CREATIVE THOUGHT Career arc J
ohn Henry Benisch II ’89 wanted to be a pilot ever since he was a kid. During his freshman
year at Skidmore, a professor encouraged him to take flying lessons at nearby Saratoga airport, and Benisch got his wings there. After graduating with an English degree, Benisch earned a military commission through
the ROTC. He also continued his civil aviation training, picking up aircraft maintenance, com- mercial pilot, and flight instructor certificates. As a civilian, Benisch moved up the airline ranks, eventually landing in the captain’s seat of the Boeing 727 for Florida-based cargo carrier Amerijet International, where in addition to his regular duties, he assists with hiring, training, and quality control of flight crews. He also gets to provide a most unusual flight
regime: gravity-defying parabolic arcs. Flying a modified 727 for Zero Gravity Corporation, Ben - isch ascends to altitude, pulls up, and then deftly pushes the aircraft forward. The maneuver induces weightlessness for 20 or 30 seconds and is repeated 12 to 15 times on each flight, which costs about $5,000 per person. Tweaking the parabolas can reproduce the gravity of Mars (38% of earth’s) or the moon (17%). While the service is available to anyone with the price of a ticket and a strong stomach, Zero Gravity also has a contract with NASA to expose astronaut trainees to microgravity environments. Of the company’s 480 flights to date, about a third have been for NASA. Private researchers and companies have also signed on, with an eye to the future of manned commercial spaceflight. Benisch has 3,000 hours’ time in the 727 and
has performed 4,000 parabolic arcs, but he says he still loves the “pure unadulterated exhilaration” of his passengers. “I never get tired of all the sounds of joy that filter up into the flight deck,” he says. —PD
ing company, from an office overlooking Casco Bay in Portland, ME. He occasion - ally runs into Kate Roberts Knox and Tony Cox. He encourages classmates who find themselves “Down East” to drop in and see him. Wilson Kimball enjoyed a dual family and Skidmore mini-reunion when she married Jim Cavanaugh at the Manhattan Sailing Club on June 15. Helping celebrate the nuptials were Rick Pino ’82, Mary Jane Hopson ’82, Lindsay Pino ’11, and Rebecca Rothstein, as well as Paul and Suzanne Summerfield, parents of Rebecca Summerfield ’15. Rebecca Metzler Smith is a garden de - signer in Hampshire, England, where she and husband Mark, a consultant in the Lloyds Insurance Market, live with son James, 17, daughter Miranda, 15, and two golden retrievers. Rebecca’s work is at
rsgardendesign.co.uk. The family is reno- vating a Georgian farmhouse in a tiny hamlet of 26 houses that is full of fantas- tic views. She was planning a trip to Cali - fornia this fall to meet up with me, Jenni - fer Landers, Elizabeth Crane Swartz, Whitney Alexanderson Heavey, Emily Wallengren, Kristin Rothrock, Randy Edgar, and Gary Gray. In April I spent a beautiful weekend in Saratoga celebrating Tim Clemmey’s 45th birthday at a barbecue hosted by Tim and his awesome wife, Sharon, UWW ’11. I enjoyed a great evening with them, and we were joined by Whit - ney Alex ander son Heavey and husband Frank, and Elizabeth Crane Swartz and husband Bob ’88, all in town to watch their daughters row in the Sara toga Invitational. DANA METES 142 BEST ROAD WINDSOR, VT 05089-9564
DANAMETES@YAHOO.COM
2012 visit with Joel Lubin ’92 and Gene Freidman. Erin Swanson ’95, wife of John Swan -
’91
son, who died unexpectedly on January 23, passed along a tribute from his moth- er, Magali Swanson. She describes John, who built stereo equipment for Skidmore bands and later founded Halladay Acous - tics, a custom high-end stereo equipment firm, as “an inventor and perfectionist, an adopter and adapter of unique materials to create the most perfect sound.” Erin also informed us that a celebration of John’s life was held January 28 in East Hampton, NY. The class extends condo-
52 SCOPE FALL 2013
Marc Rice was glad to see that “campus looks great” during a
lences to the entire Swanson family, in - cluding Erin and John’s children Nickolas, 12, and Lily Rose, 4. A fund has been established to dedicate two seats in the Ladd Concert Hall of the Zankel Music Center in John’s and Erin’s honor; for details, e-mail donorrelations@skidmore. edu, call 518-580-5671, or visit www. skidmoreconnect. org/memorial. HEATHER SANTMIRE DENKMIRE 71 READ STREET, APT. 4 PORTLAND, ME 04103-3481
HEATHER@GRANTWINNERS.NET
’92 ’93
life is good in Wilton, CT. Daugh ter Dahlia, 6, finished a wonderful kindergarten year. Stephanie has en - joyed staying home with her and being very involved in her life. She has returned to work part-time, consulting for her pre- vious employer, Single Stop USA in East Harlem, NY, working on financial educa- tion and literacy issues. Her family lives close to Michelle Sinclair Colman and Tyler Colman and their two sons; the families enjoy getting together as much as possible. Kirkland Lau’s wife, Giulia, gave birth
’94 N MAY 29–JUNE 1
JANET MACAULAY REARDON 2829 EAGLE STREET SAN DIEGO, CA 92103-5421
JANETREARDON@HOTMAIL.COM
JENNY HERDMAN LANDO 45-05 30TH AVENUE ASTORIA, NY 11103-1261
SKIDMORE93@AOL.COM
Stephanie Cope - lin reports that
to son Ryan in August 2012. Sons David and Daniel enjoy having a new little brother to play with. While both Kirkland and Giulia enjoy their jobs (Giulia is an ob-gyn, and he is a dermatologist), they are happy to have an alternating work schedule so there’s always a parent home with the kids. Colin Thomas lives in Charleston, SC, where he is a civil servant for the US Navy as a program manager. He’s been happily married for nine years to wife Anita, who works in forestry biotech. They have two kids, Hannah, 4, and Finn, 3, and two dogs, Dante and Saba, “both mutts.” Colin enjoys the opportunity to
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