RE Log - Spring 2020

SPRING 2020 Ransom Everglades LOG 53 1989 Class Agents: Rosalie Berg (rosalieberg@strategicvantage.com ), Michael Choi (mchoi1270@yahoo. com), Sharon-Jo Nachman (cat5sharon@gmail.com ) Vinnie Falco writes, “The C++ Alliance ( https://cppalliance.org) has officially received an IRS letter of determination for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status! It is a real non-profit now.” Rachel Feinstein was featured in The New York Times for her exhibition, “Maiden, Mother, Crone,” which was on display at the Jewish Museum in Man- hattan through March 22, 2020. The exhibition was a 30-year retrospective on her work, including drawings, murals and sculptures. Francesca Silvestri’s film The Florida Project was voted seventh-best film of the 2010s by Insider.com. The movie edged Phil Lord’s ’93 film, Spider- Man: Into the Spider-Verse, for which Lord won an Oscar in 2019. The Spider- man movie was ranked eighth by the publication. 1988 Class Agents: Adam Gelber (aagelber@bellsouth.net) , Heidi Howard Tandy (heidi8@aol.com) , Cornelia Taudt-Ehrling (ctehrling@gmail.com) Stephanie Sayfie Aagaard , Collaborative Innovator General at Whitman Family Development/Bal Harbour Shops, was honored with her mother, Suzie Sayfie, who recently re- tired as executive director of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis after 25 years at the helm. The mother-daughter duo received The Buoniconti Fund Award at the 34th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner along with sports icons Dwyane Wade and Ed Reed in New York in October 2019. Steph is pictured at the event with her two sons, Anders ’21 and Austin ’26, and Dwyane Wade. The ears of Christina Proenza-Coles ’88 must have been burning on the morning of Feb. 4, 2020, when Diego Duckenfield-Lopez ’20 addressed his upper school peers during an assem- bly in honor of Black History Month. Duckenfield-Lopez said he had been in- spired by Proenza-Coles’ book American Founders: How People of African Descent Established Freedom in the New World (NewSouth Books), a recent re- lease that relied on work she did as an as- sistant professor of the African Diaspora and Atlantic World at Virginia State University from 2004-11. “This changed my perspective on history and challenged my assumptions about how African Americans fit into the larger narrative of history,” Duckenfield-Lopez said. “One of the major points Ms. Proenza-Coles brings up in her book is the importance of seeing slaves as real Americans… not just a blip in American history, but the foundation of our country.” Michiel “Monkey” van de Kreeke is busy with his three children: Sebastian ’25 , Hans (9) and Colette (5), and in January celebrated his dad’s 84th birthday with his parents! He recently completed the MSC Cruises Ocean Cay project as senior project manager for Bermello, Ajamil & Partners and is currently working on another island project for Norwegian Cruise Lines. In addition, he is in his 23rd year as a soccer coach at RE and is very pleased to have more alums join the staff this year. This year’s season was dedicated to the loss of RE soccer three-year starting goalkeeper Antonio Tsialas ’19 and the team did not disappoint, finishing 18-3-1 and advancing to the regional playoffs (see story, page 40). Monkey continues to volunteer on the RE Alumni Board and this year is very excited to be working as co-chair of the annual fund with Vanessa Chartouni-de la Serna ’90 . In January, Monkey and his wife, Jacqueline, took a trip to southern California for some much needed R&R! RE boys’ soccer alumni coaches: L-R: Buddy Corlett ’07, David Villano ’79 , Jim Beverley ’62, Michiel “Monkey” van de Kreeke ’88, Mario Vicente ’12 , not pictured Marcos Azar ’03 Opa van de Kreeke with Hans Jackie and Monkey in Laguna Beach Sally Bergacker Maerks ’ daughter is a freshman at Emory in Atlanta. Sally and her family jour- neyed from their home in Hawaii to drop her off but left in good spirits knowing that her best friend from high school, Tracy Bermont Wise , and her family had already become her adoptive family in Atlanta.