Class of 1997

Class Secretary: Sharleen Joy Davis, Apt. 505, 4500 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008, sharleen@alumni.bates.edu

Class President: Lawrence J. Ackerman, 81 Orange Dr., Jericho, NY 11753, larryack@hotmail.com

Next Reunion in 2007. Got news? Tap out a note to magazine@bates.edu! Selections from the recent Class Letter: Ilse Abusamra recently accepted a job as director of college counseling at a small private high school in Manhattan…. Andrew Aspen earned his law degree from NYU and joined Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton…. From his home in Natick and office in Marlborough, Andrew Bisson pities everyone who has to commute into Boston every day. “I have moved out of commercial contracts and now handle credit and treasury operations for our U.S. plants sites and corporate office.”… Kara Buckstaff earned her master’s from UC-Santa Cruz in marine sciences. She lives in Sarasota, Fla., but is due to relocate to Winston-Salem, N.C., soon, taking her job as a research associate for a Sarasota lab with her…. Lara Cartwright-Smith is back in Washington, D.C., and finds her first litigation job a little stressful (“I’m just trying not to commit malpractice here,” she says.). Her firm takes public interest cases, mostly environmental citizen suits and employment discrimination cases. She ran into President Emeritus Don Harward on 14th Street one morning while walking to work…. Anne Coequyt writes from Eagle, Colo.: “Recently took an amazing fishing/adventure vacation to Alaska where we had the best summer solstice with Becky Steer Hauser and Scott, her hubby. I work for Varsity Gold Inc., a high school fund-raising company.”… Pat Cosquer works at the Institute for International Sport in Kingston, R.I., as the director of alumni relations for National Sportsmanship Day and the Rhode Island Scholar-Athlete Games…. Patty Daniels has a permanent home in Burlington, Vt. She produces and reports news for Vermont Public Radio. She retired from playing rugby last spring but dutifully attends the parties…. Heather Davies has returned to the East Coast and is in her second year of law school at American Univ…. Sharleen Davis had a great internship at the Manhattan District Attorney’s office in the Family Violence and Child Abuse Bureau. Now she’s back in D.C. for one more year of law school…. Sundra Durkis and Gerard live in Manhattan, where Gerard is getting a master’s in accounting and Sundra works at the veterans hospital as a senior physical therapist…. Cathy Eaton helped design a visitor-friendly Web site for the Parris Island Museum at the Marine base in Parris Island, S.C., as part of her studies in the e-media master’s program at Quinnipiac…. Lucy Fowler is a litigation associate at Foley Hoag in Boston. She debated as an alumni participant during the Brooks Quimby Debate Tour with Rebecca Goetz ’00, and had a great time…. Aaron Hewitt works at the Federal Trade Commission as an attorney in the Bureau of Competition…. Brad and KC Hinkley Howard were married last August. Brad enjoys his graduate program in marine geology at URI. He should finish sometime in the next decade. KC is working on finishing her master’s degree in outdoor education and is putting her degree into practice as the coordinator of summer camp programs for the W. Alton Jones campus of URI…. “After four years working in the U.S. Senate, Paul Howard writes, “I’ve officially ‘sold out’ and am now a filthy, stinkin’ lobbyist. I joined the law firm of LeBoef, Lamb, Greene & MacRae and lobby for a variety of clients, primarily insurers, such as Lloyd’s of London. I work with lawyers, politicians, and insurance companies. I think I’ve secured my place in hell!”… Brad Huot and his wife, Gretchen, will finish their residencies at Virginia in 2004 and will likely be returning to Maine to practice…. Deb Jones finished law school, passed the bar, and then decided a little something different. She moved to Los Angeles, her “little bit of paradise.” She keeps looking for Bates stickers on cars…. Deborah Kirschner started a master’s in speech-language pathology at William Paterson…. Linda Konner lives in Central Valley, Calif., with her partner of five years. She is studying for a secondary education teaching credential in history/social science…. Erik Koppang, who earned his M.D. at Dartmouth, is a U.S. Navy medical doctor assigned to the 1st Marine Division…. Abigail Kranz lives in San Francisco. After five months of searching, she finally found a job with the help of fellow Bates alum Craig Davies ’87. She does leadership development training for Guidant Corp. in Santa Clara, Calif…. Alison Lockwood writes, “I just finished my second master’s (Ed.M.) at BU in special ed., and I am teaching English at Belmont High School in an alternative program for ‘at-risk’ teenagers.”… Katie McQuilkin and Will Garnett live in Worcester, Mass., while she completes her residency in pediatrics at UMass hospital system. Will finishes business school at BU this winter…. Angela Pizzo finished her nursing program at Mass. General and is now officially a family nurse practitioner. She is moving to Maine and will be working as an RN while looking for nurse practitioner jobs…. Mary Richter volunteers for the Howard Dean campaign…. Sarah Standiford was recently named executive director of the Maine Women’s Policy Center and the Maine Women’s Lobby. Previously, she was the community relations and organizing manager for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. She continues as co-chair of the Maine Choice Coalition…. Becky Steer Hauser, works for St. Jude Medical. But, she adds, “Don’t worry. I rarely touch the patients!”… Angela Summers de Montagnac received an M.S.W. from Columbia and practices short-term adult therapy at an employee assistance program called Corporate Counseling Associates in NYC. “We bought our first house in Maplewood, N.J., and have been enjoying the transition into parenthood with our son, Jonathan. I am having a great time with the adventures of life!”… Jen Van Gelder works as an international communications account executive for Putnam Investments. She recently moved from Somerville, Mass., to the North End of Boston…. Leah Wiedmann Gailey works in the Alumni and Parent Programs Office at Bates and enjoys working with classmates on a regular basis…. Melissa Young and Jamie Thaxton live in Westerly, R.I., close to the water. Jamie is a court clerk in Connecticut and Melissa raises funds at Connecticut College.