16 minute read
Class Notes
’GB
SUSAN CONANT HOLDEN ’GB writes: “Still busy trying to keep up with my children and grandchildren. And my various patriotic societies. I periodically call Barbara Bond Nutt ’47, who was my roommate when I was at Bement. I have enjoyed being involved in the Pen Pal Program, corresponding with a fifth-grade student. It has been a delightful experience and fun learning about Bement today.”
Keep in Touch!
Recent marriage? Exciting adventure? New baby? Visited with fellow alums?
Keep your classmates updated on the latest happenings in your life. To submit news, you can visit bement.org/alumni or contact us via phone or email. Phone 413.774.3021 Email alumni@bement.org
CONSTITUENCY CODES*
’GB Alumna/us from Grace Bement era (1925–1947) ’00 Alumna/us Class Year TT Trustee PTT Past Trustee HOS Head of School FHS Former Head of School P Parent GP Grandparent FA Current Faculty or Staff PF Past Faculty or Staff FR Friend of Bement
*Constituents are listed with their Bement affiliation following each name. For example, JOHN SMITH ’72, PF means that John is an alum from the class of 1972 and is a past faculty.
1950s
SUZIE COMINS MEIJERINK ’51
stopped by to Suzie Comins visit in June. Meijerink ’51 She’d love to connect with any classmates or those in surrounding years! If you’d like to be in touch, please email alumni@bement.org and we will connect you. Suzie remembers making butter in kindergarten, when Grace Bement was the head of school. She went on to the grammar school and came back to Bement for 7th and 8th grades, when Kay Bartlett and Gug Drexler were heads. ROBERTA FINVER ’52 stopped by the dorms in May and chatted with MINJI CHO ’12, FA and CARLIN TINDALL FA and recalled the goats on campus. NICHOLAS HAYES ’55 visited campus for the first time in 60 years with his partner, Sheila.
Elizabeth (Lee) Harding Williams ’55
ELIZABETH (LEE) HARDING WILLIAMS ’55
writes: “I am now living in Alexandria, VA, but hopefully before the year ends I will be back in Tulsa, OK, where my son, my grandkids, and a lot of my friends live. I have a new email: Marbleheadtutu@gmail.com. With love to all at Bement. It was important in my life.”
1960s
SKIP HINE ’67 writes: “I published a book that is the result of positive feedback from my Facebook postings and the encouragement to compile these photographs and stories. It took me 14 months to rescan images, write the copy, and lay out the design. My story reflects on my years in school and my ultimate destination,
Skip Hine ’67
NYC—a career that lasted more than 45 years, starting as an assistant and ultimately running my own studio. The photographs are from my advertising, corporate, and personal work, all giving me the opportunity to travel the world. Most of the images have their own backstory describing what actually happened while working with a crew, models, athletes, celebrities, and executives. Many of them are funny, even if it was at my own expense. There are also outtakes and group photos to show how many talented people are involved in making every photograph successful. It is available for purchase through my website, skiphine.com.”
JAMES COCHRANE ’67 writes: “Living in Connecticut and Florida. Would love to hear from all during my Bement days in the early to mid-’60s.”
1970s
CYNTHIA (TINTI) WHITE ROSSINI ’70
writes that she moved to Greenwich, CT, and retired in July 2021. “Send me an email if you are in the area: Tinti2541@gmail.com.”
Cynthia (Tinti) White Rossini ’70
PHIL ROOSEVELT ’71 lives in New York and works as a writer and editor.
KATE READE ROSENBLATT ’73 writes: “My husband, Josh, and I are happily retired and have lived in Easthampton, MA, for a whopping 20 years now. We enjoy a less frenetic pace of life to be sure. Happily, we are very near our young granddaughter, who delights us with each and every smile and new word! When not at home we’re often at our family’s historic house on Martha’s Vineyard. We enjoy taking drives up the Valley and driving through Historic Deerfield, my hometown. Seeing Bement brings back so many wonderful memories! I look forward to the next Bement alumni gathering!”
