The Next Generation of Leadership: President Susan D. Stuebner
FROM THE PRESIDENT
FEATURES
THE POWER OF INFINITY CAMPAIGN
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IN THE LOOP
3 ON THE HILL
14 OUT & ABOUT
21 SENSE OF PLACE
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Solid Returns by Associate Professor of Business Administration Chris Kubik
40 The Next Generation of Leadership: President Susan D. Stuebner by Kate Seamans
THE SEASON IN SPORTS
50 CONNECTIONS
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Alumni News Class Notes Lil’ Chargers Activity Page In Fond Memory From the Archives: A Tradition of Investing in the Arts Epilogue: In the Students’ Service
editor’s inbox A WHOLE NEW WORLD My son, Will, joined President Tom Galligan on the amazing journey to Nepal in January. After reading Tom’s letter in the spring 2016 issue of Colby-Sawyer, I wanted to reach out. Thank you, Tom, for allowing Will to be part of that once-in-alifetime adventure. It was so important for him to see not only where his former roommate and good friend Bibek comes from but to see a whole other world up close. Your letter expressed exactly how I know Will felt both going and returning from the trip. He is forever changed, and it was a privilege for him to be among such a caring group of friends. I feel blessed that Will is part of the Colby-Sawyer community. What a perfect fit it has been for him. I wish you and your family well in your new chapter, and thank you for all you have done for Colby-Sawyer College. Jennifer Triebel P’17 Duxbury, Mass.
CHARGER PRIDE Stellar, beautiful, honest and hopeful ... these are the words I use to describe the spring issue. Makes me proud of Colby-Sawyer! Kim Sauerwein, former Colby-Sawyer staff Charlottesville, Va.
HELLO THERE Received the spring issue of Colby-Sawyer and loved it! Anurup Upadhyay ’15 Irvine, Calif.
Colby-Sawyer welcomes letters to the editor and reserves the right to edit and condense them. Please send your letters to editor@colby-sawyer.edu or to: Kate Seamans, Editor Colby-Sawyer College 541 Main Street New London, NH 03257
AT THE TOP Lots of change on campus, as reported in the spring 2016 issue of Colby-Sawyer. In terms of both design and content, the issue rates at the TOP of those I have seen in what is now pushing 40 years. H. Nicholas Muller III, former Colby-Sawyer president Essex, Vt. EYE-CATCHING I am in awe of how you continually raise the standard of excellence with each issue of Colby-Sawyer. The uniqueness of the college is captured through a wealth of information that informs but never overwhelms the reader. The rich layout and diverse selection of eye-catching articles helps each issue stand out as a snapshot of Colby-Sawyer. I couldn’t be more proud of the team for its outstanding efforts. Jonathan Pappalardo ’10, Winton-Black Trustee Duxbury, Mass.
PROUD PARENTS As parents of a graduating senior who was a four-year athlete, we wanted to congratulate you and your staff for producing a quality magazine — especially the spring issue, which highlighted our daughter’s accomplishments. We will miss the community at Colby-Sawyer. Sean and Tase McCulley P’16 Southampton, N.Y.
Send address changes to alumni@colby-sawyer.edu or to: Colby-Sawyer College Office of Alumni Relations 541 Main Street New London, NH 03257
editor Kate Seamans associate editor Kellie M. Spinney production manager Edward Germar graphic design Nancy Sepe class notes editors Tracey Austin, Amy Drummond ’00, Mike Gregory printing R.C. Brayshaw & Company, Warner, N.H.
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cover: President Susan D. Stuebner, on the portico behind Colgate Hall, took office July 1. left: Sarah Appleton ’17 of Andover, Mass., tosses a Frisbee on the field behind the Curtis L. Ivey Science Center. photos: Michael Seamans
Friday, July 8, marked the end of my first official week in office, and I ended it by mingling with members of the local community in celebration of the New London Barn Playhouse. It was a hot and humid evening, with lingering fog lifting off the grass on the field behind the Curtis L. Ivey Science Center. This year’s troupe of aspiring theater professionals performed a few songs from the summer theater season. I listened to the beautiful music, admired their abundant energy and talent, and afterward walked across our picturesque campus to the President’s House with one thought: how lucky I am to be part of the Colby-Sawyer and New London communities. I am incredibly honored to be writing you as Colby-Sawyer’s ninth president. Although my first official day in office was July 1, thanks to the generosity of Tom Galligan I was able to make several transition trips to campus after my appointment in March. During those visits, I met with various constituents so I could listen and learn the key issues facing the institution. This past year saw a number of transitions, and much of my work will focus on building on the foundation President Galligan created and turning the institution’s attention to clarifying our strategic direction going forward. In addition to continuing our momentum on The Power of Infinity Campaign, there are three primary strategic questions I plan to address in collaboration with the campus community. First, what are the qualities that distinguish Colby-Sawyer? Colleges use the same language to explain what we offer — personalized attention, a curriculum that offers breadth and depth, and dedicated faculty and alumni. With declining student demographics in our primary admissions markets, it is critical that we can articulate the value of a Colby-Sawyer education in compelling, concise and unique ways. We have a very good story to tell. Second, what is the ideal size for Colby-Sawyer? This fall, we anticipate enrolling about 280-plus new students, which continues a four-year trend of smaller classes. Clearly, this is not sustainable. Enrollment management in today’s landscape of higher education is complex. Private — and now public — institutions all leverage significant merit and need aid packages in an attempt to attract students. We will continue to examine ways to increase our applicant pool through renewed outreach in our traditional markets as well as expanding to new areas of opportunity. We will analyze our tuition discount rate and financial aid packaging approach to ensure we are competitive relative to our peers but also generate sufficient revenue to support our programs. And we will continue the efforts related to retaining our current students toward graduation.
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PHOTO: MICHAEL SEAMANS
from the president
GREETINGS FROM COLGATE HALL!
Finally, what do we believe we can deliver best in terms of academic programs? Many private colleges similar to Colby- Sawyer attempt to do it all rather than determine what they can do best. Colby-Sawyer has explored a number of exciting academic pursuits in recent years, ranging from online/distance education and our first master’s program in nursing to a threeyear degree in community sustainability. Each of these, along with our traditional programs, offers opportunities and challenges. Our strategic planning process will give us a chance to examine which programs best align with our available resources and can be delivered in a high-quality manner. The year ahead promises exciting and important conversations around Colby-Sawyer’s compelling mission and the educational opportunities we provide our students. One thing that will not change, however, is Colby-Sawyer’s commitment to a liberal arts foundation, our highly relevant pre-professional focus, and the meaningful experiential opportunities for students to combine the two. My wife, Amanda, and I are thrilled to be part of the Colby- Sawyer family. Thank you for the incredible welcome so many of you have offered. We look forward to meeting many more of you in the months and years ahead and hearing about the ways this special institution has impacted your lives. With thanks,
Susan D. Stuebner, Ed.D. President and Professor of Social Sciences and Education
in the loop Catrina Hood ’17 Selected for NH-INBRE Research Fellowship
Sustainable Removal of Colby Farm Makes Way for Arts Building
Pre-med student Catrina Hood ’17 of East Barre, Vt., was selected for the 2016 NH-INBRE Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College.
In June, Colby-Sawyer began site work for a 15,000-square-foot arts building by removing Colby Farm, which was built as a private single-family residence in 1987 and acquired by the college in 2000.
“This is a great achievement for Catrina as there are a lot of applicants,” said Professor of Natural Sciences Benjamin Steele, who noted that SURF will allow Hood “to participate in scientific research in a very real setting — a lab with graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, research assistants and a faculty leader.”
When Colby Farm was offered to local developers contingent upon removal with no takers, the New London Board of Selectmen approved its razing. The salvage and partial deconstruction of the 7,000-square-foot house and garage was overseen by Deconstruction Works. Michael Weitzner, co-owner of the Vermont-based company, estimates that more than half the value of the materials in Colby Farm was reclaimed.
SURF provided housing, a food stipend, support for poster presentations and Graduate Record Examination study materials, among other opportunities. Hood hoped the SURF program would allow her to see how medicine and research are used together in a clinical setting. “During my sophomore summer I was selected as a research assistant for Professor Joshua Steffen investigating plantherbivore interactions,” she said. “I am grateful for the work I started in his lab — it helped me realize that I am passionate about research in addition to clinical work with patients.”
Deconstruction Works is devoted to recovering usable building materials destined for the landfill, a goal congruent with the college’s dedication to sustainability. The environmental benefits of deconstruction include reduced landfill waste, decreased energy costs and conserved natural resources. Colby-Sawyer retained the majority of the hardwood floors found throughout the house and interior lighting fixtures, granite steps and edging, bathroom fixtures, and the weathervane on the garage for use elsewhere on campus. – Kate Seamans
– Aaron Records ’15
eyes open for news from the Class of 2020.
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STUDENTS studied abroad, or away in the U.S., during the spring semester.
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PRESIDENTS have dedicated their time and talents to Colby-Sawyer. Meet our newest president, Susan D. Stuebner, Ed.D., on page 40.
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SQUARE FEET in the new arts building under construction.
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ATTENDEES at the annual Exercise and Sports Science Symposium in February. The theme was “Athletes First: Components of Effective Coaching.”
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PERCENT of the Class of 2015 reported they were employed, in graduate school or volunteering six months after graduating.
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BEE HIVE on campus. Learn what all the buzz is about on page 7.
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INTERNSHIPS taken on by Colby-Sawyer students this summer.
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NEW RIVALS. Colby-Sawyer will become a full member of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) in fall 2018. See page 55.
data driven
+ FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS ready 280 to make New London their home. Keep both
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PERCENT of the nursing majors in the Class of 2016 passed the NCLEXRN on the first try. The 2015 national average was 86.77 percent. Of the 33 graduates, 25 practice at Dartmouth-Hitchcock.
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Colby-Sawyer College Elects Four to Board of Trustees
in the loop
by Linda Varnum P’95 COLBY-SAWYER COLLEGE’S BOARD OF TRUSTEES elected Lisa M. Hogarty ’81, Beth C. Meurlin ’70, JoAnn Franke Overfield ’69 MT and David B. Payne as members of the board to serve three-year terms effective July 1. Lisa M. Hogarty ’81 Lisa M. Hogarty has been vice president of campus services at Dartmouth College since 2014. She managed Harvard Univer sity’s real estate holdings from 2010 to 2014. Prior to her work in higher education and health care management, she coordinated an $86 million renovation of The Pierre in New York City. Hogarty earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Colby- Sawyer and a Master of Science degree in economic development and tourism from New York University. She worked as a stage manager for a number of Broadway shows, including “Whoopi Goldberg: Direct from Broadway” and “Brighton Beach Memoirs.” Hogarty serves on the Colby-Sawyer College President’s Alumni Advisory Council and is a member of the Sierra Club Upper Valley Group. She and her wife, Rosemary Keane, reside in North Sutton, N.H. Beth Constantinides Meurlin ’70 Beth Constantinides Meurlin holds an Associate of Liberal Arts degree from Colby-Sawyer and a Bachelor of Science degree in social welfare from the University of Vermont.
JoAnn Franke Overfield ’69 MT JoAnn Franke Overfield earned her Bachelor of Science degree in medical technology in 1969; in 1970, she became a board certified medical technologist. She taught at Albany Medical Center, School of Medical Technology and ran her own technical consulting business. From 1983 to 2006, she was a partner and then sole owner of Gallery Mack N.W., a prominent Seattle art gallery. She continues to do private consulting through her corporation, J.R. Fine Art Inc. Overfield was the first chair for the City of Edgewood Planning Commission, established in 1995, and is serving her third term. She previously served on the board of Seattle Children’s Home, where she was active on the Development and Finance Committees. At Colby-Sawyer, she has served on the Board of Trustees (1994 – 2003), the Alumni Association Board of Directors and the Arts Center Steering Committee. She received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2008 and the Alumni Service Award in 2013. Overfield and her husband, Dale, divide their time between the Washington towns of Edgewood and Lakebay. David B. “Dave” Payne David B. “Dave” Payne returns to the board having served from 2006 to 2015. He is active on The Power of Infinity Campaign Steering Committee.
After raising her two children, she taught for 16 years in the Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia. Her volunteer work in an assisted living facility led to a position as the volunteer and activities coordinator.
Payne earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Dartmouth College in 1958 and worked for the Connecticut Bank and Trust Company (chief financial officer and president) and Bank of New England (chief financial officer). He is the founder and retired chair of the Trust Company of Connecticut.
Meurlin is the agent for the Class of 1970 and has been involved with its reunion committees. She has been a President’s Alumni Advisory Council member since 2011. In 2015, the Meurlins hosted a campaign feasibility dinner at their home. She is committed to higher education access and endowed the Beth Constantinides Meurlin ’70 Scholarship Fund to help ensure student retention.
In Connecticut, Payne served as a director of Hartford Hospital, Hartford Healthcare, the Hartford Graduate Center, Institute of Living, McLean Home and the Westminster School. He served several terms on Simbury’s Board of Education and the Board of Finance. He is a past president of the Hartford Society of Financial Analysts, past chair of the Connecticut Bankers Association, and former board member of First New England Capital.
The Meurlins divide their time between Virginia and Vermont.
Payne is a past trustee of the Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust and serves on the New London Citizen’s Advisory Committee and the Council on Aging’s board. He and his wife, Bev, reside in Elkins, N.H. ® Secretary of the College Linda Varnum P’95 holds a B.S. from Franklin Pierce University.
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LICENSED TO SELL: An Internship in Real Estate Opens Doors by Jaclyn Goddette ’16 WHEN WOL MAJONG ’16 SPENT LAST SUMMER interning as a sales associate at Century 21 Cityside, a real estate company in Boston, his experience was more than just a prerequisite to receiving his B.S. in business administration. For Majong, selling condos and apartments in Boston was a lesson in developing the resiliency and skills he needed to thrive in his profession. Majong, from Manchester, N.H., heard about Century 21 Cityside through his teammates on the Colby-Sawyer men’s basketball team. In 2014, former team captain and current vice president of sales at Century 21 Cityside Collin Bray ’06 invited Majong’s teammate Kyle Nelson ’15 to intern at the company. Bray’s mentoring of students from his alma mater grew into a tradition; Majong was his third intern. Bray didn’t wait for Majong to acclimate to his internship. After showing him around the office, Bray dropped Majong off at a condo in downtown Boston, handed him a camera and told him to take photographs to advertise the property.
PHOTO: WILL NATOLI
This was Bray’s first lesson for Majong on resiliency. “The more actions students take outside their comfort level,” said Bray, “the more they grow.” By setting high standards from day one, Bray encouraged Majong to reach for goals he normally wouldn’t have considered. It worked. “Collin went through the pictures and told me where I could improve,” said Majong. “He gave me suggestions, like to move a carpet so the light would shine on the hardwood floors.” Ready, Set, Sell As a sales associate, Majong was responsible for every step of the process. A typical day in the office involved uploading photographs to multiple listing service databases, answering emails about his advertisements and updating his client list. Majong credits his junior and senior business seminars at Colby-Sawyer with teaching him the professionalism he showed in the office, from adhering to the dress code to responding to emails in a polite and timely manner.
As a licensed agent, Wol Majong ’16, was able to close deals on the Boston real estate scene even as an intern.
hoops as the sun rose over Harvard University’s basketball court, and the familial atmos phere of Century 21 Cityside prompted Majong to extend his six-week internship into a summer-long experience.
Before his internship, Majong passed Massachusetts’s real estate licensing exam, which allowed him to show and sell properties — his favorite part of the job. During Majong’s last week, Bray tasked him with a client who had only one day to find an apartment in the South End.
“Collin was like a brother,” said Majong. “He balanced fun and seriousness, and he knew when to criticize and when to encourage.”
With the pressure on, Majong set up appointments and showed the client properties all day. Remembering Bray’s advice that “a ‘no’ holds zero meaning except for the meaning you give it,” Majong finally found the client a fantastic home. “He was smiling so wide after they signed the deal,” said Bray, “I’ll never forget it.”
As Majong’s supervisor, Bray considered it his responsibility to provide experiences that urged Majong to build his confidence, but Majong was responsible for his own growth.
Payoff Though he’s not committed to a career in real estate, Majong’s internship confirmed his desire to interact with clients. “I like talking with people and providing a service,” he said.
“Wol was a scared puppy when he arrived,” said Bray, “and when he left at summer’s end, he was a bulldog.” ®
Majong’s relationship with Bray contributed to his own success and, in part, inspired his desire to forge relationships with clients. Majong and Bray often played
Jaclyn Goddette ’16 holds a B.A. in English and was a student writer in the Office of College Communications.
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Amanda Kimball ’14 departed for Namibia in April to begin a two-year stint with the Peace Corps. After three months of intensive Rumanyo language and culture classes in the country’s capital, Windhoek, she traveled to the Kavongo region in northeastern Namibia, which is bordered by Angola and Zambia to the north, South Africa to the south, Botswana to the east and the South Atlantic Ocean to the west.
in the loop
From New England to Namibia and Beyond Story and photos by Aaron Records ’15
Kimball’s sole international excursion before crossing the Atlantic was a seventh-grade French trip to Quebec, so it would be reasonable to think going to Africa would be a big leap for someone in her shoes. You would, however, be wrong. Born and raised in Gray, Maine, Kimball’s family and upbringing are about as New England as they come. Her grandfather owned a chunk of land between a river and a hilltop — about a quartermile stretch. When he had 13 kids, he did “the Maine thing” and divided the land into parcels for each child. Growing up with aunts and uncles and grandparents only a stone’s throw away was a blessing and a curse for Kimball. She couldn’t get away with much, but she always had cousins to play with and a strong family support system. Perhaps the greatest gift Maine gave her was a penchant for adventure. Surrounded by woods and gifted with a limitless imagination, Kimball learned to rely on her own cunning and curiosity. Despite having four older brothers, or maybe because of them, she developed an independence still seen today. She and her cousin, Lauren, once strapped lifejackets to their chests and backsides, jumped into a river and floated down the rapids. Kimball has always been willing to take a leap.
PHOTO: TOM BENTON
Activating Her Superpowers It’s been a while since those days of whimsy, but the lessons Kimball learned have proved indelible. She cites her cousin as an inspiration for joining the Peace Corps and is as undaunted by her first transatlantic journey as she was jumping into that river all those years ago.
In May, then-President Thomas C. Galligan Jr. and Randy Hanson, chair and professor of Social Sciences and Education, walked every step of Spain’s 500-mile El Camino de Santiago. The medieval pilgrimage route to the city where St. James’s remains rest in the cathedral runs from St. Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela. The two plan to write a book about the experience and say they have plenty of material. 6
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At Colby-Sawyer, Kimball majored in exercise science and minored in child development. She hopes to use her knowledge in health science to assist public health initiatives in Namibia, where the average life expectancy is one of the lowest in the world at 51.6 years. Kimball’s help is much needed, and she is willing to put in the work to make a difference. Though 7,000 miles away, Kimball always has a home in Maine — and here in New London. In two years’ time, she will surely have another in Namibia. ® Aaron Records ’15 holds B.A. degrees in philosophy and creative writing. He was a Presidential Fellow in the Office of College Communications in 20152016 and is now a first-year student at Syracuse University College of Law.
In fall 2014, a black bear cub graced our campus. It materialized out of nowhere like a swath of New London mist before loping across the Quad and up a tree. We peered at it from our classrooms in Colgate Hall and took blurry iPhone photos. It felt like a glitch. What was a bear doing on a college campus? Should we be afraid; should we laugh? Was Mama nearby? Nature met our gaze through a pair of frightened brown eyes. If it ever comes back looking for honey, it might be in luck.
PHOTO: BENJAMIN MAINES ’18
Sweet Summer Research: Bringing Bees to Campus by Matthew Nosal ’17
Evelyn Miller ’18, a biology major from Smithfield, R.I., was one of six Colby-Sawyer students who were part of an initiative to bring honeybees and bumblebees to campus this summer. It’s a sweet deal — research assistantships are hard to come by, and the chance to be part of an NH-INBRE project is especially valuable. NH-INBRE, or New Hampshire IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence, is a program formed in 2010 when the National Institutes of Health awarded a fiveyear, $15 million grant to 10 colleges in the state to create a biomedical research network. It is led by the state’s two research institutions, Dartmouth College and the University of New Hampshire, in collaboration with eight undergraduate institutions, including Colby-Sawyer.
The DNA process is complex. Some skills, like pipetting, were new for Miller. She also applied skills she had learned in the classroom. “The process of DNA sequencing,” she said, “I learned in my genetics class.” Research assistantships are opportunities for students to see their coursework alive and buzzing in the real world. The best is yet to come. According to Miller, “the project is still in its infant stages,” and students have a swarm of ideas to apply to future research. Which local bee communities are more active pollinators? Which flowers do they pollinate during different hours of the day? What about months of the year? Research will continue if all goes as planned, and Miller may study bees for her Capstone. Miller also highlighted the environmental importance of bees. Dwindling bee populations worldwide is an environmental catastrophe, but student efforts on campus could make a difference one bee at a time. “We’re trying to rear our own colonies and release them to increase their populations,” she said. More bees mean more active pollinators in the New London area. There were no bear sightings this summer, although an electric fence surrounds the hive as a cautionary measure. If the neighborhood cub (or its relatives) ever visits again, maybe it won’t create a scene on the Quad. Maybe it will just grab some honey before lumbering back off into the woods. ®
PHOTO: MATTHEW NOSAL ’17
This summer, under the guidance of Assistant Professors of Natural Sciences Jamie Jukosky and Joshua Steffen, students spent five weeks on campus simultaneously completing a 400-level biology course and a paid research assistantship. To begin, they caught bumblebees in Mason jars and hammered together a hive behind the library. The later weeks were filled with lab-based DNA analysis to sequence pollen gathered from the bees.
The students involved in the project alongside Miller were Yonatan Degefu ’18 of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Benjamin Maines ’18 of Abbot, Maine; Rakshya Rana ’18 of Malden, Mass.; Deepesh Duwadi ’17 of Dhola, Nepal; and Jeremy Johnston ’17 of New London, N.H. Matthew Nosal ’17 of Manchester, N.H., majors in English and creative writing. He was an intern this summer with the Office of College Communications.
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Robin Davis Named Interim Vice President of Student Development
PHOTO: EWA CHRUSCIEL
in the loop
Associate Dean of Students Robin Burroughs Davis stepped into the role of Interim Vice President of Student Development and Dean of Students on July 1, succeeding Dave Sauerwein. He was with the college for 13 years before moving to Virginia with his family.
A RIVER OF WORDS: Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet Jorie Graham According to Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jorie Graham, considered by the Poetry Foundation to be “one of the most celebrated poets of the American post-war generation,” poetry is about undergoing an experience. “Its outcome is not necessarily knowledge,” she has noted. “It’s … a feeling, a sensation, an awakening.” In April, Graham shared her latest collection of poems, From the New World, with an audience of more than 50 college and community members in the Archives Reading Room. Her new work carries powerful messages about human society’s effect on nature and the individual; the poems omit punctuation and feel organic, which is fitting, as Graham’s creative process is inspired by nature. Graham is the author of 13 collections of poetry, including Place, which won the Forward Prize in 2012, and The Dream of the Unified Field: Selected Poems 1974 – 1994, which won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Her many honors also include a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship and the Morton Dauwn Zabel Award from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. In 2013, she received the prestigious Nonino Prize.
As the daughter of a lieutenant colonel in the Army, Interim Vice President Davis learned to embrace change at a young age. “Welcoming new faces, making new friends, creating opportunities to contribute and grow in a community, and saying farewell but not goodbye — those were hallmarks of my youth,” she said. “Though I didn’t always want to move or start again, I appreciate how those experiences helped a shy little girl to meet new people and grow.” Her upbringing has allowed her to relate to students with compassion and wisdom, and through her roles in student development at Colby-Sawyer, she has also helped them to adapt to their new lives on campus. Interim Vice President Davis came to the college in 1996 as director of citizenship education. She was promoted to assistant dean of students in 2002 and to associate dean of students in 2005. She is determined that students will continue to see her as an involved and engaged administrator despite the change in her administrative role. “If I want students to trust me and come to me, then I need to continue to be visible,” she said. “But now I will listen in a different way and see with different eyes.” In the one-year position, Interim Vice President Davis will oversee all divisions of student life, including Athletics; Athletic Training; Baird Health and Counseling Center; Campus Safety; Citizenship Education; Hogan Sports Center and Recreation; Residential Education; Student Activities and Sustainability. She admits it will be a balancing act to maintain regular interactions with students along with all of her administrative responsibilities, but the wife, mother, avid runner, athletics fan, devoted volunteer and determined scholar is always up for a challenge, and she is certainly not afraid of change. Interim Vice President Davis holds a B.A. in English literature and an M.S. in college and community counseling from Longwood College in Longwood, Va., as well as a J.D. from the Northwestern California School of Law. She received Colby- Sawyer’s Gown Award in 2013.
– Giovanna Roy ’16
– Kellie M. Spinney
Giovanna Roy ’16 of Bedford, N.H., holds a B.A. in media studies. She is a professional mermaid and owner of Mermaid Crowns. She is also passionate about creating awareness for autism and protecting sea life.
Kellie M. Spinney is the communications and online content coordinator in the Office of College Communications. She came to Colby-Sawyer in 2013 and holds a B.A. in English from the University of New Hampshire.
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A New Path: Dr. Laura Alexander Leads the Way as Interim Academic Vice President Laura Alexander, Ph.D., is passionate about many things: fitness, especially hiking in her beloved White Mountains; flora, especially early blooms and native New England species; and community, especially Colby-Sawyer and the surrounding area that has been a lifelong home to her and her family. These passions, along with determination and the confidence to explore new terrain, led her along the path to become Interim Academic Vice President and Dean of Faculty for the 2016 – 2017 academic year. She succeeds Deborah A. Taylor, Ph.D., who retired in June.
Committee and Academic Council. She was the 2009 recipient of the Jack Jensen Award for Excellence in Teaching, Colby-Sawyer’s highest recognition for faculty, and in 2015, she was named the New Hampshire Environmental Educator of the Year by New Hampshire Environmental Educators.
Interim Vice President Alexander came to Colby-Sawyer in 1993 as a fitness center monitor and was promoted to director of the Dan and Kathleen Hogan Sports Center later that year. She earned her B.S. in exercise science and studied with Professor Jean Eckrich. She cultivated a deeper appreciation for Colby-Sawyer and the liberal arts in classes with Professors Jon Keenan and Ann Page Stecker, as well as Professor Emeritus Tony Quinn, among others. “Colby-Sawyer required and provided opportunity to explore areas outside my major,” she said. “It was those courses that influenced my next career move.”
In her new role, Interim Vice President Alexander is responsible for academic strategic planning; coordinating the college’s accreditation activities; faculty recruitment, professional development and evaluation; budgeting, fundraising and grants; and curriculum assessment and planning. She works closely with the faculty, academic department chairs, academic dean, the Wesson Honors Program coordinator, directors of the Teaching Enrichment Center and Windy Hill School, and the academic support areas to develop the curricular offerings of the college, to support faculty and staff in their professional development, and to support students in their learning. She also works closely with the interim vice president for student development and dean of students to blend academic and co-curricular offerings into a seamless educational experience for students.
She credits Professor Leon-C. Malan with encouraging her to consider a new route when the college developed an environmental studies major. “I remember thinking that if I had it to do over again, I might have pursued a career teaching environmental studies,” said Interim Vice President Alexander. “I may have even said this out loud, because I heard a response — I can’t remember whether it was my own voice or Professor Malan’s that said, ‘What do you mean if you had it to do over? You do!’” She completed her M.S. and Ph.D. in environmental studies at Antioch University New England, joined the Colby-Sawyer faculty in 2001 and transitioned to a tenure-track position in 2004. She was granted tenure in 2011. Since then, Interim Vice President Alexander has held numerous leadership roles. In addition to chairing the Environmental Studies Department, she chaired the Faculty Personnel Committee and participated in the Presidential Search Committee, Teaching Advisory Committee, Distance Advisory Committee, Executive
– Kellie M. Spinney
The Governor Recognizes Athletic Trainers This spring, Colby-Sawyer athletic training students and faculty joined their peers from institutions across the state as Governor Maggie Hassan proclaimed March as Athletic Trainers Month in New Hampshire. The governor cited athletic trainers’ long history of providing health care for athletes and their efforts to prevent injury among the reasons to “encourage all residents of New Hampshire to help raise awareness of the importance of quality health care for athletes through athletic training.”
back l–r:
Justin Devoid ’17 of Quechee, Vt.; Zac Kershaw ’16 of Enfield, N.H.; Chris Young (Proctor Academy); Sean Cox (Salem HS); Kelsey Towslee (PSU) and David Caponigro (PSU) front l–r: Assistant Professor of Exercise and Sport Sciences T. J. Smith of Colby-Sawyer; Jennifer Mailhiot ’16 of Douglas, Mass.; Meredyth Joly ’16 of Lisbon, Conn.; Amanda Matuszek ’18 of Pawtucket, R.I.; Gov. Hassan; Liesl Lindley (PSU); Laura Jassowski (PSU); Breanna Barksdale (PSU) and Meghan Gregoire (PSU).
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in the loop
#THINKOUTSIDETHECLASS Vice President of “Stuff” Doug Atkins to Retire After 30 Years by Deborah A. Taylor Vice President for Human Resources Doug Atkins will conclude his time at Colby-Sawyer this academic year after more than 30 years of service. Atkins joined the college in 1977 as personnel administrator and became the assistant to the vice president for Administration and Finance in 1983. That same year, he was honored with the Gown Award. In 1987, he took what he calls his first “sabbatical leave” to become the business and employment manager and assistant general manager of King Ridge, New London’s muchmissed ski area. He returned to the college in 1993 to assume the progressively more responsible positions of senior accountant, database manager and assistant controller. In 1997, Atkins again left the college to serve as business manager and assistant treasurer at Historic Deerfield Inc., but answered the call back to Colby-Sawyer to become vice president for Administration and assistant treasurer in 1999. For the next 15 years, he oversaw the largest group of construction and renovation projects in the college’s history, including the Curtis L. Ivey Science Center, Windy Hill School and multiple residence halls. Atkins steered human resources, facilities management, contracts, food services, insurance and athletics while serving as “space czar,” academic adviser and Title IX compliance officer. Indeed, his areas of knowledge and capability are so broad that he is known as the “Vice President of Stuff.”
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A colleague who worked with Atkins for many years cited his uncanny ability to tease out information useful for making good management decisions from the nuances of complex accounting. That ability, combined with his balanced approach to discussion, deliberation and action, makes him a favorite accreditation site visitor who, year after year, is dispatched to understand and contextualize the complex fiscal situations in which institutions of higher education find themselves. Atkins became the vice president for Human Resources in 2013. Former President Thomas C. Galligan Jr. said, “Doug is a master at making sure the right people are at the table for important discussions; he is a collaborator. He has seen and been a key part of the college’s growth and success since he first joined us.” Through challenging times at the college, his has been a steadying hand to help steer us forward while maintaining our focus on our core values. An essential and enduring part of Colby-Sawyer, we thank Doug Atkins for gracing both the college and the community with his quiet wisdom and his remarkable service. ® EDITOR’S NOTE: See page 80 for Vice President Atkins’s Epilogue.
Deborah A. Taylor served in a number of faculty and administrative roles at Colby-Sawyer for 40 years. She retired as academic vice president and dean of faculty in June 2016.
Starting Early, Aiming High with Summit Scholars Project For some high school students, a college education can seem like a lofty goal — nearly half of Colby-Sawyer’s students are the first in their families to attend college — but the Summit Scholars Project’s goal is to recruit and retain students who are underrepresented in higher education. Funded through a grant from the Davis Educational Foundation, the project creates a pathway for local high schoolers to receive training and mentorship during a four-day summit in August before applying to college, as well as ongoing support for those who attend Colby-Sawyer. About 15 high school juniors registered to participate in the summit, which featured grit training to foster persistence and passion for long-term goals. “Obstacles are inevitable,” said Director of Retention and Student Success Erica Webb, “but having the determination and perseverance to use those experiences to students’ advantage is key to their success.” Another focus was orientation activities to foster a deep sense of place at the college and in New London. Those who meet admission criteria and choose to pursue an education at Colby-Sawyer will earn a scholarship from the college. The team implementing the project includes Webb (and her predecessor in the role, Kim Sauerwein), former Assistant Professor of Social Sciences and Education Omari Jackson, and Amy Carrier Lyon ’85, an award-winning educator who specializes in teaching grit. Sociology major Sarah Kilham ’18 of Deerfield, N.H., fulfilled her internship requirement by facilitating the launch of the summit. Learn more about the Summit Scholars at facebook.com/SummitScholarsCSC.
PHOTO: NAOKI YAMAMOTO
Global Outreach in the Arts This fall, the Department of Fine and Performing Arts will present “Breaking the Mold: A Collaborative Exhibition with Tokyo University of the Arts.” The exhibition will feature more than 50 works of contemporary ceramic art pieces created by faculty and students from Tokyo University of the Arts (TUA) and Colby-Sawyer, as well as guest works by faculty and students from Dartmouth College, New Hampshire Institute of Art and John Stark Regional High School. The partnership between Colby-Sawyer and TUA, Japan’s only comprehensive national arts university, is an extension of Professor Jon Keenan’s Fulbright Scholar Award, which funded his teaching and research of traditional and contemporary ceramics in Tokyo this spring. In turn, master ceramic artist and TUA Professor Makoto Toyofuku, joined by his research associates and five university students, will complete a oneweek campus residency in New London beginning Sept. 15. “We are honored and excited to offer this special exhibition as well as the accompanying demonstrations and workshops for students and the community,” said Professor Keenan, Joyce J. Kolligian Distinguished Professor and Sonja C. Davidow ’56 Endowed Chair in the Fine and Performing Arts. “This is just one example of Colby-Sawyer’s global outreach and world-class programming that benefits student learning and exposes them to important trends in the field. Our new arts building will offer added opportunities for additional collaborative projects with Tokyo and beyond.” An opening reception for “Breaking the Mold” will be held at 5 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 19, in the Marian Graves Mugar Art Gallery. Prior to the reception, a wheel throwing demonstration of large vessel forms will be led by Professor Toyofuku at 4 p.m. in Gordon Hall. These events are open to the public and are cosponsored by the college’s Cultural Events Committee. A series of field trips, workshops and lectures will also be offered during the campus residency. Visit colby-sawyer.edu/events for more information. – Kellie M. Spinney
– Matthew Nosal ’17 fall 2016
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Agreements Provide Paths to College, Careers in Law in the loop
This spring, Colby-Sawyer signed two agreements that expand academic options for its own students as well as for Vermont high schoolers.
