Dana Bulletin WINTER 2024
ON THIS PAGE: At the Class of the 2025’s Revels performance, the Log Children needed a little help with their lines from their dads, Associate Director of Admission Carlton Wheeler-Omiunu and Middle School Social Studies and English teacher Brett Elwell. See more Revels photos on page 3. ON THE COVER: When a bronze Amor Caritas sculpture was mysteriously returned to Dana Hall last summer, it needed some professional help to regain its best look. Read more about the excitement around its homecoming and future plans for this important piece of Dana Hall history on page 15. Both photos 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
Dana Hall School Advancement Office 45 Dana Road, P.O. Box 9010 Wellesley, MA 02482-9010 bulletin@danahall.org
Katherine Bradley Head of School
Christie Baskett Chief Advancement Officer
Liza Cohen Director of Communications Lauren Goldberg Director of Middle School Molly Kieloch Associate Director of Communications
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.
Amy Kumpel Director of Upper School Robert Mather P24, 26 Associate Head of School Harriet Groppe Prince ’06 Associate Director of Alumnae Relations
DESIGN Studio A Design PHOTOGRAPHY David Le Adam Richins PRINTING Puritan Capital
Table of Contents A Message from Head of School Katherine Bradley.......................2
Bulletin Board.......................................................................................4
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Family Weekend 2023.......................................................................12
History and Mystery The Curious Return of Dana Hall’s Amor Caritas Statue.............15
Fearlessness Has Never Looked More Promising.........................18
A Special Connection: Silver Sisters and Colleagues.....................21
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Dana Bulletin WINTER 2024 | volume 86, number 1
Events & Receptions...........................................................................24
Class Notes..........................................................................................28
In Memoriam......................................................................................64
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A Message from Head of School Katherine Bradley O
ne of the blessings of leading this wonderful school is the ongoing opportunity I have to observe the clear ties between Dana Hall’s past, present and future. The excellence of our programs, strength of our community, and success of our students and faculty often seem to transcend time and place. We recognize our achievements in both small celebratory moments and the marking of major milestones. This issue of the Bulletin reflects that continuum of Dana Hall’s greatness. From the pages of Class Notes to stories that illustrate the contributions and accomplishments of our alumnae, we are inspired by our graduates and the path they have blazed for our current students. The sampling of academic, athletic and artistic triumphs that take place every day on our Wellesley campus highlight all that we do to carry out our mission and build on our legacy of leadership, innovation and impact. With October’s public launch of Fearless Futures: The Campaign for Dana Hall (page 18), we honor all that we have accomplished in our 142-year history, and all that lies ahead for us. Perhaps the link between Dana Hall’s past, present and future is most perfectly articulated in our cover story about the surprise return of the Amor Caritas statue (page 15). This story has it all — history and mystery! Our students have been captivated by this piece of art, as they continue to embrace the traditions and narratives that make Dana Hall so special. It is clear that they understand that all that is happening in our current 2023-24 school year is only a chapter in a much grander tale. As this Bulletin hits mailboxes, we will likely be opening the doors to our new Upper School Building and revealing a transformed space that reflects and enhances the vigorous, vibrant and forward-thinking essence of a Dana Hall education. In that brand new space, we have reserved a place of prominence to display the Amor Caritas statue, where it will serve as a visible connector to our heritage and reminder of our community’s strength. I am incredibly grateful for the vision and generosity of our donors who have empowered us to move boldly forward with this project and other elements of our strategic plan. This is a time of great possibility and promise at Dana Hall, and I am excited to share this future with all of you. F
From left: All-School Co-Presidents Daisy Reinstein ’24 and Kelly Chen ’24; Head of School Katherine Bradley; Middle School Co-Presidents Ruby Dutch ’28 and Nia Agbai ’28
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REVELS 2023 On December 20, the eve of the shortest day of the year, Dana Hall students and faculty gathered in Bardwell Auditorium to enjoy the Class of 2025’s Revels. Revels was first shared on December 10, 1921, with faculty, friends and students from all of Helen Temple Cooke’s schools: Pine Manor, Dana Hall and Tenacre. The play celebrates the Winter Solstice, the holiday season and the beginning of Winter Break. Science faculty member Jake McShane brought the house down with his recitation of “The Shortest Day,” and this year’s Revels welcomed the return of the 5th and 6th grade chorus. Minstrels, sword dancers, cooks and rabblers shared the stage with the cast of the Mummers’ Play, which, like everything else in 2023, featured several eras of Taylor Swift and her boyfriend Travis Kelce, who gallantly slayed the Dragon. As soon as the Lady of Misrule shared the play’s final line: “Our play is done, we must be gone, we stay no longer here. We wish you all, both great and small, a happy, bright New Year,” bagpipers led a procession of students to the Erisman Student Center for more revelry and tradition cake.
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TOKYO TRAVELS: ALUMNA BRINGS MODEL UN EXPERIENCE TO JAPAN Spencer Babcock ’17 traveled to Japan in the fall to continue Dana Hall’s partnership with Tokyo Jogakkan School (TJK) by supporting their growing Model United Nations (MUN) program. Babcock was a member of Dana Hall’s MUN team all four years of her high school career and aided the team in earning a national ranking, in addition to garnering recognition at some of the country’s most competitive conferences. “It was amazing,” she said of the TJK experience. “I really appreciated being able to speak about the real-world impact of [the students’] ideas, and was impressed with their ability to do all of this while speaking a second language the whole time. I absolutely hope to go back and work with them and their teachers again!”
PURSUING EXCELLENCE: STUDENTS EARN ACADEMIC HONORS Four Dana Hall students have been recognized for their academic achievement by two national organizations — the National Merit Scholarship Competition and the College Board — for which they received various honors and recognitions: Mila Fidalgo ’25: National African American Recognition Award Swann Li ’24: National Merit Semifinalist Amelia Thames ’24: National Hispanic Recognition Award Nina Wang ’24: National Merit Semifinalist
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Spencer Babcock ’17 working with Tokyo Jogakkan School students on their upcoming Model UN conference
READY FOR THE NEXT LEVEL: STUDENTATHLETE MAKES DIVISION I COMMITMENT Avery Mather ’24 committed to play Division I lacrosse for the Boston University Terriers on November 8 when she signed her National Letter of Intent. Mather has a Dana Hall varsity career total of 131 goals and 33 assists, despite both her 8th and 9th grade seasons being cut short or modified due to the pandemic. She was named EIL All-League in 2022 and 2023, as well as All-NEPSAC Honorable Mention in 2022 and All-NEPSAC in 2023. Mather was honored as Dana Hall’s Player of the Year in 2023 and is a three-year co-captain of the Varsity Lacrosse team.
PLAYING FOR PINK In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, Dana Hall’s athletic teams partnered with the nonprofit organization Runway for Recovery (R4R) to assist local families affected by breast cancer. During Family Weekend, the Dragons supported R4R with their “Play 4 Pink” initiative at athletic games. The organization provided all athletic teams with matching pink socks to wear during the weekend’s contests against Newton Country Day School. Dana Hall also hosted student fundraisers to support R4R’s mission. Leading up to the games, Upper School students heard from Olivia Achtmeyer Boger, founder and executive director of R4R, and Emily Cohen ’02, R4R board member and breast cancer previvor and researcher. Both women lost their mothers to breast cancer and have committed their lives to supporting other families through the work of R4R. “It is always a pleasure to come back to Dana,” Cohen said. “It was even more special to be able to share my story and my work with Runway with all of the students and connect with them on a personal level. It was incredibly heartening when students came up to us at the end to share their connection to breast cancer and ask how they can be involved in the organization.”
Emily Cohen ’02, Head of School Katherine Bradley and Runway for Recovery Executive Director Olivia Achtmeyer Boger
Varsity Cross Country donned pink socks before their Family Weekend meet against Newton Country Day School.
COME TO THE CABARET This year marked the 35th anniversary of Cabaret. The variety show debuted during the 1988-89 school year, when the Class of 1992 was the first to perform. On December 2, the curtain rose on the Class of 2027 as they presented their version of the beloved 9th grade tradition. Winter 2024
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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 Instagram: @danahallschool • Connect with us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/school/danahallschool
THE DOCTOR IS IN Dr. Lisa Damour spent the day at Dana Hall on October 17, visiting with students, faculty and staff, and the broader community as she discussed students’ mental health and levels of stress and anxiety among youth today. Damour is a psychologist, teacher, speaker, consultant, author of three New York Times bestsellers, and host of the Ask Lisa podcast. Damour first met Middle School and Upper School students in two afternoon sessions, then faculty and staff before speaking to parents in Bardwell Auditorium as part of Dana Hall’s Wannamaker Lecture Series.
Dr. Damour’s tips for managing mental health, stress and anxiety include: • The measure of the quality of a coping technique is that it should bring relief and do no harm. • When struggling to maintain perspective on bad news, ask yourself or your student: How will you feel about this in three weeks? Associate Head of School Rob Mather, Lisa Damour, Director of Counseling Natalie Zervas, Director of Middle School Lauren Goldberg
• The act of saying a feeling actually brings you emotional relief. Pack the feeling in a word and share it. • Distraction can be great, but look at the dosing. If you Internet shop for 15 minutes as a break from your work, that’s fine, but if you spend two hours shopping and you’re missing deadlines, that’s when it becomes a problem.
Dr. Damour started her day by meeting with Middle School students.
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• There is nothing you can do to support your mental health more than sleeping well, so consider removing phones from the bedroom.
READ THE ROAR CURIOSITY IS THE SPARK Science Department Head Mary Frances Hanover shared the following observations on The Roar on September 20. The Roar is Dana Hall’s blog and platform for voices and viewpoints from educators across campus. Walt Whitman’s “Be curious, not judgmental” has had a lot of traction lately, as it was famously highlighted in the TV show “Ted Lasso.” As a science educator, I have had this mantra for a long time. It not only highlights curiosity but also emphasizes resiliency and adaptability, essential tools needed to succeed in science, especially for women “ When I encourage in this male-dominated field. students to be At its core, scientific inquiry is about asking questions and seeking answers. It’s about being curious about the natural world, the universe, and everything in between. Walt Whitman’s advice encapsulates this essence perfectly. When I encourage students to be curious, I am essentially encouraging them to be better scientists. I want them to question, explore, and investigate. Curiosity is the spark that ignites the scientific process.
curious, I am essentially encouraging them to be better scientists. I want them to question, explore, and investigate. Curiosity is the spark that ignites the scientific process.”
Even more importantly, this advice highlights one of the key challenges in science education: the fear of making mistakes or being judged. Many students are hesitant to ask questions or engage in experiments for fear of getting the “wrong” answer. This fear can create a barrier to learning and hinder the development of critical thinking skills. “Be curious, not judgmental” sends a powerful message to students. It reminds them that asking questions, making mistakes, and learning from them is – Mary Frances Hanover okay. It’s not only okay — it’s encouraged. In science (as in most things), the road to Science Department discovery is often paved with failures. Embracing curiosity over judgment helps Head create a safe and inclusive learning environment where students feel empowered to explore and take risks. As a teacher, it’s crucial to normalize mistakes as an integral part of scientific inquiry. Students can then learn to understand that mistakes are not the end of the road but rather the beginning of a new learning opportunity. Praise for the process, rather than solely for the end result, fosters a mindset that welcomes challenges and embraces setbacks as part of the learning journey. Providing constructive feedback is also essential for helping students learn from their mistakes. I try to provide feedback that is specific, actionable, and focused on improvement. When students see that their mistakes are an opportunity for improvement, they are more likely to actively embrace the learning process and seek feedback. I also think it’s important to celebrate mistakes as learning achievements and hopefully create a culture where students share their mistakes and what they learned from them. This not only reduces the fear of making mistakes but also helps students realize the value of errors in the learning process. In the rapidly evolving field of science, curiosity and resilience are necessary. New discoveries and breakthroughs occur regularly, and those who remain curious are better equipped to adapt and thrive in this dynamic landscape. “Be curious, not judgmental” is a mantra that resonates deeply with me. It embodies the essence of scientific inquiry, breaks down barriers to learning, and encourages lifelong curiosity and adaptability. As a teacher, my goal is to impart knowledge, inspire a passion for discovery, and, hopefully, foster an environment that welcomes and embraces mistakes. Want to read more from Dana Hall’s insightful and inspiring faculty and staff? Check out the Roar at www.danahall.org/the-roar-blog. Winter 2024
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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ALUMNAE AUTHORS COLLECTION 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 the Nina Heald Webber ’49 Archives at archives@danahall.org or (781) 489-1382, or visit https://danahall.libguides.com/ alumnaeauthors to see the many works we currently own.
Top row, left to right: • “Flight: A Memoir of Loss and Discovery by an Aviator’s Daughter” by Rasa Gustaitis ’52 • “Fallen Forests: Emotion, Embodiment, and Ethics in American Women’s Environmental Writing, 1781-1924” by Karen Kilcup ’71 • “When You Can’t Go Home” by Dana Peters Frizzell ’78 • “Kelly’s Folly” by T. H. Forest (pseudonym of Sarah Burgess-Gregorian ’89) Middle row, left to right: • “The Lives We Were Meant to Live: A Novel” by Pamela Lasher Hull ’59 • “Lost and Found: Coming of Age in the Washington Press Corps” by Ellen Hunsberger Hume ’64 • “Monochrome” by Paula Jackson ’66 • “William Rimmer: Champion of Imagination in American Art” by Dorinda Evans ’61 Bottom row, left to right: • “The Modern Venus: Dress, Underwear and Accessories in the Late 18th-Century Atlantic World” by Elisabeth Gernerd ’06 • “Before the Wind: The Memoir of an American Sea Captain, 1808 - 1833” by Charles Tyng; edited by Susan McEwan Fels ’60
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DANA ON THE STAGE This fall, the Upper School presented “The Alibis,” which was designed as a build-your-own murder mystery that kept the audience guessing and laughing. The Middle School shared the magic of “The Enchanted Bookshop,” where the characters inside the books came alive.
FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THE PERFORMANCES, CHECK OUT THE DANAPIX GALLERIES:
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THE ALIBIS
lyssa Cedeno ’27, Emily Winig ’27, Catherine Sjogren ’27
Ivy Wellington ’24, Jordan Weller ’24, Eloise Murphy ’26
THE ENCHANTED BOOKSHOP
Rollin Stanley ’28 and Ella Festa ’29
Stella Hanlon ’28, Maggie McLaughlin ’28, Grace Fang ’30, Eloise Bhan ’31
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VARSIT Y ATHLETICS SCOREBOARD Dana Hall’s fall athletic teams concluded their seasons in November, with several team and individual achievements. Highlights include: VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY • Overall Record: 10-9 • Eastern Independent League (EIL) Record: 9-6 • Place in EIL: 4th • 7th place team finish at the New England Championships • 4th place finish for Madeleine Reinhardt ’24 at the New England Championships Madeleine Reinhardt ’24 was named the Cross Country team’s Most Valuable Player and earned EIL and NEPSAC All-League honors.
< COACHES RECOGNIZED OUTSTANDING PLAYERS AT EACH TEAM’S END-OF-SEASON BANQUET. SEE A COMPLETE LIST OF INDIVIDUAL HONORS. VARSITY FIELD HOCKEY • Overall Record: 4-13-1 • EIL Record: 3-7-1 • Place in EIL: 8th Samantha Wolf ’24 earned EIL All-League honors for Field Hockey.
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VARSITY SOCCER
VARSITY VOLLEYBALL
• Overall Record: 12-5-2 • EIL Record: 9-1-1 • Place in EIL: 2nd • EIL Coach of the Year: Rachel Wood
• Overall Record: 5-17 • EIL Record: 5-6 • Place in EIL: 5th
Brianah Mathieu ’25 earned EIL All-League honors for Volleyball.
Brimmer Mather ’26 was named Soccer’s Grinder of the year and Most Valuable Player; she also was an EIL Honorable Mention.
EQUESTRIAN The Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) Team is having a strong 2023-24 regional show season. Both the Middle School and Upper School teams qualified for Region 6 Finals, which will be hosted at Dana Hall in February. The Middle School team placed in the top three teams at every fall show, and the Upper School team placed in the top three teams at the shows where they competed with a full roster. In addition to team qualifiers, 21 riders qualified for Region 6 Finals individually. The Athletic Equestrian League (AEL) Team attended four shows in the fall, winning Reserve Champion at two and Champion at the other two, along with many Middle and Upper Schoolers pinned as high point riders at each show. The team will host the AEL Nationals at Dana Hall in May.
IEA Team
AEL Team
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Family Weekend 2023 1
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1. Students and families cheer on the Varsity Cross Country team. 2. Sungvin (Stacy) Lee ’25 and Sydney Meyers ’25 perform at the Performing Arts Presentation. 3. Ellie Black ’24 and Varsity Field Hockey take on Newton Country Day School on Sisters Field. 4. Members of the AEL and IEA Equestrian teams take part in the Homecoming Pep Rally. 5. Celestino DePina P20, 24, 27 and Cevianna DePina ’27 6. Liz Connelly P29, Caroline Connelly 29, Ella Houghtlin ’29, Emily Teschke ’29 7. The Middle School Cross Country team competes against Newton Country Day School.
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8. Mary Cate Clayton ’24 and Puckni Bhengsri ’24 perform at the Performing Arts Presentation.
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Family Weekend 2023
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1. Myer Kriss ’26 and Eden Kriss P26 2. Ella Lindstrom ’25 performs at the Performing Arts Presentation. 3. Nyla Sharif ’24 performs at the Performing Arts Presentation. 4. Varsity Soccer celebrates a goal against Newton Country Day School. 5. Tom Bowman P26 and Sophia Bowman ’26 6. S tudents, families and dragons cheer on Varsity Volleyball in the Shipley Center gym.
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7. M iddle School students cheer on Varsity Soccer during the Friday Night Lights game against Newton Country Day School.
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Be a part of Dana Hall history:
Support the Dana Fund Honoring Connections and Community When Chef Irvel Barosy began working in the Dining Hall, the Class of 2019 was the youngest in the Upper School, wrapping up the spring of their 9th grade year. Because they and Barosy were all “new” to Dana Hall together, they formed a special bond — one that stands to this day. He counts those students as the ones who “let me in,” he said, to the broader campus community. They taught him the importance of connecting with students on a more personal level. Now alumnae, a handful of 2019 graduates continue to stay in touch with Barosy, who goes simply by “Irvel” to them — and to any Dana Hall student — and visit him at his home when they have breaks in their busy working lives. Moments like these catch Barosy off guard since he never planned to stay at Dana Hall long term, but as he comes up on his 8th service anniversary, he said he can’t imagine being anywhere else. When he started in 2016, it was much more common for students to make other food arrangements on weekends rather than eat in the Dining Hall. That surprised Barosy, so he began asking students why and what they might like to see on the menu.
“I heard [from the parents] how to take care of them,” Barosy said. “They trusted me with their kids.” Now Barosy, who was recognized with the School’s Amor Caritas Award in 2019, has almost a cult following in the Dining Hall, with shouts of “Irvel!” overheard whenever he appears during the busy lunch rush. “I never believed when I first came here that it’d be like this,” he said. “When you’ve been here two or three years, and you step out from the shadows, you see that people really care about you as a human being.” That caring is part of what inspires Barosy to give annually to the Dana Fund. “There’s a trust factor here,” he said. “It makes you come to work and makes you feel like it’s going to be okay, even on bad days.” Because of his consistent giving, he’s a member of the Moon & Stars Society, which honors donors who give an annual gift to the School for five or more years. The other part is a sense of duty he feels towards his employer — that giving a gift is just something that you do. “When someone asks why we do this, I don’t see another way not to,” he said of his annual giving. “I give back because they give so much to me.”
Learn more or make a gift to the Dana Fund: campaign.danahall.org. 14
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The Dana Fund ensures that students have the resources they need to explore their interests, talents and ambitions. It provides unrestricted operating support to the School’s budget, preserving Dana Hall’s diverse community, attracting outstanding faculty, keeping tuition competitive and supporting academics, athletics, arts, clubs and other programs. The Dana Fund is one of the priorities of Fearless Futures: The Campaign for Dana Hall School; all donations to the Dana Fund support the campaign. Questions? Contact Director of Development Betsy Rigby at betsy.rigby@danahall.org or 781-489-1368.
History and Mystery
The Curious Return of Dana Hall’s Amor Caritas Statue Necessity called for former Associate Dean of Students Kathy Hamel to spend the 2022-23 school year in a different location. Displaced by the Upper School Building construction project, she took her colorful bulletin boards, cherished photographs and inspirational posters to a corner office in the Shipley Center for Athletics, Health and Wellness. With large windows on three sides and proximity to the building’s entrance, she was perfectly situated, and perfectly suited, to track students’ comings and goings and serve as an unofficial greeter for many campus guests. One such visitor was a “nice, older gentleman” who stopped to chat with Hamel on occasion. He revealed that he had once worked at Dana Hall, and shared stories of his time as a house parent living in Johnston A and Grey Lodge. Always friendly and happy to listen, Hamel did not give much thought to their encounters. The gentleman returned in July 2023, when campus was bustling with sweaty summer campers and Hamel was closing out her 23 years at Dana Hall and preparing for retirement. This time the visitor had a purpose: he said he had something that belonged to the School, an item that had been inadvertently packed up by movers when he (and his wife) left the employ of Dana Hall. With that, his son appeared with a large item on a dolly. Neither man would give Hamel their names. “Truly, when he delivered it to the Ship, I totally thought he was dumping off old heavy trash,” Hamel confessed. “I was off the next day and then kind of forgot about it. When I remembered it, I took a picture and sent it to Dorothy and Julia.” Dana Hall Archivists Dorothy DeSimone P06, 10 and Julia Newman Kuljančić took one look at the photo of the Amor Caritas bronze sculpture by American artist Augustus Saint-Gaudens and knew it was most definitely not old trash.
Found Treasure DeSimone immediately called her colleagues in Campus Safety and made arrangements for the piece to be secured and transported to the Nina Heald Weber ’49 Archives in the Helen Temple Cooke Library. With the help of members of the Buildings and Grounds team, the archivists carefully removed the bronze reduction from its wood tabernacle frame. During the course of the summer and early fall, DeSimone and Kuljančić set out to learn all they could about the piece, which was thought to belong to Helen Temple Cooke, starting no later than 1907. Cooke was the Principal of Dana Hall at that time, and later Head of the Dana Hall Schools and Chair of the Board of Trustees, in all a tenure of 56 years. DeSimone and Kuljančić consulted former Archivist Pam Kaplan P’00, who had done extensive research on the Amor Caritas in 2009. At that time, it was thought that the Amor Caritas owned by Helen Temple Cooke had likely gone to the Chestnut Hill campus of Pine Manor Junior College when the school left Wellesley in 1964. In fact, that was not the case. Kaplan discovered that the Dane Estate, which Pine Manor purchased for its new campus, had its own Amor Caritas, meaning that Helen Temple Cooke’s piece of art was still at-large. Until now. Above: The bronze reduction by Augustus Saint-Gaudens was kept in the Nina Heald Webber ’49 Archives after it was mysteriously returned to Dana Hall.
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History and Mystery
The Curious Return of Dana Hall’s Amor Caritas Statue Thus, DeSimone and Kuljančić launched a research project to learn all that they could about both the mystery of the Amor Caritas reduction’s return and its place in Dana Hall history. DeSimone reviewed security camera images, poured through old school directories and yearbooks and conducted basic Google searches in an attempt to identify the gentleman who returned the piece. She also connected with former faculty members Jean McCarthy H01, John and Dwin Schuler P84 and Gene Scattergood about both their memories of past colleagues and the sculpture. A few leads that showed promise eventually fizzled. “It’s possible that some mysteries of the Dana Hall Amor Caritas will remain unsolved, and the archivists are okay with that,” said DeSimone. “We are grateful and amazed that this historically important and beautiful part of Dana Hall’s history has reappeared on campus and will be available for all to appreciate. New avenues of research and sources of information continue to turn up, and we will stay on the hunt for answers. It’s been the most interesting and fun research project in my time in the Archives.” (See box.)
A Central Symbol in School History Word of the Amor Caritas mystery created a buzz on campus among both employees and students, and with good reason. In 1909, Cooke commissioned George T. Abell of Wellesley to design the Dana Hall seal based on the Amor Caritas sculpture by Saint-Gaudens. The seal was tweaked a few times in the ensuing century, most recently in 2007, when graphic designer Will Cook reworked the Dana Hall seal to focus on the angel bearing the tablet inscribed with the words Amor Caritas, the School’s motto. “The phrase, often translated as ‘love and charity’ or ‘love and kindness,’ is central to our school and our identity,” noted Head of School Katherine Bradley. “From our earliest years right up to the present day, we have been a community of people who care about each other and the larger world around us. When I told our students that the sculpture had been returned, there was a loud cheer in Bardwell Auditorium. They’re really excited!” Helen Temple Cooke was well known to be an astute art collector, and it has long been assumed she was captivated by Saint-Gaudens’ elegant and graceful Amor Caritas. A photograph of the Amor Caritas first appears in the 1907-08 Dana Hall Catalogue. This image last appears in the 1934-35 Dana Hall Catalogue. Seeking to determine where the Amor Caritas was located on campus, the archivists recently read through the unpublished manuscript of Dana Hall history, written by former English teacher Mildred Grimes in the 1960s. Grimes’ brief mention of the original “Caritas” was that “the large plaster cast … hung by the main entrance” in Dana Main. The archivists had assumed the bronze Amor Caritas was displayed somewhere in the Dana Main complex, which was demolished in January 1972, though conversations with faculty and alumnae from that era have yielded little information to support that theory. “If anything, the ‘I don’t recall’ responses to our queries are adding up to the possibility the Amor Caritas was not as visible as we might have expected,” noted DeSimone. The one word “plaster” in Grimes’ manuscript is yet another mystery to explore, and it is also likely that the question of how Cooke acquired either version of the Amor Caritas will never be answered. They may have been given to her or sold to her by a third party, or even the artist himself. Saint-Gaudens started casting the form in assorted sizes in 1880, the year before Dana Hall was founded. A 2009 article published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art says 30 reductions were made. The list of
Do you remember the Amor Caritas ? With so many unanswered questions related to the Amor Caritas, the archivists are looking for insights from alumnae and former faculty. Do you remember seeing it on campus? Do you have a thought about where it might have been before its return? The archivists want to hear from you! When they are not solving mysteries, the archivists curate a remarkable collection in The Nina Heald Webber ’49 Archives, including photographs, programs, journals, letters, scrapbooks, clothing, memorabilia and records. They welcome contributions, and maintain the online “Danapedia,” as well as digital photographs, early catalogs and a timeline of Dana Hall history on the Helen Temple Cooke Library website. Class of 1907 pin
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History and Mystery
The Curious Return of Dana Hall’s Amor Caritas Statue institutions that own or have owned an Amor Caritas reduction is long and impressive. A “heroic-sized” Amor Caritas was exhibited in Paris in 1900 and is now in the Louvre, and there is also a gilded one, cast in 1918, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. DeSimone and Kuljančić continue to follow leads to gain more understanding about Cooke’s ownership of a plaster cast and a bronze Amor Caritas.
What’s Next After years likely spent in a basement, the Amor Caritas was in need of a professional cleaning. In late November, it was sent to Trefler’s Restoration in Newton, Mass., where experts are carefully cleaning the sculpture without disturbing its natural patina. They will also repair and restore the original wood tabernacle frame and reattach the bronze reduction so it is ready for its return to campus later this year. (See sidebar.) It will be displayed in the main entrance of the new Upper School Building. “It is incredibly good fortune — just as we’re stepping into this exciting new chapter and opening a new academic space, a piece of our history has come back to us,” said Bradley. “What a perfect way to honor our history as we celebrate our future.”
Above: A photograph of the Amor Caritas first appears in the 1907-08 Dana Hall Catalogue. Right: In 1909, Helen Temple Cooke commissioned George Abell of Wellesley to design a seal for Dana Hall School based on the statue.
