Spence Reunion Book 2011

REUNION YEARBOOK 2011 •ClaSS of 1976

THE SPENCE SCHOOL

Many thanks to Ripley Golovin Hathaway for her time, energy and dedication in coordinating the reunion efforts, including the Facebook page, the reservations, the yearbook pages, etc.

Thank you!

Final page layout: Alex Mooney

Alex MooneyProving that being a late bloomer is not always a bad thing

What it was like

What happened

What it’s like now:

home with animals than people. Wondered why I didn’t get the same manual on

did.

Graduated from San Francisco State University. Dad was killed suddenly in 1983 and I took the opportunity to spread my wings, not always in the right direction. Worked for Club Med for years, and then spent too many years sinking into drugs and alcohol.

Married in 1993 and divorced in 1996. Had a son in 1994, and realized the alcohol was really a problem. Now I can honestly say that it’s a tossup of which I am more proud: my beautiful, kind

possibly imagine, and pretty much how I spend all of my free time.

I’ve been raising my son, Henry, completely on my own since he was 2. At the same time, I have

for the Ventura Art Walk, and took up riding in my 40’s, competing up to Training Level 3-Day Eventing on my Percheron/TB cross. We live in a small town in Southern California, get to surf

been someone or somewhere else.

Life keeps getting better and better, proof that being a late bloomer is not always such a bad thing!

Alex Mooney • 407-B South Signal Street, Ojai, CA 93023 • [email protected] • www.alexmooney.net

Thank you!ALEX MOONEY

Here's my story:From Spence, I went to UVA. After school, I never really found my calling. I worked on Broadway (in management) and for SELF magazine and then the Jewish Guild for the Blind. I got married in 86, divorced in 88. My father died in 88 and one day, skiing at Deer Valley--here in Park City, Utah, I said (out loud) I want to build my own house. By the end of that day I owned a lot. I came out here with my cocker spaniel, Sadie, in May of '90, picked up a hammer and built, with two friends, a 3000 sq ft house. While I was doing that, I met Sean, and we got married in 91. He was a ski bum when I met him--working as a golf caddy in the summers-we played. Then he went an got serious on me--now he is a real estate appraiser, real estate agent and investor. He takes good care of us and I love him very much. We have Abby who is 18 and Jake who is 16. I am a full-time mom and also a goldsmith. My company is: HAPPY DRAGON DESIGNS-- if you 'like' it on Facebook, you can see what I am doing.Life took a new turn for me this year, when we took Abby to college. She is at Mizzou, wants to study photojournalism. She is a horsewoman, and a truly fine human being. I miss her. Jake is a ski racer, and has his drivers license so I don't see much of him these days. I miss NYC, but get back a few times a year. Park City is a tourist destination, so we are a bit more sophisticated than much of Utah. It's a good life and I am very happy. But I miss the East Coast mentality, but funnily (is that a word?) most of my friends are from the East. Sean and I were very very active in building our synagogue and the community surrounding it.Anyone who wants to come skiing: We have a guest room available.

Ripley: I am sorry that I won't be able to make the reunion--will be in NYC this coming weekend for Passover--and can't justify another trip immediately after. I know you will all enjoy reconnecting. All the best, Alix

My daughter Abby, My son, Jake , and a picture from Abby's graduation of: me, my husband, Sean, Abby, my parents, and Jake

Alix Morrison Railton

Left: My daughter Abby Right: My son, Jake, and a picture from Abby’s graduation of: me, my husband, Sean, Abby, my parents, and Jake

I attended Spence in my final year of high school, and while it was not a particularly happy time in my life, I recognized even then that Spence was an extraordinary school. The teachers (at least the ones I had the good fortune to meet) were fantastic and engaging and supportive. So vastly different from the teachers I had endured at Francis Holland, an English girls school I attended previously. Pretty sure my classmates were exceptional too, though I didn't connect with many outside of school. My loss. While visiting my mother in D.C. a few years ago, I found our Spence graduation photo - we all look so innocent, so hopeful...so young!!!

I moved to California to attend Mills College in '76 and never left. Bay Area for 10 years, LA for 10 years, and a very small place called Ojai for the past 15. Married. Divorced. Relieved! Two great kids. My son Cole Ryder is 19 and a freshman at UCLA. My other son, Andre Ryder is 13 and a ray of sunshine - most of the time!

Other stats: I am head of HR for the David Allen Company (author of Getting Things Done). I don't "do" Facebook but am on LinkedIn. I love to cook and hike and laugh. I am blessed with amazing family and friends.

All the best,

Andrea

Andrea Gleysteen | SPHR David Allen Company [email protected] HQ (805) 646-8432 Fax (805) 646-7695 407F Bryant Circle, Ojai, CA 93023 Davidco.com Additional resources: GTD Times blog | GTD Connect.com

Andrea

Not for our School but for our Lives we Learn

Anne Meyendorff

So this is my life, for which Spence prepared me well in some ways and not at all in others.

