| Kenyon Class of 1985 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; 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!
Kate Fonyo Pisano ‘85
P.S. Is Kenyon already in your will? Let the College know about your planned giving by emailing daleiden1@kenyon.edu.
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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 Tracey Wilson at wilson1@kenyon.edu.
• Karen Agee Lipman
• Chuck Barr
• Susan Berger
• Emily Resnik Conn
• Jim Cravens
• Maria DiGiusto O'Neill
• Kate Fonyo Pisano
• Becky Houpt Gladstone
• Andy Hull
• Curt Kinsky
• Gina Bauman Kornfeind
• Sarah Mitchell Buller
• Robin Muller
• Ann Sibley Pickens
• Laura Plummer
• Deb Johnson Reeder
• Matt Rhoa
• Jan Richardson
• Jim Rossman
• Tracey Nash Salinas
• Mary Schwendener
• David Sheehan
• Harvey Stephens
• Deirdre van Dyk
• T.O. Wagner
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Ricki Altmiller Demarest writes that she has started classes to pursue an AFA in Fine Arts. Her husband Art’s architecture business is going great guns and their Shih Tzu, Omar, takes them on walks twice a day. She says “life is lovely in New Jersey.”
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Richmond (Rick) Curtiss wrote to share that after 14 years together (including a year postponement for covid) he and his boyfriend, Mark Epoch, were finally able to celebrate their wedding on June 8 this year. He and Mark quietly married in June 2020 but generally kept it secret until they could celebrate with forty family and friends who gathered in their home city of Palm Springs, CA. On their first anniversary they celebrated not only their nuptials but finally being able to gather and enjoy themselves. Richmond works as a Naturalist guide for red-jeep.com so he took his guests on tours of the local desert!
Rick also shared that earlier this spring Missy Bemis ‘84 was in Palm Springs for a weekend getaway and they all spent a wonderful evening together. He reports “it was as if the 35 years since we last saw each other never happened. We slipped right into our old comfortable friendship as if we were just coming back to campus after summer break.”
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Deirdre Van Dyk reports she just had a checkup and four years out from her bone marrow transplant she is still 100 percent donor. She still wears the tie-dyed shirts that Susan Berger made for her! It’s purple, natch! “Author’s” note: the picture is from the day I sprung DVD from Hopkins (with her nurse’s permission) for a brief trip to a purple bakery to get her favorite muffin. Notice how fashion forward she was wearing a mask ahead of all of us!
Other than that Deirdre is still sticking close to and working from home in her job as an editor at USA TODAY. The pandemic made her read a book she still had from a history class --anyone remember Plagues and Peoples?
Taylor Burton-Edwards continues la vida ecumenica as an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America pastor serving a small congregation in Warner Robins, GA, while also assuming the role of Director of Ask The UMC, the United Methodist Information Service, and continuing as co-convener of the Ecumenical Consultation on Protocols for Worship, Fellowship, and Sacraments as the pandemic continues. He was a member of the writing team and co-editor of a new set of ecumenical resources for the catechumenate and mystagogy published by Journey to Baptismal Living (The North American Association for the Catechumenate).
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Kate Fonyo Pisano took her first ever cross-country road trip this summer! It was an impromptu trip with a friend precipitated by her 94 yo dad wanting company at a Cards-Cubs game in St. Louis and went on from there… 2950 miles, 11 states, 5 days! Back at home the youth minister at my church is a Kenyon grad Rebecca Ogus ’14. “It’s been fun getting to know and bonding across the decades with strong Kenyon women like Corky Hood Hebert ’82, Mary Sullivan Lord ’92 and Rebecca!”
Scott Garson is happy to report coming out of a three year health ordeal with more strength and vigor than in many years. He recently retired and is working on a variety of community activities while exercising regularly. LIFE IS GOOD!
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Beckie Houpt Gladstone had an amazing mini '85 reunion in Deer Isle, ME over the last weekend in September with Eliza Garrels Childs, Sharon Cassidy Dorsett, Carolyn Donnelly Johnson, and Laura Vastine Lynch. They survived 10-foot swells while sailing in the Penobscot Bay, played golf in the rain and shared loads of laughs and memories. Nice to get back together again, though missed the other '85 pals who couldn't be there.