PHOTO: EMILY BOLAND
The agreement with Vermont Law School will provide qualified Colby-Sawyer students the opportunity to couple their undergraduate studies with graduate or professional programs in law, policy or government while creating a financially viable path for students interested in legal careers. Students can complete their bachelor’s degree and Juris Doctor in as little as five years, and a bachelor’s and master’s degree combination in four.
High Hopes for History Ever since Jane Martina ’17 chose to major in history and political studies, she has asked one question: What will I do with this degree? Eventually, she identified her love of libraries, especially the one in her hometown of Amherst, N.H. Then, after taking HPS 100: Introduction to History and Political Studies in the Cleveland Colby Colgate Archives, she developed an interest in archives. She knew then what she would do with her Colby-Sawyer degree, but she’s not waiting for graduation to make history her future. Martina persuaded the Amherst Town Library to let her be an intern in their archives, where she made herself indispensable. “Jane brings enthusiasm, interest and a wonderful curiosity to her work,” said Ruslyn Vear, M.L.S., head of reference and adult learning at the library. “Her work is serving the future by preserving our past and telling the story of our community memory.” During her internship, Martina posted weekly historical highlights on Facebook, dug through original documents and interacted with townspeople. She also helped comb through records from 1807 to 1818 of Amherst’s Franklin Society, which contemplated philosophical questions. She worked with the library to re-create these meetings and held contemporary discussions on questions such as, Does increasing knowledge increase happiness? and Is novel reading detrimental to society?
Colby-Sawyer also has affiliation agreements to assist qualified graduates to matriculate into master’s degree programs at Plymouth State University (N.H.); Springfield College and Wheelock College in Massachusetts; and the University of New Haven in Connecticut. An agreement with St. Johnsbury Aca demy allows junior and senior academy students to take college-level courses in fine and performing arts and in business administration starting this fall. Upon successful completion of the course(s), academy students will receive credits toward their high school graduation requirements as well as college credits and a transcript from Colby-Sawyer. “Our graduates who have gone on to Colby-Sawyer have spoken highly of their experiences there, and this partnership will allow more students to have similar academic experiences while still in high school,” said Academy Headmaster Thomas W. Lovett. This is Colby-Sawyer’s first agreement with a private secondary institution.
Martina plans to combine her work at the Amherst Town Library with her Capstone project and then pursue a Master of Library Science degree.
Read more at colby-sawyer.edu/news/ vermont-law and colby-sawyer.edu/ news/st-johnsbury.
– Aaron Records ’15
– Aaron Records ’15 and Kellie M. Spinney
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7DAYS with the 49ERS In January, sport management majors Nicole Taylor ’17 and Christian Hood ’18 traveled to Santa Clara, Calif., to spend a week shadowing Ethan Casson ’96, chief operating officer for the San Francisco 49ers. They were there for the team’s last home game of the season and saw the NFL prepare for Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium.
PHOTO: ETHAN CASSON ’96
by Jaclyn Goddette ’16
Casson showed Taylor and Hood the inner workings of a professional sports team, but he also showed them an exceptional example of how perseverance can lead to success: Casson was instrumental in building the $1.2 billion stadium, including a $220 million naming rights deal with Levi Strauss. Faculty in the Exercise and Sports Science Department nominated Taylor, a Windham, N.H., resident, and Hood, a Manchester, N.H., resident, for the week in California. They submitted cover letters and résumés to a committee composed of Vice President for Advancement Kathy Bonavist, Senior Academic Dean Burton Kirkwood and Jen Tockman, director of The Harrington Center for Experiential Learning.
Christian Hood ’18 and Nicole Taylor ’17 on top of Levi’s Stadium, which features a solar-paneled walkway and green-roof terrace landscaped with plants native to California.
Casson arranged for Taylor and Hood to meet with 49ers department executives. From the senior manager for Special Events, Taylor learned how weddings, company parties and trade shows in the stadium generate additional revenue. “Before this experience, I didn’t know all the areas that make up an NFL team,” said Taylor. “Special Events goes beyond company departments like sales and marketing. Now that I’ve talked to people doing a range of jobs within my major, I can connect my course material with real life.” Hood discovered a new interest by meeting the vice president of Corporate Partnerships, who explained that the organization’s attitude toward sponsorships is “less is more.” With fewer than 50 corporate sponsorships, the 49ers pursue only long-term deals with well-known companies.
“This opportunity taught me the importance of finding what you love and focusing on it,” said Hood. “Whether marketing, communications or media, I am going to use what I learn in my classes and apply it to a specialization in corporate sponsorship.” On their first day with the 49ers, Casson gave Taylor and Hood a stadium tour and treated them to lunch, during which he imparted invaluable advice. “He told us rejection is part of our industry,” said Hood. “You have to be able to pick yourself up, put on your game face and call the next person. Ethan was rejected by every team in the big four leagues until he heard back from the Minnesota Timberwolves, which set him on the path to where he is now.” “He told us if you want to be successful, don’t have limitations,” added Taylor. “Be willing to say yes to any opportunity that will help you get your name out there, because it will pay off in the end.” Taylor’s and Hood’s West Coast adventure was their first experience saying yes to a major opportunity. There will be more: Taylor’s considering a full-time internship with the 49ers, and Hood’s collaborating with Casson to find an internship in minor league baseball. They plan to follow Casson’s advice. ® EDITOR’S NOTE: In August, Ethan Casson began a new role as CEO of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves. He plans to host and fund an annual job shadowing experience for two Colby-Sawyer students. Learn more about his story at colby-sawyer.edu/ethan-casson.
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by Kate Seamans COLBY-SAWYER WILL EXPAND its exceptional nursing education options this fall and offer its first graduate program, a Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.). In collaboration with Dartmouth-Hitchcock (D-H), the college’s longtime partner in the health professions, Colby-Sawyer developed the 37-credit program to meet the demand for higher education of the advanced generalist nurse. Program graduates will be eligible to sit for the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) certification exam.
“I want to acknowledge everyone who worked so hard to create our first graduate degree program,” said Interim Academic Vice President and Dean of Faculty Laura Alexander. “This addition is a fantastic and logical step forward in the college’s evolution, particularly given our strong, decades-long partnership with Dartmouth-Hitchcock.” In its letter accrediting the program, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges’ (NEASC) Commission on Institutions of Higher Education noted that the M.S.N. is “aligned with Colby-Sawyer’s mission to ‘prepare students for their professions and lives of ongoing learning.’”
The M.S.N. degree may be completed in 21 months. It combines classroom work with hybrid/online didactic and clinical practice at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon and is structured around the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education’s (CCNE) Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing.
“We are excited and have high expectations for the Clinical Nurse Leader role at Dartmouth-Hitchcock,” said John Malanowski, executive vice president and chief human resources officer at D-H and Colby-Sawyer trustee. “Our practice and education partners have been working together to define the curriculum for this role and create a new care delivery model needed to maximize the skills of the CNL. The creation of this role will have a positive impact on staff engagement and retention, improved patient outcomes and organizational performance.”
Colby-Sawyer’s M.S.N. program, codesigned by nursing leaders from Colby-Sawyer and D-H, will initially enroll a cohort of 12 part-time students from a segment of DHMC employees to fill the demand for the new role of Clinical Nurse Leader. A CNL is a highly skilled clinician who oversees the care coordination of a distinct group of patients using evidence- based practice and provides care to patients in complex situations. DHMC plans to deploy CNLs in their inpatient medical-surgical and critical care settings in order to augment the health system’s focus on high quality care delivery to its patients and families, according to Dr. Susan Reeves ’88, dean of the Colby-Sawyer College School of Nursing and Health Professions and Gladys A. Burrows Distinguished Professor of Nursing.
The graduate program will be housed in Colby-Sawyer’s School of Nursing and Health Professions and supported by the institution’s existing qualified nursing faculty as well as nurse leaders from DHMC. NEASC observed that with new nursing lab and administrative spaces, Colby-Sawyer has a well-developed infrastructure to support graduate-level work, including student support services and access to digital library resources. Colby-Sawyer is home to one of the state’s top-performing undergraduate nursing programs, and D-H considers Colby- Sawyer its own undergraduate nursing program. All 33 nursing majors in the Class of 2016 passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) on the first try, and 25 of them entered practice at D-H. To put their feat in perspective, the 2015 national average pass rate was 86.77 percent.
New lab space and classrooms dedicated to nursing are part of the college’s well-developed infrastructure that will support the M.S.N. program.
This spring, Colby-Sawyer graduated its first cohort in its R.N. to B.S. degree program. The college also offers related majors in health care management and public health. ® PHOTO: MICHAEL SEAMANS
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Colby-Sawyer Launches First Graduate Program, a Master of Science in Nursing
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Interested in applying to the M.S.N. program? Visit colby-sawyer.edu/nursing-masters.
En Route from Sustainability to Resilience, Our Students Will Guide the Way Once Again by Jennifer White ’90
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According to the Global Reporting Initiative, an independent organization that manages the Sustainability Disclosure Database for more than 90 countries, 93 percent of the world’s 250 largest corporations report their sustainability performance. These organizations find creative ways to increase efficiency, decrease waste and toxic emissions, and shift from fossil fuel to renewable energy systems, all of which reduces environmental impacts while increasing social and financial benefits. And they recognize that any comprehensive action plan must include strategies that adapt to current and future repercussions. Resilience, the inclusive term for this adaptive concept, has emerged as the sustainability movement’s new clarion call. Seventeen goals were recently approved by more than 150 global leaders in the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including Climate Action as well as Sustainable Cities and Communities, which “take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts” and “make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.” In response to this call for a broader focus, Second Nature, the ACUPCC’s supporting organization, has expanded the original Climate Commitment to go beyond greenhouse gas reduction to include climate adaptation and community building. Since 2015 saw the launch of the expanded commitment, 91 charter institutions have signed the revised ACUPCC.
PHOTO: GREG DANILOWSKI
hen Colby-Sawyer joined the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) in 2007, mitigation was the primary focus of the 336 charter signatories who committed to creating Climate Action Plans and conducting Greenhouse Gas Inventories. Since then, the number of ACUPCC institutions has grown to nearly 600, and sustainability metrics and reports have become standard practice in higher education and business.
Students created a community along with the sustainable classroom they helped to design and build in 2013.
Approaching the 10-year anniversary of Colby-Sawyer’s GreenROUTES initiative, a student-led project that extended across the college’s sustainability programming, our students will engage in a unique, practical learning experience by updating the college’s commitment to the ACUPCC. The 2016 – 2017 Community-Based Research Project class will assess the college’s and surrounding communities’ baseline adaptive capacity and explore the core components of a resilient campus: community, flexibility, inclusiveness, learning, prevention and management. Through a collaborative process with regional partners, they will develop shared indicators, metrics and recommendations in social, human, natural, physical and financial sectors that can help inform the scheduled revision of both our Climate Action Plan and collegewide strategic plan. As we adapt to an era of shrinking enrollment in the ever-changing environment of higher education, we must continue to set Colby-Sawyer apart by providing a liberal arts-based education that offers relevant professional preparation, learning that reflects global challenges, and a hopeful and compelling vision for the future. A positive model of resilience goes beyond charting response and recovery in the face of adversity — it extends to mapping clear strategies for how to thrive under variable conditions. As President Susan D. Stuebner has noted, if there is one quality that Colby-Sawyer has exhibited since its inception, it is resilience. And, it is this lesson of resilience, inside and outside the classroom, which allows us to fulfill our mission and empower students to thrive in, and make a positive impact upon, a dynamic, diverse and interdependent world. ® Jennifer White ’90 is Colby-Sawyer’s director of Sustainability and an assistant professor of Environmental Studies. She holds an A.A. from Colby-Sawyer College, a B.A. from Colorado College and an M.A. from Naropa University.
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Kevin Salazar ’17: Siembra y Cosecha
PHOTO: MICHAEL SEAMANS
by Mary McLaughlin
Siembra hoy y cosecharas mañana: What you plant today, you’ll harvest tomorrow. Kevin Salazar ’17 has heard this saying all his life. “My mother used it as a motivation for me,” he said. “She always told me that the hard work and dedication put in today will pay off later.” Salazar took the message to heart. As a child, he watched his parents make sacrifices as they planned for a better future. Until he was 16, Salazar and his sister lived with their mother in San Itztapa, Guatemala, while his father and brother lived in Massachusetts. The elder Salazar’s status as a permanent resident allowed him to spend just two weeks each year with his family in Guatemala. The rest of Salazar’s contact with his father was by telephone. While the arrangement was challenging, Salazar now recognizes the strength and devotion his parents needed to make it work. When Salazar was 15, the rest of his family’s visas came through. His mother’s re quired her to travel immediately, but Salazar and his sister had to wait nine months. 16 colby-sawyer magazine
During that time, they lived with their grandmother and Salazar assumed primary responsibility for his sister: He assisted her with homework, attended school events and helped her navigate the changes in her life. He also managed the household finances. The challenges made Salazar grow up quickly, and when at last he arrived in Massachusetts, he felt like a different person. Salazar spent two months working with an English tutor before he left Guatemala and had only a basic knowledge of the language when he enrolled at Malden High School. Though he had been a junior in Guatemala, school administrators recommended he enroll as a freshman to give him time to learn English before taking more advanced classes. In his first semester, Salazar took intro courses, including English as a Second Language, ESL 1. He recorded his classes and listened to them again at home. By his second semester, he had jumped from ESL 1 to ESL 3. As a sophomore, he enrolled in honors-level courses. By his junior and senior years, he was taking AP Chemistry and, remarkably, AP English, the most challenging class in which he’d ever enrolled. He spent an extra hour with his English teacher after school every day, and with her help and his dedication, he passed. The seeds of academic success were not the only ones Salazar was planting. By his senior year, he was involved in life outside the classroom, reviving the Hispanic-Latino Club, co-founding a Cross-Cultural Club and volunteering for the Special Olympics.
ONWARD AND UPWARD Salazar knew a Colby-Sawyer student from Malden and visited campus as part of his college search. He instantly realized that Colby-Sawyer was where he wanted to be. He applied early and decided if he weren’t admitted, he’d enroll at a community college and try again the following year. Luckily for Salazar and Colby-Sawyer, he didn’t have to wait. Salazar has thrown himself into Colby-Sawyer life. He loves his classes and the relationships he’s developed. “I have never been alone at Colby-Sawyer College,” he says. “From professors and the Student Learning Collaborative to RAs, friends and staff members, there’s always someone willing to help.” Salazar has also become one of those people willing to help. He founded the Hispanic-Latino Club and serves as its president. He is a member of the Medical Reserve Corps. He is an event manager in Student Activities and has been a director with the Emerging Leaders Program. He serves as a resident assistant, acting as a peer adviser. The experience, he says, has been “amazing,” and though his passion for health care management remains, he is also considering a career in college student affairs. As he enters his senior year, Salazar’s mind is not only on his own career path but also on the contributions he can make to the world. He’s added a sociology minor with a concentration in race and ethnicity to his studies. With the Hispanic-Latino Club, he’s partnered with the international organization Manos Unidas, initiating a project to bring educational resources to poor Guatemalan children.
He also began planting the seeds of career exploration. As a sophomore, Salazar took a job at Boston College making stir fry and burritos every Friday night. He soon moved on to a better paying position at McDonald’s and three months later, he was promoted to shift manager. Though he enjoyed the job, Salazar was intrigued by the health professions. During a routine eye exam, he asked his doctor about the field of optometry. By the end of the visit, Salazar had secured a position working in the office and decided to quit his McDonald’s job. Though the change meant taking a pay cut, he believed the medical experience would be more beneficial.
Salazar is pursuing a post-graduation summer position with Amigos de las Americas, which places young people in volunteer positions in Latin America. He hopes to be a director, managing a group of high school students on a project in Ecuador.
He was right. In his new role, Salazar learned to repair glasses, test eye pressure, work with insurance companies and understand office management. More important, the experience helped him decide to pursue a degree in health care management.
Siembra hoy y cosecharas mañana. For Kevin Salazar, it’s a way of life. ®
From there, Salazar isn’t sure where life will take him. Whether he enters health care or student affairs, though, he’s committed to giving back to the Hispanic and Latino community through service and education. “I’ve had people who helped me throughout my whole life,” he says, “and I want to be able to help someone else.”
Mary McLaughlin has served as the director of Residential Education for 20 years and is the 2016 recipient of Colby-Sawyer’s Judith Pond Condict ’62 Award for Excellence in Service. In 2010, she was recognized with the Gown Award for her efforts in autism awareness. Mary holds a B.A. from the University of New Hampshire and an M.Ed. from the University of Vermont.
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A Commencement Ceremony Marked by Contrasts by Matt Hongoltz-Hetling photos by Gil Talbot
While speaking to a rapt crowd beneath the large open tent in the chilly, wet morning air, Associate Professor of Fine and Performing Arts Hilary Walrod recalled her own college graduation as a strange blend of excitement and loss. “Graduation felt to me as much like being kicked out as being celebrated,” she said, a preamble to her efforts to impart a final bit of wisdom before the college loosed 325 beaming graduates upon the world. Just moments before she delivered the address, Walrod, who joined the Colby-Sawyer faculty in 2012, was honored with the Jack Jensen Award for Excellence in Teaching. Her words of advice, which were founded on the design principle of contrast, took on extra meaning for a ceremony that was marked by unusually emotional highs and lows. While at Colby-Sawyer, Walrod said, the students’ experiences with “happiness, joy, contentment and health” were meaningful only when contrasted against “times of sadness, devastation, malaise and illness, which we are all likely to encounter during a life well-lived.” The sentiment took on added poignance when President Thomas C. Galligan Jr. noted the absence of Melissa Joy Molin, a West Hartford, Conn., resident who was scheduled to receive her psychology degree but died in a car crash on Interstate 89 on April 4. “She is physically missing from the ranks of the graduating seniors she called classmates, teammates, roommates and friends,” Galligan said, “but she is absolutely here in spirit.”
When Molin’s name was called, her sister, Rebecca Molin, accepted the diploma in her honor, to a standing ovation. In speaking on contrasts, Walrod also encouraged graduates to accept both the fast-paced demands of their professional lives and the more quiet moments of self-reflection that help define life’s meaning.
An empty chair was the focus of a moment of silence, during which the soft tinkling of a metal clasp against a flagpole outside the tent — the flag was lowered to half-staff for more than a week after Molin’s death — was the only sound.
“Shifting gears, whether it be between tasks, projects, activities, roles and phases in our lives, is how balance actually happens,” Walrod said. “We can all benefit from the change of pace or scene, contrasting productivity with play, or activity with reflection.”
“Today, we celebrate her accomplishments as well as the accomplishments of all the graduates,” said Galligan.
One prominent member of the Colby-Sawyer community shifting gears was President Galligan himself. In his welcoming remarks,
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“ I hope and I know, we have made our mark,” said President Galligan.
he made only a brief reference to the fact that this was his last commencement at Colby-Sawyer before moving on to his post as dean of the law school at Louisiana State University. He invoked a scene from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, in which his favorite literary character, Bilbo Baggins, delivers a speech to the community of his home, the Shire, before slipping on a ring of invisibility and embarking on a great escapade. “Friends in the Class of 2016, in a while, we will put on the ring. In a while, we will leave here for new adventures. I hope and I know,” Galligan said, “we have made our mark.” Walrod ended her speech by emphasizing the contrast between intention and serendipity. “Live simultaneously with intention, by planning for what you want, and serendipity, by being open to what happens. There is much to be gained from living a life that embraces both,” she said. Not long after, Galligan showed he could incorporate a serendipitous event into the day’s meticulously planned proceedings. “We’re going off the script here for just a second ... One of the hardest things about the job that we have is how many times we have to say no,” he said. “But this morning, I received a request, and I said yes. Will Marc-Andre Parent please come forward?” Biology major Parent, a 22-year-old with long, unruly red hair crushed into a bun above his graduation robe, took the stage. “This past semester, it was a doozy, let me tell you,” he said. “But one of the people who helped me out the most was — the
GRADUATING STUDENT AWARDS Jillian R. Jacobs, a business administration major from Otisfield, Maine, was selected as the Senior Commence ment Speaker and delivered an address titled “Passion, Compassion, Humor and Style.” The Colby-Sawyer Award, given to the senior who exemplifies the college’s ideals of personal dignity, intellectual growth and contributions to campus life, was presented to Rebecca Leanne Hashem, a nursing major from Webster, N.H. The David H. Winton Baccalaureate Award, which recognizes the graduate with the highest cumulative grade point average, went to Jaclyn E. Goddette, an English major from Newport, N.H. COMMUNITY AWARDS Colby-Sawyer Academic Vice President and Dean of Faculty Deborah A. Taylor, Ph.D., and Colby-Sawyer Board Chair Thomas C. Csatari, J.D., received the college’s highest award, the Susan Colgate Cleveland Medal for Distinguished Service. Associate Professor of Fine and Performing Arts Hilary D. Walrod, M.F.A., received the Jack Jensen Award for Excellence in Teaching, the college’s highest faculty award, and delivered the Commencement Address, “Living with Contrast.” The Nancy Beyer Opler ’56 Award for Excellence in Advising was given to Associate Professor of Social Sciences and Education Kathleen B. Farrell, Ph.D. The Town Award was presented to attorney Bradford E. Cook, J.D. The Gown Award was presented to Professor of Humanities Patrick D. Anderson, Ph.D. The Judith Pond Condict ’62 Award for Excellence in Service was presented to Mary McLaughlin, M.Ed., director of Residential Education. The Distinguished Alumni Award was presented to Nancy Hoyt Langbein ’56 of Brunswick, Maine. Learn more at colby-sawyer.edu/commencement/awards.
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biggest, biggest help for me was my girlfriend, Casey Gunter, so I wanted to ask her to come up here with me.” Moments later, as the names of graduates began to be called, Gunter displayed a diamond engagement ring on a trembling hand to a knot of family and supporters outside the tent. Gunter, an academic adviser at Southern New Hampshire University Online, graduated from Colby-Sawyer two years ago. She tilted her head skyward, her own straight red hair hanging down, so that friends could delicately wipe the moisture from her eyes without disturbing her makeup, and said the words “Casey Parent” aloud to see how the name sounded.
Colby-Sawyer Honors the Life of Melissa Molin ’16 by Caroline Barry ’16
Parent was one of many graduates, all of them looking ahead toward a life that would be marked by the contrasts Walrod had articulated — the differences between mourning and joy, between the life one knows and the life that lies just ahead, between a day in which one has planned to attend a ceremony and the unexpected serendipity of a public marriage proposal before a cheering crowd of thousands. “I had no idea,” said Gunter. ® Matt Hongoltz-Hetling is a Pulitzer Prize-finalist journalist who won the 2011 George Polk Award for Local Reporting. He is a staff writer for the Valley News in Lebanon, N.H. This article is adapted and reprinted with permission of the Valley News.
be forgotten; everyone who met her recognized what a gift it was to know such a kindhearted person. In true Colby-Sawyer fashion, our community came together as we attempted to understand why Melissa, so beautiful inside and out, had such a short time on Earth. On April 6, a candlelight vigil was held; the event was described on Colby-Sawyer’s Facebook page: Students, faculty and staff formed a circle on the snowdusted Quad in front of Sawyer Center ... They brought flowers and tears, their memories and their love. They cradled candles and glowsticks, they held hands and hooked arms, they embraced one another and huddled together. The circle grew again and again until more than 200 people stood linked in grief and in honor of Melissa. President Galligan and Dean of Students Dave Sauerwein spoke before calling for a moment of silence. The silence lingered as darkness fell and was broken when Baird counselor Tom Wilkins lifted up a song into the night. When his last note had faded, from across the circle Area Coordinator Michael Brown sang “Amazing Grace.”
On April 4, our Colby-Sawyer family learned Melissa Molin ’16 succumbed to injuries sustained that afternoon in a single-car accident on Interstate 89 just a few miles south of campus. Melissa grew up in West Hartford, Conn., the beloved daughter of Allen and Laura (Willenbrock) Molin and older sister to Rebecca. During her time at Colby-Sawyer, Melissa left her mark. She was a psychology major working to realize her dreams of becoming a counselor, and she was a member of the swimming and diving team. Her beautiful ginger hair was her trademark, and she could brighten anyone’s day with her smile. She will never 20 colby-sawyer magazine
When we hold fast to one another, and when we stay with each other long enough, we will find beauty and light even in the cold and the dark. As a senior who has grown with the Colby-Sawyer community, this experience affected me like no other. In times of tragedy, the open arms and welcoming souls at Colby-Sawyer helped make each day easier. I am grateful to Melissa for giving me a gift of friendship that will inspire me for the rest of my life. ® Caroline Barry ’16 holds a B.A. in media studies. She is on the professional services and marketing team at American Student Assistance in Boston, Mass.
by Sally Williams Cook ’74
W
hen I was a second grader more than 50 years ago, I read Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion and Margaret Graham, the story of a little white dog with black spots who loathes baths. He dislikes them so much he buries his scrub brush in the backyard and runs away from home. In his escapades, Harry becomes filthy and morphs into a black dog with white spots. Although he has fun, he eventually longs for home. His beloved family doesn’t recognize him, though, even after he performs his signature tricks. Finally, Harry unearths his scrub brush and begs for a bath. When the family recognizes him, Harry is overjoyed. Home sweet home.
“You can do it. Of course you can,” Tomie retorted. Our class of a dozen students toiled for three weeks on those sets, and they turned out to be dazzling, as was the entire production. Working with such an inspiring teacher and committed classmates was a magical experience. I felt entirely alive, and school became a second home. In some ways, I felt like Harry the Dirty Dog. I had found a place where I could experiment, follow my dreams and make mistakes without being judged. This haven provided me with the confidence to follow my own artistic path.
This story provided me with my first occasion to think about the importance and meaning of home. That’s when I fell in love with the power of books. I began to wonder if I, too, could write compelling children’s stories. At the end of the school year, I dared to tell my teacher, Mrs. Smith, of my future career plans. I was terrified she might laugh at me. After all, only a handful of geniuses could write books, right? Instead, she handed me a stack of books, patted me on the back and said, “Good readers make good writers.” That summer, I read every book Mrs. Smith gave me. I also wrote in a notebook. Returning to school that fall, Mrs. Smith encouraged me to visit her. Each time, she handed me more books and offered to look at my writing. “Pretty great,” I remember her saying as she read about the adventures of Charlie, my rambunctious friend, who once shot a snake in his backyard with a BB gun. It would be another 12 years before I felt so at home in a school environment and inspired by a teacher. Fast forward to 1974 when I was at Colby Junior College. That spring, I took a costume and set design class with Tomie dePaola, who’d become a faculty member after creating sets for Sawyer Center’s first theater director. At that time, he had illustrated only a few books. Enthusiastic, funny and talented, he revealed during the first class that we would build the set for Puccini’s opera Sister Angelica.
Exactly 30 years later, HarperCollins published my first picture book, Good Night Pillow Fight, illustrated by Laura Cornell. Although I’ve written eight more books, self-doubt — a familiar critic — has often made its unpredictable appearance. That’s when I think back to that eight-year-old girl and how I was first encouraged to write. Then I remember my campus set high upon the windy hill, my classmates and I hammering nails in Sawyer Center while a blizzard swirled outside, the thrill of opening night, and the look of pride on Tomie’s face as he admired each student’s hard work. I often hear his voice, “You can do it. Of course you can.” ® Sally Williams Cook ’74 was an AP reporter before becoming a book author and magazine writer. She and illustrator Ross MacDonald are the creators of the How To Speak series (see page 28). Her book credits include the New York Times bestseller Another Season: A Coach’s Story of Raising an Exceptional Son. She lives in New York City.
After a few classes, I announced I didn’t have much to contribute to such a lofty project, although I’d been exposed to some theater in high school.
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out + about
THE POWER OF A POSITIVE TEACHER
out + about
The Unconquerable Folk Heroes and Saints of the One Story by Elizabeth M. G. Krajewski
James Joyce called it the monomyth. Mythologist Joseph Campbell popularized the term in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, which I read in my 20s and loved. Campbell’s premise is simple: Every culture has its Hero Myths, and every hero pursues a quest that is as symbolic as it is significant. Over the years, I’ve lived my own version of the hero’s tale, with its journeys and challenges, magical companions and evil sorcerers, and I even met my own handsome prince. Along the way, I discovered a deeper meaning to the hero’s story, one I’d describe as a spiritual or theological dimension to the narrative of one’s life. And so, in my mid-50s, I did my doctoral research on three early medieval heroes’ tales in the form of the lives of three Celtic Christian saints. A Pattern Through the Ages Scholars in the 19th and early 20th centuries identified a storytelling genre they called the Heroic Biographical Pattern. Alfred Nutt first applied it to the heroes of myth and folklore in 1881; in 1909, Otto Rank extended the pattern to include biblical figures, including Jesus. In its most basic form, the myth follows this pattern: A miraculous birth and childhood is followed by a departure from home in search of one’s destiny; the hero faces a series of challenges, threats and obstacles, then achieves salvation, sovereignty or, sometimes, marriage. Folk heroes may perform all sorts of prodigious feats — slay the monster, win the maiden, rule the kingdom — and are often unseated by the next generation’s 22 colby-sawyer magazine
hero. Christian heroes (e.g., monks, bishops and saints), on the other hand, never win the maiden, rarely rule anything larger than a monastery or a diocese, and instead of facing defeat at the end of their lives, their deaths are seen as a glorious entrance into heaven. Folk heroes and saints, however, share a family resemblance, most noticeably in their birth and childhood stories, and in the fabulous nature of their magical or miraculous accomplishments. Scholars of hagiography, the technical term for the lives of saints, have long debated the value of these narratives. Historians considered them poorly executed attempts at biography and dismissed them as the product of weak minds and poor writing. Folklore scholars considered them consciously constructed folk tales invented by the monks as a form of entertainment. Neither assessment offers a satisfying account of the texts’ content and popularity, so I delved into their composition and structure in search of an underlying pattern or deeper purpose. What I found was a collection of deeply religious narratives that weren’t the personal accomplishments of an individual saint but fresh retellings of the One Story: specifically the Christ Story, the Eternal Heroic Story, the Human Story, set in the context of the author’s time and place. The Gospel stories in the New Testament present four versions of the One Story — as told by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John — each of which depicts Jesus of Nazareth in the role of the Eternal Hero. Miraculously conceived of a virgin mother, raised in rural Galilee but destined to make his reputation in Jerusalem, Jesus is said to have begun his public ministry by leaving home and wrestling Satan in the wilderness, defeating the devil and his temptations to earthly power. Upon returning to his people, he began to heal and to preach a message of love for one’s neighbor, a message as politically unpopular then as it is today. As local opposition grew, he went to confront its source in Jerusalem. His fiercest battle was on Golgotha on Good Friday, when the Roman governor Pontius Pilate decreed his death. His greatest victory came two* days after his execution, when his friends felt his unconquerable presence among them.
* The story says three days when it was chronologically a two-day time period, evidence of a symbolic overlay in the narrative.
Samson portrayed as a pilgrim responding to the call of Christ to go forth from his native country and preach the Gospel. Icon courtesy of Aidan Hart Sacred Icons.
Samson of Dol Each saint whose pseudobiographical narratives I studied embodied elements of the One Story, and no two were alike. Samson of Dol, a Welsh monk who became a bishop in Brittany, was born to a barren mother, left home to study at the most famous school in Wales, performed miraculous healings, and defeated vicious serpents ravaging the countryside. Within Samson’s narrative I discovered that the serpent battles marked the culmination of three significant initiations in Samson’s life. The first time, he’d just healed his own father and collected his first group of followers, and he killed a serpent while traveling home. The second time, an angel told him he’d be both a bishop and a pilgrim (an unusual combination), and while journeying through Cornwall, he defeated the second serpent. Finally, after a lengthy showdown with the king and queen of Frankia, the king groveled before Samson and begged him to dispatch yet another serpent. While the tale itself is thrilling, its deeper significance lies with the symbolic resonances of various elements within the narrative. For example, Samson’s first journey is made in the company of a nameless young man who loses his nerve when they fall under attack and must be healed before they can complete their errand. As a nameless, faceless character, the young man has virtually no narrative significance. But as a symbolic presence he becomes a doppelganger for Samson, a personification of his youthful fears which must be stabbed, healed and integrated into Samson’s psyche so that he may complete his quest.