Preserving Dana Hall’s Artifacts Combining traditional craftsmanship with the latest advances in technology, Trefler’s, a fine art and antique restoration company located in Newton, Mass., has been focusing on carefully cleaning layers of dust and debris due to years of storage, from both the Amor Caritas bronze cast relief, as well as its wooden frame that is a pedestal/method of installation for the sculpture. Their aim is to remove the surface accumulation on the raised surfaces of the relief, allowing the existing patina to shine through, and to clean and conserve the wooden frame, potentially applying dye and finish to even out the appearance and restore areas of thin/missing finish. The structure and joints of the frame also will be addressed, potentially adding bracing to ensure that the frame can support the display weight of the bronze sculpture. Trefler’s art handling team will then carefully install the pieces in the Upper School Building at the completion of the project. Trefler’s also has been commissioned to restore a 10-foot long antique wooden bench with decorative scrollwork that had been in storage during the work on the Upper School Building; it will be placed in the same lobby as the Amor Caritas statue. The bench will be conserved, addressing both structural and cosmetic issues, and Trefler’s will provide their custom upholstery services for the accompanying cushions, readying the bench for students and other guests who visit the space. “Trefler’s is honored to have been chosen to restore these pieces for the Dana Hall community,” said Marilyn Cruickshank, Trefler’s Director of Sales Operations/Outside Sales. Winter 2024
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Fearlessness Has Never Looked More Promising
Dana Hall has launched its most ambitious capital campaign in the School’s 142-year history. Since opening its doors in 1881, Dana Hall School has celebrated many achievements and marked countless milestones. October 26, 2023 will now be added to the School’s noteworthy timeline, as the date marks the launch of Fearless Futures: The Campaign for Dana Hall School. The most ambitious campaign in the School’s 142-year history, Fearless Futures will raise $75 million to support students and teachers, revitalize key classroom and co-curricular spaces, and ensure Dana Hall’s lasting financial sustainability.
Above: At the kick-off event in October, Head of School Katherine Bradley announced that $54,394,552 had already been raised towards the campaign’s $75 million goal. As of January 8, that total had grown to $61,587,465.
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More than 250 community members gathered at a kick-off event held in the Shipley Center, where Head of School Katherine Bradley announced the $75 million goal. “This is an amazing milestone for our school, and already the largest and most significant fundraising effort in our history,” said Bradley. “We are here because of a remarkable community effort, and I am incredibly grateful to every single one of our donors.” A comprehensive, multi-year campaign like Fearless Futures counts all donations, including all gifts to the Upper School Building and the Dana Fund. As of January 8, $61,587,465 had been raised. “There aren’t many places like Dana Hall, and I am grateful and proud to be a beneficiary of this institution,” Chair of the Dana Hall Board of Trustees Courtney Caruso ’05 shared in her welcoming remarks. “I am motivated now more than ever to secure the future that Dana Hall deserves, a future that includes opportunity, access, and bold thinking and innovation.” The priorities of the campaign are guided by the Vision 2025: Enriching and Extending The Dana Difference strategic plan, which the Board of Trustees approved in 2018. In 2021, Dana Hall received a $15 million leadership gift from the Manton Foundation that enabled the School to actively pursue its plan to renovate the Upper School Building and support other initiatives outlined in the strategic plan. Sandy Niles P17, 19, who is Vice Chair of the Dana Hall Board of Trustees and a Manton Foundation trustee, shared why Dana Hall is still so important to her family. “Our girls are
Fearless Futures FAQ What is a comprehensive fundraising campaign?
A comprehensive campaign, like Fearless Futures, counts all donations, including support of the Dana Fund, towards the goal of $75 million.
What does the public launch of this campaign signify?
The leadership phase of this fundraising effort started in 2019, and as of January 8, $61,587,465 had been raised to support initiatives like Sisters Field and the Upper School Building project. The funds raised in this public phase of the campaign will support the Dana Fund, the Endowment, the Community Impact & Acceleration Fund and the Upper School Building. All donations to Dana Hall are considered campaign donations.
I gave a gift to the Dana Fund. Do I need to give to the campaign?
First, thank you! The Dana Fund remains a top priority, and because Fearless Futures is comprehensive, every gift helps us reach our goal. If you are interested in giving to one of the specific campaign initiatives, we encourage you to give above and beyond your Dana Fund gift. Please reach out to Christie Baskett (christie.baskett@danahall.org, 781-489-1371) for more information.
Bill Taylor P15, 18, Sandy Niles P17, 19, Katherine Bradley, Courtney Caruso ’05
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1 our heroes; they are smart, curious and fearless, and what they learned at Dana Hall set them up incredibly well for the success they had in college and for life after.” Niles is co-chairing the Fearless Futures Campaign with Marcia Teng Ishizuka ’77. The $75 million goal will support Endowment, the Dana Fund, the Upper School Building, Community Impact and Acceleration, and Sisters Field, which is already fully funded. Former trustee Bill Taylor P15, 18, who played an instrumental role in planning and writing the Vision 2025 strategic plan, closed the kick-off event’s speaking program with a call to action. “We are launching this campaign with powerful strategic thinking to guide us, a track record of savvy execution to support us, and a deep belief in the future of Dana Hall—and our past, current, and future students,” he said. “And that, really, is the most important thing. Dana Hall needs your support for this campaign, because the world needs what our daughters are going to do after they graduate—when they become the doctors and scientists who will confront the next pandemic, the diplomats working to prevent the next war, the innovators, entrepreneurs, and activists who will help solve the many problems our generation has left them. It all starts here.”
Full details about the campaign’s priorities and opportunities can be found on a new website, campaign.danahall.org.
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1. The Dana Hall Chamber Singers performed at the kick-off for the Fearless Futures campaign. 2. Eden Kriss P26, Chrissy Brown P26, 29, Emma Lees P22, 26; 3. Mo Xu P27, Jiayi He P27, Ke Zhang P27, Linda Derezinski, Li Chi P27; 4. Cheryl Forté ’69, Ginny Caruso P02, 05, Lee Ferguson Frechette ’81, P16, 22, Peter Frechette P16, 22; 5. Katherine Bradley, Julie Marriott P08, 11, 14, 17, Daphne Cross Rayment ’87, P14; 6. Jean McCarthy H01 and Nancy Kaaz ’88; 7. Nancy and Charlie Breslin P20, Mike White, Ronnie and Reed Chisholm P09, 13, 14; 8. Gloria Herrera P22, 24, Mbaira Maorongarti P24, Shahriar Panahi P15, 19
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Autumn Ceppi ’17, Ariann Williams ’08 and Emily Hinman ’20
A SPECIAL CONNECTION: SILVER SISTERS AND COLLEAGUES Three Dana Hall alums recently found themselves working in various departments for the Boston Celtics basketball team. It must have been the luck of the Irish that caused Ariann Williams ’08, Autumn Ceppi ’17 and Emily Hinman ’20 to all work for the Boston Celtics during the same summer in 2023. While they were in different areas of the organization — community engagement, marketing and partner development — they share the same passion for creatively solving any problem thrown their way. We caught up with the alumnae as they discussed the best parts of their jobs, what it’s like to work for the hometown team and how Dana Hall shaped them into the confident women they are today.
ARIANN WILLIAMS ’08
Director of Community Engagement 12th season with the Celtics Ariann Williams ’08 never pictured herself as a “development person.” An economics and finance major with a deep love for the City of Boston, she was hired by the Celtics out of college as a boots-on-the-ground employee serving the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation and Community Relations team. It was a role she knew well. Winter 2024
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Williams told of how her sister was hospitalized at Boston Children’s Hospital when they were younger and wouldn’t be home in time for Christmas. One day, in walked then-head coach M.L. Carr and some Celtics players who visited her sister’s bedside. Before they left, they took a Polaroid photo together, which they all signed. When she interviewed with the team, Williams slid that photo across the table. “It’s a full-circle moment that has really stuck with me,” Williams said. “I’ve now gone on to host that event for other kids.” More than a decade later, she’s taken on a development leadership role within the Shamrock Foundation that allows others to execute these community events. “I didn’t expect to get here — to become so specialized — which is why I love it so much,” Williams said of her work as a fundraiser. “It’s a safe place for me to take risks. How great is it when you can do that?”
“ To know I helped open a new source of revenue for the foundation, that will hopefully exist long after my time, is extremely meaningful to me.”
She focuses on three aspects: executing successful events and campaigns, amplifying digital – Ariann Williams presence, and relationship building with the philanthropic and grant making community. Williams loves the work she does, from the annual gala in October to golf tournaments, yard sales and Giving Tuesday. She’s been involved in raising funds for Curbside Care for Moms and Babies, a retrofitted former ambulance that travels through Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan providing care for moms and infants during the first six weeks of life. She oversees the Boston Marathon program, where runners get a charity bib in exchange for raising thousands of dollars for the foundation. Recently, she encouraged her senior colleagues to list a popular auction item at a higher price when the terms changed; not only did they get one taker — they got three. What she’s most proud of is the launch of the Celtics’ online raffle program, which took more than three years to bring to fruition. The program offers exclusive online raffles featuring autographed memorabilia and meet-and-greets along with other exclusive experiences for Celtics fans, with entries starting as little as $10. In the program’s inaugural year, she ran three raffles which amounted to more than six figures in revenue for the foundation; this year, she’s running 12. “This online raffle program is the first of its kind in the history of the foundation,” she said. “To know I helped open a new source of revenue for the foundation, that will hopefully exist long after my time, is extremely meaningful to me.” While Williams, Ceppi and Hinman worked in different departments within the organization, Williams cites the audaciousness that ties the three alumnae together. “We’re bold,” she said proudly. “From navigating the corporate world and the sports industry to red tape, approvals, the pace… there are so many things on a professional, social and intellectual level that we can do because of Dana Hall. Someone says no, so you have to pivot. We’re never short of ideas or solutions to make it work. Dana prepared us for this.”
AUTUMN CEPPI ’17
Marketing Coordinator 1st season with the Celtics Autumn Ceppi ’17 knows basketball inside and out. She was a standout Varsity Basketball player for Dana Hall who went on to play Division I ball at Bucknell University. For her, landing a job at the Celtics was a dream position: one that combined her passion for the sport with her marketing major background. “Every day at the Celtics consists of a new challenge, and I can use my strong problemsolving and communication skills to creatively find solutions,” she said. As a member of the Marketing Team, Ceppi interfaces with every department across the organization to facilitate different campaigns and initiatives, whether it’s ticket sales and corporate partnerships or community engagement. She also works closely with the team’s social media accounts, overseeing influencer marketing and assisting with game-night social posts. “It’s really fun to engage with the players, and find fresh new ways to bring out their personalities and passions through community relations and social media,” she said. “I love how fun and creative the work environment is.” Echoing Williams’s sentiments about Dana Hall, Ceppi talked about how the School gave her “the confidence to speak up and share my thoughts and ideas without judgment,
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“ It’s really fun to engage with the players, and find fresh new ways to bring out their personalities and passions through community relations and social media. I love how fun and creative the work environment is.” – Autumn Ceppi
especially now that I work in the male-dominated sports field,” she said. “I can share and present my ideas no matter the size of the group. I am also able to recognize the challenges that exist in these environments, and acknowledge and stand up for female co-workers around me. Dana Hall prepared me well for the working world.”
EMILY HINMAN ’20
Partner Development Intern Summer 2023 intern for the Celtics Event planning has always interested Emily Hinman ’20, so when she learned about an internship opportunity with the Celtics, she jumped at the chance. As a member of the Partner Development Team, Hinman supported the team that develops brand activations and events for Celtics partnerships and sponsorships, assisting them as they planned for the upcoming season. She also got the chance to work on several summer events, including the annual Boston Celtics Partner Summit, the Mass State Lottery Heroes Among Us Ceremony, a TD Bank Pride Event, and a JetBlue/Encore Boston Harbor Schedule Release Party. Hinman, a senior at Boston College, found that while her internship was not directly related to her economics major and management and leadership minor, she did find some overlap with the content taught in her elective classes. “I learned about financial decisions made by the Celtics and the revenue generation element to partnerships,” she said, but on the events side, “I learned how much work the Celtics employees do that goes on behind the scenes.” Her favorite event was a TD Bank Pride Event at the Waltham House, a safe haven for LGBTQ+ youth, which demonstrated to Hinman how the Celtics make community engagement a priority within their organization. The Celtics mascot Lucky made an appearance as well as several Celtics dancers who performed for everyone. She also loved the opportunity to connect with other Dana Hall alumnae. “Ari and Autumn made me feel more comfortable and welcome at the Celtics, and I am grateful to them both for their kindness and support,” Hinman said. “It was one of the best surprises of my internship!” Like Williams and Ceppi, Hinman credits Dana Hall for its role in shaping her into the confident woman she is today, she said. “Women are underrepresented in the sports industry in general, and people sometimes doubt your interest or knowledge because you are a woman. Dana Hall taught me to use my voice, and that I am capable and deserve to be where I am.”
DANA HALL IN THE WORKPLACE Do you work with another Dana Hall graduate? We want to share your story in an upcoming issue of the Bulletin! If you have an alum colleague (or colleagues) and want to be featured, email us at bulletin@danahall.org for future consideration.
“ Women are underrepresented in the sports industry in general, and people sometimes doubt your interest or knowledge because you are a woman. Dana Hall taught me to use my voice, and that I am capable and deserve to be where I am.” – Emily Hinman Winter 2024
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CONNECTING WITH DANA HALL:
events
receptions
OSTERVILLE, MASS.
Mary Fulham ’13, Tim Fulham P13, 16, Lise Olney P13, 16
KK Bassick P25, Christine Dan Serpico P09, 17, Pauline Walsh G09, 17, 24, Kate Walsh P09, 17, Bill Marth P24 Burns P20, 23, 27
Allison White ’61, Henry Fralix, Ann Hurd Riley Boyle ’09, Kendall Cross Armstrong Fralix ’58 ’11, Carley Boyle, Cindy Cross ’79, P09, Marina Palmerio ’79
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Page Franson ’83, Tamsen Evans George ’58, P84
Edlyn Clay P27, 27, Assistant Director of Events & Parent Programs Taylor Houston ’12, Lynel Tully Rinklin ’83, Chief Advancement Officer Christie Baskett, David Clay P27, 27
ALUMNAE GATHERING AT FAMILY WEEKEND
NEW CANAAN, CT.
Emily Greenstein ’94, P28, Ruby Dutch ’28, Liz Record Svedlund ’90, P22, 24, Eloise Svedlund ’24, Abby Lifter Hochberg ’98, P29, Olivia Hochberg ’29, Carrie Essex ’90, P22, 25, Claire Chenard ’25
Chief Advancement Officer Christie Baskett, Kimberly Rossetter Higgins ’73, Toddy Torrance Turrentine ’71, Irene Ball Barrack ’50, Pam Trevisani Rodman ’78, Head of School Katherine Bradley, Kate Hirsch Koller ’74, Trustee Marlous Lagarde P21, 23, 25, Ann Simson Watkins ’74
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CONNECTING WITH DANA HALL:
events
1881 SOCIETY RECEPTION
Nathan and Patricia Dowden P25, Brian and Brooke Wheelan P26
Jennifer and Mike Desrochers P26, Lara Whiteley P27
John Vitale P21, 24, Concetta Vitale ’21, Muna Vitale P21, 24
Trustee Jen and Dave Visco P27, Judith and Paul Beswick P27
Matthew Calistri P19, 21, 25, Trustee Marlous Lagarde P21, 23, 25, Keri Calistri P19, 21, 25, Trustee Sandy Niles P17, 19, Sus Fazio P14, 21, 23
receptions
Mike and Hyun Song P28, Judy Marth P24, Sam Niles P17, 19
Deborah Paul P24, Tom Meyers P24, Kurt Wulff
ALUMNAE HOLIDAY PARTY IN GROVE HOUSE
Guida Estrela Mattison ’98, Heather Cochrane Russo ’97
Hélène Kazanjian ’78, Karin Lauren Pastor Abrams ’94, Christy Cisneros Lagos ’94, Lifter P98, 01, G29 Kristen Poyant Flynn ’94
Tamar Ophee Amidon ’84, P17, Lori Brown Hulak ’84, Associate Director of Alumnae Relations Harriet Groppe Prince ’06
Daphne Cross Rayment ’87, P14, Liz Welch Maheras ’81, P16, 18, Linda Samuels P93
Ariana Pappas ’10, Alexandra Spiliakos ’11, Olivia Rabe ’11, Stacey Kourtis Kurkuvelos ’11
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CONNECTING WITH DANA HALL:
events
receptions
DANA HALL IN ASIA
SEOUL: Soohyun Yim P24, Youngwan Kim P24, Mayo Hirabayashi ’07, Kate Hwang P25, International & Major Gifts Officer Cynthia Sibold P20, Yoonbeen Jung P27, Head of School Katherine Bradley, Matt McCracken, Kiduk Jun P27, Byoung Hoan Choo P27, Assistant Director of Admission Gi Yoon Hur, Hye Choi P25, Junho Hong P25, Dan Desmond
SHANGHAI: Faye Yang P24, Lucy Lyu P23, Assistant Head for Admission and Strategic Initiatives Angela Brown, Julia Shou P25
SHENZHEN: Xiuqin Chen G28, Lijun Zhang, International & Major Gifts Officer Cynthia Sibold P20, Wei Hao P25, Trustee Chloe Suen ’00, Julia Shou P25, Rong He P27
SHANGHAI: Back row: Gabrielle Li P26, Pei Qi P30, Falin Zhu P27, Christina Chu P26, Matt McCraken, Feng Qian P27, Wei Hao P25, Jiong Chen P25, Baogang Miao P25, Tao Ding P26, Limin Wang P25, Yimin Tony Wei P27. Front row: Chloe Zhao P25, Chun Yan P25, International & Major Gifts Officer Cynthia Sibold P20, Trustee Chloe Suen ’00, Head of School Katherine Bradley, Hongjun Du P25, Ann Che ’27, Mo Xu P27, Julia Shou P25, Jiafeng Qian P27
BEIJING: Chen Yang ’00, Ning Wan ’09, Head of School Katherine Bradley, Vivien Yang ’09, Trustee Chloe Suen ’00, Teresa Yang ’00
HONG KONG: Back row: Jocelyn Wong ’14, Denise Ho ’16, Carol Chu ’08, Trustee Chloe Suen ’00, Head of School Katherine Bradley, Charmaine Lee ’01, Lily Letts Weiss ’00, Wei-Ying Lin ’00. Front row: Hazel Cheng ’08, Sylvia Cheung ’05, Serene Yiu ’06, International & Major Gifts Officer Cynthia Sibold P20, Lina Chan ’06
BEIJING: Xuping Miao P27, Ximin Zhang BANGKOK: Sukulaya Uahwatanasakul P19, 24, Aim Issadisai ’08, Nok Wattanatorn P27, Head of School Katherine Bradley, Amy ’09, Pani Bhengsri ’19, Momori Hirabayashi ’12, Head of School Katherine Bradley, Miao ’27, International & Major Gifts Officer Rung Cheacharoen ’08, Pink Pattana-Anek ’10, Matt McCracken, L Vilassakdanont Cynthia Sibold P20 ’11, Puck Bhengsri P19, 24
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Dana Hall School
Your Legacy. Their Future. Extraordinary Generosity By all accounts, Linda Fish Fuller’s time at Dana Hall was fairly ordinary. A member of the Class of 1963, Fuller came to Dana Hall from Freeport, Illinois, the daughter of an alumna, Amelia Younglove Fish, Class of 1927. Her background was quite different from that of her sophomore year roommate Martha Kidd Cyr ’63, but the two girls made it work. “We both came to Dana Hall with reservations about boarding school, and we found places to come together despite our differences. By our senior year, when we lived in a house dorm with other girls, we all agreed that we really loved the school,” Cyr recalled. The two classmates lived together again for one year as young women in New York City. It was there that Fuller first started to make her mark in the financial world, later writing in the Class of 1963’s 50th Reunion yearbook, “I was a pioneer on Wall Street in 1968. There were no women employed in the investment business. I started at Chase, managing high net worth client assets, then went on to E.F. Hutton where I managed institutional money.” It was also in New York’s financial world that Fuller met her husband, Jay Fuller, who brought her stepson, Mark Fuller, into her life. “Her favorite place in the world was New York City,” he recalled. “She loved traveling, cooking and theater, and enjoying everything that the city had to offer.” Jay and Linda lived in New York until the late 1990s, eventually ending up in Napa, California, where they worked part-time in wineries to keep busy before they fully retired. Jay passed away in June 2020; Linda passed away in November 2022. According to Fuller, as his stepmother got older, she had more concern for inclusion and diversity, and wanted to help more students gain access to places like Dana Hall, a school that had been so important to her. “For her, all paths led back to Dana Hall, in terms of accomplishing what she was able to accomplish,” Mark Fuller noted. “She really felt that Dana Hall prepared her for the world and prepared her to become a strong and independent woman.” Linda Fish Fuller chose to affirm her belief in Dana Hall’s mission in a way that was anything but ordinary. She named Dana Hall as a beneficiary in her will, and the School has received a significant bequest that will establish the Linda Fish Fuller ’63 Endowed Scholarship Fund. The gift will help to grow Dana Hall’s endowment, one of the key priorities of the Fearless Futures campaign, and provide financial aid to deserving students in perpetuity. Her conviction and forethought leave an extraordinary legacy and inspiring act of generosity. You can also make this kind of significant impact as a member of the Helen Temple Cooke Society. It is as straightforward 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 Director of Development Betsy Rigby at betsy.rigby@danahall.org or 781-489-1368.
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Class Notes Please share your news with your Class Correspondent by April 15, 2024, for inclusion in the next issue of the Bulletin. If your class does not have a correspondent, please email your notes to bulletin@danahall.org or mail them to Class Notes, Alumnae Relations, Dana Hall School, 45 Dana Rd., Wellesley, MA 02482. All notes are due to the Alumnae Relations Office no later than April 30, 2024. 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 1941 Eleanor Herz Swent writes, “In June, I enjoyed having lunch with Anne O’Neil Dauer ’56, a Dana Hall and Pine Manor alum, and a fellow resident here at Vi at Palo Alto. The Mining History Association announced that my book, ‘One Shot for Gold,’ published by the University of Nevada Press, won the Clark Spence Award for the best book on mining history.”
Class of 1947 Di Fulton Hunter writes, “I am still living alone in my apartment in Duxbury, Mass., and sailing my boat from Florida across the gulf stream spring and fall to enjoy the Bahamas in the winter. I am always looking for ‘youngish male muscle’ to crew aboard my 34’ sailing catamaran and anyone under 80 qualifies.”
Class of 1948 Collette Johnson Taylor PO Box 66 Abingdon, VA 24212-0066 (207) 967-2352
Class of 1949 Ginger O’Hearn Broadbent P81 88 Notch Hill Road #157 North Branford, CT 06471-1848 (203) 208-1475 virginiabroadbent@frontier.com Jenna Hardy Speer writes, “I am still living in Well-Spring Retirement Community in Greensboro, N.C., but am now in assisted living rather than independent, mostly so I am sure to get the proper meds I need. The nurses take care of that, so I don’t have to worry. I love it here, and am free to go anywhere on campus for programs, exercise classes, special classes, field trips, and meals with
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friends. We also have many off-campus trips to theaters and other events. Greensboro is a wonderful city with several colleges and universities, so there is always something fun and stimulating going on. I hope you are all doing well and that any of you who come through Greensboro will come and visit me. Ask for Virginia rather than Vee. Only close friends for many years know who Vee is.”
Redinger ’81 and Charles have two girls in college: Maggie at UMass Amherst and Ally at the University of Vermont. Peter and Deb have a daughter working in New York City and a son about to move to Boston. Eric and Susie have three married sons. Michael is my third son, and he and Rhonda are enjoying living in North Carolina. That is it for now. I hope you are all happy and well! Much love to all!
Caroline Erisman H49 writes, “I’m enjoying being retired! After living for six months in Napa, Calif., my husband and I have returned to New York City permanently. I’m volunteering at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Central Park Conservancy, and taking piano lessons. We had a two-week trip to Greece planned for late October. Life is good! I think of all of you ’49ers often, and I miss you.”
Class of 1953
Bobbie Brown Mosher spent the month of August in Maine with family. They have been doing this for years. Her children and some grandchildren visit her there. Bobbie is fine. We chat often. I met Bobbie in 7th grade at Scarsdale High School along with Dottie Wilkens Howes. The three of us went on to Dana Hall together and were friends for years.
Phoebe Cory 188 Jones Ave Portsmouth, NH 03801-5516 (603) 778-2875 feebcory@gmail.com
I also have talked with Petey Berke Wulff. She is recovering from a fall from which she broke her hip. I guess we all are afraid of doing the same. Feel better soon, Petey! Otherwise, she sounded fine. Nina Heald Webber is looking forward to spending this winter in Florida as she has for a number of years. Last June, Nina hosted a family reunion with four generations of family members attending. She said it was “great!” Nina enjoys going to the Naples Philharmonic. She also enjoys seeing a few Dana friends who also spend time in Naples, Fla. I (Ginger) am fine. Keeping busy. All kids are well. SusanMary Broadbent
Juliet Bourne Sherwood 4205 East 10th Avenue, Apt. 508 Denver, CO 80220-3785 (303) 282-9077 coloradojule@gmail.com
Class of 1954
Anne Pike Rugh 105 Pine Street Portland, ME 04102-5127 (207) 317-0125 asprugh@gmail.com Senior year, Mr. Forbes, the physics teacher, told me (Anne Pike Rugh) that I had to learn to say “no.” I should have listened. Since mid-July, I have been trying to outsmart an Australian shepherd. She’s the 6-year-old mother of a 3-year-old Aussie my son’s family acquired at eight weeks. Somehow, somebody thought my getting Mommie would be a good idea. Mommie has changed my life. I’m not willing to admit it was a dumb move, but she certainly has shaken up the routine. And if that is not enough, I turned in my 10-year-old Apple computer and bought a new one. It’s more complicated.
Martha Cook Hall has it all figured out. She hires help. Martha writes, “I went on several trips last summer. The first one was with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra to Paris and London. A group of 30 patrons were treated to lots of music in both cities. It was wonderful to have everything done for me and just enjoy the music. A second trip to Madrid and Barcelona with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center was in late August. There were 22 of us from here and California. I started talking to one young woman from Palo Alto, Calif., and discovered we had a lot in common. We both grew up in Hubbard Woods, Ill., and both of us graduated from Dana Hall! What a great meeting! My husband and I knew her parents in Vero Beach, Fla.! Her name is Laura Foley Coleman ’75. We had a great time talking about Dana, except that she was on the new campus, but lots of fun. I plan to see her in New York sometime. Since I am by myself, tours where arrangements are already made seem to make sense. I have a wonderful house sitter for my puppy, so I hope to do some traveling so long as I can, physically and financially!” See the Class of 1975 column for the photo of Martha and Laura. Beedy Tatlow Neiner has been on the move too. She writes, “We are just home in Palm Desert, Calif., after three months of traveling — again! We love seeing and being with our children and grandchildren whenever it happens. Luckily, we see AJ (8) and her mother, Laura Ritchie, over the months we are in California, as they live in Beverly Hills and have a weekend getaway nearby. Our travels this summer took us to the usual places: to our lake cottage in Traverse City, Mich.; Frankenmuth, Mich.; Chagrin Falls, Ohio; Boston; Darien, Ct.; and Chevy Chase, Md. In Michigan, Kerry Neiner Alday and husband visited with our two grandboys (ages 19 and 17). They live in Orlando, Fla. Carter (19) is a sophomore at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, a wonderful school that impresses us! Kris Neiner Edwards and Tom live in Boston. Chad Ritchie lives in Darien with his wife and youngsters (boys ages 4 and 2, and a beautiful baby girl 6 months). That’s a busy household! Hank Ritchie and Meredith live in Washington, D.C. Happily, we did get to visit all of our East Coast children. It’s always a fun time to catch up. The weather was cool and rainy all along the way, so we were happy to return to the sunshine and heat!” Ann Jones Dunipace writes, “We did get to Maine this summer, but what was to have been four weeks there was extended
to six as my husband became ill and was hospitalized at PenBay in Rockport for a week, followed by two weeks of rehab in Windward Gardens in Camden. His care at both places was really good, but it was a relief when our son flew back from Indiana to drive us home in mid-August. We did have a few sunny, special Maine days, and it was reassuring to have glimpses of ‘my ocean’ in between my trips to and from Camden. While, as always, it was wonderfully special to be able to be there, we were forced to conclude that we have spent our last summer there — so sad after a lifetime (for me) of love for the Maine coast. But we have years’ worth of special memories and will live vicariously through our children and grandchildren as they continue to summer there. We’re happy Hurricane Lee chose not to impact Maine, and are so glad to hear post-Labor Day weather is lovely. Our son and daughter-inlaw were in Maine from early June until mid-August and had only a handful of beautiful days: good, at least, for striped bass fishing, but not so much for sailing.” Lynn Jenkins Brown and husband Eric and I (Anne) finally had a lovely evening dinner together in South Portland, Maine. Some quotes from a recent email: “I find only in Maine will kind people, including thoughtful kids, actually look at me and my trusty crutch and offer help. Also, I am delighted with the way people here locally will actually engage in fun conversation with the ‘Old Chatty Lady’ picking her way over cobble or beach stones. I am still working to create a more active, communicative art community here at our CRC as I’m missing my very active group in South Carolina. Happily, I’ve found good workshops and some great ‘sharers’ of art to keep me inspired and working in my cluttered space which I share with Ric. And I continue to pot. Saw the ‘Barbie’ movie in the fall. I would love to hear how other vintaged viewers responded to it. I’m still seeing sparkly pink images and mulling over the messages. I wish sparkly mullings to all!” Gay Dreher DiVirgilio titled the following, “Finally an update from me.” She writes, “Hello, everyone. I will be 88 years old on October 30, but because I was born in Indonesia (you know that island above Australia), my birthday is actually October 29 here in this hemisphere. At any rate, I have been in a reading binge, especially short stories. I love having an Amazon Alexa so I can see my sons when I call them and it’s fun to ask for the SAT Word of the Day. I read three newspapers a day (New York Times, Wall Street Journal and The Post) and enjoy my smart TV so I
can see movies on Netflix, Amazon or Hulu. I especially like the documentaries. I have just discovered that I can watch a real Broadway show via AARP. I have the information but have yet to sign up; they offer plays, musicals, ballets, etc. That’s the latest from me. I love reading the Bulletin and I don’t think I would recognize the campus at all. I still drive and my health is good. Cheers to all.” Page Blackmore Oberlin called midOctober before leaving for Florida from her lakeside home in Maine where she has summered for the last 18 years. “I’m a nomad,” she said. The Maine-Florida drive with dogs and birds has become more challenging. This year, son John will take the dogs and birds. As much as Page loves fried clams, she is wondering if this might be her last year in Maine. We talked about gratitude for the life we have been able to lead. She recovered well from a major spinal operation in December. Patty Sykes Treadwell had a fun 87th birthday celebration in September. Her four children and their families organized dinner at a Turkish restaurant and music until midnight at an Irish bar. She loved it. I (Anne) saw Patty in May when she came east for a grandchild’s graduation from Colby College. Beth Butler May gave me a call from Lexington, Mass., where she and George now live. Beth was my roommate sophomore year in Sanborn. It was lovely to hear her voice. Beth’s daughter Sarah visited me again this summer in Lubec and caught me up on family news. Incidentally, the only reason I took physics (I had no idea what it was) is because rumor had it that in biology you had to cut up a frog. That did it for me. Ah, teenage decision-making! Marka ReQua Burnett reports that her daughter Suzy Burnett Doolittle ’82 and her husband now live close to them in New Jersey, which she is very happy about!
