’87
1987
“My third child and second daughter, Freya, was born May 7,” writes Jamie Kiley. Cathryn Prince Saldinger is working on her new book about the 1945 sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, the largest maritime disaster in history. Palgrave Macmillan is the publisher.
1988
Eric J. Turner has been appointed the director of enrollment management at the Pennsylvania independent school Wyoming Seminary. His sons, Cody and Jackson, will attend the lower school; and the Turner family is excited to be part of a great school.
1990
Ellery Smith turned 40 recently, and she offers these thoughts: “I used to read this magazine and occasionally cringe as I read about people who went to the same school as I did saving the world, taking their kids out of school and sailing around the world for a year, and being masters of the financial and creative universe. It’s fun to hear about and so cool that people are doing that stuff, so why cringe? Comparison and personal expectations: On the outside I am living my biggest nightmare as a suburban stereotype. Living in Connecticut in the same town I grew up in, married, two kids, a dog and, wait for it … driving a minivan. For some, that might be what they always wanted, but when I was in high school and imagined my future, I always thought my life would be more off the beaten path.
REUNION 2012: LOOMIS CLASS OF 1987 – 25TH REUNION
Back row: Jonah Kaplan, Brian Mitchell, Gannon “Tank” Reilly, David Whitney, Brian Thompson, Hieu Nguyen, Frederick Roberts, and David Cohen; second row: David Rickerby, Arnold “Arnie” Weiss, Katherine Allen, Leslie Hulse Stafford, Andrew Kurian, David Brooks, Kim Caldwell Loughlin, Tracy Hansen Robinson, Elizabeth “Libby” Stack Albright, and Alisa Lieberman Chestler; front row: John Bussel, Jonathan Brady, Pamela Westgate, Betsy Kalin, Mary Kate Behlke Donais, Katherine Hallas Stahl, Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan, Barnaby Horton, Matthew Goldsmith, Constance Clayton, and Caroline Zuckerman Petersen Photo: Wayne Dombkowski
Nope. Not at this stage anyway. I’ve traveled, lived outside of New England, had adventures (having dysentery and malaria at the same time in Zimbabwe), lots of amazing experiences (witnessing a birth and a death in two different hospitals on the same day); and all in all I love my life, but as I approached 40, I was finding myself wanting to cling to the adventure and discovery and wondering what my life’s contribution would be. A friend suggested I search for a midlife crisis. Happily married and not wanting a drug habit, I was limited in my options. My husband is already taking guitar lessons, so joining a band is more his thing. Putting flames on the side of my minivan? Getting my tattoo, which is fading like my youth, re-inked? I was contemplating my options while snuggling my younger son, when he looked up at me with his big blue eyes filled with love and said, ‘Mommy, why do you have yellow teeth?’ Instead of falling apart, I smiled. Why was I checked out in a fantasy land of trying to prove something to myself that doesn’t need to be proven when here is an awe-
some kid growing up by the day, still willing to snuggle his Mom, yellow teeth and all? I have gray hair, apparently some yellow teeth, a muffin top, and a great life. I have not written a best seller or cured cancer, but in my own more subtle ways I’ve made important contributions. I’m good with that. By the time my birthday came around, I didn’t want to rent a venue, have a huge party with 100 of my closest ‘friends’ and try to convince myself I was having fun and still had some youth. Do I feel old and washed up? Nope. I’m just not in my 20s or 30s anymore. I’m okay with that now. Is it lowering expectations? Maybe, but it doesn’t feel that way. It feels more like shifting from insecurity and anxiety to acceptance and gratitude. I wish all of my fellow alums well and thanks to those of you for making shows and movies that I love to watch and writing articles and books I love to read and doing the big stuff, and an equal thanks to those of you who hold the door open for people like me as I struggle to get my kids and four bags of groceries from a crowded store
’87
Kelley Westerman Edwards ’87 relaxes with daughters Colleen, 8, and Kacey, 7, and dog Brownie, 12. “Twenty-five years after graduation seems impossible!” she writes. “Life is great. I am chasing my children from softball to lacrosse to dance and music lessons, working to reduce underage drinking in Clinton, Conn., and continuing with photography of my own on the side.”
through a busy parking lot and into my minivan.” Martin Vulliez writes: “As usual, the school alumni community is vibrant as ever in N.Y.C. Last summer, we got a guest appearance from Andras Petery, who’s married and living in California. Brett Rodriguez can be found in Bryant Park during happy hour, and Joe Rudge ’92 always comes back to his roots on the Upper East Side from Brooklyn. Also, soccer powerhouse FC Ridley, loomischaffee.org | 53