REUNION REGISTRATION IS STILL AVAILABLE ONLINE! Click Here
Remember to register separately for housing, and sign up now for kid programs and DOC activities.
This is it! We’re trapped in cyberspace and registration is available only online, not through snail mail.
But if you have any trouble or you are located on a remote planet with no Internet access,
you can contact our Registration Jedi Kim Donovan Henley at 413.567.6360.
The reunion committee is excited that so many classmates plan to be in Hanover for June 18th-21st.
Our biggest challenge will be time management, as we have a truly amazing program schedule for our 30th.
Our class reunion tent will be pitched at the new McLaughlin Center, which is located behind Baker/Berry Library. McLaughlin has great indoor gathering spaces and the rooms are air conditioned, so dorm life for the weekend may bear little resemblance to your undergraduate experience. We hope this will not be too disorienting.
It’s the 100th Anniversary of the Dartmouth Outing Club! (The DOC is even older than we are.) Sign up to spend Wednesday night at the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge and revisit your freshmen trip. Other DOC activities include day hikes, white water rafting, canoeing, a high ropes course, an Organic farm tour, and a bus ride to DOC’s spiffy new Harris ‘66 lodge on Moose Mountain.
Naturally enough, the college is planning activities, including a College Admissions Workshop, a garden walk at the President’s home, academic open houses, Professional School receptions, AA meetings, stargazing, etc.
Thursday evening: We launch our class festivities with a bash at 17 Rope Ferry Road, the gracious home of diehard Class VP Bill (Bags) Mitchell and his wife Bray.
Friday morning Phil Odence plans to make everyone get up and run before breakfast at the tent. In keeping with tradition, Joe Henley and David Dowd III will oversee a round of golf.
Friday box lunch and canoe outing to Gilman Island.
Friday night dinner on the nostalgia-soaked lawn of Baker library, as scripted by Ken Beer, Nancy Schwartzman Malmquist, Libby Roberts and Nancy Wilder.
Saturday morning our fabulous Class President Laurie Laidlaw Roulston will preside over our Class Meeting and New Officer Elections at the tent over breakfast. Later in the day you might try hiking, biking, tennis, canoeing, kayaking, or Singles Twister. Less strenuous activities might include floating in an innertube, alumni shopping, or napping in a rocking chair on the porch of the Hanover Inn.
Saturday lunch will be a family cook-out at the new baseball field named in honor of classmate Mike Biondi, who passed away too young. Prior to lunch, we will have a memorial service for all those classmates who are no longer with us.
Saturday dinner (we must keep eating in order to keep up our strength) will be held at the Haldeman Patio, which is apparently some new hot-spot on campus.
Sunday morning breakfast at—you guessed it—the tent. No long goodbyes… ok, maybe a few tears….
Classmate Laurie Rosenfeld will moderate a panel discussion on Reinventing Yourself.
Whoever they are, this year’s speakers will have tough acts to follow given the irreverent lol performances of Gina Barreca, Louisa Guthrie and Buddy Teevens at past reunions. We may also have some fascinating words from a speaker or two who are not Dartmouth 79s.
Class Fundraising - 09/23/2008
August, 2010
Dear Classmates,
On behalf of the College and the great Class of ‘79, I would like to thank all of you who contributed this past year to the Dartmouth College Fund (DCF). Our class continues to amaze!
We set a Class record with 74% participation, handily beating our 70% goal, and beating our previous record of 71.1% by almost 300 basis points. Our participation levels exceeded all Classes post-1961 and was 5th overall. We won the Class of 1953 Award for the greatest number of donors for any class, an award we have won for 12 consecutive years. Our 695 donors set a Dartmouth record for most cash donors of any class in the history of Dartmouth! We had 136 more donors than the second place class (1984). This is our 7th consecutive year with over 600 donors. No other class has ever come close to hitting 600.
We raised $798,825 for the DCF, beating our goal of $700,000, and we raised more money than all non-Reunion classes save the classes of ‘78 and ‘82. We had the second highest number of 1769 Society members (gifts over $2,500), missing the top mark by only one donor.
In addition to our agents making calls throughout the year, several anonymous classmates stepped up with challenge gifts that made a huge difference in getting to our participation numbers. Without these challenge gifts, we would never have made it to the levels we achieved. We are deeply indebted to these generous classmates.
Finally, I would like to thank others in the class whose efforts surely contribute to our class giving records. These efforts have proven vital in reconnecting with classmates, which has greatly contributed to our DCF participation efforts.
Thanks again to all of you who contribute to the ability of today’s students to live the Dartmouth experience.
