CL AS S NO TE S
Kid at heart
T
he sour economy has caused a lot of peo- ple to rethink their careers, sometimes with
happy results. For Jeff Dinardo ’83, the results have been downright giggly. Last year, to supplement his income from
Dinardo Design, he launched a line of children’s products at
GoGoGiggle.com. With six colorful Giggle critters (which he hopes might spin off into a children’s TV show) adorning toys, games, bath products, socks, and shoelaces, the line is a testament to Dinardo’s love of kids, color, lit eracy, and laughter. Dinardo grew
up surrounded by art and well stocked with art supplies. His grandfather, mother, and aunt were all artists, and he wanted a career in art too— specifically with children’s books. He chose Skidmore for its art program and took courses in graphic design, lettering, printmaking, and children’s literature. After a stint writing and illustrating books for Houghton Miff lin, in 1991 he went solo with Dinardo Design, creating textbooks, classroom readers, and reading games for publishers like Weekly Reader and Scholastic. Committed to children’s literacy, he has now launched a third company, to produce his own line of books—Red Chair Press, for which he himself has authored a few titles. He says he used to read to his own kids “all the time” and admits that when “reading for my own enjoy- ment, I usually read children’s novels rather than adult titles.” Dinardo says his three firms keep him “hop- ping,” and he’s glad to have the help of Skid - more friends Ed Higgins ’83, who designed the Web sites for both new companies, and Moe Egan ’84, who does voiceovers and e-book nar- ration for Red Chair’s Web site. The affable artist/entrepreneur says the name
GoGo Giggle came from a desire for “something that made you smile from just hearing it.” What gets him giggling? “SpongeBob SquarePants,” he says. “Even the name makes me laugh.” —KG
who evaluated the students’ presentations. I was impressed with the poise, knowl- edge, and professionalism of these kids, most of whom were freshman. I was also impressed with my fellow executives, many of them Skidmore graduates or par- ents of Skidmore students. But I was one of just two female alums—the rest were men. How could that happen? For any of you business majors, Prof. Betty Balevic is still there!
DEBBIE MONOSSON 16 PERRY STREET
CAMBRIDGE, MA 02139-3912
DEBBIE@BFEC.COM
more’s Junior Admis - sions Workshop with her oldest son, John. Younger son Will is a freshman at Simsbury High School in Con - necticut.
’80
Kyle Conard
at tended Skid-
’81
Sara Whitaker turned 50 this year and is amazed by how the years fly
by. She has enjoyed her career in health care for the past 10 years—a far cry from her political science and English major. She hopes to get to Reunion in 2011. Elizabeth Bishop Alach is busy with her private therapy practice on the South Shore of Boston and teaching psychiatric nursing part-time at Simmons College.
ELIZABETH DECKENBACH FELDER 42 EPPING ROAD
EXETER, NH 03833-1521
LIZFELDER@YAHOO.COM
’82
JUNE 3–6
George Lowther has been in touch with
Bruce Miller, who lives in Davie, FL. Since residential real estate has been slow, George is looking into a few private ven- tures. He and his wife live in Riverside, CT, with their children, ages 7, 13, and 15. They are enjoying life and thankful for the direction it has taken them in. Gina Lancaster-Salguero is spending the year with her 5-year-old grandson at his parents’ home, while Gina’s son is in Kuwait with the US Army. She is having lots of fun caring for a kindergartner. Her youngest son is now a freshman at Berklee in Boston. Gina still cares for horses and teaches skiing.
Lauren Clark Hutton doesn’t think she will be in the States for Reunion but looks forward to hearing all about it.
Dawn Weingart Luks’s daughter Jenny
was accepted to Skidmore, giving Dawn the chance to visit campus. She loved the new dining hall and the expanded library. Although Jenny ended up at a college closer to home in Jupiter, FL, Dawn had fun meeting old friends on campus with their kids. She found that downtown Sar a toga had changed a bit but says she re membered a few places, including the T&L, “which hasn’t changed at all—really cool. Wish I was 20 again.”
Come home to Skidmore June 3–6 and revisit those places. Looking forward to seeing you there!
PERI SNYDERMAN 11 LAKE VIEW AVENUE
SLATE HILL, NY 10973
SPECIALCAT@MSN.COM
48 SCOPE SPRING 2010
Eileen Kelly-Reed has started her own company, Simplify, which
offers clients her services as a home and office organizer, event and party planner, personal shopper, and nutritional fitness coach.
Heidi Abber-Berman’s daughter Sophie Mae performed in the 2009 production of the Nutcracker with the Boston Ballet.
ANGELA FOSS
371 HARVARD STREET, #3B CAMBRIDGE, MA 02138
ARFOSS@EARTHLINK.NET
’83
Susan Modlin Markowitz and her
husband live in Baltimore, MD, with their three children and two dogs. Car oline is a junior at Princeton, Sarah is a sophomore at the Friends School of Bal - ti more, and Jonathan ’14 will start at Skid - more in the fall.
LILLY JARAY OSTROVE 2129 ANGUS DRIVE
WALNUT CREEK, CA 94598-3305
DANJASRY@YAHOO.COM
’84
Annette DeCresce-Lawson loves
living in Saratoga Springs, al - though it has changed dramatically since her Skidmore days. Her husband, Mark, has a successful antiques business, and Annette enjoys being a full-time parent to Alexander, 14, Adriana, 9, and Gabriel, 4. She also enjoys regular visits from good friend Diane Rollo during the racetrack season.
ROBYN TARALLO DRAINVILLE 96 EDGEWATER DRIVE
BLACKSTONE, MA 01504 508-876-9007
ROBYND@WEAREWCI.ORG
’85
Five years ago, Kirsten Hube Sweeney realized there was a mar- ket for healthy meals for families with too little time to cook. She began selling her homemade tomato sauces and soups at local farmers’ markets and grocery stores
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