March / April 2023

Columns compiled by your class correspondents

1940s

1946

In January, emeritus faculty members Drew Harvell and Charles Greene led a Cornell’s Adult University study tour to Hawaii. On their itinerary was a morning spent at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA), on Keahole Point near Kona—which was founded in 1974 by our late classmate John Craven. NELHA’s mission is to develop and diversify the Hawaii economy by providing resources and facilities for energy and ocean-related research, education, and commercial activities in an environmentally sound and culturally sensitive manner.

Under John’s leadership, the lab developed the process of using cold deep-ocean water and hot surface water to produce electricity through thermal energy conversion. Though he died in 2015, the lab is continuing the good work. According to its website, it is well on track to fulfilling the mission of becoming an engine for economic development.

Do any readers remember Stephen Thomas “Pete” Bivins, BA ’47? He earned his zoology degree on the Hill and studied ornithology under Prof. Arthur Allen 1907, PhD 1911, accompanying him on many of his photographic trips. He later earned his law degree at Duke University, before moving to and practicing in Milledgeville, GA. Tragically, he and another Milledgeville resident were shot and killed in May 1953 while helping the town prepare for its sesquicentennial celebration.

We have received a request from Susan Lindsley, an author who is working on a book about these events. “Pete is important after all these years in our town,” she wrote. “He will be in the book, and I would really like to have a picture of him.” If anyone has any photos or memories of Mr. Bivins that they would like to share with Susan, please email them to abb83@cornell.edu. ❖ Class of 1946 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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1947 & 1948

We don’t have any news from these classes to report this round—but we hope that will change in the future! Has your family grown? Have you read any good books lately? What kind of impact did your time at Cornell have on your life? If you have a moment, please send an email to us. ❖ Classes of 1947 and 1948 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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1949

Classmates! This year is our 74th since graduation. I look forward to our 75th Reunion next year! I shall probably not travel to Ithaca this year. When I asked my daughter, with whom I live, where she would like to go on our family vacation this summer, she replied “French Polynesia,” so I don’t think we shall make it to Cornell.

Life at home is less exciting, since two granddaughters are in boarding school and a grandson is attending high school abroad. The births of great-grandchildren and baby showers are the major events at this time! I do belong to a reading group here, in which each of us reads something of interest to the group or we enact a radio play. A while ago, I performed in a radio play presented on stage at our community theater. Our small town benefits greatly by the presence of this modern community theater and the active organization supporting it.

’49ers, please keep in touch! Tell us all about your day, your club activities, the books you are reading … Are you planning any trips? Where have you been lately? I surely hope to hear from you soon! ❖ Dorothy Mulhoffer Solow (email Dorothy) | Alumni Directory.

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1950s

1950

One of the pleasures of serving as our class correspondent is to vicariously enjoy the variety of fascinating lives of our classmates. For example, that of Carson Geld (São Paulo, Brazil), a fairy tale story of a city boy who studied agriculture, married luckily, sailed to Brazil, and became a world-recognized farmer.

In fall 1949, Carson met his future wife, freshman Ellen (Bromfield) ’53, when she checked her pea coat at the Willard Straight Theatre. Ellen was the youngest of three daughters of Louis Bromfield 1918, internationally known author of best-selling novels and Hollywood screenplays, and the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize for his 1926 novel Early Autumn. In 1938, Louis moved back from France and acquired a rundown farm near his boyhood home in Mansfield, OH, where he earned international recognition and acclaim for pioneering and promoting soil conservation and other self-sustaining, consistent-yielding farm practices. His farm, called Malabar, is now Ohio’s most visited state park, well known for its fall Heritage Days that attract 10,000 participants.

After Cornell graduation, Carson was hired by Louis as a farmhand for $30 a month, plus room and board, a job Carson enjoyed for its uniqueness and challenges. His love affair with Ellen grew and on January 6, 1951, they married in the Little Church Around the Corner in New York City. While Carson served two years in the Army Veterinary Corps, Ellen developed a lucrative preserves business selling specialty jams and jellies at Saks Fifth Avenue and Marshall Fields. Back on Malabar, Carson met a man named Carlos Arhana, who persuaded the Gelds to move to Brazil to work developing and promoting Louis’s progressive farm practices on Malabar-do-Brasil, a 1,700-acre rundown former coffee plantation.

In February 1953, Ellen sold the preserves business, and she and Carson, with young son Stevie, sailed from New Orleans to São Paulo, Brazil. There on the Malabar-do-Brasil fazenda (farm), while Carson faced the challenging task of upgrading the former coffee plantation, Ellen—like her father a dreamer, farmer, and author—began writing books such as Strangers in the Valley. After three years, success was achieved on Malabar-do-Brasil with conservation practices in place and the resulting bountiful harvests of corn, soybeans, wheat, potatoes, watermelons, mangoes, and other tropical fruits.

In 1957 they left Malabar-do-Brasil for Presidente Prudente, an experimental farm on the frontier of western São Paulo State, where Carson became the highly paid manager. In 1961, after a wide search by Jeep and plane, they bought their own 100-hectare (240-acre) fazenda near the small city of Tietê, about 100 miles west of São Paulo. From there, Ellen wrote eight more bestselling books, farm columns for Brazil’s leading newspaper, Estado de São Paulo, and feature articles for American Farming Magazine.

Carson Geld ’50 met his future wife, freshman Ellen (Bromfield) ’53, when she checked her pea coat at the Willard Straight Theatre.

Carson removed thousands of aging coffee trees, planted pecan trees, and started a purebred strain of Santa Gertrudis cattle, which graze under the pecan trees on a special stolon, a nutritious plant that grows horizontally. Later, Carson planted macadamia, lemon, and orange trees. Each year, he hosts 500 guests for a special sale of purebred Santa Gertrudis cattle for buyers from South America, South Africa, and Australia.

It was on this unique farm that Carson and Ellen raised and educated five kids: Stephen ’74, Robin ’76, Kenneth ’81, Michael, and Christina. All were educated in local schools, supplemented by Ellen’s homeschooling in English and a home with many books. Stephen, Kenneth, and Robin were sent to Cornell. A granddaughter and daughter-in-law are also Cornellians. Michael is a farm consultant with a mineral salts business serving huge farms in the Mato Grosso. Kenneth has five farms with 100,000 lemon and orange trees, the fruits harvested for juice. In contrast, other area agricultural operations are 100,000-hectare (240,000-acre) sugar cane plantations.

Stephen (who died young of brain cancer) had a 100,000-hectare farm in the Mato Grosso on which he double-cropped soybeans and corn. Two of Stevie’s children now operate the farm. Harvesting requires ten of the largest John Deere combines and a fleet of semi-trucks. The soybeans are trucked north to Manaus on the Amazon River, where they are loaded on ships bound for China. The corn is processed into ethanol at refineries near São Paulo.

After 70 years in Brazil, Carson considers himself a Brazilian with three exceptions: he maintains U.S. citizenship and votes in U.S. elections in Lucas, OH; he roots for the U.S. soccer team against Brazil; and he speaks English with his kids, all of whom consider themselves Portuguese-speaking Brazilians. While somewhat physically limited by a stroke, Carson still arises at 5:30, and with morning coffee in hand reads the New York Times and then emails family members. Then he checks the vegetable garden and two pigs, and rides his horse out to check on farm operations.

In quiet times, he reflects on his unusual and wonderful life as a successful farmer and patriarch to a large and growing Brazilian family. Ellen died in 2019 and he misses her constant smile around the fazenda. Her remains were reverently placed beneath a garlic tree in the garden; Carson’s remains will also be placed there. As Carson says, “A living, not a dead, memorial.” A Cornell fairy tale and a touch of Eden. ❖ Paul Joslin (email Paul) | 13731 Hickman Rd., #4207, Urbandale, IA 50323 | tel., (515) 278-0960 | Alumni Directory.

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1951

Happy spring, Class of ’51! We hope this message finds you well. If any classmates are reading this, we hope you will take the time to write to us! Others from our time on the Hill would greatly enjoy reading what you’ve been up to since graduation. ❖ Class of 1951 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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1952

This is a very short column, and there’s a reason for that. My husband, Stuart, is 96. He has spent the last four or five months in hospital or rehab. As you can probably guess, I’m 92. We both use rollators or walkers. I am not the whiz in the kitchen I was. When the rehab place decided to release Stuart to personal care, I decided to join him. The moving day was December 2. The deadline for this column was December 15. I still do not have files or computers/printer in the same place.

However, I hope to, and I do have news. I have it from the West, Jim Ling and Jim Strub, and from the East, Frank Richter, Joan Aten Beach, Judy Calhoun Schurman, and Stephen Tauber. I expect to get that in the next column. Feel free to add to it. ❖ Joan Boffa Gaul (email Joan) | Alumni Directory.

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1953

As classmates prepare to gather and celebrate 70 years of endeavors and events since graduation from Cornell, here are updates from four who have communicated to Class Notes recently. I hope that their good example will motivate other readers to give us an update.

Jack Hanna, BME ’54, now lives in Cortland, OH. Jack met and married a German lady, who he first encountered while shopping at a PX (in Germany) where she was working. They fashioned a happy and adventurous 52-year marriage during which they traveled widely and became parents of a son and a daughter. Now a widower, Jack is retired from an initial career in industry followed by a second career as an independent executive search consultant. He says that he regrets never returning to Ithaca, Cornell, or his fraternity house since graduation. (Hey, Jack, 2023 offers an instant cure for those regrets—it’s called Reunion.)

Another five-year engineer who associates with our class, Vic Wintriss, BEE ’54, with his wife, Diane, continues living in San Diego, CA. Vic has retired from his “labor of love,” a not-for-profit after-school coding institution that he founded to help instruct and certify high-schoolers interested in computer programming. In retirement, Vic still derives contentment from computer programming and its intricacies. (Wouldn’t we all love to have a visit from Vic to help with understanding the mysteries of our various Internet devices?)

Classmate Genie Mandelbaum Deutsch is widowed and living comfortably in a long-term care facility in Mequon, WI. With her “more than 30 great-grandchildren,” I’m certain that visitors are many and frequent at her retirement home. Genie extends warm wishes to all classmates on our 70th.

Alan Perlmutter ’53 and his wife gaze out daily over one of the most beautiful seascapes in America.

Alan Perlmutter and his wife, Nancy, make their home in spectacular Big Sur, CA, where for 34 years they have welcomed and entertained guests at the 89-year-old Big Sur River Inn. Their son Ben ’12 is an engineer who also sings regularly with the Hangovers at gatherings around the nation. Alan and Nancy report that they gaze out daily over one of the most beautiful seascapes in America. Those of you fortunate enough to have visited California’s Big Sur coastline will know that’s no exaggeration!

Here’s some recent ’53 financial news: Market value (as of 9/22) of the Class of ’53 Tradition Fellowship is $165,181; the recipient for the 2022–23 academic year is Jacob Gonzalez ’26, a freshman in the College of Engineering. The Class of 1953 Library Endowment, invested as part of the University’s Long-Term Investment Pool, currently has a book value of $70,776 and a market value of $95,678. The Class of 1953 Container Garden Fund, which helps fund the potted plants displayed outside the Cornell Botanic Gardens’ Lewis Building, has a book value of $18,588 and a market value of $27,565. Thanks to all the generous ’53 classmates who have contributed to these worthy purposes. For more details from the CU annual stewardship report, visit the Division of Financial Affairs. For information about CU investment policy, visit the Office of Investments.

While I still have a few allotted lines, let me report with all due parental pride that our 1989 baby, Will Neff, was named “Creator of the Year” by Esquire Magazine in its 2022 year-end edition dedicated to the entertainment industries. Will was an early live-streamer and he has augmented that specialty by producing and acting in two weekly comedy TV series, co-writing and selling a movie, and launching a successful clothing line—all during 2022. Will’s parents, Julie and me (Bob Neff, JD ’56), are doing well and smiling broadly in their Pinehurst, NC, home. ❖ Bob Neff (email Bob) | Caroline Mulford Owens (email Caroline) | John Nixon (email John) | Jack Brophy (email Jack) | Alumni Directory.

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1954

I live in Des Moines, IA, far from Cornell. Yes, we’re in flyover country, but you may be surprised at the many good things that happen here. One is the World Food Prize, which I was delighted—but not surprised—to discover has much in common with our fair Cornell.

From an official brochure, I learned that the organization was established to become the foremost international award “recognizing individuals whose breakthrough accomplishments have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity, or availability of food in the world.” It was founded by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Norman E. Borlaug who envisioned it as the “Nobel Prize in Agriculture.” In the 36 years of its existence, under superb leadership, it has realized his goal.

Speaking of leadership, Cornell has played and continues to play a significant role in its development and reputation. In 2022, I met Mashal Husain, MHA ’96, recently named WFP senior vice president, development, finance, and operations. In that conversation I learned that our very own David Call, PhD ’60, was instrumental in creating it! I dashed home and called Dave and Mary Gentry Call in Ithaca to hear more.

As you know, Dave was dean of the Ag School (now CALS) for 17 years. Here are his recollections (edited slightly): “In 1983 or ’84 I had a call from a vice president of General Foods, whom I knew from earlier contacts, asking if I would be willing to work with a small group to discuss the concept of establishing a World Food Prize. A month or so later I found myself with Dr. Borlaug and several international professors. We agreed the prize should be established in the U.S., with an international mandate meaning we would honor a few people from around the world who had made very significant contributions to solving world food issues.” When financing by an Iowa family brought the WFP to Des Moines, Dave resigned from the board and asked that the dean of agriculture from Iowa State University replace him.

Dave continues: “I must say, it was one of the highlights of my career when I look at the impact the prize has had on not only bringing attention to world food issues but honoring those who have worked so hard to alleviate world hunger.” Congratulations, Dave!

Our very own David Call ’54, PhD ’60, was instrumental in creating the World Food Prize.

Today, Cornell leadership is offered by Mashal as well as Ronnie Coffman, PhD ’71, who serves on the WFP Council of Advisors. Ronnie was in the field in Mexico with Dr. Borlaug when he received word that he had been awarded the Nobel Prize! After graduate work at Cornell, Ronnie spent 10 years in the Philippines to work on rice seeds. By 1981, rice varieties he helped develop were grown on more than 12 million hectares (25 million acres)! Enticed back to Cornell by Dave, he is “the former Director of International Programs at CALS, a highly respected scientist, a world traveler, and very involved in international food and hunger issues.” He was awarded the 2013 World Agriculture Prize (different than the WFP). As part of his commitment to improving the food supply, Ronnie has advocated for the advancement of women in agriculture and science. He “excels as an agent of change.”

In October, Ronnie came for the annual Borlaug Dialogue, a three-day conference that gathers world leaders and top experts in development, agriculture, economic policy, resource management, and nutrition. I had the pleasure of dining with Ronnie while he was in Des Moines. After all those years in the Philippines, he enjoys eating fish. He was happy to find octopus on the menu. He is as charming a dinner companion as he is a distinguished scientist.

In looking over the list of honorees since 1986, I found some with Cornell connections; Ronnie told me about several more. They range from undergraduate work to PhDs to teaching at Cornell. Dr. Borlaug was an A.D. White Professor-at-Large for around six years. Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, the first laureate, also served as an A.D. White Professor-at-Large. Robert Chandler Jr. was the first WFP laureate from Cornell; he served as a professor of forest soils. The 1990 laureate was John Niederhauser ’39, PhD ’43, who worked with Borlaug in Mexico for many years as a potato breeder. The 2001 laureate, Dr. Per Pinstrup-Andersen, is professor emeritus of nutrition at Cornell. The 2002 laureate was Pedro Sanchez ’62, PhD ’68, and A. Colin McClung, PhD ’50, shared the laureate award in 2006. Lastly, Jan Low, PhD ’94, shared the 2016 prize.

Though we cannot claim her, Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies received the 2022 prize for “her seminal contributions to understanding and predicting the impacts of the interaction between climate and food systems. Through designing and leading rigorous, collaborative observational and modeling research, she provided the evidence used by thousands of decision-makers in more than 90 countries to both mitigate and adapt to climate change in local, national, and global food systems.”

We can take great pride in the significant contributions Cornellians have made and are making to the work of feeding the world. If you wish, you may find more information at worldfoodprize.org.

Now, if you send us some of your news and views, a future column will focus on you! We look forward to hearing from you. ❖ Ruth Carpenter Bailey (email Ruth) | Bill Waters (email Bill) | Class website | Alumni Directory.

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1955

We don’t have any news from classmates to report this issue—but we hope that will change in the future! Has your family grown? Have you read any good books lately? What kind of impact did your time at Cornell have on your life? If you have a moment, please send an email to: ❖ John Wertis (email John) | Alumni Directory.

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1956

“I never imagined I would be developing real estate—especially in my 80s!” writes Miriam Mattinen Shearing. “After Steve retired from medicine, he invested in real estate, but he died, leaving it all to me. I’m now developing part of it and trying to sell the rest. It is always interesting to learn something new, but I did prefer being a judge. I am also serving on a number of nonprofit boards and working on making charitable contributions.”

Miriam continues, “My family is all healthy and happy as far as I can tell. My five grandchildren are grown up except for one 12-year-old. I’m still traveling to visit my family members, as they are scattered around the country—and I’m also traveling with them. We just came back from a Danube cruise. I receive a great deal of satisfaction from making charitable contributions, which make a real difference to institutions, organizations, or individuals. I’m also trying to find time to indulge in my favorite hobby—reading.”

Judith Jabloner Bumble shares that she loves living in a house with a big garden, watching the trees and plants flower on schedule, and watching bird parents be busy. “I’m glad to be here and to be a grandparent.”

I never imagined I would be developing real estate—especially in my 80s!

Miriam Mattinen Shearing ’56

Bert Schwarzschild says, “Retired as I am with regards to travel, I still enjoy phone and email contact with Cornell classmates Alan Natapoff, Joe Frankel, Jack Shirman, Bob Kantor, and Gordon Baym.”

After publishing Jump at the Chance in December 2021, Lael Jackson reports that she’s now writing her next book! “My son, Devon ’95, just returned from Nicaragua. He’s doing really well. His son is in college and his daughter is in high school.” Lael shares that she’s loving her “joyous gatherings” with friends.

Jane Wakeley Johnson, MS ’63 (Andover, MA) writes, “After living in Florida for 33 years, my youngest daughter and her family are now living in nearby New Hampshire and here in Massachusetts.” Jane has been quilting, reading, going to exercise class, ringing hand bells in her church group, and visiting her children.

Trudy Hutchins Hickox reports that her husband, Dean, has died. “We had four children and now have five grandsons, two granddaughters, and three great-grandchildren. I play tennis regularly. Some days Roland Reisley ’46, BA ’45, who is 96 years old and a Cornell graduate, plays with us.” ❖ Phyllis Bosworth (email Phyllis) | Alumni Directory.

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1957

Eva Klauber Anderson credits the rigor of her Cornell courses as the base of her future studies. With her Cornell psychology major in hand, she added a Syracuse University MA in 1959 and earned her Syracuse PhD in 1965. Eva began her career as the school psychologist in the Monroe County (NY) schools. Once she was licensed as a psychologist, she became an assistant professor in special education and opened her private practice.

In 1975, Eva and her second husband, William (now deceased), moved to Salisbury State University in Maryland to continue their professional careers. Eva is a noted educator and psychologist and a diplomate of the American Board of Disability Analysts. She maintains an office at Salisbury University, continues her private practice, and supervises students in Salisbury’s graduate psychologist program, including a woman whose undergraduate degree is from Cornell. I heard a smile in her voice when she spoke of her granddaughter being on the path to becoming a licensed psychologist.

Another classmate who credits his Cornell experience for his life’s journey is Gerald Rehkugler, MS ’58. Gerry arrived at Cornell’s College of Agriculture from rural Wayne County (NY), where he was valedictorian of his class of 20 students. He was drawn to the agricultural engineering major as an undergrad and followed that with his Cornell MS. He then earned his PhD at Iowa State University, which had the premier program in this field. He returned to Cornell even with offers from other institutions, as he honored his experience that Cornell had always treated him well.

Now retired as emeritus professor from CALS’ Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Gerry recalls the changes in his students over the years. He notes that today’s students are very well-prepared, focused, and enthusiastic about this field in CALS. Gerry’s use of computers has come from infancy to sophistication. One of his recent papers was titled “Using Computer Vision for Detecting Watercore in Apples,” and another was “Grapevine Cordon Following Using Digital Image Processing.” Both apples and grapes are major New York State products.

Gerry’s latest project is working on a history-related documentary of the rise and fall of the use of tower silos by the dairy farms in Cortland County (NY). He has photographed more than 300 silos and is tracing the decline of dairy farms there from over 2,500 in the 1850s to about 80 today. The book is almost complete, and he will let us know when it’s published. He made an observation after seeing his grandchildren and great-grandchildren handle their education during the pandemic and remote learning: he said they learned resiliency.

With her career in teaching completed, Gabrielle Kirsch McGhee ’57 earned a master’s and opened her own 10-year practice as a licensed marriage and family therapist.

After she graduated in seven semesters, Gabrielle Kirsch McGhee and husband Donald headed to Holland Patent, NY, an upstate rural area much different from her home in NYC. She became a mathematics teacher at Holland Patent High School, earned a master’s degree from Oneonta State College, brought up four children, and became very involved with the AFS Intercultural Program. With her career in teaching completed, Gabrielle earned a master’s degree from Syracuse University and opened her own 10-year practice as a licensed marriage and family therapist.

Last summer, Gabrielle and Don left behind their own plot of land, complete with their own woods and wood-fired stove, and moved to easier living in an apartment complex in North Utica. The move did not interrupt her volunteer work at her long-attended church in Holland Patent, which is only nine minutes away from where they now live. Through her gift in drawing others to help in her volunteer projects, she is able to continue her dedication to helping others though a coffeehouse, a soup kitchen, and a food pantry.

Gabrielle and Don’s two youngest children became Cornellians and all four have scattered elsewhere in the country. Gabrielle said the pandemic had them learn how to nurture ties remotely, through Zoom, tele-chat, etc.—and in spite of the challenges of the past few years, she has seen their offspring thrive.

Eph McLean sent news that after 59 years in the computer field and 52 years as a professor, he retired in the summer of 2021. He was the Georgia State University department chair of computer information systems. After earning his BME from Cornell, he earned his MBA in 1967 and his PhD in 1970 from MIT. His doctoral thesis focused on developing the Boston-based Lahey Clinic’s automated medical history system. In 1969 he moved to the A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, where he founded and directed its first information systems research program. His move to his position at Georgia State University began in 1987.

One of Eph’s many publications is Information Technology for Management, which until recently was the second-largest textbook on information systems in the world. Eph and Jane expect to remain living in the Atlanta area while spending their summers on Cape Cod. Eph may consider himself to be retired, but in December 2022 he was off to Copenhagen to serve on a panel at a conference. ❖ Connie Santagato Hosterman (email Connie) | Alumni Directory.

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1958

We are saddened to report the passing of two well-known classmates last fall. Glenn Light, BME ’59, MS ’62, of Los Angeles, CA, passed away after a long battle with chronic lung disease and is survived by his wife, Ruth, and family. An SAE fraternity brother at Cornell, Glenn was a spare on the undefeated Cornell Henley-on-the-Thames (England) World Championship rowing crew in 1957, and was elected commodore (captain) of the 1958 crew. He was a member of Quill and Dagger and Tau Beta Pi.

Bill Standen, our long-standing president of many terms over our middle-alumni years, passed away after battling cancer. Bill also was SAE and very active in campus life and will be remembered especially for his successful efforts in getting his fraternity brothers back to the Hill for Reunions. Ron Demer ’59 reminds us that Bill and Sheila met at a Barcelona bullfight when Bill was a midshipman on summer cruise in the Med and Sheila a UConn grad on tour—thus starting, as Ron put it, “a Hemingway romance that lasted 65 years.” Bill will be greatly missed, and we extend our sympathies to Sheila and family, and also to Ruth and family, over their losses.

Laurence Pringle is “thankful for nature—for fulfilling my life with wonder, mystery, and delight.” Laurence published his 121st children’s book last May, a narrative nonfiction story titled The Secret Life of the Sea Otter, earning a starred review in School Library Journal. Lewis Futterman, from Marina del Rey, CA, writes that he is “still building—now small condo units in L.A. I can still work out and ride my bike seven days a week and work as much as I want to.” He’s healthy and happy and reports that his grown daughter writes TV series for Netflix.

