Alumni

CLASS NOTES

Edited by Emily Holmes Nordstrom ’99 

Spectrum will be published three times a year. If you do not see your class note in this issue, it will appear in the issue that follows. Please note that Spectrum cannot publish pregnancy and engagement announcements.

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Lindsay Beller
Spectrum Editor
Lake Forest College
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Lake Forest, IL 60045

1950
Former professional model Barbara Lawton Loeschen writes that she enjoys life in Sarasota, Fla., especially the culture, arts, and jazz (her favorite!). Although now a widow, she has three sons – a set of twins and their little brother.

Stuart Robinson of West Palm Beach, Fla., sadly reports the passing of his wife, June, on February 2, 2006. He writes, “June was beautiful and a mensa.” Stu has three children in California and a daughter in Oregon. He continues to speak at Civil War roundtables and enjoyed seeing Donald Baer ’50 and Leonard DeMichele ’50 at the College’s Sarasota Snowbird Event in March.

1951
Rosalie and Herbert Haraburd of Tampa, Fla., have been married for 13 years. “We have 9 children, 16 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild,” Herb writes. “After having both knees replaced last year, I’m down to four days of golf a week, and my game has really fallen apart.” As such, their vacations have been relegated to ocean cruises.

1953
Rona Katz Fields of Washington, D.C., was elected president of the District of Columbia Psychological Association. Her book chapter, “The Remarkable Normalcy of Dying to Kill in Holy War,” was recently published in Mental Disorders of the New Millennium (vol. 2). She is at work on her memoirs as well as contributions to several professional publications.

1954
The Lions Club elected Sanford Gerber of Spokane, Wash., as chair of Zone 19E1 for 2008.

1957
Congratulations to Jane Reesman Jones and Reginald Jones ’55 of Hamilton, Va., who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on December 1, 2006! In honor of the big day, their four children hosted a luncheon at Patowmack Farm near the couple’s home in rural Loudoun County, Va. In April 2006, Reg and Janie got a head start on their anniversary with a three-week trip to the Alps; they spent one week each in Italy, Switzerland, and Austria.

1960
In February, the Beacon News spotlighted Gary Tollaksen of Oswego, Ill., as an “amazing person.” The article highlighted Gary’s many volunteer commitments, past and present, and his current role as president of the Aurora Community Study Circles. The organization brings together small groups of people of different ethnicities to discuss important civic issues in a comfortable, safe environment.

1965
Christina Van Riper McCoy of Indianapolis, Ind., was married on April 9, 2005. With the wedding, she “inherited” four sons and nine grandchildren! Christina is a teacher for two-year-olds at the Lily Pharmaceutical Day Care.

Lynn Orschel of Chicago retired from Children’s Memorial Hospital in April. To honor her 40 years of service, the hospital established the Lynn Orschel Children’s Care Endowment Fund to support two of Lynn’s special interests: charity care and family services.

1967
On December 28, 2006, Susan Keyes married Stephen Frasier at Ski Tip Lodge in Keystone, Colo. The couple lives on Crossroads Ranch, located 10 miles west of Steamboat Springs, Colo. They share their home with horses, dogs, cats, and a variety of local wildlife.

1968
In 2006, Sallie Bowen Ulsher of Butte, Mont., fulfilled a lifelong wish to visit Japan. While traveling with a high-school classmate, she took many photographs and did some sketching and painting. This spring, the Northwest Watercolor Society displayed Sallie’s work, “Solo Yellow,” in the 67th Annual Open Exhibition at the Mercer Island Community Center in Washington.

In the next few years, Christopher Occhuizzo of Danbury, Conn., is considering semi-retirement, and he hopes his wife, Anna, will “wind down too.” Son, Matt, graduated from college and is a professional photographer in New York City. Daughter, Kate, will complete her master’s next year and plans to move to Texas. Chris regularly keeps in touch with Wendy Levitt Steele ’68 and looks forward to the upcoming reunion. “If you’re in the area,” he writes, “please give a call or stop by.”

1970
George Goodwin of Providence, R.I., contributed two articles to the 2007 edition of The Encyclopedia Judaica. He lectures to various groups and continues to edit the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Notes.