Nancy Williams Rose in Egypt
Nancy Williams Rose sent a photo taken last April from Egypt, writing that she was “so glad I went then, as it would be out of
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the question now. Just too dangerous. It was one of my best trips ever. Not for everyone, but I enjoyed the pyramids, cruising down the Nile for four days, and imagine soaring in a hot air balloon over the Valley of the Kings (at 86 no less)!” In late October, Andrea Kniznick Waldstein wrote to me about the difficulty she has had in adjusting to the loss of her husband Arthur, who died suddenly in September 2022. She writes, “It was and still is a tremendous shock from which I have not recovered. I have been receiving various kinds of help, such as a bereavement group for spouse loss and some post-traumatic shock therapy for what’s called complicated grief, and I attend a neighborhood meditation group. I have good friends and go to some cultural events here in the city and am on the waiting list for an independent living place. On the wharf where I am, it is beautiful but lonely, and my children are not nearby. It’s good to hear from you and my other Dana classmates. I know that loss at this time of life is everywhere and that people do adjust in amazing ways. That is an inspiration toward my healing, so I am grateful to all who write for our class notes.” I heard from Caroline Bassett Wilkinson’s son Scott that his mother died on September 28, 2023. She moved to the West Coast last year to be closer to him, her two daughters and a grandchild. Caroline responded often to my pleas for news, for which I was very grateful and enjoyed very much. I appreciated Scott filling me in on the last chapter. Caroline and I were both in Sanborn sophomore year. I think all of us felt she had a special quality.
Class of 1955 Sue Bartow Christie PO Box 945 East Orleans, MA 02643-0945 (508) 255-0712 schristi.christie11@gmail.com Many of our class members are engaged in their communities, remaining active during our 9th decade! We (Sue Bartow Christie and Sheila Slawsby Kowal) wish everyone good health and productivity in the coming years and months. A phone call in May with Joan Harding Bartlett revealed that she continues to serve as a town selectman in Plymouth, Mass., where she and her family have lived for many years. Issues of land use and historic preservation, as well as low-cost
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housing for residents, hold her attention. Members of Joan’s family either live close by or visit her at their family compound during the year. Joan, a violist and violinist, also continues to make music with her Plymouth neighbors. The town clerk (cellist) and others gather to perform chamber music. The quartet — which she and close friend/classmate Mudgie Johnson Anderson of Barrington, R.I. used to belong to — has faded into beloved memory as various members’ capacity to drive has been impaired. Caroline Campbell Knott of Falmouth, Maine, summers in Maine and winters in Arizona. Her volunteer work includes tutoring immigrants in English. Recent arrivals to the program have come from Somalia. Sukie’s husband Bob developed pneumonia during their last stay in Arizona, where she became his full-time caregiver. We hope to include Sukie on one or more of our Zoom calls soon. Speaking of Zoom calls, our monthly visits (second Monday at 5 p.m. Eastern Time) continue. We have visited with close to 15-20 classmates, usually about six at a time. We talk about a number of topics, finding that our concerns are common to us all. Our challenges and pleasures are also common to us all. Hosted by Dale Miller Frehse and Jean MacDonald Riseman, who began these visits a couple of years ago, our sessions have now been “adopted” by Dana Hall and Harriet Groppe Prince ’06, associate director of Alumnae Relations and our liaison to the School. Harriet now initiates the Zoom link a few days prior to “the Monday,” giving us a generous window for conversation. In the past, we needed to “log back on” after the first 40 minutes. Now our conversations can flow unimpeded. Thank you to all who have participated, welcome to all who “try us out” and much appreciation to our School who makes these monthly informal/ informative reunions possible — without our having to board a car, train or plane! Judy Wolfe Reichert lives in Williamstown, Mass. She has traveled (London in March 2023 and Portugal during spring 2023) with her younger daughter, now free to go abroad after COVID-19. Judy’s singing in a local choral group has been important to her. Due to a bout with COVID-19, her higher soprano range has given way to lower notes. She also audits classes at Williams. She has served as a docent at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown. She added that she and her late husband, who was a professor at
Williams, moved into their home more than 30 years ago. When we spoke, she was considering a move to a life care community near her. During our conversation, Judy raised the topic of Beatrice McClory Etienne, her close friend at Dana Hall. During a trip to Europe in 1994, Judy visited Bea in Provence. Until 2-3 years ago, Judy was receiving Christmas cards from Bea. Unfortunately, no more have arrived. During a conversation with Anne Edwards Nokes of Albuquerque, N.M., Sheila learned about Anne’s life in her hometown. She said that her children are all married, though none live near her. They do, however, visit her and her husband each summer. She remains in touch with her family by writing them a letter every Sunday morning, a practice that has lasted for decades. Her extracurricular life has been devoted to serving on several local non-profit boards; namely, United Way, Girl Scouts and New Futures Alternative High School, to name just a few. In recent years, Anne has traveled around New Mexico, applying her board experience to the training of new board members in a variety of nonprofits. She finds that her counsel after years of having to address the myriad issues that boards must face are evergreen and universal. This is currently her primary volunteer work. Another regular activity is reading for Newsline for the Blind. This organization provides access for the blind to more than 500 publications. She also plays a lot of bridge! Anne mentioned that, while she was at Dana Hall, she wanted to become a veterinarian. Mrs. Johnston was not on board with this plan. Anne became a special education teacher — and then some! Nancy Newton West of Cleveland, prior to a three-week stint of visiting various family members in the eastern half of the U.S., has had the time to provide us with some news of other classmates. Thank you, Nancy! After a hiatus due to COVID-19, Nancy spent April in Florence, Italy, a treasured custom for many years. Cathie Crawford Pike remains in New Canaan, Ct., in the home shared with her late husband. She is a talented and prodigious poet, author of several books, and is very involved with her local Episcopal church. Linda Keady Boyd has moved to a continuing care residence in Venice, Fla. Judy Beals now lives in a continuing care residence in Littleton, N.H., close to her daughter Polly. Connie Alden Bates spends time traveling between Massachusetts, Maine and Colorado. She continues to be very active in the EDGE
after-school program for children in Maine, sponsored by the Maine Seacoast Mission. Anne Bates Linden lives in Charlottesville, Va., and enjoys frequent visits with her children. Gail Nicholas Schneider has relocated to another town in Connecticut, still close to her daughter. She had moved to Easton, Ct., after 27 years in Maryland, and was shuttling back and forth each week to stay with her partner. Recently, to simplify her life, she decided to sell her home and live with him full-time. We look forward to an update of her address! Jean MacDonald Riseman, as of this writing in October 2023, is in the process of relocating from San Francisco to Northampton, Mass. Due to changes in her physical condition, she has chosen to move to Rockridge, a continuing care facility, where she will also be living close to her daughter. As we can all appreciate, this change represents quite a paradigm shift for Jean in so many ways. We trust that she will enjoy her new community and the pleasures of living near family! Ann Gordon Bain of Augusta, N.J., told us during a Zoom call in early September that she is focusing on her tennis and walking the golf course each day to stay fit. She aims for 14,000 steps; she averages 11,000 steps daily. Ann, you’re a model! We gain inspiration from each other, in so many ways, as we navigate our 80s! Barbara Wells, who joined us on our most recent Zoom call from Vashon, Wash., remains a practicing glass artist, very involved in the community’s art and social life. During Sheila’s annual trips to Vashon each August, she and Barbara usually enjoy a lunch together to catch up! Barbara has lived there for more than 20 years, having relocated from Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass., to Vashon. A change in climate and culture for sure! Sue Bartow Christie of Orleans, Mass., after several years of ill health, is feeling much improved following some medical procedures. She continues to serve on the Orleans Preservation Committee. Due to numerous doctors’ appointments and a personal family loss, she has been unable to participate as Class Correspondent in this issue of the Bulletin. We send her our heartfelt condolences, wish her good health and look forward to her future engagement. A May phone call with Carol Fink Kripke of Cambridge, Mass., yielded the information that she spent much of the winter in Florida at a winter place she and
her husband purchased some years ago. Golf with friends absorbs much of her time. One son lives in Florida, the other in Connecticut. Carol has three grandchildren. As far as I (Sheila) know, Carol continues her practice as a therapist. Jane Sprague Watts of Traverse City, Mich., lost her husband in January 2023 after a two-year illness. As she described the situation, this was the first time she had ever lived alone. Her many strong and close friendships have helped her combat loneliness; her supportive family has been by her side. She mentioned the accumulation of possessions now facing her in her home of 42 years. Many of us have contemplated or are dealing with this latter situation, more or less. Jane’s volunteer commitment has been invested in the Citizens Climate Lobby, the League of Women Voters and the Unitarian Church. And now a word about Dixie Wilder Guiles. Legally blind, she divides her time between The Highlands in Topsham, Maine, and a summer compound belonging to her family in Blue Hill, Maine. Dixie reads by hearing, subscribing to books recorded for the blind. In addition to her active life at The Highlands, she travels to visit relatives, on her own, by train and plane, having mastered the art of finding her way wherever she may be. She plans to attend her 65th Reunion at Radcliffe/ Harvard this coming May. When asked if she’d be accompanied by someone, she replied that she would just take the train herself from the nearest train station to Boston. Dixie, you are an inspiration! Peggy Marlow Guthrie of Choteau, Mont., lives in town at the present time. During a conversation with Sheila, Peggy said that she is re-learning how to play bridge, a pastime that she and her husband Bert enjoyed while he was alive. She is also invested in the Choteau Art Gallery, which features art in all its forms. Twenty years ago, when the gallery was founded, Peggy and her cohort of mothers formed Choteau Art for Children and Adults. Classes by local artists are still offered in the local community center. Performances during the tourist season also occur weekly. When Sheila mentioned that she was “relearning” how to play the piano after a 50-year hiatus, Peggy helpfully suggested that she “keep playing. You’ll be wonderful!” Thank you, Peggy!
Class of 1957 Judy O’Connell Perkins P89 830 Swallow Pt Naples, FL 34105-7426 (781) 329-1622 judyoperk@aol.com Once again, it’s time for Class Notes. I write from Naples, Fla., where it is sunny and warm. I do see a few Dana alumnae, but unfortunately nobody from the Class of ’57. Pam Farrington Clayson ’54, Nina Heald Webber ’49, Nancy Conant Blackburn ’65, Jennie Ott Tracey ’56 and Boppy Ott-Brayman ’61 are all friends with whom I cross paths. I know from past gatherings that there are more Dana ladies in Naples. It would be fun to have another reunion. Naples is nice because people are happy to be here and there is a lot one can do — too much sometimes! I play golf 2-3 times a week. No tennis now, though I may try… gently, because I’d rather not have a replacement; it has been suggested. My biggest interest is gardening. Jim and I have a small garden where I grow herbs, flowers and vegetables, plus we have a very productive orange tree and a banana tree. I belong to the Naples Garden Club (NGC), which meets monthly. Each year, we have a house and garden tour and a two-day flower show. The club also has a small garden in the Naples Botanical Garden called the Idea Garden. In this garden, NGC members demonstrate gardening techniques, teach about topiary, etc. We also care for the garden, which we’ve planted with flowers, topiary, vegetables — things that people living here might want to try and that visitors might enjoy seeing. Why not take a look? The Flower Show is April 5 and 6 with a preview party the evening of the 4th. P.S. If you didn’t send a note, please do it next time (in April) for the Summer Bulletin. Diane Hay Fortuin writes, “This photo was taken in Portugal. I traveled with my daughters for three weeks in Europe. It’s crowded, but travel is still one of our best educational opportunities.”
Diane Hay Fortuin
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Class of 1958 Ty Wyatt Forbush 1211 S.W. Shoreline Drive #2206 Palm City, FL 34990-4553 (561) 747-4332 tyforbush4@gmail.com I (Ty Wyatt Forbush) think all the “stops” were pulled out in our 1958 Summer Bulletin Class Notes column reveling over the happiness and joy felt by all the attendees at our 65th Reunion. I hope your holiday season was joyous and that 2024 will be a positive, happy year for you. I appreciate those who have responded to my pleas for fresh news. Joan Sigel Schuman, the hostess with the mostest, which was exhibited at our private class dinner at Joan’s beautiful apartment in Chestnut Hill, Mass., has some news to share. Her youngest granddaughter, Aspen Schuman, received a wild card entry to the U.S. Open Junior Tennis Championship Tournament, which took place in N.Y. alongside the pro tournament in early September. Aspen won her first two matches to get to the third round, but unfortunately lost to a player from England. All eyes are on her as we wish her many wins in the future. Madge Baker writes, “I live in southern Maine (Shapleigh) in the house my husband and I built in 1980. He is deceased, but I will stay until my health gives out or I have to give up driving. A portion of my day is often devoted to serving on the town planning board, an arguably thankless responsibility that requires significant hours each month. My town is small enough to need volunteer help and this is a good fit in view of my legal training. Another portion of my day is often spent working on a task for our regional land trust. Land conservation has become my passion. And, like all classmates, another normal activity is to keep in close touch with family and good friends. The only Dana news I can write about is a trip, still in the planning stages, to meet up with a cherished friend made at Dana: Charlotte Sector Caton ’59. She and I are aiming to meet in Chicago halfway between our two homes.” Madge added that she wasn’t able to attend our 65th Dana Reunion because of a conflicting trip to Costa Rica in April 2023. Betsy Henry Caldwell writes, “When I learned that my two granddaughters and my son were going to skydive, I said I will go with you and make it a three-
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generational morning. I have wanted to tandem skydive for 57 years. And now I’ve done it and it was fun.” Betsy Henry Caldwell before skydiving with her granddaughter
Tamsen Evans George sends news that over this past summer, she finished writing her second book that is now with an editor and should be published in the spring. Stay tuned for more information! Tamsen is committed next year to membership on two historic preservation committees in Falmouth, Mass., and continuing her passion for writing. Her daughter and granddaughter are living with her, so she has fine company following the adventures of her grandchildren. Ann Hurd Fralix and her husband Henry took a fall trip to Norway, Finland and Copenhagen that included crossing the Arctic Circle. They are very seasoned travelers by now, and this was one of the very best trips they have ever taken in respect to the itinerary, leadership and congenial fellow travelers. There was a “small world” happening with an individual on this trip who lives in Duxbury, Mass., and knows Emily Dean MacNaught. Next trip for Ann and Henry will find them traversing the Panama Canal March 1 on a cruise from Los Angeles to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Lindsey Hall Huddleston writes, “I have been making up for travel lost to COVID-19. I moved from St. Charles, Ill., to Sarasota, Fla., in 2022 to be nearer family. I am living in an independent senior living residence named Arietta, which I love. In July 2023, I visited Wilmington, N.C.; in August 2023, I returned to my former home in Westport, Ct.; in September 2023, I returned to my most recent home town near Chicago and attended the wedding of my granddaughter in Racine, Wis. And in mid-October 2023 I planned to fly out to Seattle and spend time with Holly Gebelein Hobart, my Dana Hall roommate, on Holly’s beautiful 62’ yacht, Sea Bear. It is good to be traveling again!” Lastly, I (Ty) am resigning my 1958 Class Correspondent position that I took over in
2006 in honor of our beloved classmate, Kathy Houser. I have recently been diagnosed with bladder cancer and have to re-evaluate my volunteer commitments, etc., to focus now on this personal challenge. I am sure one of our classmates will step up and take this on to pay honor to her positive Dana Hall experience. I’ve enjoyed keeping up with classmates like I have. Please remember to alert Dana Hall (bulletin@danahall.org), indicating you are a 1958er, of any address, email and telephone number changes you may be experiencing so you are not lost!
Class of 1959 Jill Spiller 45 Sutton Place South, Apartment 1B New York, NY 10022-2445 (917) 545-8022 jillspiller11@gmail.com Sheila Thompson Adams was named Woman of the Year for the town of Holliston, Mass., in September 2022 in recognition for her many years of volunteer service to the town. Sheila was surprised by the honor, which included plaques and citations from the Town Council, other towns and her U.S. Representative. Her first duty — a happy one — was to ride in the back of a convertible in the town parade where she enjoyed waving and tossing candy to the children. Another honor was to light the New Year’s Eve bonfire. She has volunteered in a variety of town activities including in schools, as a trustee of the town library for 12 years, and a member of the historical society for 20 years.
Class of 1960 Sallie Off Sadler sallie.sadler.phd@gmail.com Sallie Off Sadler writes, “Hi, fellow classmates! As I wrote in one of my emails to you, I feel the state of ‘being’ is overshadowed by the state of ‘doing.’ As we get older, I feel my focus is on the quality of ‘being’ rather than an ‘action-packed’ agenda. I did that — enough already! So life demands its new challenges of ‘being.’ My husband has been diagnosed with dementia and is really declining mentally. And as with so many age-related illnesses, we are not often prepared for these changes — certainly not for a Harvardeducated Harvard professor — but we have to deal with what we are dealt. Fortunately, we have a wonderful, responsible, caring son and daughter-in-law who live in
Columbia, S.C. We will be selling our home in Oakland, Calif., to be closer to them and family in the beginning of 2024. We are fortunate to have their engaged support. The move will be a challenge for us, certainly in the dominant political environment of South Carolina, but, given time, I am sure we will find our own path and tribe! Wishing all well. Take care.” Marty Horton Gecek writes, “After 57 years with the Salzburg Global Seminar, I decided it was time (for the third time!) to finally retire as chair of the American Studies Advisory Committee. It has been a joy and privilege to be associated with this incredible institution. I’ve met some incredible people over the years, and it doesn’t do any harm to have the Sound of Music palace as the venue! Otherwise, all is well with me and my family, two daughters and three grandsons in beautiful Salzburg. Count my blessings every day.” Kathy Knudson Wattles writes, “This has been a year of challenges since I get the pleasure of living on a horse farm in Little Compton, R.I. It is hard making sure my help gets everything they need because they give so much back. Eleven tons of hay seems to go like air, but my seven horses boarding and their owners are always bringing light like a family here. My special kids are growing up. As young teens, they now sleep over and give me advice as they have learned so well from experiences here. I am feeling really good and I don’t want to brag, but I have to tell you how proud I am to have received a Merit of Honor from the Garden Club of America for my years of participation through the Little Compton Garden Club. To top it off, co-chairing an exhibit on oak trees with Buzzards Bay, we just won two major awards for education at the Autumn Joy Flower Show. Sadly, I also had to say goodbye to my best dog pal, Skipper, whose suffering from cancer became too much. But I have to keep pushing forward, and my wild maitake mushrooms are huge at the base of an old oak and are ready for harvest, just in time to give a dinner for the community center. I think Dana taught me the skills to survive the crunch. Love to you all from Dancing Oaks Farm.” Ann Reeves writes, “First of all, I have so many positive memories of Dana Hall: the education, for sure, but even more, the wonderful young women I grew to know. I was never happier in a school situation. My closest lifelong Dana friends are Darden Whelden Carr, with whom I am still in contact, and Dixie Pierson Rainey, who died in 2014 after many years of living
gracefully with cancer. I retired almost three years ago from my private practice in psychology. For most of my career, I primarily saw younger children, age 3-13, in play therapy, and then some adults. As the years went by and I spent a lot of time on the floor with my grandchildren, I was less inclined to work with the little ones and shifted to older kids and adults. I also taught at Fairfield University and Sacred Heart University as an adjunct assistant professor. I loved my career, every second of it, and miss it very much. Happily, on the summer solstice of 2020, Bill Swanson, my long-time partner and I married, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the 28th anniversary of our meeting. The large celebration we planned was canceled and we had a beautiful ceremony in the woods behind our home in Redding, Ct., with 11 of us present on a beautiful, sunny day. We downsized to a smaller house in Fairfield, Ct., so we could be close to my son and his family, and that took a great deal of physical and mental energy which destabilized me for a bit. We are very happy, now, and it feels comforting to return to the town of my roots. My interests have always revolved around social, racial and environmental justice, with some periods of high activism and other times of study, including a deep introspection around my white privilege: access to education, housing, a certain amount of wealth, connections, color, contacts. Through deep research, I have uncovered numerous ancestors who enslaved others — not only Virginia/West Virginia, but in Massachusetts and Connecticut. I carry the names of 27 of these individuals in my wallet so as not to forget. I have never felt guilty or shamed; rather, I remain inspired to keep learning, to set a better example of humanity, and to uncover and teach about current examples of systemic racism that are not so obvious to many. I hope/plan to write/teach more about this as I continue to learn. I thought I knew it all during the Civil Rights Movement of the ’60s and ’70s when we marched and traveled and yelled out our frustrations. Now I know how little I knew, even as my heart was in the right place. I am blessed with and proud of my three wonderful children: my daughter, a composer and sound artist teaching at the University of Colorado; a son who works in the sports camp industry with camps around the country and lives 10 minutes away; and another son in California who works in financial services. Between them, there are eight beautiful grandchildren who are the joy of our lives. One of them, Sierra, lived for six weeks before succumbing to complications from
prematurity. They are all my teachers. And Bill has two grown children and two sweet, spirited twin girl grandchildren who live an hour from my daughter and her daughter in Colorado. We have a wonderful time when we get together, with deep conversation and a great deal of silliness. My sister, Carol Reeves Parke ’54, is still vibrant at 87, much busier than I in her local volunteer commitments in Richmond, Va. We were very sad to lose our brother Bill four years ago, also in Richmond. If anyone is ever visiting my area of Connecticut, I’d love to hear from you.” Paula Cole Miller writes, “I love just ‘being’ and would highly recommend Ruth Ozeki’s book, ‘A Tale for the Time Being.’ This cross-cultural narrative will feed your soul and fill your mind. Santa Fe, N.M., is always busy, but we get a chance to burn our sorrows and woes with moans and groans each year with burning of the giant puppet Zozobra. Check it out on the internet. I flew out to spend time with Susie Hendey Jenkins at the end of the summer. Wonderful to pick up where we left off. Visited son Mark at his adorable place outside Baltimore and met my first grandson, Joshua. Adorable, as all babies are. Then made a quick visit to Sacramento, Calif., to visit Tom in his new house. He and Nuin are adding an ADU for Mamacita so I can eventually stay with them. Tom is making another film in Finland, his third collaboration with the Goldman Environmental Nobel, Tero Mustonen. Nuin is pursuing a job with the Mediterranean Climate Alliance. Very busy young folks, all of them. David is finishing his last two years of teaching at St John’s College and looking forward to retirement after 30 some years of academics. They are all ‘doing’ great things while I enjoy just ‘being.’ I taught a course on the evolution and change in psychoanalytic thought as women became more renown in the field, and a course on psychology and soul in poetry with a focus on Rilke and Ada Limon, our present poet laureate. Am looking at doing a course on elderhood — not just because of my age, but also because we need elders more than ever in these tumultuous times. I serve on the curriculum committee for Renesan, our institute for lifelong learning. Love reading news from all of you in the Class of ’60.” Cathy Parker Patel writes, “I’d like to pass along this information to anyone who may need cataract surgery. There is a new lens called LAL (light adjustable lens) that can now be used. I had one implanted several months ago. The old lenses they previously used are still fine, but this newer
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one is adjusted in your eye by tweaking it with UV rays after it is implanted. Terrific results, with terrific technology! We are living in an amazing time. In June, my daughter and I had the BEST trip ever to Ireland. My whole life I have always been fascinated by castles. We found a wonderful family-owned travel agency that offers tours with few people. Each night was spent in a castle or manor house. Traveled by bus for nine days around the country with a great guide who was an encyclopedia of knowledge, charm and wit. I have been on a high since that time. Had it not been for my son who came and stayed with our senior, physically challenged chihuahuas, we never could have gone. Not possible to put them in a kennel. Big kudos to my son. Sending best wishes to you all for good health and peaceful lives. There is one thing we can all do now and that is to pray for our country.” Sally Harper Carpenter writes, “As usual, I am doing my ‘homework’ at the last minute! I am well and keeping busy with volunteer work for the League of Women Voters and another local group. Tom, my husband of 54 years, died five years ago. The first year was rough, but I have settled into a comfortable life alone. I’m in a small (11 units) condo association with wonderful neighbors. My condo backs up to a large conservancy that has walking paths throughout. I still bike in the summer and walk year-round for exercise. My address is Middleton, Wis., but I’m just two miles from Madison, Wis., where we lived for 35 years. I loved your comment about relating to our state of being rather than our state of doing. That inspired me to write.”
Class of 1961 Sue (Gibbsie) Gibbs gibbsie65@hotmail.com I (Sue Gibbs) guess we’ll start with the event of the summer, at least for those who were able to make it to the ’61 luncheon at Wimpy’s in Osterville, Mass., on August 1. There were 11 of us there: Allison White, Phyl Jansen, Carolyn Harris, Marlene Mustard Graf, Tucker Massey Clark, Sally Pockel Harper, Linda Marsh, Carolyn (Terre) Grande Harder, Dindy Evans, Debby Goodwin Klotz, and me. It was a wonderful time, the food was great and the rafters were ringing. We missed the ones who live so far away that they couldn’t make it, but we knew they were with us in spirit. After all, we are very spread out: Australia, Japan, France, Alaska, Arizona, California, to name some
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of the furthest. Of course, there is one who lives in Norway, but she was there! Dindy came from Washginton, D.C., the furthest away, but she was also visiting family in New England. I love Allison’s comment when asked why more didn’t come: “Well, we are 79-80, so I think we’re making a great turnout!” It certainly was a good time for us all. Here are a few of the comments afterwards. Tucky: “The luncheon was a delight… happy, chatty, warm and friendly;” Linda: “I am still ‘revved up,’ I feel positively glowing from the warmth of our gathering. I remember you as an 8th grader, and I know you remember me — and that is special. Lifetime friendships that resume in a day or an hour or a minute are indeed a rare treasure;” Terre: “It was a delightful event — a real ‘treat’ in every way.” At the luncheon I, Gibbsie, was both honored and moved by everyone having pitched in to buy me a charm bracelet saying Dana Hall as a thanks for being Class Correspondent. Phyl had bought it at good old Anderson’s Jeweler in Wellesley, Mass. It was the last one they had. A lovely tribute. Thank you.
