Greetings, classmates! * Hilary Greene and her family remain happily settled in a farmhouse in Williamstown, Mass. Hilary directs a nonprofit for Russian immigrants, owns a curiosity shop, coaches a high school ski team, and imports and sells high-tech cross-country ski equipment. This past fall she spent time with Allen Carlson (an associate professor at Cornell University), who was a visiting fellow at Williams. * In early 2014 Jenna Hartel received tenure from the University of Toronto and was promoted to associate professor; she is on a yearlong sabbatical conducting research at universities in England and Australia. * Ashley Cornell keeps in touch with Caroline O’Malley, Cathy Breen, Patty Masters, Julie Daniele, Andrea Solomita, Jessica Butler, Liz Helft, Lesley Eydenberg, and Corinne Hauser Tardio. They are all doing amazingly well, with Cathy and Corinne to be the first to send their daughters off to college next year. Ashley wrote, “We are so fortunate to have had such an incredible opportunity at Colby. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of at least one fond memory. I am thankful for the special bonds I have maintained with so many classmates. In two years our nest will be empty, so I’ll be looking to reconnect even more with Colby friends.” * Magda Lacharite Kitano is going into her fourth year as a faculty member at Bunkyo University and has now lived longer in Japan than she lived in the United States. Her career has taken her from the advertising industry, to programming, to writing, to teaching, and finally to a university position. Aside from teaching and research (TESOL and media), she also does a good deal of writing, mostly for textbooks and other educational materials. Her husband, Yasuyoshi, is an editor in a publishing company, and they’ll be celebrating their 20th anniversary this March. Their daughter, Megumi, is now in high school. * Felise Kissell lives in Manhasset, N.Y., with her two sons, Landon and Mason, and hubby Rob. She heads up investor relations at HSN, Inc., which includes going back and forth to television studios in St. Petersburg, Fla., along with much travel elsewhere as the Wall Street spokesperson for the company. She is also on the board of the National Investor Relations Institute and on the advisory board for Fordham University’s Graduate School of Business MIR Program. * Since graduating from Colby, Beth Ackroyd has been teaching. She started out in Paterson, N.J., moved to Massachusetts to attend graduate school at Boston College, and has lived there ever since, working for Needham public schools. She has taught first, second, and third grade and worked as a K-5 literacy specialist, and she is now a sixth-grade reading teacher. She is still very close friends with Jen Flynn and Michele Friel Mullen. * Merrie (Post) ’90 and Rob Gramlich moved their family back into their Bethesda, Md., house, which was rebuilt as a high-efficiency green home after a fire last year. Rob is still working in wind-energy policy. Their daughter started at Hamilton this fall (Rob wishes they could say Colby, but these kids have minds of their own …). * Fred and Debbie MacWalter Bright report that their daughter, Mackenzie, was accepted early decision to Tufts. She loved Colby, but the athletics department at Tufts won her over. Their son, Matthew, is a freshman at Thayer Academy, so in another year or so they will be looking at colleges again—Colby has one more chance! * Kristin Herbster has no news to report for the magazine, but all is well in Cali. * Hope you are doing well too. Wishing you lots of fulfillment and opportunity. Thanks for the news—keep it coming!
Spring 2015