’88 Tracy Richards Dingmon 73 Brian Circle Northbridge, MA 01534-1000 Cdingmon@aol.com I am taking over the position of class secretary from Beth Skudder, who did a marvelous job of keeping up with our class for many years. Let me tell you a bit about myself. My husband, Charlie, and I have three children: Samantha, 7, Joseph, 5, and Alexandra, who arrived in August. Life has become a bit of a juggling act, but it is a whole lot of fun. Kristin Grant Erickson returned to the U.S. with children Grant and Carly for a brief visit last summer while husband Jon stayed behind in London. Stacy Tauber Meisel resides in New Jersey with husband Kevin and their children, Shayna and Michael. Deborah Homsi Gilpin and husband Bryan moved from Seattle, WA, to Marblehead, MA, where they are the new owners of a 150-year-old Victorian home. Deb, a graphic designer, has owned her own design firm for over five years. Fred Mauser and wife Amy packed up their home in Westchester, NY, and moved to Royal Palm Beach, FL, in November— with daughters Rebecca, 4, and Caroline, 2. Karen Holmes Malone and partner Barbara adopted a baby from Calcutta, India, last January. Karen says Matthew Philip Manab Holmes Malone, 1, “is a very healthy, smart, and beautiful child, and we adore him.” She works part-time as the director of Child and Family Services in Worcester, MA. Karen is eager to talk with anyone who may have questions about international adoption; she can be reached at Karenhm865@aol.com. Laura Brodie Ellor joined us for a weekend with her children Tyler, McKenzie, and Dylan. It was really amazing to watch all of our children play together and to think back to our days at Skidmore, which seems like another lifetime. Debora Turin Farrell welcomed second baby Sophie last April. She joins big sister Daisy, 2. Deb is still working at Fidelity Investments in Boston as director of customer technology. She writes, “My job of developing self-service kiosks for Fidelity is fun, but not as rewarding as the development of Daisy and Sophie!” ’89 Cynthia Urick Stickles 282 Brookline Street Hawthorne, NY 10532-1843 cstickles@hackleyschool.org Elias “Lee” Deros and wife Kelli welcomed second son Logan in September 2000. Logan joins older brother Spencer and their dog, Pumpkin. Lee is a general dentist in Waterbury, CT, where Kelli works as a hygienist and office manager. Lee is also a clinical instructor in the dental residency program at St. Mary’s Hospital in Connecticut. Nancy Bannister Doran and husband Brett are proud parents of daughter Makena Lee, born August 8. Makena is named after the beach in Hawaii where mom and dad were married on April 20. In Lake Bluff, IL, Ellen Carney Granda and husband Joe welcomed Jose Guillermo (aka “Will”) into the world on June 3. Says Ellen, “Although weighing in at seven pounds, nine ounces at birth, Will is planning on a career as a linebacker. He is making double-time with his weight gain, tipping the scales at 17 pounds at 15 weeks!” Ellen says (in Midwestern parlance) that she “almost bought the farm” during Will’s ' delivery, but rebounded after a blood transfusion and has made a full recovery. Todd France married Shanna Riss in East Hampton, NY, last summer. Todd is a freelance photographer whose work appears regularly in People, Teen People, and Business Week. Shanna is the psychological counselor at the Chapin School in NYC. Holly Mandel Sherr and husband David live on the Upper East Side in NYC, where she is a stay-at-home mom to Emily, people & projects Acting out of character [photograph - Christine DeZinno Bruno] Fulton Opera House When reviews for the Fulton Opera House production of Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie hit the newspapers, theater critics in and around Lancaster, Pa., had mostly praise for the performers—including Christine DeZinno Bruno ’88, who played the introverted Laura Wingfield. “Bruno has found the considerable strength not just to play, but to embody glass-fragile Laura,” said one reviewer, and her portrayal “is likely to live in your memory.” “[She] is stunning in the role,” declared another. The obvious parallel between the lives of Laura and her real-life counterpart is a physical disability: In Williams’s classic play, Laura has a minor limp; Bruno has cerebral palsy, which causes a more pronounced uneven gait. What dramatically sets the two apart, though, is that Laura’s affliction leaves her emotionally crippled and withdrawn, while Bruno charges into life full steam ahead. After graduating from Skidmore with degrees in theater and government, Bruno enrolled at the Actors Studio Drama School in New York City. The master’s program there viewed her disability in a positive light, she believes. “The Actors Studio doesn’t need to meet a quota, but they do recognize the importance of diversity,” she told writer Barry Kaplan. She also thinks audiences are ready to accept her. “It’s not the public that’s unwilling,” she notes. “It’s the industry professionals who are blocking the way. The negative comments come most often from agents and casting directors. They just don’t know what to do with me. But when I perform, audience members come up to me afterwards and say, ‘It was really bizarre seeing you at first, but after five minutes I forgot all about it’; or they’ll tell me my disability added to my performance and to the story. It’s taken me a long time, but I’m starting to recognize that my disability can be an asset and not a liability.” Perhaps it’s also helped her see the world a little differently. The Glass Menagerie's Laura, for example, is typically viewed as “incredibly fragile.” Bruno, on the other hand, recognizes Laura’s strength as well as “the most beautiful thing about her: her ability to love unconditionally and without prejudice.” The Fulton Opera House performance ran for ten days last fall; and now Bruno, ever in pursuit of her performance career, is on the audition circuit once again. —MTS Skidmore Scope 51