May / June 2023

Columns compiled by your class correspondents

1940s

1947

We received a wonderful letter from Joan Dall Patton, who fondly reflected on her life with husband Ed “Pat” Patton, BArch ’49. “After being married, we spent a year in Seattle and returned to Ithaca, as Pat needed one more term to get his degree. We then returned to the West Coast and lived for 18 years in Sacramento, where our daughter Gail and son Tom were born.

“My Alpha Phi roommate, June Johnson Reynolds, and her husband, Hugh, lived in Sunnyvale, not too far away. Another roommate, Rosemary Williamson Colgate, and her husband, Stirling ’48, PhD ’52, lived in Livermore, also close.

“We later moved to Foster City and Pat opened his architectural office in San Mateo. In 1988 he retired, and we spent 21 years in Sonoma until he died in 2009. During those years we took many cruises, as well as golfing and fishing trips.

I remember Junior Week dances in the Armory with big name bands at either end of the building.

Joan Dall Patton ’47

“When Pat died, I moved to an active adult community in Chico, CA, where my son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter live. He is a professor at the University of California, Chico. Daughter Gail lives in Ashland, OR. I still play golf and keep busy with bridge, etc.”

About Cornell, Joan writes, “I remember Junior Week dances in the Armory with big name bands at either end of the building. I remember ice skating on Beebe Lake and many parties we architecture students had. I also remember drinking beer out of any container we could find and sliding down Libe Slope on trays from the cafeteria.” ❖ Class of 1947 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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1948

At our age, members of the Class of ’48 have an abundance of free time—and Joyce Van Denburgh Doty, MFA ’50, made excellent use of it with a detailed response to the Share Your News form.

Perhaps invigorated by the oxygen she uses (though she never smoked, she presumes she inhaled others’), she goes beyond her own TV watching of both old black-and-white shows and modern news to describe her extended family in some detail. Her children: Harold ’73, Janet, Edith, and Michael attended Cornell, Rice, University of Houston, and CalTech, respectively. Granddaughters Elizabeth (mother of one) and Jennifer (mother of two) studied at Oklahoma University and Boston College, respectively, and grandson Christopher studied at Texas Christian University.

Joyce writes, “My daughter Edith has retired from Abbott Labs and gone back to school—studying art! I tried to interest her in art as a child, but she’d have none of it. Now, she’s excelling in it. I’m so glad to see her having a rebirth, and I think she’s doing very well at it.”

Joyce Van Denburgh Doty ’48, MFA ’50, and two friends jointly watch ‘Jeopardy!’ daily by telephone and endeavor to answer the questions.

Joyce cites an interesting activity wherein she and two friends jointly watch “Jeopardy!” daily by telephone and endeavor to answer the questions. “It is very satisfying when we come up with the right answer, especially if the contestants do not!” In closing, she says, “I credit my years at Cornell with guiding me to my paths of employment and pleasure. Thank you, Cornell!”

We also received a short update from Jane Schenker Gelman, who reports that she has moved to Ann Arbor to be near her daughter Susan. Please send your news! ❖ Ray Tuttle (email Ray) | Alumni Directory.

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1949

’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

A current pleasure of this class correspondent’s job is learning about our nonagenarian classmates still actively involved in their life’s work. For example, Sonia Pressman Fuentes (Sarasota, FL) wrote in: “On April 19, 2022, a book was published called The Great Stewardess Rebellion: How Women Launched a Workplace Revolution at 30,000 Feet, by Nell McShane Wulfhart, which featured a trio of women, of whom I was one. The book has been selected by the Washington Post as one of the top nonfiction books of 2022.

“The book tells the story of the airline stewardesses’ successful fight against sexist policies by certain U.S. airlines, which at the time, among other things, terminated or grounded stewardesses (now called flight attendants) based on marriage or turning age 32 or 35. I drafted the decision of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1968, finding that those sexist policies violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Two documentary films will be made about the stewardesses’ struggle for equal rights: one by Sarah Colt Productions for PBS and the other by British-American filmmaker Hugo Berkeley for international distribution. For these two films both filmmakers are interviewing and filming me at my home in Sarasota.”

Elizabeth Alexander Weis (Osprey, FL) wrote: “Hello! If you are reading this, you know the feeling of envy when you see someone running up the stairs or jogging down the street. It seems true that with age comes ‘wearing out.’ However, I have been fortunate to be able to keep moving, making my own meals, and partaking in my annual one- to two-month ‘walkabout’ trips to visit children. This year includes Chicago, Oregon, and Seattle. In the past I wore a sweatshirt that conveyed my status as a 1950 Cornell graduate, and I used to be greeted with ‘Wow, is that special?’ Then the remarks turned to ‘What is she doing traveling alone?’”

A current pleasure of this class correspondent’s job is learning about our nonagenarian classmates still actively involved in their life’s work.

Paul Joslin ’50

Elizabeth continues, “For any of you who wish to travel, here are some tips I have picked up. Fly first class (in my case a nice Christmas gift from one of my kids) and request Seat 1A. A first-class perk is the food; check the airline website and order your meals in advance. Check your large case and your walker. Your carry-on will hold your essentials and can also be a support. Take it to the gate and just before boarding ask to have it placed in baggage. Have your wheelchair pushed to the very edge of the plane’s door. Tell the attendant your seat number and you’ll be helped to it. Arrange to deplane only after you know your wheelchair awaits you. Collect your baggage and have a skycap take you and your baggage to the curb to await your ground transportation. Being generous with readily available tips helps things go smoothly. Bon voyage.”

From your correspondent: The youngest of my 14 grandchildren, grandson Ryan, is a highly intelligent, curious, and introspective young man. Age 28, a Wisconsin U. grad, he lives in the small village of Washburn, near Lake Superior in far northwest Wisconsin, where he is employed by the Department of Natural Resources doing ecologic research. (As a college junior he once spent three months in the Ecuadorian rainforest collecting previously unidentified bugs subsequently studied for new chemical compounds of possible use in medicines.)

In his most recent email, he asked for my views and beliefs on death and dying. Quite strangely for a young guy, he had attended a “death café”—which I learned from the Internet is a meeting of about a dozen persons who, without agenda, meet to “increase awareness of death with a view to helping attendees make the most of their lives.” He met with 10 persons all over age 70, except for him, and reported that he found the experience “enlightening, thought-provoking, and inspiring.” He asked what I knew about death cafés and death doulas—which was nothing. Death doulas are persons who assist those of advanced age, or those clearly dying, to manage end-of-life experiences such as familial, social, financial, and estate settlement issues.

When Ryan asked about my beliefs on death and dying, I replied that while I had at times thought about it and had opinions, possibly even beliefs about it, I had not organized them into any sensible form. I promised I would attempt to send him some sort of essay on the subject, perhaps of interest to future death cafés he might attend. Should you not consider the topic morbid or otherwise objectionable, send me your takes. ❖ Paul Joslin (email Paul) | 13731 Hickman Rd., #4207, Urbandale, IA 50323 | tel., (515) 278-0960 | Alumni Directory.

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1951

I hope you all took the time to fill out and return the Share Your News form that was recently mailed to you along with class dues information. If you haven’t yet, it’s not too late! Please do send us your news—via the hard-copy form or the online news form—so our future class columns can be full of news from all of you. ❖ Class of 1951 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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1952

Editor’s note: Sadly, Class of ’52 correspondent Joan Boffa Gaul passed away on April 11, 2023. This column, her final one, was written in February.

Jim Strub wrote from a mountainside in Colorado. He thanked me for continuing the column for so long and was grateful that so many of us were “still sentient enough to read it.” He went on, “By the grace of God I am still functioning well enough to be actively promoting the wonders of His creation to anybody around this part of Colorado who will pay attention. For example, with five others, I was recently on a day-long circumnavigational tour of recreational opportunities on the Pikes Peak massif, for which I was the tour guide. This morning I am here in my cliffside house looking out at the city and Pikes Peak, with dozens of colorful Labor Day hot air balloons flying in the foreground. Immediately behind me is a 740-acre city park with 20 miles of maintained hiking trails. A big part of all this blessing is that my son, Jordan ’81, and his wife, Michele, also live in Colorado Springs. Next month will mark the 10th anniversary of Peggy’s passing. Her paintings are hanging throughout the house, many of them being variations of bursts of light out of darkness. They are constant reminders to be living in the Light.”

Jim Ling wrote, also from Colorado, “I wanted to let you know that the Special District Association of Colorado recognized me as board member of the year at their annual convention in September. I don’t know if it was for performance or longevity. I’ve been on the board of the South Fort Collins Sanitation (a.k.a. sewer) District since 2005 and served as chairman from 2017–22.”

Stephen Tauber ’52 enjoyed a 20-day National Geographic expedition to the Antarctic, a 90th birthday gift from his son.

Stephen Tauber writes that in November he enjoyed a 20-day National Geographic expedition to the Antarctic, a 90th birthday gift from son Andrew. The group, which included his son and daughter-in-law Lisa, met in Buenos Aires and flew to Ushuaia, where they boarded the National Geographic Explorer, which took them to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, the continent of Antarctica, and several nearby islands. “Overall, we saw eight species of penguin, four of seal, two of whale, multiple of albatross and of petrol, and numerous other types of bird, plus glaciers, waterfalls, mountains rising abruptly from the ocean, and icebergs (both tabular and high rise).” Surprisingly, they also got to see emperor penguins—hundreds of them—though they are normally found further south than they ventured. “For ventures off-ship, there were alternatives on offer; I always chose the least challenging.” The program was often determined by weather considerations. Weather included 50 mph winds with gusts of 70. During the crossing of the Drake Passage back to Ushuaia, there were waves of up to 11 meters. “The three of us played tourist in Buenos Aires before and after the expedition.”

Judy Calhoun Schurman (New Canaan, CT) is enjoying her three children, eight grands, and three great-grands, plus one on the way. “I am planning a family reunion. All past reunions were on the East Coast, so I am looking at a West Coast location (at the insistence of one son and three grands).” Judy keeps busy volunteering and with a nonprofit called Staying Put in New Canaan. Joan Aten Beach (Lantana, FL) reports: “Same address, same great house, same wonderful Florida weather. The only change is our son Jeffrey ’76 came home from 11 years teaching in Thailand and is living with me. It is wonderful. I walk every day to improve that hip I broke. Ruined my golf. Love to read. Collect all kinds of nature, seed pods, etc. Very happy and still laughing. Look the same except for these darned wrinkles.”

One of the pleasant things that has happened in the past year is that I have reconnected with an old friend, Frank “Otto” Richter. I asked him to send news. Otto said he didn’t have any. I told him anything he sends is news. Soon, a 1950 census page from the Sigma Chi house arrived in the mail. I did not know that the 1950 census contacted all fraternities, and presumably sororities, dormitories, and other dwellings, to find out who was where, but it made sense. Great fun to see lots of familiar names, and to realize that somewhere there might be a sheet with our small corridor in Balch listing Joan Boffa, Nancy Barner, Jean Staples, Mary Ann Metaxas, and Trudy Krueger. Who knows where you might be. ❖ Joan Boffa Gaul (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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1953

Cornelius “Neil” Jones and wife Ruth have relocated from Eagleville, PA, all the way west to Monrovia in Southern California. Neil writes that he’s been studying his family’s early history. “Some of my ancestors were early settlers of Staten Island,” he says. “They came to the U.S. as separatists, seeking religious freedom from the intolerance in Northwestern Europe.”

Dottie Clark Free loves living at the Vi, which she describes as “a wonderful retirement community in Palo Alto.” She especially enjoys playing bridge and continues with Bible study. “My family had a reunion here last June and all four generations were able to attend! It is amazing to be 91 and a half!”

Robert Ashton writes from Portland, ME, that he has many Big Red memories, “from five years of mechanical engineering to managing my senior year to make the starting soccer team. I wasn’t very good, but I remember our great captain, George Boateng, MS ’55. He was from what was then called ‘the Gold Coast’ in Africa. I always wondered what happened to him, then I saw the name ‘George Boateng’ on a player for a World Cup team about a year ago. Must have been his grandson—that told me so much.” Robert shares that he’s very successfully retired. “I bought a boat and sailed around the world. Then I wrote a book about it: This Old Man and the Sea: How My Retirement Turned into a Ten-Year Sail Around the World, which is available from Amazon.” He moved from New York to Portland, ME, about five years ago when he “staggered close to the pearly gates,” he reports. “Now I’m in assisted living here, where I have acted in a serious study group, wound up teaching a course on astronomy, and am a member of an amateur, but serious, group discussing physics. Great group! Life is good!”

Stanley Landau, MD ’56, writes that he and wife Maxine are “living the good life at the North Shore Towers in NYC. We have five children, nine grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren—a very nurturing family.” A retired urologist, he played golf until this year and now works out at the gym every morning at 6 a.m. “I take online courses, write short stories, and oversee financial investments for the family. I have outlived all my oldest friends but have new friends and a wonderful family.” A highlight of his time at Cornell was being a member of Tau Delta Phi.

