1996
1996
CLASS NOTES
The year 2020 has brought with it challenges great and small across the whole of our society. And yet there are still those among us who persevere— leaving their marks on the world, progressing in their chosen fields, or helping build the future by bringing new life into the world. It has been a busy summer in an otherwise hectic year for many of our’96 classmates, many of whom continue to make the most out of a complex time in human history.
First, congratulations to two of our new (again) fathers! Philip Hanaka and his wife, Crystal, welcomed daughter Madelyn James Hanaka on July 9; “Maddie” joins elder siblings John (himself just ayear away from leaving the next for college) and Brooke. Just one day later Mark Cicirelli and his wife, Lisa, announced the arrival of their youngest daughter, Julie Ann Cicirelli; the newest family member joins elder sisters Emma and Alexandra in completely outnumbering dad in the male-female ratio within the Cicirelli household. Congrats to Phil, Mark, and their newly expanded families—and here’s to two future members ofthe Dartmouth class of 2042! Using their creative juices to give birth to new ideas and ventures were some of our resident authors and entrepreneurs. By the time these notes are published, “international bestselling author” Brad Parks will have released his newest work—his latest novel Interference—on September 1. The book is described as “emotional, heart-pounding thrillerthat explores the scientific unknown—and one woman’s efforts to save her husband from its consequences.” Get your Audible or Kindle copies today!
Our own Suzanne Leonard also produced some original content in her field of representations of female characters in modern media. Her work, “What Roseanne Barr Meant to Media Studies,” was included in the 20th anniversary special edition ofthe Television & New Media international journal published in July. The article “examines [the] puzzling disconnect between progressive political gains around gender, class, body size, and sexuality in the realm of media personalities, products, and theories, and the seemingly intractable position of regressive racism, a conflation that Barr’s brand oftoxic provocation both articulates and underscores.” And using these troubled times to create a new venture from scratch, Amy Peller opened her own mobile dog grooming business in north central New Jersey. Wag & Shine Mobile Grooming serves dogs (and their owners) in Madison, Chatham, Millburn, and Short Hills with fullservice dog grooming brought to their customers’ locations and is based on Amy’s own challenges finding a good groomer for her dog. Check out her new website, www.wagandshine.com, today!
And venturing into something new and where he could make a great difference in the world was Darryl Knudsen—who in June became the new executive director of International Rivers, an organization working to protect rivers and defend the rights of river-dependent communities. His personal mission is to “channel the power of civil society movements to create enduring, positive change toward social and environmental justice for the underrepresented,” according to a recent episode ofthe Career Curves Podcast in which he participated. By connecting to his personal mission, Darryl found the path that not only led him through his past roles in the private and public sector, but also to his newest, “perfect-fit” role.
It is amazing to see so many of our extended ’96 family finding new ways to express themselves and bring life (both literally and figuratively) to our collective future—each in his or her own ways. May we all continue to find our paths in these troubling times!
—Garrett Gil de Rubio, 1062 Middlebrooke Drive, Canton, GA 30115; ggdr@alum.dartmouth.org
Garrett Gil de Rubio
