1950s

1953

“Mig and I continue to enjoy good health here in Jupiter, Florida, and we’re playing golf two to three times a week. I gave up tennis two years ago.”

Ronald R. Ryan

1953

“While I am sure that most of our class has passed on, some of us continue. I still live in Oregon but am not able to travel or drive. I am 92 and feel it most of the time. I live in a retirement home and am planning my 100th birthday. I’ll never forget my days at Kenyon.”

Donald B. Thomas

1954

Paul B. Wolfe, La Jolla, California, shares, “My first recollection was being met at the railroad station in Mansfield by Dean Bailey, who then carried my bags to a basement room in North Leonard. The two profs I most remember are Jim Michael and Wilfred Desan. Mr. Michael got me interested in dramatics and then invited me back to Reunion when Paul L. Newman ’49 directed a production at the old theater building. One of my fondest recollections is of singing down Middle Path, a tradition that I understand no longer exists and is not even mentioned in the college archives.”

1955

Edward T. Rhodes Sr. updates, “I recently married Dorothy Bondurant. We are snowbirds who reside in a condo at Lakewood National Country Club in Bradenton, Florida, from December until the first of May. Home for us is Leisure World in Silver Spring, Maryland. We would love to meet or dine with any classmates who are interested in Florida or Maryland (edrhodes900@gmail. com).” Ed celebrated his 90th birthday on March 20.

1957

Ronald E. Kendrick, Columbus, Ohio, recollects, “When I first arrived on campus in 1953, the place looked deserted — I was a month early, for football, and trying out for quarterback. Head coach Bill Stiles played me some my freshman year. I remember being carted off the field in Wooster one Saturday when a bunch of opponents clobbered me and knocked me out as I was returning a kick-off. My football career lasted only one year, but I did start on the basketball team for four years and the baseball team for three years. I missed my senior year in baseball after I married the lady who enjoyed many dance weekends at Kenyon while she attended Ohio Wesleyan. … We are still married after 66 years and live together by some quirk of good fortune.”

1959

Richard A. Dickey, Hickory, North Carolina, writes, “I am delighted to think that the wonderful experiences and excitement my classmates and I enjoyed continue to be offered to students in Gambier. I am often reminded of and feel gratitude for the education Kenyon provided me and my classmates, an experience which continues to be made possible for others through the unselfish generosity of so many.”

1959

Robert B. Palmer, New York City, reflects, “On my first visit to Kenyon in early April 1955, robins and crocuses were on the lawn of the Alumni House (now the Kenyon Inn). I may have still been 16 when, in the renowned Charles Coffin’s class on Milton, I was addressed for the first time as ‘Mr. Palmer.’ Thus began my life-long love affair with Kenyon in quaint Gambier.” Bob fondly recalled many professors, including Frank Rouda and Charles (Mike) Bundy ’52. “Classics Professor Bill McCulloh remains a Gambier neighbor of my still good friend, Alan Wainwright, and I met Micah Myers, also in classics, for lunch in NYC this last year. Another Kenyon highlight for me was the graduation of my daughter, Michele Palmer Fracasso ’81. She was first on campus in the spring of ’60 at two months old, when we lived in Mount Vernon for my final semester. She enjoyed Kenyon as much as I did, but in a more restrained manner — less time in Dean Edwards’ office than me.”

1959

David N. Sharlin, Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, retired on June 30 from his position as medical director of the Mercer County, New Jersey, program for children with handicaps, which he helped found. “I reconnected with Robert F. Neff, Alan S. Loxterman, Robert W. Chapin Jr. and Richard A. Dickey at our 50th reunion, but somehow have lost touch with them and would love to reconnect. Hopefully they will read this and respond (dnsharlin@verizon.net).”

1959

Roger C. Smith, Moneta, Virginia, entered the Air Force as a second lieutenant in August 1959. “During my 29-year Air Force career, I completed a master’s in public administration at the University of Oklahoma, graduated from the National War College in 1979, and from the advanced management program at Carnegie-Mellon in 1983. Along the way I found the one who would share life’s adventure with me, my wonderful wife, Sybil. We met and married in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1966 — she was a Virginia native visiting her sister. We have three grown children and seven grandchildren. Kenyon helped me develop intellectual curiosity and an ability to think analytically, gifts that served me well. As an English major, I developed writing skills that opened several doors, one as head speech-writer and chief of the secretary of the Air Force’s policy analysis group in the Pentagon under three consecutive Air Force secretaries. I commanded a major Air Force base, a 150-missile Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile wing, and NORAD’s Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado. In 1986, I was the senior military negotiator during defense and space negotiations with the Soviet Union, for which I was awarded a Distinguished Service Medal. Retiring as a brigadier general in 1988, I established my own consulting business, before retiring again in 2004 to Smith Mountain Lake in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. For many years, I have been involved in restoring antique and classic boats from the 1940s and ’50s. My greatest satisfaction has been our family, and it is a joy to spend time with our children and grandchildren at the lake and see them develop new interests and grow.”

1960s

1960

The Rev. David O. McCoy, Athens, Ohio, reports, "I’m doing my best to keep active. My number one way is to go to the gym five days a week. In addition, my wife, Chris, and I are getting out and about: I saw three shows in Wooster in July; spent a couple of weeks at my cottage on a lake in Canada; traveled to the Orkney Islands in Scotland; doing some Sunday supply work at our local Episcopal Church; even got to Cincinnati for a Reds game!"

1961

Daniel O. Holland reports, "Our move to the South has proven to be the best move ever. Since moving to Virginia, I’ve been called ‘sweetie, sweetheart, honey and love,’ something that never happened when I lived in the North! Patty is a member of two local symphony orchestras, one of which, Waynesboro Community Orchestra, recently was named the best community orchestra in the country. Active in three poetry/literary/musical groups, I get to read my poetry and song lyrics at three grand venues every month. I contribute a poem on Facebook every day. Standing offer to all Kenyon men and women to come visit. Word of caution: you may never want to leave!"

1962

Paul C. Heintz, Radnor, Pennsylvania, reports, "Still practicing law after 58 years with the firm I joined after Penn Law School. Flying air-planes since my solo 65 years ago. My wife, Jane (aka Saint Jane), still tolerates me after 60 years. We spend more time than ever with our four children and seven grandchildren, four of whom are in college. Being able to join my classmates every five years on The Hill since graduation has been a blessing."

1962

Harvey F. Lodish, Brookline, Massachusetts, updates, “Though I closed my research laboratory in 2019, I remain on the active MIT faculty and continue to teach.” Harvey wrote from a sabbatical leave in Africa, where he was teaching biotechnology in Uganda, Ghana and Malawi “with the aim of encouraging students and young faculty members to start biotech companies that can deal with these countries’ many unmet medical and agricultural needs, and making contacts for them in the Boston biomedical ecosystem that can help with specific technologies. This January I will spend two weeks in Gambier, teaching a half-course on biotechnology. Students will read and discuss key research papers that underlie recent successful gene and cell therapies — the same papers I use in my MIT biotech seminar. Eleven years ago at Kenyon, I taught a similar seminar course on stem cells; the students were as good as the seniors in my class at MIT, and their term papers were on average better written.”

1962

Richard A. Rubin, Mill Valley, California, remembers, “As editor of the Collegian my junior year, I crusaded to have the college eliminate the dreaded compulsory chapel requirement. Not only had it deprived generations of homework- or party-weary students hours of precious sleep on Sundays, it forced them to worship at places perhaps not of their own choosing, at odds with the fundamental values of a liberal arts education. Happily, the board of trustees agreed to its rescision. To my surprise, I received a very gracious and approving letter from the Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of Ohio — who happened to be the chair of the Board of Trustees at the time!” Richard also recalled visiting Paul L. Newman ’49 in 2005 at his home, along with former president Georgia Nugent and fellow trustee David Horvitz. Richard’s friend Maurice Kanbar H’06, a San Francisco inventor/philanthropist, recently deceased, had just made a $1.25 million gift to the College — contingent upon Newman’s willingness to meet. “The meeting was a great success,” Richard recalls, “with Newman refusing assistance, preparing and serving lunch — Newman’s Own, of course. I will never forget his self-effacing response when I asked if we could have our photo taken: ‘Sure, but you realize a hundred of these is worth one Robert Redford.’”

1962

Robert D. Vance, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is “long retired from the UNC philosophy department but continues to teach some courses in Duke’s Lifelong Learning Institute. My hobbies now include photography (with periodic exhibitions), and my workouts include water volleyball.” Bob and Terry were headed to Bogota, Colombia in December to visit two sons and their grandchildren.

1963

Alan W. Beck, New Albany, Ohio, submits, "I have been reflecting on life in Gambier in the ’50s, with two grocery stores, a Sohio station and a barbershop on the main block and (until 1954) no dorms west of the gates at Philander’s Well, where 308 ended at 229. In 1954, my mother, a faculty member, was told she should not march with the men in the convocation and graduation processions, and she was refused admittance to the Phi Beta Kappa meetings because she was a woman. Ivy League Phi Beta Kappa meant nothing if the person was a woman. Kenyon has come a long way in 70 years, from the Pajama Parade (“hazing”?), which stopped in the early 1960s while I was a student, to now having our second woman president!"

1963

Calvin S. Frost, Lake Forest, Illinois, says his 60th reunion was “a wonderful experience. Since May, I have continued to work, garden and play. Just back from Brussels and Amsterdam and headed to India for 10 days shortly. Our small business now has 160 employees, including our daughter Cynthia Frost ’84, son-in-law Richard C. Hoffman ’89, and grandson Alexander B. Hoffman ’20.”

1963

“In late August, our children made us an amazing 60th-anniversary party. All 12 grandchildren took part, alongside old and new friends. President Biden and Jill Biden sent us an engraved congratulation card.” After a fall cruise and then a family Thanksgiving in Atlanta, Neal was headed to Belize in late January. “Grandson Kio’s high school graduation in mid-May, the Kenyon Bicentennial Celebration in Gambier, and our grandson Max’s graduation in June and our grandson Max’s graduation in June at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. It is good to have so much to look forward to.”

Neal M. Mayer, Millsboro, Delaware

1963

Robert H. Scott, Joplin, Missouri, shared fond memories: “L. Mifflin ‘Miff’ Hayes and I both went to Duke Law. I went on active duty as an Air Force JAG officer, serving my last year in Thailand on the Mekong River during the Vietnam War. Returning to the U.S. to practice law, spent 11 years in Cincinnati before returning to my family home in Joplin as a partner in Roberts, Fleishaker, and Scott after a friend was appointed federal judge. Raising our young family outside the world of corporate practice is a decision I am glad we made, as we had time to enjoy our children growing up far more.” Robert has published 30 books, including eight novels, with the ninth out now (visit amazon.com/stores /author/B00G1OJNTS). “Sadly, I lost my wife of 43 years, Sandy, to cancer in 2009. But the children and grandchildren keep me busy.… While I will not likely make any reunions or the 200th celebrations, I wish all the very best.”

1964

John B. Hattendorf, Newport, Rhode Island, traveled to London for a three-day meeting of the Anglo-Swedish naval history society “Wrestling with three books in process,” he writes. ‘Reflections on Naval History: Collected Essays,’ the third volume of my collected essays, from 2011 to 2021. The second, written with Geoffrey Till, ‘Recovering Naval Power: Henry Maydman and the Recovery of the Royal Navy,’ is an edition of a completely overlooked book from 1691 with great relevance to the naval situation today. Finally, for Oxford University Press’s Great Battle Series, a book on the memory, commemoration and various historical interpretations of the 1805 naval Battle of Trafalgar.”

1964

“Living on an island, we think, is wonderful, and Nantucket is a fab-ulously beautiful place, but small. Leaving the island, particularly during the off-season, is a long-term island tradition. So we took to the road with trips to Tunisia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and then Paris and London. All were interesting — I will say the food is better in Paris. We’re back on the island and devot-ing the fall to raising a new puppy.”

Martin McKerrow, Nantucket, Massachusetts

1964

“I came to Kenyon in fall 1960. A clarinet enthusiast, I asked Professor Paul Schwartz about opportunities to play A. Rubin ’62, myself, and another whom I can’t recall on standard B-flat clarinets, and Alexander McNamara on bass clarinet. We rehearsed in the Harcourt Parish Episcopal Church and performed several recitals there, plus at least one in the Knox County Memorial Theater, to meager yet appreciative audiences. Fast forward to 2007: I received my master’s in clarinet performance from Arizona State University at age 65. Now aged 81, I’m back playing principal clarinet in the Scottsdale, Arizona, Philharmonic Orchestra. Gratefully, our concerts are so well-attended that people are sometimes turned away at the door. ”

Walter W. Nielsen

1964

“At a recent college sports-themed dinner, I finally got a chance to wear my Kenyon letter sweater. I’m happy to say that after nearly 60 years it not only was in good condition, but it still fit. I spend most of my time now playing golf. I’ve managed to shoot my age well over 200 times.”

Eric A. Summerville, Saint James, North Carolina

1966

Charles S. Evans resides at Highland Green, a 55+ senior community in Topsham, Maine, “just across the river from Brunswick and Bowdoin College,” he reports. “I am now the senior staff physical therapist at the Veterinary and Rehabilitation Center of Cape Elizabeth. I have been doing PT on dogs now for 22 years at a variety of 24/7 hospitals.” Charles plays in a rock-and-roll band called Off Their Rockers, sings in a church choir and is a board member of the Brunswick Senior Center.

1966

“Our son Zachary graduated from Landmark College in December, with a bachelor’s in computer science. My wife, Lisa Rubin, is in leadership on the board of Master Voices, a volunteer singing ensemble, well-known here in the arts scene. After many years of giving short views on the Bible portion of the week, I’m setting out to teach others how. We are making Shabbat services more participatory, as well as delving into the multiple meanings of Torah portions.

Carl S. Mankowitz, New York City

1966

“Gretchen and I are catching up on travel. In June we did a 23-day Med cruise that started in Barcelona, visited ports all the way to Jerusalem, and finished in Trieste. In September, we spent three weeks hiking in Scotland, first on the Fife Coastal Path near Edinburgh, and later on the Great Glen Way near Inverness. In December, we headed to Norway for a 15-day northern lights cruise that started in Bergen and ended in Oslo.”

Richard T. Nolan, Red Lodge, Montana

1967

Phil Cerny, updates, “Fairly quiet here in York, U.K., but keeping busy. Still singing at the Black Swan Folk Club and playing in the house band, Ramshackle. Although I’m officially retired from academia — the University of Manchester in 2004 and Rutgers University-Newark in 2010 — I still publish and go to international conferences, most recently Athens, Toronto, Potsdam, and Prague this summer.” Last February, Phil published “Heterarchy in World Politics” (Routledge).

1967

Edward J. Forrest Jr., Marietta, Georgia, recalls, “(Then-admissions director) Tracy Scudder set the tone — amazing tweed sport coat, button-down collar and sage advice: ‘Gentlemen! Welcome to Kenyon. You will be treated as an adult until you prove yourself otherwise.’” Edward asserts that “some Tales of Kenyon range from ‘whales’ to ‘problematic.’” And: “Please remind Dr. Schnall the Kenyon Riots were far deeper than plugging Philander’s Well, which was traumatic and never allowed in those times. However, the installation of stop signs and their bold enforcement? That frosted the pumpkin!”

1967

Lawrence C. Schmidlapp was re-elected for a seventh term as mayor of Centre Island, New York, a Nassau County village on a 605-acre peninsula in Oyster Bay Harbor. “Also elected commander of my American Legion post,” he adds.

1968

Michael A. Liff shares, “In Portland, Maine, for the last eight years. Probably our last stop until assisted living!” Michael works part-time for the Maine Celtics, a G-league pro basketball team. “I get a paycheck from the Boston Celtics! For a lifelong basketball fan, how cool is that! The Kenyon Owls? From the Lords to the Birds! Didn’t Temple University get there first? My last day at Kenyon was our 1968 graduation. I really don’t miss the place — it’s always been about the people. There is no way to put into words how much I think about and miss fraternity brothers and friends."

1968

Pierce E. Scranton Jr., Ketchum, Idaho, reflects, “The classic wide-eyed, bushy-tailed new freshman was me in 1964. Admitted as an experiment — no one had ever applied from my high school. … I logged in Alaska for three summers, working my way through Kenyon. I drank deep from the cup.” Pierce became an orthopedic surgeon, sent a son to Kenyon, became a member of the Board of Trustees, and won awards and honorary degrees. “I founded a mission in Vietnam taking care of land-mine victims and disabled children. Maybe all because Professor Bob Burns called me back after I’d turned in an honors thesis and said, ‘Pierce, I won’t accept this. You can do better.’”

1968

John D. Sinks, Arlington, Virginia, continues his genealogy hobby now that health conditions and the risk of COVID have ended his ballroom dancing. Newly accepted in the Huguenot Society of the Founders of Manakin in the Colony of Virginia, he continues to be a member in the Jamestowne Society, Sons of the American Revolution, First Families of Kentucky and the Society of the Cincinnati of the State of South Carolina.

1968

Mark E. Sullivan practices law in Raleigh, North Carolina. “Busy with travel, including business trips to Kansas City; Fargo, North Dakota; and Hawaii — mainly concerning military divorce training and teaching. Looking forward to our Reunion and hope to be part of a ‘fraternity sing’ on the steps of Rosse Hall.”

1970s

1970

“I have three vivid memories of Kenyon: The night of the first draft lottery. Not great for some of us! Professor Bruce Gensemer suggested that I become an econ major; I’m an economist today, so thanks, Bruce! Endless rounds of APBA baseball games with friends when it was raining — 75 percent of the time? My only question: Where was the sushi bar in 1970?

Frank J. Berardino Jr., Delray Beach, Florida

1970

Robert C. Boruchowitz works part-time at the School of Law, where his upcoming courses include law and the Holocaust and abuses of executive power. “I am an expert witness in several cases involving public defense and serve on state and national committees working to improve public defense,” he adds. “I sometimes wonder how we got to be in our mid-70s. Did we ever think about that in 1970?”

1970

Peter M. Cowen, Wilmington, North Carolina, notes, “Retirement continues to be full. I FaceTime with the Rev. Karl D. Ruttan, Andrew D. Stewart, and William S. Koller Jr. on a somewhat regular basis (all Delt brothers).” His recent travels have taken him to Bermuda, Norway, and Maine. “Met two Kenyon alumni on a canal boat tour in Amsterdam (great fun; she was a swimmer); ran into Donald L. Shupe ’81 randomly at a restaurant in Wilmington (we both have Kenyon license plates and the swimming connection); and finally had a most enjoyable breakfast reminiscing session with Delt Big Brother Timothy R. Holder ’68 (another swimmer), who also lives in Wilmington! Go Lords!”

1970

The Rev. John K. Morrell, River John, Nova Scotia, reflects, "The Kenyon experience was much more than classes, books, reports, and labs. We were also involved in sports and humanities, and, in my case, I became engrossed in theater. My freshman year I watched a Gilbert and Sullivan production and was enthused. For my sophomore and senior years, I appeared and sang in two productions. During my junior year abroad I sang in the Beirut College for Women's production of “Patience,” and at McGill University in Montreal, I appeared in three productions. With my retirement from full-time ministry at St. Mark’s Anglican Church in 2018, I became involved with the North Shore Players. Now preparing a world premiere of Gary L. Blackwood’s musical 'We’re All Bound to Go' and MCing our annual Christmas variety shows."

