News of Graduates
Graduates, please e-mail Chris Bittenbender (cbittenb@eastern.edu) your news and I'll post it. Include your year of graduation, and contact information if you want your friends to be able to get in touch with you.
Check the Archives page for lists of Awards and of Senior Theses and Projects since 1997.
2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995 | 1994 | 1993 | 1992 | 1991 | 1990 | 1989 | 1988 | 1987 | 1986 | 1985 | 1984 | 1983 | 1982 | 1981 | 1980 | 1979 | 1978 | 1976 | 1975 | 1969
May 2009
- Dave Hanko
- Jenn Timmel will be working in Montana immediately after graduation and then returning to BaltimoreZach Rivest
- Rebekah Worley
- Grace Ciak
- Becky Plourde
- Rachel Lambert
- Alex Harne
- Ben Hennesy
- Tara Quinn
- Matt Hohn

Most of the Senior English majors, April 2008
(The picture omits the majors who took Senior Sem in the Fall)
May 2008
- Emily Davis
- Kristina Daniels
- Lyssa Fegley
- Stephanie Hartman
- Josh MacIvor-Andersen is enrolled in an MFA program for creative writing at UNC Wilmington. He received first place for reporting in the Evangelical Press Association 2007 publications awards for his Prism cover story "The Faith to Save Mountains"
- Nicholas O'Ryon is working as a physical trainer while applying to graduate school
- Katerina Charalambidis
- Katherine Leber
- Nicholas Kakolowski
- Cliff Gehret
Kara Shelly: after a trip through China (see picture), Kara is in Jakarta, Indonesia, teaching school. She appreciates your prayers and support.
- Rebekah Shaw
- Shannen Shadel
- Jeremy Walter
- Richard Winters plans to teach and travel in Japan.
- Marco Ulloa
May 2007
- Nora Boydston lives in West Philadelphia and is publishing poetry and fiction while thinking about going to grad school for an MFA in creative writing. She wrote a play for the May 2009 Performing Arts Living Room at Eastern.
- Lauren Bailes is teaching in Brooklyn and pursuing a Literacy Specialist MA at Teachers College, Columbia University (Sept 2008)
- Mary Cromwell is living in Atlanta GA.
- Allison Duncan
- Mandi Dorrell is Quality Improvement Technician at Devereux.
- Petra Eldridge is working for Sodexho at Eastern U. In fall 2008 she plans to teach and travel in Japan.
- Sarah Fisher
- Deb Fresca
- Danielle King
- Nicole Kovalesky
- Rachel Malikow is in an English Education degree program at SUNY Binghamton.
- Tim Olshefski , after a couple of years of teaching English in China under the auspices of the Chinese Teaching Fellowship, part of the English Language Institute of China, is now (as of summer 2009) living in LA, and studying in the Act One Writing Program, a Christian-based screenwriting program. He hopes to pursue a career in film.
- Ruth Robinson is in an MA program for Biblical languages at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
- Caleb Sanders
- Alycia Scarito is planning her wedding to Joe Gargano (Class of 06)
- Laura Steenburg
- Jessica Tudor
- Angela Wooten lives in the Harrisburg area and works at Greater Harrisburg Youth for Christ as Director of Operations and Office Manager. She has the opportunity to do some grant writing and has also written a monologue for the Eternity Players’ Professional Troupe production of “Spread Your Garment Over Me.” (YFC is the parent organization for The Eternity Players.) Angela is touring with the production.
Class of 2006
- Christa Grant
- Charlie Nielsen plans to teach English in Japan starting in August 2008. Now, as of Spring 2009, he’s back living and working in the St. Davids area.
- Nate Orlowski
- Trevor Pursel is Children's Programmer at the public library in his home town in PA.
- Sarah Vanacore is a grant writer and editor at Camden Wellness, which does holistic therapies for low-income people.
- Sara Parisi earned a Master of Library Science degree from Drexel University and is currently the children’s librarian at Indian Valley Public Library in Telford, PA. (as of Spring 2008)
- Rebecca Kolb is attending law school at Regent University in Virginia Beach. VA.
- Nancy Hartsock is Administrative Assistant to the Provost at Eastern University.
- Rebecca Harwick is a writer for BioWare Austin, an electronic entertainment company specializing in creating computer and console video games. Jade Empire, Dragon Age, and Planescape are some of their products. Rebecca's job includes dialogue writing, meeting with the other writers to critique each other's work, discussing world structure with the writers and designers, and some quest/story design.
- Rachel Perry married Rob Bergen in July 2008 and moved to Maine, where she's working on her M.A. in English (with a concentration in creative writing) and teaching one section of ENG101 (a themed college composition class in which the students are studying critical writing and McCarthyism) at the University of Maine. She's also the poetry editor for the literary magazine The Stolen Island Review.
- Amy Gore works in the library of a private boarding school in Connecticut. She continues her interest in Native American literature and culture, and hopes to go to grad school for an MA and eventually a PhD.
- Daniel English
- Jennifer Capozzi Henderson
- Heather Holmes Drew: see class of 2004
Winter 2005
Mick Overgard plans to enter the School of Library Science at Rutgers beginning in Spring 2009. At present, he works in the Center for Judaic Studies Library at UPenn
Class of 2005
Ellen Ambler is a Production Assistant with Nancy Glass Productions.
- Beth Gordon plans to take a break from academics and work with Youth With a Mission. Her home base will be Closkelt, Co. Down, Northern Ireland.
- Brad Holland is building houses in Louisiana (as of fall 2006).
- Amy Gorman, as of July 2006, has joined a group called No More Deaths and will spend two weeks in Arizona/Mexico documenting human rights abuses and providing assistance to migrants.
- Katrina Rutt is doing graduate work at West Chester University with an assistantship for the Director of Teaching English as a Second Language. Katt, Jessica Thorn, Amy Gorman, and others have formed a writers group in Wayne. Recently (January 2008), Katt's poem "Rosetta Stone" was set to music by Joyce Munro's son Ian, a music composition major, and performed at the Perlman Theater at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. What a serendipitous convergence!
- Jessica Thorn works at the publishing company Taylor & Francis (with Eastern alums Sarah Landis and Kim Shigo) as a Production Assistant.
- Christian Prendergast is teaching English in Costa Rica.
- Dena Pauling is a news editor at a daily newspaper in Binghamton NY
- Alina Hernandez works as an administrative assistant to President David Black on the St. Davids campus. She married Brent Bice on April 8, 2006.
