5 minute read
Class News & Notes
Members from the class of ‘71 got together at James Draeger’s house to celebrate 50 years as alums!
Reunions are typically supplemented by raffles, gift bags, and customized wine for those who attend. The goings-on of this past year compelled us to take a different approach, and Dave Rogers ‘71 deserves the greatest of shout-outs for helping us adapt this aspect of our virtual reunions. Those who RSVP’d in advance received a gift package containing Priory wine glasses, a bottle of customized wine, and in some cases a nice set of olive oil. Dave was a huge part of the process by arranging the wine production, assembling the gift packages, and coordinating delivery for those who RSVP’d in advance. Thank you Dave! Erhard Wegman ‘76 and Phil Bautista ‘76 enjoyed lunch together at the end of May.
Erhard Wegman ‘76 and family enjoy a hike around the San Francisco Bay.
Mike Hines ‘86 moved his family to Georgia, where he purchased 250 acres of land just outside of Savannah. He is currently working on clearing land for a home building site, a trap and skeet range, and a 1000m rifle range.
Bela Csikesz Endowed Scholarship
50 years ago, when Priory was young and monks ran the school, Bela Csikesz graduated from Priory with Dave Rogers, Rick Taube, and other graduates of 1971. The graduates of ‘71 proved to be friends for life. They kept in touch throughout the years; visited each other and traveled to celebrate milestones in life; supported each other when life became diffi cult. November 2021 marks 10 years since Bela’s passing in 2011, and his classmates spoke of his memory during this year’s reunion. He was remembered for his strength of character, work ethic, and kindness -- values that personify what our Priory education stands for. The following week, Dave and Rick had a purpose. They decided to work with the Alumni Association in establishing the Bela Csikesz Endowed Scholarship Fund. This endowment would support Priory’s fi nancial aid students in Bela’s honor in perpetuity. Each year, a deserving student would be named the Bela Csikesz Endowed Scholar for the duration of their education. It is hard to think of a more fi tting way to remember their friend and to serve others in his name. The class of 1971 is the fi rst in Priory’s history to undertake such an endeavor in support of the school and in honor of their classmate.
In Memory of Bela Csikesz
James Draeger ‘71 Christopher Forthmann ‘71 Ford Greene ‘71 Peggy Kellner Larry Khirallah Matthew O’Sullivan ‘72 Thomas Reilly Dianne Reilly David Rogers ‘71 Richard Taube ‘71 Louise Tipton Joseph Tobin ‘71 George Witter ‘72
CLASS NEWS & NOTES
Noel Laporte ‘09, Kailani Prey ‘06, Emily Elliott ‘06, Johan Henkens ‘09, Emma Henkens ‘07, Natasha Hobbs ‘07, Allison Littlefield ‘07, Christine West ‘07, and
Humphrey Yang ‘05 had an impromptu reunion at the Dutch Goose in May.
...and a lot of people came!
In 2013, Tom Alexander ‘99 purchased Fr. Martin’s grandfather clock #29 at Priory’s annual Gala. What a special moment! It’s uncommon for an alum to purchase such a key item at these events, but Tom’s love for Priory shone through. The clock remained in the monastery until July 2021, whereupon Fr. Martin and Doug Sargent moved it to Tom’s residence in Los Angeles. Thank you Tom! Raissa Marchetti-Kozlov ‘05 currently works as an Administrative Business Partner at Google, is pursuing her MA in Theatre Arts at San Francisco State University, and is the Executive Managing Director & Founder of Redwood City Players, a nonprofit that provides and support arts education programs that promote confidence, commitment, diverse ways of thinking, and lifelong learning.
Brooke Cornish ‘13 completed her Master of Education program at University of San Francisco! She will be working at Phillips Brooks as a Kindergarten Co-Teacher in the upcoming year. Congratulations Brooke!
Anthony Shu ’12 has spent the last 6 months working on a charity Zine called Lunchbox Moments that feature art and writing by 25 AAPI contributors on food and cultural identity. All proceeds will go to the San Francisco Chinatown Community Development Center. Learn more at: lunchboxmoments.com/About
Sabina Kariat ‘14 received a Fulbright scholarship this year. She will be going to Istanbul Turkey and working with Syrian refugees.
Shout out to Manny Salas ‘17 for returning to campus and helping with the Priory Strong benefit.
Cristina Rosario Perez ‘19 goes biking with a swimate from Pace University at Castle Point.
On June 5th, 2020 the class of 2021 became the 61st graduating class of Woodside Priory. The sense of community was palpable, and their joy infectious. As the graduates celebrated the advent of adulthood, Humphrey Yang ‘05 returned to Priory to deliver the commencement address, making Priory history as the youngest alum to speak at a graduation. He completed his speech with the following words:
“The friends that I sat with on graduation day on that field some 16 years ago are still my friends today, and will be my friends for life. They are impossible to replace, people that I’ve been able to turn to in troubled times, people that have given me inspiration, and whom I’ve shared so many memorable experiences with.
In fact, that lesson on optimism that I just shared with you today was taught to me by members of my Priory community.
It is my hope that you will stay in touch with your community here, and also forge lifelong friendships of your own.
I wish you the best for your future journey and lives.”
Chase Haegele ‘06, Humphrey Yang ‘05, Chris Benham ‘06, Scott Bader ‘06, Emily Elliott ‘06, Kailani Prey ‘06, Kendall
Bell ‘06, Alexandra Swan ‘06, and former faculty Rick Riebhoff met at the Alpine Inn in July to catch up on a beautiful day.
