Class Reporters
Dawn E. Boyce
dboyce@bmhjlaw.com
Liz Turqman
LizT.WM88@gmail.com
Latest Class Notes
Cheryl Toth has relocated to the Raleigh/Durham area in North Carolina to be closer to family. She and her husband both work for IBM out of the Research Triangle Park office. She’s enjoying the change in quality of life as her hour commute dropped to 20 minutes door to door. She recently celebrated the graduation of her younger daughter from the University of Miami in Florida. Her older daughter, Taylor Newbolt ’22, is headed to Nashville in the fall to start a doctoral program in immunology at Vanderbilt University.
Laura Preston Horoszewski and Maria Santucci Carrington reunited at Homecoming & Reunion Weekend and the fun continues. Laura reports that after attending Homecoming for the first time in MANY MANY years, she has gleefully been rekindling William & Mary friendships! Laura especially wants to shout out about Donna Romankow Boyd, who recently retired from her career as an attorney and turned her attention to playwriting. Laura was privileged to be with Maria Santucci Carrington and Jon Tarrant ’87 in February to witness and celebrate Donna’s rapid success as she had her first play produced in New York City! What an impressive accomplishment! And Laura suspects this is only the beginning of her theatrical career. ...
Donna Romankow Boyd (second from left) takes part in a question-and-answer session onstage with other playwrights and producers.
Maria Santucci Carrington (from left) Donna Romankow Boyd, Jon Tarrant and Laura Preston Horoszewski celebrate the production of Donna's first play.
Maria agrees that Homecoming definitely reunites! Maria notes that after great conversations last October, Donna Romankow Boyd, Laura Preston Horoszewski, Maria Santucci Carrington and Jon Tarrant ’87 decided that their discussions needed to continue! In December 2023, the group met in NYC and had a great time at The Museum of Modern Art, especially enjoying the Edward Ruscha exhibition. In February 2024, they again reconnected to support Donna as she made her NYC playwriting debut at the Love Festival staged by Break A Leg Productions. Next up: the Whitney Biennial.
Maria Santucci Carrington, Jon Tarrant, Laura Preston Horoszewski and Donna Romankow Boyd meet up at The Museum of Modern Art.
Melissa Orndorff Markham, her husband, four children and their spouses traveled to New Hampshire in April and witnessed three minutes of total darkness during the eclipse! It was amazing! Melissa is halfway through her seventh year of working for Bedford County (Virginia) Social Services on the foster care team. And she and her husband are expecting their first grandchild on Halloween.
Sydney Jane Baily updated us on her latest book: “Having been an author of historical romance since 2011, I’m switching to contemporary romance, with my first series being billionaire romance, under the pen name Jane McBay. The first book in the new series is titled ‘A Billion Little Lies’ and will be published on July 17. Beta readers’ reviews have been very good.”
Chris Campbell is currently living and working in Ketchikan, Alaska, as a merchant mariner for the Alaska Marine Highway.
Chris Campbell is shown in front of the MV Matanuska, named for the Matanuska glacier. Part of the Alaska Marine Highway System, it is 408 feet long and 74 feet wide.
Here, Chris provides a glimpse of Ketchikan, Alaska, where he lives and works.
Janine Heitland Hofer and her husband, Tom, brought their high school junior daughter, Claire, to the Washington, D.C., area for a lacrosse tournament and managed to combine visiting colleges (including W&M) with dinner with Liz Turqman in Arlington, Virginia, and with Beth Philpott Phares and Kris Satkunas in Richmond. It was great to reconnect.
Claire Hofer (from left), Janine Heitland Hofer, Tom Hofer, Beth Philpott Phares and Kris Satkunas meet for dinner in Arlington, Virginia.
Class Notes Archive
Tommy Lewis ’88, M.B.A. ’91 spent last Christmas break with his family in Cocoa Beach, Florida. He and his wife of 30 years, Meggan, have five children: the two oldest, Caleb and Mary Hannah, are out on their own and the three youngest, Sarah Larkin, Tobias and Micah, are in college. Tommy reports that he is thankful to the Lord for each of his precious family members and to W&M for all it gave him to prepare and set him on his course and journey in life.
In the photo, from right to left are: Tommy’s oldest son, Caleb, with his family, Alexa and Sawyer; Sarah Larkin (University of North Alabama); Tobias (Shorter University); Meggan and Tommy; Micah (Mars Hill University); Mary Hannah and her husband, Lane Miller (currently in Quantico in Marine Officer Candidates School).
Since Jan. 1, Alan Edwards ’88, Ed.S. ’93, Ph.D. ’01 has been serving as the interim director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), where he’s worked since shortly after he completed his doctorate. This June, Alan and his wife, Connie Newman Edwards, will celebrate their 36th wedding anniversary. Their cats remain unimpressed!
On Feb. 14, Kirby Knight underwent a bone marrow transplant at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore as a hopeful cure for a very rare cancer, cutaneous lymphoma, with which he was diagnosed last summer. Kirby underwent six rounds of chemo throughout the fall, which he both tolerated and responded to quite well; this bodes well for how he’ll respond to the transplant. Eric Hoy helped Kirby tremendously by coordinating daily rides required to and from Hopkins, staying with Kirby in Baltimore for the first six days of prep leading up to the transplant and serving as his executor, trustee, power of attorney and so much more. Kirby’s transplant of stem cells occurred on Feb. 14-15, followed by about 60 days of daily visits to Hopkins, after which Kirby hoped to be released to return home to Silver Spring, Maryland.
Audrea Topps-Harjo produced “The First Lady of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story,” which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Congrats!
Having been ordained a Catholic priest on May 15, 1993 (the same date as his graduation from W&M five years earlier!), last year the Rev. Don Planty celebrated 30 years as a priest of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia. This year marks his 10th as pastor of St. Charles Catholic Church in Arlington. He continues to love serving the many young adults and enjoying the youthful vibe of his parish in the heart of the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor, right across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Pictures below! He keeps in touch with and occasionally gets together with classmates Mike Egge, Molly Curtin de Marcellus and Vince Haley.
And from the news:
Jill Ellis ’88, L.H.D. ’16, was added to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. Ellis led the Women’s National Soccer Team to victory in 2015 and 2019 and now serves as the president of the San Diego Wave FC. The induction ceremony was be held in the Richmond area April 19-20, 2024. William & Mary also named a field in her honor.
Debbie Mackler Fisher, an architect in Southern California, was interviewed by Voyage LA as a “hidden gem.”
Hello all and thanks to all who wrote in — please keep the updates coming. Liz Turqman really enjoyed seeing many of you at Homecoming & Reunion Weekend 2023 (every time she went into the Cheese Shop this Homecoming, she ran into multiple hungry classmates). The last 35 years really flew by, but it still felt surreal when the photographer at the class photo (Skip Rowland ’83) reminded us that in 15 years we join the Olde Guarde.
Michelle Fay Cortez is the chief global health care correspondent for Bloomberg News. She has been with the company for 32 years, one of the originals from the now-huge Washington newsroom, and has lived and traveled all over the world mainly covering health. Michelle moved to Hong Kong in 2021, when COVID-19 was still the biggest story of the day (and did two weeks of hotel quarantine, including TV hits from her hotel room, when her husband would go to the bathroom to stay out of the frame — fun days). This was their midlife crisis, after the last of their three kids went to university.
Mike Studeman retired as a two-star admiral from the Navy after 35 years of service as an intelligence officer. His last job was as commander of the Office of Naval Intelligence. Other flag officer assignments included director of intelligence (J2) for the Indo-Pacific Command and director of intelligence (J2) for Southern Command.
Mike and Lynne Draper Studeman ’89 remain happily married after 31 years. They have two grown boys, Noah and Joshua. Lynne recently started Wesley Seminary to attain her Master of Divinity and Mike is in the process of publishing a book on leadership as a transition project. They live in Annandale, Virginia.
Mike and Lynne at his Navy retirement
Ginny Parsons Lee wasn’t able to attend the reunion this year because she is living in Hawaii permanently. Ginny says it’s great to move back home! After a kitchen remodel, Ginny and her husband, Ian Lee, moved into Ian’s childhood home. Ginny has gotten into outrigger canoe paddling and most days you can find her on the water. She continues to work in private practice as a nurse midwife. Ian will retire from the Army in 2025. Island life has been great for Ginny’s mental health after the COVID-19 burnout and has provided a great location for the kids to visit. Although sorry to miss the fall colors, she says “Aloha”!
Ginny Lee
Ginny Lee with her husband, Ian
In October 2023, Ana Schrank became CFO of Invitae Corporation in San Francisco. Ana has more than 25 years of experience in finance. Invitae reported, “Ana brings financial and leadership experience with healthcare companies across different stages of growth, and will be a tremendous asset to Invitae as we continue our focus on profitable growth, operational excellence, innovation and investment in our future.”
Chris Neikirk was excited that ’88 fellow classmates John “Rocker” Hendrickson and Artie “RT” Schmalz were getting the band (N’est Pas) back together with fellow Theta Delta alum band mates, Clem Cheng ’87, Dennis Whelan ’87, and Charles Esten Puskar ’87 for the Saturday Night Bash at Homecoming. What better way to celebrate Homecoming? Great show, N’est Pas!
N’est Pas on Broadway in Nashville, Oct. 7, 2023
Connie Glaysher Calabrese and David Calabrese congratulate their oldest daughter, Julie Calabrese ’18, on starting her emergency medicine residency at Cooper University Hospital.
Connie, Julie and David Calabrese
Alicia Locheed Goodrow just celebrated the one-year anniversary of her solo business law firm, Houston-based Goodrow Law, PLLC (www.goodbiz.law). She has outsourced general counsel to private and family-owned businesses and uses her Spanish language skills to represent many inbound companies owned by Latin American and Spanish private companies.
