20 minute read
Class Notes
CLASSNOTES
COMPILED BY MIKE KENNEDY ’99
For Alumni, Career Resources for a Lifetime
Brunswick Career Center: Five years in, a vast array of ’Wick alumni and parents are gladly volunteering their expertise and mentorship to Brunswick alumni as they launch and manage their careers.
By Katherine Ogden
DAYS BEFORE GRADUATING from Brunswick School back in 2018, young Caleb Osembor, then 18, was selected as a No. 1 teen-to-watch by his hometown monthly, Stamford Magazine.
Featured as a “Dream Teen” in the magazine’s annual homage to teen talent, Caleb told the magazine that his career goal, at that time, was to combine his education with his love for filmmaking to one day lead a major production or entertainment company.
Today, Caleb is on the verge of collecting a hard-earned degree from Georgetown University, and will shortly be testing out his dreams in the new world of work and adulthood. As he began to contemplate his future beyond school, Caleb found it was Brunswick, and specifically the
Brunswick Career Center, where he found the tools and resources for the decidedly distinct endeavor of finding meaningful work.
The result is his first job: Osembor accepted an offer to serve as a private equity analyst at L Catterton in Greenwich. He is thrilled to return to his old stomping grounds in Connecticut, and he credits the invaluable help of Director of Career Service Paige Montinaro (P ’15, ’18) and a Career Center Panel that included Scott A. Dahnke (P ’17, ’19, ’26) for helping him find his way.
“Every step of the way, Mrs. Montinaro was available,” Osembor said. “She was really invested in helping me.”
Five years after its inception, the Brunswick Career Center has become a hive of activity for alumni of all ages, not just for 20-somethings beginning their careers but also those who might
The Brunswick Career Center — under the direction of Paige Montinaro P ’15, ’18 (below) and with the mentorships of alumni including Jimmy Ritman ’94 (left) — has been hosting Career Day each spring, most recently in April, as every student in the senior class visits an industry of his choice to learn more about the professional world.
find themselves embarking on new adventures in the middle of their careers or beyond.
The Center is, though, a special resource for recent college graduates in particular, a group whose path to a career of meaning and purpose — not to mention paying the bills — is often laden with a bit of trial and error, with new learning about how to communicate with employers, and with a growing awareness about what it means to spend your days in a particular line of work.
The Center makes all this learning possible, with scores of alumni and parents who are happy to offer their time and insight.
“In many cases, these conversations have been life-changing for some of these boys, in the sense of learning about different career paths,” Montinaro said. “They are talking to real people.”
KEY AMONG THE MENTORS has been Jimmy Ritman ’94, executive vice president and managing director at Newmark, in Stamford. Since his time as a member of the Young Alumni Council, Ritman has been devoted to mentoring Brunswick students and young alumni. In those early days as a freshly minted alumnus himself, Ritman often found himself dreaming up ways to keep former students connected to his beloved alma mater.
“Even before there was an official career center, I was involved with the career center!” Ritman mused. “Organically, this was happening. Mentoring is a really amazing way to connect people to the school — through the ability to help people with an internship or an interview.
“Brunswick is not just prep for college, but prep for the next step. What are you going to do in life?
“The more we can connect people, the better,” he said. “To me, it’s second nature. This is what you are supposed to do.”
Ritman points to a retinue of Brunswick alumni who have passed through his company, all launched into careers of their own: Charles Russell ’18, George Pierce ’13, Ryan Amill ’14, Jason Kennedy ’16, Clark Davis ’18, Paul Gojkovich ’01, James Coffin ’02, Dixon Mallory ’08, and Evan Bailey ’04. Five actually took jobs at Newmark. “Brunswick alumni fit right in and make an impact,” he said. “It shows how great Brunswick students are: well rounded, hard-working, decent human beings.” HEADING INTO his junior year at Harvard last year, Gordon Kamer ’18 began sending out applications for summer internships, but didn’t have a clear picture of what he wanted to do. It was the Brunswick Career Center, he said, that provided the most help as he learned how best to communicate with potential employers and narrowed down his interests. Montinaro also connected Kamer with fellow alumnus Yousef Hindy ’15, who had similar experiences.
