Class Notes

VOLUME 45.1  |  FALL 2023

1950s

1952

Allen B. Ballard Jr., Clifton Park, New York, age 92, updates: “Life goes on with all of its twists and turns on the medical front. But I still do 30 minutes a day on my trusty NuStep elliptical machine, and expect to be on my recumbent trike trail once again when the weather breaks in the spring. Read Paul Newman’s memoir and suggest that you give it a look. Absolutely fascinating all the way through. Still baking every week — pies, scones and cornbread, which I definitely have to share with the neighbors lest my sugar levels rise.

1955

Edward T. Rhodes shares that after a two-year pandemic hiatus, he and Dorothy bought a new condo at Lakewood Country Club in Bradenton, Florida, and spent the winter there.

1958

“"Buffalo’s Blizzard of ’22 made national news. The rain that started Thursday night was snow by 7:30 a.m. Friday. Lake Erie rose over eight feet; wind gusting to 80 mph pushed wave tops crashing onto our patio and building walls. Our central parking lot quickly froze, blocking the storm drains, so flooding ran into the garages and first floors of several units. Ours is a bit higher, so we missed that disaster. At 8:30 p.m. Friday, the power failed. By then the outside temp was in the low teens, and gale-force winds were persistent. Ice soon formed on the shore sufficient to keep the waves down, but now the challenge was to keep us and the pipes from freezing. Fortunately, the gas bar in our fireplace gave us a warm spot to huddle and a hot grating on which to cook. Probably more critical was our gas water heater, so we ran hot water through all our pipes. They survived, and so did we. “When our internet and land-line phone went down, our only outgoing communication was with our cell-phones. With the garage and both doors frozen shut, we had no way to charge them. We shut off Ann’s to preserve her battery. No way of knowing how long we would be without power. Then late Saturday afternoon, good neighbor Joe came over, and together we manually opened the garage door. After Joe did a bit of vigorous shoveling, I was able to back the car out to run and charge the phones. I spent hours cranking our emergency portable radio to listen to updates on a local AM station. After 26 hours, the power was restored. We being ‘upper octogenarians’ caused a lot of our friends and relations to be very concerned for us — which was the best Christmas present anyone could receive. We hope this is our last adventure for a while.””

— Andrew R. Graham, Andrew R. Graham shares a scary Christmas adventure.

1960s

1960

David J. Gury updates, “Since the middle of last year, Elias and I have been preparing the last move of our lives to a life care facility, St. Andrew’s Estates in Boca Raton Florida.” The two spent several months having an apartment renovated and updated. “April 1, we moved into a temporary apartment until the new one is completed in four to five months,” he notes. “It should be wonderful, but moving is always full of anxiety while waiting.”

1961

David C. Brown, Louisville, Kentucky, and his wife, Barbara, traveled to Southeast Asia last November. “Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Bangkok, then on a Viking ship down the Malaysian coast to Bali,” he details. The couple enjoy Delray Beach, Florida, during the colder months. Daniel O. Holland, Waynesboro, Virginia, shares that his wife, Patty, plays in two local symphony orchestras, while he reads his poetry in two different venues each month. “Just finished the final edits of my seventh novel,” he adds. “Now the fun begins: trying to find a publisher. The Blue Ridge Mountains sustain me every day, and Kenyon is ever in my thoughts.”

1962

James G. Carr urges the remembrance of Thomas J. Hoffmann, who died Sept. 15. “Take a few moments,” Jim shares, “to remember our classmate, and for some of us, teammate. Once Tom and Jan had made Gambier their home, their open door, her gracious hospitality and his ever-friendly smile warmly welcomed us back at Reunion time. Not just his teammates and roommates — but all who returned to the Hill. For many of us, Tom was, during our student days, someone special. So he became for all whom he and Jan hosted. Because of them, longtime friendships remained precious, and new friendships became so.”

1962

James M. Swaney, Fort Worth, Texas, and his wife, Connie, were busy moving from one senior independent facility to another. “ I still miss New England and the Midwest, but Connie — after 50 years in the South — won’t go back to the snow!” Jim gave up golf but keeps busy with bridge and following politics. “A former Republican, now a liberal independent, I root for the trial and imprisonment of the traitors that tried, and continue to try, to overthrow our democracy! Jail can’t come soon enough for Trump and his cohorts!”

1963

Alan W. Beck and his wife, Sarah, live in the Wesley Woods Methodist retirement community in New Albany, Ohio. “It is good being near our oldest son, David A. Beck ’97, and his family in Upper Arlington,” he writes. “I tell people that the reason we moved from Myrtle Beach to Columbus was to balance out the flow of Buckeyes going to the beach.” On a cold day this winter, Alan recalled “making ice in the old Kenyon Polo Barn so our hockey club could practice. Somehow Tracy Scudder (director of admissions, 1950–67) talked me into helping, so I would go over to the barn in the middle of the night when it was cold and hand-spray water on the barn floor cover to make ice for skating.”

1963

David G. Newhall, Mahtomedi, Minnesota, is happy to be healthy and active. “Much of the last five years or so have been spent assisting a first cousin, who became quadriplegic due to a stroke. While this consumed more than 1,200 hours of my time, it was very rewarding in the long run.” David spent 42 years as a trial attorney in a large Minneapolis law firm, retiring at the end of 2008. In his parallel 32-year career in the Minnesota Army National Guard, he started as a private E-1 in the artillery and ended as a colonel. David has been married to Carol Ludington for the last 29 years and has four children, ages 25 to 54. “While I had to retire as an active squash player and downhill skier at age 75, I still golf, water-ski, ride horseback, and ride my dirt bike over some pretty rugged territory.”

1963

Richard F. Spinner, Sarasota, Florida, is enjoying opera performances, travel with the Airstream trailer, family events and his endless to-do list with partner Joy Dytyniak. Joy and Rick continue to roam the Florida skies in their Icon A5 amphibious airplane, landing on lakes, bays and at interesting small airports. “Key West for lunch is next on her list,” he notes.

1964

Thomas C. Bond, Belmont, Massachusetts, retired from the practice of psychiatry after 50 years in July. “A big change,” he notes. “Since then we took the kids and grandkids to Yellowstone and the Tetons in August, traveled to Paris, Berlin and Vienna with Timothy P. O’Neill ’76 and his wife in October, and then visited with Boyd P. “Pete” King ’64 in Providence, whom I have known since age 12.”

