January / February 2025

Find out what your fellow alums are up to—new jobs, marriages, and more—in the Class Notes!

1950s

1952

Tom Cashel, here, writing from Marion, MA. I did not receive any news to publish this round. I hope that is because you all were using your time to enjoy the summer and fall. For those in the Southeast, I hope you were safe and free of damage from the violent weather in the fall. We are living in an increasingly chaotic time. As autumn and winter pass and we then greet a new year, let me know how you passed the time so I can share it with the class. ❖ Thomas Cashel, LLB ’56 (email Tom) | Alumni Directory.

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1953

Class president Bill Gratz observes that, despite growing old—with all the aches and pains that go with it—life is still fine. He was able to be back on campus the weekend of October 18–20. “Highlights were the Trustee-Council Annual Meeting and the Frank H.T. Rhodes dinner Saturday night.” He also attended an interesting presentation in Westport, CT, describing the new on-campus building being built for Greenspoon Hillel. Then on his calendar for late October was a reception at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT, to greet the interim Cornell president, Michael Kotlikoff. We’ll share some of his observations in the next issue.

Bob Neff, JD ’56, writes, “For the immediate future, I’m ‘Nurse Ratched’ in our household, as I help my wife who is recovering from surgery. The only classmate with whom I have regular contact is Charles Berlinghof, who lives in Newport, RI. Chuck is involved in the restoration of Newport’s Opera House—like us, a relic of better times.” Bob adds a reminder of his son’s latest film: “For any classmates flying on Delta Airlines, my son’s movie Peak Season is currently featured for passenger viewing. He and his special squeeze, Caroline Kwan, both play supporting roles in the film. It is a delight!”

Do you have a favorite film? Share it with ’53! Has there ever been a film made that’s as loved as The Wizard of Oz? We’re always happy to hear from you. Send us a note! Your correspondents: ❖ Caroline Mulford Owens (email Caroline) | Bob Neff, JD ’56 (email Bob) | John Nixon (email John) | Alumni Directory.

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1954

We thank our classmate Jane Barber Smith for guest writing the column that appeared in the last issue when both Ruth and I were traveling and not able to meet the deadline. As I write this, my mind has wandered back 70+ years to when Jane and I were on the staff of the Cornell Daily Sun along with our late classmate Fred Wood. Fred and I were competing for the sports editor’s job, which I won, maybe because he was distracted by Jane, even moving place cards at the staff meeting table to be seated next to her. As it turned out, Fred was also a winner. Why? Simple: He and Jane subsequently married!

Retired doctor John Eisele of Davis, CA, sends his greetings to several classmates, regretting that he was unable to attend our 70th Reunion. Volunteer work kept John busy into his 80s but now he has slowed down to bridge groups, a book club, and “yes, wine tasting.” Cornell ROTC and two years in the Army Medical Service Corps, where he was stationed at a field hospital in a destroyed Germany, changed his life direction. Instead of earning a business school MBA like he had planned, John earned his MD and went on to a successful career in medicine.

As I write this, my mind has wandered back 70+ years to when Jane Barber Smith ’54 and I were on the staff of the Cornell Daily Sun.

Bill Waters ’54, MBA ’55

Lucinda Noble is one of the earliest residents of Kendal at Ithaca, which is home to a number of our classmates. She enjoys good health and spending time with her many friends in Kendal as well as former colleagues in the Ithaca real estate business.

A. David Bernanke of Alexandria, VA, writes that he is “working at being retired” and that he gets the most satisfaction from “whatever surprises me.” David is thankful that his immediate family have all been well, that multiple friendships fill his life, and that each day is a new experience. He thanks Cornell for opening the door to a happy life for him.

We have been writing this column for over five years and have always had some good solid comments sent in by classmates that enabled us to organize the ’54 Class Notes. Please share your news and views going forward so we can keep the ball rolling. ❖ Bill Waters, MBA ’55 (email Bill) | Ruth Carpenter Bailey (email Ruth) | Class website | Alumni Directory.

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1955

Owen Perry lives with his wife of 64 years, Mary Jane, in Mequon, WI, close by three daughters, eight grandkids, and four great-grandkids. Owen was captain of the Cornell golf team and has continued playing all his life. In recent years he’s played up to 70 rounds per year, always bettering his age, and is now still playing 30 rounds every year. He extends the season with a few rounds in Florida after it’s too cold in Wisconsin to play. His secret to living over 90 years has been constant physical activity, mainly walking.

Owen and his brother Grey ’59 are the third generation of five generations of Cornellians. First was great-grandfather James Owen 1873, followed by Rollin Perry, MEd ’47, and then Geoffrey Perry ’85, who is married to Cornellian Christine (Stefanou) ’85—and just last May 2024 their daughter Demi Perry ’13 received her PhD in food science and technology from Cornell. Owen, Grey, and his son Geoffrey were all in Sigma Phi.

Rollin Perry was a longtime dean in the Arts and Sciences college. His was “the Dean’s List nobody wanted to be on” that meant academic probation in the Arts college and “a meeting without coffee” with him. Both Owen and Grey heard many stories all their lives about how their father saved the careers of many students who were having too much fun. Dean Perry knew each one had the necessary academic horsepower to succeed at Cornell, and through his counseling, he helped many become more serious about their studies and eventually graduate.

Grey lives in Richmond with Nancy, his wife of 65 years. Grey played on the Cornell golf team and he is still playing the family sport of a lifetime at age 87. Please take a moment to send us a note. We’d love to hear how you are doing! ❖ Class of 1955 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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1956

Reverend John Maltby writes that he greatly enjoys his many friendships, both locally and with those in faraway places. He also appreciates music and his ability to serve—which he has a long history of doing! He has served as chaplain and historian for the Monmouth Junction First Aid Squad, been a member of the local Lions Club and Scout troops, and sung bass in a church choir. “I wish I could get ‘back to the Hill!’” ❖ Class of 1956 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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1957

As promised in our previous column, we are beginning with a number of updates from our loyal classmates. One of the questions on the “Share Your News” form asks how attending Cornell changed the trajectory of your life. Several reflected on that and shared their thoughts.

John Fisher Jr. offered, “It taught me how much I didn’t know, and set me up for a different career path.” In retirement, John remains very involved in his Needham, MA, North Hill Retirement Community. He is chair of the program committee and was the founder of both the current affairs discussion group and the men’s book club. He does make time for duplicate bridge and an annual trip to Maine for bass fishing with two sons and two grandsons. Mabel Klisch Deal answered, “I met many wonderful people and expanded my horizons.” Mabel is enjoying her good health, her good friends, and her wonderful family. Two great-grandchildren are recent additions.

Gabrielle Kirsch McGhee responded, “The Ag School opened my city eyes to farm life.” Gabrielle and husband/classmate Don, after many decades, moved from their Holland Patent, NY, home in 2022. They were barely settled in when Don suddenly passed away in February 2023. Gabrielle is adjusting to her loss by being active with her local family, being active in her church, and giving of her time and talents as a valuable volunteer.

Paul Tregurtha responded, “I met Lee Anderson ’59, who became my wife, at Cornell. Our four children went to Cornell, as did 10 of our 14 grandchildren. All look after me after Lee passed away in November 2023.” Lee was a photographer, painter, book designer, and botanical illustrator. When a WWII tanker was acquired by Paul’s Interlake Steamship Company on the Great Lakes, it was rechristened the MV Lee A. Tregurtha in her honor. Now Paul admits to being involved in some work in his retirement, yet he spends time helping others and being with his family as they celebrate weddings and other gatherings.

Edward Neuwirth puts it succinctly: “Absolutely!” He continues to enjoy road and trail cycling, rowing, and gardening/landscaping in his Fort Lauderdale, FL, home/region. Chicago-based Robert Chatterton, PhD ’63’s comment was, “Cornell gave me many opportunities and a direction in life.” He continues to be a tutor for groups of eight medical students in their problem-based learning program. He enjoys being involved with his children and grandchildren, particularly noting that his grandson Callum Chatterton ’22, MPS ’23, has taken a position in Chicago.

Stephen ’57 and Constance Grand-Lienard Pajeski ’56 live on a 100-acre farm, where they raise event horses.

Sari Feldman Zukerman also has a Cornell alum grandchild. Granddaughter Suzanne Burstein, PhD ’17, earned her PhD in neuroscience from Weill Cornell. Sari was honored by being designated the Guttenberg, NJ, Senior of the Year 2024. The citation reads, “Sari retired after a successful 35 years in the field of education. Having a desire to serve her community, Sari has served on many volunteer boards and committees, including but not limited to as an elected trustee and president of the Guttenberg Board of Education, member of the Guttenberg planning and zoning board, and Hudson County Board of Elections poll worker.”

Sari began her career in education as a kindergarten teacher. Later she earned her master’s degree and the post-master’s Certificate for Leadership in Education at the CUNY College of Staten Island. She taught there for many years, educating countless others in her field of reading technologies. Sari recalls graduating from James Madison High School in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, being on the late shift because having two shifts was the only way the high school could accommodate thousands of students. Indeed, at least 20 of her classmates went on to study at Cornell. Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’54 was someone Sari knew from her elementary school, high school, and, of course, Cornell.

Langston Weinberg considered his BME degree from Cornell as one that “didn’t hurt” in his life’s trajectory. His long career was at Boeing in Seattle, WA. Retired and living in Redmond, WA, he and wife Dorothy also enjoy their Arizona townhouse part of the year. Their family includes “four successful kids, six grandkids, and two great-grandkids.” Langston’s current activities include solving the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle and playing a little golf.

Stephen Pajeski had his life trajectory completely change after he met Constance (Grand-Lienard) ’56 while both were working at a summer resort in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. Connie encouraged him to apply to Cornell’s Hotel School, where he gained “outstanding backgrounds, respect, and confidence in self.” Stephen was very active as an undergrad, went on to be the manager of food services for Kodak, and also earned his MBA at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He later worked in the field of security for the State of Connecticut.

Stephen’s daughter Tracy ’79’s marriage to a veterinarian brought Stephen and Connie to live in Benton, LA. They live on a 100-acre farm, where they raise event horses. The whole family—four children, seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren—are all involved in the horse world. The farm has hosted national competitions with as many as 225 horses competing. These competitions are those seen in the Olympics in the equestrian events of dressage, jumping, and cross-country jumping. With all this, Stephen and Connie still maintain a cottage near Tanglewood and spend time there every summer enjoying all the wonderful offerings of the Berkshires. ❖ Connie Santagato Hosterman (email Connie) | Alumni Directory.

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1958

Sherwood “Woody” Bliss earned his BS in mechanical engineering in 1958 and his MS in mechanical engineering in 1959, then worked for IBM for 34 years, retiring in 1993. He has been very active in his town of Weston, CT. He was elected first selectman (mayor) from 2001 to 2009, then served as police commissioner from 2011 to 2024, and was voted “Citizen of the Year” in 2013 for his volunteer work. As a member of the Kiwanis Club of Weston, he created a very successful foundation for it and is active in the Y’s Men of Westport/Weston. His son, David ’83, is the fourth generation to attend Cornell. He enjoys his five grandchildren and welcomed the birth of his first great-granddaughter in 2023. He enjoys genealogy, skiing, bridge, and backgammon.

Saul Presberg is enjoying retirement in Rochester, NY, after graduating from the College of Arts and Sciences in science teaching and pursuing a career in ophthalmology. He derives a lot of satisfaction from seeing his grandchildren, exercising, meditating, reading, and, especially, not rushing! He is an expert in getting older. Cornell was where he met his wife, Helen (Sugarman) ’59, who majored in biology in CALS. They raised a family of four sons, and now have 14 grandchildren.

Ann Gaffey Coyne, a former professor at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, has retired and lives in Kendal at Ithaca. She finds the company of retired Cornell professors and her dog, Smokey, a miniature poodle, most satisfying. She has published two books through Amazon: Adventures in Nicaragua, about her 1984–90 sojourn with Witness for Peace, acting as human shields when the Contras were active; and Caring Goes a Long Way, about finding adoptive families for 18 disabled Nicaraguan children in 1990. At Cornell, she met her husband, Dermot, PhD ’58 (now deceased) as a grad student who came to Risley Hall for a free dinner.

Robert Martin ’57, BEE ’58, who retired at 81, lives in Sedona, AZ. First a Navy helicopter pilot, he was then management consultant to the CPA profession. He enjoys traveling to WWII battlegrounds: Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, Saipan, Tinian, and Peleliu. Recently, he witnessed the D-Day ceremonies on Utah Beach, where 102-year-old veterans talked about their experiences, and uniformed interpreters drove ancient Jeeps and Army trucks around the landing beaches, answering questions. He finds great satisfaction in learning and in his family—three children and 28 descendants. Cornell opened up new possibilities for his life. He realized flying and public speaking could become careers. Friendships through his fraternity have been lifelong and rewarding.

At Cornell, Ann Gaffey Coyne ’58 met her husband, Dermot, PhD ’58, as a grad student who came to Risley Hall for a free dinner.

Marc Gabel, in Toronto, ON, has dealt with stage four cancer for the last 20 years, since his renal cancer was discovered, was treated, and then metastasized. Those years have been most productive and satisfying due to the fantastic care he’s received at his cancer center, including all treatment: radiation, medicine, surgery, and consultations, with full coverage under Canada’s universal healthcare, to Marc’s great relief. Extended life has allowed him to read broadly, delve deeper into classical music, and enjoy his family. While president of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, he became interested in the legal, ethical, and medical issues surrounding medical assistance in dying. Having assessed patients for this medical procedure, he has, since retiring, given many talks explaining it. He is also chairing a committee exploring solutions to medical manpower needs in Northern Ontario. Cornell opened up his limited perspective on world opportunities, providing academic and social experiences that led to a life of curiosity, adventure, and diverse relationships.

Thomas, DVM ’58, and Carolyn King Nytch, live in Owego, NY. They are still living at home, although chores are becoming more difficult. (Their experiment of Thomas taking on once-a-week cooking has been a disaster!) They are still active, attending various educational, social, and fundraising events supported by Binghamton University. Carolyn helped Thomas establish the Vestal Veterinary Hospital in 1960. Carolyn volunteers frequently and parented their three children with him. She reads a lot of fiction and meets with her bible study group. Thomas, 90, still serves on the county board of health. He is pleased the former dean of the Veterinary College, Mike Kotlikoff, is now interim president of Cornell. Neither he nor Carolyn would be the persons they are today nor have succeeded in their occupations without their superb Cornell educations.

Barry Bloom says his undergraduate years at Cornell provided a great preparation for law school as well as opening up new academic, athletic, and personal relationships. Married to Susan Blond, he now derives the most satisfaction from having good health and helping others. He and some partners are creating an innovative philanthropic/capital program to provide education and employment opportunities to the Black, Latino, Native American, marginalized, and low-income members of his East End Hampton community on Long Island, NY. It will provide college tuition grants and loans, investments, and grants to organizations supporting its goals. Fifteen years ago, Barry took drum lessons and formed the Barry Bloom Dream Band, which has played at the Harvard Club, the NYC Republican Club, and other locations. ❖ Barbara Avery, MA ’59 (email Barbara) | Dick Haggard (email Dick) | Alumni Directory.

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1959

Our current slate of class officers, who are serving five-year terms until our 2029 Reunion, is headed by Barbara Hirsch Kaplan, who, in addition to president, is membership chair and our representative for the Cornell Annual Fund. Bill Kingston serves as secretary and treasurer. Peggy Dunlop, MS ’63, and Ron Demer are co-chairs for our 70th Reunion. “I’m very pleased that Peggy and Ron, both Ithaca residents and regular Reunion attendees, have taken on the job,” says Jerry Schultz, who chaired our Reunion this past June. “Living near campus will make it convenient for them to interact with people in the Alumni Affairs office concerning the needs and interests of our classmates when we are in our young 90s.”

Jerry thanks those folks attending our 65th Reunion who completed a post-Reunion survey that asked for ratings on a wide range of events, from breakfasts and dinners to tours, lectures, presentations, and entertainment. “The Statler Hotel got high marks for the accommodations, the students who served as class clerks were much appreciated, Corey Earle ’07’s and my talks at a class dinner rated very well, and everyone loved President Pollack’s farewell talk.” In the comments section, Reuning ’59ers also praised a number of smaller events such as a tour of Gates Hall and viewing the Bowers construction site, the chemistry open house, Athletics department events, and the exhibit that explored Vladimir Nabokov’s renown as a lepidopterist.

“Hard to believe I’ve lived in Bavaria so long!” writes Deloyce Timmons Conrad. She continues to live in Seefeld, some 25 miles west of Munich, in the house that she and her late husband, Klaus, MS ’60, built 57 years ago. “I love to cook, with a large assortment of locally grown and raised natural foods to choose from. I have great neighbors and plenty of contact with family and friends. It’s a good life.” In 2023, with her 22-year-old German grandson, Deloyce went back to her roots in Florida, where her ancestors settled before 1850. “Our first stop was in South Central Florida, where my brother’s kids, grands, and great-grands live, but we spent most of the time in Gainesville, where I was born. Relatives flew in from Houston and Boston, and others joined in for a family reunion of sorts.”

Deloyce Timmons Conrad ’59 says that the annual Cornell Club of Germany weekends, always held in different parts of Germany, draw an average of 30 alums.

Though Deloyce hasn’t been back to Cornell since our 50th Reunion, she continues to be involved with our alma mater: she serves as vice president of the Cornell Club of Germany as well as heading the organization’s Munich chapter, calling for get-togethers either during the spring at a Munich restaurant, during summer for a Biergarten outing, or in the fall for Zinck’s Night. There are over 300 Cornell alumni in Germany—that the club knows about—and Deloyce says that the annual Cornell Club of Germany weekends, always held in different parts of Germany, draw an average of 30 alums.

Carole Kenyon and her husband, Ralph Kline, have moved from the East Coast to the West Coast, settling into a continuing care community in Seattle. Dawn Moyer Fairbanks and her husband, Alonzo, also live in a retirement community, in Golden Valley, MN. Following her husband’s recent death, Diane Smith Harragan sold the family home in Manhasset and moved to a condo in neighboring Port Washington. She still has her other home in Westhampton Beach. “Life is active. My two children live nearby, and I am still working as a real estate broker.”

Mary Ella Harman Feinleib moved to a retirement community in Bedford, MA. “I really like it. The people are so friendly, the food is good, even creative, and I’ve been published in the residents’ newsletter with a bit of doggerel called ‘Fruit Salad for My Love’: You’re a peach of a guy, the apple of my eye. We’d make a grape pear, which is berry, berry rare. When I plum the depths of my soul, I know that marriage is my goal. So I’m going to mope, ’cause we cantaloupe. But my currant hope is to go out on a date before it’s too late. Honeydew you agree to go out with me? I’ll be longan for you whatever do you. And I don’t give a fig what you say. I’ll cherrysh you forever, kumquat may.” ❖ Jenny Tesar (email Jenny) | Alumni Directory.

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1960s

1960

Architect Robert Bell has been happily married to Ellen Alldredge for 43 years now. They had five children and raised them in Oak Park, IL. Ellie retired from teaching after 34 years. They now live in Madison, WI, overlooking a lake. After Ellie and Robert sold the Oak Park house, they bought a small condo; they still have a great architectural design practice, lots of Chicagoland work, and projects in Wisconsin and other states—where Robert is having fun trying to stay “sharp.”

Robert has taught skiing and snowboarding at Cascade Mountain for 20 years, and he wonders if he is the oldest active snowboard instructor in the U.S. (and maybe the world?). He has run several marathons and a number of other races, and co-founded the Oak Park Runners Club, which is celebrating its 43rd year. He has done many triathalons, too, and recently ran in the 80–90 age group at the Illinois Senior Olympics in July. “On the family Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness trip last summer, our oldest grandchild announced he would soon be the father of our first great-grandson!” Robert and Ellie have plane tickets for a two-week trip to France in March/April 2025.

Wally Williamson and his spouse, Karen, live in Ancram, NY. Wally says, “I retired from practicing law seven years ago, but Karen and I still maintain our Manhattan apartment, although we have resided primarily in our home in rural Ancram since the pandemic. We have a new granddaughter, now 3 years old, living in Manhattan near us. We’ve traveled extensively and attended school in Spain, learning Spanish, over the last five years; and we hiked the Camino de Santiago for a week as part of a month-long trip in Spain, including a week in Salamanca attending school.”

Wally adds, “I’ve become a graduate of the Cornell Master Forest Owner Program and, through that program, a member of a group of volunteer forest owners who help others achieve their goals for the forests on their property. What I’ve learned in the MFO program has also enabled me to educate my own neighbors in our private community in Ancram on the threats to the health and regeneration of our own property’s forests—which share the problems of all the forests in the Northeast—and helped us apply for and obtain an initial federal government grant to conserve our forests. I’ve also become a member of the Town of Ancram Conservation Advisory Council, with a primary interest in forest conservation. It’s a busy and rewarding retired life. I’m looking forward to our next Reunion. Hope I’m still running by then!”

Arthur Kirk Field, MS ’61, gets the most satisfaction from the fact that he’s still relatively healthy and happily married to his “dream girl” and fellow Cornellian, Marcia (Case) ’61. The pair are looking forward to attending Cornell’s Adult University this summer! Kevin Pickard shares that in retirement he has been traveling, including trips to Africa on safari. He writes, “Our Rotary Club has a project to build water cisterns and saturation areas for schools in Tanzania. I have been active in the project, and we have helped several schools in Northern Tanzania.”

Rodney Mason, PhD ’64, enjoys reading, relaxing, and walking his dog in retirement. He shares that Cornell gave him exceptional training in physics and aerospace engineering, and he went on to help develop laser fusion at the Los Alamos National Lab. Gail Sherrell Chiarello is an IRS enrolled agent and tax preparer, but her true passion lies in her rose garden.

Robert Bell ’60 recently ran in the 80–90 age group at the Illinois Senior Olympics in July.

Paula Naomi Friedman lives in Gresham, OR, and she is very interested in the world around her. As she says, “I’ve had many satisfactions these days, including very good health, and I have a small but charming house on a large yard in Portland. I’m still writing books, editing books, and doing landscape with friends, neighbors, and family—a very full and fulfilling schedule! My two published books are: The Rescuer’s Path, a short story collection, and Of Elegant Time, which was published in 2022.”

Paula adds, “My younger son, Joseph, teaches special education in the East Bay, and my other son, Chris, and his wife are both fine art painters doing highly creative artworks. I’m pleased that Cornell led me to seeking a good, creative, engaged life that expanded in many directions to look beyond math and science and other areas, like a person active in working toward a better, more humane society.”

Jack Raymond, a resident of Escondido, CA, since 1943, has a long and distinguished involvement in the San Diego region, and has often been recognized for his many contributions. Jack also received an honorary doctorate from California State University, San Marcos. Carole Knoop Buffett shares that she has moved to an excellent assisted living facility in Darien, CT. Gerrie Jordan Congdon writes, “We recently moved to independent living in a not-for-profit retirement community. We are enjoying the many activities, making new friends, and especially the freedom from maintaining a home and the daily chores. We will celebrate our 60th anniversary this week.”

Emil Cipolla, MBA ’63, writes, “I am the local military officer association’s focal point to the Rhode Island Legislature. After several years of effort, I developed an economic and financial analysis that convinced the key legislative veterans and economic committees to totally exempt the military pension income from the Rhode Island income tax. The analysis was a one-page executive summary, followed by detailed statistics and supporting references. Included were the macro benefits to the Rhode Island economy and individual personal benefits to the retiree.

