HISTORY OF THE HOUSE/HOUSEHOLD IN A NUTSHELL:
Paul Reynolds (a Boston College student) and Jon Braiman (a Tufts student) met in January, 1981, when they were spending a semester in Paris. After their graduations in 1982, they decided to room together in an attic apartment at 73 Gardner St., Allston, along with Art Medlar (a BC student), whom they found through the help of mutual friend Lisa Stepanski (and/or Phil Huckins?).Eventually feeling the desire for more headroom, they found a 5-bedroom apartment two doors down at 53 Gardner St., into which they moved July 1, 1985. Joining them in the larger apartment were Steve DePalma, a friend of Art's from a high school summer program in Mississippi, and Laura Tai, Art's girlfriend at the time. When Laura moved out after a few months, Lisa Loya took over her room.
In the fall of 1990, (most of) the residents of 53 Gardner St. at the time decided to pack up and move to the quiter and less congested suburbs -- namely, the house Susan McCabe was vacating at 124 North St., Medford. Steve, Lisa, Sharon Guzik, and Bob and Helen Thibeault (and Klaus Remme) carried the Pigdog banner to Medford, leaving behind Justine Covault and Tim Catz, who stayed on to head up the newly-rechristened Rockdog Palace.
Note: The "news" that follows is really old!
WHO'S STILL LIVING AT THE PIG-DOG PALACE?
(as of mid-1995)
STEVE DePALMA (steve.depalma© channel1.com)
-- Celebrates his 10-year anniversary as a Pigdog on August 31, 1995. Finally got his Ph.D. in September 1993. Taught high school physics for a year in Duxbury, Mass. Won't make that mistake again. Currently on extended summer vacation.SHARON GUZIK (sguzik© lynx.neu.edu)
-- After six and a half years in two Pigdog Palaces, Sharon is moving on April 1st to Brookline Village with the love of her life, Jack Beusmans, and taking the cats Alex and Sosha with her. In excellent health, after thyroid surgery/knee surgery/brain surgery in the past three years. Working full-time at Northeastern as a supervisor of undergraduate biology laboratories. Still a graduate student, kind of.CHITRA VIRARAGHAVAN (cvirarag© emerald.tufts.edu)
-- Moved in Sept. 1993 from Madras, India, to study for a Ph.D. in English at Tufts. Homesick; returning to Madras this summer for her first visit in two years. Specialty: feminist post-colonial theory, Po-Mo, deconstructionism, trendy stuff like that.KATHY KING (KathyKing© aol.com)
-- Joined us in Sept. 1994, from the white-bread wilderness of Ohio (MA, Kent State U.). Studying for a Ph.D. in Drama at Tufts. Specialty: the Dada movement.JON SIMMONS
-- Moved in Dec. 1994. Also hails from Ohio. Recent Longy School of Music graduate, teaches music in Medford elementary schools. Thanks to Jon, we now have a baby grand piano in our living room. Recently adopted a long-haired cat named Bert.IAN WHELAN
-- Moved in March 1995. Arrived in Boston a year or so ago from Dublin, Ireland. Works in a bank in Arlington. Playwright and electric bass player.KIMBERLY WALLACE
-- Will replace Sharon starting April 1. Hails from Clinton, Iowa (not to be confused with Ohio). Not yet used to the idea of being called a "pigdog". Former nanny, present bank clerk (with Ian), future organizational psychologist. I'd say the Pigdog Palace would make a dandy subject for a thesis, no?
SO WHATEVER HAPPENED TO...
