1981

Our cat Koshka rules our lives. A calico, she talks constantly and has shredded my record—-yes, record!- collection, thinking it's a fine way to sharpen her claws. Now, I know what you parents are saying. (Ken and Cathy Whitaker are saying it times five: their newest addition, Mary Yantis Whitaker, was born on November 30). Want your life ruled, they're saying. Wait until you have children. A cat ain't nothing like those Screamin' Meemies. Please note, folks: it took my wife and me ten years to get married. It's going to take us just as long even to think about children, let alone have them. A cat, therefore, is a perfectly logical step in that direction. Next year we'll get a dachshund.

Speaking of Cats, as in theatrical fare, MarkLotito, whose name has appeared in this column more times in the last few months than ever previously, says that all is well on West 110th Street. Mark's busy in N.Y.C. working on the stage, in film, and in television. In fact, he was most recently in Johnny Pye andthe Foolkiller, which was Off Broadway at Lamb's Little Theater, and in the film "The Saint of Fort Washington."

Did you see Dartmouth '88 running star Bob Kempainen's second-place finish at the N.Y.C. Marathon? And at mile 14, did you see a tall guy behind Kempainen, matching him stride for stride? And didn't you think, just for a moment, that the tall guy looked like Art Switchenko? Well, it wasn't. You see Art's still putting in the miles but not that many. He and his wife live in Sunnyvale, Calif., and Art is running three to four times a week. He's lived in California for seven years, working in R & D for a pharmaceutical firm, and the Switchenko clan are expecting a wee one in May.

Debbie Williamson finishes her master's degree in school counseling, and what happens when she shows that parchment to the powers that be at Germantown Academy, where she taught middle-school science for seven years? They ask her to coach tennis. Ten- nis. Hey, the degree's in school counseling, people, not fluorescent fuzz andeatgut. At Germantown, a day-school outside of Philly, Debbie also coaches hoops and softball, and her science curriculum includes sex and drug education. Hats oft" to her: I taught eighth graders for three years and never dared say "condom" or "marijuana" in class, fearing a small riot. It's not an easy age.

Look up Tom Whittington in your dictionary, and what synonymous phrases do you see? Hardy soul is one. Not only has Tom been teaching and living and coaching at the same boarding school for the past 12 years, but it's in Vermont, land of cold, heaps O' snow, and those plywood cows you see for sale along Route 7. At Vermont Academy Tom teaches biology and environmental science and runs the school's rather extensive ski program: kids at VA can get involved with cross-country, alpine, or jumping.

If you haven't realized by now, Karen, Andrew Giuliani, and I now alternate writing this column. Please call, write, or fax one of us with news of nuptials, births, openings, promotions, cancellations, and inauguration addresses. You can even send me e-mail at . (It took me hours to devise a nom de guetre that would never reveal my true identity.) I look forward to your news. If you don't send any, you'll hear about my cat. Wait, can I show you this picture of her . . .

Tabor Academy, Marion, MA 02738-1599; Karen 14 Woodland Drive, Darien, CT 06820