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Kelley Agnew Medvigy 6145 Regent Park Rd Catonsville, MD 21228 kmedvigy@gmail.com Martha Woods Yancey 3512 Sitio Baya Carlsbad, CA 92009 marthayancey@gmail.com Hello, classmates! We hope this update finds you well. It has been so great to hear from you and see what you are all up to! Katia Allexi writes: “I have just started my new job as Senior Project Manager for the Strategy Department at Rewe in Oct. Rewe is one of Germany’s most important grocers. I am still living in Cologne, planning my wedding for next year with my fiance Rocco, who is Italian.” Aly Schneider Kirk ‘97 organized a get together in June at her house with Tessa White, Anne Bell, Lauren Collins Cline, and Mollie Jurewicz. Lauren says, “We had way too much cheese and lots of Tessa’s fabulous culinary wonders. It’s amazing that we still look the same but are more charming after all these years! Must be why Aly’s husband wasn’t scared off.” Lauren also mentioned that she has had a slight career change and left television to become a spokesperson for a major utility project. The job means more steady hours and holidays off for the first time in her adult life! Most of all, it means being home more for her son Sebastian, who turned one in August. Tessa White has been busy visiting many Westover friends. In addition to the reunion at Aly’s house, Tessa visited Katie Ryan ‘97 in St. Paul, MN in Aug. They celebrated her birthday by canoeing around a few Minneapolis Lakes, picnicking at the Minnehaha Falls and cooking a lot of great food. Most recently Tessa and Heidi Bosek Dunavant went to Catamount Aerial Adventure Park in Hillsdale, NY to do aerial obstacle courses and zip lining. Gina Nelson Samson writes, “Overall it has been another normal year. Over the summer we rescued our first family dog. Jax keeps us busy and Brody loves his new buddy. After training all summer, a couple of weeks ago a friend and I ran our first half marathon.” Way to go Gina! Ann Clark Priftis and Jon Gilmore welcomed the arrival of son Harlan Cash Gilmore, born April 3rd. Harlan made his Westover debut at 6 weeks for the Board of Governor’s May meeting! Ann stepped down as Executive Director of Defy Ventures and is running her art consulting business, Clark Priftis Art, full time. Kelly Agnew Medvigy writes: “Ann and I recently made it back to campus for our Fall Board of Governors meeting where I was the newbie and she continues serving as President. I
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am looking forward to all of the new opportunities being a governor will bring, most importantly my trips back north to visit campus and family in CT.” Morgan Barry lives in Prospect, CT and works for North Shore Computers and Web Design doing Search Engine Optimization and Marketing. She gets together with Christina Biello Cosmos and Claudia Biello ’93, as well as Candace Achenbach and Candy’s sister frequently. Candace Achenbach is beginning her ninth year at the Siemon Company as a Global Product Manager for copper telecommunications cable. Additionally, she recently launched two companies with family members – an outdoor living company and a paving company. She writes, “If you are in need of an outdoor kitchen, patio, stonework, or a new driveway, check us out at www.acheninc.com and tell them you know the President!” She has been busy travelling and running. She became an aunt twice with two new baby nephews, Jameson and Joey, who were both born in 2013. She writes that they “have kept us all very busy with their cuteness!” Candy says that she frequently sees Christina Biello Cosmos, Morgan Barry, Wendy Leavenworth Halpert ’93, and Claudia Biello ‘93. She writes, “they all keep me laughing, and I don’t know what I would do without them!” Christina Biello Cosmos is in her third year working as a pediatric anesthesiologist at Hartford Anesthesiology Associates. Besides her sisters Marisa Biello Shaker ’92 and Claudia Biello ’93, she writes that she frequently sees Candace Achenbach and Morgan Barry and is still grateful to Candy for all of her support as a bridesmaid in her wedding in Aug. ‘12. “She kept me sane! Thank you, Candy!” Tomo Nakanishi Kubo gave birth to her son, Subaru, on Oct. 7, 2013 in Nara, Japan. She writes, “every day is an exciting learning experience for us!” Alicia Fraser has completed all but her dissertation for her PhD in Global Gender Studies at the U of Buffalo. She is working on her dissertation on HIV-positive women coming together against all odds and stepping out of traditional social contexts to organize and create community health centers for HIV testing and treatment and food distribution to those living with HIV and AIDS orphans in remote areas in Sub-Saharan Africa. She writes, “I am thrilled to be back in the water, swimming every day, overcoming obstacles, and learning to manage life after a long, ongoing battle with chronic illness.” She recently attended a baby shower for the daughter of Jamie Mitchell ’99 and meets up occasionally with Penny Covill. Martha Woods Yancey recently launched Blue Balloon Books, LLC and is due out with her first children’s book, Tanner’s Manners, in June 2014. She recently stepped down as the Appellate Division Attorney at Genex Services, Inc. to focus on Blue Balloon Books, LLC and to volunteer for the CA Innocence Project. In her spare time, her 3-year-old son Jackson keeps her busy!