I bought a boat and sailed around the world. Then I wrote a book about it.

Robert Ashton ’53

Donald Koch has moved back to the Dallas area after 20 years in Naples, FL, and currently resides in an assisted living residence in Richardson, TX, according to the info submitted by his daughter-in-law Susan Ellis Koch ’88. He especially enjoys visits from family members, including his two sons and families who live nearby, his daughter and her family in Atlanta, and seven grandchildren, ages 20 to 30. His favorite memories of Cornell focus on the friendship of his classmates, especially his Sigma Nu fraternity brothers.

Lynn Rosenthal Minton writes from New York City, “I’ve had very good luck and very bad luck. My daughter, Kathy Minton ’80, died of glioblastoma in 2016, and that same year, my second husband, Ed, after only nine happy years, succumbed to a dementia that robbed him of himself—and me of him. But after a while, I looked up and found my great good luck: six grandchildren in their early 20s who came with me to Paris and environs in 2018 and brought me joy. And then the next year to Provence, where Ed and I had gone on our honeymoon, with two of the kids bringing home signed posters from the same Roussillon artist Ed and I had visited 16 years before—whose work I can see on my walls now.”

Lynn says she feels fortunate to have her whole loving family, including some high-spirited kids, living near her either on the Upper West Side of Manhattan or just across town. “There’s always someone game for Sunday brunch or for dinner, for the pleasures of Lincoln Center, or for going with me to the Hopper show at the Whitney or the Jewish deli exhibit at the New York Historical Society just down the road from me. So I manage not to long for what I had but to be happy here, now.” Lynn’s family includes a number of Cornell grads. “My oldest granddaughter, Rachel Minton ’15, married her Cornell sweetheart, Jeremy Roberts ’14. Rachel’s father is Tim Minton ’79; her grandfather is Stuart Minton ’51; her uncle is my son Charlie Minton ’83; her aunt is my late daughter, Kathy Minton; and her cousin is James Bessoir ’18.”

We received a letter from Jacob Gonzalez ’26, recipient of this year’s Class of 1953 Cornell Tradition Fellowship. “Coming from a low-income household as a first-generation college student, an opportunity such as this one means the world to my family and me,” he writes. “My dream has always been to explore the field of aerospace through mechanical engineering, and I am happy to be able to embark on this journey at Cornell.”

Who’s planning to attend Reunion, June 8–11? Class of ’53 treasurer Bill Gratz says the class treasury is healthy enough to cover the registration cost for all ’53 class members who attend (but not their guests). Bill will be there, as well as class VP Mort Bunis, JD ’55. Beautiful time of the year in Cayuga’s heights! ❖ Caroline Mulford Owens (email Caroline) | Jack Brophy (email Jack) | John Nixon (email John) | Bob Neff (email Bob) | Alumni Directory.

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1954

Our class news cupboard is running dry. Please consider sending us your special news items. Your classmates will be happy to hear from you and we will publish your submissions on a timely basis. This plea is especially important with our 70th Reunion coming up next year. We hope to see many of you present. Our headquarters (as one of the oldest, if not the oldest returning class) will be the Statler Hotel, smack in the middle of campus. We will be bused to all events and the hotel has an inventory of walking help equipment for those who need it. Caregivers and family members are also welcome.

Bill Webber, MD ’60, former art editor of the Cornell Widow, and his wife, Elaine (Russell), BS ’53, continue to enjoy life in Tucson, AZ. Bill keeps busy with desert gardening, bicycling, trumpet playing, and singing bass in the Desert Voices Community Chorus. He hopes “to make the big 90” this June.

Mimi Cohen Levine of Springfield, VA, and her husband, Leonard, sold their house two years ago and moved into a senior living facility with the help of their four children, all of whom went to college in Ithaca. The three boys were Cornellians: David ’78, Steven ’83, and Ed ’84. Their daughter, Cindy, was a ’79 graduate of Ithaca College. The Levines have attended Cornell’s Adult University several times, including last summer, and readily admit that they fell in love with the Ithaca summers.

Steve Krauss ’54 and wife Carol knocked off number one on their bucket list three years ago with a safari trip on the Serengeti Plain in Africa.

Steve Krauss and his wife, Carol, live in Knoxville, TN. Steve is enthusiastically retired and says he enjoys printmaking and painting—and he still plays a mean game of tennis at the Knoxville Racquet Club. Steve and Carol knocked off number one on their bucket list three years ago with a safari trip on the Serengeti Plain in Africa.

Steve Kaplan of Wayland, MA, whom we profiled in an earlier column, reports that the number of Cornellians in his extended family has grown to four. In addition to Steve, a nephew of his was a former adjunct professor in AAP; Steve’s oldest grandson, Joshua Calka ’18, received his chemical engineering degree and works for a bioengineering firm in the greater Boston area; and another grandson, Jacob Calka ’25, is a sophomore in CALS, scheduled to graduate in 2025. Let’s hope their 14-year-old brother will boost their Big Red number to five in a few years’ time! ❖ Bill Waters (email Bill) | Ruth Carpenter Bailey (email Ruth) | Class website | Alumni Directory.

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1955

As I write this, our class president, Bill Doerler, and other Class of 1955 alumni will be finishing lunch at the Banana Boat Restaurant in Boynton Beach, FL. I’m looking forward to a sober report on that gathering from Bill!

On a personal note, my partner, Marian Pritchard (Columbia School of Nursing, 1954), had recovered enough from her broken hip surgery in October that we drove up Cayuga Lake (remember, the south end of Cayuga Lake is at Ithaca) to Aurora for a Valentine’s Day lunch at the Fargo Inn. Well worth the drive on a bright, sunny, 44-degree day!

Rob Stotz has been writing and directing plays in his free time in the Ashburn, VA, area. As he says: “A big deal for an engineer!”

Last spring, Beverly MacNamara Wait wrote that she was “still working on her golf and bridge.” She must be making progress, because I was lucky to just catch her on the phone as she returned from a bridge match! When she’s not honing her card skills, she enjoys walking on Barefoot Beach near Naples, FL.

If you are in touch with classmates of 1955, encourage them to drop me a line about their current comings and goings! ❖ John Wertis (email John) | Alumni Directory.

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1956

Lonnie Hanauer, MD ’60, writes, “My youngest of six grandchildren, Katrina Cassell ’24, is graduating from ILR this spring after spending the fall in Prague. Her brother, Max ’20, graduated from Arts & Sciences three years ago. I gave up my half-time private practice nine years ago, and I stopped working my half-time job as a local rheumatologist three years ago because of the pandemic. Bette and I are healthy and still traveling, although less ambitiously, after 64 years of marriage.”

Please send us your news—via the hard-copy form that was mailed to you recently or via the online news form—so our future class columns can be full of news from all of you. ❖ Phyllis Bosworth (email Phyllis) | Alumni Directory.

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1957

We are “SuperAgers!” Larry Wolf has co-authored, with David Cravit, the book SuperAging. They have curated and organized the latest research and thinking about the period of life after age 65. This book, with a publication date of April 2023, has already been preordered as a membership inducement by CARP, the Canadian equivalent of AARP. The two men have broken SuperAging down into seven simple components: attitude, awareness, activity, autonomy, achievement, attachment, and avoidance. They show how one can put these seven forces to work in one’s own life. From taking control of one’s health and healthcare to revolutionary thinking about retirement, money, housing, and even relationships, folks can discover how to make the years after 65 some of the best years of their lives. You can find more information here.

After graduating from Cornell with his psychology degree, Larry returned to his Buffalo hometown. After several different jobs, he realized it was time for more education and earned his MBA from Wharton. With his vision of starting his own business, he realized that Buffalo might not be the optimum locale for success. Knowing that Toronto, Canada, was only two hours away, he and his bride were on their way. Larry founded the Wolf Group in Toronto and specialized in creative marketing messaging. Over the years, the group expanded into six more cities, including New York City, building upon Larry’s ability to identify important trends and how to create opportunities in communications strategies. The SuperAging book came about as Larry saw the trends happening with increased longevity, as the number of centenarians are growing each year. Larry was able to identify the elements of successful aging, and with David, one of his earliest employees, the book evolved. Now Larry and his wife of 56 years maintain a home in Toronto, but the colder weather finds them in Boca Raton, FL. Their family has expanded to two children and four grandchildren. He proudly has a granddaughter graduating from Colgate in May 2023.

We Class of 1957 classmates certainly qualify as successful SuperAgers with our involvement on many levels. John Fisher Jr. and his wife of 57 happy years reside at the North Hill Retirement Community in Needham, MA. John retired at age 75 as a consultant in strategic planning. When I called, he was playing duplicate bridge, a twice-weekly event. He is involved in a multitude of activities, including being the moderator of the weekly current events discussion, running the men’s book club, chairing the program committee, and being active on the civic affairs committee. He enjoys spending time with his sons and grandchildren and especially looks forward to, as he puts it, the tradition of the “Fisher-men” going to Maine each year for a four-day fishing trip.

John Fisher Jr. ’57 looks forward to the tradition of the ‘Fisher-men’ going to Maine each year for a four-day fishing trip.

Judith Tischler Rogers is another very active person. Judy, now a widow, is quite at home in Colorado Springs, CO. Younger folks may have difficulties keeping up with her. She walks two miles a day with her 9-year-old 14-pound dog, Buffy, plays pickleball twice a week, serves as co-president of her Sunday school class, plays both classical and popular music on her piano, and is a Stephen Minister and provides Communion for several home-bound members of her church. Judy maintains subscriptions to a symphony and belongs to the local opera league. Her three sons, each giving Judy a granddaughter and a grandson, reside in Coral Gables, FL, Seattle, WA, and Nagoya, Japan. In addition to her many activities, her family members give her much joy.

Following his Cornell graduation, S. Edward Neuwirth earned his DDS at the NYU College of Dentistry. Soon after, he went to Hawaii and organized the first civilian dental internship there. His internship completed, he accepted a position with Hawaii’s Department of Health. His task was to survey the dental health status and needs of the elementary schoolchildren on the islands. He became very fond of the islands and the Hawaiian people. He was there long enough to become a decent surfer and earned his private pilot’s certificate. He left Hawaii when he was called to be an officer in the U.S. Army Dental Corps. He first served as the oral surgeon at the DMZ and then at a hospital in Seoul. While in South Korea, he became involved with sports parachuting (skydiving). Apparently, Florida called to him next; it’s where he established his professional dental practice. He may stay more on the ground now, as he is the biker on a sprint triathlon or a duathlon relay team. He participates in one event per month yet trains five days a week. Not only that, he teaches four days a week at the Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine in Fort Lauderdale, FL, where he also has his home.

We might say that Marcia Wishengrad Metzger, JD ’60, lives a more sedentary life, except that she and husband Bob have recently completed a move. After many years of living in the Rochester area, in 2015 they moved into a home in Hilton Head, SC. Now they have moved “across the road” to a two-bedroom apartment in Holiday Indigo Pines, a senior retirement community. Any of us who have done this massive downsizing know only too well the stress of such a move. Surely her daughter, son-in-law, and high-school-sophomore granddaughter, who also live in Hilton Head, helped with the transition. ❖ Connie Santagato Hosterman (email Connie) | Alumni Directory.

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1958

More on Reunion, soon to happen, follows these news entries from several classmates. Martin Steinberg is a professor of medicine, pediatrics, pathology, and laboratory medicine at Boston University, and currently works remotely from his home in Naples, FL. To keep fit he swims and walks daily (swimming is confined to a pool since Hurricane Ian devastated the beach club) and travels as often as possible to NYC for theater, delis, and Brooklyn pizza.

Scientifically, Martin has studied the genetic and cellular basis of hemoglobin gene regulation, applying this to develop drug- and cell-based therapeutics for treating sickle cell disease. He was part of a group that developed the first FDA-approved drug treatment for sickle cell disease. Presently, he is working with industry to use CRISPR/Cas to change the DNA in patient stem cells and “cure” sickle cell disease and related disorders. This first-in-human treatment has been submitted for regulatory approval.

Stephan Wittkowsky, MA ’60, writes from Guatemala: “My work experiences include: 10 years of economic and feasibility studies at a U.N.-sponsored technical institute in Central America; general manager of a Sheraton Hotel in Guatemala; 20 years as CEO of an industrial complex in Guatemala; advisor and lecturer at two universities in Guatemala; establishment of various personal entrepreneurial ventures in areas of frozen foods, made-to-order wooden furniture, auto care, and others; 12 years as lecturer at Duke University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute; consultant to the UNC dean of the Kenan-Flagler Business School and the Executive Development Program; consultant of the Executive Service Corps of the Triangle; and SCORE mentor.”

Stephan continues, “I have three daughters, five granddaughters, and one grandson. Two grandchildren are U.S. university graduates working for a major financial company in NYC and one is an MD just about to begin an internship. Two of my three daughters are also Cornell graduates.” Stephan and Martin, we hope you both can make it back in June to the 65th to celebrate with us.

Martin Steinberg ’58 was part of a group that developed the first FDA-approved drug treatment for sickle cell disease.