Back row: Carolyn Grande Harder, Allison White, Dindy Evans, Sally Pockel Harper, Tucky Massey Clark; Front row: Phyllis Jansen, Linda Marsh, Carolyn Harris, Marlene Mustard Graf, Debby Goodwin Klotz
Allison White turned her delightful Cape home into a 5-star hotel for a few days. Phyl and I spent a couple of nights there, being wined and dined in the best possible way while talking each other’s ears off. Unfortunately, Phyl couldn’t stay for the Wianno reception, but we were lucky that Dindy had a sudden change of plans and ended up spending one night at Chez Allison. More talking and catching up. Thanks to a wonderful hotelier. The next evening Dana Hall had a gathering at the Wianno Club, which four of us were lucky enough to be able to go to. We were Marlene, Allison, Dindy and me. It was so nice to talk to many of the staff, other alumnae and listen to Katherine Bradley update us on the state of the School. We are proud to belong. Back to the West Falmouth hotelier, Allison has visited her daughter and family in North Carolina,
and her son and his wife in Washington, and as I write is on her way to visit her oldest brother who lives in Madrid. She’ll be helping him celebrate his 90th birthday. I’d say we have another globetrotter in our midst. Allison White and Phyllis Jansen
Allison White, Susan Gibbs, Dindy Evans
Anne Poekel McCauley wrote last spring that she and Dick have moved to a Christian retirement community in central Florida. She writes, “Downsizing was the worst job in my life, but guess what: We can live just fine in an apartment. No more house and yard repairs. Dick’s mind is excellent. He loves his computer and his NASCAR and Indianapolis car races. However, walking is a problem. I love my ladies’ history clubs and a swim aerobics class.” (Why didn’t you ask Cindy Childs Over to help you on the move, Anne? She and her Dick are moving all the time!) She was grateful for the invitation to the lunch, but neither of them travels anymore. She certainly says hello to all. She enjoys our class emails and reading Class Notes. Speaking of Cindy, she’s at it again. Remember last time I wrote that they were thinking of moving yet again? Maybe for the last time? She writes, “Guess what? We moved to an independent facility, The Gallery, and we love it. The food is great, the people are very friendly, and there are many activities to enjoy, like ice cream socials, lots of games, crafts, movies and entertainment. You certainly aren’t bored. We are still very active in our church. We are only 2.8 miles away from our church. The Gallery is only one year old, and it is beautiful.” Cindy Clark Cunningham writes, “Thinking back today on our Dana years. I was so in love with Dana Hall and at the same time I was very shy. In her wisdom,
Miss Stanley took me out of math classes (where I was failing) and put me in music classes where I blossomed as a music major. The good laugh there is that music is math, so it worked out perfectly. Now I can tune the instruments I play, and I love helping my students through their fear of the math in music!” Sue Steele Isbell and Bob were on the busy graduation/wedding circuit again in May, but of course they have all those grandchildren at the right age. June was, amazingly enough, a no-travel month before they headed for Telluride, Colo., on the 28th to beat the Tampa heat and stayed until September 8. While there, they had a visit from a 17-year-old grandson and a friend who are into old cars, so they all went to the awesome Classic Car Museum in Gateway, Colo. This fall, they were in Portland, Ore., at still another grandchild wedding where almost the entire clan was able to gather. Thanksgiving will be at home in Tampa (imagine!) and Christmas in Nashville. Ann Nutter Thompson says, “I want to share that we are finally proud grandparents of two. Ellie, who was born in June on Flag Day, joining big brother Otto, who’s now 2 1/2. I have had some health issues off and on in the past year and a half, but doing well now. Looking forward to February and March in Sarasota, Fla., and spending time with Robin Morsman Geisman.” Otto and Ellie, grandchildren of Ann Nutter Thompson
Penny Pyne Mott writes from Maine that this summer was not Damariscotta’s best. She writes, “Lots of rain, leaving drainage ditches not only full but overflowing following every storm. The ditch in my yard usually dries out mid-late June leaving grass that is mowable. Not this year! It was working all summer to catch water that drained from the lawn following the huge rainstorms we had. Occasionally, the sun came out and we had a day or so with upper 70- and 80-degree days. We did have three days in the 90s, but nothing like the Mid-Atlantic experienced. I used my heat more frequently than my A/C. My only
real news is that my two granddaughters are in nursing school. Allie is a junior at the U of Delaware, and Ella is a first-year student at Clemson. I am so proud of them. They both seem to be incredibly happy with their choice.” Penny was down in New York to visit the family this summer and was glad that it wasn’t as hot as she’d feared. We missed one of our most loyal minireunion attendees at Wimpy’s, namely Nicki Batterson Hall. But her turning 80 last winter gave her more exciting summer things to do, as if driving from Connecticut to Osterville, Mass., for lunch wasn’t far enough. She writes, “I hated to miss the Cape Cod gathering this year, but I was off seeking adventure. Everyone looked really good in the picture you sent. Fun to see the faces. So I decided that my 80th decade was going to start off with a big adventure! Sam (partner) and I both had a bunch of ideas, but pretty quickly decided that we were going to drive to the Arctic Ocean! There are not many roads that actually go there but one, The Dempster Highway in the Northwest Territory of Canada, does. It’s a 500-mile gravel road that starts near Dawson City in the Yukon and ends in an Inuvialiut hamlet called Tuktoyatuk right on the Arctic Ocean. There are only two places on the road where you can get gas and a car serviced. You are out of luck if problems arise in between! We did have problems! Four flat tires! We managed to somehow limp along after each flat until we could get the tires fixed, running very low on spares. It was epic, but we made it without having to abandon our vehicle. But that isn’t the whole story at all. In the Yukon and Northwest Territory, we drove through miles and miles of pristine mountains, forest and tundra — so beautiful and otherworldly at times. We passed through historic towns (think Gold Rush), small First Nation settlements and a brief few days in Alaska (Haines). This clearly isn’t a trip for everyone. We traveled in our van (slightly bigger than a VW bus) with two dogs and by the end of the trip, it was a furmobile! Starting out from Connecticut, our odometer probably posted well over 10,000 miles. Not a good environmental move, but I did do a carbon offset for some of those miles. When we got to the Arctic Ocean, yes, I did put my big toe in the water. Always love our Dana Hall correspondence.” How come not a brisk swim? What a fantastic way to celebrate 80 years on this earth! Congratulations on a wonderful trip, Nicki.
Nicki Batterson Hall and furry friends at the Arctic Ocean in NW Canada
Carolyn (Terre) Grande Harder celebrated becoming an octogenarian by spending a month in Umbria, Italy, this early fall. She is a second-generation Italian-American and wanted to spend some quality time there. She chose Umbria because of having been in touch with a tour guide who really whetted her appetite for the area. She had been in Italy before, of course, and was fascinated by the duomos, frescoes, paintings, history of the medieval towns, wines, foods and majolica, and wanted to explore and learn more. She stayed in Assisi but also visited Gubbio, Spello, Spoleto, Todi, Perugia, Orvieto and several others. She learned that Assisi and other Italian cities had saved more than 36,000 Jews in World War II. (There’s a 1985 movie, “The Assisi Underground” about it.) While she was there, her daughter Ashley gave her a special birthday gift and flew there from Phoenix for a week. She writes, “One delightful event we did was to climb the tower of the Assisi Cathedral of San Rufino, patron saint of Assisi. It was 150 steps to the top and 150 back down again! It had spectacular views of the very green countryside, as Assisi is a medieval hill town. As we prepared to go down, I said to Ashley, ‘I wonder when these four bells start to toll?’ They started as soon as I said it! Wow!” Terre says it was a super week, to say the least, and the whole month was the best birthday gift.
Carolyn Grand Harder and her daughter Ashley in Perugia, ltaly
Carolyn Harris had a wonderful week in July at Big Bear Lake in the San
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Bernardino National Forest in California. She traveled with a friend (one of her golf buddies) from the time she lived in the Los Angeles region. She loves that area and had a wonderful time getting away from the rat race and hiking in the beautiful forest. Tucky Smith Harison says she doesn’t have a lot to report. Summer came late and left early in Idaho. Lots of rain and cloudy days. As I write, they are back in Carefree, Ariz. Her best news is that husband Brandon is doing well after a horrible bout with chemo. She writes, “His PET scans are very encouraging and thanks to his hard work and determination, he is walking slowly without his stroller. Leki sticks sometimes for added stability. At 85, it’s a long road back from the challenges of chemo and its joy-juice! Once again, I’m sorry to have missed the Cape Cod mini-reunion! My thoughts were with you. I fear not ever seeing my super special classmates again and need to pull up my britches and make the trip east. I wasn’t comfortable leaving Brandon for a week (because, let’s face it, if I’m going that far, I’m going to get my money’s worth).” She had had the best intentions of joining us in Osterville. She also writes, “Teton Valley Magazine’s mid-November issue has an article about two friends and me. I haven’t seen the piece yet, but I believe it is about friendship and connecting.” She’ll send it to me and I’ll pass it on to everyone. Tucky Massey Clark is keeping us abreast of what is happening in her divided family, victims of the Ukrainian War. She writes, “Who knew that at age 80, I’d be mothering a teenage grandson who’s separated from his parents because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Everyone is okay but not together, so I get to keep him company as he practices driving, looks at colleges and all that goes with being a high school senior. Fortunately, he’s a delight and he’ll get to see his parents in Dubai over New Year’s. And his older sister is not far; she’s at Barnard College in New York and will join us for Thanksgiving. His twin sister is in Dubai with his mother, my daughter, who was sent there from Moscow by her company, Bloomberg. His father goes back and forth from Moscow to Dubai. I’m sad for his parents who don’t get to see him growing up. I’m lucky that I do.” Marlene Mustard Graf writes, “I am treasurer of and sing in the Fountain Hills Community Chorus. I am taking a beginner’s bridge class, which is both fun and challenging. League golf started up in November — also fun and challenging. I am active in my church, The Fountains
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United Methodist Church, which is progressive and open to ALL. This I find most rewarding. My summer visit to New Hampshire and Massachusetts was a great success allowing me to see all my family, many friends and especially attend our mini-reunion in Osterville, Mass. I am healthy and happy enjoying my single life, my apartment with an incredible view, and forming friendships with neighbors.” I’ve never known Marlene to go away without changing her plans, dates and reservations at least twice and this summer was no exception. Luckily for me, she ended up visiting a cousin very near me in New Hampshire, so we spent a good deal of time together. She, used to Arizona, froze and I was dying of the heat, but we had lots of good laughs. I’ve heard about all sorts of ways to celebrate the completion of our 80th year, which I think almost all of us will have done by the time we get this Bulletin. Some had big bashes and some did it quietly. Phyllis Jansen went out to Bainbridge Island, Wash., to celebrate with her cousins and had a wonderful time. Her comment: Is 80 the new 60? Definitely not! It’s not even the new 70. But it is a very worthwhile age to have made it to! Mary Wilson-Tauson passed the milestone in September and wrote, “There are so many floral arrangements in the living room, it looks more like a funeral parlor!”
addresses for and it was heartwarming to get so many wonderful comments back. Janie was a much-loved classmate who made a big mark in all our lives. She will be greatly missed. Mary Wilson-Tauson sent me this picture of the two of them from a few years ago when they met at L.L.Bean. She has also sent me the following thoughtful paragraph, which she entitles “Janie and the Gift.” Mary writes, “Some of you may recall that several years ago, Dana Hall prematurely published news of Janie’s death. It was then that I felt the deep waves of sadness, loss and grief. Imagine my shock and joy when I reached out to Ian and heard Janie’s distinctive voice! Through her laughter and my tears, we talked about 1,001 things — memories back to 7th grade and the Boston Bruins up to the present day. Dana had given us a gift: We realized together that our Dana friendships last forever in our hearts. We never lose them. Every phone call, letter, rare reunion and visits in Southwest Harbor, Amesbury, Freeport and even Bermuda were all bonuses after that. The gift of that realization is to all of us. Reach out to a treasured Dana friend — today! — and celebrate that friendship.” I couldn’t agree more! I hope this finds everyone happy and healthy, and that you’ve contacted a dear Dana friend in the near past. Jane Newton McDonald and Mary WilsonTauson
Mason and Marcus, Marlene Mustard Graf’s greatgrandchildren
Me? Still at it, hammer and tongs, but I must admit, not quite as energetic as I was some years ago. My big news for this column is my 5-week summer trip to the U.S. where I hadn’t been for four years. I have to say I noticed a lot of things had changed during that time and I presume most of them were thanks to the pandemic, which is now behind us. Sometimes I felt like I didn’t know what to do or what I was doing. It was a strange feeling and not a particularly good one. I had a great time, though, and was on the go all the time. Came home worn out! It was so good seeing family and old friends again after all that time, but it was hard to fit everyone in. I didn’t, either. I sent out Jane Newton McDonald’s obituary (August 2023) to all I have email
Class of 1962 Bev Holmes Prevost P92 bevhprevost@gmail.com Pat McGuire Barger writes, “Hi classmates! Blessed to be enjoying grandchildren and two daughters recently at Charlestown Navy Yard and history lesson around the Constitution! Also, my Fresh Pond walking chums. Keeps us young! Cheers!” Pat McGuire Barger with her grandchildren touring Charlestown Navy Yard
Pat and friends walking around Fresh Pond
Lorel making music at Vermont Music and Arts
I (Bev) enjoyed reading Anne McClanahan Bourne’s wonderful, long, remarkable email about all she has been doing in the last years that included moving, but also all kinds of singing from 2020-23, which she continues to this day. She and I have sung together since we were little girls in elementary school! I suspect she will eventually compile her 9,000 photos and create a treatise on all the music she has been doing, with links to choral performances, musical works and YouTube performances, but I had to shorten her news for now to at least give you an update! Anne writes, “I was very sorry I could not attend the 60th Reunion in 2022 because I had a knee replacement in May that year. At the exact same time, I decided I would like to move to Florida at the invitation and behest of my sister and her husband in a newer part of their development called Lakehouse Cove on Lake Ibis (named for the birds there). I put my house in Rockport, Mass., where I had been for three years, on the market in February 2023. The Florida house was ready in June, but my Rockport house didn’t sell until the end of August. It was in Rockport during the height of the pandemic that I discovered virtual choirs, and was able to record and sing in them, which I am still enjoying. I have several suggestions for anyone interested, including a free virtual choir called Homechoir.” Lorel Nazzaro writes, “The summer was quite wonderful, from making music at Vermont Music and Arts to exploring tidal pools with my grandkids at Higgins Beach in Scarborough, Maine. Fall is lovely and I’m looking forward to winter in Maine. Hopefully it will be an old-fashioned one with lots of snow for skiing and making snow angels! That being said, I’ll be looking for a warm-weather getaway — anyone up for Barbados or any place Caribbean?” Lorel Nazzaro with her grandkids at Higgins Beach in Scarborough, Maine
Gretchen Cooper Pooler writes, “I want to share a little story with you. It is a reminder of how young, impressionable and excitable we were as teenagers, and how fun it is to look back and laugh! We were approaching spring break of 1961, our junior year at Dana. Marva Wisecarver Williams, Jane (Chicken) Rogers Corcoran, Karen Norwood Hoover and I were all going to my parent’s home in Florida for the vacation. Carolyn Harris ’61, who was in the class above us and our friend, knew our plans and asked if her brother and friends, who all attended Yale, could have my contact information. I said, ‘Yes, of course!’ A few days into our break, I got a call from Carolyn’s brother asking if he and his friends could camp out at our house. I again said, ‘Yes, of course!’ I turned around and told the group what had just taken place, and all four of us kind of went nutty thinking we were going to have men from Yale in the house! They arrived in the evening, after dinner, and my father set them up with all kinds of beds in the den, taking pillows and pads from chaise lounges around the pool to give them their space. Remember that we had four Dana girls, my younger sister and my parents already staying there, so this was a bit of an overload, but my father was a real sport and made it happen. The ‘men’ arrived, were very pleasant, thanked my parents for accommodating them, and went into their inner sanctum to go to bed. The four of us were in our rooms laughing and twittering, and saying ‘I can’t believe we have Yalies in the house!’ It was hard for us to go to sleep that night and I think we all thought we had some fun days ahead. In the morning, we all met in the kitchen. My father again took charge and cooked a big, beautiful breakfast for everyone and we all wondered what would happen next. Well, after the meal, the boys packed up their gear, thanked my parents, got in the car and drove off… never to be heard from again! To say it was a bummer was putting it mildly. We thought we would have escorts and dates for the duration of our stay. These people had fallen in our laps and we were in paradise. The fellows never gave us
a nod or a thought. I think they felt we were too young for their sophisticated ways and needed to move on to greener pastures. It is a fun memory and we probably gave this same account to Carolyn on our return, but I thought everyone would have fun hearing about this silly, but memorable, moment in time! For some current news, I’m happy to report that Marva and I got together this past summer after not seeing each other for a few years. I flew to her in Michigan — my first flight since before the pandemic — and wondered if I was too old for this type of thing. I’m glad to say that I had an easy, breezy trip to and from (and with great thanks in part to her daughter-in-law Debbie), and she and I really had a good time together. We stayed in Birmingham for a couple of days, but then trekked up to their cottage in East Tawas for a few more. We talked and talked, walked and walked, laughed and laughed, and did a lot of catching up. It was wonderful and I plan to do it again soon! Here is a picture of us as we walked along the shore of Lake Huron. Beautiful weather and a fun time!” Marva Wisecarver Williams and Gretchen Cooper Pooler
Marva Wisecarver Williams, Jane Rogers Corcoran, Karen Norwood Hoover and Gretchen Cooper Pooler in Florida for Spring Break 1961
Susan Selden Egan writes, “When I turned 70, I decided it would be better going forward to count my birthdays backward. Happily, my family was willing to endorse this fantasy. Here is a picture of me and three of my grandchildren celebrating my 61st birthday this past fall. I am planning to spend some of this coming year taking exotic trips. I would like to go on a safari and visit Antarctica before it melts entirely. I am going to spend the rest of my time trying to find a way to keep the
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world from blowing up. It used to amuse me that when we were at Dana Hall, America was pretending there was no red China. But I do not find anything amusing about the prospect of undoing all of the American political systems we learned about in Mr. Schuler’s American History class. If anyone has any good ideas about how to prevent this from happening, please let me know. I hope everyone is well. I see Alice Viertel Krieger from time to time and Barbara Berger Opotowsky ’63 more often than that. They are both well. New York where I still live is too expensive, too crowded, and completely overwhelmed by traffic 24 hours a day. Nevertheless, it is still the most ‘happening’ place I know of and I am glad to be growing old in it.”
Susan Selden Egan and three of her grandchildren celebrating her “61st” birthday
Susie Gail Kaufman writes, “I was deeply sorry to learn of the passing of our wonderful classmates. So very sad. I gasped realizing the loss. As time moves on far too rapidly, I am grateful for every moving part that still operates. My husband Jay says he thinks all his warranties are ending, but both of us are fortunate. We live on Martha’s Vineyard and in West Palm Beach, Fla. We never thought we would be Floridians, but we really enjoy following the sun and being active, and yes, we are so predictable playing lots of golf. Because of COVID-19, Zoom has made it possible for me to continue teaching first-year Tufts medical students, continue a wonderful film class that used to meet around a friend’s kitchen table in Cambridge, Mass., and reach out to family and friends. I would love to find Dana friends! Those brief three years remain embedded within me. I feel as if Dana was as much about relationships and the development of our moral compasses as it was about intellectual awakenings. There is no way to say how depressed I am about the state of our country and the world at large. I try to work with organizations that deal with education and civic responsibility, but it feels as if I must find more ways to be useful. Would totally appreciate classmates sharing ideas of working for the common good.”
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Jean Borgatti writes, “Dear friends, I don’t participate a lot in alumnae activities, but I do think about the people I have known in various contexts in my past. I was thinking about Alice Newman Youngs who committed suicide not all that long after we graduated — not something I would have anticipated, and Kendra Gunn Nedjar who visited me at the Fitchburg Art Museum several years ago. I have recently downsized, as so many of us have, and though no longer teaching, I am still serving as consulting curator of African, Oceanic and Native American art at the Fitchburg Art Museum in Fitchburg, Mass. My current exhibition, ‘Moving Objects,’ was up through December, and we will be installing a major exhibition of 21st century African photography — a project I have been working on for the last several years — to open in late February. On th e family front, I have four grandchildren (the oldest is 14): two here in the U.S. and two in the U.K. where my daughter lives and works. One of the more exciting things to have happened in our lives is her having been awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for work she has done with her team at Microsoft and getting to go to the Queen’s Garden Party. I was able to go along as her guest — dresses and hats (fascinators qualify) allowed. We did not see the Queen, who was resting up for the Jubilee celebrations, but Kate and William were there among those representing the royal family. It was definitely an interesting ethnographic experience! I am also pleased and relieved to have my photographic archive, especially the analogue materials, lodged for safekeeping at the National Museum for African Art (Smithsonian) and to note that this material is now online and accessible to colleagues and to members of the communities in Nigeria where I have done research.” Carol Cookman Ruffo writes, “Just had to say oh no. Can’t stand to see this sad news of our classmates. Since my husband George died eight years ago, I have watched so many leave us. Just seems impossible. Still remember our days at Dana.” Diana Cunningham Bunting writes, “This summer, we moved into a smaller one-story house behind our Newport, R.I., house. Trying to declutter and discard was a workout! None of our children wanted some of the hundreds of demitasse cups and saucers, etc. Then our youngest daughter was married. Another workout! Fortunately, it went well and Hurricane Lee gave us a break. We are looking forward to another litter of grandchildren. My husband Si has a book coming out next
spring. I am painting again. We will probably stay here for the winter. Sorting out papers from the ’70s and children’s homework and art. Fun!” Judy Wickwire Nadal writes, “Dearest ’62 compadres, My husband Jim and I have moved from our idyllic, remote mountain in Bristol, N.Y., to Maine. We now live at 25 Little Acres Dr., Cumberland Center, ME, 02041. We are near our daughter in Portland, Maine, and a little closer to our son and his family in Vermont, but farther now from our other daughter and granddaughters in Canandaigua, N.Y., and Baltimore. Guess I’m seeing a horizon here! Two dear Betsys gone, and I wish I could have said goodbye for longer. Feel the same about each of you I’ve known from so long ago. What a brief time we spent together, compared to the lasting impact each of you has made in our — now — very long lives. Enrichments you endowed me with long ago sure have lasted and inspired, and the richness of my existence comes, in no small part, because of past times with you. So much water under this bridge! Memories and experiences with you all became handholds for me through incredible, tumultuous and sweet times. Even though we have been far apart, these have sustained me. I thank you, thank you, many times.” Kathy Walker Denis writes, “Summer and early fall in Paris this year were warm and dry and actually rather delightful, with only a few days of true heatwave. Halloween is a tradition that urban France adopted about 5-6 years ago. It makes me smile to have young children ring our doorbell the evening of October 31, always chaperoned by a few of their parents. I love taking a picture of them in their fancy costumes, in exchange for the treat, usually a small Pierrot Gourmand fruit lollipop, the French lollipop that contains no artificial junk! We planned for Thanksgiving to be a more heartwarming fête, even if a whole turkey won’t be on our plates, simply turkey filets, pumpkin pie and some creamed onions. I am still confronted with Type 2 diabetes, but my main news is Jean’s illness, which became apparent in March-April: Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS). A huge challenge for him at age 85, and for me (I turned 80 in January!). It’s fortunate that Jean’s sister is here daily to help us, and that we have five hours of professional help each weekday, along with Jean’s physical therapists four times a week. An update on our five wonderful grandchildren: Sybile (9) and James (7) live in Brussels, the children of Lucie (42) and her delightful husband Romain. Alice Denis (8) is the daughter of
our son Charles (40) and his dear spouse Anne, who live nearby in BoulogneBillancourt. Our oldest grands are Mathilde (32) and brother François (31). Mathilde is a psychiatrist in Bordeaux. In September 2022, she married another doctor, Theodore, a GP. In the fall, they returned from their delayed honeymoon: bicycling from Bordeaux to Norway taking trains, ferries and camping in their all-weather tent! That’s it for the moment. I very much look forward to hearing from others of our 1962 lot!” Kathy Walker Denis’s daughter Lucie with husband Romain, children Sybile (9) and James (7), and Spot the dog
Kathy’s son Charles Denis with his wife Anne and daughter Alice (8)
Bev Holmes Prevost writes, “You have all done well to send such wonderful news. I loved reading it and, in some cases, talking to you! Happily, my health is good, except for the knees! We had a great summer at Cuttyhunk with all eight of us in residence for 10 days. For most of June, all of July and some of August, we had both grandchildren — Marnie’s Timothy (11) and Elizabeth’s Grace, who goes by Jackie (12) — and Elizabeth Prevost ’92 and Mike from Iowa. In the fall, we spent six days in the Washington D.C./Virginia area meeting up with Ned’s seminary classmates and spouses, a yearly event somewhere, though now we have to arrange for wheelchairs, Ubers, etc.! Keep up the news and be sure to let me know of changes in addresses and other info. Sending love to you all!”
Symons’ first grandchild, Zachary Symons-Rogers, died accidentally on October 10, 2023. Zach was 24, and his death has rocked our extended, blended family. Dana alumnae may recall when 2-year-old Zach starred in Johnny Symons’ award-winning documentary about gay family adoption, ‘Daddy & Papa.’ You can watch it on streaming platforms, which includes a shot of Soupy holding little Zachary, her grandson-to-be, back in 2000.”
Susie Potsubay Symons with her late grandson Zach and son Johnny
Class of 1964 Susan Belmer Kollet-Harris P90 skharris@rcn.com Ellen Hunsberger Hume has a new book out: “Lost and Found: Coming of Age in the Washington Press Corps.” Ellen was a noted journalist for the Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal, and her memoir covers her three decades of political reporting.
Laura (Pots) Potsubay Pucher ’68 writes, “My sister Susie (Soupy) Potsubay
Priscilla Hussey Worrall priscillaworrall@gmail.com A few years ago, I (Priscilla Hussey Worrall) connected regularly with about 10 classmates, and this inspired me to try the role of Class Correspondent. I would like to thank Lael Montgomery, Debbie Hirsch Stollenwerck, Marcy McVickar Madden, Susan Thompson, Kathy Bishop, Liz Robison Bevilacqua, Suzie Attwood, Ann Porter Logan, and Mary Morrison Clarke who all stepped into this role for some amount of time in the past. (I apologize if I’ve missed anyone!) I am eager to connect with as many classmates as I can, and I look forward to sharing my news with you. Sarah Tyler, Carey (Janie) Blackwell Bloomfield and I (Priscilla) attended the Fearless Futures campaign kick-off event on campus in October. We were so impressed by the event and the fundraising goal the School has put forth as well as the fundraising that has been done to date — and how many of you have been a part of that. We as individuals have certainly left our mark on Dana, but when we come together as a class, we can move mountains. Seventeen of us joined in to raise a total of $116,900 to name a classroom in the new building. We had two additional classmates participate in other naming opportunities as well.
Class of 1965 Susan West Ayres warren.ayres@verizon.net Catharine (Cloudy) Kennedy won first place for her entry in Needlework Domestic Arts/Crafts at New York’s Columbia County Fair.
Sarah Tyler, Priscilla Hussey Worrall, Carey Blackwell Bloomfield
Sarah Tyler recently moved from Stockbridge, Mass., and now lives in Natick, Mass., which is only seven miles from our home. She and I have enjoyed reconnecting.
Class of 1963 Barbara Berger Opotowsky bopotowsky@gmail.com
Class of 1966
Cloudy Kennedy’s prize-winning entry at the Columbia County Fair in Chatham, N.Y.
