanda Sax ’18 • MVP: Blond • Most Improved: Bitsie Knight ’19 • Unsung Hero: Mimi Brown ’19 • Dragon Award: Breslin and Camille Steiger ’20 Right: Lilah Blond ’18
Lilly Craven ’19
NEW ENGLAND DIVISION 2 HONORS • Okuhara: 2nd in 100 Backstroke, 4th in 200 Individual Medley • Hamann: 2nd in 100 Butterfly, 3rd in 100 Backstroke • Samantha Roberts ’18: 1st in 50 Freestyle, 1st in 100 Freestyle • Okuhara, Nika Taleghani ’21, Hamann and Bitsie Knight ’19: 3rd in 200 Medley Relay • Taleghani, Knight, Emily Hinman ’20 and Roberts: 2nd in 200 Freestyle Relay • Hamann, Okuhara, Lindsey Gilfeather ’20 and Roberts: 3rd in 400 Freestyle Relay EIL ALL-LEAGUE • Gilfeather: 200 Free Relay • Hamann: 200 Medley Relay, 100 Fly, 500 Free • Knight: 200 Medley Relay, 200 Free Relay • Okuhara: 200 Medley Relay, 100 Back • Roberts: 200 Free, 100 Free, 200 Free Relay • Taleghani: 200 Medley Relay, 200 Free Relay NEW ENGLAND CHAMPION • Roberts: 50 Free, 100 Free 14
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Stephanie Daley ’18
VARSITY BASKETBALL had a 2–15 season record, coming in 7th in the EIL at 2–10. VARSITY FENCING ended the season 7–12, coming in 7th at the Massachusetts State Championships. • Rookie of the Year: Charlotte Hecht ’21 • Most Improved: Sofi Lin ’18 • MVP: JoJo Wu ’19
• EIL All-League: Natalia Gonyea ’21 • EIL Honorable Mention: Catey McCarron ’20 • NEPSAC All-Star: Gonyea • Defensive Player of the Year: Caira Mathieu ’19 • Leadership Award: Stephanie Daley ’18 and McCarron
SCOREBOARD Caira Mathieu ’19
Sydney Soloway ’18 VARSITY SQUASH went 9–7 this winter, with a 5–1 record in the EIL, earning them 2nd place. The team came in 6th at the New England Squash Tournament B. • EIL MVP: Sydney Soloway ’18 •E IL All-League 1st Team: Soloway and Rachel O’Brien ’18 •C oaches’ Award/Most Improved: Abby Houston ’21 •R ookie of the Year: Eliza Glass ’21 •C oaches’ Leadership Award: O’Brien
Caroline Breslin ’20 ICE HOCKEY went 2–7 this winter, with a 2–4 record in EIL play. • MVP: Caroline Breslin ’20 • Coaches’ Award: Amica FontijnHarris ’20 • Defensive Player of the Year: Julia Landry ’20 • Rookie of the Year: Sophie Habermann ’18
THE EQUESTRIAN TEAM sent four students to the 2018 Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Fla. Rachel Chandley ’21 earned a 7th place ribbon in the high children’s jumper classic during week 8 on her horse Zento. Grace Thames ’20 was honored as champion during week 9 in modified children’s jumper on her horse Soprano. In week 10, Thames placed second in a low junior jumper class. • Sportsmanship: Gwen Field ’21 •M ost Improved Rider: Felicia Gormley ’19 •M ost Valuable Rider: Carly Wahlberg ’18
Above: Director of the Karen Stives ’68 Equestrian Center Sarah Summers ’98, Grace Thames ’20 and Head Trainer Greg Best
VARSITY SOFTBALL had a 6–5 record at the season’s end. The team was 5–4 in the EIL, coming in 5th place. • EIL All-League: Annie Goldman ’19 and Callaway Sheedy ’19 • EIL Honorable Mention: Ali Frambes ’19 • Outstanding Baserunner: Carly Bilyew-Conn ’20 • Defensive Player of the Year: Ava Regan ’21 • Most Improved: Caira Mathieu ’19 and Nadia Cai ’19
VARSITY TENNIS had an impressive spring, with an 8–3 overall record and 7–1 in the EIL, earning the team a share of 1st place. • EIL All-League: Audrey Lee ’19, Rachel O’Brien ’18, Mel Klein ’18 and Vietta Kuntz ’19 • Singles MVP: O’Brien • Doubles MVPs: Klein and Kuntz • Tenacity Award: Casey Seidner ’19 Summer 2018
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DANA TAKES TO THE STAGE
IN MARCH, DANA HALL DANCE HELD ITS ANNUAL DANCE CONCERT. This year’s show, MOVE, featured Upper School and Middle School dancers in modern, jazz, ballet, tap and hip hop. Top Left: Eleanor Fazio ’21 and Nina Webber ’21 Top Right: Jillian Earley ’19, Abigail Henry ’19, Eleanor Fazio ’21 Bottom Left: Hallie Zhou ’23 Bottom Right: Micah Dixon ’20, Karina Atiegha ’20, Sophia Shaikh ’20
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Francesca Gesell ’19
IN APRIL, THE UPPER SCHOOL, along with actors from Belmont Hill School, performed Bring It On, the play inspired by the popular movie of the same title. Above: Louisa Taylor ’18 and Karina Atiegha ’20 Right Top: Isabela Longo-Lehman ’19, Katherine Phillips ’19, Ruth Baker ’18, Margaret Gordon ’20, Annabel Moore ’18 Right Middle: Yanan Dai ’20 Right Bottom: Yang (Annie) Xu ’20, Anotidaishe Chikunya ’19, Kana Goshoo ’20, Elena Carmichael ’20
DESPITE HAVING TO POSTPONE THE SPRING MUSICAL DUE TO A WINTER SNOWSTORM, the Middle School cast and crew of Curtains shared a performance in late March. Curtains is a play-within-a-play murder mystery set in 1959 Boston. The play featured a student choreographer, Ellie Wellington ’21.
Sophia Bililies ’23 and Carys Cadwalader ’22
Cameron Curtin ’22, Emma Beardsley ’22, Emily Nauen ’23, Harper Staton-Todaro ’22
Carys Cadwalader ’22, Harper Staton-Todaro ’22, Layla Anderson ’23
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SOMETIMES THE EASIEST TWO WORDS TO SAY ARE:
Thank You! We salute the 1,561 donors who stepped up for Dana Hall School in 2017-18. Alumnae, parents, grandparents, alumnae parents, faculty, staff, students and friends contributed $2,016,583 to the Dana Fund.
These impressive numbers only begin to tell a story that is highlighted by generous leadership gifts, dedicated volunteers and a community that values excellence and kindness. So, really: THANK YOU!
Class Day The Dana Hall community gathered by The Pond on Thursday, June 7, to honor Upper School student achievements of the 2017–18 school year. The annual award ceremony celebrates excellence in academic disciplines, athletics, performing and visual arts, leadership, community service and citizenship.
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SCIENCE Promising Scientist Award........................................... Kelsey Calistri ’21 Promising Scientist Award................................................. Kate Okun ’18 Bausch & Lomb Award.................................................... Abigail Niles ’19 Senior Excellence in Science................................................. Zoë Lillis ’18 MATH Dana Hall Mathematics Prize...................... Nanxi (Stephanie) Zhao ’18 Frank S. Weinert Mathematics Prize................................ Ji Woo Jun ’18 Frank S. Weinert Mathematics Prize.........................Annabel Revers ’18 COMPUTER SCIENCE Computer Science Award............................................Maria Sedunova ’19 MUSIC Marguerite Finch Maxwell 1915 Awards In Music: • Up-and-Coming Musician Award.........................Ainsley Bonang ’21 • Achievement Award.................................... Heewon (Regina) Lee ’18 • Outstanding Junior Award.................................Katherine Phillips ’19 • Outstanding Senior Award........................... Zhihan (Stella) Wang ’18 • Chorus Award............................................................Ruby Roberts ’20 • Chamber Singers Award...........................................Louisa Taylor ’18 PERFORMING ARTS Dance Award......................................................... Jillian (Lilly) Earley ’19 Ondy Dean Gilson ’52 Prize in Theater.............. Katherine Gardner ’18 Jeanne Armin Award........................................................... Zoë Lillis ’18 Technical Theater Award...................................... Sophia Diez-Zhang ’18 VISUAL ARTS Marguerite Aldridge Putnam 1908 Prizes • Architecture........................................Rasita (Mimi) Jarrunpattana ’18 • Sculpture and 3D Design............................................ Sofia Barros ’18 • Design.......................................................... Zhihan (Stella) Wang ’18 • Drawing.....................................................................Brooke Rioux ’18 • Photography...............................................Weiting (Grace) Wang ’19 • Painting................................................................. Kayla Terzioglu ’19 Amelia Curtis Whitman Visual Arts Prize....Manxue (Michelle) Ma ’18 Rhode Island School of Design Book Prize.......... Jin (Maggie) Zhang ’18 Gene Scattergood Visionary Artist Award...............Caroline Johnson ’18 ENGLISH Malcolm Lloyd Prize for Most Improved Writer...... Samiha Farooqi ’20 Brown University Book Prize......................................... Lucia Garber ’19 John W. Cameron Book Prize...................................Naomi Kalombo ’18 Post-Lawrence Prize in English..................................Annabel Revers ’18 SOCIAL STUDIES John Means Spencer Award for Student Enrichment................................................ Brittney Smith ’19 Social and Political Awareness Award............................. Ryland Rich ’18 John G. Schuler Award............................................. Stephanie Daley ’18 Excellence in Social Studies Award............... Nanxi (Stephanie) Zhao ’18 WORLD LANGUAGES Department Prize in French........................................... Abigail Niles ’19 Beryl Wilbur Prize in Vergil................................................ Ruth Baker ’18 Department Prize in Mandarin.............................. Angeline da Silva ’19 Dorothy O. Farmer Prize in Latin.............................Caroline Cohen ’18 Enrique Cuan Prize in Spanish........................................Lilah Blond ’18 FITZIE FOUNDATION AWARD....................Panipuck Bhengsri ’19 KATHERINE T. GREGORY AWARD.... Antonia Phillips-Beeching ’19 ELAINE W. BETTS PRIZE......................................... Ryland Rich ’18
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6 ATHLETIC AWARDS Marsman Award.......................................................... Carly Wahlberg ’18 Riding Cup.................................................................... Grace Thames ’20 Dorothy M. Schirmer Memorial Award............................ Ava Regan ’21 Ann O’Day Sullivan Award .........................................Lucy Hamann ’18 Ann O’Day Sullivan Award ............................................ Amanda Sax ’18 Scholar Athlete Award.......................................................Lilah Blond ’18 Dana “D” Award....................................................... Stephanie Daley ’18 Dana “D” Award.....................................................................Jane Murphy ’18 Dana “D” Award........................................................Sydney Soloway ’18 Dana “D” Award.........................................................Claire Strachan ’18 Varsity Athlete Award..................................................Rachel O’Brien ’18 Herky Award........................................................... Courtney Clayson ’18 Helen Parker Bowlby Award................................ Sophie Habermann ’18 Best Athlete Award.............................................................Lilah Blond ’18 BOOK PRIZES Bryn Mawr College President’s Book Prize...............Maria Sedunova ’19 Harvard University Book Prize...............................Yunyi (Nadia) Cai ’19 Holy Cross Book Prize.......................................... Jillian (Lilly) Earley ’19 Mount Holyoke College Book Prize.......................Panipuck Bhengsri ’19 Smith College Book Prize..........................................Lindsay Hendrix ’19 University of Pennsylvania Book Prize.................Nanneke Nicholas ’19 University of Virginia Jefferson Book Prize.............. Brooke Bossert ’19 Wellesley College Book Prize...........................Victoria (Vietta) Kuntz ’19 Williams College Book Prize......................................... Anna Ferrazzi ’19 LEADERSHIP AWARDS Class of 2021.......................................................India-Rose Goldberg ’21 Class of 2020.......................................................Catherine McCarron ’20 Class of 2019................................................................ Brooke Bossert ’19 Class of 2018.................................................................Deena Husami ’18 NAN COYLE CITIZENSHIP AWARD..... Hyun Yoon (Jenny) Jung ’18 COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD......................Sydney Soloway ’18 HELEN BURKE MONTAGUE SENIOR CUP...................................Deena Husami ’18 1. Coordinator of Multicultural Affairs & Community Development and 9th Grade Class Dean Lindsay White, Class of 2021 Leadership Award winner India-Rose Goldberg ’21, Upper School Science Teacher and 9th Grade Class Dean Sarah Belliveau 2. Rhode Island School of Design Book Prize winner Jin (Maggie) Zhang ’18, Visual Arts Department Head Michael Frassinelli, Gene Scattergood Visionary Artist Award winner Caroline Johnson ’18, Marguerite Aldridge Putnam 1908 Prize in Architecture winner Rasita (Mimi) Jarrunpattana ’18, Marguerite Aldridge Putnam 1908 Prize in Painting winner Kayla Terzioglu ’19 3. Former Social Studies Teacher John Schuler and John G. Schuler Award winner Stephanie Daley ’18 4. World Languages Department Prize in French winner Abigail Niles ’19 and World Languages Department Head Nicole Wellington 5. Dean of Boarding Life and 12th Grade Class Dean Donna Corrigan, Class of 2018 Leadership Award winner Deena Husami ’18, Associate Dean of Students and 12th Grade Class Dean Kathy Hamel 6. Dana “D” Award winner Jane Murphy ’18, Scholar Athlete Award winner Lilah Blond ’18, Ann O’Day Sullivan Award winner Lucy Hamann ’18, Helen Parker Bowlby Award winner Sophie Habermann ’18, Director of Athletics, Health and Wellness John Suby, Dana “D” Award winner Stephanie Daley ’18, Dana “D” Award winner Sydney Soloway ’18, Varsity Athlete Award winner Rachel O’Brien ’18, Ann O’Day Sullivan Award winner Amanda Sax ’18, Dana “D” Award winner Claire Strachan ’18, Herky Award winner Courtney Clayson ’18
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Blue and White Night:
Come Bet on Dana Hall!
On May 5, more than 300 members of the Dana community gathered in the Erisman Student Center for an evening of fun and fundraising. The Parents’ Association event coincided with the 144th running of the Kentucky Derby, so many guests donned hats or fascinators while they enjoyed a Derby-inspired menu and placed bids on 111 auction items. The “back stretch” featured a Pick-a-Pony game and some spirited rounds of cornhole. Dinner was followed by a paddle raise to help make travel opportunities available to Dana students; donors contributed more $140,000 toward this initiative. The total revenue from Blue and White Night, including auction items and sponsorships was $302,000.
Rags stopped by the event before heading back to the Karen Stives ’68 Equestrian Center. Sarah Summers ’98, Abby Houston ’21, Grace Thames ’20, Rags, Amelia Thames ’24, Emma Houston ’21, Jennifer Burke ’07, Carly Corbacho
Becky Cole P22, 24, Elizabeth Record Svedlund ’90, P22, Judith Marth P24
Top: Guests raised their paddles to help meet a challenge from Katherine Bishop ’66, who is passionate about making travel opportunities available to Dana students. Her challenge: she will give up to $1 million, matching every gift 2 to 1. (See more on page 13.)
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8 1. Jessica Stanton P22, Jennifer Bardorf P25, Brenda Kostyk P23 2. Nina Heald Webber ’49 tried her luck at the Tequila Toss. 3. Vickery Prongay ’22, Kristen Erdlen Curtin ’86, P22, Dan Curtin P22 4. Million Dollar Day Band entertained guests.
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5. Blue and White Night Co-chairs Patricia Thames P20, 24 and Jennifer Houston P21, 24 with Head of School Katherine Bradley (center) 6. Neha Sahni Gaur ’04 and Shantanu Gaur 7. Lexi Schilling Gibbs ’85, P24, 24, Matt Gibbs P24, 24, Kathy Whelan P01, Bob Whelan P01 8. Guests bid on a wide-ranging selection of silent auction items. 9. Peter Frechette P16, 22, Sarah Belliveau, Lee Ferguson Frechette ’81, P16, 22, Nia Jacobs, Jessica Keimowitz, Kristin Ryan
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Choosing Joy Remarks from Rinehart Chair Honoree Heather Panahi In January, Upper School Social Studies Teacher Heather Panahi P15, 19 was honored with Dana Hall School’s Rinehart Chair. Established in 1998 with a $1 million bequest, the School’s first endowed faculty chair was created by James R. Rinehart and Molly Ford Rinehart ’50 to recognize outstanding teachers in the Humanities. The following is an excerpt of the remarks Panahi shared when she received the Rinehart honor.
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ne of the greatest joys of being a teacher is that it is one of the only professions that actually encourages life-long learning. This has certainly been true of my experience working at Dana Hall, an institution that invests greatly in its teachers’ educational and professional growth.
In my 15 years of teaching at this school, I’ve been the fortunate beneficiary of a wealth of professional development experiences that have quite literally spanned the globe. I have stood hand in hand with the descendants of slaves, slave traders and slave owners, as we together made our way through the dungeons of Elmina and Cape Coast Castle. I’ve debated the issues of feminism and women’s economic empowerment with Togolese and Ghanaian men over a meal of grilled bushmeat and freshlytapped palm wine. With Dana’s support, I have walked the barren hallways of Robben Island with former political prisoners Shahriar Panahi, Nora Panahi ’15, Maya Panahi ’19 who lived and worked alongside Nelson Mandela, retraced the and Heather Panahi steps of the thousands of students who in 1976 marched through the streets of Soweto in protest of the Apartheid government’s Afrikaans Medium Decree, and I’ve sat face to face with former residents of Capetown’s District 6 neighborhood as they told me their personal stories of loss and heartbreak when they were forcibly removed from their homes in the early 1970s. I have also explored the concepts of family, identity and tradition with students in Hangzhou China, learned the meditative art of Japanese flower arranging in Tokyo, and spent a year on sabbatical earning a second degree in Women’s Politics and Public Policy. Dana Hall has also created for me countless opportunities to rub shoulders with diplomats and politicians, authors and activists, experts and advocates, from all over the country and the world. From these learning experiences, I have carved out for myself a philosophy of teaching—one that has little to do with pedagogy, content or skills development. Rather, the few precious nuggets of wisdom I’ve garnered come entirely from the people whom I’ve encountered and befriended—my family members, colleagues, friends and yes, my students—all of them teachers in their own right. 1. Compassion is essential to understanding. Compassion or what some might call empathy can be a challenging ideal to develop—after all, we live in a world of immediate personal gratification where we are taught to prioritize the self. We practice yoga and meditation to get in touch with our selves, join gyms and churches to improve ourselves, in school we are taught to advocate for ourselves, at the lunch tables we separate ourselves, at work, we strive to advance ourselves and so on and so forth. There is a reason that the baby boomers have been called the Me Generation and millennials Generation Me. We as human beings can be incredibly self-absorbed. And what are the consequences? We need only flip through the pages of a history book or turn on the evening news to see how centuries of selfishness have affected our planet and its inhabitants. By consciously practicing compassion, however, one can actually transcend the “I” and begin to see the “other”—even better, to think in terms of “we.” Among the Zulu of Southern Africa, this notion of “we” is known as Ubuntu. Many practitioners of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism use the Sanskrit word, Karuna. Here at Dana, we refer to it as Amor Caritas—Loving and Caring. Whatever you choose to call it, compassion is a powerful force—one that I believe MUST be a part of the 21st century classroom if we hope to keep this world whole. It can remove barriers, build bridges and change minds. 22
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In my classes, I tell my students that compassion is a verb. It is an action. To cultivate this action, we role play, explore and strive to understand multiple perspectives—especially those that are different from our own, we try to talk TO each other and not AT each other. We not only analyze, but we also take time to reflect. We practice being present for one another. Fully and completely present. It is only then that we become the best version of ourselves. From Confucius to Martin Luther King Jr., many of the great minds and hearts of humankind have emphasized the connection between compassion and understanding. This is truly one of the greatest gifts a teacher can offer to her students and it is an aspiration that I strive to meet daily in the classroom. I believe that we all need to be seen, to be heard and to be understood. When this happens, potentials can be met, dreams attained, differences overcome and peace achieved. 2. Always choose joy. This is a crazy, mad world we live in and suffering is always all around us. Given this reality, it is incredibly easy to become mired in negativity—to believe that joy and contentment can only be achieved when those realities are removed. And how do we combat this negativity? We convince ourselves that more money, a better grade, a thinner body, a change of circumstance will somehow bring us the happiness we seek. And yet, some of the most content people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing have not been rich or even appear on the surface to be extraordinarily blessed. Many years ago, during a visit to South Africa, I met a woman named Rose. Rose lives in Orange Farm—a once informal settlement/township located about 45 miles outside of Johannesburg. In the mid-90s, returning home from work one night, she was sexually assaulted by a group of strangers and subsequently contracted HIV. Because of Rose’s HIV status, she lost her job, her family disowned her and she was forced from her home. Destitute and homeless, Rose recalls that she built herself a makeshift shelter out of scrap metal and cardboard, laid down on the cold earth and “waited to die.” Happily, this amazing lady did not pass away. In fact, today, she runs a non-profit in Orange Farm that provides outreach services and support to HIV/AIDS infected residents throughout her community. The first time she shared her story with me, I asked her, ‘What changed? How did you go from wanting to die to where you are now?” She looked me dead in the eye, put her hand on mine and said, “I remembered that joy was a choice and so I chose it. And in doing so, I’ve been able to see my own joy multiply in many, many ways.” Rinehart Chair Recipient Heather Panahi, center, and her Social Studies Department colleagues Mary Cameron, Eric Goodson P24, 25,
Joy is a choice. In the classroom, I stress this daily with my Alexandra Siemon, Karl Neumann, Brian Cook and Sarah Martin girls, reminding them that happiness based on grades or particular circumstances is temporary. We must choose joy every moment and in doing so, we will find contentment. More than this, though, joy is contagious. You can’t help but be happy when those around you are happy too. So I have committed myself to the promise that every day I will do my best to make room 212 a vibrant, welcoming and joyful space so that my students might leave feeling a little lighter, a bit fresher, and hopefully a lot happier than they were when they entered. 3. It truly does take a village. In Buddhism, community is so sacrosanct that it is actually referred to as one of the three jewels of our practice. Referred to as sangha in Pali, it refers to your family, your friends, your teachers, your guides, fellow practitioners with whom you walk the path and in whom you take refuge. A dear friend of mine, Sister Dang Nghiem, reminds me regularly that when I’m feeling weak or uncertain, I can always lean on my sangha and it will sustain me. While this sounds good in theory, I’m not sure that I have always believed it. However, as I look back now, I realize that she is absolutely right. I have a supportive family, terrific friends and a solid spiritual community. And, similar to the sisterhood that our students inherit while here, Dana Hall has also given me a beautifully diverse and wonderful sangha. It is from here that I draw my greatest strength and inspiration, where I am allowed to be both teacher and student, a mother and a friend, a sister and a neighbor all at once. I would not be the educator I am without the support, guidance, mentorship and yes, compassion of my amazing colleagues. My students provide me with the chance every day to practice joy, compassion and understanding, which they willingly radiate back to me, filling my life with meaning and tremendous happiness. Dana Hall has also been my refuge—when my husband Shahriar had brain surgery in 2009, when Nora became ill her sophomore year of high school, when my sister-in-law Margaret lost her battle with mental illness in 2016, and when my parents lost their home in Hurricane Harvey in September. Life is full of bumps in the road, but those bumps somehow seem manageable when you have a sangha like this one. I still have so much to learn, but I’m excited about the prospect of continuing my journey here at Dana Hall. F
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Dragon Tales:
A Brief History of the Dana Dragon As Told By Those Who Know It Best Dana Hall School’s history now spans three different centuries, but the history of the Dana Dragon is brief by comparison. Records in the Nina Heald Webber ’49 Archives show that the photo at left appeared in the Fall 1990 Bulletin, with the caption “…..Dana’s new mascot, the Dana Dragon.” This is the first known reference to the Dana Dragon. The Dragon stands next to Sarah Hughes ’91, who made the costume and played a critical role in the Dana Dragon’s creation. The original Dana Dragon with Sarah Hughes ’91
The dragon Leah MacLeod ’98 painted on a mural in the Mudd Gym. The final dragon was royal blue.