Brent and Alina Bice
Lindsay Kemp and Katy Comber
Jon and Lissa Grunert one week
after their wedding
- Jonathan (Jon) Grunert is teaching 10th and 11th grade English at Riverdale Baptist School in Upper Marlboro, MD. He and Lissa Revell ('04) were married on April 1, 2006.
- Rachel Stephan has been enjoying success as a actor. She played cast as Lady Macduff and the Third Witch in the Hudson Shakespeare Company's production of Macbeth (August 2005), and Lady Psyche in Gilbert and Sullivan's Princess Ida. Rachel is applying to grad schools on the East Coast to continue her work in theatre.
- Bethany Vitaro is working as a Public Information Officer at Lafayette College, PA
Class of 2004
- Leslie Thompson is a contracted database administrator for Merck in West Point, PA.
- Bob Erbig spent the summer of 04 as a youth ministry intern at New Monmouth Baptist Church in Middletown, NJ. During the school year he worked as a substitute teacher, getting a long term appointment teaching Language Arts at the Middle School Level. As of summer 05, Bob is enrolled in the M.Div. program at Denver seminary, studying in the Youth and Family Ministries area. His Eastern thesis dealing with family relationships in Chekhov's plays should come in handy.
- Lindsay Kemp is in law school in Chapel Hill, NC.
- Lissa Revell is teaching 11th grade English at Norristown Area High School (Fall 2004). She and Jon Grunert were married in April 2006.
- Sarah Landis is living in Philadelphia and working in the publishing world for Taylor & Francis Group, where she is a Production Editor.
- Ted Howell is enrolled in the M.A. program at Villanova University, where he's received a Graduate Assistantship.
- Karin Hoffer and Tim Rezendes were married in October 2005.
- Jenn Brasler is working for a court reporting firm called M.A.R. Reporting Group, which is located in her hometown, Falls Church, Virginia. She proofreads and formats legal transcripts before they are sent out to attorneys. She also writes and edits for a website called RealityNewsOnline (http://www.realitynewsonline.com).
Katy Harrison Comber: Katy married Matt Comber after graduation and began working at Promissor as a test editors; she recruited 3 other Eastern alums, including her husband, to work there with her. Lately, Katy has been working on a new play and working with Mark Hallen on The Certain Hour, a play which was previewed in the 2004 Performing Arts Living Room. Harrison J. Comber (see below) was born July 3, 2005. Elizabeth Luwynn Comber was born August 19, 2008
- Nathan (Nate) White and his wife Abby are living in Boulder CO. He finds time to write, and plans to do graduate work in editing and publishing at the University of Denver in the summer of 2005. One of his stories will be published in Snowboard Journal.
- Noelle Frampton is a journalist with the Hour Newspaper in Connecticut.
- Heather Holmes Drew: Heather has been married since August 2004 to Allen Drew, and they had a daughter named Avy in April 2007. Heather is a Birth Doula (non-clinical birth support) and teaches Childbirth Education at The Birth Center in Bryn Mawr, PA one night a week. She and Allen are currently planting a community-based church in their neighborhood, the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia. Heather hopes to do graduate work in creative writing in the not-so-distant future. You can read her blog at www.hlhdrew.typepad.com.
- Jennifer Lejman is the Staffing Coordinator and Tradeshow Coordinator for a Medical Staffing Company in Media. She has a son, Cole Andre Wood, born January 1, 2007. She's thinking of becoming a private tutor as a part time job--if she can find the time!
Class of 2003
- Andrew Battista has completed an MA in English,an MLS (master's of library science) at SUNY Buffalo, and is finishing a Ph.D. in literature at the University of Kentucky.
- Matt Comber married Katy Harrison in May 04, and they live in Paoli. Matt works as an editor for a company called Promissor in Bala Cynwyd, where he edits and develops licensing exams in insurance, real estate, and other industries. He's also pursuing teaching certification at Eastern, with the goal of teaching middle school English. Matt and Katy's son Harrison is pictured above.
- Nicole Priest Cesare is studying for an M.A. in English at Villanova U., where she is also working in the Writing Center.
- Rachel Kriss has returned from Dubai and lives in Washington DC where she works in the logistics industry (Spring 2008).
- Abbie Nixon is editor in chief at a weekly newspaper in Maine.
- Laura Robins Haines teaches English to seventh graders at Wilmington Christian School. In July 2004 she married William Haines.
- Bob Guadagnino teaches language arts, math, and science to 8th graders at Avon Grove Charter School. Those who remember his love of James Joyce will be happy to know he's been given permission to teach Dubliners.
Rebecca Allan lives in Rochester NY and works at Legends 102.7 [an oldies and standards radio station] writing and producing on air commercials (and getting to voice some, too). She's learning about production, sparking her interest in film. Rebecca plans to go on for an MFA with an interest in screen-writing, music, and short-film production.
- Todd Bozes is working for Brooks/Eckerd Pharmacy as a Store Manager. In his spare time, I enjoys spending time with his wife, Beth (Kusnierczyk) and helping with the worship and youth ministries at Ebenezer Bible Fellowship Church in Bethlehem, PA. They bought a house last year in Fountain Hill, PA.
- Rebecca (Becky) Stover is working for Taylor and Francis, a publisher of academic journals in Philadelphia.
- Nate Leonard is studying for his MLS (Master of Library Science) and working at the Book Trader on Second Street and Market in Old City Philadelphia; he also works at a thrift store operated by Circle of Hope Church.
- Jessica Graves married Christopher Wenger and is living in Lancaster County where she has a permanent position teaching English to multiple grades and ability levels at her alma mater, Annville-Cleona High School in Annville, PA.
- Joyce Ober is an Editor at Continental Press, an educational publishing company in Elizabethtown, PA. She works primarily with math and science publications, but also assists with reading and language arts materials
- Becky Wanamaker, with an MLS degree from Kutztown University, is the head librarian at Leighton Memorial Library in Leighton, PA
Class of December 2002
- Candace Rose Block (Lombardi) Candy reports in October 2006 that she's an assistant editor for Faulkner Information Services in Pennsauken, NJ; her job includes logging the daily news of telecommunications companies and writing reports on the companies. She's also written an article (on the local children's football league) for the All Around Pennsauken newspaper. In addition, she teaches English to Russian immigrants on Friday nights as part of a Messianic Jewish ministry in Northeast Philadelphia.
- Rebecca Rinker
- Keith Ward Keith is pursuing a Master's of Education at Syracuse University.
- Kathryn (Kate) Wright In the fall of 2004, Kate is living in Nieu Bethesda in the Eastern Cape of South Africa teaching preschool in the Sneeuwitjie Creshe (the Snow White School).
