Dartmouth College Class of 1984 Newsletter

Dartmouth College
We wear the Dartmouth green and that’s enough
Class of 1984 Newsletter
DECEMBER 2011
‘84 INTERVIEW: JOHN VAN AALST
Interviewed by Dani Klein Modisett
L
et me begin by writing, congratulations Dartmouth Aires for
kicking some a capella tushy on “The Sing Off.” You were adorable, funny, incredibly musical, and passionate, boys, well done.
Now to more pressing, (but no less passionate) matters, the work of classmate
John Van Aalst. I am going to make every effort to write the least funny profile to date. With good reason. John
Van Aalst is too good to tease. He
practices medicine, teaches at UNC
Medical School and is a founder of the
Palestinian Cleft Society. His work as a
doctor is inspiring, humbling, and way
cool. As usual, I wanted to know how
he got from here--meaning Dartmouth-to there--renowned international plastic surgeon.
Page 1
DANI: Very glad it went in that direction. Did you go right to
med school?
JOHN: Well, yes after I made the decision. But I came back to the
States after living two years (and working as a teacher) in Jerusalem, still
torn between a writing career and medicine. I decided on medicine while
living in South Woodstock,
Vermont and working at
the Woodstock Inn. I then
worked as an orderly at
Mary Hitchcock Memorial
Hospital, then worked in the
lab of David Nierenberg at
Dartmouth. I took my premed classes while doing this
work.
DANI: What was your
specific medical training?
JOHN: I went to Vanderbilt for medical school, then
to Case Western for General
Surgery training, followed by
Plastic Surgery training at
Indiana University, followed
in turn by a Craniofacial Fellowship, also at Indiana. DANI: What did you major in at Dartmouth and did you always know you were
John Van Aalst, on the right, with Palestinian Cleft Society memgoing to be a doctor?
bers: Leonard and Libby Furlow and Hanin Al Sheikh.
JOHN: I was an English and Comparative
Literature major at Dartmouth. I didn’t finalize my decision
about becoming a doctor until I was living and working in JeDANI: Why plastic surgery? I mean, it’s such
rusalem with Palestinian high school students. I taught English IN THIS ISSUE:
an unexpected skill set for a philanthropic life
Literature, Language and Drama to these students.
in medicine. Not to denigrate plastic surgeons.
Mini-Reunions, p. 2
JOHN: To me plastic surgery is about a deeper/higher
DANI: What finally pushed you over the fence to medi- Rowing the Prouty, p. 3
aesthetics than what most people in the States associate
‘84 officer report: p. 4
cine?
with plastic surgery.
JOHN: It was some of the violence I witnessed while in Jerusalem Green cards.: p. 5
Continued on page 7
In Memoriam: p. 6
that inspired me to become a doctor.
PAGE 2
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Class of 1984 Newsletter
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DECEMBER 2011
Jaffe, Lisen Stromberg, and Pam Ross, Anne Arquit Niederberger,
Nora Bianchi) at a San Fran- Eric Dezenhall, Ken Low, and Barbara
cisco micro-brewery!?!
The good mood spread
to two “after party”
hursday, August 25th, after-work dinners. One was served at Anne (&
drinks at 21st Amendment in San Walti)’s place with Casper, Debbie,
Francisco
and Elisabeth in attendance; according to one attendee, “The pasta was
How did Casper de Clerq manage to be the yummy, the wine beautifully aerated
only ‘84 guy together with six Dartmouth co- and, best of all, the conversation
eds (Julie Levenson, Debbie Stark Olsen, was animated and interesting.” The
Anne Arquit Niederberger, Elisabeth other party included Lisen, Nora,
and Cary Bernstein.
Incidentally, Debbie
was just in town “for
work,” which conPam, John, Anne, Eric, Ken, and Barbara at the P.O.V.
sisted of a weekend
Rooftop Bar
in Napa wine tasting and driving race cars with Rollins) from gathering to reconnect. And I
Mario Andretti; not only does do not use “eclectic” lightly: Talents ranged
this sound unlikely – and typi- from theater management and fundraising
cally Debbie – but also dan- for problem gamblers (same person!) to ingerous.
ternational trade and banking (two different
people) to high school teaching, and moonhursday, September lighting as an author of mafia insider stories
8th, after-work drinks that happen to stem from blood relatives.
at the Washington W’s What more could you ask for in a mini reP.O.V. Rooftop Bar, Wash- union!?! Quote of the evening: “I love our
ington, D.C.
class – you can go 27 years without seeing
Debbie, Julie, Lisen, Nora, Casper, Elisabeth, and
someone and then it’s just like yesterday.”