1970

“Three Kenyon events will always be significant for me: my commissioning as an Air Force second lieutenant in 1970; my presentation to the College of a memorial marker on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Air Force ROTC at Kenyon; and commemoration in 2022 of the 50th anniversary of the closure of Kenyon ROTC.”

William F. Paraska, Alpharetta, Georgia

1971

“Another summer of working with Oak Park (Illinois) Festival Theatre, the Midwest’s oldest professional, outdoor, classical theatre. Now helping with the 2024 season. A play of mine, ‘Envoy,’ with earlier productions in Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York, was presented at SUNY Binghamton in early October. The rest of my time is busy with theatre work, teaching, writing, and volunteering.”

Belinda Bremner

1971

“I retired after a long career as a federal prosecutor and then a white-collar defense lawyer. My wife of 46 years and I have three adult children and currently live in a multi-generational house in Baltimore with our daughter 4-month-old grandson and our youngest son. We frequently see Jeff Franklin ’70 and his family; David Cronin ’72; Jeff Oppenheim; and Ransom Griffin.

Christopher A. Myers, Baltimore

1971

Norman E. Schmidt, Cleveland, reports, "At the swimming and diving reunion, I enjoyed meeting up with Douglas M. Neff and teammates William S. Koller Jr. ’70, James F. Loomis ’73, James Lucas ’73, John A. Davis ’73, David H. Cannon ’73, William R. Wallace ’72, John E. Davis ’75, Lawrence H. Witner ’69, John A. 'Jack' Kirkpatrick III ’73, and others a little younger (like frat bro Stuart S. Wegener ’75) and older (James G. Carr ’62), and even one I coached (Carol S. Leslie ’84). The event was terrific. I continue to play golf with John H. Emack ’72 about once a week; he still wins handily, but we have fun and even get some exercise. John and I recently got together with Arthur B. “Chip” Sansom ’73 to celebrate the life of Gregg J. DeSilvio ’74, who died recently. Chip is my DEKE little brother, and Gregg was Chip’s little brother. I also had the pleasure of meeting up with David Gregg when he was in Cleveland recently. I seem to be completely retired. Case Western Reserve University did not employ me this year to work with seniors planning to become science teachers."

1972

Samuel Barone, Mount Vernon, Ohio, has been invited to join the board of the Philander Chase Conservancy. “I’m looking forward to expanding my understanding of land trusts in general, and those protecting the Greater Gambier environs in particular. And, of course, putting 50-plus years of Knox County knowledge to work in service of Kenyon,” he writes.

1972

“I continue to practice law and was recently named Best of the Bar White Collar Criminal Defense by the Philadelphia Business Journal.”

Barry Gross, Media, Pennsylvania

1973

“Great to see classmates at our 50th this spring! I even stayed on campus, which brought back a lot of great memories. Up here in Michigan, I’m a substitute teacher three days a week and still volunteering at the Sloan Museum in Flint on Thursdays. I have even subbed in kindergarten and first grade.”

Jeffrey L. Bennett

1973

“Retired two years ago — 44 years practicing law was enough! Doug (also a lawyer) and I have two children — Hallie, a school administrator, and Jack C. Godshall ’06, who works at Blackrock. We have three grandchildren and hope to have more! We like to travel, most memorably to Vietnam and most recently to Hawaii.”

Cathy A. Carter Godshall, Akron, Ohio

1973

Shelley A. Hainer, New York City, conducts sensory awareness sessions online and in person — in Berkeley, California, last spring; New York City last fall; and next fall in Spain. See Shelley’s “Leaders in the Spotlight” inter-view with the Sensory Awareness Foundation on YouTube or visit shelleyhainer.com. Shelley enjoyed meet-ing Leonie J. Deutsch, JoAnn and Christopher A. Bloom, Jeffrey A. Wolin ’72 and John M. Himmel in Chicago; Jack Y. Au and Marcia Barr Abbot in NYC; and Colleen Kelly-Eiding. “Shimmers remain in the wake of our 50th reunion afterglow. I loved being in Gambier, in the community of like-minded humans. Rekindled, refreshed and newly engaged connections with Thomas E. Allen, Katie Fishman Eastridge, Bonnie Levinson, Katherine Cushman, David W. Cronin and Kerry H. Pechter among them, and a beautiful in-person visit with my freshman advisor, Professor Emeritus Robert Bennett. As a practicing meditator of four decades, the middle way resonates powerfully with Middle Path, my time at Kenyon and beyond.”

1973

Mitchell L. Jablons, Watchung, New Jersey, reflects, "I didn’t realize semi-retirement is a full-time job. Between exercising, travel, friendships, family responsibilities and a once- or twice-a-week job as an anesthesiologist, my days are full. My Kenyon liberal arts education has been a great launching pad to enjoy intellectual challenges as I age. Just glad I received it at a time when the cost was a fraction of what it is currently."

1973

“Kenyon is a great teacher both inside and outside the classroom. I was reminded of that again while joining 500-plus members of the Kenyon swimming nation for
a reunion last year honoring Hall of Fame inductees and the incomparable Coach Jim Steen. We connected with this generation of swimmers and teammates and others from the Coach Dick Sloan era. Coach Sloan and the culture of Kenyon swimming he created made a very real difference in my life and career. I learned the real power of a shared vision and goals, the understanding that individuals can be more than they believed, that a team could be more than it thought, the value of consistent hard and focused work, the imperative of not making excuses, the importance of leadership, and that ‘luck is when preparation meets opportunity.’ Very thankful. Plus, it was a blast swimming in reunion relays with teammates Charles D. Welker, James Lucas, John A. Davis and James F. Loomis 50 years after graduation. I left with one big regret: I had lost touch with Coach and never told him how much he meant to my life at Kenyon and afterward. Fortunately, teammate Norman E. Schmidt ’71 had his email. I wrote Coach a longish thank-you note and included the fact that Sara and I now spend most of our time on Bald Head Island off the coast of North Carolina. He immediately wrote back. It turns out he and his wife, Diane, have been living about a mile from the marina where we catch the ferry to the island. We have been driving past his house for years. The next day we got together. He is 87 and still serves on the town’s planning board. Diane is an accomplished artist. The world worked in a wonderful way.”

John A. Kirkpatrick III, Bald Head Island, North Carolina

1973

“Congrats to the women’s lacrosse team on a successful season! You make us pioneers so proud! Recently I moved to Idaho and have been settling into a new home and community. Been out birding with Golden Eagle Audubon and continuing my country line dance classes. By the time you read this, I will have been to Antarctica via the Falklands and South Georgia, then Patagonia and Valparaiso. I’ll be doing a bit of citizen science for NASA on this trip and hopefully visiting the Argentinian research station on Antarctica, weather permitting. Here’s to everyone enjoying our second seventies!”

Shirley J. Leow

1973

Bonnie Levinson, Delray Beach, Florida, had a “fabulous” 50th reunion, “plus those of us in New York this summer got to join Marcia Barr Abbot and Jack Y. Au at Jack’s favorite Chinese eatery. My summer was filled with travel, art and family. My solo exhibition “Metanoia” at Roxbury Abbey in the Catskills was thrilling, with 49 pieces presented in conversation with the stained glass and soaring architecture. Then a family wedding in Tuscany and an adventure driving tour throughout the winding mountain roads of Sardinia. The colors and textures of sea and sky are already influencing my work in the studio.”

1973

“We have a brand-new emergency department at the University of Cincinnati, but business is the usual. I recently spent some time with Steven C. Carleton ’78 and Kevin A. Conry ’71. Being smarter than me, they are both retired and enjoying life. I would retire, but I don’t know how to do anything else.”

Edward “Mel” J. Otten

1973

Mark Sandson offers his first-ever class note. “So I have a lot of territory to cover! After a mediocre career at Kenyon I went on to law school at Emory. Thereafter I practiced law in Atlantic City, New Jersey, for 30 years before being appointed to the Superior Court and serving there for about 15 years. I served on the family, general equity, and criminal divisions. My last and favorite assignment was in recovery court, where I finally found my calling. When I turned 70, I was determined to be constitutionally infirm. as the NJ Constitution requires all superior court judges to retire on their 70th birthday. After I had stressed the importance of employment at a living wage with benefits, I was asked to stay on and help run a Supreme Court committee to help get New Jersey’s 130,000 probation clients good jobs. This is what I am doing every day now, and loving it.”

1973

Ann Starr, Columbus, Ohio, reflects, “When I entered in the first class of women in 1969, I had been at Kenyon in some sense since 1964, when Gambier’s school system merged with Mount Vernon’s. In junior high, my closest friends were the children of Professor Michael, Professor Schwartz, and Dean Edwards. I slept over and dined at faculty homes, played the jukebox at Dorothy’s and bought candy from Mr. Hayes. As a student, I house-sat over the summers for professors Baly, Seymour and Crutwell. I knew where the wild blackberries grew in the summer. I picked gallons of them and baked pies that I shared with the Warners and Greenslades. By the time I was 20, I was an old-timer. I’ve been back rarely, but I recently spent the day with Jacqueline E. Robbins and Thomas P. Stamp, loyal alumni who have lived in Gambier and served the college after earning their graduate degrees. I think there were 800 or fewer students when we were there, and even fewer when I was a girl. Nostalgia, nostalgia! … ‘My’ Kenyon is fully alive inside my memory; Kenyon College keeps growing and changing, keeping up with its generations of students.”

1974

M. Christine “Mary” Anderson, Cincinnati, informs, “Carol A. Heiberger and I had a wonderful time in London and Athens last April. Thank you to Julia Miller-Vick ’73 and James W. Vick for taking the time to share their expertise on Athens. I go to Atlanta as often as possible to see my grandson. I also chair the board of King Studios, a nonprofit preserving the history of iconic independent recording company King Records.”

1974

Thomas A. Andrew, Washington, Massachusetts, updates, “After 35 years teaching and coaching at the Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island — and a 44-year career overall — I retired in 2022. My wife, Katy, and I sold our home and now enjoy our mountainside woodland home in the Berkshires as our primary residence. We hit the road periodically, especially to see our granddaughters play soccer (of course!) — one as a first-year at James Madison University and the other as a sophomore at Barrington High School.”

1974

Lean’tin Bracks, Old Hickory, Tennessee, observes, “Our May 2024 Reunion will be 50 years since graduating and 200 for the College as a whole. Wow, time flies! The first time I experienced a true fall season was on Middle Path. A Texan who grew up on the coast surrounded by palm trees, I saw the leaves changing colors as a glorious gift from nature, indeed a spiritual experience. (Oh, then there was the first time I saw snow!) I have retired from Fisk University in Nashville as a full professor of African American literature and spend my time keeping my granddaughters and writing. The second edition of my resource book was released in October. All is well, and I send greetings to my alma mater and the Black Student Union, long may they endure.”

1974

James E. Breece III, Litchfield, Connecticut, remains active in the Chinese, Japanese and Southeast Asian art worlds. “I was recently involved in a new show at Harvard Art Museums called “Objects of Addiction: Opium, Empire, and the Chinese Art Trade.” My involvement was not only the loan of a key object (Hong bowl) but also as the driving force behind a free 23-page booklet — rather than a cocktail-table book for the show. We printed 10,000 booklets so they would reach more people than a typical show hardback catalog. Peter Hoover ’71 claims I am addicted to the objects. My son Jeb, James E. Breece IV ’04, would not disagree.”

1974

Kevin Fitzgerald, Nahant, Massachusetts, informs, “In 2011, I was in a fire when a gasoline tanker tipped over on the highway. They say to add your age (60) to your percentage of third-degree burns (55) and that is your mortality rate. I am 115 percent dead, statistically. I am a third of the way through a chemotherapy program for B-cell lymphoma. If I am already statistically dead, I figure the cancer has nothing to work on. I want to be clear: I am not a glass-half-full person. I believe I was given a full pour, and it is up to me to make the most of it. (I don’t drink anymore, so that glass is iced tea.) God bless you for your friendship; if you are having troubles, mine are neither better nor worse than yours. We all survive based on the strength we are given by those around us. Treasure your loved ones as they treasure you.” Kevin is counsel to the Massachusetts House of Representatives Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, where “the title is much bigger than the paycheck, but the work is fascinating.”

1974

Dan E. Patterson, Dallas, writes, “Some of my fondest memories of Kenyon are the amazing fall weather. I have been serving on the board of The Gund art gallery for the past few years, and we had a board meeting on cam-pus when leaves were at their peak. My second grandchild (a boy) lives near me in Dallas. Endless blessings. I have been in frequent touch with Richard I. James, who retired from the ministry and is trying to move closer to his grandchildren in Idaho.”

1974

Stewart F. Peck and Renee Peck ’75 welcomed a fifth grandchild, their second granddaughter, in June. “I am still practicing law in New Orleans and hope to cut back next year to travel more, take classes in Spanish, art history and drawing, and play more golf and pickleball. Had a great reunion with my soccer teammates last spring on the team’s 75th anniversary. In recent times I have been trying in multiple ways to pay forward the financial help and great education I received at Kenyon.”

1974

Martha S. Schulman had an eventful 2023: “My third grandchild, Fiona, was born in February. I am so very fortunate that both of my sons and their families live near me in Richmond, Virginia. In mid-September, I received a kidney transplant, which came sooner than I expected. I received excellent care at VCU Health, and that wonderful care continues at home through my partner of 20 years. There is so much to be grateful for!”

1974

Sidney E. Wanetick writes, “As our 50th approaches, I frequently reflect on the twists and turns of life. My father, who never went to college, told me college would be the best years of my life and to enjoy it. For two years I took him very literally and enjoyed myself way too much. The light bulb went off when Dr. Jegla, my physiology professor, suggested I consider dropping pre-med and finding another vocation. At a Reunion weekend years later, I was having a beer with Dean Edwards — whom I got to know well, as many of you may remember. I mentioned how five of us PEEPS had fared. Four physicians: Joseph J. Baem — who, I am sad to report, passed away in July — Paul Shapiro, Stuart B. Weiner and me. And one dentist: Thomas F. Northway. Dean Edwards replied, ‘I wouldn’t have put money on it.’ But we all made it, because the unique experience that is Kenyon impacts our lives profoundly and stays with us forever.” Sidney spends winters in Mexico and summers in Carlsbad, California, “where we bought an old — not to be confused with charming — townhouse, gutted and remodeled it, and are determined never to move again!”

1975

Joan Baldwin, Falls Village, Connecticut, reports, “I had the bittersweet pleasure of being present for J. Bradley Faus’ last day of teaching. It’s a Hotchkiss School tradition for the community to applaud a faculty member as they leave class on the last day of school. I met Brad in an art class September of our first year. A decade or so later we found ourselves at Hotchkiss. I remain the school’s curator of special collections.”

1975

Anne G. Campos, Hancock, New York, is writing a book tentatively titled “Speaking from the Margins” that “loosely applies Josef Alber’s color theory — (color) is almost never seen as it really is — to life as work in progress,” she explains. “Nothing is obvious until it is. The book will create a retrospective sketch that incorporates movement through boundaries, two centuries and constant encounters with the laws of motion — specifically, for every action, there is an opposed and equal reaction.”

1975

Constance Chapman Dillon updates, “After 14 years in Naples we moved to the Chattanooga area in 2018, first building a home west of town up on the Cumberland Plateau, then moving into the city in 2022. We’re right downtown, so we can walk to restaurants, museums and enjoy all the activities the city offers. It was great to have a visit recently from Elizabeth K. Parker and her husband, Mark.”

1975

Steven C. Durning, Holliston, Massachusetts, reports, “On Sept. 23, a group of us gathered at a daylong event graciously hosted by Thomas A. Lucas and his wife, Shari, at their home 40 miles north of New York City. Most came from far away. Our guiding spirit was Kevin J. Martin, who suggested that we give ‘Tom Talks,’ which some of us did. We caught up with each other, ate and drank, remembered, processed once again what Mark C. Fox ’76 meant to us, sang along to Peter H. Frank’s guitar, and contem-plated our approaching 50th Reunion. Many thanks to all for making the effort, including Alice Cornwell Straus, Brad Foote, Murray J. Smith and Janet Byrne Smith ’76, Karen Mesberg and Scott M. Univer ’73, Matthew S. Mees, Michael C. Davis, Arthur M. Marx and Pamela A. Martin-Diaz.”

1975

After 46 years of teaching at the secondary school level, J. Bradley Faus retired to Charleston, South Carolina. “We remoeled our home and moved in this fall. We plan to summer on the Maine coast and winter in Charleston while spending time visiting our children in Denver. I am building a studio and will be focusing on making art in addition to pursuing various environmental, social and political interests. Stay in touch (jbfaus4@ gmail.com).”

1975

Brooks Jackson, Iowa City, Iowa, stepped down as the dean of medicine for the University of Iowa Health Care System, and before that dean of medicine at the University of Minnesota, and before that chair of pathology at Johns Hopkins. “I will continue my research full time and see patients in my specialty of transfusion medicine,” he explained. “I still have a number of projects in Uganda, China, Brazil and, more recently, Zambia, so I will be busy traveling and on a lot of video calls. But I should have more time for running, creative writing, music composition and seeing our three sons and my wife of 37 years.”

1975

Emily Crom Lyons, Darien, Connecticut, announces, “Renee (Brandt) Peck and I are celebrating our seventh decade with a trip by jet around the world. Bucket-list trip for us both, with world highlights around the globe. Bon voyage!”

1975

Charlotte “Shami” J. McCormick updates, “My husband and I are currently living in Geneseo, New York, enjoying the fine art of grandparenting Rhys McCormick, age 3. Our winters are spent in the milder climate of Richmond, Virginia. Turning 70 has given me a different perspective on being old — as in, ‘Surely, I’m not … am I?’ Gail Jacobs Gordon and I got together with other chums in Chautauqua, New York, to celebrate seven decades and be inspired by Bonnie Raitt, who gave a fierce concert! Recently I had the pleasure of working with David I. Jaffe ’78 and Adam T. Petherbridge ’08 in NYC on an evening of Chekhov. I keep my oar dipped in theater but am doing a lot of writing and editing. Working for BGG Creative Studio on a children’s adventure series and brushing up on my playwriting.”

1975

Richard H. Miller and his wife, Cherie, celebrated their 25th and moved from their COVID haven in Big Sky, Montana, to New York City, where Cherie leads Apple’s New York office and Rick “unofficially” transferred to Bryan Cave’s NYC office. “After 18 months we have settled in,” he reports, “mastered the subway and figured out NYC’s underground economy — which is how life really happens and things really get done. We also learned the two no-no’s of living in New York: no cars and no kids! We live in Nomad — a short walk to the theater district and countless interest-ing restaurants. Would love to see anyone who may be passing through.”