Class of 2002
- Sarah Lepley married Eric Kauffman on May 20, 2001 and is currently (spring 2005) living in Millersburg, PA and teaching middle school at Northern Dauphin Christian School. Eric is youth director of their church, and Sarah also works in the youth program. In Summer 2005 she studied at the Breadloaf School of English in Santa Fe (where, besides a course in Victorian novels, she took a course called "Memory" which explores the relationship between language and memory. In Spring 2007 she taught two courses at the Manhattan campus of Nyack University, and will teach there again in Fall 2007. In Summer 2007, Sarah took three courses at the Bread Loaf School, this time in Asheville NC.
- Stephanie Fox completed her Master's in English Education degree at Syracuse University in December 2003, and is now contemplating going on for a PhD.
- Rob Avery, an English Minor and an honorary graduate of the department, is pursuing studies in Communication and Critical Theory at the University of Maine.
- Jordan Bennett has begun a Master's program at the University of Pennsylvania.
- Abi (Abigayle) Kohler devoted the year after graduation (2002-3) to working with the Samaritan Inns program in Washington D.C., under the auspices of the AmeriCorps program. In Spring 2005 she completed an M.A. in Literature at Slippery Rock University.
- Paul Pat, an English Minor, writes, "After two years of intensive social work in Philadelphia, I am currently working on my MFA in creative nonfiction at Penn State. My assistantship affords me the privilege of teaching a group of 24 rambunctious freshmen each semester. I'm also developing as a singer-songwriter, and am in the process of producing a demo album." Paul can be reached through his web site www.paulpat.net. He gave a performance at Eastern in April, 2005.
Class of 2001
- Jaime Kester has left her post-college job at Portnoff Law Associates (where she learned a great deal about herself and even something about writing) and is working for Highlights Magazine (the well-known children's publication.) In Fall of 2004 she will begin graduate studies at Marywood University, where she's received a graduate assistantship. Contact Caroline Cherry if you want Jaime's mailing address.
- Natalie Chenault completed a MFA program in English and Creative Writing at Mills College in Oakland, CA in May 2004 (where she received the Amanda Davis Award for Outstanding Thesis)Currently (Fall 2004) she is teaching composition at Citrus College. Eventually she hopes to go back to university for a Ph.D.
- Rebecca Lauren Messner married Joe Gidjunis and teaches creative writing at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA, where she's studying for an MFA.
- Steve Sanders is an Observatory Administrator at Eastern University.
- Michelle Snyder Seitzer Michelle married Joshua Seitzer (‘01) in October 2004. As of February 2007, Michelle is the Alzheimer's Association's Public Policy Coordinator for the state of PA. Joshua Seitzer '01 is a full-time welding instructor at York County School of Technology, teaching both high school and adult education. They are enjoying their first home, a mission-style bungalow in York, PA, and would love to hear from you at jmseitzer@verizon.net.
- Alissa Bliss has a youth ministry internship in Macon, Georgia at Riverside United Methodist during summer 2001. At the end of August, 2001, she will start working as the Youth Minister at Gladwyne Presbyterian Church (in PA) while going to Eastern Seminary for a Masters in Theology.
- Gretchen Gadberry married Eric Nesbit in July 2001; they have been living in the Harrisburg area (Gretchen's hometown area) where she worked as assistant editor for Christian Publications, Inc. As of April 2004 she and Eric will move to Boca Raton, FL, where Eric will be working as an assistant pro at the Polo Club. Gretchen can be reached at eclectic3699@yahoo.com.
- Ranesa Bell is living in Washington D. C. and working on a novel.
- Tom Hughes (and his wife Ann) welcomed Thomas Henry Allen Hughes on Dec. 9, 2001. People who've studied 17th century poetry will remember Ben Jonson's line about his own son, and think it applies here: "Ben Jonson [or in this case Tom Hughes] his best piece of poetry." Tom, Ann, and Henry are now living in Gilbertsville PA. Tom will begin graduate studies in English at Kutztown University in Spring 2003.
- Jodi Kemp completed a Master's Degree in Library Science at Drexel University; she married Jon Van Meter in December 2001. She worked as a professional librarian at Eastern University until Sept. 2005, when she moved to Louisville, Kentucky where Jon is pursuing medical studies and Jodi is working in a public library. In February, 2008, Jodi and Jon had a beautiful daughter, Elizabeth Louise.
- Erin Hart graduated in December 2001. In Spring 2003, she wrote that she is working at Stuart Hall, a prep school (boarding school) in Staunton, Virginia, and enjoying life in the Shenandoah Valley.
- Bill Horner graduated in December 2001; he is Assistant Manager at The Bombay Company and has begun his own publishing company, Fantasist Enterprises, which has the website www.fantasistent.com.. The company runs writing contests and solicits submissions, so be sure to check the website.
- Eudanah Beard is pursuing a Master's of Education degree at Eastern University.
- Tara Culp married Julian Scavetti on July 6, 2002. They live in Ocean View, NJ
- Julie Schrock and David Wicklund married in July 2002. They lives in the historic area of St. Paul, MN. David teaches special education at Oak Ridge Elementary School, and Julie coached volleyball at Augsburg College in Minneapolis during the fall season. She currently teaches 10th and 11th grade English at Como Park Senior High in St. Paul.
- Stacey Ebersole (Mrs. Dermot Morahan) lives and works in Westport, County Mayo, Ireland. The Morahans have a daughter born Nov. 16, 2005.
- Jen (McGraw) Paulin writes: ”My husband, Tony, and I just had our first child, Polly Anne Lucia Paulin on October 8, 2003. We're living in Bridgewater, Massachusetts while I'm working at Bridgewater State College as a Resident Director. I just received my MA Ed in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies with concentration in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Virginia Tech in May 2003. We're slowly adjusting to the excitement of being new parents and not sleeping much!” She adds that she found her undergraduate degree in English very helpful in her graduate work and career -- and I'm sure it will come in handy in child raising.
Class of 2000
- Debbie Landis currently lives in New York City, and recently graduated from Columbia University, with Masters Degrees in International Affairs and International Social Work. While in graduate school, she focused her studies on human rights and refugee issues, and is particularly interested in advocacy and programming for refugee children. Last year, she interned at the United Nations, in the Office of the Special Representative to the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, doing research on child soldiers and other international child protection issues. She currently works as a Program Manager at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) www.theirc.org , an international humanitarian organization that provides services to refugees and displaced populations overseas and in the United States. She hopes to pursue overseas work in the future, but in the meantime is enjoying life in New York. She visited Eastern in September 2006 (her mother now teaches in the Education Department at Eastern)
- Becki Sardeson is teaching English in China.
