97
Greg Morea and his wife Barbara “just got back from a fabulous trip to Atlantic Canada. Met the friendliest people on the planet, saw amazing 30+ foot tides on the Bay of Fundy, and had front row seats at the 2015 Nova Scotia International Tattoo in Halifax. Also, life continues well for us up here in Groton.”
Mike “Wally” Walters wrote: “Spent the summer vacationing at our home in Myrtle Beach. Riding the waves, fishing, and playing some golf with the kids was a blast. Enjoyed the time off from teaching and coaching in Tampa Florida. Parenting has become ‘interesting’ with three boys in middle school!! Not sure what it will be like when all three will be in high school. As long as they are not as crazy as some of my classmates were, I should make it through. Ha ha!!”
Nora Cuesta Wimberg: “All is good in South Jersey. Our son, Jovan, now 16, is starting to look at colleges; we took our first campus tour. I remember when we adopted him at the orphanage in Ukraine; he was 27 months and only weighed 17 pounds. The children were all so undernourished …Now he is 5’ 8” tall and weighs 150—strong as a bull. God is good. For those of us that were blessed with children, we see them grow so quickly and leave the nest. I hope that he will have the memories that I have of travels when Dr. and Jovan Wimberg, son of Mrs. Cuesta took Nora Cuesta Wimberg us to Europe— remember?! What ’78 great trips we had and memories that will last a lifetime. My parents are looking at these Journal entries and smiling down on us as they see the years pass by and what has transpired for all of us. The paths we have taken, etc… Keep in touch through the Journal. Your stories touch ALL of us!”
the last spoonful of snow lingered on a snow farm in Boston’s Seaport District until July 14. Coincidentally, this was the same day I had a mechanic come to my house and tune up my snowblower for next winter, just in case it decides to come early. Cathy and I will be fielding offers from those of you in the Sun Belt for a spare bedroom or even a corner of a toolshed. I think I speak for all of us north of the Mason-Dixon Line when I say to winter, “No. Just, no.” Maybe this will be our year.
Laura Farina seems to be one of those people who has more hours in the day than the rest of us. In between writing a book, creating an app, and running an apparel business for dogs (www.huggyduggy.com), Laura wrote: “Living in the sauna, also known as Washington, DC, this summer, I look back fondly to the spring of 2014 and our awesome 35th reunion. I think we need to have mini-reunions between reunions at this juncture and hope to make that happen! Laura Farina ’79 and “Since I last saw her nephew, Rob Farina you, I have been ’00 at a Nationals-Mets busy practicing game in July law, teaching, working on start-ups, and trying to finish my first book. I joined the law firm of SmithDehn LLP in 2013, after a long stint at Discovery Communications, and earned a master’s degree from Georgetown in Sports Industry Management. I have been teaching in the program since the spring ’14 semester, which has been a blast!”
Cathy White Mertz had a fun time traveling with Betsy Stephens Ellsworth in July. Well, following her around on Facebook, anyway! We gather her road trip took her to Ohio; the Berkshires in Massachusetts; a bunch of places in Maine, including Ogunquit and L.L. Bean; Watch Hill, RI, where she stayed with Linda Eglin Mayer and her family; and Niagara Falls —at least!
1979
Greetings, ’79ers. We trust your summers brought many chances to recover from the trauma of last winter. Here in Massachusetts,
Karen “Kipi” Polcer Bdera: “Started to volunteer at the organization I retired from three years ago—am ‘on call’ for help in the Finance Department (trust me—you don’t want me in the kitchen with a sharp knife—not my forte), and for help at special events that the organization produces. Glad I can give back ‘on my own schedule.’ Took a trip in February to NOLA, to spend my dad’s 78th birthday with almost the entire clan. In March, had a four-day weekend mini-reunion in Maine (yes, it was done snowing by then) with three of my Ethel Walker classmates—it truly is amazing how time melts away (and how much wine four people can consume). That was followed by the annual March trip to Aruba with my amazing husband Nick. In May, my grandfather passed away, at the ripe old age of 101.5—hope I can live up to that legacy. I continue my volunteering and fundraising for the Avon 39 The Walk to End Breast Cancer. And I am off to San Francisco for a week to visit with my aunt and uncle in a few weeks. All is well here in New York City—hope to see some fellow classmates in the near future.”
1980
Suzanne Albahary D19Amato 16 Maiden Lane Bedford, NH 03110 suzannemndamato@yahoo.com Karen Fein Kelly 90 Ridgeview Drive Belle Mead, NJ 08502 K2pk@comcast.net
Jamie Phares sent news that she was thrilled when her daughter, Hadley, graduated from PDS in 2014; she is now thriving at NYUTisch. Her son, Austin, will graduate from PDS in the spring. Jamie reports she is working hard and enjoying life.
Martha Hicks Leta PO Box 207 Marshfield Hills, MA 02051 7818375308 mhleta@aol.com Catherine White Mertz 67 Rybury Hillway Needham, MA 02492 781-449-4993 pettifog@verizon.net
Speaking of Linda, Cathy’s son, Noah, sent the following from Paris in August: “The easiest way to locate Linda Eglin’s tucked-away apartment in Paris’s Pigalle district is to find Buvette, Linda’s restaurant, which occupies the ground floor. The entire storefront opens onto the street, tempting passersby to stop in to enjoy the cozy ambiance, a Pimm’s Cup with freshly muddled fruit, and a waffle sandwich with egg, bacon, cheese, and maple syrup. Three flights up the centuries-old building takes you to the Eglin-Mayer abode, a collection of five joined units in the top three stories. Tall Parisian windows let in the summer light and open onto the street humming with summer activity. Linda kindly hosted me for the night, and will host my duffel bag while I’m on a five-week week journey around Europe before settling in Paris to study abroad for the semester.”
Class Notes
Shipley’s teams compete against them. I’ve not been by school in a very long time and imagine it looks quite different. There just never seems to be enough time! It also seems a little late to try to reconnect with people after so long....”
Linda Eglin Mayer ’79 and Noah Mertz (son of Cathy White Mertz ’79) met for the first time in Paris during his travels.
We sadly share the recent passing of two great teachers, mentors, and friends to the Upper School and to our class, in particular: Mr. Stephen Lawrence and Reverend “The Rev” Carl D. Reimers, Jr. We extend our condolences to each of their families and especially to our classmate, Carl Reimers, his wife Pamela and their children. FALL 2015