The finer details of the mascot’s origin story are in slight dispute. Associate Athletic Director Janet Sullivan remembers that Hughes made the royal blue dragon for Revels. “That’s when we started talking about how it would be great to have a Dana Hall mascot. I think we did a poll, with a few possible mascots, and everyone already liked the dragon because we always had a dragon at Revels.” Former Head of School Blair Jenkins has a slightly different memory. “There was a Student Council meeting, where the group brainstormed ideas to increase school spirit,” said Jenkins. “They proposed starting a spirit club, which sponsored a contest to pick a school mascot. After the Dragon was picked, Sarah Hughes got really excited and made that amazing costume. She had an unbelievable talent. “At that time, our community did not get very excited about athletics or really have a lot of spirit at athletic events. The dragon costume really lifted everyone up. I even wore it at a game once. It was very uncomfortable. Eventually it got too ragged and worn out, and we purchased a new costume. I felt a little sad that it was no longer student-made.”
Dragons are real, and kind of a big deal Several years later, with the help of other new spirit club members, Leah MacLeod ’98 painted a mural of a blue dragon on the wall of the Mudd Gym. “That’s when we started using a dragon on some of our apparel,” said Sullivan. “We got new sweatpants and put the dragon on them, and a couple of our non-game shirts.” 24
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The dragon that MacLeod painted on the Mudd Gym mural had a protruding stomach and a softer image.
“We realized the ‘puffalump’ look of the dragon on the mural wasn’t cutting it,” explained Sullivan. “So we started looking for other types of dragons. We got a dragon that we used on patches and things like that, which sort of had a boxy seahorse look, and that didn’t really cut it either. That was also when we started using just ‘DH’ instead ‘Dana Hall’ on our apparel. We kept redesigning our logo, until it became the DH with the dragon head that we use on uniforms now.” Right: The official Dana Hall Athletics logo
The celebrity of the Dana Dragon took another step forward in 2005,
The Dana Dragon, standing, fourth from right, was a popular presence at Homecoming 2014.
with the opening of the Shipley Center for Athletics, Health and Wellness. Almost instantly, the building had a nickname, “The Ship,” and the spirit club was renamed The Crew. The Ship has a designated space called the Dragon’s Den, where parent volunteers stock and sell a range of dragon-related merchandise.
At the same time, the Athletics Department purchased new team uniforms, which introduced black as a Dana color. So when the School purchased the third and current Dragon costume, it was updated with a black belly, to reflect the black in the Dana Hall athletic uniforms. (And, as Janet Sullivan noted, because black hides dirt better than the white belly.) The dragon costume with the white belly stays in Bardwell to be used for Revels. The dragon costume with the black belly stays in the Shipley Center, to be used at athletic events and for general school public relations.
Above right: The Dana Dragon made an entrance on a hoverboard during the Class of 2017’s Revels performance.
But really, is it hot in there? C.C. Dent ’18 wore the dragon costume several times during her four years at Dana, and shares her insider perspective. “I think everyone should try it once because of how tough it is, and how fun it is,” said Dent. “It is brutally hot and stuffy. It smells like the suit hasn’t been washed in about four years of students wearing it in the hot Homecoming weather, so that’s not good. It isn’t as hard to see as it is to navigate the tail that trails behind the suit. The constant dragging and pulling of it is a workout in itself. “I have been walking around campus [in the costume] and had a kid look at me and begin to cry and scream. That experience was tough because of how it made me feel as a person inside the suit. I felt bad seeing the kiddo so emotional over just a costume. I wanted to take the head off and show him that everything was alright, but it would’ve taken the illusion away. “But really, it’s so much fun. My favorite thing is when I am asked to take a picture with a kid or alumnae who are back for Reunion and I smile, even though I know my face won’t be seen in the picture. It’s force of habit! I wore the suit at Homecoming last year and ran along the sidelines hyping the crowd up during the field hockey game. I would like to think that it helps the players play better.” Did the student inside the dragon costume smile for this picture?
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A SCREEN WITH A STORY Purchased more than 100 years ago, an antique Japanese screen finds new life as a teaching tool
the
DANA HALL
archives
Helen Temple Cooke (1865-1955) became Principal of Dana Hall in 1899 after buying the School from Sarah and Julia Eastman. She had no money, but she did have a wealthy business partner in Marcellus E. Wheeler of Rutland, Vermont. Julia Eastman wrote to a friend “Miss Cooke is changing things all about” and, indeed, not long after, Cooke undertook a construction project that greatly expanded the original central building, known as Dana Main. The 1902 addition included a formal living room, dominated by a fireplace and furnished with antiques, Oriental carpets, and artwork purchased by Cooke, whose skills as a collector and businesswoman were formidable.
Students in Karl Neumann’s East Asian Studies class and the Japanese screen, which now has a home in his classroom.
Visible in a photograph of the room, circa 1908, is a large two-panel black and gold lacquer Japanese screen. This screen survived the 1959 auction of many of the School’s antiques and art, as well as the demolition of Dana Main in 1972. In recent years it disguised the kitchen doorway in the main meeting space in Beveridge Hall, where it suffered some dings and spills.
The screen is an example of an inlay style known as “Shibayama,” carved with inlays of precious materials in high relief. Elements of ivory, mother-of-pearl, and coral are commonly used in Shibayama pieces, made during the Meiji period (1867-1912). It is probably an example of a Shibayama good meant for foreign export; i.e. designed for purchase by Westerners who were starting to visit Japan by the Meiji era. During the summer of 2017 the screen was restored; in November 2017 it was moved to the second floor of the Classroom Building, where faculty member Karl Neumann teaches a course in East Asian Studies. It arrived in time to support Neumann’s second trimester unit on the origins of the samurai in early medieval Japan. The screen depicts “The Tale of the Heike,” a mid-13th century telling of the struggle for control of Japan between two clans. The left panel depicts the warrior-monk Benkei with his spear, and on the right is his master, the famous warrior Minamoto Yoshitsune, a member of the Heike clan. “This year students studied the details of the friendship of Yoshitsune and Benkei, and how the story reflected the values of samurai culture during the late Heian Period,” said Neumann. “I also have plans for future students to use the screen for practicing close-observation skills because of the intricate details present in its craftsmanship. I hope to incorporate the screen in other lessons focusing on New England connections to Meiji Era Japan.” Cooke believed that surrounding students with beautiful works of art would inspire and edify them. Those who take Neumann’s classes are fortunate to be the latest to experience this extraordinary screen made in Japan more than 100 years ago. The story of the Japanese screen is one of many treasures in the Nina Heald Weber ’49 Archives. Located in the Helen Temple Cooke Library, the Archives welcome all materials of historical pertinence – documents, recordings, photographs, scrapbooks, letters, and clothing – related to or created by Dana Hall alumnae and faculty during their time at the school. Please contact Archivist Dorothy DeSimone P06, P10 at (781) 489-1382 or dorothy.desimone@danahall.org.
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The Japanese screen can be seen in the Living Room of Dana Main, c. 1908.
An Open Letter to Our Alma Mater
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ear Dana Hall,
The Class of 2018 will forever hold you dear to our hearts. Throughout our extraordinary years at Dana Hall, our class has blossomed from eager freshmen apprehensively wondering how to fit into the community, to responsible young women fearlessly voicing our convictions. Undoubtedly, our continuous efforts to create a class song we could recite with complete memorization and fluidity sparked much laughter throughout our Step Sings. In the By Melissa Klein ’18 end, our passionate cheering and high energy unveiled how Class Historian we treasure our comradery. The Class of 2018 consists of incredibly enthusiastic and hilarious young women, holding dance parties in Student Affairs, proudly hanging our bulletin board with certificates from an online ordination website, and throwing a birthday party for Khloe (*. Dana Hall’s rich history has gifted us with exceptional traditions that both unified our class and developed relationships with our younger classmates. The Class of 2018 will forever cherish our sisterhood and the nurturing community Dana Hall has bestowed upon us. This year the senior class enthusiastically stepped up to the plate, ready to lead the school in an unforgettable year. Comprised of many talented athletes and responsible team managers, the seniors led a fabulous year for athletics. In the fall, the Varsity Volleyball Team won the EIL Tournament Championship, and the Varsity Cross Country Team came in 7th place out of 22 teams in the New England Class B Championships. During the winter, Varsity Swimming and Diving Team took 1st place in the EIL Tournament, with many swimmers achieving their own records. Wrapping up the school year in the spring, The Varsity Tennis Team became EIL champions for the third year in a row. The Class of 2018 excels in the arts with highly talented actresses, artists, dancers and singers. In March, our skillful dancers, exhibited their diligence and dedication in their breathtaking dance concert, Move. Our productions of the fall play, The Penelopiad, and our spring musical, Bring it On, left the audience astounded and believing that they had just watched a Broadway performance! From the fields to the stage, the Class of 2018 devoted our time to strengthening the Dana Hall community and inspiring others to follow our endeavors. The remarkable Class of 2018 has sailed far and wide, preserving the sacred traditions right to the end of our senior year. We began the year eagerly tapping our cherished rings at Harbor Cruise and eating delicious ice cream on our class retreat. Our sophomores were gifted with an amount of candy to last a lifetime along with silly costumes and newfound friendships made from Senior-Sophomore. The suspense was unbearable as we patiently waited to see who filled our roles at Revels, and the juniors’ enthusiastic reveling left us thrilled to have them follow our footsteps next year. Little did the juniors realize, they had fascinating adventures to embark on, as we welcomed the juniors into our beautiful sisterhood in a fantastic SPREAD. The Class of 2018 stands out as ambitious, witty and compassionate women. From chasing and yelling at each other down the hallways in “The Game,” to planting live goldfish next to the goldfish snacks, our class is a little family that puts their heart in everything we do. As we sail on to our new adventures of going to college and meeting new people, our silver sisters will never be too far behind. Dana Hall has gifted the Class of 2018 a beautiful sisterhood that will live on eternally. Sail on, Sail far, 2018, I am sailing right behind. Summer 2017
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Commencement
2018
Eliza McCarron, Annabel Moore, Jane Murphy, Didi Nwachukwu, Fenn Novicki, Rachel O’Brien, Kate Okun, Tara Perroncello
Maggie Zhang, Yassmeen Youssef, Niki Whelan, Aliza Ward, Stella Wang, Carly Wahlberg, Saraly Vargas
Ryland Rich and Jennifer Mathews ’82, P18
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Dean of Residential Life and Int’l Student Advisor Donna Corrigan P07 pins a flower crown on SoYeon Kim.
Head of School Katherine Bradley addresses the Dana community under the tent.
Coco Clayson receives a congratulatory hug from librarian Maggie Davidov.
Loulou Taylor, Katie Gardner, Carly Wahlberg
Liz Welch Maheras ’81, P16, 18 Ailish Maheras, Susanna Maheras ’16
“You all know you have the right stuff to succeed – uncompromising integrity, confidence to push past failures, discipline to make sacrifices, and compassion and empathy to make good choices.” Sophie Habermann celebrates.
Claire Strachan, Sydney Soloway, Amanda Sax
– Chair of the Dana Hall Board of Trustees Marcia Teng Ishizuka ’77
Chair of the Dana Hall Board of Trustees Marcia Teng Ishizuka ’77
Natasha Joukowsky and Sophia Lin toss their pennies in The Pond.
“Dana has made us all the more eager, wiser, and readier to cope with the challenges of life itself. It breeds a certain introspection – an awareness of environment and of one’s place in it. It breeds courage – the ability to first identify what one believes, and then to stand up and fight for those convictions. It breeds a certain hunger – the desire to make the most of every experience, to have a go – each and every one of us – at that glass ceiling.” – Student Speaker Caroline Cohen ’18
Caroline Cohen was chosen by her classmates to give the student address.
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Jiwoo Jun, Jenny Jung, Naomi Kalombo, Claire Kim
Stephanie Copeland ’23, Christina Koumantzelis Pappas ’91, Kathy Koumantzelis Copeland ’86, P18, 20, 23, Christine Copeland, Elizabeth Koumantzelis ’93, Lauren Copeland ’20
Head of School Katherine Bradley gives Charmaine Cadasse her diploma.
Michelle Li embraces English teacher Liz Paushter.
“You have an amazing education, a vision for what it takes to be an engaged global citizen, an understanding of the importance of Amor Caritas and a strong internal compass. If there was ever a moment to follow your passions, to trust yourself, to embrace your independence – this is it.” – Commencement Speaker Lisa Unsworth P15 Commencement speaker Lisa Unsworth P15
Phoebe Blond ’15, Lilah Blond, Chloe Blond ’15
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Nicole Barros ’16, Anaisa Barros P12, 16, 18, Sofia Barros, Caitlin Barros ’12, Apolinario Barros P12, 16, 18
Making an Impact While Celebrating Friendships
In the spring of 2010, a group of Dana Hall alumnae from the classes of 1977 and 1978 met in New
York City for dinner. It was the inaugural event of the MADAMES (Middle-Age Dana Alums, Meeting, Eating & Sharing). Many in attendance turned 50 that year, and MADAMES founder Amie Block-Ratajczak ’78, struck by the life changes associated with this milestone, initiated an annual gathering to encourage social and emotional connections. Seven years later, the group is still going strong. In the spring of 2017, motivated by Reunion Weekend, Marylou Wellbrock-Reeves ’77 came to the group with a personal appeal to initiate an endowed fund to ensure that domestic boarding students in need of financial aid can attend Dana. Inspired by her words, the group launched the MADAMES’ Fund over Peking Duck in New York City’s Chinatown, where a dozen women reaffirmed their gratitude for the bonds formed at Dana that transcend time. “I came to Dana in 1974 at a dark moment in my life, as I had just lost my mother, and a dark time in our country,” said Wellbrock-Reeves. “Dana opened up the whole world for me—academically and through the level of support, love and care I received. The impact was monumental and seismic, and I have no doubt it influenced both my personal and professional success.” “The MADAMES group is all about life-long and life-changing friendships that began at Dana Hall. Amie, Susan Miller Copperman ’77, Joyceanne Yaccarino Griggs ’78, and I started thinking about ways to permanently commemorate these tremendous friendships, which led to creating the MADAMES’ Fund. We want to give other girls like us the same opportunities that we had. It is a very compelling case, and people quickly joined our initial effort. Now we are calling upon the larger Dana community to join us in support of our mission.”
The goal of the MADAMES’ Fund is to remove financial barriers and provide the means for girls who are accepted to take part in the Dana Hall boarding experience. If you would like to contribute, or learn more about named endowed fund opportunities at Dana Hall, please contact Anne Richter, Director of Leadership and Planned Gifts, at anne.richter@danahall.org or (781) 489-1368. Summer 2018
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REUNION WEEKEND 2018: May 18 & 19
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1. Priya Kumar Agrawal ’93, Lorrie Walker ’93, Heather Lyon Patnode ’93, Cinzia Solari ’93, Amy Dahm ’93 2. Madelyn Levy Renee ’73 and Lannie Smith Welch ’73 3. Class of 1988 4. Dwin and John Schuler P84 5. Class of 1968 6. The Class of 2003 held their class dinner at The Local in Wellesley.
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REUNION WEEKEND 2018: May 18 & 19
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1. Jenn Oakes ’68 got things started at the Friday afternoon welcome reception. 2. The Class of 1978 sang their class song. 3. Class of 1978
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4. Alumnae Council President Lee Ferguson Frechette ’81, P16, 22
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5. Joyceann Yaccarino Griggs ’78, Geraldine Christ Cooper ’78, Amie Block-Ratajczak ’78, Xanda McCagg ’78 6. Class of 1998
7. Director of Annual Giving Ben Sacks presented the Class Participation Award to the Class of 1973, which had the highest participation in the Dana Fund. Julia Sawabini ’73 and Dana Cole ’73 accepted the award. 8. Andrea Schmid ’13, Sophie Hall ’13, Alexandra MacGillivray ’13, Kendall Clarke ’13
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REUNION WEEKEND 2018: May 18 & 19
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1. Bonaparté the magician entertained the Class of 2008 at the Reunion lunch on Saturday.
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2. Margaret Boles Fitzgerald ’73, P04 and Julia Sawabini ’73 3. The Class of 2013 won the Highest Attendance at Reunion Award, which Annie Killelea ’13 (right) accepted from Director of Alumnae Relations Heather Glavin Yetman ’06.
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5. Class of 1983
7. K atharine Ives ’98, Annie Pappas Haggerty ’98, Raquel Lachman ’98, Rebecca Agbe-Davis ’98
6. Class of 1993
8. Amie Margolis ’93 and Maddie Lee ’93
4. Class of 1973
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REUNION WEEKEND 2018: May 18 & 19
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1. The Class of 1968 won the Class Agents Bowl, raising the most money for the Dana Fund. Director of Annual Giving Ben Sacks presented the bowl to Susan Goldbloom Restler ’68.
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2. The Class of 1998 sang their class song. 3. Class of 2013
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7. Ruchira Kumar ’98 and Priya Kumar Agrawal ’93 8. Class of 2008
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4. Nancy Barnet Adams ’78, Wendy Bullock ’78, Dana Peters Frizzell ’78, Ellen Meisel Barrett ’78 5. Teresa Nguyen ’13, Jenine Shaw ’13, Laura Knebel ’13, Emma Milford ’13 6. Visual Arts Department Chair Michael Frassinelli taught a special class for alumnae.
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From Wellesley to the Runway 2018 Distinguished Alumna Honoree
Nina Garcia ’83 T
he Distinguished Alumna Award honors an alumna who has demonstrated outstanding distinction in her field of endeavor and serves as an inspiring role model for current students. This year’s honoree is Nina Garcia ’83, who is the editor in chief of ELLE, the No. 1 fashion magazine brand in the world, with 46 international editions. Garcia was not able to collect her award in person during Reunion Weekend in May, but via email she shared that “Dana Hall played an enormous role in shaping the woman that I am today, and I am forever appreciative. Not only did my experience there open my mind to all of the world’s possibilities during my most formative years, it also gave me the resources and strength necessary to accomplish the goals that I chose. Boarding school is a great time to learn how to become independent and resourceful early on. When I graduated, I felt prepared to stand up for myself and do what it takes to fulfill whatever dreams I had.”
Nina Garcia ’83
Garcia began her fashion media career at Mirabella and served as fashion director of ELLE from 2000 to 2008, after holding other roles there since 1995. Before her return to ELLE, Garcia was the creative director of Marie Claire, where she introduced franchise editorial sections and award-winning fashion content.
Responsible for covering the designer fashion markets of New York, Milan and Paris, Garcia is known as an elite authority in the industry. She has hosted the red carpet for ABC’s Oscar telecast, has been a judge on the Peabody Award-winning show Project Runway since it launched in 2004, and serves as a style expert on programs including Good Morning America, The View and Today. Garcia noted that her time at Dana Hall had an influential role on her eventual career path. “I’ve always had an interest in fashion, but when I arrived at Dana Hall, I was able to put those hopes and dreams into action,” she said. “Even beyond fashion, the liberal arts education that I received there allowed me to approach my area of expertise in a well-rounded way. It’s that diverse education that prepared me for the creative side of things as well as the business and marketing sides. It’s important to have that bigger picture perspective.” Garcia also is a New York Times bestselling author of four books on style. She was honored by Fashion Group International in 2010 with the prestigious Oracle Award and in the same year, received the Individual Achievement award from the Hispanic Federation. In 2015, Garcia received the Champion of Educational Excellence Award from the Oliver Scholars Program. What is her advice to young people interested in her industry? “It’s so important to find a mentor, which often starts with an internship,” Garcia said. “This is definitely an industry of networking. You need somebody that you can learn from and who can help guide you, and there are a lot of people who will give you that chance if you work really hard and have a passion for it.” Born in Barranquilla, Colombia, Garcia attended Dana Hall from 1979-1983, and then went on to Boston University and the Fashion Institute of Technology. She credits her Dana Hall college counselor for being incredibly helpful in guiding her through all of her options. “When I think back to my time at Dana Hall, I realize that it might not have been immediately evident just how important the guidance I received there would be in my future,” Garcia said. “But now, with some years of perspective, I realize that it was the support that I received at Dana Hall that allowed me to think independently and have the strength to go after what I want.” 36
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A Commitment to Making a Difference Distinguished Young Alumna Honoree
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Elizabeth Hylton ’03
fter Dana Hall, the trajectory of Elizabeth (Lily) Hylton ’03’s life was already beginning to take shape: She was a theater major in college, something she fell into toward the end of her time at Dana, with hopes of pursuing the arts after graduation. Then an opportunity appeared her junior year at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester.
Eager to volunteer in her hometown, in 2017, Hylton served as an adviser for a youth education and leadership program in Shrewsbury, Mass., called Students Together Opposing Prejudice (STOP), which teaches middle school students how to confront prejudice and discrimination, and how to advocate for peers experiencing bullying.
The Chaplains’ Office offered an opportunity to travel to Mexico as part of an immersion program, to which Hylton applied and was accepted. There, she saw first-hand the suffering of those in underdeveloped communities. “Being with them in that experience, I wanted to do something that would make a difference, that would help people,” Hylton, the 2018 Distinguished Young Alumna Award recipient, said.
Hylton credits her Dana Hall education with giving her the self-assurance many young girls are lacking to assume these numerous roles and leadership opportunities in her adult life. “Dana ties into what I do now, absolutely,” she said. “Going to an all-girls school really helped develop my selfconfidence and self-esteem. At Dana Hall, you learn that you are enough.”
It was at that time she knew she needed to change her career path. After receiving her first bachelor’s degree, Hylton returned to school for nursing, receiving a second bachelor’s and a master’s from the MGH Institute of Health Professions, and went on to become a psychiatric clinical nurse specialist for her family’s mental health clinic, the Counseling & Assessment Clinic (CAC) of Worcester, LLC.
The Distinguished Young Alumna Award is presented annually to a young alumna (graduated in the last 15 years) who personifies the school’s motto, Amor Caritas. The honoree will have demonstrated outstanding distinction by giving back to her community and providing an inspiring role model for students.