Family stuff: I have two children. Katrina is 20 and a junior at Georgetown University, studying Government, Psychology and French. She spent the last semester in Dakar, Senegal, she sings and she writes for the newspaper. Alexander is 17 and a senior in high school. He just got into his first choice college, Middlebury. He plays soccer (a lot) and sings.

Job stuff: I have a PhD in Economics (UC Berkeley), and have worked at the University of Michigan for many years. I’ve taught at the Business School, the Economics Dept and am currently taking on the task of directing a new major in International Studies at the college. My research has been on financial sector reform in transition economies, mostly Russia but also Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Vietnam and China. I also do a lot of consulting on the side, primarily litigation consulting in both international arbitration and anti-trust cases.

Personal stuff: I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I’ve been divorced for 14 years, and happily traveling, enjoying my kids, working and spending time with friends. I run, bike and swim (yes, triathlons), which keeps me relatively but not completely sane. Since my youngest is about to leave home, I am contemplating moving back to the East Coast. Michigan is not where I want to spend this next chapter in my life. All job leads, advice, moral support and friendship is very welcome.

Anne Dempsey Sullivan

Husband : CarterKids:Will 23Sam 21Connor 17Cary 17

Working in Real estate in CtGetting MSW at FordhamMoving back to NYC next fall and Flipping out over soon to be empty nest

Not for school but for life we learn

We live in the world

learning has two aspects

the world replete with injustice and suffering

having been taught and having learned

In the final analysis

the quality of the learning

can only be measured

by the quality of the lives we have led

AF Pomeroy

Anne Pomeroy

" Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." (Proverbs 31:30) To aging with wisdom.

Ari Lourie

Ashley Leeds

From Left to Right:Benjamin, Ashley, Samuel, Christopher, Michael

When I think about the blessings I have had in life, my family, my friendships and my career, I realize how much I owe to Spence.

My son, Leo, aged 12, “headshot”… (He’s looking for work all you Spencies in the film biz.).

Don, Charity and Leo in Yosemite, Charity at Christmas, at Amity’s House with family in 2010.

Charity Hume NeillDear everyone,

What a profound thing it has been to capture some of the images from our current lives and to realize what wisdom and laughter and sadness we've all earned with our years around the sun since that day in June 1976! I most of all wish I could come to New York to laugh with you and know what a crazy journey life is -- and to know more about who you've all become!!

I'm not able to come to New York on the 29th for a bunch of reasons, and I trust you know I would be there with you if it were at all possible.

Here's the brief update on my life:

I'm married to Don Neill, who is of all things, an astronomer, finishing up a post doctoral fellowship at Cal Tech. He's searching for creative outlets right now, and has a facebook page, where you can download some tapes of him doing Stand-up at The Ice House in Pasadena, and other places nearby. We met in 1997 on a blind date at the Guggenheim Museum in Soho, and very quickly realized that maybe marriage would be a good thing if it were with the right person!!

We have a 12 year old son, Leo, and I've sent a photo. He's going to be 13 soon -- and is auditioning out here in L.A. for parts, as he's got the acting bug. If you want to see one of his short films, we'd love some "hits" on his youtube post, "Galapagos Rap," ... he did it for a geography project, and it's his music, lyrics, and film direction. In a nutshell, we're having a lot of fun with him, even though we are going through classic growing pains about homework, etc. The usual!!

I am a freshman dean at Polytechnic School, a kind of Spence type K-12 school, though of course, very different, as it's coed, and is near Cal Tech's campus and boasts a football field and some incredibly beautiful oak trees -- (I still mourn those they cut down at Spence that looked so lovely from the library windows when I was there.) I also have been teaching AP English lit to seniors, and in the summers, I continue to work on writing projects,( a screenplay about a high school teacher who is trapped in the wrong marriage and meets a spy... and a novel draft that continues to be part of my inner life, no matter how hard I try to finish it or abandon it.)

I would dearly love to see you when you are in the neighborhood of L.A. and am so very grateful to Ripley using the modern technology to reach across the spaces of time and distance to bring us together. I am there in spirit, and send love,

Charity

I'm married to Don Neill, who is of all things, an astronomer, finishing up a post doctoral fellowship at Cal Tech. He's searching for creative outlets right now, and has a Facebook page, where you can download some tapes of him doing Stand-up at The Ice House in Pasadena, and other places nearby. We met in 1997 on a blind date at the Guggenheim Museum in Soho, and very quickly realized that maybe marriage would be a good thing if it were with the right person!!

We have a 12 year old son, Leo, and I've sent a photo. He's going to be 13 soon -- and is auditioning out here in L.A. for parts, as he's got the acting bug. If you want to see one of his short films, we'd love some "hits" on his youtube post, "Galapagos Rap," ... he did it for a geography project, and it's his music, lyrics, and film direction. In a nutshell, we're having a lot of fun with him, even though we are going through classic growing pains about homework, etc. The usual!!

