Dana Hall School Bulletin: Summer 2020

Dana Bulletin SUMMER 2020

ON THIS PAGE: The Dana Hall campus was very quiet in March, April and May, but in the virtual world, students and faculty were displaying extraordinary resilience and determination. Read a behind-the-scenes review of this unprecedented chapter in Dana Hall’s history on page 22.

ON THE COVER: When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation or postponement of commencement celebrations across the country, the lawn sign became a symbol of the Class of 2020’s unique place in history. Learn more about Dana Hall’s newest alumnae on page 26. Photo by Adam Richins.

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

Tom Kates www.tomkatesphotography.com

Lauren Goldberg Director of Middle School

Adam Richins www.adamrichins.com

Nia Jacobs Academic Dean

PRINTING

Jessica Keimowitz Director of Upper School 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.

Molly Kieloch Associate Director of Communications Robert Mather P24, 26 Assistant Head of School Stephanie Meyer Assistant Director of Alumnae Events

Puritan Capital Hollis, N.H.

Table of Contents A Message from Head of School Katherine L. Bradley....................... 2 Class of 2020 Matriculation List.............................................................. 3 Bulletin Board............................................................................................ 4 Class Day.................................................................................................... 17

13

Embracing Randomness Remarks from Rinehart Chair Honoree Michael Frassinelli ................... 18 Our Crisis in Context................................................................................ 20 Looking Back: An Oral History of Dana Hall School in the Time of COVID-19....................................... 22 Class of 2020: A Historic Class Makes History

By Margaret Gordon ’20 and Nicole Ribakoff ’20 Senior Class Historians............................................................................... 26

20

Dana Bulletin SUMMER 2020 | volume 82, number 2

Unlimited Curiosity 2020 Distinguished Alumna Honoree Durinda Wood ’70 ....................... 30 Indebted to Dana Hall 2020 Distinguished Young Alumna Honoree Courtney Caruso ’05 ........ 32 Service and Activism 2020 Distinguished Service Award Honoree Emily Ecker ’70.................. 33 Events and Receptions.............................................................................. 35 Class Notes................................................................................................. 37 In Memoriam............................................................................................. 68

26

A Message from

Head of School Katherine L. Bradley D

uring this period of the COVID-19 global pandemic, all of the Zoom meetings, home isolation and social distancing have had a strange impact on our collective sense of time and place. I find myself working hard to put events into chronological context – did that really happen this year? This Bulletin serves as a helpful guide to all that our school community celebrated and accomplished in the 201920 school year, both in the first seven months and in the final 10 weeks.

The images of the Middle School musical and the Dance Concert (pages 11 & 13) illustrate two of the last times our full community gathered together in person. The arts have the power to pull us together, provide comfort and disseminate shared happiness. During the time of distance learning, our talented performers continued to unite us, even when we thought that would not be possible.

Though our Chambers Singers’ trip to New York City and performance at Carnegie Hall was canceled, Choral Director David Coleman provided a beautiful video recording from their final rehearsal that served as symbol of resiliency in the early days of this most unusual spring. Director of Dance Devon Fitchett reimagined her classes to work in a Zoom environment, and reconnected with many dance alumnae by offering virtual community classes. School of Music instructors taught lessons on Zoom, FaceTime, WhatsAPP and WeChat, providing a sense of continuity and routine for our student musicians, who together with our choral groups under David Coleman’s leadership, produced some beautiful musical moments during our virtual Class Day and Commencement ceremonies. What a timely legacy for our outgoing Performing Arts Department Head Liz Fenstermaker, who is leaving Dana Hall after 20 years of welcoming all of us to the joy of the performing arts.

In the last weeks before spring break, visiting artist and muralist Mattaya Fitts left an indelible mark on our school with her own murals and with one inspired by her: a butterfly mural created by students under the leadership of Visual Arts Department Head, and this year’s Rinehart Chair recipient, Michael Frassinelli (page 18). Installed beneath the Upper School greenhouse, the mural echoed the butterflies created on iPads by students and faculty during an X-block assembly.

Mattaya offered the image of a butterfly as a symbol of hope and renewal, and a reference to “the butterfly effect,” where even small actions affect others and that effect, positive or negative, can accumulate and affect all of us.

The solace and joy we can derive from the arts will continue to lift our community as we step into a future filled with unknowns and uncertainties. I also find strength in the remarkable resilience, spirit and positivity of all our students, faculty, staff, families and alumnae. With you in my heart, I look forward with optimism and hope to a healthy and safe next act. F Board Chair Marcia Teng Ishizuka ’77, Head of School Katherine Bradley and Rinehart Chair recipient Michael Frassinelli

2

Summer 2020

Class of 2020 College Matriculations

American University

Franklin and Marshall College (2)

University of Richmond

Barnard College

George Washington University (3)

Sacred Heart University

Bates College

Hamilton College

St. Lawrence University

Boston College (3)

Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Santa Clara University (2)

Boston University

Howard University

Scripps College

Brandeis University (2)

University of Illinois Urbana Champaign

Skidmore College

Bryn Mawr College

Ithaca College

Smith College

Bucknell University

Loyola University Maryland

Stanford University

University of Chicago

Loyola Marymount University

Syracuse University (3)

Colby College

Marist College

Temple University

Colgate University

Morgan State University

Texas Christian University

Colorado College

The New School (Parsons School of Design)

Tufts University (7)

Columbia University Cornell University (2) College of Charleston Davidson College (3) University College Dublin Elon University (2) Emory University

New York University (3) Northeastern University (4) Northwestern University Princeton University Providence College Purdue University Rice University

Tulane University (2) University of Vermont (2) University of Virginia Wake Forest University (2) Wellesley College Wheaton College Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Summer 2020

3

ACTIONS + ACHIEVEMENTS EDITOR’S NOTE

THE WORLD

withreinach

Dana Hall offers a number of student travel programs like the recent South Africa trip. The School is able to fund a few of those trips through its operating budget, but most students must pay for travel out of pocket. The average trip costs $4,000. In 2018, Katherine Bishop ’66 established an endowment fund—The Global Travel Opportunity Fund—to support travel experiences for Dana Hall students. The goal for the fund is $1.5 million. At that level, the fund should generate approximately $60,000 per year, supporting approximately 15 travel opportunities each year for Dana Hall students. Bishop set up a challenge: she will match 2:1 every contribution to The Travel Opportunity Fund so that, for example, a donation of $5,000 will become $15,000. As of June 15, the School has $129,861 left to raise to meet the full $1.5 million challenge. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Director of Alumnae Relations and Major Gifts Samantha Greenfield, (781) 489-1368 or sam.greenfield@danahall.org.

4

Summer 2020

Due to the long production schedule of the Bulletin, the content of this summer issue was already complete when the tragic death of George Floyd and other events sparked an international call to action and conversation on racism, both on the national landscape and within our Dana Hall community. Dana Hall School remains dedicated to providing anti-racist education and condemning hate, systemic oppression, and violence towards Black lives. Dana Hall School has sent a separate mailing that details our Anti-racist Action Plan, and the next issue of the Bulletin will provide more context and expand upon the School’s efforts and action plans to further its commitment to equity and inclusion. Please visit our Advocating for Racial Justice page on our website (located in “About Us” at www.danahall.org/about-us/advocating-for-racialjustice) to review Dana Hall’s Commitment to Anti-Racism and Declaration of Anti-Racist Values and Actions.

DANA HALL IN SOUTH AFRICA Traveling more than 17,000 miles total in 11 days, 49 members of our Dana Hall community made their way to South Africa for the School’s biennial Spring Break trip. With a focus on social and environmental justice, students, faculty and staff closely examined the anti-Apartheid struggle, engaged in community service activities and learned about the importance of environmental conservation, with particular focus on Kruger Park’s efforts to reconcile its growing elephant population with protecting the delicate ecosystem to which these elephants belong.

HONORING STUDENT ARTISTS The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards program is the longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in the U.S. Students submit works in a number of categories, including photography, drawing, printmaking, sculpture and mixed media. This year, Dana Hall students stood out from thousands of entries, and received 27 awards and honorable mentions—with some students winning multiple awards. Dora Lu ’24 advanced to the final round and was awarded two National Gold Medals for her work: an art award for Unplugged in the Drawing & Illustration category and a writing award for I Could Not in the Personal Essay and Memoir category.

SCHOLASTIC ART AWARDS

SCHOLASTIC WRITING AWARDS

Gold Medal • Dora Lu ’24, Drawing & Illustration, Unplugged

Gold Medal • Dora Lu ’24, Personal Essay & Memoir, I Could Not

Gold Keys • Angel Fu ’24, Drawing & Illustration, Playing With Sand • Dora Lu ’24, Drawing & Illustration, Unplugged • Dora Lu ’24, Painting, Monet’s Japanese Garden • Chia Lien Tsai ’20, Painting, (Dis)Connection • Victoria Zhou ’21, Painting, The Way Out

Gold Key • Dora Lu ’24, Personal Essay & Memoir, I Could Not

Silver Keys • Izzy Borah ’21, Drawing & Illustration, Itchy Eye • Minji Kim ’20, Drawing & Illustration, Vertical Rearrangement • Vanessa Liu ’22, Digital Art, DePRESSion • Dora Lu ’24, Painting, The Earth’s Fate Is In Your Hands • Karina Panjawi ’20, Painting, I Told You I’m Tired Honorable Mentions • Samantha Burns ’21, Fashion, Natural Swirl Dress • Ruby DeLuca Lowell ’22, Photography, Saving Summer • Anca Fu ’21, Printmaking, Mr. Deer’s Rescue • Minji Kim ’20, Sculpture (2), Who Are You? and Perishable • Julia Landry ’20, Fashion, Cotton Candy Coat • Abigail Litvak ’20, Painting, Sneer • Lenzie Mitchell ’21, Future New, Actions Have Consequences • Karina Panjawi ’20, Drawing & Illustration, The Tiny People Committee of Sleep • Jessica Schwartz ’20, Drawing & Illustration, Simple • Chia Lien Tsai ’20, Painting (2), Abandoned and Falling Apart

Silver Key • Qihan Fu ’24, Poetry, The Power of One Honorable Mention • Jessica Schwartz ’20, Personal Essay & Memoir, A Vibrant Vandal

Lu’s National Gold Medal-winning artwork “Unplugged”

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 Summer 2020

5

ACTIONS + ACHIEVEMENTS (CONTINUED) NEWEST CUM LAUDE INDUCTEES On May 20, seventeen students from the classes of 2020 and 2021 were inducted into the Cum Laude Society during a virtual assembly. The organization honors scholastic achievement at the secondary level, and Dana Hall inducts its new members annually each spring. The induction ceremony, led by Upper School Director Jessica Keimowitz, included a welcome from Head of School Katherine Bradley, faculty remarks from Academic Dean Nia Jacobs and student remarks from Cum Laude member Sabria Liddell ’20.

CLASS OF 2020 Julia Burke Karina Panjawi Jessica Schwartz Chia Lien Tsai

CLASS OF 2021 Eliza Wallis Katherine Ward Ella Williams Jiaxuan Yu

Ainsley Bonang Kelsey Calistri Jingyi Fu India-Rose Goldberg Rachel Hendrix

Ke Jun Liu Zhenyu Qiu YeHeng Zhang Ziyang Zhao

HELEN TEMPLE COOKE’S ART AT HARVARD Early in the 1940s, former Head of School Helen Temple Cooke acquired a collection of rare Persian art and manuscripts. More than 90 of these works are now owned by Harvard University. This past spring, three members of the Class of 2020 researched Miss Cooke and her Persian art collection in the Dana Hall Archives. Under the direction of Social Studies Teacher Alexandra Siemon, Harvard Curator Dr. Mary McWilliams and the Dana Hall archivists, they contributed to a small installation at Harvard. The exhibit, which was on display in the spring, included four works of Persian calligraphy and a wall panel about Miss Cooke and her “Persian art treasures.” In addition to background information about Miss Cooke, the Dana Hall students provided a 1946 Cooke statement about the collection to Harvard’s curatorial staff to use on the panel.

Nancy Park ’20, Sarah Syed ’20 and Annie Xu ’20 visited the exhibit.

6

Summer 2020

EVERYBODY WINS: THIRD ANNUAL TEXTILE DRIVE In its third year, the Dana Hall Textile Drive pitted various groups on campus against one another for some friendly competition while simultaneously diverting items from local landfills. By the end of the week, Dana Hall collected more than 2,300 pounds of textiles to be donated or recycled, with Middle School students collecting the most at 1,193 lbs. The drive was spearheaded by the Upper School Green Action Committee and the Middle School Green Team, with help from advisors Mary Frances Hanover and Tamara Nikuradse as well as parent volunteers who weighed, sorted and hauled away the donations to either Bay State Textiles, Cradles to Crayons or Rosie’s Place.

Green Action Committee Co-Heads Annie Lao ’20 and Jocelyn Yu ’20 with GAC Advisor Mary Frances Hanover

MIDDLE SCHOOL MOVING UP On Friday, May 29, the Class of 2024 became the newest members of the Upper School as they participated in the virtual Middle School Moving Up Ceremony over Zoom. The event was led by Director of the Middle School Lauren Goldberg, who presented the annual Director’s Bowl award to Noor Harwell ’24.

SHIP DAY HIGHLIGHTS HEALTH AND WELLNESS TOPICS The theme of this year’s Ship Day, Dana Hall’s annual day-long spotlight on health and wellness, was Learning to Live Well. From keynote speaker Ivy Watts to two alum panels, students learned about the importance of checking in on your mental health, practicing self-love and -care, and working on stress management.

Keynote speaker Ivy Watts shared her mental health and wellness journey.

TACKLING ENGINEERING CHALLENGES On February 24, the entire Dana Hall community participated in an all-school X-Block focused on STEAM engineering challenges. Students designed a way for a ping pong ball to fall as slowly as possible, programmed a robot to navigate through a maze or used index cards and tape to build a bridge that will support marbles for 10 seconds.

Ship Day panelists Haley Rose ’02, Jen Lorthe ’13, Emma Heilbronner ’13 and Helen Kim ’12

Ceci Bogan ’27 and Sazan Khalid ’21

Summer 2020

7

ACTIONS + ACHIEVEMENTS (CONTINUED)

RECENT WORKS FROM 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.

• When We Invented Water by Marcia F. Brown ’71 • What on Earth by Marcia F. Brown ’71 • Port City Poems: Contemporary Poets Celebrate Portland, Maine edited

by Marcia F. Brown ’71 • The Joy of Forest Bathing: Reconnect with Wild Places & Rejuvenate Your Life by Melanie Choukas-Bradley ’70 • Savoring the Camino: It’s the Pilgrimage, Not the Hike by Julie Gianelloni Connor ’69 • The Joy of Living an Organized Life by Victoria Vestuto ’80 • A BFF’s Guide to Divorce: Tactical Information for Anyone Starting on the Journey that is Divorce by Victoria Vestuto ’80

DANA FACULTY CELEBRATED DURING TEACHER APPRECIATION DAY The first Dana Hall Teacher Appreciation Day was an overwhelming success. Teachers from the 1940s to the present were recognized, which is a testament to the excellent education for which Dana Hall is known, and 202 donors contributed an impressive $105,496. Those gifts unlocked an additional $10,000 in challenge dollars for a grand total of $120,496 for the Dana Fund. Thank you for your support!

CLOSED GALLERY LEADS TO INNOVATIVE ART SHOW Since the Dana Hall Art Gallery was closed throughout the spring, Visual Arts Department Head “Horse Barn” by Anne Besse-Shepard ’70 Michael Frassinelli found another way to celebrate the art of Reunion alumnae.

He created a virtual version of the Alumnae Art Show where visitors can “walk” through the exhibit and get close-ups of their favorite pieces using their desktop or laptop.

Visit the gallery at www.danahall.org/alumart20.

8

Summer 2020

CELEBRATING STUDENT-ATHLETES On Wednesday, January 15, two Dana Hall studentathletes signed celebratory letters to compete at the collegiate level this fall. Alexa Orent ’20 will play volleyball for Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., and Kristen McCormick ’20 will play field hockey and lacrosse for Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, N.Y. On Saturday, May 2, at her home in Wellesley, Alli Sibold ’20 signed a celebratory letter marking her commitment to run cross country and track and field for St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y.

STUDENTS EXCEL ON NATIONAL LATIN EXAM Fourteen Dana Hall Middle School students and 21 Upper School students were honored for high scores on the National Latin Exam, an exam that all Latin learners take every year. “As the world began dealing with the current pandemic, Latin students at Dana Hall participated in an exam that students all over the world were taking,” said Jacqui Bloomberg, Upper School Latin teacher. “I am extremely proud of all the Latin students and particularly pleased with this year’s results. Simply amazing!”

CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT Claire Chenard ’25 (Intro to Latin) Ella Lindstrom ’25 (Intro to Latin) Maddie McGill ’25 (Intro to Latin) Allie Morvillo ’25 (Intro to Latin) Yudi Wang ’25 (Intro to Latin) CUM LAUDE Ayelen Herrera ’24 (Latin I) Miranda Wang ’23 (Latin I) Evie Happel ’22 (Latin II) Madison Kastner ’23 (Latin II) Mercedes McLaughlin ’23 (Latin II)

Alexa Orent ’20 and Kristen McCormick ’20

Alli Sibold ’20

NOTED CEI LEADER PRESENTS VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS On Wednesday, May 13, well known CEI leader Rosetta Lee presented three workshops for Dana Hall students, faculty and staff on navigating microaggressions and practicing interventions. Lee also held an evening workshop for parents, guardians and caretakers on talking to youth about heated topics, which was co-hosted by the Association of Independent Schools in New England and open to the public.

MAGNA CUM LAUDE Katie Marth ’24 (Latin I) Arden Murray ’24 (Latin I) Ivy Wellington ’24 (Latin I) Mahyra Afif ’23 (Latin II) Ashley Booth ’23 (Latin II) Alice Maffie ’23 (Latin II) Talia Loevy-Reyes ’23 (Latin II) Coco Zhang ’22 (Latin II) Natalie Chenard ’22 (Latin III) Anca Fu ’21 (Latin III) Sophia Thomson ’23 (Latin III) Victoria Zhou ’21 (Latin III) Fiona Stewart ’20 (Latin V) MAXIMA CUM LAUDE + SILVER MEDAL Ashleigh Burns ’23 (Latin II) Marguerite Eno ’23 (Latin II) Annie Stewart ’23 (Latin II) Zoe Szeman ’21 (Latin V) SUMMA CUM LAUDE + GOLD MEDAL Mary Haferd ’23 (Latin I) Kelly Kong ’24 (Latin I) Amy Meuse ’24 (Latin I) Miranda Meuse ’24 (Latin I) Sunny Shi ’23 (Latin I) *achieved a perfect paper Sissi Wang ’24 (Latin I) Jordan Weller ’24 (Latin I) Anjali Lal ’23 (Latin III) Summer 2020

9

NEW TRUSTEES JOIN DANA HALL BOARD In May, the Dana Hall Board of Trustees said goodbye to outgoing trustees Jeff Hawkins P20, Jennifer Houston P21, 24, Shannon Redgate ’87, P22 and John Roth P19. The following new trustees were elected to the Board at the annual Meeting of the Corporation.

Manon Palandjian ’09 is an Assistant Asset Manager for Intercontinental Real Estate Corporation. She is an active member of Intercontinental Charities, an organization that focuses on supporting schools and not-for-profit organizations that support children’s education and development. Palandjian graduated from Boston College and holds a certificate in Commercial Real Estate Practice from Boston University and a certificate as a Health Coach from the Health Coach Institute. She has been a member of Dana Hall’s Alumnae Council since 2017. Her two sisters, Margot ’14 and Madelon ’17, also are Dana Hall alumnae.

Ariann Williams ’08 works within the Community Engagement Department of the Boston Celtics. Among other responsibilities she oversees the Celtics’ Boston Marathon team; under her leadership the program has raised more than $1.3 million for children in need across New England. A graduate of Bentley University, Williams has been a member of the Dana Hall Alumnae Council since 2017.

AID TO THE FRONT LINES OF WUHAN In early March, two student groups—the International Student Association (ISA) and the Community Service Advisory Board (CSAB)—teamed up to lead a fundraiser to benefit hospitals in Wuhan, China, that were battling the growing coronavirus pandemic. ISA CoHead Tori Li ’20 summarized the girls’ experience, reshared here: Right before spring break, ISA and CSAB had been planning a school fundraiser to donate surgical masks and protective suits to hospitals in Wuhan, China. We then decided to open this fundraiser to the broader community to reach our goal faster.

Spearheaded by Cindy Lye ’21 and Cici Liu ’21, the fundraiser began on March 4.

From our neighbors and classmates at Dana to parents in China to concerned citizens in Australia, donations poured in from all around the world. By March 6, our donations reached $4,710—enough to meet the demand for 3,000 masks and 262 protective suits!

Two student groups held a fundraiser in early March to buy personal protective equipment for hospitals in Wuhan, China.

Due to our cause of aiding the fight against COVID-19 and the size of our order, the factories decided to lower the price of the surgical masks for us. As a result, we were able to purchase 10 more protective suits for the hospitals. According to their needs, we ordered 2,000 masks for Wuhan Fourth Hospital, as well as 1,000 masks and 272 suits for Qichun People’s Hospital.

After Cici placed the order, the factories promised our shipments would be produced and shipped by March 9. Many workers volunteered to stay behind after their shift was over to finish the protective suits—all for sending aid to the front lines as soon as possible.

On the morning of March 10, our contact from Qichun People’s Hospital sent us a photo. In the cardboard box are 1,000 masks. “Thank you for your donation,” the sign says. Shortly afterward, our contact from Wuhan Fourth Hospital reported that they have received 2,000 masks. The 272 protective suits reached Qichun People’s Hospital the next day.

We thank everyone who was involved in the planning and coordinating of this donation; it was truly amazing to witness all of this come together in just one week. A huge thank you to Cindy and Cici for spearheading this fundraiser and leading everything that followed, efficiently coordinating the Dana team, the factories, the hospitals and our donors to deliver aid as swiftly as possible. Also, a special shout-out to Miranda Wang ’23 for establishing our connection with Wuhan Fourth Hospital.

We can win this if we fight together.

10

Summer 2020

DANA TAKES THE STAGE

Arden Murray ’24

On March 4 & 5, the Middle School channeled its creepy, kooky side when it presented its spring musical, The Addams Family.

Maddie McGill ’25 and Lea Liebisch ’24

Zoe Sweeney ’25, Mae Goodson ’25, Cora Slowe ’26, Eloise Murphy ’26, Kennedy Kranenburg ’26

Eva Buckley ’25 and Jordan Weller ’24

Juliette Eno ‘26, Natalie Drago ’25, Gray Goldberg ’25

Summer 2020

11

DANA TAKES THE STAGE (CONTINUED)

Back row: Sura Zhang ’23, Mercedes McLaughlin ’23, Cassie Churchill ’23, Ellie Wellington ’21, Jackie McCormick ’22 Front row: Greta Gordon ’20, Lily Rashes ’20, Skylar Gilfeather ’20

Three Upper School students—Katherine Ward ’20, Katherine Profy ’20 and Madi Kastner ’23—made their directorial debuts with the student-directed play, PUFFS, on February 7.

Right: Lily Rashes ’20 and Greta Gordon ’20 Below, left to right: Elena Carmichael ’20; Ashley Booth ’23, Sura Zhang ’23, Skylar Gilfeather ’20; Anjali Lal ’23

12

Summer 2020

Ellie Fazio ’21

Dana Hall Dance’s annual concert, Acuity, featured performances in modern, contemporary, ballet, jazz, hip hop and tap on February 28 & 29.

Left: Ilyssa Yan ’23, Ellie Fazio ’21, Hallie Zhou ’23 Below, left to right: Dawnya Green ’21; Samantha Wong ’20; Greta Gordon ’20, Ava Morvillo ’23, Lily Brinkman ’22; Micah Dixon ’20

Summer 2020

13

VARSIT Y ATHLETICS

It was a big year for VARSITY SWIMMING which took home 1st place at the EIL/ISL Championships, ending its season with an overall record of 14-1 and an EIL record of 10-0. Keira McGrath ’22 was named Co-Female Swimmer of the Meet on the way to setting a new school record in the 100m breaststroke at 1:10.63. Additionally, Head Coach Alden Derr was named EIL Co-Coach of the Year.

EIL ALL-LEAGUE AWARDS: • 200 Medley Relay: McGrath, Sydney Jiang ’23, Ellie Bacon ’23, Emily Hinman ’20 • 200 IM: McGrath • 500 Free: Julia Burke ’20 • 200 Free Relay: Mary Haferd ’23, Kayla Balsam ’22, Lindsey Gilfeather ’20, Hinman • 100 Back: McGrath • 400 Free Relay: Haferd, Balsam, Gilfeather, McGrath

Cat Bryan ’23

The VARSITY DIVING team finished with two New England Championship placements: Cat Bryan ’23 in 3rd and Viara Ivanova ’23 in 12th. Bryan also walked away with the EIL All League in the 1M dive and set a new school record with a score of 255, landing her the Most Valuable Player Award. Ivanova won the Most Improved Player Award for the year.

14

Summer 2020

DANA HALL ATHLETICS AWARDS: • Most Valuable Player Award: McGrath • Dragon Award: Burke • Rookie of the Year: Haferd

Varsity Swimming at the EIL/ISL Championships

The VARSITY SQUASH team finished the year with a 5-10 record and an EIL league record of 1-4.

• EIL All-League: Eliza Glass ’21 • Most Valuable Player Award: Glass • Dragon Award: Anna Gardner ’23 • Most Improved Player Award: Emily Gardner ’21 and Ashleigh Burns ’23

SCOREBOARD Nancy Park ’20

Catey McCarron ’20

VARSITY FENCING had an overall record of 1-1 this season as well as a league record of 1-1.

• Most Valuable Player Award: Shayna Tribush ’21 • Dragon Award: Yudi Wang ’25 • Most Improved Player Award: Sophia Bililies ’23 • Rookie of the Year Award: Anjali Lal ’23

The VARSITY BASKETBALL team ended the year 0-16 with a 0-12 record in the EIL. • All-NEPSAC Award: Catey McCarron ’20 • EIL All-League Award: McCarron • EIL Honorable Mention Award: Anelly Mad-toingue ’24 • Most Valuable Player Award: McCarron • Dragon Award: Indy Goldberg ’21 • Rookie of the Year Award: Stephanie Copeland ’23 • Leadership Award: Lauren Copeland ’20

Caroline Breslin ’20 ICE HOCKEY went 3-13 this season and 1-6 in the EIL. • Most Valuable Player Award: Caroline Breslin ’20 • Dragon Award: Paige Gallenberger ’20 • Most Improved Player Award: Ava Regan ’21 • Unsung Hero Award: Anna Sullivan ’24

At week eight of the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Fla., Dana Hall EQUESTRIAN TEAM member Grace Thames ’20 and her horse Diamaria won the $10,000 Low Junior Jumper Classic and was Reserve Champion of the Low Junior Jumper division.

Other team members also found success:

Grace Thames ’20

• Amelia Thames ’24 and her new horse Sweetwater got top ribbons in the Younger Children’s Hunters.

• Nalina Atamian ’25 and her horse Charleston Z advanced up to the 3’ Hunters and Equitation and got ribbons in both the Younger Children’s Hunters as well as the 12-14 Equitation.

• Rachael Chandley ’21 and her horse Cersei were double clear both Saturday and Sunday in the High Children’s Jumpers and then the Low Children’s Jumper Classic.

• Rachel Benson ’23 had respectable rounds in the Low Children’s Hunters and the Younger Adult Hunters.

Summer 2020

15

Thank You! We are grateful for the 1,647 donors who raised $2,478,854 for the 2019-20 Dana Fund.

While facing the challenges of COVID-19 global pandemic, the Dana Hall community stepped up and achieved the largest giving total in school history.

Way to Go! There is much to celebrate. With 100% participation, the Board of Trustees donated $597,678, or 24% of the total dollars raised. The Class of 1970, celebrating their 50th reunion, donated more than $70,000 and surpassed their class goal. Other reunion classes had record gift amounts. Parents, Moon and Star Society members, Parents of the Class of 2020, past parents, grandparents and all of Dana Hall’s constituency groups made significant and meaningful contributions.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began to take an economic toll, the School created the Dana Cares Fund to provide additional financial resources where they were most needed. To date, The Dana Cares Fund has raised $93,525, which is included in the Dana Fund total.

Now more than ever, your support ensures the School’s excellence and reflects the strength of this community.

Class Day The Dana Hall community gathered virtually on Wednesday, May 27, to honor Upper School student achievements of the 2019-20 school year. The annual award ceremony celebrates excellence in academic disciplines, athletics, performing and visual arts, leadership, community service and citizenship.

