25th Reunion Class of 1992

Reunion Recap

Friends,

Just like that, our 25th Reunion is over! The 175 alumni and guests who came back had a great time together. We celebrated in Olin Library, on Foss Hill, and in Beckham Hall. We danced the night away at the Tent Party and shut down the hotel bar. Many of us even made it to the decadent brunch at the new Usdan Student Center and listened to Commencement. In addition to our moments of celebration, we also paid respect to our classmates who have passed away, including a touching memorial tree dedication to celebrate the life of Lori D. Robbins '92. If you were unable to come back, here is a glimpse of what you missed:

• Classmate Carolyn Parkhurst participated in the WESeminar A Conversation with Wesleyan Writers at the new Wesleyan R.J. Julia bookstore.
• Classmate Robert Lewis Allbritton received a distinguished alumnus award.
• Everyone gathered on Foss Hill to eat lunch and play lawn games with our families.
• Classmates Jonathan Soros and Robert Allbritton participated in the WESeminar Political Dysfunction.
• We held a memorial for Lori Robbins, dedicating a tree in her honor near Clark.
• Classmates Marvin Cabrera, Heather Corcoran, David Kane, and C. Andrew McGadney were honored for their volunteer service to Wesleyan.
• Relive the magic! View photos from the weekend and watch the interviews with Craig Thomas ’97; Carter Bays ’97 and Michele Roberts ’77!


Classmates are sharing photos of the weekend and we will share the slideshow of old photos from our campus days via the Facebook page: Wesleyan University Class of 1992.

Our fundraising efforts have reached a new benchmark as well. Since our last Reunion, we have raised more than $2,360,000 for students at Wesleyan. And, with more than a month left in this fiscal year, 153 of us have raised $187,048 towards our annual fund goal of $250,000! It’s not too late to support alma mater! We hope you will consider a gift this year. The Board of Trustees will be matching any gift made before June 30th with $500 for financial aid. Help us reach our goal of 100% of the class making a gift to Wesleyan this year!

Thank you so much for supporting Wesleyan and its students. Let’s promise to keep in touch! We hope we will see you at a Wesleyan event near you or at the very least in 5 years for our 30th Reunion!

Best regards,

The 25th Reunion Committee

Reunion Committee Members

  • Adam Berinsky
  • Caitlin Boger-Hawkins
  • Christine Bolzan (Co-Chair)
  • Heather Burt
  • Marvin Cabrera
  • Jennifer Crittenden
  • Joseph DeMederios
  • Francesca Harewood
  • Laura Hill
  • Stephanie Ivy
  • David Kane
  • Byron King
  • Joy Lewis
  • C. Andrew McGadney (Co-Chair)
  • Karl Mergenthaler
  • Laura Marshall
  • Benjamin Rader
  • Robert Rich
  • Abigail Saguy
  • Scott Shapiro
  • Sidra Smith
  • Matthew Winn
  • Jennifer Wade-Berg

Events

Thursday, May 25, 2017

2:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Registration
Everyone—alumni, parents, students, and families—please check in for a final weekend schedule (with updates and event locations), meal tickets, a welcome packet, campus maps, and more.
Usdan University Center (show in map)

Friday, May 26, 2017

9:00 AM to 11:30 PM
Registration
Everyone—alumni, parents, students, and families—please check in for a final weekend schedule (with updates and event locations), meal tickets, a welcome packet, campus maps, and more.
Usdan University Center (show in map)
11:30 AM to 1:30 PM
Welcome Picnic Lunch
Join friends, classmates, and family members for lunch when you arrive on campus for the weekend.
TICKETS: This lunch requires advance purchase/registration. Lunch is included for members of reunion classes with a flat rate fee (5th, 10th, and 50th Reunion classes). Lunch is complimentary for WESeniors (Classes of 1940 through 1966) and their guests. To make sure that we have an accurate number of meals, we'd like to know if reunion alumni who have the flat rate fee and who are WESeniors plan to attend this lunch.  Please click on the Friday lunch option when registering if you plan to attend. All other reunion classes and parents and families of graduating seniors will be charged the following for lunch:
$20 per person for all other adults and children over age 12 (including graduates)
$10 per person for children 12 and under
Russell House Lawn 
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
WESEMINAR A Conversation with Wesleyan Writers

Join us at the new Wesleyan R.J. Julia Bookstore as celebrated authors, Robin Cook ’62 and Carolyn Parkhurst ’92 share how Wesleyan shaped their writing. Book signing to follow.
Speakers: Doctor and author Robin Cook ’62 is widely credited with introducing the word "medical" to the thriller genre, and thirty-four years after publication of his breakthrough novel, Coma, he continues to dominate the category he created. He has written 34 international bestsellers and is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. His latest novel, Host, was published in October 2015. Carolyn Parkhurst ’92 holds an MFA in fiction from American University. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels, The Dogs of Babel, Lost and Found and The Nobodies Album, as well as a children’s book, Cooking with Henry and Elliebelly. She lives in Washington, D. C., with her husband, Evan Rosser '92, and their two children. Her latest novel, Harmony, was published in August 2016.