- Lindsay French completed a Master's degree in Education at Eastern (summer 2001), and will teach 7th grade in a middle school near Boston.
- Tabitha Bard is working on an M.Ed. degree at Eastern while teaching at Delaware County Christian School.
- Angie Lopez is working at HUP (Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania) in the Rena Rowan Breast Center as a New Patient Coordinator. One benefit of the job is 100% tuition coverage for any school for any course of study. Law school looms on the horizon!
- Susan Gillan is working for AmeriCorp.
- Jessica Lindsay is working as an administrative assistant at the University of Pennsylvania.
- Donna Jones is studying for her MA in writing at California State University at Los Angeles, while also teaching. Her students, mostly Black and Hispanic, are challenging but also rewarding. She writes that God has given her the philosophy: "The mark of a good teacher is one who teaches those who are hard to teach." As of May 2001, her address is 11042 Westwood Blvd., Culver City, CA 90230.
- Elizabeth (Legrow) Lake Elizabeth and her husband Joshua (’01) are now working at Pomfret School, a boarding high school, in northeastern Connecticut. Elizabeth is working in the College Counseling office and is using some of her skills gleaned from working as a Writing Assistant at EU.
- Joshua is teaching physics and astronomy, in addition to being a coach and dorm parent. Elizabeth would love to hear from you at 398 Pomfret Street, Pomfret, CT 06258.
- Danielle Myers, an English Minor (her major was History), is now Mrs. Eric Fowler (EC '99). She is currently working for the Vanguard Group as a 6/63 Licensed Representative in the Participant Services/401K-403b7 Department. She originally worked in the Valley Forge office, but recently transferred to the Scottsdale, AZ office. She is thinking about pursuing a Masters in Museum Studies at Arizona State University in Oct 2003. Her address is 14145 N. 92nd St #2132 Scottsdale AZ 85260
- Rebekah "Bekah" Wilcox is living in the Sycamore House (an intentional Christian Community run by St. Stephen's Episcopal Church) in downtown Harrisburg, PA, and working as the Director of Youth Ministry at Trinity United Methodist Church in Hummelstown, PA. She can be contacted at bekahjoy@mac.com
December '99 Graduates
- Jessica Gockley is living in Chicago and working i n the fundraising department of North Park University, where she is also studying for an MBA (as of Aug 07).
- Siri Buurma is living in Chicago, where she recently left her job in hospital administration (as of Aug 07).
- Andrea Bird (Mrs. Zach McKinley) lives in Melbourne, Florida, and is the mother of two sons, Francisco Boone (born June 28, 2000), and Loren Sol, born Feb 9, 2003. Both are, as you might guess, remarkably intelligent and a joy to their parents.
Class of '99
- Carilynn Flynn writes: "As of September 1, I will be starting a live-in nanny position in Brookline, just outside of Boston. This requires a minimum commitment of one year, in which I will be watching three children, ages 14, 12, and 8, for 20 hours a week. I am planning to register for photography classes at MassART in the Fall, while continuing to search for my "niche" in writing. The woman I work for works for PBS, (WGBH, Boston) so maybe you'll see me counting to 10 with Big Bird on Sesame Street someday!" (7.26.99)
- Darren Brown married Shawnette Warren (an Eastern graduate) immediately after graduation. Shawnette teaches fifth grade in Chester; during the 1999-2000 academic year, Darren is working with the Instructional Support Services at Eastern.
- Christine Dempsey Miknius is pleased to announce the birth of a son, Joshua William, in June 2000. (Christine already has a daughter, Kirstin). Christine is spending most of her time on home and family right now, but will be doing some substitute teaching in Fall 2000. Update: a second son was born to Christine and Bill on August 3, 2001: Kolbey Alexander.
- Amanda Newlin (Mrs. Kevin Kochersperger) teaches English in Springfield PA as well as raising two sons, Trent and Joshua.
Class of '98
- Christine Bayles earned an M.A. in English from the University of Virginia (2003) and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Delaware (2006). Her specialty is Victorian Literature. She married Daniel Kortsch (Eastern '98) in 2000. Some of their adventures have included wilderness canoe trips, traveling in Spain, and doing volunteer medical work/translation in rural Guatemala. Daniel earned his M.D. from the University of Virginia and is now a Family Practice physician in the Philadelphia area. After the tsunami in 2005, Daniel was part of a team of doctors who went to Banda Aceh to provide aid. Their son, John [Jack] Daniel Kortsch, was born Nov. 8, 2005.
- Jenny Twerell Bagdanov writes that she married Paul "Bear" Bagdanov (a graphic designer) on 9/16/06 and that she is now officially known as Jennifer Bagdanov. The wedding occurred on a beach in Ocean Grove, NJ. Jenny (now Jennifer) is teaching at a Head Start school in NJ, and she and Bear both work (for "fun") on The Rag, an arts and entertainment paper.
- Kristina Munger worked with the Wycliffe Bible Society in the Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) in Africa after graduation, then returned to Lancaster County, PA to work as the Director of Human Resources for a 145-employee mechanical contractor. As of fall 2007 she is living in Boston and pursuing an MBA at Boston University with a concentration in Public and Nonprofit Management. Here's a picture of her on a recent trip to France.
- Chrissy Bushyager has been a Peace Corps worker in Morocco, and Marketing Communications Specialist at VTEL Corporation, and a marketing specialist at a small audio / visual sales, service, and custom integration company. In the summer of 2003, she married her partner, Jen Goldberg, in Canada. They have bought a house in Havertown, PA. Chrissy completed a graduate degree at West Chester University in 2005; she was also the Graduate Assistant for LGBT Services. In her spare time, she works as a Girl Scout (or Brownie) troop leader. In March 2007, Chrissy gave birth to Kaleb Griffin Bushyager Goldberg. Congratulations, Chrissy and Jen!
- Becky Allshouse married Kevin Skillin in August 1998. Kevin (a graduate of Princeton University with a Master's Degree in Economic Development) and Becky moved to Quito, Ecuador, after their wedding. Update: Becky gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Timothy, on June 26, 1999. In June 2000 the family moved to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, where Kevin is attached to the U. S. Embassy with a specialty in economics. Currently, Becky is occupied full-time with motherhood and home-making in a new country, but she expects to begin teaching English classes. In December 2001, she gave birth to a second child, Laura Claire. In July 2003, the Skillins moved to Muscat in the Sultanate of Oman. You can't say Eastern English majors lead dull lives! As of 2007-8, they are in Quito, Ecuador. It's hard to keep up with them!