Muriel King Taylor, MD ’62, was diagnosed with TB in 2021 but appears to have been cured of it and considers herself very lucky. Muriel says, “I’ve been reorganizing my life to develop a network of friends and services, so I’m not unduly compromised by shortness of breath and my decision to give up driving.” Though she had to give up some activities, she is giving pickleball a try to help her health and breathing. She’s also “giving away my life’s accumulations of personal treasures to friends and family and finding the process to be good fun—but I will still need a garage sale.”

Laurence Pringle ’58 published his 121st children’s book last May.

Herbert Goldman writes from Puerto Rico and would be happy to hear from his classmates. He spends time trying to make people laugh. He and his wife have recovered from some serious surgeries, and he says, “We still have a bit more time. Ask me about my worst lawyer jokes,” he pleads, as his newest hobby is “being hilariously inappropriate … and also learning to be domesticated—I never should have retired.”

Russ Taft has been living on Maui for 50 years. “I’m enjoying good friends, living here, and still singing, acting, and playing in community theater; I became a first-time grandfather four months ago.” (That would have been early last year.) Sonja Kischner Wilkin still resides in Clayton, CA, and sent in a report. Sonja says she and other classmates plan to attend Reunion and “to continue our Zoom happy hour gatherings with fellow Chi Gams. I’m staying healthy, exercising back at the gym, biking, and enjoying lots of socializing with friends.”

And that will happen even more at Reunion, as Dick and Connie Case Haggard report that plans for our 65th are complete for lots of good gatherings, fun, fine meals, tours, and socializing, indeed. It all begins on Thursday of Reunion week, right through Sunday breakfast, at our home at the Statler. Our co-chairs have worked to keep costs down, drawing a good portion from our healthy class treasury, and your registration materials will be appearing beginning this month into April.

Class officers have been contacting others to join the party. Larry Severino, our affinity chair, has been in touch with various groups; Alan Goldman, our nominating communication chair, with Barbara Avery, MA ’59, Carol Boeckle Welch, and Duffy Mathias, are working on officer nominations, with Duffy also giving good advice on the wine list. Connie and Dick send their hopes that you too have been encouraging fellow class members to join you for another grand time together on campus, June 8–11. Can we break ’52’s record of 80 returning for their 65th, set six years ago? We can do it; see you there! ❖ Dick Haggard (email Dick) | Jan Arps Jarvie (email Jan) | Alumni Directory.

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1959

Rick Dyer, MD ’63, has moved up the road from his farm in Watertown, CT, to Brandywine Living at Litchfield. Alpha Delt alumni president Howie Schaffer ’90 writes that Rick continues to paint and still loves sailing and being near the water. Rick demonstrated his lifelong love of rowing by participating in the alumni row at our 60th Reunion in 2019—reminiscent of undergraduate days, including when he stroked the varsity heavyweight team to win the 1958 Intercollegiate Rowing Association national championship.

At the 60th Reunion, too, Rick was one of the loudest voices among ’59ers singing regards to Davy during Cornelliana Night (where we were honored for breaking the Reunion record for the 60th). “Some of my happiest memories are from my days at Cornell,” he says. Even incidents that were distressing then provide good memories these days—like the time that Rick and Calvin Carr were driving from campus to Worcester, MA, during a severe snowstorm: “It snowed like crazy and our windshield wipers froze to a stop. We had to pull off the road every few miles to deal with the situation, resulting in a very, very long trip.”

Fine article in a December issue of the New York Times on the “famously private” Thomas Pynchon and his sale of his papers to the Huntington Library in San Marino, CA. “They include drafts, notes, and letters—but sorry, no photographs of him,” writes Jennifer Schuessler. The Huntington’s acquisition, she notes, promises “to open a window into the mind and methods of an author whose dense, erudite, playfully postmodern, and often extremely long novels … have inspired serious scholarship, cultish devotion, and wild-eyed conspiracy theories.” (Like the rumor some 30-plus years ago that Pynchon and J.D. Salinger were one and the same writer.) “But for all [the archive’s] richness, those hoping for a more intimate view of the man who twice made a cheeky cameo on ‘The Simpsons’ with a paper bag over his head may be out of luck. The archive includes correspondence relating to the publishing process, the library said, but no private letters or other personal material.” ❖ Jenny Tesar (email Jenny) | Alumni Directory.

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1960s

1960

Our warmest thanks to class officer Ginny Seipt for having successfully arranged the Class of ’60 lunch at Sardi’s that took place in the late fall. Included in the group were officers Susan Cowan Jakubiak, Don Milsten, Phyllis Pugatch Schecter, and Ellie Ross Garfinkel, along with P.J. and Elaine Rush Mode, Bob Lawrence, Evie Edwards Milman, Anita Lesgold Belman, MS ’61, Jim Rosenberg, Jeanie Lahey Johnson, Pete Weis, Bobbie Spelman Josepher, Stephen Field, Edith Rogovin Frankel, Alan Siegel, and Phyllis Winter Feingold.

Ron Demer ’59 wrote from Ithaca that our classmate Tony Ayer sent along a fascinating story about a “Lost Plantation” that he and his wife, Nancy, discovered on St. Croix in the Virgin Islands. The sugar and rum plantation had been abandoned after a late 19th-century hurricane and was completely engulfed with vines when they came across it. The story of the discovery and three-year restoration completed by the Ayers can be found here. Tony and Nancy now live on Orcas Island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca off the Washington coast, 3,500 miles from the Lost Plantation and Caribbean hurricanes.

Geoffrey Bullard, who divides his time between Albany and Kissimmee, FL, wrote that during his trip north in April he stayed overnight with Marilyn MacKenzie Montgomery and her husband, Robert, who had moved not long ago from Sag Harbor to Fairfax, VA. He says they had an excellent time catching up on their news, and notes that he also visits Don Milsten when he is traveling South.

Elaine Gruenberg Azcarate remains comfortably retired in Lone Tree, CO, where, she says, “I play Mahjong and spend time exercising with a personal trainer, have lunch with friends every week, and work on training a puppy. I still visit my brother in Holden Beach, NC, every summer and enjoy spending time with other family members, particularly my three grandchildren, whose activities include participation in musical theater and a variety of sports.”

Roena Lindquist Haynie reports from Kansas City, MO, that she has been active in her condominium’s social committee, visiting and cheering up people who are isolated because of the pandemic. She also participates in two book clubs and says she is doing something she never imagined: “exhibiting my needlework in our condominium art gallery!” In summer 2022, her grandson went to Bhutan for a junior year abroad, and her granddaughter started college at Agnes Scott in Atlanta. Roena notes that she and her husband, Charles, “are gratified that our two daughters and two grandchildren share our values and our political outlooks.”

I’m finishing up with my last PhD student at age 83.

William Duff ’60

James DeGroff, MBA ’61 (Bloomfield, NJ) says he is “still working from home, focusing on computer software sales. I also now have a great-grandson and am experiencing satisfaction by being alive and healthy.” Bruce Veghte (Clearwater, FL) continues his work as vice chair of the Caroga Arts Collective during his summers in the southern Adirondacks, and he says he is very proud of grandson Aidan Veghte ’25, who attends Cornell, where he is enrolled in a pre-med program.

Johanna “Toddy” Dwyer writes from Jamaica Plain, MA, “I’m still working part time at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, which is fun. I’m also editing a journal. Now I hope to get back to traveling and seeing Iceland and possibly Antarctica in the fall, if it hasn’t melted by then. I’m also learning about the stock market and am doing something I never imagined: going to Boston Symphony performances on Friday afternoons.”

William Duff (Fort Collins, CO), a retired professor, says, “I’m finishing up with my last PhD student at age 83, and, with wife Kay, spending summers at our lake house in Northern Wisconsin and winters in Colorado.” Stanley Watkins (Annapolis, MD) notes that in retirement he focuses on farming, fishing, and hunting and also gets great satisfaction from following the careers of his two children and five grandchildren.

Kathy Beneke Lyle (Vernon, CT) says that she and her husband, Robert ’58, are “busy caring for two 80-plus-year-olds (ourselves)—a full time job! We are proud that our grandson graduated from Brown in May and believe that his only fault was not applying to Cornell.” In South Weymouth, MA, Tom Wheatley reports, “Jack Keefe has kept me posted with many updates on an actual Reunion; I will believe it when it takes place. For me, depending on border crossing, I hope to visit relatives in London on my way to a high school class reunion in Copper Cliff in July. Not having been back since 1995, this is on my dwindling ‘bucket list.’ I also plan to complete a marathon distance of 26 miles for a charity (walking, of course) in the fall.”

Back in spring 2021, Alan Lippert, normally found in Mercer Island, WA, admitted that he and his wife, Meg, “have been in Honolulu since the ‘start’ of COVID-19. We left the mainland on March 13, 2020 and now care for our toddler granddaughter while her parents work from home. I still play two hours of pickleball almost every day but would not be doing so if I wasn’t in Hawaii.” His major takeaway from the pandemic? “I am dismayed at the political divide that it has exposed.” ❖ Judy Bryant Wittenberg (email Judy) | Alumni Directory.

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1961

Greetings, classmates—from two feet of new Reno snow! Sure feels like Christmas as I write this, though it will be nearly spring when you read it.

Peter Greenberg writes about a gathering in November at the Cornell vs. Columbia football game with Harry Petchesky ’59, Phil Oberlander, and Ed Goldman, with pictures on a sunny day. ’Twas Thanksgiving there.

Frances Shapiro Ivker enjoys sleeping late and comes and goes as she pleases. Two days a month she keeps office hours (ob/gyn), seeing patients who have been with her for years. She has a pacemaker, and she survived COVID after attending her 45th medical school reunion. She has nine grandchildren: four finished college, one is just starting at GW, three are in Israel, and two have finished with the Army and one is just starting.

Now going North, classmate Cindy Johnson Pratt says she has “just moved five miles from our home on Lake Minnetonka to the lakeside community of Wayzata, where we have an independent living apartment. I have had extensive gardens with 150 varieties of hosta. They have been my passion since 1989—so many are hugely architectural. I have planted and divided every one myself. All three sons love my hostas and are happy to dig them up now that I have moved. My husband died in 2010 and a lifelong friend of 50 years now joins me. We have so much shared history—his wife died in 1997. So all this brings me great joy, having Ted in my life as well as having all three sons and all five grandchildren here within 10 minutes to see each other all the time. I have now designed and hooked 75 rugs. All just one of a kind. It’s like painting with wool. Very creative and satisfying.”

From Chapel Hill, NC, we hear from Joan Ware Meade, BArch ’65, who has never written in before. She says, “This is a big catch-up. For the past 20 years, after retiring from my architectural career, I have pursued my passion as a professional artist, focusing on realistic landscapes. I am especially drawn to water, rocks, and trees in their spectacular variety. I work in sculptural acrylics with texture, color, and shapes giving a three-dimensional effect. My landscapes and seascapes are inspired by my travels and enhanced by my imagination.

I served as artist-in-residence at Acadia National Park in Maine.

Joan Ware Meade ’61, BArch ’65

“I have had many solo exhibitions in galleries and other venues in the Southeastern U.S. and have participated in a number of juried international, national, and regional shows on the East and West coasts of the U.S. and many other group shows. I served as artist-in-residence at Acadia National Park in Maine for July 2011. My artworks are in public and private collections across the U.S., in Canada, and abroad. You can visit my website to see some of my work.

“My husband of 57 years and I enjoy life in a retirement community in Chapel Hill, NC, with the benefit of an in-home art studio. Our recent travel has been mostly visiting coastal cities, where I have had artworks in juried exhibitions. The most exciting of these was Artexpo New York, an international show in Manhattan in October 2021. Back home in Chapel Hill, we are fortunate to have our two sons living nearby. We gather often to play croquet!”

Nancy Paull McKeever writes, “Life is good. I retired five years ago from the faculty of Bank Street College in NYC. I’m busy hiking, which was a great social experience during COVID. Glad to be back to traveling. Surprised to be working hard getting out the vote. My first grandchild began college this fall at Tufts University.”

Classmate L. George Wilson finds himself moving into a continuing care community, purchasing a condominium on the campus. He states that his family is keeping him busy in retirement.

Robert Wrede, BA ’66, JD ’69, never imagined raising a tween and a teen—his children Kendlyn, 12, and Kendrick, 13—with wife Ranlyn.

Robert Gambino and wife Kathy check in from New Milford, CT. ❖ Susan Williams Stevens (email Susan) | Doug Fuss (email Doug) | Alumni Directory.

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1962

Spring is coming and I hope that, as you read this, you are remembering springtime at Cornell. Each year we thought it would never come, and each year we were happily reminded that the giant trees turned green, the flowers bloomed, the ice melted, and the temperatures soared into the 40s! Please put on your positive thinking caps and send some memories we can all share. Or how about some current news? Hope to hear from you soon. ❖ Evelyn Eskin (email Evelyn) | Alumni Directory.

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1963

This just in from Paula Trested Laholt, our 60th Reunion chair: “At this time we have planned all the details for the happenings during June 8–11, 2023. Classmates and guests will enjoy delicious meal menus either in our McClintock headquarters or nearby. There are some activities for the more energetic and we are also providing many opportunities for R&R with longtime classmates and friends, with ample time for making new acquaintances. You will be receiving your packet of information in the U.S. mail along with directions for your online reservation. Come home again to Cornell and enjoy all the variety the University has to offer.” Email Paula with specific questions or issues.

Nancy Cooke McAfee writes: “I am busy teaching art history via Zoom for senior learning centers all over the country, serving on two boards, and traveling to Alaska and Scandinavia this summer. Who said retirement was relaxing? I have four grandchildren in San Francisco and four here in Rochester (who need to be driven to softball and LAX). Most importantly I am involved with the City of Rochester—along with my garden club—in an initiative to plant 7,000 trees in the inner city. What better legacy to leave than a tree in your front yard?”

Jay Light, who served as dean of the Harvard Business School from 2005–10, died of cancer in October at his home in South Dartmouth, MA. Jay earned his doctorate at Harvard and served on the HBS faculty for 40 years between 1970 and 2010.

Warren Walker, PhD ’68, writes: “I am currently living in a retirement community called Laguna Woods in Southern California. It is the ideal setting for an older retired person like me. It is a gated retirement community (you have to be at least 55 years old to live here) of 17,000 people. There is an amazing assortment of clubs—whatever your interests. I am active on the Environment Committee of Concerned Citizens of Laguna Woods (continuing my efforts to save the world). It is a low-density area. Also on Sundays in the summer I go to a nearby park where there is live music—my favorite stuff from the 1960s.

I am semi-retired and looking forward to 3/4 retirement at age 100.

Martin Krasner ’63

“After I received my PhD in operations research from Cornell in 1968, I joined the New York City RAND Institute, which was helping New York avoid bankruptcy. My work actually helped the Fire Department reduce its budget while improving fire protection. (A journal article I wrote based on this work won the prize for ‘Outstanding Paper in Operations Research’ in 1974.) In 1977, I moved to Santa Monica, CA, to work at RAND, primarily on a project called ‘Policy Analysis of Water Management for the Netherlands.’ In 1992, RAND moved me to the Netherlands in order to open an office called RAND Europe. While there, I helped establish a new faculty at the Delft University of Technology, which was named Systems Engineering, Policy Analysis & Management. I subsequently became a full professor there. While there, I had many academic publications and co-edited a book titled Decision Making Under Deep Uncertainty, which has been downloaded more than half a million times. I also was instrumental in establishing the Society for Decision Making Under Deep Uncertainty.”

Bill and Frankie Campbell Tutt sent an interesting article from the Gazette newspaper from Colorado Springs, CO. Their son, Ben, MMH ’97, is managing partner of the Condado Collection properties. He and his wife live in San Juan, Puerto Rico. When Hurricane Ian came ashore, the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel became a “beacon on the beach during the storm. Its diesel generators kept its power going so that it stood like a lighthouse of hope in the island’s darkest hours. So Ben and his wife stepped into the gap, keeping the hotel open for guests, hotel workers and their families, and aid workers. Ben and his wife began running donated food, water, supplies, and tarps out of their basement to devastated neighborhoods.” Frankie and Bill shared the story with friends in Colorado Springs and donations poured in.

Martin and Stephanie Krasner live in New Rochelle, NY. Marty says, “I am semi-retired and looking forward to 3/4 retirement at age 100. I am still representing companies, celebrities, and products for QVC programs. I play lots of tennis, plus daily Wordle, Quordle, Phoodle, Jewel, Worldle, Framed, and Heardle.”

Karen Randlev lives in Williamsport, MD. Karen writes, “I am in a senior community near the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. I am still actively writing and publishing, and I’m preparing my archive to go to University of Alaska, Fairbanks for research. I’m enjoying yoga and I keep in touch with some Alpha Phis. Living here reminds me of freshman year in Risley. Son Hank Donnelly (Haverford BS, UC Santa Cruz PhD in astronomy) works at a think tank in Washington, DC. Granddaughter Maeve (Bryn Mawr 2021) is heading to Syracuse for an art history MFA, and grandson Erik (Oberlin ’24) is a Chinese scholar and is heading to Jaipur, India, as a distinguished fellow in Hindi. I also enjoy good conversation and BritBox mysteries.”

I always welcome news, whether by email or through the online news form. See you at our 60th in June! ❖ Nancy Bierds Icke (email Nancy) | 12350 E. Roger Road, Tucson, AZ 85749 | Alumni Directory.

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1964

Welcome to springtime! It sure seems that way from your notes, which are shedding COVID-related news and instead show signs of varied and increased activity. Also please note we are no longer listing email addresses in Class Notes following some complaints of spam.

Jason Wittman, MPS ’76, certainly kept busy during the pandemic. He writes from his home in Los Angeles about his second book, a nonfiction endeavor that Jason terms his “pandemic project.” He says: “My book, Designing Your Great Life!: Time-Tested Prescriptions for a Life Worth Living, was published in 2022. It is a compilation of my suggestions to clients over the last 50 years as a therapist and sober coach and recovery counselor. My career actually started while I was still a grad student in Human Ecology, when I founded one of the first residential addiction rehab programs in the country that is still going in Trumansburg: Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services.” Jason goes on, “Currently, I am assisting companies to apply for their ERC (Employee Retention Credit) refunds. I am representing a company that excels at ushering applications through a pretty complicated process. I also opened up an Etsy store to market my fine art photography.”

Michael “Tree” Smith, PhD ’73, has also kept particularly busy. He writes, “During the past 20 years, our Phi Gamma Delta class has had 13 reunions around the country in addition to the five-year gatherings on the Hill. Since 2013 they have been annual except for ’20 and ’21 due to COVID. In late September, we gathered again in Newport, RI, for five days and had a wonderful time with good weather. In addition to land and water tours, and tours of the incredible mansions of the “conspicuous consumption” era of the late 19th century, a highlight was an arranged visit to the U.S. Naval War College. In addition to my wife, Linda (Dyer), MPS ’04, and me, attendees with their significant others were Tom Bielicki, MBA ’66, David Downey, Frank Galioto, Paul Goodwin, Jennefer Austin Hirshberg, and John Teichert. We will be gathering again next September in Nashville. Meanwhile, we continue our practice, begun in spring 2020 due to COVID, of Zooming together every Tuesday evening for an hour to solve the world’s problems.” Tree adds, “Linda and I are still living in Anchorage after 51 years. Our daughter, Jessica Smith McArt, has a DVM ’07 and PhD ’13 from Cornell and is now an associate professor of veterinary medicine there. We spend about 15 weeks each year at our old family farmstead in the southern Catskills about 2.5 hours from Ithaca.”

Marian Levine Steinberg, who lives in White Plains, NY, writes, “I retired after 33 years of teaching (mostly social studies) high school students with emotional challenges.” Her current activities are varied, including “pet therapy, hospital volunteer work, and the League of Women Voters.” Marian also had COVID downtime to work, noting she “wrote a three-generation memoir for my children and grandchildren.” But she otherwise didn’t just sit around: “I made what turned out to be a wonderful decision to emerge from pandemic self-isolation by attending the newly resumed Cornell’s Adult University in July. I took a fascinating course in film from Prof. Elliot Shapiro, who ran it like a seminar with plenty of discussion despite there being 25 of us.”

I founded one of the first residential addiction rehab programs in the country that is still going in Trumansburg, NY.

Jason Wittman ’64, MPS ’76

Jason Gettinger seems unfazed by it all, noting, “My daily life hasn’t changed much since retirement, except for the period of the most stringent lockdown in New York City.” Jason has been active, noting, “Retired for almost 12 years, I remain pleased to enjoy New York’s cultural, club, and social aspects. I write mini-essays for my own enjoyment, sometimes sharing with friends and journalists, or posting on the Wall Street Journal.” He comments about turning 80 years of age: “It is no surprise that I seem to spend more time managing healthcare (thank you, Weill Cornell Medical Center and physicians) and investments than I did when I was running 25 miles a week and living off credit. Not an inveterate traveler, I have nevertheless since April 2019 been to: Houston, Vienna, Normandy, San Francisco (numerous times), Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Colorado Springs, Wilmington, DE, Hudson Valley/Bard campus, and Nantucket.” Jason goes on, “My current activities include my subscriptions to the Metropolitan Opera, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and local musical groups, and events at the Cornell Club–New York, including some athletic efforts. I continue my hobby, begun in retirement, of playing the cello and taking private lessons—11 years of classical cello from Bach to Brahms.”

Joan Lazarus Shapiro, who lives in Chicago, writes, “I am executive director and founder of Reading Between the Lines, a nonprofit that uses discussion of literature to strengthen communication and leadership skills with formerly and currently incarcerated women and men. We are the only organization of our kind in Illinois.” Joan’s recent travel covered “Africa, South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia with daughter, granddaughter, and daughter’s boyfriend.”

Peter Stauder, who lives in Clermont, FL, is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel engaging in what he deems “hobbies”: “helping people trace their Irish heritage and cooking.” By contrast, Peter also went to Las Vegas for the 40th annual reunion of the Stealth Fighter Association that was his Air Force unit in the 1980s. Peter also reports having a Zoom meeting with his frat brothers from Sigma Phi Epsilon. “Great seeing them!”

That’s all for now. I could always use more of your news, so please update me by email, regular mail, our class website, or our class Facebook page. ❖ Bev Johns Lamont (email Bev) | 720 Chestnut St., Deerfield, IL 60015 | Alumni Directory.

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1965

Happy spring, Class of ’65! We hope this message finds you well. If any classmates are reading this, we hope you will take the time to write to us! Others from our time on the Hill would greatly enjoy reading what you’ve been up to since graduation. ❖ Joan Hens Johnson (email Joan) | Stephen Appell (email Stephen) | Alumni Directory.

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1966

We can smell the beginning of spring! Hope that you are looking forward to warmer weather, too.

Paul Green and his wife, Sissy, live in Plattsburgh, NY. They write, “Cornell remains an important part of our family. Our two daughters, several nieces and nephews, and our son-in-law are all alums. Our granddaughter is now a pre-vet senior at Cornell.”

Jean Duchow Solomon, BA ’68, wrote, “My wonderful husband, Bill Young, passed away in 2022. He was my hero. I am still recovering from the blow. Meantime, I split my time between our two homes—one in Pebble Beach, CA, and the other in the Vi at Palo Alto retirement community. I am retired from practicing medicine (family medicine) and do miss it, but realize age is taking its toll and it’s time to refocus a bit. I’d enjoy hearing from classmates passing through this area. I hope all my ’66 classmates enjoyed a happy and healthy holiday season.”

Judith Kurtz Polcer wrote, “I’m still a singer/piano player at Mt. Sinai–Union Square, with my husband, Ed, on cornet. We perform twice weekly when we’re in NYC. Still working hard on my piano improvisation technique—great challenge, and hopefully showing improvement. Had a ball working on our class project involving video interviews with current residents of West Campus. My fellow interviewees, Ralph Janis, Mary Jansen Everett, Ivan Wolff, Diane Stein Dobrow, and Bruce Mansdorf, did us proud. Enjoying spending time in New Orleans (we have a house there). Our son Ben, who lives there, got married in November, and family and friends traveled to New Orleans for the occasion—great location for a destination wedding!” Judy sends her warm regards to our class.