Another physician, Marc Gabel, writes: “I have retired after a 60-year medical career that metaphorically followed the arc of life—beginning in pediatrics and concluding in medical assistance in dying, with stops in military medicine, international public health, and rural general practice, plus a stint as president of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. Now for a pleasant, modest entry into retirement in Toronto.” Marc, we hope to see you at Reunion.

John Padget, MS ’59, writes from Key West, FL, reporting, “My Cornell roommate, Bruce Whilton, of Gloucester, MA, and Punta Gorda, FL, passed away peacefully in June 2022 in Punta Gorda after a long and well-lived life. He graduated with a master’s degree in chemical engineering in 1959, and while at Cornell, he continued his lifelong love of hockey as a member of the Big Red hockey team. He was in Kappa Delta Rho.” John had no other news from far down south, but he welcomes hearing from classmates.

Dan Martin writes, “My beloved Barbara (Cyrus) ’60 died last year, after 59 wonderful years together, including three sons and 10 grandchildren all living in the vicinity of the greater New York area.” Dan mentions lots of activity with family and friends, and he looks forward to resuming travel that was deferred due to COVID. “Fingers crossed!” Dan, we are sorry to learn of your loss.

Our Reunion co-chairs write that everyone in the class should have heard from them with the registration materials sent in the spring. With a no-cost, everything-covered (except room) weekend, maybe we can break ’52’s record of 80 classmates returning to have a great time together. We’re going for it, as they say, with high hopes of seeing you there. Dick and Connie Case Haggard remind all to keep working on your classmate friends to get them to come back with you to enjoy a great time of Reunion on campus, June 8­–11. Register and come! ❖ Dick Haggard (email Dick) | Jan Arps Jarvie (email Jan) | Alumni Directory.

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1959

On New Year’s Eve, Bob Weinman once again conducted the Santa Barbara Symphony, this year in a rousing “76 Trombones” from The Music Man—looking debonair in gold and white, complete with gold epaulets on his pristine jacket. “It’s a glamorous, annual event held in the Granada Theatre in the city’s historic district,” says Bob. “Torrential rains that seemed to hit their peak as I made my way to the theater broke my umbrella in two, though I was near enough to the stage door to keep those epaulets fairly dry.”

Richard Horwich, professor emeritus of English at Brooklyn College, has published 10024: A Memoir, the story of his early life from the ages of 7 to 30. The book is available at Amazon and other bookstores. The true star of the story is Manhattan’s Upper West Side (zip code 10024), a New York neighborhood undergoing radical transformation, since repeated elsewhere in the city. Richard remembers city elements lost to development: the schools, restaurants, parks, playing fields, stores, and buildings themselves. Broadway was a cobblestone boulevard with trolleys. Indian Walk Shoe Store had a fluoroscope X-ray machine that let you see your toes wiggle inside your shoes. Egg creams were universally available. And, of course, the book includes Richard’s years at Cornell.

On December 19, millions of jubilant people streamed into downtown Buenos Aires, celebrating Argentina’s World Cup victory with cheers, firecrackers, and honking car horns. It was joyous bedlam, though not appreciated by Alan Newhouse and other arrivals at the city’s airport, already weary from canceled and delayed flights from the U.S. Roads blocked by celebrants prevented the van that was supposed to transfer Alan and others to their hotel from reaching the airport; three hours later, a bus headed into downtown was finally located, but what was a supposed 30-minute drive took three times that. A brief stay at the hotel and then Alan was aboard ship, sailing down the east coast of South America, with stops at Montevideo and Puerto Madryn. Four days in the Antarctic Archipelago—“dodging icebergs and seeing the most amazing scenery and animals”—were followed by Cape Horn, Glacier Alley, and stops up the coast of Chile, with the 21-day voyage ending in Santiago.

On New Year’s Eve, Bob Weinman ’59 once again conducted the Santa Barbara Symphony, this year in a rousing ‘76 Trombones’ from The Music Man.

When last we heard from Phyllis Corwin Rogers in 2021, the Northern Californian was preparing to fly to Austria to celebrate the birth of twin (a boy and a girl) great-grandchildren. The trip began late that year, with a stop in Miami to spend Christmas at a grandson’s apartment. Then off to the Newark airport, where the required COVID test turned up positive. No flight, no hotel rooms, and an Uber ride from Newark to her daughter’s home in Hershey, PA, followed by quarantining and a flight back home. Better days followed in 2022: “Catch-up travels included a Holy Land pilgrimage first scheduled in 2020, then a surprise trip in October to Oberammergau and the Passion Play—plus three glorious days with those infants and their 2- and 5-year-old brothers.

“I’m definitely coming to our Reunion next year,” continues Phyllis. “And my sister Patricia Corwin Kubicki ’61, DVM ’63, PhD ’66, is looking forward to joining me. We had a wonderful time at the 60th!” Reunion chair for our 65th Reunion Jerry Schultz reminds folks to check the accuracy of their information in the Alumni Directory. “You don’t want to miss Reunion information, which will be arriving in classmates’ mailboxes before long.”

In February, Jerry and Carole Kenyon attended the annual Cornell Alumni Leadership Conference, held this year in San Diego. Both praised the special presentations, including those on the University’s libraries and bioengineering program. Plus, says Jerry, “Ken Blanchard ’61, PhD ’67, author of the best-selling book The One Minute Manager, gave a marvelous lecture on ways to be an effective leader.” Jerry and Carole discussed possible events for our Reunion, and Jerry had a very productive meeting with Lauren Coffey, associate director of class programs, who updated him about how her office will be working with our class for the June 6–9, 2024 Reunion.

It is with sadness that I report that Dave Dunlop passed away in February. A national wrestling star as an undergraduate, he was one of the nation’s leading development professionals during his exemplary 38-year career in Cornell’s Office of Alumni Affairs and Development. Through the years, his contributions to the University never slacked. Nor did his support of our alumni class: many of us will best remember Dave as co-chair of our wildly successful 25th and 50th Reunions. “Like me, Dave was an ILRie, and we bonded in September ’55,” recalls Barbara Hirsch Kaplan. “The bond grew and remained intact through our 60th Reunion, and it was strengthened by his affection for our children, Doug ’88 and Emily ’91. He and his wife, Peggy (Flynn), MS ’63, always had a reception at their home in Brooktondale for incoming children of classmates. As a fellow ILRie responded when I emailed him about Dave’s death, “He made Cornell and all who knew him better.” ❖ Jenny Tesar (email Jenny) | Alumni Directory.

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1960

Emerging from constraints imposed by the pandemic year, Bill Flanagan (Colonial Heights, VA) happily reports that the postponed wedding of his granddaughter has taken place in France, at a location near Limoges, where the nuptials were celebrated with a joyous fireworks display. Bill also had a busy year in Virginia during the statewide election; the Flanagans were founding members of American Veterans Vote, which was formed to encourage political participation.

Bill adds that he and Diane “were able to have meals with fellow Hotel School graduates, meeting with Jan Van Heiningen and Bill Callnin ’56, BS ’69, for a great seafood meal in Virginia Beach in July and a breakfast south of Richmond with Jack Keefe and his family. Jan, Jack, and I have worked on food and beverages for the last three class Reunions. We also keep Sue Phelps Day, MEd ’62, in our thoughts and prayers and thank Linda Jarschauer Johnson, MS ’63, for stepping in to oversee Class of ’60 events and keep us informed.” In St. Petersburg, FL, Jack is on the board of his condominium and working as a volunteer for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Eckerd College.

Betty Abraham Dowd writes from St. Louis, MO, that she is living comfortably in an apartment near the Missouri Botanical Garden and several parks, where she finds lots of good walking paths. She has three children and seven grandchildren; her two sons have twins, all of them in college, and her daughter’s two children have graduated from college and are working in Chicago, where Betty’s new great-granddaughter was born.

In Pepper Pike, OH, Cynthia Golomb Dettelbach says she is “always a theatregoer. In my retirement I have been writing plays, some of which have had either productions or staged readings at the Ensemble Theatre in Cleveland. I also enjoy taking senior classes at a local college, playing tennis, and visiting my children and grandchildren.”

Queried about how his daily life has changed, Don Dewey, BA ’65, says wryly, “It’s the same old, same old. I’m maintaining our two homes, one in New Rochelle, the other on Chautauqua Lake. My daughter Elizabeth ’98, MBA ’06, who has two boys, recently gave birth to a baby girl in far-off Dubai.” Don also praises his “incredible wife Sandy” and says he is focused on “staying safe.”

In my retirement I have been writing plays, some of which have had either productions or staged readings at the Ensemble Theatre in Cleveland.

Cynthia Golomb Dettelbach ’60

Also living in New Rochelle, Phyllis Winter Feingold spent time during the pandemic year working at a daycare service. She was elected to the Westchester County Senior Citizens Hall of Fame and received the “Seniors Helping Seniors” service award. Now having given up her daycare employment, Phyllis does volunteer work with a senior group and says she looks forward to being able to travel again. Her biggest takeaway from the pandemic is “the importance of family and social interaction.”

In Manhattan, Cyrus Abbe is very grateful to report that he celebrated his second bar mitzvah at age 83, “thanking God for protecting me during my Jewish rescue missions and blessing me with a beautiful family and a wonderful life.”

After the wrenching loss of his wife, Gail Hirschmann Becker ’62, Paul Becker moved away from Indiana and has now put down roots in Placentia, CA. He sends word that several of his family members are also getting settled: one granddaughter is going to graduate school at Harvard, his oldest son, Kevin ’89, is vice president of technology at Henkel, son Randy produces documentary movies, and daughter Tineka is a casting agent in Los Angeles.

Also comfortable with her current life is Allison Hall, who writes from San Leandro, CA. “I have retired from all the careers I had—elementary school teacher, holistic health practitioner, and marriage and family counselor. I now have the freedom to visit many locations with my therapy dog and enjoy taking long walks in our beautiful East Bay parks or snowshoeing in the Sierra foothills. Despite facing a rare kidney disease, I’m grateful to be alive and experiencing pleasures like kayaking with my dog.”

Now settled into his new retirement community in Blue Bell, PA, A. Kirk Field, MS ’61, along with his wife, Marcia (Case) ’61, notes that he is an active board member of both Microbiotix Inc., a biotech company where he was a founder, and the Montgomery County Foundation, a charitable institution. Kirk still enjoys woodworking as well as time spent with friends and family, but he regrets the necessary cancelation of events at Cornell, saying “I have so missed our Reunions of ’60 and ’61 and missed the summer programs at Cornell’s Adult University.”

Paula Friedman (Gresham, OR) is still focused on writing and editing books, but also enjoys hiking and cross-country skiing near Mount Hood National Forest. She looks forward to visiting places on her “bucket list,” especially Chilean Patagonia, the northern Norwegian coast, and the Greek Islands. She happily expresses gratitude for her health, good friends, and family members like her older son Chris and his wife, who live and sell their paintings in Berlin, and her son Joseph, who is completing his degree in history. ❖ Judy Bryant Wittenberg (email Judy) | Alumni Directory.

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1961

“To do the greatest good” is the campaign for Cornell University—and this theme pervaded the atmosphere of the Cornell Alumni Leadership Conference (CALC), which I attended in San Diego last February. There were seven of our class members attending including me, Ken Blanchard, PhD ’67, David Chadwick-Brown, Carmine Liotta, class president Jim Moore, LLB ’64, Doug Uhler, and Larry Wheeler, Internet provider. Lauren Coffey, director of class programs, was there to support us all.

We all enjoyed a dinner together at Grant Grill near our hotel. The conference consists of two full days of sessions covering campus issues of interest to all Cornellians, including the digital library, engineering and medicine, leadership experience (where classmate Ken excels and shared some pointers), and a spotlight on student experience, where students shared their special interests, which helped us to see what Cornell is for them. Isn’t that what Cornell is all about?

We also learned about the governance of Cornell. Did you know that the Board of Trustees is a true governing body of 64 members, which includes staff, faculty, alumni, and students? This governance is unique among universities. There was also a voting opportunity for an alumni board member who was attending the conference. Having less endowment than other universities, Cornell does more by honoring “any person, any study.”

Of special interest to me was a session focusing on human relations and communication from a generational viewpoint. We all laughed about how perceptions of generations differ from one another, which includes geographic differences as well. We were also all encouraged to access the Cornellians publication, which you know all about if you are reading this column! And did you know that 250,000 Cornellians live and thrive in the world today? Meanwhile the hotel-provided breakfast and lunch meals (at the Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter) were of good quality, and special perks included wine, beer, and coffee daily. CALC next year is in Baltimore, MD.

In November 2022 I accepted the invitation of my best friend, Ron Zimmerman, to be his wife.

