Class Notes

May / June 2022

Columns compiled by your class correspondents

1940s

1940s

1946

I didn’t receive any news from classmates for this column, but I hope you all took the time to fill out and return the Share Your News form that was recently mailed to you along with class dues information. If you haven’t yet, it’s not too late! Please do send us your news—via that hard-copy form or the online news form—so our future class columns can be full of news from all of you. Whether your life is changing or uneventful, we want to hear about it! ❖ Dorothy Taylor Prey, 1 Baldwin Ave., #501, San Mateo, CA, 94401; tel., (650) 342-1196; email, dmprey@aol.com. Class website.

1947

“As we enter the third year of the COVID-19 virus, having experienced record-breaking numbers of cases and record-breaking numbers of deaths, we need to watch for the impact on children. As a psychologist who grew up during the Great Depression, I know that children will be the ones who will suffer the most. The pandemic will be no different.” So begins a blog post about confidence in children, written earlier this year by our classmate Jane Ruggles Pinel on her website. She notes, “I have the opportunity of looking back and sifting through all of the information acquired over my 96 years and thinking—lots of thinking—about what makes sense in the lives of children. Each week I plan to share my thinking in a blog with you.”

Jane is also the author of two books, Dolly: Her Story and The Picnic Basket. Over her varied and venerable lifetime, she has worn many different hats. She was a professional potter; a special ed teacher; a homeowner and land developer who restored an abandoned Colonial in 1975 to its former glory with a woman partner; a restaurant and bakery owner (with the same partner, when they needed to pay off the restoration mortgage); a children’s and art magazine publisher; and an art gallery owner with the husband she married at age 75.

Jane is hoping to attend our 75th Reunion on campus this June 9–12. Among the items in her possession are some Cornell treasures: a dress she wore to a big band dance; a Cornell blazer; books from taking air navigation classes with the naval officers in training (she was also taking flight lessons at the Ithaca airport); and pink footed pajamas that she wore to sleep in the (unheated) attic of a fraternity building when wartime officer training on campus required her to give up her spot in the girls’ dorm.

Are any of you planning to attend Reunion? Please write and let us know what it was like to be back on the Hill! ❖ Class of 1947, c/o Alexandra Bond ’12, abb83@cornell.edu. Online news form.

1948

I have no news to offer from my fellow 1948 classmates but instead will express my recent feeling of considerable pride in being a Cornell Chemical Engineering graduate when I learned that the two scientists/engineers responsible for the unbelievably rapid development of the COVID-19 vaccines were fellow Cornell Chem Es: Robert Langer ’70, who co-founded Moderna, and Paul Mensah ’94, who led Pfizer’s effort. By their time at Cornell, it appropriately was called the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, while in the 1940s it was just the School of Chemical Engineering.

All of this was reported in the November 2021 issue of the Olin Hall News, and, speaking as one raised before the electronic generations, I probably would never have learned of it if the magazine had not arrived in my mailbox to be read. ❖ Ray Tuttle, 65 Oyster Reef Dr., Hilton Head Island, SC 29926; email, RayTutt@aol.com. Online news form.

1949

I hope you all took the time to fill out and return the “Share Your News” form that was recently mailed to you along with class dues information. If you haven’t yet, it’s not too late! Please do send us your news—via the hard-copy form or the online news form—so our future class columns can be full of updates from all of you. Whether your life is changing or uneventful, we want to hear about it! ❖ Class of 1949, c/o Alexandra Bond ’12, abb83@cornell.edu.

Back to the top

1950s

1950

Gordon Dibble (gldibble5@aol.com) is retired in London, where he spent most of his working years as an engineer for American companies. He lost his wife after 51 years of marriage and now has a “lovely new partner, a Dutch lady with a home in suburban Heemstede, in the Netherlands,” and they spend time in both locations. He plans to attend the June Reunion and also visit his old hometown of Stamford. Gordon reports that his Dutch acquaintances are dismayed about US politics.

For this issue, it’s a pleasure to feature our class treasurer, Fred A. “Ben” Williams Jr. (Ithaca, NY). How he acquired his lifelong common name Ben and how he became our class treasurer for life are mysteries. Ben was born on a 144-acre, stony, side-hill, 25-cow dairy farm, midway between Ithaca and Dryden. His dad completed a Cornell Ag short course and, as Ben says, “After that it was all Cornell.” Both sisters attended Cornell and both married Cornellians. For grades one through six, Ben attended a two-room school in nearby Etna, then went on to Dryden Central School, where he played football and basketball—and tuba in the high school orchestra.

As a Cornell freshman, Ben lived at home and commuted daily to campus by the then-common method of hitchhiking. The following three years he was a member of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity, lived in the house, and waited tables. He was a member of Ho Nun De Kah, played sousaphone in the Big Red Band, and sang bass in his fraternity barbershop quartet.

After graduation, he took a job in a Syracuse bank but was soon drafted into the Army. After training in machine accounting, he was assigned to the Army Security Agency in Frankfurt, Germany. He lived in barracks and, indulging his travel interests, used furlough time to visit six European capitals. For these train travels, his GI buddies dubbed him “Furlo Freddie.”

In 1952, Ben returned to his former position with the Syracuse bank, married, and parented three children: daughter Tracy (Green Mountain College), an Ironman Triathlon athlete, former law firm administrator, and now executive assistant to the director of St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH; son Thomas (Lafayette College, MBA UConn), former administrator for major utility companies, now senior caregiver and rehabilitator of abused dogs in Kanab, UT; and daughter Sheryl (Miami U., EdM SUNY Cortland), 33-year elementary school teacher in Lansing, NY, retired in Ithaca with husband Jeff, a former hospital administrator in Cortland, NY.

Tiring of bank work, Ben responded to an ad in the Cornell Placement Bulletin for the position of assistant to the president. He got the job and served with President Deane Waldo Malott for five years and with President James A. Perkins for two years. Reflecting on that experience with great pleasure, he reported post-retirement visits with President Malott, who was fond of saying, “Back when you and I were running the University, Ben …”

In 1965, curiosity and travel interests enticed Ben to become administrative officer for a Cornell/USAID project in Monrovia, Liberia. That position afforded annual R&R visits to Europe, as well as travels in the countries of Ivory Coast, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. His three young kids attended the American Cooperative School and Ben served as president of the school’s board. When this project closed in 1968, he returned to campus to become director of eight Cornell regional offices. He then took a hiatus from Cornell employment to serve as vice president of Park Communications, a company of TV, radio, and newspaper properties. In 1984 he returned to campus as director of public relations for the Boyce Thompson Inst. for Plant Research and retired in 1994.

Of all classmates I have written about, Ben may hold the record for world travel: five visits to the UK, including visits to his mother’s birthplace; ten bike trips in Europe with Road Scholar; 23 travel visits with OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel), for example, to Morocco, India, China, Egypt, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Latvia, Lithuania, Israel, Turkey, and Sicily; and, in 2013, trekking in Nepal with a Sherpa guide. On a visit to Peru, he met companion Marlene Pierson. They plan two OAT trips this year to South Africa and Southern France. All this, plus train travel several times across the US with visits to many national parks.

In between travels and work responsibilities, Ben found time and dedication to his community: Dryden Board of Education member and president for eight years; trustee, Masonic Care Community in Utica; 35-year member of Friends of Ithaca College and president, 2007; lifelong member, board member, and treasurer of Tompkins County Senior Citizens Council; board member and president of Dryden Town Historical Society; choir member and treasurer, First Presbyterian Church of Dryden; and 62-year member of the Masons, serving in local district offices and the New York State Grand Lodge. As for Cornell Pride? 35-year season hockey ticket holder; 30-year volunteer usher for Commencements; regular Class of ’50 Reunion attendee; and Jeep license plate “CRNL 50.” One Cornell life well lived!

Our column can use more stories like this. For your kids, write a two-page bio and send me a copy. Your classmates would love to read about the good life that Cornell gave you. ❖ Paul Joslin, 13731 Hickman Rd., #4207, Urbandale, IA 50323; email, phjoslin@aol.com. Online news form.

1951

“At 90, I’ve slowed down,” writes Raymond Firestone (firestonerayjean@yahoo.com), “but I’m still kicking! I continue doing research in chemistry (on my own dime), playing chamber music (piano), and attending concerts. I see my children, grandchildren, and great-granddaughter regularly. I also spend time reading books and magazines, exercising daily, and paying a lot of attention to politics. My wife and I have been careful to avoid the plague—so far successfully.” ❖ Brad Bond, email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12, abb83@cornell.edu. Online news form.

1952

As our—to me, amazing—70th Reunion is coming up, June 9–12, the first words in this column go to our Reunion co-chairs, Tom Cashel, LLB ’56, and Cappy Heyl Innes. First, Tom: “We are working on the final plans, schedules, menus, and budgets, and all the other stuff that needs to get done for the 70th Reunion of our great Class of 1952. It seemed an act of hubris five years ago to accept this job, but it looks like we will make it in person on the Hill this June 9–12. Looking back over the 70 years since graduation from Cornell is a long view of memories of the University and our hopes and dreams, successes and failures, friends and family, all of which we can share with those of our class who are able to be at this landmark Reunion. CU in ’22!” Cappy adds, “Registration forms for our 70th Reunion will be sent out from the Alumni Affairs office in late March or early April. If you do not receive the mailing, please contact our alumni representative Brenda Canniff at (607) 255-1916. Registration will then commence by email or snail mail. CU, ’52, in ’22!”

Jim Ling (LINGKAL2@outlook.com) writes from Fort Collins, CO, “I’m still not traveling as much as I’d like to because of all the COVID restrictions that seem to pop up unexpectedly. I did visit the D.C. area in October for the annual meeting of the Military Officers Assn. to watch my wife, Shelly, receive an award of excellence for the Wyoming-Colorado Border chapter of which she is president. I continue play my bagpipes at special events if requested, but no more parades.”

Sue Youker Schlaepfer (dsueysch@gmail.com) writes, “My warm place for the winter, Green Valley, AZ, was in the high 70s last week and weekend but is plunging to the 50s for the next several days. I drove down from Parker, CO, on January 1 and 2 with my daughter Cyndy Schlaepfer-Youker ’78. I am all settled in my home here. Cyndy made sure I was well provisioned and taken care of. She then took off to referee some lacrosse games in California. She stopped by again to be sure all was well here before heading back to her home in Parker. I am excited about the plans that Reunion chairs Tom and Cappy have made for us. We have meetings off campus as well as at the Statler, where we have breakfast and other meals, and handicapped arrangements are available for our transportation. We will have our talk with Corey Earle ’07 in a room they have reserved that is just down the hall from our registration. The Cornell golf club, where we hold our class meeting and dinner, is beautiful and easily accessed. If it has been a while since you visited campus—well, you won’t believe or recognize the changes. We will need a guide to bring us up to date. I hope you can come.”

Richard C.B. Clark (capeclarks@aol.com) wrote from the Cape, “Fall 1950 seems a long time ago for me, when I transferred to Cornell from St. Lawrence U., arrived in Ithaca on the Lehigh Valley Railroad, became a Sigma Chi, and then, following courses in all seven undergraduate colleges, graduated in 1952. The Army Security Agency followed as the Korean War wound down, and my Boston banking began. This was followed by my being hired by Cornell to open and operate the University’s Northeast Regional Office in Boston from 1968 to 1984. Recently, Sandy and I moved in 2020 to a condominium unit at the Cove in Osterville, MA. We love it here and are blessed with decent health and an active life. COVID-19 changed all our lives, but with both Pfizer vaccinations, the booster, and flu shots, we feel as safe as possible. As a cancer survivor, I keep busy with golf (I managed to shoot my age at 90 this past summer), walks, fitness efforts at the YMCA Cape Cod, and continued virtual fundraising for the Pan-Mass Challenge in support of the Dana-Farber Cancer Inst. We hope to return to international travel in the future. We look forward to Palm Springs, CA, for two weeks in February and are looking forward to our 70th Reunion in Ithaca.”

Patricia Thornton Bradt’s card from Muhlenberg College reads “Associate Professor Emerita Environmental Science.” Pat is one of just a few of our women who have achieved a position in academia. Asked on the news form how her life has changed, Pat writes that she has been widowed four and a half years. She planned to retire from teaching at Muhlenberg in December 2021. Pat reports that she is enjoying many activities and residents in the continuing care retirement community where she lives. Her biggest takeaway from the pandemic: “Did not enjoy teaching over Zoom!”

Lots about Reunion here. I’ve reserved at the Statler. I am not sure how I, my husband, and our rollators will get there, or if we will, but we are hoping. See you, ’52, in ’22. ❖ Joan Boffa Gaul, joangaul@mac.com. Online news form.

1953

Nonagenarians, all—greetings from Bob Neff! When we departed Cornell during the “Eisenhower years,” the prospects of achieving age 90 seemed truly remote—but 13 presidents and seven decades later, here we are, still bonded together by our Cornell experience. Recently the University reached out, requesting updated information from us, and the responses have yielded names, contact points, and information to be shared. Every response I have read pointedly requests that the classmates’ email addresses be shared. These classmates want to hear from you—don’t disappoint them!

My second observation is that most of us now fall into one of two lifestyle categories: some are still engaged in the general areas of their lifetime professions, whereas others have stepped away into comfortable retirement situations from which they can access friends and family. Kudos to both groups for managing these dividend years productively.

Julian Aroesty (jma38@cornell.edu) and his wife, Elaine, are domiciled in Scituate, MA, and they winter in Longboat Key, FL, where Julian does an impressive amount of cycling. He maintains his medical license and writes for the electronic clinical resource tool UpToDate. Two young grandchildren and the constant developments of modern medicine keep him happily busy. Herb Neuman (herbneuman@aol.com) lives on Central Park West in the Big Apple, where he remains active in real estate. Herb is a widower, but with three energetic grandchildren, a program of active fitness walking, and multiple philanthropic commitments, his time is fully dedicated.

C.O. “Chuck” Berlinghof (cberlinghof1@cox.net), a five-year BME student who entered Cornell with our class in 1949, lives with wife Mary in Newport, RI. Chuck has overseen the reconstruction and revival of Newport’s iconic Opera House Theater and Performing Arts Center over the course of several years. What a great retirement project and productive application of one’s skills! Congratulations to a favorite roommate.

Genie Mandelbaum Deutsch (genie.stan@gmail.com) is widowed and living comfortably in a long-term care facility in Mequon, WI. She has four children scattered throughout the US and a fifth in Israel, plus 30 grandchildren! What a great “footprint” that is! Congratulations, Genie. Al Finkelstein (alfink2001@aol.com) recently lost his wife of 67 years and would truly like to hear from classmates who are similarly navigating in retirement.

Don Johansen, MBA ’54 (surecast1@sbcglobal.net) writes that retirement agrees with him, and he is planning soon to enter into a retirement facility that will provide more time to interact with family members. Mari Hartell Quint (mari.quint@comcast.net) has made “downsizing adjustments” in her lifestyle since the loss of husband Peter. She moved from a high-rise condominium in Baltimore City to a comfortable garden home in Broadmead, a Quaker retirement community in Baltimore County. This has enabled Mari to participate actively in classes and to communicate via Zoom with friends and family everywhere. A key focus in Mari’s ongoing communications is on her two granddaughters in New Jersey.

Gerry Shepard (gershepard1931@gmail.com) just turned 90 and is in good health. “I’m still an active insurance broker and continue to play lots of golf—when weather permits here in Batavia, NY, which has about the same winter weather as Ithaca. I wish good health to all my friends.” Bill Gratz (wfgratz@optonline.com) reports that he enjoyed a big backyard party with 31 relatives to celebrate his 90th birthday. He observes some changes: “Since the start of the pandemic, life has slowed down. Instead of being out several nights a week, I’ve discovered the joy of spending time at home with my husband, Jay. Fortunately, we have stayed healthy (although with more aches and pains!) and time goes by pleasantly.” Bill looks forward to visiting Cornell in person soon.

“I think we had one of the better experiences on campus when we were at Cornell,” observes Ronald Bay Furry, MS ’55 (rbf2@cornell.edu), professor emeritus, Cornell’s Dept. of Biological and Environmental Engineering. “It certainly was more entertaining! Remember the canoe races on Beebe Lake? Great parades? Dances to big-name bands in Barton Hall? Vaughn Monroe sang ‘Racing with the Moon’ as I danced in the gloaming. I remember the girls in Balch Hall egging the guys on in a panty raid, waving their undergarments from the second-floor windows! And we made new shortcut paths across the Arts Quad that the University eventually paved with asphalt. I never saw the statues of Ezra Cornell and President A.D. White walk across the Quad and shake hands in the middle, but their footprints were there! At that time all undergraduate males were required to take ROTC and we had huge annual military marches and assemblies on the Arts Quad and old Alumni Field. How about the time Fall Creek ran green from vegetable dye that some sneaky students dumped into the water? Or fireworks shot from the bottom of the gorge! Yep, those were the daze!” Ronald asks: “What is your memory of those days?”

Stewardship Report: The Class of ’53 supports several endowment funds, including: 1) The 1953 Cornell Tradition Fellowship, founded in 1983 to celebrate our 30th Reunion, which in 2021 provided a payout of $5,776 for assistance to a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences; and 2) The Class of 1953 Library Endowment, established the year of our 50th Reunion, which had a 2021 fiscal year payout of $3,281 that helped purchase library materials. Thanks to the many class members who continue to support these special funds. If you are interested in an in-depth report of the current Campaign for Cornell, visit this website. ❖ Bob Neff, princetoneff@aol.com; Jack Allen, jwallen@msu.edu; Ed Gibson, edwincosgibson@gmail.com; John Nixon, nixn1@hotmail.com; Caroline Mulford Owens, 53news.cornell@gmail.com. Online news form.

1954

Our class vice president and former president Jack Vail (jdvail@aol.com) was on the move early in 2022. Jack sold the home he lived in for 55 years in Vestal, NY, and has settled into a retirement community in Vero Beach, FL. He has discovered that his fraternity brother John Mariani lives there too, and that classmates Mike, MBA ’55, and Dot Noll Hostage have a place there also—as do several other non-classmate Cornellians. Jack won’t lack for friends as he starts his new life in Florida.

Another class officer, our webmaster Jan Jakes Kunz (JJK.JAJ3354@gmail.com) of Corrales, NM, has been volunteering at various New Mexico historic sites including doing the website for one of them, which she has found to be challenging but enjoyable and enlightening. For example, Jan writes, “I’ll bet you didn’t know that a major Civil War battle took place in New Mexico. I certainly didn’t. If you want to look it up, it’s the Battle of Glorieta Pass.” We will take your word for it, Jan.

A year ago, we wrote about Mimi Cohen Levine (mimilev@cox.net) and her husband, Len, who were still living in their Virginia house after 51 years. Well, this year they finally bit the bullet, sold the house, and moved into a retirement community in Springfield, VA, ten miles from their old home. Our earlier column about Steve Weinberg and Shelly Glashow brought back many memories for Mimi. They were classmates of hers in Prof. Dale Corson’s Physics 2 class and knew all the answers about physics, which made it difficult for Mimi and others in the class and prompted her to discover computers, switch to majoring in Math, and ultimately join IBM after graduation.

Elaine Harrison Cohen of Upper Darby, PA (ehc23@cornell.edu) writes that 2021 was a difficult year for her and her family with the COVID isolation we all experienced. Getting vaccinated and mastering Zoom has made 2022 a much better year for Elaine. Most notable has been freedom for her to spend quality time with her two great-grandchildren: a 4-year-old boy, already a veteran preschooler, and an active 2-year-old girl.

Elisavietta Artamonoff Farnsworth, who is the author of a number of books and pieces of poetry under the byline Elisavietta Ritchie, has written a new book titled Issues of Immortality. At our age, it sounds like an interesting must-read. Learn more at her website. ❖ Bill Waters, billwaters@optonline.net; Ruth Carpenter Bailey, rcbhtb@gmail.com. Class website. Online news form.

1955

John Wertis (the elder) reports: “Life in Trumansburg (a dozen miles northwest of Ithaca) is good. I sign writings for local consumption with ‘the elder’ because my son, who is also a John but not a junior, doesn’t always agree with what I might put into print. My partner, Marian Pritchard (Roosevelt High School and Columbia School of Nursing), and I gave up our commercial meat goat raising operation five years ago, but we lease out our farmland to a local organic farm now.

“Last night I had to choose between attending a Town of Ulysses Planning Board meeting or being part of the audience at our Ulysses Historical Society program about the few times in history when Seneca and Cayuga lakes have frozen over. As I am the Ulysses town historian and a board member of the society, I opted for the latter. No freeze-overs in the 1950s, but in 1979 my 14-year-old son and I skated from Ithaca northward against the wind for an hour, stopped at a friend’s lakeside cottage, and, with him and my son and me holding on to a sunfish sailboat sail, zipped back to our starting point in a matter of minutes.” What a great adventure!

Jim Van Buren, MD ’59, writes, “So far, we’ve survived COVID—vaccinated, boosted, and a recent negative test, along with minimal social activity. Mary (Martin) ’56, with major chronic medical problems, is stable. I have decreased stamina, poor balance, multiple joint problems, and a need for an afternoon nap—but still enjoy weekly golf! We just had our 64th wedding anniversary and still enjoy living in our house of 50 years.”

From John Massey: “I spent the first half of my life in New England, and the last 41 years in San Clemente, CA. My wife of 60 years, Jiffy, and I loved skiing together and with our three kids, but now in our late 80s, we’re happy to not be shoveling or slipping in it. Our three kids are very happily married, and have blessed us with eight star grandchildren, one of whom, a granddaughter, is on the Darien, CT, high school varsity ice hockey, field hockey, and lacrosse teams.” Congratulations to all!

The following classmates were on the February 1 class Zoom meeting: Dave Sheffield, BArch ’60, MRP ’61, Hal Fountain, Bernie Rodee, BS ’60, Ron Ganeles, Ted Hymowitz, Phil Alkon, and myself as host. If you would like to join us for future class Zooms, please send me your email address and I will add you to the invitation email. Ron, Ted, and I also met at the Banana Boat in Boynton Beach during March, as we have done annually, to celebrate Ron’s and Ted’s birthdays!

Jane Rasmussen Wilcox says, “I have three grandsons at Cornell this year. I picked Greg Powers ’24 and two foreign students up for Thanksgiving break and brought them to my home on Henderson Bay for a fun turkey celebration.” Priscilla Rice Oehl and her husband, Dan, divide their time among Pittsburgh, Florida, and Avalon, NJ. In spite of three kitchens to keep track of, they’re enjoying these golden years. Pris is also writing a column for a local newspaper and enjoying tennis, golf, and bridge.

And from Elizabeth Colton Wislar: “Life and God are good. I live with my Yorkie in a lovely house outside Atlanta. I love driving my Genesis, and just got my handicapped hanging card and license plate. I have a knee problem, but a brace will do wonders. Living in the DG house and running a final rush dinner with an ice carving—and getting married in the chapel the day after graduation—are like yesterday!”

An update from Nancy Taft Whitman: “I moved into a friendly retirement community and have been keeping up with most of my outside activities, even with COVID. Last fall I co-taught an Osher Lifelong Learning Inst. (OLLI) course on music and mathematics. It was OLLI’s first attempt at a dual course—both on Zoom and in person—and it was a bit harrowing to teach.” Nancy also co-chairs an OLLI special interest group called Out to Lunch, which meets at different (preferably ethnic) restaurants. “Five of us (Laura Weese, Claire Desaix Simpson, Pat McCormick Hoehing, Meem Morack Sauer, and me) who were planning to attend our 65th Reunion are meeting by Zoom.” Staying connected is key!

Tom Rooney (tomrooney55@gmail) informed us of the death of his wife, Myrna (Lacy) ’57, in 2020 and we send condolences to you, Tom. Tom lives in Vero Beach, FL, and is in contact with Jim Van Buren, “a fellow footballer.” Dick Bernhard, PhD ’61, writes, “I’ve now been a widower for nearly three years but have been able to adjust pretty well. I’m still professor emeritus of industrial and systems engineering at North Carolina State U. and am actively serving on the faculty senate, the College of Engineering executive committee, and the university library committee. Even at age 88, I’m still blessed to be in apparent good health, but like all the rest of us in the Class of ’55, it’s getting harder to pretend to be just 39 years old.”

I am wondering whether any women from the Class of 1955 who lived in Dickson freshman year can recall the night we donned wool scarves as disguises and “raided” the adjacent floors. Harmless pranks but great fun. I know my fellow classmates remember the Sunday routines of ordering breakfast around the table, each girl adding her order to the earlier ones and trying to remember them all. Singing the “Alma Mater” after Sunday dinner was required—and no slacks were allowed! You can send your favorite memories to me: ❖ Nancy Savage Petrie, 85 Brook St., Noank, CT 06340; email, nancysavagepetrie@yahoo.com. Online news form.

1956

My thanks to class president Joe Henninger, MBA ’58, for the 2022 Cornell calendar! Roberta Karpel Silman recommends the book The Hare with the Amber Eyes by Edmund De Waal. She is working with her team at Campden Hill Books to publish a new novel called Summer Lightning, and she’d like to get back to work on husband Bob’s memoir, Notes from the Scaffold.

From Lael Jackson: “Amazon has published my long-awaited uplifting memoir, Jump at the Chance, where you can read all about the Cornell undergrad experience of the 1950s. Some things don’t change …” ❖ Phyllis Bosworth, phylboz@aol.com. Online news form.

1957

Greetings, classmates, from Connie Santagato Hosterman. This column begins a change. Your correspondent John Seiler has decided to retire from this role. This follows the recent retirement of Judith Reusswig from the same role for the women’s column. Both Judy and John served for many years, indeed decades, in keeping us up to date with our many activities. Their loyalty, service, and dedication deserve our immeasurable gratitude.

For many years, John and Judy were able to continue our class tradition of separate columns, begun at our graduation. We began our alumni life with two separate councils, and both a men’s column and a women’s column. The two councils merged at some point before one of our early Reunions. One instruction put in place at the merger was to nominate future class presidents for five-year terms, alternating men and women. Our president Betty Starr King will be completing her term at our upcoming 65th Reunion. Her successor will be on the slate proposed by nomination chair Bob Watts. This procedure had an interesting result; our class may have set a record for the number of classmates involved in class leadership roles since graduation. At last count, we had at least 75 classmates volunteer their time and talents for our “Class Act.”

This column will appear in plenty of time for you to make your final plans to attend our 65th Reunion. At our early Reunions, we noticed that those alumni who were celebrating their 50th Reunion were housed in the Statler Hotel. As if we were reaching for infinity, that headquarters goal moved further and further away. Were the members of those classes preceding ours living longer? Were our senior alums returning in greater numbers? No matter. We enjoyed our 50th in Court-Kay-Bauer, our 55th in Alice Cook, and our 60th in Mews—all “climate-controlled” dorms. At last, we will have our Reunion headquarters in the Statler Hotel.

Our Reunion co-chairs Mary Hobbie Berkelman and Roberta Grunert DeVries have set reachable goals for our class. Previous classes have set certain records for their 65th Reunions. We want to break the record for attendance, for amount donated to the Cornell Annual Fund, and for the total number of donors. Even as this is written in mid-February, using the number of Statler rooms already reserved, we are well on our way to reaching our goal of 100 attendees. We need to increase the number of donors to the Cornell Annual Fund; each donor will count, even though the donation threshold is a mere dollar per classmate. That is interesting because I noticed that my annual donation to a scholarship fund in Architecture in memory of my son Daniel is not counted as a donation to the Cornell Annual Fund. I will remedy that by sending a modest donation to the Annual Fund and invite you to do the same before our Reunion. The site can be accessed at giving.Cornell.edu and then just click on “Explore Giving,” then on “Cornell Annual Funds.”

An explanation of how I fell into this role is in order. John Seiler’s son, Casey, is the editor of the Albany Times Union. I live in nearby Schenectady and subscribe to this newspaper. In one of his columns, Casey mentioned a recent visit to see his dad. When I emailed John to see how he was doing, he responded by saying he thought it was best that he relinquish his role as class correspondent. He asked if I would be interested in adding this role to that of being class secretary. With class president Betty’s OK, here I am.

We all had our own special reasons why we chose to enroll in our alma mater. Don’t laugh, but I chose Cornell because there was a roller-skating rink near campus. The joke was on me as I went there only once. I had a much more interesting time after I joined WVBR in my junior year. Paul Noble, Marcia Wishengrad Metzger, JD ’60, and the late Chuck James became lifelong friends.

My class activities started when I was on the committee for the Reunion when we were housed in Clara Dickson. I was busy in the lounge when I heard laughter in a stairwell. I never knew there were dorm rooms in the Dickson basement, but that is where these men were coming from. I asked who they were, as they were not our classmates. They were members of the Continuous Reunion Club, a group who attended Reunions every year, not just their class Reunions. I loved Reunions and told them that I wanted to join. They just laughed and told me that it was a “men’s only” organization. In the late ’80s, wives of some of these men, including our Sue DeRosay Henninger, petitioned to change the rule that had been in place since the organization’s inception in 1906. I joined CRC in 2000 and was in charge of hospitality until the pandemic halted in-person Reunions.