LISA (LOYA) DURANT (12/85 - 8/89 and 7/90 - 11/94)
-- Moved to Maynard, Mass. After she and Scott (finally) got married last August, they lived in Lisa's room upstairs for a while. Still works at the Cambridge School. Reportedly no longer wears footie pajamas. Big news! Her parents are getting remarried in April! (See end of document for more Loya clan news.)JIM CHRISTMANN (8/91 - 2/95)
-- Got engaged to Sue Costello, his long-time squeeze, in late '94. The wedding is sometime in August. Jim and Sue moved to an apartment of their own in Somerville. Getting close -- er, closer to finishing his Ph.D. in English at Tufts. Topic: Something about representations of African-American speech in 19th Century American literature. (JimC© aol.com)FRAUKE SEEFELDT (9/93 - 5/94)
-- She and George Argyros are getting married this summer; still a grad student in microbiology at Northeastern.ANGEL PINELLOS (6/94-8/94)
-- Now a senior in mathematics at Tufts.BILL GATTI (7/93 - 8/93)
-- Bought a house in the Boston area, where he's living with his wife and daughter. Should be graduating from Northeastern soon.LEON MELKONIAN (5/93 - 8/93) (lmelkoni© sysplan.com)
-- Living in the D.C. area, working for the National Science and Technology Council to "enhance the competitiveness of the American electronics industry", which I think has something to do with lobbying Congress. Tell Newt where to put it, Leon!STEPHEN LEE (4/93)
-- The stealth pigdog. Don't know where he is, don't remember where he came from, don't even remember what he looked like.LIAM MALANAPHY (9/92 - 7/93)
-- a.k.a. Liam the Magician, appeared March 29 (last night! Don't worry, I taped it.) on PBS's "Scientific American Frontiers" program, in which he made host Alan Alda disappear. The program dealt with the psychology of children's changing responses to magic as they develop.ELISE WILLINGHAM MITCHELL (8/91 - 3/93)
-- Also seen on TV as Liam the Magician's Smiling Assistant.ED BAKER (8/91 - 8/92)
-- Finished his MA in philosophy at Tufts. Whereabouts currently unknown.DAN AND SUZANNE (RUBENS) KANTER (9/91 - 12/91)
-- Got married in '92. Currently high-priced Chicago lawyers (but with hearts of gold). Big news! They have a brand-new daughter, Anna Della, born Feb. 14, height 20 3/4 in., weight 7 lb. 12 oz.BOB AND HELEN (WATSON) THIBEAULT (5/88 - 8/91; 9/89 - 8/91)
(bobtibo© teachtsp.com)
-- Married in 1991. Bought a house in Medford last year. Bob's still an illustrator at Tom Snyder Productions (TSP); Helen recently left the Coop to work at Frameworks in Porter Square. Helen has had a few group shows of her paintings. Bob reportedly still drinks the blood of the living.BOB KEOUGH (9/90 - 7/91)
-- Also still works at TSP as an illustrator. Currently living in Watertown with Bob T.'s friend Rich Oliviera.CARL ADAMS (11/90 - 12/90)
-- Also still works at TSP as a customer service rep. Look for a half-page photo of Carl on page 102 of the April 1995 issue of Smart Money magazine (on newsstands now!). Too bad about those Mexican investments, Carl.KLAUS AND MARLEN (KUTRUFF) REMME (8/88 - 9/88 and 9/89 - 6/90 and 10/90; 9/89 - 1/90)
-- Got married in '92, I think. Lived in London for a few years while Klaus worked for the BBC. Now in Hamburg, Germany, with their son Yannick, nearly two years old.
Residents of 53 Gardner St. only:
JUSTINE COVAULT (9/88 - )
-- Still living at 53 Gardner St., which is now known as the Rockdog Palace, as featured (w/ cover photo!) in a Boston Globe Magazine article on the Allston rock 'n roll scene, 12/18/94. Had some local success with her all-woman band Malachite, which unfortuately broke up recently.TIM CATZ (6/90 - ?)
-- Justine's ex-boyfriend. Had some national success as bassist in the band Strip Mind, formerly known as Seka.STEPHEN (Stevo) THIBEAULT (10/88 - 11/88)
-- Bob's brother, lived on the porch, taught us everything we know about heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Joined the Army, then the Navy. Now living in Worcester.PETRA SCHMID (9/88)
-- Medical student, moved back to Germany. Whereabouts currently unknown.COLLEEN OTTOSON (6/87-6/88 and 7/90)
-- Went to Tulane, then Johns Hopkins, disappeared for a while, recently re-discovered (through a client of Paul R.'s) to be living in Washington, D.C.CHUCK ARNOLD (a.k.a. Charlie, a.k.a. Chuckles) (9/87 - 8/88)
-- Now a Harvard man (A.B., Extension School, 1993). Creates two- headed monster fruit flies at Harvard Medical School. Recently moved to Medford. Reportedly no longer sleeps in footie pajamas.ALICE SILLMAN (9/87)
-- Friend of Colleen's, slept on the porch for a couple of weeks. Started out on a round-the-world journey and apparently dropped off the map.BJORN SOGREEN (6/87 - 8/87)
-- computer scientist, went back to Sweden. Whereabouts currently unknown. Must be on the Net, though.MERI ATANAS (7/86 - 8/86) -- med student.
