74
NMH
STEPHANIE LYNN GERSON PO Box 382 Woodstock VT 05091-0382 steffilarc@aol.com
Hi, everybody. First, I want to thank you all for writing in. We had a great turnout for this issue: we’ve heard from 3 boatsmen, a pair of geologists and an energy specialist, 2 environmental remediators, 6 child raisers, 2 designers, a photographer and 2 artists, an architect and an engineer, 2 making a career of athletics, 2 singers, and 2 members of the clergy. Let’s start off with some celebratory news. On 12/26/10, Bill Martling married Sue Hardy and moved from Nantucket to a golf course in her hometown of Cotuit MA. Bill now works at Crosbey Yacht Yard on the Cape in Osterville MA, primarily as sailboat rigger, with additional related duties. Sue is also a sailor, works in a boatyard, and is a shellfisher with 2 boats. “We both love water and being on the ocean. A match made in heaven.” says Capt Bill. Our class has several sailors and yachtsmen. John Burnham and wife Rachel Balaban have lived in Middletown RI for 22 years. He is editorial director for boats.com, boattrader.com, and yachtworld.com to keep up with the college tuition bills. John reports that their youngest daughter Sophie is in college-decision phase, with some great options; Olivia is a junior at Tulane, a dance and Spanish major studying abroad this year in Madrid. Their oldest, Isabel, works in the Burlington VT area, having graduated last year from UVM with a degree in film and television studies. Andy Tofuri, Houston TX, is still with Environmental Resources Management (25 years) managing groundwater remediation projects. His older son finishes college in a year, while the younger starts his junior year of HS. Like John, Andy will be working for some time to pay tuition. He spent spring ’10 on a 17-day sailing trip to the Bahamas, including cruising the Exuma Islands from Georgetown to Warderick Wells and back to GT for the Family Island Regatta, then returning to FL. Andy writes: “The Exumas are a fantastic place, just far enough off the beaten track to be fairly pristine. These sailing trips have become my favorite outside activity since the late ’90s.” Andy would like to hear from the San Antonio–based NMH ’74 classmates he met at Willy Thorton’s when the pirates landed while he sailed BVI in 6/09. Andy talks to Priscilla “Bitsie” Lance Reynolds and is trying to get her to join our Facebook page. Bitsie’s daughters Carolyn (25, MBA track) and Samantha (23, working in Fairfield CT) both went to Deerfield and it was strange when they played NMH. Son Adson (11) plays lacrosse, and she sees Pam Miller Dysenchuk at his Ridgewood vs Darien lacrosse games. Bitsie still sees and talks to former roommate Jill Riihiluoma Lukasiewicz ’75, who lives in S Hadley MA. Bitsie has worked full time selling
real estate in Ridgewood NJ since ’92, and is currently in her own transition. Pam Miller Dysenchuk and husband David just celebrated their 30th anniversary and have lived in Darien CT for 24 years. While raising their 3 children, Pam volunteered at local schools and in the community. Daughter Blair, Miami of OH ’07, now lives in NYC and works at MOMA. Marika, Middlebury ’07, lives in NYC and reverse commutes to work at Greenwich Associates in CT. Son Nikki is a Dartmouth soph, where he plays men’s varsity lacrosse. Pam has been executive dir of the Darien Technology and Community Foundation for 6 years. After youngest daughter Grace finished freshman year at Ithaca College (followed by a Caribbean semester at sea), Susan Fenske McDonough began her own transition from NJ to Amherst NH life near her brother and dad (94). She is putting in a produce garden and looking for professional and volunteer work after 8 years as assistant to the headmaster at an independent NJ school. Middle child Jamie finished junior yr at U Scranton, and eldest daughter Cate works in pediatric occupational therapy in San Francisco, after earning her master’s from UNH. Susan keeps in touch with good friend Pam Miller Dysenchuk, and has seen Melissa Alden ’72 and talked to Susie Davidson Falzone. She’d like to hear from other classmates, especially now in NH. Sheryl Street Cabot and family spend weekends in Wakefield NH enjoying water sports at their small lake house. They’ve been at home in Concord MA for 25 years, Sherry working as assistant kindergarten teacher while raising their 3 daughters, and husband Marshall as GM of BMW and MINI of Peabody. Audra (31) married now for 10 years, graduated from Holy Cross and is a manager at UMass Medical, Worcester. Following her bachelor’s from CU Boulder, Amanda (24) completed her master’s in library science and works at the Boston Architectural College library on Newbury St in Boston. Youngest daughter Heather just graduated from James Madison in VA and works for CVent software near DC. They travel 2–3 times per year in the Western hemisphere. Says Sherry: “Life has been a wonderful adventure, and we know that we have been very blessed with a great family. I hope that life has treated you well or if not—that you have been able to weather the storm and come out on the other side.” Becky Nash McKay lives in suburban
Chicago while working as administrative principal in her husband’s business. They are also empty nesters, as younger daughter Elizabeth is a freshman at Tufts, and older daughter Julia graduated from Miami of OH in ’10 with a degree in accounting and headed to work at Deloitte in Boston. Becky asks: “Just wondered if any other New Englanders might have students at Tufts?” She traveled in FL last year with Stewart Battle Staudinger, Lisen Cameron, and Addie Havemeyer. Another remediation specialist, Laurie Lee Jillson Mason is president/owner since ’90 of Inner Space Services, Inc, an environmental dredging and contaminated sediment treatment specialists’ business based at Sebago Lake ME. They travel the East Coast doing hydraulic dredging and hazmat remediation and work frequently at the Entergy Vermont Yankee nuclear site. She and husband Bob see her cousins David Paige ’70, Richard Paige ’73, and Meredith Paige ’77. Laurie Lee is still passionate about riding and competes with her Thoroughbred/Percheron, 17-hand horse Merlin. Adam Thomson practices adaptive reuse and simplification in his Canton NC furniture studio plant by purchasing revitalized equipment and milling his own lumber from hurricane-downed trees. After years of experience with other manufacturers, he is fitting out his own 1-man shop, guided by the advice of a top industrial plant engineer. Adam continues to update his production knowledge and skills. Adam’s mother passed in Mar 2010. After 20 years, the Adam G Thomson Boys Track Prize is still awarded at the NMH athletic banquet. Adam asks classmates to contact him on Facebook. In Charlotte NC, Andre Fleuriel spent several years building a residential design practice. He devoted ’10–11 to continuing the NMH tradition of meaningful service as medical caretaker for loved ones in NYC. Andre enjoyed staying in Irving Sq during the recent winter blizzards. Also continuing the NMH tradition of meaningful service, Gregory Baker is health and wellbeing coordinator at the Williamsburg VA YMCA. He continues to play harmonica. Greg visits his son Jamieson ’04, who is a talent agent with William Morris in Hollywood. Samuel Koch is in his 21st season as head men’s soccer coach at UMass Amherst and lives in Hadley. He recently talked to fellow NMH alum Brian Crowley and plays golf with Sam Roundy. Wife Suzanne continues work as forensic inter-
Andrew Tofuri ’74, onboard his yacht, sailing in the Caribbean Sea in ’10
John Burnham ’74 at home with daughters Sophie and Olivia, wife Rachel, and daughter Isabel
Fall | 2011 CLASS NOTES 77