Greetings fellow Bulldogs! Happy New Year from me, Amanda Cavendish. Has it really been a quarter of a century since we left Yale? Is our 25th Reunion truly around the corner? Who else feels like screaming every time they hear the name Herbert Hoover? (Or is it just that he went to Stanford?)
When I look at my life today, I am struck by how remarkable it is and how little I could have pictured it in 1984. Like many of you, I am busy with children and household activities. Like a few of you (Chessy Cox '84, Pierce Lamb '84, Evelyn Matthews '82, Toby Hart '81 and Lisa Oliver'83), I live on Woodbridge Lane in Winnetka. Having been reared in Lake Forest, I never imagined I'd end up a maverick dwelling in the South.
Nor did I dream I'd be the mother of four fantastic kids. Two boys and two girls: what are the odds? Don't know how many of you recall me running around Branford freshman year in my nightgown with a hockey mask and butcher knife pretending to be that Michael guy from "Halloween," but our son Alec seems to have inherited my zest for life (some would say mental illness!). His cross-country coach was out driving one snowy November night when Alec streaked past shirtless. "Alec," yelled the coach, "What on earth are you doing?" "Living," came the response. Precisely.
Speaking of Branford, if anyone's interested in a mint-condition priceless set of Royal Worcester plates depicting the campus's most beautiful spot in the world's most glorious colors (blue and white) do let me know as it seems a pity to let it fall into unappreciative hands.
We will, however, never put our pet iguana, Pepper, on the chopping block. Our neighbors, dooming-and-glooming about stagflation, think we're bonkers to raise him. But he eats much less than you'd think and has an unusually high crest, substantially more scales than most, a particularly long whip-like tail and enormous dewlaps. My husband Doug (Dartmouth '80; Wharton '83) says he looks like his firm's accountant.
Actually, Doug had to let that accountant go recently along with a number of other longtime staff (including Chas Alexander '68). We had our own goosebumps when Doug was summoned to the C.E.O.'s office only to learn a) he's doing a terrific job b) he still has one and c) our daughter Daphne (who'd been wait-listed for the C.E.O.'s daughter's sleepover) should pack her toothbrush. Restructuring is never easy but the economic downturn has made it imperative. On a brighter note, Doug was able to fill a number of resulting vacancies off Craigslist at considerable savings. If this be the recession, bring it on!
Hard as it is to fathom, our eldest, Sarah, recently applied early decision to college (no, not Yale, though I certainly lobbied hard). She's skipping her senior year of high school, a choice having nothing to do with saving $43,000 and everything to do with her incredible maturity and poise. Can this gorgeous, graceful creature (featured in North Shore magazine's Hot Teens Issue (March 2007)) really be about to leave the nest? It seems only yesterday we were delivering her to Deerfield, where we ran into Bink Jenkins '82 and his new wife Astrid dropping off his son Ryan. The Jenkinses and we later split the services of a decorator, Missy Campbell, who did both kids' rooms at Deerfield and, as part of the package, has promised to further her work at whichever colleges they find themselves. Godspeed finding your way around IKEA, Missy (only kidding!).
Christmas Day saw us checking our investments online in a Kuala Lumpur internet cafe surrounded by a horde of laughing Malaysians in brightly-colored sarongs. Doug indicated the screen to their blithely uncomprehending faces and said, "If you don't count the decimal points, our annual fund balances haven't changed." We were on the first leg of our Alumni Asian Spice tour (Myanmar's still a no-no, but we did manage to visit Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and four other nations). Sterling Professor of History, Peter Whittaker, briefed us on the Far East political situation in the lobby of the Bangkok Oriental and then proceeded to fleece the group for sixteen dollars playing Quarters in the bar. Be forewarned, Pete, come next year's trip, revenge is ours.
On the homefront, I continue to give back to the greater Chicago community, serving on the boards of North Shore Country Day (Stephen is a sophomore and on the High Honor Roll), the North Shore Art League, and the Winnetka Village Improvement Association. Lately, I've battled to resuscitate the Winnetka Fox Hunt (Doug's grandfather Henry ('16) was Master of the Hunt in 1955 when it was disbanded) as a charity function to benefit the Winnetka Historical Society. I've been on the phone constantly. Sisyphus, you have my sympathy.
Despite this travail, I recently squeezed in time with Nan O'Brien '82, Froggy Morton '83, Francesca Thurgood '83, and Tina Barker '84. Nan announced she's just read a piece on Hollywood agents reluctant to pay for lunch in these troubled times and then promptly picked up the check!
Our indefatigable Daphne was re-named co-captain of her gymnastics squad and wiill again dance lead position on the synchronized swim team (see schedule at www.northshorewaterlillies.org). She is also hugely relieved finally to be menstruating (We told her all along: "You have to be last in something.").
We're currently re-doing the bedrooms in our guest cottage in case we have to rent out the big house (just joking!) so if anyone's in the neighborhood, give a holler. Don't be shy: we keep Pepper with us. In the meantime, cross your fingers and watch this space in the Spring Issue to see where Sarah applied early and if she got in. That'll be something to share at Reunion.
