class notes

1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s

In Memoriam | CTW Profiles

1990s

1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999

1994

Victoria (Vicki) Tisch
vickitisch@yahoo.com

In addition to starting her own production company and parallel nonprofit, Celine Cousteau visits universities around the world, speaking about her documentary film expeditions. In the films, shot both above and below water, she “focuses on the human relationship to our natural world, often with an emphasis on health.” Last fall she joined a team of medical volunteers on a trip to the Peruvian Amazon; a video can be seen at celinecousteau.com.

Leslie Glunts Guthrie, husband Bryan, and daughter Sophie welcomed Hannah on September 28. The family has been in North Carolina as Bryan was stationed at Ft. Bragg; he was expecting to deploy in December to Afghanistan for a year. Leslie works part-time as director of program services for a company that provides early intervention services to young children and adults with disabilities.

Kirstin O’Rielly Drabek and husband Darren happily announce the birth of son Teddy on September 1. He joins sisters Elizabeth and Charlotte. Kirstin notes, “We are desperately trying to figure out life as a family of five!”

Chrissy Dempsey married Jay Jisha on March 28 in Temple Terrace, FL. Amy Munichiello was a bridesmaid, and her husband, Tony Reidy, was in attendance. Chrissy reports that Nicole Morrione Graziano was unable to take part because she was home with her newborn son; she “was missed terribly!” Jay is an associate professor of sport management at the University of Tampa; Chrissy is dean of students at Tampa Preparatory School.

Matt Straus and wife Kathleen welcomed daughter Zoey on April 20. The family lives in Port Washington, NY. Matt is an attorney in Manhattan; you can find him on Facebook.

In the San Francisco Bay area Jessica Ivry teaches music at the College of Marin and plays cello in Real Vocal String Quartet and Amy X Neuburg & the Cello ChiXtet—both of which recently released new CDs. Last summer, Jessica toured Poland and Ukraine with the Ark Project, a band that plays klezmer, jazz, and rock. She recalls, “It was a great experience, except for the four-hour holdup when customs guards assumed I’d be selling my cello and doubted it was mine to sell! That and the 16-hour bus ride to the gig!” For more about Jessica’s music, visit rvsq.com and amyxneuburg.com.

Corrie Kennedy DiPompeo shared the sad news that Kristen Palma lost her be­loved husband, Paul Poth, to a rare form of cancer in August. Corrie says, “He fought extremely hard for two years. Paul was a devoted husband to Kristen and father to their son Luca, 3. Paul started a foundation called Targetcancer through Mass General Hospital, to raise awareness and support for rare types of cancers. Paul lived his life to the fullest, and inspired everyone he met. Our prayers are with Kristen and Luca.”

Rebecca Klein and Jason Qua welcomed daughter Hazel in March 2009; she joins Gabe, 2, and Georgia, 4. The family lives in Suffield, CT. In August they spent a weekend with Stephanie Copelin and Michelle Sinclair Colman and Tyler Colman and their families in Rhode Island. Becky can’t believe her sister Jordan Klein ’10 will soon be a fellow alum!

Michelle Colman’s “Urban Babies Wear Black” book series (Tricycle Press) had two additions published last year: Jet Set Babies Wear Wings and Rocker Babies Wear Jeans.

Nicole Brown McDermott and husband Rob welcomed son Matthew on December 20, 2008. He joins brothers Sam, 7, and Luke, 4. The family lives in Glenwood Springs, CO, where Nicole is an anesthesiologist and Rob is an allergist. They met up with Mark Josephson and Wendy Prior Fentress in NYC for a fun weekend this past fall.

Helen Overeynder MacAndrews had a baby girl, Rowan, on July 25. She and husband Dan live in the Burlington, VT, area, where Helen teaches high school alternative education. She took a much-needed hiatus from her job to be home with Rowan and says family dog Lucy “is coping with the adjustment pretty well too.” Helen recently had the opportunity to hang out with Nicole Hapeman, Dana Doggett, David Forziati, Kathy Uribe, and Lisa Bauer Klein ’92, along with their spouses, kids, and dogs.

Kevin Porterfield married Bridget Lang on August 22 at a small winery in Livermore, CA. Ed Galton ’96 and Chris Burrows ’96 were in attendance. Kevin is lead pipeline consultant for Shotgun Software, a small company that provides production tracking and collaboration software for visual effects, 3D animation, and games studios. Kevin and Bridget relocated from Chicago to Berkeley, CA, largely to be closer to West Coast studios, but found they love the area.

Heidi Ritz Cohen has spent nine years in South Orange, NJ, where she lives with husband Rob and children Shayna and Sam. They love Essex County and take advantage of the nearby South Mountain Reservation and Turtle Back Zoo. With both kids in elementary school, Heidi is working as a substitute teacher in two local school districts and hopes to land a full-time position. Facebook has put Heidi in touch with several Skiddies, both new friends and old.

Allison Groom Foster lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with husband David and their sons Reuben, 6, Jude, 3, and Miles, born July 13. Allison is a VP and group account director at Saatchi & Saatchi Healthcare Advertising.

I’ve set up a Google Alert for “Skidmore College,” to stay abreast of breaking news about—and random online mentions of—the school and fellow alums, and I recently came upon an article about fellow Kimball Hall staffer Lincoln Daley ’95. An article from Seacoastonline.com in September notes he is the new town planner for Stratham, NH. Among his charges is the implementation of Stratham’s Gateway Project, to create the look and feel of a traditional New England village in its commercial district. A former utility economist for Massachusetts, he has worked as planning director in North Andover, MA, and New Castle, NY. Lincoln is currently working on a master’s degree in planning and urban development from Tufts University. He and his new bride returned to New Hampshire with the goal of raising a family there. He says, “Stratham is a tight-knit community, and I feel lucky they chose me to be their town planner.”

Also from my Kimball staff days, I enjoy keeping in touch with Vanessa Prizeman Frost ’96 of Mill Valley, CA, Jennifer DeRosa Collins ’95 in Studio City, CA, and David Ghent ’95 in Turnbull, CT; and I look forward to reconnecting with Jasmin Keramaty MacNeill ’96 of Littleton, MA, and Ellie Ulrich Zuehlke ’96 of St. Paul, MN, as Facebook friends.