Class Notes

1960

Christina Gummere Laurie

In loving memory of Christina Laurie.

Christina Laurie celebrating her 80th Birthday.

1962

Pam Kinnicutt Motley

pamelamotley@msn.com Dick Pierpont writes that he and wife Leslie are busy and happy in their new lifestyle; a retirement community in Florida and their great cottage in Nova Scotia. “Hard to beat,” he says. Joan (Millar) Lincoln and her husband have been back in the United States for 8 years, following 43 years overseas. She admits that her learning curve about America continues to be quite steep. Issues such as race, materialism, partisanship, COVID and others continue to plague daily life as the world seems to slip into greater disarray. They have traveled a bit—to Switzerland to visit children and grandchildren and to the Baha’I World Center in Israel in November, where 600 gathered from every corner of the world. The four Kinnicutt siblings gathered in Falmouth, MA last September to spend some time together. Phil Kinnicutt ’59 and partner Marcia drove from Florida, visiting friends along the way. Val (Kinnicutt) Powell ’66 and husband David flew in from San Francisco. Hester (Kinnicutt) Jacobs ’69 and husband David drove across the country from Montana, with many stops along the way. We all enjoyed spending time together not involving a big life event, just hanging out. How can it possibly be 60 years since we were all at Bancroft?

Kinnicutt siblings: September 2021 Photo Left to Right: Valerie '66 & David Powell, Pam Motley '62, David & Hester Jacobs '69, Marcia Schoeller, Phil Kinnicutt '59

1963

Charlotte Millard Harrington

cwharrington4@comcast.net Stephen Josephs lives in Santa Barbara.

1969

Hester Kinnicutt Jacobs

djacobs@midrivers.com

In memory of Wendy Warner, a lifelong friend to many.

Sarah (Garfield) Berry: In the last year my investment company, The Berry Group, joined as partners in Moneta Group out of St Louis, a very happy affiliation. We remain in downtown Worcester which continues to grow and change with new activities. The two years of Covid related shutdowns has made the usual markers of event and time passing all one blur for many. Our various families remain well and happy, and my mom just turned 92 in excellent form. Salvation has been getting outdoors, particularly in summer. The Cuttyhunk Selectman hat I wear has kept me busy and I hope others have benefitted. Allen and I still live in Boylston, love his garden and land, and visit with various kids and grandchildren. I think we will all be glad to get off the hamster wheel of our confined social lives! Deborah Patterson: Paul and I are doing well and have been working remotely the last few weeks. I manage a small staff at the Land Court and strive to keep them and the public safe with the help of many others in the court system. I expect to be doing much less remote work soon and will be happy to see people other than on Zoom. I miss Worcester and every once in a while, drive in to shop at Ed Hyder’s Mediterranean Market on Pleasant Street because he’s got the best hummus anywhere! Lisa Piehler: Retired life keeps me busy. Half the year Dave and I enjoy my life on Browning Pond in Spencer, sharing it with the Boy Scouts at Treasure Valley and the monks at St. Joseph’s Abbey. Very peaceful and beautiful. The winter months we live in Key West which seems to easily transform me back to the hippie I was during our high school years! Both environments allow for the fun of walking, biking, swimming, hiking, etc. which I love. I feel blessed to have many wonderful and interesting friends and activities in both communities. My volunteer activities include

