Matt Seu ’86, M.B.A. ’89 and I spent a wonderful long weekend in Williamsburg for Homecoming & Reunion Weekend! Festivities started with a Thursday eve Tribe Women’s Soccer game under the lights. Marsha Fishburne Lycan and Julie Cunningham Shackford ’88 were of course on the sideline coaching, but we got to chat with Neil and Jen Finn Duffy ’86,Chip Puskar and Patty Hanson Puskar, and Nancy Reinisch O’Toole ’88, and Bo Wilhelm. Patty and Chip were there cheering on their daughter Addie Puskar ’22, a senior on the team who was recently named William & Mary Student Athlete of the Week. Nancy drove down for Homecoming and was in the crowd with us cheering on her daughter Jillian O’Toole ’23who is a junior on the team, along with Kayleigh Shackford ’23 (Bo and Julie’s daughter). It’s been great seeing Addie, Jillian and Kayleigh play over the years. I have to say, being able to cheer on the daughters of friends I’ve known since ’83 is a special experience.
We got to spend some time at happy hour Friday at The Lodge with my Tri Delt sorority sisters Sarah Wilson, Karen Griffith Gryga and Sharon Meyers Levine. I was happy to meet Sarah’s oldest daughter, Clementine, who was on a college visit checking out W&M (her husband, Chris Robins, was back in Massachusetts with their youngest daughter, Lola). Sharon and her husband, Ken, had a busy weekend not only with Homecoming events, but they also were looking forward to the graduation ceremony for their oldest daughter, Ansley Levine ’20, on the Sunday of Homecoming weekend. We were joined by some W&M sorority sisters and friends of Ansley and Amelia Levine ’24, along with Stu West ’88, M.B.A. ’93 Mike Sapnar ’88and his son Sam (a recent St. Lawrence University grad), Mark Sweeney ’86 and Jeff Tinnell ’85.
Some other names and faces in the crowd from the tailgates and events this weekend include Mark Boddy and Emily Powell Boddy ’88, David Bond, Mark Batzel ’88, Rhanna Kidwell ’86, Cathy Caputo Livingstone ’86, Martha Feathers Owens ’85, M.Ed. ’92, Ed.S. ’94, Erin Sheehey Downs ’84, J.D. ’87, Darcy and Kelly Jackson Higgins ’85, Diane Alleva Cáceres ’87, M.A. ’89, Lynn Alleva Lilley, Carl Kumpf ’88 and his W&M undergrad daughter Cayla Kumpf ’22, Dan Head ’85, Pam Bitto Watts ’86 and her husband, Jim, Karen Nelson (in town for events including the Sunset Ceremony and the graduation ceremony for her daughter Susanna Maisto ’20), Catherine Nelson Schlawin ’89, and many, many others (forgive me if I forgot to add your name, I’m getting old!)
While talking with Dan Head ’85 and Marsha Fishburne Lycan at the Tribe Women’s Soccer tailgate, I got to speak briefly by phone with Dan’s sister Laura Head Milgram, who was a Spotswood freshman back in ’83 with Marsha and me! Laura is doing really well and is living in the Cleveland area with her husband and four kids. Laura earned her medical degree at Case Western University and specializes in pediatric pulmonology.
W&M sent a few news clippings with news about classmates. In August 2021, W&M News originally published a story by Daisy Garner ’21 highlighting Amy Zhao ’19 and the recent award she received in the “Design & Creator” stream of WizForm’s Build Your Dream competition. Daisy’s article titled “The Art of Blockchain” notes that Amy’s project idea was called “The Art Block” and focused on using blockchain technology to “address intellectual property issues in the art world.” Her interest in blockchain apparently began when she took a course at W&M’s Global Research Institute. Mike Tierney ’87, M.A. ’89 is the co-director of William & Mary’s Global Research Institute, which its webpage describes as a hub that brings together faculty, practitioners and students to explore and research real world issues. The GRI was founded in 2008 and external partners have apparently invested more than $70 million in GRI.
In August, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette featured a piece on Chip Puskar (Charles Esten), his roles on the successful ABC/CMT show “Nashville” and more recently on “Outer Banks” on Netflix, and his close ties to Pittsburgh. Chip’s mother, Cynthia Fulwiler Puskar ’63, and dad, the late Charles E. Puskar Jr. ’63, were William & Mary graduates, and Chip was born at Allegheny General Hospital. He and his sister Cathy Puskar ’89, spent most of their early childhood in the Pittsburgh area before relocating to Alexandria, Virginia. They still have many Pittsburgh-area relatives and friends, and the article notes that he’s often back cheering on the Steelers whenever he can. Chip and Patty live in Nashville, Tennessee, and are proud parents of three children: Taylor, Chase and Addie Puskar ’22. Chip is serving once again as the 2021 National Light the Night Honorary Chair. The Light the Night Walk is the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) fundraising event to pay tribute and bring hope to those battling cancer. Patty and Chip have been heavily involved and personally committed to helping LLS. (They are putting on their 8th Annual Light the Late Night concert this year.) Their daughter Addie (who plays Tribe Women’s Soccer) is a leukemia survivor and has been cancer-free for 18 years. If you’re interested in learning more or donating, you can visit bit.ly/TeamAddie2021.
It was fun bumping into so many friends and classmates at Homecoming. Next year is our 35th Reunion, so I hope you can make plans to be there next October!