WEDDINGS
Buckley-Marudas
Mary Frances Buckley and Peter Thomas Marudas were married at Church of the Resurrection. Rev. Msgr. Edward O’Donnell and Rev. Thomas Fanta co-officiated.
WEDDINGS
Buckley-Marudas
Mary Frances Buckley and Peter Thomas Marudas were married June 25 at Church of the Resurrection in Rye. Rev. Msgr. Edward O’Donnell of Resurrection and Rev. Thomas Fanta of the Church of St. Dominic, Shaker Heights, Ohio, co-officiated.
The bride, who is known as Molly, is a Ph.D. candidate in language and literacy in education at the University of Pennsylvania. A member of the Rye High School Class of 1995, she graduated cum laude from the College of the Holy Cross in 1999 where she was co captain of the varsity lacrosse team. In June 2006 she received a Master’s degree in Policy, Organization, and Leadership Studies from Stanford University. Immediately following college, she taught in Washington, D.C., as part of Teach for America. She subsequently served as the organization’s national recruitment director, based in New York, before deciding to pursue graduate studies.
She is the daughter of James E. and Frances M. Buckley of Rye. Her father, a retired partner from KPMG, was most recently partner in charge of Global Compliance for KPMG International. Her mother is a real estate agent with Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International in Rye.
The bridegroom is an import manager in the Baltimore-Philadelphia region for Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping Co. He graduated from Rhodes College in Memphis with a B.A. in International Business and received an M.B.A. from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. Mr. Marudas’ interest in international business and trade developed as an outgrowth of a semester he spent in Germany while a student at The Gilman School in Baltimore, and an internship at the U.S. Dept. of Commerce during college.
He is the son of Thomas N. Marudas and Georgia C. Marudas of Baltimore. His mother is currently a writer/editor for WallStreekWeek.com and was formerly deputy business editor at The Baltimore Sun. His father is the executive vice president for Artemis Properties in Baltimore.
The couple credits a book club connection for their meeting. Through an introduction from Jon Jacoby, a Rye High classmate, Molly joined a book club in Philadelphia, now fondly referred to as the “Lit Ladies”. Mr. Marudas’ sister, Stephanie, joined the same book club after relocating to Philadelphia. Molly and Stephanie became good friends. In November 2009, they organized an outing to a Penn Princeton football game that included Molly’s sister, Elizabeth, and her parents; Mr. Marudas, visiting from Baltimore, tagged along.
They became engaged over the 2010 Labor Day weekend. Jubilant, they surprised Mr. Marudas’ family on the Jersey Shore to celebrate with Maryland-style steamed crabs and beer. The next weekend they journeyed to Rye, where they were heralded with champagne and lobster.
When Ms. Buckley called her sister in Minneapolis with the big news, Anna, her 5-year-old niece summed it up: “I knew it! I just knew it!” she said.
After a honeymoon trip to Costa Rica, they returned to their home in Philadelphia.
—Photo by Aidan Walsh
Weddings
Whelan-Lovely
Mary Whelan, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William J. Whelan III of Rye, was married July 23 to Christopher Lovely, the son of Lynn Birdwell and Edward Lee Lovely of Houston, Texas. Father Daniel P. O’Reilly celebrated the Catholic nuptial mass at Church of the Resurrection in Rye.
Concelebrating the mass were Msgr. Kuriacose Bharanikulangara and Father Christopher Pollard of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations. On behalf of Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, Msgr. Kuriacose delivered a Papal blessing of the marriage from the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI. A reception and dinner at Westchester Country Club followed the ceremony.
The bride’s sister, Helen Whelan, was the maid of honor. The other bridesmaids were sisters Kelly and Caroline Whelan, cousins Anne Marren Bahr and Tracey Marren Mumford, Rebeccah and Marissa Lovely, sisters of the groom, and friends Amanda Amato, Britt Davis, Mariella Soussou, Liz Corbett, Michelle Jackson, and Mikaela Joseph.
Mr. Lovely was attended by his best man Ken Bosche, and groomsmen Kevin Corley, Stephen Lundquist, Mark Stalcup, and Patrick and David Whelan, brothers of the bride. Elena and Camellia Adams, his cousins, were flower girls.
