The Year of 2025
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.
— Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad, 1869
Holiday News from the Clarks
The Clarks have taken this quote to heart. In 2025, we achieved the impressive feat of wearing face coverings on two continents for completely different reasons: to protect endangered gorillas in Rwanda and to prevent frostbite in Antarctica. Mark Twain would be proud—or possibly confused.
Char and Jeff
Char and Jeff finally made it to Africa in early 2025 (thanks, Covid, for the five-year delay) and then Antarctica in November, collecting continents like passport stamps. Jeff also traveled to Alaska, Canada, and various fishing holes, where the fish remain undefeated. Meanwhile, Char has been traveling through time itself, organizing 40,000 family photos, letters, and documents—proving that one can indeed visit the past without leaving Durham.
Banks and Jackie
Banks and Jackie made the journey down the road to Raleigh after buying their first home—a move that decreased their commute but increased their property tax anxiety. They honeymooned in Greece and Italy in October, because when you’re overachievers, one Mediterranean country simply isn’t enough. Jackie graduated with her PhD in clinical psychology from Columbia in May (Dr. Jackie now!), and both are thriving in their counseling and coaching roles. After a year of restructuring, Jackie stepped into the role of CEO of Arete Performance, continuing to grow the company with the same ambitious thoughtfulness she brings to her work. Char made them a wedding quilt featuring an infinity symbol, commemorating Banks’s early note to Jackie: “This changes everything” (including both delta and infinity symbols), which felt especially fitting in a year that included a honeymoon and their first home together. The picture shows a final evening on their honeymoon in Rome at the restaurant La Pergola, which set an unreasonably high standard for future date nights.
Tory and Adam
Tory and Adam continue navigating the beautiful chaos of parenthood with Isla (5, going on 15) and Charlie (1, mastering the art of adorable destruction) in Arlington, MA. Tory continues her work with E3, while Adam is in his final year pursuing a Doctorate in Nursing Practice with a focus on gerontology—because someone needs to help us travel into the coming decades.
We hope 2026 will be a good year!