1971
“With pride and humility, I’m pleased to report that the United States Coast Guard has issued my U.S. Merchant Marine Officer’s Master’s License,” writes Jonathan Atkin of New York. Also an avid photographer, Jonathan’s work is posted at www.shipshooter.com.

Deborah Mack Sweet retired from her oral and maxillofacial surgery practice after 25 years and now lives in Mexico. She is building a house on a ranch outside of a village, which she hopes to turn into a bed and breakfast in the future. “Right now, we have our hands full with building a house from scratch on a raw piece of land, in a foreign country, culture, and language,” writes Deborah, who is learning Spanish and “doing our best to enjoy the ride.”

Sally Duston Whitlock and Dean Whitlock live in Thetford Center, Vt. Dean recently published Raven, his second novel for young adults, and participated in a signing event at Books of Wonder in New York City. He continues his day job, technical writing and marketing for a small company. Sally works at a local bookstore, sews (sometimes creating theater costumes), and gardens. Their son, Ross, attends the University of Vermont and enjoys it very much. The Whitlocks keep in regular contact with Marc Lipman ’71, Lydia Kowalewski Kovacs ’74 and Louis “Skip” Kovacs ’71, and Arthur Neil Tolciss ’71.

1973
“After a 30-plus-year hiatus, I had dinner with Robin Press ’73 and our respective families,” writes Robert Volk of Brookline, Mass. Robert is a law professor at Boston University Law School. Robin, a psychologist in Palo Alto, Calif., was visiting the East Coast with her son, who was applying to colleges in New England.

1975
In April, Physician Focus, the Massachusetts Medical Society’s monthly television program, featured guest Martin Kafina, who addressed causes of and treatment options for arthritis. Martin is a Harvard Medical School clinical instructor in medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a specialist in rheumatology at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Mass.

1978
In April, Katherine Lawrence of Bethesda, Md., traveled to Dubuque, Iowa, to assist with the arrest of a mail-bomb suspect. Over the course of two years, the so-called “The Bishop” had mailed 16 threatening letters to investment companies, including two explosive devices to firms in Denver and Kansas City. Katherine is a U.S. postal inspector assigned to Postal Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

1982
“Life is good!” writes Catherine “Catsy” Pemberton, who married Rick Michell (whom she dated 18 years prior) and is now a stepmom to two great teenage sons, Cameron and Alex. The wedding included Mark Sullivan ’82, Laura Davis ’82, Janet “Dee Dee” Norman Smiles ’82, Carolyn Crimi ’82, Carolyn Cole Arnold ’82, Anne Marie O’Connor ’82, and Jean Marie Nicholson Walz ’82. Catsy lives in Wayne, Pa., and is vice president and portfolio manager in the private client group at the Haverford Trust Company.

1985
Charles Britton was appointed the head of McDonogh School, the largest coeducational independent school in Baltimore County, Md. The school’s board president described Charlie as having “vision and moral integrity” and “that special quality of great educators to connect with kids.” Charlie was previously headmaster at the Casady School in Oklahoma City.

1986
The Library Journal’s Best Genre Fiction List for 2006 included Kushiel’s Scion, a novel by Jacqueline Carey of Douglas, Mich.

1987
Gregory Krausert is a senior business analyst with Sharp Health Plan, an integrated health provider on the West Coast.

1988
Laura McKelvy Basanese of Carlsbad, Calif., writes that twins Luke and Lily, 3, attend a nearby preschool three days a week, giving her “time to catch up with everything else, including a little writing and nonprofit advising (along with laundry, cleaning, and putting all the piles away at home).” Summer will include trips to Maine and having fun at home in Southern California. “Best to all out there striving along too!” she writes.

1989
“My wife, Arti, and I just celebrated our 10th anniversary,” writes Ajay Arora of Glenview, Ill. “We had lots of fun, going all over town and enjoying wonderful Chicago.”

Jim and Mary “Molly” Smith Hamman and their kids, Susie and Stephen, are doing well in Barrington Hills, Ill. Molly writes, “Our business, Omni Containment Systems, is really taking off.” She would love to hear from classmates at mollyhamman@yahoo.com.

