FallMagazine2014_FB96_2

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class notes
st. lawrence university magazine | fall 2014
to-school!! Well, THIS year, it’s
empty nest, wonderful for a few
Laurentians, myself included. Our
youngest, Hannah, has headed
off for freshman year at UVM,
along with Cathy Turck’s step-
son, Cory.
Now that we part of the Cata-
mount family, I’ve noticed a lot
of SLU/UVM overlap. Chuck
Schwer’s son Erich graduated
from there last spring. And at ori-
entation, I learned that the vice
provost providing two humorous
and spot-on seminars on col-
lege transition matters was Ann
Stevens ’84. Must have been that
awesome SLU education that
made her such a great presenter.
Scott Craighead and Lisa
Pridgeon ’83 are also trying
out the empty nest thing. Their
youngest, Lauren, started her
freshman year at NYU in Paris
(I know—everyone say “aww-
www”). Son Matt ’16 is keeping
the family name alive and well
on campus. And Scott ’72 and
Lisa Thorpe Brown’s daughter
Jenny ’14 graduated from “The
Candle in the Wilderness” in May,
thus ending the Thorpe/Brown
Larryland legacy for now.
Not that that will keep any
of them from visiting campus,
thank goodness!
Another new SLU grad, Robert
“Monty” Montgomery ’14, son
of Bob Montgomery, was
awarded the prestigious Doug
Brown Award, given annually to
a senior woman and man who
a “great” memento. Does anyone
want to wager that our class has
sent more Chips to St. Lawrence
than the classes that preceded or
succeeded us? Yes, I am stirring
the pot!
1981
Steve Lubrano
30 Goodfellow Road
Hanover, NH 03755
603-275-5736
mouth.edu
Next Reunion: 35th, 2016
(Cluster with '80, '82)
Correcting an error in our spring
edition, Pam Starke-Reed pro-
vides this update on her children:
Sascha acquired her master’s
in special education and began
teaching special education and
coaching in Fairfax County, Va.;
Edward is in New York City, work-
ing for Sport195, a web-based
platform for international sports
coverage; and Abby is a junior at
Wesleyan University.
1982
Karen Helle Nemiah
58 Oldfield Road
Fairfield, CT 06824
203-256-1171
Next Reunion: 35th, 2016
(Cluster with '80, '81)
“It’s the most wonderful time of
the year.....” You know: back-
III national championship game.
Bill said it best: “Wow – what a
weekend for SLU lacrosse!!”
I conclude with a feel-good story
from Bill. He and Bill and Peggy
Maass Jansen celebrated at the
finish of the 15.6-mile “Heavy Half”
Leadville Marathon in Colorado on
June 15. Team Jansen, including
daughter Elizabeth, hiked the
half-marathon, peaking at 13,100
feet, in honor of their son and
brother Robert, who used to run
the full marathon before being
lost in a mountaineering accident
outside Aspen in the summer of
2012. It was so uplifting to see
them both smiling again after
walking in his honor.
Thanks, everyone! Remember the
challenge for the next edition:
drop me a line about your life
and include your guesstimate on
how many Chips our class has
sent to St. Lawrence. I hope many
accept this challenge and vie for
Nancy Pollock Gallagher has
lived in Chicago for 20 years with
her husband and two sons, 11th
and 8th grades. She travelled to
St. Lawrence with her oldest a
year ago; the trip was particularly
special because her niece, Kim
Pollock ’15, is a member of KDS,
Nancy’s old stomping ground.
Nancy sees Kathy Ellis Nerger
about twice a year when Kathy
travels to Chicago to visit her in-
laws. Kathy’s sons are grown, so
she is enjoying travelling with her
husband. Although they haven’t
seen each other much, she also
keeps in touch with Robin
Maddox and Cheryl Lake.
John Fowler wrote of his pride
in son Pierson ’14, who graduated
last spring with a double major
in economics and performance
and communication arts. Pierson,
captain of the men’s lacrosse
team, was named an Academic
All-American and with Sam
Marvin ’14 was selected to play
in the North-South Senior Game
over Memorial Day Weekend
in Baltimore, Md. (for a picture,
see the Class of 2014 space). He
took a job with Fenway Sports
Management, thanks to the won-
derful support he received from
professors, mentors and the St.
Lawrence athletics department.
John was moved by President
Fox’s meaningful address to
parents of the Class of 2014 at
the graduation ceremony. He also
spoke highly of the Commence-
ment address given by J. Robert
“Monty” Montgomery ’14, son of
Dr. Robert “Bob” Montgomery
’82 and Meg Friske ’79. See www.
stlawu.edu/commencement/
robert-montgomery-14-remarks-
graduates for the full text of
Monty’s speech.