Jan Hoffsis Sanderson Hayes ’61

Wearing my hat as class correspondent, I will share a happy letter from Jan Hoffsis Sanderson Hayes from Arizona. “In November 2022 I accepted the invitation of my best friend, Ron Zimmerman, to be his wife. It’s been a grand adventure! We gathered our immediate family of 27 for a Thanksgiving weekend wedding. Who says marriage and all its blessing needs to be reserved for the young? Our marriage provides Ron two daughters and me three sons. That’s a treat. We are not making any records with four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

“We had both downsized in other lives, so this time we upsized to be sure we had a large kitchen and plenty of room. Ron loves to cook! We stayed in Arizona, in a citrus grove in North Mesa. We eat out once or twice a week and entertain at home as the occasion arises. I’ve joined a Pi Phi book club and enjoy being a ‘Golden Girl.’ We keep up with the day-to-day news, which is, unfortunately, frequently not what we want to hear. We continue to be optimistic and try to keep a sense of humor. Life is great! Our goal is to keep each day happy, healthy, and special.” She sends regards.

Sadly, we learned of the death of our classmate Joyce Berger Goldman last year. A Democratic activist, she was a key aide to two Essex County (NJ) executives.

News from M. Mehdy Douraghy from Chicago: He has been traveling in Europe including attending his son’s wedding in Sicily. Mehdy has been doing research for a catalogue on prayer rugs. He now has eight grandchildren from three sons and one daughter, and he’s doing a lot of reading.

Remember to send your news to: ❖ Susan Williams Stevens (email Susan) | Doug Fuss (email Doug) | Alumni Directory.

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1962

Spring—the season of change everywhere—is bringing a change to our class, as well. Evelyn Eskin has decided to step down as class correspondent but will stay involved in class activities going forward. Thank you to Evelyn for her efforts on behalf of the class. Judy Prenske Rich will pick up the correspondent responsibilities. Send your news and views to Judy (email Judy here). Now! Please!

Alan Flaherty and spouse Patti Myers enjoyed an early-January visit with their New Jersey family, plus a dose of four Broadway shows. “Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt tells the story of a Jewish family in Vienna from 1899 through 1955. August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson tells the story of a Black family in 1930s Pittsburgh and its most prized possession, a piano of which the cabinet has been carved with images of forebears by an enslaved ancestor. Anthony McCarten’s The Collaboration focuses on the unlikely but successful three-year interaction between Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Adrienne Kennedy’s Ohio State Murders brought to Broadway for the first time the work of an esteemed 91-year-old Black playwright, starring Audra McDonald. The actress met Kennedy a while ago, and her desire to star in the 30-year-old semi-autobiographical play got it to Broadway.”

Don Juran writes about a dizzyingly active year. “As the pandemic eases, we cautiously resume once-normal lives. We keep vaccinations current and mask up at chorus rehearsals and performances and other indoor activities. Still, we’re amazingly lucky thus far to have dodged COVID despite at least two exposures. Life is kind to us, and we are grateful. My final concert with City Choir was the Brahms ‘Requiem,’ among the greatest of choral masterpieces. We drove to Cornell in June for the 60th Reunion. As always, lots of camaraderie and good food and drink. Again, I served as chief registration nerd.”

Don continues, “We hosted our daughter and two grandsons for about six weeks including trips to the National Aquarium in Baltimore and to Diggerland USA, a construction-themed amusement park in southern New Jersey. The kids loved Diggerland; my favorite thing about it was knowing I need never return. We traveled to Warsaw to join our son Adam ’94 and his family for a leisurely, relaxing visit. We celebrated our 53rd wedding anniversary. I completed my latest composition, In Remembrance, 2020–2022, and finished reading the complete works of Shakespeare. I once again got clobbered in Maryland Senior Olympic table tennis singles but medaled in doubles. I completed my 26th—and most likely final—season managing my age (60+) co-ed team. It’s been a wonderful ride and an unparalleled growth and learning experience. I will continue to manage my age (70+) team. In January I will sing my final concerts with Polyhymnia (chamber chorus). I also hope to compete in power walking and table tennis at the National Senior Games in Pittsburgh in July.” Whew!

I once again got clobbered in Maryland Senior Olympic table tennis singles but medaled in doubles.

Don Juran ’62

From Judy Rich: “My husband, Bruce ’60, and I have been trying to make up for time lost during the pandemic to travel as much as we can for as long as we can. Last spring, we made our annual trek to Paris (the city of my heart) and to London where our daughter Stacey ’93 lives. Last fall, we finally made it to Istanbul and Cappadocia with a pit stop in Lisbon. Had I only been as diligent studying the topography as I was learning about sites and restaurants, I would have been forewarned that all those places are situated on very, very steep inclines. We loved Turkey and Portugal, but they were not easy for the orthopedically challenged, as we be these days. With that in mind, our mantra for our next venture was flat, flat, very flat! Thus, this spring we are heading to Copenhagen, Amsterdam (tulips and Vermeer, anyone?), and, of course, London, where we will arrive, due to spectacularly bad planning on our part, during Coronation Weekend! Still, very grateful that we can yet get up and go.”

“Can We Mine Our Way to Sustainability?” was the subject of this year’s annual Fred H. Hicks Memorial Lecture held at Hicks Nursery on Long Island on January 29. When Fred, MBA ’63, a longtime supporter of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, passed away in 2004, the CALS Alumni Association chapter on Long Island decided to memorialize him by naming their annual faculty-speaker lecture after him. The Hicks family has ties to Cornell dating a long way back. Fred’s late wife, Marilyn Bosley Hicks, was our classmate; their son Stephen ’94 now runs the family nursery, Long Island’s oldest garden center, which Fred inherited from his dad, Edwin 1930. Hicks family forebears founded the town of Hicksville, on Long Island.

And from our intrepid class president, Neil Schilke, MS ’64: “Ro and I both try to stay in shape and spend a lot of time walking and exercising. In the warm months, that includes playing golf. This year, I had a bit of an epiphany and won my Thursday golf group championship. That never got any ESPN notoriety (i.e., it was no big deal), but it was rewarding for me as the oldest golfer in the group. I continue to bowl as well. I have kept my 160+ average and have a rare moment of success—this year, a 236 game. I have also continued as treasurer for our homeowners’ association. That job has gotten more complicated over the years, as our subdivision has grown to 156 owners. We continue to enjoy Detroit Symphony Orchestra concerts, Broadway in Detroit plays at the Fisher Theatre, and plays at the Oakland University Meadow Brook Theatre.”

Nancy Williams Clark, MEd ’64, ever-busy creating her lovely watercolor paintings, reports that she and husband Tom ’63, MBA ’64, enjoyed “joyous” snow-filled holiday visits with all their family (including the 10 grandchildren!). This proud parent of three Cornell graduates also noted that granddaughter Brooke Shachoy ’22 is now a Cornell alum, and her triplet grandkids are finishing up their freshman year at Cornell!

And to close, a slightly tongue-in-cheek comment from John Neuman, a retired visiting lecturer at the Johnson Business School. “Many chatbots are now available using AI (artificial intelligence) to write clear, intelligent sentences/paragraphs on various subjects. And the resulting grammar is often quite good. The New York Times had a recent Business Section article on ChatGPT, etc., being used to teach in a high school. Recently, there was an article in the Wall Street Journal comparing three different chatbots. Some chatbots even do research on a topic and find interesting perspectives to include in a written piece. One very controversial use, and not the only one, is by students in high school or college to write essays, etc., and submit them for grades. NOT a good idea, of course. But other uses can be legitimate and productive. Possibly, with some experimentation, a chatbot could help write the class column and reduce some of your effort.” ❖ Judy Prenske Rich (email Judy) | Alumni Directory.

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1963

Our 60th Reunion is around the corner, June 8–11, 2023. I hope to see many of you there! By now you have received the mailing regarding Reunion and how to sign up. Come and help us all celebrate 60 years since we graduated from Cornell.

You have also received mailings regarding gifts to Cornell for our 60th Reunion. Ed Butler, MS ’65, and Carol Bagdasarian Aslanian, our Reunion co-chairs, have been working hard with Paula Trested Laholt, president pro tem, to find a worthwhile recipient of our 60th Reunion donations. Colleen Crawford Drozd, assistant director of Leadership Giving Volunteer Initiatives at Cornell, has written: “As you may have heard, the state of mental health among college students in the U.S. has worsened considerably over the past few years. Unfortunately, Cornell students are not immune to this trend. Indeed, a quarter of current Cornell students have reported that mental health issues such as anxiety and depression have prevented them from participating academically for at least one week.”

Our class is asking you to contribute what you can to the Class of 1963 Fund to Support Student Mental Health. We will be updating three films that were made starting in 2010 to address mental health concerns. Gifts of all sizes are needed to carry this project over the finish line. You can donate just the same way you give to the Cornell Annual Fund—online or by mailing a check. Let’s all give what we can to make an impact on the mental health of Cornell students.

I am establishing a conservation easement on an old-growth forest adjacent to salt water.

Bob Carson ’63

Donald Bennink and wife Marianne live in Bell, FL. Bob and Clare Carson live in Walla Walla, WA. Bob writes, “I enjoy mountaineering and whitewater boating. I am writing books: Where the Great River Bends (Columbia River), Many Waters (Walla Walla Valley), The Blues (Oregon and Washington mountains), East of Yellowstone (geology), and Hiking Guide to Washington Geology (memoir). I am establishing a conservation easement on an old-growth forest adjacent to salt water (Hood Canal, WA). Some of my favorite memories at Cornell were the geology field trips, especially with Prof. Art Bloom.”

Mary Falvey writes from San Francisco: “So nice to resume my three Paris visits per year. I hosted my youngest grandson for a week there in August—now all five have done it. I sold my peaceful retreat in Calistoga, CA, ahead of fire season and the interest rate rise. My head knew it was the right thing to do, but my heart took time to catch up. Now a new era will open up in 2023—maybe including more time in France.”

After some reports of spam, we are no longer listing email addresses in class columns. If you have an interest in communicating with a classmate, I can always be the go-between. I do need to get permission from the person you want to contact before I can give you their email address. You may also find many classmates in the Alumni Directory. Please send me news for the column. See you in June at Reunion. ❖ Nancy Bierds Icke (email Nancy) | 12350 E. Roger Road, Tucson, AZ 85749.

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1964

This is a momentous column, because you are getting it 13 months before our 60th (!) Reunion next June, so please start making plans now to attend. I hope to see you there.

We’ll begin this column with Robert Cochran, last included here 18 years ago. Robert lives in Campton, NH, with wife Anne (Snouffer) ’65. Cornell continues in their family, as he writes, “We attended our granddaughter Emily ’22’s graduation from CALS. Emily and her twin sister, Sarah, who graduated from Texas A&M, attended the family gathering at Watkins Glen following the graduation.”

Nina Tolkoff Rubin, who lives in Brookline, MA, and was last here seven years ago, updates us by noting, “I’m still working full time as director of dialysis services and medical director emerita, transportation, at Massachusetts General Hospital. Finally emerging from the pandemic!” Nina otherwise is active with “tennis, the Patriots, and the Celtics.”

Leslie Oppenheim Friedman, who lives in Mendham, NJ, and is a realtor with Coldwell Banker, writes, “I’m still selling houses all over New Jersey.” Leslie also notes she was “hoping to go to Cambodia this year.” Please let us know if you made the trip.

Joe James, who lives with wife Shirley in Eagle, ID, notes that they are “good spectators at our grandchildren’s sporting events: soccer, flag football, volleyball, and swimming.” Joe notes life is “pure sunshine.”

Alan Goldenberg, BCE ’66, who lives with wife Barbara (Greenwell) ’68 in Oakland, CA, is active in the mentoring network Big Brothers. Three years ago, he and Barbara took a cruise from Vancouver to Sitka, AK.

Leslie Seiden and spouse Hal Rosenblum are retired to Wellington, FL, where Leslie writes, “I am now playing a lot of golf, plus I work three afternoons a week as a psychiatrist.” (I can see those two activities closely allied.)

Brian Wruble, ME ’66, has been quite busy. “I had a breakthrough case of COVID. Having been triple vaccinated, it was mild, but unpleasant. My wife, Kathleen, and I are living five months a year in Key West. We are selling a home in Princeton, NJ, as we also have a summer home on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and a small Manhattan apartment on the Upper West Side. I have finally retired from my last board.” That said, Brian is still an emeritus trustee at the Institute for Advanced Study and emeritus chairman of the board of the Jackson Laboratory. Brian goes on, “Now I manage our assets and read a lot. Travel pre-COVID included New Zealand and Australia. I did a Great Lakes cruise two Septembers ago. Being a Michigander, I have always regretted not getting to the Upper Peninsula. Now I have!” Brian concludes, “We have three employed children and four granddaughters.”

I retired eight years ago as a practicing pediatrician, and now at last can be a full-time farmer.

Andre Vanderzanden ’64

Lynn Friedhoff Feigenbaum, BA ’09, writes that she moved after her husband, David ’62, passed away. “I left behind my split-level house and high-maintenance lawn in suburban Virginia Beach for downtown Norfolk, VA, and Harbor’s Edge, a 28-floor high-rise continuing care retirement community. With my cane and rollator, I fit in very well. Sigh. Great views of the Elizabeth River and busy port area.” Lynn also enjoys “playing duplicate bridge, doing crosswords, and other word games—in other words, as little as possible.”