Best personal regards,
Jim Feuille (Head Agent)
To put a gift on a credit card, please call the Dartmouth College Fund (1-800-228-1769), or go to Dartmouth’s website, https://www.dartmouthcollegefund.org/ALUM_give.htm . Payment by check should be made payable to Dartmouth College Fund and mailed to:
Dartmouth College Fund
c/o Gift Recording Office
6066 Development Office
Hanover, NH 03755-3555
For a stock transfer, call the College Investment Office toll-free at 877-650-6956.
Thank you!
Jim Feuille (Head Agent)
Peggy Epstein Tanner (Participation Co-Chair & Major Gifts)
Dave Philhower (Participation Chair)
2004 to 2009: The Laidlaw Roulston Years - 06/27/2010
Class Officers:
President: Laurie Laidlaw Roulston
Vice President: Bill Mitchell
Head Agent: Peggy Epstein Tanner
Secretary: Mark Winkler
Treasurer: Jim Boldt
Historian: John Currier
Webmaster: Walter Chick
Mini-Reunion Chair: Phil Odence
Newsletter Editors: Jim Feuille and Ben Riley
July 2004-June 2005: Buddy Teevens hired as Dartmouth Football Coach. Peter Robinson elected as our second Dartmouth 1979 Trustee. 69% of the class gives to the alumni fund, raising $690,000, resulting in an award from the Dartmouth College Fund for “Outstanding Class More Than 15 Years Out.” Wonderful 79th Day mini-reunions celebrated in Hanover, Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
July 2005-June 2006: Dedication of Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse. The class Newsletter publishes more amazing accounts from Bill Holmes, from Indonesia and Cambodia. Bruce Arena, Laura Robertson, Bill Mitchell, Nancy Wilder and Carol Nietz serve as mentors for students externing with Dartmouth Partners in Community Service; the class donates $6,000 to this program. Class raises $825,000 for the alumni fund with 634 classmates participating; we win awards for most number of donors and most dollars given by a non-reunion class. We raise $7,000 for Dartmouth Partners in Community Service. 35+ classmates participate in mini-reunions in San Francisco, Hanover, Boston, Washington, D.C., and even Rhode Island (at which 17% of our Dartmouth ’79 Rhode Island population attend!). Trustee Peter Robinson and Bill Mitchell exchange positions in the Newsletter about the proposed New Alumni Council Constitution (which ultimately loses). Dartmouth’s 1978-79 #3-in-the-country hockey team, led by Captain Mark Culhane, is honored by the College.
July 2006-June 2007: With the leadership of Coach Teevens, the class provides more than $2,000 of initial funding for the Dartmouth Athletic Sponsors program. Mark Winkler puts together a wonderful account of classmates living abroad for the March 2007 Newsletter. Otho Kerr honored with the first Outstanding Dartmouth Alumni Award for a member of the Class of 1979. Later this same year, Peggy Epstein Tanner (who had previously won the outstanding Young Alumni Award) also receives the Outstanding Alumni Award! Wonderful turn outs at mini-reunions at homecoming and especially our 79th Day/“50th Birthday Parties” (including one in Crested Butte). 71% of the class gives to the alumni fund.
July 2007 – June 2008: The Class adopts Dartmouth Baseball Head Coach Bob Whalen as an honorary ’79. Buddy Teevens rides his bike across the U.S., raising $12,000 for charity. The Newsletter publishes a special 50th Birthday Edition (September 2007), while later issues include articles on our Foley House classmates. Fifteen ’79 “North Mass Madams” gather together in Scottsdale, Arizona to celebrate their 50th birthday, organized by Louisa Guthrie, Sue Cohen and Julie Hunter. Bill Mitchell wins the Outstanding Alumni Award — the third ’79 to be so honored in one year! Libby Roberts urges us to become “Grateful Dead” and put the College in our estate plan through the Bartlett Tower Society. Well attended mini-reunions in Chicago, Boston, New York, Northern California, Washington, D.C., Southern California and Hanover. Jim Wasz signs up to lead our 30th reunion, and the planning is underway!
