"Only sick music makes money today."
Nietzsche

The Rumor Mill:

Kristin Celona (’93) married Peter Becker on June 7, 1997 in Hamilton, MA. The Beckers live in NYC.

Debbie Wellner Heinrich (’91) received her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from Emory University.

Debbie Gardner Leibold (’91) and her husband, Greg aka "Scoot", are expecting their first child in November. The Leibolds live in Denver, CO.

Emily Miller (’94) is attending Vanderbilt University to obtain a Masters in Education.

Laura Magistro (‘93) is engaged to Talley Wells. Wedding date: 5/23/98. Laura just received her M.S.W. from UNC and is a social worker in Durham, NC.

Michele Baird (’93) is engaged to Jason Counter. Wedding date: 8/22/98. Michele is attending graduate school at SMU in Dallas, TX.

Welcome to the first issue of the circle, a newsletter that will hopefully grow according to the wishes of all of you, the alumnae of Out of the Blue. As you know, we are a geographically- dispersed group, and as such, it’s difficult to keep in touch. Consequently, we are at a disadvantage for creating a living, breathing Alumnae Association, which must have group consensus to be successful. Most of us remember how hard it was to make decisions when we were together! And now we’re spread out all over the world.
First, why build an Alumnae Association? On the most basic level, it would give us a method of staying connected with each other. Regular contact through a published newsletter and/or an alumnae network would help us keep our address books updated. We would also have a way of keeping up with each other’s lives, of seeing what Betsy, or Lori, or Meghan is doing these days.
On a deeper level, a successful OOTB network would give both us and the current group a sense of history. We would learn about how the group got started, about the phases it has seen, and about where it is now. Through reunions and concerts, we would be able to meet new people who share a similar, powerful experience. Those of you who attended the impromptu spring reunion in 1995 may remember how incredible it was to meet and sing with so many amazing women!
We would also communicate more effectively with the current group of OOTB women, which would help us support them in their efforts. Whether they need a particular musical arrangement, a place to stay on tour, warm bodies for concerts, or donations for a CD fund, we could help them better if we were organized.
Ok, we’ve heard several reasons why this would be a worthwhile project for us to undertake. The second question is: who am I, and why am I so concerned? Many of you already know me, perhaps from previous address list mailings, as someone who is very interested in OOTB. Call it a sickness, a love of pain, whatever.

my experience was amazing. I had never before spent time with such strong, talented women; I learned a great deal from many of you. My time in the circle was both transcendent and difficult, joyous and sad, magical and mundane…but always important to me. I am a different (and hopefully better) person for what I learned during my tenure in OOTB, and I want to give back whatever I can to a group that has given me so much.
In creating this first issue of the circle, I have incorporated the suggestions many of you sent regarding what you’d like to see in a newsletter. I ask that you take time to fill out the Comment/Information Sheet at the back, so that we can begin to modify things as you see fit. If we’re going to build true group consensus on an Alumnae Association, I need your creativity and your input. Right now, I don’t know what form this will take, if anything. If there is not enough interest, we won’t pursue this. But if enough of you want to see an alum network grow and be successful, we can create one. It can be whatever YOU want. Just let me know, and I’ll try to get the discussion going for all of us.

Thank you, and I hope to hear from you soon!
Angela Howell (’92)

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