I am a freshman dean at Polytechnic School, a kind of Spence type K-12 school, though of course, very different, as it's coed, and is near Cal Tech's campus and boasts a football field and some incredibly beautiful oak trees -- (I still mourn those they cut down at Spence that looked so lovely from the library windows when I was there.) I also have been teaching AP English lit to seniors, and in the summers, I continue to work on writing projects,( a screenplay about a high school teacher who is trapped in the wrong marriage and meets a spy... and a novel draft that continues to be part of my inner life, no matter how hard I try to finish it or abandon it.)

I would dearly love to see you when you are in the neighborhood of L.A. and am so very grateful to Ripley using the modern technology to reach across the spaces of time and distance to bring us together. I am there in spirit, and send love,

Charity

+Clare Ellis

Formerly known as Susan, and

sometimes Susie, I realized around the time I was 30 that I

much preferred my middle name – and so I claimed it.

I live in San Francisco with my easygoing teenage boys and very

nice husband and have been doing my best to evolve and

keep pace with changes in the publishing industry – which isn’t

easy in this tech-driven town. Among my favorite work

experiences was teaming up with Drew to start GoCityKids,

which we later sold to Nickelodeon.

My parents left the city after third grade for Westchester, but

I never stopped thinking of myself as a New Yorker. Among

my Spence-related memories: Really wanting a yellow posture

bar; waiting waiting for the elevator to come; the long

commute from Gramercy Park to East 91st; Ms. Harper’s warmth;

making tall cookies with Anne for Redbook; country weekends

with Kris Ramsted and her dogs; friendships with so many of

you…there’s lots more but I’m

I have a wonderful partner of 25 years -- Jim Abellera.

I do not have children, but Jim has two twenty-something boys whom I love. My parents are alive and in their early 80s. They divide their time between Chicago (where we moved after leaving NYC in 1972); Florida; and Maine (where my mother grew up and where we spend our summers.) My sister, Cathie, lives in Maine with her husband and they have three grown children.

We live most of the year in Florence and the rest in Washington, DC. I raise money for the Friends of Florence, a non-profit organization devoted to funding art restoration in Florence and throughout Tuscany.

Several of my closest friends are Spence friends. I had a wonderful experience there and feel extremely fortunate!

My contact info is [email protected] or [email protected]

Diana Richman

Drew Moseley Kristofik 9 Country Road

Westport, CT 06880 203-454-2541

[email protected]

Two Children:

Nina, 22, PhD candidate Biomedical Engineering at Yale

James, 18, incoming freshman at Loyola University, New Orleans

Education – Sarah Lawrence College (poetry), Bronxville, NY

Career Highlights:

Editor in Chief, GoCityKids (acquired by Viacom in 2005 and transformed to ParentsConnect.com

Coordinator of Public Affairs, MacNeil/Lehrer (1981-1988)

Currently on the loose, possibly writing again…

Eleo Kaemmerer Hensleigh 1976-2011

• First trip to France…WesleyanUniversity…Turning 21…First trip to China &Japan..Back to NYC…First job, Call toAction…First TV job, MTV:MusicTelevision…Summers in OBP…AnsweringMachine…First Condo, 2 Cornelia Street…VH-1:Video Hits One…Bridesmaid in Brucie, Panda,Shelley, and Robin’s weddings (respectively, notcollectively)… First Co-Op, 123 W 74th…parentsdivorce…1 cat…Married to Jonathan BHensleigh, Lawyer…Nickelodeon/Nick @Nite…Facing 30…Launch of Nick in the UK…2cats…First job In Los Angeles, fX…Launch of fXAustralia…New friends… Beeper…Next LA job,Disney Channel…Cell Phone…Email…Firsthouse in Hollywood Hills…No longer married toJonathan B Hensleigh, Screenwriter…SVP BrandMarketing, Disney/ABC CableNetworks…BlackBerry…iPod… Hitting 40…First& only trip to Cuba…9/11...NYC cats expire…NewLA rescue cats…CMO, Disney/ABC TelevisionGroup…Video iPod…Back home to NYC with LAcats…First CondOp, 60 E 8th…CMO, ION MediaNetworks…iPhone…Dreading 50...iPad...BrandStrategy & Marketing Consultant…Old friends &extended family…Girl Trips…Summers in OBP

• Not Fo r School , But For Li fe We Learn

Spence gave me a great education, and wonderful friends, however I learned nothing about the male species.

Better late than never :-)

Peter and I

Austin(14), Cayman(16),Peter, me and Aislin(18)

Dash (the furry one)

Elissa Elkin

Jean Bellamy Hoyt

Us, Jean and Dick, by the river Liffey

Jean Thatcher, Atop Kilimanjaro

Anne, enjoying Dublin

Heather Evans and family, left to right: Sofi (12), Zoe (21), Lila (14), Heather, Eva (16) and Emmett

Heather Evans

Jenny Parmelee is living in Rome and working at the World Bank Food Programme in Rome. Her daughters are Sarafina (14) and Sophie (9). They are pictured here on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence this past December with Diana Richmond. Jennyʼs email addresses are [email protected] and [email protected].