“We had a really helpful conversation,” Kamer said. “Overall, the Career Center and Mrs. Montinaro helped me a ton last fall.”
Another to use the Career Center resources is Reed McMurchy ’15, a 2019 Harvard graduate. McMurchy started his career in consulting, but after two years, he found it was not the right fit. He landed in investment banking at Morgan Stanley, and credits the network enabled by the Brunswick Career Center.
“The ’Wick Career Center was more helpful than the one at Harvard,” McMurchy said. “Brunswick did everything in its power to connect me, and followed the process through from beginning to end.”
FIND YOUR WAY INTO ONE OF
– ERIC WISE P ’18
PUT WILLIAM SINCLAIR ’03 in the category of Career Center resource. Sinclair has worked at J.P. Morgan for 15 years, and he currently serves as managing director and the head of the Financial Institutions Group. He serves on the Brunswick Alumni Development Council, and on the board of the Wake Forest University School of Business.
Sinclair works closely with the Career Center to host “Career Trek” events for current students — in this case, inviting Brunswick students interested in financial services to his Manhattan office, or in the past couple years to meetings over Zoom.
“I’m looking forward to getting back in person!” he said. “I am also always happy to speak to students directly.” Co-hosting one of those Career Treks with Sinclair in recent years were former trustee Carlos Hernandez (P ’18) and Jamie Lee ’02.
Lee worked at J.P. Morgan until 2021, after serving in various roles at Goldman Sachs and Coatue Management. He has since become a managing partner at Tamarack Global.
“I’ve hired lots of Brunswick interns over the years, helped them find jobs, and offered career advice,” Lee said. “Why do I do this? It’s because I would not be where I am today if it weren’t for Brunswick. The school gave me the framework, structure, principles, and values I needed to learn. I love Brunswick with all my heart. It’s given me so much.”
Brunswick parents also form an important component of the network of people who make up the success of the Career Center. One father who is happy to be part of the constellation of expertise is Ed O’Reilly (P ’23, ’25), senior managing director and global head of the Client and Partner Group at Citadel.
“What’s remarkable about this Brunswick community is we have mothers and fathers with terrific educational backgrounds, people who built companies and lives all over the world,” O’Reilly said. “It’s our obligation to share our knowledge with students and alumni.”
O’Reilly suggested that the work of landing the right people into the right career paths strengthens not just Brunswick, but also the nation. “It’s wonderful for our school, for our country,” he said. “We need leadership in all kinds of business, in politics, in science. We need all kinds of people.” A NOTHER PARENT who serves as a resource is Eric Wise (P ’18), managing director of capital markets at RBC Capital Markets. Wise first tapped into the talent of Brunswick students and young alumni in 2017, when a group of Brunswick boys visited his office as part of a Wall Street Trek organized by the Career Center.
“Oftentimes, I’ll get a call from the Career Center about a young man looking to do something in finance,” he said. “I always meet with him.
Career Day sites and treks over the years have included many different industries: wealth management, sports, real estate, private equity, data science, arts, technology, start-ups, medicine, law, media, and consulting.
If the Career Center puts its support behind an individual, to me, that sends a message.”
Wise said part of what he provides is an explanation of the internship and investment banking training programs that are available in his industry.
“For someone just starting a career, these are amazing opportunities,” he said. “If you can find your way into one of these seats, you will work hard, and you are not going to regret it.”
Recent Brunswick alumni hired into roles at RBC Capital were Santiago Riera ’17 and Garrett Berger ’17. “I like to help,” Wise said. “I think the kids are super talented. They are trying to figure it out. If I can expose them to finance in a significant way, that’s what I ought to be doing. I think what Brunswick is doing is incredible,” he said, “building up a network of people willing to get involved when students are looking for advice. The bigger the network, the higher the chance of success.”
This year, the Career Center is also enjoying the support of a large group of parents whose boys are graduating in the Class of 2022. These parents are raising funds to endow the directorship of the Career Center through a class gift. Their generosity will secure the Brunswick Career Center in perpetuity, a permanent resource to Brunswick alumni as they start and manage their careers during the course of a lifetime.