Dennis Lutz, ME ’67, writes from South Burlington, VT, that he retired as public works director in July 2022 after 37 years. He is still working part time for them; he will continue as the governor-appointed representative to the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission, and as the elected city water commissioner. He had a second retirement, also after 37 years, with the U.S. Army and National Guard. In his spare time, he will be traveling to Costa Rica with his family in June, and he enjoys camping, hiking, biking, canoeing, and tending to his garden.

Jerry Bilinski, DVM ’69, from North Chatham, NY, continues work as an equine veterinarian and Thoroughbred horse breeder, and he races Thoroughbreds. He also volunteers as the veterinary medical director of the Columbia–Green Humane Society. He traveled to Ukraine before the invasion to visit his relatives there.

I’m still a singer/piano player at Mt. Sinai–Union Square, with my husband, Ed, on cornet.

Judith Kurtz Polcer ’66

Carol Rollins Lynch writes from Greensboro, GA, that after graduating from Cornell she married and worked for three years as an English teacher. She later earned an MBA from the University of Michigan, ran a small business, then did fundraising for nonprofits. She serves on two boards: the Oconee Performing Arts Society and Festival Hall, a performing arts center. She and her husband fund a scholarship for Lake Oconee Youth Alliance, and she mentors one of the recipients. She loves anything that involves their children and grandchildren!

We received a short note from John Richert, who continues consulting in biotech and venture capital. He and his wife divide their time between Chevy Chase, MD, and Pawleys Island, SC. John plays “golf weekly (in season) with Mark Wagner, ME ’72, and Jerry Katz ’67.”

We share the sad news that four classmates have recently passed away. Richard Greene, ME ’67 (New Hope, AL, formerly of New York City) died February 7, 2022. He was a professional engineer and co-founder of Geo Quality Management Engineering. Alan Rathwell, DVM ’68 (Naples, FL, formerly of Starkville, MS, and Navan, ON) died on February 12, 2022. He was a professor at Mississippi State University School of Veterinary Medicine, focusing on problem-based learning, herd health, and farm management. He was also a veterinarian and co-founder of Navan Veterinary Clinic, and a member of the Lions Club. He enjoyed curling and was active in community and professional affairs.

Carolyn Heiser Smith (Bridger, MT, formerly of East Chatham, NY) died on June 18, 2022. A graduate of the nursing school, she was a nurse practitioner and physician assistant in multiple locations and served as head nurse at Columbia Memorial Hospital. As a Peace Corps volunteer, she was head nurse in the surgery and maternity wards in Traiguén, Chile. She was active in community and professional affairs. Kermit “Chip” Stofer, ME ’67 (MBA Harvard Business School) of Weston, MA, died on December 4, 2022. Chip was CEO of two technology companies and founder/CEO of two startups. He served as board chair of the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. An avid skier and gifted athlete, his greatest joys were his wife, Lynn, and son Hunter, with whom he traveled the world. His Phi Psi fraternity brothers Pete Leech, Pat Mulcahy, MBA ’67, Gary Crahan, ME ’67, and Gene Lutz, ME ’67, MBA ’68, shared memories of his athleticism, his physical strength, his “gentle friendship,” and his willingness to help, and of the playing, laughing, dreams, and ambitions shared. They say Chip was the “gem” among them.

Now, a note from Alice Katz Berglas and Mary Jansen Everett: “It is March/April in Ithaca—and there’s always something to write about the weather. This is the melting mush season, when gray days are starting to feel less endless: bright sunlight is suddenly piercing through, melting stalactites that dripped onto your head as you duck in the door of a classroom or dorm or the Straight. Was Ithaca winter really over?! NO, NOT. Not until … maybe May. But there was hope. In that spirit, we hope you will share this spring and this new class dues year. Who knows how Cornell will surprise us? It is a campus filled with energy and always something new. Join us! Alice & Mary, and the ’66 team.”

Looking to get in touch with a classmate? Cornell is no longer listing email addresses in our Class Notes columns; we encourage you to use the Alumni Directory to stay in touch with classmates. To access the directory, you’ll need to log in with your Cornell NetID and password. For Cornell NetID assistance, visit the All about your NetID section of the alumni services page or visit Cornell’s IT support page. To find out what’s happening at Cornell, to read about the University’s history, and to learn about accomplished alumni, faculty, and students, go to Cornellians. ❖ Pete Salinger (email Pete) | Susan Rockford Bittker (email Susan).

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1967

Marty Gold writes that he and his wife, Mary, are now splitting their time among three locations: Riverside Drive in Manhattan, a lakeside house in Ridgefield, CT, and Pelican Cove, a former bird sanctuary that is now a botanical condo community near Sarasota, FL. “The Cove is a sanctuary both from the wind and snow of the Northeast and from the rest of Florida. Expert photographers at Pelican Cove have turned their favorite pictures I’ve taken into a gallery.”

Marty retired a couple of years ago from Sidley Austin LLP but continued teaching at Columbia as an adjunct professor of law and an adjunct professor of real estate development. Rather than teach this past semester, he was invited to be a faculty auditor in a course on autocracy and democracy and in one on Nazism. “Both courses are a real sign of the times,” he notes. During 2022, he published two articles, one on e-vehicles and one on the Supreme Court abortion decision. The latter, “The Demise of Roe v Wade,” he says, “has attracted a load of comments and citations.”

Tom Moore, ME ’68 (Gig Harbor, WA) reports: “After 20 years of enjoying our coastal home in Maine, we have sold it and moved to the Northwest. We now split our time between our new home in Gig Harbor and our condo in downtown Portland, OR. We are closer to our two kids and five grandkids. I haven’t seen any classmates in quite a while. Steve Matheson visited us in Maine a few years ago. My plans to attend our 50th Reunion were foiled by a knee injury. So I’m now planning on seeing who’s around for our 60th.”

Andy Kirmse (Austin, TX) moved from California to Texas, is playing golf, and now has three grandchildren. His youngest son, McRae, is getting married. Andy is studying sign language and Spanish. Paulette Simpson Henderson (New York City) is “writing political satire (songs)”—which is something she never imagined she’d be doing, along with getting her doctorate.

Jim Poffley (Bishop, CA) writes: “In 2005, I retired from Penn State, where I had taught since 1990, and moved to Eastport, ME. And in 2015 I drove a pick-up truck from Maine to Bishop and have been here since. I am not moving again. During my time in Maine and my early California days, I spent six months a year for 10 years in Laos, where I taught English at orphanages and monasteries. I built a nice house in Luang Prabang in Laos and finally left it with a wonderful family. I am too old now for the flights back and forth. Laos is a small, poor, landlocked country and it is very easy to be helpful if you have a bicycle. Even if you don’t.

I spent six months a year for 10 years in Laos, where I taught English at orphanages and monasteries.

Jim Poffley ’67

“Now I grow old and sassy in a geezer mobile home park with corny names of streets—all Scottish. I have an inside greenhouse, fishpond, and bird feeders and can still do my own chores and take my basset hound for walks. Going back in time, I was on the Glee Club World Tour in 1966 and we all took a term off. Changed my life and the lives of so many of the singers. I was not terrifically fond of Korea, so naturally that’s where I was stationed when I enlisted in the Army. I ran the food at the Eighth Army Officers’ Club in Seoul.

“I married a wonderful woman whom I met in Louisville, KY. We had a son, Sam, in 1983 and a daughter, Liz, in 1985. My wife died of breast cancer at age 35 in 1988 and there I was: a single dad. My kids are happy and strong; they are the reason I moved to California. We broke all the rules together and moved to Australia in 1996­–98, where I taught at a Cornell branch of the Hotel School in Canberra. Thanks to my Wharton MBA (1973), I continued teaching marketing at Penn State. Prior to teaching, I was plying my trade in ad agencies in New York City and Atlanta (Subaru and Pizza Hut were great clients). I could not make Reunion, but I love Cornell so much.”

Natalie Kononenko (Waterloo, ON) reports: “It’s been a long time and I have never contributed to Cornell Class Notes before. When I was at Cornell, I met and married William Moyle ’65 and followed him to Harvard. The marriage did not last, but I graduated from Radcliffe and then got a Harvard PhD. I took a job at the University of Virginia in the Slavic languages and literature department, where I became department chair and assistant dean. I was briefly married to Dan Chopyk. We divorced and I met and married Peter William Holloway, with whom I have been for the past 40 years. We have a son, Gregory William. While at Virginia I won a teaching award and a best book award for Ukrainian Minstrels: Why the Blind Should Sing.

“In 2004, I was recruited by the University of Alberta, where I held the Kule Chair in Ukrainian Ethnography. I won another book award for Ukrainian Epic and Historical Song: Folklore in Context. I spent 10 wonderful years driving around the prairies—the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan—recording contemporary Ukrainian folklore. I retired in 2019 and we moved to Waterloo, ON, to be near our son and his family. He runs a division of the nanotech institute at the University of Waterloo.” ❖ Richard Hoffman (email Richard) | 2925 28th St. NW, Washington, DC 20008 | Alumni Directory.

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1968

How coincidental: I had just finished watching an episode of “Yellowstone” and decided to write this Class Notes column when I picked up a news form from Thomas Silliman, ME ’70, who’s the boss man of a 100-acre cattle ranch in Chandler, IN, where he and his wife, Sally, and his ranch hands raise and sell grass-fed beef. I think it would be too much of a coincidence if Kevin Costner is also a registered professional engineer and certified tower climber like Tom—and even more mind-blowing if he owns a company like Electronics Research Inc., of which Tom is the president and CEO. As for Tom’s daily responsibilities around the ranch, I’m certain a crew takes care of those, leaving Tom and Sally to enjoy horseback riding and roping cattle around their spread.

Nancy Nystrom Frantz and her husband, Rolf ’66, ME ’67, attended the 50th wedding anniversary of Cheryl Marlette Christensen and Arne. Not only were Nancy and Cheryl classmates, but their kids grew up together—seeing them with their families was a heartwarming experience for Nancy.

Bob Tuttle, MBA ’72, and his wife, Lynn, spend eight months a year in their home on Marco Island, FL, and four months in Moultonborough, NH. Both homes are conveniently located near the water, which is an attraction for both of his kids and their families, as they are all boating enthusiasts. Bob is semi-retired; he still manages commercial real estate portfolios and advises a couple of clients on their investment and business interests. He also serves on the boards of a couple of nonprofit organizations. With that, they find time to enjoy traveling. Also, one of their children and his family live in Randolph, NJ, where coincidently one of my boys lives with his family—and Bob’s granddaughter is a friend of my grandson, and she assists my son as a coach of the lacrosse team his twin daughters play on.

In the past few months, two more classmates have given up fighting the frigid winter weather in the Northeast. Jerry Levitz and his wife, Pam, will be playing golf all winter at Aberdeen Country Club in Boynton Beach rather than worrying when their driveway will be plowed. Walter Schenker and his wife, Suzie, have also been defeated by sub-freezing winter days and have bought a winter home in the Club at Ibis in West Palm Beach. I consider a winter home in South Florida compensation for four winters in Ithaca, NY.

Writing our Class Notes for the past 10 years has been a privilege and a lot of fun, which I will expand upon in my last two columns. Anyone interested in taking over the position of class correspondent can contact me or any of our board members. The interview for the position is really easy—especially for a Cornellian. ❖ Chuck Levitan (email Chuck) | Alumni Directory.

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1969

If you are reading this, you must have some interest in keeping up with your classmates. If that is the case, please consider being an active member both by paying class dues and by submitting information for these articles. It is a nominal cost to be able to connect with those with whom we have a shared Big Red experience!

Warren Lem of Naples, FL, reports that he has taken up surf fishing on Fire Island. Last fall he ran a public relations event for the Cornell men’s tennis team at the historic Seabright Lawn Tennis & Cricket Club. It’s always great to see support for the teams that receive less publicity.

In unrelated tennis news, John Mitchell, MD ’73, of Marshfield, WI, reports that—due to a lack of players his age—he has had to switch his efforts to golf. I’m not sure how he finds the time to frustrate himself on the golf course, though, as he is working full time in the Marshfield Clinic in neuro-ophthalmology and searching for a publisher for his first novel. It’s a murder mystery about an elderly Cornellian and a Montford Point Marine (a WWII all-Black unit at Camp Lejeune, Jacksonville, NC, which was the first integration of the Marines).

Gail Papermaster Bender has relocated to a townhouse, though still in Minneapolis. By the time this appears, her son Seth will have gotten married. Congratulations! She’s busy serving on the board of the Six Points Theater (formerly the Minnesota Jewish Theater Company) and traveling to Hawaii, California, New York, and Boston.

Patricia Rappaport Phillips is still an active realtor in the L.A. area and still enjoying it (most of the time). She is a proud grandmother thanks to son Joshua (Harvard ’07) and his wife, Tabitha (NYU ’07). Again, congratulations!

Marie-Celeste Scully, MS ’72, a.k.a. “Irish,” has sold her home of 21 years and moved to Worcester, MA. She is enjoying “breathing and retiring in a manner to which men are generally accustomed—i.e., no cooking and no cleaning!”

Gerald Appel, BA ’68, is still working full time as a professor of medicine at Columbia University and running a center for the treatment of a specific type of kidney disease. His greatest satisfaction is still being able to play basketball with his grandchildren, ages 16 and 14! You go, Gerald!

I finally retired from teaching as of January 1, 2022, but I must admit that I miss it. Even though college-aged students can be challenging at times, it was also rewarding, and I miss the “creative” excuses for missed assignments, etc. … sometimes. I just concluded another season of officiating high school and college volleyball and have started my 44th or 45th year of basketball. (You lose track after a while.) ❖ Robert Tallo (email Robert) | Alumni Directory.

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1970s

1970

Unlike prior columns, I’m getting a very late start putting this one together. It’s due in less than a week! Seems like freshman year, struggling over that first paper, so very long ago (and well before word processing on a computer)!

Being tardy and looking at the calendar, I realize that yesterday was December 7, which Franklin Roosevelt famously labeled for all time as “a day which will live in infamy”: the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan. Eighty-one years later, Japan is a staunch ally, while China, a victim then, and Russia, then an ally, now represent ideas very different from those of America. None of us were yet conceived or alive then, or during the war that followed. Yet our lives were definitely impacted, as we are the “Boomers” that came after, the children of those who lived through that difficult time and benefited from their sacrifices. Stop just for a moment and give thanks for those who have gone before us.

Many of you have been very good with sending your notes. So, with a stack of them dated as far back as July, we’ll get right to them!

Craig Balaban (Patchogue, NY) asks, “What is retirement? During the last 10 years I have turned my vintage and sportscar hobby into a business, Motorcar Classics, in Farmingdale, NY.” He notes that with 50,000 square feet of space, his firm is one of the largest collector car dealerships in the country. Beyond his business, Craig has been very thankful that his extended family of children and grandchildren has been healthy and productive during the last few difficult years. He notes that he finds satisfaction through travel, friendships, and family, along with connecting with worldwide automobile enthusiasts.

Paula Noonan (Littleton, CO) is playing the guitar and writing novels and a weekly column for a “rag” called Colorado Politics. She also runs two political websites, Colorado Capitol Watch, which tracks the state legislature, and Capitol Contact, an advocacy platform for those who may need it. As for the guitar, Paula says she does not strum, but only fingerpicks and flatpicks, as she has no rhythm. She’s also been playing lots of golf, and she has taken up skiing. Paula enjoys keeping her brain occupied, walking the golf course, and helping her spouse in trying to save the world from climate change.

Philip Schwartz (Santa Monica, CA), who last appeared in this column in 2021, speaks of finally resuming travel, spending three weeks exploring Italy’s Adriatic Coast (after spending three and a half years learning Italian) and other trips to Portugal and Spain. He is thoroughly enjoying his second career as an adjunct cinematography professor at USC and claims to not know what retirement even means! His son and son-in-law recently moved to Los Angeles from New York City, allowing the family to enjoy all children and grandchildren on a weekly basis.

In July 2021, I accomplished my longtime goal of visiting all 3,143 counties (or equivalents) in the U.S.

Brian O’Connor ’70

Sue Degerstrom Roberts (Bothell, WA) writes that she is now doing outrigger canoeing in Hawaii. She and her husband are retired, splitting their time between Washington State with lots of family time, and Kona, HI, where they have fun paddling and also have lots of volunteer opportunities.

Drew Copeland, PhD ’77 (Westlake Village, CA) updates with his enjoyment of two 3-year-old grandchildren, one boy and one girl, one each from his two daughters. Even though partially retired, he’s still modeling laser behavior and performance, while independently continuing to explore mathematics by solving math and physics problems. He admits this all might be weird! And, like many of us, he is attempting to get back to bicycling.

Suzanne Grisez Martin (Cranbury, NJ) writes that she is caring for her 98-year-old mother. In addition, Suzanne works three days a week as a management consultant to healthcare organizations, currently focused on initiatives to improve care for Bronx children and with nursing homes in the Bronx and the Hudson Valley. Her children and families are in Philly and Connecticut, with two grandchildren. When she wrote her note, they had just returned from an abbreviated tour of Scotland, cut short after contracting COVID. Suzanne finds the best satisfaction connecting with friends and family. She recently was in touch with Alison Kerr Durehed, who is living in Sweden close to her two daughters and their families. Suzanne is also enjoying French with Duo, taking fun cooking classes, and getting into Wordle—but not sharing the results on Facebook!

Brian O’Connor (Cookeville, TN) has just finished his 45th year teaching mathematics at Tennessee Tech University. He writes the following: “In July 2021, I accomplished my longtime goal of visiting all 3,143 counties (or equivalents) in the U.S. Many of the early ones were done in my 1970 VW Beetle that I had during my senior year at Cornell—and still own 52 years later. I was the 66th member of the Extra Miler Club to complete the quest, which I did in Clear Creek County, CO, west of Denver.” Lots of miles!

Keep sending your notes! For some reason there were a very large number that reached me by this past fall. Virtually all have now appeared in this or the prior column. I currently have only a few that will appear next time. So, more please! As always, you may contact me directly, or use the University’s standard online news form. ❖ John Cecilia (email John) | tel., (312) 524-2912 | Alumni Directory.

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1971

During our quest to feature class talent in this column, it has been a delight to reconnect with Judith Richland. Judith is a producer/filmmaker, with films currently streaming on Amazon Prime (The Black Emperor of Broadway) and Netflix (Murder on the Cape). Based in the artistic community of Provincetown, MA, amid its remote and beautiful seashore, Judith co-chairs Film Fatales Boston and is a member of the Massachusetts Production Coalition, Boston Women in Film and Video New England, Harvard Square Script Writers, and the Provincetown Film Society. She is the founder of the International Women’s Film Forum, inviting international women filmmakers to screen their films at Simmons University and in the Boston community.

After Cornell, Judith earned a master’s degree in art history, an MFA in fine arts, and an MFA in motion graphics and new media from Boston University and Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She worked as a graphic designer in the marketing department for a large architecture firm and then ran her own—Richland Design Associates—for 20 years. Among other honors, she was the first woman president of the Boston chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, part of a national organization that she ran for two years.

Judith transitioned from her successful design business to an assistant professorship at Simmons University in film and new media for 12 years, creating several unique courses, one of which was “International Women in Film: A Leadership Model.” She notes, “I developed an attention to detail and an appreciation for thorough research as a result of the rigorous academic requirements during my undergraduate years. For the past seven years, I have also been writing screenplays as part of my film production work. Understanding how to meticulously research my characters is certainly a skill I developed at Cornell.”

For the past 40 years, Pat Samuels Muhlrad and her husband, Jeff, have been living in the Stony Brook, NY, area, where they raised their two children and Scott practiced orthopedic medicine until his retirement this year. Their daughter, Samantha Muhlrad-Karp ’99, is chairperson of hand surgery at Stony Brook University, and son Craig is head of business affairs for feature films at Amazon Studios in Los Angeles. With grandchildren located on both coasts, Pat and Jeff plan to spend winters in Palm Desert, where they can play golf and visit family. This winter they hope to spend time there with Sandie Livingston Goldberg and her husband, Rich ’70, and Judy Greenhill Weisel and her husband, Art ’69.

Howard, MD ’75, and Arlene Rosenfeld Schenker split their time between homes in Rochester and Ithaca. Arlene’s former careers as a NYC and Rochester attorney, divorce mediator, and community activist are in the past, as she concentrates now on writing stories for children. Her debut picture book—which is based on the real-life story of a Jewish Ethiopian girl struggling to adjust to a new life in Israel—will soon be published by Apples & Honey Press. Howard is retired from his Rochester ophthalmology practice, and he happily fills his time auditing history courses at Cornell. Son Andrew lives and writes in Catskill, NY, with his writer wife, Melynda, and daughter Emily lives near the Schenkers’ Rochester home, working as a sign language interpreter.

Judith Richland ’71 is a producer/filmmaker, with films currently streaming on Amazon Prime and Netflix.

After more than 45 years in the Boston area, Joe Miller ’69 and Linda Germaine-Miller moved to Westport, CT, about three years ago to be a bit closer to their kids who were living in Brooklyn (along with everyone else’s children, it seems). It has been a great move. Linda works at Greenwich Hospital as an outpatient registered dietitian/nutritionist and Joe consults for a company that does diabetes management. They see their kids often and enjoy lots of babysitting time with their two grandchildren, Max, 8, and Frankie Grace, 5.

Despite COVID precautions, Linda and Joe have managed to visit with Cornellians who are in the New York area—they are in touch with Leslie Jennis Obus, Mayo (“Mike”) and Liz Cohn Stuntz ’73, Steve Gorfine, and Andrew Tisch. Linda speaks regularly with Sandi Taylor Eisenstein, Beth Shapiro Stroul, and Susan Devins. They also recently saw Myra Perlman Goldberg ’72 and last spring celebrated the wedding of Taylor Hughes (daughter of Amy Pastarnack Hughes, MBA ’74, and their dear friend, the late John ’70, MBA ’71, JD ’74).

Linda, Elaine Chasen Garrod ’70, and Mark Katz all wrote to us about an upcoming Phi Ep reunion on April 22, 2023 at the Cornell Club in NYC. Elaine noted that five guys from Phi Ep married five women from SDT: Linda Germain and Joe Miller, Sandi Taylor and Jeff Eisenstein ’69, Arlene Rosenfeld and Howie Schenker, Elaine Chasen and Jeff Garrod ’69, and Gilda Klein and Dave Linden ’70. Dave sadly passed away some years ago, but Gilda, who has remarried, remains close to several Phi Eps. If any Phi Eps are reading this, please get in touch with Linda or Joe or Richard “Moon” Barron ’70 (via the Alumni Directory) and they will forward reunion information to you.

We received the sad news of the death of James Cunningham, ME ’75, who died in September 2022, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. “Jim had great love for the town of Lincoln, MA, for his alma mater Cornell, and for Kent Island off the coast of Grand Manan in Canada. Born, raised, and educated in Lincoln, Jim was a devoted community volunteer. He single-handedly organized, implemented, and managed the town’s local cable television program.

“Jim graduated from Cornell with undergraduate and master’s degrees in electrical engineering. As an undergraduate, he was business manager, photo editor, and editor-in-chief of the yearbook for two years. Since graduation, Jim volunteered and advocated for Cornell. He served on the advisory board for the University’s systems engineering program and spent time teaching students about systems engineering and its tools. Recently, he established the James F. Cunningham ’71 Assistant Director of Student Project Teams in the College of Engineering with an endowed gift.” (Excerpted from the obituary in the September 8, 2022 edition of the Lincoln Squirrel.)

Our class history project continues at a steady pace with the participation, thus far, of more than 50 classmates. Your recollections are vital to the success of this project and deeply appreciated, as we assemble a broad picture of daily life at Cornell during our time on campus. We welcome your input—writing up your own memories, attending a Sunday evening Zoom memory-sharing session, and inviting participation from friends or acquaintances in our class whom you think would have different stories or perspectives than your own. Let us know if you would like the project committee to set up a private Zoom recording or interview for you about your undergraduate experience at Cornell (private Zoom sessions can also be set up for affinity groups, whenever possible).