Bill Spragins also attended the
NCAA Lacrosse Championships in
Baltimore, and reported that the
weekend had a decidedly St. Law-
rence flavor to it. Along with Pier-
son Fowler ’14, John Near’s son,
Jack, ran first midfield for Notre
Dame en route to the national
championship game, while Peter
’79 and Anne MacKenzie’s son,
Teddy, started for Denver, which
fell to Duke in the semis. And
Salisbury coach Jim Berkman ’82
had his team back in the Division
Facebook reconnected me
recently with Andy Kohn ’79.
Andy gave me rides home early
in my St. Lawrence career, and
we became good friends. Time,
distance and life got in the way of
keeping in touch, so it was nice to
find each other after far too many
years. Our conversation picked
up just about where it left off; it
seems we haven’t changed much
either!
Shari Supernault Worthing-
ton wrote that “after years
of avoiding classrooms” she
“relented and jumped back in” as
an adjunct professor at Worces-
ter Polytechnic Institute and as
Entrepreneur–in–Residence (also
a teaching position) at Clark
University in Worcester, Mass. She
teaches marketing and entrepre-
neurship courses at the graduate
and undergraduate levels, while
also running her tech marketing
agency, Telesian Technology. She
loves teaching, and says, “The
students are smart and motivated
and full of new ideas for products
and companies, making the job
a whole lot of fun.” She gave a
TEDx talk in April: “Psychology,
Neuroscience, and Behavioral
Economics: Why Most People
Don’t Get Marketing.” By this writ-
ing Shari and her neighbor Emily
Phalen Lynch have probably
taken their intended cruise to
Alaska and train ride to Fairbanks.
Christine Bastedo Brunner fol-
lows panda births in captivity, and
was lucky to spend time at the
San Diego Zoo in February, visiting
Xiao Liwu, a panda born on Chris’s
birthday in 2012. While there, she
and husband Rich visited the
USS Midway Museum, where a
helicopter from the USS Enterprise
(her brother served on that aircraft
carrier) resides, and were pleased
that the company that her Dad
had helped to found, Gyrodyne,
was mentioned. Chris keeps in
touch with Janet Jasinski
Swinnich, Rebecca
Shelmidine Buckingham,
Carolyn Cushman Noble ’79,
Debbie Wright Taube ’81 and
Jane Ingle ’81.
years since graduation. Roger and
Mary Jo’s daughters Kylie and
Allison are both recently married,
while youngest daughter Linnea
is enjoying her junior year at The
College of the Holy Cross.
Lynne Van Zandt wrote that
she has been fortunate to be back
at St. Lawrence a lot recently,
to see daughter Maggie ’15. See
what I mean about the Chips,
folks? Lynne commented on how
much Maggie loves St. Lawrence
and how uncanny it was to have
her spend a semester in London,
as Lynne had. She reports that
the campus looks beautiful and
that Maggie is in the new resi-
dence hall (see page 28) this fall.
Lynne was happy to see Garry ’79
and Betsy Craig Weischedel
over Family Weekend 2013, so
that accounts for yet another
“Chip.” Are you all counting?
Diana Prescott Zais wrote
how thrilled she was that her god-
daughter Anne Buck ’18 is meet-
ing fun people while getting a
“great education” at St. Lawrence.
I was thrilled to hear from Joan
Beckerer-Jones, another Carn-
egie Hall first-floor resident our
freshman year. When she wrote,
Joan had just returned to Hamp-
stead, N.H., for the summer, where
she and Mike ’78 have lived since
1988, with the exception of three
years spent in The Netherlands,
1994-97. She was returning from
wintering in Miami, where Mike
has enjoyed a “post-retirement
gig” with Royal Caribbean for the
last five years. This has enabled
them to enjoy some fun and
interesting cruises. Last August,
they took their family to Alaska,
and last March, they went to the
Galapagos on a Celebrity Expedi-
tion. On a Caribbean cruise in
December of 2010, they ran into
Mike Reisman and his family.
Joan’s three offspring are “em-
ployed and off the payroll, mostly!”
Joan is kept busy with three
grandchildren and “occasion-
ally building a stone wall!” She
has been in regular contact with
Nancy Davis, who attended St.
Lawrence through sophomore
year before transferring to Cornell.
Canaan, Conn. Although they lost
98% of everything they owned,
no one was hurt and out of the
ashes a happy change in location
and lifestyle has evolved: They
have purchased a condominium in
downtown Stamford, Conn.