1964

William F. Brooks, New Haven, Vermont, retired after 10 years as executive director of the Henry Sheldon Museum in Middlebury. Bill was honored for his leadership in history and art education by the Middlebury College Museum in May 2022 and by the trustees of the museum at a gala reception last July. Last summer and fall, Bill enjoyed visits to Vermont by Anthony W. Ridgway ’66 and his family, and by Philip J. Harter. In February and March, Bill visited Ann and R. Barry Tatgenhorst ’67 in Coral Gables, Florida, and the Ridgways in Naples. Joel D. Kellman, Huntington Woods, Michigan, sits on the boards of a large Detroit-based food bank and a community park in Detroit, and he participates with the trustees of the Detroit Symphony. “Happy to be able to continue playing tennis,” he updates, “albeit with less pace. Not old enough for golf. Betsy and I are fortunate to spend some time in Arizona and northern Michigan — and, more important, to live near our son and daughter and our three grandchildren.”

1965

““We have finished production on a new film, called ‘Mother Russia.’ It’s a true story of Putin’s murder of Anna Politkovskaya, a Russian journalist who blew his cover on the revolt in Chechnya, reporting that it was nothing more than ethnic cleansing. Hopefully, with a theme so similar to Putin’s war on Ukraine, the moviegoing public will love it and turn out in great numbers to see it.” ”

— David F. Banks, David F. Banks, United Kingdom

1965

Robin F. Goldsmith, Needham, Massachusetts, presented a keynote address titled “RE, PO, BA, or BS?” to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Institute of Business Analysis return-to-in-person Professional Development Day conference in May. The next day, he presented “Does Being Promoted Make You a Jerk?” to the Portfolio, Leadership and Strategy Conference, also in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.

1965

““Aileen turned 80, and I will do the same in July. In October we will celebrate our 55th anniversary. We’re both staying busy: Aileen participates in many UNC outreach classes and seminars, and I chair our county board of tax appeals. She swims, and I play tennis.””

— Peter E. Hewitt, Peter E. Hewitt, Pittsboro, North Carolina

1966

L. Lee Bowman updates, “We weathered the pandemic with our son Fred and his family in our East Sussex guest cottage. When Fred & Co. bought their own place near Gatwick Airport, Sue and I sold it — a 16th century farm-house — to a neighbor, who had been after it for five or six years. We are now ensconced in a converted stable on a 7,000-acre estate owned by friends. Enjoying the change from tiny rooms and low ceilings to open-plan ‘converted barn living,’ staying warm with a large wood-burning stove, and lots of heavy sweaters! I’m still com-muting to clients and the Kingstree London office on a large BMW motorbike.”

1966

Robert P. Moyer, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, shares: “After COVID, back to real-life workshops as theater artist and poet in residence for the 23rd year at the Arts Based School in Winston-Salem. Oh, and after many years of the single life, I married the lovely and talented poet Kelly Sauvage. We travel hither and yon, write together, and she hikes while I find the nearest brewery. Life couldn’t be better.”

1966

William P. Rice, Duxbury, Massachusetts, updates, “Around the time I turned 72 and began to collect Social Security I realized that I just wasn’t wired for retirement. So I am still executive chair of Anchor Capital Advisors, the investment management firm I founded 40 years ago. I have also joined three nonprofit boards, which keeps me active. My wife, Lynn, and I spend winters at the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo and summers on the water in Duxbury.”

1966

John C. Rohrer, Newport Beach, California, writes, “After 12+ years, I am definitely getting good at retirement! I fill my days with golf, swimming and service on two nonprofit boards. I also occasionally deal with the health issues that crop up at our age. Andi and I travel regularly to the San Francisco Bay Area to see our daughters and grandsons. We make at least one trip to Hawaii every year, often with Andi’s sorority sisters from Berkeley, including Jim Jarrett’s widow, Laurie.”

1967

““Still doing academic publishing. My latest edited book, ‘Heterarchy in World Politics,’ was published by Routledge on Dec. 30. It challenges the dominant paradigms in the study of international relations and world political economy.” ”

— Phil Cerny, Phil Cerny, United Kingdom

1967

Edward J. Forrest Jr., Marietta, Georgia, updates that he and his wife, Lanet, enjoyed Kenyon’s Learning in the Company of Friends event hosted by Professor Emeritus Peter Rutkoff in Atlanta on Feb. 15. “We sat with a group of four, a little too dark to see name tags and a little too noisy to hear all of the conversation. All four had careers vastly diverging from their major course or even graduate studies.” The upshot: “Kenyon provided us all with something ethereal and real, a sense of something that was the foundation of our lives and impacted our career path. Good stuff."

1967

Richard G. Freeman writes, “In October, my wife and I fled our beloved West Philadelphia neighborhood, where we had dwelled for 51 years, to the sanctified seclusion of Cathedral Village, a retirement community in northwest Philadelphia. During dinner the first week, a woman, after learning I attended Kenyon, asked me whether I knew an alum with whom she grew up. I did. He was in my fraternity. Her husband asked me whether I knew another alum with whom he had attended high school; the person he named was also a fraternity brother. Another retiree on the same day asked me whether I knew his brother, who attended Kenyon — yet another fraternity brother. The next day I met a retired Episcopal bishop whose three sons attended Kenyon and who revered the late Rev. Donald L. Rogan, a professor, retired psychiatrist and parent of John A. Rogan ’83. Perhaps I’ll meet a statistician who can read the law of probability and make sense of all of these coincidental encounters.”

1967

The Rev. Dr. William C. Scar, Aiken, South Carolina, updates, “All the things you never expected. … My new marriage to another widow is a remarkable and bizarre experience. And learning to care for horses and build a new farm facility. And I am very active professionally. Is this retirement?”

1968

Merrill O. Burns, Sonoma, California, updates, “I serve on the board of a public utility and as a partner in a small broker dealer that focuses on affordable housing. My three sons live in far-flung places — Colin Burns ’93, Raleigh, North Carolina; Graham Burns ’98, Honolulu; and Duncan, Melbourne, Australia — so we end up traveling a lot.”