Jennifer Parmelee

Five years ago I started designing jewelry full-time and now find myselfthe proud (if somewhat surprised!) owner of a successful women's fashionaccessory company that sells to stores all over the world. We have grownsteadily every year and now have a line of costume jewelry, fine jewelry(sold at Bergdorf Goodman, among others) and handbags. You can see mostof the lines on my website at www.jessicacushman.com.

On a personal note, I've been married to my husband, Bill, for 30 years(I deserve a medal), have a wonderful 24 year-old daughter, Mallory

and an adorable dog, Marmite

Jessica Kagan Cushman

KrisRamstad

WhenIAmAmongtheTrees

WhenIamamongthetrees,

especiallythewillowsandthehoneylocust,

equallythebeech,theoaksandthepines,

theygiveoffsuchhintsofgladness,

Iwouldalmostsaythattheysaveme,anddaily.

Iamsodistantfromthehopeofmyself,

inwhichIhavegoodness,anddiscernment,

andneverhurrythroughtheworld

butwalkslowly,andbowoften.

Aroundmethetreesstirintheirleaves

andcallout,"Stayawhile."

Thelightflowsfromtheirbranches.

Andtheycallagain,"It'ssimple,"theysay,

"andyoutoohavecome

intotheworldtodothis,togoeasy,tobefilled

withlight,andtoshine."

~MaryOliver~

Spence…..35 years later

“Not for our School but for our Lives We Learn…”

Many miles…..Two continents…Several careers…Two marriages….One child…Three step-children…Numerous ups and some downs…. Lessons learned…Some dreams accomplished…others abandoned…Many changes…Still love learning…and dancing…..and my Spence friends.

Life since Spence has been a fascinating journey….surely the seeds were planted by Miss Spence’s motto, our wonderful teachers and Mme Schmemann’s French classes.

Spence gave me the tools to realize my dreams and the grace to meet life’s inevitable challenges….to work hard, aim high, accept disappointment, bend when necessary and start each day with a smile and the goal of making the world around me a better place.

The dream is kept alive today by my lovely daughter Charlotte and by my wonderful husband Eric, who nourishes me daily with love and support and generosity. Thanks to them I continue to learn and grow, and carry forward the lessons learned at Spence all those years ago.

Lillibet Hochman

Liz Walker

BA TuftsEdM Harvard Graduate School of EducationMA Southampton University (UK)Married: 2 kids, 2 steps, 1 step-daughter-in-law! LizDirect line: 401-682-2951

Liz WalkerChampionships DirectorUS [email protected]: 401-683-0800 x651Fax: 401-683-084015 Maritime DrivePost Office Box 1260Portsmouth, RI 02871www.ussailing.org

Pictured here with her “significant other”, Jim Mergenthaler. Melanie spotted him across a room – and he spotted her – and they have been living happily together ever since in

Rockland County, NY. Melanie has discovered the joys of suburban super-sized supermarkets (she has a degree from a renowned French culinary institute) and gardening. Her life with Jim is, quote: “a 10.”

Melanie Talley Whatley

I have been living in Buenos Aires for the past 7 years, am divorced - I own and run a B&B called GARDEN - www.gardenbuenosaires.com is the link to my website. I have been written up in The New York Times, British Vogue, Time Out Buenos Aires, Elle Spain etc. This past October I started a cocina cerrado (closed door) restaurant on thursday evenings and have received wonderful reviews - all a lot of work but also a lot of fun.

I have three children. My son Sumner is living in Paris designing websites primarily for artists. My daughter Delphine is at The Kildonan school, a boarding school in Amenia, New York and my youngest Elektra is starting boarding school at Malvern in England this coming September.

Delphine ( left) and Elektra

Sumner

Pamela Combemale Murphy

Ripley Golovin Hathaway

Tyler, Clement and Me, Fourth of July 2010

Well after urging each and everyone of you to create your page, its my turn. Much more daunting than I thought. I remember exiting 22 East 91st with Kate Lind in first grade and we were calculating how old we would be in the year 2000. Forty-two! I could not imagine being that old! Well that was eleven years ago. Time flies. Where did the time go? Why does the ten years I spent at Spence seem longer than the intervening 35 years?

What have I learned in the intervening years? In no particular order, and those of you who have been reading my posts might remember. When you have 51% of the information you have enough information to make a decision, then you have to prioritize and process ( Columbia Business School). Reach for the brass ring because 90% of the people around you wont even try - teaching at Vassar, becoming a Contributing Editor to Garden Design Magazine, and patent holder for a Rainbow Fountain. My other big life lesson- No amount of money will seem like enough if you hate what you do ( Financial Service marketing at Chemical Bank). The greatest gift in life is to get up every morning and look forward to your day and if you can get paid for it! I am sure there are others but those are the big three.