-- Whereabouts currently unknown.SHARON _______ (7/86)
-- Med student, friend of Meri's, slept on the porch. Whereabouts and whomabouts unknown, but I'm sure she existed.IRENE REYNOLDS (9/86)
-- Paul's sister. Lived on the porch for a few weeks. Just moved to London to join their sister Jane (who worked with Art at Xerox in Palo Alto for several years).JAY AND SHARON (BARRE) BORDAGE (1/86 - 2/86)
-- Got married, we think, and may still be in Boston.LAURA TAI (8/85 - 10/85)
-- Teaching English at a high school in Rochester.PAUL REYNOLDS (8/82 - 4/88) (CFVideo© aol.com)
-- Bigshot at CF Video in Watertown. He and Janet have two sons, Joshua (3 1/2) and Benjamin (11 months), and live in a nice house in Dedham, just up the street from McGolf.ART MEDLAR (8/82 - 5/87 and various times thereafter) (medlar© ua.com)
-- Still the same. Quit his job at Xerox, now back in San Francisco after recent travels to Europe and South America. (medlar© ua.com)JON BRAIMAN, M.D. (8/82 - 5/87)
-- After spending time in Germany and El Paso, Texas, he's leaving the Army soon and moving to Denver. Son Daniel is now almost seven.PHILLIPE PREVOST (9/85) -- Paul's "brother" from France, who lived on the porch (or slept on the living room sofa?) for a few weeks. Currently running a radio station somewhere in France.
Residents of 73 Gardner Street only:
DAVE VAUGHN (summer 1984) (vaughn© husc.harvard.edu)
-- Lives in Jamaica Plain (Boston), Mass., and has recently declared as a candidate for a seat on the Boston City Council. Looking for hands to shake and babies to kiss. (Since this was written, Dave has gone on to lose in his bid for office. But you can still read his Campaign Web Pages.)MARYANN (MAIARO) HAMEL (two months in 1983) (74777.170© compuserve.com)
-- Art's cousin, and Extravaganza hostess. Married Dave Hamel, the creator of the shareware text editor, BOXER (winner of the 1994 Shareware Industry Award for Best Major Application. Download it from your favorite BBS!). Both are now involved in running the family business, Boxer Software. Still living at the farmhouse in New Hampshire, along with their children Benjamin, 7, and Rebecca, 5, and hundreds of antique enameled signs.PETER REYNOLDS (1/83 - 7/83) (reynolds© teachtsp.com)
-- Creative Director at Tom Snyder Productions. Lives in Harvard Square. Separated from Suzanne, who still lives in Dedham and works for a computer company. Sarah is eight years old now, cute as a lil' button. Pete is currently collaborating with Paul on a joint video project for the Smithsonian, teaching science to kids.
Some honorary Pigdogs, friends of Pigdogs, and Pigdogs-in-law:
TIM MURPHY (timothy.f.murphy© uic.edu)
-- Associate Professor of Philosophy in the Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago. Appeared on CNN last year, where he was compared, unfavorably, to a Nazi by an angry Georgia housewife who disagreed with him on the morality of human embryonic research.SUSAN McCABE (susan_mccabe© incmag.com)
-- Her name can still be seen on the masthead of Inc. Magazine. Married Chris Ballman, whose name can be heard in the credits as producer of Monitor Radio news programs. They had a son, McCabe Emmanuel Ballman, in 1993. Recently moved to Arlington, Mass. Susan has a sideline business, doing flower arrangements for weddings.ROBERT TEIBER -- Still living in Wangen im Allgau, Germany, where he spends his time writing crazy letters and helping frogs cross the road.
JOANNE (PACINI) DORN -- Lisa's friend, married Kevin Dorn in 1992(?). Lives in Chelmsford, works as a systems analyst.
DIANA LAVIN -- No one seems to know what happened to Diana, a frequent dinner guest in the early years of 53 Gardner St.
KATHY PAULL -- Writing her thesis and working with bloodless mutant zebrafish at Children's Hospital.
ED DANEK -- Bob's childhood friend from Worcester, came to dinners at 53 Gardner St. and always volunteered to do the dishes. Joined the Army, cleared land mines in the Gulf War, and now is back living in Worcester and teaching at Fort Devens.
CHRIS DANEK -- Ed's brother, skis and ice climbs with us (or without us) at Mittersill in New Hampshire. I forget where he works these days.
ANGELA LOYA -- Works with Paul at CF Video. Looking for new digs, now that her mom is getting re-married, but can't bear to move too far from her constant companion Jim.
VERONICA (LOYA) GOMEZ -- Expecting a baby any day now! Living in San Antonio, Texas, with her second husband Tyrone Gomez, who's in the Army, and daughters Katie, 6, and Sara, 18 months.
DAN LOYA -- Lives in Chelmsford, doing lots of acting in community theater productions. Currently has the lead (not the title role!) in the Burlington Players' production of "The Nerd", playing the first three weekends in May (dial 272-BLAH for info).
JOHN LOYA -- Little Johnny developed into a massive hulk of a football player. Now taking time off from Salem State College, playing congas and bongos in a band.
VARIOUS GERMANS -- ask Art.
Got info about others? Let us know! Send mail to the Pigdog Historian
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