1968

Geoffrey J. Hackman, Palo Alto, California, shares: “I sold my house on the East Coast after redistributing 35 years of mementos with the tremendous help of my kids and extended family. In October, we fulfilled a long-held ambition to visit Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and see some of the wonders of the Silk Road. Life in the San Francisco Bay Area has offered a number of opportunities. The chorale I joined toured the Baltics in 2017, and shortly after Reunion weekend we traveled to Spain and Portugal for concerts in Seville and Lisbon.”

1968

Eric E. Linder, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, related an event from his volunteer job in downtown Detroit. “I was asked to meet with a 24-year-old Honduran refugee who not only spoke no English, but who, to my surprise, could not read or write in his own language! So even though he had a cellphone — the indigent, I discovered some years ago, cannot survive without one — he could not read text messages. I spent an hour or more with Jorge Antonio in my less-than-polished Spanish trying to arrange his transportation to his Nicaraguan wife in a nearby Michigan city. I find times like these immensely moving, and reflect on the arc between reading Chaucer (another almost foreign language) with Gerrit Roelofs in Philo Hall in Ascension and doing volunteer social work in Spanish in Detroit. My senior year, when I told my mother I was going to take a year in Medieval and Renaissance French literature, she bleakly (and understandably) asked me whether I had ever considered even one good economics course. Sadly, I had not. But as I reflect on my irreplaceable four years in Gambier, my hours with Gerrit H. Roelofs, Philip D. Church, B. Peter Seymour, saintly Bill McCullough, wonderfully sardonic Paul Schwartz and beloved Jim Michaels, who directed me and others in play after play — those hours were schooling to my heart. I was a better teacher myself for 43 years because of them and a willing social worker today in retirement.”

1968

Raymond S. Pfeiffer, Clayton, New York, has enjoyed writing several illustrated, photograph-accompanied stories about his time on islands in the middle of the upper St. Lawrence River near Gananoque, Ontario. Published in Thousand Islands Life, an online monthly magazine, his most recent is “Alternative Identities: A True Story of Personality and Seagulls” (thousandis-landslife.com).

1968

Mark E. Sullivan, Raleigh, North Carolina, shares, “In early February, I met William J. Yost in Nashville. I was in town on a business trip, and Bill lives in nearby Franklin. In the hotel lobby, we walked out to find a place to talk ... our first bad decision! Bill swore he knew a place or two where we could sit down and talk about our times and adventures. Well, the more we walked, the louder it got!We finally found a bar with some empty tables and no music, settled in, and I started asking Bill about his experiences in Vietnam around 1970. Just as it started getting interesting, MUSIC STARTED! Was it loud? I say, WAS IT LOUD!? Yes, ma’am, it certainly was. All we could do was read each other’s lips as we discussed life 50 years ago.”

1968

““Carol and I are still in Las Vegas and loving it. We don’t gamble, but we go to the casinos and watch the shows. This year we’ve gone to the Mexican Riviera and through the Panama Canal. The latter is so interesting we’d recommend it to everyone. Our two sons and their families are doing well. We just bought a Tesla. Now we are part of the green generation!” ”

— Frank Svec, Frank Svec

1968

Jack D. Train notes, “After almost three years of roaming, following the passing of my beloved Betsy, I am back in Boston, happily married to a lovely, artistic woman named Holly. Here we serve our church, go to as many art and music venues as time allows, and slowly purge our excess belongings. To keep a cherished ritual going, we recently had three generations of Trains on the slopes of Arapahoe Basin. Grandson Jack (age 5) joined his grandpa, dad and aunt on the mountain where we all learned to ski.”

1969

““All good in Philly. Debi and have two grandchildren now, 4 and 1, and they are a joy. I have the usual 75-year-old issues — aches and pains accentuated by a fall down the stairs a few months ago. As they say, ‘getting old is not for sissies.’ I continue to sell businesses as I have done for the past 20 years since retiring as a division VP of Walt Disney Co. Debi and I also started a vending company for our son, who had trouble with employment due to his disabilities. Our daughter is a star in New York as a VP of a large online marketing company.” ”

— Ronald A. Hoxter , Ronald A. Hoxter

1969

William J. Murray writes, “Judy and I are spending our sixth winter north of Tucson. Golf game is getting better as I age, which says a lot about how I played in the past. Retired from the board of a nonprofit that succeeded in turning a failed golf course into a nature reserve in Oro Valley, Arizona (see preservevistoso.org).”

1970s

1970

Eric P. Allemano updates, “I am enjoying life in Saint Aubin de Locquenay, a French vil-lage not unlike Gambier, located on the Sarthe, a river very much like the Kokosing. Some 35 miles south lies the city of Le Mans, famous for car racing. I do occasional consulting and am preparing for a mission in Benin, where I last worked some 15 years ago as head of a USAID education project. I will evaluate a European Union project designed to help youth find or create employment.” Eric welcomes inquiries from class-mates or current students at eric.allemano@ yahoo.fr.

1970

Richard G. McManus, Hingham, Massachusetts, joined two 1960s-era bands for a few years of garage practices in preparation for a 50th Reunion show. “We performed a long set in a tent with Peter Moffitt ’72, Peter E. Muller, Stephen S. Davis, Philip D. McManus and our special guest star (and member of St. John’s Wood) Nancy Niver. It was a blast! We do this every 25 years or so, barring global pandemics, so stay tuned for the 2045 edition. Meanwhile, I have launched two new ventures, both aimed at the damaging reading instruction that dominates U.S. learning. Check them out at eristraining.net and breakingthecode.com.”

1970

The Rev. John K. Morrell and his wife, Kathy, took their Vermont family (daughter, son-in-law and two granddaughters) to Orlando Universal City. In October, they will attend a New York City reunion of the 1968–69 Junior Year Abroad in Beirut. “Damage to my 110-foot rock wall by Hurricane Fiona has been repaired,” he notes. “Other repairs will take us into the fall.”

