Kenyon Class of 1990 Fall Class Letter

Dear classmates,

Is Kenyon in fall an indelible memory for you too? Wasn’t it a privilege to be there?

It is good to know that a new generation has enjoyed autumn on the Hill despite all the inevitable changes you might expect.

With Kenyon’s new schedule for the year, in-person instruction just wrapped up for the approximately 950 freshmen, sophomores and international students who studied in Gambier this fall. Numbers were intentionally kept low so no one would share a room. Singles for everyone?! It’s hard to imagine. Conditions permitting, junior and seniors are expected to have their turn in the New Year.

The College developed clear COVID-related policies and protocols that included regular testing for those on campus and the implementation of the “Kenyon College Commitment,” a personal pledge developed in cooperation with the students that emphasized the well-being of the entire community. Kenyon adapted its many facilities to ensure safe access to dining, athletics, research and more. Visit kenyon.edu/FCL to read the full “Kenyon College Commitment” and to view a brief video highlighting life on campus this fall.

Check out the new faculty notes section to hear how faculty members, like all of us, have dealt with the shift to new ways of working, including Zoom classes, virtual office hours and online assignments. I am certain, however, students are still running into Professors on Middle Path and outside the bookstore, deli and market. Things can’t change that much in Gambier!

Though it was disappointing to see our Reunion postponed I know the College is keen that we should all return again at the earliest opportunity but that will take time. In the meantime do avail yourself of the on-line gatherings Kenyon is offering or create your own mini-reunions. I’ve had great fun convening a series of calls with some the gang who lived in Gund in 1986. Reconnecting with guys on three continents has been an unexpected treat and reminds me that Old friends remain best friends.

Kenyon changes as it must, but it also retains its core essence and that is why I support the College year after year with a gift to the Kenyon Fund. By giving I know I am helping ensure that students today and tomorrow benefit the way we did. By giving I know that Kenyon can bolster student emergency assistance, which helped dozens of students get home when the spring semester unexpectedly went virtual. By giving I help ensure that it’s possible for the College to award more in financial aid this year, when many families’ budgets are strained. During challenging times like these, alumni support is more critical than ever. Join me in making your gift to the Kenyon Fund at gift.kenyon.edu to ensure good things continue to happen on the Hill this year, and in the years to come.

Thank you and stay well!

Sincerely,

Bill O’Hearn

P.S. Scroll down to read our fall class notes.

Introducing the Lowry Center & Scholarship

William E. Lowry Jr. ’56 H’99 was the first Black student in the nation initiated into Beta Theta Pi, was student body president and captained the football, basketball and baseball teams. He went on to serve in many volunteer roles at Kenyon, including as trustee. In honor of Bill’s accomplishments and impact at Kenyon, the Board of Trustees decided to rename the Kenyon Athletic Center in his honor.

Recognizing his legacy, Board Vice Chair Joseph E. Lipscomb ’87 has created an endowed scholarship in Bill’s name to help bring more underrepresented students to Kenyon. Anyone can make a gift to the annual fund portion of this scholarship, or one of many other scholarships at Kenyon, and provide an immediate benefit to a current student.

Support currents students now with a gift to scholarships

Despite a challenging year, the College remains committed to continuing to meet 100% of students’ increased demonstrated need, with donor support. Every dollar you give goes directly to support students this academic year.

Consider giving today in support of:

Hannah More Scholarship for first generation students
Kenyon Women’s Annual Scholarship for female students
Lowry Annual Scholarship for underrepresented students
Pope Memorial Annual Scholarship for students from urban Ohio public school

And, of course, you can make a gift to the Kenyon Fund’s scholarships and financial aid designation, which supports the education of every single Kenyon student.

Make a Gift

Upcoming Virtual Events for Alumni

You're invited to join us this winter at these free events for alumni.

Alumni Town Halls with President Decatur
Thursday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. ET and Thursday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. ET
Five-week mini class with Professor Emerita Pam Jensen
"Democracy & Education: An Introduction to Rousseau's Emile"
Tuesdays, Jan. 5 – Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. ET
A Celebration of Kenyon Green Initiatives (two-part series)
Wednesday, Jan. 20 and Thursday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. ET

Visit kenyon.edu/alumnievents to register and view our full alumni event calendar.