July 2008 – June 2009: The class launches an all-new website, thanks to Webmaster Walter Chick and President Laurie! Very cool. Carol Frost receives the University of Wyoming’s Humphrey Award for outstanding teaching and scholarship. Polly Ingraham is featured on National Public Radio taking on Sarah Palin’s remark about “hockey moms.” Our deceased classmate, Mike Biondi, and his wife, Cindy Ginn Biondi (Class of 1980), donate $5 million to renovate Red Rolfe Field, now located in beautiful Biondi Park. Dave Van Wie elected to the Maine House of Representatives. Louisa Guthrie and Lisa Twyman Bessonne serve as mentors for Dartmouth Partners for Community Service. Bill Holmes publishes a moving piece in the March 2009 Newsletter about a child injured and undergoing risky surgery in Cambodia, “Bambi’s Eyes.” Jim Yong Kim named 17th President of Dartmouth. Jim Feuille and Ben Riley produce their final Newsletter after 9 years: a total of 22 Newsletter offering over 250 pages of news and photos. Mark Winkler — Secretary Extraordinaire — completes five years of incredibly creative and entertaining Class Notes for the Alumni Magazine, each at exactly 600 words! Hugely successful 79th Day of the Year mini-reunions held in Southern California, Chicago, Cleveland, Northern California (with Professor Don Pease), Washington, D.C., Boston, Seattle, Maine, and Hanover, attracting over 65 classmates! The Class adopts Bray Mitchell as an honorary ’79.
Then we had our killer, unbelievable 30th reunion in June 2009. 207 classmates attend, plus another 156 spouses and kids, a record for 30th reunion attendance! Thirty-three states were represented and five foreign countries; Jon Zehner traveled 8,000 miles from South Africa. 71% of the Class gives to the alumni fund, raising $3,505,147. Perhaps most memorable were the beautiful remembrance service led by Rev. Van Venable King, shagging flies and batting practice at Biondi Field, the remarkable Reinvention Seminar led by Laurie Rosenfield and Michael Wilkinson, and the touching and witty tribute to “Hillwind Peggy” Epstein Tanner by Mark Winkler on Saturday night. Reunion Chair Jim Wasz, President Laurie, and local bon vivant Bill Mitchell make the time joyous and ultimately way too short. A wonderful time for all, cherishing old friends and making many new ones!
2009 Class of the Year Award Citation
“Oh, the places you’ll go!”—Dr. Seuss
And oh, the places you went!
The Class of 1979 sets lofty goals and puts in an “all hands on deck” effort to meet and exceed them. Its overall aim is nothing less than “to distinguish [itself] and to be an outstanding class in all respects . . . to have a positive impact on class activities and alumni relations in general, and to serve as a role model for younger classes.”
And what an inspiration it is! This year, the class strove to create a 30th Reunion that would be outstanding and achieve high participation in terms of both attendance and contributions to the Dartmouth College Fund. And not only did the class set a new 30th Reunion attendance record, it also broke the record for DCF participation (71 percent) and donations, at $3.5 million!
How did they do it? For starters, the foundation for all Class of 1979 activities is a strong and commonly felt set of values: community, engagement, and excellence. This class bond, already powerful, was enhanced by an excellent and integrated communications plan focused on Reunion and participation: three 12-page newsletters, emailed in color to over 700 classmates and posted on the class Web site; six columns in the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine celebrating individual accomplishments and beating the Reunion drum; 26 letters—some sent by mail but most by email; a phone tree; and, last but not least, a redesign of the class Web site to give it a fresh look, new features, and easy online Reunion registration. The DCF drive was especially innovative and effective, with personalized notes, catchy cartoon emails, tireless phone calls, and a short video with Reunion photos and music as part of a last-minute appeal.
Special outreach efforts were created to increase class engagement opportunities. The class vice president held a series of supper clubs at his home for legacy students; a class steward was appointed to send classmates both congratulatory notes and condolence cards, increasing class connections; and the ’79s hosted a singles event at Reunion—the first ever and a model for future classes.
Leading up to their 30th Reunion, the ‘79s organized eight mini-reunions, one of which, held in conjunction with the celebration of the 1978 Dartmouth Ivy League Championship football team, raised $100,000 for FRIENDS OF FOOTBALL??? Stealing a page from another successful class, the ‘79s hosted “79th Day of the Year” mini-reunions in nine cities. A strong class dues program, in which 46 percent of the class participated, enabled the ’79s to contribute $9,000 to its number one project, Dartmouth Partners in Community Service.
Undergirding all of these efforts were a strong and active president and a team of hard-working officers. The executive committee held meetings by phone seven times over ten months, keeping each member on task and focused on the Reunion.
And boy, did it pay off. With record attendance and within budget, the Class of 1979 Reunion featured a classmate panel titled “Reinvention,” with open discussion about personal and professional transformations, and an emotional memorial service on Biondi Field at Red Rolfe Park. “It was wonderful to catch up with old friends, and magical to get to know people who we didn’t know then and will now be lifelong friends,” say members of the class.
