THE GREEN | PLYMOUTH STATE ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES | WINTER 2023

See the Summer Reunion recap for updates from the Classes of 1952, 1962, 1972, and 1982.

1950s

Jean (Routhier) O’Shea ’58 majored in English and business education subjects. She was active in the Plymouth Players and later in community theater. Jean taught in Salem, Kingston, Claremont, and Portsmouth, and earned a master’s degree at age 57 from Springfield College Manchester campus. During the 70s she was also a faculty member and dean at Pierce College for Women in Concord. Jean retired in 1991 and traveled the world. She has three children and six grandchildren. Jean has lived in Dover, NH, for over 40 years and is active in Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Granite State College.

1960s

Peter Kramer ’61 and Sylvia (Weldon) Kramer ’61 have retired from teaching and enjoy their home, working outside, and looking out at the beautiful Hudson River. Peter did admissions work in the Hudson Valley for 18 years for PSU. They enjoy friends and staying in touch with some classmates. Enjoying retirement and life is the best.

Marilyn (Currie) Mons ’61 and loves being home with no desire to travel. She also loves keeping in touch with PTC friends, her daughter Jill, who is close by, enjoying lunches out, church activities, and visiting her sister at Evergreen Place. She feels very blessed with many friends and family.

Kay (Stratton) Morris ’61 is thankful to still be in touch with her Plymouth friends. Since her husband retired from the Navy in 1990, after moving around the country and overseas for 25 years, the couple has settled in Maine. They enjoy traveling, but also enjoy living on a lake in a small town. Their children and seven grandchildren live in Maine and New Hampshire, and their oldest granddaughter is a senior at Plymouth State. Kay is still painting and treasures her Plymouth classes with Karl Drerup who taught and encouraged her so much.

Kathy “Pookie” (Anderson) Nelson ’61 was an elementary education major. She had two children and then returned to teaching. Kathy retired in 2000, and has enjoyed traveling, mostly in Europe. She has three grown children and has lived in Georgia since 2012.

Daniel Whitaker ’63 retired after 47 years in public education and 22 years as superintendent of schools. His daughter Jessica Mary Whitaker ’06 graduated summa cum laude. After retirement he taught in graduate studies at PSU and served as dean of instruction at Lebanon College.

On October 5, Mayor Joyce Craig was among those cutting the ribbon on the newly rededicated Barbara Shaw Park, in Manchester, NH, in memory of Barbara Cartier Shaw ’64.

See the Facebook post

Patricia (Marconi) Lane ’66 taught business education in Toledo, OH, Perrysburg, OH, Eliot, ME, and retired from teaching at York High School in York, ME. After retiring she worked doing payroll part-time for a couple of years. Patricia and husband Donald Lane have been married since 1966 and have two daughters and three grandsons. They spend six months of the year in Bradenton, FL, and six months in York. They have traveled to Europe including Ireland a few times. Patricia enjoys golf and playing Mahjong with many friends. She would love to hear from her fellow Plymouth classmates.

Lorraine “Lorrie” (Lavoie) Kmiec ’65 participated in Field Hockey, Tennis, Basketball, Outing Club, and was class treasurer elect while at Plymouth State. She was an elementary physed teacher for 18 years and a middle school phys ed teacher and athletic director 15 years. Lorrie married Ed Kmiec in 1992 and retired from teaching in 1998. She then served as a school transportation van and livery driver for 17 years but shares that she definitely RETIRED from all 2021! She enjoys leisure activities including a long history of volunteering at animal shelters, and cats!

1970s

Peggy (Jones) Arney ’71 majored in elementary education and was part of the Polyphonic Choir. After graduation, she worked in banking and accounting. She has been married to her husband Ken, for 44 years and lives in Henniker, NH. She loves gardening and traveling.

Robert Carrier ’74 is currently the mayor of Dover, NH. He has two grown sons, Conor and Chris Carrier, and partner Kathy Morrison. A contractor for over 40 years, Robert is involved with many boards and commissions, especially recreation.