Class of 1990 Fall Notes

Christian Ehrbar: Starting to wonder what May 2021 will look like, but really just wondering how everybody is making out in the days of covid19. Peace and best wishes to all during these challenging times of struggle and division. I’m pretty sure this is when love and togetherness get their act together, rally hard and show some serious moxie.

Julia Griner: Hello all, nothing new to report. As I imagine all of you did, we too hunkered down in late February for the long confinement that COVID brought on. Though Italy was an early scary example for the rest of Europe and the Americas, the Italians managed to follow the rules enough to be out of the house after our first 70 days. Phew! Thankfully, we are well health wise but our little cooking school is struggling. We are grateful for all our students who came back to take online lessons with us, which has helped pay the bills somewhat.

On a happy note, we have a new adventure in the works that falls in line with teaching folks about food and sustainability. We have a obtained a property just north of Rome with over 100 olive trees for oil production as well as fruit and nut trees to tend too. All organic and all available to anyone who wants a 'farm stay' experience when you are next in Italy. We would love to see all who come through Lazio! Be safe and stay healthy everyone.

Meg Silver (Paczak): Meg is now in her 30th year of teaching English! She has taught every grade on her license, and has settled into teaching 8th grade and AP Literature 12th graders in Columbiana, Ohio. She has recently sent her second child off to college, and both her daughter and son are attending BGSU. In her empty nest, she continues to be involved in the National Council of Teachers of English, and presents both locally and at national conferences about teaching English. She is a happy Episcopalian, and is currently Senior Warden at St. John's Church in Youngstown.

Jon Rakestraw: My book, The Mostly True Stories of Trudi Hierholzer is available at KC bookstore, Amazon--ebook too, Kobo and Apple. Much thanks to Meam Hartshorn ’21, current KC Art major, for the illustrations. My next book is a children's book entitled, Billy Fellin's Great Catch which will be out by summer. It is illustrated by Clara Hart ’21, also a KC Art major. See some of their pics at "sail_away_in_fancy" Instagram.

Rob Trabucchi: We're still in Brussels, Belgium. I was offered a new position here at NATO, starting in Jan 2021. So it looks like we'll be here until after COVID when hopefully everyone is able to travel again. We've got extra room at the house, so if your eventual liberation from COVID cabin fever sends you our way, let me know!

Sarah Wheat: Tim Staley and I live in Austin TX where Tim is the Executive Director of the Austin Public Library Foundation and helping with PEN America's new Austin chapter and I'm the External Affairs Director for Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas. Our oldest child is a high school senior looking to apply to small liberal arts colleges, hopefully Kenyon!

Todd Van Fossen: It's unfortunate that our 30-year reunion was canceled, but I'm looking forward to visiting Gambier again when I can. I'm currently working as the chief of highway program finance for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and living in the Madison (WI) area. My twin daughters have graduated college (one is a PhD candidate at the University of Southern California), and my son is an undergraduate at Case Western Reserve University. Wishing everyone well!

Pete Parrish: What a crazy year. Both my oldest (Julia-Elon University) and youngest (Jennie-Lake Ridge Academy) graduated from college and high school, respectively, in these trying times. Now Jennie (UGA ‘24) and Jake (Elon ‘22) have to deal with a year of college vastly different than what we got to experience. Fingers crossed for them and all the kids in college today. On the upside, I recently saw Jamey Koratsis live and in person, and enjoyed a great Zoom get together with my pledge bothers from the Iota of Psi U! Hope all my Kenyon friends are well, healthy and safe!

Bill O’Hearn: On the plus side it has been fun to reconnect and stay connected with a number of Kenyon friends using Zoom during the pandemic. Plans are afoot for gatherings when circumstances permit. Meanwhile Diana Smith ’87 and I continue to enjoy life in the UK with our family. Our eldest decided to stay on this side of the Atlantic for university (Aberystwyth in Wales) and it increasingly feels like Cambridge will be home for a long time.