Community, engagement, and excellence. This says it all about this distinguished class, and is much more than reason enough to bestow the 2009 Class of the Year Award on the great Class of 1979.
79th Day Party Hanover - 05/01/2010
May 1, 4pm
First Year Weekend and Derby Day
79 Club North, 17 Rope Ferry Rd, Hanover
Dartmouth 79s at Exeter - 04/24/2010
New Exeter Class of 1975 President Nancy Wilder surrounded by 5 reprobates who participated in the railroad election. Mike Costello, current President Sam Winebaum, Brad Richardson, Billy Bags, Buzzy Campisano, and Jon Saxe
79th Day Party NYC - 04/15/2010
April 15, 6pm
The Tanners 1120 Park Avenue 17A, 90th between Madison and Park
79th Day Party Chicago - 03/25/2010
March 25, 5pm
Jak’s Tap, 901 W. Jackson Blvd. (312) 666-1700
Bentley, Angela Arrington - 03/23/2010
From Ben Riley, Class Historian, March 25, 2010
I regret to inform you of the death of our classmate, Angela Arrington Bentley. Angela, who lived in Barrington Hills, Illinois, passed away unexpectedly on March 11, 2010 from a heart attack. She is survived by her husband, Peter Bentley, her 12-year-old daughter, Francesca, her step-daughter, Rebecca, and many other loving family members. After Dartmouth, Angela received a Ph.D. from UCLA, then practiced and taught clinical psychology and later moved into marketing and promotion for Mattel and McDonald’s. With the birth of her daughter, Angela became a full time wife and mother.
At age 43, Angela suffered a life-threatening aortic dissection, resulting in an emergency heart transplant. Angela submitted a beautiful entry detailing her surgeries and her spiritual journey for our 25th Reunion Book. Angela wrote in part: “I don’t view life, people, nature, or God the same way that I did before. I hope I never get over the sense of awe from being on the receiving end of so much love and kindness from medical care personnel, family, friends, strangers, and from a bereaved family I don’t even know. I hope I never get over not having enough strength to open a container of orange juice; I’ll never take for granted the ability to do those kinds of mundane tasks again.”
I met and worked with Angela when we were both Education 1 Teaching Assistants in the Spring of our senior year. She was one of the most impressive people I met at Dartmouth: unbelievably articulate, commanding and brilliant. Angie brought everyone up to a higher level with her discourse and ideas. It was clear she was going to have an important and influential career in psychology and education. She will be missed.
There will be a memorial service for Angela this Saturday, March 27, at 2 pm at Willow Creek Community Church, 67 East Algonquin Road, South Barrington, Illinois.
If you have any memories or photos you would like to share about Angela (or any of our deceased classmates) for inclusion on the class website, please contact me.
Take care, and may every member of the Class of 1979 cherish each day!
From the Chicago Suburban Daily Herald, March 21, 2010 Angela Arrington Bentley of Barrington Hills, unexpectedly passed away at home in the early hours of March 11, 2010. Born August 24, 1957, in Philadelphia, she is survived by her beloved husband, Peter J.H. Bentley; daughter, Francesca Bentley, and stepdaughter, Rebecca Bentley; dear sister, Marie Baker; cherished nephew, Ty (Nicole) Baker; and loving nieces, Jyl (Julian) Dedier and Vanessa (Chunky) Ezekiel. She was preceded in death by her parents, Richard and Emily Arrington; and brother-in-law, Tyrone Baker Sr. There will be a memorial service celebrating the life of Angela from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 27, at Willow Creek Community Church, 67 East Algonquin Road, South Barrington. The service will begin at 2 p.m. in the Chapel, and immediately following the service there will be light desserts and refreshments at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Smile Train, 28th Floor, 41 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010 in Angela’s honor.
