Sheryl Scarbrough '69

2023, for me, has been a year filled with a variety of emotions. In April, I was able to travel to London and Paris with two of my daughters and a granddaughter. I was excited for them to see where I had spent ten of my
growing up years and I am always happy when I can practice my French.

In June, my husband Frank Vilt was diagnosed with cancer. It was a total shock as he never complained about not feeling well. After a two-month valiant battle, he passed away on August 6. At the same time, my son,
Brandon, and his family moved back to Montpelier as he had accepted a position at the hospital. He is a Board Certified ER Physician. They have moved into my home with me, which has been very helpful. They are
planning on building a house next year. 

Pickleball has been a lifesaver forme and I’ve been playing for the past seven years. Marty Borgman Allen just sent me two fun pickleball T-shirts and a jacket for my birthday. I love sewing. I make quilts for Veterans through a program called Quilts of Valor.

Last year, I signed up to be a coordinator for Wreaths Across America which honors deceased veterans by placing wreaths on their graves. We laid over 100 wreaths in our local cemetery. It was wonderful to have so
many people volunteer to help.This year we have even more to place. A lot of changes have taken place this year, but I am looking forward to a brighter 2024.

Blair Carlson ‘70

Serving as an Anglican Minister in Minneapolis, MN (Anglican Church of North America). Both of my daughters are now married – one completing her Master's degree in Los Angeles and the other launching her art in Hobart, Tasmania.

 Ben Cooper ‘75

My first career was with the U.S. Navy in Washington, D.C. at the Navy Nuclear Power headquarters while Admiral Rickover was still there. I left as a Lieutenant with an honorable discharge and drove to California for business school. I found my first Silicon Valley job at Intel, managing products and programs for over a decade during Intel’s heyday when Andy Grove was CEO. After Intel, I was at a gamut of tech startups and public companies, with a two-year stint in Shanghai. Thanks to our fine socialization at HKIS, I was always able to make new friends, but I carried some of my best memories from Hong Kong, and I returned a few times to visit.

At the HKIS mini-reunion in Portland, Oregon (Oct. 2021), it was great to see you all again. Nowadays, I’m a parent volunteer at my son’s high school music program. Once this stint as a roadie is over, I’m looking forward to coming out of semi-retirement. Keep watching this space!

Eileen (Snyder) Krauser ‘75

Unfortunately, Eileen succumbed to colon cancer in January of 2023. She was married to Pete Krauser for 40 years and had 2 children. After leaving Hong Kong in 1973, she settled in Florida and never left.

Eric Lee ‘75

Not retired yet but I can anytime now from professional nursing. Just not ready. Traveled a little with the Air Force but not much. Pretty much stayed put in Hawaii, 12 years; and currently in Minnesota, 36 years. I have two daughters and two good sons-in-law. Five grandchildren with two more expected.

Trying to plan some ideas for our 50th year class reunion.

Freeman Fessler ‘75

I moved from HK to Ithaca, NY for 11th and 12th grades and graduated from Ithaca H.S. Went to (and graduated from) Cornell where I met my wife.

Retired March 31 of LAST year! Worked as an IT System Administrator and Programmer for Kodak Alaris (a spinoff from the bankruptcy downsizing of Eastman Kodak where I had previously worked). I worked as a contract Programmer with Computer Task Group (CTG) before joining Kodak.

I have four kids:
Andrew (35 years old) and wife Fionuala (Metuchen, NJ), one grandson (3 years old) and another grandchild due at the end of the month! Jessica (31 years old) and husband Ryan Duncombe (San Francisco, CA). Kayla (29 years old) and husband Jay Statdius (Jacksonville, FL). Lauren (28 years old) and fiancé Jonathon Mathews (Fort Myers, FL but moving soon to Gainesville, FL area).They plan on getting married in June of 2024.

My wife Anne and I have been married 42 years! Yes, we were probably too young, but it seemed right at the time. I couldn't imagine OUR kids getting married THAT early these days!!

We now live in Farmington, NY (near Canandaigua which is SE of Rochester, NY). Basically midway between Buffalo and Syracuse. We moved to Lima, NY after Anne's graduation from Veterinary School. We moved to Farmington where she opened her own Veterinary practice (and where we lived upstairs until we moved into our current house which belonged to her uncle).

I'm really sorry I missed the last reunion and look forward to the next one. Is anyone planning anything on the East Coast?

I have a half-sister, nephew, and good friend in the Seattle area so let me know if there is anything going on out there.
Also, anything in the area of my kids could potentially work out also!

Judi (Porter) Rower ‘75

I moved to Goose Creek, Texas for 11th and 12th grades. That was a hard transition! After college in California, I went on tour with a folk band for a year before marrying my college sweetheart and settling in San Diego. His work took us to Virginia and Israel for a couple of years each, but we’ve been back in Southern California since 1992. We live on a small ranch just north of San Diego.

For work, I had a number of jobs in the school district from classroom aide to health clerk to math and science teacher but after my youngest graduated from high school, I left too. I retired six years ago as the director of affirmative action programs for a national company. My husband and I have been married 43 years and have three great kids, three very cool “kids-in-law”, and five grandkids.

Suzanne Long O'Roarke ‘75

My husband, John, and I are currently revisiting the stunning Florida northern panhandle Gulf Coast. It is one of our favorite areas in the US because of the gorgeous sugar sand beaches and crystal-clear water and we are hunting for a home. Our business as a global training distributor keeps us busy and continues to grow and get more interesting.

Chris Collins ‘76

All my contact info is the same (chris@cstorypoles.com). Loving the So-Cal life in Carlsbad, CA. Still running my small niche business….not retired. My daughter Meagan is 22 years old, attending SDSU.

Richard Grayson ‘78

We moved back to Bartlesville, Oklahoma at the end of my Junior year. Just a little culture shock for me. Working for the same company my father worked for during our time in Asia. Likely 1 to 1 1/2 year from retiring. Have an option to stay longer or looking at WFH opportunities once I retire,
Beverly had 2 sons when we got married, 34 years later we have 3 grandsons who we love very much and are very proud of. 36 years in Houston, once retired may move, just not completely sure.

Christine Wong ‘86

Life this year has been busy and full of homecoming and joy. I made it back to Hong Kong after four years of being away and spent the good part of 2022-2023 writing and photographing my third book, a cookbook called The Vibrant Hong Kong Table. It is my love letter to our wonderful city and the iconic foods we know and love, but with a plant-based twist! It has been heartwarming to rediscover food memories, learn about HK's culinary history, and create dishes that are both nostalgic and sustainable. I can't wait to share it with the world on August 6, 2024, (it's available for pre-order!). Let me know what you think! You can find me on Instagram @conscious_cooking!

I've also been lucky to see my bestie Amy Ng '86 multiple times within this year, in NYC last summer and Vancouver in the new year–with an unexpected but delightful stopover in Seattle catching up with Helen Best '86. In May, Amy and her daughters gave me the biggest surprise of my life showing up for lunch on my 55th birthday!

Stan Fichtman ‘92 

In February 2023, was named Fellow to the University Connections Initiative for the US-ASEAN White House Fellowship, one of 25 colleges in the United States interfacing with 25 colleges and universities in the ASEAN region. Also, in that February, became a Deacon and Treasurer of Leeward Community Church in Pearl City, HI by-election for a two-year term. Responsible for overseeing all fiscal issues of a church that recently expanded its campus and its footprint in the community.
In 2024, I will formally retire as an assigned leadership adviser to leaders of JCI-USA after my final service as an adviser to the National President for 2023.