Class Notes

Let us know what you are up to! We love to have information for the Class Notes section of the Oaks, as well as information we can use in an article! Use the enclosed envelope to send us your news and photo or e-mail us at alumnae@mercyhsb.com. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

1941 Ruth Curran Dolim ’41 writes, “My Daughter Judy Dolim Shafer ‘77 recently returned from a trip to Portugal and the Island of Madeira. She stayed with a cousin who took her everywhere, looked up family history and our cousin Gabriel Olim also took her to the archives where they found more on our family. While there, they went into a neighborhood Cafe and asked where the de Olim’s live and the owner walked them down to a little hut where Judy’s great grandparents had lived. She met many cousins including her dad’s second cousin Francesco and his family, as well as a 91 year old second cousin! My grandson Charlie just returned from an 8 month stay in Germany, where he had a wonderful experience in a study abroud program. Flying out of San Francisco Aiport, Charlie stayed with us on his way to Germany and on his way home to Seattle from Germany. From Seattle Charlie returned to Boston to begin his senior year at Boston College.” 1953 Dawn Yaley Scannell writes, “Great news...Our 23rd grandchild is due August 1, 2017. We have 7 children, 6 married. Great-grandchildren number 8 is a year old. More to come for sure.”

1959 Judith Rees Cunningham PHOTO ^ writes, “Same Time Next Year photo of Helen Rogers Haladyna, Nannette Siracusa McAlister, Maureen Rubis Leimbach, Judy Rees Cunningham, and Fran Cummings from the Class of ’59. We gathered for our now annual lunch at Allied Arts in Menlo Park.”

1960 Patricia Conway Putkey <PHOTO writes, “ What delightful surprise! Two Mercy grads meet on a Jesuit lead pilgrimage to Eastern Europe. Mary Pappert McCarrick 1964 and Patricia Conway Putkey 1960.” Susan Torriglia Monahan writes, “Retirement takes getting used to after 40 years of work. So I joined Kiwanis which do great work with students. Opened a college advising program and work with students on college applications. To take care of the rest my husband and I babysit nine super grandkids and attend summer concerts.”

1955 Diane Dobson Sullivan PHOTOs ^ writes, “All my friends from the 1955 class are having their 80th birthdays and we’ve been to several parties. First picture above is from Carol Van Liet Mann’s party, pictured is Madeleine Vonau Cunningham, Carol Van Vliet Mann. Carolyn Gustafson Lyon & Diane Dobson Sullivan. Photo just below is from Pat Britschgi’s 80th birthday party that her family gave her a on Aug. 19th, pictured Madeleine Vonau Cunningham, Pat Britschgi Wagner, Diane Dobson Sullivan, Carol Van Vliet Mann & Carolyn Gustafson Lyon.”

1961 Carolyn Jeane Buhs, SND, PHOTO ^ works with Solidarity with South Sudan in a teacher training college, she writes, “Our students have completed their end-of-trimester exams... On August 11th, we will have Graduation Mass and Ceremony for 37 Level Four students. God bless them! This is our largest class to graduate! Seeing them go forth is another transformation for us as we hope they will bring blessings to the children they will be teaching. Thank

you for keeping us in your prayer. We continue to pray for peace for South Sudan, especially in those places to which our students will be travelling.” Sr. Carolyn sent a photo from Brother Bill, Director of Solodarity with South Sudan, and his reflection, here is an excerpt: The basic things we need for daily living we often assume will be there, are not so in South Sudan. The fighting, the killing, the raping, the savagery of the civil war in South Sudan, make the headline news but among the quiet and peaceful, general populace there are some very basic problems. Innocent people are the suffering victims of a senseless conflict they never wanted. 1965 Pat McAdoo writes, “I am still in Alaska and enjoying life so much. This summer I went to Cape Town, South Africa, to attend the World Confederation of Physical Therapy. It was a great conference and we were blessed with outstanding weather. It was mid-winter in Cape Town and the weather was exactly like the mid-summer weather which I had left in Anchorage! The only difference was that Cape Town was experiencing its shortest days and I had left 22 hour days behind me at home! I continue to work one week each month as a physical therapist in the small Alaska Native community of Unalakleet, Alaska, on the Norton Sound Coast. It is a stimulating and challenging opportunity as I am “the only show in town” and treat everyone---pediatrics, geriatrics and everything in between. One of my most inspiring clients is a gentleman who lost both legs at the knee in Viet Nam and is still--at age 74--independent in the village! I truly enjoy reading The Oaks each time it comes and have stayed in Facebook contact with several of my classmates since we gathered for our 50th reunion.”

