Dana Bulletin WINTER 2020
ON THIS PAGE: Judy O’Connell Perkins ’57, Mary Covington ’58, Penny Post ’57 and the Dana Dragon joined the large cheering section at the first Varsity Field Hockey home game on the new turf field. Learn more about the turf field and other new Dana Hall spaces and places on the inside back cover of the Bulletin. ON THE FRONT COVER: In December, Jainah Etheart ’21 put on the familiar Jester costume in the Class of 2021’s Revels performance. See more from Revels on page 3.
The Dana Bulletin is published twice a year by Dana Hall School. Notification of change of address may be sent to:
EDITORIAL BOARD
DESIGN
Christie Baskett Chief Advancement Officer
Studio A Design www.studioadesign.com
Dana Hall School Advancement Office 45 Dana Road, P.O. Box 9010 Wellesley, MA 02482-9010
Katherine L. Bradley Head of School
PHOTOGRAPHY
Liza Cohen Director of Communications
Adam Richins www.adamrichins.com
Lauren Goldberg Director of Middle School
PRINTING
Nia Jacobs Academic Dean 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.
Jessica Keimowitz Director of Upper School Molly Kieloch Assistant Director of Communications Robert Mather P24, 26 Assistant Head of School
Puritan Capital Hollis, N.H.
Table of Contents A Message from Head of School Katherine L. Bradley....................... 2 Revels 2019................................................................................................. 3
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Bulletin Board............................................................................................ 4 Family Weekend....................................................................................... 13 Alumnae Focus: In Service to Others..................................................... 19 Living Our Motto: Community Service at Dana Hall......................... 22 Alumnae Return to Campus for Fall Reunion...................................... 24
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Dana Bulletin WINTER 2020 | volume 82, number 1
Message from Alumnae Council President........................................... 26 Events & Receptions.................................................................................. 27 Class Notes................................................................................................. 32 In Memoriam............................................................................................. 64
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A Message from Head of School Katherine L. Bradley
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n the pages of this issue of the Bulletin, you will find many stories from our community members — alumnae, students, faculty, staff, parents — who are embracing our Amor Caritas motto. We all can take enormous pride in these examples of genuine community engagement. Our students are making a difference through the local community service partnerships we have forged (page 22), and they can draw inspiration from the alumnae we feature (page 19) and the countless others who are living lives filled with intention and empathy. This fall, Director of Community Service Programs Angela Macedo sent out the call for nominations for speakers at our annual Thanksgiving Convocation. The criteria were fairly straightforward: Nominees should be committed to serving others, either here at Dana Hall or outside of our school community. We were specifically looking for nominees who did not seek recognition for their work. Within days, Angela had received 78 nominations for 31 students. While I knew these kinds of unsung heroines were among us, I was heartened to see such a strong response. At the Convocation, we heard from Alli Sibold ’20, who reflected on her experience volunteering at Team Verge, a track club for kids on the autism spectrum. “When you begin to volunteer, you usually go into the experience with an idea about what you might get out of it and how you can help others,” Alli told the assembled community. “I was confident that through this role I would become comfortable leading groups and proud to be impacting people’s lives. The hidden treasure of volunteering, though, is the lessons you don’t expect to learn. I never thought I would understand that success comes in all shapes and sizes, nor did I expect to learn that running is more than about time; it’s about hope, determination and development.” What a wonderful experience to have and share. I have long believed that those of us who work in schools have a natural affinity for service to others. Quite simply, this whole enterprise is built on the dedication, selflessness and steadfastness of the individuals I am honored to call my colleagues. And while our students can readily identify that commitment in their teachers, coaches and advisors, they are maybe less aware of all those who work behind the scenes to ensure the success of our school. I am delighted that this Bulletin shines the spotlight (page 8) on Mario DiGiandomenico, who is retiring after 48 years at Dana Hall School. What an amazing tenure! I am grateful to Mario, and to all the members of our community, who embody our motto and carry out our important mission. F Head of School Katherine Bradley joined Ice Hockey Co-Captains Paige Gallenberger ’20 (left) and Caroline Breslin ’20 for the ceremonial puck drop at the team’s home opener on their new rink at the Boston Sports Institute in Wellesley.
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REVELS 2019 On December 19, the Dana Hall community gathered to watch the Class of 2021 perform Revels, a beloved Dana tradition that brings sword dancers, rabblers and princesses to the Bardwell Auditorium stage to celebrate the Winter Solstice. As tradition, the cast was kept a surprise until the curtains parted, and the audience delighted in finally finding out who had been cast as the Lady of Misrule, Timmy and the Jester. Director of Community, Equity and Inclusion Erica Ramirez began the show by reading “The Shortest Day” dressed as Baby Yoda. Another surprise—the cast of The Mummer’s Play—featured Shrek characters Shrek, Princess Fiona, Donkey, Lord Farquaad and Puss in Boots battling the dragon. The first Revels was performed in 1921 when English teacher Constance Grosvenor Alexander wrote the play, Saint Francis Keeps Christmas at Greccio 1223, and a cast of faculty, friends and students from Pine Manor, Tenacre and Dana Hall put on the first rendition. After the final stanza, all those in attendance follow the bagpipers to the Dining Hall for a slice of tradition cake, the last order of business before saying their goodbyes and departing for Winter Break.
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ACTIONS + ACHIEVEMENTS
AMOR CARITAS DAY 2019 Amor Caritas Day (ACD) was created in 2011 to honor Dana Hall’s long tradition of service by connecting students, alumnae, parents, faculty and staff through community projects around the world. This year, a group of alumnae, students and parents volunteered at Rosie’s Place in Boston to further unite the Dana community in giving back. Lee Ferguson Frechette ’81, P16, 22 led this group of 15 volunteers in conjunction with the three other ACD service projects at Cradles to Crayons, the Greater Boston Food Bank and Prospect Hill Park. Learn more about Dana Hall’s service connections, starting on page 18.
FACULTY EXHIBIT SABBATICAL PROJECTS In the fall, the Dana Hall Art Gallery featured the work of faculty members Mary Ann McQuillan and Matt Enlow, participants in the Congdon Sabbatical Program during the 2018-19 school year. McQuillan, an Upper School visual arts teacher, produced a documentary film, The Free Table, about a swap table in Cambridge where neighbors could leave items for others to take and vice versa. Enlow, an Upper School math teacher, created art involving images and objects based on math concepts. 3D-printed objects by Matt Enlow
DAY OF COMMUNITY LEARNING On December 13, all Middle and Upper Schools students as well as faculty and staff spent the day in various workshops and activities as part of Dana Hall’s annual Day of Community Learning. The theme for the fourth installment was Building Bridges and Sharing Spaces, focusing on people, programs or organizations that are reaching out to others to close a divide and/or bringing people together to be in community with each other. The day began with a keynote from Vivian Wu Wong, History Department Chair at Milton Academy, then students attended two of 28 different workshops, many of which were facilitated by their peers, including: ● Facing Hate: Creating an Action Plan When You Want to Take Action ● “Queers” Through the Years: Education by Your Peers ● The Bitter Truth About Chocolate ● Boston Beyond Newbury Street: The Assumptions We Make About Life in the City Top: A panel of faculty, staff and students spoke during Bridging the Generations: A Conversation. Right: Nora Panahi ’15 shared how she uses her stand-up routines to discuss and analyze her identity.
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ALUMNAE AUTHORS Alumnae authors: Do you have a recently published book? Maybe an older title we haven’t heard of but should have in our Alumnae Authors Collection? The Helen Temple Cooke Library would love to add your title to its shelves. Contact Archivist Dorothy DeSimone at dorothy.desimone@danahall.org or (781) 489-1382, or visit https://danahall.libguides.com/alumnaeauthors to see the many works we currently own.
YOUNG ALUMNAE GIVING CHALLENGE From November 13-20, young alumnae from the Classes of 2005 to 2019 were challenged to get 300 classmates to make a gift of any size to the Dana Fund, which would unlock an additional $30,000. Support came from alumnae in 21 states and 14 countries. By the end of the challenge, 343 young alumnae participated (exceeding the goal!) and raised more than $21,176. This helped unlock the additional funds, resulting in a grand total of $51,176 for the Dana Fund. Special recognition is due to the Class of 2012, who reached 47% participation, earning them this year’s Young Alumnae Giving Challenge Participation Award.
The following titles were recently acquired by the library:
Top, Left to Right: Poets in the Public Sphere: The Emancipatory Project of American Women’s Poetry, 1800-1900 by Paula Bernat Bennett ’54, Emily Dickinson, Woman Poet (2nd edition) by Paula Bernat Bennett ’54, In the Afternoon by Marcia F. Brown ’71, Kimba’s Kitchen: Healthy Revolution by Kimberly Maloomian ’01 Bottom, Left to Right: Drought by Suzanne McNear ’77, Arias by Sharon Cobb Olds ’60, The Exalted by Kaitlyn Sage Patterson ’04, Food to Die For: A Book of Funeral Food, Tips and Tales compiled by Jessica Bemis Ward ’59
A TRULY GREAT DAY
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
Since 1992, legions of Dana Hall community members have taken the walk down Grove Street to Truly Yogurt, forming an unofficial relationship with the local business. To honor owner Gary Goldman’s retirement and his nearly three decades in business, Dana Hall celebrated him at the October 2 All-School Meeting. Goldman received a standing ovation before sharing a few words. “I am truly grateful,” he said. He recounted how his family never would have guessed they’d get into the frozen yogurt business 27 years ago, but thanks to loyal patrons like the members of the Dana Hall community, “Trulys” has become the place to hang out with your friends, to meet up with a teacher or to “just chill out,” Goldman said.
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ACTIONS + ACHIEVEMENTS (CONTINUED) SAVE THE DATES Wannamaker Lecture — Lisa Damour, Ph.D., April 2 On Thursday, April 2, Lisa Damour, Ph.D., will visit Dana Hall as a featured Wannamaker Lecture Series speaker. She will work with students and faculty during the day and hold a parent presentation at 7 p.m. (open to the public). Dr. Damour is a psychologist, author, teacher, speaker and consultant. She writes the monthly Adolescence column for The New York Times and is a regular contributor at CBS News. She serves as a senior advisor to the Schubert Center for Child Studies at Case Western Reserve University and as the executive director of Laurel School’s Center for Research on Girls. Dr. Damour is author of two New York Times best-selling books, Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood and Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls.
FOOD DIVERSION IN THE DINING HALL The Green Team Action Committee (Upper School) along with the Middle School Green Team launched their new food diversion program in early September; all food scraps in the Dining Hall are now collected separately from trash. The scraps are dropped off at the Wellesley RDF and brought to an anaerobic digester, which turns them into biogas. In addition to the benefit of turning the scraps into usable energy, the student groups hope to make students, faculty and staff more mindful about eating everything they put on their plate and reducing food waste. 6
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Blue and White Night: April 4, 2020
www.danahall.org/BWN2020
DO YOU KNOW A GIRL WHO IS READY TO LEAD? GIRLS SUMMER LEADERSHIP PROGRAM: SATURDAY, JUNE 20 - FRIDAY, JUNE 26 For girls entering ninth grade in fall 2020 Visit www.danahall.org/gslp for application details and up-to-date information
NATIONAL ACADEMIC PROGRAMS RECOGNIZE DANA’S EXCELLENCE More than 1.5 million juniors entered the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2018 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state. Abigail Litvak ’20 has been named a National Merit Semifinalist. Twenty-three Dana students and graduates qualified for the Advanced Placement (AP) Scholar Award by receiving scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams. Brooke Bossert ’19 Julia Burke ’20 Elena Carmichael ’20 Gabriella Casagrande ’19 Darawat Detwongya ’19 Samiha Farooqi ’20
Lia Flenniken ’19 Kira Fried ’20 Skylar Gilfeather’20 Muya Guoji ’20 Xinyi Han ’19 Zixin Huang ’20
Seven Dana students and graduates qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by receiving an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. Amelie Brown ’19 Wenxin Chen ’20 Yanan Dai ’20 Anna doRosario ’20
Alison Frambes ’19 Caroline Johnston ’19 Nancy Park ’20
Abigail Litvak ’20 Caira Mathieu ’19 Jillian McAvinn ’19 Sophia Miettinen-Garrett ’19 Alexandra Orent ’20 Karina Panjawi ’20
Lily Rashes ’20 Casey Seidner ’19 Nicole Taylor ’20 Kayla Terzioglu ’19 Madeline Wirkala ’19
Twenty-one Dana students and graduates qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by receiving an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. Panipuck Bhengsri ’19 Yunyi Cai ’19 Angeline Da Silva ’19 Saaniya Desai ’19 Jillian Earley ’19 Anna Ferrazzi ’19 Lucia Garber ’19 Lindsay Hendrix ’19 Tzu Hsien Huang ’19 Tissana Keerasuntonpong ’19 Victoria Kuntz ’19
Kelly McGucken ’19 Abigail Niles ’19 Antonia Phillips-Beeching ’19 Hui Ran ’19 Maria Sedunova ’19 Nuchana Sophonpanich’19 Arianna Stetson ’19 Jorryn Wu ’19 Yang Xu ’20 Yiyi Xue ’19
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DEDICATION AND CARE: GOODBYE TO MARIO DIGIANDOMENICO At the end of January, Dana Hall said goodbye to HVAC Maintenance Technician Mario DiGiandomenico, who retired after 48 years with the School. DiGiandomenico first arrived on September 11, 1972 and worked as a custodian at Tenacre School, which was then still part of Dana Hall School. In 1974 he moved over to the Dana Hall Classroom Building. DiGiandomenico has worn many hats during his tenure, which spans the leadership of eight Heads of School. “Mario has kept the School’s mechanical systems operating with the positive attitude, care and knowledge that he brings to his work,” said Chief Financial Officer Charlie Breslin. “Mario can recall every boiler on campus. He always thinks like an owner, and he has been known to get the most out of every mechanical system on campus. He has been able to maintain even our oldest boiler, which was installed in 1951!” During the 2015 renovation of the Student Center, the project’s engineers were amazed that the original equipment was still in place – thanks to DiGiandomenico’s care and expertise. In his next chapter, DiGiandomenico hopes to catch up on traveling, with Portugal first on the list. He would also like to get to the beach more, noting that Nantasket Beach is his favorite. “There’s some deferred maintenance on my house,” he laughed, noting the irony. “I’m sure my wife has a list somewhere.” “The School afforded me the opportunity to learn and find more interesting things to do,” said DiGiandomenico. “You might say that I actually went here as a student part of the time! It has been a learning and developmental experience. I know many places don’t extend that opportunity, like Dana Hall did with me. And I have met some of the nicest people in the world here.” Below: Mario DiGiandomenico, second from the right, and the 1978-79 Dana Hall School custodians
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Ella Schweizer ’22 and Sophia Lindstrom ’21
DANA TAKES THE STAGE THE UPPER SCHOOL FALL PLAY, 45 Plays for 45 Presidents, featured short snippets of American history where a member of the ensemble donned the coat of the presidency and the group explored an aspect of that administration. Left, Top to Bottom: Mira Smith ’22; Madi Kastner ’23, Carys Cadwalader ’22, Coco Zhang ’22; Aluna Herrera ’22; Elena Carmichael ’20 and Katherine Profy ’20
THE MIDDLE SCHOOL presented three fall plays in November: Jane Austen: Action Figure, Too Many Daughters: A Jane Austen Parody and a Dana Hall original Sunset in a Cup: A Letter from Emily Dickinson. Below, Left to Right: Noor Harwell ’24; Arielle Kim ’26, Clara Brinkman ’25, Eva Buckley ’25, Isabella Loring ’26, Kennedy Kranenburg ’26; Natalie Drago ’25 and Ivy Wellington ’24; Lisa Sun ’25, Cora Slowe ’26, Sophia Bulanova ’26; Eva Buckley ’25 and Gray Goldberg ’25
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VARSIT Y ATHLETICS Dana Hall’s fall athletic teams wrapped up their seasons in November.
Elaina Hawkins ’20
Lindsey Gilfeather ’20
Alexa Orent ’20 VARSITY VOLLEYBALL went 16-4 overall (9-1 in the EIL), earning them the title of EIL regular season champions. The team came in 2nd place in the EIL Tournament. • All NEPSAC Award: Alexa Orent ’20 • EIL All League: Orent, Cici Wang ’22 and Gaby Strachan ’21 • EIL Honorable Mention: Sophia Cook ’22 and Leah Sager ’21 • Most Valuable Player: Orent • Dragon Award: Cook • Coach’s Award: Indy Goldberg ’21 • Rookie of the Year: Lucero Mijares ’23 • Realest Award: Ruby Roberts ’20
Catey McCarron ’20
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The VARSITY FIELD HOCKEY team came in 7th in the EIL regular season with a 6-10 record (3-7 in the league). • All NEPSAC Honorable Mention: Mia D’Angelo ’21 •E IL All League: Ava Regan ’21 and D’Angelo •E IL Honorable Mention: Anna Kurtin ’21 •M ost Valuable Player: Regan • Dragon Award: Lindsey Gilfeather ’20 • Coach’s Award: Gwendolyn Tuckett ’21 VARSITY SOCCER ended its season 6-9-2, going 6-4-2 in the league. The team was 3rd place in the EIL regular season and came in 3rd in the EIL Tournament.
This season, VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY took 2nd place in the EIL regular season with an 8-7 overall/7-7 league record. They finished 11th in the EIL Championships. Head Coach Brian Cook was awarded the 2019 EIL Coach of the Year Award.
• All NEPSAC Honorable Mention: Kate Bossert ’21 • EIL All League: Bossert, Lexi Seidner ’20 and Caroline Breslin ’20 • EIL Honorable Mention: Rachel Hendrix ’21 and Lauren Copeland ’20 • Most Valuable Player: Bossert • Dragon Award: Hendrix
• All NEPSAC Award: Alli Sibold ’20 • EIL All League: Sibold, Elaina Hawkins ’20 and Skylar Gilfeather ’20 • EIL Honorable Mention: Jessica Du ’23 and Anna Wright ’21 • Most Valuable Player: Sibold • Dragon Award: Gilfeather • Most Improved Runner: Mercedes McLaughlin ’23
SCOREBOARD
The Middle School and Upper School INTERSCHOLASTIC EQUESTRIAN ASSOCIATION (IEA) TEAMS both qualified for Regionals, which will take place in February. Individual qualifiers include Ainsley Hornblower ’25 for Future Novice Over Fences and Future Novice Flat, Amelia Thames ’24 for Future Intermediate Over Fences and Future Intermediate Flat, and Grace Thames ’20 for Varsity Open Over Fences.
In November, Rachael Chandley ’21 traveled to Tianjin, China, where she took second place in the CSIO J competition at the Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club. She was there representing her home country of Jamaica as a member of the Jamaican National Junior Team. This fall, the Dana Hall ATHLETIC EQUESTRIAN LEAGUE (AEL) TEAM competed at three shows. To date, all of Dana’s AEL team members have earned ribbons in their classes. The team is looking forward to hosting its first AEL show at Dana Hall on April 5.
Rachael Chandley ’21 with her parents Ian and Laura Chandley P21
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Did you know you can support the Dana Fund by making a recurring gift? By spreading your annual donation out over 12 months, you can make a meaningful impact while providing Dana Hall School with a steady source of support. You can follow the lead of the Dana Fund donors quoted below by making your gift at www.danahall.org/giving and simply checking “Make this a Monthly Gift” on the giving form.
Visit www.danahall.org/giving to learn more about other ways to support the Dana Fund. Questions? Contact Director of the Dana Fund Kari McPartland P09 at kari.mcpartland@danahall.org or (781) 489-1363.
“I set up a recurring gift to Dana Hall because at least once a month, I’m reminded just how lucky I was to attend the school, an opportunity which continues to pay dividends in my current life. I also know my donations help supplement the cost of providing a Dana experience for other students. It makes me happy to know that my money is going towards something so worthwhile and everlasting.” — Lisabeth Jorgenson ’98, Alumnae Council member
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“I am fortunate to pursue a career in which my professional goals align with my personal values. I have chosen not just to work at Dana Hall, but to be a fully engaged member of this vibrant community. One way for me to demonstrate my commitment to the School’s mission is through an ongoing gift.” — Lauren Goldberg, director of the Middle School
“I set up a recurring gift to support Dana Hall because I want to give back, and this is a great way to include it in my budget. I appreciate all that Dana did for me. I was awarded a scholarship that enabled me to attend Dana. It changed the trajectory of my life, and I will always be grateful for the opportunity I was given. It was easy — I encourage you to consider a recurring donation.” — Karen Middleton ’84
Family Weekend 2019 1
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1. Head of School Katherine Bradley 2. Visiting families help Marlowe Tavares ’21 out with a lab. 3. C arly Bilyew-Conn ’20, Ann Bilyew P20, Olivia Mundel ’20, Hally Mix Mundel ’89, P20 4. Th e Chamber Singers perform at the Upper School Performing Arts Presentation. 5. Ashleigh Burns ’23, Christine Burns P20, 23, Sam Burns ’20 6. Sandra Lopez Burke P20 enjoyed the Pep Rally.
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“ At Dana Hall, we draw strength from our history and our traditions. When we study and celebrate our past, we see that our most significant milestones almost always shared the traits of leadership, innovation and impact. Time and again, administrators, teachers and students pushed forward, found new paths and sought out even greater standards of excellence. It is that pioneering spirit that I want us to embrace together, when we write the next chapter of this School’s extraordinary legacy.” – Head of School Katherine Bradley Winter 2020
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Family Weekend 2019
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1. Ria Sharma ’23, Layla Anderson ’23, Eleanor Bacon ’23 and Kali Gill ’23 2. Sunny Atiegha P20, 23 and Iniye Atiegha ’23 3. B rianah Mathieu ’25 and Mia Bloch ’25 (riding piggy back) represented Middle School A Volleyball Team at the Pep Rally. 4. Varsity Volleyball celebrated a winning point. 5. Dana Fund Parent Co-Chair Kristen Curtin ’86, P22
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“ 100% participation [in the Dana Fund] makes the statement to the outside world – to college admissions offices, prospective families, foundations – about the strength of our community and our collective commitment to our mission. A mission, I would argue, that has never been more relevant than it is today.” – Dana Fund Parent Co-Chair Kristen Curtin ’86, P22
Family Weekend 2019
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“ This year’s school theme, ‘all stones create ripples,’ is full of important reminders. It reminds us that every voice matters, that anyone can make a difference, that all actions have consequences – that even the smallest of gestures can do good.” – All-School Co-Presidents Karina Atiegha ’20 and Abby Litvak ’20
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1. Phoebe Frechette ’22 and the Dana Dragon 2. All-School Co-Presidents Abby Litvak ’20 and Karina Atiegha ’20 3. Deb Strachan P21, Gabriella Strachan ’21, Steve Strachan P21 4. Dana Hall Chamber Group members Ziyang (Catherine) Zhao ’21 and Ke Jun (Cici) Liu ’21 perform at the Upper School Performing Arts Presentation. 5. Eleanor Fazio ’21 dances at the Upper School Performing Arts Presentation.
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Family Weekend 2019
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1. C elia DePina ’24, Anelly Mad-toingué ’24, Avery Mather ’24 and Nicola Shafer ’24 led the Middle School A Soccer Team at the Pep Rally. 2. Varsity Soccer player Kate Bossert ’21 3. Y ifan (Coco) Zhang ’22 performs with the Dana Hall Flute Choir at the Upper School Performing Arts Presentation. 4. Middle School Co-Presidents Briyana Targete ’24 and Noor Harwell ’24 5. Varsity Field Hockey player Eliza Glass ’21
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“ This year the Middle School has focused on creating a tight-knit community. This quote from Coretta Scott King expresses how we view our community members: ‘The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.’” – Middle School Co-Presidents Noor Harwell ’24 and Briyana Targete ’24
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“ We teach our art students to really look around at the world; to make connections between things; and to always put in the right amount of effort. I’d like to think that this is a good strategy for building community as well – to really look around us at the people we share this school with, to make connections with people we may not know well, even for a moment. And like a great drawing or painting, it takes some effort.” – Visual Arts Department Head and 2019-21 recipient of the Rinehart Faculty Chair Michael Frassinelli
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1. The first Family Weekend Dog Parade was a big success! 2. Varsity Soccer faced NCDS under the Friday Night Lights. 3. Former Director of Athletics, Health and Wellness John Suby, Carol Suby and Jeff Suby 4. Visual Arts Department Head and 2019-21 recipient of the Rinehart Faculty Chair Michael Frassinelli
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OUR LEGACY OF SERVICE
Members of the Dana Hall Christian Service League at work rolling bandages for the Red Cross, 1945
Student volunteers at the House of the Carpenter, a ministry to offer an enrichment program to children in Boston, 1964
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Dana Hall Service League members gather Thanksgiving gifts after the annual Harvest Chapel Service, November 1956
Visiting a hospitalized child, 1973
Sorting clothes and shoes at Cradles to Crayons, Amor Caritas Day 2012
Community Service has a long history at Dana Hall School. As early as 1892, student members of the Dana Hall Glee Club traveled to the Sherborn Reformatory for Women to perform in the prison chapel. According to an article in the June issue of The Bonbonniere, Dana Hall’s first student newspaper, “the women proved to be a most enthusiastic audience” and it appears the students enjoyed their excursion as well. The Misses Sarah and Julia Eastman, the first principals of Dana Hall School, were active in the ministries of the Wellesley Congregational Church. They are mentioned as active benefactors in the first annual report of the New England Peabody Home for Crippled Children, which was opened in 1895. The same report relates that students at Dana Hall raised funds for the Home by putting on an “entertainment.” Located in the Helen Temple Cooke Library, the Dana Hall Archives can help link Dana Hall’s current programs to the past. The Archives accepts 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. 18
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ALUMNAE FOCUS: In Service to Others For three alumnae from different decades, giving back to those in need has become second nature. Diane Denman Moxness ’72, Marynee Pontes ’12 and Joan Butler Ford ’51 have dedicated their lives to service—in both their professional and personal pursuits, and at home and abroad.