Alicia and Cary Ruscus Jimenez had some crazy road-tripping adventures in South Texas in 2023 chasing Whooping Cranes, Green Jays, Green Parakeets and other bizarre winged friends. Amy Hartman Roby hosted Alicia various times in San Antonio for hikes and Central Texas adventures. If there are Class of ’88 alumni in Texas, Maine or Philadelphia who want to go for a hike, or you’re need of a really good lawyer for entrepreneurs, Alicia asks you to reach out to her at agoodrow@goodbiz.law and get together.
The ’88 Dupont 1st East Wallflowers — Christina Langelier Hamilton, Lynne Sisson Haynie ’88, M.Ed. ’02, Renee Morgan Orlosky, Sharon McElwee Barnes and Teri Dale Dungan returned to Homecoming with Sean Hamilton ’89, M.B.A. ’01, Russell Haynie, Bob Orlosky, John Barnes ’89, Tom Dungan, Rodney Alejandro, Janet Alejandro, and Elmer Bigley ’89. These pictures are from a tailgate with many from the class of ’88. Spending time with old friends is good for the soul! They also spent time with Teri’s daughter Megan Dungan ’23 and her classmates attending their first Homecoming.
The ’88 Dupont 1st East Wallflowers
Class of ’88 members at Homecoming 2023
Shawn Barrett, an anesthesiologist in the private sector and the Air Force, retired after 25 years. Shawn works occasionally to keep his license active in anticipation of future humanitarian surgical missions. He and his wife, Carrie, split their time between Austin, Texas, and Bend, Oregon. They enjoy volunteering, traveling and staying active, whether skiing, snowshoeing, bicycling, hiking, swimming or running. Both have completed five full Ironman races and over a dozen half Ironmans over the past 15 years. Carrie and Shawn also have a radio show in Bend highlighting Americana music (streaming at KPOV.org).
Anne Reynolds ’88, J.D. ’91 reports that her law school roommate Monica Taylor Monday ’88, J.D. ’91, who was the managing partner of Gentry Locke in Roanoke for the past 10 years, transitioned to chair of the firm's executive board. Valley Business magazine did a wonderful writeup of some of Monica’s achievements (she is one of the first women to lead a large law firm in Virginia and grew the firm's business remarkably during her tenure). Anne has been living outside of Roanoke since 2018 and says one of the best things about her new(ish) home is that she gets to catch up with Monica.
Jonathan Wilson is busy with his new startup, the FinCEN Report Co. The company aims to help companies file reports that will be required under the Corporate Transparency Act, which takes effect at the end of 2023. As part of that effort, he wrote a book, “The Corporate Transparency Act Compliance Guide,” which was due out from LexisNexis in July.
Charles Frohman is selling a Forbes-featured insurance alternative, lobbying for the world’s oldest health freedom organization, and enjoying life back in the ’Burg as an out-of-control soccer dad.
Michelle Wade Welsh ’88, M.A.Ed. ’90 and Craig Welsh ’87 live in Chesapeake, Virginia. Craig is an estimator with TriState Utilities and Michelle is pursuing a Ph.D. from Regent University. Michelle has been homeschooling her five sons. Three are college graduates, one is currently in college and the youngest will be a senior next year. She teaches in a homeschool group with Heather Hoover ’99. Michelle sees Renee Wade Shockley ’86 and Noelle Wade Irelan ’95 frequently. Recently her oldest son married and she is now a grandmother! Michelle works several part-time jobs: Classical Conversations as a product specialist, Red Truck Candy Store making fudge and turtles, and Developmental Vision Care PC as a vision therapist.
Michael Davis ’88, J.D. ’91, lives in Virginia Beach with his wife, Teri. The oldest of their three grown children just gave them their first grandchild in April 2022; a second grandbaby was due in September. Michael says being a grandparent absolutely rocks! Michael has been practicing FELA (Federal Employers' Liability Act) railroad personal injury law with The Moody Law Firm in Portsmouth, Virginia, since 2000, and he was recently elected president of the Academy of Rail Labor Attorneys (ARLA), a nationwide organization of approximately 160 FELA trial lawyers.
Tom Sodeman finished his Master of Public Health in ’21, a master’s degree in Japanese history in ’22, and just completed his first year of a Ph.D. program in U.S. history, all at the University of Toledo. Retiring from the Air National Guard in August after 28 years, he will remain on the faculty as assistant dean at UT.
Reagan Studios, owned by Keith Reagan and his son, Collins, won Best Humanitarian Short Film at the Cannes World Film Festival on May 27, 2023, for their documentary “Ministry of Surf.”
Connie Bruce lives in Henrico, Virginia, but also spends time in Hampton, Virginia. She has been with the Virginia Council of CEOs for 15 years and serves as director of operations and member services. Her youngest, Lacey McRoberts ’23, just graduated from W&M! Connie enjoyed watching Lacey make her own way, successfully, at W&M. They participated together in the legacy reception sponsored by the W&M Alumni Association. What a sweet way to welcome the newest alumni. Connie and Bonnie McDuffee Ashley are making plans to meet up on campus for Homecoming & Reunion Weekend 2023, Oct. 19-22.
Jennifer Lear reports that her freshman roommate Terry Lawler Usry and Terry’s mom, Kathy Lawler ’59, and Laura Deporter Tayman (also a roommate) attended a Tribe event in Denver. (Laura, Kathy and Terry are shown at right.) Jennifer had a lot of fun reconnecting with them while she and her husband, Todd Cunfer ’87, were living in Denver for the last five years. They missed the event because they moved back east for Todd’s new job with Freshpet. Jennifer and Todd have an apartment in Philadelphia but will spend most of their time in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, (Riegelsville) to be closer to Todd’s offices in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and Secaucus, New Jersey. Their daughter Caroline is a Ph.D. student in American studies at Brown University and is teaching her first class this semester. Their daughter Lauren is working as a post-production coordinator and visual effects coordinator for film and TV in New York City. Her first two movies were just released — “The Pale Blue Eye” and “Shotgun Wedding.” Jennifer is a writing consultant/coach and is getting back into performing. The Broadway debut of Linda Powell ’87 in “A Beautiful Noise” inspired her!
Beth Gallagher Doyle (another roommate of Jennifer’s!) is busy teaching and playing tennis, and her niece is continuing the Pi Phi tradition as president of the University of California San Diego chapter.
Betty Steffens Clark became a grandma to a beautiful granddaughter in November 2022.
Brooks Sandeman Clark and his wife, Kate, live in New York City. Brooks is a real estate finance lawyer and Kate is the founder and owner of a toy manufacturing company. Their oldest daughter is a sophomore at Southern Methodist University and their younger daughter is a sophomore in high school. All are looking forward to spending more time in Europe this summer.
Jeff Wilson and his wife live in Tampa, Florida, with their four kids (ages 7, 14, 15 and 22; the oldest is in college at Southeastern University). Jeff shifted from vascular surgery to full-time writing a few years ago, after many years in the Navy as a combat surgeon working with Special Warfare (SEALs). Working with fellow Navy veteran Brian Andrews, Jeff and Brian write as Andrews and Wilson (www.andrews-wilson.com) with now more than 20 international bestselling novels. This past year, they grew their storytelling into other venues and now have nearly a dozen projects optioned and in various stages of development for TV and film with Imagine, PictureStart, Skydance, MakeReady, Sony and others where they serve as executive producers. It has been an amazing journey. Jeff says his “amazing wife, Wendy, is the most overqualified biology teacher in America,” who, as a biochemist and molecular biologist, has moved from pharma to academia teaching at Tampa University, to now teaching high school bio at their kids’ private school, a job that she loves more than any she has had.
N’est Pas (shown above) reunited to play the October 2022 Homecoming Friday Night Bash in the Sunken Garden. The full band played: Charles Esten Puskar ’87, Clem Cheng ’86, Dennis Whelan ’87, John Hendrickson, Art Schmalz and Chris Neikirk. They worked in a new cover of Steely Dan’s “My Old School” lyrics: “Oh no, William & Mary won’t do ….” Chris states the band could not have done it without the great help of Patty Puskar ’87, Jeff Williams and Cory DeAngelo ’90. N’est Pas had a blast; the crowd was fantastic, as you can see in the photo at right. (Read more in our online exclusive story, "Let the Music Take Us Home Again.") They are trying to make it happen again for Homecoming 2023 — the 35th for us ’88ers.
Thanks very much to those who wrote in, we love to hear from you and to see your photos. Send in an update or talk a friend into doing it, and we hope to see you at Homecoming & Reunion ’23, Oct. 19-22, celebrating W&M’s 330th year.
Diana Bulman recently left Stanford University, where she was fundraising for the School of Medicine and its hospital, to take a job as chief development officer and president of the foundation for Aspen Valley Hospital in Aspen, Colorado. She started on Oct. 10 after spending some time unpacking and getting a more winter-friendly car! (Shown at right: Colorado fall 2022 photo by Diana.)
Joseph Romance is living in southern, rural Pennsylvania and, with co-author Chapman Rackaway, just wrote an academic book titled “Primary Elections and American Politics: The Unintended Consequences of Progressive Era Reform.”
Steve Clarke ended a run on "Jeopardy" that aired in July 2022 with two wins and nearly $40,000.
Marybeth Wittekind Sharpe was appointed chief administration officer for the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. She will lead the communications, facilities, finance, grants administration, human resources and IT functions for the $9 billion private foundation.
Dawn Boyce, Rachel Edelstein, Alison Martin Furlough, Sarah Handley, Laura Draegert Kavanagh, Beth Philpott Phares, Kris Satkunas and Liz Turqman celebrated their 22nd annual post-college getaway together with a trip to beautiful Santa Barbara, California. Suggestions for future destinations are welcome.