Her primary patient population consists of clients from underserved communities, which is a point of pride for Hylton. “My parents were immigrants,” she said. “They came from Jamaica with next-to-nothing and worked their way towards achieving the American dream the best way they could. My family was part of an underserved population, so that’s always been important to me.” In addition to her work at CAC Worcester, Hylton gives back through many local nonprofits. She’s a member of The Central Massachusetts Chapter Elect of The Links Incorporated (formerly The Central Massachusetts Sisters of Excellence), founded in 2016, which began as a small group of successful women of color in the Worcester area looking to serve their community. Now about 30 members strong, the organization partners annually with UMass for the Multicultural Women’s Health Summit and was recently given chapter-elect status from one of the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer service organizations for women of color. She is also proud of her family’s clinic serving as a presenting sponsor at the annual fundraiser for Abby’s House, one of the country’s first overnight emergency shelters for women with or without children. And Hylton herself founded Jamaican Americans for a Better Jamaica, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, where, with a group of volunteers, she raises funds for scholarships to help offset school fees, which can be a barrier to school entry for Jamaican children.
Elizabeth Hylton ’03
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Making Connections, Making Contributions Distinguished Service Award Honoree
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Julia Sawabini ’73
n the late 2000s, Julia Sawabini ’73’s involvement with the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt was winding down and she was looking for a new volunteer opportunity. “I give Dana Cole [’73] a huge amount of credit,” Sawabini said. “Dana was the Class Agent and wrote me a handwritten thank you note when I gave, in addition to the note from Dana Hall. We started talking and that’s when I said I’ll help you out.” From there, Sawabini, who is the 2018 Distinguished Service Award recipient, swiftly and steadily became re-engaged with her alma mater. She began by stepping into the Class Agent role alongside Cole in 2007. She joined the Alumnae Board and was named a Corporator in 2009, serving eight and six years in each role, respectively. Sawabini was a She Sails volunteer for the inaugural event in 2012 and again in 2015, then served on the planning committee in 2017. She has been both a Reunion Committee and a Reunion Giving Committee member, and regularly attends Reunions and Dana Hall events in Philadelphia, where she lives and works as a small business consultant. In addition to giving so much of her time, for more than 35 years Sawabini has been a member of the Moon and Stars Society, a special recognition and distinction for loyal alumnae whose annual gifts have supported Dana Hall for five or more consecutive years. She counts the 2012 She Sails as her favorite Dana Hall volunteer opportunity to-date. “It was one of the most amazing day-long events,” Sawabini said. “Since Reunions were previously held in June, we never got to see the kids. To come to She Sails and see how engaged the current students were, plus all of the alums who came back to participate in the panels, She Sails was the glue that put everything together. It’s such great engagement of all parts of the [Dana] community.” When asked why she gives so much back, Sawabini paused before saying, “I kind of feel like Dana Hall, in some ways, saved my life.” After attending a small private alternative day school, she enrolled in a large public high school where she felt she was drowning in a sea of anonymity. Sawabini landed at Dana Hall her junior year and instantly fell in love with the school. “In two years, I never would have dreamed I could make up for all the other years. Nobody [at Dana Hall] made me feel stupid. Somebody was actually paying attention to me, helping me get better and not just skipping over me because somebody needed more help or was smarter. It was like we are all in this together and we’re all learning.” 38 Summer 2018
Julia Sawabini ’73
She also cites the all-girls environment as a huge positive, both when she was a student and today when choosing where to give her financial support. “There’s the educational skills, but then there’s the practical skills [that you learn at Dana Hall],” Sawabini said. “It’s a place that produces young women who aren’t afraid to get up in a room, a place that helps girls find their voices and speak up. A place like Dana is so critically important.” The Distinguished Service Award was established to honor an individual, couple or group who has consistently demonstrated extraordinary commitment, dedication and service to the advancement of Dana Hall School.
DANA HALL ON THE ROAD:
events
receptions
Dear Dana Hall Alumnae and Friends, My first year as Director of Alumnae Relations has been a year full of events, travel and a wonderful Reunion Weekend. For the first time, we hosted an event at The Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Fla., where alumnae could watch and meet members of Dana Hall’s Equestrian Team. It was a successful event that we hope to repeat in the future. We also hosted events in California, New York City, Connecticut and locally in Boston. As we gear up for another busy and exciting year, we would love your help planning events in different locations; please reach out if you are interested in getting involved, or if you would like to host an event in your town or city. Head of School Katherine Bradley and I will be traveling to Asia this fall, and we hope to see many alumnae at our hosted receptions during our visits. We will be traveling to Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok and Hong Kong. Our trip will span October 29 through November 10, and we will provide more information on specific dates for each location. Please reach out if you would like to help plan an event in your city.
SAVE THE DATE She Sails 2019 is scheduled for Saturday, April 28, 2019. Make plans now to join us! She Sails creates connections among all Dana Hall women and provides a forum to learn from one another. The event includes speakers, panel discussions, workshops and networking opportunities. She Sails aligns with Reunion 2019, which will take place April 26-29, 2019. We will celebrate the Classes of 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014.
I look forward to seeing many of you at events throughout the world next year! Heather Glavin Yetman ’06
YOUNG ALUMNAE EVENT IN BOSTON
Front row: Ariann Williams ’08, Atiyyah Sabir ’10, Assistant Director of Alumnae Relations Stephanie Meyer. Back row: Alena Horton ’09, Maddie Schneider ’13, Maggie Secor ’13, Taylor Kelley ’13, Rory Quinn ’13, Celeste Murtha ’13, Annie Killelea ’13, Caroline Ames’13
Maddie Schneider ’13, Molly Chisholm ’13, Taylor Kelley ’13, Celeste Murtha ’13, Maggie Secor ’13, Estelle Palandjian ’13, Annie Killelea ’13, Rory Quinn ’13, Caroline Ames ’13, Alex Tuchler ’13, Stephanie Dareshori ’13, Ginger Brostowski ’13, Ansley Joannes ’13, Courtney Skillman ’13
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LOS ANGELES
Front row: Edie Perkins ’89, Diane Sabatini ’79. Middle row: Anne Wilson Cannon ’70, Leadership Gifts Officer Robin Ryan, Jda Gayle ’08, Sarah Gage ’78. Back row: Mary-Cait Hentz ’06, Annika Kucheman ’05, Director of Alumnae Relations Heather Glavin Yetman ’06, Tori Fillat ’04, Emmy Lowell ’05, Durinda Wood ’70
PALO ALTO, CALIF.
Front row: Ellie Herz Swent ’41, Anne O’Neil Dauer ’56, Cathy Won Muma ’87. Back row: Head of School Katherine Bradley, Director of Advancement Julie Gray P07, 10, Lucy Franks LaPier ’73, Fatima Jafri ’04, Sally Dwight Stewart ’50, Director of Alumnae Relations Heather Glavin Yetman ’06
SAN DIEGO
Head of School Katherine Bradley and Joan Ford ’51
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SAN FRANCISCO
Front row: Head of School Katherine Bradley, Marie-Louise Wetzel Pratt ’50, Jeannine DeLoche ’86, Lida Kagan Morgenstein ’87, Director of Advancement Julie Gray P07, 10. Back row: Stephanie Meade ’94, Alison Kelman ’05, Julia Seaman ’04, Becky Winslow Pringle ’66, Shirley Smith Long ’53, Director of Alumnae Relations Heather Glavin Yetman ’06
Head of School Katherine Bradley, Director of Advancement Julie Gray P07, 10, Jackie Nett ’07, Kelsey Corrigan ’07, Laura Edelman ’07, Director of Alumnae Relations Heather Glavin Yetman ’06
WINTER EQUESTRIAN FESTIVAL IN WELLINGTON, FLA.
Front row: Rachael Chandley ’21, Gwen Field ’21, Meredith Rippert ’17. Back row: Head Trainer Greg Best, Grace Thames ’20, Director of Advancement Julie Gray P07, 10, Head of School Katherine Bradley, Director of Alumnae Relations Heather Glavin Yetman ’06, Director of the Karen Stives ’68 Equestrian Center Sarah Summers ’98
Marjorie Jacobs Yashar ’58, Ann Feary ’72, Jan Young, Margaret Heck Frazer ’59
Katherine Figueroa ’10, Nikki Ayoub, Richard and Amy Ohman P15
Maria Schorsch Bacinich ’66, Peggy Scott Griswold ’70, Gale Sanson Gillespie ’66
ALUMNAE AND FAMILY EVENT AT DANA HALL
Jessica Engel Lipsky ’99, Alison Cornish Mensi ’99, Guida Estrela Mattison ’98, Kristin O’Donnell Bedard ’97, Director of Alumnae Relations Heather Glavin Yetman ’06, Lee Ferguson Frechette ’81, P16, 22, Lisa Aronson Altman ’78 P11, 16, Anne Morton August ’82, Chelsea Kendrick Sheasley ’06
HONG KONG
Carol Chu ’08, Charmaine Lee ’01, Chloe Suen ’00, Head of School Katherine Bradley, Maisie Ng ’99, Sylvia Cheung ’05, Lesley Suen ’10
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NEW YORK CITY
Jacquelyn Smith McKee ’06, Director of Alumnae Relations Heather Glavin Yetman ’06, Ashley Haydock Ziemer ’06
Leah Pagano ’11, Katie Jones ’11, Avery Loeffler ’11, Nicole Atamian ’11, Head of School Katherine Bradley, Maddie Naylor ’12, Alejandra Baez ’12
Audrey Appleby ’70, Barbara Tomlinson Harman ’72, Joan Popkin ’72, Martha Jewett ’72
Pamela L. Hull ’59, Head of School Katherine Bradley, Caroline Lowe Brown ’48, Jill Spiller ’59
Marylou Wellbrock-Reeves ’77, Carmina Perez ’77, Marcia Ishizuka ’77
Makara Bey ’12, Marcia Ishizuka ’77, Keha Ellis ’12, Victoria Robichaud ’12, Japera Mchunu ’13
Elise Morrissey ’93, Director of Advancement Julie Gray P07, 10, Kimberly Higgins ’73
NETWORKING EVENT IN BOSTON
Harriet Groppe ’06, Stacey Arbetter ’81, Director of Alumnae Relations Heather Glavin Yetman ’06
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Emily Cohen ’02, Kimberly Maloomian ’01, Courtney Tipping ’02, Caroline Tipping ’08, Ariann Williams ’08, Meredith Tipping Hudzik ’04, Jennifer MacKenzie DiRico ’03
Class Notes Correspondents are needed for the following classes: 1945, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1963, 1966, 1990, 2015 and 2016. If you are interested in being a correspondent for your class, please contact Director of Alumnae Relations Heather Glavin Yetman ’06 at heather.yetman@danahall.org or (781) 489-1369 to learn more. Being a Class Correspondent is a wonderful way to keep in touch with your classmates and help share news and announcements with the Dana Hall community. Please share your news with your Class Correspondent by October 5, 2018, for inclusion in the next issue of the Bulletin. If your class does not have a correspondent, please email your notes to bulletin@danahall.org or mail them to Class Notes, Alumnae Relations, Dana Hall School, 45 Dana Rd., Wellesley, MA 02482. All notes are due to the Alumnae Relations Office no later than October 30, 2018. Photograph submissions are welcome; however, in order to run a photo, it must be high resolution. That is, it must be at least 300 dpi at a 4x6 inch print size. If it takes up more than 1 MB of memory, it is probably high enough resolution. Please do not embed pictures in text. Please note Dana Hall reserves the right to edit, format and select all materials for publication to accommodate news from nine decades of classes. This includes photos that do not appear because of their small size or low resolution. Due to the long lead time for the Bulletin, we refrain from publishing news about pregnancies.
Class of 1939 Enid White Holmes 160 Kendal Dr. Lexington, VA 24450 (540) 463-6033
Class of 1940 Marian Selden Gagliardi 48 Greenleaf Dr. Delmar, NY 12054
Class of 1943 Jacqueline (Jackie) Hope O’Leary G08 10 Longwood Dr. Westwood, MA 02090 (781) 329-8426 jaol950@gmail.com Greetings from your class agent, Jackie Hope O’Leary! Marie Williams Petersen and I had our usual 45-minute phone conversation. We spoke of friends, memories and our Dana days. Marie resides at Whispering Palms in California. Nancy Erickson Murphy and Cal live right on the golf course in Sequim, Wash., and love watching the action off the first tee. Cal will soon be 100 years young and Nancy is busy planning the party. Christine (Kiki) Benedict Garo spoke to me from the swimming pool in Hilton Head, S.C. She and her husband Lucien have fun keeping up with the 20 grandchildren. They planned to attend two graduations in May: one at Radford School
of Nursing in Virginia and one at Elon in North Carolina. They will be in Bethesda, Md., for the summer months. Elizabeth (Betsy) Wortley Lewis is expecting another great grandbaby. Her granddaughter Betsy had a little girl a year ago. We love little girls! As for me (Jackie), it has been a busy winter. Sold my Cape house, sadly. Had a great trip to San Francisco in February. Keep busy with duplicate bridge, a book club, a chorale group and my Steinway. My grandson James finished the Boston Marathon, and his cousin John, son of Liz Hills O’Leary ’72, graduated from Harvard in May 2018.
Class of 1944 Patricia Dunham Oburchay 222A Shoshoni Ln., Stratford, CT 06614 (203) 383-4349
Class of 1945 Correspondent needed
Class of 1946 Linn Kneller Mix P89, G20 24 Atwood St. Wellesley, MA 02482-6030 (781) 237-0205 LTMix@msn.com
Class of 1947 Barbara (Bobbie) Quarles Harper 4436 Westover Pl. NW Washington, DC 20016 (202) 244-1571 harperbq@gmail.com Widowed at age 48, Diane (Di) Fulton Hunter kept her house in Duxbury, Mass., until 10 years ago when she downsized to a condo. Having developed a love of boating, she then bought a catamaran (doublehulled yacht) that she actually lives on a good part of the year. Initially, Di was lured to Hope Town, an Abaco Island in the Bahamas, by classmate Betty Brown Klein. She now spends the winter months on her boat in Hope Town’s harbor. For years she has captained the catamaran from Duxbury down the Intracoastal Waterway along the Atlantic seaboard to Florida and then across to Hope Town. As necessary crew has been increasingly difficult to find, for the first time Di has left her boat in Florida for the summer and traveled north by land. What an intrepid sailor she is! A record that’s probably unequalled by other ’47 classmates is Sandra (Sandy) Cooper Ulein’s claim to 11 great grandchildren. None live nearby but rather dwell in distant California or the UK. Sandy’s travels to London and Scotland are of her greatest joys. She and her husband of 69 years (another class record?) have made their home in Litchfield, Conn., since 1987, having moved there from New Canaan, Conn., where they raised their family. Isn’t Empty Saddle Lane in Rolling Hills, Calif., a seductive address? It’s been Nancy
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Smith Welsh’s since 1969. She and her 97-year-old husband have two unmarried sons. With a passion for sailboats, they spent many summers in the Caribbean on their 40-foot ketch. Then they graduated to a power boat but now are landlubbers. Nancy’s activities include golf, the Junior League and other volunteer organizations.
Class of 1948 Collette (Tookie) Johnson Taylor 20252 Millbrook Dr Abingdon, VA 24211-6868 (207) 967-2352
Class of 1949 Virginia (Ginger) O’Hearn Broadbent P81 88 Notch Hill Rd., Apt. 157 North Branford, CT 06471 (203) 208-1475 virginiabroadbent@frontier.com Hi ’49ers. Virginia (Vee) Henry Achey is living in a retirement community in a one-bedroom garden home in Greensboro, N.C. Her husband is in the skilled nursing section of the facility. She has lunch with him every day and a glass of wine at night. Way to go, Vee. She does water aerobics twice a week, an exercise class, is in the chorus and plays the hand bells. Claire Burgin Allen writes, “Not a great deal of news here. Enjoying life at our retirement community in South Carolina and working on at least how to play golf croquet, a very fun, prevalent game in the South. Even have inter-club matches! Had a 24-year-old granddaughter who ran the Boston Marathon and also a grandson in-law who did the same thing. Youngest grandchild going to Wofford College in the Fall, near Spartanburg, S.C. Planned on going to Vermont for the summer in mid-June. My best to all.” Joan Hadley Lena is also in a retirement home in Concord, N.H. She has lived there for 11 years. She loves it, enjoys the programs and is very happy. She has seven grandchildren, two of whom are living in Maine. “My love to everybody.” Mary (Maizi) May Donald writes, “Dear classmates, no travels, no trips recently, just struggling with the computer!”
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Norma (Billie) Fisher writes, “Not doing much of anything different... I am boring myself! Am still playing golf (walking), still traveling, still thoroughly enjoying retirement, still working for the local food bank as a volunteer. Importantly, I am still well and hope all ’49s are the same!” I also called Billie and got more information about her travels. She is planning to attend her 65th reunion at Skidmore. She also planned to visit the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and perhaps Zion National Park in June. She is thinking about booking a cruise up the Norwegian coast to the Arctic Circle for next year. Jane Fisher called me from the hospital just before the deadline for this news, telling me she just had surgery for a hip replacement three days’ prior. Wow! She sounded great and was in the hospital’s rehab section, looking forward to her therapy. Bonnie Whelden Franks lives in Highlands Ranch, Colo. She has been there for 10 years and “loves it.” She is looking forward to getting in touch with classmates. Natalie Smith Garland lives at North Hill in Needham, Mass. She has three “wonderful boys who have three lovely wives and nine great grandchildren.” One son lives in Weston, Mass.; another in Old Lyme, Conn.; and the third in Natick, Mass. I had a nice chat with Elizabeth (Betsy) Singer Gluck. She and Gene were in Florida waiting for the warmer weather to reach Concord, Mass. Susan (Sue) Marcy Leland and I had a wonderful conversation. It was delightful to hear her voice and learn all she has been doing. She loves the facility where she lives, which is in Lexington, Mass. Emily (Emmy) Eckart Ogden and her two daughters, Cissie and Julie, had just returned from Miami Beach, Fla., where they had been visiting Emmy’s son David and his new wife. David owns a 90-ft. cruiser, which he keeps in Miami Beach in the winter. Julie is living with Emmy in Cos-Cob, which Emmy says is great fun. Emmy continues to be busy with The Garden Club of America and her church, belonging to two Bible study groups and prayer meetings.
I talked to Deborah (Debby) Phillips, who is fine. We reminisced about our Dana days. We giggled a lot as we talked about how our lives have indeed changed—what we are able and not able to do these days. Betsy Webster Rockett writes, “My life is remarkably devoid of news, but I love reading what others are doing and am kind of pleased about the number of contributors we usually have. Thank you, Ginger, for the phone calls and reminders that help to bring that about. My world is getting smaller since I use an electric scooter which doesn’t transport easily. My daughter Laurie does very well zipping me in and out of appointments in a transport chair but enjoying the many activities of my independent living community is what works best for me. We have weekly worship and communion with local pastors. Music comes to us often in many forms: informal concerts, sing-a-longs and choral recitals. We have great interest in sports. Michigan’s loss to Villanova was a cause for mourning, but our hopes are kindled in our Tigers baseball team’s new skipper and young players. This community has several residents who have had major influences on life in Detroit—for a few, nationally, and a couple have been influential on the world scene. It is exciting to hear their stories. Four great-grandchildren are a delight. Two are close by and visit frequently, two others not terribly far away, and I eagerly await the birth of their little brother. I am spoiled rotten with people taking care of me, and I love it! I get to do whatever I want and leave the dishes in the sink. Love and blessings to all you ’49ers. I’m eager to read your news!” I did talk with Priscilla Kelley (P.K.) Sadler and she sounded great. She and John are fine. They did not go to France this winter where they had gone for years to ski. They enjoy where they live in Camden, Maine, and exercise regularly. Sarah (Sally) Hartley Sneve is in Duluth, Minn. She is in the process of placing her husband in a nursing home as he has Alzheimer’s disease. She had a total hip replacement last June and now needs a new knee. Sending lots of love and sympathy to you, Sally. I called Jennifer (Jenna) Hardy Speer as I had not heard from her and she always has news for us. She said to give her time and she would send an email—which she did,
promptly. Jenna writes, “I just got my airline ticket to fly to Brunswick, Maine, where my older son Chuck and his family live. We had a memorial service for my older brother in Manchester, Vt., in July. Most of the family had planned to be there, some 35 people from four generations. He lived to 90 years old and was writing articles for the newspaper right up until the end. This will be a two-week trip with the possibility of a trip to North Carolina to visit my younger brother in September. I had a lovely trip to Sedona, Ariz., in April when Chuck and family came to visit. I managed to hike for an hour in gorgeous red rock country. They did some mountain biking. My other son Jim and his family were here at Christmas time for two weeks. Jim wrote a novel called Expose on Climate Change which is loaded with scientific facts, all footnoted, and a gripping story line. Amazon will carry it. It is being used in college classes. I still go to exercise class three times a week and manage the yard work with considerable help. Gardening is my favorite thing even though I need my weed bucket to help me get back up! Life is good with friends and family and playing in the dirt! I do get rather wordy when talking about family! You may regret asking me for news! I hope all is going well and you are in good health. We’ve got to just keep moving! My dog keeps me from sitting for too long. I don’t have a doggie door, which is a good thing, but he is in constant protection mode for the entire neighborhood. He hears everything that is going on and wants everyone to know that! Thanks for collecting the class news. I love to read it.” Carolyn (Randy) Cushman Stratton writes, “My husband Bob Stratton and I are living in a retirement home called The Woodlands in Lebanon, N.H. This place is located not far from Hartland, Vt., and our family farm and thus I still consider myself a ‘Vermonter.’ I miss having and showing horses at Combined Training Events as well as fox hunting (thank you, Capt. Marsman, for your training at Dana). However, the pluses of living here include the many interesting retired persons, some of whom have been associated with Dartmouth College, either as professors or students. This makes our dinner conversations lively and interactive. Further, we are adjacent to many miles of unspoiled trails, which my faithful dog Willow and I explore every day. My
husband Bob is in a wheelchair but still active mentally. He is on the committee that shows movies every Saturday night but resists my plea for Gone with the Wind to be shown again and again. May all you fellow ’49ers be as happy and healthy!”
Class of 1950
Nina Heald Webber attended Blue & White Night at Dana in May. That day happened to be the day of her birthday, which she celebrated at the event. Nina writes, “As for news, I have been in Naples, Fla., almost six months and will go back to the Cape May 3. I still am collecting, but there are fewer shows to attend. Another grandchild was married—that makes three. Talked with Carolyn Schoonmaker and see Judy Perkins. Still play golf and now they have ping pong, which is fun.”
Correspondent needed
I (Ginger) am well. Still busy with committees here at Evergreen Woods as well as participating in the many activities that Evergreen Woods offers. I am in two Bible study groups, do yoga twice a week, walk outside frequently on our beautiful campus and attend Mass every day, which I quite enjoy. Living in North Branford is just 10 minutes from New Haven, which has much to offer, including Yale, Quinnipiac, Southern Connecticut State and New Haven universities. Evergreen Woods plans many events and provides bus service to endless events in New Haven. It is time to start thinking about our forthcoming Reunion. Can you believe it will be our 70th? I was actually thinking more like 60th. WOW! It will be in Fall 2019. It is not too early to put the date on your calendar and start making plans to attend, i.e. transportation (car, Uber, a driver, plane, bus, or even a classmate’s car). How wonderful it would be to have you come back and join in the fun of being together, seeing the beautiful campus and meeting Katherine Bradley, our wonderful Head of School. Picture taken at Kurt and Petey’s home for a 1949 reunion dinner.
