Colby-Sawyer Magazine ~ Spring 2015

Page 1

SPRING 2015


table of contents

FEATURES

28

38 A SMUGGLER’S POETRY

A TALE OF TWO COACHES

Hosted by Ann Hoar Floyd ’61 MT, a dozen students spent fall break learning about the biology, ecology, geology and culture of Martha’s Vineyard as part of the field studies course Marine Communities.

Associate Professor of Humanities Ewa Chrusciel’s newest book of poetry, Contraband of Hoopoe, was released in October. In it, she explores the porous borders between countries, languages and historical eras.

Kelly “KJ” Krasco ’05 and Erika DeSanty ’05 are at the tops of their games as they take on head coaching positions, Krasco at Middlebury College and DeSanty at Princeton University.

MARTHA’S VINEYARD

We accept letters to the editor and reserve the right to edit and condense them. Please send to editor@colby-sawyer.edu or to: Kate Seamans, Editor Colby-Sawyer College 541 Main Street New London, NH 03257 on the cover:

The Marine Communities class spent fall break on Martha’s Vineyard. Lucy Vincent Beach provided a stunning example of the island’s erosion­—the sand formation behind Sarah Appleton ’17 was once part of solid land. Photo: Michael Seamans on this page:

The view from near the summit of Mt. Kearsarge. Photo: Michael Seamans back cover photo: Michael Seamans

editor Kate Seamans associate editor Kellie M. Spinney production manager Edward Germar class notes editors Tracey Austin Linda Formichelli Mike Gregory graphic design Nancy Sepe printing R.C. Brayshaw & Company Warner, N.H.

41


IN THE LOOP

ON THE HILL

SPORTS

2 Letter from the President 3 Beautiful Spaces Matter 4 Editor’s Inbox 5 The Beat Goes On 6 What Fire Can Do 7 New Trustee; Legends Society Induction 8 Meet Victor; Davis Educational Foundation Grant 9 Presidential Fellowship Program; Research Beyond the Classroom

10 Mora Thornton ’15: The Quest for a Well-Balanced Life 12 The First-Year Symposium: Making Potter Magic on a Muggle Campus 14 Breathing New Life Into an Old Mill Town 16 No Ordinary Building 19 The Science, and Art, of Brewing 22 Engaging the 79 Percent 24 The Importance of a Beautiful Set

48 54

OUT & ABOUT 25 A Global Education: Research Enriches Teaching 26 Portfolio 36 Sense of Place

The Season in Sports Hall of Fame

CONNECTIONS 56 Alumni News 57 Donor Profile: Jason H. Feitelberg ’04 58 Class Notes 83 In Memoriam 85 In Fond Memory 86 From the Archives: What’s in a Mascot? 88 Epilogue: I Believe in Yesterday—And Tomorrow


in the loop

FRIENDS,

T

eaching and being involved in higher education makes a difference in peoples’ lives, and at Colby-Sawyer, we have an internal mantra of Always Learning. It’s our goal for ourselves, and for our students, to keep exploring the world through whichever lens we look, whether it’s that of a coach, an artist, an environmentalist or an educator. I have a lawyer’s mind, and so I tend to consider the how and the why of things: Why should we keep on learning after we walk away with our degrees? How does learning continue, and where?

and in doing so, helps our faculty and students learn. KJ Krasko and Erika DeSanty, both members of the Class of 2005 and the subjects of another story about their soaring coaching careers—they give back, too. Erika and KJ, a 2014 Colby-Sawyer Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, were friends and stellar athletes here as students. Today, they are both college coaches: KJ is in her first season as the head women’s basketball coach at Middlebury College, and Erika is in her first season as head coach of the women’s golf team at Princeton University. They are taking what they learned at Colby-Sawyer from their coaches and passing it on to their student-athletes, giving back by investing in the future as educators who happen to teach on the court and on the course.

We learn, of course, from each other, in a full circle of give and take. There’s a time for all of us to be the student and to be the teacher; to use resources and to provide them for others, to build on the past and to plan for the future. When my colleagues and I share our learning with each other and our students, we are giving, and giving is a powerful force for good in the world. At Colby-Sawyer, we give by, and through, learning together, and this issue of our incredible magazine is all about learning, giving and giving back.

As you read this issue of the magazine, I hope you are struck by all the many more examples within of giving back and helping others to always learn. We know that our gifts of learning, given to our students and to one another, enrich lives. And, rather magically, enriching lives enriches our own existence as well. It is enough to get you out of bed in the morning.

One feature story is about our field studies class, Marine Communities, during which students and their professors go to Martha’s Vineyard to study the marine environment. It is a total immersion experience, and it is only possible because Ann Hoar Floyd ’61 MT hosts the class at her family’s historic farm on the Vineyard. Without her support, this incredible educational opportunity would not be available. Ann gives back to Colby-Sawyer,

Sincerely,

Thomas C. Galligan Jr. President and Professor of Humanities

data driven 95.8

PERCENT of 2014 nursing majors who passed the National Council Licensure Examination— Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN) in their first attempt. See cscm.ag/nclexrn14.

1

STATE LICENSE granted to Windy Hill School for preschool and early childhood education. See cscm.ag/whslicense.

75.4

PERCENT RETENTION RATE—a 1.8 percent jump from last year. The 2013 average retention rate for all reporting private colleges nationwide (rated as traditional enrollment offering bachelor’s degrees, such as Colby-Sawyer) was 62.7 percent. See cscm.ag/retention14.

495

TICKETS SOLD for performance by Colby-Sawyer dance students in December.

2,020,278

53

MEMBERS of the Legends Society after the induction of Deborah L. Coffin ’76 on Oct. 8. See p. 7.

DOLLARS GIFTED to the Colby-Sawyer Fund in 2014, a new record. See cscm.ag/csfrecord.

2 colby-sawyer college magazine

2

Number of HORSES who were part of the Colby-­ Sawyer contingent marching in New London’s Hospital Days Parade in August.

4

Number of conference CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS this fall: women’s volleyball, women’s tennis, women’s soccer and women’s crosscountry. See p. 48–53.

13

YEARS Matthew McClay ’02 has owned Pleasant Acres, his internship project turned awardwinning property management business. The N.H. Business Review named him winner of the 2014 Business Excellence Award in October. See cscm.ag/placres.


top: Colgate Hall’s Thornton Living Room has a sophisticated new look with fresh paint, a gleaming wood floor, reupholstered furniture and spacious tables for studying.  left: The Sally Shaw Veitch Track and Field hosted its first season of athletic competition.  above: The equestrian team practices at West Meadow Stables in Bradford, N.H., which boasts new indoor and outdoor riding arenas, plus access to miles of scenic trails. Photos: Michael Seamans

BEAUTIFUL SPACES MATTER spring 2015

3


|editor’s inbox in the loop

HIGH PRAISE Hooray! Your beautiful Colby-Sawyer magazine arrived, and I am very impressed with the high level of information, artistic layout and photography. Thank you for your effort!  Tracy Ricers Sani ’53

KUDOS Although I’ve written to your predecessors over the years to commend them on the excellence of their work on the magazine, I don’t think I’ve done so to you. Mea culpa! You are certainly doing a super job, and I apologize for having delayed expressing my appreciation. I sincerely delight in receiving each issue! Kudos to you and your staff for producing an excellent, highly professional publication. The quality of the publication speaks “volumes” and provides a significant medium for readers to be introduced/reintroduced to the caliber and breadth of opportunities available at the college.  Dot Egan, Faculty Emerita, Humanities

NOMINATE MORE EARLY ATHLETES More early female athletes need to be nominated for the Colby-Sawyer College Athletic Hall of Fame. Please consider doing so! I was nominated by my friend, classmate and tennis teammate, Beth Constantinides Meurlin ’70, and I am humbled and proud to have been selected. The brunch and induction ceremony were held during the Alumni Fall Festival in October, and everything was simply top flight! The college looked fabulous, and if you haven’t been on campus for a while, you will notice that the athletic facilities, courts, fields and pool are major upgrades. It was also wonderful to hear the amazing stories of the other inductees [see story p. 54]. My experiences at Colby Junior College guided me in my teaching and coaching years. Time marches on and things change, but it is important to remember the past. We early female athletes made lasting contributions. We competed with passion and skill, and we represented the college with excellence. I am proud to have played a part in the official history of Colby-Sawyer athletics. I urge you, alumnae from the ’40s, ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, to nominate your deserving classmates or teammates for consideration as members of the Hall of Fame at cscm.ag/nominateathletes. The criteria for selection are different for our generation of athletes simply because we did not have the same opportunities that current athletes enjoy. These nominations could help solidify and add to Colby-Sawyer College’s athletic legacy.  Valerie Turtle ’70 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

facebook.com/colbysawyercollege

4 colby-sawyer college magazine

Send address changes to alumni@colby-sawyer.edu or: Colby-Sawyer College Office of Alumni Relations 541 Main Street New London, NH 03257

twitter.com/colbysawyer

NEASC EVALUATION: Call for Public Comments Colby-Sawyer College will undergo a comprehensive evaluation visit March 8–11, 2015, by a team representing the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). The Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of NEASC is one of seven accrediting commissions in the United States that provide institutional accreditation on a regional basis. Accreditation is voluntary and applies to the institution as a whole. The Commission, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, accredits approximately 240 institutions in the New England region. Colby-Sawyer has been accredited by the Commission since 1933 and was last reviewed in 2005. Its accreditation by the New England Association encompasses the entire institution. For the past two years, Colby-Sawyer College has been engaged in a process of self-study, addressing the Commission’s Standards for Accreditation. An evaluation team will visit the institution to gather evidence that the self-study is thorough and accurate. The team will recommend to the Commission a continuing status for the institution. Following a review process, the Commission itself will take the final action. The public is invited to submit comments regarding the institution to: Public Comment on Colby-Sawyer College Commission on Institutions of Higher Education NEASC 3 Burlington Woods Drive, Suite 100 Burlington, MA 01803-4514 Email: cihe@neasc.org Public comments must address substantive matters related to the quality of the institution. The Commission cannot settle disputes between individuals and institution, whether those involve faculty, students, administrators, or members of other groups. Comments will not be treated as confidential and must include the name, address and telephone number of the person providing the comments. Public comments must be received by March 11, 2015. The Commission cannot guarantee that comments received after this date will be considered.


▾ NATURE UP CLOSE A juvenile bear cub was up a tree (and down, and up) on the quad side of Colgate on Thursday, Oct. 2. When an admiring crowd dispersed, the cub worked up the courage to make a run for it and headed off campus. Photo: Chris Gagne ’17

▴ TOMIE TALKS The exhibition “Tomie dePaola: NOW” opened Sept. 19 with a reception sponsored by Ledyard Bank in the Marian Graves Mugar Art Gallery at the Sawyer Fine Arts Center. The next day, dePaola’s younger fans, their families and friends enjoyed a gallery talk, Q&A session and book signing with the author and artist. Photo: Michael Seamans

◂ AFTER THE RAIN Nature offered a beautiful greeting one morning last fall with this rainbow over campus. Not long after, a restoration project began on the portico to replace the columns and stairs and to rebuild the retaining wall. Photo: Bob Vachon THE BEAT GOES ON, CLASSICALLY This fall, Colby-Sawyer transferred the FCC license for the college’s radio station, WSCS 90.9, to the Vinikoor Family Foundation. The station, still based in the Baker Communications Center in Colgate Hall, now broadcasts 24/7 and features classical music during the week and community programming on the weekend. The decision to transfer the FCC license followed a year of conversation with Media Studies faculty about what the role of the radio station would be—if any—in the revised Media Studies curriculum. “Our goal is, and will continue to be, to consider how best to prepare our graduates for the future,” said Academic Vice President and Dean of Faculty Deborah Taylor. “In doing that, we need to make choices about what we will keep, what we will add, and what we will remove in our palette of offerings. [Because] the faculty indicated that broadcast radio

is no longer a necessary format for our instructional purpose … it seemed appropriate to the faculty and administration to phase out the radio station as it has existed, with its attendant expense and regulatory requirements, and instead to invest our teaching time and resources in digital communication modalities. We see this as a case in which the medium is changing, but not the essence of the learning experience.” Assistant Professor of Humanities Ambrose “MB” Metzegen has volunteered to stay on as station manager. New owner Bob Vinikoor hopes to have Colby-Sawyer representation on the station’s board, and to involve students as interns. “The challenge going forward is [to] continue the tradition of keeping WSCS a relevant community radio station,” Vinikoor said in October. “I look forward to that challenge and working to ensure that it is achieved.”  ® spring 2015

5


in the loop

what fire can do by Kate Seamans Photos by Michael Seamans

DANLAN “JUSTUS” ZHAO ’15 has a burning passion for art, especially ceramics, that elemental medium born of clay and fire.

Residence David Ernster. “Dave is the best model I can think of,” she says. “He makes me so confident and comfortable to believe in my talent as an artist.”

“For me, life is inconstant, like ceramics. I am the spectator, watching my fingers dance with the clay; it communicates my emotions. Looking at how each piece comes out of the kiln, I feel my life is full of possibilities,” she says. “Poet Rabindranath Tagore wrote, ‘We live in the world when we love it,’ and I feel full of love and kindness when making pots. Art teaches me to love people.”

For Zhao, far from her family in China’s Henan Province, the ceramics studio in the Sawyer Fine Arts Center is another home in the world. Graduation looms though, and Zhao is waiting to hear from M.F.A. programs. She hopes she will be able to create poetic, quality work that will let her “add brilliance to the world, like a sunset.”

Last summer, Zhao’s love took her to Taiwan, where she was an intern at the Taipei Story House. She learned how to manage a small museum, offered tours in English and worked on the website, among other duties. She also took the opportunity to visit an esteemed potter who spent hours with her drinking tea and sharing stories. He encouraged her to believe in herself, but no artist’s support means more than that of her adviser back on campus, Artist in 6 colby-sawyer college magazine

“I am really grateful to Colby-Sawyer because it has provided me with such a friendly studio environment and excellent professors who have cultivated my interest in art,” she says. “Without the college’s support, I couldn’t have experienced so many wonderful things. If one day I become a successful artist and have the ability, I will build a new art building here for students who have the same passion that I do.”  ®


COLBY-SAWYER COLLEGE ELECTS TRUSTEE BOARD MEMBER

ETERNAL GRATITUDE: Coffin Family Inducted into Legends Society

by Linda Varnum

by Beth Cahill

Colby-Sawyer College’s Board of Trustees elected John S. Malanowski of Hanover, N.H., as a member to serve a three-year term. He earned a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, in criminal justice from State University of New York at Buffalo and a master’s degree in industrial and labor relations from Michigan State University.

On Oct. 8, honorary life trustee and former chairman of the Board of Trustees David L. Coffin Sr. P’75, ’76; trustee Deborah L. Coffin ’76 and The Coffin Family were inducted into the Colby-Sawyer Legends Society, which recognizes those who support the college with lifetime philanthropic gifts of $1 million or more. In 1962, David was 37 and the seventh-generation leader of a family business. Originally known for making tea bags, the Dexter Corporation was transformed under David’s leadership into a worldwide, diversified conglomerate. He was also a brand-new Colby-­ Sawyer trustee.

Malanowski is the chief human resource officer for Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC). Prior to joining DHMC, he was vice president of human resources for North Atlantic Consumer Products for Kimberly-Clark Corporation. Before joining Kimberly-Clark, Malanowski was vice president of human resource operations for Raytheon Company. His global leadership experience also includes serving in senior human resources roles at Fidelity Investments and Engage Media. Malanowski is a former vice chair of ThedaCare’s Board of Trustees. He is a member of Michigan State University’s School of Human Resources and Labor Relations Advisory Board and Michigan State University’s ADVANCE grant, Advancing Diversity through the Alignment of Policies and Practices, External Advisory Board. He is a frequent speaker on such subjects as human capital strategies and competencies, talent acquisition, globalization, leadership and talent development, and acquisition integration. His commentaries have been featured in books and professional journals.  ®

In his 16 years as a trustee, David led fundraising campaigns, helped the college transition from a junior college to a four-year institution, completed the college’s first campus master plan, introduced important new corporate and individual partnerships, hosted college events, and served as chair for four years. During his tenure, David’s three children, David Jr., Robert and Deborah, were growing up. David Jr., who passed away in 1996, attended Colby-Sawyer for one year, and Deb graduated in 1976. In 1986, David received an honorary doctorate in humane letters from the college, and in 1991, the David L. Coffin Field House was named in the Dan and Kathleen Hogan Sports Center to recognize David’s generosity. In 2000, he received the college’s highest honor, the Susan Colgate Cleveland Medal for Distinguished Service. “David gave generously of his time and his treasure to Colby-Sawyer,” President Thomas C. Galligan Jr. said at the induction ceremony. “He supported special building projects through the decades, and when he felt the physical

Deborah L. Coffin ’76 with a portrait of her father, David L. Coffin Sr. P’75, P’76.

campus was in good shape, he directed his philanthropy toward the endowment.”  David lived by one rule: “If you take from society, you owe it to yourself and to your community to give back.” Since his death in 2012, his daughter, Deb, has proven that she, too, subscribes to this rule. Deb is a lifelong learner, teacher— including several years as an adjunct professor at Colby-Sawyer—entrepreneur, artisan and mental health counselor. Like her father, she is also a philanthropic and volunteer leader at Colby-Sawyer. This fall, she began her own tenure on the Board of Trustees. One of Deb’s early and important gifts was made to help establish a merit award for senior business students to honor the memory of her esteemed professor, Dr. Marnie Kurtz. Since creating that fund with four others who also felt indebted to Dr. Kurtz, Deb has been a loyal Colby-Sawyer Fund donor and a special advocate for sustainability at the college. In 2013, she made an important gift that will celebrate the ceramics work her late brother, David, so loved and support the fine and performing arts center the college plans to build. “We are enormously grateful to you, Deb,” said President Galligan. “Thank you for allowing us to celebrate your family’s generosity and leadership.”  ®

spring 2015

7


PHOTOS: MICHAEL SEAMANS

in the loop

DAVIS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION AWARD Encourages Faculty, Staff to Think Big Colby-Sawyer College received a two-year grant of $160,750 last summer to incentivize creative and collaborative thinking, fund early implementation solutions and share findings in the initiative Establishing Community Ownership of Campus Innovation. The grant was received from the Davis Educational Foundation, established by Stanton and Elisabeth Davis after Mr. Davis’s retirement as chair of Shaw’s Supermarkets, Inc. The award for innovation is the first of its kind given by the foundation.

Colby-Sawyer, home of the Chargers for nearly a quarter of a century, got its own Charger statue on Sept. 29. A naming contest open to faculty, staff, students and alumni drew 225 entries, and Victor was selected as the Charger’s name.

The initiative is designed to support creative, multidisciplinary faculty and staff-initiated research projects focused on identifying new models and practices for higher education that will improve educational outcomes, structurally change the overall educational model, lead to long-term financial sustainability and ultimately lower the cost of a college education. It will also fund early implementation solutions.

Situated on the berm outside Hogan Sports Center, the bronze life-size steed is suspended in a gravity-defying moment, full of grace and strength as it jumps a log. He keeps an eye on where he wants to go, a reminder that our Charger athletes—and all community members—persevere through challenges and overcome obstacles to charge toward their goals.

“We want to broaden ownership of the current challenges and solutions for long-term sustainability,” said Chief of Staff and Director of Strategic Planning Lisa Tedeschi, who chairs the Steering Committee. “This grant will fund the establishment of a system that will become self-sustaining with redirection of some recouped funds each year.”

It didn’t take long for the statue to take on a life of his own. Almost immediately, students gathered in front of Victor for photos, and soon after his arrival, he was adorned with a horse blanket embroidered with the Colby-Sawyer logo. Thanks to alumna Keri Spear ’99 , he even sported a festive wreath around his neck during the holiday season.

Each project team will receive an incentive and funding to cover expenses. Faculty members are given course release time and staff members receive accommodations to complete their projects. After a competitive application process, three proposals received awards to support research and program development during the next year.

The half-ton statue was purchased through the George A. Giles Presidential Initiatives Fund, established and endowed in 2000 by Susan Morrison Mayer ’50, P’75. “It was the missing piece that finally completes the Colby-Sawyer community,” wrote Caroline Barry ’16 for the Colby-Sawyer Courier.  ®

Professor of Business Administration Beth Crockford, Associate Dean of Students Robin Davis, Professor of Social Sciences and Education Randy Hanson, and Associate Professor of Business Administration Jody Murphy proposed a student-focused college store operated by Colby-Sawyer.

MEET VICTOR THE CHARGER

Professor of Business Administration Chris Kubik, Professor of Fine and Performing Arts Jon Keenan, and Enrollment Marketing Manager Michael Clark want to create an immersive student academic program called Living Learning that will reach students one course at a time in 3.5-week blocks. Director of Sustainability and Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Jennifer White ’90 and Director of Baird Health and Counseling Pam Spear will investigate the feasibility of a transdisciplinary, community-based living laboratory. The initiative’s Steering Committee will evaluate the plans in August. “We are grateful to the foundation for its support in making this important work possible,” said Tedeschi, “and we look forward to sharing more about these innovative ideas to transform the model of higher education.”  ® 8 colby-sawyer college magazine


NEVER TOO SOON TO START: Research Has Value Beyond the Classroom

PHOTO: MICHAEL SEAMANS

by Anurup Upadhyay ’15

COLBY-SAWYER COLLEGE LAUNCHES PRESIDENTIAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM by Kellie M. Spinney Last fall, Colby-Sawyer College established the Colby-Sawyer Presidential Fellowship program to provide recent graduates with gateway positions to their careers through roles within the college’s administration. Fellows gain work experience, develop professional skills, contribute to the work of the college, and gain an understanding of how the college plans, operates and implements initiatives. After an extensive interview process, four alumni were selected as the inaugural fellows: Melissa Nop ’14 of Santa Rosa, Calif., in the President’s Office; Jenisha Shrestha ’14 of Kathmandu, Nepal, in the Office of Sustainability; and Daniel Pendergast ’12 of Canton, Mass., and Stephen Thorpe ’14 of Chicago, both in Athletics. They are supervised and mentored within their sponsoring departments and tackle increasingly complex professional work. Their work supports the college’s mission, history and tradition, as well as its strategic plans and themes. “Our Presidential Fellows’ passion, energy and ideas provide an invaluable service to Colby-Sawyer,” says Chief of Staff and Director of Strategic Planning Lisa Tedeschi. “They are working every day to advance the mission of their alma mater.” In addition to their work, the fellows participate in monthly seminars led by campus leaders who deepen their understanding of higher education. Seminar leaders teach the fellows professional skills while concentrating on their contributions to the college’s mission and strategic plan. They also encourage the fellows to pursue interdepartmental collaboration. The fellows earn a modest salary, health and dental benefits and are provided housing, but they benefit most from their personal growth, professional preparation and the enhanced career opportunities offered to them.  ® l–r starting from couch: Chief of Staff and Director of Strategic Planning Lisa Tedeschi, President Galligan, Stephen Thorpe ’14, Melissa Nop ’14, Jenisha Shrestha ’14 and Daniel Pendergast ’12 at the President’s House this fall for their first seminar.

In October, business administration major Jillian Jacobs ’16 traveled to Indianapolis with Associate Professor of Humanities Melissa Meade to present at the 2014 annual conference of the Midwest Popular Culture Association/ American Culture Association. Jacobs discussed her paper, “Keep Flying: Fixing the Gender Issues of ʻFirefly,ʼ” which was written for Professor Meade’s Gender in Media course and critiques the portrayal of women in media through a feminist lens. The conference, Jacobs said, was an important learning experience because she could express her opinions, share her thoughts, receive feedback and have an open discussion about her paper with other academics. Professor Meade called her first experience at the conference exhilarating and essential. “It was a great venue for thinking through ideas related to critical analysis of popular culture,” she said. “Because Colby-Sawyer is a small institution in a rural area, conference attendance is crucial for the faculty [in order to keep] current with research, develop collaborations and receive feedback, especially during the early stages of scholarship.” Jacobs found it valuable to have Professor Meade involved during each step of conference preparation and participation. “Not only did she encourage me to submit the paper, but she also gave me advice on speeches and audience engagement,” Jacobs said. “It would not have been possible without her.” For Professor Meade, having Jillian at the conference added another dimension to her own experience. “Most presenters were professors or graduate students, so people were impressed that an undergraduate was working at that level,” said Professor Meade. “This kind of work helps put Colby-­ Sawyer on the map and breathes life into the work we do. Jillian’s participation invites Colby-Sawyer students into these kinds of academic communities [and] helps them imagine what else they can do with their work.” As Jacobs sees it, her participation in the conference exemplifies how students at Colby-Sawyer can seize out-of-class developmental opportunities. “Sometimes students believe we are not worthy of contributing to an academic discourse because we don’t have degrees yet,” she said. “That isn’t true; our ideas are valuable, and I hope that more of my fellow students get the chance to showcase their work in a professional arena.”  ® Anurup Upadhyay is a business administration major and a writer for College Communications. After graduation, he will be an audit assistant at Deloitte & Touche in California.

spring 2015

9


mora thornton

’15:

on the hill

The Quest for a Well-Balanced Life by Mary McLaughlin COLBY-SAWYER HAS SIX LEARNING OUTCOMES for students, and one of them is to “understand and employ multiple perspectives.” For Mora Thornton ’15, however, understanding and using multiple perspectives is not just an aspirational goal; it’s a way of life. “Whatever I’m interested in,” Thornton says, “I want to understand the other side, so I can have a well-balanced perspective.” It’s this pursuit of complementary experiences that drew her to Colby-Sawyer. She was homeschooled as a child, and in high school she completed a correspondence program in which she was mostly self-­ taught. Thornton loved having independence and freedom, and her self-motivation made the program a natural fit for her. When she graduated, though, Thornton knew she needed a change.

PHOTO: MICHAEL SEAMANS

“I wanted to be more prominent in a community,” she says. “I wanted to understand that sort of life.” Though it was a significant transition to jump from individual study to on-campus college life, she embraced the experience.

10

colby-sawyer college magazine


Thornton brought to Colby-Sawyer a passion for yoga and an interest in pursuing a career related to her practice. She started as a health and wellness major but quickly recognized it wouldn’t give her the breadth of perspective she wanted. She changed to business administration, with the goal of someday opening her own yoga studio. Last spring, Thornton spent a semester studying in India, which she chose because it’s the birthplace of yoga, and because of its cultural differences from the United States. She says that her guiding philosophy in making that choice was her desire “to understand the exact opposite of what I currently understand.”

In India’s sixth largest city, the University of Hyderabad provided the opportunity for broadening Thornton’s understanding. While there, she traveled 45 minutes through the jungle from her hostel to her classes; she studied Hindi, Buddhism, Kuchipudi dance and South Asian diasporic women’s writing. She adjusted to extraordinary cultural differences and experienced being part of a visible minority. She also expanded her perspective on yoga, taking private lessons in the home of Auntie Rama, a woman who showed her a much simpler form of yoga than she was accustomed to but that made her feel stronger than any yoga Thornton had done before. “It was focused on opening up your energy to the universe and accepting it back,” she says, “and using that to improve your state of mind.”

Thornton’s experience in India changed her. Before she left the United States, she’d started taking on too much, but in India, she says, “I was able to ground myself again and remember what it feels like to balance the things that are important to me. Returning home, I tapped into the experiences I had collected in India to help remind myself how I want to live from day to day.” Thornton is looking forward to graduation and continuing her quest for a well-balanced life. “Whether it’s a yoga pose or a challenge in life, the most important thing I have learned is that to balance, we must sway, and sometimes we fall over,” she says. “Balance is only sometimes an equilibrium. Most of the time, it’s learning how to pick yourself up and try again, maybe differently this time.”  ® Mary McLaughlin, M.Ed., teaches writing and is director of Residential Education at Colby-Sawyer. She has a blog, “Mom–Not Otherwise Specified,” and her work is included in the book Gravity Pulls You In: Perspectives on Parenting Children on the Autism Spectrum, the websites Hopeful Parents, Science 2.0 and The Huffington Post, and Thrive magazine.

PHOTOS THIS PAGE COURTESY MORA THORNTON

“ … the most important thing I have learned is that to balance, we must sway, and sometimes we fall over … Balance is only sometimes an equilibrium.”

spring 2015 11


on the hill

The First-Year Symposium:

making

potter magic

on a muggle campus

by Darius Kalvaitis

M

any of our students grew up reading (and watching) J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, the most successful of any book series in history, with more than 400 million copies sold. Rowling’s tales are about growing up and finding one’s identity; the images and stories have created fertile motivational soil for a generation of students, fueling them for success at Colby-Sawyer. First-year students make their way up Interstate 89¾ to New London and find themselves in a similar situation to the Harry Potter characters. Here, like their literary heroes, they will grow up away from home, make new friends and find their identities in a stimulating, mysterious place. To help with this transition, the first-year symposium Orphan to Auror: The Education and Development of Harry Potter allows students to make friends, build community and explore the world of college. Students find direct connections between their own experiences and the lessons from the texts. They may not have quills and wands, but they have state-of-the-art Muggle tools such as web-based materials and on-site videos and films. The course is the brainchild of Associate Professor of Social Sciences and Education Darcy Mitchell and former Assistant Professor of Social Sciences and Education Dianna Terrell. This year’s sections were taught by Professors Darcy Mitchell, Malachy Flynn and me. We believe that the Harry Potter texts provide tips to students on how to deal with college situations that range from selecting a peer group and working with future professors to learning to succeed in a rigorous academic setting. The backbone of the course comprises these topics. The first-year symposium has replaced the Pathways program in the new liberal arts curriculum, and it is designed to engage 12 colby-sawyer college magazine

and focus students in small classes with specific activities tied to cross-discipline and college-wide learning outcomes. In small, self-directed groups, students become part of the Colby-Sawyer learning community. They learn to read for comprehension and write using evidence from texts including Rowling’s books, academic articles, class discussions, online forums and group activities. The instructors expect discussion, debate and exchanges of ideas on multiple topics rooted in current and future situations. Students must demonstrate initiative and leadership, just as Harry, Hermione and Ron did, to achieve these course goals, analyze and discuss topics in an interdisciplinary manner, and work on effective oral communication skills.

“You sort of start thinking anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.” —Ginny Weasley in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix In our course, activities are sequenced to follow Rowling’s themes from the texts, and assignments are structured to mimic the journey of Harry, Hermione and Ron. For example, during the first class, robed professors and peer mentors welcome students, and the Sorting Hat organizes students into groups in which they carry out their first assignment. The Team Scavenger Hunt allows students to explore the physical, historical and academic environment at Colby-Sawyer in an imaginative and creative group assignment. Students reconnoiter the grounds, staying away from the Forbidden Forest, to solve mysteries; for example: “The Restricted Section at Hogwarts is dedicated to the Dark Arts. Here at Colby-Sawyer, we have a special area where you can learn


about the history of our institution. Where is it?” and “Hagrid’s Hut is simple and, surely, sustainable. Where would he most enjoy taking a class?” [See answers at end.] In making sense of their emerging identities, students are supported by the Myers-Briggs personality test, and they compare their personality types with those of the characters in Rowling’s fictitious world. When students identify the characters’ strengths and weaknesses and realize that everyone has valuable and distinct qualities to share with the world, they have another lens through which to see themselves and how they navigate the college environment. The course also addresses the students’ professional goals. The Harrington Center for Career and Academic Advising gives students activities that help them get to know themselves better and investigate the types of careers in which they would feel comfortable and successful. They then envision their ultimate careers and are supported and guided to set goals and work toward this future. Other noteworthy assignments include creating Quidditch teams and partaking in a Quidditch Cup. This multiday activity involves building communication, planning and teamwork skills, as well as “flying” on brooms, scoring points and catching snitches. This year’s teams (Death Eaters, Whomping Willows and The Deathly Hallows) took part in a crowd-pleasing three-game tournament that was a mix of entertainment and healthy competition. The culminating event was Harry Potter Night at the dining hall, during which the seminar students shared the activities they created and celebrated the accomplishments of their first semester. We were all glad that we didn’t have to contend with You Know Who. Muggles we may be, but the professors and first-year students in From Orphan to Auror certainly had a magical good time of a semester.  ® Answers: 1. The Archives Reading Room in the Susan Colgate Cleveland Library/Learning Center 2. The Sustainable Classroom behind the Susan Colgate Cleveland Library/Learning Center Assistant Professor of Social Sciences and Education Darius Kalvaitis came to Colby-Sawyer in 2013. He holds a B.A. and B.S. from New England College, an M.A. from Antioch University New England and a Ph.D. from Utah State University. His teaching philosophy is rooted in experiential and place-based education.