Thanks to everyone who wrote to us this year and we’d love to hear from those of you who haven’t checked in lately. Go Tribe!
Alicia Locheed Goodrow published a book, “Back of the Napkin: A Start-Up’s Legal Path from Idea to Enterprise,” exploring how to save money, headaches and conflicts when creating a startup business.
Dave Weaving received his master’s degree in education from Drew University in May. Congratulations, Dave!
After several tours overseas on active duty as a combat surgeon with the Navy SEALs, Jeffrey Wilson practiced vascular surgery for a few years before focusing full time on his career as a novelist. As half of the thriller writing team of Andrews and Wilson, he is now an international bestselling author of over 20 novels, with several projects in development for television and feature film. Jeff lives with his wife and four kids in Southwest Florida.
Andrews and Wilson on the cover of Big Thrill magazine
Jeffrey Wilson and family
The Chi Omega centennial was celebrated at W&M April 29-May 1, 2022. More than 200 sisters returned to celebrate 100 years since the founding of the Omicron Beta Chapter, including members of the Class of 1988: Karen Johnson Cragg, Anne Newlon Doll, Wendy Jones Loew, Maggie Margiotta Melson, Christina Langelier Hamilton and Kim Colonna Elander. It was fantastic to catch up with friends and sisters to celebrate 100 years since the founding of the Omicron Beta Chapter of Chi Omega.
Chi Omegas Karen Johnson Cragg, Anne Newlon Doll, Wendy Jones Loew, Maggie Margiotta Melson, Christina Langelier Hamilton, and Kim Colonna Elander at the Chi Omega Centennial.
Randy Reynolds Jr. is vice president of the Henrico Police Foundation in Richmond and is on the board of Blue Ridge Bank, including service on Fintech and Governance Committees. Randy is a partner at Reynolds Office Properties in Henrico, Virginia.
Terri Dispenziere Madden ’88, M.B.A. ’92 recently switched jobs to work for Managed Markets Insight and Technology, which focuses on helping pharmaceutical manufacturers provide access to patients for their products — she says it is "a topic that gained great importance in my life when my brother Glenn Dispenziere M.B.A. ’90 lost his lung cancer battle while we struggled to gain access to drugs that could have extended his life. As vice president of product management, my team and I will bring new products from concept to launch and beyond. I'm hoping this job also helps fill the empty nest void my husband and I are preparing for in August when all three of our sons will be in college! (Sadly, none of them chose W&M.) While home base is in Malvern, Pennsylvania, summers are spent in Cape May County, New Jersey. Both doors are wide open to W&M friends and their families at any time, and, with empty nest status, we will have several empty beds ready for your visit!”
Kirby Knight performs with The Washington Chorus (TWC). In March, he performed in the world premiere of a work by the world-renowned Black composer Adolphus Hailstork, “A Knee on the Neck: A Requiem for George Floyd,” with a libretto by Herbert Martin, written just days after the murder of George Floyd. TWC partnered with the National Philharmonic and its chorus, and students from Howard University, in presenting this powerful work. After 18 months of rehearsing and performing virtually, TWC resumed a (somewhat) normal performing schedule with seven Christmas concerts at the Kennedy Center and Strathmore, the March concert and a June concert at The Kennedy Center called “Justice and Peace,” with newly commissioned works by Roshanne Etezady and Damien Geter, along with Vaughan Williams’ cantata “Dona Nobis Pacem.” He says, “Singing is what keeps me sane, especially after the forced shutdown due to COVID-19.”
Kirby Knight performing in "A Knee on the Neck" in the Kennedy Center
Rick Overy calls it “juggling the Blessings”: too much happening, but all good in this crazy world. Rick is running for Williamsburg City Council, moving his youngest to Nashville, Tennessee, as a singer-songwriter, going to his oldest’s wedding in London, and he is in business with his son-in-law, who is married to his middle daughter. Rick’s wife, Lara Overy ’08, is Williamsburg’s commissioner of the revenue and they just celebrated 20 years of marriage. He says, “Best wishes to all my classmates, especially those actively serving their communities in some way for good.”
Marilyn Jentzen’s daughter Anna graduated from high school in June and is attending the University of Georgia in the fall. After 18 years of moving from Atlanta to Las Vegas to Philadelphia, with stops in Buenos Aires and India, Marilyn is moving to her family home at the Cliffs in South Carolina. She will continue her consulting business, but recently became a co-owner of Eastwood Farm and Winery in Charlottesville, Virginia. She asks that you please stop by for a tasting if you are in the area!
Kudos to Hugh Ansty on his new role as managing director and head of national accounts at Hilton Capital Management LLC. He will lead sales efforts with national firms and work with the due diligence and research teams on Hilton’s investment strategies.
Mark Welch celebrates the 30th anniversary of Comic Cubicle, Williamsburg’s own comic book store (shown below). Founded in 1992 in Williamsburg Crossing, Comic Cubicle moved to larger digs in New Town in 2006. Stop by and say hi!
Tom Sodeman is an assistant dean for Student Affairs at University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences.
James McDowell, whose daughters started high school in different places (San Mateo and San Francisco, California), worries their 2025 graduation ceremonies will be on the same day! With school in person, James’ family tentatively moved toward a new normal, but December came and the family canceled all plans involving planes. They managed a snow-delayed drive to Mammoth Mountain, California, over Christmas. (Below, James' daughter Juliana is shown at Mammoth Mountain.)
Ginger Miller Ambler ’88, Ph.D. ’06, W&M vice president for student affairs, focuses on supporting students and helping them engage meaningfully, even in the pandemic. Although student affairs work has changed since March 2020, Ginger gratefully reports student life is alive and well. Ginger and her husband, Richard Ambler ’86, welcomed a second grandchild in December, Mira Belle Ambler (shown with Ginger below, left). Mira and her brother, Miller, bring special joy. Ginger and Richard love wearing their W&M parent hats for their son, Mac Ambler ’24 (shown with Ginger below, right) who plans to major in data science and performs with Improvisational Theatre.
The Girls from Yates 3rd Center, Cathy P. Welsh, Lauren Tilghman Brockman, Page Seckman Herman, Jen Wargo Hempstead and Mindy May Alexander ’86, sadly said goodbye to one-of-a-kind friend Monique Travelstead McNamara. Monique (shown below) passed away on Nov. 3, 2021, after a courageous battle with breast cancer. Cathy writes, “We are all in shock and cannot believe our best friend of 37 years is gone. She was a Wonder Woman as she battled this disease with strength, grace and humor. We were lucky to be able to get together at least twice per year since graduation for girls’weekends and will continue to do so, but there will always be an empty chair at the table." Cathy’s daughter, Ally Brimmer ’19, and Mike Sapnar and Jen’s daughter, Maisie Sapnar ’20, graduated from W&M. Hopefully, Monique’s son, Max McNamara, will be in the Class of 2026! To donate to a need-based scholarship created in Monique’s honor for W&M undergraduate students majoring in art and art history with a concentration in studio art or English, go to impact.wm.edu/monique. Yates 3rd Center 1988 — Wonder Women All.
Susan Young happily reports that after 32 years working at Harvard, she retired and is focusing on photography and filmmaking.
Christopher Johnson, who has spent a lot of time mountain biking during the pandemic, married Elizabeth Saunders on Sept. 4, 2021, and honeymooned in Colonial Williamsburg!
Eric Williams and his wife, Michelle Beasley Williams ’89, moved to Houston last January. Eric is superintendent of Clear Creek Independent School District — a district south of Houston serving more than 40,000 and home to the NASA Johnson Space Center — and he recently completed the Houston Marathon.
Nicki Royall Peet and her husband, Cary Peet ’74, have two new grandsons, Levi and Liam, and a granddaughter, Emilee. Nicki, who started a wedding officiant business, has married over 200 couples, some in Wren Chapel. A longtime meditator, Nicki helped found Williamsburg Buddhist Sangha, a nonprofit currently offering meditations by Zoom (visit www.williamsburgbuddhistsangha.org and follow links to five meditation groups that have operated continuously during the pandemic).
In Ohio, Kim Fox Kellogg continues to see firsthand the unique challenges of COVID-19 in large school districts from her school superintendent husband, John Kellogg ’84, M.A.Ed. ’92. Their daughter, Erin Kellogg ’14, married a graduate from Miami University in Ohio, who some like to say is the W&M of the Midwest (who are they kidding?!). Currently living in Washington, D.C., Erin works for the National Academy of Sciences. Erin hopes to round out her public policy and public health master’s degrees from The Ohio State University and Yale University with a Ph.D. program. Kim and John traveled to Germany for the Berlin Marathon. John finished 35th in his age group, helping him secure entry to London’s world marathon in 2022. Their son, Ian, also runs competitively.
Paul Nardo’s son, Barham Nardo ’21, graduated from W&M cum laude with a double major in international relations and Hispanic studies. Currently, Barham is in graduate school at the University of King Carlos III in Madrid, Spain, earning a master’s degree in geopolitics and strategic studies. Paul was re-elected by the Virginia House of Delegates in January to resume his previous position as clerk of the House and keeper of the rolls of the commonwealth.
Betty Steffens Clark is living and working in Alexandria, Virginia, doing engineering consulting at Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc., where she has been employed for 26 years. Although she majored in physics at W&M, Betty earned her M.S. in electrical engineering at San Jose State University and her Ph.D. in aerospace engineering at Virginia Tech specializing in control theory. She and her husband have five children, all in their 20s, who are doing well. Three earned engineering degrees at Virginia Tech. Their daughter graduated from VCU with a degree in exercise science. The fifth is studying music. Betty has enjoyed attending several W&M class reunions, where she visited with Catherine Policastro Freiling ’88, M.B.A. ’93, Terry Forbes, Natasha Nimo Chihlas and many of Natasha’s Lodge friends. She also had get-togethers with Tristan Coffelt ’89 in Northern Virginia. Betty is amazed how the campus has changed since her W&M years. She enjoys visiting the staff at the physics department and exploring DoG Street when in Williamsburg.
