1947 - 59 | 1960 - 69 | 1970 - 79 | 1980 - 89 | 1990 - 99 | 2000 - 09 | 2010 - 19
There are several ways to submit Class Notes:
- Submit news via email to classnotes@episcopalhighschool.org.
- Contact your Class Correspondent by phone, mail, or email.
- Write your news in the space provided on the Roll Call reply card and mail it with your annual gift.
I hope this finds everyone from the Class of 1982 in excellent health and enjoying life. If you are reading this but not receiving my emails and would like to do so, please ping me so I can add or update your email address. Drop me a line at wilchester@msn.com.
I’m running behind, so I apologize for the short report.
Notes from hither and yon: Jeb Burns reports that he and Attison Barnes attended a wedding of a mutual friend in Nashville, Tenn., that was officiated by none other than the Rev. Leigh Spruill.
The inaugural EHS Class of 1982 Duck Hunt in Stuttgart, Ark., was an enormous success. We indulged, shot ducks and geese, reconnected, and most important, no one was shot. We’ve reserved the outfitter for the same weekend next year, so mark your calendar.
It is great staying in touch with everyone; please keep it up. Thanks for everyone’s contributions! Give me a call if your travels bring you to Birmingham. — Arthur Smith
Jay Toxey writes, “I’m thirty-something miles southwest of downtown Atlanta, living in a very cool development called Serenbe. It’s New Urbanist, which essentially means it’s a commune for wealthy horse people. Still in the beer business as the regional sales manager for Paulaner Brewery of Munich, covering the Southeast. So I’m all over Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama. I made it to EHS for The Game this year for the first time in 36 years. Amazing what has come of the campus; it’s pretty impressive, but makes me think of the spartan conditions we once had. I was in the old Stewart Gym and ran into Ken Tyler, and then he was kind enough to allow Zander Gambill and myself to have a picture taken with him. Zander and his wife moved to Old Town earlier last year, so after reconnecting with him last spring, we got together when my girlfriend and I came to town. He, too, hadn’t been back since graduation. Anyhow, it was great seeing a ton of folks while we were there, and I am certainly not going to wait another 30+ years to return.”
Frank Vasquez writes, “Well, not much has changed since the last update. My daughter graduates Kentucky this May with a bachelor’s in nursing, so we will be done with tuition! Traveling to Costa Rica at the end of June for two weeks. Visiting a friend whose family is in the coffee business down there: a week on the coffee plantation and a week out west on the coast in Guanacaste.”
Rod McGee is a regular visitor to campus to see his son Hugh ’22, a new student, play basketball for a strong Maroon team.
Lou Gump has joined Cox Media in Atlanta.
As class correspondent, I’ve realized that some of my fellow Old Boys are quicker and more consistent on email than others. Each time I put the call out for news, several people respond quickly — if not with actual news, then at least to check in and say hello.
I so much enjoy hearing from those regulars — a core group keeping our community strong!—but it’s also a thrill to hear from alums who haven’t reached out in a while … or, um, ever.
So when Bryan Suthard started his email, “I’ve not really responded in 34 years. ...” I knew there was solid news ahead. What’s happened over those 34 years? A lot, in fact. After Episcopal, Bryan earned undergrad and graduate degrees from the University of Virginia and joined Oracle in 1994. In 1997, he formed an Oracle-based consulting company, Xcelicor Inc., which he sold to Deloitte Consulting in 2007. He has been living in Honolulu since 2012 — “Aloha” he wrote — and he has five children (ages 21, 20, 18, 4, and 3) and one grandson. One of his children, Jake, is with the Coast Guard, intercepting drug boats off the coast of Mexico. In fact, you might remember the video in the news last year of a drug bust with the Coast Guard boarding a moving submarine — well, Jake was on that cutter. Bryan was recently back in Virginia to celebrate his grandson’s first birthday in Norfolk and added, “Maybe I’ll stop by the Hill when I’m in Northern Virginia to see how much it has changed in 30 years.” (A lot, Bryan, as you’ll see.)