1975

Pamela Cole Schneider informs, “My husband, Tim, and I continue to enjoy our home in central Florida (north of Orlando, south of Ocala and not The Villages). We are renovating a property we plan to flip, Tim is restoring a 1970s vintage Ford pickup truck, and I continue to work on dressage training with my Lusitano gelding. We had a fun and informative visit to London, Normandy, Paris, Krakow and Berlin on a WWII history tour sponsored by the Ohio State University history department. My daughter was married in mid-September, and we enjoyed a large festive celebration in the Finger Lakes region. After the wedding, Tim and I toured Lake Placid, New York; Stowe, Vermont; and the White Mountains in New Hampshire.”

1975

Paul Silver, Silver Spring, Maryland, updates, “As I read note after note of classmates retiring, I have started a new job at the tender age of 70. After almost 19 years at George Washington and almost my entire career as both a psychiatrist and internist at academic medical centers, I have joined a private practice at Sibley Hospital in D.C. Nonetheless, I will continue to teach at GW and, perhaps, Hopkins, with which Sibley is affiliated. After living with us for nine years, my father passed away this spring just after his 100th birthday. For a year and a half we had a four-generation household while one of my daughters, her husband and three children also lived with us. Seeing my 2-year-old grandson talking with his great-grandfather was particularly cute. My daughter and family moved to Olney, about 10 miles away, so it is now just Shelly and me. A bit too quiet at times. Son Ari and his six live outside Philadelphia, and Sarah and her six are in Baltimore, so all are in easy driving distance.”

1975

Murray J. Smith, Gambier, thanks Thomas A. Lucas, Shari Krikorian and their son Nate “for hosting (and tolerating)” the above-mentioned mini-reunion. “Shout-out to Kevin J. Martin for being the lead organizer, and to Matt Mees’ wife, Elizabeth, for listening quite patiently to the old war stories.”

1975

Aaron B. Webber updates, “Have had the happiest year with my new husband, Jack MacLeod. After 10 years in England, we are moving to Portugal, where his mother’s family is from. Time to put toes in sand.”

1976

James M. Borgman reports, “A 2020 safari in Botswana was to have been our way of celebrating Christopher J. Myers’ retirement from his career as head of IT at the Providence Performing Arts Center. Sadly, Chris passed away before we could realize that vision. But three years later, his wife, Elizabeth “Betsy” Murdock Myers; my wife, Suzanne; and I completed the journey, celebrating the wonder of it all with Chris in our hearts.”

1976

Christina Barros Kramer retired after 30+ years of work in international health, having visited over 40 countries and lived abroad four years. “I loved work,” she notes, “and I love retirement. I now volunteer at several places, including an equine therapy program and grant writing for a nonprofit in Nepal. Living in Alexandria, Virginia, with husband and two sons. I’m still in close touch with Elizabeth R. Honecker ’77.”

1976

Tanna L. Moore writes, “Serendipity has led me to be very engaged in hosting international students and businesspeople from around the world through my engagement with Global Minnesota and the Humphrey School of Public Policy. It takes a bit of getting used to the diplomatic language after being in business for over 40 years … never a straight answer. I’m also deeply engaged in the music world, hosting mid-career classical musicians for the Lakes Area Music Festival. They have actually motivated me to start playing piano again. Splitting time between Minneapolis; Crosslake, Minnesota; and Charleston, South Carolina. I’m kind of going with the flow and loving it.”

1976

Rabbi Charles P. Rabinowitz, Larchmont, New York, shared, “When I arrived at Kenyon for the first time, sitting in the back seat with my bike against my knees, I was the youngest member of my class, at just 17. I had spent my last year of high school in Israel and thought in Hebrew, translating back into English, that first semester. My academic journey began with Professor Eugen Kullmann, who knew my grandfather and father and knew that I would continue the rabbinic service of my family. He had a tremendous influence on me.” Charlie is co-editor of the revitalized Journal of Jewish Spiritual Care and just completed a memorial book edited by Rabbi Steven J. Lebow ’77. For the third year running, Charlie and his family met Stephen W. Grant in Ogunquit, Maine, “for walks along the coast, good seafood and better conversation,” he notes.

1976

Janet Byrne Smith and Murray J. Smith ’75 moved to Gambier in 2017 after 32 years in northern New Jersey and commuting into Manhattan, she notes. “We were in desperate need of a break from the crowds, noise and pressure, and we’ve found it here. I was able to continue working part-time from Gambier until early 2020, but then the pandemic hit; and I have not looked back. For the last few years, I have been more and more involved with the Knox County Democratic Party.” Janet canvassed area households to urge Yes votes on Ohio’s reproductive freedom ballot issue, which passed in November. “I swim almost daily in Kenyon’s amazing pool, the likes of which is completely unavailable in the New York City metropolitan area, and this summer I participated in the inaugural Total Performance Masters Swimming camp held at Kenyon. I was by far the oldest and slowest, swimming alongside several former Ladies swimmers, but we all had lots of fun, and our coach, Danielle M. Korman ’06, was phenomenal. Murray and I travel as much as we can, with trips to Mexico City, Alaska and Nova Scotia planned for 2024.”

1976

Deborah E. Tepper moved from Cape Cod back to her hometown of Pound Ridge, New York. “It was a difficult decision,” she explains, “but we are now two miles from our grandchildren and enjoy the peace and quiet of living on the edge of a forest. There is time to garden, as well as work on environmental advocacy and animal protection causes. It’s an easy trip to NYC for shows, too.”

1976

Joel E. Turner and Timothy M. O’Neill ’77 recently visited Ben Drake, professor of English at Kenyon from 1972 to 1976, at his home in Peachtree City, Georgia. Their talk ranged from Shakespeare to Milton to the Kokosing to Ben’s work with the Highlander Center to the birds and trees in the woods behind Ben’s home. Ben revealed that he was using a replica/copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio as a stand for his computer — a copy he had bought from Terence W. McKiernan in 1976. Tim subsequently “delivered the folio back to Terry in Boston, a truly poetic reunion.”

1976

Michael W. Young, Carlsbad, California, announces a monthly LinkedIn audio program, “Clinical Trials: OBQ (One Burning Question).” Alongside six co-moderators, he and his fellow hosts discuss the design, development and execution of clinical trials for new pharmaceuticals. “A year of programming thus far included a four-month series on JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, inclusion) in clinical trial enrollment,” he informs. “Pleased to note we’ve had over 1,000 people join the live audio sessions to date! Happy to connect with any life sciences alumni at linkedin.com/in/mwyoungrx.”

1977

“After having done almost no traveling the past few years, my partner, Jeff Meckling, and I headed to southern California for a week in September. I wandered the terrific Hollywood Farmers Market with Margrit B. Polak Shield, got lessons in olive harvesting from a grower in Ojai, and revisited those lovely spots I knew in Santa Barbara, where William T. Haebler Jr. and J. Lindsey Flexner and I moved right after graduation. Great trip!”

Mieke H. Bomann

1977

Patrick J. Edwards, Boulder, Colorado, celebrated a 40th wedding anniversary with his wife, Maryann, in the U.K., returning on the Queen Mary II. “Recently enjoyed my 50th Lake Forest H.S. reunion, even though there seemed to be some older folks attend-ing?” he jokes. “Joined our local volunteer fire department in the Boulder foothills and playing tennis — my team just represented Colorado in USTA play against other mountain states in Utah.”

1977

Jerome “Jerry” Mindes, Rockville, Maryland, is the senior advisor for inclusive development on a new USAID project to advance the next generation of development assistance. He’s also enjoying his volunteer work on the Alumni Council and with the Alumni Friends of DISCO, a committee of students with disabilities.

1977

Donald B. Taber married Dorota Podlaska, an artist. They live on a small farm in southern Portugal “with plenty of room for visitors,” he notes.

1979

Mary Anne Cunningham retired in 2020 from a long career with nonprofits, she informs, “most recently a 26-year stint using my Kenyon history degree at the Oberlin (Ohio) Heritage Center. … It’s been my good fortune that Kenyon roommate Allison Gould Gallaher worked across the street at Oberlin, and we could get together for lunch regularly — and continue to do so.”

1979

Wai-Kwong Kwok reports, “Finally retired from Argonne National Laboratory in September after work-ing there since 1984! Looking forward to new adventures, Seido Karate (in Chicago and Manhattan), and especially spending time with the grandkids!”

1979

Ann Hess Myers and Kurt J. Myers ’78 are “retired and enjoying life!” Ann submits. “Kurt retired in May 2023 from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation after 25 years, most recently as deputy secretary for driver and vehicle services. I retired in October 2022 after 40 years in fundraising. We spend our time in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Chatham, Massachusetts, with our 16-year-old golden retriever, Bexley.”

1979

Barry Rosenberg and his wife, Marilyn, welcomed their first grandchild in July and are now happy members of a three-generation household. “I’m still working as a course developer at Google. Last summer, I got to hang out with David D. Peterson and Kenton J. Blagbrough on Cape Cod. Zoom calls with Thomas L. Pappenhagen and David R. Bucey were a big upside to the pandemic.”

1979

Tracy Teweles, Wilmette, Illinois, had “a truly lovely reunion with Leslie Andren Olsen,” she reports. “We were next-door carrel mates in the library our senior year, where we became friends. Over lunch we realized — again — how much we have in common!”

1979

Mark L. Thomay, Middleburg Heights, Ohio, played golf with his basketball teammate Scott D. Rogers ’80: “He’s still The Man! Happy to report that my wife, Joan, and I are greatly blessed with seven grandchildren, all boys!”

1979

“Really looking forward to going back to campus next May. Being retired, my husband and I have been able to spend five months at our camp in the Adirondacks, with family coming and going. Lots of hiking! I am still involved with some volunteer organizations, which I enjoy very much. Two grandchildren and one on the way!”

Margaret Whitman, Baltimore

1980s

1980

Virginia Calhoun de Millan, Chiapas, Mexico, updates, “After 20 years of studying and teaching linguistics, first language acquisition vs. second language learning, and the neuroscience of language development in babies at the Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas, I’m having a ball watching all this happen in real time with my delightful 18-month-old grand-son Xun (Juan/John; in Mayan, Tsotsil). He now understands and responds to nearly every conversation around him, Spanish or English: pointing at the appropriate things or carrying out complex commands. His language production is a little slower: Mama, Dada and the sounds produced by dogs, cats, horses, owls, motor-cycles and blenders. As my daughter and son-in-law work full time, I get to be the Dictadora Vitalicia del Lenguaje.”

1980

Quentin R. Hardy, Berkeley, California, updates, “I’m writing a lot about AI at Google, and on the side have writing projects about bookbinding and Renaissance science. My Kenyon education is invaluable for them all. My wife just finished her year of nasty cancer drugs and is doing great.” He adds, “I was in Montana a few times in the spring for the terminal months of Joe Goia ’77. Several other friends — Christopher M. Bench ’05, Thomas E. Fath ’78, Tom Ford ’79 P’07, Gary D. Snyder ’79, Kyle W. Henderson ’80, among others — visited, for which Joe was very grateful.”

1981

William H. Derks returned to Kenyon “for the first-ever swimmers reunion and the induction of Jim Steen into the Kenyon Athletic Hall of Fame (about time). Hundreds of swimmers returned, including a great representation by the ’81 grads, including James F. Parker, Steven R. Counsell, William A. Fullmer and Donald L. Shupe Jr. The weekend included some great times at the VI and the beer tent, beyond the more formal events and the stellar alumni relays. That pool even made the old guys feel fast again. Now back in North Carolina, where I have lived for the last 37 years, working as a civil engineer and on the board of directors of a successful land development consulting firm. All three kids grown up and on their own, leaving Colleen and me enjoying being empty-nesters.”

1981

Wendy A. MacLeod’s newest play, “Posterity,” winner of the Sue Winge Playwriting Award, was produced in Philadelphia at Villanova Theatre in November by the graduate acting students, directed by Ed Sobel.

1981

David P. Rose celebrated the wedding of daughter Abigail last summer in Maine. “She currently works in the advancement office at Kenyon,” he notes. “Kenyon folks in attendance: Kyle A. Laux ’03, Maya A. Artis ’13, Anna V. Harnsberger ’23, Abigail, me, Myles H. Alderman Jr. ’82, Stephen Honig ’68 and Ugnius ‘Ugi’ Zilinskas ’21. We also celebrated my son’s marriage in June and welcomed my first grandchild, Emmet, in December 2022. She is a beautiful red-headed girl with a terrific smile.”

1982

Sylvia S. Duggan, Philadelphia, works part time as an assistant for a small church preschool and enjoys “going to the occasional Phillies game with Kristen M. Richardson ’84. Love keeping in touch with Kenyon friends online. One of my children is grown and flown to Baltimore and the other at home finishing up a COVID-interrupted college journey.”

1982

Hilary Quay Sparks-Roberts, Old Lyme, Connecticut, writes, “In light of our upcoming bicentennial, I find myself reflecting on Kenyon highlights: starting a campus chapter of Amnesty International; seeing the gorgeous Paul Newman at close range in the Village Market and later hearing him and his wife on stage at Rosse Hall; collaborating with fellow students and faculty to raise awareness about the lack of accessibility on campus; playing volleyball with an amazing group of women and then charging up the hill to make choir practice; and hearing from poets and politicians — especially the fiery debate between Ramsey Clark and Gen. William Westmoreland. And all of this on top of the perpetual academic demands and delights among inspiring professors. I am forever grateful.”

1982

The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Wilbert retired from full-time ministry on Dec. 31, 2022. He continues to work as the archivist for the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio and as a Sunday supply priest at St. Paul’s Church in Norwalk, Ohio. Brian is the convener of the Province V Archivists and Historians of the Episcopal Church and serves as a trustee with the Oberlin Heritage Center. He is also helping his siblings care for their 85-year-old mother, who comes to stay with him and his husband, Yorki Encalada, at their home in Oberlin for a week every month. In his spare time, Brian continues to work on his 1924 Model T Ford, genealogy and collecting antique phonographs.

1982

Michael K. Zorek notes, “As Kenyon approaches its bicentennial, it sometimes feels like we graduated 200 years ago! It’s nice to be in touch with classmates, mostly with Michael G. Berick; even though he and his family live in L.A., we remain close friends! … It is fun to speak with recent graduates who frequent the Drama Book Shop here in New York City while they look for material to inspire them as they write plays, direct or act. A recent customer I spoke with was the daughter of Neil L. Pepe ’85, who has been the artistic director of the Atlantic Theater Company in New York since 1992. A not-so-recent grad who visited recently was Matthew C. Pasher ’88.”

1983

Susan A. Apel, Blawnox, Pennsylvania, joined the Alumni Council for a three-year term. “If anyone has any concerns or questions, please let me know (saapel17@ gmail.com).”

1983

Willing L. Biddle updates, “After 30 years of building a real estate investment trust focused on shopping centers in the New York area, we sold the company to a larger REIT, and I am lucky to be able to retire. Looking forward to the third chapter in life with many adventures and friends!”

1983

John N. Cannon, Shaker Heights, Ohio, recovered well from total knee replacement in the spring and summer, and now needs a hip replacement. But after Oktoberfest, he headed off to Austria and Prague.

1983

Peter C. Fischelis reports, “This summer we spent a great day in Niantic, Connecticut, with our Kenyon soccer coach, Jeff Vennell, and his wife, Judy. Patrick B. Grant ’85 and Gwynith Mayers Grant ’86, William H. Alderman ’84 (with partner Lori Goldenberg) and George H. Carroll were all in attendance.” Peter is in his 11th season as varsity coach of the Concord-Carlisle girls soccer team.

1983

William S. Sondheim, Fairfield, Connecticut, informs, “This summer I became a grandfather of a beautiful girl named after my mom. All three of my grown kids have found wonderful life partners, and Cathy and I feel very blessed with our family finding happiness. Work has been more challenging, with the Hollywood actors and writers strike affecting my ability to get new films into production. Still consulting for Bleecker and Neon Pictures and a few others, so staying busy despite tough entertainment environment.”

1984

Amy E. Chenoweth observes, “I can hardly believe this spring marks 40 years since graduation. I always smile when I see the occasional purple Kenyon College decal here in central Virginia. After nearly 30 years, I have left full-time nursing (oncology, surgery and anesthesia, nursing education) and am now working part time as a nursing clinical instructor and trying my hand at freelance health writing. Thank you, Kenyon, for a writing-intensive and literature-loving education!”

1984

“After 27 years of service to the state university system of Florida, I retired from the role of chief procurement officer at the University of Florida, in Gainesville. I am now enjoying not: having to get up at a specific time; having multiple meetings, virtual or in person; being in charge of people; and navigating the complexities of a large public institution. I do miss (some) colleagues but look forward to the next chapter.”

Lisa (Stearns) Deal

1984

Cynthia Frost, Lake Bluff, Illinois, notes, “Now that our kids are grown and gone, a few old friends from Kenyon have been able to rekindle past camaraderie. I recently went on my fourth, maybe fifth trip with Carolyn S. Lackey, William H. Knopp, Pam Sweet and Bennett A. Blau,” Cindy shares. “Together, we have toured Chicago, Sonoma, New Hampshire, many places in the Boston area and now the Highlands of Scotland. Those who journey to the town of Gambier are destined to reunite in the journey around our wondrous world. The question is: Where next?”

1984

Donata A. Rechnitzer, Frankfort, Ohio, updates, “Instead of retiring, I transitioned from medical director for three urgent care centers doing direct patient care to a work-from-home physician reviewer for a large insurance provider. Some might say I have gone to the ‘dark side,’ but I love it! I now take vacations, and have time to plan for our 40th Reunion! I really hope to see Christopher C. Penn, Deborah L. Winkle and Katherine (Webster) Kindbom in 2024 … hint, hint!”

1985

Richard K. Lincoln Jr. updates, “After almost five years living and traveling on our boat, Apricity, we have returned to a terrestrial life. We have settled in southeastern Massachusetts, and I plan to re-enter the workforce in the coming months. After a life mostly without seasons for the past four years, I am looking forward to New England’s seasonal changes.”

1985

Peter A. Propp informs, “With kids well out of the house and parents sadly gone, I’ve returned to the software business, tapping into my 15 years of experience at IBM, to help lead KnockMedia, a full-stack UX shop at Yale Science Park in New Haven, Connecticut. We build online platforms for global brands like Yale University, Home Depot, Booking.com and TED Talks. I also volunteer on a variety of local and regional initiatives and serve on a few boards. My latest instrument is mandolin, and I occasionally get a chance to perform or jam. And the Propp family’s favorite annual event is the Newport Folk Festival, where Suzanne and I experience amazing music with Julia Lyon Borden ’83, her husband, Tom, and our kids and friends.”

1985

Frank R. Virnelli Jr. reports, “J. William “Billy” Pinkston III, Matthew F. Rhoa, John Callinan and I celebrated our 60th birthdays in Napa, California, during the third weekend of September. Officially, the occasion was a surprise party for Matt, attended by his family and friends from high school to today. We had a tour and wine tasting followed by the party itself at a different ranch. Although we are in constant contact electronically, it was great to see each other in person and spend time together.”

1986

William I. Hitchcock writes, “Happily still teaching history at UVA. Spent the fall of 2023 at Oxford University. I’m working away on a new book about how Americans responded to the rise of fascism in Europe in the 1930s.”