I did continue as a member for several of our class Reunion committees and actually made a huge red nylon banner with white ’57 numerals. It has been hung outside our HQs for each class Reunion since our 35th. I hope there is a place for it at the Statler. Most of all, I’m looking forward to seeing you in June! ❖ Connie Santagato Hosterman, shenhoop73@gmail.com. Online news form.

1958

We don’t have very much news these days, so if you are reading this column now, how about sending us some? Warren Wildes, over the years, has been working to preserve the woods and lakes around his home in St. Paul, MN. The woods and lakes are part of the campus of U. of Northwestern, St. Paul—where he established the environmental science research program. Music has become a big part of his life. Warren and his wife, Mary, both sing in various performing groups locally, at church, in senior groups, and in their resurrected “Stompers Dixieland Band.” He initially established the band for a brief run in the ’80s (playing trumpet) before careers interfered. “Now we have had another eight years and are still playing the music we both love in Minnesota and in the San Diego area (mid-winter).”

Barbara Wood Gray published a book of poetry called Sharing the Song in February 2021 and she says it appears to be doing well in her demographic (over 75!). She has been doing poetry readings at senior communities in the area and her poems have been appearing in the Presbyterian Outlook magazine.

Lastly, in 2021 we lost one of our outstanding class leaders, Art Brooks. He was our class president and a very accomplished lawyer. On the Hill, Art was in Q&D, a founding member of the Sherwoods, and president of the student council and SAE. In his early career days, he fought for the elimination of discriminatory housing policies. Art was an adjunct faculty member, served two terms in the Ohio House as chairman of a House Judiciary Committee section, and served on both the House Energy and Environment and Transportation and Urban Affairs committees. He also had plenty of time for his family, singing, tennis, basketball, and just enjoying people!

That’s all the news I have for now! ❖ Janet Arps Jarvie, janjarvie@gmail.com; Dick Haggard, richardhaggard11@gmail.com. Online news form.

1959

From rocket scientist to maestro: At the Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara, CA, Bob Weinman (runningbob@aol.com), splendid in a sequined jacket and red shirt, helped usher in 2022 as a guest conductor in the Santa Barbara Symphony’s New Year’s Eve gala, leading a rousing salute to the nation’s armed forces and earning enthusiastic applause from the audience. A video of the performance quickly appeared on YouTube and was shared among some of Bob’s ’59er friends and acquaintances. “I love the music,” says Bob. “I always have. When we were at Cornell, I frequented the music room at Willard Straight, both for the music and for the socializing.” Bob is on the boards of directors of both the symphony and Opera Santa Barbara. His other artistic endeavors include painting and sculpture, with many of his pieces making points about politics, the art world, and other contemporary issues. Why create a painting of soup cans when one can create a piece of art using real soup cans?

“What inspires your generosity for Cornell?” asked a University mailing. I doubt anyone responded more beautifully than another Santa Barbara resident, Gaines Post: “Gratitude for: 1) superb education—first-rate faculty in Arts & Sciences; 2) rowing on the varsity heavyweight crew; 3) enabling me to win a Rhodes Scholarship following my military service in Germany.”

“Despite the pandemic, Susanne and I had a pretty good year,” wrote Nelson Joyner as he looked back on 2021. “A short trip to Sweden that included summer gatherings of friends and relatives; a short, fun trip to New York; and a whitewater rafting trip for the whole family on the Green River in Utah. The same immediate family—a dozen of us—gathered at our home in Reston, VA, for Thanksgiving. It was a lot of fun: we ate and ate, went to a Washington Caps hockey game, and had a family golf outing.” The couple keeps up with their water aerobics and Pilates, and Nelson has added a new addiction—the fast-growing sport of pickleball—to his longtime addiction, golf.

Teaching eager students at the U. of Nebraska, Lincoln and serving as a resource person for Nebraska’s growing grape and wine industry continue to bring Paul Read, MS ’64 (pread@unl.edu) great satisfaction. Paul and his wife, Christine, recently welcomed their first grandchild, Clara Rose. Tom Golden (tom@thomasgolden.net), who lives in Upstate New York, and his family are renovating a home in Lake Worth Beach, FL. Many of us can relate to his response to a Class Notes question: “What brings you the most satisfaction in your life these days?” He says, “The ‘most’ of anything is impossible to specify, since it changes so often. It is similar to asking my favorite song, or actor, or singer. So many favorites, so many bests.”

Byron Roe, PhD ’59 (Byronroe@umich.edu) and his wife moved from Ann Arbor, MI, to Fremont, CA, to be near children and grandchildren. A professor emeritus of physics at the U. of Michigan, Byron continues to be involved with the MiniBooNE experiment at Fermilab, which is designed to observe neutrino oscillations. In 2020, Springer Verlag published the third edition of his book Probability and Statistics in the Physical Sciences.

“As all of you who know me can attest, I prefer working in the collegial atmosphere of a law firm, and I have found a great match with my new firm,” reports Harry Petchesky (Harry@hjpesq.com). As reported in our last column, the law firm with which Harry had had an eight-year “gratifying affiliation” closed its doors at the end of 2021. Within weeks, Harry notified clients and friends that, as of January 1, 2022, he became of counsel to Scarola Zubatov Schaffzin PLLC. Notes the firm’s website: Harry’s “practice and expertise includes extensive work in public and private securities offerings, representation of clients in SEC, Nasdaq, New York Stock Exchange, and FINRA investigations and disciplinary proceedings, the formation and sale of business entities and of cooperative and condominium apartment housing entities, commercial leasing, purchases and sales of commercial and residential real estate, trusts and estates matters and probate and administration, and family law, as well as trial and appellate litigation in all of these fields.”

Reminders: Just two years ’til we pack our cases and head to Cornell for our 65th Reunion! Mark the dates on your calendars: June 6–9, 2024. Previous class columns can be found at this link. You can always email your latest news to me directly. However, please note that since early January I do not use nor have access to the “sbcglobal” email account I long used. ❖ Jenny Tesar, jet24@cornell.edu. Online news form.

Back to the top

1960s

1960

Saying that she has been “remiss in sending news to Class Notes,” Byrd Avery Lochtie reports that a trip she took “has prompted me to send you some information. In October I went to the Galápagos Islands with a group sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. We were a group of 13, led by Dr. Irby Lovette from the lab and Fausto Rodriguez, our Ecuadorean naturalist, living together on a yacht. This trip was planned for October 2020, but of course COVID-19 intervened. We were very lucky to be able to go when Delta was waning and before Omicron hit in late 2021. This really was the trip of a lifetime! We went to 13 different islands, hiking over lava rocks and through deserts, seeing many exotic birds, giant tortoises, and marine iguanas.” Now back at home in Eureka, CA, Byrd says, “Everyone in my family is doing well,” and she plans a trip to Billings, MT, in the near future.

Another cheering report comes from Allyn Smith, MS ’67, who married Mary Ann Prior in November 2021 and moved from Riverside, CA, to a retirement community near Valley Forge, PA, where the newlyweds say they “are both healthy, active, and happy with the decisions we have made.” Allyn notes that “while living in Ithaca and working at Cornell, my wife and I got to know Mary Ann and her husband, who lived in Harrisburg, PA. Over the next 40 years, our families spent vacation time together and became close friends. After her husband died and my wife died, we began visiting each other, she in Pennsylvania and me in California.” When they discovered the appealing senior community Shannondell in 2021, they decided to sell their respective homes, marry, and move in together. Allyn says, “We love Shannondell and our children are pleased.” Warm good wishes to you both!

Stephen Crane, JD ’63 (scrane.jams@gmail.com) writes from New York that, as of August, “I have been married to Elaine (Foreman) ’61 for 62 years. She retired from Fordham U. as Distinguished Professor of History Emerita, and I have limited my practice as an arbitrator and mediator at JAMS (Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Service) to a select few cases, in order to enjoy retirement. Our daughter Melissa, JD ’91, is pursuing the path in the law that I took. Last year she was elected as a Supreme Court Justice in New York County and assigned to its commercial division. So now I am referred to as Judge Crane the Elder.” Ginger Barney Maiman (gingermaiman@gmail.com) says that she and her husband, David, normally found in Buffalo, “snuck in some travel after vaccines and between pandemic surges. We made a family trip to Jackson Hole, attended weddings in Philadelphia and New York City, and made visits to kids and grandkids in Florida. I’m now wintering in Sarasota, having been tutoring refugees and interviewing families for Habitat for Humanity before the pandemic.”

Answering the question about whether his daily life is different, Bob McDermott responds, “Are you kidding? Everyone’s life has changed over the past two years. We are less active these days and haven’t been able to travel to the UK or Norway, my wife Torill’s home. As members of the San Francisco Yacht Club, we used to be regular sailors, but this has been drastically reduced and our docent activities at the Tiburon Railway Museum have come to a halt. We’ve been keeping in touch with two sons in the UK and one in San Francisco, all happily working from their homes. We did venture to New York City and neighboring Connecticut in October for my 65th Reunion at Darien High School. I was happy to see Ginny Seipt at our class luncheon.” Paul Auchter, JD ’64, sent word from Key Biscayne that he and his wife, Flos, are officially Florida residents; he is a licensed attorney and real estate broker, and they live in a building that fronts on Key Biscayne Beach. They enjoy swimming in the ocean, bike riding, and playing tennis. The Auchters attended a niece’s October wedding in Vermont and plan to be at a granddaughter’s wedding in Nevada in May.

After a long career as a writer and editor who also offered memoir-writing services, Susan Glowacki Luccini (susan.luccini@gmail.com) writes from California, “I recently closed my personal history business and essentially retired.” As to what’s next: “First, I’m taking care of some medical issues, such as cataracts. Secondly, I’m waiting to see what doors open. Perhaps many will, perhaps one, perhaps none. We also have scaled down our social life because we live in a county with high COVID infection rates.” What brings the most satisfaction? “Seeing friends again.” Bostonian arts advocate Ron Mallis reports, “I’m still running—or given COVID, figuring out new ways to run—the nonprofit I started about 12 years ago that’s focused on supporting art in public places: BostonAPP/Lab. I’m also working out every day for 90 minutes, plus walking six to six and a half miles. I’m involved with the Boston Arts Academy as a member of their Foundation Advisory Council, and helping plan a 20th Reunion at MIT, where I received a master’s in city planning. I also get satisfaction from staying connected with friends from back in the day.” Send news to ❖ Judy Bryant Wittenberg, jw275@cornell.edu. Online news form.

1961

Twenty classmates joined in early March for a Zoom ’61 class officers’ meeting hosted by co-president Dick Tatlow. Several Reunion and class topics were discussed. The primary item was completing the funding for the Peter Meinig memorial room in Olin Library. As a class, we are several thousand dollars short of our goal. Dick gave a call for all class officers to make a significant contribution. I have made one, and I invite all classmates to join in. Email me (dougout@attglobal.net) for information on sending a contribution to the Meinig memorial. The dedication of the memorial is planned for Reunion week in June 2022 with special recognition for Nancy Schlegel Meinig ’62. More information will be forthcoming if classmates wish to attend this event.

The Cornell Alumni Leadership Conference (CALC) was held in late March in Ithaca—following the submission of this class column. It was the first CALC held on campus since the COVID crisis hit. Marshall and Rosanna Romanelli Frank and co-president Jim Moore, LLB ’64, represented us.

Class Notes is one of the most popular sections of Cornellians. However, for the first time in the years I have been your correspondent, we received no input. Not one form or email from any classmates. Although Susan Williams Stevens and I believe we are creative and resourceful, we are not good at writing fiction. We need your help!

All of you have received the link to Cornellians several times in your Cornell emails. The print version is in the works and a subscription offering will be forthcoming. This column is necessarily short. Please take a moment to send a note or email to either of us: ❖ Doug Fuss, dougout@attglobal.net; Susan Williams Stevens, sastevens61@gmail.com. Online news form.

1962

Betty Lefkowitz Moore (betty.lefkowitz@gmail.com) lives in State College, PA, with her husband, John. She writes, “Both John and I had COVID-19 and were hospitalized in early January 2021. We were so happy to get home. We live in a very nurturing environment in a college town. Our grandchildren are busy exploring life, getting married, entering college, etc. It’s lovely re-experiencing these milestones through them. The isolation of COVID has emphasized how much we gain from interacting with each other.”

Jane Barrows Tatibouet (hawaiihoteliers@aol.com) and her husband, Andre, live in Honolulu, HI. “Hawaii was hit the worst, economically, with COVID-19. Tourism shut down completely—planes not flying and governor forbidding tourists! Thus, we had the highest unemployment rate in the US at this writing (March 2021). As entrepreneurs, our past year has been challenging, but we continue to find successes! We are not retiring but are expanding our businesses, opening a new one on Cape Cod in Yarmouth Port, MA. It’s a historic store, 1831, situated in a very historic village directly on a 36-mile-long National Historic Highway, Route 6A. Renovations began in June. We are vicariously sharing in the lives of our two children and two grandchildren—all 5,000 miles away! We are staying active, reaching out to others, reading through our own library of great books, and writing articles. We have learned from the pandemic to be prepared, eat well, sleep well, work well, stay healthy in every way possible, and think well. Be positive and count every day a blessing. To top it off, stay in touch—and expand your touch—with friends and family, close or far away, by text, email, Zoom, USPS notes, and cards. Be enthusiastic about the future and give of your talents to others!”

Sidney Watt Jr. (sswattjr@yahoo.com) and his wife, Becky, live in Exeter, NH. He writes, “After vacationing and living in the Dartmouth/Sunapee region of New Hampshire for 70 years, we have moved into a CCRC in the New Hampshire Seacoast area. Exeter is a beautiful town, but we will miss the mountains and our friends.”

Editor’s note: Sadly, Mr. Levine passed away in late March, and this column was in process by the time Cornellians received notice of his death. The following entry is this loyal alumnus’s final message to his classmates:

Richard Levine lives with his wife, Neil Ann (Stuckey) ’63, in Princeton, NJ. He says, “Like millions of others, I’ve spent a year working from my home office. I’m semi-retired. In the past 15 years, I have devoted myself to nonprofit work, serving as president of the Dow Jones News Fund, vice chair of the Princeton Symphony, and director of the National Junior Tennis League. We’ve watched with delight as our five grandchildren have grown to adulthood. Next fall, all five will be in college. I find satisfaction in staying in touch with the grandkids, spending time with them and their parents, and being deeply involved with Dow Jones, where I have spent 55 years.”

Nancy Williams Clark, MEd ’64 (nwclark@outlook.com) reports, “My husband, J. Thomas ’63, MBA ’64, and I sold our Old Chatham Sheepherding Co. and farm and moved last September into a portion of a barn on the old property with 70 acres and about half a mile of creek and a quarter mile of brook on one side. We have a granddaughter in the Class of ’22 at Cornell, another grandchild accepted as a freshman (Class of ’25), and hopefully more to come! We have eight more grandchildren (the youngest is 4 years old)—all legacies! My pandemic takeaway is, ‘Do what you love to do and be with the ones you love.’”

From Ambler, PA, Peter Johnson (bigredpcj@verizon.net) writes, “My oldest grandson received his Eagle Scout badge last fall and is currently serving in the Navy as an aircraft mechanic. Our second grandson just passed his Board of Review for the Eagle Scout Award and will be attending college this fall. My takeaway from the pandemic is to follow the science and obey the rules. Be diligently careful.”

E. Kay Trimberger (trimberg@sonoma.edu) from Berkeley, CA, says, “I published a memoir during the pandemic, Creole Son: An Adoptive Mother Untangles Nature and Nurture. See more on my website. I have an online blog, Adoption Diaries. I spend time reading and listening to audiobooks, being with friends, hiking, and doing local travel. I am happy that the pandemic happened when I am old and traveling less. It helped prepare for life in old age.”

D. Peter Hochberg, BME ’64 (Cleveland Heights, OH; peter.hochberg@gmail.com) is “still hard at work, but, like most patent lawyers, I’m working from home. Being at home with my wife, Maxine Singer, is the most satisfying part of my life. We haven’t traveled since the commencement of the pandemic. I prepare and prosecute patent applications, litigate patent matters, and do licensing. We keep in touch with friends throughout the world and are considering places to visit. We are all getting older but are conscious about being fit and healthy. My biggest takeaway from the pandemic is that once one accepts the danger that is present and alters life accordingly, life can be very pleasant.”

From Karen Mars Sergio (karenandserge@aol.com) in Stanfordville, NY: “The big change in my life is managing my home and business alone since the death of my husband. I am the owner and operator of Hudson Valley Cabin. Meeting and greeting guests at the cabin and being with my animals are sources of satisfaction.”

Richard Klein (rjk11@cornell.edu) writes, “When my wife, Susan Holland, retired, we moved from Brooklyn to Miami. In retirement, I’m writing my fourth book, taking long walks, and eating my wife’s extraordinary cooking. She is always smiling since her retirement. ‘Happy wife, happy life!’ My book is about Arles in Southern France, where we spend our summers. The positive part about COVID-19 is that it’s given many children of all ages the chance to live together for a year with both their parents at home.”

Liz Belsky Stiel (llstiel@att.net) says, “Over the last 59 years, my husband, Les ’60, and I have lived in Cleveland and Columbus, OH, Scarsdale, NY, and New York City before moving to La Jolla, CA, in 1997. I am still shocked at living in beautiful California! I could never have imagined that we would end up here. Before Cornell I lived in Brooklyn and New Rochelle, NY. Life has a way of taking a variety of turns!”

Rich Alther (richalther@msn.com) writes from Ferrisburgh, VT, “I lost my husband, Ray Repp, of 20 wonderful years. Classmates raised Catholic may know him from introducing guitar into the church with his ‘Mass for Young Americans.’ With his 12 albums, he toured the world. My fifth novel, Bedside Matters, was just published. Publishers Weekly said: ‘With an unsentimental eye, honesty, and sensitivity, Alther makes a life near its end inviting and restorative.’”

Jane Brody recently retired from writing her weekly column, “Personal Health,” in the New York Times. “Although colleagues thought I’d run out of ideas in six months, the column ran continuously for 44 years. My twin grandsons expect to graduate in the Cornell Class of 2022. My current satisfaction is the many new friendships I’ve made among fellow ‘streetwalkers’ during COVID-19.”

From Vivian Lasser Beenstock (vbeenstock@gmail.com): “We miss going on vacations, to the theater, the opera, and lectures. I am retired, auditing classes remotely, attending lectures and performances on the computer, and exercising at home and outside. My grandson is graduating from the U. of Michigan. I get satisfaction from contact with family and friends—remotely and limited in person—and from walking around our neighborhood. I appreciate relationships and the health that I have so far.”

Edward Griffith Jr. (ngriffith1940@aol.com) and his wife, Bonnie, have moved from North Carolina to Exton, PA, to be closer to family and friends. ❖ Evelyn Eskin, evelyneskin@mac.com. Online news form.

Editor’s note: Thanks to the class’s extraordinary level of engagement, it has received a large quantity of news during recent cycles—prompting the additional section below, which was added on May 26, 2022.

We are in the countdown to our 60th Reunion, and classmates are still writing about their lives and Cornell memories. Thank you all for your vibrant, interesting, and varied contributions!

David Harrald (dfharrald@gmail.com), who lives in Sun Lakes, AZ, with wife Lettie writes: “I recently enjoyed a Zoom reunion of the Civil Engineering Class of ’62, BCE ’63, which had a total graduating class of 29. Also attending were John Abel, John Curtis, MS ’65, Mary Ann Huber Franson, MS ’64, Marc Gerber, Fred Hart, Pete Johnson, and Alex Vollmer, MS ’64. John Abel, Fred, and I were roommates in graduate school at Stanford in 1963–64 and have kept in touch through the years. I have also visited with John and Janie Curtis many times and talked to Alex a few times. It was fun to hear the other voices that I hadn’t heard in 58 years! It seems that old CE friends have maintained those friendships. Many thanks to Jeannette Little for arranging the Zoom reunion.”

Larry Stoneburner (LLS33@cornell.edu) writes from Bakersfield, CA: “My wife of 45 years, Mimi, died in 2019. I am on the advisory board of the Harmony Magnet Academy (HMA). In 2020, the HMA received the Sandy Weill Honor Motivation Achievement Award, recognizing students who demonstrate core elements of character when faced with adversity. Mimi and I produced three videos weekly for 13 years for local stations. I am medically retired. I get satisfaction from the joy of watching my 6-year-old grandson excel in his class.”

Joel Sundholm (jls446@cornell.edu) writes, “I am slowly emerging from my pandemic cocoon in Bloomfield Hills, MI. After 50 years in the steel industry, I fully retired in 2015.”

Anne Kaczmarczyk Evans (evans25@ptd.net) lives with her husband, John, in Ashland, PA. She says, “Life is more normal this year. Sunday afternoon dances with live bands. Socializing is great mental health for seniors. Volunteer work is increasing. I traveled to Florida in March and plan to go to Ocean City, NJ, this summer. I volunteer with Medicare, the historical society, and COVID-19 vaccinations. I do church work by researching family requests dating back to 1800. I started tap dance class. That’s good for balance and memory. The family is all good and more relaxed and less fearful of the pandemic. I have encouraged them to restart their lives.”

Jim Harre reports that Martha, his wife of 53 years, has died. He has three children and ten grandchildren.

Neil Schilke, MS ’64 (neroschilke@aol.com) writes, “The Schilkes are going to Reunion! With cautious optimism, we have begun to travel. We just completed a wonderful bus-tour blitz of the national parks in Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. This was followed by a scenic train ride through the Rockies from Moab, UT, to Denver, with a stop in Glenwood Springs. Then, a side trip to see Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial. For 2022, we’re planning our fourth trip to Iceland and a Mediterranean cruise, but on June 9–12, we’ll be in Ithaca. I decided quite a while ago that I’m going to our 60th Cornell Reunion. It will be the ‘last big round-up.’ There will be more Reunions going forward, but reality says that the numbers will diminish. I feel compelled to give it one more shot. I want to see classmates, many who have become good friends and others that I look forward to meeting for the first time. And I want to see Cornell. It is such a beautiful place. It’s changed a lot over 60 years, but many parts of the campus conjure up memories—mostly good feelings and some bad as well. Hope to see you there!”

John Lowrie (jmlowrie@gmail.com) poses, “Where were we on 9/11? Jackie and I were watching the History Channel’s documentary tonight on 9/11, and I thought of the many ’62 classmates from the New York area who must be reliving that terrible event. This is magnified by the messages about friends lost in just the past year. Thanks to all the class council friends who are keeping us bound together as we prepare to gather for our 60th next June.”

This item about Ted Thoren may seem like a stretch, but it’s a fun factoid. It appeared in a newsletter produced by the Cornell Baseball Assn. Ted was an honorary member of our class. “In fall 1968, after garnering All-State honors as a pitcher in New Jersey and scoring 800 on his math SAT, Hugh Cregg ’72 matriculated at Cornell to pursue his dream of becoming a big-league baseball player and engineer. As many of us have found out, the fall of freshman year at Cornell is quite an adjustment. Hugh found that juggling baseball, engineering, and a burgeoning interest in music spread him very thin. A subsequent discussion with Coach Thoren convinced Hugh that playing for the Big Red was not in the cards. He eventually dropped out of Cornell and began a music career. Changing his performing name to Huey Lewis, he carved out an impressive niche. His band, Huey Lewis and the News, is legendary, selling over 30 million albums worldwide.”

Mary Davis Deignan (mdd23@cornell.edu) writes, “My husband, Paul, MPS ’74, had been suffering for many years with sarcoidosis. He died on May 23, 2021. We were married for 58 very good years.”

David Hill (dhh11@cornell.edu), in Basking Ridge, NJ, writes: “I turned 80 on February 20, 2021, and I look forward to turning 100 in 2041. I sing tenor in a German chorus and bass in the church choir. I enjoy having my son, his wife, and three granddaughters living two miles away. My wife and I are fully vaccinated and feeling very blessed with no COVID.”

Helen Chuckrow, MA ’66 (mafseek@gmail.com) writes that she has published a small book, Memoirs, which “recounts my strange path from an agnostic socialist background to a professional Torah reader.” In retirement, she tutors boys and girls for their bar and bat mitzvahs.

Nancy Williams Clark (nwclark@outlook.com) has a new address for her and husband Tom ’63, MBA ’64, in Old Chatham, NY. “Luckily, last year we sold our farm and moved to the north end of the farm with 70 acres and two streams on two sides. The home is on one floor and is delightful, with 11 windows in the main room looking out onto the pastures. Along with our cottage in Maine, we are settled. We are also lucky to have three of our family at Cornell right now—two of our grandchildren and my brother’s (John C. Williams ’65) grandson. Our triplet grandchildren are applying to colleges now. I have just had ankle replacement surgery so I will be ready for our 60th Reunion in June. Frank Quirk, MBA ’64, and I are planning fun things to do. It is going to be wonderful to see those classmates who were friends in college and those whom we have befriended over the years. I want to see all of you there. We are the lucky ones! With a three-week-old new ankle, I am not figure skating, hiking, biking, or walking. Hope to renew my abilities soon!”

Alice Dalton Brown (alicedaltonbrown@me.com) sent along news of her solo exhibition of 80 oil paintings and pastels at the My Art Museum in Seoul, South Korea, from July to November 2021. “It was extended from its original close date by two weeks because for some weeks it was the most popular museum exhibition in Seoul. When it closed on November 7, 2021, the director emailed me that a total of 110,000 visitors had come to see my show, 8,000 in the final weekend! I visited the museum twice for a few weeks and was given every courtesy imaginable. It was an amazing experience. One of the pieces in the show is owned by the Johnson Museum at Cornell. It is ‘Retreat Grasses.’ It is a pleasure to share this with my Cornell classmates.”

Members of the Ho family—Mui Ho ’62, BArch ’66, Hau Wong Ho ’55, Christine Ma Ho ’61, and Jet K.S. Ho ’91—were honored at the 2022 Pan-Asian Celebration on January 29, 2022, sponsored by the Cornell Asian Alumni Assn. (CAAA). The virtual event was attended by fellow Cornellians, friends, and family worldwide, celebrating the accomplishments of the Ho family and the Year of the Tiger. Festivities included cultural performances from students, global alumni performers, and remarks by the Ho family and University representatives. Ticket sales and a silent auction raised money for CAAA Tradition Fellowships and endowed the CAAA undergraduate scholarship program and the Asian American Center. Mui Ho, an architect and retired U. of California, Berkeley educator, funded the Mui Ho Fine Arts Library in Rand Hall—one of the finest circulating collections of fine arts and design materials in the country. See for yourself!

In mid-2021, Brad Olson (brad.olson@cornell.edu) and his wife, Lila (Fox) ’63, paid heed to family pleas to move back to Southern California to be closer to them all (two families and three grands). “We left Ithaca after 22 years there—many mixed emotions and lots of hard work. Family were great helpers, and we are now situated at our former vacation home at Lake Arrowhead, CA. It’s a beautiful mountain setting about 5,000 feet above sea level and within easy striking distance of immediate family and my brother and his spouse. It snows less than in Ithaca but comes in big bunches when it does. Right now (December 18) we’re in a cold snap! Glad to see rain last week and again next—the drought has been bad here and will take more years to recover.”

Brad continues, “Many happy Cornell memories—we met and married there right after graduation in ’63. Our son, Eric ’92, graduated from there 30 years later, so we have some family memories to share together. The chance to move back, teach, and administer in the graduate Baker Program in Real Estate beginning in ’99 was a gift—a chance to bring a 30-plus-year career in real estate out West to a conclusion, gathering together lessons learned along the way to share with up-and-coming new talent from around the world. At the same time, we met old and new friends and developed a dedicated following of CU hockey and basketball—trips to see the Sweet 16 basketball team and to watch hockey ascend to number one in the US for both men and women’s teams was a great thrill. We were all set to attend ECAC championships, and (hopefully) the Frozen Four, when COVID struck. Huge disappointment for all, but the team (men’s hockey) has bounced right back and looks to do great things again this year. Watch for them and basketball on ESPN+! Physical mobility challenges for me make Reunion attendance suspect, but we have time to find ways there! Meanwhile, we wish the best to all classmates and a happy #60 to all who, like us, will celebrate a June 11 anniversary!”

Philip Abrams (piabrams@aol.com) writes, “In thinking about the upcoming Reunion, I looked at the Class of ’62 website and the list of classmates who have passed away. In scanning it, I noted that my close friend, outstanding and highly recognized scientist Joel Bernstein, was not listed. Joel passed away at his home in Tel Aviv on January 2, 2019. By good fortune, my wife and I visited him in Israel in March 2018 and before that we all met up at the 50th Reunion in Ithaca in 2012. In looking at our class website, there is a photo from our 50th Reunion. I discovered that the photo shows, from left, Buzz Rukin and his wife, Joel and his wife, Tzipi, and I’m next with my wife, Lynn, plus others in the photo.

