1985

I'm very pleased to say that I now have too many things to communicate. Thanks to all who have written! If you don't see your news this month, don't worry ... I will get it in over the next few months.

Before I get into the slew of weddings and engagements, let's start with some general class news. Our two head agents, LauraHicks and Julie Mazman, led our class in a tremendous fund-raising effort in 1988. Our class raised $23,044 with 57 percent participation, up from $19,254 and 49 percent participation in 1987. This earned our class the Charles F. Moore Award for best donor improvement. Additionally, we placed third in the Green Derby competition, had 180 new gifts, and had four gifts of over $250. Thanks to Laura, Julie, and to all who participated!

I got a nice letter from Thom Peters about a month ago, and it's mostly his news that's filling this column. Married during the fall of 1985 to Kristin Shute, the newlyweds cooled their heels for three years at the crossroads of America: central New Jersey, where the New Jersey Turnpike, the Garden State Parkway, Route 1, Interstates 287, 280, and 78 all intersect. Both of them were teaching at the Wardlaw-Hartridge School. Now, Kristin has begun what she's known she wanted to do ever since high school ... she's at the Physical Therapy School at Duke. While Kristin is at school, Thom is spending his time writing letters to desperate people like me and waiting for the offers from huge multinational corporations for a history major with three years teaching experience.

Gretchen Townsend has finished her master's program at Winterthur in Delaware. She did her thesis on the history of the office chair. Yes, the office chair. She got so excited about it, she went out and bought a broken 130-year-old office chair. She spent the summer in New York working at Fraunces Tavern, the 5 Olde Nugget of its day, in New York. (George Washington is reported to have said one of his many farewells there!) Fraunces Tavern is now a museum, where Gretchen is on a short term assignment putting together an exhibit. Then she's off to Yale to begin a doctoral program in American Studies.

Speaking of doctoral programs . . .JohnBoiney and Linda Giglio are happily hitched and have joined the ranks of homeowners in Durham, N.C. John is in the doctoral program in political science at Duke and Lindy is at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke working on her doctorate.

Thom and Kristin have already had visitors in Durham. Hal Espy, Thorn's former roommate and tennis loser extraordinaire, blew through on his way to an "'85 Aires reunion chez Bill Worden in Mattapoisett. "Espy-face" is doing well, living in "Madison, Ala., working with Intergraph. Hal was married last summer to a girl who beats him at golf every time.

Another Aire at the reunion was AdamSessel, who's moved up at the Raleigh News and Observer and is now writing feature articles, including one about the Durham Bulls' groupies.

Other news: Matt Dickerson married Deborah Margaret Forrest (U. Mass '85) whom he met at Cornell grad school. GregSomerville, Suzy Thurnau Somerville,Keith Goggin, and Kara Rillings were present at the ceremony. Nancy Vogel is in central Africa with the Episcopal Diocese there. Anne Eisenger and her husband, Tom Broadhead '84, moved to Newport News, Va., so Tom can attend law school at William and Mary. Sandy Kerr is betrothed to a tall, dark, and handsome Italian she met in Morgan Stanley's training program. Sandy is currently in Milan living with her parents-in-law-to-be studying Italian, brushing up on her Chinese, and buying, furnishing, and decorating their postnuptial headquarters. Jennifer Rossuck is now Jen Rossuck Tadlock, having met the man of her dreams in Seattle, Wash.

One more wonderful engagement storv: Bill "Lance Romance" Miller finally asked his longtime girlfriend, Dana Kelfer, to be his lawful wedded wife. He showed up at her aerobics class in a tuxedo, carrying a dozen roses, champagne, and a ring!

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