Please keep feeding us your news. ❖ Cara Nash Iason (email Cara) | Elisabeth Kaplan Boas (email Elisabeth) | Alumni Directory.

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1972

Jeffrey Cornett, ME ’73, shares, “June 2022 was the 50th anniversary of Cornell’s stunning 1972 Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) championship for the heavyweight varsity crew. The win was an amazing upset because we had won only one race prior to the regatta. At the IRA, we finished dead last in our heat, and pulled a come-from-behind upset just to win our repechage second-chance race. In the finals, we rowed the race of our lives, experiencing a ‘swing effect’ over the first half of the race, then barely holding off defending-champion Washington at the finish. Most of that crew reunited at this year’s Reunion including me, John Swanson ’71, Mike Staines ’71, Zig Malowicki, Al Danser ’73, John Dunn ’73, Don Fisher ’73, and, by phone, coach Todd Jesdale ’61, MS ’69. You can watch videos of these races on my YouTube channel and you can read the full story of our season here.”

Martin Randell writes, “I recently retired from the practice of veterinary medicine in Somers, NY, and my wife, Kathy, and I moved to a 55+ active community in Aurora, CO. We are loving retirement and are availing ourselves of all the activities the area has to offer. I did get a Colorado veterinary license, so I can do some internal medicine consulting. Our two sons, Cory and Brett, live in Denver. Daughter Heather ’05 and her husband, Andy Fenelon, are professors at Penn State. They have given us our two grandchildren, Jules, 4, and Helene, 6 months.”

Duncan Maxwell enjoys traveling, flying planes, his garden (including the snakes and the bees), and playing paddle tennis. He’s been retired for more than eight years and says that he loves living in “my mountain hideaway in Switzerland, away from the rest of the world.” Duncan adds, “I just returned from a five-week road trip through France, Belgium, England, Scotland, and Wales.” ❖ Frank Dawson (email Frank) | Susan Farber Straus (email Susan) | Alex Barna (email Alex) | Wes Schulz (email Wes) | Alumni Directory.

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1973

Daniel Sperling and spouse Sandy live in California, where he’s director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis. His career has touched anyone who drives a car: in 2007, he co-directed the study that designed California’s landmark low-carbon fuel standard. His latest project was launching the new European Research Center for Transportation and Climate, located in Paris—which might require a lengthy Parisian sabbatical just to make sure “que tout fonctionne sans problème.” He’s also been awarded one of the highest distinctions in the engineering profession: election to the National Academy of Engineering. Given that his resume already includes 250 papers, 13 books, a Heinz Award, the Blue Planet Prize, and an appearance on “The Daily Show,” I’d say it’s about time!

Nancy Dworkin Miller was honored back in June with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Social Workers at the annual conference in Washington, DC. She was also recognized by the board of directors of VISIONS/Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired for her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. And when not working (or attending an award ceremony), she spends time with her husband, Jerry, and her four children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandsons! (Editor’s note: I believe this is the first time great-grandchildren have popped up on my watch in the ’73 class column, and all I can say is … challenge accepted! I’m going to take better care of myself starting now!)

Mary Gilliland, MAT ’80’s newest poetry collection, The Devil’s Fools, won the Codhill Press Pauline Uchmanowicz Award and was released on November 1. She describes the 50 poems in the volume as “infused with eco-logic, informed by feminism, and taking cues from Eve, Cain, Proserpine, Ulysses, Parsifal, and selves present and past.” Her 2020 book, The Ruined Walled Castle Garden, won the Bright Hill Press Poetry Prize. Mary’s work also appears in these anthologies: Rumors Secrets & Lies: Poems about Pregnancy, Abortion & Choice; Wild Gods: The Ecstatic in Contemporary Poetry and Prose; and Nuclear Impact: Broken Atoms In Our Hands.

Mary’s other honors include the Stanley Kunitz Fellowship at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, MA, and a Council for the Arts Faculty Grant from Cornell, where she developed the Knight Institute for Writing. She also taught and performed at the Al-Jazeera International Film Festival, the Chautauqua Institute, and the Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies (the Dalai Lama’s seat in North America).

Here’s a stanza that spoke to me from “The Bargain,” which is in The Devil’s Fools: “I forgive the young doe for eating the blackeyed susans, / For hosta tops bitten just as the flowerheads formed. / So intelligent—she waited for the sweetest morsels.” Makes your deer fence seem a little selfish, doesn’t it?

Daniel Sperling ’73 has been awarded one of the highest distinctions in the engineering profession: election to the National Academy of Engineering.

Rich Saltz lives with spouse Lynn (Rosenbluth) ’75 in Branford, CT, and returned to campus for a meeting of the Cornell Association of Class Officers (CACO) only to find Collegetown unrecognizable. But he was most impressed by the five new North Campus dorms and recommends taking a tour during Reunion—which is in line with our official theme: “Renew, Refresh, and Return.” He’s also looking for Cornellians who might want a special experience during Reunion, such as a marriage or a mal of vows—whether they’re Class of ’73 or not. Contact Lauren Coffey, director of Class Programs.

Bonnie Wolfman Glasky reports that she and husband Joel ’71 had their own mini-reunion with her SDT and NYC roommate, Lynn Edelstein Heymont, when they visited Israel with their husbands. They’re looking forward to being with Peter and Joan Tompkins Lifson, and Peter, MRP ’76, and Paula Smith Avioli—all Cornell alums—at the 50th!

George McManus is still teaching as a professor of marine sciences at UConn. He and wife Jennifer have two grown boys and one granddaughter. Like a lot of us, he’s thinking of retiring in a year or two. To keep busy in the meantime, he’s taken over as director of the new Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve, as well as enjoying boating, fishing, and playing a little music.

Janet Gayler Fallon is retired now and living with husband Bob in Elkton, MD, which is conveniently within a couple of hours of their four granddaughters. She’s been volunteering at a science camp for grade schoolers and found that her experience raising two boys was crucial to her success. The math and science were the easy part.

Marty Slye Sherman, MPS ’75, is in her final year of teaching in Cornell’s Sloan Program in Health Administration. She says she and husband Jim feel like homesteaders at their spread in New Hampshire, maintaining an apple orchard, raising Christmas trees, growing pumpkins, and making maple syrup. They did take a break from their postcard life to board a ship for Antarctica, the adventure of a lifetime; it was going great until Jim (despite having no symptoms) tested positive for COVID, and they had to isolate for a week in a small hotel in Argentina.

Here in Seattle, I myself have managed to avoid infection, unless you count Reunion Fever! Hope to see you all in June and get that North Campus tour. And maybe hear more about the amenities in small Argentinian hotels. ❖ Dave Ross (email Dave) | Phyllis Haight Grummon (email Phyllis) | Pam Meyers (email Pam) | Alumni Directory.

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1974

Last year, a travel advisor encouraged those living in the U.S. to choose the Thanksgiving holiday period to travel internationally—as that is a period when domestic travel is busy, leaving international destinations with fewer tourists and lower fares. I don’t know if that is true, but I have been impressed by the number of our classmates that traveled to other countries this past November.

For example, Donna DeGarmo Willis wrote in November 2022 that “I just returned from the trip of a lifetime—a 120-mile bike and barge tour of the Veneto region of Italy. Verona, Mantova, and Venice were incredible, and the weather couldn’t have been better for our touring.” Pre-pandemic, she made a similar trip in the Netherlands and Belgium, and goes on to say, “I’m already starting my search for a bike tour in a new European country for next year. Anyone want to join me?” Sounds fabulous to me! Donna lives in Pompey, NY.

Likewise, Lucy Babcox Morris has been traveling, returning from a cruise down the Nile in early November. She has an Egyptian brother-in-law, so this was a trip that was led by a family member for all of the brothers- and sisters-in-law. Earlier in 2022, Lucy and her husband also cruised around Greek islands, preceded by a Bourbon tour (!) in Kentucky and trips to Colorado and Arizona. Thus, it may come as no surprise that with all of this travel, plus a growing number of grandchildren to enjoy, Lucy has decided to step down from her position as one of our class correspondents after many years in this role. Jim Schoonmaker and I recall her typing up a column three years ago with a couple of freshly broken fingers, so she has been one very dedicated Cornell class correspondent.

I just returned from the trip of a lifetime—a 120-mile bike and barge tour of the Veneto region of Italy.

Donna DeGarmo Willis ’74

By the way, Jim also traveled in November. He and wife Martha have previously taken two Viking river cruises in Europe, but this time they took a Viking ocean cruise in the Western Mediterranean, from Rome to Florence/Pisa, Monte Carlo, Marseille, Montpelier, and ending in Barcelona. Jim says, “Martha likes to still see land when cruising, so at least that was true this time on the starboard side of the boat!”

There is plenty of news from Linda Teelon this month. Linda and her husband moved to Florida in 2008 as she “became responsible for a relative with Alzheimer’s.” They love living there, “except for some of the politics” and those hurricanes (the latest they survived was the Cat 4—almost Cat 5—hurricane named Ian). Linda wrote, “I initially worked as a WIC coordinator in my home county (Chenango, NY), then I worked at a NYS forensic psychiatric center for 23 years as a dietitian. I eventually went back to school for accounting and became an auditor for the NYS Office of Mental Health for seven years before I retired.”

Linda goes on to write that, at present, she is “a volunteer food ministries coordinator at my church’s food pantry. I am also on the board of the Acoustic Music Society of Southwest Florida, a.k.a. Palmgrass.” Linda loves listening to bluegrass music and met husband Doug Yaehrling (they’ve been together for 40 years) at a bluegrass show in a theater in her hometown of Bainbridge, NY. Now living in Port Charlotte, FL, and married to Doug for 16 years, she also keeps up with her three stepchildren, eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren, all living in Central New York.

Please connect and reconnect with Cornell classmates—and submit an online news form to let us know what you are thinking and doing these days. It is a simple form to fill out with as little or as much information as you wish to share. ❖ Molly Miller Ettenger (email Molly) | Jim Schoonmaker (email Jim) | Alumni Directory.

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1975

I write as we’re closing out 2022, but when you read this, 2023 will be well underway.

Lynn Rosenbluth Saltz (spouse of Rick ’73, MBA ’74) writes that she and her Low Rise 9 roommates had a mini-reunion in October when she, Eileen Mahoney Morley, and Margie Fujita Sheridan celebrated the marriage of Eileen’s daughter Caitlin. The festivities were held in New Canaan, CT.

James Ross, JD ’82, published last April the second in the Coldwater mystery series, Coldwater Confession. The book earned the 2022 National Association of Book Entrepreneurs Award and the Pinnacle Award in the mystery category—and was also named a finalist in the Canadian Book Club Award in the mystery/thriller category. Congratulations! You can sign up for James’s newsletter by going to his website.

I had the great fortune (and health!) to go to my somewhat postponed 50th high school reunion in summer 2022. Walt Whitman High School (NY) dear friend and Cornell classmate Barry Bernstein attended. He had quite a bit of news. He brought me up to date on Phi Psis. Earlier in 2022, they came to visit Barry and wife Peg in their home in Nashville. Barry writes, “The Phi Psi reunion dates back to April 1, 1980, and every five years thereafter we have met at a landmark selected by Bobby Marks.” The streak was broken in 2020, when our April convergence was put on hold by, you guessed it, the pandemic.

Barry continues, “We finally got around to meeting in October 2022, at the Iwo Jima memorial in Washington, DC. Even with the COVID concerns and multiple date changes, we still had more than 50 Phi Psis show up, spanning almost a decade of classes.” Joining in the reunion from 1975 were Ken Ayres, Stu Binstock, Joe Buser, Brian Dawson, Dave Doub, ME ’76, Jim Domenick, Mike Galuzzi, Dick Hauptfleisch, ME ’76, Bobby Marks, Marty Siegel, Tom Schergen, Denny Spicher, Peter Vogel, MBA ’76, Dick Winter, Eric Yost, and Barry.

The group traded stories about retirement activities (most, but not all, are retired), grandchildren, and old-person medical miseries, in addition to the usual reminiscences about the “good old days.” Kudos were given to Jon Handlery ’78, who did a great job of making hotel, food, beverage, and local transportation arrangements for the weekend. Next stop: Dallas on April 1, 2025.

Barry also writes that Sam Kim, ME ’76, and his wife, Julie, are at the start of a four-month tour of the Far East. Jim Coffin, MS ’80, and his wife moved down to Meridian, MS, this summer.

Kathryn Gabinet-Kroo ’75 has taken up ballroom dance—she has competed in two competitions, complete with ‘sparkly dresses, crazy hair, and over-the-top makeup.’

We also heard from Ann Welge Schleppi, who has become quite the organic farmer, growing vegetables in the community garden in her own backyard in Arizona. She recently installed her own irrigation system. Besides gardening, she has traveled with her spouse, Craig, in their trailer, with trips planned for the West Coast and then to the Midwest. She also volunteers for Healthcare Rising in Arizona.

Vincent ’73 and Denyse Altman Variano keep active with the Mid-Hudson Alumni Association and attended the group’s tour of the Adams Greenhouses in Poughkeepsie. Kathryn Gabinet-Kroo writes from Canada. She had been a ballet student for some 20 years as an adult, and now she shares that she’s taken up ballroom dance, going on three years now. She has taken part in two ballroom dance competitions, complete with “sparkly dresses, crazy hair, and over-the-top makeup,” she writes. Kathryn still paints and does translations of Québec literature.

Etienne Bellay writes from Munich, Germany, where he recently was “father of the bride.” He writes, “I never imagined this!” He has been involved in film work on the Ernest Butler Story and is rewriting it for the German audience under the title Basketball is Jazz. He tells us it can be found on YouTube. He also notes that there is a documentary about him and his dad, with Etienne growing up in Munich during the Cold War as his dad worked for Radio Free Europe. You can read more here.

At a recent holiday party my husband and I hosted for the Chatham (NJ) Historical Society, I happened to meet Jean Buist Earle ’73 and her brother-in-law, Terry Earle ’72, MPS ’74. Terry was a member of SAE and was into hockey. He said his family used to host many of the Cornell hockey players. We also reminisced about Dan Sisler, since we both had him for the course Agricultural Economics. Jean is the CFO of the Early Childhood Learning Center in Chatham. Her mom was one of the first women graduates of the Cornell Vet College in 1942 and served in WWII. Way to go, Mom!

Last May, I was a visiting professor at the Management Center Innsbruck in Austria, where I taught a course. Joel and I then traveled to Venice and, among other things, attended the 2022 Biennale art exhibition. Quite the extravaganza, but the artwork, even if it was in our budget, was not a match for our tastes! I also published a very, very modest short science-fiction story. Our children keep me grounded: “Keep your day job, Mom!”

Visit our class website and our Facebook page. ❖ Karen DeMarco Boroff (email Karen) | Deb Gellman (email Deb) | Joan Pease (email Joan) | Mitch Frank (email Mitch) | Alumni Directory.

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1976

Thank you to those of you who sent in your news for this deadline. Pat Relf Hanavan and I look forward to sharing news that any of you wish to send in. Being a semi-retired teacher, I am sending a personal plea to be sure to write legibly so we can report your news accurately.

Bruce Piasecki, PhD ’81, has created a Creative Force Foundation, granting awards to writers for their work covering topics on business and society. “The $5,000 award seeks to inspire future generations to become catalysts for a better, more just society.” Bruce has also written a new book, A New Way to Wealth: The Power of Doing More with Less. It is a how-to manual that dissects what wealth is and encourages readers to learn “competitive frugality.” His daughter recently became a doctor at Upstate Medical and was in the top 5% in her fourth-year class; “she is a caring professional,” he notes. Friendships and writing give Bruce satisfaction these days. He adds that mobility is a gift!

After 47 years, Pamela Coulter Mason is retiring. She trained at WVBR, with stints at CBS News, ABC News, CNN, and NPR. Pamela is now a news consumer rather than a news producer. In retirement, she is trying not to “stink at golf,” traveling with Peggy Myers, and taking care of Suki, her adopted springer spaniel. Also, she is contemplating volunteer work and writing. In other news, she writes that her son got married! Pamela and husband Michael moved from Silver Spring to Rockville, MD, five years ago and they love it. They enjoy spending time with family and friends and not living by the clock and doing five-minute newscasts. She is planning to take an art course and to finally become fluent in French.

Wendy Schlessel Harpham cares for her six grandchildren, all under 7 years old. In retirement, she is writing a regular column in Oncology Times and leading a team to raise money for lymphoma research. Family, advocacy, and gym workouts are being enjoyed.

In retirement, Wendy Schlessel Harpham ’76 is writing a regular column in Oncology Times and leading a team to raise money for lymphoma research.

Gordon Fox never imagined that he’d be going for treatments for cancer. In retirement he is hiking, reading, playing golf, and enjoying every sunrise. His children are prospering, they have a new dog in their lives, and Gordon and wife Lynne Belmont are planning post-plague international travel.

Steven Stein is playing pickleball and bridge, and he is semi-retired from real estate. He has been retired from medicine since 2007. His first grandchild of seven is to become bat mitzvah. He enjoys spending time with family and meeting new friends in his community.

Lynda Gavigan Halttunen writes that her partner of 20 years is in assisted living with Parkinson’s. He was a firefighter and teacher. Lynda spent 30 years in education and retired as a dean 10 years ago. She spends her time visiting with friends, discussing politics, and supporting progressive causes and candidates. David, her son, is now a full-tenured professor. Satisfaction comes from staying healthy, spending time with friends, meditating, eating healthy and exercising, and being steeped in Buddhism.

Peter Einset is studying at Hobart College and researching and presenting topics locally. He has also visited Northern Italy. He enjoys reading in a group called Anti-Racist, studying languages and cinema, and preparing a presentation on the silent movies industry in Ithaca in the 1910s.

Marie Contois Olson is doing agility and dock diving with Chesapeake Bay retrievers. She is retired, gardens, does yoga and weight training, and enjoys dog sports.

David Dzielak is a licensed adult cannabis producer and farmer. He lived and worked in Mississippi for 42 years but is glad to be back in Upstate New York now.

Planning a trip to Iceland and also looking forward to getting to sleep in when she wants, Jill Gyrisco is now retired and cares for a small farm. She gets to enjoy hugging her dogs, too. ❖ Lisa Diamant (email Lisa) | Pat Relf Hanavan (email Pat) | Alumni Directory.

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1977

More from our “Tales from the Plague Years—Class of ’77” series. Our classmates are reconnecting to the world and family and trying to return to a more normal routine after the pandemic-induced hiatus.

Steve Drayzen, who graduated from ILR, retired from a 45-year railroad labor relations career with the Long Island Rail Road and NJ Transit on December 31, 2021. All three of his children are married and he has two grandchildren. His oldest son is a railroader like him. He is now doing some consulting, doing lots of reading, enjoying photography, and taking long walks for exercise. He hopes to start a model railroad soon without restrictive work rules like the real thing.

Amy Birnbaum is married to Bernard Furnival and lives in Bronx, NY. In February 2022, she retired from CBS News after 38 years. She began as an assignment editor and spent most of her august career as a producer, the last 10 years as a medical producer for the “CBS Evening News.” She is now volunteering and rediscovering old hobbies. Travel is on the horizon. She visited her daughter in San Francisco last April, and she and her husband visited Yosemite and were impressed by its breathtaking beauty, even seeing a little snow. Amy is incrementally stepping back into the world of work on her own terms. She is sorry that she missed Reunion (there is always the 50th!), as she was celebrating her son’s in-person law school graduation. She planned to visit him in New Mexico, where he is clerking for a federal judge, in December.

Fellow Sperry Community denizen William Weinberger reports that in June, California Governor Gavin Newsom appointed him to be a judge on the Los Angeles Superior Court. He took the oath on July 15, 2022 and started hearing cases on August 1. His law practice was focused on business and employment cases, and he now has a new challenge, as he was assigned to family court, which was his wish. Bill and husband Danny Gibson spent two weeks in India in late September/early October, as their son started his first job in Oakland after graduation with a civil engineering degree from UC Berkeley.

From the world of medicine, Michael Steiner, MD ’81, has been happily practicing ophthalmology and ophthalmic cosmetic and reconstructive surgery in Seattle, WA, since 1986. He is married to a wonderful lady with whom he has two very young boys, Evan and Nelson, who he hopes will attend Cornell when the time comes. On November 10, 2022, the King County Medical Society—which with 4,000 members is among the largest county medical societies in the U.S.—awarded Michael the first Heart of Gold Award in recognition of his three decades of service to his community, having never denied care to patients who lacked a means of payment. When other doctors refused to partake in the uncompensated on-call schedule in the hospital emergency departments, Michael made himself available night and day. He wants to encourage students and alumni to follow their hearts to pursue compassionate lives.

Here’s to continued travel and adventures with family and friends in 2023. Please stay safe, be careful, and, as always, follow the science. Best wishes. ❖ Howie Eisen (email Howie) | Mary Flynn (email Mary) | Alumni Directory.

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1978

Greetings, all! As the COVID fog lifts, classmates are coming out of their cocoons. Class president Kent Sheng, BA ’82, traveled to Ireland. Lori Wasserman Karbel and Libby Waldman-Strugatch and their husbands toured Portugal in September. Former roommates Dawn Cassie, Genevieve Chu, Agnes Moy-Sarns, BA ’77, and Nancy Reese returned from a two-week trip in France. They were celebrating Nancy’s retirement as the owner and chief creative officer of Akoya, and 47 years of friendship. Now only Dawn is still working, as deputy general counsel at Guidehouse Inc. The four were in Provence for a week of touring villages, hunting truffles, eating croissants, and drinking lots of wine. Then, on to Paris for more sightseeing, Michelin-star eating, and marathon shopping. They look forward to seeing everyone at Reunion 2023. Joyce “Keeka” Maggio Pardon is doing fitness travel—hiking or biking around scenic regions. Joyce is also doing something she never imagined doing at her age: dating.

The Class of ’78 was well-represented at the Madison Square Garden hockey game against the University of Connecticut. (Spoiler alert: Cornell won, 6-0.) Mary Bowler Jones and daughter Sophie ’20 were in attendance. Angela DeSilva caught up with several of her Sigma Delta Tau sisters from the Class of ’79 after the game. She also saw another former U-Hall 1 resident, Gloria Fusillo. In addition, she saw Jeanne Arnold Schwetje, Pat Reilly, Roger Anderson, Sharon Palatnik Simoncini, Seth Klion, Gregg Dietrich, and Jeff Lefkowitz. Beth Cooper Kubinec’s son (Class of 2023) was chosen to show off his ice-walking skills between periods.

Michael Levine recently took on a new post co-leading Noggin, Nickelodeon’s early learning platform. He’s refreshing his early learning and child development expertise, first formed as a student of Cornell professors Urie Bronfenbrenner ’38 and Mon Cochran. Michael’s also serving on the boards of several innovative nonprofits focused on education reform, including Digital Promise and Saga Education. Michael and wife Joni recently welcomed a grandchild, Jonah, whose dad, Sam Levine ’09, went to Cornell. Jon Rubinstein, ME ’79, matched donations for the Cornell Media Guild/WVBR crowdfunding campaign last fall. With Jon’s help, WVBR made 136% of its goal. Dave Dombrowski managed the Philadelphia Phillies all the way to the World Series last fall, after doing the same for the Florida Marlins and Boston Red Sox over the last 30 years.

Sadly, we heard about the untimely passing of Ina Plotsky Kupferberg on October 20, 2022. After graduating from the ILR School, Ina went to law school at Boston University, focusing her practice in labor law. In recent years, Ina found her passion teaching business law at Baruch College. She was a devoted leader of her children’s schools. A dedicated philanthropist, Ina served on boards of Commonpoint Queens, Columbia/Barnard Hillel, and Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, and served on various committees within the United Jewish Appeal-Federation of New York. Baruch College grants the Ina Plotsky Kupferberg Memorial Award to exemplary students in honor of Ina’s dedication and commitment to Baruch College and the Department of Law.

That’s all the news for this update. See you all at Reunion! ❖ Cindy Fuller (email Cindy) | Ilene Shub Lefland (email Ilene) | Alumni Directory.

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1979

I’m writing this column on the shortest day of the year, knowing that by the time it’ll be read, we’ll be back in that optimistic phase of lengthening days I love so much. In that spirit, I’d like to share some happy news that’s arrived in recent months.