Anne at 21st Amendment in San Francisco, CA.
A torrential downpour did not stop an Hopefully folks in D.C. will arrange for aneclectic group of ‘84s (John Meakem, other mini soon.
MINI-REUNIONS:
‘84s Out and About
T
T
Mini-Reunions: Save The Date
2012 Summer Solstice 50th Birthday Bash
T
he Class of ’84 will be celebrating Mark your calendars now for June 20,
our collective 50th birthdays with 2012 at 23:09 GMT. Think about hostparties on the 2012 Summer Solstice. ing one of these once-in-a-lifetime bashes (if you’re interested, let us know at
[email protected]).
Details to follow.
Please contact our mini-reunion co-chairs,
Anne Arquit Niederberger and Meredith
Levy, to organize an event yourself ([email protected]). All you have
to do is pick a time and place to meet – and
they’ll take care of the rest.
DECEMBER 2011
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Class of 1984 Newsletter
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PAGE 3
ROWING THE PROUTY
by Carin Reynolds
T
tacular stretch of
water to row on, and
most people don’t
usually get a chance
to enjoy it. This past
July we had rowers
of all ages (from
ages 12 to 87) “Row
the Prouty” in all
kinds of boats (singles to eights). Rush
Fisher came up and
About a year ago I was asked to help or- ended up racing the
ganize and add a rowing event for the July whole 20 miles in his
2011 Prouty. Like the cycling and walk- single against some
ing events, it is a non-competitive format young Dartmouth
where participants choose their distance to sophomore rower (guess who won?). My
row, up to 20 miles. We set up 4 “SAG” daughter Cate Pierson rowed it in an eight
or “stop and go” sites along the river - two with a mixed group of her friends, and they
with docks where you could pull over, get took a leisurely 4 and 1/2 hours to cruise
out of your boat and grab food and drink. up and down, stopping at every SAG stop
and singing along the way. I managed to get
Dartmouth is fortunate to have such a spec- all the boats launched and things running,
then jumped in a double
Lynn Fisher, Eileen Ruml, and Dan Ruml ’71, Tuck ’75.
with a friend of mine and
he Prouty is a huge event up here in
the Upper Valley that supports the
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center. Last summer this one-day event
raised about $2.5 million for cancer research
and patient services. It was started 30 years
ago by four nurses who rode their bikes 100
miles to honor their patient, Audry Prouty. Over the years it has grown into a huge cycling, then cycling and walking event with
5,000 participants and 1,100 volunteers. Rush Fisher ‘84
took off in a group of other sculler friends
- we went hard upstream for 10 miles, then
switched all the lineups and turned around
and did it again on the way back home.
As a coach of the Hanover High School
crew team and member of the Friends of
Hanover Crew Board, I had participated in
The Prouty cycling event for the past five
years in honor of my good friend and former rowing partner Leanne Eberly Jordan
‘83, who was diagnosed with breast cancer about 6 years ago. She passed away in
March of 2010. In 2012, I hope to row The
Prouty with her daughter, Emily Jordan ‘14.
We would love to see more Dartmouth
alumni participate next summer - Saturday,
July 14, 2012. Email me at [email protected] if
you have any questions!
Photos courtesy of
David Suitor Photography:
www.davidsuitorphotography.com.
Many Thanks!!
PAGE 4
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Class of 1984 Newsletter
now college, and having
the flexibility to volunWendee Hunsinger Lunt
teer more hours in their
school, at a high school
in the Bronx, and in the
n the last issue we included a message local community. Wendee’s oldest is a freshfrom Marty Lempres, the outgoing man at Dartmouth, and “her blood is runDartmouth Alumni Council Class Represen- ning ‘green’. . . from the green eggs and ham
tative. In this issue we take the opportunity at Moosilauke, to tea in Sanborn Library, and
to welcome the classmate who has so gra- omelets at Collis--it brings back fond memociously taken on this responsibility, Wendee ries. Her trip to Dick’s House last week for
Hunsinger Lunt.
a broken appendage cemented us forever
in memorable freshman experiences. My
youngest is
a junior in
high school,
and we are
thrilled
(cringe!) to
start
the
whole college
process again,
and loving
her joy at
being the
only child
The Lunt family at Homecoming 2011: Becca, Wendee ’84, Katie ’15, and
to focus on
Geordie ‘83. Says Wendee, “We missed Jim Wooster rushing the field at
(ha ha!). It
half time, but were thrilled that Dartmouth rousted Columbia 37-0!”
seems like
they were
just starting
Wendee has spent the last 25+ years in the kindergarten yesterday!”
