17 July 1998
I meant to get this letter out in February, but things got a little crazy for me this year (see below)!
K.J. Adelberger is at the Wake Forest School of Medicine Department of Orthopaedics, working for a pediatric orthopaedist and a hand and microvascular surgeon. She finished her provisional year in the Winston-Salem Junior League; her placement this year is Science Storybook, where she reads to children at SciWorks. After a ski trip to West Virginia and a trip to California, she bought a house in May 1997and headed to Colgate for her fifth reunion. She then spent the summer renovating her new house, including a 700 sq.ft. addition! In November, she was in Kendall McKoy’s wedding in Litchfield Beach, SC.
Lenore Henault Bernashe writes from Massachusetts where she left her job at Aetna in July 1997 and started working for the Westfield School Dept., doing computer support. She’s been on assignment in the police department, putting in a new system and doing training.
Michelle Farrance is living in Syracuse, teaching sixth grade science and eighth grade computer applications. Quite a change from teaching second grade! She will graduate from LeMoyne College this past spring, and is hoping to restart her life again now that she’ll be done! Beth Mazzei is working at a publishing company in Philly and just bought her first home.
Kim Kramer Ganz writes from NJ. She is the mother of an almost 3 year old and a 6 year old. Between play dates, t-ball, tae kwon do and soccer they have become full time schleppers!
Dawn Goldstein writes from NYC where she is starting a new job at HSBC Asset Management downtown (it will be a "whole new world" to her after 7 years in midtown!).
Michelle Hickerson’s latest news is that she is now trying her hand at poultry farming! Well, not really, but she did just add 4 chickens to her menagerie. She has 3 hens - Nugget, Wings and Wishbone - and 1 rooster - Purdue. She doubts she'll make enough money from egg sales to match her current salary, so for the time being, she will continue to practice law!
Jessica Loomer Holmes’s daughter Katherine (Katie) just turned 1 in April. She is great- cute as a button, very curious and very stubborn, and into everything--climbs like a monkey! Jessica's husband Steve is doing well -- he writes software for the traders on Wall Street. Jessica is just about done with her dissertation and has a few job offers! They bought a house in North Stamford, CT, last year and most of their free time is spent on gardening and fixing up the house!
Susan Johns writes that she and Clark will be escaping New Jersey soon. He was accepted into business school at Dartmouth so they will be moving to New Hampshire in August. They just sold their home in New Jersey but have to wait to move until after her summer course is over. She is teaching a U.S. history course at Rutgers. She’s still plodding along toward getting her Ph.D. She has just one more thing to finish, that "thing" being her dissertation. Susan plans to work on that while Clark is in school too. Of course, she may be somewhat distracted by their new family commitment -- they are expecting a baby in October 1998. Needless to say, she is very excited.
Lindsay Youker Levy and her husband Jeffrey were thrilled to report that Kendra Hale Levy arrived in this world on July 4, 1997 at 11:47 a.m. They chose the name Kendra in honor of her sister Karen (Jewish people honor people who have died by choosing a name for a new baby with the same first letter as the person who died) and Hale is a family name on her mother's side. (Karen, mom, and grandma all had Hale as their middle name.) Also, pictures of Kendra can be seen at: http://www2.sysnet.net/~levyj/baby/. Dorothy Helfenstein(DeeDee) (NY Zeta RGC'86-87) has moved back to the VA area and is going to be a member of the Northern VA Alum club (which Lindsay belongs to); not only that, but she is going to be the Epsilon Province President.
Ellen Mecray just finished 3 years working at a boarding school. She was doing it all...teaching chemistry and environmental science, living in the dorm with 12 girls, coaching field hockey, skiing, and lacrosse, and running an a cappella singing group at night for 16 girls (similar to the 'Gates!). Anyway, it was fun and exhausting, and now she’s going back to research and using her degree in Oceanography. She’s in Woods Hole, MA working for the U.S. Geological Survey. She’s doing work on Boston Harbor and the Gulf of Maine looking at contaminated sediments. Good Stuff! Kristin Kling is finishing up her Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Wisconsin. She has been dating her boyfriend Bob for a few years there and they are engaged! Now, they're on their way to Providence, RI where Bob has an internship at Brown University. Kristin and Ellen are looking forward to being within an hour's drive from each other for the first time since they graduated in 1990! She was in Seattle for a bit and then Wisconsin since then! Lisa Bernier is just finishing her work at Colgate in the admissions office. She's married and now goes by his name, Doubier (wrong spelling, but close). Anyway, she's leaving Colgate because she and her husband both got jobs at Lehigh University in PA.