1970

J.D. Pell Osborn, Charlestown, Massachusetts, is “on the verge of retirement — and trying to figure that out,” he shares. “I’m still teaching LineStorm animation seminars, most recently to a group of Ph.D. candidates at MIT’s Nanotechnology Department. According to their professor, these students were ‘burnt out on science’ and needed a totally new approach, like making a hand-drawn animation project to clarify for the average person just how small the nano realm is. (The nanoscale starts at about 10–9 meters; i.e., one billionth of a meter. That’s wicked small.) Thanks to my awesome classmate Reed Woodhouse— who, in the 1990s, taught Shakespeare at MIT and connected me with its Student Art Association — I’ve been holding LineStorm seminars there since 1998. I’m now an adamant booster of using art and science to simplify complex ideas and catalyze further exploration.”

1970

Arthur Vedder calls Santa Cruz, California, “This Side of Paradise. Enjoying my 44th year of medical practice, although now the abridged version. Our son, daughter and four grandsons (ages 2 to 7) live in the New York City area. We fly over Ohio’s Magic Mountain frequently to visit.”

1971

Stephen F. Christy Jr. is fully retired from his landscape architecture career, “having even stopped designing green burial cemeteries,” he notes. “And, I guess, waiting for my own final visit to a graveyard. Meanwhile, I continue to live in the same house for 44 years, in Chicago’s Andersonville, where I have done decades of volunteer landscape work.” Stephen was recently honored for this.

1972

Edward G. “Ted” Smith, Rye, New York, recalls, “About a year after graduation I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I ended up being homeless and living in my car for several weeks in 2010 before being admitted to the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center in Bridgeport, Connecticut, for about nine months. The disorder caused me great confidence problems over the years, but I have grown through it. I have since had many types of employment, including apprentice-ship in a toy company model shop, a position in an art museum, independent contractor in a delivery company, and an editorial proofreader. Twenty-five years of guitar lessons motivated me to perform at coffee house open-mic nights, my Kenyon 20th reunion, nursing homes and other gigs. I taught myself to play the five-string banjo. And even though I haven’t performed anywhere for about 12 years, I’ll soon play at the church where I’m a member, and at Rye Seniors, a group which caters to older folks like myself. Over the years I wrote poetry and a handful of songs, none of which have been published, and I feel in the back of my mind that my love of music pulled me through. Anybody reading this epistle who has had some difficult times and seeks advice, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

1972

George L. Thomas Jr. updates, “Pam and I moved from Columbus, Ohio, to North Scottsdale, Arizona, following my December 2022 retirement as CEO of Earthfirst/PSi, a global manufacturer of bio-based renewable compostable packaging. It’s hard to believe it’s been a 50-year run, but looking forward to the next phase of golf, hiking, cycling and travel. The entire family is doing great.”

1973

Amy (Goodwin) Aldrich writes, “My commute winds through Rock Creek Park and was unusually colorful at the end of February — hillsides covered with daffodils in full bloom. Enjoying life in D.C. since 1980. It’s colorful, sometimes.” In Philadelphia, Amy gathered with Julia (Miller) Vick, James W. Vick ’74, Ellen Pader ’72, Zoe Moffitt and Pegi Goodman (with husband Greg) for the “Matisse in the 1930s” exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

1973

Lynda J. Bernays, Cleveland, wonders, “Can it really be 50 years since we were newly minted college grads, setting off to conquer the world? But I don’t know how much of the world I have conquered.” Lynda’s realms include volun-teering at one church; running programs at another; and walking, hiking and picking up neighborhood litter with husband Stan. Lynda visits her son, his wife and two young boys in Portland, Oregon, and sees her daughter, her husband and their young son a lot.

1973

Jean C. Dunbar, Lexington, Virginia, updates, “In February, I had a long overdue and suitably raucous reunion with eternal friends Thomas P. Stamp, Elizabeth R. Forman and Jacqueline E. Robbins at Tom’s wonderful house in Gambier. True to Kenyon form, conversation ranged over a breathtaking range of subjects, and hilarity reigned. Elsewhere and otherwise, I’m working on a project for the Tennessee Historical Commission and preparing a book about British/American land-scape artist Thomas Cole (1801–48). Among other startling revelations, I disclose that Cole attended an Ohio church served by (you guessed it!) Philander Chase.”

1973

Katie (Fishman) Eastridge reflects, “Although my interest in fine arts began when I could first hold a pencil, the fine arts education at Kenyon College taught me how to apply critical reasoning to studio art. Some 60 years later, I am still working each day solving visual riddles. In addition, the charm of living in a small college town on an undergraduate.

1973

Anita T. (Guttenberg) Havas, Rockville, Maryland, retired in June 2023 after 20 years at Bullis School. She enjoys spending time with her three grandsons and residing five months of the year at a Lake George house in Ticonderoga, New York.

1973

Robert G. Hayes Jr., Kennesaw, Georgia, calls “the early stages of retirement a whole new experience.” So far: enrolled at L.A. Fitness, taking up pickleball, and enjoying his new granddaughter, Evie Louise Molder, aka Baby Beep. “Eagerly anticipating a return to Gambier,” he adds. “In touch with a few of the ‘Boys from B-1’ and will meet up with John P. Higgins and James F. Musbach.”

1973

Mitchell L. Jablons, Watchung, New Jersey, shares, “My daughter Michelle was married on Feb. 25 to Brad Warner. My 72nd birthday was the fol-lowing day, and I stayed up past my normal bedtime dancing to rap at the beginning of the after-party. It was the geriatric equivalent of an all-nighter in college.”

1973

Julia F. Johnson, Urbana, Ohio, writes, “I have been busy planning the Garden Club of America’s 2023 annual meeting,” which was held in Columbus for the first time.Julia co-chaired the event, which attracted 600 gardeners and floral designers — “including our very own M. Gay G. Legg, who is a wonderfully gifted, award-winning floral designer!”

1973

David H. Linnenkohl, Dayton, Ohio, retired April 1, 2019, and became a grandfather for the first time on March 1, 2023. “My daughter, Sarah, gave birth to Leona Jean Iverson in Minneapolis. My mother turned 100 last July and has survived COVID-19 three times, without any lasting side effects, at the assisted living center where she lives.”

1973

Edward J. “Mel” Otten, Cincinnati, notes, “COVID, measles, train derailments — an interesting year so far for medicine in Ohio. Which reminds me of the ancient Chinese curse: ‘May you live in interesting times.’ My wife has threatened to retire this year and take me with her, but I think I would be bored after a few months. Recently spoke with David J. Snell and Peter Bunting ‘72, both doing well.”