1944
Russell P. Seversen passed away on March 25, 2022. He was Brunswick’s oldest living alumnus. As quoted in a 2010 issue of Times of Brunswick, Russ said, “Annual tuition was $500, and there were six students in my graduating year.” See photo 01.
1952
Peter Bell reports that his final educational degree was a Ph.D. in geophysics from Harvard, and he still thinks back on the Brunswick motto of “With all thy getting, get understanding.” Peter is now retired and lives in West Palm Beach, Fla., with his wife, Penelope. See photo 02.
1955
Henry Alker provided the following life update: “Following four years at Oberlin and majoring in philosophy, I was a graduate student at Magdalen College in Oxford. I also earned my Ph.D. in personality psychology at University of California, Berkeley, and spent two years at Princeton in a federally funded post-doc under staff at the University. I spent the next 11 years at Cornell, originally hired for an advanced personality position and subsequently hired in sociology and graduate faculty of government as my developing interest and course in political psychology was noted. My most noted research production concerned lie detection in United States presidents making historically important decisions.
“I got into oil and gas development through federal lease lottery, which I evaluated statically, and made money. My family was surprised that academic skills could do such a thing! I held positions over time in 29 different states, with Utah and Colorado yielding mostly natural gas production.
“My family asked me to run the family mining and real estate business, so I ran one of the oldest mining companies in California for 17 years and had to learn as a licensed commercial real estate broker how to manage commercial property and corporate securities. Sixthgeneration family companies are rare.
“My hobbies include running an NFL football pool, stamp collecting, and rotary volunteer work. I represented State Chamber of Commerce small business on the State Chamber Tax Committee as I had to learn about taxes to keep more of the money I was making. Running a local chamber small-business committee was fun and reminded me of seminars I enjoyed while teaching.”
Ralph Risley also wrote in: “In the Spring 2021 Times of Brunswick, Tom Philip reflected, “Respect and follow the rules.” This is also mirrored in the school motto, “Courage, Honor, Truth.” This has been the compass for my entire life since Brunswick.
“After graduating, my education focused on geology because it involved travel, adventure, and freedom. I obtained a Bachelors from Columbia and a Masters from the University of Wyoming. From there my first job was in the Permian Basin based out of Liberal, Kan. Life there was a rude awakening for me. Upon reflection, I realized that I needed a broader career challenge that would force me to expand my base. I considered getting an MBA and applied to Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton — with preference in that order. I got into Wharton, stimulating further review.
“I eventually concluded that rather than having three degrees and no working experience at 27, I would be better off joining a major corporation. This took me into alternative energy start-ups. I co-founded a geothermal development company that eventually went public and was purchased by Berkshire Hathaway.
“In 1961, I met my soulmate while on business in Boulder, Colo. We were married in 1962. We have three boys and six grandchildren. We have owned 13 houses in nine locations and 15 RVs with which to explore wherever the road takes us. We have lived in Tucson, Ariz., since 2004.
“For the moment, this is it. The future will play out over the next 20 years. “In closing, remember: Courage, Honor, Truth.”
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04 01 Russell P. Seversen ’44, Brunswick’s oldest living alumnus, passed away on March 25, 2022.
02 Peter Bell ’52 and his wife, Penelope, are enjoying retirement in West Palm Beach, Fla.
03 Chip Kirschenbaum ’76 died in March 2021 after a short illness. He was fondly remembered by classmates Tom Andrea ’76 and Mark Engebretson ’76.
04 The late Linc Wonham ’83 (center) enjoyed a ballgame at Wrigley Field in 1995 with Brunswick classmates John Salerno ’83 (left) and Matt Silverman ’83.
1976
Tom Andrea and Mark Engebretson announced the passing of their fellow classmate and beloved friend, Charles “Chip” Kirschenbaum. Chip died in March 2021 near his home in Naples, Fla., after a short illness. He was 63 years old. Chip is fondly remembered and deeply missed by his many friends in Florida; New Hampshire, where he spent every summer; Connecticut; and elsewhere. See photo 03.
1983
Matt Silverman and Alex Williams shared sad news about death of classmate Linc Wonham. Matt provided a photo of Linc with him and John Salerno at Wrigley Field in Chicago in 1995. See photo 04 and turn to page 79 for Matt’s full tribute to Linc.