Richard Friedman explained that, because of his love of travel, “I never thought of myself as a Florida person.” Yet after spending the 2020–21 winter at a hotel in South Florida with wife Sandy, they agreed to return for subsequent winters—and have now rented an apartment. While Rich and Sandy still spend much of the year in Westport, CT, they also make frequent trips to Washington, DC, to spend time with their two grandsons, ages 4 and 2, and their infant granddaughter born in October 2022. Rich satisfied his travel bug last year with trips to Hawaii, Scandinavia, Park City, and Jackson Hole. On the professional side, since starting his own law firm in 2015, he’s been enjoying “the most rewarding years of my career.” Rich also writes that he’s joined the pickleball brigade, though he doesn’t get to play enough. My husband, Jeff Riback ’75, and I enjoyed catching up with Rich and Sandy over a recent dinner in New York City, where we made plans to meet up again in Florida in January.

Kevin Bruns reports that after many years in the D.C. area, he has relocated with wife Diane to Pittsford, NY, “to be near friends, family, and the Finger Lakes.” He and Diane got married on the Jersey Shore in May 2022. They celebrated with classmates Norm Bartlett and Russ Stahl and other Cornellians: Scott Keenum ’76, Joan Pease’75, Mark Clemente ’73, MPS ’77, Dan Heffernan ’77, Bob Verna ’68, ME ’69, Cal Fastuca ’78, and Kevin’s brother John Bruns ’67. In addition, Kevin’s son Connor ’11, ME ’12, attended with wife Maggie Dennin Bruns ’12, as did son Matt ’13, BS ’16, and his fiancée, Britt Marriott ’16. Since moving, Kevin has spent time renovating his kitchen and boating on Keuka Lake.

Grace Perez-Navarro wrote in from Paris, France, with the news that she was appointed director of the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration in September 2022. She was also “very pleased” to be invited by President Pollack to serve on the President’s Council of Cornell Women.

Bill Gallagher ’79 plans to move to Prague this summer, where he says he will ‘try and channel my inner Stanley Tucci/Anthony Bourdain and up my culinary game a bit.’

Laura Hitt McCann and husband Tim met up with classmates Tod and Andrea Holtzman Drucker to “welcome the holidays at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania before Andi and Tod head off to the warm Florida winters.” Laura and Andi were freshman roommates in U-Hall 4, while Tim was one floor below. Laura explained that she and Tim stay north to care for their dogs, cats, and Icelandic horses in between visits to their children and grandchildren in Philadelphia and Virginia.

Judi Krell Freedman wrote that she’s “become a snowbird during retirement, leaving cold New Jersey to spend winter months in Bonita Springs, FL, and playing lots of pickleball at the two big parks in nearby Naples.” She added that the audience for her blog continues to grow. Now that the pandemic is easing, she hopes to “get back to doing more international travel again.”

Bill Gallagher provided a new update since reporting in last spring. After seven semesters as an adjunct professor at Front Range Community College in Denver, CO, mainly teaching statistics in recent semesters, Bill explained that next semester, he will be taking a “sabbatical” of sorts, “facilitated by retirement.” He plans to move to Prague, Czech Republic, this summer, where he says he will “take in a few music festivals and try and channel my inner Stanley Tucci/Anthony Bourdain and up my culinary game a bit.”

Marcie Gitlin writes, “It’s been quite a year, but I’m grateful to still be in good health and chugging along. After several unplanned job changes, I finally landed (in February 2022) at Search and Care, a nonprofit, largely privately funded social services agency whose mission is to provide services/programs to help vulnerable older adults remain in their homes independently, aging in place.” Marcie said she enjoys working in “such a mission-driven agency, with devoted and compassionate colleagues,” and expects that this will be her final job before retirement, though her goal is to “work until at least age 70, circumstances permitting.” On the leisure front, Marcie continues to enjoy “museum/gallery-hopping, reading, listening to music, and making the occasional stab at art-making.” Travel plans include a two-week trip to Cambodia and Laos in February 2023. She also enjoys staying connected with friends, including classmates Judith Sherman, Paula Fuchsberg, Peter Coy, and Gail Dow Goldberg, along with other Cornellians Alan Posklensky ’77, MBA ’79, Peter Daniel Davis ’77, Meredith Levine ’00, and brother Saul Gitlin ’84.

Thank you to those classmates who have recently provided updates. To those who have not recently shared your personal news with our class, please consider reaching out as your news keeps this column interesting! Submit an online news form, or email any of your class correspondents. Contact information for classmates and other alumni is available in the Alumni Directory. ❖ Danna Levy (email Danna) | Linda Moses (email Linda) | Cynthia Ahlgren Shea (email Cynthia).

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1980s

1980

As I write this column, we are now in 2023—our 43rd year since graduation—and attempting to resume the hopefully post-pandemic versions of our lives while we encounter economic uncertainty and turbulence, rising consumer prices, and predictions of a possible recession. While we enjoy the spring weather, let’s reflect on the fun that we had in 2022 and the future that we will create in 2023.

Our class enjoyed the annual Thanksgiving weekend Cornell ice hockey game at Madison Square Garden, starting with the pregame party held at the Canuck, a Canadian-themed sports bar in Chelsea founded by former Cornell ice hockey player Denis Ladouceur ’02. Our classmates were eager to reconnect in person and relive Cornell memories, enjoying burgers and beer before the game. Friends from class council, the U-Halls on West Campus, Greek life, Cornell Hillel, colleges such as ILR and Human Ecology, and other Cornell affinities enthusiastically welcomed fellow classmates including Beth Anderson, Leona Barsky, MS ’81, Beth Bennett, Reggie Durden, BS ’83, Ira and Ellen Kaplan Halfond, Steven Jackman, Dana and Cathy Vicks Jerrard, Esther Elkin Mildner, Tim O’Connor, Joyce Rosen, Beth Santa, David Toung, Candy Crocker Warren, and Todd Wolleman.

The Cornell ice hockey team pulled out a victory, winning 6-0 against the University of Connecticut. My son Jeffrey Radin ’19 and I lovingly remembered my son and his brother, Jason Radin ’16, with a moving tribute, “Remembering and celebrating Jason,” posted on the jumbotron screen during the first period.

It was exciting to reconnect with Ellen and Ira Halfond after living next door to Ellen in U-Hall 2 freshman year and learning in ILR classes with Ira for four years. They are currently living in a community called Margaritaville located in Daytona Beach, FL: “college fun without the studying.” They previously lived in Aventura, FL, and relocated in December 2022 seeking more fun. Ira was practicing law and teaching eighth- and twelfth-grade social studies in Aventura. He is currently semi-retired and practicing estate planning law in Daytona. Ellen and Ira celebrated the wedding of their son, Matt, in 2021 and Matt is teaching eighth-grade math in Manhattan. Their daughter, Paula, currently works in the social media field in Florida. They enjoyed a Viking cruise down the Rhine and Danube to Amsterdam, Cologne, Vienna, and Budapest in November 2022.

Jill Abrams Klein ’80 earned emerita faculty status at American University—and on the next day she started her one-year term as interim president of Pitzer College.

Jill Abrams Klein shared that 2022 was a year of many exhilarating transitions for her and her family. First, Jill earned emerita faculty status at American University—and on the next day she started her one-year term as interim president of Pitzer College located in Claremont, CA. Jill explained, “Retirement needs to wait!” Her husband, Fred, instigated this cross-country, one-year temporary relocation. Jill reported that it was very exciting to lead a college and explore a new coast. Secondly, Jill and Fred celebrated the wedding of their daughter, Susie, to Axel Amar in Paris (Axel is French). Third, they moved to a new home in Washington, DC. When Jill finishes her term, she plans to unwind on Cape Cod starting in July, and will be found on her sailboat before returning to her next chapter in D.C.

Jack Glassman, MA ’82, shared that he lives with his wife, S. Christine Cavataio, in Charlestown, MA, and recently celebrated his 65th birthday. Jay continues to serve as the historical architect for the National Park Service within the U.S. Department of Interior and support the repair and removal of structures and sites located in national parks from Maine to Virginia. He enjoys biking, spending time in nature, his walks in the city, and his professional and volunteer activities.

From Azusa, CA, Sukwah Lai wrote that she was spending her time on writing, singing, and publishing her own music, as well as “advising people on health—especially how to enhance their natural immunity.” Sukwah shared that her 95-year-old father recovered from “double strokes of bad luck” and her younger son just graduated from dental school. She added the following: “I thank God for all the knowledge He has given me. I believe I am in alignment with God’s perfect will.”

The Class of 1980 has embarked on a new project to digitize the remaining issues of the Cornell Daily Sun from our undergraduate years. The issues posted online will provide a terrific resource for background research on events from 1976–80 for Reunion planning and other class programming. The class needs to raise the funds to pay for the digitization costs with Olin Library staff managing the project, and we welcome your donations of any amount. You will be receiving additional information on the digitization project.

Let’s look for updates from Cornell Hillel as the organization embarks on a major campaign to build its first building for the Cornell community, to be located on West Campus.

Our classmates have shared news of family celebrations and accomplishments, career milestones, and retirement plans as we embark on year 43 after graduation. Please continue to share your news, since our column is a terrific way to stay in touch with Cornell friends and memories. ❖ Leona Barsky (email Leona) | Dik Saalfeld (email Dik) | Chas Horvath (email Chas) | David Durfee (email David) | Alumni Directory.

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1981

Hi, all! I think time marches on more and more quickly. I’m thick in the throes of work as an annual giving officer for Hadassah—working with my donors in the State of Florida and in the “Super South,” as it is called (from Virginia down to Georgia). Ella, 16, is busy with her future—which college to attend? Stay tuned. Brayden, 14, is busy with theater and baseball. On to high school next year! Some of you are shaking your heads—been there, done that. Feel free to send me some tips!

We had a rocking time at Frozen Apple 2022, with Cornell defeating then-number-six-ranked UConn, 6-0. Classmates in attendance that I know of (or who were in our Class of 1981 section): Brian Finneran, Kate Furman Pasik, Bob Boehringer, Cynthia Wein Korzelius, Mitchell Berger, Dan Weisz, Ed Baum, Jon Landsman, Howie Borkan, Scott Schiller, and Lisa Kremer Ullmann.

Our classmates are all over the map! Adam Petriella, owner at Silverthread Capital, lives in Rye, NY. As he said, coming from the Bronx, the sight lines from the upper floors of the Statler moved him, as did Triphammer Falls each morning as he walked to class, rain or shine, hot or cold. His entire Cornell experience from start to finish was a magnificent life-changing thrill ride.

Over in New Vernon, NJ, Lynn Ciolino Boyajian is a retired attorney. She retired from the practice of law in 2001 to raise her family. Since then, she has ongoing involvement with several nonprofits as a board member on the development side with an emphasis on sustainability, urban gardening, horticulture, land preservation, and grant writing.

In the State of Illinois, Doug Craw is an entrepreneur/investor at Jaymo’s Sauces LLC and living in Peoria. He is happily retired from the corporate rat race after a fruitful career. Now he is an investor/co-owner of a business making a better-for-you line of sauces. “Building a sauce empire one bottle at a time,” as they say. Like pretty much everyone, he looks forward to traveling, especially to new scuba-diving locations and adventures! Also in Illinois is Grace Wolf-Chase, in Naperville. She is on “soft money” now, so her income depends upon getting grants—not the easiest thing to do these days. Still, she continues to do research in astronomy, and she loves communicating the excitement of science to the public. She loves doing things with her family, whether it’s playing games, going to the movies, or just chatting!

Mark Elsaesser has been in Oklahoma City for four years, after a new job took him there. He’s active with the Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network and would like to participate in any Cornell Club or Hotel Society events in Oklahoma or Dallas.

Coming from the Bronx, the sight lines from the upper floors of the Statler moved Adam Petriella ’81, as did Triphammer Falls each morning as he walked to class, rain or shine.

Chris Crehan is living in Franklin, MA, and grew up in East Walpole, MA. He remembers napping on the Slope and slinging hash at Noyes. He lived down near Ithaca High School, “so Gun Hill was a daily trek for me.” Heading back to his room wasn’t always an option during the school day! He recently became a grandfather. He has 35+ years in the mortgage biz, including 20 years running his own brokerage operation. He is currently a loan officer with AAA (yes, that AAA). Most people don’t know they do mortgage loans in the Massachusetts/Connecticut/Rhode Island area.

Matthew Kramer is professor of legal and political philosophy at Cambridge University, where he has been teaching for 29 years. He is a fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge, and he was elected to a fellowship of the British Academy in 2014. He is the author of 19 books (and a co-editor of four further books) in political, moral, and legal philosophy.

Howard Worman tells us that son Max ’25 is a sophomore in Arts & Sciences. Daughter Naomi is not-too-far away at the Newhouse School in Syracuse. Abigail Shachat is still doing her design practice. One of her sons, Aaron Fink ’24, is a junior in Arts & Sciences studying computer science. Abigail says it is so much fun visiting the campus again and seeing Cornell through his eyes.

Julio Caro continues to work in the area of filmed entertainment production, with an emphasis on the Spanish language market. His daughter, Isabel ’18, continues to work at Major League Baseball in NYC and has recently commenced law school at CUNY. His son, Javier, is a junior at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, studying history. Julio is fortunate to have found the love of his life and they are enjoying time together on a property in Southern Oregon. He continues to ride motorcycles and tend to his classic Porsche cars. Sounds fun to me!

Terry Steinberg is enjoying retirement. She is catching up on her reading and getting fit with Kung Fu. She takes lessons in Kung Fu weights, sword fighting (wooden for now), and self-defense forms, plus balance and stretching exercises. Kung Fu is great, and you can start at any level of fitness. What matters is practice! She enjoys walking in the neighborhood and at nearby parks and trails. She also planted bulbs in her flower garden to make it burst with color next spring!

Please don’t forget to let us know what’s going on with you! We want to hear! Please be well and be happy. ❖ Betsy Silverfine (email Betsy) | Alumni Directory.

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1982

It is hard to believe that it has been almost a year since our 40th Reunion on the Hill. For those in attendance it was a great weekend to explore campus, participate in class activities, re-connect with classmates, and enjoy some beautiful Ithaca weather. I, along with many of you, am looking forward to our next Reunion and the opportunity to get together as a class. In the meantime, please continue to send us your news—it allows us to remain in contact and follow the latest updates on our interests and adventures.

One of our classmates reports that he has recently relocated to Ithaca. Maury Josephson moved from Long Island to become the assistant attorney for the City of Ithaca. Maury notes that his children and grandson have joined him and his wife, Beth (Littman) ’83, in Upstate New York. Not surprisingly, Maury also reports that boating on the lake is one of his favorite pastimes.

Other classmates have also reported moves or career changes. Dave Block retired from his practice with the Jackson Lewis law firm. Dave and his wife, Ellen, are living in Miami. Mark Ullman, MBA ’83, has relocated to Ketchum, ID, from Connecticut and works remotely as a managing director for Charter Oak Equity. Mike Curtis now resides in Albuquerque, NM, with his wife, Sheryl, and their son, Austin.

In Connecticut, our classmate Andrew Glassman—a partner in the law firm of Pullman & Comley LLC and the chair of its cannabis, CBD, and hemp practice—was named attorney of the year in 2022 by the Connecticut Cannabis Chamber of Commerce. Andrew and his firm have been working with clients in the cannabis industry since medical use was first legalized in 2012 and he has continued work in the area since Connecticut announced the legalization of adult use in 2021.

From California, we received news from Howard Rosen that his daughter will be attending the College of Arts & Sciences as a member of the Cornell Class of 2027.

Please enjoy your spring! Keep your classmates in your thoughts and update us on your latest activities and accomplishments. Take care. ❖ Doug Skalka (email Doug) | Mark Fernau (email Mark) | Nina Kondo (email Nina) | Alumni Directory.

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1983

Greetings, classmates! The Class of ’83 Reunion is just three months away!

Reunion co-chairs Tony Giobbi and Lisa Esposito Kok have been busy planning a wonderful weekend of events including: an outdoor BBQ at the beautiful Nevins Center, a cocktail party on the McGraw Terrace overlooking Cayuga Lake, an elegant sit-down dinner on the Arts Quad, and an all-under-one-tent Sunday brunch. Now is a terrific time to reach out to your classmates and make plans to be together again on campus this June. Please keep an eye out for registration materials and check out our private Class of ’83 Facebook page, where we would love for you to share your favorite Cornell memories.

Our class had some super events in the fall. On October 29 there was an excellent turnout at the Cornell/Princeton Homecoming football game and tailgate. More than a dozen classmates, family, and friends, plus some Princeton interlopers, attended. Lots of Prosecco, cupcakes, fruit, pastries (Big Red bear claws!), crackers, candies, other goodies, and Big Red colors everywhere made for a perfect day! Of course, there was lots of cheering for the team, helped by the Big Red Band. This event has been growing each year and we hope to see even more folks come out next year.

The Cornell and Columbia football teams clashed on November 19. Several classmates attended and afterward enjoyed the annual Sy Katz ’31 Parade, followed by a reception at the Cornell Club–New York.

More than 12,000 fans rocked the annual Cornell ice hockey game at Madison Square Garden.

Stewart Glickman ’83

More than 12,000 fans rocked the annual Cornell ice hockey game at Madison Square Garden on November 26. Our class sold out all of our tickets and celebrated Cornell crushing UConn 6-0 with 11 different Cornell players showing up on the scoresheet. If you’ve never attended or haven’t had a chance to go for some time, then definitely mark your calendar for 2023—college hockey doesn’t get better than this!

Now on to some news from classmates. Beth Littman Josephson has switched gears from human resources to social work to case management. “I obtained my Addiction Counseling Certification and CASAC-T and now I’m a chemical dependency clinician for an outpatient substance abuse program in Ithaca. This is my retirement. Work and play. Ithaca is the place where you can do both comfortably.” Beth adds that her son works for Cornell and her daughter is a student and the mother of a 4-year-old son. “Life is good. We are exploring the waters of Cayuga Lake and Central New York on our new boat.”

Looking forward to seeing everyone at Reunion! ❖ Stewart Glickman (email Stewart) | Nancy Korn Freeman (email Nancy) | Tom Helf (email Tom) | Jon Felice (email Jon) | Alumni Directory.

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1984

Our news this time around: Amy Fraser sends a Big Red shout-out to our amazing class president, John Toohey. He is the recipient of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Outstanding Alumni Award. What a wonderful honor! John’s loyalty and hard work for our class and university-wide projects is very appreciated. He has made the Class of ’84 very proud!

Catherine Diviney is proud to announce that she has been selected for inclusion in “Upstate New York Super Lawyers” for 2022. Catherine is a partner in the healthcare practice and a member of the executive committee at Hancock Estabrook LLP. She has focused her legal practice on health law since 1993. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement and is limited to 5% of the lawyers in the state. Congratulations, Catherine, on this impressive accomplishment!

Don’t forget that you can review the Cornell ’84 Faces page, where you can read about featured classmates as we count down to Reunion 2024! Don’t forget: Reunion ’24 (our 40th!), please pay class dues, and write to your correspondent: ❖ José Nieves (email José) | Alumni Directory.

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1985

“I’m excited to have a new book out this year, Shifting Currents: A World History of Swimming (Reaktion Books, 2022),” writes Karen Lichtenbaum Carr. “In possibly related news, my youngest is finally off to college—sadly not at Cornell but at Northwestern, where he is happily ensconced in the Medill School of Journalism.” ❖ Joyce Zelkowitz Cornett (email Joyce) | Alumni Directory.

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1986

This is Ellen Nordberg writing from Colorado, where the ski resorts are reporting great snow for the holidays, and my college sophomore identical twin boys will be home for break soon. Several classmates have written to say they have twins too.

Steve Madden has identical twin girls—one at Kenyon College and the other at Cornell. “It’s been a blast having her there,” he says. “I finally have another hockey fan in the house. We went to an exhibition game a couple weeks ago! It’s amazing to have a legit reason to go back.” As far as his professional life goes, Steve continues, “After more than 30 years as a writer and editor (including a stint as editor of Cornell Magazine, later called Cornell Alumni Magazine), I moved to the dark side and am now the general manager of Haymarket Media’s business media group. I oversee four titles, mostly in the marketing communications space. I’ve been here since 2019, riding out the pandemic from home in Chatham, NJ, and going into the city a couple of days each week.” He adds that he and his wife, Anne Thompson, have three kids, and they recently saw Cornell beat UConn 6-0 at Madison Square Garden with Gary Holtzer.

Stu Steck grew up in Cortland, NY, and tells me he splits his time between Central New York and Brookline, MA. Stu’s now an art historian in modern and contemporary art. He’s director of integrated studies at Lesley University’s College of Art and Design in Cambridge, MA, and also recently completed a two-year appointment as associate dean. He has previously taught at MIT and Brown. He keeps in touch with classmates Jon Ward, ME ’88, Melissa Koff, Stephen Wemple, ME ’87, Laura Neuwirth, Jeffrey Weaver, MBA ’90, Andrew Ehrenworth, and David Weissgold. (Stu’s a far cry from his role as my favorite bartender at Rulloff’s!)

Speaking of bars in Ithaca, this past summer I got to take my 88-year-old dad, Nils Nordberg ’55, BS ’56, back for the Cornell ATO 135th anniversary party. He was a Hotel grad and a member of ATO, and by fun coincidence, I ended up being an ATO little sister in ’83. There were more than 200 attendees from classes in the ’90s all the way back to the ’50s. I hadn’t been back for a Reunion since my twins were tiny, and I loved attending the events at the Fall Creek House, the updated Statler, Taughannock Park, and Willard Straight, where I had once worked as a night manager. Really a gift to have time with my dad there. (Don’t get me started on how my kids wouldn’t even consider applying.)

This past summer I got to take my 88-year-old dad, Nils Nordberg ’55, BS ’56, back for the Cornell ATO 135th anniversary party.

Ellen Nordberg ’86

The most fun part of the ATO celebration was reuniting with ’86 classmates I haven’t seen since graduation! Jeremy Korman is a general surgeon in L.A., living in Brentwood. He rolled in with Anthony Deboni, who’s a plastic surgeon in the Syracuse area. (I hadn’t realized they both were pre-med, and I finally connected the dots as to why they were absent at so many of our undergrad gatherings!)

Greg Alvarez is an attorney and a principal at Jackson Lewis PC in Berkeley Heights, NJ. Jim Durant is a lawyer in Southern California. I also saw John Poli, who’s an industry principal, healthcare, at RingCentral in the New York metropolitan area. Ted Kantor, MBA ’91, is a managing director at A Neumann and Associates (also in the NYC area). He lives in Westport, CT. I also caught glimpses of Rich Islinger (also a physician) and Drew Martin.

Pat Kinney (who I remember cheering on in 150s football) is a VP controller for Henkel Corp. and lives in Glastonbury, CT. He says the ATO celebration in July was a highlight of his year, and I feel the same. Plus, my dad’s still talking about it and putting the photos in his holiday letter.

Sandy Caro DeCain lives in Chevy Chase, MD, and also spends a lot of time on the eastern shore of Virginia on the Chesapeake Bay. Her older son graduated from Boston College in 2022 and her younger son is in high school. She’s been renovating her home and she and her husband intend to spend more time in Florida with their boat once their two sons and daughter have moved on.

I’ve learned that several classmates have recently lost children. Sending much love and care to them, and to all of you. ❖ Ellen Nordberg (email Ellen) | Toby Goldsmith (email Toby) | Lori Spydell Wagner (email Lori) | Michael Wagner (email Michael) | Alumni Directory.

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1987

Greetings, fellow classmates. I’m writing this as we are heading into the holidays, knowing that you’ll be reading it in the spring! My personal highlight this past Thanksgiving was cheering on the Cornell hockey team in their 6-0 drubbing of UConn at Madison Square Garden. Shari Brasner and Jeff Cohen organized a pre-game dinner attended by about a dozen classmates and their families including Verna Ng Tyree, Tom Tseng, ME ’94, Michelle Turk Schneider, and Scott Pesner; it has become an annual tradition. And we met up with an even larger group of classmates in our section including our Reunion class panelists Marc Lacey, Jessica Ettinger Gottesman, and Dave Price, as well as Alison Josephs, Bob Maxon, Jill Israeloff Gross, Lloyd Robinson, Owens Walker, and many more! As an added bonus, Shari Brasner left the game to deliver a baby!