Correspondent needed
Class of 1951 Class of 1952 Correspondent needed
Class of 1953 Juliet (Bami) Bourne Sherwood 175 South Corona St. Denver, CO 80209 (303) 282-9077 coloradojule@gmail.com What a pleasure to have news from Diana Weiss Weiner and Ann McCracken Hiden after they had both been silent for several years! Anne Whitaker Eaton (on her way to check on the asparagus in her garden) notified me that Ann’s husband Robert Hiden had died and I was able to find a copy of his obituary in The New York Times and ultimately get Ann’s phone number. I offered my condolences and had a long chat with her. (Robert died on February 12, 2018, at their home in Rye, N.Y., at the age of 84. He was a retired partner of the law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell. He graduated from Deerfield Academy, Princeton and the University of Virginia Law School. He was a frequent panelist at law conferences and symposiums, an enthusiastic yachtsman, skier, golfer and tennis player.) The Hidens had three children: Robert III of New Canaan, Conn.; Elizabeth of White Plains, N.Y.; and John of Weston, Conn. Ann writes, “I devoted my entire life to my husband and now that he has died, I find myself poorly prepared for widowhood.” She’s feeling grateful but a bit overwhelmed at the many cards, calls and letters she’s received since he died and bemoans her inability to keep up with the mail. She has moved into a retirement home which she doesn’t like “at all.” With no health limitations, she’d like to spend some time during the summer at her vacation home in the Berkshires, but worries about falling. She reminisced about her childhood growing up in farm country near Barrington, Ill., and how she loved
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being outdoors, climbing trees and seeing the cornfields reaching all the way to the horizon. Ann and her family saw a lot of Dorcas Crawford when they both lived in New Canaan. Dorcas’s father famously threw football parties and the children loved going off into the woods to play while the adults watched the games. Ann was married at 18 and attended two years at Briarcliffe College. Diana Wiess Weiner writes, “My husband of nearly 58 years and I sold our house in upstate New York and have returned to full-time life in New York City—this in order to be nearer to our doctors and first-rate medical care. Unfortunately, our infirmities are preoccupying us at the moment; however, it is impossible to ignore the great theater, museums and restaurants all around us.” In contrast to those of you who rarely send news, Martha Hinman Vaughn said she always has news but wanted to let others send some until she received my second plea. She and her husband Arky enjoyed a month-long cruise from Singapore to Dubai in April, which she said was fantastic. She showed her photos at a show with four other photographers—all women—the night before she left for the cruise. Martha Hinman Vaughn and her husband Arky at the Taj Mahal in Agra, India
Juliann (Julie) Brownell Wood said it seemed she had just written me but she knows how time flies. She and her husband Bill are still playing golf and tennis, and she plays some bridge. They had planned a trip to southern Germany south of Munich near Innsbruck in May for a couple of weeks and then back to their winter home in Florida before going to Rhode Island for the summer. Julie writes, “Don’t know how many more years we will be doing this, but we will until then.” I forwarded her note to Ann Loomis Jesse, and the two friends had some good phone chats as a result. I see Ann here in Denver where we both
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live, and enjoyed a traditional St. Patrick’s Day dinner with her and her husband Henry and a younger gal they had met at a Smith gathering here. We were all amazed when the other guest and I recognized one another from having talked at length at Denver’s annual College for A Day lecture series and lunch in January. Ann has been selected as one of three Stellar Women of Colorado and will be recognized at a big reception in early June. “Quite an honor for this old gal,” Ann writes.
lower-income schools. Am the grandmother of two boys and two girls. Planned to be in western Massachusetts in July to be with the girls. Great life, but it is going too quickly.”
Class of 1954
Judith (Judy) Hofer Hersey wrote to say the Maine ranks are thinning. “I planned to move to a retirement community in Wilmington, N.C., in June. My granddaughter Emily and her husband Tyler live in Wilmington with my two great-grandsons, Cody (4) and Casey (1). Can’t say I’ll miss winter, especially after this last one.”
Phoebe Cory 188 Jones Ave Portsmouth, NH 03801-5516 (603) 778-2875 feebcory@gmail.com Anne Pike Rugh 105 Pine St. Portland, ME 04102 asprugh@gmail.com In early April, still at “winter camp” in Florida, I (Anne Pike Rugh) started prodding those classmates for whom I have email addresses about the end-of-April deadline for our class column. Never quite got through that list when my grandchildren came. Well, you can imagine how it went. I also didn’t get the two dozen letters written and mailed to those of you for whom I don’t have an email connection, and now I’m catching a plane back to Maine. But it would be so nice to hear from you. So here’s advance notice: The next deadline is end of October. C’mon! Address is right here, either mine or the Alumnae Office. If you can email, so much the better. And thanks! In that note I queried: “Anything you’d like to tell our classmates? We seem to enjoy hearing from/about each other. As one said, you don’t know what 80 is like ‘til you get there.” Judith Larson Monteith writes, “My question is: How did this happen? I love living in Columbia; married to a wonderful man. He is very southern and I am very New England but our marriage is great. I volunteer at the Columbia Museum of Art. A perfect museum with a fabulous collection of Renaissance art—also good collection of contemporary art. The museum has won awards for the excellent classes we give to students, especially from
Mary Alice Bauer Wilson and I were trying to connect, either at our 60th Radcliffe reunion in May or in Maine where her daughter Beth heads the Family Medicine Department at Maine Medical Center.
Jane Lynch Pereira, Didi Kelley Manns, Gabriella (Gay) Dreher DiVirgilio and Carol Reeves Parke all assured me cheerily that they had nothing much for the Bulletin but that life was good. I wheedled permission from Gay to include this tidbit: “My life is normal and I’ve begun to think about moving to Florida. I have been the treasurer of the Montclair State University’s Retirees’ Group for 16 years from which I will resign in June of this year. It will be nice to let someone else take care of the dues and pay the bills. I am grateful that my health is good.” And from Carol: “I am ending my final (6th) year and second term on the Conn College Alumni Board, which was useful, fun and got me to Connecticut about three times a year. My last meeting was at graduation this June. The four nor’easters successively ripping up the Eastern Seaboard gave only glancing blows to Richmond, but we did get two or three inches of snow and blowing winds this March, plus average March temps colder than our February—both events rare. I got back to reading fiction by joining a book group, finally getting around to Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day, which was terrific. I’m still gardening and spent a lot of the Saturday before Easter trimming the very raggedy liriope on both sides of my front walk. The Easter Bunny approved.” (Am I, Anne, the only one who didn’t know liriope was a tough, short, decorative grass? I thought it was a typo.) Susan Smith Pratt writes, “Today, April
11, Pam Farrington Clayson and I had lunch in Naples, Fla. Pam lives here part of the year and I used to come down each winter but have been going to California to visit a son and his family the last three years. However, I decided to visit this lovely area en route back to Nova Scotia. We were happy to reconnect.”
Pam Farrington Clayson and Susan Smith Pratt lunching in Naples, Fla.
I’m sorry to tell you that Patronella (Patty) Sykes Treadwell’s husband Dick died this February, succumbing to pancreatic cancer after a remarkably long battle. He, she and I had splendid times together over many years. I am grateful to have known him. Kathleen (Kathi) Krygier Lewis writes, “My latest news is that in April I became a great-grandmother as my granddaughter adopted a newborn in Pennsylvania. I can’t quite wrap my mind around it. Are we really that ancient? I certainly don’t feel it. I am contemplating the benefits of moving to a retirement community with continuing health care, but at present am quite healthy enough to stay in my home of 41 years. Not worried about being alone but miss my Ted so very much. Having been at Dana for but one year, I’d be surprised if most of my classmates remember me, but I do remember each one of you with great affection and would love to hear from some.” All in all, this doesn’t sound like a “nothing to report” column to me. Actuarily speaking, we are a dwindling bunch. That perhaps makes us closer. We came from such different backgrounds, but with those uniforms, who knew? Or cared, youngsters that we were, simply a teenage international neighborhood in creaky housing on Grove Street. Now, 64 years after graduation, I think it is interesting to see how we are spending this extended gift of time. Mrs. Johnston said to prepare for change. Tell us about it. Thank you!
Class of 1955 Judith (Judy) Currier Braunfeld 401 Burwash Ave, Apt. 321 Savoy, IL 61874-9576 (217) 398-4250 judith.braunfeld@gmail.com Madeleine (Maddy) Gatchell Corson writes, “Hello all, am hoping to join you in October. Have a granddaughter opening off Broadway around that time so am hoping there is no conflict. Retirement is great. Spend three months in St. Petersburg, Fla., and the rest in Maine. Am working on two capital campaigns as honorary chair which keeps me comfortably busy. Visiting the grands who are spread around is a priority. Best to all. Jean Gatchell Corson, now called Maddy.” Sheila Slawsby Kowal writes, “In the spring, I talked with Joan Harding Bartlett. Her husband Sam passed away a few weeks prior. Because Sam was a career Foreign Service officer for the U.S. State Department, their long marriage involved many foreign postings to countries around the world, including two years in The Netherlands in The Hague. Sam had been ill for the past few years and Joan managed his care both at home and in a facility, with her typical grace. She said that his funeral, which took place at Plimouth Plantation, was joined by more than 200 people, including some of his surviving classmates from Nobles, his Boston secondary school. Joan paid tribute to their children, who arranged the event, complete with remembrances of their father. As Joan described it, the day was a sunny one, a respite and change from the storms that have buffeted the Massachusetts coast. Joan is spending a lot of time managing the volumes of paperwork, which is so much a part of family loss. She continues her involvement in the Plymouth community, including town meeting and the many issues which are part of living in this historic place.” Catharine (Dixie) Wilder Guiles and Sheila have enjoyed several conversations over the past few years, at the rate of approximately one every two months or so. Dixie, despite her compromised eyesight, finds it possible to travel around the country visiting friends and family—on her own. (Dixie, you and 75 other classmates are my role models!) Dixie continues to
read widely, courtesy of an organization that records books for the blind. Her reading tastes are, to say the least, eclectic. A recent book title is The Ides of March, about the events leading up to the death of Julius Caesar! She lives in Maine, and has had the opportunity to share lunch with Sukie Knott and Maddy Corson who live relatively close by. (From where Sheila lives in Colorado, every locale in New England seems “close by!”) Dixie is looking forward to our Reunion, hoping that some of her sister Maine residents will make the trip with her. In January, Sheila spoke with Gail Nicholas Schneider, who has lived on Chesapeake Bay for more than 30 years. She has been deeply engaged in issues around this part of our country and, yet, has decided to make a journey north to re-settle in New England to be closer to some of her children. Many of us are facing transitions of various kinds and there is a poignancy about picking up stakes where we have been “planted” and setting forth to seek other opportunities, including the chance to be closer to our children. She has weighed several options and decided to re-locate to Redding, Conn., to be near her grandchildren as well. By the time you read this news in our Bulletin, Gail will be settled in. We wish her well, knowing that any community that welcomes her will be rewarded with her wisdom and energy! Sheila has spoken with Sherry Hill Martin, who continues her entrepreneurial lifestyle on Cape Cod, managing an Airbnb business that includes several properties. She travels to Wellesley frequently, until recently, to visit her husband Lee who lived at North Hill in Needham. Lee passed away in early April after a long illness. Sherry has been reading Fire and Fury and A Higher Loyalty, engaging material that allows her to multitask while she is driving back and forth from the Cape. Recently, she has been experiencing some eyesight issues, though not enough to deter her from her car travels! She is looking forward to welcoming many of us at Reunion in October 2018. A conversation between Jean West McVeigh and Sheila has brought both of us up-to-date. Currently living in a retirement community, she finds herself very busy with family and new friends and acquaintances. As she pointed out, “once a person becomes a widow, we really need
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support.” One of her most enjoyable activities is golfing with her grandson, whom she taught the game. Her geographical location bore the brunt of the wildfires that savaged California. She belongs to a knitting group, making blankets for children who are wards of the courts. Jean also travels a great deal. Is there a chance that she may attend our Reunion in October? I hope so! Another classmate with whom Sheila has spent phone time is Margaret (Peggy) Marlow Guthrie who, Sheila is delighted to report, will make some time to visit with Sheila and husband Blake during their July road trip north from Colorado to Alberta in late July. Peggy, her husband Bert, Blake and Sheila will have breakfast/brunch in Choteau, Mont., where the two Guthries have moved (into town) off the ranch where they have spent many years. There will be some time to catch up when we get together. How grateful I am that Peggy and I will have a chance to renew our acquaintance! Peggy asked about Reunion during our conversation. What a treat for us all if she can make some time to visit us on the campus in October! A welcome phone call with Jeanne Harper Little. She had written to say that a couple of months ago, she experienced a stroke. Sheila reached out to her to see how she is doing! Jeanne has been in the Masters Swimming program since her 30s, has (as she puts it) “lived a healthy lifestyle” in so many ways. She continues to swim, though not currently competitively, with a coach. The stroke affected her eyesight, though mildly enough that today was her “first time driving the car beyond the boundaries” of her and Gary’s retirement community. Jeanne expressed the happiness of an emancipated woman after her ophthalmologist gave her the go-ahead to resume driving. She is a new grandmother, with two toddlers who are the offspring of her son, living in Newport Beach about a 5-hour drive away. She plays bridge and she and Gary enjoy the social life of the community where they live. Jeanne reminded Sheila that she had attended Dana Hall for one year and has not had the opportunity to join us for Reunions, which seem to coincide with her husband’s Naval Academy reunions. We are wishing her many years of good health to watch these new little relatives thrive and grow!
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Inna Oamer Vaughan wrote in January, “I was happy to see that so many classmates will be at Reunion. Thanks to everyone’s hard work and staying in constant contact. Lot of changes in my life. Retired this past August; sold my home in Morristown; bought a condo in Allamuchy-Panther Valley, N.J., very close to my daughter; had breast cancer surgery, eight weeks radiation and still on chemo medicine. And so it goes on and on. Who would have thought at the age of 80?! Must say I love retirement even with everything that is going on. Give my best to all of our classmates and who knows, maybe I’ll be at the next.” Jeanette McIntosh Ingersoll and her husband Tom live in Worcester in the home where Jeanette lived when she was at Dana. Last June, Jeanette’s goddaughter Susan planned and escorted Jeanette and Tom on a trip to Paris and Provence, visiting Cassis, Avignon and Aix en Provence. It was described as a unique and magical time. They spend their summers on Pratts Island, Maine, and enjoy the lovely fall colors of October. Because of that, Jeanette is unsure of her Reunion plans. Nancy Gregory Cummings is unable to come in October due to prior commitments, but she sends her best wishes to all. Sheila recently spoke with Jane Bridgeman Blockhus. She and her husband Bob, after years of transfers with Travelers Insurance Co., returned to Eau Claire, Wisc., where they have lived since 1983. They now spend a few months in Phoenix, Ariz., to truncate the long winter months. They are both in good health, and enjoy playing golf and bridge. They were active volunteers at their local hospital before scaling down in recent years. They spend their summers at their cabin on a lake in northern Wisconsin where their family congregates. They have two adult sons, Bradley and Jeffrey, and two granddaughters and a grandson. Two are graduates of Iowa State and the grandson is currently a student there. The big excitement this June is the marriage of Brad’s daughter. The family will congregate in Minnetonka, Minn., for the wedding. Jane’s advice is each day is a gift and appreciate the friends that you have. She remembers Dana fondly but will not be able to come to Wellesley in October. She will be thinking of us at Reunion and wants to hear about it.
Class of 1956 Carol Creighton Hadley 2736 N. W. 77th Blvd., #264 Gainesville, FL 32606 (352) 377-4721 cjhadley@aol.com The American Artists Professional League (AAPL) has announced Mary (Mimi) Hesse Davis of Pompano Beach, Fla., as the 2017 recipient of the Leila Gardin Sawyer Memorial Award at the AAPL 89th Grand National Online Exhibition. The award was presented by the AAPL President Peter Rossi on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, during the AAPL annual meeting and awards reception in New York City. Mimi received the award for her watercolor painting entitled “Notre Dame Cathedral,” which she displayed at her 60th Reunion at Dana in October 2016.
Class of 1957 Judith (Judy) O’Connell Perkins P89 35 Jackson Pond Rd. Dedham, MA 02026 (781) 329-1622 judyoperk@aol.com
Class of 1958 Mary Ty Wyatt Forbush 1100 SW Shoreline Drive #202 Palm City, FL 34990 tyforbush@yahoo.com Hear ye, hear ye! Our 60th Dana Hall Reunion will take place October 3–4 on campus. Please mark it on your calendar and give yourself the opportunity to renew class friendships and be exposed to the vibrant Dana Hall of today! More details will be forthcoming from Dana Hall or let me know of your interest. Marilyn Carey Allen and her husband live in Naples, Fla., and Boston, and she writes how much they are enjoying retirement from their respective careers in financial services and medicine. She thinks our upcoming 60th sounds great. The photo she included is with her daughter Melissa Tighe ’85 at Duke University where older granddaughter Katherine attends and is majoring in mechanical engineering.
Thomas Tighe, Julianne Tighe, Katherine Tighe, Melissa Tighe ’85, Marilyn Carey Allen and her husband Richard Paul
Pattye Dobra Field writes, “While visiting family in August 2017, my niece Mindy Dobra Coath ’81 and I decided on a photo for the Dana Bulletin. Then again in November, I found myself in Wellesley for an overnight. Another photo opportunity in the making! As you can see, mission accomplished. Here I am singing “We are the fighting Class of ’58” with the same gusto that we all sang with 60 (yikes!) years ago. Wow, how time flies and how things change!” Certainly hope that Pattye can return for our 60th Reunion and lead us in song.
Joan Sigel Schuman writes, “While retirement did not come easily, I seem to be making the most of it by travelling constantly, taking an occasional course and taking in lectures at the MFA, the Tisch School at Tufts and the Kennedy Library. I’ve also been surprised at how well I have adjusted to condominium living after leaving my home of 40 years in Weston. I continue to keep my fingers in my professional life by serving on the editorial board of Perspectives, the Association of Educational Service Agencies journal, maintain my ‘cultural’ life with concerts at the BSO, Celebrity Series and the Harvard Musical Association among others and, once again, took over the presidency of my Smith class for our 60th reunion. Unfortunately, my grandchildren are in California (closer than Japan, but not nearly as interesting) and I have learned to live vicariously through tales of their lives as teenagers and budding tennis stars, although I can’t help but wonder what social media is doing to their brains and social skills. Life can be good as we live out our senior years as long as we have good health. So everyone stay healthy and return for our 60th Reunion in October.”
on land for a week and spending another on a traditional Turkish sailboat along the coast. Lysbeth (Lys) Marigold went on a recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land and did something she’d never anticipated doing by carrying a cross on the Via Dolorosa. She was profoundly moved. She also returned to Petra and had a reunion with her Bedouin friends. In January, Anne Steele Hummel, along with husband Ron, sister Susan Steele Isbell ’61 and her husband Bob went on a unique cruise to New Zealand that offered many superb excursions and lectures led by a variety of professors from prestigious U.S. universities. Anne and Ron look forward to another trip, which was planned for May to the South Pacific, and also a forthcoming total family excursion to Bermuda to celebrate Ron’s 80th birthday. Lys Marigold carrying a cross on the Via Dolorosa
Lindsay Hall Huddleston would like all of us to have her new mailing address of 1500 South 14th Street, Unit 201, St. Charles, IL 60174.
Mindy Dobra Coath ’81 with her aunt, Pattye Dobra Field
Pattye Dobra Field stopped by the Dana campus in November
Elizabeth (Betsy) Henry Caldwell moved in October 2017 to 227 N. Hermitage Avenue, Lookout Mtn., TN 37350. Betsy’s new dwelling is slightly smaller than the one she had in the same neighborhood, but still large enough for company and with an ample-sized card room for bridge and game playing with grandchildren. She splits her time between Lookout Mountain and Florida, and greatly enjoys playing bridge, golf, and golf croquet. Alice (Lally) Barnes Freeman writes, “Ward and I still love being in Santa Fe. Lots of folks from other places retire here so it’s easy to make new friends. I’m still painting, working at the gallery and volunteering at the library bookstore once a week. That’s enough to keep me out of trouble. Alnah J. would be pleased!”
In January, Sharon Burdge Lockwood and her husband David topped their cruise from Florida through the Panama Canal with several wonderful days of theater, museums, dinners and fun with Mimi Lawrence. This is the third January ’scape-the-winter cruise from Florida to California ending with a frolic with Mimi. Next year, repeat! On January 20, I (Ty Wyatt Forbush) was very pleased to attend Ann Woodcock Hurd’s beautiful wedding in Charleston, S.C., to Henry Fralix. Afterwards, my husband Bob and I had a most memorable stay with Cynthia Faigle Evans ’60 and her husband Tom on Kiawah Island on the South Carolina coast. Cindy and I go way back to early childhood times together in Syracuse, N.Y. Our visit just reinforced the warmth, joy, and meaningfulness of maintaining and renewing old friendships.
Travel is always loved and pursued by many classmates. Marjorie Jacobs Yasher went to Turkey in May touring points of interest
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Ann Woodcock Hurd Fralix and Ty Wyatt Forbush at Ann’s wedding
Cynthia Faigle Evans ’60 and Ty Wyatt Forbush
And on that note, please try to make our Dana Hall 60th Reunion October 3–4 in Wellesley!
Class of 1959 Jill Spiller 45 Sutton Pl. S. Apt. 1B New York, NY 10022 (212) 421-0932 jillspille1@aol.com News from Norway: Annichen Large happily reported a reunion with Margaret (Maggie) Heck Fraser whom she had not seen since leaving Dana in 1959. Annichen writes, “Maggie and two friends came to Oslo to walk the Pilgrim Path from Oslo to Trondheim, more than 400 miles. Before she left for the walk, we spent a day and a half together sightseeing: Vigeland Park, Viking Ship Museum, Holmenkollen ski jump, etc. At Dana, Maggie and I were pages for the May Queen and I remember walking in as the triumphal march from Verdi’s Aida played.” Ruth Anderson Lawler writes from Alaska that her third book, A Chaos of Kittens Meets a Knot of Toads, was published by Xlibris in late 2017. Ruth had a knee replacement last year, and her first granddaughter turned 1, joining an older brother, Flynn, and two boy cousins. Ruth writes, “Dana Hall remains one of my
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fondest memories, and I’m so grateful for the honest education I received there.” Ditto, Ruth. Lilla Stevens Willey is busy learning games new to her: mahjong and bridge; “was inspired by a scene in Driving Miss Daisy. One is never too old to learn bridge but maybe too old to be a whiz at it!” Lilla continues as a volunteer at the Weston, Mass., Public Library, centered around the sales of donated books. “Miss Currier would be delighted to know that my job is down in the basement sorting! Still in my house, so plenty to keep me physically busy.” I (Jill) met up with Pamela Lasher Hull at the New York City reception for Head of School Katherine Bradley. Pam is awaiting the issue of her latest book, Moments that Mattered, and recalling her fun on a Dana panel at She Sails, discussing her book, YES! Flying Solo After Sixty, a nonfiction narrative on how to be bold and overcome hesitations to take life to another higher level. Susan (Susie) McEldowney Canon is presently celebrating her 55th wedding anniversary on a ‘round the world cruise that began in January in Los Angeles and ends in May in London. “Lots of fun, but we should have done it five years ago. Getting old is for the birds. We have four grandsons and one granddaughter, ranging in age from 6 to 13 years old. We plan to return to Maine in the summer, and this year will spend time in the North Carolina mountains because two sons and families now live outside Charlotte.” Sadly, Solace Walker Tobey died in January; if anyone has any more information on her life, please write.