1967 Vicky Patrick Ecton <PHO TO writes, “After Mercy, Vicky earned her AA at CSM, then married her sailor boy, Dan Ecton, in ‘72. They had two boys while living in San Bruno. Vicky went on to earn her bachelors, then masters, before retiring with her husband in 2000 and moving to Big Sky Country. After 42 years of marriage, Vicky became a widow, but still enjoys living in Montana and visits her boys and 9 grandchildren. She is traveling to Greece and Israel this fall, checking off a bucket list item.”

Sheila CondonLinson <PHOTO writes, “How sorry I am to miss our FIFTIETH! We spend every Autumn in England - will just miss the big day for our Class of 1967. This photo is of David and I in our favorite town - Rye, in Sussex on the Church roof. We moved to Portland, Oregon in 2014 and are delighted to finally have real seasons! Blessings to all my dear classmates!”

Suzanne Michelony writes, “Post retirement is quite busy. Part-time administrative consultant for local charter school, National University Support Provider for student teachers and health coach for Optavia. Granddaughter joins her grandmother, greatgrandmother, and granduncle as an alumnae of Notre Dame de Namur.” Laura Pometta Simpson writes, “I am currently resident harpis t at the Palace Hotel as well as the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco. Also am the staff harpist for UCSF performing for patients and their families at all their hospital locations: Parnassus, Mission Bay and Mt. Zion.” 1968 Kathy Lautze Krause writes, “We celebrated my husband’s semi-retirement In May by traveling through Italy for 3 weeks. Now we are busy with my daughter’s wedding which will take place on October 28. I still volunteer at St. Vincent de Paul, Catherine Center and There With Care. I look forward to his extra set of hands when he has time to volunteer, spending more time with family and just kicking back to smell the roses. We have been truly blessed!”

1972 Liz Fajardo <PHOTO writes, “Thought you might want to include this pic of my co-worker Lori, and I celebrating the Warriors victory...We Are The Champions!” 1982 Haydee I. Alfonso is now general counsel and managing attorney at Bay Area Legal Aid, a firm with over 140 attorneys and advocates providing free legal assistance to low-income clients. Her son, Eric James Haack, recently graduated as a 2nd Lieutenant from the United States Air Force Academy. 70 year jubilarian Sister Marilyn Gouailhardou ‘47 Alumna and Mer cy Faculty 50 year jubilarian Sister Diane Clyne Mercy Faculty 2017 Jubilarians

1984 Karen Supanich Lynch PHOTO> writes, “I am celebrating 26 years of marriage on Sept 21st. My husband Paul and I have two sons (Kevin 15 years and C onnor 11 1 / 2 years); we reside in Burlingame Hills. I left the corporate world in 2015 and am an Executive & Life Coach in private practice. I keep active doing Pilates and hiking (Paul and I are hiking Half Dome on Sept 7th!) and am curr ent President of the Burligame/Hillsborough Neighborhood Club. I love keeping current with Mercy Alumane via Facebook; and enjoy visiting the mansion grounds on daily walks with our rescue dog Cody.”

1986 Maria Massenkoff Hoppe writes, “After living in Seattle, LA and NYC for many years, my husband, Eric, and I have moved back to the Bay Area. It’s great to be home! Our son, Andrew, and daughter, Katherine, are both away at college now, so we are empty nesters! We both still enjoy our careers in the music industry.”

Joyce A. Elmore Merl <PHOTO was promoted to the rank of Full Bird Colonel in the Hawaii Air National Guard (United States Air Force) Ceremony 9 July 2017 effective date 7 June 2017.

AnaGloria R odriguez Wilkinson <PHOTO writes “My husband, C orbett Wilkinson, and I will be celebrating our 17th w edding anniversary on October 28th, two days after we celebrate our daughter’s, Penelope, 12th birthday. Our son, Jasper will be 10.5 years old. We are blessed.” 1988 ATTENTION CLASS OF ‘88: A small group of us are starting to plan our 30th Reunion for Summer 2018. For details and updates, please contact Arlene Floresca a t arlene.floresca@sbcglobal.net, and/or join the “Mercy Burlingame Class of ‘88” closed-member page (limited to Class of ’88 only) on Facebook. Looking forward to celebrating with you next summer! “We Are Awesome, We Are Great- We’re the Class of ‘88!”

Elizabeth Reardon Agler '90 New Assistant Director of Admission

As an alumna, Elizabeth brings personal experience of how the core values of Mercy positively impacted her life. While attending Mercy, Elizabeth learned the value of volunteering in the community, and grew in her Catholic faith. Mercy instilled in her the importance of academic excellence. This later helped her achieve a master's degree in Biological Anthropology and launch a successful career in biotech. Mercy also provided a unique and nurturing environment in which Elizabeth developed into into a well-rounded individual. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to give back to this amazing institution. When not on the Mercy campus, Elizabeth spends time with her family, volunteering with Girl Scouts, gardening, and creating mosaics. "I loved my time at Mercy and would welcome the chance to share my story with prospective students."

