Taylor W Burton Edwards
The Rev. Taylor W Burton Edwards, ordained in 1997 as an elder in The United Methodist Church, was received onto the roster of Ministers of Word and Sacrament of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America at a service on September 6, 2020, Bishop Kevin Strickland presiding. Taylor continues to work with United Methodist Communications while also pastoring Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church in Warner Robins, GA, and co-convening an ecumenical consultation developing protocols for safer worship practices.
John Callinan
Enjoy all of the emails and back and forth with the following Kenyon friends - Matt, Billy, Frank, Mary Jo, Ellen, Allison and Maria - and also keeping in touch with Andy Hull, Stuart, Peter, Karel, and Beta (Steve Kelley) - and finally - playing a few golf rounds with Lawrence, Jeff and Patrick in NJ.. Still reside in Westfield, NJ and not travelling much but still trying to keep up the glue/epoxy sales (J-B Weld). Also, no more college football games at BC…hope to see you all next alumni class outing. As I get older, I miss Kenyon more and more.
Emily Resnik Conn
Fortunately the pandemic has not affected my law business but it has definitely affected the lives of my husband and sons who are all connected to college athletics. My husband, who is with the Yale Athletic Department communications office, has had to change course on what he is covering and writing about due to the fact that there are no Ivy League contests currently and for the foreseeable future. My older son, Jeremy, is a grad student in Strength and Conditioning at Merrimack with a grad assistant position at Boston College. He is masked up and actually has some athletics going on. My younger son, Jordan, has unfortunately lost his junior year of football as a Kicker and Punter with the University of New Hampshire Wildcats as the CAA canceled its 2020 season although we continue to hold out some hope for a partial spring season.
Richmond (Rick) Curtiss
After 13 years together my boyfriend Mark Epoch and I were scheduled to have a small (35 people from all over) fun, elegant wedding on June 8 at a 1930’s hillside estate overlooking the desert where we live in Palm Springs. That event has now been postponed (twice) to June of 2021. We did have a marriage license, however, which had to be fulfilled or we would lose it. It was very difficult finding a judge etc. to perform our vows exchange with everything closed for the pandemic. Two of our best friends remembered our original wedding date and invited us for dinner to at least mark the day. We explained our dilemma and they arranged to have an officiant come before dinner to marry us. It turned out to be the unexpected, loveliest wedding we didn’t even know we wanted. (BTW, very few of the people coming next year know this happened so mums the word!)
Julia Eastin Dubowy
We are doing well in Germany. Schorschi is growing and that is our greatest joy. He is learning to play the recorder. Remember that – haha! It is actually fun to watch him learn. I am teaching in a local elementary school in the afternoon in person, but with masks and other hygiene precautions. So far all is well with that and I am cautiously optimistic. Norbert is still in partial home office. Two days a week he travels by car and/or by train to work. We are keeping in touch with some family and friends in the U.S. via WhatsApp and Zoom Calls. That has been very helpful. We miss not being able to come to the U.S. to visit everyone. That is probably the greatest sorrow we have, and that is bearable if that is what it takes to keep everyone well. We are trying to keep those connections current through technology with some success.
Teresa J Fournier
I've been keeping close to God my Heavenly Father and Jesus by watching Rock City Church TV worship online (also on ABC, channel 6- Columbus) (excellent messages and music); sending handmade cards and letters to my old lady friends (covid-19 confined) via snail mail (sunshine in the mail), reading the Holy Bible, praying for the world, spending some time with close family, and thanking God for each day with breath in my lungs!
Scott Garson
Gotta recognize new family member Otis, a rambunctious 1 year old black lab rescue that has brought great joy to our lives in Cleveland, especially fun when he gets to play with Ori, with the added bonus of a visit with Berger.
Melinda Roberts Haines
In May 2019 I received my Master of Business Administration degree from Purdue Global after an intense 11-month period of working full time and studying from the comfort of my living room couch in an online program. In January 2020 I started a new position as CEO of The Literacy Alliance, a non-profit organization in Fort Wayne, IN, that helps adults with barriers to education work toward attaining their high school equivalency degree and other job certifications, as well as providing classes for adults seeking to improve their English language skills. It has been quite a transition, especially during the pandemic, because our agency works primarily with adults who have been disproportionately affected by this crisis. Helping them succeed is very gratifying.