DIANE DENMAN MOXNESS ’72 Whether she’s out on the course of a cross country ski race or in a boardroom for a strategic planning meeting, Diane Denman Moxness ’72 is making significant contributions to her community—just as she has since she first moved to Anchorage, Alaska, in 1979. Moxness moved to Anchorage to work as a systems analyst for an oil company after she finished graduate school. From there, she got involved in political campaigns, working as the treasurer for a candidate who ran for mayor, governor and U.S. Senate. She was working at an investment firm when her son was heading into middle school. Moxness left her position as a bond analyst, with the idea to stay home for the summer. “Two minutes later, an organization I was volunteering for—the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage (NSAA)—called and asked me to be their executive director,” Moxness said. “I worked there 11 years, and by the time I left it had a $2 million operating budget, so it got to be a full-time job.” With an average annual snowfall of 75 inches, Anchorage has an active Nordic skiing community. NSAA operates like a parks department, building and maintaining ski trails, running an afterschool learn-to-ski program for 800 children, and putting on 40 different ski races and events each year. Though she “retired” in 2013, Moxness still volunteers for NSAA and organizes their middle school race program, with six races each year. She also volunteers as a timer at almost every ski race in the city. “I love cross country skiing, and it’s really the only way to survive winter in Anchorage,” Moxness said, who also organizes and works at women’s running races and triathlons when the snow thaws. “The activity and community keep me sane, and it’s a way of giving back to something that improves the quality of life here many times over.” Before she took on her leadership role with NSAA, Moxness already had her hand in another nonprofit that she believes in deeply. Since 1980, she has been a volunteer for Planned Parenthood. What started out as helping in the then-newly opened medical clinic in Anchorage has evolved to sitting on the regional board of Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest. “I no longer work in the clinic, but I’m part of the political action committee that interviews political candidates and decides whether Planned Parenthood will endorse them or not,” Moxness said. She also sits on the National Council for the World Wildlife Fund, which is mostly focused on fundraising efforts. In addition, she is the coordinator of the Anchorage chapter of the American Pilgrims on the Camino, the national organization that helps support the infrastructure and hostel staff training for the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Moxness and her husband have completed two of the month-long walks. While her board commitments evoke a certain sedentary quality, Moxness admits she is not able to just sit still. She’s a volunteer usher at the local performing arts center, working three events each month. Upon her retirement, she learned that the local food pantry needed volunteers to help shoppers. She now volunteers there once a week. “It’s been a nice change,” Moxness noted. “I had just come off running a nonprofit, where no matter what you did, there’s was always someone who thought you could be doing something else. It was nice to just walk in, help people and go home. But I do feel a deep obligation to be there every Tuesday. If I am not there, that’s one less person to help out. That’s very different than when you’re on a committee or a board.” Above: Diane Denman Moxness ’72 volunteering – in minus 10 degree conditions – at a ski race. Winter 2020
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ALUMNAE FOCUS: In Service to Others Educated by her experience running a nonprofit, Moxness can quickly identify the value and importance of volunteering. “I always feel like I get so much more out of it than I put into it. There’s a reward in not only how you feel in supporting the cause or mission, but also the added richness to your life, the people that you get to know, and the knowledge that you’re working toward a solution and making your community better. “Having a volunteer who shows up with consistency, for two hours every week or once a month, etc., who the organizers know they can count on is priceless,” she noted. “I believe you should show up with the seriousness that you would put into a paid position. It’s a commitment and responsibility to do a good job. And if you’re not going to continue to do the job, there’s a responsibility to help find and train somebody to do it in your place.” It is clear that the community of Anchorage and beyond can count on Diane Moxness.
MARYNEE PONTES ’12 Through both her employment choices and volunteer commitments, Marynee Pontes ’12 is living her life with intention. It is through a variety of opportunities that she remains focused on work that has direct or indirect impact on communities and drives equity. Currently, Pontes works for the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, a Boston-based nonprofit with a mission to drive inclusive economic prosperity in America’s cities through private sector investment to create jobs, income and wealth for local residents. As senior program coordinator on the Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC) team, Pontes is responsible for establishing and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders in the economic development sector to recruit business owners for the ICCC programs. “We provide training and access to capital for business owners in 14 cities across the country, with a specific focus on underserved communities,” Pontes said. “We’re focused on making a direct impact on small businesses, which are often the backbone of their community, so they are more likely to create jobs and drive economic growth.” Her professional path is just one way Pontes is focused on training and mentorship. As an elementary school student, she participated in Strong Women, Strong Girls (SWSG), a multi-generational mentoring program aimed at closing the achievement gap. While an undergraduate student at Tufts University, she reconnected with SWSG as a college mentor through its Tufts chapter. The school-aged girls are mentored by college women, who meet with them once a week and share in activities that focus on skills such as leadership, communication and persuasion. The college women are in turn mentored by professional women, who share knowledge through networking opportunities, career panels and mock job interviews. “As a college mentor, I loved building relationships and connecting with people,” Pontes said. “I embraced the opportunity to share my own experience and some of the obstacles I have faced as a way to help others navigate their challenges.” She also has served as a volunteer mentor at BUILD Boston, which teaches entrepreneurship to high school students in Boston Public Schools. Pontes now is a member of SWSG’s board, a role she has held since October 2018. “I am involved with SWSG’s programmatic work as well as their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts, and looking for ways to sustain the mission through partnerships with other girls’ Above: Marynee Pontes ’12
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ALUMNAE FOCUS: In Service to Others organizations and direct work with schools,” Pontes said. “I’ve enjoyed this opportunity to see the inner workings of a nonprofit and think strategically about how it is run.” Though the communities served by her paid job and her volunteer board work are very different, they share a common link that is one of Pontes’s passions: providing access to opportunity to those who have been traditionally denied. “Girls have traditionally had limits placed on their opportunities to shine,” she noted, “and many business owners are denied opportunities based on their location or their race. I am passionate about making sure the people who deserve these opportunities and resources actually get them.” She also cites the universal power of cultivating strong relationships through mentoring, whether that be the girls and women involved in SWSG or the ICCC business owners who receive business coaching. Pontes can see a connection between her career and volunteering choices and her time at Dana Hall, where she first considered questions like “What does community service really look like?” and “What does volunteering really look like?” At Dana Hall, she was also involved in several identity groups on campus, where she learned about challenges that other communities face, and how she can be a better ally. And she has some advice for current Dana students and fellow alumnae. “Oftentimes, when we think about our career path, it’s easy to think about traditional jobs: lawyers, doctors, finance, etc. People don’t always talk about working in nonprofits as a viable career path,” she explained. “It is possible to give back and serve in your everyday work. Think about being intentional with your time. Going forward, whether I am working in a non-profit or for-profit setting, I want to make sure what I am doing has social impact.”
JOAN BUTLER FORD ’51 Throughout a personal and professional life that has taken multiple twists, Joan Butler Ford ’51 has always had a generous spirit and a desire to make connections with others. Ford spent many years raising four children and volunteering in her community. Once her children were grown, she decided to complete her half-finished college education, and enrolled at Stanford University, where she received a bachelor’s in psychology, and her master’s and doctorate in sociology. After graduation, she taught in the Sociology Department and formed a company, Target Technologies, that produced a newsletter about artificial intelligence for the Silicon Valley community. About the time that Target Technologies was asked to merge with another company, Ford felt the call to the priesthood. After ordination, Ford served for almost five years as rector of St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church, a parish in a mostly minority neighborhood of San Francisco. Her experience in technology led her to a position in telecommunications in the Anglican Communion office in London. While there, she helped form plans for establishing effective telecommunications systems for provinces around the Anglican Communion. After three years in England, Ford decided she would like to live in a temperate climate and settled in San Diego, where she became a priest-in-residence at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral. After her “retirement” in 2006, Ford took a three-month break, then returned to St. Paul’s, to become the canon for Outreach. “We have many outreach programs happening, including our flagship project, Vida Joven de Mexico, (formerly known as Dorcas House), our foster home for abandoned children or children of parents who are incarcerated in nearby prisons in Tijuana, Mexico,” Ford said. “We support Vida Joven to love, protect and educate some 30 to 35 children.” Prior to the involvement of Ford’s church, the home was in danger of closing. It is now a 501(c)(3) charity, with boards on both sides of the border. Ford was a founding member of the U.S. board, and her son Chris is now their legal counsel. “We are looking for property on which to build a new casa, as the existing property is woefully inadequate,” said Ford, who has made many visits to the home in Mexico. “In Tijuana, 6,000 children live on the street and 80,000 do not attend school. Vida Joven is changing those horrific numbers, one child at a time.” Above: Joan Butler Ford ’51 with Antonella at Vida Joven de Mexico in Tijuana, Mexico
Winter 2020
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LIVING OUR MOTTO: Community Service at Dana Hall
When the Latin motto of an educational institution is Amor Caritas, it would seem that compassion, empathy and service to others are naturally ingrained in the school’s culture. That is true at Dana Hall, but that focus on serving the community does not just “happen.” Rather, it is an intentional and continuing commitment that has become one of the hallmarks of the Dana Hall student experience. Dana Hall’s Community Service Program is partnership-focused and provides sustained opportunities for students to make meaningful connections, achieve a greater understanding of their community and realize personal growth. Current partnerships include the All Stars program at the Woodrow Wilson School in Framingham (funded by Jewish Family Service of Metrowest), the Red Cross Food Pantry in Boston and BINA Farm.
Lizzy Fazio ’23 and Ilyssa Yan ’23 sort clothing at Cradles to Crowns during Amor Caritas Day 2019.
Since the beginning of 2018, Dana Hall students have volunteered as after-school mentors in the Woodrow Wilson School’s All Stars program, which serves many bilingual and/or bicultural children, and a number of families who face economic and educational challenges. Every Wednesday afternoon of Dana Hall’s first trimester, Dania Sofia Flores Lopez ’22 headed to Framingham to meet with a group of five 3rd graders. It is her second year with the program. “The first time I went to the program last year, it reminded me so much of my experience growing up and in middle school, when I didn’t have the opportunity to have someone help me with my homework after school or have someone to tutor me,” Lopez said. “So just being able to help the kids and give them the support they need was really meaningful to me. Seeing the kids grow from year 22
Winter 2020
Jordyn Allen ’20 provides homework help to a student at the Woodrow Wilson School All Stars program.
to year, and throughout the school year, is also very rewarding. Last year I had a group of 3rd graders who are 4th graders now. Seeing them at the program—and seeing that growth—makes me so proud. It is great to see that I had an impact.” In the last five years, Dana Hall has had partnerships with the Charles River Center in Needham and Cradles to Crayons in Brighton. Students and faculty have been regular volunteers at the Women’s Lunch Place in Boston and make annual visits to the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown. Dana Hall also has had long-term connections with Rosie’s Place in Boston and the Greater Boston Food Bank. All of this is overseen by Angela Macedo, director of Community Service Programs and interim Science Department Head. Macedo volunteers at each organization before she considers taking students there. “I am looking to make sure there’s legitimate work, not just busy work,” she said, citing safety, longevity of the staff and scheduling logistics as other factors she considers. “The biggest limiting factor is the students’ time. I have lots of great ideas; what limits us is the amount of time the kids have.” Tenth grade students are required to complete a total of 20 hours of community service by the end of their sophomore year, but many continue with their placements after their hours are complete. Since 2014, students can participate in a service project in lieu of athletics for one trimester of the year. Students also have the option to seek out a placement that is especially meaningful to them. That is what Marissa Lehv ’21 found at Central Rock Gym, a rock-climbing club in Watertown, where she volunteers with the Adaptive Climbing Club. “When I had to do my 10th grade service requirement, I didn’t want to do something just to get it over with because I don’t think that is what community service is about. It’s not about the hours—it’s what you’re doing with the hours,” Lehv said. The avid rock climber, who is a regular on the Shipley Center’s wall, spent many Friday nights with the Adaptive Climbing Club, helping climbers who are blind, missing limbs or can’t use limbs. “It’s an indescribable experience,” she said. “No matter how upset I am, just going there is uplifting. I don’t feel like I’m volunteering. I feel like I’m hanging out with a bunch of climbers who are now my friends.” While students can complete their hours anywhere, Macedo tries to push local opportunities first. “I believe kids learn more when you have an ongoing relationship, not just a one-time experience,” she explained. “There’s so much to be learned when you spend two years serving the same organization. You get to know the journey of the people who you are working with, and that’s very meaningful.”
COMMUNITY SERVICE AT A GLANCE In 2018-19:
3 The Class of 2021
completed more than 2,000 hours of community service.
3 Students raised $3,000 in bake sale funds that went to six different organizations.
3 Students collected 350
pounds of books to donate to More than Words.
3 Middle School students
put together more than 100 care packages for Rosie’s Place, a women’s shelter in Boston.
In 2019-20:
3 The School offers three
weekly opportunities with space for 22 students to work with children living with disabilities (BINA Farm), work in afterschool programs (Woodrow Wilson School) or volunteer at a food pantry (Red Cross Food Pantry).
3 The School will run 29
weekend activity service trips open to all students in the Upper School. Winter 2020
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CELEBRATING IMPORTANT MILESTONES
Alumnae Return to Campus for Fall Reunion At the beginning of October, 21 alumnae from the classes of 1949, 1954 and 1959 returned to campus in celebration of their milestone reunions. Celebrating, 70-, 65- and 60-year reunions, the classes had a special dinner in Bardwell Auditorium’s Oak Room, enjoyed lunch with Head of School Katherine Bradley, listened to a panel of current students, visited classrooms, shared stories during class meetings, heard from current faculty on a range of academic topics, and some even ventured to visit with the horses at the Karen Stives ’68 Equestrian Center.
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2
4
5
7
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Calling Classes Celebrating their 55th, 60th, 65th or 70th Reunions: You are always welcome to attend Dana Hall’s Spring Reunion, but recent classes that have reached these milestones have enjoyed a more intimate Fall Reunion, which allows for a customized schedule that best suits the needs and interests of the class. If your class is approaching its 55th, 60th, 65th or 70th Reunion year, please contact Director of Reunion Giving Robin Ryan (robin.ryan@danahall.org or 781-489-1377) to discuss options and help plan a meaningful event. Next up: the Classes of 1950, 1955, 1960 and 1965, which will celebrate their reunions October 7 and 8, 2020. 24
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1. The Class of 1949 2. Karina Atiegha ’20 visits with Anne Pike Rugh ’54. 3. The Class of 1959 4. Edith (Didi) Kelley Manns ’54 and Mikayla Darville ’21 5. The Class of 1954 6. Sidney (Lee) LeFavour ’59 (left) and Paula Bernat Bennett ’54 make a new friend at the Karen Stives ’68 Equestrian Center. 7. Anne Pike Rugh ’54, Marka ReQua Burnett ’54, Elizabeth (Bunny) Philippi Millikin ’54 and Edith (Didi) Kelley Manns ’54
Opportunity Knocked Sarah Chase ’65
For Sarah Chase ’65, Dana Hall School has always been closely associated with a sense of opportunity. “My parents sent me off to Dana Hall, and I began a lifelong relationship with the School. I loved my three years as a boarder and the excellent preparation I received for college. What a treat to study with students from all over the country and the world while participating in a wide range of activities. Caring teachers and staff members encouraged me to try new things and built up my confidence. I felt so lucky to have had my great Dana adventure, and I arrived at Wells College well-equipped to handle the challenges of freshman year.
“The education and good times did not end with my Dana Hall commencement, however. Over the years, I took advantage of many opportunities to serve Dana and work with dedicated alumnae and friends of the School. My efforts as a Class Gift Chair, Alumnae Association Board Member, Corporator and Trustee were educational (truly an advanced degree!) and rewarding. I was able to observe up close the ways in which the School continued to provide girls with an excellent education; I also got to know the exceptional members of the Dana family. “With my 55th reunion approaching, I wanted to do something special to celebrate my full Dana life. I decided to make a provision for Dana Hall in my estate plans. It pleases me to know that my gift will help Dana Hall continue to provide splendid opportunities for future students, as it did for me and so many others. I hope other alumnae celebrating a reunion will entertain similar thoughts.”
“ It pleases me to know that my gift will help Dana Hall continue to provide splendid opportunities for future students, as it did for me and so many others.” – Sarah Chase ’65
You can join Sarah Chase as a member of the Helen Temple Cooke Society. It is as simple as naming Dana Hall School as a beneficiary in your will or estate plan. For more information about Dana Hall’s planned giving opportunities, contact Chief Advancement Officer Christie Baskett at christie.baskett@danahall.org or (781) 489-1371.
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Message from the
President of the Alumnae Council “The way to feel good is to do good. Find your good, and do it!” Such a simple statement, but one with a powerful and significant message. And you might be surprised to know that it was said by New Jersey rocker Jon Bon Jovi! I recently saw a piece on “CBS Sunday Morning” about a restaurant that Bon Jovi and his wife Dorothea opened. JBJ Soul Kitchen is a “pay it forward” community restaurant that serves both in-need and paying customers. Diners from all economic realms enjoy a meal and then pay what they can afford or not at all. Lee Ferguson Frechette ’81, P16, 22
The lessons taught by places like the JBJ Soul Kitchen include the awareness that while we are unique individuals, we are not isolated, but rather part of a broader community that is not always fair or equitable. I think this sentiment is closely aligned with the social consciousness Dana Hall instills and promotes in its students and our wider community. Ideally, Dana girls will take the gifts and opportunities they receive and use them to serve in countless and very meaningful ways. These gifts come in three forms and are all equally valuable — time, talent and treasure. They are on display in traditions like the “Turkey Box” Thanksgiving meals that are assembled for and delivered to the Union United Methodist Church Food Pantry in Boston and the 10th grade community service program (see page 22). Personally, I have focused my energies on educational institutions like Dana Hall and on Rosie’s Place, a Boston shelter “that helps poor and homeless women maintain their dignity, seek opportunity and find security in their lives.” I give my time, talent (such as it is) and treasure to Dana Hall in part because the School helped teach me the value of women helping women. By volunteering at and supporting Rosie’s Place, I hope I am teaching a similar lesson to my Dana daughters.
With Appreciation:
When these two organizations join forces, they both become even stronger. At past She Sails events, students and alumnae have put together study materials for Rosie’s Women’s Education Center. This winter, a number of 10th graders will fulfill part of their community service requirement by serving dinner to the women at Rosie’s. Fifteen Dana alumnae had a similar experience as part of Amor Caritas Day (see page 4). And the STAR Club, the Student Alumnae Relations club, made more than 100 cards to distribute at Rosie’s during the holiday season. Today’s Dana girls are learning the same things that I did – every individual should be treated with respect, and we should do whatever we can to lift each other up. Bon Jovi is right: doing things for others makes you feel good. As you manage your own time, talent and treasure, I encourage you to find your good and do it.
Lee Ferguson Frechette ’81, P16, 22 ALUMNAE COUNCIL PRESIDENT
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I would like to thank Heather Glavin Yetman ’06 for all that she has done to establish, advance and champion the Alumnae Council and the entire Alumnae Association. Heather has left her position as Dana Hall’s Director of Alumnae Relations to return to the financial world. I loved working with her during her two and a half years at the School. I am truly grateful to have worked beside Heather, but more thankful to call her my friend and Silver Sister. Best wishes and Amor Caritas, Heather!
DANA HALL ON THE ROAD:
events
receptions
OSTERVILLE, MASS.
Nick Boehm, Judy Marth P24, Mary Kate Switchenko Boehm ’06
Jean Ferguson P81, 83, G16, 22; Jennifer Ferguson Letowt ’83; George Ferguson P81, 83, G16, 22; Lee Ferguson Frechette ’81, P16, 22
Page Franson ’83; Bill Marth P24; Ruth Liu P23, 23; Chief Advancement Officer Christie Baskett
Carol Mone G22 and Bill Mone G22
Shelly Ward P20, Hallie Delorey P24, David Delorey P24
Bonnie Doyle Rosenthall ’79, Lisa Maini ’76, Barbara Hawkins Janien ’77
Ellie Delorey ’24, Kaitlyn Marth ’24, Angelina Ducharme ’23
Christina Pesek Glen ’74; Jennifer Ferguson Letowt ’83; Jean Ferguson P81, 83, G16, 22
Eduard Kelenchuk P27, Maria Kelenchuk P27, Kiera Kelenchuck ’27 and Vera Kelenchuk
Riley Boyle ’09; Cynthia Cross ’79, P09; Middle School Faculty Michele Gerdes, Former Faculty Winston Emmons, Former Faculty Anne Gunning and Guest
Page Franson ’83, Lisa Lagatta ’85, Jennifer Ferguson Letowt ’83, Lexie Gross ’88, Tina Gross Kruczynski ’83, Lisa Swansey ’81
Todd Copeland P18, 20, 23; Head of School Katherine Bradley; Shawn Shamari P26
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DANA HALL ON THE ROAD:
events
receptions
MARION, MASS.
Marjorie Jacobs Yasher ’58, Betsy Kamborian ’58, Tamsen Evans George ’58
Back row: Merle Douglas ’65, Susan Gray ’65, Linda Williamson ’65. Front row: Candy Warshaver Glazer ’65, Shelley Carpenter Reynolds ’65, Leslie Olanoff ’65
Lee Ferguson Frechette ’81, P16, 22, Mary Notman ’60, Debby Klotz ’61
Nina Heald Webber ’49, Jackie O’Leary ’43, Sarah Steck ’69
Debby Klotz ’61, Nancy Dyer Mitton ’68, Allison White ’61
ALUMNAE & FAMILY EVENT AT DANA HALL
Alumnae Council Members Lisabeth Jorgensen ’98, Guida Estrela Mattison ’98, Lee Ferguson Frechette ’81, P16, 22, Bettina Chiu Janco ’02
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STAR Club members
FACULTY TRAVEL FUND PAST BENEFICIARIES
NEW YORK CITY NETWORKING EVENT
Nakia Alston-Hendrickson ’01, Megan Birmingham Wolf ’03, Marissa Grey ’03
Lindy Monteith ’15 and Rachel Bortman ’15
Back row: Social Studies Teacher Karl Neumann, Visual Arts Teacher Mary Ann McQuillan, Social Studies Teacher Eric Goodson P25, 27. Front row: Social Studies Teacher Alexandra Siemon, Vernon Ellinger P09, Social Studies Teacher Mary Cameron, Social Studies Teacher Heather Panahi. Ellinger visited campus to meet with past beneficiaries of the Cleio Fund for Travel, established by the Ellinger Family in 2009.
YOUNG ALUMNAE GIVING CHALLENGE KICK-OFF EVENT IN BOSTON
Back row: Emily Martin ’14, Monica Sax ’15, Melissa Sax ’13, Caroline Noonan ’12, Hayley White ’12. Third row: Alexis Altman ’11, Allison McPartland ’09, Shannon Kinch ’11, Annie Killelea ’13, Aris Margosian ’12, Ashley Davidson ’15, Sally Dent ’15, Fiona Unsworth ’15, Ariann Williams ’08. Second row: Marynee Pontes ’12, Juliana Lorusso ’12, Amanda Feldman ’12. Front row: Alena Horton ’09, Atiyyah Sabir ’10, Assistant Director of Special Events/Parent Programs Taylor Houston ’12
Makara Bey ’12, Kehinde Ellis ’12, Victoria Robichaud ’12
Amyka Richards ’02 and Erica Wyner ’00
Nakia Alston-Hendrickson ’01 and Skyler Cruz ’02
Rose Killelea ’10, Nora Lynch ’10, Jillian Ryan ’13
Megan Birmingham Wolf ’03 and Nichol du Pont ’73
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DANA HALL ON THE ROAD:
events
receptions
BOSTON HOLIDAY PARTY
Elizabeth Welch Maheras ’81, P16, 18; Elizabeth O’Brien Ward ’80
Amanda Powers ’06, former Director of Alumnae Relations Heather Glavin Yetman ’06, Bridget Roche Mongeau ’06, Harriet Groppe Prince ’06
Sienna Durbin ’11, Lizzie Mullen ’11, Madison Altman ’16, Jenny Barrack ’14, Allison McPartland ’09
Emily Cohen ’02, Meredith Caruso ’02, former Director of Alumnae Relations Heather Glavin Yetman ’06, Haley Rose ’02
Catherine Lafferty ’08, Michelle Lafferty ’09, Alena Horton ’09, Whitney Reimann ’11, Emily Soukas ’09, Michaela Beckmann ’09, Lindsay Mailer-Howat ’10
Lee Ferguson Frechette ’81, P16, 22; Abby Frechette ’16; Lisa Aronson Altman ’78, P11, 16; Madison Altman ’16
Marynee Pontes ’12, Assistant Director of Alumnae Relations and Young Alumnae Giving Stephanie Meyer, Ariann Williams ’08, Amy Murphy ’80, Director of the Dana Fund Kari McPartland P09
Chief Advancement Officer Christie Baskett, Dusty Sienna Durbin ’11, Alexis Altman ’11, Madison Altman ’16, Bennett ’95, Patricia Valentine ’72, Upper School English Lizzie Mullen ’11 Teacher/11th Grade Class Dean Meghan Gayton
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Winter 2020
ADMISSION TRIP TO ASIA
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: Associate Director of Admission Amanda Miles visited with the family of Kaylie Quach ’23.