Miraculous births, youthful exploits, healing miracles, collecting disciples, defeating all challengers — these are the hallmarks of the Hero’s Tale. Samson’s version incorporates serpents, reminiscent of the serpent in the Garden of Eden; quotations from the Psalms; and references to honey, a lion and poison, which are all elements found in the biblical story of Samson. The writer has crafted a complex iteration of the Hero’s Tale, suited to his seventh-century audience at the monastery in Brittany founded by Samson 150 years earlier. Imbued with biblical elements, the story of Samson tells its readers little about the saint’s personal life, but much about the calling of a Christian to a life of courage and saintly heroism. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne and Brigit of Kildare The One Story also appeared in the tales of Cuthbert of Lindisfarne and Brigit of Kildare. Cuthbert’s narrative presents him as an ascetic figure in the mold of the Desert Fathers, isolated from his fellow monks for nearly a decade before becoming a bishop who poured himself out in the service of his people for a brief two years before his death. Brigit is portrayed as the founder of the community at Kildare, a location presented as a Garden of Eden, a City of Refuge and the New Jerusalem. Brigit was long considered a pagan goddess, and Brigit’s Life, written by a monk of Kildare, is actually a religious portrait of the holy woman and her holy city. The Heroic Biographical Pattern is less emphasized with Brigit, but the narrative retains many of the essential elements. Modern readers can be misled in the same ways earlier scholars were, disappointed that these aren’t historical biographies or dismissive of them as pointless fantasies. To do either would be to miss their underlying message. Regardless of the journeys one may undertake, the snakes in the grass lurking along the way, or the friends walking alongside, to invoke the saints’ spirits is to take on the persona of a Christian hero, armed with prayer and devotion and truth. And in the One Story, nothing can conquer the hero. ® Elizabeth M. G. Krajewski is a research consultant in Colby-Sawyer’s Susan Colgate Cleveland Library/Learning Center and an adjunct instructor in the Humanities Department. She holds a B.M. from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, an M.Div. from the Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
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The Alchemy of Process by David Ernster photos by Alicia Bergeron
People have been working with ceramics for some 300,000 years, but only recently have we understood the science of the process. Our knowledge of materials’ composition is only around 200 years old, and what we know about their structures is even more recent than that. As an artist and craftsperson working in ceramics and metal smithing, much of what I do revolves around understanding the physics and chemistry of a process. The manipulation of exothermic oxidation/reduction reactions in these fields, particularly in ceramics, offers almost endless possibilities. Heating or firing ceramic materials creates crosslinks between hydroxyl groups, making it more permanent. An experiential knowledge of processes and techniques has been refined and passed down over centuries of dedicated effort. Val Cushing, former ceramics head at Alfred University, once said that making pots is like playing jazz: You’re not really free to improvise until you have a substantial relationship with the instrument. CRAFTING WORLDS At its most basic level, what we do in ceramics is work with clay, a material produced by decomposed rock formed by the cooling of the Earth’s mantle. The feldspars responsible for the kaolinite-type clays most useful in ceramics compose more than 50 percent of the Earth’s crust. During a firing, a re-creation of circumstances that formed much of what we experience in the geological world takes place, albeit at a faster pace. Time and temperature are important; the cycles of heating and cooling play an enormous role in the organization of these elements facilitating the exchange of particles to create a wide range of minerals. In the ceramic processes, particularly high fire ceramics, potters and craftspeople have for centuries composed “recipes” of earth materials and subjected them to essentially the same conditions one would find under the Earth’s crust. Potters have been observing how temperature and time affect these materials and have become aware of the parameters in which the desired changes will occur. For example, the presence of controlled levels 24 colby-sawyer magazine
for specific times during the heating changes the form of iron oxides to promote proper clay and glaze particle fusing. Give it too much oxygen at the wrong time or go too quickly, and the resulting form of iron won’t join in metal oxides in the glaze. Copper will change a glaze’s color from green to red, depending on the oxygen levels present during specific times of the heating and cooling cycle. In crystalline glazes, the controlled cooling of compounds allows for the growth of beautiful crystal formations in the glaze, the shape of which can be manipulated by fluctuating the time and temperature during the cooling cycle. Potters have gathered this knowledge over centuries of trial and error. Our modern understanding of the science involved, however, has increased the effectiveness and scope of the average potter’s observations and practice. Online databases and calculation software have expanded the average potter’s scope of understanding, making it dangerously easy to dismiss earlier, hard-won achievements as primitive. Digital or observed, research is the key to refining the process. ALCHEMY IN ACTION In recent years, I’ve tried to re-create a traditional ash glaze that originated in Asia. Understanding the original glaze’s makeup has helped me source local plant materials that produce ash high enough in silica to be considered for the formula. Access to this kind of information has helped me speed up the first steps of experimentation. In cultures with longstanding craft traditions, some ceramic wares are of high cultural importance. Fired ceramic materials are resilient, so excellent examples of fired clay objects made tens of thousands of years ago still exist for study. Examples of the hare’s fur and oil spot glazes produced in China during the Song dynasty in Jian Province from 1570 to 1750 have become national treasures that are studied and emulated.
With modern equipment, researchers have been able to determine the components of these glazes. In terms of ingredients used to make them, they are typical: just combinations of limestone, wood ash and local clay mixed and fired to temperature. Ordinarily, these produce brown glaze known as an iron saturate glaze. What differentiates these pieces is the firing schedule. The climb rate and specific oxygen levels, as well as the duration of these conditions during heating and cooling, allow particular element recombinations. The big surprise was the formation of very rare forms of iron oxide, an epsilon phase magnetite. What makes this so interesting to a ceramic/science nerd is that this iron crystal, discovered in 1934, has been understood in terms of its physical properties for just the past 20 years. Small specimens have been discovered in nature, but they’ve proven difficult to produce in a lab. Coercivity, characterized by magnetic stability, makes this especially beneficial in modern applications. The coercivity value of epsilon-phase iron oxide is more than double that of materials currently used, making it ideal for solid-state drives and other digital storage and permanent magnet capacities. Its other advantage is that iron is one of the most plentiful metals. Understanding the processes used in producing 1,000-year-old pottery could help us reduce our reliance on the costly rare earth metals now used. In some ways, this is true alchemy in action, to change common elements into something exotic and valuable. What’s new is our understanding of what’s old and what’s right in front of us. By looking back, we better understand the present, and we may be better able to imagine our future. ® Colby-Sawyer Artist in Residence David Ernster presented a multimedia version of this article as part of the Spring Faculty Colloquium Series. He’s taught at Colby-Sawyer since 2011 and has expertise in ceramics, printmaking, metalworking, sculpture and jewelry making. He holds a B.F.A. from the University of Iowa and an M.F.A. from West Virginia University.
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sense of place GARDEN OF LEARNING Of permaculture’s 12 principles, Professor of Environmental Studies Leon-C. Malan emphasizes “observing and interacting with the land, environment and community.” The college’s permaculture garden, nestled between the library and the Colby Homestead, was the perfect place to apply this principle over the summer. Much of the garden is the result of experimentation. To learn which microclimate ginger prefers, we grew it in the garden, the sustainable classroom and in the Curtis L. Ivey Science Center. We also added species to our food forest and annual vegetable beds, developed a rainwater catchment system off the shed’s roof, and established an identity for the garden with more signage. Each intern had individual projects, but all five of us watered, weeded and controlled pests. We learned about sustainable agriculture and what it means to maintain a garden around the ethics and principles of permaculture. – Rayla Putnan ’18 is an environmental science major from Wilton, N.H. She was joined in the garden by fellow interns Sarah Appleton ’17 of Andover, Mass.; Jake Conroy ’17 of Conway, Mass.; Torh Hinneh ’17 of Monrovia, Liberia; and Emily Lopez ’17 of Camden, Maine. Photo by Greg Danilowski
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portfolio Associate Professor of Humanities Ewa Chrusciel, Ph.D., published poems and a short essay on poetry in Shake the Tree: A Poetry Anthology, Volume II. This spring, she represented her publisher, Omnidawn Press, at a poetry reading at the University of Southern California’s Doheny Memorial Library; in Brooklyn, she read from the Anthology of Polish Women Poets with other Polish women poets. She also presented on translating poetry from English to Polish as part of Colby-Sawyer’s Faculty Colloquium Series and sat on a translation panel, “Poetics of Translating the Sacred in a Post-Religious Age,” at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs’ Conference in Los Angeles. Nate Corddry ’00 hosts the podcast Reading Aloud on the Earwolf comedy network. He has roles in this year’s “Ghostbusters” reboot and “The Circle,” starring Emma Watson and Tom Hanks. Jean Eckrich, Ph.D., professor and chair of Exercise and Sport Sciences, is serving as a proposal reviewer for the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ November conference in Boston. This year’s topic is Transforming Undergraduate STEM Education: Implications for 21st Century Society. Martin Green, Ph.D., chair and associate professor of Business Administration, in collaboration
Sally Williams Cook ’74 partnered with award-winning illustrator Ross MacDonald to create a How to Speak Sports series published by Flatiron Books, a division of MacMillan. The baseball, football and golf installments are available now, and How to Speak Soccer will be available in the spring.
with Franklin Pierce University’s Rodney J. Blackman, Ph.D., published the article “Sports and Recreation Management Trends” in the February issue of the International Journal of Education and Social Sciences. Read it at ijessnet.com/ vol-3-no-2-february-2016. Stacy Hannings ’14 exhibited her photographs at the Peterborough (N.H.) Town Library for the month of June. See them at peterboroughtownlibrary.org/artiststacyhannings. Jon Keenan, M.F.A., Joyce J. Kolligian Distinguished Professor and Sonja C. Davidow ’56 Endowed Chair in the Fine and Performing Arts, has been selected by the J. William Fulbright Scholarship Board and Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. State Department to serve as a peer reviewer for the Fulbright Specialist Program during the 2016 term. Burton Kirkwood, Ph.D., senior academic dean, was elected to a three-year term as a member of the New Hampshire Humanities Council’s Board of Directors. Darcy Mitchell, Ph.D., associate professor of Social Sciences and Education, presented a poster on “Family cohesion as a predictor of maternal well-being in families of adolescents with developmental disabilities” at the Society for Research on Adolescence Conference in Baltimore.
Laura Collins ’16 illustrated Susan Yaruta-Young’s book The Great Snapping Turtle Adventure, published by Secant Publishing in 2015. 28 colby-sawyer magazine
Susan Reeves ’88, Ed.D., dean of the Colby-Sawyer College School of Nursing and Health Professions and Gladys A. Burrows Distinguished Professor of Nursing, was appointed to the Health Care Workforce, a commission created by Gov.
Maggie Hassan to address New Hampshire’s shortage of health care professionals. Read more at colby-sawyer.edu/ news/healthcare-workforce. In May, Vital Communities honored Dean Reeves as a community leader who has made significant positive impacts in the region at its 2016 Heroes & Leaders celebration. A manuscript by Paul Robertson, Ph.D., assistant professor of Humanities, was accepted by international academic publisher Brill. His monograph Paul’s Letters and Contemporary Greco-Roman Literature: Theorizing a New Taxonomy compares the letters of the Christian apostle Paul with Greco-Roman philosophers who lived around his time. Professor Robertson also theorizes about the wider social and literary landscape in the ancient Mediterranean and proposes a new taxonomy to describe and compare all literature in a pan- Mediterranean fashion. Jimmy Sferes, audio/visual specialist in Student Development, composed the instrumental score for the soon-tobe released modern Western “Out of the Wild” written and coproduced by renowned horseman Mark Rashid. In October, Sferes and his partner, Jennifer White ’90, director of Sustainability and assistant professor of Environmental Studies, traveled to the Nevada set to act as band members in the dance scene. Since 2002, the acoustic duo
Dana Peters Frizzell ’80, writing as Dana Peters, published her first book, One Week, in 2015. The romantic thriller centers on a woman who falls for a hitman.
Sferes & White have recorded several CDs and been featured on the Hallmark Channel and the National Public Radio show “A Prairie Home Companion.” Go to outofthewildmovie.com or sferesandwhite.com to learn more. Kate Turcotte, Ph.D., assistant professor of Social Sciences and Education, and Jessica Shenkel ’16 presented the paper “Affording a Good Life: Material Hardships and Satisfaction with Life among Adults in Maine” at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society in Boston. In January, Renee Vebell, M.A., assistant professor of Nursing, presented a poster on “Improving Student Nurse Readiness for Clinical Internship: Three Patients and 15 Minutes to Identify the Unstable Patient” at the Society for Simulation in Healthcare’s national conference in Greenville, S.C. Hilary Walrod, M.F.A., associate professor of Fine and Performing Arts, participated in the panel Guiding Ethical Use of Digital Resources in Design Education at the May UCDA Design Education Summit in New Jersey. In June, she presented her paper “Teaching Design Methodologies” at Nuts + Bolts, the AIGA Design Educators Community Conference in Ohio.
Bubbling Curiosity Yields Sabbatical Research Projects A Sabbatical Salon held in May showcased two faculty members’ research interests and how their time away provided fresh experiences to enhance their teaching. Maryann Allen, Ed.D., associate professor of Natural Sciences, presented her investigation of fermentation and food. During her sabbatical, she visited Italian wineries, the Maker’s Mark bourbon distillery in Kentucky, and farms across New England and Pennsylvania. She plans to teach a class on the microbiology of food when her research is complete. Professor Allen also studied self-directed learning, specifically to answer the question of whether four years in college increased students’ ability to direct their own learning. Her results indicate that more academic experience increases self-directed learning, but she will conduct a longitudinal study to confirm her results. Associate Professor of Humanities Donna E. Berghorn, Ph.D., spent part of her sabbatical promoting Windcrossing Productions’ films, including “Missing” and the award-winning documentary “100: Head/Heart/Feet.” She primarily focused, however, on investigating whether mythic art contains aspects of social criticism, paying particular attention to Byzantine painting and Cretan iconography. Her research in Greece led her to conclude that late Byzantine art does, in fact, demonstrate social criticism, and she was surprised by its lack of subtlety at times. – Aaron Records ’15
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sense out +of about place
No Dream Too Big
by Kate Seamans
The paths of two graphic design majors who graduated just a decade apart intersect at Colby-Sawyer. One is beginning his career in New York City and has a portfolio of fresh dreams; the other is at the top of her game in Boston and, ultimate dream realized, wondering what comes next. AARON FAN FENG ’14: Finding a Home for His Dream
A
aron Fan Feng ’14 is a graphic designer at Compass, a high-end real estate brokerage that trades in luxury and the promise of guiding buyers home. He’s based at the Fifth Avenue office, where he works on print and digital pieces with marketing and product managers and agents throughout the design cycle. For all his self-professed shyness and diligence, the fact that Feng walks through Compass’s doors five days a week points to his secret status as a bit of a rebel.
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Growing up in China near Chengdu, the Sichuan capital, Feng felt the weight of his parents’ plans for him to study business. They owned a hardware store and imagined a similar future for their only child. Feng loved art, though, and he wanted to be different from what was expected. If you get a high score on China’s College Entrance Exam, Feng says, they think you’re smart; if you don’t, they think there’s no hope. That test determines one’s entire future, and he detested that judgment. Since he scored high on the test, he tried to honor his parents’ wishes and studied business for a year at a vocational college, but he felt like he was drowning. Business held no appeal. “I could feel that my father was giving up on me,” Feng said. “I told my mother I should make the move to America.” He also told her he’d keep studying business. Feng landed at Colby-Sawyer, where he found the independence and freedom for which he’d yearned. His Friendship Family was vital to his transition to living in America, and in his first semester, he met professors who became friends and pulled him through the shocking winter. He worked in the dining hall and, perhaps most important, he took his first art class. “Drawing Foundations with Bert [Yarborough] interested me a lot, and when I took graphic design classes with Hilary [Walrod], I decided once and for all just to do what I wanted to do,” Feng related. “Colby-Sawyer was the turning point of my life. I realized who I really am and what I really should be. I learned to embrace myself rather than hide in a shell and be what my parents wanted me to be. I found the real me at Colby-Sawyer.” Feng declared himself a graphic design major. Eventually, he told his parents and then set about proving to them he’d made the right decision. He collected the college’s Susan C. Harp Honorable Mention Award for Graphic Design, and faculty selected him to receive the Baccalaureate Award for excellence within his major. After graduation, Feng moved to New York City and began a four-month job search that ended at Compass. He got the offer just in time: With only days until his visa expired, he was looking for a plane ticket home. “Design-wise, I was ready to work,” Feng said. “I still have a lot of things to learn, but my coworkers are nice, and they teach me, too.” With a comfortable apartment in Brooklyn a block from the East River and a steady job, Feng’s made peace with his parents’ expectations and is thinking about the future. “Now, when people ask my parents where I am, they say I’m a graphic designer in New York City, and the reaction is surprise. They’ll be so happy for my parents and say, ‘Oh, wow, that’s amazing; it’s like heaven.’ My parents are very proud of me now.”
PHOTO: MICHAEL SEAMANS
Feng hopes for promotions that will lead him up the ladder to the role of creative director. He also wants to save for a house and get his green card, though he’s learned to expect surprises. “You never know what you’re going to do in your life until you explore all the options. This is one of the benefits of a liberal arts education: It’s full of surprises, and you only understand it when you get to experience it,” said Feng. “But it’s important to do your best and never give up. Eventually, there’ll be something that’ll match with you. Five years ago, I’d never have imagined myself working in Manhattan and living in Brooklyn. I never imagined I’d call this place home.” fall 2016
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n January, Meghan Andersen ’03 was named creative director at The Boston Beer Company, parent company of Sam Adams, Twisted Tea and Angry Orchard brands. With that promotion, her ultimate professional dream came true. Getting there, she said, was “a very cool progression.”
Andersen grew up in southern New Hampshire and admits that as a high school student, she was more focused on her social life and sports than academics. She has always been fascinated by others, though, and driven to reach for any opportunity. When her sister, Carrie Andersen Whitmore ’99, chose Colby-Sawyer, Meghan was excited to make the college hers as well. Andersen found that Colby-Sawyer’s intimate size helped foster incredible friendships with fellow students and strong relationships with faculty, and as soon as she started taking college courses with an art focus, she became a straight-A student. “It was intriguing to find my passion and realize that doing something you love changes your whole perspective. I got to go to sculpture, I got to go to pottery; I got to paint until whatever time in the studio, and that drove the success of my art career at Colby-Sawyer. My perspective was so different from high school where you have to go to, say, biology.” Her parents saw how much Andersen loved art and supported her decision to earn a B.F.A. “I had found my passion, something I was good at and put in my own overtime, and all of a sudden I was exceeding expectations,” she said. “They never thought about stopping me. I was provided amazing opportunities at Colby-Sawyer and knew then I wanted to be a creative director.” After graduation, the artisan at heart took a job as a graphic designer sizing logos for Charles River Apparel. Always hungry for more, she soon took over the company’s advertising. “I had no idea what I was doing, but I saved them $200,000 a year and learned a lot,” said Andersen. If she sounds fearless, it’s because Andersen’s learned how to use fear to her advantage. “Honestly, the fear fuels me,” she said. “People undervalue what they’re able to do. The fear of failing makes you work so much harder that you’re almost destined to succeed.” That optimism was a good fit when she moved on to the role of art director at Life is Good in 2010, where she managed creative for all retail and wholesale marketing. She also realized that working with people who believe in what they’re doing makes her believe in what she does. “I love do-gooding, and Life is Good does so much nonprofit work. It moved me to be part of something bigger that was making a difference,” she said. After four years, when the art director position at The Boston Beer Company opened up, it was an opportunity Andersen couldn’t let pass, and she made the leap. Within two years, she was promoted to creative director, which means overseeing 18 designers who have spent the last year reinventing the identity of the Sam Adams brand to make it stand out even more among the country’s 4,000 brewers. “I’m really intrigued by what makes somebody love a brand and how you bring people into your world,” she said.
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PHOTO: GIL TALBOT
out + about
MEGHAN ANDERSEN ’03: Finding Her Passion
The “brand revolution” will be out in the world this fall for all to see. “When I was in school, I dreamt about growing up and seeing my work in museums ,” said Andersen. “Now I realize my museum is a liquor store, and that’s pretty incredible.” The key to her move into leadership? Having huge opinions and trusting her gut. “It’s worked out, luckily,” she said. “I feel like that’s my upbringing and my education. It’s being so aware of what’s around you and what other brands are doing. I love seeing people grow, and my goal as a director is to inspire the team.” Since she’s achieved her goal, Andersen is left wondering what comes next. “I’ve been certain for so long of what I was trying to achieve, and now I’ve reached it. I’m excited to see what the future holds, it’s unknown territory. The adventure continues. Stay tuned.” ® fall 2016
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by Patrick D. Anderson PHOTO: COURTESY OF PATRICK D. ANDERSON
out + about
Close Encounters with Indigenous Cultures: Reflections on a Sabbatical Odyssey “So, what did you learn during your time here?” an old Maori man asked me on my last afternoon in New Zealand’s Bay of Islands. While I could not adequately answer him during our brief encounter, his question gave me pause: What, exactly, had I learned during my spring sabbatical? My goal last semester was to expand my understanding of native peoples and to build on previous leaves during which I had focused on the American Southwest’s Anasazi, the coastal and inland tribes of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, and the Incas and Mayas of Central and South America. This time, I concentrated on the mound builders in the American Midwest, the Nez Perce from Idaho and the Maori of New Zealand — tribal people diverse in their geographies and histories but strikingly similar in their cultures’ richness.
The Mound Builders During my leave, the most enigmatic indigenous culture I encountered was that of the mound builders; these tribes no longer exist, and they have left no written accounts for scholars to study. They did, however, leave evidence of their impressive civilizations in the myriad mounds they built, as well as in the artifacts buried within. While I visited more than a dozen sites in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, Cahokia (near St. Louis) proved the most remarkable. Upward of 40,000 people may have lived there in 1250 A.D., making it larger than London was at the time. The Cahokia tribes built more than 120 mounds — one basket of dirt at a time — across a six-square-mile area. At 10 stories high, Monks Mound is the largest human-made earthen mound in North America; it took the Cahokia 350 years to construct.
above:
It took the Cahokia 350 years to build Monks Mound in Illinois. above right: Professor Anderson with a traditional Maori performer in his fiercest haka pose.
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What is remarkable about the mound sites I studied is how intentionally they were designed. Their architects calculated relationships between the use of circles, squares and rectangles, and they positioned the mounds to reflect their knowledge of the constellations and the summer and winter solstices. Equally astonishing is that many of the objects placed in the mounds — made of copper, silver, obsidian, seashells, mica and sharks’ teeth — came from great distances, evidence of these ancient peoples’ extensive trading relationships. The mounds left me with a greater understanding and appreciation for the little- known pre-Columbian natives and their accomplishments.
The Nez Perce Unlike the Midwestern mound builders, the Nez Perce are still very much alive in the Pacific Northwest and — as I discovered during my visit to Idaho tribal lands in 2002 — their culture is flourishing. At that time, I was presented with a rich collection of primary materials (29 audioand videotapes) featuring interviews, lectures, workshops and presentations by tribal members on everything from education, employment and government to religion, dance and art. What I learned by transcribing this archival material provided me with a unique perspective on Nez Perce customs, practices and perspectives expressed in their own voices. I was especially impressed with the video “Nee-me-poo: The Power of Our Dance” (directed by Margo Aragon Kinney), which spoke passionately about how important traditional dances and songs are in maintaining Indian identity. As one elderly dancer put it: “We’re not a sideshow, never have been. It’s something that we’re proud of. It’s our heritage, our culture, and when we do these things, it’s for our own reasons, for our own pride and our dignity. And so that’s why each one of us is out there dancing.” Others noted how dancing strengthens various facets of Indian identity, from the regalia and face and body painting they wear to the dances they perform: “That’s one of the things I mentioned to an anthropologist who asked me if the language was dying, the Indians are dying, if everything is going to die out,” a Nez Perce dancer noted. “And I said, ‘No, if anything is going to keep living, it’s the dance because it’s so important for us, it’s alive and strong and will continue, and hopefully from the dance that will be the mainstay, the solid rock that will keep everything else together. That’s why it’s so strong and powerful, that’s why it’s still alive today.’”
The Maori For the third component of my sabbatical, I traveled to New Zealand, where I spent nearly three weeks immersing myself in the history, culture and places of the Maori, who settled this island about 900 years ago. I kayaked their waters, hiked their rain forests and even learned about their customs firsthand at a traditional hangi dinner, where the Maori cook meats and vegetables in an underground pit. Before they served the food, I attempted the haka, a traditional Maori dance they perform to welcome visitors, honor achievements or express their identity. I learned about Maori arts like weaving, practiced by women who use the flax plant I saw throughout the country; carving, typically a male activity, with stunning examples of this work found in their waka (canoes), pataka (storage houses) and wharenui (meeting houses); and ta moko, the distinctive Maori form of tattooing, significant for both men and women. Strict protocols govern who may get tattoos and what their designs can be. Two interactions with Maori people stand out. The first was with a middle-aged woman who guided me through the rich collection of Maori artifacts at Te Papa, New Zealand’s national museum in Wellington. She was of mixed heritage; her Maori father had married a British woman and suppressed his own indigenous identity, thinking it would lead to a better life for his children. Consequently, she knew very little of her native heritage until she was well into her 40s when her father, inspired by his grandchildren, who were learning about Maori culture in school, finally came to embrace it as well. The second encounter was with a 22-year-old man who performed in a traditional cultural show at Waitangi, in the Bay of Islands, site of the still-controversial 1840 treaty between the Maori and the British. I approached him after tourists finished photographing him (in his fiercest haka pose) to tell him I was a professor who taught courses about indigenous cultures and had come here to learn more about his people. Hearing this, he opened up to me, explaining how he felt the government still wasn’t listening to specific tribes about their particular needs but were lumping all Maori together so that the wrongs of the 176-year-old treaty still weren’t being corrected. After we talked for 20 minutes or so, he rubbed his nose on mine and gave me his breath, a sign of Maori friendship and respect I’d read about but never expected to experience. The day after this remarkable and unexpected moment, I flew home, enriched and enlightened by what I had discovered and experienced in New Zealand. Alongside my further research into Nez Perce culture and concentrated exploration of moundbuilder sites, my time with the Maori presented me with new perspectives on indigenous life, reminding me once more of the depth and beauty of native cultures, and the many ways in which they inform my understanding of American Studies. ® Patrick D. Anderson is the Gibney Distinguished Professor of Humanities and has taught at ColbySawyer since 1977. He holds an A.B. from the University of Notre Dame and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.
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Solid Returns by Chris Kubik
As an educator, I often wonder if I make an impact and a difference. When I’m confident I can respond affirmatively, I feel great joy and honor in being a professor. I imagine philanthropists must ask similar questions about the gifts of time and treasure they devote to the causes in which they believe. I’m delighted to be a witness to the positive impact one group of such gifts has had on Colby-Sawyer business students.
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or the past two years, I have taught BUS 416: Investment Management and directed the associated Suzanne ’66 and John Hammond Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF), with $450,000 in assets. The Hammonds’ initial gift, made in 2010, remains celebrated as the inspiration for additional philanthropy designed to allow Colby-Sawyer students interested in finance and investing to pursue exceptional educational experiences. The SMIF and the investment management course, previously taught by Associate Professor of Business Administration Jody Murphy, Ph.D. (2004 – 2012), and Vice President of Finance and Operations Todd C. Emmons (2013), require an extraordinary level of class engagement. I charge students with tackling topics that vary from semester to semester but include global macroeconomics, monetary policy of the U.S. and other countries, crude oil prices, foreign exchange rates, politics, executive compensation, agency theory and health care — issues that impact a national economy, an industry as part of that economy and specific companies. It’s a senior-level class, and its complexity can prove difficult. Students don’t suffer from a lack of information. Headlines in various financial media outlets in any given week likely include all the aforementioned topics. In addition, there is news about stock market volatility, trade agreements, employment data, tax inversions, proposed mergers, consumer confidence measures, and/or a focus on Europe, China or Brazil to consider. The key for students in the class, as it relates to the SMIF, is deciding
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PHOTO: MICHAEL SEAMANS
MAKING CONNECTIONS: Experiential learning goes beyond managing real dollars for students in the investment management class. Annual trips to Wall Street introduce them to the nation’s financial powerhouses and those who work there. The New York adventure features time at NASDAQ, the Museum of American Finance, the CFA Institute, Federal Reserve Bank and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Here, the fall 2015 class applauds the NYSE’s opening bell.
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what information is important both at the moment and for a longer time-horizon to potentially affected industries and companies. In so doing, students can make educated decisions about which stocks, options or other investments the SMIF should buy, sell or hold. The ultimate goal is student learning, yet each individual has a sense of pride when a strong decision positively impacts the SMIF balance. Every student wants to recommend buying a stock that increases in value. Engaged Learning One rewarding component of the investment management course is that the students are not the only ones the SMIF benefits. Students in the course present a lecture series called Money Matters, which is designed to educate other students, faculty and staff on personal finance issues. Topics include saving for retirement, understanding stock market volatility, and helping seniors understand key issues they will face, such as insurance, paying student loans and evaluating whether to buy or lease a car. Attendance ranges from 15 to 40 people, and the students and I believe that educating and having an impact on any other student, staff or faculty member is time well spent. In 2015, the SMIF launched a High School Investment Competition aimed at sharing news about the college with high school students in the Northeast. Teams must have at least one female student — a direct attempt to increase the number of female students interested in the male-dominated finance and investment management field. (As more of the population starts making their own financial decisions, such as directing their retirement savings, those in the industry must better reflect the client base they serve.) The first year of the investment
competition was a success, with 29 teams composed of 141 students competing for a cash prize. The winning team, Number Cruncherz, hailed from Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School in Palmer, Mass. Based on feedback from student and faculty participants, the competition will be even stronger in the coming year. For more about the competition, visit colby-sawyer.edu/hsic. Linking to the World The investment management class routinely consists of students from the United States, China, Nepal and Vietnam; it has also had members from Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Mozambique. Thus, in many ways students in the class experience what it is like to work in a diverse, global economy as they discuss the many issues investors must consider. The SMIF, however, is not limited to our Windy Hill. In fact, every semester provides at least one opportunity for Colby-Sawyer students to make connections beyond New Hampshire and learn outside the classroom. All these activities are designed to offer experiential education, include students in competitions and challenges, expose businesses and hiring managers to students from Colby-Sawyer, and ensure that graduates are provided with a level playing field when they compete for employment opportunities. Students in the course compete in the Federal Reserve College “Fed Challenge” each fall against teams from across New England. This event requires participants to analyze macro economic variables in order to develop a monetary policy recommendation for the U.S. Federal Reserve board. Students have
Business Administration and Health Care Programs Awarded Accreditation Colby-Sawyer has been awarded a 10-year initial accreditation of its baccalaureate programs in business administration and health care management by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), an award-winning accreditation association in business education. ACBSP accreditation certifies that the teaching and learning processes within the business programs and degrees offered through the Business Administration Department meet the rigorous educational standards established by ACBSP. Based on the criteria of the National Malcolm Baldridge Quality Award, ACBSP accreditation evaluates aspects of institutional leadership, strategic planning processes, relationships with the community, quality of academic programs, faculty credentials and services, and educational support to determine if the institution offers a rigorous educational experience and demonstrates continuous quality improvement. 38
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“Colby-Sawyer College has shown their commitment to teaching excellence and to the process of quality improvement by participating in the accreditation process,” said ACBSP Chief Accreditation Officer Dr. Steve Parscale, who will present the Certificate of Accreditation at the 2016 ACBSP Conference in Atlanta. “This accreditation is evidence that Colby-Sawyer is committed to providing the highest quality business education for their students.” According to Bill Spear and Christopher Kubik, associate professors of Business Administration, ACBSP accreditation confirms the quality of Colby-Sawyer’s programs and the benefits students will realize through our effective, efficient and engaging learning environment. Read more at colby-sawyer.edu/news/acbsp-accreditation. – Aaron Records ’15
improved their performance each year and are eager to continue the trend. Similarly, a team of students enrolled in the CFA Institute Research Challenge for the first time last year. This competition requires teams to provide a sell-side analyst report for a publicly traded company headquartered in the Boston area. Our focus company was TJX, whose brands include T.J.Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods. Our students faced down challengers from some of New England’s most prestigious educational institutions, and while some may consider our small college to be the underdog, our students had tremendous success and knocked out competitors from Babson College, Bentley University, Boston College, Boston University, Suffolk University, the University of Massachusetts at Boston and Tufts University to advance to the final round of competition against MIT, Northeastern University and Brandeis University. While our students shined in the finals as well, in the end they were bested by three-year repeating champ Brandeis. In addition to competitions, investment management students typically attend a student investment conference. We’ve participated in the QGAME conference as well as the ENGAGE conference in New York, Chicago and Michigan. The SMIF was awarded “Best Value Investing” for return performance at a past conference. Each of these events provides students with an opportunity to hear from industry leaders, learn from their peers and network with professionals for future career placement. When the class has a field study trip outside New Hampshire, we team up with the Office of Alumni Relations to hold events in our host cities. This provides an opportunity for alumni to remain connected to the Business Administration Department and the college while reminding them that they can assist current students as they become professionals by being mentors or references, offering internships or sharing advice. Living Sustainably: A Lasting Investment The SMIF’s primary purpose is to provide educational opportunities, and the chance to focus on learning without the pressure to “beat the market” year after year. This approach allows students to make investments for the long term and not worry about trading in the short term. In so doing, the SMIF will be available for their successors years down the road. In addition, I’ve worked with a number of students in the investment management course to complete research on the demographics of those participating in SMIFs, as well as associated SMIF policies, results and information transparency. The research exposure is a great addition to students’ résumés and creates opportunities to present our findings at national conferences. Other initiatives of the SMIF point to our focus and desire to show our commitment to sustainability. We use public transportation whenever possible to limit our carbon footprint, and when students analyze a company for investment opportunities,
they review its corporate social responsibility. This fall, investment management students and I will be joined by other students, faculty, staff and alumni in our first Run for the Fund. This half-marathon will take place in Hartford, Conn., in October. The goal is to provide a link for engaged learning, alumni outreach, advancement support and admissions marketing. If you’re interested in running with the Colby-Sawyer team or in providing financial support to those running, visit colby-sawyer.edu/smif/run. Dynamic Devotion to Excellence Excellence is perhaps measured best by overall graduate success. And while success is determined by various measures, one method is to look at employment and graduate school placement. By this measure, the investment management course has been a rousing success — our graduates who participated in that class and the SMIF are now financial advisers, business intelligence specialists, investment banking analysts, asset managers, risk analysts, regulatory analysts and assurance associates, to name a few paths they have taken. Our graduates are employed at big name financial firms, too, such as JPMorgan Chase, State Street Bank, Fidelity Investments, Wells Fargo, PwC, Deloitte and Credit Suisse, along with a number of local and regional organizations and financial firms. Graduates have pursued advanced degrees at the University of Notre Dame, George Washington University and Villanova University. By these measures, we have achieved tremendous success. From the Past to the Future Have I made an impact and a difference? In terms of the investment management course and the SMIF, I can confidently respond, “Yes!” I am humbled by the many alumni who remain in contact, who share their professional success stories with me and my colleagues, and who attend the alumni events. I’m pleased that those who took the course and are now out in the world recognize the value of their experience and are finding internships and full-time positions for current students and graduates. And I am convinced that the investment of time, energy, commitment and confidence in Colby-Sawyer students has resulted in a strong positive return. My goal, as is the goal of every faculty member, is to ensure sustained student success. To achieve this, I will continue to take calculated risks, knowing that some moves may not turn out as expected, but that others will provide even more ways for Colby-Sawyer students to make their mark. Visit colby-sawyer.edu/smif for updates on the SMIF. ® Associate Professor of Business Administration Chris Kubik joined the faculty in 2006. He holds a B.S. from Madonna University, an M.B.A. from the University of Detroit and a D.B.A. from Anderson University.