Submitted to our 25th reunion “Rekindle the Spirit” book by Angela Arrington Bentley
Angela Arrington Bentley23 Oakdene Road, Barrington Hills, IL 60010,
(847) 381-7413, «angelabentley@comcast.net»
Secondary School: Ravenhill Academy, Philadelphia, PA
Dartmouth Major: Psychology
Dartmouth Activities: Afro-Am Society
Graduate Study: PhD, Clinical Psychology, UCLA, 1987
Occupation: Homeschooling Mom/Household CEO
Interests: Christianity/Theology, History of Western Civilization
Spouse/Partner: Peter J.H. Bentley, Cambridge University, England (Attorney, international business law)
2004: Angela with her daughter, Francesca, 5
My life since Dartmouth has been everything different than I imagined. For one thing, it’s been a lot more eventful (and not in all good ways) than I would have expected. I can’t exactly complain about my life being dull!! After graduation from Dartmouth, I went to graduate school at UCLA, and after seven challenging, interesting, but agonizing years, I received a PhD in clinical psychology. That was the end of the predictable phase of my life. After working as a clinical psychologist (therapy, research, and teaching), I found myself doing consulting work for the entertainment industry and eventually underwent a career change from clinical psychology to the field of market research, and eventually, to marketing. I worked for many years with Mattel Toys, eventually becoming marketing director for Disney Toys by Mattel. In the process I became more familiar than anyone should ever be with Mickey Mouse, his friends, theme parks, films, and other endeavors. All in all, it was really hard work, lots of fun, and not anywhere close to where I expected my future to lead me on graduation day. Then after 15 years in the cultural and moral wasteland (i.e., L.A.), I moved to Chicago to head up the worldwide McDonald’s account for a promotions and marketing firm. In the process, I met my modern-day knight, in the form of a true English gentleman and international business attorney named Peter Bentley, got married in Florence, Italy, and settled into Barrington Hills (a horse-country suburb of Chicago). A year later, at the ripe old age of 41, I gave birth to my first child, a little girl named Francesca. I promptly left my job, determined to enjoy a life of bliss as a wife and mother. Except that nothing ever goes as expected—at least not in my life! Soon after my daughter turned two, my husband, my daughter and I were away visiting relatives for Thanksgiving in New Jersey. After a long day of traveling through airports, as we drove to our hotel, I felt sudden pain, first in my left arm, then in my back, and finally across my chest. At first I thought I had pulled a muscle, but I discarded that hypothesis once I became breathless. After being rushed to the local emergency room, it became clear that I was suffering from a massive coronary, although even the doctors were shocked since I didn’t have any risk factors. When the usual drugs administered to stop a heart attack didn’t work, the doctors started to panic. Specialists were called in, I was moved to yet another hospital and, with more tests, the source of the problem became clear, and the news wasn’t good. I was suffering from an aortic dissection (the left main artery to the heart splits apart spontaneously, depriving the heart of oxygen). The brutal facts were these: (1) No one knows what causes aortic dissections, as they’re incredibly rare. (2) Most people who have coronary dissections (around 80%) are dead within 24 hours. My husband was told that a cardiac surgeon would be called in to see if he thought I could withstand surgery. If he did, I had a 50-50 chance of living through the surgery. If he didn’t, I’d be dead by morning. As I said, the news wasn’t good. The doctor did operate, and I did survive the night— barely, and not without waking up three times during open-heart surgery (but that’s another story). During the next few days my family was convinced that I was getting stronger each time they visited. In the meantime, my mind used this “vacation” period (no to-do lists, no books to read, no potty-training or bedtime stories) to wrestle with the overriding big questions of life like, Why am I here? Is there a God? —the significant issues that, ironically, I had been too busy to take the time to reflect upon. Now, I had nothing but time. It didn’t take me too long or too much effort to realize that, yes, my life did have a purpose and, yes, there was a God and He was there for me, despite everything that had happened. Two days of lying flat on my back, as well as having been a finger-snap away from death, showed me that, over the years, I had lapsed into the illusion that I had control over my life. The elaborate five-year plans, the daily to-do lists, the PDA— all of them were calculated to support the reassuring fairy tale that I had control over the uncontrollable. But my plans certainly didn’t include dying at age 43. Yet here I was, unable to pick up a cup of water, to walk across a room, or to even get my heart to beat right. What I could do was to entrust myself to the care of the One who was in control. And so I did. I prayed; I relaxed in the knowledge that others in at least three countries were praying for me, too. The revival of my childhood faith was timely because in the next few hours I would need it. That’s when the doctors broke it to me that medication had been keeping me alive. My heart was so profoundly damaged by the dissection that I could never be weaned from the heart-lung machine. Absurd as it seemed (I mean, three days before, I had been lugging my carry-all bag through O’Hare on my way out of town for Thanksgiving), I would need a heart transplant, and quick, to have any hope of surviving. Unfortunately, getting a “quick” donor heart out of the blue, especially when you have a rare blood type, is no mean feat! But then again, there was that faith and all those prayers. To make a long, complicated story a little shorter, eight days and four more open-heart surgeries later, I had a transplanted heart in my chest! Thankfully, I have made a full recovery from my ordeal— that is, a full physical recovery. I hope I never make a full recovery from the impact of being so close to death— I don’t view life, people, nature, or God the same way that I did before. I hope I never get over the sense of awe from being on the receiving end of so much love and kindness from medical care personnel, family, friends, strangers, and from a bereaved family I don’t even know. I hope I never get over not having enough strength to open a container of orange juice; I’ll never take for granted the ability to do those kinds of mundane tasks again. So what about today? It’s been three years since my transplant and all’s well. There are issues and struggles at times (susceptibility to illnesses, lots of medications, and some side effects), but if you saw me, you’d never know I was a heart transplant recipient. I’ve continued my spiritual journey and have become a Christian; I devote a lot of time to participating in church activities, and to studying the Bible and theology. I’m still happily married to my British gentleman. And lastly, I’m a homeschooling mom— the most fulfilling work I’ve ever done and my secret way of going to school all over again (definitely better the second time around!).
