Hello Pemi Family!

Over the last couple weeks, the Pemi team has been fortunate enough to enjoy alumni gatherings in New York City and Boston, where we caught up with a large number of alumni who had been at Pemi as recently as 2024 and as long ago as 1952. We love any opportunity to connect with Pemi folks near and far, but it’s especially gratifying during these long winter months. Thank you to everyone who came out, and we look forward to more gatherings in the near future.

On the heels of these get-togethers, we’re excited to share a whole host of updates from members of the Pemi community. We have news about engagements, weddings, overseas meetups, and accidental reunions. Do you have your own news to share? Be sure to email me or fill out our Alumni News & Notes form at any time for inclusion in our next update. Read on to hear and see what members of the Pemi community have been up to! Note: Be sure to scroll to the bottom for additional photos, and click on any photo to view the full sized image.

Milestones and Life Updates

Our first update is a special one – a Pemi love story! Nick Davini and Connie Vergara met at Pemi in the summer of 2021 when they were both on staff. After beginning their relationship that summer, it’s a true joy to share that Nick and Connie are now engaged to be married! No word yet on whether they plan to tie the knot in Wentworth.

Longtime camper and staff member Alex Hadden will be tying the knot with his fiancé Anna Klein in October, while his brother Payne Hadden is also recently engaged and will be getting married to Sarah Thomsen in July. Keeping it more or less in the family, Andrew Brummer, another longtime camper and counselor, is engaged to Kevin Jessup and will be exchanging vows in the near future!

Danny Murphy proposed to Casey Considine in the fall, and they’ll be saying “I do” this June! Meanwhile, Danny and his dad Dan Murphy are happy to share that they were in attendance at TD Garden when the Boston Celtics won their 18^th title in June 2024. Dan hasn’t shared how they feel about recent NBA trades. Jake Murphy now lives in Tucson, AZ. Dan Murphy also had the chance a little while back to reunite with Phil and Hilary Burnett on the Washington coast.

Former camper Timmy Ogle, who we were thrilled to once again see at the New York alumni event, married Kaitlyn Farrell this fall, and they’re enjoying married life in New York City.

A fellow member of Timmy’s age group, Will Meinke, married Colby Cayton in Portland, ME back in September. In addition to best man Chris Meinke, the wedding guests included Pemi alums/current staff members Charlotte Jones, Ned Roosevelt, Nick Bertrand, Nelson Snyder, Luca McAdams, and myself along with future Pemi campers. Will has been on staff in some way, shape, or form for every Pemi summer since 2012, and he’ll be returning for a month again in 2025 (along with most of the Pemi attendees from the wedding).

For another well-attended Pemi wedding, I’m especially excited to share the news that Pat Clare married Shannon Hutteman in November, with Pemi stalwart Ben Walsh presiding over the ceremony in a manner that only a Bean Soup editor could. Additional Pemi staff and alums in attendance included Johanna Zabawa, Charlie Malcolm, Dan Reed, Matt Cloutier, Jamie Singh, Alex Reese, Alex Hadden, Payne Hadden, Andrew Brummer, Henry Eisenhart, and best man Will Clare.

Speaking of Will Clare, he and his wife Leigh Horton welcomed Miles Robert Clare to the Pemi family on August 3, 2024. All are doing well, and Miles reports that he can’t wait for Family Camp 2025 when he and his dad will both do their first ever Polar Bear.

Austin and Olivia Blumenfeld welcomed Sadie Jean Blumenfeld to the world and the Pemi family on March 11, 2024.

Matthew Norman reports that he started a new job with United Airlines in March, 2024 as a senior analyst, co-brand.

Charlie Scott, a longtime camper and counselor, reports that, “For the past year and a half, I have been living in Portland, Oregon working as a Special Education Assistant at an elementary school. I hope to head out to Indonesia with the Peace Corps in September.”

Pemi Encounters and Gatherings

Recent (and future, we hope) Pemi staff members Sam Papel and Ali Sheikh ran into each other just days ago on the slopes of Jackson Hole and took the opportunity to ski together for a couple days.

Back in August the Pemi trio of Josh Clapper, Andy MacDonald, and Paul Cushing met up at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world’s largest performance arts festival. Paul, fresh off a summer pulling double duty as a chef and goalkeeping coach at Pemi, performed in Henry V with the Ghost Light Players, while Josh attended the festival and Andy stopped in to visit them.

In January a group of current and former staff members – Ali Sheikh, Will Katcher, Nolan Katcher, Jacob Smalley, Pierce Haley, and I –attended a performance of the Kenyon College Kokosingers to see longtime camper and returning 2025 counselor Oliver Giraud perform – wearing his Pemi 10-year tie. Oliver and co. were singing their final show of an east coast tour that took them from Washington, D.C. all the way up to Boston.

Will Katcher also partakes in an ongoing Pemi reunion with his new roommate Ben Ross in Somerville, MA. Ben reports that, “We happily share the Pemi spirit with our roommates Levi and Ryan as we wake up every morning with a great “HUZZAH!” Levi has been enjoying making soups during the winter and has become frustrated as none seem to live up to Will’s standards. He is always looking for it to be better…”

We can’t wait to add many new alumni memories in 2025 and beyond. We hope to see you at a Pemi event soon, whether in Wentworth for the Alumni Work Weekend in June, Family Camp in August, Women’s Weekend in September, or another regional gathering! And of course, if you’ll be passing through New Hampshire during the summer, please let us know and arrange a visit!

Wishing you good luck, long life, and joy!

– Pat Clare