Stuart Gutsche reports that he is enjoying father/daughter time touring colleges!
Anne Sibley Pickens reports they have entered the life of empty nesters with one daughter at American University as a junior and their youngest daughter, a freshman at the University of Alabama. She says “it's tough to say Roll Tide when you have been living in Tennessee for 20+ years.” They kicked off their new carefree lifestyle with a trip to the beach and look forward to more travel throughout the fall and spring, hopefully including some visits with Kenyon friends along the way.
Laura Plummer writes: “my last day as an employee is in late December, and after that I join the growing ranks of retirees among us! The last five years of building Indiana University’s Scholarly Writing Program have been a rewarding cap to a 25+ year career in higher ed. I’ll miss the folks in the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs whom I’ve worked with for so long, but I’m happy to turn a well-supported, popular, and nationally recognized program over to someone else to run and enjoy. Mei Mei Lyle Burr, who retired in 2020, has been my sister-guide throughout this adventure.”
Jan Richardson reports “an April visit to Kenyon with her nephew cemented his intentions; he committed to the class of 2025!”
Patrick Shields was nothing less than excited to let folks know his “pandemically postponed” 2020 wedding to WSJ.com journalist and Louisville, Kentucky native Beckey Bright took place late June 2021 in Milton, Kentucky! He reports it was magical. Ivor Hanson, twin of Lars Hanson '86 officiated. Kyle Primous, with the world's most beautiful family in tow, stood in as best man. Mark Mashaw, Jennifer Mizenko and Laura Plummer, (with partner Michael Nelson), danced like it was 1999.
Pat continues to work as a background player on "Billions" while waiting for auditions to pick up. He and Beckey will begin post production on their U.S. soccer fan documentary Eagleman and Wonder Woman: An America Love Story in December and asks everyone to look for the Clear Window Productions Kickstarter campaign to begin November 15, 2021.
Mary Schwendener’s “pandemic plus” is that she joined a rowing team in Dayton and is loving it! It’s a fun release during hard times AND she says she is looking forward to doing more of it in her impending retirement!
Harvey and Mary Beth Stephens continue to live the good life in Central Illinois. Oldest son, Bennett ’15 is finishing 4th year medical school and youngest, Weston is a 1st year at U Conn Law School. Harv tells me he and Mary Beth recently took the trip of a lifetime…visiting the Southwest with his parents!
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Meghan Toth Strubel & Doug Strubel ‘86, along with Rennie and Willa Worsfold ’86, were thrilled to celebrate the September wedding of Caroline Fenn ’16 and Scott Matus ’14. Geoff and Cathy Fenn ’86 hosted a fantastic September wedding weekend and mini Kenyon-reunion at their home on Martha’s Vineyard.
Camille Sweeney reports she, her husband Josh and their 16 yo daughter Roxie live in NYC with their thousands of books. She notes “way too many books accumulated during the pandemic, including her current fave, George Saunders’ Lincoln in the Bardo.” She says she sees NYC Kenyon alum on a regular basis. And based on research from her book, The Art of Doing, she runs a workshop program, Future Me, for high school and higher education students in schools and leadership programs helping them identify their genuine interests and connect those interests to jobs and careers.
Camille writes “Every time I have them write a letter from their Future Self (decades into the future) to their Present Self thanking them for all their hard work, I think, ‘Wow I wish I’d written a letter like that to my Future Self when I was back at Kenyon!’”
Bill Taylor & Jennifer Luce Taylor were blessed to have all four of their grandchildren visit their home in Dorset, VT this summer. Their son, Wilson, and his wife, Alicia, welcomed their second child, Walter, in July, joining sister Katherine (age 3) to the family. Their daughter, Allyson ’14, and her husband Jake Matthews ’13, welcomed twins, Charlotte and Soren in November 2020!
Kathleen Fulmer Waller is beginning her 5th year teaching English Learners at Columbus Preparatory Academy - this year it's all Kindergarteners! With new administration and EL teammates, she remains hopeful that they can turn around the COVID academic slide. She reports she enjoyed a few mini-reunions this summer - seeing Melinda Roberts Haines at a winery in south NJ, Kate Detwiler Okabayashi at the German Club in Pittsburgh, and Emily Jorgenson Reidenbach here in Columbus over the summer. Emily and she are looking forward to seeing the Immersive VanGogh exhibit later this November. She continues to volunteer with her church and the DAR and has taken up plein air painting, occasionally. She finds it to be much more challenging than she expected. Her Daughter, Laurel ’19, is living in Cincinnati and working in Columbus as the sound designer for Short North Stage. Check out the calendar of shows through Columbus Immersive Theatre if you're looking for some great entertainment and stop by the sound booth to say hello!