SCIENCE Promising Scientist Award............................................ Fiona Stewart ’20 Bausch & Lomb Award.............................................Ke Jun (Cici) Liu ’21 Senior Excellence in Science...........................................Nicole Taylor ’20 MATH Dana Hall Mathematics Prize...................Chia Lien (Charlene) Tsai ’20 Frank S. Weinert Mathematics Prize....................... Yang (Annie) Xu ’20 COMPUTER SCIENCE Computer Science Award........................................... Mikayla Darville ’21 MUSIC Marguerite Finch Maxwell 1915 Awards In Music: • Up-and-Coming Musician Award.....................Sicong (Flora) Gu ’23 • Achievement Award.....................................................Muya Guoji ’20 • Outstanding Junior Award..................................Ke Jun (Cici) Liu ’21 • Outstanding Junior Award..................... Ziyang (Catherine) Zhao ’21 • Outstanding Senior Award.................................. Julia Cannistraro ’20 • Outstanding Senior Award............................Zixin (Cindy) Huang ’20 • Chorus Award...................................................... Marlowe Tavares ’21 • Chamber Singers Award.......................................... Abigail Litvak ’20 PERFORMING ARTS Dance Award.........................................................Eleanor Wellington ’21 Amelia Curtis Whitman Performing Arts Prize... Margaret Gordon ’20 Ondy Dean Gilson ’52 Prize in Theater...................... Katherine Ward ’20 Technical Theatre Award...................................... Jocelyn Zuckerman ’20 VISUAL ARTS Marguerite Aldridge Putnam 1908 Prizes • Sculpture and 3D Design......................................Samantha Burns ’20 • Design..........................................................................Nancy Park ’20 • Drawing.......................................................................Mingee Kim ’20 • Photography.........................................................Eleanor Simister ’20 • Painting................................................................. Lenzie Mitchell ’21 • New Media and Interdisciplinary Arts.........Wenxin (Echo) Chen ’20 Amelia Curtis Whitman Visual Arts Prize.............Carleton Bilyew-Conn ’20 Rhode Island School of Design Book Prize...................................................Chia Lien (Charlene) Tsai ’20 Gene Scattergood Visionary Artist Award.................... Isabelle Borah ’20 ENGLISH Malcolm Lloyd Prize for Most Improved Writer.......................................... Min Seo (Ella) Jang ’23 Brown University Book Prize......................................Shayna Tribush ’21 John W. Cameron Book Prize.................................. Skylar Gilfeather ’20 Post-Lawrence Prize in English.................................Katherine Profy ’20 SOCIAL STUDIES John Means Spencer Award for Student Enrichment................................................ Novia Nguyen ’21 Social and Political Awareness Award....................... Samiha Farooqi ’20 John G. Schuler Award...............................................Ainsley Bonang ’21 Excellence in Social Studies Award.............................Elaina Hawkins ’20 FITZIE FOUNDATION AWARD.........................Ainsley Bonang ’21

WORLD LANGUAGES Department Prize in French........................................ Kelsey Calistri ’21 Beryl Wilbur Prize in Vergil......................................... Fiona Stewart ’20 Dorothy O. Farmer Prize in Latin............................... Abigail Litvak ’20 Department Prize in Mandarin............... Nathalie Martin-Nucatola ’20 Enrique Cuan Prize in Spanish.....................................Nicole Taylor ’20 KATHERINE T. GREGORY AWARD.......................... Marissa Lehv ’21 ATHLETIC AWARDS Marsman Award........................................................... Grace Thames ’20 Riding Cup................................................................. Abigail Houston ’21 Dorothy M. Schirmer Memorial Award....................... Iniye Atiegha ’23 Ann O’Day Sullivan Award............................................... Julia Burke ’20 Dana “D” Award................................................................ Mary Egan ’20 Dana “D” Award...................................................... Skylar Gilfeather ’20 Dana “D” Award.........................................................Elaina Hawkins ’20 Dana “D” Award................................................Catherine McCarron ’20 Dana “D” Award........................................................... Alexis Seidner ’20 Dana “D” Award.........................................................Camille Steiger ’20 Varsity Athlete Award................................................ Caroline Breslin ’20 Varsity Athlete Award...............................................Lauren Copeland ’20 Varsity Athlete Award............................................ Lindsey Gilfeather ’20 Herky Award.............................................................. Alexandra Orent ’20 Helen Parker Bowlby Award......................................... Allison Sibold ’20 Best Athlete Award..................................................... Caroline Breslin ’20 Best Athlete Award....................................................Lauren Copeland ’20 BOOK AWARDS Bryn Mawr College President’s Book Prize............. Isabella Censullo ’21 Harvard University Book Prize..................................Ainsley Bonang ’21 Holy Cross Book Prize.................................................. Kelsey Calistri ’21 Smith College Book Prize............................. YeHeng (Shirley) Zhang ’21 University of Pennsylvania Book Prize.............India-Rose Goldberg ’21 University of Virginia Jefferson Book Prize..................Sazan Khalid ’21 Wellesley College Book Prize................................................Lily Segal ’21 Williams College Book Prize...................................... Rachel Hendrix ’21 LEADERSHIP AWARDS Class of 2023.............................................................Elizabeth Dorsey ’23 Class of 2022............................................................ Phoebe Frechette ’22 Class of 2021.............................................................. Mikayla Darville ’21 Class of 2020.......................................................Catherine McCarron ’20 NAN COYLE CITIZENSHIP AWARD.........................Chia Lien (Charlene) Tsai ’20 COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD....................... Daisha Toomer ’21 HELEN BURKE MONTAGUE SENIOR CUP.................................... Allison Sibold ’20 ELAINE W. BETTS PRIZE................................ Elena Carmichael ’20

Summer 2020

17

Embracing Randomness Remarks from Rinehart Chair Honoree Michael Frassinelli

Michael Frassinelli

In January, Visual Arts Department Head Michael Frassinelli was honored with Dana Hall School’s Rinehart Chair. Established in 1998 with a $1 million bequest, the School’s first endowed faculty chair was set up by James R. Rinehart and Molly Ford Rinehart ’50 to recognize outstanding teachers of the Humanities. The following is an excerpt of the remarks Frassinelli shared at the event when he received this honor.

I

’ve been extraordinarily lucky in my life, first and foremost having parents who supported me being an artist in the first place. It may have been that they had many children and they figured that it would be alright for one of them to go off the rails, but I truly thank them for seeing a creative spark in me and letting me explore, from those first art lessons as a boy with old Mrs. Kovacini, to sending me to art school at UConn, then having the faith to watch me drive off to California without much of a plan. Unlike many other subjects we teach here, the arts allow for, and sometimes require a certain amount of randomness, experimentation, failure, revision, and trying counter-intuitive approaches. Even though these qualities are not really embraced all that much in society, I try to bring those ideas of exploration into the classroom. And students…really hate it.

18

Summer 2020

I don’t think it’s only this generation, but students often want the answer, the one answer, the one you get on the first try. I tell them that drawing is mostly erasing; that design is mostly coming up with bad ideas until you come up with good ones; that architecture is mostly finding problems to solve. And students… really hate that too. I don’t usually tell them these things until after the add/drop period is over, so they can’t escape the room.

The ability to try things fearlessly, without overthinking it, and kind of randomly is a necessary skill in the arts. This brings to mind one of the phrases I’ve picked up along the way. It’s from my father. When the five of us were boys we often heard our dad say, “Do something, even if it’s wrong.” This may sound like terrible advice, and brings to mind taking risks like vaping, or jumping off a cliff, or getting a humanities degree. But, when trying to get five boys to get off their couches and spring into action, or getting students to get something down on paper, it’s great advice. Another way of saying this is from a quote by Johann Goethe, who said, “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” Well, quoting a philosopher can be dangerous, not to mention cliché, and when I start talking like that at home my kids, Bobby and Libby, start saying “Oh no, here comes another TED talk.” But seriously, all it really means is, like the old Nike ad: Just Do It. Get started, work hard, and you’ll generally get somewhere. That’s good advice for almost anything, from starting a painting, forming a band, writing an essay or starting a political movement.

In my design class I have a saying that “Good design (or any kind of art for that matter) should not be boring or random.”

It’s a variation of one of the design principles we teach of Unity and Variety. The idea is if things are too much the same, if things are too ridged or uniform, they kind of blend together and aren’t that interesting; but if there is too much going on, if things are going in a million directions, there is no cohesive feeling or message. It’s the same kind of balance we try to achieve in life between order and chaos, although as many of you have commented after visiting my studio, or read the news, or are listening to this speech, chaos seems to be getting the upper hand. But I also tell my students that if something seems boring or random, it’s often because we are not looking closely enough.

I tell them: look at things from different perspectives, make connections between things, and try to imagine another way; that the solution to a problem or the journey of understanding is not always from point A to point B: It’s often made up of scattered moments and seemingly unrelated ideas that you gather together to make sense of afterwards. In the arts we try to create a variety of those moments, for reflection, self-expression, and the joy of making, but most of all for imagination.

My art teacher in high school was actually named Dana, Dana Bachiochi. He taught me a lot, but what I mostly remember is the fact that he just loved being an art teacher. Well this Dana, Dana Hall, has taught me a lot as well; from all of you, from my students over the years, I’ve learned a lot, but I never got what I guess they call an advanced degree; but Visual Arts teachers Lindsey Hendricks, Mary Ann McQuillan, Michael Frassinelli and Kassie Teng gradually I’ve cobbled together my own version of an MFA from a variety of different experiences. MFA: that stands for Master of Free Association. Looking back, those experiences can appear pretty random: ship’s carpenter, puppet maker, musical theater roadie; from Buddhist meditation in Berkeley to Eskimo masks in Alaska; from learning teaching set design in San Francisco and making sculpture out of many pianos to getting a new job in Wellesley, Mass.; books and magazines and websites and gallery shows; conversations over lunch in the Dining Hall and sudden realizations in the classroom. Scattered, random moments over the course of 40 years or so; but I’m surprised how often I’m reminded of them all while I’m teaching. Well, I know I said I’d try to avoid it, but it’s time for the heavy-handed metaphor.

On one of my walks the other day I imagined that while reading this speech, all of the words on this piece of paper, all these connections, and gratitude, all these stories and lessons, suddenly turned to sand and scattered across the page. It would look like a mess, like an unfinished drawing, not like anything at all. But then I thought, if you gently picked up this sheet of paper from both sides, all those grains of sand, representing all those moments and memories, would find their way to the center and form what kind of looks like a path. Well, I’m glad that my path has led me to this place, and I look forward to helping students on their own paths, to appreciate the arts in their lives and explore the power of imagination for many years to come. F Summer 2020 19

Our

CRISIS IN CONTEXT Unprecedented. Historic. Once in a lifetime. Over and over, the COVID-19 pandemic has been described with words that attempt to capture the extraordinary and unparalleled impact of its global grasp. And yet, history scholars are quick to point out that there is precedent for aspects of this experience. One needs to look no further than the Dana Hall Archives to discover that throughout the School’s 139 years, students and faculty have faced disruptions and challenges caused by health crises and world conflicts. Their actions and responses frame their Dana Hall legacy and can serve as guideposts for our current educators and students.

The outbreak of World War I, known then as the Great War, which lasted from 1914-18, influenced activities and focus at Dana Hall. In her unpublished manuscript, former English faculty member Mildred Grimes described teachers studying first aid, students raising funds for war philanthropies, the gymnasium open for weekend Red Cross work, and everyone knitting to support the war effort. Students and alumnae together collected enough money to send two ambulances and a mobile kitchen to France. In February of 1916, the School sent one of its nurses, Alice Fitzgerald, to England to serve as the Edith Cavell Memorial Nurse from Massachusetts at the disposal of the British War Office.

In her book Purpose and Personality, Dana Hall English teacher Winifred Post wrote that the war altered, though did not cancel, the beloved Midwinter tradition. “The voice of wartime austerity didn’t say a flat ‘no” to [Midwinter], already a tradition as early as 1902,” wrote Post. “What the War did do was to prune away [the tradition’s] decorations on the grounds that the time spent on them might better go to the knitting of khaki-colored wristers or to the rolling of Red Cross bandages.”

In what now feels like a familiar circumstance, during the last term of the 1917-18 school year there was no spring vacation and an early commencement. “Diplomas were simply handed to the Seniors at the final Sunday evening Vesper service,” Grimes wrote. “School reconvened in September with a somewhat curtailed enrollment.” Coinciding with the end of World War I, the 1918 influenza pandemic spread worldwide during the following school year. The Boston area was hit particularly hard in October 1918. There is reference to at least one student dying during the pandemic, and many students and teachers were sick, as described in a letter from Kathleen Liddell-Hart, Class of 1921, who wrote, “Three-quarters of the girls and staff succumbed. I suddenly felt ill and strange, my temperature was taken and I was sent to one of the several school houses that had been turned into infirmaries. We were kept warm in bed and given drinks and once a day had our temperatures taken.”

According to Post, the time between September 1939 and the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor resembled “a replay of World War I, with the familiar clicking of knitting needles in the corridors and the rolling of bandages for the Red Cross.” Every Dana building had blackout curtains. There were air raid drills and eight faculty members were Air-Raid Wardens and 20 were Red Cross Aiders. (Purpose and Personality) In the May 1942 Bulletin, Alnah Johnston, Principal of Dana Hall from 1938 to 1962, wrote, “War [World War II] is creating a new purposefulness in our girls. There is no doubt that they have been profoundly moved by our national 20

Summer 2020

A meeting of the World Affairs Club in October 1939 Below: In 1918, Dana Hall students spent Saturday afternoons volunteering for the Red Cross.

crisis.” Students raked leaves, shoveled snow, waited on tables, and kept hallway baskets filled with used postage stamps, old silk stockings and scrap metal. Each student devoted three hours or more a month to the Red Cross. The girls were instructed in sewing and turned out professional-looking soldiers’ kits, clothing, foot-warmers and other articles. Grimes documented that the war influenced the School’s calendar: in November 1942, to comply with the request of the railroads that student travel be minimized, Dana Hall decided to add the time of the spring vacation to the winter break, so the school closed from December 16 to January 20. Several members of the faculty were also released to work for the war effort.

Throughout the second half of the 20th and first two decades of the 21st centuries, the experience of Dana Hall students continued to be shaped by larger world events — Cold War tensions, the Polio epidemic, Vietnam War, terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, among other touchpoints — and each played a role in the shared learning experience of those who lived through them. Their letters, essays and firsthand recollections make that clear. This spring, to ensure that the Dana Hall COVID-19 experience is documented, the Archives team launched the COVID-19 Community Archive Project to help future generations understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affected our community. As they collect photos, videos, stories, poems, interviews and artwork, the results will preserve our history and underscore our connections to our past.

(Editor’s note: Mildred Grimes, an English teacher from 1923-1967, organized the historic materials that formed the nucleus of the Dana Hall Archives. After retiring from teaching she was hired to write a history of Dana Hall but never finished, although she amassed significant research that continues to be a valuable resource. It served as the basis for Purpose and Personality (1978), by Winfred L. Post, Grimes’ colleague, who taught English from 1942-1976.)

Summer 2020

21

LOOKING BACK:

An Oral History of Dana Hall School in the Time of COVID-19 As the COVID-19 crisis unfolded around the world and at an increasingly fast pace, Dana Hall School was forced to take unprecedented action to ensure the health and safety of its students and employees.

Here, several of Dana Hall’s leaders share their first-hand accounts of the School’s response to the burgeoning global pandemic.

Pia Manna, Director of the Health Center: “When we first learned of COVID-19 in early January, it was an emerging infectious illness that appeared to be isolated in China. Initially my biggest concern was for the emotional welfare of our Chinese students who were separated from their families as this crisis rapidly unfolded in their country.”

“ Heading into break, we didn’t want to scare the kids, so we gave them all a gentle reminder to bring home their chargers and anything else they would need, in case we needed to stay closed after break.”

– Kristin Ryan Dean of Students

Jessica Keimowitz, Director of Upper School: “By the end of January, it was clear that our Chinese students were not going home for our March break. In the weeks leading up to Lunar New Year (January 25, 2020), we realized the enormous impact this was having on kids with family in China, and also our Chinese American students, because that’s when we started seeing the first signs of anti-Chinese and even more generally anti-Asian sentiment and misunderstanding around the origins of the virus.”

Kristin Ryan, Dean of Students, “In addition to our Chinese students who had to change their spring break plans, there were some other students who left school early, to go to other countries, out of concern about airports closing. Dean of Residential Life/International Student Advisor Donna Corrigan was in touch with all boarding students to collect information and travel plans, so we were on top of their needs, and if they needed a place to stay. Two students ended up staying with Dana Hall families. Heading into break, we didn’t want to scare the kids, so we gave them all a gentle reminder to bring home their chargers and anything else they would need, in case we needed to stay closed after break.”

Keimowitz: “We had a similar conversation at our faculty meeting on March 5. I said things like, ‘Let’s pretend we aren’t able to come back to school after spring break. What do you need to bring home? What kind of considerations might we want to think about if we have to go to distance learning?’ Looking back, the blind spots were so big, it’s just stunning.”

22

Summer 2020

Rob Mather, Assistant Head of School, “Our first major decisions centered on our March break, and all of the activities that were supposed to happen, most notably the South Africa trip and the Chambers Singers’ performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City. As New York City was quickly becoming the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States, we decided to cancel the Chamber Singers’ trip; one day later Carnegie Hall closed.

We had multiple conversations around the South Africa trip. At the time, all of the information and data we had from the State Department, the CDC, our tour company and colleagues in South Africa led us to the decision to send the trip as planned. Almost immediately after they arrived in South Africa, things started ramping up in Europe, then eventually the U.S. federal government announced a travel ban, including the U.K., which is where the group was scheduled to return from. We brought our students who did not have U.S. passports back immediately. We were in daily contact with our tour company, with trip leader Heather Panahi and our families. Our chaperones and students were amazing in a stressful situation. Once we knew they were back safely, we had to pivot quickly to the what we were going to do about reopening school.”

Angela Brown, Director of Enrollment Management and Marketing, “March 10 is our region’s notification day for Admission, so we sent out the emails and packets to all of our accepted students. Literally the next day, the Admin Team decided that we could not resume classes on campus after spring break. All of our revisit events had been carefully planned and promoted with our families, because we really only have two weeks to woo families one more time before they make their decisions on April 10. We had to create virtual ways for those families to experience Dana Hall. My team was unflappable in the face of a Herculean challenge. We were able to provide a flexible schedule of events, so we could reach more people than we would have with our typical on-campus revisit program. Many of our teachers, program directors and students participated in our virtual events to share their perspectives and experiences with newly admitted families.”

Christie Baskett, Chief Advancement Officer, “The Advancement efforts were affected on several fronts, primarily events and fundraising. The parent volunteers and our staff had worked for more than a year to plan our Blue & White Night fundraiser for April 4, which was postponed until next year. We rescheduled our April 2020 reunions to April 2021.

I’m so proud of the staff and many volunteers who creatively found ways to virtually engage and connect with alumnae from around the world. We will continue to incorporate some of these ideas even when we return to on-campus reunions. We wanted to be very sensitive about fundraising. We scaled back on our Dana Fund plans and instead created the Dana Cares Fund, which could be used to support resources to help faculty maintain and enhance the online delivery of our academic programs, aid to families with financial need, and unbudgeted expenses that arose due to the global crisis. This caring Dana Hall community, led by the Board of Trustees who made additional gifts, responded quickly and generously.”

Nia Jacobs, Academic Dean, “During that first week of spring break, it was becoming clearer and clearer that we would not be returning to school as normal. I started pulling together resources for faculty members, and we created a ‘plan for online learning’ document. After we made the decision that we would not be returning to campus, we focused on reassuring parents and students that we could do this. The structures we already had in place academically were going to be incredibly helpful. Already being a 1:1 device school with our iPad program, already having a learning management system that students knew and could use created some structures that let us say, ‘Yes, this is going to be different and challenging, but we are not traveling into the total unknown.’”

Lauren Goldberg, Director of Middle School, “We went into action, with flexibility, creativity and nimbleness. It was fortunate that we were on spring break, so we could just focus on how we were going to get started and have clear communication as we moved forward.”

Summer 2020

23

Jacobs: “Whenever we as a school are making a decision about anything, I really try to keep our core mission and inclusion and diversity statements in my head equally. Having a schedule that prioritized some students’ needs over other students’ needs would be taking a moment that was already really complicated, and then throwing out the mission at the same time.

It meant for tough choices – for the faculty in the Upper School, it meant that they would be teaching during the day and at 8 and 9 p.m. They did it because that was the timing that that was going to make sense for students across a 16-hour swing with a broad range of home learning environments and learning abilities.”

Keimowitz: “We took two additional days after spring break for teacher meetings to determine best practices. We came out of the gates with a schedule and some professional development training around Zoom, best practices and expectations.

We spent a large part of April building the plane as we were flying it. We had to make determinations that we would not have exams, that we would move the timeline up for the end of the year (June 5 to May 29), and that we would assess the distance learning portion of the year on a pass/fail basis. We wanted to make sure that we were setting up kids to learn the key skills and content for the spring, not only to wrap up the year, but to set them up for success for next year. Teachers worked really hard to refocus their curricula.”

Ryan: “In Student Affairs our focus was on making sure students were connected, both emotionally and literally (to the Internet). We know that there are connectivity issues in China, though most of our students had work-around solutions.

We doubled down on advisor meetings and connections. Our Class Deans in the Upper School started reaching out to all advisors to get updates on students. We tracked all of that, along with class attendance, and shared that information with the counselors and the Health Center, so we could identify and support kids who were struggling. It helped us in such a different way – we really counted on the advisors and the Class Deans.”

“ I didn’t hear any grumbling; I didn’t hear any ‘this can’t be done.’ Everyone was so positive and optimistic and did everything they could to support our girls.”

– Katherine Bradley, Head of School Goldberg: “We really focused on the kids. What do our girls need? In the Middle School, I was thinking about young adolescents and what supports would be best for them. They needed a fair amount of synchronous time in classes; they needed the structure and face time with their teachers. I have such admiration for what the teachers did; they were so creative with some of the ways that they thought about aspects of Zoom, and how to use it. The other piece of that was not having the kids glued to a screen for hours at a time. We created a schedule with built-in breaks; we called it Step Away Time.”

Becky Kimball, Director of Athletics, Health and Wellness, “We took Health and Wellness in the direction of online resources, and sharing content on Padlet, DanaConnect and via social media. Middle School started off with time built into the day for physical activity and wellness, and we added that dedicated time into the Upper School schedule about half way through. We took all of our fitness classes online – strength training, yoga and meditation. Through Zoom we witnessed several athletes rise as leaders. Our teams were forced to engage using a new platform that exposed both their strengths and weaknesses. Coaches were quick to think creatively around team check-ins, skill development and team building activities that would set their teams up for success next season. Once it was determined we would not return to campus to celebrate our seniors in-person, we turned our focus to creating senior spotlight recognition videos, highlighting their commitment and dedication to the team.”

Katherine Bradley, Head of School, “When the local government confirmed that we would not be able to come back to campus was a moment of discouragement and sadness for everyone – knowing that we were not going to have a chance to see one another again, to say goodbye to each other, and that all the end-of-year plans for seniors were going to be so vastly different. That was the lowest moment for me personally. But we bounced back, and focused on solving the problems of how to do we celebrate the year and honor students.

I am so proud that this faculty went gung-ho to make this work. I didn’t hear any grumbling; I didn’t hear any ‘this can’t be done.’ Everyone was so positive and optimistic and did everything they could to support our girls. This is a faculty that is invested in teaching well, and that really came out in multitudes in this time. We also saw the girls being resilient, flexible and trying things they hadn’t tried before – they were showing their talent, skills and mastery of material in a very different way. Things that people otherwise thought impossible, we did.” F 24

Summer 2020

Priceless Influence Frank Lawrence remains a beloved teacher and administrator for hundreds of Dana Hall alumnae, particularly those who passed through the Middle School in the mid-1980s. He joined the School as an English teacher in 1974 and subsequently served as the Middle School Director from 1983-87, when it was housed in Wayside; he saw it through its move to its current building and the addition of the 6th grade. “That move to the former library building was a really big deal, a big turning point for the Middle School,” Lawrence recalled.

“We could have assemblies! Kids at that age need their own base, so that was important.”

Middle School educators have a special appreciation for students at a particular stage of development, and Lawrence was no exception. “I liked their spontaneity,” he said. “I went back a few years ago, and their faces haven’t changed.”

Jill and Frank Lawrence, at home in Oregon

support Dana Hall – we want that influence to continue.”

Lawrence and his wife Jill do not have children, but Jill noted that “in a way, Frank has had so many children.

He has had so much influence on so many children’s lives, which is part of the reason we want to continue to

Lawrence is a strong advocate for single-sex education. “Dana Hall remains very, very important, especially for young women – it is vital,” he said. “As the world changes, keeping places like Dana alive needs to happen. The work is so important, and the people who do it are heroes and heroines.”

After leaving Dana Hall, Lawrence made several moves, eventually to the Pacific Northwest. He met Jill when he was a customer in one of her floral stores. After both of their spouses passed away, they reconnected, first by email.

They have been married for 22 years and now live in Portland, Oregon. Jill still runs an online Etsy shop, as they work on a home renovation.

The Lawrences have decided to make a significant provision for Dana Hall in their estate plan. “Investing in young people is probably the best investment you can make,” he explained. “Dana Hall is sending young women out in the world prepared to be strong leaders. I have always respected Dana Hall’s philosophy and mission, which has led to young women doing important work and making advancements. The School tells young women, ‘you can do that,’ and that’s big!”

You can join Frank and Jill Lawrence 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 Senior Gift Officer for Alumnae and Planned Giving Robin Ryan at robin.ryan@danahall.org or (781) 489-1377.

Summer 2020

25

CLASS OF

2020

26

Summer 2020

CLASS OF 2020 A Historic Class Makes History

By Margaret Gordon ’20 and Nicole Ribakoff ’20 Senior Class Historians Dear Dana Hall, The Class of 2020 misses you. As I sit down to write this, I have not seen my class’s smiling faces for nearly three months, and I don’t know when I will again. Not being with our silver sisters for our final moments as Dana Hall students has been hard for us all; however, while 2020 may not be a normal year, the Class of 2020 is not a normal class.

We have managed to keep in touch and in good spirits, with grade-wide email chains, breakout rooms in classes, and Zooms with friends taking the place of laughs in Student Affairs and eating on the Erisman Student Center patio in the warm, spring air. We have been incredibly lucky to have had our time at Dana Hall shaped by a fantastic group of peers as well as faculty and staff, and the Class of 2020 is forever grateful for all of the amazing lessons they have taught us, from how to find a derivative to how to be leaders, even when conversations are difficult. While this spring may have been a different end to our Dana Hall experiences than any of us could have possibly dreamed, the love and community that we have built over our time at the school override any sadness we may feel about not getting a proper goodbye. Because of you, we are the leaders, thinkers, artists, athletes and change-makers of tomorrow.

Most of the 2019-20 school year was, however, another year full of Amor Caritas, and featured many accomplishments from the Class of 2020. Athletics kicked off the year with the exciting addition of a new turf field, something many had been looking forward to.

Many of our winter and fall athletic teams placed within the top three in EILs, with the Varsity Swim Team taking home first place in the conference. Many athletes set new personal bests and pushed themselves further than ever before, supporting their teams and fostering community all along the way.

Summer 2020

27

The seniors in the arts, too, had an eventful year. Whether acting as presidents in the entertaining ensemble show 45 Plays for 45 Presidents or directing the fun-loving comedy, Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic, the Class of 2020 made their mark on theater this school year. The dance concert, Acuity, was in February instead of March this year, and the two dynamic performances left the audience in high spirits. While the Chamber Singers may not have been able to perform at Carnegie Hall, they led a beautiful tribute concert to the music of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. The virtual Class of 2020 Art Show was stunning, too, and students honed their craft daily in the School of Music.

Every member of our class made their mark, whether in Speech and Debate, Model United Nations, or as student leaders. My peers have sparkled when in charge of Hallmanac, Mirage, and the yearbook. They led Day of Community Learning workshops and attended important conferences such as the virtual AISNE High School Students of Color Conference. The Class of 2020 is full of talented and passionate girls in all fields and backgrounds, and we are so glad we got to share that all with the school community.

A class that makes history together stays together. Still, I know that even before our world turned upside-down, Dana Hall’s Class of 2020 was bonded by the unshakable ties of sisterhood. A class who went to New York City twice in Middle School, who never had Student Affairs taken from them (although we came close), and who has seen the school grow and change exponentially and grown with it is bound to each other forever. It may be a while until we see each other next, but we will carry the memories of our time at Dana forever. So thank you again, Dana Hall, for making our time here so special, and to the Class of 2020: Sail on. Sail far. I’ll be sailing right behind (*.

28

Summer 2020

CLASS OF

2020 Summer 2020

29

Unlimited Curiosity 2020 Distinguished Alumna

Durinda Wood ’70 Fifty years ago, Durinda Wood ’70 left Dana Hall School and

began a journey that has been filled with curiosity, creativity and exploration. The 2020 Distinguished Alumna Award recipient has spent most of her life working in film, television and theater. Recently retired but not slowing down, she is both reflective about her time at Dana and her professional success, as well as eager to explore what comes next.