Teamwork, Persistence and Leadership First taught in 2012, the Harry Potter seminar provides new students with a fun yet academically challenging transition to life at Colby-Sawyer. It was designed to enable students to view college life through the lens of Harry, Hermione, Ron and, yes, even Draco, while encouraging students to demonstrate teamwork, persistence and leadership. Capitalizing on student interests, the course comes alive with academics and activities. In its first year, student-created projects led naturally to the creation of Harry Potter Night. Using a good deal of creativity, initiative and risk-taking, students worked with Sodexo Dining Services, Student Activities and others to create a magical event during which they guided their peers in activities such as Wand Making and Divination. A year later, the course’s original team-teaching design was realized when Assistant Professor of Social Sciences and Education Malachy Flynn took the lead on organizing the first Quidditch match. With a goal of fostering teamwork, this activity offered the added benefit of providing stress-­­reduction near midterms. In its third year, Assistant Professor of Social Sciences and Education Darius Kalvaitis and students from across the campus, including peer mentors Ashley Cooper ’15 and Abby Ferris ’15, joined the teaching team to bring new enthusiasm and energy to the course’s mission. — Professor of Social Sciences and Education Darcy Mitchell

spring 2015 13


on the hill

BREATHING NEW LIFE into an

OLD MILL TOWN by Carrie Brewster ’16 photos by Michael Seamans

14 colby-sawyer college magazine

E

ach year, junior environmental studies and environmental science majors participate in a yearlong communitybased research project. They are encouraged to think critically and creatively as they apply the knowledge they’ve gained in the classroom to a real-life situation: working with a local client on a project of environmental concern to evaluate how to increase sustainability and resilience. Previous student groups have created a sustainability action plan for Colby-­ Sawyer and performed lake assessments, developed natural resource inventories and analyzed food systems on behalf of clients such as the New London Conservation Commission and Pleasant Lake Protective Association. This year, 10 other students and I worked to create a vision for the downtown area of Franklin, N.H., 20 miles east of Colby-Sawyer and the state’s smallest city, with about 8,500 residents. We looked for innovative ways to reestablish a vibrant and sustainable downtown area that would appeal to all ages. Set along the Winnipesaukee River where it merges with the Pemigewasset to form the headwaters of the Merrimack, Franklin was incorporated in 1825 and enjoyed a heyday from 1850 to 1900 with mills like the Aiken Hosiery Mill, Franklin Needle Company, and textile and other factories—it was a hub


We want to see Franklin redefined as a town full of recreational and employment opportunities as well as a host of environmentally sustainable practices.

of industry and commerce, with a lively downtown complete with an opera house. As industry dwindled, however, so did Franklin’s fortune. The last mill closed in 1970, and now the economically depressed city needs transformation. Led by Jennifer White ’90, director of sustainability, and Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Harvey Pine, our class collaborated with Todd Workman of the Franklin Falls Downtown Development Authority (DDA). The city is due to update its master plan this year, and our class did extensive research on Franklin’s current systems of waste management, energy, transportation and storm-water management. We offered suggestions for the plan and continue to envision ways in which those four areas can be improved environmentally, economically and socially. Franklin already has some attractive features. For example, the three rivers provide the town with natural beauty as well as recreational opportunities, and it already has several attractions such as Odell Park and the Winnipesaukee Rail Trail bike path. We’re looking to expand on this already promising base. We also want to encourage environmentally sustainable practices and ways to grow employment opportunities.

“Our goals and initiatives are very much in line with the … platform embodied [by] Colby-Sawyer,” said Workman, referring to the college’s dedication to sustainable practices. “The perspective of the educated youth who represent the millennial demographic has opened our eyes to some shortcomings in our master plan.” Our class met with the city manager and various departments and organizations in Franklin to gain information and ask questions about the city. We spent every Monday in Franklin, where we saw firsthand the DDA’s working canvas and what it would like to achieve. We learned how to work in a professional setting with a client and gained proficiency in writing grants and proposals. Dan Keane ’16 said that the project “is truly a unique class, and for students to get involved with a real-world issue is a great learning opportunity.” With the vibrant and attainable goals set before them, our class is optimistic about turning our vision for a revitalized Franklin into a reality.  ® Carrie Brewster is an environmental science major and English minor from Boscawen, N.H. She is a member of the national honor society Alpha Chi and competes on the track and field team as well as the cross country team.

spring 2015

15


on the hill

no ordinary building:

Colby-Sawyer’s Student-Designed Sustainable Classroom by Ruth Graham photos by Greg Danilowski

A classroom, by definition, exists for teaching and learning, but in Colby-Sawyer’s new sustainable classroom, learning began before it was even built. That’s just one of the ways in which it is unlike any other classroom around.

16 colby-sawyer college magazine

T

he sustainable classroom is a freestanding building behind the library on the southeast end of campus. Although its architecture suggests a classic New England style, you quickly realize when you step inside that it’s no ordinary building. It is “green” from top to bottom, including timber frames, shredded-newspaper insulation, and a living roof where aromatic herbs and flowers will grow. Inside, four large cob benches wrap around support posts, and light streams in through a bank of windows on the south wall. Each wall is insulated using different materials and techniques, and the north one is believed to be the first commercial straw-bale wall in New Hampshire. But it’s not just the finished product that sets the classroom apart. It’s also the remarkable process by which it was designed and constructed: Colby-Sawyer students were


▴ Margaret Grouse ’13 and Iraj Khaliqi ’13 were involved in the early stages of the project. Here they use a chisel to notch a post and beam joint in the basement of Colby Farm. ◂ The finished classroom is held together by its builders’ dreams. Each student wrote his or her wish for the future on a wooden peg before pounding it into the framework.

tolerances and fractions. Here they were doing hands-on stuff, but at the same time their heads were very much engaged.”

instrumental in every stage and were led by Professor of Environmental Studies Leon-C. Malan and Bryan Felice, founding owner of Rumney, N.H.-based Undustrial Timber Frames. One of Felice’s specialties is “net-zero energy” buildings, which produce more energy than they consume. He said the daily motto on the job site was, “Minds on, hands on, hearts on,” and students had to engage all three to succeed. Students who completed all three courses associated with the project qualified for a certificate in sustainable building and design. The classes were also open to community members, including local builders and contractors who wanted to learn more about green design. “Students were attracted to this because it was a hands-on course,” said Professor Malan. “But whether they knew it or not, they were doing some very heavy quantitative lifting. They had to think in terms of angles,

The first class took place in fall 2012 and tasked students with thinking big about floor plans, building materials and energy consumption, as well as details like air quality and job-site management. The students’ boldest decisions were to push for a curved south wall—a construction challenge—and for a high, open interior space, which makes energy efficiency more difficult. “It was much larger and more ambitious than we envisioned,” said Jennifer White ’90, the college’s sustainability director, “but it was a fantastic design, really inspired.” For their final exam, students presented their plans to the town planning board, and they passed with flying colors. In the spring, The Living Building class tackled construction. The work was often grueling, with students making beams in Colby Farm’s cold basement. The next semester, the Project Completion class advanced the construction work, although “completion” turned out to be too ambitious: The full process spring 2015

17


on the hill

took a bit longer than anticipated. (In that regard, it didn’t differ much from many traditional construction projects.) Unique interior touches include the prominent cob benches, made from a mix of straw, clay, sand and water. The benches can store as much as 20,000 pounds of thermal mass, which will help them keep the room cozy in winter.

We obviously learned from constructing it, but we also see the building as a teacher. –Professor Leon-C. Malan The goal from start to finish wasn’t just to use green products but also a green process. That meant hiring local contractors whenever possible, even if they hadn’t done similar work before. Professor Malan and Felice also decided early on that they wouldn’t install a dumpster on-site. “The moment you have a dumpster, it changes behavior,” Professor Malan said. “The folks on the site knew there wasn’t a place where they could just throw stuff away.” Since every scrap of waste had to be hauled away, not just mindlessly chucked, every worker had an incentive to find ways to incorporate cast-off materials into the building. Colby-Sawyer celebrated the building with a formal dedication on a sunny afternoon in early October. Alumni, students, faculty, staff and trustees gathered for speeches, tours and celebratory cider and pumpkin bread. President Galligan joked he’d mark the festivities by smashing a champagne bottle— but he wasn’t sure it would be sustainable. Students who’d worked on the building beamed with pride. “It’s not just a plan anymore,” reflected Phurchhoki Sherpa ’15, an environmental studies major who joined the project in spring 2013. “It’s right here; you can see what we did, and you can see that it turned out well.” She’d seen cob-and-stone houses constructed in her home village in Nepal, but she had to journey all the way to New Hampshire to get involved with sustainable building.

18

colby-sawyer college magazine

The dedication signaled that the classroom was officially complete, with just a few finishing touches remaining. Several classes began meeting in the classroom in the fall. But, said Professor Malan, the story hasn’t ended. “We obviously learned from constructing it, but we also see the building as a teacher,” he said. That means tracking things like electricity consumption and heat retention; eventually, the hope is to have temperature and humidity probes in the different wall systems. There are a few aesthetic touch-ups to come, too; art students may be invited to paint the floor, for example. The college also hopes that the building will serve as an example of green building’s potential beyond the campus community. “It’s harder to be first than it is to be fourth or fifth,” said White. “But there’s value in that, because we made it easier for someone in town who wants to incorporate straw bales into their home or business.” Project funds came from a generous $384,000 grant from the Margaret A. Cargill (MAC) Foundation, awarded in 2011 to support the college’s environmental priorities. “Living sustainably” is one of Colby-Sawyer’s four strategic themes, and the sustainable classroom is just one of the ways that the theme is becoming even more visible on campus: A wind turbine was installed in 2013, solar panels top several buildings, and a vibrant permaculture garden blooms behind the library, just around the corner from the new classroom. Meanwhile, for the students who worked on making the classroom a reality, the lessons could last a lifetime. “My primary goal going into this was that any student who chose to could think about this as more than a series of classes,” Felice said. “Instead, it’s an experience they can file away and use for creating their own sustainable homestead in the future.”  ® Ruth Graham is a N.H.-based freelance journalist. She is a frequent contributor to The Boston Globe, Slate, The Wall Street Journal and other publications.


The Science, and Art, of Brewing by Ruth Graham photos by Michael Seamans

I

t’s not unusual for college students to mark the end of the semester with a beer or two. And so, Colby-Sawyer students gathered on a Friday afternoon in December to raise a glass of pale ale in celebration of their hard work. But there was a twist to this otherwise ordinary scene: In this case, the beer was the hard work, and the students had gathered in Wheeler Hall to introduce their concoction to the campus community. Welcome to Brewing Science, a two-credit course that made its debut at Colby-Sawyer this fall. Also known as Science 250, the class was taught by Darrell Kuykendall, a chemistry professor who joined the faculty in 2013, and Rik Marley, the brewmaster at the Flying Goose Brew Pub and Grille, a popular bar and restaurant just down the hill from campus. As the syllabus puts it, the class “is designed to introduce students to the principles and practices of the brewing of craft beer.” That meant

Monday afternoons in the classroom and Tuesdays getting hands-on experience in the “laboratory”—the brewery beneath the dining room at the Flying Goose. The semester culminated in the creation of an original Belgian-style wit bier, dubbed Inaugurale, a clever nod to its status as the first beer created by Colby-Sawyer students. Brewing Science filled to capacity—15 students—in less than a minute on registration day last spring. Just a few minutes later, the waiting list was full. “I had to be up at 7 a.m. to register,” said Melinda Nystrand ’15, a psychology major. The class attracted students from a wide variety of majors: biology, environmental science, even child development. The only requirement: Students had to be 21 by the time the semester began.

spring 2015 19


on the hill

Before they could learn to brew beer, students needed to learn the basics. One Tuesday in September, the lesson at the lab was on analyzing hops, the flowers that give beer its flavor. Professor Kuykendall and Marley passed out small cups of the dry, pellet-like hops and then cups of water in which the pellets had been dissolved. All were the American Columbus variety, one of Marley’s favorites to use in his own brewing, which he’s been doing for more than a decade. Then students were tasked with generating detailed descriptions of the flavor profile of both the dry and wet hops. Professor Kuykendall handed out charts for students to map their impressions. “Remember, this is all qualitative,” he told them. Brewing is not just a science, it’s an art. But science it is. To a casual drinker enjoying a pint at the Flying Goose, the similarity between brewing beer and teaching chemistry might be surprising. But as it turns out, making beer requires a precise heating process to stimulate chemical reactions, attention to surface area, the stimulation of isomerization reactions, the transformation of glucose into ethanol and other compounds, and so on. “As an organic chemist, it’s my language,” Professor Kuykendall says, calling the yeast that’s essential to brewing “a little box of chemical machinery.” Ostensibly, of course, Professor Kuykendall’s role in class is to teach the chemistry, while Marley is the hands-on guy. But Professor Kuykendall’s enthusiasm for brewing and complex flavors is contagious, and Marley knows his share of chemistry, tossing around terms like “alpha acids” and “solubilizing the lupulin” in the classroom. A visitor to class who didn’t know which teacher was which might take some time to sort them out.

20

colby-sawyer college magazine

After sessions on malt, yeast and fermentation, the students’ work culminated in a collaborative project: Creating the recipe for a new beer and then brewing it themselves at the Flying Goose. Their first task was to decide on a suite of flavors that would give their ale its character. One student suggested lavender, an unusual choice that made some wary and others excited. Building on that base, they added rosemary, lemongrass and, for a splash of honey flavor, bee pollen.

Making beer requires a precise heating process to stimulate chemical reactions, attention to surface area, the stimulation of isomerization reactions, and the transformation of glucose into ethanol and other compounds. Students assembled at the Flying Goose at 7 a.m. on a Sunday in November for the brewing. Over the course of one epic day, they did it all, from “mashing in” to boiling to—a crucial if unglamorous part of any brewing experience—cleaning up. “It was a long day, and they were tired, but at the end they were holding in their hands something that was not quite beer, but was going to be beer,” Professor Kuykendall recalled. “There was a good amount of pride in that.” Then began weeks of waiting, while students worked on presentations and other coursework, and their newly minted mixture transformed into a bona fide brew. The idea for the class goes back to the previous fall. Professor Kuykendall was chatting with a senior student doing a research project in a room next to his office, and their mutual love of


craft beer came up. “We should have a brewpub here,” one of them joked. But almost immediately, it became obvious that what seemed like a whim actually showed promise. Professor Kuykendall shared the idea with his faculty mentor, Associate Professor of Business Administration Bill Spear, who took it to Vice President and Dean of Students David Sauerwein. After many conversations between them and with other faculty and staff, as well as an enthusiastic meeting with Flying Goose owner Tom Mills, Brewing Science was born. The class is offered again this spring and is expected to become a regular in the Colby-Sawyer catalog. The broader context for the course is the extraordinary rise in the popularity of craft brewing in the United States. What was once an obscure corner of the drinking world is now a $14 billion industry that makes up 14 percent of the American beer market. That means not just better sipping for the country’s beer lovers, but more than 100,000 jobs—and growing. And the industry is expanding into Colby-Sawyer’s own campus. The brewpub that was dreamed of last fall opened in early February in Lethbridge Lodge, thanks to the efforts of the administration and members of a committee that includes faculty from several departments. Professor Kuykendall has been delighted, and even a little surprised, by how speedily the pub idea became a reality: Construction of the bar began within two days of getting the required permits. “Higher education can be slow to move,” he marveled as the pub neared its opening day, “but in this case it was anything but.” When the pub opened, Inaugurale was one of four beers on tap. The ale is also available at the Flying Goose.

Courtney Troxell ’15 sniffs the class’s brew, Inaugurale, before the fermentation phase begins.

Back in Wheeler Hall that cold afternoon in December, the students of Colby-Sawyer’s first Brewing Science class happily posed for pictures and reviewed last-minute details for the presentation they would make from the stage. Meanwhile, they sipped from 6 oz. glasses of Inaugurale, poured straight from a tap operated by a beaming Marley. “It was kind of a mystery how it was going to come out, but it worked!” said biology major Alex Fredette ’15. He was referring to his glass of pale, crisp ale, but he might as well have been talking about Brewing Science itself: A class that was an experiment and is now a sparkling success.  ® l–r: Professor Darrell Kuykendall and Rik Marley of The Flying Goose Brew Pub and Grille gear up with students for a day of brewing; the students’ brew, Inaugurale, includes rosemary, bee pollen, lavender and lemongrass flavors; Jesse Socci ʼ15 hoses down the tank after the long day of brewing.

spring 2015 21


on the hill

ENGAGING THE 79 PERCENT: A Fight Against Political Apathy by Eric Boyer

T

he text was brief, simply an instruction to go to the Puritan Backroom restaurant in Manchester, but it was quite possibly the most important text message that history and political studies major Krista Peace ’15 has ever received. Having just helped organize a preelection rally at Nashua Community College for New Hampshire Democratic candidates, Peace arrived at the Puritan Backroom moments before Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York arrived. For Peace, meeting the source of her political inspiration face-to-face was the payoff for months of often unseen work organizing events in a particularly hard-fought campaign season. “I think I might have blacked out a little bit because I was so excited, but somehow I kept it together enough to ask for a picture,” said Peace. “I was so excited that my hands were shaking and I botched the first one. Luckily, Sen. Clinton just laughed, hugged me and allowed me to take a second with her. Taking a selfie with Sen. Clinton … it just doesn’t get any better than that.”

This young Democratic Party activist’s high note was followed by a low—an election wave that swept the Republican Party into control in the Senate and increased the already strong Republican majority in the House of Representatives. “Election night was really difficult, an evening of contradictions and intense emotions,” Peace said. “On the one hand, the New Hampshire races I was a part of went well, but on the other, the TV screen would switch over to the national picture and my excitement would evaporate.” Peace recognizes that this is all part of the thing she loves. “Politics is a rollercoaster of good and bad, and you have to roll with the lows to enjoy the highs,” she said. It is to this rollercoaster of highs and lows, victories and defeats, that Peace is attempting to invite the students of Colby-Sawyer. Peace came to New Hampshire from Santa Barbara, Calif., to attend boarding school in the White Mountains at the age of 15, and as she tells it, “everyone thought I would go flying right back to California after I graduated, but I fell in love with New

above: Krista Peace ’15 outside New London Town Hall on Election Day 2014.

22 colby-sawyer college magazine


Peace’s interest in politics took a similarly circuitous route. She began her college career as an elementary education major but became frustrated because “everything I wanted to change came back to the politics of public education … everything that bothered me, that was important to me, came back to politics.” This initial interest in politics may never have grown had it not been for Peace’s internship in the office of U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster (D–N.H). It was during this internship, when she was out in the field organizing events for the representative, that Peace fell in love with politics.

PHOTO: KRISTA PEACE

PHOTO: MICHAEL SEAMANS

England.” After attending a school with only 100 students, Peace thought she wanted to go to a big university and chose the University of Vermont. “I quickly realized that 13,000 was just too big, so I went back to my list of schools and narrowed them to two,” said Peace. “What brought me to Colby-Sawyer was my admissions counselor. I must have called 11 times a day while making this decision, and each time Tracey Perkins ’01 knew my name and my story; she was just so patient, relaxed and funny, I knew this was where I belonged.”

Peace with Sen. Hillary Clinton in Nashua last fall.

Now, after helping to organize events for Democrats including Sen. Clinton, Rep. Kuster, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan, Peace has taken on a challenge that has bedeviled political activists for generations: engaging, empowering and inspiring young voters.

them hated politics,” she said. “This seems to be a part of our culture, but I know that exposure to politics and information about politics is part of the answer. I haven’t found the right formula yet, but my hope is that I can help set the stage for that event, decision or discussion that creates interest and engagement.”

Behind all the speeches, ads and events, politics is ultimately a game of numbers: numbers of volunteers mobilized, doors knocked on and voters turned out on Election Day. In this world of numbers, the 21 percent midterm election turnout rate for voters aged 18–29 is the equivalent of a yawn. What makes this number both ironic and tragic is that 79 percent of these young people choose not to vote precisely when their perspective is most needed.

Peace’s efforts to engage the 79 percent have only just begun, but her efforts have already paid off for the Colby-Sawyer community. On Oct. 29, Peace organized an event that brought Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D–Wisc)., to a Colby-Sawyer classroom overflowing with students, staff and faculty. The first openly gay senator in U.S. history, Baldwin is evidence of the power of the youth vote—the senator’s entire political career, from her first local election up to her statewide senate bid, has been propelled by her ability to engage young voters. During her talk, she noted the difficulties of mobilizing this country’s youth but urged the Colby-Sawyer community to see politics as the way to initiate important discussions that lend a voice to the voiceless so that they can speak truth to power.

At a time when Americans are reeling from seismic shifts on issues like gay marriage and drug policies, when students struggle to pay tuition and find employment after college, the apathy and disengagement of America’s youth constitutes nothing less than a political crisis, a crisis that Peace has dedicated herself to taking on. As she put it, “I want to see young people vote because these are our issues; these are issues that directly touch our lives. I hear students discussing debt, the economy and war all the time, so it’s frustrating that they have so little interest in voting for the politicians who represent them on these issues.” Peace recognizes that the barriers to young people’s political participation are both institutional and cultural, but she’s convinced that education and exposure are key to engaging her fellow students. “Many students are like me: They grew up hating politics and politicians because everyone around

It is Peace’s hope that this is just the beginning for both Colby-Sawyer and her own political path. As the 2014 midterm elections fade into memory, the race for the 2016 presidential nominations are just beginning, and Peace is positioning Colby-Sawyer to be a campaign stop for those who seek the nation’s highest office.  ® Associate Professor of Social Sciences and Education Eric Boyer joined the faculty in 2008. He holds a B.A. in political science and philosophy from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Minnesota.

spring 2015

23


on the hill

THE IMPORTANCE of a

BEAUTIFUL SET

TO PARAPHRASE OSCAR WILDE, in matters of grave importance, style is the vital thing, and style was abundant in the November production of Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest.” The comedy featured an outstanding student cast and a set designed by none other than internationally renowned artist and author Tomie dePaola. Technical Director Mike Lovell brought dePaola’s sketches to life, building and painting the sets that drew applause from appreciative audiences during the three-night run. dePaola created the sets for the Sawyer Fine Arts Center’s first production in 1959 and was a faculty member at the college from 1972 to 1975. He taught classes in theater production, costume and set design, and art and film history. 24 colby-sawyer college magazine

Assistant Professor of Fine and Performing Arts Suzanne Delle directed the play and said that she and dePaola explored the idea of theatricality and how the characters are always performing. “We gave our production a slightly meta look and feel,” she said. “We wanted the audience to recognize Tomie’s signature style in the design of the show, but also to be surprised by how he transformed the world of the play.”  ® clockwise from top right: Molly Paone ’15 as Gwendolen Fairfax, left, reads Cecily’s diary; Jaqueline Quint ’17 as Cecily Cardew looks out over the garden; Molly Paone as Gwendolen and Bibek Thapa ’17 as John Worthing plan their elopement as Zachary Melisi ’17 as Algernon Moncrieff eavesdrops. Photos: Michael Seamans


A Global Education: Research Enriches Teaching by Kerstin Stoedefalke

In 1997, I traveled to the University of Exeter in England for a workshop on pediatric exercise physiology. I became intrigued by whether or not increased exercise levels improved children’s cardiovascular health (as we knew it did with adults) by making favorable changes to their cardiovascular health, specifically by improving blood cholesterol levels. That workshop set the groundwork for my sabbatical the following year at the University of Exeter. I designed and implemented a 20-week exercise training program for girls aged 13 and 14. Forty girls completed three exercise tests to exhaustion, gave three blood samples and exercised three times per week while wearing heart rate monitors. The results showed that 20 weeks of aerobic exercise training did not alter their blood cholesterol levels. The reason may be that at 13 and 14, most children don’t have blood cholesterol levels that put them at risk for cardiovascular disease. The current consensus is that regular exercise in children could lay the foundation for healthy exercise behaviors throughout their lives but not necessarily alter cardiovascular risk in the child. In 2005, I returned to the University of Exeter for a second yearlong sabbatical to examine whether or not any alterations occurred in the cardiovascular systems of children as a result of three years of swim training. Twenty children from the local swim team and 20 more not involved in organized sports participated in the study. All children completed a yearly exercise test to volitional exhaustion, during which we measured the amount of blood pumped out of the

heart per minute. At the same time, we measured oxygen consumption. The greater the maximal oxygen consumption at the end of exercise, the more aerobically fit one is. A mouthpiece was used to measure the amount of oxygen the child was using. Across all three years, we found that the trained children had a greater ability to take in, transport and utilize oxygen compared with the untrained children. The findings showed that the trained children were more aerobically fit. Conversely, we did not find a difference between the two groups with regard to the amount of blood their hearts pumped out per beat. I was granted a third sabbatical for the spring 2014 semester and spent six weeks at the University of South Australia (UniSA) in Adelaide. My purpose was twofold. First, I wanted to collect data for a breast cancer research study examining if affect (how the patient feels) impacted whether or not the patient continued with her exercise prescription. I was interested in affect because I am a co-investigator for a research study at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, N.H., focused on the effects of an exercise intervention on physical activity levels in patients undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. Second, I wanted to learn new classroom and laboratory techniques to use at Colby-Sawyer. Early results of the breast cancer study at UniSA indicated that if patients were able to self-select their walking speed, they were more willing to continue with the exercise intervention. For example, if patients self-selected a walking pace of 3.0 mph, they were more likely to feel happy with the pace as compared with being told to walk at 3.0 mph. These findings allowed me to incorporate affect into our breast cancer study at DHMC.

the classroom and laboratory. Most notable is an ongoing student-run research project examining the caloric cost of walking on a treadmill in collegeage men and women. Since the spring of 2011, eight Colby-Sawyer students have been involved in data collection and 140 have been study participants. Student researchers have presented at two national meetings and one regional meeting. Last spring, two students presented results at the Posters on the Hill meeting in Washington, D.C. Classroom activities have been enhanced by providing students with up-to-date pedagogy in exercise science and improved laboratory experiences. While at UniSA, I gleaned new methods for student-peer reviews, which help a student critique another’s work and provide the reviewer an opportunity to improve his or her own work. I was also introduced to a laboratory manual that has allowed me to incorporate statistical analyses for all lab activities. I have found that my students better understand peer-reviewed research results because of these weekly statistical analyses. At Colby-Sawyer, research naturally lends itself to teaching. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to be exposed to the work being done at international universities, which, in turn, benefits our students who study physiology.  ® Professor of Exercise and Sport Sciences Kerstin Stoedefalke joined the Colby-Sawyer faculty in 1990. She holds a B.S. from Pennsylvania State University, an M.S. from the University of Montana and a Ph.D. from the University of Exeter.

My research has translated to a broad range of experiential examples in both spring 2015

25

out + about

Research lends itself to teaching, as long as one is able to strike a balance between the two. Colby-Sawyer fosters both tasks, and thanks to three sabbatical leaves, I’ve been able to conduct research that has spanned the globe.


Patrick Anderson, professor of Humanities, gave two lectures last summer sponsored by the New Hampshire Humanities Council titled “Understanding Movies: The Art of Film” and “Movie Mavericks: Filmmakers Who Challenge the Hollywood System.”

Rachel Fredericks, assistant professor of Humanities, published an original article, “Courage as an Environmental Virtue,” in the fall issue of the journal Environmental Ethics. In her article, she argues that environmental ethicists and activists have good reason to devote more attention to the role courage plays in an environmentally virtuous life; in the process, she defines environmental courage and delineates the benefits we can expect to gain by recognizing and cultivating it.

Suzanne Delle, assistant professor of Fine and Performing Arts, spent the fall researching, writing and editing The Palace Theatre: 100 Years of Performing Arts. The book is for sale at the theatre in Manchester.

Kathleen Farrell, associate professor of Social Sciences and Education, presented research findings from her current project at the Northeast Popular Culture Association’s annual conference in Providence, R.I., in October. The presentation was titled “ʻThank God for the Internet’: Rural LGBTQ Adolescents’ Online Identity Exploration.” Associate Professor Eric Boyer and Assistant Professors Kraig Larkin and Paul Robertson also presented at the conference.

26 colby-sawyer college magazine

Associate Professor of Natural Sciences Semra Kilic-Bahi collaborated last summer with the Academy for Science and Design in Nashua, N.H., to offer Circle Around Math, a week-long camp for middle-school students. She also organized the Writing Competitive Grant Applications panel session, which targeted women and minority audiences, and contributed the paper “Humor and Teaching Math” to the Joint Mathematics Meeting held in San Antonio, Texas, in January. Shannon Lange Silva ’07 writes suspense fiction under the name S. S. Lange. Long Lost, Blood is Thicker and Almost Found, all released in 2014, center on heroine Charlotte Hayes, who is described as “a small-town, smart-ass girl who doesnʼt know how to keep her mouth shut or when to back down.”

Lisa Hayward-Wyzik, dean of Distance Education, presented her paper “Branding: Aligning and Embedding Your Online Programs with Institutional Values and Philosophies” at the 20th Online Learning Consortium Conference in October.

Jean Eckrich, professor of Exercise and Sport Sciences and director of the Teaching Enrichment Center, attended the International Society of the Biomechanics of Sport Conference in Johnson City, Tenn., in July. She also received the Department of Kinesiology & Applied Physiology 2014 Outstanding Alumni Award from the College of Health Sciences at the University of Delaware, where she earned her B.S.

Michael Jauchen, assistant professor of Humanities, published a review of Frank Smith’s conceptual poetry collection, Guantanamo, in Full Stop magazine in September. See cscm.ag/mjauchen.

PHOTO: ALICIA BERGERON

out + about

| portfolio

Melissa Meade, associate professor of Humanities, was invited to participate as a research associate in the Radio Preservation Task Force, a new project at the Library of Congress. She also

Since Artist in Residence David Ernster’s successful showing at the 81st Annual League of N.H. Craftsmen’s Fair in August, his ceramics have been in heavy demand for other shows and galleries organized by the league. He also exhibited works in the Annual Faculty Exhibition last fall in the Mugar Art Gallery.


Adjunct faculty member in the Social Sciences and Education Department David Rigby has a new book out. No Substitute for Victory: Successful American Military Strategies from the Revolutionary War to the Present Day was published in November. Rigby also authored Allied Master Strategists: The Combined Chiefs of Staff in World War II, which won the 2012 John Lyman Book Award for Best U.S. Naval History. Associate Professor of Business Administration Jody Murphy and Anurup Upadhyay ’15 traveled to Savannah, Ga., in September to present their student-managed investment fund research, “A Study of Alumni and Community Engagement with Specific Student Managed Investment Funds,” at the joint 2014 Financial Education Association and Academy of Business Education conference. Susan Reeves, chair and associate professor of Nursing and Public Health, as well as associate dean of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Partnership Programs, published the chapter “Advanced Practice Nursing and Governance” in the book Advanced Practice Nursing: Contexts of Care. She attended the Summer Symposium for Health Professions Educators at Lake Morey, Vt., and presented “Individuals and Communities as Catalysts,” which was

Assistant Professor of Social Sciences and Education Omari Jackson coauthored the article “Understanding Differences in College Enrollment: Race, Class and Cultural Capital” in the September issue of the journal Race and Social Problems. In it, he and David Merolla of Wayne State University argue that “while black students tend to possess fewer resources than their white counterparts at any class level, they activate cultural capital to a greater degree than white students.” See cscm.ag/raceclass for the abstract and cscm.ag/ojackson for Science Daily’s article “College education not always about what you have, but how you use it,” which features Professor Jackson’s research.  ®

al

ia

na

authored a chapter in the book Smart Chicks on Screen: Representing Women’s Intellect in Film and Television. In October, Melissa traveled to the annual meeting of the Midwest Popular Culture Association with Jillian Jacobs ’16 (see p. 9). Also in October, Professor Meade presented the paper at the annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Film and History: “A Golden Age of Androgyny: Gender-bending, Music Videos and Regressive Cultures of the 1980s.”

created, in part, in collaboration with her chemistry colleagues Professor Cheryl Coolidge and Assistant Professor Darrell Kuykendall. She was also asked to serve on the editorial board of the Journal of Patient Experience.

do A r a bi

p si

st

h

Joshua Steffen, assistant professor of Natural Sciences, co-authored two publications this summer. “RNA-Seq Analysis of Laser-capture Microdissected Cells of the Developing Central Starchy Endosperm of Maize” was published in the June issue of Genomics Data. “A Plant-specific HUA2-LIKE (HULK) Gene Family in Arabidopsis thaliana is Essential for Development” was published in Volume 80, Issue 2, of Plant Journal.

Professor of Fine and Performing Arts Bert Yarborough displayed his work in the three-man show “Triage II: Individual and Collaborative Works by Paul Bowen, M.P. Landis and Bert Yarborough” at Castleton State College in Vermont and in the Zone Three Gallery in Middlebury, Vt., in December. His paintings and drawings will be at the Aidron Duckworth Museum in Meriden, N.H., from April 25 through June 7. Professor Yarborough’s work was also featured in the college’s annual Faculty Art Exhibition this fall. Right: “Yellow Streak,” Acrylic and ink on wood panel, 60” x 47,” 2014

spring 2015

27


feature

MARTHA’S VINEYARD: A Marine Community Pulled by the Past, Pushed by the Future by Kate Seamans photos and reporting by Michael Seamans

28 colby-sawyer college magazine


M

illennia before the first wave lapped the shores of Martha’s Vineyard, glaciers did their work. The last continental ice sheet ground down over Canada and across Cape Cod, pushing along rocks and boulders, sand and gravel, fossils and sediments from what author Norman Maclean calls the basement of time. The glaciers ebbed and flowed until their final retreat, and where the ice sheet surrendered 15,000 years ago, a new outpost of land heaved up into the world. Then, as the ice melted and the sea rose, that land dissolved into Staten Island, Long Island, Block Island, the Elizabeth Islands, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.

