1983

It's obvious who the class secretary really should be. Paul Gignac seems to keep up with everyone. "I see Ed Lear on a regular basis," he writes, "since we are both in the same boat i.e. practicing attorneys by day (and sometimes at night) and fathers in our 'spare time.'" Ed and wife, Lynn 'B6, have a son, Griffin Edward, and Ed is a partner with his own firm, Gerry & Lear in Beverly Hills, specializing in "whatever pays the bills."

Alan Bick, Paul reports, is another practicing attorney with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Irvine, specializing in environmental litigation. He and wife Kim have a little girl, Katie, and a boy, Jack, named for could it be a certain former roommate?

Paul also sees a lot of Frank Falzetta, yet another member of the legal profession; a partner with Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hamilton in L.A., in business litigation. (When I pointed out to Paul that practically everyone he talks to seems to be a lawyer, he professed horror. "That's not true," he exclaimed. "My wife's not."

Among those who have recently fled Southern California and who aren't lawyers, Paul lists Davies Beller, wife Whitney, and son Austin, who now live in New York. Davies, says Paul, "is trying to (and from what I hear, succeeding in) making a name for himself among the investment banker crowd." Steve Quinn and family ("two children in tow and another one in the oven") have also packed up and heading East, in this case to Connecticut following, Paul explains, the same path as Wylie Collins a few years ago. As for Paul himself, he and wife Re'nee have two little girls, Brittany and Brooke, and live in Santa Barbara "with a nice ocean view and nothing between us and the ocean but tall grass and horsetails."

Kathy Hoes Provost writes, "Periodically, I wonder what it would be like to slow down a bit, to create a 'saner' life something I am aiming for within five years." Kathy is juggling quite a bit: she and husband David have a little girl, Caroline, who must be about one by now. She is also working fulltime "getting an Intranet-based training initiative off the ground for a major training organization," as well as finishing a graduate degree in organization development.

Another woman with a lot on her plate: after wrapping up a children's feature for Universal, Libby Schmeltzer Hinson welcomed Elizabeth Juliet Alden Hinson into the family this past March. (Libby and Rick Hinson also have a 4-year-old son, Will.) Baby Elizabeth is lucky enough to have Chris Fahland for a godfather. Says Libby, "After a maternity break of several months, I've finally gotten back to work this time in development on a series a joint venture for Sony, PBS, and CTW. Also this year we welcomed an Emmy to our home, for my husband's work editing The X-Files."

Cathy Barr-Taylor has moved back to the Boston area (Wellesley) after nearly 12 years in Chicago, due to a transfer by her husband's company. The Taylor family now includes a second child, Sara, born in December, 1994.

And finally, I regret having to pass along the very sad announcement I received from Laura Yaker, which she asked me to include in Class Notes. It read, "We are sad to announce the short life of our daughter Sarah Anne Yaker Synge. She was born on April 23, 1997, and died on May 1 during open-heart surgery. We will hold her in our hearts forever." I am sure all our hearts go out to Laura and her husband, James Synge, and their elder daughter, Elizabeth.

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