A three-year boarding student, Wood admits that she struggled with some of Dana Hall’s rules in the late 1960s. “As an exchange student to St. Paul’s School, I led a little insurrection to protest having to wear short skirts in the cold New Hampshire winter,” she said. “Some of us wore our jeans underneath our skirts. That didn’t go over too well.” But she credits Dana for its challenging curriculum and for expanding her worldview. “I think Dana and single-sex education Durinda Wood ’70 gave me a real respect for and belief in women. It was a bit of a shock to get out in the world and realize that not all people had the same respect and belief,” she noted. Her first big adventure began after her 1970 graduation. Earlier that spring, a classmate suggested she go to Israel and work on a kibbutz. “I wrangled my friend Candy Cummins, who was a junior, and we went. It was my very first plane flight ever, anywhere. After the kibbutz, I ventured on for five months to Greece, Turkey and all over Europe, meeting new traveling companions along the way,” Wood said. “I think the seed for all that adventure came from Dana Hall, because it was there that I met girls from all over the country and the world.”

With her first big adventure under her belt, Wood returned to attend Bard College’s Fine Arts program. The next summer, in need of a job, she sought out a position that could address her passion for clothing and fashion.

“I came out of the womb a one-trick pony. Clothes. Clothes. Clothes,” Wood proclaimed. “And clothes became my grand obsession and creative work for my entire life so far.”

Wood found a summer job in the costume department at Monmouth Theater, a small summer theater in Maine.

Many of the costume shop workers were transplanted from the Guthrie Theater, the prestigious theater in Minnesota, for the summer. They shared their experience and talents, and inspired Wood to transfer to the California Institute of the Arts, where she earned her BFA in Design. While she originally thought she would work in theater in New York City, all of her classmates were heading into the film industry in L.A., so she stayed in California and worked as a costume designer for movies and television.

A quick review of Wood’s IMDB page or her own website (www.durindawood.com) shows the breadth of her work, which has been honored with both an Emmy Award and a Costume Designer’s Guild Award, among other accolades. She cites two projects as particular highlights. In 1988-89 she was the Costume Designer on the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. “I had a whole shop of costumers and costume makers, and we were prepping and building sci-fi clothes every day,” she explained. “It was really hard work. We were prepping 30

Summer 2020

a show, shooting a show and taking down a show simultaneously every week. It was fast and furious, and you really had to rely on your design instincts, so that’s where I learned to do just that. But I could only take that relentless schedule for a year. Back then, it was very difficult to maintain the quality of the costumes in television because of the little time and money allotted. I wanted to get back to the movies.”

On the film side, she has great fondness for the work she did on director Christopher Guest’s movies, including For Your Consideration, A Mighty Wind and Best in Show. “Those films were very fun and creative,” she said. “And they were very collaborative, which is what I love –– collaborating with the director, producers, actors and the other department heads.”

Wood retired about 15 months ago. She had looked forward to traveling, though those plans have been temporarily curtailed because of the ongoing global pandemic. She has empathy for the Class of 2020, who are now confronting a world that is very different from the one her classmates faced 50 years ago. “In my day, graduation didn’t necessarily mean going to college right away,” she explained. “But just like today, you had to envision a path you wanted to take. I can’t imagine seeing the vision, but not being able to start on the path because the whole world has stopped. That must be very frustrating for them.”

But she has some advice for this year’s graduates and other recent Dana Hall alumnae: “As young women you hear a lot of the word ‘no’. In my experience, you can’t take no for an answer. Don’t let the world shut down your will and ambitions. Also, I think curiosity is enormously important, along with persistence and resilience. The film industry is so intense, and the people who were able to fall down, get up, fall down and get up again, were the people who ultimately succeeded.”

“ I think the seed for all that adventure came from Dana Hall, because it was there that I met girls from all over the country and the world.”

– Durinda Wood ’70

Durinda Wood is not sure what her next act will be, but she feels she has a clean slate, and is ready to continue the exploration “with unlimited curiosity to drive me on,” she said, with just a hint of glee in her voice.

The Distinguished Alumna Award is presented each year to a Dana Hall alumna who has demonstrated outstanding distinction in her professional and/or volunteer field of endeavor, providing an inspiring role model for students.

Summer 2020

31

INDEBTED TO DANA HALL 2020 Distinguished Young Alumna Honoree

Courtney Caruso ’05 passionate about my clients and about effecting change within the justice system,” Caruso said. By her final year, Caruso spent the majority of her time representing clients in criminal proceedings, and had accumulated more than 1,000 hours of pro bono clinical and litigation experience.

Courtney Caruso ’05

I

f you saw Courtney Caruso ’05 now, a senior associate specializing in litigation, investigations, white collar crime and fraud at a global law firm in Boston, it would be hard to picture the same woman just a decade earlier, pouring over historical records at the near-empty state archives in Venice, Italy, softly splashing her rain boots in the aqua alta pooling at her feet.

Caruso attended Washington University in St. Louis where she majored in psychology and history, which, combined with her minor in Italian, led her to Italian history. After studying abroad not once but twice, she discovered the niche world of women’s lives in pre-Renaissance Italy. “Those women became my passion, and I was constantly studying and talking about them,” she said. She wrote her thesis on the effects of cloister on convents, nuns and religious women in early modern Venice, which helped earn her a Fulbright grant to return to Italy and continue her research the following year.

Although she loved living in Padua, Caruso realized her course toward a Ph.D. program would not sustain her need for human contact. An extrovert who is energized by working with others, Caruso submitted applications to law school—which she hoped would offer more opportunity for daily collaboration—from internet cafes while buying enough spritz to keep a table.

Caruso talks about the abrupt change in her life when she traded her “very, very Italian lifestyle” for the competitive first-year classes at Harvard Law School. She isn’t shy to share she struggled to find her way until she began to provide free representation to low-income individuals in Boston’s courts. “The more criminal work I did, the more I became 32

Summer 2020

After graduation, she spent her first two years at a large firm before switching gears and clerking for a female judge who helped her identify and understand what she wanted out of her law career. She then took a position at her current firm.

“It’s been a great fit,” she said, “filled with incredibly smart, talented and compassionate people where we fight the good fight together, and I do a combination of civil litigation and criminal defense.” Recently, Caruso had what she considers to be her best career wins so far: A federal judge vacating a jury’s guilty verdict and acquitting her client of extortion charges, and securing the release of a 73-year-old decorated Vietnam veteran who was serving a life sentence after being convicted of first-time non-violent drug trafficking offenses more than 25 years ago. “These cases are incredibly fulfilling,” she said. “They remind me that I was meant to do this work.”

Alexandra Siemon and Rob Mather are two of the Dana Hall teachers whose impact she identifies clearly. Caruso credits them with instilling in her a passion for discovering history and the people who came before us, and for seeking to learn about the world through travel. She is grateful for their lessons and says it was in their classrooms that she developed the concrete writing, analysis and thinking skills that “ultimately allowed me to fly through undergrad and law school.” She fondly remembers that Michele Gerdes in the Middle School gave her the confidence she needed to tackle tough subjects—the teacher’s own math class being one of them.

Caruso also credits Dana Hall with showing her the value and power of building a strong community. She seeks to carry this lesson into her professional life and sits on numerous boards which work to strengthen communities, including Generation Citizen’s Massachusetts Board, the City Awake Advisory Board, Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Talent Development and Retention Leadership Council, and Dana Hall School’s Board of Trustees. Caruso was named a 2019 “Up and Coming Lawyer” by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and a 2020 “Name You Should Know” honoree by the Alliance for Business Leadership.

She feels indebted to the many faculty and staff members she learned from during her years at Dana Hall. “They taught

me the skills required to excel in academia and in the workplace, but also about the importance of community, supporting one another and listening to your inner voice,” Caruso said. “For me, looking back on it, out of every educational institution I have attended, Dana Hall served me in a way that no other place has.”

The Distinguished Young Alumna Award is presented each year to a young Dana alumna who personifies the school’s motto: Amor Caritas. The winner of the Distinguished Young Alumna Award will have demonstrated outstanding distinction by giving back to her community, providing an inspiring role model for students.

SERVICE AND ACTIVISM 2020 Distinguished Service Award Honoree

Emily Ecker ’70 T

his year’s Distinguished Service Award honoree is Emily Ecker ’70, whose career as a social worker spanned more than 30 years—the last five of which she was an oncology social worker at the Dempsey Center, which provides quality-of-life care for individuals and families impacted by cancer.

Ecker was always interested in helping others and being of service, so she felt a career in social work was a natural fit. “[Dana Hall] was the first place I was having the conversation about racism and sexism and classism,” Ecker said, “so in that way, Dana sort of planted the seed. There’s a lot of suffering in the world; I want to help in some way.”

She also credits Dana Hall with being the first place she developed close female friendships— ones that “have stayed with me throughout my lifetime,” Ecker said. She tells of going to a co-ed college and the shock she experienced seeing women view other women as competitors. “They just didn’t get how wonderful another woman could be as a friend,” she said.

Not only was Dana responsible for strengthening her bond with other females, but it was a place that helped her develop as a leader, which she credits to then-Head of School Edith Phelps. Ecker and classmate Sarah Rodman ’70, P06 spoke to Mrs. Phelps about organizing a teachin on Vietnam, a movement that was occurring across the country. “She embraced the idea and really encouraged it. We felt respected by her,” Ecker said. “I’m a leader in my community now, and those leadership skills started at Dana Hall.”

She remembers Deanna Douglas as the teacher who affected her the most. “Mrs. Douglas had such a joy about her,” she said. “She loved whatever she was teaching, and she loved her students.” As she was beloved by other members of the

Class of 1970, Rabbi Douglas has been invited to—and attended—past Reunions with Ecker and her classmates.

In retirement, Ecker has continued with energy/bodywork practice on a part-time basis; she is trained in the Chinese healing art of polarity therapy. In the past decade-plus, she’s gotten very involved in politics, and continues to support environmental and human rights activism. She is passionate about continuing the battle against what she calls climate crisis—“it’s not just climate change,” Ecker said—and praises the steps Dana Hall has taken to support sustainability on campus.

Ecker will be honored at Spring Reunion 2021, and looks forward to celebrating the honor with her classmates. “Dana is continually trying to grow and stretch itself, and provide as much education and exposure as possible to young women,” she said. “That’s really admirable. I’m proud of Dana Hall and what it has done and continues to do.”

The Distinguished Service Award honors an individual, couple, or group who has consistently demonstrated extraordinary commitment, dedication, and service to the advancement of Dana Hall School.

Emily Ecker ’70

Summer 2020

33

SUSTAINING REUNION SPIRIT

the

The Classes ending in 0 and 5 were not able to gather in person for their milestone reunions this April, but that did not stop the staff of the Nina Heald Webber ’49 Archives from curating and sharing photos and memorabilia from their time at Dana Hall. In addition to content shared virtually, a sampling of photos is included here. The rest continue to be carefully preserved in the Archives’ collection and will be available when alumnae can safely return to the Dana Hall campus.

DANA HALL

archives The Class of 1985

The Class of 1970’s Commencement

The Class of 1975 at Senior-Sophomore The Class of 2010 Miranda Simon ’90 and Mardi Luttrell ’90

Located in the Helen Temple Cooke Library, the Nina Heald Webber ’49 Archives can help link Dana Hall’s current programs to the past. The Archives accepts all materials of historical pertinence — documents, recordings, photographs, scrapbooks, programs, letters and clothing — related to or created by Dana Hall alumnae and faculty during their time at the School. In addition, the archivists are now collecting alumnae reflections on the current global pandemic. The link for submission is on the Archives tab of the Helen Temple Cooke Library website. https://library.danahall.org/dana-hall-covid-19community-archive-project/ Please contact Archivist Dorothy DeSimone P06, 10 at dorothy.desimone@danahall.org or archives@danahall.org for more information about making a donation. The Archives’ collection is lacking two issues of the Dana Hall Bulletin: the “Catalogue Issue” for 1969-1970 (possibly numbered Vol. 32, no.

3) and the Spring 1969 issue (Vol. 31, no. 3). If you have one to donate, please reach out to the Archives.

34

Summer 2020

DANA HALL ON THE ROAD:

events

receptions

Please check the alumnae events calendar on www.danahall.org/alumnae for upcoming events and details.

PASADENA, CALIF.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIF.

Back row: Chief Advancement Officer Christie Baskett, Head of School Katherine Bradley, Sarah Gage ’78, Mary Kavanaugh ’72. Front row: Suzanne (Reid) Schenck ’62, Anne Cannon ’70, Janet Mostafa ’58

Back row: Libby Beers ’70, Chief Advancement Officer Christie Baskett, Renate Geerlings ’90, Jessica Ngo ’05, Durinda Wood ’70, Latoya Coleman ’05. Front row: Emmy Lowell ’05, Head of School Katherine Bradley, Lisa Goodman’85, Zahra Phillips ’06, Katharine King ’71

SAN FRANCISCO

PALO ALTO, CALIF.

Helena Carroll ’15, Alexa Dekkers ’15, Yoona Ro ’13

Back row: Chief Advancement Officer Christie Baskett, Betsy Little ’67, Anne Dauer ’56, Betsy Stone ’56. Front row: Ellie Swent ’41, Head of School Katherine Bradley, Lucy LaPier ’73, Thea Narten ’99

VIRTUAL NETWORKING EVENT

Back row: Jill Crowley Fraser ’78, Head of School Katherine Bradley, Annabelle Johnson ’94, Janelle Werner ’91, Kellyanne Dignan ’99, Andrea Nachtigall ’69, Laura Coleman ’75. Front row: Chief Advancement Officer Christie Baskett, Lisa Crounse ’87, Lida Morgenstein ’87, Alexa Dekkers ’15, Helena Carroll ’15

Moderated by Margaret Boles Fitzgerald ’73, P04, the event featured panelists Pamela Forman P18, Emily Martin ’14 and Kara O’Keefe ’05

Summer 2020

35

ALUMNAE AND FAMILY EVENT AT DANA HALL

Magician Bonaparté entertained alumnae and their families in the Fencing Studio.

SPRING REUNION ZOOM MEETINGS

Class of 1970

Class of 1975

Class of 1985

Class of 2005

Class of 1990

36

Summer 2020

STAR Club

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 Alumnae Relations and Major Gifts Samantha Greenfield at bulletin@danahall.org or (781) 489-1368 to learn more. Being a Class Correspondent is a wonderful way to keep in touch with your classmates and help share news and announcements with the Dana Hall community.

Please share your news with your Class Correspondent by October 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 October 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 1943

Class of 1947

Jacqueline (Jackie) Hope O’Leary G08 10 Longwood Dr. Westwood, MA 02090-1123 (781) 329-8426 jaol950@gmail.com

Barbara (Bobbie) Quarles Harper 3050 Military Rd. NW Apt. 621 Washington, DC 20015-1367 (202) 244-1571 harperbq@gmail.com

Jackie Hope O’Leary shares that Fox Hill is taking good care of her, and she is addicted to her word search puzzles.

Class of 1948

Elizabeth (Betsy) Wortley Lewis reads The New York Times and does the crossword puzzle—only on Mondays. Her seventh grandbaby was recently born: Lincoln Coleman.

Elizabeth (Liz) Hills O’Leary ’72 is the rowing coach for Harvard and as of April was working from home. Granddaughter Jacqueline (Jackie) O’Leary ’08 is a marketing manager for Dunkin Donuts and was also working from her home.

Class of 1944 Patricia Dunham Oburchay 222A Shoshoni Lane Oronoque Village Stratford, CT 06614-8175 (203) 383-4349

Class of 1945 Mary Kavanaugh ’72 writes that her mother, Janet Goff Bryan, passed away on January 23, 2019. Mary says, “Dana meant a greal deal to her.”

Collette Johnson Taylor 20252 Millbrook Dr. Abingdon, VA 24211-6868 (207) 967-2352 Winann Meyer Curran passed away on April 11, 2020, at Norwalk Hospital in Connecticut due to complications from COVID-19. Winann attended Connecticut College in New London, Conn., and graduated with a B.A. in child development in 1952. She went on to teach nursery school at the Shady Hill School in Cambridge, Mass., subsequently returning to Peoria to recover from polio (the COVID-19 of the 1950s), which she did with great persistence and determination.

She moved to Kennebunkport, Maine, and later to Rowayton, Conn., where she spent summers, while spending winters in Gulfstream, Fla. This past December, she lost her husband Laurence Curran, and then moved to New Canaan, Conn., to live with her daughter and family. She enjoyed painting, skiing, golf, sailing, boating and tennis, and kept in great shape by walking and going to the gym with her husband.

She also traveled extensively and enjoyed entertaining. Winann will be remembered most by her family as an all-encompassing and loving mother and grandmother— adored for her unwavering support, devotion, compassion, attention and care.

She was also admired by all who knew her

for her genuine kindness, great style and taste, elegance, quiet poise, good advice, confidence and athleticism.

Class of 1949 Virginia (Ginger) O’Hearn Broadbent P81 88 Notch Hill Rd., Apt. 157 North Branford, CT 06471-1848 (203) 208-1475 virginiabroadbent@frontier.com This is certainly an unprecedented time for our world. I (Ginger O’Hearn Broadbent) am hoping you all are well and staying safe. I also hope by the time the Bulletin comes out, this coronavirus crisis will be over and we are back to “normal,” whatever that will mean. It certainly was a time of sadness for some, upsetting for others and a time of adjustment for many. I thought I would have many responses from my email due to the coronavirus as you would all be in lockdown at home. I was wrong and I only had three responses. So I took to the phone and had the opportunity to talk with a number of you. The following are the classmates who wrote to me: Virginia (Vee) Henry Achey writes, “I hope you are well in this very difficult time of our lives. I am fine but confined to my wonderful retirement community campus, no visitors allowed, of course, during the coronavirus crisis. I have a beautiful little ‘garden home’ and they are taking good care of us and enforcing safe-distance rules.

We pick up our daily meal and bring it home to eat. We do have our usual exercise classes on the house TV and other interesting programs as well. Son Steve and daughter Linda live in Florida, son Jeff in Colorado, a granddaughter in Colorado, one in Florida, one in New Orleans, one in

Summer 2020

37

Minnesota, and a grandson in Nevada. All is well, but of course I worry about the future for my family. So far, no residents or staff have been affected, and Well-Spring is doing its best to be sure no one is. Anyone leaving campus (mostly staff) has temperatures taken when they return; masks and gloves required for them. I am very lucky to be here. A wonderful memory today when I heard Randall Thompson’s ‘Alleluia’ on the radio and it brought back memories when I sang it with the Dana Glee Club at the Boston Pops Prep School Festival. I wonder if they still do that.”

Mary (Maizie) May Donald writes that she has, “A leaky roof, a squirrel somewhere in my house and I can’t send emails all of a sudden. So what else is new. Time to stash it in or rise to the challenge? COVID-19, it’s keeping me going. They say stay indoors, but I can’t see the rational. Does anyone? Good luck and wash your hands.”

Nancy Redway Ford writes, “We are, like you, here at Essex Meadows basically confined to our apartments. We can go out and walk and see spring arriving in the beautiful daffodils that are appearing everywhere. They are trying so hard to keep us safe here: bring our meals, our mail and our newspaper, and will even go shopping for us for food or drugs that we might need. Can’t ask for more but it will be a blessing when we can once again meet friends and family. My family is fine at the moment but it is a worry. I worry most about our daughter in Seattle married to a doctor who sees patients with this virus. I hope we begin to see a decrease in numbers of people with the virus before too long.

Keep safe and maybe we can meet once this is behind us.” Nan lives nearby and we have met for lunch once or twice, which was nice.

The following are the classmates who I was able to reach by phone: I was able to reach Betty (Beetsie) Levin Viering who is living in San Rafael, Calif., and who was quite surprised to hear from me as it has been a while. I did visit her years ago when my daughter lived in San Rafael and I was visiting her. Beetsie says she loves her house which apparently has a beautiful view. She has two children: Joy, who lives in Atlanta, and Doug, who lives in Los Angeles. Her husband’s two children live about 45 minutes away. We laughed a lot and had wonderful to chat.

I was surprised to find Norma (Billie) Fisher home and not traveling.

38

Summer 2020

Unfortunately, her trip was canceled due to the virus. Billie and her friend have recently moved. She mentioned that her golf course was closed so I gather she is still playing golf. She is—and has been since 2004—volunteering in a food pantry.

I was delighted to catch up with her.

Jane Fisher lives in Allentown, Pa., and is fine. She too lives in a life care facility and is in lockdown. We had a lot to compare.

Sarah (Sally) Hartley Sneve says she is “house bound” as most of us are. Sally manages to get out twice a week, however, to go to the store. She did say, “I am most impressed with our governor [she lives in Minnesota]. He is doing a good job keeping things under control.”

Nina Heald Webber has been in Florida all winter and because of the virus does not want to go to Cape Cod until things are better. She is playing golf six days a week, keeping a distance from the other players.

Nina has new twin great-granddaughters who are 1 year old and adorable.

Joan Felton Cross and Gerry are fine and in lockdown in Needham, Mass. Same story I heard from most ’49ers.

I stay in touch with Roberta (Bobbie) Brown Mosher who lives in Stamford, Conn. She too is in a life care facility. She is alone now, as Charlie passed away a year ago. Her son Chuck and wife live nearby, which is so nice for her. Her daughter Annie is in California and Dottie in Seattle.

Bobbie spent Christmas time visiting and traveling with both daughters and spouses.

I stay in touch with Emily (Emmy) Eckart Ogden who is fine. She lives in Cos Cob with daughter Julie, which is wonderful.

Her other daughter, Cissie, lives close by—so nice for Emmy.

Deborah (Debby) Phillips is another one I talk to from time to time. She is in Woodstock, Vt., in a condo. She said she and her sister, who lives nearby, get together once week. They make their own lunches and meet in their cars with the windows down so they can chat. What a good idea.

Louise (Petey) Berke Wulff and Kurt are fine. Petey is busy feeding all the animals who come to her back door looking for food. She claims to have not only the usual birds and squirrels but raccoons, wild turkeys and an occasional fox and coyote.

I had a lovely chat with Carolyn (Perkie) Perkins VanDusen, who lives in Newtown, Pa. She lives in a retirement community and is very happy there. Perkie has three children who live with their families in New Jersey, so they are not too far away—nice for her. One of her granddaughters just graduated from college and is living in Brooklyn. Another granddaughter is at Oberlin College.

Jennifer (Jenna) Hardy Speer writes, “My younger son Jim and family were here for over two weeks at Christmas time. The grandkids are about to turn 8 and 10. They are a delight and in the gifted class at their school. The younger one is doing very well at the piano and about to take up the violin, too—the same violin Jim played when he was in elementary school! Of course life has been interrupted with the coronavirus, but so far all my family seems to be doing well. I feel fortunate to be at this stage in my life where I’m not missing work or a paycheck and with no car I am definitely staying home and glad to have a garden to play in. Son Chuck and his wife are surgical nurses in Maine but there aren’t too many virus cases at their hospital. They are being very careful. They couldn’t make their usual spring visit to me in Arizona, alas!”

I had a wonderful chat with former Head of School Caroline Erisman, our honorary ’49er. When I asked for her for her news, she said she would mail it to me and here it is. Caroline writes, “It was wonderful to talk to you this morning! I enjoyed catching up, and you are always so upbeat and positive. The call was the highlight of my day! Kudos to Ginger for reaching out to me and encouraging me to send in news. What a wonderful cheerleader she is for the Class of ’49! This is my third year as executive director of the Connelly Center (a middle school, grades 4-8, for low-income girls located on the lower east side of New York City, which also supports the students financially and academically through high school and college). It is meaningful work. Among other things, it gives me faith in humanity to know that we are transforming the lives of our students. As you can imagine, the pandemic has taken its toll on many of our families who have lost jobs. However, our teachers are committed to making remote learning as engaging as possible. My three children are all on the West Coast: one in Seattle and two in Los Angeles. My husband John and I have a nightly Zoom call with them to stay in touch. Meanwhile, John and I are hunkered down in New York City during the lockdown. I must admit that the city is

eerie right now—empty streets and closed stores and restaurants. I think of all of you in the Class of ’49 and Dana Hall a lot. You continue to be an inspiration to me, and I miss you! I’m hoping that our paths will cross in the near future once this health crisis has passed. Sending you positive thoughts for good health and lots of love.”

Thank you so much, Caroline!

I (Ginger) am fine—“hanging in,” as we say. Evergreen Woods in North Branford, Conn., where I live, has been terrific about keeping us safe and informed. Dinners, mail and messages are all delivered to our door. All common rooms are closed along with the pool, library, auditorium and we are not allowed to leave the grounds. We are able to go outside and walk, keeping our 6-foot distance and wearing a mask. I think we all will be glad to get back to normal, whatever that will mean. The positive with all of this for me is I have had lots of time to spend reaching out to old friends by phone. I have discovered Zoom, so I am able to see my family who are spread out all over the country and enjoy two different Bible study classes weekly. I seem to be quite busy, which is good.

Class of 1950 Correspondent needed

Class of 1951 Correspondent needed

Class of 1952 Correspondent needed

Class of 1953 Juliet Bourne Sherwood 175 South Corona St. Denver, CO 80209-2423 (303) 282-9077 coloradojule@gmail.com

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 (207) 317-0125 asprugh@gmail.com Mary Alice Bauer Wilson writes from Putney, Vt., in late winter: “Perhaps I am thinking about gardening because I am looking out on the classic ‘wintery mix’ swirling around.” She and Bill are waiting for an opening in a senior community.

“Lathrop Community had three places available. Forty folks entered the pool, our reservation number came in seventh, so we will be here at least through May—surely longer—and (assuming the ground thaws), I can be messing around in the garden.” I, Anne Pike Rugh, was delighted to learn on “CBS Sunday Morning” that the “war gardens” of 1918, and the “victory gardens” of WWII (I had one) are returning as a response to the current crisis.

Elizabeth (Bunny) Philippi Millikin says the book Mary Alice mentioned in April is one of her favorites. She writes, “It is called Gardening for a Lifetime by Sidney Eddison and I highly recommend it. I have two copies: one to lend and one to keep in case the lent one isn’t returned.” She adds, “Our Reunion was the best! Dana impressed me way more than I thought it could since I knew nothing about the present education programs, but wow!” Bunny also had tougher news: “Not too long after Reunion, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and spent the winter dealing with that. The sequence of treatment was chemo, surgery and another round of chemo. Well, I am through with the first round of chemo and was preparing for the surgery part in a few weeks, but that has been interrupted and postponed by the coronavirus so will restart the chemo in another week instead and push the surgery part into late June. It will be a long slog but so far I have survived much better than I thought.”

Phoebe Cory wrote to say how sorry she was to miss Reunion, “but I won’t miss the next!”

Beedy Tatlow Neiner writes, “We are happy and well—so far—here in ‘paradise,’ as we call Palm Desert. We have been sheltered in place since March 12. It is beautiful here except the county closed both public and private golf courses on March 17. This had folks’ knickers in a twist as we all have our own golf carts, but so be it, so there is nothing to do but walk,

read, talk, eat too much and watch. We order everything—groceries, spirits and sometimes dinner—to be delivered and left at the front door. No visitors or family are allowed into the complex—only folks who reside here. There was no Easter— churches are closed, can’t go anywhere, so we ordered and ate by ourselves. The good news is we did not eat any jelly beans or chocolate bunnies! We canceled all trips: to the Rhine at the end of April, to New York City at the end of May and to Traverse City at the end of June. Going to the airport and getting on a plane is a bad idea, so we wait. The county finally decided we could play golf (April 21) with a mandatory face mask (hot and itchy) just in time for the heat to hit 100! Some things are hard to understand!”

Beedy added, “Just talked with Patronella (Patty) Sykes Treadwell. She lost her husband two years ago. Sad. It had been years since we connected. She lives in Ross, Calif. It was great to catch up! I find life pleasantly quiet, slowing down and enjoying. We do see a lot more of each other and wildlife: birds, egrets, swans, cranes, turtles, pelicans, ducks. Yes, those boxes in the garage are still there unopened. There seems to be no inspiration to go through them!”

Mary (Tookey) Ingalls Waddell sent this news: “In 2018, I received a diagnosis of inherited (BRAF gene) colon cancer.

Thanks to God, I am feeling good, but get tested every six months at the Hudner Cancer Center in Fall River, Mass. I downsized a long time ago from a sixbedroom house, but still have about 4,000 pounds left. I enjoy the stories of downsizing successes. I would enjoy hearing from classmates or other Dana friends. You can reach me at (401) 6242126 or tookeywaddell2002@yahoo.com.”

Remembering another pandemic, Gabriella (Gay) Dreher DiVirgilio writes from Forestburgh, N.Y., “I remember polio very, very well. It hit close to home.

Eventually the Salk vaccine came about and we were all vaccinated. I am sheltering-inplace, but because where I live is in a huge private compound, I can get outside and garden. Right now (late March) that just means picking up twigs from the lawn. I have not been able to get my car washed and it’s totally all gray. However, the food supply is good up here, and with BJ’s and Sam’s Club, I am all set with toilet paper and paper towels. I have made up my own

Summer 2020

39

Clorox wipes: mixing Clorox with some water and spraying it on a paper towel.

Voilà, a Clorox wipe! Thinking of you all.”

