It’s the six degrees of separation, only this time Kevin Bacon isn’t involved. The Upper Valley Life team has lived and worked in the area for a lo-o-o-ng time, so chances are you know one of us — or know someone who knows us. We’re glad, because that means we’re part of the community we love so much. Here’s a bit more about the team putting Upper Valley Life together.
Laura Jean Whitcomb
Editor/writer
Born: Claremont, N.H.
Residences: Boston, Mass.; Syracuse, N.Y.; Hartford, Conn.; Lebanon, N.H; currently reside in Grantham, N.H.
Travels: Paris, France; Rhodos, Greece; Caribbean (Aruba and Puerto Rico)
Lived in the Upper Valley: 37 years
I’m a New Hampshire native; Claremont was home for 18 years and Grantham for the majority of the last two decades. I’ve left the area for school (undergraduate and graduate degrees), left for jobs, but eventually returned because I feel at home in the Upper Valley. I can be me. I don’t have to wear the latest styles (or all black) to fit in, it doesn’t matter if I was “seen” at the hot new dance club over the weekend and no one comments on the technology I carry with me (or lack thereof) — what matters here is friends, family and fun. That doesn’t mean we’re backwater. Far from it — some of the smartest people I know live here. The Upper Valley is a wonderful place to live, and I think I’ll stay.
Mark Cookson
Advertising/sales Director
Born: Barre, Vt.
Residences: Phoenix, Ariz.; Canton, Ohio; Wilder, Vt.; currently reside in Hanover, N.H.
Travels: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg
Lived in the Upper Valley: 16 years
I grew up a native Vermonter just down the road from “The World's Greatest Cheddar” in Cabot, Vt. After high school I moved to Phoenix where I became involved in a biblical research ministry. I volunteered for a year of outreach and was sent to Canton. Afterward I moved back to the Northeast to be closer to my family and was hired at Dartmouth College in 1990. For 10 years I worked and later managed the prepress services for College Printing & Mailing Services. During this time I completed my Associates of Arts at Granite State College. 2000 brought a year of change as I started my own graphics business, Cookson Publishing, in Hanover. Since 9/11, my way of giving back has been performing with community theater. You may have seen me on stage with Covered Bridge Players, North Country Community Theater or recently with Christmas Revels. To me, the Upper Valley is about community and opportunity. I love it here because it is full of people who are creative and talented, and the area has many avenues for individuals to learn and grow in positive ways.
Laura Osborn
Art director/graphic designer
Born: Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Residences: Hanover, N.H.; Norwich, Vt.; Boulder, Colo.; Grand Junction, Colo.; Scottsdale, Ariz.
Travels: Paris, France; Florence and Rome, Italy; a perimeter road trip of the U.S. after college graduation
Lived in the Upper Valley: 10 years
I love the Upper Valley! I spent most of my childhood out west in Arizona and Colorado and have lived here for 10 years. I really enjoy the outdoors (hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, skating) and living in college towns where there are lots of creative opportunities but less ‘rat race.’ After graduating from college with B.F.A. in graphic design from Arizona State University, I met my husband in Colorado. We moved to Hanover to be closer to his family and I worked for the Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College as design manager for three years. After the birth of my daughter, I started my own graphic design business to spend more time with her and work a little less (sort of). The Upper Valley is a wonderful place to be with a young family. From swimming at Storrs Pond on a warm summer day to skating at Occum Pond in January, it’s a special place.
|
|
|
|
