Class Notes Online
Stay connected through class notes.
The digital companion to Class Notes in Vermont Magazine.
The 1980s
1980
Robert Monniere read with great interest the Class Note highlighting his former Martin's Food coworkers and UVM classmates (Butch Antell, Bob Reese, etc.) getting together for a recent event onboard a tugboat. He notes, "Everyone enjoys an outing on a tugboat, especially here in Maine." Rob Nussbaum writes, "It's been 45 years since graduating from UVM. I'm recently retired from the motion picture industry in New York, where I worked as a director of photography and a gaffer. Currently, I run a premier antique Harley-Davidson restoration business in New Jersey called Retrocycle. I got a lot of my training from my time in Vermont working at a local shop while attending UVM. I just might be the only one to sort of graduate with a degree in Harley-Davidson due to my time at UVM! My wife and I recently sold our home and are looking to downsize somewhere here in N.J.”
Send your news to:
Mrs. Kristen Yonker Hazen
1981
Kathleen “Kitty” Jesseman Davis shared the sad news that her sister Merrillee Jesseman Blair died in November 2025, from complications of liver disease. After graduating with an associate degree in medical technology, Merrillee began working at what was then the St. Johnsbury Hospital. She was passionate about the role laboratory science played in medicine and saving lives. She also took pride in her ability to put people at ease when it came time to draw their labs, especially those with “difficult” veins. Due to her declining health, only months before her passing, Merrillee reluctantly took short term leave, with hopes of returning, from her position at UVM Health’s Central Vermont Medical Center.
1982
Alicia Good, Peggy Bolton Crisman, Julie Jones, & Bonnie Oulette Niles traveled to visit Nancy Battey in Colorado for a wonderful mountain visit! Since losing our dear friend Joyce Bates, we are gathering every year to celebrate our friendship started at UVM. See the group’s photo, as well as one of the plaque honoring Joyce, here. Debra Fay and Jean Cherouny ’91 ran into each other in Aruba and got to see Jean’s art on display in Gallery ArtisA in San Nicholas. Debra was visiting the island with her husband and figured that such a special surprise meeting with another UVMer on the trip was just meant to be. Jean is a vibrant abstract painter who uses rollerblades to add movement and color to her creations. Ralph Hackett sends best wishes and warmest regards from Colombia. See Ralph’s photo here. Elizabeth Gavornik Karns got her master's in education from UVM many years ago. She reminisces, “I was a hospital nurse but decided to diversify my learning. I took a course from Betty Boller and, though I don't remember its specific name, I do know it was one of the best things I ever did. We learned to trace problems to their beginnings and to think outside the box. I went on to become a director of nursing, among other positions in my career, and it was invaluable. Well done, UVM."
Send your news to:
John Peter Scambos
1983
After 31 years in Philadelphia, Elise Swicegood Brown relocated in 2021 to Tucson, Ariz., where she's winding down a long career in radio and public relations, and is currently working as a self-employed publicist. She was thrilled to visit the UVM campus in August 2025 (for the first time since the last century!) and enjoyed seeing the UVM gardens in full bloom, and the new Davis student center. She's looking forward to being able to attend the next WRUV reunion! Daniel A. Kelin II continues to focus on underrepresented stories through theater and film. In 2025, his latest play, "Whorled Away," debuted in a New York City development program. His puppet film, "After the Endling," recently screened at its 10th and 11th international festivals, and he completed a new film, "In the Stillness of the Night," partially funded by the Puffin Foundation. Additionally, his experimental animation, "When I waked, I cried to dream again," was named Best Experimental Animation at the Festival Internacional de Animación. See Daniel’s photo here.
Send your news to:
Mrs. Lisa Greenwood Crozier
1984
Jeffrey Dean Alpert is living in the Bay Area. He has sold his equipment leasing business and is now doing advisory work with private equity firms that invest in infrastructure. He's hoping to spend a lot more time in Tahoe and chasing daughters Kaia and Dylan (who are finishing up school at USC and Loyola) around L.A. Jacques Pierre Lefrancois retired in February 2025 and is spending time doing the things he did not have the time to do while working.