“I worked with the economics and government affairs department at local colleges to support the analysis. We used available census data augmented with ‘what-if’ scenarios when data was unavailable. The approach was to first identify, and then develop rapport with, the critical decision makers. I received state and national recognition for this successful effort. I also volunteer on the Portsmouth, RI, economic development committee; our purpose of mixed professions, lawyers, community leaders, and citizens is to develop the financial and economic benefits of various proposals identified by the town administration, town council, or outside organizations.”

Janice Petro Billings lives in Corona Del Mar, CA, and says family, volunteering in the arts, traveling, and making good friends brings her the most satisfaction these days. Janice has been tutoring those new to the country in English and also volunteering at the historical society for her village while writing articles for the city newsletter.

Janice writes, “I have 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Now my late husband, Ross, and I are being honored with the dedication and naming of the Innovation Center at Magnolia High School.” When asked if Cornell changed the trajectory of her life, she responded, “Absolutely! I was the first female of our family to attend college on a scholarship, and the career it opened to me … the trajectory of my life would not have happened without Cornell.” Janice became a teacher, administrator, professor, and respected person in the community. ❖ Judy Bryant Wittenberg (email Judy) | Alumni Directory.

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1961

When you read this column, it’ll be 2025! A wish that you have a year of good health and good times comes from your Class of ’61 and your class correspondents, Doug Fuss and Susan Williams Stevens.

May Lee Ling sends a message from Laguna Woods, CA. Two of her grandchildren are married and five are working. Her husband, Chung-Li, is 91 and in relatively good health. “I have been retired since 2006. At Cornell I made wonderful friends for life.”

Bob Lincoln says that he is still healthy and alive. He is caring for his property and reading and deleting emails—and unsubscribing. “I’m trying to get schools to make a sport I created, called poleball, to be a part of their intramural sports programs. See this website for an explanation of the rules of the game and its benefits.”

From Florida, Gerrit White and wife Elizabeth enjoy good health, friends, family, and extensive traveling in retirement. “I have been an AARP Tax-Aide volunteer for 12 years. Golf, pickleball, and staying in shape are taking a lot of my time. We have five children and visiting with family and friends is taking up some time; in addition, we have traveled to 86 countries and we enjoy living now in an all-encompassing retirement community called The Villages in Florida.”

“Living the good life in Santa Fe, NM,” Stephen Love and Linda report that daughter Olivia ’10, is married to Jack Stupinski ’10, who is a veterinarian (small animal) and trauma surgeon; they live in Flagstaff, AZ.

Humberto Cordero Jr., ME ’63, lives in Boca Raton, FL, and enjoys golf, travel, grandkids, and visits to family in Puerto Rico and Florida. “A grandchild moved to London, and other grandchildren are studying at Cornell, U. of Vermont, Purdue, and Miami U. My goal was working with my father in the P.R. Power Company. Instead, I worked for IBM as an engineer, lab director, and corporate director.” Oh, well!

I’m trying to get schools to make a sport I created, called poleball, to be a part of their intramural sports programs.

Bob Lincoln ’61

Frank Cuzzi, MBA ’64, has an idea: “Let’s give a Class of ’61 gift to the Meinig Fieldhouse!” As for himself, he’s working as a professor at Monroe College and is considering starting a podcast. Both children are married and living in Texas, and Frank has one grandchild, Beau. He notes “many, many friends from Cornell. Still going to basketball tournaments and watching Cornell on TV.”

From Berkeley, CA, Robert Stamper enjoys “family, friends, reading, fly fishing, and teaching in developing countries. After 52 years of patient care I have retired from eye care. I still teach at University of California, San Francisco and have some research projects. I volunteer to help with ophthalmic training programs in Africa and India. Watching with pride as grandchildren grow into talented, capable young adults. Cornell introduced me to research, which has been a significant part of my career. If I had not been part of the Cornell Marching Band, I would not have met Naomi, my future wife, married now 61 years.” Hurrah!

Ernest Feleppa writes from Rye, NY. He is “working around the house and consulting. Retired at the very beginning of 2022. I have been consulting for Mass General Brigham on advanced biomedical ultrasound technology.” Ernie is “accumulating birthdays”; i.e., getting older. He adds, “Attending Cornell determined the trajectory of my life—it was where I realized my interest in biology and physics.”

Diane Baillet Meakem keeps in touch from Greenwich, CT, saying, “My big family keeps growing. I now have 16 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. So far four of them have gone to Cornell! Besides golf and cycling I am involved at my church (both as a lector and a Eucharistic Minister).”

Ruth Schimel has sent us an update to her former Class Notes news. She includes a website that lists her published articles on professional and personal development. As of June 2024, a new project with Shari Garmise shows how art can include fun and stimulation while being a catalyst in relationship building. She is active in coast-to-coast chapters of Women’s Connection, providing guidance on storytelling and launching an intergenerational collaboration. “These alternatives to retirement keep me vibrant despite the challenges of maintenance!” Go, girl! ❖ Susan Williams Stevens (email Susan) | Doug Fuss (email Doug) | Alumni Directory.

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1962

Thank you to John Abel for solving a mystery. Our Class of ’62 baseball scoreboard is now to be found at Booth Field, the current home of Cornell baseball located on Ellis Hollow Road near Game Farm Road. The scoreboard was moved from its previous on-campus home at Hoy Field in the middle of the 2023 season.

And, while we’re sort of on the subject of class projects, in an August 29 article about museums beyond NYC, the New York Times called the Johnson Museum of Art (home of the Class of 1962 photography collection) one of “the best museums in the Empire State.”

“I am so proud,” writes ­­Steve Ploscowe, LLB ’65 (Fairfield, NJ). “My wife, Wendie (Malkin) ’65, and I graduated from Cornell. Our daughter, Lauren Ploscowe Rosen ’92, also graduated from Cornell, and this year her daughter, our granddaughter, Sydney Rosen ’24, graduated from Cornell. Wow! Three generations of Cornell graduates. What could be better?!”

John Neuman and wife Carolyn (Chauncey) ’64 “are in the process of preparing our Ithaca west-shore lake house for sale—not yet formally on the market but soon. Should there be classmates who have a potential interest and would like to know more, they should just reach out.” John can be found in the Alumni Directory.

John adds, “This is the final year any of our relatives are here as undergrads. Our grandson is a senior and we have a senior grandniece here, too. They are fifth-generation Cornellians! What great fun to be ‘in the wings’ for their journeys here.”

According to Mike Eisgrau, “This has been a very busy year for Paula and me. We split our time between homes in Manhattan and Englewood (Sarasota), FL. We started the year with a delightful Italian dinner with Bruce ’60 and Judy Prenske Rich, who are our neighbors on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. But soon we had to get back to Florida to continue a major re-landscaping project. You may remember Hurricane Ian in 2022. It wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Our house withstood the storm but our one-acre-plus property was devastated. We’ve spent the last two years restoring the landscaping—a bigger job than we had imagined.”

Our Class of ’62 baseball scoreboard is now to be found at Booth Field, the current home of Cornell baseball located on Ellis Hollow Road.

Neil Schilke, MS ’64 (Rochester Hills, MI) and wife Ro just completed “a fun cruise that ended with a spectacular sunrise sail going into NYC under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and past the Statue of Liberty. Sometimes when you travel the world you forget that the USA has many special places, like NYC. We had cruised from Montreal, stopping in Quebec City, PEI, Nova Scotia, Boston, and Provincetown. We walked eight miles in Boston, only to be followed up by walking 10 miles in NYC, including the High Line on the Lower West Side. Now back to reality!”

Don Juran (Rockville, MD) writes, “Carol and I attended an off-year Reunion for the first time so we could share the journey with our first son, Adam ’94, who came in from Brussels for his first-ever Reunion.

“The CRC folk were housed in High Rise 5 on North Campus. It was all congenial, but I missed my classmates—I was, to my knowledge, the only ’62 member in attendance. I also missed the last step descending from the Dairy Bar and wound up on my face. But it takes more than concrete to crack my thick skull, and I was fine except for a world-class shiner.

“Many thanks to the Class of ’69 for feeding us leftovers, even a glass of wine, when we couldn’t find anything open on North Campus Friday night. It’s always a trip to sing onstage at Cornelliana Night, and to be part of the quartet doing the old alumni verse of ‘Song of the Classes,’ a verse that I wrote decades ago. But to sing next to my son made it even more meaningful.”

Marc Gerber (Naples, FL) has been blowing his own horn since his days as a member of the Big Red Band. “I’m having the greatest time of my life playing trumpet with four different bands five or six times a week.” Marc sent along this link of his group performing “When You’re Smiling” (circa 2018). Marc can be seen starting around the 1:15 mark.

“It was maybe 2011 when I found music here. A jazz singer who sang with Harry James when she was 17 (she is 80 now) has been running a jazz jam for 35 years here in Naples. I started going to the jazz jam, where I met many musicians and vocalists. I was soon playing with these people twice a week. After I left the bandstand one night this elderly gentleman asked if I could play that song the following week so he could sing it with me. I said, ‘Sure,’ which was how Frank Camposano (the lead singer in the video above) and I met.”

In about 2015, Marc began welcoming armed services veterans home at Honor Flight receptions at the local airport, RSW, and has provided a band for every Honor Flight since. “It is extremely moving to meet the WWII vets knowing that they saved our world. There are very few left. Frank was in the foxholes in WWII! The Honor Flight are now Korean and Vietnam vets. My closest friends here are my musician friends. A more wonderful group of people I have never met. My retirement is a dream I didn’t dare dream.”

I’m having the greatest time of my life playing trumpet with four different bands five or six times a week.

Marc Gerber ’62

From John Graybill, MD ’62 (San Antonio, TX): “This past year we made another trip to Guatemala, where we have a second home. In December, I had a bad mosquito encounter, which was followed by dengue. Our home is at 5,300 feet elevation—no problems with mosquitos over the last 20 years. I developed the dengue hemorrhagic syndrome after this and had to have a craniotomy to drain out a subdural hematoma. I am now, many months after the event, still walking with a walker or canes. Improvement is s-l-o-w and has changed my life. I have orchids in Guatemala and model railroading in Texas. I have for many years been engaged in medical missions in Central America but too old for that now.”

“After over a decade since officially retiring from Rutgers,” writes Judith Shulman Weis, “I am still as busy professionally as ever. The second edition of my book Marine Pollution: What Everyone Needs to Know—a book for the general public—came out and I am giving book talks to any group that is interested. I’m involved with the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty, which is educating the negotiators about the environmental and human health damage of plastics, and especially microplastics. We are trying to counteract the 200 lobbyists who show up at the negotiating sessions!

“In late October, I gave a seminar at Cornell—not in the ecology and evolutionary biology or the environmental science departments, but in the textiles department! The talk was about microfibers from textiles, which are shed by the millions from synthetic clothing in washing machines and are one of the most common sources of microplastics in the ocean. People like me can find and analyze the problems, but it will take textile scientists to solve the problems by creating fabrics that don’t shed (as much). Pete ’60 and I are still in good health, traveling, and enjoying our two grown-up granddaughters and our high school freshman granddaughter.”

Dave Nisbet reports that he and his wife, Regina, are doing well, “living comfortably here in Boston. I’m still coaching rowing part time to kids at Community Rowing on the Charles River. I have been in touch with Don Light ’64, MBA ’65, who is retired and living on the Cape.” Send your news to: ❖ Judy Prenske Rich (email Judy) | Alumni Directory.

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1963

Happy New Year to all of you from your class president, Paula Trested LaHolt, and me!

Karen Randlev keeps in touch regularly. “I think of Cornell often due to email. The last few years have been shaped by my senior resident community, for good and bad. (Recommend checking food cost and quality carefully before buying into one.) Initially I worked hard to bring back amenities lost because of the pandemic. I had some success by being outspoken and started a ukulele group, which is now one year old and starting to perform for cash. By playing in the group, I am realizing after all that I am an artist. My son, Ralph Donnelly, turned 60 (whew) and is associate professor at the Naval War College in Newport, RI. My favorite memories of Cornell are Prof. Clinton Rossiter ’39, freshman English with Greek tragedies, all the art classes I took, living at Alpha Phi, and parties in the gorge.”

Philip Grieve writes from New York City, “I am still working as an associate professor at Columbia University Medical Center in research with infant EEG data. I have 12 progeny, including a great-granddaughter.”

S. Michael and Judith Plaut live in Gainesville, FL. “I try to keep in shape by riding my bike a few miles every morning. Even though I am no longer professionally active, it is nice when I am asked to review papers for professional journals, am asked to give a talk, or see that things I have published are cited by others. We are enjoying an active retirement at Oak Hammock at the University of Florida, a continuing care retirement community. I serve on the residents’ council, chair one of its committees, and play clarinet in a chamber group and in the Gainesville Community Band. I also serve as a precinct clerk for the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections. I am a member the Adelphi University Alumni Advisory Council. We also travel often, mostly cruises, and attend concerts, ballets, and sports events.”

I started a ukulele group, which is now one year old and starting to perform for cash. By playing in the group, I am realizing after all that I am an artist.

Karen Randlev ’63

Linda Goldstein Towbin retired in 2017 from the staff of Connecticut Senate Democrats General Assembly. “Sadly, my husband, Alan ’50, died the following year and I learned that my Seattle daughter was diagnosed with a terminal illness, ALS. So, in retirement I divide my time between visiting my bi-coastal family—in Brooklyn and Seattle—and remain active in Connecticut, where I live. I continue to serve on the local Democratic town committee and at my synagogue. The several cross-country flights I have made each year have brought home the importance of taking along a paperback book. For my last flight, I chose Thieves of Paris by Helen Schwartz ’64, which I spotted in the 1964 Class Notes column. A great read.”

Bob Epstein lives in New York City, where he continues to practice law. “My son Jake is interning for John Oliver. They shoot the weekly program at the CBS Broadcast Center, where I got my start in business affairs for CBS News. Cornell is always in my heart!”

From New Port Richey, FL, comes news from Milton Juister. When asked what brings him the most satisfaction these days, he said, “Caring for significant others, plus cleaning out my deceased parents’ home in order to put it up for sale. I am preparing to move after the above is resolved. Cornell didn’t change the trajectory of my life, but it certainly gave me an excellent education and preparation for that trajectory.”

Keep sending news via the website. ❖ Nancy Bierds Icke (email Nancy) | 12350 E. Roger Rd., Tucson, AZ 85749 | Alumni Directory.

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1964

Welcome to the New Year! I sincerely hope you had a great year and managed to make it to our 50th Reunion. I could not make it, but I do have much new material from which to build this column. For example, here’s a first-time-ever contributor.

Jane Rothman writes, “I’ve lived in Australia since 1966. My husband, Max Humphreys, and I divide our time between our house in the beachside suburb of Manly and our farm in Greenwich Park (about 180 km from Manly). Max is growing saffron on the farm. When in Manly, he is an optometrist; saffron is excellent for eye health.

“I used to consult, mainly with the public sector, in qualitative research, but that ended in 2006 when I contracted Guillain-Barré Syndrome. I was paralyzed from the neck down within two days and recovery involved seven months in a rehab hospital. My left hand is still paralyzed but I am grateful for the amount of recovery I have had.

“I have two grown children and two rapidly growing grandchildren, now teenagers. We’ve been to the States a few times over the years, always visiting and staying with Richard ’63, BCE ’65, ME ’66, and Loretta DeMartini Brustman as an important part of our trip. Loretta was my college roommate, and we were deeply saddened by her recent death.”

Richard Berman has been a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York since November 1998 and a senior judge since September 2011. While serving as district judge, he developed a program of supervised release, designed to assist persons he previously had sentenced to incarceration—the goal being to “safely and successfully integrate into the community.” In 2019, Richard received the National Association of Social Workers Emerald Award for 20 years’ leadership as a licensed social worker and judge.

Howard “Ted” Heintz Jr., who lives with wife Gillian in Atlanta, GA, writes, “For most of my career, I worked for the U.S. Department of the Interior, managing economic analysis of national resources and environmental issues.” Ted is a member of Citizens Climate Lobby to support enactment of a carbon fee and refund act and also a trustee of Oglethorpe University.

Ted says he unfortunately had to give up his sailboat because of “health problems.” His sailing adventures had included Maine, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland, plus sailing charters in the British Virgin Islands, Belize, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. That aside, recent travel has been to Scotland and Ireland. The Heintzes’ four children and seven grandchildren all still live in Bethesda, MD.

Carol Britton MacCorkle is now retired but continues to live in Santa Barbara, CA. Carol is on the board of the Santa Barbara Museum, and otherwise enjoys walking on the beach and playing mahjong. Her granddaughter Christina MacCorkle ’26 is a writer for the Daily Sun.

While serving as district judge, Richard Berman ’64 developed a program of supervised release, designed to assist persons he previously had sentenced to incarceration.

Ihor Evanick, who lives in Valatie, NY, reports he’s in a “smooth transition from trial lawyer to fitness trainer.” Ihor conducts exercise classes for senior citizens. Not to be outdone, James Cohen, who lives in Minneapolis, reports he’s playing and coaching pickleball. Jim also says he’s writing a mystery novel, plus a children’s book about a horse. He’s also learning to play the saxophone and to speak Spanish (he already speaks German). Jim travels for two to four months to Mexico during Minnesota winters. He also reports he’s still “single and never married—yet!”

Nina Tolkoff-Rubin, who lives in Brookline, MA, reports she’s “still working full time at Massachusetts General Hospital as director of dialysis services and renal transplantation. She’s also a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Nina has a second home in the Berkshires. She’s also a big sports fan and loves “watching the Patriots, Bruins, and Celtics!”

Allan Simons, who lives in Prescott Valley, AZ, reports last June, “I am ending nearly 30 years as part-time executive director of the Arizona Grain Research & Promotion Council.”

Robert Ross, MBA ’66, who lives in Eastborough, KS, reports, “My partners and I still do occasional market research projects. Robert also is still on the Kansas Humane Society, is active with a Head Start agency, and is treasurer of Grace Presbyterian Church.” Recent travels included an Alaskan cruise—plus multiple trips to a fitness club in Stowe, VT.

Joan Nathanson Tosici, who lives in Ocean, NJ, reports, “I am now retired from the NYC Department of Education after teaching in various high schools for 37 years.” Joan is still a member of the Monmouth and Ocean counties Cornell Club and the Woman’s Club of Spring Lake, NJ.” Her activities include gardening, bocce ball, water aerobics, and exercise classes. Recent travel has included Cape May and Maryland’s Eastern Shore. She also spends time with her daughter in Seattle and brother in Connecticut.

Sonia Kosow Guterman, MS ’67, writes, “In my work as a scientist, in university and biotech, and as a patent attorney, I have always taught others and shared my expertise, and my associates have gone on to great careers. My greatest impact was as a co-founder of Protein Engineering Corp., which merged with Biotage to become Dyax (which then sold to Shire, then was bought by Takeda), which is now the largest biotech company in Massachusetts. The phage display technology for remodeling proteins is now used to invent novel therapeutics; for example, monoclonal antibodies.”

Virginia Glann Schneider writes, “I was instrumental in the passage of the Bottle Bill in Connecticut years ago, working with a coalition of groups and encouraging the focus on economics. Further, I have been involved in many environmental groups for many years. About 16 years ago, my husband, David, and I were leaders in founding an organic farm in our town. Since then, the farm has grown and now supports a CSA and donates thousands of pounds of produce and hundreds of dozens of eggs to organizations that help low-income people. The farm also has a strong educational and community involvement component.”

That’s it for now. Keep your news coming! Update me by email, regular mail, our class website, or our class Facebook page. ❖ Bev Johns Lamont (email Bev) | 720 Chestnut St., Deerfield, IL 60015 | Alumni Directory.

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Richard Corman (New York, NY) relates that he is deeply involved in local politics and community affairs. He is a member of the local community board and a political club. He states: “The issues of community affairs, civic engagement, social and racial justice and equity, and our democratic future deeply motivate me.” He enjoys family and friends, and says it is a source of great satisfaction to be “bringing some good into people’s lives.”

Loren Meyer Stephens (Los Angeles, CA) notes that she has turned out three ghostwritten books for her author/clients: Adieu: A Memoir of Holocaust Survival by Alfred Lakritz, with a setting in Vichy France; We’re Live in 5: My Extraordinary Life in Television by Jeff Margolis with Loren Stephens; and Talmadge Farm by attorney Leo Daughtry, a novel set in North Carolina tobacco country in the ’50s and ’60s. Loren is proud of her son who is a journalist and consultant to college students hoping to get into top-tier schools like Cornell. Loren recently went on a 12-day whirlwind tour of Scandinavia with husband Dana Miyoshi. She is grateful for her Cornell student experience, which, she says, “opened my eyes to the idea of being a writer.”

Daryl Goldgraben Smith reports that a revised edition of her book, Diversity’s Promise for Higher Education: Making It Work, was published in 2024 by Johns Hopkins University Press. The book examines diversity issues in higher education as central to academic excellence and as a spur to a “pluralistic society that works.” This fourth edition addresses the context that has emerged since 2020, including the ever-prominent issues of free speech and academic freedom.

Nancy Felthousen Ridenour, MAT ’73, writes: “After graduating in ’65, I went to Laos with International Voluntary Services to work with villagers in community development. From 1973 to 2005, I taught biology at Ithaca High School with strong connections to Cornell faculty and labs for advanced instruction. I was also on the Cornell Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee as a community member. After retirement from teaching, I have held leadership roles in the Ithaca Garden Club, the Campus Club at Cornell, and the State of the Art Gallery, while continuing to be the state coordinator of an electronic network for New York State science teachers.”

Henry Nave, ME ’67 (Peoria, AZ) notes that he has published an autobiographical book, Bidding, Building & Busting: A Life of Construction Leadership,” available in either paperback or e-book formats. While he can no longer do standup lectures to promote the book, he still promotes it among organizations including the National Center for Construction Education and Research, the ACE Mentor Program, and the National Association of Women in Construction.

Loren Meyer Stephens ’65 is grateful for her Cornell student experience, which, she says, ‘opened my eyes to the idea of being a writer.’

John Marks (Amsterdam, Netherlands) is a best-selling author, and his new book, From Vision to Action: Remaking the World Through Social Entrepreneurship, was published by Columbia University Press in September 2024. John founded and currently serves as managing director of Confluence International and is a visiting scholar in peacebuilding and social entrepreneurship at Leiden University. John wrote a Chime In essay for Cornellians about his work.

The Class of 1965 60th Reunion will take place at Cornell during June 5–8, 2025. Our Reunion committee is busy planning a rewarding program for our classmates. Planned events include a Saturday night dinner at the Statler and panel discussions dealing with vital matters such as the mental health and wellness of Cornell students. We hope everyone will be well and able to participate in this milestone Reunion.

Please remember that our 60th Reunion Class Gift is supporting a Well-Being Program under the auspices of the Skorton Center for Health Initiatives, to promote mental health throughout the Cornell community. The class gift committee, chaired by Jeff Kass, has worked diligently to make our efforts a success. Our initial funding financed the pilot program to provide coaching from specially trained Cornell staff.

As our president Jamil Sopher, ME ’66, noted in an email to the class in September 2024: “The documented results of the pilot program are overwhelmingly positive, both from a statistical standpoint and comments from students. Based on these very encouraging results, we are moving forward to enlarge the program and make it a permanent part of the Skorton Center.”

The response of classmates has been heartwarming, and we hope to raise a total of $250,000 to fund student coaching hours, expand the overall program, and add dedicated program staff. Since our Reunion gift has been deemed a Legacy Gift, you can donate during the Reunion year and afterward. There are numerous ways to contribute, including online, to the Class of 1965 Student Mental Health Fund.

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, peaceful, and contented 2025! Please keep the news coming to us. People love to hear about your doings, via our column. ❖ Stephen Appell (email Stephen) | Joan Hens Johnson (email Joan) | Alumni Directory.

