CREATIVE THOUGHT From the darkness, light
S
ometimes the worst events bring out the best in people. For Anne Alzapiedi ’86, it
was the horror of the Newtown, Conn., shoot- ings. The attack by a lone gunman at the Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, killed 20 children and 6 adults. As the world reeled with the news,
Connecticut-based General Electric, with some 160 employees living in Newtown, approached the mayor and asked “How can we help?” The mayor's answer was unequivocal: “We need boots on the ground. We need man- agers for projects, issues, and logistics. And we need them for a year.” GE recruited four employ- ees, designat- ing Alzapiedi,
a former city manager and HR professional, as Newtown Recovery Project leader to work directly with town officials. “We started last April, and we’ll be here until this April,” says Alzapiedi. “I sit in the Municipal Center, just down from the mayor. My team han- dles the additional workload that this event has created.” She has helped channel gifts from the New York Yankees, New England Patriots, and Boston Red Sox, Nickelodeon, and hundreds of thousands of individuals—for example, Newtown received and distributed some 70,000 teddy bears and other stuffed animals. Alzapiedi's work also encompasses communi- cations, and she's proud of the Web site they've built,
www.onenewtown.org, a clearinghouse for information and inspiration. And she's working on a permanent memorial, building a new school, and coordinating closely with the press. How has all this affected Alzapiedi? "To be honest," she says, "it's been a life-changing thing. The work we do is important, and there is great satisfaction in helping people every day. I've also grown; I have a new respect for com- passion and kindness." —Jon Wurtmann ’78
spots in Asia. She left her life on the East Coast and moved to Big Sur, Calif., where she lives in a 100-year-old log cabin—“a true slice of heaven!” She continues to create art, work with NGOs, and devote time to environmental causes such as the Captain Planet Foundation, Cradle to Cradle, and Global Green. Susan stays in touch with Sam Bayne ’86, Rob Perlman, and Sheldon and Maureen Solomon. Martha Seidner had the pleasure of watching daughter Sydney Gelber ’13 graduate at Skidmore’s commencement ceremony this past spring. Sydney’s proud father, Dale Gelber ’84, was also on hand. During the weekend’s festivities, Martha and her family enjoyed dinner with business professor Colleen Burke, who taught both mother and daughter. A business major with an art history minor, Sydney is looking to work in NYC in the licensing field. Martha appreciates any suggestions classmates might have for her. Martha is executive vice president of Smith Design, focusing on brand identity and package design. Brandy Gold and husband Michael are founders of Shelter Me Sderot, a nonprofit that benefits an elementary school in Sderot, Israel, which has endured numer- ous missile attacks from Gaza over the past decade. Funds raised by the couple will pay for a full-time social worker, laptop com- puters (for when students are unable to attend school because of attacks), physical reinforcement of the building, and reloca- tion of athletic fields and shelters to adhere to city requirements that all chil- dren must be within 15 seconds of a bomb shelter. Brandy and Michael are executive producers of the documentary Shelter Me Sderot, which premiered in the city the day before Chanu kah 2013. For details, visit
www.shel
termesderot.org. Scott Levin signed a new long-term contract to continue as the evening news anchor for top-ranked NBC affiliate WGRZ-TV in Buffalo, N.Y., a position he has held for over two decades. He is also one of the country’s leading fine Swiss watch brokers (
www.topnotchwatch.com). Daughter Kayla is a freshman at Niagara University, and her younger sister Sophia is a competitive dancer. Lisa Bogart and I have begun discus- sions about our next reunion in 2015, which we will start planning this summer. Please e-mail Lisa or me if you’d like to help or have ideas to share. CINDY PENDLETON 81 SMITH ROAD CHARLTON, MA 01507
CROPEN1985@GMAIL.COM
52 SCOPE WINTER 2014
triplets Samantha, Douglass, and Mallory, who keep her quite busy. She misses son Franklin, 18, a freshman honors student at the University of Connecticut. Children’s book author-illustrator Tad
’86
Hills was featured in the October 17, 2013, Time Out New York online magazine for his sideline pursuit, crafting creative Halloween costumes at home. The Brooklyn-based father of two teens was asked to provide a crew of local kids with his most popular creations, which include a violin, a lighthouse, and the Eiffel Tower. Tad is best known for his Duck & Goose and Rocket book series. Seattle, Wash., resident Dave Resnick was promoted to senior account manager at Microsoft. He has three daughters. Hannah, 19, is a sophomore at Gonzaga University; Miranda, 18, is a freshman at Western Washington University; and Georgia, 15, is a freshman in high school. Dave sent me a great picture of them taken during a fun trip to London last summer. Mark Rosenfeld lives in West Linn,
Ore., and is the author of a recently pub- lished book titled You Can Be the Next Millionaire Landlord. Eileen Garga and husband Mike live in Cornwall Hollow, Conn. They spent an “idyllic” month touring Ireland last sum- mer, traversing the Dingle Peninsula, spending time with relatives in Kilkenny, Glendalough, Dublin, and Moyvore, and spending a “totally fabulous” week in Castletownshend. Eileen has two daugh- ters in college. Hilary is majoring in art therapy and Kathleen, who spent a semes- ter abroad in Australia, is a nursing major. Eileen is renovating her home and says “life is busy and wonderful.” Jeanne Cooney Dunn lives in Palm
City, Fla., with husband Brian and sons Nick, 18, and Tyler, 14. Located just 45 minutes north of Palm Beach, she wel- comes hearing from classmates traveling down their way. Jeanne traveled to Lon - don and Paris last summer on a school- sponsored trip. Tyler opted not to go, and Jeanne was in the company of 20 middle school students, she “had a blast.” Nick is studying mechanical engineering at the University of Florida and actually enjoys physics, chemistry, calculus—subjects Jeanne “avoided like the plague” while at Skidmore. Aaron Taylor lives in Pound Ridge, N.Y.,
with wife Taylor and their 14-year-old son Kemp. Last November, Aaron marked his 50th birthday and the couple celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary at her
Mara Whitman lives in West Hartford, Conn., with 16-year-old
AT WORK
SCOTT MULLINT
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