Send your news to:
Mrs. Abby Goldberg Kelley
or
Mrs. Shelley Carpenter Spillane
1985
Sara Gilbert Clark is excited to share that her son Ace is going to UVM next year.
Dan Fitzmorris, MSME, retired from GE Vernova on May 1, 2024 after 44 years of employment. Dan began his career at Burlington's former GE armament systems department. Lynne Halpin is living in New Haven, Conn., where she's currently a quality manager at Spectrum Associates, which makes aerospace crashworthy valves, sensors and switches. Serene Meshel-Dillman writes: "My husband and I are back to work on the second season of our documentary series, ‘Take Me Out Feet First.’ Season 1 is streaming on Amazon Prime. Our home burned down in the Palisades fire, but we managed to save all of our footage. We are re-building. We had a wonderful time catching up with Adie (Morosini) Heilman in Nantucket over the summer." Nancy (Hoffman) Stafford P'20 writes that the class of '85 was well represented at UVM Weekend in September 2025, celebrating their 40th reunion. She says that most of the group first met as freshmen living on the first and second floors of Buckham, including several roommates. Along with Nancy, the gathering included Pam Benson, Caroline Kurrus, Amma Napier, Heidi Vietze, Debbie Wien, Jeannette (Darling) McGinn, Pete McGinn, Chris Stafford P'20, Mark Manning, Tom Gilchrist, Walker Kimball P'21, Bill Tappan, Lorri (Sanborn) Tappan '83, Mike Van Buren and Steve Znamierowski. Bart Verry G’85 wrote with news of the 40th class reunion of the HESA class in August 2025 in Burlington. The weekend included a Friday night mixer, Saturday morning hike and lunch at Shelburne Farms, dinner cruise on the Spirit of Ethan Allen Saturday night, and campus tour on Sunday. Along with Bart, Darcy (O'Keefe) Brouilette G'85, Carol Roberts-Corb G'85, Pamela Gardner G'85, Trish Scott McWilliams G'85, Renee (Bardell) Camerlengo G'85, Rae Trachman Perry G'85, John Zacker G'85,Stephen Nelson G'85, Janine Pratt G'85, Sherry Ochsner G'85, Susan Wilson G'85, Carl Cohen G'84, Terry Zacker G'84, Annie Stevens G'86, Russ Sabia G'84, and Marcy Craig-Jacobs G'86 were in attendance. The group was honored to have Pat Brown give a thorough tour, and excited for Residential Life’s Jane Root to join them. See side-by-side photos of the group today and 40 years ago here.
Send your news to:
Ms. Barbara A. Roth
1986
In his first post in years, Langdon Clough shares that he has become credentialed as an ACUE Fellow and has been creating and teaching earth science courses for College Unbound. His program at Northeastern was discontinued after 35 years, but he continues to teach social sciences at the Community College of Rhode Island, thus using, he says, both sides of his brain. George Anderson Payne’s son Lennart was recruited to play basketball at Kimball Union Academy in N.H., which he’s enjoying. He sent in a picture that includes Lennart along with George (who’s at Oxford University Press), daughter Nova (in high school), and wife Matilda (with IKEA). The family is still enjoying life in Sweden and has been abroad for over 20 years. See their photo here. After 38 years in the advertising business, Josh Prince hung up his marketing cleats and became a certified EMT and NSP alpine patroller. He patrols at Ski Sundown in Conn. and, with his wife Emily Grossman (who attended UVM for two years), divides his time between Connecticut and New York City. See a picture of Josh on the mountain here.
Send your news to:
Mr. Lawrence Gorkun
1987
Cathy Colton Dunlap shares that she's retired from The Walt Disney Company after 38 years and moved back home to the Adirondack Mountains in New York to work at the Water Safari Resort as the park president. She is managing the waterpark, campground, hotel, and entertainment center. Julia (Larson) Hamilton writes, “I was recently awarded a Ph.D. from the University of London. I have lived in London now for 25 years and have been inspired by England’s history, particularly while working recently at Windsor Castle for the Royal Collection Trust. My thesis examines the Stuarts’ use of space and decoration to determine their contribution to the development of interior decoration in England. It is entitled 'Stuart Style: The spatial and decorative impact of Anna of Denmark’s English Privy Lodgings on the development of a dynastic style of interior decoration (1603-1688).’”
