Bear Pause Archives

Peter Ankeny ʼ07 lives in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with his partner, Maddy, their two samoyeds (Tiki and Goose) and their cat (Stella).

John Brooks ʼ71 lives in Wayzata with Joan, his high school sweetheart and wife of 44 years. Now retired, John enjoyed working in the food business and serving on the board of the family business. 

When not in Minnesota spending time with her two dogs, Isa Chenitz ʼ20 loves traveling, trying new foods and playing cards. 

Peter Vaughan ʼ74 is a retired biologist whose career toggled between academia and applied projects in public health and environmental conservation.

When not chauffeuring her kids, Nedda Noori Salehi '02 can be found lawyering and trying to tap into the creative part of her brain.

Sam Hardy ʼ24 loves to travel, try new experiences and binge his favorite TV shows, “Ted Lasso” being his top pick.

When not working as chair of equity and instruction for Blake, Jessica Lipschultz ʼ94 can be found in a yoga studio, trying out a new recipe in the kitchen or sharing a laugh with family and friends.

Judd Peterson ʼ69 is an architect with a talent for swing fiddling. He experienced his 15 minutes of fame when he snagged a foul ball with a fish net at a Twins game.

When he's not hard at work helping to reduce pollution, Craig Swanson '84 spends time with his wife, Larey ʼ84, and children, Serena ʼ17, Savannah ʼ17 and Craig Jr.

Kelly Ohman Prchal ’00 is a healthcare consultant and co-founder of Engage Venture Partners. She lives with her husband and daughters on a hobby farm in Orono, Minnesota.
 

A perfect day for Nico Valiente ’23 consists of relaxing in bed while binging Hayao Miyazaki and Jordan Peele films.

Kelly Corcoran Smith ʼ98 is on hiatus from his international ice skating tour days, focusing instead on the domestic market and skating choreography and also coaching Blake's figure skating team.

Ann Ford ʼ08 lives in Mid-Michigan, loves cooking, hiking and shark movies and is always open to hot sauce recommendations.

Like many of us, Conway Yung ’02 is navigating life with a sense of humor and would like to remind everyone that acerbic wit and repartee will only get you so far, especially in Fort Worth, Texas.

Julia Connors Soplop ʼ00 is a science writer and photographer whose latest book, “Information Crisis,” will be published in 2024. She lives with her husband and three daughters outside of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

When he’s not planning a Blake reunion, Jeff Goldenberg ʼ83 can be most easily found at his payroll/HR company, Press Gold Group, along the shore of a Minneapolis lake or lounging on his hammock.

Farzad (Haider) Alvi '84 lives in Toronto, where he’s walked on the edge enough to know he doesn’t need to do it again.