Gretchen Schuele Urban writes from Naples, Fla., “There is not enough room to repeat my great life. I married my college sweetheart in 1955. We were married for 55 years. I had five children and nine grandchildren. I have lived in Ohio, Illinois, Florida and Colorado. I sent seven girls to Culver Girls Academy in Culver, Ind. That’s all for now.”

Susan (Sue) Smith Pratt writes, “I am doing fine thus far with a now three-week self-quarantine. However, I am concerned for children and grandchildren who are dealing with more difficult situations. I was hoping to have them visit Nova Scotia this summer, but with the border closed, air travel and Bar Harbor ferry shut down, I do not think travel will be possible.” Sue canceled her two-week April visit to Naples, Fla., where she spent many winters: “I feared very early on that we were going to face difficult times—one being age and that I also have COPD. So, here we are facing a situation that is unique, uncertain, distressing. We were just children during the Second World War, but we do remember some of those difficult times. My father was in World War I and I recall his stories about the Spanish Flu of 1918 and its devastating effects.” Moving on to gardening, she notes, “Having sold my home and considering the usual aches and pains at our age, I’ve limited my gardening to window boxes and planters, which I do still enjoy.”

I, Anne, had a lovely long phone chat with Marka ReQua Burnett (Highlands, N.J.) one late Saturday morning in early April.

Self-isolation hasn’t ruled out that kind of visiting. We reminisced about last fall’s delightful Reunion, reviewed the status of our children and their children—some brought home early from study abroad— and reflected on our favorite teachers at Dana. Neither of us thought to mention that we met 69 years ago in Sanborn as high school sophomores. Tempus fugit!

Briefly back to downsizing, Marka merely sighed when the subject came up, which probably says all you need to know, and Lynn Jenkins Brown was positively dismissive when asked if she and Eric had yet moved from Dataw Island in South Carolina. Lynn writes, “They haven’t closed our pool. Just took all the chairs and umbrellas out! And yes, still here; not really in a hurry, I keep telling myself, as the

40

Summer 2020

house gets messier and shabbier.” I have visited there. The house is wonderful, and Lynn is busy “painting and art playing.”

Who wouldn’t rather do that?

Ann Jones Dunipace writes, “Whoever would have thought…? But, we’re all in this together and I hope are all staying smart and healthy. We are sheltering-inplace in our retirement community here in Indianapolis and hoping and praying that this crisis will pass before summer so we can get back to our beloved Maine.

Stay well.”

From Marian (Marnie) Thomas Wood in Riverdale, N.Y.: “Celebrating survival with you and our pets who command full attention! I figure we are all putting one foot ahead at a time as we figure out how each day moves forward... backward... or sideways... It goes without much surprise, I’m sure, that my three jobs teaching dance have evaporated through the entire spring semester, so I am finding ways to remain engaged staying home and making small gestures towards working in ‘virtual’ terms… not what goes easily within the dance profession, for sure. My dog is the true winner here as he gets more attention and longer walks than he ever knew before, thriving on his major contribution to keeping me company. I got him as a puppy five years ago when his owner, we found out, had taken his tags off and set him loose in the nearby park where he lived wild for about a week before finding a home with me.”

Marnie Thomas Wood and Sonny

Here at the trailer park, my (Anne’s) winter camp these last five years on South Florida’s east coast, paces from the Intracoastal Waterway, I borrow my neighbor’s chihuahua/Jack Russell rescue dog—yes, pets are a salvation, especially now—and ride her up and down View Street to the Dixie Highway (U.S. Route 1) in the back of a tricycle. Tricycle? Yup, it’s come to that. Wouldn’t Miss Bowlby be scornful! As for gardening, tomatoes hang off the trellis outside the front door; chives,

parsley and basil thrive at the base. In the back yard, bananas appeared in January (they grow sticking UP!), the kumquat is blooming, mangoes and coconuts are everywhere, and the passion fruit vine finally produced very exotic blooms after a three-year wait. It’s a far cry from eastern Maine.

Midway down the Maine coast, Edith (Didi) Kelley Manns wrote from Camden about her first attempts at becoming a researcher and a gardener. Didi writes, “Spring term, our wonderful biology instructor—her name? hey I’m 83, it’s okay to forget—assigned a research project of our choice. Keep it simple, she said, and develop your hypothesis, conduct your research and write a paper describing what your outcomes might be. At that time I had thought I might become a master gardener, and I wanted to do something that would help my mother finally succeed in growing roses at our camp in Maine. We couldn’t figure out why they never did we, summer after summer. Well, in this class we learned the important role that earthworms play in keeping the soil mixed and friendly to flowers and vegetables, and that some earthworm species do better than others.

Could this be the answer for my mother’s garden? So I dug up some worms and purchased two other kinds so that I had: superduper worms, super worms and duper worms (pricey, less pricey and free). I filled three 5-gallon jugs with soil for the 1954 would-be garden, punched holes in the screw-on tops, and sat back to see what would happen, of course watering the dirt on all three jars. When time came to add the soil to the garden, I emptied the jars in three piles, and I can’t tell you which pile smelled worse. I had totally over-watered them and drowned every single one of those poor creatures. I was devastated.

In time, I learned that not every research project gives you any of the outcomes you expected. P.S. I have left growing roses to others.

Did you plan on being a gardener, a researcher, something else? Me, I had no clue and had a hard time finding a place to fit. Let us hear from you, wherever you are.

No matter how disparate, we all have even more in common.

Two classmates left us last year: Nancy Dennehy Lones on February 15, 2019, and Nancy Hervey Randall on November 16, 2019. Nancy Randall’s daughter Debi wrote me in April after receiving my pitch for Bulletin items. Nancy was an avid

equestrian and her family plans a memorial last horse trail ride later in the year.

Ellen Rockwood Hunt passed away peacefully in Plymouth, Minn., May 17, 2020, from complications of the coronavirus. Ellen went to the Bancroft grade school through the 9th grade, boarded at Dana Hall and went on to study at Middlebury College (graduated 1958). A life-long athlete graced with the balance and a competitive spirit, Ellen was captain of the field hockey, basketball and tennis teams at Dana Hall. She was an avid tennis player of some acclaim. She was the New England tennis champion as a teen under the tutelage of her beloved coaches. Ellen loved the water and was surrounded by it most of her life. She was often at the beach swimming, and in her thirties surfed the big waves on her bright red surfboard. In her mid-life, Ellen lived in Fairfield, Iowa, as a devoted follower of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Later she sought the warmth of the sun in Tucson, Ariz., and Carlsbad, Calif., where she lived for many years overlooking a lagoon on the edge of the Pacific Ocean.

Pamela (Pam) Farrington Clayson and Judith (Judy) O’Connell Perkins ’57 are on a bocce team at Grey Oaks Country Club in Naples. Judy writes, “We are all new at bocce. It isn’t as easy as it looks! We have fun and a lot of laughs!”

Anne Bates Linden and her family were visiting in Puerto Rico over the Christmas holiday and drove to Ponce to spend the day with Julita (Juli) Mayoral Costas at her Academia de Baile Julie Mayoral. Her academia is a large one with six spacious practice rooms to accommodate her 200+ students from 3 years old up to teens and older. Juli also provides salsa lessons to the passengers from the various cruise ships that come into Puerto Rico. The island is still in recovery from the serious hurricane that devastated it about two years ago. Anne returned home on December 29 to receive a call from Juli, saying the island had suffered a major earthquake on the day Anne left but the damage from it was not as serious as the hurricane’s destruction had been.

Juli Mayoral and Anne Bates Linden

Anne in Puerto Rico over Christmas

Pam Farrington Clayson ready for a bocce match

Class of 1955 Susan (Sue) Bartow Christie PO Box 945 East Orleans, MA 02643-0945 (508) 255-0712 schristie91@comcast.net As Cornelia (Connie) Alden Greaves Bates wrote in the first line of her Dana Fund letter last November, “This is a milestone year coming up for our class, our 65th Reunion!” If you had asked me at our 50th Reunion, I would have said, “That’s a long time away. Can’t think about that now!”—and here we are doing just that!

Caroline (Sukie) Campbell Knott reported that Kate Pleninger Carey and her husband had sold the ranch business and are now into hotels. They have a son living in Gloucester, Mass., another son in Concord, Mass., and five grandchildren.

Sukie’s news was that her husband Bob had his 80th birthday and they celebrated it with a trip to Norway and Sweden in September. They spent a lovely summer on Little John Island in Maine and are now enjoying their life at the retirement community of Ocean View.

Cornelia (Connie) Alden Greaves Bates has written that she and her husband sailed the Dalmatian Coast on a Croatia-toGreece trip and said the trip had amazing history and sights.

Jane Menge Cooke says she and her husband are fine. They have two greatgrandchildren and have moved to a retirement community in Baltimore near their old neighborhood.

Nancy Newton West has had a wonderful year after recovering from her two heart surgeries. As in the past, she returned for her five weeks’ stay in Florence, Italy, in the spring and her month of July in Weekapaug, R.I., with family and friends.

She’s asked me to correct one oops I made in the last Dana Bulletin. Nancy retired from her job as the head of the middle school at Hathaway Brown in Shaker Heights 18 years ago.

On our April conference call, we discovered that Ann Gordan Bain has written a book. It is an autobiography called Life on the Move, which she has released on Amazon. She wrote it with her grandchildren in mind and it covers her family’s difficult times up to 1959. During this period, they were refugees three times and Ann changed schools 14 times (including Dana). She lives now in a rural part of New Jersey which she calls “the farmlands” and finds it a challenge to shelter-in-place there because of the pandemic. Although only 1 1/2 hours from New York City, the nearest grocery store is not nearby but she has good neighbors who check in on each other and pick up groceries for her.

Anne Bates Linden was interested in Ann Bain’s book because she, too, had written a book. It’s called Assumptions and Misunderstandings by an Unwitting Spy and had also been listed with Amazon. She is writing shorter pieces now about her four years in Ethiopia and her work with fetal alcohol syndrome children. Once we were ordered to shelter-in-place because of COVID-19, Anne became concerned about us who were living alone and took it upon herself to reach out to her classmates and say she was there to help if wanted.

Judith (Judy) Beals worked at Simmons College in Boston for 23 years as director of Admissions for Graduate Studies in the Department of Library and Information Sciences. Now retired, she has volunteered at Salem Hospital cuddling babies and participates in a group called Threshold Singers, 30-35 men and women who, in groups of three to four, sing at bedsides of dying patients. She is planning to move to a quiet retirement village in Vermont with shared meals.

Summer 2020

41

Gail Nicolas Schneider is settled into her new place in Easton, Conn., and says it now feels like home to her. She wanted to let us know that she has a new email address, which is sophiapooh@icloud.com.

Gail writes, “During the 63rd Reunion, I felt winded walking around the Dana campus and shortly after returning home, a pace maker was installed in my heart.

Modern medicine! But on the other hand, I am alive and functioning even if I have a computer under my collar bone with leads into my heart.”

Madeleine (Mudgie) Johnson Anderson still plays her violin and works at being physically fit. Among her other activities, she makes time each day to do her 1-minute plank (I’m impressed!). Mudgie lost her husband of 60 years a year ago, but her children Erik and Lisa live nearby in Providence, R.I., and Warren, R.I., with their families. And she stays in touch by phone with her good friend Joan Harding Bartlett from Dana days.

I was able to make contact with Joan, who lives in Plymouth, Mass., now and is not too far from where I live on Cape Cod. The job to move her family’s house back 200 feet from the edge of a cliff overlooking Cape Cod Bay is finally completed. Her late husband, who was a diplomat, died two years ago, and they had a number of postings where Joan “raised the children (3), moved them, and put on receptions and dinners” in what she calls her other life. It’s nice that her life and house are now settled.

Shelia Slawsby Kowal writes that she and her husband Blake continue to shelter-inplace, going out nearly daily to take a long walk around the local park. They wear masks, although they try to time their walks when the paths are clear of other walkers. They grocery shop every two weeks when the local store has very light traffic. They are relieved to be in their new home for a second year in a row, and grateful for the little bit of outside maintenance. Blake writes in his blog and Sheila is involved in political activities in preparation for the November election. In March, Shelia took on the volunteer responsibility for managing 22 Denver Democratic precincts for the Colorado voting caucuses.

In April, we heard the sad news that Catherine (Cathie) Crawford Pike’s husband Bill had just died from the coronavirus.

42

Summer 2020

Hopefully, by the time this Dana Bulletin arrives in your mailbox, the coronavirus that has devastated so many around the globe will be under control and we can greet family and friends without masks and social distancing.

Anne Sawyer Manners writes, “With the inability to go out, I do not see Anna Milano, Barbara Sullivan, Doris VonConta, Jan or Emily at all now.

However, they all sound well over the telephone and we shall get together once this is all over. My family has decided to postpone my granddaughter’s wedding from October 2020 to October 2021 as my son and his wife in California and myself might all have to have 14-day quarantine in the UK and back at home when we returned. Also, it would be impossible for Rosie and Sam her fiancé to choose their wedding gift list without seeing any of the items in person. My son Chris works for the city of San Francisco and has just produced some videos on how to do different things needed for our daily life: getting petrol, going to the grocery store, to the chemist and so on. They seem very helpful. Fortunately for my youngest daughter, Kathy, she has her art studio in the back garden so she can continue her painting along with her social service work with children over the internet. I am trying to organize family photos and write a family history of sorts; things I might have not done had we been able to be out and about. I hope everyone stays well.”

Margaret (Peggy) Price Sevier died of complications from COVID-19 on March 27, 2020, in Boston. Peggy attended Dana Hall School and Vassar College. She received a master’s in library science from Long Island University and worked as a reference librarian in the public libraries of Westbury, N.Y.; South Bend, Ind.; and Tucson, Ariz. A terrible cook and indifferent housekeeper, she built rabbit hutches and dressers and devoured mysteries. Peggy was a tenacious competitor, playing lacrosse and field hockey in school, soccer into her 50s, and golf, tennis and pickleball for even longer.

She was always eager to play a rousing game of cards, croquet, go-karts or wiffle ball with her children and grandchildren.

Peggy learned to sail on Cape Cod and was proudly the first female sailing instructor in Harwich Port. Peggy married the late John Randolph Sevier in 1962 in Harwich Port, Mass. Their honeymoon began as a trip around the world and ended in Italy, where they settled to await the birth of their first

child. The family lived in Germany and Switzerland in the early 1970s, and Peggy continued to travel all over the world with family and friends.

Margaret (Peggy) Price Sevier

Maurene Golden died peacefully at her Rockport home on May 3, 2020. A graduate of Dana Hall School, Jackson College and Boston College Law School, she was a Burlington school guidance counselor before her career as a jurist.

Maurene was a longtime Tufts University trustee and director of the Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

Class of 1956 Carol Creighton Hadley 2736 N. W. 77th Blvd., #264 Gainesville, FL 32606-8710 (352) 377-4721 cjhadley@aol.com Elizabeth (Betsey) Elsemore Anderson writes, “I have some sad news to report.

My wonderful husband John Anderson died last August from a tragic fall at our home in Chapel Hill. We had just celebrated our 62nd anniversary several days before his accident. Some of our classmates may remember him since he used to come to Dana to see me during our senior year. Most recently he came to our last Reunion and really enjoyed meeting everyone. I am planning to remain in Chapel Hill and hope to return to Maine for a short visit this summer.”

Class of 1957 Judith (Judy) O’Connell Perkins P89 830 Swallow Pt Naples, FL 34105-7426 (781) 329-1622 judyoperk@aol.com I am writing from Naples, Fla., again where the temperature is close to 90 degrees in April. It feels like mid-summer in New England. I hope you, your families

and friends are well and have escaped the coronavirus. Jim and I feel lucky. Being in this warm weather allows us to do more now outside than we could in Massachusetts. (Though it would be very nice to be there with family and old friends.) We can take walks, ride bikes and even play golf. However, we must play golf only as twosomes and in individual carts. It works well. It’s faster, one is less apt to get distracted and can think more about the next shot… maybe. In March, the Naples Flower Show was canceled. It’s an annual event, run by the Naples Garden Club and held at the Naples Botanical Garden, where more than 2,000 attend. The show was called VISION 2020 – Past, Present, Future. I write this because I was in charge of a section called The Member Challenge.

I decided to do something to celebrate the past: a victory garden. (Little did I know that some of the younger members did not know about victory gardens.) One had to grow at least five plants of different varieties (vegetables, flowers—whatever they chose). Only 12 could enter. Each was given a windowbox-size container in which to grow their plants together for at least six weeks before the show, and to be judged by a horticulturalist from the botanical garden. Unfortunately, after lots of time planning, planting and nurturing, we could only see pictures of the gardens. They were well done—some with red, white and blue flowers as well as all kinds of vegetables climbing and hanging over the sides. It turned out to be timely because Jim and I are still eating cucumber, lettuce, a beet, cherry tomatoes and corn from my container. Now the younger members know what victory gardens were all about!

It was so nice to receive a note from Mary Jane (MJ) King Epley. Notes delivered by the U.S. Mail are rare these days! MJ spends winters in Riviera Beach, Fla. She goes north in the spring to Bronxville, N.Y., where she is close to her four kids and 12 grandchildren. Sadly her husband Jay died last year. She said it was hard, but she’s been able to adjust. Jay had been an international lawyer. They lived in the Czech Republic, Turkey and Estonia. MJ said she was able to “shadow along” and she loved every minute of it. She feels knowing international students at Dana was good preparation for this—her future life. MJ stays active. She bikes and swims, and right now is waiting for the Florida beaches to reopen. MJ says, “Good health is as important as good fun.” Who can disagree?!

Please do think about sending something about what you’re doing or thinking.

You’ve heard enough about me; we need more about you! It doesn’t take long (email it to bulletin@danahall.org) and it’s due October 30. Stay healthy!

Class of 1958 Mary (Ty) Wyatt Forbush 1211 SW Shoreline Drive #2206 Palm City, FL 34990-4553 (561) 747-4332 mwforbush@yahoo.com With the presence of the coronavirus, our world has dramatically changed. I certainly hope that no one in our class is a victim, and I do hope this finds you well. Class news for this issue of the Bulletin is sparse.

Perhaps part of the reason was my having to change my email address when I got a new laptop, or perhaps it is due to virus worries. In any case, please note my new email address above if and when you write to me! Also, it is very important that you inform Dana Hall or me of any address, email or telephone number changes you may have if you wish to continue to receive periodic information and future issues of the Bulletin to stay connected with your 1958 classmates.

Keren Guss Oberfield, coping with the coronavirus quarantine, writes, “All of our young neighbors are doing errands and grocery runs for Richard and me as they perceive us octogenarians as old and vulnerable. They are probably right! I’m now 80 and Richard is 87, but now we’re happily accepting all offers and are impressed by the love and kindness flowing through the neighborhood at this time of crisis.”

Anne Woodcock Fralix and her husband Henry had to endure a mandatory 14-day isolation period in March after their return from Aruba to their continuing care retirement community called Bishop Gadsden in Charleston, S.C. Unfortunately, their plans to go to Morocco this spring were canceled, as were so many of our classmates’ intentions to travel to attend family graduations, reunions, weddings, vacation trips and an array of other highly anticipated events.

Anne Steele Hummel writes that she, too, will be joining some of our fellow classmates (like me, Ty Wyatt Forbush) in choosing to downsize and move into senior care communities. Anne’s choice is

Covenant Village in Cromwell, Conn., which will locate her close to daughter Cynthia. Her apartment is currently under construction, with Anne anticipating a move in 2021. Anne remarks that, “It seems to me that everyone I know is very happy with their decision, especially once they have done the downsizing. I am making baby steps in the process but still have a long way to go.”

With great sadness, I must report that our Class of 1958 has lost three members since my last Bulletin report: Marcia Fee Achenbach (July 25, 2019), Susan (Sue) Fullerton Ware (December 25, 2019) and Alice Orndorff Gordon (March 4, 2020).

Very kindly, Dana Hall sends notices of those deceased to all class members. They are also remembered at the annual Alumnae Memorial Service and at yearly Reunions on campus.

Alice Orndorff Gordon died in her sleep in Madison, Conn., on March 5. In addition to a legacy rich in giving to various nonprofits, especially art museums, she leaves her husband Donald; two sons, Philip and Douglas (Karen); and three grands. Alice’s mother, Verna Mary Ross Orndorff ’20, also went to Dana.

Please keep your news coming to me. The next Bulletin deadline is October 15.

Mary Covington writes, “The year 2020 started out well, in spite of some rumblings of bad news from Wuhan, China. In January, while spending a week in New York City to see friends and cultural attractions, it was so nice to get together with a classmate, Ann Tarlov Barbul, and discuss a wide range of topics. Inspired by this super visit, I planned with friends in New York City some acitivies for celebrating my 80th birthday on April 4.

Since that trip had to be canceled, some good friends in New Hampshire treated me to greetings and gifts, including a take-out birthday dinner from the best restaurant in the area. Most of the time, life has been mostly walks outdoors and running into neighbors in our small town of 700. We make plans for picnics when the weather is warmer, with proper distancing, plus getting ready for a team to do a lot of work on my property and in the front garden—that is, if winter will go away completely!

I wish all my classmates and other alumnae an easy transition to the end of the quarantine and happier days.”

Summer 2020

43

Class of 1959 Jill Spiller 45 Sutton Pl. S. Apt. 1B New York, NY 10022-2445 (212) 421-0932 jillspille1@aol.com Valerie Warner Smith writes, “I went on a Christmas cruise with two daughters, husbands and all my grandchildren. I am on the bottom left. My two daugthers are on the far right in the first and second row.

My daughter, Sally, an attorney planned to move from Berlin to Honolulu in June. We are all looking forward to singing ‘Mele Kalikimaka’ in Hawaiian next Christmas!”

Valerie Warner Smith and family

Class of 1960 Correspondent needed

Class of 1961 Susan (Sue) Gibbs gibbsie65@hotmail.com I’m sure everyone will be beginning this way this time, but this time things will be different, thanks to the scourge we’re all living through all over the world. I’ve managed to get a couple of pictures and also some news, much from the time before but also during. I know we’ve all been thinking of each other—and still are— about how we’re all faring as we’re spread out all over the country and even the world.

First something that amazed me. In April, we had a fire in the garage of our apartment building here in Oslo. I managed to sleep through most of the hubbub but was finally awakened by a horrible smoke smell. When I looked out the window, I saw the street six floors below full of fire engines, a hook and

44

Summer 2020

ladder, police cars, an ambulance and swarming with firemen, policemen, occupants of the building, hoses, etc. I was dumbfounded. I opened my apartment door to the corridor to see if there were smoke there, which there fortunately wasn’t. Before I was even all the way awake, the Dana Hall fire drill routine kicked in!

Without even thinking I put on a coat, shoes with shoelaces, took a towel and flashlight, and was ready to go out. Then I woke all the way up and realized there was no fire inside the building so I relaxed a bit.

I was amazed at the instant return to the fire drill procedure that I hadn’t ever thought of for 60 years. Congratulations, Dana! I sent an email to the class telling about this but thought it would be interesting for the rest of the alumnae.

I got a response from Carolyn Harris, who, along with Phyllis Jansen, was responsible for these drills. She reminded me of her most famous fire drill. Mistaking the faculty cottage for a student residence, she roared in the front door blowing her whistle. When told by occupants that this cottage was not part of the drill she replied, “Yeah, yeah, just get your towels and flashlights and put on your shoes and coat and come outside.” It wasn’t until the faculty started coming down the stairs that Harris recognized her mistake. My record of this is from a primary source as my mother was riding by in her car and witnessed the whole thing. Harris is working on the family’s publication of Strike, the third novel in the Russell Riley trilogy. This completes Russell’s journey from a 13-year-old aisle clerk to the U.S. Senate. Harris and her brother Daniel began the series with Blood Feud, a comingof-age saga set against the background of a fictional family’s court fight over the ownership of a supermarket chain in New England. She celebrated her birthday in January by visiting good friends in California where she used to live and work.

Carolyn Harris and friend Lon at the Palm Springs (Calif.) Air Museum in January

Barbara Vaughan Koun and husband Neil were lucky enough to go to Ethiopia,

Egypt and Jordan last winter and returned February 26. She writes, “Got out of there just in time!” So now our veteran travelers are stuck at home for a while.

Tucky Smith Harrison wrote in late March, “We are doing amazingly well thus far in Carefree, Ariz., and I’m finding my fingers tapping numbers in my cell phone and calling people whose voices I’ve not heard in a while. Lots of jigsaw puzzles to work on the table on our sun porch, a dog to walk and challenges to meet (like how to phone a grocery order in for either delivery or pick-up). Wash your hands and moisturize!”

We have finally heard from Eleanor Cory and what a joy that was. She writes, “I am in New York City where the worst of this virus is taking place. My current occupation is writing music, a joy which had its start at Dana Hall with former faculty Denise (Denny) Bacon ’37 and Nancy Ducette Farris who insisted that I play the piano, sing in the chorus and study music theory. I have been doing all of the above ever since, mostly in New York City where my husband and I now live. I have been writing for choruses (also with roots at Dana) as well as orchestras, bands and pieces for children. My husband is also a composer. He writes computer music, so we don’t get in each other’s way. After many years of teaching at various colleges in the New York City area and raising two daughters, I retired and am writing music and also poetry. I am sending greetings to all of you from the Big Apple as the country struggles through this terrible virus.” We don’t envy any of you who have had to ride out the storm in New York City.

Karen Kelly Becker is doing fine in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. She’s very involved with her grandchildren who are now 18, 15, 12, 10, 9, 7 and 6. The two youngest live nearby but the others are in Tennessee and Houston.

Jackson, the oldest, graduates from high school this summer and will be going to the University of Tennessee at Martin with a golf scholarship in the fall. His dad is a golf pro. KK is doing a bit of editing, much of it for daughter Megan’s blog.

Anne Poekel McCauley and Dick have been minding their own business in their gated community in Florida. To lift the spirits of the residents, the place has had two golf cart parades throughout the community. They are being kept tabs on by their daughters in California and on Long Island.

Cynthia (Cindy) Childs Over has also been curtailed by the corona restrictions (who hasn’t?) and writes, “My husband Dick is 89 and I have to remind him often to take precautions, and so far we are doing well. I will say this has forced both of us to get projects done that we had put on hold.

Like others, we are walking more which feels good. I am trying lots of new recipes, and Dick is loving it. I’ve heard from/about lots of people who have finally gotten around to reaming out all their junk, which they’ve been meaning to do forever.”

Lydia (Penny) Pyne Mott in Damariscotta, Maine, has been having horrible spring weather with inches of unsuspected snow then high winds and heavy rain. One day when she went out to walk her dog, there was a duck swimming in one of the giant puddles in her yard.

She’s unfortunately had lots of sciatica problems with her back and, being a physical therapist, has naturally gone the physical therapy treatment route. It’s taken a long time but is better. Good!

Susan (Sue) Steele Isbell and husband Bob are terribly thwarted by the notraveling restrictions. All the plans for attending graduations (of which they have several spread out all over the country), track meets, ballet recital, reunions, etc., have now fizzled. Sue writes, “While we may not feel productive, each one of us is currently engaged in the most important job of our lives, protecting ourselves and others by staying put. Let’s hope what we are doing will flatten the curve sooner than later!” Luckily they’re able to swim still and they do lots of walking. They also have a lot of Zoom sessions with their family.

Zoom seems to be a lifesaver these days, and I’ve heard from several that they use it.

Bettina (Nicki) Batterson Hall had a great story: “Yesterday was my son Scott’s birthday. He lives in Maine so obviously a family party was out of the question. What to do? Being house-bound on a birthday is not exactly top of the list or a first choice.

So the greater family (I’m talking brother, mother, lots of cousins, second cousins, aunties, etc., from all across the country) decided to do a Zoom call together… and each of us would bake a cake for Scott!

Once virtually connected, on a signal (shazam… from Wonder Woman?) we all produced our cakes—some fantastic—lit the candles (there were sparklers, too) and sang Happy Birthday! Great fun and so many laughs together. Wonderful craziness at a perfect time.” What a terrific idea! Are we wondering how fat Scott has gotten after all those cakes?

Allison White and Tucker (Tucky) Massey Clark are both doing a lot of walking in Falmouth, Mass., and are grateful for all the beautiful spots where they can walk. Allison has been whiling away the time by reading lots and enjoying the opera streamed by The Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Tucky loved Nicki’s birthday story and was going to do the same for her daughter’s birthday. Her daughter lives in Moscow.

A while ago, Sally Saunders emailed us all her first-hand experiences of the fires and then flooding in Australia. Most of you have gotten them and they’re too long to write here or else the Bulletin would be two inches thick. Thanks so much, Sally, for sharing with us. It gave us a picture of what’s going on other than what we read/ see on the news.

Carolyn Grande Harder has wintered as usual at Rancho Mirage, Calif., but has been rather thwarted by the pandemic.

First she had to cancel a lot of visits from friends—among them, Marlene Mustard Graf who lives in Arizona—and family before she returned to Boston. She’d done lots of cooking and baking ahead of time in anticipation of lots of people and frozen much of it, so when no one came she had more than enough food to eat when people were told to limit trips to the store. Then she had to cancel a visit with her daughter in Phoenix on her way back home. But she worked out a pretty elaborate plan to get safely from California to Logan and then from there all the way home. Carolyn has been recovering from shoulder surgery all winter and has made great strides doing her exercises and having physical therapy.

