1930s - 1940s | 1950s - 1960s | 1970s - 1980s | 1990s - 2000s
1990s – 2000s
1990
Julie Travnicek-Burns and husband Jamey are stationed in Korea. Julie is at Osan Air Base, and Jamey is at Camp Red Cloud. Their son Columbus “Cole” turned one on January 3. The family will be in Korea until the summer of 2010. Julie wrote, “If any UVMers are on this side of the world, please look us up!”
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Tessa Donohoe Fontaine
tessafontaine@gmail.com
1991
Hello and thank you to those who sent me an email with their updates and news. I heard from Heidi Bushway Verkler, who was an elementary education major and is still teaching. Heidi taught in Vermont and Virginia before moving to the north shore of Lake Tahoe. She now teaches computers at Truckee Elementary in Truckee, California. She is married and has two children. Her son, Koson, is in a Two Way Immersion Kindergarten learning Spanish. Heidi’s daughter, Keadle, is very busy just learning about life. Heidi would love to have an alumni chapter in the Tahoe–Truckee area. I also heard from Allan Oliver, who recently married Maggie Toulouse of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where they now make their home. He was also promoted to Governor Richardson’s Director of Cabinet Affairs, while continuing as one of his speechwriters. I also heard some great baby news. Kara Cohen and her spouse Kathy Buonopane became proud parents of twin boys born to them on September 12. They are sleep-deprived yet overjoyed to now be a family of four. Kara welcomes reconnecting with classmates, particularly via Facebook, which has become a great outlet for her, particularly on maternity leave. Check out her page there. She and her partner live in Salem, Massachusetts, and Kara has been the community service director for AARP Massachusetts since 2003. I also heard from Moira Griffin, who is in Washington, District of Columbia, practicing dental hygiene at the Washington Center for Dentistry. She and her partner, Karen Roosa, adopted their son Rowan Griffin-Roosa from Tchaikovsky, Russia.
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Karen Heller Lightman
khlightman@gmail.com
1992
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Lisa Kanter
lisa.kanter@ed.gov
1993
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Jessica Ellis
go2siena@hotmail.com
John Gates
class.notes@uvm.edu
Gretchen Haffermehl
ghaffermehl.uvm@gmail.com
1994
We didn’t receive a lot of news from the class of 1994 this time around. I hope that is due to everyone spending their free time making reservations and plans for our 15th year reunion, June 4-7 at UVM! Class of 1994 updates for this issue are brief, but good news. Jody Hauser and Jay Murphy welcomed their second son, William Hauser Murphy, into the family on November 7, 2008. William, big brother Nate, and their parents are all doing well in San Francisco. Jessica Knight Hansen and her husband also welcomed their second son. Caleb Hansen was born on October 28, 2009. He joins his big brother Alex in the family’s Guilford, Connecticut, home. Amy Boudreau wrote that she will graduate with distinction with an MD/PhD in June 2009 from the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science. She won’t know where she will go for her residency until March, but her plan is to train in neuroscience research with clinical training in psychiatry. Her PhD was in basic neuroscience research and cocaine addiction. Our class president Narric Rome has taken on the role of president of the new Vermont State Society, an organization of friends of Vermont in the Washington, D.C., area. They held an inaugural reception in January for all those traveling down from Vermont and Vermonters living in the area. The Vermont Congressional delegation (Leahy, Sanders and Welch) and former Governor Dean all attended and a growing number of Vermont businesses donated food and refreshments, including Magic Hat and Ben & Jerry’s. If you are interested in becoming a part of the Vermont State Society in the Washington, D.C., area, please check out the website www.vtss.org. I hope you all had a great winter, and I especially hope to see you all and catch up more at our fifteen-year reunion, June 4-7, 2009.
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Abby Atkinson O’Brien
abbyao@sbcglobal.net
1995
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Valeri Pappas
vpappas@davisandceriani.com
1996
We hope you are all enjoying a lovely spring, wherever this issue of VQ may find you. Send us your latest news. We love to hear from you! Susan Mercure Slysz and her husband Robert welcomed their second child, Nataly Helene Slysz, on November 4, 2008. She wrote, “She’s just adorable, and she smiles all the time.” Susan also let us know that Cathy Little Casey and her husband, Jim, welcomed a new son into their family on April 29, 2008. Soon after his birth, the family moved to Enfield, New Hampshire. She wrote, “Big sister Grace, age 2, is so proud.” Tina North and her husband, Jason, also welcomed their second child, a son, Zachary, on October 16, 2008. The family had just moved back to New England, making their home in Bristol, New Hampshire. She wrote, “Big sister Zoe just loves Zachary.” John Fanning and his wife Tonya welcomed their second child, Elsie Jeanne, into the world on September 11, 2008. Their two-year-old son, Noah, has found his new best friend. The family is still “living the dream” in the Atlanta area. Dana Niles and his wife Nancy are proud to announce the birth of their third son, Lucas Driscoll, on July 31, 2008.
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Michelle Richards Peters
mpeters@eagleeyes.biz
Jill Cohen Gent
jcgent@roadrunner.com
1997
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Elizabeth Carstensen Genung
lee@dunhamroad.com
1998
Tom Woodruff and wife Carrie welcomed their second child, Addison Olivia, into the family on November 7, 2008. All are healthy and happy. Alena Mernicky DuBois wrote that she married Jarret DuBois of Addison, Vermont, on September 13, 2008. Jarret is a Merrimack College grad. They were married at Sugarbush in Warren,Vermont, atop the Superbravo chairlift. Family and friends were there for the celebration, including Adriane Cross Trout, the only UVM’er present. Alena and Adriane both work at GE Healthcare in Burlington and reside in South Burlington.
