Thank you, Rhody alumni, for sharing your experiences in this special edition of Class Notes. Many of you shared your struggles with the challenges of isolation, uncertainty, illness, and loss. But your notes also revealed an incredible capacity to adapt and an instinct to find and focus on the positive. And we all need as much of that as we can get right now. Thank you for the inspiration, encouragement, and, most of all, for giving us all another reason to be proud of our URI alumni community.
Click on a name to read the full note.
1952
- Mary Cozzolino Gray - We moved to Kingston in 1960 and, living so close to campus, have had occasion to visit almost daily. Trips to...
1956
- Arthur Cappon - My wife and I are hunkered down, enjoying ourselves as much as we can. I am 91 now and taking no chances...
1959
Joseph Marriott - My wife, Mary Ann, and I are ‘old-farts’ who planned on celebrating our 60th anniversary with a three-week Road Scholar cruise...
- Suzanne Oringel Grossman - The pandemic affected me in a way I could never have imagined. I grew up in a typical urban environment...
1964
- David Greene - Since I retired, I’ve been volunteering at a STEM program for inner-city middle and high school students...
1965
- Paul Summers - Spending lots of time reading, doing word searches, crossword puzzles, and...
- Alden “Denny” Wilson - I am here in Maine—Boothbay to be exact—after retiring from my career in...
1968
Richard Goldsmith - We had our grandson's 11th birthday on Monday and we had a ZOOM...
- Roberta Mudge Humble - Two days a week, I work at the Westerly Armory—museum work, grant applications, and cleaning. Our manager...
1969
Robert Davis - My wife Susan and I live with my 101-year-old mother in Marlborough, Mass. We are adapting...
- Frank Feraco - I am a hard charging businessman. For me, anything that stops me from fulfilling that capacity is NOT GOOD! I have...
1970
- Virginia Hickey - When I was enrolled at URI as an art student, our drawing and sculpture professor, the wonderful Robert Rohm, told us...
1971
Allen Hale - My life hasn’t changed all that much other than the inability to travel. I live in NE Thailand...
Marilyn Morris Schwab - My husband John and I used to enjoy our trips to Block Island and Martha’s Vineyard. Once we sold the boat...
1972
- John Hansen - The pandemic has brought us a number of ups and downs that we would not normally experience. In February, our youngest daughter...
1973
David Jordan - Since graduating from URI, I’ve worked in Healthcare Administration. I graduated from the Medical University of South Carolina with a...
1975
Jeffrey Ross - My role as podiatric surgeon in the Save the Extremity Program (STEP) at the Baylor College of Medicine...
Randy Vogenberg - My life has changed due to social distancing—no arts or entertainment (other than online or TV), and very limited...
1976
- Shirley Jensen Hanley - The pandemic shutdown started right around my birthday in mid-March. I was OK with not being able to go out to dinner. I told my...
- Robert Hawkins - After living five years on an island off the coast of Belize and two years in the magical Mexican city San Miguel de Allende, isolation...
1977
Michael Morrow - I feel fortunate that our life has not been adversely impacted by the quarantine. Our family is healthy and...
1979
- Diane Umansky - I live in New York City, but my family and I have been sheltering in place at our little second home for nearly two...
1980
Michael DeLuca - As the town planner in Narragansett, I am adapting to a life of limited work interactions due to COVID-19. Ordinarily, my...
Bruce Waldman - I’m trying to be disciplined, but it is hard. Having many medical issues to deal with, I dare not go...
1981
Deb (Nelson) Boelkes - My life as a business leadership author and speaker has changed in many respects, although...
1982
Beth McManus Cullen - Thanks for the opportunity to share our URI/Delta Zeta Covid-19 coping experience! Since mid-April, several of us...
1983
- Jorge Serpa - As it turns out, COVID-19 has been affecting my life only somewhat marginally—so far! Just before Christmas, my wife and I...
