Past Class Notes

Submission Date:
First Name: Andrew
Last Name: Welsh
Class Year: 1997
Photo:
1977_welsh_andrew.jpg
andrew welsh
Note: Andrew Welsh '77 (COS) recently accepted a new job as a Senior Data Scientist at Dell Technologies.
Submission Date:
First Name: Owen
Last Name: Kassimir
Class Year: 1982
Photo:
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Owen with 355lbs. Tuna
Note: After a very successful career in photography, Owen Kissimir '82 (GAP) has officially retired and has moved on to his true passion of coaching tennis and pickleball. Kissimir played on the RIT tennis team for two years when he was attending and was captain his senior year. Over the past 6 years or so he has been coaching college tennis and now high school tennis on Long Island. He also works at a club on Long Island coaching all ages. He also enjoys fishing and playing with his grandchildren.
Submission Date:
First Name: Daniel
Last Name: Taylor
Class Year: 1983
Photo:
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Dan and Nora with current and past Taylor Design employees at the firm's 30th anniversary party on December 1. Nora second from left. Dan fifth from left.
Note: This winter marks the 30th anniversary of Taylor Design, a Stamford, CT-based graphic, branding, and digital design studio founded by Dan Taylor '83 (FAA) and Nora Vaivads-Taylor '83 (FAA). Taylor Design has grown from its humble beginnings as a sole proprietorship in 1992 to today’s 10-person studio with local, regional and national clients. Taylor Design’s client roster ranges from corporations to educational institutions to non-profits and the studio’s work has earned awards from regional, national, and international competitions, including Communication Arts magazine, Print magazine, How magazine, and Graphis magazine. Dan wrote and recently published a book titled “Brand Rehab,” reflections on thirty years in the communications industry and a collection of the firm’s favorite creative projects from 1992 to 2022. Throughout the book Dan provides insights into the studio's creative process and shares observations and ideas on the keys to success in the communications and branding industry. The book is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Brand-Rehab-Reflections-communications-collection/dp/B0BPGL27SZ/ref=sr_1_3?crid=20U9KXQBDAATI&keywords=brand+rehab&qid=1672141638&s=books&sprefix=brand+rehab%2Cstripbooks%2C81&sr=1-3.
Submission Date:
First Name: George
Last Name: Kamper
Class Year: 1973,1977
Photo:
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Meet The Pint Sized Picasso That's Only 11 Years Old
Note: George Kamper '77 (GAP) captured this photo of Andres Valencia, an 11-year-old sensation who is being compared to the legendary Pablo Picasso.
Submission Date:
First Name: Sharon
Last Name: Hoogstraten
Class Year: 1975
Photo:
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Hoogstraten with "Dancing for Our Tribe" at the Field Museum in Chicago.
Note: Photographer Sharon Hoogstraten '75 (GAP) spent a decade portraying contemporary Potawatomis in regalia and as an unexpected dividend, discovered her own roots. A Michigan native, she traveled to Chicago for graduate study at the University of Illinois and then stayed having no clue that she was literally walking in the footsteps of her Potawatomi ancestors. This legacy project spans all nine Potawatomi Nations and is our gift to the future seven generations. Focusing on both the traditional and contemporary aspects of regalia, it is also a declaration of continued existence. Her nearly life-sized portraits have been widely exhibited and collected. A book, "Dancing for Our Tribe: Potawatomi Tradition in the New Millennium" was released in August of 2022 by Oklahoma University Press.

https://www.oupress.com/9781733674423/dancing-for-our-tribe/
https://www.potawatomi.org/blog/2022/10/17/photographer-releases-legacy-project-highlighting-tribal-members-history/
https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/potawatomi-photographer-captures-the-joys-of-dance-in-new-book?fbclid=IwAR0Gs9GvilhTDiuYsb94pNq8eVM6mSFJuKE3x4v55eDiKmfDGSRh3MgQid8