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PHOTO: MICHAEL SEAMANS
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The Next Generation of Leadership: President Susan D. Stuebner by Kate Seamans
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hen Susan D. Stuebner, Ed.D., talks about the impact of higher education — especially the transformation that students can experience in their time at a small, liberal arts-based college like Colby-Sawyer — she gets actual goose bumps. The 45-year-old Minnesota native, who was unanimously appointed Colby-Sawyer’s ninth president by the Board of Trustees in March to succeed Thomas C. Galligan Jr., has dedicated her career to higher education. She comes to Colby-Sawyer from Allegheny College, where she served three years as executive vice president and chief operating officer. A student and champion of the liberal arts model with more than two decades’ experience in almost every facet of higher education, she lives for the moments when learning comes alive for students — the ultimate goal of educators, whether faculty or administrators. Shake her family tree and you’ll find generations of educators: Her paternal great-grandfather, Dr. Arthur Hobson Quinn, was an English professor at his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania. He was also dean of the college (1912 – 1922), and one of his daughters was very involved in the arts at the university. Her maternal great-grandmother, Josephine Shellabarger Greef, was one of the founders and first faculty members of Kansas’s Pittsburg State University in 1903. President Stuebner’s own dedication to education began when she was a student. Curious and competitive, she focused on doing what needed to be done and doing it well. When she was inducted into Minnetonka High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006, she was fêted with the words of her 12th-grade English teacher: “[Sue] was in love with learning. She was in love with books. She was in love with language, and she inspired me to be the kind of teacher she deserved.”
the search committee: Pete Volanakis, trustee and committee chair Laura Alexander, interim academic vice president and dean of faculty Dick Dulude, trustee emeritus Prithul Karki ’17, president, Student Government Association Jon Keenan, Joyce J. Kolligian Distinguished Professor and Sonja C. Davidow ’56 Endowed Chair in the Fine and Performing Arts John Malanowski, trustee George Martin, athletic director and head coach, women’s basketball Robin Mead ’72, trustee and board vice chair Susan Reeves ’88, dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions and Gladys A. Burrows Distinguished Professor of Nursing Lisa Tedeschi, chief of staff and director of Strategic Planning Sally Shaw Veitch ’66, trustee Susan Wright, trustee
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Though she’s the first to say she’s been blessed to have worked with people who’ve instilled in her the value of education, hard work and the belief she can do anything, President Stuebner’s abilities to lead and inspire were clear early on: She was team captain of her high school’s volleyball, basketball and track teams, and at Dartmouth, where she earned her A.B. in psychology, she was captain of the women’s basketball team as well as a member of the senior leadership society Casque and Gauntlet. President Stuebner’s love of learning grew into a professional passion that centers on how to preserve and enhance the liberal arts model of education. As a doctoral student at Harvard University, her research focused on the role of the college presidency and decision making in sustaining liberal arts education for more than just the institutions and students with the most means. She has put her research to work every day of her career. Prior to Allegheny, President Stuebner rose through the ranks at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pa., to vice president for administration and planning. She’s also held posts at Dartmouth College, Wheelock College, Harvard University, Albright College and Carleton College. I sat down with Sue, as she prefers to be called, for a wide-ranging conversation that touched on everything from her favorite author (John Irving) and favorite hikes (anywhere in Acadia National Park) to her habits for success (writing, compart mentalizing and making the most of every minute), but here we focus on how her educational and professional opportunities have prepared her to be Colby-Sawyer College’s ninth president.
We’re having this conversation one month to the day before you take office, but it’s the fourth time we’ve met. You’re already attending senior staff meetings and becoming part of the Colby-Sawyer community. It’s remarkable.
PHOTO: GIL TALBOT
I credit a lot of that to Tom Galligan. He’s been so gracious about creating the space for these early visits, and he’s been a phenomenal partner in the transition. These visits have helped me to get a head start on conversations that would normally take place in the first 90 days.
At a reception following the announcement of Susan D. Stuebner as Colby-Sawyer’s ninth president, she began getting to know the college community. Here, she chats with Presidential Fellows Olivia Merrill ’15, Connor Delaney ’15 and Molly Paone ’15.
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This is your first college presidency. Why Colby-Sawyer? The education delivered here is incredibly strong. The institution has evolved throughout its history, but the commitment to a liberal arts foundation has remained. Ultimately, what we’re about as educators is creating moments of transformation and connecting our students with learning and identifying paths they didn’t know were possible. The liberal arts model, which is the foundation Colby-Sawyer has stayed committed to, is compelling. Another thing that excites me is Colby-Sawyer’s distinct mission. There’s great scrutiny today about the value of the liberal arts. We all can say why critical thinking, problem solving, communication skills and working with diverse groups matter, but Colby-Sawyer pairs a liberal arts foundation with pre-professional majors and combines the two through experiential opportunities. The students are articulate about how things like internships and the Capstone experience come together, and how involved the faculty is in creating a great educational experience. When you think about the landscape of small private colleges, the
THE ANNOUNCEMENT, ABRIDGED On March 8, then-President Thomas C. Galligan Jr. mounted the Wheeler Hall stage to welcome the Colby-Sawyer community to a “momentous, historic, transformational” gathering before handing over the microphone to then-Chair of the Board of Trustees Thomas C. Csatari.
“The next president rose to the top of the group of applicants as a decisive change agent who has a deep understanding of the challenges facing colleges like Colby-Sawyer … and stood out for her strategic, financial and planning acumen as well as her experience and willingness to drive greater philanthropic support. Very important, we found her to be authentic and with a sensitivity to the inclusive, collaborative and collegial culture that defines Colby-Sawyer. “The next president has more than two decades in higher education. In her most recent role as executive vice president and chief operating officer at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, she has overseen the vice presidents for development and alumni relations, enrollment and college relations; the chief financial officer and treasurer; the dean of students; the directors of human resources and athletics; and the Title IX coordinator. “She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Dartmouth College, where she was a member of the varsity women’s basketball team for four years and captain for one. She also holds an Ed.M. and an Ed.D. from Harvard University in administration, planning and social policy with a concentration in higher education. “We believe that Sue Stuebner is the right person at the right time to build on the many positive initiatives launched by Tom Galligan while bringing her own insights and experience to the areas of curricular and cocurricular, enrollment management and philanthropy. So, I’m pleased to introduce you to the ninth president of Colby-Sawyer College, Sue Stuebner.” To applause and a standing ovation, President-elect Susan D. Stuebner joined Csatari on stage and offered these words:
PHOTO: GIL TALBOT
“Thank you to the search committee, who spent an enormous amount of time on behalf of the college during the eight-month search,” said Csatari. “They evaluated more than 100 qualified applicants, interviewed 10 finalists, invited three finalists to campus and recommended their choice to the board, which approved it unanimously.
President-elect Susan D. Stuebner is flanked by then-Chair of the Board of Trustees Thomas C. Csatari (left) and then-President Thomas C. Galligan Jr. (right) after she was announced Colby-Sawyer’s ninth president.
“Thank you, Tom. I am deeply honored and humbled to be here today … This position, at this institution in particular, is like a dream come true. I appreciate the support and confidence of the board, and I look forward to working with all of you. I’d also like to extend a special thanks to the search committee. They were tremendous ambassadors … I’d also like to thank the community. When Amanda and I visited campus, we were overwhelmed by what a warm community this is … I particularly enjoyed my time with the students at lunch that day. “The last piece of thanks I want to offer, and it really exemplifies what this place is all about — about half an hour after Pete [Volanakis] called to congratulate me, the first call I received was from a Knoxville, Tennessee, line. I wasn’t sure who was calling me from Knoxville, but it was President Galligan. What an extraordinary individual; what a great leader. “I look forward to building on the enduring legacy you’ve built these last 10 years, Tom. I wish you and Susan all the best, and I look forward to a smooth transition. Thank you all so much.” ®
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meaningful experiential component that Colby-Sawyer offers really distinguishes it in the marketplace.
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Location is another reason Colby-Sawyer appealed. As a Dartmouth graduate and someone who has spent 10 years in New England, returning to this region felt like coming home. New London is a wonderful community in a beautiful setting. A couple years ago you gave a presentation called Keys to Survival at Small, Private Colleges: What Every Trustee, President and CFO Should be Contemplating Amidst the Current Economic Crisis and the Changing Landscape of Higher Education. What are some of those issues for Colby-Sawyer? It’s an enormously competitive time in higher education, so first and foremost is considering how we articulate our value in compelling ways to our different audiences.
PHOTO: MICHAEL SEAMANS
Financing any college or university is a challenge, but for small, private residential colleges, it’s a very challenging issue. One of the central questions we need to address is, What is the ideal size for Colby-Sawyer that allows us to predict with certainty how many students will enroll, that attracts students who will succeed academically and socially, and that maximizes net tuition revenue? It is critical for small private colleges not only to focus on the near term, but also to build long-term stability through our endowment. The Power of Infinity Campaign will give us an opportunity not only to address current needs but also to find ways to endow programs that are central to delivering our mission for our next 179 years. Another question we need to address is, What can we do well programmatically? For example, there are many options today in terms of how to deliver an academic program, and Colby-Sawyer has explored some of these alternatives. This fall, we will enroll our first class of graduate students in the Master of Science in Nursing program. Academic strategic planning will be important. Sometimes institutions based in the liberal arts try to be all things; it is important that we examine what we can do best and then deliver that really well. How will you connect with students? Students are what our work is all about. One of the ironies for many of us in higher education administration is that we get into this work because of our passion for working with students, and then the more success we have, the less contact we have with them. I will offer a weekly office hour. I would like to meet regularly with our leaders in student government as well as interact with students in more informal ways. And I find it inspiring to see students participating across campus. My wife, Amanda, and I look forward to going to athletic events, performances and cheering our students on in all they do. One of the first things you asked the leadership team to do was to read an article about creating a diversity agenda. Why is diversity important to you? Diversity is about much more than just composition and having, say, students of different nationalities or ethnicities or LGBT folks here. There is some wonderful diversity at Colby-Sawyer, but all of us are going to miss out if we don’t keep 44 colby-sawyer magazine
engaging in conversations about how to learn from one another’s perspectives and backgrounds. For our students to succeed, it’s important for them to have even more discussions about tough topics. I’ve learned a lot in the past three years from having these kinds of conversations and reflecting on my own core values and hearing how others have gotten to theirs. As executive vice president and chief operating officer at Allegheny College, you oversaw the vice presidents in the way a president typically does, so essentially you have three years’ experience in the role. How will you apply what you learned to your own presidency? The Allegheny position was a great learning opportunity. One of the things that’s interesting about higher ed administration is you move up because you’re a good doer, and then when you get to this kind of role, you have to trust the really good doers around you. I have a very strong Senior Leadership Team here at Colby- Sawyer. The faculty is wonderful. Colby-Sawyer has an incredible Board of Trustees. Everyone on this campus has an impact on the student experience in one way or another. My role is helping to clarify roles and responsibilities, defining the questions and helping set top priorities and, as we get our strategic plan defined, keeping us all focused on what matters most. I’m excited about the opportunity as president to do even more work with alumni and students. Getting to know the people who have connections to the college is what energizes me as a leader. During one of my transition visits, I spent the day with the President’s Alumni Advisory Council, and it was so fun. What a great group! Colleges are a lot about stories, and I look forward to hearing more about what mattered to alumni when they were here and what they care about now, as well as what matters to current students, faculty and staff.
Getting to know the people who have connections to the college is what energizes me as a leader.
Can you elaborate on your leadership style? One of the hardest things, especially in small institutions where we all wear many hats, is helping folks understand that whatever their role, they have value and are contributing. It is important to give direct feedback, but in a way that still has compassion. I’ve been lucky to be in roles where I have a view of the whole institution, and so I try to connect others to the institutional goals. One of the roles I have played often is that of a translator and educator between constituents. By having the institutional view, I can see commonalities in what we are trying to do, and I enjoy the process of bringing us together around those shared goals. We’re getting to know President Stuebner, but we’re getting to know Sue Stuebner, too. Tell us about your childhood. I grew up in Deephaven, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. It was a great place to grow up. I’m the youngest of four — we’re spread out over 15 years — and my parents are committed to education and the arts. They’re 84 now. My mother went back to school for her master’s degree when I was in second grade, and then she went on to have a career as an elementary school social worker. She’s always been an amazing role model, and I’m proud she pursued what she wanted to do. fall 2016
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And your father?
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He has Alzheimer’s, but music is still one thing that kind of gets through. He used to sing. He went to Dartmouth, too, and was a real estate developer. He had a passion for creating; it was always neat to see projects go from ground zero to buildings that served the community well. Both my parents were great about letting me focus on sports, which was a huge passion, but we all had to play an instrument. What was yours? My mom plays the piano and has perfect pitch, and she would always correct me when I played instruments that had real notes. I ended up playing percussion. A percussionist drives the rhythm and keeps everyone moving forward together. Seems fitting for a future college president. My mom likes to say that from the moment I was born, she knew I had administrative potential because of how wide my shoulders were. What were you like as a child? Independent. And curious. I could always figure out what my Christmas presents were; it drove my parents crazy. And I loved writing. I was convinced I was going to be a great novelist. I was also always incredibly tall — I’m 6'2" — so when I found sports, it was kind of a magical thing. I probably felt most secure playing sports, and I played a whole bunch of them until high school when I had to pick just three. As for school, I was a hard worker, but it was more of a transaction than a passion. It wasn’t until I got to college that I realized what it feels like to connect with the subject matter and study something for its own sake, not just for class. You married in May. Could you introduce your family? Sue with Amanda and their children, Tyler and Gabrielle. Tyler, 20, lives in Cleveland, and Gabrielle, 17, is a high school senior and volleyball player who plans to study nursing.
Absolutely. My wife, Amanda, grew up in Fryeburg, Maine, and she was also a three-sport athlete and a strong student. Like me, she loves the New England Patriots, even though she’s been in Ohio for almost 20 years. Her son, Tyler, just turned 20; her daughter, Gabrielle, is 17 and will be a high school senior this year. They’re great kids and grew up in Cleveland, but we’ll introduce them to all that New England has to offer. Similar to the Galligans’ transition, Amanda will join me in New London full time after Gabrielle finishes high school. Where did your road to the presidency begin? When I went to college, I thought I would go into business when I graduated. I liked writing, so I started as an English major. One of my mentors was my class dean, and his advice was to major in what I enjoyed studying most and trust that those skills would take me where I needed to go. When I took Psychology of Learning with Professor Chris Jernstedt as a junior, I fell in love with learning and
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changed my major to psychology. I had no idea then where it might lead in terms of a career. For three years at Dartmouth, my work-study job was in the admissions office at the Tuck School of Business. Mostly I did basic things like stuffing applications or filing, but there were two deans of admissions during my time there who were great mentors. They encouraged me to look at the comments the counselors made on applications and talked to me about the business of enrolling students. They were the ones who introduced me to higher education as a career path. My first full-time position after college was at Albright College, another private institution, where I was head basketball coach and an admissions counselor. I saw the contrast between their resources and Dartmouth’s, but they were trying to offer the same qualities of a liberal arts education. Working closely with students, I saw firsthand how much they grew during their time in that setting. But I also saw the dichotomy between an institution not having enough resources and having to make decisions based on finances versus what’s best for the student or the core mission. So, I applied to graduate school because I wanted to understand better how we could preserve the model of liberal arts for institutions that don’t have the most resources and for families who don’t have the ability to pay full price. My professional passion has always centered on the question of how to preserve the liberal arts approach based on how much potential it has for transforming students’ lives. PHOTO: KATE SEAMANS
In a lot of ways, though, I feel like I’ve just been in the right places at the right moments. Tell me more about this power of transformation you just mentioned. It’s what gets you out of bed in the morning, right? Right. I experienced it myself in college. To see how much a liberal arts education transforms lives and helps students find their stride is tremendous. Students might arrive with one or two majors in mind, but by working closely with faculty and being introduced to the liberal arts, they discover they can pursue a whole array of things. And outside the classroom, you see students become leaders on campus. The progression from first to senior year is just phenomenal.
On July 12, President Stuebner was a guest on NHPR’s “The Exchange” to talk about her professional passion: small colleges and the big challenges they face. Listen to the show at colby-sawyer.edu/nhpr.
One of the things I think is so exciting about Colby-Sawyer is the power of what’s happening in the classroom and outside the classroom here to impact students’ lives and to give them new choices. So those are the things that get me really excited. You know, they give me goosebumps. I’m getting goosebumps right now. I can see them — they’re a manifestation of your passion for this work. I feel extraordinarily lucky to be in this place. I care very much about what I do, and I hope people see that and feel that. Even just walking in this morning and breathing the New Hampshire air and seeing the campus and then getting a chance to meet with people … in many ways, Colby-Sawyer already feels like a wonderful home, and I look forward to the year ahead and beyond. ® Kate Seamans is the senior director of College Communications. She holds a B.A. from Colby College and an M.F.A. from Lesley University.
fall 2016
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by Kathy Bonavist
PHOTO: MICHAEL SEAMANS
the power of infinity campaign
Robin L. Mead ’72: Lifting up the Student Experience
GONE IS THE (TEXT)BOOK STORE of yore that was tucked away in the basement of Colgate Hall and managed by an external partner. In its place is a student-centered, college-run store that offers high-quality branded items and products selected by students, including international foods that meet the needs of a diverse student body. The reimagined store, shaped by students and christened The Stable in January, will soon move out of Colgate and into the Ware Student Center. The higher-profile location will be more attractive to visiting families and more convenient for students. The move is only possible thanks to Robin L. Mead ’72, who saw a need and made a gift that will create a big impact. According to Mead, it is the luxury of scale that differentiates the Colby-Sawyer experience. An alumna who has been a trustee for nearly 18 years, Mead has had the benefit of seeing the college from a unique perspective. From her time as a student at the junior college in the ’70s to celebrating the approval of the college’s first graduate program this spring, Mead has witnessed the impact of empowerment across the community. “It’s very easy to become passionate about what we do here,” said Mead. “There is something magical about the way the college creates an incredible bond and affinity. I have seen so many people become attracted to Colby- Sawyer and then converted to serve in some capacity — and I attribute that to the capacity for impact by every member of our extended college community.” At Colby Junior College, women were taught to think as leaders. “I was never afraid to ask a challenging question or step into a leadership role — and that confidence has served me ever since,” she said. “A smaller college like Colby-Sawyer has the ability to meet each student where they are, engage them directly and create opportunities for exponential growth.”
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The connections gained from powerful experiences form a strong bond, and Mead believes that has allowed the college to respond to external demands and the changing needs of students. “Colby-Sawyer’s strength as a tight-knit learning community produces students who believe in themselves, are capable and have the courage of their convictions,” she said. Mead also recognizes the luxury of scale from yet another perspective — that of a donor. All gifts to Colby-Sawyer have a measurable and immediate impact. “Obviously, larger gifts and bequests support our endowment and secure critically important capital improvements,” she said. “But I particularly enjoy the tremendous impact of those smaller gifts that are designated specifically to enhance the student experience. Paid over the next five years, my relatively modest gift to underwrite the store’s move, create a new entrance and provide new furnishings should have a huge impact on recruitment and retention.” ® Feel the urge to shop but can’t get to campus? Visit shop.colby-sawyer.edu to restock your Colby-Sawyer gear. Moved to support student experiences like Robin? Contact Vice President for Advancement Kathy Bonavist at kathy.bonavist@colby-sawyer.edu to discuss ways you can make a lasting impact.
A YEAR TO REMEMBER by Mike Gregory, director of Advancement Communications
Thanks to the support of so many dedicated donors, work on the long-awaited arts building project has finally begun. The sustainable deconstruction and repurposing of Colby Farm, built in 1987, allowed for foundation work for the new arts building to begin in late summer. This project has been fully funded, and we are grateful to all whose gifts have made the building possible. The Galligan family graciously moved out of the President’s House in May to create a window of time for much-needed renovations. The house had languished on the list of buildings requiring significant renovation and deferred maintenance challenges. Sally Shaw Veitch ’66, recognizing the importance of the house as a community and event space, provided the funds necessary to repaint and refresh the carpeting, repair the roof and renovate the outdated kitchen. Senior Director of Facilities Bob Vachon noted that it had been many years since the house had been touched, and that the improvements, particularly to the kitchen, would greatly enhance catered events.
COURTESY: S/L/A/M COLLABORATIVE
Colby-Sawyer’s 2016 fiscal year, running from July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016, was perhaps more eventful than most as we bid farewell to President Galligan and welcomed President Stuebner. During this period, alumni and friends came together in support of The Power of Infinity Campaign, and the outpouring of generosity allowed us to accomplish some wonderful things on campus.
Scholarship support is always imperative, with 98 percent of students requiring some form of financial aid, and our donors recognized this need. Many alumni and friends joined staff, faculty and students in directing gifts toward The Tom and Susan Galligan Scholarship Fund. Honoring our outgoing presidential couple, the fund will offer scholarship support to deserving students to continue the Galligans’ legacy of promoting diversity. Trustee Gretchen Richter Massey ’82 and Paul Massey agreed to match all gifts up to $100,000, and the total raised including this match was $229,282.
PHOTO: KATHY BONAVIST
Other improvements on campus made possible by gifts this past fiscal year include furnishings for the Office of Admissions; carpeting for the library; and a reimagined, student-focused campus store, The Stable, in the Ware Student Center.
The 2017 fiscal year began on July 1, 2016, which was also the day President Stuebner took office. We look forward to a successful year emboldened by her leadership and supported by our alumni and friends. ® fall 2016 49
THE SEASON IN SPORTS SPRING 2016 ALPINE SKIING Under third-year Head Coach Jake Fisher, Colby-Sawyer continued to improve and gain recognition in its fifth season with the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA), the most competitive league in collegiate skiing.
Barile placed 44th in the giant slalom at the EISA Championship held at the Middlebury Snow Bowl.
First-year students Jillian Barile (Lake Placid, N.Y.) and Shelby Kantor (East Burke, Vt.), sophomores Diana Abbott (Truckee, Calif.) and Jamie Marshall (Carrabassett Valley, Maine), and juniors Scott Cooper (Reno, Nev.) and Kenny Wilson (Canyondam, Calif.) were named to the 2016 National Collegiate All- Academic Ski Team, as announced by the U.S. Collegiate Ski Coaches Association. Cooper and Wilson were honored for the third straight season, while Abbott and Marshall were honored for the second straight season.
Wilson earned six top-30 finishes on the season for the men’s team, including an 11th place in the giant slalom at the EISA Championship.
Cooper had a career-best 19th place in the giant slalom at the EISA Championship.
Junior Nicole Taylor’s (Windham, N.H.) top finish was 29th in the giant slalom at Jiminy Peak. Marshall had a pair of season-best 42nd place finishes in the slalom at Stowe and Jiminy Peak. Senior Matt Nolan (Meredith, N.H.) placed in the top 39 eight times, highlighted by a 24th in the giant slalom at Stowe. Nolan was selected to give the student perspective speech at the annual Senior Athletic Awards Banquet.
Abbott had her best finish of the year at Stowe, where she placed 35th in the giant slalom.
Senior Tom Bobotas (Gilford, N.H.) had his best finish at Stowe, placing 44th in the giant slalom.
Senior Kylee Turko (Palmerton, Pa.) came away with the season’s top finish for the women’s team by placing 25th in the slalom at Stowe Mountain.
First-year student Jake Hopfinger (Pittsford, N.Y.) placed 46th in the slalom at Jiminy Peak, while sophomore David Meola (Barneveld, N.Y.) finished 49th in the slalom at the Dartmouth Skiway.
Kenny Wilson ’17 had the best finish of the season with an 11th place in giant slalom at the EISA Championships this season.
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the NEISDA Championships by placing in the top eight in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle events. She then competed at the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships hosted by the U.S. Naval Academy. First-year student Meagan Thomsen (Gorham, Maine) and sophomore Makenzie Welch (Torrington, Conn.) also earned All-New England honors. Thomsen collected the award in the 50 backstroke, while Welch garnered accolades in the 100 IM. Four Chargers representing the women’s team were named to the NEISDA All- Academic Team: Miller, sophomores Anna Gaskill (Brattleboro, Vt.) and Meredith Lenhardt (Hamilton, N.J.) and senior Hannah Willcutt (Tilton, N.H.). Three men’s records were set by senior Devin Uhlman (Norwell, Mass.), who shined at the NEISDA Championships and came away with two records in the individual medley events. He set a new standard in the 200 IM with a time of 2:06.62 and placed fourth to earn All- New England honors. He also set a record time of 4:26.76 in the 400 IM to place fourth and earn All-New England honors.
SWIMMING AND DIVING Under second-year Head Coach Signe Linville ’06, the men’s and women’s teams enjoyed another successful season that saw 15 members compete in 37 events at the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association (NEISDA) Championships. Senior Elaine Miller (Windham, Maine) earned three All-New England honors at
PHOTO: MICHAEL SEAMANS
Kantor collected 41st place three times throughout the season.
PHOTO: DENNIS CURRAN
sports
by Ryan Emerson
Head Coach Signe Linville ’06 talks strategy with Elaine Miller ’16.
Junior Brett Cayer (Newington, Conn.) also set a school record at the NEISDA Championships. He came away with a record time of 1:51.19 in the 200 freestyle. Sophomore Mason Amitrano (West Greenwich, R.I.) came away with All-New England honors in the 100 IM while junior Jameson Ploch (Old Town, Maine) earned a pair of All-New England honors in the 200 IM and 400 IM. WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (12-14; 9-9 NAC) Colby-Sawyer made an appearance in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Tourna ment quarter finals, competing in the postseason for the 23rd straight season. THE 2016 COLBY-SAWYER ATHLETIC ADVISORY COUNCIL AWARD WINNERS Defense was the driving force once again for the Chargers, who are historically near the top of the nation’s best in multiple defensive statistical categories. Colby- Sawyer ranked 18th in the country in field goal percentage defense (32.5) and held its opponents to 50 points or fewer 13 times. The team recorded the second most blocks in a season with 171 (ninth most in the nation) and finished the season sixth in the nation with 6.6 blocks per game.
left to right: The Wynne Jesser McGrew Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year award was presented to Rebecca Hashem ’16 of the field hockey and women’s indoor/ outdoor track and field teams; Rachel Quaye ’17 of the women’s soccer and indoor/ outdoor track and field teams was named Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year; Peter Donato ’16 of the men’s basketball team received the Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year award for the second consecutive year; DJ Ayotte ’16 of the men’s cross-country and indoor/outdoor track and field teams was awarded the Male Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.
points per game and was on the floor a team-high 26.6 minutes per game. Shenkel ended her career tied for third in made three-pointers with 162.
Senior Jessica Shenkel (Sharon, Mass.) was named to the NAC Sportsmanship Team. She led the Chargers with 10.5
PHOTO: JOHN QUACKENBOS
Junior Kristin Ellis (South Easton, Mass.) led the team with 7.9 rebounds per game and grabbed 17 boards twice during the season.
Jessica Shenkel ’16 led the Chargers with 10.5 points per game.
Prior to the regular season, Colby-Sawyer traveled to Durham, N.H., to play an exhibition game against the Division I Wildcats of the University of New Hampshire. The Chargers held a lead early in the game before the Wildcats regained the advantage to win 72-41. UNH only outscored the Chargers 26-24 in the second half, but Colby-Sawyer won the fourth quarter 12-8. The Chargers forced multiple UNH shot-clock violations as the Wildcats finished with 21 turnovers, while the Chargers had 20. Junior Lexi Iannone (North Haven, Conn.) led the team with a game-best 13 points.
MEN’S BASKETBALL (19-8; 14-4 NAC) The Chargers reached the NAC title game for the third time in five years but fell to Husson University. Senior Peter Donato (Portland, Maine) and sophomore Taylor Grande (Bedford, N.H.) were named All-Tournament. Colby-Sawyer made its ninth ECAC Tournament appearance and was edged by Anna Maria College in a close semi final contest. Donato was named to the D3hoops.com All Northeast Region third team for the second straight season. Donato was named NAC Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season, leading the team with 22.6 points (the third- highest average in program history) and 8.1 rebounds per game. He made 240 field goals, which tied for second most in a season. Donato finished his career 10th in points (1,331), second in blocks (115), sixth in rebounds (662) and seventh in fall 2016
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field goals (544). He also garnered All-NAC First Team accolades for the second straight season and earned a pair of NAC Player of the Week awards. Senior Wol Majong (Manchester, N.H.) earned his second straight nod to the All-NAC Second Team. He also was named to the Sportsmanship Team and earned an NAC Player of the Week honor. Majong ends his career ranked ninth in career points (1,359), fifth in three-pointers (196), seventh in free throws (279) and eighth in steals (159). First-year student Milani Hicks (Scarborough, Maine) earned four NAC Rookie of the Week awards. He played in all 27 of the Chargers’ games and earned 15 starts. He finished the year averaging 8.6 points and 6 rebounds per game. Hicks was second on the team with 17 blocked shots. Sophomore Evyn Nolette (Sanford, Maine) was named to the 2016 Winter/ Spring NAC All-Academic Team. He appeared in 15 games in his second season with the Chargers. BASEBALL (13-23; 8-16 NAC) The team saw an eight-win increase from last season to finish 13-23 overall and just miss out on the NAC postseason with an 8-16 mark.
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Sophomore Andrew Carbone (Lynnfield, Mass.) was named to the NAC Baseball Sportsmanship Team. He led the Chargers on the mound with 12 appearances and four wins. Senior Mike Bowse (Merrimack, N.H.) led the pitching staff with 43.1 innings and a pair of complete games. He finished the season with a 3.53 ERA and surrendered just one earned run in his final four appearances, spanning 20 innings. Bowse ranked 40th in the nation in fewest walks per nine innings with 1.25 after surrendering just six free passes during the season. He finished his career with a program-record 13 pickoffs.
Three players earned All-NAC honors this season: sophomore Doug Avellino (Woodstock, Vt.) was named All-NAC First Team, while juniors Nathan Frongillo (Haverhill, Mass.) and Jackson Musco (Litchfield, N.H.) were named to the All-NAC Second Team. Avellino had a big impact in his first season with the Chargers. He played and started in 32 games and was second on the team with a .333 batting average, 114 at-bats and 21 runs. He was 11th among all conference players with 38 hits and 10th with eight doubles while leading the team in each category. Avellino earned a pair of NAC Rookie of the Week honors. Frongillo hit an impressive .393 to lead the team and was third among all conference players. He also led the team and ranked third in the NAC with a .512 slugging percentage. He had a team-best on-base percentage of .452 to rank fourth in the conference. He scored 17 times in 27 games and knocked in 14 runs. Frongillo was the NAC Rookie of the Year and First Team selection in 2014. For the second consecutive season, Frongillo ended the year with a double-digit hitting streak. After finishing 2015 with a 12-game streak, Frongillo will take a 10-game streak into the 2017 season.
Sophomore Connor Henry (East Boston, Mass.) tied Bowse for second on the team with three wins on the mound. Henry had a team-best 3.26 ERA in seven starts. When Henry wasn’t pitching, he was contributing at the plate with 18 hits, nine RBIs and four doubles. Doug Avellino ’19 represented the Chargers on the All-NAC Baseball First Team.
PHOTO: JOHN QUACKENBOS
PHOTO: JOHN QUACKENBOS
sports Wol Majong ’16 ended his career ranked ninth in career points with 1,359.
Musco was second on the team with 33 appearances and tied for second with Avellino with 32 starts. He scored a teambest 26 runs after collecting a team-high 121 at-bats. The 26 runs ranked Musco 10th among all NAC players. He was tied for second with 34 hits and finished the season with a .281 batting average. Musco led the team with 15 stolen bases and was third in the conference. He earned a Player of the Week honor this season.
Head Coach Jim Broughton was recognized as the NAC Coach of the Year for leading the team’s dramatic improvement. Colby-Sawyer doubled several of the team’s previous offensive numbers in conference play from a season ago, as the Chargers recorded 102 runs, 189 hits, 90 RBIs, 24 doubles and 31 stolen bases. The team improved its batting average by almost .100 this season while also recording a .358 on-base percentage. ColbySawyer was one of the toughest teams to strike out in NAC games, posting a low 84 strikeouts, and the team drew the second most walks (68). With only four seniors, Broughton is excited to continue an upward trend next year as the core lineup returns after this year’s valuable playing experience.