Holding down the W&M stake in San Antonio, a block from the San Antonio River, Amy Hartman and her spouse, John Roby, are celebrating 20 years of marriage, and they welcome W&M folk for patio Mexican food when visiting their fair city. Amy leads human investments at Credit Human credit union, and she and John are in training to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain in 2022.
Mark Gartner and Ann Lanman Gartner started their 32nd year at The Peddie School in Central New Jersey in September 2021. Mark works in the math department and is a track coach, while Ann is the assistant athletic director and works in the dorm where they live with 33 ninth and 10th-grade boys from around the world. They have two grown sons who are each math teachers in independent schools. Mark says it is really nice to have the entire family in the education business.
Tom Dungan and Teri Dale Dungan’s son Thomas Dungan ’17, M.Acc ’18 got married on Sept. 5, 2021, to Leigh Lloveras at a family property in The Plains, Virginia. They had two generations of William & Mary alumni present to celebrate the happy couple. Thomas’ siblings Matthew Dungan ’20 and Megan Dungan ’23 were in the wedding party. Many of Tom and Teri’s dear W&M friends joined the celebration: Sharon McElwee Barnes and John Barnes ’89, Renee Morgan Orlosky and Bob Orlosky, Lynne Sisson Haynie ’88, M.Ed. ’02 and Russell Haynie, Christina Langelier Hamilton and Sean Hamilton ’89, M.B.A. ’01, Elmer Bigley ’89 and Kathleen Mahoney, Geoff Ayers and Jen Ayers, Rodney Alejandro and Janet Alejandro, and Alicia Francis Bond ’90 and Matt Bond.
Mollie McNeil Morgan and John Morgan decided to travel from their home in Los Altos, California, to Williamsburg in June 2021 and get as much out of the trip as possible. They turned it into a mini reunion with fellow class of ’88 friends Beth Ann Stefanini Clark, Hallet Murphy Culbreth and Anne Newlon Doll, who came out to cheer Mollie on at the Rev3 Half Ironman distance triathlon. Mollie and John brought their daughter Abigail Morgan, a high school senior, to tour William & Mary. She was lucky enough to be on campus for the first in-person Information Session since the beginning of the pandemic. She is applying for fall 2022 and they are keeping their fingers crossed. The Morgans also were able to enjoy lunch at Paul's with Sam Bryan and Frances Eva Demmerle '89 and their daughters.
From the news:
Caitlin Lewis Smallwood is Netflix’s vice president for science and algorithms, leading predictive decision models, algorithm research and experimentation science.
Dave Roesser has been appointed as the chief executive officer of Encina Development Group in Woodland, Texas, effective Aug. 2, 2021.
Jill Ellis ’88, L.H.D. ’16 was named the president of the latest National Women’s Soccer League expansion team in San Diego in June 2021.
Renee Norden reports: “Hallie Norden ’24, our youngest, is now a freshman at William & Mary and she is rooming with the daughter of Jennifer Griffin McDowell ’90, Mary-Shea. It has been wonderful to hear about their experiences while remaining socially distanced. Our oldest is a paramedic with Berkeley County, West Virginia, and is a sophomore at Mary Washington University. After 15 years as director of guidance and college counseling at Highland School in Warrenton, Virginia, I recently became the executive director of the Mental Health Association, which focuses on providing mental health education and prevention programs, and increasing access to care in Fauquier and Rappahannock counties. My husband, David, continues to practice architecture in Warrenton.”
Cheryl Toth is celebrating by attending some live football games. Cheryl reports: “I'm attending the University of Delaware vs. W&M game in Delaware on Nov. 6. My niece will be a freshman at University of Delaware. My daughter, who will be a senior (and is dating a football player), is going to drive up from Williamsburg and meet us there to cheer on the Tribe. I'm then heading down the next weekend to attend the W&M vs. JMU game in Williamsburg on Nov. 13 for a girls’ weekend with my daughter and my sister who is a JMU alum. I'll also be going down for some long weekends in the ’Burg as my daughter is living there this summer working on her research. She's got a great house on Richmond Road just down from the stadium so enjoying exploring old haunts with her.”
This has been a year of trial but also victory. Dinah Manns survived COVID-19 without any lingering medical conditions while continuing to thrive in her career. Dinah is proud of her son, who finished his freshman year despite the pandemic. Dinah is now academic director of research at Capella University and oversees the counseling, nursing and human services learner dissertation process. She was also selected to serve on Strategic Education Inc.'s CEO's Council for Diversity Education and Inclusion. Dinah reports that serving in this capacity has been a true joy during this time of continued inequity in our country. She is hopeful that in 2021 our country will work toward equity and inclusion.
Dinah Manns and her son, Abram
After being the director of the Muscarelle for many years and hosting the biggest private tailgate for football seasons with friends and colleagues like Craig and Laura Reeves of the Catering Company, Aaron H. De Groft is the new director and CEO of the Orlando Museum of Art and has become involved with the W&M Alumni Chapter in Orlando. While serving as director, Aaron brought in the second largest gift in the history of William & Mary and the largest gift by a woman, dear friend and alumna, Martha Wren Briggs ’55; increased the attendance at the Muscarelle from 10,000 people in 2005 to 190,000 a year at its high point; and organized exhibitions that were internationally significant on Michelangelo, da Vinci and Botticelli. Aaron credits his success to Professor Miles Chappell ’60, who once told him, “someone has to wrestle with the monsters and it might as well be us.” The statistics show his success. The endowment rose from nothing to $32 million. He helped raise $51 million as part of the $1 billion For the Bold campaign. The value of the Muscarelle’s collection increased by $150 million by spending only $200,000. The museum even hosted the Dalai Lama.
Aaron further noted, “I now have turned a page on my life. My son Graham is getting married and my daughter is grown. I have dear friends in Williamsburg and I have dear friends on the Muscarelle Board, where we all accomplished so much together. It takes many to pull the oars. I am so proud to have been part of a billion-dollar campaign, of which W&M was the only public university to have announced one and the smallest university to have one. To complete For the Bold on time but to go over by $40 million is astronomically important. Thanks to Matthew Lambert ’99 and Miles Chappell for all of their effort. We are an alma mater of a nation and we should act like it every day. We are the first, best and oldest. Simply look at the marble plaque on the back of our beloved Wren building that confirms this in stone. What is left off that plaque and what I preached for almost 15 years is that W&M is first in the arts in the country. First to teach the arts and the first college/university to collect art in America. Embrace our roots in the arts. I certainly tried to.” Thanks to Aaron for all he’s done for the museum and William & Mary and congratulations on the new job.
Audrea Topps-Harjo has been in New Zealand since 2019, arriving right before the pandemic lockdown, and is serving as COO of A44 Games in Wellington. She also founded InclusionFX, a platform to amplify underrepresented people in the visual effects, television and games industries.
Congratulations to Ron Barden ’88, M.B.A. ’00 on his new role as chief financial officer for @GroupImcs! He will be responsible for providing strategic perspective at the executive level.
It is with great sadness that we share the loss of our dear friend and classmate Jennifer Quartana Guethoff ’88, M.B.A. ’95. Jennifer was truly one of a kind. From cheerleader to math whiz, Jennifer’s positive outlook provided solid footing for the truly exceptional life she would lead. Jennifer loved William & Mary and returned to receive her Master of Business Administration in ’95. Following graduation, she began her career with Deloitte in New York City, where she met and married the love of her life, Jens Guethoff. They relocated to Berlin, where their beautiful daughter Anna was born. In 2003, Jennifer was named Deloitte’s inaugural Global Deputy Chief Ethics Officer, and she worked to create a global ethics program from the ground up and served as a role model for ethical leadership for 17 years. She remained engaged with W&M and presented an alumni webinar on ethical culture just a few years ago. She was also a member of the Society of 1918. She traveled the world, building countless friendships along the way. Following her ALS diagnosis in 2018, which Jennifer handled with strength, dignity and grace, she channeled her leadership skills to raise tens of thousands of dollars for both ALS research and her local ALS chapter. “Work hard, play hard”… Jennifer lived life to the fullest, always finding time for the fun that made it all worth it.
To honor Jennifer, fellow W&M MBA classmate Tom Dunkel M.B.A. ’95 and Erin McFall Dunkel ’89 established the Jennifer Quartana Guethoff MBA Class of 1995 Scholarship Endowment.
Jens, Anna, and Jennifer Quartana Guethoff
In other news: Matthew L. Clarke was named market president of TowneBank Chesterfield. Sean McDermott is coaching the Buffalo Bills. Robert R. Simons is practicing personal injury and criminal law in Haddon Heights, New Jersey. Sheri Holman is a national bestselling author, TV writer and producer. Congratulations to all!
Tom Sodeman: “I'm deployed to Afghanistan but should be home soon. The only big news was I graduated from the U.S. Army War College in July 2020 with a Master of Strategic Studies.”
Stuart West ’88, M.B.A. ’93: “2020 would have been my 15th straight year of never missing a home William & Mary football game and tailgate. Still living in Richmond and still working at Anthem since graduating from the business school in 1993.”