Christine Lasher Murphy writes that her two kids are doing fine. Aidan is now three years old and into all kinds of trouble. Mackenzie is 14 months old and learning new tricks from her brother. Christine loves every minute of being a parent. She is still working with Hewlett-Packard but just switched jobs to Contract Negotiator. Always something new!!
Melissa Andreana O'Donnell '89 reports that her most important news is the birth of her daughter! Ceili Moira (pronounced Kay-lee More-a) was born on January 8, 1998, and has turned Melissa’s life upside-down! Ceili has already attended 2 alumnae club meetings (can you say legacy?). Of other news, she will be on sabbatical leave from teaching gifted and talented in Moorestown, NJ, next year to complete her doctorate in reading, writing, and literacy from the University of Pennsylvania. Because of this addition of a bit of free time she has also taken on the presidency of the Southern New Jersey Pi Phi Alumnae Club. She is very excited about being president and Lisa Freeman McCarthy '88 and she are already planning a trip to convention in Houston! (If anyone has done any really great stuff with their alumnae club, she is on the lookout for any new and neat ideas!)
Jennifer Bastolla Robarge and her husband eloped on July 2, 1997! They met when she returned from Europe last year, and he swept her off her feet! She is now working as an underwriter for State Farm Insurance. (It’s a bit conservative, but she’s enjoying herself for now). Phil got to meet a few PiPhis when they went to Jennifer Minnerly Page’s wedding in August 1997; it was so good to see everyone! Unfortunately, Philip and Jennifer ran into a bit of bad luck -- They lost their home to fire in October. They both made it out okay, but nothing else did. If anybody has any group PiPhi photos from college, she would love copies. (The latest address I have for Jennifer 50 1/2 N. Main Street #4, Mechanicsville, NY 12118.)
Sharon Space ’86 has been out in Denver for 3 years doing a fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at Denver Children's Hospital and will be staying there for a while longer to continue her research on sickle cell disease. She spends much of the winter up in Breckenridge skiing, so if anyone is going out there to ski they should let her know. Her new address will be 3705 Buchtel Blvd, Apt 101, Denver, CO 80210. She also reports that Sue Murphy (also '86) got married in December.
Kelly Frazier Stewart is an attorney in the bill drafting commission of the in the NYS legislature, which is very busy right now. She was married on February 8, 1997 to Todd Stewart, and they live in Burnt Hills, NY. Todd is an architectural engineer who designs and builds houses. They are trying to sell their house now and to build another one. They have a dog named Tara, but no kids, yet (soon maybe?). She would like to go to a Colgate homecoming sometime and wonder if anyone else plans to go too. Her e-mail address is Stewart@lbdc.state.ny.us, and she would love to hear from her former PiPhi sisters.
Tammy Tonucci got married on July 11th, 1998, in Pittsford, NY (where she grew up) to Michael McConnell who she met about a year and a half ago. (They met through Kristen Max.) The wedding should be a mini Pi Phi reunion with Kristen, Tooty, and Deborah Enea in the wedding party. . . Regina Reggazi, Kelli Liccini, Beth Mazzei and Melanie (Vigil) Sinche are attending also. She wrote that she and Michael couldn't wait for the honeymoon to get away; they're going to northern Italy for 10 days. She’s living in northern NJ, working as a sales representative for a wire & cable manufacturer and playing soccer in various women's leagues most of the year for recreation.
Rebecca Clarke Turner reports that Alexander Goodrich Turner arrived on November 14, 1997 at 3:40 via c-section. Vital stats: 7 lbs. 8 ozs., 20 1/4 inches. They had a nice Christmas Day at home in Elmira and then headed to Maine for New Years. Carley was really wound up about Christmas; in the days before Christmas, she had a wonderful time helping Rebecca wrap presents and every time they saw someone that they had a wrapped a present for, she said "I have a present for you!" Christmas Day, Carley was just amazed at all the presents . . . "YOOK! YOOK! Yook at all the presents!" she cried. Her favorite gifts were a train set (which she set up pretty much by herself and played with for hours), a big box of Legos, and a set of small stuffed "wild things" and "Max" from the book Where the Wild Things are.
Nancy Wemmerus and her husband Carl spent four weeks in May and June taking a long-awaited trip to Cairo, India, and Nepal. They stayed with friends in Cairo and New Delhi (who Nancy met through the Pi Phi alum club) and traveled throughout India, by plane, train, rickshaw, elephant, and camel. To beat the heat (it is 109 degrees most days in Cairo and Delhi!) and to avoid the nuclear test sites, they went to a religious service led by the Dali Lama.
From the NYZeta guestbook on the web at http://www.butera.org/PiPhi/ -- please visit and make an entry!