Tokyo: Saki Omote ’19 and Associate Director of Admission Amanda Miles
Hong Kong: Chloe Suen ’00 and Associate Director of Admission Amanda Miles
Save the Dates: • February 29: Alumnae & Family Event in Boston • March 12-24: Head of School Visit to Hong Kong, Jakarta, Bangkok, Shanghai, Beijing and Seoul • June 2: Washington, D.C. Reception • June 3: New York City Reception • June 15-25: Galapagos Islands Alumnae Trip • Summer 2020: Portland, Maine Gathering
Please check the alumnae events calendar on www.danahall.org/alumnae for more events and details. Beijing: Associate Director of Admission Amanda Miles and Zhang Shuxia P18, 21 Winter 2020
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Class Notes Correspondents are needed for the following classes: 1950, 1951, 1952, 1960, 1963, 1966 and 1976. If you are interested in being a correspondent for your class, please contact Director of Reunion Giving Robin Ryan at bulletin@danahall.org or (781) 489-1377 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 April 15, 2020, 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 April 30, 2020. 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. Apt. 210 Webster Lexington, VA 24450-1786 (540) 463-6033
Class of 1943 Jackie Hope O’Leary G08 10 Longwood Dr. Westwood, MA 02090-1123 (781) 329-8426 jaol950@gmail.com Marie Williams Petersen and I (Jackie) always have a pleasant telephone visit. We were so close while at Dana and lived near one another as day students in 1941. Her mother, Irene, was one of the most memorable characters in my young life. Sherry Martin, Marie’s daughter, and I have become telephone friends through this column. Christine (Kiki) Benedict Garo, my only email Dana friend, wrote that her husband Lucien had passed away. He had been courageously battling AML, a bad leukemia, for some time. She was grateful to be surrounded by caring family friends. Emily Frederick DiMaggio ’41 hosted a delightful luncheon at the Kittansett Club in Marion, Mass., on August 14. Nina Heald Webber ’49 and I were privileged to sit at the head table. Head of School Katherine Bradley spoke of all the exciting new improvements to the Dana curriculum and campus. Thanks to the Winter Bulletin of this year, your Class Correspondent caught up with
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Mariette Fletcher Potvin. Grace Fletcher Gordon ’45 had written about her sister in a long article. Mariette is not in great health but enjoys being near her children in Cadillac, Mich., and also near her sister Gracie and husband Clay Gordon. Mariette and I had a pleasant chat after a long hiatus. Nancy Erickson Murphy and her 100-year-old husband Cal and I had a phone visit recently. Cal had cut his leg in an accident but fortunately now is in a healing state. They have a very active social life in Sequim, Wash. Her grandson Michael’s beautiful wedding was paramount in Elizabeth (Betsy) Wortley Lewis’s conversation with me. The wedding took place on the waterfront in Old Saybrook, Conn., on July 6—a lovely day for the Lewis family. Michael’s Aunt Libby, Betsey’s daughter, was the officiant. Do you ever wear your green Dana ring? I do. My grandson, John S., was married to the beautiful Paige Medley in New York on Labor Day Weekend. They live in Charlestown, Mass., now, which is great for all us Bostonian O’Learys. Jacqueline (Jackie) O’Leary ’08 lives in South Boston, quite near her cousins. Fox Hill keeps me (Jackie) busy with bridge, writing, singing, book club and many talented friends. Daughter Judy Buchanan shared news of the passing of her mother, Elizabeth (Betsy) Davis Fillmore. She writes, “Betsy passed away on December 9, 2018, at White Horse Village in Newtown Square, Pa., where she lived since 2001. Betsy
spoke fondly of her years at Dana Hall. She enjoyed her friends and the various activities she participated in, particularly French Club. Betsy’s late sister Deborah Davis Carlton ’40 and her late mother Marjorie Vandling Davis 1913 also graduated from Dana Hall. After Dana, Betsy earned a degree in history from Bryn Mawr College. As an active member of the League of Women Voters for many years, Betsy continued her interest in history with a lifelong commitment to civic engagement, particularly voter rights. She was an early supporter and worked diligently on the campaign to pass the Equal Rights Amendment in the early 1970s. She had an enduring interest in politics at all levels. Betsy was a selfless volunteer and cared for all people, a faithful member of her church, an avid reader and enjoyed tinkering around in her garden.”
Class of 1944 Patricia Dunham Oburchay 222A Shoshoni Ln. Oronoque Village Stratford, CT 06614-8175 (203) 383-4349
Class of 1945 Margaret (Peggy) Ford ’67 writes, “My mother, Susan Farnham Ford, passed away on August 4, 2019, in Westwood, Mass., two months before her 92nd birthday, and just one week after the death of her dear friend and Dana Hall classmate, Gale Holman Marks. Sue and Gale maintained close ties throughout their lives, both attending Connecticut College, serving as maid/matron of honor in each other’s wedding, visiting with their families
every year in Rhode Island, and holding regular reunions with treasured Dana and CC friends. Sue personified courage and grace in enduring her crippling illness, rheumatoid arthritis, while serving as a longtime garden club member and community volunteer in Short Hills, N.J., where she lived most of her life. An avid reader and masterful bridge player, perhaps she will be best remembered for her smile, which would always light up a room.”
Class of 1946 Lorraine (Laurie) Erskine Garland passed away on December 28, 2018, at the age of 89 in Medway, Mass. Her children Tom, Katherine and Liz note that she often recalled her Dana Hall years and spoke fondly of the friends made there as well as the famous people brought to the campus to speak. She did make the trip north from her home in Sarasota, Fla., to attend her 40th Reunion in 1986. She spoke often of Penelope (Penny) Hartshorne Batcheler and Bernice (Bunny) Olds Roe Smith. Her children never met these women but definitely knew their names! When Lorraine moved to Sarasota in the 1980s, she ended up living literally up the street from her closest pal, Janet Rinke Roach. The two became fast friends at Dana over their shared passion for all things horserelated. They loved riding, hunting and driving, and Jay (as Janet was known) was an accomplished artist whose drawings and paintings of animals displayed a true understanding of animal anatomy. Lorraine was lucky to be gifted many of Jay’s paintings. After Dana, Lorraine went on to the Rhode Island School of Design to study landscape architecture. She was a successful real estate agent and developer in Princeton, N.J., where she raised her family for 30 years and was an active volunteer in local politics and the annual hospital fundraiser. Her passion for animals led her to help start the Irish Wolfhound Association of the Delaware Valley back in the 1970s. She successfully bred and showed both Newfoundlands and Irish Wolfhounds. Lorraine Erskine Garland, granddaughter Whitney Lorraine Guhin and greatgranddaughter Fiona Lorraine Guhin
Class of 1947 Barbara Quarles Harper 4436 Westover Pl. NW Washington, DC 20016-5547 (202) 244-1571 harperbq@gmail.com
Class of 1948 Collette (Tookie) Johnson Taylor 20252 Millbrook Dr Abingdon, VA 24211-6868 (207) 967-2352
Class of 1949 Ginger O’Hearn Broadbent P81 88 Notch Hill Rd., Apt. 157 North Branford, CT 06471-1848 (203) 208-1475 virginiabroadbent@frontier.com First I would like to acknowledge and thank those ’49ers who contributed to the Dana Hall Annual Fund. They are as follows: Virginia Henry Achey, Claire Burgin Allen, Virginia O’Hearn Broadbent, Barbara Hain Clymer, Joan Felton Cross, Mary May Donald, Jane Fisher, Norma Fisher, Nancy Redway Ford, Ruth Geisel Mansergh, Elizabeth Singer Gluck, Joan Hadley Lena, Susan Marcy Leland, Emmy Eckart Ogden, Deborah Phillips, Betsy Webster Rockett, Katharine Blewett Simonds, Sarah Hartley Sneve, Jennifer Hardy Speer, Virginia Starkey Thompson, Carolyn Perkins VanDusen, Nina Heald Webber, and Louise Berke Wulff. This is 67% participation. Thank you all so much for your dedicated support. Just four of us attended our 70th Reunion. Unfortunately, both Joan Felton Cross and Carolyn (Randy) Cushman Stratton were unable to join us at the last minute. On October 2, Mary (Maizie) May Donald, Nina Heald Webber and I (Ginger O’Hearn Broadbent) met at Dana Hall’s Beveridge Hall along with the classes of 1954 and 1959 for a very nice luncheon. We heard from Head of School Katherine Bradley who spoke about Dana today. It was very interesting and informative. After lunch, we all went over to the Helen Temple Cooke Library where we heard from one of the teachers about the Global Scholars Program. Then it was off to the Nina Heald Webber ’49 Archives. The archivists had spent a bit of time getting together 1949 memorabilia. We had a great
time looking at pictures, scrapbooks, etc., and recalling our Dana days. I brought all my scrapbooks, etc., which the archivists were delighted to receive. Back on the Dana bus at 5:30 p.m., which took us to Bardwell and the Oak Room. Louise (Petey) Berke Wulff and her husband Kurt joined us for a delicious dinner. It was fun to see Bardwell again and be reminded of the dance class Miss Bowlby made the Dana basketball team take. I remember pirouetting around the Oak Room. And as is the tradition, we sang with much “gusto” our class song as did 1954 and 1959. Do you remember it? Everyone departed around 8:30 p.m. Nina went back to Falmouth on Cape Cod, Petey and Kurt Wulff drove back to Needham, and Maizi and I got back on the bus to the Natick Marriott for the night and home the next day. I went back to Dana in the morning to visit Holly Congdon, executive assistant to the Head of School. She has been there with the two previous heads, Blair Jenkins and Caroline Erisman, and now Katherine Bradley. I also visited with some of the staff from the Advancement Office, which was great fun. I even had a ride in a golf cart with Charlie Breslin, the Chief Operating Officer, who drove me around to see the new turf field and the new entrance to the Dana campus before I headed back to North Branford, Conn. I heard from many of you when I was making Reunion calls. Jennifer (Jenna) Hardy Speer writes, “It is such fun to hear from classmates, especially Dana ones. I have more close friends from Dana, probably because my closest friends from college have already died!” Jenna has had back surgery but was able to travel to Boston with her younger son and drive to Hingham for the burial of her brother. Then off to Manchester, Vt., and Pittsburgh, Pa., where she will see more family. Nina Heald Webber is looking forward to spending the winter in Naples, Fla., playing golf, bocce and ping pong, and sun! She will be with her daughter and family, including twins in Durango, Colo., where she planned to spend Christmas this year. Betsy Webster Rockett says “I enjoy you keeping us connected and updated. I do not get out anymore except to medical appointments but still enjoy all the
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activities here at Samaritas—especially our mahjong games. My mind is pretty good; the body, not so much. Thank you for all you do for our class.” Joan Felton Cross writes that she was so sorry to miss Reunion. “Petey and I had so many plans about meeting you at Reunion all of which fell by the wayside, mostly due to Jerry’s very difficult times with his eyes.” Sarah (Sally) Hartley Sneve told me that her husband Peter died August 1, 2019, after spending two years in a nursing home. They had been married for 67 years. Alison Osgood Fowler and I had a lovely chat. She is fine and has been living in a condo in Marblehead, Mass., for the past two years. Norma (Billie) Fisher has had some health issues. Cancelled her trip this fall but is planning to go to Switzerland this spring. She is enjoying retirement. I (Ginger) had nice long chats with Susan (Sue) Marcy Leland, Jane Fisher, Emily (Emmy) Eckart Ogden, Deborah (Debby) Phillips, Barbara Hain Clymer, Nancy Redway Ford, and Natalie Smith Garland.
Class of 1950 Correspondent needed
Class of 1951 Correspondent needed
Class of 1952 Correspondent needed
Class of 1953 Juliet (Bami) Bourne Sherwood 175 South Corona St. Denver, CO 80209-2423 (303) 282-9077 coloradojule@gmail.com
Martha Jo Breithaupt
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Class of 1954 Phoebe Cory 188 Jones Ave Portsmouth, NH 03801-5516 (603) 778-2875 feebcory@gmail.com Anne Pike Rugh 105 Pine St. Portland, ME 04102-5127 asprugh@gmail.com Well, I (Anne Pike Rugh) touched a nerve. “How dare you have an empty garage!” yelped Marian (Marnie) Thomas Wood. “I am mortified that I actually have two garage spaces filled to the brim from the accumulation of inherited family debris plus my own too many years of ‘you never know when this might come in handy…’ Mountains of my mother’s hand-crafted macramé, the zebra skin from my dad’s safari that is no longer something to brag about, and no end of treasures that David and I gathered along our touring days in the dance world. Every time I go out to clean it all up, I get drawn back in by all the memories and never quite pull it together. At least I’m glad to hear of kindred spirits also finding it hard to cope.” Does this not say it all? Having spent all summer cleaning out mine, I thought I’d see if there were kindred spirits. Apparently, lots. Carol Reeves Parke immediately wrote, “Apropos of ‘garage,’ my own garage just needs one trip to the dump, but I’m very proud of what my sister Ann and I did this summer at our family place, Red Top, in Pomfret, Conn., both of us nervous about leaving everything to a younger generation with little to no history of the stuff. We spent an entire week going through the barn and attic. Worked like stevedores!” They found fascinating historic stuff, including an 1837 letter describing having tea with a Harvard classmate, R. W. Emerson. Alas, because of space limitations, I’ve had to abbreviate. She has years of reading ahead of her. Remember when people wrote letters? On paper? The same limitation keeps me from including tips from Mary Alice Bauer Wilson, too. She sent a very funny treatise on how to tackle the project: “Gratuitous advice on cleaning the garage (or other spaces).” It starts with buying four colors of survey ribbon and ends with “give the space a party, but probably best to skip breaking the bottle of champagne—up to you.” Email me if you want to see the whole list. You’ll recognize your own
garage in it. Mary Alice, husband Bill and younger daughter Beth spent a weekend with me (Anne) in Lubec at the end of June. They were between roosts, having sold their home of 25 years before their new place was ready. Their interim lodgings were at Beth’s place in Putney, Vt. I saw photos; it’s not a hardship. Mary Alice Bauer Wilson, husband Bill and daughter Beth
Additionally from Marnie: “I’m still teaching at the Martha Graham School and Adelphi University, plus I teach and perform with a senior citizens group here in the New York City parks during the summer months. Sounds like Reunion was terrific! Many congratulations to all who could gather to celebrate. Dana sounds like it is truly reflecting the changes that meet this moment, and that is just what it did for us way back when. Hurrah and let’s keep on keeping on.” Just once I’m going to break my rule here of keeping the roles of Class Correspondent and Class Agent separate—I believe in that—to make a small pitch. Talking with Christie Baskett, Dana’s new Chief Advancement Officer, I made it clear that my annual contribution was small and wouldn’t—couldn’t—get bigger. She pointed out that percentage of class participation counts a lot as well. Now that both Edith (Didi) Kelley Manns, with whom I drove to Reunion, and I have so recently been impressed by the good work that is going on at Dana, I feel quite okay about suggesting that anyone who has held back for whatever reason go ahead and send what feels right. Help the percentage! They are using it well. Two weeks after Reunion, Didi flew off to Paris for two months with a side trip to Spain. Fitting Reunion into her schedule wasn’t easy. Several others had to give it up altogether at the last minute for various reasons. Eighty and then some has its downsides. Here are the valiant five of Fifty-Four who got there on Thursday, the second day. I guarantee you, we had an unforgettably good time together.
winter. I do not wish to burden my children with the chore of ‘cleaning out.’”
Edith (Didi) Kelley Manns, Marka ReQua Burnett, Elizabeth (Bunny) Philippi Millikin, Anne Pike Rugh and Paula Bernat Bennett
As we toured the library—ah, not the dear creaky one of old, but definitely up to today’s demands—Bunny and I caught sight of a photo of Paula Bernat Bennett in the display case. And then we saw some of her publications. Paula has been busy. Check her out on the internet. She and younger daughter Erin came Thursday morning. We toured the riding facilities indoor and out, chatting, taking photos. Paula Bernat Bennett made a new friend at the Karen Stives ’68 Equestrian Center.
Nice note came in from Patronella (Patty) Sykes Treadwell out in Ross, Calif. It’s the Patty I know: Git ‘er done! “It only took four of us six hours to pretty much finish the job of cleaning the garage. Without thinking, almost all the stuff went to the dump! I did have some things from my parents (and even grandparents), but most was what Dick and I had collected over 60 years. It feels so good to get rid of it all.” Susan Smith Pratt wrote, “Oh yes, the chore of downsizing and getting rid of stuff… It is certainly a challenge. I did the major job several years ago when I sold my family home—and emptied it—after my parents built it the year I was born: 1936. I emptied lots but I am a history/family history buff and retained records for future generations, but who knows what will be kept after we depart. We won’t know, but I’ve made the best effort I can to honor previous generations. Whether it is saved, recorded or remembered is another matter. Although I am in smaller digs, I still have too much stuff and plan to cull more this
From Judith (Judy) Hofer Hersey: “As you know, I moved to Wilmington from Maine in June 2018 to be near my granddaughter Emily and her family. Emily wanted me to move in with them, but I lived for 12 months in a retirement community only 15 minutes away. I ended up having so much fun at their house that I finally agreed to move in. They are building an addition that will be a beautiful apartment for me. It’s almost finished. I have met many wonderful women through the Wilmington Newcomers Club and I am enjoying new activities. Naturally, living in a household with two boys—ages 5 and 2—is quite a change from living alone or in a retirement community. But I realized that I had had enough peace and quiet. I love my new, crazy life with those funny, beautiful little boys.” Lots of thoughts from Gabriella (Gay) Dreher DiVirgilio. “I turned 83 on October 30 and feel just great. My hair is totally white now but I think I look more or less the same.” About moving: “When I moved out of the New York City apartment, my two sons took some of the furniture because my country house was all furnished. I sent a lot of stuff to the Salvation Army and I don’t miss any of it. I have been pretty good throughout the years by going through all my clothes and stuff and asking myself, ‘Have I used this in the last two years?’ If the answer has been no, then out it goes. I am also anticipating that time in the future when I should no longer drive and so I am looking into the myriad of independent living facilities in Jacksonville, Fla. My youngest son lives there as he works for Deutsche Bank and I find it a great city. I am also considering buying a condo because home health care providers are excellent there—all trained, bonded and certified. There is something to be said about living in your own home.” She also presents two seminars a year to the Montclair State Retirees Group, one on Living Alone: Are You Prepared?, the other on Estate Planning. “I planned to spend December with my oldest son who lives just an hour away. He is the union delegate for the bartenders at the Peninsula Hotel on Fifth Avenue where a Bloody Mary costs about $50. He has great stories to tell. In January, I plan to go to Florida to visit my youngest son. I am a sponsor of the Forestburgh Playhouse and host two of the leading equity actors who perform. In the fall, we were in the midst of presenting three sold-out weekends of The Rocky
Horror Picture Show. Great for Halloween. I also paint here and there, read, and watch my Yankees baseball team. I love riding my tractor lawn mower and going to a good movie every now and then. I wish everyone I knew at Dana all the very best.” Mary McCaffrey Walbrandt writes, “It’s been a year of change and addition. In August, I moved to a townhouse in the small village of Skippack, Pa., a block off Main Street, which has block after block of every kind of restaurant, sidewalk cafes, gift stores and wonderful specialty shops. An easy walk into town for shopping and dining. On September 28, my first great-grandchild, a beautiful little girl named Hadley, was born in Williamsport, Pa., to my granddaughter Lindsay. I was in Connecticut at the time but made a 4 ½-hour detour to see our new family member and it was worth it. Another grandchild, Pete, got engaged this year; the wedding is planned for 2020 in Buffalo, N.Y. Last summer, the whole family plus one boyfriend spent a fantastic Fourth of July week at my family’s summer home in Connecticut. As you all know, it’s hard to get all kids, big and small, together at the same time. This was one of those rare times when everything worked out perfectly, even the weather! I am still working at Doylestown Hospital as a Heart to Heart visitor to surgical heart patients with a therapy dog escort (Maggie, a goldendoodle), and at Children’s Village (the hospital’s daycare center) in the Ducks and Guppies room (6 weeks to 1 year). Good practice for my new greatgrandmother role. Also still playing pickleball, weather permitting, until we head indoors. Hope everyone is well and enjoying our special time of life with family and friends. Mary McCaffrey Walbrandt with Hadley, Mary’s first greatgrandchild
From Beedy Tatlow Ritchie: “While everyone’s grandkids are getting married, I am just starting with my grands and enjoying every moment! My biggest news for 2019 is the birth of a new grandbaby, Charles Jackson Ritchie IV, son of Chad
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Ritchie and Katherine Nedelkoff. He resides in New York City, is the cutest baby ever, smiles all the time, and is waiting to begin walking so he keep his folks on alert! So while Chad’s friends’ children are going to college, he and Katherine are changing diapers. In other news, Hank Ritchie and wife Meredith just bought a house in the Barnaby Woods section of D.C. near Chevy Chase, Md. It’s a first for them and quite lovely. We visited in October. Laura and AJ (age nearly 5—such a great age) are in Beverly Hills, Calif., where AJ has started transitional kindergarten. Bruce and I had a wonderful, emotional trip to Normandy in April/May to celebrate its 75th anniversary. And to think we are older than that! Oh my! Our summer was spent, as is usual, in Traverse City, Mich. Bruce’s grandsons, ages 15 and 13, came to visit alone—no parents. It was great! For the first time, Laura and AJ and Hank and Meredith each spent time there with us exploring northern Michigan and enjoying all things surrounding our cottage on our lake. Now back to busy times here in the California desert where it’s warm and sunny. Hurrah! All’s well. Life is good.”
returned to Paris on June 1 and we spent three days exploring Paris before returning home to Boston. It was a special trip and I was glad that it had been done with my daughter.”
Class of 1955
Caroline (Suki) Campbell Knott sent me the following information after tracking it down via Google. She had noticed in the Summer Bulletin that Patricia (Patty) Pevear Moore ’54 went to Mary (M.F.) Sadtler Barrett’s memorial service. Our information is that M.F. died on November 30, 2018. We’ve received further news that Susan (Sue) Warren Rich passed away on January 25, 2019, and Jean Van Ness Basatneh passed away on September 5, 2019.
Sue Bartow Christie P.O. Box 945 East Orleans, MA 02643-0945 (508) 255-0712 schristie91@comcast.net Susan (Sue) Bartow Christie writes, “My daughter Monique and I took a Viking River Cruise (the first for both of us) departing from Paris on May 25, 2019, and meandering up the River Seine through Normandy towards the coast. Our ultimate designation was Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery on the cliffs above the beach. We were there a week before the formal 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, but people were already gathering to see the site. It was a beautiful place and amazing: 9,400 white crosses in formal rows for American soldiers (all between the ages of 19 to 24) who died on the cliffs and the beaches below. The plantings as you entered the cemetery were very green and lush, and there was such a hush despite the number of people there to pay their respects. We attended a brief ceremony with “Taps” and the tallest flag pole with a huge American flag on it I had ever seen. There were even several retired veterans who had been in the D-Day invasion and were there to pay their respects to the fallen heroes from that day. Our boat
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After my letter in September to classmates, I (Sue) did receive several responses. Sylvia Richards Messner emailed: “After living in Arizona for more than 30 years and loving every minute of it, I decided it was time to leave the ‘wilderness,’ which I still love for many reasons (had a wonderful lake to swim laps in with my dog and also the hiking with the dog off her leash) and move to California, which is quite a change, but the beach and ocean are also loves of mine. I had lived here for about 13 years in the 1950-60s, both of my children were born in Santa Monica and now live in different parts of California. It is a bit strange to be here after all these years, and a big move to quite a different world. My address is now 23871 Willow Dr. #160, Laguna Hills, CA. 92653 and phone is (480) 766-2725. Since I grew up in Boston and family members I am closest to are there, perhaps I can make the 65th Reunion.”
We have a couple of new addresses! Maurene Golden’s new contact information is 58 Main St., Rockport, MA 01966 (which is her brother’s address) and phone is (978) 546-9481. She had attended the Wednesday of our 63rd Reunion but was not strong enough to stay for it all. Several people at the 63rd Reunion had lost track of Deo McKaig and wished that she was there for the Reunion, but the only address Dana had for her was returned by the USPS. Thanks to Nancy Newton West, she was able to find a more current address through Smith College where both Nancy and Deo had gone to college. That address is 201 E. Southern Ave. #214, Apache Junction, AZ 85119-3740. Sheila Slawsby Kowal just emailed me the following information from Joan Harding Bartlett who spent the past summer with a crew moving her house 200 yards further
inland from an eroding cliff in Plymouth, Mass., where it had been situated. Her landline will not be moved with the house, so she’ll be using her cell phone hereafter, which is (617) 581-2622. Sheila and her husband Blake bought a home before the remodeling of it had started and have been in temporary housing for the past year while that has been going on. She is moved in now and her new address is 2800 S. University Blvd., #172, Denver, CO 80210. I asked if the boxes were unpack to which she replied, “not yet!” After the 63rd Reunion, Nancy Newton West wrote the following. “I have wonderful memories of our ‘off year’ Reunion. Dana looks great and we were treated like royalty. I already have the October 2020 Reunion on my calendar!” In the way of further news, Nancy had some heart surgery less than two weeks prior to coming to the 63rd Reunion and sent an update as follows. “Had a second longer, more serious heart surgery this past January and this time I think it did the trick! I spent six weeks in Florence, Italy, as I have for 18 years since retiring from my job as head of Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Height, Ohio. I also spent this past July in Weekapaug, R.I., as I have done almost every summer since I was 15! My favorite pastime is being with my kids and grandkids who are spread out all over the country.” Gail Nicholas Schneider writes, “I moved here from the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in spring 2018. I am finally feeling like this is home! My community (Easton) is a small farm town with 7,500 residents. Lots of beautiful winding roads and huge granite boulders on the hillsides. It is a joy to be nearer to some of my children and grandchildren. After many years of being a homebody, I have begun to travel a bit: Quebec, Cape Cod, southern California and more to come. My red Collie, Sara, and I make a good team chasing away the ground hogs and deer who want to eat my garden. Greetings to all in the Class of 1955! (FYI, Gail’s new address is 146 North St, Easton, CT, 06612.) Hope all of you have received the save-thedate postcard which was sent out in September and, like Nancy, have marked the dates of October 7-8, 2020, for our 65th Class Reunion at Dana. The lovely photograph of the red maple in fall colors was taken by Gail at our 63rd Reunion. The colors were magnificent in Wellesley while we were there and should be so again for our 65th Reunion. Look forward to seeing you there.
Class of 1956 Carol Creighton Hadley 2736 N. W. 77th Blvd., #264 Gainesville, FL 32606-8710 (352) 377-4721 cjhadley@aol.com
Jennie Ott Tracey and Judy O’Connell Perkins ’57 ran into each other at a friend’s art gallery in Everglades City, Fla., and enjoyed lunch afterwards.
to visit my father. I was coming from Los Angeles, where I lived for 30 years. I moved back to Wellesley in 2007, just in time to attend our 50th Reunion. This fall, Judy called to invite me to join fellow alums for lunch on campus and a field hockey game on the school’s new field along Grove Street. I sat next to Elise (Woody) Irving Tucker ’58 and discovered her sister was Cynthia Irving Voigt ’59, whose books I have read and enjoyed for years. Now, after years of drafting fan letters to her with no place to send them, I can express my enthusiasm directly! More recently, Judy and I had dinner at the lovely home of ’57 classmate Sally Ott Shoemaker and husband Ed in South Natick. We are all still catching up; after 60 years, it’s delightful to find we still have so much in common.”
