1991 – Fall ’20 Class Letter
SAMANTHA BAILEY FAST ’91
(612) 978-4124 / [email protected]
Greetings, Class of 1991!
Hope everyone is managing in this unprecedented year. Ripon has welcomed students back to campus where classes have resumed since Aug 17. If you’d like to learn more about their coronavirus safety strategies refer to: https://www.ripon.edu/coronavirus-information/
Don’t forget, 2021 is a reunion year for us: THIRTY! No idea whether we’ll be able to gather in person or will be Zooming (maybe some of both?), but TRACY MAHER ’91 would still love to have help with the planning committee—so reach out to her at: [email protected].
New Class Notes:
DIONNE GREENE CAMPBELL ’91 of Arlington, MA, writes “DEVON ’88 and I just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary! We have four children, two college graduates, and two more to go! 🙂 Our second son, Daytawn, graduated in May 2020 from college, and our daughter, D’ara, graduated from high school (also class of 2020) and will begin college at the end of the month. All the best to the class of 1991! Continue to stay safe and be well!”
SAMANTHA BAILEY FAST ’91 of Minneapolis, MN, writes “Our house is less than a mile from the 3rd precinct police station on East Lake St in Minneapolis, so the George Floyd tragedy and aftermath remains very much on our minds. I just passed the two-year mark in my role at Optum (United Health Group). I am fortunate to be able to work from home, but miss the camaraderie of the office and find it much harder to have a good work-life balance without the clear divide between the two worlds. Casper (the friendly dog) joined our family in May, reminding us of all the things we have missed (and a few of the things we haven’t) since saying goodbye to my beloved Lucy dog last year. My kiddo starts 6th grade next month, but Minneapolis public schools will be remote for the foreseeable future, so it will be interesting to see how the transition from elementary school goes.”
KARL FELD ’91 of Clayton, NC, is currently working as a strategic public affairs research consultant for the Defense Media Activity (www.dma.mil). While the job is based at Fort Meade, MD, COVID-19 has cemented his ability to continue working remotely from home outside Raleigh, North Carolina. Karl still has two teenagers (and one adult child) at home and is deep in keeping them busy so they don’t go crazy with cabin fever. In other big news he is now engaged to be married to Lindsay Gardner, which was supposed to happen in Raleigh in October, but was rescheduled to 2021 due to the pandemic. Even though he’s stuck at home, Karl continues to work on his violin, piano and vocal skills and work out in the home gym and on the heavy bag while trying to stay motivated to finish his PhD. He has successfully used the downtime to complete genealogical research for his application for the Sons of the American Revolution, which was accepted July 4th weekend appropriately enough, and is working in parallel on chapters of a long-term book project on physical places and artefacts left across the US, Germany, the UK and the Netherlands by his ancestors. Karl recently connected with RANDALL WICKMAN ’91 and ROB RUFFOLO ’89 in the D.C. area before the lockdown. Both are well, have now retired from the Army, and are doing the next thing. Drop him at note at [email protected]!
CLARENCE SEARLES ’91 and KATHERINE GATCHELL SEARLES ’92 of Babcock, WI, write, “Our eldest daughter MAGGIE is now a member of Ripon College, Class of 2024.”
In case you missed them in the spring update:
BRIAN FREY ’91 and 16-year-old son, Spencer Frey, competed in a Generation Gap Tennis Tournament in February 2020. After giving tennis a pass a few years ago in favor of baseball by saying ”Dad, tennis will be my old man sport”, Spencer hit the courts again in Spring 2019 to make the varsity team at Memorial High School. Brian is having lots of fun sharing this interest with his son. BECKY HUSTAD ’91 says “There is quite a bit of talk about racquet string choices and other vital aspects of tennis. It’s fun to watch them sharing this interest.” Also, Brian enjoys playing tennis regularly with another Ripon alum, BRUCE BARTELT ’83.
TRACY MAHER ’91 – I’m on the move again and by the time you receive these updates I will be settled in my new home in Tampa, FL. I’m still with the same company, HDR, and in the same role, Area Human Resources Manager. My new territory is Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. I’m excited to be working with a new leadership team and bringing my ideas around coach as manager to the southeast. Last summer I took my family (mom, dad, sister, niece) to Ireland. While I was in Ireland my Shih Tzu, Bear was in NJ visiting his buddy Rusty who is a senior dog.
MAURA MURPHY ’91 – I am still working at General Mills and living in St. Louis Park – a suburb of Minneapolis. My kids Truman (15) and Claire (13) are keeping busy with all things school including Quiz Bowl and gymnastics, respectively. My husband, Steve, has a wonderful Rolfing practice. I am looking forward to a great spring break in Mexico with JULIE ARMATOSKI ’91 and KRISTEN GRAY ’90 in March, and a long weekend at KAREN MILWESKI DYMOND ’91 and ABE DYMOND II’s ’90 cabin in the mountains of West Virginia this summer, along with JULIE, KRISTEN, RONA HENDERSON PARSONS ’91, BECKY HUSTAD ’91, HEATHER THIEME ’91, ELIZABETH LAKE ’91, and VICKI HAAS SYMONDS ’92. And to top off the year’s travel, my family and I will take a trip to Seattle and Olympic National Park at the end of summer. And of course – I am trying to keep hold of my sanity in these crazy political times.
BART O’CONNELL ’91 has recently returned to the U.S. from Cuba. Now that he’s back he has moved from Chicago to Austin, TX and will be looking for a new job locally (probably as an account manager at a software company).
Help us reconnect with other ’91 Alums
The College has been moving toward increasingly digital communications and in non-reunion years, class letters will be exclusively published digitally (online and email), unless you specifically request a hard copy by mail. Print copies of the class letter will be mailed to classes celebrating reunions—so we’ll receive a hard copy of this letter this fall and next spring, but then won’t get another class letter in the mail until 2025. This is a great opportunity for us to request updated email addresses so we ensure you’ll get class letter communications over the next five years!
Don’t Forget About Our Facebook Group
If you’re on Facebook, please ask to join our Class of ’91 group for updates and Ripon news. Alternatively, send your email address to [email protected] or text me at 612-978-4124 and I can add you to the group that way.
Warmly,
Samantha
A Note from the Office of Constituent Engagement: Stay up-to-date with our latest news and information. Make sure that we have your most updated contact information including email and phone number by visiting ripon.edu/update-contact-info/ or emailing [email protected].