In non-hockey related baby news, Annette Lee shared that she sold her medical practice in 2021 and spent three months in Barbados on a locums tenens contract. She is now working part time at Reproductive Associates of Delaware doing the same thing as the last 25 years: making IVF babies. All five of her kids have flown the nest (including Katherine O’Connor ’24 and James O’Connor ’17). She gets together regularly with her two besties, Jennifer Sullivan Recker and Susanne Kraszewski Wesnofske. They met the first day of freshman orientation and have remained lifelong friends with 13 kids among them!

Paul Stavrand reported that he and his daughter, who is now a sophomore at Cornell, had a great time at Reunion this year, and especially enjoyed catching up with Ron Bolster and meeting his family!

Eric Ford is professor of health policy and organization at the University of Alabama School of Public Health and was recently appointed to the board of Joint Commission Resources, the main accrediting body for international hospitals and provider of accreditation materials globally. Additionally, he is the editor of the Journal of Healthcare Management.

Fred Barber ’87 and his wife towed their 29-ft. trailer to Utah in October to join their daughter (a junior at the University of Utah) at Zion National Park over her fall break.

Audrey Mann Cronin wrote, “I am working at a new startup called Caraway that is tackling the medical and societal imperative of taking care of college+ women (ages 18­–27) with on-demand access to mental, physical, and reproductive care, 24/7. We are on the ground at Cornell with student interns and more than 22 members/users. We all read the devastating headlines about the rise in the Gen Z mental health crisis, suicide and suicide ideation, and the new and persistent barriers to reproductive care. It rocks me to the core, and I am grateful to be working as head of comms for a company that is helping our amazing Gen Zers get the care they need, all in one place.”

Now that they are empty nesters, Fred Barber shares that he and his wife have bought an RV! They towed their 29-ft. trailer to Utah in October to join their daughter (a junior at the University of Utah) at Zion National Park over her fall break. Fred also continues to serve as the board chairman of Chesterton House, the Christian Study Center at Cornell. He is also advising a similar institute at the University of Texas, Austin as they go through a leadership transition.

Janelle Hansen Zurek married Steve Ward on November 13 in Winter Park, FL. Classmates in attendance included Heidi Heasley Ford, Colleen Curtain Gable, Jill Israeloff Gross, Scott and Susan Laughlin Johnson, Jeff Cernak, Tony ’86 and Karen Petrus Astarita, and Margot Tohn ’86. Janelle’s two daughters, Jayne ’16 and Emily, served as the maids of honor. Janelle and Steve went on a delayed honeymoon to Bora Bora in January.

I had a fun impromptu girls’ night in NYC with two of my besties, Victoria Lazar and Cheryl Berger Israeloff, in December. Victoria flew in from Houston for a business meeting and we were able to grab her for a night. Her daughter, Lily, is a freshman at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. Big news for Cheryl and her husband, Larry: their daughter Risa Israeloff Hefter, MBA ’20 (Cornell Tech), got married this past September. As of this writing, I also have plans to spend New Year’s Eve with Liz Brown, JD ’80, and husband David in Philly.

Keep in touch and continue to share your news with us by emailing either of us: ❖ Whitney Weinstein Goodman (email Whitney) | Liz Brown (email Liz) | Alumni Directory.

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1988

Happy spring, Class of ’88! It feels a bit funny writing that, as right now I am watching snow fall and accumulate very quickly in one of the biggest storms of the winter so far! But hopefully as you are reading this, we are enjoying the green of spring and seeing lovely daffodils peeping out of the soil—at least in the Northern Hemisphere! Before I get into the class updates, I want to send out a happy reminder that our 35th Reunion is coming up this June, and it would be fantastic to see as many of you there as possible. It is always such a wonderful time and great fun to reconnect with old friends—and make new ones—as we revisit all the haunts of our college days.

Laura Bloch reached out to let everyone know that she and her daughter, Ella ’24, got to meet up with classmate and former dorm-mate Amanda Pilar Smith, MPS ’92, in NYC over Thanksgiving weekend. They enjoyed a yummy lunch together and some good laughs. Amanda, in fact, is the chair of our upcoming 35th Reunion and could really use the help of anyone planning to attend! If you can and want to assist, please reach out to either Laura or Amanda via Facebook Messenger. There are lots of things you can do to get involved and it can be as big or small as you want!

It was nice to hear from Victor Seidel, who is pleased to share that he was recently promoted to full professor at Babson College, a private business school focused on entrepreneurship that is based in Wellesley, MA. At Babson, he holds the Metropoulos Term Chair in Innovation Management. He recently returned from a seven-month sabbatical with his family in Melbourne, Australia, where he was a visiting faculty member at RMIT University.

The last piece of news came in from Lily Robinson, who, after graduating with a degree in design and environmental analysis, went on to get a master’s degree at Parsons School of Design in architecture and a doctorate of education at UCSD and has been a licensed architect since 1999! Lily taught design at the undergraduate and graduate level. These days she is teaching part time at San Diego Mesa College in their combined architecture and interior design program. She is also the current president of the American Society of Interior Designers San Diego Chapter for 2022–23.

As always, thank you to everyone who contributed to this edition of the Class Notes. Please keep your updates coming! You can send news by using the online news form or by emailing any of your class correspondents! ❖ Debbie Kaplan Gershenson (email Debbie) | Lynn Berni (email Lynn) | Aliza Stein Angelchik (email Aliza) | Alumni Directory.

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1989

Hi classmates, family, and friends of the Class of ’89! Happy almost spring. Spring and fall are the seasons that make me most nostalgic for Cornell: the gorgeous foliage, football, and fresh starts with friends and classes, then Fun in the Sun and finishing up for the summer.

This past fall, Cornell vibes abounded at a very enjoyable Zinck’s Night at Queen City Brewery here in Burlington, VT. Shout-out to Lisa Peskin Merrill ’90 for her excellent organization of this event. A great range of local Cornellians attended, from 1964 to 2021. Our class was well represented by Christopher Ford, Mary Jo Krolewski, and perhaps others, as I was having too much fun to take names and years for this column. The Cornell reminiscences sure got me thinking ahead to Reunion 2024 next spring!

Winter, though, makes me want to curl up by the fire and read; how about you? I’m thrilled to report that (at least) two of our classmates have published books in the past year! (Let us know if you have one to add to the list.)

Kay Fenton Ganshaw Smith’s Baking Blue Ribbons: Stories and Recipes from the Iowa State Fair Food Competitions launched in August. Boasting 150 winning recipes, this book covers the history of the country’s top fair food competition from its beginnings in 1854 to the present day, with the prize money now topping $75,000 annually. As Kay told DSM Magazine, “We’ve told of the history, but this book is also about the future. It’s really about how people continue to cook and bake for all different reasons.” Read more here.

Our classmate Patrick Joyce’s debut novel, Back in the USSR, was published by Spy Pond Press in December. Patrick explained, “It’s a young adult thriller about the hunt for a lost Beatles album in Cold War Moscow. I grew up in a diplomatic family stationed multiple times in the Soviet Union, including while I was at Cornell, and at the time, I wrote about my experiences for the Cornell Daily Sun. I’ve been a Beatles fan all my life, but I rediscovered them when my teenage son became a fan too.”

Here’s a description of the book: “They can ban rock. They can breed fear. But one record spins out of their control. When Harrison George, teenage son of American diplomats, arrives in Cold War Moscow for winter break, he plans to daydream and hang out with his friend Prudence Akobo, street-smart daughter of foreign correspondents. Instead, he and Prudence stumble onto the trail of the Album, a long-lost Beatles relic and priceless symbol of freedom in a country where rock music is banned. Chased by treasure hunters, gangsters, and spies, they don’t know who to trust. If they don’t find the Album first, they could end up missing—or dead—themselves. Harrison and Prudence face a choice. Will they be pawns in a game of global conflict, or can they help a maverick KGB agent on a mission of personal redemption?” Patrick currently lives in Massachusetts with his wife, Rajee (Kolagotla), who’s also a classmate. Find him at his website.

Thanks to those of you who have taken a moment to click on the online news form (for the rest of you, here it is). Jeffrey Pease, MBA ’91, filled us in recently: “We left NYC in the jaws of the pandemic in 2020, being nomadic for nearly a year before settling in Jacksonville, FL. My wife, Cynthia, and Grady the Wonder Dog (now 15) are my small but wonderful nuclear family. I’m fortunate that business has been booming at Message Mechanics LLC, which helps companies simplify their messaging to grow their business. Besides my bread and butter of positioning workshops, I’ve been serving as fractional chief marketing officer or advisor for several tech companies. After a couple of CMO gigs, Message Mechanics LLC was my solution to an adult-onset allergy to actual jobs.”

I have opened my own German- and Latino-inspired bakery and café, combining my partner’s Honduran heritage and my German background.

Bettina Woicke Scemama ’89

Jeffrey shared, “Getting a company from confusion to clarity on their brand is actually really fun. And being able to do it in live workshops again, after pandemic Zoom-fatigue, is a joy. I’m ridiculously lucky that I get to integrate elements drawn from songwriting and my Cornell liberal arts and psych background into a form of ‘performance art’ that pays the bills.” To the question about whether he’s picked up any new hobbies recently, he replied, “Alas, no. Songwriting was a longtime dream, and I worked hard on it for a couple of years. These days, an occasional collaboration is all I do.”

We got a newsy and thoughtful update from Dale Novick, too. She wrote, “I’m a female jewelry designer based in New York and Los Angeles. I lived abroad for many years in Europe working in the arts. I studied history of art and painting at Cornell. I speak a few Romance languages. I began my jewelry design business while living in Rio de Janeiro. This helped to catapult my career in the jewelry industry in America and abroad. I have a large celebrity following and wonderful clients, and I’m incredibly fortunate to have had such blessings. I am in touch with many fellow Cornellians. Cornell is imbued in my memories, and I was fortunate to graduate from this fabulous university and to make lifelong friendships.” Visit Dale on her beautiful website and Instagram. (“I welcome positive people only,” she notes.)

Dale shared about her personal life, too: “Unfortunately, I lost my father in 2021, which has had a tremendous impact on the lives of loved ones. It has been the hardest loss in my life. Each day, I feel blessed by my children. My family, friendships, music, cooking, entertaining, all animals, and my personal and athletic interests are satisfying. I have been a yogi for over 17 years, a painter my entire life, and an art historian/appreciator and supporter of the arts, most specifically in the field of photography. I have a spiritual yoga practice, and I was raised to be all-inclusive. I have always loved to travel and to listen to people tell their stories. We live in a jaded world and it’s essential to focus on the positive while helping others and to share this sentiment with the younger generation.”

Speaking of the younger generation, Heather Borden Herve wrote, “I love the fact that my son, Maden, is a member of the Class of 2024 in Dyson, and that he’s having the time of his life there. I’m thrilled we get to share the experience of being Cornellians. I’m in my 10th year of publishing GOOD Morning Wilton, a hyperlocal news website I founded and created, focused on Wilton, CT, where I live. It’s become the go-to source for the town, especially as the local newspaper no longer regularly covers what happens. It keeps me VERY busy, but I love what I do.”

Bettina Woicke Scemama shared some exciting news about the work she loves: “After many years working as a pastry chef, I have opened my own bakery, Bettina’s Bakery, in Newton Upper Falls just outside of Boston. It is a German- and Latino-inspired bakery and café, combining my partner’s Honduran heritage and my German background.” Congratulations, Bettina! Sounds yummy: I may have to come say hello and sample the baked goods when I’m in town for the Boston Marathon in April.

Thanks to those of you who shared your news. We’d love to hear from more classmates! You can submit news here or e-mail any of us. ❖ Anne Czaplinski Treadwell (email Anne) | Kris Borovicka Gerig (email Kris) | Stephanie Bloom Avidon (email Stephanie) | Lauren Kidder McGarry (email Lauren) | Alumni Directory.

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1990s

1990

As I write this column at the end of Thanksgiving weekend, I’m feeling grateful for the many opportunities I’ve had to connect with Cornell and Cornellians over the past months. In September, my husband, Aron Minken ’80, and I visited Cornell for the first time since the campus fully reopened post-pandemic. We stayed at the Statler; enjoyed beautiful Ithaca fall weather; ate at Collegetown Bagels; checked out the brand-new freshman dorm Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hall on North Campus; and attended Professor Vanessa Bohns’s “Introduction to the Psychology of Work” (for the ILRies reading this, the class is Organizational Behavior, re-branded), where we enjoyed listening to an interesting lecture while surrounded by 100+ students furiously taking notes on their laptops.

In October, we watched Cornell football at Princeton, preceded by a tailgate sponsored by the Cornell ILR Alumni Association (ILRAA). The tailgate was hosted by Jordan Berman ’95, president of the ILRAA, and his wife, Elizabeth Schepp-Berman ’97, MPS ’04, at Jordan’s OFC offices in Princeton. Although we lost to Princeton, we “won the pre-game tailgate,” as Jordan commented, and it was fun to meet ILR alumni from across many decades.

Finally, we attended Frozen Apple hockey on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. In addition to enjoying watching Cornell trounce UConn 6-0, we caught up with Vivian Althaus Harrow, Jon and Adena Walker Goldberg, Jill Baron Steinberg, Betsy Starkman Mischel ’91 and her husband, Eric, Karen Saul Miller, Mindy Schechter Tashlik ’89 and her husband, Scott, and Dan Silverman ’95 and his wife, Rachel.

I’ve also recently been in touch with several senior-year apartment-mates from 222 Dryden Road. After graduating from Stanford Law School, Carolyn Colton Frantz practiced employment law and general litigation at White & Case in New York, and then she practiced labor and employment law at San Francisco firm Littler Mendelson before “falling into 15 years on and off as law clerk to a variety of federal magistrate judges in the Northern and Southern districts of California.”

Since college, Carolyn has lived a very adventurous life, learning to ski, backpack, scuba dive, and camp (“despite everything everyone knew about me”). She has qualified as a scuba instructor and been diving in such exotic places as the Maldives, Fiji, Bonaire, Belize, Costa Rica, Cozumel, and Hawaii. “I lived on a sailboat in Florida, the Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos for a year with scuba gear and compressor on board—allowing for diving where no people live or visit, and all funded by and then ended by the dot-com boom and bust.”

Carolyn subsequently moved back to dry land and had a child, now a 17-year-old high school senior and transgender woman who goes by Starry. Carolyn lives in Park City, UT, where she is a stay-at-home mom to Starry and, “most shocking to her close friends,” to two adorable mini-doodles. Carolyn also enjoys stand-up paddleboarding in the summer and playing pickleball whenever she can.

Since college, Carolyn Colton Frantz ’90 has lived a very adventurous life, learning to ski, backpack, scuba dive, and camp (‘despite everything everyone knew about me’).

Maggy Peavey Pietropaolo moved to Boston after college and earned her MBA from Boston U. She now lives in Lincoln, MA, and works as a quantitative stock analyst at investment firm Boston Partners. Maggy has two college-aged children: Zack, who attends Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and Sofia, a freshman at Syracuse U. Maggy is happy that both of her children are having an Upstate New York college experience as she did.

Two of our classmates had books published recently. Heidi Hackford shares, “My new novel, Folly Park, just launched. In it, the ancestor of a renowned Confederate general upends her small Southern town when she discovers that the general’s wife gave birth to a biracial baby during the Civil War.” You can read more about Heidi’s book here. Congratulations!

Congratulations also to Dolly Chugh for her recently published book, A More Just Future: Psychological Tools for Reckoning With our Past and Driving Social Change. Dolly is a social psychologist and management professor at the NYU Stern School of Business, where she teaches MBA courses in leadership and management. Previously, Dolly worked in the private sector and attended Harvard, earning her MBA and PhD. She has received many research honors and teaching awards, including the NTU Distinguished Teaching Award in 2020.

In her book, Dolly examines the “racial fault lines” and inequalities in our country that are rooted in past events, such as the massacre in Tulsa and the incarceration of Japanese Americans. Her book provides an opportunity to learn a more complete version of our country’s history. Dolly was previously published in 2018; her first book, The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias, is a guide to “how to confront difficult issues including sexism, racism, inequality, and injustice so that you can make the world (and yourself) better.” You can learn more about both books at Dolly’s website.

In other book-related news, David Lind, who lives in Fayetteville, NY, shared that his wife, Ana Caliz Casanova, began working for Cornell University Library as supervisory cataloger last August.

By the time this column reaches you, the New Year will be well behind us. I hope it was a joyous one and that good things are in store for you in 2023! Please send us your upcoming plans and news! ❖ Nancy Solomon Weiss (email Nancy) | Rose Tanasugarn (email Rose) | Allan Rousselle (email Allan) | Alumni Directory.

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1991

Greetings, Class of ’91, from Southern Maine! We didn’t have updates this time—seems we’re all busy getting back to normal. For me that means a few work trips coming up, including one that will allow me to connect with my freshman roommate, Julie Welch Alvarez ’92! I can’t wait!

Send in your updates to your class correspondents; it’s a lot more fun to have news to sort through. We’ll share all that we get. Could be a job change, a promotion, retirement (yes, we’re that old), a family update, or anything else you’d like to share. Enjoy the spring! ❖ Wendy Milks Coburn (email Wendy) | Joe Marraccino (email Joe) | Evelyn Achuck Yue (email Evelyn) | Susie Curtis Schneider (email Susie) | Ruby Wang Pizzini (email Ruby) | Alumni Directory.

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1992

Happy spring! As I write this, the fall and winter holidays have just passed. I hope you were able to spend time with loved ones and continue—or create—some traditions.

One tradition that our family enjoys right after Thanksgiving is the annual Cornell men’s ice hockey game at Madison Square Garden in New York City. We dress ourselves in Cornell gear, take the train in, have dinner, YELL for Cornell, and head home. Whether the event is Red Hot Hockey or the Frozen Apple (Red Hot Hockey is every other year vs. Boston University), we love to go shout the infamous group cheers, hear the pep band, sing the “Alma Mater,” and be surrounded by that infectious Big Red spirit. It got me wondering how many other ’92 classmates were at this year’s game and what their experiences were. So I posted on our class Facebook page—and I was able to connect with seven classmates (one of whom is my husband, Todd Kantorczyk). I’m happy to share what I found out.

Almost all of us had attended this event before, but for the few who had not, they report that they would absolutely go again. Those of us who have attended before are regulars and go almost every year! While most of us live in the Philadelphia/New York metro/New Jersey area, Seth Kaplan came all the way from Dallas, TX. He loved being surrounded by Cornellians! Most of us brought our families along, and those family members were frequently Cornellians as well. And almost all of us met up with Cornell friends.

Here is who we brought and found: Todd and I brought all three of our kids including Sadie Kantorczyk ’23, and we saw Yanai ’93, ME ’94, and Christy Bleyle Frank ’93. Neil Zwiebel brought Alexandra Zwiebel ’26 and saw Paul Weisenfeld, Melissa Hilton Hession, MD ’00, Josh ’98 and Penny Kramer Hecht ’98, and Matt ’90 and Gillian Weiner Dunn ’93. Shelli Klein Faber and husband Jeff ’90 brought Olive Faber ’23 and Josh Faber ’26, who performed with the pep band; Shelli saw Todd ’91 and Staci Kolomer Purcell and Alan Leibel ’91. Seth Kaplan brought Daniel Kaplan ’25 and saw Scott Pesner ’87. Lisa Everts was without her regular MSG partner-in-crime, Allison Bergstrom, but she did meet up with Maureen Saunders ’83, DVM ’87, for the game and Mike Ferdinando for a quick drink in the afternoon (pre-game). Rachael Perkins Arenstein attended with her family and extended family, including her cousin David Levy ’87 and his two daughters. Rachael saw Melissa Hession and Jenny Kim.

Some favorite Cornell hockey cheers of those attending: “Boring,” “Sieve,” “Fight, maim, kill,” and “You’re not a goalie—you just suck.” Lisa Everts writes, “I have a fondness for some of the retired cheers. As a longtime season ticket holder, I’ve had a chance to see the evolution of the cheers over the years for various reasons. My seats at Lynah are right next to where the tubas play in the third period, and that’s always entertaining.”

My seats at Lynah are right next to where the tubas play in the third period, and that’s always entertaining.

Lisa Everts ’92

Rachael Arenstein’s least favorite cheer is “It’s all your fault,” because she was a goalie for the women’s ice hockey team. She wrote, “I can’t even say that one since I know it isn’t true.” Here’s her story about how she became the goalie: “I was a goalie on the women’s soccer team, and my senior year the women’s hockey team needed a backup goalie. I was recruited for the role. I had always loved watching hockey, so it was great fun to improve my skating and learn to play.”

Rachael also shared this Cornell hockey memory: “Every year, the women’s soccer team had a phone-a-thon to raise money for our team. My junior year, there was a prize of two standing-room hockey tickets for the teammate who raised the most money during the event. I was excited to win and attended every game that season. I was very popular that year, as friends vied for the chance to go with me on my second ticket! My favorite memory from my season on the women’s hockey team was a tournament we played in Toronto, where Cornell hockey legend Ken Dryden ’69 came to watch us play.”

Seth Kaplan shared these hockey memories from his time on the Hill: “My senior year, I was one of the people who handed out newspapers before the game. As a result, I never had to buy a ticket to get into the games. Also, I took a road trip to Colgate for a game (think it was senior year). We were having a blast until Colgate made a late comeback and won while a blizzard was brewing outside. We had planned to stay to check out campus and Hamilton (now I know there’s not much to see), but with the snow piling up and Colgate fans who were thrilled with their win and not thrilled with how loudly we had been cheering for Cornell, we got out as quickly as possible. It was fun to see Cornell play in as many arenas as possible and see just how seriously Cornellians took their hockey compared to other teams’ fans.”

Here are some updates from those attending. Todd and I are thrilled to share that our youngest daughter was accepted early decision to Cornell and will (hopefully) graduate on time to be on our Reunion cycle as a member of the Class of 2027! Her big sister Sadie will graduate from Cornell in May. Neil Zwiebel opened a new multispecialty medical office focusing on sports medicine and injuries in New York City.

Seth Kaplan completed a term as president of the Texas Pediatric Society (TPS)—the Texas Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. This year, he was honored with the Sidney Kaliski Award of Merit from TPS in honor of his career caring for the children of Texas and their families, both in practice and through advocacy work. Sadly, in February 2022, he was diagnosed with primary anterior mediastinal large B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Thankfully, he completed treatment a few months ago and his follow-up scans have looked great so far. He was thankful to be able to get back to campus in October for TCAM and to visit with his son, who is a sophomore studying astrophysics in the College of Arts & Sciences. And Stacey Rappaport is a litigation partner at Milbank LLP, where she has worked for 26 years.

Please see our next column for news from Alli Frank, Tish Oney, and Ted Ladd! Be like them and email us your news or use the online news form to share what’s new with you! To see our class column online, feel free to bookmark this link! Be well and take good care. ❖ Jean Kintisch (email Jean) | Sarah Ballow Clauss (email Sarah) | Wilma Ann Thomas Anderson (email Wilma Ann) | Alumni Directory.

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1993

Aaron Hicks writes, “My wife, Holly (Creech) ’94, and I just celebrated 15 years living in Granada, Spain, where we work for a Christian nonprofit. Other milestones of this past year include one son, Daniel, married; another son, Thomas ’23, in his senior year at Cornell; and youngest daughter Bethany off to college. Time flies. #laVidaBendecida” ❖ Mia Blackler (email Mia) | Melissa Hart Moss (email Melissa) | Theresa Flores (email Theresa) | Alumni Directory.

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1994

Happy spring, Class of ’94! We hope this message finds you well. If any classmates are reading this, we hope you will take the time to write to us! Others from our time on the Hill would greatly enjoy reading what you’ve been up to since graduation. ❖ Dineen Pashoukos Wasylik (email Dineen) | Jennifer Rabin Marchant (email Jennifer) | Dika Lam (email Dika) | Alumni Directory.

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1995

It’s always odd to be writing these columns a season off. Right now, as I watch the first freezing rain fall from the sky (ugh) and think of “Ithacation,” campus is (hopefully!) starting to thaw out.