Class of 1960 Carol Huppeler Hosdale (203) 431-7912 cgoldie3137@aol.com Greetings to The Best Class of All the Rest Past. Please feel free to call me (Carol Huppeler Hosdale). I care about you ALL. Some of us do not have email, but we all have a phone number. I am happy to keep in touch with our Dana sisters. I am enjoying my senior years! My husband and I get to share more time together; I am still teaching exercise; and I have more time to bike, swim, hike and kayak. I am a big fan of Audible books. I am grateful for each
day and look forward. A few aches and pains remind me I am human and life if precious! My family is my world! Hope you are well! My best to you ALL, Class of ’60. Marty Horton Gecek writes, “Hello classmates from beautiful Salzburg! It’s hard to believe that I have now lived here for 52 years! The quality of life in Austria is very high, it’s a beautiful country, we have a terrific healthcare system, and although I still feel very much American, I feel lucky to live here. My daughters Heidi and Sandy, who thankfully married Austrians, have given me three wonderful little Austrian-American boys, aged 10, 8 and 4. I keep busy continuing to organize an annual American Studies seminar at the Salzburg Global Seminar, where I have worked for 52 years. The topic in 2018 is ‘Understanding America in the 21st Century: Culture and Politics’—talk about a timely theme given what is going on in our country! I expect 45 participants from 25 countries to attend. Warm greetings to everyone! It’s hard to imagine we are now three quarters of a century old, but we have to try to stay young at heart.” Karen Smith Brower writes, “Greetings from Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., soon to be from Southport Island on the coast of Maine. I leave in a month for the cool ocean breezes, fresh Maine lobster dinners and yacht club activities with friends. I spend six months in each location, which really is the best of both worlds! Having lost my dear husband Frank in 2016, I am still adjusting to life as a single. I have three married children and nine grandchildren. Frank: four boys, three married, and eight grandchildren. Both Frank’s and my family are very close despite the fact that we are all spread out from Texas to Maine. Although my days of competing in dressage are long since over, I still enjoy riding. I ride with a friend twice a week all winter in the amazing Guana River Wildlife Preserve. This rich mix of wetlands and uplands is a refuge for dozens of yearround and seasonal species. The miles of meandering trails and unpaved roads give numbers of vantage points to observe or spot white pelicans, wading birds such as spoonbills, storks, ibis, egrets and herons. In shady forest areas, one hears woodpeckers and spots an occasional owl. Springtime brings a long list of migrants as they make their way to northern breeding grounds. I have had the fun of seeing the easily spooked herd of wild pigs, large
turtles, playful river otters and that which we give a wide birth to, the alligator. I feel blessed to have all this protected beauty so close by. I am a stage 4 lung cancer survivor, although my journey was a long one. Having gone through chemo and radiation, I stopped this medical team from completing the job as I would have been left with a stomach feeding tube and lost the use of my right arm for the rest of my life. My husband and I researched alternative cures that were not harmful to the body and eventually I went to a clinic in Phoenix, Ariz., where I spent time receiving alternative treatment. I can’t go into specifics here but to share one thing, I had nothing but four quarts of freshly made green juice a day for one month! My cancer went down drastically but a patient I had met in Arizona called from Mexico and said the doctor there was curing all kinds of cancer. I went and was completely cured! The FDA here would not allow the same helpful yet harmless treatments. I feel God has put people in my life to help through sharing and I feel blessed to do so.” Penelope Pearse Buzby writes, “Scott and I continue to feel truly blessed to enjoy Florida’s sun, sand and sensational sunrises and sets and active birds and dolphins enjoying our waterfront. Time spent in Vermont is blissfully relaxing and allows us the luxury of sharing quality time with our family and friends on our beautiful lake, where we have a wonderful organic vegetable and flower gardens as well as a new dock where our canoe, kayak and small rowboat are handy to our cottage. Last summer’s big excitement was the arrival of a vintage Airstream to become my first home office and studio in our woods, and overlooking the dock and lake. I send love and my very best wishes for the good health and happiness to all members of The Best Class of All the Rest Past and their families.”
Class of 1961
we have sailed to and look forward to returning to! We will spend a week in Normandy visiting D-Day sites, orchards, vineyards and cheese makers. Then we head to Cannes to meet three of Ric’s first cousins. It is actually a pretty remarkable story. When Ric’s father left Russia following the Bolshevik revolution, he thought his siblings had been killed. However, his brother Paul survived and had three children who are now living in southern France. They discovered Ric online and we have been communicating ever since. It will be quite an adventure especially for Ric. It is an ambitious voyage, but at our ages we face risks and challenges wherever we are, so we might as well enjoy the ride!” Mary and Ric have spent six months in Florida now. They had at least one visit with Karen Slawsby Stone and Jim, and Marlene Mustard Graf came for a visit for a few days over the New Year holiday. Mary, Marlene and Karen got together for a great lunch. Mary and Marlene again visited the Edison Estate where there’s always something new and enjoyed Salute to Vienna together. They all managed to escape the flu this season. Florida must have been THE place to have lunches because Jane Chittick, Barbara Vaughan Koun and Ann Nutter Thompson also got together for lunch in Port Charlotte in February. Jane went down to the Sunshine State and was able to borrow Robin Morsman Geis’ empty condo on Longboat Key for two weeks. Ann was with Jane for 10 days there and they also got together with Robin. They spent many evenings at fun restaurants wining and dining. Ann wrote it was hard to believe that she and Jane hadn’t seen Barbara since Dana graduation. Unfortunately, Robin wasn’t able to join the lunch that day. Ann also writes that she and Robert were planning to spend a couple of weeks in their condo on Siesta Key at the end of April. The last weekend of April, they planned to see Sheila Rabb Weidenfeld at the wedding of a mutual friend’s daughter. Small world!
Susan (Sue) Gibbs gibbsie65@hotmail.com Here we are again with all the news that’s fit to print. From Mary Wilson-Tauson we hear, “Our big news: We planned to leave Florida May 5th (Marlene’s birthday!) on a two-week repositioning cruise on Holland America to Cherbourg, France, via Bermuda and the Azores—both of which
Barbara Vaughan Koun, Jane Chittick and Ann Nutter Thompson in Port Charlotte, Fla., in February
Robin Morsman Geis, Jane Chittick and Ann Nutter Thompson on Longboat Key, Fla. in February
From Marlene Mustard Graf in Arizona we hear a lot. Marlene writes, “I am excited to say that I have downsized from 4,500 sq. ft. to 1,392 sq. ft. from a huge home with inside and outside upkeep to a lovely third-floor rental apartment on The Avenue of the Fountains in Fountain Hills, Ariz. The Avenue is a happening place with craft fairs, car shows, weekly fresh markets, music, beer gardens, etc. And the whole Avenue is decorated with lights in all shapes and sizes during the Christmas season. Oh, and did I mention fountains? There are two fountains close by with mesmerizing multiple constantly changing gentle spouts. So soothing at night. All of this happening practically under my balcony. I love it and I can walk everywhere: the market, hair salon, chiropractor and restaurants (finally I can have two drinks as I never did when I had to drive home!). Soon this new building will also have retail stores and restaurants on the first floor. I have great views of my Arizona mountains and delicious morning sun to keep my geraniums and Mandevilla blooming happily. And yes I have two guest rooms so please stop by and share my paradise location. I still managed to prepare 15 tax returns in between the three moving events to #309 from my home. Local movers are great and the gradual move-in made the whole process easier and orderly. Clearing the rest out of the house was the challenge, but gratifying to unload! I feel free as a bird, at last. Plan to head to my cottage in Georges Mills for the summer months and enjoy the annual New Hampshire Craftsmen Fair in Newbury, N.H., with Sue Gibbs and Mary Wilson.” Cynthia (Cindy) Childs Over wrote that she and Dick have been busy moving twice over the past two years. They downsized in February 2016, only to discover after gutting their 30-year-old villa that she was allergic to several things in the house. So they sold their house last fall for their
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asking price (good!) and moved into a new villa in Hernando, Fla., the day after Thanksgiving in 2017. (I wonder if they took all the leftovers to munch on while in the midst of moving.) They love their new community. And now Cindy’s vertigo of a year’s duration is finally gone. So I guess the move was the smartest thing to do. She lost her old email with the move. Her new one is corover1376@gmail.com. As of April this year, Cindy is recovering from a broken right tibia and is not so fond of the slow progress after an injury. She and Dick plan to visit friends up north in July and take a cruise/land trip to see the colors in September, with the route Boston/ Newport/Maine/Quebec and Montreal/ Vermont and back to Boston. Sounds great! We all know that Jane Chittick has moved back to Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard and she seems to be very glad she did. However, as the pictures and other news show, she is not letting any moss grow on her and neither is she running low on energy. She sent me this little blurb: “If you stop on Martha’s Vineyard, let me know (all of you!)” This little email message produced plenty of responses so I’m sure she’ll be ruing the day she ever issued such an invitation. She’s got lots of room and says she is ready after September 2. Jane has her hairdresser in Falmouth on the Cape, so she and Allison White (who lives there) have gotten together when she’s been there to make herself more beautiful. Jane is also locally active and has run for the Edgartown Financial Advisory Committee. That brings us to Allison. She responded to Jane’s blanket invitation with this little ditty: “On the way to Jane, if by land and sea/You all must stop and see me/I’m in west Falmouth, on the way to Woods Hole/Where you catch the Vineyard ferry for a small toll.” No wonder Allison is waxing poetic because, “At long last, two months before turning 75, I retired from the institution to which I was married for nearly 19 years. That was a good marriage (though the real one is lots better), but now the freedom to be with family and friends, read, study, play music and travel at my own convenience is all quite amazing. As many retirees have articulated before me, I have not looked back. Jane Chittick and I had a fun catch-up lunch in April, an easy thing now that we’re close by. Brava for her brave return to the Vineyard.” This came from Allison herself, who asked me to not put anything about her in this Bulletin but
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she finally did herself. Congratulations on the retirement!
Allison White and Jane Chittick in Falmouth, Mass., in April
Anne Poekel McCauley writes, “I had nine people for Christmas and two dogs in our teeny, tiny house! My New York grandchildren who are ages 7, 9 and 12 enjoyed a giant water park and Sea World. The new baby from San Francisco enjoyed jumping to a ‘musical jumperoo’ in our living room. Life really does give you surprises. In March, the moving company was packing up the San Francisco daughter who had a job transfer to New York! Dick and I planned to travel to New York in May to see the 12-year-old sing in a chorus and her 9-year-old brother play drums with his music school band in New York City. Our one-week trip will include seeing the baby on the verge of taking her first step! Can’t wait! Warm wishes to all Dana Hall friends.” After the onslaught of everyone at Christmas, Anne’s otherwise quiet life consisted of sorting boxes of books in her garage. From that, she was going to attack her clothes closet. Those are jobs I’ve been going at with a vengeance! Barbara Babcock Kirby says, “Am still working part-time as operations manager and assistant to the President of the Yes We Must Coalition, a coalition of 33 colleges and universities throughout the country committed by mission to provide access to higher education and success through degree completion for low-income students. Our younger son Andrew moved to Manhattan Beach, Calif., a year ago, so Dan and I happily fly cross-country from time to time to visit him. Contrary to our hopes and expectations, the last time (in February) we visited him, the temperature there was not much different than the temperature here and I was glad for the pair of lightweight mittens I tossed into my suitcase at the last minute. We’re also enjoying back-and-forth visits with our 5-year-old granddaughter Sage, who lives
near Baltimore with her mom and dad (our older son Chris and our daughter-in-law Anna). Had a good visit with Sally Warren when she was here in the States in early November.” Tucker (Tucky) Massey Clark flew to Iceland in March to meet her daughter, who lives in Moscow, as a midway point. They almost chose to meet here in Oslo but decided Iceland was better for both. That was a disappointment for me. But Tucky says she was satisfied with that when she heard about all the terrible ice here in Oslo. No ice in Iceland? We’ve had some news from Sheila Carter Benger, who says, “Breaking news! May not be able to get Nancy Cargill Vachon to leave Montpelier for a Dana Reunion, but we are planning on a bike trip in Quebec through Roads Scholars this June. Very excited. Since she has lived in Montpelier forever and I had a house at Sugarbush for 35 years, we always stayed connected. Unfortunately she lost her husband quite suddenly in December 2016. He was such a great guy, so sad. They have four children, two in the Montpelier area, and two in the New York City area.” Hope they had a wonderful trip and that Sheila stayed upright on her bike this time. I know everyone sends their regrets to Nancy on the loss of her husband. That was not good to read. Good hearing about you, Nancy, if not from you. Nobuko (Enn) Shimizu Matsushita’s daughter, Kiwa Matsushita ’90, an architect and also a Dana grad, is finally getting toward building her own house. She and her family plan to move in with Enn and Kaz in August, then tear down their house and build a new one. Enn says, “Can you imagine moving in the hottest month?! Kaz and I also have to put up with a crowded household. Well, that’s life. Their house will be done sometime in the late spring of 2019.” Enn is fine otherwise. She and her family celebrated her mother’s 102nd birthday in April! Dorinda (Dindy) Evans had visits from two of her sisters in March and April: one on her way back to Massachusetts from a conference in Williamsburg, Va., and the other with her husband on their way to Massachusetts after a winter in Florida. How nice to have a sister conveniently living in D.C. to visit and break up the long journey! Dindy spent a lot of time and
energy writing a lecture and article about William Winstanley, the American painter who seems to have forged a lot of Gilbert Stuart’s works, which she was to give at William and Mary College in March. It was postponed until fall because of a big spring snowstorm on the day of the lecture, making Dindy’s long drive longer and more treacherous. Her article will be published later. She has also been involved in doing volunteer community reviews of departments under Montgomery County, Md. In groups of threes they look at the department’s self-assessment, visit them several times, make suggestions and even get paid a little. She’s enjoyed this. Around Easter, Susan (Sue) Steele Isbell and Bob had a visit from their youngest daughter from Nashville with two of her four boys, aged 9 and 11. (There is also one sister in the middle, making the count five.) She said that a Chamber of Commerce week was ideal for the zoo, the Tampa Historical Museum, the aquarium, beach, club pool, and catching and releasing lizards, which populate their garden. It sounds like everyone had a good time. “In January, we spent two weeks circumventing New Zealand, north and south, by boat. We docked at key ports along the way while learning about the beautiful, mostly verdant, country. There were 100 passengers including my sister, Anne Hummel ’58, and her husband. Also on board was the Ambassador to New Zealand from 1999 to 2004. He delivered three excellent lectures enlightening us about living and working in New Zealand. February found us in Telluride for a couple weeks. Bob and I have hung up our skis, but our oldest daughter, husband and their oldest daughter and her boyfriend visited. This spring, a granddaughter graduated from Georgetown and a grandson from high school in Nashville. He is headed for Grove City College in Pennsylvania.” Cynthia (Cindy) Cunningham Clark wrote that “our youngest daughter Catherine was married to her partner Mark. They’re a truly beloved couple who have support from a large community of friends and family from all kinds of traditions: Quaker, Mennonite, Anthroposophy, Tibetan Buddhist, Lakota, Shona (Zimbabwe), Bangladesh, Chinese, Texan, Latin, Polish, Scottish, Irish, and with roots to Findhorn and Skye. It was a day that brought so many people together in a meaningful way. A wonderful celebration of marriage during the full Blue
Moon and Easter Moon on the last day of March. Traditions change with the times. This one honored the past and was forward facing and filled with life.” Then she and her husband John drove to South Dakota to go to the annual spring Lakota prayer ceremony at Pe’Sla near Hill City. “Spring is here and it’s time to move on and celebrate and support new life. This will be a circle of longtime friends and families who come together every year at Pe’Sla in the heart of the Black Hills to pray for help and health for all people.” I guess that wraps thing up for this time. All is well here in Oslo. We had an unusually long, cold and snowy winter here, which was very nice in some ways. On the negative side, inches of solid ice on the roads and sidewalks made for very iffy walking for those of us in the age group that don’t just whiz along any more. No names mentioned. I hope a lot of us manage to get together in August!
Class of 1962 Bev Holmes Prevost P92 bevhprevost@gmail.com Pamela (Pam) Pearsall writes, “My home renovation has consumed me for the past couple of years and in April, we started the last phase of this humongous project: basement windows, the foundation itself and the back deck. I now share my home with a father and five of his children (8–18 years old) and four other men and a woman and her 18-year-old son. It is quite the cohesive community and a whole new ambience for me. This home has been a treasure in my life. My ‘grand girls,’ now ages 12 and 14 (met them at 8 and 10), still come to visit Grammie Pammie at least on a monthly basis. We play games, do crafts, go on outings and laugh lots. They are growing so fast. I’d best take advantage of their company before visiting me is no longer a focus. I’m headed into my 15th year at Stepping Stones Clean & Sober, LLC housing for recovering alcoholics and addicts. I run three houses with a total of 30 beds. The need is HUGE. Address, phone number and email remain the same. Cats are at nine, plus a feral kitty that comes to be fed on a daily basis. This summer the goal is to restore the yard with some color. I miss my flowers and the kids want to have a veggie garden, so should be an interesting mix and project. If anyone is out this way please do not hesitate to give
me a jingle at (360) 671-7465. Sorry I couldn’t join the most recent Reunion. I don’t travel these days unless it is on Google. Hoping everyone is well and content in their lives.” Sally Devens Rehnberg writes, “Am in Paris for two weeks during grandkids’ vacation. Left a message for Kathy Walker but have not heard back... Loved seeing everyone who attended the Reunion. Sending best wishes to our classmates.” Then, “Just heard back from Kathy! We will definitely get together and send you a photo.” Then, “Sorry that Kathy and I were unable to meet today. She has relatives visiting and I am 24/7 with the kids and family. Next time for sure. Kathy called me this a.m. wanting to meet for coffee but my daughter and her husband are at work... I suggested tomorrow but she could not do it and I leave Sunday. I also see my sorority sister from NU when I am here, but we send our pics to college buddies and to our sorority sisters.” Judy Petsonk writes, “Our daughter Hope’s son Judah Alan Levin was born Oct. 27 at 3 lbs., 15 oz., seven weeks premature, but now weighs 15 pounds and is a charmer. Son Ben is a personal trainer, is writing black metal music and has started a band. Husband Steve, still lawyering, will sing in a Master Voices production of Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice at Lincoln Center next week. And I am still writing my second novel. Think of revision as sculpting. If you chip something off, you can’t just stick it back on. You have to do a bit of revisioning and chip something else off. Love to all.” Valerie (Val) Clayton Tangen writes, “Sorry—missed the deadline. Was off at an agility trial playing with my dogs all weekend!” Ann Gulliver Flinn writes, “In January, I had a wonderful trip with a small group to northern India led by Abercrombie and Kent. It was excellent and very informative. I hope to return to see a bit more of the biggest democracy on our planet with its rich history and culture. I continue to sell my paintings, and have ventured further into iPad photography, winning a second place and novice award in Photography in Zone VIII GCA Flower Show. Great inspiration for growth in my 7th decade.” I (Bev) asked about a website. She replied, “I do not have a website, but you have gotten me thinking again on this subject, which is
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cropping up with greater frequency these days. I will have to look into it. A matter of educating myself. I am most active with my painting in the summer and winter months, and then often sell out. My trip to India was a great opportunity for both photographic and artistic inspiration. There are a number of books I’ve read over the years and in preparation for the trip which I could mention, and which might interest others.”
Jensine (Sine) Dodge Allyn writes, “We’re on the road again this spring in our RV: Arizona to Vermont, where we’ll stay until the fall. Our granddaughter is graduating from Castleton University, so must be there for the party! We’re so proud of Kate. She works hard and was named Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year for the 2017 Women’s Soccer AllConference. This was the NAC or North Atlantic Conference.”
Kendra Gunn Nedjar writes, “I have enjoyed being around my grandson on a daily basis. He is growing fast. I am amazed at the vocabulary he has. I know I did not know a quarter of the words he knows at his age (3 ½). I have learned to never say anything to or in front of him that you don’t want remembered. I have enjoyed more genealogy lectures and seminars. It is a wonderful learning experience. Just this past January I made a huge breakthrough on a line and managed to get it back across the pond to France in the 16th century. I have several English lines back to the early migration to Massachusetts. I am getting the documentation together to join the DAR and when that’s finished to join the Mayflower Association as well as some ‘first settlers of…’ several New England towns and areas. It’s a fun but challenging addiction this hobby of genealogy. Other than that I am fine, more or less.”
Diana Cunningham Bunting writes, “No news, just chugging along!”
Gretchen Cooper Pooler writes, “I wish I had something to contribute! I had cataract surgery on both eyes in the last two weeks and am still seeing things with a haze, but that should clear up soon. What boring news is that! Just took a trip with my husband Buzz and his sister Priscilla and her husband to our beautiful South Carolina coast and visited several plantations and spent a day in Charleston. Everyone needs to see our lovely South Carolina low country at some point in their life. So much history and beauty.”
Gretchen Cooper Pooler on the right
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Susan (Suzy) Lees Pullen writes, “No news to share. All is good, though. Happy. I really am so sad to have missed seeing Susie Selden, Sally Devens, Diana Cunningham and Alice Viertel at Reunion!” Elisabeth (Betsy) Gagliardi Tobin writes, “Hi to all of my Dana classmates. Tod and I have taken what we consider a ‘giant leap’ at our ages! Three years ago this July we bought a spacious condo in the mountains and lakes region of New Hampshire in a lovely community called Eastman. We are halfway between Hanover (Dartmouth) and New London, N.H. We wanted a second fun home for us and our family. Eastman is simple but lovely with everything we want to do at our fingertips all year round and only three hours from our New York home. A beautiful lake for swimming and kayaking, a lovely golf course, tennis courts, many trails for hiking and cross-country skiing, many social, cultural and learning activities, a pool, gym and very friendly people! After being here from May through September this past year, we decided that one home is enough and chose New Hampshire as our permanent home. Life is so easy here. We are surrounded by nature—the best possible environment! Spent 5+ months clearing out our last house of 43 years (not for the faint of heart), sold our house in two days and finally made the move in early April. We are happy and excited about our new adventure. It’s never too late! Our ‘kids’ are older than we can believe: Chris (49 in Los Angeles), Keith (46 in southern New Hampshire), Katie (43 in Delmar) and Tim (37 in Conn.). Katie has three girls (Francesca 8, Lilian 5 and Blair 3). Katie is recovering very well from her breast cancer of 18 months ago. Keith has our only grandson of yet: Ryan, 14 months. Tim has our fourth
granddaughter, (Elisabeth “Ellie”, 20 months). What amazing joys in our life they are. We are looking forward to celebrating our 50th anniversary this fall on a river cruise in southern France! Well, I have always been a wordy person and some things never change! Can’t wait for our next ’62 gathering. Do we really have to wait till our 60th?!” Bev Holmes Prevost writes, “Any classmates who do not receive my emails but would like to, please let me add your emails to my list so I can include you in notices and can send some photos! All is well with me. A wonderful Christmas here in Worcester with our two girls, their husbands, and our grandchildren: Grace (6) in Iowa, Timothy (5) in N.J. and our Iowa granddog Sophie! Exciting news in the spring when daughter Elizabeth Prevost ’92 was made a full professor of history and her husband Mike Guenther also in the History Department was granted tenure— both at Grinnell College in Iowa. Daughter Marnie continues as director of Visitor Services and Public Education at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City and her husband is an attorney in the City; they live in New Jersey with Timothy. Ned is a retired Episcopal priest, filling in when needed at our parish here, All Saints Worcester, where we both sing in the choir, and all summer at Cuttyhunk, and recently at the Point O’Woods Church where I grew up summers. We have subscriptions to Hanover Theater here where we see terrific Broadway productions, and to Music of Worcester mostly at Mechanics Hall which concerts continue to be superb. We are anticipating our summer at Cuttyhunk! Hugs to all!”
