Class of '71

I’d like to inform classmates that David Franzoni received the Alumni Achievement Award during Reunion Weekend 2000. Unfortunately, David was unable to be here to receive the award due to the acclaim generated for his latest film, Gladiator, which David wrote and produced. In an email to me David credited Professor Frank Manchel for inspiring him to pursue a career in screenwriting. After his great success with Amistad and Gladiator, I’m sure we all can’t wait for David’s next film. How to top that…Frank Arkinson has been in touch and says that his third and last child is off to college. Frank is first vice president of Tucker Anthony, Inc., in Syracuse, N.Y. We look forward to seeing Frank in Vermont some day. How about at our next reunion on May 30 through June 2, 2002? By the way, everyone should know that our reunion will be celebrated a year later than we thought so that we can be with the classes of ‘72 and ‘73. Maypo, a.k.a. Marc Milowsky, just returned from a trip to Italy with the five girls. He wrote there were a lot of Italian men following their parade. Maypo and wife Patty ‘73 have launched their daughter, Megan ‘00. She’s moving into an apartment in Harvard Square with some of her UVM buddies. Hope to see you on the lake some time. Tim Scott has just signed on as an e-business consultant engagement manager with IBM’s Financial Institutions Consulting Group. Paula Christofoletti, first president-elect of the National Association of Disability Examiners in New Hampshire, was selected the 2000 outstanding disability professional at their Northeast/ Mid-Atlantic Bi-Regional Conference last June. Stephen and Mary Jane Robear (‘75) Higgins live in Greenville, R.I., with their two sons. Mary Jane is teaching at St. Pius V School in Providence. Their oldest son, Andy, will enter Bryant College, and their youngest son, Christopher is a student at Smithfield High School. I called John Angier after seeing his picture in the photo album on the UVM Alumni web site. He had attended a UVM lecture series in Florida. Thought I’d call and check up on him. He was closer to home than I thought. He comes up to Vermont between May and October to get out of the Florida sun. After a career in investment advising, John now works in network marketing for nutritional products. When you see What Lies Beneath, look for John in the cocktail party scene, which was filmed in a building on the UVM campus. Guess it takes a film to get John back on campus. John must have been bitten by the acting bug, because he’s trying out for a Vermont film, Jessum Crow, currently in production here. Tom Reilly finally told me his big news. He and his wife, Janine, are the proud parents of Devon Thomas, born December 22, 1999. Baby Devon is keeping his mom and dad busy. Tom is open to receiving any words of wisdom on parenting from any of us who’ve been there. Please send your advice to Tom in care of sarah.sprayregen @uvm.edu. I caught up with Robin Ackerson Peterson finally in August. Her responsibilities as president of Coldwell Banker Burnet Home Services in Minnesota keep her very busy. Robin is one of the 24 presidents of the Coldwell Banker Real Estate Division nationwide. Husband, Fran ‘70, also keeps busy in his position at Roche Pharmaceuticals Labs, Inc. He’s at their New Jersey headquarters once a week. Robin and Fran live in Apple Valley, Minn., and have two children: Dana, who is 26, and Derek, who is 12. The Petersons are also grandparents. (Maybe they can lend advice to Tom & Janine Reilly!). Robin was invited to attend the Coldwell Banker Top 100 meeting in Hawaii over the summer. While there, the Petersons saw Michael ‘68 and Judy Bamman (‘69) Pietsch, who live in Honolulu. Finally, something about me: I’d like to report that I spent five weeks in the heart of Brazil in April and May this year. I led a group study exchange sponsored by Rotary International. I returned home with a greater appreciation of the Brazilian people and the potential of that South American country. In fact, we will be pursuing funding for one program to help at-risk Brazilian adolescents from my local Rotary Club and Rotary International. That’s all I have for this issue. Keep in touch.