Steve Hasler
My sorrows are not significant. But I will say it's been painful to discover ageism in the workplace is definitely a thing. I had to adjust by becoming an independent marketing contractor two years ago. Welcome to the gig economy. While it makes for anxious moments, it also brings welcome freedoms. I was already living the work-from-home lifestyle, and as a natural introvert, loving it. It’s also been a great excuse for family time in our small camper.
I think many of us share the same sorrow over the direction our country’s leaders are taking us, and the exhausting nature of civil discourse. I will say this, however: I find great hope in Millennials and where they want to take the country. And joy in seeing the people my own millennial kids have grown to be. My daughter, Greta, just completed a stint on the Senate staff of Bernie Sanders and is moving on to a job that will have her focusing on food equity. And my son has a secure position he loves at Raytheon. What is more joyful than seeing your children surpass you?
Connie Iacovelli
In the midst of this crazy year, I've taken advantage of the extra time to complete several massive garden projects that have been "in progress" for at least four years: building a 50' retaining wall, transplanting hundreds of daylilies, planting hundreds of pachysandra where the daylilies used to be (on a shaded, north-facing, steep slope along a deer path), finishing a gravel walking path - including two sets of stairs, and spreading 220 bags of mulch under the junipers and evergreen trees. Spending so much time and physical activity outside has been a welcome distraction. Also, a cousin handed off about 45 letters that my mother wrote home from Saigon in 1962, the year she met and married my father. It is a fascinating look at the intersection of my mother, father, leftovers of 1950s culture, and the impending Vietnam War. (She was in her apartment three blocks from the palace when it was bombed.) I'm scanning all the letters and assembling a book for my siblings and their children. Also, I'M GONNA BE A GRANDMA IN APRIL!
Gina Bauman Kornfeind
Although all of us '85ers would have loved to have been on campus for our 35th reunion, our beloved Sue Berger, Jan Richardson and Laura Plummer forged us into the best virtual reunion ever! The virtual beer tents were a highlight of COVID times and our breakout rooms of Gund dorm, Southern California alums and then a few random ones gave me connection and warmth I had been missing and craving. Every single person who joined the Zoom was treasured and I hope to road trip soon to visit many.
In terms of what I am doing to stay whole, I am treasuring time that I would have never had experienced with my 27 year old daughter Meredith staying with us from Brooklyn for 3 months along with enjoying every minute with my 4th child Maggie who is a high school senior who is still in virtual school. We have grown so close through coping with all of these unknowns. My greatest sorrows are also the things that keep me so whole and grounded every day--the work I do in pediatric palliative care with children who are dying. Having rules about limiting visitors at the end of life, our team becomes surrogate family members at times. While it is so hard to say goodbye to a sick child, I am grateful for what I am still able to do to provide comfort to a family during COVID to perhaps surround them with extra layers of support. Bearing witness on a daily basis to how these families face the end of life with dignity keeps me whole, grounded, grateful and trying to pay it forward. I also stay whole by doing virtual grief support groups every other week where I see courageous parents come together to get help, support one another and just be real. When I am surrounded by folks who have to bear the unbearable, I know I am blessed and am called to bring them hope. This intense sorrow that comes my way each week at work is also what keeps me whole! I also was SO INSPIRED by how truly wonderful our classmates are as they all give so much back to the community, as do so many of their children! What a special purple group I am so glad to belong to!
Richard Lincoln
It has been a strange year and our plans have been revised to accommodate schedule delays and COVID-19. We travelled to the Bahamas in February with a plan to cruise the smaller island for a few months. On March 20th, COVID related lockdowns were announced and we decided to stay at Staniel Cay (pronounced Key) where we would have access to a source of food. The COVID orders became increasingly confining but we felt safe and sitting at a beautiful island with clear water and warm weather was good. For the last two weeks, we were pretty much confined to our boat other than shopping on specific days based upon last name. With permission from the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, we followed our approved plan and made our way to Fort Lauderdale, FL. After a brief pause to assess the COVID situation, we headed north and spent the summer along the west coast of Buzzards Bay.
Alas, we have not seen so many friends we have wanted to reconnect with. We have not had the opportunity to meet new people. Such is the COVID world for now. Things will change. Now, we (Helene, Connor now 22 years old, Macy our Shetland Sheepdog) head south with plans to spend the next six or so months in the Bahamas. I wish you all well and hope you are finding ways to connect during these isolating times.
