Meet the Class of 1972
What is the Class of ’72 up to?
This September, members of the Buckley Class of 1972 met up with several of their classmates for a Buckley reunion in Newport, Rhode Island. Present at the event were Buckley alumni Pam Walker McNamara, Vicki Chesler, Daphne Riker Hagan, Tina Rose Erardi, Lydia Herzig Landesberg, Jamie Hale, Tilde Mariani Giacché, Lynn Chamberlain Adams, and Allison Bannister Ben Abdallah. These pictures capture some of the excitement from their reunion this year.
This month's Alumni Update features two of the alumni at the event, Vicki Chesler and Tina Rose Erardi. See their stories below:
Vicki Chesler
What year did you graduate from Buckley? “I stayed for ninth grade, so graduated in 1971, and then stayed for the ninth grade, until 1972.”
What did you do right after you graduated from college? “After graduating from Connecticut College, I moved to NYC where I worked at a medical journal and wrote freelance for various local and national publications. I met my husband Matt Kovner one year later, and in 1980 we founded The Cooperator, a monthly publication for co-op and condo owners, managers and boards. We also did educational seminars, published a book (Co-op & Condo Ownership), and created the Co-op & Condo Expo, a trade show held annually in Manhattan. We sold the company in 1999, took a year off and travelled around the world with our two daughters (Melissa, born in 1987, and Kelsey, born in 1990).”
What are you doing now? “Since then we have been doing marketing consulting in the field of apartment ownership and management, as well as buying, selling, renovating, building, and renting real estate projects, mostly in the areas near our Ulster County home. We have a condo in Manhattan, a house near Woodstock NY, and a sailboat in Noank, Connecticut. Our daughter Melissa Kovner was married on August 5, 2017 to Nicholas Levine (https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/08/06/fashion/weddings/melissa-kovner-nicholas-levine.html) and works in television production in NYC. Our daughter Kelsey works in wildlife education at the Bronx Zoo. They both live in Brooklyn. ”
What do you remember most fondly about Buckley? “The beautiful old building and surrounding woods, pond, fields and golf course; our wonderful teachers, many of whom were just a few years older than we were! And the amazing, small community where everyone knew each other so well, and so many amazing friendships were formed.”
What did you carve on your plaque and what was its significance at the time? “My two Siamese cats, Sapphire and Nin. Funny story: Nin was Sapphire's daughter from a litter born when my parents bred her with Lydia's Siamese cat! (Our fathers were friends before they were even married).”
Tina (Rose) Erardi
Thanks in advance for your feature of our BCDS Newport reunion. As you probably know from Tilde and Daphne, we are still all great friends after all these many years. It’s remarkable really, how several of us kept in touch throughout the 50+ years since graduation and then, through the magic of social media, brought the last few back in several years ago to complete the old group. The BCDS bond is one like no other!
Anyway, [here is] my simple story:
After Buckley in 1971, I went to high school at Friends Academy (with most others in this group) and then Ithaca College. With the intention of eventually going to law school, I was a corporate paralegal for many years in NYC and Boston. As life would have it, I took a different path, got married, had kids and followed my passion for “all things old” by starting a small antiques and redesign business in Ct where we raised our family. Our son Nick (31, John’s Hopkins ’08, Georgetown ’14) does tech development and marketing in DC and Calgary. Our daughter Katherine (28, Syracuse ’11) is the Art Director for Crate and Barrel in Chicago. Once the kids flew the coop, my husband Greg and I moved back to NYC where we are happily avoiding a sedentary retirement! It’s so great having Tilde literally just around the corner and Vicki uptown part-time.
What do you remember most fondly about Buckley? “My fondest memories of Buckley all revolve around the simple cohesiveness of our small class. It was a very intimate setting, of course free from all modern technology which can hinder the development of deeper relationships. Our teachers knew us to our core. And we knew each other. Our principal Mr Bird ate lunch with us every day, rotating students at his table so as to learn something about each one of us. Athletics were competitive but not divisive. Danish Rounders and dodge ball were free time favorites. I do hope some of those old traditions still exist at Buckley today.”
What did you carve on your plaque and what was its significance at the time? “Oh, and my plaque...[I carved] a mouse and cheese! All I remember is that I used to doodle incessantly back then. One of those doodles ended up on my plaque. Not sure why!”
Have any alumni stories that you would like to share? Reach out to the Development Office at 516-627-1910 ext. 2772, or via email at slong@buckleycountryday.com or hmascolo@buckleycountryday.com.
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