Amory Houghton III
Ahoughton3@aol.com
It has been an eventful six months. I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to a lot of you in the intervening period. This includes Sandy Stewart, Fritz Newman, Bob Besse, Frank Kenison, Tres Davidson, John Eldridge, HyBlair, Wick Beavers, Doug Bateson, Clem Wood, John Martin, Chris Bartle, Colly Burgwin, Lex Breckinridge, Craig McColl, Steve Crandall, Bill Craumer, Don Lippincott, Peter Culver, John Warner, Alec Haverstick, Miles Herter, Tim Holsapple, Jamie Hogg, George Host, Steve Moorhead, Brock Holmes, Charlie Read, Chip Gowen, Nat Wheelwright, Ande Thomas, Guy Nouri, and several others who preferred to not to be mentioned here. Some of these conversations went on for more than two hours. I’ve also had wonderful electronic exchanges with some folks I haven’t communicated with in a decade or (much) longer, like Fred Steele, John Ledbetter, Bert Honea, Bill Rafferty, Andre Brewster, Pat Currie, Brooke Roberts, Rick Trutanic, Tad Stewart, and both Lees (Stanton and Crawford). Every communication has been a delight. By now, I’ve reached out to all of us (provided I have contact information) and hope to close the loop with those I haven’t connected with by early February. If you didn’t get an email from me, possible it got caught up in your spam folder. Anyone with an email address as ancient as mine assumes that risk. The good news is that every individual I’ve spoken to is well – given the situation – behaving themselves (more or less), and, not surprisingly, continuing to lead exceptionally interesting lives.
By the time you read this, we will have already had initial conversations about May of 2021. As of 12/14/20, there are still lots of uncertainties. I want to reinforce, however, that at some point and in some manner, we will figure out how be together in a way that is respectful, inclusive, and laugh-out-loud fun. Could be physical, could be digital, but will likely be a combination of both. Finally, I wanted to thank you for the kind words many sent me about my dad. While he served on the Board during our time there, the School experienced some painful challenges and went through some remarkable changes. He rode the wave as well as he could and always took particular pride in our form. He knew many well and loved you all (some more than others, Tres Davidson, but you get the point!). In the intervening years, he routinely inquired about you guys, what you were up to, and whether we were in touch. Being connected meant a great deal to him, and he passed that on to me. I’ll try to honor the legacy. Talk soon.
Colly Burgwin shares: “All the family is fine. There was a brief scare recently when we were informed that we all had been at a small outdoor event with someone who later tested positive for COVID-19. We have all been tested, and found to be negative. The County Health Department’s mandated 14-day quarantine sucked. I was at our beach house in Rehoboth on the Delaware shore (soon to be the Summer White House, I pray) in mid-March, when we decided to have everyone at the Foreign Policy Research Institute go home and begin to work remotely. Several days later, Pennsylvania shut down and Delaware shut down. My one week at the shore ended up being nearly three months, as I got back home to Philadelphia’s Main Line in early June. Fortunately (unfortunately for Linda), I had the dog with me, which helped a little, but not as much as usually, because Delaware closed its beaches to all activity, including dog walking, until the end of May. Family and friends coped with virtual happy hours via Zoom and a regular series of online trivia nights. I would occasionally comment to my three kids that I wanted to get back home, to which their response was invariably: ‘Please don’t! You will die! Either from COVID-19 or because we will kill you.’ I am, after all, somewhat more at risk, given my age. Their wry humor is courtesy of their mother’s genes. An “anti-reunion” in Marin County with some Yale classmates scheduled for this fall has been postponed for a year. The annual Yale Alumni Association convocation scheduled for this November in New Haven will now be online (boo/hiss: I love New Haven. I lived there for 10 years. It is where I met Linda). Strange times these are. Stay safe.”
Tiff Wood
tiff.wood@milliman.com
Alden Stevens
ahs472@optonline.net
Sil Read ’73 reunited with Molly Wheelwright ’73 in Maine.
