| Kenyon Class of 1989 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.”
I got the Pfizer vaccine and at the time of writing this note I’m one week post my second dose. Although not fully inoculated I’m already 100% bought into the idea of rejoining society. We met friends INSIDE A RESTAURANT, and then the flood gates opened. We ate out four out of the next five days and continue to take advantage of our new urban living lifestyle. We have already booked our first trip out west to see our son whom we haven’t seen in a year so it will be weird to get on a plane but I’m looking forward to being somewhere else!
While I know you were mostly wanting to hear about my life, 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.
If you haven’t heard, reunion is going virtual this year. The College is hosting two weeks of online programming from May 16-29 and most events are open to all alumni. Even though we aren’t celebrating a reunion this year, I encourage you to register for events with your favorite professors and reminisce with classmates at the online social gatherings. I’m planning to join the tour of Chalmers Library and take part in some of the fun things they have planned to bring the Hill to us virtually for this nontraditional reunion. Zoom fatigue is real for many of us, but I look forward to virtually bumping into some of you! We can have a contest for best virtual background. I also plan to rent a twin cot to sleep on, turn off the a.c. and spill beer all over my bathroom floor so I can have as close to a real reunion experience as possible. I hope you’ll think of creative ways to make this reunion year special.
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. Mark your calendar 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,
Andy Albrecht
P.S. Hear more about the goings on from our 1989 classmates below.
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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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| Virtual Events for Alumni
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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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Class AgentsClass agents are your connection to campus. If you would like to learn more about becoming one, contact Molly Gutridge (gutridge1@kenyon.edu).
• Amy Curtner Andrews
• Andrea Bucey-Tikkanen
• Andy Albrecht
• Wes Reynolds
• Chandra Andersson
• Chris Eaton
• Chris Toft
• David Richards
• Ed Beemiller
• Fran Carr
• Gordon Loveland
• Joan O'Hanlon Curry
• Kyla Carlson
• Michelle Graves
• Pam Rivers
• Peter Groustra
• Sarah Turgeon
• Steve Misschler
• Susie Bloom Hudgins
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Class of 1989 Spring Notes
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Anna Switzer
I published a book! You can find License to Learn on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles as well as on my own website: annaswitzer.com. In the words of one reviewer:
"WOW! Can I just say how much I loved it. License to Learn is a provocative look at how we as humans navigate change, learning, and development by stepping outside our comfort zone. Anna’s blend of personal anecdotes coupled with neuroscience and learning theory provide important insight into how we can push ourselves to learn more and step into new challenges in our lives. The visual map that develops provides a guide for the reader. It is a helpful template that continues to stick with me as I consider my own zones of development and how I can be more successful in my own transitions and learning. This book will definitely be one that I return to in future life changes.”
I am also transitioning into offering my skills (group facilitation, change management, systematic decision-making, nature connection, and more) as a consultant. Take a look at my offerings and feel free to contact me if you have need and interest. Cheers!
Lincoln Bleveans
After eight great years at Burbank Water & Power, I have joined Stanford University to lead its sustainability, energy, water, and infrastructure efforts. We'll still be in the LA area until our youngest finishes high school next year, then Meredith '90 and I (and the dogs and cats and perhaps some of the kids) will relocate to Nor Cal.
Nick Hutchinson
Still living in Colorado and writing music-related content for a variety of outlets. I recently released a book, Channeling Jerry, in which I interview a variety of artists about the influence of the late Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia. If anyone has interest, it's available through BookBaby online.
Chris Thorp
Life has been a bit crazy for us in Chicago. I feel behind many of my classmates in the parenting arena, starting late (as usual). Meyer is 8 and triplets Jack, Cooper and Tilman are 5. Laura and I are enjoying the energy and laughter but are finding it challenging, as expected. The pandemic, as for many, forced us to improvise and surrender that which is out of our control. Laura was forced to put all her anatomy classes online, I dealt with a tsunami of death and despair at work and we both came home to our dear family of boys cooped up in our Chicago home wanting our time and attention. It was overwhelming but we are feeling hopeful and thankful that our family, our community and the world are witnessing change with our vaccination programs. I pray for all of you good health and happiness.
