| Kenyon Class of 2000 Fall Class Letter
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| Dear classmates,
It’s fall at Kenyon - cool breezes, afternoon sun, crunchy leaves blanketing everything in autumn colors, and an endless supply of friendly faces 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. 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 a Reunion 2022 on the Hill. Please 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 to guide its planning and actions leading up to the bicentennial in 2024 and beyond. 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.
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!
Beko Reblitz-Richardson
P.S. Scroll down for our 2000 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.
• Beth Bogner Miranda
• Jennifer Kozak Rawlings
• Mike Lewis
• Kristin Meister
• Meredith Methlie
• Beko Reblitz-Richardson
• David Shearer
• Mary Jacobsen Teague
• Joanna Radnor Vilensky
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Kristopher Armstrong: During the dark days of the pandemic, Kristopher Armstrong started a literary journal with his wife Gretchen (Wooster '99). Tomorrow and Tomorrow is now a twice-yearly print-only journal featuring poetry, prose, and visual art. So far it has included work from three Kenyon writers: Andrew Welsh-Huggins '83, P'17; David B. Guenther '84; and Kris himself. Kris and Gretchen are interested in receiving more submissions from Kenyon writers and artists. Details are available at www.tomorrowandtomorrow.net. Otherwise, Kris is parenting four teenagers and working as a Master Commissioner at the Ohio Supreme Court. He recently got back in touch with Molly (Willow) Vogel, who e-mailed him after seeing him quoted in the newspaper about his neighbors' family brass band.
Kelly Dillon: This past year I was awarded the Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society's Teaching Award at Wittenberg University. This is the second highest teaching award at Wittenberg, and every year, the student members of ODK identify a faculty member that they see as embodying the twin values of the ODK Honor Society: scholarship and service to the community. This award will certainly help my tenure and promotion application submitted this October. Personally, we are so grateful for the science and knowledge that have allowed our sons Jackson (13) and Benjamin (12) to be vaccinated so they can attend Middle School with their peers.
Naomi Raquel Enright: My book, Strength of Soul (2Leaf Press; University of Chicago Press, April 2019) has been in the world for just over two years and continues to make an impact. In August 2021, my essay, The Hidden Curriculum received an Honorable Mention in Streetlight Magazine's Essay/Memoir Contest. I also continue to supervise Hunter College student teachers in dual language classrooms, and my son is now a middle schooler. Time flies. We are all healthy, safe, and very grateful.
Rev. Becky White Newgren: She is thriving in Rockford, Illinois, a small urban city 90 miles from Chicago. She is the Senior Pastor and main preacher of a federated UCC/PCUSA downtown church with enough spirit to paint an 80-foot mural on the building and welcome those without homes to spend the winter nights inside. She cherishes spending time with her spouse, Andy, and their three children (12, 8, and 5) either on outdoor adventures or in their 1893 Victorian project/home. She reports, "Life is full and crazy and hard and beautiful, but after surviving an 8th concussion that took me down for over a year, I am grateful."
Dr. Renée L. Peltz Dennison: Hello from Southern Maryland! James ’99 and I have been divorced for a few years, and are working to co-parent our two sons—Egan who is 13 and just started high school, and Hewit who is 11 and just started middle school. I am keeping busy by volunteering as a first responder, and singing and playing in the bell choir in church. My service dog Bijou is 16, and needs to retire— so if anyone has a lead on a good place to get another service dog please let me know. Drop me a line if you are going to be near Baltimore, Annapolis, or D.C.— I always love to see fellow Kenyonites out in the world!
Molly (Willow) Vogel: After getting our shots, we managed to sneak in a family trip to Disney World before Florida became (more of) a flaming hot mess (I can say that, I lived there after graduation for a brief, dark, time). And snuck in a few meals out and lots of visits with friends. And then people who use "personal freedom" as a cudgel to ignore science helped give everybody Delta and I send my kids to school in masks every day, hoping they stay safe. Like all of you, I am so, so weary of this pandemic. But also frustrated, saddened, enraged and pissed by/at the people who refuse to acknowledge how their actions are affecting us all and needlessly prolonging this hellscape by not getting a shot that can literally save their life. But we got to see my parents again after 18 months and my brother after almost two years, so that was nice. And my dog Dash continues to be a source of comfort and brooding looks during endless Zoom meetings. And my kids are brilliant and one of them is really funny and I love my husband more than ever, so there are bright spots. But man do I hope we all get some more, soon.
Michael Lewis: Looking forward to Dune. Also looking forward to the new Bond film. I love TV.