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1966

As we look ahead to our 60th Reunion in 2026, we look back at what we have done in life and memories we have as Cornellians. Robert Gochfeld plays mandocello in the New York Mandolin Orchestra, which turned 100 last year. Their celebration concert was in April.

As he finally approaches retirement, after a long gig in pulmonary/critical care medicine in San Diego, Michael Kalafer shares some thoughts about friendship, career, and Cornell. He has many lifelong friends who shared his Cornell experience in the ’60s and are still an important part of his life. They stay in touch and get together most years in the Ithaca area. Michael was a biochem major in the Ag School, which prepared him for medical school. However, he believes it was the humanities classes he took that were even more important in helping him become the physician and type of person he wanted to be. The “Ivy League, but not ivory tower” ethos of Cornell informed and profoundly influenced his personal and professional life. Michael and wife Derelynn share a wonderful family with homes in San Diego and Santa Fe. They welcome all for a visit if in the area.

After graduation, Richard Forman joined President Johnson’s “War on Poverty” as a VISTA volunteer in a large public housing project in Atlanta, GA. In 1968–69 he served in Galveston and Aldine, TX, as a member of the National Teacher Corps. In retirement, he was president of the local animal shelter and volunteered on weekends to take shelter animals to area businesses to meet the public.

Guy Cohen writes that, based on the teachings of professors McCarthy, Blume, and Kiefer, he became a statistician in the healthcare industries. Since retiring, he has volunteered at two local high schools, where he gives talks on statistics and probability and works with and advises science research students. He has also spoken to medical students at Columbia University on statistical considerations in medical research.

James Greene’s son Max was married in Kefalonia, Greece, last July. Max works in AI and his wife is an advertising executive. Although the weather was hot, they enjoyed Greek hospitality and local amenities. James is still working in the import business, and his wife, Altagracia, is a sales executive at a clothing company in New York City. They have two other married children, one working in venture capital and the other as a literacy coach in the NYC public schools. They have five grandchildren. James enjoys workouts, reading, and duplicate bridge. Cornell provided him a first-rate education.

Bill Caplan, BS ’68, is heavily into advocacy to reduce upfront embodied emissions from new construction to slow the pace of global warming. Last April he presented the opening keynote address at the American Institute of Architects 1.5 °C Symposium. He believes this is an uphill battle that needs more public attention.

Robert Gochfeld ’66 plays mandocello in the New York Mandolin Orchestra, which turned 100 last year.

Paul Weinberg shared a memory of everyone gathering around the TV in the dorm lounge to hear President Kennedy’s address on the Cuban Missile Crisis. Today, his greatest satisfaction is talking with his son and grandsons. His oldest grandson is at Northwestern and did a summer internship at Goldman Sachs. Paul also enjoys a busy life between Long Island and Florida. Cornell was a major thrust in the trajectory of his life. He went on to receive a master’s in political science from McGill and a PhD from NYU. He writes that his career as a senior executive in corporate America and representing the U.S. at a UN agency in Geneva all have roots in the fabulous education he received at Cornell.

Mary Gilbert Andrews, ME ’68, now retired, worked as an industrial engineer and mathematics teacher. After living in Maui for many years, she moved to the Bay Area of California eight months after her partner passed away. She recently bought a home in Walnut Creek and looks forward to visiting with Cornell alums in the area.

Teaching assistants can have huge impacts on the courses they’re involved with, but their work often happens behind the scenes. The Deanne Gebell Gitner ’66 and Family Annual Prize for Teaching Assistants was established in 2014 to celebrate and recognize teaching assistants for their contributions to education at Cornell. The annual award, administered by Arts and Sciences, recognizes recipients’ commitments to undergraduate teaching, including classroom presence, course preparation and administration, student counseling, and development of new courses, or methods of student instruction, where applicable. Deanne was our late ’66 classmate, councilmember, and class correspondent, and a dedicated Cornell volunteer. Her family, including husband Gerald and sons Dan ’92 and Seth, established the prize to honor her love of the University.

Jeanne Brown Sander wrote to us of the passing of Leif Evenson, a Hotelie classmate from Norway, on September 6, 2024. In 2005, Leif followed Jeanne as president of the Cornell Hotel Society (CHS). He was a huge supporter of Hotel alumni activities in Norway, the Middle East, and Africa. He had attended all CHS events from 1970 until last April, when he was unable to travel. He kept the Hotel school a priority in Scandinavia, resulting in many Scandinavian hotel general managers attending the master’s in management program in Ithaca.

We received news that Marshall Etra passed away September 27, 2024. His nephew Gideon wrote that Marshall never married but was very close with his nieces and nephews, who loved him very much and will sorely miss him. “Marshall had fond memories of his time at Cornell and had a picture of the Class of ’66 in his apartment.” Classmate and fraternity brother Michael Singer added that Marshall was a regular participant in the Phi Ep 1966 Zoom calls initiated during COVID. “Sitting in front of his Cornell backdrop, his wry sense of humor was appreciated by all. He will be missed.” Classmate Morris Propp, ME ’67, was Marshall’s cousin.

John Monroe, PhD ’70, informed us of the passing of Peter Leech, Phi Psi, in June 2024. Pete was a loyal Cornellian who turned out for every Cornell Glee Club concert occurring within a 50-mile radius of wherever he happened to be. He loved music and singing, especially choral singing. He’d always join the Hangovers Glee Club concerts to sing the “Alma Mater.” ❖ Susan Rockford Bittker (email Susan) | Pete Salinger, MBA ’68 (email Pete) | Alumni Directory.

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Julia Bentley Macdonald (Ithaca, NY) writes: “My husband, Jerry, passed away on March 7, 2024; on June 3, 2024, I moved to Longview, a senior living center in Ithaca just past Ithaca College. I couldn’t maintain the house in rural Newfield, and it was in an isolated location. I am enjoying the activities here, such as a writing group hosted by a recently retired Ithaca College professor, as well as various musical performances.

“I have been instrumental in adding an open studio art club where participants may choose collage, watercolor, drawing, acrylics, etc. There is already a clay class and plant talks by a horticulturist near the greenhouse. I have a beautiful two-bedroom apartment and see the sunset every night. There are paved and unpaved walking trails and I enjoy daily walks.

“My son, his wife, and two daughters live in Castleton, VT, but there were no senior living centers near them. I am making new friends and continue to see friends I have known in the Ithaca area for many years. I have six grandchildren in Israel ranging in age from 17 to 33 with whom I am in close contact on WhatsApp and who will visit me. So, life is better than I expected it would be.”

Dan Kraus (Seattle, WA) reports: “I spent my entire work life in labor management relations after graduating from the ILR School, spending two years in Sri Lanka as a Peace Corps volunteer, and then I moved to Seattle, where we’ve lived since 1972. Most importantly we became grandparents to Gilda Jane on August 13, 2024, also my wife’s birthday. Best present ever.”

Steven Platt, MEE ’68 (Warren, VT) reports: “As a pilot (airplanes and gliders), I spend summers teaching folks how to fly gliders and give glider rides. In winter I downhill ski at Sugarbush and spend some time in the evenings talking to amateur radio friends around the world. ❖ Richard Hoffman (email Richard) | 2925 28th St. NW, Washington, DC 20008 | Alumni Directory.

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1968

More news to share with our classmates this winter! We always need more news and updates from you, so please let us know where you are and what you are doing—or share your reflections on your years at Cornell with our classmates!

Diane DeGeorge Nichols writes that she enjoys singing, especially in her local choral group, exercising four or five times a week, and spending time with her family and friends. In reflecting on her college years, she thanks Cornell for teaching her the skills that helped her chart her path working in clinical and research labs. For the last 17 years of her “working life” she was the sole data manager for the blood and marrow transplant unit at the University of Rochester Medical Center. She also thanks Cornell for the lifelong friends she met on the Hill and now prioritizes staying in touch with those friends and, of course, her family.

Henry Murray, MD ’72, wants our classmates to know that his wife, Diana (Telling), died this past June after a long illness. He writes that they met at a sorority/fraternity mixer freshman year and that he proposed to her immediately! They married the year after graduation. After a master’s degree from Columbia, she worked in finance and healthcare for New York City, New York State, and the federal government, then held senior positions at Columbia University as budget director and then at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she helped establish endowed chairs for museum curators. She later started her own consulting firm, Tisbury Partners. She had many varied interests in the arts and loved being with her family, who miss her very much. Henry continues to work at Weill Cornell Medical College as the Arthur R. Ashe Professor of Medicine and attending physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

In October 2023, David Gorelick ’68 gave a presentation to the World Health Organization in Geneva and then he and Naomi spent an exciting time traveling to the Matterhorn!

David Gorelick and his wife, Naomi Feldman, MD ’77, continue to live in Baltimore. Last year, David was appointed by the Governor of Maryland to the Cannabis Public Health Advisory Council, created as part of the legalization of cannabis in Maryland. David currently works part time as professor of psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, having retired in 2013 after a 24-year career at the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, U.S. National Institutes of Health, in Baltimore. David is board certified in psychiatry and addiction medicine, a distinguished life fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, and a fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. In October 2023, David gave a presentation to the World Health Organization in Geneva and then he and Naomi spent an exciting time traveling to the Matterhorn and surrounding glaciers!

Stephen Levine and his wife, Joan, live in Holyoke, MA, where Steve practiced medicine as a family physician for many years. Steve stays active with photography and gardening, golf, and volunteering for Meals on Wheels! He and Joan enjoy spending time with their four grandkids, two boys ages 7 and 10 and twin girls age 4.

I look forward to receiving more news and updates from all of you! Please email me about you and your family with news you would like to share with our classmates. ❖ Steve Weinberg, MBA ’70, JD ’71 (email Steve) | Alumni Directory.

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1969

This is Jon Kaplan, MD ’74, guest columnist. I’m writing this column in mid-October for publication right after the New Year. So, let me start by hoping you have all had a great holiday season and will have a healthy and happy New Year!

I’m still thinking about the great time I had at our 55th Reunion this past June. Over the past three Reunions, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know many classmates I did not know while we were on campus so many years ago. At Reunion, we enjoyed each other’s company, recognizing that so many of our classmates were no longer able to join us. It’s not easy getting to Ithaca at the age of 77!

I also just attended my 50th med school (now Weill Cornell) Reunion in New York City, and was able to visit with a couple of other “double Cornellians” whom I did not see in June. Now for news from our classmates:

Walter Schwartz, MBA ’73, writes that he and his wife, Jeanne, have been enjoying family, friends, hiking, and travel. They have journeyed to such remote places as Papua New Guinea and Ethiopia’s remote border with South Sudan. Volunteer work has included officer roles with the Coastside State Parks Association near San Mateo on the California coast, and with the California Map Society. Their children appear to be just as adventurous. Both have completed the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail in one season!

Jonathan Wise is still practicing ophthalmology and enjoys spending time with his wife, children, and grandchildren, living life to the fullest!

Zell Berman Rosenfelt enjoys “watching her children in their maturity” (did we ever reach our maturity?) and playing with her five grandchildren. She has been married to husband Phil for 50 years. She has been volunteering with the Fairfax County (VA) Public Schools. One daughter and one son-in-law graduated from Cornell.

Susan Owre Gelberg is a retired psychologist. She feels that Cornell opened many professional doors for her, enabling her to work in diverse environments—clinics, hospitals, community centers, private practices, and universities. She and husband (of 55 years!) Howard, DVM ’71, PhD ’80, built a post-and-beam house in New Hampshire, where they enjoy frequent visits in their lakeside community from friends and family who enjoy hiking, skiing, and summer theater.

I just attended my 50th med school (now Weill Cornell) Reunion in New York City, and was able to visit with a couple of other ‘double Cornellians.’

Jon Kaplan ’69, MD ’74

Ronni Schwartz Monsky sadly reports that she recently lost her husband, Stanley, and her daughter Saskia—it has been a tough few years. However, she continues to write film reviews for a local online newspaper (Berkshire Edge); they have two world-class film festivals in the Hillsdale, NY, area. She has visited Cornell friends Martha Germanow Green, Elissa Shavin Tempkin ’68, BA ’69, and Sally Weisberg Elam, MS ’71, in Arizona and Jean Cummings Weiner in NYC. These long-term friendships have brought back great Cornell memories.

Sally Elam herself shared that she and husband Bob live in Arizona. She has been writing articles for newspapers and magazines about the importance of her early years (which include her years at Cornell!) and their effect on the trajectory of her life. She specifically says that her experience at Cornell has stayed with her and has served as the foundation for maintaining excellence in her life.

Dick Erali writes that demanding medical-related programs/courses he has taken throughout his professional life made some courses he took in med school seem like a cake walk. In his retirement, he has been enjoying singing, gardening, and church activities.

Steven La Rocca met his wife of 51 years at Cornell. He says that his architecture education prepared him well for a successful 55-year career. In retirement, he enjoys hiking, fishing, community events, and his grandchildren! He is preparing a photo essay on the beautiful surroundings and events near his home in North Salem, NY.

Charles Antinori continues to work in a “semi-retired” mode but still remains very busy; that includes taking care of his three granddaughters. He just finished a book titled Make America Healthy Again. In it, Charles “takes a detailed look at the American healthcare system, including where it’s coming up short. He concludes that surgery is a very satisfying discipline, even though it involves long hours and hard work. He recounts his experiences, many of which are humorous, and shares recommendations that could improve the healthcare system and pave the way for more Americans to enjoy good health.”

Dan Taubman retired from the Colorado Court of Appeals in 2020 but still works as a “substitute” senior judge, filling in for active judges who are on vacation or have to recuse from cases for various reasons.

Sally Knowlton, who co-chaired our 55th Reunion with Cindy DuBose, sounds like she has been enjoying life since Reunion, particularly at family gatherings with her children and grandchildren. She and her husband, Robert, work a few days a month in an antique store in Northwood, NH. They also enjoyed a world cruise, which they actually took just before Reunion.

A healthy and happy New Year to you all! ❖ Jon Kaplan, MD ’74 (email Jon) | Alumni Directory.

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1970s

1970

I’m starting to write this most recent column on the Saturday of Homecoming! Although the University supplies all of us with incentives to come for that weekend, as I live in fly-over country, between Chicago and Milwaukee, I have not been to Homecoming since I finished graduate school in 1979. Reunions, however, are a different story.

In my mail recently was the required magnetic refrigerator reminder that our next class Reunion will be June 5–8, 2025. As it is our 55th Reunion, and the first formal chance to all gather in person since 2015 due to COVID during our 50th, I urge all classmates reading this to strongly consider attending. A recent email from Donald Noveau, our 55th Reunion chair, to class officers outlines some of the plans, noting our headquarters is Toni Morrison Hall (North Campus; no Slope climbing!), and asks for volunteers. If interested, find him in the Alumni Directory.

As a short observation, this is my 25th class column! I’ve now been reading and assembling our classmate news for exactly four years. Seems like I just started a few months ago! As I wrote last time, it seems that class dues time has relieved the shortage of classmate news, so again I have more material than will fit in my allowed number of words—some will have to wait for next time. Patience, please!

Dean Schneider (Gettysburg, PA) very briefly writes that he is retired but has started teaching for the federal government. Ira Lobel (Albany, NY) is finding the most satisfaction these days watching his grandchildren grow and seeing his children play with them. He is still working, re-editing and arbitrating labor reports. Ira notes that Cornell changed his life by helping him to get his first job.

Connie Fern Miller (Watkins Glen, NY) is finding the most satisfaction these days with outdoor activities: swimming, hiking, biking, skiing of all sorts, ice skating, canoeing, and more. She does all this while still working. She has two daughters, two sons-in-law, and two grandsons. After Cornell, Connie went on to law school.

Margo Russ (Elyria, OH) lists the things that bring her satisfaction: friends, family, gardening and grounds maintenance, sewing, reading, and helping others. Margo is an AARP tax preparer and enjoys sewing (both personal and for alterations), quilting, reading, and traveling to visit family. She notes that she has two great daughters and a 14-year-old grandson. Cornell changed the trajectory of her life by allowing her to obtain a commission in the U.S. Army, where she served 11 years. She never continued the agriculture nature of her Cornell degree, but eventually through V.A. benefits obtained a BS in accounting and an MBA and worked as a professional accountant and a professor of accounting for 35 years.

My largest volunteer success in Alaska was starting the Juneau Community Foundation 22 years ago.

Reed Stoops ’70

Ron Cotterill (Storrs, CT) says that he greatly enjoys sculling on Coventry Lake in Connecticut. He does this in his retirement, along with downhill and cross-country skiing. Ron also loves traveling with his wife (Wisconsin PhD) to an assortment of destinations, including Egypt, the Galápagos, and Alaska. He has two daughters and one grandson; his daughters have accumulated educations, one from Yale and Duke Law and the other from Tufts and a Harvard PhD. Ron started out as “a kid who grew up on a farm in Harford, NY, that has been Cornell’s dairy research farm since 1968.” Cornell made possible many teaching opportunities, including Marshall Scholarships, and led to his PhD in agricultural economics from Wisconsin in 1977 and his professorship at UConn until 2010.

Kurt Gerhardt Krammer (Concord, MA), a frequent responder, checks in as being most satisfied by working in an Alzheimer’s clinic. He also has been traveling, to Paris, Vienna, and Cape Town. As a Cornell alum, Gerhardt shares that he feels like he belongs to a special group of people!

Fenton Sands (Washington, DC) writes: “I am an African American who graduated in 1970 with a BS, but also my father received his PhD from Cornell in 1954. While at Cornell from 1966–70, I created a photographic story of African American student life on campus, which includes unique, inside pictures of the infamous 1969 takeover of Willard Straight Hall. I have been looking for avenues to share these pictures with others but have yet to find an interested party. Besides this, I have a long 40+ year career as a practicing agricultural economist in economic development and I’d be happy to share my experiences and what I’ve learned with others.”

Reed Stoops (Juneau, AK) writes: “After Cornell, I moved to Alaska, starting as a VISTA volunteer working with small native communities in 1971. My largest volunteer success in Alaska, however, was starting the Juneau Community Foundation 22 years ago. It started with zero assets and now has grown to approximately $80 million, which enables us to grant around $4 million per year to local nonprofit organizations and projects.”

By the time this column appears, our 55th Reunion will be only months away! It won’t be too late to make arrangements in order to return to campus. Since we had no on-site 50th Reunion due to COVID, the upcoming one may be the largest and best we may ever have! Hope to see many of you in June 2025!

As always, you may contact me directly (see below) or you may use the University’s standard online news form. ❖ John Cecilia, MBA ’79 (email John) | Alumni Directory.

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1971

On October 1, Howard Rodman posted on his Facebook page a black-and-white image from the archives of the Cornell Daily Sun. The informal portrait shows him sitting on the floor, legs extended, ankles crossed, back relaxed against a wall boasting reminders to staff and visitors. Classmates may recall one reminder hanging under the wall clock: “This is a daily not a weekly.” He labeled his post “Portrait of the artist as a young newspaper editor, circa 1970.” As of October 9, the post had 220+ views, many with comments.

Curious to check out the photo, his post, and the posts on our Class of 1971 page? Maybe you’ll post something. The class page is a potpourri reflecting the range of your classmates’ interests. See Cornellians’ May/June column for more about Howard’s other “bureaucrating,” writing (screen, television, and novel), and teaching.

Now, on to news sent to Cornellians, with sincere thanks from your class correspondents. Do use this link to the online news form or email us directly using the links at the end of this column to share your news with us for upcoming columns!

Cliff Essman writes, “Having recently retired from clinical psychology, I had some extra time on my hands between pickleball games. I founded a local nonprofit, the Sharp-Dressed Man. It offers donated suits, jackets, dress shirts, and slacks to men for interviews or other events. I help by sorting donations and also with measuring and ‘suiting up’ these men in Baltimore.”

Gay Perkins’s career has been in academic librarianship at Western Kentucky University. She believes that getting an undergrad BS in 1971 motivated her to go on with her education, ultimately earning a PhD (psychology) from the University of Minnesota as well as an MS at the University of Kentucky in library science. These days she likes purchasing and reading books mentioned in the New York Times’ print edition and adding them to her personal collection. Her older brother George moved from Alaska with his family to Louisville, where Gay continues to make home.

Frances Dogan, Andrew Weiss, and Art Spitzer were Yale Law School classmates. Once roommates, Andy and Art still enjoy periodic long phone chats. Andy is a renowned storyteller. Long a snowbird based in both Manhattan and New London, CT, he’s now, officially, also a Floridian (his winter home). There, he enjoys daily walks, often with a new friend who sees politics differently than he. Hats off to them in their commitment not to let political partisanship interfere with friendship. Andy and I enjoy that our parents were pals at Cornell.

Also a Nutmegger, Jay Kaplan writes of his delight to be working fewer hours, having stepped back from the director position at Roaring Brook Nature Center, part of the children’s museum group. He’s still responsible for their fundraising, some teaching, and supervising special projects he’s developed—about 30 hours per week—but not its daily complexities. He and his wife of 42 years remain in their Canton, CT, house on that beautiful property, driving distance from their two grown children and three grandchildren. Their son, about 20 minutes away, is an environmental professional and his daughter teaches language arts in Massachusetts.

I founded a local nonprofit, the Sharp-Dressed Man. It offers donated suits, jackets, dress shirts, and slacks to men for interviews or other events.

Cliff Essman ’71

After nearly 50 years with Roaring Brook, Jay hopes to move toward retirement in the next two years. Several local and statewide environmental organizations benefit from his involvement. He keeps up with a few of his fraternity brothers from Sigma Alpha Mu (“Sammy”). Jay writes us for the first time in some 50 years at the request of your correspondent, who so enjoys his Facebook postings about the creatures who inhabit his world. Go look!

Tom Kell is also in Florida and has a new address in Vero Beach. After retiring from a career building companies for private equity investors, he launched a new manufacturing company in Georgia nine years ago and grew it into a profitable modern firm before recently selling it. In July it was his pleasure to thank and reward the firm’s employees for hard work and dedication by paying them a “piece of the rock.”

With that pleasant task accomplished, he returned to working on his tennis game, traveling as much as possible, visiting the grandkids and kids, and participating in community affairs. “Life has been—and continues to be—a great adventure thanks to all the people I have met along the way!”

John Philip Burkett reports from Kingston, RI, that his greatest satisfaction these days is “filling out forms like this.” From Cornell, he transferred to UC Berkeley where he met Bojana Ristich, whom he married. Their son, Nicholas, speaks both English and Serbian. John tries to stay informed about economic and political changes in Serbia and elsewhere in Eastern Europe.

Still in Sun City, AZ, and finding great satisfaction in ballroom and country dancing, Stella Mayhew Ardire goes to Flagstaff to cool off after too many 110 °F summer days. Her sad news is that her significant other of 35 years, Dave Renn, died in late March. Her happy news is that her grandson’s 20th birthday was last summer. Retired since turning 70, Stella drives folks for appointments, groceries, etc. For a girl from a small Upstate New York town, she says, Cornell was “awesome, inspiring, and overwhelming.”

Ed Thompson writes from Port Townsend, WA: “On a trip to the East Coast, I made it to Ithaca for the first time in at least 20 years. My fraternity brother John Pentecost ’69 and I toured the much-changed campus on a sunny late spring day and visited the Alpha Delt house to have dinner with the very impressive undergraduate brothers. I was disappointed at not hearing the Chimes because the library clock tower was being restored. Notwithstanding, it was great to visit old haunts and be reminded once again how beautiful it is ‘far above.’”

Edward Heit, from Savannah, NY, adjacent to the 50,000-acre Montezuma Audubon Center, has been traveling near and far to see places as yet unknown to him. This summer saw a first visit to Delaware, his 50th state. He is thankful his wife, Debbie, is a doctor as he faces a variety of medical issues, most recently a hip replacement. Reflecting on Cornell’s influence, he writes, “It got me to meet people of other backgrounds and religions. It helped me get ready for traveling around to see things in other countries and other religious backgrounds.”

