1991

What are you doing to ring in the new millennium on Dec. 31, 1999? (Okay, I know it's not really the start of a new century; I'm just buying into the same hype everyone else is.) It actually doesn't seem like classmates are getting too hyped up about the big night. According to my very informal e-mail poll, I didn't find anyone jetting to New Zealand to be among the first to see the sun rise in the year 2000—or taking a decadent, 'round-the-world cruise. Sounds like the holiday will be marked by hanging out with those nearest and dearest. Let me know if you did do something out of the ordinary—I'll publish your account next year.

Joanne Benisch Preisser will be vacationing at Stratton Mountain, Vt., with her new hubby, Ken Preisser. They were married Aug. 28; Erica Coles was Joanne's maid of honor, and Alex Bondar, Tracey Dodds and Becky Hall were there to celebrate. The happy couple is living in New York City, where Ken is a fund manager at GM Investment Management Cos., and Joanne is an attorney at Mayer, Brown & Piatt.

Also newly married, Ben Blackburn plans to rent a cabin somewhere in the Rockies with his wife and a few friends and "drink ourselves into 2000." Witnessing Ben's nuptials to Anne Curran in Swarthmore, Pa., were several fellow '91 Lodgers: Jim Klug, Alex DeCapitani,Brendan O'Sullivan, Colin Stretch,Chad Gallentine, Bill Skewes and RobMuir. Ben is a project manager for a commercial construction management firm in Denver. Still another marriage: Jill Seifert was hitched to Gerard Vernes '94 Oct. 16 in Jill's hometown of Kansas City. JenBarrett served as best woman, and MarcBaptiste was also in the wedding party. After a way-cool honeymoon in Fiji, the couple has every right to stay stateside for New Year's. Jill writes, "We really don't have any plans yet, except to party like it's 1999." Jill's working at a Massachusetts environmental engineering company, "digging holes and saving the earth one bucket of oil at a time."

Aileen Yingst says she'll most likely be working on Dec. 31—at least that's what she told me back in August. In September I remember hearing something on the news about a satellite crashing up near Mars, so perhaps she won't be watching data come in off the Mars Polar Lander. Aileen is a research associate at the University of Arizona and part of the science team keeping an eye on the lander's scientific instruments. Hope it's not your project that went kaput, Aileen!

A column wouldn't be complete without announcing a birth: Jon Pedicino is the proud papa of Natalie Rose Pedicino, born February this year. Jon and his wife, Lisa, live in Wenatchee, Wash., where Jon is an earth sciences professor. He never got back to me on his New Year's plans, but I'm assuming with a 10-monthold, Jon isn't scheduled to trek through Nepal or the like.

Neel Chatterjee shared news of Sundar Rajan, who is the new father of a little boy, as well as Dave Newman, who recently moved to Boston from the Bay area. As for Neel, he's an attorney focusing on patent and trade secret litigation, and much of his work also includes combating internet abuse, such as on-line distribution of copies of full-length feature films. In his e-mail, Neel reported that his girlfriend was about to become his fiancee. (Let's hope she says yes!) Neel's New Year's agenda: "I plan to stockpile canned Vienna sausages, and sit on my couch with a bigbottle of Jack Daniels and a shotgun." 'Nuff said.

P.O. Box 1544, Carbondale, CO 81623; kara@sopris.net

Rescuer Eddie Gilmartin '9l, p. 53

lake Tapper '9l takes on Ventura, p. 55