Karen Davis Midkiff wrote to the PiPhi Guestbook on the 7th of July 1997: "I have been in Indianapolis, IN for four years after having earned my MBA from Indiana University. I work in business development for USA Group, primarily a student loan-related company. I have two wonderful little girls, Katie (3.5 yrs) and Hannah (21 mos). We live in the suburbs (translation cornfields) and love it! As for news from other sisters, my old roommates, Terri O'Connell Chemburkar and Ann Phillips St.Dennis are both expecting in the late summer. I heard that Amy Washburn is expecting also. Eileen Chi Stramaglia moved to the Boston vicinity a year ago and is teaching tennis to future Colgate applicants." (Editors' note: Terri had a boy in early August named Jonathan, Ann had a boy in late summer 1997, and Amy had a girl, Lauren, in the late fall.)
Lisa Freeman McCarthy wrote to the PiPhi Guestbook on the 23rd of July 1997: "Hello NY Zeta! I'm happy to say that we (Jay & I) bought a house 3 months ago in Danbury CT. It's a 3 bedroom ranch with a living room, dining room (japanese style- no table!), den, kitchen (I even cook!) and a huge unfinished basement! I really love it. My free time is spent mowing the lawn (the lazy man's way- a rider mower... Jay does the real physical labor), making this house a home (i.e. hanging things on the walls...) and planning Alum club events. I am co-president of the Westchester County NY club. Do any of you remember those lovely wine and blue dishes we got at our installation? They came from Westchester! They are a really neat group of women... any of you who are living in Westchester please call me and get involved... we need some younger members to guarantee a strong future for our club. Vanessa Marolda Dioguardi is involved (She has a son- Jed jr. About 1 yr old) Sharon Klein Pogostin has popped in a few times (she has a son too, about the same age) and hopefully Julie Pendergast Clayton will join this year (she has a daughter- Kate - almost 1) Rumor has it Lisa Thompson is heading our way... I hope so. I keep in touch with Melissa Andreana O'Donnell and hope to see her this summer. She is outside of Philadelphia doing the Pi Phi alum thing! I lost touch with Wendi Mayerson... anyone with an updated address please help me! I also speak with Michele Gurney Ollsson (Kappa Psi pledgemaster!!!) She has three adorable little boys and lives in Milford CT. Kristine Olsevskis is in Latvia loving her job; something with an airline company in their business dept. so she gets to travel all over for practically nothing! I went to convention in Atlanta; let me tell you that NY ZETA has quite a reputation... we have some AAC members, lots of alum club representation, and national officers like Sis Mullis, Kay Brada, Jean Wirths Scott, Carolyn Helman Lichtenberg, etc. remember us fondly. I saw Lisa Masters- our 1st RGC - she looks exactly the same... she was on the nominating comm. so I didn't get to see her much, but she says hi."
Lisa Petronella Shock wrote to the PiPhi Guestbook on the 14th of October 1997: "David and I have purchased our first home here in Durham, and I am now at Duke University in the PA Program. We are currently having a great time visiting with Leslie Crane Bruder and her husband Mike this weekend. Beth Mazzei may also be visiting soon for some southern barbecue. We welcome any of you to look us up if you are in the neighborhood -we would love to show you some southern hospitality!"
In honor of their ten-year reunion, the following sisters from the class of 1988 had babies this year: Tish Hurford King and husband Bill had daughter Sophia in April, Paula Nasteff Dillon and husband Paul had a son Ethan in April, and Gretcheh Hehn Schneider and husband Tom had a daughter Emily on June 3rd.
As for me, I am doing well after a difficult spring. I found out in January that I am pregnant!! That was the only good news for a while -- I got an ear infection in mid-February that, despite early and heavy antibiotics, spread rapidly into my head, infecting my mastoid and causing, among other things, venous blood clots in my head and swelling of my menenges. On my first trip to the ER, they sort of told me "You're supposed to be vomiting
non-stop and having terrible headaches. It’s part of pregnancy." The next night at the ER, when I had lost motor control of my arms and legs and as no longer able to speak, they realized that maybe something else was wrong...I ended up in ICU for a few days, but now I am mostly better. My vision is still affected, so I can’t drive :( But I am due at the end of September and the baby appears to be doing just fine!! For that Rob and I are extremely grateful, to say the least.
Lindsay Youker Levy, the keeper of the Zetabase, can be reached at lylevy@sysnet.net or at 6809 North 19th Road, Arlington, VA 22205-1809. It would be very helpful if you could update her when you move, etc. Thanks so much for all of your effort, Lindsay!
For those of you with web access, please be sure to drop by the NYZeta web site at http://www.butera.org/PiPhi/ and sign the guestbook. I will be sure to include your "gossip" in the next NYZeta NYwZ! If you have any pictures or information you would like me to add to the site, just let me know!
TTFN,
Gwyneth Butera (gwyneth@butera.org)
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