An update from Sally Clark Shumaker, perhaps our most peripatetic classmate: After a summer driving a bus and guiding tourists in Alaska, she journeyed throughout the U.S. during the fall. This she interrupted with a seven-week jaunt to South America in September through November. There she spent a few days with Wayne Jaquith in Vilcabamba, Peru, as he was putting the finishing touches on a 75th birthday celebration with some 200 friends. Sally reports that he has recovered nicely from his September stroke. Sally voted in Arizona and will spend the winter in Aspen, CO. ❖ Elisabeth Kaplan Boas (email Elisabeth) | Cara Nash Iason (email Cara) | Alumni Directory.

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1972

In 2022, Cliff Donn retired from a 47-year career of full-time university teaching. After graduation, he went to MIT, where he earned a PhD in economics. Over the course of his career, he held positions at Macquarie University (Sydney, Australia), at the University of Tennessee (Knoxville, TN), and, for the final 40 years, at Le Moyne College (Syracuse, NY). Cliff also held visiting positions at universities in Australia and Great Britain. While he is retired from college teaching, he continues to serve as a mediator, arbitrator, and hearing officer helping resolve disputes in both the private and public sectors.

Cliff and his wife, Brenda Kirby, live in a log house in the woods in Nelson, NY. They spend time traveling and enjoying their 10 grandchildren. He writes, “We created a tradition of doing some kind of special trip with each grandchild around their 10th birthdays.” Recently they have taken some trips with the Cornell Alumni Association to Greece and to Alaska. Cliff also enjoys long-distance bicycle riding (often with his grandson Owen and occasionally with grandsons Hudson and Aiden) and playing duplicate bridge.

He adds that attending Cornell “absolutely changed the trajectory of my life. It introduced me to industrial relations, which was the subject of my teaching for most of my career and the subject of my research throughout my career. My acquaintance with Prof. John Niland developed my interest in Australia and gave me a contact I needed to teach and study there, and my acquaintance with Prof. David Lipsky ’61 provided me with a mentor and a friend, until his recent passing. I was strongly influenced by a number of the faculty at ILR.”

We hope you will take a moment to send us your news! ❖ Frank Dawson (email Frank) | Wes Schulz, ME ’73 (email Wes) | Susan Farber Straus (email Susan) | Alumni Directory.

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1973

Happy New Year! I am celebrating by traveling this month on a small Cornell’s Adult University Study Tour to Cuba with Cornell’s unofficial historian, Corey Earle ’07, a visiting lecturer in American studies, and 19 others. During the pandemic, hundreds of alums across the country, including me, audited Corey’s “AMST 2001: The First American University” on the history of Cornell, which resulted in my becoming a devotee.

Abby Ershow (Columbia, MD) retired last July from a 40-plus-year career at the National Institutes of Health as a nutrition scientist. She is now more occupied volunteering as a Maryland Master Naturalist at multiple parks and wildlife refuges in the Central Maryland region. Choral singing also is a longtime interest, which fortunately has picked back up in our post-pandemic days. Cornell’s breadth of educational options was key to her life’s trajectory: as a biology major in Arts and Sciences, she was able to focus on a specialization in nutrition through the courses provided by Human Ecology and CALS. This led to her career as a federal program officer for nutrition research projects.

Coincidentally, Arthur Sherman succinctly writes that he continues “working at the NIH in Maryland doing mathematical modeling of diabetes.” Roger Ellis, DVM ’77 (Granville, NY) and his wife, Claudia, “reluctantly” have become snowbirds. They have purchased a winter house in Pennbrooke Fairways in Leesburg, FL, and refurbished a 20-foot pontoon boat to enjoy the lakes in both locations. Roger certainly has received a rough introduction to Florida weather this past fall, but hopefully his inland location has recovered from the devastation caused by hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Amy Porges (Arlington, VA) catches us up on her amazing career. She worked for two years after Cornell graduation, then “went back for more school at Harvard Law School and the Kennedy School of Government; then was a trade lawyer at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) from 1980–90; then was General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade Secretariat during the negotiations that led to the World Trade Organization (WTO); then went back to USTR managing WTO disputes; then worked in ‘big law’ from 2000–09.” Amy now has her own firm. She also lists “one husband and three kids.” Amy currently teaches trade policy at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in D.C., as well as co-chairing a committee in the International Law Association on Alternative Dispute Resolution in International Law. She offers this Cornell memory: “walking across the Arts Quad one day and finding a large sign reading ‘God is an Allen wrench.’”

Happy New Year! I am celebrating by traveling this month on a small Cornell’s Adult University Study Tour to Cuba with Cornell’s unofficial historian, Corey Earle ’07.

Pam Meyers ’73

Two classmates scribed regarding their current volunteer activities. Ann Cohen writes, “On October 9, 2023, I joined the IsraelConnect team, a program that was founded in 2013. I am a mentor to a 14-year-old Israeli student. We spend an hour each week reviewing a curriculum (determined by the IsraelConnect team) and engaging in discussion in English. Mastering the English language has been shown to be crucial for success in Israel, and it has been difficult to provide immersive language experiences for all students eager to learn the language. I am grateful to be able to engage directly with a student living in Israel and to contribute and volunteer in this way.”

And Jennifer Morris Lyons writes: “My husband, John ’70, and I work with Human Concerns food pantry in Oswego, NY. Our organization provides groceries and personal care items to many families. At Thanksgiving we provided frozen turkeys or chickens and all the trimmings to over 400 families. People can come to our pantry every two weeks and receive three days of food. We have meat, cheese, vegetables, breads, cereals, and canned goods for them. We use a client choice point system so clients may choose what they like. John was recently honored by New York State as one of their volunteers of the year. He has also worked with the Tax-Aide program, doing tax returns for the elderly and others.”

Mona Deutsch Miller (Los Angeles, CA) continues “writing—or, too often, thinking about writing.” She is a playwright, as well as a writer of short stories, screenplays, and the occasional essay. Mona has had 13 short plays produced over the last 14 years and would like to have her full-length plays produced. Mona’s Cornell experience included meeting “amazing people from all over the world and making some extraordinary friends,” including Lisa Pollak ’74, who died last April. Mona met Lisa in their freshman dorm, North Baker Hall, and Mona remembers her as “so bright, so warm, so wise.” May her memory be a blessing. To Mona, “the beauty of the campus was sustaining; only later did I come to realize how essential to my happiness are trees.”

Send news to: ❖ Pam Meyers (email Pam) | Dave Ross (email Dave) | Phyllis Haight Grummon (email Phyllis) | Alumni Directory.

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1974

Hope that you had a great holiday season with your friends and family and wishing you a fun-filled, happy, healthy Big Red 2025.

I need to lead off my first column in about 40 years with my thanks to our three 50th Reunion chairs, John Foote, Cris Cobaugh, and Bob Baldini, for the awesome four-day Reunion weekend. I have never missed one of our wonderful Reunions and, if you enjoyed it, it was due to the many, many hours these three spent making it so. They, along with Shelley Cosgrove DeFord, Marleen Kay Davis, BArch ’76, and I’m sure others I didn’t note, selflessly sacrificed much of their weekend dealing with its many moving parts. (Shout-out to the Cornell Alumni Affairs’ Reunion staff who coordinate an event so large that almost every dorm room is occupied.) Also a huge “Thank you!” to the always enthusiastic and friendly Shelley DeFord, our class president the last five years, for her dedication to the Notable Class of ’74. It’s not any easy job. Best of luck to Jim Schoonmaker, our new president, and our thanks for taking on that important role.

Now let’s have some fun and dive in to the news. C. Evan Stewart, JD ’77, recently published his newest book, The Worst Supreme Court Decisions, Ever! Per the New York Law Journal: “Sometimes an original mind can take well-known materials and independently rearrange them, so they illuminate the subject better than before.” Congratulations, Evan!

Phil Terzian writes that he loves cruising and fishing around the San Juan Islands. (That’s in the State of Washington. Had to look it up myself.) Other than when he’s buying bait, four “lovely” granddaughters keep him busy.

Judi Friedman Babcock enjoys painting and related activities with the Bedford (MA) Arts & Crafts Society. Projects with the Bedford Rotary Club (including sponsoring a global grant to build water catch basins in Kenya), bridge, two book clubs, and a gourmet group round out her weeks. (When does she sleep?) Judi shares that she loved living at Risley and fondly remembers the medieval faire.

Barbara Gales volunteers her time evaluating veterans’ eligibility for disability payments (a noble cause), reading, and entertaining family and friends. Her favorite memories include treating herself to dinner at the Statler and eating fried chicken on the Ag Quad.

Marlene Angel Harper ’74 is transitioning from 12 years in a classroom to her childhood dream of being an actress/voiceover talent.

Virginia Neptune Esson loves taking care of her three grandchildren and watching her two sons flourish in their personal and professional lives. She met her late husband, Bill ’72, at Cornell and was married at Anabel Taylor Chapel in June 1975. I attended a wedding there and it’s a beautiful venue.

Bonni Schulman Dutcher is enjoying her grandsons, live music, and swing dancing. Recently retired, she’s hoping to do a lot of traveling. In fact, she just returned from a two-week trip to Sicily and recommends the great food and wine.

Raymond Kase Jr. also loves playing with his grandchildren and traveling. Trips this year (from Utah) took him to the East Coast, Alaska, Croatia, and the British Isles. His points account must be dwindling fast.

Marlene Angel Harper is transitioning from 12 years in a classroom to her childhood dream of being an actress/voiceover talent, so she’s doing many auditions and enjoying the challenges. She’s also working with child actors on the sets of TV and films, enjoying dance classes, and attending movie screenings. Angel took part in the “infamous dorm parties at Dorm 10 (now Ujamaa).”

Jose Ramos, ME ’75, is leading a small team of researchers finding ways to help caregivers aid people with dementia. What a great cause!

Viviane Thomas-Breitfeld was not only elected a bishop in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, she was the first BIPOC woman to attain that honor. Congratulations, Viviane! Her three grandchildren, plus her work as both a CAAAN Ambassador interviewing prospective Cornell students and as an active member of the Wisconsin Cornell Club, keep her busy. She has great memories of sleeping overnight in Barton Hall all four years for hockey tickets. Viviane, likewise here! I might have caught a Frisbee you threw. ❖ Perry Jacobs (email Perry) | Betsy Moore (email Betsy) | Linda Meyers Geyer (email Linda) | Alumni Directory.

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1975

How does 50 years of friendship after Cornell feel? Amazing! Our group’s special bond began at Delta Gamma in 1971, women from all parts of the country who chose to attend Cornell and study a myriad of subjects. Upon graduating, we dispersed throughout the U.S. to use our many talents and new-found knowledge. But during the past 25 years, my fellow DG sisters have gathered annually. This year, 21 of us met in Philadelphia in October, where we once again shared memories of our days on campus, family and work experiences, and hopes for the future. So, while you’re making your plans to return to our official 50th Cornell Reunion on June 5–8, 2025 to reunite with all of your friends from the Hill, allow me to share some of the news from my October gathering with our classmates from Delta Gamma.

Maria Mickewicz Lewis and Val Novak Sheline traveled the furthest from the West Coast of Alberta, Canada, and California, respectively. Maria has retired from the oil and gas industry. Having raised three children, she and husband Dave now enjoy golfing when not with their three grandchildren who all live nearby. Also an avid golfer is Christine Curran Williams, who with husband Keith regularly takes to the links in the Potomac, MD, area of metropolitan Washington, DC, where they reside. They have three children: Kelly, Elizabeth, and Matt ’12, ME ’13. Chris is currently taking a break from her second profession as a dietetics and nutrition counselor.

Laura Musick Wright was joined by her daughter Jenny who is working on her master’s in clinical psychology at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, having founded HEAL Raising Our World, a nonprofit organization that has created an orphanage in rural Kenya. Jenny’s twin sister, Alisha, is an employee-owner of a restaurant in Minneapolis, while older sister Jamie Cicchetti Ziehm ’99 owns Higher Ground Farm, where she is involved with horse training, boarding, and instruction. Having moved to a 55+ community in Latham, NY, where her sister Cathleen and mother Patricia Musick Carr, MA ’73, PhD ’74, also live, Laurie and husband Greg are ardent kayakers and frequent travelers to favorite sites throughout the U.S., Italy, and Mexico. Another active resident of a 55+ community is Karen Leung Moore in Somerset, NJ. While still the owner of Metro Medical Equipment & Supply in St. Louis, Karen and husband Jim have logged in thousands of miles of travel this year as they journeyed to Oregon, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Cancún, Iceland, and Italy.

Kimberly Christy Gordon ’74, who began her studies at Cornell in our class, was taking a well-deserved break from being mother to five daughters and grandmother to 14. She moved to Denver last year to be closer to one daughter’s family, but we’ve seen her twice on the East Coast in 2024, including the Class of 1974’s 50th Reunion in June and our trip to Philadelphia. Class correspondent Karen DeMarco Boroff will be off to Madrid, Spain, as a J. William Fulbright U.S. Scholar and visiting professor for the spring 2025 semester. Her 35 years at Seton Hall as a professor of management and dean emerita at their Stillman School of Business has been applauded and her writings on the topics of organizational behavior and business have been extensive, including her most recent collaborative op-ed piece available online called “Trust in leaders: Should we judge politicians the same way we judge business leaders?”

During the past 25 years, my fellow DG sisters have gathered annually. This year, 21 of us met in Philadelphia in October.

Joan Pease ’75

The Connecticut contingent on our Philadelphia trip included Karen Seidler Goodwin, Julie Loeb Aurigemma, and Myrna Bank Gardner. An avid tennis player on the Cornell women’s team, Karen still enjoys playing tennis following retirement from the business world as well as paddle tennis and pickleball, sporting the activewear and surf attire designed by her daughter Kelsey ’15 who founded the Kavala Collective. Karen has frequently organized visits to the U.S. Open in NYC each August with Susan Corner Rosen, Myrna Gardner, Louise Belevich, MBA ’76, and Karen Leung Moore to share their love of the sport and a bit of Cornell comradery. Myrna lives in Greenwich, CT, where she is a self-employed marketing consultant. She has two daughters and two grandchildren, Noah and Addison. Together with Anne Kelley Anderson, Myrna is active in the Delta Gamma House Corporation.

We also welcomed Nancy Friberg Pope from Vermont, where she enjoys the New England lifestyle with husband Bob. In Dallas, TX, Maura Schreier Fleming and husband Neil are enjoying an active retirement after her many years of writing professionally for Insurance Record magazine and about strategic selling. She was Mobil Oil’s first lubrication engineer in the U.S. and one of Chevron’s top five salespersons. Maura’s now actively involved in local community activities and her homeowners association.

And let’s not forget Diane Kopelman VerSchure ’74, our trip organizer extraordinaire. Kope and Michael reside on Johns Pond in Mashpee, MA, Cape Cod, where they enjoy western exposure sunsets from their home, walking, kayaking, and numerous Cornell events. Unbeknownst to Kope, when she organized our architectural tour of the city, our amazing guide turned out to be another Cornell grad, Reid Addis ’74. Following his studies at the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, Reid practiced architecture for decades before working with Philadelphia Historic Architecture Tours.

Other DGs who joined in the Philadelphia trip include Elyse Byron and Marianne Curd Oliva (Chicago, IL), Mary Alice Curry Bankert (Ann Arbor, MI), Susan Corner Rosen (Charleston, SC), Rosanne Mayer (Ithaca, NY), Eileen Nugent (New York, NY), Julie Loeb Aurigemma (Cromwell, CT), and myself, Joan Pease (Lorton, VA). Check our March/April 2024 column for information about these fabulous ladies.

Please take a few minutes to send us highlights of your life after Cornell, college friends you’ve seen, and memorable moments on campus, and we’ll share the news in our upcoming columns. ❖ Joan Pease (email Joan) | Deb Gellman, MBA ’82 (email Deb) | Karen DeMarco Boroff (email Karen) | Mitch Frank (email Mitch) | Alumni Directory.

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1976

Happy New Year, all! Can you believe that 50 years ago most of us were midway through our junior year? It’s been good to hear from so many of you. Janis Versteeg Halvorsen Olson wrote that her greatest satisfaction these days is “Life! I’m living in rural western North Carolina, working with the Andrews Chamber of Commerce, and volunteering at a festival. Trying to make Andrews a great place to live and visit.” Jan has been “working at a winery in the tasting room, meeting people who love wine. Grandchildren are growing up, so we see them less and less but try and keep in touch.”

On how Cornell changed the trajectory of her life, Janis said, “Cornell gave me a well-rounded science-based education that allowed me to join the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as an investigator. Cornell helped me learn to learn, which helped me get my master’s in computer system development in 1992.”

Kathy Foss Castle wrote last summer from Maine, “I am retiring at the end of August from my position as senior director of industry roundtables at Auriemma Roundtables. I have already started to enjoy my passion for travel, beginning with an African safari I took last summer and a trip to Scandinavia. I just returned from Poland. My next trips are to Japan in October and to India next March. I have been serving on the board of the Cornell Media Guild. It is so wonderful to stay connected with friends from my years at WVBR and other WVBR alumni and the current executive board of students, and to attend the Cornell Media Guild symposium on campus every spring.”

Kathy said Cornell really did change the trajectory of her life: “In addition to receiving a great education, my time at WVBR as a DJ and as treasurer helped me develop skills I have used all my life.” These days, the things that bring her satisfaction are “spending time with family and friends—and travel!” Happy retirement and smooth sailing to you, Kathy!

Lisa Wax Breit has also been traveling. “This year I’ve traveled all over the U.S. with family and by myself.” In addition, she writes, “I am working in my studio in retirement. I am an art quilter—my work was accepted in two juried shows in 2023, Schweinfurth Art Center’s ‘Quilts=Art=Quilts’ and the International Quilt Festival in Houston.”

I am an art quilter—my work was accepted in two juried shows in 2023.

Lisa Wax Breit ’76

Did Cornell change her? “Absolutely. My education in Human Ecology helped me form a guiding world view, both personally and professionally. And I’m still closest to my Cornell friends of over 50 years.” About Lisa’s family life, she writes, “In 2023 our son Raphael married a wonderful young woman, Sarah. Both work in environmental policy in Washington, DC. In August 2023, tragedy struck when we lost our younger son, Elias.” I know that all our classmates join me in sending our deepest condolences to you, Lisa.

It was good to hear from Wayne Muromoto, who is fully retired now. Wayne writes, “I’m pursuing my personal interests and hobbies and spending time with family and pets. I spend a lot of time as a volunteer dog walker at the Hawaiian Humane Society. I continue to study Japanese tea ceremony, volunteer as a docent for demonstrations, and teach classical Japanese martial arts. Last summer I was part of a faculty art show at the college I used to teach at. This summer I am expanding the theme of my documentary photos with plans to do a solo show in the future. The photos are of the dancers of the Japanese Obon dances, held every summer in Japan and Hawaii.” Wayne adds, “Cornell expanded my views of the world and the possibilities before me.”

Vito Brancato has managed to stay close to Cayuga’s waters. He wrote, “I retired from teaching 12 years ago after a 36-year career in the Ithaca City School District. My retirement job is crewing and narrating on the MV Teal of Discover Cayuga Lake and the Floating Classroom. We’re docked at Treman Marina. We do educational tours as well as sunset, osprey, ecology, community, and other kinds of tours. Being on the water gives me a lot of satisfaction, whether it’s kayaking, canoeing, or motoring. For the last 19 years I have been a member of the Ithaca Dragon Boat Club. We’re on the water three days a week during the season and participate in dragon boat festivals in summer and fall. Great fun! I have one granddaughter who just turned 12. She’s a wonderful kid, but I’m biased, of course.” Vito added, “Attending Cornell opened a whole new world for me.”

From Houston, Michael Jackson wrote that, in retirement, he has been gardening, traveling, and bird watching. He said that Cornell “introduced me to many different peoples and cultures.” Jonathan Slaton said that he is “happily retired. I’m married with seven children and nine grandchildren. I am living in Colorado, near five of my grandchildren. I worked in IT for over 40 years, a career that had nothing to do with my government major at Cornell. Now I get more joy out of playing with my grandchildren than I ever did as a corporate IT executive. I also volunteer at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church as the lay minister for Christian formation.”

May 2025 be full of family and friends and more wonderful pursuits for you all—and then please share the news with us! ❖ Pat Relf Hanavan (email Pat) | Lisa Diamant (email Lisa) | Alumni Directory.

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1977

More news from our class as 2025 begins. Lewis Weinstock, MS ’80, gives a complete update to his goings on. He and Marian Ruderman ’79 are enjoying retirement in Greensboro, NC. Lewis survived a two-year term as board president of his local conservative synagogue and remains an active volunteer in executive and ritual programming. Other activities include astrophotography, road biking, gardening, and ongoing fuming about the Yankees and Jets (both clearly sources of frustration).

Marian volunteers in the NICU of a local hospital, plays bridge, enjoys yoga, and spent more than a year planning for the 2022 wedding of their daughter, Rachel ’12. She also remains active in leadership work by reviewing papers for journals and serving as a mentor for aspiring psychologists. “Our post-COVID trips have included Scotland, a Windward Islands cruise with Smithsonian, and multiple visits to Washington, DC, to visit our children. Trips to Costa Rica and Northern Italy are in the works. Our health is generally good, and we are thankful for the freedom of our retirement status.”

Jeff Bialos reports big news: His son, also Jeffrey ’24, happily just graduated from Cornell with a BA in government from the College of Arts and Sciences last May. “It’s been great to have spent a good deal of time on the Hill the last four years—with a class that started during COVID and had its challenges. But, overall, Jeff Jr. had a great experience and looks forward to his next adventure.”

Jeff Sr. adds that things at Cornell seem more the same than different—“from the University’s overall philosophy and values to the swim requirement, from ‘hot trucks’ to fraternities and sororities, to of course the Cornell Daily Sun.” He continues to practice law as a partner at Eversheds Sutherland in Washington DC, where he is co-chair of the firm’s global aerospace, defense, and security practice. He lives with wife Leslie Kerman (nearing 40 years!) in McLean, VA. He also works on nonprofit boards and is politically active as well.

Tom Hedberg reports that his medical NGO, International Medical Crisis Response Alliance (IMCRA), marked a decade of existence and progress in summer 2024. Of note, it was nominated and approved as a consultative agency of the UN in 2021 and graduated its fourth class of interns in August. Current areas of primary focus are the Gaza/Israel crisis and the spread of misinformation / disinformation / propaganda worldwide, particularly as it relates to information impacting public health. Tom reports that he gets the most satisfaction from getting the gravity-flow carburetor to work properly on his 1912 Buick Model 29. In retirement he is full time at IMCRA and part time in pharmaceutical consulting. Regarding his family, his parents invited the whole gang on a 90th birthday cruise to the Bahamas. It was great!

Please keep all of your news and views coming in via the online news form. ❖ Howie Eisen (email Howie) | Mary Flynn (email Mary) | Alumni Directory.

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1978

Greetings, ’78ers! One of the perks of my position is getting to know classmates I never ran across as an undergrad, but who’ve become friends through class officer meetings, Reunions, and other venues. I got a lengthy update from Doug and Anne Hamilton Johnson (lightly edited): “Anne and I had such a great time at the 45th Reunion that we have spent the last year visiting with Cornellians around the country. In September 2023, we spent a couple weeks in California. There we visited with good undergrad friend Dave Lipkin and his wife, Petrita, in San Francisco. Had a great time with them. Then, we headed up to Napa for a few days and stayed with good friend from U-Hall 4, Kevin Wandryk, and his wife, Julie. While up in Napa, the four of us then dropped in to see my Phi Sigma Kappa brother John Williams ’74 at his Frog’s Leap Winery. (Highly recommend to any traveling in the Napa area.)

