April 2012 - Alumni News - Williams College

Marianne O’Connor wistfully
wrote: “Richard Mass threw
himself a ‘surprise’ 50th birthday
party in NYC in early December.
While I had to miss the event due
to a previously scheduled trip to
Mexico, I heard that attendees
from our class included John/
Carolyn Kowalik, Alice Albright,
Liz Cole, Rob Burge and Mike
Smith. Sadly, Richard’s birthday
roast wasn’t videotaped and
uploaded to YouTube for the rest
of us to enjoy.”
George Liddle “exchanged
emails … with Marc Sopher;
almost made it to Octet reunion
concert but family stuff intervened.
I did just receive the CD
recording and today listened to
Lyman Casey working his magic
with Love Potion #9. … My
oldest (Caroline) is a high school
freshman, and the boys (William
and Allie) are in seventh and
sixth grades. I’m still working
at HP.”
Jessie Lenagh-Glue noted,
“In June we planned a family
Christmas at my sister’s in Utah,
with siblings coming from Alaska
(my brother), Netherlands (my
eldest sister) and New Zealand
(us). We felt it would be a good
idea to spend Christmas with my
father, Tom Lenagh ’41 as, at 93,
he was beginning to show the
years (though not as much as one
would expect). Unfortunately,
Dad died on Dec. 8, so the family
gathering has been one of memorializing
as much as celebration.
Not to mention that Utah is
having the driest and warmest
December on record, so the
skiing has been limited (although
being an Easterner by ski tradition,
I have to say I thought the
skiing was pretty damn great).
2011 was a good year for us in
that we finally (after four and a
half years on the market) sold
the big farm in New Jersey and
are now (almost) rid of property
in the U.S. I decided that turning
50 was a good excuse to start
something new and went back to
university to study law, 28 years
after taking the LSATs. As both
the U.S. and N.Z. systems are
based on common law, should
we ever decide to return to the
U.S., my midlife crisis will not be
for naught! I started out thinking
that I was going to focus on
energy and land-use law but am
now veering in the direction of
medical and emerging technology
law. Don’t think I will go the
practicing lawyer route. I cannot
imagine being the lowly junior
clerk at my age but am thinking
of either consulting work
(again, but this time with a legal
emphasis) or perhaps academic
research. Whatever I do choose,
it has been gratifying to recharge
the gray cells and realize that
exam hell applies whether you
are 15 or 50! Next year will be
strange. My daughter, my husband
and I will all be affiliated
with the University of Otago.
As always I would welcome any
classmates who wish to visit the
most beautiful place on the earth
to get in touch should they be in
the South Island.”
Dave Lipscomb writes, “Deb
and I are back in the DC area
after five years in Jersey—though
finding a house (we’re renting for
now) has proven more difficult
this time around. Trying to guess
the future needs of a 4-yearold
and a 6-year-old tends to
complicate house hunting, we’ve
learned.”
Laura Kaiser notes, “It’s fun to
see everyone’s kids growing up in
the holiday letters. Jenny Weeks’
girls are 9 and 13 and looking
more like her all the time! I’m
scheduled to leave for Zambia
soon for a short stint helping an
AIDS-related NGO create some
training modules.”
Until next time… I hope everyone
stays healthy and balanced
as we head full steam into 2012.
Only 14 months until our 30th
reunion!
1984
Sean M. Crotty
31 Carriage House Lane
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Carrie Bradley Neves
1009 County Route 3
Halcott Center, NY 12430
1984secretary@williams.edu
Greetings fellow Ephpersons! A
new day is upon us. A new year
is upon us. For all of those who
made New Year’s resolutions this
year, I got a head start. A very
energetic dog named Taz (indeed,
named by my 11-year-old
daughter because he reminded
her of the Tasmanian devil the
instant we brought him home
from the kennel) and two stairs
did what all my years of football,
hockey, lacrosse and rugby could
not—they combined to blow
out my right quad tendon. I of
course fell down—cried like a
baby— and called my roommate
Tom Graham, who is once again
back at the Cleveland Clinic
doing wonderful things there
(which he told me not to talk
n 1983–84
about in the class notes; always
a private and humble man, I will
respect those wishes. However, I
will say that you all can Google
him up, should you wish to
learn of some of his most recent
actions). When I called him, he
first told me to “Stop crying, you
big baby” (not really, but I am
taking poetic license once again
… so shoot me). The second
thing he told me was that I was
going to be “mending” for about
three months, following my
surgery. Three months. At first
I thought, no way I can’t be out
of the cockpit for three months.
Then it dawned on me: Home
for Christmas (never happens).
Home for New Year’s (never
happens). Home for my daughter’s
birthday in February (never
happens). Get to rent an electrical
chair that moves my legs up
automatically as I perch myself
in front of about a thousand
football games in the months of
December and January (never,
ever happens). Hmm, why didn’t
that dog trip me years ago?
In any event, it got me thinking
that since I was down for the
count for a few months, it might
be a good time to change my diet
and take some pounds off and
see if I couldn’t make an overhaul
of my lifestyle. I went on
a three-day juice fast—not bad
actually—and now am eating
an anti-inflammatory diet called
“The Abascal Way.” For those in
a similar “rotund” condition as
myself, you might take a gander.
I have lost about 15 pounds so
far and feel much better and on
my way to better health. Thanks,
Tom, for helping to guide me—
and for getting me to stop crying.
It was with great joy that I got
a wonderful email from Steve
Zlotowski, who writes: “Sean: A
bit delayed response, but I was
away when your mailing went
out. … During the first week
of May I meandered 270 miles
on bike through Connemara,
Ireland. The trip ended in
Westport, County Mayo, and
afforded the chance to spend
Saturday night at Matt Malloy’s,
which is one of Ireland’s more
famous pubs—both from its
namesake flute player (of the
Chieftains) and its ongoing
vibrant live music scene and the
unannounced famous visitors
such as Sting, Bono, the prime
minister, etc. Well, the place was
overflowing. … I felt a moment
of destiny upon me. I … asked
what the protocol is if you want
to sing. ‘Just stand up and start
singing.’ As I stood up, during
aPril 2012 | Williams PeoPle | 69