Class Notes_28 - Lake Forest Academy

Lake Forest Academy1931Louise Coffin Downs writes that she lives in a great retirement community in Falmouth, Maine.Last summer she celebrated her 93rd birthday with a 65-day cruise to the Pacific and Australia. Shecan still recite the 12th chapter of Romans as she and her classmates had to do every year for MissTremain!1946Evelyn Sherman Feffer writes that she always searches the class notes for news about the 1946Ferry Hall grads. She was delighted to read a note from “Bish” (Mary Bishop Mann) in the spring2009 issue. Evelyn lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., and is enjoying retirement. She volunteers four times aweek. She writes that her years at Ferry Hall were a very important time in her life, and herexperiences there still guide her. She is still known as Crickett!1948Henry “Duke” Ryan presented a paper at the convention of the Society of Historians of AmericanForeign Relations on June 27. The paper is entitled “America’s Jews and Russia’s Tsars: TheStruggle Over Jewish Persecution, 1881-1917.” It focused on material from a draft of a book he isworking on entitled, “The Homeland: from Catherine the Great to Harry S. Truman, the people andpolicies that created Israel.” The text of the conference paper is on his website(www.henrydukeryan.com). He sends his very best regards to all of his friends from his LFA days.1949In April, Mickey Poole and his wife, Carole, had dinner with Dave MacKenzie ’50 and his wife,Debby, as well as Julie Priebe (wife of Frank Priebe ’50). They reminisced about the old days aswell as devoted some constructive thought on their economic malaise.1950Charles MacNab served as a naval aviator in the U.S. Navy and also as a personal pilot for theking of Saudi Arabia and for the Arabian-American Oil Co. He was also a captain for TWA, flyingdomestic and international routes to such places as Europe, Asia, Africa, the Far East, and NorthAmerica. He is a member of the National Board of Directors, Air Line Pilots Association,International; a member of the New York City Aviation Development Council; and New York RegionPublic Relations Director (for all airlines).1953Sarah Thomas wrote a book about living in a tiny town in Indiana during the 1980s. It is called“West of Buffalo” and is now available on amazon.com. (To find it easily, put quotes around thetitle.) You can read excerpts on her blog at: www.westofbuffalo.com.1956Colin Campbell writes that he has been a volunteer at LFA during the past couple of years and hasspent a fair amount of time on campus. “What a great school this is!” He urges all of the “oldtimers” to get in touch with the Alumni Office, pay a visit, and find a way to help. Also, he andformer classmates Charles Hirsheimer, Dick Watson ’55, and Ray (Woo-Hyung) Kim havelunch together regularly. Want to join them? Contact Colin at: cccampbell38@gmail.com.1961Dr. Carolyn Allen Zeiger writes that she and her husband, Paul, teach yoga to people withParkinson’s Disease. (Her husband has PD.) They also give presentations at conferences, andCarolyn leads caregivers’ workshops.1

1962Stewart Tittle writes that his 50 th Reunion is coming up in three years. He is looking forward toseeing everyone. His wife, Linda, is bringing her ice skates this time. He had forgotten to mention toher during the last Reunion that the Academy has a rink. Stewart hopes that as many classmates aspossible will return for the Reunion.Biff Giles is enjoying retirement in the fabulous desert resort of Palm Springs!1964Morgan Hickenlooper is a semi-retired priest. He and his wife, Mary, travel when they can andspend a lot of time on his late-life hobby, flying.1965Mike Schell writes that he had been reflecting on LFA recently as his 44 th Reunion approached.Some years ago he returned to LFA to join its Board of Trustees. It has been a challenging, exciting,and fulfilling experience. LFA today is not the school he and his classmates from the 1960sattended, but its fundamentals and its parentage (LFA and Ferry Hall) are evident. “With greatrespect for today’s head and leadership, faculty, and student body, I believe the school is what itis—in significant part—because of what it was when we knew it, and before. If you are connected toLFA today, I hope you will continue. If you are not, I hope you will permit yourself to reconnect andto discover what I have during these past eight years: LFA is a wonderful environment and asplendid opportunity for young folks. It is a school of which you can and will be proud.”1967David Andreas writes that he is enjoying retirement. His wife and two children are well. Hisdaughter is a senior at Haverford College, and his son is doing a post-graduate year at MinneapolisCommunity and Technical College. He intends to earn a degree in theater and setdesign/management in the future. For fun, David helicopter snowboards in British Columbia andrides in the Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America annually on his Honda Goldwing.1968Eddie Pratt would love to get in touch with former LFA classmates who happen to live in SouthernCalifornia. Write to Eddie at: eddiepratt53@sbcglobal.net.1969Alan Ball has been living and working in New Mexico since 1983. He recently became generalmanager of a locally owned title and escrow company. His health is good. He still enjoys snowskiing, hiking, reading, cooking, and a little humor. His son is now 39, happily married, living inOmaha, and managing a huge sales force. After graduating from LFA, Alan went to NebraskaWesleyan University, where he earned his BA in philosophy. He also studied religion. He gotmarried, became a father, and was divorced by age 21. He has not remarried. Drop Alan a line at:alanball2@gmail.com.1971Anne Winton Black writes that her daughter, Winton, married Dustin Jansen on June 15, 2008, ina private ceremony on Brant Point, Nantucket. Winton’s brother, Rod, received a one-day licensefrom the State of Massachusetts and officiated the ceremony.1975Brett Tuttrup ran 442 miles in the past year, thanks to former coach Jim Holt!Janice Neff-Sinclair has retired from working for the United States Marine Corps. She is now astudent majoring in 3D art with an emphasis in glass. She is also studying interior design.1976Minda Moore Johnstone joined The Private Bank of California in Century City (Los Angeles) asexecutive vice president/manager. She manages the bank’s commercial real estate group.2