Phil Barreda ’82 and son
1980s
PHIL BARREDA ’82 writes: “I continue to work as a full-time maritime cargo insurance adjuster for Seaboard Marine Ltd., and things are going well. After two difficult years working from home, I am finally back to the office full time. Had a great Father’s Day with my (now 15-year-old) son, Victor, who is a 10-year leukemia survivor. He started his freshman year last year, and my wife and I are proud of him for being a straight-A high school student. He recently made nationals in a debate competition. I’m now 55 years old, and I took three months off to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. During this time, I took time to do a lot of writing and a lot of meditating.” DAKKAN ABBE ’85 came to campus in the fall to direct a video for Bement’s Annual Fund about “opening doors at Bement.” As an alum, he was able to capture the great moments that happen every day on campus. Dakkan’s film company, Trivium Films, is now based in Northampton, MA. DEB HILLS ’88 writes: “I’m living in Dover, MA, with my husband and two teenage daughters (8th and 10th grades). I am currently in between jobs and enjoying spending time with my family. My daughters play a lot of basketball, so we are regularly found shuttling between tournaments on the weekends.”
1990s
ELY BUENO ’91 and
TINA BRLETICH ’91
write: “Tina traveled two hours from her coastal Florida home to see Ely when she visited Orlando this past December. Our friendship that we forged at Bement, only a few years ago, is still going strong!” HEATHER MCGHEE ’94, an author and activist, visited with Head of School Mike Schloat at the TABS conference last fall 2021, where Heather was the keynote speaker. NICHOLAS READ ’94 shared that he has many fond memories of his time at Bement as a boarding student in Barton House in fourth and fifth grades, telling Bement Admission Assistant Michelle Conant that it was “the best two years of my life. Bement was so warm and home-like, and it molded me in lifelong ways.” REBECCA POND ’95 writes: “I hope all is well with the Class of 1995 and beyond. I’m doing well in Watertown, MA, having survived a rocky two years, and I changed jobs twice in the meantime. I left Tripadvisor in 2020, joined Facebook (Meta) for a short time, then took some time off. After looking far and wide at numerous companies, I am working at Tripadvisor again. I see my sister AMY (SNOW) ’92 and her family quite regularly, and I get to Western Massachusetts to visit my parents (Nancy and David) in Greenfield. I keep in regular touch with ALEC BARDZIK ’95,
Ely Bueno ’91 and Tina Brletich ’91 Mike Schloat HOS, P’24 ’25 and Heather McGhee ’94
CAROLINE HAINES ’04, TT, and SHELLEY BORROR JACKSON FHS, P’00 as well. I had the opportunity to catch up with Shelley at TELL WHITE’S ’GB, PTT service earlier this year. I was grateful to attend Tell’s beautiful memorial service. He had become a good friend, and has been an inspiration to me in countless ways. His spirit will no doubt live on at Bement forever.” DREW CATANESE ’97 visited campus last fall when he traveled to his reunion at Suffield Academy.
2000s
SALLY EKUS ’00 is the co-owner and lead agent at The Ekus Group. She writes: “For the past 40 years, The Ekus Group has listened to the heartbeat of the culinary industry and adjusted to its changes, providing successful PR, literary, media training, and talent services. On its 40th anniversary, the agency’s innovation is on display once more as it welcomes new leadership, a name change, and its newly created self-paced online cookbook writing course: How to Write a Cookbook: A Course on Pitches, Proposals, and Publishing by The Ekus Group. To learn more about The Ekus Group, visit www.EkusGroup.com.”
MIKE SILIPO ’04 writes: “I have spent the past year working as the associate head coach at Boston University for the men’s lacrosse program. This is my sixth year with the program, and right now we are #14 in the country and 7–1. I live in Charlestown with my fiancée, Jess. We are getting married in Newport, RI, on August 6. Wishing everyone in the Bement community a wonderful 2022.”
Sally Ekus ’00 and mom, Lisa Ekus P’00 ’04
Mike Silipo ’04
JILL ’06, JOANNA ’06, and JUSTINE ’04 PASIECNIK Jill Pasiecnik writes: “I’m currently living in Los Angeles and am an associate producer for a podcasting company, AYR Media. I’ve been working in podcast development and producing for a few years now, and I love it. I’m excited to be able to run our family’s farmstand this summer with my sisters, though of course there’s a lot I can’t do from L.A., so I visit when I can. Joanna is in Atlanta and is an editor at a TV network and the producer of J and J Productions, a production company we started together. Justine is in Deerfield and works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is, admittedly, doing most of the work for the farmstand. We loved our time at Bement, so we’re always happy to share what’s going on with us anytime.”
