| Kenyon Class of 2003 Fall Class Letter
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| Dear classmates,
Kenyon couldn’t be more Kenyon than it is in the fall. Am I right? I’m talking cool breezes to balance out the afternoon sun, crunchy leaves blanketing everything in autumn colors and an endless supply of friendly faces to greet you along Middle Path. Whatever the season, I look forward to running into you on the Hill again soon, especially since we haven’t had a chance to reconnect there in some time.
And what a campus we’ll have to return to! Chalmers Library is open and beautiful. (Have you seen the disco ball-esque skylight feature?) All four classes are studying together again in Gambier. (With a bonus first-year cohort finishing a semester in Copenhagen!) And plans are taking shape for an unforgettable Reunion 2022 on the Hill. (Mark your calendar for the weekend of May 27. All alumni are invited to attend!)
In other exciting campus news, the College just shared its new strategic plan that will guide its planning and actions leading up to the bicentennial in 2024 and beyond. You will be pleased to see it includes core elements like developing a computer science program informed by the liberal arts; enrolling, retaining and graduating a student body that is representative of the talent and diversity of our nation and the world; implementing a holistic approach to health and wellness, with an emphasis on mental health; and expanding its commitment to environmental responsibility.
You have also likely heard the announcement of the Kenyon Access Initiative which will bring more high-achieving students to Kenyon thanks to a $25 million matching grant from the Schuler Education Foundation. Any amount we give through this Kenyon Access Initiative will be matched 1:1 and will go to a new scholarship for students from families with limited means and those ineligible for government aid — up to $25 million.
I could go on for pages about these two pieces of Kenyon news, but lucky for you, I don’t have to. Scroll on to learn more about Kenyon’s strategic plan and the Kenyon Access Initiative (and how they fit into our 2024 bicentennial celebration).
As you read about what’s in store for Kenyon’s future, I hope you’ll consider supporting today’s students with a gift to the Kenyon Fund and (if you have the ability) making an additional gift to the Kenyon Access Initiative that has the potential to bring 50 additional talented students to Kenyon each year.
Kenyon couldn’t be Kenyon without involved and supportive alumni like us. As the bicentennial draws closer, I challenge each of you to do a little more than you have in the past to help make Kenyon the special place it is. This could mean becoming an alumni volunteer, attending a College event, submitting a class note or setting up a recurring monthly gift.
Thank you!
Kyle Laux
P.S. Scroll down to see our 2003 class notes.
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| There's a lot happening at Kenyon today.
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We want you to be a part of it.
The Our Path Forward to the Bicentennial campaign is about building a strong foundation for Kenyon’s third century by growing our endowment and strengthening alumni connections. Get involved by:
Staying connected to Kenyon
You may only be a Kenyon student for four years, but you’re a member of our alumni community for life. The Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement strives to make it easy — and fun — to stay connected. GET INVOLVED
Making a gift
Gifts of all sizes add up: every year, gifts of $100 or less to the Kenyon Fund total more than $250,000. Also, every dollar given to the Kenyon Access Initiative between now and June 2026 will be matched and used to create permanent new scholarship funds to enroll exceptional students with limited resources and those who are ineligible for government aid. MAKE A GIFT
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| Upcoming Events for Alumni
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Save the date for these upcoming events for alumni taking place online and on the Hill.
- Kenyon Women Giving Back
The quarterly event series continues on Tuesday, March 22 via Zoom.
- Kenyon Together
The 36-hour online giving challenge kicks off Tuesday, April 12.
- Reunion Weekend
All alumni are invited to join us on the Hill May 27–29.
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Class AgentsClass agents are your connection to campus. If you would like to learn more about becoming a class agent, contact Isabelle Rivers-McCue at riversmccuei@kenyon.edu.
• Ashley Rowatt Karpinos
• Justin Karpinos
• Kyle Laux
• Bi Vuong
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Joe Beilein: Is living his best life and has a new wood rack for his wood burning stove this winter. His chickens are thriving and the varmints have been vanquished. Rumor has it he may be working on yet another fantastic historical tome. He's like Thoreau at Walden except with 2 kids to wrangle, so maybe a little less quiet internal reflection time.
Jeff Bridges: On September 22nd I successfully summited Mt. Kilimanjaro. Not as hard as running for office, but physically the most challenged I've felt since the elevator went out at Caples. Also got the chance to catch up with Stephanie Waskoenig and her extremely well-raised daughters during a long layover in Frankfurt.