Wesleyan R.J. Julia Bookstore, 413 Main Street, near the intersection of Washington Street

5:00 PM to 6:30 PM
President’s Reception Honoring Leadership Donors and Volunteers

Please join President Michael Roth '78 and the Wesleyan Board of Trustees at a reception celebrating members of the Wesleyan Leadership Societies. Wesleyan Leadership Societies—the Wesleyan Circle, the 1831 Society, the Olin Associates—recognize the extraordinary commitment and support of Wesleyan leadership donors and volunteers. By invitation only.
President’s House Lawn

5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Red, Black, and Green! All-College Dinner
Join friends, classmates, and family members for an informal, eco-friendly buffet dinner in the Marketplace at the Usdan University Center.
TICKETS: This event requires advance purchase/registration. Dinner is included in the registration fee for WESeniors (Classes of 1942-1966) and members of reunion classes with a flat rate fee (5th, 10th, and 50th reunion classes). To make sure that we have an accurate number of meals, we'd like to know if reunion alumni who have the flat rate fee and who are WESeniors plan to attend this dinner.  Please click on the Friday Red, Black, and Green Dinner option when registering if you plan to attend. All other reunion classes, parents and families of graduating seniors will be charged the following when they register:
$20 per person for adults and children over age 12 (including graduates)
$10 per person for children 12 and under
Usdan University Center
6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Shabbat Services
Please join Wesleyan’s Jewish chaplain, Rabbi David Leipziger Teva, and the Wesleyan Jewish community for Shabbat services. All are welcome. No reservations necessary.
The Bayit, 157 Church Street
6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
25th Reunion Reception for the Class of 1992
Campbell Reference Center, Olin Memorial Library
7:45 PM to 10:00 PM
Shabbat Dinner
At this special dinner for returning alumni, graduating seniors, and their families, we will welcome Shabbat with song, food, and joyful fellowship.
TICKETS: This dinner requires advance purchase/registration.
$20 per person for all and children over age 12 (including graduates)
$10 per person for children 12 and under
Daniel Family Commons, Usdan University Center
9:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Stargazing
View some celestial wonders through the renovated 20-inch Clark refractor.  Weather permitting.
Van Vleck Observatory
10:00 PM to 1:00 AM
Friday Night Annual Reunion Party
All are welcome! Come dance the night away and mingle with classmates, fellow alumni and graduates. Featuring alumni bands The Straw Dogs and Balloon.
10  p.m.-11:30 p.m.: The Racquets with band members Sam Beck '17; Jared Feinberg '17; Ryan Breen '17; Jeremy Freeman '17
11:30 p.m. - 1 a.m.: Balloon with band members Nick Earhart '07; Nick Nauman '07; Michael Hurder '07; Owen Roberts '07
Eclectic

Saturday, May 27, 2017

8:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Registration
Everyone—alumni, parents, students, and families—please check in for a final weekend schedule (with updates and event locations), meal tickets, a welcome packet, campus maps, and more.
Usdan University Center (show in map)
8:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Annual Family Swim
Enjoy a morning swim in the Freeman Athletic Center pool. Towels will be provided.
Freeman Athletic Center (show in map)
8:30 AM to 10:00 AM
Cardinal Loop Fun Run (2.1, 3.2, 4.3 Mile Courses)
Start the day off with an exhilarating run through campus.
Meet at the base of Foss Hill (show in map)
9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Education and Ideas in Dark Times: A Conversation with President Michael S. Roth ’78 and Leon Wieseltier