Fay Armstrong continues to stay close to home in Washington D.C., tending to her garden, two cats and local historic preservation issues. She is currently president of the Board of Trustees for the D.C. Preservation League, which allows her to participate in design and policy
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issues. Travel has been all family-related, but that gets her around the country. She planned to host Thanksgiving this year for cousins within range and just learned that one of them is to marry the son of a Dana trustee next May. It’s a small world. Susie Thompson shared that she goes to all the University of Michigan home football games, “and my front porch is decorated in maize and blue on fall weekends! My other fun pastime is being part of the handbell choir at the wonderful Ann Arbor Unitarian Universalist Congregation. I hope to return up north to Torch Lake, Mich., again next year to visit Priscilla. We had a great reunion in 2022! Although I lost my dear partner Jess almost two years ago, life is full with kids, grandkids, friends, committees, books, concerts, classes, and days filled with laughin’ and relaxin’!” From Tracy Sutro Horter we hear, “I graduated from Penn as a physical therapist and eventually had my own practice in Bryn Mawr, Pa., until 2019 when I retired. The focus of most of my practice years was chronic pain and scar tissue using Myofascial Release and other traditional PT techniques; I loved it. I was married in 1970, had one son and divorced in 1988. I remarried a few years later but he sadly died 15 years later. My 45-year-old son and his wife live in San Francisco with my 1-year-old granddaughter — a miraculous gift! I get to see Becky Winslow Pringle when I make it out there. I am enjoying reconnecting with classmates recently!” Carey (Janie) Blackwell Bloomfield writes, “I am fully retired from fundraising consulting now and am enjoying serving my second term on Dana’s Board of Trustees through 2026. My first term was 1991-97. It’s exciting to be involved now when the School is conducting its biggest campaign ever and renovating the Classroom Building, which has barely changed since we were there 57 years ago! It’s going to be beautiful. Last February, I moved to an assisted living community in Bedford, Mass., — Carleton-Willard Village — and I am selling my house in Cambridge, Mass. Lots of change, but timely and necessary, given some increasing health problems. I am blessed with two sons and four granddaughters, ages 7, 10, 16 and 18. The two older ones are nearby in Newburyport, Mass., but the other two are in Santa Barbara, Calif. Wish they were closer.” Joy Ladd Sawyer questioned, “How does one condense 57 years into one paragraph? My greatest joy/accomplishment has been
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being a mom to my two amazing sons and a loving grandmother to my three grandchildren! I have been a ‘granny nanny’ to all three since they were born, so we have amazing bonds. Thirty years ago, I embarked on a career as an interior designer and found my true talent. It has given me such joy and filled me creatively. I am still working out of my home design studio in Kingston, Mass. About 10 years ago I took my first art class since my days with Miss Chaney at Dana and fell in love with pastels. Finding a hidden talent has been an amazing journey. I am so looking forward to hearing from other ’66ers. Thank you, Priscilla, for taking on the job of being our ‘scribe,’ as you say!” Suzie Attwood writes, “Carey (Janie) Blackwell Broomfield, Priscilla Hussey Worrall, Joy Ladd Sawyer and I spent a wonderful weekend together at our family cottage on Mason’s Island in Mystic, Ct., in September. We watched sunsets, went to the Mystic Seaport, ate great food and laughed a lot as we got to know each other better. I find it amazing that we have all lived incredible lives over the past 57 years since we left Dana. In many ways, the weekend felt like a Saturday night in a Dana dorm, with all the relaxing, chatting, and sharing our thoughts and experiences. Where did the time go? I guess we lived our lives! As for me, I am still working (although very intermittently) as a project manager of a technical team and coach to the company owner. I get to use my best talents and skills that I have developed over the years and which I enjoy using. I’m working on interesting projects and for someone I admire and can be totally honest with. What a pleasure! Since I finally have a lot of time to choose what I want to do other than “work,” I continue to enjoy being outdoors and as active as I can be with my aging body and part replacements. The list is shorter than it was, but I still enjoy skiing, walking, kayaking, gardening and taking care of the yard. I enjoy hanging out with my wife Carolyn of 43 years and my daughter Lily, who is 29, as well as friends and community groups I participate in.”
Lynn Eccleston writes, “My husband Hal Wegner and I moved permanently to Naples, Fla., in 2015 after both practicing patent law in Washington, D.C. for many years. Retirement suits me well, and I’ve been able to pursue hobbies, especially quilting, which has become my passion.” Becky Winslow Pringle writes, “I still live in the town of Tiburon, Calif., from whence I came to Dana in 1963. Wow! My husband Bob and I are going for our 50th anniversary in 2024. After raising (still raising!) three children, I am now blessed with my first grandchild. I have 60 years of chairing charity fundraising auctions for more than 25 different organizations under my belt, and now I am down to just giving auction parties (like luaus) and selling gingerbread houses. Recently, I treasured a special lunch in San Francisco with my former Dana roommate, Anne Hallen Blessig. Anne Hallen Blessig and Becky Winslow Pringle
As fate would have it, I (Priscilla) have been living in Wellesley since 1976. Our daughter (Abby Worrall ’00) was in the Class of 2000. I look forward to reconnecting with more classmates and hope you will reach out to me via email. If you have updated contact information to share with the School, please feel free to send that to me as well.
Class of 1967 Lucy Haward Sur lhsur@aol.com Christa Corwin with son Alex and his groomsmen
Priscilla Hussey Worrall, Joy Ladd Sawyer, Suzie Attwood, Carey Blackwell Broomfield
Christa Corwin’s son Alex was married in a lovely service this past summer, and you can see Christa looking gorgeous with Alex and the groomsmen! I (Lucy) don’t have any more info, other than it was a beautiful occasion!
Christa also has been in touch with Alexis Barbeau, who is living in Palm Beach/ Boca and makes and shows her jewelry at high-end craft shows, most recently in early October in Winter Park, Fla. Alexis also stays busy swimming and scuba diving. Sounds like a good life! Deb Noyes Smith hosted Christa, Anita Rhett Prentice, Darsie Putnam Townsend and Jane Axelrod in her home on Lake Champlain for a get-together this summer. Anita also has a new grandson, and she and her husband are delighted to be able to see them often as they live next door! Wonderful! Front row: Jane Axelrod, Anita Rhett Prentice, Christa Corwin. Back row: Darsie Putnam and Deb Noyes Smith
Steve and I (Lucy) had a busy summer with visits from son Tony and girlfriend (who live in New York City) for a few days of family bonding, and overlapping with a visit from my uncle from Friday Harbor, Wash. In between, we got up to both Rangeley and Rockport, Maine. I highly recommend the Pleasant Street Inn B & B in Rangeley! I had a nice evening with Gael O’Brien at an Ann Cleeves author’s talk recently in Wellesley. And — a blast from the past fun evening with Lee Hall Overall at the Tom Rush concert in October in Natick, Mass.! We used to go see him at Club 47 in Cambridge in 1966-67! I also ran into Peggy Ford at our mutual hairstylist in September, and Linda McIntosh and I have a couple of opera dates on the calendar! Lucy Haward Sur and Peggy Ford
Keep sending me pics and news so we can know what you are up to, and that you are staying healthy and active! Cheers! See the Class of 2005 Class Notes for a photo of Betsy Higgins Little.
Class of 1968 Laura (Pots) Potsubay Pucher laurap.riverdale@gmail.com Nancy Storrs passed away September 8 after a valiant battle with cancer. Recently, Nancy had been honored by the Ridley Boat Club and Rowing Association in Saint Catherine’s, Ontario, for her major contribution to the sport of rowing. A flotilla and celebration of her life was held at the Neil Campbell Training Centre on Henley Island on September 24. Nancy Storrs
Ten years and counting, I’m (Pots) still sketching from my apartment above the Harlem River boat houses, not far from my older daughter’s family as well as my ex-husband Andy. Our three apartments are within a mile of each other, so we five get together often. Our 34-year-old daughter Kitt lives in the Bronx in an ICF group home with nine other adults. I bring her to my apartment each weekend for a few hours of pampering. My favorite 5-year-old grandson is now in kindergarten and thriving. I enjoyed a mini-vacation on Cape Cod in August. We four rented a VRBO cottage in Dennis Port, Mass., not far from Salt Boxes where my family vacationed at his age. It brought back memories. The eel grass was exactly the same, but lots more dead horseshoe crabs. Not certain what that means for the future of planet Earth. Until the next Bulletin, let’s harbor healthy thoughts.
Class of 1969 Jenn Oakes was one of the three who made it to our 55th Reunion. She writes, “So great to see Wendie (Beans) Franks Howland and Nancy Wills Keteku; missed seeing others! Caught up with June Lovelace Davis when she came to Burlington, Vt., in June. Heard the sad news of Nancy Storrs’ passing in September. I was hoping she would beat cancer with her indomitable spirit, but it was not to be. I was unable to attend the marvelous celebration of life they had for her at her boat club in Canada as I had reverse shoulder surgery and couldn’t travel. My shoulder is improving and after six weeks, I can finally drive again! Thank you, Laura, for being our Class Correspondent for so many years. You have done such a wonderful job keeping in touch.” Thanks, Jenn, and everyone please DO email me with news for the next issue. Travel, family, bionic joints — all of the above!
Some of you may know that both Nonnie Dolan Wagner and more recently Barbara Henning passed away this year. And Lee and daughter Taber Overall Sanderson ’92 lost Sidney Rollins Overall this August.
Three of those grandsons are just down the road from Cindy and Terry, who can now enjoy being local grandparents. Condolences on the passing of Cindy’s father “Brip” Du Pont, who died in January at the age of 103 — savvy, smiling and suave until the end.
Sophomore year Johnston B roommates Cynthia Du Pont Tobias and I (Pots) caught up by phone recently. Cindy now has four grandsons (to my one and only). Great news that one of her daughters, Margaretta Sacco, and family will be moving from Chicago to Pennsylvania.
Susie Clatworthy susiedh1969@gmail.com Anne Maxwell Dewez afmdewez@gmail.com It’s Anne Maxwell Dewez on duty this time. We have a wonderful set of notes for you this Bulletin, including some from rarely, if ever, seen classmates. Thank you! Joan Stoddard Perry with her partner Bill McDonald in Egypt
There seems to be a theme among our contributors: “The rolling stone gathers no moss.” One of our rare birds, Joan Stoddard Perry, writes, “My sweetie, Bill McDonald, and I are enjoying our later years. We travel a fair amount, spend our winters on the Big Island and our summers on a lake in Montana. We are lucky enough to still be very active: mountain biking, hiking, paddling, swimming and yoga. Though both
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widow(er)s, life has been very good to us. We are so very grateful.” Deb Yard Mello Orazem also doesn’t allow any grass to grow under her feet. Deb writes, “Sailing season kept me straight-out busy with at least three days a week of racing and clinics. So busy in fact that I’m rarely able to leave the island June to September. Our H12.5 fleet now boasts a steady 14 or more for races and we celebrated our 100th Regatta in July! Finally in October, I was able to travel to Nantucket, pictured here with Fred Rogers as evidence. Fred attended Dartmouth College for his freshman year, from which my husband Garrett graduated. Then Fred transferred to Rollins College, my alma mater. Here he sits with me, as a frequent visitor to Nantucket, which Vineyarders call ‘the other island.’ My only other remark is that my green beans did not ‘take’ until the fourth planting, which means they came in very late, finally. My husband’s comment: ‘And now they won’t go away!’ They’re daily on the dining table.” Deb Yard Mello Orazem sits with a statue of Fred Rogers on Nantucket.
Kate Field, another of our rare birds, is a great role model, staying so engaged while fighting our collective worst enemy. Kate writes, “I am enjoying my 2-year-old granddaughter. I also must like my job a lot because I can’t seem to retire, although I’ve cut back my hours. I’ve slowed my research program down (it was on microbial ecology and water quality), but I enjoy teaching and running a research-based undergraduate major. Over the last few years, I’ve successfully brought in about $1.4 million in grants funding scholarships for students underrepresented in food, agriculture, natural resources and human sciences. I’m pretty sure the reason we keep getting funded is that I am a persuasive writer, thanks to Miss Post and others! I’ve also been dealing with breast cancer for the last three years and would be happy to talk to anyone who’s facing that.” If you’d like to share your experience with Kate, let us know and we will send you her contact details.
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Missy Cary Curran is so busy she resorts to bullet points! She writes, “Busy in retirement. Serving as treasurer of four non-profit organizations. Took a two-week bike tour in Croatia this spring (Dubrovnik was a disappointing mob scene). Coteaching Commercial Driver’s Education Permit prep to recent immigrants from Ethiopia, Angola, Uganda and DR Congo. In the fall, just back from staying with Eric and Anne Myers Evans in Hanover, N.H., for Dick’s 50th reunion from Tuck. Planning to spend January and February in Naples, Fla., this winter for the first time. Still waiting for grandchildren.” All’s well. If you think you are busy now, Missy, just you wait until those grandchildren come. Julie Herzig Desnick surprised me by writing about her relocation. She writes, “I have been spending a lot of time this fall commuting between Florida and New York City because we still have our house in the city. I attended three operas in three days and highly recommend ‘Dead Man Walking’ at the Metropolitan Opera. After three years of establishing residency in Florida, it was nice to be back in the northeast in the cool, crisp air. Life on the streets, in restaurants and in theaters seems to be picking up again, which is a good sign. If someone had predicted preCOVID-19 that I’d end up living in Florida, I would have never believed them. However, I am finding the change in lifestyle surprisingly easy. We still travel a lot, in pursuit of my archaeology projects, which helps. I have also been keeping up with the Dana Hall Classroom Building renovation, which looks amazing. Lucky Dana students who inherit such a beautiful campus.” When I expressed this surprise, Julie’s great response was: “Well you know the saying: You can take the girl out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the girl! Guess that’s me.” Polly Morgan Timken and Susie Clatworthy have something in common: direct experience of a calamitous weather event. Polly writes, “I’ve been dividing my time between Bridgewater, Vt.; Key Largo, Fla.; and Old Saybrook, Ct. The massive rains we received in Vermont in July — over 30 inches in that month alone — washed out all of the roads in Bridgewater, but a combination of some local work along with the town crew brought back some sense of normalcy. While less homes were damaged than during Hurricane Irene, the state was still hit hard. As a result, the Connecticut River flooded many
areas of Connecticut and carried whole trees out into Long Island Sound. I volunteer at the Bridgewater (VT) Historical Society and work in my garden. We see the granddaughters (four of them) a few times a year. Another hobby is touring English houses and gardens, and learning a lot of history while having fun. In Florida, we play a lot of golf. I am a member of a women’s group who support Democratic candidates and keep tabs on local politics. I keep in touch with my former roommate, Vicki Willson Quinn. I’ve also enjoyed contacting Laura Potsubay Pucher ’68 and reviewing the last 54 years of our lives since we have seen each other. That’s what alumnae news is all about. Keeping people connected. I was sorry to hear that Wendy HunterHiggins ’70 passed away in South Woodstock, Vt., in October. She and Vicki and I all went to the same grammar school, so we go back a long way. It was a reminder of how sad Alzheimer’s is for everyone.” This is a great update on your active life and Dana connections, Polly. Keep up the good work in Florida. Being a Democrat there must be an interesting challenge. Caroline MacDougall raises a couple of excellent questions. Our contributors have each answered them in their own way. Caroline writes, “I’m curious as to how many people are still working in our class? Seems like most people our age are retiring, but I’m still passionate about optimal health for people and the planet. I love the work I do with rural communities in developing countries where Teeccino offers income earning opportunities to harvest or grow our ingredients. I’ve seen so much improvement in the status and lives of women where jobs are scarce to non-existent. Connecting with our customers through every cup of Teeccino and hearing their gratitude for the ways in which drinking Teeccino has improved their lives always warms my heart and strengthens my motivation to make a difference. On the other hand, I have my first grandson (not counting my seven wonderful step-grandchildren) living on my property in an ADU — accessory dwelling unit — which we built so my son and daughter-in-law would have a great place to live. Rents are exorbitant in Santa Barbara, Calif., and buying a house requires a major down payment, so now I need to figure out how to work less and participate in caring for this 3-month-old bundle of curiosity and wonder! I also have a 99-year-old mother who is quite active and planning her 100th birthday celebration. Lots to do caring for her needs, too. And then there is my
handicapped husband who recently dodged a bullet called colon cancer but seems to be doing better than ever. Love to hear how other women are balancing work and family, or if retirement is what most of us have chosen at this time of our lives!” It is amazing, Caroline, that your attention and caring spans nearly 100 years of living! Please wish your mother a happy 100th from your Dana classmates. And please, classmates, use Caroline’s questions as the incentive and impetus to write next time and offer your own interpretation of being around 72. Susie Clatworthy always invokes our Dana days in the most positive way. She writes, “As I was writing this, we are entering into the fall, and the crisp cool days always remind me of field hockey games at Dana and crunching through the leaves on the way to classes. Interesting how some memories never seem to fade. Summer just flew by and odd weather here in Connecticut made it a bit challenging to get out on our boat as much as we had planned. There was so much debris in the Connecticut River from the terrible flooding up north, especially in Vermont. The logs, trees, docks, lawn chairs and so much more floated down river all the way into the middle of Long Island Sound and as far east as New London. A real misery for so many communities and individuals. Wondering if/how it will impact the fish and shoreline long term. Luckily, we were able to get to Montauk a few times and thoroughly enjoyed the robust history of that town and the fishing industry. Quite amazing to see all those boats coming in with their catches! This is a photo of Jim and me at ‘The End’ aka Montauk Point Lighthouse.” I had a lovely visit with Sarah Bullard Steck in August. We spent time together in Padanaram, Mass., with fun lunches and dinners out. We went swimming in Buzzards Bay at Nonquitt Beach, a very special spot where Sally and her family spent summers. We were the only people in the water, as the winds were whipping at about 25 knots. What a joy it was to just laugh, reconnect and talk about what is important and going on in our lives now. So grand to have such a good friend and safe place to share. We even called Mary Best Puplava and had a mini-Green Gables 3rd floor reunion. We were missing Polly and sure she would have added color to our memories. Spending lots of time with Jim’s daughter and her teenage son up in western Massachusetts. She is in nursing school, and he is navigating 10th grade. Frankly, I admire them both for dealing with all that entails. It is not an easy row to
hoe. I am still doing my volunteer work at The Kate Hepburn Museum in Old Saybrook, Ct., and loving the interaction with the community and visitors. It is quite a unique place celebrating the life of a truly audacious woman. Sending good thoughts and love to you all for a safe and fun-filled winter!” Susie Clatworthy and Jim at Montauk Point Lighthouse
Anne Maxwell Dewez and family at Kate and Theo’s wedding
Thanks very much again, wonderful contributors. Until the next Bulletin. P.S. Our 55th Reunion is April 26-27, 2024. How cool would it be if a lot of us showed up? It’s not too early to start planning! Thanks, Susie, for bringing us to date on Sally and Mary. As for me, Anne Maxwell Dewez: As previewed in the last Bulletin, we had Kate and Theo’s wedding on June 3 in Nantucket. After several perfect, late spring days, the weather turned on Friday night and wedding day greeted us with gale force winds and 40 degrees. It wasn’t the outdoor wedding we expected, but it was wonderful, nonetheless. Thank goodness humans are innately adaptable and flexible! Speaking of adaptable and flexible, our committed Chelsea, New York City denizens are now the proud owners of the Market Square Bakehouse in Amesbury, Mass. An opportunity came up in Kate’s hometown and she and Theo grabbed it. We love that they are closer to Nantucket, where Kate’s mother also has a house. Max, Zanna and Felix (now 2) are moving to London in the first quarter. We love that they will be closer to Monaco. I continue to spend a lot of time on local politics in Nantucket. There was a special town meeting on November 7 largely devoted to the highly contentious issue of short-term rentals and the phenomenon of “ghost hotels” in residential districts — a challenge faced by virtually every vacation community and now, even beyond. Stay tuned to the next Bulletin for the outcome! Traveling is still the way I spend a lot of the rest of my time, especially to classic car rallies. This year, we had two weeks in both the Scottish Islands and Highlands, all of which are breathtakingly beautiful, and in the “Lapland of Spain” (north central), so-called by bikers because the population density is less than Lapland. I don’t know about the roads in Lapland, but the ones in this part of Spain are excellent, and the mountainous terrain and vestiges of a very long history are spectacular.
Class of 1970 Betsy Bass betsybass52@gmail.com Emily Ecker eecker@gmail.com Polly Alexander writes, “I am doing well in Portland, Ore., living with my partner Mark and closer to my son Tyler in California. Mark and I are wondering if we will regret our decision to buy another old house and make a lot of improvements — not exactly a fixer-upper, but we definitely bit off a bit more than we expected to chew. I’m no longer working, but I have an art studio (finally) in this new house, and I am really enjoying exploring new mediums and techniques. No more realistic illustration for me — just a lot of playing with paint and collage, and making a huge mess with mixed results.” Deri Perkins Beard writes, “I’m living in Aiken, S.C., with my husband Spencer and a 17-year-old cranky cat named Scooter. My four sons, three daughters-in-law and four grands live in Connecticut, Washington State and North Carolina, and I see them as often as I can. Spencer and Parker (our youngest) have embarked on a bucket list quest to watch the New York Rangers hockey team play each other’s team in the league in their opponents’ arenas. I have gone with them a few times. I am still tutoring kids who are in a foster care facility, and I, most days, really enjoy it.” Lindsay Beane writes, “In our twenties, my older sister Faith and I vowed that we would ‘take off together’ at the ages of 63 (her) and 60 (me). A decade later than predicted, we went to Kenya together this past September (ages 74 and 71). The trip
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was organized by the Earthwatch Institute, and involved volunteering for a massive wildlife conservation and sustainable agriculture project in southeast Kenya. The project is based in the 500,000-acre Kisigau Corridor located between East and West Tsavo National Parks (6+ million acres) and is a collaboration between Earthwatch Institute, Western Kentucky University and Wildlife Works. The Canadian billionaire who founded Wildlife Works in 2010 made a 30-year commitment to work with the community to transform the corridor into a safe passage for wildlife moving between the East and West Parks, while helping farmers living throughout the corridor to grow more bountiful and reliable crops, despite the alternating very dry and very wet seasons. Yes, we saw a LOT of gorgeous animals, including huge, 40-strong matriarchal herds of elephants. But my sister and I also repaired fences on local farms, visited with school children, documented animal data on daily transect drives, and visited an awe-inspiring plethora of ‘eco-factories’ (uniforms, soap, silk screening, charcoal, greenhouses, etc.) that were originally incubated by Wildlife Works but that are now owned and operated by the community residents. A fantastic experience! Where will we go next...? Lindsay Beane and her sister Faith in Kenya
Anne Bissell-Freestone writes, “I haven’t sent any news in a while, so I thought this might be a good time. I will be 72 in February, so 70 seems to be in my rearview mirror. I look around and realize how fortunate I am. I’m healthy and very active. I’m in the pool 2-3 times a week and Pilates once a week. Both have resolved back and sciatic issues. I recently joined a friend to help teach dog obedience to puppies and young dogs. It’s very rewarding and of course I love all the dogs. My golden Emme helps teach as well. She gets to show them how it’s done. What a good girl she is! I planned to head out to Colorado in November to visit my sister Shotsie. Her company offered her a job out there and she accepted and packed up and moved from Maryland. Such a beautiful part of our country. Where we stay looks out over the Garden of the Gods. I think my husband would move in a heartbeat if
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he didn’t love his job in New York City. Maybe when he retires, we’ll revisit moving. I’m hoping we get more opportunities to travel, which we both love. That’s all for now. Stay well!” Marta Hallett writes, “I look forward to reading about classmates in the Bulletin. I’m just lazy about being in touch! Yes, my husband did pass away in 2016 and that was a difficult time, but enough years have passed now so that I have morphed and continued a good life. As a matter of fact, I am leaving next week for a trip to Lisbon, Portugal, where my daughter has lived for the past five years. She has made a terrific life there with a wonderful job, great friends, a lovely apartment in the town center and I visit her regularly, so I am beginning to know the city myself. It’s beautiful there, but not being a native speaker is a challenge. The language — even for those of us who speak other romance languages — is almost impossible, I find. I’m now living on the Delaware River in Pennsylvania and my publishing business with unique art books continues: G Editions at www.geditionsllc.com. It’s been 21 years since I started it and I am still happy to have moved from the big art publishers to my own small entity… and 21 years seems inconceivable to me! Time moves so fast. I’m of course scaling back on the number of titles I publish, but I still have an office in New York City and a staff, so that makes the work a lot easier — and ironically COVID-19 aided in more flexibility for everyone involved, so I can go back and forth as needed. There continue to be so many talents to enlist on the author side that I cannot bear to forgo the work altogether. Generally, all is quite good.” Betsy Childs Gill writes, “Update on my family’s forest preserve here in northwest Connecticut. It is still a work in progress — transitioning from long-time single ownership to a non-profit land trust with a board of directors is a deep learning project, but I believe we are on the right path. And I am so thankful to my father for his forward thinking on land conservation, wildlife habitat and silviculture experiments beginning back in the early 1930s! Growing trees is a long-term investment in the future. It was so great to have Melanie Choukas-Bradley come to Norfolk, Ct., to give her forest bathing lecture back in 2019. My only big news is that I bought a house in Dublin, Ireland. It is the house I used during COVID-19 when visiting my daughter and grandchildren. The woman who owned it decided not to move back to the city, so I jumped at the chance to buy
it. It shares a wall with my daughter and gives me my own space to retreat from ‘the fray’ when I want, but to also be the useful grandparent I want to be while I still can move! It’ll be available to rent to friends and family when I’m not there. Just let me know if anyone wants a cozy house for a few nights when visiting Dublin! My best wishes to all my fellow 71-year-olds. Keep moving!” Betsy Childs Gill and her granddaughter Bowen at “The Lion King” in New York City
Joanne Christy Graydon writes, “Evolving into being 71 seems to be a time to be playful! Prairie Fairies are popping up in the pottery shop! Having fun up here in Manitoba. Big hugs to my Dana friends.” Gwen Hamlin writes, “Don and I are preparing for the 2023-24 cruising season in the Bahamas. After that, we are intending to stay aboard for a summer season, either traveling up the East Coast or the exact opposite: west to Central America.” Andrea Higgins Bierce writes, “This photo is from the opening day of the Royal Henley Regatta on the Thames River in June. My husband had rowed in the regatta for the University of Pennsylvania in the Grand Challenge in 1969. Another gentleman was chatting with us and he rowed in the Grand Challenge in 1952! It is a beautiful event! (That is my husband’s original Penn jacket)!” Andrea Higgins Bierce and husband Sandy at the Royal Henley Regatta on the Thames River
Patty McMillen writes, “I’m still in Chicago as the darkness of fall closes in, planning winter residency in San Diego with now-Denver-based life partner Jack (first husband and I divorced in 1999). We’re still hoping for a permanent move west in early-to-mid 2024. Eagerly anticipating publication of ‘Running Wild,’ my first full-length poetry collection,
scheduled for March 2024, followed by some sort of book tour to include the eastern and southeastern U.S. if I have anything to say about it, ha. Wishing peace to all and comfort to those who grieve.” Michelle Dunn Morgan writes, “Thanks to Emily and Betsy for keeping us all together. After a very long year of illness for my husband Jay, we hope we are coming out the other side in a better place! Been playing a lot of golf and taking care of our 16 acres. And of course loving our four grandchildren and our adult children. It is certainly a challenging world we are living in, and I send my thoughts and prayers to all who are struggling!” Michelle Dunn Morgan’s four grandchildren
Tia Pinney writes, “Life is good. I still love my work, but thinking hard about retiring. Photo is of our six grandchildren who are the joys of my life. Our daughter, Harriet Groppe Prince ’06, is the associate director of Alumnae Relations and we basically live across the street from campus, so I’m easy to find if you stop by Dana for any reason.”
Tia Pinney’s six grandchildren
Sarah Rodman writes, “Greetings to all. I have been part of several visual and performing arts projects over the past year. In May, I exhibited prints of my plein air landscapes with the Fridge Fair at Gallery 128 in the East Village during New York City’s Art Week. Currently, my 100-footlong installation ‘Pink Path,’ made with 22 Barbie cars and other ephemera, is on view at Artina, an outdoor sculpture garden organized by the Washington Sculptors Group at Sandy Spring Museum in Maryland. We’ll see what’s in store for 2024!”
A close-up view of Sarah Rodman’s “Pink Path”
Pamela Gleason Swearingen writes, “This year our son Chris and his wife Natalie welcomed a baby girl, Violet Hooper Swearingen, in September. My husband Charles and I are so excited to be grandparents (our first!) and very fortunate they live only 30 minutes away. Otherwise, pretty much our same news. When we are not at home in Belmont, Mass, we continue to enjoy our condo in Stowe, Vt., most months and my family place near Boothbay Harbor, Maine, where we meet our classmate Betsy Bass in June and September. It’s always great to catch up with Betsy. And of course, our two Bernese Mountain dogs continue to keep us fit with our daily walks.”
Susie Coburn Humphrey with her family in Michigan this past July Marya Kayeum and Barbara Bogdasarian Hayden on their trip to Ecuador’s Amazon and the Galapagos in April 2023
Marya with her mother and role model on her mom’s 99th birthday
Pamela Gleason Swearingen with her first grandchild Violet
Class of 1971 Gina Church Welch writes, “I spend at least one day a week volunteering at Mystic Seaport Museum, usually as the historical interpreter on the Charles W. Morgan, the only remaining wooden whaling ship. It’s a wonderful opportunity to share some remarkable stories of the sea and a lucky ship that’s still seaworthy 182 years later! We still sail around the coast on our other days, but the boat will be pulled for the winter soon. By the time the Bulletin comes out, we’ll be thinking of painting the bottom and getting ready for the next season! My husband, Ray Welch, is a singer-songwriter. Check out his songs on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube. Hoping to do some more travel to more exotic places next year, but for now, we’re just enjoying life. Looking forward to 2025 for our 55th Reunion!”