January found us in Grand Cayman with good friend Mary Zimmerman Kocur, Anne’s sister Lynne, and her husband Howard Silverberg ’84. In March we were again with Mary Kocur and her husband, Emil, up in NYC, watching & Juliet on Broadway. April found us traveling with our best friends Steve Fram ’79, MA ’83, and Jamie Horwitz ’80 on our 11th trip together to Europe. We saw the Munich tennis tournament and then traveled throughout Northern Italy. Fantastico!

“We went up to the Ithaca High School Little Red Class of ’74 reunion in Ithaca in June of this year, where we saw lots of Cornell classmates, including Phi Sig fraternity brother Steve Muka and his wife, Cheryl, as well as Sandy Meek True, Steve Ruoff, and his wife, Sue (Forker) ’79, Leslie Hayes and her husband, Norman, Meredith Durant, ME ’79 (fellow U-Hall 4 freshman), and others. Had a good dinner one night with Phi Sig brother Steve Fontana ’79, who is now retired.

“This year, we planned a Class of ’78 mini-reunion on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, and visited for a week with Phi Sig brothers Doug Fyffe and his wife, Missy, and Andy Gabriel and his wife, Beth, at Doug and Missy’s place on the lake. A good time was had by all. “Anne had a knee replacement over the summer, which went well. Anne’s Kappa Delta sisters Lorraine Heffernan and Terri Seewald Klein came to visit during the recuperation.”

Anne Hamilton Johnson ’78 and I had such a great time at the 45th Reunion that we have spent the last year visiting with Cornellians around the country.

Doug Johnson ’78

Paul Schmitt lives in Narragansett, RI. He and wife Mary Beth celebrated their 32nd anniversary this summer with a staycation in Newport. Paul continues: “I was just promoted to full professor at the U.S. Naval War College, where I’ve begun my 10th academic year educating and preparing future leaders in a hand-picked master’s program. My book chapter on cyber wargaming was published this past January. I’ll be wrapping up this year’s yacht racing season soon, and I’m excited to be officiating for the national championships of the Hobie 16 class of beach catamarans. Mary Beth and I are looking forward to a river cruise from New Orleans to Vicksburg and back for this upcoming Thanksgiving week.”

Gloria Fusillo is also teaching, although her field is mass communications. She’s able to walk to work, which she calls the “best perk ever.” She shares her 5-year-old grandson’s predilection for chocolate ice cream. After retiring from practicing law, Mitchell Lowenthal, JD ’81, now co-teaches a seminar on complex litigation at Columbia Law School. He and wife Ann (Zanger) celebrated their 45th anniversary. Their son and daughter-in-law are both Class of 2014.

Larry Skoczylas is staying busy by being an oral and maxillofacial surgery consultant for Delta Dental in Michigan. He’s also teaching Bible study at his local parish. He and wife Kathleen visit their daughter and son-in-law in Italy, along with taking trips to Croatia and Portugal. Also in the medical field is eye surgeon Michael Drinnan, who just welcomed a grandson.

Katherine Schnare Foulke also lives in the Northwest, although she’s three hours south of me in Portland. She’s recovering from a hip replacement. Her husband is easing into semi-retirement after selling his company. Eileen Silverman Guerrieri is on the opposite end of the country in Florida. She’s keeping busy with pickleball, line dancing, and two grandchildren.

Thanks to everyone who sent updates. Keep the news coming! ❖ Cindy Fuller, PhD ’92 (email Cindy) | Ilene Shub Lefland (email Ilene) | Alumni Directory.

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1979

Robert Platt shares that his son, Aaron ’27, enrolled in the ILR School as a transfer this year! He adds, “I’m continuing to work at my law firm Manatt Phelps, where I’ve spent my entire career spanning more than 40 years.” ❖ Cynthia Ahlgren Shea (email Cynthia) | Linda Moses (email Linda) | Larry Bunis (email Larry) | Alumni Directory.

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1980s

1980

Hail to thee, Class of 1980. Before I turn to the news, please let me issue a correction: Reunion this year is June 5–8, 2025. The September / October edition of Class Notes, written by your wild wag of a columnist, Dik Saalfeld, encouraged us to attend this year’s class Reunion and reminded us that we have entered our “Geritol and rubber pants year.” Unfortunately, he proved his point by getting the dates wrong. Dik will be the one wearing a hair shirt at the Reunion.

Victor Carfi reports that he and a group of former residents of the first floor of Donlon Hall from the fall of ’76 have had a series of Zoom meetings, spearheaded by Rich Funk ’79, MBA ’82. In addition to Victor, Rich has managed to track down Jim Kappas, Byron Brown, and Paul Fine ’79, and is looking to include others in future meetings. Victor says, “It has been great reconnecting with these guys, in most cases for the first time in 48 years. We reminisce about our year together way back when and get up to speed on what’s happened during the many intervening years.”

Gregory Gordon sent an update to his news that appeared in the last issue. His son Steven ’08 is a practicing psychiatrist. His other son, Jonathan ’15, is in a cardiology fellowship at RUSH Medical Center in Chicago. His daughter, Heather, who felt Ithaca was too cold (at her visit in November) ended up at University of Maryland and now is an event planner. Visiting his grandchildren and starting to plan trips are what bring him satisfaction these days. Although it’s early in Gregory’s retirement, so far he’s signed up for adult learning classes at a nearby library and notes, “The nice part is there are no prelims or midterms!”

Douglas Wentz has spoken twice from the steps of the Pennsylvania State Capitol. On August 23–24, 1978, when he was a junior at Cornell, he spoke for 31 continuous hours on the topic “Pennsylvania’s Corrupt State Government: Why Don’t You Care?,” attempting to set a Guinness World Record for the longest political speech. Forty-six years later, on September 25 of this year, he reprised his anti-corruption message in a much shorter speech about the January 6 insurrection. The speech was livestreamed on Facebook and covered in the local paper. Doug vows that his “effort to promote moderation in politics will survive the election on November 5, regardless of the outcome.” People who want more information can go to his website.

Gregory Gordon ’80 signed up for adult learning classes at a nearby library and notes, ‘The nice part is there are no prelims or midterms!’

At my invitation, my whimsical and brilliant friend Ellen Beardsley has shared her post-Cornell story: After leaving Cornell in 1977, Ellen took her primary degree in English and philosophy with honors from Washington College. She was awarded the Sophie Kerr Prize (the nation’s largest undergraduate literary prize) and a fellowship at Oxford in the process. She did her postgraduate work in philosophy at Johns Hopkins. In 1983, she met the Irish poet Desmond O’Grady on the Greek island of Paros before taking up a visiting lectureship at a national university in South Korea. Thereafter, she and O’Grady divided their time between Kinsale, Ireland, and Paros for several years until the modest Greek house blew up. Together, they were writers in residence at Kirkland House at Harvard for three months.

Ellen did her postgraduate work in English at University College Cork while also tutoring and reviewing more than a thousand books for the Irish Times, the Irish Examiner, and the Times Literary Supplement. She has published poems in American, Irish, English, and Korean periodicals. Despite having broken many bones, she continues to ride horses. Her only child, Gisele Beardsley O’Grady, rides professionally in North Carolina. Having won a handsome bursary for the draft of a novel in 1996, Ellen is finally at liberty to finish it, and she’s having a wonderful time! She lives on the banks of the River Bandon in Innishannon with her very sweet (but a little thick) doggie, Famous Seamus Heaney, the “Poetic Terrier.”

In closing, I wrote this column shortly after the vice presidential debate, where Yale grad J.D. Vance displayed his debating chops. Many of us developed our own Ivy League debating skills over the question of whether Sperry Hall sucked. I’ve been told that Yale has a similar tradition, with the residents of Durfee Hall throwing down the rhetorical gauntlet with “Wright Bites!” and the residents of Wright Hall parrying with “Durfee Sucks!” That really hurts. The lesson here is that the more I editorialize, the more likely it is that the news you get from me will “suck.” To avoid that, please write to any of us with any news you’d like to share with the Class of ’80. ❖ David Durfee (email David) | Leona Barsky, MS ’81 (email Leona) | Dik Saalfeld (email Dik) | Chas Horvath, ME ’81 (email Chas) | Alumni Directory.

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1981

Happy New Year one and all! Wow—2025! The time just goes faster and faster, doesn’t it? Life is incredibly busy for us in Delray Beach, FL. Fortunately, we are all okay from hurricanes Helene and Milton, and certainly hope all of you are okay as well!

I’m still raising funds for Hadassah Medical Organization, and Russ is a project manager for people’s homes; he is a Renaissance man for sure—knows all about boats, computers, and homes and is a fabulous chef as well! Ella is enjoying her freshman year at University of Florida and Brayden is enjoying theater tech at Dreyfoos School of the Arts.

On the west coast of Florida, Gabriel Diaz-Saavedra in Bradenton loves spending time with his fiancée, Debbie Sumbury, a retired nurse. Gabriel is also enjoying his new job. He is the account manager for AgroFresh, which is in the business of providing post-harvest physiology products/solutions to fruit and vegetable growers.

In Lake Wylie, SC, Cindy High tells us that she is riding Arabian show horses, skiing, and surviving after heart surgery! She is also the CEO of United Water Restoration Group in Charlotte!

Barbara White Shaffer (Waynesboro, VA) loves seeing the Blue Ridge Mountains from her sunroom, walks in nature, volunteering at the Blue Ridge area food bank, spending time with her husband, Bill Eastwood, and her children and their spouses, and singing in the church choirs. In retirement, she is active in church leadership as chair of the Missions Committee at South Plains Presbyterian Church and decorative painting with her sister-in-law. Barbara got her psychology degree at Cornell, which set her on a path toward her MSW from Virginia Commonwealth University and her career in oncology social work. She met her first husband, Roy Apseloff ’80, at Cornell, and they had two amazing children.

Barbara White Shaffer ’81 loves seeing the Blue Ridge Mountains from her sunroom.

Greg Allen (Glastonbury, CT) tells us he is driving a senior citizen bus and driving for Hertz rental car as a transporter. His son graduated UConn in May 2021 and is now working as a software engineer for Cigna in Cambridge, MA. He also celebrated his 10-year anniversary with Clara in Turks and Caicos, the site of their marriage. Greg loves that he went to Cornell; he says it initially opened doors for him at IBM! He also shares that he started for the University baseball team all four years.

Chris Crehan tells us that watching his 3-year-old granddaughter and watching his daughter raise her brings him much joy. He is still in the mortgage business, for his 40th year! He returned to school, earned a master’s degree in education, and is attempting to bust into the middle school math world. You go, Chris!

After teaching geology for 21 years at Sierra College, Dawn Ackerman is thoroughly enjoying retirement. Dawn and her husband live in Folsom, CA, and are now visiting art shows throughout the Sacramento area and pursuing creative hobbies. She has taken some weaving classes and is inspired to eventually be able to make tapestry versions of some of her husband’s photographs. They also continue to volunteer with the Sierra College Natural History Museum, where they run the “Dino Store.” They have been to Colorado Springs twice to see one son (since retiring) and they recently visited another son in North Carolina. And if you know of a student in need of math or physics help, her son Jeff ’18, ME ’19, has an online tutoring business called Gallagher Tutoring. Teaching and Cornell runs in the family!

Off the mainland, David Brown tells us that life in Honolulu, HI, is great. He is doing some foreign language study and cultivation of fruit trees. His older son is a Naval officer, while his younger son is working in the retail sector before returning to university. David studied government at Cornell, and it led him to the U.S. Department of State, where he spent almost 37 years as a Foreign Service Officer!

As you can see, there’s lots going on! Stay in touch with us—we want to know how you are doing! ❖ Betsy Silverfine (email Betsy) | Alumni Directory.

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1982

Happy New Year’s greetings to all! For classmates born in 1960, 2025 brings on Medicare, an extra standard deduction, Social Security “retirement age,” and cashing in on senior discounts!

Our very own Reunion chair, Teri Williams Harvey, reports that she is a happily retired teacher.

News from class correspondent Mark Fernau and his wife, Melissa (Duncan) ’83: They recently took their longest vacation in 40 years (Melissa cheated by working remotely), and in Madrid (Pinto), Spain, to boot. The occasion was the birth of their grandson Ryu Regis, their third grandchild, to daughter Gwen (an Ithaca College grad) and her husband, Carlos Martinez. Carlos is a Spanish citizen who is originally from Ecuador and is apparently a fan of Japanese video games (Ryu means dragon in Japanese and is the name of a game character). Mark and Melissa thoroughly enjoyed their four weeks in Spain, playing with their grandson, helping out the new parents, and doing a few touristy things around the edges. Mark’s conversational Spanish got a good workout and was much improved by the end of the trip. Mark retired in April 2024 after 25 years as an editor of scientific journals and, before that, 10+ years as an atmospheric scientist running air pollution and climate models for regulatory and policy research.

Richard and Liz Hoare Cowles shared the news that they welcomed grandson Hector David. His parents are Paul, LLM ’11, and Alyssa Cowles Blachez ’14, MS ’17. Hector joins older sister Diane.

That’s all our news for now! Please send us your updates—we’ve been tracking submissions since our 2022 Reunion and just 109 classmates have sent us news, some twice. ❖ Nina Kondo (email Nina) | Doug Skalka (email Doug) | Mark Fernau (email Mark) | Alumni Directory.

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1983

Hi, everyone. It’s a warm, dry November day as I write this … pretty much how it’s been every day since early September. We have not heard much news from alumni, and I suspect most of us have been caught up in the news cycle, work, and family, like I have been.

We did hear from Dina Wolfman Baker, who lives in Waltham, MA, with her husband, Brad. Dina mentions that she was recently promoted to area managing partner at Chief Outsiders, the nation’s largest provider of fractional executive services. She would be “happy to help bring the incredible power of Chief Outsiders to Cornellians’ companies that are at an inflection point in their growth trajectories.”

Rod Nenner also reached out. He writes that after 18 years as a team executive in the NFL and two as a board member for several sportstech startups, Rod has taken the position as chief business officer for the American Astronomical Society in Washington, DC. Established in 1899, the society is the major organization of professional astronomers and space-focused research in North America.

Congratulations to both of you! To everyone else, we would love to hear more Class of ’83 news! Happy holidays and New Year. ❖ Nancy Korn Freeman (email Nancy) | Stewart Glickman (email Stewart) | Alyssa Bickler (email Alyssa) | Jon Felice (email Jon) | Alumni Directory.

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1984

Greetings, classmates! I hope everyone’s 2025 is off to an excellent start. We are delighted to have received updates from several classmates. Please keep the news coming! It’s always a treat to hear from you.

Joseph Payack reports from Voorhees, NJ, that he is a licensed cannabis manufacturer under the name Jersey Extraction Lab LLC. He is also a new grandfather. Congratulations!

Dennis Mitchell, BA ’86, is working as interim provost for our NYC rival, Columbia University, where he’s been on the faculty for over 30 years. He and his wife, Bridgette, have two college-aged daughters, one at Cornell in the architecture program, and the other at Barnard studying biochemistry. Dennis credits Cornell as the “beginning of everything” and the “cornerstone to what became a life in the academy.”

Cheryl “Cheri” Hoffman Yanuck lives on a lake near Hillsborough, NC, where she and her husband, Sam ’82, enjoy watching egrets, geese, herons, and eagles. She’s also spending time with family and friends, growing vegetables, singing, and swimming. Cheri works part time remotely from home in a private psychiatric practice. Her son is in medical school in North Carolina and is getting married in a year. Her daughter is in graduate school in San Francisco.

Chris Conroy, BS ’88, writes from Ridgefield, CT, that he is in the credit card processing business, does consulting, and drives his two 11-year-old daughters around—although he is working on obtaining a commercial driving license so he can drive a bus. He also derives great satisfaction these days from getting a long “to do” list done (or at least partially done). He had a health issue a year ago that “reset everything,” but now he’s better than he’s been in decades, he says, and he’s hoping to do more traveling (although he has been to Orlando and Vero Beach recently).

Jim Perkins ’84 received the Brödel Award for Excellence in Education from the Association of Medical Illustrators at their annual conference in July 2024.

Michael Held updates us from Grosse Point Shores, MI, where he stays busy with family, including parents, siblings, wife, kids, and grandson. He is an automotive VP for Belcan LLC, owns an electrical distribution company in Southwest Florida, and manages an orthopedic device company. In his “spare” time he plays competitive tennis, goes boating/fishing, and is involved with Legatus and the Catholic Church. He remembers his days at Cornell, learning to balance the competitive demands of being a mechanical engineering major with playing on the high-performing baseball team, the latter of which fostered teamwork.

Robin Block Marguleas checks in from Palm Desert, CA, where she’s enjoying watching her kids grow into healthy young adults, spending time with family and friends, and gardening. She notes that Cornell changed the trajectory of her life because that’s where she met her husband, David ’88!

We heard from Catherine “Kitty” Cantwell, who writes from Canandaigua, NY, that she recently celebrated her 30th anniversary at her ob/gyn practice. She still sees patients in the office, takes calls, and performs surgery, but she’s planning to reduce hours in 2025. In her spare time, she is training a bernedoodle puppy. She credits Cornell’s rigorous education for helping her get into medical school and achieve her “dream job” of being an ob/gyn.

Jim Perkins sends word from Avon, NY, about his impressive recent achievement: receiving the Brödel Award for Excellence in Education from the Association of Medical Illustrators (AMI) at their annual conference in July 2024. The award “recognizes and honors a medical illustrator for outstanding educational contributions,” as explained in AMI’s website. When he’s not earning professional accolades, Jim likes to travel with daughter Olivia. In the past 10 years they’ve visited China, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Dubai, the Canadian Rockies, Spain (twice), and Iceland (twice).

If you have any updates to share, please let us know! Your faithful class correspondents: ❖ Charles Oppenheim (email Charles) | Michael Held (email Michael) | Alumni Directory.

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1985

Hello fellow 1985ers! Hope all are doing well. I do have a bunch of news from fellow alums, so here you go!

Deborah Brozina writes in that she has had a stellar year for awards for her film and TV work! She won a Daytime Emmy for Technical Direction, Camera Work, and Video for her work on “Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade”! In addition, she won a Silver Telly for Policy and Legislation for writing a spot for the Legal Aid Society’s work on parole reform in New York. She says this has been a great supplement to her work in communications for large nonprofits. Congratulations, Deborah!

James Barbaria has joined Hinshaw & Culbertson as their new chief financial officer resident in the New York office. He previously was the executive director at Adam Leitman Bailey. He will lead the firm’s financial and operational planning. Jim holds an MBA from Fordham University and a BA in geology from Cornell. He served on the board of trustees for Staten Island Academy, where he held various leadership roles, including vice president and chair of the finance and audit committee.

Douglas Birnie (my buddy!) writes in, “Like all, we’ve had our share of bumps and bruises, but life’s been more than fair to the Birnie family! Golf, travel, and red wine-induced phone calls and texts catch me up with several old classmates. The stories are priceless!” He has recently enjoyed reconnecting with CU through various teams on campus who have made Morgan’s Message (MM) a part of their program. MM is a student-athlete mental health-focused nonprofit that Doug’s daughter founded in 2020. Son Nick is hand painting a large-scale wall mural advertising high above the streets of NYC for Colossal Media. “It’s clear we learn much from our kids’ choices as they age,” says Doug. He is still enjoying work as managing director of a wealth advisory firm while spending significant time between Washington, DC, and Cape Cod. “Doors are always open to any and all who want to pop in for a meal and a few adult beverages! Cheers to all.”

Deborah Brozina ’85 won a Daytime Emmy for her work on ‘Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade’!

Jim Moore ’84, BA ’85, says, “I just began my 26th year on the faculty of Blair Academy in New Jersey, where I am the head of the English department and director of the school’s squash program.” He works with John Redos and Dylan Gould, both Cornell alums of the Class of 2013. Jim states they send a good number of students to Cornell. He and wife Wendy are empty nesters with an adult daughter living in Rochester, NY, and their adult son in Madison, WI. Jim and Wendy recently spent time with Jill Hai Rubenstein and her husband, Marc ’86, JD ’89, and Peter Brown ’84, Barch ’85. In March, they escaped the New Jersey weather to spend spring break in Ft. Lauderdale with Rob Mack.

Amy Smith Linton did a solo hike of Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, UK, then returned to win a sailing regatta and then the Flying Scot North American Championship with her husband—their seventh win in 20-some years. Amy spent time with Terry Soyring ’84, BS ’85, who still lives in Ithaca, and Mike Ingham ’86. Amy has just finished the first draft of her second novel. She is enjoying writing to please herself rather than clients, the newspaper, or corporate bosses.

S.M. Stevens received an honorable mention in International Book Awards in the fiction/social issues category for Beautiful and Terrible Things. She began writing fiction during back-to-back health crises: a shattered pelvis and ovarian cancer. She is the author of Horseshoes and Hand Grenades and The Wallace House of Pain. She has won the 2023 American Fiction Award and a First Place Chanticleer International Book Award.

I keep in touch regularly with Leslie Nydick, Jill Beckenstein Lerner, Maryellen Fisher Magee, Karen Magri, Debbie Eisenstat, Elizabeth Mozesky Langston, Sharon Tolpin Topper, Patti Yule Nichols, Cindy Cowen Bowman, Margaret Vanasse, Tara Shuman Gonzalez, Ginny Scarola, and so many more. Facebook helps to keep these long-distance friendships together—and so does the love we have for one another, formed 43 years ago in the U-Halls, Statler Hall, and Collegetown. I am forever grateful to Cornell University for these women in my life. Happy New Year, all! ❖ Joyce Zelkowitz Cornett (email Joyce) | Alumni Directory.

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1986

It is hard to believe that it is nearly October as I write this. Yesterday was Homecoming on the Hill, and it was a joyous day as our football team trounced Yale mightily 47-23. Here in Atlanta only a small percentage of the leaves have turned and those that have fallen were brought down due to Hurricane Helene’s winds and rains.

In recognition of Hurricane Helene, I looked to see if any of your classmates shared a name with the powerful storm. I found Helene Jacobs Finn, who began corresponding with me once she determined I was not spam. Helene took time to write the following from her home in Upstate New York. “While at Cornell I fell in love with the natural beauty of Ithaca and its surrounding areas. Ithaca’s small-town charm and community, paired with its cultural sophistication, make it a wonderful place to live. Throughout the years, I have worked in the field of elementary education in a variety of pedagogic settings. My husband, Mike, and I raised our children in rural Danby. Our son, Zeke, is a songwriter living in L.A., and our daughter, Sylvie, is a PhD student in ecology at UC Davis. Being passionate about nature and environmental issues has made Ithaca the ‘natural’ place to call home for the last 42 years!”

Peter Quinter was spared the wrath of Helene in Florida. Peter is a U.S. Customs and international trade lawyer whose career includes traveling around the world. Recently he returned from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Having recently turned 60, Peter is prioritizing his health and pondering what life would be like if he were not working full time someday. I think Peter’s health is likely quite good given he annually backpacks a section of the Appalachian Trail, plays soccer weekly, and completes the occasional triathlon. Like many of us, Peter is anticipating our 40th Reunion; he is excited to see his Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity brothers and other classmates.