Class of 1957 Judy O’Connell Perkins P89 830 Swallow Pt Naples, FL 34105-7426 (781) 329-1622 judyoperk@aol.com Once again, your Class Correspondent (Judy O’Connell Perkins) is writing from Naples, Fla. A highlight of the fall was a small gathering of some of the 1957 Varsity Field Hockey players (plus a few other Dana gals who joined as well). It was for the first game on the new artificial turf field. Dana treated us to a very nice lunch. We then spent time in the Nina Heald Webber ’49 Archives looking at photos of friends and classmates until game time. It was a lot of fun and actually helpful for the archivist since she needed our help identifying people. Lots of good memories of us moving books to the new library, father/daughter dances, SPREAD, May Day, etc. This was a rather spur-of-themoment gathering. I found a picture of the team in the 1957 yearbook and called Mary Covington ’58. We both got on our phones to find those who were on the team who lived nearby. Hopefully another time we’ll get organized sooner and have a bigger group. In the process, I had fun catching up with several of ’57 classmates. Editor’s note: See the inside front cover for a photo from the game. Penelope (Penny) Post writes, “My connections with Dana Hall have been renewed a lot these last few years. First, I ran into Judy O’Connell Perkins in a Westwood, Mass., store on a trip back east
Sally Ott Shoemaker and Penny Post
in British Columbia in company with another boat. The three-week voyage involved three changes of guests/crew and two long singlehanded days, all of which went well. In August, Lindsey Hall Huddleston and her sister and brother-inlaw were aboard for a week. We visited museums and dined out in Victoria, then went up to Sidney to see Butchart Gardens and the Butterfly Garden. By the time you read this, Sea Bear and I will have steamed back to Seattle to hibernate for the winter.” Janet Barton Mostafa continues to split her time living in Cairo, Egypt, where she has been for 44 years, and Pasadena, Calif. She loves being in Egypt where she is very active in counseling and prayer ministry in her church. Janet has always been an enthusiastic sailor and when in southern California, she still races her boat competitively. Her son Kim has sold his house in Philadelphia, where he was teaching at the University of Pennsylvania, and now thoroughly enjoys living in upstate New York. Janet’s daughter Amina, son-in-law and two teenage grandsons live in Houston, Texas. You may or may not remember that Janet and I (Ty Wyatt Forbush) were roommates at Dana for the two years we were there, and our close relationship has never diminished over the 60 years hence.
Class of 1958 Mary Ty Wyatt Forbush 1211 SW Shoreline Drive #2206 Palm City, FL 34990-4553 mwforbush@yahoo.com 2020 has a definite ring to it! The advent of the New Year will not have passed by for long when this issue of the Bulletin arrives in your hands. I hope it proves to be a happy, healthy year for you. I know that we are all aware that either we are already 80 years old or being “elevated” to that distinction within a small span of time. So here’s to a very Happy New Year and Happy Birthday wish to all reading this article. H. Penny Nii writes, “I am well. My husband and I planned to travel to Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia) in the fall to celebrate my 80th birthday. I can’t believe I’m that old! It would be lovely to see old Dana friends one of these days.” Holly Gebelein Hobart aboard her beloved Sea Bear home afloat in the San Juan Islands of Washington writes, “In July, I cruised in the boat to Desolation Sound
Tamsen Evans George, Marjorie Jacobs Yasher, Ann Woodcock Fralix and Betsy Kamborian
Lisbeth (Betsy) Kamborian graciously hosted an August dinner party at her summer dwelling on the Bass River in South Yarmouth, Mass. Tamsen Evans George, Ann Woodcock Fralix and Marjorie Jacobs Yasher joined her for giggles, updates and constant chatter. I bet Tamsen talked about the publishing progress of her book and all the activities she helped plan at the Falmouth Historical Society on Cape Cod. Ann and her husband are constantly on the move, having been to Seattle for a grandson’s graduation in June, Alaska and Chicago for a wedding in August, and a Mediterranean cruise in late September. Marjorie had an exciting summer whitewater rafting trip with her 14-year-old granddaughter Lily to
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Idaho and a wonderful trip to Sicily in September. She even organized a September Wellesley College class reunion showcasing all the sites of Newport, R.I., where she lives. Ann Woodcock Fralix writes, “On August 20, 2019, four of the Dana Hall Class of 1958 met for dinner at Betsy Kamborian’s home on the Bass River in South Yarmouth. We celebrated the life and our fond memories of Carolyn (Coke) Peters Schoonmaker. Although a small gathering of our area classmates, we had a lovely time catching up with life’s activities and our good fortune to be active and heathy as we approach another decade. Next year we hope for more classmates to join us! Summer on Cape Cod is lovely!” Anne Steele Hummel was a 1962 Wellesley classmate of Marjorie Jacobs Yasher and attended the Newport ‘bash” mentioned above. Anne has continued her many interests and activities as a widow but says: “One thing is for sure: Two people together are better than one alone.” She took her youngest grandchild this summer on an adventuresome boat trip to the Inland Passage of Alaska and has also been on a rigorous birding trip in north central Brazil. To quote Anne, “There were nine of us in the group, which was very manageable on forest paths or bushwhacking and traveling in our van.” Joan Siegel Schuman is like-wise an extensive traveler. She writes that in early 2019, “I made a resolution this year that if someone asked me to travel with them, I would, if possible, go. At the end of March, I took off for Florida—both to play golf with friends but primarily to go on an art tour with the Smith College Museum of Art to Palm Beach and Miami. New England was still cold and rainy upon my return, so I went on a garden tour to the Chelsea Flower Show and to see private gardens in the Cotswalds. Having a whiff of what spring could be like, I then went to Portugal with a fabulous travel manager. Home again to do some necessities and then I left for Iceland and afterwards a cruise to the Norwegian Fiords with other friends. In late September, I’d returned from a heritage tour of eastern Europe: Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus and Poland.” What emotional, intellectual and physical challenges she had this summer! Merle Cosgrove and Deborah (Debby) Williams met in early October when Debby was visiting her brother in Cambridge, Mass. Both Merle and Debby
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went to Cornell after graduating from Dana Hall and roomed together their sophomore year. Debby spent many years teaching and raising three children in Holland and now lives next door to her daughter Lucia in Aruba. Merle also said, “Debby and I were saddened to hear that Marcia Fee Achenbach had died this past summer.” Marcia had been the godmother of Debby’s son. Merle continued, “I wish I could have seen Martha Reeves’ show Chicken Pot Pie and Other Challenges in New York City. I Googled her, but not being very adept I didn’t get much information. Any suggestions? A website? I am not working for Outward Bound though I volunteer a few weeks at the Everglades base each winter. I still go paddling.”
Debby Williams and Merle Cosgrove
Columbus Day weekend brought Margaret (Peggy) Mahaney Rhoades and Mary Covington together in Hancock, N.H., where Mary lives. Peggy stopped en route back to Chevy Chase, Md., after closing the Roades’ summer home in Maine. Thanks for all your communication for this issue of the Bulletin. Please keep it coming and have a wonderful winter!
Class of 1959 Jill Spiller 45 Sutton Pl. S. Apt. 1B New York, NY 10022-2445 (212) 421-0932 jillspille1@aol.com
then-new classroom building where we, as seniors, took Problems of Democracy.) In both classes, students used iPads for lessons and review. In the Area Studies class, the girls were studying The Epic of Gilgamesh, a very early Babylonian epic poem and were asked to take inspiration from one canto. We heard music, saw art work and listened to poetry. Wow. Hard to imagine grading. Those who attended included Julia Spencer Banks, Margaret (Peg) Costello Erdlen, Susan (Susie) Goetz Everitt, Barbara (Barbie) Dana Greppin, Anne Holder Howe, Janet (Tiny) Mittell Kinasewich, Sidney (Lee) LeFavour, Ann Stevenson McDonald, Nancy McDowell, Susan Cookman Morris, Sally Baldwin Tipton and yours truly. We sang our class song which, in case it’s slipped your mind, starts “Cheer now for Dana, cheer loud and bold…” I spoke with Helen Weinland and Pamela Lasher Hull who were bogged down in prior commitments and could not attend. And we remembered Dorothy (Dotsie) Reed Morton of Rockport, Mass., who died following spine surgery on August 19, 2019. And relished the re-appearance of Cynthia Bullock’s radiant portrait. Keep in touch. Valerie Warner Smith writes, “My husband John died a few months ago of prostate cancer. He was my second husband to die of that dreaded cancer. I had been a hospice volunteer previously and welcomed their loving assistance. We have a wonderful hospice house here in The Villages, Fla. As I was going through photos, I found the below image of Alice Tyler and me when I flew to visit her in a Cincinnati nursing home before she died. We had a lovely three-day visit with lots of Bowdoin House reminiscing. I had lots of apologizing to do for the tricks we played on her. One of my four daughters, Sally, lives in Berlin. I met her family in Amsterdam a few months ago and we traveled to Belgium, France, Poland and Germany. I even biked through the tulip fields in Holland!”
Our 60th Reunion at Dana Hall was excellent. How wonderful to share the time at Dana with classmates, and to enjoy the beauty of the enlarged campus on a glorious fall weekend. A dozen of us 59ers gathered in Wellesley, along with alumnae from 1949 and 1954. It was difficult to figure out which classes to audit, but I went to French II Honors and Middle Eastern Area Studies (held in Miss Augusta Gottfreid’s classroom in the
Valerie Warner Smith visiting Alice Tyler before she passed away in July 2011
Class of 1960 Correspondent needed Carol Huppeler Hosdale writes, “Greetings to the Best Class of All the Rest Past! I am still teaching exercise classes. That is my calling. I have had the pleasure of teaching all ages and all kinds of students. Life is good.” Carol Huppeler Hosdale with husband Steve Hosdale
Susanna Guenther Bunta writes, “We celebrated our 54th anniversary in December. Our daughter Elizabeth and her family live in Bryn Mawr, Pa., and our daughter Maria lives and works in Chicago. Our grandsons are 16 and 14; Charles, the 16-year-old, has his driver’s permit and is eager for his license. Not so sure his parents are equally as eager for that to happen! Andy is no longer doing orthopedic surgery, but now is doing medical director work for Northwestern Memorial Hospital and is enjoying keeping himself involved in medicine. I have been active in our community and in Northwestern alumnae/alumni associations and feel so fortunate to be able to try to make a difference in our community. I wish the members of the Class of 1960 all the best as we continue to use our education to make the world a better place.”
Class of 1961 Natalie Gribbel Thomas writes, “Husband’s knees are all healed! We have sold our big house and made the move to a retirement community! We are one of the youngest here but it’s a lot of fun and we never have to move again. Our children are in four different states and we didn’t want to go to any of them and we didn’t want to be a burden to them, so here we are! We have our own home with a two-car garage, 1/4 acre with an electric dog fence, but no responsibilities! We do still have our other two homes, in New Hampshire and Georgia, so we are still on a roll! I just passed along my old Dana banner to my great niece, Hadley Gribbell ’25, and she loves it and has it over her bed. She started Dana this year as a 7th grade day student and is loving it! She’s planning to board there in two years. So you see, you never know where your treasures are going to end up! Hope you are well and still looking great! Marty Horton Gecek writes, “After 53 years at the Salzburg Global Seminar, and organizing or helping to organize 50 American Studies seminars, I have decided to retire. (I hope none of my colleagues thought it’s about time!) My final symposium in September on The Changing Role of the Media in American Life and Culture was amazing. There were 51 speakers and participants from 28 countries present. Life will not be boring with three young grandsons to interact with (and encourage to speak English with me instead of German— after all, they are American citizens!), plus all the wonderful culture and nature that Salzburg offers.”
Sue (Gibbsie) Gibbs gibbsie65@hotmail.com
Allison White and Sue Gibbs at the Viking ship museum in Oslo
In early May, I (Sue Gibbs) had a delightful, almost week-long visit from Allison White. Her plans were not hatched months in advance so I had a few commitments I couldn’t get out of but we managed just fine. The worst part was that Faith Guss had even more commitments and was in Denmark that entire week so the three of us didn’t get to connect. Allison and I managed to cram in as many of the sights of Oslo as we could in that short time. We spent a lot of time in the beautiful Frogner Park looking at the Vigeland sculptures, went to the Vigeland Museum, visited the Viking ships, which I never get tired of seeing, the opera house and environs. She went to see “The Magic Flute” one evening but I was unfortunately unable to join her. She was here from Tuesday to Tuesday and for the weekend in between she took the train over the mountains to join husband Jim in Bergen. He was there for work, attending a conference and giving some lectures. They
also crammed their weekend with all sorts of goodies. What pure fun it was having Allison here! And we really missed Faith. Allison with husband Jim Churchill
Marlene Mustard Graf and her huge family, who are spread out all over the country, gathered in Wellesley in mid-May for the unveiling of the statue of her grandfather, Roger W. Babson, in a prominent spot on the Babson College campus. This marked the Babson College Centennial. The huge globe, which had been hidden away for years and had gone to seed, was also refurbished and moved so everyone can see it. All of Mr. Babson’s descendants were there and had a wonderful time. Marlene wrote, “For once we were all gathered for a happy occasion and not a funeral.” I’ve also seen Marlene several times this summer when we both were in New Hampshire. She claims she hates it there but stays longer and longer each year! She’s been busy visiting family and friends and getting back in touch with one good friend from her Sunapee days. We had many trips to our favorite ice cream joint in Belmont, N.H., and did our best to gain some weight. Susan (Sue) Steele Isbell writes, “Our one graduation in Nashville was in mid-May. On June 20, Bob and I went to Portugal to help a friend celebrate her half 60th birthday in Algarve. Weather much better this time of year in Faro than in London. Looking forward to also visiting Lisbon, Sintra and Porto on our extension trip (10 days).” They luxuriated at a beautiful resort in Algarve before touring the other spots. “Then,” she wrote, “six weeks in Telluride in August and September were awesome. Lynn and her five kids visited for a week. Bob and I recently attended Bob’s 55th medical reunion at the University of Michigan.” Phyllis Jansen writes, “On a recent September weekend, I had the opportunity to join Dana students, parents, faculty and other alumnae on two Amor Caritas Day projects. Saturday morning’s effort was a
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clean-up brigade at a park in nearby Waltham. On Sunday afternoon, a different group of volunteers helped setup and serve a meal at Rosie’s Place, a wonderful 45-year-old shelter for women in downtown Boston. I loved meeting so many younger members of the Dana family (much younger members!) and was happy to see firsthand that Dana so admirably continues to fulfill its mission to create ‘...a vibrant, caring and inclusive community. With emphasis on integrity, leadership, diversity and service as well as on respect for self and others.’ Working alongside the Dana girls was a great experience; as was meeting so many classmates for lunch at the Cape in August. Onward going.” Our faithful Down Under classmate, Sally Saunders, was stateside this summer but unfortunately too early to be able to join us at the luncheon. But she wasn’t just goofing off. “I’m sorry that I missed the reunion. If I’d known sooner, I could have changed my family visit schedule. But I did get to Florida in early August to spend a few days with Judith (Judy) Kaufman Lewis. It was a wonderful catch-up, but I wished I could have done more for her. Now that she is widowed, Judy is clearing a house she has lived in for about 35 years and planning to move into a retirement community. Then I flew to L.A. and had dinner with Karen Murray. We had a lovely dinner overlooking a yacht basin while we caught up. Karen is still an active interior designer working in a firm that specializes in hotels. The next day I discovered a wonderful modern art museum in L.A. that Karen recommended. And that night faced the 14-hour flight to Sydney, followed by a three-hour bus trip back home. These days the long flights do get harder.” Ain’t it the truth! Dorinda (Dindy) Evans isn’t wasting time in her retirement either. She writes, “My article, ‘William Winstanley: Gilbert Stuart’s Shadow and a Swindling Genius,’ will be in the British Art Journal (Winter 2019), Vol. XX, No. 3, which will be out by the end of the year. The editor was delighted to learn that the full-length portrait of George Washington in the White House is actually a fraud, and Dolly Madison heroically saved a fake Stuart, or British portrait, from the Brits before the White House was burned in the War of 1812. By the way, her lack of artistic judgement should not interfere with her status. Because of this one act, she appears in numerous children’s books as a role model for girls. Sometimes she is shown, in a fit of patriotic fervor, as refusing to leave without
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it (based on a letter) and even cutting the picture from its frame by herself. When she carries it, rolled up, it’s the size of a bust portrait. Far be it from a Dana Hall graduate to undermine such a person.” Sheila Carter Benger was so sorry she wasn’t able to join us at Wimpy’s. So were we. She writes, “I’m excited to say that I will be joining 22 members of my bike club at a great place in Quebec for five days of biking. Then in September, Nancy Cargill Vachon and I are going biking on a Road Scholar trip on all 185 miles of the C&O Canal Towpath from D.C. to the Maryland border.” Again, wish I could join you. I’m still waiting for the report about two wonderful bike trips…
they have a wonderful trip. Now we can look forward to some pictures and a good report in the next Bulletin. Phyllis and I (Sue) spent the night before our lunch at Allison’s superb guest house avec even more superb cuisine. The day after the lunch, Tucker Massey Clark, who lives right nearby, joined us for wine and cheese in the yard in the evening. It’s well worth noting that her daughter lives in Moscow and is chief of Bloomberg’s there. Tucky gets to visit as often as she can. Tucker Massey Clark
Lydia (Penny) Pyne Mott was unfortunately not able to join us at Wimpy’s because she was visiting her daughter and grandchildren. At the time of this writing (in the fall), she was “babysitting” the three of them while the parents were on vacation in Italy. She’s having a good time but is exhausted with delivering them all to different activities all the time and remembering to pick them up. She’s glad she only had one child! Mary Wilson-Tauson met Jane (Janie) Newton MacDonald in Freeport, Maine, for lunch in early August. Jane and Ian were visiting family south of the border— in Maine, not Canada—so Mary took advantage of their being nearer and spent the day with them. All is well with our Canadians. Jane is now officially that; she became a Canadian citizen in 2019! Jane Newton MacDonald and husband Ian in Freeport, Maine, in August
Our sincere condolences to Karen Slawsby Stone on the death of her husband Jim this summer. So sorry to hear that and hope things are beginning to look up a bit. Barbara Vaughan Koun tells me she has no news to report but I call an upcoming trip to Ethiopia for her and Neil this coming winter quite a piece of news. Hope
Luncheon at Wimpy’s in Osterville, Mass. Front row: Phyllis Jansen, Jane Chittick, Meridith Daniels Wesby. Middle row: Dindy Evans, Debby Goodwin Klotz, Linda Marsh, Nicki Batterson Hall, Allison White, Marlene Mustard Graf, Sue Kosoff. Back row: Carolyn Grande Harder, Tucky Massey Clark, Susan Gibbs, Mary Wilson-Tauson, Carolyn Harris, Sally Pockel Harper.
Now at last to the luncheon in Osterville on August 19, 2019. We had a fantastic time, lots (16) showed up and we spent several delightful hours with our tongues wagging. The roll call was: Carolyn Grande Harder, Tucker Massey Clark, Susan Gibbs, Mary Wilson-Tauson, Carolyn Harris, Sally Pockel Harper, Dindy Evans, Debby Goodwin Klotz, Linda Marsh, Nicki Batterson Hall, Allison White, Marlene Mustard Graf, Sue Kosoff, Phyllis Jansen Jane Chittick and Meridith Daniels Wesby. Carole Morrisey Jaffa, who lives in Alaska, was almost there (had planned a visit east) but unfortunately her husband had gotten sick so she didn’t want to be so far away from him. Nobuko (Enn) Shimizu Matsushita from Tokyo wasn’t in the neighborhood either but was with us anyway. She sent a
big box of diverse, fancy Japanese nuts for us to munch on. So good! We were given our own private room so were able to be heard by all and not bother the rest of the restaurant’s guests. Allison had a wonderful idea that anyone who wanted should make a five minute “speech” about what they were doing/had done or what was of great interest to her. There wasn’t time for everyone to tell their tales and all were longer than five minutes—of course!—but many shared experiences and thoughts with us and all were captivated. Such a group of interesting, busy, dedicated, bright women we have in our class. The day after the lunch, Allison and Debby kindly hosted a beach gathering at Bowerman’s Beach in West Falmouth for those who could make it. We were Marlene, Mary, Sally, Phyl, Dindy and me. Had a beautiful sunny day with the best water and we swam and talked further. It was all very special. We plan for a repeat next summer, probably around the same time, and all who possibly can are invited and expected.
Mary Wilson-Tauson, Phyllis Jansen, Allison White, Sally Pockel Harper and Dindy Evans at Bowerman’s Beach in West Falmouth
Many of you have already read about the lunch in our emails but I’m writing all of this so those of you who haven’t given me your email addresses can also join in. If you have an address you’d like to share, please do so!
Class of 1962 Bev Holmes Prevost P92 bevhprevost@gmail.com Sara (Sally) Devens Ciancarelli writes, “Sorry to be so late and miss the deadline for last Bulletin! Have been traveling in March/April to visit friends in Hawaii. And then to Siena, Italy, for a wedding in May so was not around much these last months. In the fall, I was visiting my daughter and her family in Paris.”
Kendra Nedjar’s stained glass window
Kendra Gunn Nedjar writes, “Wow, getting older is a challenge, isn’t it? I have decided it should be called ‘falling apart bit by bit,’ even if my brain doesn’t feel a lot older than when I was in my twenties, my body is every bit of 76... and my knees feel 120. I did manage to spend 10 weeks in Cape Breton this year divided into two trips. It’s so soothing being someplace you have loved for more than 60 years in an area that your ancestors have lived for generations. The memories are nice to hold onto and the fact that in the kitchen I am still using items other loved ones have used before me. Opening a cookbook my mother used with her notes written in pencil on the page is such a pleasure. And, of course, our grandson Gabriel is now five and such a terrific child. His vocabulary astounds me as does his sense of humor. He loves learning which thrills me. One thing we did with him this past year was drive him to his preschool program at the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Drumlin Farm Preschool. They did activities outside that were fun but educational. I did manage to continue learning to do stained glass and finally did do a panel for the bottom of the window in the hallway, 25 x 23 inches. For years I had wanted to learn to make stained glass and a friend heard me say that and told me his wife loves teaching people how to do stained glass. So between the three of us we did the window this past August. More than 60 hours of work all together! The man who will install it does terrific work and makes it so it can be removed if and when we move. I am still enjoying doing genealogy and on Wednesdays, I still volunteer at a local library helping people with genealogy for four hours. Still go to conferences and all-day seminars and lectures. I enjoy finding new ideas to help solve the problem of finding information on elusive ancestors. I am attempting to join the DAR, Mayflower Society, Piscatagua Pioneers and a few more. I did make one breakthrough that added several hundred ancestors going back to France this year from information learned in one conference. It was a brick wall that had baffled family genealogists for several generations. That was fun. That’s more or
less my news. Lunches with friends and dinners with my daughter’s family were weekly events. Normal everyday things.” Ann Guliver Flinn writes, “I don’t have much news. I’m a Florida resident but spend summers in New York. Painting, photography, birding, reading and travel occupy me when I am not being an active granny with my five grandsons and their parents in Old Greenwich and Pound Ridge. I have enjoyed much good fortune and good health throughout the lengthening chapters of my life. Highlights of the prior months of 2019 were GCA awards in photography, and a Florida club championship in golf. It is never too late! If I might be permitted to recommend as essential reading to all alumnae, teachers and current students just one book, it would be ‘Bringing Nature Home’ by Doug Tellamey, head of Entymology at the University of Delaware. This is a manual promoting our urgently needed understanding of the intricate dependency of the entire, diverse web of life, and a call to all to make informed decisions with respect to human impact on all species. He is also an excellent speaker.” Diana Cunningham Bunting writes, “Our house here is for sale and we are going to live in Newport. A better place to be geezers! We will go south in the winter. Si is finishing his book. I am painting and trying to declutter. We have so many books. And things the children don’t want! Gloria (mare) is retired, dogs are full of beans. We delight in our grandchildren, now all teenagers.” (P.S. Just got news and photo of Diana’s adorable new grandson: Reese Boman Lucky, 6 lbs. 11 oz. to Alexandra. Congrats and love all around!) Diana Bunting’s new grandson, Reese Boman Lucky
Katharine (Kathy) Walker Denis writes, “No earthshattering news from me this time, but will surely have some next year.” Suzanne (Reid) Algeo Schenck writes, “I retired this year after spending eons as an
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educational therapist working in various settings and nationally and locally in staff development to enable teachers to work with and understand learning differences. I miss it though. Summers are in my 1824 Vermont home in a village with 10 houses, dirt roads and recently acquired internet. It is a sanctuary with lots of water and gardens (too many actually) and then back to Pasadena for a warmer winter. There are three grandchildren to adore, ages 8 and 2, and my own children and spouses living locally. Thinking of Miss Post in her hand-knit dresses, Miss Grimes watering her plants while still wearing her raccoon skin coat and Mr. Schuler who stretched my brain.” Judy Petsonk writes, “My husband Steve Eisdorfer retired from practicing law at the end of March. In the last year, we took two great trips to Croatia and Japan and we planned to go to Barcelona and Madrid in November. Our daughter Hope Levin’s son Jude, a redhead like his mom, turned 2 on October 27. He zooms around piloting toy trucks and cars. Steve is auditing a Shakespeare course at Rutgers University. He summarizes the lectures for me, and we read and discuss the plays together. I am writing a prequel to my historical novel Queen of the Jews. I am working on my umpteenth revision. I had a difficult August. My right kidney was removed August 5 because of a tumor (not metastasized, thank God). Two weeks later, nasty pneumonia put me in the hospital for 10 days. In addition, I had lost about 25 pounds. But I’ve gained back 10 pounds and am well on the road to recovery.”