A quick update from Jose Maldonado: “Still living in Brooklyn (30 years now). For the last two years, I’ve been serving in the NYS Attorney General’s Office as the Chief Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice. Story of my professional life: chasing after mobsters, corrupt public officials, major narcotics traffickers, white collar criminals, and police officers who unlawfully cause the death of civilians. The work is demanding and exhausting, but gratifying. While COVID-19 may have slowed the economy, sadly, I can’t say it’s done much to slow the pace of our work in the AG’s office. It’s not all that bad. Our son, Alejandro ’17, is in his junior year at Pomona College, but has decided to come home for his last semester of hybrid learning. We can’t wait to see him.”
Dorien Nunez
omniresearch@aol.com
Thomas Ferraro happily announces that Transgression & Redemption in American Fiction (Oxford University Press) has been announced for release in February 2021. T&R is an eye-opening yet common-sensical accounting of many of the all-time favorites of the American literary canon, at once high-falutin’ and democratically approachable. Tom apologizes for the egregious price and somewhat academic title, which are exigencies of humanities publishing in the ages of Brexit and COVID-19. But he promises that the chapters themselves – treating The Scarlet Letter, The Awakening, and The Great Gatsby – are as playful as they are revelatory.”
Jose Huertas writes: “My daughter gave birth to Luca on December 9. I’m so looking forward to having an on-campus reunion.”
Mimi deGruy shares: “Happy to say my film, Diving Deep: The Life and Times of Mike deGruy, is being released digitally in North America by Gravitas Ventures on January 19. Available on iTunes/AppleTV and Amazon. Hoping Mike’s infectious spirit provides some inspiration during these troubled times.”
A note from Randa Wilkinson: “Hello to the SPS ’75ers! I’m headed out to my new post in Lesotho – with deadlines and packing to complete – but send love and hugs to everyone. Next Zoom call I’ll try to join. May everyone be safe and healthy now and in the New Year.”
Lucie Dean writes: “We are in Europe. We don’t really have any notes since our grandchild was born a year ago, (and that was in the Alumni Horae) we have been just the same except of course for the no traveling, dealing with the pandemic, like everyone else.”
Riccardo Gomes shares this update: “Coming down the homestretch of my latest book collaboration with Brooklyn historian and collector Brian Merlis. Following a series of photographic histories of various Brooklyn neighborhoods, we are hoping to have Portrait of Historic Black Brooklyn out by springtime.”
Thomas Welch writes: “Over the last nine months, my wife and I have spent our time in two places: my family’s N.H. farmhouse and our Cambridge apartment. We have isolated ourselves from family and friends as best we can. It has been especially hard to maintain social distance from our three daughters and my 88-year-old mother. Fortunately, all of us seem to be coping. This time in seclusion has afforded me the opportunity finally to undertake the research for a book project about my late father, whose 80-year life, almost all in the arts, was profoundly shaped by his time as a student at SPS. There remains much more work to do on this book, but it is an inspiring task. As for formmate contact this year, I did have a chance encounter with Owen Andrews while walking through Cambridge in the early spring. In addition, I recently spoke to Jay French, who is flourishing as an attorney in Boston. It is wonderful to reconnect with people like Jay after so many years. Thank you, Dorien Nunez, for taking on this valuable role for our class.”
Alison Zetterquist
zettera.az@gmail.com
A message from Dale Methven: “I hope this finds you well. This week, our photo club held its annual People’s Choice Awards. The eight first-place winners in each competition category were eligible for votes. I had two entries, ‘Rowes Wharf, Boston’ and ‘Bird of a Feather.’ The ‘Bird of a Feather’ image was chosen as the best photo by an intermediate photographer. Head trip!”
Grace Tung writes: “Many thanks to Alison Zetterquist for organizing our form’s first Zoom meeting. Had to leave early, but it was nice to hear what some of our formmates are doing, how they are doing it, and where. Looking forward to the next one. In the meantime, I’ve become a ‘mask lady,’ like a cat lady, but not, but probably equally consumed. Trying to chip away at this ‘Live Free or Die’ state one mask at a time. To date, I’ve made 726 masks and counting. Cheers to all my formmates!”