Elsa Dempsey wrote in from her home in Venice, on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Their home is about one mile from the Gulf and 15 feet above sea level, so they fared well against the 5.5-foot storm surge. Some nearby homes were flooded and a few of the town’s features on the water were wiped out. Elsa reports that they didn’t lose water or electricity. Elsa and her husband are both retired and enjoying the coast when it’s not hurricane season! They play a lot of tennis, travel, take care of older relatives in the area, and see their twin girls in Tampa and Denver when schedules permit. Elsa had been involved for a number of years in Cornell interviews for prospective students but is no longer doing so. Traveling has been great this year and included Portugal, Spain, Bermuda, and Ireland. The future includes plans to visit North Georgia, Mexico, Germany, and Glacier National Park, and hopefully a return to Ithaca for our Reunion in 2026.

I offer free swimming lessons in my backyard pool and have taught 100+ people who were ‘scared to death’ of the water how to survive and thrive in the water!

Maria Elias ’86

Rachael Cohen is a volunteer gleaner with the Vermont Foodbank, a statewide nonprofit that acts as a hub to support people dealing with food insecurity. The gleaning team harvests surplus produce at several local farms, including one of the largest and oldest organic vegetable producers in Vermont and a nonprofit orchard, where blueberries and apples are harvested. Rachael enjoys the opportunity to get outside, work with other volunteers, and know that they are providing quality organic vegetables and fruit for local families. When not reaping the Vermont bounty, Rachel volunteers at the public library. When she first moved to Westminster, the library didn’t have a catalog of its holdings. During the pandemic, the librarian, a couple of other volunteers, and Rachael bar-coded, labeled, and entered every book and other items (including a bunch of pairs of snowshoes) into the Catamount Library Network system. Now patrons can search online and check out materials from more than 20 Vermont libraries from their tiny but flourishing local library.

Maria Elias swam for the Big Red’s varsity team for four years, and then took a well-deserved break of 20+ years from competitive swimming. Maria writes, “I compete in U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) events, have been an All-American and ranked in the top five in the world, and have volunteered with USMS as a board member for four years and served as their national legal counsel for seven years. I am most proud of my commitment to teaching adults how to swim. I offer free lessons in my backyard pool and have taught 100+ people who were ‘scared to death’ of the water how to survive and thrive in the water!”

Nina Kleiman is one of the very proud parents of the next generation of Cornellians. “My oldest daughter, Simone Goldberg ’25, BS ’24, graduated from Cornell this past May; 11 family members joined for a graduation weekend filled with pride, joy, and happy memories. Also in attendance was Nina’s SDT sister and good friend Barbara Kreinik Ehudin and her daughter Sophie ’23, BS ’24. Both of our girls are also SDT. Nina reported that she will be celebrating her 60th birthday along with classmates Karen Lazan, Lisa Brainin Greenberg, Beth Berkowitz Gordon, Cynthia Cummis, and Leora Brayer Mechanic in Ithaca at Inns of Aurora. Nina has been employed at hotelAVE since 2010. hotelAVE was founded by hotelier Michelle Russo ’87, who employs many fellow Hotelies in the Rhode Island-based asset management company.

Leerom Medovoi is a professor of English and social, cultural, and critical theory at the University of Arizona College of Social & Behavioral Sciences. Duke University Press recently published Leerom’s book, The Inner Life of Race: Souls, Bodies, and the History of Racial Power (September 2024). The book traces the genealogy of contemporary forms of populist racism to offer a global account of how religion and racism are used to govern and police populations. ❖ Toby Goldsmith (email Toby) | Lori Spydell Wagner (email Lori) | Michael Wagner (email Michael) | Alumni Directory.

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1987

Welcome to the Jan/Feb edition of our class column. Our inbox is pretty empty, so we hope you made a resolution to send us some news. Here is the latest.

Douglas Kurth resides in Honolulu, HI. He is a senior architect with the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Pacific. He loves spending time with his family, seeing projects come to fruition, and watching the sun rise with a cup of coffee on his front porch. He and his family took a quick trip to Seattle to see a Mariners game, and he has taken multiple trips to Guam for various projects. He reports that Cornell changed the trajectory of his life: he survived architecture school on a Navy scholarship that prepared him for future challenges and taught him how to persevere.

Vishaan Chakrabarti’s forthcoming book is The Architecture of Urbanity: Designing for Nature, Culture, and Joy. Vishaan is an architect, author, and public thought leader. His home has been profiled by Architecture Digest and he has written for that publication as well. He has given a TED Talk lecture and regularly writes for the New York Times. He was previously the director of the Manhattan office for the New York Department of City Planning in the Bloomberg administration, and the William W. Wurster Dean of the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley. His new book argues that the right design of our communities can create a more equitable, sustainable, and joyous future for us all.

In July, Debra Howard Stern began a two-year term as the Cornell University Council chair. And she is also the proud parent of a sophomore in the Class of 2027. “Watching the next generation experience Cornell is quite something!”

Shari Brasner ’87 shared her personal story of being a doctor who becomes a cancer patient; it was featured in Mount Sinai Today.

Marnie Dreifuss Gelfman’s daughter Justine just had her most recent play, The Love Object, produced at Chicago’s Raven Theatre East Stage this past fall.

Shari Brasner shared her personal story of being a doctor who becomes a cancer patient; it was featured in Mount Sinai Today. She wrote, “I am grateful for all the compassionate care I got at Mount Sinai. Now I am involved with Woman to Woman, an organization at Mount Sinai that pairs gynecologic cancer survivors with patients who are in treatment for gynecologic cancer. I think it can be helpful and hopeful to women in the midst of treatment to interact with someone who’s on the other side of it, who can confidently say, ‘My life is not any different today than it was before all this happened.’ It’s a nice way to pay it forward and do something with all my gratitude.”

Stacey Pineo Murdock shared amazing photos of her daughter Halloran’s destination wedding in Lake Como, Italy. Among attendees were classmates and besties Cara Giarrusso Malone, Terri Clark Stallone, Wendy Williams Sbrollini, and Kai Ofengand Robertson.

Patty Moon West and husband Michael are thrilled at becoming grandparents. Their daughter Marlees and husband Joe welcomed their son, West. Cheryl Berger Israeloff and husband Larry became grandparents to Ryan Hayes.

Please stay connected and continue to share your news with us by emailing either of us at: ❖ Whitney Weinstein Goodman (email Whitney) | Liz Brown, JD ’90 (email Liz) | Alumni Directory.

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1988

Happy New Year, fellow classmates! Wishing everyone a healthy and happy year ahead.

Winter has arrived in Canada with snowy days, chilly temperatures, and lots of hockey. Speaking of hockey, I hope many of you were able to attend the Frozen Apple Cornell hockey game at Madison Square Garden in New York City over Thanksgiving weekend.

Newsflash from Philadelphia, PA: Linda Gadsby has been awarded the Top 50 Corporate Counsel Award for Leadership and Innovation. “I am excited to continue doing meaningful work every day, and I am committed to making a positive impact at the National Board of Medical Examiners and in medical education and assessment.” After graduating from Cornell, Linda attended New York University’s School of Law. She also serves on the executive committee of Cornell’s Board of Trustees. Her other recent awards include 2022 Top 100 Most Influential African American Leaders in Business and 2023 Top 100 Women in Business. Congratulations, Linda!

Kelly Smith Brown, MBA ’92, is busy volunteering in her community and starting the college search with her twins. Her older daughter, Sarah Brown ’26, is a sophomore at Cornell, majoring in mechanical engineering. Kelly is building a new home in Hilton Head and will eventually split her time between Cincinnati, OH, and Hilton Head Island, SC. “I am forever thankful for friendships that have lasted a lifetime,” she writes of those she met throughout her years on the Hill.

In the acting world, Misha Gonz–Cirkl was cast in a short film that retells the journey of Sonia Manzano, the beloved Maria from “Sesame Street.” She reports, “Working on this project was a true labor of love with the most incredible cast and crew.”

Lastly, turning our focus to the West Coast, John Gustavsson was in Singapore, where he got to visit with Siew Wei Ngiam ’89, ME ’90, MBA ’91, and Swee-Chiew Tan ’92. They had a wonderful time together and shared “some amazing Singaporean food.” After working for 21 years as a trauma radiologist in Portland, OR, John is retiring from this career. He “loves living in the Pacific Northwest and is looking forward to some free time to pursue other interests and hobbies.” John is very excited to meet up with his best Cornell buddy, Sandy Young Klindt, DVM ’93. Enjoy your retirement, John!

That’s all for now. Please keep sending your news to me. I love hearing from our classmates, both near and far. ❖ Pamela Darer Anderson (email Pam) | Alumni Directory.

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1989

In some ways, our time at Cornell seems like it ended just yesterday—and for those of us who attended Reunion, it seems like it just ended four months ago from this writing. What a blast!

Add my voice to the chorus of attendees who sang the praises of Cornell and our Reunion chairs for putting on a fantastic event. Carol Borack Copenhaver, Shannon Gallivan Bol, Debbie Schaffel, and Dave Scher, you worked so hard to create a truly joyous and memorable weekend. The attention to detail was fantastic—an extensive slideshow with soundtrack curated by Trevor Steer, specially baked Straight Cookies, a ping pong table (!), and a television to watch “the sports” while catching up with each other. There was even a selfie frame to capture some memories in Class of ’89 Big Red style.

Several of our classmates arrived with their high schoolers in tow, who might have felt less than thrilled about the looming weekend. That said, by Saturday night, most of those kids were cutting up the rug—or, in this case, the grass—with the rest of us. Special mention to Jennifer Beardsley Smith’s son, Isaac, whose dance moves merited special mention on the mic from Fil Straughan, BArch ’91, our classmate who donated his exceptional musical talents for the evening’s fun.

Co-chair Debbie Schaffel did step away from her many duties during the weekend for a few minutes because—how cool is this?—she had to have her final interview to serve as a volunteer with the USA Olympic Team in Paris. (For a unique up-close view of the Paris Olympics, check out Debbie’s Instagram account.) She’s had plenty of other adventures of late, too. “After almost 21 years at Aon and 35 years total in the insurance industry, March 1 was the first day of my retirement/sabbatical while I try to figure out what I want my next chapter to be. To facilitate that, I have started my own consulting firm and already have my first client lined up for an engagement starting in September.”

Debbie adds, “Other than that, I have been enjoying my newfound freedom to travel and plan additional travel. In March, I spent two weeks exploring South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana and completing multiple safari game drives. Definitely one of the coolest trips I have ever been on, followed by a two-week cruise of Scotland and Iceland. Then it’s off to New Zealand in December and planning Antarctica for 2025 or 2026. Clearly, I need to find some more consulting clients to pay for all my adventures.”

Fall ’23 I went on a group trip through Alumni Travel to Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands. What a blast! I made new Cornell friends!

Laura Jacobs ’89

We had alumni news cards sprinkled around headquarters for people to share their deets. Fortunately, a couple of people sacrificed precious moments away from friends, beverages, and food. (They actually took time away from Hot Truck PMPs. These people are heroes.)

Laura Jacobs wrote, “Fall ’23 I went on a group trip through Alumni Travel to Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands. What a blast! I made new Cornell friends!” John Dunn jotted down, “My daughter, Kate ’25, is entering senior year here! Go Cornell!”

From Amy Wilson Goodrum, “I am incoming co-president of the Human Ecology Alumni Association Board, a two-year term starting July 1, 2024. I’ve been a psychologist in the Syracuse area for 25 years and am supervisor of graduate students in the clinical psychology program at Syracuse University. I also stream on Twitch for Extra Life, part of a team that raises money for children’s hospitals.”

Our aforementioned Trevor Steer wrote in his update, “I’m still at General Motors (15 and a half years) and was previously at Ford for 18 years. My wife, Monnika, and son Merrick fill my heart. My amazing friends and family do also. I am class historian and web manager for our class website. I am also secretary for the Cornell Club of Michigan. I volunteer at my son’s school during lunch on Fridays and also volunteer for PTO events. I love to travel and do multiple trips per year. Best so far was Jamaica in April.”

Several of our classmates decided to just give their reviews of the weekend. From Laurie Teller Markin, “I enjoyed our 35th and had fun also Reunioning with my son, Jacob ’19, who attended his 5th Reunion. Great to get back to school with my husband, Gary ’87. Look forward to many more Reunions!” From Pat Levy-Zuckerman: “I haven’t missed a Reunion yet. They just keep getting better and better. Cornell ’89 rocks!” And from one anonymous and especially succinct respondent: “Great job by everyone!”

Can’t say it better than that, so I’ll close with a little scene from breakfast on Sunday morning. As I was chatting with one of those formerly reluctant high schoolers who now wore a big grin, I said, “It’s always like this here. Parties, dancing, laughter.” And while I have often been accused of being sarcastic (MOI??), I was being (sort of) honest. It is always parties, dancing, and laughter at Cornell Reunion.

Please send us YOUR update for the next column! ❖ Kris Borovicka Gerig (email Kris) | Anne Czaplinski Treadwell (email Anne) | Lauren Kidder McGarry (email Lauren) | Stephanie Bloom Avidon (email Stephanie) | Alumni Directory.

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1990s

1990

Happy 2025! Wishing each of you a new year filled with health, happiness, and peace. We are finally in the year of our class’s 35th Reunion, only months away. You’ll be receiving more information in the coming months about Reunion plans and how to register for events. For now, please save the dates of June 5–8. And if you would like to get involved in planning, please reach out to the 35th Reunion committee at cornellclass90@gmail.com.

I recently attended a special gathering of Cornell alumni. Many of you probably are familiar with the Cornell (thank) U podcast (not sponsored by or affiliated with the University), co-created and co-hosted by our classmates Stephanie Marmelstein Gitlin and Michelle Stuzin Katz. The podcast, previously featured in our September/October 2022 Class Notes column, was begun by Stephanie and Michelle in 2021 and is still going strong three years later. Stephanie and Michelle have produced over 160 weekly episodes with about 40,000 downloads.

In each podcast, they interview a Cornell student or alum about their time at Cornell and post-Cornell life; how they are using their Cornell degree or plan to; and what they are most thankful for about Cornell. Each episode also includes a fun speed round of relatable questions such as favorite Cornell library, Hot Truck order, and class. What began as an effort by Stephanie and Michelle to entertain their friends during the isolation of COVID has grown into a large network of regular listeners from across the Cornell community and has garnered recognition by the University for the impact of the podcast in creating feelings of nostalgia and connectivity across generations of Cornellians. (See below for more on this recognition!)

To commemorate the milestone three-year anniversary of the podcast, Stephanie and Michelle hosted a celebration in November, inviting all prior podcast guests to meet for drinks and Cornell-themed light bites—such as “Glenwood Pines” burgers, “Souvlaki House” Greek salad, and even a recreated “Hot Truck PMP”—at the Canuck, NYC’s first Canadian and hockey sports bar, founded in 2021 by Denis Ladouceur ’02. Over 40 people attended and, as a podcast guest in 2022, I was thrilled to join and meet Stephanie and Michelle in person and connect with other podcast guests. Rob and Sue Portman Price, MRP ’91, were there, as well as Rachel Dunifon, dean of the College of Human Ecology (CHE), and Kim Pietro, the new assistant dean of Alumni Affairs and Development for CHE, both of whom traveled from Ithaca to attend.

Reflecting on the evening and their three-year anniversary, Stephanie said, “Michelle and I are so appreciative of our impressive podcast guests, and we were thrilled to host a gathering to celebrate them. It’s hard to believe it’s been three years since we started the podcast, and we are excited to continue to interview and showcase amazing Cornellians on our show. Our guests inspire us and should make every Cornellian proud.”

Many of you probably are familiar with the Cornell (thank) U podcast, co-created and co-hosted by Stephanie Marmelstein Gitlin ’90 and Michelle Stuzin Katz ’90.

For those who haven’t yet tuned in, you can find Cornell (thank) U wherever you listen to podcasts and on their Instagram at CornellthankU. I especially encourage you to listen to the episodes featuring our classmates, who are all so accomplished and entertaining: Micki Shulman Hendricks, Brad Herzog, Nicole Akel Huff, Brian Hughes, Liz Ander Hughes, Joanne Dinello Karchmer, Melissa Chalson Leff, David Owens, Rob Price, John Small, Phil Sandler, and Alisa Kossowsky Strauss.

Lastly, as hinted at earlier, Cornell has recognized the impact of Cornell (thank) U in promoting the University and connecting generations of Cornellians. Last June, Michelle was awarded the Helen Bull Vandervort Alumni Achievement Award, the highest honor bestowed upon CHE alumni. This award is presented to a CHE alum who has demonstrated leadership and innovation and made a lasting impact on their communities through volunteer accomplishments.

While a student at Cornell, Michelle was an active and engaged leader in CHE as a Human Ecology peer advisor, ambassador, tour guide, and member of the Judicial Review Committee, and also held leadership roles in her sorority. After graduation and a first career in public relations, receipt of an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business, and consulting roles in marketing and management, she shifted her focus to being a full-time parent while volunteering in her community, including 10 years of coaching youth sports, working within the schools, and volunteering at a local pediatric cancer infusion center.

Michelle turned her focus back toward Cornell during COVID, not only by creating the podcast with Stephanie, but also by making efforts to reconnect her sorority community, resulting in 30–50 women regularly connecting during the pandemic and remaining in touch today. For this, Michelle was recognized in 2021 with a Human Ecology Recognizing Outstanding Examples of Service (HEROES) Award—issued by the Human Ecology Alumni Association (HEAA) to celebrate alumni whose dedication and altruism had a positive impact on their communities during the pandemic.

Michelle currently serves on the HEAA board. For all these contributions to Cornell and her communities, Michelle received the Alumni Achievement Award at a ceremony last June at Martha Van Rensselaer Hall, with her husband, David, her two children, and many friends—including Stephanie—in attendance. Michelle described the day and her receipt of the award as a “life highlight.”

Michelle, heartfelt congratulations on this well-deserved honor! And to both Stephanie and Michelle, best wishes for the continued success of the podcast! ❖ Nancy Solomon Weiss (email Nancy) | Allan Rousselle (email Allan) | Rose Tanasugarn (email Rose) | Class Facebook page | Alumni Directory.

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1991

Greetings, Class of ’91! As I write this, Tom Greenberg and Eric Rosario are still basking in Big Red Spirit from Homecoming weekend as co-hosts of the 1990s tailgate. Many fellow alumni, including Tom’s wife, Daphne Liu ’93, their son, Dylan Greenberg ’28, and Tom’s uncle, Donald Greenberg ’55, BCE ’58, PhD ’68 (professor of computer graphics in the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning), gathered to reconnect and make new friends over a delicious spread of tailgate fare before the Cornell-Yale football game. Fellow Class Council member Jeff Weintraub, MD ’95, also joined the festivities, ensuring the Class of ’91 was well represented! As Eric recalled, “The little bit of drizzle” (which turned into pouring rain for the last three quarters of the game) did little to dampen the enthusiasm of players and fans alike as Big Red trounced the Bulldogs, 47-23. We yell Cornell!

Tim Vanini is thrilled to be gearing up for his fourth season as a color analyst for Cornell men’s hockey, alongside partner Grady Whittenburg. Tim anticipates an exciting season, tinged with bittersweet feelings, as this marks Mike Schafer ’86’s last year as head coach. Casey Jones ’90 will serve as associate coach this year and transition to head coach next year. The Big Red are currently ranked pre-season #1 in the ECAC and in the Top Ten nationally.

Congratulations to Jennifer Leeds and Robert Hess as they celebrate the 35th anniversary of their first date on December 8, 1989: dinner at Rosetti’s before the Phi Kapp (“Skullhouse”) holiday formal. Fast forward to 2024—their older son, Tjaden Hess ’20, is now living in Boston after four years in Austin, while their younger son, Max (Purdue ’24), is working as a civil engineer for the Indiana Department of Transportation. With both kids now independent and gainfully employed, Jennifer has retired from Novartis after 22 years. Aside from traveling extensively with Rob, she continues her consulting and board work and is serving her second term on the CALS Alumni Association Board of Directors as VP of alumni engagement. Jennifer is also a sustaining member of PCCW, where she enjoys connecting with remarkable Cornell women and helping to advance the careers of hundreds of Cornell alumnae.

Uta Birkmayer, MPS ’92, and her husband, Greg Abel, are enjoying their lives on the beautiful central coast of California while exploring their “next spiral” in life. Greg is considering retirement and has a desire to teach history, while Uta can’t imagine ever retiring! Both are excited about their plans to move to Europe in the coming years and are looking forward to welcoming grandkids.

As for Mark and me (Ruby Wang Pizzini), we’re squeezing in a few more trips to Ann Arbor, MI, to catch as many games as we can with our daughter, Grace, in the “Big House” before she graduates from UMich’s College of Engineering in May 2025.

Before you know it, our 35th Reunion will be here! Please save the date of June 4–7, 2026. Until next time—stay connected and well, classmates! Got news to share? Use the online news form or feel free to contact one of us directly. ❖ Ruby Wang Pizzini (email Ruby) | Wendy Milks Coburn (email Wendy) | Joe Marraccino (email Joe) | Evelyn Achuck Yue (email Evelyn) | Susie Curtis Schneider (email Susie) | Alumni Directory.

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1992

Mat Zucker was just named to the Consulting Report’s “Top 25 Marketing and Sales Consultants and Leaders of 2024” list. After a long career in advertising after the Hill, the last 10 years Mat has been at Prophet, a global growth consultancy, where he is chief marketing officer. This summer, he and his husband, Bryan Fuhr ’93, met up with Liz Zucker Barnett ’84, Sam Barnett ’19, Meredith Rosenberg, and Matt Rubins ’90 at a Brandi Carlile concert at Tanglewood Music Center. The rain reminded Mat and Meredith of their graduation.

Seth Kaplan writes, “I have dedicated much of my volunteer work over the past 15 years to pediatric advocacy, beyond my work as a practicing pediatrician. This has largely focused on legislative and media advocacy, especially around immunizations and LGBTQ+ issues. I’ve served as the chair of the executive legislative committee of the Texas Pediatric Society (TPS)—the Texas Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics—and served as president of TPS, during which time I testified on multiple bills in front of the Texas Legislature and made over 100 media appearances, including on CNN. I continue to advocate for children’s health and well-being on a regular basis and now also serve on a national AAP committee that reviews all policies that the AAP developed related to the care of children and adolescents. My advocacy work also spills over to the Jewish community, through which I have been active in countless organizations and served on many nonprofit boards. I also still enjoy having Cornell pre-med students shadow me in my office, as we interest the next generation in pediatrics.”

Debra Birnbaum writes, “I’m honored to join the board of directors of the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA) to support them in the fight to eradicate cancer. As a survivor myself, I know all too well the importance of awareness and research in saving lives.” OCRA is the world’s largest organization dedicated to advancing research into ovarian and related gynecologic cancers and supporting patients.

In a news release, OCRA shared that Debra “is an accomplished multi-platform content creator and media strategist with over 20 years of experience covering news and entertainment. She currently serves as the global head of awards for Amazon MGM Studios, where she oversees awards strategy for the streaming service’s extensive slate of original films and series. Under her leadership, Amazon MGM Studios has experienced its most successful film and series awards seasons to date, setting new studio records and amassing dozens of nominations and wins across all major awards, including Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Critics Choice Awards, and more.” ❖ Wilma Ann Thomas Anderson (email Wilma Ann) | Jean Kintisch (email Jean) | Sarah Ballow Clauss (email Sarah) | Alumni Directory.

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1993

A very happy 2025 to you, dear classmates! May this year bring joy, happy tears, and good health.

Kudos to Justin Sacks, who, for nearly two decades as a practicing surgeon and scientist, continues to advise his interns. Two years ago, he joined the Dean’s Advisory Council in Cornell Human Ecology and realized he had an opportunity to help even more. Along with his wife, Bethany, an associate professor of surgery at Washington University, he established the Summer Pre-Health Internship Fund with a $125,000 gift. The fund supports one undergraduate student in Human Ecology on a pre-health track while they complete a summer internship in the medical field. “A lot of young people don’t necessarily know what the next steps are in medicine at the undergraduate level,” Justin said. “Getting them hooked up with good mentors can literally change their life.”