working in a Worcester women’s shelter and thrift store and picking up trash with the city of Key West volunteer clean-up crew. My part time work is taking medical cases and acting as a patient and providing feedback for the UMass medical school students. Dave and I travel extensively (we took a Covid hiatus) and already have a safari and Italian cruise on the calendar. My son and his family still live in Taiwan so as soon as restrictions are lifted, we’ll visit them. I have a granddaughter I have yet to hold. Skype is not even a second best. I, too, am mourning the unexpected death of Wendy Warner, who I considered a sister. Wendy’s passing has reminded me how fragile life is. Candace Harris Singer: Biggest news is I became a grandparent to a lively girl named Maia. My daughter and son-in-law left NYC early in the pandemic and have been living nearby, so we’ve kept a tiny bubble, first prevaccine with a pregnant daughter and then because of an unvaccinated baby. Amazing how much time has gone by without travel, eating out, and any socializing outside our bubble. We are fortunate to live on a bay (on Long Island, NY) facing glorious sunsets that bring daily joy. Our son is in Boston, soon to move to Seattle for a medical fellowship, so there will be plenty of cross-country travel in our future. With my father’s death a few years ago, the big 1840s house in Grafton was sold, fortunately to an enterprising young couple who have given it an amazing new life. Joan Wandrei Gong: My younger brother Steve Wandrei ’73 (Bancroft and Worcester Academy) passed away in December from cancer so the past 16 months involved too many trips in/out of the hospital and cancer center. Now we’re selling his property in Oxford (formerly my parent’s property) once we work through the Land Court (Hi Deb!). My husband and I are doing a lot of volunteer work—especially with the Tax-Aide program doing taxes for low- to moderate-income taxpayers. I also do some Medicare counseling. We too have a new grandson (my husband’s older son). Hopefully, we’ll have a chance to visit this spring/summer. Sue Stafford: Just before the shutdown in 2020, I had a chance reunion with classmates Lisa Piehler and Wendy Warner. We were attending a concert at Mechanics Hall by the men’s A capella group Chanticleer. I was so touched when Wendy told me she vividly remembered a story I wrote during a sophomore English class. It was a story I remembered too, one that wrote itself easily and that I enjoyed crafting it. Since Lisa told me that Wendy had died, her memory of that story became a remarkable gift from her, which I will treasure. This year has been an especially sad one as I marked the one-year anniversary of my mother’s death from Covid. And last June, my husband Jim Demetry passed away after a long illness. I’m very fortunate to have three wonderful stepdaughters and very supportive friends around me. I continue to sing in two choirs, raise and judge African Violets, garden in warm weather and shovel in the snow, and serve as a Precinct Warden in the town of Holden. I look forward to getting back to traveling in future months. Melinda (Dahart) Ladyzinski: John and I are enjoying life in NJ where we have lived for 25 years. John teaches business at NYU and I continue to run a bridal boutique named Elizabeth Johns, formed from the middle names of my three kids. We have two grandchildren that visit often and bring happiness and laughter. Two of our children live nearby in NJ and Manhattan and our youngest lives in Charlotte. We look forward to our annual family vacation each summer and we haven’t missed a year yet. During covid summers they were more like staycations but enjoyed, nevertheless. Life is good. Susan (White) McChesney: 2021 was quite the year: it started badly for me, with first the Insurrection at the Capitol shaking my faith in our Democracy, then a day later the shocking death of Wendy Warner, one of my two pandemic check-ins (every couple days), and a very dear friend since Bancroft days. Writing in zoom groups once or twice a week with the Amherst Writers and Artists method was one way I survived. I was seen and heard, in my pandemic isolation, and it made all the difference to this introverted solitary creative woman. I continue with that practice, while also studying Writing Fiction with the Great Smokies Writing Program and working on a novel. I write, I am a writer. We all are, in one form or another. I am still pressing flowers and creating art with them, using petals like strokes of paint. I am building a biz pressing and preserving “Special Occasion Bouquets”, 99% Bridal Bouquets. (I wish I’d been doing this when I had a bridal bouquet) Visit mcchesneyart.com/petalpassages. I made some significant changes last year. I moved from 20 years of rural living in single family dwellings to a small apartment in a renovated mill in town and began working part time at the gallery where I show my artwork. I am thrilled to be again in the company of my sons and grandchildren: grandsons are in Cincinnati 9 and 4 years old, and a granddaughter is here in Marshall NC, 9 months old. Life is good, though my missing of Wendy’s friendship and artistry is a big heart hurt, our loss is immense. Life. Count me in. Carry on. mcchesneyart. com@mcchesneyart Finalist, Our State Made in NC Awards 2021 Lorraine (Lind) Byrne: Covid has affected so much these last two years. It feels like spring after a long winter. We are re-booking our travel plans for the third time and hope to start exploring again soon. I was appointed to the local Zoning Board. The next meeting should be the last one by Zoom. I’m also on the Board for my college fraternity, and we’re making plans for three years’worth of Reunions to be held this May. Unbelievable that it will be our 50th next year! My husband and I are healthy and happy. My (middle-aged) kids are too far away to see much, in Kansas City and Florida, but we

Members of the Bancroft class of 1969 Left to Right: Lisa Piehler ’69, Sue Stafford ’69, and Wendy Warner ’69

