CLASS NOTES
CLASS NOTES
winter 2014 | St. Lawrence University Magazine 61
60 winter 2014 | St. Lawrence University Magazine
2006
AdamCasler ’06
Hennepin Road Apts.
515 Loudon Road
Albany, NY 12211
518-782-6582
Next Reunion: 10
th
, 2016
Hello, Class of 2006! By the time this arrives in
your mailboxes, we’ll be in the middle of winter,
but today is a beautiful fall day that reminds me
of fall on campus. I hope that everyone enjoyed
the fall and the holiday season with family and
friends. Now, on to the updates!
Karoline Chrzanowski-Sears
and her hus-
band, Ben ’07, have moved from Bennington,
Vt., to Schenectady, N.Y., where Karoline recently
started a new job as the associate director of stu-
dent activities at Union College. She is respon-
sible for new student orientation, oversight of
clubs and organizations, and campus program-
ming. Karoline says, “It’s like going home to St.
Lawrence, although my SLU gear isn’t really ap-
preciated in the office!” Ben is employed by the
New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation, working with the Department of
Water, conducting data analysis and reporting
for state and federal agencies and social media
efforts for the department. Karoline and Ben will
soon be celebrating their five-year anniversary of
being married in Gunnison Chapel.
I always enjoy sending out requests for class
news, because it is a sure-fire way to reconnect
with
Kaia Klockeman Ellis
. Kaia completed her
master’s degree in accounting and financial man-
agement and graduated last June. Kaia’s daugh-
ter, Teagan, celebrated her first birthday in Octo-
ber, and Kaia is hoping to bring her to our 10th
reunion, which is rapidly approaching!
Trish Smrecak
, in a celebration of completing
her comprehensive exams, will be taking the
spring 2014 semester off to hike the Appala-
chian Trail, from Georgia to Maine. Trish invites
any Laurentians living near there to let her know
and to meet up!
Emily Broeman Farnum
sent in a quick update
to announce the birth of a daughter to her and
husbandWhip Farnum ’04. Their little Laurentian,
Hayden Addison Farnum, was born on July 25,
2013. Congratulations, Emily andWhip!
Emily Crispino
sent a picture from her wed-
ding to Morgan Muren, held October 27, 2012,
at Mountain Top Inn and Resort in Chittenden,
Vt. The wedding included Nate Torres ’11, Jenn
Collins ’11, Dave Burnham ’08, Christina Livings-
ton ’10, Whit Haynes ’10, Laura Murphy M'11 and
Vanessa Harvey ’07.
2007
Megan Bernier ’07
3 Mildon Road
Canton, NY 13617
404-617-7851 (cell)
Next Reunion: 10
th
, 2017
Last August, I found myself standing outside Lee
Hall in almost the same spot I stood that same day
10 years ago. Some things have changed: That
long line we all stood in to get into Eben Holden
so we could check in is no more (students began
checking in at their respective residence halls in
2004) and the weather was a little cooler than I
recall (though still mostly sunny).
But a lot more things haven’t. There’s still Ma-
triculation, that quick goodbye with your parents
afterward that somehow lasts an eternity, getting
to know your FYP, and the Quad Experience. What
never changes is what’s in the air on campus that
day. No matter where I went, the enthusiasm,
with a side of anxiety, was palpable. I remember
being eager to run into Lee North, unpack, get
settled and meet people, but also wondering if I’d
made the right choice and if I’d fit in. It took less
than a day to realize I had. Orientation Week is a
blur because they kept us so busy (first-years are
even busier now!), but the element of excitement
I experienced that first day at St. Lawrence never
wore off. Not after that first week, first month or
first year.
I think in a lot of ways when we meet up with
our classmates and other Laurentians whomwe
haven’t seen in a long time it all comes rushing
back. But I’ll admit, being able to relive that day
while meeting some members of the Class of
2017 was the perfect way to commemorate an
anniversary that celebrates finding a home at
St. Lawrence.
Okay, enough sentimental reminiscing... let’s get
to some news from our classmates!
I received a nice note from
Vanessa Harvey
,
who has been a lot of places and done a lot of
things since graduating. “I have lived in San Fran-
cisco, London, Minneapolis, and now Wellington,
New Zealand,” she says. She coached rowing in
San Francisco and attended art school in Lon-
don while continuing to row. “I competed in the
Women's Henley and rowed on Dorney Lake (the
Olympic course),” Vanessa explains. “I moved to
Minneapolis to attend an MFAC program at Ham-
line University. Last July I earned my master’s in
creative writing for children and young adults and
I am now coaching crew for Wellington College.
