Class Notes, November-December 2003
Wednesday December 31, 2003 Category: Archives Permanent Link
Thanks to www.friendster.com, I’ve spent a lot more time getting reacquainted with some of my old Class of 1996 chums. By the time this column comes out, the site may be as fresh as a discarded gym sock, but for now it’s a good way to reminisce about less complicated times with people who knew me when I thought Eddie Vedder was dreamy, journalism was a stable career path, and flannel was a bold fashion statement.
While I would never choose to live in a dorm again, I miss the constant influx of interesting people and that tacky Styx mural in Mary Donlon. When archaeologists excavate North Campus for remnants of our cultural heritage hundreds of years from now, they will see that mural and know that we had a penchant for mullets and profoundly bad taste in music. I admit I haven’t been back to my freshman-year dorm in ages. Perhaps that mural has been replaced by a painting of a band the kids are into now. What could that be? Linkin Park? The White Stripes? Tony Orlando and Dawn? I have no idea.
Things have certainly changed since then because, these days, our classmates are the ones having their own kids. (Hopefully, they won’t be exposed to Styx’s “Mr. Roboto” until their late 30s.) I received several updates from parents who are celebrating the birth of their first child. Paige Pongratz, a part-time vet in Marshfield, MA, had a baby boy named Matthew Luke on Dec. 2, ‘02. Teacher Lisa Derouin reports that she is “taking some time off to enjoy being a new mommy.” Her son Connor Richard arrived on Nov. 20, ‘02.
Matthew, ME ‘97, and Maureen McCafferty Stanton, MPA ‘97, welcomed Connor Patrick into their family on Oct. 16, ‘02. “Maureen is employed as a Congressional Liaison with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (Dept. of Homeland Security), and Matt just completed his service with the Navy as a Lieutenant and is employed as a civilian with the Dept. of the Navy.”
Not all of the newborns are boys: Michael and Alison Derow Gaudet sent me news of the birth of their daughter Caroline Margaret on Jan. 26, ‘03. In her “spare” time, Alison is finishing her pediatric residency and will be going into private practice in Pittsburgh. Suzanne Weidberg reports that “Janine Abrams and Michael Rethy just had a beautiful baby girl, Emma. The whole family is happy and healthy.” She also says that she “returned from an awesome ski trip in the Alps and that she’s been at Columbia U.’s Workplace Center for two years studying ways to provide vocational service for people with mental health conditions.”
Audrey Kleinsmith and her fiancé David Storm are counting down the days until they move into their new Charlottesville, VA, home. “If nothing else, it’s a break from planning for the wedding,” Audrey says. “A new home meant a new job, but did I ever luck out. My company had a realty division looking for help a mere mile from our doorstep. So instead of supervising the construction of convention centers, I’m now helping build luxury homes.” Ron Elfenbein will also begin a new job at Calvert Memorial Hospital as an ER attending in Calvert County, MD. He recently finished his first year as chief resident and his residency as a whole at the Dept. of Emergency Medicine at Johns Hopkins. Another doctor, Christopher DiMaio, is finishing up his residency in internal medicine at Thomas Jefferson U. Hospital in Philadelphia. He will stay for one year as chief medical resident, then move on to Columbia U. for a fellowship in gastroenterology.
Juan Uribe is just one of many ‘96ers who will graduate from Harvard Business School in June 2003. Other classmates include Daniel Dornbusch, Todd Krizelman, Rob Cunjak, and Michelle Crames. Juan has decided to work for the Boston Consulting Group. He also says that Keri Salzillo Jones recently got married and lives with her husband in Marblehead, MA. Please keep the news coming. Courtney, Sheryl, and I look forward to hearing about your new jobs, homes, and infants.
-Allie Cahill, Class Correspondent