Brian Desrosier travelled to
Canton for the alumni soccer
game the last weekend in April,
with Mike Reisman. At the
annual awards banquet, Mike
presented the Robert Van
Etten Ultimate Teammate Award
to Austin Roney ’15 for the second
consecutive year. Coach Bob
Durocher was roasted with the
Timex Award “for the coach who
“takes a licking but keeps on tick-
ing.” Neither Brian nor Mike were
“impact players” in the alumni
game but they “looked fabulous
in the team picture.” They did win
the first annual foosball tourna-
ment, “no legs required,” despite
the fact that they were a shell of
their former selves in this venue
as well. Apparently the competi-
tion was weak, although intimida-
tion was employed!
Brian hears periodically from
Chris “Gibo” Gilbert , who
reports that life is good on the
West Coast.
It was so nice to hear from
Tom Williams, who is the
proud grandfather of three. Tom
contends that “young people do
invigorate you in middle age…until
you become exhausted!” Tom has
lived with his family in Bingham-
ton, N.Y., for 30+ years, working
for BAE SYSTEMS (formerly GE,
then Lockheed Martin). They have
survived the economic downturn
and a flood that destroyed the
previous plant. He and his chil-
dren enjoy St. Lawrence hockey
games at Cornell, where they are
dumped on by the home fans.
Roger Brandt wrote that
Laurie Boardman Curley, Ed
Brandt ’82, Dan Boardman ’86
and Doug Boardman ’98 are all
doing well. His son Ryan Brandt
’09 had just visited campus for
his 5th reunion; I think Roger may
have been a little stunned that
even his son is racking up the
NYC for the summer? I imagine
most of us would now vote for
the beach!
Donna Dittman Hale, who
resides in Williamsburg, Va., wrote
that she runs Common Purpose
Solutions, a consulting business
serving nonprofits and healthcare.
She is working with an HRSA-
funded tele-health project and a
free clinic in southeastern Virginia.
If that were not enough, she is
also a trainer and team leader for
a citizen emergency response
team. Donna is “always looking
for Saints in the area or those
who are passing through.”
Loring Kinder Strudwick lives
with husband John and children
Jane, Andrew and Ian in Lake
Forest, Ill. She is the dean of
admissions and a math teacher
at Lake Forest Academy, where
her husband is headmaster. She
remains in contact with Martha
Reichert McGinn in St. Albans,
Vt., easier now since Loring’s
daughter Jane is at UVM. She
sees Nancy Petrick Novit,
who also lives in Lake Forest.
She made a trip to St. Lawrence
last year with her youngest son,
Ian, and was impressed with the
athletics facilities, particularly the
squash center!
Donald P. Thompson, DVM,
wrote that following graduation
he attended veterinary school at
Cornell, graduating in 1984. For
nearly 30 years, Don practiced
both large and small animal
medicine and surgery in northern
Vermont, with a view of the
slopes at Stowe as the backdrop.
He sold that practice in 2013 and
purchased a similar practice in
Pagosa Springs, Col. He practices
“integrative medicine, utilizing
acupuncture and Chinese herbal
medicine extensively as comple-
mentary modalities.” He has lec-
tured twice in China on traditional
Chinese medicine topics, and
has taught veterinarians in North
America who are just starting
their careers in these pursuits.
Sue Eliot Stoller wrote that her
and Dave Stoller’s daughter
Katie ’06, who lives in Rochester,
N.Y., would be making them grand-
parents in October. Sadly, she
also reported that they had a fire
in their home of 23 years in New
Caldwell ’82 Named to Prestigious International Board
Robert Caldwell ’82 has been named to the Council for Advancement and
Support of Education (CASE) international board of trustees, making him the only second-
ary school advancement professional on this governing body. Pictured with his family on
Nantucket Island, Caldwell is director of advancement and external relations at the Holder-
ness School, Plymouth, N.H. He represents CASE’s District 1 on the international board, and
also serves on the district’s board of trustees. District I encompasses New England and the
Canadian maritime provinces.
Prior to taking on his current role at Holderness, Caldwell served Hebron Academy in Maine
as the assistant head for advancement and external relations. From 1999 to 2002 he was executive director of the Dart-
mouth College Fund. He developed his early fundraising career at both of his alma maters, serving St. Lawrence as assistant
director of annual giving in 1989 and his high school, St. Andrew’s College in Aurora, Ontario, where he was an assistant to
the executive director of the St. Andrew’s College Foundation and also served on the teaching and coaching staff.
Caldwell also served the Canadian Department of National Defence as a pipes and drums instructor. He was a search and
rescue officer in the Canadian Coast Guard between 1984 and 1988.