A couple of other Old Boys chimed in with news about their children. David Lewis has a daughter in her second year at the University of Virginia and a son set to graduate from Auburn. And Chris Giblin has two kids at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth — Christopher ’16 and Mary Ives ’19 — and his youngest, Matthew ’22, is currently a 10th grader on the Hill.
When I hear these updates, I feel like I’m behind the times a bit. My son, Dash, is halfway through second grade — though some days he acts like a teenager, so maybe that counts.
In my own news, I’m pleased to share that I have a new book out: “The Boy Detective & The Summer of ’74 and Other Tales of Suspense,” which appeared in February and collects short stories from over (gulp!) 25 years. The title story was just published this year in the January/February 2020 issue of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and I’m fortunate to have two more stories published this spring as well: “All Tomorrow’s Parties” (inspired by the Lou Reed song) in “Chesapeake Crimes: Invitation to Murder” and “A Close Shave” in the novel “The Swamp Killers.” Additionally, another of my stories, “Better Days” from the May/June 2019 issue of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, has been named a finalist for this year’s Agatha Award, and my wife Tara Laskowski’s debut novel, “One Night Gone,” has been racking up award nominations as well — for the Mary Higgins Clark Award and for both the Agatha Award and the Lefty Award for Best First Novel.
In short, plenty to celebrate here! And thanks to everyone above for sharing their own news. Send more my way when you can!
What’s up, Class of 1988? Ned Durden here. As most of us turn the half-century mark this year, I am pleased to announce that I will be helping out with our class correspondence. Hopefully, we will have lots of good material for the next 50 years. Along those lines, if you have something that you think our classmates will enjoy, please email me at neddurden@gmail.com. I promise to release all the news that’s fit to reprint.
Until then, here is what I can tell you. I have had the pleasure of returning to The Holy Hill with some frequency the last few years, as I have two daughters who both attend EHS. Jane ’20 will be graduating this spring, and Annie ’22 is a sophomore. My wife, Laurie, and I live in Charlotte.
If you haven’t been back to The High School in a while, I recommend it. It still looks the same on the outside, but on the inside, all the buildings are much, much nicer. That’s what the influence of girls and a 30-year bull market will get you. Since I have been back, I have had the opportunity to see some of our classmates. Here’s a quick update after some recent run-ins.
Chris Avery turned 50 in January. William Grasty and I were there to celebrate with Chris in Richmond, where Chris, his wife, Beth, and two children, Meg and Oneal, reside. Chris owns a wholesale pet supply company, so if any of you need to score 200-pound bags of cat food real quick, Chris is your man.
Grasty lives in Charlotte, too. He is married, and he and Liz have three great kids: William, Liza, and Edward. I see William quite often. He is doing well and continues to keep things weird in a good way.
At the Woodberry game in November (we won — three in a row!), I ran into many folks but was able to spend some QT with Steven Lilly and Jon Beane. Lilly and his wife, Susu, reside in Raleigh, but they now have two sons at EHS, Steven ’23 and Collier ’21. Beane is married with children and lives in New York City, where he is pretty much a media mogul. He still laughs a lot, which is good, because that helps me think I am still funny.
Did I mention that both Lilly and Beane are now on the Board of Trustees at Episcopal? Two of our very own are now representing the Class of 1988. Who’d a thunk it? If you are looking for naming rights on a building at 1200 N. Quaker Lane, give those guys a call. They’d love to arrange it (for a small fee).
Lastly, I have had the pleasure of seeing Chuck Leppert pretty much every time I visit EHS. Chuck is married and has two kids, ages 3 and 5, and lives near school. He also has a nephew, John Loughlin ’22, who is a sophomore at Episcopal. Marriage, kids, and old age have really changed Leppert … not. Needless to say, we have had a lot of fun catching up.
That’s it for now. If you’re ever in Charlotte, let me know. I’d love to see you and hear what’s up. And if you can’t make it, send some material.