Elaine Emling, MA ’69, MRP ’83, who lives in Silver Spring, MD, with husband Mike Jenner, writes that she is “acting as the point woman for any issues and news regarding construction of a light rail project, the Purple Line, very near the houses of about 60 of us. Trying very hard to start up, again, a family genealogy, this time for my mother’s side. A good outline for the Emling side was done while living in England and after two visits to Germany. The English, Irish, and Oklahoma families visited us after three or four years of missing them.”

Andre Vanderzanden, who lives in Rochester, NH, with wife Edwinna writes, “I retired eight years ago as a practicing pediatrician, and now at last can be a full-time farmer.” He is also into playing piano and travel, lately to Antarctica, Africa, Scandinavia, and South America—plus visiting children and grandchildren.

Barbara Cade Pringle, MA ’68, who lives in Alexandria, VA, with husband Robert, PhD ’67, writes, “COVID precautions have hampered making activities and travel. Bob’s and my most recent trip, December 2019 through January 2020, was a fantastic final fling before shutdown—and it was to Antarctica.”

Charles Oliver writes, “I spend five to six months in my Florida home, and five to six months in Canaseraga, NY. I turned the business over to my two sons on January 1, 2021. I enjoy the warm weather in Florida in a gated golf community. I’m 80 so it’s time to relax. I do a lot of walking and golf to stay active.”

Lastly, Joan Nathanson Tosici sends the news that she has moved to Ocean, NJ.

That’s it for now. On behalf of our class officers, we hope to see you at our 60th Reunion on Cornell’s campus, June 6–9, 2024. 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

A group of 17 happy folks enjoyed the Southwest Florida Class of ’65 luncheon in Naples toward the end of winter. This is the 14th year that Judy Kellner Rushmore arranged the event, and we give her many accolades for her excellent organization year after year.

During the luncheon I, Joan Hens Johnson, announced our 60th Reunion gift, and now I’m excited to share it with all of you! A Reunion gift committee of Jeff Kass (project manager), Jamil Sopher, ME ’66, Penny Skitol Haitkin, Bill Vanneman, Bruce Smoller, Sharon Hegarty Williams, Laureen Stanton Knutsen, and Susan Frank Weitz developed the framework for the Class of 1965 Skorton Center Wellness Coaching Program, and the gift proposal was approved by the class council. Here are the key points:

1) Mental health issues are an important problem among today’s college students, even at Cornell. More than a third of students experience depression and anxiety, and at Cornell a quarter of students indicated being unable to function academically for at least a week due to depression or anxiety. The student body of today is different from our class and has experienced the pressures of COVID and social media.

2) Cornell is committed to dealing with mental health issues, both on the clinical side for those who need help and on the prevention side—which is where our gift program comes in. We have the support of, and are working with, the Skorton Health Center and senior administration.

3) The class gift supports a Wellness Coaching Program, starting with a pilot. The Class of 1965 program is designed to build resilience to help students deal with stressors. Wellness coaching meets students where they are along a continuum of change; it sets realistic goals based on students’ needs.

4) The class council has approved the program, and $26,000 has already been raised from generous Reunion gift committee members. Pilot design and coaching training will take place in spring and summer 2023 and the pilot will start fall semester 2023.

5) The program will be branded with “Class of 1965,” and we are starting to plan a communications program to reach out to the class.

6) We have established a separate Cornell account to accept contributions. We are starting early rather than waiting for our 60th Reunion year, so that our gift can have an impact now and over the next few years.

Simply stated, we are undertaking action to support a program that will benefit students for many years: the impact of our gift should outlast us. Mental health is, sadly, a timely and topical subject, and a good coaching program should have an ongoing impact for a long time.

Stephen Appell and I have joined the committee to provide input on determining ongoing communications to the class via a variety of outreach methods. We trust everyone will share our excitement as further definitive plans are advanced. Indeed, some meaningful financial contributions have already been made through the generosity of class gift committee members. Inasmuch as tax deductions and reduced RMDs are important to many of us at this stage of life, contributors can know they can donate to this project for multiple years and get important annual benefits, in addition simply to deriving the inherent satisfaction resulting from our contributions to the wellness of Cornellians. Classmates with questions/comments should be in touch with Stephen (email Stephen) or me (email Joan).

I’m driving for both Lyft and Uber, with 8,500 rides over four and a half years.

Lew Stevens ’65

Those attending the Southwest Florida luncheon voiced enthusiasm for the gift. Carol Gibbs Stover emailed, “I wholeheartedly support a Wellness Coaching Program as our class gift based on my own experience. Indeed, my freshman year at Cornell was exciting, but at first, the new routine was a bit overwhelming. How great it would have been if there’d been a coaching program back then to head off getting overwhelmed!” With a big smile, George Arangio, MD ’69, said, “This is a great gift!” George and his wife, Judy, are having fun in Florida with family and friends and this year committed to three months away from Pennsylvania.

Rick and Carole Scully gave a thumbs up to the gift and were looking forward to doing some traveling now that COVID has lifted. Lew Stevens commented, “I’m still doing fine with my wonderful rescue dog, Lotus, and I’m driving for both Lyft and Uber, with 8,500 rides over four and a half years. My home made it through Hurricane Ian because it is five feet above ground, but the car was totaled in three feet of standing filthy water in my carport. My daughter, Crosby, and family (two grandsons, 9 and 11) will visit me in Naples for a week.” Lew will have some good times ahead!

Bruce Eissner continues to be involved in various projects and was delighted to converse with classmates. Myron Jacobson claims to have had some fun ruffing it with John Stock ’72 in Boca. The photo he attached featured Myron and John hangin’ out, smoking cigars. Although Kathy and Joe Schneider could not attend the luncheon this year, they sent some news to share. In January, they became proud great-grandparents of Teddy Kozlowsky. “This past May we enjoyed a Pacific Coast cruise from San Diego to Vancouver, BC, with time for golf at Torrey Pines prior to departure and at Pebble Beach following our cruise. Last December, we sailed the Caribbean on an 11-night cruise and in August we’ll head north for an 11-night New England and Canada cruise. Daughter Julie is hosting an 80th birthday party for Joe this June at her home in Delaware.”

Stephen Appell attended the women’s basketball game at Columbia on March 4, in which the Big Red almost upset a powerful Lions team. After the game, he enjoyed meeting players, especially seniors Anna Hovis ’23, Ania McNicholas ’23, and Shannon Mulroy ’23, and head coach Dayna Smith. He let them know that in over six decades of following Cornell basketball, this women’s team was one of his favorites. Then on March 11, he traveled to Princeton for the Ivy League basketball tournament. He rooted hard for the Big Red men’s team in its contest with Yale—and he saw former men’s team players he has befriended through the years, and many of the women’s team players he had just met the week before, who were there to show support for their male counterparts. Stephen concludes: “It was two consecutive weekends of being in Big Red basketball heaven.”

The continuing care retirement community of Vi at Bentley Village in Naples will eventually have three more couples in residence. Ashok, ME ’65, and Fay Thomas Bakhru, MAT ’66, Walter and Linda Gadkowski, and Judy Rushmore and Dave Koval. It looks like an amazing place to live.

Please email us your news! We cannot write a column without hearing from you. ❖ Joan Hens Johnson (email Joan) | Stephen Appell (email Stephen) | Alumni Directory.

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1966

Our classmates show us that we continue to be involved and maintain interests in many areas. Melvyn Leffler has written a book, Confronting Saddam Hussein: George W. Bush and the Invasion of Iraq. It is described as “a vivid portrayal of what drove Bush to invade Iraq in 2003—an outcome that was in no way predetermined.”

Melvyn is emeritus professor of American history at the University of Virginia. He is the author of books on the Cold War and on U.S. relations with Europe, including For the Soul of Mankind, which won the George Louis Beer Prize from the American Historical Association, and A Preponderance of Power, which won the Bancroft, Hoover, and Ferrell prizes. He co-edited the three-volume Cambridge History of the Cold War and is co-editor of Shaper Nations: Strategies for a Changing World. In 2017, he published Safeguarding Democratic Capitalism: US Foreign Policy and National Security, 1920–2015. Melvyn has served as president of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, the Harold Vyvyan Harmsworth Professor at Oxford University, and dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Virginia.

Barbara Lawrence lives in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Through last spring, she continued to carefully restrict her activities due to the pandemic. She does keep up with her Kappa Delta sorority activities via Zoom. Something she never imagined doing in 1966 was the Raindrop Technique—working with essential oils for healing. She has enjoyed recent short visits with family members.

Susan Rockford Bittker has done two major trips this year with her sister and sister-in-law. They went to Wales, the Isle of Man, and England’s Lake District in April, and in October they went to Italy. Susan and husband Don have done short trips around New York State and attended their grandson’s graduation from Muhlenberg last May. Susan coordinates a monthly lunch for Westchester County Cornell alumni.

Our class correspondents ensure we are ever connected. I want here to thank them—from all of us.

Alice Katz Berglas ’66

We sadly report the passing of Gwendolyn Gartland Scalpello. Gwen was a guest service host at Vail Mountain, CO; Master Gardener and board member at Betty Ford Alpine Gardens; active in community, cultural, and alumni affairs; and a member of Kappa Delta sorority. According to classmate Jeanne Brown Sander, Gwen was the KD connection to our class, serving as the “affinity group chairperson.” She attended many Reunions. She sent reminders to the sorority sisters for all the “Hidden Jewels,” once they were established.

When Jeanne and husband Tom visited the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, they found a plaque honoring Gwen for her dedication to the garden as a volunteer. Gwen was secretary of the board and oversaw the gift shops, coordinated the tour program, and was on the committee requesting permission for an education facility to be built near the museum and gift shop. A passionate volunteer, she will be missed.

A note from Alice Katz Berglas: “I am visiting my family in Berkeley, sitting at my dining table, looking out the window at a Meyer lemon tree and the beginning of blossoms as February turns next week to March. I am amazed, as always, at how easy it is to settle in and leave behind the sidewalks of my home in NYC and walk slower, feel the sky, and see San Francisco across the bay. I am writing this note for the May/June column, and I’m once again in awe of our class correspondents, who for years, every year, write their columns months in advance. They share the news we have written to them, and they try to imagine what the future will be like as we read those life updates down the road.

“Our class correspondents ensure we are ever connected. I want here to thank them—from all of us. They make writing newsletters to you always feel as though I am writing to friends. They make Mary Jansen Everett’s and my roles as communicators/networkers easy. They make reaching out to you for Reunion year milestones and our gatherings feel absolutely natural. On this semi-sunny, almost ‘Berkeley-warm’ day, as we look to a new spring and soon summer to share, I wanted very much to pause, and give a nod to all our past and present class correspondents, now Susan Rockford Bittker and Pete Salinger, MBA ’68, for several years, and to say my personal true and warm thank you for the spirit they give us and the role they play multiple times in the year, for all the years of columns and news—and to say that thank you from us all.”

As we enjoy our “Hidden Jewels” programs, a special thank you to Alice for all her efforts in coordinating them and keeping us involved with Cornell. ❖ Susan Rockford Bittker (email Susan) | Pete Salinger (email Pete) | Alumni Directory.

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Ivan Blum, ME ’68, MBA ’69 (Southbury, CT) writes: “I’m deep into my fourth career after 25 years in global management consulting (where, with intensive air travel across the globe over the years, I shared space with Björn Borg, Luciano Pavarotti, Faye Dunaway, Senator Alan Cranston, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Jesse Jackson, and retired astronaut Pete Conrad), followed by two years as an entrepreneur, and 10 years as an IBM executive in services, research and development, and strategy.

“I took early retirement to intensively work on lowering my golf handicap, which became a triumph of hope over performance. So I am now an adjunct professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut teaching international business, analytics, and statistics. I have four daughters and four granddaughters—even my tuxedo cat is a female. I also have two grandsons and a golf game that hasn’t moved much below the low 90s.”

Kenneth Fields, BS ’69 (Decatur, GA) reports: “After 26 years in what is now red Florida as a city/town/village/tribal manager, I retired and moved to purple Georgia in December to be closer to my partner’s (Pitt ’66) grandkids—just in time for single-digit temperatures (just like Ithaca in winter), which I was definitely not ready for. I discovered how boring retirement can be, so I’m now looking for volunteer opportunities to keep me busy in Atlanta, preferably in government or politics. It will be easier to see my grandkids in L.A. and Raleigh from here with better flight connections than South Florida.”

In 1996, Kim Howell ’67 discovered a species of toad the size of a thumbnail.

Adam Perl (Ithaca, NY) writes: “My wife and I retired five years ago, shortly after our daughter gave birth to triplets. We have traveled extensively both in the U.S. and abroad (28 countries and 50 states). I am still singing, and I am the choral conductor of the Savage Club of Ithaca, an off-shoot of the Cornell University Glee Club, founded in 1895. We are a nonprofit and donate the proceeds of our concerts to various arts groups in the Ithaca area. I am also part of a writers’ group and have written a novel and many short pieces, and I am currently working on my memoirs (while I can still remember). I take a long walk nearly every day and commune with the birds and other creatures. Life is good!”