05 Joseph Nemec ’87 has been a managing director at Morgan Stanley for the last five years.
06 It still fits! Clarke Rogers ’88 sports his ’Wick state championship jacket from varsity wrestling in 1985.
07 Janne Kouri ’93 made the trek down Maher Avenue to the delight of ’Wick students and faculty as part of his “Ride for Paralysis.”
08 Greg Oshins ’96 (left) and Geoff Lazlo ’96 aren’t just close friends anymore — they’re now the owners of The Country Table in Glenville.
09 Noah (left) and Jordan — sons of Josyl Barchue ’00 — already appear to have a strong brotherly bond.
10 Baker, the son of David Maloney ’01, sleeps like a baby — surely to the delight of dad!
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1987
Joseph Nemec left the National Security Agency in 2015 and returned to the private sector after 14 years of serving the U.S. Intelligence Community as both a contractor and government employee. For the past five years, he has been working for Morgan Stanley, and is currently Managing Director and Head of Cyber, Technology, and Information Security Risk Management for Morgan’s U.S. Banks. See photo 05.
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1988
Clarke Rogers married Jill Tyler Rogers and the two celebrated their one-year anniversary in St. Thomas, where they went scuba diving and snorkeling, explored the surrounding islands, and just relaxed on the beaches and at the pool. Their twin 19-year-old daughters, Jan and Libby, are currently sophomores studying criminal justice and emergency disaster management at Western Carolina University.
After more than 27 years serving the U.S. Army and this great country, Clarke is finally hanging up the uniform and retiring, with his retirement set for May 1, 2022. He is very much looking forward to the next chapter of his life and all the excitement, adventure, and travel that retirement will bring! See photo 06.
1989
Edmund Randolph Noonan Jr.
and his sisters — Kathleen Noonan Liebson (GA ’78), Tamara Noonan Collins (GA ’80) and Laura Noonan Ford (GA ’83) — wished to pass along news of their father’s passing. Edmund Randolph Noonan died on September 28, 2021. He was also the father-in-law of Christopher Ford ’81.
1993
Janne Kouri stopped at Brunswick on his tour from Boston to Washington, D.C., as part of his “Ride for Paralysis” to raise funds and awareness for his nonprofit, Next Step. Janne covered 60 miles a day in his mechanized wheelchair and specialized three-wheeler on his way to his alma mater, Georgetown University. See photo 07.
1996
Geoff Lazlo and Greg Oshins opened a new sandwich shop — The Country Table — in Glenville in January. Stop by for a visit and gourmet, family-friendly fare! See photo 08.
1997
Jason Ienner married Mariah Strongin on March 19, 2022, at Rosewood Baha Mar in The Bahamas. Fellow 1997 graduates Iain Sievwright and Steve Clark were in attendance. Photos were not available at press time — check back in the next issue!
2000
Josyl Barchue and his wife, Heather, welcomed a baby boy, Jordan Lucas, on February 10, 2022. A blessed addition, Jordan joins sisters Charlotte (14) and Phoebe (12) and brothers Noah (3) and Jude (deceased) in the family. See photo 09.
2001
David Maloney and his wife, Ashley, announced the birth of Baker Gibson on June 22, 2021. See photo 10.
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David Sawyer and his wife, Kari, welcomed a baby girl, Bennett Lucille, on January 21, 2022. See photo 11.
David W. J. (Bunker) West has joined Traub Capital as a managing director in New York, where he will focus on generating new investment opportunities, executing transactions, and portfolio company oversight. The West family is all in agreement that his path started at Brunswick, where he received an exemplary education that allowed him to take the next steps. That, they said, goes along with the character-building focus of Brunswick School.
2002
Will Broadbent, co-portfolio manager of the BlackRock Innovation and Growth Trust (BIGZ), a closed-end fund launched in March 2021 that invests in innovative public and private growth companies, rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange in April 2021. Will has been at BlackRock since 2014 and co-manages growth focused equity investment products. See photo 12.
2003
A bench and plaque in memory of Ricky Bellinger was placed in front of the Bruin statue on Brunswick’s Middle School Campus. The plaque was donated by Ricky’s mother, Rosemary Bellinger, and employer, D.A. Davidson and Co., and a contribution was also made to Brunswick’s Health and Wellness initiative. See photo 13.
