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significant alumni awards. Donna Haghighat and Doug Macdonald each received the Alumni Medal for Excellence, which is awarded annually to alumni who have made significant contributions to their professions, to their communities, and to Trinity College. It was a treat to hear each of them speak upon receiving their awards. At our class dinner, Michelle McEttrick received the award for traveling the farthest, from London, but only after public outcry when the award was almost given to Mark Zweifel (San Francisco). In the offspring category, we didn’t venture to guess who had the oldest child, but Dave Ravera seems to have the youngest, with a 7-month-old at home. Perhaps the most coveted piece of unofficial recognition went to John Emery, who by all accounts looks exactly the same as he did 30 years ago. What is your secret, John? In other news, Gretchen Bullard Fraser provided her first update ever, and it is excellent! She has lived in Traverse City, Michigan, with husband Tobin since 1996. Having met skiing in Lake Tahoe, they returned to Tobin’s hometown, where outdoor living is the focal point. They have three children: Sierra will start her senior year at Kalamazoo College (think Trinity of the Midwest), Wiley will be a sophomore at Michigan State University, and Payson will be a junior in high school. Having spouted for years to her children that playing field hockey at Trinity was the best, Sierra plays basketball for K, and Wiley plays on the club soccer team for MSU. “So exciting to watch college sports!” she adds. Gretchen is an occupational therapist, recently “retired” from director of therapy services at a continuum-of-care facility after 20-plus years and now works per diem and also works as a personal wellness coach. Life in Traverse City centers around boating, biking, hiking in the summer, Michigan State football/soccer games in the fall, and skiing, boarding, and shoveling all winter long. As a family, they love to travel and spend most of their time on a boat or a ski hill. Gretchen continues to have family in Connecticut and visits often, vacationing on Block Island and squeezing in visits with Nan Campbell Bussey, Orla O’Riordan Pujado, Cindy Lewis, Tracy Decker Alexander, Mollie Verbeck Spilman ’90, Cynthia Krall Dionne, and Lila Hyde (who also lives in Michigan!). Bob Markee moved back to his hometown of Cleveland a couple of years ago after leaving in 1985 to go to “some college in Connecticut.” After 20 years living in New York City, he’s found it challenging not to refer to all of his Ohio friends and relatives as “quaint,” but otherwise he’s adjusting well. He long ago headed into the most common profession for history majors who didn’t go to law school (i.e., information technology) and has found a niche as a technical consultant to small nonprofit organizations.
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He’s doing some work for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul while also futzing around with some NYC-based groups that haven’t yet noticed he skipped town. Becky Holt Fine writes, “I’m still living in Nyack, New York, since 2005. My husband, Scott, and I have a 2-year-old redheaded boy, Gabriel, who joined me at Reunion. Our world is about trucks and dogs! I loved catching up with folks there and would love the Reporter column to be more voluminous!” Jay Flemma shares, “I covered my 15th consecutive U.S. Open this summer at Pebble Beach, as well as the PGA Championship. Recently played with or watched the Open with Jeff Downing and Dan Prochniak. All of you have a standing invite to come play with me, so reach out and let’s tee it up. And yes, I still practice entertainment and intellectual property law.” Michelle McEttrick also has come in from the cold, having renewed her love for our alma mater. “Having just attended my first Reunion in 15 years, I am just bubbling over with Trinity affection. So, here is my first Class Notes update in years. My husband, Mike, and I live in London, where we’ve been for 13 years. Our decision not to have kids has been validated by the degree to which our two cats are spoiled. No one needs that in human form. We are dual citizens, which means we get to vote everywhere we pay taxes. My career has been split roughly 50-50 between advertising agencies and marketing roles. For the past four years, I’ve been the group brand director for the U.K.’s biggest retailer, Tesco. It’s a big difference from my last job as CMO of Barclays Bank. I have to say, I prefer bananas to bonds. In my leisure time, I am slightly yoga obsessed, love to cook and entertain, as well as take advantage of all the cultural opportunities of London. Mike is in a band (My Fine Companions), so I am finally realizing my lifelong ambition to be a groupie. I can also report that I had the pleasure of seeing and hanging out with Marianne McLaren Mowat last week when she was in town for Ascot. She is living in Seattle with her husband, three kids, two dogs, and four cats. Or four dogs and two cats? Anyway, lots! Finally, as an infrequent attendee, I have to give Reunion a plug. It was great to have relaxed, unscheduled time to catch up with old friends. I’m definitely a convert!” Donna Haghighat sent the following quick update: “Chris (Dickinson) and I are just finishing up a Fab Four night trip to NYC to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. Chris surprised me by secretly coordinating for Todd Gillespie and partner Prash Rangan to join us for dinner Saturday night.” We look forward to hearing from the rest of you in future updates!
REUNION • JUNE 4 –7, 2020 Class Secretary: Beth Clifford, 195 Cleveland Dr., Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520-2412; elizabeth.clifford.1990@trincoll. edu • Class Agents: Michael T. Cavanaugh III, Peter L. Denious, Ronald J. Goodman Hello, Class of ’90! Can you believe that we are officially in the countdown to our 30th Reunion? I hope to hear from many of you as we get closer and that we get a strong turnout next year! Greg Milbourne writes: “I was up in Brooklyn pacing the half marathon recently and was able to catch up with Chris Andersson the weekend before he lost his father suddenly after his performance in a theatrical production of the Stonewall uprising. Chris has a lovely home in Hell’s Kitchen and was kind enough to meet me and spend a couple hours catching up. Brooklyn was my eighth pacing gig this year, which started in February in Sedona, Arizona, which was a blast. My wife and kids are well and daughter is beginning to consider colleges and careers as a high school sophomore.” Geraldine Weinstein writes on behalf of David Weinstein: “A move back to Connecticut has worked out for David’s work. Gene therapy is under way for his patients.” (Google Connecticut Magazine David Weinstein.) Marc Schader checks in: “We are still living in Spain, and I continue at Havas, where I was recently appointed global chief client officer and part of the Havas Media Group Executive Committee. Now being part of the Vivendi Group, owner of Universal Music Group, Gameloft, Canal +, and other entertainment and media properties, makes this a very exciting time at Havas. I recently managed to get to Los Angeles for the Grammys! But it does take me traveling a lot, far and near, which means I am away a lot, but also gives me a chance to pop by and say hello to friends all over the world. Carmen, my wife, has set up on her own as an interior designer and is taking on very interesting projects. She is masterfully balancing work and home life. Kids are soon entering the teen years, with Mia hitting 13 in a few months, and Leo, thankfully, still only 9. I am bracing myself for what is coming. Thankfully, both are doing wonderfully, and they are off to camp in the United States this summer to start getting the full U.S. life experience. A preview to college in the United States? Perhaps Trinity?” Mike Carney writes: “I spent four months in Cuba last year filming El Mayor, a film about Cuba’s fight for independence from Spain in the late 1800s (after two months of training on horseback, sword fighting, and combat machete fighting). It focuses on one of Cuba’s biggest heroes, General Ignacio Agramonte, and tells the story of his dual loves for his wife and family and for his country’s fight for independence. I
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