“Most of Joel’s academic career was spent at Ben-Gurion U. After retirement, he wrote highly acclaimed technical books and lectured on pharmaceutical chemistry all over the world. Our paths crossed many times because he always seemed to be on sabbatical or giving a course at many locations in various parts of the world where I was traveling for engineering business. We were roommates for three years at Beta Sigma Rho, after which he went to Yale and then on to Israel. We met again in the 1970s when we were both working in Israel; he was at the Weizmann, and I worked in aircraft/aerospace. My wife and I returned to the US after six years and Joel stayed, building an illustrious career at BGU. His outgoing, friendly, and erudite personality will be missed by so many. Joel is a credit to our Cornell class and loved the University—he even had a sabbatical in Ithaca!”

From: Mike Matthews, MBA ’66 (mike@ehx.com): “I turned 80 two months ago. I still work full time at Electro-Harmonix, a company I founded in 1968. The largest part of our business is the development, production, and international marketing of a line of sound effects for musicians. In fact, there is a display of our gear in Philips Hall. We are doing great with these products, even though we have been fighting the digital IC crisis. The second largest part of our business is vacuum tubes, those electronic parts that started going out of business with the inventions of the transistor and integrated circuits. However, there remains a very strong niche market for vacuum tubes because guitar amplifiers with vacuum tubes sound better than solid state guitar amplifiers. The same thing holds true for hi-fi amplifiers. We own 100% of one of only three remaining factories in the world that still make audio vacuum tubes. Sales are booming. However, we are concerned about the Ukraine crisis, and what can happen shortly to this business if this escalates.”

David Lloyd (dlloyd1940@gmail.com) has been retired for some 12 years. As a lawyer admitted to the New York and New Jersey bars, he was a lobbyist in New Jersey for 25 years, then 20 more years doing lobbying in states all over the country from Washington, DC! “I married a wonderful D.C. woman, Andrea Wollock, in 1989; very sadly, she passed away this past August. 32 wonderful years. Visited all seven continents and about 60 countries overall. (Antarctica twice, Australia four times!)” David has a son, Andrew ’93, in Los Angeles, and a daughter, Karen—also a lawyer—with two grandsons who live about five minutes away from him in Bethesda, MD. He has many, many fond memories of his time at Cornell! In particular, his two years playing trombone with the Big Red Marching Band that performed at home—and some away—football games! Only regret: it was, back then, a “male only” marching band!

Anna Fang Wu (afangwu@gmail.com) writes, “Since my retirement from my internal medicine practice in 2010, I had the freedom of travel before the pandemic, seeing my grandchildren and friends, etc. Since the pandemic, my husband has retired from teaching at Northwestern U. after 50 years. We are essentially staying at our apartment in downtown Chicago with minimal social activities. We are eagerly awaiting the abatement of the COVID virus!”

Eric Walther, BEP ’64 (eric_walther@yahoo.com) has sent along a brief personal history and two anecdotes. “History: Cornell provided me with such an excellent education, starting in Mechanical Engineering and finishing up in Engineering Physics, that graduate school for my MS and PhD in atmospheric science at SUNY Albany was relatively easy. Finishing up my PhD with a focus on air pollution close to the original Earth Day (April 22, 1970) was fortunate timing to start my 50-year career, first as a research scientist and later as a consultant, in air pollution and environmental permitting of power plants and other industrial facilities. After graduate school in Albany, I and my wife, Pam, whom I met on Lake George in the Adirondacks, moved to jobs in Flagstaff, AZ, Dayton, OH, Boulder City/Las Vegas, Columbia, MD, Southern California, and finally Sacramento, CA. Our two children and five grandchildren have ended up mostly in Virginia and Sacramento.

“Anecdote 1: The only time I got myself into behavior trouble with Cornell social regulations was around 1960, when I kept a co-ed out late from her dormitory on my first date, for which I had to appear before the men’s Judiciary Council to explain myself. Anecdote 2: As proof of my young belief that I was immortal, I climbed the wall in Triphammer Gorge at a popular swimming hole to perform a death-defying swan dive that fortunately did not break my neck.”

Stephen Ploscowe, LLB ’65 (SPloscowe@foxrothschild.com) says, “I plan on attending our 60th Reunion. I am currently at my home in Boca Raton, FL (November through May), where I play lots of golf and otherwise try to stay busy reading and going on outings with my wife, Wendie (Malkin) ’65. I retired last March after practicing management labor/employment law for 55 years. In fact, both Cornell and Princeton U. were clients of mine for many years. Wendie and I still have a home in Fairfield, NJ—close to my kids and grandkids, and where we spend June through October when we are not traveling. My granddaughter Sydney Rosen ’24 is a third-generation Cornellian and loving it. I look forward to seeing many of our classmates in June at our Reunion.”

Margery Donk Beeler (mswampcat@gmail.com) writes, “The only classmate with whom I’ve always kept in touch is Frances Li, PhD ’71. I even saw her in person shortly before COVID entered our lives. She arranged a get-together with Bayla White and Karen Nelson during my visit to the D.C. area in October 2019 and it was lovely seeing them again. This is a snapshot of my life: I retired after 25 years with the Schenectady County Public Library at the end of 1997 and moved to Florida. My husband and I had developed an interest in birding over the years and the spectacular birds of Florida were the big draw to the south. Volunteer work with Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, the Center for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW), and 6-Mile Cypress Slough kept me busy and entertained. When my husband and I separated in 2002 I moved to Olympia, WA, mainly to be near my daughter Susan and my grandchildren, and I have been here ever since.

“My major volunteer activities have remained bird-centered (our local Audubon chapter and the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge). Traveling has been my lifelong interest and I’ve been lucky to visit Europe many times over the years. I completed visiting all 50 states a few years back. In January 2019 one of my best trips ever took me to Egypt. Since COVID, what travel I’ve been able to do has been confined to Washington State, but there is an endless supply of beautiful country here. I’ve also been lucky that Susan is close by, now on beautiful Vashon Island, and Wendy, my younger daughter, has been able to fly here several times from her home in beautiful Bar Harbor, ME. I have good memories of many things at Cornell, especially the academics and the government honors program. My favorite professors were Hacker and Muller, Walter LaFeber, and William Merritt Sale. I do not expect to attend the 60th Reunion, so I will look forward to your reporting.”

From Wayne Kelder (wayne.kelder16@gmail.com): “Update on me: Enjoying retirement. Have three children (all graduated from Cornell). Have six grandchildren. When people ask how I am doing, I relate to running an old piece of equipment—take it to the repair shop often, but as long as it can be fixed you are pleased. That is the way it is with my wife, Elizabeth, and me. We go to doctors, but they send us home fixed up. Will not be attending the 60th Reunion. Hope a good time will be had by all. Take care and stay healthy.”

Tony Hitchcock (tony.hitchcock@yahoo.com) writes, “I remain busy in retirement, working almost as much as before—just not getting paid for it! I am the treasurer of three nonprofit charities: a local independent school, an advocacy organization serving the Latinx community of Eastern Long Island, and a national equine ambulance. I also am active helping a farmers’ market in Upstate New York and a new and growing pet loss grief counseling service (Animal Talks Inc.) based in Boston. When not doing financial guidance work, my wife, Jean Lindgren, and I love to travel (plans this year include exploring the Hudson Valley area, New Orleans, France [Paris and the Dordogne], and our annual three weeks in mid-coast and northern Maine). I recently participated in a fun Zoom meeting with many graduates spanning many years, all of whom, like me, lived at one time or another at Watermargin. We look forward to spending two-plus days in Ithaca for the Class of ’62 Reunion in June.”

Judy Shulman Weis (jweis@newark.rutgers.edu) writes that she and husband Pete ’60 are in NYC, “where the theaters, museums, opera, concerts, etc. have resumed operations. This fall we slowly got back to them, having gone to the Metropolitan Opera a few times (audiences smaller than usual), plus theater (The Lehman Trilogy) and movies (Belfast and West Side Story). My chorus resumed and we gave a wonderful concert in early December, before Omicron raised its ugly head. Everything requires proof of vaccine and mask wearing. We took our son, Eric, and 11-year-old granddaughter Violet (who live in Providence, RI) to Washington, DC, to see the museums and monuments during her Christmas break. Everyone had a great time.”

Judy reports that she has written some ecology/natural history books for the public: Salt Marshes: A Natural and Unnatural History (with Carol Butler, Rutgers U. Press); Do Fish Sleep? (Rutgers U. Press); and Walking Sideways: The Remarkable World of Crabs (Cornell U. Press).” She is working on final reviews for a book on the topic of microfibers from clothes—“the most abundant type of microplastic pollution”—and a couple of lengthy papers. “Pete and I are both involved with Quest, a lifelong-learning organization that is now operating in hybrid fashion, thanks to the tech committee that Pete is on. (Last school year it was totally remote.) Teaching classes to fellow seniors is great fun—no exams, no term papers, no students whining about their grades. The first class I’ll be teaching in a few weeks is about pop music in the ’50s (with videos), and it’s really fun preparing it!”

Terry Koken (tkoken@att.net) writes, “All in all, I spent six and a half years at Cornell, all but one as staff, and didn’t graduate. Got my living as a computer programmer and computer fixer, and have been retired for 17 years now, much of which has been spent working on the design, patenting, and documenting of an optical tester. I’m looking seriously at appearing at the 60th—wondering whether anyone I know will be there besides Don Juran. Happily married for about the last 30 years, on the fourth try (never lost faith in the institution). Looking forward to my 80th birthday just before the Reunion.”

Peter Wadsworth, MBA ’65 (peterawadsworth@gmail.com) writes, “Still alive and kicking thanks in part to Medtronic. Moved to Boston in 2016 and have been writing about healthcare, including one book, Finding the Best Healthcare You Can Afford (Amazon.com), and ten articles. Helped organize a health policy group of all-stars that include the former head of Kaiser-Permanente HMO, a former head of Medicare and Medicaid, two distinguished professors at U. of California, Berkley, and more. Recently gave a talk on the voice as a musical instrument based on 15 years of choral singing and some fun research.”

From David Green, PhD ’67 (drdavidgreen@rogers.com): “Arlene Goldstrom Gehring ’64 and I have now been married 19 years. Between us we have four married children and six grandchildren so far. We live in Toronto, where of course we have Medicare for All, and keep in touch with several old friends from Cornell Savoyards days. I am also a visiting professor of history at Cornell, where I still teach a regular summer session course, ‘Words As Weapons: Political Vocabulary, Mass Media, and the Evolution of Political Consciousness.’ It’s about how politicians manipulate language to manipulate people. Best to all classmates and we hope everybody is well and safe.”

Herbert Mathewson, MD ’66 (hubmathewson@comcast.net) says, “I just got a blast from the past from Jack Astbury via an essay he had written about our 1960 ‘Western Adventure.’ His daughter had asked him to submit a memory to Storyworthy, and he picked our summer cross-country trip from Delta Upsilon to California and back in his 1949 Ford. (No, his daughter is not in middle school, she is 47 years young.) He asked me to add to it. After getting over the amazement of how we each remembered events WAY differently, and after confirming that he was not really asking for something to hang on the poster boards at his future wake, I did. I enjoy writing (see Hub’s List of medical fun facts—a data-based biweekly newsletter) and probably added more than he wanted. The world is awaiting the final version.”

Gail Colin Leibovich, MBA ’77 (gbcl70@gmail.com) writes, “Well, we are still here in Ithaca and have been since my 1962 graduation! In November of that year, I married a Cornell PhD student, Sidney, PhD ’65. In 1965, Sid completed his PhD while I worked at Cornell. We then moved to London for a year where Sid did a post doc. In 1966 Sid took an offer from Cornell to join the mechanical and aerospace engineering department and is now emeritus professor. So, except for sabbaticals abroad and here in the US, here we are. I worked in the Cornell Law Library from 1962 until 1965. When we returned from London, I took a job at Ithaca College as catalog librarian and worked there until our second son was born in 1970. After five years as a stay-at-home mom, I returned to Cornell to get an MBA from the Johnson School. After five years as a VP banker, I became an entrepreneur and opened a furniture store, which thrived until I retired in 2003 so that I would be free to spend more time with my, sadly, non-local grandchildren. At first, I was very unhappy to be returning to Ithaca and not going to one of the other ‘more interesting’ places where Sid could have taken a job, but over the years I have come to love living here. Ithaca is a wonderful place to raise children.”

Helen Chuckrow, MA ’66 (mafseek@gmail.com) sends word from Ossining, NY: “Before the pandemic, I was driving to students’ homes to prepare them for their bar and bat mitzvahs. Once the plague hit, I navigated to online tutoring—a welcome transition and one that permits me to have students from all over, such as New Jersey, New York City, and Florida. In addition to tutoring, I was reading Torah professionally at a couple of synagogues in the area, which was no longer feasible once the pandemic took over. As of now, I have published a small book(let)—a prequel to my “regular-size” book on biblical interpretation, which is about half finished. The book(let), Memoirs, can be obtained by contacting me. I’ve been keeping in touch with friends from Cornell: Judy Engel Adnepos, Herb Goldman ’58, BS ’59, and Paula Friedman ’60. Then there’s my daughter, Ann Tappert ’93, who lives nearby, and, very occasionally, my son, who chooses to live far, far away in the depths of Florida. I live with a great guy, Rick, who has taught me all I know of hockey, football, and baseball, and stays with me only because I was once dragged to a Dodger game at Ebbets Field by a friend in the 1950s.”

Bill Brozowski (txfarmerbill@yahoo.com) writes, “Foreign travel and cruises have stopped. We visited about 60 countries and six continents, and then started on the US. The Chama, NM, train to the Rockies was fantastic—even SNOWED for us Texans. Then COVID came. We made a move to Columbus, TX, 10 years ago—which has a population of 3,600 people. The virus has kept us hermits. The Phi Sigma Kappa pledging of the ’50s was unforgettable. Also, many Reunions were excellent. Old age is like glaciers; we wear down with time. But like that Texas song, ‘I am as good once, as I ever was.’ Stayed in agriculture for over 70 years with ‘Cornell’s BS Farmer Bill.’”

This from Don Morgan, MD ’72 (neuzamorgan@aol.com): “My wife, Neuza, and I were in Park City, UT, for some skiing over the holidays. We were joined by both daughters and their young families. Skiing was good, no one got hurt, and just being together was a pleasure. Omicron was there with us, too, with nine of the 10 of us turning positive in the later days of the vacation, despite all being fully vaccinated. Happily, only the two of us became symptomatic, and that for only a couple of days. I’ve been in touch with Bob Simpson and Fred Davis, Phi Kappa Psi fraternity brothers. We are all looking forward to June Reunion. Corey Earle ’07’s lectures on various facets of Cornell life are always stimulating and a pleasure to watch, as was a recent one on Cornell libraries. Who knew there were 20 of them on campus, and that one is underground, between Olin Library and Goldwin Smith Hall?”

From Karen Maynard Hemmeter (karen@hemmeter.com): “After graduation (married Chris in my junior year), I lived for 30 years in Honolulu. Three children born there. Chris and I divorced in ’78. I married Cale Carson in ’88, then we moved to Bellevue, WA, in ’91. Together we bicycled over 25,000 miles on many self-supported trips, just carrying our clothes, no reservations, B&Bs along the way—six months in Great Britain, five months from Geneva, Switzerland, to eastern Hungary, Slovakia, etc. Wonderful adventures. Cale died (bike accident) in ’95. In ’98 I biked across the country with a group, and for the year 2000 and my 60th, I rented an apartment on Rue du Cherche-Midi in Paris. A lifelong wish fulfilled! I stayed in Bellevue for seven more years, then moved in 2003 to Northern California, where I still live in Novato. In 2010 I met and married Bob Hall. We are big-time golfers; we play several times a week and travel extensively. I’m reading a lot (two book clubs), volunteering at our local community college as well as a used bookstore, sales from which benefit our local libraries. I talk to Judy Miner Steenberg periodically. She and I visited Sue Peery Moore in Florida years ago. Happy to be alive and well.”

Elizabeth Belsky Stiel (lizabethstiel@gmail.com) writes, “A group of SDT 1962 sisters are meeting via Zoom every six weeks or so. It has been a great way to reconnect and share our lives and interests with the other sisters. Highly recommended.”

Bette Kingan Witt (philbettew@gmail.com) reports: “After being snowbirds for a number of years, Phil ’61, MBA ’65, and I are now full-time Florida residents in Seminole, Pinellas County, in the Tampa (aka Champa) Bay Area. I enjoy tennis, bridge, biking, bird watching, and volunteering as a docent at Heritage Village in Largo. We both volunteer at the Florida Botanical Garden, also in Largo. We are frequent walkers in the many Pinellas County parks and users of the excellent library system. Family members are happy and healthy. We are blessed!”

Wilbur “Woody” Gregory (bonwoodgregory@gmail.com) writes, “After graduation, I served 27 years in the US Army, all over the world (Germany, Vietnam, Alaska, and a lot of the Midwest US). Then I worked for a construction management firm with multiple projects largely in the D.C. area. Retired in 2007 to Smith Mountain Lake, VA. Moved to a wonderful retirement community in Lynchburg, VA, in 2019 with my bride, Bonnie (57 years of a wonderful marriage to date). We are doing very well, though we would love to see this pandemic end!”

From Carol Shaw Andresen (andcandresen@gmail.com) comes this news: “I do just happen to have a new connection with Gail Strand Wiley and Karin Nielsen McNamara, which fits nicely here. Gail has set up a Zoom connection with Karin and me and three other friends who are White Plains High School ’58 grads, and we’ve been chatting for an hour or so on Tuesday afternoons every six to eight weeks. It has been WONDERFUL—not only to catch up and talk to each other ‘face to face,’ but to share book tips, travel lore, news about other CU friends, etc. We’re lucky that Gail’s husband, Bud, has the skills and equipment to make our conversations possible. But I’m guessing there are other CU cohorts who could get this sort of conversation going. I heartily recommend it! Fred ’59 and I are lucky to live in a continuing care retirement community in central North Carolina. Lots to do, many interesting people, nice new little house to enjoy with our little beagle. Life is good! Zoom classmate meetings are probably more widespread than we know. We don’t think of getting together that way when meeting in person is an option. Perhaps one good to come out of the pandemic is Zoom chatting?”

From Brian Coyne (lawyr@comcast.net): “I retired in 2017 from private law practice—patents, trademarks, and copyrights—in Olympia, WA. I am now conducting mandatory arbitrations for the superior courts of the state of Washington. I’ve been guiding our church’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and derive great satisfaction from Bible study. My takeaway from the pandemic is that we need better methods to counter misinformation on the internet.”

DeeDee McCoy Stovel (ddstovel@sbcglobal.net) writes from San Carlos, CA: “Until COVID, my husband, Jack, and I were busy volunteering at the local food distribution center and hiking in the Bay Area. Now we are busy trying to stay safe and healthy. Our grandchildren are in college (Williams and Tufts, sadly not at Cornell). Curiously, we lived in Williamstown, MA, for 40 years. Now our friends there see our grandson on campus while we reside in California! I get great satisfaction from being in nature. I loved leading hikes for school-age children before the program was canceled. I look forward to starting up again. In thinking about Cornell, I remember the clam chowder at the Straight cafeteria and the prime rib at the Elmhurst Room in the Straight where I waitressed.”

From Judy Rosenblatt (MITZVAHZOE@aol.com): “The pandemic has changed my life a lot. My remaining warrior older sister, Sherry, died in January 2020. On the good side, I’ve worked more in films and TV in the last two years than ever before. I did a segment of ‘Hunters’ (Amazon Prime) with Al Pacino and Logan Lehrman. Also worked on a series pilot, ‘Eltingville,’ and did an improvisational scene opposite Michael B. Jordan in the soon-to-be-released A Journal to Jordan, directed by Denzel Washington. I derive satisfaction from transcendental meditation, which I’ve been practicing for 46 years, acting, good friends, and being in touch with little children. Those pure contacts feed me every day. Life is not promised. Life is frail. Kindness to others is the greatest good—and imperative.” To which I say “Amen”—and hope to see you on the Hill in June! ❖ Evelyn Eskin, evelyneskin@mac.com. Online news form.

1963

Our 60th Reunion is only a year away! It’s hard to believe that it has been that long since we graduated from Cornell. Thinking along those lines, do me a favor and send me news about yourself. This month’s column probably takes the prize for the shortest one I have ever written. My email address is at the bottom of the column—so write me, please!

Bob Epstein (vaeho@aol.com) is still practicing entertainment law and writing. “My novella, A Portrait of the Entrepreneur as a Young Man, continues to sell on Amazon, where it has gotten five-star reviews. My son is about to graduate from high school in East Hampton, Long Island. My biggest takeaway from the pandemic is a greater appreciation for those close to me, even though we may be far apart.”

Acting class president Paula Trested Laholt wrote: “Hello, classmates! Not much for me to report, as we know how COVID has changed many a plan over the past two years, especially for those of us for whom travel is a passion. However, I was able to accomplish a long-desired purchase this summer. I am the proud and possibly adventurous owner of an RV—a small and cozy 23-ft. living space on a Ford diesel chassis. This turns out not to be the ideal solution, but with the dearth of availability lately I took what I could find. So watch out, you Cornellians in the Northeast; I could easily visit to mooch some electricity and water—along with a visit, of course. Take care, everyone, and remember our next Reunion is just about a year away. Put June 8–11, 2023 on your calendars and plan to participate.”

Sad to report the passing of Lew Evans, LLB ’65, in Gettysburg, PA. He was member of Phi Kappa Psi and a lightweight rower. Also, I am sad to report the passing of one of my Delta Gamma sisters, Dee Stroh Becvar. She was living in St Louis, MO.

That’s all for now, so please send me news when you can! ❖ Nancy Bierds Icke, 12350 E. Roger Rd., Tucson, AZ 85749; email, nancybicke@gmail.com. Online news form.

1964

Wow! I had been hungry for news for my column, so many thanks to those who responded to my plea. I’ll begin with Ted Heintz, last in this column in June 1995. After he moved to Washington, DC, he married Judy in 1968, then got his master’s in public affairs from Princeton. He writes, “My career was mostly in the federal government, at the Dept. of the Interior, managing a small staff of economists in the Office of the Secretary analyzing natural resource and environmental issues. Wound up at the White House Council on Environmental Quality for my last four years (in the D.C. area). We raised four kids through the wonderful Montgomery County (MD) schools. Judy started and grew a successful childcare business in Montgomery County, which my oldest son and his wife now manage. We spent our recreation time sailing the Atlantic Coast. I love Maine, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland.

“Judy died suddenly from sepsis following a dog bite in 2005. In 2007 I reconnected with my high school sweetheart, married her, retired, and moved to Atlanta, where she had a successful law practice. Unfortunately, she died suddenly in 2011. Fortunately, I fell in love with Gillian, one of her friends. We were married in 2013 just after I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. That began my career as a professional consumer of healthcare. My job has been to help maintain the cash flow between the insurance sector and the healthcare sector. I’ve done a good job, starting with a stem cell transplant and ending, of course, with a month stuck in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, with COVID. I’ve spent too much time in hospitals and clinics, but I’m still here to tell the stories.” (Yeah!)

Joan Kather Henry catches us up on what she’s been up to in the nine years since her last appearance: “At our family reunion in Colorado last July, my husband, Bill ’60, BCE ’63, and I had such fun that we decided to move nearer our kids. After living in Sequim, WA, for 21 years and loving it, we sold our house and moved to the Denver area in late October. We are now living in Castle Pines, 12 minutes from our son, and our daughter hopes to move to this area in the next few years.

“What changes we’ve had! From living at sea level to living at 6,400 feet. From living near a rain forest—where everything was green, there were big trees, and there was a thick understory and moss growing everywhere—to living in a semi-desert, where most things are brown this time of year. (There are some bushes and shrubs but few trees.) From living in a rural area with few people and little traffic to living in a metropolitan area with many and diverse people, highways, and stores everywhere. From living with a moderate temperature range from the 40s to 60s most of the year to living with temperatures that range from 90s to snow. We’re enjoying the contrasts!

“We’ve also had fun getting reacquainted with school friends in the several months we’ve been here. I’ve connected with five high school classmates from Chappaqua, NY, and seen three college friends: Mary Deitrich Capra and Betty Bond Snyder and her husband, Dave ’63, MBA ’68. I’m looking forward to seeing more classmates as we discover more people living in this area. Best regards to all my Cornell friends.”

Tim Pierie, last here in 2000, catches us up on other classmates catching up with one another. He writes, “Carrying over from our 50th Reunion, Ralph and Maureen Cerny have coordinated mini-winter reunions in Sarasota, FL. Burns Roensch, Mike Strick, MBA ’66, Kim Ahlers, Dave Gunning, Art Appleton, myself, Fred, ME ’66, and Linda Cascio Engstrom ’66, and other wives have enjoyed gathering again. Our 2020 and 2021 get-togethers were scrubbed due to COVID. We’re hoping to resume our gatherings pending virus conditions.”

Helen Schwartz, last here in 2013, writes, “I’ve recently published a WWII thriller, Thieves of Paris. The plot summary may interest you. In German-occupied Paris, Max St. Denis needs the help of Rose Valland (a real-life French art historian who tracked Nazi art theft), and fictional Hannah Ziegler, a Hungarian Zionist agent, to retrieve a beloved Ingres portrait snatched by the Nazis. With their help, he switches a fake for the real portrait. Thieves are everywhere among the Nazi pillagers, Vichy officials, and opportunistic French citizens, all of whom are vying to out-steal each other. As oppression of Jews grows and deportations begin, Max improvises new strategies to steal the Jews themselves from the SS. Max embraces his role as the best thief of Paris.”

Lastly, Ed Gurowitz (egurowitz@gurowitz.com), appearing for the first time in seven years, writes that he and wife Emy “moved from Incline Village, NV, on Lake Tahoe down the hill to Reno in April 2019. The snow got to be too much, and December’s 15-foot dump at the lake proved our point. I’m continuing to work as a consultant, writer, and executive coach, concentrating mainly on diversity, equity, and inclusion in large corporations. As with almost everyone, COVID cut my travel from about half the year to zero, and I’ve learned that things can be done on video that I would not previously have believed. I serve on the board of ManKind Project USA, a nonprofit that supports men of all ages in healthy expressions of masculinity, and on the board of the Washoe County CASA Foundation, supporting children in the foster care system.”

On the family front, Ed continues, “My oldest granddaughter graduated from the New School in New York last spring and is working in New York as a designer. Her sister is in her third year at DePaul U. in Chicago, and my younger son and his family moved to Providence, RI, this year.”

That’s all for now. I could always use more of your news, so please update me by email, regular mail, our class website, or our class Facebook page. ❖ Bev Johns Lamont, 720 Chestnut St., Deerfield, IL 60015; email, blamont64@comcast.net. Online news form.

1965

Our online news form is much easier for Steve Appell and me to read than the old submissions via paper. Thank you for emailing your news!

Ken Rabin (rabinkenneth@gmail.com) sends news from Poland. “Even though I live in Warsaw, I seem to have remade myself as part of a team of social researchers in public health based at City University of New York. We have published a number of large population surveys (NYC, US, and global) of attitudes toward COVID-19 and vaccination as well as numerous op-eds, including several in the Daily Beast.”

Bruce Cohen, ME ’67 (bruce@brucelcohen.com) and spouse Joan (Klein) ’67 live in Stockbridge, MA. Bruce sent a fine narrative for inclusion in the column. “The pandemic brought our West Coast family here (son, daughter-in-law, two young grandkids, age 8 and 11, and their two cats) for a full year—August 3, 2020 to August 3, 2021. We ate and drank well, probably having 350 dinners together. The kids learned to ski. There were as many as six Zooms going on at once, so we expanded our internet capability. All in all, we were a multi-generational pod and it was terrific! The relationship with the grandkids couldn’t be stronger.”

Regarding what he is doing in work or in retirement, Bruce writes, “I have volunteered coaching men’s lacrosse at Williams College the last four years, though 2020 ended after four games due to COVID and 2021 only had five games. This year, we’re at it full time, with NESCAC allowing Fall Ball for the first time ever. In 2020 we were the national pre-season number-one Division III pick, and in 2021 we lost only one game. This year we should be very good. My role is as a ‘whisperer,’ with the goal of helping each player get better. During last year, I coached 8- to 9-year-old girls in Pittsfield, MA, because I was not allowed on the Williams campus.” Staying safe and healthy, and the joy of family, is a paramount theme in Bruce’s life, as well as giving back to lacrosse, the sport he loves. He has returned to playing chess via chess.com.

Debbie Dash Winn (ddwinn01@gmail.com) and husband Richard wrote that they left NYC and are spending the winter in sunny Florida. “We rented a house in Broken Sound in Boca Raton and are close to our son and family. I am looking forward to lots of tennis and improvement in golf. Our Cornell book club has met by Zoom during COVID and several of us are now in Florida for the winter or longer.”

