Carrying the Torch
A Manhattan executive from Rye reunited with grateful friends, family, and thousands of other Olympic fans when she passed the torch to another runner in Devon, England.
Vicki Crothall, a native of the United Kingdom, was nominated to carry the torch as regional vice president of Adecco. Adecco USA helped recruit workers for the London 2012 Olympics and place past and present athletes and coaches in jobs.
Crothall ran the New York City marathon in 2002 and is a regular participant of the Rye Derby with her husband, Chris. They and their two children have lived in Rye since 2007.
Crothall and her company are also active in youth charity programs. Most recently, she organized a Win for Youth event in Central Park on September 11, 2011, to raise money for children who lost parents during the 2001 terrorist attacks.
After moving to New York in January 2001, Crothall worked two blocks from the World Trade Center. “Living through an event like that made me want to stay even more and be a part of the recovery, not to leave,’’ she said.
“Carrying the flame and running uphill waving all the way definitely made me feel like I had done something,’’ Crothall said of her trek through Torquay in Devon. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime, unforgettable experience.”
Crothall said she was humbled by her afternoon spent with 15 others who passed the Olympic torch, including an amputee and a local survivor of a drunken driving accident. About 8,000 people were selected to carry the torch some 8,000 miles throughout the United Kingdom, over a 70-day route.
The Rye resident — she and her husband Chris and children Max and Felicity moved here in 2007 — has run the New York City Marathon and the Rye Derby.
Lots of Locks
Last week Rye Middle School eighth grader Lauren Dempsey, left, and Rye High School junior Carter Lahey donated their hair to the Locks of Love foundation. Both girls cut off ten inches of their hair to be donated to the charity that make wigs for children who have lost their hair due to illness. It was the first time for Carter, fifth time for Lauren, who has donated a total of 52 inches of her hair.
“I always feel so good, like I really made a difference in someone’s life,” says Lauren. “I believe that out there someone needs the hair more than me and by donating it
I still have my hair but have the opportunity to share it with someone else.”
Carter got her hair cut at GeMargot Salon in Rye Brook, while Lauren had her hair cut and styled at Salon 221 in Cos Cob.
Births
Robyn and Matt Gundy of Brooklyn announce the birth of a daughter, Samantha Evelyn Gundy, May 15. She weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces. Her proud grandparents are Dr. Edward and Donna Gundy of Rye, and Jeffrey and Rosemary Margulies of Cleveland, Ohio.
Monique and Kristopher Kandel of Rye are pleased to announce the birth of a son, Alexander Dylan Kandel, February 10 at NYU Hospital. He weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces. Alexander joins big sister, Athena, who is thrilled with her new baby brother.
The family shares their joy with maternal grandparents, Margaret and Pierre Guesnon of Marco Island, Fla., and paternal grandparents, Bonnie and Lynn Kandel of Indianapolis, Ind.