1973

Philip R. Roy updates, “It’s hard to believe it’s been over 50 years since I entered show business by opening Grendel’s Lair Coffee House (originally called Ma & Pa Eclectic’s International House of Chutzpah) at Kenyon with folk acts like Michael Nesmith and Dave Van Ronk. Since then I have owned several other theaters in Philadelphia and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and produced dozens of long-running shows in New York, across the country and Canada, including ‘Let My People Come’ (10 years in Philly and eight in Toronto and 19 other cities). After a forced hiatus in 2020 and 2021 due to the Plague, we resumed touring our current stable of four shows. Now that I know what it’s like to be ‘retired,’ I think we’ll keep producing shows until we can’t!”

1973

Charles H. Semple III, Castle Rock, Colorado, recalls, “I remember a particular day in Mr. (William) Klein’s freshman English class. He was discussing Thoreau’s evolution from being a hunter of animal life to more of a vegetarian stance, no longer even catching fish from the pond. Mr. Klein described a similar change in his own life, and the kind of ‘fellow feeling’ he had developed with all creatures of the natural world. It was quite moving. Then, like a period to his closing sentence, a fly landed on top of his bald head. There was a pause. Then a sharp slap as he went for that fly. Another pause, then, ‘I don’t have that same feeling for flies,’ as he and the whole room erupted in laughter. I believe he missed the fly.”

1973

Thomas P. Shantz, Flat Rock, North Carolina, updates, “Although I retired from my paying job 19 years ago, I never really retired, only redirected after I concluded my career in journalism. For the last 17 years, I have volunteered my time serving on the boards of various community organizations and groups. Apparently, the critical, multidis-ciplinary skills I honed at Kenyon remain very much in demand. Too many of my professors to list here in thanks for that — and my father, G. Thomas Shantz ’49, for introducing me to Kenyon in the first place.”

1973

Julia (Miller) Vick and James W. Vick live in Haddonfield, New Jersey, Julia writes. “We recently returned from a week in St. Croix, fulfilling our need for a warm sun. We swam several times a day, sat by the beach read-ing, did some hiking, visited the island’s two cities and a beautiful botanical garden, and just relaxed.” The Vicks also visited daughter Emily’s family in Toronto for the March birthdays of Canadian grandkids Athena (10) and Theo (8). “Our third grandchild, Agnes, lives with parents John Vick and Amanda Jaffe. Our youngest, David C. Vick ’12, Los Angeles, works in television production.” Julia connected with several classmates in person: “Patricia M. Eanet, Amy (Goodwin) Aldrich and I had a wonderful lunch together on a beautiful sunny October day in Washington, D.C.; Pegi Goodman and husband Greg Leeds, Zoe Moffitt, Ellen Pader, Amy and her husband, Bob, joined us in the Poconos for hiking, eating, drinking and a lot of talking; and soon after that we had the pleasure of a visit from Caroline H. Nesbitt and partner Bob Butcher. We also enjoyed seeing Christopher C. Finch ’71 and his partner, Eleanor, for dinner in December in Philadelphia, and last month we viewed a wonderful art exhibit by Peter M. Bloomfield.”

1974

Jamie J. Barth and Richard E. Yorde Jr. are “taking advantage of retirement to put on our traveling shoes,” they share. “After a wonderful Alaskan cruise last summer, we took a brief and lovely trip to the Bahamas. In May, Miami, then on to visit friends in Quito, Ecuador, where Rick lived as a teenager. Life in our West Loop Chicago timber loft (a former Nabisco factory) continues to delight!”

1974

Bruce E. Betz, Seattle, spent New Year’s Eve at the wedding of John I. Trawick’s daughter at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky — “my hometown and Jack’s,” he notes. “I recently retired from the University of Washington in Seattle. Now, I just need to learn how to make the most of all this free time.”

1974

Dorinda Kim (Mayhew) Blackey and Chester E. Blackey III, Versailles, Kentucky, send this update: “Chet has pretty much retired from his equine veterinary prac-tice, and I retired from teaching a few years ago. We stay busy with farm and family stuff including nine grand-kids who live close by. Pretty lucky!”

1974

Andrew I. Brafman, West Orange, New Jersey, still practices and teaches dentistry. “In our free time, my wife and I spend time in NYC, traveling — just returned from Antarctica — and enjoying our four grandchildren and three daughters.”

1974

Sandra B. Brown, Evanston, Illinois, updates, “After 38 years, I am lucky to still be working in real estate with both my son, Geoff, and daughter, Laura, on the Brown Team in Evanston. It has been an interesting market! My balance is spending time with my seven grandkids who live nearby and traveling to Germany, where the other two grandkids live. They range in age from kindergarten to high school senior.”

1974

Richard J. Clarke retired as director of liturgy and music at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Wayzata, Minnesota, on April 23. “My last weekend completed 29 years there, and 41 years as a full-time music minister. It is a good time to turn the page.”

1974

Carol A. Heiberger, Philadelphia, updates, “Now that we’ve renovated and moved into our Center City Philadelphia apartment full time, I’m getting involved in the management of the co-op. Taking a travel break to go to London and Athens with M. Christine Anderson.”

1974

Brad R. Heinz, Pittsboro, North Carolina, informs, “I am having much fun launching my new series of online seminars titled “Embrace Discomfort, Stay Awake, and Dump Your Personality.” All that I have learned since my doctoral dissertation on meditation in the ’80s. Four decades of mindfulness meditation, Yogananda’s home study lessons, Tai Chi energy practices, teaching the Enneagram, and practicing psycho-therapy using David Hawkins’ model of emotions and consciousness. All condensed into my five-minute introductory elevator speech to prospective teen, collegian, boomer and mid-life participants. Freewheeling online discussions. Note-taking discouraged. Reviving the oral tradition of memorizing the basic maps of emotions and the Enneagram. Group sharing on how you apply what you are learning in your everyday life and relationships.”

1974

David Horvitz, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, reflects, “The calendar says that we’ve all gotten old — and my mirror confirms this — but in my head, I’m not a whole lot older than I was when I was a student. Maybe that’s a wonderful thing. Maybe it’s a problem. I think both. From time to time, at home, my wife, the love of my life (same person), tells me to ‘grow the f&*k up.’ It makes me smile. I don’t think I’m alone.”

