CLASS NOTES…
Photos (L to R): Jovi ’94, Robert, Zion, and Liel at Mysore Palace in India; Lloyd Sacks’s ’95 son, Ori, passed away in July; Emily Kate Wilson Moon ’95 signing her new book, Joone; Brittany Sanders ’96 with daughter, Adelaide; Andrew Barkan ’98 and wife, Polly, performing children’s songs; Eliza ’99, Ryan ’99, and Ainsley are doing great in San Francisco; Melanie Larkins ’99 on the lot of Rede Globo, the largest television network in Brazil; Shay Mamo ’99 going to body surf in San Diego; Hannah Hooper ’00 with her band, Grouplove; Michael Disner ’01 with his family in China.
NICK GEALE reports, “I finally made it through the U.S. Senate confirmation process in late July with a unanimous voice vote, and was sworn in as the Republican member of the National Mediation Board on August 19. It’s a small agency responsible for mediating labor disputes for airlines and railroads (all freight and some transit) and overseeing union elections and grievance arbitration processes in those industries. For your information, BART is not part of our responsibility so don’t blame me for that one, Bay Area Toads.” MAGGIE RENIERS shares, “Hello! Life is good! The hotel continues to be an exciting adventure! I am engaged to a wonderful woman, Carol Peddie, and am looking forward to her moving down to Ecuador this fall. Had a great visit with the TOLL family in Australia in February 2013 and a great visit with MOLLY WALES and her family in Athens, Ohio!”
announces, “Big (or ‘little,’ depending on how you think about it) news from Noah: He’s going to be a big brother to his baby brother due in late January!” Jennifer also had a mini reunion in Ventura with JOVI YOUNG GERACI, DEVON BROWN CICHOSKI, and SKYE ROHDE. NICK YOUNG sends his greetings, “Hi, Thacher friends! A quick note: A film my brother Zack and I produced, animated, and scored, called William Kurelek’s The Maze, was presented by the Governor General of Canada on October 9 to raise awareness about mental health in Canada, and to honor the celebrated artist William Kurelek. To learn more, please visit: themazemovie. com. All my love to Thacher students and teachers! Hope to see you all for 2014 Reunion!” JOVI YOUNG GERACI writes, “I finished my PhD in religious studies from UCSB a year ago. I continue to teach religious studies at Manhattan College and homeschool my kids: Zion, 9, and Liel, 7. My husband, Robert, was the recipient of a Fulbright-Nehru senior researcher award last year and our family spent five months living in Bangalore, India. It was amazing!”
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TOBY COOPER says, “Right now I’m waiting for my flight from Paris to Bordeaux for work. Other than that, I’ve been busy living with my wife (Heidi), two daughters (Sara and Nina), two fish (Heidi and John), and two cats (Whiskey and Fancy) in wholesome Miami. BEN KROKOWER writes, “I couldn’t make Reunion last summer because my wife, Lesley Rogers, and I had our first kid in June! Besides having a kid, I’ve been running my own consultancy, Upwards Tech, and launched a website that helps nonprofits campaign and raise funds online.”
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BRIAN BENNETT shares that “Our son Timothy’s first word was ‘outside.’ He turned 2 in August and already loves climbing rocks and running up hills. I am enjoying writing for the Los Angeles Times in Washington, D.C. We hope to see most of CdeP 1994 at our 20-year Reunion in 2014. Love, Brian” MEREDITH BRESSIE HERRENBRUCK writes, “After Marc and I got married last year and honeymooned in Rome, we thought it would be great to buy a fixer-upper and call it home. Well, the remodel in San Anselmo is a bit more than we expected, but we think big! So, we adjusted, living on a boat for five weeks, and are now in a one-bedroom cottage for the duration of the project. Cozy! Our first year is quite an adventure and we are having lots of fun.” JANE CASAMAJOR reports, “I am happy to be back in California and again at the San Jose Repertory Theatre. Looking forward to enjoying the wilds of this state and catching up with friends.” MARY EVERETT CONARROE says, “It’s been an eventful year. Our 1-year-old, Cooper, is just as busy as his older brother. We are still living in Bakersfield, Calif., which has afforded me the opportunity to meet up with various other California Toads, including DIANA GARCIA ‘95, KACEY PERKINS-TIFT ‘95, and KATHERINE KIRKMIRE VININGS. I am looking forward to Reunion in June... and still deciding if it will be a kids or no-kids weekend! JENNIFER KRITZ
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LLOYD SACKS shares, “After a long, intense, and courageous battle, we lost our darling boy, Ori, to leukemia on July 13, 2013. Ori had a happy life, despite all he went through in his 18 months. He also had a talent for making everybody feel incredibly loved and special. May Ori—son, brother, child of light, pure spirit—endure forever as an inspiration to us all.” Lloyd, Merav & Romi EMILY KATE WILSON MOON writes, “Howdy, y’all! I’d like to announce the publication of my first children’s book, Joone. It is about a little girl, Joone, who lives in a yurt with her grandfather and pet turtle, Dr. Chin, and how they enjoy the simple things in life. It is a picture book, aimed at children age 5 and under, and bound to please! I hope you love it! Feel free to email me or learn more about the making of the book at my website: www. emilykatemoon.com.”
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BRITTANY SANDERS notes, “We have happily relocated to Santa Monica after living in New York City. Adelaide is now 19 months old—what a fun age of discovery. I am looking forward to her first horseback ride at Thacher!” MANDY SONENSHINE WYNN announces, “I’m graduating with a MS in information and knowledge strategy from Columbia University this December! I can’t wait to be done. Working full time with twin first graders made pursuing this degree challenging but completely worthwhile. I’m already applying my new knowledge at Rodeph Sholom School and plan on working to understand and leverage knowledge assets and collaborative culture in diverse schools.” HALLIE GORDON PALLADINO and her husband, Rocco, welcomed a baby daughter, Serena, last spring. They also have a