Class Notes

Greetings, Class of ’91! I hope to receive more updates next time.

Everyone had fun at the June Rabble Rousers show at Fredericksburg’s Otter House, formerly the Irish Brigade. It was the Class of 1992’s reunion, but 1991 was also well represented.

Billy Germelman’s daughter, Alexandra, is a Mary Washington freshman. Billy works in IT for Cetan Corp., earned his project management professional credentials, and caught up with Mary Washington friends at last summer’s Rabble Rousers show.

I enjoy keeping up with you in person and via Facebook. I only submit what’s sent expressly for Class Notes, however, so I don’t risk including information someone does not want printed in the magazine. Keep the updates coming!

Some are still thrown off by the lag time between Class Notes deadline and publication dates, so check this issue for due dates. Thanks to everyone who sent updates! This magazine is a wonderful way to stay in touch.

In April, my husband, Tom, and I visited my aunt and uncle in Sarasota, Fla. In June, we visited my family in Lexington, Va., and attended Reunion Weekend. We had a great time at the Class Party, Reunion Picnic, wine tasting, and All-Class Party. I enjoyed hanging out with Bob Franklin, Kevin Osborn, Karolyn Hall, Marc Tate, Nellie King, Emma Collins Knight, Jarrod Epps, Kathryn Nash, and others. Seeing the Rabble Rousers at the Otter House was a blast from the past. It was wonderful to catch up with Todd Stayin ’91, Jeff Miers ’91, Barb Elwell Carmichael, Todd Tarring and Nicole Shaffer Tarring, Tevin Chaney, and others. Tom had a July work conference, and I spent the week with him on St. Simon’s Island, Ga. We are Atlanta Outdoor Club trip leaders and hike and camp throughout the Southeast.

We went whitewater rafting on Tennessee’s Ocoee River and spent weekends floating down the Chattahoochee River with friends. As social chair of my homeowners association’s board of directors, I planned pool parties and welcomed new families.

During Reunion Weekend, Kathleen Riopelle Roberts ran into Liam Cleaver and Ann Clayton Everett, had dinner with Sean Mahoney ’94 at Sammy T’s, and attended the Rabble Rousers show. Kathleen’s family took a June cross-country road trip and stayed with Chip Walker and family in St. Louis. Tevin Chaney, who sang at Busch Gardens during and after college, attended a summer Busch Gardens reunion, is in a relationship with Mary Ann McDonald ’91, and is finishing his graduate degree in geospatial information sciences.

Christine Harrison Grant is director of major gifts for the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Eastern North Carolina. Laura Norfolk of Old Town Alexandria owns Fusion Meetings & Events and was considering relocating to the Deep South. A couple years ago she had a crab feast with classmates from Custis Hall. At the reunion, Kathryn Nash of Rockville, Md., spent time with roommates Michelle Brown Floyd and Elizabeth Green Lambert. Kathryn, chief professional development and attorney recruiting officer at the Washington, D.C., law firm Wiley Rein LLP, has sons, ages 8 and 10. Missy Houck, a GEICO senior training specialist and independent consultant for Thirty-One Gifts, her husband of 16 years, Roger, and sons Cameron, 12, and Garrett, 8, of Virginia Beach spend weekends at Sandbridge. Missy spent a weekend there with Kristen Regula Heidkamp and family.

Karolyn Hall custom designs group motor coach tours and cruises for Signa Tours in Richmond, plays tennis, scuba dives, and sees Gabby Sulzbach Pickover. Jarrod Anthony Epps flew from Prague to attend Reunion Weekend, where President Richard V. Hurley and wife Rose treated him to a Brompton tour. He spent time with Brendan Casey. Jarrod anticipated his online betting startup going live in summer and in the fall the birth of twin boys. Kate Stanford McCown and husband John of Arkansas have Mary Ella, 9, Jack, 7, and Ashlyn, 1. The McCowns visited Northern Virginia in July and planned to visit Charleston, S.C., in November for John’s 20th reunion at the Citadel. Edna Coste Borchetta and financial advisor husband Gene of Fairfield County, Conn., took a three-week vacation with children Christian, 9, and Carriella, 6, and their golden retriever to Nauset Harbor in Cape Cod, Mass. After a few career changes, Edna, an at-home mom, spent 10 years in corporate marketing and communications. She’s in touch with the “MWC girls” responsible for the ’90-’92 quote board on Mason’s fourth floor, including Jennifer Peterson Riggle, Suzy Cole Ferger, Amy Morgen Liebert and her husband Karl Liebert ’93, Amy Larsen DeCarlo, and Nicole Rich Leona, who transferred from Mary Washington in ’91. The friends try to get together annually, and Edna was looking forward to traveling south for a November girl’s night!

Rene Rios and Sonya Snider Rios ’91 of Ashburn, Va., have a son, 15, and a daughter, 12. Nick Miller ’94 met up with Len Ornstein ’94 at a Scottsdale, Ariz., work meeting. Ashley C. Foster competed in six races at this year’s Unicycling World Championships in Bressanone, Italy, placing in the top 10 in each and winning, for mountain unicycling, gold medals in the cross-country and uphill races and a bronze in obstacles.