Classmate Kim Howell passed away last October. He grew up in Waynesboro, VA, and was inspired to become a biologist when at nature camp in Vesuvius, VA, according to the Waynesboro News Virginian. Majoring in zoology at Cornell, he paid his way working at the Library of Natural Sounds, where he preserved archival recordings of bird calls. Seeing a paper blowing on the ground on campus, he picked up a notice for a position teaching English and biology to political refugees in a rural area of Zambia. Relocating to Tanzania in 1968, he received his PhD in vertebrate zoology from the University of Dar es Salaam. He became professor of zoology (vertebrate science) there, where he taught for the next 46 years. He encountered an extremely rare albino bat later donated to the Smithsonian Institution.

Working on an environmental impact study for a massive hydroelectric dam on the Kihansi River funded by the World Bank, in 1996 Kim discovered a species of toad the size of a thumbnail. The Kihansi spray toad only existed in the mist created by the waterfall, right where the dam was to be built. Dam construction destroyed the mist and ecosystem, leaving the toads in danger of extinction. Despite reconstruction of the mist, the toads continued to die in great numbers. Kim was featured on “Good Morning America,” when his team collected and distributed toads to zoos worldwide to create artificial mists to save the species. Author of many books, including a guide, Reptiles and Amphibians of East Africa, he published articles on the wildlife, birds, and fauna of East Africa. He provided holistic, therapeutic counseling, not only to students, but to anyone who felt the need for it. ❖ Richard Hoffman (email Richard) | 2925 28th St. NW, Washington, DC 20008 | Alumni Directory.

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1968

Do you realize that June 8–11 this year is your chance to attend Cornell Class of ’68’s 55th Reunion? As in the past, your Reunion committee has worked very hard to make this nostalgic occasion a time you’ll remember, spending time with old friends with whom we shared the joys of youth and their dreams of the future that is now our history.

The Reunion committee—led once again by Henry Siegel—has worked very hard, based on your input, to present an update of the physical status of Cornell today and an educational experience through lectures and discussions, along with partying and taking in the beauty of the view from the Hill. As in past Reunions, you may choose to stay on campus, this time in one of Cornell’s most modern dormitories, or book a hotel room off campus. (Sorry, we’re still too young to get priority at the Statler. Happily, that’s because Cornellians are living longer.) So remember you will never again have the opportunity to be celebrating your 55th Reunion with fellow classmates. We made it—let’s enjoy it!

Barry and Annette Shaw live not too far from campus in Vestal, NY. This winter they spent seven weeks at their condo in Steamboat, CO, where they can enjoy skiing, snowshoeing, pickleball, and Mahjong. Barry has been retired for several years but Annette, a psychotherapist, works remotely on a part-time schedule. They now have four grandchildren; two are the children of daughter Natalie ’00, living in North Carolina, and two live in NYC. The Shaws regularly get together with Stuart and Susan Schiff and occasionally see David and Diane Miller.

This winter in Florida, Ellen and I spent happy times with Jerry and Pam Levitz, who did something Jerry never thought they would do: they purchased a home in Boynton Beach, FL, at Aberdeen Country Club, which happily is only five miles up the road from our home in Delray Beach. We also enjoyed our annual visit from Mark and Suzy Taylor, whose daughter will wed this May. Paul Goldberg, ME ’69, and his newlywed wife, Susan, moved to Broken Sound Club in Boca Raton, and Walter and Suzy Schenker purchased a home at the Club at Ibis in West Palm Beach. Seems like our classmates are taking over Palm Beach County. ❖ Chuck Levitan (email Chuck) | Alumni Directory.

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1969

Our class officers and council are fortunate to have monthly Zoom calls organized by class president Greg Baum. The January presentation was made by our classmate Bob Potter, who enlightened many of us on aspects of World War l that he has been studying for many years. He became interested in the WWl memorial in his town of Boalsburg, PA. Bob traveled in different years to France and visited cemeteries, memorials, and historical markers and sites, many of which were sites of WWl battles (Verdun, the Somme, etc.). I don’t do it enough justice, but thank you, Bob.

Sandor Kovacs is still working full time—he was recently elected honorary member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences for his work in cardiovascular physiology and biophysics. He even finds time to fix a 1969 Porsche 912 and an older Volvo! He enjoys swimming and learning chess, and he plans to visit his grandson in Maui.

Al and Claire Scully De Lauro write from their home of 23 years in San Antonio, TX, after having previously lived on both coasts (NYC and San Francisco). They have been busy with travel to Egypt and Jordan, Peru (Machu Picchu) and the Galápagos, Eastern Europe, Mont-Tremblant, and Denver. They enjoy the company of their two Maine Coon cats as well as watching the beautiful sunrises and sunsets from their home area.

Greg Milmoe continues to work as an attorney with Greenberg Traurig in Massachusetts and New York. This past June, he attended granddaughter Lindsey Forg ’21, BS ’22’s graduation from Cornell. Grandson Tyler Forg ’25 is a sophomore on the crew team. Go Big Red!

Proud grandparents Dexter, ME ’70, and Julia Ho Wang ’68 report that this fall, granddaughter Tori Darling ’27 will be the third generation in the family to attend the Hotel School, following grandma Julia and mom Elizabeth Wang Darling ’97. Busy in retirement in Concord, MA, Julia and Dexter enjoyed a Cornell trip to Northern Ireland. “It was fun to be part of a group of 20 with Cornell ties. The trip was educational and entertaining, but tiring. We continue to pursue our ballroom dancing, skiing, and time with our three children and seven grandchildren.”

Sandor Kovacs ’69 was recently elected honorary member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences for his work in cardiovascular physiology and biophysics.

Dexter is now retired from his work as CEO of SSG Precision Optronics, which designs, fabricates, and tests space-based and other optical subsystems. He writes, “I have been retired for many years, but it has been thrilling to see the fruits of my professional career mature. Building space optical systems requires patience, as the projects and travel times are long. The New Horizons LORRI telescope took stunning pictures of Pluto and outer asteroids, and the James Webb Space Telescope, whose mirrors we polished, is opening exploration of our galaxy to a new level.”

From California, we hear from Glenn Ducat that he has just published a book, Blue Oasis No More: Why We’re Not Going to “Beat” Global Warming and What We Need to Do About It. Glenn says, “This book was born out of frustration. I kept reading books (like the one by Bill Gates) that claimed we could ‘beat’ global warming if we just did x, y, and z.” Based on his experience, Glenn felt that these optimistic forecasts focused mostly on technology, which is only one element of a much larger challenge. He wanted to reframe the discussion. Glenn shares that “any and all royalties from the book will be donated to environmental and humanitarian causes.”

Joseph Miller writes to tell us of a planned Phi Epsilon Pi reunion for the classes of 1967–72 that was held at the Cornell Club in NYC in April. We hope you’ll write again and let us know how it went!

Dan Taubman writes that Zoom has brought together six friends in four states, two countries, and four time zones for biweekly calls! They are Larry Carpenter, an attorney in Little Rock, AK; Roger Guthrie, a retired printer in Oregon; Joel Kies, a retired software designer now making handcrafted soap in Albion, CA; Steve Uslan, a family law attorney in Denver, CO; and Charlie (a.k.a. Charles, CJ, Chaim) Cohen, a retired worker in gerontology living in a settlement near Jerusalem. Dan is a senior (semi-retired) judge on the Colorado Court of Appeals, living in Lakewood, CO. He writes, “Our discussions range from politics to social issues to the arts. During our senior year, we lived in three neighboring suites at Hasbrouck Apartments. Zoom has been a wonderful mechanism for all of us to keep in touch on a regular basis.”

Lastly, a note from Sally Knowlton: “My husband, Robert Chadbourn, and I are happily retired from running a family restaurant/gift shop in Northwood, NH, for 10 years. We are enjoying cruising and seeing parts of the world that interest us. Our knee replacements are behind us—looking forward to our 55th Reunion! We are blessed with good health and 12 grandchildren. Looking forward to catching up with classmates in June 2024!”

Save the dates for our 55th Reunion: June 6–9, 2024! If you’ve never attended, plan on coming. There are always great events, lectures, and dinners, and, best of all, plenty of time for reconnecting with friends or making new ones! You will be amazed at the changes on the campus and the great new dorms on North Campus! This edition’s Class Notes correspondent: ❖ Ingrid Dieterle Tyler (email Ingrid) | Alumni Directory.

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1970s

1970

As I write this, it is nearing the end of January. Light snow is on the ground, the skies are (and have been) completely overcast, and the temperature hovers around the freezing point. Groundhog Day is just a week away. So, Phil will be predicting the precursor of the weather that will occur when you are reading this.

Your correspondent has recently been going through boxes of memories from ancestral homes, in preparation for the westward retirement move of my sister (Carla Cecilia Purdy ’67). In some of the boxes were neatly stacked engineering notebooks filled with equations, which I no longer recognize. Others were filled with memorabilia, much of it from the non-academic part of my undergraduate experience. Included were yellowing copies of the Daily Sun, replete with my bylined photos of hockey triumphs, and a collection of press photographer passes, which allowed me on the sidelines to photograph Big Red home football. Also included were the requisite plaque commemorating my pledging a fraternity, the (unused) orange leather belt strap for my slide rule case, a Lynah ticket stub, and a 1977 issue of the Alumni News in which the class column mentioned I was to be returning to Cornell for business school. I wonder if any of the rest of you have such treasures? It would be fun to share—perhaps an idea for Reunion, now only two years away!

As I have previously called to your attention, a significant number of classmates have turned to the writing of books. A repeat author is Anita Harris (Cambridge, MA). Well known for her memoir of undergraduate life at Cornell, Ithaca Diaries, Anita has written a new memoir of her experiences and adventures in co-founding the Harrisburg Independent Press (aka HIP) along with classmates Ed Zuckerman and Fred Solowey. HIP was conceived in conjunction with the trial of the Harrisburg Seven, a group of anti-war nuns and priests accused of conspiring to kidnap Henry Kissinger and blow up underground heating tunnels in Washington, DC. One of the accused was Father Philip Berrigan, the brother of Father Daniel Berrigan, assistant director of Cornell United Religious Work when we (and the founders) were all students. Anita’s memoir, The View from Third Street (where their office was), encompasses all this, along with Hurricane Agnes and the Flood of 1972 and other significant happenings, all from her personal viewpoint.

Bill Lee, ME ’71 (Grayslake, IL) celebrates being married to Barbara since last October. He notes that, having been widowed in 2014, this is a new adventure.

Stephen Messinger (Somers, NY) retired at the age of 70 as CEO of KnowledgePoint HR, a consulting firm, after a time of fun and excitement. Family happenings occur around two grandchildren, now 11 and 8, enjoying holidays and weekends. Satisfaction has come from travel around the world, including Bora Bora, Australia, New Zealand, and the Galápagos Islands. A new, fun, and challenging hobby is assembling 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles.

Bob Keller ’70 and Liz celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary in August with a 5,100-mile cross-country Canadian road trip.

Robert Keller (Wilmette, IL) and wife Elizabeth (Mt. Holyoke/Duke ’73) report that they recently celebrated both of their daughters’ weddings over a span of nine months. The younger daughter was married in September 2021, and the older daughter in June 2022. Bob and Liz celebrated their own 49th wedding anniversary in August with a 5,100-mile (8,200-km) cross-country Canadian road trip. This ended at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada. Robert reports that the highlight of their trip was driving the Icefields Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper National Park, a highway through some of the most wonderful scenic splendor anywhere. They plan a reprise of that trip, except to the Canadian Maritime provinces, this coming spring.

Cindy Briggs (Bellevue, WA) begins her letter: “Announcing my adorable granddaughter who lives nearby in Seattle. She’s past the ‘Vegimals’ stage and is developing a great personality! As to Cornell connections, I’d like to say that I really enjoy an alumni crossword puzzle solving group. We’ve met every Saturday since the pandemic began, almost three years ago! Most of us have never met in person, but we’ve developed great friendships. We do the New York Times Saturday and Thursday puzzles together, and add in the Spelling Bee, Code Names, and other word puzzles, all done via Zoom since we live in different corners of the country. The group is organized by Tony Chen ’12 (email Tony here), and he welcomes any new members.”

Cindy continues, “Throughout the pandemic, I’ve attended tons of Cornell lectures and gatherings via Zoom including Chinese New Year and Diwali celebrations and four excellent, week-long classes, listed below. If any of these are offered again, I highly recommend them: ‘Space Cases: Visual Forays’ (Architecture & Planning) with Roberta Moudry ’81, PhD ’95; ‘Biodiversity’ with Drew Harvell (author of A Sea of Glass and Ocean Outbreak); ‘Medical Ethnobotany’ with Giulia Friso; and ‘Using Nutrition to Reduce Heart Disease and Cancer’ with David Levitsky. I might be returning to my hometown of Ithaca this summer. Two Cornell English professors live in my old homestead, and they have welcomed the ‘Briggs Kids’ to tour our former house when we’re in town. Also, I’m signed up for a dark sky astronomy class at the Grand Canyon and Meteor Crater next June with Road Scholar. I’d love to hear from any classmates!”