1987

Stephanie L. Abbajay shares, “What a busy year this has been! I’ve been promoting my book “A Bar in Toledo,” working on the sequel, running David Stine Furniture and visiting old friends all over — including Joseph E. Lipscomb, Linda Djerejian Eigeman and Christopher J. Eigeman, Ed Wood, and Robin (Zaplar) Goodstein. E.W. Gentry Sayad ’86 and I have lunch and dinner regularly in St. Louis, and we even hosted Curt B. Kinsky ’85 and Mary E. Abbajay ’86 this summer. For my 40th high school reunion I spent some time in Toledo. September 19, 2023, also marked a sad anniversary: Forty years ago, my brother Robert R. Abbajay ’85 died at Kenyon. You may recall he was a junior while Mary was a sophomore and I was a freshman. Bobby’s death was an epic tragedy that rocked my family to the core. But that tragedy was made bearable — even now, 40 years later — by the incredible outpouring of love and support from the Kenyon community. From his brothers in Beta Theta Pi to my then-new friends in Norton Hall, to the faculty, staff and student body, the Kenyon community rallied around me and my family in the most open-hearted and supportive way. It was incredible. And I still feel it today, as his friends and brothers send Mary and me notes of love and support. In honor of Kenyon’s Bicentennial, and in honor of Bobby’s death, I’d like to increase foundational support for the Robert Abbajay Memorial Scholarship. I can think of no better way to honor Kenyon’s legacy and Bobby’s memory.”

1987

David F. Hanson notes, “I’m still living in Columbus and working as an attorney at the Ohio Public Defender. I make it up to Gambier often for a variety of things, and enjoy being ‘Uncle Dave’ to friends’ kids at Kenyon.”

1987

Joseph T. Leone caught up with Christopher D. Klein ’88 in Milwaukee at his youngest daughter’s first communion, he informs. “Got to spend some time with his two older kids (both flown the coop, more or less). Great time! All good here in Madison. Playing gentleman farmer (sheep, cattle, laying hens) in between writing patent applications!”

1987

“Our daughter Alexa is a freshman in high school and starting to think about colleges. Michael is a nurse anesthetist retired from the Navy. I am a pediatric surgeon specializing in neonatal, general and thoracic surgery for children. I love hearing updates from classmates and I figured it was my turn!”

Fawn C. Lewis, Tulsa, Oklahoma

1987

Keri Waltner submits, “I continue to teach high school in Falls Church, Virginia, but I have switched from teaching German to teaching ESOL (more job security). My husband teaches history in a neighboring district. My two young adult children took some time off after high school to work, but both have recently decided to start a program at the local community college. They live only 20 minutes from us, so we have the best of both worlds — we get together often as a family, but we have the house to ourselves.”

1988

Paul A. Baier declares, “Life in Boston has been good. I’ve been enjoying staying in touch with the Kenyon basketball team from our years. Also working with generative AI, things like ChatGPT, for business, and would welcome connecting with other AI enthusiasts.”

1988

Jessica Brown moved to Colorado to launch a public creative and performing arts school outside of Denver in Aurora, the Charles Burrell Visual and Performing Arts School. “We launched the K-12 school last year and named it after the first African American musician to contract with a major symphony. Charles Burrell is often called the Jackie Robinson of classical music. When not at work, I can be found hiking and checking out lots of wonderful mountain towns. I hike with field hockey teammate Sarah Q. “Sally” Wagner ’86 and see Douglas Gertner ’81 at music house parties that he hosts.”

1988

Tara L. Jones, Eugene, Oregon, reports that her pantry is stocked with her own grape and aronia juice, apple cider, applesauce, raisins, and dried mulberries, aronia berries, pears and apples. “All this work was made possible, in part, by my decision to work even more part-time than previously: from 30 hours to 12. I’m loving it! With the dark months of the year approaching, I look forward to getting back to my piano and guitar, open mics, composing, meditation and all the other things that got put on hold during all the sunny months in the garden.”

1988

G. Stephen McCrocklin, Louisville, Kentucky, had a fun year of travel. “I met Tim Holmes in San Rafael, California, last September; David P. Diggdon in Seattle in July; Sophia R. Heller in New York in August; and in September Paul C. Bingaman and Sonya (Kane) Bingaman ’89, who live near Meersburg, Germany. Of course we took in Oktoberfest. Sure is fun having classmates all around the globe! Andrew G. McCabe, I’m coming for you next in D.C.! Check out my online company that teaches reading to kids grades 3–8 at WeTeachReading.com!”

1988

Jeffrey A. Richards, Columbus, Ohio, enjoyed reconnecting with Reunion committee members and friends while attending the Homecoming game (Kenyon 40, Hiram 16). “Had a good time with former football players Joseph A. Coates ’85 and David F. Hanson ’87, and with Scott H. Ehrlich ’89 and Robert J. Zaiser ’86, who are parents of current players.”

1988

Kevin B. Richardson reflects, “Leafing through the latest copy of the Bulletin, I was struck by the fickleness of time. Not long ago, starting in the back — just my weird habit? — only a few page turns reached the Class of 1988. As I turned and turned and turned some more, I realized that 35 years have passed. Kenyon really was an amazing springboard into adulthood. And now as I think about retirement, I wonder how I could have let that connection slip away. I hope by writing this I can reconnect a bit — and also encourage those folks on the ‘pages nearer the back’ to keep their connection!” Kevin and his wife celebrated their 35th anniversary with a trip to Jordan.”My oldest is busy here in Atlanta with my three grandchildren, 11, 7 and 4. And I am immensely enjoying building a world-class HR department for a growing automation company. Having started with two, I’ll soon have 18 people on my team; as much as I complain about Gen Y and Z, I am truly enjoying coaching and mentoring the next generations. Still writing and struggling to learn guitar.”

1988

Tamsin Smith, San Francisco, informs, “Dead & Company concerts in San Francisco brought several alums out west, and Oliver J. Janssen ’86 and Caitlin M. Long hosted an unforgettable reunion with Wallace C. Henderson ’85, Patrick T. Flood ’87, Lawrence P. Kass ’85, David W. Seevers and Philip E. Cable ’85. So fun. My eldest, Scully, teaches English lit at Berkeley High, and Tabitha is in her second year at Northeastern. I’m still consulting on brand strategy but devoting more and more time to my creative pursuits — painting, poetry and art essays. I also started a songwriting collaboration with my partner. Our first LP is now streaming on all the var-ious platforms, or listen on www.wundercat.us.”

1988

Shelley G. Swank-Anderson and Kevin J. Anderson are empty-nesters now that son Scott is off to DePauw. “He was admitted to Kenyon, but really likes the vibe of the Tigers, so he is the only Anderson who is not a Lord/Lady/Owl. It’s fun learning other colleges’ traditions! We actually own black and gold fan gear now! Our daughters, Kiele L. Anderson ’21 and Leah N. Anderson ’23, struggle to cheer for DePauw teams, except men’s tennis, because they do still strongly root for their brother! Formerly a goalie, Leah was named NCAC Defensive Player of the Year, and in Kiele’s senior year she won the ’21 Falkenstine Award. Kevin still works as a banker in Peoria, Illinois, and I try to be helpful in the community with Meals on Wheels and substitute teaching. I am considering getting more involved with the local Multiple Sclerosis Society, as time and confidence permit.”

1988

Beth Miyashiro Vivio reports, “We ended an action-packed summer with a month in Park City, Utah, the perfect place to escape Florida heat and hurricanes. Right after leaving Utah, I headed to Gambier for my first KFEC meeting. I had such a great time getting to know my fellow committee members from different classes and enjoyed getting to hear from President Kornfeld. I had a visit with retired Professor Robert Bennett in Gambier, and then the next day when he and his husband, Larry, flew into St. Petersburg.”

1989

Chandra Billiar Andersson cheers, “Hello, Cleveland! After working in banking and then raising three kids (now 22, 23 and 25) in New York City, I have just moved back to my hometown. I enjoyed getting involved with Kenyon alumni through the NYC regional committee and Reunion planning, and I am excited to reconnect with fellow grads here on the North Shore. I will be starting a master’s in mental health counseling in the spring.”

1989

Susan Bloom Hudgins launched a new business, Blooming Brains Coaching. “I offer a blend of college consulting, executive function coaching, and writing and reading support to students of all ages. I love it! My son William B. “Dell” Hudgins ’22 works in Richmond, Virginia, with Philip F. Abraham ’79. When he interviewed for the job, he was unaware of the connection but was wearing his Kenyon tie! My youngest, Porter, returned with me to Gambier to help plan our 35th. Susan also visited Melissa Thorn Tierney and her husband, Bill, in Boston.

1989

Kyla K. Carlson, Kirkland, Washington, serves on the Alumni Council and Reunion Planning Committee, and visits daughter Shea C. Wilt ’25 on campus — which “gives me the opportunity to return to Kenyon frequently, for which I am always grateful. Where else can I attempt to re-create my early 20s? (Spoiler: Monday mornings after a weekend of tequila consumption as a 56-year-old are definitely harder!)” In September, Kyla joined Shea’s 8 a.m. behavioral science class taught by Iris Levin. “I honestly was riveted, especially when Dr. Levin showed videos of crows and experiments that high-lighted their amazing intelligence and problem-solving capabilities.” Kyla also enjoyed seeing Jeannine M. Gury, Lisa (Betson) Resnik and Edgar Arceo P’15, with whom Shea discussed neuroscience and studio art career opportunities. “When I’m not trying to relive my college years, I am working to get the Seattle Regional Association back on its feet post-COVID. I’m AP coordinator (and wear several other hats) at a 6-12 public school in Bellevue, Washington, where working with teenagers every day keeps me on my toes.”

1989

Marc D. Monseau and his wife, Susanna, moved to the Center City neighborhood of Philadelphia from Princeton, New Jersey, “to see what it is like to live in a city once again,” he shares. “We decided to do so after spending six months in Turku, Finland — where we both taught. Though I’m continuing to run my digital communications and marketing agency from the upper floor of an 1820s townhouse in Philly’s Queen Village district, I also just started teaching full time as a visiting professor at the College of New Jersey.”

1989

Christopher P. Toft and Nicole Dunn Toft ’92 took daughter Lucy to L.A. in August, where she is now an Occidental College first-year. “Janie, our oldest, is blazing her own trail by holding down three part-time jobs, making progress toward her undergrad degree and brilliantly acting in or handling tech responsibilities for theater productions.” Janie also recorded some songs with five-time Grammy nominee Liam Davis ’90, Chris notes. Also in August, Chris directed a production of Harold Pinter’s “Betrayal” for Edge of the Wood, a Chicago theater company. “I had a great lunch with Lawrence C. Grimm a few months back, and I continue to enjoy seeing him on some of the big Chicago stages. I’ve also frequently seen Liam, Eric M. Ziegenhagen ’93 and Mark Revermann ’99. Anne B. Cadigan ’92 and I correspond religiously about our N.Y. Times Spelling Bee scores.” Chris is VP of Advancement for Adler University. Nicole leads the education and mission committee for Edgebrook Community Church, “rules” the local women’s tennis scene and cements friend groups from high school to Ladies’ basketball to Teach for America alums.

1989

Sarah Wilsman updates, “I’ve been at OverDrive, a tech company based here in Cleveland for five years helping schools build their digital collections. I work for Sora, the sister app of Libby — stop paying for Audible! Your public library gives you free access to audiobooks.” Sarah recommends listening to the Newman memoir “The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man,” which talks about Paul’s time at Kenyon, including his arrest in Mount Vernon. “I spend my free time volunteering, hiking and watching my granddog.”

1989

“After the long haul of the past three years, my work as a staff chaplain is entering a post-pandemic phase. Taking a break from training new chaplains, I am working on translating my eleven years of spiritual care practice in didactics, exercises and work processes, and lecturing at the IU School of Nursing. After a two-week training in October I saw Michael J. Mullen ’90 and Jeffrey A. Richards ’88 on my way home.”

Eric A. “Kip” Williams, Indianapolis

1990s

1990

Joseph C. Bline, Dublin, Ohio, dropped off his oldest, Steven Bline ’27, at Kenyon on Aug 19. “He is living in McBride Hall, and I am surprised how little has changed in 33 years. I was filled with pride and nostalgia as I walked around campus with him. Special thanks to Professor Gordon G. Loveland ’89 for being his physics advisor.”

1990

Jennifer A. (Neiderhouser) Hedden relocated to Greenville, South Carolina, after the death of husband Chris. “After 14 years in Oakland, California, I am grateful for South Carolina’s lush greenery, frequent rain storms, abundant lightning bugs and absence of earthquakes. The joys and quirks of my new hometown are many, and I’ve been delighting in them all.”

1991

“Kathy and I are so proud for the upcoming graduation of our daughter Emma F. Abate ’24. It’s been a great experience com-ing back to Gambier and rekindling relation-ships over the last few years. It’s almost like I never left!”

Gregory J. Abate, Hollis, New Hampshire

1991

Richard H. Barron updates, “After 30 years of coaching college basketball, I retired to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, with my wife, Maureen, and son, Billy. Our twin daughters play softball at Swarthmore, and Billy and I won the state championship in basketball at Hilton Head Prep, where Maureen is a teacher. I am filling my days as a boat captain with Salty Dog at the South Beach Marina.”

1991

Christopher Kaufman Ilstrup, Montpelier, Vermont, spent the summer “cleaning up after the devastating July floods; the climate crisis is more real every day. At Vermont Humanities, I’m honored to work with the Vermont Arts and Culture Disaster and Resilience Network and the National Endowment for the Humanities, supporting the dozens of libraries, museums, galleries and other cultural organizations affected by the flooding. I was able to take a quick break in September to travel to London and visit with classmate Robert D. Schroeder, while Sarah S. Young ’95 swung through Vermont in early October.”

1991

Kristin (Schelter) Macdonald reports, “I’ve lived in England for 23 years, currently in the bucolic Cambridge countryside, in a converted barn with my three wonderful sons, golden retriever and elderly cat. Oliver is in his second year at University of Nottingham, and twins Jasper and Angus are in 11th grade, doing their A levels. Oliver’s university housing accommodations are a far cry nicer than Bexley 112, with its walls made of paper, the shower serving nicely as a keg storage unit, and rooms so small we stacked our desks on top of each other to allow room to move. That being said, hand on heart, I made my most treasured friendships whilst at Kenyon. I regularly see my wonderful sister-in-law Julia R. (Fischoeder) Schelter and Shirley Y. Chung on Cape Cod and am still in touch with Heather (Huffman) Carskaddan, Nancy Cooper Coles and Kirstin (Peters) Dunlop. Though I have not been back since, I return often in my mind. My B.A. in English led to exciting executive positions at Ducati, Bvlgari, Bally, Fairchild Publications and more. When the children arrived, I retrained, designing and planting private residential gar-dens for 10 years. Now in retail, sourcing and selling antiques and vintage items at a tiny boutique called Oxbow & Peach, just outside of Cambridge.”

1991

Julie K. Roth updates, “Both our kids have launched, and both are now at University of Michigan — happy mama. I continue to work for the city of Ann Arbor’s Office of Sustainability and Innovations, now as energy manager, working to move the city to community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030. Any free time I find is usually on the tennis court.”

1991

Lisa Timmel began a full-time job in Central Park this September after three years of volunteering. “My section is in the North Woods,” she explains, “one of the park’s ‘natural areas’ where we focus on cultivating and caring for native plants, keeping invasive plants under control, and less pleasant things like cleaning up trash left behind by park patrons. My favorite feature of my area is the native plant meadow at 102nd and the East Drive. Right now it’s full of goldenrod, rye grass, ironweed and asters and teeming with bees, hummingbirds and warblers.”

1992

Kate Blanchard writes, “My spouse and I have been living in Minneapolis for almost a year, and it has been great to reconnect with folks around the Twin Cities. Recently, we went to hear Mike Cougar Hallenbeck play with his band. John W. Ursu and Matthew C. Gladue ’93 were also in the audience. Soon after, a more official alumni event, complete with sunset over Lake Minnetonka, was hosted by Chris T. Kirwan ’05 and M.E. Kirwan ’05. Kenyon is a gift that keeps on giving!”

1992

Jenna J. Blum, Boston, is promoting her most recent book, “Woodrow on the Bench,” a memoir “about my beloved old black Lab.” She teaches, speaks, and is also “running my author interview company A Mighty Blaze, which puts authors with new books online so you can see your favorite writers in your living room without even having to put on pants! Recently, I interviewed Ann Patchett, Peter Heller and Andre Dubus. If you’re literarily minded, please visit the Blaze on all social platforms. Speaking of visiting, for two summers running I’ve hung out with Sharon Stochholm Wetzel, Jennifer (Bowman) Ryznar, Amy E. Haid and Megan Lewis-Schurter ’91 in beautiful Harbor Springs, Michigan, and in Colorado, where Meg and I went to a writing retreat in a nunnery! Our abiding connection continues to be a chief joy of my life.”

1992

Paul A. Hamann, Vancouver, Washington, started his sixth year as an instructional coach. “As much as I miss having a classroom,” he offers, “I have to say that a day when I can help a teacher, especially a new one, is every bit as satisfying as the best day in the classroom. I’m as excited to do my job as I ever have been. Meanwhile, my two sons are now in high school and middle school, and my wife teaches social studies — it’s a ton of fun to work together!”

1992

Joshua P. Rupright, San Francisco, describes “a fun and productive 2023 connecting with fellow Owls! SF sight-seeing and dinner with Tiel Arnot ’91, seeing Guy J. Tino perform in Connecticut, and hosting a great crew for the 1st Annual Memorial Day Weekend Goonfest at the ShermShack.” Attendees included Christian L. “Smitty” Smith, Joshua Zuckerberg, William B. Gregg ’91, Stephen M. Wrinn ’91 and Silvio A. “Sandy” Spadavecchia ’89. Also “a frothy summer afternoon hang with Jay B. Khetani on his back porch in Concord, Massachusetts, dinners in NYC with Richard A. Thompson III, golf in White Plains with Richard C. Mathes
’89, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Fest with Joshua W. Danson ’94 and generally keeping it hazy here in S.F. with Alexander W. Kriney. Who’d I miss? Finley is a senior at Kent but unfortunately she shows no interest in Kenyon for next year. Griffin just started seventh grade at the Cathedral School for Boys and is enjoying his time in the Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys.”

1993

Mary Kay Costello completed graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, shifting her career from info tech to become a speech language pathologist. She reconnected with roommate Katja Zerck at the 20th.

1993

Kevin C. Kropf writes, “Imagine my surprise when a Class of ’93 classmate showed up for a cam-pus visit with her son at the college where I work. Double the surprise to find out Tobey K. Cronnell and I have lived a scant five miles apart for the past seven years without either of us knowing it. It has been great catching up since then here in Springfield, Missouri. Also connected with Gregory D. Smith when he was in town for work in September. We talked about all the fun he missed at the Reunion. One more neat Kenyon encounter was meeting Gwyndolyn E. Harrison ’94 at a St. Louis Cardinals game last summer.”