Wanda Graybeal Melchers: “I had the good fortune to make it through 2020 safe and basically sound. We quarantined at home while I learned to teach second graders virtually and my husband, Gari Melchers ’86, began teleworking daily in his position with Virginia’s Office of the State Inspector General. Our daughter, Alyssa Melchers ’16, completed her Master of Music Education at Indiana University in May and we traveled to Bloomington to help her move back to Virginia during the shutdown. Our first experience in traveling while wearing masks and maintaining social distancing rules was a success.
”Also, during the shutdown Gari and I continued to play musical instruments for our church’s streaming worship services; our church opened for limited attendance in June and has remained open following CDC guidance. Gari’s father passed away from cancer in June, so we experienced a socially distant funeral with his family in Virginia Beach. In August, I returned to teaching second graders face-to-face daily for Roanoke County schools, while Alyssa began her new teaching position as a middle school choir teacher for Roanoke City Schools 100% virtually.
“The best part of 2020 was our son’s wedding in early September. It was a little smaller than originally planned, but a beautiful celebration for the happy couple. The worst part of 2020 was positive COVID-19 tests for Gari and me in late October. Thankfully, we had mild cases and only a few lingering symptoms for Gari. We had some virtual holiday celebrations and hope to continue in good health for 2021. We are counting our blessings and hope to participate at Homecoming in October in person if possible!” [Editor’s note: Homecoming is currently scheduled to be in person on campus, October. 7-10. Visit homecoming.wm.edu for more information.]
Ana Schrank joined Collective Health as chief financial officer in December 2020. Prior to this, she spent 23 years at healthcare company McKesson Corp. in key finance leadership roles across the organization, including CFO of McKesson Connected Care & Analytics, chief audit executive and vice president of investor relations.
Susanna Surface Piller: “I was fortunate in 2020 to be able to continue my law practice in Plattsburgh, New York, remotely from my dining room, like so many of us who had to quickly adjust to the new normal. After 28 years of living in the North Country and practicing law there, my husband, Jack, and I decided it was time to move back to Virginia and we have relocated to Lexington, Virginia, where we both went to law school. I am looking forward to living closer to Williamsburg and participating in the alumni events post-pandemic at William & Mary more than I have been able to in the past due to distance. I continue to practice of counsel, but Jack and I are starting a small organic farm, so we are excited about starting our new chapter. Stay safe and well.”
Lisa Tilley Svendsen ’88 and Don F. Svendsen, Jr. ’90: “Who knew that when we attended the Tribe basketball playoff game in March 2020 in Washington, D.C., that the world would be shutting down that week? We've been resiliently working and doing college from home since then. Eric, our eldest, graduated from Christopher Newport University and commissioned into the Army from the Revolutionary Guard Battalion. Gunnar, our middle child, works and attends college locally, and Ellie Svendsen ’23, our youngest, is making the best of COVID life at W&M. The campus restrictions are tough, but it has been worth it to remain on campus near her new friends and sorority sisters. The students are doing a great job, but they certainly deserve a chance to get back to their many traditions and activities as the pandemic wanes.
“We‘re missing seeing friends in Williamsburg, which should have been one of the greatest parts of being Tribe parents and alumni, but we know that the W&M leadership team is taking great care of our students — especially Ginger Miller Ambler ’88, Ph.D. ’06, who is a Tribe parent of Mac Ambler ’24, who is handling a tough situation with extra class, as expected. It has been fun to have kids in college at the same time as several fellow alumni, but we certainly missed Homecoming, Parents Weekend, and football tailgating this year. We have seen a bit of Jeanne Kelly Williams ’87 and Doug Williams ’89, Teri Dale Dungan and Tom Dungan, Jodi Ceballos Williams and Matt Williams, Mij Holm Phelps ’92 and Morgan Phelps ’92, who all have daughters in the Class of 2023, and Catherine Policastro Freiling ’88, M.B.A. ’93 and Paul Freiling ’83, whose daughter Emma Freiling ’21 graduated this spring, but we are hoping things get more normal through this year and we can meet in person for some Cheese Shop or beers at the Delis. Carl Kumpf’s daughter has also transferred into W&M, and I know he feels the same. Hopefully, the class of 1990 reunion will carry over into 2021, as Don truly enjoys reconnecting with old ROTC buddies during the military breakfast every year during Homecoming [Editor's note: Good news, Don — we are celebrating reunions from 2020 at this year's Homecoming!]. Don has teleworked (DOD-Pentagon) for almost an entire year successfully without having to commute to the Pentagon from Ashburn, but he’s worried about how his barber is making out. Here’s hoping that everyone continues to stay healthy as we navigate this pandemic and we finally get to travel again sometime later this year.”
Lisa Tilley Svendsen ’88, President Katherine Rowe, and Ellie Svendsen ’23
Lisa Tilley Svendsen ’88, Ellie Svendsen ’23, and Don Svendsen Jr. ‘90
David Nies recently visited Chesepiooc Real Ale Brewery owned by Jon Esposito. They had a great time catching up. Located in Crofton, Maryland, Chesepiooc specializes in cask-conditioned and draught ales and was voted 2020 Best Brewery in the Washington, D.C., region by WTOP radio. The brewery’s offerings run the gamut, from English style bitters and brown ales to New England IPAs and German and Belgian style ales. Pet and family-friendly, Jon encourages everyone to come by. Check them out at BrewCrab.com or on Facebook.
On Oct. 12, 2020, Gene Napierski was one of 96 trial lawyers from the United States and Canada inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers. ACTL is dedicated to maintaining and improving the standards of trial practice, the administration of justice and the ethics of the profession.
Diana Bulman is in sunny California in her second year working at Stanford University in medical fundraising, managing fundraisers and developing strategic initiatives for the next five to seven years. Diana lives near Facebook HQ and sees all sorts of people lined up to take their photos by the “thumb.” It is sunny and 75 degrees about 300 days of the year, but she says you “pay” for that weather in cost of living. All in all, Diana is grateful to be employed, healthy and have a roof over her head.
Pam Anderson Sutherland wrote her first update this year. She’s only been to one reunion (20th), and only keeps in touch with one friend (Anne Riddle Lundblad) regularly from W&M. And yet she very much liked her time at W&M. Pam’s art career has been enduring and fulfilling since graduating W&M (see her work at www.pamsutherland.com). She earned her M.F.A. in painting from Washington University in St. Louis and has been teaching in the Upper School of Collegiate School in Richmond, Virginia, since 1998. Pam adores her job. She never planned to be a high school art teacher; It basically landed in her lap. But she loves inspiring and mentoring teenagers, that time in her own life having been very challenging.
Pam returned to school in person in September 2020, and though very frustrating (teaching in a mask all day is tough!), she is beyond grateful to be back with her students, even without their visible smiles. Pam says she married late, at 45, and in so doing became a stepmother to her husband’s two amazing children. Emma is a senior at Maggie Walker Governor's School in Richmond. Noah is a junior at Lehigh University majoring in finance and industrial engineering (with a minor in computer programming!). He also is a goalie on the soccer team.
Pam’s husband, Kevin Sutherland M.Ed. ’94, is a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in special education. They met on Match.com over 10 years ago and he was worth the wait. He is Pam’s rock in every way and possesses so many traits of her beloved father, who passed away months before they met, that Pam says she is certain her father had a hand in their connection.
Says Pam, “How do I cope in the pandemic? I wear my mask and honor social distancing but continue to live my life. Like many introverts with a big yard, a loving family and stable profession, I have enjoyed the slowing down of life in general. We love to cook and garden and read so have done more of that. I had a hip replacement at the end of May and am obsessed with cycle classes at the moment since nothing hurts anymore! I've made a lot of art and watched a lot of great television. Basically, I'm enjoying the moment — and the changes this very unusual moment demands — knowing that it will be temporary. I pray our country learns from this moment and crafts a better, more inclusive, kind, and equitable country in its wake.”
Before COVID hit, Rich Lipsky met up with W&M fraternity brother Steve Christie ’90 at a Super Bowl party in Miami in early February.
Michael Egge has picked up a new job as pediatric cancer patient advocate. He’s still practicing law at Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C., and serving on the firm’s global executive committee, but he found a higher cause after daughter Olivia (now 20 and a “2nd year” at UVA with twin brother Luke) was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer in her knee in 2017. After countless nights in the hospital and six major surgeries to save her leg, including four in spring 2020 during COVID, “Olivia is a beast of a survivor and her family is so grateful for her strength and guts. We follow her lead in patient advocacy and fundraising to cure osteosarcoma, a devastating disease that took two wonderful teens Olivia befriended. I cannot thank enough the many William & Mary friends and Lambda Chi brothers who helped raise the largest single community based research grant ($1.5 million) for osteosarcoma ever — names like Mackesy, Mallory,Cunningham, Vince Haley, Don Planty, Gary Zanfagna, Linda Habgood, Licht, Moyer, Carswell, Sicoli, Gatti,Wiley, Prophett, Pilot, Mitrovich, Walsh Yates, Mohler, Lashutka, Scarpignato, Callahan, Srochi, Emory,Harris, Soroka, Hughes, Johnson, and my three fellow W&M grad Egge siblings (Willie Egge ’91, Cristina Cooke ’93 and Paul Egge ’01) come immediately to mind, and there are many more I surely have missed. Special shout out to Vince Haley for advocacy behind the scenes at the White House, to Father Don Planty who taught Mike how to pray for hope in what felt like hopeless moments and to my wife April, daughter Sophia, and son Luke for nursing Olivia to health these past four years.”
