Winter_Magazine2015_BOOK

62-63 / 72

60 61
class notes
st. lawrence university magazine | WINTER 2015
1998
Dan Jalbert
88 Everett Street
East Boston, MA 02128
617-230-1930
Next Reunion: 20th, 2018
(cluster with ’97, ’99)
Melissa Wilson MacGregor,
after long and loyal service as class
reporter, has passed the torch to
Dan Jalbert. The University and
the Class of ’98 thank Melissa for
her volunteer service, and wel-
come Dan, who can be reached
with your news and life updates at
the any of the contacts above.
Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC,
of Syracuse, N.Y., has announced
NEWS 12 Long Island. Congrats to
the newlyweds!
Hand surgeon Denise Durant
keeps very busy at work thanks to
table saw accidents and random
falls. When not working, she is
training for a half marathon and
watching her children grow up
way too fast. Denise bumped into
Jennifer Morrison Gervasi at
Echo Lake Aquarium, Burlington
Vt., with her two children in tow.
Todd Parker proposed to
Vanessa Alegria exactly five years
from when they met, in the exact
same restaurant booth where
they had their first date! They will
be married this coming August.
Congrats!
1997
Kerri Williams
400 Fingar Rd.
Hudson, NY 12534
(h) 518-828-0842
(c) 518-567-9940
Next Reunion: 20th, 2018
(cluster with ’98, ’99)
Our Class Delivers!! Justin Bach
is working at Illumina, Inc., an
industry leader in genomics
development in San Diego. Pro-
fessionally, Justin is responsible
for reagent quality control for Illu-
mina's largest product line, FFNs
(fully functional nucleotides).
He also works in flow cell devel-
opment. Illumina recently an-
nounced the approval and release
of their newest next-generation
flow cell, which Justin had a hand
in. Plus, he’s started another
heavy metal band, and was off to
Thailand for a month in December
to study kickboxing.
David Hoffman was recently
promoted to associate professor
with tenure in the department of
anthropology and Middle Eastern
cultures at Mississippi State
University. David continues to do
research in Costa Rica on human
migration to national park edges.
He has been to Costa Rica for
anthropological fieldwork at least
once a year since 2008.
Mo Cassara, a New York-based
on-air college basketball analyst,
married Elise Marie DiStephano
on August 28, 2014. Elise is a
television anchor and reporter for
The St. Lawrence communica-
tions office sent me baby news
from Alison Gately Frost and
her husband, Thomas Frost ’97.
Their son Luke Gately Frost was
born June 7, 2011, so I guess it’s
more toddler news than baby
news, but I’m glad to share even if
it is a bit belated.
Matt Lyndaker and Anne Marie
Reynolds Lyndaker ’94 became
proud parents last summer for
the third time. So I did what any
intrepid class reporter would do:
I stalked Matt on Facebook until
he agreed to send me an update:
“Maeve Elens was born on August
18. Her previously skeptical big
brothers, Collin and Nolan, eventu-
ally realized that her arrival was
not some grand plot to destroy
the rest of their childhoods.
After having added an energetic
chocolate Lab puppy to our family
earlier in the summer, Anne Marie
and I might admit to catching
ourselves wondering, ‘What the
he-- were we thinking...?!’ a couple
of times, as we drop back into
zone coverage. Maeve shares
her birthday with her Aunt Marie
Lyndaker Western M'94.”
I think the last time I saw Matt was
at our fifth reunion. Can you be-
lieve our 20th is right around the
corner? I’m going to try my best to
be there and I hope you will, too.
See you in June, classmates!
1996
Tanya R. Parrott
9712 Handerson Place, #405
Manassas Park, VA 20111
571-292-1072
Next Reunion: 20th, May 28-31,
2015 (cluster with ’94, ’95)
Derek Poirier writes to us from
the beautiful state of Vermont,
"My wife, Jennie, and our three
kids (Baxter, 10; Paige, 8; Emmett,
5) were on vacation in the Adiron-
dacks recently and took a day trip
to Canton. We took a self-guided
tour of the campus and bought
some sweatshirts at the book-
store. The kids especially liked
the library tree-houses and were
amazed that students actually
used them to study! Our oldest
declared that he wanted to come
back for a ‘real’ visit someday
with someone from the University.
