Visions of Love

romance on the sunny hilltop

TOM AND KAREN MURRAY Tom Murray met his wife Karen when he decided to have a combination housewarming and Christmas party at the new home where he and his daughter Brianna had recently moved. He invited some of his old neighbors, one of whom said that her sister was visiting. Tom said, “Bring her along.” Tom and Karen started dating shortly thereafter. teacher Nick Hart, who served as best man. Brianna served as a flower girl, while York alum Michelle Maruyama ’96, who had become a professional violinist, assembled a string quartet which sounded beautiful in the chapel. As the wedding was planned for early November of 1999, the afternoon light was perfect for both the ceremony and photos.

Years later, the time came for their son Andrew’s christening, Tom and Karen chose the York Chapel as their venue for many of the same reasons. Quite a few of the same friends and family were able to attend, adding a feeling of reunion to the ceremony. York’s marvelous cathedral baptismal font was an added bonus.

Karen was living in Vancouver at the time, so needless to say, there were a number of trips between Monterey and British Columbia over the next couple of years. When they decided to get married, York’s Maureen Church Coburn Chapel seemed the obvious choice for a myriad of reasons, but mostly because York was the community where Tom felt most at home. The couple had planned a fairly small wedding, so the chapel was a perfect fit. Further, Reverend Roger Bowen, York Headmaster at the time, was their chosen officiant, so everything naturally fell into place. Karen had already met a number of the York faculty; in fact, she had met several the same night she and Tom met, including physics Tom Murray retired in 2018 after teaching at York School for 35 years. Karen is the owner of Edison & Melrose, a delightful tea and treats shop in Pacific Grove, and she has also catered many York events throughout the years. We hope to see their son, Andrew, on campus next year as part of York’s 2025 class!

ASHLEIGH REIBERT ‘04 AND MICHAEL ANDERSON ‘03 It was in the Bishop library on the sunny hilltop, nearly twenty years ago, that Ashleigh and Michael Anderson first met. He was a junior and she was a sophomore. The two Falcons began dating shortly after meeting and even attended York’s prom together. It is tradition at York that seniors are asked to record a personal video message to their future selves. When Michael recorded his,

he expressed hope in the video that “things will work out with Ashleigh.” Michael graduated in 2003 and started college in San Diego, with Ashleigh eventually following him to Southern California.

“At first, we attended two different colleges–I was at St. Mary’s in the Bay Area, Michael was at the University of San Diego. We studied abroad together with other college friends, and I ultimately ended up at the University of San Diego,” explains Ashleigh.

Michael’s family business led the couple back to the Monterey Peninsula, where Ashleigh took a job as a kindergarten teacher. Coming back to Monterey also meant coming back to York. “Michael served on the York Board of Trustees, and we enjoy attending events, reconnecting with other alums and past teachers, and giving back financially. One of the best parts of our York experience was creating lifelong relationships with some of our classmates. Our experiences at York played a major role in shaping who we are today, and the critical thinking,

public speaking, and writing skills we honed at York contributed to our college and career successes. We hope that our daughters are interested in attending York a few years down the road,” said Ashleigh.

Ashleigh and Michael were married in 2009 and continue to live on the Monterey Peninsula with their two daughters. They regularly attend York events and are active alumni of the school.