Early morning on Chappaquiddick’s Pocha Pond near Dike Bridge.

spring 2015 29


feature

The first inhabitants of Martha’s Vineyard were the Wampanoag, and they called the island Noepe, which means “in the midst of the sea.” And then, some say, the island was sighted by the Vikings in about 1000 A.D. before Italian explorer Giovanni di Verrazano in 1524 and a subsequent parade of Englishmen that included John Pease. Pease arrived in Edgartown, on the southeastern end of the Vineyard, in 1644. His family members have been on the island ever since. In 2009, Ann Hoar Floyd ’61 MT, a Pease family descendant and Edgartown resident, welcomed 11 Colby-Sawyer students and two professors to the hundred-square-mile island for the pilot of a field study course that has evolved into the biennial ENV 319 Marine Communities. A member of the college’s President’s Alumni Advisory Council and a proponent of experiential learning, Ann suggested creating the course to complement the River Communities and Desert Communities courses (Colby-Sawyer also added Alpine Communities in 2011). She offered the use of her Tom’s Neck Farm, which has been in her family for more than eight generations and is now a rental property, as a base. The 57-acre farm borders Cape Pogue Bay on Chappaquiddick, a six-square-mile island that is part of Edgartown but separated from Martha’s Vineyard by a narrow channel and accessed by a three-car ferry. For the first six weeks of this academic year, Professor of Natural Sciences Ben Steele and Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Harvey Pine taught a dozen students about the biology, ecology, geology and culture of Martha’s Vineyard in the classroom. Most of the students hailed from New England (a couple even came from Cape Cod and the North Shore), and that familiarity made the material comfortable while creating plenty of motivation to dig deeper. By the time fall break rolled around, it was “high time to get to sea,”

30

colby-sawyer college magazine

and the group set forth for three full days in a living classroom to more fully understand how humans both affect and have been affected by marine communities. “We try to find places where students can see things actually happening and have hands-on experiences,” said Professor Steele. “We go to a shellfish hatchery, where they create seed to help stock scallop populations in the ponds, and grow oysters and mussels for seeding. We see the Wampanoag tribe and visit the Aquinnah Cultural Center to learn more about their history. We visit Oak Bluffs and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, too.” HARPOONS AND HISTORY After a ferry ride in the dark from Woods Hole and a comfortable night at the farm, the class spent a cool and rainy first morning at the Gale Huntington Research Library in Edgartown with Ann and local experts. Students had the opportunity to examine primary sources—captains’ log books, journals, letters, charts and maps—for their semester-long projects on tourism, agriculture, mammals, wind power, climate change, migratory birds, geology, Native Americans and whaling. Martha’s Vineyard is built on sand, memory and oil—whale oil. Though Herman Melville had neighboring Nantucket in mind when he wrote that “all these brave houses and flower gardens came from the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans …


“we were whalers, we were whalers, we were chappaquiddick whalers” one and all they were harpooned and dragged hither from the bottom of the sea,” he may as well have been describing Martha’s Vineyard, and Edgartown, especially, with its impressive Greek Revival captains’ houses and handsome churches. The past is never far away on the island, and it doesn’t take long to discover that everything is connected. A Pease was aboard the Lydia, the first recorded whaleship that sailed from Martha’s Vineyard in 1765, and it was Captain Valentine Pease who commanded a young Melville on the Acushnet in 1841. Those forays into Melville’s “wild and distant seas” where whales rolled their “island bulk” and gave up their spermaceti for lamp oil and candles made Edgartown a 19th-century port of power and wealth. Besides illuminating America, though, the whaling voyages linked the tiny island to the rest of the world. Writer and photographer Mark Alan Lovewell offered a guest lecture one night under the guise of a singer of sea chanties and teller of stories. Ann claims him as a relative, and they both claim the Pease name. Lovewell stood in the white wood-paneled living room of the 1740s Tom’s Neck farmhouse with an antique spinning wheel to his left and a flat-screen

television to his right, a guitar in his hands and a harmonica poised in its holder with a concertina on standby. He regaled his audience with tales of the island and assured them that it’s so much more than its popular image as a sleepy summer resort for the rich and famous, more than the site of presidential vacations and tragedies. “What’s so amazing about the history of Martha’s Vineyard is that one might think it is really quite isolated,” he said, “but because of the whaling industry, we have so many connections to the rest of the world. We’re actually far more international from our standing as a whaling community than as a tourist community because the tourists come here. We were out there.” Ann glowed like a lighthouse as he invoked their island’s past, and then he launched into another vigorous sea chanty. “What will you do with a drunken sailor?” he demanded to know, and the room reverberated with the multiverse answer. Whaling, for the most part, came to an end in the 1860s with the Civil War and the discovery of coal in Pennsylvania. Edgartown’s wealth fell away, and the town became “desperately destitute,” according to Lovewell. The islanders’ hunt for whale oil turned to a hunt for whale bone in the waters off Alaska to stiffen corsets, until those contraptions fell out of favor. Farewell and adieu. “We were whalers, we were whalers, we were Chappaquiddick whalers,” Lovewell whispered, and it sounded like a prayer.

At the Gale Huntington Research Library, archivist Bow Van Riper shared Captain George Luce’s log from an 1844 voyage aboard the Alfred Tyler to the Pacific whaling grounds (far left) and an 1851 whale chart (above) for glimpses into the history of Martha’s Vineyard. Mark Alan Lovewell (center) brought the whaling era to life with stories and sea chanties in Ann’s 1740s farmhouse at Tom’s Neck Farm.

spring 2015

31


feature SHIFTING SANDS In contrast with the island’s rugged seafaring past is Martha’s Vineyard’s fragile ecosystem that is shrinking and sinking as warming, rising seas gnaw on the island’s beaches and cliffs. According to the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program, the sea level is expected to rise at least five feet by the end of this century. From one end of the island to another, the impact of the changes already underway became abundantly clear to the students as they got to know the crumbling cliffs and ever-­ changing landscape. At Lucy Vincent Beach in Chilmark, where rolling hills fill the Vineyard’s southwest shore and the sunsets are unparalleled, Professor Pine explained that the shoreline has already receded about 400 feet in the past hundred years and that the cliffs are half the height they once were. Sharp eyes spotted several fossilized shark teeth that the churned-up beach revealed. On the far west coast in Aquinnah, where the Wampanoag tribe has its trust land, the iconic Gay Head Light atop its colorful cliffs will be moved 150 feet this spring to avoid certain doom. At Wasque Beach on Chappaquiddick’s southeast tip, the group saw an 8,300-square-foot summer home that took a multimillion-­ dollar trip of 275 feet to save it from tumbling into the sea after the property lost 150 feet of land in just one year.

32 colby-sawyer college magazine

The scale of the erosion was one of the trip’s biggest surprises for many students, including environmental studies major Jacob Conroy ’17. “This is an eye-opening experience,” he said. “Our marine ecosystems are important to the rest of the world, and we need to pay attention to how the coastlines are moving; people really disrupt the habitat by building close to the water. It’s different to be in the field and learn this stuff up close instead of just seeing a picture.” Junior Joshua Altshuler’s topic of study for the course was climate change and how it will affect the Vineyard. By the end of his time on the island, he could tick off the current and future dangers: “We know that rising sea temperatures increase the spread of certain diseases for marine species such as oysters and clams. Sea-level rise is also going to impact the coastal ecosystems and communities of Martha’s Vineyard. There’s a huge problem with increased storm frequency and intensity; they’re really going to hammer the island,” he said. “I’m trying to find out which areas will be impacted by these climate changes the most and how communities can adapt and protect not just their lifestyles but also the ecosystems that make up the island, because what makes this place unique is that the residents put a lot of effort into conserving land. Almost 40 percent of the island is preserved as open space.”


Field study courses are an opportunity for me to be out in the natural world. It’s kind of like going home. I gain energy being out of the classroom and in an area where I feel free. For me, the natural world is a paradise. – Joshua Altshuler ’16

opposite top: The erosion at Wasque Point is nothing short of catastrophic. this page: Before canoeing on Pocha Pond, students tried seining to see if there was a change in the communities from one end of the pond to the other. The sites varied from nearly full saltwater toward the north end to brackish water to the south, and the inhabitants accordingly. “Part of the point is to see some diversity,” said Professor Pine, “and to see if there are adaptations that are specific for those sites while also pointing out some species that are generalists.”  critters clockwise from top left: Hermit crab, green crab, carapace of a spider crab and an Asian shore crab.

spring 2015

33


feature

above: Ann Hoar Floyd ’61 MT led the class in an exploration of Tom’s Neck Farm. On the shore of Pease Pond, she pointed out where arrowheads had been found—reminders that the Wampanoag once wintered on the site. opposite: The first light over Cape Pogue Bay greeted early risers.

IF YOU LOVE SOMETHING, LET IT GO There’s geological time and there’s human time, and while the long, long-term picture for the Vineyard may be soggy, plenty of islanders are doing everything they can to preserve the land and vistas that are still there. Ann is one of them. On a sunny, breezy morning, Ann walked with the students around Tom’s Neck Farm, which includes a beautiful beach plus fields, hills and woodlands that surround Pease Pond. She led the way down sandy paths to the water’s edge and showed the students where the Wampanoag’s winter camp once was. Originally 160 acres, Tom’s Neck became one of the first successful farms on Chappaquiddick. It entered Ann’s family more than a century ago, when it was especially known for its sheep and asparagus crop. For more than two decades, Ann has worked to find a way to preserve as much of the land as possible. This summer, she sealed the deal on a solution, but to keep the land open forever, she had to let some of it go. The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank will purchase 25 acres of the historic coastland along the bay and surrounding Pease Pond, so that it will be permanently accessible to the public and avoid development. 34 colby-sawyer college magazine

It was a long struggle and a process to preserve the land, Ann said, and there were compromises along the way, but her effort is already making an impression. “It was so refreshing to hear Ann talk about how she worked so hard to conserve the land,” said Emmy Rioux ’16, a biology major from Maine. “That was a great part of the trip.” Everything’s connected, including the members of the field studies class who spent days together on an island living and learning from each other and the surroundings. There was minimal Internet access at the farm, and no demands from the rest of the world to do anything but reaffirm that there is magic in water. “Stay in touch,” Ann told the students as she hugged them goodbye. “Come back and visit.” And when they do, because of people like her, there will be space and time on Martha’s Vineyard for ocean reveries.  ® Kate Seamans is senior director of College Communications. Like Ishmael, she is “tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote.”


“i can guarantee that the knowledge gained will come back to them in a positive way and at the most unexpected times.” –ann hoar floyd ’61 mt

spring 2015

35


sense of place 30 Years of Nursing Graduates In 1985, Colby-Sawyer graduated its first class of nurses with 11 members. This year’s class will bring the total of Colby-Sawyer nursing graduates to 439. From the beginning, our nursing students have trained at the world-class Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and they often stay there to work after graduating. According to John Malanowski, chief human resources officer, DHMC employs 111 Colby-Sawyer alumni, most of them nurses. Here, nearly 70 junior and senior nursing students take a moment after their daylong clinical shifts to acknowledge those who have stood where they stand, and those who will follow in their footsteps. Photo: Gil Talbot

36

colby-sawyer college magazine


spring 2015 37


feature

A SMUGGLER‘S POETRY interview with ewa chrusciel by Michael Jauchen

associate professor of humanities ewa chrusciel’s whirlwind of a sabbatical last fall took her to many European countries, including her native Poland. It also gave her the opportunity to put the finishing touches on her newest book, Contraband of Hoopoe, released in October. A mix of prose and poetry, fact and fancy, Contraband is Ewa’s meditation on the act of smuggling, and her second collection in English. In it, she explores the porous borders between countries, languages and historical eras. Her poems surprise in the best ways, and her metaphorical leaps are unique. I had the chance to talk with Ewa about her new collection, her writing process and her sneakiest memories. Where did this collection begin for you? What got you interested in the image of smuggling? It started with the act of smuggling a sausage from Poland and being caught at customs at Logan International Airport. I didn’t get fined, as I stubbornly claimed that my sealed sausage was a sealed sausage, instead of being a meat. The whole smuggling project transpired out of this one experience.

Writing in English is the work of smuggling metaphors from one language into another. It is a work of mistranslation. I am a smuggler because I do not like to renounce anything. I want to keep both of the languages and both of the worlds. Contraband of Hoopoe contains poems that allude to historical places and events: Ellis Island, Katyn, the Warsaw Ghetto. Can you talk about the research you did for the collection? I read a bit about the history of smuggling. For example, Joseph Jefferson Farjeon’s The Compleat Smuggler: A Book about Smuggling in England, America and Elsewhere, Past and Present. I also visited Ellis Island a few times. On my first visit in 2011, the face of Al Capone jumped out at me 38 colby-sawyer college magazine

when I walked in: the museum was having an Alcatraz exhibit. The conjunction of Ellis Island and Alcatraz gave me some new ideas and made me visit Alcatraz and Angel Island that same year. On my second visit to Ellis Island, I started to observe and write down the things the immigrants took with them. Tracking these historical objects transitioned then to tracking ideas, undeclared beliefs and secret messages that immigrants throughout the centuries have smuggled through customs. I started to recall smuggling in Poland under the Stalinist and communist regime. I also read a book in Polish on the history of Ellis Island written by Małogorzata Szejnert. After that, I visited the Tenement Museum in New York; in fact, I visited it so many times that the museum offered me a free membership. A year later or so, I was invited to New York for a fundraiser for a documentary on Jan Karski by Sławomir Grünberg, “Karski & The Lords of Humanity.” Karski was a Pole who tried to prevent the Holocaust—he disguised himself as a Jew in order to get into the ghetto and carry evidence of Nazi crimes to powerful world leaders. That documentary gave me the idea of elevating my concept of smuggling to a noble activity, recording how Jews were hidden during the Holocaust. In November 2013, I also saw an exhibition on the Righteous Among the Nations at the Museum Factory of Oskar Schindler in Krakow, Poland. This visit gave rise to two poems in my book: “Those They Carried” and “The Righteous among the Smugglers.” Going all the way back to the Lascaux painters, you talk about the ways art is a kind of smuggling. How exactly does that work in your mind? How are acts of smuggling and acts of imagination connected? Writing in English is the work of smuggling metaphors from one language into another. It is a work of mistranslation. I am a smuggler because I do not like to renounce anything. I want to keep both of the languages and both of the worlds. The price is the ceaseless border crossing, a constant mental shifting and shuffling between two languages, between these two different conceptualizations of the world. Linguistic smugglers are those who are unable to let it go, who nest in two cognitive places at once. Language is the best smuggler.


Prayer I leave stones of ripples my mouth spits out oaks, kora, ancient rituals, milk from St. Mary’s breast, a crest of a hoopoe, A tulip tree, yellow birch, eye-salmon rose fiddlehead ferns, ruffed grouse, a flock of enunciations ingrate spoiled insulated Now, a shower after shower a gestu after gestu shindig after shindig Mouth taps iron ghosts bark means kora keeps burning till it brains forth Between country and country, crocuses grow. Do not regret a crocus when woods are on fire. The storks align themselves with the lighthouses. Hummingbirds calculate rates of return. Between us a memorare of raw sea-weed Left with a poem in my mouth, a sphere a curled hedgehog prickly calm inexhaustible

PHOTO: MICHAEL SEAMANS

The desire for hooks in the wall

spring 2015 39


feature

Words are multilingual and multivalent immigrants as they cross-pollinate and migrate. Contraband of Hoopoe, like all of your poetry, is full of animals. Birds pop up everywhere in this collection: parrots, the albatross, the blue-footed booby. What draws you to birds and to the other animals you write about here? Animals are the source of awe for me. Birds are apparitions of evanescence and beauty. One of the guiding totems of my book is the hoopoe, the bird that King Solomon sent to the Queen of Sheba to convert her to his faith. Hoopoe is also the main protagonist of Sufi mystic Attar’s Conference of the Birds, in which a hoopoe leads all the birds of this world on a pilgrimage to see the Ultimate Mystery. It is also a national bird of Israel, but for Palestinian authors, such as Mahmoud Darwish, the hoopoe stands for exile. In his poem “The Hoopoe,” Darwish writes: “But, among us there is a hoopoe who dictates his letters to the olive tree of exile.” Right now, Darwish is on the reading list of Israeli high schools. The hoopoe continues his mission of transgressing the borders. Much of Contraband is made up of short prose poems, though you also write poetry using more conventional lines. What intrigues you about the prose poem? How do you find the shape a poem is supposed to take? For the last eight years, I have been fascinated by the condensation of imagery in prose poetry. The form allows me to experiment and border-cross. It is a more spacious form than formal poetry. It is a hybrid. In prose poems, I can focus on the eruption of images, which takes me to unexpected places. They, again, transgress the borders. In Lost in Translation, Eva Hoffman claims that we can have a new beginning in a new language. We can be free of constraints. In my case, prose poetry in English gives me a new beginning. Could you talk about your own history with smuggling? How much of this book comes out of autobiographical experience? In high school, we smuggled quotes from Orwell’s Animal Farm. “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others,” for example. The communist establishment banned books that slandered the Soviet Union or undermined the glory of Russia in general. Books that showed the West as an attractive place were banned. Citizens’ thoughts were banned. In all, 2,482 books were banned. Growing up during the communist regime in Poland, I saw the whole country change into a gigantic contraband. My parents were rather insignificant smugglers. My mom would smuggle lipstick from Poland to Bulgaria or gummy bears from Czechoslovakia back home where we did not have them. I believe that the smuggling mentality prevailed in Poland and 40 colby-sawyer college magazine

sometimes still does. It might run in our blood. My high school friend and I smuggled a kitten from Scotland to Poland on a scout trip. You grew up speaking Polish and have written in Polish. Contraband of Hoopoe and your last collection, Strata, were written in English. How do these two languages shape your poems? In what way does the movement between different languages illustrate a type of smuggling to you? There is a lot of shifting between Polish and English conceptualizations of the world. The translation or mistranslation somehow takes place in my head. Perhaps the images that transpire in my mind are migrant and feisty, a bit like a flock of Cossacks with gleaming sabers looking for new linguistic territories to conquer. But perhaps, in the end, out of this constant shifting, the third language arises: neither Polish nor English? Some kind of blend? Just to give you an example, recently I tried to describe to a friend Czeław Miłosz’s bushy eyebrows, but I instead called them “eye-bushes.” The next time you go to Poland, what are you going to smuggle back for me? A hoopoe? A hedgehog carrying a horse sausage in its spines?  ® To learn more about Ewa Chrusciel and Contraband of Hoopoe, visit echrusciel.net. Michael Jauchen, assistant professor of Humanities, joined the ColbySawyer faculty in 2009. He holds a B.A. in English from Wheaton College (Ill.) and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Louisiana–Lafayette. His writing has appeared in The Los Angeles Review of Books, The New York Times and 3am Magazine. He is also the book review editor at The Collagist.


KELLY “KJ” KRASCO ’05 & ERIKA DESANTY ’05

A TALE OF TWO COACHES by Kellie M. Spinney photos by Michael Seamans WITH HER ARMS RAISED in a defensive stance, Kelly “KJ” Krasco ’05 maneuvered quickly as players approached her one by one down the drill line. Squeaking sneakers were silenced by regular reminders of “More communication. More talk. We need to do a better job of communicating.” Shouts of “ball,” “help” and “shot” rose as players drove and delivered to the basket. An intensive two-hour practice had begun. The Colby-Sawyer alumna and new Middlebury College women’s basketball head coach stepped into her role with ease, yet her youth and humility made it easy to imagine Krasco as she was just 10 years ago: one of the finest offensive players in Chargers history. Of course, behind every polished offensive athlete is a playmaker. For Krasco, this was her teammate, friend and dormmate, Erika DeSanty ’05. A point guard who dominated in assists and steals, DeSanty has also made her mark in collegiate coaching, moving from the court to the course as head coach for the Princeton University women’s golf team. Despite their different sports, Krasco and DeSanty remain bound by an enduring friendship, memories of their alma mater, and like-minded approaches to coaching. KJ Krasco ’05, above, at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vt., and Erika DeSanty ’05, left, at Princeton University in Princeton, N.J.

spring 2015

41


feature KJ KRASCO Krasco’s journey to Colby-Sawyer was not typical. As a high school senior, the Medford, Mass., native and multisport athlete was pursued by several schools, including Colby-Sawyer and Head Women’s Basketball Coach George Martin, but she chose to play softball for Assumption College in Worcester, Mass. It didn’t take long for Krasco to realize she had made a mistake—she wanted to play basketball and study exercise and sport sciences (ESS). She reconnected with Coach Martin, transferred the next semester and began playing with the Chargers the following year.

to take a step back and recognize that you don’t need to always be on the court to make an impact on your team.”

“Probably the worst coaching decision I ever made in my 21 years here at Colby-Sawyer was that I didn’t let her play when she transferred here in January,” said Coach Martin of Krasco’s time on the bench. “I made her sit for the semester and only let her start playing her sophomore year.”

And she certainly did make an impact. Beginning with an impressive 32-point performance in her second game, she scored 1,044 points in three seasons and is Colby-Sawyer’s 12th highest all-time scorer. She is the college’s fifth highest career three-pointer scorer with 154 shots. During the 2004–2005 season, when the Chargers won the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship and played in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament, Krasco was named All-CCC First Team, New England Women’s Basketball Association (NEWBA) All-Star Third Team and N.H. Division III Women’s Basketball Player of the Year. During her final season, she played in the NEWBA Senior Classic.

Krasco never questioned her coach’s judgment. “I understood,” she said. “That was a really good learning experience,

Krasco is quick to recognize the role of her fellow players and Coach Martin in her accomplishments. “I wouldn’t have been

42 colby-sawyer college magazine


THEY WILL ALWAYS BE CHARGERS

The basketball court is just like a classroom, and it’s my job to teach these players what’s going to help us succeed on the court. –KJ Krasco

Erika and KJ believe in staying involved as alumnae. Both participate in the Professional Pen Pal Assignment with exercise and sport sciences students, and they return to campus as often as possible for games, alumni events and other celebrations. They also enjoy reconnecting with their beloved “Coach George,” who is now also a Colby-Sawyer athletic director, and they easily express their fondness for him while crediting him with being a major influence on their lives and careers. During her acceptance speech at the Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony this fall, Krasco turned to Coach Martin and said, “Coach, my mentor, thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me.” Addressing the audience, she added, “He’s my number-one reference. I am where I am today because of him.” The admiration goes both ways. Here’s what Coach Martin has to say about his former championship players turned coaches:

the player I was at Colby-Sawyer if it weren’t for my coach and teammates,” she said. “If they weren’t passing me the ball, I wouldn’t have been able to score.” When Krasco reflected on her time as a student-athlete at Colby-Sawyer, she recalled the team’s championship win as the highlight of her collegiate career. “That’s the only championship I ever won or have been part of, and it was an awesome feeling,” she said. “Winning a championship and playing in the NCAA tournament are potentially oncein-a-lifetime opportunities.” After graduation, Krasco began her coaching career as a Division III women’s basketball assistant coach at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., while earning her M.Ed. In 2007, she became head coach at Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y., and then in 2010 a Division II coaching opportunity became available at Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass. “Division II involved working with scholarships and recruiting in a different way than what I had done at St. Lawrence and Clarkson,” said Krasco. Following a year at Merrimack, she spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where she also served as the top recruiter for a program that made two NCAA tournament appearances. Now at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vt., Krasco is once again a head coach who concentrates on helping her young roster to progress by focusing on goals. “It’s day-to-day with

KJ and Erika were two of the most driven student-athletes I’ve coached here at Colby-Sawyer. They settled for nothing but the best from themselves, both in the classroom and on the court. Both of them were great leaders, but in different fashions. Erika was always the fire that ignited the team, and KJ was the quiet calm that kept everyone together when things got tough. These characteristics have carried over to their coaching styles. They know their own strengths and personalities and use them in their coaching. If anyone had asked me who I thought might become coaches, I would have answered Erika DeSanty and KJ Krasco. I’m not surprised that both of them have gotten into the profession. Their competitive natures fit nicely into the field, and their abilities to react and adjust to any situation have allowed them to be successful. They’re both wonderful teachers of their games and understand the student-athletes that they work with. While at Colby-Sawyer, they represented the college in an exemplary manner and brought the team and the school respect from all who came in contact with us. They continue that today. While they’re at different institutions, they still speak fondly of their time here and continue to come back and help our current team whenever they can. Their mascots might be Panthers and Tigers now, but in my mind, they will always be Chargers.  ®

spring 2015

43


feature us,” she said. “We are learning new concepts and new plays each day. It’s going to be a process.” Krasco believes that process centers on building appropriate, fair and positive communication. “There are going to be days where you feel like the team may not be working up to its potential and you have to get on them a bit,” said Krasco. “But I like to do so in such a way that I’m challenging them and not criticizing them. I want our team to have a positive experience. I want everyone to graduate from Middlebury and say they were happy to be a part of the women’s basketball program.” Opening the season in mid-November at the Tyler Tipoff Tournament at Smith College, Middlebury took the tournament. The victory comes as no surprise to Krasco’s former coach who, just a month before, had predicted her success. “She was always hardworking, always engaged in practices and games, and always striving to improve,” said Coach Martin when he inducted Krasco into the Colby-Sawyer Athletic Hall of Fame on Oct. 8. “That same activity is going to make KJ a great coach. It’s not going to be long before she turns Middlebury into one of the top schools in New England basketball again.”

44 colby-sawyer college magazine

DeSanty traveled from New Jersey to cheer on Krasco throughout the tournament. “I happen to be a big fan of Smith basketball,” said DeSanty. “Being able to watch them and KJ in her Middlebury coaching debut was pretty special. Her team looked great, and she looked so comfortable leading them. I look forward to following all of her success.” At press time, Middlebury held a 11–11, 3–5 record in the New England Small College Athletic Conference. ERIKA DESANTY Erika DeSanty can’t remember life without athletics. Growing up in the small town of North Adams in the Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts, DeSanty was a multisport standout on the basketball, soccer, golf and track teams at Drury High School. When considering her college options, she was impressed with Colby-Sawyer’s ESS Program, but she also knew she needed to attend a school that would allow basketball to be a part of her experience. “Basketball was my first love, and playing it in college was always my dream,” she said. Timing and opportunity connected for DeSanty. “It was coincidental that soon after I learned about the ESS Program at


Colby-Sawyer, Coach Martin began recruiting me,” she said. “How lucky and glad I was! Coach is a great recruiter, but I was sold the moment I visited campus. I loved the small class sizes and the sense of community.” Though fully invested in her responsibilities in the classroom and on the basketball court, DeSanty still couldn’t deny the pull of the golf course. She found an outlet through an internship with Lake Sunapee Country Club and once again was balancing the mindset of a multisport athlete. “In basketball, you say to yourself, ‘Okay, I’m just going to go harder. I’m going to run faster. I’m going to dive for that next ball,’” said DeSanty. “And in golf, it’s just the opposite. You have to control your emotions.” As a four-year starting point guard and two-year captain of the women’s basketball team, DeSanty was named MVP as Colby-Sawyer won the conference championship and advanced to the first round of the NCAA tournament. She finished her Chargers career ranked second in career assists (486), fourth in career steals (230) and profoundly inspired. “Being a point guard, you’re the creator of people’s success,” said DeSanty. “Without question, that has impacted me.”

After graduation, DeSanty was an assistant varsity and head junior varsity women’s basketball coach at Elmira College in Elmira, N.Y., while earning a master’s degree in education. In 2007, she took the position of assistant women’s basketball coach at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., while working as a demonstrative technician for the Callaway Golf Company. DeSanty had once again found a way to keep both sports in her life. Then an opportunity that would position golf as her dominant sport presented itself. “The [Williams College] athletic director called me into his office and told me, ‘If you want to be a women’s basketball coach, you’re going to have to leave Williams. But if you want to be a head coach at Williams, then there’s an opportunity in women’s golf,’” said DeSanty. In 2009, DeSanty took over the Williams women’s golf program. During her five seasons there, she was twice named Division III East Region Coach of the Year by the National Golf Coaches Association as she guided her team to top-10 finishes at the NCAA Division III championship, including three top-five. In 2014, Williams finished third in the NCAA finals, the highest finish in program history, and senior Georgiana Salant won the individual national title for her third spring 2015

45


feature

All-America recognition. “The greatest coaching experience I’ve had at this point was walking down the 18th hole when Georgiana was about to win the national championship as an individual,” said DeSanty. “That was incredible.” This fall, DeSanty took her coaching to the next level, leaving Division III Williams to coach in the Ivy League. “I’m thrilled that Erika has been named as the women’s golf coach at Princeton University,” said Coach Martin. “She’s a natural leader, and her personality makes her an outstanding recruiter. She’s driven to be the best at all she does, and I’m certain this quality will allow her to have great success in the position.” At Princeton, DeSanty continues to rely on her proven coaching style, which centers on building relationships. It’s a philosophy that Coach Martin helped solidify. “He truly regards his student-athletes as his family, and I know that he cares as deeply about how I’m doing today as he did when I was his point guard so many years ago,” she said. Like her coach, DeSanty believes in an individual approach. “I’m very approachable, but firm at the same time,” said DeSanty. “Getting to know each student-athlete is really important to me, and so is getting to know what they need from me as their coach.” In the end, though, DeSanty says an athlete’s success is up to him or her. “It’s all about the athlete, what they want to get out of the experience. One has to be driven and willing to do the extra work to be great, and that means what they’re doing beyond practice time to be at their very best. To be successful as an athlete you have to be successful as a person. The coach relationship can make a huge difference in that, but I would be foolish to think that it is all about the coach.” Ending her first season as head coach with a tournament win at the Lehigh Invitational, DeSanty plans to continue structuring the team’s future. “My goals are to build the best Ivy League program I can and to have a program that consistently competes at that high level,” she said. “I think we’re fully capable of doing that here. That’s exciting.  ® Kellie M. Spinney is the communications and online content coordinator in College Communications. She came to Colby-Sawyer in 2013 and holds a B.A. in English from the University of New Hampshire.

46 colby-sawyer college magazine

My goals are to change the culture to a family-like team atmosphere, a team that loves one another unconditionally and that competes together to be really successful. That’s important to me. And, in three to five years, to dominate the Ivy League. –Erika DeSanty


spring 2015 47


THE SEASON IN SPORTS FALL 2014 MEN’S SOCCER (13-7-2, 7-1-1 NAC) The men’s soccer team made 2014 one of the best seasons in program history. The Chargers, who were selected to finish sixth in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC), went 7-1-1 and earned the top seed in the NAC tournament. Although upset by last year’s champion Thomas College in the semifinals, their season continued with a secondstraight bid to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) tournament. Colby-Sawyer won the program’s first ECAC match with a 4-3 overtime victory over Albertus Magnus College. The Chargers then beat Lesley University 1-0 in the semifinals to advance to the championship match. Endicott College, where the semifinals and finals were played, protected home-field advantage and escaped with a 2-1 overtime win to end Colby-Sawyer’s season.

On Sept. 27, the Chargers earned a 2-0 road win at New England College behind a pair of goals from senior Max Yee (Hooksett, N.H.). The win was the 200th in program history. First-year student Denali Sexton (Barrington, R.I.) had one of the best seasons in Colby-Sawyer history. He led the team with 12 goals, tying him for third most in a single season. Sexton also tied the team lead with 30 points, which ties him for secondmost points in a single season. He was named NAC Rookie of the Year to become the third Charger to earn the conference honor, and the first since 2001. Sexton was also named All-NAC First Team and became the first Charger to be named ECAC

Co-Rookie of the Year. He was a two-time NAC Player of the Week and three-time NAC Rookie of the Week recipient. He also garnered ECAC Co-Rookie of the Week and ECAC Offensive Player of the Week accolades. Sexton finished the season 59th in the nation in total points and 62nd in goals. Senior Alex Ortega (Milton, Vt.), a team captain, outdid his impressive junior campaign by one point in 2014. The senior forward scored 11 goals and handed out a team-best eight assists. He exits Colby-Sawyer with the second-most points (72), second-most goals (28) and fourth-most assists (16) in program history. The 30 points tallied in 2014 are tied with Sexton for the second

most in a season. Ortega was named to the All-NAC Second Team and finished the year ranked 27th in the nation with five game-winning goals. Senior Nick Austin (Westerly, R.I.) turned in his best statistical year as the Chargers’ goalie. He finished with a single-season record of 10 clean sheets and a program-­ record 13 wins. He exits Colby-Sawyer tied for second with 27 career wins and second in goals against average (1.23). Austin was named to the All-NAC First Team as the top keeper in the league and added three NAC Defensive Player of the Week awards. He also was named an ECAC Defensive Player of the Week. Austin ranked 27th in the nation with a .861 save percentage.

l–r:  ECAC President Dr. Kevin T. McGuiness, Head Coach Craig Wilkinson, Alex Ortega ʼ15, Carlton Wheeler-Omiunu ʼ15, Chris DiCiecca ʼ15, Assistant Coach Kevin Flaherty ʼ14 and ECAC Ambassador Jim Nelson celebrated the team’s ECAC runner-up finish and one of the best seasons in program history.

The Chargers reached the postseason for the 19th time in the past 20 years and earned a spot in the ECAC tournament for the third time in program history. Colby-­ Sawyer finished with a 13-7-2 overall record to tie for most wins in a season with the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) championship team of 1997. Colby-Sawyer also set a new single-season record with 10 shutouts. 48 colby-sawyer college magazine

PHOTO: OF COLBY-SAWYER ATHLETICS

sports

by Ryan Emerson


PHOTO: JOHN QUACKENBOS

her 58 shots was the second most taken by any conference player. Stritzinger leaves Colby-Sawyer as the all-time leader in goals (18), points (43) and is tied for second all-time in assists (7).

Denali Sexton ʼ18 was named NAC Rookie of the Year.

the Chargers. She was named to the NAC All-Conference team as she led the team in goals (8), assists (3), points (19) and shots (58). Her 19 points tied for third most in the conference, her eight goals tied for fourth most, her three assists tied for fifth and

Sophomore Rick Prindiville (Hooksett, N.H.) landed on the All-NAC Second Team for the second-straight season. He solidified his standing as one of the top defenders in the NAC and played and started in 17 matches. Prindi­ ville helped the Chargers to a program-record 10 shutouts and added a pair of goals and an assist.