- Here are Timmy, Laura, Kevin, and Becky at Nizw
- Jon Froehlich is doing graduate work in theater in New York.
- Matt Zilske has released a book of poetry, "Mountain Beneath the Sea," published by Wipf & Stock. He lives with Tammy and Kaleb in Williamsport, PA. Matt works as a Senior Analysi for Newsbank, a research database provider. (Posted 4/21/06)
Class of 97
- Alison Krieger was ordained as a Zen Buddhist priest in 2003. She edited a book on The Seven Factors of Enlightenment which requires her to apply her English major training; she says "without the English Department at Eastern, I would not be where I am today." She has returned to Eastern U on at least one occasion to give a guest lecture. As of this writing (March 2007), Alison lives and works in Portland, OR where she plans to begin studying for an M Ed in 2008.
- Anna Martinez-Cravey married Wes Cravey on December 2, 2000. They will be working for Americorp/VISTA beginning in Spring, 2001, probably in Austin, TX.
- Elliot Harrigan was profiled in the Germantown Courier (March 3, 1999) for his faith-based efforts to revitalize the Price/Knox community in Germantown where he lives. He is currently president of Price/Knox Neighbors. Elliot will receive a master's degree from Eastern (May '99) in theology and public policy.
Class of '96
- Susan Davis earned an M.A. in English and Publishing from Rosemont College, and taught Eng. 102 at Eastern for a couple of years. She married Pete Kleponis in October 1998.
- Julie Palmer Holden, after graduating from Eastern, taught English for three years at the Timothy School in New Jersey, where she particularly enjoyed making Shakespeare come alive for the students. In May 2001 she completed a Master's degree in Communications from Regent University in Virginia with an emphasis on scriptwriting and screenwriting; her portfolio project was a screenplay about the Congressional investigation of the battle of Chancellorsville. She is negotiating with Lillenas Drama Resources (a Christian group in Missouri) for the publication of a one-act Christmas play she wrote. She married Josh Holden in November 2002 and now has 2 daughters, Emma and Addison
- Joleen Senter married Brian Durham after graduation. They live in a newly acquired Victorian house in (or near) Bucyrus, Missouri, where Joleen and Brian run a family business that manufactures agricultural implements. Joleen also writes, gardens, and does desktop publishing (among other pursuits). In December, 1999, Joleen won second place in the non-fiction category of a local writing contest sponsored by Arts Rolla!; the University of Missouri Rolla Department of English and Writing Across the Curriculum Program; and the Rolla Writing Project. The winning piece was revised from an essay Joleen wrote for Joyce Munro's class and which she read originally at one of Eastern's Literary Coffeehouses; it concerns her sister's eating disorder. Congratulations, Joleen! [12.2.99]
- Aimee Clish Stevenson married Simon Stevenson (an Englishman) while still a student at Eastern. Early in 2001 they moved to East Longmeadow, Mass., where Simon works as a pastry chef instructor at the Connecticut Culinary Institute in Suffield, CT. Aimee has taken a break from high-school teaching at present to be a full-time mom to their two children, Sophie and Marcus. Aimee would love to hear from old friends.
- Sharon Hussong earned a law degree from Boston University School of Law (where she won a scholarship) in May 2001. Her article "Medical Records and Your Privacy" was published in the American Journal of Law and Medicine (Winter 2000). She married in June 2002, and she and her husband were blessed with a son in 2006.
Class of '95
- Amy Wilcox (Perez) is working with/for the Ayuda Community Center in Philadelphia, teaching GED classes and serving as a presence and a witness in the community. In Spring 1999 she married Juan Perez, a Temple graduate who is on the board at Ayuda. They have a house near their church and community center. In November 2000 they had a baby boy, Juanito Daniel Perez (9 pounds 4 ounces) and in November 2001 a little girl, Elianna Liset (9 pounds 10 ounces!) Way to go, Amy! If you want to be on the mailing list of the Ayuda Community Center, or to contribute to the important work that Amy is doing, you can write to the Ayuda Community Center/ 4400 N. 6th Street/ Philadelphia 19140 . As of fall 2008, Amy has accepted a position as director of Eastern in the City (our urban campus, for those of you who haven't been keeping up with developments.)
- Megan Naugle (Fraser) Megan and Scott Fraser have three children: Carolina and Eliza (twins born Aug. 26, 2000) and Peregrine John, born Oct 11, 2003. The three of them keep Megan busy. She has an MA from Rosemont College in English and Publishing. Earlier jobs included working for A Man's Life, a web site that's a spin off from Men's Health magazine. She has also done freelance writing, with pieces in such publications as the Philadelphia City Paper, Inquirer Sunday Magazine and Main Line Today.
Class of '94
- Rebecca Irwin-Diehl married fellow Eastern graduate Nathan Diehl (class of 95) after graduation. They live in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia. Her jobs have included working for a medical publishing house in Center City and being an assistant editor at Judson Press, in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania (where she worked with another Eastern English major, Gretchen Nesbit). In the midst of these jobs she completed her master's of theological studies at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in May 1999. She and Nathan are the parents of three sons: Ryan, Christopher John (C.J), and Jackiel. Currently Rebecca is a freelance writer and editor and a full-time mother. The Irwin-Diehls can be found at 110 E. Durham Street, Philadelphia, PA 19119. Nathan teaches performing arts in the public schools. In May 2005 their church, the New Covenant Church on Germantown Avenue in Philadelphia, successfully produced their Broadway-Style Musical GIANTS, based on the life of King David. In May-June 2007, they produced a second gospel musical, Rehearsing for Life also at the New Covenant Church. Rebecca describes it as " a contemporary comic-drama featuring a range of musical styles from gospel to R&B to hip hop. . . an ensemble piece ... tracing the lives of four characters as well as their parents thru a variety of transitions and challenges, all the while trying to figure out how to make things right in some wrong situations." Their 8-year old son Ryan has a principal role.
- Kathy Heckman (Furlong) writes: "I'm working at Eastern Seminary as Communications Coordinator for Production and Design--I've been at the seminary since 1995 and love it! The long title simply means a hodge-podge of communications-related activities, including desktop publishing, writing, photography, the web, and editing the seminary's alumni/ae magazine, inMinistry. I'm also working on a Master of Theological Studies in contemporary theology at the seminary, part-time. My husband, John, and I live in Philadelphia (we married in March 1995). . . . this summer, John and I got to spend a few days with Joleen Senter and Brian Durham--we did a five-day road trip together to Detroit, Toronto and Niagara Falls, including a baseball pilgrimage to the now-closed Tiger Stadium."