1984
- Carol McCarthy - I’ve been working remotely for a while now and feel lucky that I did not have to make the adjustment to working from home—barking dogs...
1985
- Ann Seidel - I have found new and exciting rewards recently in my career by being able to help in the fight...
1988
Robert Alvine - I am having my company manage life under quarantine by giving back. I own a dealership group and...
1989
Sheila Gray - After my daughter, Shannon Brassil, '15 (human development and family studies) graduated from URI, she went...
1991
Marc Bernarducci - My life changed when I received a call around 1:30 a.m. on March 26. My 75-year-old father, who hadn’t been feeling well...
The Rev. Elizabeth L. (Myers) Nelson - Considering what I see other people going through, I'm doing okay. I'm learning to do things differently...
1992
Susan Rancourt - I’m struggling with wanting to get back to business on more regular terms and eliminate uncertainties brought about the various levels of social distancing and “shut-down.”
1993
Francisco Bechara - This crisis has taught me the importance of being home all the time with immediate family. I really appreciate the work and...
1994
- Ed Hannan - The coronavirus pandemic hit our family like a hammer. We were already taking precautions (not touching door...
Linda Checchi Kavan - Silver Lining: My daughter, Loren, will be a Class of 2024 Ram! Proud to...
1997
Kim Germain Daly - I felt a calling to help and was able to step back into a nursing role to support COVID efforts...
- Joanna Ravello - For me, it's a time of extremes. On one day, I am fighting irritation that the lines at the stores are longer and...
1998
- Sennen Conte - My brother, Galen Conte ’92 (business), and I run Gerbs Allergy Friendly Foods. As an online business, this pandemic...
1999
- Adam Simonsen - I have spent the last 14 years of my life on airplanes, traveling the world supporting water...
Taylor Booth ’12 is working remotely as an artist and model in San Diego, CA. She also focuses on ways to empower young people through art, using Zoom instead of a studio space.
2000
Pieter deHart - Now, six weeks into being essentially isolated at home, nearly everything about life has changed dramatically. Working remotely has...
2007
Allison Lacasse - I am trying to find the happy in this new normal. I am certainly feeling constricted like everyone else, as much...
2008
- Laura Shulder - I am a laboratory animal scientist. Although I may not be considered an essential employee at first glance, my job...
2012
Taylor Booth - I’m being the possibility of ease and presence during this time. My love and admiration goes out to frontline workers...
Melissa Fajardo - Life under quarantine? Honestly, I love it. Aside from the new precautions I have to take...
2013
- Paul Lutsky - Being a commercial banker, I enjoy visiting clients and attending networking events. Since the quarantine began...
- Michael Levin - I went from working partly remote to fully remote. My wife, Rachael Kazarian, who is currently in the...
2014
- Kevin Gemmell - Life under quarantine has definitely been different but I'm managing well. I'm very lucky to have the ability...
2015
John Del Padre - I’ve been able to work from home, but my wife, Hayley, is a nurse at Rhode Island Hospital...
2016
Luke Hayden - I work for a medical device company and our biggest client has asked us to make antibody testing kits for the entire...
- Jo-Anne Serydynski - As an administrator in a small nonprofit human service agency, supporting folks with physical and intellectual disabilities...
2017
Lismary Perez - I have taken advantage of time indoors to expand in my career as a fine artist. My artwork in general is colorful, abstract...
2018
Matt Warner - Since I graduated from URI, I've been working as an ED Nurse at a Level 1 academic trauma center. Pandemic life is very strange...
- Samantha Becotte - My life has changed significantly. I’m currently working from home, so thankfully I’m still able to work. I work at the Yale Cancer Center...
2019
- Alexa Stewart - I began my full-time job as a public relations coordinator following graduation last May. Working in an office and moving...
- Jillian Trager - As a recent graduate, I had been working in my current job for less than a year before the pandemic caused...
Kira Wencek - On one hand it's been rough. In March I was working at a rock climbing gym that had to close, and this summer...