1993

Vanessa Picard and Robert J. Wellman “née Bobbo,” of Pittsburgh, report, “Quotidian days slip into months and the months into years; children mature (fortunately) as do our remaining parents (unfortunately). We look at each other and still see the 18-year-old neophytes who met in Gund in 1989. Sadly, we then look in the mirror and wonder what the hell happened. Bobbo still plans on establishing a global hegemony via a steel empire (his employer — the same since 1994 — remains in the dark). Meanwhile, Vanessa steadfastly perfects her jousting skills when not shuttling their children to cross country and crew practices.”

1993

Amy C. Smith informs, “We couldn’t make it to Kenyon this summer, so Kim M. Sarnecki, Jennifer W. Shearin, Cheryl M. (Kluck) Nizam and I met in Nashville for our own reunion weekend. Kim lives in Issaquah, Washington, with her partner of 29 years. She’s CEO of Together Center, a human services hub and afford-able housing campus in Redmond. She’s also granny to two adorable 6-year-olds. Cheryl lives in Olympia, Washington, with her husband of 25 years. A luthier specializing in restorations and instrument-making, she’s mom of a freshman in high school and a college-age film major. Jen lives in northern Virginia and has taught high school social studies in Arlington for 25 years. She’s also mom of a freshman in high school and a seventh-grader. I’m in Atlanta, with my husband of 27 years, working as a nonprofit board governance consultant. I have a son in grad school in New York, and my daughter Audrey Smith ’27 is a freshman at Kenyon.”

1993

Kelli J. Stenstrom and Matthew C. Schwab were married at Lion Rock Farm in Sharon, Connecticut, on Sept. 30, 2023, “after a nearly 30-year delayed engagement,” they share. “We were very happy to have a robust Kenyon contingent to help us celebrate, including John D. and Quimby Margaretten; Anne T. (Hickey) Meehan and Andrew D. Meehan ’90; Lisa Kay Primmer and Ryan Primmer, Karin A. “Kaki” Kinne McGeary, Elyse Forkosh Cutler, Rebecca A. (Palash) Barth and Patrick T. Sheehan. We also bought a house and moved to Riverside, Connecticut. Nothing like a lot of life changes at once!”

1993

Ann H. (Rittenbaum) Allain shares, “Life is good in Rhode Island. I am in my 19th year as a school counselor at a small independent day/boarding school, St. Andrew’s. Indigo (18), Jude (15) and I live in a house on campus which is beautiful, especially when the leaves start to change. Indigo is a freshman at Framingham State University and plans to study criminology. Jude is a sophomore at St. Andrew’s. Of course I am biased, but they are really great kids, and I am grateful for the life we have together.”

1993

Anthony R. Brown and his wife, Mariel, welcomed a baby in late May, Piper Joanna Brown. “We’re raising Piper at our farm in Monkton, Maryland, but also a few days a month at our apartment in lower Manhattan — better bagels. Peter D. Apple is Piper’s godfather.”

1994

Katherine Farnham updates, “I am a senior architectural historian at AECOM, where I’m part of a team designing ADA improvements to Amtrak stations nationwide. Outside of work, but very similar to work, I’m vice-chair of my township’s historical commission. I am also president of the Skycastle French Hounds basset pack and spend a lot of time training and hunting around Chester County, Pennsylvania, with our 16 Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen hounds — a rare-in-the-U.S. dog breed that won the 2023 Westminster Kennel Club dog show. My son Ned is a senior in high school, and my husband and I are almost empty-nesters. My daughter Helen is a sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh, which has given me multiple opportunities to see Amy Katz Leaman and her family.”

1994

Michael P. Rutter, East Arlington, Massachusetts, submits, “I read a book or two now and again. Time permitting, I dig into academic classes. I’ve taken up running to reverse the spread of gravity. My wife and I do the best we can to raise our twin daughters, nearly teenagers, to be good humans and better stewards of the planet. I have a fantastic dog named Luna (who we call Tuna). I count myself lucky, gainfully employed in higher ed, and grateful for cool autumn mornings, silent, pitch-dark winter evenings and spring-to-summer transitions that inevitably erupt into beauty and chaos. Sure, I’d like a beach house — but for now, this is enough.”

1995

Natasha Carrasco Stillman updates, “Kia ora from Wellington, New Zealand. After several years in eastern Germany, I returned to New Zealand and have been working within the Outbreak Response Directorate, Te Whatu Ora Health NZ, National Public Health Service. … I have segued into the artificial intelligence/equity space, where I assume I will be happily ensconced for several years, because it’s definitely not boring and I hate being bored above all else.”

1995

Aaron J. Derry, Missoula, Montana, shares, “For about one and a half years, I’ve been joining Todd J. Czartoski, Julian M. Murchison, Andrew M. Guest ’94 and Ryan J. McNulty ’94 every other month for book club on Zoom. Turns out these guys are still very thoughtful, high-character people, and I find myself enriched after every conversation. Best thing to come out of COVID for me in terms of getting reconnected with good people.”

1995

Michael S. Epstein, Cincinnati, notes, “Wife Mary M. Mason and I spent a great long weekend with Timothy J. Barry and family early last summer. Had a really great time catching up! I don’t know how the rest of you are celebrating your 50th birthdays, but for mine, I got a tattoo. My first. One that commemorates the most important risk I ever took, kissing Mary for the first time. Of course that happened at Kenyon, and the great tie-in is the tattoo is the GPS coordinates of that fateful smooch, translated into Hebrew and in the form of a tree. In my work life, I deal with risk and response all day long; to this day, after nearly 1,000 incidents from hurricanes to security issues, none have scared me as much

1995

Alice Mulvaney Link greets, “Hello from Alabama! My family ended up here after my husband, Col. Ryan Link (USAF Ret.), finished his career in the military after 26+ years. We spent our final assignment at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, and we enjoyed it immensely. My girls — middle school at the time — were the perfect age to travel around Europe and only got a little bit tired of churches and castles. (We’d throw in a water park or amusement park every now and again to prevent total rebellion.) Ellery, Megan and Sophia are now seniors in high school, and the college application process x3 is exhausting, emotional and exciting. So far it seems they will end up not in Alabama and not with a sister. I’ve finally gone back to work full time as a veterans’ disability attorney for a firm in Maine, working remotely.”

1996

Christopher C. Ellsworth, Mount Vernon, Ohio, notes, “I’m happy to report that year 22 at Kenyon is off to a good start. Attended the recent Homecoming festivities and loved watching the football team win and Kenyon embrace balloon culture! I love balloons!”

1996

Matthew J. Gernstein writes, “Rubbing elbows with Washington’s elite. At an event a few weeks ago, my arm bumped into Kamala Harris. The Secret Service was not happy about that and pushed me out of the way. Living in Arlington, Virginia. Near a motorcycle gang. Well, not a motorcycle gang per se — more like a bunch of Deloitte bro’s who own BMWs. I’m gainfully employed as a practitioner of the law. Probably not after they read this, though. Clearly, adulthood is going great.”

1996

“I’ve started teaching as an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago’s Quinlan School of Business, where I got my M.B.A. in 2008. It’s been fantastic engaging with undergrads, although grading really is a thing! I’ve also got a weekly radio show on WMXM. org, Mondays from 7 to 9 p.m. Central. If you’re into great music from different eras and genres, I invite you to tune in!”

Mark F. Haggarty

1996

Gerald “Jerry” Kelly reports, “Busy, enriching years in Gambier! My spouse, Lori, and I have farmed flowers at the Kenyon Farm and completed a bunch of projects here at our house, just off the north edge of campus. Lori owns a flower and wine shop in downtown Mount Vernon, and I’m retired from my tech and solar careers, still doing small-press publishing and writing a hitchhiking memoir. Since 2015, I’ve been teaching an environmental studies course with Professor Eric Holdener. Our students are designing clean energy systems that now adorn rooftops on the Village Inn and Village Market, Gund Commons, Hoehn-Saric House, the Kenyon Farm and a number of residences in and around the village.”

1996

Abby S. Peck updates, “After eight wonderful years in Portland, Maine, I accepted a position as director of corporate and foundation relations at Clemson University in South Carolina. Being a northerner in the South is definitely leading to some culture shock! I can’t fault the weather, though, and it’s great job experience. Silvia L. Mercado Masters flew in from Chicago to help me get settled that first week. I’m a little farther from England now but still able to travel over to see my partner, Hazel, every few months. Who knows where I’ll land next?”

1996

Andrew S. Richmond happily announces the opening of an antiques and art auction house near Marietta, Ohio. “Meander Auctions had its first auction in September, and we are excited to see where this takes us. Grateful to classmate Joseph F. Herban for helping me vet the building we purchased for our new endeavor.”

1996

“After working at Kenyon and living in Knox County for 19.5 years, I am excited to share that I am the new university librarian at John Carroll University. Over the summer, my family and I moved to Shaker Heights, Ohio. Still in the process of settling in, but so far we love it up here.”

Julia M. Warga

1997

George L. Hawkey, Seattle, works for Microsoft in the gaming and media space. George married his wife, Bénédicte, whom he met in 2017 during a business trip to Tokyo. “We spent a few years doing the long-distance thing, city-hopping, and I was lucky enough to spend months of that time in Japan. Thankfully, she decided to settle in Seattle for a while as she finishes up her M.B.A. at HEC in France. Teenage boys, 16 and 13, keep things interesting. One dreams of professional skate-boarding, the other of pro basketball stardom — so we’ll see how those play out.”

1997

Stacey D. Nichols, Westerville, Ohio, marvels, “Thirty years! That is how long some of us have known each other. Lots of reminiscing lately with my former Gundie roommate Kelli A. Schrade — you know, the girl who arrived with her stuff packed in a boat! Helping out with First Year Move-In Day was a blast, seeing all of the wide-eyed freshmen with their insane amount of stuff and scared and excited looks on their faces. Best part was welcoming Benjamin Priestland ’27, son of our very own Jessica L. (Stockdale) Priestland. I had the opportunity to check out the new construction and the purple Adirondack chairs, and to soak up all things Kenyon before heading back to Columbus and the real world.”

1998

Frederick C. Bierman, Brooklyn, New York, informs, “Had a delightful dinner with Peter M. Sughrue Jr., Joseph D. Goldberg ’99 and James C. Stover ’99 in NYC, where Peter and I see each other frequently. Jamie has returned to his roots in New Jersey but can be found haunting the bars near Penn Station while waiting for the train. Joe was in town (from Oakland) for work, and it was great fun to catch up. Missing was Andrew B. Solar ’99, who has moved back to New York City and looks forward to getting back into musical theater and the Jets — two things he missed while living in Chicago.”

1998

Sara E. Reish Desmond, Melrose, Massachusetts, landed a book contract with a University of Wisconsin press, Cornerstone. “My collection of short stories, ‘What We Might Become,’ will appear soon. One, ‘Cicadas,’ was published by the Kenyon Review several years ago. I’d be so appreciative if you’d consider pre-ordering when the collection becomes available. And once I know where I’ll be showing up on a (very modest) book tour, I’d love to see any and all Kenyon folks!”

1998

McClain “Macy” L. Howarth enjoyed seeing many friendly faces at the 25th Reunion. “I was also completely in awe of the breathtaking new buildings and over-all changes on campus,” she notes. “I continue to live in Lexington, Massachusetts, with my husband, Bridger, and 11-year-old daughter, Livy. I work at a health-care startup, Devoted Health, and dedicate time to Be The Match, an organization near and dear to my heart after it helped enable a successful stem-cell transplant for me nine years ago.”

1998

“I continue to work at Columbus State in administration but now am fully remote. My husband, Jason, teaches middle school science, looking ahead to possible retirement in a few years. Most important, we are adjusting to empty-nester life. Auggie and Olivia are both at Denison University (classes of ’25 and ’26).”

Kathryn (Snyder) Howe, Upper Arlington, Ohio

1999

Courtney K. Bambrick teaches first-year writ-ing and public speaking at Thomas Jefferson University’s East Falls campus in Philadelphia. “Having a single full-time position after adjuncting for well over a decade has allowed me to prioritize my own writing and publishing, in addition to serving as poetry editor with Philadelphia Stories. After nine years, I am fairly acclimated to Delco. I hope to catch up with neighbors Krista M. Apple, Patricia M. McCartney and Meredith J. Methlie ’00 eventually!”

1999

Christopher A. Junkin updates, “After living in San Francisco, Philadelphia, London and New York in the years since Gambier, I just moved to the suburb of Pelham, New York, with my wife, Doro, and 9-year-old son, Anders. Still practicing architecture in Manhattan, but we will miss Brooklyn, which we called home for 11 years. I am also proud to announce Charles K. Sheldon’s intent to compete in next year’s Finnish Hobby Horse Championships.”

1999

Zachary Nowak is the director of a study abroad program in Italy. He’s taken up sketching: “still pretty mediocre but getting better slowly.” He’d look forward to visits if you’re going to be near Perugia.

1999

Andrew W. Shannon has been busy at a new emergency medicine residency at Lakeland Regional Health in central Florida since leaving Jacksonville last year. “A challenge, for sure. Managed to make it to N.C. to celebrate Shannon A. Byrne’s wedding in April, and also caught up with Eliza Andrews ’00 and Lindsay M. (Irvin) Doyle there.”

1999

Shelby (Van Voris) Schoenborn updates, “My lieutenant colonel husband retired after 23 years active duty in the Army. We’re enjoying retired life with our high schooler, Chloe — an avid rower at Tampa Prep here in Florida. I work with the veterans community at the VA in clinical cancer research. We lost my mom, Michelle “Mickie” Merian ’73, in March 2022. She moved to Tampa to be with us for her retirement, so the loss is difficult for us. We spent time this summer in the U.K., Germany, Poland, Finland and Sweden. I had the opportunity to meet the always lovely Mary Elizabeth Wilson in Berlin.”

2000s

2000

Benjamin D. Bagocius published “Queer Mrs. Ramsay, or Virginia Woolf’s Geomorphic Family” in Modern Fiction Studies and “Pheoby’s Queer Quietness in Their Eyes Were Watching God” in Mississippi Quarterly: The Journal of Southern Cultures. His first book of poems, “The Canaanite Woman,” appeared in 2022, and “The Gospel According to B.” comes out in 2024. Other recently submitted work on the mystical aesthetics of Virginia Woolf, Kazimir Malevich and Emily Dickinson soon to appear. “Learning Finnish to become more involved in the Finnish literary community.” Visit BenjaminBagocius. com.

2000

Kelly P. Dillon, Grove City, Ohio, was named director of faculty development at Wittenberg University, after earning tenure promotion. “My husband, Eric, and I continue to marvel at our sons Jackson (16) and Benjamin (14) as they navigate high school, marching band, base-ball and the post-COVID landscape.”

2000

Scott M. Kenemore, Evanston, Illinois, announces that the sci-fi/horror novel he wrote during COVID has been purchased by Skyhorse and will be published in the summer of 2024. “It’s currently titled ‘The Goo’ … though we’ll see if that sticks; publishers sure do like to change my titles. It imagines a future in which Google has become a religion, and a team of astronauts exploring a strange new planet find themselves mysteriously and irresistibly compelled to kill one another.”

2000

Rachel I. Leber, Portland, Oregon, graduated from naturopathic medical school in June. “I’m taking some much needed time off before I start working with patients,” she informs. “Still playing in a samba percussion group, dancing, cycling and yoga-ing, and getting inspired for what’s ahead.”

2000

Michael S. Lewis, Concord, New Hampshire, submits, “The deteriorations we have seen throughout the country have caused me to develop a fairly robust civil rights practice. In one recent case, I sued a police chief and other municipal officials for retaliating against a local Jewish woman who criticized their lackluster response to neo-Nazi threats.” He worries about the inability of government leaders to respond to challenges, noting, “I’m really worried about what the next decade will bring. On the bright side, ice cream still tastes good.”

2000

Irene (Amanda) Loy is now the patron services and outreach manager with Westminster University Performing Arts Center in Salt Lake City. “It’s the perfect work blend with my low-residency Ph.D. program in creative research through Transart Institute/Liverpool John Moores University, which I expect to complete in October 2025. Last year, I got to go to Siena, Italy, to see Il Palio — a long-time goal of mine. I also enjoyed the publication of my first book of poetry by Common Meter Press, in July 2023.”

2000

Siiri C. Morley sends greetings from “the Smiling Coast of Africa, The Gambia!” With husband Jeremy and 6-year-old son Indigo, Siiri has relocated to become country director with the Peace Corps. “Jeremy and I met as Peace Corps volunteers in Lesotho. My job is both inspiring and challenging. I draw on my international studies and anthropology learnings from Kenyon every day as I work with local staff, government partners and U.S. volunteers. … We are enjoying the beautiful coastline — surfing/paddling opportunities included! — the stunning countryside, the food and, most especially, the warmth of the people.”

2000

Maraleen D. Shields left private practice after nearly 20 years to become the second executive director of the Pennsylvania Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial and Ethnic Fairness in its 20-year history. “An incredible opportunity to repurpose skills I developed as a trial attorney to advocate for meaningful change in Pennsylvania on a broad range of issues,” she explains. She also ran a half-marathon in November, her third in two years. “Hoping to break 1:40. Also continuing to expand my Spanish skills with two little training/practice partners, my kids Cole (13) and Sage (7).” She was appointed to Kenyon’s Board of Trustees in April.

2001

Daniel J. Connolly updates, “My wife and I had our first child in early 2022. Being a father has often been difficult, but fun. As I get older — in my mid-40s now — I appreciate more and more the liberal arts education I received at Kenyon, particularly the critical thinking skills that I apply every day in my job as a journalist. …
I became a reporter after I worked at the Collegian and loved it. After working for many years at the Commercial Appeal (Memphis), most recently as an investigative reporter, I recently switched companies. Now with Law360, a national legal news service, I’m working on an investigative reporting project related to bankruptcy courts, of all things. I’m still in touch with several Kenyon people, including Jeffrey S. Reed and Maria Cerny ’04.”

2001

Rowan Williams Haug teaches Design 1 and 3-D Design in her 13th year at Mississippi State University. “In 2022, I added foundation coordinator to my job title,” she informs. “My husband and I have been campaigning for his third run for judge, and our children Sophie (15) and Liam (11) keep us busy.”

2001

Anne E. Morrissy took over in 2021 as the editor of At The Lake magazine, a regional luxury lifestyle magazine in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. In addition to her magazine work, she has spent the past two years researching and writing her second nonfiction book, “Street Fight: The Chicago Taxi Wars of the 1920s,” which will be released by Lyons Press in March. Anne was thrilled to reconnect with Jessica L. Bellama ’02 on a trip to Phoenix.

2001

Alys L. Spensley and Andrew D. Lebkuecher ’99 “are delighted to be back in D.C. after our tour in Baku, Azerbaijan,” Alys reports. “We are having a great time while back in the States connecting with Kenyon friends, including some who work for the U.S. Department of State. We are headed to Bucharest, Romania, in 2024 and look forward to hosting visitors!”