Class of '72

Hi, all! Isn’t the computer era wonderful? It’s easy to send in your news. Sometimes, though, e-mail goes astray. Servers are down, viruses destroy files, or a mistyped address sends your missive into cyberspace. To ensure that your news has been received and will be printed here, look for a response from me to your e-mail. I personally send an acknowledgment to everyone who sends me e-mail. It is a great way to reconnect, and I have been happily enjoying getting reacquainted with old friends as well as meeting some classmates for the first time. The news has been sparse for this issue. I hope this doesn’t mean my computer has been acting up. How does it feel to be 50 or close to it? Robert Fischbach thinks it feels great. He is living in N. Branford, Conn., and he says that all is well down on the farm.

Class of '73

News is sparse this time around, but maybe we can pick up the pace with a class page on the Internet. Alan Bugbee says space is reserved on the UVM server, and he’s willing to design the page. All he needs is your input. “I have some experience doing it, and I think it has a lot of potential for putting us in touch with each other, “ he says. “It costs nothing, except time.” And he’s willing to spend his, but he needs to know what you want to see and do on the site. Take a look at what other classes have done by going to the alumni Web site at http://alumni. uvm.edu and clicking “online services” and then “class pages.” Email your suggestions to Alan at acbugbee@mind spring.com. Alan is vice president of research and development at Columbia Assessment Services in Raleigh, N.C., where he lives with his wife and cat. Gregory Ashford has left corporate life and is now self-employed as a human resources consultant. “I am very excited about my new career,” he said. Gregory has provided diversity awareness training and team building for employees of several defense contractors, the city of Hartford, Conn., and the state of Connecticut. He lives with his wife, Leslie, and son Nicholas in Bloomfield, Conn. Apologies to Tim Crowley: he was identified as Tom in the spring column.

Class of '74

Okay, classmates. Your silence is deafening. Forget wrinkle cream, Maalox, hair coloring, your workload, your awful boss, and your bills for two seconds and drop me a line. This is getting ridiculous. There is no excuse to stay silent for so long, unless you broke the law and are hiding on some island in the middle of nowhere. Even if you did break the law, I promise you I will not tell a soul in this column. So what if we are getting a little older, and our children are driving us bananas. Okay, maybe we feel a little grumpy at times. The world is a big hassle and we’d rather not be bothered. Please remember that we graduated together 26 years ago. And for many, this is the only link to what we shared at UVM. I cannot believe I only received one item for this issue. Thank you, Patricia Skinner Garvey of Essex Junction. Patricia wrote that she was an extra in a movie recently made, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford, in a cocktail party scene at UVM. She and her husband, Michael, celebrated their 25th anniversary. Their oldest son, Sean, graduated from UVM with a major in microbiology and genetics, and he earned membership into the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Sodality. Their younger son, Casey, a junior at UVM, is a history major who made dean’s list last summer. Patricia, after teaching in Charlotte in 1998, homeschooled her daughter, Greta, who entered Essex Junior High School in September. And finally, Paul Dumais dropped off some news at the Alumni Office. Paul, a mail handler at the U.S. Postal Service’s Burlington, Vt., processing plant, was one of ten employees nationwide selected to receive a National Diversity Achievement Award. He was the only winner from the Northeast. He is also president of the Vermont Committee on the Underground Railroad. Okay, the rest of the class of 1974, I am waiting to hear from you. Step up to the plate. Thank you.