- Jennifer Sanborn (Burch) currently lives in Attleboro, MA and works in the Multicultural Center at Wheaton College in Norton, MA. Her title is "Assistant to the Provost for Extended Learning" and she collaborates with faculty in developing courses with a focus on diversity. She loves her work. She and her husband, Matt Burch (who also works at the College) have a beautiful daughter, Kyra (pronounced with a short "i" sound) Elisabeth Sanborn-Burch (born August 14, 2001) and a son Lucas Cooper Sanborn-Burch, born June 23, 2004. In 1996 Jennifer completed her Masters in Higher Education with a Student Development concentration at Syracuse University. (7.14.98)
- Susan Van Heemst (Sehulster) is married to Don Sehulster (Class of 1992). After serving five years as Rector of Good Shepherd Church in Hilltown, PA, and a stint as Associate Priest in Charge in Outreach, Newcomers, and Evangelism at the Church of the Good Samaritan in Paoli, PA , Don is currently a supervisor at Electronic Design Associates, specializing in home theaters and other high-end installations . The favmily lives in Hawthorne, NJ (about 10 miles from NYC) and attends Bridgeway Community Church (CRC) in Haledon, NJ. Susan is kept busy by their two children, Aidan Henry (born Sept. 1, 2002) and Grace Julian (born July 19, 2005), and has rediscovered her love of writing (or --since she never lost it, has begun expressing it in a new way) by blogging.
- Aiden and Grace Sehulster Mark Gerard (Berkey-Gerard) is married to Melissa Berkey, who has completed her M. Div. at Princeton Seminary. Mark and Melissa moved to NYC in September 1999, where Melissa is one of the Directors at the Women's Prison Association. Mark earned his M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University in May 2000. He's been writing for a news website on New York City politics called gothamgazette.com. and is also interested in doing a cable TV show on NY politics. (His website received an award from the Pew Center for Civic Journalism in March, 2002.) Mark's articles have have been published in the NY Times. He's also volunteered to help teach journalism workshops to teenagers who are writing for a monthly community paper called the Highbridge Horizon. Mark taught the Advanced Journalism course at Eastern University in Fall 2001, and will do it again in 2002. In their spare time, Mark and Melissa enjoy traveling in Italy.
- Joshua Gilstrap minored in English at Eastern, and was and is sufficiently part of the English Department to be included here. He married Karen Leman (a Whitworth College graduate) in 1997. Their first son, Jonah Christopher, was born on May 23, 2000; they expect a second in the spring of 2002. Joshua went on from Eastern to get an M.A. in literature from Eastern Washington University. His thesis was a fantasy theme criticism of C. S. Lewis' "Til We Have Faces." Joshua has since gone to law school at Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA, and has passed the Washington Bar Exam (well, so what if it took him twice :)
- Jeff Thomas lives in the Philadelphia area where he composes music, teaches piano, and works on music projects.
Class of '93
Graduates December '92
- Kevin Maness After earning a Master's degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania and serving as Writing Specialist here at Eastern, Kevin accepted a position teaching High School English at Penncrest High School in Media, PA (mass media studies, world literature, and general language arts). After five years, in Fall 2001 he left that position to begin doctoral studies at NYU in Media Ecology (in the Communications and Culture Department of the School of Education). In fall 2005, Kevin is teaching full time in the Communication Dept at Eastern (as well as serving as an RA).
- Ellen McMichael-Reaume has her Master's of Education as well as a Master's in Multicultural Education from Eastern College and teaches fifth grade at Germantown Academy. Bill Reaume has a Master's in Counseling from Eastern and is a guidance teacher at Penn Delco School District. In June 1999 they moved into their own home, a pre-Civil War farmhouse in Germantown. A four-acre estate in Philadelphia! A daughter, Elizabeth Rose, was born in March 2002 and a second daughter, Amelia in 2005.
- Bill Reaume, Ellen McMichael Reaume, Sally Corran Harris, Amelia and Elizabeth - August 2006
Class of '92
- Sally Corran received her Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee (fall 2000). She is currently teaching full time at the University of Tennessee. In summer 2002 she married William Hoover Harris; they live in Knoxville (Actually, Sally graduated in December'91, but is willing to be listed with the class of '92, with whom she went through the ceremony)
- Scott Stroud is living in Nantes, France, working as a translator. He has a son, Xan. This picture was taken in 2003. He performs as part of "Elwood and Guthrie": hear them on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8loSqTk4f6k
- Kristine DiPalma lives in a cool old house in Eugene, Oregon at 631 W. 12th, Eugene, OR 97402. She would love to hear from old friends. On 2/13/03, Kristine sent this update:" I just got a new job with a nonprofit that does research about child development. I will be a research assessor, interviewing kids and parents to discover intergenerational patterns of aggressive behavior. I'm still working at the performing arts center, which I won't give up because it makes my life so much richer to see such a variety of shows. (Recently they staged A Midsummer Night's Dream with the symphony on stage doing Mendelssohn's music--fabulous.) For the last year, I've been living with Heiko, my partner of five years, and with another roommate. [Heiko is an ecological gardener.] We traveled in Turkey in July 2001, which was amazing and amazingly HOT. Other travel plans have been put on hold with this new job, but I am craving going to South America. My sister Andrea is going back to Guinea for the third time to be with her partner, and I'd like to travel there as well. I've been studying West African dance and French and really enjoy both." (Kristine's earlier trips have included Australia and Costa Rica. Her previous job was with a small publishing company where she edited phonics textbooks for grade-school children.) On 2/12/04 Kristine sent an update: she's still with Heiko, still working as a research assessor and part-time usher. She hasn't made it to Africa yet, but has started performing West African dance with a local group. She writes: "It is exciting to see what happens when I stick with a discipline; I'm really happy about my development as a dancer."
