Class of 2002 5 t h r e u n i o n (L to R) Row 1: Vida Olivares, Natalie Puckett Evans, Saralyn Stewart, Catherine O’Kelley Fore, Calessa Wells, Chrissy Miner. Row 2: Megan Beene, Jody Swink, Alaina Garcia Steele, Laurie Gibson, Megan Temple Golden, Amanda Smith Burnett, Melissa Williams. Row 3: Kris Mayrhofer, Crystal Rogers Cheyne, Bria Andrew, Taylor Johnson, Amy Hicks, Andrea Clark, Beth Williford. Row 4: Erin James, Ebony Roberts, Kathryn Marshall Wilcher, Nikki Bradshaw, April Prince.
tive attitude that motivates students to excel. Thank you for your contributions to the success of many Wesleyan women over the years.” Michelle Arauz McKeen ’94 has moved to Decatur, GA, and works at Sun Trust Banks, Inc., as first vice president and counsel for legal and regulatory affairs. Her three year-old son, Nicholas, also keeps her busy. Congratulations to Betty I-May Lo ’95 of Mableton, GA, who accepted a position as senior manager, communications with The McDonald’s Division of The Coca-Cola Company. This summer she co-chaired the annual convention of the National Association of Asian American Professionals in Atlanta, where she was responsible for sponsorship, marketing/PR, design, web and technology. Betty is also expecting her first child in November. Show your support to Valeret Collins ’96, who is in Iraq with the Navy until October 2007. Email her at vhcollins@gmail.com! “I absolutely loved the Wesleyan Magazine article about my friend, Deidra West Smith ’96. It was exciting to see a feature about a relatively young Wesleyanne. Reverend Hurdle makes a great “cover boy,” emails Aimee Morris Lashley ’96 of Macon. Mandy Smith ’96 has moved to Harmony, MN, where she serves as pastor to the Harmony and Lanesboro United Methodist Churches. She was also commissioned as a probationary member of the Minnesota Annual Conference which means, says Mandy, “that I am just one step away from being fully ordained!”
1997
(10th Reunion) Reunion co-chairs Stephanie Pate Lewis and Suzanne Spooner-Faulk set the course for Pirates of 1997 who set sail for Wesleyan. Amidst hugs and hoopla, classmates made time for sharing treasured “red” memories at Logan’s
Roadhouse on Friday. Local entertainment park Starcadia was the venue for Saturday night’s “family affair,” where classmates, spouses, and children played miniature golf, rode go-carts, and added new memories to the Pirate’s treasure chest. Reunion phone committee members Suzanne Grigsby Wieschorster, Beth Hitt Rogers, and Mary Mitchell McKinnon (perpetual class flag bearer) kept Pirates connected by land and by sea, while Carrie Herndon helped to present the class gift at the annual meeting. Kathrine Bailey ’97 has relocated to Clarksville, TN, where she works as the multimedia specialist for distance education. She is pioneering podcasting and MMOG work in online education. She announces the birth of her son, Tobias Alexandar Bailey-Robinson, in January. (See Births and Family Additions.) She’s happily married to Tony (4 years) and loves her job as a song plugger at Tom-Leis Music in Nashville, TN, says Suzanne Spooner Faulk ’97. “Be on the lookout for two of our songwriters/artists, Sarah Buxton on Lyric Records and Brandon Kinney on Capitol Records.” “I work for Cerrilliant Corporation, a manufacturer of analytical reference standards. My current position is involved with testing and monitoring the stability of the active pharmaceutical ingredients,” reports Kara Bollmeier Jagger ’97 from Austin, TX. “I bought a house in Mount Juliet, TN, five years ago. I have two pugs and great neighbors,” writes Teresa Lawson ’97 who works as an IT manager of ten staff at HCA, the Healthcare Company. “Our family moved to Denham Springs, LA, in January 2007, where my husband, Ray, works at the historic Hilton Capitol Center in Baton Rouge (the reason for our move),” writes Joy Joyner Logan ’97. Joy stays at home with her two children, Emma Elizabeth (2 1/2) and Carter Allen (15 months).
She lives in a subdivision for the first time in her life and is still involved with horses, bringing her three year-old Morgan colt, Sonny, to Louisiana. Emma and Carter share their mother’s love of horses! Beth Hitt Rogers ’97 is still on track to finish her Ph.D. in mathematics education at Georgia State in 2008. She and husband David live in Marietta, GA, and expect their first child in October. In August 2007, Angela Lamkins ’98 of Duluth, GA, earned an MBA degree from Argosy University. Angela writes, “I left Wesleyan after one year as a PK and continued studies at the University of Central Florida, where I received a bachelor’s degree.” Classmates Bianca Venuto Towler ’98, Amity Bibler ’98, and Amanda Allen ’98 met in West Palm Beach, FL, during Memorial Day weekend to celebrate the upcoming arrival of Julie Houston Trieste’s ’98 baby girl. “We enjoyed hanging out by the Trieste family pool and eating fresh seafood,” writes Bianca, whose own son, Elden Lee, was born in January. His middle name was given in honor of Bianca’s late mother, Linda Lee Venuto. (See Births and Family Additions.) “My husband, Aaron, and I welcomed our first child, Avery Megan Trieste, on July 10, 2007. Before her birth, fellow PKs Alanda Hermann James, Amanda Allen, Bianca Venuto Towler, and Amity Bibler attended the baby shower. Upon learning that we were having a baby girl, my husband declared, ‘Well, we know where she’s going to college!’” writes Julie Houston Trieste ’98 from Wellington, FL (See Births and Family Additions.) Missy Ryan ’98 is the new senior director of development at the College of Business and Behavioral Science at Clemson University in South Carolina. Our apologies to Jennifer Cameron ’99 of Macon, who was misidentified as Jennifer Cameron Haygood ’06 in the Sympathy section of the Spring/
Summer issue of Wesleyan Magazine. Michael and Amanda Marine Evans ’99 live in Suwanee, GA, and expected their first baby in mid-September. Her Wesleyan classmates and bridesmaids at her wedding, Dana S. KarstensenBryan ’99 (Pacific Grove, CA), Carrie Walker Dumm ’99 (Senoia, GA) and Sarah Marshall Nester ’99 (New Port Richey, FL), are excited to be new “aunts.” (See Marriages.)
2000s
“She’s a peach of a volunteer.” That’s how an article in the Telegraph describes Beth Redding Cleveland ’00, who is chair of the board of Peach County Chamber of Commerce in Fort Valley, GA. The interior designer turned full-time minister of music turned business manager of husband David’s company, Cleveland Tree Farms, Inc., is leading the way to promote and revitalize her city. With a degree in interior design from UGA and a degree in voice performance from Wesleyan, Beth is singing the praises of her city everywhere she goes. Beth also has four children: Emma (19), Tom (18), Cleve (15) and Will (15). Hannah Callender ’01 graduated from Vanderbilt with a Ph.D. in mathematics. Hannah has moved to Minneapolis, MN, where she will begin a postdoctoral research position at the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) on the University of Minnesota campus, and continue her research in mathematical biology. Jywanya Smith Dillinger ’01 and her husband live in Bonaire, GA. They both received MBA degrees from Georgia College and State University, and are studying to become warranted government contracting officers. Columbus, GA, resident Laretha Lockhart ’01 currently practices dentistry as an associate in the private practice of Dr. Isaac Hadley Dental Office.
Wesleyan Magazine Fall/Winter 2007