Junior Michael Fazio (Auburn, Mass.) picked up four saves out of the bullpen, which tied the record for second-most saves in a career. Sophomores Brady Dion (Sabattus, Maine) and Bobby Madden (Malden, Mass.) garnered NAC All-Academic awards. MEN’S TENNIS (15-6; 6-0 NAC East) The team had arguably one of the top seasons in program history with its fifth straight NAC East Division title and fourth consecutive NAC/North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) crossover championship. The team earned a berth to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament for the fourth time in program history. Colby-Sawyer finished the season with multiple signature wins and went un defeated in conference play for the fifth straight season. The Chargers are 28-0 since joining the NAC in the 2012 season. The 15 wins tied with the 2003 squad for second most in a season. Colby-Sawyer earned impressive wins over Division I Siena and Division II Saint Michael’s, in addition to a pair of teams that played in the Division III NCAA Tournament. The Chargers won the NAC East Division with a 9-0 victory over Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in the semifinals and a 5-0 sweep over Castleton in the finals. First-year student Alex Wright (St. Austell, Cornwall, England) was named NAC East Division Tournament MVP, Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week after winning all four of his matches in the semifinals and finals. Sophomore Ross Kenney (Hampton Falls, N.H.) and junior Ryan Sawyer (Edgartown, Mass.) were named to the All-Tournament Team. The team went on to play NAC West Division winners Penn State Abington in the crossover for the third straight season, defeating the Nittany Lions 9-0 to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
above, clockwise from top left:
Women’s Track and Field; Women’s Cross Country; Men’s Track and Field; Men’s Tennis
CONFERENCE CHAMPS Men’s outdoor track and field Men’s tennis Women’s cross country Women’s outdoor track and field Women’s soccer Women’s tennis Women’s volleyball RUNNERS-UP Men’s basketball Men’s cross country Women’s lacrosse
A YEAR OF CHAMPIONS The 2015-2016 athletic calendar was one for the record books for Colby-Sawyer as the Chargers completed the most successful year in school history. Seven teams were crowned conference champions, while three others were runners-up. Four teams competed in the NCAA Tournament, in addition to one individual competing in a pair of events at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Colby-Sawyer collected numerous major conference awards including six Players/Athletes of the Year, two Defensive Players of the Year, five Rookies of the Year, one Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year and seven Coaches of the Year. Twenty-one student-athletes, including four MVPs, were named All-Tournament for impressive performances in the conference postseason. A total of 26 student-athletes garnered All-NAC First Team accolades, 19 were named All-NAC Second Team, and 25 outdoor track and field athletes earned All-NAC honors. The Chargers were also successful in the classroom this year, with 30 student-athletes earning NAC All-Academic awards for having at least a 3.5 GPA. ®
Colby-Sawyer was edged by Nichols, 5-4, in a marathon NCAA First Round match fall 2016
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Senior Julius Graefe (East Longmeadow, Mass.) was named to the NAC All- Academic Team for the second straight season.
wins out of conference against Division II opponents Southern New Hampshire and Saint Michael’s.
Gustav Jigrup ’19 became the third Charger in the past four seasons to be named conference Player of the Year.
that took more than 4.5 hours to complete. The Chargers beat the Bison 6-3 in the regular season, but Nichols avenged the loss by outlasting ColbySawyer in perhaps the match of the NCAA Tournament. The Chargers were well represented on the All-NAC teams once again, as highlighted by sophomore Gustav Jigrup (Vastra Frolunda, Sweden), who was named NAC Player of the Year, and Wright, who earned Rookie of the Year honors. Jigrup earned the program’s third Player of the Year award since joining the league. Wright also picked up a third Rookie of the Year honor for the program. Jigrup, Sawyer and Wright were named All-NAC First Team for singles. Jigrup and sophomore Andrew Peloquin (Greenville, R.I.) earned a nod to the All-NAC Doubles First Team after going 3-0 in conference play as a duo. Kenney was named to the NAC Sportsmanship Team. He went 3-0 in conference singles matches and was unblemished in three NAC doubles matches. Sawyer teamed with junior Dean Boodakian (Burlington, Mass.) to be named to the All-NAC Doubles Second Team. The duo had a perfect 5-0 record against NAC teams and didn’t let any opposing team get closer than an 8-5 score. The team also picked up signature 54 colby-sawyer magazine
EQUESTRIAN The team, which competes in the fall and spring, had five riders qualify for the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) Regional Championship held at Morton Farm in Etna, N.H., in the spring. Those riders included first-year student Laura Bartlett (Acton, Mass.), sophomore Emma Schick (Newfields, N.H.), juniors Tori Delaney (Centerville, Mass.) and Maddy Dionne (Candia, N.H.) and senior Juli Lovington (Guilford, Conn.).
Jigrup had an impressive first season with the Chargers, recording a 13-4 overall mark in singles, 11-4 at No. 1 and 2-0 at No. 3. In conference action, he went a perfect 5-0 at the top-flight in singles and 4-0 at No. 1 doubles and 1-0 at No. 2 doubles. One of his most impressive conference victories was his 7-5, 6-4 win over Green Mountain’s Connor Braden, as he gave the Eagles’ top player his first and only loss of the season. Jigrup was also stellar out of conference, helping his team claim wins over two Common wealth Coast Conference (CCC) rivals. He earned his team a point at No. 3 singles to lead Colby-Sawyer to a 6-3 win over Nichols, the CCC’s top team, which was the first time the Chargers have beaten the Bison in seven years. Jigrup then collected a victory over Gordon’s No. 1 to help his team earn a 5-4 victory. The sophomore also claimed some impressive singles victories out of division, beating two Division II players, Bentley’s No. 1 and Southern New Hampshire’s No. 3, and earning a win against Division I Siena’s top-player, leading Colby-Sawyer to a 4-3 victory. Wright was an incredible addition to the Charger lineup and tallied a perfect 5-0 singles record in conference play, going 1-0 at No. 1 and 4-0 at No. 2. The rookie also recorded a 4-0 mark in NAC doubles action with a 1-0 record at No. 2 and a 3-0 record at No. 3. One of his most impressive conference victories was his 6-2, 6-1 win over Castleton’s Soren PelzWalsh, as he gave the six-time NAC East Rookie of the Week selection his first and only loss of the season. In a 5-4 non- conference win over CCC rival Endicott, Wright claimed a 6-0, 6-4 victory at No. 2 singles against a player who had 15 wins on the season. He also beat Division I Siena’s No. 2 singles player to help lead his team to 4-3 victory.
Delaney made the final cut for the Novice Flat Championship Class and placed third. Schick made the final cut for the Walk/ Trot/Canter Championship Class and placed fourth. Lovington placed seventh in the Open Challenge Class. In the final regular show of the season held March 5 at the UNH Equine Center, the Chargers earned Reserve High Point team honors and showcased many great rides. Delaney, Dionne and senior Micaela Reilly (Arlington, Mass.) each earned blue ribbons. Juli Lovington ’16 heads into the ring at Colby- Sawyer’s home show held at West Meadow Stables.
PHOTO: COLBY-SAWYER ATHLETICS
PHOTO: MATT PLOUFFE ’17
sports
Head Coach Barry Schoonmaker was named Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year for the second time.
Earlier in the fall, Bartlett tied for Reserve High Point Rider at Endicott after placing first in Novice Flat and second in Novice Fences. At the University of Vermont, Delaney was the Reserve High Point Rider after finishing first in Intermediate Fences and Novice Flat. The Chargers won many more ribbons as they completed another successful season. WOMEN’S LACROSSE (12-7; 7-1 NAC) The team won a program-record 12 games in 2016 and reached the NAC championship game for the first time since joining the league in 2012. The conference final was the second overall appearance in program history. The Chargers went 12-6 and 7-1 in conference play to earn the second seed in the NAC tournament. Colby-Sawyer won an overtime thriller against intrastate rival New England College 13-12 in the semi final round. The Chargers’ season ended with a gritty effort in the championship game at top-seed Castleton. Sophomores Nicole Lavigne (Berlin, Vt.) and Bailey Starr (Barre, Vt.) and senior Sara Berry (Bowdoinham, Maine) were named to the All-Tournament Team. Colby-Sawyer finished the season ranked 21st in the nation with 12.16 caused turnovers per game.
PHOTO: JOHN QUACKENBOS
Caitlyn Whearty ’16 ranks sixth in career points (160) and goals (131).
NEW CONFERENCE IN 2018 Colby-Sawyer has accepted an invitation to join The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) as full members at the beginning of the 2018-2019 academic year. Founded in 1995, the GNAC is currently composed of 12 member institutions, with at least one school in each state across New England. It provides championship opportunities for more than 3,000 student-athletes and includes Albertus Magnus College (New Haven, Conn.), Anna Maria College (Paxton, Mass.), Emmanuel College (Boston, Mass.), Johnson & Wales University (Providence, R.I.), Lasell College (Newton, Mass.), Mount Ida College (Newton, Mass.), Norwich University (Northfield, Vt.), Rivier University (Nashua, N.H.), Saint Joseph’s College of Maine (Standish, Maine), Simmons College (Boston, Mass.), Suffolk University (Boston, Mass.) and University of Saint Joseph Connecticut (West Hartford, Conn.).
Six Chargers received NAC All-Conference recognition: Senior Caitlyn Whearty (Hampstead, N.H.), Berry and Lavigne were named to the NAC All-Conference First Team. Seniors Katie Cawley (Abington, Mass.) and Sarah Harlow (Putney, Vt.), plus junior Meghan Castellano (Wallingford, Conn.), were named to the NAC All- Conference Second Team. Whearty received her first All-Conference honor and had a stellar final season with the Chargers. She was second on the team in points (55), goals (45) and assists (10), placing herself among Colby-Sawyer’s all-time leaders in points and goals. She ends her career ranked sixth in career goals with 131 and career points with 160. Whearty was also named to the All-NAC Sportsmanship Team. Berry collected her first nod to the All- NAC First Team after being named to the second team the past two seasons. She led the team in ground balls with 79 and caused turnovers with 56. Berry was third on the team in points (41) and goals (36). The tri-captain also ranked among the national leaders: Berry ended the season 14th in the country in caused turnovers per game (2.95) and 32nd in ground balls per game (4.16). She was named NAC
Defensive Player of the Week and ECAC Defensive Player of the Week once this season. Lavigne garnered her second straight All-NAC First Team honor. She led the Chargers in points (63), goals (54) and game-winning goals (4). She also ranked second on the team with 72 draw controls, 32 caused turnovers and 52 ground balls. Lavigne scored at least one goal in each game and extends her consecutive game-scoring streak to 27. She’s scored in 33 of 35 games played in her two seasons. Cawley earned her first All-Conference award and was one of the anchors on the Colby-Sawyer defense. She ranked fourth on the team with 40 ground balls and 20 caused turnovers. Also providing the Chargers with stellar defense on the back line was Harlow, who earned her first All-NAC honor. She collected 24 ground balls and caused 15 turnovers. The tri-captain’s awareness of the field and communication with teammates helped the Chargers collect a program-record 12 wins. Castellano was one of two goalies recognized as All-Conference. In conference games, she ranked first in minutes (480), fall 2016
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Berry and Harlow earned their second straight NAC All-Academic Team award, while Lavigne and sophomores Carli Chiodo (Madbury, N.H.) and Jesse Murch (Waterford, Maine) were honored for the first time. TRACK AND FIELD Colby-Sawyer had one of the most successful indoor/outdoor track and field seasons in program history. After a second straight impressive indoor season, the outdoor slate results were even more remarkable, as both the men and the women won NAC Championships. In addition to team accolades, senior Rasheed Foster (Sandy Bay, Hanover, Jamaica) became the first Charger since 2007 to compete at the NCAA Championships. The indoor season featured 14 records on the men’s side and eight on the women’s. Colby-Sawyer sent nine men and three women to the New England Championships. Representing the men’s team were Foster, first-year student Kyle Diezel (Pittsford, Vt.), sophomores Matt Carl (Kingston, N.Y.), Karl Nyholm (Concord, Mass.) and Curtis Warren (Morrill, Maine), junior Brandon Legendre (Waterford, Vt.) and seniors Al Sayce (Pembroke, Mass.), Ben Bunnell (Barnet, Vt.), and Cullen Robinson (Sanbornton, N.H.). Foster (60m-4th), 56 colby-sawyer magazine
Legendre (1000m-8th) and Nyholm (shot put-2nd) achieved All-New England honors. Representing the women’s team were senior Becca Hashem (Webster, N.H.) and juniors Emily Lopez (Lincolnville, Maine) and Rachel Quaye (West minster, Mass.); Quaye earned a pair of All-New England honors by placing eighth in the shot put and pentathlon. Hashem and Quaye also competed at the ECAC Championships. The men sent Bunnell, Carl, Diezel, Foster, Legendre, Nyholm and Sayce. Quaye earned All-ECAC honors in the shot put, while Legendre came away with All-ECAC honors in the 1,000-meter run. After a notable outdoor season last year, this spring the Chargers achieved seven school records from the men’s team and four from the women’s. Colby- Sawyer was the site of the NAC Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship for the second straight season and the home of the inaugural NAC Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship. The women’s team avenged a secondplace finish by a half-point to Husson last year by winning this year’s title with 216 points, 30 more than the secondplace Eagles. The men’s team made it a Colby-Sawyer sweep by cruising to the inaugural NAC crown with 227 points, 101 more than the second-place finisher. Each event winner was honored as an NAC Champion.
PHOTO: COLBY-SAWYER ATHLETICS
sports
second in goals against (40), second in goals against average (5.00), second in wins (7), second in save percentage (60.0) and fifth in saves (60). In all games, she led all NAC players with 12 wins and was second in goals against average (8.69). Castellano ended the season ranked 61st in the nation in goals against average and 69th in saves with 141. She set a single-season program record with 12 wins and has a record 23 career wins. She also ranks seventh in career saves with 253. Castellano was twice named NAC Defensive Player of the Week and once named ECAC Defensive Player of the Week this season.
Rasheed Foster ’17 became the fifth Charger and first since 2007 to compete at the NCAA Division III National Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Sophomore Emmani Robinson (Newburgh, N.Y.) won the shot put for the second straight year, while teammate Quaye was the victor in the javelin for the second time. Bunnell was the winner in the 5,000meter run, while Diezel won the 400- meter dash. Foster also picked up a pair of victories by winning the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Nyholm collected a pair of wins in the discus and shot put. Legendre won the 800 meter and 1,500 meter to add to Colby-Sawyer’s win total.
Lopez was one of two Chargers to win a pair of events at the NAC Champion ships; she came away with wins in the 800-meter run and the high jump.
The Colby-Sawyer men also won both relay events. The 4x100 team of Carl, Diezel, Foster and Sayce took top honors, while Diezel, Legendre and first-year students Chris Martin (Bristol, Conn.) and Eric Morin (North Sutton, N.H.) teamed up to win the 4x400.
Junior Kylee Parker (Winterport, Maine) took top honors in the 1,500 meter and the 5,000 meter.
Warren took the top spot in the pole vault, and Robinson came away with a win in the triple jump.
In her first championship appearance, first-year student Amanda Martin (Amesbury, Mass.) took home a medallion for winning the 400-meter dash.
At season’s end, Foster was selected as the NAC Men’s Track and Field Track Athlete of the Year, while Nyholm was tabbed Field Athlete of the Year. Junior
Brian Gallagher (Billerica, Mass.) represented Colby-Sawyer on the NAC Sportsmanship Team.
Quaye recorded two All-New England efforts after finishing third in the heptathlon and seventh in the shot put.
The women’s team swept the NAC major awards. Lopez was selected as NAC Track Athlete of the Year, while Quaye was named Field Athlete of the Year, and Martin earned Rookie of the Year honors. Hashem represented the Chargers on the NAC Sportsmanship Team.
Foster earned All-New England honors in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Carl, Diezel, Foster and Sayce combined for an All-New England effort in the 4x100 relay. Nyholm finished second out of 20 competitors and earned All-New England honors in the shot put.
Head Coach Lyndsay Bisaccio was chosen as the Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year.
Colby-Sawyer sent 12 student-athletes to the ECAC Outdoor Championships.
Hashem and senior Courtney Figucia (Wilmington, Mass.) were named NAC All-Academic for the second straight season. Senior Hannah Willcutt (Tilton, N.H.), along with juniors Erica Pantaleo (Pelham, N.H.), Parker and Quaye were also honored. In the first year the conference has sponsored men’s outdoor track and field, senior DJ Ayotte (East Kingston, N.H.) and Warren were named NAC All- Academic. Colby-Sawyer sent five relay teams and had eight student-athletes compete in 13 individual events at the New England Championships. The men’s team was represented in individual events by Foster (100m, 200m); Sayce (100m, 200m); Warren (pole vault); Nyholm (shot put); Legendre (800m) and Bunnell (3000m steeplechase). Carl, Diezel, sophomore Kody Frye (Keene, N.H.), Martin, Morin and first-year student Bruin Smith (Cohoes, N.Y.) were members of the competing relay teams. The women sent Lopez (high jump, 800m) and Quaye (shot put, discus, heptathlon) for individual events. Relay team competitors also included Martin, sophomore Lauren Oligny (Plaistow, N.H.), and first-year students Michaela Peabody (Jefferson, Maine), Shari Rainville (Highgate Center, Vt.) and Alley Rogers (Middleton, N.H.).
Quaye (javelin, heptathlon); Robinson (shot put); Hashem (hammer); Lopez (800m, 4x800); Martin (4x800); Oligny (4x800) and Rogers (4x800) represented the women’s team, while Foster (100m, 200m, 4x100); Nyholm (shot put); Carl (4x100); Diezel (4x100) and Sayce (4x100) represented the men’s team. The men’s team scored 18 points to finish t-14th out of 53, while the women were t-35th out of 60 with six points. Foster had arguably one of the best ECAC Championships in Colby-Sawyer history and was named Men’s Most Outstanding Performer of the Meet. He also earned a pair of All-ECAC honors for top-8 results in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Foster won the 200-meter dash in a school- record time of 21.47. He beat a field of 28 and recorded the 14th fastest 200-meter time in the nation. After finishing second in the 100 prelims with a record time of 10.73, he set a new mark by crossing the finish in 10.65 to place second in the finals. The 100-meter time of 10.65 put Foster in a tie for 15th fastest in the nation. He became the second Charger to win an ECAC event (Stephanie Roy ’02, javelin, 2000) and first to be named Most Outstanding Performer of the Meet. Quaye earned two All-ECAC honors by finishing eighth in the heptathlon and eighth in the javelin.
Lopez collected a school record in the 800 meter. Also setting a new record was the men’s 4x100 relay team of Carl, Diezel, Foster and Sayce. The team combined for a new standard of 42.60 and placed 11th out of 31 teams. Foster represented Colby-Sawyer and became the fifth Charger to compete at the NCAA Division III National Outdoor Track and Field Championships and the first since Colby-Sawyer Athletics Hall of Famer Brittni Stewart ’07 competed in the javelin in 2007. Foster earned a spot in the 100- and 200-meter dashes to become the first Charger to compete in more than one event. He joins Stewart, Colby-Sawyer Athletics Hall of Famers Stephanie Roy ’02 and Scott Macdonald ’05 (javelin), as well as Dave Moreton ’02 (triple jump), as the only Chargers to compete at National’s. On the first day of NCAA competition, Foster finished third in his heat with a time of 21.75 and ninth out of 20 competitors in the 200-meter dash. Despite missing the finals cut by just one spot, he improved five spots from his seed rank. Foster then improved his seed rank for the second straight day and finished 13th in the 100-meter dash prelims. He crossed the finish in 10.76 seconds. Three student-athletes earned U.S. Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association All Region honors. Foster, Nyholm and Robinson were honored. Foster garnered a pair of All-Region accolades for performances in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Nyholm collected All-Region honors in the shot put as did Robinson. ® Ryan Emerson has been Colby-Sawyer’s Sports Information Director since 2008. He holds a B.S. from Western New England University and an M.B.A. from Providence College.
Robinson came away with a record and an All-ECAC performance in the shot put.
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news from alumni relations
Be sure to join us Oct. 14 – 16 for the festivities and for President Susan D. Stuebner’s investiture. Enjoy alumni and varsity sporting events, facultyled workshops and talks, an alumni Mountain Day, and socializing with old and new friends. Don’t miss this chance to catch up with your classmates and your college! Visit colby-sawyer.edu/homecoming for more information.
Reunion celebrations for these classes will take place during Homecoming: 1936 · 1941 1946 · 1951 1956 · 1961 1966 · 1971 1976 · 1981 1986 · 1991 1996 · 2001 2006 · 2011
SEE YOUR CLASS NOTES PHOTOS ONLINE Did you submit a photo for the Class Notes section of Colby-Sawyer but don’t see it here? We receive so many that we can’t include every photo in the magazine, but they can all be viewed at colby-sawyer.edu/classnotesphotos. Take a look there and continue to send us your interesting, high-resolution photos with captions.
The Office of Alumni Relations works hard to bring the college to alumni around the country. Often, our regional events are made possible by alumni who host gatherings in their homes or local venues. On June 9, Meghan Andersen ’03 hosted a beer tasting event (right) at Sam Adams Brewery in Boston. If you are interested in hosting an event, please contact us in the Alumni Office! JOIN US FOR A COLBY-SAWYER EVENT NEAR YOU President Stuebner looks forward to connecting with alumni across the country in the coming year. Visit colby-sawyer.edu/ alumni/events for details about where you can meet her and learn about her vision for Colby-Sawyer College.
PHOTO: GIL TALBOT
Colby-Sawyer gives great thanks to our recent event hosts: MEGHAN ANDERSEN ’03 in Boston, Mass. JOE DOUD ’09 in Burlington, Vt. MEGAN THAYER ’04 and JULIAN FREY ’05 in Portsmouth, N.H. Connect with the Alumni Office: alumni@colby-sawyer.edu ♦ 603.526.3722 ♦ 800.266.8253 Thank you for your support! Thanks go out to all of our alumni who supported the Colby-Sawyer Fund this year with an investment in the college. Our fiscal year ran from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016, and during this time your generous donations enriched the experience of all our students. For that, the college community is grateful.
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facebook.com/colbysawyeralumni twitter.com/colbysawyer linkedin.com/groups?gid=143715 instagram.com/csc_alumni
IN MEMORIAM Lucille Shevett 1927 – 2016 Here in the Office of Alumni Relations, we were saddened to learn of the passing of our friend and longtime colleague, Lucille Shevett, on June 8. Lucille worked with us from 1988 to 2003 and touched the lives of hundreds of alumni during her time at the college. She’ll be remembered fondly for her sharp wit and sense of humor.
class notes 1938
Barbara Symonds Ayers is 97 and lives at the Mountain View Community in Ossipee, NH. She served in WWII and was assigned to the motor pool at Hickam Field in Pearl Harbor, HI.
1943
MARGARET MORSE TIRRELL dptirrell@juno.com Shirley Mowry Reichenberg reports she is “still alive and kicking. A bit slower, but steady on. Every day is a blessing at this age, God willing!”
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JEANNE “PENNY” LOSEY BOLE djbole2012@gmail.com Ann Tilton Carpenter lives independently in her Concord, NH, apt. Her great-grands are growing, 2 boys and a girl. She enjoys bridge and driving, and we talked of meeting in New London this summer with Jane MacCabe Kelly. Jane spent the winter in Venice, FL, with her friend Tim and summers at her villa in PA. Margaret Kentfield Burkey has “climbed into the 90s.” She has lived in her home for 60 years and has a daily caregiver; her family lives next door. Gloria Hirsch Flanzer still takes classes at the Botanical Gardens, has been a docent at the Art Institute for 31 years, and has the joy of her 1st great-grandchild. Unfortunately, she lost her son 2 years ago. We shared a wealth of memories regarding our years at Colby-Sawyer! Jane Titus George has worked at Wegmans for 16 years, arranging bananas; she is also a real-estate broker and for 20 years has been a docent at the Philadelphia Zoo. Jane has her home in the country on 6 acres, her kids live with her, and she plans to “just keep on
going!” Martha Miller Hyatt is in her own home in Chambersburg, PA. She loves her gardens and country living and is still active in the dog rescue business that she and her husband began. In May, she went to the Cape Cod home that’s been in the family for years. Elinor Files Halsted has spent many summers on the Cape at Cotuit, MA (where my son Scott and his wife Amy have a home). Ellie’s Cape house is a gathering place for visitors, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and we hoped to meet there for the 4th of July parade. Myrtle Furbush Mansfield resides in a 55+ community in ME and has been on the board of directors for her mobile home park. She keeps busy cooking and knitting, especially socks, which she sells in Today’s Old Time Shop. She has also made chemo caps for cancer survivors and does a lot of volunteering. Her daughter and son-in-law, a minister, live in WI. I had a nice conversation with Bruce Fletcher, eldest son of Mary Jane Niedner Mason, who told me “MJ” is still in the same nursing home in CT, uses a walker, knows her family, and is aware she is going to have another great-grandchild soon. Ann Norton Merrill has a wedding to attend in Atlanta this fall, and her life in Contoocook, NH, seems full. She plays bridge weekly, dines out a good deal and is in contact with
Nancy Erickson Murphy ’45 and Cal, her husband of 70 years!
friends from her old ski club. She has many great-grands. Betsy VanGorder Minkler began her conversation with “HOORAY! I have my driving license once more!” She is 91, loves her CA home and sounded happy, especially when describing the trip she and her 6 great-grandchildren took to Yosemite. Carol Cathcart Hutchins leads a quiet life in her house of 50 years; she has 2 grandsons living with her. She drives and spends a good deal of time reading. Lila Latham Touhey still drives and lives part of the year in a retirement home in Upstate NY and spends the summer months at Lake Champlain. She is fortunate not to use a cane or walker, and she goes to exercise classes regularly. Her daughter lives nearby, and an annual Thanksgiving dinner for the family of 50 or so at the Mohonk Mtn House in New Paltz, NY, is Lila’s treat for all. I wish each of you peace, good health, joy and thanks for the 90+ years we all have shared. Thank you for telling me your stories and many memories of our Colby-Sawyer years.
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RUTH ANDERSON PADGETT ruthlajolla@aol.com A big shout-out to those survivors who stood up to be counted this time around! Without you, there would be no column. We’ve all had our 90th birthdays and are accumulating great-grandchildren. Did you ever think? Doris Peakes Kendall is going strong in Barnstable, Cape Cod. Suzanne Curtis Smythe is hale and hardy in Prince Frederick, MD, and still in touch with good friend Mary June Troup Kingsbury. Suzi is in a senior apartment complex 10 miles from family, who see to her well-being. Elizabeth Bryant Parker has moved into senior housing in Windsor, CT. Like the rest of us, she has health problems. My birthday buddy and good friend, Nancy Dean Maynard, is surrounded by family and can brag about her 8th great-grand. Shirley Glidden Splaine had hoped to go to FL for the winter but stayed in NH and enjoyed playing with her 2 great-grandsons. She was the lone member of our class to attend our
70th Reunion. Nancy Teachout Gardner celebrated her 90th on a Bermuda cruise with her brother and sister from the West Coast. Then she had a family get together in MA with her brother and his wife, both her sons, many grandchildren, and 3 of her great-grands. Nancy writes, “We went out for a lobster dinner after which my sons put on a video show about me and my life. One chapter was about Colby. They had gotten several clippings from the alumni office and reminded me that I was president of the Outdoor Sports Club and also sports editor of the Kearsarge Beacon, among other items. It was a wonderful trip through my life. I am living in FL, although not as active as I have been. I do enjoy reading news in the bulletin.”
1946
RAMONA HOPKINS O’BRIEN 54 Texel Drive Springfield, MA 01108-2638 Beverly “Bebe” Walker Wood writes, “To think this is our 70th reunion? Zowie! Life is good at 90. I still volunteer at Ragged Mt in the winter but quit skiing at 85. In the summer I’m at Squam Lake in Holderness and a docent at the Squam Lake Natural Science Center. Hope to return to Colby-Sawyer for Reunion. I am so very proud to be an alum.”
1948
PHYLLIS HARTY WELLS lesmase@gator.net 2016 marks our 68th reunion year; the Reunion (now known as Homecoming) is Oct 14-16. Our faithful classmate, Fran Wannerstrom Clark, spent last Christmas in FL with daughter Cathy and family. Fran’s CCRC, Covenant Village, supports local schools in their various endeavors. One clever holiday event was a Trash to Fashion show at the local HS, with students making artistic creations from any piece of trash that interested them. Fran emailed me in April after her beloved UCONN women’s basketball team completed its historic run to a 4th consecutive national championship. Fran could now relax after dinner, get in her “jammies” and “chill out” instead of trekking to the Events Center for basketball! Ann
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Wyllie Jarrett’s annual Jan painting experience was on Port Royal Island in Beaufort County, SC. Rain and cold wind toppled Ann’s easel, but she made the best of it by enjoying the local seafood. In April, she visited her son Bill and daughter-in-law Elaine in the beautiful Aspen/Snowmass area of CO where they manage a 650-acre estate in the mountains near Lake Wildcat. In June, Ann was ensconced in Casa do Valle, an inn that overlooks the Sintra Mtns in Portugal. She happily painted the many fabulous views that could be seen from her guesthouse deck. In early Aug, Ann’s long-anticipated art show was finally hung in her CCRC’s dining room. Later that month, Ann went to the annual Edinburgh Festival with a Roads Scholar tour. In Sept, she gave a well-attended talk on her painting techniques for her CCRC friends. She enjoyed a NE Thanksgiving with good friends who live in a 1780 “home on the green” in Westford, MA. Her CCRC has a Jacuzzi and 3 pools so Ann is able to swim lengths, 3/4 mile at a time. She had totaled 31 miles by Christmas. Jane Maynard Gibson has developed a breathing problem that has her on oxygen at night and most days. She finds talking depletes her oxygen, but “plugs in” for her fun phone chats with Shepard Hall mates Jean Klaubert Friend and Barbara “Bobbie” Strauss Lowenbaum. Jane says that oxygen is just a way of life and finds carrying a portable tank over her shoulder reassuring. Playing bridge is a favorite of Jane’s as it doesn’t entail much conversation. Barbara Schulz Watts and Peter stay alert by doing the daily NY Times crossword puzzle. Anne Smith Jeffus sent me one of her lovely Christmas notes in the form of a poem. One night Mase and I were having dinner with another Oak Hammock CCRC member, Roger Curtis, when he asked where I had gone to school. When I told him, he said, “My sister Louise went to Colby-Sawyer!” I immediately remembered our classmate, Louise “Weezie” Curtis Hahn, who has lived in a Toronto suburb for many years. I was never able to get hold of Louise, but Roger gave me
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her current address and email, so I wrote her and got a nice long note back. She was delighted to hear from me and pleased I had met her brother. She remembered me and my “roomies,” Cornelia “Nini” Hawthorne Maytag and Nancy “Hob” Hobkirk Pierson, because we were involved in a lot of campus functions. Louise moved around a lot, living 2 years in England before settling down in Toronto. Louise was in FL visiting Roger at Oak Hammock in March 2015; I just missed her as I was about to have my 1st reverse shoulder replacement. What a shame that I hadn’t met Roger then as we would have known about each other. Louise was envious of her brother’s wonderful lifestyle and the FL weather. Boston is where she started her medical secretary career and met her husband, David, a Canadian studying at Harvard Business School. Louise and David raised a family of 2 daughters and a son who died of cancer at 62, shortly after David died from a stroke. It was a terrible time for Louise. She has 3 wonderful grandsons and now lives in a retirement village on the shores of Georgian Bay off Lake Huron. Nini keeps busy with her beloved Garden Club, serving on several committees. Her days are filled with activity beginning with Pilates at 8 am. She’s grateful she is able to do so much! She kids me about being class secretary for so many years. She claims I’m the best one for the job since I’m the only one who can remember the names of more than 6 classmates. In Feb, I had my 2nd complete reverse shoulder replacement. All those years of golf finally caught up with me, my rotator cuffs were in shreds! I now have metal and plastic in both shoulders plus 12 half-inch screws in my right foot. I go to PT twice a week and can now put my earrings on and pat my head a little. I got permission from my orthopedist to use the computer in late April. Amazing what can be done with the human body these days. Barbara-Jane “Beej” Smith Thompson has lost track of Jean Klaubert Friend and Carol “Shoe” Shoemaker Marck. She writes, “I always enjoy my Colby-Sawyer bulletin. Not
Connie Dickinson Johnson ’49 and Barbara Laurie Prescott ’49 celebrated their 87th birthdays together in Rockport, Mass.
so good at sending you info! Spent the winter in FL: 2 weeks at Vero Beach, a month in Boca Grande, and 3 weeks on Sanibel Island. My daughter, Mary Jane Thompson O’Hare ’86, drove me home. She had a surprise reunion with 2 classmates in Chapel Hill, NC. I travel a lot with my family, lucky me!”
1949
ELIZABETH REYNOLDS MATTHEWS elimtth@aol.com Lois Patterson Sligh writes, “I have been a widow for 4 years. I spend my summers in Holland, MI, and winters in Vero Beach, FL. I have 3 children, 9 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.” Connie Dickinson Johnson and Bobbie Laurie Prescott celebrated their 87th birthdays together. Their daughters make sure the old friends and hallmates see each other occasionally. This time they connected in Rockport, MA, Bobbie’s town. Connie’s home is in Southwick, MA.
1950
KATHLEEN VALLIERE-DENIS OUILETTE nanapa@beeline-online.net Maxine Morrison Hunter writes, “I went to a lovely cocktail party in Boca Grande, FL. There in a wheelchair, on oxygen, was Je-Je Harding Pierce ’47. One of her tall, handsome sons was with her. She is LIL’ CROSSWORD ANSWERS: Across 3. beehive; 5. labradoodle; 7. dePaola Down 1. Kearsarge; 2. Victor; 4. homecoming; 6. glaze BEES ARE HIDDEN ON PAGES: 3, 8, 15, 26, 70
popular in Boca Grande, FL. Brought back many New London memories. My granddaughter is married and at the Tuck School after graduating from Georgetown, returning to NH to study finance.” Lindy Clapp Macfarland reports, “I’m still trucking and most impressed to read all about Colby-Sawyer’s progress and activities. Cheers to Colby-Sawyer!” Bobbie Bishop MacLean attended the PAAC meeting on April 15 and felt sad but pleased to see the Galligans one last time before they left. She says it was fun to get to know them on a more personal basis during the college trip to Spain, and she wishes them well as they move on to the next adventure. Virginia “Ginny” Colpitts Bowers writes, “This has been a very sad year for me and my family. We lost our wonderful dad and husband, Buzz, to Parkinson’s disease on July 31, 2015. After almost 64 years of married happiness, I am completely lost; however, I am blessed to have 3 of our daughters close by. I am now living with my daughter, Lee, in Marlboro, MA, and continue to have caregivers daily and many nights. I have severe rheumatoid arthritis plus a severe back condition for which I have refused surgery until it can be a better outcome than at this time. My daughter took me up to Colby-Sawyer yesterday to see her daughter Julie graduate. It was nice to see the campus again and enjoy my many wonderful memories. Julie is the 4th family member to graduate from Colby. It was a much larger class than when we were there. All the speeches were signs of the times. It was good to see so many nice-looking men and international students. I am grateful to all who showed such kindness to us in a wheelchair trying to navigate over wet grass. I am hoping to move back home to the Cape over Memorial Day and will stay until the fall. I live in East Orleans and would like to see you.” Ann Bemis Day has had several gallery showings of her photographs at RiverMead, her independent living facility in Peterborough, NH. Her annual Poetry through the Year represents 10 years of poems and photos in a 110-page engagement
calendar. She still writes a weekly nature column for the Mad River Valley Reporter in Waitsfield, VT, has published several poetry anthologies, and is working on another Nature of Things book. She writes, “My family is spread out between Australia (where my granddaughter and her 2 children, 7 and 9, live), Seattle, NC, ME and Gettysburg, PA. We all gathered in Maui for a special week in June 2015. Although I am settled in Rivermead, I take occasional trips up to the Mad River Valley to see old friends, attend poetry meetings and plow through what remains of my Knoll Farm stuff that is still in storage. I also see as much of Ellie Morrison Goldthwait ’51 MT as I can and visit New London and Colby-Sawyer.”
