1971
Pierre Genvert
My work life is winding down towards retirement and my wife Peggy and I plan to spend more time on our sail boat and hope to sail up the coast to Maine in the summer of 2021. Our daughter Margot ’07 lives in New York City with her husband Alex. She works as a senior marketing manager at American Express.
Paul Loether
I retired as Keeper of the National Register and Chief of National Historic Landmarks with the National Park Service, Department of the Interior in June 2018. I was appointed by Governor Raimondo as the State Historic Preservation Officer for Rhode Island in July 2018 and now also serve as Executive Director of the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission. Fortunately, I still get to play music with the DC-area band [Silver Strings MD] that I helped form about six years ago along with my Suffield roommate, former Cogs mate and best friend, Richard Weil ’71. We are both much looking forward to our 50th Reunion a year from October, by which time I expect to be fully retired from the historic preservation field and fully engaged in songwriting and playing and recording music.
Brian Morris
You can call me Grandpa Brian now. Our daughter and her husband had a baby boy named Hugo. Shockingly, he’s very cute and smart. I’m still working having opened my own ad agency targeted at the 50+ consumer. Check it out at silveradvertising.com. Cindy is so happy being a grandmother and fortunately he only lives 30 minutes away from us! Life at the beach in Southern California continues to be great.
Tetsuo Nishiumi
Another classmate, Harirak Sutbutra ’71 from Thailand, with his wife/son/sister-in-law, visited us in Tokyo last week. It was wonderful getting together after 48 years with the Sutbutra family and Masato Nagase.
Flip Sheridan
Jane and I now spend April to November at our cabin outside Highlands, North Carolina. We have great weather, restaurants, and lots of new friends.
Mark Wright
I completed my sixth Chesapeake Bay Swim. I do part-time consulting for a startup and troubled businesses. I traveled to Italy last January and also Southern Utah last September.
1972
Chip Spear
I am starting to look at the ext chapter: six months in Simsbury, three in Maine, and three in Florida. Eventually I will spend six months in Maine and six months in Florida. Carolyn is starting to set roots in East Boston just minutes away from Logan. Looking forward to the 50th!
1973
Roger Williams
I’m not sure how many of my 1973 classmates are still raising kids at this point! Included is a photo of my family vacation from this summer where we hiked seven Alpine peaks in nine days in Germany and Austria. Grant is 20 and a sophomore and baseball player at Randolph Macon College. Luke is 18 and applying to colleges all over the East Coast now. My wife Julie is at the World Bank. I continue to Direct marketing campaigns for our SAP Concur government public sector clients while trying to keep up with all this youth. I’m a lucky guy indeed. Greetings to everyone from Vienna, Virginia!
Jim Raporte
We are obviously sad that our daughter Julie A20 was not able to enjoy her spring term on campus which is always a fun time for graduating seniors. We were also disappointed that the Commencement ceremony was virtual. That said, Julie had adapted quickly to virtual classes with her typically positive attitude. Also, Krystyna and I are enjoying the additional family time with our daughter who has benefited enormously from her four years at Suffield.
Chris Richter
My wife Pam and I live in Austria. In early March we took a week long ski trip and upon returning from that trip entered into a mandated 14-day quarantine in Vienna. Fortunately for us Vienna is where we spend most of the year, therefore being cooped up was less stressful than it might have been and we are accustomed to spending our days together as Pam works from home and I’m retired. Austria was one of the earlier countries to institute strong lockdown/quarantine measures, largely due to the terrible outbreak just over the border in Italy and an early bubble infection count in western Austria ski areas. As things would have it a umber of holiday goers who came to Austria took COVID-19 back to their countries, especially Iceland and Scandinavia. After our official 14 days in quarantine we joined the rest of the population in a stay-at-home period which extended through the end of April—so for us a better part of six weeks. During those 14 days of quarantine friends delivered our groceries—they did such a great job we suggested they consider it full time. Pam and I managed to avoid picking up the virus—even though we had spent a week in late January skiing in Ischgl, the original center of the outbreak in western Austria, and then another week in Lech as it too became part of another outbreak. During our March ski week Austria announced closure of all ski areas two days hence—so we moved up our departure. Doing so allowed us to escape a stay-in-place quarantine by two hours. Those who were unable to exit the Austrian federal district of Tyrol spent the ext 14 days in their hotel or Gasthaus, which sounds great until you discover there is little to do once the ski areas are closed. Fortunately, Austria had largely gotten in front of all this and restrictions started to lift April 14, although wearing masks were required for entrance into stores and shops and all public transport. Unlike the US, Austria shut down early everything—including big box stores—which meant there was little to do unless you had prepared in advance, which was difficult given the speed at which events happened. Schools were closed as were most businesses with many working from home. We spent considerable time talking on the phone—a novel idea in today’s world—and many WhatsApp, Facetime, and Zoom calls with friends both here in Europe and in the US.
1976
Paul Hugo
Hello everyone! Diana and I are still based in west Michigan and I am still swimming and fishing. Last summer I participated in an organized swim across the straights of Mackinaw. The straights separate Lakes Michigan and Huron and the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. The peninsulas are connected by the longest suspension bridge in North America, the Mackinaw Bridge. I finished the 4.2-mile crossing in 1:50.35, and got out of the water 19 out of 375 swimmers, 2nd in my age group. I don’t plan to attempt it again until I turn 65, ext age group. The red buoys in the photo are other swimmers heading to the finish line. In retirement we are doing a lot of traveling in our motor home. We enjoyed catching up with Scott Craig and his wife at the Suffield reception in West Palm Beach. It was a delightful evening. I did a lot of fishing while in Florida. A couple of days spent with my 91-year-old father were the highlight. Keep us in mind if you are ever in west Michigan. Hope everyone is well in the craziest times we have lived through.
Tracy Milliken Fengler
All is well here in sunny Oceanside, San Diego! I still have a thriving postpartum Doula business that keeps me busy supporting newborns, babies, and parents. I send out a big hello to my Suffield besties: Cynthia, Molly, Alex, Harry, and Jennifer. I’m hoping to make a reunion one of these years.
Mark Sollinger
When St Martin was on complete lockdown, they closed the boarders between the French and Dutch sides. My daughter Sam put our drone up to recon the blockade. When it was not manned we snuck out for a run or long walk. Sam did the spring term online and it was really great. Suffield leadership rocks! I included a photo of Caribbean hope that we woke up to outside our window April 13. Hope all from Class of ’76 are hanging tough. Keep on rocking.