(L to R): Anne McClanahan Bourne, Mary Griswold, Anne Barnard, Diana Cunningham Bunting, Bev Holmes Prevost, Betsy Gagliardi Tobin, Kristen Bergfeld, Kathy Walker Denis, Kendra Gunn Nedjar, and Judy Wickwire Nadal outside of the Wellesley College Club during Fall Reunion 2017
Class of 1963 Correspondent needed
Class of 1964 Susan Belmer Kollet-Harris skharris@rcn.com
Class of 1965 Susan West Ayres warren.ayres@verizon.net Catharine (Cloudy) Kennedy is anticipating one of those dreaded “coming of age surgeries:” a knee replacement. Other than that, she has been working on learning tin-smithing, and combining that with engraving, which now includes having engraved engine parts for a 1947 Harley! Who knew. Amy Schwammberger Sexsmith plans to come back east for three months this summer. She says, “I love the winters here, but it gets a bit depressing to have the same weather all year long. I miss my R.I. friends and beaches, so I bought a tiny converted motel unit that I can use as a second home. It will be interesting to be in 225 sq. ft. instead of a 1,000 sq. ft. condo. I think it will be very freeing.” How trendy that she is part of the Tiny House movement! Amy says, “If anyone is going through R.I., let’s meet up for a day at the beach or fresh seafood off the Galilee boats.” She highly recommends taking up painting (oil and acrylic, not walls) and knitting when those less physically demanding activities come in handy. Clare Coey Newbury welcomed her first grandson, Simon Douglas Newbury, into the family on December 13, 2017. In our Class Notes a while ago, Clare mentioned her freelance editing skills. This helped Clare and Marcy Madden ’66 connect as Marcy was looking for an editor for her new book, Just Because My Husband is a Woman: Marcy’s Side of the Story. Clare writes, “How often do we get to hear what the spouse of a transgender person goes through before, during, and after the transition? And how often do partners have a relationship that can endure through such an identity crisis? Marcy chronicles her marriage of 20 years, and her life as she and her husband, Scott Madden, progress through his surprising declaration that he
is in fact a woman, through all the twists and turns of her metamorphosis into being Scottie Jeanette Madden, Marcy’s wife. As if that weren’t enough drama in her life, Marcy was also going through being diagnosed and treated for ovarian cancer. The book is packed with deeply personal details—some poignant, some wrenching, some humorous and uplifting—as Marcy adjusts to a new version of her marriage that is different in some dramatic ways, but the same in terms of the love between herself and Scottie. It is an unusual and enlightening love story and a fascinating read.” Networking is fantastic as she is now editing a manuscript for a friend of Marcy’s who she has never met. Paula Minnick Peterson and her husband sold their two condos and have moved into a house in Hampton Bays, N.Y. She says, it “feels so freeing to have one place. Simplifies my life.” She saw Penny Banks Peck in Naples, Fla., and will see Pam Palmer Everets in May. If anyone is in the area she would love to have visitors, they have a pool and pool house with a guest room. Clotilde Luce writes, “I got to spend two days out in San Francisco not long ago with my dear—and talented—classmate and former Aloha House fellow boarder Pam Palmer Everets. Her luminous apartment and her art studio are exceptionally relaxing and gorgeous. I was riveted looking at Pam’s artworks in progress on easels, or up on the wall, with the light coming in through the courtyard. Pam knows I am a bit of an architecture geek, so she took me to non-touristy sites, the most surprising being two in the Bay Area by Frank Lloyd Wright. After driving me to a very cool low-key sushi restaurant in Marin County, she then introduced me to this Frank Lloyd Wright Civic Center I’d never even heard of. It was like being in a Barbarella space ship but with a public library, kids’ rooms, archives, etc. Here we are the two of us in that space. We haven’t changed a bit, see? LOL. I’m also in touch with my forever-inspirational Dana Hall teacher Mr. Schuler and his wife. Turns out they, too, have been very involved in historic preservation in Wellesley and environs! Here in Miami Beach I am chairing the Advocacy Committee of our Miami Design Preservation League, meaning some developers and attorneys don’t love us. But people taking selfies in front of fabulous ’30s or ’50s or welldesigned new buildings do!
Pam Palmer Everts and Clotilde Luce
Class of 1966 Correspondent needed
Class of 1967 Lucy Haward Sur lhsur@aol.com Lucy Haward Sur writes, “Steve and I have been dealing with damage (roof and lots of leaks) to our Chatham, Mass., family cottage. March’s three-plus storms did significant damage to many Cape homes and properties. Our son Tony was off on another film project; this time, for six weeks in China, south of Hangzhou. Happy that he is home safe, but he said it was great! Have had a flurry of Facebook correspondence from Christa Corwin who has regaled some of us with tales of her Italy trip and gorgeous photos! I have the travel bug again. Gael O’Brien, Lee Hall Overall and I (Lucy) joined Jane Axelrod and her husband Roy, daughters Ariel and Karen, and several others for a wonderful Passover Seder in April! I have gotten together with Linda McIntosh a number of times, too! Best to you all!”
Lee Hall Overall, Gael O’Brien, Jane Axelrod and Lucy Haward Sur
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Linda McIntosh with Lucy’s husband Steve enjoying dinner at the Sur home
Rebecca Lazear Okrent, Nancy Haaren Schuster, Susan Goldbloom Restler and Harriet Dubin Strauss
Class of 1968
Class of 1969
Laura (Pots) Potsubay Pucher laurap.riverdale@gmail.com
J. Mara DelliPriscoli jmara@travelearning.com
As I (Laura (Pots) Potsubay Pucher) write this, our 50th Reunion is less than a month away! Our Reunion Yearbook has shipped, with updated life stories of two dozen of our 1968 classmates. As a group, we have accomplished much. I’m so proud of us! To help get us into the Reunion spirit, Susan Goldbloom Restler hosted a wonderful get together in her home in Brooklyn Heights. What a time we had, renewing friendships and recounting escapades. We vowed to continue the conversation in Wellesley in May. Until then, here’s to the ‘really great’ Class of ’68! Love, Pots
(Clockwise from L): Nancy Haaren Schuster, Susan Elmer Miller, Harriet Dubin Strauss, Hilary Rosenfeld, Susan Goldbloom Restler, Rebecca Lazear Okrent (center) and Laura Potsubay Pucher (bottom left) Hilary Rosenfeld and Susan Elmer Miller
Deborah (Debby) Yard Mello Orazem mello.debby@gmail.com
Class of 1970 Ann Elisabeth (Betsy) Bass betsybass52@gmail.com
Summer 2018
Melanie Choukas-Bradley writes, “I do have a note connected to the last one. I’ll have a book titled The Joy of Forest Bathing published in September. The book is illustrated by a very talented Dutch artist.” Margaret (Peggy) Scott Griswold writes, “Here is a photo of me with Senator Marco Rubio. He came to speak as a private speaker where we live. I have friends who know him personally so it was an intimate informative gathering. The other photo was taken at a Dana alumnae event in Wellington, Fla.”
Emily Ecker eecker@gmail.com Derith (Deri) Perkins Beard writes, “I am working at a group foster home here in South Carolina, doing some tutoring (yea, I know—shocking) and mentoring of young people. One of my duties is to get them registered in local schools, including some who choose to attend our adult education program. The principal there is the male version of Mrs. Phelps. Every time I enroll a kid there, he meets with that student, and I am privileged to be in the room when he is able to take a broken, confused and often self-esteemless (if that’s a word) human being, and in a few minutes of frank conversation, I see a new, hopeful and excited kid emerge. What he has is the same innate ability to see through all the ‘stuff’ and find what makes a person tick that Mrs. Phelps had. I now realize what a rare gift that is, and how lucky we all were to have her at the helm, steering us through that strange and wonderful world of adolescence!” Andrea Higgins Bierce writes, “My big news is that on Feb. 15, 2018, Sandy and I became grandparents to Alexander (Blake) Blaikie Bierce III, son of Kaitlin and Alex Bierce. What joy!”
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Andrea Higgins Bierce with her first grandchild, Alexander Blaikie Bierce III
Peggy Scott Griswold with Sen. Marco Rubio in February 2018
Maria Bacinich ’66, Peggy Scott Griswold and Gale Gillespie ’66 at the alumnae event in Wellington, Fla.
Anne Bissell-Freestone writes, “I am now retired and staying very busy and love it. Now I have time to get back in the pool and swim or just take a nap in the afternoon. No more 1+ hour commute each way to work plus the 10-hour workday. This spring, we went to Zion and Bryce to do some hiking. Then a lot of
time at the house in Maine for the summer. I can’t believe in two years, we will be celebrating our 50th Reunion. Where did the time go?”
Anne Bissell-Freestone and her husband Rob celebrating retirement at Bryce Canyon National Park
Nancy Karp writes, “In January, Serena Davis Hall invited me to the theater to fill in for her husband who was under the weather. Over dinner we got caught up on each other’s lives and then went on to enjoy the play. Then in February, I met up with Nancy Watkins Lanzoni. We were senior year roommates. It was a fun reunion. Then I was in Connecticut for the weekend and spent an afternoon catching up with Nancy again. The next visit needs to be in Boston!” Joanne (Jo) Christy Graydon writes, “Greetings from Manitoba, Canada! I hope everyone managed to unravel their health plans after turning 65? I was glued to the messages arriving daily about the confusion and all the paper work! Now that we have settled into our ‘Third Act’, I hope we can enjoy our grandchildren, some holiday time and leave the working world to the young. I am watching my four granddaughters grow way too fast. The new plan is to have sleepovers at the farm one at a time to avoid the inevitable battles for attention. They are two, four, six and nine, and each one has a different personality! I continue with pottery. This year I agreed to be a leader in 4H and seven girls signed up. Six adults come to the workshop on a regular basis to create and when I have a day to myself, I can experiment with new designs, colors and shapes. Most of my time is spent volunteering with a few important groups in our community. I do enjoy the challenges and working with like-minded friends and neighbors. The farm is gearing up for seeding and moving the cattle to pasture. My husband has been fixing fences around the acreage as well as tuning up the farm machinery with his nephew. He’s been
retired for over a year and I’m just getting used to having him at home every day! We are planning a trip to British Columbia in the fall for his daughter’s wedding but with plenty of work to do at home, we’ll be here for most of the summer. But I will go camping with the girls for a few weeks leaving my husband to fend for himself! I hope everyone is looking toward the exit of winter and the entrance of spring. I heard the geese down on the creek the other day. They nest here every year along with a few pairs of ducks. Our wild turkey flock has begun the mating season with the puffed up toms strutting around the ladies. They will break off into groups and find a comfortable summer home. The deer are nibbling at bits of grain left behind on the fields and we’ve had a few skunks pass through the yard. We may have long winters but it’s well worth the wait for spring to arrive! All the best wishes to you all!” Gwendolen (Gwen) Hamlin writes, “Ahoy, everyone. This year is much the same: on the boat in the Bahamas from February thru May, rolling northward in the RV in the summer, and back to Florida in the late fall and in between. Our biggest news is a small property in western North Carolina where we can park our RV in an enclave of former Virgin Island charter crews! I used to fantasize about an old sailors’ home; I just hadn’t imagined it would be in the mountains. It’s not easy for people like us who have spent so much of our lives as sea gypsies to actually find like-minded, like-experienced friends. The best part, it is about an hour to visit my two sisters. I believe that puts me close to Debbie Brown in Greenville, S.C.? Am I right? We are looking forward to having our grandson aboard again in the Keys in June, now that he is a certified scuba diver! Best wishes to you and everybody!” Sue Humphrey at her birthday tea party
Susan (Sue) Coburn Humphrey writes, “I just had another birthday and since my b-day is the same as the queen’s, my friend gave me a proper English tea! She even made me a crown of roses. Drinking
tea with a friend is one of my favorite pastimes at this stage in my life. Although I was an elementary school teacher (mostly kindergarten) for much of my working life, I think I would have been a good therapist; I love listening to people’s stories!” Marya Kayeum writes, “Another amazing trip with Barbara Bogdasarian in September—this time to Ireland. This is one of us having the ‘Jameson experience’ with Barbara’s brother and sister-in-law. Stay tuned: another ‘old roommates’ trip in September to celebrate reaching full retirement age!
Marya Kayeum and Barb Bogdasarian in Ireland
Michelle Dunn Morgan writes, “In April, my youngest daughter Kathleen was married. Sort of a fairy tale wedding as the Mount Dora Chamber of Commerce sponsored a large part of the wedding because they became engaged in this town during Christmas 2016. A photographer who was taking pictures of children sitting with Santa in his sleigh and captured Steve proposing to Kathleen. He spent a month doing a Facebook search for this ‘mystery engagement couple’ as he wanted to get them the photos he had taken. The story was carried in the local news in Mount Dora and the chamber loved the story and offered to sponsor their wedding. It was especially wonderful as my 97-year-old mother who lives in Mount Dora was able to attend and celebrate with all of us throughout the wedding week.”
Michelle Dunn Morgan and family at the wedding of her youngest daughter, Kathleen
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Gina Church Welch writes, “My Gmail address is mizzentopsailor@gmail.com. There is a bit of a story to this address. After my junior year in college, I worked at Mystic Seaport in the rigging of the square-rigged ships. The mizzen mast is the aft most mast in square riggers and was worked by the oldest sailors on board (although these were people in their 30s and 40s, not 60s!). As I am now one of those older (but not old) sailors, this seems like an appropriate email address. If anyone is in R.I. and would like to sail, email me. Escapade goes in the water in mid-May and comes out at the end of October!” Durinda Wood writes, “Retirement is a blast. In the spring, I planned to start out on a two-month road trip to Chicago and back. Family wedding. Never had time to go to those before. I will be stopping to visit friends all along the way through southern route. Tucson, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Tulsa, St. Louis, kind of thing. And on the way back I will visit friends in Wisconsin and then be on my own to see those northern Midwestern states that I’ve never been to. Want to go to Badlands, Yellowstone, Jackson, Mount Rushmore, Wyoming, Salt Lake City and then through Las Vegas and back to Los Angeles.
Barb Segal Goldberg and Durinda Wood in Tucson, Ariz., at Barb’s house, April 2018
Emily Ecker and Judith Matoon on their annual visit in Calilfornia, April 2018
Class of 1971 Barbara Lee Monahan barbmonahan52@comcast.net Toddy Torrance Turrentine toddyturrentine@gmail.com
Class of 1972 Barbara (Barb) Tomlinson Harman b49harman@gmail.com
Class of 1973 Judith (Judy) Luke judy.luke@comcast.net Greetings from the Class of ’73. Everything is A-OK in Boston. It’s been lots of fun working on our 45th Reunion. Kudos to Dana and Julia for spearheading our fundraising efforts! Cheryl Kilberg Solomon is looking forward to our 45th Reunion! She has been busy wrapping up home renovation and remodeling as they get closer to moving to the Phoenix area. Although Cheryl swears, “the first scorpion or rattlesnake that I see will have me running back to Chicago!” Julia Sawabini is also looking forward to Reunion and catching up with classmates. She enjoys going to the gym three times a week and walking their dog on a daily basis. Trying to stay healthy as all the joints get a bit creakier. She continues to pick up various freelance jobs that help to pay for very expensive individual health insurance (only thing I miss about working 9-to-5 is insurance coverage). Julia had the pleasure of seeing Hamilton on Broadway for a second time and would highly recommend Come From Away for anyone looking for shows in New York City. Susan (Susie) Foster Wilson writes that she is enjoying spring in Charleston, S.C., and will be returning just in time for our Reunion in May. Then it’s off to Chatham to see family, play tennis and hopefully do some sailing! Susie is also doing some interior design work. She had great fun reconnecting with Class of ’73ers by phone gearing up for our 45th. Hope to see lots of us at our 50th! Rebecca (Becky) Rasmussen Grunwald is still working as an architect in New York City. Outside of work, Becky is chair of the
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Board of Trustees at the Nightingale Bamford School (where Sally Osborne taught until she retired), which keeps her busy and thinking about the future of education for girls. Her other volunteer position is on the Princeton Tigerlilies board. Tigerlilies was the first a cappella group at Princeton (way before Pitch Perfect hit the big screen). Becky spent spring break driving to college tours with husband Peter and her daughter Callie, who is a junior in high school. Becky adds, “I imagine that the rest of our class can give some advice about the college search since Callie is so much younger than most of the children of the Class of ’73! We try to get to Martha’s Vineyard whenever we can but seem more tethered to New York City than ever these days. I would love to see any of you who come into the City (or any MV visitors). The only other thing that is going on with us is that we have a new golden retriever puppy who really is reminding me of Dennis the Menace right now, but he’s cute!” A year ago, Nancy Beals Donaldson moved into a home (in Lincoln, Mass.) that took her a year to renovate and she is loving it! Her daughters live in Washington, D.C. (married with an 18-month-old daughter); Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Lincoln (married, too), respectively; and her son lives in San Francisco. Nancy keeps busy with tennis, gardening, hospice volunteering with her dogs, traveling, and visiting family and friends. She writes that it has been great to be able to get together with Polly Arnoff, Susan Dowley and Barbara “Ry” Hills on a pretty regular basis! She is sorry to be missing Reunion. It can’t really be 45 years?! Elizabeth (Beth) Hall Johnson writes that since the last Reunion, her father died in 2015 and they sold the house that had been her home base of visits to the East Coast. Beth went back to work in 2014 but not in the corporate world, which she left in 1999. She was hired on staff at her church, a large non-denominational church in the Milwaukee suburbs. Beth now puts in 25 hours a week as the women’s director, teaching Bible Studies, overseeing women’s small groups, doing some counseling, and running an annual retreat. Beth writes, “It is wonderful, joyful work, and I credit my four years at Dana Hall for the ability to work compassionately with women.” Beth’s three children are out of school now, with the oldest, Martinique (30), working as a
paralegal in Wisconsin and married two years. Her younger two—Max (23) and Chanelle (26)—are single and sharing an apartment in Kansas City. Max is a mechanical engineer and Chanelle works in information technology. Beth adds, “Not a grandparent yet. My husband Andrew has been retired for five years, so when I can get away from work, we travel. We’ll be celebrating our 33rd anniversary at the end of May.”
Class of 1974 Kate Hirsch Koller rkoller@snet.net Leslie Stecker Dumont writes, “Our daughter Sarah Dumont ’13 is living at home and working in Boston for Essex Partners and Emily Dumont ’14 graduated in May from Hamilton with a degree in biology and minor in anthropology. She has a few options for work, nothing firm yet. Bill and I spent a couple of weeks in Florida setting up the house. Nice to have a place to escape the New England winters. I am enjoying my position with PAREXEL and Bill is doing well at National Grid. Wishing everyone health and happiness. Cheers! Oh, forgot to say that the Hamilton Soccer team, with Emily as their goalie, made it to the D3 NCAA tournament. Very proud of the whole team and it was a great end to her collegiate soccer career.”
married in 2019 here on our farm. He receives his master’s in industrial design in June from Savannah College of Art and Design. Maraike is an architect working with LS3P in Savannah. I think they will be staying there for a while. Great place to visit! Our kitchen shop, Now You’re Cooking, has been going for 18 years in May! Mike is finally taking more time off to play around on the farm and paddle on the lake. We did major renovations last year, so there are plenty of cozy bedrooms for guests! Stop by and we’ll make you breakfast with farm fresh eggs!” Delight (Sarah) Smith Peterson writes, “I am doing well after healing from grief after the death of my husband. Continue to live in Richmond, Va., which is a wonderful community. I am retired and enjoy working out, building my community of friends, volunteering, taking classes through the Osher Institute, and taking in as much art/ culture as I can. Dating some which has been nice. Am attaching a picture of Leslie Shields Lundgaard, who has stayed with me over the years when she travels to see her son play soccer. This picture was taken at her son’s first professional game (drafted this past January). Best to all!”
Delight Smith Peterson and Leslie Shields Lundgaard
Leslie Stecker Dumont and Betsy Jackson Fear
Betsy Jackson Fear writes, “Greetings from Woolwich, Maine. I am continuing my ceramic sculpture in a shared studio in Bath. I post some of my work on the Judson Pottery Facebook page, so check it out. Our eldest Charlie (31) married Heather last Labor Day. They live nearby in Brunswick and he teaches 7th/8th grade science at Bath Middle School and has just completed his master’s in education. Heather works at Bates College. Sam (27), the younger, is engaged to Maraike, to be
Leslie Shields Lundgaard writes, “Hi ALL! As Sarah/Delight said, we see each other often with soccer trips. Benjamin (22) was recruited in January by the MLS team, Columbus Crew Soccer Club. A real contract, salary and job! He is on ‘loan’ to Indy 11, a USL team (a step down—minor league) for more playing time this first year. All very exciting. Our oldest son, Peter (24), continues to live and work in Philadelphia. My husband Per and I are moving out of my childhood home where we have been the last 10 years with my mom as she moves into assisted living. I am excited for the downsizing and simplification of life as we move to a condo, but the move may kill me! Mom has been in this house for 70 years! We have guest rooms!”