Justin adds that his own mentors were critical in helping him achieve his dream career. He wanted to be a doctor ever since admiring his pediatrician as a kid growing up in Brooklyn. “I always thought it was a great fusion of science and humanity,” he said. He sees his gift to make a lasting impact beyond serving on the Dean’s Advisory Committee. “I wanted to do something more substantial than just give advice—it was important for me to create some kind of legacy,” he said. “This allows me to give something back to the University that gave me so much and create an opportunity for others who have needs so they find great mentors and focus on a career in medicine.” He hopes for a domino effect: “Maybe the intern decides to go to medical school, gets grants in research, and winds up all those years later giving back in the same way. That’s a legacy!” Thank you, Justin, for your commitment!

More than 25 years after graduation, Mim Plavin-Masterman ’93 and Alejandro Juárez Crawford ’95, BA ’96, teamed up to create a podcast series.

Zak Green hit Amazon bestseller status with Influence and Impact, co-authored with Chris Voss. The book was released last August. It showcases the compelling messages and profound wisdom of its diverse group of authors. Since its release, the book has made a significant impact in the literary world, achieving the #1 new release spot in direct marketing and ranking on seven other new release lists. It has also appeared on eight best seller lists, including “Running Meetings & Presentations” and “Communications Skills.”

At the heart of Influence and Impact is Zak’s chapter, “Influencing with Integrity—Mastering the Art of Ethical Persuasion.” Zak’s journey, illustrated through his personal and professional experiences, underscores the power of integrity in achieving lasting success. Zak’s story is a compelling reminder that success isn’t just about the numbers—it’s about the relationships you build, the integrity you maintain, and the curiosity that drives you to keep learning and growing.

More than 25 years after graduation, Mim Plavin-Masterman and Alejandro Juárez Crawford ’95, BA ’96, teamed up to create a podcast series and are set to publish a book this summer—which they believe will resonate with other alumni! Alejandro and Mim co-host the podcast What if Instead? on ITSPmagazine Podcast Network and have co-authored the book One Size Fits None: Time for an Entrepreneurial Revolution, scheduled for release by Emerald Publishing. Both the podcast and book delve into a powerful, emerging shift in business paradigms. Their podcast explores journeys in democratizing innovation; the book, set in the same conceptual space, investigates how traditional, top-down models have stifled innovation just as we confront urgent climate challenges—and what we can do to spark change. Learn more about it here.

Do you have news you’d like to share? Contact us: ❖ Theresa Flores (email Theresa) | Mia Blackler (email Mia) | Melissa Hart Moss, JD ’97 (email Melissa) | Alumni Directory.

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1994

Happy New Year, everyone! Quite by chance, this column has an “I’ve been everywhere” vibe. May it inspire your upcoming travels.

Jessica O’Toole, the showrunner for season two of Netflix’s “XO, Kitty,” wrote, “We were shooting in Seoul in the spring. The kids came to visit. It was amazing!” She and husband Jess Mullen-Carey live in L.A. with their two sons.

Also in Korea: Chris and Carol Rim Hanscom relocated to Seoul for an academic year. Their middle daughter is a freshman at UC Berkeley, and their Welsh corgi has been safely ensconced with his four-legged cousins in Maine. Chris, a UCLA professor in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, is deep in the archives at Korea University’s Research Institute of Korean Studies as part of a Fulbright scholarship. As I write this in October, Jason Saculles had already booked a plane ticket to Seoul and Tokyo and was planning to meet up with the Hanscoms.

Perhaps it’s time to come up with a better term than “empty-nester.” Nico and Elizabeth Gonzalez Marcellino now have two kids at UPenn. Last year, they made the best of their daughter’s semester abroad in England, visiting Edinburgh, Seville, Madrid, Paris, and Rome.

Seth Stuhl updated us from New York City last fall: “My husband, Ricky Coombs, and I returned from an extraordinary trip to Kenya and Rwanda. First, we spent 11 days in Kenya, traveling through four tented camps in the Loisaba Conservancy, Lake Elmenteita, and finally Maasai Mara. We traveled during the Great Migration, the annual journey of millions of animals from the Southern Serengeti to the Mara. To wake up and watch the sun come up over the endless savannah, watch hundreds of wildebeest running along, and see families of lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, and zebras was truly awe-inspiring. And having worked for the Broadway show The Lion King for 20 years, in some ways it felt like coming home!

“We then traveled to Rwanda, where we stood feet from a family of 22 gorillas, including a giant silverback and a few adorable babies, and the next day we were surrounded by golden monkeys. It wasn’t all cute animals, though—we visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial and spoke at length with our guide, who was orphaned during the 1994 genocide. The trip was eye-opening about the world, thrilling in seeing those animals, and gut-busting in all the food we ate.” ❖ Dika Lam (email Dika) | Dineen Pashoukos Wasylik (email Dineen) | Jennifer Rabin Marchant (email Jennifer) | Alumni Directory.

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1995

Happy New Year! As I write this in October, I am already getting excited for our 30th Reunion on June 5–8, 2025! As we approach the big weekend, I’d love to hear from you as to what—or who—you most want to see or your favorite Cornell memories from when we were on campus. Please email them to me so I can include them in our class news leading up to Reunion.

Also, if you haven’t had a chance yet to check it out, we have a new blog that began in November and runs through June as a countdown to our 30th Reunion. This is an updated version of the Cornell ’95 Faces that we created for the 20th Reunion, with a modern design and look. We are excited to highlight 30+ alumni, to follow their paths from graduation until today.

Speaking of being back on campus, I recently received a very fun update from Farra Schweibish Isaacson, whose son Ben ’27 is in his second year at Cornell—and one of the two people chosen last year to be a chimesmaster! When the family dropped him off this academic year, he brought them up to the tower and played. Says Farra, “It was just mind-blowing to me—30 years ago I was walking this campus hearing the chimes concerts, never imagining my son would be playing them one day. Just crazy! I’m a proud Cornell mom/alum!”

Brett Blumenthal, MBA ’04’s watercolor “Time to Breathe,” depicting a mother whale and her calf, was a finalist in the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation’s Wildlife Artist of the Year 2024 competition. The exhibit was held at the Mall Galleries in London, UK, and Brett earned the Elizabeth Hosking Watercolour Award.

Thirty years ago I was walking this campus hearing the chimes concerts, never imagining my son would be playing them one day. I’m a proud Cornell mom/alum!

Farra Schweibish Isaacson ’95

Brett and her husband, David Wax, MBA ’04, also just released their second children’s book, I Dream for You. The book is a follow-up to their first (I Wish for You) and expresses the dreams we have for our children as they begin to explore their independence, and how they can learn from wildlife and nature as they embark on that journey of growth.

Another class author, Michelle “Mikki” Knudsen, shared news that her acclaimed children’s book, Library Lion, has been turned into a musical play! It debuted in August at Boston’s Adam Theatre and continued its run in September for school groups at the Boston Public Library. Mikki’s family also took a trip this summer to Iceland, which “was amazing and also a couple of days longer than expected because a glacial flood (which I have learned is called a jökulhlaup) destroyed the road we needed to drive on to reach the airport to return home. We ended up circling Iceland’s Ring Road in the other direction to make it back to Reykjavík.”

Lastly, Thy Nguyen Cavagnaro shares several pieces of exciting news. For her dedication in honoring Americans who fought in the Vietnam War with a monument she installed, annual events she hosts, and interactive presentations she gives in various schools across the area, she was given the Americanism Medal, a national award from the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR), nominated by their Middletown, NJ, chapter. Earlier this year, Thy also received a state proclamation from the Governor of New Jersey for her work with Vietnam veterans. Previously, Thy has also been recognized by U.S. Senator Andy Kim, who praised her on the Senate floor for her leadership in her community for Barnegat’s annual Vietnam Veterans Day events. She was also featured in an interview on NewsMax TV with award-winning anchor Rita Cosby for all the work she does with Vietnam veterans and connecting our youth with them.

On the dog side of her life, two out of the three members of her celebrity trick and therapy dog team, the Amazing Eskies, were recently featured in commercial ads in the winter campaigns of Polo Ralph Lauren and luxury pet brand Tavo!

Until next time—stay connected and safe, classmates. ❖ Alison Torrillo French (email Alison) | Class website | Class Facebook page | Class Instagram page | Alumni Directory.

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1996

Our fellow Cornell alumni continue to make their mark in arts, education, and family life. Here are updates from our accomplished classmates:

Catherine Simpson Bueker and fellow ’96ers Deb Huret Op den Kamp, Ilana Preuss Susskind, and Lora Levy Cover celebrated their 50th birthdays with a memorable week in Hawaii last May. Catherine says, “It was fantastic! The four of us try and get together at least once a year, but this was the best by far.” These annual reunions exemplify the enduring Cornell friendships.

Catherine and husband John, JD ’97, are proud of son Sam Bueker ’25, whose men’s fencing team clinched the Club National Championships. During his Cornell in Washington semester, Sam connected with Linda Jarschauer Johnson ’60, MS ’63, a cherished classmate of Catherine’s late father, David Simpson ’60. Catherine adds, “To say Cornell influenced the trajectory of my life is an understatement—I met my husband and closest friends there.”

Veronica Vazquez celebrates her children’s academic and athletic achievements: her son Simon began his undergraduate studies in upright bass performance at the Peabody Institute, while Simon’s older brother entered his sophomore year at NC State; Veronica’s daughter, now in eighth grade, was recently named captain of her volleyball team.

Do you have news to share? Please do not hesitate to celebrate your personal and professional accomplishments with your Cornell friends! ❖ Marjorie Polycarpe Jean-Paul (email Marjorie) | Catherine Oh Bonita (email Catherine) | Janine Abrams Rethy (email Janine) | Alumni Directory.

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1997

Happy New Year! Please take a moment to write to us. What have you been up to lately? Is anything new happening with your family or friends? Have you read any good books or watched any good shows lately? We’d love to hear from you. ❖ Class of 1997 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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1998

It’s always wonderful to hear from our fellow Class of 1998 members about their latest accomplishments and life experiences they wish to share. Rosanna Batista recently shared, “I am thrilled to announce that I was recently awarded a doctorate in public health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health! The last two-plus decades have had me working for our most resilient populations in Massachusetts and abroad, from refugees and immigrants to children impacted by HIV and AIDS in Uganda. I look forward to dedicating my public health skills to advocating for families and children domestically and in the global south. In June, my oldest daughter, Ilyana, graduated from high school and is now attending Northeastern University as a cell and molecular biology major in the School of Science.”

Kenann McKenzie DeFranza has a growing podcast focused on civic engagement and local community topics that can strengthen and sometimes divide community ties. Her podcast, started in 2020, is available on Spotify, Apple, and all places where podcasts are found. It is called The Aspiring Spirit in memory of her son, Ian. Kenann shares, “We would love for more community members from Cornell to be on the podcast by either being guests or weighing in on topic ideas!”

Jennifer Betit Yen has been the president and CEO of the nonprofit organization the Film Lab since 2012. The Film Lab is “dedicated to promoting and supporting racial and gender parity in entertainment media since 1998, with a particular focus on Asian Americans.” In June 2024, the Film Lab announced the theme for their well-known annual “72 Hours Shootout” filmmaking competition, a global contest for filmmakers to create short films around “themes of worth—self-worth, perceived worth, and the concept of worth itself—while also exploring the intersectionality between dreams and practicality.” The season premiere of “Film Lab Presents: Practical Dreamer” aired on December 1, 2024. Congratulations to all!

If you would like to share your latest news or fondest Cornell memories, reach out to me or fill out an online news form. Thank you, and I cannot wait to hear from you. ❖ Uthica Jinvit Utano (email Uthica) | Alumni Directory.

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1999

Alumni might recognize a few East Hill shout-outs in Rachel Dodes’s co-authored novel The Memo, which Publishers Weekly called a “well-told tale [that] will leave readers wanting more.” The book’s 35-year-old heroine is unhappy in work and love when she goes to her 15th reunion at a Cornell-esque university; there, she reconnects with a career counselor who offers her a magical “memo” allowing her to revisit key points in her past and give herself advice. ❖ Class of 1999 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2000s

2000

Happy New Year! I hope this year brings you love and peace—and new endeavors that you can share with your fellow alumni. In the spirit of celebration here’s some exciting news to share from our fellow alumna Meredith Haff Breiland.

Meredith is now the marketing manager for Hudson Boat Works, a Canadian rowing shell company. After a 15-year career at Concept2, the indoor rower and oar manufacturer, joining Hudson was a natural transition to continue working in the sport she loves. As a former member of the Big Red rowing team, Meredith is proud to assist the current coaches and staff with athlete-focused and technology-driven equipment to bring speed to Cayuga Lake.

Congratulations, Meredith, and thank you for sharing this new adventure with us. Do you have something to share? Please feel free to contact me. Take care! ❖ Denise Williams (email Denise) | Alumni Directory.

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2001

Happy New Year! Remember, we survived Y2K—and that was before even earning our Cornell degrees. Bring it on, ball drop!

Thanks to today’s social media—so much more informative than our Friendster, ICQ, AIM, MySpace, and dorm-door whiteboard communications used to be, though many of us look back wistfully on those incognito days—we’ve observed multiple career transitions, sabbaticals, promotions, health challenges, relocations, and advanced degree pursuits, plus at least one new baby and one wedding among our classmates in 2024. If you’d like to officially share such news or get back in touch with any specific classmates, please contact us or post on our class Facebook group and Instagram page.

Let’s kick things off with the big wedding: Best wishes to the Cornell Club of Boston’s senior VP Tara Benedict Desmarais, who married her longtime partner, Daniel, in a September wedding at the 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel in Clayton, NY, officiated by Emily Hollander Levine. Three of Tara’s four bridesmaids were also Cornell ’01ers: Claire Blais Santarelli, Amanda Clark Naumann, and Kristin Lorenze. Other classmates in attendance were Jeff and Alison Brunger Hardgrove, James Carmody, MPA ’02, Leigh Craven, Lauren Eade Smith, Kathy Frachetti Weigel, John, ME ’02, MBA ’07, and Alison Gilmore Carr, Meg Gwin Versteegen, and Erin Richter Weber.

Tara writes, “The DJ played lots of late ’90s/early 2000s hits to make us feel like we were back at a Cornell frat party, and there may have been an attempt at the 1998 TriDelt pledge dance.” To the surprise of no one who knows her, Tara managed to injure her foot in the festivities and had to spend the following month in a walking boot, but she says it was well worth it. She concludes, “Hope to see most of this crowd at our 25th Reunion in 2026!”

While being a bit gentler with our feet and other body parts these days (thanks, Father Time), we definitely need to party twice as hard at our in-person Big 25, to make up for our virtual 20th. Save that date: June 4–7, 2026. (For those of us with teens, this may also be a good chance to sneak in a college visit … no pressure!)

Tara Benedict Desmarais ’01 and her longtime partner, Daniel, were married in a September wedding officiated by Emily Hollander Levine ’01. Three of Tara’s four bridesmaids were also Cornell ’01ers.

Class of 2001 Reunion co-chairs Marisa Laks and Lorraine Medeiros will be working on our schedule and swag for that long weekend and would love to hear from any classmates interested in offering ideas and helping out!

In the meantime, Marisa is teaching computer science in a NYC public school, where she’s also the school programmer. “I completed an advanced certificate program in school building and school district leadership,” she says, adding that she also spoke at last year’s Computer Science Teachers Association Conference in Las Vegas. Across the bridge/tunnel, Lorraine chimes in from New Jersey, “My life is boring. All I do is sue people.” Um, that sounds fascinating? Especially once we got to chatting more about who she is suing, from multi-million-dollar embezzlers to low-rent family con artists. Bonus points for the Cornell swag decorating her office door and keeping her spirits high while she’s tied down to her desk, fighting those good fights and dreaming of summer (2026).

Staying in touch with old friends is wonderful, but who else is also making some new besties in midlife? Last year, Edan Lichtenstein (who gets a high five for responding first to the “Zero to Three” prompt from my previous Class Notes column) met Caroline Weston, MRP ’21, and Justin Cray ’18, BS ’17, ME ’18, while playing squash at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia. “Both of them ganged up to make me go to the Cornell Philly’s club gala dinner in May,” he writes. “That was a phenomenal event organized by the president of our chapter—I urge everyone to join as the Cornell Club is picking up speed and doing more and more things. Through the Cornell Club, I met for the first time (!) fellow classmate Kyle Kuchera, who I’ve since lunched with a couple of times. After purchasing our tickets as soon as single-game ticket sales opened at Princeton, Andrea Hoberman and family and I will be continuing our almost-annual tradition of cheering on the Cornell hockey team when they come and visit in January. If anyone else reading this is planning to attend, come and find us.”

Still with me? Send me a message via our class Facebook group or on my LinkedIn (I’m not hard to find), or email (see below) with the phrase “We Didn’t Go to Harvard!” Bonus points if you remember what that references.

And, lastly, do you know about the Class of 2001 Scholarship? It’s been awarded to a Cornell senior every year since we graduated, rotating through the different colleges; this year’s recipient is a Hotelie. If you’d like to help support this fund, please keep that in mind for Cornell Giving Day, which falls on March 13 this year.

Happy New Year! To share news or a memory and get back in touch with classmates in 2025, please email either of us, visit our website, like the Class of 2001 Facebook page, join our Class of 2001 Classmates Facebook group, and check out our Class of 2001 Instagram page for great photos and stories. ❖ Nicole Neroulias Gupte (email Nicole) | James Gutow (email James) | Alumni Directory.

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2002

We are thrilled to share this update from Elise Kikis, who writes, “I am a biology professor at the University of the South, affectionately referred to as Sewanee, where I was recently promoted to the rank of full professor. I am also chair of the biology department and teach courses in molecular biology, genetics, and biochemistry. My laboratory studies environmental and genetic factors that influence proteostasis—the ability of cells/organisms to maintain their proteins in a healthy folded state. Proteostasis decline is associated with progressive neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s disease.

“On the occasion of my promotion, I have been reflecting on my career trajectory—a career that started at Cornell University in 1999, when I joined the laboratory of Dr. David Stern at the Boyce Thompson Institute. In my current position, I aim to provide the kind of life-changing mentorship that I was lucky enough to receive as an undergraduate.” Congratulations, Elise!

Author Dan Moren’s latest book, The Armageddon Protocol, is the fourth and final installment of his sci-fi series chronicling a galactic cold war. The book follows two plot threads, as one set of characters goes on the run after being accused of treason, and another is coerced into pulling off a train heist. “Moren gives each team member a moment in the spotlight, demonstrating their individual skills, styles, and quirks, while still showcasing the mutual and near-familial commitment among them through plenty of satisfyingly coordinated action sequences,” says Publishers Weekly. ❖ Class of 2002 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2003

Birgitta Sif wrote to share with us the exciting news that her new children’s book, Wherever You Go, My Love Will Follow, has been published! Birgitta is “originally from Iceland and worked as a graphic designer and then went on to write and illustrate children’s books.” The book is described on Birgitta’s website as “a heartfelt collection of short stories of love and wisdom.” The illustrations from the book are beautiful and warm and they convey a sense of comfort and playful joy. I hope you will join me in congratulating Birgitta!

Daniel Luzer shared that he had the opportunity to volunteer again at Countdown Improv, America’s biggest improv comedy festival in Tampa, FL. The event is co-hosted and produced by classmate Justin Peters. Daniel added, “We had many talented performers this year, including Gerard Ruoti ’08.” He concluded with “special thanks to our sponsors Luke Collin, Noah Doyle, and Gideon Simpson.” Thank you to Daniel for sharing information about an event that creates an intersection of many classmates.

Happy New Year to all! We look forward to hearing about the great things our classmates are doing via news and notes submissions. Until then, all the best. ❖ Jon Schoenberg, ME ’03, PhD ’11 (email Jon) | Candace Lee Chow, PhD ’14 (email Candace) | Alumni Directory.

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2004

Abigail Gilmore Anderson and her sister, Alison Gilmore Carr ’01, were recently featured in a Cornellians article titled “In New England, Two Sisters Grow Cranberries for Your Holiday Table.” The sisters both majored in agricultural business management on the Hill, and now they run the family business: a cranberry farm in Eastern Massachusetts.

“Located not far from Cape Cod, the Gilmore Cranberry Company is a family business whose fruit is featured in some of the most popular products on the market—during the holidays and year-round. Their 100-acre farm harvests berries that are used in Ocean Spray juices, sauces, craisins (dried cranberries), and more.

“After graduation, the sisters lived together in NYC; Carr worked in food product marketing and Anderson had jobs at law and architecture firms. ‘Our parents told us that if we love it, we’ll come back to it,’ Abigail says of working in the family business. ‘That’s exactly what we both did: we took off our corporate hats to put our agricultural hats back on.’” ❖ Class of 2004 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2005

“After completing a Master of Divinity at Bexley Seabury Seminary,” writes Kevin Lowe, “I was recently ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church. I now serve as priest-in-charge of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Lewisburg, PA.”

Chef Katie Button was recently featured in a Cornellians story for her work serving meals to the Asheville, NC, community after Hurricane Helene. “The Engineering alum is a James Beard-nominated chef and cookbook author who owns a popular tapas place in downtown Asheville, a picturesque tourist town nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. As many Americans saw in horrifying images and video in the national media in late September, Asheville and its environs suffered devastating damage from Hurricane Helene.

“Already a leader in Asheville’s vibrant dining scene, Katie has since become a resonant voice in the community’s recovery efforts. Just days after the hurricane, her restaurant, Cúrate, began supplying free meals to local residents—part of a relief effort by World Central Kitchen (WCK), the nonprofit founded by one of Katie’s mentors, celebrity chef José Andrés. … Using food donated from other local eateries as well as supplies from WCK, Cúrate made some 27,000 meals—from breakfast sandwiches to chili, pasta, stew, and more.” ❖ Hilary Johnson King (email Hilary) | Jessica Rosenthal Chod (email Jessica) | Alumni Directory.

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2006

Hello, Class of 2006! I hope everyone is enjoying the season as the leaves fall and the weather gets a little colder. Though the days are getting shorter, there’s no shortage of memories being made right now with you and your families. We’re pleased to share the latest news with you about the class.

Andrey Spektor, former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York, has joined Norton Rose Fulbright at their New York office, within the firm’s regulatory, investigations, securities, and compliance practice. He has the opportunity to represent companies, boards of directors, and individuals in criminal actions, government inquiries, civil enforcement proceedings, complex commercial litigation, and appeals. Andrey helps clients navigate criminal and civil investigations—and last month he obtained an unprecedented resolution for a subsidiary of an international biopharmaceutical company. Incredible accomplishment!

What’s new in your world? We’d love to hear more about you, your family, and what you’ve been up to lately. Please share your news with us! ❖ Kirk Greenspan, MBA ’22 (email Kirk) | Alumni Directory.

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2007

Happy New Year, Class of 2007! Looking forward to new beginnings and rekindling old memories. Thanks, once again, for allowing me to be part of your journeys. Is anyone making resolutions this year? Trips back to the Hill? Let me know!

Shane Dunn writes, “Throughout my post-Cornell life, I have spent a lot of time volunteering for Cornell—and other organizations! Volunteering as an alumni leader with Cornell was deeply meaningful to me; I met wonderful people across generations, learned and utilized new skills, and learned more about our University.