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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.
1985
Annual Fund Total: $96,347
Class Participation: 32.9%
Kokosing Society
Donors of $25,000 to $49,999
Andrew H. Hull*
Colleen Murphy Bell*
Timothy E. Stautberg P'23*
Harvey M. Stephens P'15*
Philander Chase Society
Donors of $10,000 to $24,999
James E. Rossman P'15*
Bexley Society
Donors of $2,500 to $9,999
Susan B. Berger*
Mei Mei Burr*
Philip E. Cable*
Carol B. Fiedler*
Curt B. Kinsky
Jennifer Luce Taylor P'14*
Michael J. Nevins
Deborah J. Reeder MD*
Mary Schwendener*
William W. Taylor P'14*
Kenyon Society
Donors of $1,000 to $2,499
Karen L. Agee Lipman*
Jim Cravens*
Gregg E. Franklin*
Mary E. Kosanke*
Kate Fonyo Pisano*
Laura A. Plummer*
R. Lynn Rardin, PhD*
Donors of $1 to $999
Anonymous
Elizabeth B. Alexander*
David M. Baxter P'21*
W. Mark Berghold P'20*
Jean M. Bratton*
Ellen Buchanan*
Taylor W. Burton-Edwards
John Callinan*
Mary E. Chalmers*
Joseph A. Coates*
Joseph J. Cobau*
Sarah M. Corvene*
Christopher D. Cunningham
Maria DiGiusto O'Neill
David C. Donnell*
Margaret C. Douglas P'18*
Deborah M. Elder MD*
Eugene E. Elder*
MaryPat Ennis Whitmyer*
James S. Ennis*
Christopher Fleming MD P'13*
Filippo P. Freccia P'19
Scott D. Garson*
Marie M. Hamilton
Margaret C. Harding*
Ellen Harrison Foley*
Rebecca Houpt Gladstone*
Pamela J. Jack*
Kathleen M. Janssen*
Scott A. Kerth*
James P. Klejka*
Catherine S. Knudson
Lizabeth K. Kohler*
Gina B. Kornfeind
David L. Kurtz*
Daryl K. Langman*
Richard K. Lincoln Jr.*
Michelle A. Litton-Betts
Ellen L. Mastrangelo*
Martha D. Merrill
Sarah Mitchell Buller P'08*
Kristen Moloney Farmer
Karen A. Mombello*
Kenneth E. Moncrieff
George C. Moore Jr.*
Robin E. Muller*
Dragan M. Pantic
David S. Peebles*
Diana L. Peterson P'18
Ann B. Pickens*
J. William Pinkston III
Suzanne M. Powell MD
Kyle Primous
Peter A. Propp*
Emily M. Resnik Conn*
Matthew F. Rhoa MD*
Jan M. Richardson*
Lynn E. Riemer
Heidi E. I. Sander*
Jody L. Schiliro
Virginia B. Seyler*
Lawrence H. Shannon
Christina L. Shea*
David N. Sheehan
Patrick J. Shields
April L. Skinner
Susan B. Smith*
Mark W. Sonneborn*
Todd E. Stoner*
Sarah Tappen Windham
James W. Tull*
Sarah VanOosterhout Shannon
Frank R. Virnelli Jr.
Benjamin F. Waggoner Jr. P'13*
Thomas O. Wagner P'18*
Kathleen Waller P'19*
Thomas T. Ward Jr.*
Mary J. Weber*
Stephen T. Webster MD*
Rebecca J. Wrangham*
Emiko Yang
George Wharton Mariott Society
These alumni have included Kenyon in their estate plans or have made other planned gifts.
Emily Resnik Conn
Scott D. Garson
Paul B. Healy
Colleen Murphy Bell
Deborah J. Reeder
Mary Schwendener
Deirdre van Dyk
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Kenyon College
105 Chase Avenue, Gambier, OH 43022
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