To start on a note of gratitude and appreciation, Victor Tancredi writes in, “Like many of us, I’ve now made 50 trips around the sun. I have two daughters, Violet and Amelia. I’ve been married for 17 years, and I achieved a major life goal and worked at Lucasfilm for 13 years. Now on to the next chapter. I was president of the Cornell Alumni Association of Northern California for a few years. I’ve been experiencing a lot that life has to offer—parents passing on, kids growing up, belt getting bigger. I’d like to express gratitude and hope all our alumni friends are doing well!”

In mid-October, Justin Dimick traveled from Ann Arbor, MI, to Washington, DC, to be inducted into the National Academy of Medicine, after two years of COVID delays. Right around that same time, about an hour outside of Pittsburgh, PA, Christian Cox completed the Buffalo Creek Half Marathon in 1:33:00, second in his age group. Congratulations to you both!

Also earning well-deserved kudos is Abigail Spencer Charpentier, who was named senior vice president and chief human resources officer for Aramark, effective January 1. Abigail has been employed by Aramark since graduation and progressed through a variety of HR and operational positions in different lines of business until 2018, when she briefly left the company for an opportunity with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, returning in 2021 as senior vice president for HR and diversity for the U.S. Food and Facilities businesses. She and her husband, Jean-Luc, live outside Philadelphia with their children Spencer, 15, and Lexie, 13.

In Connecticut, classmate Jodi Burns is “building a doughnut empire, one doughy treat at a time,” according to a December 7 article in the New Haven Register. It goes on to note that “at her brainchild, Guilford’s Blazing Fresh Donuts, no variation is off the table. Toppings run the gamut from Fruity Pebbles cereal to chopped bacon, trail mix to crushed pretzels. She’s even having fun with the names and designs, from the Homer Simpson to the Cookie Monster to the Elvis (peanut butter and banana).” Sounds delicious to me!

I achieved a major life goal and worked at Lucasfilm for 13 years.

Victor Tancredi ’95

Also in early December, another entrepreneur, Sarah Lefton, wrote, “Here’s to braving imposter syndrome and setting goals! A couple of months ago, I decided to force myself to participate in the Potters’ Studio (Berkeley, CA) holiday sale. I think about doing it every year and I always have an excuse. Well, here I am! I’ve already gotten what I wanted out of this, which was forcing myself to make pottery—and seeing all of my work on a table, realizing what I want to make more of and what I want to stop spending time on.” What a wonderful sentiment for living an authentic and full life!

Speaking of “Simple Gifts,” Catherine Marie Charlton released her holiday solo piano album with that very name on November 11, to high acclaim. It was featured by Apple Music in its #ContemporaryChristmas channel and is available on Spotify (and yes, it’s gorgeous). Writes Catherine, “The music reflects a lifetime of practice, not just at the piano but also of learning how to spiritually access the flow of improvisations.” When she is not playing piano, Catherine serves as executive director of Musicopia, which sends 150 teaching artists into Philadelphia area schools where there is no music otherwise, and collects, repairs, and places donated musical instruments with those students who need them most.

Also contributing to the arts community—and to end on another note of gratitude—is Matt Pasca, who was named the 2022 Long Island Poet of the Year by the Walt Whitman Birthplace Association. A celebration was held at Whitman’s birthplace, where Matt gave a 40-minute reading. Matt is currently in his 26th year teaching IB (International Baccalaureate) English, mythology, and poetry at Bay Shore High School in New York and, at the time I received the news, his son, Rainer, was applying to college and waiting to hear back for callbacks and auditions. Matt also noted, “Our family religion is travel and we can be found on Instagram.” Coming back full circle to our alma mater, Matt also shared that he is thankful for his Cornell writing professors, Michael Koch, Kenneth McClane ’73, MFA ’76, Stephanie Vaughn, and Lisa Neville, MFA ’93, “all of whom shaped my work in a meaningful way.”

Once again, I am humbled and honored to write about our amazingly accomplished classmates making a name for themselves in so many different ways. I’d love to include your news in the next column. Until next time, stay connected and safe, classmates. ❖ Alison Torrillo French (email Alison) | Class website | Class Facebook page | Alumni Directory.

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1996

I have no new updates to report, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to share an update on myself. I celebrated my 13th year working for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), working in outpatient general pediatrics and the Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Center. I recently completed a residency in pediatric integrative medicine and serve on the committee for student wellness for the Lower Merion school district and the physician well-being committee at CHOP. My oldest daughter just completed her first semester at George Washington University, studying public health. I’m living in Lower Merion with my husband, a fellow physician I met in medical school, and my other two teenage daughters.

Please send updates. No news is too small to share! ❖ Catherine Oh Bonita (email Catherine) | Janine Abrams Rethy (email Janine) | Marjorie Polycarpe Jean-Paul (email Marjorie) | Alumni Directory.

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1997

“After founding creative agency Hello Design 24 years ago, we have been acquired by Instrument,” shares David Lai. For decades, Hello was known for their award-winning design work for such brands as Nike, Facebook, Netflix, Amazon, HBO, Google, YouTube, Toyota, BMW, Disney, Speedo, and Tillamook. David once had the honor of working with George Lucas on the Lucas Museum, which included “an unforgettable trip” to the Star Wars archives at Skywalker Ranch. David is an avid cyclist and has ridden his bike across the French Alps and from San Francisco to Los Angeles three times.

Nicholas Halverson shares, “My property management/vacation rental company has opened another office in Dominical, Costa Rica. I should have gone to the Hotel School! If anyone is planning on heading to Costa Rica or is based there, please feel free to send me a note. Go Big Red!”

In August 2021, Udai Tambar joined New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) as the president and CEO. Founded in 1971, NYJTL is the largest nonprofit youth tennis organization in the nation, serving 85,000 in NYC. NYJTL brings access to free, high-quality tennis and education programming to underserved, diverse communities around the city. In an op-ed in the Daily News last summer, Udai stressed the importance of providing mental healthcare and counseling to youth. To address this, NYJTL—in partnership with the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College—went to afterschool programs to identify students who were struggling with their mental health and had open conversations about support systems.

Rafael Cox Alomar’s new book offers an extensive history of Puerto Rico’s constitution, from Spanish colonization through the modern era. The Puerto Rico Constitution (Oxford University Press, December 2022) includes a foreword from Federico Hernández Denton, the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. ❖ Sarah Deardorff Carter (email Sarah) | Erica Broennle Nelson (email Erica) | Alumni Directory.

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1998

In December 2021, Gwen Whiting established a $1 million endowed scholarship at the College of Human Ecology to support undergraduate education; the University matched her gift with an additional $500,000 as part of Cornell’s affordability challenge. Gwen co-founded the Laundress in 2004 before selling it to Unilever in 2019.

If you haven’t marked your calendar yet, Reunion 2023 will take place June 8–11. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 25 years since our graduation! Registration will begin in April, and we are happy to report that our class headquarters and lodging will be at the beautiful new (air-conditioned!) Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hall on North Campus. For those looking for off-campus lodging, blocks opened up in November and are going fast, so don’t wait until the last minute to make your reservation. We look forward to seeing you there—and special thanks go out to our Reunion chair, Leslie Kirchler-Owen, who has been working hard to make our Reunion memorable! Don’t forget to share your news with us via the online news form, or you can always email me. ❖ Uthica Jinvit Utano (email Uthica) | Alumni Directory.

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1999

“After many years of struggling with tendinitis, I have finally gotten strong enough to audition for and be hired as a professional violinist in the Springfield Symphony Orchestra in Ohio,” writes Wenbi Lai, ME ’00. “Our first concert was with Itzhak Perlman, playing the Beethoven Violin Concerto. Otherwise, I spend my free time being an adjunct professor at the University of Dayton teaching their senior design course, starting two companies, and shuttling three kids to their different sports teams.”

Carol Carty, JD ’02, writes, “Early last year, I discovered poems that my mom had written years ago—and I thought that the world should see them as well! I put eight of them together into one story and retained the incredible QBN Studios to illustrate, and now the first book in the series, The Noah and Noel Series: Adventures and Toys, is being sold in hardcover and softcover on Amazon and all around the world! The book is truly a unique format, one that I have never seen before, and more substantive than the average children’s book. The gorgeous illustrations will entertain children and adults alike!”

Myisha Frazier-McElveen celebrated her first year in her new role as director of global identity and access management at Deloitte. Congrats! Luivette Resto shares, “In March 2022, my third poetry collection, Living on Islands Not Found on Maps, was published by FlowerSong Press. I owe my undergrad advisor, Helena Viramontes, so much for inspiring and encouraging me years ago. She saw something in this 20-year-old and offered independent study classes so that I could cultivate my craft. Gracias, Helena!”

“I want to tell you about a group of post-uni backpackers whose travels connected them so deeply to people and planet that they decided to save one of the most endangered tropical forests in the world.” So begins a recent email from Gavin McKay, who writes, “The story centers on one of the backpackers, co-founder and current leader of Third Millennium Alliance (TMA) Jerry Toth ’00, who has dedicated his life to figuring out how best to protect and restore a precious forest in coastal Ecuador. Jerry is now a master in community-based conservation, with major recent wins for the organization he built to carry out critical climate work.

“In May, John Anderson, Eric Morgan ’00, and I all visited—and I can tell you that the work TMA is doing is on the front lines of the climate crisis, employing innovative methods such as agroforestry, paid community ecosystem services, and high-tech monitoring. This organization allows people to make tangible impacts through land purchase, farmer sponsorship, and carbon offsetting for families or businesses going net-zero. They can even visit with their family and stay in the amazing research station for an unforgettable rainforest experience.” ❖ Class of 1999 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2000s

2000

We have news! We love learning about what the Class of 2000 is up to these days.

Jenny Mogy Zajac has made it a priority to stay connected to her alumni friends. For the eighth year in a row, she went on a girls’ weekend with Allister Wesson, Kristen Sweeney, Amy Killoran, Debbie Matz Prosser, Kristin Ulmer Ellis, Marie Kayton, Oceane Aubry, Elizabeth Stavis Reed, Rebekah Gordon Taylor, and Kristen Stathis. They explore whatever random city they have picked, eat good food, drink some wine or cider, catch up on each other’s lives, and, most of all, laugh.

Jocelyn Getgen has been promoted to full professor of law at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where she directs the Ferencz Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention Clinic and Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights (CLIHHR). Still, with this huge accomplishment, one of her greatest joys is coaching her daughter’s softball team in New Castle.

Linda Nicoll has made a huge transition. After working as a gynecologist and minimally invasive surgeon at NYU Langone in Manhattan since 2009, she had a baby, Samuel, and moved to a new NYU practice located in Bethpage, Long Island.

In 2022, Eric Daza, MPS ’02, was recognized by both Forbes and Fortune for his innovative work in health data science—specifically, for his work on Stats-of-1, his digital health blog on the statistics of one person.

Jerry Toth ’00 has dedicated his life to figuring out how best to protect and restore one of the most endangered tropical forests in the world.

Andrea Yowpa opened a nonprofit veterinary clinic, Encompass Animal Care and Health, in May 2021 in Hamburg, NY. She offers reduced-cost healthcare to rescues and pets. Encompass Animal Care and Health is developing a veterinary initiative to offer targeted veterinary care to rescue groups, adoption facilities, and needful individuals.

Gavin McKay ’99 enthusiastically reports on the work that is taking place in the coastal forest in Ecuador. The story centers on one of the founders and current leader Jerry Toth, who has dedicated his life to figuring out how best to protect and restore one of the most endangered tropical forests in the world. He is now a master in community-based conservation, with major recent wins for the organization he built to carry out this critical climate work, Third Millennium Alliance (TMA).

Gavin writes, “The work TMA is doing is on the front lines of the climate crisis, employing innovative methods such as agroforestry, paid community ecosystem services, and high-tech monitoring. Highlighting this meaningful alumni work allows Cornellians to make a personal connection with a smaller NGO to make tangible impacts including land purchase, farmer sponsorship, and carbon offsetting for families or businesses going net-zero. They can even visit with their family and stay in our amazing research station for an unforgettable rainforest experience.” Jerry, Gavin, John Anderson ’99, and Eric Morgan all visited in May, with plenty of gorgeous pictures and videos to provide an overview of the forest, endangered animals, and research station.

I’m looking forward to hearing all the news you want to share. You can submit your news through the online news form or directly to me: ❖ Denise Williams (email Denise) | Alumni Directory.

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2001

After a long, cold winter, it’s an exciting time of year in the Northeast, with signs of the days getting longer (and warmer) and the leaves and flowers returning. While the turn in the weather is inspiring me to get outside more, further inspiration comes from collecting and sharing the latest news and accomplishments from our fellow classmates.

First, we hear from Elizabeth Ayodele, a consumer rights attorney who entered politics in 2022, contesting in the Nigerian presidential election primary season. Elizabeth says, “As a Black woman who moved to the U.S. in middle school, I did not come across many lawyers and other professionals that were like me when growing up. Despite this, I could see myself taking on these challenges and felt that there needed to be more people like me in these roles. I worked hard in high school, aimed for big goals, and did not settle. After graduating Cornell with a degree in economics, I later attended law school.” More recently, Elizabeth has also focused on film production. Her narrative film, The Lifting, has been nominated in the “Best USA Film” category for the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival. Elizabeth wrote and directed the film about personal and career challenges faced during a pandemic by a scientist, political officials, and a reporter.

Maureen Sullivan Mauk is completing her PhD in communications, media, and cultural studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She is married to TV producer/director Hayden Mauk, and they have a 9-year-old son and an 8-year-old daughter. Maureen recently attended the 2022 Cornell Homecoming and cheered on Tracy Quinn ’00, ME ’02, who was inducted into the Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame for her record-breaking play for the Big Red softball team. Maureen reports, “Ithaca was awesome. Wegmans is still buzzing and West Campus is totally different from our days at Cornell, but very pretty. North Baker Hall doesn’t look like it has changed a bit and there are still squirrels crawling through the windows! Dunbar’s is gone (RIP) and Collegetown Bagels moved across the street but has the same vibe. Also, the Cornell bear mascot is now named ‘Touchdown’ and looks a little less intimidating—a bit more like a chipmunk? It was great to be back in Ithaca and we can’t wait for more visits with the family in the years to come!”

Caroline Williams ’01 was living in California, but she moved back to Remsen, NY, to renovate an old grain mill into apartments.

Caroline Williams has been very busy. She was recently honored as the 10th recipient of the Cornell New York State Hometown Alumni Award, which recognizes alumni from New York State who return to their hometowns after graduation and make a positive impact on their local communities. When Caroline visited her hometown of Remsen, NY, in 2006, she saw opportunity in an old grain mill in the village that was for sale. She was living in California at the time, but she moved back to Remsen to renovate the mill into apartments—in the first of many commitments to invigorate, beautify, and give back to the town and the region. Caroline has dedicated herself to improving living conditions in the area, both at work and in her personal life. She is currently the program manager for Lead-Free Mohawk Valley. You can read more here.

On October 14, our Class of 2001 Reunion registration chair, Claire Ackerman, was honored to receive a National Federation of Democratic Women True Blue Award from the New York State Federation of Democratic Women. The NYSFDW bills itself as a group of extraordinary Democratic women working to ensure that women have an organized voice in New York State politics and government. Over the last year, Claire has dedicated countless hours to making her local Democratic party stronger. During this same period, she navigated being a caregiver to her father, who passed away from a terminal illness in January.

Our Class of 2001 co-president Michael Hanson, MPA ’02, and wife Susan (Mueller), ME ’02, took an October trip to Little Rock, AR, to visit classmate Lee Rudofsky, MPA ’02, on the occasion of his judicial investiture. Judge Rudofsky was seated on the federal bench for the Eastern District of Arkansas back in 2019, but unfortunately had his celebration twice-postponed due to COVID outbreaks. Hard to believe that a quarter-century ago, Lee and Michael were quarter-carding outside Willard Straight Hall for the Student Assembly to secure more paper towels in the dorm bathrooms!

To share news and get back in touch with classmates, please email either of us at the addresses below, visit our website, like the Class of 2001 Facebook page, join our Class of 2001 Classmates Facebook group, and/or follow us on Twitter (@Cornell2001). ❖ James Gutow (email James) | Nicole Neroulias Gupte (email Nicole) | Alumni Directory.

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2002

Geeta Kohli Tewari writes, “I am now proud to say that I am a law professor at Widener University Delaware Law School.” According to her website, “I concentrate in the areas of contract and business law through the lens of social responsibility, and it is a privilege, each day, to teach students about law and ethics. I was born in Worcester, MA, and my parents emigrated here from India. I hold a BA from Cornell, a JD from Fordham University School of Law, and an MFA from Columbia University School of the Arts.

“I am the founding director of the Narrative Justice Project, a member of the New York Women Bar Association’s Advancing the Status of Women Committee, and a board member of People to People International–Delaware Chapter. I’ve been a visiting artist scholar at the American Academy in Rome and a recipient of the Archibald R. Murray Award for Public Service. As an interdisciplinarian, I speak at colleges, law schools, and other leadership events about social responsibility in our world today. I also enjoy providing law, business, and writing consultation. I live in New York with my three daughters.” ❖ Class of 2002 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2003

Greetings, classmates! Shaun D’Souza recently published a book titled A Retrospective on Enabling a Connected World: The Race for the Original Primordial Soup. The book is a collection of what Shaun has learned about machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) and includes software and AI/ML manuscripts. Shaun, who is based in Mumbai, is an associate consultant at Tata Consultancy Services and has more than 12 years of experience in AI, ML, software engineering, research and development, and business. In addition to this book, he has numerous publications including a paper that was recognized in 2018 as part of Social Science Research Network’s “top ten downloads” for the “CompSciRN: Artificial Intelligence” category. Congratulations to Shaun!

We look forward to reconnecting with many of you in Ithaca at our quickly approaching 20th Reunion! Until then, please take care and let us know how you’re doing! ❖ Candace Lee Chow (email Candace) | Jon Schoenberg (email Jon) | Alumni Directory.

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2004

Hello, all. I hope that all is well. We have two updates from the class.

Erica Esser is excited to open a veterinary practice in Chicago, West Loop Veterinary Care–Streeterville. Her vision is to become the best provider of state-of-the-art general veterinary care for patients and clients in the Chicago area, while creating an optimal working environment where employees are empowered to reach their full potential. Erica loves finding the balance between advancing her veterinary career and being the best mom to her 9-year-old daughter. She writes, “I set out each day to be the best ‘me’ that I can be.” Erica took up golf during the pandemic and enjoys the time out in the sunshine. Her favorite golf companions are her mom and her daughter.

Ryane Englar, DVM ’08, reached out from sunny Arizona, where she is currently an associate professor of practice and the executive director of clinical and professional skills at the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine. After graduating from Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2008, Ryane practiced as an associate veterinarian in companion animal practice before transitioning into the educational circuit as an advocate for pre-clinical training in primary care.

Ryane debuted in academia as a clinical instructor of the community practice service at Cornell University’s Hospital for Animals. She then transitioned into the role of assistant professor as founding faculty at Midwestern University College of Veterinary Medicine. While at Midwestern, she had the opportunity to teach the inaugural classes of 2018, 2019, and 2020. She then joined the faculty at Kansas State University between May 2017 and January 2020 to launch the clinical skills curriculum. In February 2020, she reprised her role of founding faculty when she returned “home” to Tucson to join the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine. She is passionate about teaching primary care companion animal medicine to pre-clinical students. When not teaching, she creates resources for students.

Keep sharing your updates. ❖ Jessi Petrosino (email Jessi) | Alumni Directory.

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2005

I hope everyone had a lovely start to 2023. Please keep your news and notes coming! Jean Woroniecki Roberts recently started a new position as field chief technology officer for financial markets at DataRobot. Congratulations! ❖ Jessica Rosenthal Chod (email Jessica) | Hilary Johnson King (email Hilary) | Alumni Directory.

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2006

Hello, Class of 2006! I hope you and your families had a wonderful winter. We’re pleased to share the latest news with you around the class.

Ron and Beth Marmillo Rohde have been married for five years. They now have two kids and finally moved into a “forever house” in Dallas, TX. Congrats! Beth works as a director of merchandising for Fossil Group. Ron continues his own commercial real estate law firm and spends significant time on personal industrial real estate investments. He enjoys making YouTube content for several different channels. Both Ron and Beth are excited that their kids are growing up fluent in Spanish, “far exceeding our limited vocabulary!”

Albert Ko is enjoying life in New York City, helping entrepreneurs thrive and spending time composing hardstyle EDM (electronic dance music). He enjoys time with his two nieces, buying them “lots of gifts and spoiling them rotten.” His most satisfaction comes from helping people succeed and find jobs, while spending free time on learning French and solving Rubik’s Cubes. Impressive!

Arzoo Bhusri graduated from Columbia Business School (CBS) in 2016, where she focused on real estate and family business. She joined her family’s real estate business and is on the CBS Global Family Enterprise Advisory Board.

Ana Techeira-Ramirez is currently working in human resources for 3M. Married in 2018, she has identical twin boys born in 2020 and another little boy born this past April 2022. She loves to watch them learn something new every day—and to spend time continuing to knit and crochet.

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

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2007

Hello, Class of 2007! I’m very excited to share some updates from you all—thank you so much for your contributions!

This past November, I returned to one of my favorite annual pastimes: watching Cornell men’s hockey at Madison Square Garden. For anyone who had a chance to watch, you know it was an amazing game! I was fortunate enough to sit with Meghan Cunningham ’05, and I also got to see Gabriel Ayache and his brother, Maurice ’05. Thinking about bringing the kids next year—anyone else?

With nearly six years spent at Target Corp., Nina Terrero Groth recently accepted a new role managing all recruitment and pipeline engagement for Target Accelerators, Target’s suite of premier small-business accelerator programs. With a focus on serving historically underfunded and under-resourced small-business owners and entrepreneurs, Nina is able to combine her strategic mindset, editorial expertise, and purpose-driven storytelling to deliver on Target’s goals to support early-stage founders during their respective journeys as they seek to grow and scale their business for mass retail. Nina is also busy raising two small boys with her husband, Jason, balancing “mom-in-chief” duties along with community involvement both in Minneapolis and Minnesota and with the Cornell community.

Jesi Bender recently had a play published called Kinderkrankenhaus, about neurodiversity, deficiency paradigms, and deconstructionism. It’s been well-received with several great reviews that can be seen on Jesi’s website. It debuted at Colgate University’s Brehmer Theater in February 2022 and will be produced again at the Brick Theatre in Brooklyn, NY, on September 24–October 1, 2023.

Jesi Bender ’07 recently had a play published called Kinderkrankenhaus, about neurodiversity, deficiency paradigms, and deconstructionism.

Congratulations are in order! Rachel Schell-Lambert got married to Corey DeGraw in San Francisco at City Hall this past November.

Jonathan Weinstein and his wife, Marianne, moved to Westfield, NJ, in 2018 and had a son, Parker, in 2019. Jonathan has been at Evercore in NYC since 2009. He tries to get back up to Ithaca occasionally for recruiting and stops at his favorite eateries. Congrats, and welcome to Central Jersey!

In June 2022, Jennifer Valdes and her husband, Brian, welcomed baby Sofia. College roommates Lindsey Mancuso, Cynthia Newell, and Casey Cosentino Dudek traveled to Miami to celebrate their baby shower—and Sofia’s first trip outside of Miami was to visit the rest of the Cornell crew, Lauren Benenati Blatz and Jenna Hopewell. She’s so lucky to have so many amazing aunts!

I still have news to share from Farzon Nahvi and Lauren Trakimas Frye, so check back in our next Class Notes section! Looking forward to sharing more exciting stories with everyone. Have more updates 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

Kenechukwu Erike—who majored in applied economics and management on the Hill—launched a leadership development firm in 2022, K.E. Consulting. “We specialize in helping clients build stronger relationships, become better leaders, and achieve their potential.” Kene is releasing an audiobook as well, based on his first book, “No” Doesn’t Always Mean No: Strategies for Influencing Behavior and Winning Cooperation. He writes, “It explores how you can use the skills you already have to accelerate a career or business, motivate others to support your goals, and cultivate the romantic and social bonds that enhance your quality of life.” A former animal science major, Kene still loves animals and looks forward to owning more little dogs in the future.