2002

Alexander S. “Sandy” Bryant, Lebanon, New Hampshire, works as a tennis professional and substitute teacher “as I figure out what I want to be when I grow up,” he jokes. “I also continue to volunteer for Kenyon.”

2002

Nora E. Colburn, Hilliard, Ohio, welcomed second son Ethan Michael Colburn to the world in February 2023 “with so much love and gratitude,” she writes. “So wonderful to have visits from aunties Kate Murray Diersen, Julie B. Silverman, Abigail W. Williams and Mary K. Hill to help welcome him to the Class of 2045.”

2002

Sarah Daily, New York City, fulfilled “a lifelong dream” by appearing as a contestant on “Jeopardy!” in early July, she reports. “It was a terrifying, incredible experience and, while I won’t be quitting my day job any time soon, I had a ton of fun. I also visited Margaret P. Aisenbrey and Jeremy M. Suhr last summer in Kansas City, where our collective four boys had a blast together. Lastly, I met up with Gina M. Sorrentino and her kids when travel soccer had us out and about in Westchester County.”

2002

Jesse W. Donaldson, Portland, Oregon, submitted, “Headed west and wester / Poet wife, funny kids lucky / Man halfway through life.”

2002

Curt N. Foxx is a PE teacher and athletic director at a Catholic K-8 in Los Angeles. “My wife, Elizabeth, and I are getting quality time with the four children — Evan (12), Emma (9), Rowan (4) and Casey (1).”

2002

A’Biel R. Hammonds, University City. Missouri, is “enjoying traveling with my new partner, Grace,” she reports. “Together we’ve visited Hawaii, Colorado, Michigan, Kentucky, West Virginia.” And Gambier, last September, for Alumni Council meetings and Homecoming — “my first visit back to The Hill in perhaps a decade. My partner and I formalized our commitment Sept. 16 in a wedding-like event which was joyous and so wonderful for us, our friends and our family.”

2002

Robert W. “Winston” Sale, Washington, D.C., donated a kidney on Sept. 21. “My friend Rob was suffering end-stage renal disease caused by a hereditary kidney condition. The trans-plant was a success, and Rob will be able to return to a normal life without dialysis in a few months. Statistically speaking, kidney donors live longer than the average population, and I expect to live a normal, healthy life with my remaining kidney. If you or anyone you know is thinking about kidney donation, please reach out.”

2002

Margaret Scavotto is director of compliance and regulatory affairs at Season, a health tech food-as-medicine startup. “I’m still in St. Louis with Ryan, Gennie (10) and Carrie (8). I love reading our class letter — I am always so proud of the wonderful things my classmates are doing!”

2002

Miriam Walden is in her eighth year in the Upper School English department at the Hewitt School in Manhattan, and the 20th year of her career. “Currently, I teach American literature and a course called Creative Monsters, which focuses on creativity, monstrosity and queer theory,” she informs. “My remarkable son, Alexander, is 9 this year and in fourth grade. I think fondly of the Hill and have enjoyed several NYC events with the Kenyon Review over the years. Although a (successful!) mastectomy caused me to miss our last Reunion, I hope to return to Gambier soon to celebrate all things Philandery.”

2003

Corianne M. Arnold, Newark, Ohio, announces her new book, “Win with Your Money,” now available on Amazon. “Follow my journey from $260,000 debt (mostly student loans) to millionaire in 10 years at winwithyourmoney. com.”

2003

Jacob D. Howley, Mount Rainier, Maryland, was assistant to the chair of the Postal Regulatory Commission for a year but returned to his 15-year career as an attorney for the U.S. Postal Service. “Arguably more import-ant is my diversification from Irish traditional music — as classmates may recall — into klezmer and Yiddish folk song. Check out/follow my band on YouTube and social media @ CornedBeefHashBand!”

2004

Alexander L. Barron updates, “Life is good in Baltimore, where I’ve now lived and worked for more than 12 years. I teach and chair the English department at Boys’ Latin School of Maryland. My wife, Maya, and I spend much of our time shuttling our 6-year-old twins (a boy and a girl) to their various activities. I still break out the cello and guitar on occasion, and I keep in close touch with a contingent of Kenyon friends, most of them from our now-defunct chapter of Phi Kappa Sigma.”

2004

Mara D. Bernstein reports that after 15 years as a student and employee of Indiana University, she joined Breakthrough Collaborative in 2022. “Breakthrough Collaborative works toward equity in edu-cation through joyful summer and school-year programs,” she explains. “Not only do Breakthrough affiliates around the country prepare young people for college success, they also prepare young people to enter the teaching profession.” Mara connected with John B. Hiester ’02, the executive director of Breakthrough Silicon Valley, and many other alumni who are experts in education around the country. Mara and Jada Bee — “the most amazing wife ever” — are turning their Bloomington, Indiana, home into an urban farm.

2004

Robert L. “Bobby” Bloch is in the last year of his Ed.D. program in social justice and education at University of Missouri-St. Louis. “I started teaching seventh- and ninth-grade English at John Burroughs School, a progressive private school in St. Louis, with many staff and alumni who attended Kenyon, including the headmaster and his wife.” Bobby adds that he celebrated a one-year anniversary with his husband.

2004

Amy R. Bukszpan, Delray Beach, Florida, informs, “It’s been a hell of a couple of months! I received my doctorate in applied behavior analysis from Endicott College in May. Quit my nearly decade-long job as national director of ABA Center Development in July, and opened my own practice, Bukszpan Behavior Consultants, in August. Additionally, I finished third female in a 100-mile ultramarathon around the streets of NYC, and 15th female in a six-day race through Colorado mountains. My husband and I adopted two, 2-month-old pup-pies the Monday before my Friday dissertation defense — would not recommend that timing — and now have a total of three rambunctious pitties as office mates! Hectic — but I wouldn’t change a thing!”

2004

Anne C. Field married Colin Christopher Deuchars in a small ceremony with their 3-year-old daughter, Isla, at the Jupiter Artland in Edinburgh, Scotland, where they live. “We hopped over to Venice for a family-moon in the evening, and it was overall a really lovely day.”

2004

Diana Torres Hawken founded Alliance of Latinos Motivating Action in the Suburbs to support her Latino community. “ALMAS engages the community by promoting the diverse experiences of Latinos in Naperville, Illinois, and the surrounding suburbs, and is the first 501(c)3 organization in Naperville to offer its Latino community a voice,” she informs. “According to the 2020 census, 6.7 percent of Naperville residents identify as Latino — that’s at least 10,000 who could identify with the goals and mission of ALMAS, as well as any Latino allies from other races and ethnicities.” See @ALMASnaperville on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.

2004

Leeman T. Kessler and Rachel Kessler, Gambier, Ohio, had a big travel year: Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina and Toronto, and — for Rachel — New Zealand and Australia to represent Kenyon at the Colleges and Universities of the Anglican Communion. With both kids now attending Wiggin Street Elementary, Leeman continues to serve as mayor, after running unopposed for a second term.

2004

“After 16 years of teaching history and music in Maryland, my wife, Alli, and I have opened a bookstore bar in Ellicott City called Backwater Books. While I miss teaching alongside fellow alums Samuel W. Farmer ’05 and Benjamin S. Farmer ’05, the bookstore is a new and challenging adventure.”

Matthew O. Krist

2004

Rabbi Adam S. Lavitt, Philadelphia, announces, “Two years after starting our adoption process, my husband, Alex Weissman, and I are overjoyed to welcome a son, Omri, into our family. The wish I shared with friends on my birth-day, May 13, was to be a parent this year — and Omri was born May 16! When I’m not parenting or nourishing people’s creativity as director of program design and facilitation for Jewish Studio Project, I’m in perpetual awe of the work I get to do companioning people on transformative journeys of self-discovery and spiritual connection as a spiritual director in private practice.”

2004

Adam G. Lazarus sends word that his fifth nonfiction book, “Wingmen,” about the friendship of baseball legend Ted Williams and senator/astronaut John Glenn, released in August, has been reviewed or featured in Booklist/ALA, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, the New York Post and the Boston Globe. “My wife, Sarah, twin boys (now 10), and fellow alums like John T. “Tom” Giberson, Kristofer D. Cheney ’02, Michael J. Ferzoco, and Jessica (Russell) Murphy and Ryan M. Murphy prefer to hear me talk about something else,” he observes. “I was glad to see Jennifer A. (Judson) Vastola, our 2004 Reunion committee member, attend one of my book signings in Alexandria, Virginia, last month.”

2004

Taryn A. Myers is now full professor and chair of the psychology department at Virginia Wesleyan University. She continues to publish scholarly journal articles, including a recent collaboration with Professor Sarah Murnen.

2004

Daniel S. Scharff moved to Santa Monica, California, and remains the CEO of Machu Picchu Energy, a maker of organic energy drinks. He notes that his drinks are “avail-able in the Midwest at Meijer, Fresh Thyme, Mustard Seed Market and select Jewel-Oscos, and nationwide via Amazon.”

2004

Sarah Walsh is now the lower school librarian of Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, a school that is chock-full of alumni folks!” she reports: “Anita T. Havas ’73
(admissions); Jennifer Houston ’92 (fifth grade) and husband W. Erling Houston ’92; Lara Cooke Morford ’94 (admissions), wife of Zachary B. Morford ’94; Faith E. Darling ’01 (dean of faculty) and husband Alexander J. “Sasha” Lourie ’00; George N. Kambanis ’02 and his wife, Kristelle (learning specialist); Elizabeth P. “Liz” Martinich ’02 (lower school counselor) and husband Jeremy A. Martinich; and Taryn L. Kittel ’14 (STEM director)!”

2005

“My wife, Suzanne, and I added a baby girl named Everett to our crew at the end of July. Her big brother, Zander, is thrilled. I was so happy to celebrate a milestone birthday with Claudia D. (Masko) Smith along with Colin L. Smith ’06 and some other Kenyon friends in April!”

Erin A. Carr

2005

Daniel Z. Epstein, Boca Raton, Florida, joined the full-time tenure-track faculty of St. Thomas University Ben Crump School of Law, where he teaches and writes in the area of public law. “My book on the law and politics of the administrative state will be published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2024.”

2005

Jonathan Pratt informs, “Since graduation I have had a number of different fascinating experiences — from being a photo editor at Laptop magazine in Times Square, then publisher of Where To Live magazine in Boulder, Colorado, to being a Hollywood extra at Central Casting. These days I study mental illness, recently completing a 40-hour course from the National Alliance on Mental Illness on serving as a peer support specialist. I was inspired to do so after being diagnosed with schizophrenia about 10 years ago following a crisis I went through while losing my small business during the recession of 2008. Now I volunteer to help others who are deal-ing with mental illness and homelessness in the San Diego area. I still keep in touch with roommate Arthur N. Yaskey Jr., who has his own D.C. law firm. I miss soccer practice at Kenyon and Coach Lawless yelling at the players in his British accent. I must have learned something, because I was assistant varsity coach at Peak To Peak Charter School in Boulder — the same year we graduated from Kenyon, and our soccer team won the state championship game.”

2005

Claudia D. (Masko) Smith updates, “I am a licensed clinical social worker at Pennsylvania Hospital. Grateful to Professor Jan Thomas — both for her amazing teaching and for her support and guidance when I was applying to grad school all those years ago. I started studying French again last year and have fond memories of classes with Mme. Vallury and teaching as an AT. I live with my husband, Colin L. Smith ’06, and our daughter, Mariel (first grade!) in Haddonfield, New Jersey.”

2006

Julianne I. Day, Grand Rapids, Michigan, shares, “After many unremarkable years, I have several major updates. One, I signed on as a copywriter at a local marketing and design agency four years ago, so I’m finally living the dream and writing for a living. Two, I took the leap and bought a house last year in what I later learned was Realtor.com’s hottest ZIP code in the nation in 2019. Yikes! No wonder it was so difficult. And three, I got married last July to Arun Kumar in a ceremony that included Erika J. Niemi and was attended by Andrea E. Daly and Kristin S. Valentine. It was lovely reuniting with those three Kenyon ladies on the dance floor.(Wait, does a grassy park lawn count as a floor? Oh right, Sendoff. Yes.)”

2006

The Rev. Maeba Jonas and her husband welcomed their second child, a daughter, in September. “I recently began my third year as the chaplain of Goucher College in Baltimore, where we live with our newborn and 3-year-old. All is well.”

2006

Molly E. Loggins and Christopher L. Loggins ’08 took their sons Christopher (6) and Jeremiah (1) to Homecoming. “We had an absolute blast! It was great to be on campus after not getting back for several years.”

2006

Amanda J. Rantz and Alexander J. Rantz ’08 live in Charlotte, North Carolina, with daughter Claire (9). “Keeping busy with travel, homeschool and work! I am home-making/homeschooling while also representing multiple brands via social media — including Vera Bradley, Shokz, Her Universe — which I never thought I would be doing, but here we are! We missed Coach Steen’s induction into the Hall of Fame, but my 40th birthday was that weekend, and we had already planned a getaway.”

2006

John D. Sadoff, Somerville, Massachusetts, is a full-time instructor at ChessMate Tutors, the chess tutoring company he founded. “I teach chess in schools and work with private students. I’m actively running — with a few upcoming half-marathons.”

2006

Kelsey (Rotwein) Schagemann sends “Greetings from Chicago! I live in the Lakeview neighborhood with my husband, Joe, and our kids Talia (just started kindergarten) and Will (3½).” Kelsey writes for colleges and universities, a higher education and nonprofit marketing company, and a regional travel magazine. “This summer, I took Talia and Will up to Michigan for an amazing beach vacation with Dylan E. Rudmann and her family. It was fantastic to chill on the beach while the kids played and had adventures. Later in July, I had a birthday party to celebrate turning 40 (how?!), and Kathryn Cameron McMillan and her boys were among the guests!”

2006

Karl A.D. “Alec” Schoettle, who lives in coastal Maine with his wife, Katie, and two dogs, tallies the last few years’ highlights: “Became a high school social studies teacher. Hardest, most exhausting, most gratifying (and lowest-paying) job I’ve had. Bought a little cruising sailboat and spend as much time on it as work and Maine weather allow. Started playing music with some friends and had a couple small gigs. Surgeries — knee surgery for her, oral surgery for me; getting old sucks. Constant renovations/upgrades to our house: hot tub coming soon! Pursuing voice acting. Still filling in as a tall ship captain a bit in the summers.”

2007

Lisa A. Hamer recently left full-time criminal defense law and joined Fair and Just Prosecution as a research and policy associate, where she works to encourage reform-minded prosecutors and edit and compile amicus briefs. She and her husband, Ifeanyi, welcomed a son, Ambrose Obiora Hamer Okeke, in August.

2007

Lauren C. Ostberg, Hadley, Massachusetts, is into “public radio story slams, talking about Wallace Stevens (a quasi lawyer/poet!) and green curry,” she writes. This May, she saw Willow A. Belden and Cori Hirai at a gathering Amy Strieter expertly hosted. “There was a chocolate flight!” While Benjamin F. Taylor dabbles in chess strategy and rehabbing native plants, Lauren and Ben’s sons are “serious about Hot Wheels City, maintaining a streak on Duolingo, and snuggling.”

2007

Eduardo M. Rodriguez, Burlington, Vermont, reports, “In early September, I visited Gambier for the swim-ming reunion and induction of Coach Steen into the Hall of Fame. Great to reconnect with Matt Jacobssen, Alexander R. Tanton and Davis Zarins, my brother Fernando M. Rodriguez ’04 and countless other swimmers, coaches and faculty. There is always a bit of a magical feeling returning to campus. At the end of the weekend, it was also nice to get back to Vermont, where my wife, Emma, was holding things together with our two boys, Felix and Arlo.”

2008

John D. Bence moved to Philadelphia in July to take a new job at the University of Pennsylvania. “I miss Atlanta but am comforted by that proximity to delicious hoagies.”

2008

Elliot P. Forhan is serving his first term in the Ohio House of Representatives, representing a district in greater Cleveland. “Thanks to all the Kenyon folks who supported my campaign last year. Go Owls!”

2008

“After 11 years in Fiji, I’m relocating to Melbourne, Australia, with my family. I’ve been hired in the Melbourne Centre for Cities in the faculty of architecture, building and planning at the University of Melbourne, where I’m undertaking a Ph.D. I’m currently developing the national maritime transport policy for Belize and supporting a land transport policy project in Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and Tonga. I continue my creative development work with the College of the Marshall Islands.”

Andrew G. Irvin

2008

W. Neil Johnston updates, “My wife and I are settling in nicely to the Philly suburb of Springfield. I also started a new position at the Fox School of Business at Temple University, helping students get their startup ventures off the ground.”

2008

Isaac M. Miller and his wife, Emily, moved to Muskogee, Oklahoma, nearer to her family. “I’m now a sixth-grade ELA teacher at Memorial Middle School, a place of many challenges and rewards on a daily basis.”

2009

Corrine D. Anderson notes, “What a whirlwind year! The stars finally aligned for me to be in the same city as a Chamber Singers tour stop, and I can’t tell you how much joy it brought me to be in a room filled with other alums, to watch a stellar performance, and to see Doc. A month later, I married the man I am convinced makes the stars shine. Roomie Katie (Woods) Argall was by my side. Since then, I’m keeping busy running a cottage food bakery, collaborating with the Georgia chapter of ME Action, and reading as many books as possible.”

2009

Austin M. Faught and his family are settling into life in the greater Columbus area. “My new job at Ohio State University has been great and full of exciting challenges.” An associate professor at the Wexner Medical Center, Austin researches how the physics properties of proton radiation therapy relate to biological endpoints in the pediatric cancer population. “I visited campus this fall for Homecoming weekend and Reunion planning and look forward to catching up at our 15-year reunion.”

2009

Toni J. Metcalf and her husband, Brady, spent a fun summer week on the Carolina coast. “We love living in Dublin, Ohio, with our cats Apollo, Bella and Simon,” she shares. “I’m still working as a paralegal in the elder law arena, helping clients obtain Medicaid eligibility and prepare estate planning documents.”

2009

Linda T. Pear and Daniel A. Takacs are still “hard at work parenting three kids — would write more, but have to go do another load of dishes and laundry. Next up: potty training the twins!”

2009

Caleb S. Ruopp, Concord, New Hampshire, welcomed a second son into the family this fall. “Older brother Graham (potential ’42) is excited to meet his younger brother, whom he has confidently named Pickle. … I think the strongest memory I have of Kenyon is also my first. Visiting campus for the first time after being accepted, arriving via airport shuttle, I stepped off the bus and saw a student in front of Lewis sitting in an Adirondack chair under a cherry tree whose petals gently fell in a light spring breeze. I fell in love with the campus at once and never regretted my choice. Here’s to a wonderful college, may it have another 200 years!”

2009

Elizabeth C. Wiener, her husband and three kids now live in Los Angeles, enjoying epic road trips, beach days and Disneyland. Lizzy is a tenure-track assistant professor of politics at Occidental College.

2010s

2010

Rachel A. Burgreen and her partner, Stefan, bought a house together in Austin, Texas, she updates. “We’re getting married this spring in Bentonville, Arkansas, with our closest friends, family and our two dogs. My private therapy practice is growing and doing well!”