Although many of us in the class miss Cornell Alumni Magazine, the digital-first publication Cornellians is available and there you’ll find our Class Notes column and the columns of other classes. The mission of Cornellians is to keep readers up to date with Cornell life today, share stories from the University’s compelling history, celebrate the diversity of Cornell, and showcase the accomplishments of graduates, faculty, and students as they seek “to do the greatest good” (Ezra Cornell) and make a difference in the world. The digital format includes video and interactive formats connecting the Big Red community around the world. For those of you now enjoying Cornellians, please copy this edition of our class column and email it your friends who may not be “on board” so they can read our column and understand the value of the Cornellians website.

Although I have now checked out the digital version, I am glad that the opportunity to purchase a print subscription may be available. It will echo much of what is in the digital version. The projected annual cost of a 4x/year publication is around $35. Alumni were asked to answer a survey regarding their intent. An email blast from Steve and me went out requesting your participation filling it out by March 11. My assumption is that when the final decision is determined whether there is enough interest to launch a print edition, we will email blast the decision to you.

While poking around the submissions of other classes, I read a commentary by Fred Hart ’62 (fchart22@gmail.com): “I thought of how many columns I’ve read over the last nearly 60 years. Frankly, I got emotional about it. The Cornell story is special. The class column is special. Our friends are special.”

The special March luncheon gathering that Judy Kellner Rushmore (judesr@gmail.com) organizes every year in Naples, FL, brings an average of 15 Cornellians and spouses together from the Florida area. Thank you, Judy, for your always diligent efforts to get us together. I’ll publish news from that luncheon in our next edition of Class Notes.

Steve and I are eager to receive all your news for the class column! Please let us know how you’ve survived COVID. What are you doing in retirement? Travel? Volunteer work? New hobbies? Family stories? Fill out the online news form here. Thank you. ❖ Joan Hens Johnson, joanipat@gmail.com; Steve Appell, bigred1965@aol.com.

1966

I hope all have adapted to the new online alumni publication, Cornellians. This new distribution platform for the Class Notes reaches many more classmates, as it is free and available to all alumni.

Bill and Anne Seaman (seamanhouse@gmail.com) were fortunate to not only attend our virtual 55th Reunion, but they also enjoyed their personal onsite reunion in September, when they spent three days on campus. They walked the grounds, visited favorite buildings, picnicked on Libe Slope, and, of course, went to the Dairy Bar for the traditional three scoops! Bill and Anne are celebrating their tenth year in a home they built in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina. Bill is completing a reference book on ecology and applications of structures built in the ocean for environmental management and conservation. As time permits, he enjoys walking and chopping firewood. Anne teamed up as a volunteer with a national nonprofit organization working on substance abuse education and outreach, founded by a Cornell graduate.

Mark Lytle (marklytle00@hotmail.com) notes that the passing of his advisor Walter LaFeber brought back a flood of Cornell memories. Mark followed in LaFeber’s tracks to spend his career at Bard College teaching diplomatic history. At mid-life he switched to environmental and diplomatic history. The potential of this combination came together in what he considers the capstone book of his career: The All-Consuming Nation: Chasing the American Dream Since World War II (Oxford 2021). Mark thinks many classmates will find the book to be a trip down memory lane. He is now retired and lives in Rhinebeck, NY.

Stan Sterenberg (stansterenberg@gmail.com) retired from teaching math at Chapin (SC) Middle School five years ago. He continued to substitute teach at independent schools until the COVID pandemic. He now has time to continue playing golf (senior tees) as well as competitive bridge, although that has become mostly online. In 1966, Stan never imagined he would spend time walking his adorable new Maltese “pandemic dog.” He did travel to California over Christmas/New Year’s for the first time in two years to visit family and friends. He reports his son is getting a master’s in sustainability management at Columbia and his daughter teaches math in a public school near Boston. They all play bridge.

We sadly report the passing of Dick Fogel in January. A Government major, he went on after graduation to obtain a master’s in comparative politics from the U. of Sussex, England and an MPA from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, U. of Pittsburgh. He then joined the General Accountability Office (GAO), where he was for 28 years, ultimately becoming assistant comptroller general. He directed management reviews of cabinet-level departments and recommended strategic and tactical improvements. Dick was also responsible for audits and evaluations of government financial regulatory operations, tax administration, and law enforcement operations. In 1997, he joined Lockheed Martin, working on homeland security solutions for US Customs & Border Protection, TSA, and NSA. He then worked as an associated partner at IBM on market development efforts in the Homeland Security area. A fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, he received the Arthur S. Fleming Award for outstanding public service. In 2013 he became founder and CEO of SonoStik, creators of innovative vascular access technologies and accessories. At Cornell, Dick was an active member of Pi Lambda Phi. He served on the Distinguished Visitors Committee along with classmate Rick Mezan, who remembers Dick as “one of the nicest and most upbeat guys I knew at Cornell.”

I hope many of you have enjoyed our “Hidden Jewels” online presentations during the last two years. Many thanks to Alice Katz Berglas and all classmates involved with these wonderful programs. Special thanks to Kate Freyer and presenters Corey Earle ’07, Roberta Moudry ’81, PhD ’95, and the Johnson Museum staff. Last June, following our 55th Reunion (virtual) “Ice Cream Social/Social Hour,” a classmate sent the suggestion: “We needed more time to talk! How about a 55th Reunion 2.0?” And so … we did exactly that! We had a new online social hour, winter version, in February, “Cocoa and Cookies—and Conversation: Just Us.” A few class officers informally guided the topics, and we switched Zoom rooms after a more leisurely 25 minutes. It was good to see all those who were able to attend and to catch up—and to hear past stories and the varied hopes for a new healthy and active spring/summer 2022. We plan to gather again in a bunch of months. Join us! Thank you to ’66 facilitators John Monroe, PhD ’70, Bill Maxfield, Ralph Janis, Pete Salinger, MBA ’68, and Andy Berger, JD ’69, for shepherding the warm, fun, and relaxed evening.

Great summer wishes to all! Looking to share your news or update your info/address? Please do by writing to cornellclassof1966@gmail.com or directly to either of our class correspondents: ❖ Susan Rockford Bittker, ladyscienc@aol.com; Pete Salinger, petersalinger95@gmail.com. Online news form.

1967

By the time you read this, you’ll hopefully already have signed up to attend our 55th Reunion, June 9–12, 2022. But even if you make a last-minute decision to attend Reunion, that’s fine, too! There’s plenty of room in our headquarters, Alice Cook House. What is most important is that everyone reach out to friends, corridor-mates, sorority/fraternity members, lab partners, teammates—what the heck, anyone in the class you know—to encourage them to return to campus to celebrate our 55th!

Brian Earle, MPS ’71 (Freeville, NY; boe1@cornell.edu), a retired professor in the Communication department in CALS, lists Cornellians in his family who are located nearby: “Son Evan ’02, MA ’14, Cornell’s University Archivist, and his spouse, Nichole Szembrot, PhD ’14, administrator for the Cornell Research Data Center, and son Corey ’07 (Columbia ’17), the unofficial Cornell University historian. Many of you may have enjoyed Corey’s Zoom lectures on Cornell history.” Brian’s new and first grandchild is Owen Orion, son of Evan and Nichole. Satisfaction source: “Our fewer-than-desired physically distanced family gatherings and Zoom chats with our grandson. And, of course, watching almost 70 Zoom chats by Corey!” His favorite dining experience on or off campus as an undergraduate: “Pop’s Place for coffee many mornings.”

Jane Capellupo (W. Henrietta, NY; jacapellupo@rochester.rr.com), a retired high school science teacher, writes: “I took a weeklong bus tour to Kentucky with my sister. We visited the Ark Encounter, a life-size recreation of Noah’s Ark that you walk through, complete with animal sounds and depictions of life onboard. It’s enormous. A backside tour of Churchill Downs gave us a chance to see horses doing their morning exercise. Plus: the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory tour, the National Corvette Museum, and a spectacular nighttime display of thousands of professionally carved jack-o’-lanterns in a wooded park in Louisville. We toured and tasted at a brandy distillery and two bourbon distilleries, where I learned I don’t really care for brandy or bourbon. Finally: a stop at the Wilds, a sanctuary and breeding farm for some species of endangered animals. We rode around in a safari bus. The cutest was a mama rhino and her nursing baby. It was a varied list of experiences. The one downside: I came home with a cold that turned out to be COVID, despite my being fully vaccinated. Not too bad a case, just a lot of coughing.”

Dave Yewell, ME ’68 (dave@yewellfv.com) reports: “Finally, and recently, we came up out of our hunkering down because of the pandemic. The devastating Glass Fire in fall 2020 severely burned the hills around Napa Valley. We were told to evacuate because of the smoke and to get out of the way of the first responders. We were undamaged. The fact that we had only 25% or so of normal rainfall during winter 2019–20 made the hills around us very dry. We have been growing two acres of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon since 1998 and selling them. I started my own label, Dave’s Porch Wine, in 2009 and am now making about 350 cases each year—some red, some Sauvignon Blanc. I’m selling it only in California because of the crazy state laws (every state is different). Our traveling was massively curtailed because of COVID, but now with three shots in us, we are putting our plans back on, hopefully for a nice long stay in the Dordogne department in France, and in Croatia (sailing on the Adriatic) next fall. “Nancy and I have been married now for 53 years and have two wonderful, intelligent, perfect 40-something sons, with marvelous wives and the greatest grandkids. I have already booked a room for the 55th Reunion—love getting together with my FIJI brothers. Staying in close contact with David Worrell, David Kantorczyk, MBA ’69, and Doug Sethness.”

Mark Schiffman (Monroe Township, NJ) writes: “Louise and I moved to a 55-plus community, Stonebridge, last August. We are still busy unpacking and fixing up the house, but we are making new friends and enjoying life as best we can in the face of the continuing pandemic. I retired three years ago after a career as an engineer/attorney involved in planning/design/construction management of roads, buildings, bridges, etc., for 35 years. Then for ten years until retirement I was involved in management of a multi-billion-dollar subway project in New York City: the extension of the Number 7 subway line from Times Square to a new station, 34th St./Hudson Yards, near the Javits Center. Go there! Take a look at the station and the incredible development it spurred in the area. Really something!” Satisfaction comes, Mark adds, from “my three grandchildren, whom I love so much.” ❖ Richard Hoffman, 2925 28th St. NW, Washington, DC 20008; email, derhoff@yahoo.com. Online news form.

1968

Our classmate Joyce “Joy” Banch Flynn and her husband, Dan, continue to rack up victories in track and field in their age group. You may recall having read in this column about Joy, who began competitive running and jumping just few years ago, while Dan’s competitive career goes back as far as college. For over 45 years, Joy was a proud spectator. Recently, she won two events at the USA Track & Field (USATF) Masters Outdoor Championship in Ames, IA, last August. She is one of the top jumpers in the US. This year, Joy and Dan are looking forward to competing in the USATF Masters Outdoor Track and Field Championship held at the U. of Kentucky and the World Masters Athletic Championship held in Tampere, Finland. You may read more extensively about them and their feats in this article.

Felicia Nimue Ackerman (Providence, RI; Felicia_Ackerman@brown.edu) still works as a professor in Brown’s Dept. of Philosophy and says she will never retire. While mainly sheltering at home during the pandemic, she still writes a monthly op-ed for the Providence Journal, as well as short stories, light verse, and academic papers. Some of her 2021 poems have been published in the Boston Globe, the New York Daily News, and the New York Times. She also serves on the executive committee of her city’s branch of the NAACP.

David Ratner (dsratner@gmail.com) and his wife, Claire Bernardo, live in Walnut Creek, CA. Having some time on his hands in 2016, David decided to take the California State Bar. As he puts it, “Oddly enough, I passed.” So he started a small practice—and again, as he puts it, “Oddly enough, the practice grew.” So in January 2020, David and the lawyer he hired formed a firm concentrating on representation for employees who are victims of workplace discrimination. On top of that, David became very active in his synagogue and was recently elected president.

Our column this month highlights three of our classmates whose will and drive continue to keep them productive. There are many ways to be productive in our careers, our communities, our families, and our hobbies. We enjoy hearing your stories. We’re not done yet. ❖ Chuck Levitan, CLevitan22@comcast.net. Online news form.

1969

Greetings from guest columnist and Class of ’69 co-president Greg Baum. It is barely February as I compile this message, but it will be approaching summer by the time of publication, and summer brings thoughts of our next Reunion. As described below, I hope you will consider getting/staying in touch over the next two years and plan to join your classmates in Ithaca for our 55th Reunion, June 6–9, 2024.

A new slate of officers is elected at the end of each Reunion with the responsibility to plan for the next Reunion to be held five years later. While everyone who undertakes a class leadership role shares a common commitment to helping Cornell sustain its excellence, we bring different skill sets and experiences to the effort and don’t necessarily know one another very well or maybe at all. The University seeks to help alumni volunteers get better acquainted and stay updated on Cornell’s affairs through training on various topics. Historically, this was done at events hosted on campus and around the US that class leaders and other interested alumni would attend. Since early 2020, all such events were canceled or modified to occur virtually.

Without the benefit of Cornell-scheduled events, several of your class leaders turned to Zoom chats as a way to connect and broaden our knowledge of things happening at Cornell. We’ve organized a few formal online presentations that were made available for all classmates. One described Cornell’s green energy efforts using Cayuga Lake’s cold water to cool the campus in the summer and geothermal wells to provide winter heating; this program was recorded and is available for replay here. Another was a tour of the expanded North Campus and the history of residential housing at Cornell. We hope to offer several more of these in the future.

On a smaller scale, our leadership group has held monthly Zoom calls involving the following ’69 classmates who have shared their expertise on a variety of topics: Jon Kaplan, MD ’74, retired CDC infectious disease doctor, talked about COVID-19; Prof. Doug Antczak, still active on the Vet college faculty, described how the college’s facilities enabled Cornell to perform COVID testing of students, staff, and faculty; George Mavko, consultant to a cutting-edge battery manufacturer, explained the current state of electric battery technology; Doug Mock, a retired professor of zoology and author, talked about his academic research on birds and fully explained the origin of the phrase “pecking order”; Jane Plitt, author and visiting scholar at U. of Rochester, spoke about her book’s subject, Martha Matilda Harper, a pioneer of retail franchising; Steve Hadley, foreign affairs consultant and former National Security Advisor to George W. Bush, talked about US-China relations and the impact on Taiwan; and Gary Shaye, an executive with Save the Children, described his role and experiences with that international humanitarian organization.

If you would like to join future Zoom calls of our leadership group as a listener—or presenter!—please let me or any other class officer know. You can find my email below and others at our class website. We want you to feel as connected as we do to Cornell and to one another, and we want to see you at a future Reunion.

I noticed the last two guest columnists, Tom Jones, MRP ’72, and Jon Kaplan, took a moment to introduce themselves, and I will do the same. I grew up and currently live in Portland, OR, and I have always enjoyed taking calculated risks. Cornell was recommended by a school counselor who provided me glossy brochures. A generous Engineering scholarship sealed the deal. Without having ever been east of the Mississippi, I traveled to Ithaca by myself. I was able to drive cross-country each year taking different routes; by 1969 I had been in all of the lower 48 states. I graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering but was not enthralled with the field. A low draft number (remember those?) led me to expect a McNamara Fellowship to Southeast Asia, but after several months without the dreaded summons, I joined the Peace Corps. I asked to go to North Africa—so, of course, I was sent to South America to supervise construction in the Bolivian Andes (elevation approx. 13,000 feet). I arrived in my assigned small community to learn that another PC volunteer (doing ag work) also lived there: Bob Penski. It was a bigger surprise to learn he had also just graduated from Cornell! Unfortunately, a new Bolivian government was angry at the US and expelled all PC volunteers in mid-1971. I returned home to start a new career. I went to law school and practiced until the end of 2021. I was in private practice doing business law in the beginning of my career and real estate and finance law at the end. In the middle, I served in-house as general counsel for a venture-backed technology firm and, later, for a privately held real estate development and management company.

Other news comes from Richard N. Greenberg, professor of medicine at the U. of Kentucky, who has been “more than busy” running clinical research vaccine trials for COVID and other pathogens. He views Tony Fauci, MD ’66, as one of the few national leaders demonstrating an understanding of COVID-19 and urges all teachers and scientists to consider leadership roles in politics. On the personal side, he reported his mother passed away recently, but that sadness is eased by the pride he has for his daughter, Mollie, who is in the final stages of defending her PhD thesis in sociology. He enjoys traveling with his partner, Linda, and horseracing ownership (Catalyst Stable)!

On a far more somber note, Jack Laflin (laflin47@gmail.com) has shared news of his having advanced kidney disease. He has been accepted in the Duke Kidney Transplant living donor program but is waiting for a suitable living donor match to proceed. The alternative, daily dialysis, while keeping one alive, does not provide the duration and quality of life enjoyed by transplant recipients. Jack urges all of us to become more informed about living kidney donation. Specifically, he notes that: you only need one kidney to live a healthy, long life; most donor surgery is done laparoscopically, meaning through tiny incisions; the recuperation period is usually quick, generally two weeks; the cost of evaluation and surgery for the donor is typically covered by the recipient’s insurance; and a donor has a separate team of healthcare professionals to look out for their best interests. More information about living donation can be found on the National Kidney Foundation (NFK) website. I am sure everyone shares my expression of best wishes to Jack.

Please submit news about yourselves and your families via the online news form. ❖ Greg Baum, ghb3@cornell.edu.

Back to the top

1970s

1970

It’s always my habit to give a little background, context if you will, to what I am writing. This column is being written on February 3, the day after Groundhog Day. Your correspondent has now been retired for just one month. True to the prediction of six more weeks of winter, a huge winter storm is pounding a diagonal swath across the country, dumping snow and ice from Texas through the Midwest, and of course causing a winter storm warning in Ithaca and Upstate New York. And COVID Omicron is receding, but when you read this, all will be old news. This reminded me of truly old news, something that occurred in 2018—what I call a “Cornell moment”—which is worth sharing.

Early one morning, I was walking across an open grass area in Oshkosh, WI, the site of the largest aviation event in the world each year, on my way to a seminar on buying an airplane. It was very cool, and I had on a gray fleece with a very large red “C” and the name “Cornell” under it. Another man was walking on an intersecting path, and shouted, “Did you go to Cornell?” I replied yes, and as we got closer, we established that we were both Class of ’70—and remarkably were both Mechanical Engineering graduates. We were both late for our seminars, but in our brief conversation, I discovered this was classmate Bruce Brock, who was in several of the same sections I was. Our paths had been very different since graduation, but here we were, momentarily reunited by a common interest, aviation, along with our Cornell experience.

Back to the present, I panicked when the notification came for the next column due date. I had used virtually all the notes that many of you had sent and had little with which to write a full column. Many of you received my plea for more news; thankfully, a large number of you sent material, much of which will appear here, and the remainder will appear next time. Thanks to all who responded so quickly!

Geri Hudis Garfinkle (Monroe Township, NJ; ggerrystock@gmail.com) sent a comprehensive note about her life after Cornell. First completing an MS in speech and language pathology and audiology from Columbia, then later an MSW from NYU, she worked in Manhattan as an audiologist and later as a psychotherapist. Then came marriage and parenting of two children and a move to Woodstock, NY, “where we lived, loved, and worked until we retired in 2015.” They since have moved to New Jersey, in order to be closer to children and three grandsons, two in college and one in middle school. Being triple vaccinated, healthy, and adjusted to “retirement,” Geri is returning to favorite activities such as yoga, swimming, power walking, socializing, going to theater, taking courses, and hoping to return to traveling. She is presently co-facilitating an early-stage memory care support group at the Princeton Senior Resource Center.

Lane McClelland, MBA ’73, JD ’74 (Silver Spring, MD) moved to a retirement community in April of last year. She notes, however, that she continues to be employed by the US Coast Guard. Mina Dulcan (Chicago, IL) is now semi-retired. In 2017 she stepped down as head of child and adolescent psychiatry at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern U. after 24 years. She continues part time as a teacher of fellows and staff. Her husband, Richard Wendel, is also semi-retired but continues teaching family-based assessment and treatment at the same institution while maintaining a private practice of psychotherapy. The third edition of Mina’s edited book, Dulcan’s Textbook of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, was published in October 2021 by American Psychiatric Assn. Publishing.

Ellen Celli Eichleay (Pittsburgh, PA; ellence1@aol.com) observes that she has watched more TV in the last two years than in the previous 20, because of COVID. She is enjoying studying Italian on Duolingo, a Pittsburgh-based company. She and husband John are thankful to be in good health and have time to exercise. She notes that he bicycles all over Pittsburgh. Ellen is very disappointed that—with her son and his 14-month-old daughter in Albuquerque, NM, and her two daughters, one with twin boys, both in Durham, NC (all distant from Pittsburgh)—she is “not able to be a more hands-on grandma.” There is satisfaction from pre-Omicron visits with classmates Bridget Murphy, Peter Kreuziger, and Bill, ME ’71, and Gail Post Wallis. Ellen also is in touch with Sue Degerstrom Roberts in Washington State. Richard Goldberg (Providence, RI) writes that he is busy providing golf mental coaching through Dr. Rich Golf and is always happy to get out to play new tracks with avid golfers in the Northeast.

Fred Piscop (Bellmore, NY) has completed the manuscript for The Healthy Brain Book of Word Puzzles, due for release this fall. He notes that the book contains 32 “Split Decisions” puzzles, which appear several times a year in the New York Times, along with various other word puzzles invented by the late George Bredehorn. Mary Hoar (Yonkers, NY) writes that the American Irish Assn. of Westchester recently named her the Irish Woman of the Year. An extensive article in the Yonkers Times traces her longtime involvement in community activities.

We’re told that the Class Notes section of the new website is one of the most popular destinations! Classmates really want to know what is going on! So keep sending your notes! If others don’t know where to find them, you can let them know they are on the website cornellians.cornell.edu, under the “Alumni Community” tab. To share your own news, you may contact me directly or use the University’s standard online news form. ❖ John Cecilia, jlcecilia96@gmail.com; tel., (312) 524-2912.

1971

Janet Zweig continues as an artist in residence for the NYC Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. She lives in Brooklyn. Her public works are installed in New York and “everywhere” including Austin, West Sacramento, Kansas City, Columbus, Orlando, Minneapolis, and more. Did you see “In Common” on the Boston Common in 2021, or “Climate Clocks (Abstraction Devices)” in San Diego, or have you read any of her books? Check out her website to see some of her work.

From California, Jeffrey Punim (jpunim99@hotmail.com) shares that he and Donna live in Long Beach. Some 450 miles north, in Santa Rosa, Ken Margolies, MPS ’11 (kam47@cornell.edu) writes that he and his wife have not returned to their Cold Spring, NY, house during the pandemic, but he’s enjoying his dogs and gardening now with his April 2021 kidney transplant behind him. He and his partner expanded their search firm, helping labor unions fill staff vacancies, by adding eight associates and a business manager.

After leaving Ithaca, Jim Roberts (jhr22@cornell.edu) moved to New Hampshire, just outside of Manchester. Jim writes on musical subjects for online publications and is a regular contributor to Brown Alumni Magazine. “I became friends with Norman Boucher, BAM’s editor, when I was at CAM, and after my retirement, he asked me if I’d be interested in writing about musicians for BAM. It’s been an enjoyable relationship, and Brown remains my second-favorite Ivy university.” He adds, “Always glad to hear from our classmates or anyone else at Cornell.”

You’ll remember that Jim and Arthur Mintz (am21@cornell.edu) wrote Forever Faithful: Celebrating the Greatest Moments of Cornell Hockey (2017). Arthur shares a link to the Big Red HockeyCast page of the Big Red Sports Network. “Jim and I are on the ‘Forever Faithful’ episode dated December 22, 2021.” Arthur is the first of our class to move to Kendal at Ithaca. Maybe he’ll give a tour if you’re in the area! Paul Sayvetz, also from Ithaca, writes of his frustration with current events. He tries to help by making monthly donations to groups that make a difference. It’s his kids that bring him the most satisfaction these days.

Whether or not you’ll be at Reunion in June, do consider joining some classmates at the Cornell Global Mixer virtual events hosted by Tony Chen ’12, ME ’12 (LC465@cornell.edu). The Class of ’71 gets its own breakout room. Last fall, Guy Pignolet, GR ’70–71 (guy.pignolet@science-sainte-rose.net) joined in. Remember him as a French guy in business school or from Physics and Astronomy classes with Hans Bethe or Carl Sagan? Guy has enjoyed a long career with the French space agency. He is from Réunion Island, a French overseas department in the Indian Ocean located some 350 miles east of Madagascar. He’ll regale you with how his ancestors came to move 6,000 miles from France to the Indian Ocean if you ask. Among classmates who have heard such tales are Kathy Menton Flaxman, Sharon Schatz, Ajay Berry, Carol Fritz, and me (Elisabeth Kaplan Boas). If Guy can wake up at 4 a.m. to join classmates on our 8 p.m. chat, it’ll be comparatively easy for you! Guy would love to hear from folks.

“Some of the craziest memorabilia bring back a host of memories of my time at Cornell,” shares Craig Ewing, MBA ’72. “For example, I kept a pair of blue paisley pants that I wore (a costume?) to senior year’s spring weekend parties. Looking at those pants now helped me to recall the fun we had outside of academic life.” After putting on the pants one last time, he donated them to the Cornell Fashion + Textile Collection in the College of Human Ecology. They’ll be used in their teaching of fashions from another era. He’s told that students are amazed at our fashion sense.

Diana Simkin and her husband, David Kritchman, divide their time between Norfolk, CT, and Manhattan, but stayed mostly in Connecticut during COVID. She is now semi-retired, teaching childbirth preparation some nights and weekends but not personal training. This frees time to do Zoom dance and yoga. She has high hopes of seeing friends and family in person now that it’s safer. Her grandnieces were 4 years old and 7 months when she wrote to us.

Not much has changed for John and Jude Ferber Lubrano (info@lubranomusic.com) from their Syosset, NY, home. They’ve run their business, J & J Lubrano Music Antiquarians, from home for 44 (!) years. The world comes to them for rare printed music, musical autographs, manuscripts, and rare books on music and dance. Newest granddaughter Lily was born in 2019 and the older one, now 22, is majoring in art. Do reach out; Jude notes that she treasures everyone and everything.

David and Tina Beale, still in Boca Raton, FL, have big news: April 2021 brought Darcy Sarah Beale to their son and his wife. David has his own firm—small business, corporate law, wills, trusts and estates, a little intellectual property, and some pro bono work. He’s active on the boards of the local chamber and nonprofits. COVID transformed his exercise regime into biking 11 miles three times a week. He runs or walks three miles on other days.

Joanne Trifilo and Gary Schade (trifilojaonne@gmail.com) have a new address in Prescott, AZ. A year ago, Joanne retired from practicing law and they moved to the forest. She enjoys writing, volunteering at the V.A., singing, and hiking, and finds her happiness comes from precious human relationships with friends and family.

Rosalie Hornblower (rosaliehornblower10@gmail.com) got her degree from CUNYH School of Nursing. After a second divorce in 2020, she’s in a good place now—in a great relationship and cancer free from both chronic myeloid leukemia and colon cancer. She was treated successfully at Mass General near her home in Cambridge. She’s busy with genealogy, artwork, and her four children and ten grandchildren, ages 4–16. Robert and Martha Baumwoll (robertbaumwoll@gmail.com) live in nearby Newton. Retired from the practice of internal medicine six years ago, he’s busy with his four grandchildren, taking courses, and seeing friends and family.

In addition to contributing to her family’s resort, Woodloch Pines, Nancy Kiesendahl Bloch owns and operates an art business. She’s engaged in Hawley, PA, community service and work with artists. She’s crazy about her three wonderful grandchildren and grateful for silver linings and the new understanding of shared community.

The ’71 History Project has launched! Watch for ways to Zoom together on topics. Submit audio/video tapes, pictures, and memorabilia to 1971AtCornell@gmail.com. Class historian Naomi Katz Mintz and committee members Katherine Flaxman, Arthur Mintz, Craig Ewing, and Dale Cohen want to hear from you! ❖ Elisabeth Kaplan Boas, ekb7@cornell.edu; Cara Nash Iason, cara.nash.iason@gmail.com. Online news form.

1972

With mixed emotions, I, Gary Rubin, am writing to announce that this will be my last column as co-correspondent for the Class of ’72. I have been writing this column (together with Alex Barna) since 1992, and it has been a great honor to work with Alex in delivering news of life events to you from our early middle age through the less youthful days we are experiencing now. I hope that my work brought some pleasure to you from time to time, and I look forward to keeping up with the class at our 50th Reunion and by reading future editions of this column. If any of you are interested in trying to fill my (small) shoes, please be in touch with Alex or class president Nancy Roistacher (nr34@cornell.edu). Best wishes for health and happiness to all.