David and Vicky Moore Fuger with Carol Cookman Ruffo and Carol’s Midwest companion
Carol Cookman Ruffo writes, “2018 was a busy year. I bought a condo in Naples, Fla., and spent six months there. 2019 saw a trip to Greece with a good friend from my years working at David Brooks and Robert Scott. This picture was taken during a trip back to Illinois/Michigan with my Midwest companion who keeps my world righted! All is well with my four adult children and grandchildren. Cannot
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believe so many years have passed since our experiences at Dana Hall. Cherish every day. You never know what is coming.” I (Bev) had a nice snail mail brief update from Eleanor (Elle) Riker Crosby saying her address is the same but she has an updated phone number—(707) 467-1224— which is an “in-line message phone for a return call, (meaning you) leave your name and phone number.” She also said, “May God know I am sorry for not following up on staying in touch with the school that taught me so much! Living in a time of opposition to God’s Holy Word, we are to be thankful for the training through our Principal Alnah Johnson who encouraged attendance at Vespers every Sunday evening in the classroom building, the beginning of a new week. My mom enjoyed it!” Just had a wonderful conversation with Elisabeth (Betsy) Gagliardi Tobin! She told me of the birth of her new grandchild, Emma Rose Tobin, on October 24, second daughter to her youngest son Tim in Connecticut and younger sister to 3-yearold Ellie. Betsy has four children—three boys and one girl—and now she has six grandchildren: five girls and one boy! She and Tod went on another Viking River Cruise in May in Portugal. She said Tod loved it but she only liked it, preferring and loving one they took along the Rhone in Southern France (which Susan (Suzy) Hoagland Titus and David had taken, returning just in time for us to catch sight of them at our 55th, and who also loved it!) Betsy had also just been back to Dana on October 16 at the school’s invitation to some special donors. Betsy had given a gift to Dana in memory of her mom and designated it to help renovate a Johnston dorm room which Betsy chose because it overlooked the pond and also looked toward the part of the campus which was a big part of our years but is now gone. There is a brass plaque next to the room. They stayed overnight at the Wellesley College Club where we all (most of us!) stayed during Reunion! Betsy joined the “75 Club” on 7/5/19 and had a wonderful celebration with her entire family! Patricia (Pat) McGuire Barger writes, “Just came from Charlotte, Vt., to check in on two of my handsome grandchildren: Sawyer and Coleman Jennings, who recently left the suburbs of Boston to try the country life. Both my daughters were born in Vermont, so I imagine they will become hardier as they experience their
first Vermont winter! Been blessed to have visited Egypt, China and Israel over the past several years and continue creating a full life here in Cambridge, Mass. Stop by if ever in Cambridge: 652 Huron Ave!” Patricia McGuire Barger with her grandchildren
Bev Holmes Prevost writes, “Well, this has been quite a year in the Prevost family—a lot of it our ‘organ recitals!’ I laughed out loud when I got Kendra’s email. I won’t go into too great details, but it has included an AFib for Ned (happily so far controlled by pill Flecainide after a failed cardio version with initial prospects of another cardio version and an ablation if that didn’t work). As I may have said in the last Bulletin, I have had mega teeth work done the last few years including a long saga with a wisdom tooth. Last winter I had prolonged, chronic sinusitis and finally had surgery in the spring. Then I had my yearly mammogram in May and got called back for more films, then a biopsy, and the news that I had the same diagnosis as 14 years ago when I had DCIS, stage zero, and had a lumpectomy plus three weeks of radiation. Anyway, choice this time was another lumpectomy with no radiation as they don’t repeat that or a mastectomy. We went with mastectomy the end of June which included drain, etc. It all went fine and no involvement of margins or sentinel node and good prognosis, so I was able to recover on Cuttyhunk surrounded by both girls, two grandchildren and two sons-inlaw one of whom (Elizabeth’s Mike) did all the cooking for us while there! Meanwhile, other son-in-law (Marnie’s husband, Matt) has had major health issues over the last few years and ended up having a thyroidectomy in July; happily, he is doing much better! Elizabeth, Mike and Grace are in Chicago this semester, away from Grinnell while Elizabeth is teaching a course at the Newberry Library. Marnie, Matt and Timothy are still living with us which I have loved. I will be very sad when they are finally able to buy a house, unless we all decide to stay here and modify this house for wheelchairs, etc.! Finally, that
wisdom tooth mentioned above was just extracted a couple of days ago after much discomfort and evidence of infection. And, of course, I turned 75 in October!
including time spent at Dana Hall and some of the teachers that inspired her, like Mr. Schuler.
Class of 1964 Susan Belmer Kollet-Harris skharris@rcn.com
Class of 1965 Bev Prevost’s grandchildren, Timothy (7) and Grace (8)
On the complete other hand from our health challenges, we had some incredibly wonderful and heart-stopping news last November when my husband Ned received a letter saying the sender believed Ned to be his biological father (DNA search, etc.), which in fact Ned is, having conceived him during his college years and placed him for adoption. Ned has worried about him all these years (having told me about him on our second date, and having told our girls years ago that somewhere they have a half-brother) and in fact Ned’s biological son, 52, lives right near us, had a wonderful upbringing with a large family whom he loves, is married and has a son himself, is a successful architect, and we are all in frequent touch and are all so very grateful and thrilled to have found each other. Talk about grace! To those of you not on email, remember you can always send me news at 6 Brookshire Rd, Worcester, MA, 01609 or by home/landline: (508) 756-6508; cell/for texting: (847) 436-6507; or at Cuttyhunk: (508) 992-1938. Thanks all. So great to hear all your news!”
Class of 1963 Correspondent needed Marlena Maduro Baraf recently published a new memoir, At the Narrow Waist of the World, that examines her identity as an outsider—as a Jew in Latin America and as an immigrant in the U.S.—and how her relationships with her tios and tias grew out of her strained bond with her mentally ill mother. Above all, it’s a beautiful story of love and family and the importance of community in Latin American culture. This self-portrait chronicles her upbringing in Panama, following her life as she moves to America,
Susan West Ayres warren.ayres@verizon.net There does not seem to be much news this time around, but Jean D’Atri and Sarah Chase checked in. Mary (Mel) Heck Klock replied that she is in the process of moving from her home in Mesa, Ariz., to something smaller in Paradise Valley. Catharine (Cloudy) Kennedy continues to do beautiful woodwork. See her photo of a handsome sampler tool chest that she made to showcase some of the many skills she has picked up over the years, including “handmade and engraved hinges, handmade chain, parquetry on both sides of the lid, hand cut molding, knotted handles, carved handle supports, faux painting, and the chest itself. This garnered a first prize at the County Fair!”
Catharine (Cloudy) Kennedy’s sampler tool chest
Suzanne King Nusbaum and her husband are returning for their third winter season in Longboat Key, Fla., and continue to spend summers at their cottage at Popham Beach in Phippsburg, Maine. Suzanne writes, “Bob has retired from the computer industry and is enjoying his leisure time. I am still working as an arbitrator but have cut back somewhat. In February 2019, we went on our annual trip to China where I judge the Chinese National Rounds of the Jessup International Moot Court. This year, the competition was in Kunming, Yunan Province, so we saw a new part of
the country. In June, we went to the Netherlands, where I judged the international rounds of the International Criminal Court Moot Court in the Hague, and toured the countryside. I am preparing an exhibit for the Maine Maritime Museum for March 2020 about Bath Iron Works’ amazing productivity from 1942 to 1967. My father was Hull Superintendent in South Portland and my grandfather Hull Superintendent in Bath during WWII, when BIW produced more destroyers than the entire Japanese army. After the war, my grandfather continued as Hull Superintendent in Bath and my father became VP and Works Manager there. One year, BIW brought in a ship 10 months ahead of schedule and under budget, a never before or after achievement by any American shipyard! I’ve had lots of fun researching the topic. If you’re in Maine in March 2020, don’t miss it!” Anne Parker Stommes writes, “In September, Dana Kistner Wyss and her husband John came to visit me and my husband Lee in Mashpee on Cape Cod. While they were here, we got together with Shelley Carpenter Reynolds, Susan E. Dorsey Gray and Leslie Sleeper Olanoff and their husbands Steve, Dan and Andy for lunch. Dana loved seeing everyone after so many years.”
Shelley Carpenter Reynolds, Susan Dorsey Gray, Anne Parker Stommes (seated), Dana Kistner Wyss and Leslie Sleeper Olanoff
As for me, Warren and I (Susan West Ayres) have been doing some travelling now that he is attempting to retire. We have just gotten back from an 11-day trip to Arizona and Utah, which concluded with a visit to our middle son and his family in Salt Lake City.
Class of 1966 Correspondent needed
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Class of 1967 Lucy Haward Sur lhsur@aol.com It’s a fact: most of us have celebrated our 70th birthdays by now. So happy birthday to members of the Class of ’67! Have seen several of you in the past few months. Shared a lovely birthday lunch with Linda McIntosh at Jane Axelrod’s in September. And saw Anne Converse from Dana Junior days for a day at the MFA in October. Occasional dinners with Margaret (Peggy) Ford (who is enjoying her little granddaughter) Linda McI. (now retired… and Linda Beardsley Lyon ’68 who is next door to her when in Vero Beach), Gael O’Brien (who has a new expanded website) and Elliott (Lee) Hall Overall (still styling for L.L. Bean and a couple of others). Candace (Candy) Norton Hitchcock has added to her website with a link to her new card design business and a new dog sitting business with husband Fred! Christine (Christa) Corwin is always planning a trip or two; Linda McI. met her for lunch in Scituate this summer. I continue to paint but recently sold our Chatham house so may be looking for new landscape material. Meanwhile, Steve and I are having the best time being grandparents to Harrison (Harry)! Happily, our son and wife Betsy—and Harry—are just 15 minutes from us. Enough for now.
Class of 1968 Laura (Pots) Potsubay Pucher laurap.riverdale@gmail.com Dear Golden Girls of 1968, Plenty of happy news to relate: Mother of the groom Deborah Emerson Pinkham sent “a photo of the newlyweds on the day of their wedding, June 22, 2019, in Barnard, Vt. They are living in New Hampshire, where James is the associate director of Admission and Financial Aid at New Hampton School. Sara is a high school science teacher in Bedford, N.H. As for me, 10 days after the wedding, on July 2, I had my second total hip joint replacement (right), to match the first one (left) I had in September 2018, so now I am practically bionic! If I had it to do over, I don’t think I would schedule two such big events so close together, but everything went well, and I am working my way back with lots of physical therapy.”
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James and Sara Pinkham, son and daughter-inlaw of Deborah Emerson Pinkham
Nancy Haaren is “still riding trails in Huber Woods on Finn plus sailing and tennis. Bob is a great-grandpa now, so we will visit Atlas Alexander in January in Hawaii.” Nancy Dyer Mitton exhibited with Rob Seyffert, brother of Helena Seyffert Hill ’67, at the Marion Art Center this summer. Emily Frederick DiMaggio ’41, Anne Converse ’67 and Gael O’Brien ’67 among hundreds of art lovers came to enjoy the paintings. Soprafina Gallery in Boston has represented Nancy Dyer Mitton’s art since 2002. Her paintings were featured in the Soprafina October exhibit, “Group of Three.” See more at www. soprafina.com. Cynthia Du Pont Tobias gained two new males and two Ph.D.s for her family this summer. Her daughter Margaretta Sacco produced Cindy’s second grandchild, Samuel Carpenter Sacco, on June 6, and Sam’s father Steve Sacco was awarded his Ph.D. from Loyola. On August 24, Cindy’s second daughter Irene married Amin Khalek, Ph.D., who is deeply involved in 5G cellular network technology. Cindy is writing and directing Christmas at the Tower, a sequel to The Yeomen of the Guard, with lots of ghosts and Renaissance music. The Ardensingers will perform it the first two weekends of December in Arden, Del. Congratulations Cindy and Terry—you’ve had quite a year! Katharine (Kathy) Benton Harris, husband David with daughters Emily and Laura “spent a couple of weeks in Iceland. Loved how beautiful and really exotic it is. Drove the perimeter (Ring Road), saw amazing sights and hiked our legs off! We all had a great time.” In October, Glenn and June Lovelace Davis visited Copenhagen and then joined a Vantage tour sailing on a Hurtigruten ferry along the west coast of Norway. They saw lots of amazing scenery as they went north from Bergen to the Russian border
and then south back to Bergen. Check out the photo of June relaxing in the ship’s hot tub, north of the Arctic Circle. Cool, literally.
June Lovelace Davis in an Arctic hot tub
Wendie (Beans) Franks Howland brought to our attention an April 2018 article from Rotary International in Ghana, stating that “The United States Embassy celebrated Mrs. Keteku (our Nancy Wills Keteku!) for her contributions over the past 28 years in promoting higher education to students in Ghana and throughout Africa... in her role as the USA’s Regional Educational Advising Coordinator for 26 countries in West and Central Africa, a position she has held since 1996.” The article in Modern Ghana magazine continues, “Mrs. Keteku is originally from Massachusetts but has made her home in Ghana for more than 40 years, working to internationalize the African Higher Education sphere by helping thousands of African students to study in the US and generating more than $100 million in scholarships.” Belated congratulations Nancy on this welldeserved honor celebrating your singular career in education! Stop the presses! Here’s a last-minute submission from Nancy herself: “The Ketekus can’t keep up with June Lovelace Davis and Glenn Davis when it comes to travel, but we did manage three weeks in Europe last summer: First, the Rotary convention in Hamburg, followed by a Rotary tour through Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, and Czech. More Europe than I’d ever seen before, and thoroughly fascinating. That makes 92 countries that I’ve visited, half of them in Africa. Next year will be the year of the Pacific, with travel to Hawaii and Papua New Guinea in the cards. Our retirement living pattern consists of a couple of months each spring and fall in North Carolina and New Hampshire/ Massachusetts, and the rest of the year in Accra, indulging the grandchildren (Zora, Jayson, and Ama—all 3 years old) as lavishly as we can. Still reveling in the
peace of mind that comes with retirement, and not missing the rat race at all.”
Grandchildren of Nancy Wills Keteku
Jennifer Oakes writes that retirement allows her to travel more. In September, Jenn and Bethany decided to return “to our ancestral countries: First to Sweden, where I still have cousins who showed us all the old places and towns where my grand- and great-grandparents were born; so special. Sweden is such an easy place to visit especially with relatives. Then on to Poland, where Bethany’s ancestors were born. We went first to Warsaw. What an interesting city totally flattened during WWII and has rebuilt itself right down to building the old town to look like it did before the war. We spent most of our time there finding the locations of the Warsaw Ghetto and references that we had read in the book Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Story. Then on to Krakow; this city maintains its medieval heritage—beautiful town square and castle. A day trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau was a sobering journey into one of humanity’s most horrific times. A ride out to the countryside was the high point where we visited the birthplaces of Bethany’s ancestors. What fun it was to connect with our families’ past!” And now for me, Laura Potsubay Pucher. I am thoroughly enjoying my 1 1/2-yearold grandson who lives nearby in Harlem (albeit in a two flight walk-up!). I keep busy with three book groups, take watercolor classes at the senior center, and enjoy New York City area bus trips with senior groups. I got to celebrate two summer minireunions with Mary Gillespie West on Nantucket and on the Cape with Kathy Benton Harris, Wendie (Beans) Franks Howland, Jennifer Oakes, Marilyn Benson Wiinikainen, June Lovelace Davis and her sister Anne Lovelace ’71 in June, visiting their homes in Cotuit, Pocasset and Brewster with plenty of laughs, Dana memories and lobster rolls. Ever the athlete, Jenn Oakes scored the perfect group selfie at an ice cream shop in Falmouth. What a shot!
Jenn Oakes captures a 1968 selfie with Anne Lovelace ’71, Marilyn Benson, Kathy Benton, Wendie Franks, Laura Potsubay and June Lovelace on Cape Cod. Laura Potsubay Pucher and Mary Gillespie West met for lunch on Nantucket.
To celebrate turning the big 7-0 next year, I’ve booked passage June 15-25, 2020, on a Dana alumnae trip to Quito and a cruise to the Galapagos. Compared to those ancient Galapagos tortoises, I’m practically a hatchling! Looking forward to cruising on/ snorkeling in the Pacific.
Class of 1969 Anne Maxwell Dewez afmdewez@gmail.com Vicki Willson Quinn vquinn1@gmail.com Greeting, ’69 classmates, from your new Class Correspondents: Anne Maxwell Dewez and Vicki Willson Quinn. We hope to live up to the very high standard set by our predecessors, Deborah (Debby) Yard Mello Orazem and J. Mara DelliPriscoli. Now that our 50th Reunion has passed, we hopefully feel more connected with each other and even more committed to keeping if not expanding these connections. Thanks to all of you who submitted your news in response to our email earlier in October! Quick updates from us: Anne writes, “I loved our Reunion on many different levels: seeing and reconnecting with the 21st century campus;
going down memory lane in the Helen Temple Cooke Library; meeting the current crop of accomplished and impressive educators, administrators and students; participating in an incredibly vibrant and inspiring She Sails (especially the contributions from our classmates); and, best of all, renewing acquaintances and friendships with a wonderful group of women, some of whom I did not know well as a student and who I am very happy to have gotten to know better. I don’t have new news to add to the information in my Reunion Profile, so I will just include a photo from my niece’s wedding in Austin on October 26. I’m with my two BFFs: my two sisters, Linda Maxwell Robertson ’71 to my right and Lisa Maxwell ’73 to my left.”
Lisa Maxwell ’73, Anne Maxwell Dewez and Linda Maxwell Robertson ’71
Vicki writes, “I have enjoyed the first four months of retirement—so much so that I recently accepted an offer from my last employer to work very part-time helping the commercial loan underwriters whittle down their backlog of financial reviews and reporting. I admit that retirement after so many years is a bit of a challenge (even with all the naps) and am looking for any excuse to avoid painting the basement and cleaning out the closets! Otherwise all is well.” Our intrepid Mara filed this report from somewhere on the road: “Just finished co-authoring a paper on Insights into Affinity Educational Travel with a colleague which will be distributed to the educational travel consortium community shortly. Always expecting the unexpected, I am still traveling on the photo quest of people and places: next, Beijing for a keynote at an educational travel conference there and then on to Lhasa followed by overland drive to Katmandu for some 9-10 hour days of driving!” Can any other of us 68-year-olds match her energy?! From Martha’s Vineyard, Deb writes of her very busy summer which included launching their H12.5 early in June and
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enjoying an extensive racing season, managing to win the EYC Regatta! In September, with husband Garrett, she traveled with 50 friends and family to Cancun, Mexico, for their daughter Jody’s wedding. It was an unforgettable week with perfect weather and plenty of visiting time. Jody and husband Chris live in Dallas with their dog, Navi. Later that month Deb and Garrett traveled to the amazing city of Minneapolis for his high school’s “We’re All Turning 70 Party.” The reunion included a backstage tour of the absolutely state of the art Guthrie Theater where they enjoyed The Glass Menagerie; a whole different experience than reading it! Following these travels, Deb and Garrett have been constantly reminded that they live on an island: hunkering down for several strong nor’easters, one after another, resulting in the suspension of ferry service, cancellation of travel plans and emptying market shelves. Despite these challenges, Deb is still keeping busy with Tai Chi, strength training, rowing and the Garden Club. Jody Alene Mello and Chris Shaw dancing on the beach at their wedding in Cancun
Deb and Garrett at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis
Kate Field checked in from the Pacific Northwest, where she is still working as a professor of microbiology at Oregon State University in Corvallis, adding “but am thinking a lot about retiring. In preparation, I moved out of the house where I lived for 31 years into a small, one-story house with a nice yard and garden. Since my husband died six years ago, I’m on my own, but I do have cats and dogs, including a ridiculously adorable mini goldendoodle puppy—also, my kids
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are not far. For fun, I kayak and sing in a women’s choir as well as more casual folk and bluegrass jams. I have been enjoying the books and articles that came out about the first women at Yale 50 years ago! Am I that old? I’d love to see anyone who’s traveling this way. I have guest rooms!” When asked for a photo, she included this one of a still-at-home “child:” Kate’s mini goldendoodle puppy
After her initial uncertain expectations, Susan (Susie) Clatworthy reflects that she is thankful to have seen so many classmates at the 50th Reunion and that “so many memories came with fondness.” Her really big ah-ha moment of that entire time together was realizing “there we were, many of us miles from home and family and not always by choice, but all thrust together to live, laugh and cry, learn and grow up… with the help and support of each other, our teachers and mentors, we actually succeeded! I am so proud of my classmates and all the wonderful accomplishments I have read about. I do hope we will all try to stay connected, as it was a moment of time that belongs to just us.” Thank you, Susie, for also giving a shout out to Marian Cunningham’s impressive equestrian career as recently documented in the September 2-16, 2019, issue of Chronicle of the Horse which she encourages all to check out! From Howell, N.J., Sally Ralston reports that she has retired from Rutgers, where she focused on equine medicine and nutrition, but is still doing research with colleagues at Princeton, Penn, University of Texas, etc., and remains available for equine nutrition consults and lectures. She with husband Bill are now more politically active than ever before, elected to their local Democratic committee and canvassing for candidates of choice. She is also on the local Farm Advisory committee and notes that “this is the type of stuff my dad (a staunch Republican) did when he retired. I think he would still approve, despite the party differences. I highly recommend, regardless of party affiliations, getting involved with your local politics.” The animals under their care include four
cats, mostly geriatric (13-19 years) but one 6-year-old “kitten,” and two large horses, her husband’s APHA mare RU Miss Kitty and their “guest” horse RU Sir Galahad, a 19-year-old Belgian cross, and two ponies, one large (Sally’s but willing to share for experienced riders), and a POA (22 years old, weight limit 130 lbs.) for grandchildren (two boys and two girls) and small guests! Check out her Facebook page (Sarah L. Ralston) for photos. She and her husband enjoy riding the trails across the street from their home and in local Hunter Paces. Sally shared this recent photo of her on her pony, Splash.
Sally Ralston and her pony, Splash
Marie Andersen-Whiteh also touched base about her recent celebration of 47 years of marriage “with the most wonderful man.” Retired from social work, she now works with her husband in their gem and mineral store in Greensboro, N.C. She concluded her update with, “Love is where compassion prevails and kindness rules. Only love prevails. Be the change you want to see. By being yourself, you put something wonderful in the word that was not there before (Edwin Elliot).” We are sad to hear that Besty Bruhwiler’s husband is not well which precluded her attending the Reunion. The rest of the family is doing great. They have two daughters and wonderful sons-in-law, all of whom make her proud, and three fabulous grandchildren, Ben (22), Zoe (12) and Stella (10).
Betsy Bruhwiler with her daughters
Deborah Newman also had a few things to say about Reunion, which we hope will inspire some of you to come back next time. “This past May was a busy month, with my 50th Dana Hall Reunion a major highlight. I had not been back to the campus since graduating in 1969, and the range of memories that surfaced over the two days was quite overwhelming. I was pleased to participate on a panel at She Sails called “Lights! Camera! Create!,” sharing some stories about my early days in the music business. It was great to see old friends like Anne Maxwell, Susie Dangel, Julie Herzig, Cheryl Forte and many others. I also made a point of visiting the School of Music across Grove Street and found some diligent students practicing piano (and violin)! Brought back memories of where I spent much of my time at Dana.”
Class of 1970 Ann Elisabeth Bass betsybass52@gmail.com Emily Ecker eecker@gmail.com Dear Classmates, We are so excited about our upcoming 50th Reunion in April! Reunions have been special times of being with old friends and making new ones. And if you use Facebook, please considering liking our page: Dana Hall Class of 1970. Deri Perkins Beard writes, “Planned to spend this Thanksgiving in Ferndale, Wash., with all of my family. My two middle sons (David & C.J.) live out there with their wives and kids (two kids each), so oldest son Phil and wife Cathy who live in Connecticut and Parker (living in Durham, N.C.) and us will be heading west for the Thanksgiving week. We have rented a house through VRBO for the five of us (much cheaper and better than hotel rooms). This will be the first time in many years that we will all be together. I am counting the days. Other than that, life continues on. I see Paula Templeton Simmons ’71 from time to time. She also lives in Aiken. I am looking forward to Reunion in the spring. Maybe I can lead us all in a water exercise class. I’m ready!” Andrea Higgins Bierce writes, “I finished my term as an independent director for Cyient, a public company focused on aerospace, defense and other industries in Hyderabad, India. I did 18 trips in five years. I just joined the Freedom
Communities Board in Charlotte that is focused on upward mobility. According to a recent Harvard study, Charlotte was 50th out of 50 cities in the U.S. for people trying to get out of poverty. There are four tenets: education, housing employment and wellness. Sandy and I celebrated our 40th anniversary in August! I hope to see you all at our Reunion! How did 50 years go by so quickly?” Betsy Childs writes, “Enjoyed last spring’s visit with Melanie Choukas Bradley. I, too, am a forest bather living here in the hills of northwest Connecticut. My grandfather started a game preserve in 1909 that my father turned into a working/ experimental forest encompassing approximately 6,000 acres that is now shared with the public: hiking trails, cross-country skiing, limited camping, etc.! Everyone is invited to come bathe in the Great Mountain Forest! In fact, about 20+ members of the 1970 St. Paul’s class had a gathering here a few years ago.” Durinda Wood took a road trip up to Ashland, Ore., and noticed that Annie Dempsey lived in nearby Jacksonville. Durinda writes, “I got in contact and we had lunch in the darling town of Jacksonville and it was such a great mini-reunion. So great to see what people have done with their lives in the last 50 years. Annie seems very happy out living in the beautiful countryside with her husband, and she has a knitting and crocheting pattern business called Oat Couture.” Emily Ecker writes, “Since I retired, I began to join my husband in hiking in New England. In three years, we completed our first goal of hiking the 45 peaks in New Hampshire that are over 4,000’. Even though this elevation will seem low to westerners, these trails go straight up and are full of large rocks and roots. This summer we completed the 14 in Maine. Next, the five in Vermont with a total of 64 peaks. It has been exciting to feel my endurance building over these years. I no longer have to stop and catch my breath every 15 minutes and I can keep up with my husband. And best of all: no injuries!”
This past June, during their 45th Middlebury College reunion, Betsy Bass visited Susie Coburn Humphrey at her home in Weybridge, Vt.