I want to thank everyone for their positive response to contributing to this book. What I have learned since my parents have passed away is that you really treasure those links to your childhood whether it be your parents friends or your childhood ones. By connecting with you I can still be young. Melanie, remember making brownies in Kindergarten and eating half the batter and wondering why no one else was interested? Katie you made first grade wonderful. All I remember is laughing. How great is that? Does anyone remember Mrs. Gilpatiric from second grade? Mrs Knerr from Third? I remember Jenny Parmelee as the soldier in the French play- I lost that part because I could not pronounce “Bonjour” correctly. Fourth grade coloring maps of Africa with Miss Elliot. Fifth Grade- Vicky you wondered if I had been in Alaska for the summer as I was so white. Never did tan and never will but finally got to Alaska in 2006 and cant wait to go back. Sixth grade, Drew, Anne P and Sarah M planning get togethers with the boys of Regis after school. Dark Shadows. Ms. Terhune and the computers. Thank you Dr. Heuston. What goes around comes around. Vampires and Midis. Seventh grade Pamela C and me in french class playing BINGO. I wished I was at La Plage and not just covering the umbrellas with markers. Eight grade was a blur. Ninth all the new students and my best friend from nursery school, Susan Silver, was now part of our class. As Bob Hope used to say thanks for the memories.

As for the future I am working on my bucket list ( saw Donna and Marie , twice in 2010) and hoping to recapture more of myself by painting and gardening again., I will be moving to the Hudson Valley full time when my husband deploys for the third time overseas for a year next February. ( he is a Captain in the PA NAtional Guard). I have a real estate business and am in the process of developing a wedding business as well on my property. If you find yourself in the area I would welcome a visit. STAY IN TOUCH!

Ripley Golovin Hathaway

Tyler, Clement and Me, Fourth of July 2010

Well after urging each and everyone of you to create your page, its my turn. Much more daunting than I thought. I remember exiting 22 East 91st with Kate Lind in first grade and we were calculating how old we would be in the year 2000. Forty-two! I could not imagine being that old! Well that was eleven years ago. Time flies. Where did the time go? Why does the ten years I spent at Spence seem longer than the intervening 35 years?

What have I learned in the intervening years? In no particular order, and those of you who have been reading my posts might remember. When you have 51% of the information you have enough information to make a decision, then you have to prioritize and process ( Columbia Business School). Reach for the brass ring because 90% of the people around you wont even try - teaching at Vassar, becoming a Contributing Editor to Garden Design Magazine, and patent holder for a Rainbow Fountain. My other big life lesson- No amount of money will seem like enough if you hate what you do ( Financial Service marketing at Chemical Bank). The greatest gift in life is to get up every morning and look forward to your day and if you can get paid for it! I am sure there are others but those are the big three.

I want to thank everyone for their positive response to contributing to this book. What I have learned since my parents have passed away is that you really treasure those links to your childhood whether it be your parents friends or your childhood ones. By connecting with you I can still be young. Melanie, remember making brownies in Kindergarten and eating half the batter and wondering why no one else was interested? Katie you made first grade wonderful. All I remember is laughing. How great is that? Does anyone remember Mrs. Gilpatiric from second grade? Mrs Knerr from Third? I remember Jenny Parmelee as the soldier in the French play- I lost that part because I could not pronounce “Bonjour” correctly. Fourth grade coloring maps of Africa with Miss Elliot. Fifth Grade- Vicky you wondered if I had been in Alaska for the summer as I was so white. Never did tan and never will but finally got to Alaska in 2006 and cant wait to go back. Sixth grade, Drew, Anne P and Sarah M planning get togethers with the boys of Regis after school. Dark Shadows. Ms. Terhune and the computers. Thank you Dr. Heuston. What goes around comes around. Vampires and Midis. Seventh grade Pamela C and me in french class playing BINGO. I wished I was at La Plage and not just covering the umbrellas with markers. Eight grade was a blur. Ninth all the new students and my best friend from nursery school, Susan Silver, was now part of our class. As Bob Hope used to say thanks for the memories.

As for the future I am working on my bucket list ( saw Donna and Marie , twice in 2010) and hoping to recapture more of myself by painting and gardening again., I will be moving to the Hudson Valley full time when my husband deploys for the third time overseas for a year next February. ( he is a Captain in the PA NAtional Guard). I have a real estate business and am in the process of developing a wedding business as well on my property. If you find yourself in the area I would welcome a visit. STAY IN TOUCH!

Robin Zorn DeMaio

The girl from 86th Street moved west -- and I donʼt mean the West Side of Manhattan! Iʼm living in Wyoming, so if anyone remembers my love of “Bonanza” (especially Little Joe) maybe they wonʼt be so surprised!

.

This is my mare Silent Beauty (who moved with me

from New York) and Spot, who I swear is the worldʼs most photographed mule

My three kids: Ricky is 23, Emily is 19, and Blair is 15.