Catherine (Birky) Birkinbine writes, “Hi all, I am still living the life on the coast of Maine and working 12 miles away (only go through two stop signs to get there) as an RN for Home Health Agency offering skilled care and hospice. My husband Jim and I are empty nesters and miss our kids like crazy. The oldest Amy is married, living in Conn., and works as a RN in the Labor and Delivery Department at Bridgeport Hospital. Kyle, our middle son, is a sous chef at local restaurant Tao Yuan in Brunswick. Wes, our youngest, recently moved to Los Angeles and has an office job at a trucking company. My husband plans to retire end of October. I figure I have another five years, ’til the mortgage is paid. We fill our time with gardening, travel and getting ready to adopt a dog. Once Jim retires, we can devote the time. If you find yourself near Orr’s Island, give a call and pay a visit. It is a beautiful place to be! Carol Gordon Stone writes, “My biggest news is that after a long career on the corporate side of retail, I officially retired at the end of January. Have to say, while I miss my wonderful team, I miss nothing about working, and especially miss nothing about my 5 a.m. alarm or my 140-mile per day commute. My last day of work coincided with the first day of my daughter Abigail’s winter break from Middlebury, so we convened at our home in Bretton Woods, N.H., for a week of skiing. It was liberating to experience a vacation without text and email interruptions! My husband Malcolm has also recently wound down his consulting business, so we’re looking forward to more time in Bretton Woods that require neither the Friday night traffic rush north nor the Sunday night traffic rush back to Duxbury. As avoid-the-crowds travelers, we have knocked two travel destinations off our bucket list since January, and now look forward to spring, where I hope to reacquaint myself with my neglected garden, yard and house. This summer, Abigail will again be working in the White Mountains as ‘hut croo’ at an AMC hut, so we’ll plan a few hikes in to see her. My retirement goals include giving back to a town where I’ve slept for the past 33 years (but have done little else); to give more time to the board I sit on (and thoroughly enjoy); to enjoy the company of my aging 92-year-old mother (who recently returned home after a 25-year stint in Seattle); to increase my fitness level; to assiduously work on my travel
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to-do list; and to enjoy books by reading them instead of listening to them. On ambitious days, I promise myself that I’ll learn to play the piano, read more Shakespeare and learn a foreign language. Friends who have retired have advised me to ‘do nothing’ for six months so that I don’t over-commit and end up doing things I don’t enjoy. I’m taking that advice to heart and am enjoying every second of it.” Susan (Suzy) Wexler writes, “It does seem that these recent years feel like the beginning of a new chapter for most of us. I was a day student at Dana for my senior year, so was not as deeply connected to the class but am delighted to learn more about you now. I still live in Bethesda, Md., with my husband Hans Engler. He has been at his job as a professor at Georgetown University for more than 30 years and he still likes it! But he looks forward to a sabbatical in the fall. I have been working at a new part-time job for the last year and a half at a nonprofit called Community Food Rescue, which is a part of our county’s food bank. It is very rewarding work that I can do without having to report to an office very often. That is particularly useful at this time, as we became first-time grandparents in January. The reports are true—it is thrilling! Our daughter Rachel (29) and her husband Dustin live in New Haven, Conn., and are now joined by their son Theo. They are both working on Ph.D.s but somehow parenting has made it into the mix. Our son Simon (26) is a researcher at Princeton University at the Woodrow Wilson School. He had been in New York City and finds Princeton pretty sleepy, but he travels a lot, so it’s okay. Otherwise, Hans and I are very active in our neighborhood and community, and enjoy living close to the C & O Canal for biking and hiking. We still go to Woods Hole, Mass., every summer for at least a week and that is—sadly—my last tie with Massachusetts. We have no idea how long we will stay put here in Bethesda. A lot depends on where our ‘kids’ end up, and God knows they are a long way from settling down somewhere for any kind of long-term stay. So like the rest of you, the challenge is to focus on staying well and making good use of ourselves. I feel very fortunate and grateful to be where I am in life right now, and wish you all good health and new horizons. Happy to take visitors to favorite spots in the D.C. area. Just be in touch.”
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Mary Fish Arango writes, “I love hearing everyone’s news and transitions, so I hope folks will take the plunge and write back to the group. It is inspiring and encouraging to hear what peers are doing, what choices they’re making in how to devote their time, and what has been important to them over the years. As we face significant challenges, it is also valuable to know we are not alone. My husband Peter and I retired from boarding school teaching careers three years ago and moved to southern Oregon, where we live on two and a half acres in a pastoral pear-growing area not far from Ashland and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. My dog training business on our property is thriving—a wonderful way to work from home, set my own hours, and support retirement and mortgage payments. I am two years out from a unilateral mastectomy for breast cancer and am doing remarkably well. I have significant irreparable damage from a short run of hormone blockers post-surgery and now eschew any further treatment other than careful screening. I swim 2,500 yards at the local YMCA four times a week, and the upkeep of pasture, arenas and garden promotes lots of outdoor exercise opportunities. Following my 40th reunion at Williams, I am planning a mid-June visit to Dana Hall to visit my daughter Grayson who is house director of Johnston D. Her experience at Dana has been endearingly positive, and it is a wonderful window into modern day life at a school that was an important refuge for me. She’s had one of our family dogs with her this year, a 10-year-old border collie we whelped and raised at our boarding school in California. The stories and photos of his interactions with students and colleagues have been heartwarming and special, a lovely thread for hearing about daily life at Dana. Grayson’s love of different cultures and countries as well as teaching has led her to certification for teaching English as an additional language, and the Boston area has been full of terrific opportunities for summer teaching. Our son Bailey lives here locally with his wife Kaity, and we feel lucky to see them regularly. Sincere best wishes to all.”
Children’s Hospital and is headed back to grad school—in medicine! Son Gil is a senior at Bowdoin College heading to New York City for an investment banking job in the fall. He’s a tennis player at Bowdoin and has enjoyed a remarkable four years of college tennis, which included a national title for the team, most exciting! Daughter Annie is a very happy sophomore at Trinity College (Hartford) heading to Rome in the Fall for JYA. As for me and my husband, Gibbs, we are doing well. We both faced some serious health issues in our early 50s. He is fine now and I have been in remission for eight years, fingers crossed. We still live in Concord with no plans to downsize to a warmer climate. I love the winter! And we are fortunate enough to own a house in Chatham where I spend 3–4 months of the year. I haven’t worked outside the home since just before my youngest was born—21 years ago! But I remain active as a board member at the Concord Art Association and spent more years than I can remember doing volunteer work at my kids’ schools and various art and civic groups in Concord. I used to see Alice Flint often as our girls went to the same school for a number of years. Everyone in our family has the travel bug so we’ve seen lots of interesting places. We have a hiking trip on Mallorca planned in June, probably our last family trip, sadly. So that’s it for me. As I said life is good! Hoping to make it to our 45th Reunion next year. Yikes, are we really that old?! Best to all!”
Susan (Sue) Guild Roddy writes, “Life is good! Unlike most of our classmates, I still have two of three children in college. Oldest Kate (25) graduated from BU College of Communication in 2016. Instead of PR/marketing, she works in a pediatric brain development lab at Boston
Betsey Keeler Cheitlin writes, “After living full-time in the San Francisco Bay Area and raising our family there, we now divide our time between Oakland, Calif., and Pocasset, Mass. It is hard to believe that Ken and I have all four of our parents still doing well and in their upper 80s.
Amy Lyster Roberts writes, “Thank you for all your work keeping our class connected. I loved the photo of Sam/Leslie and Delight/Sarah; originally good friends from sophomore year in Johnston A and roommates junior year. They both look virtually unchanged—in other words, fantastic! I’m happy to hear Delight is doing so well after the untimely death of her husband, Gene. (She has two beautiful children, Andrew and Carolyn—now adults—as does Leslie from what I’ve seen in the Dana Bulletin. At least two young ladies who went to Dana, if my memory is correct.) A heartwarming photo.”
Ken’s are in San Francisco, so he spends more time out there and goes back and forth between Massachusetts and California frequently, and though he is mostly retired from a career as a lawyer, he still has some projects that he is involved with in the Bay Area. As for myself, I spend most of my time on Cape Cod so I can be closer to my parents, who moved into a senior community in Duxbury, Mass, last year. I spend about two months a year in California. I keep busy with volunteering at a local community art center and pursuing my work in textiles and watercolor painting. I am an avid knitter, and have taken up weaving as well. As for our ‘kids,’ Jessie (32) is married and lives in Brooklyn, and is a third grade teacher at a private school in Manhattan. They are expecting their first child in October. Abby (29) is a postpartum nurse in Philadelphia and pursuing her master’s degree at Penn to become a nurse practitioner/midwife. Trevor (25) has taken more time to figure things out. He completed two years at Berklee College of Music after high school, but ended up returning to the Bay Area, doing some traveling, working as a barista, taking classes at a community college, and most recently, working two part-time jobs in the journalism/media field. He is now motivated to finish his college degree, so he will be moving to New York City to attend The New School in the fall. We have our fingers crossed! We have also done some traveling in the last couple of years. We went to the Galapagos and Peru a year and a half ago; last June, we spent a month traveling around Australia. This spring we took the family to Amsterdam for five days, and then went on to travel around Ireland with friends for 10 days. Next year Ken and I will celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary! Thanks to the classmates who have also shared news!”
Betsey Keeler Cheitlin (center) with her family in Amsterdam
Class of 1975 Kyle W. Fake kylewfake@gmail.com Hillary Bailey Smith writes, “Here are the bullet points for my spring. Watched my daughter run the Boston Marathon in historic weather conditions. Actually went out to Wellesley and watched her run through in 25–30 mph winds and pouring rain. She finished in five hours, not breaking her four-hour record at the New York City marathon, but she finished! So incredibly proud of her. Then headed to Kiawah, S.C., for my son’s wedding. So excited! Philip Webster Smith IV married Kelley Montgomery Finlayson on May 5! And the new cycle of life begins. Motherin-law! Hope all is well. Starting production on Season 2 of the IT Girls on the STOOP: Doing Things Stupid Simple. A fun cooking, drinking, laughing show about life, friends and fun. Come watch us on Vimeo. That’s it for me.” Julia Warner writes, “I am living and working in rural Virginia, the Virginia eastern shore. I am on the way for anyone in New England heading to North Carolina’s Outer Banks. I am the director of Inpatient Services in our little hospital. We don’t have zero taxes but we have very, very low taxes.” Kate (Katy) Goodale writes, “First, I like how Kyle is prompting us to speak about themes and/or be creative in our entries. Secondly, I am totally rattled by the deaths of our classmates. Shakes me to the core. Thirdly and changing the subject, here’s what I want to share with you about my life. What’s exciting me: pushing myself in the Landmark Forum program (the modern, gentler ‘EST’ of the 80s); volunteering my time, energy and talents to a children’s home/school in Tanzania; and ‘graduating’ to medium sudoku puzzles from easy ones. My passions are: Crossfit; Kundalini yoga and meditation; anchoring a Toastmasters (public speaking club) meeting once a week in a men’s prison; and making art out of things I find on the ground. The challenging things in my life are: consciously uncoupling with my life partner of 25 years; navigating mood swings; and missing the four members of my family of origin who are dead. Things I’m proud of myself for: trading in my boring car for a red Jeep Wrangler (with my first-ever vanity plate FUNJOY); persuading my kids to skydive with me for
my 60th; and for just keeping going on this crazy, hard, fun, amazing road called life.” Melissa Garvan writes, “Just returned from hiking in Utah at three different parks with a group from Sierra Clubs from all over the U.S. It was a blast and amazing scenery!”
Class of 1976 Lynn Surprenant lynnsurp76@gmail.com Lynn Surprenant writes, “We recently went to the Masters and took my son along as he loves golf! My daughter came down for Easter and my birthday—so sweet. Susan Burrows Miller writes, “I really like the way one of the classes asked for people’s memories of Dana Hall. I loved the environmental package program but mostly I remember great relationships and some very fun times... Possibly a few things against the rules. My life has been enriched with many successes because of the sense of empowerment we learned as young women and that we were capable of doing anything we set our minds to doing (like getting into Vanderbilt even though my grades and SATs were very unimpressive). I had a great career with J and J early on and then raised Max, Carly and Tucker as best as I could. I’m two minutes to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world: Kitty Hawk, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where I have a fantastic shop called Cottage Chic. I make crazy cool and creative customized furnishings from old furniture and old building parts that people gobble up for their beach cottages and homes near and far. I have loved every day of work since starting seven years ago. Power tools, bright and happy colors and really great quality furniture. I really believe life is ‘just perfect’ (no reason to think anything less). Thanks, Dana Hall!”
Class of 1977 Kelly Hynes McDermott P04 khmcdermott@comcast.net
Class of 1978 Lisa Aronson Altman P11, 16 laltmn@comcast.net Dana Peters Frizell reports that her
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second book, Change in Plan, recently came out! The reviews have been great and she’s very excited about it! It’s available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Mr. Lloyd would be so proud. Already fast at work on her third book, and has a fourth and fifth in the works! After 11 years of working the front desk and reservations at Mill Falls at the Lake, she has left to concentrate on her writing. I (Lisa Aronson Altman) had a wonderful visit with Julia Blagden Emby (Jewels!) a couple of months back while she was up this way visiting family. Fortunately it was one of the odd times when the weather cooperated and we were able to meet up. It was like no time had passed! Stacey Cushner reports that all is quite well and she lives in Newton, Mass. Her children, Ben Bernstein and Ally Bernstein, graduated with honors from Wesleyan University several years ago, and she couldn’t be prouder. Ben is CEO of an ed tech company based in New York City (Wordcraft) that teaches vocabulary to children and young adults of all ages. They have been quite successful in selling their product to many school districts around the world. Ally just finished her first year at Penn social work school and is thrilled she can help those in life who are less fortunate. She enjoys Philly and will be working with high school students next year at a private school in the city. Her husband Jeff continues to be the managing partner of BCK Law, P.C. and has long been a champion of renewable energy law and now blockchain and digital currency law. As for herself, she continues to work as an arbitrator (a private judge) and mediator mostly for the American Arbitration Association. She has had many hearings and cases to decide over the years and has enjoyed this work immensely. Her law firm restarted its representation of employers and employees in sexual harassment cases given the interest in this and the need for guidance. (Thank you, Harvey Weinstein.) She also went back to school several years ago to get an MFA in visual art and has an art career, too (sells in galleries and teaches painting and drawing at the MFA in Boston), which she adores. She spends time with their families and friends all over (and her dogs) and travel, too. Stacey feels blessed to have her immediate family in the vicinity. She writes, “Yes, life is quite satisfying! I’ve seen Dana friends over the years. What a great group, our Class of ’78! Happy 40th to you, dear Dana friends. I wish you good health and happiness, and much success in all your endeavors for years to come.”
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I (Lisa Aronson Altman) have been busy volunteering at Dana working on the Blue and White Night Gala that was held on May 5. Proceeds from Blue and White Night will support faculty professional development and provide financial assistance for students who wish to participate in Dana Hall’s travel programs. I also have the honor of participating on the Alumnae Council. My daughter Alexis Altman ’11 has started work at a residential school in Marlborough, Mass., since receiving her master’s last May. Madison Altman ’16 is a sophomore at Union College in Schenectady and loving it.
I began my three year term on TESOL’s Board of Directors. In April, I went to Taiwan for six days of mural painting in Daxi and two days of assisting in a series of workshops at a Buddhist monastery in Kaohsiung where 140 people made 16”x16” mosaics on the theme of lotus flowers. It was a wonderful art making frenzy of sorts.”
Class of 1979 Lynn Phillips Hernandez lynn.hernandez@comcast.net Lynn Phillips Hernandez writes, “I had a wonderful girls’ weekend in Charleston, S.C., with my three daughters. As they get older and their lives get busier, it’s harder to find time when we can all be together, so it was a very special treat.” Karen Shapiro writes, “We are very grateful that it is finally spring in New England. It has been a long time coming! I was able to take a couple of breaks from the winter. In March, we enjoyed nicer weather in San Diego, although it was cold for them. We went hiking in Joshua Tree National Park as well as other areas closer to the city. We also traveled to Central America and visited Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. What fascinating and interesting cultures. We really enjoyed all the local activities as well as the natural beauty. Closer to home, I have begun volunteer tutoring ESL students in Needham. Most of them are Russian speaking. Along with my volunteer work for the elderly, this is quite rewarding.” Shari Godfrey Haushalter writes, “I’m having twin baby grandsons in May. Work is very busy and I was lucky enough to meet the Pointer Sisters, Four Tops and Frank Caliendo from ESPN all at one event I managed in Lakeland, Fla. I purchased an RV and named it the Nana Mobile. Life is good.” Katherine (Kathy) Davidson Lobo writes, “I have had a busy 2018 so far. I was an invited speaker at a conference in Khartoum, Sudan, in February and spent a week in Turkey exploring on my way home. (Turkish Air has direct flights from Boston to Istanbul that connect to flights to Sudan.) In March, I was the chair of the 2018 TESOL Conference in Chicago, and
Kathy Davidson Lobo speaking at the 2018 TESOL Conference in Chicago Kathy assisting in a series of mosaic workshops at a Buddhist monastery
Class of 1980 Melissa Brown Moore mbm@ibl.bm So fun to hear from so many classmates and a shout out to Liz O’Brien Ward whose trivia question prompted a chorus of voices and shared stories. I (Melissa Brown Moore) was lucky enough to connect with Jane Harrington Coble in Richmond, Va., this spring! I was visiting my youngest at the University of Richmond and we were able to share a nice lunch and catch up. Jane writes, “Since Dana, I have lived in Los Angeles; Pittsburgh; Washington, D.C.; Cape Town South Africa; Chicago; and for the past 19 years, Richmond, Va. I am married to Jon who is a serial entrepreneur. I have had a career in retail banking for most of our time in Richmond and we have two daughters, Nicole and Rachel. Nicole graduated from UVA two years ago and is working in Austin, Texas, for GLG, a consulting company. Rachel will graduate
from UVA this June and be moving to Chicago to work in Forensic Discovery for EY. If any Dana alumnae are visiting Richmond, please let me know. I would love to connect.”
downsizing. What with work and grandparenthood, we feel pretty busy for empty nesters. And grateful. So that’s what’s new these past almost four decades! Wishing everyone all the best.”
Karen Walsh Cronin, “Hi all, Walshie here. I decided to jump on the bandwagon and often think of Dana and the friendships made. Thank you, Melissa, for collecting our stories. As for me, I am still teaching at a small private school in Silver Spring, Md. I am married and we just celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. Our daughter Anna is a junior at the same school where I teach. We have been going to school together since she was 2 years old. Thirty years teaching Montessori school keeps me grounded. Every day is different. It is wonderful to hear what you all are up to and hopefully we will meet up at a Reunion or if you are in the D.C. area and want to reconnect, please get in touch.”
Carla Salas Sachs writes, “Hi all! You caught me on vacation (greatly needed in light of crazy schedule at work over the past couple of years amidst merger and downsizing in the strategy and development area of national health care). Was just in Dublin but shot over to Cliffs of Moher for some R&R. Now running at a quicker pace in Paris and then to Venice. I am having an excursion with my younger son who goes to NYU in the fall. He will be well supported with three of my brothers being in Manhattan and not too far away. His gap year has been great (at least for me) because we have spent so much time together. My older son is finishing up his junior year at Harvard. He is strong at almost everything I am not: computer science and stats. He has a musical gene, too, and heads up a student troupe of guitarists, violinists and trumpeters; rather eclectic. Time has totally flown by... Twenty-one years of marriage and sons who have grown to be wonderful young men. I guess I better figure out what to do as the empty nest approaches. I will take any suggestions! It sounds as though you all have kept yourselves busy with some creative endeavors. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the next gathering.”
Jane Goldberg Coleman writes, “Hello classmates, How does one ‘catch up’ after 38 years?! Also, my life journey has been a little unconventional, to say the least: I met my husband, Ron Coleman, after we both graduated law school (me, Stanford; he Northwestern) and became Orthodox. I practiced law for about 10 years (a law firm, then the Anti-Defamation League), then legal publishing, then freelance legal writing. We moved from New York to New Jersey, where we now live. We have four boys; the youngest are twins. Each one attended (or attends) a top-tier rabbinical school (yeshiva) and is a rabbi or almost a rabbi. It’s a little like being an immigrant parent as they know much more than we do (and don’t we know it!). Two are married and we now have two granddaughters to up the female-to-male ratio in the Coleman family! Once the kids were all in school, I was eager to get back to work. So I began by teaching English— first as a volunteer, then full-time—in the local religious high school for girls. I also rekindled the legal writing by creating an online treatise called Secondary Trademark Infringement. About five years ago, Bloomberg/BNA expressed interest in publishing the treatise in print (and online), so now it’s a ‘real’ book that I update yearly. I split my time between the two worlds, teaching and writing. Even with the children out of the house, our days, if not our physical space, feel full. Also, in our community the married children come back frequently for the Sabbath and holidays, so it’s not uncommon for people in our age group to upsize just when most people are
Carol Crowdus Barbour writes, “It’s been a busy year at the Barbours with Katherine a senior in high school. To say she is thrilled to be Denison-bound is an understatement. She is interested in creative writing and music and received a vocal scholarship, so we look forward to seeing Margot Singer during our visits to Granville, Ohio. My husband is in the process of selling his business and I continue my work at TIAA helping nonprofits achieve their missions by providing endowment and philanthropic services.” Emily Mason Strayer writes, “It’s so great to hear what everyone has been up to! We’ve been in the Bay Area now for 18 years. I’m still working at GU Energy Labs, where I’m currently the HR generalist. My husband Luther is a geology professor at Cal State East Bay doing research on fault systems. Henry, our oldest, is finishing up his freshman year at University of Minnesota–Duluth and seems to be really happy there, as is my
mom! Jesse is a sophomore at a boarding school in Utah and loves to snowboard whenever possible. Since the nest is empty, it seemed like a good time to start a major remodel, which will finally allow me to move my letterpress shop to California. We should be done soon; it’s been nearly a year. It will be nice to have a real kitchen again! Reunions are difficult to get to, but I think of my years at Dana often and appreciate Melissa keeping us connected.” Margaret Trevisani Erbe writes, “I moved to London a year ago. My daughter who graduated from college is here with me, and my son is still in college in the U.S. If you ever want to reconnect, I am here. I go to the States for July and August, otherwise I’m pretty much in London.” Laura George Power writes, “I’m still mainly, and happily, in Dublin, although three of our four grown kids now live in London and Robert is working there quite a bit. Two daughters are even married (!). It’s clearly time to downsize... Whenever possible we’re travelling and messing around with wood, clay, wool, plants... really anything we can get our mitts on to make a mess with (think Flintstones furnishings and you won’t be far wrong). Oh, and we’re still working: digital media (me), fintech (him). Holler if you’re in the vicinity! (At various times Melissa, Amy, Margot and Judy have, which was awesome.)” Margot Singer writes, “I’m really pleased that Carol Crowdus Barbour’s daughter, Katherine, will be coming to Denison in the fall, so I expect to be seeing lots of her over the next four years. I’ve been teaching creative writing at Denison for 14 years now, although currently I’m spending most of my time directing the Lisska Center for Scholarly Engagement (a fancy title for our office of fellowships and undergraduate research). On the home front, we have a half-empty nest: our daughter Micaela just finished her sophomore year at the University of Michigan, where she is majoring in computer science and running middle distance track and XC (going all Big 10 this year!); our son Rafi (another runner!) is wrapping up his junior year in high school. My latest book, a novel (Underground Fugue), is out in paperback this month. If you have a book club, I’d be happy to join in person or via Skype!” (Melissa adds: Great NEW news: Margot has been promoted to full professor at Denison. Congrats!)