Life has been good and full.”
Paula Bogart Hylton
moved to Charlotte, N.C.,
to teach history and AP psychology at a private
school. She completed her master’s degree in
history from the University of North Carolina at
Charlotte in August. She also tied the knot:“Bran-
don and I were married September 30, 2012, at a
small historic church in the Queen City. Travis ’06
and
Kaitlin Guendelsberger Gingras
were part
of the wedding party.” At the time this was writ-
ten, Paula and her husband, who works in NAS-
CAR and travels around the country, were look-
ing forward to her life post-graduate school and
planned to honeymoon in London in November.
It was great to hear frommy Tri-Delta sister
Carly
Draper
! She married Brian Barbato M’08 on June
29, 2013, in Ottawa. Jeff Byrne ’74, Zoe Bludevich
’09 and Julie Giller ’08 were there for the event.
She also let me know about another interest-
ing way St. Lawrence became part of the festivi-
ties: “Our invitation specialist was Laura Franklin
Lubanski ’04, of Gus & Ruby Letterpress in Ports-
mouth, N.H. It was such a fun and surprising con-
nection to make during wedding planning, and
she told me that I HAD to submit our wedding
update for the Class Notes!”
Kate Cobbs
got engaged July 3 to Jason Hall. He
proposed while they were on a cruise in Greece
(ladies - we can wish; gentlemen - take note). The
couple was introduced nearly two years ago by
Andrew
and
Brigette Smith Feathers
(who nat-
urally are a groomsman and the maid of honor,
respectively).
“Jason went to Washington University of St.
Louis and graduated in 2006,” she writes. “We
are living in Sterling, Va., and I’m a 6th grade U.S.
history teacher for Fairfax County Public Schools,
while my fiancé works for the U.S. government.”
A wedding date of November 8, 2014, has been
set in Kate’s home state of Pennsylvania.
I got word that
Joshua Haugh
got married on
August 11, 2013, to Stacey Gable at Kloc’s Grove
in West Seneca, N.Y. Several alumni were in at-
tendance:
Conor Welch
,
Albert Barbieri
, Seth
Davis '06, Justin Brodowski '06, Francis Faillace '06,
Michael Petrik
, Travis Smith '06 and
Ian Shea
.
I see
Steve Millington
milling around campus
a bit (okay, bad joke) and he let me know about a
wedding he went to that was filled with Lauren-
tians!
Margot Smithson
married Larry Tucker in
Kingsland Bay State Park, Vt., September 2, 2013.
In addition to Steve,
Dennis Morreale, Rosie
Shugrue, Colby Walker, Hollynn Francis,
James Garaufis, Justin Sullivan, Nick John-
son, Lauren O’Connell
and
Zack duPont
all
made it there for the special day (among others
from various classes).
Speaking of Zack, his band The DuPont Brothers
performed at Grace Potter and the Nocturnals’
Grand Point North event in September. Word
around campus (since a number of our students
headed to Burlington for the festival) is they did
a spectacular job.
As always, I love hearing from you! Please contin-
ue to keep me in the loop (or start if you haven’t
already!) when it comes to your latest news and
happenings.
2008
Justin Lynch ’08
217Woodlawn Terrace
Syracuse, NY 13203
585-506-5592
Next Reunion: 5
th
, 2014 (cluster with ’09, ’10)
I received word from
Jessica Klauzenberg
, who
has been in Japan for three years. As you may
recall, Jessica was a varsity soccer player during
her first year, but after a shoulder injury, decided
to concentrate her focus on academics and co-
curricular activities like Laurentian Singers and
Kappa Delta Sigma. After spending a semester in
France, she developed a love for travel and upon
graduation completed her master's in TESOL.
Klauzenberg journeyed to Japan in 2010 and
began teaching at a university. Last April, she
resigned from her teaching post to pursue a ca-
reer in professional soccer by moving to Nagano.
She writes, “We hope to move to the top league
(where the National team players play), after this
season. I am the first American in the league and
the first and only foreigner on my team. I am the
starting goalkeeper. After my time at SLU, I did not
think I would play competitive soccer again-- here
I am, eight years later, starting keeper in a foreign
country in my third language.” Jessica mentioned
that she would like to keep in touch with class-
mates, and offers her support if anyone has ques-
tions about teaching or living overseas, especially
in Japan.
Back stateside, I had the opportunity to catch up
with the dynamic duo from New Jersey,
Stephen
and
Geoff Walano
. The twins traveled to Syra-
cuse, N.Y., to spend time with friends and enjoy
fried edibles at the Great NewYork State Fair—did
someone say doughnut burger?
