By Amanda Perez
February 2002
Many of us find our lives dramatically altered by the traumatic events of September 11th. I wish to express my condolences to all of you who have family or friends who were affected by the terrible incidents. At a minimum, our sense of safety and livelihood has been changed, and we appreciate so much that we previously took for granted. Many thanks to Tom Shakow for his efforts to communicate with our class, ensure that each of us was "alright," and e-mail this information to us, thereby relieving us of at least some anxiety. I know that I found this comforting. This experience caused me to reflect upon the utility of and need for a class web page, which would provide a forum for dialogue on any given day. I understand that a class of 1997 alum set up a web page for their class and that it is frequently visited. While I am happy to coordinate this endeavor in any way I can (and would indeed post the upcoming notes on the page), I admit that I am not the most technologically advanced and must therefore resort to asking for volunteers. Please let me know if you are able and willing to set our class web page in motion, and I will of course announce its existence in the next class notes. Thanks in advance.:)
So, in the midst of all of this turmoil, what has been going on amongst our ranks? As has recently been the case, people are ever-so-quickly changing careers, getting married, and having babies, not to mention achieving award-winning boxing status!
Let's start with the nuptials (in chronological order)! Polly Clark and Josh Fischman ('99) were married on March 31, 2001 at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, CT. Polly had worked at the Wadsworth Atheneum before law school and was happy to be able to share the museum with friends and family. The law school contingent at the wedding was strong. Iris Chiu and I were bridesmaids. Jennie O'Flanagan, Matt Fader, Amanda Greenwold, Tracy Timbers ('97), Laura Appleman, David Friedman ('99), Shelley White, Jessie Liu, Michael Abramowicz, Jay Koh, Monica Youn, Gloria Tan, Greg Schwartz, Jim Copland, Lilly Farahnakian Copland( '99), John Ericson ('97), Kara Paik, Colin Chow ('00), Josh Harlan ('00), David Lat ('99), Natan Leyva ('99), Steve Carlson ('99), and Suzanne Boyce Carlson ('99) joined the celebration. Polly and Josh spent their honeymoon in Greece, visiting Santorini, Crete and Athens.
On June 3, 2001, Laura I. Appleman and David Friedman ('99) were married on a sun-drenched afternoon at the Inn at Longshore, in Westport, Connecticut. Included in the wedding party were Jessie K. Liu, who was a bridesmaid, and Ryan Craig ('99), who was a groomsman. A veritable panoply of Yale Law folks attended, including Amanda Perez, Jennie O'Flanagan, Shelley White, Michael Abramowicz, Eddie Chang, Polly Clark, Josh Fischman ('99), Aaron Craig ('99), David Fierson ('99), George Raine ('99), Hal Borden ('99), Danielle Gentin ('99), Steven Chiodini ('99), Janine Cohen ('99), Kristin Madison ('99), Jonathan Pitt ('00), and Kevin Stack ('97).
Shelley White and Brenden Gaffey were married on June 16, 2001 at the Pulaski Heights Methodist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. Their reception followed at the Country Club of Little Rock. Rose petals were in abundance and certainly showered the happy couple as they departed for their honeymoon in Hawaii. Fellow classmates who shared in the festivities included Kianga Ellis, Iris Chiu, Polly Clark and Josh Fischman ('99), Jennie O'Flanagan, Laura Appleman, Dave Friedman ('99), myself, and Karra Paik, who was a maid of honor.
Kathy Cooperman and Johnny Chen got married at Kathy's parents house (out on the lawn) in North Pownal, Vermont on July 14th (Bastille Day!). Luckily the rain just held off until after the ceremony. The reception was in Williamstown, Massachusetts at the Williams Inn. The Yalies who celebrated with the newlyweds included Matt Ashley and Jason Small, both of whom were grooms men, Sarah Bickley, who was the maid of honor, Dan Park, Steve Hess, John Ma, Kira and Peter Schwartz, Steve Yoder, Josh Steinglass, Jill Basinger, Keith Rosen (1997), and Mark Kim. Kathy and Johnny spent their honeymoon in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Oslo and Bergen, Norway.