All is well, considering, in Maplewood, New Jersey with Kitty Nguyen and her husband Bill Connolly. Bill is a partner at Sherman Wells, a Florham Park, New Jersey-based law firm, where he is a corporate attorney representing foreign and privately-owned companies. Building on a career designing for brands such as Barneys New York and J.Crew, Kitty is running a business she founded last fall (what timing!) called semi-finalist.com — an online concept store that features favorite everyday items for men, women and home. Reflecting on the year, one notable perk of 2020 was the opportunity of shared time with her children, Claire (23) and Liam (21), chatting, cooking and streaming. Another highlight was a socially-distanced, but delightful, summer meet-up with Bob Wilson, Jennifer Lear and Todd Cunfer ’87 on the patio at Jennifer and Todd’s new home in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Susan Smith Bateman and her husband, Scott, “are loving life in our hometown of Norfolk, Virginia. After 32 years of marriage and raising four sweet children, we recently embarked on a crazy new family adventure. On July 1, we opened COVA Brewing Company, a craft brewery and coffee house in the Ocean View section of Norfolk, just a few miles from our home. It has been three years in the making, but with lots of prayers, hard work and community support they managed to successfully launch in the midst of the pandemic. Our partners and staff (including all of our kids!) have helped us convert an old car repair shop into a family-friendly venue with a self-pour tap system, state-of-the-art coffee bar, food trucks, great outdoor seating space and endless opportunities to serve and partner with our community. Next time you are in the 757, please come see us. Something’s always brewing!”
Anne Newlon Doll writes, “As hard as it has been for Class of ’88 Chi O sisters Maggie Margiotta Melson, Wendy Jones Loew, Christina Langelier Hamilton, Karen Johnson Cragg, Kim Colonna Elander and I to postpone our frequent in person getaways together, we have managed to have regular ‘house meetings’ via Zoom. It has been a highlight for us during these tough times, strengthened our bond even further, and made us look forward even more to the times we can all be together in person again!”
Page Hayhurst Kiniry is excited to be working with Brent Fortenberry ’06 on a history project related to rice production in South Carolina for an exhibit at Brookgreen Gardens. South Carolina produced 75% of the nation’s rice in 1840 through the work of enslaved Africans and the exhibit will help tell their story.
On Sept. 15, 1987, Keith Reagan and Lisa Stone went to Paul’s Deli after play rehearsal at PBK (“Crimes of the Heart”). 33 years later, in 2020, they went back to Paul’s to celebrate.
Dinah Page Manns sent in greetings and shared the following: “So many things have changed in our world over the last few months, but I consider myself blessed. Pandemic Life: I am the faculty chair of human services and research at Capella University and have been working remotely for the last 10 years. Lockdown didn’t require a work adjustment. However, the limited access to products and services has been a real lifestyle change. Pandemic Survival: Bidet, working out from home and watching westerns. Fun: Spending time with family, playing the piano and cello and singing at church. Personal changes: Empty nest — my son Abram graduated from high school and started at Oklahoma State University. Philosophy of Life: Respect and honesty are entitlements. My hope for America: As we navigate this unique time in our country, I hope that we will treasure, help and respect others.”
Pam Robertson Stone, Michelle Ogline Gasperoni and Kristin Kemper Maas have been meeting up in Disney World since 2014 for the Princess Half Marathon race weekend. They then stay and play in the parks for the week following. This year, they spent Feb. 20-March 1 together and had a blast. They were there right before Disney World closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s a photo from this year’s trip in the Magic Kingdom.
Kristin Kemper Maas, Pam Robertson Stone, and Michelle Ogline Gasperoni at Disney World in February 2020
The Phi Beta Kappa chapter at Wellesley College has established its first-ever prize, and it is in honor of Professor Corrine Hansen Taylor, a longtime leader of the chapter. The annual student prize that bears Corri’s name is awarded to one new initiate who best exemplifies “curiosity, generosity, and joy.”
Cary Ruscus Jimenez and her family just spent a year on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. “It has been a wonderful year and we will miss the howler monkeys, the green parrots and the beautiful ocean when we return to Richmond, Virginia, in June. Today, on May 18, the beach has opened for three hours per day (5-8 a.m.). We admire the restraint and thoughtfulness of the government in handling COVID-19 and the rate of infection remains low here. Before COVID-19 hit, Dianne Kemp Torresen and her husband visited us and we had a wonderful visit. We will be sad to leave Costa Rica but look forward to settling in Richmond in June 2020.”
James McDowell and his wife Caryn McDowell are still in the San Francisco Bay Area, and sheltered in place during the pandemic. “Our two girls finished 7th grade via Zoom, Chromebooks and iPads, and are also doing as well as can be expected. I am treasurer and on the board of FPI, Inc., an organization in Livermore, California, that manages pilots co-owning airplanes and trains pilots. I am also co-chair of the Audit & Endowment Committee of the Hillsborough Schools Foundation. I expect one more non-profit board position shortly and will continue to look for a for-profit board as well. Caryn was recently appointed chief legal and chief administrative officer at Cortexyme, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering a novel disease-modifying therapeutic approach to treat what they believe to be a key underlying cause of Alzheimer’s and other degenerative diseases. We don't see much travel on the horizon and are disappointed that Tribe events won’t be happening and W&M won’t take on Stanford this fall.”
Mike Crowder, as of July 1, 2020, became the associate provost and dean of the graduate school and interim vice president for research and innovation at Miami University. “I am currently the chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Miami (been here for 25 years!). My wife Debbie Tice Crowder ’89, M.Ed. ’91and I have three kids (Joshua, Jessica and Benjamin).”
Dave Weaving married Heather Robinson on April 10, 2020, at their home. “The ceremony was performed by our two newly ordained ministers (our kids). We Zoomed it out to friends and family with about 300 people watching and then a full car parade with two dozen vehicles … just the way we planned it.”
Rachel Edelstein’s daughter Naomi Marin ’24 will be attending William & Mary in the fall as part of the Class of '24.
Jennifer Lear was able to update on quite a few friends. Jen and her freshman roommate, Terry Lawler Usry, have been spending a lot of time together in Denver — hiking, skiing, and enjoying fabulous beer at Breckenridge Brewery, where Terry’s husband Todd is president. Jen’s husband Todd Cunfer '87’s job with The Simply Good Foods Company took them out there about three years ago. Jen also reconnected with one of her other W&M roommates Laura Deporter Tayman, and Kitty Nguyen, Bill Connolly, and Bob Wilsoncame out for a long weekend last year. Jen wrote in June: “I've been on the East Coast since March and am hoping to get back to see everyone in Denver soon. Kitty is killing it with her new company Semi-Finalist("Pretty Good Pretty Goods")—check it out on Instagram and at www.semi-finalist.com.”
Pre-virus, Jen would regularly meet Matt DeLuca '87 and his husband Tom for Broadway shows and the fabulous productions Matt and Tom direct in the Mineola, New York, school district. “We also had a great dinner with Andy Pang one night—he has THE cutest 4-year-old daughter on the planet. I taught an online 1L Legal Writing course for UNH's Hybrid JD program last semester, so I was just slightly ahead of the learning curve when everyone switched to remote learning in March.”
Jen had a great time at the wedding of one of Todd's UVA/Darden classmates in Charlotte, North Carolina — a bunch of his Darden friends went to W&M undergrad, including Greg Herceg ’87 and Rhanna Kidwell ’86 — and squeezed in a lovely dinner with Joanna Ashworth '84 and her husband. Jen and Beth Gallagher Doylecatch up on the phone pretty regularly. Beth and her husband, son, and daughter are in Montgomery, Alabama; says Jen, “Beth is teaching and playing tennis, and her memory and storytelling skills are better than ever.”
Jennifer Lear with Kitty Nguyen and Bill Connolly in Boulder.
Terry Lawler Usry giving Bob Wilson a tour of the Breckenridge Brewery in Littleton, Colorado
Sydney Jane Baily is still writing books and became a USA Today bestselling author last October (2019). She wrote a new trilogy of Victorian romances this year, the Rare Confectionery Series: “The Duchess of Chocolate,” “The Toffee Heiress,” and “My Lady Marzipan.”
Tim Dirgins’ older son Cullen (21 years old) is entering his senior year at the Rhode Island School of Design as a film and animation major. Younger son Ryan (18 years old) is his high school's salutatorian and will attend Wesleyan University this fall. “Sadly, he decided against W&M despite my best brainwashing. My wife Madeline is the chief operating officer of RedFuse, part of the WPP Advertising group. As for me, I retired in spring 2018 after a long career in luxury retail and now coach high school cross country and track year-round. Our team has been very successful, sending eight athletes to the national championships last year. Last summer, I spent my downtime hiking the Camino de Santiago across Spain (video highlights here). I still keep in touch with the PiKA crew and there is talk of a reunion in D.C. when the quarantine clears. Fingers crossed!”
Tim Dirgins on the Camino de Santiago in Spain.
Lauren Ellis Bloch minored in studio arts and never really thought she’d use the skills she learned many years ago. “However, after doing custom needlepoint canvas painting for my local needlepoint store for over eight years, I decided to branch out on my own — the down time during the pandemic allowed me the opportunity to contemplate and execute this move. For needlepoint lovers, my new designs are posted on my Instagram and Facebook accounts (@LaurenBlochDesigns & Lauren Bloch Designs), and I continue to accept custom commissions as well. A website is in the works and should be available this summer.”
Lauren Ellis Bloch’s needlepoint art.
Renee Snyder Norden and her husband David still live in Warrenton, Virginia. Renee is the director of guidance and college counseling at Highland School and David has his own architecture practice. Their oldest is a rising sophomore in the honors program at University of Mary Washington and was just hired as an as-needed paramedic for Berkeley County. They are very excited that their youngest, Hallie Norden ’24, will be joining the Tribe this fall with the Class of ’24. They will be looking forward to attending more events on campus when things open up.
Cheryl Rafa Clark and Dave Clark '85, J.D. ’89 are happy that their daughter Abby Clark ’24 will be starting W&M in the fall as part of the Class of ’24. Abby is their third child to attend W&M, joining her brother Michael Clark ’19 and following brother Danny Chaplin Clark ’16, who met his wife Megan Chaplin Clark '17 at W&M.