K athy Sandberg is living a life of abundance and currently lives in a quiet country home in Elk Grove with her family. This August, her 15 year old son will be testing for his Black Belt in Karate and she and her husband Mark are extremely proud of his tenacity and hard work over the past five years. Their daughter Hannah recently completed her Technical Training assignment as an Aircraft Mechanic in the United States Air Force and will be coming home for a few weeks before she leaves for her first assignment. The entire family is so proud of all she has accomplished. Kathy is celebrating her 22nd year of law enforcement service as a Supervising Agent with the CA ABC and looks forward to retiring in 3 years when she turns 50. She recently partnered with an international biotech beauty and wellness company and enjoys helping people look and FEEL better every day! She and her husband are excited about an upcoming vacation to Puerto Vallarta in October. Kathy and her husband Mark keep very busy and they are both looking forward to retirement so they can continue to do the things they enjoy most; traveling, camping, fishing and spending time relaxing with their family. They have 3 dogs and she hatches and raises Welsummer chickens.

1991 Chrissy Stimmel Gambucci ^ PHOTO married Ed Gambucci on October 15, 2016. Class of 1991 alumnae in attendance l to r: Annette Hauscarriage Navarro, one of two maid of honors, Joelle DeBono , Stephanie Morello Diashyn, Cristina Vincenzi Loree, Kristen Padia Rouspil, one of two maid of honors and Beatrice Godoy Chavez.

1997 Beverly Desuasido <PHOTO In June 2017, Beverly won two NorCal Emmy Awards for shows LN Tags: Devon Espinosa and Spice to Life: San FranciscoTim Luym. She also produced 3 of the 4 shows nominated at the 2017 NAMIC (National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications) Vision Awards. The shows are Spice to Life, Design+Story, and Rock the Runway Special. Beverly writes, “It was an honor to see our shows alongside shows from HBO, ABC, OWN, Food Network and CNN. Not only is it my personal duty to shine light on our culture and roots, it’s the company’s mission to introduce our talent to the world stage and this prestigious recognition solidifies our efforts. Looking forward to continuing this effort with ABS-CBN International and the community. -Beverly Desuasido, Executive Producer; Lifestyle Network.”

Robyn Reliford <PHOTO writ es, “I wanted to share a milestone in my career, since I just passed the 1-year anniversary at my dream job, which I began in July 2016. As the Chief Financial Officer and Director of Finance and Administration at the Hearing and Speech Center of Northern California, I directly report to the Chief Executive Officer while regularly interact with the Board Finance Committee, Audit Committee, and Building Committee. Not only am I a part of the Center’s dynamic senior leadership team, I also have the day-to-day responsibility over Accounting, Finance, Human Resources and Administration departments. With fifteen years of experience working in the industries of healthcare (UCSF), private non-profit, and corporate retail (Macys.com), I have applied my expertise in the areas of financial management, contracts and grants administration, human resources, staff training and oversight, strategic planning, and operational performance management.”

1999 Allison Callan Schwartz ^ PHOTO writes, “My husband Andrew and I welcomed our fourth child, Irene Zipporah, on Aug. 1, 2016. Baby “Izzy,” as we call her, joined older siblings Hannah (2), Elijah (4) and Morris (6). The whole family is spending the first half of 2017 in New Zealand, where Andrew is a law professor at the University of Auckland on a Fulbright Grant. I worked as an attorney before having kids, but am now home with my brood on sabbatical from legal work. In January we spent two weeks touring the South Island, including a stop at the Franz Joseph Glacier, pictured.”

Career Day at Mercy

Mercy students want to hear from YOU!

On March 22, 2018, Mercy will host our bi-annual Career Day. This is a great opportunity for the girls to hear about the wide variety of careers Mercy alumnae have chosen. The day will start with a continental breakfast and then small, round table meetings with students to talk about what you do, why you do it and what made you choose what you do. Information will appear on the Mercy website (mercyhsb.com) soon. Please email Michele Macmillan at mmacmillan@mercyhsb.com if you are able to join us.

2002 Allison Galine Poggetti <PHOTOs and husband Brian Poggetti (Serra High School, class of 2002) welcomed their 3rd baby boy, Quinn Bennett Poggetti on 8/26/17, weighing 7lbs 4oz, born at Sequoia Hospital, Redwood City. His brother Keaton Jagger (2), and Sawyer James (5), are already thriving in their new protective big brother roles.

2007 Anna Susa <PHOTO writes, “I graduated from Mercy in 2007. I recently completed my Ph.D. in Chemistry at University of California, Berkeley on May 12, 2017. Here is a photo from the hooding ceremony for those receiving doctoral degrees.”

2004 Claire Rietmann-Grout ‘04 was appointed the Mercy High School Burlingame Assistant Head of School for Student Life in June of 2017. See page 16.