Rosanna (Rosie) Agnew LaBonte ’76 - 35th Reunion update100 South Main StreetSherborn, MA [email protected]

I am currently in a full time, non salaried, multi-tasking partnership position with Chip LaBonte, (who I met at Middlebury and married in 1983) raising two daughters (ages 12 and 24) in an often chaotic environment with variable hours, including evenings, weekends and occasional 24 hour shifts.

In this role I master multiple technical challenges such as audio/video, automotive, PC and small gadget repair, stuck zippers and iTunes library management. I use highly developed inner radar to locate misplaced belongings as I operate as a travel consultant/chauffeur providing daily transportation and extensive courier duties. I serve as a receptionist/social secretary screening phone calls, maintaining calendars and coordinating multiple hockey, softball, lacrosse, swimming, musical rehearsal and camp schedules as well as organizing medical/dental appointments and social and holiday gatherings for all ages and mental outlooks.

I am everyone’s personal shopper in charge of purchasing for all school, office, and household supplies including groceries and produce for the preparation of nutritious snacks and meals for a variety of personal preferences. I am also responsible for the administration of prescription, homeopathic and over the counter medication for the treatment of various viral and chronic ailments as well as the dressing of numerous post-surgical wounds and veterinary care. In addition I have received an advanced education in eldercare management including assisted living and skilled nursing care facilities, health care proxies, medication for behavior modification and the various stages of Alzheimer’s disease. I am also in charge of wardrobe acquisition and maintenance, however, despite repeated attempts I have no authority over what anyone actually wears.

Periodically I pursue my interests as an amateur naturalist, musician, writer, artist/crafter in various mediums. I read and knit and produce databases, websites, spreadsheets and other documents for non-profit organizations and other ventures and renovate single family homes.

Like most native New Yorkers I am completely misunderstood by people from out of town, so I keep a sign on my office wall that reads “You can take the girl out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the girl.” Likewise, I find it hard to describe Spence to people who had a different school experience. For me, Spence was a wonderful source of community and comfort as a child. My mother died the fall I entered kindergarten. Recently I learned that when my father died as we were entering 4th grade, Barbara Colbron called and offered to personally pay the tuition so my sister and I could stay at Spence without interruption. (As wards of New York State our court appointed guardian had to wait for approval from the probate court) Do they still make educators like that? I hope so. Members of the Spence faculty still send me Christmas cards and several came to my wedding. Somehow Spence managed to instill a sense of wonder and a lifelong love of learning and fun in a broken hearted nine year old. How grateful I am to have been that little girl.

Rosanna (Rosie) Agnew LaBonte ’76 - 35th Reunion update100 South Main StreetSherborn, MA [email protected]

I am currently in a full time, non salaried, multi-tasking partnership position with Chip LaBonte, (who I met at Middlebury and married in 1983) raising two daughters (ages 12 and 24) in an often chaotic environment with variable hours, including evenings, weekends and occasional 24 hour shifts.

In this role I master multiple technical challenges such as audio/video, automotive, PC and small gadget repair, stuck zippers and iTunes library management. I use highly developed inner radar to locate misplaced belongings as I operate as a travel consultant/chauffeur providing daily transportation and extensive courier duties. I serve as a receptionist/social secretary screening phone calls, maintaining calendars and coordinating multiple hockey, softball, lacrosse, swimming, musical rehearsal and camp schedules as well as organizing medical/dental appointments and social and holiday gatherings for all ages and mental outlooks.

I am everyone’s personal shopper in charge of purchasing for all school, office, and household supplies including groceries and produce for the preparation of nutritious snacks and meals for a variety of personal preferences. I am also responsible for the administration of prescription, homeopathic and over the counter medication for the treatment of various viral and chronic ailments as well as the dressing of numerous post-surgical wounds and veterinary care. In addition I have received an advanced education in eldercare management including assisted living and skilled nursing care facilities, health care proxies, medication for behavior modification and the various stages of Alzheimer’s disease. I am also in charge of wardrobe acquisition and maintenance, however, despite repeated attempts I have no authority over what anyone actually wears.

Periodically I pursue my interests as an amateur naturalist, musician, writer, artist/crafter in various mediums. I read and knit and produce databases, websites, spreadsheets and other documents for non-profit organizations and other ventures and renovate single family homes.

Like most native New Yorkers I am completely misunderstood by people from out of town, so I keep a sign on my office wall that reads “You can take the girl out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the girl.” Likewise, I find it hard to describe Spence to people who had a different school experience. For me, Spence was a wonderful source of community and comfort as a child. My mother died the fall I entered kindergarten. Recently I learned that when my father died as we were entering 4th grade, Barbara Colbron called and offered to personally pay the tuition so my sister and I could stay at Spence without interruption. (As wards of New York State our court appointed guardian had to wait for approval from the probate court) Do they still make educators like that? I hope so. Members of the Spence faculty still send me Christmas cards and several came to my wedding. Somehow Spence managed to instill a sense of wonder and a lifelong love of learning and fun in a broken hearted nine year old. How grateful I am to have been that little girl.