Melanie (Hayes) Devoid ’76 majored in elementary education. After 37 years in the educational field, she retired in 2013. She enjoys winters in Arizona and summers in New Hampshire, being an adjunct professor at White Mountain Community College, and enjoys spending time with her grandchildren.

Diane Mielcartz ’77 has retired from the Navy and found a new home and career in Ouray, CO. as a member of the Ouray Mountain Rescue Team.

Kevin O’Brien ’77 came from a family of Plymouth State alumni. After graduation, Kevin got an accounting position and worked as a financial officer for Data Industrial and C-Map USA. He is a founder of a successful startup company, Coastal Ocean Vision, Inc., and is now retired.

Jeffrey Todd ’77 taught and coached at The Woodstock Academy in Connecticut for four years after graduation. In 1981 he moved to Hawaii and now lives on Kaneohe Bay, Oahu. He retired after 35 years in insurance management, including 30 years with Geico in Hawaii and Alaska. Jeffrey married in 1984 and has one daughter. He still follows Boston-area professional teams!

Terry Hart ’78 just completed the Haute Route from Chamonix, France, to Zermatt, Switzerland, with eight others from the town of Princeton, MA. The trip included 10 days of hiking, 100+ miles, some snow and cold rain, but mostly absolutely beautiful days. It was the trip of a lifetime!

Diane Beaulieu ’79 is recently retired after spending nearly 20 years in the healthcare industry as a system analyst. She moved to the Seacoast region of New Hampshire and enjoys days gardening, reading, walking the beaches ,and spending time with family and grandsons.

1980s

Paul Luciano ’81 retired in March after 41 years in food-service sales with companies such as Perdue Farms, Sara Lee, and Maple Leaf Farms.

Lisa Palmieri ’84 has been in NYC since 2017 working for the US Department of Homeland Security as director of the Northeast Region. She hasn’t been back to New Hampshire in far too long! She has one son, Nick, and is enjoying life in “The Big Apple.”.

Thomas Dimitriadis ’86G remembers with great fondness his years of graduate study at PSC. Mentors like Christopher Clarke and Dr. Virginia Barry inspired and encouraged Dimitriadis to pursue a career in public school administration and supervision.

Ann (Kolden) Coletti ’88 earned her doctorate in organizational leadership in 2018. She now works in the ESOL department of her school and is the lead mentor for her district.

1990s

Jay Hollander ’94 majored in business management and is a legacy fraternity brother of Kappa Delta Phi. After graduation, he started his career in IT security sales, which he still works in today. Jay has been remarried for eight years and has moved back to his hometown of North Weymouth, MA. He is proud to announce that daughter Savannah chose to attend Plymouth State, and started her freshman year as a member of the PSU Ascent Program. Jay is excited to be frequenting campus and reconnecting over Homecoming and other annual events, with friends and their children also attending PSU.

Jeff Bourgeois ’95 (on left) and Geoff Peate ’15G crossed paths at the 2022 Association of Leadership Educators in Kansas City, MO.

Ellen (Pietrzak) Kotzin ’92, ’94G is an actress in Pittsburgh, PA. She can be seen in the TV show, League of Their Own. She is also in Tom Hanks’s latest film, as well as the LeBron James’s biopic (filmed in Cleveland), American Rust and other series. She balances acting in feature films and TV shows as well as commercial and modeling work. She taught French for many years as well as appeared on various stages. Thanks to Plymouth State College and Plymouth Players that prepared her for both! She lives in Pittsburgh with her husband of almost 25 years, Mark.

Jason Lyon ’94 was the recipient of the 2022 Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers’ Commitment to People Award. Jason is president and COO of Flatbread Company, Inc. Read the full story.

Jeff Burgeois ’95 has a new position as a faculty member in the University of Miami Department of Management. He also had the opportunity to meet Geoff Peate ’15G at a recent Association of Leadership Educators conference in Kansas City this past June. He says it was great to meet up with a fellow Panther and share stories of our respective times in Plymouth.

Kimberly Smith ’96 is the manager of global commercial training at Hypertherm, Inc.