An article in the Watertown Daily Times reported that Elizabeth Wardwell Burdick makes colorful quilts on a Singer Featherweight sewing machine inherited from her mother and her grandmother—and displays them at an annual quilt show in Sackets Harbor, NY. Beth graduated from the College of Human Ecology, majoring in textiles and clothing, and started quilting about a decade ago. You can read the article here.

Denise Gelberg, PhD ’93, is the author of three novels: Fertility: A Novel (2012), Engagement: A Novel (2016), and, most recently, Lucky Girl: A Novel (2021). She is also the author of The Business of Reforming American Schools (1997). All of these books are available on Amazon, and their descriptions are fascinating.

Don’t forget about Reunion (June 9–12)! ❖ Gary Rubin, GLR34@cornell.edu; Alex Barna, alexbarna@comcast.net. Online news form.

1973

Be sure to visit the Class Notes archive to access past columns, and keep us up to date on your life by sending in your news!

Weddings are wonderful, and we’re here to report that Dennis Williams married Cynthia Boyce ’75 on Juneteenth 2021 in New York City. Several other Cornellians were in attendance. Dennis says, “We all celebrated love, life, and a temporary reprieve from more than a year of the pandemic.” Other 2021 news included the announcement that Mark Saltzman’s play, Romeo & Bernadette, will run Off-Broadway starting in May at Theater 555. We hope it has a great run!

Douglas Herz (dw_herz@yahoo.com) ran the Boston Marathon last October (delayed from April due to COVID) and finished in the top quarter for his age group. He had tremendous fun and hoped to be able to run in 2022 in April. Lynne Karlson retired in October 2020 after a very rewarding career as a pediatrician. She and her husband, Bruce Kimball, had the traveling they hoped to do curtailed by the pandemic, but hope to be able to hit the road this year.

Rebecca Ryland (rebeccaryland@gmail.com) and her husband, Richard Krogsrud, have continued their routine of driving across the northern US from Davis, CA, to visit their son in Vermont and Rebecca’s family in Huntsville, ON. Along the way, they camp with their dog. Their son, Jared, is a mathematician in Burlington, VT. Rebecca’s daughter, Justine, is an epidemiologist for the State of California. She’s been working on COVID-related projects for the last two years. Rebecca is still working as an artist after years of working as a schoolteacher on a Cree Reservation in Northern Ontario. She enjoys being outdoors, including painting there.

Caleb Rossiter, PhD ’83, felt privileged to meet the new Clinton Rossiter Professor in American Institutions in the Dept. of Government, Doug Kriner. Caleb was gratified to see his father, the late Clinton Rossiter ’39, a longtime Cornell professor, remembered. Caleb finally retired as “director of the country’s premier group of unalarmed climate scientists. After 50 years of trying to save the republic, it is a treat to let the younger folks take on that task!” Happily, he can now spend his mornings on his first love, mathematics. In the afternoons he plays bluegrass fiddle, runs, and reads the classics.

Steven Fruchtman (smfruchtman@gmail.com) is still working full time and running a biotech company studying new potential drugs for cancer. He comments, “Life is an amazing journey. I could never have imagined doing this as a Cornell student!” Steven also lives vicariously through his three children, who have all chosen careers helping others. One daughter works in the Mass General emergency room; another daughter is finishing graduate school to work with disabled children; and his son is a first-year medical student. Sadly, with the pandemic, Steven has had to switch to tennis from squash. He reports he’s still really bad at tennis.

Roberta Axelrod Meyerson is retiring as the director of finance and compliance at Locust Walk Partners, a global life science investment bank. After her husband, Bill ’72, died in 2020, she’s adjusting to life again. She spends her time between Boynton Beach, FL, and Needham, MA, where her three children live. Her children and grandchildren give her much satisfaction these days as she figures out what’s next.

Jamie Lawenda (jamie@kingo.com) has retired after 40 years from being a shoe/accessories designer for many top-tier brands. Her son now has the design job at their company, 2568 Shoes. Now Jamie enjoys working in her studio in Tribeca, making folded drawings out of paper she finds and reuses—brown paper, newspaper, or Japanese wrapping paper. She enjoys anything creative, especially drawing and cooking. Jamie has even learned how to bake over the pandemic, but admits it was adding a bit too much sugar to her diet!

Jeff Schwartz sent a response to our plea for news with lots of pithy updates. First, he and wife Kathryn were blessed with what they hope will be two new members of the Cornell Class of 2042. Their grandsons, the first boys in the family for many years, were born within three months of each other and are already equipped with Big Red swag. Jeff stays in touch with many Cornellians, including Charlie Steiner, John Kontrabecki, MBA/JD ’77, Kathy McMahon-Stoll, Bruce Cochrane, Bob Mittleman, Andy Swartz, Kathy Reyen Judd ’72, Jennifer Cecere, Wayne Merkelson, JD ’75, Marc Levenson ’72, and others, more than 50 years after first meeting them. “It just shows you what a special place Cornell has been in our lives.”

Roger Jacobs has a new photo exhibit at Rowan U.’s Glassboro campus running through May 2022. Roger and his late wife, Robin, spent many years traveling the world, taking hundreds of photographs throughout Asia, South America, and Europe. The exhibit is dedicated to Robin, and Roger and his children have established a scholarship to honor her lifelong dedication to music and arts in education. Roger worked closely with Rowan U. during his time as chair of the New Jersey Educational Facilities Authority.

Thanks to everyone for sending news as we adjust to online notes. You can still email your notes to: ❖ Phyllis Haight Grummon, phg3@cornell.edu; Pam Meyers, psmeyers73@gmail.com; or Dave Ross, dave@daveross.com. Online news form.

1974

Thank you to all those who sent news this time! Lester Brown (ZEBULN1@mac.com) is in Pacific Grove, CA, where he is a senior litigation partner at Perkins Coie LLP. “I have spent over 35 years representing high-tech utilities and municipalities in their efforts to obtain funds to clean up the environment, and I have clients and projects throughout the country and the world.” He’s been working mostly from home for many years and finds that “living on the Monterey Peninsula just a few blocks from the water could not be better.” He has “three kids, two in grad school and one pursuing a more hands-on profession.” Most satisfaction in life these days comes from “smiles and conversations with friends and family.”

The Cornell Daily Sun reported that classmate Francis Fukuyama, a distinguished public policy scholar at Stanford, recently lectured at Cornell to kick off the Center for the Study of Economy & Society fall lecture series. Francis is currently the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at the Stanford Freeman Spogli Inst. for International Studies, the director of the Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy program at Stanford, and a professor of political science. The article in the Daily Sun gives interesting information from our classmate’s lecture.

Chris Shiber has been retired since January 2019, but she still provides spiritual direction for individuals and several spiritual groups, which she has found to be very satisfying. She also finds satisfaction from yoga, gardening, cooking, and praying. Chris has two children, both of whom have significant others and are living in San Diego.

Bruce Mainzer lives in Highland Park, IL, with his wife, Beth. He retired in 2019 after 34 years working in the travel industry for companies like United Airlines, Norwegian Cruise Line, Vail Resorts, and Hyatt Hotels, and then serving as a consultant to the travel industry. He is now enjoying his free time and not traveling as much, but he stays busy in retirement volunteering as a certified navigator for the Affordable Health Care plan as well as volunteering to help with tax preparation. He is also active in Climate Reality (Al Gore’s group) and restoring a 1981 Fiat 124 Sport Spider, a car similar to the 1969 Fiat 124 he drove when he attended Cornell! He and Beth have a son who will be getting married this year. Bruce’s new hobby is studying French so that they “can maybe enjoy Paris as quasi residents in the future!” He finds that life satisfaction these days comes from “family, volunteer work, and enjoying everything that Chicago and the Midwest offers.”

From a news release, we learned that classmate Harris Tulchin, an “entertainment lawyer, producer, author, and producer’s representative,” recently joined Anthony L.G. PLLC, a national corporate and securities law firm. More about Harris’s impressive, extensive, and varied experience in the film industry can be found here.

Marlene Angel Harper (angelharper@earthlink.net) is in Los Angeles with her spouse, Marne, and reports she is “happy and healthy and enjoying this time in life.” Having retired from teaching elementary school in 2019, she has returned to the entertainment industry doing acting, voice overs, and audiobook narration. She adds, “I moved from the classroom to teaching on TV and film as a studio teacher.” She is very active, going to church and participating in church activities including volunteering in the Kids Ministry, exercising in her building’s new gym, going for three-to-five-mile walks, and learning Spanish. (She is looking forward to salsa dancing when it’s safer.) Good health, friendships, exercising, and attending movies all bring satisfaction. Her active retirement is impressive—inspirational! One more thing: while at Cornell she worked with our fellow class correspondent Jim Schoonmaker at WVBR. They have kept in touch!

A little news on my end is that my husband, John Morris, and I decided to try to break the COVID gloom and took a mid-October road trip. We set out from our home in St. Louis by car and visited the Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH; Fallingwater, the Frank Lloyd Wright house and grounds near Pittsburgh; and the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, PA. It turned out to be a wonderful trip. Please keep in touch! ❖ Lucy Babcox Morris, lucmor1433@gmail.com; Jim Schoonmaker, js378@cornell.edu; Molly Miller Ettenger, molly.ettenger@gmail.com. Online news form.

1975

You won’t see this for several months, but I am writing this on Super Bowl Sunday, watching the snow fall in NYC one day after it was 50 degrees. It reminds me of a freak snowstorm senior year right before spring break! I hope COVID easing is a reality by the time you read this and we can all come out of our caves! It looks like many of us have started. In November, Michael Sozanski, DVM ’79, and his wife, Christine Frohlich, traveled from their home to Madrid, Spain, where they walked the Camino de Santiago, toured historical sites, and sampled the local cuisine. Mike is currently a veterinarian in Berkeley, CA, and an inspector at the California Veterinary Medical Board. He is also owner, founder, chairman, and CEO of Vetcalculators, a collection of veterinary calculators designed to help compute dosages of anesthetic and emergency and pain medications for feline and canine patients.

Ed Sinick, JD ’78, writes: “For approximately the last 15 years (skipping 2020), seven couples have gotten together annually for a mini-Cornell reunion at various locations around the country. All seven couples go back to freshman year in the U-Halls and most are Class of 1975. This year, six out of the seven couples met in mid-September in Utah to visit Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks. In attendance this year were Bob and Judy Veroff, Peter and Sydney Burrell Shaw, Mike and Debbie Shaw, Tom, MA ’77, and Laurie Blair Moormann ’77, Ed and Nancy Sinick, and Karen Beckvar and David Sprentall. Not in attendance this year were Bob and Laurel Perkins. Location for next year’s reunion for all seven couples is still being negotiated.” Ed is a retired partner of Squire Patton Boggs.

Writing books seems to be a common endeavor for classmates, as noted in the previous Class of ’75 column. Adding to those scribes, we have Richard Jaffe, who with wife Ann currently lives in La Jolla, CA, where he spends most of his time mentoring startup entrepreneurs. They have had their three adult kids living under their roof and shared quality time during the pandemic. Richard writes, “COVID has certainly been an unprecedented and incredibly challenging crisis for our community. A few years ago, I wrote a book with my daughter Charly called Turning Crisis into Success—and it’s become more relevant than we ever imagined. Our book takes readers through the roller coaster of constant crises I faced in creating, taking public, and selling two businesses to Fortune 100 companies. With death threats and curveballs, this page-turner shows readers how I maintained my emotional stability to achieve goals beyond my greatest dreams.”

When COVID sidelined Ann Welge Schleppi as a hospice social worker, she built a vegetable garden, landscaped her yard, took up pine needle basket making, and replaced morning workouts at the gym with power walking. She also volunteers weekly at a cat shelter in Sun City, AZ, where she lives with husband Craig.

Ruth Zafren Ruskin writes that her Cornell roommates Lil Konowitz Calish, Teri Smith Freas, Linda Skirvin Smith, and Lynne Moskowitz Glasser ’74, MAT ’75, recently revived “The Cornell Letter,” in which each would write news to the others in a rotation and send the accumulated letters forward so all could enjoy. The most recent round included news of Lil’s older daughter getting married and her younger one getting engaged; Teri visiting her new grandson of eight months for the first time (due to COVID); Linda describing a fantastic mid-winter trip to Yellowstone National Park; and Ruth updating all on the state of her cancer treatment. They kept the letter going, via snail mail, for years and then went digital, but that went less well. So they have resumed the old fashioned letter and are planning an in-person reunion at Lynne’s Cape May home this summer. The bonds of this group run deep.

Marty Siegel writes from Edina, MN, where he’s worked in residential real estate for 34 years and enjoyed every moment of it! “Randomly assigned as freshman roommates, Steve Semlitz, MBA ’76, and I have been lifelong friends, even though we live half a country apart. Steve and his wife, Cathy Glaser ’74, hosted us for several days in their Manhattan apartment in December as we enjoyed NYC lit up for Christmas.” In June, Marty and his wife will join Andy Reese and his wife for a three-week trip through the Baltic region of Europe (COVID permitting). While in college, Andy convinced Marty to move to Minnesota, where he has lived since; but Andy never moved back after graduation. He has been living in Nashville for more than 40 years.

Another reminder about updating contact info: If Cornell does not have your current info, you are missing out on many event invites. If you would like to update your email address, mailing address, email preferences (you can opt out of solicitation emails and receive event emails only!), or work information, go to CornellConnect. Furthermore, Cornell changed the email forwarding policy for those who have emails forwarded from their cornell.edu email address. To update your email forwarding, go to this website.

Please take a few minutes to send us highlights of your life after Cornell, college friends you have seen, and memorable moments on and off campus, and we’ll share the news in our upcoming columns. Visit our class website and our Facebook page. ❖ Deb Gellman, dsgellman@hotmail.com; Karen DeMarco Boroff, karen.boroff@shu.edu; Mitch Frank, mjfgator@gmail.com; Joan Pease, japease1032@aol.com. Online news form.

1976

Lots of news this spring—thank you all!—so I’ll get right to it. Bill Altmann writes, “We moved from San Jose to Austin, TX, in 2018, chasing our two daughters (and our grandkids). We’re still adjusting to the weather (both 100-degree days and a foot of snow in the same year), and with COVID it’s been hard to find new friends. I continue to work as a contractor doing technical writing, mostly patents. I thank Cornell for an engineering education that included learning how to write! My wife, Elizabeth, and I are both avid bike riders. I try to put in 50 miles a week, and sometimes exceed 100! I miss the hills around San Jose; they’re just not the same here in ‘Hill Country.’ Being close to family makes the weeks very satisfying. We’re planning a trip to Europe in 2022 to see our son and his family. (By then, it will have been almost three years since we’ve seen each other, and he’s got two kids of his own!) Nothing beats being a grampa.” Bill gave a surprising and impressive answer to the question about new hobbies: “Call it a ‘hobby,’ but I’ve earned almost $500 in the last year by publishing 16 books I’ve written, all on Amazon and Apple. Political fiction, senior adventure stories, and a sci-fi trilogy just finished. It’s been a gas!” Congrats, Bill!

Also writing from Austin was John Brindley, who says, “I’m looking forward to travel and seeing friends. I took advantage of COVID restrictions to exercise and read every day—now in best health since graduation. I’m enjoying three grandchildren (everyone lives in Austin), continuing to mentor healthcare executives, and serving on several nonprofit boards.” John says he’s been “actively exploring what it means to be 67 years old and deciding how I can contribute to improving my community.” He adds that “doing what I want to do, when I want to do it” brings him the most satisfaction right now. His pandemic takeaway: “It seemed to bring out the best and worst in people’s behavior.”

Happy retirement to Randy Katz, who writes, “After 45 years at the U. of California, Berkeley, as a graduate student, faculty member, administrator, and most recently vice chancellor for research, I am planning to retire in 2022.” Randy’s takeaway from the pandemic: “Life is short, so start living it before it is too late.” Charles Andersen retired last July as CEO of Transco, a diversified manufacturing company. He writes, “Amy (Camardo) ’76 and I are spending most of our time around the house, streaming videos, and Zooming with kids and grandkids.” What brings them the most satisfaction? Charles says, “Now that we’ve received our vaccinations, it’s occasional visits with friends and our first trip to see our grandchildren in over a year.” He notes “how precious family time and time with friends is to us all.”

Christina Holness Waddler has also retired, on July 1, 2020, “from a local health department, during the coronavirus pandemic! I am now able to get things done that I have not had the time to do while working. My ‘to-do’ list covers 12–15 years, but I am steadily checking off the list and loving it.” Her greatest satisfaction: “My time is my own and I do not have work obligations!” Commenting on the pandemic, she writes, “It amazes me how much we can get done when we are forced to stay home. I also feel that my health and hygiene practices are forever changed, as I will always keep disinfectant wipes in my car and pocketbook, along with a mask.” Christina lives in Seabrook, MD.

Charles Chuang writes that his pandemic experience in Taiwan has been quite different, “with no lockdown or school closures. Besides using masks in public places, there is no impact on lifestyle. Bottom line: Do the defense right and you can lead a normal life.” Charles says, “I am fully retired now. Besides writing patents that would turn the world upside down, I am enjoying life with my wife of 40 years.” His greatest satisfaction is video chatting with grandkids: “Due to the pandemic I cannot visit them.” Next time you write, Charles, we’ll need to hear more about those patents!

From Andrews, NC, Janis Versteeg Olson reports about her business: “FernCrest Winery continues to operate. We did not have a good harvest last year. Coronavirus hurt us, but we managed with the help of friends and neighbors.” Janis says they’ve felt no real changes recently: “Living in a rural area, I have been able to get out, garden, work the winery and tasting room, run, and walk. We finally saw two of our granddaughters and were able to bring them to North Carolina for a visit.” Grandchildren and friends bring her the greatest satisfaction right now. Another classmate who is still hard at work is Bruce Wais, a program manager at Collins Aerospace. His greatest satisfaction these days is “spending time with my children, Chrissie ’03, MBA ’14, Derrick, and Michael,” the youngest of whom is a junior at SUNY Polytechnic. Please share news of your own events, travels, family, work, or retirement! ❖ Pat Relf Hanavan, patrelf1@gmail.com; Lisa Diamant, ljdiamant@verizon.net. Online news form.

1977

It’s a spring-like day as I write this in February, which is a wonderful treat. I’m hoping this is a harbinger of better things to come, including a continued decline in COVID infections and maybe a return to something like normalcy. The pandemic has impacted our classmates in different ways, as you’ll soon read. Our 45th Reunion will be happening right around the time this column is published. It promises to be a great time and it will be fun to see everyone. Fingers crossed that many of us can make it!

Jonathan “Jody” Goldsmith writes that all is going well for him and wife Amira (El Kodsi) ’76. They are living in wonderful Annapolis, MD, truly enjoying life. Jody still works for the V.A., “trying to do good deeds,” he says, and Amira works at the Anne Arundel County Dept. of Health as a women, infants, and children (WIC) nutritionist, “definitely doing good deeds.” Jody and Amira have two adult children. Their older son, Jacob (Maryland ’04), and his wife, Amanda, and two kids live in Falls Church, VA, where Jacob and Amanda work in the commercial construction business. Their younger son, Adam ’07, and his wife, Jenny, recently celebrated son Isaac’s first birthday. CU ’41 perhaps? Adam works for Grant Thornton as a statistician/analyst and Jenny is in the finance world. Jody feels fortunate that his family has weathered the pandemic just fine. He and Amira are still heavily involved in local volunteer activities, which absorbs all their spare time. Jody writes, “We’re not complaining—life is good.”

Gale Reichhart recently retired after 38 years in operations management with State Farm Insurance. She has a five-acre horse farm in Loxahatchee, FL, and is a part-time “working” student for her dressage trainer. Gale says that hanging out in the barn with the horses is her best chill time. With the help of two close friends, Gale learned to cook during the pandemic, and now eats at home instead of going out. As for the future, Gale says she can’t wait to travel more.

John Speese and his wife, Sherri, celebrated 41 years of marriage last August 10. They were unable to do much for their 40th because of the pandemic. In spite of precautions, both of them got COVID, as did their son, who was the hardest hit of the three. Fortunately, all recovered. John is semi-retired but continues to work in the translation business part time. He is hoping to make it to Cornell for our 45th Reunion. He writes, “Nostalgia is a great thing. You remember the good times, good friends, and good classes you enjoyed and got a great deal out of, and forget the academic pressure, exam time, typing papers, Chemistry 207 (ugh!)—and, according to my Horticulture professor, Ray Sheldrake, PhD ’52, the four seasons of Ithaca: early winter, mid-winter, late winter, and next winter!”

Cornell was where Deborah Lee Rose learned to swim, and swimming has helped her stay healthy through the pandemic. She writes that being in close contact with Cornell friends Judith Silverman Camhi, Helane Asnis Kipnees, and Emy Schobloch Franz has kept her hopeful when things look so bleak. During the pandemic, Deborah published her 16th children’s book, Astronauts Zoom! An Astronaut Alphabet, which is about living and working on the International Space Station. She is now working on a new raptor rescue story. Deborah writes that she does virtual author visits to schools nationwide and beyond. Cornell alums who are teachers, school librarians, or principals are welcome to contact her about visits via her website. After 37 years in Northern California, Deborah now lives in Maryland with her husband, Kenneth Bogen, an environmental health scientist. Her daughter is an AI policy person for Facebook and her son has had his first roles in TV and a forthcoming independent feature film.

Roy Cohen is also an author. His book, The Wall Street Professional’s Survival Guide, is a bestselling career guide for people who work, or want to work, on Wall Street. Roy is also featured in Crain’s 2021 Notable LGBTQ Leaders and Executives, published in June 2021.

Bill Grant and his wife, Cindy, recently celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary and live in Ponte Vedra, FL, six miles from the Atlantic Ocean. Bill writes that they are blessed with ten grandkids, with number 11 on the way! Bill is the founder of Grant Realty, which is a boutique real estate investment, asset management, and property management firm. He is active in CAAAN and is a Cornell Club of Jacksonville member. He also volunteers locally as a youth and high school basketball coach. Bill writes, “Life is good—check that—life is GREAT.”

We enjoy hearing from you and having the opportunity to share your stories with our fellow classmates. Please keep all of your news and views coming in via the online news form or to either of us at: ❖ Mary Flynn, maryflynn1@me.com; Howie Eisen, heisen@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.

1978

Some of our classmates have been heavily involved with activities and endeavors directly related to the coronavirus pandemic, while others are fortunate to have fled it through retirement or remote work or relocation.

It’s been a year of crisis management for Joyce Chiu, who began working for Pfizer last August. As program manager for two external relationships and $10 million of annual supplies for manufacturing and quality, Joyce has been busy and challenged while ramping up the COVID-19 vaccine. She enjoys the personal relationships cultivated, for the most part, via video and phone—quite a different and decidedly new normal for our world, she notes.

The pandemic, as well as her husband’s passing two years ago, made Joyce realize that every day is a gift, and we owe it to ourselves to live in the moment. She writes: “I’m grateful for the rich gifts of life, friends and family, and memories of my married life, and I also look forward to the future.”

True to her word, Joyce embarked on a two-week RV trip through the Southwest last April with her sister, brother-in-law, and 94-year-old mother. They started in Sedona, AZ, and headed north into Utah, to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument—through back country, where open, wild, rugged land presented breathtaking views. The journey then took them through the unpaved Cottonwood Canyon Road to the Scenic Byway 12, onward to Bryce Canyon, and finally to the Grand Canyon.

Joyce, who has been living in west-metro Boston since 1993, plans to visit some of the Northeast’s finest locales this summer: Cape Cod, MA, Newport, RI, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty in NYC, and Tanglewood in Massachusetts. An avid downhill skier, her itinerary also includes a week in Switzerland followed by three days in Athens and a week at Big Sky in Montana. Joyce would love to hear from classmates at jcc7926@gmail.com.

Calling it some of the most important work she’s ever done, Sarah Thole Fischell, ME ’79 (sfischell@comcast.net) is working with the local chapter of a grassroots climate action organization called Citizens’ Climate Lobby in New Jersey. She talks to the public and elected officials, building political will for federal policies that will get us back on a path to a stable climate. She admits she’s been spending “too much” time on Twitter (@estee_nj), where she posts news about clean energy technologies to help get us to zero greenhouse gas emissions over the next few decades. Sarah has also gained a real appreciation for video conferencing technology in order to stay reasonably connected to friends, family, and colleagues during the pandemic. “What would we do without Zoom and FaceTime?” she asks. “And I have the satisfaction of having gotten pretty good at it!” Meanwhile, Sarah had been anxiously awaiting approval of the COVID vaccine for children five and under so she could reunite with her grandchildren in person. She did manage to renovate the kitchen, saying: “Supply chain issues are real. The refrigerator was ordered seven months ago and hasn’t yet arrived.”

After having lung surgery five years ago, Martha Victoria Rosett Lutz has been forced to ride out the pandemic in isolation at home. She enjoys getting good news from her family, sending gifts and letters to her children and six grandchildren, writing poems, running, and catching insects to keep as pets. Martha hopes to return to Cornell to run in the Greg Page Relays women’s 300-meter race. One thing the pandemic has taught her: “Kindness and patience are wonderful gifts—to give and to receive.”

Just before COVID struck, Alexandra Swiecicki Fairfield, PhD ’85 (alex.fairfield85@gmail.com) retired to the central coast of California, where she’s been fortunate to enjoy hiking, biking, kayaking, and swimming in the great outdoors. She volunteers as an educator at the Morro Bay Museum of Natural History and continues to present online workshops for STEM educators. Her biggest takeaway from the pandemic is that everyone needs to take two semesters of biology. “Reading, writing, and ’rithmetic is sorely lacking,” she says.

Wishing to be near the ocean and in a warmer climate, Jim Euchner and his wife, Nancy, moved from Danbury, CT, to Myrtle Beach, SC, last year. Two of their sons went with them: Marshall, 24, who works from home for IBM, and Richard, 30, who is in a program for adults with autism; their oldest, Greg, 31, stayed behind in Connecticut, where he is a teacher. Jim wrote a book, Lean Startup in Large Organizations, which was published early this year. He also edits the journal Research-Technology Management and consults part time on innovation.

It seems like it’s always Cornell reunion time for Cynthia Kubas! She and Paul Varga ’79 attended the annual Cornell Football Assn. Ben Mintz Golf Outing last July at the Ithaca Country Club and had a great time with fellow alums Mike Donahue ’79, George Licht ’79, Ed Marinaro ’72, Chris Metz ’82, Julie Vargo ’82, Dan Leonard ’79, Dave Rupert ’79, Pat Hansen ’79, Chuck Lill ’79, and Dave Kintigh ’79. They rounded out the weekend with a birthday brunch for classmate Susanne Solomon and her husband, Jack Thompson ’73, ME ’74. Cynthia and John also met up with Dave ’80 and Laura Day Ayers, MBA ’86, for dinner at the Frenchtown Inn in New Jersey. The evening turned to hilarity as they reminisced about being “Greek” in the ’70s, as well as all the classmates, brothers, and sisters they knew then, and still communicate and get together with on a regular basis.

It’s easier than ever to send in your news via the Cornellians online news form, or you can still email either of us directly. From a frigid February (as I write) in Connecticut, I wish you all a warm and wonderful summer! ❖ Ilene Shub Lefland, ilene.lefland@gmail.com; Cindy Fuller, cindy@cindyjfuller.com.

1979

We hope you all took the time to fill out and return the “Share Your News” form that was recently mailed to you along with class dues information. If you haven’t yet, it’s not too late! Please do send us your news—via the hard-copy form or the online news form—so our future class columns can be full of updates from all of you. Whether your life is changing or uneventful, we want to hear about it! ❖ Cindy Ahlgren Shea, Cindy.Shea01@gmail.com; Danna Levy, DannaGOA@gmail.com; Linda Moses, Lindakmoses@gmail.com.

Back to the top

1980s

1980

Hail to thee, Class of 1980! How’s the third year of hazing at the Alpha Delta Omicron house going?

Basking in the glow of a fascinating Zoom meeting held on 2/22/22 titled “Deuces Wild,” class president Dana Jerrard said on the class Facebook page: “Thank you to Roberta Moudry ’81, PhD ’95, for an extraordinary presentation on the heart of Cornell, and the location of the Class of 1980 memorial elm grove: the Arts Quad. Planning, event history, materials, sight lines—we got it all! The 30 classmates in attendance gained a unique appreciation for a space we each have visited many hundreds of times. Dr. Moudry, we appreciate the time you spent with us.” Dana also emailed the attendees: “Mollie Pulver and Beth Bennett, thank you for your efforts. The fact that nobody had left after an hour was a testament to the quality of the presentation.”

Perhaps it’s pandemic fatigue, or maybe we’ve just been “fighting vainly the old ennui” (Cole Porter, Yale 1913), but we received only a couple of entries for this edition. Please keep us in mind when something eventful happens in your lives, and bear in mind that the less you say, the more we have to say. My lovely and talented wife, Debora Clovis (U. of Maryland, JD ’84), spent a career at the EPA regulating sewage discharge, and she often was reminded of work when listening to me.