And lastly, in keeping with the opening theme of authors, two more books! First, Fred Piscop (Bellmore, NY), our very own puzzlemaster, has a new book, The Healthy Brain Book of Word Puzzles. It features a variety of original word puzzles including 32 “Split Decisions,” a popular puzzle that appears occasionally in the New York Times. Next, for those of you who need a more physical activity, Richard Goldberg (Providence, RI), professor emeritus of psychiatry at Brown University, has recently published a new golf book, Better Golf Better Life, describing the transformational power of golf. The work grows out of his golf mental coaching activity and is available through Barnes & Noble.

Now I will really need more notes from all of you! Class dues notices go out in April, so you may have them and the Share Your News form before you read this column in May. So send them in, please! As always, for your own news, you may contact me directly or use the University’s online news form. ❖ John Cecilia (email John) | Alumni Directory.

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1971

Late last year, your correspondent put on a reporter’s hat and met with two classmates at Marcia Wities Orange’s suggestion. Once college roommates, Annelie Wilde and Jill Rosenfeld now live near each other at Riderwood Village, a 2,200-resident community that opened its doors in 2000 in the rolling hills of Silver Spring, MD. Retired from a career in bioscience, Annelie and her husband, Kesh Narayanan, moved there first, from nearby Virginia. After her husband’s death, Jill closed her home in the Hudson Valley (Nanuet) and moved to one of the many places she and her husband, Charles DeLaFuente, had lived during his career as a copy editor for the New York Times and others. A special education teacher by profession, Jill had been a president of the Cornell Club of Rockland as well. We hope to gather other class members next time we get together.

Marcia Orange shared news, too: After 40 years in Portland and Seattle doing technology marketing and sales, she retired to Fort Lee, NJ. “It’s the best chapter of my life. My two kids are married and enjoying professional success—the six grandkids live nearby.” In recent years, she’s enjoyed classes with Cornell’s Adult University, both on campus and on the hoof. In non-Reunion years, she gets her “Ithaca fix” with the Continuous Reunion Club (CRC). She recommends joining in with the monthly ’71 History Project’s Zoom calls, which are organized by Naomi Katz Mintz.

As for the 50+1 Reunion, in addition to Jill Rosenfeld (above), Marcia had a blast reconnecting with classmates Judith “Dith” Goodman Mecklenburger and her husband, Bob, of Princeton Junction, NJ. Your correspondent blushes to include Marcia’s sign off: “Special thanks to correspondent Elisabeth Kaplan Boas for encouraging not only this contribution, but also several CAU programs. Look for knitting needles and you’ll find her—and maybe her husband, Art Spitzer.”

It was Art’s suggestion that I report about Mark Sussman (they were in a current events club together at Bayside High School). Mark went from a microbiology major in the Ag School to his career developing instrumented diagnostic systems with Becton Dickinson in Baltimore. Retired since 2009, he and wife Ellen decamped to Trumansburg near Taughannock Falls. “If somebody had told me in college that this city boy would retire to tiny Trumansburg, I would have told them they were crazy.” On Facebook, you’ll see photographs he shares that reveal his love of the outdoors, hiking with his dog or two local hiking groups. With one, he’s a trail maintainer. In the winter they enjoy cross-country skiing and in other seasons, canoeing, kayaking, and wilderness camping.

Once college roommates, Annelie Wilde ’71 and Jill Rosenfeld ’71 now live near each other at Riderwood Village, a 2,200-resident community.

When not outdoors, Mark makes wooden objects in his workshop, including furniture and lathe work (turned bowls and other objects from wood harvested from their property or donated by friends) that can be found at local gift shops and craft fairs. COVID converted international travel to more local trips, including an informal 50th Reunion of five Cornell roommates and spouses in the Adirondacks. Mark, Tom Fox, Paul Dennis, Mike Morris, and Lance Davidow (married to Leslie (Brody) ’72) had cabins at Long Lake and made the most of the great outdoors, even as they were sorry Dan Oldman had to cancel at the last minute. The Sussman children are married: his daughter is an environmental educator in Bend, OR, and his son is a statistics professor at BU, as well as father of the first Sussman grandchild.

Also from Trumansburg, Janis Kelly starts her report, “Hey, Class of ’71! I hope you are having as good a year as I am so far. I’m learning some interesting new skills, I had an aftermarket upgrade on my left shoulder, and I just finished a fascinating book on slavery in West Africa by Cornell’s Sandra Greene, the Stephen ’59 and Madeline ’60 Anbinder Professor of African History. Prof. Greene’s book, Slave Owners of West Africa: Decision Making in the Age of Abolition, is a stunning work that uses archival research and extensive interviews to tell the story of how three different West African slave owners, who were all Black themselves, dealt with the end of legal slavery in that region and the long-term impact, down even into the 20th century, on the descendants of both the slave owners and the enslaved. Dr. Greene’s meticulous contextual analysis provides a helpful broadening of the discussion and fills in the shallows of ‘The 1619 Project.’”

Janis has been accumulating new skills in search engine optimization (SEO) and social media marketing (SMM) in courses taught by “the incredibly brilliant and experienced Jason McDonald” via Stanford University’s continuing education program. Both are well-designed with annually updated workbooks (available on Amazon). One is focused on ensuring your website (or your client’s) hits one of the top three spots on Google search for related keywords. She now knows much more about Google’s search algorithm than she ever wanted to know. The SMM class taught her about using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram for marketing and related communications. She plans to make some money with these new skill sets, including a test of some things by setting up her family tortoise, Aristotle, to report and comment on many local happenings. Aristotle’s website and its associated blog (“Tort-About-Town”) will launch later this spring.

Janis went to Syracuse Orthopedic Surgeons for the complete left shoulder replacement, following lectures from her family doctor and the sports medicine doctor. Her new titanium shoulder is working out very well, even as she still faces quite a bit of rehab. She didn’t even have to stay overnight (!)—she checked into the hospital at 5 a.m. and was back in Ithaca 12 hours later, eating soup from Saigon Kitchen. ❖ Elisabeth Kaplan Boas (email Elisabeth) | Cara Nash Iason (email Cara) | Alumni Directory.

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1972

Enjoying retirement is Nancy Kollisch, who exults, “I don’t have to wake up with an alarm clock!” She’s been walking around her neighborhood lately, taking the opportunity to meet her neighbors. What brings her the most satisfaction in life? The simple things: “Getting a good night’s sleep and taking a hot shower!”

Marsha Perlmutter Kalina has been doing clinical psychology in private practice and writes, “Both of my sons are successful in their respective fields, photography and computer games project managing. I’ve also been helping to resettle a Ukrainian couple and the wife’s mother in our local community.”

James Mahen, MBA ’74, writes, “I get the most satisfaction from spending time with my wife, Cherie, of 51 years and my four kids and eight grandkids. I retired to Cape Cod a while back and have found it to be the perfect place for biking, year-round golf, fishing, and beachcombing. Don’t know when I ever had time to work! Being an outdoor person, I work every week as an interpretive ranger at the Cape Cod National Seashore for the National Park Service. I also volunteer with the Nauset Neighbors organization to provide services (mostly handyman-type things) to elderly folks who want to stay in their homes as long as possible.”

I retired to Cape Cod a while back and have found it to be the perfect place for biking, year-round golf, fishing, and beachcombing.

James Mahen ’72, MBA ’74

James continues, “I’m still doing a little furniture building for family and friends to help pass the gray days on the Cape in winter weather. My kids and families are all scattered around the U.S., with the nearest ones 500 miles away—so my wife and I spend a lot of time seeing the U.S. from the air. My favorite Cornell memory has always been spending late evenings at the Fall Creek House with frat brothers and friends after studying. It was an atmosphere for close friends to help each other learn how to grow up through the trials of college life.”

Joel Friedman writes, “After 46 years as a faculty member at Tulane Law School, my wife and I decided to move to Scottsdale, AZ, as two of our three children are now living and employed in Tempe. Shortly after arriving in Scottsdale, I was approached by the administration of Arizona State University College of Law to teach there. After one semester as a visiting professor, I have accepted a full-time position as professor of law. I continue to teach in the labor and employment law areas, as I always have done, as well as in civil procedure and evidence.

“My wife is a sales manager at a very swanky resort hotel in Scottsdale. Our younger daughter works for an interior design firm in Phoenix and her twin brother works for a consulting firm in Phoenix. Our oldest daughter is a project manager for an online financial services company in San Diego. We are thrilled to live in this beautiful city and enjoy taking weekend hikes in the desert that surrounds us.” His favorite memory of his time at Cornell? “Hanging out in the Ivy Room at the Straight.” ❖ Alex Barna (email Alex) | Wes Schulz (email Wes) | Frank Dawson (email Frank) | Susan Farber Straus (email Susan) | Alumni Directory.

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1973

Get ready for our 50th Reunion this June 8–11. And in the meantime, be sure to keep us up to date on your life!

Baer Connard writes from Falmouth, ME. His wife, Priscilla, died in December 2021 after 50 years of marriage. He remains busy volunteering two days a week at the Mid-Coast Hospital and two days a month at the Maine Maritime Museum. Like many of us, family and friends bring him the most satisfaction these days.

Glenn Cantor chimes in from Bend, OR, where he lives with his wife, Inge Eriks. Glenn has un-retired and is now consulting on toxicology issues for small pharmaceutical companies, mainly in oncology or immuno-oncology. The pandemic and the “Age of Zoom” gave him the opportunity to ignore geographical limitations. So even though he lives in central Oregon, he’s active in a camera club in Alaska and another in London, ON.

I’m amazed that with having two engineering degrees and a tech MBA, I find myself heading a family of artists.

Douglas Herz ’73

Glenn was diagnosed with a form of lymphoma called Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia. He finds it a scientifically fascinating disease and shares that he would hate to be afflicted with a boring disease. As such, he’s become active in the research grant program of the International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation. Glenn represented the foundation at a fascinating workshop of Waldenstrom’s researchers and physicians in Madrid recently. He also writes articles explaining research papers and grants to the lay patients and caregivers. Glenn and his wife enjoy birding, as well as playing with their grandchildren in Portland.

Douglas Herz has qualified for his third consecutive Boston Marathon, and has targeted a Top 10 or, with luck, a podium finish in 2023. He trains with best friend Charlie Brucker ’72, PhD ’77, and uses his experiences to help inspire others to improve their health. Doug works as a tech exec in Silicon Valley, where he lives with artist wife Kyoko. Their son, Christopher, is a professional musician and music entrepreneur. When asked what he’s doing now that he never imagined, Doug answered: “I’m amazed that with having two engineering degrees and a tech MBA, I find myself heading a family of artists.” ❖ Phyllis Haight Grummon (email Phyllis) | Pam Meyers (email Pam) | Dave Ross (email Dave) | Alumni Directory.

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1974

Commencement and Reunion Weekend are coming up on campus. (Make your plans now for our 50th next year, June 6–9!)

Marilyn Krinsky Price traveled to New York City in October to attend the “almost-50th wedding anniversary” party for Rosie Gerof Kalikow and her husband, Richie ’71. Cornell alums in attendance included Aimee Sugarman Poll and her husband, Jeff ’72, Carole Scher Kerner, and Ted Grossman ’71, JD ’74. Marilyn says that, since summer 2016, she has been “living in Louisville, KY (home of our youngest son and his family, which includes our only granddaughter and a grandson), with my husband, Michael. As of winter 2021, we became snowbirds after inheriting a house in Boca Raton, FL. Despite leaving New York, I continue to practice law there remotely on a part-time basis. We travel every opportunity we get, including trips to California, where two of our three sons live: Andrew ’01, ME ’02, with his husband, Sean, in San Diego; and Wayne ’98 with his wife, Michelle, and their two sons, Leo and Bodhi, in Pleasanton.”

Speaking of California, from Sebastopol comes news from Anne Pincus, who never imagined that she would be “living in the country, being a half-time farmer (gardener)—no animal husbandry—while maintaining a psychotherapy (clinical psychology) practice four days a week.”

As of winter 2021, we became snowbirds after inheriting a house in Boca Raton, FL.

Marilyn Krinsky Price ’74

Bob Dolinko provided a detailed roundup of ’74 news: “This past fall, Paul Goodale held a 70th birthday bash near his home outside Providence, RI. As they just happened to be visiting friends or relatives nearby, Jay Cusack from Florida and Bob Dolinko from the San Francisco Bay Area attended, as did Tony Calabrese from southern New Hampshire. Among other things, the four relived their winter break trip to Ft. Lauderdale 50 years ago crammed into a Fiat. Paul is still working as a federal administrative law judge; Bob is working part time, in theory, with former colleagues who formed a plaintiff-side employment law boutique (after a lifetime on the management side); and Jay and Tony are retired. Within the last year, Bob has also seen Gary Canter, who is doing college counseling nationwide in Maine, and Bill Teng, PhD ’84, who is recently retired and lives in Maryland, but was visiting his mom (who still makes a great prawn dish) in the Bay Area. And remarkably, Bob is still luckily married to Laurie Bronson with two adult children.”