- Charlie McGloughlin married Amy Yoder shortly after graduation; they now have a son Willem and a daughter Reba born in December 2003 (see pictures below). Charlie earned an M.A. in architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, where he won the Alfred Sayd Brooks gold medal, and was a thesis prize finalist for his thesis "Terror of the year 2000: The Uncanny Here and Now." In good literary fashion, he began with a quote from Yeats. By fall 2000 he was working as an architect and teaching a course called "Tactical Surfaces: Topography and Digital Media" in U. Penn's Department of Landscape Architecture. Amy and Charlie made significant renovations to their house in West Philadelphia which were selected for a Commendation from the University City Historical Society. Charlie's work at Dommert Phillips PC helped the firm win an Honor Award from the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. His own work was exhibited at the FAARM Gallery and at the Kriox Gallery of the University of Pennsylvania Architectural Archives. Charlie has designed many residences, and has gained experience in many different types of buildings. Charlie is now working at a small (but excellent) architectural firm, so if anyone needs any architectural work done, drop him an email: cmcgloughlin@verizon.net. One of his recent projects was designing a giant dog care and community center in Malvern, PA (called "What a Good Dog!") He also composes and performs music. Here's his personal page, with picture of the children and his house on West Shaprnack Street: http://mysite.verizon.net/resq4xzi/thesharpnackker. His music site is http://www.purevolume.com/kingbonk. His professional site is:http://www.metarchdesign.com/resume_charlie.html and http://mysite.verizon.net/vze6o0v2/index.html (pictures of work he's done).
- Reba and Willem McGloughlin
- Tara Yadev (Mrs. Geoff Burdick) lives in Los Angeles and works in the legal department of Twentieth Century Fox. Geoff is vice president of James Cameron's production company.
- Sandra Bourque, a member of the class of '92, is living in her hometown (Lowell MA) and studying criminal justice. She has been in touch recently (2006); it was good to talk to her.
Class of '91
- Dana Priest and Beth (McCoy) Priest earned their M.A. degrees from Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry (Beth's in religion with a concentration in Theology, Dana's in Biblical Studies with a thesis on the prophet Jeremiah. Currently, Dana is a youth pastor and Beth is the parish administrator at Church of the Savior in Ambridge, PA. Beth is also an adjunct faculty member for Trinity seminary's distance learning program -- she teaches Church History courses online. Their daughter, Sarah Bethany Priest, will turn four years old in June 2006, and she is a joy and delight. Beth continues to write; she's published a couple of poems in the past year, and will have an article published in an independent journal in the summer of '06, as well as book reviews on the web site Epinions. As daughter Sarah grows, Beth has been moving into writing children's literature.
- Deanna Warner married Rich Mattis; together they own and operate the Gryphon Cafe, a successful cafe in Wayne across from Central Baptist Church. Here are Jen and Dee in 2003, Lillian Aubrey Mattis, born April 30, 2005, and Maeve Klair Mattis, born July 13, 2008.
- Jennifer Wilkins Davidson and Doug with their son, Elliott Wilkins Davidson (born April 2, 1998) have moved to Berkeley, CA as of September 2003, where Jen is continuing her theological education in a PhD program at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. As of Spring 2007, Jen has accepted a tenure-track position as Assistant Professor of Worship at American Baptist Seminary of the West, one of the member schools of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. She is finishing her dissertation in the mean time.
- Arden Thomas After leaving Eastern, Arden earned an M.A. in English Literature and a second M.A. in Theater from Villanova University, and went on to accept a full fellowship to study theater at Stanford University, with an emphasis on both theater history and directing. Her grant includes money for directing projects and traveling. Needless to say, she's delighted. In 2007, she married Rob Bernier; they live in Berkeley CA. Their son, Orion Paz Thomas Bernier, was born September 29, 2008.
Class of '89
- Eric DeBaufre, now Eric Johnson-DeBaufre, is finishing his Ph.D. in English Literature at Boston University, where he holds a fellowship. He and Melanie have a daughter Grace Jean, born in 1994. (For other news, see the entry for Melanie Johnson below).
Class of '88
- Melanie Johnson, now Melanie Johnson-DeBaufre, earned a Th.D. from Harvard Divinity School, where she was also an editor of the Harvard Theological Review. She was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1995. She then became an assistant professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Luther College in Decorah, IA. Beginning in Fall 2005 she'll be teaching New Testament at Drew University, teaching in both the Theological School and the Casperson Graduate School. No account of her (and Eric's) life would be complete without mentioning their daughter Grace Jean born in 1994.
- Lori Hall Poole died in March 2008 after a four year battle with cancer. She had been employed by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
Class of '87
- Wendy Clark (Foltz) earned an M.A. in English at Villanova University in 1992 and was the director of personnel for the Penn-Delco School District. She received the Penn-Delco Pride Award in September 2001 for excellence in her work. As of September, 2003, she is back at Eastern University as the Director of Human Resources. She also teaches a graduate course in "Interpersonal Communications" at St. Joseph's University.
Class of '86
- Paul Petrie earned a PhD at the University of Connecticut, and is Associate Professor of American Literature and Assistant Chair of the English Department at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven. He received tenure in Spring, 2003. He teaches Composition and American Literature at both the undergraduate and graduate level, and he has published articles on Nathaniel Hawthorne, Willa Cather, Charles Chestnutt, and Sarah Orne Jewett. His wife Allison is working on her PhD, with a dissertation on Doris Lessing (while working as a Project Manager with Loaves & Fishes Ministries in Hartford, CT). Their son Max (born in 1995) is currently finishing work on the Great American Novel; their daughter Claudia Tate Helen Petrie was born Feb. 1, 2001. You can view Paul's webpage (with pictures) at southernct.edu Click "Academics," then "Departments: English," then "Faculty." Or, access directly at http://http://www.southernct.edu/~petriep/ [11/16/98]
- Bill Harker, after working in education for a number of years, returned to Eastern in 2005 to enter the M.A. in Counseling program.
Class of '84
- Sherril Newell (now Sherril Maddox) teaches technology applications at the Ft. Worth Academy of Fine Arts, where her daughters (age 16 and 18 in 2008) are students. She is able to integrate the arts, literature and history in her teaching.
Class of '83
- Sharon Davis writes: I have been doing technical writing for about 15 years. urrently I'm a technical writer at a software development company in Malvern. I write user documentation for higher education administrative software, specifically a student records product. The job requires major organizational skills and the gift of working with programmers (who speak a strange dialect of techno-babble) and functional designers (who speak English but murder grammar and usually can't create an outline to save their lives). You can reach Sharon at sdavis@sct.com (11/6/01).
- Cassie Ney-Harkness teaches English at Dover Area High School in Dover, PA (including creative writing classes.) She's married to Wim Ney and has 18 year old son, Sebastiaan, and a 16 year old daughter, Quinn (this news is posted in 2008). She has a MFA from Goucher College (in Creative Nonfiction); she and her husband are in the process of opening a European Bakery.
- John Whitehead heads the Writing Center at Wheeling Jesuit University (Wheeling, WVa), where his wife, Kate Voorhees, heads the English Department. John also teaches some courses, including a film course. Besides film and writing, he is interested in the traditional visual arts. John and Kate have a daughter Jessica.