Peter and Jessica DeMarinis Asiello welcomed their second baby boy, Henry, in 2022. They live outside of Boston and are looking forward to catching up with classmates at the 15th Reunion!

Christina Lee and Camden Winkelstein write, “We’re a husband-and-wife team that recently opened Bellemara Distillery, New Jersey’s first single-malt distillery. The origin story of the distillery is tied to our story as a couple. We originally met at Cornell about two weeks into freshman year and became friends. After graduation, Camden, who was part of Navy ROTC, was commissioned into the U.S. Navy, where he became an officer in the submarine force; meanwhile, Christina relocated to New Jersey for her career.

We’re a husband-and-wife team that recently opened Bellemara Distillery, New Jersey’s first single-malt distillery.

Christina Lee ’08 & Camden Winkelstein ’08

“Several years after graduation, we started dating and ended up getting engaged. To bring our lives together, we made the decision that Camden would leave the Navy to start his own craft beverage business. While Camden had extensive engineering knowledge from the Navy, fundamental science training from his undergrad at Cornell, and a good bit of homebrewing experience, he felt it was prudent to get industry-specific training prior to jumping into the business.

“Two weeks after we got married at Sage Chapel, Camden moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, to pursue a Master of Science in brewing and distilling from Heriot-Watt University. While in Scotland, Camden narrowed his focus to the art of distilling. He returned to New Jersey, and in December 2021 we opened Bellemara. It is a different kind of distillery with a unique approach to making spirits by combining traditional production techniques from Scotland with American innovations. Instead of the standard range of spirits produced at most craft distilleries, we make our spirits grain-to-glass from malted barley, which gives us the ability to create truly unique products.

“In our tasting room, we focus on creating craft cocktails that showcase the underlying spirits, and the care we take both in the distillery and behind the bar. Unlike traditional bars, as a craft distillery in New Jersey we are required to (and love to!) make all our alcoholic cocktail ingredients from scratch, including ingredients like aperitivos, mixers, bitters, and tinctures. Every drop of alcohol we sell was distilled right in the building.” ❖ Libby Boymel (email Libby) | Elana Beale (email Elana) | Alumni Directory.

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2009

Jesse Baker and Aaron Mumford serve as CEO and COO of JET Hospitality, which specializes in alternative accommodations. According to its website, “JET Hospitality harnesses big outdoor energy, get-it-done ethos, and alternative lodging options to create beyond-the-norm experiences for travelers. We’re eager to get you on the open road—in the splendor of the great outdoors.” Jesse and Aaron enjoy fostering local nonprofits and building lasting relationships with a focus on the communities they serve. Both are graduates of the Nolan School of Hotel Administration.

Patrick Castrenze, BS ’08, has opened a new mental health practice called the College Therapy Center, located in the Twin Cities. He grew up in Ithaca and attended Cornell as a first-generation college student. Patrick was inspired to start the College Therapy Center after experiencing his own mental health challenges while in college—and seeing the difficulties students continue to have in college today. He hopes to one day open a CTC office in Ithaca to serve the Cornell population.

After more than five years leading the spirits, wine, and beer division at the recruiting agency ForceBrands, Gary Schneidkraut, BS ’08, began a new chapter of his career in 2023 by being named VP at specialized recruiting agency Protis Global. Gary will be leading the charge for wine, spirits, and adult beverages.

Patrick Castrenze ’09, BS ’08, was inspired to start the College Therapy Center after experiencing his own mental health challenges while in college.

Yalda Haery is VP, employee relations, at NBCUniversal. She and spouse David Woodley have two sons, Cameron and Casey, and Yalda says she gets the most satisfaction in life from spending time with them.

Dan Walsh writes, “I am the lead event organizer of GGBY World Highline Festival, which takes place in Moab, UT, every year for five days during the week of Thanksgiving. It’s the world’s largest highline gathering.” What’s “highline,” you ask? A quick Google search brings to mind tightrope walking—but scarier; people aim to walk down spans of nylon webbing strung between two points, dozens or even hundreds of feet in the air. Dan says, “This is my fourth year leading the event and our comeback after a two-year break due to COVID. We had more than 500 participants and volunteers from all over the globe visit to highline over the canyons of Utah. With over 20 highlines, the world’s largest spacenets, 50-plus workshops, and nighttime activities, we were so excited to bring the event back that has meant so much to many adventurous people throughout the years! COVID didn’t beat us!”

Meli Mathis-Clark shares, “In September, we welcomed our first baby, Abby, who—if she follows in her mom’s, grandma’s (AAP 1978), and great-grandma’s (A&S 1953) footsteps—might be Cornell Class of 2045. I am graduating from nurse practitioner school in December 2022. We’re moving to Colorado following 10 years of Naval service for me and eight for my husband.” ❖ Jason Georges (email Jason) | Alumni Directory.

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2010s

2010

“Effective November 2022, I became corporate counsel for Ensign-Bickford Industries Inc.,” shares Mercedes Pineda. “EBI, founded in 1836, is a privately owned high-tech conglomerate focused on space and defense, pet food science, and biotechnology. In the Denver headquarters, I work closely with the general counsel in providing legal support to EBI and its global subsidiaries.”

We would love to hear what new thing you are up to! ❖ Michelle Sun (email Michelle) | Alumni Directory.

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2011

On December 29, the first legal dispensary of recreational cannabis opened in New York City—and of the many wares offered, the first product actually sold was created by Florist Farms in Cortland, NY, which is co-owned by our very own Karli Miller-Hornick! According to the Florist Farms website, “We’re on a mission to make the world a better place. We grow cannabis using regenerative farming techniques, which means we use healthy soil, cover crops, compost, and no chemical pesticides or fertilizers.”

Allie Strauss shares that she was elected partner at law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, effective January 1. Her area is real estate. Best wishes in your new role! Do you have any news to share with us? We’d love to hear from you. ❖ Class of 2011 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2012

Adam and Olivia Moore Nicoletti welcomed their first child, Sophia Henriette, on November 20, 2022. Olivia reports that all are happy and healthy.

Maura Greenwood Molloy and her husband, Ryan, welcomed their second son, Teagan Everett, on November 28, 2022. Maura shares that his big brother, Rowan (20 months), could not be happier. Maura and her family live in Darien, CT, where Maura works as a technical recruiter at Meta.

Greg Haber got engaged in September. The date is this year, so they are heading into the swing of wedding planning. In March 2022, Greg was promoted to deputy director of Bronx Forestry for the New York City Parks Department and has been acting director since May, when the previous director left the agency. Greg reports he has kept the ship afloat since then and is working to fill the ranks so they will be at full strength come the busy season in 2023.

Maddy Jimerson is part of the 10-person newest class of Master Sommeliers. This makes her the youngest current member of the Court of Master Sommeliers and one of only 30 women worldwide to ever achieve this distinction. “Being a female and a young professional, at first it took me some time to finally feel confident in my role as a sommelier,” says Maddy. “I didn’t always have a network of female mentors and colleagues, but I am building that now.” Maddy is from Darnestown, MD, and studied hotel management and Italian at Cornell. She credits a semester studying abroad at the University of Bologna for sparking her passion for Italian wine—one that continues to this day and has opened up several related career paths along the way.

Shawn Goldsmith, MBA ’13, is one of the Johnson College of Business’s 10 Under 10 notable alumni for 2022. He is founder and CEO of Markarie, a sales and marketing strategic consultancy; a managing partner at Pugnacious Chicken; and a partner at Matrix Insights, creator of a leadership dashboard designed to enhance leaders’ agility. Shawn serves on the executive board of the Institute of Certified Franchise Executives and writes that he relishes being “in the franchise arena.” He has also been a volunteer with Boy Scouts of America for more than 20 years. ❖ Peggy Ramin (email Peggy) | Alumni Directory.

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2013

When you read this, we will be just three short months away from our 10th Reunion. I hope many of you are planning to make the trip, and if you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to me.

While we wait to catch up with our classmates in person, allow me to share some class news. Stephanie Curley recently became an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Union College, where she is running her own lab of undergraduate students and teaching several courses.

And Annaclaire Brodnick is a second-year emergency medicine resident at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, where there is no shortage of Cornellians. While in medical school, she connected with Catherine Spallina ’11, who is now a third-year emergency medicine resident in Rhode Island. During her pediatric ICU rotation, Annaclaire connected with Colin Dabrowski ’11, who is a second-year emergency medicine resident at Staten Island University Medical Center. And now, Emma Foley ’15 is Annaclaire’s co-resident and good friend.

If you have news to share, please fill out an online news form or email me at: ❖ Rachael Schuman (email Rachael) | Alumni Directory.

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2014

Hello, Class of 2014! Erin Oliver and Joseph Chmielewski got married in Ithaca on June 11, 2021 after meeting as members of the Cornell Running Club in September 2011. Erin also completed a 2,600-mile through-hike of the Continental Divide Trail from Mexico to Canada on September 10, 2022. Completing this hike capped off her through-hike of the “Triple Crown”—having previously completed the 2,220-mile Appalachian Trail in 2016 and the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail in 2019. Erin’s accomplishment places her among fewer than 600 people (and fewer than 150 women) who have ever achieved this feat.

Please continue to share your news with us! ❖ Samantha Lapehn Young (email Samantha) | Alumni Directory.

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2015

We can’t help missing those crazy Ithaca winters! To keep you warm until spring officially arrives, here is some news from our class.

Rush Imhotep is working as a financial advisor with Northwestern Mutual and was recently named a NAIFA Atlanta 40 Under 40 top financial advisor. Congratulations, Rush! He has also been working on a blog—Supreme Clientele Redux—which discusses the current state of the economy, fiscal policies, and recessions against the backdrop of ’90s hip-hop musical references.

Rehan Kaluarachchi Milarachi married his partner, Emily, in June 2021, and moved to Hershey, PA, for Emily’s residency program. In February 2022 they welcomed Maple, their “very own goldendoodle.” They have since purchased their first home in April 2022. On top of that, Rehan has transitioned to a subsidiary of Boeing called Aurora that specializes in unmanned aerial vehicle and smaller X-Plane development.

In additional career news, Jillian Harmon is making the move to Seattle, where, she says, “I’ll be living down the street from two of my Cornell best friends, Kathryn Dawson and Gabe Mahan ’13.” She is continuing her work in education as assistant director of programs at Project Invent, a design thinking program for middle- and high-school youth. She added, “Pacific Northwest, here I come!” Send your news to: ❖ Caroline Flax (email Caroline) | Mateo Acebedo (email Mateo) | Alumni Directory.

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2016

In November, Nihar Suthar’s third book was published. The Hope Raisers is based on the true story of three young Kenyans who fought to transform their slum and improve the lives of those around them. According to his website, “Nihar is an award-winning writer, covering inspirational stories around the world. Believe it or not, he stumbled upon writing completely by accident after moving to New York City for the very first time (at the young age of 17). While in the Big Apple, Nihar noticed that there were thousands of people missing out on the greatness of everyday life, due to the very fast-paced lifestyles they lived.”

Nihar’s debut book, Win No Matter What, was published in May 2013, and The Corridor of Uncertainty came out in 2016. He graduated cum laude from Cornell, where he studied applied economics and management, with concentrations in finance and strategy. He currently calls Tampa home. ❖ Class of 2016 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2017

In January 2021, David Rosenwasser, BArch ’18, and Jeremy Bilotti, BArch ’18, started Rarify—a vintage furniture store that sells authenticated pieces from collectable 20th- and 21st-century designers. They have more than 50,000 followers on Instagram, where they post educational videos about vintage furniture.

In a recent article in Forbes, which featured a long Q&A with David, he said, “As the massive nerds we are and were, we wanted to start a business that brought our academic interests and passions for furniture, design, and technology to life.” He continued, “We now have 40,000 square feet of warehouse and showroom space on the site of a former Bethlehem Steel railroad spike plant in Lebanon, PA. As the years go on, our hope is to become an invaluable resource for education and for guidance on past and future collectible design.”

David traces this passion back to his adolescence, when he restored and flipped vintage furniture pieces (often found on Craigslist) as a high school student. He previously founded D ROSE MOD, a vintage design business specializing in 20th-century modernism. In addition to his BArch, he holds a master’s in design studies in technology from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. Jeremy is a designer, computer scientist, and lecturer at MIT. He specializes in creating new technology for product design and manufacturing. Jeremy holds two Master of Science degrees from MIT in design research and computer science. ❖ Class of 2017 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2018

Hey, 2018ers! Hope you’re all looking forward to our 5th Reunion, which is coming up this June—you can register here to attend. The Reunion planning committee and I are so excited to see you all again in Ithaca this summer!

This month we have news from ILR alum Katy Habr, who is currently a sociology PhD student at Columbia University. After researching the labor movement and education while at Cornell, Katy said, “I was inspired to pursue a PhD so I could better understand the issues that unions were fighting for, and the economic forces that shape the terms between workers and employers.” Now, she studies labor and political economy—topics like the impact of the gig economy on service workers, and how unemployment impacts people’s lives and political attitudes.

Katy is also engaging with the labor movement personally as the vice chair of Student Workers of Columbia, the Columbia graduate and undergraduate student union. “I’ve organized with my fellow workers for workplace protections during the pandemic and to win a ten-week strike for a first contract, which was the longest strike in higher ed in decades,” she said. After graduating from Columbia, she plans to continue conducting research on labor law and economic policy.

We’d love to hear about your life five years post-college! Send over your news to: ❖ Stephanie Yan (email Stephanie) | Alumni Directory.

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2019

Happy spring, Class of ’19! If any classmates are reading this, we hope you will take the time to write to us! We’d love to know what you’ve been up to since graduation. ❖ Class of 2019 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2020s

2020

Love is in the air! Did any of you see our classmates in Cornellians’ recent Valentine’s Day story? Of the 100+ alumni couples from across the decades who were featured, two were from our class—and both of these relationships have roots in the Big Red Band!

Anirudh Maddula, BS ’19, ME ’20, and Laasya Renganathan, BS ’19, ME ’20, have been together since 2018. Natalie Parker and Jacob “Magnus” Hoglund, BS ’22, met while he was conductor of the Marching Band, and she was about to be manager. Check out the story to see their adorable photos! ❖ Class of 2020 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2021

We don’t have any news from classmates to report this issue—but we hope that will change in the future! What are you doing for work? What are your favorite hobbies? What brings you the most satisfaction these days? If you have a moment, please send an email to: ❖ Geneva Saupe (email Geneva) | Alumni Directory.

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Grad

Architecture, Art & Planning

Kim Gillan, MRP ’75, wrote to us with the following update after a recent get-together with fellow Cornellians: “Michael Beyard, MRP ’76, Robert Kennedy, and I met for lunch in D.C. over the 2022 Thanksgiving holiday to catch up! Robert and his wife live in Atlanta, GA, and Michael is in D.C. I just retired from a position in Sioux Falls and will be moving back to Montana and spending time in D.C. Politics, of course, was a key topic.” In her retirement, Kim is planning to do some traveling and to “enjoy the free time and the wonders of beautiful Montana.” She gets satisfaction from “using my limited skills or talents or to help local causes and communities—especially related to healthcare and rural issues.” Kim reports that Michael “continues to travel to exotic locations that challenge one’s knowledge of geography.” Robert also enjoys traveling and engagement in many local activities, as well as researching his family’s ancestral roots.

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Arts & Sciences

Charlie Leary, MA ’91, PhD ’94, recently published his book, Leary’s Global Wineology, in ebook and print editions. According to Sommelier Business, “Overall, this book is a treasure trove for anyone interested in taking a wine course or pursuing advanced degrees or qualifications in wine. It is thoughtful and thoroughly researched.” Charlie is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers—the leading global association of wine and spirits authors, journalists, broadcasters, and bloggers—and a Spanish wine specialist.

Manuel Muñoz, MFA ’98, participated in a March 2023 event at the Hammer Museum at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he discussed a seminal work of Chicano literature, Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya. He was joined by fellow Cornellian Alejandro Varela ’01, along with authors Mona Simpson and Justin Torres. Manuel’s newest collection of short stories, The Consequences, was published in 2022. He is the author of two previous collections of short stories, Zigzagger and The Faith Healer of Olive Avenue, and a novel, What You See in the Dark. Manuel has been recognized with a Whiting Writer’s Award, three O. Henry Awards, and an appearance in the Best American Short Stories anthology collection. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Virginia Quarterly Review, and several other publications.

Samantha Majic, MA ’06, PhD ’09, announces the upcoming release of her latest book, Lights, Camera, Feminism? Celebrities and Anti-Trafficking Politics, which is set to be published by University of California Press in May 2023.

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Graduate School

Kevin Lamb, MA ’03, PhD ’07, has been named partner at WilmerHale law firm. Kevin specializes in regulatory and complex commercial litigation and appellate matters for the firm’s government and regulatory litigation division in Washington, DC. According to WilmerHale’s website, Kevin has handled matters before numerous federal and state court bodies in a range of areas, including antitrust, insurance law, healthcare law, intellectual property, and Native American law. Kevin actively maintains a pro bono practice handling criminal justice and antidiscrimination law, with a focus on LGBT rights. He earned his JD at Yale Law School in 2013.

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Hotel Administration

Jacob Tannenbaum, MPS ’21, and Shaily Patil, MPS ’21, co-founded Life After Life, a nonprofit working to increase greenspace in communities across the country by remediating environmentally hazardous properties and turning them into modern memorial parks. The company recently launched its first funding campaigns to begin acquiring these properties, located in underserved municipalities. According to the company’s website, the traditional multibillion-dollar funeral industry rarely utilizes ecofriendly practices when laying people to rest, and conventional cemeteries are among the worst environmental offenders. “Life After Life is pursuing a new paradigm of final resting place—one that restores habitat to the earth rather than destroying it,” the company states. “By choosing Life After Life, our members directly heal the world we live in by building new native ecosystem memorial parks.” Jacob and Shaily originally presented the concept of Life After Life as part of the School of Hotel Administration’s Hospitality Business Plan Competition in 2021, for which they took home the $25,000 first prize. “We provide the opportunity for a person’s last choice to contribute to the healing of the planet, leaving things better than they came,” Jacob told the Cornell Chronicle in 2021.

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Human Ecology

James Warren, MPA ’21, has gained national attention as Denver’s “bench fairy.” After noticing that most of the city’s bus shelters lacked a place to sit down, he organized a charity that has built and installed more than a dozen benches around Denver that feature inspirational and positive messages from the artists. James’s efforts have been featured in national media outlets like People magazine, and he was featured on “The Drew Barrymore Show” in November 2022, where co-host Ross Mathews gifted James power tools for future bench-making efforts. Check out the interview.

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Johnson Graduate School of Management

Hanna Hasl-Kelchner, MBA ’78, announces that her weekly “Business Confidential Now” podcast has entered its 10th season. The show, says Hanna, “helps leaders see business issues hiding in plain view that matter to the bottom line, and features interviews with experts, authors, and thought leaders. We talk about the things there’s not enough time to cover in business school.” For example, in her latest episode, Hanna is joined by Kelly Waffle, head of digital strategy for Hinge Marketing, to discuss the current “mid-career culture clash” taking place in businesses across the country, and what companies can do to better retain mid-career millennial employees. A new episode of “Business Confidential Now” releases every Thursday.

Karen Derr Gilbert, MBA ’85, a partner with private equity firm FTV Capital, has been named to Forbes’s “50 Over 50: Money” list for 2022. According to the SC Johnson College of Business, “Over her 23 years at the firm, Karen has played a key role in institutionalizing FTV’s Global Partner Network, a network of more than 500 executives that she describes as a key differentiator for FTV that has played a significant role in its ability to deliver consistently high returns. She led record-breaking fundraising campaigns for FTV—campaigns that topped out at $1.2 billion in 2020 and $2.3 billion in 2022.” The College of Business also reports that Karen was instrumental in crafting FTV’s approaches to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and she developed its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles. “At the highest level, the outcomes that ESG and DEI programs strive for are very important to me,” she says. “I personally feel that it is the responsibility of each of us to be a good citizen of our planet and a compassionate neighbor to all people.”

Linda Latsko Lockhart, MBA ’85, was named to Forbes’s “50 Over 50: Impact” list for 2021. She founded her New York City-based nonprofit, Global Give Back Circle, in 2006 “to pair female high schoolers in Kenya with educational programming and local and long-distance mentoring,” according to Forbes. The organization has since expanded to Rwanda, South Africa, China, Uganda, Ghana, and India, pairing more than 3,000 mentors with more than 6,000 girls in six countries. According to the SC Johnson College of Business, the Global Give Back Circle alumni community includes more than 600 information technology and business professionals, 500 teachers, 300 healthcare professionals, and more.

Anne Cramer, MBA ’01, writes, “I’m pleased to announce that my company, SuiteCX, was acquired in October by leading customer and employee feedback platform QuestionPro.” SuiteCX is a customizable and secure journey mapping (i.e., visualizing the customer experience from start to finish) and analytics platform that aims to enable the user to plan and improve customer experience.

Jiayi Zhang, MPS ’21, shares some life updates: “I am writing this letter to you from London, ON, Canada. I was born in a small, poor town called Qiqihar in the northeastern region of China on April 11, 1997. Thanks to my parents’ hard work as accountants, they were able to send me to Ohio State University with their hard-earned money, hoping one day their son would grow into a decent man and help those in need. I graduated from Ohio State University with a finance degree and a perfect GPA. After that, I took the GMAT test, and I attained my first master’s degree in accounting from Cornell in 2021.”

Unfortunately, it was difficult for Jiayi to land a job after graduation, he notes, “because I was not an American citizen. The hiring managers would simply say ‘no’ to my application without even giving me a fair shake. I decided to pursue my second master’s degree at Ivey Business School in Canada. During the 16-month program, I got to learn with 76 outstanding classmates from all over the world, with all of us pursuing the Canadian Dream that we love so deeply. I can see all of us international students at Ivey have a shared purpose (i.e., fight and work for the common good of our fellow human beings and the planet that we love so much). I graduated from Ivey Business School two weeks ago, and now I am actively seeking opportunities to work for the Ontario/Canadian government, for I desire to fight for the common good of my fellow Canadians.”

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Law School

Ross Fox, JD ’14, has been promoted from associate to counsel at Bressler, Amery & Ross, PC’s Florham Park, NJ, office. According to the firm, Ross handles matters from breach of contract actions to business divorces as a member of the firm’s commercial litigation and private wealth practice groups. He previously worked as a judicial law clerk in the Superior Court of New Jersey. While at Cornell, Ross was an editor of the Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy and a member of the Moot Court Board.

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Veterinary Medicine

Douglas Miller, PhD ’77, just published his third science fiction novel, Fisscial Intelligence. The book’s back cover reads: “For decades, science fiction writers and even scientists have speculated that Artificial Intelligences (AIs) created by humans might someday become so advanced that they will become sentient. And that when they did, and their intelligence far exceeded that of humans, they would recognize the inability of humans to manage the Earth and try to take over, just like the Terminator stories. But what if the sentient AIs had no desire to take over the Earth? What if they were smart enough to decide that they did not want to spend their newfound lives fighting an inevitable and interminable war against humans for their very existence?” On a personal note, Douglas adds, “After two years of going nowhere because of COVID,” traveling has brought him the most satisfaction these days. He enjoyed a cruise around French Polynesia in spring 2022 and a “first-class guided tour” of Italy in October 2022. When he’s not traveling, he enjoys “mostly doing nothing, except writing when I feel like it.”

Mason Jager, DVM ’12, PhD ’22, was recently elected chief officer of the Varna (NY) Volunteer Fire Company. Mason, an assistant research professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, is a board-certified veterinary pathologist and has been a member of the fire company since 2020.

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Weill Cornell Medicine

Sharon MacDougall, MBA ’19, MS ’19, is the director of community services for the Cortland County Mental Health Department in Cortland, NY. She recently appeared alongside U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer and other public officials to announce a planned $5 million in federal funding to turn a vacant city building into a new state-of-the-art mental-health facility. Sharon was quoted in the Cortland Voice’s December 2022 story about the project.

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Top image: Photo by Ryan Young / Cornell University

Published March 1, 2023