Betsy Bass and Susie Coburn Humphrey
Tia Pinney writes, “This fall, Nathaniel was married to Maylis Atkins with another beautiful wedding. Kevin retired from Dana a couple of years ago and is busy acting and directing with numerous community theater groups. I am still working full-time for Mass Audubon at Drumlin Farm in Lincoln. I love my job and have no plans to retire, but I do schedule in time with our three grandchildren in Maine with our oldest son and his wife.” Dean Verner Loehr writes, “I am enjoying playing my grandmother role to Ayla Verner Mesko, daughter of Arden and Kyle Mesko. Ayla is now 8 months old and brings much joy and laughter to our lives! I was very happy to catch up with Gina Church Welch when I was in Houston for Ayla’s birth at the end of January. Gina’s daughter lives in the Houston area and she and her cute hubby were visiting them. We had a great time reminiscing about Dana and all of the time we spent together. I am consulting to local nonprofits helping with their fundraising efforts. I look forward to getting back to Dana for Reunion and having many more happy remembrances of our time at Dana!” Dean Verner Loehr’s granddaughter Ayla Verner Mesko with Arden
Emily Ecker hiking Bidgelow Mountain in Maine
Anne Morgan writes, “I am enjoying life by golfing, travelling and quietly living on my 8-acre farm in northern Virginia. On
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my farm, I have raised quarter horses, Fjord horses and cattle. I am presently leasing the land to a neighbor. I retired 11 years ago from veterinary technician work and substitute teaching.” Lyn Sedwick Shuster writes, “My news is that my daughter Jillian got married in September in Waynesville in western North Carolina (think Blue Ridge Mountains). Whew, one down, one to go. She promises grandchildren, but not right away. “How old do you want me to get?” is my response. I do still work part-time as a physician but retirement is looking better and better! Item for class poll: How many joint replacements have you had? Betsy Bass beats me, but not by much (I have three)! I am thinking about coming to Reunion. I think the last time I came was maybe the 25th or 30th.” Lyn Sedwick Shuster and family at her daughter Jillian’s wedding
home in Belmont, Mass., and our condo in Stowe, Vt. We now have two Bernese mountain dogs; the “little one” is now almost 1 year old. They love traveling with us—this year to Washington, D.C., and Quebec City. We had a great time staying at the Chateau Frontenac. Then enjoyed a week at our family place on Southport Island near Boothbay Harbor, Maine, where Betsy Bass joined us for dinner one night. Our puppy Winston certainly enjoyed her company! I’m planning to come to our 50th Reunion in April. So hard to believe how much time has gone by. I’d love to reconnect with Anne Morgan and Connie Childs if they can make it.” Gina Church Welch writes, “My daughter Emma is an astronaut instructor and is training to be a flight controller in mission control for EVAs (spacewalks). They give them the same training as astronauts so they know the difficulties and limitations of the spacesuits when they plan, train and run EVAs on the space station. The Neutral Buoyancy Lab is a six-story high pool with a mock-up of the space station in it so they can train. Em really loves her job! I’m a geeky, nerdy, proud mom. And I am also proud grandparent of our second granddaughter who was born at the end of May! We try to get to Houston every few months to see our family.” Gina Church Welch’s daughter Emma (in the spacesuit) and family
Pam Gleason Swearingen and husband Charles with their two Bernese mountain dogs
Class of 1971 Barbara Lee Monahan barbmonahan52@comcast.net Toddy Torrance Turrentine toddyturrentine@gmail.com
Betsy Bass with Pam’s puppy Winston
Pam Gleason Swearingen writes, “I have had another good year—two years postretirement. My husband Charles and I have enjoyed spending our time between our
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Andy Hoadley Nix retired from her work as CFO of Phillips Andover on June 30 and she and her husband Jonathon are now full-time residents of Becket, Mass. She says she is looking forward to being outdoors a lot more, playing with her two grandchildren, doing some quilt-making and smashing the patriarchy. That last part may take a little work, but it’s got to be done!
Emily Dimaggio writes, “After our evacuation from Hurricane Irma two years ago, we gave up our Palm Beach place and upsized—I know, bucking the trend—and now split our time between Raleigh, N.C., and Amelia Island, Fla. As part of a women’s group, which is what drew me to Raleigh, I’m in North Carolina on a regular basis. As I’ve grown older and grown up, I’ve come to cherish my female friendships deeper and deeper. I am still working as a sales management coach for several clients who happily keep me busy, but the best part is spending time with family and friends! In May, my son and I headed to South America for several weeks to explore the history and contemporary life in Peru and Colombia. What an adventure! We explored it all, from the Peruvian terraced lands and the cultural centers in small villages where the arts are still practiced today to Machu Picchu and other imposing Inca fortresses. We met numerous inquisitive travelers along the way, cultivated friendships with locals, ate wonderful food, and visited churches, museums and private artifact collections. An unforgettable experience. The Peruvians wear their spiritual beliefs for all to see: respecting humans, animals and the environment alike. They are warm, welcoming and full of life and laughter. Cartagena was a respite after several weeks of daily 4-6 hours of stair-master-like excursions with my 30-something gymenthusiast son... a beautiful city. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has been extremely well preserved. Hubby and I plan to travel a bit this fall, ending up at my parents’ home in Marion, Mass., where 20 of us plan to gather for Christmas, including my 97-year-old mother Emily Frederick DiMaggio ’41.” Barb Bolton reports, “I retired at the end of August after 32 years as an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission prosecuting consumer fraud. Within a week of my retirement, I headed off to eastern Europe and for a month toured Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.” Debby Whitney says she is “knee deep in Garden Club issues, as I just became president of the Piscataqua Garden Club. This is a GCA club for the seacoast of Maine and New Hampshire. If we have any classmates that are GCA club members, I would love to know. I also keep in touch with Deb Grabill, and Barb Monahan and I try to talk—not as much as I would like!”
Kate Dernocoeur proudly reports that “any day now, the 4th edition of my first book will be released, which feels amazing! It’s called Streetsense: Communication, Safety and Control and it’s had a good long life (since 1984) guiding emergency care responders in elements of the job that serve to help them do it safely and effectively. It’ll also be available in an e-book version! See more of my writing at www. katedernocoeur.com if you’re curious. I retired from firefighting (sadly) in January as the physical demands didn’t mesh well with my Medicare-aged body, and have no horse to ride at the moment. I’m doing volunteer search and rescue with a K9 unit, traveling some, and (when home) working as a medical death investigator, which is pretty fascinating. All good!” We have news from a classmate some may not remember, Kathleen (Kathy) Kelley: “Greetings from a member of the Class of 1971. I was a day student at Dana for 7th, 8th and 9th grade. I still remember everyone from those years. I am in touch with Emily DiMaggio and during the summer, we had the pleasure of a lunch together in Newton, Mass., where I live. Emily and I met on the first day of kindergarten. I am going to try to get to the 1971 getaway on the East Coast next fall. I am semi-retired after owning and operating a hotel and restaurant business with my brother for many years. My mother was Dana alum (Jane Callahan Kelley ’42) and I have her Dana Hall ring. Both my sister Mary Jane (MJ) Kelley Anderson ’69 and niece Kathleen (Katie) Kelley ’02 attended but didn’t graduate from Dana. I love your question about a book recommendation. I recently finished Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow on audible.com and was captivated by this listen. Now I am ready for a fiction read. Also, I recently talked by phone with Ann Clancy Young who resides in Port St. Lucie, Fla. I was saddened to learn Ann has suffered the loss of another sibling, Garrett—the fourth of her seven siblings to pass away. Hello to all of the Class of ’71.” I (Toddy) am much better than I was at the time of the last Bulletin. I finally had back surgery on August 29 to address my sciatica (spondylolisthesis—say that three times fast!) and all went well. Although I still have soreness and some aching in my lower back (nothing Advil can’t solve), the sciatica is gone. No tennis for quite a while but I am trying to walk frequently and I have PT regularly. I’m busy with local elections, the New Canaan Nature Center and Child Guidance Center of southern Connecticut.
My husband retired right before the surgery—good timing—but we are in and out, and at desks at opposite ends of the house, so we aren’t sick of each other yet. Gail Culkins writes, “I ran into Hadley Pierce ’11 at the end of February at Bisate Eco Lodge in Ruhengeri, Rwanda. She and her partner are the managers at Bisate. It was such a surprise to both of us when we discovered we went to the same high school. The mountains behind us are in Volcanoes National Park where we spent two days following the gorillas.”
grandparents raising their grandchildren. Jenny Clark and I spent a magical day at Tanglewood doing outdoor yoga with a Kripalu instructor during the BSO Sunday rehearsal. It was quite something to be among 170 yogis on a beautiful summer day with the backdrop of the Berkshires. Also, I want to give kudos to Toddy. Gail Caulkins and I had dinner with her just before her surgery. Her upbeat, positive attitude was impressive.”
Class of 1972 Barbara Tomlinson Harman b49harman@gmail.com Editor’s note: We apologize for incorrectly listing Mary Achenbach in the “In Memoriam” section in the Summer 2019 Bulletin. Mary is alive and well, and resides in Los Angeles.
Class of 1973 Hadley Pierce ’11 and Gail Culkins at the Bisate Eco Lodge in Ruhengeri, Rwanda
Debbie Cantor writes, “This has been a year of major life changes for me. I am in the middle of a divorce, moved from Denver back to Florida, and I am determined to make it on my own for the first time ever. I have a new granddaughter, born to my eldest son. After having four sons of my own, I am so happy to have a new female addition. I also have a grandson and granddaughter who live in Montreal. Two of my sons live in St. Maarten and the other two are here in Florida. Thank goodness for FaceTime! Besides working in a medical office, I spend most of my downtime at the beach, swimming and reading. I am training for the annual Mermaid Run in August in Boca Raton. I plan to swim two miles off the beach. All in all, life is good and I am the happiest I have ever been. My best to everyone. If you happen to be near Boca Raton, feel free to drop me a line! Barb Monahan shares the following news: “It has been a summer of special moments. I spent a fabulous evening with Ann Ardery when I was in the D.C. area in early June. She showed me around Alexandria, with such interesting commentary on the rich history of the area. We dined outside at a restaurant near the waterfront. Ann, after years in a big firm, has branched off on her own and I was so fascinated to hear about her recent project designing space for a ‘grand family’ apartment complex specifically for
Judy Luke judy.luke@comcast.net This year brings some milestones: a 90th birthday celebration was planned for early November for my mom, and the first of five nieces and nephews tied the knot in Atlanta in June. I caught up with Susie Foster Wilson on Cape Cod later in the summer as well as a week on Nantucket just after Labor Day, catching the last bit of summer sun. Susie Foster Wilson is now back on the North Shore after a summer in Chatham and has been in touch with Mary Emerson and hopes to see Mary in person the next time she is back east. Some sad news to share with our class and the larger Dana Hall community. On August 27, 2019, Sandra Duncanson Vastine passed away. Our thoughts are with her family.
Illustration by Sandra Duncanson Vastine on the title page of the 1973 Focus yearbook
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Grace Nelson writes, “Sandra Duncanson Vastine’s untimely passing led me to look through my scrapbooks from Dana Hall. The mementos I kept reflect how important every individual was to me. Dear Sonj, You were a part of that picture with your humor and creativity. You are forever in our hearts and the pages of our yearbook. The sketch on the title page is yours. Thank you and rest in peace.” Grace has been in northern Vermont near Burlington for 34 years. She has retired from occupational therapy assistant work and she is now into birding among other things. Grace’s son Zachary will be married in Vermont in June 2020. Grace visits with Zak and his fiancée at their home in Lousiville, Colo., twice a year. This past summer Grace had a wonderful visit with Susan Dowley in Hope, Maine. Leslie Bragdon Vieth continues to create and had six of her quilts on display simultaneously in three different shows in October. After teaching in international schools for many years and living in Zurich for the longest time in any one spot, Margot Estabrook Stienstra has—for the past 12 years or so—trained and worked as a Jungian psychoanalyst/therapist. 2019 brought additional opportunities for lecturing, including in China, and sailing in diverse locations. Margot’s family evolves very internationally, too. Margot returns to her native Commonwealth of Massachusetts as often as she can to replenish in home land, light and sea, adding “I still try to live by Amor Caritas, Non satis scire and Lux et veritas” and sends best wishes to all class and schoolmates. In April 2018, Margaret Boles Fitzgerald’s granddaughter, Elizabeth Mae Burke, was born in Sydney, Australia, wee one to her daughter Molly Burke ’04 and husband John Burke; at 18+ months now and fortunately living stateside. (Newton! Easier to grab a cup of tea now!) Margaret writes, “She is a delight. The apple of our eyes and curious—full of energy, smiles, mild mayhem and emerging words. Molly’s husband works remotely from Boston but travels often to New York City and Silicon Valley for Technology Crossover Ventures. Son Sam and his wife Jenny have moved back from Australia (yes, two children and their partners in Sydney at the same time, coincidentally), then to New York City, and now are settled in Oakland, Calif. Sam works for LinkedIn and Jenny works for IBM/Watson. Younger daughter Liza lives
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in Boston and reverse commutes to work in Framingham as a marketing specialist for TJX Companies. My husband Tom has retired and finds many reasons to visit his hometown of Hanover, N.H., in any season for any good athletic and social returns to familiar turf. We still live in beautiful, bucolic Wellesley—just two miles from the Dana Hall campus. C’mon over and visit! Plenty of room now that all the kids are perched elsewhere.” Lucy Franks LaPier retired from her staff job at Stanford University, where she got to know a lot of wonderful and amazing students. Her favorite thing: the Stanford Band! Now with all my free time, Lucy adds, “I guess I have to clean out my garage and attic. If anyone is visiting San Francisco or the Bay Area, let me know. I would love to see you!” Diana Lee Hammond writes, “Very sorry to her about the passing away of Sandra Duncanson Vastine. My strongest memory of Sondra, other than of her enviable hair, concerns her chuckle. No belly laugh, Sondra’s chuckle seemed to come up from her toes and send ripples of amusement through all in her company. I close my eyes and smile as I conjure the sound of this memory. Sending love and wishes of health and happiness to all members of our class, wherever this finds you.” Diana recently saw the Ron Howard documentary Pavarotti, adding “it’s a brilliant recount of an extraordinary man. Our classmate Madelyn Levy Renée’s contribution is not to be missed. Courageous, articulate, honest and beautiful, Madelyn deserves a bravo from all of us as she described her very special relationship with Luciano. Find a way to see this film.”
Class of 1974 Kate Hirsch Koller rkoller@snet.net Kate Koller writes, “I had a terrific summer, albeit a busy one. I attended a family reunion outside of Montreal in June, and enjoyed having Martha Everson stay with us in July when she exhibited at a local arts festival. Poor Martha—I think the temperature was over 100 degrees all weekend, but she was a great sport about it as always! We had lots of company in August, including my oldest daughter, who is very happily living and working in Zurich. In September, I traveled to Switzerland and Germany to visit family
for a couple of weeks. And I’m looking forward to a trip to Portugal in early November where my husband and I will take a river cruise. I thoroughly enjoyed a river cruise on the Danube several years ago with a friend, and this cruise is a trial for my husband. I hope he likes it! I’m continuing with my Spanish classes in New York every week and am also keeping busy with various volunteer activities, especially being treasurer of our local Meals on Wheels organization. My 97-year-old mom lives nearby so I see her often, and am hoping that I’ve inherited her genes! As always, would love to hear from any classmates passing by the New York area.” Loring Grove writes, “This summer I spent a week in Ontario, Canada, in a house by Lake Almic and added a visit to Niagara Falls on the return. Work-wise, I serve as a virtual marketing director for Koehler BrightStar, a flashlight and lantern manufacturer. In my free time, I see friends, play golf, hike (my dog always needs a walk) and garden. I live on .80 of an acre filled with old growth oak trees, so the garden is in a small section of the ground that sees sunlight. It had a bountiful tomato harvest this year and inspired experimentation with tomato sauces as well as to gift friends with bags of tomatoes. Every month I travel with my Bernese mountain dog up to Vermont to see my father, manage his home care and to serve as property manager for his farm. My sister Leslie, family and friends celebrated his 95th birthday in his garden. And, yes, I did serve a tomato salad as well as the perfunctory birthday cake—no candles, just sparklers. Do you remember I was fire chief at Wheeler? I hope to see some of you in the near future!” Candy Kosow Gold writes, “Dreams come true. This past June, I won a Tony Award for co-producing the brilliant musical Hadestown. From Bardwell to Broadway, it’s been many years of hard work that finally paid off. I’m co-producing a new show called Jagged Little Pill (based on the music of Alanis Morrisette) that opens in December. I still live in Newton, Mass., with my wonderful family but I am in New York City frequently. If anyone wants to catch a show, reach out.” Betsy Fear writes, “Greetings! Mike and I ‘gave away’ our younger son Sam to Maraike at our farm in Maine on July 20 in blistering heat! Sam works for OXO in New York City, hoping one of his own kitchen gadget designs ends up in our store some day! Maraike works for the architects
Davis Brody Bond in New York City and they live in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Our oldest son, Charlie, is the director of the boys’ camp at Chewonki, the camp Tapley’s grandfather founded. His wife Heather works in the family business, Now You’re Cooking! Check us out on Facebook.” Betsy Fear and husband Mike “gave away” their son Sam at his wedding in July.
The newlyweds Sam and Maraike
Leslie Dumont writes, “My family is good. Sarah Dumont ’13 is in graduate school at Vanderbilt. Emily Dumont ’14 is living in Boston’s North End and working as an orthopedic technician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Bill and I are truly empty nesters and enjoying our time together. For me, my news is not as fun as Kate’s. The company I worked for (Parexel) was public and went private (bought by Pamplona, for those of you in the know about private equity firms). New CEO and so on down the line. Consolidations and office closings followed. In July, Corporate IT was affected and I was impacted. In case you don’t know what I do and may know someone looking for someone like me, here is a 30-second commercial. I build trusted relationships between IT and the customer utilizing my communication skills, technical background and business acumen. By leveraging these skills along with my team building and analytical approach to problem solving, the wants and needs of the customers are deciphered. Requirements are developed and effectively communicated to the engineering teams,
allowing them to develop viable solutions. I’m open to many industries. I’m asking you all to help me ‘connect’ with any of your connections through LinkedIn or email. When I think of you all, I recall our great 45th Reunion and how much fun it was. I’ve been back to Dana a couple of times for different events associated with the turf field project. The new entrance looks amazing.” Lesley Seymour writes “Our big news is change of venue. After 24 years in the New York City suburbs, we decided to have some fun. We upped and moved to New Orleans. Let me know if you get down this way. We are really enjoying an easier, more friendly way of life. Everyone here is so creative and interesting. We are also loving wearing shorts in October. Woo hoo! Our kids are great and launched. JJ is working as a software developer and living in Brooklyn; Lake is at dental school at UPenn. CoveyClub is going strong and I’m trying to gear up for the next phase.” Laurie Goldstein writes, “I’ve been in and out of Los Angeles pitching a few amazing film projects and back at home working with my coaching clients. I love that I’m able to juggle two aspects of work I equally love; hopefully I’ll have film news next issue. Had a rough go with my dad’s health this year. He passed a few weeks ago at 93. Hard to lose a last parent but so happy he had 92 really good years of life. Makes one appreciate every moment and loved ones all the more.” Tapley Sheresky writes, “In June, our son Kenny was married to literally the girl next door; never knew each other growing up! So I guess we never have to worry about sharing holidays and grandchildren with far away in-laws. Only wish I had a group photo of the Dana group that was there: Alice Parker Flint, Libby Moseley Edwards and Louisa Brown Troubh who were dancing wildly on the dance floor all evening. Our daughter Lucy is in the process of moving to West Palm Beach. She is in need of a climate change. Already can’t wait for the next Reunion. The last was so fun.” Nancy Geiger writes, “My life is very joyful—perhaps boring to others—but John and I are very happy as we are. Both kids, spouses and grands live near us, which gives us more joy than I could ever imagine. I realize how much I missed the wonder of a child while raising our own. As a parent you are so busy and consumed in
the moment, but as a grandparent you have the luxury of seeing the awe and wonder that a child brings. I wouldn’t trade this time for anything!” Kimberly Sweney writes, “Sorry to have missed everyone at Reunion. I have been between coasts for the past few years. I sold my home in New Hampshire and headed back to California. My kids have all settled in the Bay Area: my daughter is at Google, one son at Sony/Playstation and my oldest son works at Tesla. Life does take interesting turns as I quickly found myself in the midst of disaster relief with a call from my sister who was evacuating in Paradise, Calif., and a few months later, a middle of the night call from friends in Montecito, Calif. I helped to settle my sister and her husband back in Marion, Mass., our hometown, and continue to help pick up the pieces in Montecito. I did lose three friends in Montecito, a doctor and his daughter, and a father of six boys, all swept away in the mud flow. Our little community is still eerily quiet. Needless to say, being on the front line with the recovery process is truly amazing. The kindness, generosity and purity of human kind is really something to witness. The stories of compassion continue to leave me raw. It has been quite a journey. Love hearing all the updates. Keep living strong!” Carol Stone writes, “I continue to be amazed at the diverse paths our classmates have taken yet our shared experience at Dana Hall holds us together. A Tony Award winner, a dog trainer, a bread maker, travelers, people starting new jobs and businesses, launching kids, caring for parents, persevering through illness, welcoming grandchildren, weathering disasters, relocating... What busy—and at times challenging—lives we lead! I am into year two of retirement and still loving it. Having time to do the things that my working life prevented or limited me from doing has been liberating. I was sorry to miss Reunion. I had a chance to travel with my daughter during her term abroad last spring and the two schedules unfortunately collided. We had so much fun together yet I was sorry to miss the chance to see so many of you. Our big news is that in June we purchased a 90-year-old cottage on Squam Lake in New Hampshire. Our timing allowed us to enjoy much of the summer there.” Lizz Fabel writes, “No kids, no pets, no parents, just the same ol’, same ol’ would be the news! But I must say, that’s exactly
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how I love it. I still bake bread for farmer’s markets every weekend, and so enjoyed presenting that story at She Sails, although I giggled to myself thinking that I was considered a culinary professional. Ha! I fell into it after being shoved out of my desk job in 2011. But it was the best thing that ever happened to my work life and I so enjoy it. The husband still teaches hanggliding and ventures to Arizona every winter where I will join him for two months, yippee! Love my schedule, as well. Just for kicks, visit www.sonorawings.com. Seeing the desert at 2,000 feet is amazing. And my husband just bought a glamping tent which he is joyfully furnishing, for your comfort, right at the airport. You’ll love it!” Mary Arango writes, “We celebrated an absence of major fires this past summer. I am training dogs and their humans, competing in agility all along the West Coast, and photographing people and dogs in beautiful places. We just added a new border collie puppy to the family, a darling agility and therapy dog prospect from Serbia. Nothing quite like a puppy to add chaos and joy! We have two and a half acres of pasture, orchard, garden and training fields that keep us busy outdoors year-round. The proliferation of hemp fields is creating a real shortage of other crops in Oregon. My daughter Grayson is still loving work at Dana and is a natural with teenagers. Her own boarding school dean would be thrilled to see her work.” Amanda North writes, “I swore I would never do it again, but I’ve started another company. This one is a consultancy that provides board directors and executives the insights they need to catalyze climate action in their companies. Check it out at www.plancadvisors.com. My daughter is a climate journalist, back from four years living in China and now getting her master’s in scientific journalism at New York University. She certainly has persuaded me that climate change is our existential threat and that we all need to do whatever we can to stem its impacts. I continue to love living in San Francisco, perched at the top of Telegraph Hill with phenomenal views of the Bay. Come visit! My son lives nearby on Russian Hill. I travel a lot for business and fun. Most recently, I trekked the Tour de Mont Blanc in August. It was grueling but so gorgeous. Painful, though, to witness the rapid retreat of the glaciers due to warming weather patterns. I also visited Holly Richardson Todd at her home in Hamburg earlier in the spring. We had such fun catching up, touring Hamburg
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and spending a day in Berlin. On the same trip, I spoke at an International Women’s Day gathering in London on behalf of my alma mater, Trinity Cambridge. Lee, I’d love to get together for tea next time I’m passing through London. Lucky you to live there!” Lee Wheeler writes, “I am busy in London trying to keep up with three kids. Two are living in Los Angeles: Emma at Hauser & Wirth and loving the art world, and Oli is an agent at ICM—international film finance, which is a good fit. Perrin is in New York City at Two Sigma as the head of marketing and communications. I’m still working on my start-up: Exhibit A London (www.exhibitalondon.com), a platform for artists and designers, which combines the romance of window shopping with the convenience of buying online. Please have a look and follow us on Instagram. Tapley may be our No. 1 fan; thanks, Tap! And always looking for constructive criticism. Great to hear everyone’s news!” Judy Lighter writes, “I am living in Port Washington, N.Y., with my husband Laurence Glickman. It’s a fantastic town and a great place to raise a family. We have two sons, a psychologist and a photographer. No weddings, no grandkids... yet. We are preparing for our transition out of the suburbs and a move to Manhattan in the next couple of years. We also spend time in Longboat Key, Fla. Nothing like those Gulf sunsets. I have been a social worker, a lawyer and a therapeutic yoga instructor. I have also had the opportunity to travel on medical missions with my husband, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon who works with ReSurge International. These trips to India, Nepal, China, Ecuador, etc., have been among the most rewarding experiences of my life. The work ReSurge does literally changes lives. Janice Levy and I are still close and usually end up in giggle fits when we get together. She is a real treasure in my life. (Thanks, Dana Hall!) Janice lives in Ithaca with her husband Jim. She is still teaching photography at Ithaca College. Hey Levy, write in to let everyone know what you’re up to! (Laurence and I also saw Janice’s sister Madelyn Levy Renee ’73 and her husband in Paris last July. She lives in Milan and is still singing!) I am so grateful for my health, my family and friends, and the opportunity to keep exploring the world.” Laura Moore writes, “I was surprisingly moved seeing classmates for the first time in decades and their enthusiastic response to my ClutterClarity presentation. So
much fun, so much kindness. Happily without children or parents to worry about, I hope to leave something good behind through my work. I’m writing a new book, It’s Your Mess, But Not Your Fault, to give people a better understanding of the complex world of clutter, and the life skills needed to keep our homes and lives in balance. Often I’m daunted by technology (YouTube, podcasts, webinars, etc.), but it has made it possible for me to work with people virtually, wherever they live. Terrific, since I’m only getting older; less schlepping! Often though, I only work by phone, having personal conversations with women without ever knowing what they or their home looks like. Humming right along, liking the privacy, I think. I took August off, traveled visiting friends and started swimming again so my body doesn’t turn into a pretzel. Love to visit if you happen to be in the Boston area.” Lisa Parsons writes, “I have had a wonderful whirlwind in the past 5-6 months. My son got married here at home in early spring with a reception in our backyard. It was a small, 40-person wedding stateside and then, in July, we all flew to Toronto where there was a second celebration (his wife is Canadian). That was a different scene as she comes from a huge family. It was a blast! My younger daughter moved back east and is now living in Vermont, working for Twin Farms Resort as the guest services activities co-director. Not bad to be getting paid to lead bike trips, hikes, skiing and snowshoeing in the winter! I cleared my calendar from mid-August to midSeptember, popped my 1-year-old pup Ripple in the car and drove out to Boulder to take care of my grandson, Theo (who was 10 months old at the time) while my daughter went back to work at her school for a month. It was a gift beyond words. I plan to head back there in February, if not before. However, I won’t be driving this time. It was lovely and a powerful selfreflection time, but don’t need to do it again anytime soon. While I was out there, I took a yoga class I had never heard of and was immediately drawn to it; it just resonated with me. I spoke with the creator, who also owns the studio out there, and I am going to take a teacher training so I can bring the style back to New England! It’s given me renewed passion. I will continue to teach my slow flow classes here at the Y—love doing that—and am in the throes of deciding whether or not it’s time to sell my house here and move to Vermont and just begin an entire new chapter in my life. The drive out and back
to Colorado helped bring some of that into clarity, but I still seesaw from being uber excited to really nervous. I’m also trying to finish writing the book I started a year ago about Bob’s cancer journey in the hopes of bringing more awareness to pancreatic cancer. I am working with an amazing writing coach who lives in Oregon and we meet weekly by FaceTime. That, too, has been an incredible learning experience. I have the utmost respect for anyone who decides to choose writing as their full-time career. So, on the whole, life is good and moving forward. I will have to make the next gathering. In the meantime, if anyone is near Marblehead or up in the Woodstock, Vt., area ever, please let me know. You’ve got a place to stay!” Lisa Burditt writes, “I have loved hearing everyone’s updates and continue to be amazed by the great women in our class! I couldn’t make it to Reunion but am so looking forward already to our 50th! Tim and I are almost five years into our retirement in Rhode Island after 21 years in upstate New York. We continue to feel so lucky to live in a welcoming and supportive community, and to live near the ocean. In particular, I have met a group of women here who are active, intelligent, fun and up for new experiences. We just celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary— yikes! Our three children have all lived in New York City for the past six years, so we’re able to see them fairly often, especially in the summer when our house serves as their beach house. As of November 1st, our oldest daughter is moving to London for a new role with her company (Mondelez—think Oreo and Triscuit, among other brands). The other two, along with our son-in-law, are pretty much confirmed New Yorkers. Our son is a talent manager and our daughter works for an online commercial real estate company. I recently started a part-time job in Jamestown, R.I., working for a friend who needed help with her small business. I do a little bit of everything and am having a good time—no stress, short commute and flexibility. I am still gardening like crazy and finding time to travel and stay active. I am thankful for many things these days—mostly for good health and family and friends. See everyone at the 50th!”