“In addition to being a Cornell volunteer for over 15 years, I have been active in other civic organizations in Greater Boston. Most notably, for over nine years now I have served on the board of directors of GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD). From its website: ‘Through strategic litigation, public policy advocacy, and education, GLAD works in New England and nationally to create a just society free of discrimination based on gender identity and expression, HIV status, and sexual orientation.’ GLAD is well known nationally for leading the way on securing marriage equality for same-sex couples, first in Massachusetts and then across the country through the Obergefell decision at the Supreme Court in 2015.

“In 2014, the then-board chair of the organization (who is a Cornellian!) encouraged me to apply to join the board, so I did—and was invited to join! Since that time, I have loved my service on the board and feeling like I am contributing to an organization that for 45 years has changed the lives of millions of Americans. As a cisgender straight white man, I am incredibly humbled by the opportunity to serve on the board and listen to/learn from many folks in the LGBTQ+ community who need more allies and champions to help advance this crucial work.

This past September, Shane Dunn ’07 was honored by the CALS Alumni Association with its Young Alumni Achievement Award.

“Currently, I serve as president of the board of directors—from what I know, I am the first non-LGBTQ identified board chair and the first non-attorney to serve in this leadership role. GLAD was in a state of transition because our executive director stepped down in the summer of 2023. I led a nationwide search for our new executive director in 2024.

“During my time at Cornell, I spent the bulk of my non-class time at the Cornell Public Service Center and also took many courses with social justice and civic engagement at their core. I’m grateful to Cornell for exposing me to so many opportunities, ideas, and people that have helped me figure out how to give back in meaningful ways with multiple nonprofits, especially GLAD. I’d be happy to share my story with others, and would also be happy to provide advice to students or other alumni.”

This past September, Shane was honored by the CALS Alumni Association with its Young Alumni Achievement Award at its annual dinner. The award honors a CALS graduate under the age of 40 who has achieved success in their professional/personal life and has held leadership positions at CALS or at Cornell. Shane was honored for his professional work in nonprofits and universities in Greater Boston, as well as his many leadership roles as an alumni volunteer for Cornell.

Steven Stern writes, “Since the beginning of 2023 I’ve been volunteering as an instructor with Kitchen Possible. From KP’s website, it teaches ‘weekly cooking lessons to kids aged 8–12 in under-resourced Chicago neighborhoods. In each eight-week session, the kids experience powerful life lessons firsthand—things like the importance of patience, that it’s okay to ask for help, and how to course-correct when things aren’t going as planned.’ I had volunteered several years ago with a similar organization in Atlanta called Cooking Matters and was excited to discover KP in 2022 when I read an article about their annual fundraiser that gets the support of dozens of local Chicago restaurants. I signed up and started working with them shortly thereafter!” Thanks for all your amazing work!

Looking forward to sharing more exciting stories with everyone this year. If you’re enjoying reading updates from our classmates, I’m sure others would love to hear from you as well! Have news to share? Please feel free to reach out to me or submit online! ❖ Samantha Feibush Wolf (email Samantha) | Alumni Directory.

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2008 & 2009

We don’t have any news to share for these classes—so I hope one of your New Year’s resolutions is to write to us! Have you marked a career milestone or taken a trip recently? Do you have a Big Red memory that would make your classmates smile? Share your news here! ❖ Classes of 2008 & 2009 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2010s

2010

Happy New Year! Please take a moment to write to us. What have you been up to lately? Is anything new happening with your family or friends? Have you read any good books or watched any good shows lately? We’d love to hear from you. ❖ Michelle Sun (email Michelle) | Alumni Directory.

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2011

Jenna Kerner Barnes was recently featured in a Cornellians story titled “Alum’s Firm Sells Garments Long Seen as an Oxymoron: Comfy Bras.” From the article, “In 2017, the Arts & Sciences alum cofounded an online clothing business, Harper Wilde, which offers comfortable, high-quality bras as well as underwear, sleepwear, and activewear. Its bras and bralettes (wire-free bras with little or no padding) have earned kudos and landed on ‘best-of’ lists in such media as CNN, Harper’s Bazaar, and Good Housekeeping.

“‘We thought competitors were hyper-sexualizing the market and were out of touch with what women really wanted, which is to be comfortable,’ says Jenna, who was named to the 2019 Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ list in retail and ecommerce.”

Sammy Ramsey is an entomologist whose work focuses primarily on honeybees and protecting native bee populations around the world. His scholarly work has won many awards and he’s been recognized as an engaging scientific educator. His passion for bees and other bugs has led him to create a social media presence focused on explaining what’s going on with these creatures in a way that is accessible to the broadest audience and inspires the next generation.

Recently, Sammy was named the official bug correspondent for the podcast Terrestrials, which transports listeners all over the Earth (and beyond) to learn seemingly fantastical but totally true stories about the world around us. You can listen to him in this episode about honeybees. ❖ Class of 2011 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2012

Happy New Year, Class of 2012 alums! Hope you all enjoyed a restful and joyful holiday season. This time of year always brings back memories of heading back to Ithaca after winter break, and preparing to trudge up and down the Slope through the snow. Here’s a link to the live cam if you want to watch today’s students do it in real time.

We’d love to hear from you—updates on what’s going on in your life lately, memories from Cornell, meet-ups with fellow Cornellians, etc. Send us a message and we’ll happily feature your news in an upcoming Class Notes column. Wishing you a happy 2025! ❖ Peggy Ramin (email Peggy) | Alumni Directory.

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2013

Happy New Year, Class of 2013! The end of 2024 was full of excitement personally, as my husband and I welcomed the birth of our son, Max (who we hope to be Cornell Class of 2046!).

The news for our class was slow in 2024, so let’s resolve in 2025 to keep it flowing! If you have news to share, please email me and you will be featured in an upcoming column. No update is too small!

One update I have to share is from Chidinma Sandra Okafor, who was married last year. She and her husband, Henry, participated in an Igba Nkwu, which is a Nigerian marriage ceremony according to Igbo customs and traditions. Later, they celebrated by exchanging vows before family and friends at the Bethlehem Church in Richmond Hill, Queens, where Chidinma’s parents were married in 1991. Chidinma and her husband now live in Valley Stream, NY, where she is the board of education president for the same school district she and her four siblings grew up in (including Vincent Okafor III ’15). Congratulations to Chidinma and Henry! ❖ Rachael Schuman Fassler (email Rachael) | Alumni Directory.

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2014

Happy New Year, Class of 2014! I hope that you all have a happy and healthy start to 2025. Please reach out if you have news to share! ❖ Samantha Lapehn Young (email Samantha) | Alumni Directory.

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2015–19

We don’t have any news to share for these classes—so I hope one of your New Year’s resolutions is to write to us! Have you marked a career milestone or taken a trip recently? Do you have a Big Red memory that would make your classmates smile? Share your news here! ❖ Classes of 2015–19 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2020s

2020

Matthew Press, an avian scientist with the Sarasota Audubon Society, writes, “I was just interviewed by a local newspaper, the Siesta Sand, on the effects of hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton on the local bird species within the Gulf Coast of Florida.” According to the article, the damage to bird populations could have been much worse if the hurricanes had hit earlier in the nesting season. “Overall, it’s a little early to tell what’s going to happen with the nesting shorebirds,” Matthew said. “When Debby hit, there were some chick losses, but most of them had successfully fledged.”

Jessica Biggott has joined the firm Reinhart in the real estate and institutional investor services practices. She has a strong commitment to sustainable development, which she applies to helping her clients achieve tangible, positive local impact and results. Additionally, she is actively engaged in initiatives aimed at advancing natural resource conservation. Jessica received her JD with a concentration in real estate law from the University of Wisconsin Law School, where she was the symposium editor of the Wisconsin Law Review. ❖ Class of 2020 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2021

Hello, Class of ’21! If you are reading this, we would love to hear from you! Please take a moment to fill out a news form. Have you marked a career milestone or taken a trip recently? Do you have a Big Red memory that would make your classmates smile? Share your news here! ❖ Class of 2021 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2022

Laura Holland and her sister, Shelby Holland ’18, co-host a podcast called Sisters Who Watch. According to their website, the podcast is “THE entertainment review podcast to listen to for hot takes, thoughtful reviews, and diverse perspectives on content.”

“Everyone thinks we are twins (despite our age gap), but we practically act like twins anyway. We do everything together: attend the same schools, move to the same state, braid each other’s hair, travel the world, but mostly watch content!

“Born and raised in New York, we now call California home. Shelby moved to Los Angeles and is pursuing her dream at the intersection of business and entertainment. Laura moved to San Francisco and is kickstarting her career in the legal field. Outside of work, you can catch us attending sporting events, losing our voices at concerts, sighting celebrities at movie premieres, and tasting the best California wine at local vineyards.​

“We are passionate about spreading joy and hope our podcast can not only give content recommendations, but bring people together over storytelling.” ❖ Class of 2022 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2023

Kendall Hoffman, MPS ’23, was selected as part of the third cohort of the U.S. Digital Corps, a program launched in 2021 by the White House to bring civic-minded early-career technologists to serve in the federal government. Kendall will spend the next two years working at the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency as a product manager. She was one of 70 fellows selected from an extremely competitive applicant pool of more than 2,000 from across the country.

On the Hill, Kendall interned with an Ithaca-based startup working to create cleaner, cheaper, and more scalable green hydrogen. She also volunteered with the Cornell Prison Education Program, helping to establish a debate club within a local men’s prison and offering assistance to incarcerated individuals obtaining associate degrees.

Kendall’s diverse skill set includes IT project management, user experience design, and data analysis. She is passionate about bridging the gap between technical solutions and real-world challenges, aiming to lead and collaborate on projects that are technologically advanced, socially responsible, and user-centric. Outside of her professional life, Kendall enjoys running, knitting, cooking, and crossword puzzles. ❖ Class of 2023 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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Grad

Agriculture & Life Sciences

Robert Schechter, PhD ’73, wrote a memoir, titled My Small World, full of his stories of coincidences and experiences in the Peace Corps in Colombia. Robert is a son, husband, father, Navy officer, student, professor, and veterinary hospital owner. He says the book is great for new graduates, retiring veterinarians, and anyone considering a career in veterinary medicine.

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Architecture, Art, and Planning

Dennis Winters, MLA ’84, is pleased to announce the publication of his book, Shades of Engagement: Georgia O’Keeffe and the Erotic Landscapes of Maui. According to the publisher, this is “a poetic meditation on our relationship with the landscape. Unconventional, mesmerizing, and deeply reflective, it explores sacred landscapes and art through the lens of earth, water, and sky. Drawing on his expertise as a landscape architect and a seasoned spiritual practitioner, Dennis Winters offers profound insights into Georgia O’Keeffe’s artistic vision, imagining how the mystical landscapes of Maui might have shaped her art.”

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Arts & Sciences

Jennifer Williams, MA ’09, PhD ’15, wrote her first book, Archaeology of the Political Unconscious: Theater and Opera in East Berlin, 1967–1977, published by Routledge as part of the celebrated Advances in Theatre & Performance Studies series. Based on her PhD research at Cornell, “this book investigates the aesthetic and political dialectics of East Berlin to argue how its theater and opera stages incited artists to act out, fuel, and resist the troubled construction of political legitimacy.” Alumni with library access can read the e-book held in the Cornell Library’s collections.

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Business

Jean-Pierre David, MPS ’82, has retired at 70 years old from the Union Club of the City of New York as chief operating officer and general manager, after a successful career in hospitality. Jean-Pierre spent the last 25 years working in New York City. He and his wife have five daughters and nine grandchildren and enjoy traveling and living mostly in Paris and the south of Portugal. The couple returns to the U.S. once a year to visit family and friends. “I am grateful to Cornell and Dean Robert Beck ’42, PhD ’54, for the doors opened to a great career and much fun along the way,” says Jean-Pierre.

Armand Iaia, MPS ’83, has been transitioning into retirement by exploring less touristy areas of the world. Armand explored the area along the Silk Road in a multi-week trip. “It has been fascinating to learn of the Russian influence (pre- and post-Soviet) that has been prevalent here for so many years,” says Armand. “But, alas, much of the area that was not wiped out by the Mongols in the 13th century was leveled by earthquakes.”

Shonette Harrison Carew, MMH ’01, has joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society as the chief administrative officer. “With more than 20 years of leadership experience across various sectors, Shonette brings a wealth of expertise in operational excellence, team building, and strategic innovation. Her time spent across industries leading CRM integrations, marketing operations, and new market development will help to mature the society into a stronger, more integrated data-led organization. She will oversee the business operations and technology, constituent experience, and innovation teams. In this newly created role, Shonette will be key in aligning business operations, driving cross-functional collaboration, and ensuring the organization achieves its goals for the future.”

Kevin Welling, MBA ’13, has created a feature-length documentary that demonstrates how innovation empowers individuals to tell their stories without traditional barriers. The Tale of Texas Pool is a comprehensive sports documentary that investigates the deep-rooted history of billiards in Texas. It features interviews with legendary players that offer insights into both the sport and the state’s culture.

Sara Schmitt, MBA ’19, is the chief operating officer of Adro, a financial technology company that provides financial services for people who are moving to the U.S. for school or work. Sara has been selected to join the prestigious Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center Milestone Makers fall 2024 cohort. The Milestone Makers program supports founders who are building companies aligned with the United Nations’ sustainable development goals. Over a 12-week period, participants receive individualized mentorship and resources to help them achieve key business milestones. The program culminates in a graduation ceremony held at Times Square in New York City, where participants will be featured on the Nasdaq building. Sara co-founded Adro with Amarildo Gjondrekaj, MBA ’19.

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Human Ecology

Andrew Biemiller, MS ’66, PhD ’69, served as a professor for 36 years at the University of Toronto. He continues to keep up with his developmental psychology profession by writing occasional articles and reviewing articles for journals. Andrew fondly remembers bringing his friendly Siamese cat to Olin Library, where the cat would sit on the table without objecting to the many dogs present.

Katherine Michelmore, PhD ’14, is the recipient of the 2024 David N. Kershaw Award and Prize for her contributions as a leading scholar and educator on the social safety net, education policy, and labor economics. The award recognizes professionals who make significant contributions to the field of public policy analysis and management before the age of 40. It’s a prestigious award that often presages its recipients’ even more significant contributions to public policy in the future. Katherine’s recent work has focused on the temporary expansion of the federal childcare tax credit during the COVID-19 pandemic, a timely topic since Republican and Democratic members of Congress have proposed trying to revive the expansion. She will be recognized at the upcoming 2024 Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Fall Research Conference in late November, where she will give a keynote address.

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Law School

Stewart Edelstein, JD ’73, had the third edition of his book, How to Succeed as a Trial Lawyer, published by the American Bar Association in January 2025. The book is a comprehensive, up-to-date guide for aspiring and experienced litigators alike. During Stewart’s 40-year career as a commercial litigator, he taught clinical courses at Yale Law School for 20 years and was the author/presenter of more than 80 articles, seminars, podcasts, and webinars for trial lawyers. In retirement, he has taught courses on etymology, founded a woodwind quintet, taught squash clinics for adults, joined several local nonprofit boards, and been a weekly columnist for the local paper. Stewart has also authored two other books, The Covid-19 Zeitgeist: Fifty Essays and An Alphabetical Romp Through the Flora of Berkshire Botanical Garden. He continues to enjoy taking advantage of the many cultural and recreational opportunities of Western Massachusetts with his wife, Lynn.

Rodney Walton, JD ’76, is pleased to announce that the Naval Institute Press of Annapolis, MD, released a paperback edition of his book, Big Guns, Brave Men: Mobile Artillery Observers and the Battle for Okinawa, on September 17, 2024. The book was originally released in 2013 in hardcover and Kindle editions only. 2025 will be the 80th anniversary of the battle, which Rodney speculates may be why the paperback edition is being released 11 years after the original publication.

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Group

Cornell Pride

Hello, fellow Cornellians, and welcome to our first Cornellians Group Notes column from Cornell Pride! My name is George Bullis ’94, and I have been a member of the Cornell Pride board for about two years. I’ll serve as your Group Notes correspondent, returning to my journalistic roots after my days on the Cornell Daily Sun staff during my junior year on the Hill.

Cornell Pride continues to thrive and endeavors to connect and engage alumni who identify as LGBTQ+ with each other and their alma mater. If you are not receiving the Cornell Pride monthly and intermittent emails, please click here to sign up and get connected to our newsletter and all of our social media accounts.

We want this column to keep you updated about events that Cornell Pride has organized, as well as news from members of our community.

Cornell Pride’s signature event, the Siegel Awards, named after Steven W. Siegel ’68, were presented this past year in June at the Cornell Pride Reunion weekend. Steven was the first openly gay recipient of the Frank H.T. Rhodes Exemplary Alumni Service Award, Cornell’s highest alumni honor. Siegel was also a key founding member and leader of Cornell Pride (then called CUGALA: Cornell University Gay and Lesbian Alumni Association) for 25+ years. Today, we continue Siegel’s legacy by recognizing and celebrating those who embody his values of service to Cornell and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community.

This year’s Siegel Award winner, Harry Gittelson ’77, has been a trailblazer in advancing LGBTQ+ rights, championing marriage equality, supporting LGBTQ+ education through the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and spearheading initiatives like a coast-to-coast LGBTQ+ trivia game between Cornell and USC. His work with Cornell has enriched diversity and inclusion efforts, including expanding the Cornell Library’s Human Sexuality Collection and fostering meaningful collaborations.

Eric Mora ’13, honored with the first of two Young Alumni Achievement Awards, has transformed the Salinas Valley community in California through arts-driven advocacy, including securing grants for diverse programming and expanding Salinas Valley Pride events to provide scholarships and health services. His leadership has also earned statewide recognition, including for his role on the California Department of Justice’s inaugural LGBTQ+ Advisory Group.

Harry Gittelson ’77 has been a trailblazer in advancing LGBTQ+ rights, championing marriage equality, and more.

Our second Young Alumni Achievement awardee, Andrew Scheldorf, PhD ’23, has brought joy and visibility to Ithaca’s LGBTQ+ community as drag performer Tilia Cordata and founder of the Ithaca Pride Alliance. Through initiatives like “Thursgays at the Range” and Drag Queen Story Hour, they have created safe, affirming spaces for LGBTQ+ individuals while fostering unity and representation.

Raymond Yuan Li ’24, recipient of the Student Leadership Award, has made a lasting impact at Cornell by founding Undergrad Out for Business and the Cornell Ballroom & Drag Club, promoting LGBTQ+ mentorship and culture. His initiatives, including “Taste the Rainbow,” a celebratory LGBTQ+ gala, have united and empowered the campus community while advancing visibility and inclusion.

After not having been back to Ithaca since 1995, I was thrilled to attend the Siegel event and also my Class of 1994 Reunion, where I serve as secretary/treasurer. Watching Andrew perform in drag at Willard Straight Hall this summer was a powerful reminder of how much has changed since my undergrad days.

At the end of the column, there will be information on how you can submit your news and updates to me, but for now, we’d like to start by highlighting some of our current board members. These updates highlight the strength of our LGBTQ+ community and the enduring connections forged at Cornell.

Creativity and personal expression have been central themes for Angela Lu ’13, our current board president. Angela, who grew up in Hong Kong and now lives in Doylestown, PA, has been getting in touch with her creative side. She recently finished a crochet animal for a friend and has been reacquainting herself with her musical side. “Giving up on the piano has been a secret regret I’ve been carrying around for the last two decades, and I’m having a lot more fun getting back into it than I thought I would.”

A new member to our board, Bill Bean ’77 celebrated 40 wonderful years of marriage with his husband this year, a testament to resilience and partnership. After many years, Bill left his role as a management consultant and, after doing volunteer public health work in Africa, pursued a master’s degree in public health at Harvard and joined the faculty there in 2011. Bill, a first-generation college student, fondly recalls the opportunities and growth he experienced at Cornell. “Cornell opened the world to me.” Bill shares, “It provided me with an outstanding education and opportunities that I had never thought possible.” While in Boston during most of the year, Bill and his partner spend their winters in Palm Springs.

Turning to the world of business and finance, Baron Munoz, MBA ’21, another new board member, continues to shape industries as an independent investment and growth strategy consultant. Based in New York City, Baron stays active in venture capital communities and often shares insights with other LGBTQ+ professionals. At home, he finds balance and joy with his senior dog, a constant companion during bustling work weeks. Baron encourages our community to stay connected, saying, “Find your fellow LGBTQ+ Cornellians and tell them how much they mean to you.”

Find your fellow LGBTQ+ Cornellians and tell them how much they mean to you.

Baron Munoz, MBA ’21

This past September, board member Josefin Dolsten ’13 married her wife, Tali. Based in Brooklyn, NY, Josefin works in strategic communications consulting.

Board member Brandon Jernigan, MBA ’24, currently lives in Carlsbad, CA, and works as a professional in institutional investment. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with friends over whiskey and wine. Brandon is also looking forward to giving back to our community. He is actively looking for LGBTQ+ groups that need investment committee support.

Another new board member, Judson Trapnell, MMH ’11, based in Philadelphia, works in event management. When he’s not planning events for others, Judson relaxes by working in his garden.

As for me, I am one of the board’s West Coast members, having lived in California since graduating. Although I didn’t pursue a journalism career, I did leave Cornell to become a teacher through Teach For America. I extended that two-year commitment just a bit, and I am in my 31st year as an educator, having been both a teacher and principal, and am currently in the Palm Springs area. I’ve lived in most of the major urban areas in California, including Los Angeles and the Bay Area, and I just finished my 10th summer in the Coachella Valley, where I live with my dog Shirley Cosmo, still waiting for my soulmate to come along. In November, I hosted a Cornell Pride meetup during Palm Springs Pride and was excited to reconnect with fellow alums Byron Hancock ’77, Ted Holmquist ’04, and Daniel Fast ’72.

I am always inspired by your stories and accomplishments. If you’d like to share an update for an upcoming column or reconnect with Cornell Pride, we’d love to hear from you. Please submit your updates here. Thank you for being part of this vibrant and supportive family—together, we’ll continue to make Cornell Pride a beacon of connection and celebration. ❖ George Bullis ’94 | (email George) | Alumni Directory.

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University Chorus & Glee Club

I didn’t need to go too far for news this time around thanks to the Hangovers, who came to perform at a venue practically in my backyard in Northern Virginia (just outside D.C.) in October.

Among those local Chorus and Glee Club alumni in attendance were Kenyon, MPS ’81, and Betsy Murphy Erickson ’80, Steve Welker ’08, Betsy Alley ’91, and Christina Gee ’93, along with former Chorus/Glee Club director Scott Tucker, his Chorus alumna wife Julie (Huang) ’05, their children, and a number of other Hangs alums that I did not get to meet.

Christina has been continuing her work as a clinical psychology professor at George Washington University, studying coparenting relationships in diverse communities. Her sons are now 13 and 16 so they visited Cornell over the summer for the first (of many) college tours. Writes Christina, “Not surprisingly, Ithaca was gorges, and Cornell is an early favorite.” She enjoyed sharing stories from the olden days on the Hill with the Hangs that she hosted—and got some great college application advice for her son!

Betsy Alley is an independent strategic researcher with Impact Insight; Steve is an attorney for the IRS Office of Chief Counsel; and the Ericksons had recently returned from a fantastic trip to Germany, Croatia, and Slovenia.

And Scott Tucker is currently the artistic director for the Washington Men’s Camerata, co-artistic director for the Washington Douglass Chorale, and artistic director emeritus at the Choral Arts Society of Washington. Julie is the director of music at the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington, as well as associate conductor and accompanist at the Washington Men’s Camerata and conducting fellow at Choralis.

That’s all I’ve got. Want to read some longer columns? Send me news! Your updates are music to my ears. Until we meet again… ❖ Alison Torrillo French ’95 (email Alison) | Alumni Directory.

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Top image: Photo by Lindsay France / Cornell University

Published January 1, 2025