Mar Bodine shares this news: “I am fortunate that my lifestyle lends itself well to the pandemic! Tucked away in my 50-acre wood, I am glad to be part of Governor Cuomo’s leadership for New York State during these unprecedented times. I have been working from home – the beautiful view from my craft room/office feeds my soul daily! Thanks to Zoom, I have been able to keep in touch with friends and family out of state. The big news is that I plan to retire on January 26, leaving me more time to pursue my interests. Hoping we can convene in Millville for our 45th (!) in May.”
Susie Burchill-Holden shares that she is in touch with Suki Purdy, Lee Walker, Al Besse, and Brooke Williams and would love to reconnect with more Paulies!
Charlie Altekruse checks in from Berkeley, Calif., where he has lived for more than 20 years. Charlie returned to the Bay Area in 1990 after two decades mostly in Europe and New England, completing schooling, rowing internationally, and starting work life. In California, Charlie worked for a decade in Silicon Valley for Apple, Intuit, and Sega before finishing his high-tech foray at Elon Musk’s first startup. Around 2000, Charlie switched to nonprofits, working on community relations for California Native Nations, married Barbara Banks, bought a house, and started a family in Berkeley. The love of his life suddenly passed this May from cancer. Every day, Benjamin (19, freshman at Lehigh), Jeremy (12), and Charlie encounter and celebrate the enormous gifts – love, grace, joy, beauty, curiosity, patience, etc. – they are blessed with because of their time with Barbara. And, of course, we miss her too. Charlie is now working to launch a global effort to bring the ideas and actions embodied in the international Olympic movement to the forefront as tools for fostering more healthy, vibrant, and resilient individuals, communities, and societies.
Award-winning photo “Bird of a Feather” by Dale Methven ’76.
Charlie Altekruse ’76 (r.) with sons Benjamin (l.), Jeremy (middle l.) and his late wife, Barbara Banks, in 2019 in Morocco.
Exhibition poster for Roubaix 2020, featuring two pieces by Xavier de Richemont ’77.
James C-P. Tung
jcptung@gmail.com
An update from artist Xavier de Richemont, who writes: “For the third year, I moved to the City of Roubaix, this year with two pieces: ‘Urba Ixo’ and ‘Leroy Saint Martin.’ Urba Ixo is a saga of the city since the 15th century, following the crazy adventure of textile industry, its apogee, and its fall, with the city re-inventing itself today. Leroy Saint Martin is a short piece, about architecture, silent and contemplative, also performed on the Grand Place. The two pieces were shown between September 10 and October 3 on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.”
Nora Tracy Phillips
noratphil@aol.com
Jon Sweet
Jsweet1000@gmail.com
The Sweet family enjoyed watching son Owen ’21 play SPS fall hockey (first time in School history) as the School did an amazing job of educating students on campus and managing COVID-19 risk.
Paul Eddy writes: “I have just begun my internship for a Master of Arts in clinical mental health counseling at Northern Vermont University. It was challenging finding one that could be done exclusively via telehealth, but I did, finally. Hoping to graduate next fall. Quarantine has been more tolerable living at a ski area in Vermont, which provides tons of mountain biking, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, and backcountry. Miss you all.”
Standish O’Grady shares that, in early December, he and his wife, Anne, moved from San Francisco to Glenbrook, Nev., for “quality-of-life reasons.” Standish goes on to say, “We will always love San Francisco, but this is an upgrade for our coming years.”
Sarah Bankson Newton
sarah.b.newton@gmail.com
Sarah Bankson Newton ’79 with her grandson, Henry Kevin Newton.
On September 26, my daughter, Avery, and her husband, Kevin, welcomed a beautiful baby boy, Henry Kevin Newton (Kevin took Avery’s and our last name). This is easily the best thing that has happened to us during COVID-19. He is the new love of all of our lives, and Nonnie and Jefe are thriving as new grandparents. Avery works for American Student Assistance, Kevin works for Shopify, and they live in Needham, Mass., a mere 29 minutes from our home in Concord. My other daughter, Lindsay, and her boyfriend are fouth-year medical students at Tufts in the Maine Track program, and they are actively interviewing for residency programs virtually. She will pursue pediatric anesthesiology. Son Chase is starting a company with Jeff, and loving life in the Seaport. I remain happily occupied chairing the board of Esperanza Academy, a tuition-free, lottery-based admission middle school for girls in Lawrence, Mass., that was started 15 years ago by two Episcopal Church vestries. It is the hardest, most rewarding, and most important work I have ever done. Jeff is cutting back to 60% of full time on January 1 and will have time to help Chase launch the new business and be the active and devoted grandfather he is.