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UVM Alumni Relations
411 Main Street
Burlington, VT 05401
class.notes@uvm.edu
1999
Matt Smith and his wife, Kate, welcomed their son, Carter Matthew, into the family on June 26, 2008. Andrea Goodwin Van Inwegen and her husband announced the birth of their first child, Joshua Dylan, on May 9, 2008. Joshua came in weighing 9lbs and 4.6oz and measuring 21 3/4 inches!
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Sarah Pitlak
spitlak@hotmail.com
2000
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Sara Kinnamon Fritsch
sarakfritsch@yahoo.com
2001
Hello, Class of ’01! I am sitting in Vermont as I write this, which seems so appropriate. It was a lovely negative five degrees on the way to the mountain this morning…don’t you miss it? I spent New Year’s Eve in Stowe with Carol Talisse and Erica MacConnell. Carol was visiting the East Coast from Chicago. Matt Branon made a guest appearance and was a dancing machine at the Rusty Nail, teaching us all the “Pop-n-lock.” In the morning, Erica participated in the Race For Kids at Stowe and of course, she came in first place. Mike Torney also raced and had an impressive performance. Regan Coffey Torney, and Mike’s beautiful wife, was there to cheer him on. Martin and Sarah Laidlaw Wilde are living in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, through the spring while Martin is playing hockey. They will head back to Burlington for the summer. Sarah and Martin started a new business manufacturing and selling Vermont made lawn games (www.PlayVKing.com). Be sure to get your set now. They do offer a UVM discount! In other news, Joseph Bertaccini and his wife Sonia welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Ariana Nicole, into the family in October. Leah Murphy Jones and her husband Keith welcomed their second son, Dean Kristopher, into the family on October 11, 2008. Big brother Owen was as thrilled as his parents were! Jill Hearty lives in New York City, and she let us know that she got engaged over the summer. Jill completed the 2008 New York Marathon and in doing so raised a substantial amount of money for The Foundation Fighting Blindness, a cause that is near and dear to so many of us. Eric Smith had a lot to report: “Andrew Nelson is living in New York City, taking extremely difficult classes and figuring out how to turn this financial situation around. Jeff Agne also lives in New York City. He works at AIG (probably the reason they needed to get bailed out), and he is newly ENGAGED! (Women across the nation wept.) Eric Fenton is married, living in D.C., and loving life. He works out a lot. Ian Hopper is still in L.A. and has a very attractive/cool girlfriend. Ian runs the show at Les Deux (the hotspot that Lauren C. went to all the time on the Hills). Jonathan Hayden (honorary member of the class of ‘01) is also in LA and just welcomed a new daughter into the family. He had a small role in “House Bunny” and can be seen in the latest Progressive commercial. Matt Dias is happily married, living in Boston, and getting better looking with age. Kip Edwards recently moved to Florida and is engaged. He is loving life in Fort Lauderdale. Ben Susman is going to Law School in Rhode Island. He is studying to be the “Lawyer of Sea.” Steve Martini is dominating commercial real estate in San Diego, skiing at lavish resorts, and having fun. Alex Thibadeau works in Solana Beach and is getting married in Cabo San Lucas this May, living the healthiest lifestyle of his life. Filiz Soyak got engaged in December and is living abroad. Cassie Walters is living outside of Boston. And finally…Eric Smith is working in San Diego, planning theme parties, and coaching one of the best youth lacrosse teams in the country. He is getting married this October. I need your help to keep our notes interesting, so please send updates to:
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Erin Wilson
ewilson41@hotmail.com
2002
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Jennifer Khouri
jenniferkhouri@yahoo.com
2003
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Jillian Giardina
jillian.giardina@gmail.com
2004
Hooray! Spring is here and, boy oh boy, is love in the air! We have an exciting engagement to announce! Michael Weand ‘03 proposed to Megan Makowsky on a moonlit Halloween night by carving out “Will you marry me” in a series of jack-o-lanterns! Who knew they taught pumpkin carving in Kalkin! They will be wed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in August 2009. Shannon Strenkert (‘04) let us know that she and Robert Lutomski, a 2003 graduate of RPI became engaged on December 14, 2008, at the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina. They had been living in Binghamton, New York, for the past two years, until they relocated to Greenville, South Carolina, last summer. Brian Murphy and Katie Kasarjian-Murphy (class of ‘06 secretary) were expecting a new addition to their family in March. They make their home in Copperas Cove, Texas. Maria Berglund let us know that, after spending a few years living in Utah and snowboarding as much as possible, she moved to Berlin, Germany, two years ago for an internship with an environmental policy institute. She is still in Berlin, working as a research assistant with the same firm and pursuing an M.S. in integrated natural resource management. Maria is looking forward to visiting Burlington when she comes home at Christmas, and she is excited about skiing at Jay Peak for the first time since she left UVM. Thomas Silman received a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown in 2006. He has been working at Mathematical Policy Research. I hope that everyone has made their travel arrangements for our Reunion June 4th-7th! I want to see everyone back at UVM so we can show Burlington what they have been missing! Please feel free to email me any updates you would like to share!
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Kelly Kisiday
kellykisiday@hotmail.com
2005
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Kristin Dobbs
kristindobbs@alumni.uvm.edu
2006
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Katie Kasarjian-Murphy
katherine.kasarjian@us.army.mil
2007
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Samuel Madden
samuel.madden@gmail.com
2008
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Emma Grady
gradyemma@gmail.com
Andrew Kehl
akehl@uvm.edu