SHELLEY R. SLADE

“Learning for Life”

I am so thankful that our reunion chairs have provided us with this opportunity to reflect upon the significance of our education at Spence. Spence is my underpinning and my anchor. Spence is not only the place we learned in preparation for life, it is also the place that inspired us to learn throughout life,

Perhaps first and foremost, Spence taught me the value of friendships with women and gave me the opportunity to meet so many wonderful girls who to this day give rich texture to my life. Some I am able to see more than others, but every time I run into a former classmate it feels like coming home.

Spence proposed that women can “have it all.” We knew that much was expected from us and that our teachers believed in us. It’s hard to believe many other schools taught binary computing language to middle schoolers or that other headmasters would ask two 9th grade pranksters to research and write a paper on the “The Implications of Foolish Pranks” as a consequence. Ms. Duckett and so many other teachers modeled the modern woman and encouraged us to reach for the stars. Ms. Duckett brought in Olympians to teach us tumbling and rhythmic gymnastics, pushed us to our limits in math class and taught sewing after school for those interested in completing the female triathlon. In my early years as a lawyer, I would often be the only woman in the room, but I never noticed; someone else would always point it out to me.

SARAH MATHEWS ALBAMONTE

On the left is Sarah Mathews Albamonte’s daughter Andrea. Clement Hathaway (son of Ripley Golovin Hathaway) is on the right. (Photo taken July 2010)

Sarah is married to George Albamonte and in addition to Andrea (below), they also have a son Daniel who is in high school (not shown).

Staley Cayce Sednaoui lives in Princeton, New Jersey with her husband and three children. She is a holistic health and nutrition counselor and she gains great joy and satisfaction from helping her clients overcome their struggles and issues with food, eating, and the common illnesses that poor nutrition brings. Having struggled herself with weight and Lyme Disease (and all the problems that Lyme Disease brings) she is empathetic and understanding of the food/health struggle and she enjoys coaching her clients to success and good health.

Staley has lived in Princeton for almost 20 years and her children are a 19-year-old daughter, Coco, who is in her first year at the University of Virginia; a sixteen-year-old daughter named Betsy who is a sophomore at the Taft School in CT; and a son named Carter who is twelve and attends Princeton Day School. Her husband, also named Carter, is in venture capital and currently is involved in the “green tech/clean tech sector” to which he is deeply committed even though big business hasn’t quite gotten it’s head around the concept.

Prior to moving to Princeton Staley and Carter lived in San Francisco.

Staley left Spence after kindergarten and attended the Chapin School. She graduated from The Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, CT and from Vassar College. She graduated from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York as a certified nutritional counselor and is also trained in Reiki and Tai Chi Chih.

Staley Cayce Sednaoui125 Rolling Hill Road

Staley Cayce Sednaoui

When I think of the Spence school motto, I imagine being at morning Assembly aged 10 or 11, standing up from those yellow leather folding chairs. Posture bows have just been given out. We are singing the final words, “so we may say not for our school, but for our lives we learn!” We file out the double doors, back to a day of classes.

But when did these words actually mean something to me?

I donʼt think I took the motto to heart throughout my 13 years at Spence, probably not during college or even while working in the Film Industry. Not until I had children of my own at school did I really ʻhearʼ and the words. School is a fleeting experience, but life is a long journey, so you better pack well! Make the most of the opportunities that Spence gives us, learn to navigate your way in the world in itʼs safe, supportive environment and use your brains and initiative to turn those lessons into something that will last a lifetime.

After Spence, I deferred my place at Wesleyan and took a year off, worked at Tiffany & co., as an apprentice jeweler. By the time I reached College, I had a year of earning proper money and living independently, so going to Wesleyan felt like a step back in some ways. I studied Film History and Art History, made wonderful friends, but in retrospect, I did not enter into the full spirit of the school experience as I had at Spence.

After I graduated, I never pursued higher education, perhaps with small regret in retrospect. I spent a few years ʻdiscoveringʼ what career I wanted to pursue - and I tried quite a few. I was a journalistic photographerʼs assistant, a fashion photographerʼs assistant, a fashion designerʼs assistant (twice)...but I dreamt of a job in film. Thanks to a turn as bridesmaid at a friendʼs wedding, I got my first chance in Film as a freelance script reader. Then, in 1989, I started working at Miramax Films, a then small independent film distribution company, as a buyer of films. The Company was taking off then, and as it grew I made my way up the ranks to become executive VP of Acquisitions and Production. It was an exciting but all involving role, and there was no time for a personal life. I feel as if the 90ʼs past me by as I travelled around the globe looking for english language and foreign language films for Miramax to distribute.

Luckily, before I got too old, I met my husband, Colin, an Englishman in Film and TV and 11 years my senior, at one of those film Festivals. We married in 1995 and became ʻmatureʼ parents of three daughters - Amelia, 12, and twin sisters Kate and Matilda, 10. The girls were all born in London, which is where we live now. I gave up work after the twins were born in 2000 with no regrets, although perhaps I should be involved in some career to be a good role model for the girls. Two out of three go to co-ed schools - a new world for me! I think the girls like it - it normalizes their educational experience. They realize boys are just like them, only

smellier. I am still an advocate of single sex education, certainly in primary and secondary school.