Dr. Ron Fussell ’97 has been promoted to associate professor and associate chair of the Education Department at Creighton University in Omaha, NE. Fussell publishes and presents regularly on issues related to Catholic school leadership, curriculum, and instruction. He recently coauthored a book titled, Writing a New Story for Catholic Schools, and his book, Faith Formation for the Catholic School Community, will be published next spring. Fussell was recently honored with the Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award. He is grateful for his experience in the teacher preparation program at Plymouth State, an experience that continues to influence how he teaches and leads today.

Gregory Hoppe ’97 graduated with BS in physical education and a minor in health education. He worked for many years in various industries including sales, marketing, corporate security, and human services. He is a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and is currently employed by the USPS and residing in southern New Hampshire.He welcomes greetings and correspondence from any past or current Plymouth State students and can be reached at glh68@juno.com.

2000s

Mandy (Rockwell) Sliver ’00 was named an Extraordinary Woman of the Year for the Monadnock region by the Keene Sentinel.

Eric Turchon ’07 has joined Badger, Peabody & Smith Realty group in Holderness, NH. Read the full story.

Katelynn (Axtman) Aceto ’08 married her best friend, Michael Aceto, on September 4, 2021. (see Vows) In April 2022 she was promoted to program manager of the Pediatric Pathology Program at Boston Children’s Hospital where she has been employed for almost 10 years.

Jennifer DuPont ’08 majored in exercise physiology and received her advanced degrees (MS and PhD) from the University of Delaware. Dr. DuPont is an assistant professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine (Boston) and a principal investigator at the Molecular Cardiology Research Institute at Tufts Medical Center. Her research focus is on sex differences in cardiovascular aging and she was recently awarded a five-year, $3,489,065 grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue her studies of the estrogen receptor and its role in vascular aging. Outside of work, she enjoys cooking, working out, and spending time with her husband Travis and their 3-year-old daughter, Sofia.

Brian Mahoney ’09 started a new position as the tax managing director at BDO USA, LLP.

2010s

Douglas Woodward ’10 is now a product manager for Microsoft Surface at Connection Inc. in Merrimack, NH.

Kortney Nedeau ’11, ’14G majored in professional communication and upon graduation went on to complete her MBA in 2014. Kortney was a four-year starter for the softball team including serving as captain her senior season. Kortney married her wife, Niki, in July of 2020 and they reside in Kennebunk, ME, where Kortney was born and raised. Last year she was elected to the Kennebunk Select Board and was chosen to serve as vice chair this year. Kortney also serves the town’s economic development committee and ordinance committee. She is a proud new member of the Women’s Leadership Summit and is in her fifth year as the sole American employee for a Vietnam-based leather tannery. She is the international sales manager and sells shoe-leather across the country to major footwear brands. Selling is a gift but bringing people together and giving back to her friends, family and community is her true passion.

Felicia (Chartier) Bussiere ’12 is a human resources information systems professional at Constant Contact. She met her husband Andrew Bussiere ’12 in an event marketing class, and their professor, Terri Dautcher, later officiated their wedding.

Joe Deleault ’15 is director of the Dana Center for the Humanities at Saint Anselm College, and an active composer and performer throughout the region. Joe’s piano can be heard nightly on the opening theme to NH Chronicle on ABC. His recent projects include work with Academy Award-winner Ernest Thompson, filmmaker Ken Burns, and StoryFirst. Joe recently won a 2022 Telly Award. https://joedeleault.net

Ryan McCluskey ’17CAGS is the new principal of the Lincoln Street School in Exeter, NH. Read the full story.

Dylan Driscoll ’19 majored in sports management and minored in coaching. After graduating he went on to get his master’s degree in athletic administration from Endicott College. From there, he became the assistant director of admissions at Fisher College in Boston. Dylan recently accepted a position at St. Mary’s Lynn prep school as the student athlete guidance counselor and associate athletic director. He primarily helps students navigate the college recruitment process and helps oversee the athletic programs as a whole.

Dylan Driscoll ’19