Bird Watching Justin Thomas ‘90 ustin Thomas ‘90 exhibited ‘Recent Paintings’ in the Grubbs Gallery at Williston in the fall of 2009. His work explores the birds that inhabit the area around his studio in Windsor, MA. Inspired by the changes of the landscape in the valleys and hills of western MA, Thomas depicts the birds not as a birdwatcher but as an observer connecting and relating the human experience with the bird’s evolution. “The birds I have chosen to paint are ones that live around my land in Windsor Bush. They build their homes, maintain them over time, and work very hard to sustain themselves and their loved ones. Some birds stay year round while others leave and with luck they or their offspring may return. I like to think they return to their same homeland because, like me, a deep attachment has been formed,” he explains. Thomas attended Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts and graduated with a BFA from UMass Amherst. He is co-owner of Ugone & Thomas Company, located at 1 Cottage Street in Easthampton, designers of fine lighting and home accessories catering to American fine craft galleries. Visit jannaugone.com for further information.
J
1988
Jennifer Hatch Gubbins P.O. Box 176 1709 Wild Apple Road South Pomfret,VT 05067 (802) 457-5834 jtgubbins@wildblue.net
1989
Carin Nelson-Yates 185 North Main Street Suffield, CT 06078 (860) 668-2219 cariny@earthlink.net Jeffrey Lovelace 1660 Euclid Street, NW #A Washington, DC 20009-5624 (202) 265-2322 jfrylove@yahoo.com
20th Reunion
1990
Dana Caruso 342 Southwick Road Apt. 17 Westfield, MA 01085-4791 dana5872@gmail.com Frank J. Purcell Swallowtail Farm 584 Clems Run Mullica Hill, NJ 08062 (856) 223-1277 frankjpurcell@comcast.net
Hey class of 1990! I’ve been letting Dana [Caruso] do all the 38
SPRING 2010 BULLETIN
driving for a long, long time and it’s finally my turn to jump in and share a Bulletin update. The biggest news of course is that the rumors are true—it apparently has been nearly 20 years! Plans are under way for a terrific return weekend this summer, so if you haven’t already made plans to be in attendance then GET GOING! I’m looking forward to seeing everybody and catching up on what we’ve all been up to! Look for more updates in the near future from me, Dee [Deidre Griffin], Beth [Babyak], etc…Here’s how to tell if you are out of touch enough that you need to attend reunion: In the past year alone do you know who just became a new father? (John Bailey and Mike Olshansky) Just gave birth to twins? (Pam Lightcap Rentz) Travelled to Ethiopia? (Matt Frankel) Wrote and performed Running on Faith? (Quincy Coleman—available on iTunes). Launched a new line of “Jelly” nail polish? (Nonie Ramirez Creme—my wife, Fiona Proctor Purcell ’91, swears this is the world’s coolest job). Has a cool, new job? (Beth Babyak) Just quit his job after 15 years? (me) Ran for city council? (Jay Andrzejczyk) Gets to teach African
Dancing to 3rd graders? (Ashley Choate Walker). Never misses an episode of “Lost”? (Jenn Johnson & Stacy Rosoff) Teaches Japanese sword fighting? (Mike Mason) Of course…. this is just the tip of the iceberg, and if you didn’t already know all of this you should make immediate plans to come catch up this summer. On the other hand, if you did know all of this, you spend way too much time on Facebook, and you really need a weekend out with old friends! Hope to see as many of you as possible. I also wanted to acknowledge, for those who may not be aware of the somber news, that Adam Washburn passed away last fall. I still can’t fathom that Adam’s signature grin isn’t somewhere out there walking around Massachusetts. I’m also sure that no matter how long it has been since each of us talked to Adam, we all miss the charming antics that he was known for in school. It has been a good, long time since we marked the loss of one of our own, and plans are being made to find a special way to remember Adam when we are together at Reunion. Meanwhile, please keep Adam, Abby and the entire Washburn family in your thoughts. Make a note of my updated contact info here, and drop me a line as soon as you get a chance. My best to everybody! –Frank
1991
Reid Sterrett 710 Hinesburg Road Charlotte,VT 05445-9381 (802) 425-2777 reidsterrett@hotmail.com
1992
Danielle Maloney 26 Mystic Street, #3 Charlestown, MA 02129 (617) 424-0846 dann_maloney@yahoo.com Hope Nawada 45 E 25th Street, Apt 31A New York, NY 10010-2943 (212) 874-2241 hope_nawada@yahoo.com
1993
Kathryn Hicks Gulick 683 Clermont Street Denver, CO 80220-5023 (303) 282-3874 kategulick@gmail.com Sarah Griggs Swierzewski 416 Marlborough Street, Apt. 302 Boston, MA 02115-1559 (617) 267-0439 sarahsgriggs@hotmail.com
1994
Jade Brennan 328 Auburn Street Cranston, RI 02910-3315 (443) 838-2779 jadestone18@hotmail.com LaShandra Smith-Rayfield 7927 S.Vernon #2 Chicago, IL 60619 (773) 322-4527 LSRayfield@gmail.com
15th Reunion
1995
Stephen Hoyt 28 Pleasant View Drive Hatfield, MA 01038 shoyt1@gmail.com Martha Lewis P.O. Box 322 Winter Park, FL 32790 (407) 310-0003 mj20lewis@earthlink.net
The Reunion Committee is getting focused on the festivities in June.You will be seeing more activity from the committee both with the traditional methods and via Facebook. If you have missed the previous two reunions (like I [Steve Hoyt] did), now is the time to redeem yourself (like I will). If you are waffling about whether to show up or not, the answer is simple, you should show up. We are really looking forward to a great group coming back to Williston. Thanks to all of you who have been in contact so far. Pass the word to anyone you are in touch with about the festivities in June. Thanks! –The Committee
1996
Darcie Kauffman 21 Englewood Avenue, Unit #21-5 Brookline, MA 02445 darcie_kauffman@hotmail.com Danielle Saint Louis 299 Flatbush Avenue, Apt. #2 Brooklyn, NY 11217 dsaintlouis@yahoo.com
1997
Seth Kassels 180 Manhattan Drive Boulder, CO 80303-4243 s_kassels@hotmail.com Elizabeth-Anne Zieminski 265 Prospect Street Lee, MA 02138-1105 (413) 427-6858 ezieminski@yahoo.com
Hello there fellow ’97ers. Well, 2009 has finally come to an end, and here we are in 2010. It’s really difficult to believe sometimes that it’s been so many years since high