Jeff Winton reports that he established a new organization, Rural Minds, centered on increasing awareness about rural suicide and supporting mental health among rural populations—a very important topic for many CALS grads and NYS agricultural partners. Jeff has shared a new Rural Minds video that details his experience and motivation for founding the organization.

Stuart Mendelson reports that he continues to practice neurology in New Jersey, as he has since 1990. Although he finds the practice “very satisfying,” he adds, “I would spend more time scuba diving if I could.” Both of his sons have graduated from college: one is a sound engineer and the other is in a PhD program in biology (immunology).” Stuart’s ruminations on the pandemic: “It has shown us that not only does human history repeat itself but so too does natural history (pandemic of 1918–20).” Stuart and his wife, Estella (Hernandez), MBA ’90, live in North Caldwell, NJ.

My September/October 2021 column concluded with a hopeful suggestion from my U-Hall 4 roommate, Thomas Murphy, that in future columns classmates should address the question: “Now that we appear to be emerging from the grips of the pandemic, what are the three most positive or significant COVID experiences you have had that you will remember ten years from now? We are collecting answers from our classmates and will write about them in future columns.” Things took a rather dark turn after that. I am writing this in late February, and while the COVID-19 numbers appear to be getting much better, it’s also a proven fact that bad luck follows premature expressions of optimism. Thanks, Murph.

Anyway, write to any of us directly with any news you’d like to share with the Class of ’80! If you have found that your life has returned to something approaching normal in the upcoming months, it might be the right time to consider Tom’s question. We are collecting answers from our classmates and will write about them in future columns. ❖ David Durfee, drd225@cornell.edu; Leona Barsky, LLB39@cornell.edu; Dik Saalfeld, rfs25@cornell.edu; Chas Horvath, chas@horvaths.org. Online news form.

1981

It seems we are in a better place at the moment with the COVID crisis! Let’s hope the numbers keep declining and everyone stays healthy. I have been extremely busy professionally fundraising for Hadassah while balancing my life with two teenagers. My son Brayden’s bar mitzvah is in May, and I am a lot more relaxed now. What a time it has been. I have also been speaking to a lot of Cornell prospective students via Zoom. Every one of them is so qualified for the Big Red! I don’t know how the school is going to choose. I hope I get to make a lot of congratulatory calls in the near future! The women’s soccer team (I’m an alumna) recently paired me up with a student to mentor, which is so cool. I’m hoping I can share my experience and my insight with her and help her! I did recently get together with Susan Levitt, who was visiting Miami on a business trip—we met halfway in Fort Lauderdale, where I took her to a place called “Apt. 9F.” Yes, I picked it because it reminds me of New York City (happens that the two owners are from there!).

In March 2021, Chuck Geerhart opened his solo law practice in San Francisco specializing in trials of major personal injury cases. He is also a mediator and will be president of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Assn. (SFTLA) in 2022. David Hoff is celebrating a couple of new additions to his family. First, a new daughter-in-law, Jaclyn, who married son Patrick in July. The wedding was a low-key COVID affair, held in the beautiful Public Garden in Boston. A big celebration is planned for July 2022. And in August, there was another family member added, this one of the feline variety: a cat named Dora. David and his wife have been living in the Boston area for more than 25 years, and David continues his work advocating for employment of people with disabilities at a think tank at UMass, Boston. He has been enjoying chatting with Cornellians from around the world on the online Cornell Global Mixers hosted by Tony Chen ’12, ME ’12. He encourages others to join in!

Traveling a bit east of San Francisco, Susan Swern, BS ’88 (susan@lavenderpickleballclub.com) and her business partner, Kim, launched the Lavender Pickleball Club (LPC). An LGBTQ-focused group in the metro Denver area, it’s “a fun, welcoming, and social space for players who understand what we mean when we say we’re more than pickleball friends—we’re FAMILY.” With its own coaches who offer clinics and lessons, LPC hosts eight drop-in locations in Colorado, and they are expanding the business nationally with a recently opened LPC-Palm Creek (AZ) location.

Moving East, David Boraks tells us he has a new beat at WFAE, the National Public Radio station in Charlotte, NC. Last July, they got a grant from a couple of North Carolina family foundations to create a full-time climate beat. There’s been lots of coverage of climate change at the global and national levels, but not so much at the very local level. He’s covering climate stories across North and South Carolina for public radio stations as well as NPR. In November, he had a national NPR story about wood pellets being burned as “clean energy,” though critics say they’re not climate-friendly and their production poses a health hazard for low-income communities. He’s also reported on the growth of the electric vehicle industry, offshore wind development, rising sea levels on the Carolina coast, and how global warming affects cities, among other things.

Traveling even further East, Michael Hoard, MBA ’82, has left the Big Apple and moved to Rehoboth Beach, DE, in preparation for his future retirement. It doesn’t hurt to plan ahead! With more and more people working from their home offices, it makes the transition easy, and Michael says now was the right time. He looks forward to the summer months when he can actually work from the beach (don’t tell anyone). Classmates are invited to come and visit. A few have already claimed their rooms!

Going North, Janet Ellison Pearsall tells us she was raised in Merrick, NY, only five miles from Oceanside, where she has made her home since 1985, becoming incredibly involved in the community. For this reason and more, she was recently awarded the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year Award. Janet worked for about 30 years in the Long Island and New York City foster care systems, including at the Nassau County Dept. of Social Services and SCO Family of Services. She worked in all aspects of child welfare, from line foster care and adoption casework staff to supervisor and director, working with children and families who suffered from child abuse and maltreatment. Congratulations, Janet! Well deserved!

And further North, Jessica Pearlstein Zachs founded a nonprofit, Dignity Grows, which provides a full month’s supply of menstrual and comprehensive hygiene products—packed in a reusable zipper-topped tote—to neighbors in need. All totes are distributed through community organizations that work with underserved communities, with a focus on maintaining the dignity of the recipients. She started about three years ago in Hartford, CT, and went national in October 2020; they have more than 40 national chapters already. In Hartford, over 35,000 totes have been distributed—and about 50,000 have been distributed nationwide. The organization is totally volunteer driven, and each filled tote costs about $10. Sounds amazing! Jessica also reports the birth of her second grandchild and the marriage of her second child.

Please make sure to stay in touch! You’ll be happy to know that things are moving forward with the print version of Cornellians, which will be available by paid subscription and will feature (in magazine form) some of the most compelling content found online. I am looking forward to having the columns in a magazine again! I also look forward to seeing everyone in person soon—we have to have some mini-reunions before our formal one in 2026! If there is anything you are interested in getting involved in, let me know. I can put you in touch with the correct person. I know you will love it. Send me your news—no matter what it is! New job, new addition to your family, new vacation spot, new career … we want to hear about it! ❖ Betsy Silverfine, bsilverfine@comcast.net. Online news form.

1982

By the time you read this, our 40th Reunion, June 9–12, will be fast approaching. Our reunion tri-chairs tell me that they have a fantastic schedule planned! We’re looking forward to reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. By now, you should have received your Reunion registration material, which has all the details of the scheduled class meals and events. Get in touch with those classmates you haven’t seen in a while and encourage them to meet you back on campus for Reunion weekend.

Our senior status, as we all slid past our 60th birthdays, has granted us the good fortune to be headquartered and housed this time around in the William Keeton House, part of the West Campus housing system that replaced the U-Halls. Friends, it has air conditioning! And yes, Dr. Keeton, PhD ’58, was the author of that heavy brown biology textbook that many of you may have known and loved to varying degrees. Of course, being on West Campus means that those beer/music tents and the many other fascinating and fun Reunion activities will require a stroll up Libe Slope. But have no fear—propelled by gusting waves of nostalgia, your ascent will seem as easy as it was when you were 20 (or as hard?). Grab all your buddies from the Hill and register today, because early-bird pricing ends on May 10! This Reunion’s going to be a hoot! If you have questions about anything, please contact your Reunion tri-chairs, Teri Williams Harvey, Terry Kilmer Oosterom, and Juliet Kolm Gibbs, BA ’80, at cornellclassof1982@gmail.com.

As mentioned in earlier columns, our class is creating an online memory book using the BrightCrowd app. The invitations with details were distributed in March, but if you need more information, contact a class correspondent or classmate John Mennell (mennellje@gmail.com), who is doing the legwork on this project, along with Mike Wapner and Charles Stuppard. Participation is voluntary, and if you create a page you can stay as simple or get as detailed as you want.

John says (as I write this), “Do you remember your very first day on campus? How about the way the hills around Ithaca sparkled in a blaze of autumn colors, or that walk up State St. or down into the gorge to the flat rocks and cold waters of Fall Creek, or breakfast at the Pancake House and those late night PMPs? From the moment we stepped on campus for orientation week to now, looking forward to our 40th Reunion, we have made so many incredible memories and lifelong friendships. All class members with an email listed at the alumni office will receive an invite from BrightCrowd—an app developed by a Cornellian—to join our Class of ’82 Memory Book. So dig out those photo albums and shoeboxes to share your memories and stories. Please update your email address at CornellConnect and be in touch with any questions. Stay tuned for an all-class Zoom call on Tuesday, May 3 at 8 p.m. leading up to our 40th Reunion, June 9–12.” You should have received details of that call in late April.

See you soon! ❖ Mark Fernau, mef29@cornell.edu; Nina Kondo, nmk22@cornell.edu; Doug Skalka, dskalka@npmlaw.com. Online news form.

1983

Greetings from your newest correspondent, Nancy Korn Freeman! My first contribution to our Class of ’83 column was instigated by a one-week stretch of platform tennis matches in the New Jersey women’s league. In spite of being bundled up for frigid weather and virtually unrecognizable on the courts, I encountered three different classmates—each of whom noticed my Cornell hockey hat and asked, “Did you go there or did one of your kids?” By the end of the first match, Abbie Bookbinder Meyer had roped me into being a class correspondent, and to my amazement I unknowingly joined a group of ’83 alumni including freshly minted pediatrician Stewart Glickman (who I grew up with in New York) and Long Island lawyer Jon Felice, my lab partner in Bio 101 freshman year.

One week later, the scenario repeated itself with Amy Apfeldorf Pressler from U-Hall 4 and Barb Lynch, the lovely wife of Pete Lynch … all of whom are New Jersey residents and avid paddle fanatics like my husband, Andrew, and me. It’s been so much fun reconnecting!

Now for some news. Congratulations to Chuck Ruebling, the assistant headmaster at Delbarton School in New Jersey, who was recently inducted into the NILCA Hall of Fame for his tremendous 31-year run as Delbarton’s head lacrosse coach and for all that he has contributed to growing the game of lacrosse in New Jersey and beyond. I was so happy to see him at our 35th Reunion and learn that he too lives in New Jersey. He’s still the nicest guy.

After an illustrious career in engineering on the West Coast, Chris Lofaso retired—and then un-retired. “At the ripe old age of 60, I actually fulfilled a lifelong dream and bought a business,” Chris says. He is now president and CEO at Legacy Mechanical & Energy Services in San Ramon, CA. Best of luck to you, Chris.

Amy Pressler tells me she recently joined a Zoom call full of classmates to celebrate Lucretia Gonshak Ryan ’82’s birthday. Karen Breslow, Amy Moses, Sarah Hudanich Lynch, Emily Roth, and Marla Hershbain Shalit were also on the call, representing the U-Halls from freshman year.

I also had the pleasure of seeing my West Campus gang of women twice during COVID “lulls.” Meridith Skodnik, Michele Silverman Krantz, Amy Tayer Goldman, and Joanna Bures managed to all convene once in Manhattan and also in Pine Plains, NY, to celebrate Amy’s birthday along with a giant group of her fabulous Needham friends, who all fit right in with us. Needless to say, we laughed so hard our abs hurt.

Lastly, I was encouraged to write something about myself (which I typically avoid), so in a nutshell: I worked as a derivatives trader for JP Morgan/Chase for many years and retired when we moved from Manhattan to Monmouth County, NJ, in 2003; my husband, Andrew, retired not long after me. We have two children, son Will ’20 and daughter Jesse ’22, and we love every trip to Ithaca! We have traveled extensively, snowboard often in Utah, spend our summers on Long Beach Island, and plan on moving back to Manhattan soon. We are also committed to various philanthropic endeavors, and, although extremely tired of this pandemic, we continue to enjoy ourselves spending time together!

Stay well everyone—and please send us your news! ❖ Nancy Korn Freeman, the4freemans@yahoo.com; Tom Helf, tomhelf@aol.com; Jon Felice, jbfelice@jbfelice.com; Stewart Glickman, stewartglickman@gmail.com. Online news form.

1984

I am excited about the new format for the Cornell alumni publication! Our column hasn’t disappeared—it’s just moved. Let your classmate friends know how to find the Class Notes in their new home: https://alumni.cornell.edu/cornellians/category/class-notes/.

Wayne Hartung (wxbyhart@gmail.com) is the chief meteorologist at WEHT/WTVW in Evansville, IN, where he’s been since 1993. He shares that in November 2021, he participated in the “Homeless Experience Project: 48 Hours in the Life”—an event designed to raise awareness of the homeless situation in Evansville by having prominent local people live on the streets with the homeless for 48 hours. This commendable endeavor supports an important charity; people sponsored him for the event by raising money for Aurora, a local nonprofit agency that works with the homeless to help them transition to permanent housing. He was one of 12 people (including the mayor of Evansville) who participated and raised over $3,000, helping their group as a whole raise over $50,000! Some of that money went to a local shelter, allowing them to open their doors on all winter nights, instead of only those with temperatures below 32 degrees (called “White Flag Nights”). Wayne shares, “The experience was an enlightening and humbling one for me … something I will never forget.” Thank you, Wayne! We are proud of the support you give to your local community.

In the last column, I encouraged you to get involved in the committees that are busy preparing for Reunion 2024. Like the McGraw Tower bells every midday playing the “Alma Mater,” I will toll the same song as last time here: Volunteer! Any help you can provide planning for the event will be greatly appreciated! No effort is too small. Our class president, John Toohey (jrt67@cornell.edu), will be glad to direct you to the right points of contact for how you would like to get involved.

Also, remember that we have a web presence on Facebook (Cornell Class of 1984) and on Instagram (cornellclassof84). These socials are great avenues to keep up to date with fellow ’84 classmates and to network. We can show the younger classes that we old-timers can keep up with technology! You can also still visit our Cornell class website as well. Don’t forget: Send your news via the online news form or to your class correspondent: ❖ José Nieves, jmn12@cornell.edu.

1985

I hope you all took the time to fill out and return the “Share Your News” form that was recently mailed to you along with class dues information. If you haven’t yet, it’s not too late! Please do send us your news—via the hard-copy form or the online news form—so our future class columns can be full of updates from all of you. Whether your life is changing or uneventful, we want to hear about it! ❖ Joyce Zelkowitz Cornett, cornett0667@comcast.net.

1986

It is a cold and sunny day here in Atlanta—a perfect day to pull together all the information classmates have been kind enough to contribute.

Janet Elie Faulkner (Reading, MA) and spouse Kerry have two sons: Sam ’22 is a senior at Cornell, studying Electrical Engineering (Janet is hopeful that Sam’s graduation will be a typical Cornell Commencement) and Alex is a travel blogger in college in Boston. Kerry and Janet split their time between Boston and northern Vermont. For eight years, Janet has had her own law practice, Faulkner Legal, specializing in higher-ed and employment law.

The pandemic has emphasized Janet’s attachment to her Cornell friends. She spends a lot of time with Cornellians in Boston including Mike and Maggie McNamara Jackson, Maria Gallo Ashbrook ’85 and husband Brad, Brian Wadell ’81, ME ’82, and wife Valerie, and Laurie Rosseau Flowers and husband Jeff. Shelley Kaplan Nickles of D.C. visits Maggie, Maria, and Janet whenever she can. This summer, Janet was also lucky to see Laura Ansell and Jean Peterson Wanlass and her husband, Gordon. Just before the pandemic, Janet went on a yoga trip to Kripalu with Moira Dolan. Janet also enjoys time spent with Patricia Belden and Suzanne Rowan Kelleher.

Mary Pat Conroy Hartmann was thrilled to entertain fellow Hotelie Katie Davin, MS ’95, when she recently visited Mary Pat’s hometown of Louisville, KY. Susan Hirsch Levy and Peter Levy, JD ’85, are proud to announce the marriage of their daughter Dara ’16 to Ari Bernstein ’16. The pair, who met as freshmen, were married in New Jersey at an affair that was attended by Karen Abrahams ’82, Amy Blumenberg ’87, Hilory Federgreen Wagner, and many from the Class of ’16. Paul Reed retired from teaching biology in 2020 and is pastoring at a rural United Methodist Church. He and Sherri (Sauers) enjoy hiking the Finger Lakes and Catskills, as well spoiling their grandson. After years in the real estate profession, Emily Sawers Berlinghof is putting her skills to work as she and her husband, Todd ’85, build their new home in South Carolina and downsize from their home in Chicago.

Pandemic bird watcher Irene Hendricks and husband Steven Eno ’84 live in New Canaan, CT. Irene is now spending part of her week in the Big Apple in her role as chief people officer at DailyPay, a hyper-growth fintech firm. Irene enjoys leading a wonderful team at work and volunteering with Little Free Pantry at her church. Irene’s oldest daughter will graduate in May from the U. of Wisconsin, Madison and will be moving to Orlando to work for Disney.

Frank Pellicone (fapellicone@gmail.com) recently retired from his position as college house dean on the U. of Pennsylvania campus. Now the director of development for 12+, a nonprofit headquartered in Philadelphia dedicated to education equity in underserved schools, Frank is also chair of the board of the Reflect Organization, a wellness nonprofit committed to creating cultures of caring on college campuses. Frank and his husband, Todd Nothstein, are loving life with their dog, Mylo, enjoying work, volunteering, and exploring the art scene of Philadelphia.

Mark Brandt can be seen all around the US running triathlons or promoting races. He qualified for the Boston Marathon and ran the race on April 18. Mark and wife Kathryn are proud of their children: their daughter recently completed her occupational therapy degree, and their son is studying film.

Miriam Reshotko (miriamreshotko@comcast.net) and her husband, Lee Gordon, reside in Portland, OR, where Miriam works at Intel in R&D. The couple are empty nesters since their daughter became a freshman at Cornell. That has allowed Miriam to engage in her new hobby of Pilates—and complete the details on their long-awaited trip to Europe this summer.

Please keep sending us news of your jobs, retirements, families, and travels. We love hearing from you. ❖ Toby Goldsmith, toby.goldsmith@gmail.com; Lori Spydell Wagner, loriwagner86@gmail.com; Michael Wagner, mwagner123@gmail.com; Ellen Nordberg, ellen@ellennordberg.com. Online news form.

1987

Hello, classmates! As I write this column, the groundhog has just predicted six more weeks of winter and we’re prepping in earnest for our 35th Reunion, June 9–12! There hasn’t been an in-person Reunion in a couple of years; this one is happening (fingers crossed), and we want you to be there—and maybe convince a friend to go as well!

In November, Cara Giarrusso Malone and husband Tom celebrated daughter Maddie’s wedding. Among the Cornellians in attendance were Jay and Wendy Williams Sbrollini, Marty and Terri Clark Stallone, Jim and Sue Davis Frontero, Stacey Pineo Murdock, Kai Ofengand Robertson, and Amy Cantillon Imhoff ’88. Kevin ’86 and Shawn Osadchey Wadell also celebrated a wedding. Their son Marcus was married in January! I bet quite a few more classmates will be sharing news of their children’s weddings this year!

After spending 24 years in the Washington, DC, area, Chris Nielsen Berg and her husband, Dick, relocated and purchased a 60-acre former dairy and horse farm in Virgil, NY, about 20 miles east of Ithaca. Their large farmhouse was built in the early 1800s, and the property has connections to the Underground Railroad. All three of their adult children live with them or nearby in Ithaca. She enjoys the quiet of the country and spends most of her time reading and knitting, as well as looking after her cute Chihuahua and 13 pet birds. In the summer they spend a lot of time gardening and have planted an orchard of 15 fruit trees!

Steven Rosenblatt has been appointed managing partner of the New York office for Segal McCambridge. Along with this new role, Steven serves on the firm’s executive committee and serves as chair of the associate development committee.

Alissa Aaronson Horvitz is the co-founder of Roffman Horvitz PLC, a law firm in McLean, VA, that focuses on the intersection between equal opportunity compliance and data analytics, predominantly for government contractors. She just sent her younger daughter off to college and is looking forward to seeing her twins’ college this spring. She has been enjoying Zoom reunion calls with her college friends.

Mark Frucht is the CFO for Bank Hapoalim US Operations in New York City. Mark and wife Lori (Rothstein) ’90’s household is now home to four Cornell CALS alumni, as their son and daughter both graduated in 2021. Mark was also one of our many classmates who attended Red Hot Hockey (Cornell vs. BU) at Madison Square Garden this past November. Among those in attendance (besides me) were Scott Pesner, Tom Tseng, ME ’94, Michelle Turk Schneider, Jeff Cohen, Shari Brasner, Gabe and Katie Roth Boyar ’86, Dave Price, Marc Lacey, and Bob and Lindsay Liotta Forness ’84.

Brooke Johnson White owns a real estate appraisal company and lives in Landenberg, PA. She has triplets who are in their senior year of college (including one Hotelie). They have been busy rotating visits between three schools! Brooke enjoys spending time with family and friends—especially Wednesday girls’ ski trips with friends including Natalie Lehmann Jenks ’88.

Thanks to LinkedIn (and Tom Tseng), I learned that Brent Vallat, ME ’89, has joined Welcome Tech as their head of consumer credit. Tom also shared that he recently visited classmate Donna Lee McMaster while he was visiting San Francisco. Additionally, he dropped by ShaKa Brewing in Sunnyvale, CA, to pick up some beer from founder Karl Townsend. Karl recently did a webinar for the class in tandem with Amy Benigno Fothergill, another classmate in the Bay Area. Tom also connected with Eli ’86, ME ’87, MBA ’88, and Hope Mehlman Hurowitz. Hope is now working at Bank of the West and its parent company, BNP Paribas USA, and she guest lectures at Stanford U. Eli continues his medical practice working as an urgent care physician.

I hope that by the time you are reading this, you are almost on your way to Reunion! Please continue to share your news with us by emailing any of us at the following: ❖ Whitney Weinstein Goodman, wwg5@cornell.edu; Liz Brown, etb29@cornell.edu; and Lisa Burns Griffin, lag77@cornell.edu. Online news form.

1988

Hello, Class of ’88! Lynn Berni here, writing from Salt Lake City to bring you the latest installment of news from our classmates. Lots of good stuff to share in this issue, including two new book releases and one in the works. Keep those updates coming, everybody!

Hot off the press, Untapped Power: Leveraging Diversity and Inclusion for Conflict and Development, edited by Carla Koppell, details how diversity and inclusion are essential to ending global conflict and promoting social and economic well-being worldwide. In this book, Carla has assembled a leading group of scholars, policy makers, researchers, and activists to provide a comprehensive overview and guide to one of the most pressing issues in the world of politics. Carla is senior advisor for diversity, equity, and inclusion and teaches at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown U. She also teaches and serves as a distinguished fellow with the Georgetown Inst. for Women, Peace and Security. Previously, she was vice president with the US Inst. of Peace, as well as chief strategy officer and senior coordinator for gender equality and women’s empowerment for USAID.

Stacey Max (staceymax@verizon.net) is a real estate broker and sales manager in New York City and was recently honored to be elected to the Real Estate Board of New York’s residential ethics committee. She is “excited to be able to serve the industry in this capacity.” Stacey is also a trainer for other real estate agents and her newest skill is teaching classes virtually. “I’m in awe of schoolteachers who did it all day, because I’ve learned that it’s more exhausting than teaching in person!” Virtual classes have allowed her to continue working with her clients while reducing unnecessary exposure. Stacey has also found social media to be an extremely useful tool during COVID. “Who knew that social media would be so important in a pandemic? I’m thankful to have another way to connect!”

Anthony Avellino understands what it feels like to be in the depths of depression and hopelessness. This pediatric neurosurgeon, healthcare administrator, and ultra-runner has had a lifelong battle with stuttering, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, depression, and suicidal tendencies. Tony won that battle and learned how to recover through family, friends, and ultra-running. He also took the extra step of sharing his story and his vulnerabilities, speaking out to raise awareness of mental health. It is all captured in his new book, Finding Purpose: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey of Hope and Healing, which he hopes will help others to gain the insights and skills they need to heal, find purpose, and live their best lives. “I wish I knew 35 years ago what I have come to learn,” said Tony. “I would have been able to live a more peaceful, happier life. I have learned that the road to a healthier, more purposeful life requires that you listen to discover your life’s journey, learn from your failures, and then take the steps to heal.” Tony hopes that his book will be a resource for his medical colleagues who routinely underestimate the fatigue, trauma, and stress they experience until, as he experienced, they become one of the statistics.

Ellen Phillips Warsaw is currently writing a memoir about the last decade (or so) of her life. She has struggled with major depressive disorder, recurrent and severe, for which she underwent a lot of ECT treatment. This has left her with “memory and processing issues—a story others need to know.” Ellen works from home as a writer, so the pandemic hasn’t really changed her day-to-day too much, but she does enjoy the fact that her appointments are now usually on Zoom. Virtual appointments have given her more time at home for other purposes, including training with her new service dog puppy! “He is smart and adorable, but training is a full-time job!” Time with her husband, Clark ’86, gives Ellen the most satisfaction in her life these days—“when we can just decompress together, watching our children, now grown, leading fulfilling and independent adult lives.” Her son and daughter, along with their significant others, are all thriving. Her daughter works from home and her son is a commercial pilot. On a final note—and also a wonderful way to close out this round of Class of ’88 updates—Ellen’s biggest takeaway from the pandemic is not to take anything for granted. “My mother spent three and a half months in the hospital with COVID. Her doctors told her she would not survive and told us it was time to call hospice. My mom is now home and improving her stamina, and we are grateful for every single day!”

Please get in touch and let us know how you’re doing. Big news, small news … we want to hear it all. Share your updates via the online news form, or send any of us an email. Thanks! ❖ Lynn Berni, smartymc66-cornell@yahoo.com; Debbie Kaplan Gershenson, dkgershe@gmail.com; Aliza Stein Angelchik, aangelchik@sonorusbrand.com.

1989

While columns typically highlight professional accomplishments, children’s graduations/weddings/etc., let’s focus on free-time activities and hobbies for a bit. What do you do outside of work and family milestones? Triathlons, golf, photography? Or maybe, like me, it’s a bit more mundane—like crocheting while listening to audiobooks (all that’s missing is the rocking chair and about 14 cats). I’ve listened to well over 200 audiobooks in the past three and a half years while twisting out a couple of scarves and one blanket. (My ears work faster than my fingers.) I like to shake things up sometimes by listening to audiobooks while cleaning up the kitchen/garage/closets, and other times by crocheting while watching any of the streaming apps for which the kids, the hub, and I have swapped passwords. As a Cornell English major, I do have some concern that listening to and then watching (rather than reading) the entire Jack Reacher series (more voluminous than the collected works of Shakespeare, though lacking in meter and rhyme) may result in the revocation of my degree. I do, however, see a new triple major of comparative literature, film studies, and fiber arts somewhere in this that would be wildly popular with the Netflix and Pinterest generation.

The ever active, creative, and connected Carol Borack Copenhaver has written that, because she and her family live in the mountains, they hike with their dog and mountain bike, with Carol “trying my best not to fall off.” She describes spending time “thinking up new and exciting forced family COVID fun, like teaching my kids to play hopscotch and jacks.” She also enjoys “the ever exciting ten-plus years of classic literature book club. Oh, and getting to do Peloton rides with our classmate Erika Ange—despite the fact we live 1,000 miles apart.”

Vaishali Trivedi Bhatt’s pursuits, though more “indoorsy,” do run the gamut: “New York Times mini-crossword, Spelling Bee game, and then Wordle after the morning java jolt. Cooking and occasionally bread baking, local hikes, dreaming of possible travel again, and not-even-close-to-Marie-Kondo closet organizing and file cleaning—oh, and trying to keep up with changing NBA rosters so I have some common language with my sons! They test my memory recall with trivia usually reserved for young enthusiasts—jersey numbers, coaches, team position, etc. Saves the doctor from running memory recall tests for now.”

Lisa Spellman Porter, whose upbringing in Maine is clearly still with her in Pittsburgh, writes, “I’m getting ready to go ice skating at the Schenley Park ice rink tonight. I love outdoor ice skating, especially at night under the lights. It’s a great way to appreciate winter—and get some exercise too! And since we got some fluffy snow last night, I’m hoping to get my cross-country skis out tomorrow for a little more winter fun!”