Class of '75

An enthusiastic group of us attended various pieces of our 25th Reunion in June. Everyone seemed to enjoy the weekend, renewing old acquaintances and “checking out” the campus and the Burlington scene after 25 years. We came up with a modest goal of having more class notes than the class of ‘76. Keep your updates coming! Those who were in attendance will be particularly happy to note that we did achieve our goal for our class reunion gift, so we will actually have a tree in the official UVM Arbor. Thank you to Chico Lager, who supplied an interim tree from his “tree farm.” Mary Ouellette Burnham is still living in Montpelier, Vt., with her husband, Doug Burnham, and daughter Ella. Doug is an aquatic biologist with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. Mary recently left her job with the Green Mountain Club and is now working for the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation as an environmental technician in the forest biology lab. She examines insect collection samples for exotic beetles and moths. Ed ‘74 and Barbara Taylor Smith live in Harvard Mass., near the apple orchards. After eight years on Wall Street and too many years on the road in consulting, Barbara is taking the summer off. Ed started a new job at Fidelity. They plan to build a new home on the South Shore. Debbie Sample Kim lives in Salt Lake City with her three children, Alex, Abigail, and Anne Elizabeth. She continues to work as a nurse (advanced practice) as well as director of emergency management and hazardous materials programs at the University of Utah Hospital and Health Sciences Campus. Debbie also is involved with the EMS planning committee for the 2000 Winter Olympics. In 1999, she was appointed by the governor to serve on Utah’s Citizens Advisory Commission that oversees the chemical weapons demilitarization program. Debbie brought her “sweetheart” Bob Burr (Dartmouth ‘60) to reunion, and she told us that she hopes to formalize their relationship within the next year. Joe Luffered and his wife, Heidi, live in Avon, Ohio, with their four daughters, Cindy, Sarah, Ashley, and Meghan. Joe is a manager of engineering with Energizer Battery Co. in Westlake. Ernest Janus has been a substitute teacher in the Utica, N.Y., school system while pursuing his masters. He recently gave up dairy farming to start a new career in teaching. Vicky Viens works for the State of Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. She wanted to know “why you’re not all composting your food scraps with your lawn waste and making black gold and where is the man of my dreams because he hasn’t shown up yet.” Any knight in shining armor can contact Vicky at vicky.viens@anrmail. anr.state.vt.us. Claire Tessier-Youngs is living with her wonderful daughter, Jessica, and her husband, Wiley, in Akron, Ohio. Claire and Wiley are both professors at the University of Ohio-Akron, where Claire was recently elected co-chair of her department. Nancy Christmas Aleksiewicz has two sons: Lance, a senior at UConn, and Daryl, a junior at Assumption. She and her husband, Stan, will be celebrating 24 years of wedded bliss in November. Nancy still teaches at Vernon Elementary and is an adjunct faculty member at Keene State College. Evelyn Smith wrote that she was disappointed that her former roommate Evelyn Nieves was unable to attend reunion AGAIN. She sent congratulations and best wishes to her old roommate, who recently received her PhD. Friends were also wondering where Debbie Hickin Brookes and Cathy Cassidy Jacobs were. Linda Tolman Salafia has a beautiful 15-year-old daughter, Molly, and she is happily married to her husband, Tom. Linda is running for mayor of Middletown, Conn. Patti Porter Struna spent a week last summer with LPGA star Peggy Kirk Bell. Patti placed third in the UVM golf tournament at Vermont National Country Club. She can be reached at patti@advantagerealtyinc.com. Karen Hubert Bissett lives in Austin, Tex. She has two children: Collin attends the University of Texas (“Hook ‘em Horns”), and Shannon plays the trombone in his high school marching band. Karen can be reached at hubless@aol.com. Madonna Lovett Repeta, a photographer, lives in Bedford, N.H., with her husband, Wayne, and children Matthew and Sarah. Linda Goodspeed lives in Boston’s Beacon Hill with her new daughter, three-year-old Masha, whom she adopted from Russia last year. Janis Tyndall Maderik and her husband, Mike, of Reisterstown, Md., have been married for 23 years. Their two daughters are in college. Janis retired from physical therapy and now works in early childhood education. Nancy Parenteau is senior vice president and chief scientific officer at Organgenesis, Inc., a bio tech company involved in tissue engineering. She is building a second home in Benson, Vt. She wrote that she is looking forward to spending more time in beautiful Vermont. Last October, Joe Choquette joined the Vermont law firm of Downs Rachlin & Martin as a lobbyist and marketing manager. Laura Willgoose Roberts and her husband, Ron ‘77, live in South Burlington, Vt., with their children, Hilary and Elliot. Laura is a physical therapist with the VNA of Chittenden County. She is also a volunteer with the Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sport Association. Bert Anderson’s men’s basketball team won the YMCA Men’s Basketball Championship this year. He has now won a championship in each of the last four decades. Mary Ellen Fennessy and her husband William McDermott were married in October 1992. They adopted their wonderful son, Patrick Fennessy McDermott, from St. Petersburg, Russia, in October 1997. Mary Ellen wrote, “I look forward to serving as your class president for the next term and to helping increase our presence as well as participation in our class gift for our 30th reunion.” Fred “Chico” Lager has started a tree farm in Williston, Vt., in honor of the class of ‘75. Dennis “Red” Canedy “participated in the test trials for viagra. He is expecting his third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh children in the next few years.” We received a report from “the men of Chikago International Fraternity” (Alan Dimick, Bert Anderson, Bill Dillon, Fred “Gils” Bussone, Fred “Chico” Lager, James “Dr. Marv” Thomas, Dennis “Red” Canedy, and Scott Baldwin ‘76) that they “will return to the European continent in September for their fourth attempt at improving international relations. Pictures to follow.” Richard Goldstein is living in Livermore, Calif., in the San Francisco Bay area, with his wife, Kathy, and son Joseph. He has spent the past 23 years in the financial service industry, and his “trying to do some California dreamin’.” John Wise just moved to North Reading, Mass. He continues to work as an atmospheric physicist for the Air Force, and he enjoys painting in his spare time.