In memory of Angela Arrington Bentley, the Class of 1979 has purchased the following book for Baker Library:
Greek Revival America by Roger G. Kennedy, Rizzoli/Universe International Publications, 2010
. - 03/21/2010
2010 79th Day Mini-Reunion Photos!
NYC Twenty classmates from seven states!
FRONT: Megan Thomas (NJ), Michelle Kane O'Donnell (VA). Michelle Lavigne (CT), Tracey Harden (NYC), Peggy Epstein Tanner (NYC), Beth Blatt (NYC), Gail Granowitz (NJ), Lisa Friel (NYC), Bray Mitchell (NH)
BACK: Kathy Tomalonis (CA), Erin Tomalonis '14 (CA), Mark Winkler (NY), Cindy Marder Calder(NYC), Bill Mitchell (NH), Rich Conn (NY), Mark Tomalonis (CA), Otho Kerr (NYC), David Kelley (NJ), Laurie Rosenfield (CT). Joe Nastri (NYC), Deborak Jennings (NJ), Jim Wasz (CT)
Atlanta front: Steve Dorvee, Julian Schmoke
back: Michael Wilkinson, Glen Colville
Boston Seated: Gary Dmytryk and hostess Libby Roberts. Standing: Fearless leader Phil Odence, Jenny Purnell, Judi Brier Donnelly, Sandy Pooler, Linda Button, Dave Schweizer, Walter Chick, Ames Abbot, Rob Brace and Ben White.
Chicago The gang: Nancy Wilder Frazee, Peter Greulich, George Stone, Dr. Dave Springer, Jon Peabody - looks like a four to one ratio but Nancy put up with the guys (don't want to mess with a hockey player!)
Cleveland Laurie Laidlaw Roulston and Louisa Guthrie closing the place. Again...
Hanover Front row: Sherri Oberg, Baily Hoar, Lisa Mendelson Friel, Liz Fleming, Hostess Bray Mitchell, Cheryl Bascomb
Middle row: Sam Hoar, Eve Pratt Hoar, Bill Fleming, Bill Mitchell, Tom Tomai, David Van Wie
Back row: Curt Oberg, Charlie Carr
Maine David “Guy” Van Wie, Steve Huber and Bill Zildjian
NorCal Bill Newell and Thayer Wendell Adams reconnect.
Seattle Tim Higgins, Suzanne and Dave Thomas, Pat Crowell, Carol Anderson Shaw, Nancy (Higgins) Reichley, Margo (Schaaf) Barker
SoCal L-to-R: Stephen O'Neil, Phil Olson, Lily Ellis (daughter of Albert Ellis class of 1980), Ted Winterer, Rob Evans, Bob Foster, Rich Pugh, Colleen Sullivan Bartlett and Larry Mills.
Wash. DC Seated L-to-R: Da’aga Hill Bowman, Chris O’Brien, Roger Sullivan, Emily Johnson (’12), Andrea Fazzone (daughter of Marshall Fazzone), Sara Weeks (’10) (daughter of ‘79s Brad and Laura (Salzman) Weeks), T
Weymouth, Proctor Reid, Gordon Daisley
Standing L-to-R: Burr Gray and Bill Conway.
2010 79th Day Micro-Reunion Photos!
Ernie Parizeau Shopping in a fishing/hunting store in Montana.
Ernie Parizeau (Don't remember seeing a sign like this one recently.)
Peggy Epstein Tanner Peggy gets friendly with a stranger (Dartmouth MA High School student).
Mike Jackson Mike and Jane relaxing in the Bahamas.
Jeff Boylan "Just hanging with our dear, old friend Zeke...Soaking in that micro-reunion vibe, oh yeah!"