For those of us who know him, it’s unsurprising that Trevor Steer provided an extensive list of non-work activities: golf league once a week from April to September, casino once a week on Mondays, going to listen to favorite bands Killer Flamingos and Universal Xpression when opportunities arise, time playing Stunt Rally (“I am not big into video games outside of this one,” he claims), and everyone’s favorite fallback hobby, “TV WATCHING! I do this a lot—Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Showtime, Starz, HBO … I can’t keep up with all the shows and movies on my list.” Maybe the TV addiction Trevor and I share dates back to all of our television deprivation from 1985–89 at Cornell. “The Golden Girls” (R.I.P. Betty White) were about all most of us had time for. And to think, we only had one (ONE!) screen that everyone in Lyon and Mennen had to share. It was like caveman times.

Please send word of your non-work activities for future columns too. What do you do? Where do you do it? How do you do it (i.e., by which I mean both “with what skill level” as well as “in the air,” “while driving at high speed,” “by attaching electrodes and then turning the power on,” etc.)? The more detailed the better! Keep in mind, “Driving to my kids’ soccer tournaments while trying to cram in my mindfulness meditation amidst traffic on I-95” is just as valid as “run four to six marathons a year.” To paraphrase Ezra, “Any person … any pastime.” ❖ Kris Borovicka Gerig, kgerig@columbus.rr.com; Lauren Kidder McGarry, laurenkiddermcgarry@gmail.com; Stephanie Bloom Avidon, savidon1@hotmail.com; Anne Czaplinski Treadwell, ac98@cornell.edu. Online news form.

Back to the top

1990s

1990

Let’s start off this installment of the Class Notes with a few words from our class president, Caroline Misciagna Sussman: “Many of us are at the stage when our children are preparing for college, have matriculated, or are approaching graduation. As I write this, college application decisions and graduation announcements are about to hit the mail. This time of year can naturally bring our minds back to Cornell, whether through remembering the joy we felt opening our acceptance letters and knowing we’d found ‘our place’ or realizing that we would retain a lifelong connection to the University after graduation.

“One way alumni choose to foster a connection to the school is through participation in the Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network (CAAAN). CAAAN is a dedicated group of over 10,000 Cornell alumni from around the world who volunteer their time to support the college application and decision process of prospective students. In non-pandemic times, ‘alumni ambassadors are important to Cornell’s admissions recruitment and yield efforts as they meet individually with first-year applicants, represent Cornell at college fairs, and host local receptions for admitted and entering students.’

“During the pandemic, CAAAN members reached out to Cornell applicants (who often live in the same geographic area) and had brief conversations with them, usually via Zoom. Ambassadors share information about their experience and bond with Cornell—from undergraduate days to the present—and answer any questions prospective students might have about the University (explicitly not about admissions/acceptance, etc.). Our class has nearly 200 active CAAAN members and we also have quite a number of CAAAN stars who earn recognition—either as regional leaders who coordinate pairings of student applicants with ambassadors or for the incredible number of interviews they conduct each cycle.”

Eric Wenger co-chairs CAAAN in Montgomery County, MD, with Scott Kauff ’93. When asked to share his observations from this year’s cycle, Eric said, “The meetings are a little shorter and easier now that they are online. This change has also broken me out of my tendency to focus on students from the schools closest to me by distance. As a result, I am encountering a student population that is more diverse, more likely to be first-generation, and less familiar with Cornell than I’ve seen in the past. And my sense is that this is part of the aim for our outreach as alumni ambassadors—sharing our enthusiasm and affection for Cornell to help them understand whether and why it might be a fit for them.” Eric’s point is an important one as ambassadors don’t hard-sell Cornell, but rather seek to help each applicant make their own informed, best-fit college decision.

Zoe Humphrey Cunniff, MS ’90, has been a CAAAN volunteer since 2008, starting in her home state of Utah. She chaired the Utah CAAAN committee from 2013 until 2016, when she relocated to Minnesota, and now serves as chair for the Minnesota CAAAN committee. Zoe has met with hundreds of high school students in person and virtually since joining CAAAN, sharing with them both student and parent perspectives (her daughter Adrienne Murphy is Class of ’15). Zoe says, “It has been a joy to candidly express the benefits of the Cornell connection!” Zoe and Adrienne have also attended Cornell Alumni Leadership Conferences (CALC) together. CALC and CAAAN are both focused, relatively easy ways for alumni to support Cornell and build connections with other alumni. Maria Czarniecki says that, as co-chair of New Jersey Union County the past few years, she’s connected with more fellow alumni and is very grateful for the chance to get to know them as well.

One other benefit of being an ambassador is that it encourages us to increase the depth and breadth of our knowledge of current Cornell happenings. Doing so not only provides ambassadors with a storehouse of information on student activities and clubs, opportunities for academic research assistance, and of course the headline-worthy University news, it also often rekindles our personal affection for the University and pride in being part of such an incredible institution. To learn about CAAAN and participate next year, visit this website for more information and view this video about eligibility requirements.

In other news, congratulations to Samir Somaiya, MS ’92, MBA ’93, chairman of Godavari Biorefineries and president of Somaiya Vidyavihar U. in Mumbai, India. Toward the end of 2021, Godavari Biorefineries was recognized with two awards for their work in the field of biofuels and distilleries: the Indian Federation for Green Energy Award for Outstanding Renewable Energy Generation Project (Biofuels), and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry Award for Excellence in Manufacturing in Chemicals.

Samir writes, “The government policy promoting the production of ethanol as a biofuel from the surplus sugarcane in the country addresses three important needs: energy security, climate change, and income security for farmers. We are delighted to be playing a role in this transition.” Meanwhile, the latest BW Businessworld rankings of business schools in India listed the K.J. Somaiya Inst. of Management at Somaiya Vidyavihar U. as the 19th best business school in India, the eighth best among the private business schools, and the fourth best private business school in the western part of the country. Here’s to Samir’s continued success as a leader for these two organizations!

Likewise, congratulations to Michelle McCormick on her recent promotion to senior manager at SRC Inc. As the senior manager of benefits, she is responsible for benefit strategy and administration at this not-for-profit research and development company that focuses on problems in the area of defense, environment, and intelligence.

Do you have any news about a classmate or yourself that you’d like to share? Please feel free to drop any of us a line with your news for a future class column. ❖ Allan Rousselle, agr2@cornell.edu; Rose Tanasugarn, nt28@cornell.edu; and Nancy Solomon Weiss, nancyswm@outlook.com. Class Facebook page. Online news form.

1991

Greetings and happy summer! Hopefully as we start to get out of the house more, we’ll all create some memories to share with your class correspondents! We love getting news of fellow Cornellians as they move and shake this world.

We did hear some exciting news about Roben Allong, who has been appointed president of the Qualitative Research Consultants Assn. She is the first woman of color to serve as president since the organization’s founding in 1982. Roben brings a strong background to bear in this new role, as she is also the founder and CEO of Lightbeam Communications, a market research and strategy boutique firm based in New York. Congratulations, Roben; you make our class proud.

Enjoy your summers, everyone. I look forward to hearing about reunions and get-togethers! ❖ Wendy Milks Coburn, wmilkscoburn@me.com; Evelyn Achuck Yue, evelyn_yue@yahoo.com; Joe Marraccino, joe.marraccino@wfafinet.com; Susie Curtis Schneider, theschneiders@live.com; Ruby Wang Pizzini, ruby.pizzini@gmail.com. Online news form.

1992

Hey, class! Our 30th Reunion is coming up, June 9–12, 2022. Please plan to join us! We’re finally going to have the big 50th birthday bash we should have had (thanks, COVID). On Friday night, we’re going to have “Fiftieth Fiesta Fun.” We’re so over the pandemic—it’s time for tequila. Then for Saturday lunch, we’ll have a class picnic at the most beautiful spot on campus, with ’80s hits jamming in the background. Keeping it “class”y … Saturday night dinner will be a Western BBQ with beer, bourbon, bull ridin’, and birthday cake. And a BIG birthday surprise. Good times with friends, old and new. Come to Reunion. It’s OUR party. Ready to make travel arrangements? Thinking of staying off-campus? Visit the University Reunion lodging page for information on local hotels. On-campus housing reservations can be made as part of your Reunion registration. Residence halls open at noon on Thursday and checkout is noon on Sunday. We are offering a variety of Reunion package and pricing options to flexibly accommodate attendee schedules; see more here. Many thanks to our Reunion co-chairs, Todd Kantorczyk, Ian Kutner, and Michelle Struble Bouton.

Cornell Outdoor Education (COE) is celebrating 50 years! Our class president and COE Advisory Board member Jonathan Simon has worked with the Grand Canyon River Outfitters for more than 20 years on the complex issues associated with National Park Service management of this highly regulated stretch of the Colorado River. To commemorate 50 years, COE has booked a charter through Hatch River Expeditions! This fully outfitted and guided trip is an opportunity of a lifetime to share with others in the COE community. The trip is a seven-day Grand Canyon rafting adventure from July 16–22, 2023. Jon and co. will spend seven days and six nights rafting 188 miles down the Colorado River, exploring the incredible Grand Canyon—and experiencing intense rapids, beautiful hikes, ancient ruins, waterfalls, and memorable swimming spots. On the last day of the trip, there will be a scenic helicopter ride over the canyon to Bar 10 Ranch, where the group will say their goodbyes. For more information, contact Hatch River Expeditions.

Thanks to our classmates who sent in news! Peter Stein has been living in Rochester, NY, for eight years. He writes, “It has been really nice living close to Ithaca, and after many years of not making it back to Cornell, I have been able to visit campus off and on over these years. I am the senior rabbi at Temple B’rith Kodesh and the president of the Board of Rabbis of Rochester, and I serve on the adjunct faculty for the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. I recently received the Hakarat HaTov award from the Central Conference of American Rabbis for distinguished service to the North American Reform rabbinate.” Mazel tov, Rabbi Stein!

Mat Zucker (mat.zucker@me.com) just released a new music single, “Cidiot,” based on his award-winning podcast about moving from the city to the Hudson Valley. Part pop, part hip-hop and soul, the song’s available on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, SoundCloud, and more. You can visit the music page at cidiot.com for more info.

Brad Ginesin wrote a Wall Street inspired novel, The Trading Desk, that was published in June 2021. The book had a decent Wall Street readership and was well received. Brad has run a hedge fund since 2000 and writes a column for RealMoney.com. Seems like Brad is really putting his degree in Applied Economics and Business Management to good use! His son is a freshman in the Engineering college, so he’s been lucky enough to spend more time in Ithaca.

Bookmark your website browser to this link: https://alumni.cornell.edu/cornellians/category/class-notes/—and please send us your news! Email us or use the online news form. Be well and we hope to see you at Reunion! ❖ Jean Kintisch, jmk226@cornell.edu; Lois Duffy Castellano, LKD2@cornell.edu.

1993

Hey, everyone! Hopefully this finds you healthy, happy, and basking in an optimistic outlook. As you enjoy this column, please consider emailing us your stories, memories, and even wish lists for classmate re-connections. This way, our Class Notes will shine with diverse contributions from all of us.

We were grateful to hear from our classmates Elise Rosenberg and Ana Gomez Chapman, who recently hit the scenic slopes of Jackson Hole. Ana lives in Jackson, WY, and San Diego, CA, and is a managing director at Hamilton Lane, a private markets investment firm. Elise lives in Manhattan, and is managing director at Seven Bridges Advisors, an investment advisory firm in NYC. They enjoyed catching up, with time on the slopes and in the tennis bubble, and are looking forward to seeing everyone at the next class Reunion, if not beforehand!

As a follow-up to Cornell Giving Day on March 16, 2022, and our endeavor to outdo the generosity of the Class of ’94, there are still plenty of ongoing ways to do the greatest good and to give to any area of the University that you feel passionate about. One of many places you could direct your donation could be to our Class of 1993 Cornell Tradition Fellowship, which provides fellowships for undergraduate students. Our prior recipient was a deserving student from the Class of 2021 studying in the ILR school. The average yearly payout is $6,000. Thank you to all our classmates who participated and who are continuing to support our alma mater.

Finally, in honor of what would have been my grandparents’ 80th anniversary, here is a beloved Cornell story that is a cornerstone of our family’s history: My grandpa Stanley Katz ’40 was a Cornell student, and he was dating my grandma Dorothy, who was a student at Syracuse. Then they broke up. The postman said to Dorothy, “Why no more letters to you from Stanley at Cornell?” When my grandma told him it was because they broke up, the postman said, “Nooo—please get in my mail truck and I’ll drive you to Cornell to go see him.” Well, luckily times were simpler back then and people were more trusting and trustworthy, because when Grandma Dorothy got to Cornell, they reconciled! That’s why I’m here!

Take care and please share. Also join our class Facebook page. ❖ Melissa Hart Moss, melimoss@yahoo.com; Mia Blackler, miablackler@yahoo.com; Theresa Flores, taf6@cornell.edu. Online news form.

1994

It’s a cold winter day here in New Jersey as I write this column, but writing it makes me think about warm Cornell memories like Slope Day and Commencement! I think about college often now that I have a graduating high school senior, and while my husband, Michael Marchant, and I were a little sad when she chose not to apply to Cornell, we look forward to supporting our daughter as she makes new memories as an undergraduate! Here are some updates from our fellow ’94 alums.

In corporate America news, Amy Howe was recently named CEO of FanDuel, a sports-tech entertainment company. Prior to being named CEO, Amy served as president, with the responsibility of leading the company’s sportsbook, casino, racing, and daily fantasy segments. Also, Lindsey Helmer Hazelton has been selected as an Upstate New York Super Lawyer for 2021, a peer designation that’s awarded only to a select number of accomplished attorneys in each state. Lindsey is a partner in the labor and employment practice of Hancock Estabrook LLP in Syracuse, NY, and regularly represents both private and public-sector employers in all aspects of labor and employment law. And in December, CEO of Pyxis Oncology Lara Sullivan celebrated her company’s recent $168 million IPO (initial public offering) by ringing the closing bell at Nasdaq. Lara heads a preclinical oncology company with four female C-suite executives and plans to be in the clinic in 2022.

We heard from Adam Kushner, MArch ’94 (akushner@kushnerstudios.com), who writes that he and wife Louise Chuu “met on Eddy Street at a house party in ’92 and, well, here we are, 30 years later with twins, a life, and a mortgage. Thank you, Cornell!” Adam also reports that their twins are “growing up quite nicely” and will be teaching a course in 3D architectural scale printing at CUNY Spitzer School of Architecture, which is one of the country’s first courses on the subject.

Paul Bamundo, his wife, Claire, and sons Dylan and Luke live in Darien, CT, and Paul works as the head of global sponsorship, brand, and event marketing at DXC Technology, which is a Fortune 500 IT services company. As Paul directs all of the brand’s sponsorship efforts worldwide, including their support of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, he notes that he looks forward to “hopefully seeing many of you when I start to hit the road in 2022!”

Chris “Dixie” Butler writes, “The Navy brought me to Norfolk, VA, in 2006 and we have never left. I was an EA-6B naval flight officer (NFO) for 15 years and then spent the last five supporting SEALs. I retired from the service after 20 years in 2017 and started a small art company called DixieArtistry that has done really well considering I did not have an art background; more importantly, it has helped to fill a huge hole left by taking the uniform off. Life saver for sure! You can find my work on Facebook or Instagram. Feel free to reach out (dixiebutler@gmail.com) if you’re interested in something.” Dixie and his wife have two daughters, and Dixie says he still is in regular touch with Jeff Brown and Julie Boeheim Graff.

As always, I would love to share more news from the Class of 1994! Please send news to any of us via email, Facebook, or the online news form. Best wishes for a happy and healthy summer season! ❖ Jennifer Rabin Marchant, jar1229@yahoo.com; Dika Lam, dikaweb@yahoo.com; Dineen Pashoukos Wasylik, dmp5@cornell.edu.

1995

If the past two-plus years have taught us anything, it’s the value of connection and resilience, as well as the importance of slowing down to appreciate the things and people we love. As I write this, Matt French, ME ’96, and I are coming off an extremely difficult start to the new year, which began with my daughter and me quarantined for COVID, despite us both being fully vaccinated (and me boosted). Luckily, we had mild cases, even if it left me with residual brain fog (which I didn’t know existed before now but can assure you is very real).

Sadly, not long after recovering, we received the tragic news that our classmate and friend, and Matt’s KDR fraternity brother and a tuba player in the Big Red Band, Avinash “Avi” Agarwal passed away on January 19. Avi was an associate professor in the Dept. of Surgery, Division of Transplantation Surgery at the U. of Virginia Health System for the past 11 years. He served as the program director of the Abdominal Transplant Fellowship there and was also the medical director of the U. of Virginia Transplant Unit and medical director for LifeNet Health Virginia. During his time working with LifeNet, he recovered 833 transplanted organs and saved 793 patient lives. His full obituary is available here.

Matt, Sarah, Benjamin, and I had the privilege of visiting him and his lovely wife, Allison, and their sons, Devan and Nathan, in Charlottesville, VA, before the pandemic. We had a fun dinner at a brewery and the kids got along great and had so much fun together. We left saying how wonderful it was to see them and that we needed to do it more often, especially with such a short drive between us. And then COVID happened; we never dreamed we’d not get that opportunity. We are devasted by this news and we are certainly not alone.

Ralph Ciotti, another fraternity brother and tuba player in the BRB, shared with me that “Avi was always one of the most selfless guys around—always trying to help others—which is probably why he became a doctor. I remember him sleeping in the aisle of a Marching Band bus trip from NYC back to Cornell (after the Columbia game) just so everyone else could be more comfortable.” Avi will truly be missed.

At the same time as we grieve together, we also share the joy of classmates who are achieving wonderful things. I write this after having just watched Cornellian Karen Chen ’23’s figure skating performance in the women’s short program in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Even though she failed to land an important jump, she was absolutely stunning out on the ice: strong, graceful, determined, elegant. My heart was filled watching her. And it reminded me of how much joy there also is in the world.

I join my sorority sister Lecia VanDam Sequist in congratulating her husband and fellow classmate Tom on his appointment as chief medical officer for Mass General Brigham. For the past several years, Tom served as co-chair of the Chief Medical Officer Council and Chief Quality Officer Council. He also leads the development of a comprehensive patient experience strategy that will prioritize opportunities to enhance patient interactions and patient engagement in care plans.

Also making an impressive career move is Jeff Diener, who, earlier this year, joined the BakerHostetler firm as a partner in its business practice group. Based in San Francisco, Jeff is a member of the real estate team and co-leads the national hospitality industry team. And check out Meredith Oppenheim’s (meredith@vitality-society.com) January appearance on WABC-NY News. I first wrote about Meredith’s endeavors almost exactly a year ago in this very column. Since that time, her team has grown Vitality Society to a few thousand members organically, and paid subscribers aged 60 and older attend on average five hours of live fitness, wellness, and enrichment programming each week; 95% of them renew month after month. Meredith began this work as a study with Cornell grad students and is now broadening Vitality’s service and offerings.

Lastly, we have a fun and heartwarming story from Alison DePiero Butler, who shared that, in recognition of the many years of service to the Montvale, NJ, community, a nearby street was renamed “DePiero Drive” in honor of her family’s farm, DePiero’s Farm Stand & Greenhouses. You can follow them on social media.

As I close out this installment of Class Notes, although I’m writing it in early February, I’m realizing that you are reading it very close to Cornell Reunion Weekend! If all goes well, I will be joining my friends not only in the Class of ’97 but from many surrounding years at the Cornell Chorus Centennial celebration (which also had been postponed). I cannot wait to be back on the Hill—and if any of you are planning to go, please drop me a note and let’s plan to meet up!

Until next time, stay connected and safe, classmates. ❖ Alison Torrillo French, amt7@cornell.edu. Class website. Class Facebook page. Online news form.

1996

Hi, Class of ’96! Spring is here (despite the snow on the Hill as I write this) and we wish you all bright times ahead. We hope you enjoyed the special class event we hosted in March, “Building and Maintaining Virtual Teams.” The esteemed panelists included: Daniella Ballou-Aares, CEO of the Leadership Now Project, a nonprofit for democracy reform; Jonelle Bradshaw de Hernandez, executive director of development, foundation relations, U. of Texas, Austin; Eric Kutcher, ME ’97, CFO of McKinsey & Co.; Martin Stallone ’98, CEO of Cayuga Medical Center; and Elizabeth Suárez ’84, New York Times bestselling author and ADR leadership and negotiation strategist.

In other news from our classmates, John and Carolyn Frank Judge both have chosen academic careers in engineering: John at the Catholic U. of America in D.C. and Carolyn at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. They have loved having their son, Paul ’25, at Cornell as a freshman in the College of Engineering and have been taking every chance they get to go back and explore old haunts.

Ilana Preuss Susskind says, “My book, Recast Your City: How to Save Your Downtown with Small-Scale Manufacturing, published by Island Press in June 2021, is an accessible and inclusive discussion about local economic and community development and how anyone in the community can make a difference. The first chapter is available for free here.”

Lauren Kalter Hass is loving her new career as a professional organizer and owner of Clutter Kicker LLC. Husband David, MD ’01, serves on the clinical faculty of Yale U. School of Medicine, is president-elect of the Connecticut State Medical Society, and is director of the Yale New Haven Hospital Young Physician Leadership Curriculum. They are both thrilled to have the opportunity to visit Cornell’s campus more often now that their daughter is a freshman in ILR!

We love hearing from you! Please continue to send news and updates, big or small, via the online news form—or you can email any of us directly. ❖ Janine Abrams Rethy, janine.rethy@gmail.com; Catherine Oh Bonita, catherine.bonita@gmail.com; Marjorie Polycarpe Jean-Paul, carpo129@hotmail.com.

1997

I hope you all took the time to fill out and return the “Share Your News” form that was recently mailed to you along with class dues information. If you haven’t yet, it’s not too late! Please do send us your news—via the hard-copy form or the online news form—so our future class columns can be full of updates from all of you. Whether your life is changing or uneventful, we want to hear about it! ❖ Sarah Deardorff Carter, sjd5@cornell.edu; Erica Broennle Nelson, ejb4@cornell.edu.

1998

One of the most satisfying things that Pietro Cipriano (pplants@me.com) and his wife, Jennifer (Magazian), have been able to do recently is visit daughter Isabella ’24, a sophomore at Cornell, and watch son Peter wrestle—as opposed to the different non-participatory 2020–21 school year, when New York and the rest of the country struggled to open up safely during the pandemic. Pietro shares, “We are blessed to be able to work through this pandemic, as we were able to continue to conduct our sales in-person outdoors. We have been planting an apple orchard with the goal of making quality hard cider to be imbibed at our expanding farm.” Their son will matriculate at Cornell in the fall and they cherish being able to attend more events in person as a family.

Living in California with spouse Shi Pan Pang ’02, Wai Ping Li is a physician specializing in hormone disorders. When asked how her daily life has changed, she writes, “Everything has been more virtual,” and what satisfies her most is being able to see her family being happy and healthy. Marty Stallone is the CEO of Cayuga Health in Ithaca, and his wife, Ami (Walter), works at Cornell part time while keeping their family tight-knit and moving forward. Martin writes, “Our oldest son, Martin ’25, started his freshman year at Cornell CALS. We are far from empty nesters, with our younger five sons still keeping the house active.”

Congratulations to Dionis Rodriguez, founder and managing principal at Crimson Rock Capital, on publishing his book, Shift Your Paradigm: Empower Your Life & Unlock Your True Hidden Potential. Despite his humble beginnings, Dionis has achieved success and wants to share his story along with the tools to empower oneself because he firmly believes that anyone can manifest their idea of success with focus and the right mindset. He is also the chairman of the board at Teaching Matters, a national professional learning organization that seeks to increase teacher effectiveness.

Featured in chapter five of Masters of Corporate Venture Capital, Matthew Myers, the co-founder and CEO of Infrastructure Upgrade, advises new companies and writes and publishes books. His latest book is Introducing McNear, a cartoon series. In his spare time, Matthew is teaching snowboarding to people of all ages, training for his next marathon—having reached just under 3,500 miles on his fitness tracker since late 2019—and masterfully building his existing portfolio of origami folds.

Melissa Hergan Simmons, an optometrist, and husband Jason moved from Ramstein Air Base in Germany to their “forever home” in Colorado Springs, CO, as they prepare to retire from the US Air Force at Peterson Air Force Base. They have three daughters, with their oldest recently turning 10. As a family, they have taken up bowling. Dave Cordis works as principal product manager for Weight Watchers. He is happily married to his husband and together they are raising their 15-year-old in Seattle, WA. Dave enjoys nature and birding and says, “Thank you, Cornell ornithology.”

Matthew West celebrated his daughter Emma’s bat mitzvah in October 2021. Jaimee Schreiber Loewy and Dan ’96 celebrated their daughter Evie’s bat mitzvah in January 2022. Mazel tov!

Joshua Robinson, MBA ’11 (jdr7@cornell.edu) writes to say he has “started a new business in Singapore. I’m having a great time raising capital and building hyperscale data centers across Asia.” Living in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Stephanie Chiu Wong (sbcwong@gmail.com) and husband Darcy are raising their “two teenagers, who are both sweet and sour,” challenging them to be sincere and forthcoming in their conversations about life, college selections, and careers. Stephanie is in her eighth year of linguistic research and community development in countries near Chiang Mai.

Jen Woodard Reynolds (jenwoodard76@gmail.com) and her husband, James, may have over 25 years of professional experience in dog training, but they have a lifetime of love to give to dogs. The couple co-own a dog boarding and training business in Spencer, NY. Justin O’Malley (j.justin.omalley@jpmorgan.com) currently serves as the market team lead for JP Morgan in Philadelphia, co-managing 70 professionals for the firm’s Mid-Atlantic private bank in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and southern New Jersey. He serves on nonprofit boards and investment committees including the Wharton Club of Philadelphia, the Elwyn organization, and Business Leadership Organized for Catholic Schools (BLOCS). Justin resides with his family—including two dogs and one cat—in Berwyn, PA.

William Robertson (alonobis@gmail.com) and his wife, Amanda, collaborated on the design of their new home in Santa Monica, CA, where their family will reside. He is a real estate developer, focused on office, alternative energy, and community infill residential projects. Spending time together, playing with the kids, and reading together is what satisfies him the most these days. While William has continued with martial arts, specifically karate and Muay Thai, Amanda runs and plays soccer when she can. Daughters Sienna, 7, and Summer, 8, are into ballet and pastels, respectively. William started CrossFit in May and can understand the appeal.

As always, we love to hear from you! Keep us updated by filling out the online news form, or you can always email me: ❖ Uthica Jinvit Utano, udj1@cornell.edu.

1999

“I have joined Finsbury Glover Hering as a managing director in the NYC office,” shares Melanie Acostavalle West, “where I will be working on the health team. I concluded 15-plus years at the Wall Street Journal in summer 2021 and I’m delighted to transition into strategic communications.”

Daniel Doron has joined national employment law firm Jackson Lewis as a principal in New York City. He arrives from McDermott Will & Emery, where he was the partner in charge of McDermott’s transactional employment and executive contracts practice. Daniel focuses his practice on representing private equity firms and strategic acquirers in connection with the labor and employment aspects of mergers and acquisitions transactions.

Brian Waldman was recently named among the newest members of the board of directors of Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities, a nonprofit dedicated to nurturing the health and well-being of children and families. As executive VP of investments of Peachtree Hotel Group, Brian leads investment execution and credit for the company’s hotel real estate and debt programs. His more than 21 years of hospitality experience includes executing transactional and advisory assignments with an aggregate asset value exceeding $11 billion.

Justin Zakia has been named CEO of Fairfax Radiology Centers, the largest radiology practice in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. With more than 90 subspecialized radiologists and 800 employees, FRC provides leading-edge medical imaging at more than 20 outpatient locations throughout Northern Virginia. ❖ Class of 1999, c/o Alexandra Bond ’12, abb83@cornell.edu. Online news form.

Back to the top

2000s

2000

I bet you all have been very busy these last few months! I know I have. For the past several years I’ve taken up the craft of textile design: I hand spin yarn for knitting and weaving garments and accessories. My latest article on spinning mohair (a fabric or yarn made from the hair of the Angora goat) was published in the spring 2022 edition of Ply Magazine. If you are a hand spinner, knitter, crocheter, or weaver, check it out. You can find Ply Magazine online or at nearly every local yarn shop.

Do you have something you’d like to share? Write in and share it with your fellow alumni. You can reach me by email or via the online news form. ❖ Denise Williams, ddw7@cornell.edu.

2001

It’s hard to believe we’re heading into summer already. With such an eventful start to the year, I’m sure many are looking forward to warm weather and more time outdoors with friends and family. I know I can’t wait to travel again and meet up with people that have been “distant” for too long. In the meantime, I’ve been enjoying reconnecting with our classmates, so let’s get to the updates.

Writing from Purchase, NY, Christopher and Cory Belnick Kercher have stayed plenty busy since graduating. Chris is a partner at the litigation firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP. Cory is a pediatrician at Weill Cornell in NYC. Together they have four girls, Lilly and Charley, 11, Penny, 8, and Daisy, 6. When Chris and Cory aren’t working, you can find them playing each other in tennis, on the ski slopes in Utah, or attending their daughters’ dance competitions. They’re always pleased to see classmates and fellow alums in the Westchester area.