1951
ROBERTA GREEN DAVIS 107 Columbia Avenue Swarthmore, PA 19081 I am happy to report I have a 13-month-old granddaughter and my 2 sons just completed building a million-dollar home in Chester Springs, PA. I spend most days water coloring and had 30 pictures in a recent show. Ruth Gray Pratt is taking care of her husband who has Alzheimer’s. She is on the New London Council on Aging, a librarian, and plays bridge. Mary Loudon Eckert reports her son has owned the country club for 15 years. Mary has macular degeneration and plays bridge once a month. Marguerite “Maha” Cline Almy says, “We are 6 months each in Savannah and Nonquitt, MA. I go to political discussion groups each week and have been taking a course on Islam and the Middle East. We are getting ready to go to Nonquitt and see Charlie’s 7 great-grands, 20 grands and 4 children plus spouses. I have 3 children plus spouses and 3 grands who all live close and visit often. I still ride my bike and kayak. Charlie and I don’t travel much lately. Hope to see you all whenever possible. I miss beautiful NH.” Mary Jane Critchett Lane vividly remembers the day she arrived at Colby and met me, Barbara “Bobby” Ballin Brennan, Joyce Houston Holmes and Carolyn Flory Weisbrod, and she knows
there were others! Mary Jane writes, “We were way upstairs in Colgate and loved it. So many friends were made during those 2 years. I remember going to Abbey for my 2nd year and sitting at the piano to write a song for Abbey’s contribution to a contest. I think The Buzzin’ Dozen sang our song and all the other dorm contributions. We didn’t win, but I still have my song, and they tell me a copy is in the Archives, as well as all the other musical creations over the years. I remember The Colby Choir, the orchestra, Dr. Sawyer, Miss Cawley, our choir director, as well as Miss London and her dad, Mr. London, both faculty members. I remember an upper classmate trying to find me to tell me I had become a Key Girl. She had been looking for me all morning and into the afternoon. Finally, Betsy ran into me, and I raced to put on my white dress to join the others. I was thoroughly happy and humbled, but I almost missed my ceremony. I remember being a sr counselor and loved meeting the new girls and families in my 2nd year. Basketball and Miss Hendy are also foremost in my thoughts. On June 11, 1951, the 114th Commencement began at the New London Baptist Church. We were proud and happy, but there were many tears. Marie LeCour Taylor and I grabbed each other and cried and cried, vowing we would never lose touch, and we meant it. But where are you, Marie, 65 years hence? So bittersweet, my dear classmates of ’51. My family and I are fine; my husband, Charles, and I; my family of 6 kids and spouses, 11 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren and another on the way, are blessed and grateful.” Eleanor Merklen Cambrey is still in Georgetown after almost 25 years. She writes, “I am doing very well and taking lessons in stained glass. Very interesting and keeps me busy. I now have great-grands ages 2 and 3 who live quite near, so I see them often. For the past 5 years, my sister, Virginia, and I have been taking summer trips to the national parks in the West and Canadian Rockies. This year something different: Iceland. My best to all my classmates!”
1952
MARILYN “WOODSIE” WOODS ENTWISTLE mainewoodsie1@roadrunner.com Sarah “Sae” Bond Gilson ’53 MT, always first with news, writes that she and Ben are alive and well after spending a quiet winter in Hanover with a delightful week-long interlude in Sanibel, FL. She writes, “I am very pleased with the choice for our next president of CSC. She has plenty of academic qualifications, great experience, and she knows our Upper Valley area well. That is a real bonus.” Ann Doyle Gramstroff ’52 MT became the proud great-grandmother of Jack Parker Wunsch on Feb 9, who lives nearby for frequent visits. And she is happy to eliminate the need for a car by using in-house transportation. Sally “Itchie” Hueston Day has been hinting strongly and often to her kids that she wants to go to ND and HI, the only states she has never visited. Stay tuned. After receiving her email, I decided to start a campaign to rid her of her silly nickname. She responded that only CJCers call her Itchie and she doesn’t mind, because she gave herself the name! Sally used to tease a friend who had a boyfriend nicknamed Itchie from his Slavic surname. When she arrived at CJC, her roommate, Sallie Craighead Reynolds, suggested they should have nicknames to avoid confusion. Sallie promptly chose Scottie, while Sally, unable to think of one immediately, told her the Itchie story then blurted out, “You can call me “Itchie.” So that ended my campaign, but with so little news coming in, I decided to stay with the nickname theme, starting with mine. You may remember that Natalie “Nat” Clarke Jones and I grew up together. In 2nd grade, when she and another friend heard my brother being called “Woodsie,” they decided I should have the same name—and I still do after 76 years. Natalie had a nickname she hated (that I promised not to print), so as soon as she got to CJC, she became “Nat.” Now she lives a quiet life on her NH knoll that includes a nesting family of eagles she hoped would return this spring.
l to r: Nancy “Shum” Shumway Adams ’52, Marilyn “Woodsie” Woods Entwistle ’52 and Elizabeth “Betty” Carlson Salomon ’52 enjoy a reunion on the slopes!
She is active with senior activities and keeping track of offspring: 2 in college; 2 graduates from LMU in CA; an EE from Cornell, who travels the world; and HS soph twin boys. Nancy “Shum” Shumway Adams acquired Shum in HS but doesn’t remember who started it. Elizabeth “Betty” Carlson Salomon has always been called Betty or “Sis” or “Sister” by her brother and his friends, but prefers Elizabeth in her old age. She said, “It’s more dignified!” Speaking of Shum and Betty, in March they drove to ME for some skiing but managed only 1 lovely day due to the crazy weather. Sae Bond Gilson was called “Sae Sae” by a neighbor growing up, and at CJC, her sr counselor called her “Sae B.” Margaret Scruton Green was nicknamed “Marny” because it was her mother’s best friend’s name. Her father told her many years later that it should be spelled Marnee but she never changed it. Also, she doesn’t quite believe her mother named her Margaret Elizabeth for the 2 British princesses at the time! Mary Lanius, who says she has no nicknames, went to her 65th HS reunion last year. This year she planned a 10-day cruise to Cuba that was canceled. Undaunted, she and a friend spent a week in Mexico instead. Polly Heath Kidder wrote that she was back from FL and gearing up for opening at Twin Lake Village. She reports, “Hank and I continue to help out, him mowing on golf courses and lawns and me in the office and helping to ready my assigned cottages and hotel.” Joyce Philibosian Stein attended trustee meetings in Beirut, Lebanon, for Haigazian U. She is involved in the Armenian Assembly
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of America and the Armenian Missionary Assoc, both of which support the issues of the Armenian community worldwide. Nancy Angell Turnage’s secret to keeping up with her much younger hiking friends: They are also birders who often stop to listen and look! Mary Jane Fritzinger Moeller, who was “Fritzie” at CJC and returned to Mary Jane after, emailed me from her hospital bed after colon surgery. She is now recovering at home, already thinking of a trip to HI and our 65th reunion next fall that I hope you all are planning to attend! And lastly, our class is pleased to announce that Colby-Sawyer has just received a generous bequest from the estate of Mary Anne Lutz Mackin.
1953
NANCY OBER BATCHELDER earlebatchelder@comcast.net Your faithful class correspondent, Nancy Ober Batchelder, is stepping down. We thank her for her service and invite anyone interested in taking over to contact the Alumni Office. Joan Hunter Melville Miller writes, “After attending Colby, I transferred to Penn State and graduated in art education. I was Homecoming Queen; runner-up to Miss Pennsylvania; and selected as 1 of 5 college girls nationwide who won a week in Hollywood. Married my Dartmouth sweetheart, had 3 sons, divorced after 25 years, was married to my 2nd husband, Hal, for 25 years. He died 10 years ago, and I moved to Quechee, VT, but 2 years ago I reconnected with a man I met at Penn State, Joe Yukica. He was Dartmouth’s head football coach. We now live together in Grantham, NH. It’s nice to be close to Colby-Sawyer after all these years.” Tracy Rickers Siani is still snorkeling, keeping a fish diary and reporting sightings to REEF, and caring for Alfredo at 91 with Alzheimer’s. Family members, including Cecilia, their 1st great-granddaughter, visit often. Tracy was honored to receive The Blue Ambassador of the Year 2015 Award from the Loggerhead Marinelife Center for environmental conservation outreach and education.
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1954
JO-ANNE GREENE COBBAN jjcobban@ne.rr.com Your faithful class correspondent, Jo-Anne Greene Cobban, is stepping down. We thank her for her 13 years of service and invite anyone interested in taking over to contact the Alumni Office. Frances “Frannie” Pryor Haws and Bob are doing well and have 6 great-grandchildren, 4 living in HI and 2 in Tahoe. She has volunteered at Castle Hospital for 18 years and was given the best room with a view when she became ill. “I turned to golf, being only 5 minutes away near Ko’olau Mtns. It has been the hardest game I have ever had to learn. This is my exercise that keeps me going. If you are visiting HI, give me a call. Aloha to all.” Margot Thompson writes, “I plan to join 7 friends on a barge for 8 in France to cover the Burgundy area on 2 canals and 1 river for a week and a couple of days in Paris as well.” When at home, she continues to garden. Cary, NC, is now home to Pat Jezierny Short and Ted, where they take classes and frequently attend lectures and theater. “We are healthy and go a couple of times a week to the gym, walk a lot and life is good.” Moving from Medford, NJ, to Greenville, NC, 8 years ago, Betty Kay Bickel Foster and Gene enjoy a college town and a golf and gym community. She is active at church, the community and Kiwanis. Son Chris and wife live in Chesapeake, VA; daughter Susan and husband live in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, where they enjoy visiting. “I would enjoy hearing from classmates,” she says. Helen Johnson Sargent writes she and Dick enjoyed the winter in SC and looked forward to returning to ME and catching up with Carol Nelson Reid and Nancy Paige Parker. From Kansas, MO, trying to learn how to use the internet to book air travel, not having been on an airplane since 1998, Annette Nilsson Connor worked it out to attend her granddaughter’s wedding. She and Deborah Mathis keep in touch. “I am still in Reading, PA, and summer in Wellfleet, MA,” writes Barbara Frank Ketchum. “I will
soon be a great-grandma and can’t wait. This will be the 1st out of 10 grandchildren.” A 58th wedding anniversary was celebrated by Sally Clickner L’Huillier and husband in June. They spend part of their summers at Cape Vincent, NY, on the St Lawrence River, near Lake Ontario. Phoebe “Penny” Raymond Flickinger lost her husband, Tom. She continues to live on Sea Island, GA, where they built a house on the marsh. “I’m blessed with 4 married children and 13 grandchildren, ages 10 to 31,” she writes, and her family travel from all parts of the country to visit. Barbara Rogers Berndt lost her husband, Ed, and is now living at The Watermark in Bridgeport, CT, where her son Ed and his wife’s parents live as well. “A nice apartment, plenty of activities and limo or bus transportation as I decided to give up driving due to the ‘rat race’ of northern drivers.” Carol Nelson Reid and her husband moved to Brooksby Village in Peabody, MA, in 2004. He died in 2011 and Carol writes, “I have made a good friend who also lost her husband at the same time I did. We have enjoyed many trips together. We see Nancy Paige Parker often, as well as Helen Johnson Sargent and her husband, Dick, when they are in the area.” Ann Rosenbach Scott and Roger celebrated their 60th anniversary in Sept 2015 with all 4 children and their families at Wentworth by the Sea in New Castle, NH. Their son Gregory, a pilot for Delta, received permission to take his dad, a retired chief pilot, in the cockpit jump seat from Boston to Atlanta on a scheduled flight. Glen Hobbs Harmon, in Windham, NH, called to say Vic passed away, as we were a foursome for many years. Anne Dwyer Milne says, “I join all the others in wishing Tom Galligan and his wife, Susan, the best in their next adventure. He will be missed by all. At the same time we wholeheartedly welcome Susan Stuebner to her new world at Colby-Sawyer.” Barbara Dennett Howard’s grandson Matthew graduated from Endicott College in May and returns in the fall to get his master’s. Her youngest grandchild, Ryan, graduated HS in June and heads to Wagner College in the fall to study criminal
justice. I, Jo-Anne Greene Cobban, continue to play in the garden, volunteer my services and watch the college grow.
1955
GRETCHEN DAVIS HAMMER gdh777@earthlink.net In Dec, Cynthia Ward Peters moved from Tampa, FL, to Quail Hollow in West Lebanon, NH. She writes, “My husband of 55 years (a ’55 Dartmouth grad) is in an ALF for advanced Alzheimer’s. My 4 children are happily pursuing careers, 1 as a consulate for the US Embassy in Argentina, 1 as a missionary in Peru, 1 in HR in Tampa, and 1 as a seafood broker in Boston. I have 6 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. I hope to attend any class events which may be in the offing.” Irmeli “Imie” Ahomaki Kilburn had a terrific time at our 60th Reunion last Oct. She and her roommate, Carol Myers Ditmore, stayed at the Follansbee Inn in N Sutton and had a wonderful time catching up. Imie said that they were impressed with all the up-to-date curriculum changes as well as new facilities available on campus. They were disappointed that so few class members were in attendance, though, having hoped to reconnect with more. Imie added that Carol looks fabulous and enjoys square dancing and swimming; Imie had trouble keeping up with her! Imie spent some time this spring trying to keep up with her 2 grandsons, both of whom are over 6 ft tall, while visiting with her oldest son and his family in Finland. I also heard from Rosie Carhart Keenan, who had a quiet but cold winter in NY, and was enjoying some warmer temperatures visiting her son in FL for a few weeks. Bobbie Jerauld Coffin writes, “We are living in Peterborough, NH, at a retirement community called RiverMead. Our 2 sons and their families are around Boston; our oldest son, Jarvis, is owner and innkeeper of the Hancock Inn, just 8 miles away, so we see a lot of him and his family. We are lucky to see so much of our children and grandchildren. We have lived here in NH for almost 20 years as we approach our 60th wedding anniversary. We have 8
grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.” As for me, Gretchen Davis Hammer, my husband and I had a lovely few weeks in FL this spring, enjoying wonderful beach weather, beautiful flowers and some family after a long winter here in VT with little snow.
daughter and my 2 sisters, are sailing to Bermuda in June for a small family get-together. In the fall, we will go up to NH for a couple of weeks and stop in New London to visit Frank’s sister. She also is a CSC graduate and lives there. It is fun to go back and see the changes.”
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NANCY HOYT LANGBEIN enlangbein@gmail.com Our sympathies to Marsha Smoller Winer, whose sister, Corinne Smoller Goldstein ’52, passed away this winter. Ed and I were looking forward to seeing Marsha and Nate in early June as the guys celebrated their 59th Bowdoin reunion. It has been a year of travel for Barbara Brown Barrett and husband Charlie. In April 2015, they took a 5-day cruise to the Bahamas. In June 2015, they had a week-long Marine Embassy Guard reunion and then headed to Canada via the historic attractions and towns along the East Coast. They returned home through NY, PA and VA. This Sept, they plan a trip to FL for another Marine reunion. Barbara has 2 granddaughters and a great-grandson. She asked for help in finding several classmates she has lost touch with. Anyone with information of this type, please email or “snail mail” me or the Alumni Office. Marcia Copenhaver Barrere always sends news in her Christmas letter for which I am grateful. She keeps busy with needlepoint, yoga and knitting for charity. Marcia and her husband took a road trip to the Monterey/Carmel area ending at The Lodge at Pebble Beach Golf Club, then a stop at the Ghirardelli Chocolate store! Ed and I, Nancy Hoyt Langbein, recently took a train trip to VA and DC to visit family and longtime Army friends. A new experience for us was traveling by train, which is a comfortable and relaxing way to go. We were hoping for warm weather, but no such luck! I talked to Judy Tinsman White recently. She had just had a 2nd hip replacement to go with her 2 new knees. Lots of therapy but doing well. Betty Boyson Tacy has moved to ME and hopefully we will have lunch soon. Sarah Rudy Terhune writes, “Frank and I, along with our
JILL BOOTH MACDONELL jillphotoart@yahoo.com Elizabeth Thatcher Rafloski writes, “Although I was not there with my class in 1957—my father took us to Germany for station—my year at Colby was wonderful. I loved the dorm, my roommate, Shirlee Bousa Johnston, all my little dorm mates. What fun we had. I missed it all very much. We all have gone our separate ways. I live in Duxbury, MA, now and would love to connect with those great girls I knew and loved!” Carlene Johnson Thompson and Jim have been married 20 years. They live in a gated community in Clermont, FL, west of Orlando, and between them have 13 grandchildren. Lois Hanewald Ward is doing well, although Boulder, CO, had 3+ ft of heavy snow in the early spring, so Gordon plowed and shoveled for 2 days before they finally got out on day 4. Lois writes, “Think we could we have a class reunion for all in the Denver area? Or come to Boulder...beautiful scenery and summer trails, lots of good restaurants, and I would help plan. I miss the East and all the Colby gals, only good memories! Still see some classmates and we always have a good time!” Suzanne Vander Veer had a great time with Janice Eaton Atkins in San Antonio. Back in June 2015, Suzanne met her whole family, including 2 sisters and kids (50+ in all!) to shoot the rapids on the Arkansas River, where her son Scott owns Independent Whitewater in Salida, CO. Emily Barry Lovering visited family in SF.
1958
CYNTHIA GRINDROD VAN DER WYK cindy@colorthewind.info Dibbie Spurr Appleton writes, “We got a fold-out communication from Colby-Sawyer a while back that showed the whole campus, and I
am simply amazed at its growth since we were there and delighted to see how wonderful the school looks. I made a trip to New London about a year ago and gave myself a whirlwind tour, and it brought back great memories! Had a bucket list barge trip in Holland last fall and think perhaps I should get serious and really have a bucket list! I heartily recommend Road Scholar (Elder Hostel) trips. They do it right and reasonably! My best to all my classmates.”
1959
MARSHA HALPIN JOHNSON marnamhj@gmail.com Debbie Clark Benedict reminisces about the wonderful days at college and life in Burpee, especially wondering about Sherri Ker and Barbara Butler Fraser, who were her roommates, and her friend Catherine Matteson Childs. Barbara “Bobbi” Shepard McCoy writes that she, Marion “Pinty” Henshaw Hauck and Joan Messmer May had a reunion in the PA Amish country. “Alas, we are all widows, and I decided we should get together,” she says, noting that it was wonderful to connect after many years and to learn about the Amish people. Judy Weisfield Block, living in the Philadelphia area, is one busy lady. She breeds English Cocker Spaniels (going on 30 years), is involved in a retail linen business (30 years), which takes her all over the country, and is on the board of a museum and orchestra. Her husband is still working on Wall Street. Carolyn Farrand Hager and Peter have lived in New London for 33 years. She writes, “Our neighbors on one side are our daughter and family, and our son and family are on the other side of us. Our daughter in Hopkinton, MA, rents in our area for the winter months. One big happy family! We have 6 grandchildren—4 in college and a 13- and 10-year-old. CSC has many activities for the townspeople including Adventures in Learning and the Hogan Center, where Peter works out. I attended a lecture by students on the nursing program and the environmental studies program, which I am most interested in as organic gardening is one of my
hobbies. I was most impressed with the students’ reports and knowledge. My activities are indoor and outdoor gardening, golf at Lake Sunapee CC, duplicate bridge, New London Garden Club, the Baptist Church, and volunteering at New London Hospital. I keep in touch with Jane Voss, Gina Tupper Anderson, Judy Anderson and Penny Doyle Donius. Love to see anyone who comes to visit CSC.” Sheila Emslie Carrassi and Judy Dexter Hoag had a wonderful, informative and exciting trip to Costa Rica in March. Sheila says, “It is so great to have the Colby experience and remain good friends and to still have great adventures together after all these years.” As for me, Marsha Halpin Johnson, our latest trip in April took us on a Viking Rhine River trip from Basel, Switzerland, to Amsterdam. We took our 3 daughters and daughter-in-law. Bruce was the token male. What a relaxing way to see some of our wonderful world. Then we went on to Norway to visit our 1st AFS exchange student, whom we had not seen in 34 years! Now that makes me feel old! My best, keep the notes coming, and think of returning for our next reunion.
1960
PATRICIA CANBY COLHOUN pccolhoun@gmail.com Judy Provandie Johnson is in touch with her roommates, Carol Sherman House, Ann “Meri” Skeels Nielsen, Carol Whittemore Todd and Claire Lippincott Flowers. Judy still works at the Belgrade, ME, elementary school that she retired from in 2007, subbing in classrooms and libraries in the district. She also serves on the Board of the Friends of the Belgrade Public Library and works on their fundraisers. Grandson Kevin and granddaughter Katelyn have finished their jr years at Castleton U. in VT and Central CT State U, respectively; Ryan, another grandson, finished his soph year at Messalonskee HS in Oakland, ME. Brenda Hilton Bright is widowed with 3 kids and 5 grandchildren. She has moved to Sarasota, FL, which she loves, after 20 years of working for Hammond Real Estate in
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Cambridge, MA. Susie Frank Hilton sends greetings from Naples, FL. She has been elected for the 3rd time in 16 years to the Board of Deacons at the Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church. Her mother turned 102 last Aug, and Susie and her husband, Dick, do not travel as much. For Dick’s 73rd birthday they went to the Sarasota/St Armand’s Key area to the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium. Susie, in her 9th year as a docent at the Baker Museum of Art, calls herself a “perennial student and equal opportunity enjoyer of modern and contemporary art.” Sally Stevens Rood recovered from both Lyme disease and shingles a year ago. She is healthy now and was enjoying the spring. Barbara Swanson Smith, who lives in New London, took a wonderful trip to Maui with her husband, Lyman. They were glad our winter was not as severe as the previous year. Barbara was looking forward to a visit from Rosemary “Murry” Rood Idema and her husband, Phil, in Sept. Sharley Janes Bryce was going to have a reunion at her home at Black Butte Ranch with Bobbie Taeffner Kulp and Tom and Charl Wolcott Gray and Dick. Sharley has a new grandchild, a 1st for her daughter, Heather. Hannah “Haydi” Caldwell Sowerine and David had planned to introduce 5 grandkids and assorted parents to Nepal over the 2015 Christmas break but had to cancel the trip (10 R/T tickets!) due to a blockade at the Indian border. They may try again this year. Instead they went skiing in Sun Valley, ID, with their son and family who live there; a 2nd son and his 2 boys from Seattle; and a 3rd son plus his son and daughter from Alameda, CA. One day 11 skied together! Haydi and Dave have been working to rehab a 100-year-old log house. They were going to a graduation at the College of Wooster for the youngest daughter of their Nepali manager, and to Dallas where Haydi hoped to see her Colby tennis partner, Nancy Lucas Sheridan. They planned trips to New Orleans, Nashville and Lexington, KY, with a bike trip along the Ohio Erie Canal, and rafting down the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Gale Hartung
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Ellie Tomlinson ’60 and dog, Lily.
Baldwin has been spending time with her son, Josh, and her daughter, Emily. Gale has 3 wonderful grandchildren. She was looking forward to their visits to her home on Nantucket. Dorothy Summers Howell recently returned from a trip to Portugal and Spain on the Orion with National Geographic. She met a Colby Jr alum playing bridge in Chatham with June Mitchell Douglas-White ’45—small world! Dorothy says to look her up if you are on the Cape. Ellie Tomlinson has fond memories of her 2 years at CJC. She recalls, “We had a few water fights in the basement of Best that were not looked kindly on. Sadly, I have not kept in touch with any of the friends I had so much fun with way back then. The Sunday morning brunches added many unwanted pounds, but I would love to sit down to one right now. And those bus trips to Dartmouth! UGH! I would like to be in touch with Margot Bowden as I remember she lived in Marblehead where I have lived for 50+ years. But Margot married and her name changed and I have not been able to locate her. Also Barbara Buesking Milledge from KS, and Pam Dineen Floyd, Martha Frisbie Saltzman, Cornelia “Connie” Kenyon Bender, Linda Lanou McCarthy, Judy Levenson Ross or Anne Proctor. I do try to touch base with my roommate Dorothy Summers “Dolly” Howell who lives on Cape Cod.” She taught in the small, private Tower School for 37 years and is retired. She has also been a professional artist and had many painting exhibits over the years. Her partner, Gordon, passed away, and she lives quietly overlooking the ocean with her dog and 3 cats. She loves kayaking, riding her mountain bike, playing squash and
taking naps. Condolences to Marcia Goodale MacDonald who lost her husband, Jerry, on Feb 12, and Ann Parsons Klump, who lost her husband, John, on April 24. We should recognize our volunteers: Ann Hoar Floyd serves on the President’s Alumni Advisory Council with Trina Hendershot Smith; Gale Hartung Baldwin is our class agent and I, Patty Canby Colhoun, serve as the class correspondent. I am happy to be “home” back in Boothbay Harbor, ME, where I volunteer at the YMCA, serve as Vestry Clerk for St Columba’s Church, play pickle ball, Mahjongg and Quiddler. I am still hooking rugs, and we had a rug show at St Andrews Village in July. I am working on getting the READ program in the Boothbay Region Elementary School. My lab, Charlie, and I work with kids who have reading issues. Please include your maiden name when sending news as we have many with similar 1st names. I am hoping for more news as there are many we have not heard from over the years.
1962
GAIL GRAHAM LEE gailcracker@comcast.net Judy Park Kukk had a great few days in March with Sally Mollenberg Lawlor who was visiting Naples, FL. Lynne Wavering Shotwell recently enjoyed sun and fun in the Bahamas with her whole family: son, daughter, spouses and 5 grandchildren. She and Chip continue to enjoy Naples, FL, where she is on the board of the Conservancy of Southwest FL, which monitors and responds to many environmental issues. Lynne is also involved with the Naples Botanical Garden. They were heading north to the upper peninsula of MI in July before returning to Naples in the fall. Tilda Hunting sent a long epistle with lots of news including her travels to Provence and Paris, France, and to Southern CA, including Santa Barbara, Ojai and Ventura. She’s still painting interiors part-time and remains in good health. The most important news was of her marriage in July 2013 to her long-term partner, Robin, with a reception at the Deerfield Inn. In Feb, Jill Schofield Wainwright met Susie Webster
and Lynn Dysartel Well for lunch in Palm Beach, where they reminisced about Colby days and recent goings on. Jill, Susie, and I, Gail Graham Lee, met in Sarasota for lunch and lots of laughs in March. Karen Loder Davis continues with her wanderlust: She winters in Dunedin, FL; spring and fall in Stafford, VA, with her daughters; and most of the summers on Cape Cod at her brother’s. Scattered during those times is lots of travel. Last year, Karen went to Puerto Rico, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and a month in Salvador, Brazil, volunteering with elderly women at a convent for Cross-Cultural Solutions. This spring, she was heading west to CA and WY. She’s thrilled to have the chance to go back to Salvador for 10 days in Aug to visit the nuns and her “ladies” at the convent. I did not hear from anyone else so hope all is well with everyone!
1963
DONNA DEDERICK WARD hungrytrout@comcast.net We’re looking forward to another season at the farm with guests coming to enjoy the delightful summer and see the beautiful foliage. Cliff and I had a good winter in FL. Deborah Landon O’Kain writes, “Dennis and I are living in Palm Beach, FL. Paradise! We moved from a house to a condo and love every minute. We have glass all around, with water on all sides…the intercoastal and the ocean! We feel so grateful for our life.” Both are retired, though Deborah is training to become a life coach with the online Life Mastery Institute, finishing her certification in Sept. Betsy Smith Budelman ’63 MT reports, “Roommate Marion Ahbe Lord and her husband, Hardy, came to visit Frank and me in Aug, and we had a super time.” Hardy got Betsy back on the tennis court after 20 years—and Betsy had the aches and pains to prove just how long it had been. A rematch is planned for this fall when Betsy and Frank visit western NC, where Marion and Hardy have a summer house. Betsy was preparing for her 1st grandchild due in June. “We are so lucky,” says Betsy, “that our new grandbaby will
live 12 minutes from our home in Brentwood, NH.” Frances “Lee” Montgomery says, “After a disappointing ski season here in the East (but no snow shoveling in Boston!), I am looking forward to spring and work in the garden. My garden has been selected for the Secret Gardens of Cambridge tour in June, and I have projects to begin! Just came back from a terrific vacation in Costa Rica on a Backroads tour (they are the best) with my oldest daughter, her partner and her 2 sons. Lots of hiking and biking, zip lining, surfing and white water rafting with a great group of people—but hot and humid. My hair looked like something from ʻThe Lion King.ʼ” This year Karen Archambault Hubbard and her husband, Skip, celebrated their 50th anniversary in SF. Family gathered for a week of exploring the city and surrounding areas, enjoying the many food options, reminisced and agreed that time was passing too fast. Karen’s family encouraged them to take yet another adventure, so this fall they will embark on a 2 month cross-country trip visiting national parks and monuments. That’s all the news I received. There must be more out there. Please send any news you have over the summer and fall and I’ll pass it on for the spring issue.
1964
KATHRINE CONATHAN REARDON kathyr1230@aol.com Everything here in Keene is going well. Elizabeth, our #2 granddaughter, married last Sept. After 2 years in Portsmouth, they moved back to Keene and are buying a house, so we now have our 2 daughters and 2 granddaughters in Keene. Elizabeth’s older sister, Ashley, married her HS sweetheart in Feb. It was the 2nd wedding for both of them, and it was lovely. It’s special to have 4 generations living here. Roger and I went to Germany and England last fall and then took our whole family—all 15 of us—to St Thomas for Christmas week to celebrate our 50th anniversary. In April, we went to the Bahamas and in June, to England. Hedy Gunther had a wonderful time on a Disney
cruise with her daughter and family during spring break. She continues to play tennis, enjoys gardening and is involved in a few charities. Ann Franklin Ewig writes, “We had a wonderful family vacation in Costa Rica after Christmas with the entire family. Tom and our daughter Katie went on an educational trip to Cuba. Loved every minute of the week.” Susan Patricelli-Regan has lots going on, including her TV show, “CT Valley Views,” which is produced by her husband, Bill. Their breeding of AKC Yorkshire Terriers is going well, and they are expanding their private equestrian facilities (foxfieldfarmct.com). They are adding a program for “repurposing” abandoned/auctioned horses and a hands-on horse therapy program for veterans with PTSD. Susan continues to work for Diageo as VP of Trade and Community Affairs. It’s her 40th year with the company. Son Craig (married with 1st grandchild, age 7) and his wife live in TX, where he works with Berkshire Hathaway’s digital marketing group. Son Colin is the Men’s Head Crew Coach for Williams College in MA, and 3rd son Christopher is teaching and finding immense success in the IT world. Although Susan doesn’t see them often enough, they all spent a week together just before Christmas in DC, seeing all the museums and sights, including a White House visit, Arlington Cemetery and a private tour of Mount Vernon. Elizabeth “Lee” Reisner Murray writes, “After many years of having all my girls living away from home (in Malaysia, Baton Rouge, Taunton, Philadelphia), I now have 2 of my daughters back in Dartmouth, MA. It is lovely to have them and the grandkids nearby. Daughter Barbara and family still live outside Philadelphia. I continue to be quite involved in figure skating as a test judge and accountant. And sewing is my sanity relief (and small business)—I regularly attend a weekly ‘Stitch and Bitch’ group where we drink lots of tea, talk and work on whatever projects we have going.”
1965
SUSAN WOODRUFF MACAULAY susanmaca@gmail.com I am delighted to be your new class correspondent, and I hope you will help me by sending your news. Now that most of us are retired or of retirement age, you all must have some interesting news about your lives to share with your classmates! We had 11 classmates at our 50th reunion in Oct 2015—a small but fun group. It was good to see each other and catch up. The campus has grown. The original residence halls are the same except for Colgate, which now has administrative offices, classrooms and a new nursing lab on the 3rd floor. There are many other changes including a pub (!), Windy Hill School and new sports fields. All in all, Colby-Sawyer is impressive today with 1,200 female and male students. Suzi Sincerbeaux Brian sends her wishes to all. After 26 years in VT real estate, she retired in 2013. She and husband, Jim, moved to an active golf/tennis community in Anthem, AZ, to be closer to their 3 daughters and their families, including 4 grandchildren with another due in July. They enjoy hiking in Sedona and the national parks. Carrie Eilers White and her husband, Roy, have 3 children and live in Columbia, MD. In the mid-80s, the family visited Colby-Sawyer, and she enjoyed the beautiful campus, including the changes. She lived in Colgate and took a picture of the whole family in front of Colgate after trying to show the family her room, which was locked. She hopes to reconnect with Sue Bradley Hoeffner, my 2-year roommate at Colby. Sue is divorced with 2 sons, each having 3 children ages 9-14. She is retired and lives in a 55+ active community in New Hope, PA, which she loves. Sue plays bridge, loves to garden, spends time in the gym, and loves her freedom. She has many friends, is involved in activities, and always has a project going at home, such as re-covering a chair. She was the caretaker for her mother, father and sister during their last years. Recent trips include HI and a card-playing
cruise in the Caribbean. Each summer, she takes her family to Ocean City. Chris Murray McKee lives in New London and served on Colby-Sawyer’s President’s Alumni Advisory Council. She served well as our class correspondent for many years and helped coordinate our fun 50th Reunion. Recently, she and her husband, Tom, celebrated her (mostly) retirement from real estate by taking a road trip to visit friends and family in Denver (son Ethan and family), Albuquerque (friend), Dallas (Tom’s family), Asheville, NC (daughter Rachel and family), and GA (relatives). Chris and Tom have 5 granddaughters. This summer, the McKee family gathered at Lake Sunapee. Son Ethan and family will move to Qatar for 2 years, so a visit there is probably in the offing! Last spring, Chris planned a trip to Vero Beach, FL, to visit Georgie Sawyer Hutton. Tina Biggs Ferraro, a Colby-Sawyer trustee, spent last winter in Stuart, FL, and had an opportunity to see Georgie twice. They had a few days together in Vero Beach shopping, playing golf, enjoying lunch and visiting the art museum. To top off the winter, Tina spent time at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic where she enjoyed great food and golf in a fabulous resort environment. Leslie Carvalho Barlow writes, “I haven’t given a life update in many years! And I missed our 50th because none of my close friends were going—I would like to visit soon. I’ve been retired for 2 years, having been a medical asst for 42 years! In some ways, I miss it, especially the patients, but I have a busy life in our community: Pres of our library board, 2 book groups and mentoring elementary school children in reading. So you can see I’m all about books! I take French at the library, usher at the Ivoryton Playhouse, joined the Essex Garden Club and continue to photograph children and families professionally.” Nancy Morgan Young says that retired life in the Rocky Mtns offers endless adventure for her and Hap. She writes, “This year marks my 70th birthday, our 49th anniversary, and our 19th year living in the Vail Valley where we ski and snowshoe in the winter and hike, bike,
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spotlight
1966
connections
SERENDIPITY Natalie “Tally” Jones ’68 It was serendipity that brought Natalie “Tally” Jones ’68 to New London, and it’s Serendipity that keeps her in town. The Needham, Mass., native came to Colby-Sawyer in part because then-president Everett Woodman was a family friend. Since 1989, Jones has been the owner of Serendipity Boutique in the New London Shopping Center.