Senior Nykki Stritzinger (Bel Air, Md.) finished an illustrious four-year career for

First-year student Jesse Murch (Waterford, Maine)

WOMEN’S TENNIS (10-6, 6-0 NEAC EAST) The Colby-Sawyer women’s tennis team earned its third-straight North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) East Division title with a 6-0 win over Castleton College. Picked as the preseason favorite once again, the Chargers went undefeated through conference play for the third-straight year. Colby-Sawyer will face the winner of the NEAC West Division in the spring with a trip to the NCAA tournament on the line. The Chargers finished the year with a combined doubles record of 33-15 (.688) and a singles record of 64-28 (.696). They finished the fall season with an overall record of 10-6 and a conference record of 6-0. The Chargers are 27-1 since joining the NEAC East Division in 2011. The team will resume play in the spring with a few matches prior to the NEAC Crossover Championship on May 3.

PHOTO: JOHN QUACKENBOS

FIELD HOCKEY (7-10, 1-4 NAC) The field hockey team saw its win total increase for the third-straight season. The Chargers went 7-10 overall and 1-4 in the conference. The team outscored their opponents 24-5 in the seven wins, which included a program-tying record five shutouts.The Chargers also set single-season team records in points (83), goals (31) and assists (21).

Junior goalkeeper Jodi Dumayne (Claremont, N.H.), who led the Chargers to a 5-10 record in games she played, was named to the NAC All-Conference team as the conference’s top goalkeeper. Dumayne, who recorded 148 saves on the season, had a conference best .809 save percentage among goalies starting in at least 10 games. Her five wins were the third highest in the conference, and her 148 saves ranked fourth. At Colby-Sawyer, she is the all-time leader in saves (416), wins (14), shutouts (7) and save percentage (.792).

earned her first selection to the NAC All-Conference team. The rookie defender anchored the Chargers’ defense, helping Colby-Sawyer to the fourth fewest goals against in the conference with 35. She added a pair of goals on the season. Her first collegiate goal was the game winner on Sept. 7 in a 1-0 victory at Bay Path University.

Senior Nykki Stritzinger exits Colby-Sawyer as the leader in goals (18) and points (43).

Junior Ashlyn Ramsay (Barkhamsted, Conn.) was selected as the NEAC East Division Women’s Tennis Player of the Year after leading the Chargers at the No. 1 spring 2015

49


First-year student Ashley Woodside (Hampden, Maine) had an impressive first season as a Charger. She was NEAC East Division Rookie of the Year in addition to being

PHOTO: JOHN QUACKENBOS

named All-NEAC Singles First Team and All-NEAC Doubles First Team. Woodside went an impressive 10-2 overall and 4-0 in conference action during her first year of collegiate singles action. She recorded a 1-0 record at No. 1 singles and went 9-2 in the No. 2 position, while also earning a 10-4 overall record in doubles (9-3 at No. 1, 1-1 at No. 2). When paired with the 2014 Player of the Year, Ramsay, the duo went 8-3 (4-0 NEAC East) at No. 1 doubles. Woodside was selected NEAC East Rookie of the Week twice during the season.

Junior Ashlyn Ramsay was named NEAC East Division Women’s Tennis Player of the Year.

Senior Oxana Tkachenko (Lviv, Ukraine) was named to the All-NEAC Singles First Team and All-NEAC Doubles Second Team. Tkachenko went 8-2 this season, seeing action at the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 singles spots. She was a perfect 4-0 in conference play and also went 6-0 in NEAC doubles matches at No. 2.

First-year student Sam White (Stockbridge, Mass.) earned All-NEAC Singles Second Team and Doubles Second Team accolades. White went 8-4 in singles play, splitting time at No. 2 and No. 3. She was 4-0 in conference singles matches and went 5-0 at doubles. White was named Rookie of the Week once during the season.

PHOTO: COLBY-SAWYER ATHLETICS

sports

position for both singles and doubles. She also garnered All-NEAC Singles First Team and All-NEAC Doubles First Team accolades. Ramsay finished the fall portion of the schedule with an 11-4 overall record from the first singles position in the team’s lineup, which included a 5-0 record in conference action. She also went 10-5 overall and 5-0 in conference play at the No. 1 doubles position. She was tabbed NEAC East Player of the Week four times and was named NEAC East Division Tournament MVP after helping Colby-Sawyer secure its third-straight division crown. Ramsay won all four of her matches during the semifinals and championship at the top flight of singles and doubles.

Colby-Sawyer won its third-straight NEAC East Women’s Tennis Division Championship.

50 colby-sawyer college magazine

CROSS COUNTRY The Colby-Sawyer women’s cross country team won the program’s first NAC title, while the men’s team secured its third-straight runner-up finish and was only 11 points behind the first-place team. The women’s team, which became a varsity program in 2009, earned first place after scoring 38 points with four runners in the top ten. The 5k championship race included 87 runners who

represented 10 schools. Sophomore Emily Lopez (Lincolnville, Maine) finished in 21 minutes flat for fourth place to lead the Chargers, while sophomore Kylee Parker (Winterport, Maine) crossed the line in 21:10 to place sixth. First-year student Lauren Oligny (Plaistow, N.H.) (21:14) and sophomore Erica Pantaleo (Pelham, N.H.) (21:40) placed seventh and ninth, respectively. Lopez, Parker and Oligny earned All-NAC First Team accolades for placing in the top-seven of the NAC Championship. Oligny also earned a pair of NAC Rookie of the Week awards during the season. Colby-Sawyer received strong finishes from the next four runners, helping the team to the victory. Emily Urquhart (White River Junction, Vt.) clocked in at 21:55 for 12th


Pantaleo, Urquhart and Walker were named to the All-NAC Second Team. Parker bested her own school record in the 5k on Oct. 11 at Westfield State. She finished in 42nd place out of 424 competitors in a programbest time of 19:39.90. In a vote by the conference coaches, Head Coach Lyndsay Bisaccio was honored as conference Coach of the Year after leading the Chargers to the crown. The 2014 NAC Champions were also awarded the Team Sportsmanship Award. The men’s team continued to show progress in 2014 and closed the gap between the reigning three-time NAC Champion Hornets of Lyndon State College. The Chargers placed three in the top-5 to finish the race with 49 points, the team’s best total in three years.

Sophomore Brandon Legendre (Waterford, Vt.) led the Chargers with a secondplace finish in a time of 26:04. Charger teammate senior Hayden Bunnell (Barnet, Vt.) finished third with a time of 26:17. Junior Ben Bunnell (Barnet, Vt.) finished with a time of 26:44 for fifth place. Legendre and both Bunnells earned All-NAC First Team accolades for placing in the top-seven. DJ Ayotte (East Kingston, N.H.) and Travis Yandow (Denver, Colo.) rounded out the top-five for the Chargers at the NAC Championship. Ayotte finished in 19th at 28:14, while Yandow crossed the line right behind Ayotte in 20th at 28:17. Legendre came away with three top-four finishes during the season. At the ECAC Championships, Legendre placed 14th in the 8k race that featured 303 runners. He was named All-ECAC for his efforts. The ECAC honors the top-15 individual finishers.

Hayden Bunnell had another banner year for Colby-Sawyer. He was twice named ECAC Runner of the Week and earned three NAC Runner of the Week awards. Hayden won the first two races of the season and added a third victory in the final regular season race.

Sophomore Emily Lopez placed fourth to help the women’s cross country team win its first NAC Championship.

Ben Bunnell finished the season with five top-five finishes, which included three second-place finishes. WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL (27-9, 6-0 NAC) The Colby-Sawyer women’s volleyball team won its fourthstraight NAC Championship and seventh conference title overall. The Chargers won three CCC Championships (1999, 2003, 2005) before moving to the NAC in 2011. The Chargers finished the season with a 27-9 overall record and did not drop a set en route to a fourth-straight perfect record in NAC play. Colby-Sawyer has won all 26 of its conference matches since joining the NAC and has won 78 out of 80 sets played.

PHOTO: SPARTAN SPORT SHOTS

place, while Caila Walker (Newington, N.H.) placed 15th in 22:10.

PHOTO: SPARTAN SPORT SHOTS

PHOTO: RYAN EMERSON

The womenʼs cross country team won its first NAC Championship, while the men’s team secured its third-straight runner-up finish.

Sophomore Brandon Legendre earned All-NAC First Team and All-ECAC honors.

spring 2015

51


The Chargers drew Babson College in the program’s seventh trip to the NCAA tournament. The 26-8 Beavers came away with a closely contested 3-0 win, ending the season with a 27-9 record.

Senior outside hitter Keating was selected as the 2014 NAC Women’s Volleyball Player of the Year, marking her second Player of the Year honor (2012). She was a three-time NAC Player of the Week, led the Chargers in kills (367) and service aces (55), was second in digs (375) and third in blocks (33.0). Keating became the fifth Charger to record 1,000 career kills as she finished the season with 1,167.

Senior Jackie Keating earned her second NAC Player of the Year award.

First-year student and defensive specialist Lexi Strong (Somersworth, N.H.) was honored as the NAC Defensive Player and Rookie of the Year. She led the Chargers with 534 digs averaging 4.45 per set and was second on the team in service aces with 48. Her 534 digs were 143 more than the closest NAC competitor. Strong was named NAC Rookie of the Week seven times and Defensive Player of the Week five times. Keating and Strong also earned All-NAC First Team accolades along with senior Vecchio and junior Laura Smolinski (Hebron, Conn.). Vecchio ranked in the top-10 in the NAC in kills, kills per set and hitting percentage. She finished second on the

52 colby-sawyer college magazine

PHOTO: COLBY-SAWYER ATHLETICS

Senior Stephanie Vecchio (Shelter Island, N.Y.) was named the NAC Tournament MVP. Senior Jackie Keating (Marshfield, Mass.) and junior Kelsey Sullivan (Laconia, N.H.) earned All-Tournament Team accolades.

PHOTO: JOHN QUACKENBOS

sports

After earning a fourth-consecutive number-one seed in the NAC tournament, the Chargers swept Lyndon State 3-0 in the semifinals. Colby-Sawyer then earned a 3-0 win in the championship match over Maine Maritime Academy for the fourth-straight season.

The women’s volleyball team won their fourth-straight NAC Championship.

team with 364 kills. Vecchio earned three NAC Player of the Week awards throughout the season.

fourth-consecutive season after piloting the Chargers to a perfect 6-0 mark in NAC play.

Smolinski led the conference for the third-straight season with 177 assists and a 9.83 assists-per-set average. She was twice named NAC Player of the Week.

The Chargers have recorded 20 wins in 11 of the last 12 seasons. Colby-Sawyer finished the season ranked 11th in New England.

Smolinski became the first Charger to be named Division III Honorable Mention All-­America by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). She also landed on the AVCA Division III All-Northeast Region First Team. She tallied a careerhigh 1,168 assists, making her the fourth Charger to eclipse 1,000 assists in a season. Smolinski ended the 2014 season ranked third all-time at Colby-Sawyer in career assists with 3,241 and is 879 away from the all-time leader, Genny Moore ’10. Head Coach Brett Sayer was voted Coach of the Year by his peers for the

WOMEN’S SOCCER (13-6-1, 9-0 NAC) After winning the program’s first conference title in 2013, the Colby-Sawyer women’s soccer team won its secondstraight NAC Championship in 2014. The Chargers earned the top seed in the NAC tournament for the third-straight season after posting a perfect 9-0 record in conference play. The Chargers are 33-1-2 in regular season conference matches since joining the NAC in 2011. Colby-Sawyer earned a bye in the first round of the NAC tournament and then hosted fifth-seeded New England College in the semifinals.


PHOTO: RYAN EMERSON

in program history with 25 goals and eighth in points with 54. Upham was named NAC Player of the Week once this season.

The women’s soccer team won its second-straight NAC Championship.

The Chargers hosted Castleton State College in the championship match for the third-consecutive season and came away with a 1-0 for the second-straight time to earn the NAC crown. Sophomore Kelsey Campbell (Upton, Mass.) was named Tournament MVP, while seniors Heather Carroll (Tewksbury, Mass.), Heather Faasse (Jefferson, N.J.), Sarah Little (Scarborough, Maine) and Lindsey McCurry (Vernon, Conn.) earned All-Tournament accolades. The Chargers entered the NCAA tournament on an 11-match win streak and traveled to the 24th ranked team in the country, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Engineers came away with a 3-1 victory to end the Chargers’ season at 13-6-1. First-year student Corrie Hoyt (Lebanon, Conn.) was named the 2014 NAC Rookie of the Year. She became the third Charger to be named conference rookie of the year and the first since 1997. Hoyt

17. Two of her goals were game winners, which included the lone goal in a 1-0 win over New England College in the NAC semifinals.

turned in an impressive first season with the Chargers, starting in all 20 matches as a defender and finishing the season with seven points on two goals and three assists. She was instrumental in the Chargers surrendering only three goals to conference opponents in 11 matches. Hoyt was named NAC Rookie of the Week and ECAC Rookie of the Week for her play in the NAC tournament.

Upham earned her secondstraight nod to the All-NAC Second Team. She ranked fourth in goals with seven and tied for fourth in points with 14 in conference games. Upham finished the season third on the team in points on seven goals and one assist. Two of her goals were game winners.

Hoyt was joined by Campbell and sophomore Rachel Quaye (Westminster, Mass.) on the All-NAC First Team. Senior Michelle Upham (Chelsea, Vt.) was named to the All-NAC Second Team. Campbell led the Chargers with 18 points on six goals and six assists. Three of her goals were game winners, including the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over Castleton State College in the NAC Championship match. She led the conference with six assists in NAC contests and was tied for fourth with 14 points. She also earned an NAC Player of the Week award. Quaye tied for the team lead with seven goals and was second in points with

Upham ends her Colby-­ Sawyer career ranked seventh First-yeat student Corrie Hoyt was named NAC Rookie of the Year.

PHOTO: MICHAEL SEAMANS

The Chargers protected home field with a 1-0 victory over the Pilgrims.

Meghan Medbery, in her third season at the helm of the Chargers, was recognized for the third-consecutive year as NAC Coach of the Year. Offensively, Colby-Sawyer led the conference in goals (28), assists (19), and corner kicks (86). Throughout a three-week period this season, Medbery’s team recorded a seven-game shutout streak as the Chargers outscored opponents 19-0.  ®

spring 2015

53


|hall of fame L–R:

PHOTO: GIL TALBOT

sports

Calen Paquette ’03, Anne Coulter ’06, Kelly “KJ” Krasco ’05, Valerie Turtle ’70, Jessica Wilfert ’03 and Tom White ’09 in front of Victor the Charger outside Hogan Sports Center.

COLBY-SAWYER ATHLETICS CELEBRATES NINTH HALL OF FAME CLASS by Ryan Emerson and Kellie M. Spinney The Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was celebrated on Sunday, Oct. 12, during Alumni Fall Festival and recognized six former student-athletes for their outstanding accomplishments. Since its establishment by the Chargers Club in 2006, the Athletic Hall of Fame has inducted 35 individuals and teams.

54 colby-sawyer college magazine

ANNE COULTER ’06 Coulter was a standout player in Colby-Sawyer volleyball and basketball. She led the volleyball team to a pair of Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) championships and two National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament appearances with two first-round victories and was twice named to the All-CCC Volleyball First Team and All-CCC Honorable Mention. She is the all-time leader in career blocks (389) and block assists (296). On the basketball court, Coulter guided the team to a CCC championship and an NCAA appearance in the 2005–06 season and received All-CCC Second Team and All-CCC Honorable Mention accolades. She also holds the second

highest single-season field goal percentage (.590). A member of two conference championship teams who appeared in two NCAA tournaments as a senior, Coulter earned the Charger Award for Outstanding Female Athlete in 2006. “It’s easy to be successful when you are in a supportive, understanding, accepting environment like Colby-Sawyer,” said Coulter. “That’s why this place became a home to me.” KELLY “KJ” KRASCO ’05 One of the finest players in the history of Colby-Sawyer women’s basketball, Krasco was honored as a Hall of Fame member for her impressive scoring, hard work and dedication. Sinking 1,044


points in three seasons, which ranks her 12th among all-time scorers, Krasco also ranks fifth in career three-pointers with 154. With a CCC championship and an NCAA tournament appearance during the team’s 2004–05 season, Krasco was named All-CCC First Team, New England Women’s Basketball Association All-Star Third Team, and N.H. Division III Women’s Basketball Player of the Year. In her first season as Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Middlebury College, Krasco accepted the honor with thanks to Coach George Martin for helping her achieve professional success. “Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me,” Krasco told him before addressing the crowd. “He’s my number-one reference. I am where I am today because of him.” CALEN PAQUETTE ’03 Paquette was named to the Hall of Fame for exceptional offensive and defensive performances throughout his basketball career. A four-year guard and team captain during his senior year, Paquette had 416 career assists from the shooting guard position, which is fourth all-time, and scored 1,327 career points, which ranks him eighth all-time. Paquette also ranks fourth for career steals (181) and free throws made (355) and sixth in three-pointers made (170). In his first season, Paquette was named CCC Rookie of the Year and N.H. Division III Basketball Coaches Association Rookie of the Year. Later, Paquette was named to the All-CCC First Team, twice to both the All-CCC Second Team and the N.H. Division III Basketball Coaches Association First Team and was an All-CCC Honorable Mention player. Paquette thanked his former teammates for attending and for their friendship. “There’s a family atmosphere in a small school,” said Paquette. “It’s great because we still hang out, and now our kids are best friends.” VALERIE TURTLE ’70 Turtle was selected to the Hall of Fame for her collegiate accomplishments as

well as her lifelong commitment to athletics. An outstanding field hockey, basketball and tennis player at Colby Junior College, she earned the Physical Education Department award as a senior before continuing her education at the University of Vermont. There, Turtle competed in five varsity sports (field hockey, tennis, Nordic, lacrosse and volleyball) and received the UVM Physical Education Department award. Turtle taught and coached at Milton Academy, Mount Holyoke, Springfield College and the University of Massachusetts. An integral part of the New England Women’s Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association (NEWISDA) in the late 1970s, she served as president, ethics and eligibility chair and NEWISDA championship meet director. She was also a National Collegiate Women’s Swimming Coaches Association Board of Directors Division II representative and a member of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women Division II Swimming and Diving Sport Committee. Most recently, Turtle headed a volunteer committee at UVM to recognize and honor pre-Title IX women athletes and to award them their varsity certificates. Turtle reflected on her Colby Junior experience and expressed pride in being part of the college’s athletic evolution. “It is important not to forget the past,” she said. “There needed to be a base on which to build the athletic program opportunities of today, and we early women athletes made lasting contributions. We competed with passion and skill, and we represented the college with excellence.” TOM WHITE ’09 White was a two-sport star who played four years for the baseball and soccer teams. One of the best Colby-Sawyer baseball players ever to take the field, White ranks first in games played (141), at-bats (464) and doubles (39); second in hits (164), on base percentage (.450), runs scored (119), stolen bases (40) and saves (4); he collected 133 RBIs, 270

total bases and hit .353, ranking him third all-time in each category. He also earned several awards, including CCC Rookie of the Year. He was twice named to the All-CCC First Team and once to the All-CCC Second Team and is one of three Chargers named as a New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) All-New England player and NEIBA All-Star player. On the soccer field, White was instrumental in leading the program to its first Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) appearance. In 2009, White earned the Charger Award for Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year. Now head baseball coach at Lyndon State College, White was inducted into the Hall of Fame by his father. “Family has always been the most important thing in my life,” said White. “Colby-­ Sawyer will forever be a special place for me and my family.” JESSICA WILFERT ’03 Wilfert played four years with the women’s soccer and lacrosse teams and served as co-captain of each team as a senior. An all-around offensive force for the soccer program, Wilfert ranks first in career assists (30), second in points (102), fifth in goals (36) and was named twice to the CCC Second Team. In lacrosse, she helped Colby-Sawyer earn its first berth into the ECAC in 2003. Wilfert ranks second in career points (231), second in assists (69), fourth in goals (162) and earned a nod to the All-CCC First Team on two occasions and once to the All-CCC Second Team. In addition to her athletic accomplishments, Wilfert excelled in the classroom and was named to the Verizon District I All-Academic Second Team and earned several CCC All-Academic honors. In 2003, she capped her career by earning both the Charger Award for Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year and the Wynne Jesser McGrew Scholar-Athlete Award. Wilfert advised the student-athletes in the audience to “just soak it up” and “enjoy every moment.”  ® spring 2015

55


connections

News from Alumni Relations and Annual Giving

PHOTOS: GIL TALBOT

ANNUAL ALUMNI AWARDS PRESENTED DURING ALUMNI FALL FESTIVAL

COME BACK FOR ALUMNI FALL FESTIVAL Colby-Sawyer’s annual Alumni Fall Festival will take place Friday, Oct. 16, through Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015. Return to Colby-Sawyer for a weekend of fun and camaraderie. Renew ties with old friends and explore the Colby-Sawyer of today!

The Alumni Service Award went to Nancy Woodring Hansen ’64 (above). Nancy has served as a class agent and correspondent, and on reunion committees. She’s hosted events for her college and represented Colby-Sawyer at presidential inaugurations. Nancy was a member of the Board of Trustees and is a member of the Colby-Sawyer President’s Alumni Advisory Council. Nancy and her husband, Roger, are loyal donors to the Colby-Sawyer Fund and have supported capital projects. She has also supported organizations in her home communities of Keene, N.H., and Centerville, Mass. Nancy worked with the Monadnock United Way as a representative for St. Joseph School while teaching there. She was a board member and president for the Monadnock Area Pastoral Counseling Service, and she was involved in fundraising and advising capacities with the Cedarcrest Center for Disabled Children and with Monadnock Family Services.

Megan Thayer ’04 (above) received the Young Alumni Achievement Award. After earning her business administration degree, Megan quickly advanced in the banking industry. She lives in Dover, N.H., and is a mortgage loan officer at Berkshire Bank. She is involved with Catapult, the Seacoast’s Young Professional Group and chairs the Catapult Lunch Connects program. Megan is engaged in alumni events in her area and has assisted Colby-Sawyer’s Office of Admissions in its efforts to recruit students. She volunteers with the Business Administration Department’s mock interview program and has served on alumni panel discussions for the student body.

Reunion celebrations will take place for these classes: 1935 · 1940 · 1945 · 1950 1955 · 1960 · 1965 · 1970 1975 · 1980 · 1985 · 1990 1995 · 2000 · 2005 · 2010

Megan has been a member of the President’s Alumni Advisory Council since 2010. She is also a loyal donor to the Colby-Sawyer Fund and contributed to a scholarship fund in honor of retired Professor Tony Quinn.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT Last year, thanks to the generosity of alumni, parents and friends, the Colby-Sawyer Fund broke a record and raised more than $2 million! Thank you for your investment in Colby-Sawyer and your decision to support current and future Chargers. Every

56 colby-sawyer college magazine

ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME COMMITTEE SEEKS NOMINATIONS Each fall, Colby-Sawyer honors the achievements of the college’s outstanding student-athletes, teams, coaches and supporters who have reinforced the college’s commitment to athletic excellence. Nominations for the 2015 Athletic Hall of Fame Class will be accepted until May 1. Nominate classmates and friends at cscm.ag/nominateathletes.

gift—no matter the size— makes an immediate impact on the college. To make a gift, visit colby-sawyer.edu/giving. INAUGURATIONS Colby-Sawyer alumni often represent President Galligan and Colby-Sawyer as official delegates to inaugural ceremonies at other colleges and universities. We are grateful to Anne Winton Black ’73, ’75 for representing her alma mater at Trinity College on Oct. 26, 2014. JOIN US FOR A COLBY-SAWYER EVENT NEAR YOU Alumni events are a great way to stay connected to Colby-Sawyer and to network with alumni and friends who live in your area. Visit colby-sawyer.edu/alumni/ events for details. Connect with the Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving: 800.266.8253 or alumni@colby-sawyer.edu facebook.com/ colbysawyeralumni twitter.com/ colbysawyer linkedin.com/ groups?gid=143715


Donor Profile jason h. feitelberg ’04 by Elizabeth Cahill

For Jason Feitelberg, one phone call made all the difference. He had already received an acceptance letter from the University of Vermont when then-admissions counselor Nate Camp ’98 called to tell him he had been accepted to Colby-Sawyer College. That personal outreach mattered, and Jason chose Colby-­ Sawyer. Now, more than a decade after graduating, Jason says it was the caring professors who defined his Colby-Sawyer experience. Professor Beth Crockford and Professor Emeritus Tony Quinn, both in the Business Administration Department at the time, made sure Jason was in class and on schedule, and they didn’t suffer excuses. He appreciated that. He also appreciated the real-world-based teaching these professors, and others, gave him. Staff members were there for Jason, too. He recalled working with his adviser, Nancy Teach ’70, to figure out a study abroad experience. He told Nancy about a powerful meeting he had with Mother Teresa when he was a middle-school student in the Boston Public Schools, and about his experience volunteering in a soup kitchen as a high-school student at Kimball Union Academy. He wanted a service-based semester in India or Africa, and Nancy directed him to the Semester at Sea program. It was a perfect match. Other Colby-Sawyer community members guided him as well. “I’ll never forget how they were there for me, and for everyone else,” Jason said of Director of Annual Giving and Advancement Services Chris Reed and his wife, Keelin. Chris was Jason’s rugby coach for four years and became something of a father figure. When health issues arose during Jason’s sophomore year, it was Chris who made sure he was taking care of himself. The family feeling Jason enjoyed at Colby-Sawyer was complemented by the friendships he developed with his fellow students and athletes. “The student body was really close. It didn’t matter what year you were; we were all friends. I want the college to be like that always.” Jason acknowledged that, growing up, he didn’t take school seriously at first. His family gave him the opportunity to attend private schools that could provide the structure he needed, and that made all the difference. Now Jason is committed to helping other students in turn. He volunteers as a board member with Crossroads for Kids, which provides

JASON and JENNA FEITELBERG

programming and resources for underprivileged Boston-area students with the goal of helping them achieve their potential. He also supports Colby-Sawyer. “I want to give kids opportunities to be in a small learning environment. If I hadn’t chosen Colby-Sawyer, I would never have finished college,” he said. “I want to share that, and I am also interested in helping the college be as diverse as possible.” Since graduating, Jason has worked as a high yield analyst for Babson Capital Management and is now a financial adviser with Sterling Resources Ltd. in Massachusetts. He and his wife, Jenna, live in Weymouth, Mass.  ® Elizabeth Cahill is vice president for Advancement and came to Colby-Sawyer in 2002. She holds a B.A. from Fairfield University and an M.B.A. from New Hampshire College.

spring 2015

57


connections

class n ot es If your class does not have a correspondent, please submit your news directly to the Alumni Office. EMAIL: alumni@colby-sawyer.edu ONLINE: colby-sawyer.edu/alumni/ classnotes.html MAIL: 541 Main Street New London, NH 03257

1937

CORRESPONDENT NEEDED

Jeane Morrison Bennett is doing well at Our Lady of Peace in Charlottesville, VA. Though almost completely blind, she is mentally sharp and listens to many recorded books from the Library of Congress. She also walks and exercises. She’s very involved with helping other people at the facility, encouraging them to exercise and go to talks and musical presentations. Her widely scattered family keeps in touch, though she does have one daughter, Meredith Bennett ’69

Jeane Morrison Bennett ’37 and her beloved poodle, Tallulah.

MT, who lives in the area and helps out. In Sept. she celebrated her 97th birthday with friends and her beloved poodle, Tallulah.

1938–1941

CORRESPONDENTS NEEDED

1942

BARBARA BOYD BRADLEY 865 Central Avenue, Apt. I-203 Needham, MA 02492-1380 781.400.5249 bobbiebradley22@gmail.com

Sarah Carpenter ’14, graduated from Colby-Sawyer in May. Ann attended Commencement and loved being back and seeing the many changes at the college. On the spur of the moment, I picked up the phone and called Gertrude Woods Boyd, known as “Sis” when we were in college. She was thrilled to chat. Her three daughters are in the eastern part of the U.S.; her son is in Holland and works for a large container shipping company. We shared our experiences of having children and now grandchildren. A widow of 2 years, she is still is in her large, 100-year-old home at Mountain Lake, NJ, and active with her gardening. She spends her winters with a daughter who lives in Belleair, FL, and we were hoping to meet there. Joan Sandler Musen sent greetings to all her classmates and hoped that some of us showed up for Reunion. She is still active socially and is enjoying all the “good things of life” at home in Boynton Beach, FL.

1943

MARGARET MORSE TIRRELL PO Box 18 Lower Waterford, VT 05848 802.748.8538 dptirrell@juno.com

1944

JEANNE LOSEY BOLE 1500 County Road 1, Lot 83 Dunedin, FL 34698 413.625.9730 djbole2012@gmail.com Jane MacCabe Kelly says a new friend, whom she has known for some 60 years, is filling her life and his with trips to wonderful parts of our country, like retracing the Lewis and Clark expedition along the Snake River. Jane has just become a great-grandmother, and Jane’s daughter, Linda Kelly Graves ’72, is a 1st time grandmother. Ann Tilton Carpenter shared a summer luncheon in Concord, NH, with Jane. Ann is busy playing bridge and bowling, and also has the thrill of being a great-grandmother for the 1st time. Ann’s granddaughter,

58 colby-sawyer college magazine

Penny Losey Bole ’44 enjoyed a visit to campus with her daughter, Gretchen, on a beautiful day in September.

1945

RUTH ANDERSON PADGETT 2535 Ardath Road La Jolla, CA 92037 858.454.4623 ruthlajolla@aol.com Great to hear from you, survivors! I am so excited that I received at least 3 emails with news. This goes

to show you that we are now entering the 21st century! Nancy “Shenny” Teachout Gardner is pretty much staying at home in FL and not travelling much anymore (join the club!), although she does like her trips to New England to see family and enjoys being The Matriarch. (I am the dowager Countess of the Padgett clan.) Ruth Wilgud Rockwell is in pretty good health in Atlanta and happy in her large apartment at a retirement facility. She has heard from Susan Roberts Bean, who is well. Ruth’s daughter is in IN and her son is in Nova Scotia. Shirley Glidden Splaine says she has finally learned the word “no” and is looking forward to a not-so-busy summer next year. She decided to spend the winter in FL. No more cold and snow for her. Joy Waldau Hostage and her hubby, Arthur, have been married 64 years, and she says she’s proud of it. She’s very busy but slower (hello!), and lists all the activities she’s engaged in. They are in Cheshire, CT, and she notes that bridge games and doctor appointments take up a lot of her time. You, too? Emily Morgan Clemmer loves living in Sarasota, FL, where she volunteers at the Women’s Exchange, goes to lots of jazz gigs and has 3 great-granddaughters. Elizabeth “Libby” Bryant Parker has her 3rd pacemaker, just like me (aren’t we lucky that we’ve lived long enough to have all these technical inventions?). She has 5 great-grandchildren: 3 girls in CA and two boys in Keene, NH. She has turned 89! So have all your classmates, Libby! Suzanne “Suzi” Curtis Smythe has moved into a senior facility in Prince Frederick, MD, closer to her family, which she enjoys. She’s well and healthy but slower, as we all are! Gloria Wells McCreery has been living at North Hill Independent Living in Needham, MA, for the last 16 years. She has 4 beautiful daughters, all of whom attended Colby-Sawyer. She also has 9 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. She may win the prize for the most grands in our class. I’m still waiting for my 1st. Martha Whitney Steers has moved into an apartment at an assisted


living facility at the Landings, where she’s been for 16 years. She had hoped to stay in her home but had some falls and hospital time. Suzanne Needham Houston is very much alive in Shelburne, VT, and enjoys painting. She had a show last spring and is preparing for another in April. Would love to see your art! June Mitchell Douglas-White is still doing what she loves and appearing in live theater productions on Cape Cod. She also belongs to a writing group, plays bridge and, for 23 years, has been delivering Meals on Wheels. You go, girl! I was excited to receive an email from Kelly Sullivan Hester ’13. She’s a long way from home and was happy to see another Colby graduate in the area. Hope to meet her sometime soon. I got a last-minute email from Shal Glidden Splaine announcing her first grandbaby. Nancy Dean Maynard is fortunate to have a lot of family nearby, including a new grandchild. Lucky gal! I was sorry to learn of the passing of Lillian Quimby Easton. I can remember her from 5th grade when she was always “the new girl.” We all send our condolences to her family. Joan Smith McIver and her husband have moved from CT to Rochester, NY, at the urging of their 2 daughters who live there. They are in an “independent cottage,” which is a good situation for her 93-year-old hubby with Parkinson’s.

1946

RAMONA HOPKINS O’BRIEN 54 Texel Drive Springfield, MA 01108-2638 413.739.2071

1947

CORRESPONDENT NEEDED

Anne Elliott Chaffin has a new great-granddaughter named Jayden Anne—the Anne after her. This is her 5th greatgranddaughter! She is teaching ESL at NM Junior College in Hobbs, NM., and she has the biggest class ever. She spent a week at Lake Winnipesaukee this

summer for a family reunion and said it was so good to be back in NH with its mountains, trees and lakes.