Speakers: Michael S. Roth '78 became the 16th president of Wesleyan University on July 1, 2007. Formerly president of California College of the Arts (CCA), Roth is known as a historian, curator, author and public advocate for liberal education. A professor in history and the humanities since 1983, Roth was the founding director of the Scripps College Humanities Institute in Claremont, Calif., a center for intellectual exchange across disciplines. He developed a reputation as a leader in the arts community through his accomplishments as associate director of the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles and his success as President of the California College of the Arts in enhancing that institution’s academic quality, national reputation and financial strength. Roth describes his scholarly interests as centered on "how people make sense of the past." He has authored six books, most recently, Beyond the University: Why Liberal Education Matters (Yale University Press, 2014). Leon Wieseltier is the Isaiah Berlin Senior Fellow in Culture and Policy at the Brookings Institution. He has had a long and distinguished career as a writer, editor, and social and political commentator. From 1983 to 2014, he was the literary editor of The New Republic and currently serves as a contributing editor and critic at The Atlantic. Wieseltier holds a bachelor's from Columbia University and was a member of the Society of Fellows at Harvard University. At Oxford University, he studied under Isaiah Berlin. He holds honorary doctorates from Brandeis University and the Jewish Theological Seminary, and was awarded the Dan David Prize in 2013. He is the author of several books, including the widely acclaimed Kaddish (Knopf, 1998).
Commons, Fries Center for Global Studies, Fisk Hall

9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
WESEMINAR Parenting Through the College Admission Process

Admission Deans Nancy Meislahn, Chris Lanser and Cliff Thornton, and University Relations Assistant Director Kate Quigley Lynch ’82, P’17, ’19, will host a “fireside chat” with the Class of 1992 to discuss parenting children through the college admission process. Parents from other classes are welcome.
Note: This session is specifically for parents. The Office of Admission offers information sessions and tours on Thursday, 5/25, and Friday, 5/26, for interested families.
McKelvey Room, Stewart M. Reid House, Office of Admission

10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Memorial Service
The service remembers all alumni who have passed away. Individuals are invited to offer personal remembrances.
Memorial Chapel (show in map)
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Crew Reception and Alumni Row
Relive good times on the water.  All former oarsmen, oarswomen, and friends are invited to gather at the boathouse for an afternoon row and refreshments.
Macomber Boathouse, 35 Harbor Drive
11:15 AM to 12:00 PM
Assemble for the Annual Parade of Classes
Seniors and their families are invited to join alumni for this traditional Wesleyan festivity featuring a live Dixieland band. The parade is scheduled to begin promptly at 11:30 a.m. rain or shine, and is followed immediately by the Assembly and Annual Meeting. Look for the class year signs and line-up beside the sign with the year you graduated.  The parade begins on Huss Courtyard (behind the Usdan University Center) and parades around the Memorial Chapel onto McKelvey Green.  All parade participants are encouraged to parade into the Memorial Chapel for the Wesleyan Assembly and Alumni Association Meeting.
Huss Courtyard, Usdan University Center (show in map)
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Wesleyan Assembly and Alumni Association Meeting

This year's featured speaker is distinguished alumnus award recipient, Nicholas J. Rasmussen '87, Director of the National Counterterrorism Center who will speak on "The Pursuit of Public Service in a Politically Divided America: Reflections of a Career Civil Servant." 

The 2017 Distinguished Alumni, McConaughy, and Outstanding Service Awards are presented at this time.

Distinguished Alumni Awards are presented to alumni in recognition of achievement in their professions.
Michele A. Roberts '77
Amy Schulman '82, P'11
Tos Chirathivat '85, P'14,'17
Nicholas J. Rasmussen '87
Isaac O. Shongwe '87
Santi White '97
Robert Lewis Allbritton '92

The James L. McConaughy Jr. Award was established in 1959 by the class of 1936 in memory of James L. McConaughy Jr. '36, the James L. McConaughy Jr. Memorial Award recognizes a member of the Wesleyan family (including students, faculty, alumni, parents, and members of their respective families) whose writing, or other creative achievement, conveys unusual insight and understanding of current and past events.
Matthew H. Weiner '87, P'18

The Outstanding Service Award is presented to alumni, parents, or other members of the Wesleyan community in recognition of outstanding volunteer service to Wesleyan, their community, or the nation.
Rick Nicita '67
Memorial Chapel

1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Strolling Magician and Magic Show
For children of all ages!
Andrus Field (show in map)
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Picnic and Festival on Foss Hill
This lively festival of entertainment and games is a great place to connect with friends and family members between WESeminars and other weekend programs. Don’t miss the magic show, tattoos, and more. Lunches are portable and can be picked up on your way to Foss Hill, afternoon WESeminars, or other events and destinations.
TICKETS: This lunch requires advance purchase/registration. Lunch is included for members of reunion classes with a flat rate fee (5th, 10th, and 50th reunion classes). Lunch is complimentary for WESeniors (Classes of 1942 through 1966) and their guests. To make sure that we have an accurate number of meals, we'd like to know if reunion alumni who have the flat rate fee and who are WESeniors plan to attend this lunch.  Please click on the Saturday Festival on Foss Hill lunch option when registering if you plan to attend. All other reunion classes, graduates, and parents and families of the graduates will be charged the following for lunch:
$15 per person for adults and children (including graduates)
Tent, Andrus Field and Foss Hill (show in map)
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Class of 1992 Outdoor Fun with Friends