1980Jim Burlew writes in from Jelenia Gora, Poland. He and his wife, Ewelina, announce the birth oftheir daughter, Melodia Maria, on July 11, 2008. Jim has been living in Southwest Poland andworking for a private language school for about five years. He sends his best to his formerclassmates.Jana McBurney-Lin writes that her first novel, “My Half of the Sky,” came out in paperback in July2008. Visit her at: www.myhalfofthesky.blogspot.com or join her on Facebook.1985Becky Gilbert Hills writes that she and her husband, Jim, recently moved from Pennsylvania toOregon. They traveled 4,900 miles across America with three children, two dogs, a car, and atrailer, stopping in many national parks along the way.1986Professor Makola Abdullah returned to campus in May 2009 for the Academy’s annual CumLaude Society Induction Ceremony, where he delivered remarks to the students. Makola is a deanin the College of Engineering Sciences, Technology, and Agriculture at Florida A & M University.1989Tim Seston and his wife, Sally, welcomed twins, Luke and Owen, on Dec. 20, 2008. They join bigbrother, Charlie, who is 4. Tim and Sally continue to work at Concord Academy. Tim also tellsstories professionally. Visit him online at: www.frompagetoplay.com.1990Jennifer Kotila and her husband, Patrick, announce the birth of their daughter, Ella, on Jan. 6,2009. This is their first child. Jennifer and Patrick still live in LaCrosse, Wis. Patrick works for TraneCo. as an IT manager; Jennifer is a neonatal nurse practitioner at Franciscan-Skemp Mayo HealthSystem. She sends her best to her classmates.1992Lauren Tessitore Woods still lives in Boston with her husband, Craig, and two sons, Colin andGarett. Lauren works at athenahealth, where she sells electronic medical records to physicians.Write to Lauren at: laurenandcraig@msn.com.Amish Shah and his wife, Amy, proudly announce the birth of their daughter, Maya Elizabeth, onAug. 24, 2009. This is the Shahs’ first child.1993Biz Lindsay Ryan and her partner, Becca, welcomed baby girl Kathleen “Katie” Ona into theirfamily on Feb. 13, 2009. They live in Evanston. E-mail Biz at: elindsayryan@gmail.com.1994Charles Hamby and his wife, Beth Ann, welcomed their first child, Benedict, on June 21, 2008.Charles practices internal medicine in Elmhurst, Ill. He and his family enjoy winters at their home inBeaver Creek, Colo., where they love to ski. Charlie would love to grab some runs with any alumniout that way.Chad Peshak lives in San Francisco and works at Electronic Arts as an HR manager. He can bereached at: peshak@yahoo.com.Adrian MacLean Jay and her husband, Larsen, president of DoubleJay Creative/DogwoodEntertainment, are proud to announce that their first feature film, “That Evening Sun,” starring HalHolbrook, is showing in select theaters around the country. It enjoyed a special screening at theRegal Cinema in Lincolnshire on May 4, 2009. The Jays live in Knoxville, Tenn. PHOTO (caption is infolder with photos)Holly Wentink Martin is enjoying being a new mother: trips to the beach, walks in the sunshine,and playing with Nicolas’ toys. She and her family visited Chicago this summer and introducedNicolas to the “big city” and some LFA friends.3