Barb Lee Monahan barbmonahan52@comcast.net Toddy Torrance Turrentine toddyturrentine@gmail.com
Class of 1972 Linda Smith Janoff lindadhs72@gmail.com Liz Hills O’Leary has retired from a successful 37-year career as head coach for Radcliffe’s Women’s Heavyweight Crew. You can read more about her achievements on the Radcliffe website. Very impressive! Kathryn Hinkle-Babul writes, “We are still living in Geneva, Switzerland, and loving it. I am very busy every day with my horse, Fuerte. I bought him just before I retired and it made the transition from professional life to retirement seamless. Horses and riding have always been my
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passion and now I have the time to enjoy it. My husband of 37 years, Ricardo, is well and playing a lot of golf. We enjoy trips around Europe, particularly to Italy and Spain, where we can drive and take our small dog with us. Life is good.” Minda Haynes Bradley writes, “We are happy and are enjoying living in New Hampshire full-time now. However, we did rent in Vero Beach, Fla., last winter and will go again this season. Our family is great and we managed to have all three of our kids, their spouses and six grandchildren visit for a week this summer. Winter is coming, and I play paddle tennis and lots of mah jongg. Also plan to do some skiing and cross-country skiing, too. Sadly, we lost our dear classmate Elizabeth Boles Gutterson. I met her in 7th grade at Dana. I have shared a photo taken in June when a group of us were together. We will all miss her smiling face and caring personality.”
Minda Haynes Bradley, Jane Elfers Muther, Jill Gogan-Tilstone, Deborah Lincoln Niekrash, Elizabeth Boles Gutterson, Susan Christopher Leist
Helen Morse writes, “My book, ‘The Difficult Girl,’ continues to do well, much to my surprise. In October, it was looking like it will pass the mark of 7,000 sold, with notes from people nearly every day telling me how much the story meant to them. It has been a deeply fulfilling experience for me, and one I never expected. As for my private life, after four years of testing and medical musical chairs (during a pandemic, no less!), I have finally received a diagnosis of MS. Apparently, I have had it for at least 30 years now and didn’t know it. Please don’t send me notes of regret. No need. It has not taken my legs, and I am told it is not likely to do so at this point. I am fine and coping much better now, knowing what the heck has been dogging me. I also have a great team of doctors and a few new meds, which are improving my symptoms greatly. I continue to live on Plum Island with my partner, Robert, and am toying now with ideas for a second book! I am also thinking of getting back to my artwork, now that I have finally gotten my health issues more in hand. My son Nelson is
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doing well and lives near me with his new wife, and I continue to be close to Leslie Loomis, who lives in Cambridge, Mass. Tricia Valentine came to stay earlier this summer and we had a short but terrific visit. And after 50 years, she finally signed my yearbook! Haha! She is an arborist now, among other things, and I learned much from her about the trees living in my own yard, and what it is I should be doing for them! Amazing! I am ever grateful for this Dana Hall community, and the friendship and sense of family it has provided me all these years! If ever ANY of you are going to be nearby, I hope you will give me a call and come on over. I’m always up for hanging out! Sending sincerest love to you all!” Our best wishes to you to continue to do so well, Helen! I can attest that Helen’s book was wonderful (and is available from Amazon)! In my own news, my husband David and I (Linda Smith Janoff) have been traveling again, this time to the Galapagos for the first two weeks in September. The wildlife was incredible, which made his photographer’s heart happy. We took the Celebrity Flora, a 100-passenger vessel built especially for the Galapagos, and everything was done beautifully. We snorkeled, swam and hiked during the day, and came back to posh surroundings and excellent Manhattans in the evenings. What more could you ask for? Our next adventure will be Norway and Britain in May-June.
Class of 1973 Judy Luke judy.luke@comcast.net
Judy Luke, Susie Foster Wilson and Mary Emerson in Chatham, Mass.
Greetings from Boston! A big hello to all. In August, the stars aligned and I caught up with Lesley Nonkin Seymour ’74, her daughter Lake and Jim Aisner for brunch. It was great fun spending time with Jim, “Max” and Lake. Lesley is doing well, loving New Orleans. Her daughter is an orthodontics resident at Harvard School of
Dental Medicine, which I hope means I will all get to see more of both of them! This fall, I spent a few fun-filled days with Susie Foster Wilson and Mary Emerson at Susie’s house in Chatham, Mass. We had lots of laughs, beach walks, great food and of course, a glass or two of wine. Madelyn Levy Renee writes, “After a 16-year hiatus from the opera stage, I was given the opportunity to perform the role of the Marquise de Berkenfield in Donizetti’s comic opera ‘La Fille du Regiment’ at the Teatro Bellini in Catania, Sicily. Although it is not the leading role, it is generally done by famous opera singers, moreover femmes âgées towards the end of their careers, and it is a pivotal role in the opera requiring a lot of acting with dialogue in addition to the singing. At first, I was daunted by all the lines in French. My memory is not what it used to be and as they say, ‘If you don’t use it, you lose it…’ However, I put my nose to the grindstone and discovered my brain power had not altogether abandoned me. Luckily, I have always kept my voice in shape over the years. It has turned out to be a wonderful and very rewarding experience. I am surrounded by talented young Italian colleagues, in addition to American tenor John Osborne who sings the leading role and knocks the 9 high Cs in the famous aria ‘Pour mon âme’ out of the ballpark every evening. It is an old Franco Zeffirelli production, complete with sets and costumes designed by the maestro himself in 1959. It has been so much fun being ‘The Mother of the Regiment!’ My husband Alberto and my son Alex came down for the opening night. Here in Sicily, despite the fact that it is the end of October, it is still summer and the 85-degree weather has been a bit rough with velvet and wool costumes, but so it goes! There’s no business, like show business!” Madelyn’s son Alex is a talented musician who has a bachelor’s from NEC, and is now working in music production and stage management with various international festivals as well as on tour with Andrea Bocelli. Madelyn Renee performs the role of the Marquise de Berkenfield in Donizetti’s comic opera “La Fille du Regiment.”
Madelyn Renee backstage with her son Alex
Cheryl Kilberg Solomon writes, “It was so fabulous to see all of you who attended our 50th Reunion! There were many faces that were new to Reunion, and I enjoyed spending time with you. Over the last six months, I have had a total knee replacement and endured a lot of PT (pain and torture, lol) but the worst is behind me now. Travel plans include three upcoming cruises and we are excited to be back on the high seas.” Perky Francis Nellissen hopes all are well, adding that it was such a fun Reunion! Perky just got another Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy to raise up until 16 months old. Her new puppy’s name is Wave and she is much calmer and sweeter than Ziti, who many of us remember from our Reunion. Perky writes, “You kind of forget about how much time, patience and perseverance a little puppy is. Good thing they nap a lot! I remember all the milestones, but not the day-to-day. Ziti was accepted into the breeding program and is pregnant! That means that she passed a barrage of medical tests and her lines and sibs were scrutinized to see if they wanted to pass along her DNA. Apparently, so!” Perky is no longer teaching college lacrosse refs this year as she finally said enough and let the people closer in age take the reins. That said, she will ref high school but that may be on the way out someday, too. Date TBD. Perky is active in her town, serving on the Little Compton (R.I.) Community Center board, delivering lunches to elders, staffing the service for catering parties and playing/teaching paddle tennis.
Hill section of New York City and served on the board of Austin Riggs in Stockbridge. Later in life, she spent much of her time in Truro on the outer Cape, a place that became dear to her heart. Margot was also a lifelong skier and a dedicated rower. She was a voracious reader of all genres of literature and recorded for the blind for a number of years. After hearing about Margot’s passing, Kathryn Heuston Clark writes that she “hadn’t seen Margot since 2014 when she visited me in Greece, but she was so much a force of nature, a creative intellect, a writer to reckon with, a sense of amazing adventure (too many sailing escapades on Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound to extrapolate), a loving mother and at the end of the day, had the bit of downright craziness that illustrated her uniqueness.”
Betsy Jackson Fear writes, “I had an art opening in October in Bath, Maine, at the Chocolate Church Arts Center. In the photo, my sister Tory Jackson ’71 and I are in front of my work. I also had a lovely time with Alison Macmillan in Rockland, up the coast from Woolwich where I live. We had a sushi dinner and saw the fabulous Dar Williams in concert at the Strand. We walked out the breakwater on Saturday to cap off our visit.”
Bobbie passed away October 10, 2023. She worked for many years in finance. After Dana Hall, she attended Wheaton College and earned an MBA from Suffolk University. She was an active volunteer at Gofi Dogs and a longtime Bruins fan.
Alison Macmillan and Betsy
Class of 1974 Kate Hirsch Koller katehkoller@gmail.com
Class of 1975
Amanda North writes, “I had the chance to visit Holly Richardson Todd in Hamburg, Germany, recently on my way back from a truly idyllic trip to Croatia. It was so fun to catch up with Holly and husband Tom and stay at their lovely home. Holly’s granddaughter Helena is nearing 2 years old and incredibly lively, curious, intelligent and personable. It was really fun (and a bit exhausting!) spending an afternoon in her company.” Amanda North and Holly Richardson Todd
Sharing sad news is the worst part of being a Class Correspondent. We lost two classmates this fall. Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Margot Tweedy Egan and Bobbie Griffin. Margot died peacefully at home on September 4, 2023. She married W. Eric Egan at The Lake in Central Park in 1999 and raised twin sons, William and Landfield. As a family, they spent their time in New York City and Stockbridge, Mass. For many years, Margot kept a small psychotherapy practice in the Carnegie
Betsy Jackson Fear and Tory Jackson ’71
Amanda with Holly’s granddaughter Helena
Kyle Fake Seydler kylewfake@gmail.com Susan Orban Eichler writes, “I’m still living in Malvern, Pa., where I moved when I married 32 years ago. Marriage brought about my retirement from the political/lobbying world at 35. As much as I hated Dana, I have to say it totally molded my life and career. Mr. McCarthy encouraged me to get a job our sophomore year because I was so miserable, and the School was able to get me an internship with the local congresswoman Margaret Heckler. That job took me to Washington, D.C. as one of her interns every summer from the time I was 16 until I graduated college, when I moved there permanently. During my time in D.C., I worked for a political pollster (Peter Hart) and then for two real estate trade associations where I did political work, fundraising and lobbying. My husband Eric was a widower and a client of the Real Estate Roundtable where I worked in the mid-80s. And the rest is history. He has three children who are my/our age, and thus I have nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren! They are all fun and beautiful individuals in every sense of the word. It’s been a
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journey. We have a home on the eastern shore of Maryland, which we enjoy in the spring and fall, and even in the heat of the summer. It’s a quiet place where we boat and cook and entertain. A simple life. Life has been ‘interesting’ as time has passed. Having a husband who is 22 years older is something that would make a topic for my next book… oh wait, I guess that would be my first book. Aging is not for the faint of heart and when you are so much younger, it is tough to watch and experience. Eric is a wonderful human being. He retired at 79 and is now almost 88. He’s still quite vibrant, but his body is constraining his activities. We traveled the world extensively in the early and middle days but have been relatively stationery the past 5+ years. COVID-19 stole the last few ‘good’ years. I now spend much of my time taking care of our two homes, cooking, raising multiple Labradors, and trying to be a good friend. I love to write, so I do a little of that for fun and on the side to assist other individuals/organizations. I’m a little sad that life has slowed down already as I’m really not ready to be sedentary. I need to figure out how to keep moving ahead while still being able to manage things on the home front. If anyone is in the Philly/ Malvern area or the eastern shore of Maryland, please let me know. Happy to see any and all!” Ellen Sterling Slater writes, “Happy news: a wedding on September 30 when my daughter Felicity Gwenyth Slater married Robert Lucas Nugent. Currently they are at home in Washington, D.C. She is a lawyer with the Future of Privacy Forum, and he is a comic color artist. The wedding was also a wonderful reunion of friends and family who hadn’t gotten together in a while. My husband Scott and I are living in Cambridge, Mass., and I am working at Marsoft Inc., a small maritime consulting firm in Boston. My father passed away in 2020, and we are selling the family home in Norfolk, Mass., where Sterlings have lived for more than 50 years. This is challenging for me on many levels. Best wishes to all. I appreciate your news and notes and tips on many important timely topics.” Barbara Frost writes, “All good here. We are about an hour south of Lewiston, Maine, but surprisingly, I know several people who were directly impacted by the tragedies there. As we were waiting to hear that Robert Card had been captured, I realized that I generally take my safety for granted. This week, situational awareness took on a whole new meaning. My heart breaks for all the lost life and for all the
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families who must move forward, including the Card family. Meanwhile, we moved to Maine from Arizona in late 2019, shortly before COVID-19. A bit of a rocky start. But we are starting to feel like we belong here. I’ve had a slow start to getting my studio functional again, but it’s finally getting there. I have worked at the Tucson Gem Show for about 10 years and have so many wonderful stones that I’m getting excited to create with. My son Ryan went to Arizona State, hence the family’s move to warmer climates. Then he decided to go to Boston University for his Ph.D. in statistics! I traveled east several times and had some wonderful visits to his apartment in Brookline, Mass. Then it was time to come home, so we did. Ryan and his fiancée Erin now live in the town they both grew up in: Harvard, Mass. House-hunting is proving challenging for them, given interest rates and little inventory on the market. Both of their jobs are remote, so they can be flexible in terms of location. On a lighter note, I’m still chuckling about Anne Baker’s piece in the most recent Bulletin — and remembering the 35th Reunion and the headmistress’s comments about the wild Class of 1975. Thanks, Anne!” Liz (Gizzy) Flory Williamson writes, “I retired from private veterinary practice this year. I was lucky to work in what may be the best years of veterinary medicine. Corporate ownership really took a toll on us the past few years. I am lucky to say I left with a clear conscience and was proud to have my niece step into the field as I left. There are plenty of other veterinaryrelated things to do and husband Jim is thrilled I am free to finally spend summers in Truro on Cape Cod. Now I need to catch up with Jennifer Cross Peterson and see if she has made the break as well.” Mo Bragdon writes, “My 5-year-old yellow lab Harry made it through five chemo treatments for his cancer this summer and we don’t have to visit the oncologist again for three months. Yay! I hope to be spending much more time on Cape Cod, so if any of you are ever there, please give me a holler!” Mo Bragdon’s dog Harry after completing a full course of chemotherapy treatments
Melissa (Bear) Garvan writes, “Gathered with Cathy Hosley Vouwie at Laura Burkhardt O’ Connell’s house in Groton, Mass., last October. Great to see them all and fall in New England for a change!” Cathy Hosley Vouwie, Laura Burkhardt O’Connell and Melissa Garvan
Julie Warner writes, “Not a lot of excitement here on the eastern shore of Virginia. Still working part-time as a nursing clinical instructor at our local community college, which I absolutely love. My team came in second in a charity spelling bee. It was a riot! It ended up three nurses against three MDs and we lost on oenophile, which I will now forever know how to spell. I spent my summer vacation getting my knee replaced — tons of fun!” Julie Warner’s dog Jaxon at the beach
Curry Glassell writes, “I relocated to Clearwater, Fla., temporarily to be with my son and daughter-in law and be there for the birth of my second grandchild, Adaline Monet Glassell, born July 7, 2023. The other amazing milestone is that I have completed the final editing for book one of a two- to three-part fictional series loosely based on the amazing life of my distant cousin Joan Glassell in Scotland and her mysterious death in the early 1800s. Imagine a story inclusive of the era of Emily Brontë’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ and Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and then add a bit of gaslighting and tragedy with Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Rebecca’ or ‘Psycho’ — then lighten up a tad by recalling Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Quantum Leap.’ ‘Fierce Dignity’ with the subtitle ‘Emilia’ is being uploaded and will be available on Amazon within the next four to six weeks! I will share the links when I have them.”
Jennifer Cross Peterson writes, “After contemplating retiring for a year or more, I finally made the break. Still adjusting and trying to get into a rhythm without an imposed structure! I loved seeing Mo’s handsome dog picture, so I’m including a photo of our two.” Jennifer Cross Peterson’s two dogs
Elizabeth Simonds writes, “Greetings from Maine! I am enjoying retirement and finding volunteer opportunities to help with the food pantry in Cumberland. It has been a busy year with my son John Finegan’s September wedding to Elizabeth Hobbs on Little Diamond Island on Casco Bay. They own a duplex in South Portland and lead active lives. My sister, Jane Simonds ’76, lives in Portland. We get together weekly and have a wonderful time together. Hope we might have a good turnout for our 50th Reunion in 2025.” Debe Cohen Holland writes, “We are living in Gloucester, Mass. We raised three kids in Winchester, Mass., which was wonderful, but when they all launched, we no longer needed a large house in the suburbs, so we built our dream house on the water. This year, Nick and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. We enjoy traveling, hiking, biking and boating. The kids are all married, and our daughter and both our daughters-in-law are teachers. They’ve had quite a rough ride over the past several years. We are lucky that two live in the Boston area and one in Burlington, Vt., so they’re either close by or in a fabulous place to visit. I have run a family real estate business in Washington, D.C. for 40 years. I was able to work mostly remotely and part-time for a long time. COVID-19 has dealt commercial real estate within a city center quite a blow. I am trying to engineer a new partnership that will allow me to step back more and infuse the business with fresh cash, new eyes and a revitalized plan. I have been largely a stay-at-home mom involved in local schools and politics. I readily left all that behind when we moved to Gloucester. I enjoy rowing with a very large group of people in old wooden boats called gigs. They have six rowers and a cox. The rowing club and the museum they’re attached to have been a large focus of my
life as I have served on the board of directors of both organizations. I have now moved on to volunteering as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). We are employed when a judge in the juvenile system feels that a foster care situation needs an extra pair of eyes. We represent the interests of the children and make sure their needs are being met. I finished my first case last May and it was eye-opening, to say the least. I also volunteer in my daughter’s classroom in East Boston where they don’t have the resources to have a school library, and we run a mini library in her classroom. I’m certainly not trained in library arts, but I can help a 7-year-old find a book about dinosaurs. It’s cool to see your child at work and I really enjoy being around her students. I don’t remember Dana Hall with any particular fondness, but I have gotten great pleasure out of reading our Class Notes and learning about the lives of our peers. As we are all well into our 60s, I find the reflections that people share on their life experiences to be very insightful, and I commend everyone who has been willing to share. At this point we’ve all seen enough and done enough to have some interesting observations.” Laura Foley Coleman writes, “I completed certification as a psychoanalyst in May and have been enjoying the new skills/depths in work and also the time for friends/creativity that finishing up affords. My hunger for exploring other cultures took me to Spain this summer and I befriended, as it turns out, a fellow Dana alum while there: Martha Cook Hall ’54! We were on a chamber music excursion, so Dana’s support of music education with a tour self-selected for the arts may have fueled this synchronicity. We took a photo of us sitting on playful mosaic benches at Gaudi’s Park Güell. Sending best wishes to all. Martha Cook Hall ’54 and Laura Foley Coleman ended up on the same chamber music tour in Spain.
Hillary Bailey Smith writes, “My daughter Courtney and her husband Patrick live in Doha, Qatar, so the unrest in the Middle East has been a bit stressful. We were there last year for Thanksgiving and to watch the FIFA World Cup. A fascinating country that is only really 40 years old as that is when the largest reserve
of natural gas was discovered and they learned how to ship it. Pearl divers and fishermen became millionaires overnight. The country itself is incredibly clean and feels very safe, but the diversity of the expats living there who support the economy and growth of Qatar has caused some anxiety. It is a Muslim country and although the United States is Qatar’s ‘friend’ (a U.S. base is located there), there is an anti-American sentiment that is prevalent in the region. Not to mention anti-Jewish. I have included a picture of our gang. I love them all dearly and enjoy every minute that I have with them, our friends and relatives. And that is the best in life.”
Hillary Bailey Smith and family
Abigail Straus writes, “My tech startup Mozaik is moving into an exciting new phase of development and is almost ready for piloting. It’s a tool for teams and organizations that facilitates people doing their best/most productive thinking together. This is something I see a huge need for in my work with leaders and teams. Sending my best.” Sandy WoodPrince Collins’s Dana bag that she carries everywhere
Sandy Wood-Prince Collins writes, “Last year, Mike and I moved to my parents’ town, which I love. My sister is also here and we can support them in many ways. My grown kids Bill and Cat have nice partners and work hard at what they do. 2023 has been a challenge, though. First Mike and I caught COVID-19 in January; my parents followed and recovered okay, but my dad was weakened a lot by it. I lost my dear horse of 27 years in late February. World crises and disasters. The epicenter of my equestrian life, Tempel Farms, closed its doors after 65 years. But the worst so far was in September: My father-in-law, the
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ultimate ‘Papa Bear,’ passed away after years dealing with cancer. Dana is still with me; I carry and use my Dana bag almost every day. I look at it often and think of all of you and those days, especially in autumn. My love to you all!”
Class of 1976 Lisa Maini lmaini@mymarketingmanager.com Lisa Maini writes, “Hello, everyone! I hope you are well. I celebrated my 65th birthday in April and kept it pretty low key. I rented out my home in Falmouth, Mass., in July and stayed at my boyfriend’s house and saw beautiful sunsets and wildlife on the water. I broke my toe in June, so I couldn’t train for the Falmouth Road Race, play tennis or race Sonars, but I was able to help with the race committee! I also read some great books and can recommend a few. Three of my summer highlights were going to Menemsha on Martha’s Vineyard for a weekend with my boyfriend, hosting my two nieces and their friends for a weekend on Cape Cod in August, and attending a lovely event at the Wianno Club hosted by Dana Hall. My godchild celebrated her 11th birthday in October and we did all the fun fall things, like a corn maze, hay ride, pumpkin picking, cooking and of course shopping. Ross and I planned to head to Yosemite in November to celebrate Thanksgiving and I can’t wait! We’re staying in a quaint rustic camping area and I’ve been walking around the house in my new hiking boots to break them in. Have a great year and be well.” Robin Frisbie Lipman writes, “I finally retired in 2020 from 32+ years in education as a school psychologist and elementary administrator. My husband Art and I moved to the gulf coast of Florida in the midst of the pandemic. I have found a new love of gardening and am trying to get used to the lack of seasons here. My daughter Katie is attending grad school at UMass Boston and lives in Waterford, Ct., and our son Peter lives with us here in Florida. Cindy Bissell and I used to have a regular birthday get together when we lived in Connecticut, but it’s a bit of a trek now for us! Hope everyone is well. Thanks Lisa, for getting us organized!” Mary Gannett Crowell writes, “We are still enjoying time between New Hampshire and Colorado. We had a wonderful trip to Alaska in July. What a beautiful country we live in and so much to see. Looking forward to where the next adventure takes
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us. Cheers to a happy, healthy holiday season and to the coming year.” Kim Calder writes, “I continue to call Manhattan my home, though at the present, I’ll admit to being in a best of times/worst of times phase. I’m happily acclimating to my late-in-life marriage and early retirement, but consumed with caregiving for numerous family members and close friends with serious illness, disability, plus a lot of losses. Fortunately, helping loved ones navigate complex medical, health insurance and long-term care stuff is far more rewarding than doing it for a living, which I did as a patient advocate for nearly 40 years. As a longtime resident of New York City, I often say the only thing better than living in Manhattan is getting away from it as often as possible. Husband Ben, stepson Chris and I spend considerable time in our second home in upstate New York, and travel further afield whenever possible. When home, we keep up with New York’s theater and music scenes, our bounty of wonderful friends, and numerous ‘give back’ passion projects to keep it all in perspective. All in all, my life is pretty great, and I hope my fellow classmates can say the same!” Ginny Crawford Pierrepont writes, “It has been a busy and brutal three years since the COVID-19 breakout; no one has gone untouched, especially now in light of this horrible conflict in Israel. On September 18, family and friends flew to London for a September 23 wedding in northern U.K. Son William, a financial planner with First Foundation in Los Angeles, his beautiful fairytale bride Caroline and their daughter (my first grandchild) Elizabeth Ailsa ‘Lulu’ got remarried at the family chapel Holme Pierrepont Hall in Nottinghamshire, U.K. Lulu was the precious flower girl who stole the show. She is a beautiful light carrying us forward. William’s twin brother Edward and Edward’s beautiful bride Janie, an influencer on social media, were married in 2020 in Antigua, another fabulous destination wedding. They are living in New York City with my oldest daughter Ailsa Hamilton Pierrepont. We are extremely proud of Ailsa, who is the director of Global Energy Investment at Blackstone in New York City (she was previously at Towerbrook). Edward and brother Stuyve are both employed at Marsh, Inc. Our dearest, oldest son, R. Stuyvesant, and his beloved bride Dana had an adorable baby boy Stuyve V in July. We are overjoyed and plan to join them for Thanksgiving in Washington, D.C. I have put my painting on hold for the past two years, to help close my father’s estate and
continue to mourn and pray for our hugely loved middle daughter Evelyn Crawford who passed away in 2021. Out of all this sadness, I have grown incredibly beautiful gardens of heirloom tomatoes, vegetables, sunflowers and prize dahlias for all our community to enjoy. Cooking many tomato pies, gazpacho and tomato sauce has helped our healing process. I continue to work out, practice Pilates, swim and rehab all my other joint replacements. I pray every day for all families and friends, and for global peace. I am extremely grateful for all the support we’ve received from family and friends throughout the years. God bless you for bringing us all together. Sending much love.” Ginny and her twin sons, Edward and William, at William’s U.K. wedding in Nottingham
Ginny’s daughter, Evelyn Crawford Pierrepont, who passed away in 2021
Maggie deRham writes, “A big year for our class as many of us turn 65! That feels impossible as it was only yesterday that we were 18 and spending our days together at Dana. Brian and I still live in Newfields, N.H. I continue to teach, but since COVID-19, I have cut back to what I call my retirement teaching. I currently teach two days a week at a private preschoolkindergarten 10 minutes away. I teach an enrichment program for the 3’s and 4’s from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I love my days with the kids, but I also love the extra time to spend with family and friends, knitting, reading, skiing, bike riding and traveling. I have also been bitten by the pickleball bug and I am playing 3-4 times a week. Brian retired on November 1. He is eagerly waiting for the snow to fly so he can get in a full season of skiing. Spring will bring many projects put on hold after years of traveling and hours on the road. He is looking forward to a less hectic schedule and time to pursue the things he loves. After graduating from BU and moving to Prague for two years, our
oldest daughter Lathrop is back in New Hampshire and living in Holderness. She is the program director at RockywoldDeephaven Camps on Squam Lake. RDC is the special place that my family has gathered every year for the last 50 years. It is our heart’s home. She loves living on the lake and has the coziest rental with an amazing view of the lake and the mountains. I love to visit! Our youngest daughter Rachael went to UNH for undergrad and BU for graduate school. She is currently living in Brighton, Mass., and works at BU as an undergraduate academic advisor. She is only an hour away, so when she gets tired of the bustle of Boston, she comes to New Hampshire to rejuvenate. I also love to visit Rachael! Sending hugs to all and best wishes for a healthy and safe year filled with family, friends, love and laughter.” Joe Burrows Miller writes, “I had a great summer and my daughter got engaged in the spring!”
Class of 1977 Elly Phillips Cyr ellycyr@comcast.net Jennifer Furash Schneider writes, “Still live in Columbus, Ohio. I work full time as the president of a design-build construction company that specializes in federal government contracting. I have been married to Karl for 42 years in March and have three great adult kids, but my biggest blessings are my four grandchildren ages 6, 3, 3 and 8 months. Working on a new family photo with all of the kids!” Ellen Partridge Pulsford writes, “Hello, classmates! Glen and I took the plunge and retired last winter. We spent February-May at our home in Venice, Fla., and then summered between Cape Cod and Cape Ann. We spent a lot of time with the grands! We returned to Venice in September and were home for less than 72 hours before repacking and heading out on the road again. We traveled west, stopping at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City — wonderful museum — before landing in Fort Collins, Colo., for nearly a week. We visited with Glen’s aunt and uncle, seeing so much of the area. Uncle John is a renowned geologist, so we learned much about the glaciers, rock formations, etc., of the Rocky Mountains and surrounding canyons. We had lunch with Kathy Abbott Lobato. Fun time reminiscing and catching up! We then headed south to
Taos, Santa Fe and Albuquerque, N.M. Garden of the Gods and the Balloon Fiesta (and yes, it is worth getting up in the middle of the night to be there at 4:30 a.m.) were amazing. After a week in New Mexico, we headed home, stopping to see good friends for a few days in Gulf Breeze, Fla., near Pensacola. Our country is full of amazing places and splendid views. We are already thinking of where to next. Hoping for peace and love to you all. Let me know if you are in the area!”
— loads of fun. Also, I completed my second season as an adaptive ski instructor at Mount Wachusett in Massachusetts. Part of my pre-retirement life planning! I saw Krista Kamborian Baldini this past August while she was in the U.S. from Mexico City dropping her son PJ off at Dartmouth’s Tuck School.