1996 Continued Elizabeth McCormick recently travelled to Ireland with her husband, Bruce. She writes, “We had an incredible trip and can’t wait to go back!” Elizabeth contemplated getting a job in Ireland pouring pints, but, nevertheless, returned to NYC where she and Bruce moved into a new place in Brooklyn. It is with heavy heart that we announce the death of our classmate Cortney Rice. Cortney passed away on August 30, 2013. We know you will join us in remembering Cortney as a star athlete on the field hockey and lacrosse fields as well as a caring and devoted classmate and friend. Information for those wishing to donate in Cortney’s honor will be forthcoming.
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Katie Marages Schank 1650 Harvard St. NW, #629 Washington, DC 20009 katieschank@gmail.com
Elise Desjardins Stanford 244 N Serenity Hill Circle Chapel Hill, NC 27516 edesjar@gmail.com
Helen Phillips Trementozzi 52 Grassland Street Lexington, MA 02421 hallytremontozzi@gmail.com Hello class of ’97! After a brief class notes hiatus, we’re back in action! Thank you to everyone who wrote back with news. It’s always great to hear about our class’s accomplishments, adventures, and growing families. If you missed the chance to send in news for this edition of class notes, we hope we’ll hear from you next time. Here is the news I received, in no particular order: Amanda Verdery Young is excited to report that she and Tyler Young were married on June 8, 2013 in Sisters, OR. Mita Paramita writes that she is a co-founder of BrightFront Group, a society and technology boutique consultancy in Santa Monica, CA. Their most recent work includes developing the complete Standard Operating Procedures for a network of Big Data Innovation Labs, founded by the UN Secretary General’s Office. Mita is also delighted to share that she has recently received U.S. citizenship and can’t wait to start traveling with her new passport! Michelle Brooks Parrish writes from Toronto where she lives with her husband, Michael, and their 3-year-old son, Corbin (plus two cats and an elderly bulldog). After working in the museum design field for over 5 years, Michelle has transferred jobs and now works in the signage, way finding, and environmental graphic design field. She says, “Work is busy, and it is a daily challenge to balance career with motherhood! All is worth it though, coming home to my beloved guys each night.”
Sara Chetkin Saelens is awaiting the official publication of her book, The Healing Curve: A Catalyst of Consciousness, on March 19th. Her son Adrian is 15 months and climbs on absolutely everything! Although the move in date is still a ways off, she and her husband are building a new house and are very excited to move. This winter they will visit friends and family in Europe during a month-and-a-half long trip. Sara reports, “All in all, we’re very happy and having lots of fun!” Tyler Emerson-Dorsch and her husband and business partner, Brook Dorsch, changed the name of their contemporary art gallery from Dorsch Gallery to Emerson Dorsch in 2013. Coinciding with the name change, the gallery reopened after an ambitious renovation. Tyler reports a long list of wonderful accomplishments in the art field. She contributed an essay to the exhibition catalog for POUR, an exhibition of abstract paintings at FL Atlantic U. Also in association with POUR, she presented at a symposium at FAU and moderated a symposium in NY in May 2013. Tyler also published an interview with artists Jenny Brillhart and Carolyn Salas in the SITE 95 journal and received a Tigertail Productions Access Grant in 2012. Somehow, amidst all of her other work, Tyler and her husband have also found time to plant a new garden with native FL growth at their home in Miami Shores. The newly diverse garden will attract birds and butterflies and, once established, will require far less water and maintenance than the typical lawn. Her two daughters enjoy helping to tend to it! Savita Ostendorf is the very happy mama of two boys. Eno was born at home in March ‘13. During naps and after Savita gets her little guys to bed at night, she’s been getting on the computer to do some freelance design work…”Only fun projects though.” Elise Desjardins Stanford also expanded her family this year with the birth of her second daughter Catherine Ann (Kate) Stanford in July ‘13. Cécile Pemberton welcomed son Kori Alexander Thomas in April ‘13. Kori tipped the scales at 7lbs flat. Grace Eunhye Kim Lee lives in MA where she works at the Child Support Enforcement Div. of the Dept. of Revenue. She and her husband, who have been married for about 7 years, have twin girls who will turn 5 next Jan. Jackie Dias Dansereau and her husband Marc, who have been together since high school, live in Wilbraham, MA and are happily raising their four daughters, Malyna (9), Siena (8), Zoe (6), and Kyla (4). They are expecting their fifth child in May. Jackie says, “I’ve always wanted a big family. Luckily, Marc is an amazing Dad and felt the same.” She’s been a stay at home mom since welcoming their first daughter and reports, “life has been good to us.”
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