Class of '76

In June 2001, we will celebrate our 25th Reunion. It’s hard to believe that 25 years have passed since graduation in May 1976 (or December 1976 if you were on the extended plan like yours truly). I know many of us have stayed in regular contact with UVM during the intervening years, while others have not for all sorts of reasons. Our 25th is a milestone reunion and an opportunity for the university to reach out to as many of us as possible. Work has already commenced, led by our reunion committee co-chairs Ed Sall and Mark Soufleris. As of August 1, Ed and Mark have recruited Linda Boardman Drumheller and Margie Stern-Hackett to lead our planning efforts. Joining Linda and Margie in reunion planning are Staige Davis, Andy Follett, Mary Jane Mercure McMahon, and Wynn Gold. Skip Beitzel and I will be co-chairing the class giving effort. We are working together as one committee committed to providing you all with a great weekend of activities for your return to UVM on May 31-June 3, 2001. Please be on the lookout for our fall class newsletter for more information on our reunion plans and the class gift. And now on to our class notes…Lucille Maille Barrette was promoted to chief radiation therapist at Rochester General’s radiation oncology department last November. Robin Barrette ‘75 is a senior buyer for Xerox in Webster, N.Y. Beryl Bennett Bryan and family have lived in Milwaukee for five years. Urban ministry with all ages has been an important part of their lives for the last 15 years. Jeremy, their oldest, writes and sings rap with a message of hope; Kate works with orphans in the Ukraine; Davis recently graduated from high school; and their youngest, Christopher loves sports. A winter reunion in Sturbridge, Mass., brought together Alpha Chi sisters Ellen Marchegiani Byron, Sue Lantman ‘75, Donna Marcy ‘75, Sue Wagner ‘75, Gina Cass ‘75, and Lois Jones. UVM is a family affair for Susan McReynolds Capasso since her son, Michael, just finished his first year as a Catamount. He is a member of the cross-country team and ran indoor and outdoor track, too. Son Christopher will be applying for membership in the class of 2005. Vernon Clifford is deputy director for public works at the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in Hanover, N.H. His wife, Tina, is the school nurse at Randolph Elementary School. UVM continues to be a part of their lives since their son, Shane, is a sophomore education major. Allan Conrad makes his home in San Diego and was recently appointed chief of staff at Pomerado Hospital in Poway, Calif. Jan D’Angelo has been working for Reidman Corporation for a year now, concentrating on aviation insurance and risk management. He flies his own plane to visit clients throughout the U.S. Jan reports that his daughter, Jamie, invented a game called “TetherTen” to be profiled on the Disney Channel. Cami Davis studied “Inside/Outside Perception Psychology, Ecology and Art” with James Hillman and Margot McLean at Schumacher College in Devon, England. In March 1999, she facilitated a visit to UVM by Jatrsh Kumar, the world-renown ecological leader and Schumacher program director. Cami also participated in the group exhibition Generations II: A Survey of Women Artists at the Millennium at the A.I.R. Gallery in New York. She will have a Vermont exhibition at the Ferrisburgh Artisan’s Guild in September. Monica Scavotto Delvy wrote that she and her husband, Bob, have been busy raising daughters Roberta and Rachel. Activities such as roller skating and dancing keep everyone busy. Monica serves her PTA as chairman of the reading program. She would love to hear from Patricia O’Shea ‘75 and Susan Fainsinger ‘76. Here’s some exciting news from Michael Diederich: his third child, Sean, was born in the car en route to the hospital. Mike’s wife, Brigitte, has joined his environmental and personal injury law practice. The family enjoys skiing