Ellen Partridge Pulsford and Kathy Abbott Lobato
Barb Kelly’s children and their partners hiking in Vermont
Cathy Cushner Edelstein writes, “I am still teaching full-time at Emerson College and thinking of retiring in a couple of years; it’s been 19 years! Post-retirement, I plan to continue teaching my favorite course in nonprofit communication as an adjunct to stay associated with the advocacy program for Boston Public Schools I started in 2019. You can check it out at OntheSamePageBoston.org. So far, more than 6,000 books have been donated to schools we’ve partnered with. At home, I enjoy living close to both of my daughters. Alexandra and her husband live in Needham, Mass., with two precious daughters of their own: Olivia (3) and Genevieve (6 months). I see them every chance I get. My younger daughter Carly is getting married in May and we are busy planning the wedding in Bristol, R.I. My folks and sisters live nearby and we all get together with our families often. Christopher and I are happy traveling when we can, spending time with family, and bike riding the trails around the city. Sending love to all my Dana Hall sisters!” Barb Kelly writes, “I’m still living in Lexington, Mass., and working together with my husband Joel Bernstein in the estate planning practice, also in Lexington. We’ve been taking a lot of time off, renting a house for the summer in Vermont and in the fall, I was just back from my first post-COVID-19 international trip, hiking in the Dolomites for three weeks. So nice! My oldest son John is living in Beverly, Mass., with his wife Kate; my other two kids, Sarah and Dan (with his girlfriend MacKenzie), are living in Washington, D.C. A new sport for me is gravel biking
Barb and husband Joel Bernstein hiking in the Dolomites
Barb with sister Lauren Kelly Smith ’79
Allison Wheeler writes, “Four kids, all grown up, and two grandchildren. Ned (34) is married, living in Denver and has one child. He had a weird sarcoma last year right after they moved from San Francisco, so I spent a lot of time in Denver with him, his wife Celeste and baby Howie (now 1 year old). Happily, Ned is fully recovered. I was corresponding and commiserating with Liz Browning Riley; it is crushing to see a child suffer from what should be an old person disease! There are shocking numbers of young people getting cancer right now. Will (32) is also married, living in San Francisco and has one child. He is at Bain and Elizabeth works for a PE firm in San Francisco. Charlie (26) is living and working in real estate development in Chicago, loving the city and thinking about grad school. Addy (24) quit her consulting job at Deloitte to teach adaptive skiing at Vail and is now in training to be on the Vail ski patrol (one of very few women!). And
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because we are the sandwich generation, I moved my widowed dad (88) into assisted living in Florida last month, after moving his younger sister (76) into elder housing in Wellesley, Mass., and moving my recently widowed mom (86) out of her place in Hingham, Mass. If anyone is struggling with this process, I have become ruthlessly unsentimental about ‘stuff’ and would be happy to help. When not on the road, Will (husband) and I bounce back and forth between Washington, D.C. and Martha’s Vineyard, hoping eventually to return to Massachusetts for good. Until then, we stay on the Vineyard from April through December and would welcome visitors!” Anne Leone has recently shown her paintings in exhibitions at the New York City art fair, “Art on Paper” at M Fine Arts Galerie in Boston, CK Contemporary in San Francisco and Galerie FriedmannHahn in Berlin. She recently completed the painting, “Corazon Del Paraiso #15, acrylic on linen, 58” x 72”. Anne and her husband Dan Ludwig, also an artist, live both in Massachusetts and in Brooklyn, N.Y., where her kids live. Her family is thriving. Ellis Ludwig-Leone has an impressive career as a composer and musician, with a new classical album, “False We Hope;” a musical, “The Night Falls;” and he will release a new rock album with his band San Fermin in the spring (follow on Instagram at @sanferminband). Anne’s daughter Madeline Ludwig-Leone is a painter who is taking a few years to live in Los Angeles while she earns an MFA at the Art Center College of Design. Anne’s niece, Emily Ludwig Shaffer, is also an accomplished painter. They are pictured here with the whole family, when Emily was wedded to Nicky Forster in July at the Boathouse in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. The cute little boy is Shay, 2, who brings so much joy to them all.
Anne’s recent painting, “Corazon Del Paraiso #15”
Elly Phillips Cyr writes, “Hello, Class of 1977! As many of you know, I have assumed the role of Class Correspondent. I am excited to be able to gather news of our classmates and welcome you to submit your news anytime, and I will make sure it gets to the School in time for the next Bulletin. My kids are now grown and living nearby. My daughter Lizzy is happily married and working as a sailmaker at a local Seattle-based sail loft, having left the tech/corporate world. She and I, along with her husband Matt, sail together on our Catalina 27 or friend’s boats. My son Randall just finished his probationary year and is now a full-time firefighter/EMT with a fire department north of Seattle. He and his girlfriend Jessie are avid outdoor enthusiasts and love to work out together. I am ‘grandma’ to three dogs! No longer do I have my own furkids — for now! I remain an active real estate broker based in Seattle and work with clients throughout the area. If you find yourself in Seattle, please let me know. Would love to see you!”
Elly Phillips Cyr with her children and their partners
Class of 1978 Lisa Aronson Altman P11, 16 laltmn@comcast.net
Anne Leone and family at her niece’s wedding
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Lauren Henderson Bak welcomed two new grandsons this past summer. Her daughter had a boy, Bode, who joins older sister Vivian in June. She says she is so lucky that they live in her same town and they get to see each other a bunch. Her son Matthew had a son, John, in August. She is so happy and grateful to have these three beautiful children enriching her life.
Grace Keller Wurtz travels back and forth from Mexico City to California where she often sees Julia Blagden and Jieb Chaixanien. And she keeps in touch with Marcia Crumley. Grace is an architect in Mexico, but painting and glass are her passion. And she has three grandsons and a lovely granddaughter! Alexandra Riemer Greenberg and her husband Marc celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in Italy for two-anda-half weeks. She also retired one year ago in June and is loving all the free time she now has to exercise, volunteer at an animal adoption center, play tennis and do water aerobics! Alex also does network marketing part-time for a company called Melaleuca. com of which she’s been a customer for 27+ years. She loves the products! Her son Zachary (26) recently got out of the bike industry and is now doing IT sales for Memfault. He loves working remotely and traveling from New York City to San Francisco and Massachusetts where they have offices. He still rides 30-50 miles recreationally and keeps in touch with all of his contacts. Noah (22) is a certified EMT/ambulance operator at the Huntington Beach Fire Department and absolutely loving it. He found his calling and is looking forward to being a firefighter very soon. Marc is doing well and still enjoying the practice of law and handling some really interesting cases. Alexandra has been trying to get together with Ellen Tuton Le Comte, but she’s always in Amsterdam when she calls! Dana Peters Frizzell writes of her visit with Jean Kropper and her son, Alex. She writes, “It was wonderful catching up! It’s funny — we couldn’t have been any more different at Dana Hall, but have since become great friends as well as published authors.” Jean’s living in Sydney, Australia, and teaches art workshops online that have a wellbeing component. She’s done amazing work! She’s also been a huge help to Dana with her own writing. She was back in the states visiting family and was so happy she was able to pop up for an overnight. In the fall, Dana had just returned from an amazing cruise up the New England coast. It was a round-trip out of Boston, with stops in Portland, Saint John and Halifax. Their final stop was supposed to be Bar Harbor, but a tropical storm changed that plan and they returned a day early. She had a blast exploring her own backyard, so to speak. Her fourth book is currently going through the editing process and is hoping for a January release. In the meantime, she’s keeping busy at L.L.Bean and has also started writing the next book!
Morgain Smith retired from Centurylink Communications in 2018. After 38 years of living in the Phoenix desert, she moved to Vero Beach, Fla., with her husband and dog in 2021. She writes, “Life is good in the southeast and I’m looking forward to exploring Florida and the south in the coming years. I remember my classmates and time at Dana Hall with fond memories. I especially remember going to school on cross-country skis during the blizzard of ’78. What a great memory!”
Betsey Hedberg Hunter writes, “Hello from Kingston, Mass. I had a wonderful visit this summer with Sanna McKim at her lovely farmhouse in Maine. I also continue to work on my side business creating pet portraits along with working as a paraprofessional in the Kingston school system.”
Class of 1979 Lynn Phillips Hernandez lynn.hernandez@comcast.net Lynn Phillips Hernandez writes, “I am a living example of the ‘sandwich generation’ as I help care for my 90-year-old dad and frequently look after my grandkids. I thought the days of waiting in the school car pick-up lane were in the past, but I honestly wouldn’t change a thing. It’s wonderful to have them all nearby.”
Lynn Phillips Hernandez’s grandchildren
Debbie Black writes, “Since the last Reunion, I have moved to Park City, Utah, and live here full-time. I was in Boston for September as my two sons reside in western Massachusetts. The lifestyle here is fulfilling and I’m enriched with wonderful friendships. Recently, I have traveled to bordering states for mountain bike and horseback riding. Also, I have been traveling within Utah to explore our incredible natural parks. Waiting for snow to fall so skiing our many mountains can begin! Please call if you’re in my neighborhood!”
Class of 1980 Melissa Brown Moore mbm@me.com
Class of 1981 SusanMary Broadbent Redinger smredinger@gmail.com
Sanna McKim and Betsey Hedberg Hunter
Harriet Leech Roberts has been keeping busy and was featured in an article in Oxford Magazine: “An Evening with the Roberts.” She writes, “In July, I started a business — Oxford Stitch, LLC (www. oxfordstitchllc.com) — to teach crewel embroidery classes. Starting a business at 60 has been quite interesting and has certainly stretched me in hopefully good ways. Currently I’m reproducing my third very large (4’ x 8’) bed hanging for the Crewel Work Company, which will take me about a year to finish. When not stitching or teaching, my husband and I enjoy entertaining and hosting guests at our home in Oxford, Miss. In September, we had a fabulous lunch with Brigitte De Vogue de Chabot-Tramecourt and her daughter Gala, who is as excited about needlework as I am. Our son Matthew is studying business/finance at Southwest Community College in Memphis. We also have three sweet but stubborn westies who keep us busy and entertained.” Krista Rohrbacher Webb writes, “This year has been filled with new things for me. I started playing upright bass in 2019 and just this past summer, I joined a band! Yes, I’ve become a professional musician! We play the local winery, brew pub and farmers market circuit and it has been an absolute blast (www.theharmonywombats.com). I never saw this scenario in my future. I was scheduled to be an empty nester after we dropped our son off at Rose-Hulman for engineering school, but then our daughter decided to change direction prior to her senior year at Whitman. She is home, working and applying for Fall 2024 admission to nursing school. I’m not gonna lie… I’m delighted to have her home! Otherwise, I’m still working a bit and
planning some future travel and of course, learning badass bass lines and harmonies for our band! I hope everyone is doing well and look forward to seeing you all at Reunion in 2026. It’s hard to imagine we are all about to be in our 60s!” Adrienne Desjardin Hindley writes, “In mid-October, we planned to head to Chicago to our son Peter’s graduation with a Master’s in couples and family therapy from Adler University. It is such an awesome coincidence that one of his closest friends at his internship happens to be the daughter of Erica Cunliffe! Although not quite retired, Scott and I are enjoying a lot of traveling these days. We planned to head out on our 35th anniversary/60th birthday bucket list Viking River cruise from Budapest to Prague at the end of October. Working on a reunion gathering with Dana Hall friends sometime soon. Happy 60 everyone!” Nong Bhirombhakdi’s son Psi Scott graduated from CALART this year. Betsy Cohen Kessler writes, “I sold my house in Dover, Mass., spent a year renovating my new house in Wellesley Center and moved in in May. I can walk to my office as well as restaurants, coffee and of course, Dana Hall! The house is perfect for this next stage of life and still has room for folks to stay over during our next Reunion!” Lindsey Brown writes, “I have an art gallery and consultancy called Art Sales & Research in the Hudson Valley (www. artsalesandresearch.com). I had two shows that were running in the fall. I have great artwork available, from abstraction to landscape to figurative work. I would love to develop more relationships with anyone from Dana in the interior design space or art collectors.” Carolyn Sherwin writes, “After a lifetime of New York life, I took the chance and moved up to Watertown, Ct. It’s been a year of adjusting to things and luckily with remote access, I’ve been able to stay active with the Red Cross New York Chapter. Cheers to all!” D.K. Kaloust Hedgepath writes, “I just returned from walking the Camino de Santiago for my fourth time. I have been living in Naples, Fla., for the last 30 years. I would love to connect with anyone in the area. I have seen Fraser Demetree Benzal here, but wondering if anyone else winters in Florida? Best to all!”
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Bea Boccalandro is busy advising companies (FedEx, Toyota and other Fortune 500s) on their corporate social responsibility and corporate purpose. She published a book to help anybody in any job do meaningful work: “Do Good at Work: How Simple Acts of Social Purpose Drive Success and Wellbeing.” She travels often to give keynotes and lives with her husband in San Clemente, Calif., where she’s an active Rotarian and a self-described “comically bad surfer.” Alison Brainard Hall writes, “I wasn’t able to attend the last Reunion as I was moving across the country from Denver to Charleston, S.C.! I’m loving living in the low country with lots of water, sailing, beaches and sunshine. Semi-retired, I have pivoted from being a graphic designer to being a studio artist, and currently exploring being a painter. Fun stuff! Follow me on Instagram at @alisonhallart. I planned to visit classmate Martha Thorson-Gould in Bermuda for Thanksgiving. I spend my winters in Breckenridge, Colo., and often ski with Colorado local Lisa Goodrich Swift ’82 in Vail. If you are in the Colorado mountains in January-March, let’s take some runs!” Kerry Keefe writes, “I’m doing well in Rockport, Maine! My lobster shop is closed for the season. Now I get to focus 100% on teaching 5th grade at Camden Rockport Middle School.” Susana Mares Trevino reached out from San Antonio, Texas. She writes, “Our daughter is getting married in January, we have two grandkids whom we are crazy about, and our youngest is in his last two years of college in Hawaii. We are very happy but becoming empty nesters soon. Let’s see what that is all about! Come visit if ever in this area. I still keep in touch with Suyapa Cordoba Schmid, Annette Weber-Calderon, Ana Demmers-Cortes and Miriam Esteve as well as others from other classes. Tried to get together with Nong Bhirombhakdi in Hawaii this summer, but maybe next! Teaching Latin and loving it. I always look forward to the beginning of the school year.” Cindy Glanzrock met up with Liz Welch Maheras in Montauk, N.Y., this summer and enjoyed a day at the beach. SusanMary Broadbent Redinger writes, “As I put these notes together in the fall, I’m looking out at the ocean from our cottage on Bailey Island, Maine, where I’m eking out the final days of the season
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before closing it up. My husband Charles and I are enjoying the first months of empty-nesting with our oldest Maggie at UMass studying public health and Ally a freshman at UVM currently majoring in nutrition. I just finished 12 years on the school committee in Harvard, Mass., and considering what’s next. My mom, Ginger O’Hearn Broadbent ’49, joined us for my 60th this month and is still active with Dana Hall as a Class Correspondent as well. I’m thrilled to be taking over from Fraser Demetree Benzal. Thanks to her for holding the reins for so long! Keep the news coming — wonderful hearing from so many of you!”
Class of 1982 Anne Morton August annemaugust64@gmail.com
Class of 1983 Laura Lavit Elmore lauralelmore@yahoo.com
Class of 1984
Karen Middleton
Here is some news from our class: Lori Brown Hulak writes, “It has been a challenging few years for everyone and it only continues to escalate, so here are a few glimmers to share: My adult daughters are the best part of my life. I treasure my friends; it takes a long time to create old friendships and I was fortunate to spend six weeks traveling and working my job remotely in Panama this past summer with a college friend. I look forward to staying connected with my Dana friends. I recently walked the Fuller Brook Path with Debbie Goldberg Williams. Hope this inspires everyone to share your glimmers. See you in the spring!” Lori Brown Hulak with her daughters
Karen Middleton karensmiddleton@gmail.com Greetings! I (Karen Middleton) am delighted to serve as your new Class Correspondent. Please mark your calendar for our FORTIETH Reunion in April — and join us if you can! I am starting off this column with my own update. 2022 was rough and 2023 is much better. Last year, both my mom (Susan Pearsall, former Dana Hall nurse) and my sister died within six months of each other. My longtime partner, Christian Overbey, and I got engaged on New Year’s Eve. We married over Memorial Day Weekend in Great Falls, Va. June 1 marked 10 years in my role as president of Cobalt, a reproductive rights organization that includes an abortion fund. Over the decade, the organization has grown from a staff of three to a staff of 25. In May, I was honored to receive a 2023 University Distinguished Service Award from the University of Colorado Board of Regents in recognition of my contributions to Colorado communities as a legislator, nonprofit leader, and advocate of education and public service. I was recently appointed to serve on the Adams State University Board of Trustees. I am spending my free time learning Spanish, reading a lot more than in pre-COVID-19 times, and traveling.
Kristin Crowder Dolan writes, “I recently had a quick visit with Amy Wheeler Rojo and her son Charlie. Amy made a quick trip to Massachusetts from Jackson, Wy., to celebrate her mom’s 90th birthday! My son Jack was home for the weekend, too. On the same day, almost 2,000 miles away, our daughters Caroline and Molly (and Caroline’s pup Louie) were hanging out together in Colorado. Hooray for Dana Hall ’84!” Kristin Crowder Dolan and Amy Wheeler Rojo
Bissy Hopkins McCaleb and her husband Chris are running their successful HVAC
business in Boulder, Co. Bissy is also an animal communicator and energy worker, and had to give up her 20-year massage practice at the start of the pandemic. They are kept busy with work, and their pack of dogs, cats and bird. Tamar Ophee Amidon writes, “After going to C.I.A. and being a cook for many years in fine dining and wedding/events catering, my husband Mark and I moved to Berlin, Mass., almost nine years ago after our youngest went off to college. I have too many chickens and eight kinds of berries growing — and a large overgrown orchard that I haven’t gotten around to rehabbing but plan to soon. I technically retired from cooking before we moved here, but I spend May-October delivering and setting up wedding cakes for a friend (a very niche job) and November-April as an assessment coordinator for NAEP, The Nation’s Report Card, which I find satisfying but low key. I find it bizarre at times that our two daughters are grownups. We now have two enormous standard poodles. I am about to go into a house renovation project that will probably make me nuts. I really hope to see people at Reunion.” Mary Alden Allard writes, “My husband Tom and I have both been lucky enough to retire early, which means that we’re now in a stage of life where we’re focusing on home improvements, our son’s college education and travel! Our son Jamie recently finished high school and will soon be taking the G.E.D. During the pandemic, we decided to begin homeschooling him because he disliked taking all of his classes via Zoom. We told him we’d happily support him if he chose to attend a private college in another state, but he said he preferred to stay here in New Mexico because he didn’t want to leave us or his friends. For that reason, the plan is for him to enroll in the Community College of New Mexico, which he will attend for freshman and sophomore year before transferring to the University of New Mexico. Both are in Albuquerque, which is a convenient one-hour drive for us from our home in Estancia. The summer before last, my beloved Arabian mare Cleo died at the age of 31, which meant I had owned her for 28 years! My Canadian gelding was getting lonely, so two months ago, I purchased a gypsy vanner/dales pony cross from Tennessee, who recently arrived at our 10-acre property via a professional horse hauler. Her name was Maggs, but I renamed her Maggie May after the Rod Stewart song. I decided that since we’re both half English that an English singer’s song would be appropriate. Her former
owner loves the new name! Maggie May is a complete sweetheart and my gelding Nordique is happy to have a pasture mate again. I can’t believe that our 40th Dana Hall Reunion is fast approaching! I have not missed a Reunion except for our 5th, so I plan to make the trip east to see my former classmates. I have so enjoyed keeping in touch with quite a few of you via Facebook, and it was great fun to see so many of you at our 35th. Thank you so much again to Kristin Crowder Dolan for hosting our 35th Reunion dinner — as well as me! — at her house. Hope to see many of you this year!”
living in Boston working for a pharmaceutical company. Her son Will is a junior at UConn. Heather and Lee Adams Huth got together at her beautiful 17th century property in Beverly, Mass. She and Sean have a beautiful life on the North Shore. Heather McHutchison and Lee Adams Huth
Please share your news for the next issue. Join our class Facebook page “Dana Hall Class of 1984,” too!
Class of 1985 Christina Whiting Dougherty cswdougherty@comcast.net Lisa Iagatta LIagatta@yahoo.com Back in October, Christina Whiting Dougherty and I (Lisa Iagatta) had just gotten off the phone working on this submission and catching up! Please note that we have a Facebook page — Dana Hall Class of 1985 — in case you want to share pictures or other updates. Also, we are thinking about planning an informal get together in Newport, R.I., or in Boston. We will post the details as they evolve on our Facebook page. I (Lisa) have recently relocated back to the East Coast. I am now in Hull, Mass., working as the director of Operations at WisdomTree Prime. We just launched our mobile app, which allows regular investors (like you and me) to invest in tokenized funds all on the blockchain! I was in New York for the U.S. FinTech Awards as I was a judge this year; I am still the immediate past chair for ISITC NA, a standards organization within the financial services sector. Additionally, I was fortunate enough to be able to visit Paris and Rome while on a work trip to Brussels. And one last update to share: My daughter, Lilah, is now a Syracuse alum and living nearby. Christina bumped into Heather McHutchison on a flight home from Stockholm, Sweden, this past summer. Christina had been on a family trip to visit her relatives with her sister and 94-year-old mom! Christina’s daughter Emma recently graduated from Bucknell University and is
Lee Adams Huth had a fun Dana Hall reunion in New Smyrna Beach, Fla., with her best friend Hanna Jonklaas Buckley ’84. Lee Adams Huth and Hanna Jonklaas Buckley ’84
Lisa Olszewski’s daughter Zoe got to hang out with Kimberly Drew. Lisa Olszewski’s daughter Zoe and Kimberly Drew
Adrea Foster and her father on her wedding day
Adrea Foster writes, “I got married in 2021 on Cape Cod. It was a beautiful day. My husband and I adopted a dog from Texas. We live in Epping, N.H. I work for an ambulance company. On a sadder note, I lost my aunt and uncle to COVID-19 prior to our wedding, but I lost my dad on Easter this past year. I am so glad he walked part way down the aisle with me at our wedding. He
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always was there at Father/Daughter Day at Dana. He was such a fan of Dana.” Carrie Wells writes, “Mary Noxon and I (I was Carrie at Dana, but have gone by Caroline or Daisy since college) met up this past summer in Maine and still feel like family! I live on my farm in New Paltz, N.Y., with my boyfriend and three hounds. I work in the HarperCollins children’s books division, and moonlight doing freelance artwork and needlepoint canvas painting.” Carrie Wells and Mary Noxon
Kimberlee and Julie Epstein Penn at Julie’s son’s wedding
Heather McPhee hmmcphee@yahoo.com
Class of 1986 Kathy Koumantzelis Copeland P18, 20, 23 copelandkk@gmail.com
Class of 1987
Anna Limkin, daugter Milla and Trina Baker on the Dana Hall campus
Lauren Karp Kinghorn lkkinghorn29@gmail.com With heavy hearts, we mourn the passing of our classmate and friend Liz Medaglia. One of her final texts to Sioux Mathews Hudson was, “You have so many folks who care for you and are in your corner. Sounds as though you’re taking that collective energy and using it well.”
Kimberlee Wertheim Strome at the graduation of her son Max
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Sara Thibault Morrison writes, “Hello from southern Maine! Life is good here. My son is graduating from high school and my daughter is having fun in 7th grade. I just began a new role at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and love it! Send me a message if anyone is in Cambridge, Mass. We had our whatevernumber Reunion this year and it was fantastic! So great to see dear friends from all over. By the end of the weekend, I had bags under my eyes and a stomach ache from laughing, but I cannot wait for the next one! I also spend a great deal of time with Hally Mix Mundel ’89, Edie Perkins ’89 and Sarah Burgess Gregorian ’89 again having more fun than we should! I wish everyone peace and good health!”
We received news that our classmates Aimee Laman Sutton and Cathy Won Muma, who apparently haven’t aged, spent time together. The Dana Hall sister bond endures. Aimee Laman Sutton and Cathy Won Muma
Kimberlee Wertheim Strome writes, “Our daughter Sophie got engaged in April, followed by her graduation from veterinary school in May! Our son Max graduated the same week with his Master’s in computer science/A.I. Soon after, our daughter Arianna began her dermatology residency at her dream school! It was quite an exciting time for all of us! I was grateful to attend Julie Epstein Penn’s son’s beautiful wedding this past June! Loved seeing all of her family!”
Dana Tannenbaum Cahoon cahoond@gmail.com Nikki Hickman James nicolejames228@gmail.com
Belkis Suazo deCastro belkisdecastro@gmail.com
Anna Limkin writes, “In summer 2022, I hung out with Oonagh Stranksky a bit in Cortona and Torino, Italy, and saw Trina Baker back on the Dana Hall campus. In early October, I planned to head out for a couple of weeks to visit Portugal with a good friend from college. My daughter Milla is studying her third year at L’Institut Francais de la Mode in Paris, and son Viggo is a freshman this year at U.C. Santa Cruz.”
Class of 1988
Members of the Class of 1988 at Reunion 2023
Dana Tannenbaum Cahoon writes, “No matter how often you speak with your classmates or see a post on Facebook, an in-person visit is always good for the soul. Lots of laughs and love at Reunion!”
Caroline Shirley Woodward shared that she would be cheering on Smith vs. Wellesley at a volleyball match in October. Her team — Smith — won the game 3-1 with Caroline’s daughter Ruby Woodward posting 11 points! My (Lauren Karp Kinghorn) daughter Caroline is playing DI rugby for Harvard and her team won the NIRA Division I championships.
Dana Tannenbaum Cahoon, Jen Kirschenbaum, Amanda Martin, Jami Rankin, Liz FeltensteinPerez, Liz Cherot and Daphne Moorman Monroy got together for dinner in Boston
Jen, Sara, Jami, Daphne and Dana soaking up special moments on campus
Class of 1989 Sarah Burgess-Gregorian sbgregorian@gmail.com Greetings faithful reader(s)! Another Bulletin, another deadline I nearly miss! I will start with the sad news. Sari Carp, who started in the Class of 1990, but skipped a grade into our class midway through high school, passed away this past August from gallbladder cancer. We will be honoring her memory at Reunion next year. And now on to lighter things… Tammy Beaulieu Bonet’s oldest son, Bradley, married in October. Congratulations Tammy, and to the new couple! Tammy Beaulieu Bonet and son Bradley at his wedding on October 8, 2023
And that’s literally the extent of the news I received from you guys. So now, I get to tell you ALL about ME! (And if that doesn’t convince you to write in more, then there’s nothing I can do.) I had a book signing (my third) in June for my debut novel, ‘Twinkies & Beefcake,’ at Wellesley Books, organized by Ashleigh Howland ’04. There was a great turnout, and I was happy to be back in my old stomping grounds. Bel Canto’s is no longer there, but the restaurant that is, Alta Strada, is a pretty good stand-in. In July, my husband and I drove with our youngest, Spenser (a senior at Catholic Memorial in West Roxbury), from Boston to Cincinnati to stay with Julie Barnes Webb and her husband Bryan and kids Lily and George. I wanted to thank her in person for connecting me with not one, but two,
world-champion Olympic divers for my new book, ‘Kelly’s Folly,’ about a young diver with his eye on the Olympics. She also told me everything I needed to know about Cincinnati, where the story is set. She and Bryan took us all around the area I had written about, and treated us to Skyline Chili. Apparently, it’s a must do ‘when in Rome.’ I found out she is indeed teaching music and voice, but sadly not interpretive dance. Speaking of my new book, I had my launch party on Sunday, October 29. Hally Mix Mundel was on hand to document the event with her camera phone. Check out Facebook for the pics or follow my business account on Instagram (@T_H_ Forest). You can find links to all my social media on my website www. fountainoffiction.com. Hally and I try to get together every couple of weeks, and sometimes even more frequently, so hit us up if you’re in Newton, Mass.! Sarah Burgess Gregorian signing copies of her book at her launch party in October
Sara Thibault Morrison ’88 and I made a road trip to Burlington, Vt., in July, to spend the night at Edie Perkins’ new, fully accessible and stunning house. We had way too much fun to speak about here, and definitely have plans to go back for a ‘Sedies’ reunion. Edie is still heading up the Kelly Brush Foundation, and handcycling in her limited free time. Sarah Burgess Gregorian, Sara Thibault Morrison ’88, Edie Perkins
I was supposed to have gone with Sarah O’Leary, but she was stricken with a nasty case of the shingles this summer and has had a slow and painful recovery. We’re hoping to meet up at Buff’s Pub in Newton Corner soon, so, you know the drill. I have recently been in touch with Katie Wolf Mahoney ’90, who reached out to me to hear more about my books, which she read about RIGHT HERE in the Bulletin. It just so happens that her son Sam is a high school diver. Not sure if he’s got an eye on the Olympics like my Kelly, but I sent her a copy of the book to read and share with him. Speaking of my books, the cover art was done by Renate Geerlings ’90’s sister Sigrid Geerlings Silberman, a talented architect/artist who really classes up my ridiculous writing. She lives in Santa Monica, Calif., so this September, my husband and I traveled to the West Coast. First stop was Lake Tahoe for a wedding, then on to San Francisco to see Kent Ferguson, Olympic diver extraordinaire, to deliver him a copy of ‘Kelly’s Folly’ (as well as a copy of ‘Twinkies & Beefcake’ because I’m a shameless self-promoter). Next stop was Palm Springs, for some R&R, and then finally, L.A., to see my cover art in person, and wow — that was incredible. I hope to go back again next summer, or next winter, so if you’re in either city and want to meet up, you know the drill! Especially if any of you know independent bookstores who may want an in-demand author from Boston to come do a reading/signing… Anybody interested in purchasing a signed copy of either of my books may do so at my website — don’t be shy! Or you can buy an unsigned one at Amazon, or on Kindle Unlimited. I’m certain I’m forgetting some other fun stuff, but I’m sure you’ll forgive me (what other choice do you have?), or maybe next time, you’ll do the right thing and write in to remind me! Congratulations to Edie Perkins who was the top female hand cyclist in the New York City Marathon in November!