Later that evening, at Coleman’s Authentic Irish
Pub, we ran into
Jamie Aiken
and reminisced
about our time swimming at St. Lawrence with
Russ Hendrick ’09 and Christopher Judge ’09.
Jay Jacobs
also spent some time with class-
mates at the Great New York State Fair. Jacobs
writes, “Dr.
Rob Kopp, Harley Hudson, Scott
Smith
and I enjoyed some beverages in Hamil-
ton, N.Y., where I live with
Bryanne Bowman
(we
are both senior assistant deans of admission at
Colgate University and are enjoying every second
of it). The four of us then went to the Great New
York State Fair, where we enjoyed some fair food,
farm animals and an outdoor concert (O.A.R.). We
then went back to Hamilton for a day of golf. As
always, it was great to be with people from SLU,
best friends, and classmates!”
Charles Hollinger
recently opened a one-man
showof his paintings at the Bank of Martha’sVine-
yard in Chilmark, Mass. “Chas” exhibited 10 paint-
ings with a sky theme based on his long nights
and early mornings fishing off Martha’s Vineyard.
His brother, Philip Hollinger’05, was at the
opening reception.
Finally, Class Notes would not be complete if
I didn’t include wedding announcements:
Jon
Sauer
was married to Marcie Baeza in August at
a winery in the Catskills. Fellow ATOs
Tyler An-
drascik, Jon MacMillan, Will Mackenzie
and
Connor McGrath ’07 were on hand to celebrate.
In addition,
Melina Van Hook
and
Andy Alva-
rez
tied the knot in September. I’m awaiting their
report to share in our next edition.
Christy Tobia
married Alex Curran ’10 on October 20, 2012, in
Grande Prairie, Alberta, but, she says,“had our big
reception in Canton on July 20, 2013!”
2009
Cassie Coughlin ’09
4 Prince St. Apt 5
Boston MA 02113
802-779-3623
Next Reunion: 5
th
, 2014 (cluster with ’08, ’10)
It is hard to believe, but our five-year reunion
is fast approaching! Our reunion will be May 29-
June 1, clustered with ’08 and ’10.You can register
at alumni.stlawu.edu/reunion as well as receive
more information about the weekend and the
schedule of events. I hope to see many of you in
Canton for what is sure to be a great weekend!
Matt Young
has graduated from Antioch
University New England with an M.S. degree in
environmental studies and is concentrating in
"Advocacy for Social Justice & Sustainability."
He is the full-time communications manager at
Stonewall Farm in Keene, N.H. He attended the
wedding of
Kate Farrington
and
Mihnea Tu-
doreanu
, who met in their first year at SLU and
were married in Springfield, Vt., last June. Other
Laurentians there included
Stefka Antonova
,
Nigel Fellman Greene
,
Michael Crankshaw
Bierce
and Elizabeth Reed ’10. Kate recently
graduated from Columbia University School
of Social Work, with a master’s degree in social
work. Congratulations, Kate!
Brendan Mitchell
recently graduated from
South Dakota State University with a Ph.D., in
chemistry and is engaged to longtime girlfriend
Laci Lee. They will be in married in Canton this
year. The couple resides in Chicago.
Cameron Bruns
recently started a new job in
Boston as a sustainable products buyer for an e-
commerce startup launching in January, called
ClimateStore.com.
I saw my former roommate
Sarah Callaway
over the summer. She is living in Norwich, Vt.,
and working for Grassroots Soccer. She has been
fundraising and managing the teams for various
marathons throughout the country. She ran the
NewYork City Marathon last fall.
Amanda Chase ’12
and eight of her Laurentian friends,
Peter Child ’12, Ben Moran ’11, Betsy
Lucas ’12, Kirsten Newton ’12, Mark Armstrong ’12, Pete Carpenter ’12, Rooney Castle ’09
and
Bobby Torney ’11
, volunteered last August at the Pan-Mass Challenge, a three-day fundraiser
for cancer research and treatment through an annual bike-a-thon that crosses the Common-
wealth of Massachusetts on multiple 200-mile routes. Three of them rode, and Amanda Chase and
Pete Child are pictured crossing the finish line at Provincetown.
Five alumni and two students ran the half marathon in Fairfield, Conn., last June. From left to right
are
Pete Carpenter '12, Emily Bond '11, Genie Bliss '11, Charlotte Reilly '16, Mackie Reilly '11,
Kirsten Newton '12
and
SamMarvin '14
. Charlie, Pete and Kirsten's dog, ran as well.
