| Kenyon Class of 2006 Spring Class Letter
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Dear classmates,
After a year that felt like a decade, I am filled with hope and optimism as we head into the warmer months. As of mid-April, roughly one-quarter of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and life feels like it is inching back to “normal.”
Kenyon is also planning its return to normal operations, including having all four classes back on campus in the fall. And, due in no small part to our alumni support, the College is wrapping up a financially and logistically challenging year on track to balance the budget, just like they have the last 50 years.
After receiving a record number of applications, Kenyon has enrolled its Class of 2025. And Chalmers Library will be open to greet them when they move in.
In January, Kenyon received the largest gift in its history that will fund construction of three new South Campus residence halls, allowing the College to increase focus on growing resources for scholarships. This is where we come in! The success of the next part of the campaign, Our Path Forward to the Bicentennial, relies on our increased participation and continued support of scholarships for students.
I know it was disappointing to see our in-person Reunion Weekend go virtual this year, but I'm looking forward to connecting with many of you at the events Kenyon has planned to bring the Hill to us virtually for this nontraditional reunion. So mark your calendars for May 16-29 and watch your mail for a special opportunity to win some Kenyon swag by joining in the fun! There will be events with our favorite professors, online social gatherings, a tour of Chalmers Library and more. I look forward to bumping into some of you on Zoom!
The College is also counting on us to show up (and break our record numbers!) for this year’s 36-hour Kenyon Together giving challenge kicking off the morning of Wednesday, May 19 as part of the virtual reunion. Save the date for a fun chance to help Kenyon students today, score prizes, join in some good friendly competition and win bragging rights. After the success of 2020’s Kenyon Together giving challenge, the College knows just how impactful our alumni community can be when we work together to raise money for the causes at Kenyon that matter most to us.
As alumni, we can help today’s students by staying connected with the College and making gifts to scholarships that help Kenyon continue to meet the growing financial needs of students and their families. I invite you to join me in supporting the College in both of these ways. Our alma mater and all of you have contributed to the hope and optimism I feel for the future by providing regular points of connection during an isolating year. No matter how you choose to stay involved with Kenyon, I hope you too are breathing a sigh of relief as we prepare for better days ahead.
Take care,
Jon Stein
P.S. Scroll down to read our 2006 spring class notes.
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Support current students now with a gift to scholarships
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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 to:
- 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.
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Connect with your classmates at these class-specific reunion events:
- Virtual Class Dinner (following the Alumni Town Hall)
7 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 27
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All alumni are invited to join us at these virtual reunion events in May:
- Opening Ceremony/Virtual Hospitality Tent
4 p.m. ET Sunday, May 16
- Kenyon Together 36-Hour Giving Challenge
from 9 a.m. ET Wednesday, May 19 – 9 p.m. ET Thursday, May 20
- Town Hall with President Decatur
7 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 27
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Reunion Committee MembersReunion Committee Members are your connection to campus. If you would like to learn more about becoming one, contact Isabelle Rivers-McCue at riversmccuei@kenyon.edu.
• Hayes Wong
• Jon Stein
• Kaley Bell
• Maeba Jonas
• Mary Todd
• Max Bunzel
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Class of 2006 Spring Notes
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Catherine “Charlie” (Kelleher) Breedlove writes: “My husband and I just welcomed our first child on February 12, 2021. Bryce Ivy Breedlove. We both work for Sideshow Collectibles and love our jobs.”
Joanna Gohmann shares: “In January, my husband, Jon and I welcomed our second son, George Gohmann Breece! Big brother Alex is so excited to be a brother and looking forward to the day when Georgie can play trains with him. I started a new job with the Smithsonian’ National Museum of Asian Art, The Freer Gallery of Art & Arthur M Sackler Gallery as a Provenance Researcher & Object Historian. If you are ever in DC, please say hello! Wishing everybody a happy, healthy spring.”
Johnny Sadoff writes: “Hi! I'm still living in Somerville, MA. I have been running my own chess tutoring business - ChessMate Tutors since last July. I have been teaching chess virtually to children and adults around the country. It would be great to hear from any Kenyon alum in the Boston area. I'm looking forward to things opening up soon. Hope everyone is doing well.”
Andrea Daly shares: “I'm sad to not be able to celebrate our 15th reunion in person on the Hill this year. I hope everyone's been staying as sane as possible, and healthy. My husband and I adopted two kittens. They're a riot, and have been keeping us distracted while being fairly isolated in our Brooklyn apartment for a year. I've been hosting small groups on Zoom to foster community amongst theater writers, and also amongst friends navigating difficult political and cultural dialogue with their families. I also started a greeting card business on Etsy called Little Art By Andrea.”
Grace Twesigye and Sam Anderson are proud and exhausted parents of a baby son, Xavier. They don't want to be those people, but if you ask, they will talk about their baby at great length. They live in Brooklyn.
Abigail Haddad is giving a lot of talks these days on transitioning analysis from Excel to Python. If this is a topic that you or your organization is interested in, she encourages you to get in touch on LinkedIn.
Justin Lacaillade and Meredith (Wylde) Lacaillade of Chicago, Illinois welcomed their latest edition Dexter Nicholas into the family in January. Dexter joins the rest of the Lacaillade children, Iris (7), August (5), and Paloma (3). Meredith is taking a leave from her career as a family nurse practitioner to wrangle the children full time. Justin is starting a new role as Global Sales Leader for Phoenix Controls, a Honeywell division. Justin and Meredith mourn the passing of Randolph Bucey ’50, Justin's godfather. Knowing that Kenyon alum make the best godparents, and keeping the tradition alive, Jack Godshall is the godfather to their son Augie.
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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.
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Kenyon College
105 Chase Avenue, Gambier, OH 43022
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