1995

Thankfully everyone has fan and exciting news to share or else this column would be quite boring! Of course, some of us can't share the really good stuff...Howie Rumjahn is an active duty naval officer who did some field training in Quantico, Va., with the Marines before deploying with an F-14 squadron. He's on "an aircraft carrier somewhere in the middle of a big ocean for temporary duty with a special operation." How's that for details?

Mira Lee at least had tons of info on her friends but even she did not reveal much on the happenings in her life except that she works with computers...She reports that Austin Simmons is marrying Frederick Malloy '94 in April '97. Duffy Ross, a polyglot with French, Italian, and now Spanish under her belt, was in Guatemala and Ecuador before becoming a river rafting guide in Utah. Mira wrote that "Charlotte Shropshire is finally settling down to take on the corporate world in, of course, the center of the universe, New York. She took the year off and did a stint with Swiss Semester with Phil Gutry. Then she and Brittanny Boulanger headed out to Telluride and did the 'T-ride' thing, hanging out in Jesse James' home- town." Another person in Ecuador is Wendy Osterling who sent a postcard from a village in the rural Andino highlands. She is serving in the Peace Corps for two years working in the Natural Resource program. Wendy focuses on agroforestry work, erosion control, planting trees and environmental education. Since she's been in Ecuador, Wendy ran into Allison Krasnow who was visiting another Peace Corps volunteer. Wendy welcomes more surprise visits and invites you to look her up...next to Volcano Sangay, one of the world's most active volcanoes.

Cynthia Kelmenson started med school at Univeristy of Pennsylvania this fall but she continues her summer activities of promoting women's ski jumping as its committee chairwoman of the US Ski Association. She wrote about a lot of others leaving their summer gigs for school much like herself. Cristy Nguyen, who worked for the CDC in Atlanta, is finishing her master's of public health at Yale, Claire Unis is attending UCSF med school, Susannah Schlichter is returning to Eastern Carolina University for her second year of med school, Wendy Jastremski is conducting chemistry research for Pfizer while also volunteering for a battered women's hotline, Connie Tromble is working as an advocate for a battered women's shelter in Bethel, Ala., and Trish Bankowski is enjoying her time with the Peace Corps in Uganda. And finally, Cynthia reports that Jenna McCarthy is engaged to Pete Barrette '94. The couple is living in Michigan where Jenna is working in a bio lab at the med school.

Although the Olympics are long gone, I thought this tidbit of good fortune and fame should not be passed up...Ted FitzPatrick competed in the U.S. Olympic trials for track and field. He qualified by running the 5,000 meter event in 13:47.6. Unfortunately, he just missed making the final. Another sports enthusiast's claim to fame is his attempt to climb a 25,637-foot mountain called Masherbrum, in northern Pakistan. Scott Porter and three other climbers spent two months trying to make history by making their way up a previously unclimbed part of the mountain. On the trek up, they were hit by an avalanche which depleted their supplies and forced them to return to safety. You would think that a near death experience would temper any zeal for mountain climbing. But Scott's already planning for his next trip...K-2, the world's second highest mountain at 28,250 feet.

2930 N. Sheridan Road, Apt. 1707, Chicago, IL 60657;