1948

PHYLLIS HARTY WELLS 5122 SW 27th Drive Gainesville, FL 32608-3979 352.376.8475 lesmase@gator.net I heard from our former class president, Barbara “Bobbie” Hamilton Hopkins, in Nov. She was in New London in Oct., and attended a luncheon and the President’s Alumni Advisory Council for an all-day update on the state of the college. It was an exhilarating time and having students on campus was a bonus. Bobbie was to spend Thanksgiving in her New London, NH, home. Bobbie says the welcome mat is always out when she’s in residence! Her 3 kids, their spouses, 7 of her 8 grandchildren and 4 grand-dogs were to gather there for the holiday. Having her second home, “Windy Top,” in New London is the frosting on the cake. Bobbie has been carrying on, like so many of you, without her husband. It’s been a year and a half since she lost her beloved Rich. The Hopkins had moved to a continuing care retirement community, Edgehill, which was less than 10 minutes from their former home in Riverside. She sent her best to all her ’48 classmates! Frances “Fran” Wannerstrom Clark sends me tidbits all year long. She toured UCONN’s puppet museum. On Mother’s Day, she received a package from the UCONN athletic store, a Championship Husky t-shirt to wear to this fall and winter’s Lady Husky basketball games, a gift from her daughter, Cathy, and her spouse, Budd. June was Fran’s “on the road” month with a trip to FL to visit her daughter. They explored the Gulf Coast and spent several nights at Loews Don CeSar Hotel on St. Pete’s beach. She enjoyed several day trips to VT, NH and Newport, RI, where she visited Doris Duke’s charming Rough Point Cottage. She toured Rosecliff,

where the original “Great Gatsby” was filmed. Fran celebrated her grandson’s return from a 2.5month European student cruisewith dinner at a fun Soho restaurant. She saw a production of “Fiddler on the Roof” in a restored opera house on the Connecticut River and over Labor Day weekend, had a bus tour of Boston. Fran and a good friend explored the North End where St. Anthony’s Festival was being celebrated. Later in the month, she was diagnosed with shingles even though she had her shingles shot last year. She lucked out with a mild case. On Oct. 1, Fran flew to Orlando and met her girls to see her grandson, Joseph, and have a little family vacation in Miami and Fort Myers. Nancy “Hobby” Hobkirk Pierson and Jim celebrated their anniversary, Father’s Day and Jim’s birthday all on the same weekend in June. Hob asked if I still played golf, which I don’t due to arthritis in my feet and knees. Hob’s Jim is considering giving it up as his game’s “gone to pot!” The Piersons were doing their usual “summer dance,” with Hob in VT and Jim commuting weekends from NJ. They have an historic golf course close to their gentleman’s farm in Pawlet, VT. Hob says Jim’s real love is their Nantucket house. Having 3 houses sounds like too much work to me! Janet “Jan” “Westie” West Williams and Harry are doing the same old things and are getting old, as well, they say. Because they work, they’re always busy with community activities. They have 7 grandchildren between the ages of 15 and 25. One works at a private school while another is a physical therapist/ sports physician who spends a lot of time with injured athletes. Yet another works for the National Forest Service in CO. Three are in college and the youngest is still at home. The Williams spend some of their non-working hours at their camp on Blue Mt. in the Adirondacks. Jan’s finding that getting into her beloved canoe gets harder each time but plans to keep on doing it as long as she can! Carol “Weis” Weissenborn Smith still plays golf and lots of duplicate

bridge. She was contemplating spending the winter in FL. Carol “Shoe” Shoemaker Marck and Chuck had a great Western trip and a wonderful reunion with Cornelia “Nini” Hawthorne Maytag and her family. Jane Maynard Gibson lives in Jacksonville and we live in Gainesville, about a 1.5-hour drive for both of us. Jane’s been a “mother hen” to a Navy widow friend of mine who recently moved from Pinehurst, NC, to Vicar’s Landing in Ponte Vedra, the same CCRC where Jane and Jack reside. Jane has 9 grandkids, ages 13 to 26. The 7 oldest are all working. The 2 youngest attended the same summer camp that Jane’s father went to in 1909. It’s become a family tradition for all the Maynard boys. Mase and I, Phyllis “Les” Harty Wells, have lived in Oak Hammock at the U of FL CCRC for almost a year. We’re still thrilled with our accommodations, a 2-BR villa with a 2-car garage. We have 12 immediate homes in our part of the “campus” so our area looks just like a suburban neighborhood. We have a nice park right in the middle that is convenient to all of us. We usually get together once a month on Sunday. Everyone brings an hors d’oeuvre to share and their own beverages. This makes for more camaraderie. If you are considering moving to a CCRC, do it—you’ll love it.

1949

ELIZABETH REYNOLDS MATTHEWS 5 Wildflower Lane Bedminster, NJ 07921-1729 908.234.9033 elimtth@aol.com

1950

KATHLEEN VALLIERE-DENIS OUILETTE PO Box 841 Skowhegan, ME 04976-0841 207.474.5061 nanapa@beeline-online.net Barbara “Bobbie” Bishop MacLean has moved from Bridgeton, ME, to Portland, so she is busy weeding out what she has no room for,

spring 2015

59


connections

rearranging furniture and settling into her city life. Luckily, she is able to attend the Portland Museum of Art and performances by the Portland Symphony Orchestra. I can assure you all that East Madison, ME, with 400 people, doesn’t provide such experiences. Bobbie says she’d like to hear from you. Her email address is barn30@maine. rr.com and her welcome mat is out for classmates. Nancy “Nan” Frost Smith and Mort enjoy living in a retirement home in Wolfeboro, NH, not far from Colby-Sawyer, so they get to visit often. They celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary in Jamaica. Nan and Mort have 7 grandchildren, 3 of whom are married. They also enjoy their 2 great-grandchildren, Evan and Amelia. A bit ago, Jean Finley Doughty and I, Kathleen Valliere-Denis Ouilette, met with Skowhegan High School classmates and made plans to visit in South Burlington, VT, with Marilyn “Coby” Cockburn Leggett. Coby has had a couple minor strokes, so she can’t drive to Skowhegan … so, as the saying goes, “the mountain has to come to Mohammed.” Coby stays active in VT, while Jean does likewise in Wilton, ME. Jean’s daughter and husband have a blueberry farm in Wilton. Thoughts of Jean bring thoughts of my wonderful Activity Calendar that Ann Bemis Day, Jean’s CJC roommate, sent to me. You are reading the Spring Class Notes, and I’d like to share Ann’s poem “Spring” with you: The beech leaves, parchment crisp in the cold of yesterday, now hang limp and transparent against the dark wet bark of a late winter rain. Then, a lonely crow lifts off a leafless perch and slides into the fog. His rasping call heralds a questionable spring. Ann has chosen to call this “An Engagement Calendar,” but I’m too old for engagements and super busy with activities. Sorry to take the liberty of changing the name, Ann. Now, I suppose everyone who knew and was influenced by Dr. H. Leslie Sawyer, president of our college, just might be interested to

know that he was born, brought up and educated in Madison, ME. I call East Madison, ME, home. I am urging Madison to celebrate a Dr. H. Leslie Sawyer Day. After all, how many small towns, especially in ME, have bragging rights that one of our Madison boys made it all happen? Happy spring, classmates! Please send news!

1951

ROBERTA GREEN DAVIS 107 Columbia Avenue Swarthmore, PA 19081 610.543.6688 Ruth Gray Pratt and Mary Loudon Eckert traveled from New London to Scarborough, ME to visit Joan White Snively. At the end of Aug., Barbara Easterbrooks Mailey was invited by Barbara Nute Orr’s husband, Philip, to spend a weekend with family in Littleton, NH. Barbara Nute Orr’s ashes were interred at a lovely cemetery there on Aug. 23. Barbara Easterbrooks Mailey was thrilled to meet Barbara Orr’s daughter, Jenny, and her son, Brigham, for the 1st time. They were all interested in hearing some of the stories about their days at CJC. Barbara and Susan “Suzie” St. Clair Moore walked their dogs 2 or 3 times a week at a local area called Appleton Farm that is owned by the Trustees of Reservations in MA. Suzie and Barbara visited Sally Conner Parry in Beverly, where she lives in a home for retired women. Sally was overjoyed to see them with gifts for her 83rd birthday.

1952

MARILYN WOODS ENTWISTLE 16 Cooks Mill Road Naples, ME 04055 207.693.3503 mainewoodsie1@roadrunner.com Sylvia “Dickie” Cookman Hnat went to Princeton in May to spend 3 days with old friends and to attend her late husband’s 60th reunion. Her children and families from NJ and MA joined her for the traditional reunion grand finale P-Rade, when each class, led by the

60 colby-sawyer college magazine

oldest, marches across campus. There were 2 graduations in June, one for granddaughter Alex from Choate, now attending Trinity College in Hartford, and another for grandson Dan from St. Raphael’s Academy in Providence, now at CCM College in Morristown, NJ. Ingrid Mellgren Davidge writes that Noel Henriques Brakenhoff and Nancy “Shum” Shumway Adams joined her in June for a wonderful day at the Newport Flower Show held in one of the beautiful seaside mansions. Ingrid and Elizabeth “Betty” Carlson Salomon met at Shum’s house again for a fun weekend that included bridge, reminding them of CJC butt room games. In Oct., Shum and Sarah “Sae” Bond Gilson ’53 attended the PAAC meeting at CSC, then the 2 of them spent Halloween weekend in Newport with Noel Henriques Brakenhoff where, because of wild weather, they were shut-ins carrying on with much laughter, reminiscing and a few glasses of wine. They did get out for dinner at Fish, where Noel’s granddaughter works. Mary Jane Fritzinger Moeller sent me an email after the last issue to say she doesn’t have a dog named Kelbee. My mistake! After writing her news, I began the next sentence with “And,” without identifying Bob and me as the new owners of a 4-yearold Lab named by our granddaughter Laura, who was in Oman studying Arabic at the time. Kelbee is the Arabic word for “my dog.” A surprise phone call from Joan “Joanie” Rablin Keppler: She replied to my “Hi, how are you?” with “I’m old and so are you!” We both laughed. Joanie’s major activity is maintaining 3 Sheltie dogs she takes to hospice every Wed., which is the highlight of her week. Nancy Angell Turnage and husband Bob had a delightful cruise from Paris to Normandy on the Seine. Their favorite of many grand stops was Monet’s amazing garden. Natalie “Nat” Clarke Jones is being coached by her children and grandchildren on how to use her new iMac. Mary C. Lanius is on the mend after a full hip replacement in Sept. and says she is becoming a

bionic woman. Margaret “Marny” Scruton Green always plays a bit of golf on Tues. and Thurs., then usually adds another day or 2. From Guatemala, Beverly “Bev” E. Bump writes that her family is spreading out. She has grandchildren in Miami Beach, Washington, DC, NC and Sweden, while her children Alan, Heather Kuhn Frank ’80 and Luisa, and 3 grandchildren, are still in Guatemala. She says she feels ancient now that she also has 2 great-grandchildren. Ann Doyle Gramstorff is enjoying her new life near family on Long Island and is going with new friends to Met Opera simulcasts in a theater nearby. I am writing this column on Veterans Day so I must tell you a small part of the story about Carol Moffitt Kline’s remarkable father, Jesse Laurence Moffitt, featured in Robert Rubin’s The Last of the Doughboys. He trained with the CT National Guard by living in pup tents in the Yale Bowl. They found no tents in France so bunked in barns while fighting the Germans. Although he and everyone knew the war would end on the 11th day of the 11th month, at the 11th hour, he had to send out a patrol at 5:30 that morning that lost 2 men, a regret he carried with him until he died in 2003 at age 107. As requested by Harvard, his brain was donated for research.

1953

NANCY OBER BATCHELDER 7 Jilma Drive South Dennis, MA 02660 508.385.5100 earlebatchelder@comcast.net

1954

JO-ANNE GREENE COBBAN 9 Mayflower Drive Keene, NH 03431 603.352.5064 jjcobban@ne.rr.com Welcome to those who turn to this column for news of far-off friends, and thank you to those who have contributed. For various reasons many of us could not attend our 60th Reunion held in the fall, so I


1955

GRETCHEN DAVIS HAMMER 210 Winter Street St. Johnsbury, VT 05819 802.424.1221 gdh777@earthlink.net

l–r: Janet Rich Nixon ’54, Anne Dwyer Milne ’54, Jean Cragin Ingwersen ’54 and Sandra Davis Carpenter ’55 MT at their 60th Reunion in October.

requested feedback from anyone who did. Anne Dwyer Milne reported that there were only 7 classmates, but they had a good time together renewing friendships and catching up while learning more about the plans for the college. Janet Rich Nixon reports, “It was a beautiful weekend to be back on campus for the Fall Festival. I always enjoy a return trip when the students are there. Anne Dwyer Milne, Jean Cragin Ingwersen, Sandra Davis Carpenter ’55 MT and I enjoy being members of the President’s Alumni Advisory Council and had the opportunity to preview its presentation of the ways our wonderful campus is becoming an even more exciting place of learning both in and out of the classroom. Later, Nancy Sellers Mion ’55 MT, Sara Hay Nichols, Elizabeth “Libby” Moss Phillips and Myrtle Westhaver Flight joined us for a delightful display gallery talk and reception at Sawyer Center, where many of Tomie dePaola’s paintings were on display and his children’s books were for sale. On Sat., we met for lunch and President Galligan’s State of the College address, and later for class photos, before experiencing some memory time as we were treated to a cocktail reception at the President’s house. Upon leaving we were met by students driving golf carts to transport us to the new Windy Hill School for a truly sumptuous multi-course dinner paired with selected wines and a brief

description preceding each. This event proved to be extra special for me since my oldest granddaughter, Cecily, was there with her 3 special friends and classmates for their 10th Reunion.” It was thoughtful of Janet to send such a good report after the death of her former husband of 38 years, Dave Nixon [see memoriam on p. 84 ]. The father of their dear 7 children struggled with cancer treatment, then hospitalization and rehab after an unfortunate fall that left him with a broken hip and fractured back. Janet says, “He passed on to the place where Oscar Wilde writes that we go “to forget time, to forgive life, and to be at peace” on Sat., Nov. 1.” Our sympathies to the Nixon family. Anne Batchelor De Grazia, in Augusta, GA, and Joe are looking forward to moving to an apartment complex where they will be assisted in multiple ways. Shirley Wright Cantara and Bill attended an 80th birthday bash in NJ for Percilla Horridge Savacool and her husband, Ron, given by their 3 daughters. Shirley was included as she was celebrating her birthday on that day as well. As for me, Jo-Anne Greene Cobban, we continue to repair or replace items on the house and grounds, are active in many organizations, and are keeping up with the younger folks as best we can.

As I write, the leaves are pretty much gone after an incredibly beautiful foliage season and winter is fast approaching. By the time you read this, spring will be right around the corner. Carol Myers Ditmore and her CJC roommate, Irmeli “Imie” Ahomaki Kilburn, plan to be at our Reunion in Oct. and look forward to seeing classmates for a great weekend of reminiscing and visiting old haunts, while being introduced to all the new ones. I hope that Carol’s broken ankle is healed enough so that she will enjoy it! She told about a great summer in Plymouth and a visit to PA with family there. She also finds time to volunteer on the Friends of the Council on Aging as its co-chair, as well as pack meals for Traveling Meals (like Meals on Wheels but not federally subsidized). She also enjoys playing bridge and square dancing. Rosemary “Rosie” Carhart Keenan had a busy summer with trips to the Adirondacks to be with family and a trip with her cousin to northern ME. While there they went into Canada and to Campobello Island, where they enjoyed their tour of FDR’s 34-room home. In Oct., 4 Colby-Sawyer leaders visited Beverly “Bev” Stearns Bernson’s home to discuss the plans for Colby-Sawyer’s new Art Center. Professors Jon Keenan and Bert Yarborough, plus staff members

Glen Kerkian and Allison Faccone, joined Bev for lunch and an exciting discussion. Bev sounds very excited about this, and I am sure we’ll be hearing more about this in the near future. My husband is delighted that I finally closed my office for good at the end of Aug. Since I am still in the throes of closing the books, copying records and doing filing, I am not ready to say that I have really retired yet. It certainly seems strange to be able to sleep beyond 5 a.m. most mornings, though! With our upcoming 60th Reunion in the fall, I hope that I will gather much more information to share with everyone. Look forward to seeing you all there!

1956

NANCY HOYT LANGBEIN 25 Thornton Way, 233 Brunswick, ME 04011-3267 207.729.3879 elangbein@alumni.bowdoin.edu Karen Fowle Johnson finds it hard to believe that no one sent news for my column last time. That was the first time ever. The class news is always the first read when the magazine appears at your door, so please help fill the column—many thanks! Last fall, Nancy Morris Adams was at Boston’s Logan Airport waiting for a bus and met Charlotte Flink Faulkner, whom Nancy had not seen for many years. Lots of catching up in a short time! Sally Maras Culbertson is glad to be back in the Cleveland area where she has family and many friends. She stays busy with a book club, exercising at the gym and volunteer

CONNECT to Colby-Sawyer GET THE LATEST ALUMNI NEWS facebook.com/colbysawyeralumni FOLLOW US twitter.com/CSC_alumni JOIN THE COLBY-SAWYER ALUMNI GROUP linkedin.com

spring 2015

61


connections

work at the library. Arlene Annan DeMoss still enjoys their RV travel; they’ve visited every U.S. state and every Canadian province, plus Mexico. Both children have successful businesses. Arlene’s daughter-inlaw, Amy Sherman, wrote New Flavors for Appetizers: Classic Recipes Redefined for William-Sonoma’s new series so look for it in a store near you. Rich and Arlene have 11 grandchildren, ages 5 to 24. Sally Marker Hayward has a family on the move: Dave in TX, Susan in Minneapolis and Sarah in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Good excuse for you and Don to travel, Sal! It’s a good life, says Sally. Always good to hear from Betty Coleman Lincoln, who has lived in Hingham, MA, for many years. 2013 was a good year for Gloria Wiley Hughart and family, filled with great travel to Patagonia, from Santiago to Buenos Aires. The trip included a cruise through the Chilean Fjords, where they saw penguins, icebergs and dolphins. The scenery was awesome! She enjoyed a trip to London to see a friend perform at the Royal Opera House, then visited the homes of William Wordsworth, John Ruskin and Beatrix Potter. The Hugharts now have a new garage thanks to Hurricane Sandy, which destroyed several trees and their barn. Marsha Smoller Winer and Nate took a wonderful Vantage Tour trip in June that went from Bucharest to Budapest with 5 countries in between. In late Oct. they took a culinary and wine river boat cruise from Marseilles to Paris, and they were hoping to have dinner with Phyllis Leader Paladino, who flies for United. What could be more romantic than a dinner in Paris? The holidays were full of family fun for Cynthia Oswald Sipos. She is so proud of her grandson who is off to med school. Cynthia misses the frequent phone conversations with her dear friend Louise Zeller Curley, who passed away several years ago. I got a nice newsy letter from Marilyn Stott Smith, who had returned from 4 months at their summer home on Long Island. Great weather and visits from family and friends … what could be better! Marilyn attended

her 60th high school reunion in CT, which she said was fabulous. She also saw her roommate Jane Keese Darling and Herb (Larry’s Dartmouth roommate), who were in Annapolis for their granddaughter’s graduation. Marilyn said they had a wonderful reunion after many years. Sibyl Sutton Strickland ’56 MT and John recently took a trip to Washington, DC, to visit one son, then to GA for a visit with James and his family. Such fun, says Sibyl. Ed and I, Nancy Hoyt Langbein, took a delightful American Cruise Line tour on a paddle boat on the Mississippi from New Orleans to Memphis. Upon returning to ME, we moved to a wonderful senior community called Thornton Oaks.

1957

JILL BOOTH MACDONELL 1303 8th Avenue Sacramento, CA 95818 916.446.3927 jillphotoart@yahoo.com Anne Gingras Hobbs writes, “Colby gave me an education and a lifetime of resources. It helped to create the life I have today. The memories from so long ago are greatly cherished. For anyone traveling to the Southwest, contact me and I will share the excitement of this part of the world.” Mary Dawson Dunbar went to Heaven in Mar. 2013. I remember her well, such a wonderful girl. Sympathies to her family and friends. Jane Baxter Richardson is the great­­ grandmom of 3. She quilts, sings at the church and in a big local chorus, and volunteers at the food pantry. She enjoys living in Wooster, OH, rather than CA. Judy Abbe Longo lives in Westminster, CO. She writes, “Me and my 2 old dogs … all 3 of us are lazy and content. Of course, I have visitors when I feel like it, and steady female friends who I share quality time with … hiking, shopping, drives through the mountains. Never twinges of ’what if’ or ’why did I do that?’” As for me, Jill Booth Macdonell, I continue to photograph the homeless and find that I enjoy

62 colby-sawyer college magazine

Nancy Wiesner Conkling ’58 (l) and Margaretta “Mitzi” Graves Marsh ’58 (r) on Squam Lake in N.H., where they are trustees of the Chocorua Chapel Association.

writing about one of my favorite observation spots, the Golden Arches, where all of humanity is represented.

she was one of the top producers in the office. In 2014, she has continued to expand her practice, becoming known as the Lady in the Red Sports Car. She doesn’t accept the notion that those of us who have successfully reached 75 have a short runway because we don’t need a long runway … we are already high in the air and enjoying the view. Meredith Chase Boren is fully retired from St. Tim’s. She serves as chair of the MD House and Garden Pilgrimage, the oldest house and garden tour in the state, now in its 78th year. The proceeds from the 5 different day-long tours support the restoration and preservation of significant historic sites in the state of MD. Her husband of 55 years is mostly at home these days reading and watching sports on TV. Their son and his family live nearby. One granddaughter is a college sophomore and the other is studying for a master’s degree in

1958

CYNTHIA GRINDROD VAN DER WYK 16444 Bolsa Chica Street, SPC 97 Huntington Beach, CA 926492660 714.846.6742 cindy@colorthewind.info Dibbie Spurr Appleton got a really neat notice in the mail from the boarding school she attended and was thrilled to see that the search for a new head of school at The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, NY, ended in a unanimous decision by the board to choose Laura Danforth ’83, effective July 1, 2015. Laura got her BA at Colby-Sawyer. This is a really prestigious honor for her and bodes well for a wonderful old school that Dibbie loved! She was also hoping to go on a Road Scholar (Elder-Hostel) barge trip in Belgium in the spring, her first trip to Europe since 1958! Cindy Grindrod van der Wyk not only lives in a brand new manufactured home, she markets and sells them. Her goal for 2014 was to expand her manufactured home practice. In 2013, her first year in the business,

Nancy Wiesner Conkling ’58 (r) visited her Colby dormmate Anne Chisholm ’59 MT (l) in Huntsville, Ontario, Canada, over Labor Day.

teaching art. Charlotte Winchell Johansen has been quite the traveler, taking trips to Russia, Prague, France, etc. They moved from the East Coast in 1962 to Palo Alto, CA, and are still there. She was a secretary at MIT, where she met her husband, Kai, who was getting his master’s degree. Kai took a job with Lockheed Missiles and Space, which became Lockheed Martin. The company put him through the Ph.D. program at Stanford while


she cared for their 3 girls. They had good intentions of moving back east but the weather was too good to be true … in the winter skiing in Tahoe, coming home to tennis and golf all year round. What could be better? Their girls are all married: 2 live in the Bay Area and their youngest lives in McCall, ID, with her 3 boys. They have 8 grandchildren; the oldest just started college. In 1992 Kai had an opportunity to live and work in Yorkshire, England, for 3 years. Since one daughter was married, and the other 2 out of college and working in S.F., they took the opportunity of a lifetime. They bought a 1650 stone cottage in Yorkshire with a panoramic view of rolling hills, charming farm houses and grazing sheep. They made many wonderful British friends, ended up staying for 13 years and became avid ramblers. They were so lucky to travel to other parts of Europe, and even went on an African safari with friends. They came home in 2005, Kai retired in 2006, and now they play tennis and golf, and enjoy their daughters and grandkids.

1959

MARSHA HALPIN JOHNSON PO Box 265 Elkins, NH 03233-0265 603.526.4506 marnamhj@gmail.com So happy to hear from some classmates we have not heard from before. Marcia Bittle Rising ’60 MT and hubby Don are still in the 18th-century house they have been restoring since 1961 in Stow, MA. Three sons, 2 granddaughters and 2 grandsons live on the East Coast. Marcia worked at Emerson Hospital in Concord, MA, and the VA Hospital before going into a biotech company. Hobbies include attending antique car tours around the country with their 1905 and 1911 Cadillacs and a 1911 Model T Ford. That plus gardening, serving on the Board of Health and UU Church activities make for a very active life. While volunteering at the hospital, Marcia met Diana Healey Glendon ’58, who was her roommate in

Colgate freshman year—small world. Last time Marcia was back at Colby was for Becky Irving ’42 MT’s celebration. I guess you’ll have to come back soon, Marcia. For Susan Griffin Patterson and husband, home is the Pocono Mountains of PA in the fall and spring, FL in the winter and the ME coast in the summer. Her first husband died 34 years ago. She remarried in 1999 and together they claim 5 children, 8 grandchildren and 2 greats. After Colby she went to Tuft’s Eliot-Pearson School to earn a B.S. in education. She taught kindergarten at a boys’ private school, then married and became a stay-at-home mom. Her 2nd job was as an administrative assistant in an insurance company; she retired in 1997 and is enjoying life. Catee Gold Hubbard MT and hubby split their time between New London, NH, and AZ. She attended the 55th Reunion and wished more of our classmates were there. There were interesting talks about safety and rights in hospitals, and also the college’s sustainability initiatives. Diane “Di” Taylor Bushfield and Don have left Cape Cod and are full-time residents of FL, though they summer with friends in Dorset, VT. Marsha Halpin Johnson and husband Bruce continue to enjoy life in New London and her involvement with the college and the international students. She wishes you were all here to experience the sense of vibrancy these students have brought to the campus and the community as a whole. They continue to travel: Cuba and Boise, ID, in the spring and France in the fall. Please send your news and best wishes!

1960

PATRICIA CANBY COLHOUN 1122 Burnettown Place The Villages, FL 32162 352.751.1040 pccolhoun@gmail.com Atlee Caldwell closed her nanny agency last Feb. and is enjoying retirement. She lives in Nashua, NH, only 10 minutes from her daughter, Sarah, son-in-law and 3

gorgeous granddaughters. Her son, Matthew, and his family live in Bozeman, MT. She hopes to see them more now that she is retired. Atlee is an avid knitter and a quilter, and a certified life coach who does personal and business coaching. Elizabeth Ann Abel MT and her husband, Barton, live in the same house in Los Altos, CA where their children grew up. Bart, her oldest son, is a radiologist at the University of MD and lives outside Baltimore with his wife, Akiko, and their 2 daughters, Charlotte and Delaney. There will be a family reunion as 2 granddaughters, Nadia and Aidan from Los Altos, along with their father, a Ph.D. psychologist in gerontology at the Veterans Hospital in Livermore, CA, were to go to MD for Thanksgiving. Elizabeth and Barton will also be going to see their daughter, Suzanne, who lives in San Diego with her husband, Alan, and dog, Scout. Suzanne was recently promoted to director of service line management for Client Solution Architects. After Baltimore, Elizabeth and Barton planned to fly to Buenos Aires to cruise around the Horn to Valparaiso, Chile. Judy Butler Shea’s husband, Jim, has been inducted into the Denver U Athletic Hall of fame. He was introduced during the ice hockey game between Denver U and Boston College. A wonderful honor! Barb Swanson Smith and her husband, Lyman, have settled into their new home in New London, NH. They took a trip to AK to visit their youngest daughter, Jennifer, and her family. Judy Provandie Johnson went to Montrose, CO, with Carol Sherman House and Ann “Meri” Skeels Nielsen. Claire Lippincott Flowers was the hostess as the gals visited Black Canyon in Gunnison National Park and Dennis Weavers’ Park in Ridgeway. They took a Jeep ride into Yankee Basin where they saw lots of old silver mines, beautiful views and double waterfalls. They drove the Million Dollar Highway, which has no guardrails. They shopped and ate in Ouray, known as “The Little Switzerland of America,” and also rode through Ralph Lauren’s ranch at

the foot of Mt. Sneffels. The “Colby chicks” had a great reunion but missed Carol Whittemore Todd, who was on a cruise in Europe. Sharley Janes Bryce was with Charlene Wolcott Gray and Bobbi Taeffner Kulp last summer in Torch Lake, MI, and had a great reunion along with their husbands. It was as if time had stood still. Sharley and Charl have daughters living 2 blocks apart in Seattle, and their granddaughters go to the same high school where they are in the concert band together. It’s a small world. Nancy Lucas Sheridan and her husband, Jim, traveled on a river cruise from Antwerp to Basel, did a 12-day national park tour, went on a transatlantic cruise, took a trip to Branson and went on a trip back East to visit their grandchildren in college. Nancy wishes us all well. Marcia Goodale MacDonald traveled with 9 Saratoga, NY, friends to Italy. Her daughter, Ashley Turney, designs trips to Italy, which includes cooking classes, guided tours, hotels, restaurants and transportation. Marcia and her husband, Jerry, also went to Sanibel for 2 weeks at Thanksgiving and for another 7 weeks in Jan. Their kids from Stowe, Boston and CT joined them for a week of great memories. Jerry had back problems, so no travels across the pond. Marcia and Jerry have seen Sally Kimball Campbell and her husband, Tom,

l–r: Meri Skeels Nielsen ’60, Judy Provandie Johnson ’60, Claire Lippincott Flowers ’60 and Carol Sherman House ’60 in the shadows of the foothills at Montrose Ranch.

spring 2015

63


connections

on the Cape during the summer. She’s planning to come to our Reunion! Sally Stevens Rood enjoyed the fall colors on her annual trip to ME, especially Boothbay Harbor. The family settled back into their routines for Columbus Day weekend, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sally babysits her granddaughter, 4, once a week in Peterborough, N.H. Charlotte Heyl McLaughlin keeps in touch with Julie Dornemann Steck as they talk about “good old days” in Best. Charlotte also keeps in touch with Diana Curren Bennett ’61 MT, who was in the 3-year program. Diana lives in Osterville, MA, and is well. Charlotte has 2 granddaughters in college, one at Princeton and the other at the U of Miami, with 3 more in high school and a 6th who is only 2. Charlotte and George are now the proud owners of a condo in Sun Valley, ID, which is a Mecca for figure skaters, something Charlotte did as a youngster and her daughter, Treby, did for many years. Charlotte and George are in Sun Valley from July–Sept. and visitors are welcome. Susie Frank Hilton sent her 9-stop, 26-day itinerary from their trip to Italy this summer. She and her husband, Dick, drove a Lancia around the country and had wonderful experiences and enjoyed the food, art, culture, wine and history. Linda Read Stewart came to Hope, ME, as she does twice a year. Her son, Andrew, sold the Hope General Store to become director of the Hope Elephants. This is a wonderful facility for 2 aging elephants in need of love and rehab which I, Patty Canby Colhoun, had the opportunity to visit. Linda and I took the tour and then stopped by her house to meet her husband, Anthony, who was working. We went to their lake house for lunch and a wonderful time catching up. Linda is on 3 curling teams back in Scotland so may not make our Reunion next Oct. She told me of the passing of Catherine “Kitsy” Baird Smith, who died on June 3. I had a great summer in East Boothbay, ME, going right back into all my old activities. My son, CB, was married in Westminster, CO, at the end of Aug. and it was a lovely

occasion. I had met Kendra and her family last Thanksgiving, and I spent this Thanksgiving with them. My daughter, Annie, and I took a Viking River Boat cruise down the Danube at Christmas. Fabulous decorations, festivities, concerts and museums—I highly recommend this type of travel! I still play golf 3 times a week, work with 3 students and my reading therapy dog in the Charter School, play in my garden and hook my rugs. Our condolences to the families of Kitsy Baird Smith and Phyllis Jackson Kluborg—they both passed away Jan. 31, 2014. We all have memories to treasure. Please come to our 55th Reunion held Oct. 16–18, 2015!

1961

SUSAN OLNEY DATTHYN 56 Pressey Court New London, NH 03257-1018 603.526.2283 susanolneydatthyn@hotmail.com Now that Linda Peterson Colby has moved to New London, NH, she and I plan to get together for lunch soon. So great to hear from Susan Colcock Mitchel, who writes, “I am still living in Center Sandwich, NH, with my husband, Kent (Dartmouth, Class of ’50). We enjoy our farm and wonderful local friends. I have been deeply involved in the town with the select board, library board and Master Plan Committee, and I am also on the board of Castle in the Clouds in Moultonboro. We enjoy the company of two children and five grandchildren as well as two siblings and their families. I hike, ride, ski and garden and volunteer for public gardens both in Sandwich and at our house on Cape Cod. Life is good.” Susan Heath Bint went away for a month to Ireland, Iceland and Nova Scotia, and planned to leave for FL just after the holidays. As for me, Verne and I are pleased to announce the marriage of our daughter, Sarah Webster Datthyn, to Jonathan Barrett Fagan on June 6 in Bedford, NH. Susan Datthyn Sylvester ’00 was matron of honor. The couple resides in Dover, NH. Well, until next time. I

64 colby-sawyer college magazine

hope everyone is doing well. I love to hear from all of you! Feel free to drop me a line with any news or updates you have!