PHOTO: LYNN BOHANNON
After graduation, Jones returned to the Boston area to pursue a retail career. She trained at Jordan Marsh (now Macy’s) before marrying in 1970. When her husband attended New England College, the couple moved to Bradford, N.H., and stayed in the area. After a few years away to raise her children, Jones returned to the labor force, taking a part-time position at Serendipity. She worked there for several years and three owners before assuming ownership in 1989. “Every time it was sold,” she recalled, “it felt like I was destined to have it be my business. I loved it, and I knew I could make a go of it.”
… it felt like I was destined to have it …
During her 27 years at the helm, Serendipity has moved locations, employed many Colby-Sawyer students, and evolved from a store catering to college students to one that serves a broader community. Jones especially loves the interaction between customers of different generations. The challenge for any store owner in today’s digital age is competing with online sellers. What Serendipity offers that can’t be replicated online are a friendly environment, personal attention and the helpful advice of Jones and her associates. “I kind of feel like my second calling is as a therapist,” said Jones. “I really like the human element of owning a business.” – Mike Gregory, director of Advancement Communications
golf and fish in the summer. Determined to recapture my ‘athletic’ self upon retirement from school fundraising 6 years ago, I really ducked out of my comfort zone by climbing via ferratas in the Italian Dolomites last Sept and hiking slot canyons in Utah this May! Our 3 children, their spouses and our 7 grandchildren are close enough, living in Denver and Boulder, and bring us true joy. My 2 years at Colby Jr fostered a love for the mountains, and landing in the magnificent Rockies with those I love most in the world nearby makes me feel my life is truly blessed.” As for me, Susan
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Woodruff Macaulay, I have lived in Richardson, part of Dallas, TX, for 31 years with my husband, John. We had 9 moves in 15 years following Colby. We have 2 sons, Craig and Todd. Craig is married and an asst prof of strategic management at Cal State–Long Beach; Todd is a network administrator here in Richardson. We do not have any grandchildren. At age 42, I returned to college at the U of TX at Dallas and graduated with a BA in government and politics and a master’s in public affairs. I worked for the federal government, and John was a CFO and active member for 40
years in the Institute of Management Accountants where he just finished a 3-year chairmanship of an 80,000 global accounting org. I was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in 2012, had a double mastectomy with reconstruction, and am cancer-free. John and I are both retired and have taken advantage of lots of travel over the years to all 50 states, 25 countries, 25 national parks, and 12 of 13 presidential libraries. So, hopefully I have encouraged you to share your news in the next magazine issue. Your classmates would love to hear it !
SUSAN E. WEEKS weeksie1228@gmail.com Hello everyone, how exciting it’s our 50th Reunion—I hope to see many of you come to celebrate! Kathie Kock Hewko has completed 91 swims across and under the Golden Gate Bridge in 39 consecutive years. She is a realtor in Sonoma and Napa County, CA. Janet Sargent Simblist ’66 MT hopes we have a few of the med tech class of ’66 show up for the 50th. She writes, “I always have a problem trying to decide which class to be a part of, as we were both in ’65 and ’66, but then got our BS degrees in ’67 after our internship year. So glad to see that Rebecca “Becky” Brewster Irving ’42 received an honorary doctorate this year. She was the force behind our world at the time.”
1967
SIS HAGEN KINNEY kinivan06@gmail.com Linde Keleher McNamara and her husband, John, are still going strong with their real estate company, LindeMac Real Estate, located on Main St in Hanover. Their daughter and her husband still live in Scotland but plan to move back to the States “soon;” they come to visit several times a year. Linde’s oldest granddaughter, Emma, is 16 and driving! The other grands are Lily, 14; Grace, 12; and Chloe, 3. The grandchildren all live in NC, and Linde and John visit often. Linde said she is training for her 5th marathon, and some family members join in on this tradition. Linde’s passions are still the ocean and whales, and she goes to Gloucester, MA, every few weeks to raise money for Ocean Alliance and get her fill of “the great salt air.” She hopes to do more for them, perhaps even set sail on one of their ocean research voyages. Linde encourages anyone to stop by if you’re ever on Main St in Hanover. She says she’ll make it to a reunion “someday.” I reminded her that our 50th is next year and to start planning now! Whitney McKendree Moore’s son Ned is pursuing an MFA in dramaturgy at Columbia. Whitney was born at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital
and spent her 1st 5 years overlooking the “Little Red Lighthouse” near the George Washington Bridge in NYC. She and husband Barry also went to Columbia; when they visit their son, she says she can practically hear her DNA saying, “Home; it’s home; we’re home!” Even so, she and Barry are still exploring the possibility of relocating southward from CT. They’re focusing on the area from Beaufort, SC, down to St Mary’s, GA; they especially like that hurricanes hardly ever make landfall in those areas. Deborah Brakeley works part-time as a registered clinical counselor and “collaborative divorce coach and child specialist” in Vancouver. You can learn more about her work at deborahbrakeley. com. Deborah also spends time with her 7 grandchildren in Canada and the U.S. Katherine Pantlind, whom we in Page Hall fondly called “Legger,” has bittersweet memories of Colby; her dearest friend and roommate of 2 years, Kathy Stephens Spiegel, died at 26, and every mention of Colby brings memories of their wonderful times together. Kathy got her master’s in social work from Syracuse U and worked for many years in that field. She’s retired, has 3 children and 6 grandchildren, and they all live in the Ithaca, NY, area so she sees them every week. She also teaches piano to children and feels blessed. She sends “special greetings” to fellow “Pageites” Wendy Weinstein Fish and Jane French Rieck! I would love to hear from both of you, Wendy and Jane! Jan Moore Canavan and her husband of 45 years, Bob, have lived in the western Sierra Nevada foothills for 26 years, and feel blessed both children are close by and that their grandchildren, 6 and 4, are in their lives every week. As grandchildren are wont to do, they keep Jan busy and “on her toes.” She also takes care of the many gardening, fencing, and landscaping chores and their horses, dogs, kitty and chicks. Jan is going on 20 years as a hospice volunteer. She says that they are still New Englanders at heart; they love the Red Sox and visiting back East every year. She was looking forward to a visit from Roberta “Bobbe” Bailey Otis and her husband, Peter, this
summer. As for me, Sis Hagen Kinney, my husband of 30 years, Bobby, and I are retired and trying to stay active, despite “Ol’ Arthritis” and whatever associates he hangs out with! We’re back in the beautiful NC mountains and hike, kayak and golf whenever we can. Having a 2-year-old dog helps us to stay active as well! We were in our other home in Fuquay-Varina, NC, from mid-Nov until mid-April and enjoyed time spent with the 4 grandchildren (ages 11, 8, 2, and 2) from 2 of my sons in that area. In addition, we are much closer to our roots in VA and have enjoyed visits back to Williamsburg and VA Beach, visiting our daughter and her nearly year-old son, as well as Bobby’s brother and sister-in-law and his sister and brother-in-law. Nothing terribly exciting to anyone else, but we are enjoying retirement in our own quiet way. So, that’s it, folks! I really need to hear from more of you; I want to hear from more of you! It’s not just me who wants to hear from you—it’s your Colby roommates, hallmates, friends, colleagues—we all want to hear from you! Please just remember to always include your maiden name so we can identify you!
1968
CORRESPONDENT NEEDED Holly Lippmann Trevisan writes that living on Cape Cod year-round continues to be special. She is retired after nearly 20 years on the local library board and devotes most of her time to painting. She has been in touch with JoAnn Franke Overfield ’68 MT and visited with Hilary Neville Briles ’69 in Annapolis in 2015. Martha Friberg ’67 MT was inspired by Rebecca “Becky” Brewster Irving ’42 receiving an honorary doctorate from Colby-Sawyer. Martha writes, “Big congratulations to our medical technology fearless leader. No one is more deserving. We all remember the blue Mustang convertible parked outside the science building by 7 am. And the pop quizzes and the near stand-up routine before class, probably to wake us up. Dorcas and I were with you the day after Bobby Kennedy was shot. We shared a champagne toast to the
Jan Moore Canavan ’67 on her horse Whiskey in the High Sierra.
final opening of the kiln with Mr. Campbell. You gave all of us med techs the foundation to succeed in our field and for that I am ever grateful.” Jean “Gusty” Lange is still teaching at Pratt Grad Communications Design. Son Dylan is a drummer and daughter Chelsea is a jr at Oberlin. Husband Steve is still writing. She had an impending 50th HS reunion.
1969
DEBORAH ADAMS JOHNSTON navypub@aol.com Tiffy Spake Petty reports, “I’m still living in suburban Toronto, in a town called Oakville, right on Lake Ontario. Had a terrific career at GlaxoSmithKline as a business analyst; I retired almost 6 years ago. I am busy with recreational power walking after a decade of competitive training/racing. It’s nice to have geared down and have time to enjoy the scenery. My roommate, Janet Campbell Kerr, and I have stayed in touch all these years; a treasured friendship.” Terri Reynolds McKeon had a shoulder replacement 1.5 years ago and says she will need a knee replacement before too long. She writes, “I was reprimanded by my doctor today for zip lining last week. He told me to curb those sorts of activities. Retirement is great. We spend our winters in Santa Barbara, our summers at the cabin in MN, and in-between traveling to interesting places like Israel, Jordan, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Hungry, HI, FL, Pacific Northwest USA, just in the last year! We feel lucky to have our good health. I spend much of my free time golfing, walking, biking
and volunteering for the Assistance League of Minneapolis/St Paul (a chapter of a national org). Would love to hear if any other classmates have found that wonderful organization! And I have 2 sons getting married in the next few months (ages 29 and 36, oldest 39 is already married and we have 2 beautiful granddaughters)! Hoping for more grandkids!” For the past 5 years, Vicki Leidner has worked in development for the Philadelphia Orchestra. She writes, “I am surrounded by the finest classical musicians playing the finest classical music.” Vicki lives with her cat in a garden apartment in the suburbs, near a handful of friends and her sister. She still runs and plays tennis and goes “to NYC on occasion for my super cultural fix and travel abroad during summer vacation to visit another sister who lives in Europe.” Since retirement in 2012, Carol Church Bishop and Bill have traveled to HI, New Zealand, Australia and Canada, as well as voyaging in their RV through FL, GA and AL. They have 3 grandsons and a great-granddaughter born this March. Carol and Bill continue to be busy on their chestnut tree farm and also enjoy annual motorcycle riding trips to the Warrior West. She writes, “We spend a week riding through the mountains and, of course, on the Cherohala Skyway and the Tail of the Dragon, both in NC. We are still young and continue to enjoy life.” Jane Hyde Williams says it has been a long time since she checked in, so what better moment than now? She writes, “I am still working for the company I co-founded in 1982, Sand Hill Global Advisors, in Palo Alto, CA, (sandhillglobaladvisors.com). In 2014, I turned over leadership to a younger partner who is doing a wonderful job! My husband, Craig, now retired, and I live in nearby Menlo Park and keep my family’s tradition of heading to the coast of ME for as much of summer as possible. We have had a full and wonderful year! This time last year our 1st son Hunter, 32, and his HS sweetheart tied the knot on a beautiful wooded property in the Sonoma Valley. They’d taken a breather to go to college and
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connections
Laurie Rendall Coursin ’69 with her son.
reconnected almost 7 years later. The wedding could not have been more fun! And they bought a house near us! I am thrilled—especially to have such a wonderful daughter! Our younger son, Chris, 29, has been building a custom surfboard business, Union Surfboard, in Brooklyn, NY, which is going gangbusters. He is working hard, but as the adage goes, if you are doing what you love, you will never work a day in your life! We have had a wonderful year of travel, thanks to my greater degree of flexibility, including to NYC for the launch of a new space for young designers, including Chris, to exhibit their wares. Finally, we have just returned from 3 weeks in Africa—4 safari camps in Botswana, to Victoria Falls, then Cape Town. It’s the most amazing trip we have ever taken.” Anne Laverack Gallivan says her busy retirement began in 2010, after 21 years as a school media specialist (aka librarian). She writes, “I made the decision to run for state rep in my 4-town district here in VT. A successful campaign gave me a seat in the House for a 2-year term before a young challenger took advantage of a wave of dissatisfaction to unseat me. It was a blow, but I realized I had new knowledge and new networks that allowed me to be a more effective member of several nonprofit boards for mentoring, and to join forces with others to provide and facilitate professional growth opportunities in Rutland, a city in need of revitalization. Last fall our 1st grandchild was born, and despite our 3,000 mile separation, we have had 3 wonderful visits. We also have a camping van for visiting more of our beautiful country. Life is full and good.” Pam Hersey ’69 MT is still living and writing on Peaks
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Island, ME; she is hard at work on research for her next novel. Pam’s books can be bought at Amazon. com under PR Hersey. She stays in touch with Louise Cutting Dorian, Pam Herd MacKellar, Pam Prescott King ’68, Marion “Molly” Cate, Barbara Crockett Collins ’67 and Randi Van Dusen Thekan ’67. I hope all’s well with my 1969 classmates! I’d love to hear from you when and if you come to CA!
1971
ELLIE GOODWIN COCHRAN elliegc@myfairpoint.net Angela George Laufer and her husband, Billy, celebrated 35 years of marriage this June. They have 4 wonderful daughters. Alexis is married with 2 girls, Sienna and Madison, and lives nearby in Chester, NJ. Marisa is also married with a little beauty, Charlotte, and lives in Hoboken, NJ. Amanda recently married and also lives in Hoboken (she and her husband are attorneys in Newark). Youngest daughter Chelsea is a pediatric nurse at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and is pursuing her master’s as a nurse practitioner. Angela still sells real estate and Billy is a busy attorney with a bustling practice. Anne Corrigan moved to NC almost 13 years ago after living in MA all her life and experiencing one too many bleak winters. It was a great decision, as she loves the temperate climate and the friendly people. She spends 6 months reading admissions folders at UNC at Chapel Hill and the other 6 months gardening, reading and enjoying the warm NC beaches. Mary Lou Sibley Wolfe’s son, Alex, is a jr at UW. He’ll spend his fall quarter studying in Italy. Mary Lou is excited to meet him there in Dec and have a family tour of Europe through the holidays. I’m sorry I don’t have more news to report, but I really enjoyed the last PAAC meeting at the college and, as always, I was proud of all that our school has accomplished. The campus looks amazing and it was great to catch up on the latest doings. I look forward to more news next time.
1972
LINDA KELLY GRAVES dikeroka@aol.com I was up at Colby-Sawyer in April for the President’s Alumni Advisory Council (PAAC) meeting. It was a glorious spring day—warm, not a cloud in the sky, and bustling with students and activities. You really all should come back for a visit—like our 45th reunion in 2017! I had the chance to catch up with Martha Cary Shuster, who is happily surrounded by several grandchildren and children, all within a reasonable drive. Her twin, Sarah Cary Lemelin, also lives in South Dartmouth, MA, and has grandchildren. Speaking of grandchildren, our family welcomed our 2nd grandson on Feb 23. Henry and his older brother, Tommy, are 18 months apart. Can’t wait to see what fun they bring to their parents’ lives! So, that’s the news for now, folks. Please get on your cell phones and send me an update. You know you love reading about yourselves and seeing what your Colby friends are doing!
1973
NANCY R. MESSING nrmessing@aol.com Christine Gram Croarkin is once again settled in New Canaan, CT, after 2 years in Switzerland and 4 in Ft Worth, TX. She writes, “We loved both locations, and took advantage of what each culture had to offer. In Switzerland, I could travel far and easily to different countries in my little Prius; visiting the wildlife in the Jura Mtns, the folk festivals in the farm communities in the HauteSavoie, the Christmas markets in Alsace, as well as hiking the beautiful Alpine trails. I belonged to a
l to r: Annie Bel ’71, Laurence Bel Violett ’64, Lesley Miller Bloch ’64 and Nancy Woodring Hansen ’64 on a recent trip to France.
hiking group and we snowshoed and hiked our way over a variety of interesting terrains. I must have taken over 1,000 photos as there was never a bad shot! The Texans were wonderful neighbors and to my delight, Ft Worth has a collection of world-class art museums, as well as the Will Rogers Memorial Center, which hosts many national horse breed shows. My husband and I have retired, and the children have left the nest. Our son is in Manhattan and works for an advertising agency; our daughter is an artist working for a video game consortium in MI. My husband is on the board of 2 pharmaceutical corporations and is a member of the NASDAQ listing panel. I am the sole caregiver for my 96-year-old French mother, which is not without drama and challenge. We are busy putting together albums of her childhood photos and remembering events and family members whom we cherished. I also enjoy taking oil painting classes from the artists at the local Silvermine Art Center, and am active in several organizations in town, as time away from my mother permits. I have such wonderful memories of Colby Jr College, especially my poetry and literature classes with Michael McMahon, and conversations with Wesley McNair. Best wishes to my classmates and former professors!”
1976
JANET E. SPURR spurr1@msn.com Rita Ahearn Keenan has a new addition to the family. Her 1st grandson, Charles William Cornelius, arrived this year and she says, “He’s such a sweet little guy!” Rita still sells residential real estate in Austin, TX, and keeps in touch every Christmas with Ann Dionne Twomey ’79 and Marsha Coombs Garone. As for me, Janet Spurr, I was asked to be on the President’s Alumni Advisory Council, which met in April. I was so proud to once again be a part of CSC and had a great day hearing about all of the changes. I will miss President Tom Galligan and his wonderful sense of humor, but I did get a chance to meet our new president, Sue
Stuebner, and she is great, too. We ended the day at Lethbridge Lodge, which has an amazing pub with excellent beer!
1977
CORRESPONDENT NEEDED Suzanne Voth Gorman is enjoying life in FL, still writing songs and performing. Her 2 kids are well and happy, and she says you can’t ask for more. Kathy Brown Teece’s daughter, Erica (33), was married in NYC last Oct and has moved to Oakland, CA, with husband, Dave. Son Alex (30) graduated this year from Harvard with a master’s in ed leadership. His dream is to open a charter school in HI, where he lives. Daughter Sam (27) moved from NYC to Boston in fall 2015 and is in the process of developing a nutrition/healthy lifestyle consulting business. Kathy and her husband, David, celebrate their 37th anniversary in Sept. Leslie Powers, a major in the Army, recently returned from a year’s deployment to Afghanistan, where she oversaw all the medical assets as a Clinical Operations Officer. She loves being back in the states, returning to DHMC as an ER RN, which she has done for 7 years.
1978
JODY HAMBLEY COOPERRUBIN jcooper323@aol.com Linda Simon Miller writes, “I was blessed on Jan 18 with my 1st biological granddaughter, Caroline King. It’s a true joy becoming a grandparent to a newborn, although I became a grandmother to a wonderful young lady, Madison King, on the day my daughter married Madison’s father in 2013. My own dear mother used to say that being a grandmother was like having a little bit of Heaven here on Earth. She was right!”
1980
NATALIE HARTWELL THRASHER LifeGrd121@aol.com Dana Peters Frizzell lives in Laconia, NH, close to Lake Winnipesaukee, and works at an inn. She has been in the hotel business almost 20 years and still loves the job. Dana has had her 1st book
published! One Week, by Dana Peters, is available on Amazon. She is halfway through her next book. She also had a memorable trip to Australia that she called “a grand adventure.” Darlene Chamberlain is also writing a novel. She has had many occupations but currently works as a traffic controller flagger and lives in Concord, NH. As for me, Natalie Hartwell Thrasher, I will be in Europe this summer with my husband but will check email. Please continue to share your news and adventures!
Jones Viets writes, “I live in Granby, CT, married with 2 teenagers, a girl, 17, and boy, 15. I am the CEO/treasurer at Metropolitan District Employees’ Credit Union, having been in financial services since graduation and involved with my current employer for the past 20 years.” Karen contacted me via Facebook, which is another way to share class news. Friend me! Looking forward to hearing from more of our great class!
1982
CORRESPONDENT NEEDED Stephanie Greene Alessandra writes, “Every time I get my Colby-Sawyer Magazine, I flip open to the page for 1985 so I can catch up with my former classmates; I am always disappointed when there is nothing there. I realized I am part of the problem, so I decided to sit down and send an update. A lot has happened since I left beautiful New London. Instead of rehashing the last 31 years (yikes!) I will just give a recent update. I live in NJ with my husband of 8 years and have 2 stepchildren. For the past 11 years, I have worked as a consumer relations manager at Reckitt Benckiser, which I love. Although most people don’t know our name, they definitely know our brands: Lysol, Mucinex, Woolite, Durex, French’s Mustard and more. My commute is only 10 minutes, allowing me a lot of time to balance work and personal life. I attend boot camp 6 days a week; this is the 1 hour I give to myself every day, and I feel blessed I am able to remain active and healthy. I just turned 53 and feel better now than I did 31 years ago! My stepdaughter married last year and my stepson has been dating a lovely girl for 7 years, so fingers crossed for another wedding in the near future. Through Facebook, I have been able to connect with a few college friends, and we keep saying that one of these days we want to get back to New London. I still hold CSC close to my heart. When I arrived in Jan 1982, I was petrified; it was the 1st time I had ever been away from home and on my own. When I graduated I felt confident and ready to tackle the world. Although my life has taken many
SUSAN HOLDERNESS CUSACK sehchoy@aol.com As Prince so eloquently put it, “Sometimes it snows in April.” In New London, as many of you will recall, sometimes it snows in late April, as was the case this year. As bad as that may sound, this was actually the winter that never quite arrived. Snow was scarce on the ground, and our snow removal budgets received much appreciated relief. My husband, Noel, and I frequent the alumni beer tastings and happy hours at Galligan’s Pub, located on the Colby-Sawyer campus. Professors in the Business Administration and Natural Sciences Depts were instrumental in creating this pub where the college’s own beer is served! We have enjoyed meeting these and other professors and learning about the college’s brewing science course. Colby-Sawyer has also started a Last Monday monthly event at the pub open to the community. We attended a farewell celebration for President Galligan hosted by Adventures in Learning. The pub was packed with people from the community celebrating Tom and his accomplishments.
1984
DIANE PLACE STATKUS d.statkus@comcast.net As I write, I’m gearing up for my 36th HS reunion, and I’m reminded of how fun it will be to catch up with old friends. My HS class doesn’t have an alumnae magazine to leverage for communication, but we do from CSC. So send me a quick note after you read this update! Karen
1985
twists and turns over the years, I know my time spent at CSC gave me the foundation to work through it gracefully and forge ahead.” Alice Wright Goodrich says life is good and busy. Her son Joseph is finishing up his jr year and wants to do aerospace engineering. He just became an Eagle Scout, and his next step is to become asst jr scout master; scouting keeps him and Alice’s husband, Brian, quite busy. Grandson Anthony had his 1st birthday in June. Alice has taken on the leadership role for her church’s anti-child trafficking task force. She says, “Our name is ACT NOW, which stands for Anti-Child Trafficking Network of Wethersfield. We will begin our Hotel/Motel Ministry along the I-91 Corridor in June.” Since July 2015, Carla Byers has been sr development officer for Partners in Health, an NGO that strengthens health systems in some of the world’s poorest countries, including Haiti, Rwanda and Mexico. She finds it rewarding work. The founder, Dr. Paul Farmer, is profiled in the book Mountains Beyond Mountains, which Carla recommends as a great summer read. She is addicted to ballroom dancing and looks forward to her 1st national competition at the end of the year. Carla also writes, “For all of you who had the pleasure/pain of living near me in Colby dorm, you know I am absolutely devastated by the death of ‘His Purple Badness,’ Prince! I am so happy to have had the opportunity to see him in concert as many times as I did. If you haven’t been back to campus, it looks amazing. I’m still stunned by the cafeteria and the food choices, while current students couldn’t believe we had dorm dinners and could ‘order’ just about anything.”
1986
CORRESPONDENT NEEDED Eileen Meisel Nunez moved with her family to Chapel Hill, NC, from VT in Nov 2014. She writes, “We are still getting settled here, but we are doing well. Our daughter Katrina, a freshman at Chapel Hill HS, is a year-round swimmer on her USA Swimming club team and also swims for her HS. She has adjusted well to the move and stays busy
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connections
with her swimming and her involvement on several HS clubs as well. My husband, Julian, and I still own Nunez Electric, LLC in VT, and have established Action Solar & Electric, LLC here in NC. Look us up at actionsolarnc.com. Most of our work is still in VT, so Julian travels quite a bit back and forth. We’re hoping that our new business in NC will catch on and he won’t have to work so much in VT. I was planning to have Mary Jane “MJ” Thompson O’Hare, Barbara-Jane “Beej” Smith Thompson ’48, and MJ’s nephew over on a day in April; they were planning to stay over here on their way back to NJ from picking BJ up in FL. The big surprise was that Heather Von Maur Tinsman and Peter Tinsman walked in the door about 5 minutes after MJ arrived! I was so surprised. The last time that MJ, Heather and I were all together was at least 20 years ago! It was so awesome to all be together. We went out on Franklin St to experience Saturday night in Chapel Hill and had a sleepover at my house! We’re all planning to make it up to CSC this fall.”
1988
CATHERINE HOOD-PITTENGER wrappedjmj@bellsouth.net This Feb, Christina Pascual Colon ’89 and family went to the Toyota Stadium in Frisco, TX, to watch her older daughter, Stephanie, play in the Olympic soccer qualifiers. Stephanie, playing for the Puerto Rico National Team, competed against Costa Rica, Mexico and USA. Though they lost all 3 games, it’s the 1st time a team from PR made it that far. It was also great, Christina said, because while her daughter had many family and friends come from Pittsburgh, NYC and Dallas to support her, it was Christina who was selected as an official photographer to take pictures of the games on the field. Have news to share? Please email me so it can be included in the next magazine.
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1990
JANETTE ROBINSON HARRINGTON janetteharrington13@gmail.com Wendy Johnstone Sullivan is an avid skier and had a pretty severe ski accident last March that kept her off the slopes. After surgery and some rehab, she is up and about and plans to be back on the slopes next year! Wendy has 2 girls: Sophia, 16, is a soph in HS, and Emalia is 12 and having fun in middle school. Wendy lives on Cape Ann in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. After 9 years as a teacher at Magic Years Preschool, she is excited to take on the role of director. Wendy has made connections on Facebook from CSC and would love to get together with anyone in the area! Nancy Ellen Kenyon Richardson reports this last year has been a difficult one. She writes, “My 25-year-old son was killed in an accident the day before Mother’s Day last year. This year of ‘firsts’ without him has been an emotional rollercoaster for our whole family. During this same time period, though, our 1st grandson, Alex, was born, bringing beauty and some smiles back into our world. I have started working toward my PhD in psychology; one of my daughters is graduating with her bachelor’s in psychology, and another son entered college last Sept, also in psychology. Life is moving forward; it is not always easy, but we are trying to savor every moment we have.” Leslie Vail Britton reports that after 11 years as an elementary school teacher, she will be graduating to HS as a workbased learning teacher within the special ed system. Her daughter, Nora, is active in theater, which brings Leslie great joy and pride.
1992
BETH BRYANT CAMP ecamp@colby-sawyer.edu JENNIFER BARRETT SAWYER jjmasawyer@comcast.net I hope you all enjoyed a nice relaxing summer with family and friends. It’s hard to believe that almost a year from now we will gather back in New London to celebrate our 25th Reunion. Kelly Lynch Collins lives in CA and works for Adobe. She
l to r: Eileen Meisel Nunez ’85, Barbara-Jane “BJ” Smith Thompson ’48, Mary Jane “MJ” Thompson O’Hare ’85 and Heather Von Maur Tinsman ’85 in Chapel Hill, NC.
continues to enjoy involvement with the motorcycle and car clubs, and she travels as often as she can. This year she enjoyed trips to Cuba, South Beach and Santa Barbara. Janel McDonald Lawton and her family moved back to NH 2 years ago after they purchased the family business, Lawton Construction Company. Janel and husband Shad are enjoying the outdoor lifestyle of the North Country with their children Elizabeth, 12, and Elvis, 10. Janel sees Amy Koskey Kurja and her family during the winter while Amy and her family enjoy their ski house in Bethlehem, NH. Amy and Janel gather every summer for a mini CSC reunion with Jen Barrett Sawyer, Alexis Trowbridge Scavetta ’95, Alycia Colavito Parkes, Robyn True and their families. Kirsten Girard Soroko is the curriculum and instructional coordinator at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, NH, overseeing the design and implantation of competency-based learning. Kirstin still plays lots of tennis and runs as often as she can. She has been married to husband Mat for 4 years; her son AJ is in the 6th grade, and Emmy is in 9th grade. No surprise that both kids are involved with athletics! Brenda Manus White and her husband, Dave, are empty nesters! Their son, Jay, graduated from Merrimack College and daughter, Sloane, completed her freshman year at Syracuse U. Brenda and Dave recently established Blakeny’s Fine Baked Goods, selling their homemade goodies at farmers’ markets in the Concord, NH, area. Brenda enjoys teaching nursery and pre-K at the Windy Hill School. Kristi Dyer
has been living in Santa Fe, NM, for almost 16 years, with a few shortterm stays in CA, NV and CT. She is employed at Trader Joe’s and does weekly chair massage at Pharmaca to drum up private clients. Kristi is looking forward to building a parttime myofascial release practice again before the end of this year. She also enjoys playing tennis on a Santa Fe USTA women’s and mixed doubles team. Kristi lives with her 2 retired dogs and loves the sunshine and openness of the Southwest. As for me, Beth Bryant Camp, I continue to enjoy life in New London and my work in the Development Office at Colby-Sawyer. My husband, Nate Camp ’98, teaches 8th grade science and is the varsity boys basketball coach at Kearsarge Regional HS. He was named Coach of the Year for Div III Boys Basketball after bringing the team to the 1st championship game in 17 years. Our daughter Ellie is in 8th grade and Caroline is in 7th, which means Nate and the girls carpool to school. As the year unfolds, I hope you will be in touch, make plans and return to campus to celebrate our 25th Reunion during Homecoming Weekend.
1994
JULIE A. CAMP camp_julie@hotmail.com STACEY BANKS NIEMAN sniemana@gmail.com Matt Reed started a new job in April as a graphic designer in the marketing dept of Enterprise Bank in Lowell, MA. He will be the only designer in the growing dept, so he will have a lot of input on upcoming branding alterations. Prior to that he traveled with the family to NYC, Montreal and Ireland, drinking Guinness with the Irish people who were so nice! Holly Long Maturo is doing well. She continues to work as a behaviorist for a private agency and as a consultant for the state of CT, which is trying with CT’s current budget. She and family rented a cabin in Haverhill, NH, in June and took a side trip to visit Ian Holm at his camp, where he has a sugar shack. Ally Goff Sharpe opened a counseling and psychotherapy practice, working with adolescents and adults. Learn more at
asharpetherapy.com. Her family is doing great! Ally’s husband, Chris, is working hard, as well as fundraising for the Tour de Cure ride to benefit the American Diabetes Assoc. Son Parker is a HS freshman and daughter Ava, in 8th grade, had her Bat Mitzvah in Sept! Dana Healy Commesso is excited to visit CSC and see old friends this fall at Homecoming. Andrea Hammond Burke ’95 writes, “My husband, Jeremy, and I and our 4 children continue to enjoy our new life in OH! I have gone back to my Colby-Sawyer roots and am now working as a school speech pathologist. Summer means time off and a trip home to NH and, of course, a long overdue visit with Beth Sargent Fenton.”
1995
CAROLINE MIRIAM HERZ carolineherz@gmail.com Chris “Koz” Kozlowski and Christen Wallingford Kozlowski ’96 had a good and mild winter. Their boys are 8 and 10, and a new puppy has joined the family. Christen is still working in real estate. The Chop Shop was ranked the #1 greatest steakhouse outside Boston in 2015 by the Phantom Gourmet and received the “Great 8” award!
1997
AMIE PARISEAU pariseau75@comcast.net DONNA M. STUDLEY donna.studley@gmail.com LAUREN CALVARESE TAUSCHER lauren_tauscher@yahoo.com Jean-Paul “JP” Huot is the director of HR at the law firm Chisholm and Kilpatrick in Providence, RI. His oldest son, a jr in HS, checked out CSC as a possible school. Although he doesn’t think it is the place for him, JP’s middle son fell in love and swears it’s where he’s going. Lori Monroe Lombardi is thankful for good health, a fantastic husband, an amazing 4-year-old, and a great customer service position in Littleton, NH! She says watching her daughter Tori grow and figure things out is truly a gift from God. Last Oct, Lori was surrounded by friendship and celebration at the Fall Festival and Athletics Hall of
2014. They enjoy the outdoors with their daughter, skiing, hiking and camping. Laura Anderson Yeager and her husband welcomed their son, Andrew Charles, on March 21.