Susannah Pollvogt and Michael Saul were married on September 9th in Waitsfield, Vermont. YLSers in attendance were: Rachel Harris, Jill Baisinger, Keith Rosen (1997), Jennifer Chacon, Jonathan Glader, Tom Shakow and Mark Fenster. After the wedding Susannah and Michael spent two weeks in Tuscany.
Marshall Miller and Gail Horwitz got married on September 22, 2001 in Central Park (what an amazing location!). Yale friends who shared the festivities included Julia Greenfield, Hannah McElhinny, Steven Farr, Matt Klein, Derek Douglas, Robert Gordon, John Witt (& now-wife Annie), Risa Goluboff (& husband Rich), Jesse Furman, Ariela Dubler, Greg Chernack, Greg Schwartz, Gloria Tan, Jon Landy (& wife Tammy), Rachel Doft, Damon Hemmerdinger (& now-wife Jacquie), Kara Hailey (& husband Nico), Alison Siegler, Cassie Motz, Gina Raimondo, Andy Moffit, Marshall's dad Leigh Miller ('52), and Gail's dad Don Horwitz ('60).
Damon Hemmerdinger was married on September 29, 2001, to Jacquie Glassenberg at her parents' house in New London, CT. Tom Shakow, Kara Hailey, Nico Allais, Steve Farr, Hannah McElhinny, Alison Siegler, Cassie Motz, Olivier Sultan '95, and Dan and Katie Lewis joined them to celebrate.
On October 20, 2001, I married William Olcott (or Billy, as many of us know him) at the Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity in Westfield, New Jersey. The celebration continued at The Newark Club in Newark, New Jersey. The weather was beautiful and the wedding a happy day all around! We were fortunate to have a wonderful Yale Law contingent present. Jennie O'Flanagan, Iris Chiu and Polly Clark were bridesmaids. Other Yale friends who shared in our celebration included Jessie Liu, Michael Abramowicz, Jennifer Chacon, Jonathon Glater, Jill Baisinger, Keith Rosen ('97), Rachel Harris, Gloria Tan, Greg Schwartz, Shelley White, Kara Paik, Matt Fader, Tracy Timbers (97), Anne Oh (97), Laura Appleman, and David Friedman (99). We departed the next morning for a two-week honeymoon in Hawaii.
Congratulations to all of the happy newlyweds!
On the job front, Johnny Chen is now working as an associate at Ropes & Grey, a large Boston law-firm. Since March 2001, Mark Trachtenberg has been practicing appellate litigation at Haynes and Boone in Houston. Shelley White is an associate at Sidley Austin Brown & Wood, and her husband Brendan Gaffey is a consultant with McKinsey & Company (Brendan received his Ph.D. in Engineering and Applied Sciences from Yale University). Michael Saul is working for Arnold & Porter, concentrating primarily on Indian law. Susannah Pollvogt just started a position with staff counsel for the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Damon Hemmerdinger is a partner at Amenta & Company, a small real estate consulting firm in Manhattan that works on retail and attractions in mixed-use environments, and reports that his work has been "fantastically interesting."
John Balestriere recently left the District Attorney's Office and is now working at the Attorney General's office in Manhattan. Polly Clark accepted a seven-month position at the General Counsel's office at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and is very much enjoying her new job. Rachel Harris is working as a litigation associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison in Manhattan and has been taking depositions abroad in exciting locations including Japan and London. Best of luck to you all!
There are also some proud new parents! Congratulations to Amanda Greenwold and Roger Wise - Charlotte Hope Wise was born on Friday, October 26, and weighed 5 lbs., 6.2 ounces, and was 18 inches long. Mother and daughter are reportedly doing well. And congratulations to Mark and Stefanie Trachtenberg, who had a son on October 10, 2001. His name is Jacob Matthew and he weighed in at 6 lbs 5 ounces and was 19 3/8 inches long. Mark reported that Jacob "is a real cutey."
Susannah Pollvogt and Michael Saul just bought a townhouse in Denver. In April Susannah Pollvogt won the state amateur boxing title (Colorado Golden Gloves)! Word is that many fans asked for her autograph after the competition! Congratulations Susannah, and for the rest of you, don't mess with her if you know what's good for you!
Thanks to all who submitted notes for this report, and please continue to send all information to Amanda Perez so that we can remain as informed as possible as to our whereabouts and happenings.