Class of 1975 Kyle W. Fake Seydler kylewfake@gmail.com
Lisa Stutz Baugh competed on Resolute at the Tryon International Equestrian Center.
Lisa on Dream in her early years of riding at Dana Hall
Lisa Stutz Baugh writes, “My news is about re-connecting to my Dana Hall roots through riding. I started riding at the age of 6 ½ at the Dana Hall stables when they offered lessons to the public. That was long before I became a student, so my riding at Dana goes way back. Later, when enrolled at Dana as a day student, I continued to ride and even boarded my horse there during the winter months while attending school. This summer, 50-plus years later, I reconnected with those roots and got the opportunity to compete on a horse out of the traveling Dana Hall show team. My trainer, Mary McKenzie, arranged for me to ride Resolute, a horse she sold to Dana young alumnae Katharine (Kate) Stento ’11 and Julia Stento ’17, at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Tryon, N.C. Under the guidance of Dana Hall trainers Greg Best and Sarah Summers ’98, I garnered two championship titles, two classic wins and overall Grand Summer Circuit Champion. I got such a kick out of stepping into the saddle my first day and seeing the words Dana Hall on the saddle pad and on the banner behind me. I am so impressed with the Dana Hall riding staff. They are top notch! The equestrian program has come such a long way since my early years there. I even got an official Dana Hall logo riding shirt out of the deal, which I will wear proudly. I am so grateful to the
Stentos, Greg, Sarah and Mary for making it all happen this summer! As an aside, while sharing some old photos of my first years riding at Dana, I realized I had additional Dana Hall riding memorabilia. Long after graduating, my mother made me a needlepoint pillow. It had a scene of a horse and a barn on it which she thought I would like given my lifelong passion for horses. As soon as I saw it, I immediately knew what it was and said, ‘Mom, that’s the Dana Hall stables!’ Even today the old original barn remains intact despite all the amazing new and improved changes to the facility. For us old timers, that old barn represents the heritage of the Dana Hall riding program.” Faith Arnold Larson writes, “I have been living in Navarre, Fla., for the last 18 years. I have two grown sons, ages 41 and 43, and two granddaughters, ages 18 and 20. The 18-year-old just started college this year and the 20-year-old is in her second year. I retired in January 2017 and did some traveling and completed my dissertation. I received my doctorate in July. I then got bored and now I am doing some consulting work. I have been married for the last 18 years.” Polly Attwod writes, “I live with my partner, Wendy Sanford, and our dear dog Rory in a co-housing community in Cambridge, Mass. We had a Quaker wedding in 1999, and registered with the state in the early 2000s. Probably I wrote long ago that I was a high school teacher. After 13 years, I transitioned into teacher education around 2004 as I neared the end of an education doctorate. After two years at Lesley University in Cambridge, I moved to Northeastern in Boston where I have been for 10 years. I will leave that position in June and look forward to seeing what may unfold. It’s been meaningful and joyful work to support young people who aspire to teach for social justice. I am active in Friends Meeting Cambridge (Quaker) and also the wider New England Quaker community. Wendy and I have three teenage-to-college-age granddaughters through her/our son Matthew, whom I have known since he was 3 years old. I still enjoy physical activity, though my body now prefers yoga, biking and swimming over running, which I did for years until my knees and back said, ‘No more!’ So that’s a few strands in the cloth of my life. Not sure I can be at the April Reunion. We will see!” Liz Williamson writes, “I did an afternoon of organized ax throwing to celebrate my
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eligibility-for-Social-Security birthday in October. I highly recommend everyone give it a go at least once in their lives.” Liz Williamson throwing axes for her birthday
relatives for the first time and enjoy the beautiful country. I highly recommend it as a travel destination as it’s very inexpensive with amazing history/culture/landscape! I am very blessed to be still in close contact with Sarah Osborn and Liz Cotton, who I get to see in person at least once a year—sometimes more!
Lisa Salisbury writes, “I am building a house next year outside of Park City, Utah, and will hopefully be in by spring 2021. Will be able to have my horse Louie boarded in the community barn and miles of trails nearby. Retirement is lots of fun!” Lisa Salisbury and horse Louie
Debbie Wexler Dombrowski writes, “Jody Bryan Potter lives in western Massachusetts and teaches yoga.”
Sarah Osborn Gardner writes, “I live in Rollinsford, N.H., with my husband Larry. We’ve been married 31 years and have two children. My daughter Kelsey is 27, lives in Boston and works for Cambridge Associates. My son Nick is 26, lives in San Francisco and works for Salesforce. I’ve been retired from being a teacher/therapist for a long while now. I started working as a pet partner, visiting hospitals, nursing homes, schools, libraries and colleges in 2007. I currently work with my second pet partner, a golden retriever named North. I love what I do. It’s a great combination of my old jobs and my love of dogs. I get together with Julie Donnell Rothenberg when we can coordinate our schedules and have had online contact with Debbie Wexler Dombrowski. Otherwise I look forward to reconnecting with other classmates at Reunion.” Julia Donnell Rothenberg writes, “Still living in Cambridge, Mass., with partner Marita. We have been together for 18 years and happy to have been married since gay marriage became legal in Massachusetts! I am very lucky to have both daughters in Cambridge as well. Lucy lives close by and works at Cambridge City Hall in the legal department, while Molly works as a research assistant on a mother/infant study for a local hospital and lives downstairs from me with her husband Clint and my wonderful 2-year-old granddaughter Celia! I’m enjoying taking care of Celia one day a week, working full-time as a nurse in a public health OB/GYN clinic in a Boston neighborhood and part-time in a reproductive health access clinic in the evening. For free time, I have been studying the Bulgarian language for the last few years and traveled to Bulgaria last year with my whole family to meet my mother’s
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Susan Orban Eichler writes, “It was a busy summer. We had a granddaughter marry and two granddaughters graduate from college. It is fun going along for the ride and not having to do any of the work for a change! We spent the rest of the summer/early fall at the eastern shore of Maryland where we have a home. Now we are back in Pennsylvania for the holidays and a long winter’s nap!” Laura (Dodo) Ellis writes, “In September 2020, Page Waterman Gallery at 592A Washington Street in Wellesley, Mass., will exhibit my paintings. It’s just a few blocks away from Dana. Any classmates living nearby, please join me for the opening reception on September 12, 2020. It would be fun to see you there! You can visit my website at lauraellisart.com.” Nancy Alexander writes, “I’m sending a family photo of my gang at daughter Sarah Barnard’s Denver wedding in May; such a fun event. Other news: Last college graduation also in May; Ian graduated from Northeastern. No more tuitions to pay. He has returned to Boston to work as a computer engineer, re-establishing family roots up north. The other three kids are doing well, and Mark and I are enjoying his retirement down here in Maryland. I still see Eunice Murray ’74 regularly as she’s in Virginia, and had some time with Nancy MacDonald and Laura (Dodo) Ellis this summer. Life is good. Feeling great in my 60s. Not such a bad decade, really.”
Nancy Alexander’s son Ian, stepdaughter Danyel, Nancy, groom Brenton Hutson, bride Sarah, husband Mark and son Nick
Curry Glassell writes, “A kinda cool update is that I started a preliminary course to claim a graduate degree online with Meridian University. In mid-October 2019, I attended a salon on personal growth and leadership training led by three wonderful women, including the sociologist Jean Houston, in a private home in Oregon. Two of the facilitators are on the teaching staff at Meridian. If you’re curious, visit www.jeanhouston.com. From my years at Dana to the present, I am still very interested in women’s issues, and rights and roles in society. As we plan and get ready to gather again, I am looking forward to reconnecting and hearing from all of you.” Melissa Garvan writes, “We survived the 2019 hurricane season and I’m counting my blessings! I work seven days a week and took a weekend off in mid-October to see my nephew in Asheville, N.C.—a break before crazy Howl-a-days crank up! No excuses, but will probably be a last-minute joiner at Reunion. Dang, I can’t believe another classmate passed as I got the snail mail today. Norma Laurenzi… I remember the face. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the 45th!” Hillary Bailey Smith writes, “The next phase? I would love to have a chance over the (Reunion) weekend to hear about what our classmates were doing professionally and where they want to focus their attention in the future. Evolution is the key to life. Change is good. How can we help each other? Even down to exchange of ideas on where we want to live, travel. I love this! We were a helluva class then, but we are even better now!” Laura Coleman writes, “I think one of Dana Hall’s attributes that grounds/ties me is its commitment to helping us grow into
whole people, especially as citizens. Am I right about that part of Dana’s mission? Somehow, it’s always stuck with me when I compare with other educational experiences. Lots of love.”
Class of 1976 Correspondent needed
Class of 1977 Elizabeth Browning Riley lizriley09@gmail.com Beth Shapiro Lewyckyj writes, “After 37 years, I retired from the CIA and at about the same time, my husband Ray retired as a senior engineer for a geospatial services company. I do miss the people and the mission, but we are happily settling into a retirement routine that includes more exercise, getting together with friends, volunteering, lots of yard work and outdoors-based volunteer work (for Ray), and a little travel. We are so lucky to have my parents in South Dartmouth to visit— and also see my sister, Karen Shapiro ’79 from Needham—and our kids are in great cities to visit: Elise and her husband in San Francisco and Jonathan in Chicago. I would love to see more classmates in the D.C./MD/VA area; I was so glad to see Marcia Teng Ishizuka at a Dana reception! It’s wonderful to follow classmates on Facebook and Instagram and see what you’re up to!” Debby Meyer Dreyus writes, “It has been a crazy year! Jessica and Colin welcomed a baby boy on April 17. His name is Remy. He is adorable! Charlie is engaged to Danielle Levy. They will be getting married in Austin in April. They have been living in London for nearly a year. David and his girlfriend Kait live in Atlanta and are doing great. John and I are enjoying welcoming grandchildren, planning wedding festivities and traveling. It has been a fabulous and eventful year. We can’t wait to see what 2020 brings our way.” Sara Tedesco Tagget writes, “For our 60th birthdays, my husband David and I toured Ireland. We went all around the coast, just one beautiful scenery after another. My great grandmother Sarah came from Ireland and it was wonderful getting to know more about my Irish heritage. My husband was the coach of our team, Your Life Matters, for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)
Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk in Boston. The walk started at dusk on June 22 and continued through the night; 16 miles around and through the city. I am so proud of our team. We had 22 individuals from all over the country walk with us and we raised more than $35,000! We were 6th highest team for money raised.” Liz Browning Riley writes, “I hope you are all enjoying your 60-year celebrations. My children treated me to a week in California with their families—true joy! I have been very busy this year traveling to see my daughters and my mom. I am the perfect example of the sandwich generation. My daughter Kate and her husband had a baby girl in May: Penelope Quinn. I was able to spend three weeks in Seattle with them which was such a joy. Travel has been a large part of my retirement. I went to Japan in March, spent a week with my mom in New York City going to the Ring Cycle at the Met (17 hours of opera in four nights). I loved it! I am also busy volunteering at the Franklin Park Conservatory, Hilltop Preschool, The Center for Family Safety and Healing, Columbus Women’s Chorus and CATCO, a semiprofessional theater company in Columbus. It is so exciting to see what everyone is doing, please keep us all updated through Facebook and through the Dana Bulletin! Cheers!” Joy Haywood Moore was named vice president for Student Affairs at Boston College in July 2019.
Class of 1978 Lisa Aronson Altman P11, 16 laltmn@comcast.net Ellen Meisel Barrett stays in touch with Carol Rohall Craig, Liz Scallon, Lauren Henderson Bak, Stacey Cushner, Suzi Peterson, Diane Whitney and Dana Frizell. Ellen has stopped working as a speech and language pathologist and is enjoying working at a small toy store in Duxbury. She says that mothering a 13-year-old at almost 60 is challenging but fun. Her daughter Sophia is in 7th grade and loves horseback riding, swimming, drawing and is an avid reader. Wendy Scullin Teplow is doing great. Her son Nathan got married in September. I (Lisa Aronson Altman) am friends with the bride’s family, so I was there, too. What a beautiful wedding! Nathan is a wonderful man and we’re so happy for them.
Alex Riemer Greenberg just celebrated her 29th wedding anniversary with husband Marc in Yosemite National Park at the same restaurant they got engaged at! Her son Zachery is a senior at University of California-Santa Cruz majoring in legal studies; he works at a high-end bike shop. He enjoys biking and the gorgeous outdoors of campus life in northern California. Her son Noah is a senior at Los Alamitos High School and is competing in his fourth year on the Los Al Surf Team and plans to pursue firefighting. Alex is the center director at Sylvan Learning Center of Long Beach, Calif., and was just awarded Top 10 Center Director of the Year out of 650 centers nationwide. Way to go, Alex!
Alex Riemer Greenberg and family celebrating Alex and Marc’s 29th wedding anniversary in Yosemite National Park
As for me, Lisa Aronson Altman, I continue to enjoy my time volunteering at Dana (yep, I never leave!). There have been so many amazing changes! My daughter Alexis Altman ’11 continues her work as a social worker at a residential school for at-risk youth. Madison Altman ’16 is a senior at Union College and preparing for her next chapter. Okay, ladies! If you are reading this, you are interested in our class and what’s going on. Please, help me out and send me submissions. We would love to hear about what is going on in your lives!
Class of 1979 Lynn Phillips Hernandez lynn.hernandez@comcast.net Lynn Phillips Hernandez writes, “In submitting our Class Notes for the last edition of the Dana Bulletin, I inadvertently left out that Linda Sloane Kay also attended the festivities to celebrate our 40th Reunion in April. We all appreciate the effort made by those who were able to be there and we certainly missed all those who weren’t.”
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Cindy Cross writes, “I’m having a blast visiting Marina Palmerio at her home in Lucca, Italy! (Kate Hewlett has specifically said that she does not want any bailout calls.) The Class of ’79... some things never change.”
Debbie Albert writes, “My son Antonio got married. They were married in La Canada, Calif. It’s near Pasadena. It’s been a little hectic, but life is back to normal now.
Karen Shapiro writes, “I hope all my classmates are well. I’ve taken on a new role: volunteer for Bill Weld 2020. My senior year at Tufts I caught the political bug and spent 1983-84 as a campaign advance staff member for the Democratic primaries. After meeting Governor Weld at Tufts, I decided to jump in again. I’ve been an active town meeting member here in Needham for the past several years and I’m excited to be campaigning again. I had a terrific summer with a trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for hiking, kayaking and enjoying the beauty of the Great Lakes. We also were on the Danube for a lovely cruise through part of central Europe with visits to Bratislava, Prague, Vienna and Budapest.”
Debbie Albert’s son Antonio and bride Jessie on their wedding day
Jane Harrington Coble writes, “This was a summer of catching up with old friends and I visited with two from Dana! My husband Jon and I went to visit Derya Samadi in Rhode Island. Derya has a lovely place in Charlestown close to the Giovan’s place and also saw Jenny Phillips in San Francisco. Coast-to-coast visits. So much fun!”
Debbie with daughter Sofia
Carol Barbor writes, “I was at the Frankfort Film Festival in Michigan and sat with longtime friend Susan Morris who shared with me her mother went to Dana Hall. Then last evening, I had dinner with Margot Singer in Granville, Ohio, and we attended the Denison Chamber Singers concert together, in which my daughter participated. And I had dinner with Suzy Harris Verchick in New Jersey. It is wonderful having these Dana links!”
Diane Sabatini writes, “I’m in Boston through March producing a movie for Disney+, The Walt Disney Studio’s new streaming service. Living downtown and reconnecting with a city and region I haven’t lived in for decades! Lovely coincidence.” Kathy Davidson Lobo writes that she traveled to Alexandria, Va., for the fall board meeting and to serve on the board of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) International. She frequently speaks at conferences and writes articles in the field of teaching English learners. This fall Kathy, an adjunct professor, was participating in Brandeis University’s faculty art show called Just Arts. This is the first time she has shown the watercolors she paints when traveling. Views from travels this year featured England, Spain, Belgium and China.
Linda Sloane Kay writes, “It was a bittersweet year for me. My dad passed away on April 6 and I miss him terribly. But my son Josh married a beautiful woman, Brooke Patkin, in June, and my daughter Rachel just got engaged to Franklin Ross. So I am over the moon about my family expanding. Professionally, my new role at Century Bank is vice chair. Life is busy but rewarding. I also enjoyed attending our 40th Reunion.”
Class of 1980 Melissa Brown Moore mbm@ibl.bm
Kathy Davidson Lobo’s watercolors
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Margot Singer writes, “No major news from me. Had dinner with Carol Crowdus Barbour and heard her daughter Katherine (who is a sophomore at Denison) sing an amazing solo in the fall choir concert. My son Rafi is now a freshman at Davidson College and my daughter Micaela is a senior at the University of Michigan.”
Diane Appel writes, “In September, I had the pleasure of traveling to Rome and Florence as part of a boutique group tour organized by Wendy Higgins Chambers; my daughter Brianna came along as well. It was our first time in Italy and we both had fantastic, life-changing experiences! So much so, that I promptly signed up for the June alumnae trip to Quito and the Galapagos, also organized by Wendy. My daughter Bri and I parted in Florence and she returned home to Los Angeles to discover she had been tapped for a high-level management position in the film industry. Susanna Beacom took time to show me Chelsea Market and the High Line during a New York City layover on the way home. I was able to find Lynn McCusick Bottomley again in—of all places—my hometown of Rye, N.H.! She’s an avid horsewoman like me. We connected on social media and continue to be in touch. All in all, a magical fall.” Cheri Wyatt writes, “I became a grandmother! My daughter had a baby girl in September. She lives in Virginia and I live in New Hampshire, so the distance will make visits challenging. I was lucky enough to be in the delivery room for my granddaughter’s birth. Just the beginning of a new set of adventures. Who knows, maybe she’ll go to Dana Hall some day!”
Class of 1981 E. Fraser Demetree Benzal efbenzal@yahoo.com
Class of 1982 Anne Morton August guinvere@hotmail.com In August, Mei-Ni Kuo returned to Boston. Several of us went out for dinner: Joanne Butterfield, Sarah Raymond, Sally Wattles and Kristin Kos. We had a great time catching up!
Joanne Butterfield, Mei-Ni Kuo, Sarah Raymond, Anne August, Sally Wattles, Kristin Kos
Linda Perry Kimbrell writes, “Two years ago, Tom and I sold our house in Utah and moved onto our recently purchased Catana 43’, a cruising catamaran. During the past two winters we sailed throughout the Bahamas. This winter we plan on going farther south to the West Indies and hopefully as far as Panama, where we used to live and work. We still spend a couple of summer months every year in Maine at my family’s place in Deer Isle. And recently we purchased a house in Taos, New Mexico, to have a spot to be in the mountains when we are not on the ocean. Some might think it is a rather schizophrenic lifestyle we lead, but we love exploring new places, meeting new people and learning new things. Keeps us young—at least in spirit! Updated mailing address for me: PO Box 1926, Taos, NM 87571.”
didn’t have families and schedules to get back to. Sue Carchidi also bought one of those sculptures, not that I expected her to, but we’ve been in close contact most of our lives. Thank you both for supporting one of my favorite charities and my artwork; I cherish being friends with both of you! Hoping to hear that Alison Spritzer Rose reconnected with Alison Salas as she was looking for her this summer. Lisa Glazer started teaching yoga this year. She lives in New Jersey and has one child at West Virginia University and another one in a local performing arts high school. Page Franson writes that she is recovering from yet another knee surgery. This was scar tissue cleanout No. 4 with a cartilage restoration procedure OATS. Overall, it is No. 6. She spent five weeks in Florida doing rehab round No. 1. And is now home doing round No. 2. She could not replace the knee until the scar tissue stopped being created. So far, she thinks that she might have beaten the scar tissue and is looking forward to getting off her crutches and out of the post-op brace and walking unaided. Other than that, she’s doing rehab and more rehab and resting and more resting. “Fairly boring,” she says. “You’d be amazed at the everyday tasks that become complicated when your knee does not work. Hope some other people have some better news!” Merri Zieman Gutfleish and Laura Lavit Elmore
Hoping to see a lot of folks from the Class of ’82 at our… gulp… 40th Reunion in 2022!
Class of 1984
Class of 1983
Leah Morris P23 jmorrisfamily@comcast.net
Laura Lavit Elmore lauralelmore@yahoo.com
Class of 1985
One of the highlights of 2019 for me (Laura Lavit Elmore) is reconnecting with Merri Zieman Gutfleish. Merri surprised me by bidding on and winning a piece of artwork that I donated to our local Habitat for Humanity chapter for an online auction. I think Merri and I have spoken once or twice since graduation. We met halfway between us and I think we could have closed the restaurant down if we
Christina Whiting Dougherty cswdougherty@comcast.net Lisa Iagatta LIagatta@yahoo.com Lisa Iagatta and I (Christina Whiting Dougherty) are so excited for our 35th Reunion coming April 24-26! We hope to see you! Please join our Facebook private group: Dana Hall Class of 1985.
Class of 1986 Katharine Allen kral135@psu.edu Katherine Koumantzelis Copeland P18, 20, 23 copelandkk@gmail.com Belkis Suazo deCastro belkisdecastro@gmail.com
Class of 1987 Lauren Karp Kinghorn lkkinghorn29@gmail.com Hello and happy 50th for most! Sail, sisters! Laurie Switzer had the privilege of traveling to Scotland with most of her family this past year. She says, “Not a strip mall in sight!” With so many classmates hitting a milestone birthday, Kelly Shea Lyden would love to do a Dana get-together in the Boston area! Please reach out to her at ksl@kellyboat.com if interested. She has an annual trip to various warm locations each January with Leslie Solomon Reitman, Kristen Angelis Monahan and Clarissa Holden Hawk and she encourages others to join them if they can. Kelly started a company that’s sort of a luxury Airbnb for yachts instead of homes. Boat owners who don’t get out as often as they would like make them available with a captain and we find guests who want a day on the water. She is having fun! They are in the northeast for now. Keep them in mind for anyone who has a boat or wants to be in one. You can learn more at www.kellyboat. com. She also recently visited Lago di Garda, Italy, and would like to visit Australia with her children. She remembers Mr. Fig playing baseball in AP US History. She recommends two fabulous restaurants in her current hometowns: Plate in Stowe, Vt., and Pearl in Nantucket, Mass. Kelly’s oldest daughter is looking at colleges, and she is eager to hear others’ experiences in this! Jacqueline Heller Jacques is a naturopathic doctor and fellow of the Obesity Society. Her older son (20) started his sophomore year at University of Denver where he is studying math and business, and playing competitive rugby. Her younger son (17) is now in his senior year of high school. While he’s applying to college, his band Greer just signed a recording deal with Epitaph records and they are headed off on their first U.S. tour. She says, “My career still proves to be fun
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and challenging. We are starting a new joint venture to develop drugs and medical foods targeting the endocannabinoid system. That should keep me busy for a while! I celebrated my 50th birthday this year by spending two weeks in Peru and Chile with my long-time boyfriend. We also adopted a new dog and a handful of chickens.” Jacqueline Heller Jacques with her boyfriend celebrating her 50th birthday abroad
Sheryl Levine Berenson spends most summers back in New England in Ogunquit, Maine, visiting with family and old friends. Sheryl has been in South Florida for many years. When “home,” she and Wendy Rotfort spend time together during the summer. She hopes to finally reconnect with Wendy Mackenzie! Jacquie Heller and I (Lauren Karp Kinghorn) spent some time together this fall in Boston on one of her many business trips. We went to dinner and the ICA.
Angie Wooldridge and her brother played together in a tennis tournament.
Connie White lives in Phoenix and runs a successful photography business with her husband. She visited Barbados and Poonam (Sparky) Kessaram Millward. In the fall, Connie had back surgery and is recovering steadily. She would love to hear from you at cwlife@cox.net.
Connie White and Poonam Kessaram Millward in Barbados
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Dana Tannenbaum Cahoon dbcahoon@mac.com Nicole Hickman James nicolejames228@gmail.com Heather McPhee hmmcphee@yahoo.com
Class of 1989
Jacquie Heller Sarah Burgess Gregorian and Lauren sbgregorian@gmail.com Karp Kinghorn Heather Hopkins writes, “It’s been a busy several months, work-wise. Had the honor
Ashley Alexander Mulligan has four kids. Her oldest is in the Peace Corps in Belize, second has graduated and is working in Dallas, third is senior at West Point, and the youngest is at Texas Tech. Angie Wooldridge, still sporty spice, trying to “break 80 by 60” (golf) and played in a tennis tournament with her brother last summer.