ANDY (TSZ CHIU) CHAN
’06 writes: “I recently published a book in January titled Dynamic Andy (Tsz Chiu) Chan ’06 Balance. It was ranked a #1 New Release on Amazon. www.tszchiu.com.” SAM BELCHER ’07 married Rachel Frenkil on June 25, 2022, at the Seven Hills Inn in Lenox, MA. Among those in attendance with Bement ties were his parents, Dave FA and Sue; his
Sam Belcher ’07
good friends HOWIE HARRISON ’92, DAN ’01, FA, and RACHEL BENSEN; and his best man,
JEFF GREEN ’07.
Jack Gobillot ’07
JACK GOBILLOT ’07 shared that after living in Maine and Brooklyn over the past decade, he returned to Bement this year, coached boys soccer in the fall, gave snowboard lessons in the winter, and has worked on the residential life team throughout the year as an adjunct dorm parent. When he’s not on campus, Jack works as a freelance writer, playwright, and fi lmmaker, and he lives just down the road in Wapping with his partner and two cats.
WILL HENRY ’07 and Sharon Lee celebrated their marriage on July 30, 2022, in New Hampshire. Attendees
included ELI JARVIS FA and HANNAH DANCER FA.
Will Henry ’07
2010s
MAKAI MASON ’10 visited campus over Thanksgiving break 2021. YURI LEE ’12 is in her second year of dental school at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. She will graduate in 2024. WILDER MCCOY ’12 is three weeks away from fi nishing an MSc in water management and governance in the Netherlands. He recently took a job working for Climate Fund Managers, the world’s largest blended fi nance facility currently raising money to leverage more investment into the water sector globally. He says: “The work is simultaneously challenging and impactful. I hope to continue the work abroad and build off these experiences.”
JONATHAN FRIEDMAN ’12 writes: “After working in the culinary industry for two years, I attended the Greystone campus of the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, CA. I competed in a food and wine pairing competition, bASH 2019, and earned fi rst place for People’s Choice. While in school, I worked for a Michelin Bib Gourmand Italian restaurant, Cook St. Helena. In 2019, I completed my internship at the Westchester Country Club in Rye, NY, and the chef offered me a position upon completion of my associate degree in 2020. From November 2020 to April 2021, I worked at the Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky, MT, as the sleigh ride dinner chef. I have returned to the Culinary Institute of America, this time at the main campus in Hyde Park. I am pursuing a bachelor’s degree in food business administration with a concentration in wine and beverage management. My long-term goal is to return to Massachusetts to open a restaurant within seven years.”
SHANYIN YANG ’13, YUEQI DU ’13, EDDY E ’14, and JIMMY ZHANG ’15 visited campus in December. Shanyin graduated this spring from Boston University with a master’s in public health. She will remain in Boston and work as an epidemiologist at a nonprofi t organization.
SOWON KANG ’14 and MINJU LEE ’14 visited campus and the dorms in April. BEN MICHALAK ’14 writes: “I returned to the Bement community last August as a Blydenburgh dorm parent with my girlfriend, Romy, who works as a dorm parent in Haas House. It’s been lovely to get to know a new generation of Bement students and have a part in both their experience and their development. The Blydenburgh boys were an energetic bunch this past year, but we had a lot of fun. A personal highlight was playing pickup baseball in the common room with a stick and balled-up T-shirt. Looking forward to when they come back in the fall! Outside Bement, I am currently pursuing a master’s in professional writing at NYU. I also moonlight as the drummer for a Baltimore post-punk band called Welsh Commons.”
NAILAH BARNES ’15 recently graduated from Spelman College summa cum laude and as a valedictorian of her class. Next up, Nailah will continue her work as a curator, researcher, and educator in Dakar, Senegal, as a Fulbright research grant recipient. She is also a Pulitzer Reporting Fellow and will investigate questions of race, gender, and nationality at the 59th Venice Biennale in fall 2022. She also still directs her nonprofi t, The Brains with Beauty Project (www.brainswithbeauty.org). BEN PLAGER ’16 is entering his senior year at Seton Hall University, where he is majoring in sports management. He has spent the past summer working at Adventure Camp at The Bement School with fellow classmate JASON COOPER ’16. This summer he will intern for Fox Sports. NOAH BURSTEIN ’16 is studying political science and is a captain of the wrestling team at Davidson College in Charlotte, NC. This summer he is working at BlackRock in their Princeton offi ce.