1962

GAIL GRAHAM LEE 3980 Lakemont Drive Bonita Springs, FL 34134 239.947.3285 gailcracker@comcast.net Judy Park Kukk emailed from Cambodia that she and her husband, Tom, were on a round-the-world cruise and enjoying every minute. Virginia “Dinny” Ryan Joffe, whose husband passed away in 2010, is living in NYC and enjoys seeing her 3 grandsons. She has been busy producing “Peter and John,” a movie directed by Jay Craven. It is based on a Guy de Maupassant story set on Nantucket in 1872 and stars Jacqueline Bisset, Gordon Clapp and English actor Christian Coulson. Thirty selected students from 12 colleges worked on the film as part of the Movies from Marlboro program. Jan Goodwin Rupert and her husband, John, took a 7-week bike ride along the coast of Holland and along the banks of the Mosel, Danube and Loire rivers. They previously took a 3-month boat trip from MN to FL via the Great Lakes and Intercoastal Waterway, a 5-week bike trip from MN to New Orleans and a 2-week hike across England. Margot “Mitzie” Fraker Wynkoop is enjoying life with her husband, Steve, on a lake in Northern MI, and still gets to Nantucket for 2 weeks in the fall and to CA twice a year to visit granddaughters. Winters are still spent in Denver. Barbara Russell Williams received an MS in Early Childhood Education from Wheelock College in Boston and a MS in Science and Environmental Education from the U of WA. She has taught in private and public schools, nature centers, museums and park programs. She was married to husband Steve on Mercer Island, WA, in 1984 and inherited 2 wonderful stepchildren. Some of her hobbies include volunteering, gardening, skiing, crafts, bird

watching, nature, hiking and traveling to Kenya, the UK, Canada, France and parts of the U.S., to name a few. Her volunteer work includes ethnobotany walks/talks for garden clubs, parks, schools and history museums. Barbara also received the Association of King County Historical Organizations’ 2008 Willard Jue Memorial Award for excellence in staff leadership. As for yours truly, Gail Graham Lee … Pat White Nash, Marcia Mayer Snyder, Ellen M. Forbes, Jill Schofield Wainwright and I enjoyed spending a weekend in June at Pat’s home in Hillsboro, NH, and met again for lunch in Newburyport, MA, in early Oct. Always a great time! In late July, Dick and I traveled with 26 of his relatives to a wedding in Kalmar, Sweden, followed by 10 days of sightseeing in Sweden and Norway. Quite the trip! We arrived back in FL just a week ago and plan to stay put until mid-May. As always, stay well and have fun.

1963

DONNA DEDERICK WARD 4350 Queen Elizabeth Way Naples, FL 34119-9572 802.442.2440 hungrytrout@comcast.net Hello to all my classmates! Once again, Cliff and I are enjoying winter at a home in Tavernier, just south of Key Largo. I know that as I write this, many of us are warming up in FL and many live here full-time. One of them is Gwen Warner Kade. She and hubby Eckart treated us to lunch; they have a beautiful condo in Naples overlooking the Gulf. We talked about our lives since Colby-Sawyer: children, grands and what we’re doing now. Gwen does lots of volunteering, biking and walking the grounds of their gorgeous home. As before, Cliff and I are innkeepers of a lovely country inn/B&B, Meadowood Farm, in Shaftsbury, VT. I’d love to have some of my classmates and members of other classes visit with us. We have guests from all over the world, so we promise an interesting experience. We’re in VT from May through mid-Nov. Sandy


Newbert Fitts and her hubby had their 50th wedding anniversary in Aug. They took their gang on a Disney cruise the prior Feb. as it’s more enjoyable at that time. So many beautiful memories were made. Pam Rich Marston’s younger son is finally getting married. She and her family are very excited as he’s been single for a long time. I’m always available to correspond with any of you—we need more news.

1964

KATHRINE CONATHAN REARDON 1040 General Lafayette Blvd. West Chester, PA 19382 610.738.4982 kathyr1230@aol.com We could not have had a more perfect fall weekend for our 50th Reunion! It started with a reception and talk by author and artist Tomie dePaola on Fri. night. He was delightful as usual; his art is wonderful, and he had great reminisces about CJC in the ’60s. Our dinner cruise on Lake Sunapee was a great chance for us all to get reacquainted. We missed all of you who could not attend but you were remembered and talked about during the weekend. Those of us who stayed at the Follansbee Inn enjoyed our fireside chats. We all agreed, husbands included, that we should do weekends like this more often. So maybe we should start thinking about our 55th. Becky

Betsy Stanton Stockdale ’64 and her husband, Frank.

time at Colby-Sawyer as very special,” he shared. Quite a few of us are on Facebook; it’s a great way to keep in touch.

l–r: Mimi Rand Jost ’64, Cindy Hayes ’64 and Ellen Terhune Schauff ’64 celebrated their 50th Reunion by climbing Mt. Kearsarge during the Alumni Mountain Day at Alumni Fall Festival in October.

Young Robinson’s husband, Donald, died last spring after a long illness. It was great to see her at Reunion and have her stay with us at the inn. Ann Franklin Ewig and Tom keep busy commuting from ME to NJ now that Tom is semi-retired. Howard Stick, Alyce Cushing Stick’s husband, took some wonderful pictures at Reunion. They are living outside Philadelphia and in Sugar Hill, NH. Lee Norris Gray and Rick are enjoying winters in FL and the rest of the year in NH. Hedy Ruth Gunther and Bruce are still in the Houston area. Their twin grandchildren live close by and they are lucky to see them quite a bit. Nancy Woodring Hansen and husband Roger are the youngest looking great-grandparents I have ever seen. They see their children and grandchildren often as most live close by. Nancy writes, “We are traveling and volunteering in our community, and we have our home in Keene, NH, and our family cottage on Cape Cod to keep us busy with gardening and maintenance. Our life is good!” Cindy Hayes has refocused after a career in elementary education. She and her husband enjoy their tree farm, sheep, chickens, bees, dog and cat. They also volunteer for a land trust. Since they live in Springfield, VT, they’re able to visit Colby-Sawyer’s Hogan Sports Center frequently. Last spring I had a long talk with Marcia “Marcy” Kromer Langeland. She lives in Duxbury, MA, with her husband, Wes. Her 3 daughters live there also, so she

1965

CHRISTINA MURRAY MCKEE 518 Burpee Hill Road New London, NH 03257 603.526.4226 ctmckee@tds.net

1966

gets to spend lots of time with them and her grandchildren. Her son, Jon, is in Boston. We had hoped to get together this summer, but were not able to. Next summer for sure! Alice Lawton Lehmann is still active with running, biking and swimming. She began ukulele lessons last fall and is now part of a ukulele choir. Marion Price Moore and Joan Williams Laundon were at Reunion. They both live in Waterbury, VT, and see quite a bit of each other. It was fun catching up with them along with Betsy Myers Hunnewell and her husband, Bob, plus Dorothy “Dee” Clark Gould and her husband, Don. Our last activity was a memorial service for the 24 classmates we have lost through the years. Martha Conant relocated from Milton, NH, to southern AZ in Nov. Richard Tuneski let us know that his wife, Nancy O’Neal Tuneski, passed away on July 21 from breast cancer. “She always held her

SUSAN E. WEEKS 3 Winona Circle Lebanon, NH 03766 603.252.6967 weeksie1228@gmail.com Hello, all! This has been a very exciting few months. I officially retired from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in May. It was difficult leaving all my colleagues, and I miss them very much, but my gardens and 2 dogs were calling to me. I haven’t looked back! I love having all this time to work on home projects, travel to see family, work on community/church projects and just sit and read a book or work on fine-tuning my watercolor technique. Retirement is everything I hoped it would be. I even took a few courses at Colby-Sawyer’s Adventures in Learning. The following are notes from classmates. I hope that for the next magazine I will hear from more of you. Please send me even just a brief note on how you are doing! Sharon Finnegan Huff and her husband of

l–r: Garry Huff, Sharon Finnegan Huff ’66, Carolyn Ayer McKean ’66 and Skip McKean met up at Peter Christian’s Tavern in New London in September.

spring 2015

65


connections

almost 47 years, Garry, found themselves in New London for 2 days in Sept. They arranged to meet with her Colby roommate, Carolyn Ayer McKean, and her husband, Skip— they had not seen each other, or the campus, in way too many years! What a great, fun time they had. It was a long evening full of reminiscing and catching up, and sharing pictures of Carolyn’s son and daughter and their families and Sharon’s 3 sons and their families. And, as loving grandparents, a good part of the conversation centered on all their grandkids. Carolyn has 3 boys and a girl, ages 11-15, and Sharon has 4 boys and a girl, ages 1-8. The next day she and Garry drove around New London, shopping and dining; they walked around the beautiful campus and Colgate; spent the night in Hanover; drove around Dartmouth; and almost every sentence she uttered started with, “Oh, look, I remember … !” Carolyn is so lucky to have her whole family there in Henniker, NH, where she lives. Sharon’s, however, live in Boston, Philadelphia and Nashville, so road trips from Buffalo to see them are a big part of their lives, especially since her husband retired from Wolter Kluwer Health in Dec. 2013. The years have been full of work, volunteering (church and community), family and travel. They travel as much as they can, visit the YMCA and enjoy their family and friends. For the past 22 years, she’s been an avid collector of antique and vintage buttons. She belongs to button clubs and sells them (along with other small antiques) via her sites on eBay and Etsy. Also, her desire to create has always been with her and she spent years exhibiting and selling those creations at art/craft shows. Now Sharon creates when she can and puts them on those sites as well. Joyce Chapman Cerny had a great visit with her Colgate Hall roommate, Molly McAdams Morizon ’65, in Sept. Molly, who lives in France, was in NYC and spent some time with her in Newburyport, MA. They make it a point to meet every 2 years, either in France or in New England. Joyce also saw

her son, Henry, in Barcelona, Spain, in Oct. Wonderful to still be close after so many years.

1967

SIS HAGEN KINNEY 1731 Land Harbor, LLH Newland, NC 28657-7917 843.607.7556 kinivan06@gmail.com Suzanne Reber Merriman is happily retired, married and living on Bainbridge Island, WA, and in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Her family is doing well, with her youngest loving OR State. She’s amazed that it will soon have been 50 years since we were all at CJC. She’d like to make the trek back and hopes others will do likewise. “No matter when we have moved and how we have changed and no matter how dim our memories have grown, those must have been formative and important years in our lives,” she writes. Amen, Suzanne! Nancy Belt Wilson has been busy volunteering for the DAR Genealogy Preservation Committee. Specifically, she’s been categorizing more than 6 million documents that members use in order to support their lineage. DAR applications go back to 1890. The goal is to index the information into searchable databases. Nancy received the Outstanding Service certificate for 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. She says this is something to which she can contribute even

Linde Keleher McNamara ’67 (center) with her children, Diana and Kyle, at their family reunion in Sweden last summer.

66 colby-sawyer college magazine

though she lives in Tokyo—way to go, Nancy! Francie King is working away on the Boston U billion-dollar campaign and getting closer to the end even earlier than expected! She also stays busy with her HistoryKeep, doing personal biographies for families … and she worked on 5 books last year! Whew! Her former-Navy spouse is still putting in his 7 days a week, and they’ve opened up a new 2-floor rental half a block from the ocean in a separate building on their property in Marblehead, MA. The website is www.ChestnutSweet.com. All I can say is, “Whew!” No retiring for the 2 of you, huh, Francie? Beth Holloran Bourguignon writes, “Wow, it is a wakeup call when you start talking about 50th Reunion!” I agree it’s hard to realize that we will celebrate our 50th Reunion in 2017! Beth said she put it on her calendar; how about the rest of you gals? Beth is still working 3 days a week as director of the Needham Children’s Center and admits that it’s a nice balance; she’s just not quite ready to be home fulltime. In addition, they’ve been traveling around New England, and their summer was wonderful on Long Island, ME, in Casco Bay, where they enjoyed having relatives from the West Coast and around New England. Last summer, Dorcas Sheldon Adkins and Pat Munoz married after almost 20 years together. They’re both retired, but Pat continues to work for a few non-profit boards for river conservation. Dorcas explores rainwater harvesting, organic gardening and solar power in their Washington, DC, area. She added that their 5 children—and 7 grandchildren—keep them busy as they all share the passions of bicycling, reading, paddling, languages and travel. Thanks, Dorcas … and belated congratulations! Three years ago Patricia Maher Christodoulou started her own real estate staging company, Stage and Sell, based in Manhattan, and in the ensuing years she’s been featured in the NY Times’ Special Properties section twice! She invites everyone to visit www.stageandsell1.com. Patricia said she’s anxious to connect with her roommates Sigrid

Whitney McKendree Moore ’67 and her husband, Barry.

Thorne and Joyce Wilkinson Oesch, and she hopes to see everyone at Reunion! Whitney McKendree Moore and husband Barry are both retired and loving it. Their son, Ned, born to them 2 weeks after their 20th wedding anniversary, is in New Orleans working as a “teaching artist” for KIDsmART. Whitney is still singing in nursing homes with her guitar (I’m envious of that talent!) and has several books on Amazon. She visited DC a year ago and spent time with Ann Blackman Putzel ’66. Whitney also connects regularly with Gusty Lange Ettlinger ’68 as well as her sister-in-law, Mary Hatch Moore. She said that Ann Lincoln Mitchell lives nearby and they are hoping to create a “car caravan” to head north for our Reunion in 2017. She said: “This is a call to you, Wendy Weinstein Fish ’70, Marina Gopadze, Diane Eagle Kataoka, Susan Wittman Hanover and Carol Givens Wiig, among others!” Edith “Edie” VanderWolk Stevenson lives in Melvin Village, NH, in the summer and Jupiter Island, FL, in the winter with her husband of 48 years, Jim. They have 2 daughters and 5 grandchildren. She and her husband are retired, and she just finished a 3-year term as president of the Bald Peak Colony Club on Lake Winnipesaukee, and she also enjoys playing a lot of tennis and bridge. Edie sees Joan “Joni” Harwood Hazelton and Joan Van Maur Holcomb ’68 often as they also summer at Bald Peak, and she can’t believe it’s been so many years since our days at CJC. Linda Keleher McNamara and her husband, John, love living in Hanover, NH. John, though retired, still runs their real estate


CONNECT to Colby-Sawyer GET THE LATEST ALUMNI NEWS facebook.com/colbysawyeralumni FOLLOW US twitter.com/CSC_alumni JOIN THE COLBY-SAWYER ALUMNI GROUP linkedin.com company, LindeMac Real Estate, which is heading into its 7th year. Linda uses her master’s in marine biology to work with Ocean Alliance in Gloucester, MA, in her spare time. Their son Kyle, 43, has 4 girls: Emma, 14; Lily, 12; Grace, 10; and Chloe, 1.5. Their daughter Diana, 47, lives in Scotland, where her husband is head of his department at the U of Aberdeen. Diana is finishing her Ph.D. and they’ll move back to the States this year. They hike, ski, sail and do all the outdoor sports this environment provides. Prudence Hostetter sold her farm and is renting a house for a year in order for her son to graduate. She’ll move a bit north to the Jacksonville, FL, area late in 2015 and, in the meantime, she’s hoping for college acceptance letters for her son … well before this goes to press! I heard from Margaret “Ginger” Mueller Rundlof through Facebook—she’s lived outside Houston for the last 8 years and thinks the Woodlands is the best. She married in 2010 but her husband died 10 months later due to lung and bone cancer. She stopped working as a nurse in 2012 and loves that “every day is Saturday.” Three of her children live in TX and the fourth is in NYC, but Ginger hopes she and her twins might also be in TX soon. In addition to those 2 grandchildren she has 4 others in TX, so feels truly blessed. We chatted a bit about travels to India, as we had both been to the Taj Mahal. As for me, Sis Hagen Kinney, I continue to enjoy retirement with my husband in the mountains of western NC. We have decided to buy another home in the Raleigh-Durham area and hopefully by the time you read

this we’ll be moving into our new home. We continue to hike and golf during good weather, but winter came early to us with a snowfall on Nov. 1. We now have 4 grands from 2 of my 3 sons in the RaleighDurham area and we’re looking forward to being closer to them for at least part of the year; we’ll also be closer to our daughter in VA. In closing, I want to thank those of you who have thanked me for doing this column and for my “faithful nudgings” for everyone to stay in touch. I love doing this and am grateful that so many of you let me know what you’re up to so I can relate it to everyone here in the magazine. Please keep the cards and letters (and emails) coming! Our 50th Reunion will be in Oct. 2017 so let’s all plan to be in New London to celebrate! Also, if you haven’t sent me any news lately— or ever! Please consider doing so at any time. Let the Alumni Office know your email address so you can be reminded to send me news!

she’s so busy in FL that she feels like she has to go home to ME just to rest.

1969

DEBORAH ADAMS JOHNSTON 5 Net Menders Loop Saint Helena Island, SC 29920 704.542.6244 navypub@aol.com I had a call from my aunt, Jane Cooper Fall ’43, on a Sun. night last fall, and she opened the conversation with “You missed your Reunion!” Apparently I was not the only one, as there were only 5 people from our class there. Aunt Jane will be 91 this summer, and she goes to CSC once a year to check up on her alma mater. Let’s try to be better about reconnecting and see if we can’t get a better turnout for our class at the next one. I don’t want to get another phone call berating me for not being there! Lots of changes for Laurie Rendall Coursin: She retired from her job as a Certified Nurse Midwife at Dartmouth-Hitchcock in Dec. 2013, where she had been working for the past 13+ years. She’ll miss not doing midwifery after 37 years, but is ready to sleep at night without worrying about her beeper going off at 3 a.m. She sold her house in Gilsum, NH, and is downsizing to a Unity/Bensonwood home she had built in Putney, VT. Her mother, 97, is in PA and doing remarkably well. Laurie is able to visit about once a month.

Her son, 28, is in the Environmental Studies Program at Antioch and lives in Keene, NH, where he is also doing ceramics. Her life is full and busy, and she’s very happy and trying to keep balanced. In the spirit of celebrating the 50th anniversary of the National Wilderness Preservation Act on Sept. 3, Meredith Dodd Taylor MT and her husband, Tory, were asked to write an article for the commemorative publication 50 Years of American Wilderness, which was introduced last fall at the National Wilderness Conference in Albuquerque, NM. The Gila Wilderness in NM was nominated by Aldo Leopold as the 1st wilderness area in America and it was designated by Congress 90 years ago. Meredith worked with conservationists to lobby Congress to pass the 1984 Wyoming Wilderness Act 30 years ago. She and Tory run a business doing pack trips into the wilderness, a lot of them with youth groups. For the past 2 years they have been taking horse trips into Mongolia, but this year Mere had her hip replaced so they couldn’t go. Pam Hersey MT reports from Peaks Island, ME, that she has written another book. The Dangling Wire, a romantic adventure/mystery, came out just before the holidays in winter 2013. The cover artwork was done by the husband of Randi Van Dusen, Dave Thekan. Randi used her excellent computer skills and creativity to pull it all together long distance! The Dangling Wire will join the Takedown

1968

CORRESPONDENT NEEDED

Dr. Martha L. Friberg ’67 MT drove from ME to FL via the Outer Banks, and what a trip it was, with three ferries, 1,900 miles and lots of fun in between. She left ME at the height of the foliage and followed it south, but nothing compared to the foliage of New London. She especially remembers sunny, crisp fall days at Page Paterson’s grandmother’s house. Martha belongs to the Vero Beach Power Squadron and the Indian River Woodcarvers’ Club during the winter. Sometimes

Meredith Dodd Taylor ’69 MT on her horse, Chaco.

spring 2015

67


connections

connections

Julie Stoddart Strimenos ’69 (l) and Martha Halloran McLaughlin ’69 (r).

series (The Takedown, Devil’s Insider, Company Men and More Company Men: Global Dawn) by PR Hersey in paperback, Kindle and Nook. Pam is still in touch with Randi (obviously) and her college roommate Barbie Crockett Collins, and writes that they are both happy and well. She also stays in contact with Louise Cutting Dorian, Molly Cate MT (who is now the Rev. Molly Cate … congratulations, Molly!), her college roommate Pam Herd McKellar MT and Pam Prescott King ’68, who lives just down the coast a bit in ME. All are thriving and doing well and looking forward to getting together this year for their own reunion. We all need to take a page from Pam’s book and do a better job of catching up with each other. This past year Julia Stoddart Strimenos became a grandmother, quit working (as did her husband), travelled a lot locally and had a lot of company. She writes that she’s lucky to live near her sons in beautiful CO and to be able to get back to the Boston area regularly to see

family and friends. She had lunch with Martha Halloran McLaughlin a few months ago while she was there and hopes to get together with her other good friends from Page this year. As for me, Deborah Adams Johnston, the Johnston family continues to be far flung. While Fred and I have retired to an island outside of Beaufort, SC, our children have yet to be snagged by our “bait.” My oldest, Ian, USNA ’96, is stationed in Sigonella, Sicily, with his wife an d 2 boys. Garth, USNA ’98, is working with NATO in London to monitor the submarines in the European theatre. He lives outside London in Amersham with his wife and 3 children. Daughter Emily, Sweet Briar College for Women ’02, writes a blog (fashionfoiegras.com) out of London, where she has been for the last 12 years. And Alec, USNA ’04, has left the Navy and started his own business selling exotic cars to the entertainment industry in LA. We see Emily and Alec pretty regularly, but it’s hard for the older boys to travel with their families overseas. They take advantage of all that Europe has to offer, though, and their children have seen more already than I have in a lifetime! We hope to grab them next summer when their worldly goods are shipped stateside and they move into our guest house for 6 weeks. Hooray! Please try harder to reconnect with us all. The older we get, the more fun it is to discover all what our classmates have been doing for the last (gulp) 45 years! Let’s make a pledge to get to our 50th Reunion!

CONNECT to Colby-Sawyer GET THE LATEST ALUMNI NEWS facebook.com/colbysawyeralumni FOLLOW US twitter.com/CSC_alumni JOIN THE COLBY-SAWYER ALUMNI GROUP linkedin.com

68 colby-sawyer college magazine

1970

GAIL REMICK HOAGE 64 Valley Road New Durham, NH 03855 603.859.3241 gail@michaelsschool.com Am hoping to get some great news from some great alumni! Hello, are you out there? Hoping your summer was eventful with happy times among family and friends. I know mine was, especially since a vacation week was spent, as usual, with the magnificent 7: Deborah Marcoux Deacetis, Susan Pomerantz, Beth Constantinides Meurlin, Valerie “Val” Turtle, Lynn Winchester, Karen Dunnett and myself at Karen’s summer cottage on Rye Beach, NH. Spectacular news: Val was nominated by Beth for the Colby-Sawyer College Athletic Hall of Fame, and was humbled to be selected. The special Oct. day on campus when she was inducted was even better because it was shared with classmates and/or teammates Gail Remick Hoage, Suellyn Stark and Ann Lozier Rohrborn ’71 MT. There were other classmates who were unable to attend the event, but had given Val lots of encouragement. She thanks folks for all the good wishes and hopes that more athletes from our era get nominated by their classmates. It was great seeing Ann Lozier Rohrborn ’71 MT, who has moved to Gilford, NH, and Suellyn Stark, who now lives in Newbury, NH. She has been busy restoring her parents’ home. So glad to hear from Anne Nordblom Dodge for the 1st time—someone from Mc­Kean! She writes that life has been good and she’s married to a wonderful man, Steve, who is her best friend. He’s an entrepreneur who’s started 5 companies … 3 were traded on the NY Stock Exchange and the last 2 were created during his “retirement.” Anne was a dedicated mother and homemaker who also spent time as a professional volunteer, a trustee on 5 school/university boards, senior warden of her church and on the board of 3 foundations. She has 3 married children: Tom in Manchester, MA, Kristen in Kinderhook, NY,

and Ben in Cohasset, MA—plus 5 grandchildren! She and her husband split their time between Manchester, MA; Bonita Springs, FL; and Cape Cod. First-year college roommates Carol “Kobe” Kobayashi and Gail Remick Hoage got together after 40+ years and picked up the conversation without skipping a beat. Kobe lives in Atlanta with her husband, Tim Downs, and has 2 wonderful sons and a precious grandson! Although her husband is retired, Kobe still works at Agnes Scott College. I would love to get news from any and all of you alumnae via email or Facebook.

1971

ELLIE GOODWIN COCHRAN 58 Heather Street Manchester, NH 03104 603.626.5959 elliegc@myfairpoint.net Nancy Lavigne traveled to Boston to see her 94-year-old aunt in May 2013. While she was in the Boston area, she was able to contact her roommate Sally Leyland Barlow, who was in the process of moving from RI to MA. She got to see Sally’s new home and had a great time reminiscing. Nancy continues to sell real estate in Orange County, CA, and has survived remodeling her home. Marjorie Johnston Denton’s husband, Douglas R. Denton, died June 13, 2013, after a long battle with cancer. She would like to connect with others from Burpee if possible. Marjorie retired several years ago and is embarking on the next stage of her life. Betsy Burdet is still in Ketchikan, AK, running the Southeast Exposure Outdoor Adventure Center, and has been solo paddling the coast of FL (with the bugs and homeless). She is now on the Atlantic side and will be doing the Intercoastal in Jan., heading south from Jupiter to Biscayne Bay. Roxie Daleo was just in the excitement of launching her new Relax-Mini app! She works in the field of stress management and relaxation, and you can download her app from iTunes. Nancy Gardner will see Carol Beever (Connelly)


soon; they’re traveling to NC to celebrate a friend’s 60th birthday. Nancy lives in Chicago, and Carol resides in Gobles, MI, with her wonderful husband, Mike. Great to hear from so many of you. I know there are many of us who are traveling to babysit for grandchildren, or in our case, a granddog. I love seeing the pictures on Facebook of so many of you and your families. Keep the notes coming!

1972

LINDA KELLY GRAVES 880 Tannery Drive Wayne, PA 19087 610.688.0230 dikeroka@aol.com Nancy Kipp Rosenblum wrote for the 1st time in 10 years (yes, it can be done)! After living in Norwich, VT, for 40 years with husband Bob, they moved to Naples, FL, 2 years ago. While they miss friends and the beautiful seasons in VT, they’re happy to be close to their son, his wife and their 2 grandchildren, and have settled into a most pleasant routine there. Nancy’s daughter and husband live in St. Paul, MN, so they’re an easy flight away. Nancy and Bob come back for their VT “fix” several times a year to catch up with friends and to remind themselves of those very special years spent in the Norwich/ Hanover/Sunapee/New London area. Got a quick email from Lydia Biddle Thomas in Oct. to let me know she was preparing to hike on Mt. Washington. Lydia, I know, cut her teeth on mountain climbing on Mt. Kearsage … I witnessed it! Linda Kelly Graves is a new grandmother, as are Nancy Bianchi Miller and I! Nancy’s son, Andrew, and his wife, Michelle, had a daughter, Ava Rose Miller, on May 30. My son, Robin, and his wife, Abby, welcomed Thomas Costello Graves on Aug. 29. Nancy and I are beyond excited to have these little people in our lives and are making plans for their 1st prom dates! On a closing note, while Lydia was hiking Mt. Washington, I was up at Colby-Sawyer for a President’s Alumni Advisory Committee

meeting. It was fun to see Martha Cary Shuster and Robin Meade. Martha is a grandmother, too, and enjoys keeping up with her family and many activities, including her work with Colby-Sawyer. Robin serves on the college’s Board of Trustees and was preparing to take a cruise around the world. How exciting, and why not? We are waiting to hear the details, Robin! Colby-Sawyer has grown in so many ways, all of them so exciting, yet the essence of what endeared it to us all 44 years ago remains the same. Plan a trip to see for yourselves!

1973

NANCY R. MESSING 908 Ponce de Leon Drive Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 954.270.4380 nrmessing@aol.com We have some new grandmas to congratulate! Jane Haslun Schwab’s daughter, Lindsay, gave birth to Harrison William Haun in Oct. Janet Gilfoy Stark’s son, Brian, and his wife welcomed Siena. Marjorie “Margie” Newman White and her husband, Bob, welcomed Zachary, the son of their daughter, Ali Michaelson. The nice thing is these grandmas live near their new babies. Enjoy your hugabugs! Margie Newman White retired from teaching elementary school after 30+ years and decided to move from the Orlando area down to Ft. Lauderdale so she can be a hands-on grandma. How nice for the baby and momma. And that’s where I live! Actually, Margie and I have gotten together. Cathy Moore Pomeroy has also retired from teaching fulltime but still substitutes in middle and high schools. The Women’s Foundation of CO and a board position at a charter school keep her involved in education. Cathy still loves paddle tennis and skiing, and travels this year included trips to Wales and South Africa with hubby Ted to check out some educational programs and vineyards. Cathy says she welcomes whoever can stop by or gets stranded at Denver International

Ann WooddCahusac Neary ’74 (l) and Susan Brown Warner ’74 (r) at the top of Mt. Kearsarge on Alumni Mountain Day during Alumni Fall Festival in October.

Airport. Elizabeth “Libby” Rowan Hargrove and her husband are in their 9th location in their marriage. She writes, “In June 2015, we will have lived in Sandy, UT, for 10 years! It’s hard to believe as I feel we just moved here! Our 3 daughters live here, too: Katie, Kara and Kristin. Katie is married and has our one and only granddaughter, Macy Elizabeth. She is 4, and the light and joy in the roller coaster of life.” Libby says she will always cherish the memories of the 2 years in Best! After moving to The Villages, FL, in July 2013, Lee Woodfin Beery began looking into avenues to get back into shape and has been busy establishing herself as a dancer/performer. “There are so many performing groups here to keep one active and young,” she writes. “I was a Kit Kat girl in KC Productions’ musical Cabaret this past spring, and was cast in the chorus of “Les Miserables,” my favorite musical. I am a member of a performing dance group called Dance Fusion, which does mainly tap and jazz numbers. After the debut of our new modern dance group, Fusion Elite, I fell at a rehearsal for an Andrew Lloyd Webber show scheduled for Dec. and fractured my knee. My dancing days have come to an abrupt halt, and I will be laid up for at least 3 months, a real set-back after working so hard to get back into shape after many years working behind a computer. Hoping to resume my dance career once healed.” Here’s wishing for a speedy recovery, Lee. As for me, your loyal secretary, my husband is currently the FL state champion in rowing, age 27 and above. This is the 2nd year in a row he’s achieved that title. I go to a lot of regattas and cheer from the river

banks. Our son is applying to college, and, gasp, we will be empty nesters! That is all for now from sunny FL—please send me your news to share.

1974

SUSAN BROWN WARNER 48 Spring Street, Unit 7 Greenwich, CT 06830-6176 203.629.1454 warners@optonline.net Those of us who showed up for our 40th Reunion in Oct. had a great time! We were a small but mighty team of Deb Henderson, Sue Marcotte-Jenkins, Ann Woodd-Cahusac Neary and me, Sue Brown Warner. After arriving at 9 a.m.—having left CT at 4 am!—Ann and I almost immediately joined the large group of alums for a climb up Mt. Kearsarge. We made it, but couldn’t believe that 40 years ago we actually ran up that thing on Mountain Day! Later, we enjoyed a lovely wine pairing dinner and great conversation with new friends from other classes. Although we were a small Reunion class, I did hear from a number of classmates who were unable to make the trip. Wendy Cadley Presley was in San Diego but gives her regards to Margaret “Meg” Seely, Ardith Carroll and Ellen Attridge. Emilie Daniel was finishing up a 2-week stint coordinating a Road Scholar New England tour that weekend, but sent her regards. The “Other Sue Brown”—Sue Brown Holtham—and husband, Bill, had conflicting plans but wished they could have joined the fun. Martha Jo Rogers Hewitt was busy working but said “Hi.” Patricia “Trish” Brink was attending another school

spring 2015

69


connections

connections

| spotlight A LIFE IN WRITING Marylou DiPietro ’74 Sept. 16, 2014, was an important day for Marylou DiPietro ’74. That Tuesday, she was to return to Colby-Sawyer for the first time since she graduated 40 years before. She also received a long-awaited email informing her that her play, “Black Butterflies,” was to have a public reading at Abingdon Theater in New York City—the first step on the road to production. “Butterflies” tells the story of Rose Williams, the sister of playwright Tennessee Williams. “It was a long journey,” DiPietro says. “Some years, I wouldn’t even work on it. Other years, I was doing tons of research, but it just kept evolving.” Throughout the process, DiPietro has kept one intention at the heart of her work: To give Rose, who was institutionalized and lobotomized, a voice once more.

had always been interested in creative writing, her time at the college gave her the confidence to take her interest to the next level. Shortly after graduating, she traveled to New York to study with the renowned poet W.D. Snodgrass. She also made lifelong friends with artist LeRoy Neiman and helped Pulitzer Prize winner Sharon Olds with her first poetry reading.

It seemed an all-too-appropriate coincidence that DiPietro received the news about her play on the very day that she would return to her alma mater, for she credits Colby-Sawyer with jump-starting her artistic vocations. While she

But DiPietro’s primary passion remains writing. “That’s what I do. I’m a writer,” she says. “And this play is so major to me that I almost feel that until it gets produced, I can’t really move on.” On that September day, as DiPietro strode across Colby-Sawyer’s campus for the first time in decades, she felt that she had come full circle. “Coming to Colby was really the start of my life as an adult. Coming here helped me to be able to get the confidence to become the person I wanted to become,” she said. “I still get that feeling now. It all came back.”

Ink and paper, however, are not her only medium. In 2009, DiPietro started her own fiber art studio, Reincarnations, which specializes in handmade, one-of-a-kind fiber art bags. DiPietro hand-selects all the repurposed materials, such as leather belts and antique upholstery, and designs each bag herself.

— Lauren Sullivan Learn more about Reincarnations Fiber Arts Studio at reincarnations.biz, and more about “Black Butterflies” at abingdontheatre.org/ reading/upcoming.aspx.

Marylou DiPietro ’74, playwright and fiber artist

70 colby-sawyer college magazine

reunion the same weekend but wishes she could have been there. In other news, Deb Henderson, who lives in Bow, NH, has 2 children: Elizabeth, 26, and Jack, 23. She works for Community Bridges as a direct support staff for people with disabilities, and is also a toddler teacher. Deb would like to hear from ’74 classmates or alumni in NH. Write to me if you would like Deb’s email address. I just learned that Ann Woodd-Cahusac Neary’s daughter (and my goddaughter), Paige, got her 1st goal yesterday in Division I water polo for Iona College, where she is a freshman. Yay, Paige!