1974

Peter Smagorinsky, Athens, Georgia, has been awarded the 2023 American Educational Research Association Lifetime Contribution to Cultural-Historical Research Award, which acknowledges the contribution of one person, over the course of a career, to the cultural-historical research field as reflected in foundational books, lectures, conference presentations, grants, speeches and important engagement with the field, including outreach and service.

1974

Douglas M. Wilhelm updates, “I’m still working as a writer in Middlebury, Vermont, and have shifted to adult nonfiction after many years writing nov-els for young readers. My book on Vermont nonprofits, ‘Catalysts for Change,’ came out last spring, and I just finished a history of the unique Community College of Vermont. My last novel, ‘Street of Storytellers,’ won three national awards and one New England gold medal for independently published books.”

1980s

1981

Jonathan A. Bernstein, Cincinnati, celebrated 40 years with his wife, Lisa, the thriving of his wonderful children and their partners, and now his fifth grandchild, Leo River Meisterman, born preemie at 33.5 weeks “but doing fantastic,” he reports. “Shout out to my brothers from a different mother David Erteschik ’79 and David N. Wright ’80 — all born the same month, day and year, and all members of an extinct local fraternity called ALO. Also, I have kept in touch with David P. Rose and Gregory P. Sesler. Jonathan is now president of the AAAAI, a professional organization represent-ing over 7,000 allergists and immunologists (aaaai.org).

1981

Margaret P. Calkins, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, still researching environments for people living with dementia, was about to head off for a week in Rome, Naples and the Amalfi coast with her daughter and younger granddaughter, Ella. “My older grand-daughter, Leigh Ann, now has four kids, all in Indianapolis, so I try to get there every couple of months.”

1981

Doug E. Page informs, “People keep telling us we are living their dream — with the children long out of the nest, we are downsizing: Selling our home in the Philly suburbs and moving to a rented apartment in Center City overlooking Washington Square National Park. Letting go of things is not easy, but we are making good progress. Anyone need a large collection of American Girl items and two dolls, Molly and Samantha?”

1981

Donald L. Shupe Jr., Cary, North Carolina, reports, “With four grandsons nearby, I’m happily taking advantage of CBRE’s hybrid work schedule to spend longer weekends encouraging toddlers down slides. I’m wrapping up a two-year run chairing the board of trustees for the Greater Carolinas Chapter of the MS Society, a disease that touched one of my daughters 10 years ago. Happy to report she’s responsible for three of the four grandsons and generally doing exceptionally well. Please reach out if MS has impacted your life as well. There’s strength in communication as we work toward a cure!”

1987

Catherine Brill, Baltimore, has two new short stories coming out this year: one in the Louisville Review and another in the New Ohio Review.

1987

Bradley Smith, Centerburg, Ohio, “survived another winter in Knox County,” he informs. Brad couldn’t be more proud of daughters Molly O. Smith ’24, a math and econ major, and Fiona, an English major, who graduated from Denison this spring.

1990s

1993

Sue Corral, Richmond, Virginia, celebrates the matriculation of Virginia (Gigi) Johnson ’27, “who will play field hockey as an Owl (still not used to that),” she reports. “My youngest, Neena (13), and I will be very bored when she leaves for college. So we will be at Kenyon a lot for games and any other excuse. I recently bought a little house in Gambier (hoffmannguesthouse.com), so if anyone finds themselves visiting Kenyon and needs somewhere to stay ... I’m your girl!”

1993

Matthew W. Laney, Decatur, Georgia, informs, “Living my best life pastoring, writing, parenting, teaching kickboxing, and about to be an empty-nester as the second-born heads to Ithaca College in August to study physical therapy and play baseball. Our daughter is a sophomore at the University of Vermont breaking swimming records. My wife, Ann, is transforming the criminal legal system in Georgia. I’m trying to keep up.”

1993

Lisa Kay Primmer marked 15 years with husband Ryan in Darien, Connecticut, after leaving the world of finance to raise three kids, who are about to be a high school senior, sophomore and ninth-grader. “Six years ago, I decided to pursue my passion for travel and became a luxury travel advisor,” she adds. “I run a team of five other advisors, most of whom are based in the New York area.”

1994

Colleen (Hopkins) Grazioso and Jane R. Schluter ran into each other unexpectedly, sitting at the same table at Wunderbar in Sugarbush Resort in Warren, Vermont. “Was fun to catch up!”

1994

Robert M. Herzog, Westfield, Indiana, retired in September from the FBI after 20 years as a supervisory special agent investigating global cyber-crime and espionage. “Any other ‘retirees’ in our class yet?” he wonders. “I spent the majority of my time based in Indianapolis but did stints in several countries and at FBI HQ. I still have two children in college, so in September I joined Crowdstrike as a principal on one of their adversary research teams.” Last January, Robert joined Scott R. Baker, Erik R. Zinser, Chad J. Withers and Steven C. Waterfield in Chicago over MLK weekend.

1994

Katie U. Snyder and Alfred C. Snyder marked 25 years in their Seattle home. “Our oldest is at Case Western Reserve University, so we’ve enjoyed reconnecting with Matthew D. Mennes and Mary C. (Hall) Mennes when we visit! Our youngest plans to attend the University of Utah, with plenty of skiing and climbing. We cherish our Seattle Kenyon crew, the Gimbel-Sherrs (Sarah ’93 P’25 and Kenneth ‘95 P’25), the Einsteins (Joie C. ’94 and Nicholas W. ’94), the Smolinskis (Matthew A. ’94 and family) and my sister Jen’s family. As our children embark on their own college journeys, our gratitude for our Kenyon friendships deepens. Something very grounding happened on that Hill.”

1994

Aloke V. Finn, Chevy Chase, Maryland, is a cardiologist who runs a nonprofit called the CVPath Institute (cvpath.org), dedicated to cardiovascular research, where he is medical director. He also sees patients at the University of Maryland in Baltimore and researches atherosclerosis and effects of COVID-19 on the heart.