Dirk Beamer: Jessica (Becker Beamer '92) and I missed seeing everyone as planned in Gambier last May. She suffered an early case of COVID-19 but has recovered well. After spending more time with mom and dad then planned last spring, all three of our kids are doing their virtual/hybrid studies away from home this fall. I just marked my 25 year anniversary at Wright Beamer. Before long, I will have this lawyering thing figured out. Wishing everyone the best.

Martin Dockery: Since the age of pandemic began, I've been hunkering down in Montauk, NY, at, seemingly, the end of the Earth (which is fitting). Lots of my time growing a beard and hanging out with my two-year-old daughter, for whom life seems blissfully unchanged. Every 6 weeks via Facebook Live, I've been broadcasting a new monologue about where we're all at in this social distancing head trip. I put the shows up on YouTube afterward. You can check out the one from September here: https://youtu.be/LtznUYzY__8.

Thaddeus Camp: My teaching position at the University of Arizona was a victim of COVID, but that means I can now finally commit to inverting what my teachers used to write on my report cards. Rather than "stop doodling" and "pay attention," I’ve decided to stop paying attention and focus on my "doodling." My art, mostly oil paintings, is in various places in Tucson and Phoenix, and on my website at www.thaddeuscamp.com. I continue to live in Tucson with my front-line kick-butt pediatrician wife Rachel and our 5 year old daughter Phoebe.

Elizabeth Townsend (Bell): Hello Class of 1990! I hope everyone is continuing to hang in there during these difficult times. We are doing our best and feel grateful for good health and many blessings. Still, this is exhausting! Our Boston University freshman came home for spring break with a week’s worth of clothing and no textbooks (sigh) and never went back. We finally made a same-day road trip to Boston on June 6th to clear everything out of his dorm room. Having to complete his freshman year from home was not ideal, but, selfishly, we enjoyed having him around. (He is back in Boston this fall, with three of his four courses online.) Last spring, I was sad for my friends with high school or college seniors who were missing countless special traditions with the in-person school year cut short. I hoped (unsuccessfully!) that perhaps things would be back to normal by the time my then-junior started her senior year this fall. No such luck. She is doing the first two quarters from home but hopes to complete the second half of senior year in her school’s hybrid option. Maybe she’ll even have an abbreviated cross country season then, too! The college search process has been challenging during the pandemic. We have done several virtual information sessions, but it’s just not the same as stepping foot on an actual college campus. Here’s hoping we can do some in-person tours before she needs to decide next spring! Miraculously, our 7th Grader has in-person school five days a week. My husband, Mike, worked from home for several months but is starting to go to his D.C. office again for live webcasts and recordings of his podcast. I have become the family barber during quarantine and do online yoga regularly to stay centered and sane. Heartfelt thanks to our essential worker classmates and warmest wishes to everyone!

Matt Roth: The Roth family is hunkered down at the base of Bull Run Mountain in Northern Virginia for the Corona Crisis. I'm not travelling for work, but I'm still working daily. Candee is working on an accounting degree--and it's a blessing that she's always loved book-keeping. She's also expanded her Girl Scout Troop with Samantha (8th grade) and Becca (7th) both participating. Our oldest, Ian, got married over the summer but the public ceremony and reception won't be until 2021. Oldest daughter, August, got a couple certificates in welding and is working in the Aerospace field, having moved to Ogden Utah to work, rock-climb and hike. We missed not having our 30th reunion...but can't wait to see you all in the future...maybe even a K80's reunion as well!

Picture a bright blue ball just spinning, spinning free

It's dizzying, the possibilities.

-John Barlow

Read notes from the Class of 1989 and the Class of 1991.

New this year! Read notes from faculty.

Support Kenyon

If you missed the chance to share your news for this letter, you can submit a class note at any time via class.letters@kenyon.edu.

Class Listing

Kenyon is grateful to the following donors for their generous support of the College, including the Kenyon Fund, during the 2019-20 fiscal year. An asterisk (*) indicates a donor is a member of the Henry J. Abraham Society for loyal and consecutive giving. An obelisk (†) indicates an individual who is deceased. Please note that as of July 1, 2019 Kenyon’s annual giving societies have changed. Visit kenyon.edu/societies for more information.