- Carol Short changed her name to Caroline Ryan ages ago (Ryan after her great-grandmother, and Caroline by preference--and after an encouraging English professor). She earned her MA in intercultural education from Union Theological Seminary in 1989 in NYC, where she also worked in TV production. After studying theatre in London in 1993 she moved to LA, working on film sets, acting, and writing plays, including two produced through her company Lightworks Productions. She's lived in Northern Ireland four times in the past seven years, writing a book and adopting quite a few kids as godchildren. She currently lives in Philadelphia where she is a marketing copywriter for a law firm, and where her agent is working to sell her book about Belfast, An Old Castle Standing On a Ford. Caroline can be reached at belfastyank11@yahoo.com
Class of '82
- John Hallock has finished his Ph.D. in English at Temple University and published a scholarly book called The American Byron (on a 19th century American poet named John Halleck) with the U. of Wisconsin press. You may borrow a copy of the book from the Eastern University library. He is the father of a son, and is currently working as a school counselor.
Class of '80
- Lynn Kendall is a technical/marketing writer in Silicon Valley, CA
Class of '79
- Jeanne Marie Beaumont, whom you may remember as Jeanne Wamsley, has a master's degree from Columbia University. In 1996 she published a volume of poetry with Norton: Placebo Effects. It was selected for the National Poetry Series by the renowned poet William Matthews. Jeanne lives in New York, where she has worked in advertising and as a medical writer [hence the occurrence of medical terminology--such as "placebo effects"--in some of her poems]; she also edits "American Letters and Commentary." On May 20, 2003, she wrote: "With Claudia Carlson, I edited the poetry anthology, The Poets' Grimm: 20th Century Poems from Grimm Fairy Tales, which has just come out (shipping this week) from Story Line Press. The book collects 160 poems from over 100 poets ranging from Amy Lowell, to Randall Jarrell to Penelope Shuttle to Lucille Clifton. We are building a website for it, which temporarily resides at www.claudiagraphics.com/index.html I just finished my 5th year of teaching part-time at Rutgers, and I have also started teaching at the Unterberg Poetry Center of the 92nd Street Y (adult ed) here in New York." In 2004 she brought out a second volume of her poetry, Curious Conduct, published by BOA Editions. She continues to teach at Rutgers and at the Unterberg Poetry Center.
Here's one of the shorter poems, to give you a sense of Jeannie's style:
Conversationally Speaking
The river enriches the soil for planting.
The river is the donor of riches. The sty, however,
is full of dirt (the pigs might see this differently--
planting their feet, their snouts). The pig
is the ultimate donor of pork, which is to say
it has no rival. We avoid thinking of it this way.
We avoid the (thought of the) sty; hence the separation
from lunchmeat. We like better the smell
of bread (daily, given, whole) done up in the style
of a braid, pure product of the soil.
It is wise to avoid the void, which is nothing really
like the river, the sty, or the emptied bakery
window (its closest rival). Instead
we could relax by the river, picnic on meat
and bread, or just bread--pigtails are kin
to braids--since eating pork's gone out of style.
Jeanne writes (September 2006) that Curious Conduct, her second book of poems, came out from BOA Editions in summer 2004. Shortly after that, Garrison Keillor read one of the poems, "Afraid So," on his Writer's Almanac. After hearing the poem, film maker Jay Rosenblatt contacted Jeannne and wound up making a short film using the poem as script. Jeanne taught at Rutgers University (the New Brunswick campus) from fall 1998 through spring 2005, and now teaches at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan and at the Frost Place in Franconia NH, where she has been named the director of their Frost Place Seminar. Congratulations, Jeanne! You can read more about her--including some of her poems-- on her website, http://home.nyc.rr.com/jeannembeaumont/
Class of '78
- Carol Hansberry graduated with a double major in English and Theater Arts. Now Mrs. Spacht and the mother of three children, she still finds time for theater and literary creativity. She impersonates Betsy Ross at school and historical gatherings. For the Whitpain Township tricentennial celebration in 2001, Carol researched and developed a playlet/impersonation of Sarah Whitpaine, an old Quaker founder of the township. Here's an account of one of Carol's performances from the newsletter of the Rotary Club of Blue Bell: "Our speaker, Sarah Whitpaine, gave an educational and humorous recounting of the formation of Whitpain Township, from her arrival on the ship Welcome with William Penn to current days. Many historic anecdotes about locations and legends in the Township were highlighted." You can contact Carol at spacht@bellatlantic.net.
- Gene Johnson has been married to Mary Ruth for 22 years and has two daughters, Claire (15) and Jaimee (10). He is executive vice-president of Solutions Company in California, a company which seeks to address problems of poverty, corruption, and transparency in developing nations. He's had many chances to travel to Africa and the Middle East. (Posted 4/21/06)
Class of '76
- Shelly Young Bell (nee Lamkin) is Director of Sales and Marketing for R & M Int'l Corp. in Pipersville, PA.
- Bowden White (Mrs. Paul Simmons) lives in Midlothian, VA, where she is segment manager for SunTrust Bank in Richmond VA.
- Evelyn Iverson McMahon lives in Downingtown PA, and works as a Protective Services Care Manager at the Chester County Dept. of Aging in West Chester PA investigating elder abuse. She also works part time in Bryn Mawr Hospital Psychiatric Unit. She has four children: Heather 25, Ryan 23, Kelly 20 and Tim 17 (Posted 1/24/ 2008).
Class of '75
Tim Brigham is Assistant Dean for Graduate and Continuing Medical Education at Jefferson Medical College. His wife Betty Ann Morse Brigham (Communications '74) is Vic President of Student Development at Eastern University. He has a daughter Allison (B.A. St. Josephs University) and a son Jon.
Class of '69
- Carolivia Herron published Nappy Hair with A. A. Knopf in 1997. It is advertised as a children's book but is delightful for imaginative readers of all ages. After graduating from Eastern, Carolivia went on for a Master's degree from Villanova and a Ph. D. from the University of Pennsylvania. She lived abroad (in Mexico and Portugal, among other places) and held various academic appointments, including an Assistant Professorship at Harvard. She has published several books besides Nappy Hair; one that I enjoyed very much is Thereafter Johnnie (partially because it contains some material from Carolivia's student days at Eastern and Villanova.) Carolivia has also published "The Collected Works of Angelina Grimke" (a 19th century abolitionist). In fall 2003, she will be teaching creative writing at William and Mary.