1995Christian Anderson lives in Los Angeles, where he is a network host and actor. He performed inthe stage production of “Stop Kiss” during the summer 2009 and hosted a Save Darfur concert inHollywood in September. Read about Christian on his website at:http://christianandersononline.com. Or check out his YouTube clipat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIh31_NMhfw1996Jonathan Schulz and his wife, Alexandra, welcomed their first child, Henry, on Jan. 30, 2009.Henry loves spending time with his uncles, Bill ’94 and Alfred ’01.Michael Petersen recently completed a master’s degree in international relations at the Universityof Cape Town in South Africa. He also earned an MBA from the University of Illinois as an IllinoisVeteran Scholar. Mike accepted a position in the exploration and production section of Shell OilCompany (New Orleans office) and is excited and surprised to be headed back down South.2000Blair Friedeman lives and works in Jackson Hole, Wy. An article about Blair and her blog,www.delightbydesign.blogspot.com, appeared in the June 17, 2009, issue of the “Jackson HoleNews & Guide.” Get in touch with Blair at: bfriedeman@gmail.com. And check out her blog, whichincludes information and tips on fashion, interior design, accessories, etc.Jesse Cohen was the top graduate in the Red Rocks Fire Academy class of 2009. He was one of sixfirefighters (out of a total of more than 1,800) hired to Foothills Fire Rescue in Denver, Colo. He isassigned to Engine 5/Heavy Rescue 5 in Evergreen. Contact him on Facebook!2001Marilla Sweet Gedge married Rhodri John Lane in April 2009 at St. Chrysostom’s Church. Areception followed at the Woman’s Athletic Club in Chicago.Marilla is the daughter of trustee Karl Gedge ’69 and granddaughter of life trustee Charles Gedge,who died in September 2008. Marilla is an account manager for Tribal DDB; her husband works inprivate wealth management for Bessemer Trust Company. The couple lives in Chicago.Duane Jackson married his college sweetheart, Renee Cumberbatch, at the Armour House at LakeForest Academy on July 12, 2009. Fellow LFA classmates in attendance included best man, JamaalBrown ’00, and groomsman Shamsideen Musa. Acknowledging that marriage is a marathon andnot a sprint and observing the LFA sports tradition, Duane and Renee rang the Bowditch Bellimmediately following the ceremony in celebration of the successful close of one chapter of theirlives and the beginning of the next. Duane and Renee are proud to call Chicago their home andhappily reside in the South Loop. He encourages his classmates to drop him a line at:duane.jackson@gmail.com.2002Carson Krislov is an on-air TV reporter with the CBS Network affiliate WDBJ News 7 in Roanoke,Va. She graduated from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in December 2008.Drop her a line (or story ideas!) at: Carson.Krislov@gmail.com. She would love to keep in touchwith former classmates.2005Daniel Margul graduated summa cum laude from the University of Michigan with a BSE inbiomedical engineering. He is currently at Northwestern University, where he is earning hisMD/Ph.D. Daniel lives downtown and welcomes classmates and friends to visit. Write to him at:dmargul@umich.edu.Fran Crane delivered remarks to the Class of 2009 at the Academy’s annual Senior-Faculty Dinneron May 27, 2009. PHOTO (caption: Frances Crane ’05)Alex Reed graduated from the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago and is employed atCharlie Trotters restaurant in Chicago.4

2007Andy Miller writes that the past two years have been a blur of travel, new people, and newexperiences. He is a student at McGill University in Montreal. He transferred there from theUniversity of King’s last September. Both schools have offered him the opportunity to meet studentsand professors from all over the world. Andy is majoring in history, with a minor in Spanish andperhaps political science or English. He will spend the spring semester in Spain. In the fall he will bewriting for the McGill Tribune. During the summer 2009 he interned at the McCormick FreedomMuseum.2008Amanda Henry joined Chi Omega Sorority.Jory Hanselman spent two weeks in Rwanda during the summer 2009 as a volunteer at theAgahzo-Shalom Youth Village for orphans from the 1994 genocide. Afterwards, she traveled throughRwanda and Uganda for another week with a few friends from Tufts. After a brief stop home, sheheaded to Colorado to work for AmeriCorps, building trails along the Continental Divide.5