2000
Chris Kozlowoski ’95 and Christen “Koz” Wallinford Kozlowski ’96 with their two sons.
Fame Induction. It was a pleasure to see so many from the past, including other inductees with whom she shared years at CSC, as well as Donna Studley, Sarah Holmes Tucker ’95, the parents of Nicole Lafitte ’99 and Amie Pariseau, who offered a wonderful introduction. Lori also enjoyed seeing staff members Mike Heffernan and Lisa Lacombe, who continue to share their love of CSC with others. She said it was great to catch up with Liz Toole Witham ’94 in the cafeteria line! Congrats to Stephanie Peterson Racine and her students from Calcutt Middle School for being RI jr-level champions in science energy ed for the 3rd year! Lauren Smyrl Koron, her husband, J, and their children, Victoria and Connor, live in Andover, NH. In fall 2015, they brought their horse and pony home to join the dog, cats and chickens on the farm. It’s been a change and they still bring them over to Mary Drueding ’83 at Seery Hill for lessons, but it’s nice having them right there. In June, Lauren celebrated 10 years as a veterinary sales consultant with Nestle Purina Pet Care Company. She works with vets to make nutrition recommendations for their clients. Other than work, Lauren spends most of her time with the kids, friends and in various activities. J is an artist and painted on Mohegan Island in ME in June. Lauren joined him at the end of his workshop for a couple of days of peace and quiet!
TARA SCHIRM CAMPANELLA taracampanella@hotmail.com JENNIFER PRUDDEN MONTGOMERY jprudden@yahoo.com Hi all, Jen Prudden Montgomery here. I am still in Melrose, MA, with my almost 4-year-old son, Davis, and 1-year-old daughter, Taylor. I teach 3rd grade in Andover, MA. I recently saw many alums at the Mt Sunapee Alumni Ski Day and later to spend some time with Katie Sykes Follis and Zanna Campbell Blaney. Melissa Weymouth is still working for USA Volleyball and living in CO. This summer she will travel to Brazil to support Olympic Team operations for both indoor and beach. Nate Corddry is still living happily in East LA. He hosts a literary podcast on the Earwolf network called “Reading Aloud” and has chatted with some compelling people. “Sure, I got an F in British Literature as a freshman, but I’ve grown so much since then!” he reports. Acting wise, he has 2 movies coming out this year, “Ghostbusters” and “The Circle.” He claims he’s “incredibly lucky to have gotten to be a part of them.” We think it’s just talent being recognized, Nate! Tara Strand Balunis successfully defended her doctoral dissertation in Feb and graduated in May from UMass Amherst with her PhD in ed. Her little boy turned 1 and her daughter is 4. Julie Longtin Morales writes, “I am starting an adventure to go back to school finally.” She will officially be in a
1999
CORRESPONDENT NEEDED Dave Bourassa lives in the mountains of CO and works in higher ed at Metropolitan State U of Denver. He and his wife had a baby girl in
Mike Spinney ’00 and Kristin Giannino Spinney ’01 and their family during Reunion.
Dave Bourassa ’99 with his daughter on a backcountry ski adventure in the Rocky Mountains.
nursing program spring 2017. She started her prerequisites in May to get a jump start. Her girls are 8 and 10, and they stay busy with dance and sports. In Feb, Julie connected with Dan Darcy, Cindy Bailey, Dan O’Connell ’99 and Shirah Sinclair O’Connell for Cindy’s baby shower. It was a year on March 25 since Anne Raeburn passed away with her unborn baby boy. The event brought them all together for a sad time, though there was also reminiscing with fellow classmates about happy times and memories. Mechilia “Chile” Eng Salazar is living in Quincy, MA, with her husband, son and 3 dogs. She writes, “When I’m not spending time loving my family, I’m immersed in my role as chief development officer at The BASE, a Boston nonprofit that uses sports to help urban youth. In short, with so many crazy things happening in the world, I am working on filling my days with as much hope and love as possible. Wishing everyone peace and happiness!” Please send your updates along for our next magazine.
2001
KIMBERLY MORRISON MILLER morrisonkimberly@hotmail.com Celia Lozeau Goodman writes, “My family is living in CA again after 2 cold years in Calgary. I’ve become a hockey mom as both my boys play travel hockey. It keeps me busy (and cold). I’ll be in NH for most of June and July visiting family and working as an usher at the New London Barn Playhouse.” Kristin Giannino Spinney is in her 13th year teaching
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LIL’ CHARGERS
A fun-filled page dedicated to celebrating our Lil’ Chargers
rkins, en Pe 1 and B Perkins ’0 y e b b da sA arger acey Guar isit Kelsey game. h C ’ Tr y Lil ,v en of hocke s ’99 childr ith Perkin or a field f e and K ic Campus t Athle
ILLUSTRATIONS BY LAURA COLLINS ’16
w. rs gro n e g r a Ch cs o futurehargers pi E R S r u o h Watc your Lil’ CL I L C H A R G r a Sh el media: # socia
E Z A M Y IN D A A T N U MO
ow l r Barail T DID YOU KNOW?
Honey bees help plants grow. Learn about our campus bees on page 7. And have fun finding five more honey bees hidden in this issue.
1
LIL' CROSSWORD
2
Win Tra slo il w
3 4
5
6 7
Bee locations and crossword answers on page 60.
ACROSS 3. where bees live 5. breed of President Stuebner’s dogs 7. beloved former professor, author and illustrator DOWN 1. what we climb on Mountain Day 2. name of CSC mascot 4. autumn alumni event 6. paint this on pottery before it gets fired
grades 1-2 at a private school in Amesbury, MA. She reports, “We are loving life in Newburyport, and our 3 kids keep us busy. School events, basketball, baseball, soccer, karate and dance keep us on the go! We love having the Fagans and Rochefords in town with us and watching our kids grow up together. In Oct, we had fun taking the kids to CSC and showing them all around. Mike’s soph year basketball team was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Can’t believe we are coming up on our 15th reunion!” Julie Tyrrell Olsen is director of instructional support for Cumberland/North Yarmouth School District in ME and completing her doctorate in ed leadership. Her boys, Gavin (9) and Patrick (6), are keeping them busy and happy. Emily Minor Hayes moved to TN in 2014 and is a nurse specialist in the Heart Lung Vascular Institute at the U of TN Medical Center. Her husband works for the U of TN. They built their home in the foothills of the Smoky Mtns! They have 2 beautiful daughters, 13 and 9, that keep them busy. Travis Dunbar married his wife, Dawn, on Aug 15, 2015. He is the principal of the Spurwink School in Casco, ME, and is also working on his doctorate of special ed. He still races NASCAR touring cars. His son is 11 and his daughter is 8. Karrie Whitmore Swindler is busy raising 3 children; Leah (6), Ethan (3) and Austin, who was born in May 2015. She enjoys being an at-home mom (in addition to caring for some extra kids at the same time). Karrie and her husband look forward to building their dream home soon! Jamie Ciano Allen writes, “I am a nurse practitioner in the cardiac surgical ICU at Mass General in Boston and couldn’t be happier with my career. I am also so lucky to be married with a beautiful daughter, Mackenzie, who just turned 2. She is certainly our biggest achievement and makes us smile every day!” Krissi Dyer helped organize a get-together of CSC alums in Portland, ME, this March to see Percy Hill at Port City Music Hall. Attendees included Carter Olcott ’98, Gabe Schuft ’99/’00, Heather Barber ’99, Alicen Jesser Wilson ’99, Jolene Thompson Stratton ’97,
l to r Lucia Savage Reeder ’02, Jew Cawley Estle ’02, Addy Danaher Sottile ’02 and Katie Reeder Ronzano ’02 celebrate Addy’s wedding.
Justin Wolfe ’98, Maureen Kadish Adams ’02, John Dunn ’00, Ben Watts ’03, Allison Werlock Lundquist ’00, Elizabeth Ashley and Mandy Casey. Sarah Outten Horan, her husband, Michael, and their son Brody welcomed Connor John to the world on Nov 2, 2015. Their house is full of fun and laughter every day!
2002
NICOLE FOWLER MARTIN nicole.martin3@gmail.com CHERYL LECESSE RICHARDSON cheryllecesse@gmail.com In Dec 2015, Cathleen “Cassie” Doran Koslosky graduated from Georgetown with a master’s in nursing and a specialty as a family nurse practitioner. She shares, “I decided to stay in emergency medicine and took a job in the ER at Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, ME, where I have worked for the past 11 years. It’s been a really challenging transition, but it’s been good to put my brain to work and try something new. Kids are great, my husband is awesome, life is good.” After running for a few years and completing several half marathons, Kelsey Barberi LaPerle finally decided to tackle a full marathon. She writes, “I ran the Walt Disney World marathon in Jan with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I raised over $3,400 to support blood cancer research and had an absolutely fantastic time running—in the top 10 of life experiences for sure!” Sarah Reagan Auer lives in Kennebunk, ME, with her husband, Matt, and sons Willy and Spencer. She loves working at ME Medical Center as marketing manager. Cheryl Lecesse Richardson and her husband, Scott, welcomed baby Charlotte on
Aug 16, 2015. Cheryl writes, “Charlotte is a happy, curious baby, and I love every minute of motherhood! Scott and I bought a house in Beverly, MA, at the end of March and are renovating it. I continue to work as an editor at the Salem News in Beverly.” Addy Danaher Sottile was married on Aug 22, 2015. She and her husband, Tony, bought land in Waterford, CT, 2 years ago, which is just a walk away from the beach. They gutted a small 1-story house on the property, made it into a brand new summer rental. They just finished removing a larger house on the property and will soon build a house to move into. Addy is still a fitness specialist and asst program manager with the Health & Fitness Center at Pfizer, where she has worked for 14 years. In March, Amelia Martel Verdrager started a new job at DHHS as a child care licensing coordinator in NH. As always, we love hearing what exciting things are happening for the Class of 2002, so keep those updates coming!
2003
LISA NOYES HARDENBROOK litha81@hotmail.com Jess Wilfert is working at Off The Wall Personal Training in Watertown, MA. She writes, “I am loving the transition from working in a large fitness center to a small 1:1 work space. I have gained interest in becoming a massage therapist (as well as a physical therapist) as I work more and more with ailing clients. Other than that, no big news here. Still single at 35 (and totally ok with it). Playing a ton of soccer and missing my CSC teammates. I hope our 15th class reunion has a better turnout than our last. I know I am not the only one missing the good old class of ’03 crew.” Alexis Miranda Coleman and her husband, Kevin, welcomed their 1st child, Andrew, on March 11. The Colemans are enjoying their new family of 3 and “Drew” is spoiled as the only grandchild on both sides of their families. Jennifer Ljungvall completed the Boston Marathon for the 2nd year in a row. Jenn, her mom and 1 of her sisters run in honor of her stepfather, Walter, who had been the official starter of the
Ali Quinton ’04 married Kevin Manning ’04 in April on the island of Curacao. l to r: Tamsen Bolte Snyder ’04, Sareen Sarna ’79, Ali, and Cecily Danver ’04.
Boston Marathon for 23 years until 2013. Before he died, he asked Jenn’s mom to run in his honor, and Jenn and her sisters helped her mom train. Because of Jenn’s stepdad’s family involvement with the B.A.A., they granted the family waivers to run and made a large donation to the Wounded Warrior Project in Walter’s name. Jenn says that this has been an incredible experience, both healing and inspiring.
2004
ERIC J. EMERY ericemery6@msn.com Ali Quinton married Kevin Manning on April 28 on the beautiful Caribbean island of Curacao. They had a wonderful time and were thankful to have their closest family and friends with them, including Tamsen Bolte Snyder, Sareen Sarna ’79 and Cecily Danver. Kate Rocheford Ferguson and Matt Ferguson ’03 welcomed their 2nd son, Gavin, last winter. They had a great time at Alumni Ski Day.
2005
MONICA MICHAUD MILLER michaud_monica@hotmail.com Jen Haagensen is entering her last year of residency in neurology and will be starting a 2-year fellowship in epilepsy at the U of MD in July 2017. She travelled to Yokosuka, Japan, to visit her twin nieces in March. Farah Rizvi Doyle writes, “This fall, I will return to CSC to teach a 4-credit design course, Global Design Foundations. I am excited to return to campus and teach in a classroom I sat in as a student.” Karyn Hoepp Jennings ’06 and Joe Jennings welcomed Avery Ann on March 9.
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CATHARINE MORRIS PHOTOGRAPHY
JUST ADD THE ONES YOU LOVE The best days of your life happened at Colby-Sawyer. Let us help you create new memories at the place you already love. colby-sawyer.edu/weddings ♦ 603.526.3720 74
colby-sawyer magazine
spotlight
2006
2007
Stephanie Jaques Guzzo stephanie.guzzo@gmail.com Ashley Helen Rodkey rodkeyah@yahoo.com Steve Hash and Katie Srednicki Hash ’06 are thrilled to announce the arrival of their 1st child, Riley Richard. Riley is a Saint Patty’s Day baby and the love of their life. Sharon Belden Collins has 8 beautiful grandchildren. She returned to college for her BA in Healthcare Administration at New England College and will graduate in Dec 2017.
2008
SARAH HEANEY PELLETIER sh.heaney@gmail.com Lindsey Santoro was promoted to asst manager of the quality assurance dept at Service Credit Union in Portsmouth, NH. Ashley Goulter earned a promotion this summer as the compliance specialist at Cambridge Savings Bank. Ashley is also pursuing her master’s in compliance and ethics at New England College of Business and has purchased her 1st home with Chris Houston-Ponchak ’06.
2009
NICOLE POELAERT COSTANZO npoelaert@yahoo.com ELIZABETH MARY CRESSMAN ecressman1986@yahoo.com In July 2015, Aubrey Thomas started a new position as development assoc for the Office of the VP of Development at Northeastern U.
MISA ON WHEELS Amanda Knightly ’11 Can you find your true self by playing a character? Amanda Knightly ’11 would say yes. Confined to a wheelchair since childhood due to Charcot-Marie Tooth, a form of Muscular Dystrophy, she has achieved celebrity within the cosplay world as her alter ego Misa on Wheels. Cosplay is a mash-up of “costume play,” and by dressing up as characters from anime, video games and other pop culture media, Knightly has found a way to bring her natural joy to others. Knightly was terrified the first time she went out in costume. It was the summer before her sophomore year when she attended her first convention. A member of the college’s Anime Club, her costume was inspired by the popular anime “Death Note” and its fashion model character Misa Amane. She felt shy in her blond, double-ponytailed wig and slinky black outfit as she met artists and other cosplayers until one of them said, “You are Misa, but you’re on wheels! I’m going to call you Misa on Wheels.” And thus, a cosplayer was born. Since then, Knightly has been to many conventions and has developed a huge online following. She regularly attends Anime Boston and was invited to Toronto’s Anime North. Her Facebook page, with almost 42,000 Likes, describes her as “New England’s most notable cosplayer on wheels!” She considers the cosplay community a second family. “It’s very humbling,” she said. “I never really get used to the fame, to being recognized.” A psychology major, Knightly is considering graduate work to become a forensic psychologist. Whatever the future holds, she remains, in her words, “the happy girl in the wheelchair.”
PHOTO: MEGAN HALEY
KARA JEAN BORDEAU kjbordeau@yahoo.com ANNE COULTER anne.marie.coulter@gmail.com Tarren Mackenzie Bailey married Sam Kleinschmidt on June 27, 2015, in Sanbornton, NH. They moved to NC in Nov 2015. Tarren now works for a marketing company and continues to have her photography business. Krystal Heins Searah married Shaun Searah on Feb 26 at the Common Man Inn in Plymouth, NH. Becky Mello Nadeau attended.
I never really get used to the fame, to being recognized.
– Mike Gregory, director of Advancement Communications
2010
BRITTANY JUDITH MAILMAN bjmailman@gmail.com In Oct 2015, Chris Hartery changed careers and started working with Edward Jones as a financial adviser. After passing the Series 7 and the Series 66 exams at the beginning of this year, he is now in the process of building a practice in Hingham, MA. He is enjoying the work so far, talking with people and learning about their dreams and goals.
Rachel Bourne graduated from New England School of Financial Studies and started attending the American Banking Association School of Bank Marketing in June. Shayln McEntire Johanson and Max Johanson were married on Nov 20, 2015, at the Samoset Resort on the ocean in Rockport, ME. Amy MacMahon Emerson and Kevin Emerson ’11 were married Aug 28, 2015, at Amy’s family farm in Unity, NH.
2011
JOHN CHARLES MCCARTHY johnmccar.11@gmail.com Arianna Dawley Anton gave birth to a daughter, Madelyn, on March 27.
2014
CORRESPONDENT NEEDED After graduation, Nick Ciarlante relocated to DC to begin a program at the George Washington U Graduate School of Political Management. This May, he graduated with a
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connections Amy Beaton Burke ’07 and Chris Burke ’05 wed at Colby-Sawyer back row, l to r: Danny Burke, Andrew Cousins ’09, Kayt Racz ’09, Tyler Putnam ’06, Chris Condon ’05, John St. Clair, Emma Pasquale ’09, Rob Kelley, Andrew St. Clair, Chris Adams, Wendy St. Clair, John Johanson ’07, Jody Moore Condon ’07, Garett Husband ’07, KJ Krasco ’05, Mike Croatti, Chris Rafferty ’08, Terri Duffy ’10, Collin Bray ’06, Tim Beaton ’05. front row l to r: Coach George Martin, Eddie Ogiony, Stevi Valle ’09, Chelsea Valle, Cody O’Leary ’05, Shawnie Kithcart ’07, Leah Salach Adams ’07, Jenna Payton ’09, Chris Burke ’05, Amy Beaton Burke ’07, Laura Rafferty, Halary Patch LeBlanc ’05 and Coach Bill Foti.
master’s in legislative affairs and now works full-time for the US House of Representatives. Shannon Hernon earned her master’s in medical science from National U of Ireland, Galway, and is pursuing a PhD in medicine, specializing in exercise for special populations.
2015
MOLLY PAONE molly.paone@my.colby-sawyer.edu Back in the classroom in her hometown of Bartlett, NH, Morgan Hills is employed as a one-on-one aide for a student with autism at the Josiah Bartlett Elementary School. The school is helping her pursue licensure to become a full- classroom teacher. Kelsie Coccia is living and working at The Oliverian
School, a small alternative boarding school in Pike, NH. Abigail Ferris teaches at the Children’s Garden Preschool in Portsmouth, NH. The alternative preschool’s focus on art and play is a great fit for Abigail. She says, “The moment I walked into the classroom, I was overjoyed.” Ali Wood is interning on a school district’s assistive technology team. This experience has been rewarding. Ali writes, “Since I grew up using assistive technology, it’s amazing to see how communication devices and other means of assistive technology have changed over the years.” Through Americorps, Van Son and Katie Courtemanche mentor students in Napa Valley, CA. Also living in CA, Anurup Upadhyay works in audit
l to r: Katie Mills ’06; Meg Ross ’06; Kara Bordeau ’06; Signe Linville ’06, swimming and diving coach; Heather O’Leary ’07; Jennifer Cox ’08; Liz Morency Gross ’08 and Devon Clougherty Andrews ’06 celebrated at Mike Mooney ’02 and Signe Linville’s new home in Newbury, NH, in April.
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for Deloitte & Touche in Orange County; he is progressing toward his CPA licensure after passing the Uniform CPA Examination in Feb. Building from her sr-year internship at a refugee resettlement center in Concord, NH, Waitta Vainga is pursuing a career in services for new Americans. In addition to a manager position at The Refugee Dream Center, she is an after-school ELL teacher for middle school students with Worcester’s African Community Education program. Marie “Laura” Jean puts her degree in sociology into practice every day as a youth coordinator at Mothers for Justice and Equality, a Boston-based nonprofit focused on ending community violence. Laura helps students who have experienced violence to “turn their trauma into leadership roles where they can make change in their community.” Laura also volunteers for the Posse Foundation as a writing coach for college-bound HS seniors. Patricia Exilus works with teens as an advocate at the Centerboard Teen Living Program in Lynn, MA, a shelter for mothers and their children. Since graduation, Patricia has received her EMT certification through BU and plans to work for an ambulance company to gain experience before entering a physician asst program. Anjali Schutt works at MA General Hospital in Boston as an outpatient occupational therapy aide. Focused
on her goal of becoming an occupational therapist, Anjali says, “I have been working with incredible therapists, directors, doctors and patients from all over the world. My ESS training at CSC has prepared me for this work experience and has helped me to be a thoughtful and creative thinker and an asset in my workplace.” Kayla Ruth Bowers works as a forensic technician for the ME State Police Crime Lab and has adopted a dachshund with her husband. The newly engaged Meghan Burrows is a property manager for Barefoot Cottage Homes and Seal Harbor Real Estate in ME. This fall, Molly Paone enters her 1st year at the U of Lisbon, Portugal, pursuing a master’s in social work with children and families through the Erasmus Mundus Family Program. Libby Humpal enters her 2nd year of law school at VT Law School after working for the VT Natural Resource Council this summer. Cara Shaw is also entering her 2nd year of grad school, working toward a master’s in social work at Springfield College with a promising practicum in private counseling. ®
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in fond memory 1932 Eleanor Jeffords Smith April 5, 1994 1934 Florence Abrams Dobson November 23, 1996 Esther Graves Lane November 21, 2006 Dorothy A. Reynolds April 13, 2010 1935 Marjorie Cain Spence April 7, 2016 1936 Ruth Higgins Neff May 9, 2014 Virginia Robinson Snow May 8, 2015 1937 Jean Reynolds Wolf December 3, 2012 Jeane Morrison Bennett March 1, 2016 Marjorie Hudson McGown July 03, 2016 1938 Frances “Harriet” Coffin Allbee September 7, 1982 1939 Virginia Wells Chandler April 8, 2016 Dorothy Davenport Zilly May 7, 2016 1940 Marion Stevenson Haugh December 5, 2015 Jean Lincoln Hart February 4, 2016 Jean Schwob Homer April 8, 2016 1941 Dorothy Camann Goodman December 26, 2011 Barbara Eldredge Watt April 25, 2014 Mabelle Goodrich Robbie February 7, 2016 Harriet Hatch Westin March 14, 2016 Mary Louise Williams Haskell June 19, 2016
1942 Grace Richter Constant February 2015 Marilyn Markle Lichliter August 30, 2015 1944 Marjorie Allen Wood April 4, 2016 1945 Ruth Hall Guernsey March 14, 2016 1946 Althea Bennett Hatch February 22, 2016 1947 Ann Walker Levitt September 26, 2013 Julia Loeffell Hughes May 2, 2016 Dorothy “Dorsi” Brooks Tately May 15, 2016 Sally-Ann Goss Clark May 23, 2016 1948 Dorothy Shays Dangerfield October 26, 2012 Dorothy Robinson Powell November 25, 2012 Sara Ackerman Frey January 11, 2016 1949 Althea Currier Barker February 1, 2016 Jeanne MacPherson Lehman February 10, 2016 1950 Sally Ives Foster July 16, 2015 Nancy Riley Doescher January 12, 2016 Gretchen Siegfried Nymoen February 2, 2016 1951 Barbara Smith Dunlap February 18, 2015 Joan Taylor Beucke March 3, 2016 1952 Virginia Kurtz Bonney January 12, 2016 Alexandra Brady Young January 31, 2016
Nadia Naguib Kelaba February 10, 2016 Ann Taylor Stokes April 30, 2016 1953 Lois Holt Rodenburg January 30, 2016 Martha “Marty” Funk Miller May 17, 2016 Patricia Dobbs Montgomery June 9, 2016 Nancy Southwick Westland July 6, 2016 1954 Helen MacDonald O’Donnell June 1990 Jane Larson July 12, 2000 Martha Jennings Cramer October 1, 2000 Joan Louise Curry July 17, 2005 Constance Malley Callahan January 14, 2016 Joan Dryden May February 27, 2016
1965 Sally Sue Lesner April 16, 2006 Sara S. Wolf February 19, 2016 Kahren Nottage Miller June 5, 2016 1966 Martha Nesbitt Moriarty March 1, 2015 Wendy Fruland September 27, 2015 1968 Jacqueline Carlin December 28, 2009 Martha Cooney September 24, 2014 1971 Marilyn Gage Hyson February 10, 2016 1973 Julie Daddario Kimball March 4, 2010
1955 Judith Tarr Newcombe January 13, 2002
1975 Ellen Doherty Draper October 11, 2015 Margaret Phillips Cummings April 11, 2016
1956 Sheila Thorpe Miller October 14, 2013
1976 Margaret Barr February 11, 1996
1957 Susan Cerf Alderson July 28, 2006 Nancy Morse Harris January 5, 2011 Nancy Brayton Peterson April 9, 2016
1978 Stacy L. Bradley June 29, 2011
1958 Karen Rossman Rowe March 23, 2016 Ann Hartley Winters May 6, 2016 1960 Anne Watters Green June 12, 2011 1962 Joan Abbott Dawley March 10, 2016 Cynthia L. Rice May 20, 2016
1986 Sallyann Bailey Hunter June 26, 2012 1989 Tracy Burke Cardinal January 1, 2000 1993 Todd M. Miller February 21, 2016 2016 Melissa J. Molin April 4, 2016 FORMER FACULTY Lloyd H. Littlefield February 13, 2016
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archives
A Tradition of Investing in the ARTS by Margaret Tucker ’16
Once slated for demolition, the Sawyer Fine and Performing Arts Center will instead soon be joined on campus by a new arts building. Construction began this summer on the facility that will feature an art yard for outdoor projects and kiln firings; an indoor art gallery; graphic design, sculpture and ceramic studios; and a black box theater, as well as office space. Sawyer Center will house printmaking and dance classes, and the auditorium will continue to serve students and the New London area alike. Although over the past 60 years the academic programs have outgrown the space available in Sawyer, it will remain a center for art, culture and social interaction for years to come. As the college begins a new chapter in its arts story, let’s revisit the last time Colby-Sawyer invested in building a home for the arts. The story begins in 1956, when a student-led study for the building’s design was launched. Fast forward to Oct. 1, 1960, when the million-dollar (8.1 million in today’s dollars) facility was dedicated in honor of President Emeritus H. Leslie Sawyer, the college’s longest-serving president. Designed by E.H. & M.K. Hunter, the same architectural firm behind the Reichhold Science Center, the addition to the Colby Junior College campus was innovative in both design and purpose, and it signified an important investment in the arts.
this page:
The Sawyer Fine and Performing Arts Center soon after it opened. opposite page, clockwise: A rehearsal room complete with a now-classic Diamond Chair designed by 20th-century sculptor and designer Harry Bertoia; the theater, which remains the largest room in New London; The Curb when it was a student lounge. Under the current layers of white paint, the walls are paneled in Philippine mahogany. Woven wooden baffles on the ceiling visually divided the space into seating areas. A snack bar was serviced from a basement kitchen via dumb waiter.
Sawyer Center’s design was the first radical shift away from the campus’s traditional Georgian Colonial style. It was designed to fit the landscape by taking advantage of its hillside location, creating an auditorium that didn’t tower over other buildings on campus. The front was designed to allow natural light to flood the building while providing those inside with a view of campus. The Marian Graves Mugar Art Gallery has a circular design to provide the gallery with the maximum amount of natural light without sacrificing wall space for exhibitions. The interior was designed to be a contemporary center for learning, performances and social functions. The original floor plan included a costume shop, dressing rooms, a green room for performers, practice rooms and a dedicated music wing. When the center opened, it also had four studios for voice, piano and organ lessons with a specially designed Schlicker organ that could be moved from the studio to the auditorium for concerts. Gordon Hall was designed as a rehearsal and lecture hall that could seat 150 people. The true jewel, though, was the auditorium. With its 701 seats, it remains one of the largest college auditoriums in New Hampshire. It featured a workshop for designing sets and a state-of-the-art projection system on the mezzanine. The projection room
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was used to screen films for entertainment and academic purposes, and it played an instrumental role in multimedia productions. The auditorium was large enough to house the entire student body at the time and was used for Convocation and Commencement. The lobby was designed as a recreational space for students and has had various names over the years, including The Center, Student Lounge and The Curb. Originally, it was outfitted with a snack bar (served by a kitchen on the ground floor), comfortable furnishings and a feature wall of Philippine mahogany. It was intended as a place for students to congregate, entertain dates and guests, and relax. As the campus’s social focus point, Sawyer Center was a modern learning center for the arts. When it opened, it drew America’s finest touring artists and productions to the New London area, including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1968, the Orchestra Michelangelo di Firenze in 1969, and the American Ballet Theatre in 1983, among many other fine groups. The Marian Graves Mugar Art Gallery, too, hosted exhibitions from galleries such as the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., as well as many guest, student and faculty exhibitions. In the 1980s, however, hard times hit. The Schlicker organ was most likely sold due to the college’s financial challenges and decreasing enrollment in the music program. That, coupled with higher enrollment in programs such as graphic design, resulted in the conversion of music classrooms to the Frances Lockwood Bailey Graphic Design Studio in 1991. The snack bar and furniture were removed from The Curb and the mahogany wall painted white to increase art exhibition space. Most of the studios used for voice and piano lessons were converted into faculty offices. After 2004, many studio arts classes moved to Reichhold’s rehabbed laboratories, which had stood empty since the opening of the Curtis L. Ivey Science Center. Reichhold offered more space for drawing, painting and photography students and increased the amount of workspace available to the disciplines that remained in Sawyer Center. As these changes occurred, many forgot the splendor with which Sawyer Center began its journey, but it will avoid demolition, giving the college the chance to reinvent the older space even as it invests in the necessary new arts building. ® Margaret Tucker will graduate in October 2016 with a B.A. in history and political studies. She plans to attend Simmons College to pursue an M.L.S. with a concentration in archives management.
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epilogue
In the Students’ Service by Doug Atkins
My earliest recollection of being cognizant of Colby Junior College was when I was 10 years old and in New London visiting my grandparents. It was June, and with the house full, my bed was on their porch. At eight o’clock in the morning, I was awakened by the carillon that used to play from the tower on Colgate Hall. Little did I know then that some 50-plus years later I’d be contemplating retirement after more than 30 years of service to that very same college. But, is it that very same college? Certainly the view from Main Street of Colgate Hall, flanked by Shepard and Austin to the south and McKean and Colby to the north, is virtually the same. As I drive onto campus, though, the feeling of familiarity pretty much ends. When I first arrived at the college in 1962, the main campus’s southern boundary was just behind Reichhold. There was no Dan and Kathleen Hogan Sports Center, no Colby Homestead, no Library Learning Center, no Curtis L. Ivey Science Center, no Lethbridge Lodge, Windy Hill School, Danforth, Lawson or Rooke. Seamans Alumnae House — the location of my first college office, though not part of the campus then — has also come and gone. There were no male students, and no one who worked here then works here now. I was part of the college when the names of the past, which now only live in the memories of alumni and former employees, were familiar faces: Lou Koory, Becky Irving, Nancy Draper, Barbara MacDonald and Marnie Kurtz, to name a few. We remember them and their dedicated service to the college and its students during their careers. We share their stories, and they influence us still. As with our faculty, each year staff members come and go, students come and go, trustees come and go. We’re a dynamic and ever-changing organization. No matter our role, we’re grateful for our time here and hope we’ve left a positive mark not only on the students we’ve served but also on the institution we’ve loved.
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colby-sawyer magazine
As I think back over recent years, my mind fills with images of ice storms, the results of burst frozen pipes, the living room ceiling in the President’s House falling to the floor because of a flood in the master bathroom above, and losing power in the middle of the night. I think of the annual efforts to bring the proposed budget for the following year into balance. Whatever the adversity, our community has come together, rolled up its sleeves and pitched in to do what it takes to make things right and keep moving forward. This spirit doesn’t live everywhere, and it’s only one of the things that make this place so special, and why, though I’ve left twice before, I’ve returned. In my time here, I’ve worked with five presidents and two interim presidents. Before I leave for good, I’ll have worked closely with our ninth president, Sue Stuebner, collaborating with her in whatever way I can not only to inform and support her agenda but also to provide administrative stability to ongoing operations. Change and transition are regular and normal elements of business at Colby-Sawyer and, I daresay, every endeavor. I can, however, assure you that no matter who leads the college in the future, he or she will never lose sight of our most important work — serving our students in the best way we can. ® Doug Atkins started at the college in Human Resources and, after six years, became the assistant to the vice president for Administration and Finance. He worked in that position until 1987 when he left the college. In 1993, he returned as a senior accountant before becoming a database manager and then assistant controller. After two years away, Atkins returned to serve as the vice president for Administration. In 2013, he was named vice president for Human Resources and assistant treasurer. He holds a B.A. in American history, economics and political science from Eisenhower College in Seneca Falls, N.Y.
Alumni, parents and friends are invited to join students, faculty and staff at our premier campus event. Enjoy alumni and varsity sporting events, faculty-led workshops and talks, and socializing with old and new friends. Join the campus community at the investiture of Colby-Sawyer College’s ninth president, Susan D. Stuebner. Reunion celebrations will take place for “6s and 1s” — from 1936 through 2011. Use #CSCReunion and spread the word to your classmates! For complete Homecoming 2016 information, visit colby-sawyer.edu/homecoming or call 800.266.8253.
COLBY-SAWYER COLLEGE
HOMECOMING OCTOBER 14 – 16, 2016
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MANCHESTER, NH PERMIT 724
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PINNED AND PASSED: 100 percent of Colby-Sawyer’s 2016 nursing majors passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) on the first try — and it was the largest nursing class in the history of the program. To put their feat in perspective, the 2015 national average was 86.77 percent. Of the 33 graduates, 25 have entered practice at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. Photo of 2016 Nursing Pinning Ceremony by Gil Talbot.