2005 Syerra Laurusaitis <PHOTO writes, “I currently work at a start-up company (Datrium) in Sunnyvale, heading up their Field Marketing and Events team. My husband, Ben Bate, and I will be celebrating our 2 year wedding anniversary on Aug 24. We also just celebrated the 1 year opening anniversary of my husband’s restaurant that he owns in San Jose, Ludwig’s German Table!”

2008 Rania Odeh Affan < ^ PHOTOs married Moataz Affan on July 15, 2017 at the City Club of SF. Her sister Bayan Odeh ‘12 was her maid of honor.

2010 Catherine Traceski ^PHOTO performs in Hunchback of Notr e Dame at Hillbarn Theatre. Congratulations Catherine!

Valerie Smith <PHOTO received the University of Portland 2017 Thomas A. Gerhardt ‘55 Memorial Award for Student Leadership. University of Portland writes, “Valerie has consistently put her faith into action, bending her energy toward service to those in need. Valerie co-founded and led the UP Campus Lions Club which has organized food and clothing drives on campus. She has also focused much of her energy toward combating sexual assault on campus. In support of that effort, she has worked as a peer educator at UP’s Health and Counseling Center and assisted professor Lauretta Frederking in designing stickers listing sexual assault resources at UP. Valerie also helped plan the campus viewing of The Hunting Ground, a documentary about sexual assaults on college campuses. And in collaboration with Fr. Jim Gallagher, C.S.C., she helped create a Take Back the Night event, allowing students a forum to offer support for each other and to voice their concerns about sexual assault.” CLASS NOTES

2013 Connie Alvarez ^PHOTO writes, “I have recently graduated from UC Irvine in June 2017, with a degree in Public Health. Currently I am working two jobs, one as an assistant in a Veterinary Hospital. The other as a receptionist in a Surgery Center. I am also in the process of completing prerequisites to apply to a nursing program.”

Paige Halas PHOTOs ^> writes, “I have just completed my undergraduate with a degree in Biochemistry and a minor in French and Francophone Studies from Willamette University this May. This fall, I will be attending University of California Irvine for my Master’s of Science in Biotechnology. Here is a photo from my college graduation as well as a photo at my graduate school.”

Following in Her Sister’s Footsteps Sarah Sisk ’10 and her younger sister Erin Sisk ’17 are two amazing young women. Both exhibit the highest qualities of wha t it means to be a Mercy graduate. Sarah and Erin are joyous, intelligent, faithful and compassionate young women who have a heart of gold and a tremendous commitment to give back t o their community. Sarah is currently a Pediatric Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant nurse at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. Sarah was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma at the age of 8. Her oncology nurse was Joan Battini ’75. Joan remains in contact with Sarah today and was an inspiration for Sarah’s passion for nursing. Erin is beginning her nursing career at Gonzaga University, School of Nursing this fall. These two young women are Mercy graduates who will truly live out the Mercy values in every aspect of their lives.

2017 Toni and Annie Breidinger ’17 TAKE SEPARATE PATHS – PURDUE AND FULL-TIME RACING Toni and Annie Breidinger both got their starts in racing at the age of 9 when their dad, Charles, first brought them to a go-kart track. Their dad was once a mechanic for their uncle and now wrenches the girls’ multiple cars. This summer is one of transition for the 17-year-old sisters. Toni is trying her luck in paved Late Models; Annie is leaving to study engineering at Purdue. As the twins separate to pursue their respective dreams, they know that they always have a teammate in the other one. Follow the girls career at: breidingermotorsports.com.

TONI BREIDINGER With her Mercy diploma in hand, Toni has decided to completely devote herself to racing. “I’m not planning

on going anywhere for college in the fall, because I just want to focus on my racing,” she said. “It wasn’t that hard of a decision to make. A lot of people think that I’m crazy for not going to college. Ever since I’ve committed myself to racing, I’ve known that I’m not going to go to college I’m going to focus on my racing. It’s necessary for me to do.” Toni’s long-term goal is to make it into NASCAR, which is why she’s especially excited for her Late Model starts despite the speed differential between them and the lighter sprint cars she also pilots.

ANNIE BREIDINGER While Annie is heading to Purdue Indiana this fall, she isn’t completely stepping away from the race car. By studying engineering, she will connect her classes to her passion on the track, and she will still race a couple times a month. “Since I’ve been in motorsports, I’ve known about that type of [engineering] background, and I’ve always liked math and science,” Annie said. Even though Annie will soon have to split her focus, racing and winning still hold an important place in her heart. “These guys try so hard to make sure that they don’t get beat by a girl,” she said. “It just shows that you’ve accomplished a lot and have come a long way.”

Congratulations Class of 2017 Mercy Burlingame and Mercy San Francisco Alumnae Moms & Daughter!