1975

JILL MCLAUGHLIN GODFREY 19500 Framingham Drive Gaithersburg, MD 20879 301.926.7164 Jillgodfrey25@gmail.com We are all turning 60! Happy collective birthday to the Class of ’75! Marsha Meyer Hall and husband Steve Hall enjoyed attending their son Chris’s wedding in CA. Perfect day and lovely memories. Helen Poummit Curhan is loving life out in Santa Barbara, CA. She has 2 grown sons. Helen writes that she is a “wild nutritionist, and biking, swimming and having one hell of a good time.” Happy to hear from Pamela “Pammy” MacVane Parker! She’s been busy raising 4 children, and was the postmaster on Long Island, ME, and in Poultney, VT. The U.S.P.O. is transferring her to Vieques, Puerto Rico, to be postmaster there. Pammy has been married for 38 years to her fisherman/lobsterman/merchant marine husband. She’s on Facebook if you want to contact her! Caryl Diengott reports, “I’m semi-retired and giving back by volunteering for favorite charities of mine.”


1979

l–r: Karen Dykes Lucas ’76, Marybeth MacEvoy Webster ’76, Amy Parker Rossi ’77 and Janet Spurr ’76 enjoyed a get-together at Janet’s home in Marblehead, Mass. Marybeth’s dog came along for the fun, too!

1976

1977

JANET E. SPURR 52 Rowland Street, Apartment 1 Marblehead, MA 01945 781.639.1008 Spurr1@msn.com

WENDI BRAUN 5 Carnegie Place Lexington, MA 02420 781.863.1502 Wendi_Braun@msn.com

Carla Pearson Marshall enjoyed a trip to Japan for the wedding of Emiko Udagawa Shimada ’96. They had an incredible time with Emiko and her family as well as Miki Iida ’98 and Sayaka Ishibashi Marquis ’98. Sayaka traveled to the wedding from Kansas City, where she lives with her husband and 15-month-old daughter, Lela. Miki traveled with her husband from Tokyo, where they own an Italian restaurant. The Marshalls have seen all 3 women over the years, but this is the 1st time they have all been together, and the fun picked up right where it left off almost 20 years ago. They were considered part of Emiko’s family and were even asked to make speeches at the wedding (through an interpreter). When people are hosts or Friendship Families here for CSC, they really can be in for a lifetime relationship.

1978

JODY HAMBLEY COOPER 89 Main Street, Unit 3 PO Box 1943 New London, NH 03257 603.526.4517 jcooper323@aol.com

1980

DEBRA BRAY MITCHELL 17 Rope Ferry Road Hanover, NH 03755-1404 603.643.6536 dbraymitch@gmail.com

NATALIE HARTWELL JACKSON 866 Audubon Drive Bradenton, FL 34209 941.730.2353 lifegrd121@aol.com

Lisa Hammond Carvalho had a Sept. reunion in Portsmouth, RI, hosted by Caren Demoulas Pasquale. The girls shared a lot of laughs, stories, good food and drinks, and walks in Newport, including the Cliff Walk. Lisa writes, “It was great reconnecting, and the overall feeling was how strong the friendships are that began at Colby-Sawyer in 1977.” Barbara “Barb” Dwight Courtney lost her husband and best friend, Scott, after a brief illness in June after 28 years together. Barb sold her home in CT and relocated to Bourne, MA, on the Cape Cod Canal, where she and Scott had always planned to retire. “I now find that being on the water brings much peace and happiness as I move forward,” Barbara writes. She has already started volunteering at the local library and The Hartford has accommodated her request to work from home as an IT Manager. Meeting new friends, biking, walking, jogging and work will keep her life busy as she adjusts to not having Scott at her side. All our best, Barb!

1981

PAMELA AIGELTINGER LYONS 436 Round Hill Road Saint Davids, PA 19087 610.989.0551 pamalyons@verizon.net

1982

SUSAN HOLDERNESS CUSACK 139 Hilltop Place New London, NH 03257 603.526.4381 I have been very happily busy. My husband and I will celebrate our 30th anniversary in May. Our oldest son got married in Mar. 2013 in CA, and it was a wonderful time with family and friends. My dearest friends, Debra Bray Mitchell ’79 and her husband, Bill, helped us celebrate. We also have a son in Danbury, CT, a daughter in Roanoke, VA, and 3 Ethiopian daughters that we sponsor through a program we are committed to, the Selamta Family Project (www. selamtafamilyproject.org). I have

Suzy Macey Farrell ’78 (l) and Kim Walsh Macdonald ’78 (r) in Naples, FL..

CLASS OF 1980

JOIN CLASSMATES OCT. 16–18 FOR YOUR 35TH REUNION ON THE WINDY HILL!

Caren DeMoulas Pasquale ’79 hosted this group of classmates in Portsmouth, R.I. Pictured are (l–r) Lisa Hammond Carvalho, Mari Hanabergh O’Sullivan, Ellen Fitzpatrick Criscione, Caren Demoulas Pasquale, Diane Remondi De Falco, Sue Chapman Warren, Missy Craig Davis and Sue Barnett. Missing from the photo was Martha Colinan Ellicott ’81, who was attending a family wedding.

spring 2015

71


connections

| spotlight LIVING HISTORY Anne Barrett ’89

From the time she was a child growing up on the Massachusetts North Shore, Anne Barrett ’89 has lived a life steeped in history. Her mother, also a Colby-Sawyer alumna, regaled her with tales of her ancestors: one consorted with Paul Revere, two fought in the Civil War, and yet another traveled by rail across the country and by air with Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart. Those stories catalyzed a life-long love of history, anthropological artifacts and story itself.

In “Victorian Christmas Traditions,” Barrett dons Victorian attire and becomes the character Victoria Yule to share stories of Christmas traditions. No matter what, though, Barrett asserts that it’s the story itself that is of the utmost importance for a successful performance. “When I go to a museum, I find artifacts much more interesting if there’s a story behind them; a dress is just so much material and lace until you learn about its owner and her story,” she said.

Barrett has turned her passion into a career of historical storytelling. For the past four years, she has traveled New England performing historical presentations at museums, libraries and historical societies. Her productions feature a fine balance of historical fact, theatrical storytelling and humor, and are made all the more interesting by her use of props and costumes.

Barrett also tells the stories of women’s suffrage, the history of baseball, the evolution of Hollywood, and the advent of air travel, to name a few. Despite the wide range of content, all her presentations speak to the fascinating and evolving history of American culture, and they all amuse, enlighten and engage their audiences. Barrett’s idea for her new career came as a result of her work alongside the artistic director of the North Shore Music Theater, where she provided background history for the theater’s shows. In 2006, Barrett was rewarded for her efforts with the North of Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau Storyteller of the Year Award. Barrett credits her experience at Colby-­Sawyer College as having been instrumental to her success as an historical storyteller. “Looking back, the leadership opportunities I had at Colby-Sawyer helped me to develop the polish and presence I needed for my future career,” she said. By combining her skills in business, theater arts and history, Barrett has created a rewarding career that enables her to breathe new life into old stories and traditions. — Lauren Sullivan For more information about Anne Barrett’s historical presentations, visit annebarrett.net.

Anne Barrett ’89, historian and storyteller

72 colby-sawyer college magazine

traveled to Ethiopia each of the past 3 years to conduct art workshops and other training with the kids and mothers as part of my overall mission. It has been a life-changing experience for our entire family. As an artist from Colby-Sawyer, I am grateful to share my passion with them and would welcome companions on future trips. I also keep in touch with my sophomore roommate, Susan Griffith Steiger ’80, who lives in Chicago and is doing well. Just for fun, I recently custom painted a pair of Tom’s shoes for her birthday. My art studio at home has been getting a remodel and I’m looking forward to having a great space to teach and produce more work. Hope to cross paths with classmates in the months and years ahead. Live a little, love a lot!

1983

GAIL SMART SCIBELLI 1 Seal Harbor Rd. Apt. 815 Winthrop, MA 02152-1026 516.767.5154 gscibell@organic.com

1984

LISA REON BARNES 1354 Honokahua St. Honolulu, HI 96825 978.443.6816 Lisabarnes19@gmail.com

1985–1986

CORRESPONDENT NEEDED

Life is going well in CO for Laura Dewing Johnston, though she does miss the colors of New England in the fall and the ocean. She has been blessed this year and was asked to be a presenter at the American Association of Orthodontics’ annual convention in New Orleans. She says that as much as she speaks daily, nothing quite prepares you for an auditorium of your peers from around the country. With a lot of humor, she pulled it off. Her son, Tyler, just turned 25 and is home after 2.5 years in LA. He’s traded in his modeling career for one in the medical field, which


is a little more stable! Laura is working on a children’s book about bullying. This is such a hot topic now and any support for our youth is so needed. She hopes her classmates are well as we all enter our 50s!

after living in PA and CA. She’s been married for 19 years and has 3 children: Patrick, 17; Kacie, 12; and Meghan, 12. She works in a longterm care facility as a speech and language pathologist. Lynne enjoyed visits to CSC with her children when her niece attended.

1987

KYM PRINTON FISCHER 10 Gordon Road North Reading, MA 01864-2014 978.664.4048 mkjfischer@yahoo.com Hi, everyone! I was happy to hear from at least 2 of you but would really love to hear from more for the next issue—please be sure to email me! It’s been a great, busy year for our family. Mark and I have been married for 13 years and our kids, Jack, 11, and Bella, 9, are busy with all kinds of sports and activities. I have gone back to work in real estate and am adjusting to the even busier schedule. I finally brought my family back to CSC this summer and we had such a great time. We walked all through Abbey and even got to see some of my old rooms. We saw some of the beautiful new additions to the school, as well. Susan Prendergast Conway and her husband, Mark, recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with a trip to Maui. Their daughter, Meghan, and son, Patrick, are living on their own with their own careers. They spent 15 years in SD and recently relocated to coastal GA to be closer to family. Susan is back to bedside nursing in the ICU after spending many years as a director of nursing. Lynne Warburton Najarian is in MA again

Lynne Warburton Najarian ’87 (far right) and her family, including husband Kevin and children Patrick, Kacie and Meghan, during a family trip to California in July.

1988

CATHERINE HOOD-PITTENGER 117 Deer Hill Rd. Irmo, SC 29063 803.945.4449 wrappedjmj@bellsouth.net

Kym Printon Fischer ’87 and her family enjoyed a summer visit to Colby-Sawyer to see Kym’s old stomping grounds. Kym is pictured here with her children, Jack and Bella, in front of her favorite residence hall, Abbey.

CONNECT to Colby-Sawyer GET THE LATEST ALUMNI NEWS facebook.com/colbysawyeralumni FOLLOW US twitter.com/CSC_alumni JOIN THE COLBY-SAWYER ALUMNI GROUP linkedin.com

Melissa Clemons Russell writes, “I have been researching my family history and joined the Genealogical Society of South Whidbey Island in fall 2013. I was visiting my hometown of Concord, NH, this June and went to visit New London and CSC with my parents and peruse the archives in the Susan Colgate Cleveland Library. What a wealth of information we found!” Melissa’s parents both grew up in New London, so they have a lot of history in the town and at Colby-Sawyer. Her paternal grandfather, Eliot G. Clemons ’26, attended Colby Academy for 2 years and his future wife, Melissa’s paternal grandmother Helen V. Pressey, attended the music program at Colby Academy. Melissa’s maternal great-uncle and great-aunt also attended Colby Academy. There are newspaper articles from The Colby Voice and pictures in the Colbyan from the 1900s of her grandfather, great-uncle and great aunt. Melissa’s father, John Clemons, as a child, lived above what is now known as Peter Christian’s Tavern. Both her parents went to New London Central School and were excited to see that the mural from their grade school days was still painted on the wall! Melissa’s mother, Judith Clemons ’89, graduated from CSC one year before her, and they had a class together. Her father’s grandfather,

Fred A. Pressey, once owned the funeral home that is now run by her distant relatives, the Chadwicks. When Melissa attended Colby-Sawyer, she only had an inkling of her family history in New London. Twenty-six years later, she appreciates the stories and history of her family and embraces it, and will continue to be excited about researching her family legacy.

1989

CAROLYN CHERUBINO MCGRAW 311 Mountain Cloud Circle Highlands Ranch, CO 80126-2208 720.344.2612 mcgraw.carolyn@gmail.com

1990

JANETTE ROBINSON HARRINGTON 13 Sherwood Road Hingham, MA 02043 781.749.2571 janetteharrington13@gmail.com Nancy Ellen Moniz Kenyon will finish with graduate school in June and plans to begin her doctorate program in Sept. She’s interning as a therapist at a domestic and sexual violence agency. Nancy is still homeschooling her youngest son; life is busy and full. She and her husband just trained to be volunteers with COSA, helping offenders who were recently released from prison to successfully reenter society. Finally, Nancy is also on the Christian Education Committee at her church. Nancy is one busy lady!

spring 2015

73


connections

1991

GRETCHEN D. GARCEAUKRAGH 315 Adams Street San Antonio, TX 78210 210.226.7079 shoeless94@hotmail.com

1992

ELIZABETH BRYANT CAMP PO Box 671 New London, NH 03257 603.526.2563 ecamp@colby-sawyer.edu JENNIFER BARRETT SAWYER 57 Field Road Marstons Mills, MA 02648-2108 508.428.9766 jjmasawyer@comcast.net Hello, Class of ’92. It was a busy fall on campus with our annual Fall Festival-Reunion Weekend held Columbus Day weekend. It was nice to see so many familiar faces at the alumni games, especially our friends from the Class of ’94, who celebrated their 20th Reunion as the college’s 1st co-ed class! Thanks to all who took time to visit and celebrate this special event. Amy Koskey Kurja still lives in Wenham, MA, with her husband, Ed, and 3 children. She was able to catch up with Robyn True, Alycia Colavito Parkes, Janel McDonald Lawton, Jennifer “Jenn” Barrett Sawyer, and Alexis Trowbridge Scavetta ’95 in Aug. in Bethlehem, NH. They and their families enjoyed some fun hikes together. Amy hopes to run into CSC alumni this winter as she and her family will ski Cannon Mtn. most weekends. I was able to connect with Natashia Dooley over lunch in Detroit. Natashia has graduated from medical school, and earned an MBA and a master’s of public health. She is considering pursuing a psychiatry residency. In her spare time, Natashia runs her own business, Klearview Management LLC. Christine “Chrissy” Lyons Agosto lives in Everett, MA, and teaches in the Everett Public Schools. Kristen Booker Tasker was in touch to learn more about Colby-Sawyer because her daughter, Keira, has begun her college

search … it’s hard to believe our offspring are becoming college bound. As for me, Elizabeth “Beth” Bryant Camp, I still enjoy life in New London with my husband, Nate, and our girls Ellie, 11, and Caroline, 10. I continue to find my work at our alma mater in the Development Office incredibly gratifying. It is wonderful to be on campus to help the college grow and prepare for the future. Please stop by and say hello to me in the Alumni/Development Office if your travels bring you through New London!

1993

DAWN K. HINCKLEY 986 Briarcliff Drive Santa Maria, CA 93455-4152 618.719.7184 Prettygyrl911s@gmail.com

front row, l–r: Jay Geiger ’94, Jen Deasy ’94, Chris Gasparro ’94, Jack Tremblay ’94, Melissa Tucci ’93, Dave Morin ’94. back row, l–r: Susan “Bo” Trainer Russell ’93, Laura McGuinn McCarthy ’93, Ali Goff Sharpe ’94 and Liz Toole Witham ’94 gathered during Alumni Fall Festival to celebrate the 20th reunion for the Class of ’94, the first coeducational class at Colby-Sawyer.

1994

JULIE A. CAMP 200 Trotter Road, Apt. 126 South Weymouth, MA 02190 603.601-2322 camp_julie@hotmail.com STACEY BANKS NIEMAN 1014 Five Coves Trce Gallatin, TN 37066-1400 757. 416-1203 sniemana@gmail.com We celebrated our 20th Reunion with many classmates in attendance, including Jay Geiger, Jen Deasy, Chris Gasparro, Jack Tremblay, Dave Morin, Tony Librot, Hillary Waldbaum, Beth Sargent Fenton, Matt Reed, Ali Goff Sharpe, Liz Toole Witham, Patty Randall Berry, Dan Berry and Holly Long Maturo, plus some friends from the Class of ’93 hosted some fun! Thanks to Laura McGuinn McCarthy ’93, Susan “Bo”Trainer Russell ’93 and Melissa Tucci ’93! Holly Long Maturo and her husband, Jim, had a great time at the Reunion. A few weekends later, they were able to hook up with Jen D’Orazio Hollingsworth for a hockey weekend in Valley Forge. While their sons didn’t get to play each other, they spent

74 colby-sawyer college magazine

front row, l–r: Jack Tremblay ’94, Dan Berry ’94, Sara Hodgkins Morin ’95. back row, l–r: Beth Sargent Fenton ’94, Tony Librot ’94, Chris Gasparro ’94 and Dave Morin ’94 at Page Hall during Alumni Fall Festival.

some time together and Jen had the group over on Halloween to enjoy an evening fire pit. Dana Healy Commesso missed the Reunion but lived it vicariously through Facebook (along with many of us)! She is still working on

her doctorate and teaching at UMass Boston. Her daughters are 6 and almost 2! They’re hoping it’s been a great ski season! Dave Morin and wife Sara Hodgkins Morin’95 enjoyed the friend-filled weekend of Reunion. They enjoyed


seeing how much the campus has grown and enjoyed Sunday brunch in the expanded dining hall. Dave is celebrating 5 years of self-employment in Windsor, VT (www.rgb247. com). He and Sara celebrated their 19th anniversary and are keeping busy with son Jack, 11, and activities at their church. Last summer they built a coop in their backyard and are raising 4 chickens. Dave once again took his church’s teen youth group for a weeklong service trip to New Haven, CT. They worked with a number of charities including Habitat for Humanity and New Reach.

1995

CAROLINE MIRIAM HERZ 20 East 35th Street, Apt. 7H New York, NY 10016 646.387.8946 carolineherz@gmail.com

1996

CORRESPONDENT NEEDED

l–r: Donna Studley, Amie Pariseau, Lori Monroe Lombardi, and Lauren Calvarese Tauscher, all members of the Class of 1997, enjoyed a Colby-Sawyer tennis mini-reunion in Onset, Mass.

Ryan Morley ’99 and Dianne Marsden Morley ’96 with their children, Ty and Allison, at Colby-Sawyer for Ryan’s 15th Reunion.

1997

AMIE PARISEAU 61-4 Mulberry Street Concord, NH 03301 pariseau75@comcast.net DONNA M. STUDLEY 11 Beacon Street Taunton, MA 02780 239.293.8810 donna.studley@gmail.com LAUREN CALVARESE TAUSCHER 3927 East Yeager Drive Gilbert, AZ 85295-1617 lauren_tauscher@yahoo.com

Carla Pearson Marshall ’76 and her family traveled to Japan for the wedding of Emiko Udagawa Shimada’96. Pictured are (back row, l–r) Carla’s daughter Kate Cook, Miki Iida ’98, Emiko Udagawa Shimada ’96, Sayaka Ishibashi Marquis ’98 and Carla (front, holding Sayaka’s sleeping daughter).

Hello, Class of ’97! We 3 are taking over the job from Amy-Jo Sichler Baringer and Regan Loati Baringer (Thank you!) and are excited to be your new class correspondents. Lauren Calvarese Tauscher lives in the Phoenix area with her husband, Brandon, and 4 boys: Peter, Jackson, Andy and Henry. She’s the community education coordinator for a school district and graduated with her 2nd master’s degree, this time in education, in Dec. Her family loved their trip out East last summer—for some it was the 1st time—and especially loved the visits from CSC friends (their tennis wasn’t too rusty), as well as seeing her sister, Alison Calvarese Lopes ’00, brother-in-law Ronald “Ronnie” Lopes ’00 and their children. Alan Handlir lives in OH near

where he grew up. He’s a software trainer and enjoys spending time with his dog, Colby (guess where that name came from). Lori Monroe Lombardi was happy to meet up with Amie Pariseau, Donna Studley and Lauren Calvarese Tauscher in MA over the summer to play some tennis. She was able to chat with Jill Firstbrook ’91 … not a face-to-face, but she’ll take the phone reunion! “We still had our tennis skills; just ask us!” Lori writes. “I was so thankful to spend some time getting to know Donna’s son, Austin, and Lauren’s clan. Great to see Lauren’s parents again, too; it’s been too long. Life has been busy for my husband, J.C., and me with a now 3-year-old, Tori (Victoria), and a new job, but all good. Love Facebook to connect with other alum.” Ryan Milley and his wife co-own Mill-e-Moto: Center for Traditional East Asian Medicine in Beaverton, OR. He’s been practicing acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and Chinese massage for the past decade. In addition to his clinical practice, Ryan is a faculty member at OR College of Oriental Medicine in the Department of Research in

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. As a board member of the Society of Acupuncture Research, Ryan traveled to China as a guest lecturer at the Shaanxi U of Chinese Medicine and to attend an acupuncture research conference in Beijing. Amie Pariseau and Donna Studley visited the Newport Tennis Hall of Fame in RI to enjoy the Hall of Fame inductions, watch some tennis and reminisce. It was just a short 18 years ago that they were competing on those grass courts for CSC! Laura Powell is living in Ardmore, PA, working at the Junior League Thrift Shop and running a lot. On Oct. 26, she ran The Marine Corps Marathon, her 9th marathon! Sarah Rawson Mann loves being a mom and is enjoying her 2 jobs at Mount Sunapee Resort. In the winter she works for Jill Firstbrook ’91 in the Alpine Race Program. Sarah loves working with children of all ages and ski racing, whether it’s coaching, organizing, timing or officiating. She runs the Mighty Mite Program for children 5-7, as well as the TGIF adult race series, and competes on 2 teams herself. In the summer, Sarah is an Adventure Park Guide at Mount Sunapee, working on the Canopy Zip-Lines and the Aerial Challenge Course. She was featured in the summer 2013 Mount Sunapee Magazine and on WMUR’s “NH Chronicle.” Sarah lives in Newbury, NH, with her 6-year-old daughter, Cadence.

1998

JAMIE GILBERT KELLY 10-2 Countryside Lane Middletown, CT 06457 sportsmassage01@hotmail.com CHRISTOPHER G. QUINT 130 Granite Street Biddeford, ME 04005 207.232.6470 christopher.quint@gmail.com

Alison Calvarese Lopes ’00 (l) with her son, Quin, and Lauren Calvarese Tauscher ’97 (r) with her son, Henry.

It’s been 16 years since we left Colby-Sawyer and so much has gone on with all of us. I am happy to connect and reconnect with my CSC friends. I’ve been busy with my newest job as a Loss Prevention

spring 2015

75


connections

l–r: Sarah Prescott Enaire, Rachel Woodbury Novak, Jill Bishop Avery and Colleen Shea Taylor, all members of the Class of ’98, traveled to New London for a fun fall mini-reunion.

Manager for Banana Republic, traveling New England for work. In my downtime, if you can say I have any with a toddler, my family and I spend time in VT and ME. Chris Quint has been busy with his new job as the Executive Director of Public Affairs for the U of Southern ME. I’ve kept in contact with Lisa Lachesky LeBlanc and we recently celebrated her son Thomas’s 1st birthday together. She loves being a mom. Ann Preston Roselle writes, “We have been busy settling into CT for about 3 years now and love being back in New England. I am still working as an inpatient cardio-­ thoracic nurse practitioner with the Heart and Vascular Center at YaleNew Haven Hospital, where I have come across several nursing alumni in my travels, including Traci Green-Cullam ’94 and Beth Cortis ’09. Our time here has been challenged with my diagnosis with severe post-partum and bipolar disorder. I blog about my disorder to help decrease the stigma surrounding mental health and to educate others.” Ann and her husband, Keith, also do extensive volunteer work with a mental

health organization, which has afforded her the opportunity to engage in public speaking on the topic of bipolar disorder and stigma, as well as travel and help Girl Scouts earn their Mental Health Awareness badges. It has been a journey and a privilege. Ann’s blog is www.bipolarandme. virb.com. Meredith DeCola Trudel started a new job last year as a health and welfare project manager, which allows her to work from home and be more involved with her kids’ activities and community. She and her husband, Jeff, recently enjoyed a trip to CO for some R&R. Meredith is still living in Amherst, NH, with Jeff and their 3 children: Chloe, 10, Alex, 5 and Emery, 3. Meredith spent some time with Kim-Laura Boyle and Michelle Arsenault, who are both doing well. I heard from Theresa “Tee” Saucier Bousquet—she and her family have been keeping quite busy! Tee started her 4th year as a physical education instructor at Greater New Bedford Voc Tech and is looking forward to another year as the throwing coach for both the winter and spring track teams. She is also

CONNECT to Colby-Sawyer GET THE LATEST ALUMNI NEWS facebook.com/colbysawyeralumni

Members of the Class of 1999 on campus to celebrate their 15th Reunion were (l–r) Kevin Flynn, Ryan Morley, Dianne Marsden Morley ’96, Kyle Battis and Lahn Penna.

a co-leader for the Girl Scouts and working her way through the ranks in Kenpo Karate! Tee is studying to become a blue belt. Her kids Phoebe, 10, and Payton, 8, keep her time crazier with after-school activities while filling the weekends with community events and such with her husband, Henry, who is a city councilor for their ward. All in all, they are having fun! It was great to hear from Corenna Reeves! She’s living in South Berwick, ME, with her sweet and creative 10-year-old son. Corenna is a pediatric nurse at a pediatric specialty clinic in Dover, NH. She has returned to running and added cycling. Her inspiration is Jodi Lambert Meader, one of the strongest women we know! Amy Blake Jackson and Chris Jackson have certainly been busy! They added beautiful twins, Vivian and Henry, this past July. Their oldest, Isabelle, 14, is in high school and runs track; Carter is 12 and Madelaine is 11. Amy still works as a maternal child health nurse and Chris has changed things a little and is now working as a PTA.

1999

CORRESPONDENT NEEDED

FOLLOW US twitter.com/CSC_alumni JOIN THE COLBY-SAWYER ALUMNI GROUP linkedin.com

76 colby-sawyer college magazine

Hilary Sherman Hawkins reports, “Well, I still work at DHMC, but I am now the Adult Trauma Process Improvement Coordinator. Basically, I track our trauma patients to ensure they are receiving the best

care possible! In my spare time I continue to work as an instructor assistant in the MBA program at GWU and work with Elsevier Publishing in their nursing animations. 4 of our 5 children are in UT; Skyler is entering her freshman year at the U of UT. Zylis, 13, is still trying to make it big in the skiing industry. We now have 5 grandchildren and another on the way! Needless to say my life is very busy but full of joy!”

Lahn Penna ’99 with his wife, Shelley, and their son, Henry, at Lahn’s 15th Reunion.

CLASS OF 2000 JOIN YOUR CLASSMATES OCT. 16–18 FOR YOUR 15TH REUNION ON THE WINDY HILL!


2000

TARA SCHIRM CAMPANELLA 1223 Mission Drive Lemoore, CA 93245-4726 252.626.4655 taracampanella@hotmail.com JENNIFER PRUDDEN MONTGOMERY 147 Grove Street Melrose, MA 02176 978.852.2601 jprudden@yahoo.com Hi, everyone. I hope you are all doing well. I, Jen Prudden Montgomery, continue to live in Melrose, MA, with my husband and 2.5-year-old son, Davis. I still teach 3rd grade in Andover, MA. Shannon Goodfellow Sherman reports, “My husband, Dean, and I just celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary and we are loving life on Cape Cod. I’ve been working at Cape Cod Hospital for the past 13 years on a surgical unit. I am very involved with the MA Nurses Association locally and statewide but had to step down from the chair position representing 600 registered nurses at the hospital after my husband and I welcomed our 2nd child, Teagan, on May 10, 2013. Our son has just turned 3.” Tara Strand Balunis teaches 1st grade and aims to finish and defend her doctoral dissertation before her

next baby arrives. Kaitlyn Tuite Crossen ’01 is an internal medicine nurse practitioner with UMass. She lives in Westborough, MA, with her husband, 3-year-old daughter, and twin 5-month-old boys!

2001

KIMBERLY MORRISON MILLER 8113 Rhudy Place Raleigh, NC 27612 919.788.9336 morrisonkimberly@hotmail.com Katrina Ryan writes, “This past summer started with a visit to DC to see Jennie Cocchiaro LaBranche and her sweet kids! I got to hear about a business venture—Preppy Pink Market—that’s she’s working on with a friend (they monogram things). I also see Kim Morrison Miller on a regular basis, either for fun walks or a movie. We live 2 miles from each other in Raleigh. After 11 years at PNC Arena with the Carolina Hurricanes, with the last seven years spent as the catering director, I made the very hard decision to make a career change. In July I started working at Citrix in Raleigh, where I’m a corporate sales rep on the ShareFile team. Citrix moved into a pretty cool, new building in Sept. It’s LEED certified and the conference rooms are made out of shipping containers!”

Amanda Rucci Lessard ’01 with her daughter, Lauren, on her Baptism Day.

Brooke Morin Black writes, “I am loving life down in Charleston, SC. My 2 kids, Harper, 1.5, and Ethan, 4, are enjoying the weather and hanging out at the beach. I teach U.S. history and coach girls’ lacrosse at Wando HS and coach with Low Country Lacrosse on the weekends.” Julie McFarland Casey and husband, Travis, welcomed a new addition to the family on Mar. 18— they are head over heels in love with their baby boy, Callan. Congrats, Julie and Travis! Kristy Meisner Ouellette says, “We welcomed Porter Amos to our family on June 29. Big brother Eben is in love! Jen Pesare came up for a funfilled weekend before heading back to her classroom duties this fall. I was also promoted to associate extension professor and granted tenure with the U of ME.” Brian Kerkhoven writes, “My wife,

Kristy Meisner Ouellette ’01, her husband, Jason, and their children Eben and Porter enjoy some family time this fall.

Amanda, and I live in Hyattsville, MD, just outside Washington, DC. We bought a 100-year-old fixer-upper last summer and had our baby girl, Aleida, in Jan. 2014. Amanda is an 11th grade English teacher and I am an energy lobbyist for the building and construction trade unions.” Congrats to Brian and Amanda! As for me, Kimberly Morrison Miller, things are pretty much the same here. Peyton, 8, is in 3rd grade and Paisley, 4, is in preschool 3 halfdays a week. Jay still works from home for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Offices, and I continue to be a stay-at-home mom. I feel very lucky to be able to spend as much time with my family as I do.

2002

NICOLE FOWLER MARTIN 26 Pine Crest Dr Spofford, NH 03462 603.363.2011 nicole.martin3@gmail.com CHERYL LECESSE RICHARDSON 429 Cabot Street, Number 1L Beverly, MA 01915-3153 978.998.4886 cheryllecesse@gmail.com

Mike Spinney ’00, Kristin Giannno Spinney ’01 (upper right) and their children were gracious hosts to this clan of Colby-Sawyer alumni and their families, including Erik Rocheford ’01 and Katie Lynch Rocheford ’02 (upper left) and their children, Marisa Tescione Fagan ’01 and Rob Fagan ’01 (bottom left) and their children, and Thomas “Woody” Smith ’01 and Jen Savio Smith ’01 (bottom right) and their children.

Julie McFarland Casey ’01 with her son, Callan, in Gloucester, Mass.

Hope everyone is well and enjoying life to the fullest! Don’t forget to share your updates and pictures for the next issue of the magazine. I look forward to hearing from you! Matthew McClay is the owner of Pleasant Acres, LLC, in Sunapee and New London. He was awarded the 2014 Business Excellence

spring 2015

77


connections connections

| spotlight INNOVATION in the LUMBER INDUSTRY Chuck Gaede ’00 and Matt Hagery ’02

For Chuck Gaede ’00 and Matt Hagerty ’02, a barbecue is as good a place as any for inspiration, innovation and opportunity—a casual discussion in 2011 between the two about the lumber industry over plates of ribs and slaw led to the development of a new lumber trading platform: Woodbrowser. Hagerty and Gaede, who initially bonded through Colby-Sawyer’s tennis and club hockey teams, combined their decades of experience in lumber sales and business operations to develop a different method of trading lumber, one that melds traditional lumber trading practices with innovative, transparent online capabilities. Gaede noticed that there was a clear need for an online purchasing platform that connected buyers directly to mills and removed the typical commission-based middleman. He and Hagerty enlisted the

support of fellow alumni Timothy Ingraham ’03 and Drew Drummond ’02 to draft a business plan, raise money and develop the online platform. According to Hagerty and Gaede, Woodbrowser’s only goal is to get buyers the best products available at the best price, removing any incentives to push unwanted products. After years of expansion and hard work, Woodbrowser now has an office and export warehouse in Grantham, N.H., and serves 140 customers in 26 states and four countries. Woodbrowser caters to largequantity buyers and sellers, such as retail lumber yards, developers and modular and prefab manufacturers. A visit to the company’s website allows customers to access “the only transparent, flat-fee lumber trading process in the market” and to search the inventories of more than 70 mills. Gaede and Hagerty intend to double their company’s customer base over the next year, hire three lumber sales traders and bring in their first in-house programmer and marketing director. The future is bright for Woodbrowser, proving that innovation and collaboration, with just a touch of technology, can lead to success in our global economy. —Lauren Sullivan To find out more about Woodbrowser, visit woodbrowser.com.