The memories I have from Spence, the deep friendships I have kept, the teachers who inspired me, the experiences we shared - contributed to that valuable lesson - do it for yourself and your life. We had a pretty good time in the process!

# # # # - Trea Hoving

Amelia, Matilda, Kate and me outside Spence

Trea Hoving

When I think of the Spence school motto, I imagine being at morning Assembly aged 10 or 11, standing up from those yellow leather folding chairs. Posture bows have just been given out. We are singing the final words, “so we may say not for our school, but for our lives we learn!” We file out the double doors, back to a day of classes.

But when did these words actually mean something to me?

I donʼt think I took the motto to heart throughout my 13 years at Spence, probably not during college or even while working in the Film Industry. Not until I had children of my own at school did I really ʻhearʼ and the words. School is a fleeting experience, but life is a long journey, so you better pack well! Make the most of the opportunities that Spence gives us, learn to navigate your way in the world in itʼs safe, supportive environment and use your brains and initiative to turn those lessons into something that will last a lifetime.

After Spence, I deferred my place at Wesleyan and took a year off, worked at Tiffany & co., as an apprentice jeweler. By the time I reached College, I had a year of earning proper money and living independently, so going to Wesleyan felt like a step back in some ways. I studied Film History and Art History, made wonderful friends, but in retrospect, I did not enter into the full spirit of the school experience as I had at Spence.

After I graduated, I never pursued higher education, perhaps with small regret in retrospect. I spent a few years ʻdiscoveringʼ what career I wanted to pursue - and I tried quite a few. I was a journalistic photographerʼs assistant, a fashion photographerʼs assistant, a fashion designerʼs assistant (twice)...but I dreamt of a job in film. Thanks to a turn as bridesmaid at a friendʼs wedding, I got my first chance in Film as a freelance script reader. Then, in 1989, I started working at Miramax Films, a then small independent film distribution company, as a buyer of films. The Company was taking off then, and as it grew I made my way up the ranks to become executive VP of Acquisitions and Production. It was an exciting but all involving role, and there was no time for a personal life. I feel as if the 90ʼs past me by as I travelled around the globe looking for english language and foreign language films for Miramax to distribute.

Luckily, before I got too old, I met my husband, Colin, an Englishman in Film and TV and 11 years my senior, at one of those film Festivals. We married in 1995 and became ʻmatureʼ parents of three daughters - Amelia, 12, and twin sisters Kate and Matilda, 10. The girls were all born in London, which is where we live now. I gave up work after the twins were born in 2000 with no regrets, although perhaps I should be involved in some career to be a good role model for the girls. Two out of three go to co-ed schools - a new world for me! I think the girls like it - it normalizes their educational experience. They realize boys are just like them, only

smellier. I am still an advocate of single sex education, certainly in primary and secondary school.

The memories I have from Spence, the deep friendships I have kept, the teachers who inspired me, the experiences we shared - contributed to that valuable lesson - do it for yourself and your life. We had a pretty good time in the process!

# # # # - Trea Hoving

Amelia, Matilda, Kate and me outside Spence

Victoria Sturgis Neely 1130 Park Avenue, NY NY 10128 212-744-1907

I just hung up from a call from Ripley alerting me to the fact that I needed to get a one-page “blurb” ready ASAP and drop it off immediately to make printing deadlines … so this may not be beautifully written or well thought out, but at least I hope to make Ripley’s deadline!

Following college I worked in advertising (“I Love NY” and Max Factor accounts), and after a couple of years, decided that while fun working with bright, creative people, I needed to find something more fulfilling. I fell into a teaching job, fell in love with the kids and began to feel that I was doing something I was good at and that was of value. Went back to graduate school, taught and did admissions work for several years more, and then had twins, Carolina and Henry. (Forgot to mention that ten years earlier I had married my Freshman Trip Leader at Dartmouth, Wilson Neely, now a practicing lawyer.)

My “babies” are off to college in the fall, and now a new chapter begins. A year or so ago I moved to an apartment one block away from Spence, and while I have always been aware of how much I cherished my Spence years, I now get to pass by her red doors every day, bringing me back to a place of happiness and safety. Realizing that everyone’s experience is different, I can honestly say that to me, Spence was family; I am beyond grateful for several of the teachers I had, and to this day, speak to two of our classmates (Lilibet and Rosie) every week. It was, at least in part, Spence that made me feel secure in my capabilities, gave me the courage to try the unknown, and provided me with a sisterhood of friends that I count on to this day. I’m pretty sure few people would claim such a thing about their high school, and I feel privileged to have been so eloquently taught how to live by such a valuable motto.

Spence Reunion Book 2011

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Transcript of Spence Reunion Book 2011