Amid all of the laughter, memories, and energy of their 10th reunion, the Mid-Career class of 1991 also committed itself to honoring three respected classmates who are no longer living, by establishing the Class of 1991 Memorial Internship Fund. The fund will provide financial aid to current and future Mid-Career students who go into public service.

At an emotional ceremony during the reunion dinner, the three classmates were remembered: Mollie Beattie, a Vermonter who became director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was recalled by Alexandra Marks; Raphaelle Semmes, whose leadership was felt in the Peace Corps, the Interior Department, and the White House Council on Environmental Quality, was described warmly by Christine Leggett Triska; and Kyle McHugh was remembered by her mother, Mary, who dined with the class and read aloud McHugh’s inspiring Class Day remarks from 1991.

The memorial fund, raised by the class, as well as family members, will advance the school’s mission in a unique fashion. In recognition of the financial challenges that often accompany public and nonprofit professions, the fund will help support Mid-Career students seeking to enter public service by providing a modest, one-time stipend to a graduate who takes a nonpaying or low-paying internship after his or her KSG experience.

Jacqueline Collins, the first recipient of the fund, was introduced at the dinner. A member of the Class of 2001 who is also pursuing a degree at Harvard Divinity School, Collins has been a television journalist. Immediately following graduation, she will begin an unpaid summer internship in the United States Senate, an experience that she hopes will aid her in building a career in public service.

“Mid-Career graduates helping fellow Mid-Careers — this is precisely that type of helping hand that we wish to extend in memory of Mollie, Kyle, and Raphaelle,” said Andy McLeod, the fund coordinator. “We hope to do more of the same in future years.”

photo: Martha Stewart