1990
The 2007 edition of Cross Roads Press: Anthology of Works in Progress included poetry by Marina Gipps of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. To help sustain small presses and lesser-known poets, Marina suggests that you request copies of their books at your local library.

1991
Carlotta Halloran Plotner of Northbrook, Ill., writes, “We are happy to announce the birth of our second child, Meaghan Dolores, born January 19. She joins big sister, Mary Eileen, age 2.”

1992
Lee and Jason Peterson and their son, Gunner, 3, are excited to welcome Avery to the family. “Gunner is very excited to have a little brother to boss around,” writes Jason, who recently graduated cum laude from Suffolk University Law School where he served on the editorial board of the Suffolk University Law Review. Next year, he will act as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Justices of the Massachusetts Superior Court and will serve as an adjunct professor in Business Law at the Suffolk University Sawyer School of Management.

1993
After eight years at the Defense Intelligence Agency, Todd Herwig of Alexandria, Va., took a senior analyst position within the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence. Using his Asian studies major, Todd advises defense department officials on East Asian affairs.

Edward and Jennifer Palenske Kuhner and their daughter Anna, age 3, welcomed Henry into their family on February 24, 2006. The family lives in Cary, Ill., where Jennifer is a part-time medical social worker at a local hospital.

1994
Jenifer Severson wed Todd Johnson on May 12 in Stillwater, Minn. Jenny and Todd, who met through mutual friends, are happily beginning their life together in Minneapolis.

1995
Margaret Bruha of Racine, Wis., has joined Abbott Laboratories as a business analyst.
    
Samantha Dinnis Macartney and Speer Macartney, of Georgetown, Texas, welcomed their third son, Gavin Luke, on March 13. This makes “the team two Chicago born and one pure Texan,” they write.

1996
Syed Hussain has accepted a position as a project manager for a software development company in the automobile insurance industry. The job brings Syed, his wife, Debbie, and their 15-month-old son, Yusuf, back to the Chicago area. Syed encourages his classmates to reconnect.

On April 29, 2006, Carolyn McDonald married Thomas Kinzl in Indianapolis. Foresters at the celebration included Krista LeBaron Letcher ’97 and bridesmaid Monica Donde ’97. Carolyn is training to be a nurse anesthetist. She will finish in August and plans to work for Evanston Northwestern Hospital. The couple lives in Chicago.

1997
In June, Christina Ridolfi of West Bend, Wis., participated in the 2007 Wisconsin Breast Cancer Showhouse, an all-volunteer charitable organization that supports breast and prostate cancer research at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Christina was project manager for the team from Milwaukee Area Technical College.

“On October 20, 2006, my best friend and college roommate David Fournier ’97 and his wife, Eliza Topalski Fournier ’98, had their first child, Georgia Pence Fournier,” writes Brian Wolf of Evanston, Ill. “Just six days later, my wife of five years, Laurel Helveston Wolf ’96, gave birth to our second daughter, Norah Jane. Our oldest daughter, Alissa Rae, will be three in June.” Pictured here, the proud daddies show off their new baby girls.

On August 22, 2006, Beth Hall Melner and her husband Rick welcomed identical triplet girls Danika, Taylor, and Maya. They join their two brothers Max, 3, and Evan, 2. “Our life is a little crazy at times but oh so much fun!” writes Beth, now a stay-at-home mom in Portland, Ore. “We have fallen in love with all the outdoor activities and the groovy, crunchy community.”

1999
Jamie Pavlakis King and Jeremy King of Fox Lake, Ill., announce the arrival of their princess, Sydney Alexis King, born April 11, at Centegra Northern Illinois Medical Center in McHenry. At birth, Sydney weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces and measured 21.5 inches.

Mitchell King of St. Paul, Minn., received a 2007 Helton Fellowship from the American Society of International Law. He will spend the summer working on human trafficking prevention programs in Rwanda in association with the International Leadership Institute. Mitch is a JD candidate at William Mitchell College of Law.

