Class of 1981

Class Secretary: Kathy Baker Lovell, 6 Elston Dr., Downingtown, PA 19335, cklovell@comcast.net

Class President: TBA

Next Reunion in 2006. Got news? Tap out a note to magazine@bates.edu! Katherine Baker Lovell is at home with two boys (7 and 9). “Recently, I added ice skating to my ‘free’ time, which has given me great pleasure, if not a lot of grace. I’ve visited with Patti Lane and Nancy Higgins on my trips north this past year. We see Uncle Hal Baker ’82, of course, when his work/rugby/Navy schedule permits. We’re looking forward to a month in England this summer to visit with family, friends, and old friends from University College of North Wales, Bangor.”… Patricia Blackburn was an assistant DA in Suffolk County for 5 1/2 years and did brief stints in private practice and in the office of the City Solicitor for Somerville, Mass. “I’m now in the Office of the General Counsel for the Board of Registration in Medicine. I live in Arlington, Mass., with my Canadian partner and stepchildren, two dogs, one cat, and two kittens. I volunteer at the MSPCA at Nevins Farm. Carol Nowacki ’80 and I are still the very best of friends and regularly see each other.”… Diana Dalheim Thomas is raising twin daughters, Zoe and Emily (3 1/2), with husband Donald. They’re looking forward to moving into a new house south of Denver…. Rick and Mary Elder Thayer are doing fine and their sons are now 15 and 12. Life revolves around work (property management), home, family, and kids’ activities…. Gary Gerlach has been living in Charlotte, N.C., since 1990, and earned his M.B.A. in 1987 from UNC, his C.P.A. in 1992, the C.F.A. in 2000, and other designations. He’s a business appraiser of closely held companies. “Have a 9-month-old-daughter, Sarah, who is trying her best to keep me young. Still participate in triathlons, but very slowly.”… Nancy Higgins left Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette to start Marathon Capital Group, a registered investment advisor in Boston. “It has been an adventure, to say the least. Along with starting the new business, I sold and bought a new home close to the Bunker Hill Monument and the Constitution; if you are in the neighborhood, give a call.” A trip to Europe included stops in Paris, Prague, Budapest and London. “In Paris, I saw Valerie Laserre Hammer and we celebrated Bastille Day together. We saw Mamma Mia in London, and it made me wonder how the Merimanders missed out doing some ABBA!”… Don Hill wrote just after finishing sugaring in April in his newly constructed sugarhouse. “My wife, Pixie, and children Ron (11) and Katie (8) enjoyed the season. This sugarhouse is special because we cleared the spot in the forest, milled out the lumber with a borrowed mill from the very trees we had dropped, and built it ourselves (with a little help from friends!). This year’s project is a small horse barn. Old news: In December 2000 the family and I crashed for a week with Professor of Biology Will Ambrose and his family while they were on sabbatical in Oslo, Norway. I left Lee Auto Malls after a decade as in-house marketing director and founded an advertising agency, Wentworth Advertising, now in its fourth year.”… Walter Hoerman was elected mayor of Rochester, N.H., after serving as city council member for six years and recently as deputy mayor. He is a local pediatrician who has lived in Rochester with his wife, Mary Ellen, and three children for 13 years…. Betsy Kennedy Jacobs is leading the way in technology for functional skills assessments by introducing a handheld computer format of her JIFS (www.betterfunctioning.com). “Visitors are welcome to view the buffalo next door from our hot tub!”… Sue Lovett Lumia moved back to Gloucester and is working with the Yankee Fleet, fishing and whale watching. She’s “having a ball” taking a local Civilian Police Academy course. “We have toured Middleton Jail, gone on a four-hour ride-along, and tried out the firing range. I’m not into guns, I just want to see how good my aim is with those paper targets! I’m glad to be home, but bummed out that Betsy Kennedy Jacobs moved to Wisconsin last summer.”… Bob MacKinnon has been with the 99 Restaurant-Pubs for 14 years in Massachusetts and is now a general managing partner. He was preparing for a June wedding…. Spyro Mitrokostas is executive director of Cape Cod Technology Council Inc. He and Krista live in Brewster, Mass…. Jean Monahan adopted a daughter, Lilah Violet. “My mother and I flew to Phnom Penh last May to get her.”… Bob Muldoon had a story in the “My Turn” column in Newsweek, Feb. 4, 2002, that mentioned Bates…. Ed Stanley writes: “Having retreated from the world of aircraft parts with my brother, Rich Stanley ’79, I’ll have earned my M.A. in preservation studies from BU in May 2002. Then on to a career in historic preservation, hopefully here in New England.”… Richard Sullivan was elected to his fifth term as mayor of Westfield, Mass., last fall…. Steven Therriault has “geared down” from the high-stress hospitality division at the Phoenician in Scottsdale, Ariz., after suffering two strokes in 1998. “While living in Arizona, there was a tradition, of sorts, whereby Nancy Higgins, Jeff Kuduk, Jim Flavell, and Jeffrey Lyttle ’82 would fly in for Thanksgiving week. We would cavort at my house and on Friday head up to Sedona. We had fun. Since my return to New Hampshire, my best friend from high school and I have formed Asian Kingdoms Trading Co., an import clearinghouse for Thai and other Asian artisans. We have had the privilege of meeting the prime minister of Thailand. Hi to Bob Muldoon, in Newsweek: Great picture!”… Rick and Jean Joyce Thompson ’82 and two children are in Seattle…. Classmates of Susan Young are sorry to lean of the death of her husband, David Talmage, and extend our sincere thoughts to her.