Class Notes

We’d love to hear from you!

Have news to share? Use the submission form or email the Alumni Office.

1950s

Len Edwards ’59 reports that the Class of 1959 enjoyed an outstanding dinner at Menlo in 2024 to celebrate their 65th reunion. The gathering had an excellent turnout, with more than eight classmates attending, along with several spouses. His grandson, William Edwards ’25, graduated from Menlo this past June and plans to attend Boston College. William and his brother, Chase Edwards ’26, played on Menlo’s varsity golf team last year.

1960s

Ed Wolcott ’60 is now retired and living in Gainesville, Florida. He has a son in Philadelphia and two grandchildren. His granddaughter, Roya, will be attending the University of Miami (Florida) next year, and they’ll be traveling to Philadelphia to celebrate her high school graduation. His daughter, who lives in Greenville, South Carolina, is also retired from teaching. This summer, Ed and his wife, Willa, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with a family cruise around Iceland. He hopes to attend his 65th Menlo reunion.

Ed Wolcott and his wife Willa in New England last summer

Michael Wanger ’65 is still playing music.

Bill Bugbee ’66, along with co-authors Robert Kiesling and John Wright, recently published Saving the Big Sky, a compelling study of how six million acres of biodiverse land were conserved in Montana over the past 50 years through collaborative efforts between tribes, nonprofits, land trusts, and government agencies. The book showcases conservation achievements across eight regions of the state and demonstrates how large, connected landscapes can be effectively preserved through voluntary tools that respect private property rights.

Saving the Big Sky, by Bill Bugbee ’66, co-authored with Robert Kiesling and John Wright

Greg Gunderson ’69 traveled to Paris and Zürich for a three-week vacation, followed by a trip to Del Mar for the races and a visit with relatives and Stanford classmates in Portland, Oregon. Later this year, he’ll be cruising from Hong Kong to Tokyo. Their real estate team at Compass in San Francisco continues to thrive, and they always welcome referrals from anyone considering a move to the city.

1970s

Charles Wood ’70 retired after 40 years of service as a professor of physiology at the University of Florida College of Medicine.

Mike Madison ’79 met up with his former Menlo varsity soccer coach, Mark Speckman, for lunch, reminiscing about the brief but impactful time Mark led the team. More than 45 years later, the two enjoyed catching up, chatting about sports, and sharing a little Menlo nostalgia. As Mark still says, “We’re en fuego.”

Mike Madison ’79 and Menlo soccer coach Mark Speckman

John Matteson ’79 recently concluded a visiting professorship at the Université de Lyon. John resides in Lyon when not teaching at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. He’s working on what he hopes will be his last book, on the friendship of Voltaire and Frederick the Great.

1980s

Tom Bellit ’80 is a 26-year Navy veteran and a service-disabled combat veteran. Now retired and enjoying life in paradise!

Tom Bellit ’80 enjoying life!

Jim McClellan ’85 has been a United Airlines 787 Captain since 2024.

Matt Kennedy ’86 lives in San Francisco with his wife and two teenage daughters. He recently finished his 10th year coaching his younger daughter’s soccer team, which progressed from a kindergarten rec league to competing in NorCal Premier’s gold tier. Professionally, Matt shifted from tech to climate-tech 15 years ago. For the past several years, he has been working to create and implement profitable business models to address water supply shortages across the Colorado River Basin. He is close to scaling up one solution through a project finance model and finds the work incredibly rewarding.

Marnie Larson Near ’87 is an Austin-based producer and was thrilled to premiere her independent feature film, Birdsong, at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose earlier this year. Birdsong is a psychological thriller that explores love, freedom, and the cost of captivity in a gripping and visually haunting story.

Jason Ward ’88’s film The Motorcycle Man was recently honored at the Ithaca Short Film Festival, where he received the Best Directing Award. The project was a true Menlo collaboration, with classmate Ben Mullin ’88 as Director of Photography, and daughter Langley Ward ’21 as lead actress.

