April 2012 - Alumni News - Williams College

Dave Park ’83 (third from right) celebrated his 50th birthday in the fall
with a Seattle Harbor cruise with classmates and friends.
Did my family go where we
sat in
with the “Occupy” folks
and saw Broadway stage jokes
With my daughters at Williams
and Ob’rlin.
On the Frontier
by Jim Leonard
“All is good out here on the
frontier
We herd cattle, throw pots,
milk goats,
and roast green chiles,
which makes for a messy
homestead
and a ‘Leonard’ smell.
Story ’84 and I celebrated
25 years this summer with
a trip to Colorado
We’ll likely mark the 30th
anniversary of our first date:
the Black and White party
at Williams where both our
daughters will be.”
We must inform you that
one of the editors of Lavender
Bovine, Lorraine Driscoll, reports
that she is reading a new book by
a Bovine favorite, Tricia Hellman.
A New Song, published under the
name “Sarah Isaias,” is a book
with interfaith themes wrapped
in a tense thriller. Recommended
by the editors of this journal.
Finally, join us all at the next
big literary event: our 30-year
reunion this June, where we all
but guarantee you will see the
best minds of your generation,
starving, hysterical, naked. Well
… at least hysterical.
SENDNEWS!
Y hear from you! Send news to
our class secretary is waiting to
your secretary at the address at the
top of your class notes column.
1983
Bea Fuller
404 Old Country Road
Severna Park, MD 21146
1983secretary@williams.edu
Happy 2012 to all, as we have
turned the page on another year
and the days are getting longer
again in North America—thank
goodness! I started the New
Year grateful for my family,
my friends and my health and
hope all of the same to all of
you. Turning 50 certainly makes
those simple things all the more
important. For me, winter days
and evenings are spent either in
a tropical venue of a chlorinated
pool for swim meets, the fetid,
angst-ridden gyms within 90
miles of Annapolis for wrestling
matches or in dusty old gyms for
basketball games, all to watch
my boys in their winter physical
pursuits. Of course, I love every
minute.
Maryam Elahi continues to
direct the International Women’s
Program at the Open Society
(Soros) Foundations. She was in
Nepal meeting with groups that
the program supports in rural
areas of the country. She was
headed to Kenya in February and
looked forward to connecting
with some classmates along the
way.
Don Carlson “started a new law
firm last fall—one completely
dedicated to entrepreneurs,
growth companies and the
investors who love them. We’re
taking space in Silicon Alley (just
north of Union Square in NYC)
and already hitting our stride
with a run of VC financings. The
model is pretty unique, as every
n 1982–83
lawyer is an expert in a field
relevant to startups, and many
work virtually and on flexible
schedules with no overhead. It’s a
great way for people to get back
into the profession after a few
years out raising families—and
I’m proud to say we already have
four Williams alums in our stable
of a dozen lawyers (ranging from
’72 to ’96). Are there any great
’83 lawyers out there looking for
a novel, rewarding way to practice?
Our Latin motto is Nunc
Exceedium Gulielmensianae
(loosely, ‘You can never have too
many Ephs’). I get to see Gordon
Renneisen whenever I’m out on
the West Coast, and my daughter
Katie and I had the honor of
taking part in his son Gabriel’s
bar mitzvah. Katie and Gabriel
were born just a few days apart,
so naturally they were betrothed
to one another at birth by their
happy dads. The plan seems to
be working surprisingly well.”
Musician Andy Schlosser
reflects, “I spent about four
months in France last year, acting
as sales manager for Fender
France until we found a full-time
sales manager. I spent major time
in Paris, traveled all over France
and visited about 60 French
music stores with our sales reps.
At least my French language
skills are even better than they
were, and I ate and drank some
killer food and wine. Not a bad
job, although I had to walk every
day in order not to gain a ton of
weight. My son Evan is taking
some time off from William &
Mary, and my daughter Maddy
is a senior at Granby High
School and is getting ready for
college next year.”
Diane Elander ran into Nancy
Simms at parent orientation at
Wake Forest, where their kids
are both freshmen! Samantha
and Robert have become friends
and are enjoying the South.
Diane writes, “I spoke with Ellie
Gartner Kerr, who shared exciting
news: her daughter is coming
west next year for college. USC
for lacrosse; that means I’ll get to
see her and more of Ellie. What a
great New Year’s gift!”
Melanie-Anne Taylor writes,
“My daughter Kate ’14 plays
rugby and can’t get enough of
Williams! I’ve never seen her
happier; it melts my heart. I
am counting down the months
to turning 50 this summer,
and I am hoping to launch my
first waste-to-energy project in
Jamaica before my birthday! My
company is building a 300-tonsper-day
capacity energy plant
aPril 2012 | Williams PeoPle | 67