Also in the Northeast, Shamit Saha writes, “After graduating, I started working in the financial services industry in NYC. I married my wife in 2005 and moved to Philadelphia in 2010 to pursue some entrepreneurial endeavors.” The Sahas settled outside Princeton, NJ, in 2012. When Shamit isn’t shuttling his children, Raj, 11, and Mia, 9, to their various activities, he spends time working out or enjoying a good bourbon in the quiet moments. He recently had dinner with classmates Joe Cohen, Dave Newman, and Paul Baron in NYC, where they reminisced about their time in Ithaca.

Shamit’s freshman year roommate, Ryan Feldman, MRP ’09, spent almost 20 years after graduation working in the residential and commercial real estate development industry, including with Toll Brothers and Turner Construction. Despite overseeing some exciting projects in the greater Philadelphia region, he never found true professional fulfillment. This led him to head in a different direction in 2019 when he was accepted into Teach For America as a new corps member. Ryan has loved being in the classroom since day one and wakes up each day energized by his work as the “off-the-wall” science teacher to 125 seventh and eighth graders. His longer-term goal is creating a new trade/technical school to train talented and ambitious future leaders of the green building and development sector. He lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife, Marissa (Phillip) ’02, and their twin children, Marin and Cameron. Ryan keeps in touch with Chris Kercher, Giancarlo Turano, Brook Katzen ’02, MPS ’04, and class officer Jeremy Werner.

It’s been a busy timefor Andrew Emmett, serving as FDA liaison and head of US regulatory policy and intelligence for Pfizer. In his words: “As the global pandemic raged and forced lockdowns, I had the privilege of playing a part in the development of the COVID-19 vaccine and antiviral pill to ensure that these life-saving pandemic countermeasures were authorized with the utmost urgency, while ensuring safety, efficacy, and quality.” Since graduating, Andrew has lived in the Washington, DC, area, pursuing a career in healthcare policy and raising a family. In 2005 he obtained a master’s in public health from George Washington U. and spent 13 years with the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), where he was head of scientific and regulatory affairs. Andrew currently lives in Chevy Chase, MD, with his wife, Blakey, and three children, Palmer, 12, Elise, 10, and Austin, 10. Weekends are a blur of youth soccer games, time spent with family on the Chesapeake Bay, and the occasional triathlon.

Alejandro Varela is excited to announce that his novel, The Town of Babylon, was published by Astra House in March 2022. This is a debut novel about suburban decline and the essential nature of community in maintaining one’s health. Alejandro is based in New York and his work has appeared in a range of publications including Boston Review and Harper’s Magazine. He is a 2019 Jerome Fellow in literature and his graduate studies were in public health.

From our BrightCrowd book, Charlotte Brombach Orr in San Diego, CA, is a marketing director in the family business, Iron Orr Fitness. While on campus, Charlotte was a softball player and member of the Hawaii Club. Some of her favorite Cornell memories were made in the dining halls (RPU in particular)—eating and laughing with friends. She also loved her athletic experience winning Ivy Championships—the first two titles for Cornell’s softball program. (If you haven’t created your BrightCrowd page, or would like to update it, please do so here!)

To share news and get back in touch with classmates, please email either of us at the addresses below, visit our website, like the Class of 2001 Facebook page, join our Class of 2001 Classmates Facebook group, and/or follow us on Twitter (@Cornell2001). ❖ James Gutow, james.gutow@yahoo.com; Nicole Neroulias Gupte, NicoleMN6@gmail.com. Online news form.

2002

2003

I saw Janina Wong Mak, her husband, Daniel ’04, and their two children (ages 5 and 3) a few months ago in Dallas. They have been in the Fort Worth area since 2014, when they relocated for Danny’s job. Janina reports that she is “voluntarily partially home-schooling my kindergartener,” who attends a university-model school. Aside from staying busy with the kids, she also does some project management for MERGE digital marketing.

Signe Pike recently published her newest book, The Forgotten Kingdom. The first book in the series, The Lost Queen, has been optioned for television by Bruna Papandrea’s company Made Up Stories and is currently in development. Signe’s writing has appeared in Salon, Charleston City Paper, and Book Riot, and on NPR. Congratulations, Signe!

We’d love to hear from you—send us a note! ❖ Candace Lee Chow, CJL24@cornell.edu; Jon Schoenberg, jrs55@cornell.edu. Online news form.

2004

Congratulations to Marco Calderon! Marco was recently promoted to development director for Vision RNG, a full-service developer of landfill gas sites that provides unique solutions for capturing landfill emissions for conversion into a renewable product—thus reducing the environmental impacts of the site and providing a sustainable energy source. Marco has more than 15 years of experience in the energy, engineering, and environmental restoration industries. Previously, he was the director of business development at UGI Energy Services.

We enjoy reading any news updates from classmates. Please continue to share with us via the online news form. All the best: ❖ Jessi Petrosino, jessi.petrosino@ey.com.

2005

Hello, Class of 2005! We hope that you’re emerging from the thaw of winter and looking forward to spring and warmth ahead! One of our classmates reached out to us to share some news.

In 2010, Raul Bermeo co-founded (with his brothers) Nature’s Heart—a natural snack food company that provides delicious, plant-based products. The company works directly with hundreds of farmers from the Andes to provide a regular and sustainable income. The products look amazing—I can’t wait to get my hands on some of that Everything Bagel Cashew Crunch! Check out their website. When he’s not working, Raul enjoys golf and running, as well as spending time with his wife, Fernanda, and his two sons, Emilio and Nicolas. He currently lives in Mexico, where he thinks of his time at Cornell often! You can reach out to Raul via email at raul.bermeo@gmail.com. ❖ Hilary Johnson King, hilaryaking18@gmail.com; Jessica Rosenthal Chod, chodjlr@gmail.com. Online news form.

2006

Hello, Class of 2006! I hope all is well and that 2022 has brought good news to you, your family, and your friends so far this year. As we enter spring and the weather starts to warm for those in colder areas (like Ithaca!), I am excited to see more people get together again, particularly with COVID rates decreasing. We’re pleased to share the latest class news with you.

Nina Shiffrin was married to Daniel Starin in Rochester, NY, on August 15, 2021, and the couple honeymooned in Ithaca. In attendance were many alumni from the Class of 2006, including Randi Scherman, Deborah Birnbaum, BS ’05, Mark Celano, Shira Yun, Adam Bonnifield, and Sophia Balakian, as well as Joshua Shiffrin ’01 and many friends and family from the classes of ’74, ’87, ’94, ’23, and ’24. What a celebration of Cornellians! Congrats, Nina!

Matthew Bays is celebrating his tenth year working as a robotics researcher for the US Navy at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Panama City, FL. He was recently promoted to senior scientist for robotics and optimization, serving as principal investigator on multiple discovery and invention programs related to next-generation undersea warfare technologies. Congratulations! Matthew, his wife, Alicia, and their two boys, Felix and Leon, enjoy living on a farm in Panama City, which reminds him a lot of Ithaca. “It is one of only a handful of places in the country where someone working in the robotics sector can also enjoy a rural lifestyle. And Florida has much nicer weather.” That’s for sure!

Corinne Kendall is celebrating her eighth year at the North Carolina Zoo, where she’s the curator of conservation and research. Corinne continues to enjoy program management on projects related to community-based conservation of vultures in East Africa. Exciting work, Corinne!

Danny Ross describes himself as “an indie and alternative rock frontman turned mad scientist pop music producer, mining new sounds with classic songwriting.” Danny recently produced singles for several established and upcoming stars, featured across popular music and social platforms. He founded the Anti-Social Producers Club, a collective of New York writers and producers whose members have worked with incredibly popular artists and acts. Danny also writes a music column for Forbes, created to inspire and educate up-and-coming artists on the music business. He lives with his wife, Jess, and newborn daughter, Ava, in Ridgewood, Queens. Wow, Danny—you had us at mad scientist!

Ron Rohde and his wife, Bethany (Marmillo), welcomed their second child last year. Ron has been excited to watch his two kids play together and to start traveling again once COVID-related lockdowns ended. His law practice is flourishing and hiring. Congrats on your business and growing family!

Brian Warshay, BS ’05, is working as an independent engineer on solar, energy storage, and electric vehicle projects. He and his wife, Karen, had a second child in 2020, and Brian is excited to have a boy this time, noting that learning to live with two kids is keeping them “quite busy.” As a father of two, I know how you feel! They moved into a new house in Westchester, NY, in spring 2021, where Brian enjoys playing soccer, cooking, gardening, and “attempting” to fix things around the house. Suburban life at its best!

Anthony Merlocco moved to Memphis, TN, after completing his medical training in pediatric cardiology and cardiac imaging, with stints in Toronto, Boston, and Washington, DC. He’s enjoying the budding food scene in Memphis, where more nationally recognized restaurants are opening lately. It’s not all BBQ anymore! Anthony has been learning to surf (despite having limited ocean access) and investing his time professionally and academically in ethics at his hospital and through a master’s program.

I have a lot more news to report in our next class column, so please stay tuned! In the meantime, what’s new in your world? We’d love to hear more about you, your families, and what you’ve been up to lately. Please share your news with us! ❖ Kirk Greenspan, kag62@cornell.edu. Online news form.

2007

Happy spring, 2007! Can you believe this school year has almost come to a close? What a year it has been! Hope everyone gets a chance to relax and unwind as we approach summer. Who has fun travel plans?

Located in our lovely city of Ithaca, one of our classmates, Matthew Hedge, is making moves! He recently became an assistant vice president and wealth advisor at Tompkins Financial Advisors. He is an annual participant in the Racker Rivals Big Red charity hockey game, an event that raises money for the Racker Centers, an organization that provides support for those with special needs. Congrats on your new job!

Thanks for the awesome updates, 2007! Have more news to share? Please feel free to reach out to me or submit online! ❖ Samantha Feibush Wolf, srf29@cornell.edu. Online news form.

2008

Spring is in full swing, and we have a lot of wonderful updates from our classmates to share—from exciting new jobs, to the start of entrepreneurial ventures, to the birth of children, and much more!

A few of us have taken on new professional or personal challenges. Kelly Sullivan has recently been appointed the director of lab operations for CIC Philadelphia. The labs have been undergoing an $11 million expansion, which will make them the largest commercial shared lab space in the US. In her new role, Kelly will support the integration of CIC’s lab clients into their innovation ecosystem, as well as help support their success. Kelly spent the last five years managing labs in multiple states in the legalized cannabis industry. She also has a PhD from Purdue in biochemistry and did postdoctoral research at Purdue and the U. of Louisville.

Bonnie Kirn Donahue started a position as landscape architect for the Vermont Agency of Transportation. She lives in Central Vermont with her partner, Dennis, and 7-year-old Lucinda. Chakira Branch is a fundraiser for an organization that teaches youth how to organize for education equity, called Our Turn. Chakira has recently started to volunteer “for progressive candidates to fill local, state, and federal seats in the 2022 elections.”

We also have a few new potential Cornellians in our midst. Rachael Grazioplene and her husband welcomed their first child in 2020. Rachael is currently working as a research scientist in psychiatry at Yale U. and tells us that she is enjoying incorporating permaculture practices into her yard and garden, as well as seeing her young daughter grow and learn. Dan Shamir sends his regards from Paris, where he has lived for almost ten years. He currently works for BNP Paribas, where he does tax and regulatory compliance, and he just welcomed his first child, Alma, with his partner, Cécile. He is “always happy to host any Cornellians that come through the city,” and my co-correspondent Elana Beale can attest to him being a great tour guide!

We also have several classmates who have recently launched or are running entrepreneurial ventures. Corey Hamabata is one of them. At the end of 2021, after working with JLL’s Hotels and Hospitality Group for more than ten years, he decided to partner with a family office in Hong Kong to launch TREC Hospitality Investment, a new hospitality real estate investment venture, which is looking at acquiring “underperforming hospitality properties in the Asia Pacific region and re-investing in and reconfiguring those properties for the post-COVID world.” Corey, with the support of a Hong Kong-based multi-family office called Rockpool Capital, will be driving the efforts to identify, negotiate, manage, and fund the acquisitions.

Jillian Barthelemy Apgar founded Coco Beans, a luxury textile brand that sources soft and luxurious fabrics to create silk pillowcases and crib sheets that deliver “magic to bedtime.” Alex Kresovich and Jason Battle ’09 co-run the Cut Buddy, a Black-owned personal grooming company started in Ithaca. The company was founded in 2015 by Joshua Esnard, an immigrant from St. Lucia, and went viral in 2016—resulting in its Shaping Tool product becoming a number-one bestseller on Amazon. Since then, after extensive press coverage including GQ, Forbes, and a deal struck on “Shark Tank,” the company has developed additional products, with inclusivity in mind, focused on multicultural users and users with a disability. A couple of the Cut Buddy products will be in Walmart and Target stores this year—be on the lookout.

Sincere congratulations to all of our classmates on their new jobs or ventures, their new volunteer endeavors, and the births of their children! Please continue to send in your news to us via the online news form! We want all of your updates. Write in and let us know about major life changes or how you are keeping busy this summer. We’d love to hear from you and give you your 15 minutes of Cornell fame. ❖ Libby Boymel, LKB24@cornell.edu; Elana Beale, erb26@cornell.edu.

2009

Happy spring, Class of ’09! Have you picked up any new hobbies lately? Are you doing anything now that you never imagined you’d be doing? Please take a moment to send us your news and stay connected with our class. ❖ Jason Georges, jag243@cornell.edu.

Back to the top

2010s

2010

“In 2020, my life changed completely,” writes Kala Neilson, who quit her full-time job to pursue a life of ministry. She is completing her Master of Divinity at Palm Beach U. and works part time at her local church.

Up in NYC, Jason Blanck was recently promoted to head of business development at Gannett (the parent company of USA Today) and was named 2021 Employee of the Year. His wife, Elise (Jacobs) ’11, started a new job as senior brand manager at Bazooka Candy Brands.

“For the first time in my life, I took the risk to build a company from the ground up,” says Octavio Sandoval (octavio.s.sandoval@gmail.com), who switched coasts to become director of investments at Illumen Capital, as the company’s fifth employee. He is using his years of experience at established firms in the financial services sector to build the company up—and he’s passionate about seeking innovative solutions to address social and economic injustices facing historically disadvantaged and underrepresented communities. “Since relocating to the Bay Area from the Northeast, I started hiking as well as fishing. I am in the market for a road bike so I can cycle again. I firmly believe that self-care is the best care.”

Brian Mick got engaged in September 2021! He and his fiancée recently purchased a house together and are looking forward to getting a dog. Brian continues to work in battery engineering at Tesla, where he’s been for seven years. “Every winter, my friends and I rent a cabin near Lake Tahoe and ski every weekend we can—it’s a great escape from everyday work.” Brian adds, “Now that I’ve got space in my garage, I’ve picked up woodworking! I’m currently making simple things like cutting boards, but I want to get into making furniture in the future too.”

Thank you for sharing your updates with us! Stay tuned for more news from our classmates in our next column, and keep sending your news to: ❖ Michelle Sun, michellejsun@gmail.com. Online news form.

2011

I hope you all took the time to fill out and return the “Share Your News” form that was recently mailed to you along with class dues information. If you haven’t yet, it’s not too late! Please do send us your news—via the hard-copy form or the online news form—so our future class columns can be full of news from all of you. Whether your life is changing or uneventful, we want to hear about it! ❖ Class of 2011, c/o Alexandra Bond ’12, abb83@cornell.edu.

2012

Olivia Boyd was promoted to a new role as integrated marketing director at Universal Pictures in January. She continues to enjoy living in Los Angeles, which she has called home since 2015.

Chelsea Mason is finishing up her MBA at UC Berkeley, Haas School of Business. She will graduate in the spring and plans to stay in the Bay Area after graduation, when she will begin working for McKinsey & Co. in San Francisco. ❖ Peggy Ramin, mar335@cornell.edu. Online news form.

2013

Can you believe it? It’s officially the one-year countdown until our 10th Reunion! Be on the lookout for emails and communication about gearing up for Reunion and ways you can help and, of course, participate. This will be well-attended and really feel like a true reunion, so start planning now! I for one am very excited to see what is in store for our class.

Lots of news to report to you all. In February, Ithaca Children’s Garden named Candice Hilliard Meade as its new executive director, succeeding another alumna, Erin Marteal, MPS ’10. The Children’s Garden is an award-winning three-acre public area designed for kids, which is driven by its mission to connect children to nature in order to build “a more beautiful, resilient, and just world.” Candice received her BS in Natural Resources and then went on to complete a master’s in environmental science and policy from Johns Hopkins U. But Ithaca called her back and now she is looking forward to the opportunity to leverage her impressive experience in natural resource management and education to bring new and dynamic ideas to the garden.

Jessica Gardenhire reported to us that she “recently overhauled” her entire life by leaving San Francisco and traveling for six months. After visiting her family in Ohio for the holidays in 2021, Jessica moved to Atlanta, GA, where she is helping establish a new branch of the architecture firm LS3P. Her work will involve a large civic project in Atlanta helping to support its fire department with a grand community and training center. It will be her first endeavor after licensure. Outside of work, Jessica enjoys yoga and meditation. She recently completed a yoga teacher training in Mexico and wants to get involved in volunteer teaching and training. She is also looking forward to picking back up her hobby of painting.

Charles Clausner is in his seventh year teaching math in Hawaii at the Saint Louis School in Honolulu and just finished his MBA from Chaminade U. He reported to us that he has a few entrepreneurial pursuits at the moment and is always looking to make an impact on education in Hawaii. In his spare time, Charles likes to hang with friends, learn about Hawaii, and, of course, surf as much as possible.

Jared Karson and his wife welcomed their first baby, son Blake, in early 2022. For work, Jared runs a customer support outsourcing company called Hire Horatio, which builds dedicated support teams for its clients. Recently, Jared has been getting back into his game of tennis with some of his teammates from the Cornell tennis team.

Michele Nieberding and her husband, James Yuschik ’14, are both still working from home but now with two rescue dogs. Michele currently works as the director of product marketing for Qualtrics, while James works as the CFO of a major cannabis startup. She and James recently married after postponing their wedding twice due to COVID-19. In their free time, James has been trying to teach Michele how to play hockey and she also picked volleyball back up a couple of years after being co-ed intramural champions! If you have news to share, please email me at: ❖ Rachael Schuman, RASchuman@gmail.com. Online news form.

2014

Hello, Class of 2014! It’s that time of year again when I report on our classmates featured on the Forbes “30 Under 30” list. As this will be one of the last years for the Class of 2014’s eligibility—with many of us passing or approaching our 30th birthdays—I am excited to highlight five classmates featured in the 2022 list across four categories.

Raunak Nirmal is featured in the retail and ecommerce category as a co-founder of Acquco, a company that acquires Amazon businesses. At the time this column was written, Raunak had raised $160 million to purchase businesses that are expected to generate $250 million in profit over the next year. His next goal is to expand beyond Amazon to other websites like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy to create “true omnichannel brands.”

Josh Benamram is featured in the enterprise technology category as the CEO and co-founder of Databand.ai, which is a platform that allows engineers to check data for availability, accuracy, and usability. Since its founding, Databand.ai has acquired over $15 million in funding. Tom Seo is featured in the venture capital category as the co-founder of Dash Fund, which specializes in investing in fintech companies. Since its founding in May 2020, Dash Fund has raised and deployed over $24 million.

Michael Tich, ME ’18, is featured in the marketing and advertising category as CMO and co-founder of HomeRoom, an app that connects users with “roommates, social opportunities, and a host of tech-enabled property management tools.” Michael helped HomeRoom secure $500,000 in funding and has watched the company grow from 20 to 100 rental properties. Tim Lenardo is also featured in the marketing and advertising category. He is the co-founder of three companies, Real Labs, Takeoff Labs, and, most recently, JetFuel—which helps connect influencers with sponsor companies in campaigns for app installations. Since its founding in 2018, JetFuel has helped its clients achieve 70 million downloads.

You can check out the full profiles for each of the “30 Under 30” awardees at this website. Please send me your news to include in a future Class Notes column! ❖ Samantha Lapehn Young, SRL76@cornell.edu. Online news form.

2015

We have some news from our fellow classmates! Katelyn Fletcher finished her PhD from New York U. in December, got married, and now is a postdoctoral scholar at Temple U. in Philadelphia. She has also started a podcast called The Kids’ Table about child development policy and research trends. The Kids’ Table can be found on Twitter (@Kids_Table_Pod) and anywhere you find podcasts.

Eric Schwartz also made some career moves. He has pivoted to Capital One to work in customer experience strategy. As if that was not enough, he also got engaged and bought a condo with his fiancée. Congratulations, Eric! ❖ Caroline Flax, csf79@cornell.edu; Mateo Acebedo, ma698@cornell.edu. Online news form.

2016

Ryan Nowicki writes, “I recently spent the last two years fundraising for the critical work of Cornell Prof. Uli Wiesner with Cornell Prime Dots to fight cancer—in honor of my mother, Laura, a passionate Cornell Family Fellow and breast cancer patient. (She first learned of Wiesner’s work and met him through the Family Fellows program, long before receiving her breast cancer diagnosis.) This fundraising work culminated in running the recent New York City Marathon and raising nearly $30,000. Unfortunately for our family, my mother was not there with us, as she passed away in late June 2021 after a nearly two-year battle with breast cancer.”

Ryan adds, “While we are deeply saddened at her loss and miss her every day, we know that she was incredibly honored and proud to have contributed to spreading awareness about Prof. Wiesner’s work so that future cancer patients may have better outcomes with cancerous tumors.” The class sends you our sincere condolences on your loss, Ryan.

Please take a moment to send your news to: ❖ Meghan McCormick, mcm324@cornell.edu. Online news form.

2017

What have you been up to this spring? What are you doing for work? How do you like to spend your free time? This is your space to share your news, big or small, with your classmates. Please take a moment to send us your news and stay connected with our class. ❖ Class of 2017, c/o Alexandra Bond ’12, abb83@cornell.edu.

2018

Hey, Class of 2018! This issue, we have an update from Anika Exum, who’s currently working in Nashville as a journalist at the Tennessean. After graduation, she worked extensively in social media and reporting—including at marketing agency StudioNorth and creative production company the Story Producer—before earning her master’s degree in multimedia journalism from Northwestern U. in 2020. While in Chicago, she co-led GlobalGirl Media’s Chicago program, which provides digital journalism mentorship and training to young women in underserved communities.

Afterwards, as a video fellow at TIME, she contributed to the magazine’s “The History You Didn’t Learn” series, which highlights events that are represented inaccurately in American history education, especially with respect to systemic racism and inequality. Anika then moved to Nashville in 2021 to work at the Tennessean, covering education, youth, families, inequality, and history, which is her first full-time job in reporting! She says her multicultural and multiregional upbringing as a biracial “military brat” has inspired her to pursue storytelling and continues to inform her journalism.

If you have any news about yourself or a classmate, I’d love to hear it! You can reach me at: ❖ Stephanie Yan, smy43@cornell.edu. Online news form.

2019

Happy spring, ’19ers! Have you picked up any new hobbies lately? Are you doing anything now that you never imagined you’d be doing? Please take a moment to send us your news and stay connected with our class. ❖ Class of 2019, c/o Alexandra Bond ’12, abb83@cornell.edu.

Back to the top

2020s

2020

Hello, Class of 2020! What have you been up to since graduation? This is your space to share your news, big or small, with your classmates. Whether you’ve started a new job or a new book, we want to hear from you! Please take a moment to send us your news and stay connected with our class. ❖ Shruti Juneja, sj453@cornell.edu.

Back to the top

Grad Notes

Agriculture & Life Sciences

Laura Suazo, PhD ’02, has become the first woman to lead the Honduran Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. After earning her PhD in extension and adult education, she became a faculty member at the Dept. of Environmental Science and Development at Zamorano U. (also known as the Pan-American Agricultural U.). As minister, her priorities will include agricultural education and support for agri-food programs aimed at women producers.

Hotel Administration

Rajiv Malhotra, MMH ’01, was recently named general manager of Goldener Hirsch, Auberge Resorts Collection, a new resort in Park City, UT, designed in the spirit of an Austrian ski chalet. Rajiv has more than three decades of luxury hospitality experience—from global leadership positions to his new role overseeing operations for the 18-room retreat, which just unveiled a renovation and expansion that includes the addition of 40 modern residences. A true citizen of the world and lover of culture, Rajiv is fluent in five languages: English, French, Hindi, Bengali, and Punjabi. He and his wife, Susmeeta, have two sons, Rohaan and Rumaan, and two cats, Tiramisu and Sir Issac Meowton. When not on property, Rajiv likes to practice photography, take long walks, and watch international cinema.

At the helm of her company, Elite Soirée, Taylor Lea Thomas, MMH ’20 (taylor@elitesoiree.com) plans luxury high-end weddings with budgets of $100,000-plus at such venues as the Versace Mansion in Miami Beach, Four Seasons Miami, the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, and many more. She’s collaborated with high-end brands like Tiffany & Co. and Rolls Royce and has garnered numerous awards for her work. Taylor’s company now covers Miami, New York, and Beverly Hills. Her forthcoming first book, Celebrity Weddings Recreated, will help readers recreate elements of fairytale celebrity weddings for their own events. After graduation, Taylor remained at Cornell as a visiting graduate researcher and is currently helping to redesign the curriculum for the Hotel course “Catering & Special Events Management,” as the events industry pivots its way of thinking amid a global pandemic.

Industrial & Labor Relations

Beth Florin, MS ’85, was recently named CEO of Pearl Meyer, a leading advisor to boards and senior management on the alignment of executive compensation with business and leadership strategy. Beth has more than 30 years’ experience in the compensation consulting industry and has been with Pearl Meyer for 20 years as a managing director and president of its survey business. For the past 10 years, she has also been a strategic and operational leader. As CEO, Beth now assumes responsibility for the firm’s business and growth strategy and will continue in her role managing day-to-day operations and serving on its board of directors. She is the consultancy’s expert on broad-based compensation, total remuneration surveys, pay equity, and diversity, equity, and inclusion, and will continue working with clients in these important areas. Beth is also a member of the Cornell University Council and serves on the ILR school’s Dean’s Advisory Board.

In summer 2021, Dustin Snyder, GR ’19 (dustin@wayforward.work) founded Wayforward Assocs., a firm focused on helping mid-sized businesses navigate significant organizational challenges or major change. He finds great satisfaction in “being able to see and feel the difference that my firm is able to make with our clients. Improving the day-to-day lives of so many people is a really cool thing.” In 2016, he founded and managed Hatchets & Hops, before scaling and selling the business in late 2019. In 2020, he became president of the 600-employee manufacturing plant owned by global metals company Aurubis AG, more well known locally as American Brass, where he had been VP of human resources. Dustin writes, “I have two incredible children—Daxon, 3, and Adaline, 2—who impress me every day.” He adds, “I’ve begun the planning process around conquering the Seven Summits (the highest mountain on each continent). It’s a goal like nothing I’ve ever set my sights on before.”

Graduate School

Geetanjali Mukherjee, MPA ’09, recently co-authored Negotiate, Persuade and Create Great Deals, published by World Scientific Publishing. This book “brings together cutting-edge research on negotiation from neuroscience, evolutionary theory, and behavioral psychology, along with interviews and insights with 25 master negotiators in business, politics, sports, and diplomacy. We provide tools and techniques that can help executives and business professionals improve their ability to negotiate deals, while also laying out a framework that can support companies that wish to improve their organizational negotiation capabilities. Blending theory and practice, with plenty of examples of successful and failed negotiations in business and politics, this practical guide is an invaluable tool to prepare you for your next negotiation.” Geetanjali adds, “I am the author of 12 other nonfiction books, some of which have been translated into five languages.”

Johnson Graduate School of Management

“I was honored to be selected by Alumni Spotlight as one of the ‘Top 100 Entrepreneurs of 2022,’ along with several other Cornellians,” writes John Hui, MBA ’15. As CEO and co-founder of Twiage, he works to “provide novel communication technology solutions enabling hospitals and ambulances to accelerate emergency care and improve efficiency for non-emergency care.” According to Alumni Spotlight, John “is also a co-founder of Rendr, the largest integrated multi-specialty Chinese physician group dedicated to serving the medically underserved Asian patient population in New York City. He is a serial entrepreneur and angel investor, with almost 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry.”

Law School

Richard Hermann, JD ’74 (rlhermann100@yahoo.com) writes, “My 15th book, Eminent Riparians: Biographical Sketches of Finger Lakes Luminaries and Leading Lights, was published and is available on Amazon. The book contains 57 biographical sketches of prominent men and women who were either born and grew up in the region or lived and worked here during their lives. A selection of the luminaries includes Hiawatha, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Millard Fillmore, John D. Rockefeller, Ezra Cornell, Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass, Vladimir Nabokov, and Carl Sagan.”

To be included in a future Grad Notes section, send your news to cornellians@cornell.edu.

Top image: Jason Koski/Cornell University

Published May 2, 2022