New York metropolitan area, working in re- Wendee is excited to have the opportunity to
tail and raising a family with husband Geordie represent our class on the Alumni Council,
Lunt ‘83, a still Dartmouth soccer-obsessed and hopes to hear from many of you with
former goalie. From Wendee (and Geor- your thoughts on the evolution of the Coldie?): “Congrats on the Ivy League title and lege on the Hill.
good luck with the NCAA Tourney, men!”
Wendee’s corporate stints have included Tiffany, Coach, Movado watches, Tumi luggage,
Dylan’s Candy Bar, and now, Tory Burch-on all sides of the business, from Marketing
and Licensing to Merchandising and now International Sales. Wendee has had her own
consulting practice for the last four years,
and has truly enjoyed being there for her
girls as they have navigated high school and
Our Alumni Council Representative:
I
***
DECEMBER 2011
A Message from Wendee
Dear Classmates
I send a hearty shout out to the Great
Class of 1984! As I prepare for my first
Dartmouth Alumni Council meeting as
your class rep, I am filled with anticipation and great excitement about my role
representing this amazing group of classmates before the Council. The older I get,
the more I appreciate the time that we
had together as a class in Hanover and the
bond that we share as alums. And what a
thrill it is to watch my freshman daughter
experience it all from her fresh perspective, and witness her blood flowing “Dartmouth green.” This vantage point gives
me an added view of the college today
and its interchange with these exceptional
young people, with us and the other alums, and the outside world – both near
(the Upper Valley) and far (Haiti, Japan,
and many points in between). Our input
fuels this interchange as we have had a
critical role in shaping what is Dartmouth
today, and an ongoing role going forward.
Please take a few minutes to send me
your thoughts and questions for the administrators, faculty, students and other
alums, or just a quick hello! My role is to
represent you and I look forward to representing the varied and unique perspective of the Class of 1984. A quick look at
the December session’s Agenda includes
conversations around the Strategic Plan
for the college, the upcoming Trustee
elections and presentations by the new
Continued on p. 5
DECEMBER 2011
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Class of 1984 Newsletter
tions – including as
a vice president and
general counsel for
The Cohen Group,
a Washington-based consultancy formed by
former Defense Secretary Bill Cohen, and as
chief counsel to the House Foreign Affairs
Committee under Chairman Lee Hamilton.
She was deputy national security advisor and
National Security Council Chief of Staff to
President Clinton from 1999-2001 and was
a Senior Fellow at the Center for American
Progress, focusing on national security issues
and advising on Middle East Progress. She
also led Quorum Strategies, LLC, an international strategic consulting firm, for close
to five years. In early 2009, she served as
Deputy Assistant to the President and Executive Secretary for the National Security
Council. And most recently, Mara served as
the Deputy Envoy and Chief of Staff to the
Special Envoy for Middle East Peace at the
State Department.
Says Mara, “I cannot imagine a more challenging time to take on this assignment, or a
better opportunity to show what USAID, as
part of the US Government team, can do to
make a difference in working with this region
as it moves into a new era.” Indeed.
We are proud of our classmate’s appointment and wish her all the best in her new
position.
FROM ‘ROUND THE GIRDLED EARTH
H
ere’s a riddle: what do a criminal lawyer, a
boat business vendor, and a presidential appointee have in common?
Answer: Not a thing. So, this newsletter’s edition
of ‘Round the Girdled Earth will have no pithy
theme for classmate news. Hey, at least you got a
riddle …
F
rom our nation’s capital –
Madame Assistant Administrator … Our
own Mara Rudman has been sworn-in
as Assistant Administrator for the Middle
East. In February, President Obama nominated Mara for the leadership position at
the US Agency for International Development (USAID). And in September, she was
confirmed by the US Senate and became
the Assistant Administrator for the Middle
East Bureau. The USAID’s leadership team
works to “ensure that the best and most innovative initiatives are implemented effectively in the Middle East region.” Mara will
M
work with foreign policy and national security agency professionals.