Phil Odence "Here's me running down Farrar Rd. I started the day with a Chia-seed smoothie, took a big run to the dump, cleaned the barn, raked pine cones, and then took a run. Shortly, I'm off to a barefoot running clinic in Harvard Sq with the Metro Boston Barefoot Runners and featuring Dr. Daniel Lieberman, whose recently released study triggered the flurry of barefoot running interest in the media. Chez Henri tonight with Beth and Bookie for a Mojito and a killer Cubano sandwich."; Learn more here.
Tracey Harden "I'm walking my dog in one of my favorite places, a formerly decrepit pier on the edge of Manhattan's West Village, a block from where I live, now part of a fabulous waterside park.(A big thank you to Diana Taylor '77, Chair of the Hudson River Trust.)"
Tom Tomai "It was suppose to be a quiet B-Day with me and my kids, but it ended-up being a surprise B-Day Party." L-R: Bob Jahrling ’79, Dan Holmes ’80, Ellen Gerrity (Greg Johnson’s fiancé) Greg Johnson ’79, Tom Tomai '79, Dave Costello ’79, and my children Katie (UVM ’10) and John (Suffolk University’s New England Art Institute ’12).
Tom Tomai "The next day a group of us went skiing at Mt Sunapee in NH." L-R: Katie and Dave Costello ’79, Tom Tomai '79, Greg Johson ’79, Cathy Jahrling (Bob Jahrling’s wife) and Dan & Beth Holmes ’80.
Anna Burack Wilson "Greetings to all the '79s from the top of the world (or close to it)."
Helen Davis Picher Vince Marriott and Helen Davis Picher, along with their spouses and friends, spent the 79th day in a skit take-off of the Newlywed Game. Vince, in front, gave an award-winning performance as the game show host (unfortunately his powder blue tux didn’t arrive in time). His wife Jeanne is the “pregnant” one behind him. Helen, the “blond” on the right, and her husband Ver, are the sleazy couple in the pleather vests.
Sue Benjamin Felch Mark Tomalonis & Sue Benjamin Felch
79th Day Party NorCal - 03/19/2010
photo
Host Jim Feuille and John Sotos.
Bill Newell and Thayer (Wendell) Adams.
Leslie (Mandel) Gordon shares her recently published book with Jennifer Hughes.
Ben Riley and Megan Topping.
79th Day Party Boston - 03/19/2010
March 19, 6:58pm
Chez Libby Roberts Encore
Rendezvous, drinks, snacks
6A Still St, Brookline, MA
79th Day Party Maine - 03/19/2010
March 19, 6:30pm
Gritty McDuff’s brew pub in Freeport; Route 1 south of LL Bean
79th Day Party Seattle - 03/19/2010
March 19, 6pm
Tim and Nancy Higgins’ 1722 Nob Hill Ave N., Seattle 206.283.0866.
79th Day Party Atlanta - 03/18/2010
March 18, 6pm
Wildfire Restaurant
94 Perimeter Center West
(770) 730-9080
Follow us on Facebook
-smal.jpg)
Angela Arrington Bentley
23 Oakdene Road, Barrington Hills, IL 60010,
(847) 381-7413, «angelabentley@comcast.net»
Secondary School: Ravenhill Academy, Philadelphia, PA
Dartmouth Major: Psychology
Dartmouth Activities: Afro-Am Society
Graduate Study: PhD, Clinical Psychology, UCLA, 1987
Occupation: Homeschooling Mom/Household CEO
Interests: Christianity/Theology, History of Western Civilization
Spouse/Partner: Peter J.H. Bentley, Cambridge University, England (Attorney, international business law)
2004: Angela with her daughter, Francesca, 5
My life since Dartmouth has been everything different than I imagined. For one thing, it’s been a lot more eventful (and not in all good ways) than I would have expected. I can’t exactly complain about my life being dull!! After graduation from Dartmouth, I went to graduate school at UCLA, and after seven challenging, interesting, but agonizing years, I received a PhD in clinical psychology. That was the end of the predictable phase of my life. After working as a clinical psychologist (therapy, research, and teaching), I found myself doing consulting work for the entertainment industry and eventually underwent a career change from clinical psychology to the field of market research, and eventually, to marketing. I worked for many years with Mattel Toys, eventually becoming marketing director for Disney Toys by Mattel. In the process I became more familiar than anyone should ever be with Mickey Mouse, his friends, theme parks, films, and other endeavors. All in all, it was really hard work, lots of fun, and not anywhere close to where I expected my future to lead me on graduation day. Then after 15 years in the cultural and moral wasteland (i.e., L.A.), I moved to Chicago to head up the worldwide McDonald’s account for a promotions and marketing firm. In the process, I met my modern-day knight, in the form of a true English gentleman and international business attorney named Peter Bentley, got married in Florence, Italy, and settled into Barrington Hills (a horse-country suburb of Chicago). A year later, at the ripe old age of 41, I gave birth to my first child, a little girl named Francesca. I promptly left my job, determined to enjoy a life of bliss as a wife and mother. Except that nothing ever goes as expected—at least not in my life! Soon after my daughter turned