Class of 1952
As reported by Martha Green ’52
Debby Andersen shares, “We are still living at Tidepoint, a community for independent living in Hilton Head, SC and have been since January 2017. We are active on several committees and love bridge and Mahjong. It was a good move from the Cape for us, and we still go to Truro for summer trips. All the children joined us, and we had a joyful reunion last August. Arthur is now 93 and really doing well. He has a wonderful lunch group for men over 90—lots of discussions. Our big excursion was to go to Sharon, CT and Summit, NJ at Christmas. We were gone a month, driving up and back. We loved being with everyone, but paid the price after getting home.”
Class of 1957
As reported by John Schwartz ’57
Although elderly, we certainly are travelers! Betsy Gummey Pemberton and Ian are continuing their archaeological work in ancient Corinth and are planning to return there from their home in Australia in October. Meanwhile, their main diversions are superhero and Bollywood movies. Betsy has compliments for Jacinda Ardern, the first female prime minister of New Zealand, who recently announced her resignation. Steve Rostand and Kathy spent Thanksgiving week with their two daughters and their families on St. George’s Island in the Gulf of Mexico. DD Malone Westgate jumped from home in France to attend performances of her daughter, jazz singer Madeleine Peyroux, at the London Palladium and in Copenhagen; Madi will appear in Australia and New Zealand in March. However, the miles-traveled champion is Michiel Bourdrez, who flew to Amsterdam for family visits and then to Israel and Jordan on a religious tour sponsored by St. George’s Church in Jerusalem, during which he renewed his baptismal vows in the Jordan River. Mike also attended his grand-daughter Grace’s high school graduation in Shaker Heights, Ohio, accompanied her to freshman orientation at Ohio State, where she is in an honors program, and spent Thanksgiving with her family (Mike’s other son lives in North Bend, WA, and owns several bike stores in that state). Mike will be in Spain in late April and will walk four days from Santiago to Finisterre; he will spend March in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Class of 1965
As reported by Laura Tanna ’65
I am a director of the American Friends of Jamaica which raises funds for health, education and development in Jamaica. See theafj.org for more information. In New York on March 16 we're having a fundraising event. The film The Harder They Come was just terrific, and now this is the launch of a musical.
Class of 1972
As reported by Pam Perkins ’72
I am on a committee for patient care at Bellevue hospital, the oldest public hospital in the country. I also just wrote an article in Russian about a conference about women writers at NYU years ago.
Justin N. Dello Joio shares, “I am happy to be writing a work on commission from the Koussevitsky Foundation/ Library of Congress. My work Due Per Due (2 for 2) will appear on the Bridge CD. It was commissioned, recorded and performed by the NY Philharmonic Principal Cellist Carter Brey. It is programmed on a six European capitals tour starting with Milano in October 2023 by the brilliant young Tchaikovsky Gold Medal winner cellist Zlatomir Fung. Oceans Apart looks like it may have legs! I will let you know about more performances in Europe and here once I have dates and it is announced. If we are lucky, just across town from me as well.
My amazing daughter Chiara, now older than we were when we first met each other, is graduating with an MFA from Columbia, in nonfiction writing and has already been published in the Atlantic and LitHub! My pride and joy and finest creation!
Class of 1973
As reported by Barbara Michelson ’73
A small downtown kids’ reunion also took place a few weekends ago at the Clark Art Museum (Williamstown, MA) cafeteria, where Jane Vris, Caleb Carr and I monopolized a table for two hours and tried to catch up on too many years. Jane and Caleb attended St. Luke’s elementary together from age four, so that is a lot of territory.
When we gathered, Caleb was awaiting word from his publisher about whether they would accept a memoir he has mostly finished about his life with cats, especially Masha who lived with him on “Misery Mountain” for 17 years and recently died, thereby propelling the project. I have since learned that the publisher has accepted with enthusiasm, and this book will come out in 2024. Very exciting for Caleb!
Lisa Mierop shares, “Aimee Telsey and Lyn Perlmuth braved the wilds of northern New Jersey to meet up with me to discuss planning for our upcoming 50th reunion. Full disclosure, we spent the better part of three hours catching up and reminiscing about Friends. Aimee has graciously offered to host the event at her apartment which is rumored to be spectacular with beautiful park views. By now you should all have received a ‘Save The Date’ email. Please let us know if that didn’t land in your inbox.
On a more personal note, my husband and I traveled to Sicily this past fall to visit Montclair friends, who moved there permanently several years ago. Their example led us to consider doing something similar on a part-time basis, and our trip was intended to be about exploring ‘options’. Well, stars aligned, one thing led to another, and we now own a farmhouse in the southeastern corner of the island. And the second season of The White Lotus hadn’t even aired. Call us crazy. Aside from the anxieties of having to do renovations long distance while speaking Italian, we are very excited to open this new chapter. I feel like I’m going home.”