I did my best as a tour guide, but
there's been a lot of construction
since I graduated! We capped off
the day with a visit to Josie's and
bumped into my cross coountry
and track coach, Mike Howard ’87,
who was out on a run.”
Derek is the general manager for
his wife's busy OB/GYN medical
practice in South Burlington,
“which allows me to tell people
that I'm sleeping with my boss!”
He occasionally meets up with
other SLU alumni runners at vari-
ous races throughout
New England.
Two years ago I moved to Colora-
do Springs, Col., after eight years
in Jackson Hole, Wyo. I work for
an event management company
that works with corporate clients
at The Broadmoor Hotel. Finding
Colorado Springs just a bit too
hot for my liking, I finally settled
in Breckenridge and became that
person who works from home
some days, goes to Colorado
Springs for three days to three
weeks at a time, and does it
all over again, never really in a
routine. The balance works for me
and I was lucky enough to get to
take my dog to the office every
day, making the life of an event
planner who works all day and
into the night on many occasions
much easier.
II decided that my dog needed to
be much more than just a spoiled
office dog, though, and put him to
work as a therapy dog at a couple
of hospitals in Colorado Springs on
days we are there. We made the
time to volunteer to visit patients,
the cancer center, surgical waiting
areas and staff. It was far out of
my comfort zone and gave me
everything my paying job didn’t.
Even at my busiest times, we put
on the uniforms and go make our
rounds. I may possibly be the only
dog handler at these hospitals
with a day job; in fact, I’m the
youngest volunteer by several de-
cades. To take the time to brighten
someone’s day has become one of
the most rewarding things I have
ever done, though.
Thanks to all who sent in great
updates this time around! Keep
them coming.
programs as well as Environmen-
tal Defense and their legal de-
fense of Canadian green spaces,”
Dan said.
This year, Dan will launch a non-
profit for ocean sustainability
and awareness, the Open Pier
Foundation (openpierfoundation.
org), and he is planning to open a
restaurant in downtown Montreal
focused on the freshest oysters
and seafood )
and a real New England and
maritime menu. And (whew) last,
he has completed a documentary
that they have been shooting for
four years. “Shuckers” (trailer if
you’d like to watch,
com/20074586) is about oyster
competitions and the degenerat-
ing state of oyster habitats.
Dan finished, “It’s always funny
and great to get texts and pic-
tures from SLU friends when
they’re at an oyster bar and want
my opinion on which oysters to
order.”
Every so often I do include an up-
date on myself. It wouldn’t be fair
not to since I will happily accept
all of your updates.
Daniel Notkin wrote, “It’s
been a great long road since St.
Lawrence. I see a lot of the guys
when they hop up to Montreal
or run into them in LA, New York
or Boston.” Dan owns a seafood
import business, the Old Port
Fishing Company, which supplies
some of the top restaurants in
town, bringing in about 460,000
oysters a year as well as other
products. He also does about
600 private events and restaurant
nights per year.
About five years ago, Dan started
competing in shucking competi-
tions, and has gone around the
world to represent Canada in
international competitions. He
also started Montreal Oysterfest
), and
last fall was hoping to welcome
over 3,000 people and more
than 30 restaurants and vendors.
The “fest” included the Oyster
Opening World Cup, “with about
10 European competitors and
three European judges as well as
competitors from the U.S. and
Canada. All profits go to World
Wildlife Fund of Canada and their
ocean and water conservation
Laurentian
Parents!
Do you have a son or daughter who is
looking at colleges?
Plan a visit to St. Lawrence and learn about
Laurentian Legacy Grants: admissions@
stlawu.edu or 1-800-285-1856
1: Ellen Doble ’07 and Larry McIver,
July 5, 2014, Essex, Vt.
2: Amy Laverack ’07 and Todd Nordblom,
June 14, 2014, Squam Lake, N.H.
2
3: Mike O'Connor ’09 and Elise Fitzgerald ’09,
Aug. 9, 2014, Brunswick, Maine
4: Alison LePage '11 and Stephen Miller,
June 29, 2014, Waterville Valley, N.H.
4
1 3