David Mosey
In my first entry of class notes I'm choosing to see my glass as half-full despite my thirst for broader direct human physical contact. As such, I am grateful for COVID for having inspired the bounty of Kenyon-oriented Zoom meetings over the last several months. The ease of clicking a Zoom link vs. hauling one's self to Gambier opened the door to meaningful re-connections that likely wouldn't have happened otherwise. I am grateful for both the reunion-oriented Zoom events as well as the many other mini Zooms that followed with subgroups of friends. It was pure joy reconnecting and hearing your stories about your families, jobs, and achievements. The only awkward moments were the (way too) many references to my blowing up the toilet freshman year. Sorry I didn't do something to lead to more profound, intellectual memories. Thank you all for seeking the re-connection sharing. Go Lords and Ladies! We, apparently, are forever joined at the hip.
Emily Reidenbach
I'm sad to report that my dad died in July just after his 90th birthday. He was recovering from a stroke and caught COVID-19 in a nursing home. He actually beat the virus but wasn't able to get stronger due to not being able to have therapy and other issues. For 5 months we could only see him on Zoom calls, until the bitter end when he was too out of it to recognize us. But I'm glad he was alert enough to eat the birthday chocolate cake with caramel icing cupcakes I brought to the hospital!
Matthew Rhoa
My greatest sorrow this year has been separation from family and friends. Living on the west coast has made it impossible to visit friends and family on the east coast. Phone calls and zooms have been helpful, but nothing comes close to spending time with family and friends. We got a COVID puppy in May which has been a blessing. Churchill is now 11.5 lbs. We think he will max out at 12 lbs. he has been a great distraction. Looking forward to a visit east of the Mississippi river.
Jan Richardson
Our daughter, Juliette Richert, graduated from Rice University in May 2020. The enthusiastic participation in our virtual reunion events and generous support of the Kenyon Fund by our classmates for our 35th Reunion continues to strengthen the ‘85 bond to one another and to Kenyon.
Jim Rossman
A silver-lining of Covid has been connecting more frequently with Pete Propp (in Westport) and Gene Elder (in Charlottesville), via a virtual book club. We are reading Hamlet currently, which is bringing back many fond memories of Shakespeare lectures in Ascension, reading in the nooks of old Chalmers library, and productions in Bolton Theater.
David Sheehan
I returned to teaching in September in the South Bronx to a world vastly changed. Most of our students are now enrolled in remote learning, so the job consists chiefly of talking at a green light on top of my computer. With a face mask on. And a face shield. At least 6 feet away from the nearest human being. I am at times overwhelmed by the fact that we find ourselves in this situation in our country today. My focus is on a participatory and fair democracy coming off life support and voting on a change come November, when accountability, science, safety and reason may return to our leaders and our lives in 2021. While I am grateful that to date COVID has not directly compromised my family, I am enraged that we find ourselves in this place. I take solace in my family, my peers, my students and an open media, as well as correspondence I have with a Kenyon freshman, the first from my school to attend Magic Mountain.
Deirdre van Dyk
I started a job four days before the pandemic shut down the newsroom (I’m now an editor for USA Today’s magazines, I just finished one on NASA). After looking forward to being around people again, I was isolated back at home. Again. Worried about my immune system. Again. (I had a bone marrow transplant in 2017). It wasn’t easy learning a job remotely, but seven months later, I’ve found I enjoy working at home. If I get stressed, I can walk away from my desk and I’m immediately in my own environment to chill out. If stories are running behind, I don’t have to sit in the office and wait, I can make dinner, even eat dinner, and then check back in. Without commuting over two to three hours a day, I can have a peaceful morning routine of walking, then enjoying coffee on my balcony before sitting in my study.
And after an initial pandemic reaction of potato chips, wine and sloth —it's now all home cooked meals. I’m exercising more— having noticed how important it is to my mood. (And telling myself I’ll be in a better place should I catch the virus.) I’m taking online dance and yoga classes — no excuse to miss class if all you have to do is turn on Zoom. Some are even with Olympic athletes — which is fun!
And in a world gone sideways, there are still ways to help: I have a steady income again so can donate money, and I’m finding new ways to volunteer. There are many things to miss-- but overall, I know I’m lucky. And I’m thankful for that.
Frank Virnelli
One of the connections that has been joyful is I am part of a long text stream made up of a group of eight of us from our class. We very regularly send messages of support, pictures of pets and funny photos to each other, among other things. The group has helped me through many dark times, including the recent loss of my mother. On a more traditional class note, I have become a deacon at Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford, Connecticut (as some have heard me say, this is surely one of the minor signs of the Apocalypse).
