www.andover.edu/intouch These class notes were written and submitted before February, so please pardon the clumsy segue into regular news updates. Remember, please write me at Pamela@aYearof Kindness.com. Speaking of writing (sorry about the awkward transition), Susan Conley is cofounder of the Telling Room (www.tellingroom.org), a creative writing lab that won a White House award for exceptional programming for refugee and immigrant story writing programs. “My third book, Stop Here, This Is the Place, is out,” she reports. “It traces a year in the life of family, with photography and stories about the thing we call parenting.” Susan lives in Portland, Maine, with her husband and two boys, and she raves, “Summer in Maine means I get Sara Woolf and Paige Cox sightings!” Other classmates courageously marched into enemy territory for Andover-Exeter Weekend in New Hampshire last November. Among them were Alex Tuller, Michelle Franciose, and Stephanie Sanchez, who proudly displayed her “Defect to Andover” button (which must be a collector’s item) while deep in red country. Ben Schwall had a visit from Doug Stiffler, “He was on a 100-day sabbatical in Japan and spent a few of those days playing hooky in Taiwan with us.” Ben continues, “I had not really seen him since our Harbin days in 1984. Hope to connect with him again soon in Pennsylvania (or perhaps at some place with homemade cider and a wood shop in Connecticut?).” Sadly, Ben missed out. Strother Purdy writes, “Doug Stiffler, wife Jingxia, and their two preposterously talented and bright boys, Dylan and Ethan, spent the night at our place on their way to Andover, right before New Year’s Eve. We drank sake, hunted deer, and discussed how the world is divided between those who love and those who hate Hello Kitty.” In January, Dana-Farber fundraiser extraordinaire Liz DeLucia, Marcella Larsen ’84, and I had a quick dinner as Liz prepared to visit Liz Somers Urdang. In NYC, Tajlei Levis and Sarah Heard regaled Alyson Yashar and me with stories of their NYC dance-club antics as college freshmen. Alyson, who was on call for two hospitals, entertained us with real-life medical horror stories/comedy. Tajlei quips, “As a former NYC lawyer who grew up in Vermont, I often felt that I was living the Green Acres classic sitcom.” A perfect background, as it turns out. Tajlei, who spends time in Manchester, Vt., writing and producing history-inspired interactive musical mysteries and creative events at the Wilburton Inn (which her family has owned for 28 years), was commissioned to adapt Green Acres for a Broadway-bound musical (both book and lyrics). A reading is expected in NYC soon, and a touring production is planned for next year. In September, the ’85 Facebook flock gathered for a mini reunion on the patio of the Andover Inn, and I had the great pleasure of being part of what turned out to be a fairly raucous evening, complete with chocolate martinis (discovered in 2014 by Alice Stubbs). Troublemakers
(and regulars) included Megan Carroll, Carter Vincent, Rebecca Derderian Daniels, Strother Purdy, Liz DeLucia, Peter Stark, Hal Gillam, Maureen O’Brien, and Ted McEnroe. Encouraging our decadence were legendary English instructors Tom McGraw (now retired and scouting for a house on the Cape near Jean St. Pierre) and Greg Wilkin (now “Dr. Wilkin,” having completed a PhD degree sometime after our era). Mini reunions at the Inn happen regularly now, and apparently Jeff Kip has also been known to attend. About a recent gathering, Rebecca noted, “There was most definite admiration for John Palfrey. Anyone visiting campus should stop by his office, Bulfinch, and the new [Rebecca M. Sykes] Wellness Center to see Strother’s amazing work.” Strother recalls, “Liz [DeLucia] and I traded tales from our time at PA, good and bad, remarking how powerfully the experiences still resonate. Carter noted how impressed he was with the Palfrey-Currie dynamics and his excitement for the Academy’s future. But mostly we had a good time, got to know one another better, and drank and ate responsibly. All are welcome at future events, even other classes.” Peter remembers the evening a little differently, writing, “At first there was some bitching about the decor and the slow and spotty service. But then I recommended immediate proletarian revolution and Carter tempered the moment with a Fabian solution, leaving Becca to suggest capitalism could be salvaged, until Ted made a bid for a second round of drinks before Liz and Megan suggested the Blairite ‘Third Way.’ But nobody remembered what it was, exactly, so instead, we talked about our children, the weather, and the excellent job that Exie Palfrey is apparently doing. In other words, I can’t remember what anyone said, so I hope that a complete fabrication is helpful.” Ted diplomatically suggested that I “tell everyone that all seems fine atop Andover Hill—as I see it from about 100 yards away.” (Carter, for reasons that can’t be printed, declined to comment. “Alumni Council,” he writes, “was the highlight of my year.”) Megan urges, “Join us! If anyone plans to be in the Boston area, please check our class Facebook page for our monthly or bimonthly get-together at the Andover Inn on the chance that it might coincide with your visit. You can also e-mail Megan Carroll at mec@carrollassoc.com. We have a nice group of regulars and welcome classmates from far away and other PA alums, too.” Rebecca adds, “I love that 30 years after graduating we look forward to seeing one another, enjoy one another’s company, and are still learning about the uniqueness of each of our experiences at Andover. I hope more of our classmates will drop by these little proletariat revolutions to catch up on their lives and learn from their perspectives. If you feel that the drive is too long, a few of us have surfable couches to share. These evenings have been a great way to reconnect!” In my own news, I now write for Psychology Today (PsychologyTodayBlog.com). I would love your
suggestions for article topics! (The blog is called “Happiness and the Pursuit of Leadership,” so I have a lot of latitude.) And please e-mail me with news, notes, or memories, or just to connect. (Write “Class Notes” in the subject line.) If you’re ever in Aspen, let me know! Otherwise, see you at the Inn.
1986 30th REUNION June 10–12, 2016 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! I’m here to get you fired up to go to our 30th Reunion, June 10–12. It’s a little crazy, since I am only 30 years old. Ha! David Eckman is in charge of what should be a very fun weekend. Ariel Hubbard will be there. She ended her 2015 with a ton of newness. Ariel writes, “I became a single mom, closed my businesses in California, moved to the Seattle area, started new businesses, and moved to a new home! My 6-year-old, Reese, started a new school. Hoping to find PA alumni in Seattle to connect!” Tom Takoudes took a family trip to MontTremblant, Quebec, where, he says, “We were able to ski every day but also got in some crosscountry skiing, dogsledding, and extreme tubing, and just enjoyed the beautiful village.” I want to try dogsledding! That and extreme tubing are up my alley. Tom and his wife, Lisa, also took their kids, who are 13, 11, and 9, to Italy for almost two weeks in August, visiting relatives on the Adriatic coast before touring Rome, Florence, and Venice. What a great experience! I (Kathleen DiPaolo) love traveling with my kids, too. I most recently went to India, Morocco, and Spain with my gang. My husband works in India more than 50 percent of the time, so we may be sending you “new address” cards from New Delhi, India. Stay tuned. Brian Vaughan mentioned that Eric Neyman was recently nominated and confirmed as a judge for the Massachusetts Appeals Court. Congrats! That is huge. Here’s a link to his former law firm, with more information: bit.ly/1TrhUsM. Jon Kukk’s daughter has really enjoyed being a junior at Andover. Jon said he has seen many of our classmates with their children at parent events. My old roommate, Christine Balling, has Andover | Summer 2016
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