1990s

Coming Soon—submit your own Class Note!

New submissions for Spring 2026:  Mary Beth Heiskell is currently working as an attorney with the NYS Department of Financial Services and living on Long Island, N.Y. Her daughter and son are adults and in/just entering the world of full-time employment. She stays in regular contact with Tricia Baldridge Wickliffe and welcomes hearing from other classmates.

New submissions for Fall 2025: Nicole St. John writes, “It’s been a while since submitting to the class notes, but now I have more incentive since my daughter, Isabelle ’28, transferred to Colby this year. She is loving Colby! I was able to visit for Alumni Weekend, and while all the new construction has transformed Colby, it is still the place I remember fondly. I also recently had a chance to visit with John Cook in San Francisco and found the perfect gift for him at the Colby bookstore—he is now the proud owner of a Snoopy Colby t-shirt!” ✹ Tara McDonough recently started a position as the Assistant Director of Prospect Research at St Benedict’s Prep in New Jersey. She’ll continue to live at the beach in Maine, working remotely—and while most people might not jump at a chance to travel to Newark on the regular, this new job means Tara gets to hang with Kimberly (Ereminas) Reeve every couple of months. Let’s hear it for old friends! ✹ Whitney (Adams) Ward writes, “Chris and I recently moved from Hingham, Mass., after 27 years and moved to Hull, Mass.—close to the water. We are now ’empty nesters’ with Lily (25) living in Boston and working in marketing, Sam (23) living in Boston and working in finance, and Sasha (19) a sophomore at Elon. We happily spend our summers on Cape Cod and now our winters away split between Naples and Utah! We made it to Colby Homecoming and loved seeing Jess and Mike Stanton, Hallie ’93 and Chip Smith ’91, Jen ’93 and Scott Reed ’93, and Karen Crebase ’91 and Judd Braverman!” ✹ Donna Burbank will be attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in Jan. 2026. If any other Colby alum are attending (econ majors or otherwise!), it would be great to connect.

Coming Soon—submit your own Class Note!

New submissions for Fall 2025: After a 25+ year career in international development, Kristen P. (Drake) Patterson recently founded Sacred Journey Death Doula, an end of life planning and death doula business. Based in Arlington, Va., Sacred Journey centers connection, compassion, reverence, and joy. Kristen provides comprehensive support for clients on their final journey, and hosts workshops designed to demystify death by connecting people with their mortality through time in nature.

New submissions for Spring 2026: Last September, Tom DeCoff and Chris Sullivan travelled to Berlin, Germany and visited Amanda Gläser-Bligh, who was an amazing tour guide and hostess. Next stop was meeting up with Kim Berget-Salmon for a milestone Oktoberfest birthday celebration hosted by Tom Moffitt in Munich. Prost! ✹ David Palmieri completed a doctoral degree at The Catholic University of America. His research, writing, and presenting focuses on helping schools, families, and faith communities to decrease risk and increase support for LGBTQ+ children. ✹ Alicia (Nemiccolo) and Dave MacLeay enjoy running, hiking, and skiing in Maine and were busy with graduations in May. Their son, Burke, graduated from Colorado College where he majored in environmental studies and is now an AmeriCorps member of Skowhegan Outdoors, planning and developing their Trails Master Plan. Their daughter, Adelle, graduated from Holderness School and is heading to Brown University in the fall where she will study international and public affairs and be on the ski team.

New submissions for Fall 2025: Lincoln Farr is currently working as a producer at Dateline NBC. He lives with his wife and two kids in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. ✹ Cassin (Donn) Duncan co-founded TipTapTales, a children’s media company built around movement-based storytelling. Through books, audio, and video, TipTapTales turns stories into active, whole-body experiences that encourage young children to move, imagine, and engage beyond the page. Their debut title, Little Red and a Cookie Dance, launched as a Best New Children’s Release on Amazon. TipTapTales is releasing new books and videos each month, with Rosie Heart: A Valentine’s Day Move-Along Story coming next. ✹ Since self-publishing her first book, Peter Plumber’s Perfect Plan, two years ago, Mika (Hadani) Melamed has continued to grow as a children’s author. In November 2025, she released her second title, Shuffle Off to Buffalo, returning to her dancing roots with Baxter, a tap-dancing buffalo, pun very much intended. Through her imprint, Woodland Pond Press, she is thrilled to share these vibrant, joyful stories with her fellow alumni and readers everywhere. ✹ Wendy (Ridder) Bergh joined Rakuten Rewards as Chief Marketing Officer in 2025 and has enjoyed driving the company’s strategy and growth. She keeps in touch with Sandra, Chrissy, Julie, and Marnie, and they keep trying to plan a time to connect live after seeing each other in Nashville a couple of years ago. The last time she was in NYC, she had drinks with Michelle and Cassie at Casa Tua on the Upper East Side. It is wonderful to reconnect with lifelong friends and celebrate Michelle’s birthday! 

