1989 Spring ’23 Class Letter
Greetings!
NIKKI ZENS LINDBERG ‘89 and I are off and running in 2023 and we both enjoy keeping up with many of you as you traverse the globe. NIKKI and JT ‘89 will get some time in the sun at the end of February (going to Cabo for a few days), so looking forward to warmer temps and soaking in some vitamin D. She was in Milwaukee in January to spend time with TOBI CAWTHRA ’89 and SCOTTIE NICHOLS GIROUARD ’89 – and reports that it was great to see them! She also gets to travel with both these lovely ladies this year: TOBI and NIKKI are going to Antarctica and Buenos Aires in March, and SCOTTIE is joining NIKKI on a women’s trip to Greece in May. JT and NIKKI are also going to Ireland at the end of August, so 2023 is shaping up alright!
As for me, I am still consulting and splitting time between homes in NY, CA, and HI. As many of you see on Facebook, pre-pandemic travel is slowly returning to my life, although all of it is domestic these days. I do miss the days of commuting to India (although not that one time when the State Department sent me on a day trip to Chennai . . . yup a day trip) but I am doing well on the domestic front. I’m also enjoying as many Broadway shows as possible, when in town. Nothing beats being able to walk to Times Square. If I am ever in your area, drop me a note . . . it would be great to catch up over a drink, coffee, or (for MARC HEALY ‘89) a Tuna Tears Soju. Life is just stampeding ahead and don’t forget that our 35 Reunion Weekend is only one year away!
NOTES FROM THE CLASS
JON ANDERSON ’89: “Hey everyone. Towards the end of February I will be going with the Ray of Hope team to Uganda. The sandwich shop will open towards the middle to end of March. Please keep on your radar and support this wonderful mission.”
ALICE GALLAGHER ARCHABAL ’89: “Welcome 2023! Grateful to celebrate the holidays with our family and friends! Looking forward to the new year – new challenges, adventures, joy, love and health.”
CAROLYN AGACINSKI CLARK ’89: “I thought this interview about alcohol in the July Sun Magazine was interesting and thought that some of you might like it also
PATRICK FLORENCE ’89: “Looking at an old financial aid award letter from 1986. It says tuition, fees, and room & board were $11,232. Today’s Ripon website lists the same expenses as $57,190. Inflation has averaged around 2.8% per year since ’86 ($1 in 1986 dollars is worth about $2.70 now). But this difference would indicate an average increase of more than 4.6% per year ($1 in 1986 tuition is worth about $5.09 now).”
TED HARWOOD ’89 (via MARC HEALY ‘89): ”Try adding some gin and lime. Does wonders to the taste of tonic. One time when I was about ten, for reasons I still don’t understand, I pulled some empty bottles of tonic water out of the recycling, refilled them with tap water, and put them back in the family bar stock. My parents didn’t normally have cocktails unless they were entertaining, which was not frequent but also not uncommon. So one weekend some guests arrive and my parents offer them a cocktail, and gin and tonics was kind of the house drink back then. So of course they serve their guests up these drinks with still water instead of tonic unknowingly. Once people started imbibing, it became abundantly clear that something was off. Also, having at least average intelligence, my parents automatically understood that one of the kids had something to do with it. Being actually somewhat clever, they were most certainly considering ME the prime suspect, or so I reckoned. I confessed to my crime, but since they couldn’t pin a motive on me my case was dismissed. I have never abused alcohol in such a way ever since. But really, try the gin and lime trick. The quality of the tonic is negligible, but beware cheap counterfeits supplied by unscrupulous hucksters. As for gin, the Canadians do a fine job, and let’s keep our dollars in North America, instead of the UK.”
MARC HEALY ’89: “I’m thinking seriously of trying to retire early. I’ll open a taco stand. Just hang around and sell tacos to people and befriend cool peeps. I’m open to suggestions on concept, location, whatever. We can even use MITCH’s name first for marketing purposes. M&M’s Tacos . . . Mitch & Marc’s Tacos. I won’t sell any merlot though.”
DREW PETERSON ’89: “Let’s know some unknown facts about Messi today. Those who love football and keep regular updates on football must know Messi. Messi is the best footballer in the football world. But we don’t know everything about it. He’s an even better human! Do you know? 48 percent of UNESCO’s charitable trust’s income comes from Messi’s donations. That’s almost half of the total! Messi has single-handedly built 9847 schools in 189 countries. You will be surprised to hear that he himself bears all the school expenses of 40 million children in the world. You will be surprised to know that Messi alone bore the majority of the expenses of the Argentina team in the 2018 World Cup. Messi received millions of Euros from Barca as a fee, but donated a large part to Barca’s youth development project. It is located in La Masia. Messi himself grew up here. He helps 15 million street children of the world from his charitable trust. Argentina was the runner-up in the World Cup when Messi was there. He donated the entire money of the runner-up to hospitals in Argentina. Messi is one of the top 50 donors in the world according to a Forbes survey. Makes you think.”
JAMES MADDISON ’89: “I dunno. We raised our daughter on lots of 60s, 70s, and 80s music yet she’s still a Swiftie and a big fan of the music of her generation overall.”
DON MCCREATH ’89: “Are those used cigarette pieces and a piece of a pickled egg stuck to the outside? Nothing better than a good frozen ice cream with pickled eggs!”
MAURA MURPHY ‘91: “On Tuesday, the Democratic Party got 51 percent of the vote statewide. This got the Democrats 30 percent of the seats in the Wisconsin state legislature. Any reasonable definition of ‘a Republican Form of Government’ cannot possibly include this kind of result. It is completely and utterly a product of grotesque partisan gerrymandering.”
LAURA WOLF STORZER ’89: “I have moved to North Naples, Florida. I live in the Everglades! Sold the COVID capsule. Bought a convertible. Now a Florida resident. Guess the map I won worked!”
Alumni Weekend is coming up quickly! This year, it is June 22-25, 2023. Below you can find information if you are planning to attend!
The College is three hours north of Chicago, and served by airports in Milwaukee (a two-hour drive from Ripon), Madison (a 1.5 hour drive), and Appleton (a 45 minute drive). Milwaukee offers the most frequent service. From the Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago and Appleton airports guests may choose to rent a car. Ripon is served by taxi to and from the Appleton airport.
Room Blocks:
Heidel House (Green Lake) – Book online at https://www.choicehotels.com/reservations/groups/HQ83E1
Cobblestone Suites (Ripon) – Book by calling 920.748.5500
Cheers,
Mitch
Nikki
1989 Class Agents
P.S. There will be a special giving event in conjunction with inauguration weekend, Apr. 20-23, to celebrate Ripon’s 14th President, Victoria N. Folse, and the exciting momentum happening within our campus community. This event will be an extension of the #OneDayRally brand and experience. Stay tuned for more information. We look forward to your participation!