John Campbell: Has kept himself busy by hydrorowing. It's a new exercise trend outpacing peloton and John is very keen about it and just got a new, official Hydrow mat on which to row. He's spent a little time at this favorite sandbar as well. Sadly his wakeboarding has taken a back seat to hydrowrowing this summer.
Dave Contrada: Is enjoying life in Vermont at his new house. He is perpetually planning a very large celebration to be held when attendees will be able to enjoy it safely. "DaveAmeliaPaloozaChella" looks to be one of the entertainment world's most anticipated upcoming events. There's a great band line up, a pool, some hot dogs and veggie burgers, and lots of soft grass for camping. Be sure to tune in to the Big Steve Hour on channel 23 XM radio for more details. DJ MedicineMan is rumored to be on the invite/performer list.
Tom Evans: Drives a minivan like a pickup truck, uses an android to the chagrin of many, and has trouble coming up with witty writings explaining the comings and goings of many Kenyon classmates with whom he is fortunate enough to still speak to on a daily and sometimes minute by minute basis. He has been woefully absent from weekly Kenyon Zoom calls however.
Recently he installed some bookshelves in his basement.
Nick & BJ ('04) Fedor: Continue to enjoy life in Shaker Heights, OH and promote the betterment of society through science and community involvement. They're also big YETI fans and have a puppy so not only are they doing good things, they're very relatable. Nick is a big fan of Ohio sports teams and supports them all. However he recently shared that he's still a little miffed at Gene.
Jesse Gregory: Spent the summer enjoying his win from the Winter 2021 Igloo Competition in his neighborhood. By utilizing mathematical engineering and the youthful exuberance of his kids, Team Gregory put up a stunning structure and took home the top prize. Following up on that win, Jesse has almost completed his full immersion custom statistics course for Dave Contrada, which explains predictive odds modelling as it pertains to certain events and competitions. This project has been an ongoing dynamic challenge that Jesse has worked for over 7 years. It's been success followed by success for Jesse lately.
Lauren (Camp) Jercinovic: My husband (Ernie) and our 2 girls (Danica and Natasha) moved to Naples, Florida from Chicago this summer to be closer to family, and maybe the warmer weather!
Andrew Joyce: Is keeping an eye on things in Canada and has been working on a new cookbook centered around the dietary adventures of his father-in-law, Norb. Andrew has done a deep dive into honey this summer and has been able to incorporate it into a lot of recipes that will surely be at the vanguard of the food world as it moves into new flavor territory in 2022. Bagels, chips, and ice cream also get a reboot as Andrew challenges some long held assumptions about these tried and true staples. The book is called Are You Sure About That? and is slated for a March 2022 release.
Jon Kopy: Is riding in style with "Big Red" the Bronco and has perfected the art of going to a Michigan University football game with safety in mind (Patent Pending). His technique proved so effective Jesse Gregory deployed it for a University of Florida game recently. With any luck we will see improvements on his design throughout the season and next year Jon may be able to disrupt the college football game day experience for fans across the country. He'll probably roll out an "app" as well. DaveAmeliaPaloozaChella is signed on as a beta test site for a pivot to concerts.
Josh Karren: Is loving his job and excelling at maximizing his PTO output. He's stopped in to see several Kenyon alums like Dave Contrada (sight inspection and logistics meeting for DaveAmeliaPaloozaChella) and Josh Pike (consulting on with Pike's new venture "Surf Shed Products"). His kids hold several Medway youth sports titles and records and dominate the cul-de-sac in summer evening activities.
Matt Latuchie: Has been working hard on expanding his palate as he prepares to embark on a quest to follow in Anthony Bourdain's footsteps. His culinary journey began with a revelation over a tuna melt and has rapidly expanded into the realm of egg salad. He's also busy handling 2 young kids at home and sometimes hangs out with Carrottop when he's in Vegas. Matt prefers to call him Scott, though.
Kyle Laux: Continuing to live in Richmond, Virginia with my wife Emily and children (Edward 7) and Mary Witt (5). Both Edward and Mary Witt have toe dipped into summer swimming but are also keeping us busy with a variety of other activities. I have been keeping up with Ted Lasso as I find myself as the head coach of Mary Witt's soccer team. I am modeling myself as more of a Ted than a Roy Kent but as this season progresses I am not so sure about that decision. I remain quite active with Kenyon as the past chair of the Kenyon Fund Executive Committee and a current member of the Capital Campaign Leadership Committee. I know everyone is busy but would stress and encourage everyone to find a way to engage with Kenyon - it is rewarding and you'll find great Kenyon connections you wouldn't otherwise find!