From Bethany: I traveled to Massachusetts, Vermont, and Georgia for work this past year and gave a plenary presentation at the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges’ June meeting, attended by several UMW professors and administrators.

Cliff Jordan, a business team lead at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in Springfield, Va., is pursuing a second master’s degree in systems engineering from GWU. He motorcycles and flies his Cessna 152 GT. Kathy Mulvaney, husband Andrew Feller, and daughter Tabitha Elizabeth, 18 months, live on Capitol Hill. I saw Elizabeth Bauer Henrickson at Kathy’s baby shower. Harriet Greenlee of St. Paul, Minn., trains for mountain ultra marathons and ferries Ravi, 10, and Stirling, 8, to activities.

Susan Sherburne Bockman lives in Burke, Va., with husband Kory, director of statistics for a Washington, D.C., trade association, and daughters Sophie and Izzy. Susan spends time in her art studio, with the PTA, and rehabilitating their rescue beagle. They were to visit Andrea Gallimore Ferrenz and her family in July in Bethany Beach, Del., before they move to Houston.

From Cheryl: The Richmond Times-Dispatch interviewed Len Ornstein ’94 after he was selected by the Gilder Lehrman Institute to study the history of the South at the University of Richmond. He sat on the bench in front of Madison Hall, went to Carl’s and Sammy T’s, saw the renovated Monroe Hall, and visited Jeffrey McClurken ’94, chair of UMW’s history and American studies department, Associate Professor of History and American Studies Porter Blakemore, Richmond lawyer Tommy Miller ’95, educator Gillian Cohee Anderson ’96, and Michelle Byram ’94 and husband Ronnie James. Len does CrossFit and has lost 40 pounds.

Jen Studt Schimmenti, a strategic analysis meeting planner, Cheryl Roberts Heuser, and their spouses caught up over margaritas. Cheryl met Bethany Zecher Sutton and Ben Sutton ’95 for brunch and visited Jean Sudlow Simpson, Aimee Cooper Starr and husband David, and all their children. Cheryl and husband John of Columbus, Ohio, traveled to Prague and Vienna. Anne Dressler Fox put her landscaping business on hold and is back at work as a Capital One financial analyst. Husband Rob started Richmond’s Fox Insurance and Financial Services. Cindy Rush Reasoner is pursuing a doctorate in educational leadership at Liberty University. Sons Dylan and Sawyer play baseball.

I’m in my final year of law school at the University of Arizona in Tucson. I spent a year at the Tucson Public Defender’s Office, was legislative legal intern last spring for the Arizona House of Representatives Democratic Caucus in Phoenix, and was the only student presenter at the June Arizona Public Defender Association annual conference. I just need to pass the bar and get a paycheck again!

Ted Godfrey has traveled to 42 countries since leaving Mary Washington. He joined the Peace Corps, spending time in Panama and meeting future wife Lisa. They returned to Vermont, where Ted got his master’s degree in education, taught eight years, and, with Lisa, restored a 200-year-old farmhouse. They moved to Hanoi, Vietnam, to teach and travel through Europe and Iceland. They purchased a fixer-upper in Napa, Calif., and Ted was taking a break, working in a winery while Lisa works for the California Land Stewardship Institute, helping reduce vineyard sediment runoff.

Amy Grillo Kales, husband Jonathan, and their three children live in Northern Virginia. Len Ornstein had an article published in the July/August issue of WOD Talk fitness magazine. Anna Marie Martin ’95 married Chris Montgomery in Spokane, Wash., this summer. Son Gavin is 1.

Matt Strickler, a Northern Virginia CACI senior contracts manager, and wife Allyson Dieck Strickler ’93, who works for a tile and marble importer, have sons Riley, 8, and Logan, 5. They planned a fall trip through Italy and Germany for Oktoberfest and their annual Outer Banks trip with Jeff Hitchens and Kim Fisher Hitchens ’95, Chris Orange ’93, Rachel Abrajano Beattie ’93, and Brian Campbell ’90.

Hope to see you at our 20th in two years!

From Jill: Maureen Duane and husband Chris Sheridan moved to Wenatchee, Wash., last year. Maureen works from home part time as a lab manager for Oregon State University’s College of Forestry. Rachel Maher Schnibbe of Long Island is married and has two children. Allison Pasciuto of NYC planned a spring soccer pilgrimage to England with Maureen. They ran into Jenn Peterson Sheetz and husband Tim in Washington, D.C., last summer. Julie Reilly of Concord, N.H., has twin girls and a graphic design business.

Jim Anderson, a practicing anesthesiologist in southeast Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Del., and wife Carinne, who finished med school and started her residency, have two dogs. Kristin Antisavage Dunn of Philadelphia adopted her son from Russia in 2009 and works for the American College of Physicians. She’d lived in south Florida and traveled the world as an international medical society director. Kristin visited Katie Stanton Sihler in the Washington, D.C., area.