Christopher Eaton
Colleen '87 and I welcomed our adult children back for pandemic bunker 2020. They have both now returned to their lives and we are looking forward to the reopening of life as we emerge from the last year. Everyone is healthy and safe, and we look forward to seeing our Kenyon family again, and not just on Zoom.
Cameron Kelly
A pandemic silver lining at our house is that my debut novel, The Stepping Off Place, was published by HarperCollins in July and made the Kirkus Best of YA for 2020. I highly recommend writing a book as a means of reconnecting with old friends - Kenyon and otherwise! Another bonus: sharing the news with writing Professor P.F. Kluge. I was in his first fiction writing seminar in 1987 and the book published just in time for his retirement. (Let's not focus on how long that took me.) As further evidence that Kenyon never leaves you: I borrowed/stole for TSOP two great Kenyon car nicknames from classmates. Pigskin and Snowcap have officially been immortalized! I'd love to connect with more old friends -- in Maine or on FB/IG.
Fran Carr
We moved from a 50 year-old house to a 100 year-old house in Columbus, Ohio in November and it's quite a shock. From a ranch to Victorian with four flights of stairs! Also in November I started a new job as the Interim Editor of the West River Eagle newspaper in Eagle Butte, SD, on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe reservation. Those of you who went to Standing Rock will remember CRST, many of the original Water Protectors are from there. I absolutely love my new career as a journalist. And yes, you read that right. I do my job in South Dakota from 1,000 miles away. Thanks to COVID for moving everything on-line! I am in desperate need of freelancers, and you can absolutely do this job from home, so please check out our paper and send me an email! www.westrivereagle.com; fran@westrivereagle.com.
Sarah Bamford Seidelmann
2020 proved to be a blessing. Instead of running around and being extremely busy, I was home and able to be with my mom all summer and into the fall as she made her transition. I’d be unknowingly preparing for that time for years as I studied the work of death doulas and became fascinated with death and dying. Just before lockdown I was able to bring a group to Thailand for a pachydermal pilgrimage. The elephants, the jungle and the people had so much to teach us. I published my fifth book along with a deck of cards, How Good Are You Willing To Let It Get? Daily FEELGOOD Inspiration for Helpers, Healers and Creatives that I co-wrote with my core Beastie Alice, an elephant in spirit form. Spring is arriving here and it feels otherworldly and full of possibility! I’m currently working on a visionary fiction novel I’ve been working on for four years. Those old fears of inadequacy and of failure never go away, but it does get easier to pass through that swamp. Sending you all infinite blessings!
Julia Kipka Enkema
Hello all. It’s been fun reconnecting with many of you on FB. Look me up online or if you are ever in Indianapolis, please let me know. We have 1 child out of college now, one graduating in May and a sophomore in college. I’m filling my time as tennis coach, soccer coach and substitute teacher and love that we are headed into spring after a very crazy year. Miss you all.
Walt Hajduk
Obviously, this has been a very unique and trying year for everyone. Luckily, the biggest impact to our family was the missed graduation of my son Sam from Occidental College in May of 2020. While this was definitely an impact to him, we have avoided any major Covid repercussions to our extended family. Even my 92 year-old mother has been able to avoid the worst of this, comfortably staying in her longtime home. After getting over the shock of last spring, Sam has stayed in LA and is working to break into E-sports casting & journalism in a broader sense. Max, his younger brother is a sophomore Comp-Sci major/ Mech Eng minor at Drexel University in Philadelphia, so a little different academic path than either his English major brother or dad. Even in these weird times I have been able to get together with Nick Hutchinson (check out his book, Channeling Jerry) several times and Dawson Driscoll ’90 recently. Hopefully, a real corner may have been turned and slowly the world may creep back toward what might be considered "normal." Cheers & Peace.
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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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