Kelly Fordon (Stanton): In April 2020, I published my third book, a collection of short stories called I Have the Answer with Wayne State University Press. Obviously, it was not a great time to publish a book, especially one with that title, but if you are looking for something to read while you're waiting for vaccine it is available here: www.wsupress.wayne.edu/books/detail/i-have-answer.
Mark Shelly: 2020 has been...interesting. I finished a 6-year term as dean in my Diocese (no longer a "Very" Reverend -- just back to Rev). Was elected as chaplain of our local VFD, and thankful for that ministry. Finally, marked 25 years as a priest and 10 here at St. Peter's. Laura and I are well, surviving the lockdown ... and she hasn't killed me, yet. Happy as always to connect with NJ/NY folks, and we have a backyard with a fire ring if anyone would like a socially distanced catch-up!
Sarah Wilsman: I continue to work for OverDrive in the Education division and we are not surprisingly the busiest we’ve ever been getting digital titles to schools for remote learning. We are working from home through the end of the year and Zoom fatigue is real. Pro tip: Please do not write your work emails in purple comic sans teachers and librarians. It’s a sure sign that it’s time to retire.
Tracy Krug Cordon: Inspired to reach out for the first time to share that I’m on a journey to understand, bring awareness to, and support ADHD folk. I’m also in my 21st year of teaching (mostly English, now Spanish) and advocate for clean beauty on the side! Would love to talk to anyone who’s interested in any of the above or catching up!
Joan O'Hanlon Curry: The one positive, cool thing from 2020 was watching my son Aidan be recruited by the Texas Rangers. It was a total whirlwind and crazy two weeks. He ended up signing as an undrafted free agent and is now 1 week into an instructional league in Surprise, Arizona until November 20th. He has a few years of hard work ahead to hopefully make it to the majors. But if COVID has taught us anything it is to go for your dreams if you get the opportunity. He is taking some online classes as that was not optional (damn parents...lol). I have enjoyed regular Zoom calls with many of our classmates and am so thankful our reunion isn't for a while so we can be in person again. I hope you are all well and safe and am looking forward to saying goodbye to 2020.
Susie Bloom Hudgins: This year has been a doozy. Teaching -- no words. With life as it is, all my sons are home (ages 25-15) learning and working. It is as if I am a fraternity house mother...at least they can cook. I often can hear my junior son in class with Kenyon professors which is a cool perk. I regularly chat with our reunion planning committee via Zoom to make sure that we are planning our 35th in 2024. By then, the pandemic will have lifted, and we, Reprobates, will rise up in Gambier.
Wes Reynolds: It's been a great summer - it all started when a play I wrote got picked up to be produced in NYC. Then my wife, Celine won the Boston marathon and our children were both accepted for post-graduate study at Cambridge. Oh, wait a minute, it's 2020. We'll have to keep dreaming for now. We are grateful for friends and family and the fact that we are all healthy and safe for now. Longing for a trip to Gambier sometime soon and loving all the chances to reconnect with friends via Zoom.
Kristen McClusky (Bruno): Can’t believe we’ve been on the East Coast for four years now! After many years of mothering and freelancing I started a job at Apple News in January. I’m in the NY office but—in non-COVID times at least—will visit the Bay Area often for work. The girls are growing fast—two teens now! Was sad to miss SAIEW. Hoping all are staying safe and sane in these crazy times.
David Richards: I am currently Chair of the Political Science and International Relations department at the University of Lynchburg where I just completed the addition of an Intelligence Studies major. My Wife and two kids are currently enjoying a beautiful central Virginia fall.
Nick Hutchinson: Nick Hutchinson is living in Denver, Colorado, where he continues to work as a freelance journalist. He just published a new book, Channeling Jerry that features a collection of interviews with musicians who play in the style of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. The book can be found at https://store.bookbaby.com/book/Channeling-Jerry
Margaret Alexander (Escherich): After more than 20 years working public libraries, I am suddenly working as the Core Systems Librarian in an academic library (University of Oregon), and even taught a graduate level Systems Librarianship class last Winter (University of Washington - all online before COVID hit). It's a big transition, and I suddenly need to find the hubris to publish. I am immensely grateful to be able to stay in Eugene, and to stay with my partner Eric, and that both of us have full time employment. Especially since I'd been unemployed for 13 months prior. We've both been working at home since March, and the kids are also doing school remotely. They are often bored, but mostly we are all holding up well. We are fortunate to have a large yard in which to garden, and we grew more than usual this year. I run a local gardening group on Facebook, and the membership grew exponentially over the months of the pandemic, as many folks turned to nurturing life to sustain their souls. I've been proud and glad to provide a support forum and community space to escape other challenges we've all faced this year.
Sarah Turgeon: Mostly just a whole lot of remote school for our family. Alex is doing Kenyon in Vermont with a crew of 10 other kids and hoping to get back to campus for his last semester, Thomas is on campus at Trinity (for now), Evan doing his senior year in HS online and I'm teaching mostly remotely as I have all seniors this semester and most are not on campus. Fred is doing dentistry with LOTS of extra layers and many costume changes per day. Sometimes seems like there is so much and so little going on at the same time!