Send your news to:
Mrs. Sarah Vaden Reynolds
1988
Class Secretary Carol Levinson heard from Todd Sean Tyrrell, and let us know that Todd and wife Kim Hargrave live and work in Denver. Free time finds Todd coaching basketball, keeping in touch with his original three UVM roommates, and composing and playing piano. Their son Ethan attends Butler University in Indianapolis. In her own family’s news, Cathy Selinka Levison and husband Jon Levison celebrated their son Jake’s marriage to Rachel Glick. "Such a great time!" they report. Liz Horman, Lori (Tull) Bass, Michael Bass '87 and Arthur Levison '60 were among the UVMers who joined the festivities. Sharer Dale is living in South Carolina with seven horses, three dogs, and three cats. She's a broker at Keller Williams Aiken, where she sells luxury, sport, and recreational properties and is competing in show jumping with her horses - and traveling! See her photo here. Daniel James Kurtz and wife Wendy have moved to southern Maine. Carl Martin IV '95 shared the good news that on Labor Day weekend, Melissa Springer celebrated the wedding of her oldest son Ethan at the Lareau Farm Inn in Waitsfield, Vt. Alumni joining Carl in the festivities included Joe Nugent, Denise Owens '87, Luke Krieg, Lisa Perry '87, G'90, Wayne Chadbourne '92, Pixita del Prado Hill '87, Olivia Springer '23, Curtt Perry '85, G'89, Carol Martin '64 and Lois Chadbourne '64. See a photo from their wedding here. After 25 years with the NYC Dept. of Health, Eric Rude has retired and is living happily in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. He says, "I don't spend all my time at the beach. I also volunteer at the LGBT+ Community Center, a local dog shelter, and I'm on the board of my neighborhood association. It's heaven!" See a sunset photo here.
Send your news to:
Mrs. Cathy Selinka Levison
1989
Nathalie Ames sends greetings to the Class of 1989 and says all is well in Western Colorado. She has enjoyed her 30-year career in residential real estate sales and development. She keeps in touch with classmate Meg McGovern often, and offers, “I work hard and play hard! I have been expressing my photography passion the last few years and have fallen in love with the polar regions of Antarctica and the Arctic. This past year I traversed the Northwest Passage by boat from Greenland across the Canadian Arctic to Nome, Alaska. I have sailed with 12 people around Svalbard and Scoresby sound in eastern Greenland and I'm currently about to travel on a small ship from New Zealand, across Antarctica via the Ross Shelf over to Argentina for 35 days. The wildlife and landscapes are spectacular! Keep exploring!!” See Nathalie’s photo here. Donald Anthony Fox and family were excited to watch daughter Caroline Fox '25 graduate in May 2025 from the Grossman School of Business with her B.S. in Business Administration. Ray and Wendy Tayler Quesnel (who were married in Ira Allen Chapel in August 1989) moved back to New England in August 2024, after 35 years in North Carolina. Wendy is now working at Wheaton College in Norton, Mass. and Ray works for iE-USA, an international student exchange company based in Germany. They are enjoying the opportunity to reconnect with many long-time friends and family members, including several fellow UVMers. See their photo from a mini-reunion of ATO brothers at the Bruins vs. Canadiens game on December 23 that includes Ray with Daryl Belock, Jerry Michelson, and Dan Mahr '88). Ray and Wendy are also looking forward to their first visit in many years back to Burlington together this summer. After many years of hosting the annual Burlington Wine & Food festival, Tracy (Fay) Stolese and husband Mike have expanded the brand’s year-round presence with a weekly food and wine newsletter called The Tasting Room. Alumni who enjoy keeping up with Vermont’s food and drink scene can find the newsletter sign-up on the Burlington Wine & Food website, and Tracy adds that she'd love to see fellow UVMers at the next grand tasting event on Saturday, June 27, at Hula in Burlington!
Send your news to:
Mrs. Maureen Kelly Gonsalves