1989

89 'Tis the season of the "leafpeepers," an unofficial bit of taxonomy used to denote the busloads of camera-toting, wide-spying, chlorophobic, autumn enthusiasts ready to shoot anything that doesn't move. No matter what the season, I catch the fleeting glimpses into lives through cards and conversations. The grapevine knows no season.

On the subject of vines, marriage seems to be proliferating faster than kudzu. JeanneLucich dropped a load of nuptial news on me which may require her to stretch her privileges as a Doctor of Pharmacy candidate in order to calm my nerves. Jen Beck accepted John Giacobetti's proposal in a small restaurant where the patrons sang "Goin' to the Chapel" as the waiter served up a dozen roses and an engagement ring. Bob Noone presented Gwen Pearson '87 with a rose encircled by a ring for Christmas. (And I thought a toiletries bag was a nifty gift.)

Breaking the language barrier, MicheleDogin insisted that fiance (and Dartmouth professor) Jorge Hernandez Martin propose to her in Spanish. Michele plans to spend a second year teaching at the Putney School in Vermont before their wedding.

The North Country, with more Dartmouth "I-do's" per square foot than anywhere in the world, turned Dave Frey into the Vox Clamantis In Amore. Loving on the edge, he proposed to Beth Wood while on Holt's Ledge, toasting her with a sparkling glass of Clearly Canadian. They also joined the celebration as Deanna Emberley and ChrisBailey tied their knot in the lush hills of Vermont in the company of maid-of-honor Jeanne Lucich, Jody Warden, John Sveen,Derek Walton, Karin Wilinski, Chris Drew,Tom Longstreth, Tom Carey, and the affianced Ted Henderson and Bonnie An. De and Chris had written their own, deeply moving ceremony, after which they paddled off in a wedding canoe, trailing only bubbles, not aluminum cans. The couple resides in D.C., with De teaching elementary science in Bethesda.

Something borrowed, something green, something... baby? Sam Weiss and his wife Lisa Schwartz '87 welcomed their first child, daughter Talia, in June.

I repeat: faster than kudzu, the vine which can grow an estimated six feet per day. BryanCooper had a singularly grand idea when he retreated to a bucolic island in Canada for a vacation free from communication with the outside world. Back in the outside world, he's still employed by a consulting firm in Cleveland. On the more gregarious side, SteveBlank veritably cruise-directs the Alumni "Hub" in Boston, organizing trips to ballgames and classical concerts while working for GE in aerospace engineering. Perhaps he can combine the two for a fascinating Alumni College venture into the stratosphere.

It would be a shorter trip to visit BrooksEntwhistle in Phnom Penh. After a great year with Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong, Brooks has put B-school on hold and instead has taken a one-year position as an electoral supervisor with the U.N. in Cambodia. He writes, "If the Khmer Rouge cooperates, the elections will take place next May. If any 'B9s find themselves wandering through Indochina, they have a free place, however modest, to crash."

I may take Brooks up on it; I'll have to see what happens in our elections in November. Hey classmates: Please exercise your right to vote!

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