Class of 1975
As reported by Francesa Bruno ’75 and Adam Owett ’75
Francesca shares, “Our big news is that we finally started traveling again! We spent a few weeks in Italy in December, mostly visiting friends in Rome who we haven’t seen in ten years, and it was lovely. Lots of home-cooked meals and catching up on each others’ lives. Then we headed south to Matera where my mom’s family is from and where I still have cousins. Matera was once called the shame of Italy after Carlo Levi (Christ Stopped at Eboli) wrote about the staggering poverty there and highlighted the families still living in the caves carved out of limestone in the post-World War II years. Those caves are called I Sassi (literally, the stones), and my grandparents were born there. Now many of the cave homes are completely renovated and modernized, and we were able to spend time in the one where my cousin and his partner live. It was an amazing trip, and we spent every day in awe of the architecture and history. The photo doesn’t do it justice, but will give you an idea of what Matera’s cave homes look like. In October we’ll head back to Rome for a week and then will spend two weeks touring Sicily and celebrating our 30th anniversary.”
We are still spending winters on the Gulf Coast of Florida and summers up north in Saratoga Springs. Hard to imagine we’ve been retired for 11 years now—the time has flown by, and we are busy with fun things all the time. I continue to study Italian twice a week and do all sorts of fun outdoor activities (golf, dragon boating, biking) both in Florida and New York. Always happy to have visitors if you find yourselves in our neck of the woods. Looking forward to seeing you all at our (gulp!) 50th in 2025.
Sara Griffen shares, “I suppose the most exciting news is that my son Steve is getting married in April! As for us, we have two existences—winters in West Palm Beach and summers in a community outside of Atlanta called Serenbe. Our two children are in Atlanta, so we get to see lots of them in the summer. I am doing strategic planning and fundraising consulting for nonprofits, primarily in South Florida. My husband has retired from his legal practice. I hope we have another reunion so I can see everyone!”
Berri (Barbery) Byfield shares, “Is it really 2023? Almost cough/ahem 50 years from graduation? Naaah! Well, it’s a blessing to be here and even thinking about where we all are in the world. Still in Los Angeles, (off Melrose Avenue)! I’m happily wrapping up a 40-year career as a health educator, who took a side trip through Hollywood hoping to change the world through inspirational storytelling. I am soon leaving Kaiser Permanente to launch my own Mindful Self Care practice. The kids are in the arts, bless them, Noah in film set design and Hannah in theatrical stage props. I’ve got two new hips and can happily do lotus pose again! I’m grateful for blueberries 365 days a year, Hershey’s kisses, great health and the community of friends and family who have shared this journey we call life. Si se puede! Visitors are welcome!
Melissa Bannett writes, “I hope this finds you and all my classmates well. I am so grateful that Katie reached out to me several years ago and reconnected me. My news: I'm grateful that my family and friends have made it through the pandemic and are well. Like many, my appreciation for my home and my community deepened while working from home—all those beautiful sunsets from the park behind my house! My offspring seem engaged with life—my two sons in Boston and my daughter in France. I work full-time for a global environmental organization, so there’s some travel involved—looking forward to a trip to Brazil next month. Last year I spent a few months in Europe working remotely—half in Lyon where my daughter was and half in Madrid where my older son was and loved every minute! Love to all, and I look forward to hearing news from others.
David Hirst shares, “I’m happily married to Debbie for ten years this November. We live in Hong Kong and are thinking about retirement options as the grandkids (currently five grandsons under three) get older. But bond trading is still too much fun (and I got promoted this year) and life in Hong Kong is very good and very easy. At this point, I’m nearly a professional tour guide of the city, and happy to show around any classmates who can make it out here. I am in close touch with Gil (of course) and Gordon’s widow/children, but would love to catch up with more of the class of ’75. Can’t believe it is getting close to our 50th; just two years!”
Delice Bolotin reports, “My husband sold his veterinary business in July, and although he is still working, we are hoping to do more traveling as time permits. I retired from real estate and am spending a lot of time playing tennis and paddle and walking our dog.”
Nancy Hessol writes, “My life has changed quite a bit in the last three years. I officially retired from the University of California, San Francisco and now do volunteer faculty activities with them. I am also a consultant with the San Francisco Health Department working with HIV, COVID and Mpox and a volunteer with the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank. Last year my sister (Gail ’70) and I visited Friends and were amazed at all the changes to the building; it was very impressive. On the lighter side, my husband and I recently adopted two new cats (brother and sister) and they are keeping us on our toes. I enjoy keeping in touch with Fran, from our class, and hearing how other classmates are doing through emails and class notes. Wishing everyone all the best.”
Class of 2006
Dylan Marron is one of the writers for the third season of Ted Lasso.