at Mad River Glen, especially son Patrick. We can all be envious of Cheryl Demers Dwinnell, who reports she has ambitious, content teenagers. Her oldest, Bethany, graduated from Endicott College with a degree in early childhood education. Joshua and Rachel are in high school and enjoy snowboarding, skiing, and part-time jobs. Cheryl works part-time at Stephens Memorial Hospital, and in September, she began a master’s program in education. The kids are growing up in Susan Fowler-Finn’s household. One is at Manchester College in Indiana; her second will be a first-year student at Cornell; and the third is a high school freshman. Tennis, running, skiing, and working (in that order) keep Susan busy. Nepal was a recent destination for Elaine Garry, where she met Dexter Sutherland ‘53. The Woodstock Inn in Vermont was the setting for an impromptu reunion of Peter Delorenzo, Ham Gillett, and Ed Tracy. Ham reported that Peter has the most hair; Ham has the grayest hair, while Ed has the least hair. Nothing else of significant importance was discussed, although Ham was stunned to discover that Peter drives an SUV. Judy Chang Gummelt is pursuing training as a Hoffman Institute “teacher.” She facilitates workshops that combine deep emotional clearing with hypnosis, inner child/inner guide work, and psychodrama. Elizabeth “Becky” Johnson Hanna and her husband, David, have 16-year-old twins. David recently started his own law firm, specializing in litigation. The firm employs 14 attorneys. Rebecca Hawkins is finishing up a master’s degree in Oriental medicine in Boulder, Colo. She plans to return to Jackson, Wyo., to practice acupuncture in combination with physical therapy. Marianne Galligan Herlihy is serving on UVM’s Boston Regional Board. For the past 14 years, Betsy Japp has been running a small animal practice and a hobby farm that includes many exotic wild animals. Many of the rescued orphans and animals that arrived with an injury prefer to stay, adding to Betsy’s “ever-growing family of critters.” Betsy Hopf Jondro is divorced, and she and her two children, Foster and Katherine, make their home in Wellesley, Mass. Mad River Glen is still a popular destination for their ski vacations. Betsy works at T.J. Maxx and Marshals in Framingham developing strategic business opportunities. She would love to hear from old friends. Corrine Perry Jurgens commutes weekly via ferry and car (the easy part) to UMass, where she is working on a PhD. Her research focus is congestive heart failure. For the past two years, Corrine has spoken at the National Conference for Nurse Practitioners in Washington, D.C., and she was joined at the podium by Jane Mackenzie Jenkins. Together they presented a case study on Lyme disease and arrhythmias, and they have been invited back for November 2000. Whistler, British Columbia, always a “mecca” for ex-UVM ski aficionados, was the site for a ski reunion of Robert Kornfeld and his wife, Carol, and Laurie Weinberger Anton and her husband, Bruce. Making a difference aptly describes Joan Westcot Lajoie’s new hobby. She is raising a puppy (her second) for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Lake Tahoe was the location for the semi-annual golf reunion of Pete Larkin, Chris Wallace, Gary Gottfried, and Mark Byrne. The plan was to act like undergraduates, which probably means they won’t be returning to Tahoe anytime soon. This is a first for me as class secretary—announcing the birth of a grandchild! Donna Laurin and her husband, Gary Scher, have five children and their first grandchild, who was born in July. They are living in Glover, Vt., and Donna works for the Northeast Kingdom Human Services Department providing social work services on a contractual basis to a pediatrician’s office. Her position is unique in that she provides case management, therapy, and crisis management out of a medical practice. Alan Moloff, a U.S. Army