Class of 1990 Liz Record Svedlund P22, 24 ersvedlund@gmail.com Gretchen Lind flew up to Boston to see Duran Duran with me in September. The concert was amazing, as was being on the club level at the Garden. I will be flying to Orlando to visit Gretchen this coming January, so if anyone is, or will be, in the area — HMU! A week later, I was back on the club level for Peter Gabriel with Hally.
Caroline Vig Dryland writes, “I’m living in San Diego with my partner Scott (also a redhead!) and we are both working for the VA. When not at work, we enjoy tandem surfing and spending time with our pup Hamilton! My son just graduated from UC Berkeley and is studying for the MCATs, and my daughter is living and working in
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Seattle. My mum moved to Wellesley about seven years ago, and we were just visiting her and my sister who is in Natick, Mass., with her family. Hoping all of our classmates are well and happy! My best wishes to everyone!” Caroline Vig Dryland and her partner Scott
Caroline’s pup Hamilton
on the Dana Hall Instagram. Annika Svedlund ’22 is enjoying her second year at University of St. Andrews while my twins, Kat and Emmy, are playing 8th grade volleyball at Wellesley Middle School.”
Class of 1991 Robin Crowder Durawa rcdurawa@msn.com Nicole Fair Bhatti writes. “Callum is 18 and attending Drexel University in Philadelphia, thoroughly embracing all the opportunities available. Elias is 16, a junior, attending George School as a boarder. Ethan, our youngest, attends St. Andrew’s in Nassau. Carl and I continue to ply our trades, mainly in Abaco, so we do a lot of island hopping! My big news is that I became a Bahamas Real Estate Association licensed real estate broker, which is a five-year process!”
Katherine Bradley and Chloe Suen ’00, and catch up with Cindy Harvey ’90, too! I’m still in touch with dear Isabel De Antuñano ’92 and have even briefly touched base with other friends who spent some time at Dana, like Morella Scull ’91 and Julie Defense. Still living in Richmond, Va., and would love to see any of you if you’re ever passing by this way.”
Anjum Ali, Lorrie Walker ’93, Lauren Peters ’05, Associate Head of School Rob Mather, Amy Dahm ’93
Sonia (Tita) Puopolo wanted to share her Tita Talks podcast (www.titatalks.com) and Wellness World USA platform (www. wellnessworldusa.com). Emily Record writes, “Kids — Sebastian (junior) and Nico (sophomore) — are in high school; still living in Menlo Park, Calif.; and recently got to spend time in the mountains with my sister Liz, summiting the Matterhorn. Looking forward to a possible trip back to Dana Hall for Liz’s daughter, Eloise Svedlund ’24’s, graduation.” Liz Record Svedlund, Melissa Gross McCray, Laurie Vaccarino Tousignant
Liz Record Svedlund writes, “Enjoyed a lovely dinner with some of my favorite entrepreneurs, Melissa Gross McCray (www.twowebster. com) and Laurie Vaccarino Tousignant (www.charziejewelry.com). Looking forward to a dinner with Jana Friedman Brown we planned for later in the fall. My second daughter, Eloise Svedlund ’24, is enjoying her senior year at Dana Hall. She loved Senior-Sophomore — her sophomore was a Gatorade water bottle! Check out more of the awesome costumes
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June Zhou, Saadiah Ali ’90, Anjum Ali Nicole Fair Bhatti and family
Abbey Deitel, her husband Rob and her daughter Harper are enjoying life in Weston, Ct., and doing all the things people in Connecticut do: playing tennis and paddle, adopting a doodle and renovating their house. Abbey writes, “Harper is a fierce and funny 3rd grader, fully immersed in gymnastics and dance and growing up way too fast.” Anjum Ali writes, “I haven’t been back to the Dana Hall campus since 2000 to visit, so it was such an honor to be invited as a panelist for She Sails. I got to join Amy Dahm ’93, Lorrie Walker ’93 and Lauren Peters ’05 on a panel. I had a lovely tearful moment with Alexandra Siemen who was one of my absolute favorite teachers ever. Such a real pleasure to see others, too, like Weddee Neufville ’93, Oya Bangura ’93 and Rebecca Rice-Flanagan. Our classmate June Zhou and I had an awesome reunion, and she hosted me and my sister Saadiah Ali ’90 at the Boston MFA Hokusai exhibition. And then in June, my daughter and I had the good fortune to finally attend a Dana Hall mini-reunion in Washington, D.C. and get to spend a bit of time with Head of School
Robin Crowder Durawa writes, “My empty nest still feels really empty. Molly is a junior at Barnard College in New York City and Will is a freshman at Georgetown University. They are both living their best life and I am trying to recover mine. I just picked up pickleball (which is a blast), so I am getting there. I miss my Dana sisters!”
Class of 1992 Rachel Bebchick Naggar rnaggar@gmail.com
Class of 1993 Amie Margolis Haddad 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 Dusty Bennett dustinabennett@gmail.com Amelia Brown writes, “I’m still happily living in Brisbane, Australia, and my own daughter, Amy Summer, is now 10, almost 11, and starting to think about Dana Hall as a boarder for 9th grade. I have also just been awarded a 2024-27 Australian Research Council joint ‘Discovery Project’ grant of about $230,000 with three Australian colleagues! Our 4-year research project topic is ‘Images of Power in the Roman Empire: Mass Media & the Cult of Emperors, 79-450 CE.’ This grant includes some funding for travel leave to Greece from Australia, and for the teaching of my usual courses in Australia while I’m away. My aspect of the project is to research imperial Roman and Late Antique portraits of emperors into the middle of the fifth century, and how they were used as part of the mass media of imperial power alongside coins, laws and speeches, all during the conversion of emperors to Christianity, and laying the groundwork for medieval, Byzantine and even modern mass media of imperial power around the Mediterranean and far afield. This will build on my research at Corinth, Thessalonike and for Oxford’s Last Statues of Antiquity project. I hope to combine this project research with an academic year at the American School of Classical Studies and in Greece in 2024-25.”
Advancement and Communications. I love the school and I love working within a school community! My sons Lucas (10) and Ethan (6) are now in the 5th grade and kindergarten — my how time has flown coming out of the COVID-19 years! I hope you’re all doing well and I hope you’ll all consider a gift to Dana Hall School this year in support of the Dana Fund and the Fearless Futures campaign! Here’s some news from our classmates. Send me yours for the next Bulletin! Kristin Bedard’s sons Lucas (10) and Ethan (6) with her family’s dog, Piper
Angela Makkas Rougas writes, “Living in Cambridge, Mass., with my husband Bill and our three children: Gus, Maria and Alex. (With those names, I’d like to confirm we are NOT part of the mafia — although Alex acts like it a lot). We spent a few months in Greece this summer visiting family and friends, and taking some well-deserved rest after four years away and through COVID-19, etc. I still speak with many of my Dana friends and love them all so much! Hi, everybody!”
Kristin Bedard kristinbedard@gmail.com Lisa Brown lmclennanb@gmail.com Heather Cochrane Russo heatherjean23@hotmail.com Hi, ’97! Kristin Bedard here. I joined the Jackson Walnut Park School in Newton, Mass., in October 2023 as director of
Ruchi Kumar ruch.kumar@gmail.com Guida Estrela Mattison guidaemattison@gmail.com Jane Monti Young chaseyounggallery@gmail.com
Class of 1999
Brooke Anderson Murota Brooke.Murota@gmail.com
Class of 2000 Erica Wyner Cooley ericawyner@gmail.com Caroline Dale cwdale@gmail.com Jillian Riley jillianmriley@gmail.com
Class of 2001 Renee Towler Clayton renee.clayton82@gmail.com
Class of 2002
Tracy Spiegel Fox tracy.foxcraft@gmail.com
Class of 1997
Class of 1998
Amanda Coyle FitzGerald afitzgerald@coylecompany.com
Class of 1996
Kate Sidell Morton mortonkam@gmail.com
toddler, the law firm, a new business venture (check out modliftx.com!) and cleaning up after a direct hit by Hurricane Idalia.”
Angela Makkas Rougas with her husband Bill and children Alex, Gus, and Maria
Kate Spencer writes, “My next novel, titled ‘One Last Summer,’ will be published in June 2024. Available everywhere.” Cathy Kenney with her husband Ray and son Bear
Cathy Kenney writes, “Still living in Perry, Fla., with my husband Ray and raising our 15-month-old son, Bear. We are quite busy between our
Bettina Chiu bettinalchiu@gmail.com Kristen Clark and Shayna Padovano-Gold celebrating milestone birthdays in New York City
Kristen Clark is still working on her startup, Granate, to help families navigate loss and logistics around a death, and also coaching and supporting female entrepreneurs and founders grow their businesses.
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Emily Cohen writes, “My boyfriend and I got engaged over the summer in London with a wedding planned for summer 2024. We also bought a house and are loving it so far! In October, I came back to Dana to speak at an All-School Meeting about my personal connection to breast cancer and the work I do with the breast cancer organization Runway for Recovery (that provides significant grants to families affected by breast cancer). The students had a pink-out day, wearing all pink. All of the students participating in fall sports raised money for Runway and wore pink Runway for Recovery socks during their homecoming games against NCDS.”
Class of 2005
Class of 2007
Caroline Ross rosscae@gmail.com
Agnes Beckmann beckmann.agnes@gmail.com
Jessica Ngo writes, “In June, my sister Samantha Ngo ’08 and I were doing a California tour with baby Zoe and we met up with fellow alum Betsy Higgins Little ’67.”
Hilary O’Haire hilaryeo@gmail.com
Jessica Ngo, Samantha Ngo ’08 and Betsy Higgins Little ’67 with baby Zoe
See page 5 for more about Emily and Runway for Recovery.
Hilary O’Haire writes, “We welcomed our second daughter, Sylvie Louise, this past July. She joins big sister Margot.” Sommer Thomas, husband Boris and big sister Aria were so excited to celebrate baby Sommer Iman’s first birthday! Sommer writes, “Sommer Iman was born November 10, 2022 — and yes, I named her after me, ha!” Sommer Thomas and family
Class of 2003 Donna DiDomenico djdidome@gmail.com Beth Stuka Rose elizabeth.stuka@gmail.com
Class of 2004 Jazmin Kirby jazminlechekirby@gmail.com Tanya Nawrocka Lubicz-Nawrocka tlubicznawrocka@gmail.com Heather Liddell writes, “My husband James and I relocated last summer from Washington, D.C., to West Lafayette, Ind., with our three little girls (Liana, 8; Eliza, 6; and Julia, 4). This fall, I started a professorship at Purdue University in the departments of Mechanical Engineering and Environmental & Ecological Engineering, focusing my research and teaching on industrial sustainability. It’s a big change for my family, but we are really enjoying the friendly Midwest lifestyle and the energy of campus life at Purdue so far. My first teaching assignment was an engineering design class for undergraduate seniors, and I had a blast working with students in the lab. It brings me back to some of my earliest lab experiences at Dana Hall with the fabulously engaging and encouraging Mr. Fadden and Ms. Macedo. All the best to my Dana Hall friends and former teachers.”
Class of 2006 Gemma Leghorn gemma.leghorn@gmail.com Amanda Powers celebrated one year of nuptials to Joshua Rosenthal this October. A year ago, the Charlestown, Mass., couple celebrated with Bridget Roche Mongeau, Heather Glavin Yetman, Allie Levy Matthews, Harriet Groppe Prince and Katie Wadsworth at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. It was a beautiful night for a Dana Hall reunion!
On September 30, Charlotte Miller and Daniel Fox were married in an outdoor ceremony at the foot of Mount Monadnock surrounded by loved ones. Fellow Dana Hall alumnae Alexandra Leith (maid of honor), Megan Heimann (bridesmaid) and Sommer Thomas (bridesmaid) were also in attendance. Charlotte and Daniel continue to live in the small town of Peterborough, N.H., where they work for the REI Co-op and the New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth and Families, respectively. Sommer Thomas, Charlotte Miller, Megan Heimann
Amanda Powers celebrated her wedding with Bridget Roche Mongeau, Heather Glavin Yetman, Allie Levy Matthews, Harriet Groppe Prince and Katie Wadsworth.
Summer Sterling writes, “My wife and I now live near Denver. We’re enjoying our proximity to the mountains and national parks. I am working as a 7th grade social studies teacher and started a LEGO club this year.”
Class of 2008 Jacquie Maggiore jemaggiore@gmail.com Jackie O’Leary jacqueline.oleary2@gmail.com
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Nicole Suen nicolesuen0119@gmail.com Nicole Suen writes, “Hello ’08! I am living in London at the moment. This year, I left management consulting and started my own business and podcast. My company is called Beyondhood (meaning go beyond elderhood). We are a platform that connects older and younger generations. We create a channel for different generations to have meaningful conversations that are filled with wisdom and life experiences. Our podcast ‘Beyondhood’ celebrates older adults’ life stories. All info is on www.beyondhood.com. Also, the ’08 girls are going to be reunited for Renee Wong’s wedding this year in Italy!”
Class of 2009 Emily Soukas emily.soukas@gmail.com Emaline Surgenor emaline.surgenor@gmail.com
daughter Mica’s first birthday last May with family and friends, including some Dana alumnae: Kristin Mastrodicasa Cross ’85, Casey Bowser Bevins ’08, Kyle Bowser Duffy ’09, Bailey Rayment ’14, Amy Cannistraro, and Lexie O’Connor. Thankfully it was a gorgeous spring day for an outdoor birthday party.
in New York City, and the Boston Dana girls have been welcoming Avery Loeffler back to the area after her time living in NYC. I also got to spend some quality time with Cristina Vega ’12 this summer as we went to Bates College together and we were in a good friend’s wedding.”
Avery Loeffler writes, “I moved back to Boston after eight years in New York City. I miss my NYC silver sisters already, but I’m excited to be reunited with so many Dana friends back home in Massachusetts.” Leah Pagano writes, “I got engaged in Lake Como, Italy, this past August. I’m currently living in New York City with my fiancé and our two dogs, and love to hang with the Dana girls who live here as well. I started a new job in November specializing in business development, which I’m quite excited about. Sending love to all of our fellow silver sisters!”
Dana friends celebrating Nicole Atamian’s 30th birthday Dakota Donovan and Cristina Vega ’12
Leah Pagano’s two dogs
Candace Taylor cltaylor1019@gmail.com
Class of 2010 Cat Blakelock blakelockc@gmail.com
Kim Kjellman writes, “After earning my secondary degree at the New York School of Interior Design and working in the interior design industry for several years, I recently founded my own firm, Kimberly Kjellman Interiors, in New York City! I could not be more excited for this next chapter of my career and I am so thankful I get to do what I love every day. I am fortunate to have already been enlisted to work with a few of my super supportive Dana Hall sisters and hope to collaborate with many more in the future!”
Paige Walker walkerp.10@gmail.com
Class of 2011 Katie Jones Katiejadejones@aol.com Emily Knebel knebele@mail.missouri.edu Katie Jones and I (Emily Knebel) are pleased to share a flood of updates from our class this fall. As we’re all near or recently passed our big 3-0 milestone, there is a lot of excitement to share with our fellow silver sisters! Kendall Cross Armstrong and her daughter Mica
Kendall Cross Armstrong celebrated her youngest
Kimberly Kjellman
Dakota Donovan writes, “I’ve been enjoying updating and restoring my antique home in Marblehead, Mass., with my husband and hanging out with all my silver sisters. Last summer, a group of us celebrated Nicole Atamian’s 30th birthday
Katie Jones writes, “I recently moved back to New York City! I transferred here with my law firm, Bracewell LLP, where I am a corporate associate specializing in finance and mergers and acquisitions. I am very excited about this new chapter in my life and I feel so fortunate to have some of my Dana girls (Leah, Nicole and Kim) here with me.” Emily Silberstein writes, “I am in my final year of a four-year dual-degree JD/MPP at UCLA Law. I am looking forward to doing a federal clerkship at the district court in downtown Los Angeles upon my graduation in 2024. Hoping everyone is well!” Ainsley Lundie Loving writes, “Hi everyone! A couple life events to share: I eloped with my now-husband James in 2020 and celebrated in 2021. We recently welcomed our son, James Gordon (JG). We’re living in the D.C. suburbs.” Ainsley Lundie Loving with husband James and son James Gordon
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Ange Kagame is doing well and shared with us a picture of her and her two daughters: Anaya (3 years old) and Amalia (1 year old). So cute! Ange Kagame with daughters Anaya and Amalia
Sienna Durbin writes, “I have had an exciting year! I graduated from medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in June and stayed at MGH to work as an oncology hospitalist. I am currently in the process of applying for a hematology/oncology fellowship to finally complete my medical training! I also got married in September and enjoyed celebrating with a number of Dana girls, including Nicole Welborn, Catherine Minahan and Lizzie Mullen.” Dana girls at Sienna Durbin’s wedding
Alexis Altman writes, “My update is pretty brief — I adopted a rescue pup at the beginning of July named Bailey and she LOVES her aunt Madison Altman ’16 and belly rubs! After a couple of DNA tests to confirm, and to many peoples’ surprise given her appearance, I learned she is a Pit Boodle (pit bull and poodle), amongst small genetic traces of other breeds.” What a cutie! Alexis Altman’s new pup, Bailey
Lindsay Mullaney writes, “As of the fall, I was enjoying my sabbatical. I have been traveling around Portugal and will
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continue exploring other parts of Europe for a few weeks then, will be heading to Costa Rica to learn how to surf! I had a summer full of silver sister celebrations and took many of Sarah Gray ’10’s Orange Theory classes. If you need a good workout, take her class in Waltham, Mass.!” Ashley Stein writes, “2023 has been an incredible year! I got married on April 15 to the man of my dreams, Josh Pellerin. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect wedding at a beautiful farm in the mountains near Asheville, N.C. Emma Pike flew in for the wedding and made my day even more special! I started my new job just a couple weeks later as an outpatient cardiology PA at Wake Forest Baptist. (I was working at a primary/urgent care office before and I love this so much more!) We moved to our downtown apartment in Winston-Salem, N.C., in mid-May. Then we left for our 3-week honeymoon to Bali, Singapore and Thailand. In the fall, we adopted a puppy; her name is Maycee and she’s the most adorable thing ever. And on October 31, we closed on our house!” Lizzie Mullen writes, “I graduated from Duke Fuqua School of Business with my MBA in 2022, moved to New York City and joined Accenture where I work as a senior strategy consultant with a focus on retail, beauty and direct-to-consumer industries. I had so much fun celebrating Sienna Durbin’s wedding in September with a bunch of Dana women, and would love to connect with anyone who is in or passing through New York City!” Brooke Lanigan writes, “I just recently finished my doctorate in clinical psychology and am currently working at a group practice, mostly doing therapy with teens and young adults. I moved to Denver a little over a year ago and am loving the access to the mountains! Caroline Sullivan visited recently and we spent a weekend exploring Steamboat!” Stacey Kourtis Kurkuvelos and her husband Alex welcomed baby girl Katerina in September 2022. They celebrated her baptism in June with silver sisters Alexandra Spiliakos and Olivia Rabe present. Katerina loves taking walks by the Dana campus and watching fall sports practice! And as for myself (Emily), not much has changed since I last shared. I’m still in Missouri pursuing my Ph.D. in Microbiology. I did experience a loss in my
family last year and was very grateful for Miriam Stulin and other friends’ support at that time. I was recently catching up with fellow silver sisters Meghan Le, Ainsley Lundie Loving and Rachael Hamilton ’12 to celebrate Miriam’s wedding in Boston this fall! Such a great time and it really shows how strong our silver sister bond is as we sail through life.
Meghan Le, Ainsley Lundie Loving and Emily Knebel at Miriam Stulin’s wedding
Class of 2012 Eleanor (Ellie) Giovanetti ellie.giovanetti@me.com Savannah Raiten tinydancer628@gmail.com Mikhaila Waldman married Timothy Larson of Mystic, Ct., on June 17, 2023, at the Corinthian Yacht Club in Marblehead, Mass. Mikhaila Waldman and her husband Timothy Larson on their wedding day
Class of 2013 Maddie Schneider madjulsch@gmail.com
Class of 2014 Emily Kelman emilykelman@gmail.com Emily Martin emartin2495@gmail.com Gaby Reichlin greichlin@suffolk.edu
Ashley Rohall aer@rohall.com Stephanie Wolf stephaniewolf96@gmail.com Emily Martin writes, “On October 7, Holly McHenry married Connor Fahey in Danvers, Mass. Holly was surrounded by her 2014 classmates: Jocelyn Wong, Hadia Jalloh, Susie Keenan, Jessica Lin, Emily Martin, Justina Zuckerman and Maddy Geis. We love you, Holly! We’re always sailing right behind you.”
Dana girls at Holly McHenry’s wedding
Class of 2015 Grace Liu luyangliusx@gmail.com Becky Ohman becky.ohman@verizon.net Haley Present haleybpresent@gmail.com Jessica Xie jessicaunique21@hotmail.com
Class of 2016 Abby Frechette abbysfrechette@gmail.com
Class of 2017 Julia Moynihan juliamoynihan10@gmail.com
Class of 2018 Caroline Cohen ccohen926@gmail.com Jenny Jung jennyhyjung@gmail.com
Sophia Lu will embark on a new journey as a Ph.D. student at UC San Diego, and looks forward to developing and establishing skills to become an independent researcher in the future, in addition to the hope that we find new ways to target the vulnerability of ESFT cells. Her current research is on testing the hypothesis that Ewing Sarcoma cells are dependent on a structure-specific endonuclease for viability. The Ewing Sarcoma Family of Tumors (ESFT) are malignant soft-tissue or bone tumors in the long bones of children, adolescents and young adults. Current treatments for Ewing Sarcoma patients include amputation, high-dose chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. High-dose chemotherapy has severe side effects, and patients with metastasis or relapse have a less than 10% survival rate. Therefore, Sophia envisions to research new ways to treat these patients.
Class of 2022 Nicole Chen chenhuiyuan0519@gmail.com Dania Sofia Flores Lopez danias.floreslopez@gmail.com
Class of 2023 Ashleigh Burns ashleighmaeb@gmail.com V Ramaswamy v.ramaswamy18@gmail.com
Class of 2019 Pani Bhengsri pani.bheng@gmail.com Saida Canales scanales2001@gmail.com Audrey Lee audreyyelee@gmail.com
Class of 2020 Maya Darville Mayadarville4559@gmail.com Alli Sibold Allison.sibold@yahoo.com Annie Xu xuyangannie2001@gmail.com
Class of 2021 Ainsley Bonang ainsleybonang@gmail.com Chloe Franco chloenicole223@gmail.com Shadan Khalid shadankh23@gmail.com Charlotte Sullivan ccsullivan36@gmail.com
Ryland Rich richryla@grinnell.edu
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In Memoriam 1941
1954
1967
Mary Jane Alford Failey
Caroline Bassett Wilkinson
Barbara Henning
8/4/2023
9/28/2023
8/4/2023
Mary Stauffer Skold 7/6/2023
1946
1956
1968
Dina Smucer Fisher
Nancy Storrs
9/30/2023
9/8/2023
Nancy Lamson Tousey
Carol Creighton Hadley
10/18/2023
10/14/2023
1970 Wendy Hunter-Higgins
1947
1957
Sally Patrick Johnson
Caroline Stamm Plantz
8/5/2023
6/22/2023
10/8/2023
1972 Elizabeth Boles Gutterson
Jane Chandler Saltonstall 12/1/2023
1960 Carol Huppeler Hosdale
1948 Helen Baker Woolworth 12/1/2023
1950 Ellen Einhorn Messing 10/26/2023
1952 Marlene Zahnke Hoerle 12/12/2023
1953 Margaret Massey Wood 10/12/2023
8/9/2023
9/24/2023
1973 Margot Tweedy Egan
1961
9/4/2023
Jane Newton MacDonald
Barbara Griffin
8/19/2023
10/10/2023
1962
1987
Elizabeth Morgan Burton
Liz Medaglia
9/13/2023
7/22/2023
1963
1989
Pamela Krusen Meyjes
Sari Carp
8/8/2023
8/4/2023
1964
2004
Pamela Cross Kielhack
Elise Valerio O’Hara
10/24/2023
12/13/2023
Please note: In an effort to communicate more efficiently, the Advancement Office will now share notice of an alumna’s death with her classmates by email, not by letter, in addition to this In Memoriam section of the Bulletin. Please provide updated email addresses as needed to alumnae.relations@danahall.org.
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Winter 2024
A Closer Look Ending Period Poverty Throughout the fall, Social Studies teacher Heather Panahi P15, 19 led the charge on campus to help end period poverty through community service, education and activism. According to the World Bank, as many as 500 million people across the globe lack access to basic menstrual products and hygienic bathroom facilities for use during their menstrual cycles. Locally, the Massachusetts Menstrual Equity Coalition reported that last year, 1 in 7 children in the Commonwealth were unable to pay for menstrual products. During their 10th Grade Class Retreat in September, the Class of 2026 heard from Ceylan Rowe, entrepreneur and founder of Fihri, a nonprofit that aims to provide sustainable period products to women and girls in need with hopes of ending period poverty worldwide. Students then decorated and stuffed period kits to be distributed to menstruators who lack access or cannot afford period products themselves. Fihri has a partnership with Turkish Airlines, which shipped the kits to Mexico, China and Morocco at no cost. Following this activity, the 10th graders were led by Panahi in the creation of Just-in-Case boxes, which were placed in each classroom on the Dana Hall campus to address period needs should bathrooms run short on period supplies or to offer more diversity of choices. The boxes also contained extras like bandages and hair care items. Additionally, students designed and decorated posters, which were hung around campus in early October to honor World Period Action Day on October 14. These ideas were inspired by conversations the 10th graders had with Panahi during her visits to their Skills 9 classes last spring, when they discussed what it means to be a global citizen and identified period poverty as one of the issues they wanted to explore more deeply. In November, the Dana Hall Girl Up club delivered more than 385 letters and 110 emails to key Massachusetts legislators, urging them to prioritize and pass the ‘I Am’ Bill (S.1381 and H.534), which would make disposable menstrual products available to menstruating individuals in public schools, homeless shelters and prisons in the Commonwealth for free. The Massachusetts Senate passed the bill unanimously, which must now be voted upon by the House of Representatives to continue forward.
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1. F ihri founder Ceylan Rowe (left) helps 10th graders pack period kits for menstruators who lack access or cannot afford period products themselves. 2. D uring their Class Retreat, sophomores created posters to be hung around campus on World Period Action Day as well as Just-in-Case boxes to address period needs should Dana Hall bathrooms run short on period supplies. 3. The decorated period kits will be sent overseas by a partnership between Fihri and Turkish Airlines. 4. O ne of the many posters that hung around campus on World Period Action Day on October 14
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5. S electing period supplies for the Just-in-Case boxes that were placed in all Dana Hall classrooms
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DANA HALL SCHOOL 45 Dana Road / P.O. Box 9010 Wellesley, MA 02482-9010
SAVE THE DATES! REUNION 2024: APRIL 26 & 27
CLASSES CELEBRATING A MILESTONE REUNION: 1954, 1959, 1964, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014 AND 2019 WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS Friday • Athletic games • Class of 1974 and 1999 On-Campus Dinners • Individual Class Dinners (various off-campus locations) Saturday • Lunch, Awards Presentation, Family Activities • Alumnae Memorial Service • Alumnae Art Show Wine and Cheese Reception • Conversation with Head of School Katherine Bradley • All-Community Blue and White Night party to celebrate the re-opening of the Upper School Building For information about the weekend schedule, accommodations and how to help plan your class activities, visit www.danahall.org/reunion2024.
QUESTIONS? Email alumnae.relations@danahall.org or call 781-489-1362.
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