As most of us turn 60 this year, it provides an excellent opportunity for us to reflect on six decades of life, love, accomplishments, challenges, and opportunities. I wish each and every one of you a very happy birthday. I hope you celebrate the joys we all have while acknowledging our disappointments and honoring the memories of our many classmates who did not live long enough to celebrate 60 with us. I know they remain in our hearts and on our minds.
News from Paula Paquette: “I published my second book of poetry, Poems for This Time. All total, that’s four books completed. All is well in Southwest Florida with Community Homes and Hearts and Four Centers for Wellness. The cooler weather has arrived. I’m getting ready to reopen my little day school, praying for a very short time until we all receive a vaccine.”
Jeanette Richmond shares: “Here in Bethesda, we have recovered from COVID-19 (Aboubacar hospitalized, Anna ’23 lost her sense of smell but otherwise merely annoyed, and me sick, but not hospitalized, all back in May) and are anxiously waiting to be able to be out and about again. Rather tired of social distancing, etc. I had to postpone a trip to Norway with my mother in September (to May, which now looks sketchy) and she is quite peeved and is determined not to reschedule. Anna is handling distance learning well but wants to get back to SPS. Kale ’17 is happy in North Hartland, Vt., finishing up (I hope) at Dartmouth.”
Elisabeth Cassels-Brown writes: “From the kind remarks on Facebook, I think many already know that I completed a diploma in mental skills training in November. It was quite a big push, extremely interesting, and very satisfying to get that done in spite of the various challenges of 2020. I have, however, promised my mother that I will stop now, at least for a while, and use what I already have. Greetings to all from Vienna!”
From Jon Chapman: “The Chapmans are holed up with our younger son and nephew, a ‘climate refugee’ who came to live with us following Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. My wife, Sanya, is teaching high school mathematics (Annapolis HS, an IB and Title One school) from one end of our townhouse, and I’m telecommuting from the dining table at the other end to my work with the Maryland Environmental Trust. My normal duties of visiting farm and forest properties to meet new landowners and verify compliance with conservation easements has been reduced to calling landowners and comparing current and historic hi-res satellite images on the web. (As an aside, I’ve met a half-dozen or so alumni in past visits to conserved horse farms and waterfowl hunting properties). Sanya and I take walks in the nearby county park to keep sane. We look forward to (hope for) life returning to normal next year, so we can travel to Vermont and Puerto Rico and see family and friends again. We’d love to hear from Paulies.”
Bill Martin writes: “My family and I are hunkered down in Stockholm right now (including Lindsay ’22), mindful of all those who have sacrificed and lost so much this year, grateful that there is now an approved COVID-19 vaccine, and looking forward to happier days in 2021. We should be in Sweden until July and then it is back to D.C., where retirement from the State Department beckons after 30 years. Would welcome any and all recommendations for gainful and legal employment for a foreign affairs generalist (and ex-lawyer).”
Andrew Schlosser shares: “My news is that, after parting ways with Zildjian in early January 2020, I have started my own global musical instrument sales and marketing company, To 11 Sales & Marketing (a Spinal Tap reference), working on lining up a few select non-competing brands. And, like many during the pandemic, with my rock band pretty much on hiatus, I have acquired new baking and cooking skills with a focus on health. Blessed to be living in such a nice place (Marshfield, Mass.), with Robbi (Boston), and our two 20-somethings, Evan and Maddy, at home for the moment. Missing Schwabbé.”
Amy Feins writes: “Not sure how many people had heard this, but I am in my second year of seminary at Nashotah House in Wisconsin (yes, the most conservative Episcopal Seminary on the planet). I am currently in a hybrid-distance program, but will be spending my final nine months in Delafield as a residential student starting in July. I plan on being back in sunny Florida after graduation. Trying to learn Greek at our age is not something I would recommend, but you can only run away from God’s call for so long. If anyone in the Chicago area needs some incense swung around, I’m your girl.”