Andover magazine: Spring 2014

Page 102

stay connected... we discovered the coincidence that she is the niece of Devin Adair Mahoney. Alerted that Devin’s sister lived nearby, I was less surprised than I might have been to run into Devin at a party soon after. I had a very enjoyable lunch with Devin and learned that she lives in LA and works in the entertainment industry. She described a number of exciting film projects, one of which is a documentary being produced with a colleague of mine. This is no coincidence, as I introduced them with the hope that Devin might bring some needed West Coast expertise to a naive East Coast film effort, and I’ve been impressed while watching her do just that. I’ve been glad to have these visitors passing through Southport, as the town has recently lost a key part of its spiritual base with the departure of Rev. Nicholas Porter. Nick’s house was a bright social center for many, and I’ll miss his good company. In particular, I will miss the regular evenings of backgammon that he and I enjoyed and that somehow seemed to come down to the last roll every time. I like backgammon because it doesn’t interfere with conversation, and conversations with Nick were a great way to spend an evening. These evenings could be (and occasionally were) improved upon, however, with the visits of Stuart Kensinger from his home in Houston. Stu has been a supporter of Jerusalem Peacebuilders, Nick’s efforts to foster peace through a camp for Israeli, Palestinian, and American youth that he runs in Vermont. Nick and Stu’s shared passion for this project brought Stu to Southport a number of times. It is to further dedicate himself to this worthy project that Nick has moved to Brattleboro, Vt. Nick can expect occasional visits to Brattleboro from the Barton family. I am enjoying teaching my two children to ski, and we pass through now and then. Last winter they had lessons courtesy of Jeff Hunt’s three children, who share their father’s amazing athletic talent. Their example served my children well, if humbling was a goal. We enjoyed a weekend of skiing, and I thought it would be appropriate to cook a meal for our families from Ming Tsai’s book Simply Ming. Jeff, Ming, and I were all residents of Fuess, and Ming’s presence, if only in the form of the smiling face on his book cover, gave it something of the feeling of a reunion. Back then, I did not know that Ming’s talents extended beyond ramen. I have since learned otherwise. I last saw Ming some time ago in Southport. He had generously made the trip from his home in Wellesley, Mass., to support Nick Porter’s peace camp by hosting a cooking demonstration. Ming, FYI: While still representing it as your creation, I adapted your kung pao chicken recipe by adding diced red peppers, jalapeños, and pink peppercorns and switching from peanuts to cashews. I hope that’s cool. Robert: The fire extinguisher was unnecessary on this occasion. —John Barton

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Andover | Spring 2014

1983 Andrew L. Bab 170 East 83rd St., Apt. 6F New York NY 10028 212-909-6323 albab@debevoise.com

Hi, Class of 1983! I will be taking over the reins as secretary of our class and look forward to hearing from as many of you as possible. I promise not to write anything embarrassing! Susannah Hill and Blaise Zerega are a formidable act to follow, and they deserve enormous credit for the excellent, painstaking job they have done over the past years, both in keeping in touch and in keeping the rest of us informed and up-to-date in their inimitable, delightful style. I hope to live up to your now high expectations! Thanks in advance to all of you—I know you’ll be sending me interesting news about yourselves and our classmates.

1984 30th REUNION June 13–15, 2014 Alexandra Gillespie 52 Amelia St. Toronto ON M4E 1X1 Canada acoonpie@gmail.com William P. Seeley Department of Philosophy 73/75 Campus Ave. Bates College Lewiston ME 04240 wseeley@bates.edu Adam Simha 84 Rice St. Cambridge MA 02140-1819 617-967-3869 adam@mksdesign.com

Greetings. First and possibly best, Rachel Mercy-Simpson followed through on my dare and actually texted in her regards from altitude while skydiving! Pauline Lim was invited to emcee the inauguration for Mayor Joe Curtatone of Somerville, Mass., and her art grows wild with abandon…and recognition! Fellow scribe Alexandra Gillespie reports having eaten, drunk, and made merry without serious incident over New Year’s. David Little and wife Beverly moved to sunny Puerto Rico from cold and foggy New England. Amy Tai is back in the States after 11 years in Cusco, Peru. She recounts the beauty of ice skating at Bryant Park in NYC on Christmas Day and how nice it was to see Joy Clendenning and Christine Kim at William Thomas’s memorial service at Andover last June. The service was deeply moving, and the music was exquisite, Amy reports.

Rachel Bacon writes in as follows (excerpted): “Did: Live half of my life in the Netherlands. Didn’t: Decide yet which country to move to next. Did: Get married. Didn’t: Stay married. Did: Become an artist doing projects in public space and making drawings, sculptures, and installations (please see the show in GW Hall organized by Angela Lorenz ’83) while also doing some teaching at the Royal Academy of Art in the Hague. Did: Become a second-degree black belt in aikido. Didn’t: Train much last year, as I injured my knee while escaping from five men attacking me with swords. Did: Meet up last year with Adam Simha and Bill Seeley after many years and really enjoyed it.” Geoff Wagg, whose son Henry is in Bill’s daughter’s homeroom, notched his first two sledding calls in January as headmaster of Waynflete School in Portland, Maine, extending winter break an extra four days. Bravo, Geoff! Bill and his wife, Christine Doris-Keller, met up with John Chaisson and his family, who were in Maine visiting John’s folks (John’s father is Joe Chaisson ’64) for a post-Christmas shindig. John and family are living outside Philadelphia. This edition’s no-shows (despite my best efforts within the boundaries of good behavior): Jason Bochinski, Paul Vrana, Al Griffin, and Asmira Halim. Please be in touch, you four—we’d love to hear from you! Finally, sage Jim Reische writes that patience is a growth industry and pizza is best eaten day-old and cold in the persistent prairie wind.

1985 Chris McCarthy 8 Wilkie Terrace #09-05 228031 Singapore +65 9864 7918 chrismccarthy@gmail.com

1986 Kathleen Campbell DiPaolo 2516 Vista Drive Newport Beach CA 92663 949-689-3314 (cell) 949-209-2043 (fax) Kathleen@kathleendipaolodesigns.com Caroline Langston Jarboe 3124 63rd Ave. Cheverly MD 20785 301-322-4241 (home) 301-379-6572 (cell) caroline_jarboe@yahoo.com

Hi, class! As I write this, it’s mid-January, and I hope everyone had a great holiday break. I always have visions of long naps, deep talks with my siblings, and tickling my nieces and nephews. I had no rest but had a lot of talks, and the kids are way too old for tickling! Now for a little news. Somehow, I missed writing


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