manage a couple of times a year. Meanwhile, we walk and garden and I do family trees for friends and relatives. Life goes on. Frances Kumin: I have been in New York City for most of the pandemic. It was difficult when NYC was at the epicenter with very high infection rates, but even then, I managed to see friends for walks in Central Park or meals outside, sometimes in freezing temperatures. We New Yorkers are strong when we need to be. I am winding down a fulfilling career in nonprofit theater management and arts philanthropy by running a grant program designed to help nonprofit regional theaters to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive. I also volunteer as a mentor and a fundraiser for Students for Justice, an organization that involves mostly low-income students of color in a paid internship program to get out and vote and learn about aspects of political engagement. I am studying French, as preparation for a planned trip to France this summer. While some of what I learned in Monsieur Gautier’s class is coming back, it takes me much longer to relearn grammar and vocabulary at age 70 than it did to learn it for the first time decades ago. Just before Christmas, I met Carolyne Berkeley for an outing to the Hudson River Museum, where she is a docent. Not only was it great fun to catch up with Carolyne, but I enjoyed her perspective on the art we were viewing and the architectural features of the historic house owned by the museum. Joe Meigs: I’ve been happily retired and continue to live in Denver, Colorado with my wife, Susan Wood. Another year of COVID-19 has hampered our ability to do any traveling abroad. However, we did manage to get in a couple of trips here in the U.S. For one such trip, I was fortunate to be able to help a Vermont Academy classmate ferry his 28-foot Cape Dory trawler from the Florida Keys to Islesboro Island in Maine. I joined him in Annapolis, on the Chesapeake Bay and for the next 10 days we made our way north along the Eastern Seaboard. When we reached Massachusetts, we spent a night at the Cuttyhunk Island Marina, where I ran into Seth Garfield ’75 at his Raw Bar shop. We purchased two dozen oysters from Seth, along with a couple of 2-pound lobsters from the vendor next door, and we cooked up a memorable seafood dinner later that night. The next day, we made our way to Woods Hole, where I disembarked after meeting up with my sister, Sarah Meigs ’77, who lives in nearby Falmouth. My classmate then continued his trip up the New England coast to Islesboro, Maine where he planned to spend the summer. It was quite an adventure to say the least and something that I’d always wanted to do. Hester Kinnicutt Jacobs: David and I live a very quiet life outside our tiny rural town in Montana. The only travel since the last bulletin is to my daughter on the other side of the state near Missoula (7 ½ hour drive). I continue my volunteer work running our senior meal Tuesday night and doing class notes for my college class also. I am hoping travel opens up soon so we can go see my son and family in New Zealand. 2023 looks like a busy travel year with a niece’s wedding in Cancun, my college 50th in New London CT, and a sibling reunion (destination unknown currently). My memory of Wendy Warner is riding horses with her. Continue staying healthy and maybe we shall see you in 2024 for our 55th.

1972

Josephine Herron Truesdell

thehats@aol.com Adrian P Perschak: Ruth and I have sold our house and bought a condo instead. Since the new condo is still under construction, we will live at my brother Henry Perschak’s ’74 home for a few months until we can move in. We are very excited about and hope the Covid Situation will allow us to attend the 2022 reunion.

1973

Marcy Peterson Merzigian

mmerzigian@gmail.com Hello-hope all is well! It’s been quite a while since I submitted an update so I will attempt to condense this! Shortly after leaving my Kindergarten teaching role at Bancroft, I entered the HR field. I held multiple roles at several large retailers, the last being Home Depot. My husband and I moved from MA to NC then to Southern California where my oldest son was living with his young family. My youngest son moved to Northern CA with his family several years after. Between both of their families, we have 5 grandchildren - 2 girls and 3 boys ranging in age from 6 years to 9 months. During the pandemic, we had limited in-person visits however we were grateful for FaceTime! Last July, my husband and I retired and moved to Palm Desert CA to be closer to some of the grandchildren. We are having fun exploring the new aspects of retired life!

1984

David Bennett

dtbconsulting@metrocast.net Jim Condon: I am finishing my 3rd term on the Bancroft Board of Trustees and my time on the Executive Committee and as Chair of the Governance Committee. These last 2 years especially have been very crazy for all of us. But one bright light has been serving with Mary Halpin Carter ’83 on the Board. It has been great to work with Mary both in person and via Zoom. Her knowledge in and around independent schools has been an invaluable resource to the school and the Board.

Our family life, like I am sure many of you, has started to venture back out a bit, be it with facemasks either on our faces or in our pockets. We spent Christmas this year in Puerto Rico, for the first time in 3 years. Our youngest son, Ben, is a sophomore at Bancroft and just finished working on the sets and stage crew for the Spring Production, Lucky Stiff. A chip off the old block... except he did not swallow a nail, as I was reminded by fellow Board member, Khurston Ellia-Epple ’86. Our oldest son, Chris Condon ’19, is a junior at Bryant University and is working on landing a summer internship in the project management field. Isa is using her degrees in education and Spanish language skills as an interpreter for the Milford Public Schools. She finds it quite fulfilling, helping students and their families navigate the school system. As for me when I am not at school, I can be found working with Mark Wagner at Wagner Motors. It is hard to believe that it was 19 years ago I stopped by to help him with a 6-week project that has just kept growing. As they say, time flies when you are having fun. Or tending my bee hives.

My sister Becca (Condon) Zieminski ’86 and I started raising bees in our respective yards just as the pandemic began. It has been a lot of fun and caused us to learn an awful lot about these marvelous creatures. We have also learned how many others we know are raising bees, too. Mark Lundstrom ’86 has 9 hives and former Bancroft science teacher Jim Kamosky and his wife Rebecca Knapp have 8 hives and each has shared their knowledge and love of the hobby.