1990s

Chris Palm ’90 is an executive communications consultant specializing in cybersecurity, AI, and defense technology for national and homeland security sectors.

Chris Palm ’90

Danielle Bianchi Golod ’92 lives just west of Austin, with her husband and their two children, Gavin (16) and Ramey (14). Both kids play competitive tennis, and Ramey also enjoys ballet. While they continue to homeschool, Danielle has recently transitioned into more of a principal role rather than serving as their primary teacher, which has brought a bit more breathing room for everyone. Danielle remains active in college counseling for high school students and enjoys spending time with her family on their farm, which is home to 26 chickens, fruit trees, and their black lab, Coco.

Lucia Lloyd-Kolkin Lake ’94 and her husband moved to Costa Brava, Spain, last year and plan to make Spain their permanent home. They look forward to visiting family and friends in the U.S. from time to time.

Lucia Lake ’94 and her husband, George

2000s

Lew Smith ’00 and his family recently relocated from the Bay Area to Central Oregon. He and his wife, Giovanna Faro Tripiano Smith, have two sons—Jaxon Avery Camden Smith (9) and Makalo Lewdavico Tripiano Smith (2).

Lew Smith ’00 with his wife, Giovanna, and two sons, Jaxon and Makalo

Matt Wolf ’00’s latest documentary, Pee-wee As Himself, exploring the life and career of actor Paul Reubens, won Outstanding Original Film, Broadcast or Streaming at the Gotham TV Awards.

Nick Casey ’01 has been awarded a Pulitzer Prize in international reporting for a New York Times Magazine story, “Inside the Mountain Stronghold of an Elusive Rebel Movement.” The article provides an inside view of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North.

Taylor Wells ’04 lives in Wilton, California, about 30 minutes southeast of Sacramento, with his wife, Khonika, and their two sons, Dylan (10) and Rylen (7). He works as an outside sales representative for Contractors Wardrobe, a supplier of showers, glass, mirrors, and closet doors, covering all of Northern California. Taylor and Khonika celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary in April. These days, they enjoy a quieter pace of life and cherish any chance to relax with a good beverage in their hammock at home.

Marcella Padilla Ng ’05 was elected to the Redwood City Council in December 2024.

Dana Tom ’09 and her husband, Max Levy, welcomed a baby girl, Ren Dager Levy Tom.

Dana Tom ’09, Max Levy, and dog Monty with their newborn baby girl

2010s

Antonio López ’12 was recently appointed San Mateo County’s Fifth Poet Laureate by the Board of Supervisors in celebration of National Poetry Month and California’s Arts, Culture, and Creativity Month. Antonio draws inspiration from his community and explores themes of immigration, racism, and gentrification in his work. You can read more about his appointment and check out his poem, “County of My Name,” here.

Samantha Bergeson ’13, senior news editor at IndieWire in New York City, won a National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award from the Los Angeles Press Club. She was recognized for her article on diversity in the film industry, “For Female Creatives, Hollywood Is Still Just As ‘Bleak’ As Some Fear, but It Doesn’t Have to Be.” This marks her second national journalism award, following a Student Achievement Award in Film Criticism from the New York Film Critics Circle during her time at NYU. Sam lives in the West Village in New York City.

Tanya Buxton, Upper School science and engineering science teacher, visited the University of Chicago earlier this year and reconnected with several of her former students. The visit was a wonderful chance to catch up and hear about their journeys since Menlo.

Menlo alumni Danae Yotopoulos ’24, Marco Cassani ’24, Cooper Lind ’21, Stella El-Fishawy ’21, Jacob Halabe ’21, Stella Buch ’24, and Tanya Buxton gather in Chicago

Kayla Davis ’22 and Tanya Buxton in Chicago

Walter Li ’19 and Tanya Buxton in Chicago

2020s

Sofya Lebedeva ’20 is enjoying her PhD program in computational genomics in the UK and recently completed her first triathlon with the Oxford Varsity team.