Rose (Talbert) Meiri: After postponing twice, Rose was finally able to have a safe, vaccinated wedding this October, officiated by Xander Piper ’04. To combat stress leading up to the wedding, she hand painted 168 Halloween postcards to send to friends and family. Rose's art has been featured in art shows spanning the length of California, and she won a blue ribbon for an avocado painting at the last Los Angeles County Fair. Her favorite things to paint are avocados, other people's pets, and birds wearing hats.
Josh & Beth ('04) Pike: Josh has been doing a lot of Peloton rides in his basement in between work Zoom Calls. He's also started making T shirts and surf boards in his Surf Shed in the backyard. While Beth may or may not participate on the Peloton, she is not making surfboards with Josh currently.
Ingrid Vining: Last year, I left my job and took a lovely and restorative sabbatical during which I spent my time reading, writing, meditating and competing on the Peloton leaderboard with Emily Martin and Lindsay Sabik. In July, I started a new role as Head of Educational Experiences at the tech company Automattic. Automattic is the parent company to WordPress.com and also one of the leaders in distributed work. For the time being, this means working from my living room and balcony in LA, but I have big plans to travel and visit my Kenyon friends as soon as possible.
Ginna (Gauntner) Witte: Ginna and Annie (Johnson) Weinheimer enjoyed celebrating their 40th birthdays at an inadvertently romantic candlelight dinner in Pittsburgh this summer. Nothing like having the power go out city-wide when you're trying to reassure yourself that turning 40 is a good thing and pandemic life is going to get easier any day now.
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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 is grateful to the following donors for their generous support of the College, including the Kenyon Fund, during the 2020-21 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.
2003
Annual Fund Total: $26,442
Class Participation: 20.4%
Bexley Society
Donors of $2,500 to $9,999
T. Owen Beetham*
Leslie A. Carroll*
Kyle A. Laux*
Kenyon Society
Donors of $1,000 to $2,499
Nathan N. Hara*
Katherine E. Holland*
Justin G. Karpinos*
Ashley Rowatt Karpinos*
Oliver W. Tuckerman*
Bi T. Vuong*
Donors of $1 to $999
Meredith M. Andrews*
Jeremy A. Bauman
Joshua A. Bauman*
Brian A. Bidlingmeyer Jr.*
Allison C. Boex*
Adam J. Booth*
Jeff Bridges
Sarah J. Buek*
Eric A. Christiansen*
Lindsey D. Clawson*
Jessica D'Ardenne Tsuda*
Doran A. Danoff
Sarah E. Day
Lesley S. Demagall*
John L. Dutton*
Benjamin F. Elesh*
Nicholas M. Fedor*
Brian T. Foster*
Jessica M. Foster*
Gretchan N. Frederick*
Betsy L. Garratt*
Mary E. Hanna-Weir
Veronica E. Hauad*
Benjamin D. Helfat
Laura May Higgins*
Benjamin J. Hildebrand*
Jillian D. Howell
Keenan M. Hughes
Nia Imara*
Richa Jha*
Ann W. Johnson*
Niels H. Johnson*
Kelly B. Junker*
Parke Junker*
Andrew F. Kalnow*
Jennifer A. Keeley Yonda*
Peter M. Korns
Katherine M. Leland*
Mark C. Lemon*
Nathaniel C. Leonard*
Uri Y. Levine
Clair Low Chow
Lisa P. McFaddin*
Sarah A. McGavran
Jessica L. McQuarrie
Rose L. Miller-Sims*
Marc Miller
Anne Miskella*
Tyler L. Morell*
Rebecca Palacios Smith*
Jonathan A. Palmer
Gordon S. Pennoyer*
Elizabeth A. Petrelli Elesh*
Jonathan L. Philipsborn*
Natalie Philpot*
Joshua H. Pike*
Kristyn L. Polishan*
Ann M. Racek*
Megan Rafferty Barnes*
Karl A. Reichstetter*
Carrie A. Robertson
Melissa B. Rothberg
Aimee L. Rowe
Lindsay M. Sabik*
Andrew P. Shelby*
Blake E. Sheppard*
Erin B. Sheppard*
Sarah Steckel
Madeline P. Stewart
Natika Stewart
Melissa Strike
Sarah M. Van Nostrand*
Ingrid E. Vining*
Laura M. Wareck
Christopher R. Whitley*
M. Elizabeth Wilkinson
Virginia G. Witte*
George Wharton Mariott Society
These alumni have included
Kenyon in their estate plans or
have made other planned gifts.
Kristian S. Rogers
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Kenyon College
105 Chase Avenue, Gambier, OH 43022
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