Ithacan Alumni: Good Times in Our Nation’s Capital

From left, Lena Yue ’10, Erica Hendry ’09, Nate Weixel ’08,
Max Steinmetz ’09 at the alumni dinner.

It was an exciting time in Washington, D.C., last weekend, when I was able to combine my annual dinner with our Washington alumni on Aug. 7 with attending the Aug. 9 wedding of one of our best former editors-in-chief, Beth Quill ’06, and Seth Zuckerman.

The D.C. dinner is always one of my favorite parts of summer, although it has the bittersweet quality of usually being the last fun thing I do before going back to work for the fall semester. Combine it with a wedding (the 14th wedding of an Ithacan alum I’ve attended) and there's nothing bitter about it.

Senior Miles Surrey, Kate Sheppard ’06 and Caitlin Connelly
Ellsworth ’05 at the alumni dinner.

The Bride: Beth Quill ’06

Bonnie Flock Tabasco ’01 and Mike Tabasco ’00 at the dinner.

We had a great time this year, as usual. Dinner was at our favorite spot, the Old Ebbitt Grill, and it brought out the usual cast of characters, plus a few new ones. This year’s crowd included Caitlin Connelly Ellsworth ’05, Charlie Ellsworth ’04, Erica Hendry ’09, Noria Litaker ‘06, Alexandra Palombo ’11, Max Steinmetz ’09, Kate Sheppard ’06, Bonnie Flock Tabasco ’01 and Mike Tabasco ’00, Megan Tetrick ’03 and her husband Brad Hopewell, Kerry Tkacik ’13, Nate Weixel ’08 and Lena Yue ’10. Current students Deanna Romanoff and Miles Surrey were also on hand. Jill Agostino ’86 was in New York on New York Times business the night of the dinner, so Erica, Max and I had brunch with her on Sunday.

Alex Palombo, Kerry Tkacik and
Yue again!

Enjoyable though the dinner was, however, the high point of the weekend was Beth’s wedding. The ceremony was beautiful, and the word “radiant” doesn’t do her justice. The ceremony was held at the St. Thomas Apostle Church in Woodley Park, and the reception at St. Francis Hall, adjacent to one of the coolest/creepiest American monasteries I know, the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America. (I love that place! I’ve visited it many times.) Nothing creepy about the reception though — just a lot of people coming together to celebrate a wonderful couple. It was also a nice chance to spend more time with people I like: Anne Walters Custer ’05, Noria Litaker ’06, Lyndsey Runaas ’06 (that’s Dr. Runaas to you) and Kate Sheppard ’06 and her husband Deen Freelon. I always tell current students that becoming involved with The Ithacan is like becoming part of a family, and it’s never more evident than at times like this.