CLASS NOTES 2014 from Georgetown and works for Deloitte in D.C. With the kids out of the house, Debbie and Bob are kept company by two Tibetan spaniels. • In June, Beth Stevens Van Belle and former roommate Mari Baumgarten held their own private reunion in Boston. Beth retired five years ago and is intending to move on to a second career in accounting. She ended up getting a B.S. in computer science and has been working as a software engineer for the last couple of years. Mari continues to manage her personal financial advising business in West Palm Beach, Fla., with special attention to the financial John Spence ’77 crosses the finish line. needs of women. Beth wrote, “There are very few people that you feel a lifelong connection to work with these institutions as they merge.” with, but Mari is one of them for me.” • One • Max Hartshorne’s daughter, Kate ’98, bought of the topics at our class meeting at reunion a house in downtown Northfield and has was how alumni of our generation — and our moved there with her partner, Jon. Max runs class in particular — can make a difference in the company, GoNOMAD.com, and still the school of today by increasing our financial travels regularly. Last year he enjoyed a great giving. I’m glad to report that this year we met night with Mike Drazen ’78 when he visited. • our goals for both dollars and participation. Meredith Leland is teaching adult education Many thanks to all of you who respond in Utica, N.Y., to refugees, those formerly generously to those letters, emails, and phone incarcerated, people in treatment, and public calls. Keep it up! • We would love to stay in high school dropouts, which reminds her a lot touch with you. Make it easy for us by making sure we have your current contact information. of NMH. She is also a member of the Utica Mural Project, which is trying to make Utica Send the school your up-to-date email address more beautiful, one wall at a time. She has by emailing: addressupdates@nmhschool.org; raised three kids, who are all out of diapers. opt to make your information sharable on the All of them draw really well, have good singing NMH online community and on the NMH voices, and can play stringed instruments, Connect mobile app; and join the NMH so she feels she has at least succeeded as a Class of 1976 Facebook page. We are happy to mother, if nothing much else. • From sunny help you connect with old friends: Just send us an email, and if we’ve got their contact info, Largo, Fla., Bill Elliot sends a “call out” to Lansing Banks, Nat Thompson, and Sean we’ll be glad to pass it along. Rattigan about attending the next reunion! “We could sneak in a round of golf!” • Tim Northfield Mount Hermon Graff is “semi-retired, working in my garden Anne Howson growing vegetables, and seeing lots of old ahowson@rics.bwh.harvard.edu friends. Daughter Frances is a senior at Boston Amy Lowrie Taivalkoski writes that “1977 was a long time ago, folks, and it is time for people University and is studying in Shanghai. She has decided to join the Air Force. Son Tim is in our class to start knocking off some bucket apprenticing as a carpenter and taking classes list items, especially the physical ones, before at Great Bay Community College. Daughter it is too late! I had some back surgery two Sophie is a junior at Oyster River High School years ago and it was a wake-up call. To that in Durham, N.H., and is quite athletic and acend, my husband and I and two friends are tive in sustainability work. Will is going to be backpacking the John Muir Trail this summer a high school freshman and runs cross-country in California. It is 260 miles, with 75,000 feet as well as track. He’s active in Boy Scouts of elevation changes. I encourage everyone along with his younger brother, Finn, who will to start making time for their dreams.” Good be in sixth grade and is doing well academiwords, indeed. • Janet Douglass Sharp cally. Finn loves music, as does my youngest, Kershaw writes from Osterville, Mass., “After Annie, who will be in third grade. Wife Mary graduating from Hamilton College in 1981, is a physical therapist and doing well. Have I’ve been living on the East Coast. I’ve had been hanging out with classmates Davin Robvarious jobs, from real estate development, inson and Richard Tranfield, both of whom fundraising, to caregiving for cancer patients. live in coastal Maine.” • Lisa Clarke Tomlinson My main focus for many years was my two kids, both of whom are in New York: daughter was in Boston, watching both of her daughters and son-in-law compete (and finish) the Elizabeth is a medical resident, and my son, Boston 10K foot race. Her younger daughter, Tucker, is a real estate developer. Currently, Carly, works in Somerville at Best Buddies I’m reinventing my real estate career in Boston Social Services Organization and daughter and learning jazz piano after years of playing Christine lives in Cambridge with husband classical. I’m very excited that Boston ConChristopher and is an occupational therapist servatory is merging with Berklee College of in the Cambridge Public Schools. Christine is Music, and am looking forward to continuing also a marathon runner. • With 2,700 cyclists,
77
78 I NMH Magazine
Diane Williams ’77 (left) met up in California with classmate Lisa Cohen ’77.
John Spence participated in a seven-day bike
ride to support AIDS/LifeCycle 2016 in June, cycling 545 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The event raised a whopping $16.1 million. Congratulations, John! • Diana Williams and Lisa Cohen visited with each other last January in California, where they both live, looking as fabulous as they did in junior year when we all lived in the wonderful Marquand dormitory! I am hoping to see them both at reunion next year! • Anne Howson: Other than some arthritic “back problems” and an impending move (my 34th since NMH 1976 — don’t ask), all is well as I figure out how to embrace “middle age” in better shape (a Sisyphean task). It truly is a small world sometimes as two NMH connections occurred this year for me. The first: In Boston, last December, a lovely woman greeted me on the sidewalk as I was going into work at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “Don’t I know you?” she asked as if she recognized me. She was with another woman, and I was mystified but game. We guessed at possible links until we figured out that we were NMH classmates! It was Charley Gray and her partner, Abby Peck ’76, together in front of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where Charley has been receiving treatment. Since then we have met for lunch a few times and caught up with each other. Even though we did not know each other at NMH, the bond and ability to pick up was immediate. Charley is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Cambridge, and Abby is a staff assistant at Harvard. They have lived together in the Boston area for more than 30 years. The second connection: While reading my old town of Weston, Conn., newspaper last month, I learned that the Board of Education has appointed William McKersie as the district’s next superintendent of schools. William was approved unanimously by the Weston school board and began his new post in the summer. “Well, hey, now that name is familiar!” I thought. I (mostly) grew up in Weston and came to NMH from there, so now a classmate from my second high school will be superintendent of my first high school! Congratulations, Bill!