two, my husband, my daughter and I were away visiting relatives for Thanksgiving in New Jersey. After a long day of traveling through airports, as we drove to our hotel, I felt sudden pain, first in my left arm, then in my back, and finally across my chest. At first I thought I had pulled a muscle, but I discarded that hypothesis once I became breathless. After being rushed to the local emergency room, it became clear that I was suffering from a massive coronary, although even the doctors were shocked since I didn’t have any risk factors. When the usual drugs administered to stop a heart attack didn’t work, the doctors started to panic. Specialists were called in, I was moved to yet another hospital and, with more tests, the source of the problem became clear, and the news wasn’t good. I was suffering from an aortic dissection (the left main artery to the heart splits apart spontaneously, depriving the heart of oxygen). The brutal facts were these: (1) No one knows what causes aortic dissections, as they’re incredibly rare. (2) Most people who have coronary dissections (around 80%) are dead within 24 hours. My husband was told that a cardiac surgeon would be called in to see if he thought I could withstand surgery. If he did, I had a 50-50 chance of living through the surgery. If he didn’t, I’d be dead by morning. As I said, the news wasn’t good. The doctor did operate, and I did survive the night— barely, and not without waking up three times during open-heart surgery (but that’s another story). During the next few days my family was convinced that I was getting stronger each time they visited. In the meantime, my mind used this “vacation” period (no to-do lists, no books to read, no potty-training or bedtime stories) to wrestle with the overriding big questions of life like, Why am I here? Is there a God? —the significant issues that, ironically, I had been too busy to take the time to reflect upon. Now, I had nothing but time. It didn’t take me too long or too much effort to realize that, yes, my life did have a purpose and, yes, there was a God and He was there for me, despite everything that had happened. Two days of lying flat on my back, as well as having been a finger-snap away from death, showed me that, over the years, I had lapsed into the illusion that I had control over my life. The elaborate five-year plans, the daily to-do lists, the PDA— all of them were calculated to support the reassuring fairy tale that I had control over the uncontrollable. But my plans certainly didn’t include dying at age 43. Yet here I was, unable to pick up a cup of water, to walk across a room, or to even get my heart to beat right. What I could do was to entrust myself to the care of the One who was in control. And so I did. I prayed; I relaxed in the knowledge that others in at least three countries were praying for me, too. The revival of my childhood faith was timely because in the next few hours I would need it. That’s when the doctors broke it to me that medication had been keeping me alive. My heart was so profoundly damaged by the dissection that I could never be weaned from the heart-lung machine. Absurd as it seemed (I mean, three days before, I had been lugging my carry-all bag through O’Hare on my way out of town for Thanksgiving), I would need a heart transplant, and quick, to have any hope of surviving. Unfortunately, getting a “quick” donor heart out of the blue, especially when you have a rare blood type, is no mean feat! But then again, there was that faith and all those prayers. To make a long, complicated story a little shorter, eight days and four more open-heart surgeries later, I had a transplanted heart in my chest! Thankfully, I have made a full recovery from my ordeal— that is, a full physical recovery. I hope I never make a full recovery from the impact of being so close to death— I don’t view life, people, nature, or God the same way that I did before. I hope I never get over the sense of awe from being on the receiving end of so much love and kindness from medical care personnel, family, friends, strangers, and from a bereaved family I don’t even know. I hope I never get over not having enough strength to open a container of orange juice; I’ll never take for granted the ability to do those kinds of mundane tasks again. So what about today? It’s been three years since my transplant and all’s well. There are issues and struggles at times (susceptibility to illnesses, lots of medications, and some side effects), but if you saw me, you’d never know I was a heart transplant recipient. I’ve continued my spiritual journey and have become a Christian; I devote a lot of time to participating in church activities, and to studying the Bible and theology. I’m still happily married to my British gentleman. And lastly, I’m a homeschooling mom— the most fulfilling work I’ve ever done and my secret way of going to school all over again (definitely better the second time around!).