Mary Wilson-Tauson and Ric, who have been behaving themselves in Florida all winter, are being very careful now and had postponed returning home until June. She writes, “After three editions, I am not doing another edition of my book. It is simply too much work and although I still love writing, it doesn’t always flow as easily as it used to. I did write the 60+ page epilogue and that was satisfying. But it is something to be fully retired. I actually miss teaching the most.”

There was a virtual birthday party on the great Zoom for former faculty Nancy Ducette Farris on April 19 and several classmates appeared (along with people from all over the world) to join the fun. I wish I’d been there, but I hate to say the main reason for my absence was that I couldn’t figure out how to work Zoom.

(I am not Nicki’s Wonder Woman!) Also,

it was pretty late in the evening here in Oslo and I was having trouble keeping my eyes open.

Wendy McCobb writes from Ojai, Calif., “A couple of interesting events occurred here in Ojai over the past months. Cornel West came to speak at Thacher School. I was thrilled with his breadth of knowledge and his passion! And, I saw the most remarkable fiber arts pieces (quilting) at the small studio of Beatrice Wood, one of our legendary deceased artists here in Ojai.

I haven’t any new news and that may be a good thing—who knows? I still chauffeur kids around to medical appointments for Thacher School and I still teach one class/ week of bastardized yoga to a small group of friends. My grandson, my daughter and Bodhi (the dog) are my greatest pleasures.”

Wendy McCobb’s grandson Liam (17) and his dog Bodhi

We send our condolences to Nobuko (Enn) Shimizu Matsushita on the death of her mother last November. This amazing woman lived to be 103!

At the end, something very nice: I (Sue) went on a trip to South Africa with six friends from December 20 to January 4 last winter. What a fantastic trip! We were in two safari places—one in a wetlands park and the other in an inland tented camp.

Thanks to a blunder with the airline and our arrival about 36 hours delayed, we missed out on a bit at the former place but still saw plenty of animals, including a slew of hippos on a boat trip on the local river.

The tented camp stay showed us many exciting animals on daily safari drives with a fantastic guide who knew everything.

Since it was so hot there at that time of year, we had to be up at 4:30 every morning in order to have our morning drives from 5-8 a.m. It was far too hot for both animals and people in the middle of the day. I loved the elephants most! Drove right up to a tiny 150 lbs., one-month-old baby who looked like a speck next to her mother and grandmother. Christmas Day, it was 104 degrees! The staff gave us a

Summer 2020

45

breakfast worthy of a fancy hotel out in the middle of the bush. After the safari part, we spent several days in a lovely town just north of Durban and saw all the sights of that big city. From there we went to Cape Town for our last days and had a delightful guide there who took us to the Cape of Good Hope and to the Stellenbosch wine district, both full day trips. This trip was never on my bucket list but has turned into THE trip of my life. Am still living on it.

Sorry there’s been so much news about corona restrictions, but there had to be. It seems that people had something to tell about anyway, albeit not the normal. I hope everyone stays well and weathers the storm and comes out kicking.

Barbara Babcock Kirby writes, “Inspired by other Dana classmates who have sent reports of special anniversary trips with family, Dan and I decided to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary with a family trip to Hawaii. Even though our official date was December 13, we chose to travel to Kauai December 21-29 to be there for Christmas. It took a bit to coordinate schedules and the interests of three generations (we have one grandchild, 7 1/2-year-old Sage) but we found the Kauai Beach Resort offered the six attractions we were looking for: sunshine, swimming, sandy beaches, scuba diving, snorkeling and surfing. Once there, however, we discovered why Kauai is called the Garden Island: It gets lots of rain, especially during the winter season. In fact, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day there was one of the worst storms they’d had in years. Dan’s scuba diving appointments were canceled due to debris and bacteria in the water, and surfing wasn’t allowed for a couple of days.

It didn’t matter. Nothing could spoil the treat of being together as a family for a whole week. The weather even cleared Christmas evening in time for us to attend a luau. The last evening of the trip, our children surprised us with a sunset dinner cruise on a catamaran up the rugged west coast of the island—a perfect finale for a wonderful trip. In early February, we went to Roatan, an island about 40 miles off the coast of Honduras that is well known for scuba diving. This time the weather and water conditions were perfect, so Dan enjoyed 10 dives and I played tourist, visiting a botanical garden, a butterfly garden, and a monkey/sloth care and rehab center. Holding a sloth was kind of like wearing a backpack in the front. The monkeys and macaws, on the other hand, perch on your shoulder and nibble nuts and seeds from your hand—or sometimes

46

Summer 2020

miss and nip your finger. At the botanical garden, I hiked to the top of a mountain trail for a panoramic view of the bay and, when I returned to the visitors center, was excited to see a Carnivet’s Emerald hummingbird, endemic to Roatan.

Nothing beat the surprise of starting a casual conversation with another woman waiting for return transportation and learning we both grew up in Wellesley!

Now that COVID-19 has brought about stay-at-home-mandates and social distancing, I’m very glad and grateful we traveled when we did. So far, we are among the lucky ones who are healthy and who have good memories to brighten our days of restricted activity.”

Barbara Babcock Kirby with a cuddly sloth on Roatan in February

Class of 1962 Bev Holmes Prevost P92 bevhprevost@gmail.com Pamela (Pam) Pearsall writes, “At writing, I have completed two-plus weeks of self-isolating, so now it’s ‘Stay Home, Stay Safe’ (our governor’s phrase), which many are not adhering to. Wish the higher ups would get a little more forceful in their directions. Have been working with the homeless population with regard to donations, etc.; however, now that I can’t leave the house that has subsided, other than mail-ordering supplies. There are 16 people living on this property: all one combined family in the main part of the house, and a couple and their son in attic apartment. This number includes nine kids who are out of school until April 24, which I’m sure will be extended through the end of the year. My kitties (all 10 of them) are sticking close to home. A couple of rescues have adopted me in the past year. I was able to lay in a supply of canned goods before this all came down hard. The adults in the house will be doing the shopping for me as needed. Not quite sure just how to run

Stepping Stones Clean & Sober (in our 16th year) as taking new residents from the streets would not be the safest choice. Not sure about accepting people being released from the state prison system and rehabs, and I can’t control what current residents are doing day-to-day. I’ve closed the office to any kind of walk-in traffic. I hate the thought of closing down the 30 beds I offer the community for addicts and alcoholics to recover their lives, so right now I’m going one step at a time. Lynn Meffert ’63 and her partner Jane came out here for an Alaskan cruise last year and we had a wonderful visit over lunch. I hope everyone is doing well and you and your families are healthy and safe. Let’s hope many lessons are learned about our planet and how people treat one another when all is said and done. Be well! Virtual hugs! (Can’t wait for a real one again!)

Valerie (Val) Clayton Tangen writes, “All well here. JP is working from home (will never retire) and I seem to be doing more baking and short training sessions with puppy. All her classes have been canceled and she has too much energy! We are lucky to live on a beach so we can still get out for nice walks (runs for the dogs) daily. Photo of puppy Ukie, Portuguese water dog, in front of my house on Hood Canal in Hansville, Wash. It’s been fun to watch the water as it’s been VERY windy and stormy.

We also have all the submarines from the local Naval base which go by to watch. We too are hoping to get to Block Island by summer. Right now, they (and all of Rhode Island, from what I see on the news) are not welcoming anyone from out of state!”

Ukie, Val’s Portuguese Water Dog puppy

Judy Petsonk writes, “Husband Steve and I are being initiated into the mysteries of Zoom, which we plan to use to have Passover seder with our daughter Hope, son-in-law Dan and unbelievably cute 2 1/2 year-old grandson, Judah, who shows me proudly on FaceTime how he draws a monster truck with a guy driving and two

very big wheels. He also paints an orange bus with passengers at each window. His vehicles also come in purple and pink.

They live in Philadlephia. I had so much at-home time that I was able to get my taxes done early and send the latest version of my new novel off to some agents. Except for the last two rainy days, we have enjoyed taking walks in the extraordinary spring weather, with cherry blossoms, magnolia, daffodils, hyacinths, all bursting into bloom. We do our best to stay six feet away from the neighbors and dog walkers we meet. I hope you are all well.”

Diana Cunningham Bunting writes, “We have moved to Newport, R.I. No more horsey life in Virginia. We are trying to simplify our lives. Our children live in Atlanta; Richmond, Va.; Hoboken, N.J.; and San Francisco. However, they all want to come to Newport in the summer. We have four teenage grandchildren and a 6-month-old! Hope this virus abates…

We are in a real mess!”

Susan (Suzy) Lees Pullen writes, “I am sheltering-in-place like others and at least finding things to do. There are always things to do at home: things you don’t want to do and have put off forever and others that turn out to be helpful, like working outside on my patio! I am a bit claustrophobic so the outside work is a godsend. I really don’t have have any news at the moment to share with my classmates but I always read what they have written for the Bulletin. I think back to those Dana days and remember how much I loved being at Dana Hall, with my interesting friends Susan Selden Egan, Sara (Sally) Devens Ciancarelli, you Bev and Diana and on and on… What a great time that was, especially because life was so much easier and less fraught with paranoia and fear of the unknown.”

Katharine (Kathy) Walker Denis writes, “Life in Paris and France in general today (March 31) is what many in the U.S., if not super careful, will probably soon experience also, unfortunately. Please, everyone, be more prepared for the tsunami there than we were here! Nasty, dangerous, unpredictable, mysterious, insidious COVID-19 lurks! Luckily, so far, all our family is indemne, everyone playing it super safe. Jean and I are auto-confined in our apartment, and are lucky to have two or three dear neighbors who shop for us where small butchers or grocery stores are still open. Jean and I have, like nearly everyone around us, seriously minimized and down-sized our real needs, and we are conscious of how very fortunate we are just

being together the two of us in this crazy moment in time. We’ll never be the same, I’m certain. But maybe better? One can hope! Our children and their families are okay so far, too, thank heavens. For their parents, the rambunctious young grandchildren can of course by 5 p.m. become difficult to love. But they are learning things they might never have, just being home, cooking, gardening, inventing games, and being closer than ever to Maman and Papa each day. Sporting masks and gloves, Jean and I get our excercise here daily! Luckily the weather has been terrific so far and our huge chestnut tree is in full blossom! Weeds are invading the flower beds, however, the building’s gardener not being allowed to come…

Actually, we—the confined—should do the weeding ourselves! Our nice concièrge has strict hours but only to accept mail and packages, which come three or four times a week. The numerous cute confined young children in our building are allowed to play in the courtyard from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 4 p.m. until 7 p.m., but with just one parent, and not allowed to play together!

Strange, trying and worrisome times these are, with the economy weakening by the hour. Our affectionate thoughts to you are definitely 100% unconfined! But please stay home and stay well! I send all of our classmates my fond best wishes. And frankly I cannot wait for our next Reunion!

Meantime, cannot wait to hear from you all!

Kathy Walker Denis

Eleanor Riker Crosby wrote me from her home in Ukiah, Calif., that she is glad for the continued communication with the Class of 1962, remembering our walking by twos in our white dresses for graduation at the Wellesley Church. She feels God is blessing her family and teaching them to be faithful to His word daily which “encourages His people to look up, give thanks, and be prepared for the soon coming of his only begotten Son, Jesus the savior, my beloved Redeemer.”

Lorel Nazzaro writes, “So far, we’re fine here in the sparsely populated State of Maine. But we’re not taking any chances.

This week I washed all my cloth bags in bleach and dried them in our 200 degree sauna. The small bag on the top is from the Dana Reunion in 1997. It has been through a lot in 23 years but it is a strong survivor, just like its namesake! Last November, when life was normal, I had a wonderful 75th celebration with all five grandchildren.

One note (no pun intended): Dear Denise Bacon ’37 once told me that ‘music is for life.’ I have relied on my trusty violin to help me get through this difficult time.

Thank you so much for our Class Notes, which are greatly appreciated, especially now. Warm (but socially distant) hugs.”

Lorel Nazzaro and her five grandchildren at her 75th birthday party

Ellen Penan Berenson writes, “Hope you and yours are all safe and well. My husband and I are in social isolation in our townhouse in New York City. Only advantage is we have is a small backyard of our own, plus a common space in the middle of 200 feet by 12 feet to walk in. A very unusual space in New York so we are grateful. Our two sons are in Brooklyn and Garrison, N.Y., so we really can’t see them or our five grandchildren.

On another note and very special to me, I just published my second novel, Clever People. It is a political thriller with a very lively story involving living governmental politicians—well-known names that you will recognize, who interact with my fictional characters. The book is fast paced and interesting. I did all the work on the book with no well-known editors. Just my tech guru who helped me get the book ready for publication. I hope many of you, in this difficult period of the pandemic, will enjoy reading Clever People, a real diversion from our isolated situations! The book is available through Amazon in paperback and Amazon Kindle as well. Our younger son David, now 42, teaches American History and World History to high school students at Horace Mann! Our older son Alex is a successful author. After going to Yale and working for The New York Times, he started writing thrillers with his books

Summer 2020

47

getting on the New York Times bestseller list for years. He has written at least 11-12 novels with the same central character, but he has lately been writing non fiction about the problems of habitual marijuana users.

The book does well. Alex has been on TV a lot, but we think he is swimming upstream! Best to all Dana Hall 1962 classmates. Stay safe, stay well.”

Paula Protze Titon writes, “Hi from midcoast Maine. So far, so good here!

Thankful for a calm and soothing governor, Janet Mills, and her amazing Maine CDC spokesperson, Dr. Shah. He does a daily briefing for the media; he is articulate, and if he cannot answer a question, he gets the answer promptly. He is appreciative of all our essential workers.

They will gradually and conscientiously reopen the state. It’s hard to shop and see so many empty shelves, but it is not terrible. It is hard to hear about the deaths in the state, nationwide and globally. It is wonderful to be able to start gardening and have garden centers and nurseries open up.

It is wonderful to hear from far flung and nearby friends as we check in on one another. Wishing good health to our classmates and their loved ones.”

Gretchen Cooper Pooler writes, “It’s really hard to think up any news since we’ve been sequestered for almost seven weeks now! But two things came to mind: 1. Marva Wisecarver Williams and I now have made a pact that we talk with each other every week. So Sunday afternoon is our time and I am so happy we started this!

We are able to make each other laugh, remember some antics or happenings from our Dana days, and just keep really current with each other. It’s a simple thing, but has become quite meaningful to me, especially during this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

2. I discovered there is a Dana graduate (Class of ’71, I believe) who lives about a mile from me, and whose house I have passed for years without knowing this. So last December, as I was driving up the hill, I stopped, knocked on her door, introduced myself and told her I too had gone to Dana and discovered she had as well. She was so excited to meet me and we chatted for about an hour. She was a teacher and knows of another teacher in town who is also a Dana grad (Class of ’70) and we planned to get the three of us together for lunch. Fast forward a few weeks, which brought us to the brink of this “stay home” mode that we are all in now, so our plans were thwarted. We have been in touch since and will carry out our lunch plan when things get back to normal. My

48

Summer 2020

husband Buzz and I are doing well. We did have to cancel a trip we had planned to take in March, but were happy to stay home and do our part to keep the world safe. We are constantly in touch with all our family and friends and I am happy to report that all are safe and sound. Most are finding this hiatus a bit of fun at times, but we might all feel a little different if we had small children to keep occupied! Stay well and stay home!”

Susan (Susie) Gail Kaufman writes, “Jay and I have remained in a sunny apartment in Palm Beach longer than we wished, hoping to return to dear Boston after the surge of the coronavirus there and before the surge in Florida. You know you’re getting older when your adult children are trying to dress you for the plane ride home: ‘Do you have masks, gloves?’ This beast of a virus has harmed a dearest friend and children of other friends. I fear many of your lives have been more affected. Please let our class know how we may help one another during these very challenging times. The most interesting learning I’ve had over the last several years is teaching first-year medical students how to build trust and rapport as they are interviewing patients to gather psychosocial and medical information. The hospital unit I bring students to is the cardiomyopathy and heart transplant floor. You might imagine the myriad of medical and psychosocial issues our patients are confronting. It is a privilege to have this opportunity.

Wish I could send some of the many musical videos or jokes that are circulating to keep our spirits buoyed. But just knowing Bev was bringing us together informally this way meant so much.

Wishing all of you and your loved ones good health! Really want whole communities to feel cared about as we are truly interdependent. 1959-62 were very good years, despite growing pains, and I remember you all so fondly.”

Kendra Gunn Nedjar writes, “Nothing much going on here; staying in place. Can’t go to Canada, where sheltering-in-place would be delightful, since the border is closed. My feeling about staying home is that for me it’s imperative to stay away from anyone since I am in a category that could be dangerous: fat, older and asthmatic. So it’s not hard to stay home as much as possible. I was surprised Tuesday, attending a doctor’s appointment at the hospital, when I saw the leaves budding and all the trees covered with white or pink blossoms. Nature keeps on its normal pattern no matter what is going on in my

life. It doesn’t wait until I can appreciate it more. Sort of a sobering thought. My daughter has us making face masks for the crisis. She didn’t find a pattern for the easy rectangular ones. We are doing the Olson masks: six pieces for each one, plus two for a 3-micron filter. I do the pattern cutting, and she does the sewing, then I trim corners and turn right side out and wash them and get them back to her. We have close to 300 so far. We have given most so far to two hospitals. Next group will be to local nursing homes who are desperate, according to a nurse I met at our local hospital. The sad part of this whole crisis is that several of my friends and I thought this would be a good time to try and get some of the household cleaning issues under control, read some of the books that have been piling up and get the genealogy paperwork sorted and filed. But what happened is a genealogy seminar that had been scheduled became a virtual one which opened up the opportunity for us to listen to all the sessions rather than just a few we chose from the schedule. And Legacy Family Tree offered free genealogy webinars all month. So all my good plans were sidelined to my genealogy addiction.

My daughter’s husband does our shopping and if we see them we wear masks and stay a distance apart. Today my 5-year-old grandson wanted to show me something, so they drove over and we chatted and visited with more than 6 feet of distance between any of us. We do FaceTime with him now and then so he can read to me as part of his schooling. School in Massachusetts has been canceled for the rest of the year. So once a week at least we do FaceTime reading with him. He is involved in dancing, swimming and gymnastics, and they all seem to have arranged a virtual lesson once a week. The swimming one seems to be excercises as does the gymnastics. The dance is really doing tap dancing, which according to my daughter can be quite loud when she is on a business call. So as you can see, my life is boring but full at the same time. Someone I spoke with recently said he was so bored.

I am not bored, doing nothing of great import, but doing all the same. Hope all my classmates are staying safe and coping well during this strange time in which we are living.”

Sara (Sally) Devens Ciancarelli writes, “Am still in New Canaan and am fortunate to have a daughter living close by with her family, so they are my social life at this time of social distancing. I talk daily with my daughter in Paris and returned from there mid-February after a three week visit.

Usually she comes to me in the summer with her husband and three children, so I am concerned that they will not be allowed to visit this summer. Will have to wait and see. My third daughter is teaching in Baja, Todos Santos, and I enjoy visiting her when possible. Life has altered for all of us in the last two months, but I remain hopeful regarding our future though it may be a while before we return to life as we knew it. Wishing all our Class of ’62 well and look forward to our next Reunion!”

Kristin Bergfeld writes, “Dear Classmates, I trust you and your families are well, safe and protected from the grip of this monster coronavirus. I am fine and in excellent health. Thank God! Fallout from this crisis is that I am scrambling to save my company, Bergfeld’s Clearance Service– Hoarding, Estates and Downsizing, which I founded in 1987. Our revenue comes from working inside clients’ homes. Now we are not allowed into any residential building. No work, no revenue. We, like many colleagues and small businesses, are applying to all grant and loan sources available. I have never asked for financial help. We are also brainstorming ways to earn money when not on jobsites. I’d welcome any suggestions. A cost of running my business is that I am not being with people I love, enjoying friendships.

During this period of shutdown, I have felt a new level of sadness, knowing that some people I treasure have died and I hadn’t kept up those friendships. My thoughts especially have been for Antoinette (Toni) Carter Emery, Martha Grinnell and Katherine Zens Twombly, all of whom have died. I think of Toni gardening even when her eyesight was failing. Courage.

I’m sending two photos of art Martha and Katherine sent me some years ago. Martha made this water color painting of the mountains near where she lived in Canada.

She sent it to me after she came to New York to see me. After one of our Reunions, Katherine sent me this sculpture of a window. It shows as I am looking out, I am also looking in, to myself, my life. I have kept both of these by my front door, the entryway to my home. May we all treasure our friendships begun decades ago.”

Painting by Martha Grinnell Sculpture by Katherine Zens Twombly

Bev Holmes Prevost writes, “First, everyone, thank you so much for your wonderful responses. What a fascinating class we are! And for those of you not on email or whose emails, addresses or phones have changed, please be in touch with me (and thereby our classmates) by updating me via my contact info at the end of my blurb. As with the rest of you, our plans have been turned upside down by this virus. Ned and I will be celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary this June 6! To mark that, we had planned to first attend Ned’s 50th reunion at his seminary, The General Theological Seminary in Chelsea in New York City, on May 10-12, and then leave from there on the 13th to fly to Paris for our first ever Viking River Cruise along the Seine with two other seminary couples (and hoped to catch sight of Kathy!). So, all that is canceled for May, possibly postponed, TBD. Additionally, our two daughters—Elizabeth Prevost ’92 in Iowa and Marnie here in Massachusetts—gave us at Christmas their gift of hosting a family gathering on our actual anniversary.

This too has just been canceled. So we are very sad but know we are hardly alone! You may recall from earlier Bulletins that our Marnie and Matt and 7-year-old Timothy have been living with us for the last 1 1/2 years because after 15 years at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City (Kristin!), she accepted a wonderful new job here in Worcester as the director of Education and Experience

at the Worcester Art Museum. They finally found a house, were accepted for a mortgage, etc., and moved from here to the neighboring town of Holden on Easter Sunday. So the house is now VERY quiet.

It is wonderful for them and we will get used to it, and they are but 10 minutes away, but it’s definitely a big change. We continue to be so grateful for Ned’s biological son having found him through DNA and have seen each other lots, including a wonderful meeting between Ned and his son’s adoptive father. Very emotional and lovely. The staying-at-home has not been good for meeting up, but we have, like lots of you, discovered Zoom, which allows virtual church and visits with seminary classmates and fraternity brothers, Skypes and FaceTimes with family and friends. We could try to do that with each other. I could respond but am less savvy on how to initiate! Diana and I had a thoroughly restorative catch up by FaceTime the other day and vowed to do so more often, like Gretchen and Marva!

Despite rain, I am so happy to see leaves on the trees and flowers emerging in the gardens and am always happy to hear from, and of, all of you. Stay safe, stay healthy. As NBC News Anchor Lester Holt says, ‘Take care of yourselves, and each other.’ You can reach me at 6 Brookshire Rd, Worcester, MA 01609; (508) 756-6508 home; (847) 436-6507 texting.”

Class of 1963 Correspondent needed

Class of 1964 Susan Belmer Kollet-Harris P90 skharris@rcn.com

Class of 1965 Susan West Ayres warren.ayres@verizon.net Given the current state of the world it is not surprising that I have not heard from many of you. Our world has been transformed virtually overnight and we are all wondering what the new normal will be after this pandemic is over and restrictions are slowly lifted. In the meantime I hope that you all are finding ways to get work done, stay stimulated, and stay connected with family and friends. Mostly though I hope you all are healthy and safe.

Summer 2020

49

Clotilde Luce had to cancel three long-planned trips abroad due to the pandemic but was writing from “not the worst place for confinement: a balcony overlooking a gorgeous now empty beach, a little stream of people jogging or pushing strollers, most in masks. Empty cruise ships leave the port of Miami, on their way to drop off the last crew members not allowed the view here.” Like the rest of us, she spends a lot of time Zooming (the new verb in our vocabulary) but has also been spending time away from the screen enjoying old photos, “those paper things that curl up at the edges, some shiny, some faded….” She sent along several of Dana days, which hopefully will make you smile—showing off vacation tans as well as fashions and hairstyles of the times, plus one which includes our departed classmates, Jane Prouty.

onto crowded streets. She has been concerned for her children: a son-in-law who had been in Italy with his mother for almost two months and was unable to get back to their home in London until recently. Her son’s girlfriend, a nurse in a hospital in New Hampshire, had not felt well but tested negative, so all is ok.

Condolences, of course, to Carlotta and also to Candy Warshaver Glazer whose mother passed away in March. Best wishes to you all.

Julie Tennant Sargent writes, “I’m out of New York City and moved to 33 Bay Lane, Centreville, Mass., 02632, so now we are permanent Massachusetts residents. Hope you and your family are well and we can get together sometime when we are all able!”

Catharine (Cloudy) Kennedy is learning pottery and focusing on staying well.

Warren and I (Susan West Ayres) had stateside travel plans for March but, like the rest of the world, canceled them. When the pandemic hit, we had just gotten back from D.C. where I had been a delegate to the Garden Club of America’s National Affairs and Legislation (Conservation) Conference, a very stimulating three days with lots of excellent speakers.

Carlotta Gordon Gladding has had a few very challenging months. In early December, she was pushed down onto the sidewalk in New York City by a homeless person and broke her right wrist. She was in a cast for seven weeks. As of mid-April, she is still undergoing virtual telemedicine physical therapy because of nerve damage and still did not have full use of her right hand. She writes that two weeks later, her mother passed away in the nursing home she’d been in for a year. Carlotta writes, “She was age 101 and was alert and still beautiful. I am just thankful she passed before the COVID-19 epidemic swept through her nursing home in New York City, taking the life of her very healthy sister, 105, in April.” Carlotta has been very involved at the nursing home for the seven years her aunt was a resident, forming a Family Council (an advocacy group for the residents). She expects to move back to her house in Wilmington, Vt., once the stay-at-home orders in both Vermont and New York get lifted and her mother’s apartment is taken care of. She will not miss the incessant noise of sirens or the fear of venturing out of the building

50

Summer 2020

Class of 1966 Correspondent needed

Class of 1967 Lucy Haward Sur lhsur@aol.com So everyone is pretty much at home during these COVID-19 weeks/months, but we manage to stay in touch, trading jokes and getting updates on how we are all doing— maybe more than usual as we think about more distant classmates who, even so, are part of the fabric of our lives.

Christine (Christa) Corwin writes that she was at home with the cat and dog.

Things are quiet, but hoping her planned trip with son Alex to Jackson Hole in August will still be a “go”!

Helena Seyffert Hill and Gary have both daughters plus spouses and grands staying with them out in San Diego. Stays happy and busy (for sure!) with vegetable garden, hiking, cycling, Zoom yoga, meditation and writing group meetings.

Paula Minnick Peterson, Melissa Hubner, Jane Prouty, Clotilde Luce Penny Banks Peck, Melissa Hubner, Paula Minnick Peterson, Jane Prouty

Elliott (Lee) Hall Overall is in splendid isolation (except for the two cats) getting her home in Weston in order, and has gotten all her garden beds in the best shape ever!

Lynnaea Lumbard is chair of the website NewStories: Change Your Story, Change What’s Possible and has a new blog called Collapse and Regeneration on the web as well. Sounds apt in these times.

Have been in touch with Jane Axelrod whose daughter Ariel has opened a practice adjoining Jane’s. Congratulations!

Gael O’Brien is doing fine, but no particular news. Working from home, like so many at this time.

Actually had a drink and deck visit with Linda McIntosh... from 12 feet away, bundled up in the cool temps, but I was happy for the contact! Daughter Amelia and Lucy the dog were there as well.

Clotilde Luce, Jane Prouty, Leslie Sleeper Olanoff

Steve and I (Lucy) are just hanging out doing what most of us are doing: walking, getting gardens ready, cleaning, reading, cooking, ordering out once a week or so.

So grateful that we are able to see grandson Harrison along with Matt and Betsy from about 12 feet away occasionally, and videos and chats of “The Harry Show” when we

can’t see them in person! Son Tony still holed up in Brooklyn, but we video chat with him too, and he, Walter the cat and Bernard the fish are fine, although work is on hold for now. I’m finishing several almost-done paintings. Was to have had a solo show in May, but now it’s put off until September—fingers crossed. I’ll just paint more! So, call a classmate, take a walk (keeping your distance) with a friend, and stay healthy and sane during this unusual and difficult time. And let me/Dana Hall know if you have any particular news about anyone in our class that would be good for us to know! Reach out. This too shall pass.

Steve and Lucy Sur in Hawaiianmade masks

Trotzky—the DIY face mask you posted on Facebook was so much better than mine!). I watch art lectures on YouTube, keep up with book groups and exercise classes on Zoom, but lose track of days/ weeks, and watch my hair get grey and shaggy. Though online meetings are hard on eyes and ears, I did love seeing six other classmates one evening. What I’d give for a tech support house-call, or have the porter help move some furniture, wash my windows and repair stuff! The government’s idea of what constitutes an essential worker differs widely from my own. What about a hair stylist, the cleaning lady and or my dental hygienist? Oh, to schedule a routine appointment! Not unexpectedly, the big Dana trip for June 15-25 was canceled. It was to be an all-alumnae adventure to Quito and the Galapagos, organized by Wendy Higgins Chambers ’80. I’d been looking forward to traveling to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands with Wendie (Beans) Franks Howland as well as Deborah Emerson Pinkham’s sister Martha Wells ’70. It would have been the trip of a lifetime, but it’s not to be. And we are still enjoying life.