Coming Soon—submit your own Class Note!

New submissions for Fall 2025: Ben Grasso is keeping busy with his role at Thornton Academy in Saco, Maine—as well as dad life to an amazing 6th grader. When not parenting or working, you can catch him at Portland Colby Alumni events, or outside running, biking, swimming, or in competitions and events for all three.

• Michelle L. Perron ’90, May 17, 2024, in Waterbury, Vt., at 56. To realize her dream of being a pediatrician, she earned her doctorate of medicine in 1995 from the University of Vermont College of Medicine. She was a dedicated partner in the Timber Lane Pediatrics Group in Vermont, providing care for families in the area. She also enjoyed baking, following in the footsteps of her Grandmother Clark. A consummate homemaker, she hosted family events at her home, enjoyed gardening, and welcomed cats and dogs into her home. She embodied how to live a life grounded in caring, compassion, and love. Survivors include her parents, her husband, Jim Percy, a brother, and extended family.
• Jennifer Fenton-Jones ’91, Dec. 23, 2024, in Harvard, Mass., at 56. From Colby, she attended Boston University and Manhattanville College, where she earned a master’s in education. She taught special education for 10 years before turning her full attention to raising her children. She was an active volunteer, serving as a substitute teacher, chairing an annual family trees celebration, and helping at an elementary school library before becoming ill with cancer. She was a “pacesetter” for the Jimmy Fund Walk in the 2021 and 2022 fundraisers. She also loved reading and treasured her membership in the Women of Candleberry Book Club. Survivors include her husband, Christopher Jones ’90, four children, her mother and stepfather, her father, and a sister.
• Douglas T. Oppenheimer ’92, Jan. 30, 2025, in Hilton Head, S.C., at 55. Following a robust Colby experience—All-New England soccer player and co-captain, varsity lacrosse player, theatrical performer, and senior class president—he played soccer overseas for the Bank of England A.F.C. First Team. He also completed a two-year acting program with the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York, worked for producer Nancy Tanenbaum on films such as The Daytrippers, and earned a master’s in historical studies from the University of Maryland. He found his calling as a history and math teacher, and as “Mr. O,” enriched the lives of students at Ruxton Country Day School for almost a decade and at Garrison Forest School (GFS) for 13 years, both in Owings Mills, Md. He was nominated for the national Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction Award and honored by GFS with the Distinguished Faculty Award in 2016. He also built a career as a highly respected soccer coach with a holistic vision. He coached where he taught but also at other institutions in the area. He was also a technical trainer with Coerver Coaching and earned several prestigious coaching certifications and licenses, traveling the world to study at academies and work with coaches. Most recently, he was cofounder of DSA Labs, serving as director of coaching and player development for the innovative sports analytics company and using DSA’s Statlink software to advise college teams through to professional and national. He passed away after facing esophageal cancer with resolve, courage, and heart, leaving as survivors his father and his brother, Jeffrey Oppenheimer ’98.
• Caryn M. Harris ’93, May 22, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn., at 53. After Colby, she did graduate work in government at Georgetown University and worked as a researcher for several think tanks in Washington, D.C. She moved to Nashville, where she earned an M.A. in conflict management at Lipscomb University and worked as an ombudsman for the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth. She was an active member of the United Methodist Church and loved the live music available in Nashville, especially performances at Ryman Auditorium. She traveled extensively in Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean; her favorite city was London, where she worked as a teaching assistant during her junior year at Colby. Survivors include her parents, Phillip and Frances Harris, and her former husband, Peter Carney ’92.
• Karl A. Oliver ’93, Oct. 2, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn., at 54. He earned a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1996. He opened a successful practice, The Oliver Group, in St. Paul and offered bankruptcy services, represented clients in commercial litigation, and practiced corporate and real estate law. He died from a heart attack and leaves a sister.
• Stuart G. Pitrat ’93, Jan. 27, 2025, in South Daytona, Fla., at 53. He worked as a web developer and programmer, starting first in Boston before moving to Florida. He enjoyed hanging out with his friends, took yearly ski trips out West, and spent summers at his family camp in Maine. Survivors include two brothers, niblings, and his beloved dog, Onyx.
• Michael D. Keller ’95, May 17, 2024, in Saint Augustine, Fla., at 51. He worked as an options broker on the floor of the American Stock Exchange for many years. After his family moved to Florida, he enjoyed his job as an assistant baseball coach at Beachside High School. With a larger-than-life personality, he exuded strength that he instilled in his children, even as he battled colon cancer. He leaves his wife, Lisa, four children, his parents, and three siblings.
• Rachel Jones ’98, Feb. 17, 2026.