1994

Frances G. Zopp, Austin, Texas, updates, “After 25 years of slinging books and managing other people who sling books, I’ve left Half Price Books to launch my own coaching practice helping Gen X former athletes get their mojo back by transforming their fitness and wellness goals from ‘have to’ obligations into ‘get to’ choices. I’m happy to work virtually if you’re in the market!”

2000s

2001

The Rev. Erika Plank Hagan was ordained to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church and now serves as curate at Christ Episcopal Church in Trumbull, Connecticut. “I never saw this coming, but am delighted by this new path ahead.”

2007

Lacey A. “Aerin” Einstein-Curtis and her partner, Joshua, moved to Batavia, Illinois, “just in time to welcome our first child, Benedict, who was born in November,” she informs.

2007

Laura (Griffith) Machado, her husband, Dave, and their boys Henry (7) and Simon (3) live in San Jose, California, she reports. “I work as a psychologist but spend most of my time trying to make good family memories and participate in our school and neighbor-hood communities.”

2007

Brendan I. McCarthy and his wife, Colby, Chevy Chase, Maryland, welcomed a new baby in late October, “bringing the household count to one boy, one girl and one dog (the largest of the three) — all under age three,” he updates. In between chasing the kids and the dog, Brendan heads the real estate group at Morgan Stanley’s ESG shop, Calvert Research and Management.

2007

Claire E. Navarro welcomed second child Eliot to the family in 2022. “I spend most of my time chasing him around or building fairy houses with 4-year-old daughter Quinn,” she writes. “I also recently switched jobs at my longtime employer, Washington University in St. Louis, and now work full-time on Washington Magazine.”

2007

Lauren C. Ostberg and Benjamin F. Taylor are in Hadley, Massachusetts, where Ben plays ultimate frisbee — “Go Team Radish! Winter League runners-up!” — and Lauren writes essays under a pseudonym.

2010s

2018

Lukas C. Calcei and his wife, Annie, moved to Hudson, Ohio, and had their first child in April. Luke joined a dental practice in Hudson and began his career as a general dentist.

2018

Natalie S. Kane moved over to Manhattan, where she works as a freelance theater director and dramaturge.

2018

Maya E.L. Lowenstein, Toronto, finished her first year of graduate school, pursuing a master’s of information and hoping to work in user experience design.

2018

Graeme K.P. Taylor has relocated east after living in Austin, Texas, watching Evan C. Gee, Derek S. Foret ’17 and Emily A. Davis ’19 pursue their Ph.D.s in political philosophy. Graeme works in electronic trading and is happy to discuss capital markets. “Or if you simply want a friend to greet you with the same smile you’d see on Middle Path, I’m happy to take your call or email (graeme.kirk. taylor@gmail.com).” At the NYC February Phling, he adds, many alums joined in honoring former President Sean Decatur for his service to Kenyon and wishing him well in his new role overseeing the American Museum of Natural History.

2018

Hannah E. Weingold and Alexander G. Freidinger ’20, Chicago, became engaged and are busy with wedding planning. “We met through Kenyon rugby almost seven years ago.” Hannah works full time while pursuing her M.B.A. at Northwestern Kellogg, and Alex is in his third year of medical school.

2019

Adam J. Aluzri, writes, “In honor of being kicked off my parents’ health insurance, I’ve decided to no longer get sick. This includes no longer breaking my fingers by leaping full-speed off that ledge near Caples. Thanks to all my friends for supporting me through this difficult decision.”

2019

Isabella R. Blofeld is “learning to boulder with Conner A. McEldowney, and I have accepted that I’m a morning person,” she notes. She and Michael J. Lahanas-Calderón recently bought their cat a heated blanket. “She’s never been happier. Life in Berkeley, California, is good!”

2019

Marylou E. “Molly” Cox ran an after-school program for refugee youth through Soccer Without Borders in Baltimore for the last two years. “I loved working directly with refugee middle schoolers and putting my IS degree and Arabic minor to use every day!” she notes. “However, I’m excited to gain a new set of skills in July, when I start an M.P.A. program at Syracuse University, focusing on managing government and international nonprofit programs.”

2019

Emily A. Davis, Austin, Texas, “has become slightly less of an indoor kid, as she has been dating known frat star and theater debutant Derek S. Foret ‘17 for the past three years,” she writes. To her parents’ shock, she now occasionally agrees to go out twice in one weekend.

2019

Taaj-udeen Y. Davis reports, “I am still educating, still creating. Herbert S. Wakefield IV and I have now published over 30 episodes of ‘The NuBlack Podcast’ — including one with President Decatur. If you’ve been listening, we are incredibly grateful, and if you have not been listening, we hope you consider checking us out!” Taaj also released a third album, “Highly Educated,” on major streaming platforms.

2019

Taylor A. Hazan, after moving in with her non-Kenyon boyfriend, has been “hanging up a ton of Kenyon stuff to rival the signs he ‘bor-rowed’ from Villanova’s campus.” She plans to attend the University of Washington to study library science, which “means that I did not lie on my job application for the multimedia desk position back in August 2015.”

2019

Abigail M. Kastenberg, Philadelphia, mixes stage managing with teaching sixth-grade English at Germantown Friends School. “It’s definitely never a dull moment!” Abby sums up.

2019

Jesseca M. Kusher is pursuing a marine biology master’s degree at the University of Charleston, South Carolina, now studying “biogeochemical cycling as it pertains to blue carbon sequestration in the Charleston salt marshes, using remote sensing and water chemistry analysis. Finally putting those Rstudio coding skills from intro bio lab back to use, and it feels right,” Jess informs, “although modeling carbon cycling is significantly more difficult than any nonsensical intro chem ALEKS would have had us believe.”

2019

Erica M. Littlejohn, Chicago, completed her master’s of fine art in fiber and material studies at the School of the Art Institute last year. “I have set up my studio,” she updates, “and recently did a large commission for the national chain Sweetgreen. This summer, I will be showing work around the United States and participating in my first international show in South Korea. I am also assisting Jamaican-born visual artist and educator Ebony G. Patterson in her studio!”

2019

Tyler A. Raso, Easton, Pennsylvania, published their chapbook in May. Titled “In my dreams/I love like an idea,” it won Frontier Poetry’s 2022 Digital Chapbook Contest. “The project began as my creative writing capstone at Kenyon and was published the same week I graduated with my M.F.A. in poetry from Indiana University.”