I hope everyone’s lives are starting to get back to “normal” and by next year, 2023, our 40th reunion, we will be able to get together for one heck of a celebration. Is there anyone who is interested in beginning to plan our 40th soiree? Best wishes for a healthy year and I look forward to reading your notes in the next Bulletin.

1989

Elizabeth O’Hearn Galvin

lizoheargalvin@gmail.com Chris Sharpe: I started a new gig as VP AMER GTM Operations for this neat company called UiPath. Very exciting. Ally (Goff) Sharpe ’90 is doing well and settled into private practice and working remotely from a new home office. Ally continues to serve on the board of directors for AFSP, in memory of her brother Douglas. My son Parker is doing well as a freshman at Montana State U in Bozeman, busy with classes and rock climbing. Ally and I had a chance to meet up with Erica Richards for lunch during parents’weekend in Bozeman in the fall, which was a treat. My daughter Ava is a freshman at Elon in NC, where she just joined a sorority and is enjoying her classes (and nice weather). Once again, we had a mini Bancroft reunion during Elon parents’ weekend where we met up with Libby (Nealon) Ridgley ’90 and her family! Her two boys are upperclassmen at Elon…small world for Bancroft alum!

1998

Samuel Kressler

sam@kressler.org

Submitted by Halley Allen and Abby Birdsall

Jim Deprez is the 2021 and 2022 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail! He didn’t get to run the race last year and is going this year. The third grade has been learning about the Iditarod and Jim is going to Zoom with the class!

2003

Benjamin Yood

jamie.yood@gmail.com Ariane Lenis Salmon

ariane.lenis@gmail.com Ariane Lenis Salmon: Bill and I welcomed our second daughter into our family this past November, Rose Charlotte Salmon. She is the sweetest baby we could have ever hoped for, and Maddy is the best big sister!

2005

Hannah F. Holdstein

hannah.holdstein@gmail.com

Sarah E. Allen

sarahelliottallen@gmail.com Dave Gerhardt: We now live in Burlington, Vermont after living in Boston for a decade with our kids Annie (5) and Sam (3). This summer we will celebrate my Mom’s retirement after 42 years at Bancroft—you might know her as Coach but my kids know her as Gaga!

2011

Solon Kelleher

solon.kelleher@gmail.com

Courtney Ordway

courtney.ordway@outlook.com Courtney Ordway: By December 2022, I will have completed my master’s degree in education from Southern New Hampshire University. I just recently adopted a puppy named Ace (Corgi). Over the summer I was able to go to Polar Park a few times between the Bancroft event and with Eryl MacConnell ’12.

Ariane Lenis Salmon ’03 with husband Bill and daughters Rose Charlotte and Maddy.

2021 and 2022 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail Jim Deprez ’98.

Eryl MacConnell ’12 and Courtney Ordway ’11 at Polar Park

guillermocreamer@gmail.com

Dana (Spencer) Larsen

dana.w.spencer@gmail.com Dana (Spencer) Larsen: Aidan Larsen and I were legally married in a tiny backyard ceremony in May 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic threw a major wrench in our wedding planning. However, we were thrilled to be able to celebrate our wedding/one-year anniversary with several Bancroft friends in May 2021!

2014

Isabella Tropeano

isabellamtropeano@gmail.com Neelu Mohaghegh moved back home in the Worcester area during COVID. Since then she has opened up a cafe called Fuel America located at 100 Grove Street. It is the perfect place to meet with friends, have a work meeting, or host a small event. Come on down to check it out!

2018

Philip Onffroy

pronffroy@gmail.com

Megha Shashidhar

megha_shashidhar@yahoo.com Philip Onffroy: I was recently accepted to Stanford University’s Chemical Engineering PhD program, which I will be starting in fall 2022 after graduating from Bucknell University in May. My research to date has focused on plastic processing, recycling, and sustainable material development, most recently developing bio-based foam alternatives to styrofoam. At Stanford, I plan to continue my research into sustainable biopolymer innovations and to get involved in Palo Alto’s startup culture.

2019-20

Maxwell Onffroy

maxwellonffroy@gmail.com

Submitted by Elisa Heinricher

Patrick (Aodhagan) Leach ’19 and Max Onffroy ’20 are two former Robodogs who are now the President and Vice President respectively of the Society of Mechanical Engineers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

From Left to Right: Keely Sullivan ’12, David Kapaon ’12, Dana (Spencer) Larsen ’12, Molly Shea ’12, Peter Baker ’12, and Karlie Fitzgerald ’12.