Class of 1988
A shout out to Michelle Hoffman Foote who recently won the New England Equitation Championship riding Stand by Me. Alison Campbell celebrated 20 years of doing landscape design and container gardening last year! Her husband, Karl Jackson, has recently joined her in the business. His 30+ years of experience in the landscape industry adds another layer of expertise to the business. She enjoys the creativity and “instant gratification” of container gardening as a balance to the long-term time frame of planning and overseeing the installation of residential landscapes. They work all around the Boston area. Her website is aclandscapedesign.com. On the personal side, Alison’s family is getting very grown up! Her oldest, Bradlee, got married this August. Ian is working for an architecture firm in the Boston area, Grace is a sophomore at St. Lawrence and Ben started high school at Beaver! On the home front, Alison is psyched she finally has a space for an art studio—only 10 years in the making. Lauren Karp Kinghorn writes, “I am now an empty nester (daughter just started at Harvard) and am looking forward to using my time to travel. Please remember to send me updates on you and your family for the next Dana Bulletin!”
to be working at the Pentagon as the chief of staff to the secretary of the Army, who is the civilian head of the whole U.S. Army. In June, I transitioned up to the Office of the Secretary of Defense. My first challenge was to get the deputy secretary of Defense (the No. 2 at DoD) confirmed by the U.S. Senate, into his official role, in record time. And I made the DoD Twitter feed in the process. It’s been quite a ride! My sweet dog Rufus is been doing well and helped cheer the Washington Nationals into the World Series!” Heather Hopkins at a Washington Nationals game with her dog Rufus
Julianne Barnes Webb writes, “I’m now teaching at School of Rock Cincinnati and I still maintain my home studio. My busy time with my caroling quartet began in November and I always look forward to spreading some Christmas cheer. My family took a trip to Colorado in June for a wedding and the kids fell in love with the whole state. Spring break was a longawaited trip to Universal in Orlando— mainly to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It was magical! We also suffered the loss of friends this year, so it was a year of ups and downs. We’re hoping to come to the next big Reunion. The kids have great memories of the last one and want to make more!”
For my news, I (Sarah Burgess Gregorian) bumped into Tiffany Clark at the Gene Loves Jezebel/Alarm show at the Paradise Rock club this fall. That was totally random and quite joyous. She’s living on the North Shore and keeping a low profile, but not low enough, apparently. Caught you! My eldest, Jack, is officially a college student at Loyola University Maryland, which affords me the glorious opportunity to see Tracey Clark Gill on a semi-regular basis. She and I have picked up like no time has passed and are having a blast tearing up Baltimore. If you haven’t been lately, do yourself a favor and get there, posthaste. The inner harbor is amazing, as are the many funky little villages sprinkled around the city— particularly around Johns Hopkins and Loyola. I have been thoroughly enjoying Tracey as a tour guide; she’s the best!
I’m quite sure I’m forgetting many other details, so please forgive me. Until next time, faithful readers.
Class of 1990 Elizabeth Record Svedlund P22 ersvedlund@gmail.com
Class of 1991 Robin Durawa rcdurawa@msn.com Abbey Deitel Shavell writes, “It took me long enough, but I finally made my way to Madrid and got together with several of the Dana girls: Begona Martinez de Lecea ’90, Cristina Castro ’93, Isabel Martinez-Noriega ’90, Lucia Sainz and Maria Elisa Scull ’90 (not pictured). Twenty-nine years later and they’re all as fun and fabulous as I remembered! Lots of laughs, great stories and wine. Can’t wait to go back.”
Sarah Burgess Gregorian, Tracie May Wagner and Hally Mix Mundel Edie Perkins and Hally Mix Mundel in Los Angeles
Hally Mix Mundel and I have been carousing around Newton as of late—also glorious and regularly side-splitting. If you’re in town, shoot me a text as we’d love for you to join us! She recently had foot surgery, though finally has made a full recovery and is back behind the wheel with doctor’s approval. She and I had a whirlwind lunch with Tracie May Wagner at Legal Harborside. Tracie was in town to visit Sara Thibault Morrison ’88 (who has moved to Maine), and came back through Boston on her way to Pride in Provincetown. It was great to see her and hear about her thriving business in Los Angeles. She was busy during lunch planning the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fashion show for New York Fashion Week, which took place on September 8, and Hally was lucky enough to attend with her daughter Olivia Mundel ’20. The pictures were amazing!
Abbey Deitel Shavell with Begona Martinez de Lecea ’90, Cristina Castro ’93, Isabel Martinez-Noriega ’90 and Lucia Sainz in Madrid
Adriana Ramirez writes, “I became a fitness specialist known in social media as momof4transform, and opened my supplement company and line in the U.S. called MO4T. I moved from Florida after almost four years to Calgary, Canada, chasing my older kids and to reunite my family. We are all doing great with snow and cold weather. Can’t wait to hear from all of you guys.” Maura Cornelius Burger writes, “We are transitioning to Florida life nicely. It’s been a little more difficult for the girls because they miss their friends, but we all love the beautiful weather. Living on the ocean has definitely been a good thing, although I will always miss New York. I encourage anyone that feels the need to change their quality of life to do it now and don’t wait. Life is too short to not enjoy every day. Come visit!”
Heidi Clapp Webster writes, “I live in Concord, Mass., with my husband, three children, three dogs and two guinea pigs, and life is really busy. I recently started a new job working with women who have had a career break get back into the workforce. Our clients are large companies looking to diversify their workforce and would love Dana grads! Check out our website at www.reachire.com and you can send me an email at hwebster@reachire.com. Jessica Kosow writes, “I got a new puppy, which keeps us busy. I spent time with Miriam Hoffman this past summer in Nantucket. We took a boat ride and while it wasn’t exactly Harbor Cruise, it was filled with reminiscing!” Lucienne Lutfy-Clayton writes, “I’m living in Longmeadow, Mass., with Sandy (husband), Sam (15), Nona (12) and my mum. We love being out here in the western part of the state where we can enjoy our space and our quintessential New England town. Nona and Sam are in school with Sam having started high school this year (time has flown by!). I’m at UMASS Baystate in Springfield where I help to run an emergency medicine residency, which I love. I get to teach and do the medicine I love in one job. I’ve loved seeing everyone at our Reunions and hope all are happy and well. If you are ever out this way, look us up! Mum [Linda Lufty Clayton, former Upper School math teacher] wanted me to fill in her Dana family that she was recently diagnosed with a rapidly progressive form of ALS that is causing her difficulty with her speech, swallowing and breathing. As you might expect she is handling this with her innate grace and ever-positive attitude. She has 6-9 months during which she plans on ringing out every drop of joy she can. We just returned from a week on Jekyll Island and Savannah, Ga., one of our favorite spots to visit. Mum sat under an umbrella with her feet in the water for hours. While she can no longer be understood on voice calls, she is an avid texter and emailer. You can reach her at (617) 699-1651 or llclayton@comcast.net. She would love to hear from you.” Robin Crowder Durawa writes, “I’m finding the life of an empty nester gut wrenching. I invent some excuse to visit the kids several times a week, but I miss the chaos and busyness of a full house. I’m still looking for a hobby to distract me and relieve my dog from excessive snuggling. Please send your updates my way! If you have not been receiving my emails, I do not have your current address. Please forward your email to rcdurawa@msn.com.”
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Mina Connor writes, “I hope this finds everyone well! Starting to split my time between Boston and Honolulu now in slow preparation for retirement to a warmer climate. Shocked by how old I am but trying not to feel it/show it at least! I spend more than I’d like to admit on skin serums and such. I have to share that I occasionally hurt my neck while sleeping and have developed tendonitis in my right elbow. Sometimes overnight I grow a gray hair that I attack with tweezers. Sometimes innocent ‘normal hair’ bystanders are sacrificed. I’m starting to need reading glasses. That’s my life in a nutshell! Hope you all are avoiding these afflictions!”
talked a lot about Dana, and some of the differences and similarities of our experiences. The traditions were great to reminisce about and we even share the same color ring.” Alexa Hall Holian and Nicole Rutberg Di Resta
Class of 1994 Emily Spencer ’16 and Nicole show off their Dana rings.
Class of 1992 Rachel Bebchick Naggar rnaggar@gmail.com Hello, 1992ers! Hope all is well. It’s been a busy year and I (Rachel Bebchick Naggar) have loved hearing from a lot of you over Facebook. I just started my 17th (!) year at Kent Place. It’s hard to believe because sometimes it feels like just yesterday we were all together at Step Sing! This fall my family celebrated my daughter Mia’s bat mitzvah. It was a magical day and I was happy to share it with Nicole Rutberg Di Resta and her family and Alexa Hall Holian and her daughter Grace. I can’t believe I have a teenager now! Sending all of you virtual hugs.
Nicole Rutberg Di Resta, Rachel Bebchick Naggar and Alexa Hall Holian at Rachel’s daughter’s bat mitzvah
Nicole Rutberg Di Resta writes, “It was our annual vacation to Cape Cod and always great to get together with Alexa Hall Holian and her family. The kids all have a good time and Alexa and I get to catch up and share all our mommy stories. I was thrilled to discover that one of our interns in my office graduated from Dana Hall. Emily Spencer ’16 is a fantastic addition to our team of interns and I hope she is enjoying the experience. We have
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beautiful, baby boy on July 3. Joseph Nicholas Russo V is happy and healthy and the 16th grandchild for my parents. Zoë Timms, Viviana Andrade, Amy Dahm and Ileana Vasquez threw me a Dana baby shower in June and we had the best time—always special to be with lifelong friends! I’m still living in Manhattan and my interior design business is going strong with current projects in Connecticut, New Jersey and Colorado. Wishing everyone well and wondering if anyone else uses/ used that SPREAD song as a lullaby?!”
Elisabeth Morray morray@gmail.com
Class of 1995 Caryn Byrnes Anderson carebear102106@gmail.com Dustina Bennett dustinabennett@gmail.com Shari Twidwell shares, “Well, things are a little nutty here in Southern California. As I write this, the last of some major fires are being squelched—thank goodness—and folks are returning to their homes as the rest of us return to normal breathing. I continue to coach swimming, but I made a big decision and registered with the state, and have started clocking clinical hours to obtain my clinical social work license. After 19 years of having the MSW, I’m putting it to work again! Scary but fun, and I’ll be a full-fledged licensed therapist soon. I got to see Miriam Hoffman ’91 a few months ago when we finally got together and took a little hike. It was great to catch up with her, and of course it wasn’t enough time. Can’t wait to do more! If anyone is in the southern California area and wants to catch up, take a hike or even needs a therapist (!), give me a shout! twidjr@gmail.com. I miss you all and hope everyone is well!”
Class of 1993 Amie Margolis silogram7@gmail.com Zoë Timms zoevjtimms@gmail.com Elise Morrissey writes, “Hello, classmates! I am overjoyed to announce that my husband and I welcomed a
Class of 1996 Tracy Spiegel Fox tracy.foxcraft@gmail.com Katharine Sidell Morton mortonkam@gmail.com
Class of 1997 Kristin Bedard kristinbedard@gmail.com Lisa Brown lmclennanb@gmail.com Heather Cochrane Russo heatherjean23@hotmail.com
Class of 1998 Ruchira Kumar ruch.kumar@gmail.com Guida Mattison guidaemattison@gmail.com Jane Monti Young chaseyounggallery@gmail.com
Class of 1999 Brooke Anderson brookeanderson81@hotmail.com Amanda Coyle FitzGerald amandaecoyle@gmail.com
Susan and Dick Condon P02; and Kathy and Don Luby P09. Dana alumna, the Honorable Hélène Kazanjian ’78, officiated the ceremony, which took place in Beverage Hall. This fall marked my ninth year at Harvard University where I serve as an associate director of Leadership Giving. Julia Eliott writes, “I am now a high school art teacher! I am so excited to be at Dos Pueblos High School this year as a charger and get the opportunity to ignite a creative spark and cultivate a love of visual expression in high school students. I previously worked as an elementary art teacher for three years before making the transition to high school and really love it!”
Class of 2000 Jillian Riley jillianmriley@gmail.com Caroline Sayia cwdale@gmail.com Erica Wyner ericawyner@gmail.com Chen Yang visited Dana Hall and caught up with faculty members Mary Cameron and Julie Sheldon.
Courtney Tipping Brady was married on September 21, 2019, to Joe Brady at the Museum of Science. Dana Hall was well represented through years 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2008. Meredith Tipping Hudzik ’04’s daughters, Greer and Scarlett, and Amanda Dunwell Brown’s daughter, Mandela, were flower girls. Courtney Tipping Brady and her husband Joe on their wedding day
Tanya Lubicz-Nawrocka tlubicznawrocka@gmail.com Elise Valerio O’Hara elise586@gmail.com
Class of 2005 Elizabeth Pond elpond@gmail.com Caroline Ross rosscae@gmail.com
Class of 2006 Chidinma Iruka chidiiruka@gmail.com Summer Sterling slsterling@live.com Madeleine MacNeil and Mark Kinney, a fellow Colgate University grad, were married at Glynwood in upstate New York in August. Madeleine’s sister, Margaux MacNeil ’09, was her maid of honor. Dana friends Stephanie Quinn Oppel, Danielle Hunt-Prague and Brett Pettee attended. It was a beautiful weekend!
Class of 2001 Renee Clayton renee.clayton82@gmail.com
Class of 2002 Bettina Janco bettinajanco@gmail.com
Madeleine MacNeil and husband Mark Kinney on their wedding day Madeleine with sister Margaux MacNeil ’09 Courtney with fellow Dana girls at her wedding
Class of 2003 Meredith Caruso with her husband Romeo Solviletti and Dana guests at her wedding
Meredith Caruso writes, “On December 29, 2018, after three years together, Romeo Solviletti and I were married. We celebrated our love and friendship in an intimate and elegant reception alongside Dana Hall alumnae and friends including Courtney Caruso ’05; Ginny and Jerry Caruso P02, 05; Caitlin Condon ’02;
Donna DiDomenico djdidome@gmail.com Elizabeth Stuka Rose elizabeth.stuka@gmail.com
Class of 2004 Jazmin Kirby jazminlechekirby@gmail.com
Summer Sterling writes, “I moved to Taiwan in August to teach English. My students are anywhere from 5 to 15 years old, so I work at a traditional kindergarten and a ‘cram school.’ The work takes up more time than I’d expected, but I try to travel as much as I can. Taiwan is a
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beautiful country and I look forward to the rest of my time here.” Brett Pettee writes, “I gave birth to my second child, a boy, in July of this year. He is a good baby, named after my mother whose maiden name was Tucker. She sadly passed away in 2017 so we really were very happy to pay tribute to her. I now live in New Jersey where I work as a primary care internal medicine doctor with Summit Medical Group, which has been an intense but ultimately rewarding experience my first few years out of residency. I keep in touch with my silver sisters in the New York City area (Stephanie, Kate, Maddy and Natalia) and had such a nice time celebrating Madeleine MacNeil’s wedding in August! If anyone is in the Manhattan or New Jersey area, feel free to visit!”
Class of 2007 Agnes Beckmann beckmann.agnes@gmail.com Alexandra Leith alexandra.leith@gmail.com Hilary O’Haire Pinkerton hilaryeo@gmail.com
Dallas and finish my fellowship in 2020. I am still friends with Dana Hall girls but unfortunately, we are all pretty spread out. Attached is a picture of us from my wedding at the Boston Public Library two years ago.” Sommer Thomas is finishing her MBA at D’Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University. Megan Heimann is (still) working on her Ph.D. in immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She lives in Baltimore with her husband, their two dogs, two cats and many rats. For Charlotte Miller’s 30th birthday, she decided to hike all 48 of the New Hampshire 4,000 footers in the calendar year. She started with a two-week backpacking trip with more than 100 miles and 25 mountains conquered. Her trip, however, was cut short by a wind and ice storm that knocked her off Jefferson with injured knees and a sprained foot. Charlotte is now all healed and back on the trails. After eight years together, my nowhusband Joe Cutick and I (Alexandra Leith) got married on October 5 in the Berkshires. Fellow Dana Hall grads in attendance included Sommer Thomas, Megan Heimann and Maid of Honor Charlotte Miller. Alexandra Leith and husband Joe Cutick on their wedding day
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Jacquelyn Maggiore jemaggiore@gmail.com Jacqueline O’Leary jacqueline.oleary2@gmail.com Yin Ling (Nicole) Suen nicolesuen0119@gmail.com
Class of 2009 Emily Soukas emily.soukas@gmail.com Emaline Surgenor emaline.surgenor@gmail.com Candace Taylor cltaylor1019@gmail.com See the Class of 2006 notes for a photo of Margaux MacNeil.
Class of 2010 Cat Blakelock blakelockc@gmail.com Aly Glavin alyson.glavin@gmail.com Paige Walker walkerp.10@gmail.com
Class of 2011 Katie Jones Katiejadejones@aol.com
Emily Moeller, Emily Hoehlein, Cassie Newburg Mackey, Erin Murtagh and Abby Steele at Cassie’s wedding
Cassie Newburg Mackey writes, “After Dana Hall, I went to college at Washington University in St. Louis where I got a B.S. in biomedical engineering and met my now-husband. I worked for one year traveling around the U.S. (Oregon, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas and Missouri) and then went to medical school at New York Medical College. After graduating medical school in New York, I moved down to Texas for emergency medicine residency at the University of Texas Southwestern/Parkland Health and Hospital System. Married my husband during residency and became chief resident during my final year of residency. Now I am an emergency medicine medical education fellow at UTSW, still living in
Class of 2008
Emily Knebel knebele@mail.missouri.edu Catherine Minahan began an accelerated nursing program in Boston after several years working with Boston Healthcare for the Homeless. She couldn’t be more excited for this career move!
Alexandra Leith with Sommer Thomas, Megan Heimann and Charlotte Miller
Adagray (Ada) Anderson Willis was promoted to lieutenant in the United States Navy on June 1, 2019, while deployed in the Indo-Pacific region on board USS Wasp (LHD 1) as the public affairs officer for Commander, Amphibious Squadron Eleven. Following her deployment on board Wasp, she was deployed again, this time on board USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) as the public affairs officer for Commander, Destroyer Squadron Fifteen. When not at sea, Ada
permanently resides in San Diego, Calif., with her husband, Capt. Christopher Willis, a Marine Corps F/A-18 fighter pilot, and their dogs Bear and Kevin.
Class of 2013
Melissa Olney Yates writes, “I graduated from University of Virginia School of Law in May, and I moved down to Charleston, S.C., with my husband Charlie in August. Charlie and I got married a little over a year ago, in August 2018, in Newport, R.I. I recently passed the bar exam and started a new job working as an attorney at Copeland Stair, a civil litigation firm in Charleston. I’ve dreamed of becoming an attorney ever since I was part of the Mock Trial team at Dana, and a decade later it’s amazing that my dream has finally come true! If there are any silver sisters that live down in the Lowcountry, I would love to connect!
Japera Mchunu writes, “Zephyr Zen James was born July 15. A healthy, happy baby boy with lots of Dana Hall aunties!”
See the Class of 2015 notes for news about Isabel Ortiz.
Madeline Schneider madjulsch@gmail.com
Japera Mchunu’s son Zephyr
Class of 2015 Grace Liu luyangliusx@gmail.com Rebecca Ohman rebecca.ohman@danahall.org Haley Present haleybpresent@gmail.com Jessica Xie jessicaunique21@hotmail.com
Japera and Zephyr
Melissa Olney Yates with her husband Charlie at her UVA Law graduation
Nancy Haneine and Isabel Ortiz ’14 recently competed in a moot court competition for students in the matter of antitrust and economic competition in Mexico City, Mexico. Nancy writes, “I represented the Technological Autonomous Institute of Mexico (ITAM) and Isabel represented the firm SAI Law & Economics. This took place in the Federal Economic Commission Competition. Even though we competed against each other, we both agree our Dana education has brought us confidence to pursue challenging careers in this field.”
Class of 2014 As for me, (Emily Knebel) a lot of big changes happened quickly this summer. I graduated veterinary school at UPenn in May and moved to Columbia, Mo., to begin a combined residency in Comparative Medicine and Ph.D. in Veterinary Pathobiology! (Yes, more school!) It’s exciting to be working towards my career as a veterinary scientist and along the way helping advance animal and human health. Also, I got married! My college sweetheart, Paul, and I wed on top of a mountain in Jackson Hole, Wyo., in front of family and dear friends. Miriam Stulin was a wonderful bridesmaid, and Jessie Isaacs attended and tore up the dance floor! See a photo of Hadley Pierce in the Class of 1971 notes.
Class of 2012
Isabel Ortiz ’14 and Nancy Haneine
Emily Kelman emilykelman@gmail.com Emily Martin emartin2495@gmail.com Gabriela Reichlin greichlin@suffolk.edu Ashley Rohall aer@rohall.com
Class of 2016
Stephanie Wolf stephaniewolf96@gmail.com
Abigail S. Frechette abbysfrechette@gmail.com
Justina Zuckerman writes, “Theodore David Speckman was born August 8, 2019, in Denver Colo. He is excited to come back to Dana for his aunt’s (Jocelyn Zuckerman ’20) graduation in May.”
See the Class of 1992 notes for news about Emily Spencer.
Justina Zuckerman’s son Theodore
Class of 2017 Julia Moynihan juliamoynihan10@gmail.com
Eleanor Giovanetti ellie.giovanetti@me.com Savannah Raiten savannah.raiten@maine.edu
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Class of 2018 Caroline Cohen ccohen926@gmail.com Jennifer Jung jennyhyjung@gmail.com Ryland Rich richryla@grinnell.edu This year, Kate Okun is the VP of finance for CWRU’s chapter of Students Demand Action. Lucy Hamann writes, “This past summer, I worked at [Massachusetts] Gov. Charlie Baker’s Constituent Services Office. I helped connect citizens with Massachusetts agencies and collected information about the public opinion of Gov. Baker. While there I was able to say hi to Lindsey Gilfeather ’20, although we didn’t have much overlap. It was a really great experience that greatly improved my communication skills!” Rachel O’Brien, amid her sophomore year at Dickinson College, has recently been
accepted into her school’s SIG (Student Investment Group) wherein she, and a team of other select students, manage an investment portfolio, further developing her understanding of finance and the stock market. Rachel has also recently declared her major in Economics. Deena Husami, a sophomore at The George Washington University, spent her summer on a medical mission with the Syrian American Medical Society. In July, Deena worked as a translator between non-Arabic speaking doctors and refugees from Syria. Deena has also recently joined GW’s Delta Phi Epsilon professional foreign service sorority.
Former Faculty Former Middle School History Teacher Judith Murray passed away in August 2019. After leaving Dana Hall, she went on to teach high school history in Newton, then worked at the Museum of Fine Arts, Isabella Steward Gardner Museum and the Harvard Art Museums. In retirement, she continued to work as a consultant, including her several years as co-course director of Harvard Medical School’s Training the Eye: The Art of Diagnosis. See the Class of 1991 notes for an update on former Upper School Math Teacher Linda Lufty Clayton.
Class of 2019 Panipuck Bhengsri pani.bheng@gmail.com Saida Canales scanales2001@gmail.com Audrey Lee audreyyelee@gmail.com
In Memoriam 1939
1945 continued
1955
Nancy Jackson Spencer 6/26/2019
Susan Farnham Ford 8/4/2019
Jean Van Ness Basatneh 9/5/2019
1940
Nancy Bower Holmes 8/14/2019
Barbara Lotz Donnelly 7/28/2019
1942 Patricia Edmunds Howard 9/27/2019
1944 Nancy Reynolds Beck 9/29/2019 Janet Leh Raymond 6/22/2019
1945 Alexandra Ordway Bjorklund 6/23/2019 Diane Palmer Clare 8/18/2019
Gale Holman Marks 7/31/2019 Marjorie Wilkens Pence 6/19/2019
1947 Nancy Hamilton Landau 10/14/2019
1948 Sheila Lyne 10/16/2019
1949 Gloria Mason White 9/2019
1952 Hannah Ferenbach 12/28/2019
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1958 Marcia Fee Achenbach 7/25/2019 Susan Fullerton Ware 12/25/2019
1959 Dorothy Reed Morton 8/19/2019
1964 Susan Hamant Hou 7/27/2019
1965 Deborah Hussey Frankovich 12/14/2019
1973 Sandra Duncanson Vastine 8/27/2019
A Closer Look
New Places and Spaces TURF FIELD OPENING Dana Hall spirit was in the air at the first home game on the new turf field. Many students, faculty and staff, parents and alumnae were on hand when Varsity Field Hockey took on Buckingham Browne & Nichols School on September 11, 2019. Funded by generous donors, the turf field officially opened during Family Weekend in October, when Head of School Katherine Bradley cut the ribbon with current and former athletic directors and team captains looking on.
MIDDLE ROAD REFRESH The parents of the Class of 2019 funded the new stone entryway that serves as the official entrance to the School, located on Middle Road.
JOHNSTON RENOVATIONS COMPLETE The reopening of Johnston B (JHB) in August marked the end of a four-year project to renovate each of the Johnston Dormitories over four subsequent summers. JHB features an accessible first floor along with new flooring, paint, furniture, bathrooms and kitchen.
HOME ICE FOR ICE HOCKEY With a ceremonial puck drop on December 11, 2019, Head of School Katherine Bradley officially opened the Dana Hall Rink at the Boston Sports Institute in Wellesley. The new home of the Dana Hall Ice Hockey program is 10 minutes from campus; the partnership includes seasonal locker room ownership, ice surface naming rights, facility advertisement and, most importantly, afternoon practice time. These projects fulfill the ongoing aspirations of Dana Hall’s strategic plan—Vision 2025: Enriching and Extending the Dana Difference—by building spaces and places for our students to be competitive and collaborative, and enriching residential life on campus. For more details, visit vision2025.danahall.org.
DANA HALL SCHOOL 45 Dana Road / P.O. Box 9010 Wellesley, MA 02482-9010
Non-Profit Org. US POSTAGE
PAID PERMIT #375 Nashua, NH
Classes Celebrating a Milestone Reunion: 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015
Spring Reunion 2020: April 24-26 Weekend Highlights: Friday • All-Class Reunion Dinner Saturday • Conversation with Head of School Katherine Bradley • Presentation of Alumnae Awards • Individual Class Dinners (various off-campus locations) Sunday • Brunch on campus For information about the weekend schedule, accommodations or to get involved with planning your class activities, visit www.danahall.org/reunion2020. Questions? Contact Director of Reunion Giving Robin Ryan (781) 489-1377 or robin.ryan@danahall.org.