Nailah Barnes ’15
ISOBEL MACKINNON ’16 and LAUREN SOLZAK ’16 visited campus in December. ELVIN SHUM ’17 writes from Yale University: “Although I’m quite fi lled up with schoolwork and clubs, I’m overall doing well down here in New Haven!”
ZOE MIRANDA-SOUSA ’17 completed her second year at Florida State University, where she is majoring in psychology.
ADAM SUSSBAUER ’17 writes: “Sophomore year at Wesleyan has been super busy. I just declared my environmental studies and
environmental science linked major. I’m taking on a leadership role on my Ultimate Frisbee team in our attempts to make it to college DIII Nationals for the second time this year. I’m also in my second semester of working on a tech crew at Wesleyan, building sets and doing sound/lighting for theater and dance shows.’’
AUDREY JOHNSON ’18
and BEN BENSEN
P’86 ’91 ’98
’01 ’02, PF at Northampton High School’s production of Mamma Mia! Audrey had a lead role.
CAMRYN HOWE ’18 won the Deerfield Cup at Deerfield Academy’s commencement this year. ALICE LIU ’19 organizes online English discussion classes. She plans on donating the proceeds from this class to BN Vocational School, a tuition-free, nonprofit charitable vocational school that helps young people of underprivileged backgrounds realize better futures by providing them with quality and relevant vocational education. She also thinks this is a great opportunity to share her English-learning experience. GABE ZACCHEO ’19, a recent graduate of Deerfield Academy, founded the Hidden Canvas Mural Project (hiddencanvasmurals.com), which installs murals and wall art on buildings in Greenfield, MA. Having seen public art displayed all over the world, Gabe saw the benefits of a mural project and wanted to
Ben Bensen P’86 ’91 ’98 ’01 ’02, PF and Audrey Johnson ’18
Camryn Howe ’18
Alice Liu ’19 Gabe Zaccheo ’19
bring it to his hometown. Gabe graduated from Deerfield Academy this spring and will attend Northeastern University in the fall.
ANGEL ZHOU ’19
visited campus this spring. She recently graduated from Deerfield Academy and plans to spend one year at UC Santa Barbara before attending Cornell University in 2023. Angel Zhou ’19 She recently met up with MEI MEI XUE ’19, who will be attending Princeton University in the fall.
2020s
MEGAN HO ’20 and SEBASTIAN KLEM ’20 visited campus on their fall long weekend.
JONNY and CORI SCAGEL ’21 are enjoying life up the street at Deerfield Academy. Both played varsity soccer as ninth graders. Cori won MVP on the JV basketball team. Jonny led his team as point guard on the thirds basketball team. Both played lacrosse this spring and made the honor roll. ANNIKA SONG ’22 cheered on Bement squash and basketball teams at Williston Northampton this winter, including her brother, WILLIAM ’25, and SKYLER JEON ’22. In the spring, she
visited campus with ALYSSA MATRICCIANI ’22, who wrote: “I am really enjoying Williston. I miss everyone so much.” AMY GE ’21 attended Bement’s alumni event in May and mentioned that she was published in the New York Times for an article she submitted as part of the paper’s student STEM writing contest. Her piece was titled “Dry Nasal Covid-19 Vaccines: A Pain- and Needle-Free Alternative.” She attends Governor’s Academy near Boston, MA. ANUVA KOLLI ’21 writes: “Loomis has been amazing, especially with COVID restrictions loosening up. My friends, academics, and extracurriculars have all been awesome. I really enjoy that Loomis is the perfect balance of competitiveness, and the student body size is perfect for me. I’ve gotten into debate and Model UN, and I restarted and currently lead Loomis’s South Asian Society, an affinity space for South Asians on campus. I’m also a president of a large organization on campus called PRISM (People Rising in Support of Multiculturalism). We hold conversations and events on race, and meet with the head of school as well as the board of trustees to give our input on diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus. I’ve also continued with cross country, and I’m in our school’s acapella group called Acapelicans.”
BILL ZHOU ’22 visited campus and the dorms this spring. He just finished his first year at Loomis Chaffee.