colonel, recently completed an Army War College Fellowship at the Army Environmental Policy Institute. In July, he took command of the Army Aviation Medical Center at Fort Rucker, Ala. Donald Nelinson recently published a major monograph on patient compliance, with the support of Pfizer Corp. After 24 years in the medical field, Lucia Osiecki is changing careers. She recently graduated with honors as a professional chef from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. Although she just started a new midwife practice, Lucia’s goal is to open a bed and breakfast with her partner. She noted that it’s time to get paid for the gourmet meals after all the years of practice on family and friends. The Far East, including Japan, Korea, China, Malaysia, and Singapore, has been home to Patricia Tomlingson Pennell. She recently returned to the States from South Korea, where she taught German and English at both the Army and Navy War Colleges as well as the Korean Naval Academy. Enjoying life is what Catherine White Perrault has been up to. She especially enjoys her new toy, a big yellow kayak. She is single and happy, and she especially relishes sharing her life with her three children, “who are really very interesting people.” Catherine’s favorite people are her parents. In January 1999, Frederick Royce completed a master’s degree in library and information sciences at Simmons College. From March until October, he worked as a collections assistant at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. After 18 years as a vice president of engineering, the entrepreneur bug bit Ray Ruete. So, last January, he started Reucom, his own computer service support and sales company. His wife, Ann, is studying culinary arts at Johnson and Wales College. George Santa Cruz has worked as a U.S. probation and parole officer for the past 16 years, and he remains grateful for the opportunity he has to affect many lives. His wife, Laura, is an ordained Congregational minister, a children’s performer, and a constant source of inspiration. Marion Janousek Sullivan became a mother for the sixth time after giving birth to a daughter, Moriah, on January 26. Her oldest son, Jonathan, is a UVM sophomore studying computer science. “Development planning for a new technical high school in Chittenden County, Vt., has me very excited,” wrote Lynn Vera. Karen Dow Wortman graduated magna cum laude from UMass Amherst in 1988 with a BS in business administration. She is a staff assistant at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Mass. Karen’s husband, Keith ‘77, transitioned to a new career as a software engineer at Compaq Computer in Shrewsbury, Mass., after more than 20 years in manufacturing. Keith plays lead guitar in the rock band M.L. Crisis. With two teenagers and three cats, Karen and Keith’s life is full. Mary Ann Holak is director of volunteer services for Northeast Hospitals. She enjoys her role as a new mother since June 1999, when she adopted Kayla Elizabeth Grace. They were happy to have visits from Joan Carey, Susan Ritter Young, Paula Southard Stevens, Rosemarie Cioffi Stahl, Mary Dewey Underhill, Tim and Betsy Bashaw Mckay, Gail Duclos Lapierre, Kerry Murphy (‘77) Studwell, and John Zajac ‘78. Steven Briggs, his wife, Kristen, and son Harrison moved to San Diego two years ago. They all enjoy the “surf and turf” of Del Mar beach. Steven and Harrison go boogie boarding year round, and Kris keeps her horse near the Del Mar Racetrack. Kris directs research at EPIcyte, a biotech start-up company, and Steven is president of Novartis Agricultural Discovery Institute, where they conduct genomics research on plants. He is also on the faculty at the Scripps Research Institute and the University of California at San Diego. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences this year. Steven enjoys returning to his hometown, Burlington, several times a year to see family.