2010

Stephanie Caton and her wife welcomed a beautiful baby boy into their home in January, and his adoption was finalized in July. “Life with Hudson has been the most amazing journey,” she writes, “and I am so happy to be able to share him with each of you!”

2010

Matt Colburn began an M.F.A. in fiction at NYU in September. “My story ‘On the Metro’ was published in the Potomac Review 72, spring 2023.”

2010

“After eight years in the D.C. area, I moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains! My new husband and I got married there in March and totally fell in love with the area. I was able to keep working remotely for USA for UNHCR, but with a much better view.”

Saskia E. (Leeds) Dunadair

2010

Arjav R. Ezekiel and wife Tracy had a baby boy in November 2022. “Our little restaurant, Birdie’s in Austin, is chugging along — Food & Wine magazine just named it the Restaurant of the Year (birdiesaustin.com).”

2010

Martha C. Gregory, Brooklyn, New York, is the co-director and co-founder of a new filmmaker support organization called UFO. “We run residencies upstate as well as a short film lab based at Brooklyn Academy of Music, which helps early-career filmmakers telling underrepresented stories to level up into the next phase of their careers.”

2010

Laura K. Goehrke, Brooklyn, New York, married Alysa Stryker in May. “We were surrounded by an amazing Kenyon community on our special day, and they even led the charge on a surprise flash mob during the reception! Alysa and I went to Portugal for our honeymoon and enjoyed every minute (and every sip of port).”

2010

Elizabeth P. Maloney and Seth Maloney live in Rockville, Maryland, with two cats. In 2021, Liz left her position as a children’s librarian at D.C. Public Library to become the contract librarian at the National Institutes of Health Patient Library, akin to a public library for patients, caregivers and staff at NIH. Outside of work, she cross-stitches, lifts weights and plays Dungeons and Dragons. She often keeps in touch with Elizabeth “Liz” Beckman and Anna Kephart Norris.

2010

Anne K. Severe, Cincinnati, is a social worker at the VA “and an occasional artist,” she informs. “My husband and I purchased a new home last July. We spend most of our time trying to keep up with our 4-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter. I’ve been fortunate enough to stay in touch with many Kenyon friends. We have a small but mighty local EDM collective!”

2010

Alexandra C. Shaeffer sends “Greetings from sunny northern California! After spending the last 20 years away from home and around the world, my husband, four cats and dog moved back to the Bay Area. It’s great to be home!”

2010

Forest D. “Juney” Shober, a teacher of high school physics and chemistry for the last six years, now teaches science at University High, “a brand-new synthesis of University of Tennessee at Chattanooga resources and the local public school system’s approachability,” he explains. “This opportunity has accelerated my career, and I am only slightly displaced from my family, allowing me to see them periodically. Truly a balanced equation.”

2010

Michelle A. von Hirschberg, West Chester, Ohio, enjoyed visits with family and friends, “including a fantastic Chamber Singers reunion weekend and a week in Bamberg, Germany!” she notes. “Daughter Ellie turned 4 in August, and we had so much fun celebrating.”

2010

Natalie E. West moved back to her hometown of Baltimore to start a master’s of public health at Johns Hopkins after nearly nine years living and working in Europe and Africa. “I received a Sommer Scholarship, which recognizes M.P.H. students from diverse professional backgrounds with public health leadership experience and potential, and is a really wonderful honor!”

2011

Jillian M. Arenz earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Columbia University and now works at Weill Cornell Medicine in its program for anxiety and traumatic stress studies.

2011

Liza W. Chabot, Durham, North Carolina, “spent several weeks in Oaxaca, Mexico, learn-ing from native artisans. The trip was inspiring and influential, enabling me to bring back a little piece of their collective, generational fiber knowledge to my own loom.” On Oct. 14, Liza welcomed Hannah B. Withers, Rose M. Proctor ’10, Brianna Parry, Katherine D. Kremer, Margaret P. Rodgers, and former professor Ivonne M. Garcia to Durham for her wedding to her partner of the past eight years.

2011

John S. Crain finished a second year at Wigdor LLP, litigating civil rights and employment discrimination claims. “Rewarding work, and I love my clients,” he shares. “I am also delighted to have an article coming out shortly in the Albany Law Review. My firm recently hired a 2023 Kenyon grad as a paralegal, which made me feel just how long it has now been since 2011. My wife, Danielle DeMatteo, founder and artistic director of SheNYC, a nonprofit promoting gender equity in the arts, produced a play called ‘Radio Man,’ written by Sarah N. Groustra ’22. A bunch of alumni from my era — including Henry B. Jackson, Benjamin A. Lucas, Sarah M. Kemp ’10 and Rachel R. Fletcher — went to see it and were blown away. … All in all, nice that Kenyon continues to find me!”

2011

Andrew R. Ding sent his first update since graduation: “So, to skim over the highlights, I ended up living in Bolivia with stints in a few other South American countries. After returning to the States, I plummeted down a deep rabbit hole of rock, ice and alpine climbing, and ski mountaineering, working as a mountain guide across the American West. Cracked open my psyche and grew a relatively existential but reductionist, atheistic kernel into something a bit more lightly held. I eventually went to medical school. Now finishing my final year of psychiatry residency in Connecticut, focusing on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, psycho-analysis and modern limbic therapies, with plans to move to Oregon after graduation to start private practice.”

2011

Sasha Pauline Fanny-Holston submits, “I’ve further cemented my ‘crazy cat lady’ status by adopt-ing two adorable and mischievous kittens — biological brothers from successive litters. Mr. Puff is 1, and Prince Neemo is 5 months. I don’t post a whole lot on Instagram, but you can follow them at @mrpuffandneemoipres-ume! Other than that, I’m still at Kenyon doing the DEI thing and hanging out with the squad (Apple Valley #lakelife).”

2011

Analise N. Gonzalez-Fine and Charles H. Fine ’12 welcomed second child Eli Roy Fine on May 30. “Aidy (2) has transitioned to her role as big sister with gusto, and we’re settling into our family of four! We still live in Denver, where I serve as director of college initiatives for DSST Public Schools, and Charlie is a deputy general counsel for Denver Public Schools.”

2011

Ananda Plunkett Levine writes of “a wild and delirious summer” in which she gave birth to a son, River, on June 1. “We’re settled in the upper Hudson Valley in New York, where I’m still making music (my sixth full-length album comes out next year) and spending lots of time in nature.”

2011

Nicholas P. Loud announces with excitement that the feature film he and Christopher F. Loud ’06 produced in northern Michigan, called “Quicksand,” got a distribution deal. Now available on Amazon and Apple TV. “We screened ‘Quicksand’ in Ann Arbor at the Michigan Theater on Nov. 17.”

2011

Laura A. Paul works for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. “In June, I moved to Durham, North Carolina, and I am so happy to be here!”

2011

Lauren M. Maggart Stearns and Tyler J. Stearns are “finally feeling settled” in southwest Oregon’s Rogue Valley. “He’s still kicking ass as a clinical pharmacy specialist of mental health at the VA, while I teach middle school humanities at St. Mary’s School. Kieran (6) and Maia (3) are living their best lives running loose in our neighborhood. I had a wonderful time catching up with my fellow 2010 KenExers during a Zoom call with former professors Deborah Laycock and James “Jim” Carson in August — thanks for coordinating, Ai Binh T. Ho! Speaking of KenEx … at the moment I’m actually writing this from a hotel room in London with Ashley G. Gray, Abby Lagrow, Laura A. Briskman and Claire P. Strom! It’s been well over a decade since we were all in the same room, and we’re having a blast catching up, reminiscing over our time in Exeter, and stuffing ourselves silly with high tea (the proper Devonshire way).”

2011

Brandon M. Ventling moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, in May 2022, is a senior manager in Accenture’s digital banking practice, and started a podcast with a close friend called Bettor Bets Ahead. “In the last year, I attended weddings of Ryan J. Poh in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and of Zachary L. Blitzer in Sayulita, Mexico.”

2012

Ellen D. Blanchard moved back to northern Michigan and served as venue and volunteer coordinator for the Harbor Springs Festival of the Book. “For a three-day festival with 1,300 participants, I was in charge of the 200+ volunteers making 35 sessions happen at nine venues! We had 41 authors present, including the playwright Sarah Ruhl, who penned ‘Eurydice,’ a show that was part of the 2009 Kenyon season — and backstage is where I first met Margaret J. (Higby) Ericksen and Rob Fine. I was also in Ruhl’s ‘In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play’ in Ann Arbor in 2017. I got to meet her, and she signed my script!”

2012

Caitlin Cook made her off-Broadway debut at Soho Playhouse with her one-woman bathroom graffiti musical “The Writing on the Stall.” “So many Kenyon alumni turned up! I was thrilled. It will be running at another big theater in NYC very soon, so stay tuned!”

2012

“My wife, Vy, and I have been living in NYC for the past 4+ years, and it finally feels like home. We live in Harlem and enjoy proximity to the north end of Central Park. In the past few years I’ve picked up an old hobby in earnest and now spend much of my free time oil painting.”

Bennett S. Davidson

2012

Zachary E. Goldman updates, “I’m working as a consultant in the global sports space, currently splitting time between home in L.A. and my main clients in Japan.”

2012

Sarah L. and Jeffrey A. Hechler announce the birth of their first child, Owen James, Feb. 11, 2023. “Parenthood is a lot of work, of course, but he is absolutely wonderful. Class of 2045? I am still teaching social studies at Community High School in Ann Arbor, and Jeff works as a software engineer for Rocket (based in Detroit, but he works from home). We love our community in Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti!”

2012

Sonam Lhaki says hello from Monterey Bay, California, where she started her M.A. in translation at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. “Had the wonderful opportunity to see Lisa Swaim (formerly of the Center for Global Engagement) and Nikola Popovic after a long time. Reminisced about Kenyon experiences as we walked along the coast and admired the basking sea lions. Grateful to have a Kenyon connection here and look forward to having many more.”

2012

Christian A. Martinez-Canchola works for Transcend Education as a partner in school design services. “We’re committed to support-ing communities in creating and spreading extraordinary, equitable learning environments. It’s a remote job requiring me to travel through-out Texas, primarily, but with some opportunities of travel elsewhere.”

2012

Daniel P. Hall Riggins, Indianapolis, and his partner, Lauren, welcomed daughter Ayla Grace Hall-Riggins into the world on June 6.

2012

Tatenda Uta, Lithia, Florida, informs, “After graduating, I set two primary objectives for myself: securing a job and reuniting my mother with me in the United States. Landing a job was a challenging journey, but it materialized more quickly than I had anticipated. Yet the path to bringing my mother here proved to be far more arduous, spanning a grueling 12-year period. Today, I am elated to share the heartwarming news that my mother has finally made her way to the U.S., reuniting with her daughter-in-law and meeting her grand-daughter for the first time.”

2012

Alyssa N. Van Denburg, Chicago, is a clinical psychologist in the Pain Management Center at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She also maintains a small private practice.

2012

Nicolyn V. Woodcock sums up, “I just wrapped up a delightful Homecoming Weekend in Gambier for Alumni Council meetings. Really looking forward to all that the Bicentennial year will bring! Shout out to my Kenyon besties who did a mini-reunion with me in Philadelphia in June: Vivian Cherng, Helen T. Liutongco, David L. Sowa and Christina W. Vick-Kell. And a big hug to Brittney S. Miles ’13, who I visited at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in September.”

2013

Heather K. Amato and her partner, Chris, went to New Zealand for the Women’s World Cup of soccer, “where we spent some quality time with my girl Charlotte S. Detchon,” she reports. “I’ll be moving back to the D.C. area sometime next year — super sad to leave the Bay Area after eight years, but excited to reconnect with all the D.C. Kenyon folks!”

2013

Jaqueline Neri Arias explains, “I was so sad to not be able to attend Reunion this year, but I had an important conference to attend in New Orleans. I enjoyed look-ing at all the pictures! I had a very successful year professionally, as I was promoted to lead several departments and provide strategic leadership to my university. Chicago is treating me and my family very well as we raise our 3-year-old near family in a very diverse area.”

2013

Adrian E. (Natale) Everett welcomed a daughter, Robin Everett, on July 15, 2023. Adrian is in the fourth year of her Ph.D. in anthropology, subfield archaeology, at Yale University and is preparing for a second season of excavation at a Maya site in Guatemala in the spring of 2024.

2013

Nathan W. Huey finished his Ph.D. at Harvard in biostatistics and lives in Costa Rica, working as a quantitative field biologist at the Sloth Institute. “After the slog of a long Ph.D.,” he observes, “very happy to be spending some quality time with creatures who share my same pace of life.”

2013

Rowan M. Kurtz updates, “I completed my M.B.A. at NYU this past spring and am now working as an investment banker. The group I joined is focused on the energy transition and is ironically located in Houston.”

2013

Rachel K. Max moved back to Washington, D.C., after 10 years in California and bought a house with her husband in the Brookland neighborhood. “Thrilled to be back on the East Coast experiencing my first autumn, literally, since Kenyon,” she informs.

2013

Ariana Skye McSweeney moved to London, U.K., starting a job with the National Health Service’s Early Intervention in Psychosis service. “So far I have no regrets about changing careers from architectural conservation,” she reports, “but I am also enjoying all the historic buildings in London during my free time!”

2013

“It’s been a big year! My (now) husband and I eloped in February, I graduated with my Ph.D. from Ohio State in May, and in October we moved to North Carolina!”

Meaghan E. Pachay

2013

Morgan E. Peele asks, “What can you do with a women’s and gender studies degree? Mine has taken me on a rather serpentine career route. I was a Fulbright Fellow in China researching women’s child-care options. I then pivoted into statistics and population studies in graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania. I wove gender theory into my academic publications as a Ph.D. candidate in demography, thanking newly retired Professor Laurie Finke in my dissertation acknowledgments. I recently pivoted again — this time into the corporate world, as associate director of health equity on the business engagement team at Merck. So I’ll rephrase my question: What can’t you do with a women’s and gender studies degree?”

2013

Samantha M. Sheahan submits: “Samantha loves being a drama therapist for kids, a.k.a. being a professionally bad actor. Her clients remind her when she doesn’t act badly well enough. (She misses the easy days at Kenyon when you’d get graded on Aristotelian analysis.) More seriously, this summer she was grateful to run a collaborative drama therapy group with refugee women. Otherwise, she’s still chasing her cattle dog around the hiking trails of San Francisco.”

2014

Gregory T. Culley began a master’s of architecture at the University of British Columbia School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture in Vancouver.

2014

Mary E. Defer joined the marketing and development department of Ideastream Public Media, home to north-eastern Ohio’s NPR news and information radio station. Over the summer, she created an installation of lumen prints for an immersive art event in Cleveland and taught a photography workshop at the Akron Art Museum.

2014

Max J. Dugan is a visiting professor for 2023-24. “Reflections after two months in Gambier: Kenyon students are still remarkably good-natured; everything is closer than you remember; I’m excited to dance with y’all at our 10-year.”

2014

William S. “Willy” Friedlander and Natalie P. Plick ’16 were married on Oct. 14 — 10 years after meeting on the indoor track at Kenyon.

2014

Natalie Thielen Helper, Brooklyn, New York, is “over the moon to share that this fall she got engaged to her partner of nearly four years, Marisa Lastres,” she writes. “The eagle-eyed reader may recall that Natalie got arrested for civil disobedience at a protest for immigrant rights back in 2018. Fun fact: Marisa — just ‘a good friend’ at the time — was one of her co-arrestees. That’s romance! As of October 2023 the happy couple have no idea when or where they’ll get married.”

2014

Andrea M. Odegaard and her husband celebrated the birth of a baby girl on April 30. “Everyone is healthy and doing well. Thrilled to have a new little member of the family.” Also, Andrea submitted her completed dissertation to her committee in September. “Almost a Ph.D.!”

2014

Jeremy M. Peck writes, “Yesterday I accepted that my right knee is my ‘bad knee.’ And today you all hit me with the 10-year anniversary. Might as well just throw me in a home.” Jeremy welcomes visitors to his home in Taiwan. “Haley Abing ’13 is coming to see me soon, which is about to make my year. I have been at the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy for the past year, working on supporting democracy and human rights in Asia and around the world. If you have seen any news, you wouldn’t be surprised that there’s work to do. I can’t com-plain — it is great to be working on something that feels so important.”

2014

“Approaching my eighth year in Denver, having the wonderful privilege of working for Cochlear Americas in our professional marketing space. When I’m not busy helping craft messaging or supporting new product launches, I can be found enjoying life on my fabulous patio in my new home, watching my sister get married in the San Juan Islands, hiking in the Tetons or seeking out my next adventure abroad.”

James H. Roll

2014

Emily K. Rose moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in June to train in pulmonary and critical care at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “Just after moving,” she adds, “my husband and I had our ‘second’ wedding celebration in Jackson, Wyoming, with family and friends, including Melanie R. Couchman, Lara Del Piano, Grayson M. Donley, Alissa C. Feirson and Rebecca C. Katzman. I’ll be forever grateful for these friendships that we forged at Kenyon!”

2015

Frances J. Alston, Washington, D.C., was married Oct. 21, with Isobel C. Rosenberg as maid of honor and Margaret L. “Greta” Greising ’16 a bridesmaid. “I teach fourth grade at St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes in Alexandria, Virginia,” Frances writes. “Many D.C. Kenyon pals were in Cleveland this past summer to celebrate the marriage of former Zeta Madelyn K. Cook ’17! We stopped at Kenyon on the way, and it was wonderful to visit the VI and other old stomping grounds. It’s been a year of weddings, reunions and big life changes, but having my Kenyon friends has made it so much more fun and memorable!”

2015

Stephanie A. Cordonnier and Hanning Wong ’16 were married at A Very Kenyon Wedding in Mount Vernon, Ohio, by Stephanie’s faculty advisor, the Rev. Dr. Harry Itagaki in his Kenyon necktie. Beloved Kenyon family present included “wedding welcomer Johanna I. Frye, meditation selfie leader Yohanna Ewing-Kally ’16, vocalist Emilia Pazniokas, harpist Lily A. McBride ’17, equality challengers Emilia M. Louy and Elizabeth C. “Lila” Greco, brideswoman hype queen Grace E. Janzow, ramen lover Johnson Qiao ’16, and best woman/notorious llama advocate Kathleen M. Low ’16,” they report.

2015

Audrey L. Davis completed her master’s in Renaissance and early modern studies and started a new role at the National Railway Museum in York, England. “The trains are cool,” she reports. “I’ll stay for as long as this country will have me!”

2015

Anna C. Dowling was married this summer in a joyous celebration with a wedding party full of Kenyon alums: Louisa C. Ashford and Elizabeth M. Gardner, and siblings Stephen R. Dowling ’08 and Sarah E. Russell ’11.

2015

Matthew T. Eley lives in San Francisco with his wife and two cat-sized children, he submits. “Or were they children-sized cats? Thoroughly on the record as to being nostalgic over parts of Kenyon that have been knocked down and replaced by white clapboard or glass-and-steel shlock. It suffices to say: ‘It is history which teaches us to hope.’ It was once said of me that ‘[he] has mistaken Kenyon for Arcadia.’”