We will sort out the new normal. Until next time, old friends, please be well, stay safe and happy 70th birthday to most of us.

Marilyn’s fourth grandchild

Before social distancing due to the coronavirus, June Lovelace Davis’s grandkids Arayha and Braydon visited Great Grandma Peggy to wish her a happy 100th, a few months early. Peggy Lovelace is June and Anne Lovelace ’71’s beautiful mom!

June Lovelace Davis’s grandkids Arayha and Braydon visiting Great-Grandma Peggy

Class of 1968

Class of 1969

Laura (Pots) Potsubay Pucher laurap.riverdale@gmail.com

Anne Maxwell Dewez afmdewez@gmail.com

Dear Class of 1968, Here with some notes from my COVID-19 shelter-in-place New York City apartment. These are unprecedented times! It’s been nine weeks since daughter Kitt was allowed to leave the group home. Ten adult clients and 24-hour essential staff have been quarantined. No visitors in or out. I do see my older daughter and family at curbside for drive-by/wave-bye visits. Tally and I FaceTime daily for cardio workout. Love it when 2-year-old grandson pops into the frame. Everyone I know has been working alone at home for two months, with no end in sight. We’re all missing absent loved ones. It’s way too quiet and lonesome.

Wish I’d rescued some shelter pets before this lockdown. Their furry company would be most welcome now! I live in comfy pants, order groceries and wine online, eat too much, stare at screens all day everyday, and seldom leave home. Face-masks were in short supply for weeks. (Kudos to Katie

Some members of the Class of 1968 gathered via Zoom Three of Marilyn Benson Wiinikainen’s grandchildren

Victoria (Vicki) Willson Quinn vquinn1@gmail.com Hello, classmates. We have heard from a few of you, some pre-virus and others more recently “in the throes” of what often seems surreal.

Deborah (Debby) Yard Mello Orazem wrote in February about a variety of trips, family visits and cultural experiences that underscore what we are missing at the moment. She writes, “Garrett and I have been on the move more than usual this year. Garrett is still practicing dentistry while I am enjoying freedom from the academic calendar. Met our daughter in New York City. Saw Tina Fey’s Mean Girls in Boston. While it was enjoyable, fresh and funny, I thought once again how fortunate we were at Dana to have skipped that high school experience! What isn’t to come? A trip in June to Greece for

Summer 2020

51

christening. What we hope will come? The summer race series. Some Dana specific thoughts: I’ve found reading the Bulletin very interesting and hope our class continues to send news and photos! Shout out to Susan Dangel: Because of sharing at our Reunion, I’m very much enjoying getting to know her brother and his wife here on the island [Martha’s Vineyard].

Vicki and Anne, thank you for your efforts.

Next year we’ll all be turning to a birthday number ending in 0. Should we plan a reunion celebrating those birthdays?”

Garrett and Debby Yard Mello Orazem

Also from February, Julie Gianelloni Connor writes, “Last year was a big one for me. I founded my new business, Bayou City Press, which opened in May with a website launch. We publish columns about travel, Houston and international affairs on the website. You can check it out at www.

BayouCityPressBooks.com. In December I published my book, Savoring the Camino de Santiago: It’s the Pilgrimage, Not the Hike.

My book is available on Amazon in both paperback and digital formats. I am also still traveling a lot. In 2019, I visited Hawaii, Indonesia, Spain, Portugal, Guernsey Island, England, and Sicily. I wrote columns about Spain and Indonesia that you can read on my website. Happy trails to everyone!” Also, congratulations to Julie on her eLit silver medal for her book!

Awarded annually, the eLit awards recognize the overall quality of digitally published books: the writing, photos and illustrations, layout, cover, topic, and relevance. Her award was given in the Travel Book category.

Sarah (Sally) Ralston wrote with a nice pat on the back to your correspondents for their effort (thank you, Sally) and a correction to our most recent Class Notes.

She writes, “I did not teach equine medicine at Rutgers. I was in the Department of Animal Science and taught horse management and nutrition. I was the pre-vet advisor for the college in addition to consulting with practitioners and horse owners through our Agricultural Extension

52

Summer 2020

Service. Rutgers does not have a veterinary medicine component. I am still an adjunct professor at Penn Veterinary School’s New Bolton Center and lectured there regularly in the past. I still consult on nutrition cases there, if asked, so yes, I do still have a medicine component, just not through Rutgers!”

I, Vicki Willson Quinn, had a fun visit with Polly Morgan Timken and her husband John (we all three were in grade school together) in their Key Largo, Fla., home shortly before the virus shut down the party/travel. During the daytime, we visited several parks including the Everglades National Park (it was hot, so the walks were short) and the fabulous Fairchild Gardens just outside of Miami. In the evenings, I was treated to many G&Ts, great meals (Polly is a great cook) and best of all, Polly’s sharp wit! I also visited with Polly’s 94-year-old mother, who remarkably lives quite contentedly alone in the same community, so for now, they all are staying put until the virus dissipates.

Polly Morgan Timken in Everglades National Park during visit with Vicki Willson Quinn in February

time, he’ll set a closing time in advance. In March, Susan Dangel and I got together for our annual birthday dinner, for both of us our last dining out experience for weeks to come. Susie and I also stay in touch through our involvement with MSPCAAngell, Boston’s renowned animal welfare organization, where Susie is the go-to videographer/producer and I am a hospital volunteer. These days, Susie is donning some of my homemade cotton masks while filming outside and social distancing. Stay well, all!”

Alison (Alley) Mills’s husband Orson Bean died as a result of a car accident in their hometown of Venice, Calif., on February 7. Alley, please accept our most sincere condolences for your tragic loss.

Your other correspondent, Anne Maxwell Dewez, writes, “I can report that our ‘confinement’ has not been burdensome, as we are in our house in Gassin, France, rather than in our small apartment in Monaco. It looks like we’ll be here for the summer, as travel restrictions are such that it’s unlikely we’ll get to Nantucket as usual.

We’ll come in the fall instead, if we can, and hope to see some of you Dana girls then. In the meantime, thanks for engaging and please think about what you’d like to mention about these extraordinary times in our next set of Class Notes!”

Class of 1970 Rebecca (Becky) Farnum sent me and a few other classmates an email reporting that she and husband John sold the family house in Yarmouth, Maine, very suddenly and moved into a one floor condo in Cumberland, Maine—yes, getting ready to age in place. She is still working part-time for the Portland law firm where she has been a partner for many years—all remote now in light of the sea change resulting from the COVID-19 epidemic.

In early April, Cheryl (Fred) Forté dutifully responded to my plea for good news. She writes, “In January, Chris Parsons-Mank, Priscilla (Penny) Bakewell Linn, Rebecca (Becky) Beardsley Deptula, Jean (Jeannie) Reif McDonough and I had a delightful impromptu weekend gathering in Portland, Maine. Penny’s son Ryan, founder of Atlas Guides, graciously hosted us for dinner.

Little did he know that after three hours, we gals would just be warming up; next

Ann Elisabeth (Betsy) Bass betsybass52@gmail.com Emily Ecker eecker@gmail.com Hello from your Class Correspondents Emily Ecker and Betsy Bass! April 24-26, 2020, was going to be the time of celebrating our 50th Reunion. The Dana Hall staff created a beautiful yearbook for us. More than 40 people were planning on coming. Instead, COVID-19 became a pandemic and we all had to stay home. Our Reunion has been rescheduled for April 23-25, 2021. As a substitute, we held two Zoom calls which were a lot of fun and stirred up a lot of memories and reflections that continued through multiple emails.

For many, it was the first time seeing their classmates since 1970. After our first Zoom, Lindsay Beane, who Margaret (Peggy) Scott Griswold has tagged as our class philosopher, emailed us with this poignant reflection. Lindsay writes, “We were all young girls then: confused,

pressured, needing love and reassurance, lost at times, shining at times… I feel for all of us, and I am sorry that we weren’t who we are today back then. We would have been so much more compassionate and supportive of each other. But that’s adolescence. And the fact that we were all on the call, despite our crazy experiences, is testament that we received something precious and took it away with us after graduation.”

We had a wonderful virtual Alumnae Art Show. These classmates contributed to it: Polly Alexander, Audrey Appleby, Betsy Bass, Melanie Choukas-Bradley, Jennifer Dunning, Jo Christy Graydon, Nancy Karp, Susan Lirakis, Patricia McMillen, Anne Besse Shepherd, and Durinda Wood.

And, six of our classmates are published authors. Please let us know if you are so we can include you next time! Polly Alexander (illustrator) with Melanie Choukas-Bradley: City of Trees; and Melanie Choukas-Bradley’s other books: Sugarloaf: The Mountain’s History, Illustrated Guide to Eastern Woodland Flowers, A Year in Rock Creek Park, The Joy of Forest Bathing, Finding Solace at Theodore Roosevelt Island, and Connecting with Nature in a Time of Crisis; Lindsay Beane: Embracing the Dragon; Sarah Rossbach Fleming: Feng shui- The Chinese Art of Placement; Susan Coburn Humphrey: The Path to Fernglade; and Patricia McMillen: short poetry collection, Knife Lake Anthology.

For this Bulletin, we suggested some themes: your recollections of the years during Dana and after, as well as how you are coping with the coronavirus (COVID-19) in light of our past and current environments. For the Winter Bulletin, we are looking for photos from our Dana Hall past, including past Reunions, so please start scrounging!

Susan Coburn Humphrey and Dean Verner Loehr in February 1969

Lindsay Beane writes, “I’m a public health researcher and writer, living in Baltimore. I recently published a memoir called Embracing the Dragon: One Mother’s Relentless Search for Healing and Hope. The book describes my son’s two lifethreatening diagnoses as well as the alternative healing approaches I used to help him. He was born with spina bifida, a defect of the spinal cord, which was fortunately surgically corrected when he was 5 weeks old. Following his surgery, he began to manifest all kinds of new symptoms. I complained about his symptoms to everyone, but family and friends (and all of his doctors) didn’t believe there was anything else wrong. At 8 months, a new pediatrician finally took my reports seriously and diagnosed my son with failure to thrive and cystic fibrosis (CF), an incurable, progressive disease that causes chronic infections, eventual lung failure and early death. He was a very sick little baby. Because conventional medicine had little to offer (this was 1993), I went in search of alternative healing practitioners.

Within his first year, I added acupuncture, homeopathy, osteopathy, nutrition and herbal medicine to Russell’s CF regimen.

By age 5, his recovery was so extraordinary that NIH wanted to conduct a case study.

Unfortunately, the CF doctor was unwilling to participate in the study, and that opportunity was lost. My son is now 27 years old, 6 feet tall, 175 pounds, handsome, full-bearded and gainfully employed! His health is extraordinarily good. When my son was around 3 years old, I started jotting down notes of our experiences. What began as a therapeutic exercise eventually evolved into a book. I wanted to give other parents what I wished I had had: someone else’s story to motivate me, guide me and validate me during a difficult journey. You can purchase the book directly from my website (www.

LindsayBeane.com) or from Amazon. I’d love to hear what you think of it!

In April, Melanie Choukas-Bradley was given less than two weeks to write a book about connecting with nature during the pandemic: Resilience: Connecting with Nature in a time of Crisis. This was part of a 10-book resilience series. The book was published in May and contains a quote and photo by Betsy Bass and quotes from Lindsay Beane, Cathy Cornell, Pam Davies, Emily Ecker, and Betsy Childs Gill. Stay tuned for news of its release.

classmates wanted to come back. And we were all looking forward to seeing each other. Thankfully due to technology we were able to connect through Zoom. What I hadn’t realized is that many classmates on the Zoom calls had not been to Reunions and so had not seen each other since 1970!

The memories and sharing that happened through emails afterwards was astounding.

I was very surprised and honored to have received the Dana Hall Distinguished Service Award. I am so grateful to have Betsy Bass working with me all these years. The other pleasant surprise was working with the Dana Hall staff. Kudos go out to Robin Ryan, Sarah Dent and Stephanie Meyer of the Advancement Office. They were extremely attentive to our needs. I recommend reaching out to them if you ever have a question/concern.

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in person for our 51st Reunion.”

Gwendolen (Gwen) Hamlin writes, “Our Zoom Reunion was a profound experience.

It was a chance to get to know people one might not have talked to at an in-person Reunion, simply because one would have migrated to people you already knew. I have said since my first Reunion that the reason I like going back is to see again the fascinating women all the classmates I didn’t know have become! It also stirred up a lot of thoughts about myself and my Dana experience in ways I’d never looked at before. A new relationship with personal history, we might say. The coronavirus has thrown all of the plans Don and I had up in the air! We thought maybe this summer would be the one to drive across the country. We’d like to think we will get to our camp in Rutherfordton, N.C., in the fall. We certainly hope we’d be able to take the boat to the Bahamas next season. But who knows? Our grandson is 15 and has little time for the adults in his family. He is a good kid, doing well enough in school (when there was school) and soccer (when there was soccer), but all this Dana reflection makes me fret about the opportunities he is carelessly overlooking, like I did.”

Grandson Kai overtaking Gwen Hamlin and Don Wilson, height-wise

Emily Ecker writes, “Helping to coordinate for our 50th Reunion was very time consuming but very fulfilling too. It was so exciting to see that so many

Summer 2020

53

Susan (Susie) Coburn Humphrey writes, “I am excited, and a little nervous too, to announce the publication of my memoir, The Path to Fernglade. This self-published work is a labor of love. In 2009 our younger son, Dan, died of a rare cancer. I have written about his journey but most of the book is about my grief and healing, coming to love life once again.

Although there are many things I still want to do if I live long enough, this book project was the last on my list of soul endeavors and I am proud to have finally completed it.

Nancy Watkins Lanzoni writes, “I loved my time at Dana. I arrived sophomore year and lived in Groveside with Cindy Ladd, who was from Duxbury and so homesick that she didn’t return junior year. While she was pretty gloomy, other sophomores in our dorm were not: Jo Christy, Judy Mattoon, Marcia Melamed Feola and Nancy Karp on the first floor and Martha Coventry and Anne Stevenson next to me on the second floor. I was delighted to live away from home. Where I lived in Fairfield, Conn., was three miles out of town and my parents required that I take the bus home from high school. My biggest thrill was being able to walk into town without an adult! I didn’t even care that I had to wear my uniform. And I was never homesick. Ever. The friendships from Dana have endured the test of time. We may be scattered all over the country, but can still pick up a conversation like it was yesterday. And with every Reunion, we all seem to become better friends, even with those we didn’t know very well back then.

Time has a way of blurring the edges. So fast forward to June 2019 when our son Ben was married to his college sweetheart with his twin Will as his best man. Then my daughter-in-law, Candice, was offered an opportunity to transfer to Hong Kong with her company. At that time, we were mostly concerned with riots, not disease.

They were scheduled to leave in January, but COVID-19 delayed that; then they were suddenly packed and gone March 18 before border restrictions were imposed in Hong Kong. They were quarantined for 14 days and are safe. Meanwhile, Will moved to Atlanta January 17 to work full-time for CNN as a digital photo editor. He is now working from his apartment and is a little lonely having been there only two months before quarantine, but he’s healthy and safe. My husband and I are both working from home (not retired!). He is tutoring students via Zoom, and I am working feverishly as a credit risk manager for a

54

Summer 2020

bank that does a lot of small business and franchise loans. We do family Zoom meetings and the three of us in the U.S. need haircuts! I don’t know what the new normal will be after the pandemic is more under control, but I am fortunate to be able to work and stay home. I long for our parks to be open to be able to hike and go to the shore, but I’ve done a lot of neighborhood exploring and that’s okay, too! It’s spring and I’m tracking the stages of new growth along my route. We will come out of this okay. And I plan to be at Reunion in 2021!”

Nancy Watkins Lanzoni and family at the wedding of son Ben Nancy’s twin sons Ben and Will

As we all know, Susan Lirakis is a phenomenal photographer. She has a special project called “From Our Hearts: Sharing Our Stories.” Susan says, “It is a series of images and text addressing what propels us and gives us meaning and purpose. It’s a personal project I’ve been working on for a number of years. I’ve exhibited parts of it at numerous places over the years. I’d eventually like to find a printed outlet for it. It’s meant to be a celebration and inspiration.” You can see some of it on Susan’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Dean Verner Loehr writes, “I attended Dana Hall because my parents wanted me to have a better education than I could get in Lubbock, Texas, and to also expose me to another part of the country. My mother had attended a junior college in

Washington, D.C., when she was young and always valued her time there and the friendships she made. Dana Hall was very, very hard for me scholastically, but I did improve in my senior year and was very proud of my work. I was a fool and didn’t continue that excellence in education during my freshman year at Texas Tech, but instead, concentrated my efforts on my social life, i.e., boys. I did learn my lesson and graduated with a degree in finance. I was very homesick my first semester of my junior year. I began to have new friends and became involved in the Dana community, joining committees and taking leadership positions. For the first time in my life, I was around women of many nationalities, cultures and much more liberal thoughts than to which I was accustomed. I enjoyed the music of the Boston Pops and learned the customs of New England. To this day, I still love the Boston Red Sox and the Patriots—and clam chowder and lobster. I still remember many of my teachers at Dana, but I can’t say the same about most of my college professors. That tells me how impactful the Dana teachers and staff were on me. Mrs. Phelps was a powerful role model for me: strong, smart, gracious and empathetic.

Mrs. Farmer scared me to death but I sure did respect her and listened to what advice she gave me. I did have my rule-breaking side. During our senior year, Marta Hallett and I would drive off campus (this was not allowed!) at about 10:30 a.m. to go to McDonald’s and get a Big Mac. This was before I would then go to lunch! No wonder I was overweight when I graduated! I was also so very naïve. During our senior year, I was admiring some really nice plants in one of the girls’ rooms and I didn’t realize until after graduation that she was growing pot!

I have had many successes and failures in business and my personal life. They have all made me stronger. I work to continually improve myself and be a better person. I continue to learn. I have really enjoyed the direction my life has taken in the last 15 years in the nonprofit world. I have enjoyed helping these organizations in fundraising and helping with their successes in helping others. I am grateful that we are connecting again and I realize that there is even more that I can learn from my classmates. I am glad that I am living in Lubbock, a city with a population of 250,000, during the pandemic. We are out in the plains of west Texas with plenty of room for social distancing. We are having our fair share of cases, but it is still not too bad yet. I do miss being able to visit my daughter and granddaughter in Houston. My son is still

in the Army, but he is preparing to retire and is not deploying to Afghanistan again, so I am happy that he is at least on U.S. soil during this time. Thank you, Betsy and Emily, for keeping us connected.”

Dean Verner Loehr with sisters and nieces in Denver in December

Dean’s daughter Arden with Ayla Mesko and Kyle Mesko

Patricia (Patty) McMillen is alive and well in Chicago and Bridgman, Mich., after a difficult two-year journey from moderate concussion suffered in March 2018 to almost-full cognitive recovery; from a 16-year physically and emotionally abusive marriage to Samuel D. Bader (m. 2004, div.

2020); and from partial retirement back to full-time work, now in the roles of opera dramaturg, feminist and environmental activist/philanthropist, poet, folk musician and investor. Along the way, she sadly lost her second parent, Nan, but gained a new-old beau, Tom Hugill of Lenox, Mass., with whom she celebrates another 50th anniversary in 2020, though being of advanced ages, neither she nor Tom remembers all that much about their first year together, when Patty was a freshman and Tom a senior at Brown University in 1969-70. She has joyfully renewed friendships with her Dana Hall School 50th Reunion class, as well, during two Zoom calls in the past two months, and by participating in the Alumnae Art Show exhibit.

Patty McMillen with her mother Nan McMillen and caregiver Jade Kalejaiye

Michelle Dunn Morgan writes, “I just wanted to point out that some of us were at Dana from 1964-1970 and some of my early classmates will have some fond memories of their lower school experiences when lower Dana was attached to Bardwell that they might want to share. Most of what I remember from those days were the old creaking floors, attic spaces for art class, dark hallways leading to other small classrooms, a badly warped gym floor that did not accept the basketball bounce too well, and sneaking peeks of Upper School students eating their meals in the dining room which I believe was below Bardwell. I am trying to open a few more doors in my memory bank to remember other small details of my first two years in 1964-66 before we graduated to the Upper School, but that will have to wait for another time.

I hope you and your family are well and adjusting to our changing world.”

Pamela Gleason Swearingen writes, “By the time this Bulletin comes out, I bet we will still be social distancing unless one has recovered from this virus. I’m hoping for a vaccine sooner than later. It’s unbelievable what COVID-19 has done to all our lives—and hard to imagine when it will end. Thankfully, my husband and I are healthy. And I’m so glad I’m retired and not worrying about being exposed. We have been staying at home in Belmont, Mass., and just get out twice daily to take our dogs for a walk. And I can enjoy my yoga classes four times weekly by Zoom.

And getting more reading done, more cooking, and watching more movies and even doing some puzzles. We have been having virtual happy hours with friends and well as weekly Zoom meetings with my four siblings and spouses. I was so looking forward to our Reunion which would have been the first one I would have been to.

But now have next year to look forward to.

I had hoped to see Betsy Bass in Maine again this year, but that now will most likely not happen. But maybe in the fall? In reviewing my three years at Dana, I have looked at my photo albums to remember my time at Dana and to remember some of my classmates. My first year—sophomore year—in Park Place, then junior year in Lathrop and senior year in one of the Johnstons (Mrs. Randolph was my house mother). I hope all of our classmates get through this as best we can and remain safe and healthy. And hope to see some of you next year.”

decided to volunteer together at a program for refugees and immigrants in our community of Manchester, N.H. We would go every Tuesday night to sit with 15 to 20 adults to help individuals, many of whom were illiterate in their native language, learn English. My husband Daniel and I also coached those working to pass their citizenship test, and participated in activities of a new organization, Welcoming Manchester. But just as we welcomed them into our community, they invited us into their lives and into important family events. What I learned through our daily lives together perhaps had even a deeper impact. Sometimes I was too tired after my workday to go into class for another two hours. I always did, however, because I knew that the students would be there. I always left inspired and renewed simply by the commitment and energy the students brought to class—even after often having worked themselves since 5 a.m. I have learned about courage and resilience from our Bhutanese friends who were driven out of their homes one night and sent to refugee camps in another country, or when my arm rested next to a student from Sudan bearing scars from torture. And I have been offered the gift of perspective from students and now friends from South Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Guatemala and El Salvador that our country, though certainly imperfect, was a refuge when it was most needed. Now, it seems only natural for our family to have welcomed two new citizens.

Our daughter Phoebe’s partner, Onur, originally from Turkey, became a citizen in April 2019 and our son Payson’s fianceé, Paola, originally from Colombia, became a citizen in June 2019. Each has brought to our family and to our country the gifts of their unique experiences, vibrant customs, energy, creativity, intellect and hope.”

Betsy Bass snowshoeing on Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine in December

Martha West Lyman writes, “You never know what you are going to receive when you give to others. More than 10 years ago now, our younger daughter Phoebe and I

Summer 2020

55

Class of 1971 Barbara (Barb) Lee Monahan barbmonahan52@comcast.net Toddy Torrance Turrentine toddyturrentine@gmail.com

Class of 1972 Barbara Tomlinson Harman b49harman@gmail.com Thank you to all the contributors this month for making contact! On March 10 before everything closed, I had a fabulous dinner with two classmates, Hollis (Hollie) Sutherland and Robin Whitney Ashley Vose. Both were in good health.

Whitney has two grandchildren. As an aside, during this quarantine I am enjoying Eleanor (Ellie) Wyeth Fox’s wonderful artwork on Facebook, and many musicians who have chosen to share there as well.

Thanks to all on the front lines, caregivers, food purveyors, medical personnel and teachers. Health to all!

Nancy Wayne Jaffee writes, “My husband Mark and I are living in Singapore for two years, starting January 2020. It’s a wonderful place and appears to be handling COVID-19 well. However, the virus means absolutely no travel for us, which is why I came to the far east, and our kids can’t visit.

Maybe all this will change before we depart January 2022. If so, ’72 classmates, please let me know if you will be in the area.

Would love to see you and share what I have learned about this fabulous city-state.”

Some good news from Lucy Gelb: “My son Matt and his wife Ellis had a baby girl, Catherine, on March 26. It’s been stressful with the virus all around, but so far, so good.”

Meg Brown Payson’s art installation “Echo Lake Under the Pear Tree”

Meg Brown Payson writes, “I am busy getting ready for an exhibition without

56

Summer 2020

being quite sure when it will happen. Good to be prepared, I guess. For any of you traveling to Maine this summer and thinking of a visit to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, I will be the featured artist. Call/text/email ahead and I will meet you there!”

Kimberly Douglass writes, “A greeting to all of you in this most troubling time. I hope there have been unexpected delights found in connecting with others by voice, email cartoons, FaceTiming or Zoom dates. I’ve enjoyed contact with classmates Karen Pratt, Whitney Vose, Pam Swift, Marian Dines and Cindy Merritt.

Checking in for some laughter and affirmation with friends established long ago. I continue to live in the city of Chicago where we are great advocates of our current Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Sheltering-in is still a privilege I have over many of my fellow citizens. I am grateful for our Dana Class of ’72. Wishing you to remain well and to keep in touch with those significant to you.”

Class of 1973 Judith (Judy) Luke judy.luke@comcast.net Greetings, all. Like most of you, I’ve been staying close to home for most of the spring. Boston is eerily quiet, with neighbors out and about taking walks but practicing social distancing.

Margot Ellis writes, “What a strange, strange time to be catching up on all of our comings and goings. Not too much of that the past few months!” Margot taught her last in-person yoga class on March 15 and she took a few weeks off following Tucson’s stay-in-place restrictions. Since then, Margot has been home, relentlessly cleaning and clearing out, adding that it was “the most manic spring cleaning you can imagine. Even the 10-year-old tax returns were burned! The task ahead is where to take all this stuff since no one if accepting donations right now. So everything is in boxes in my garage and the house is down to the nubbins.” Ever nimble, Margot started teaching yoga online every Wednesday at 11 a.m. Arizona time through Zoom. As of this writing, you can find the zoom link to her weekly class in our Dana Hall Facebook group. Margot adds, “As you clear out the old, you make space for the new. Here’s to wishing everyone safety, health, family and friends. See you all on the other side!” Cheers to that!

Leigh Palioca Daley traveled to New Zealand for five weeks and arrived back in the states on March 21. While in New Zealand, Leigh visited with first cousins from her mother’s side, seeing some for the first time in 42 years! Leigh also spent three weeks in the Wellington area with her half-sister who found her 2 1/2 years ago. Leigh added, “The COVID-19 response [in New Zealand] was effective and immediate and I sometimes wish I hadn’t left!” Speaking for the Class of ’73, we are glad you are back safely!

Susan (Susie) Foster Wilson writes that she is hunkering down on Cape Cod with Bob (husband of 36 years) and dog Gus. She says, “It is a strange time. We have been busy doing projects inside and out and have learned to do a lot on our own since that’s the only way these days. I am now stripping wallpaper off walls and painting a bedroom. Bob is pruning bushes and mulching up a storm. So far, so good.

We feel lucky but miss our son, daughterin-law and our 16-month-old granddaughter! These strange times are stressful yet we hope to find some positives.

A slower pace and appreciation of old friends, and of course family, are at the top of the list. All the best to the Class of ’73!”

Class of 1974 Kate Hirsch Koller rkoller@snet.net Deborah (Debbie) Weiner writes, “I welcomed my first grandchild, born last summer: Ezekiel Nathan Bielenberg.

Needless to say, he’s the love of my life. I’m heartbroken that I have to isolate from him during this difficult time, but I keep reminding myself I’m doing it out of love.

Take care and stay safe.”

Debbie Wiener with her grandson Ezekiel

Leslie Stecker Dumont writes, “I hope by the time this is printed, we are back to

normal (whatever that might be) and not in lockdown. I started a new job on March 16 just as this all hit. Working remotely like everyone else these days. It’s tough with Sarah Dumont ’13 in Tennessee and Emily Dumont ’14 living in Boston and working at The Brigham. By the time this is published, I hope I have had the chance to hug my girls! Having Bill and our dog around helps, but it’s lonely. Reunion pics showed up today in my TimeHop app.

What a blast. We are a great group. Love to all. Stay safe!”

