ALUMNI NEWS
you go?” Highlighting the dancing was Melissa O’Toole Smith’s rendition of “I Will Survive” and of course Fay Monsen Kirby and Dewey Gaedke’s partner dancing, although I never did see the shoulder flip this year. Throughout the night, classmates reminisced about their Kinkaid years and swapped stories about family, kids, jobs, vacations…you name it. Some of us have kids in college; others still have little ones in preschool. I don’t think we have a grandparent... yet. Annelise Bovet traveled the farthest, coming all the way from Switzerland and many more classmates flew in from across the country. Heidi Balser Budaj and Elva Weatherford Reilly represented the East Coast, while Mike Curran and I represented the West Coast. Cynthia Chambers Ortale headed home from Tennessee, and Fay Monsen Kirby and her husband, Don flew in from New Mexico. Carol Attwell Bourne and her husband Mike, left the heat of “Hill Country” and Elle (or as we still like to call her….Dorothy) Wrench left the cold of Colorado to make it to the reunion. Dewey Gaedke and Kristin Terhune Sjoberg came from Austin, and Jimmy Michaels came from Tyler. Local Houston alumni included Baranna Baker, Carolyn Coates, Susan Cornett Schwartz, Robbie Cox, Cathy Davis Bell and husband Jake, Vince Elliott and wife Patti, Annette Faubion Stephens and husband Rand, Eveta Weingarten Freeman, Nelle Gregory, Duncan Lamme and wife Molly, Harlan Murphy, Melissa O’Toole Smith and husband Paul, Helena Papadopolous Johnson and husband Thomas, Bruce and Marilyn Taylor Phillips, Pito Pratt, Cole Thompson and wife Cheryl, Bubba Vandiver and wife Courtney, Waverly White Gage, Emily Wynne Bolin and husband Don, and Laura Wynne Cale and husband Mike. Last but not least, our fabulous hostesses, Melisa Billingsley Herring and husband Fred and Michelle Rogers Rogers, who graciously let us party in her house like it was 1982! I hope I didn’t forget anyone. I was going off memory and at our age…
58
that’s not a good thing. For those of you who did attend, I hope you had as much fun as I did. For me, it was a night of talking and laughing and dancing that ended much too fast. I swear at one point I felt like I was speed dating, moving from classmate to classmate trying to fit everyone in. There were so many people I feel like I didn’t get a chance to talk to at length. So, next time we definitely need to have more than one event! When the party finally did wrap up, one of the best parts of the night was hanging out with Carolyn, Melisa, Michelle and our photographer, Nancy Davis ’85 after the party and cracking up over stories past and present until about 3am in the morning!
are when they get the call thanking them for their assistance. If for some reason you actually do feel compelled to help of your own accord, please contact Leslie Roemer Labanowski ’02 in the alumni office pronto. My sole contribution will be to make sure that the infamous “Galveston Beach, Class of '88 Can't Wait” photograph is re-staged in its entirety. If you see yourself in the picture, please start looking for that particular outfit. Chuck, you might want to ask Justin in advance if you can hug his leg again. Oh, for God's sake... is that Grady on the far left? Get your own class, dude!
I am so grateful for the memories and friends I have from Kinkaid and I’m looking forward to making more memories and making more friends at our next reunion. Have a fun and safe summer!
1988
John Semander Los Angeles, California cperiod@hotmail.com Holy shi-take mushrooms. The terrifying reality of yet another reunion is upon us. The big 25-year type, no less. Which at least sounds marginally better than the quarter of a century it technically is. Therefore, mark your calendars now, because the date has been set for the weekend of April 19-20, 2013. Be forewarned that the alumni office is on the lookout for chairs, and not in the physical sense. There will be plenty of chairs for us to sit in, and probably a couple of wheel chairs available as well. But somebody out there will need to step up and organize them all in the same location. Personally, I think the most qualified person for the job is Christine Devlin Butler, who long ago swindled me into doing these cursed updates. I could not think of a better way to get even, so I volunteered her name immediately. I also threw out a couple of other people who I feel have wronged me in the past. They will know who they
Vintage 1988 KHS Beach Picture courtesy of John Semander
Since this is officially considered an update, I guess we should at least have one in here, so let's recognize that perennial champ Chad Muir for helping coach my nephew Pete Nicolaou '23 to his very first championship in Little League, despite their questionable pregame ritual of dining at Five Guys Burgers. My nephew confirmed that the raucous game-ending team celebration was thankfully held close to the field's restrooms.
1989
Elizabeth Oxford Pagan Houston, Texas elizabethpagan@me.com I was delighted to hear from a few of you! Thank you! Here’s the scoop: The ladies in Atlanta recently got together to celebrate their spring birthdays. Laura Hyman Graber, Andrea Boone Chapman, Beth Young and Jennifer Deal Rogers are all having fun in Atlanta and keeping very busy with all of their kids. Paul Romano writes, “In September of 2011, I moved my law office from Victoria to Sugar Land. My
practice focuses primarily on estate planning and trust and estate litigation. I got married on March 24th to my wife Laura. Life is good.” Congratulations, Paul!” Markus Kolber writes, “Life’s good at seven thousand feet in fabulous Taos, NM. First, a year and a half ago I moved out of the small adobe casita I’d inhabited since 2005 and into a modern commercial condo (level floors, good wiring, TWO bathrooms!) with a few of our famous Taos Mountain, thereby consolidating my residence (upstairs) with my business office (downstairs). Second, May 26th marks the ONE YEAR mark in my relationship with Janice Sue Wagner of Mount Airy, Maryland. Third, I started a “Hard Rockin’ Country” band called Kol’beer & Buds in which I play bass & sing most of the songs: classics from the Outlaw Country and Hard Rock of the 70s & 80s, Alt/Progressive Country from artists like Todd Snider & Robert Earl Keen and, of course, originals by myself and each of my two guitarists; you can find our music on Reverbnation... http://www.reverbnation.com/ kolbeer. Fourth, I still co-host a “Local & Regional Music” show called Five Corners (Sundays, 4 to 6pm Mountain) on KTAO 101.9 FM here in Taos and, occasionally, host the Solar Country show (Saturdays, 9 to Noon - Mountain); you can listen in at http://ktaos.com/app/views/ music_popup.php. And finally, I’m still practicing law as a solo practitioner (Kolber Law Office) under contract to New Mexico’s public defender department. They’re keeping me busy with DWI & Battery on a Household Member cases and a few private cases in the areas of landlord-tenant and child-custody.” Amy Cox Vitt has been back in Houston for one year now. At the end of 2011, she began teaching yoga classes and working with private clients at Pure Body Studio at Stella Link and Bellaire Blvd. She is also seeing clients for Integrative Health Coaching and private meditation practice at her home studio. She says she’s been so busy that she still hasn’t completed her website, but if anyone wants to contact Amy, email her at amy@mindfuladventure.com. Amy and Jim’s daughter Lily will be in fourth grade at Mark Twain Elementary, and her husband is still enjoying his work that brought them to Houston in the first place. As always, thank you for emailing me. People love to hear what’s going on with everyone so please don’t ever hesitate to send something in! I hope everyone has a wonderful, happy summer.