Happy New Year '99s!
The year 2008 was one few of us will forget. Over the past year we saw our economy tumble toward recession and a closely watched election transformed our political landscape. Closer to home our Dartmouth family grew as more classmates married and started families of their own. Many of us saw this for ourselves as we returned to Hanover to celebrate our 10th reunion last June.
Annette Gaynes starts off the New Year by writing that Michael Bruno and his partner, Emerson Beyer (Loyola '98), were married on October 11 at Elodie Farms, a goat farm in Durham, North Carolina. Annette writes, "The ceremony was gorgeous and personal, incorporating many aspects of Catholicism and bringing in some of their closest family members and friends." There was a strong Dartmouth contingent celebrating with Michael and Emerson, including Jason Whaley, Jennifer Lawinski, Jessica Baldwin, Sara Carmichael, Alyce Erdakian, Annette Gaynes, Meg Funke, Mike Novello, Jessica Meed '00 and Andrew Gray '01. The happy couple then honeymooned in the vineyards of Sonoma, California, and was legally married at the Mendocino county clerk's office. Michael has just begun a three-year post-doctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in a program that combines research with teaching biophysics and biochemistry for one of North Carolina's minority-serving institutes. Congratulations, Michael and Emerson, and best of luck in your new lives together!
Ann Sharfstein also has exciting news to report. On July 7 Ann and her husband, Dan Mielcarz, welcomed the arrival of daughter Helena Beverly Mielcarz into their family. Helena will be joined by her big sister Sadie, who is 3 years old. Dan is working toward a Ph.D. in immunology at Dartmouth and, after maternity leave, Ann will return to teaching at the Stern Center for Language and Learning.
Finally, Abigail Marsh writes that she will start a new role as assistant professor of psychology at Georgetown this spring. In addition to teaching, Abi will also do social cognitive neuroscience research, examining the neural correlates of empathy and aggression in adolescents and adults.
That's all the news for now. I wish you all the very best in 2009 and look forward to sharing more news with you soon!
Tony Perry
tony.perry.99@alum.dartmouth.org