2019

Sean K.J.K. Seu married Blake Palmer on Oct. 31 at the Kitsap County Courthouse in Washington state. “The ceremony was followed by a heart-healthy helping of steak and bubbles.”

2019

Jacob H. Skolnik passed the Illinois bar exam and now practices family law in Chicago. “A lot of fellow Kenyon graduates reside here in the Logan Square neighborhood.”

2019

Ethan A. Snyder graduated from the Winterthur Program at the University of Delaware with a master’s in material culture studies. “The most wonderful mentor, Sarah Wasserman ’03, advised me throughout my time in this program; I first found her work in my senior year while majoring in English. We both follow in the footsteps of our shared advisor, Ted Mason! I am grateful for the way Kenyon has followed me after life on the Hill. I will be moving back to Philadelphia to live with Alexandra L. Kanovsky and pursue collections work at the Wharton Esherick Museum.”

2019

Madison L. Thompson completed her master’s in mathematics from Wake Forest and began teaching math last fall at a small boarding school in Hagerstown, Maryland. “I find myself once again surrounded by cornfields,” she observes. “I coached field hockey in the fall and am now coaching tennis.”

2020s

2020

Bakdaulet Baitan began a master’s program in economics in Milan, Italy. “Started taking Italian language courses and exploring Europe.”

2020

Brittany A. Beckley, Orange, New Jersey, updates, “I realized that hospitality was not the industry for me shortly after getting my master’s in it. Great timing, am I right? Since then I’ve sold my soul to the corporate life, but insurance isn’t so bad. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my career — I mean, who wouldn’t be, with all these happy-hour events!”

2020

Alec S. Clothier has been working as a senior art handler for an employee-owned fine art services company in the SF Bay Area, but now will move back to his hometown of Philadelphia to continue the work in a new setting.

2020

Talia F. Light Rake, New York City, started her own production company, Heavy Shovel Productions, and has been directing and producing films. “Always looking for more collaborators who are interested in supporting emerging filmmakers!”

2020

Yixuan “Yiyi” Ma, Springfield, Illinois, writes, “Made it to med school and finally learned how to study. Got elected VP and still can’t bench a plate.”

2020

Catherine A. “Cat” Smith works for a nonprofit in D.C. and sees Kenyon friends “all the time,” she updates. “It’s wonderful to still feel so connected to our special community. I’m deciding between law schools and will start classes in the fall.”

2020

Kathleen Stedman completed her M.P.H. from Boston University’s School of Public Health in January, with certificates in epidemiology/biostatistics, and health policy and law. In March, she began working for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a policy analyst in the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

2021

Jonathan Hernández is “excited and nervous to report that I’m finally leaving Kenyon College. My six-year Kenyon love story will be over, and I will finally explore what life off the Hill looks like. I’m moving back to North Carolina to be with my mama. She’s really happy about it and mentions it every time we talk on the phone. Kenyon’s fellowship program has prepared me to enter the nonprofit world, and I’ve had the blessing of networking all throughout the job. I don’t have anything exactly lined up yet, but I’m confi-dent the pieces will fall where they need to.”

2022

Rachel E. Billings shares, “I gotta say, spending time away from Kenyon has been harder than I expected. It also doesn’t help that I’m freelancing in film in a particularly dry season for production. It almost makes me miss staying up till midnight to finish three books in a day!”

2022

Samuel Chessler reflects, “My freshman year at Kenyon was a wonderful one and not something I’ll ever forget. Kenyon epitomized the liberal arts experience and is truly something unique.”

2022

Michael P. Gleason, Jr. updates, “Since walking across the stage at graduation, I have helped a fellow classmate move to Austin, Texas, taken a trip to Puerto Rico and started my job at PNC Bank in corporate banking. In February, I had the chance to come back to campus and catch up with friends.”

2022

Sarah N. Groustra writes, “This February, I made my NYC playwriting debut with a show at the Chain Theatre in Manhattan, helped by Mackenna N. Goodrich ’20 (director), Sara Rosenthal (actress) and Cora M. Cicala and Jane S. Lindstrom (production designers). We all worked on so many productions together in college, and it was wonderful to bring our skills back together in New York!”

2022

Julia W. Holton will pursue a master’s in classical art and archaeology at the University of Edinburgh.

2022

Andrew C. Kelleher updates, “I took a software development job that brought me to Madison, Wisconsin. I’ve gotten into the local dance scene here — despite never picking up that minor — and am continually grateful for all the exposure to different styles I got while at Kenyon. I’ve kept in touch with a couple of professors and classmates. And even if I hadn’t, Kenyon has a way of finding me: At least two other Kenyon graduates live in my apartment complex.”

2022

Kathleen P. Kress, New York City, teaches choir and general music to elementary and middle school students.

2022

Daniel O. Lane, Gambier, Ohio, gives a shout-out to his fellow members of KCXC ’22 (IYKYK — you remain unnamed so that he has to do less fact-checking work in the coming weeks) who spent a week with him and a good group of other cross-country boys running, hiking and generally having a great time in West Virginia last spring. Dannie misses that trip and thinks of it — and his friends — fondly.

2022

Emmerson A. Mirus finished her first year of law school at the University of Wisconsin. “While I still keep up with Kenyon’s swim-ming and diving team to a nearly ridiculous extent,” she notes, “I haven’t been able to bring myself to hop back in the pool … yet!” Emmie lives in Madison with partner Benjamin B. Baturka ‘20 and their cat, Ginger. “I’ve had a great time meeting Kenyon alumni at Wisconsin’s Law School.”

2022

Bridget A. Molnar, also in law school, updates, “I consider dropping out most days but somehow have not — let’s call it perseverance!”

2022

Sierra J. Smith, Durham, North Carolina, works in a cell biology lab at Duke and lives with Emma K. Banks. “Several class-mates moved here after graduation, and it’s been wonderful to have a tiny Kenyon community.”

2022

Edward P. Weber IV finished his first year pursuing a master’s in public policy at the University of Michigan. “I focus on international economic development policy and cross-cultural diplomacy,” Eddie explains. “It’s a two-year program, and I can’t believe how fast it’s going. I also live with my best friend and roommate of five years now.”

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