After graduating from Dartmouth and then
Harvard Law School, Mara worked in a
variety of political and governmental posi-
ore news out of DC –
Criminal Lawyer David Cumberbatch
writes that he is currently on the planning
committee of the Black Alumni of Dartmouth Association’s (BADA) reunion coming up next Homecoming Weekend (2012).
David is working on the student-alumni session for that event and is looking for help
with the IT work – streaming, tweeting, etc.
He’ll also be working on a Facebook page
for the reunion. If you have techie expertise,
please reach out to David at djcbatch@aol.
com. We also send our condolences to him
on the recent passing of his mother over the
summer. David was so touched by the words
spoken by Allyson Bouldon at the funeral.
***
A
PAGE 5
nd, from the Top of the World –
Jeffrey Maupin is currently serving as a
tribal court judge at the Native Village of
Barrow in Alaska. Jeff has been at it for
over a decade, and also owns both a vending business and a boat accessory and engine
parts business. Jeff writes that he is also active in the New Beginnings Church of God.
Jeffrey sends his greetings and best wishes
from the Top of the World, Barrow, Alaska.
T
here may well be connections among those four
gigs, but I must admit I’ve been unable to make
them.
Send your news for the “Green Card”
section of the newsletter to: Liz Brody
Gluck, at:
[email protected]
Continued from page 4
Athletic Director and the Director of the
Dartmouth Center for Health Care Delivery Science. But there is also time for discussion and input from all constituencies.
I know we all have a lot on our plates – our
impending “big birthday”, kids (the college
process for some, the kindergarten process
for others), a Presidential election, and myriad other issues. But I thank you for your
input and wish you a happy holiday season!
Warm regards,
Wendee Hunsinger Lunt
PAGE 6
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Class of 1984 Newsletter
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DECEMBER 2011
IN MEMORIAM
SIDNEY JOSEPH CLARK, JR.
U
W
e are saddened to report that the Class
of 1984 has lost another of its members. Steven Kurtz passed away on December 27, 2010 from metastatic kidney cancer.
He is survived by his widow Alison and two
children, Max, age 10, and Leo, age 6.
Steven came from a family that for three
generations has been involved in the popular
music business. Steven met Christina Aguilera when she was seventeen. As her manager, he developed and personally invested
in her demo recordings, and negotiated Aguilera’s contract with BMG. This effort led
to her self-titled debut album, which sold 12
million copies worldwide.
At Dartmouth, Steven was a member of
Bones Gate, participated all four years in the
college radio stations WDCR and WFRD,
and was the athletic chair for South Fayerweather in his junior year.
support for undergraduates studying in
Dartmouth’s Department of Music as well
as providing funds for Steve’s other passion: baseball. The Steven E. Kurtz Baseball Clinic is envisioned as an annual event
where inner city kids will receive instruction
and training in the game and get a chance
to meet and be mentored by their heroes—
professional ballplayers—with the goals of
instilling a love of the game in the kids and
helping them develop skills, gain confidence,
and learn about teamwork and discipline, all
while having fun!
Those interested in contributing to The Steven E. Kurtz Foundation can contact Normand Kurtz ‘59, [email protected].
In his honor, the Kurtz family is establishing The Steven E. Kurtz Foundation, a twopronged endowment fund that will provide
Find us on Facebook,
Twitter, and LinkedIn.
nfortunately, we must report the death
of a another classmate. Sidney Joseph
Clark, Jr. passed away on April 17, 2011.
He is survived by his widow, Comanda Kearney-Clark and three step-children: Devon
Kearney-Good, Taylor Kearney-Good, and
Autumn Mitchell.
Our classmate Tien Wong, who knew Sid
well, shared a few thoughts with us.
“Sid grew up in Delaware and his Dad,
Sidney Sr was the first black judge in the
state. At Dartmouth, Sid was recruited to
play football (defensive line) but blew out
his knee freshman year. (He had been a star
football player at the Tower Hill School.) Sid
was one of the few student Campus Police
officers and he also worked some at EBAs.
He was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity,
where he was Pledge Master. Sid lived in
Hitchcock Hall and moved into Sigma Nu
his junior and senior years.
Those who knew Sid found a man of incredible compassion and caring for his fellow
man. He was super smart, full of life, and
one of the most optimistic, mentally tough
people I have ever known. I know it’s cliché,
but Sid really lived his life to the fullest.
For the past several years, he fought a brutal
and very rare form of appendicular cancer
and endured some very radical surgeries and
chemo treatments. He was a real fighter and
fought until the very end.