Alison Macmillan writes, “Things in Maine are fine. Social distancing and shelter-in-place is not too challenging since we are relatively sparsely populated. Plenty of room to take walks along the shore. I look out at Vinal Haven and North Haven with Isle Au Haut in the distance. I imagine islanders are feeling pretty safe, as long as they have control over who visits. This change of pace and lifestyle is actually kind of nice. Connecting more with old friends and certainly family. Thank goodness for Zoom. My older brother Alec died of cancer in February. So tragic, so sad, so unfair. And he had just remarried. Anyway, we were able to hold a small graveside service but his memorial service has obviously been postponed. Tragedies have their silver linings, which are not always apparent in the thick of it all, rather upon reflection. His illness and death have brought our already-close family even more so. And my mom and stepdad are in an assisted living facility in Concord and off limits for any visits, so we all now Zoom with mom on Sundays. That is nice. I teach in a K-8 public school which is closed for the year. A new delivery model now, and from the dining room table. The kids are okay but stressed—so much newness, which includes not being with their pals.

Those face-to-face connections, temporarily on hold, and for how long, who knows. I hope this finds everyone healthy and safe.”

Lesley Jane Nonkin Seymour writes, “Hi from NOLA. Well, I had just celebrated my first Mardi Gras and it was the most fun I’d had since being a kid. Seriously.

These people know how to party and live life. And then, well, we slammed into the COVID-19 wall. Luckily I didn’t catch it during Mardi Gras, even though a lot of people say it was hovering in those crowds the whole time. It’s really a miracle. You are literally 10 deep in crowds for two weeks. We’ve been in lockdown for six weeks. The city is deserted, which is so sad.

This place runs on hospitality and food and drink. Luckily I can take walks down the

empty streets and really get to know my gorgeous neighborhood now. I see and notice the little things: the architecture, the important historical sites. We can still order out some of the best food on the planet. But I’m cooking more as well because cleaning everything off gets so tiresome. My daughter Lake took a two-day car trip down here from Amherst, Mass., where she had been quarantined with her boyfriend after Penn closed its doors during spring break. She’s in dental school, which now scares the you-knowwhat out of me. But she says they are planning whole new ways to protect dentists in the future with all kinds of PPE and face shields, etc. I didn’t know all the hazards of being a dentist until now, but it can be really dangerous to be in people’s mouths. My son is sheltering-in-place in Connecticut with a friend. The weather has been stunning, so I work on my CoveyClub business outdoors every day.

We’ve ramped up the learning webinars and they are perfect for people trying to reinvent themselves into this new world that is upon us. I just can’t wait until I hear the calliope every morning when the riverboats dock a few blocks over and the drunk tourists fight again on the sidewalk at 3 a.m. It’s gorgeous hearing all the unusual birds instead of car alarms. We are really enjoying the new way of life and it’s even slower and more southern than we expected. Hopefully when this is over, you will all swing by this joyful city and we can say hello.”

Class of 1975 Kyle Fake kylewfake@gmail.com Polly Attwood writes, “I am ‘retiring’ from teaching in Northeastern University’s teacher education program as of June 30. A mix of personal and professional factors have led me to take this step, even in the uncertainty of COVID-19. The quotation marks reflect that I expect to be active in other ways, what one friend calls refiring.

What all this will mean and look like in this reality of COVID-19 is yet to be revealed for me. I hold a deep concern for the longstanding racial/class disparities and inequities that this pandemic is revealing quite starkly. I will continue to find community, Quaker and other contexts where I can work to challenge and—where possible—undo those inequities. Here’s to all the ways you each make a caring difference in your communities!”

Elizabeth Simonds writes, “As we Zoomed during our postponed Reunion, I was reminded of our strong, diverse, intelligent and adventurous class of 45 years ago. Our lives have gone in so many directions. I hope, as we close in on retirement, there will be more opportunities to visit each other for more adventure and fun. I will look forward to seeing everyone in 2021 and if you are in Maine for any reason, get in touch! It is a pleasure to share in the wisdom of our unique experiences that began when we stepped on the Dana Hall campus. Shine on, ’75ers.”

Betsy Carothers ’77, Anne Wallace, Sarah Severance

Elizabeth Simonds with grandson Isaac Finegan

Cheryl Yung Rousseau writes, “We’re all A-OK here so far and feeling very grateful for all the goodness we have in our lives and pray that we, friends and loved ones continue to be healthy.”

Tapley Sheresky, Sarah Severance, Louisa Troubh, Kate Koller, Bonnie Block, Libby Edwards

Donna Hall Bradford writes, “As CFO of an essential service—a large homeless shelter—I have not been under 100% quarantine. I stay home, go to work six days, repeat. Our offices are off-site and no

Summer 2020

57

one in the shelter has tested positive. We do have a hotel for anyone in Kansas City who is experiencing homelessness and tests positive. Fortunately our numbers in Missouri are fairly low. My three children are in Santa Barbara, Calif.; Boston; and Tampa, Fla. We FaceTime the grands.

What a gift! I pray the virus will slow down and become manageable. My husband has been a trooper through all of this and we, like everyone, are careful. Stay safe!”

Jean (Curry) Glassell writes, “My oldest son and his fiance ran off to San Antonio and got married. I know they took photos; this seems to be a very big priority for the millennial generation. I was not sure which was more important: the photo shoot or getting the marriage license. LOL. Other than that, I am working on laying a new mental, spiritual and financial foundation for my own future and asking many questions about what to be and do, post-COVID-19. I do not believe we will ever have normal again and I wonder what our new world will look like. Old systems breaking down and new ones being etched right before us as the past fades, the present dissipates and the future beckons all of us to ask more questions. I am still in Houston, yet asking many questions about how long that will actually last. I so loved our Reunion Zooms and look forward to our next one.”

Ellen Sterling Slater writes, “It is impossible to take a selfie with someone six feet apart, but Julia Donnell Rothenburg and I tried. We met up on April 29 on a walk; we hadn’t seen each other in a long time. Fortunately—surprisingly—we recognized each other in our masks. I am at home in Cambridge working remotely.

Julia, in health care, is on the front lines.

My father passed away in February at 96 years. I feel fortunate to have had quality time with him, especially in his last few years. We had a funeral for him just before social restrictions would have prevented it.

My daughter Felicity is in first year of law school at Boston University and is living with us for now. It is a treat to spend more time with her. She is busy and working hard and enjoying law school. Scott and I are well and keep busy with projects and work. We still feel retirement is remote but try to plan for that someday. Our dog Etta is a dear companion. Our son Gordon is in New York City writing, teaching and completing his master’s at Columbia.”

Ellen Sterling Slater

Curry Glassell’s son Nathan James Glassell with wife Kaitlin

Julia Donnell Rothenberg

Hillary Bailey Smith writes, “I was so sorry to miss the Zoom Reunion. We are blessed to be here in the Keys where we are quarantined with nature. Our children have been with us for three weeks now.

We pinch ourselves because we are so lucky. We did lose my father-in-law to COVID-19, complete with a FaceTime burial. But the rest of us are safe and healthy. I send love and good thoughts to all.”

Hillary Bailey Smith and husband Philip on their boat

58

Summer 2020

Melissa Garvan writes, “I have two favorite COVID-19 stories. My favorite today was the news last night of a pug dog who got the virus in North Carolina. All three owners in the house had the virus, then the pug started coughing and wheezing. But in a few days, he was all fine!

That is awesome! Second nice story of the day was of three blind boys who earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Then they got adopted by a blind father. Awesome, happy stories in these days of gloom and sorrow!”

Class of 1976 Correspondent needed

Class of 1977 Elizabeth (Liz) Browning Riley lizriley09@gmail.com Janet Flory-Snell writes that all is well.

She says, “I’m working as a nurse practioner at Hope Hospital in the Boston Convention Center caring for COVID-19 patients. I’m there as part of my job as an Adult NP at Atrius Health. So happy to meet and care for patients who survived this illness. Hope everyone is staying safe and behaving themselves. Maria (Mia) de Bethune is making my team surgical scrub caps to keep our heads safely covered. She has been making lots of masks and other gear for frontline health care workers.

Gratitude to her for volunteering her talent and skill.” Thank you, Janet, for all that you and your colleagues are doing during this time. Stay safe.

Martha Cutler Fuller writes, “Like the rest of the world, I’ve been hunkering down at home over the past several weeks because of the pandemic. Six years ago, Whit and I moved to Hudson, Mass., to a 1936 center chimney colonial. We went into it knowing there were many needed repairs and updates on the interior as well as bringing back the exterior landscaping to its original beauty. We have slowly over the past six years made many improvements, but as homeowners know that as soon as one item is crossed off the list another gets added, making it seem like no progress has been made. The upside of this quarantine is that I’ve been able to complete many of the items on my list, which is tremendously fulfilling. Still many big and small things needing attention, with a new kitchen being the biggest project on the horizon—hopefully a not-too-distant horizon. The not so upside

of this crazy mess we’re in is that my daughter Madeline’s wedding is planned for August 22, which may have to be postponed. At this point it’s looking like we’ll have to reschedule, which will happen a year later if that’s the case, but still ever hopeful we won’t have to. Hope everyone is surviving the quarantine and that you and loved ones are safe and healthy!”

Eleanor (Elly) Phillips Cyr writes, “I really wish I had fabulous news to share but, alas, I do not really. Just keeping in touch with old and new friends, family and clients by phone, and writing a lot of notes these days! Real estate has been declared an essential business in Washington state, but because of my compromised immune system, it is not business-as-usual for me!”

Kimberley (Kim) Smith Simmons shares, “Well, good and challenging news! Henry and I had a wonderful wedding planned for June 2020… a year in the making. Then COVID-19 showed up and interrupted the best laid plans. Everything’s closed these days so things are up in the air. All we know is we will be getting married. When is the question. Meanwhile, I am thrilled to have welcomed a third grandson into our family.

Braylen Robert Cofield was born to my son Corey and daughter-in-law Krystal Cofield on April 14. I’m just missing the ability to get my hugs in due to social distancing rules. Drive-bys will have to suffice for now. But all are healthy and siblings Corey Jr. (5) and Aubrey (2) are excited to be big brother and big sis. And I’m loving my new position as executive director for The Nature Connection as well.”

Anne Zeiser-Petralia writes, “My only class note is that I’m deep into Groundhog Day mode and am finding that distance learning is a euphemism for homeschooling! Hoping everyone is safe and following the science!”

Anne Kelting Kronenberg writes, “My oldest daughter, Frances, graduated from Brown in January and is now working as a medical researcher at Butler Hospital in Providence. She hopes to go to medical school in a year or two. My youngest, Isabel, is a sophomore at Brown and currently working from home. She joined a sorority called Theta which she enjoys and is back to ski racing after recovering from two ACL operations—no fun. Eric works for a restructuring firm, AlixPartners, so their business is picking up dramatically with the economic downturn. I have been asked to head the investment committee on one of my insurance company boards and continue to run the finance committee at Woodshole Oceanographic Institute. I am also president of the Bedford Garden Club.

Playing lots of bridge, golf and staying outside as much as possible. Many friends have been seriously ill with COVID-19, so we are staying hunkered down.”

Ann-Marie Streibich writes, “I went on a yoga retreat last month in Marrakech and stayed at Peacock Pavilion. Imagine my surprise meeting the owner Maryam Montague ’84, a Dana alum who worked with Madeline Albright as a humanitarian aid worker. Small world!

Elizabeth (Liz) Browning Riley writes, “This is such a crazy time! I wonder what the world will be like when we read the Bulletin. I hope and pray that everyone comes out of this safe and well. Thank you to those of you who are on the front lines fighting for all of us. You are the true heroes. I spent two months in Baton Rouge, La., with my daughter and her family. I was so grateful to spend that time with at least part of my family. Zoom and FaceTime really helped us connect with the rest of the family. My big plans for my two weeks of quarantine in Ohio? I will be tackling all of the projects on my to-do list and learning to knit! Stay well everyone.”

Suzanne (Susie) McNear McNiff writes, “In May 2019, I was ordained a deacon in the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of New York. After 30 years of being a Christian education director, I felt called to this ministry. I am grateful to be a part of baptisms, weddings, funerals and weekly worship services.”

In the spring, Dana Leavy Langham, Jennifer Furash Schneider and I (Liz) were invited to a Zoom trivia party to celebrate Cathryn (Cathy) Cushner Edelstein’s birthday. It was lots of fun and wonderful to be all together. I miss you all and look forward to our next reunion!

Kelly Hynes McDermott shares, “Like all of us, I’ve been trying to stay active, positive and sane during this COVID-19 situation. Fortunately, my family is all well and I wish the same for our dear classmates. My daughter Courtney McDermott Gill ’04, husband Matt and our 1-year-old grandson Pearce live in Scituate, Mass., so we get to see them frequently which has been such a blessing.

Being a grandparent is everything they say it is: pure joy! Pearce changes so much from week to week, it’s an amazing thing to

witness. My son Dillon is out in San Francisco working and thriving there for seven-plus years now. Son Jack has just finished up his first year in business school at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, which he’s enjoying immensely. Scott has been busy working from home and I continue providing marketing/PR consulting services for a small cadre of clients while pursuing new opportunities. There have been many ups and downs with this COVID thing, but I’ve mostly tried to focus on the silver linings. For one, it’s forced me to slow down a bit and live life more fully in the present (and spend more time with Pearce!). And, I’ve always been a nature/ fitness-lover, but I’ve really gotten into taking long walks, hikes and bike rides either alone, with Scott or a couple of friends. Living in an area that offers so much open space and quiet streets has been a good reminder to me of the transformative power of nature. Joy Haywood Moore and I manage to get in a good walk here and there which has been fun, and we’re both looking forward to the days ahead when we can also meet over a light bite and a glass of wine at our favorite local restaurant! I’m excited to enjoy more of the outdoors and gatherings with friends and family with the warmer weather coming and with this health crisis hopefully in the rearview mirror. Wishing for the health and safety of all or our classmates and look forward to staying connected.”

Class of 1978 Lisa Aronson Altman P11, 16 laltmn@comcast.net Lauren Henderson Bak is a grandmother!

Vivian Lauren Previte (ViVi) was born on February 11, has blessed their lives, and given her parents and her entire family a reason to be patient and tolerate the craziness of the world right now, hoping for better times to come soon. Lauren writes, “Wishing safety and good health to all my Dana friends.”

Sophia Perry has moved to the New Hampshire seacoast and is navigating through quarantine.

Tracey Thatcher sends an update on the last tri-state area Dana Hall MADAMES get-together held on March 12. It was the last social event she had since everything in New York City changed. However, Jennifer (Tria) Giovan, Joyceann Yaccarino Griggs and Katharine (Katty)

Summer 2020

59

Van Itallie came to her apartment and had a nice dinner and catch up. The big news is that Katty and her husband Lars are in the process of moving to Peterborough, N.H., where Katty took a job as the art director at Yankee Magazine. They are living there now and sorting out possibly subletting their apartment, etc. What great timing, I say! And Joyce is in the process of moving to Greece! She has spent a decent amount of time there in recent years and fell in love with Athens. Meanwhile, she is in the Carolinas right now and planned to move to Greece in May. Of course, things may have changed with COVID-19. Tria and Tracey are both sheltering-at-home out in Sag Harbor. They feel so lucky to be able to escape the New York City crush. Tria would also like us to know that she has a new book coming out this summer: Summer to Summer-Houses by the SeaVendome Press with writer Jennifer Ash Rudick. They spent two summers photographing houses on the East Coast from Maine to Nantucket, the Vineyard, Block Island, Fishers Island and beyond.

Tough job, but someone had to do it!

Daphne Pinkerson is working from her couch in New York City—epicenter of the virus! So far, so good! Wanted to let everyone know about her series called “I Promise” on the new school for at-risk youth started by LeBron James. The series is running on Quibi, a new digital platform accessed through the Quibi App. There are 15 episodes in total, which are all 8-10 minutes long each.

Lynne Rothney-Kozlak moved from Maine last October with her husband and three cats to a new forever home they built in Slaughter Beach, Del. And on her 60th birthday in April, she closed her health care consulting practice after 10 years. She is very excited to pursue a modest retirement career in the healing arts as a reiki master and yoga dance teacher. Lynne continues to autocross with her husband and in 2017 the Sports Car Club of America introduced the inaugural Rothney-Kozlak Cup, a perpetual trophy awarded at the conclusion of each SCCA Solo National Championships to the woman with the best result running in an open division class, traditionally comprised of male competitors. Lynne is very proud of that legacy and her passion for mentoring women in her sport.

Jacqueline (Jacquie) Keefe Bellamy provided an update on her life after Dana.

She’s been living in England for 34 years and spend the summers in Camden, Maine.

60

Summer 2020

She managed to have a quick catch up with Hélène Kazanjian which was great and really got her asking herself what on earth took them so long?! This summer, coronavirus allowing, she hopes to also catch up with others she’s managed to make contact with. She’s married to a New Zealander and they have four kids: Megan (32) is doing a landscape architect master’s in London, Lauren (31) is in fashion and lives in Brooklyn, Colin (30) lives in England and has been teaching but is thinking about a career change, and Nicholas (29) is doing an MBA at Berkeley.

For the past five years, she has been the finance director of the Friends of the Royal Marsden Hospital, a full-time but voluntary position at the UK’s leading cancer hospital. In 2019, she won the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, which is an incredible honor. Sadly, she is in the process of stepping down so she will have more time to concentrate on helping her mum in the states and clearing out her house in the UK in preparation for a serious downsize! She and Steve spend a couple of months a year in New Zealand and the thinking is that they will, over the next year or so, work towards basing themselves there for six months a year. The other six months will most likely be split between the UK and Maine—that’s the plan anyway! When travel is safe and allowed again, she hopes that if anyone ever finds themselves in England, Auckland or Maine, she’d love to catch up!

Dana Peters Frizzell has been home since March 16—for the first time in her life.

She feels very blessed that she will have a job to return to at L.L.Bean. Being home hasn’t been a problem for her! She has been using all this uninterrupted time to get more writing done. Her third book is finished, and she is currently working on editing and doing some re-writes. She’s loving having this time to focus on writing!

She keeps in touch with Virginia (Ginny) Abbott, Julia (Jewels) Blagden Emby and Vail Cart Tyler and that’s been wonderful.

She and Ginny talk at least once a week these days.

Elizabeth (Liz) Tierney Scallon is staying home and social distancing. She’s glad she was able to take a couple trips back east! Foliage & Holiday folly aside, she is blessed to have such fabulous Dana girls in her life: past, present and future.

Alexandra Riemer Greenberg just celebrated her 60th birthday on April 18 and celebrated with close friends on a duffy boat in Newport Harbor. She had planned

to go to Italy in October to celebrate but will have to postpone. For now, she’s been staying home, social distancing and wearing masks whenever she goes out or to the stores in Long Beach, Calif. She and her husband Marc have two seniors. Noah, her youngest, is graduating from Los Alamitos High School and Zachary is graduating from UC Santa Cruz. Both are finishing their years online. So far, so good.

Alex and Marc are thankfully able to work from home these last six weeks and with the beautiful weather have been able to hang out outside by the pool, walk the neighborhood, see friends and neighbors, and go on the boat for short getaways.

I, Lisa Aronson Altman, am doing well. I am still very active at Dana and love volunteering on the various events.

Madison Altman ’16 is finishing her senior year at Union College online.

Obviously very bummed that she may not get to have a graduation ceremony. Alexis Altman ’11 is working as a social worker at a residential school for at-risk youth in Marlborough, Mass., and is trying to navigate going to work every day during these crazy times.

I forgot to mention that Kelley Kosow Werner got married! She had her beautiful daughters by her side. Kelley is author of the book The Integrity Advantage: Step into Your Truth, Love Your Life and Claim Your Magnificence, motivational speaker and the chief executive officer of the highly acclaimed Ford Institute. Kelley is a graduate of Brown University and University of Miami Law School and was formerly a practicing attorney and family mediator. Today, Kelley splits her time between Miami, New York City and Los Angeles with family, friends and her personal development community.

Class of 1979 Lynn Phillips Hernandez lynn.hernandez@comcast.net Lynn Phillips Hernandez writes, “I’ve always wanted to see the European Christmas markets, so in early December my husband and I took an Ama Waterways cruise down the Danube and enjoyed the Christmas festivities from Passau, Germany, to Vienna, Austria, and on to Budapest, Hungary. It was impossible to come home without Christmas spirit! That trip seems so long ago as we are now living under stay-at-home orders during this COVID-19 pandemic. One of my

daughters has moved back home to escape from New York City and one other has decided to change her September wedding plans from a large wedding and reception to a small family affair with a bigger celebration further down the road when social distancing is less imperative. Lots of changes, but we’re all healthy and hope the same for the Dana Hall family.”

Karen Shapiro writes, “In December, I went to Antarctica, Patagonia and Iguasu Falls on a three-week trip of a lifetime.

Absolutely my best trip ever. We were in Argentina, Chile and Brazil in addition to Antarctica. I also hiked on glaciers and saw icebergs and fjords in Tierra Del Fuego. In February, I went to Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Egypt. We were very, very lucky as I got back March 2 and the countries all closed right after we arrived home.

Probably the biggest thrill was meeting my Israeli student. I sponsor a young man through college. He’s a combat veteran from a disadvantaged family in southern Israel. Both he and his parents were incredibly appreciative to meet me. It’s wonderful to know that I am having such a positive impact on this young man’s life.

We had been in correspondence for quite a while and we were finally able to meet. I hope that all our classmates are healthy, safe, and well.”

Five years ago, I was at a wedding in Blue Mountains of Australia. A couple years ago, I was painting murals in Taiwan. It is hard to imagine what any of us will be doing a year from now or three or four years from now… Will any of us be at our 60th or 70th or 80th Reunion?”

Janet Wakana Moore writes, “My son is a junior in high school. He will have remote classes until the end of the school year. My husband, son and I were able to have a really nice vacation just before the coronavirus took off. In February, we went skiing in Chamonix, France, for a week.

On the way home we stopped in Lisbon, Portugal, for a few days. The trip was spectacular, although seeing how fast the glaciers are melting was really sad.”

Beth McCabe writes, “Shy of our 60th year and in answer to not all being able to attend our 40th Reunion, the five of us Dana chums got together in London in the fall of 2019 after many, many years. Late nights of catching up, reminiscing, laughing and sharing our lives—both the high points and disappointments. We pulled out our yearbook and remembered many of our classmates, teachers, escapades and joys of being Dana girls. We realized that our spirit and gratitude for our school and experiences there had not diminished one bit. Thanks to our wonderful friend and host Ernestine (Tina) Lynch Fiertz, we could not have asked for a more perfect and meaningful time together. We now remain in touch often by text and Zoom and continue to share our lives. We are already planning a redux!”

Karen Shapiro with Lidor, the Israeli student she’s sponsored through college

Katherine (Kathy) Davidson Lobo writes, “We are living in interesting times!

I find I keep thinking about things being firsts and also I think about things I have done in the past, like a year ago I was… doing… with… For example, this year was the first time I have shared a Passover Seder with close friends on Zoom. The friend delivered a kit with all the traditional foods and a copy of a Haggadah and then shared an Easter service ‘with’ my mother by each of us watching by the live stream from our respective homes. We were able to print out the prayers and songs. And a year ago, I spent Good Friday through Easter in Santiago, Spain, after a weeklong walk along the Camino de Santiago.

Lisie Brown Sillers, Sally Baker, Tina Lynch Fiertz, Beth McCabe, Louise MacColl Jones

Kate (Mary) Hewlett writes, “I have been busy focusing on COVID-19 EMT protocols which seem to change daily including the procedure of delivering patients to the local hospital emergency room. I never thought when I was at Dana that I would be joining the healthcare field.

Due to COVID-19, our home, which we call Camp KV, had summer campers arrive in early spring. We have my mom here

from Fox Hill Village in Westwood along with Van’s son Marc from Boston who is teaching his East Boston 4th grades remotely from our lower level. We are all realizing that rural Maine’s internet network is poor at best as we are trying to Zoom various meetings from Camp KV. Plus having a planning board meeting via Zoom is difficult. We need face-to-face interaction as a board. I am sure everyone is experiencing this frustration. The good news is that our four cords of wood was stacked by mid-April due to the additional campers at the house. Travel plans have been postponed but we hope to visit Sedona, Arizona, via an educational Road Scholar program in November. Time will tell. Hope all my fellow classmates are safe and well.”

Louise MacColl Jones writes, “The highlight of 2019 for me was meeting Elise (Lisie) Brown Sillers, Sally Baker and Beth McCabe in London at Tina Lynch Fiertz’s house for a week-long visit. It seemed like no time had passed. We picked up where we left off 40 years ago. My daughter Frances is still living and working in Chicago. My son David just returned home from his video internship in Chicago due to the pandemic. I am happy to have his company in the house. Sending good wishes to all of my Dana Hall classmates during this difficult time.”

Class of 1980 Melissa Brown Moore mbm@ibl.bm Melissa Brown Moore writes, “As I sit to pen this note, we are all still in some form of shelter-at-home and living very surreal lives. I imagine you have all worked to stay healthy and grounded. While feelings of isolation are new to most of us, there are some classmates who live in isolation all the time: so important to be mindful of how lucky we are. Remember to reach out to those who don’t have the daily freedoms we are accustomed to. I’ve experienced the loss of a family member due to the coronavirus, a collegiate daughter who won’t walk across the stage, another child who has lost his job, yet I’m so grateful to be able to share with those less fortunate and have my doting dog Delilah to greet me each morning with unconditional love.

Hoping you’ve all had some joyful moments this spring and summer.”

Heather Hodgson DePaola writes, “I was looking forward to catching up with classmates at our 40th Reunion. As I run to

Summer 2020

61

grocery stores in Wellesley, it is eerie driving past the quiet Dana Hall campus that reminds me of a ghost town! This year, my 13-year-old daughter Mckinlee and I have been spending lots of time at the Karen Stives ’68 Equestrian Center. In December, she started an internship program at the barn and earns lessons for helping out with the many chores involved with horse care. She loves every minute and misses work and riding so much. This summer will be her third summer at Dana’s riding camp and her fourth year at Pony Farm (an overnight camp in New Hampshire), so we hope that camps resume. I was planning to start riding again after March break! My business, Unpacking Solutions, has been very quiet.

Not too many people are moving, so I am catching up on organizing projects at home and lots of yardwork. My husband is busy working at home and Mckinlee is working hard at learning remotely. Fortunately, Brimmer had all the technology necessary to teach the students right after March break was over. Perfect timing! Hope to see you all in 2021!”

Heather Hodgson DePaola’s daughter Mckinlee on her first day of interning at the Karen Stives ’68 Equestrian Center

Class of 1981 E. Fraser Demetree Benzal efbenzal@yahoo.com Harriet Leech Roberts writes, “It occurred to me that my latest stitching adventure might make an interesting article. I have enclosed a blog post which came out in November about a crewel embroidery project I worked on for two years. While at Dana Hall, I took lots and lots of Gene Scattergood’s art classes. I continued to take art classes while majoring in art history at Bowdoin College.

However, stitching has always been a passion for me: I even brought my 1956 black and gold Singer Featherweight sewing machine to Dana Hall with me. It lived under my desk in Lathrop House.

62

Summer 2019

After college I continued stitching, sewing couture children’s clothing, smocking, quilting, knitting, needlepoint and crewel embroidery. I always think it is interesting the different paths people take and I thought this tale might be an interesting one to tell. Plus, the photographs of the crewel are stunning.” Read the article at https://www.crewelwork.com/blogs/news/ stitching-the-muncaster-bed-hanging.

see us. Promptly Tom dinghied to the town dock with 10 jugs, got and paid for 50 gallons of fuel, never went ashore and didn’t get caught by the authorities.

Success! Four days later we arrived in Fort Pierce, Fla. The wind picked up during the last 36 hours of our journey, so we had a nice sail into port. As I write this, we are still docked in Fort Pierce, waiting for good weather to sail to Maine, another 1,300 miles.”

Class of 1982

Class of 1983

Anne Morton August guinvere@hotmail.com

Laura Lavit Elmore lauralelmore@yahoo.com

Linda Perry Kimbrell writes, “Hello, Classmates! What a different spring it has been for all of us. Who could’ve imagined?!

Tom and I sailed south from Florida in early January this year, on our catamaran, Toucan. We were in the West Indies when the coronavirus reached pandemic proportions. One by one, the islands started closing down around us. Our plan had been to sail to Grenada and haul the boat out there in early May, then fly back to Maine for the summer. As curfews and lockdowns spread, we realized that would not be possible. So on April 1 we left Antigua and headed north, back to the states. The passage took us 12 days, nonstop, as no countries would even let us anchor for the night, remaining on our boat, to rest. Fortunately, the weather was good. But unfortunately, there was little wind for most of the journey. Being a sailboat, we depend on the wind, and only have fuel capacity for a few hundred miles of motoring. This passage was about 1,300 nautical miles. Along our route lay St Croix, part of the U.S. Virgin Islands. As U.S. citizens, we were able to fill up with diesel there. But that still didn’t give us enough fuel to get back to Florida in the absence of wind. We motored on, with one engine at half speed, clocking a whopping 5 kts (nautical miles per hour). Honestly, I think we could have swam faster! As we approached Great Inagua Island, the southern most island in the Bahamas, we crossed our fingers that someone would help us there. The Bahamas were officially closed to all entering cruisers, but we gave it a shot anyway. Tom found the phone number for the one gas station in town.

The owner, CJ, said he would sell us some diesel if the dock master said it was ok. He gave us that number, and Tom called George, the dock master. George said fine, as long as we didn’t step foot ashore and as long as the Bahamian Defense Force didn’t

Little news from our class this quarter.