Chuck Gaede ’00 and Matt Hagerty ’02, creators of the online lumber trading platform Woodbrowser.

award in Business Services from NH Business Review in Oct. WMUR news anchor Erin Fehlau presented the award. He was not only recognized for his excellence in the field of entrepreneurship … she also mentioned his unyielding community-mindedness as a part time police officer and firefighter, and his work with Hospital Days and skijoring events.

2003

LISA NOYES HARDENBROOK 18 Hampton Towne Estates Hampton, NH 03842 603.292.6964 litha81@hotmail.com I hope that this issue of the magazine finds the class of ’03 well. I can’t believe it was 15 years ago this Sept. that we all met on the mountain for the 1st time! We only have a couple newsworthy items to report. Lida Vanasse has had a great year. In July she completed her 1st Ironman in Lake Placid, NY. She’s also completed 3 half Ironman triathalons. Lida writes that the Ironman was quite an experience, especially when a thunderstorm struck while they were out on the bike. Kayde Czupryna Gower and her husband, Doug, welcomed Mason Henry on June 19. Kayde, Doug and Mason are doing well and are enjoying their family of 3. That’s all for now.

2004

ERIC J. EMERY PO Box 8 Quechee, VT 05059 (603) 359-9844 ericemery6@msn.com

CONNECT facebook.com /colbysawyeralumni twitter.com /CSC_alumni linkedin.com


2006

KARA JEAN BORDEAU 46 Elizabeth Street Plattsburgh, NY 12901-3519 518.593.7574 kjbordeau@yahoo.com

2007

STEPHANIE JAQUES GUZZO 23243 Rosewood Ct. Apt. 1025 California, MD 20619-4077 603.465.9580 stephanie.guzzo@gmail.com

Lida Vanasse ’03 is all smiles as she competes in the Pumpkinman Triathlon in September.

l–r: Alex Darrah ’04 and Jessica Price Darrah ’04 with their sons, Fletcher and Lincoln; Amanda Githens Brougham ’04 with her husband, Rob, and their children, Addison and Jacob; and Nina Lavigne Shedd ’04 with her husband, Brian, and their sons, Joseph and Matthew.

2005

MONICA MICHAUD MILLER 184 Whitney Street Auburn, ME 04210 207.577.7372 michaud_monica@hotmail.com Gwen O’Neil Beaudet and Chris Beaudet enjoy living in Merrimack, NH. Gwen started a new job as a labor and delivery nurse at Elliot Hospital in Manchester; Chris is the night clinical leader at SNHMC and embarking on his master’s degree at Rivier. Their kids are 4 and 2 and life continues to get busier and busier! Lauren Hallworth Wallis married in June. She and her husband, Tim Wallis, love living in Seattle in the house they bought in 2013 along with their dog, Bailey, and 2 cats, Torino and Oscar. This is the 4th year Lauren’s been working as a product line manager on apparel at Brooks, a running company headquartered in Seattle, and she loves it. Working at Brooks has allowed her to continue to nourish her love of running. Elaine Sczurek Lawless gave birth to her 2nd child in June.

Elaine Sczurek Lawless ’05 (l) experienced a wonderful surprise when Laura Kubasek Grindle ’05 (r) was her labor/delivery nurse!

Jackson Chester O’Brien, son of Travis O’Brien ’07 and Meghan Belanger O’Brien ’08, relaxes with Dad.

CLASS OF 2005 COME BACK FOR YOUR 10TH REUNION OCT. 16–18!

Nicole Kenney ’07 (center) participated in the Light the Night Walk in Durham, N.C. in September. She was joined by her Duke University Hospital co-workers Jaclyn and Henry.

MELISSA FERRIGNO PAGE 288 Cornish Tpke. Newport, NH 03773-2307 603.763.1018 ferrig015@hotmail.com ASHLEY HELEN RODKEY 56 Meetinghouse Road Pelham, MA 01002 413.253.7867 rodkeyah@yahoo.com Nicole Marie Kenney is working at Duke as an RN and recently celebrated her 3-year anniversary in Sept. In Mar. 2014, she transferred to the Radiation Oncology Department at the Duke Cancer Center. On Sept. 20, she participated in the Light the Night Walk held by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for the 5th year. She started participating in 2010 when her mom was diagnosed with leukemia. Although her mom unfortunately lost her battle in Jan. 2013, Nicole walks to honor her memory and raise money to help fund research to work toward finding a cure and bringing awareness to blood cancers. This year was her most successful fundraising year. The $1,135 brings her 5-year total to more than $3,000. In Jan. 2014, Garrett Husband was offered a position in the newly created Referral Management Office at Mass General. While a difficult decision, he chose to leave his position at Dartmouth-Hitchcock in Lebanon, NH, where he was a financial analyst, to join Mass General in Boston as a business analyst. He started at Mass General last Feb. and has enjoyed every minute of the role and exploring the city. Stephanie

spring 2015

79


connections

2009

Guzzo started a new job as an athletic trainer with the Harlem Globetrotters. Her graduate thesis was published in the International Journal of Athletic Therapy and Training, and she recently moved back to New England.

NICOLE POELAERT COSTANZO 261 Forest Street Pembroke, MA 02359-3315 339.244.4473 npoelaert@yahoo.com

2008

ELIZABETH MARY CRESSMAN 11 Worcester St. Apt. 8 Grafton, MA 01519-1560 978.828.4414 ecressman1986@yahoo.com

BRITTANY JUDITH MAILMAN 18 Ocean St. A1 South Portland, ME 04106 603.662.9955 bjmailman@gmail.com

Happy Five Years, guys! So much has happened … thanks for sharing. Melissa Estabrook Pillsbury and Andrew Pillsbury ’08 welcomed their 1st son, Charles Alfred Pillsbury, into their MN home on Aug. 4.. He was a healthy 9lbs, 14oz and 21.5 inches long. Elizabeth Cressman has been keeping busy teaching preschool in Westborough, MA. There’s never a dull

Hello, Class of 2010. Amanda Kruszkowski Ramunto married Beau Ramunto ’12 at Wachusett Village Inn on May 24. They reside in Littleton, MA. On May 25, Abbie Morse Roop married Daniel Roop in Brewster, MA. They went on a European honeymoon and visited Paris, Rome, Florence and Greece.

SARAH HEANEY PELLETIER 603.930.5433 sh.heaney@gmail.com Class of ’08, I hope this finds you well, and a big thank you to everyone who sent updates! Meghan Belanger O’Brien and Travis O’Brien ’07 welcomed baby Jackson Chester O’Brien on June 4. Meghan is a guidance counselor at the Nottingham School. Rob Wardwell, the traveling man, drives and works all over the land; he found a great spouse; they bought a nice house; now he eats wings whenever he can. Ashley Goulter and Chris Houston-Ponchak ’06 were married Nov. 2 at the Willowdale Estate and celebrated with CSC alumni spanning several years. Tarren Mackenzie Bailey ’06 photographed the wedding.

moment in the classroom! She also has been having fun rock climbing and competed in her 2nd Rocktoberfest rock climbing competition.

2010

Andrew Pillsbury ’07 and Melissa Estabrook Pillsbury ’09 welcomed son Charles in August.

Abbie Morse Roop ’10 and Daniel Roop on their May 25, 2014, wedding day.

Ashley Goulter ’08 and Chris Huston-Ponchak ’06 were married in November. Several CSC alumni were on hand for the celebration, including (top row, l–r) Chad Nussinow ’06, Charlie Belvin ’08, Lisa Haedrich ’07, Ethan Wright ’06, Jeff Blood ’07, (middle row, l–r) Adrian Pelletier ’07, Patrick Sylvia ’08, Travis Soule ’06, Kristin Belanger (non-CSC), (front row, l–r) Sarah Heaney Pelletier ’08, Angela Eastman Sylvia ’08, Chris, Ashley, Chris Fong ’05 and Tarren Bailey ’06 (wedding photographer).

80 colby-sawyer college magazine

2011

JOHN CHARLES MCCARTHY 1220 W Roscoe St 2nd floor Chicago, IL 60657 johnmccar.11@gmail.com Kyla Pillsbury is working full time at Barban Eye Associates in New London as an ophthalmic technician. She’s also working part time at New London Hospital doing patient access/admission in the emergency department. On top of those jobs, Kyla volunteers for the New London Fire Department and the Wilmot Fire Department, where she is the captain of EMS. In Feb., she completed her Firefighter Level 1 class. Kyla and her fiancé moved into their new home in Andover, NH. Jackie Brambilla Balaga ’12 got married earlier this year. Kimberly Peters graduated with an associate degree in nursing this past year and is working as an RN at Lawrence General Hospital. She is also skating with the NH Roller Derby. Andrea Hoyt is enrolled in the Master’s of Education Program at Curry College and working toward her license in Elementary Education. She’s also working in retail as a lead visual aide, and beginning her full-time teaching practicum this spring. On June 22, Meghan Steele Horan was married to Ryan Horan at a small family ceremony followed by a large reception. Last May, she graduated with her master’s in public health and in July moved to Los Angeles for a job as outreach coordinator at

l–r: Paige DeLuca Lever ’06, Ryan Dunstan ’08, Elisabeth Novak ’08, Pearson Neal ’07 and Tyler Judkins ’07 enjoyed a get-together in Portland, Maine, over the summer.


JUST ADD THE ONES YOU LOVE The best days of your life happened here. Let us help you create new memories at the place you already love. www.colby-sawyer.edu/functions/weddings ♦ 603.526.3720


connections

the U of CA Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology at UCLA. Danielle Kiely accepted a full-time position at the Greater Beverly YMCA as the associate aquatics director after 2 years working there part-time. I, Jaycee McCarthy, finished my master’s degree in teaching special education in May and was inducted into Teach for America alumni-hood in June. I am teaching kindergarten through 2nd grade special education in Chicago Public Schools.

intelligent individuals while celebrating the unnoticed beautiful moments in our day-to-day lives. Joe is gearing up for production on “Building 17,” a horror/suspense film that was shot in North Adams, MA, this past Nov. Ye “Julia” Zhu was promoted to senior project coordinator at Korn/Ferry International in Waltham, MA. She’s working with Fortune 500 clients on professional training and development delivery. Julia will be going to China, Hong Kong and Macau for her wedding in China.

2012

2013

COURTNEY ELEANOR PIKE 1703-B Route 5 North Norwich, VT 05055 802.522.0711 courtney.e.pike@dartmouth.edu KASSANDRA LOUISE PIKE 1703-B Route 5 North Norwich, VT 05055 802.522.0158 kassandra.pike@gmail.com Brittany Ploof LaPan married Christopher LaPan on June 21 surrounded by many Colby-Sawyer alumni. Joe Delaney was promoted to a new position at Deerfield Academy, where he now manages all of the school’s audiovisual media production. He’s also been keeping busy contracting work to local production companies, as well as expanding his own freelance business and creative networks. Joe is excited for the upcoming festival run of “Hank,” an independent short film for which he was director of photography. The film explores the damaging effects of mental illness on even the most affectionate,

Lauren Broderick ’13 (r), Alyssa Tamlyn-Hayden ’12 (l) and a friend (center) sporting their Colby-Sawyer Party in a Box goodies while attending the Levitate Music Festival.

Brittany Ploof LaPan ’12 married Christopher LaPan on June 21, 2014.

MARIA CIMPEAN 85 Winchester Street, Apt. 6 Brookline, MA 02446 603.748.6535 mcimpean.09@my.colby-sawyer. edu Thomas Buckley, Joshua Hardy, Kayne Gilcris and Derrike Palmer founded their own sports news website, Beer Barrel Sports, and have been running it since last Sept. Jose Diarte is adjusting to life in NYC, where he’s enrolled in an epidemiology master’s program at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. In addition to attending graduate school and working full time, he’s been volunteering as a medical interpreter at a student-run clinic in East Harlem.

Heather-Jo Wallace Didrichsen ’13 and Stefan Didrichsen ’11 (front) were married Aug. 9, 2014, in New Hampshire. Colby-Sawyer alumni joining the happy couple included (back row, l to r) Jaycee McCarthy ’11, Colby Chase ’11, MacKenzie Cunniff ’13, Dylan Baker ’12, Mike Lord (non-degreed alum), Matt Cole ’11, (middle row, l to r) Danielle Perry ’13, Jocelyn Cassidy ’13, Katie Coughlin ’13, Lauryn Daigle ’11, Laura Tebbetts ’14, Ashley Godin ’11 and Colby Picanso ’11.

2014

CORRESPONDENT NEEDED

Kaitlyn Arsenault has moved to the Boston area to begin working as the graphic designer at Emmanuel College. ®

GET THE LATEST ALUMNI NEWS facebook.com/colbysawyeralumni FOLLOW US twitter.com/CSC_alumni JOIN THE COLBY-SAWYER ALUMNI GROUP linkedin.com

82 colby-sawyer college magazine

l–r: Katie Buck ’13, Emily Olson ’13, Janet Coggeshall Bliss ’71, Emily Sapack ’13, Jess Nagle ’13, Lauren Broderick ’13 and Kendra Hotchkiss Stephens ’13 enjoyed a get-together in Concord, N.H.


| in memoriam Legend, Friend and Trustee Emerita Patricia “Pat” Driggs Kelsey Patricia “Pat” Driggs Kelsey, a longtime friend and supporter of Colby-Sawyer College, died at the age of 91 on Saturday, Aug. 30, at her home in New London, N.H. Pat was born Aug. 2, 1923, in Philadelphia, the daughter of Edmund Driggs Jr. and Elizabeth Bluntschli. She earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Russell Sage College in 1945. Pat was dedicated to physical education instruction, including her four years of teaching at Colby-Sawyer, but her connection with the college continued long after her formal teaching days.

PHOTO: MICHAEL SEAMANS

“Pat Kelsey is one of the best friends the college has ever had. She was a wonderful coach, a founding member of the Chargers Club, and a fabulous trustee,” said Colby-Sawyer President Thomas C. Galligan Jr. “Over the years, Pat and her husband, Bob, were also incredibly generous to the college with gifts to support athletics and technology. On top of all her wonderful service and generosity, Pat was a gem of a human being. Her laugh and smile were infectious, and whatever else might have been going on in my life, I always felt better after being with Pat. Colby-Sawyer loves her, and we are honored the feeling was mutual.”

Pat was a member of the college’s President’s Advisory Council from 1987, to 1991, and in 1987, she received the college’s Town Award. In 1994, she was awarded the Susan Colgate Cleveland Medal, the college’s highest award for service. Pat served on Colby-Sawyer’s Board of Trustees from 1989 to 1998 and again from 1999 to 2008. She was a founding member and executive director of the Chargers Club, a group dedicated to supporting athletes at Colby-Sawyer. During her tenure, the club initiated the annual awards ceremony and banquet to honor student-athletes. An athlete in her own right, Pat won the N.H. Women’s Amateur Golf Championship in 1955, 1956 and 1958. She also served as head coach for the college’s field hockey team in the late 1970s. She was among the first inductees honored with a place in the Colby-Sawyer College Athletic Hall of Fame when the tradition began in 2006. In 1989, the Chargers Club helped build the six original Kelsey Tennis Courts and in 1999, Pat and Bob were instrumental in the completion of 30 acres of fields dedicated as the Kelsey Athletic Fields. Last October, those playing fields were rededicated as the Kelsey Athletic Campus in honor of the renewed impact

Pat’s gift would have on Colby-Sawyer’s student-athletes with the addition of the Sally Shaw Veitch Track and Field, of which she was an avid supporter. Pat and Bob also gifted the Colgate computer labs and supported other technological endeavors, and Pat was a key figure in the 1991 completion of the Dan and Kathleen Hogan Sports Center. The Kelseys’ extraordinary philanthropy has helped Colby-Sawyer realize its aspirations. In 2003, they were inducted as inaugural members of the college’s Legends Society, a group whose members make philanthropic lifetime gifts of $1 million or more. Beyond her dedication to Colby-Sawyer, Pat was a trustee at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, served as chair of the New London Recreation Commission and was active with the New London Garden Club. Her other devotion was to Kurn Hattin Homes in Westminster, Vt., a school and residence for at-risk children. Pat served as board president there for four terms. She was a member of the First Baptist Church in New London. Pat is survived by her son, Eric H. McGahey; her daughter, Lynn E. McGahey; her stepson, Charles P. Kelsey and her stepdaughters, Deborah Kelsey Watts, Dabney Kelsey Hahn and Heather Kelsey Thomas. ®

With the flag at half-staff at the Kelsey Athletic Campus, the men’s and women’s soccer teams paused for a moment of silence this fall in honor of Pat Kelsey and her extraordinary support of Colby-Sawyer College.

spring 2015

83


connections

| in memoriam legend MARGARET “PEG” E. CAWLEY ’41

trustee emeritus ALFRED “AL” BROOKS ROLLINS JR.

MARGARET “PEG” E. CAWLEY died at the age of 93 on Jan. 20, 2015, in Concord, N.H.

ALFRED “AL” BROOKS ROLLINS JR. died Feb. 20, 2013, in Norfolk, Va. He was a Colby-Sawyer trustee from 1979 to 1990.

Peg was born Nov. 30, 1921, in Mt. Vernon, N.Y., the daughter of James S. and Margaret W. Cawley. After graduating from Colby Junior College, she earned B.S. and M.Mus. degrees and taught music for 39 years, including at Colby Junior College from 1948 to 1961, during which time she also co-directed Colbytown Camp.

Born May 28, 1921, in Presque Isle, Maine, to Clarissa (Jack) and Alfred B. Rollins Sr., Al grew up in Hartford, Conn. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1942 and enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He was honored with the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with four clusters.

For more than 50 years, Peg shared a home with her special friend, Jean D. London. Peg and Jean were generous philanthropists, and together with Jean’s brother, M. Roy London Jr., they were inducted into Colby-Sawyer’s Legends Society in recognition of their extra­ ordinary gift to the college in 2001 that established the M. Roy London Endowed Chair.

Al received a master’s degree in history from Wesleyan in 1946 and a Ph.D. from Harvard in 1948. He began teaching at New Paltz State Teachers College in 1948 and left in 1963 to chair the History Department at SUNY Binghamton. In 1967, he became a professor at the University of Vermont and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, then vice president for Academic Affairs. He led Old Dominion University as president from 1976 to 1985 and then returned to teaching history there until he retired in 1991.

Peg is survived by her sister, Nancy C. Jerome of E. Thetford, Vt.; 10 nieces and nephews and their children. She was predeceased by her sister, Jeanne Marshall Pritchard of La Jolla, Calif., and her lifelong companion, Jean.  ®

trustee emeritus DAVID L. NIXON P ’78, GP ’04 DAVID L. NIXON died Nov. 1, 2014. A resident of Manchester, N.H., David was born in Concord, Mass., on March 19, 1932, the son of Louis G. Nixon Jr. and Alice W. Williams. After graduating from Wesleyan University in 1953, he volunteered for the U.S. Army, but a training mishap left him blind in one eye. He attended the University of Michigan Law School and graduated with honors in 1958. David was a member of the Colby-Sawyer College Board of Trustees from 1972 to 1979 and served on the Awards, Buildings and Campus Planning (chair), and Student Development committees. He is survived by his wife, Patricia D. Nixon, and five of his children: Atty. Leslie C. Nixon and her husband, Atty. Lee C. Nyquist of New Boston and Manchester; Melanie D. Nixon ’78; Atty. Wendy W. N. Branch and her husband, Atty. BJ Branch; David L. Nixon Jr.; Louis G. Nixon and his wife, Trudy Nixon; his eldest granddaughter, Cecily Lee Danver ’04; his granddaughters Christina N. Nyquist, Carla J. Nyquist, Linnea Nyquist and Keira Nixon; his grandsons, Lincoln Nyquist and Jeremy Nixon, and his stepchildren, Michelle, Justine and Douglas Beaudoin. David’s former wife of 38 years, Janet Rich Nixon ’54, ’00, is the mother of Melanie and grandmother of Cecily. He was predeceased by his grandson, Clifford C. Nyquist, and by his daughter, Amie W. Nixon.  ®

84 colby-sawyer college magazine

Married to Helen Jones since 1981, Al is survived by his three children, five grandchildren, a great-grandchild, his sister, two half-brothers and his sister-in-law, nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his first wife, Ernestine McMullin, in 1972, and by his second wife, Faith Kenyon Prior, in 1979.  ®

trustee emerita BLANCHE “BLANI” WORTH SIEGFRIED ’43 BLANCHE “BLANI” WORTH SIEGFRIED of Bridgehampton, N.Y., and Concord, Mass., died Aug. 24, 2014. Born Aug. 19, 1923, in Boston, Mass., Blani earned her associate of arts degree from Colby Junior College in 1943. She was recognized with the Alumni Association Service Award in 1957 and offered her time and talents as president of the Alumni Association from 1957 to 1958. She was a President’s Advisory Council member in the 1990s. She also served as a trustee from 1958 to 1962. In 1993, she established a planned giving gift for scholarships. Blani is survived by her husband of 69 years, Robert E. Siegfried, and by her two children, Martha S. Fritz ’67 and her husband, Frederick; and Dr. Jay W. Siegfried and his wife, Barbara. She cherished her grandchildren and their spouses: Jay and Adeeva Fritz, Matthew and Chandler Fritz, Benjamin and Jennifer Fritz, Edwin Siegfried, Clinton and Kaitlin Siegfried, and Elizabeth and Austin Yount. She rejoiced in her eight great-grandchildren, and she loved her sister, Martha W. Oberrender, as well as her nieces, nephews and cousins.  ®


| in fond memory 1934

1944

1950

1961

Katrine Patenaude Crain March 9, 2006

Myrah Haltom Bancroft Nov. 7, 2010

Marion Dudley Coraine Oct. 22, 2014

Mary Nelson Myers Jan. 4, 2015

1935

Natalie Niedziela Nelson July 31, 2014

1951

1962

Amy Deyo Trinkino Oct. 21, 2014

Cynthia Rice Ward Feb. 12, 2013

Janet Nordhouse Kennebec Dec. 20, 2014

1963

Mary Giddings Lawsing Nov. 12, 2014

1937 Florence Maybeth Allen Hogander Dec. 12, 2013 Priscilla Barton Hutton Dec. 23, 2014

Alice Crowther Brooks Dec. 26, 2014

1945 Marilyn Upham Waters Nov. 12, 2006 E. Lillian Quimby Easton Sept. 14, 2014

Mary Jane Goff Nov. 23, 2014

Alison Faulk Curtis Sept. 27, 2014

1968

Ruth Moore Kostick Aug. 30, 2014

1954

Karen Armstrong Kenworthy Sept. 14, 2010

1947

Barbara Knight Price July 10, 2012

1938

Lucienne “Cinny” Jones Aug. 4, 2014

1940 Elizabeth “Betty” Hearn Howlett April 29, 2013

Cynthia Bussey Thompson Aug. 31, 2012 Alice Hubbert Forbes Dec. 5, 2013 Caroline Scofield Davis Nov. 18, 2014

Mary Robbins Abbey Jan. 7, 2015

Claire Couble O’Hara Nov. 30, 2014

1941

1948

Barbara Ellis Jan. 5, 2013

Joan Boyd Veazey July 19, 2014

Louise Norris Breen Nov. 9, 2014

Mary “Oggie” Ogden Sutcliffe Aug. 19, 2014

Margaret “Peg” E. Cawley Jan. 20, 2015

1949

1943

Nancy O’Neal Tuneski July 21, 2014

1953

Ernestine Upham Gay July 31, 2014

Christine Close McKisson April 20, 2014

1964

1965

1946

1939

Nancy Garland Menchetti Jan. 3, 2014 June Ammon Harris Sept. 23, 2014

Winifred Little Williams Dec. 29, 2014

Joan Davidson Whitney Sept. 28, 2014

1952

Karen Dunn May 30, 2014

Patricia Smith Beach May 20, 2014

Barbara Orr Salter Dec. 26, 1997

Sally Jenkins Kimball Aug. 13, 2014

Blanche “Blani” Worth Siegfried Aug. 24, 2014

Verna Williams Seidensticker Jan. 7, 2015

Catherine Hunt O’Connor Dec. 9, 2014

Janet Bova Blake Nov. 14, 2014

1975

1955

Elizabeth Droney Lowe Aug. 17, 2014

Constance Gauthier Granger March 16, 2014

1977

Polly Parsons Nash July 16, 2014

1956 Myrna Chernin Lord May 21, 2014 Beverly Rounds Stanley Aug. 22, 2014

Elizabeth Boone Morris Jan. 7, 2014

1983 Sonja Torstenson Jacobson Oct. 22, 2014

1987 Debrah Moskalenko Wendorf Sept. 3, 2014

1957 Mary Dawson Dunbar March 5, 2014 Jean Holdridge Goheen Dec. 31, 2014

196O Ellen Brainard Judd Jan. 26, 2014

spring 2015

85


from the archives

It wasn’t until the 1950s that the question of a college mascot became a serious concern.

WHAT’S IN A MASCOT? Deconstructing the Colby-Sawyer Charger by Kelli Bogan

THOUGHTS OF COLLEGE bring certain symbols to mind: brick buildings, ceremonies and traditions like commencement, school songs, school colors and, of course, the mascot. Of these symbols, the mascot is one of the most recognized and honored not just by the college community but also by rival institutions and the public. The appearance of a college’s mascot at sporting events is a time-honored tradition at colleges across the country, and Colby-Sawyer is no exception. You may be most familiar with Colby-Sawyer’s Charger, but this strapping horse was not the college’s first mascot. During the Colby Junior College days, it was common (as at other women’s colleges of the time) for each class to select its own mascot. In 1942, for example, Teddy was the senior class mascot, and Judy Sue was the junior class mascot. Both were present at Colby Recreational Association events and then became memories when the classes graduated. It wasn’t until the 1950s that the question of a college mascot 86 colby-sawyer college magazine

became a serious concern. A front-page article in the April 1955 Kearsarge Beacon, the junior college’s student newspaper, pointed out that the college lacked a mascot. The author noted that mascots had primarily been part of men’s or coeducational institutions and listed Yale and Boston University as examples. The author argued that the mascot was more than a good luck charm; it was a symbol of the school itself and part of the institution’s larger tradition. The author also asserted that women’s colleges generally didn’t have a mascot in the same sense that men’s colleges did—they often had stuffed animals or a pet beagle that would be passed down from class to class—and Colby Junior College didn’t even have that. The Beacon writer argued that a mascot would “provide another segment of tradition and school unity to the college. The expense would be at a minimum and the gain would be long lasting.” To rectify this situation, the newspaper decided to hold a contest to select a college mascot. The contest rules were simple. Students in each residence hall were allowed to submit one entry, complete with a drawing of the mascot. Entries were posted on a bulletin board in Colgate Hall. The vote was held, and on May 9, 1955, the newspaper announced that the Colby Junior College mascot was the kangaroo. The Down Under wonder was proposed by Pam Winder ʼ56, Jean Crowell ʼ56, Alice Taeffner ʼ56 and Nancy Beyer ʼ56 of Colgate Hall; they recommended that the kangaroo be blue with contrasting white to match the school colors. Production of stuffed animals and stickers was slated for the fall of 1955. In the May 23 issue of the Kearsarge Beacon, Colby the Kangaroo (whose baby ’roo went by Junior) wrote a letter of introduction:


Hi, or should I be formal and say Hello? When one is not addressing other kangaroos, it is sometimes difficult to know the correct salutation. But from what I was able to learn from my brief visit to the Colby campus, I guess Hi covers just about everything. I must admit that I am having some trouble getting knee socks to fit me. When I go into Astor and ask for a pair, the sales girl gives me the oddest stare. I have the same trouble with Bermudas, but if I am going to live on the campus I want to look like the rest of the girls. Are the beds comfortable? I have the hardest time explaining to my friends the rather extraordinary habit you girls have of putting your animals on your beds all day, and on the floor all night. Does the SPCA know about this? I do hope we can become friends. When I went to Long Tail Teachers College my roommate used to get As on the French tests she never studied for either. So you see, we can talk if you have problems. Well, I must hop along. I have more packing to do. Junior sends his love, and wants to know if he can take a sunbath behind Burpee, too?

By the early 1960s, although students could still buy the kangaroo in the college bookstore, its origins had disappeared into speculation. A newspaper plea for information on the kangaroo’s history was left unanswered, and soon its role as the college’s mascot faded into memory, leaving the college without a mascot once again. In 1975, Colby Junior College evolved into a four-year institution with a new name and identity. One of Colby-Sawyer College’s first orders of business was to decide on a school mascot, and the college chose the Charger. Chargers were medieval war horses, but the exact origins of the Colby-Sawyer Charger remain a mystery. The 1981 student newspaper first mentioned the Chargers and, from that point forward, sports teams began to be referred to as the Chargers. The Charger mascot has persevered through coeducation and into the new millennium. In 2012, as the college developed a new visual identity, it decided to update the Charger logo to depict action and forward motion. This fall, history repeated itself. The sentiment expressed so long ago by the Kearsarge Beacon that “expense would be at a minimum and the gain would be long lasting” came back around when the college installed the Charger statue that now stands proudly in front of Hogan Sports Center and is called Victor.  ® If you have information on why Colby-Sawyer selected the Charger as its mascot, contact Archivist Kelli Bogan at kbogan@colby-sawyer.edu.

Your loving mascot, Colby and X (Junior cannot write yet)

spring 2015

87


I Believe in Yesterday—And Tomorrow hen Colby-Sawyer College hired me as an English professor in 1998, Shania Twain’s song “You’re Still the One” reigned as the top country hit and much of Europe had just agreed to adopt the Euro. My current first-year students were then exuberant toddlers; my current seniors were big-eyed first graders running around on playgrounds and hosting birthday parties. With youth’s insouciance, neither group worried about what they would be doing in 2015. Unlike me, Colby-Sawyer’s new hire, they fretted not about gaining weight, the national debt, political correctness or piles of papers demanding attention every weekend. Times have changed. My current students grew up with terrorism, smart phones and the rise of social media. I’ll bet few could name all four of the Beatles, yet they have knowledge of the world that I, like my students of 1998, certainly lacked as college freshmen. Because of their time at Colby-Sawyer, they have become global citizens. The college’s mission statement declares that Colby-Sawyer “prepares students to thrive in, and make a positive impact upon, a dynamic, diverse and interdependent world.” This effort, coupled with the growing number of international students on campus, has now made the world a smaller and more connected place. For the past decade, the notion of an interdependent world has been permeating the campus. The students who take part in the college’s International Speakers Bureau offer lively presentations on gender rights and social mores in their home countries. We are treated to international dance performances and feast at student-­ organized dinners on flavors from around the world. Environmental studies students, the moving force behind reducing the college’s carbon footprint, educate all of us about the

implications of climate change. In our classrooms, global issues invariably pop up as we engage in debates about world literature, cross-cultural psychology, international disease outbreaks, media criticism, world religions and macro­ economics. We sample international cuisine in our dining hall while our student-artists participate in the Empty Bowls Project, an international effort to fight hunger through the arts. Our philosophy students help us to think about the way in which we frame questions about global and individual issues. I am not worried that our graduates might not know the names of all the Beatles, if they can hum along to “You’re Still the One,” or if they remember the year in which most of Europe adopted a standard currency. It is clear that what was news for me as I finished my graduate degree is not news for them. Change in the form of globalism has arrived for this generation. I am proud to have been part of the Colby-Sawyer community during this time of intellectual ferment. I know this small college has prepared our students well, and I am eager to see how they will navigate this diverse, interdependent, brave new world.  ® Associate Professor of Humanities Margaret Wiley is entering her own brave new world of retirement this June and is looking forward to life in Portland, Maine. The former coordinator of Colby-Sawyer’s writing program, she taught courses in writing, women’s studies and Irish and English literature. She is also a registered nurse and has volunteered as a nurse educator in Rwanda. Professor Wiley’s book, Women, Wellness and the Media, was published in 2008 and explores the perils, politics and media manipulation of women’s health issues in essays written by scholars from a variety of disciplines. In 2012, the college recognized her with the Gown Award for her role on the Steering Committee of the N.H. Women’s Caucus. Professor Wiley holds a B.S.N. from the University of New Hampshire and an M.A. and a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts.

ILLUSTRATION: NANCY SEPE

epilogue

by Margaret Wiley

88 colby-sawyer college magazine


1THANK YOU2 2014 was a record-breaking year for The Colby-Sawyer Fund.

$2,020,278 raised ® 2,628 donors ® 300 new donors with your help, we can make 2015 even better.

COMPLETE THE CIRCLE. When you were a student, long before you ever thought of where to direct your charitable donations, someone gave a gift to Colby-Sawyer, which was really a gift to you. You might have received that gift as a scholarship that made your education possible, as 95 percent of our students do. You might have received it in the form of a new residence hall, or science building, or organic garden, or athletic facility. The book you discovered in the library, the grant that meant you could go on a field studies course? They were there for you because of gifts. When you give to Colby-Sawyer, you have the power to shape the experiences of those who come after you, just as your experience was shaped by those who cared enough to give and support your education. Whatever amount you can give will make a difference. Make your gift at cscm.ag/completethecircle. On behalf of current and future students, Colby-Sawyer thanks you.


NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

WHT RIV JCT, VT PERMIT 73

Office of Advancement 541 Main Street New London, NH 03257 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Colby-Sawyer’s 50-foot-tall Skystream 3.7 wind turbine is a residential-scale unit. The power it generates feeds back into the main electrical system, helping to offset the college’s energy use. It also enjoys some of the best views on campus.


Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.