Receptions

2022 Tokyo, Japan ALUMNI RECEPTION

Farida Rahman ’68 and Mari Oka ’68

On the evening of September 29, 2022, a buzz of excitement filled the air around Meiji Kinenkan as ASIJ alumni, alumni parents, and former faculty from around Japan gathered for a very special alumni event: ASIJ’s 120th Anniversary Reception. Our room on the second floor of the elegant Minato-ku venue was lit in soft gold light as a nod to our school colors, and displays of historic ASIJ artifacts around the room added to the celebratory mood. As community members entered the room, they were delighted by a slideshow of photos from throughout the school’s history, all the way from 1902 to the present, and conversation built around the centerpieces of the event, a giant golden daruma on the stage and an elaborate black and gold anniversary cake near the podium.

The event kicked off with warm welcome addresses from Head of School Jim Hardin, Director of Advancement Clive Watkins, and Director of Strategic Partnerships Ryosuke Suzuki, with Alumni Council President Deanna Elstrom ’86 leading the group in a toast. Current theater manager David Neale led a heartening chorus of “Happy Birthday, Dear ASIJ,” and Lungwen Kang ’83 and Asmita Barua ’96 kindly volunteered to cut the cake, which was later enjoyed by all. Alumni Council Alumni Award Committee Co-Chair Buddy Marini ’85 chats with Jonathan Haggan ’90

Kamalavani Thota (AP ’16–21), Jyoti Chaturvedi (AP ’17–21), Linda Panchmia (AP ’13–21), Japan Center Co-Director Mariko Yokosuka

Egan Sadler ’19, Zenon Sadler ’19

With guests representing the impressive diversity of the alumni community, it’s no wonder the event was a huge success. Alums from the Classes of ’65 through ’21 mingled and conversed, reuniting with old friends and classmates and making new connections throughout the evening. “I truly enjoyed meeting alumni of different generations,” shared Farida Rahman ’68. We were also excited to have six additional members of the Alumni Council in attendance alongside Deanna: Peter Durfee ’88 and Joseph Schmelzeis ’80 representing the Alumni Giving Committee, Minako Abe ’88 and Buddy Marini ’85 representing the Alumni Award Committee, and Eri Sumino ’14 and Nina Yamano ’95 representing the Alumni Connect Committee.

Another highlight of the evening was the chance for alumni to reconnect with their teachers, and for former faculty to reunite with their colleagues from years passed. In attendance at Meiji Kinenkan were former faculty members Yukiko Kawasaki (FF ’16–18), Connie Shimizu (FF ’77–11, AP ’85–94, ’95–96, ’00–05), and Tomoki Shimizu (FF ’88–93, AP ’85–94, ’95–96, ’00–05), former Director of Admissions, former Interim Director of Advancement and former Board Chair, Mary Margaret Mallat (FF ’08–21, AP ’98–13), and well-loved former Transportation Manager Steve Mita (FF ’65–12, AP ’89–05). Long-serving current faculty members David Neale, who taught middle and high school drama and film for almost 20 years, and Jody Fuller, who teaches elementary school music also attended.

Naomi Wakatake ’79, Amy Boyd Hirao ’78, Atsuko Koshida ’77

Yuhka Mera ’81, Momoko Cunneen ’05, Lisa Hayakawa ’07, Phillip Vincent ’07

Current faculty members Jody Fuller and Anita Gesling (AP ’09–22) catch up with Steve Mita (FF ’65–12, AP ’89–05) Robert Fujita ’13, Dean Aizawa ’12, Alto Ono ’14

As the evening came to a close, many alumni lingered, exchanging business cards and contact information with newly-formed connections and planning future meetups with old friends. The smiles on the faces of everyone in attendance as they rounded out the night marked a successful first Tokyo alumni reception in two years.

More information about next year’s event will be available in summer 2023. We hope to see you there! For more events in Tokyo in the interim, please visit our Tokyo alumni group at the QR code below.

Jonathan Haggan ’90 and Victor Yamaguchi ’90

Mari Segawa ’92, Arshad Karim ’92, Kay Kinyama ’92 Alumni Council Alumni Connect Committee Member Eri Sumino ’14

A special ASIJ 120 cake was made for the event, complete with a shockingly accurate fondant logo

Lungwen Kang ’83 and Asmita Barua ’96 cut the ASIJ 120 cake

Dorothy Schmelzeis (AP ’76–81) with her son Joseph Schmelzeis ’80, Alumni Council Giving Committee Member

Kendra Morgenstern (AP ’03–20), Fred Morgenstern ’83 (AP ’03–20), David Lee ’86, Rida Sadler ’86 (AP ’09–10), Deane Saddler (AP ’09–10)

Dean Aizawa ’12 chats with Hitomi Hattori ’83 (AP ’98–15) Parthasarathy Thota (AP ’16–21)