2004
Dan Maloney and his wife, Meghan, had their first child, Ella Grace, on April 3, 2021. See photo 14.
2006
William Dyke married Kathleen Godbold at San Pedro Chapel in Islamorada, Fla., on November 13, 2021. See photo 15.
2007
Jose Fabre shared two pieces of exciting news: He married Michele Capocci on August 29, 2020, and they celebrated their reception at the Westchester Country Club. They welcomed their first child, Sebastian, on September 13, 2021. Jose works at Man Group as a senior data strategist. See photos 16 and 17.
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16 11 David Sawyer ’01 sure looks like one happy dad with his new baby girl, Bennett, by his side.
12 Will Broadbent ’02 (far left) rang the bell at the NYSE in April 2021.
13 Ricky Bellinger ’03 was honored with a plaque and bench in front of the Bruin on the Middle School Campus.
14 Looks like a nice day for a boat ride for baby Ella, daughter of Dan Maloney ’04.
15 What triumphant newlyweds: William Dyke ’06 and Kathleen Godbold!
16 Jose Fabre ’07 wed Michele Capocci in August 2020, and the newlyweds drove off in style.
17 The Fabres welcomed Sebastian in September 2021.
2008
Brothers John Eric and Conrad Oberbeck ’11 created functional beverage Hangobi in the spring of 2022 in the pursuit of building a convenient and enjoyable source of nutrition to manage the daily chaos of academics, athletics, and social activity. With five core beneficial plant-based ingredients and a sixth plant-based “special ingredient” to accentuate the “need state” of each flavor, Hangobi welds together the experience of a healthy and delicious soft drink with the nutritional benefits of a daily multivitamin. Enjoy cases today at www.hangobi. com and follow the new company on social @hang.obi! See photo 18.
Nick Philip and his wife, Hayley, who works in Brunswick’s Development Office, welcomed their daughter, Belden Crawford, on December 18, 2021. The Philips are overjoyed with the new addition to their family. See photo 19.
2010
Thomas Rokholt married Neha Srivastava on June 13, 2021, in a small ceremony in his parents’ garden in Riverside. Thomas’ sister, Christina Rokholt (GA ’12), officiated. See photo 20.
2013
Gabriel Paternina and his wife, Maria Fuertes, welcomed their son, Luis, on April 13, 2022. See photo 21.
2015
Chris Lucey sent in an exciting update last summer: “Several weeks ago, my first-ever Emmy Award arrived in the mail! I worked for MLB Network for two years out of college and won the award as a part of the studio production team for our show MLB Tonight. We got the award for our work in 2019. I moved on from MLB to take a role as a production assistant at NBC Sports in their Golf Channel division, but with hard work, I hope to keep representing Brunswick well here.” See photo 22.
Senen Ubina also wrote in October 2021 with an update: “I’m currently forward deployed as an infantry rifle platoon commander with 2d Battalion 8th Marines in Asia. My current mission sets are Chinese deterrence ops and
OLYMPIAN FOR THE RED, WHITE & BLUE
CLASS OF ’17 Strauss Mann donned the Red, White, and Blue while representing the United States on the Men’s Olympic Hockey Team in Beijing in February. After a standout career at Brunswick and University of Michigan, Strauss played this past season for the Skellefteå AIK of the Swedish Hockey League. And, if things couldn’t get any better, Strauss signed an NHL contract with the San Jose Sharks just a few weeks ago!
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18 It’s all in the family: Co-founders John Eric ’08 and Conrad Oberbeck ’11 have the support of their brothers, Christian ’07 and August, in their new beverage venture.
19 All smiles for baby Belden, the daughter of Nick ’08 and Hayley Philip.
20 It was a garden party at the wedding of Thomas Rokholt ’10 and Neha Srivastava.
21 Now that is one proud father: Gabriel Paternina ’13 and his son, Luis.
22 How’s that for some hardware: Chris Lucey ’15 took home an Emmy Award.
23 Senen Ubina ’15 is now a 1stLt in the United States Marine Corps.