Mrs. Lovely is an associate in the Houston office of the international law firm Seyfarth Shaw LLP where she practices in the Corporate Department. She is a 2003 graduate of Greenwich Academy and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Spanish and History from the University of Virginia. She completed her law degree at Fordham University School of Law where she was President of the Student Bar Association. She is a member of the Texas bar. Mrs. Lovely is the daughter of Susan Marren Whelan, a legal advisor to the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations, and William J. Whelan III, a partner in the law firm of Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP.
Mr. Lovely works as an electrical engineer in the film industry, with credits as a lighting technician and company grip on such major films as “True Grit”, “Predators”, and “Friday the 13th”. He attended the University of Houston and was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity. His mother, Lynn Birdwell, is Executive Producer at Bird House Productions, a commercial film production company, and his father, Edward Lee Lovely, is a retired maintenance engineer.
The couple honeymooned in Paris and the south of France. They will reside in Houston.
Engagements
Eckstein-Ricci
Mr. and Mrs. Stan Eckstein of Rye are pleased to announce the engagement of their son, Dylan Eckstein, to Angela Ricci, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Ricci of Mamaroneck.
The bride-to-be is a graduate of Rye Neck High School, SUNY Albany, and The Sage Colleges. She is currently employed as an art teacher at I.S. 227 in Queens.
The future groom is a graduate of Rye High School and the University of Hartford. He works as an instructor at Bruce Chung Academy in Harrison.
A 2012 wedding is planned.
BIRTHS
Kelly and Jason Bisceglia announce the birth of a son, Leo Jackson Bisceglia, August 6 at Greenwich Hospital. He weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces. His maternal grandparents are Bonnie and Jack Younger of North Carolina. His paternal grandparents, Leonard and Susan Bisceglia, live in Rye.
Messengers of Hope
Soon after 9/11, a school in Japan sent 1,000 origami cranes to a school near the World Trade Center. According to Japanese tradition, 1,000 cranes will bring future good fortune.
In the wake of the tsunami that devastated Japan this year, countless Americans have reciprocated with hopeful messages and helpful contributions.
At Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s, on August 13, staff and agents invited children and grandchildren to help them complete their message. By the time the children arrived, the Julia Fee crew had assembled 600 of the 1,000 origami cranes they plan to send to a Japanese elementary school in September. Young hands, following a pattern, worked quickly and carefully.
The day was organized by associate broker Maria Stilo and Geri Blair of Success Beyond Limits, which gives children challenges and empowers them to empower others.
— Robin Jovanovich
Weeds Indeed!
Rye Y Teen Adventure campers spent two days at the Edith Read Sanctuary removing invasive plants like Mile-a-Minute Weed and Canadian Thistle. The effort of over 30 camp volunteers and Y staff members saved the wildlife sanctuary staff weeks of work.
Dreams of Playland Past in Bowtie Form
Inspired by fond memories of Halloween window painting, IFIC gum, and exciting adventures at Rye Beach, former resident Marilynn Mendell has designed a bowtie evoking the halcyon days of her youth. She named it, simply, Playland.
“One key memory that always stuck with me was summer at the beach at Playland and the fall with leaves burning – we could do that back then,” she said. “School was hard for me, but summers were glorious. I went to the beach every day. At night the amusement park was the place. In those days young girls could go to places like that without worries, and besides, we usually went in groups.”
Ms. Mendell continued, “‘Charlie Brown’ was a big song, along with ‘Yellow Polka Dot Bikini’ and ‘Monster Mash’ — it was a graveyard smash … Oh, and we all hoola-hooped every chance we got. Mine were always this spun, striped kind. The colors in the tie made me think of the beach umbrellas, salt water taffy, beach blankets – that mix of riotous colors that become a swirl.”
If you’d like to check out or purchase the Playland bowtie, go to beautiesltd.com/product/playland-bow-tie/abstract-pattern-bow-ties.
Rye High Class of 1951 Turns 60; Class of ’36 Going on 75
Everett Ferris and Jan Lowry have announced that the Rye High Class of 1951 will hold their 60th reunion September 17 upstairs at the Rye Firehouse on Locust Place starting at 3 p.m. Tickets for the get-together, including a buffet dinner, are $65. Call 828-524-8860 (days) or 828-349-0330 (evenings) to reserve your place. And remember, Garnets only grow in luster as time goes on.
Bob Henne also wanted to reach out to any fellow surviving members of the RHS Class of 1936 on the occasion of their 75th anniversary. Call 386-761-0241 after 9 p.m.