Former Board Chair (2004–07) Mary Margaret Mallat (FF ’08–21, AP ’98–13) with Director of Giving Claire Lonergan

Alexander Shumway ’10 and Shuchismita Basu ’12 check out the historic school display

2022 New York City, New York ALUMNI RECEPTION

Bob Noddin (AP ’10–22), Chair of ASIJ Board of Directors and Board of Trustees

Photography by Yumi Matsuo Studio

Ellie Reidenbach ’22, Julia Neely ’21, David Bass ’21, Ryan Ondo ’22, Mina Ohashi ’21, Asa Ohira ’20, Jetisha Edwards ’21, Amberly Yang ’21

Lance Stuart, Jessie Furness ’75, Jeff Zavattero ’83 (AP ’09–11), Nathan Westby ’83 After a two-year break, the ASIJ Alumni Office was thrilled to once again host alumni, alumni parents, former faculty and friends at our annual community reception. We were delighted to once again be able to provide an enjoyable evening for reuniting with old friends and classmates, reminiscing about ASIJ and Tokyo, and making new connections with community members in the region.

The reception was held on Saturday, October 8 at the Harvard Club of New York, conveniently located in midtown Manhattan just outside of Times Square. Almost 200 community members joined Director of Advancement Clive Watkins and Alumni Coordinator Miranda Liu for an unforgettable event—as both Clive and Miranda joined ASIJ during the past two years, neither had had the chance to meet in person with US-based alumni, and they were both delighted to finally be able to speak face-to-face with so many community members. The presence of Bob Noddin, Chair of the Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees, Scott Wilcox, Deputy Head of School for Learning, and Amy Zuber Meehan, High School Principal, made the evening even more special.

Christopher Young ’06, Mari Richardson ’06, Sho Ohno ’06

Alumni from across the decades were in attendance, from the Class of ’53 to our recent Class of ’22 grads, with a large number of current college students and recent graduates joining us from not just the TriState area but other schools along the East Coast. We were delighted to host former faculty members Vera Adams (FF ’06–17, AP ’08–17), Vicky Downs (FF ’59–99, AP ’69–84), Barbara Laffan (FF ’66–67, AP ’66–67) and former Middle School Principal Scott Adams (FF ’05–17, AP ’08–17).

The event was filled with laughter, smiles, and hugs, with exclamations of delight as old friends and classmates were reunited for the first time in years punctuating the evening. “I had a great time,” shared Tom Cavanaugh ’80, “My highlight was meeting with Jonathan Cohen ‘80, a classmate I hadn’t seen since we graduated 42 years ago.” Similar comments came from across the generations. “I had a lot of fun, and it was great to reconnect with my old classmates,” Saki Ohashi ’16 shared.

Jack Latimore ’18 with his father Timothy Latimore (AP ’10–18) Joji Tokita ’94, Chika Hayashi ’94, Lisa Asari ’94, Katharine Dow, John Pette ’94

Dean Hane ’19, Brandon Tatis, Hana Schulz ’19, Tanya Jackson ’16, Isabel Bosch ’19, Sofia Bosch ’16

Marley Stubban, Nathan Lorentz ’12, Takuma Riordan ’13, Drogin James ’13, Yumi Matsuo ’07, Patrick O’Hearn ’07, Emiko Yoshii ’09 Eric Downs 84 with Vicky Downs (FF ’59–99, AP ’69–84)

Abby Estes, Collin Howe ’16, Chris Legaspi ’08, Yumi Matsuo ’07, Lexi Howe ’18

We were also thrilled to have several members of the Alumni Council present, with Lara Tilley-Bouez ’01, Max Taffel ’04, and Chair Paul Hastings ’00 (AP ’19–20) representing the Alumni Giving Committee and David Leslie ’03 representing the Alumni Connect Committee. “The event was fantastic,” Paul, who attended with his wife Debbie Wissel ’99 (AP ’19–20), commented.

As the evening came to a close, many groups began to gather for their own nijikai (after parties) with old teammates or in decade groups, once again reminding us of the wonderfully interconnected, warm and welcoming nature of the ASIJ alumni community.

We look forward to hosting another round of receptions in Tokyo and the United States in the near future. We hope to see you there!

For more alumni events in New York, please join our Alumni Connect: New York LinkedIn group with the QR code to the left!

Michael Thornton ’06, Jon Staff, Natalie Bowlus ’04, Max Taffel ’04 Hanano Watanabe ’04, Aleya Brahmachary ’04, Cynthia Maasry ’04, Grace Natale ’99

Rod McVeigh ’70, David Narazaki ’75, Jessie Furness ’75, Ko Koto ’78, Alma Guimarin ’72, Brooke Laffan ’78, Victoria Harnik ’73, Susan Yamaguchi ’73