Beko Reblitz-Richardson: My family spent the summer in Idaho, with my wife's parents, and we're now back in Oakland. My two kids (now 13 and 11) are happily back at in-person school, and my wife and I are working remotely. This weekend, I'm heading to Yosemite to climb Cathedral Peak with a friend before winter rolls in. Wishing you all well.
Rachel Leber: Hi Everyone! I'm happy to report that I just started my third year (of four!) of Naturopathic Medical School in Portland, Oregon. I can't believe it—we're already four weeks into the term! Time really flies by these days. I also found out a few weeks ago that I passed my first round of medical boards, which was a huge relief—especially after spending half of my summer studying for it! Whew! Thus begins my foray as a secondary intern in the clinic at our school. Life is a trip, indeed.
In my free time I love to explore the beauty of the pacific northwest by road bike, hikes in the woods, visiting the Oregon Coast, catching up with old friends, and making new ones. I also recently started playing in a Brazilian Samba group, called Lions of Batucada (it's called a Bateria- an all-percussion samba group) after a long break since my samba days in Boulder, Colorado. It is so much fun to be playing again, and meeting so many talented and spirited musicians! I also have been playing (guitar and piano) and singing at home whenever I can.
I hope you all are doing well, and look forward to hearing from you!
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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.
2000
Annual Fund Total: $66,400
Class Participation: 24.6%
Kokosing Society
Donors of $25,000 to $49,999
Charles S. Green*
Philander Chase Society
Donors of $10,000 to $24,999
Beth Bogner Miranda*
Bexley Society
Donors of $2,500 to $9,999
Charlotte Haas Prime*
Caarin Hertzwig Kogut*
James S. Kogut*
Maraleen D. Shields*
Kenyon Society
Donors of $1,000 to $2,499
Paul R. Bienstock*
Daniel W. Bowles*
Jonathan P. Flaherty*
Leah R. Wedul Maragos*
Donors of $1 to $999
Eliza Andrews*
Kristopher J. Armstrong
Emily Atwood Costello*
Austin D. Barger*
Margaret Beeler Stefani
Emily E. Berry
Luke Bradbury MD*
Amanda L. Bresie
Carrie Brueck Morris*
Caitlyn S. Burroughs
Andrew R. Burton
Kelly Kristina Castellon*
Michael P. Davis
Katie E. Donohue
Stephany S. Dunmyer*
Erin L. Eckert*
Nathan F. Erickson*
Nicholas R. Ferraro
Pierce J. Flanigan IV*
Kathleen S. Florea*
Jessica T. Fry
Colby M. Genrich, MD*
Selamawit Gilagaber
Amanda K. Gilvin
Rachel T. Goldberg*
Seth T. Golden*
Heather Graber Stinson*
Sarah Hall Wilson*
Trace J. Hancock
Nicole E. Harbauer*
Alix Hernandez-Soria
Holly L. Hillyer
Elisabeth A. Hire*
Gretchen A. Kaluzny*
Rachel Kelley Perz*
Jennifer Kozak Rawlings*
Christiane L. Kubit
Melanie A. Lachance*
K. Monica Lai
Stephen W. Lian
Alexander J. Lourie*
Lonnie D. Manns*
Laura M. Marx*
Erik C. Mazur*
Kristin Ann Meister*
Meredith J. Methlie*
Sarah Mills Kinsella*
Alexander A. Minard*
Aafreen W. Moses
Michael A. Moses
Daniel P. Nickerson*
Audrey S. Osuna*
Samuel L. Ottenhoff*
Julia L. Pettus*
Judith M. Phillips
Erika E. Prahl*
Joanna Radnor Vilensky*
Beko O. Reblitz-Richardson*
Emily E. Robichaud*
Elizabeth Roche Griffin*
Dr. Ted C. Rogers
Alexander W. Ross*
Michelle Ross*
Pilar Rubin Prime*
Andrew S. Rushing*
Cherish H. Schabasser*
Joseph D. Schuermeyer
Ken Schultz
David W. Shearer*
James T. Sheridan*
Gerald W. Slevin*
Paul W. Stinson*
Seth J. Swihart*
Mary M. Teague*
Neal J. Teague*
Sonja R. Thomsen-Oulahan
Helen Zoe Veit*
Molly Vogel*
Andrew G. Wallace*
Charles M. Walsh
Caleb H. Wheeler
Rebecca White Newgren*
Walter W. Winnicki III*
Kerry E. Yun*
Kimberly Yungfleisch*
George Wharton Mariott Society
These alumni have included Kenyon in their estate plans or have made other planned gifts.
Austin D. Barger
Michael P. Davis
Maraleen D. Shields
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Kenyon College
105 Chase Avenue, Gambier, OH 43022
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