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Class News
Glyn Finch and wife, Amy,
enjoyed a trip to Italy in October
2008. They visited Milan,
Florence, Rome, and Venice.
Natalie Spigner McConnell
and husband, Beech, are living in
Anderson, South Carolina.
Sitton Smith Ostobee and
husband, Heath, are enjoying their
new daughter at their home in
Easley, South Carolina.
Rob Russell, his wife, Lindsay, and
son, Cooper, are still in Nashville
where they plan to reside until he
finishes his surgical residency in
June 2010. He plans to apply for a
pediatric surgery fellowship.
1995
Marsha R. Kennedy
marsharkennedy@aol.com
864-288-0657
Marie Earle Pender
Mariepender@hotmail.com
828-694-0733
Ernest Crosby recently graduated
from The Riley Institute at
Furman where he participated in
the Upstate’s Diversity Leaders
Initiative (DLI). Chosen by
nomination and application,
participants in the DLI come
from all demographic groups
and sectors— corporate, civic,
non-profit, faith-based, and
education—to build leadership
skills while also examining and
pursuing solutions to challenges
and opportunities most pressing
to our communities. During the
course of the class, participants
examine complex diversity
issues and network with other
community leaders, developing
diversity management tools
to enhance their business,
organization and community.
Jay Grady is an administrator
at League Academy of
Communication Arts in
Greenville.
Will Holt and his wife, Ayyana,
moved to Hawaii in July. In
January they celebrated the birth of
their first child. They plan to live in
Hawaii for one year, then transfer
to Oakland, California, where Will
will begin his gastroenterology
fellowship in San Francisco.
Jennifer Ogden Neher, along
with husband, John, and son,
Townsend, relocated to San
Diego, California. Her company,
Blackbaud, transferred her to
head up the customer support
department for the Kintera
division.
Courtney Tollison is still living
in Greenville, enjoying her joint
position as professor at Furman
and Historian for the new
Upcountry History Museum.
She co-produced a documentary,
Threads of Victory: Upcountry
South Carolina During World War
II, which won a National Award
of Merit from the American
Association for State and Local
History. She is currently working
on an exhibit on World War II
that will be open to the public at
the museum in November. The
exhibit is funded by a $25,000
Hollingsworth grant. (See “The
Luxury of Choice: Academic Success
and Opportunity,” p. 10.)
1996
David Sickinger
dsickinger@
garvindesigngroup.com
803-739-9695
Sam R. Zimmerman
boinspain@hotmail.com
864-288-0326
Tina Block writes, “I travel for
both work and for pleasure—to
Dallas, Anaheim, Las Vegas,
The Bahamas, Cancun,
Aruba, and Germany. I stilll
have my business in personal
development, Nohona
Enterprises, LLC, and it is
booming. With the problematic
economy, people are looking
for a way out of the rat race
and we provide them with that
opportunity. We are currently
doing business in over twenty
countries, with the top hitters
being the U.S., Australia, and
England. In December, the
company sponsored a comedy
show at Saffron’s Cafe with Rory
Scovel and Jay Hastings. I’ve
enjoyed reconnecting with almost
all of my classmates on Facebook
and it’s been fun catching up on
what everyone is doing. Raven,
my four-legged baby, turned one
in September and she continues
to fill my life with joy and
laughter. I still live near Phoenix,
Arizona, and plan on staying here
for a while. I love it out west and
can’t imagine being anywhere else
at the moment.”
Montague Laffitte and wife,
Lauren Bell Laffitte ’97,
celebrated the first birthday of
their son, Monty, in January.
Lauren is a teacher at Sandhills
Academy, and Montague works
at South Carolina Bank and Trust
in Columbia.
Carrie Ryan’s first novel, The
Forest of Hands and Teeth, was
published in March by Random
House. The teen novel features
“the Unconsecrated” (insatiable,
flesh-eating zombies) and “the
Sisterhood,” whose mission it is
to protect the village. The book
received a starred review from
Publishers Weekly. Her sequel,
The Dead-Tossed Waves, will be
published next spring, and she is
already at work on a third book
in the series. Check out her cool
website at www.carrieryan.com!
(See “The Forest of Hands and
Teeth,” p. 16.)
Nadim Salman is an emergency
physician at Greenville Hospital
System.
1997
Bentley DeGarmo
bentleydegarmo@hotmail.com
410-347-0007
Kathleen Meyer Patterson
katemeyerpatterson@gmail.com
229-247-1110
Sarah Rogoff
sarah.rogoff@medpoint.com
864-420-4899
Andrew Clark is the founder
of Sensor Tech, the innovative
South Carolina advanced
materials company. SC Launch!
will present a check to Sensor
Tech and Dr. Clark, along
with co-inventor Dr. Martine
LaBerge, as a promising South
Carolina start-up company.
Andrew hopes to accelerate their
entrepreneurial growth with a
seed-capital investment, ongoing
mentoring, and Resource
Network Services. SensorTech
offers a new, patent-pending
contact-sensing technology that
can accurately measure force,
pressure, torque, or impact. It
can be formed into any shape
and size. The new technology is
simple in operation and allows
sensors more durability in many
applications.
Alicia DeFronzo recently
accepted a new position of
Costco E-commerce manager for
Michelin, North America.
Luci Lattimore Nelson is
practicing law at Ogletree Deakins
in Charleston. Her husband,
Tripp ’98, is in his third year of
medical school at MUSC.
Kate Meyer Patterson and her
husband, Alex, have relocated with
their two children, three-year-old
daughter, Ellen, and two-yearold
son, Campbell, to Valdosta,
Georgia, where Alex is the chief
systems officer for South Georgia
Medical Center. They miss
Greenville and hope to visit and
catch up with family throughout
the year. Kate is working parttime
as a consultant for Paperly
Stationery.
Stacy Small Smallwood's store,
Hampden Clothing, opened a
second location in Greenville
at 500 E. McBee Avenue on
November 19, 2008. Her sister,
Sallie Small Holder, has been
very involved in the new store!
Her first store is in Charleston.
(See “National Fashion
Publications Take Note of Stacy
Smallwood’s Sense of Style,” p. 28.)
Spring 2009 | 49