Class Notes

enous teenage boys to feed), and freedomfrom the high school calendar.Music and writing keep Tot fully occupiedthese days. She is a part-time communicationsspecialist with the GreaterTwin Cities Youth Symphonies andserves as vice president of the board ofthe Minnesota Chorale. Lindsay MillardClinton works full-time for Brigham andWomen’s Hospital in the genetics divisionand administers the Intro to ClinicalMedicine course for Harvard/MIT second-yearmed students. Her theatertroupe, under her direction, won theGold Star Award from the Mass CulturalCouncil—one of only six projects sohonored. Margie Coffin-Brown continuesto work for the National Park Serviceand is writing cultural landscape reports.Current projects include Mammoth HotSprings Historic District in YellowstoneNational Park and Adams National HistoricalPark in Quincy, MA (for which she iscoordinating a historic preservation studiothrough the Boston Architectural College).Her husband Chris is restoringtheir 1846 Greek Revival house (formerlythe Pillar House restaurant). Austin, 13,and Amelia, 11, are hooked on Legorobotics as well as downhill skiing andare on a quest to ski at every area in theNortheast. Polly Sisson Fleckensteinsends greetings from upstate New Yorkand Bear Mountain Farm. The farm isthriving, though it was the toughest yearfor hay production ever, and not a greatmaple syrup year either. Her son Benjaminturned 4 and had a great birthdayparty “as we got the horses out of retirementand gave sleigh rides for kids andtheir parents. Dan, our old Belgian horse,is now 27 and needs Eastern and Westernmedication.” Polly continues herwork in veterinary emergency medicineand acupuncture as well as work for theNational Veterinary Response Team (foranimals in disaster). “Having never beensick my entire life, it is very strange tohave been diagnosed with a cancerousbrain tumor,” writes Suzy SeymourGaeddert. “I have received incredibletreatment so far here in England, and itwill continue. I am hugely encouraged.There are thousands of people prayingup a storm for me around the world.Having lived in four countries and doneNot Receiving Emailsfrom CA?If you are not receiving eNewslettersand other emails fromCA, please check your spam,bulk, or junk folders and allowconcordacademy.org as asender address.regular mission trips in two others, Ican’t believe how many people are soloving. I have received 422 cards in themail —can you believe it? My sweet husbandBarry keeps everyone updated atupdateonsuzy.blogspot.com.”Micaela Harari has a kid who towersover her and another who corrects herHebrew and shakes his head over hertechnological disabilities. They receivedtheir first “tzav gius” notice, calling forthe older son to show up for his firstarmy interview. This raises a lot of issuesabout authority, debt to and place in society,complicity with the occupation, etc.But, in general, the IDF induction is apositive thing for the kids themselves,especially the boys. Flamenco life isteeming; Micaela has 40 students from 4to 64. She is doing shows with a productioncompany run by Russian immigrantsthat takes her group to the damndestplaces. It’s work in the trenches, butwork all the same. She mourns the passingof J.D. Salinger and feels gratefulthat English teacher Mr. Deitrich includedCatcher in the Rye and The Bell Jar inour diet. She says all that “dark side”reading was very cathartic for her as anadolescent. Lee Kort loves life in LAwith his wife Jill and two beautifuldaughters, Alexa, 13, and Erika, 11. Leeenjoys running into Jane Barford-Manolakas from time to time. Despitethe economy, Lee’s real estate businessis hanging in there, but his other career,triathalons, is temporarily on hold as heheals from a torn ACL (skiing at Deer Valley).“I think I am still the same 17- yearoldguy in a 47-year-old frame!” GeorgeMiserlis continues working as anactor/singer, building upon his eightyears with ABC’s Scrubs. Striking out ontheir own, George and the other bandmembers are touring around the countrywith their live show, The Blanks, and willappear in more than 20 cities this year.George saw Adam Cherson ’79 andKeith Daniel at his show in Boston, andGeorge promises to make it back for the2010–11 production of Them Thar Hills(redirected by Parkman Howe) “if atleast seven other original cast membersattend!” And finally, along with otherPacific Northwesterners, Laura Payne,her husband, and daughter Luna, 6,enjoyed a globally warmed Seattle winter,during which Laura took a temporarysabbatical from her science career todevote her energy to art, music, andwriting. “It has felt amazing to wake upeach day to discover creativity andexpression in their rightful places: backat the center of daily life.” Laura stays inclose touch with siblings Holly Payne’80, who is raising three wild and beautifulkids (Sofia, 9, Diego, 7, and Isabella,3) in upstate NY; John Payne ’79,whose two kids (Dylan and Alia) are soonto fledge from their home on VashonIsland, WA; and Sam Payne ’83, whosecareer as a circus acrobat (with wife Sandra)just got much more complicated andmuch