Class of... 1985 Richard Hare has been married for 20 wonderful years to his wife, Charlotte, and they have two girls, ages 10 and 14. Richard is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Carmike Cinemas and has successfully lead multiple capital transactions and played an integral role in the company’s balance sheet improvements, leverage reduction as well as its current growth/acquisition. He is excited that Carmike is opening a new theater in east Montgomery. In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Richard serves on the Board of Directors of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and the River Center for the Performing Arts. Richard holds an M.B.A. from Vanderbilt University and B.S. in Accountancy from Auburn University. He is also a CPA and an alumnus of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.
Kelly McGehee works as the Sales Manager for Corporate Business Solutions for AT&T. He and his wife Pam live in Madison, MS with their three children Tae’, Parker and Clayton.
1988 Ben Freeman is manager for Sabel Steel Service in Dothan. His wife Michelle is a physician with Dothan Pediatrics Clinic. They are the proud parents of two high school daughters, Mary Lynn and Anna Beth. Anita (Hollon) Rowland recently returned from a one year mission trip to Thailand with her husband and three boys. They are now home in Kent, AL trying to reestablish themselves. Anita is a stay at home mom, homeschooling their youngest son. They are planning to enter the mission field full time sometime in the near future and are currently raising support and setting up their ministry.
1989
1986 Jody Ortega and his wife Trixie live in Birmingham, AL with their three children, Sullivan, Cooper and Andrew. Jody is a physician with Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center. Last year Jody was gracious to share his medical experience with the Physical Therapy/Sports Medicine PreCollege Elective class from Saint James.
1987 Jacqueline Pratt Austin-Trucks resides in Mountain Brook, AL and is an attorney with her mother, Jacqueline Austin, whose office is still in Wetumpka. Pratt and her husband, Christopher Cole, have two children, Turner, 6th grade and Smith, 1st grade. Pratt remains active in charitable organizations in the Birmingham area, co-chairing the Hope Gala for the American Cancer Society in 2013 and 2014 and serving as a member of the American Heart Association’s Heart Guild Board and as a member of the Children’s Art Guild. Kiersten (Wilbanks) Caballero loves living, teaching and relaxing in Texas. She is an ESL Pre-K Teacher for the Spring Branch Independent School District and her husband Al is an oil and gas pipeline designer. They have two daughters, Kayla and Caroline. Kiersten and Al have been traveling this summer, and enjoying attending educational workshops that will continue to enhance her teaching career.
1991 Janet Chambless spent thirteen years in Chicago working for Coca-Cola and L’Oreal. Last December she moved back to Alabama and is so happy to be back in the South! Janet lives in Birmingham and is the Marketing Manager at Red Diamond, managing the company’s wholesale distribution business in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky. Janet said she hopes to attend plenty of Saint James events now that she is so much closer geographically. Kathryn (Elam) Dorlon is the Director of Membership and Ministry at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Birmingham. She and her husband Todd have two children, Coleman and John Wilson. Todd works for TMD landscape Designs, LLC as the owner/designer. Nicole (Freeman) Miller is the Administrative Assistant to the Medical Director for Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama. Nicole and her husband Mickey live in Birmingham with her two children, Cole and Patrick.
Todd Johnson (TJ) is VP of Sales for Palomar Insurance in Montgomery and sells commercial insurance for businesses around the Southeast. He and his wife Beth have been married for 19 years. Their two children, Wesley and Maddie are active in sports, primarily rodeo. Todd says he may have graduated from Saint James in 1985 but he started in kindergarten at Saint James on Court Street! April (Hager) Jones works for Goodwin Brothers, Inc. in Montgomery as a sales consultant /account representative for the restaurant equipment and supply business. Her daughter, Martha-Claire graduated from Saint James in 2009.
Stacie (Meehan) Vande Wetering is the executive chef at The Lakewood Golf and Country Club at the Grand Marriott Hotel and Spa in Fairhope, AL. She also owns her own catering company, Cheffy by the Bay. Her husband Glen is a machinist for Standard Furniture Company. Stacie has two fabulous step-children and adores living on the Eastern Shore, where, in her spare time, she is an avid glassblower.
1992
Leslie Claybrook is the assistant commissioner of the South Eastern Conference. She was honored as the Trojans’ all-time leading basketball scorer and rebounder on Jan. 31, in between the school’s Boys and Girls victorious varsity matchups against Trinity. Leslie was named Miss Basketball in 1989; the event marked the 25th anniversary of her title. After leaving Saint James, Leslie continued her on-court career, playing for four years at the University of Alabama. She is the only Montgomerian to be named Miss Basketball. The school retired Leslie’s No. 44 jersey, giving her an additional distinction as the only woman to achieve that honor. Shown: (l) STJ Varsity Girls Basketball Coach Katie Barton, Leslie’s husband Perry Robinson, Leslie with daughter Lillian, and Head of School Melba Richardson. Valerie (DiMaggio) Shonts loves living in Michigan! Her husband, Eric, is the lead engineering project manager for Continental Corp. She said that this is her first and only marriage to a Christ-loving widower and husband. They have four “beautiful blessings.” Valerie said that they “love the beauty of Michigan, love our family, church family, snowboarding, skiing, traveling and ALL sports.” She welcomes her classmates to visit anytime in the Great Lakes state!
1990 Arch Lee lives in Montgomery with his wife Charlsi and their four children, McDowell, 13 and the 10-year-old triplets, Arch, McKay and lone daughter Anne Layton. Arch is in governmental affairs with Arch Lee & Associates and also serves as a Montgomery City Councilman. His wife Charlsi is executive assistant for Senator Billy Beasley.
Jay Berry is Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. His wife Sarah is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. They have three children, Brian, almost 2, Josh, 5 and Griffin, 8. Foster Dickson teaches creative writing at Booker T. Washington Magnet School in Montgomery. When he is not teaching or grading papers he spends time toting his children to ballet practice or soccer games. He and his wife Vicki are “on the go” with their children Jehle and Henry. Lynn Watson published her first novel, A River So Long, in 2012 and is currently working on her second novel while teaching creative writing at the University of North Carolina in Wilmington. In her spare time Dr. Watson is working on her hot air balloon pilot’s license. Maria (Huffstetter) Wiggins is the owner/photographer for Lola Photography and Portrait Studio in Montgomery. Her husband Clay is the owner/IT systems engineer for The Rosewood Group and also owns Nebulous Vapors. They have two children, Breanna (who graduated from Saint James this past May) and son Gabe who will be a Saint James junior this year.
1993 Susan (Pirtle) Johnson and husband Brad are both nurse anesthetists at Premier Anesthesia in Montgomery. Their two children, Jenny and Jesse are both Saint James students. Last October, Jesse served as crown bearer to the Saint James Homecoming Queen! Dan Mangis has had Foreign Service postings in Mexico, Sweden, Iraq and Spain. Dr. Mangis started a two year assignment as the Senior France Desk Officer at the U.S. State Department headquarters in Washington, D.C. this summer. He now deeply regrets not taking French while at Saint James. He and his wife, Susan, welcomed their baby girl, Lucia, into their family in 2013.