Abbe Jacobson: Hello from Seattle! I just want to remind the Class of ‘89 that I have the pleasure and privilege of representing you on Kenyon‘s Alumni Council. (Along with other Kenyon Reprobates - Kyla Carlson, Dave Richards and Chris Eaton) If you have any questions or concerns you would like to raise with the larger council, please feel free to be in touch with me (I can be found on Facebook or Instagram) or any members of Alumni Council. Here is a link to the Alumni Council page of Kenyon's website: www.kenyon.edu/for-alumni/alumni-networks/alumni-council. I hope everyone is hanging in there despite our current circumstances. Here’s to good health and better times on the horizon. Stay safe, everyone!
Eric Masters: So far, so-so in this annus horribilis. Trying to stay safe and sane. Excited about voting. Super appreciative of friends and family. Peace and love.
Christopher Eaton: Greetings from Ohio. The leaves are turning and like everyone else we are looking forward to living in precedented times. Earlier in the year, both of our children and their dogs come back for our pandemic lockdown/enforced family time. We quickly remembered why board games were always interesting as most can be turned into drinking games with unexpected results. We thoroughly enjoyed four months of dining together and the magic of sharing the little victories and setbacks of every day pandemic life.
We did realize that there was a reason we tried to raise independent self-sufficient children, they want to be on their own. With some sadness our children returned to their adult lives as school resumed for both of them. With a few less mouths to feed, our grocery bill has gone down, and the clutter has been reduced to negligible piles. But we do miss them.
Pandemic lockdown project then commenced. We have reorganized every room to perfect pandemic Feng Shui. Walls have been painted. We are now ready for any traveling Kenyon friends to come visit. Please bring appropriate medical screening records and your own paper products as we still seem to be on allocation for those items.
Colleen ’87 has found a renewed flair for sewing, and has been making masks for the local (and some national) charities. The count is somewhere over 1,000. I continue to spend my time on my bicycle or learning the intricacies of butchering and smoking pork products.
I have joined a few other of our classmates on Kenyon‘s Alumni Council. In this role I am working towards a better process for helping graduating students find jobs. If you have any questions or concerns you would like to raise with me or the council at large, please feel free to reach out. (I can be found on the Facebook K'80s page.)
Looking forward to the time when classmates can come gather round, and if you are in the neighborhood of Columbus Ohio, drop us a line. Colleen and Chris Eaton '87 &'89
Courtney Kealy sends her love and best wishes to all from DC where she is covering the White House and foreign affairs. She is loving Abbe Jacobson’s coaching and support group. Also taking Madzy Besselaar’s '88 inspiring yoga classes via zoom. I highly recommend them both!!
Being in touch with Kenyon classmates for special online events (thank you Chris Toft and Paul Singer ‘88) and also being part of an upcoming panel hosted by David M. Rowe, Kenyon’s Director of the Center for the Study of American Democracy with some amazing alumni and will continue to be my much needed silver linings during such odd times.
Andy Albrecht - Abbe Jacobson, you’ve inspired us! After 20 years, we are putting our house on the market and moving to an apartment for some urban living. Our experience in Cleveland will be slightly different from yours in Seattle but I’m really looking forward to it. We plan to rent for at least a year and then decide what’s next. All of our free time is now spent on shedding the 20 years of stuff that has accumulated in all the nooks and crannies of our abode. It’s daunting but also very freeing. I’m really excited about living with far fewer things.
Kyla Carlson: Somehow, we are managing to hold down the pandemic fort in the Seattle area. Thanks to my husband, who took a year off from paid employment to remodel our house and add a spacious, covered deck, we are able to see friends nearly every weekend for some much-needed in-person connection. Abbe Jacobson and her husband Curtis are definitely deck regulars (and bring us Crack Burritos to go with the beer and tequila)!! Pandemic life is really hard for extroverts, so I’m grateful that my work with the King County Library System has allowed for me to return to a branch where we safely provide curbside service to our patrons. I’m pretty sure my family would not be alive if I wasn’t able to get out and socialize with others. (Kidding. Sort-of. Not really.) I am grateful for Zoom Happy Hours with other Reprobates and K80s friends from afar. (However, when you live on the west, sometimes Happy Hour really means Day Drinking, which isn’t exactly advised mid-week… Ask me how I know.) I’ve also joined the ranks of the Alumni Council, where our class is exceedingly well represented, including the aforementioned Abbe, Chris Eaton, and Dave Richards. Please reach out to any of us if you have any questions or issues you’d like us to bring to the Council to address. Like true elected officials, we represent you, and we’d love to do it diplomatically and without polarization…! I hope I can see, hug, and do a tequila shot with many of you on the Hill in 2021 during Reunion Weekend if it happens. (I know, I know, it’s not our year, but I’m going anyway and so should you!) Be safe. Be well. Be kind. And find something to laugh about every day.