Liz Turqman, Maggie Turqman, Louisa Turqman Kenny ’91, Marcia Agness Kochel ’91, and Wendi Gerth Buck ’91 have been enjoying a weekly game night via Zoom during the COVID-19 lockdown, playing trivia quizzes, Yahtzee, Chronology and whatever the week’s host decides to share. It has been a great way to stay connected with family and friends as we all stayed home during the pandemic.
As we have all missed so many milestone events, trips, and gatherings this year, we hope that all of you have found similar ways to stay in touch, stay entertained, and stay sane, and that by the time you read this, things are getting closer to back to normal. Thanks to everyone for keeping us updated and connected. Go Tribe!
Shawn Barrett retired last year after a 25-year career in anesthesiology. He spent this past summer escaping the Austin heat, visiting 25 states plus two Canadian provinces. Shawn and his wife, Carrie, both completed the Ironman in Mont Tremblant, Quebec (his fifth, her seventh).
When William & Mary roommates meet and marry W&M roommates, the term “extended family” takes on a new meaning. Despite moving a combined 14 times and never having lived in the same town over the last 30 years, Mike Studeman, Lynne Draper Studeman ’89, Amy Reid Dassler, and Chris Dassler ’89, M.A. ’91 (and their kids, when available) have celebrated nearly every New Year’s Eve together. While most of the celebrations have taken place in Virginia, they’ve also managed to get together in Florida, California, and most recently, Hawaii. Mike and Lynne currently live in Pearl Harbor, where Mike is the director of intelligence (J2) for Indo-Pacific Command in Honolulu. As new empty nesters, they’re taking full advantage of their time on the island. Mike has taken up surfing and Lynne has enjoyed connecting with an outrigger canoe paddling group. Chris and Amy have been back in Williamsburg since opening Bay Area Veterinary Surgery in Yorktown 15 years ago. In his free time, Chris is an avid cyclist and Amy keeps busy with her art projects and local volunteer organizations.
Brooks Sandeman Clark spent the fall in New York City with his spouse Kate and daughters Annie and Grace. Annie is in the seventh grade and Grace is in the 11th grade. He can’t believe they’re starting to tour colleges. Brooks spends his days practicing law in the area of commercial real estate and structured finance at Polsinelli. He went down to Middleburg, Virginia, for the races in October and lo and behold ran into Bill Stokes ’86 and Cathy Puskar ’89.
Kelly Thompson Boyle, Tim Boyle, Ryan Boyle, Nancy Lindblad Brosnahan, John Brosnahan, JT Brosnahan ’15, and Sam Brosnahan spent another fun, all-Inclusive vacation at the Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso in Riviera Maya, Mexico. They celebrated the New Year and Nancy’s birthday.
Geoff Goodale ’88, M.A. ’92 has joined Duane Morris LLP as a partner in the firm’s Corporate Practice Group in the Washington, D.C., office.
Keith C. Reagan, Sr. is approaching his 30th year as an investment consultant. Retired from Merrill Lynch, Keith owns www.reaganholloway.com where Keith was just recognized in The Wall Street Journal as a Five Star Wealth Manager for the fifth year in a row. Keith started www.reaganstudios.com as a hobby, and his son, Collins, has taken over the business full-time. Reagan Studios specializes in music videos, commercial videography and wedding cinematography, where they have been recognized in both www.theknot.com and www.weddingwire.com as among the best wedding studios in America.
Jim McCreedy has been an attorney at Wiley Malehorn in Morristown, New Jersey, for about 30 years. He recently celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary with his wife, Maureen. Jim has a set of boy/girl twins — Ian, a junior at University of Maryland (business) and Katie, a junior at Northeastern (pre-med) — as well as a son Conor who’s a senior in high school looking to major in engineering in college. His twins got into W&M, which gave him a good excuse to make a couple of visits to campus in recent years and see all the changes, but they elected to go elsewhere. For fun, Jim plays full court basketball as much as he can in various gyms with guys of all ages and seek to avoid (more) injury.
Dana Kelley lives in Arlington and works as deputy director of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, a nonpartisan congressional commission on Medicare. She has been married for 29 years to Paul Weiss ’87, a high school English and Latin teacher. Their son Henry, a senior at Clark University, majors in philosophy and French; their son Emmett is a high school junior and plays recreational basketball with Lisa MacVittie’s youngest son. Emmett and Dana attended the William & Mary Alumni Admission Weekend on the college admission process. Will we have another Tribe member to report soon? Dana keeps in touch with Lisa, Cath Sund Simon, Sharon Cutler Smallwood and Anne Lockman and spent a wet but wonderful weekend with them in New York City last May.
Keith Reagan owns an investing consulting firm, Reagan Holloway, http://www.rjwealth.com. Keith, his wife Lisa and their son Collins visited Yosemite 17 years after visiting the first time and tried to recreate a memory. Lisa is a freelance writer and editor and Collins owns a video production studio, Reagan Studios, www.reaganstudios.com.
Marliss Melton Arruda, former W&M visiting professor and established author of romantic suspense, has applied her pen to writing Christian military romance under the pseudonym Rebecca Hartt. She released the first novel in her Acts of Valor series, “Returning to Eden,” this October. Marliss gives a shout-out to her best friend and editor, Sydney Baily, a historical romance author, known for her Beastly Lords series.
After marrying at the Wren Chapel 30 years ago, Randy Haufe and his wife Jodi traveled around the world with the U.S. Army before landing in Northern Virginia. After their youngest graduated from high school, they moved back to Williamsburg this year. They enjoyed a visit from their oldest son Chris Haufe ’15 this summer. Their two youngest are both in college, so they will be empty nesters for the first time in 26 years, and hope to see fellow alums in the ’Burg.
Rick Overy could not be prouder of his history grad daughter Isabel Overy ’19 and her husband Noah Scruggs ’19 (son of Lee Scruggs ’88, M.B.A. ’92 and Pam Reese Scruggs ’92), who were married in the Wren in October 2018. See more from the Overys in the article House Party in this issue.
Jennifer Blount Sanford ’88, M.B.A ’91’s family has had a busy year. Jennifer’s older daughter was accepted into Oxford University to pursue her Ph.D. in data science. Her younger daughter graduated Gettysburg College and is now working for Colliers International. Jennifer works at Optima Health managing their marketing programs and finds it a wonderful change. She occasionally runs into Chris Neikirk around Norfolk and dines with Katie Brown Wiegmann, and she had plans to see Katy Chapman ’87 over Labor Day weekend. Facebook helps her keep in touch with many classmates!
Cindy Little Jordan and her husband Mark traveled to Peru in June, spending a few days in Lima enjoying the fabulous food scene, and then meeting up with an REI group in Cuzco before traveling to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. In their group of 11, Cindy was happy to meet fellow alum Kelley Gorman ’04. On the train to Machu Picchu, Cindy and Kelley made a sign to capture their Tribe Pride in a photograph of the magical place.
In August, Cindy attended a W&M Women reception in San Francisco and caught up with Ana Schrank. In September, her W&M roommates Karen Tisdel Butterfield, Kathleen Durkin Waller and Amy Englund were scheduled to visit in California. Kathleen lives in New Zealand and planned to pass through San Francisco on her way to visit family in Boston. Amy and Karen hail from Richmond. Amy’s daughter Madison Douglas ’22 is currently attending William & Mary.
Rebecca Bailey, associate professor of history at Northern Kentucky University (south of Cincinnati), is still in close contact with freshman year roommate Leslie Layne, suitemate Jeanne Radday, freshman hall pal Stephanie Johnson Parkin and dormmate Eddie Montgomery ’89. Rebecca hopes to make contact with two other freshman hall friends and roommates Tammy Maddrey Craft and Suzie Allen.
Eric B. Grosfils ’89, Mark G. Gartner and Ann Lanman Gartner planned on meeting up on Cape Cod this summer. Eric and Mark were roommates for two years at W&M, and Eric was in Ann and Mark’s wedding in the ’Burg in May 1988. Though they’ve stayed in touch, it’s been 31 years since the three have been in the same place!
Landon Taylor was promoted into the Senior Foreign Service and is serving as the U.S. Consul General in Panama City, Panama. He is married to the former Christina Marie Weber (Wayne State and M.Ed. GMU), a special-needs teacher. Their daughter Laura was on track to graduate this summer with a degree in digital journalism from Mary Washington. Their son Ben is majoring in engineering at GMU and is on the GMU track team. They were looking forward to catching a few baseball games when Landon returned for Laura's graduation, and hoped to hit the 'Burg, one of their favorite vacation spots. Well, next to spring training in West Palm Beach.
In October, Lynn Kerr McKay made the switch from private law firm practice to in-house counsel. She is now the assistant general counsel for emissions at Volkswagen Group of America in Herndon. Lynn’s new job involves regular travel to the Detroit, Michigan area, which has its perks — namely, more opportunities to visit with Jenny Whittaker Guthrie and her family.
In April, Audrea Topps-Harjo started production on a movie, a drama called “The Available Wife.”
Sydney Baily continues to write historical romance (available on Amazon) under her author name Sydney Jane Baily, with a new publisher, Dragonblade Publishing, which specializes in historical romance. “Lord Despair,” “Lord Anguish,” and “Lord Vile,” Books 1, 2 and 3 in her Beastly Lords series, were published between November 2018 and February 2019, with three more in the series coming out by the end of 2019. Also, “Lord Corsair,” a Pirates of Britannia series book, was published on April 16, 2019.
Cary Ruscus Jimenez let us know that she and her family were planning a move from NoVA to Johannesburg, South Africa, in August, for a three-year tour with the State Department. They welcome any friends who might be passing through.