Game equipment provided; playing optional. Families welcome!
Foss Hill

3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
WESEMINAR Political Dysfunction
Moderator: Megan Norris ’83, P’17 is Principal; Chair, Managing Directors; and Employment and Labor Group Co-Leader at Miller Canfield in Detroit. She is an Emerita Trustee of Wesleyan, and is also a longtime volunteer; Megan is currently co-chair of the Wesleyan Fund Leadership Committee and former chair of the Alumni Association.
Speakers: Robert L. Allbritton ’92 is executive chairman and cofounder of Perpetual Capital Partners, and cofounder, executive chairman, and publisher of POLITICO, a global nonpartisan politics and policy news organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with operations in New York and throughout Europe. In its 2007 debut, POLITICO broke journalistic ground with a website devoted to high-quality reporting of political matters, and it gained almost immediate prominence in the world of Washington media. Mr. Allbritton is known for hiring top reporters and editors, and for establishing a profitable and successful business model for POLITICO. Today, with more than 500 employees worldwide, POLITICO covers politics and policy through television, the web, the POLITICO newspaper, radio, and podcasts.
A native of Houston, Texas, Mr. Allbritton graduated from Wesleyan with a degree in government. Before cofounding POLITICO, he was the chairman and CEO of Allbritton Communications Company, and, prior to that, the CEO of Riggs National Corporation.Wesleyan’s Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life was established in 2007 with a generous gift from Mr. Allbritton, his wife, Dr. Elena Allbritton ’93, and a family foundation established by Mr. Allbritton’s parents, Joe L. and Barbara B. Allbritton. The center brings together students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners for debate, research and teaching, and dissemination of work pertaining to public life. Mr. Allbritton serves on the board of directors of the Lyndon B. Johnson Foundation, Austin, Texas, and he is a trustee emeritus of Wesleyan. Michael Bennet ’87, HON '12 has represented Colorado in the United States Senate since 2009. Widely-recognized as a pragmatic and independent thinker, he is driven by an obligation to create more opportunity for the next generation. Michael has built a reputation of taking on Washington dysfunction and working with Republicans and Democrats to address our nation’s greatest challenges – including education, climate change, immigration, health care, and national security. Before serving in the Senate, Michael worked in business and then in public service – as Chief of Staff to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper '74, HON '10 and Superintendent of Denver Public Schools. He lives in Denver with his wife and three daughters. Jonathan Soros ’92 is Chief Executive Officer of JS Capital Management LLC, a private investment firm. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Roosevelt Institute, a think tank based in New York City, and co-founder of Give Lively LLC, a social enterprise dedicated to creating easy-to-use, best-in-class apps, websites, and services that help make giving and gratitude a more regular and rewarding part of your daily life. Mr. Soros is co-chair and a member, respectively, of the boards of New America and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. He also holds several board positions affiliated with the Open Society Foundations. Prior to founding JS Capital, Mr. Soros spent nine years with Soros Fund Management LLC, serving as its President and Deputy Chairman from 2005 to 2011. Mr. Soros has clerked for Judge Stephen F. Williams of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, worked as Assistant Director of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems’ mission to Moldova, and co-founded the Fair Trial Initiative and Friends of Democracy PAC. Mr. Soros is a graduate magna cum laude of Harvard Law School and the John F. Kennedy School of Government. He received his BA from Wesleyan University with a degree in Government.
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Alumni of Color (AOC)/ Students of Color (SOC) Reception
Please join us at a reception honoring Alumni and Students of Color. All are welcome.
Tent adjacent to the Center for African American Studies
3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Alumni Reception
Please join members of the LGBTQ Alumni Network, parents and friends as we welcome graduating seniors to the alumni community.
McKelvey Room, Stewart M. Reid House, Office of Admission (show in map)
4:00 PM to 5:30 PM
Annual Reception Honoring Retiring Faculty

All are welcome to honor members of the faculty who retire this year.
Retiring Faculty 2017:

  • David Beveridge, Joshua Boger University Professor of the Sciences and Mathematics and Professor of Chemistry (attending)
  • John Finn, Professor of Government
  • Albert Fry, E.B. Nye Professor of Chemistry (attending)
  • Peter Patton, Alan M. Dachs Professor of Science and Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences (attending)
  • Rex Pratt, Beach Professor of Chemistry
  • Michael Roberts, Robert Rich Professor of Latin and Professor of Classical Studies (attending)
  • Ruth Striegel Weissman, Walter A. Crowell University Professor of the Social Sciences

In addition, we will honor faculty who retired in 2016:

  • Abraham Adzenyah, Adjunct Professor of Music, Emeritus
  • Philip Bolton, Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus
  • Alex Dupuy, Professor of Sociology, Emeritus (attending)
  • Mark Slobin, Winslow-Kaplan Professor of Music, Emeritus

Susan B. and William K. Wasch Center for Retired Faculty, 51 Lawn Avenue

4:30 PM to 5:00 PM
Lori Robbins ’92 Memorial Tree Dedication

Please join us for a tree dedication in celebration of the life of Lori Robbins ’92.
Northwest side of Clark Hall, facing Foss Hill

5:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Reunion Class Receptions and Dinners
WESeniors (Classes of 1942–1966) and the Classes of 1957, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007, and 2012 gather for their Class Dinners and special programs.

WESeniors: Andersen Meeting Room (110), Usdan University Center
1952: Andersen Meeting Room (110), Usdan University Center
1957: Taylor Meeting Room (108), Usdan University Center
1962: Olson Commons, Gordon Career Center
1967: Campbell Reference Center, Olin Memorial Library
1972: Patricelli '92 Theater
1977: Mink Dining Wing, Usdan University Center
1982: Daniel Family Commons, Usdan University Center 
1987: President's House Lawn
1992: Beckham Hall, Fayerweather
1997: Tent with red flag, McKelvey Green (lawn in front of College Row)
2002: Tent with black flag, McKelvey Green (lawn in front of College Row)
2007: The West Wing, Usdan University Center
2012: Russell House Lawn

TICKETS: Each dinner requires advance purchase/registration. Dinner is included for members of reunion classes with a flat rate fee (5th, 10th, and 50th reunion classes) and is complimentary for WESeniors (Classes of 1942 through 1966) and their guests. All other reunion classes will be charged the following for dinner:
$55 per person
9:30 PM to 10:00 PM
Traditional All-College Sing
Steps of North College; Rainsite: Memorial Chapel
10:00 PM to 1:00 AM
All-Campus Party featuring The Rooks
All are welcome to attend this year's annual All-Campus Party with The Rooks. Open to all. Don't miss it. Cash bar. ID required. Bar closes at 12:45 a.m. No outside alcohol permitted. 

The Rooks, formed at Wesleyan in the fall of 2011, are equal parts kick-back, head-knock, and get-down; the music you rock to at the party, and the perfect soundtrack for the ride home.

Hard-hitting performances at NYC's Irving Plaza, Mercury Lounge and Brooklyn Bowl, as well as highly successful residencies at Arlene's Grocery and Pianos NYC (second highest grossing residency in venue history) have earned them further acclaim, including Deli Magazine's Artist of the Month award (Feb 2014) and win of the 14th Annual Independent Music Awards in the R&B/Soul category.

After their 2013 EP "Something You Can Take," their 2015 follow-up "Wires," several tours, and more hours watching Beyoncé videos on YouTube than they care to admit, The Rooks are getting into the studio to work on their first full-length album.

Band members: Graham Richman '11, Guitar; Spencer Hattendorf '12, Sax, Vox; Garth Taylor '12, Lead Vox; Connor Schultze, Bass (Manhattan School of Music 2016); Donnie Spackman, Drums; Daniel Papson, Keys (Skidmore College 2012)
Tent, Andrus Field

Sunday, May 28, 2017

8:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Registration and Information
Usdan University Center
9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Roman Catholic Mass
Memorial Chapel

Accommodations

Sheraton Hartford South, Rocky Hill
860-257-6000
Rate: $141 for 3-night stay; $151 for Friday and Saturday night stays
Block cutoff date: 4/26/17

Class Notes

[Read Class Notes]

Please send new notes to the Class Secretaries:

Adam Berinsky
berinsky@mit.edu

Paul Coviello
coviellop01@alum.darden.edu

Your contact information

[Update Contact Information]

Be sure to update your contact information on Wesconnect so that your classmates can get in touch. For fast signup help contact the Wesconnect staff.

Staff Contact

Kate Tedford
Associate Director
(860) 685-3693
ktedford@wesleyan.edu