Lisa Ackerman McCrohan of Frederick, Md., is a Georgetown University wellness counselor; has a private clinical practice; teaches yoga, mindfulness, and stress reduction; and has two children with husband Brian. Crayton Simmons and Theresa Racey Simmons moved last year to South Korea, where Crayton serves in the U.S. Army and Theresa volunteers with the military community. After a three-year posting in England, Tori Hillyer Brantley, husband Bill Brantley ’95, and daughter Rachel, 6, were starting a two-year posting in Japan.

Dora Chavez-Acuna Linville became an American citizen in November 2010 and got remarried last year. A project manager with Capstone Digital, she’s working on a literacy project in Hillsborough, Fla. Terry Frank, a University of Richmond School of Law graduate, is a partner in Kaufman & Canoles’ Richmond office.

From Jen: With social media, we’re seeing fewer Class Notes submissions, but we’d love to hear from you for these updates.

On Eileen Heffern Hairel’s son James’ first birthday last year, her Houston home was hit by lightning and caught fire, but everyone got out safely! The family broke ground on their new home in April and anticipated moving in this fall. Eileen thanks Mary Washington friends who reached out to her.

I still work at United Healthcare. My husband, Wade Van House, and I celebrated his April birthday in Italy, visiting Venice, Florence, and Rome. I had coffee with Chappell Tyler Tommasi, who was visiting the Twin Cities with her husband and three children. In May, I participated in my first Tough Mudder, surviving 12 miles and 26 obstacles. During our 15th reunion, I heard Dean of Student Life Cedric Rucker ’81 laugh, attended lectures with Professor of History Emeritus William B. Crawley and Matt Paxton, a regular on the TV show Hoarders, talked to suitemates Crissandra Finno Domroes and Beth Shultz Filmanski, attended a Virginia wine tasting in the Great Hall, had Carl’s ice cream, strolled through downtown, and stayed with Colleen Minion and Julie Newell Leslie at the Kenmore Inn. We caught up with Dan Tobin, Sarah Meyrowitz Meytin, Stephanie O’Connor Shockley, Dave Wrubel, Kate Lulfs Ehrle, Richard Ehrle ’85, and Kate Andrews ’96. I spent a few days in Washington, D.C., with friends and family, including Bethany Zecher Sutton ’93. When Jeramiah Dooley was in Minneapolis for business, we saw a Twins game at Target Field.

Carter Berkeley-Taylor and husband Rob welcomed son Brayden Michael in May. Amanda Neptune Bridges, husband Brad, and children, Kate, 7, Nick, 5, and Will, 2, moved with the Air Force to Jamestown, R.I They spent an evening with Brahim Asfahani, wife Tory Rendon Asfahani ’96, and their three children, and with Aryn Diggle Blanton ’98 and son Henry at the Centreville, Va., home of Colette Strawn Johnson, husband Mike Johnson ‘96, and their three boys. Kathleen Gillikin MacCubbin sold her house and moved to another area in Baltimore.

Dominican Father Patrick “Daniel” Tobin attended the reunion and ate lots of Carl’s frozen custard. He left his first ministry assignment at the University of Missouri’s St. Thomas More Newman Center and moved to Minneapolis to begin a new assignment at the University of St. Thomas, where he also teaches chemistry. He kicked off his time in the Twin Cities with a food and wine tasting at the University of Minnesota’s TCF Stadium.

Drop me a line and let me know what you’ve been up to since our school days.

Greetings from Madison, Conn.

Caitlin Jenkins, husband Jason, and son Paul of Los Angeles welcomed new baby Edith Louise. Nicole Dumas Powell gave birth to Berklee Reese, who joins big brother Jaxon, earlier this year. Lauren Dwyer Lowther, husband Brandon, and son Tommy welcomed Richard Robert (“Ricky Bobby”) in April. Jen Carter Tsimpris, a continuing care retirement community social services manager, husband Basil, and son John Landon live in Henrico, Va.

Sean Tuffy and wife Lorraine celebrated Ed Kriete’s marriage to Zoey in San Francisco. Sean planned to visit Napa Valley to sightsee and interview at Opus One, hoping to introduce the wine to the Dublin market. Adrien Snedecker Dickerson’s son, Simon, 2, and Victoria Blevins Chisholm’s son, Alistair, were voted “most likely to be freshman roommates at Mary Washington.” Adrien, Victoria, Ashley Braidwood and husband Robb Braidwood ’99, Darien Berkowitz Jacobson, and Katie Shea Britton attended Tad Czyzewski ’97’s wedding, with all the kids in tow!

We should’ve included these updates previously: Jeremy Blain, wife Jennifer, and children Ellen, Jason, and Collin of San Antonio welcomed fourth child Ryan Michael last year. The children of the Blains and those of Jen Belote attend the same preschool. Ryan Forbrich’s twin boys, Carter and Cole, are 5. He met up with Jason Fusaro, Craig Gillian, Ben Phelps, and Kevin Byrne at UMW soccer coach Roy Gordon’s Hall-of-Fame induction.

Soon we’ll celebrate our 15th reunion at Mary Washington. The days of planning our weekends on Wednesdays are behind us, so mark your calendars for May 31 through June 2! We email update requests prior to their due date in the alumni office. If you’re not getting these emails, please let us know! In updates, please include your name (including maiden name) and, if you married another Mary Washington alum, give us their graduation year, too. Thanks!