1990

Annual Fund Total: $139,469

Class Participation: 32.94%

President's Society

Donors of $50,000 or more

Una I. Fogarty

Nettie Keck*

Kokosing Society

Donors of $25,000 to $49,999

Andrew D. Meehan*

Philander Chase Society

Donors of $10,000 to $24,999

Melissa U. Wright*

Bexley Society

Donors of $2,500 to $9,999

Anonymous (2)

Andrew H. Abbott P'21*

Daryl Alexandre Whitmoyer*

Elizabeth Bell Townsend*

Keith A. Calcagno*

Christopher E. Falkenberg*

Jenny Ross Thurber*

Rachel T. Shapiro*

John C. Sosnowski*

Scott R. Sporte*

John L. Thurber*

William B. Whitmoyer*

Kenyon Society

Donors of $1 to $2,499

Anonymous (2)

David M. Algase

Christopher S. Alpaugh*

Jeannette D. Austin*

Dirk A. Beamer*

Beth Beemiller

Patrick A. Beers

Alexandra K. Bishop

Winfield A. Boerckel Jr.*

Robert P. Bonacci MD*

Carin Bouharoun*

J. Russell Brightman Jr.

Andrea V. Burgard

Jeremy E. Caslin*

Wendy K. Castiglia Amato*

Patricia L. Cicero

Katherine Cochran

Randie R. Collier*

Lise-Anne Cooledge

Deborah K. Day P'23*

Christian M. Ehrbar

Suzy Ein

David E. Elliott

Andrew M. Emery*

Michele K. Esposito*

Lisa Fahnestock Alpaugh*

Sarah E. French Buttrey

Joseph M. Gerhardinger P'24 '22 '19*

William D. Gerstler

Jessica L. Ginsburg Stoops

Aaron Glatzer

Rebecca F. Glazer

Aurora M. Gonzalez*

Bruce M. Goodman

Laura Graedel Partington

Karina K.B. Harding P'22

Jon C. Hathorn*

Jane C. Howell*

Jon P. Howell*

Elizabeth Jennings Lockwood

Thomas D. Johnston*

Stacey A. Jones

Jeffrey J. Kallet

Christopher S. Keenan*

Elizabeth Klamar Piscopo

Thomas P. Klein

Anthony T. Kopyar*

Marti M. Kunst

Peter K. Kyle Jr.

Jennifer L. Leffler Ives P'24*

Kerry M. McCruden

Daniel C. McGuire

Kimberly McMahon Donham*

Kathleen C. McShea

Robert L. Melican

The Honorable Shawn D. Meyers*

Cindy Moon-Barna

Lara M. Moutsos*

Andrew A. Mueller*

Tara Murphy Jungkunz

Jane G. Newman*

Karen H. Nies-Vogel

William J. O'Hearn Jr.*

Julia M. Ochs*

Lucy Parks Mahan

Dan Paterson*

Michele L. Petrucci*

Laurie Pomeranz

Megan B. Pomeroy*

Carmen Posada De Senne

Rohini M. Pragasam

Stephen A. Reinbold*

Lisa Reneson

Damian M. Rodgers Esq.

Suzanne Roe Jannetta*

Lisa Sedwick Pierce*

J. Wade Sheppard III*

Mary Sherk Shimer*

Cristina M. Shimek*

Brooke Sissman Roseberry

Paul J. Skidmore*

David Hale Smith

Timothy X. Staley

Mark H. Stearns

Jeffrey S. Theis*

James H. Totten

E. McAllister Towne*

Peter A. Vanable*

Christopher E. Wasson*

Alexandra M. Wernink*

Pieter A. Wernink*

Sarah J. Wheat

Peter J. Whitcopf*

Thomas A. Witherspoon

Mary K. Witte*

Elizabeth Woodings Goodman

George Wharton Mariott Society

These alumni have included Kenyon in their estate plans or have made other planned gifts.

Robert P. Bonacci

Anthony T. Kopyar

William J. O'Hearn Jr.

Kenyon College
105 Chase Avenue, Gambier, OH 43022

Kenyon Class of 1990 Fall Class Letter

Introducing the Lowry Center & Scholarship

Upcoming Virtual Events for Alumni

Class Agents

Class of 1990 Fall Notes

Class Listing