more wonderful, thanks to theirdaughter, Luca, 1. For now, Sam andSandra are continuing to perform internationally,though based in San Francisco;you can check out their act, VerticalTango, on YouTube.1982Class Secretaries: Gordon S. Gabbay,Gordon@humblemonkey.com; NadiaBelash McKay, nadia.mckay@yahoo.comIt’s been an interesting 2009 for everyone—theexciting thing is we’re hearingfrom people with whom we haven’t hadcontact in a while. From overseas: afterthree years serving in Bahrain as theU.S. Navy’s political and force protectionadviser, Gwyneth Thompson Toddmoved with her daughter Pelagie toPerth, Australia in 2008, and finally settledin Canberra in 2009. She married anAustralian naval officer and helps run awildlife rehabilitation center. Gwynethsaw Catherine Gunn ’84 for a fewhours over Christmas and is looking forwardto running into fellow CA ex-patsLucy Modahl ’84 and Heidi WillmannRichards in Sydney one of these days.Quite an adventurous life! Natalie Difflothis still living in Freiburg, Germany,in the heart of the Black Forest borderingFrance and Switzerland. She’s beenthere the last five years. Natalie’s tips fortravelers to the area: wine, cheese, andgasoline are cheapest in France. Yogurt,bread, and marzipan are tastiest in Germany.And Switzerland? Well, she indicatedthat the hiking’s not bad. If you’revisiting the area, look her up. Life in Englandagrees with Carlotta Junger Lukeand her husband Chris, who live in a 200-year-old house in a very old town calledLewes, surrounded by the rolling greenhills of the South Downs. Their threechildren, Dylan, 14, Giacomo, 13, andRoxanna, 8, just keep growing. Carlottais a board member of the local community.“It has been pretty interesting tosee local grassroots government inaction.” Carlotta also has gotten backinto running, training for the localmarathon, as well as rekindling a passionfor photography. She has many fond CAmemories of nipping out of view withDeirdre Buckley Clark on cross-countryruns, as well as wonderful photo classeswith Jon Harris. Rene Kan emailed fromSt. Bart’s, where he was celebrating histenth wedding anniversary. He’s still livingin Aruba and has two handsomeboys. We can only assume his interislandcommutes are far from boring.Back on this side of the pond, JamieWade Comstock reports from sleepyChappaqua, NY that her kids are in middleschool, and she is still working parttimeat Sotheby’s. She’s balancing runningthe old homestead while findingtime to reconnect with a lot of CA peopleon Facebook. She also reports havinga great time in New Orleans with herstepdaughter, who is attending TulaneLaw School. Her doctor stepson just gotengaged, which begs the question, willshe be the first grandmother in ourclass? David Santomenna is hitting the10-year mark as the director of land conservationat the Essex County GreenBelt. Completing his North Shore life, hiskids Lily, 9, and Rafi, 6, are leading thegood country life—skiing, riding, andpond skating this winter—while his wifeAna is working in the finance group atGorton’s (counting fish sticks, the kidssay). David took up saltwater fly fishingthis summer off Plum Island and IpswichBay, which distressed his daughter, butnot the fish. Still enjoying work at Levi,Tom Asher is head of customer care (fora few countries), while his wife Kirstincontinues her portrait photography business.Their son Skyler is in first gradeand is heavy into Lego engineering projects.I can personally say that Tom isalways appreciative of my crank callssuggesting various options/concerns formy latest pair of Levi’s. Susanna Long ison the West coast teaching third grade inthe Bay area and sends a very NYC“yadda yadda.” Hilary Stern is in California,where she is an exotic animal vet(birds, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals)and the mother of two boys,Micah, 8, and Jacob, 5. She is trainingfor a marathon. She claims to be livingthe farm life—“addicted to farmville”—but perhaps ready for farm rehab soon.Otherwise, Hilary reports that it’s apretty quiet life, except for the screamingparrots. Up in the Northwest,Michael Allio is fighting the good fighton education reform for the Gates Foundation.He reports his work is acceleratingat the federal and state levels,despite steep odds. His family is settlingin nicely to Seattle—enjoying the manylarge trees, savory oysters, and extrahoppyales. His sons Luc and Declan arefull of vim and vigor, and his wife Kirstinwon an O. Henry prize for a short story,which will come out in the PEN/O.Henry2010 Anthology in late spring. Michaelalso found time to contribute some“zesty” copy to Keith Park’s Angelenoscigar literature. Kyle Radaker is doingwell in Charleston, SC with his wifeRobyn and their daughter Lily, whoturned 4 in May. Nina Frusztajer is inthe swing of her 3-day work week as apathologist, while also enjoying her childrenand doing PR/marketing for thebook she coauthored, The SerotoninPower Diet, which is now out in paperback.She is also learning the guitar—Eagles, Beatles, Neil Young—but is not63C O N C O R D A C A D E M Y. O R G S P R I N G 2 0 1 0