Sending big thank yous and prayers for good health to Linda Kenneally Dye and others on the front line of this pandemic. I am hunkered down enjoying my family and making art. Page Franson at writing is at the end of the 6th week of working from home with no idea of when she will heading back to the office. Her dad died on December 15, 2019, from Alzheimer’s disease with a memorial service in January in Vero Beach, Fla. Some of you might remember him from Father’s Day and the Father/Daughter dance held the night before. She was scheduled for knee surgery in April which was rescheduled several times and is hoping it occurs in June so that she can be active again.

Class of 1984 Leah Morris P23 jmorrisfamily@comcast.net

Class of 1985 Christina Whiting Dougherty cswdougherty@comcast.net Lisa Iagatta LIagatta@yahoo.com

Class of 1986 Katharine (Katie) Allen (814) 237-3460 Katherine (Kathy) Koumantzelis Copeland P18, 20, 23 copelandkk@gmail.com Belkis Suazo deCastro belkisdecastro@gmail.com

Class of 1987 Lauren Karp Kinghorn lkkinghorn29@gmail.com Thank you, classmates, who are first responders. May you all be safe and healthy during this difficult time. I remember our senior year of high school with fond memories. My heart aches for those of us who have children who are missing this special time in life. On a happier note, a few of us gathered on a Zoom call one night. Please continue to keep in touch!

Our classmate, Susan (Sioux) Mathews Hudson, has a wonderful update about her chickens: “Raising a garden and chickens!

Loving this heaven for introverts! My job at Old Republic Title (realty insurance) is amazingly busy (think low interest rates and refis) and the company is amazingly supportive. We are all set up to work from home with new laptops and multiple screens. Encouraged to work overtime! My son is 19 and still working full-time as well.

Life could not be better!”

Aimee Laman Sutton writes, “I’m still living in the UK with my husband and 13-year-old daughter. I’ve had a weekly call with Lucia Palau-Keijer and Catherine (Cathy) Won Muma since the quarantine began. We catch up, exchange exercise and recipe tips, and reconnect. Things are not good in the UK at the moment, but Lucia and I both live outside London where we have more space and air (not to mention gardens). It’s been so nice to reconnect and I hope we can continue after the quarantine. I’ve also reconnected with former faculty Rebecca Rice-Flanagan who posted a video of a Dance Theatre Workshop performance from 1987 with myself, Katja Ollendorff, Elizabeth (Liz) Medaglia, Kingsley Higgins Parsley and Kristin Thomson. Wow, that brought back major nostalgia (and a few tears)! We all had a collective moment to relive that wonderful time at Dana. Thank you to Mrs. Rice and to social media!”

Class of 1988 Dana Tannenbaum Cahoon dbcahoon@mac.com Nicole (Nikki) Hickman James nicolejames228@gmail.com Heather McPhee hmmcphee@yahoo.com

Stephany Coakley writes, “Nancy Kaaz and her daughter Sophia hung out last summer on Martha’s Vineyard with me and a group of friends from college (Temple University). I was on vacation and anytime I am in New England, Nance and I try to catch up. We spent a fun day sailing from Edgartown to Vineyard Haven. I also had a chance to have breakfast with Ariel Pierce Skelton on a visit to Portland on October.

I was so great to catch up. I can’t believe how time flies. To my friends who I haven’t seen in a while, I sincerely hope that you are doing well and look forward to seeing you soon.”

Ariel Pierce Skelton and Stephany Coakley

Class of 1989 Sarah Burgess Gregorian sbgregorian@gmail.com Greetings, faithful reader(s). You would think there would be an abundance of write-ins with (or without) news, since we’re (mostly) all isolating and working from home, but alas, I have heard from a scant few (actually just one).

Heather Hopkins writes, “Still at the Pentagon, working for the No. 2, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, helping him run the $700 billion enterprise. It’s been quite a thing to be a part of the government and interagency effort to fight COVID-19.

I decided I needed to get an MBA and started at Virginia Tech in January. Rufus the sweet baby shih tzu turned 9 in February and I threw him a birthday at his doggie day care.

It was a hoot!”

Heather Hopkins and her dog Rufus who turned 9

Tracie May-Wagner moved to Vietnam in early February. She moved to be closer to her sister and her family, and for a new adventure. Please check out her blog for more information and because it’s a great read: www.wanderlustings.com. In a nutshell, shortly after she arrived in Vietnam, her sister and brother-in-law had to return to California because his mother was gravely ill (as it turned out, with COVID-19) and wasn’t expected to survive. Their two boys were still in school and since they didn’t think they’d have any trouble returning to the country, they left them in Tracie’s capable hands and said they’d be back as soon as they could.

Unfortunately, while they were back in America, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and Vietnam shut their borders.

Her sister and husband are still in America (as of May 1) and Tracie and the boys are in Vietnam.”

On a far less dramatic note, Hally Mix Mundel and I had a fantastic trip to Atlantis in the Bahamas in February before everything shut down. She was there with her daughter Olivia Mundel ’20 for a planned mother/daughter trip with other Dana Hall classmates. Everyone ended up canceling, so it was Burge to the rescue! I brought my two oldest—Jack (freshman at Loyola Maryland) and Wade (junior at Newton North)—to join them.

We had a fantastic four days soaking up the sun and basically having the resort to ourselves. Since we’ve returned, Hally and Olivia have been isolating and staying sane with Zoom calls and masked walks, while I’ve been doing the same with my family and working from home.

I hope you are all staying healthy and sane during this pandemic! I look forward to a time when we can all be together again with our friends and loved ones, and celebrate all the special and important moments in our lives. My heart breaks for all the members of senior classes everywhere who have missed out on proms, senior week and graduation. My heart also breaks for those who have lost loved ones to this virus. Be well, my faithful reader(s)!

Class of 1990 Elizabeth Record Svedlund P22 ersvedlund@gmail.com The Class of 1990 hosted our 30th Reunion via Zoom. It was fantastic to “see” everyone and we would love to do it again before another 30 years goes by. If you are interested in joining us for our next Class of 1990 Zoom call, please check out our

Summer 2020

63

Facebook group (Dana Hall Class of 1990) or send me an email with the best way to reach you. My email address is listed above.

We realize the time of our Zoom call was not ideal for all, so for future reference, please let us know what days/times might work best for you! Below are a few notes from classmates who couldn’t make it to the call! Again, so wonderful to hear from all of you. I feel like we haven’t aged a bit! Cheers!

The Class of 1990’s 30th Reunion Zoom call

Cynthia (Cindy) Harvey writes, “A note from Athens to say hello and to thank you and Carrie Essex for arranging this Reunion! It is such a nice idea and I hope you have a great turnout! I wanted to let you know that I won’t be able to join because of the time zone difference, but I am sending you and everyone in the Class of 1990 my very best! Please let them know to look me up if they ever make it to Athens (if travel ever opens up again?!); I’ll be posted at the U.S. Embassy here through 2022. I am the public affairs officer here, which means I handle press and educational/cultural programs for the embassy. I had been looking forward to seeing Jennifer (Jen) Danis here this summer and am keeping fingers crossed that she will still be able to make the trip.

There is so much uncertainty in life right now!

Tessa Lavender-Beck writes, “Truly amazing how quickly 30 years have passed.

In so many ways, I feel like we were together yesterday—and also a lifetime ago. It’s truly a bummer that a proper Reunion could not happen this year. I hope everyone is hanging in there during this challenging time, and that your families and loved ones are healthy and safe. All is well with me.

I’ve been in New York City (well, living in Hoboken, N.J., and working in the city) forever at this point and while life has been truly great for the most part, it’s feel like high time for Jon and me to move on to another phase of life elsewhere. The current times definitely put a magnifying glass of the fact that life here will never (or not any time soon) be what it was again.

So, time for a change… Be well!”

64

Summer 2020

For those of you we were not able to reach regarding the Class of 1990 Zoom call, apologies, but again please send me (or Dana Hall) you contact info and we can add you to our class list. For the Zoom call, we put together a list of questions for folks to consider answering. Caroline Vig Dryland took us up on it! Thanks, Caroline! So great to hear from you and thank you for your service as a nurse during COVID-19!

Caroline Vig Dryland writes, “I am working during this window, so sadly, I can’t Zoom with you all. I’m a nurse practitioner at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton in San Diego. I am restricted from leaving >100 miles from the hospital due to COVID-19. I work all weekend. I hope you’re all well. Here are my answers to your questions: What was the name of your favorite teacher? Ms. Samuels and Mrs. Solar. What dorm did you live in?

JHC/Wheeler and I’m forgetting the one opposite the Classroom Building?! Amy Juda was my roommate then. Do you still have your Dana ring? Argh. I can’t find it.

What did you have for breakfast? Latte and oatmeal. Do you have a pet? If yes, what?

Two cats and one dog. Are you a good dancer? Nope. What languages do you speak? Spanish because of Isabel, Begonia, Roma, Maria and other Spanish-speaking friends! What is you favorite dessert?

Anything non dairy and sweet (Top secret: I’m a health nut who loves cotton candy!).

Do you remember anything from SPREAD? Everything; it was magical!

Edie Perkins ’89 was my senior. By the way, good news: Saadiah Ali has just moved to San Diego and we are going to be 30 minutes apart! I can’t wait until quarantine ends! Fun memories of Dana Hall. Miss you all. I still have a pair of zip-up ankle Guess jeans that sweet Carrie Essex gave me senior year. Patches everywhere! They’re still filled with positive thoughts of the ’80s!”

Caroline Vig Dryland

Class of 1991 Robin Crowder Durawa rcdurawa@msn.com What a start it has been to 2020. We each have a story to share and we find comfort in what is familiar. When I sent out a request for Class Notes, it started an email chain between our classmates. Normally, I receive updates addressed to me alone, but this time was different. As I read through your responses to each other, I found a sense of belonging. For four years we were a family, and it was nice to come together again when it feels like so much is falling apart. Fewer people responded with updates to be printed this year, but many of you shared your love through email and for that I am grateful. I look forward to reaching out to you all in six months and being able to share highlights of a more optimistic time. If you are not receiving my emails, please share your email with me (listed above). Stay well, Class of 1991!

Cherise Melton Khaund writes, “It sure is an interesting time to be on a school board! I was elected in November 2018 and it’s been trial-by-fire ever since.

Schools here in California have been underfunded, so my first task was making cuts to a system that already had large class sizes and few librarians, nurses and counselors. I was very busy advocating at the state level for adequate public school funding. Then COVID-19 hit. Now I spend my time frantically sharing out information to families about where to get free meals or check out Chromebooks while advocating to close the digital divide once and for all. Meanwhile, I’m feeling incredibly fortunate to have a wonderful husband, two girls in middle and high school who are independent and resilient, a comfy home, and a crazy dog that keeps us entertained. Today we camped out in our backyard in lieu of the planned Girl Scout backpacking trip to coast camp in Point Reyes. The girls Zoomed while eating s’mores. We are surely making the best of what’s around! You can follow my school board travails at www.cherisekhaund.com.”

Adriana Ramirez-Torres writes, “Hi, girls! This is crazy. I am living in Canada now, but thank God my business is online in the U.S. and we still have a lot of work.

Homeschooling two little ones is crazy, I do not like it, and I miss their teachers more than anyone. For those who like the fitness and wellness lifestyle, you can check us out on Instagram (@momof4transform) , Facebook and our website, www.mo4t.com.

Stay safe!”

Jessica Kosow says hi to everyone and hopes and prays that everyone is staying healthy and safe and sane. She writes, “Nothing could have ever prepared any of us for this! I have looked at a lot of old Dana pictures and laugh, and really can’t imagine how hard it is for the seniors now.

Our graduation was so beautiful and the tradition will live on forever, despite the girls this year not having on their all-white dresses and crowns as they aren’t able to walk around the Dana Pond. I remember all the fun we had during our senior spring, senior skip day, the prom I never went to, and loving that we ruled the school and bonded so much before we left the place we called home for many years. It’s a very uncertain time now and I am sending love and prayers to everyone and their families.”

Lisa Reade writes, “Amy Sarkis and I are, unfortunately, not able to be together during our shelter-in-place orders. I am safe and healthy in my downtown New York City apartment. I’ve got my 14-yearold daughter with me and my son (17) is on the Upper West Side with his dad. I’m very busy watching shows, reading books, knitting and working from home. Proud to be a New Yorker through this. Amy is in Westwood with her husband and three stepchildren (all teenagers—she’s a brave woman). We are on FaceTime with each other, and each other’s cats, whenever possible.”

Adina (Dina) Stonberg writes, “We (my husband, 10 1/2-year-old daughter, two dogs and myself) are sheltering-in-place just outside of Philadelphia. I work from home, so this is not much different for me except that I am slammed with new work. I am absolutely not complaining! I have been writing 3-4 funding proposals some days and raising a lot of money for nonprofits that really need the money during this time. My husband is managing our daughter’s school work and the pups are just trying to figure out why we are all around here. I took my daughter to a tulip farm for a drive thru yesterday which was lovely. We delivered tulips to family and friends. It was lovely; felt almost normal again. Here’s a pic of my daughter homeschooling and giving our 2-year-old puppy some lovin’.”

Dina Stonberg’s daughter and 2-year-old dog

Lucienne Lutfy-Clayton writes, “Not sure how to explain my COVID-19 experience but hear it goes: As an emergency medicine physician, it is incredibly rewarding to care for sick and scared patients, be integral in my departments’ and institution’s response and preparedness, and connect with friends and colleagues around the world over our shared experience. I love emergency medicine and I’m fulfilled each day with the opportunity to make a difference.

Day-to-day is a litany of conference calls, reading and listening to the latest research, and my shifts in the Emergency Department where almost everyone I see has COVID-19. We have been really lucky to have learned from our colleagues’ experiences in China, Italy and New York City, and were able to quickly redirect our care to avoid intubation and are seeing this pay off in many patients being discharged each day. Through amazing teamwork and creative solutions, we have not been overwhelmed and we have enough PPE. We have passed what was projected to be our peak and are now on what will likely be a long plateau. We keep well as a team with weekly trivia night, nightly Zoom workouts and hysterical WhatsApp discussions. On a personal note, despite my self-isolation in the house and changing scrubs before coming home, both Sandy and I became symptomatic a few weeks ago. We did fine, have fully recovered and neither of the kids got sick. Mum headed to my sister in Maine and returns this evening to stay with friends in town so she can see us (6 feet apart) and continue to garden. This is the longest I’ve gone without seeing her in more than 10 years and I can’t wait to show her what we’ve done during our convalescence. I look forward to this abating and getting back to hugs and shared meals with all my friends and family.

I hope our Dana community is faring well.

Thank you each for the sacrifices you have made to keep us from being overwhelmed.

Stay home, stay safe and keep well.”

Lucienne Lutfy-Clayton in her office with indents on her face from her N95 mask and eye protection

Class of 1992 Rachel Bebchick Naggar rnaggar@gmail.com

Class of 1993 Amelia (Amie) Margolis Silogram7@gmail.com Zoë Timms zoevjtimms@gmail.com

Class of 1994 Elisabeth Morray morray@gmail.com

Class of 1995 Caryn Byrnes Anderson carebear102106@gmail.com Dustina (Dusty) Bennett dustinabennett@gmail.com

Class of 1996 Tracy Spiegel Fox tracy.foxcraft@gmail.com Katharine (Kate) Sidell Morton mortonkam@gmail.com

Class of 1997 Kristin O’Donnell Bedard kristinbedard@gmail.com Lisa Brown lmclennanb@gmail.com Heather Cochrane Russo heatherjean23@hotmail.com

Class of 1998 Ruchira (Ruchi) Kumar ruch.kumar@gmail.com Guida Estrela Mattison guidaemattison@gmail.com Jane Monti Young chaseyounggallery@gmail.com Sara Ghassemi welcomed twins, Sefana and Sinan Jumani, on May 31, 2019.

Summer 2020

65

Sara Ghassemi’s twins, Sefana and Sinan

Class of 1999 Brooke Anderson brookeanderson81@hotmail.com Amanda Coyle Fitzgerald amandaecoyle@gmail.com

Class of 2000 Caroline Dale cwdale@gmail.com Lisabeth Jorgensen writes, “My husband and I are quarantined in our Natick apartment with our 2-year-old toddler, and we are healthy. Grace is blissfully embracing each day with new adventure and curiosity. She keeps us active and laughing. It’s the best and worst thing living with a tiny human who has no idea what’s really going on in the world. Steve and I are also trying to manage full-time work while being full-time parents.

Meeting the daily demands is frustratingly impossible and living in the constant status of being ‘incomplete’ is stressful. But there’s some truly inspirational work going on. I work in legal aid and see first-hand how the courts have transitioned to e-filing and hearings by video conference in record-breaking time. All of my clients are victims of crime and the stakes in their cases are high. It’s impressive to me how hard the courts have worked to meet the new challenges of this pandemic while maintaining operations for those in emergencies. I also am in awe of my community partners who have worked tirelessly to try to change policy and grow public response to protect domestic violence victims, the homeless, low-income tenants and immigrants. It’s incredible how quickly our world has embraced technology to keep our communities thriving virtually—especially small businesses and schools (including Dana Hall!). I yearn for the day when I can just go outside on a whim to do literally whatever without a mask/gloves and not worry about whoever else may be nearby without mask/gloves, and what droplets of sweat may be in the air, or on a bench, etc. I want to see my mom and hug her. But until then, I’m just trying to breathe deeply and dig in to the new (ab)normal and get whatever positive I can out of it. On that note, if you guys are interested in doing a Class of 1998 social meet-up on Zoom, I’d love to see your faces and share a virtual cheers. Hit me up on Facebook or send me an email at lisabeth.jorgensen@gmail.com if you are interested and I’ll pull a group together.”

66

Summer 2020

Jillian Riley jillianmriley@gmail.com Erica Wyner ericawyner@gmail.com

Class of 2001 Renee Towler Clayton renee.clayton82@gmail.com

Class of 2002 Bettina Chiu Janco bettinajanco@gmail.com

Class of 2005 Elizabeth (Lizzy) Pond elpond@gmail.com Caroline Ross rosscae@gmail.com Rebecca (Becca) Guest writes, “I am delighted to share the good news of my marriage to my sweetheart of almost nine years, Meaghan Leferink. We were married on February 29 in Seattle. By the end of the next week, our state had basically shut down due to COVID-19, and so we both feel incredibly lucky to have celebrated with our family and chosen family, just as we’d planned. We were married by my mother Rev. Victoria Guest, had songs sung by members of Meaghan’s band Aester, and celebrated in the queerest ways we could manage: sharing poetry by Mary Oliver and dancing to Lizzo late into the evening.

Sending that light and love from our community to yours, wherever you are.”

Becca Guest and Meaghan Leferink on their wedding day

Class of 2003 Donna DiDomenico djdidome@gmail.com Elizabeth (Beth) Stuka Rose elizabeth.stuka@gmail.com Both Katherine (Katie) Quayle and Alexandra (Alex) Oh had babies on January 23. Katie gave birth to her daughter Liv Chloe Maclean in Ketchum, Idaho, and Alex had her baby on the same day in Singapore halfway around the world.

Class of 2004 Jazmin Kirby jazminlechekirby@gmail.com Tanya Lubicz-Nawrocka tlubicznawrocka@gmail.com Elise Valerio O’Hara elise586@gmail.com

Rebecca (Becky) Simpson Deneault, her husband Chris and 11-month-old baby Gwen moved to Freetown, Mass., this year and are doing great! They are working on an at-home art studio and wood shop that has plans of turning into a side business for Becky. She left her job last year to give all her attention to their daughter who just had an incredibly successful open heart surgery. It’s been a wild and crazy year but everyone is doing great!”

Kathleen (Kate) Sobo Bubier is a nurse anesthetist working and living in western Massachusetts. On March 24, Kate and her husband welcomed their son Andrew Thomas Bubier into the world. Everybody is happy and healthy!

Class of 2006 Chidinma (Chidi) Iruka chidiiruka@gmail.com Summer Sterling slsterling@live.com

Class of 2007 Agnes Beckmann beckmann.agnes@gmail.com Hilary O’Haire hilaryeo@gmail.com

Class of 2008 Jacquelyn (Jacquie) Maggiore jemaggiore@gmail.com

Class of 2009 Emily Soukas emily.soukas@gmail.com Emaline Surgenor emaline.surgenor@gmail.com Candace Taylor cltaylor1019@gmail.com

Class of 2010 Catherine (Cat) Blakelock blakelockc@gmail.com Alyson (Aly) Glavin alyson.glavin@gmail.com Paige Walker walkerp.10@gmail.com

Class of 2011

Jacqueline (Jackie) O’Leary jacqueline.oleary2@gmail.com

Katie Jones Katiejadejones@aol.com

Yin Ling (Nicole) Suen nicolesuen0119@gmail.com

Emily Knebel knebele@mail.missouri.edu

Emily Cotter Durkin married Joe Durkin in a beautiful ceremony and reception in Bristol, R.I., in September 2019.

Class of 2012

In June 2019, Abigail (Abby) Chandor Paul married Jon Paul in a beautiful ceremony and reception in Kennebunk, Maine.

Rebecca (Becky) Ohman rebecca.ohman@danahall.org Haley Present haleybpresent@gmail.com Ning (Jessica) Xie jessicaunique21@hotmail.com

Class of 2016 Abigail (Abby) Frechette abbysfrechette@gmail.com

Class of 2017 Julia Moynihan juliamoynihan10@gmail.com

Class of 2018 Caroline Cohen ccohen926@gmail.com Jennifer (Jenny) Jung jennyhyjung@gmail.com

Savannah Raiten savannah.raiten@maine.edu

Ryland Rich richryla@grinnell.edu

Madeline (Maddie) Schneider madjulsch@gmail.com

Class of 2014 Emily Kelman emilykelman@gmail.com Emily Martin emartin2495@gmail.com Gabriela (Gaby) Reichlin greichlin@suffolk.edu Ashley Rohall aer@rohall.com

Jessica Freeman, Anna Segar ’09, Taylor Barrett, Olivia Beckwith ’09, Abby Chandor Paul, Catherine Kellogg, Jackie O’Leary, Jackie Smith McKee ’06, Emily Cotter Durkin, Jacquie Maggiore

Luyang (Grace) Liu luyangliusx@gmail.com

Eleanor (Ellie) Giovanetti ellie.giovanetti@me.com

Class of 2013 Jackie O’Leary, Jessica Freeman, Caroline Tipping, Catherine Kellogg, Emily Cotter Durkin, Jacquie Maggiore

Class of 2015

Stephanie Wolf stephaniewolf96@gmail.com

Christina Blake has opened up her own family skincare line, Blake Rose Glow.

Blake Rose Glow offers cruelty-free, vegan skincare products designed to improve skin health. Growing up, Christina’s father made cocoa butter for their family and friends. Their reviews were ecstatic.

Christina wanted to think bigger and turn the product into a business. She revamped the recipe and sought out the help of graphic design artists and mentors to make her dream turn into a reality. Currently, Blake Rose Glow offers cocoa body butter and rose-infused lip oils in many scents, including peppermint, lavender and chocolate to name a few. Christina has been selling her products at farmers’ markets and attended her school, Stony Brook University’s, Black Business Student Fair, which was a successful day for her.

When she’s not selling at fairs, Christina sells her butters online! Support this silver sister on Etsy at www.etsy.com/shop/ BlakeRoseGlow.

Summer 2020

67

Class of 2019

Former Faculty

Panipuck (Pani) Bhengsri pani.bheng@gmail.com

In March, former Academic Dean Nancy Rich met up with Upper School Math Teacher Bethany Kent and former Director of Athletics, Health and Wellness John Suby and his wife Carol at the opening of a show of her photography at the Piano Craft Gallery.

Saida Canales scanales2001@gmail.com Audrey Lee audreyyelee@gmail.com

Class of 2020 Maya Darville mayadarville4559@gmail.com Allison (Alli) Sibold allison.sibold@yahoo.com Yang (Annie) Xu yang.annie.xu@gmail.com

Carol Suby, Bethany Kent, Nancy Rich, John Suby

Former faculty member Elizabeth Reggio passed away on February 4. Reggio first

joined the Dana Hall faculty as a member of the English Department in 1960. In the late 60s, she went back to school at night to pursue a master’s in education with a concentration in audiology and speech pathology at Northeastern University. She was a practicing audiologist at the Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary and a private practice in Boston. Being a teacher at heart, however, she returned to the classrooms of Dana Hall in 1976 and continued in that role until 1994. She also served as international student advisor from 1976-95. Elizabeth received immeasurable joy out of challenging and watching the growth and success of her students, both in and out of the classroom.

Many of her students stayed in touch with her over the years. She loved to travel and experience new cultures. She was fortunate to receive a sabbatical late in her career to study in Salamanca, Spain. She made numerous journeys to foreign lands to visit with former students and their families.

In Memoriam 1940

Mary Lewis Emerson 5/2020 Margaret Jenks Worthman 2/20/2020

1941

Eleanor Faye 1/7/2020 Mary Scanlan 4/9/2020

1943

1960

1953

1968

1954

1973

Winann Meyer Curran 4/11/2020

Diana Wiess Weiner 2/3/2020

Ellen Rockwood Hunt 5/17/2020 Nancy Heald Landers 5/31/2020

Peggy Pratt Bradley 1/12/2020

Kathleen Krygier Lewis 12/25/2019

Elizabeth Leland Eastman 3/23/2020

1955

Katharine Dennison Roach 1/15/2020

Maurene Golden 5/3/2020

Hope Noyes Smith 3/23/2020

Peggy Price Sevier 3/27/2020

1945

1958

Janet Goff Bryan 1/23/19

68

1948

Summer 2020

Alice Orndorff Gordon 3/5/2020

Mary Davidson Conant 5/9/2020

Marilyn Sterling Gondek 4/18/2020

Nancy Ryan Lowitt 5/18/2020

1981

Monica McCone Juitt 2/29/2020

2018

Melissa Layanto 2/2020

A Closer Look Alumnae on the Front Lines of COVID-19 This spring, Dana Hall community members from around the world did their part to slow the spread of COVID-19. From sewing masks and supporting food pantries to just staying home, alumnae stepped up, and — in the case of the following medical professionals — stepped forward to the front lines.

Dr. Lucienne Lutfy-Clayton ’91 writes, “I have worked in the UMASS Medical School Baystate Health Emergency Department for the past 10 years. I chose to be a teaching physician here because of the team, and the importance of that decision was never better exemplified than during this pandemic. Our team immediately came together and identified each person’s strengths so we could take on tasks planning our response. We have changed what and how we do things many times, and every time our team adjusted and showed up ready and willing. One of the best parts of this response has been working closely with Dr. Adrianne Wurzl ’10 who joined us as an intern this year. Adrianne’s planned rotation fell through early in the response and she brought her Dana spirit, rolled with the challenge, and developed a novel role for herself. It has been such a pleasure to grow closer to Adrianne, finding our way through this together.”

1

Michelle Lafferty ’09 is a nurse at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and has been a frontline responder to COVID-19 patients during the pandemic. She was selected as a JetBlue Healthcare Hero and received a pair of round-trip flight certificates.

Janet Florey-Snell ’77 is a nurse practitioner and worked at the temporary Boston Hope field hospital at the Boston Convention Center, caring for COVID-19 patients.

She writes, “I’m so happy to meet and care for patients who survived this illness.”

Courtney Fawcett Salomone ’02 writes, “I am a nurse practitioner in Internal Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess HealthCare in Lexington, Mass., and have been working on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. I have been doing a significant amount of COVID-19 screening and triage via telemedicine, but I am also helping to run a COVID-19 drive-through testing site at Beth Israel Deaconess HealthCare in Chelsea, Mass.”

2

Kate (Mary) Hewlett ’79 is an EMT and AVOC driver for the St. George Volunteer Firefighter and Ambulance Association. She writes, “I have been busy focusing on COVID-19 EMT protocols, which seem to change daily, including the procedure of delivering patients to the local hospital emergency room.”

Caroline Vig Dryland ’90 is a nurse practitioner at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton in San Diego. This spring, she was restricted from going more than 100 miles from the hospital due to COVID-19.

Share YOUR Story!

Do you know someone in our community on the front lines of COVID-19 or are you?

We would like to acknowledge and share the stories of alumnae in our Dana Hall community who are working to fight COVID-19, provide critical health care, and support important social services and community resources. Please share your story with us at bulletin@danahall.org.

1. A drianne Wurzl ’10 and Lucienne Lutfy-Clayton ’91 2. Janet Florey-Snell ’77 (right) and colleagues at Boston Hope field hospital 3. Caroline Vig Dryland ’90

3

DANA HALL SCHOOL 45 Dana Road / P.O. Box 9010 Wellesley, MA 02482-9010

Non-Profit Org. US POSTAGE

PAID PERMIT #375 Nashua, NH

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Page 20 CRISIS IN CONTEXT Dana Hall has faced global challenges before. How did we respond?

Page 26 CLASS OF 2020 In a year like no other, a historic class made history.

Page 32 INDEBTED TO DANA HALL Thanks to Dana Hall, Courtney Caruso ’05 knows the value and power of building a strong community.