About a month or so before he passed, I
found out he was admitted into the hospice
ward at his hospital, and I called him. Sid said
not to worry. He proudly proclaimed to me
that he was the healthiest patient in hospice
and he’d soon be out. Typical Sid response.
Sid was one of a kind. Incredible person, a
real Man, a great and true friend, and he ALWAYS looked out for the “little guy”, the underdog. He had an indelible impact on hundreds of troubled youth and their families in
Delaware. He was a real saint.”
DECEMBER 2011
***
’84 interview continued
Cont. from page 1
DANI: I couldn’t agree more, particularly
when I write (as I am today) in a coffee
shop in Beverly Hills and see the same face
on four different women. So, why did you
settle in North Carolina? Are you from
there?
JOHN: No, before starting work at UNC, I
had never really been to North Carolina. I did go
to high school in Charleston, South Carolina, so
the idea of coming back to North Carolina was
intriguing after I finished my training.
DANI: What’s a day in the life of John
Van Aalst?
JOHN: I’ll get to work at 6 a.m.., have a basic
science research meeting at 7 a.m.., then go to the
operating room to take care of a girl with a cleft
of the earlobe, and to remove a giant nevus from
the scalp of another child; I’ll then go to a multidisciplinary conference to discuss 12 to 16 patients
with clefts and other facial problems; I’ll then have
a couple of research meetings, and get home by 6
or 7 p.m.
DANI: What? No lunch? Ba dum bum!
Sorry I’m in Beverly Hills and I think Don
Rickles just walked by. But seriously, I
hear you are a member of, or founder of,
Class of 1984 Newsletter
the Palestinian Cleft Society. Could you explain what this is?
JOHN: I am the founder of the Palestinian Cleft
Society and have now passed the leadership on to
other people. I take two trips a year to Palestine
to operate on children with clefts, ear, and nasal
problems. Some of the surgeons are people I have
worked with for six years; they are learning to do
the operations that I perform.
DANI: You are also involved with World
Wide Orphans Foundation and Doctors
Without Borders, right?
JOHN: I have connections with SmileTrain
and Operation Smile, but have unfortunately not
worked with Doctors Without Borders, though
this is a fantastic organization.
DANI: What compelled you to teach in
Jerusalem years ago and continue to do
work in the Mideast?
JOHN: My mother is Palestinian. One of the
hospitals where I work in Palestine is the same
hospital where she was born.
DANI: See what I mean about way cool?
So John, do you have a vice, a way to blow
off some of this relentless nice guy persona? Like eating all your kids red M&M’s,
for instance, or watching The Kardashians?
JOHN: To blow off steam, I ride a bike and
read. I love having a glass of wine with a good
***
PAGE 7
friend.
DANI: Well, honestly, I hope I do half the
job raising my boys as your mother did with
you. I don’t know if I’m more intimidated
by you or her. John, if any of us would like
to support the incredible work you do, who
should we make the checks out to and where
should we send them? JOHN: You could go to the Furlow Fund at the
Medical Foundation of North Carolina. This fund
helps raise money for the work we do in Palestine. You could also go to the Department of Surgery at
UNC website and look for international work under my name. The Palestinian Cleft Society website
is www.palestiniancleftsociety.com.
Dani: Thank you so much for your time, and
have a great holiday season!
Know someone we should interview
for the class newsletter? Send your
suggestions to Dani Klein Modisett
at [email protected].
Calling D84 Angel Investors!
Interested in joining an ‘84 angel group to fund
Dartmouth entrepreneurs?
Contact: [email protected]
Your interest will be held confidential.
Dartmouth College
Blunt Alumni Center
Hanover, NH 03755-3590
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Class of 1984 Newsletter
We wear the Dartmouth green and that’s enough
Send us YOUR news!
Please send us your own news so that we can include it in a future edition of
the Class of ’84 Newsletter. Use enclosed Green Card (don’t forget your email
address!) or the electronic Green Card at www.dartmouth84.org.
SPIRIT OF ‘84 IS ONGOING !
Spirit of ’84
$84 will cover class dues, our 30x30 project and a minimum $19.84 contribution to the Dartmouth College
Fund.
Visit the class website
www.dartmouth84.org to make your contribution
online.
Your Newsletter Editors
Elizabeth Brody Gluck
‘Round the girdled earth
Kathy Krause
Layout
Dani Klein Modisett
Interviews
Karen Thomsen Trost
Everything else!!!!