2015

Colin D. Finnegan married Catharine E. Straley ’17 on Oct. 8 “surrounded by an obnoxious amount of Kenyon friends, as is tradition. Over the moon and looking forward to a new life together.”

2015

Elizabeth C. “Lila” Greco was delighted to be back on campus this fall to celebrate the marriage of Stephanie Cordonnier and Hanning Wong ’16. She reconnected with old friends yet again at Emilia Louy’s wedding a few weeks later. Lila visited Andrew D. Stewart in Los Angeles last fall, her first time in California.

2015

Drew A. Hogan continues “his floundering crusade against the real world” in his Ph.D. program in political science at the University of Minnesota. In October, he was awarded a second master’s degree for his efforts.

2015

Mary Alice Jackson and Spencer Jackson-Kaye ’14 are happily living and work-ing in Washington, D.C. with their dog Mookie. Lately, M.A. has been dabbling in Spanish-English translation/interpretation and work-ing at a local wine shop while studying to get her D.C. social work license. She will start a job as a school-based mental health counselor this fall.

2015

Alyssa M. LaFrenierre and Christian F. Josephson ’16 moved to Philadelphia, where Alyssa started working in the NICU at Children’s Hospital. “Most recently, we spent some time in Greece to celebrate Jacob T. Hegge’s wedding alongside other fellow Kenyon alumni!”

2015

Amelia Li finished her postdoc at Cornell and is now an assistant professor of sociology of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She has been enjoying her new role and the improved Asian grocery options in Lincoln. This past sum-mer, she celebrated her one-year wedding anniversary and went back home to China for the first time since COVID.

2015

Olubusola O. Olukoya and Samuel A. Justice married in Boston in “a small, intimate wedding attended virtually by Kenyon professors and in person by a few men’s soccer alums, including Anthony I. Amolo ’17. Daniel C. Akuma ’14 was the best MC, and Edna J. Kemboi ’16 was a glowing bridesmaid. It felt like an International Students at Kenyon (ISAK) reunion, with Iggee Marrero Hu designing the most beautiful boutonnieres and her husband, Hector L. Marrero, doing the absolute most to make the day go perfectly. Myself, Tony and Daniel opened the dance floor with Afrobeats music and, in our small venue, I was reminded of the many international formals I organized at Weaver Cottage. Here, however, my new husband became my forever dance partner. At my new home with Sam, I am slowly finding my Kenyon self again. I am very, very happy.”

2015

Isobel C. Rosenberg was thrilled to attend so many Kenyon weddings, she reports, including Jacob Hegge’s in Greece, where she was proud to be one of the few Kenyon guests who weren’t on the swim team, and as maid of honor for Frances J. Alston in October. “My boyfriend and I adopted a puppy, a black spaniel mix named Lyra, who is perfect in every way. Lyra is settling in to her pampered life as the only child of two consultants very well.” Finally, once upon a time, during her front-desk shift at the KAC, Jane E. Simonton checked out a basketball one night to Nathaniel A. Epstein ’16. On July 8, 2023, Janie and Nate married. “Kerry M. Kennedy officiated,” Janie reports, “and her simultaneously light-hearted and emotionally resonant facilitation had the whole room laughing and crying in equal measure. Steven E. Schmidt and Will Spencer ’16 offered readings about love during the ceremony, and many other Kenyon friends celebrated with us into the night.”

2016

“Joseph W. 'Jake' Bates IV and I recently moved across the country (again) and now reside in Boston!”

Katie Goldman

2016

Monica J. Lee updates: “After opening Spoonful, a Korean dessert cafe, in St. Louis, Monica is preparing to open her second location in Edwardsville, Illinois.”

2016

Donald A. “Aaron” McIlhenny informs, “After seven years of hustle and toil in Brooklyn, I finally made the decision to move back to my hometown of San Francisco.”

2016

Elna Z.A. McIntosh published a short comic in the July issue of Sunspot Literary Journal. “Also, being a middle school librarian is hard right now, peeps — stories shouldn’t be silenced just because a loud minority finds certain content ‘objectionable.’ If you think books aren’t being challenged and banned in schools near you, you’re probably not paying enough attention.”

2016

Milad Momeni and Eamon H. Levesque “are dissolving their New England-based bed and breakfast empire,” they submit. “For five prosperous years, the two hosts/entrepreneurs, each coming from opposite ends of the aesthetic spectrum, worked to transform the industry, often through unholy means. The future of their dubious relation-ship remains to be seen.”

2016

Jordan W. Rucci married Dirk Hamel ’17 on Oct. 7. “Dirk and I bought a house outside of Lexington after eight years, three apartments and one cat together. I’m exhausted and being held together by hopes, dreams, and feminist affect theory. Working toward a Ph.D. in English at the University of Kentucky, where I’m also an instructor in the composition program.”

2016

Haley M. Townsend and Noah P. Winters ’15 welcomed their baby girl, Astrid, into the world in January 2023. They live in Columbus, Ohio.

2017

Alton S. Barbehenn and Julia N. Josowitz ;18 now live in the San Francisco area with their two kittens. Alton updates, “I completed my statistics doctorate in May and work in an HIV research lab at UCSF, exploring the nearby hills with Julia on the weekends.”

2017

Benjamin F. Grannis reports, “Bikes and the #eyesup mission continue to occupy a good portion of my time, and I am grateful to have spent two weeks traveling around Kansas to speak to hundreds of middle and high school kids. I feel grateful to see different parts of this beautiful country and connect with alumni all along the way.”

2017

Sarah M. Lloyd and Alexander W. Seaver were married on the lawn of the Church of the Holy Spirit on June 17, 2023, with many Kenyon friends in attendance.

2017

Andrew T. Meeker updates, “After working on animation for Marvel and DC — most recent film releases being ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ and ‘Blue Beetle’ — I moved on to a full-time motion capture animator role at Rockstar Games in New York! I now live on Long Island by the beach, have connected with a few fellow Kenyon and SCAD classmates, and can’t get enough of rooftop sites in the city.”

2017

Aldis H. Petriceks, Boston, has been thinking about Samuel E. Meyerson and Evan M. Frazier and their shared triple on the third floor of Hanna during the fateful 2016–17 academic year. He recalls “piles of laundry dumped on the floor and mountains of peanut shrapnel. It was, quite simply, the best of times.”

2017

Nathaniel E. Shahan was promoted to senior associate at the strategic communications firm Kekst CNC. He resides on the Upper East Side in NYC.

2017

Jennifer L. Wendler started a communications and membership role at NAMA, a trade association based in Rosslyn, Virginia. She’s been enjoying taking weekly walks with City Girls Who Walk DC, starting Dutch classes and striving to read 100 books this year. Jenna traveled to Italy in October for the exhibition opening of “The Jews, the Medici, and the Florentine Ghetto at the Palazzo Pitti,” for which she completed research while interning at the Medici Archive Project in 2021.

2018

“As a former resident advisor for the Kenyon Review’s Young Writers Workshop, I devoured this movie. While a writing camp for high schoolers is different than a performing arts camp, the similarities were uncanny. So, for those of you who were camp counselors, sit back and enjoy the ride on the nostalgia train. For those of you who weren’t … well, I think you’ll enjoy it, too. While it’s disguised as a silly summer laugh-out-loud romp poking fun at the absurdity of 20-somethings in charge of grade-school kids, this movie is a heart-felt meditation on the importance of arts for all, no matter how ‘dorky’ it may seem. ”

Meera White, Washington, D.C., on the 2023 movie "Theater Camp"

2018

Stephanie A. Holstein is in her third year as an architecture and design editor at Phaidon Press, where she’s worked on books with fashion designers Thom Browne and Todd Oldham, graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister and architecture studio Diller Scofidio + Renfro. “I continue to enjoy the cozy Upper West Side as my home neighborhood, with Julia M. Waldow ’17 living just a block away.”

2018

Sadiq Jiwa reports he is fully recovered from health issues suffered over the summer. “My kidneys and lungs are back to normal, and my arthritis has returned under control. I’ve moved back to Phoenix, where I’ll be competing in tournaments again.”

2018

Natalie S. Kane is a freelance theater director — with a new audio play just released as part of Premiere the Play Podcast’s latest season, along with front-of-house and administrative work supporting theater in NYC.

2018

Charlotte B. Lee was the assistant makeup designer for the Tony-winning Broadway musical “Some Like it Hot,” which opened in December 2022. She continues to work in the wig department at “Saturday Night Live” and does makeup for many of the Park Avenue Armory’s operas and plays, including “Hamlet,” “Oresteia” and “Doppelganger,” with world-famous tenor Jonas Kaufmann. Also a painter, Charlotte will have a solo show in June 2024 in Seoul. Find her paintings on Instagram @thegirlsof-hamiltonplace — or visit her home studio to see works in person.

2018

“I finally escaped Florida after four years of medical school and started psychiatry residency at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque! It’s been a wild four months. I’ve jumped between rotations at an in-patient psych unit, the emergency room, pediatric urgent care and, most recently, the psychiatric emergency room. Never a dull day out here — for better and for worse some-times. It was wonderful catching up with folks at the Reunion. The timing was just about perfect for me — I’d just graduated from medical school, said goodbye to dozens of folks I love, and prepared for another cross-country move. I had also been waiting to return to Kenyon to truly grieve Avery Campos. Being with so many of you was healing in a way that is difficult to succinctly describe.”

John H. Wilhelm

2019

Lynne A. Cullen moved to Scotland to pursue a career in law. “I am currently in my final year at the University of Edinburgh,” she writes. “This summer, I clerked for a judge at the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg. I plan to return to the U.S. to pursue a postgraduate master of laws. I often think of my art history studies on the Hill and my wonderful mentor and late professor Kristen Van Ausdall. Her memory will forever live on in my heart and those of her students.”

2019

Taaj-udeen Y. Davis shares, “I am now in my fifth year as an educator at Woodberry Forest School in Virginia, where I have recently entered a new role as assistant dean of students. I’ve been able to learn so much about what it takes to keep a school moving in the right direction — it takes a lot! Shout-out to the awesome Educators of Color panel that Kenyon alumni put on last spring. Outside of work, Herbert S. Wakefield and I are still podcasting hard, so please check out The NuBlack Podcast. On Sept. 30, I was joined by many Kenyon friends at the wedding of Robert B. Meagher and Jordan A. Wetzel.”

2019

Lelia J. Dusthimer joined the Biden-Harris administra-tion as special assistant to the International Trade Administration. “Balancing this while trying to finish my last year of grad school at Georgetown is challenging,” L.J. notes. “I’m thankfully kept sane by my amazing Class of 2019 friends.”

2019

Nathan C. Grosh married Alexandra F. Cirelli in September. “Thank you to all our friends for making our Baltimore wedding the perfect day. We are happily nesting in Boston, where I am a management consultant at Accenture, and where Ally — after graduating with her master’s in art history from Tufts — started work as a photography curator at the Griffin Museum.”

2019

“I’m writing this note from a carrel in the Allen Library at the University of Washington, where I am in the middle of my second day of graduate school and missing Olin and Chalmers. They keep telling me that this is actually more rain than usual for Seattle, but I’m starting to wonder if they’re lying to me.”

Taylor A. Hazan

2019

Jenna M. Korns and her husband, Brandon, welcomed a son, Flynn Jasper Korns, on Sept. 25. “While I’m still getting used to saying that I have a son, we are over the moon and soaking in all of the newborn snuggles!”

2019

Hannah E. Orbach-Mandel is “officially a San Francisco resident,” she reports, working as a policy analyst, “and enjoying being around a lot more young people and things to do. Fun to see a few other Kenyon alums, too!”

2019

Evangeline G.R. Warren observes, “Because history loves to repeat itself, I found myself back in Gambier at the end of August for the first day of classes — ready to spend the 2023–24 school year as a visiting faculty member in the Department of Sociology. Now that we’re a few weeks into the semester, I’m still fighting the instinct to look around for someone more senior when a student shouts ‘Hi, Professor!’ in my direction.”

2020s

2020

Ruth J. Cohen moved to Madison, Wisconsin, to begin a Ph.D. in economics and finance. “After three years working as a research assistant in Boston, I’m happy to be back in the Midwest and back in school!”

2020

Aidan B. Murphy graduated from the U.S. Navy’s Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as an ensign in April. Stationed in Pensacola, Florida, Aidan is training as a naval flight officer.

2020

Catherine A. Smith started her first year of law school at George Washington University. “My boyfriend and I just moved in together (with our two cats), and I’m making a lot of new friends. It feels great to be back in an academic setting, and makes me grateful for the education we received at Kenyon.”

2021

Elizabeth E. Barrowman lives in Washington, D.C., with her partner, Noah, and two cats, Carmela and Bean. “I get to see fellow Epsilon Delta Mu alumni all the time — Camille K. Pipino ’17, Peyton A. Thomas ’19, Sydney H. Telaak ’19, Catherine A. Smith ’20 and Kylie G. Milliken ’20 — which has really helped the adjustment to living in D.C.”

2021

Schuyler C. Bunn, a third-year teacher, was named the 2023 Outstanding Rising Star Teacher by the Kentucky World Language Association, an award presented to a teacher with no more than five years’ experience who has already made a lasting impression on students by exhibiting be language teaching practices. “I’m so grateful for the AT program — and my fantastic professors — at Kenyon for giving me the courage to be a teacher.”

2021

Valerie G. “Willow” Green updates, “My first year of living, working and dancing abroad is coming to an end.” They completed their Fulbright ETA grant in Israel in July. “While living in Jaffa, I joined an incubator of local choreographers in Jerusalem at MASH (Machol Shalem), and I developed a new work, culminating in my international artistic premiere and present-ing my solo ‘what is offered’ at MASH and Kelim.” Willow then went to Seoul, South Korea, to present thesis research with Professor Julie Brodie at the International Council for Kinetography Laban conference. “Then, I did a summer dance intensive with Oriantheatre in Paris, a lovely company with which I am now excited to take on my new role as intern producer.” Willow continues to freelance as a writer, researcher, choreographer, and performer.

2021

Cassady N. Neviska writes, “I think I might finally be getting the hang of the post-grad life and maybe starting to piece together the ‘What now?’ Currently, I work as a barista at a local coffee shop, where I also help out teaching art classes. In addition, I just began teaching dance to kids aged 4-9 at a studio.”

2021

Charles W. Scarborough Jr., Arlington, Virginia, is a high school special education teacher who fosters life skills and aids in career planning. Brian R. Sellers and Julia D. Cullen biked 200 miles from Bushwick to Hudson, New York, along the Empire State Trail in September.

2021

A. Shaikh completed an M.F.A. in poetry from the University of Michigan’s Helen Zell Writers’ Program. “When I’m not writing, I’m working part time as a paralegal helping Afghan refugees at a local nonprofit here in Michigan.”

2022

Lucy R. Bidwell submitted her dissertation for a master’s in history and heritage from Aberystwyth University.

2022

Ansley Grider is pursuing a master’s in ecology and environ-mental science at the University of Maine, traveling to Greenland and Norway to do field work on glacial lakes. “I am in the process of analyzing my samples. Looking forward to hav-ing results soon!” she updates. “I am currently living with my partner, Aaron M. Meuser, and two Ph.D. students from UMaine.”

2022

Isabella R. Hatkoff started working for a painter who uses AI and robotics in her work, she reports. “It’s been really neat to see the intersection of art and tech. I have been working on a sculpture project on display at IMAGINARI in SoHo, NYC. The all-nighters in Horvitz prepared me for some of the work I do now, but I miss the camaraderie of my fellow students. Looking at grad programs abroad for sculpture!”

2022

Rebecca A. Hölzel worked in a research lab at the Medical College of Wisconsin for a year and has now moved to Austin, Texas, to pursue a Ph.D. in microbiology at UT.

2022

Joshua N. Katz is now an admissions counselor at Bucknell University. “I’m very excited to see where this opportunity takes me!”

2022

Rebecca L. Turner and Seamus K. Clair were married on Sept. 8, 2023, “in an intimate ceremony in Brooklyn!” she announces.

2022

Conor E. Tuttle writes, “After a year of reflection and self-realization, I made my way from Philadelphia to Brooklyn in August. Now I spend my days determining which subway line has the best light for read-ing (and working as a paralegal in Manhattan). Turns out it’s hard to get a job in entertainment during the strikes without becoming a scab. But I’m feeling fine — my new friend, Mr. Trader Joe, has lots of tasty snacks that I eat to cope with the transition into this next phase of life. That said, I am looking for screen-writing work and will happily share my lentil onion rings with you!”

2023

“Settling into life here in Tajikistan teaching English on a Fulbright. I miss the friends and fond memories that I made at Kenyon, but I’m looking forward to making new ones and continuing my life’s education! My brain keeps thinking I’ll be going back to Kenyon in the fall!”

Christopher Bechtol

2023

Isabelle C. Freeman, Lake Oswego, Oregon, reports, “I have adopted a cat named Snufkin. I am working as a scribe at an OB-GYN clinic and doing research part-time.”

2023

Elizabeth J. Haljun started a polymer science and engineering Ph.D. at UMass Amherst. “Busy continuing to study, learn and further my scientific knowledge.
I am so grateful for how Kenyon prepared me for this next step.”

2023

Abigail C. Navin shares, “I am currently living in Los Angeles with two Kenyon pals. We have a turtle named Tanklin, who is skittish but ultimately pretty cool and cute. I work at UCLA, but in my free time, I like to explore the city via bike or walking.”

2023

Ngone Fall is on a Fulbright to Senegal. “I spent my summer initially lounging and traveling, but I couldn’t accept the fact that I had graduated. So, of course, I came back! I had an amazing time as a TA for the KEEP/STEM program. My final experience on The Hill was truly a full circle moment. Medical school is in my future. I am enjoying life after college day by day, even though I am severely deprived of Kenyon’s kindness and Wiggins Coffee.”

2023

Brucken E. Wilkens informs, “While going to law school in Atlanta and living with my fiancé, I’ve been keeping in touch with my friends who are finishing up at Kenyon and missing grabbing meals with them, hanging out on weekends and being jealous that they scored a Farr Apartment!” Brookie was excited to Zoom in to Professor Bender-Baird’s class in October to talk about their collaborative research. “I’ve been reminiscing about my amazing professors and all the things they did for me over the years. Like the time Professor Buehrer helped me after I crashed my bike on Middle Path!”

2023

Jinxue “Jerry” Wu writes, “Time had never felt this fast before. Now I’m retreated back to south-west China, in Sichuan, near a mountain, taking my time to live on my own. Next month I plan to pack up and live in the mountains for a couple of days, inside the temples, with the monks. I think a moment of slow-motioned serenity would find me there; we’ll see. Hope the temples could lend me some echoes of answer.”

2023

“I’m working now, glad that what I learned at Kenyon College is applicable in real life. A behavioral technician, I work with autistic children to build basic life skills. It’s demanding, but rewarding. I really miss all the intellectual conversations. I think about Kenyon now and then … the bookstore, Middle Path … and sometimes dorms I lived in come into my dreams, too.”

Xinjie “Anna” Zheng