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Lisa Kenney Pierpont writes, “Over the past year, I’ve reconnected with Emily Smith Tinsley, who lives in Charlottesville, Va. I’ve also used my nursing degree to embark on missionary trips to Nicaragua and Haiti, among other places. I’m in touch with Margot Singer, a superstar professor/author at Dennison, Liz O’Brien Ward, Carla Salas Sachs, Tracy Thayer Parsons, Deb Logan, Lynn Kraft, Debbie Stames and Carol Crowdus Barbour, to name a few. I am living in Back Bay, have two awesome daughters (Langley (20) a sophomore at Lehigh and Gemma (15) a freshman at Dexter Southfield), and am five years into the magazine industry after 15 years in TV and seven years in digital media. Hope to see you all at the next Reunion (or sooner?).” Pamela Schwartz Cohen writes, “I’m enjoying life in Davis, Calif., working with people with disabilities both on- and off-the-job. Four days a week, I’m a lawyer for a nonprofit disability rights agency. The rest of the time I’m leading a singing group for adults and teens with disabilities, and a nonprofit called Purple Tree Cafe, which is dedicated to opening a cafe to employ people with disabilities and bring people with and without disabilities together through music, art and community. We recently began employing people with disabilities to operate a bicycle-powered coffee cart at the Davis Farmers Market as a first step toward opening our cafe. Check us out if you’re ever in the Davis/ Sacramento area on a Wednesday night!” Cheri Salmon Gordon writes, “A lot has happened over the past year. I have moved to Amherst, N.H., last September with my plus one. We thought we were going to be empty nesters, but plans changed. My youngest decided to change schools and go to the local college while living at home. Then my oldest moved back home after living away for three years. Even though our new home was ‘downsizing,’ we’ve been able to make room for the two boys to live at home. My daughter on the other hand has left the nest and the state. She moved to Virginia (where she went to JMU) and married her college boyfriend back in December. He’s a wonderful addition to the family, they just live too far away. At least she has his whole family close by her, along with most of their college friends. I continue to work for Kronos as a customer success manager. Technically I am a remote employee, so I spend most days working from home and some working from our office in
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Lowell, Mass. I’d love to reconnect with any classmates living or working near me in Amherst.” Amy Murphy Fox writes, “Believe it or not, I live in Wellesley, although on the other side of town from Dana and rarely go by the alma mater. But when I do I am impressed with how good it looks: in some ways, the same as 1980, and in many other ways, totally different. I am in touch with Judy Gilbert, Louise Sweeney Ritenhouse, Wendy Higgins Chambers, Liz O’Brien Ward, Kerry Spence, Derya Samedi ’82, Melissa Brown Moore and others occasionally when I run into them. Our two girls are living independent lives. Emma graduated from business school in May and moved to Minneapolis to take a job with General Mills. Our younger daughter Annie is in Lusaka, Zambia, on a Global Health Care Fellowship for the year. She is helping Zambian women with prenatal care and literacy. She will go to business school in the fall. Clearly I missed the business gene in our family. I am currently writing a book on gardens and fine art that Timber Press has asked me to write. Shout out to all the Dana authors who have seen the process through to the end. In the fall, I will become an associate at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston helping create the floral arrangements in the museum. If anyone would like to have coffee with me, I would love to see you! My email is amymurphymatters@gmail.com.” Holly Helliwell Fabyan writes, “Hi Melissa and Dana ladies! It has been awhile since I connected with you all. Unfortunately my Andover reunions always overlap with Dana’s! I will have to try to attend one evening of our next big one! Lisa and I had a great catch-up and made us both aware of how fun it is to rekindle old friendships! If any of you visit Manchester by the sea (which is much more cheerful than the movie), please give me a call. I’ve been selling residential real estate on the North Shore for more than 27 years. I spend a good portion of my time in Boston with my significant other, Mark, who fortunately shares my passion for skiing and sailing. Between us, we have five children all between 22–27. Yes, they are launched but they are still very much a part of our lives. The youngest, my son, graduates in less than a month upon which I get a pay raise! Of course, Wes is talking about further education: a Ph.D. in biochem engineering on the West Coast, so we shall see! My 25-year-old daughter Alyssa is traveling through South America before she resumes her captain’s job at the
newly rebuilt Bitter End Yacht Club in the BVI at the end of this year. I continue to visit my children on their travels. Our next big family trip it bareboating in Tahiti at the end of April! Can’t wait! Hope this note finds you all happy and healthy!” Heather Hodgson DePaola writes, “Time certainly has flown since my days at Dana. I am still living in Dover, and not with my parents! I just celebrated my 20th wedding anniversary with my husband Steve yesterday. We were married on the Kentucky Derby, so this time of the year is always special. We both enjoy the outdoors and after hiking the high peaks of New England, the summit of Kilimanjaro, we traveled with friends to Alaska and backpacked to the Arctic Ocean (an amazing place, the arctic tundra). After that trip, we kicked off our newest adventure: our daughter Mckinlee was born. She is 11 years old and a 5th grade student at Tenacre Country Day. After getting an MBA from Suffolk University in 1997, I started a business with my sister that helps people settle into their homes after moving; it’s called Unpacking Solutions. I keep pretty busy between work and raising a little one. Since I never left the area, I have seen all the changes at Dana’s campus. I reconnected with Dana Hall just in time for our 35th Reunion, so I went to it and it was quite fun! I also have worked with Dana students who participate in the Girls Summer Entrepreneurship Program. Mckinlee will be attending two weeks at the Karen Stives ’68 Equestrian Center’s summer camp. Karen used to be my riding instructor and it is great to see her name on the barns. Mckinlee and I say hello to the horses almost daily at drop off or pick up. Our family loves adventure and we have seen many of our country’s National Parks plus Disney World more than a few times. This past summer, we drove to Great Smoky Mountains to see the total solar eclipse! Already planning our trip to see the next one in 2024 and highly recommend that you put it on your bucket list. Well there is so much more, but perhaps I’ll see some of you back on campus at our 40th Reunion.”
Class of 1981 E. Fraser Demetree Benzal efbenzal@yahoo.com See Class of 1958 notes for a photo of Mindy Dobra Coath.
Class of 1982
Class of 1987
Anne Morton August guinvere@hotmail.com
Lisa Crounse lisacrounse@mac.com
Class of 1983
Laurie Switzer lswitzer@hotmail.com
Laura Lavit Elmore lauralelmore@yahoo.com
Class of 1988
Class of 1984
Dana Tannenbaum Cahoon dbcahoon@mac.com
Leah Morris jmorrisfamily@comcast.net
Nicole Hickman James nicolejames228@gmail.com
Class of 1985
Heather McPhee hmmcphee@yahoo.com
Christina Whiting Dougherty cswdougherty@comcast.net
Class of 1989
See Class of 1958 notes for a photo of Melissa Tighe.
Only heard back from one classmate this time around! Please send me more news as we all love to hear what people are up to. Ashley Lentz shared, “Things are good here. We made a major life change 18 months ago as we moved back home to Daytona Beach. I left academic surgery at the University of Florida and joined my father in private practice plastic surgery. It’s been really great being back with family and on the water again. Thankfully, I am still able to run my cleft lip and palate missions to Honduras every six months, so that has been a blessing to continue despite our move. My boys are getting so big and currently are 11, 10 and 8. They are at very fun ages and life is really good.”
Sarah Burgess Gregorian sbgregorian@gmail.com
Lisa Iagatta LIagatta@yahoo.com
Penelope Spilios Courtin with her son Freddy in Beveridge Hall
Class of 1986
Ashley Lentz and family
See Class of 1962 notes for news about Elizabeth Prevost.
Katharine Allen kra135@psu.edu
Class of 1993
Katherine Koumantzelis Copeland copelandkk@gmail.com
Amie Margolis silogram7@gmail.com
Belkis Suazo deCastro belkisdecastro@gmail.com Sarah Robbins Mars writes, “I recently visited Kigali, Rwanda, and had the pleasure of spending time with Sinclair Imondo ’16 and Claudine Humure ’13. We had a wonderful get-together. There are Dana girls all over the world!” Sinclair Imondo ’16, Sarah Robbins Mars and Claudine Humure ’13 in Kigali, Rwanda
Class of 1990 Correspondent needed See news about Kiwa Matsushita in the notes from the Class of 1961.
Class of 1991 Robin Crowder Durawa rcdurawa@msn.com
Zoe Timms zoevjtimms@gmail.com Vanessa Sanchez Gonzalez-Revilla writes, “I am sending you a picture of my family on my daughter’s 15th birthday party. I live in Panama City. I have two daughters and one son, Ximena (15), Lucia (13) and Nicolas (8). I see often Connie Motta and Carolina Alfaro and our daughters are also friends. I hope I can go to the next Reunion and see all of you.”
Class of 1992 Rachel Bebchick Naggar rnaggar@gmail.com All is well in New Jersey. I (Rachel Bebchick Naggar) just celebrated my 15th year anniversary working at Kent Place. Mia will be graduating elementary school in a month or so and Gabe is setting his sights on third grade. Time sure does fly.
Vanessa Sanchez Gonzalez-Revilla and family
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Class of 1994
Class of 1997
Class of 1999
Elisabeth Morray morray@gmail.com
Kristin O’Donnell Bedard kristinbedard@gmail.com
Brooke Anderson brookeanderson81@hotmail.com
Lisa Brown lmclennanb@gmail.com
Amanda Coyle FitzGerald amandaecoyle@gmail.com
Jennifer Ritsert Erickson writes, “It has been a year of changes for our household. Tyler, my 12-year-old, started the FXD program at Xaverian Brothers High School. It is so exciting to watch him get involved in school activities and be a part of a school community like Dana Hall. My younger son, Owen, started 5th grade at St. Bridget’s School. It has been quite an adjustment, but I am happy to say we have almost survived the first year at new schools. I am still teaching middle school in Brockton and am looking forward to summer vacation. Hope everyone is healthy and happy!” Elisabeth Morray writes, “Like Jen’s, my family has survived the transition to middle school for our 10-year-old twins as well as a job change for me. I’m now directing a postdoctoral fellowship as well as continuing my clinical practice at Harvard Vanguard’s Chestnut Hill location. Life is an ongoing balancing act for me, as I’m sure it is for all of us, and I am grateful for the new challenges and adventures! My best to all of you!”
Class of 1995 Caryn Byrnes Anderson carebear102106@gmail.com Dustina Bennett dustinabennett@gmail.com Amelia R. Brown recently published Corinth in Late Antiquity: A Greek, Roman and Christian City. It was released in the U.S. in late May and is available on Amazon in hardcover and Kindle formats.
Class of 1996 Tracy Spiegel Fox tracy.foxcraft@gmail.com Katharine Sidell Morton mortonkam@gmail.com
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Heather Cochrane Russo heatherjean23@hotmail.com
Class of 1998 Ruchira Kumar ruch.kumar@gmail.com Guida Estrela Mattison guidaemattison@danahall.org Jane Monti Young jane@chaseyounggallery.com Michelle Kohanloo writes, “I adopted a rescue in February 2018 and named her Penny. Born in Aruba on Thanksgiving Day, she was discovered with her mom and siblings living in a little grassy nook on Christmas Day. They were rescued by an amazing organization called Sgt. Pepper’s Friends that help stray animals on the island get healthy and find forever (furever) homes. So Penny is now a proud resident of Boston! Her mom Roo was also adopted by a dear friend of mine who lives in Roslindale, so they have playdates, too. Penny enjoys naps, playing, socializing, long car rides and crispy treats. I think she will really enjoy walking around the Dana campus during Reunion, making new friends with her confident, charming personality!” Michelle Kohanloo and her dog Penny
I (Amanda Coyle FitzGerald) hope this finds everyone happy and healthy! It is almost impossible to believe, but next year we will be celebrating our 20th Reunion! I hope many of you are making plans to come. It would be so fun to have a great turnout and get together again! We will be in touch as the date gets closer with more details. Irina Ostrovskaya reports that she recently started working as a speechlanguage pathologist in the public school system here in Masschusetts (currently up in Haverhill). And says, “People should come to me if they have concerns about their kids’ speech and language abilities!” As for me (Amanda), I live in Westwood, Mass., with my husband and our two kids, Jack (4) and Caroline (1.5). I keep in regular touch with Kelly Dignan, Jess Lynch and Ellen Sabra Giannacopoulous, but would love to see others, too, if they’re in the area!
Class of 2000 Jillian Riley jillianmriley@gmail.com Caroline Sayia cwdale@gmail.com Erica Wyner erica@boostaba.com
Class of 2001 Renee Clayton renee.clayton82@gmail.com
Class of 2002 Courtney Tipping cmtipping@gmail.com
Class of 2003
Devin Cole has not one but three exciting updates to share! She moved to Italy in May and got married on June 9. She’s also working on a sci-fi novel and hopes to finish this year.
Donna DiDomenico djdidome@gmail.com Elizabeth Stuka Rose elizabeth.stuka@gmail.com
Class of 2007
Class of 2004
Agnes Beckmann beckmann.agnes@gmail.com
Jazmin Kirby jazminlechekirby@gmail.com Tanya Lubicz-Nawrocka tlubicznawrocka@gmail.com Elise Valerio O’Hara elise586@gmail.com
Class of 2005 Elizabeth (Lizzy) Pond elpond@gmail.com Caroline Ross rosscae@gmail.com
Annie Yonkers, busy doing the mom/ small business thing in New Hampshire for the past few years, was recently accepted into a graphic design program at Kingston University in London. Provided everything with the visas goes smoothly, the family will be moving across the pond this autumn! Christin Collins Caplan and her husband welcomed a beautiful little boy, Colin James Caplan, into the world on Jan. 19, 2018. The whole family is doing well and she’s slowly returning to yoga/dancing/ teaching dance! Christin Collins Caplan with her husband and new son Colin
Paige Walker walkerp.10@gmail.com
Nora Godkin writes, “I moved to Cambodia in November to start a new job at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, which is the UNbacked tribunal for the Khmer Rouge trials. I work as a legal consultant with some of the judges at the court. I’m enjoying the new role but have been very busy! I hope everyone else is doing well!”
Katie Jones katiejadejones@aol.com
Class of 2008
Lieutenant Junior Grade Adagray (Ada) Anderson Willis of San Diego, Calif., a United States Navy Public Affairs Officer, was married to First Lieutenant Christopher Dale Willis of Meridian, Miss., a United States Marine Corps Aviator, on April 14, 2018. The wedding took place at four o’clock in the afternoon at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., where Lieutenant Junior Grade Willis graduated in 2015. Both Sarah Thirman and Amanda Moore were in the bridal party. The wedding was attended by many other Dana Hall alumnae from the classes of 2011 and 2012. First Lieutenant Willis and Lieutenant Junior Grade Willis will live together in San Diego, Calif., beginning in August 2018. Many congratulations to the happy couple!
Jacqueline O’Leary jacqueline.oleary2@gmail.com
Summer Sterling slsterling@live.com
Alyson (Aly) Glavin alyson.glavin@gmail.com
Class of 2011
Jacquelyn Maggiore jemaggiore@gmail.com
Chidinma (Chidi) Iruka chidiiruka@gmail.com
Catherine (Cat) Blakelock catherine.blakelock@danahall.org
Hilary O’Haire hilaryeo@gmail.com
Jessica Freeman JAFreeman22@gmail.com
Class of 2006
Class of 2010
Yin Ling (Nicole) Suen nicolesuen0119@gmail.com Nicole Suen writes, “I have been living in the U.K. for 1 1/2 years now, and I am doing my MBA at Imperial College London. Just went to South America for our global experience week and really enjoy it!”
Class of 2009 Emily Soukas emily.soukas@gmail.com Emaline Surgenor emaline.surgenor@gmail.com Candace Taylor cltaylor1019@gmail.com
Emily Knebel eknebel@vet.upenn.edu As of this writing, it is finally spring and the bells are tolling—wedding bells, that is! The Class of 2011 has some wonderful updates for 2018.
Christine Stone is getting her master’s at Johns Hopkins in the School of Public Health and has accepted a fellowship in Australia starting in August 2018. Alexandra Spiliakos writes, “Hi, silver sisters! I’m happy to report that over the past year I have been working at Harvard Business School as a content developer for an online course for HBX called Sustainable Business Strategy. In my free time I’ve kept up with dance, travel and learning languages, and would love to connect and share these passions with any Dana gals interested!” Hadley Pierce writes, “I moved to Rwanda in February to start managing a lodge called Bisate Lodge. It’s been an
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amazing few months. It’s a stunning lodge that looks out over Volcanoes National Park, which has the largest population of the endangered mountain gorillas in the world. Rwanda as a country has completely blown my mind with its beauty and people. I highly, highly suggest visiting!”
Class of 2012
Julia Moynihan juliamoynihan10@gmail.com
Hadiatu Jalloh, Justina Zuckerman, Emily Martin, Susie Keenan, Maddy Geis, Holly McHenry, Emily Dumont, and Jocelyn Wong at Susie’s wedding in Salt Lake City
Eleanor Giovanetti ellie.giovanetti@me.com Savannah Raiten savannah.raiten@maine.edu
Class of 2015
Class of 2013
Correspondent needed
Madeline Schneider madjulsch@gmail.com
Class of 2014
Nora Panahi was a featured performer at this year’s annual Women in Comedy Festival. It was her second time performing at the festival. Headliners this year included Tig Notaro and Wanda Sykes In January, Nora also concluded her first New England comedy tour.
Emily Martin emartin2495@gmail.com
Class of 2016
Ashley Rohall aer@rohall.com
Correspondent needed
See the notes from the Class of 1986 for a photo of Claudine Humure.
On April 27, Emily Martin, Holly McHenry, Hadiatu Jalloh, Justina Zuckerman, Maddy Geis, Jocelyn Wong, and Emily Dumont attended the wedding of their fellow classmate Susie Keenan to Peter Redd in Salt Lake City.
Alexandra Naddaff participated in a St. Lawrence University off-campus study abroad program during the spring 2018 semester. See the notes from the Class of 1986 for a photo of Sinclair Imondo.
Julia Lawrence was recently accepted into the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society at Emory University. Students eligible for induction at Emory need to have a first semester GPA of at least 3.9 with good standing.
Class of 2018 Caroline Cohen ccohen926@gmail.com Jenny Jung jennyhyjung@gmail.com Ryland Rich rylandry@me
Former Faculty
Former Heads of School Blair Jenkins and Elaine Betts in Bodega Bay, November 2017
In Memoriam 1931
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Mary Louise Smith Riley 1/18/2018
Mab Ashforth 12/14/2017
Jean Beckley Crane 1/28/2018
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Elizabeth Rowe 1/30/2018
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Eleanor Wetten Pennington 1/14/2018 Helena Allen MacDonald 12/18/2017 MaryLouise Bonbright Sarvis 1/19/2018
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Jean Smith Raymond 1/9/2018
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Virginia Rising Schulz 4/6/2018
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Clara Fowler Mixter 1/11/2018
Marilisse Dean Grove 2/10/2018
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Pollyanne Bryant Mitchell 12/19/2017
Jane Smiley Adams 12/29/2017
Nancy Hersey Paulson 1/15/2018 Gertrude Schenck Embree 2/9/2018 Solace Walker Tobey 1/16/2018
Sabina Burke 3/15/2018
Nancy Lashley 12/18/2017 Michele Smith 1/20/2018 Jenifer Keefe 2/2/2018
A Closer Look AISNE Middle School Students of Color Conference
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On Saturday, February 10, Dana Hall hosted the AISNE Middle School Students of Color Conference, where 289 attendees from 29 independent schools spent a day getting inspired by keynote speakers, workshop sessions and networking with fellow Middle School students and educators from across New England. Middle School Social Studies Teacher and Coordinator of Multicultural Affairs Sarah Martin led the event planning, which began in September 2017. “It did take a village,” Martin said. “Thanks to Carol-Ann Mcintosh from AISNE, Caroline MacNichol [director of Middle School], Holly Congdon [executive assistant to the Head of School] and Tamara Nikuradse [5th grade teacher], we were able to plan and implement this exciting conference that had many moving parts.” Many Dana Hall faculty members, students, parents and alumnae led workshop sessions, which ranged from making fairy tales come to life in the Makerspace, to using dance to reflect personal testimonies, to a celebration of the Chinese New Year complete with dumpling cooking and eating.
ON THIS PAGE: Well known on today’s Dana Hall sidelines, the Dana Dragon has come a long way since its debut in 1990. Learn more about the history of the beloved school mascot on page 24. ON THE COVER: Samantha Diaz ’18 and C.C. Dent ’18 show off their new diplomas at Dana Hall’s 137th commencement exercises. See more from commencement on page 28.
The Dana Bulletin is published twice a year by Dana Hall School. Notification of change of address may be sent to:
EDITORIAL BOARD
DESIGN
Katherine L. Bradley Head of School
Studio A Design www.studioadesign.com
Dana Hall School Advancement Office 45 Dana Road, P.O. Box 9010 Wellesley, MA 02482-9010
Liza Cohen Director of Communications
PHOTOGRAPHY
Julie Gray P07, 10 Director of Advancement
John Gillooly jgillooly.smugmug.com
Nia Jacobs Academic Dean
Adam Richins www.adamrichins.com
Jessica Keimowitz Director of Upper School
Andy Weigl www.weiglphotography.com
Molly Kentala Assistant Director of Communications
PRINTING
Caroline MacNichol Director of Middle School
Puritan Capital Hollis, N.H.
Dana Hall School does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national or ethnic origin, or sexual orientation in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
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1. S . Esposito ’25 (center) asks a question during Director of Upper School Jessica Keimowitz’s session, “I Am From: An Exploration of Background and Identity through Poetry.”
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2. S tudents brought their favorite fairy tale to life in the Makerspace with help from Upper School Math and Computer Science Teacher Anita Lavakumar (far right) and Engineering and Computer Science Department Head Pat Townsend (back, center). 3. C andace Taylor ’09, Ariann Williams ’08 and Alena Horton ’09 led workshops. 4. D . Nwachukwu ’18, B. Jenkins ’18, M. Darville ’20, B. Smith ’19 and C. Cadasse ’18 co-led a discussion on diversity, equity and inclusion in independent schools.
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5. U pper School Mandarin Teacher Shujun Xiang shared the art of dumpling making. 6. Alejandra Baez ’12 and Alena Horton ’09 led workshops. 7. Alejandra Baez ’12 led a session on international diplomacy. 8. C andace Taylor ’09 showed students how to use dance to honor and share the lives they have lived.
Robert Mather P24 Assistant Head of School Heather Glavin Yetman ’06 Director of Alumnae Relations
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9. D avid Coleman, director of Choral Music, talked with students about taking inspiration from comic books and music to change the world in bigger and more effective ways.
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B u l l e t i n
Director’s Bowl winner Aluna Herrera ’22 and outgoing Director of Middle School Caroline MacNichol
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The Class of 2022 gained a new title on June 8: Upper School students. At the annual Middle School Moving-Up Ceremony, members of the 8th grade reminisced about their years as Middle Schoolers, with many reading a reflection during the event. At her final Moving-Up Ceremony, Director of Middle School Caroline MacNichol presented the Director’s Bowl to Aluna Herrera ’22. MacNichol, who has served as the Director of Middle School since 2006, announced her semi-retirement plans in November 2017. “Caroline’s dedication to the school and her special passion for the education of middle school girls is renowned,” said Head of School Katherine Bradley. ”She has deftly helped hundreds of girls and their families navigate the sometimes tricky middle school years.” MacNichol will relocate to Kennebunk, Maine, where she will be near her daughter.
S U M M E R
Moving Up to the Upper School, Moving On from Dana Hall
Dana Bulletin SUMMER 2018