Mark Gartner and his wife Ann Lanman Gartner were excited to visit Mark’s W&M roommate, Eric Grosfils '89 (an '89 because he did a 5th year to pick up a second major!) and family out on Cape Cod this summer. Mark works at high school from which he graduated, The Peddie School, where in June he was inducted to Peddie's Sports Hall of Fame for being the track coach for the past 29 years.
Steve Selby shared that after spending most of his post-W&M years in California where he earned his J.D. and M.B.A., he is living in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his wife Suzi and their 7-year-old daughter Mckenna. Steve is the vice president of compensation for UnitedHealth Group. He and his family enjoyed a break from the Minnesota winter with a spring break trip to Atlantis, Paradise Island in the Bahamas.
Scott Harris had a regional geology meeting where Katie Luciano ’07 and he were the co-chairs. Katie isn’t in the group photo Scott shared of the event, but everyone in it is a W&M geology undergrad or alum, including Scott, Laura Jarrait ’90 and Chuck Bailey ’89.
Jenny Burris Gaylin stays in close touch with her college roommate Susan Young (Cambridge, Massachusetts) and friends Robin Warvari Costanza (Centreville, Virginia) and Brien Poffenberger ’87 (Annapolis, Maryland). Susan and Jenny attended the William & Mary Women's Weekend last September and had a wonderful time! Jenny brought along her daughter Becca to tour the campus and interview for admission and is delighted to report that Becca Gaylin ’23 is joining the W&M freshman class this fall!
Dana Kelley lives in Arlington and works as deputy director of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, a nonpartisan congressional commission on Medicare. She has been married for 29 years to Paul Weiss ’87, a high school English and Latin teacher. Her son Henry, a senior at Clark University, majors in philosophy and French; her son Emmett is a high school junior and plays recreational basketball with Lisa MacVittie's youngest son. Emmett and Dana attended the William & Mary Alumni Association Admission Weekend about the college admission process. Will we have another Tribe member to report soon? Dana keeps in touch with Lisa, Cath Sund Simon, Sharon Cutler Smallwood and Anne Lockman, and spent a wet but wonderful weekend with them in NYC last May.
Amy Gibbons Humphreys ’88 lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her husband Ben and sons Beau and William. Amy currently is working in marketing and sales for the family businesses: Comtel Communications, a telecom/technology consulting company, and Simplicity VoIP, a national VoIP provider. Amy serves on the board of the Steward School in Richmond and sees Susan Cramer Twining often at school events and at women’s field hockey games at which Susan serves as the varsity head coach. Amy keeps up with Rebecca Cunningham, who lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and three children. Rebecca currently serves as the assistant superintendent of Hampton Township’s Board of School Directors.
Scott Cole had a great time at Homecoming 2018 — he caught up with his senior year roommate Gene Napierski ’88, as well as fellow classmates Ted Janusz, Arthur Rosaria, Carl Kumpf, Alicia Domzalski Truitt, Ann Godwin Bondi ’88, M.A.Ed. ’93, Cindy Hill Mangan, Toni Cicala, Kirstin Coffin Feit, Artie Schmalz and Chris Neikirk, among others. Scott also caught up with Phi Kappa Tau brothers Jimmy Cooke ’87, Nick Jiannas ’92 and Gene Foley ’89. N’est Pas was excellent and that was a great gift to our class. Bonds were renewed and strengthened and Scott is looking forward to more Homecomings!
Margaret Turqman said the Phi Mu sisters showed up in force at Homecoming 2018, enjoying all of the reunion events and a visit to the new(ish) sorority house. More than a dozen sisters returned, including Maria Santucci Carrington, Susan Campbell, Deena Muller, Cheryl Rafa Clark, Donna Romankow Boyd, Julie Janson Gray, Shireen Nassiri Miller, Janice Capone Cheshire, Julianne Winkler Smith, Michelle Ogline Gasperoni, Chrissy Blanchard-Alworth, Kerry Danisavage Farrell, Tracey Ball Jerome, Joyce Anzolut Coleburn ’90, Eileen Aquino ’87, Barbara Walters Toth ’86, as well as Mu Men Robert Garnier ’87, J.D. ’91, Troy Toth ’87, Eugene Aquino ’88, M.A. ’91 and Dave Clark ’85, J.D. ’89. Apologies to anyone left off this list.
Many other ’88 grads enjoyed the parade, the football game, the delis, the N’est Pas concert and the reunion parties. It was fantastic to see so many classmates on campus.
Cheryl Toth recently moved back to the states after six years living in Asia. She’s taken a new role with IBM which relocated her to corporate headquarters in New York and she is commuting from a new home in Connecticut. Cheryl has been vicariously reliving her years at W&M through her daughter Taylor Newbolt ’22, whose freshman dorm is Jefferson and who just pledged Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. Cheryl hopes to get down to Williamsburg more often now that she’s stateside and drag her roommates with her.
Margaret Swoboda Beam is looking forward to returning to Reston, Virginia, after almost three years of working for LafargeHolcim in Paris at the company headquarters, defining and implementing a revised internal control system after a company merger. Although it’s been a great experience for her and her kids, she and her son are ready to get back to the U.S. and be closer to their family, including her older daughters who are already back in the States.
News from your class reporters: the W&M Alumni Magazine has a new website, magazine.wm.edu, with online class notes, where we can put extended content and submit pictures with captions, although the print edition will still be limited to 650 words. We’re looking forward to the new features, but we didn’t get that many submissions even after Homecoming, so we’re not sure our email blasts to class members are reaching you. If you haven’t heard from us recently (or ever), please go to wmalumni.com/update-your-information to make sure W&M has your correct contact information. Send us news for the September magazine by May 7, 2019, at lizt.wm88@gmail.com and dboyce@bmhjlaw.com. Late entries may be added online and carried over for the next print edition. And send us your best alumni photo with captions/names so we can submit it for online posting. Thanks to all who have written in.
Marriages
Elisabeth Ann Steffens '88 to Donald Clark, 6/09/18.
Diana Bulman left Cleveland and Cleveland Clinic to move to sunny California to take a position with Stanford Medicine, managing fundraisers and working with donors interested in supporting research, education and patient care initiatives. Living in an apartment next to Menlo Park, adjacent to Facebook’s headquarters, she has purchased lots of sunscreen and is adjusting to California's cultural norms, in and out of the office.
The summer of 2018 was filled with fun for Sherri Radday and Michael Radday ’86! Sherri had dinner in Richmond with freshman hallmates Betsy McMorrow, Brooke Davis and Heather Taylor. The Raddays vacationed in Key West, Florida, in May and in July, Mike and Sherri went to Colorado, where they glamped and stayed in “unusual” homes: a tiny cabin, a teepee, a haunted hotel, a tree house and a tiny house featured in Tiny House Nation. They also traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina; New York City; Colorado; and Ohio to see shows, including bucket-list locations Red Rocks and Blossom Music Center. While traveling, they enjoyed seeing Carrie Parker ’89 and Deena Muller.
Bo Eskay and Jackie Bernard Eskay’s youngest son, John Andrew Eskay ’22, started his freshman year at W&M this fall, following older brothers, Jackson Eskay ’16 and William Eskay ’18, as members of the Tribe men’s soccer team. The Eskays report Chip Esten ’87 and Patty Hanson Puskar’s ’87 daughter Addie Puskar ’22 is also a freshman this year and playing for the Tribe women’s soccer team.
Mollie McNeil Morgan and John Morgan relocated from Princeton, New Jersey, to the Silicon Valley after a number of years of John making the weekly coast-to-coast commute. John and son Jack made the cross-country road trip this summer hitting the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. Mollie is training full time for her second Ironman in Phoenix, Arizona, and is enjoying the California climate. They would love to hear from any alumni in the Bay Area.
Tom Sodeman continued his service to our country working at a clinic in Afghanistan this summer.
After leaving corporate America, Dave Weaving signed on to start an inaugural franchise for StretchLab, a leader in assisted stretching. Dave traveled to Chile and Easter Island with daughter Kaitlyn to visit her sister, Nicole, who is studying abroad for six months.
Kirby Knight and Eric Hoy met up with old friends from high school in torrential rains to attempt to see D.C. United play for only the second time in their new stadium. Eric ended up being the only one to brave the elements and stay for the long-delayed game, but both had a great time catching up over dinner. The two met up the next night to see the classic Stanley Kubrick film “Paths of Glory.
In February 2018, a group of 1988 women spent an amazing weekend at the home of Linda Habgood and Gary Zanfagna. They welcomed Laura Respess Biddle, Susan Bozorth, Carrie Stipic Fawcett, Terri Dispenziere Madden ’88, MBA ’92, Maggie Margiotta Melson, Shelley Watros Palermo and Lori Kimbrou Wun. A gourmet dinner and wine pairing in Linda and Gary’s home followed a day spent in New York City. It was great to catch up with friends who met in 1984! Maggie just started a job as the director of college counseling at Indian Creek School near Annapolis, Maryland. She looks forward to working with students researching college options and hopes to send some to William & Mary.
Rick and Jennifer Blount Sanford ’88, MBA ’91 saw friends and sorority sisters at the 2017 Homecoming game, where the current sisters of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority warmly welcomed them. Jennifer loved seeing her favorite sisters, including Teri Dale Dungan, Karen Eccli Brownfield ’87, Becky Brawley Sawyer ’87, Julie Lopp Andrews ’87, Casey Sponski Corning ’87 and many more! Rick and Jennifer’s older daughter completed her graduate degree at Oxford University and started work in Hamburg, Germany. Their younger daughter is a senior at Gettysburg College, studying business and playing on the women’s soccer team.