Simon Kotlyar completed his residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital in June and has accepted a faculty position at Kings County Hospital/SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

2002
In December 2006, Elizabeth Avery of Evanston, Ill., completed her master’s in biostatistics at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Liz works for the Department of Preventive Medicine at Rush University Medical Center.

Katherine Haessler of Macomb, Ill., attends Western Illinois University on a Peace Corps Fellows Scholarship, a program that assists students who have served in the Peace Corps. She is pursuing her master’s in geography.

To help raise funds for research into the causes and potential treatment of multiple sclerosis, Catherine Hermes of Evanston, Ill., participated in the Chicago MS Walk on May 6. She walked in honor of her sister, Maggie, who was diagnosed in June 2006.

Candice Kasprzak and Jason Adams ’01 were married on December 10, 2005, at the Church of Saint Mary in Lake Forest. Foresters in attendance included Amanda Berndt ’01, groomsman Andy Bosone ’01, best man Thomas Durkin ’01, Jacob Fisher ’01, Heather Hoyt ’05, maid of honor Deborah Johnson ’02, Eric Markey ’01, Julia O’Connor ’01, Shannon Sobieski Richardson ’01, Michael Richardson ’00, bridesmaid Sehla Qazi ’04, Michael Rammer ’03, Bree Twill ’00, and Kristen Waspi ’04. Candice completed her master’s in 2005 and is currently pursuing her doctorate in psychology at National-Louis University. She works as an integrated behavioral therapist at North Shore Pediatric Therapy. Jason is employed at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and completed his MBA from Northwestern University in June. The couple lives in Chicago.

Neil Nicholson graduated from the University of Iowa with a PhD in mathematics. He has accepted a tenure-track assistant professor position at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri.

Katherine Piper of Chicago received her MBA with a concentration in marketing from Loyola University’s Graduate School of Business in May.

On September 30, 2006, Kathryn Wegner married William Cavert in her hometown of Grand Detour, Ill. Katie teaches high school history in the Chicago Public Schools and is pursuing her doctorate in curriculum and instruction at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The couple lives in Chicago.

2003
Jennifer Dlugosz of Palatine, Ill., graduated from Chicago-Kent College of Law with high honors in May 2006 and was admitted to the Illinois bar in November 2006.

Laura Harmon married Joseph Manarik at St. Paul the Apostle in Gurnee, Ill., on September 16, 2006. After a two-week honeymoon in Italy, the couple returned home to Round Lake.

On January 15, Laurel Kaish married Samuel Siegel in Des Plaines, Ill. Laurel received her master’s degree from the University of Chicago’s MAPSS (master of arts program in the social sciences) in June 2005. She is currently a forms editor for CORPTAX, a tax software developer in Deerfield. Laurel and Samuel live in Wheeling.

Kara Schonrank enjoys working as the program director for Youth as Resources in Oklahoma City. The nonprofit organization encourages students to write grants for funding for volunteer projects to benefit their communities.

2004
Bianca Bartel loves her job as an assistant manager in research and development for AM USA in Eugene, Ore.

Samantha England of Rochester, N.Y., received her master’s of science on March 22.

In June, Charlene MacDonald of Cambridge, Mass., graduated with a master’s of public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

2005
Eric Dutton of Redondo Beach, Cal., was promoted to branch manager with National Oilwell Varco in Long Beach. He has worked for the company since October 2005.

Congratulations to Michelle Pickles and Jarrett Pohle ’04, who were married on November 10, 2006, in the College’s Lily Reid Holt Memorial Chapel. Their wedding party included Cody Brown ’06, Erin McGrath ’06, and Darby McGrath ’06. The couple lives in Denver, where Jarrett is pursuing his MBA in real estate and construction management.

2006
After graduation, April Milner moved to Xian, China, where she has taught English in primary and secondary schools and at the local university. While in China, she has climbed the Great Wall, explored the Forbidden City and Summer Palace, and discovered a variety of unique foods. Over the winter holiday, April visited her family in Thailand. She hopes to return to Chicago next fall.

2007
In June Dan Kolen of Iowa City, Iowa, began working in Chicago as an assistant producer on a two-part PBS documentary series focusing on retirement in America.