Class of '77

For the past ten years, Margaret Bingham has worked as an accountant for non-profit agencies. She recently began working in Windsor/ Windham Counties in Vermont. Margaret was just elected regent (president) of the Vermont Catholic Daughters of the Americas. Deborah Lee Gould became director of special education for the Manchester, Vt., school district in 1999. Her son, Christopher, attends Burr and Burton Academy, playing varsity baseball and planning for college. Charles McMaster of Carlisle, Pa., is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Pa. Promoted to colonel last February, he moved into a new position as program manager at Intel Fusion at Fort Beloir, Va. He received his master’s degree in public administration in July 2000.

Class of '78

I am delighted to report that several of our ‘78 classmates have contacted me over the past few months with news of their current whereabouts. I’d really love to hear from more of you. Here’s the latest: Lori Chandler Benson wrote from Holliston, Mass., that she and her husband, The Rev. Timothy Benson, are the proud parents of an eight-year-old son, Jordan. Lori is director of planned giving at Andover Newton Theological School in Newton Centre, Mass. She has recently been in touch with fellow alums Jill Campbell Bicknell, Laura Rittenhouse Burke, Susan Sweeney ‘79, and Terry Brown. She hopes to hear from others. Coincidentally, some of you may recall that Lori and I shared an excellent freshman year as two of five roomies living together in a Living Learning Center suite. I also heard from Mandy Cohen Finn, who wrote from Raleigh, N.C., that she and her husband have two sons, Ben and Sam. The Finn family moved south from Maine, where Mandy had been living for 15 years. She said that her sons especially welcomed a “freak” snowstorm last winter and that they are all enthusiastic hockey fans. Mandy reported that she loves her work as a clinical substance abuse counselor and liaison with the county rehabilitation center. Mandy wrote, “I am grateful for my undergraduate life experience at UVM for making me the woman I am today.” Lori Born wrote from Oregon that she works as a high school nurse, confronting a number of daily challenges that range from teen pregnancy and smoking cessation to suicide prevention. Lori mentioned that she lost contact with her college roommate Jody Plummer, so if you’re reading this, Jody, get back in touch. Dianne Dusha Mosher sent greetings to all and had plenty of news to share. Dianne, you may recall, lived in Millis, Hamilton, and Tupper before marrying Bruce Mosher during our senior year. Dianne and Bruce have three sons. Oldest son Ross, who recently graduated from Hesser College in Manchester, N.H., has been a DJ on CAT Country Radio in Ascutney, Vt., under the name “Rockin’ Ross.” He will relocate to Nashville this fall to continue his studies at Belmont University. Twin sons Ryan and Craig graduated from high school with the class of 2000 and will be heading to Johnson & Wales and Redeemer College this fall, so Dianne and Bruce will be “empty nesters” by the time you read this. Dianne keeps in touch with Dottie Fullem and asked that she hear from the girls from her first year as an RA on Hamilton 4th or her Tupper 3rd friends. Her email address is nymoo@webtv.net. She put out a special call to find Charlie Lutornski and Richie Katz. Helen Toor let us know that after serving as civil chief at the U.S. Attorney’s office in Burlington for nearly ten years, Vermont’s Governor Dean appointed her Superior Court Judge in June 1999. She wrote, “After a full year on the bench, I still love it. The work is fascinating, and there is always a huge amount to learn.” Finally, Gregory Allen of Howell, N.J., wrote that he and Kere Baker “embarrassed youngsters Jeff Small ‘79 and Jefferson Pratt ‘79” last summer when they got together at the Burlington Country Club. Greg, what’s that all about? As for your faithful new class secretary, since writing that I was happily employed in the patent law department of Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals, things have changed a bit. In anticipation of a job transfer that my husband, Mark, was certain would come through this summer, I resigned my position to prepare for the New Jersey bar exam. I was even hired by a top law firm, and we made all the arrangements to relocate, including buying a new house, when, at the last minute, a huge corporate merger and subsequent hiring freeze on all promotions and transfers stalled our plans indefinitely. Oops! It looks like I’ll be pounding the pavement this fall for another job in the Philadelphia-area legal community. In conclusion, I urge all of my classmates with even the slightest desire to share news of your lives, loves, and current locales to email, write, or call me. I’d love to pass the word along.

Class of '79

Holly Hopkins lives in Brodbecks, Pa., with her husband, Steve, and three daughters. She is a labor and delivery nurse at a community hospital. Sally Fri moved to Chapel Hill, N.C., from the Northeast four years ago. She is working towards her master’s degree in organization development. Sally thoroughly enjoys weekend visits to the Outer Banks and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Polly Straub Spengler and her husband have been living in Muncie, Ind., for the past eight years. Polly works with oncology and hospice patients. Since she works part-time, she enjoys having the opportunity to spend more time with her three sons. Elizabeth VanMerkensteijn and her husband, John, are enjoying their second son, Skye, born in March 2000. He joins his big brother, Jan, in the family’s homes in Oyster Bay, Long Island, and New York City. It was wonderful to see lots of ‘79 classmates at our recent reunion in June here in Burlington. Though we missed many of you, it was an enjoyable weekend seeing friends. Please write with any news if you were unable to attend.