Class Notes celebrate Poets’ submitted milestones by class year.
Due to space limitations, The Rock cannot always publish every Class Note received. Whittier College reserves the right to edit for clarity and brevity.
1950s
Jan C. Dunham) Turner ’55 recently took a cruise on the upper Mississippi River with classmate Ann Howard Cowan ’55. “We have enjoyed many trips over the years (together and with groups of college friends) and decided it was time for us to try one more adventure.”
1960s
Geoff Shepard ’66 produced a documentary titled Watergate Secrets and Betrayals: Orchestrating Nixon’s emise, released on the 50th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s resignation. The film was featured on Tucker Carlson’s show and is available for rent or purchase at WatergateSecrets.com.
Brian McDonald ’68 was elected to the board of directors of the Casa del Sol Homeowners Association in Mission Viejo, California.
1970s
David H. Edinger ’70 recently moved to Friends Fellowship Community in Richmond, Indiana, with wife Ginger Matera ’72. He remains in contact with college roommate Jim McAteer ’70 of Indianapolis.
Allen Nickerson ’70 retired after 30 years in human resources, most recently as senior vice president of operations at Carlton Senior Living in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Sara S. Hodson ’71 published a book titled I Promise You I’ll Be Home: Korean War Letters of a U.S. Marine (McFarland, 2024). It consists of letters from the front lines written by Al Martinez, who went on to become a Pulitzer-Prize winning featured columnist for The Los Angeles Times.
Mary A. Severine ’71 and wife of 16 years, Barbara, reside in San Diego and enjoy traveling, hiking, backpacking, sailboat racing, birdwatching, photography, and reading. The couple met 40 years ago and have been together almost 30 years. After studying sociology and anthropology at Whittier, Severine earned her nursing degree and a master’s in human behavior. She retired from her nursing career in 2013. “I cherish memories of my time at Whittier College! Life is good!”
Richard Buck ’73 is celebrating 48 years of marriage with his wife. While at Whittier, he was a winning contestant on The Dating Game. While things didn’t work out between him and the bachelorette on the show, he reports he “went on and got my master’s in international management and married a girl I met in Phoenix.”
Gregory L. Crawford ’78 celebrated his 40th anniversary of government service in 2023.
1980s
Marcy (Thomas) Lamar ’84 is newly retired after many years in education and now resides in Maui, Hawaii, with husband Claud. “We are loving life!”
Majid Sababi ’84 returned to school at age 53 after 22 years in the healing arts, including chiropractic practice. He completed a naturapathic medicine program in 2016, received his master’s in clinical nutrition in 2017, and earned his medical degree in 2022. He credits his faculty mentors at Whittier including Professors Armstrong, Reeg, Schambach and Bell. “These gentle souls were an inspiration to me and others.”
William “Bill” Ayares ’85 shares that he is enjoying his animal sanctuary just east of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he tends to miniature horses, miniature donkeys, alpacas, highland cows, chickens, turkeys, ducks, and even one “Zonkey” (half zebra, half donkey).
1990s
Adriane L. (Miles) Talamentes ’95 received her Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University in May 2024.
2000s
Deirdre A. Brownell ’02 published her first book, titled Singing the Psyche: Uniting Thought and Feeling Through the Voice, Voice Movement Therapy in Practice in 2023. The book is about how voice movement therapy is used by different practitioners in both the therapeutic and artistic fields. Brownell received her Ph.D. in imaginal psychology from Meridian University in Petuluma, California, in 2021. Her dissertation was in combining voice movement therapy and imaginal psychology to help those with learning differences to find their embodied voices. She is setting up her private practice in conjunction with Anne Brownell in Wareham, Massachusetts, with a focus in working with people with special needs and LGBTQ+ youth.
Charlene (Beal) Brown ’04 published two poems in the 10th Heron Clan Anthology from Katherine James Press, and published another poem in the spring edition of Full House Literary, an online publication.
Adrienne (Napoli) Bryant ’04 was honored for her professional work as executive director for Moreland OBGYN, the largest OBGYN practice in Southeastern Wisconsin, at the TEMPO Waukesha Celebrating Women 2024 awards luncheon.
Andrea (Smith) Tolson ’04 married Jess Tolson on Aug. 21, 2023 at Cape Perpetua in Oregon. The couple resides in Springfield, Oregon, where Andrea works as an education specialist for the Oregon Department of Education and Jess works as an automation technician.
Kiki Miller ’08 was appointed last year to a two-year term as Water Commissioner in Castle Rock, Colorado. She has a background in environmental policy and law and is focusing on conservation and sustainability issues as her community confronts a persistent drought and the Colorado River crisis.
2010s
Sarah Peel ’10 is celebrating 10 years of teaching with the Whittier Union High School District and 13 years with the Adult Transition Program. Her dog training and boarding company, No Bull Rehab, is also celebrating 10 years in business.
Katrina Wong ’17 received her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Mount Saint Mary’s University in 2020 after graduating from Whittier with a bachelor’s in kinesiology and nutrition science. She currently practices as an orthopedic and pelvic floor physical therapist specializing in prenatal and postpartum care with a focus on optimizing women’s health. Wong started her private practice, Whole Body Wellness and Physical Therapy, in 2023. She is “thankful for the four years at Whittier College, filled with immense personal growth and confidence in communication, connection and leadership.”
2020s
Noah Benjamin Humphrey ’20 graduated from Yale Divinity School with his Master of Divinity degree in 2023. Recently, he also volunteered as a defensive line coach for the Damien Intermediate Football Team at Damien Memorial High School, which won the league championship, worked as an editor for the Yale Journal of Law and Liberation, and engaged with the Oahu community, particularly Kalihi at KPT. This year, he participated in the Pennington family’s 10th Annual Ancestral Healing Conference, and received the Royal Sword Award for his commitment to liberation and service. He is currently in his first year in the Doctor of Chiropractic program at SCUHS in Whittier. “I’m excited to return to where it all began and continue supporting the Whittier College community!”