Both Perry Jacobs and our current class president, Shelley Cosgrove DeFord, let us know that classmate, trustee, and former class president C. Evan Stewart, JD ’77, recently wrote a book that was published by Twelve Tables Press, Myron Taylor: The Man Nobody Knew. (Yes, the name on the Law School hall.) The publisher notes that Evan is “a senior partner in a New York City law firm. He is also a visiting professor at Cornell and an adjunct professor at Fordham Law School. In addition, he is a contributing columnist for the New York Law Journal, NY Business Law Journal, and the Federal Bar Council Quarterly; he has published approximately 300 articles on a variety of legal subjects and is frequently featured in the national media and regularly speaks across the country on securities, professional responsibility, and complex litigation issues.”

Shelley also mentioned that fellow Delta Gamma Mary “Mi” O’Connell lives in Dunedin, FL, where DG Barb Johnson was spending the winter and planning a charity event for Clearwater DGs called “Booze, Bagels & Beads.” (Details to follow!)

We thank all for their contributions and invite you to continue to send in your news. ❖ Jim Schoonmaker (email Jim) | Molly Miller Ettenger (email Molly) | Alumni Directory.

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1975

Last summer, while at Cornell’s Adult University and sitting on the Arts Quad, I saw a tree that I remembered; it was planted 50 years ago. Back then it was so scrawny, I thought it would never make it. I was wrong. It was now a canopied TREE, and I thought, could I endow (buy and have planted) a tree? I had never heard this mentioned in the 47 years since I graduated. If possible, the thought gave me great joy—being able to visit with my daughters, picnicking under it, and for years and decades to come my family could visit “Dad’s tree.”

And the answer was: yes! For $5,000 I now have a planted Swamp White Oak (selected for its hardiness and future canopy), with an inscribed metal tag attached. Susan Doney, associate director, Office of Donor Relations, Alumni Affairs and Development, made it happen. Tell her where you want it, she will confirm availability, and in not very long it will be done. Susan was an absolute joy to work with, and you can email her here. Think about it—the more I did, the more I fell in love with the idea. It’s another way to support Cornell.

It is with the greatest regret that I report the passing of a much-loved Sigma Nu brother from the Class of 1973, Steven “Stash” Schaeffer. His obituary can be found here. Our deepest condolences to his wife, Marcy, daughters Kelsey and Julie, and the rest of his family.

Craig Swain finally retired in July. His wife of 45 years, Debra, retired in 2020 after a long career in education as a teacher and elementary school principal. They are enjoying spending time at their camp in Maine, boating, traveling, and spending more time with family and friends. After graduation, Craig teamed up with fellow Hotelie Gerald Fay to lease the restaurant at a country club in Conyers, GA. Two years later, due to unfavorable lease renewal terms, Craig moved on to hospitality point of sale systems, which led to a long career in technology (the last eight years at IBM). Children Michael ’04, Sonja (UMass ’00), and their spouses are happy and successful and live nearby in Massachusetts. Along with their grandson, they get together often including the seven of them making trips to Ithaca. His now 7-year-old grandson, Bode, has already been to four or five Cornell hockey games, loves visiting the campus, and claims he’s going to Cornell.

Barbara Foote Shingleton says, “Cornell has been more than a college education for most of us—it was when lifetime friendships were forged!” She and her husband recently moved to Sanibel, FL, after living in Massachusetts since 1978. “Several classmates have made the move from ‘up north’ to sunny Florida, so we were looking forward to being able to visit more often—little did they know! Hurricane Ian hit southwest Florida with a Cat 4 hurricane in September 2022, and Sanibel was pretty much front and center.” Their home sustained considerable damage, but they are moving forward with renovating it and look forward to moving in sometime next year.

Cornell has been more than a college education for most of us—it was when lifetime friendships were forged!

Barbara Foote Shingleton ’75

The Shingletons evacuated from Sanibel to Orlando, where Joe and Mary Baumann Pesaresi live, and they were great moral and physical support during the tempest of the storm and weeks after. Then the Shingletons were able to call on classmate Jeanne Fattori Reinig Smith and her husband, Nick ’74, MBA ’75, to rent their condo in Naples for a couple of months. “Reinhard Werthner, also a resident of Naples, offered assistance and moral support. Like we originally hoped, we have been able to visit more often, just differently than any of us had envisioned! It has been so great to lean on friends during a challenging time and we are grateful for them and their friendship. And we are grateful to Cornell that we have such a fabulous group of friends to go through life with!”

Professor and dean emeritus (and class correspondent!) Karen DeMarco Boroff was recognized by the U.S. Military Academy (USMA) at West Point with the Distinguished Alumnus Faculty Award. She was presented the award by the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership, where cadets are prepared for careers as commissioned leaders of character and duty, as well as educated in leadership development and social, psychological, and management sciences. The department was founded in 1946 by President Dwight Eisenhower. Karen taught courses in human resource management and leading change, authored award-winning research papers, and mentored faculty and cadets during her two sabbaticals at the Academy. She has another close relationship with the Academy, as her two children, Austen and Alexander, attended and currently serve as officers in the U.S. Army.

At the September 23, 2022 gala to recognize Karen, Colonel Everett Spain (U.S. Army), a USMA professor and head of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership, commended Karen’s dedication, academic excellence, and service. He explained that all previous faculty awardees had deep military experience, including generals and colonels, while she is the first civilian to earn this commendation. Karen’s acceptance remarks were a simple phrase: “Don’t network; instead, nurture.” They resonated with everyone.

“Karen has been an exceptional instructor at the Academy during her sabbaticals here,” Col. Spain remarked. “She has published important articles, including ‘A Better Way to Develop Officers,’ that appeared in the Armed Forces Journal in 2011. She has co-written an award-winning case that was published in the Case Research Journal. The chapter in the Academy-wide textbook that all cadets read on Conflict Management, co-authored by Karen, continues to engage the students and enliven discussions.” Noting that she has mentored many military faculty at West Point, he added, “We are proud to honor her, the first civilian faculty member ever to earn this award.”

Carl Accettura reports the passing of Father Kevin Murphy just before Christmas, who married him and Mary Sanderson ’76 in 1979 (and they are still together). In 1972, Father Murphy left Ontario County and moved to Ithaca, where he worked in campus ministry at Cornell from 1972–77. From 1977–79, he served first as co-pastor and then as administrator of St. Patrick Parish in Elmira. Carl is in King of Prussia, PA, and is the founder, managing director, and principal consultant of Global Pharma Consulting LLC. ❖ Mitch Frank (email Mitch) | Deb Gellman (email Deb) | Karen DeMarco Boroff (email Karen) | Joan Pease (email Joan) | Alumni Directory.

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1976

Lots of interesting news from classmates—thank you all! Family seems to be bringing joy to lots of us. Gary Swergold writes from New Rochelle that he’s been playing with his granddaughter and doing woodworking and photography. Something he never thought he’d be doing? “Thinking about getting an EU passport.” Gary’s oldest son and daughter are working together in drug development; his middle daughter will be graduating with an MBA from Columbia in May; and his youngest daughter is earning an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. Gary gets his greatest satisfaction from being with family. Jeffrey Studley, in Gaithersburg, MD, writes, “I’m planning retirement as I approach 70. My daughter is an assistant district attorney in Manhattan and my son is a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. They are making me happy.” He is most satisfied “seeing kids happy and traveling to see friends around the world.”

Stephanie Mendel Hayano writes that she and husband Carl “retired and moved to The Villages, FL. We enjoy the many activities here as well as exploring the country in our RV. This summer, we completed a 12,000-plus-mile trip visiting our beautiful national parks. I had an opportunity to see Win Shiras in Santa Barbara. I volunteer at our local Lake Griffin State Park, where I teach kayaking and lead kayak eco-tours. I am also on the board of directors, as treasurer, and am able to put my design and marketing experience to good use.” You can plan a visit here. Jim Sollecito has also been frequenting the great outdoors. “After 17 years of trying, I finally drew a bow elk tag for Arizona. I was fortunate to harvest a 6×6 bull (that’s six points on each antler!) at 7,800 feet elevation; it took seven trips to backpack the meat out. I can’t wait until I’m 95 in 17 years when I draw another tag.” We look forward to hearing about that!

I volunteer at our local Lake Griffin State Park, where I teach kayaking and lead kayak eco-tours.

Stephanie Mendel Hayano ’76

Patti Jacobson reports that she was “retiring at the end of 2022 after practicing chiropractic for 35 years, 33 of them in Ithaca.” Meanwhile, Michele Brand Medwin and husband Steve are proud to announce their new endeavor in retirement. “We have started a craft business dedicated to Judaica and nature-inspired art using machine embroidery. Our products would make great gifts for Chanukah, Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, or new homes (mezuzahs); we also make bar/bat mitzvah custom tallitots, new baby name plaques, and art for your home. Check us out!”

Another classmate has a brand-new project: Jackie Davis says, “Last year I contributed a chapter and a poem to a book that was the collaborative work of 16 professionals and entrepreneurs from around the world.” The book is Enough: Unlock a Life of Abundance Starting Right Where You Are, and you can learn more here. And ’76er Steve Hendricks produced the winning red wine for Cornell’s Alumni Wine program in 2022! Steve’s winning wine is a pinot noir from his Ruby Vineyard and Winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Congratulations, Steve!

Thank you all for the news! If we didn’t hear from you this time, please do catch us up on where you are, where you’ve been, and what you’re doing. ❖ Pat Relf Hanavan (email Pat) | Lisa Diamant (email Lisa) | Alumni Directory.

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1977

As I write this in February, I’ve just returned from the 2023 Cornell Alumni Leadership Conference (CALC). CALC is described as “Cornell’s alumni flagship event, where Cornellians come together for a weekend full of discovery, inspiration, and Big Red spirit!” And it delivered. This year the conference was held in San Diego, CA, and marked the first in-person CALC since the start of COVID. Those attending were excited to be back together with classmates and friends and to hear from a number of distinguished alumni, faculty, and students.

Our class was well represented by several of our class officers, Chuck Ortenberg, Ann Vitullo, and Debbie Lechner. Chuck’s wife, Patty Stone ’78, and Ann’s husband, Jonathan Poe ’82, were also in attendance and joined us in some fun over the course of the conference.

We also had the pleasure of meeting classmate Harry Gittelson. Harry is a private client advisor with J.P. Morgan Wealth Management and is based in Los Angeles, CA. He is also active in the Cornell Club of Los Angeles and Cornell Mosaic as well as other activities both with Cornell and in his local community.

While the weather was considered sub-par by San Diegans, with temps in the 60s and a mix of sun and clouds, it was an opportunity for me to leave the gray Northeast weather, see some sun, and enjoy meeting other alums! I was happy to reconnect with Leah Bissonette ’73, MS ’76, who I met on a Cornell alumni travel tour to South Africa several years ago. Leah and her partner, Bob Hemphill, live in Encinitas, CA, and are world travelers. In addition to traveling with Cornell alumni, Leah has remained active over the years as a member of the Cornell Club of Los Angeles and the President’s Council of Cornell Women (PCCW).

CALC in San Diego was an opportunity for me to leave the gray Northeast weather, see some sun, and enjoy meeting other alums!

Mary Flynn ’77

The conference offered great networking and sightseeing opportunities. It also covered a variety of interesting topics including “Cornell Library in the Digital Age,” “Engineering and Medicine,” “Inclusive Leadership,” “How It All Works: A Behind-the-Scenes Look At Cornell,” and the keynote program presented by Ozan Varol ’03, described as a “rocket scientist turned professor, best-selling author, and expert on creativity and critical thinking.” CALC 2024 will be held in Baltimore, MD. I’m looking forward to seeing some of my East Coast classmates there!

In other news, the Cell Theatre in New York City wrote to inform us that one of our classmates, Norm Mattox, performed there in the February 2023 production of “MIXT: A Living Gallery.” MIXT is a community-created event set to the backdrop of Julian Wild’s original musical composition “The Illusion of Nature.” Norm is a retired educator whose poetry tells a story of love and resilience in these times of challenge, struggle, and transformation. Norm’s first chapbook, Get Home Safe!: Poems for Crossing the Community Grid, was published in 2016. Nomadic Press published his second chapbook, Black Calculus, in February 2021, as well as the audiobook by the same title in July 2021. Norm began by writing in his personal journals before “writing poems for publication and ‘spitting’ into open mics in the Bay Area, New York, and ‘Zoom rooms’ around the world.” Norm explained, “The poetry I write comes from an emotional place that speaks with a voice that resonates in those who have the same feelings but, perhaps, lack the forum, the confidence, or maybe even the words to express those feelings.”

We enjoy hearing from you and having the opportunity to share your stories with our fellow classmates. Please keep all of your news and views coming in via the online news form. ❖ Mary Flynn (email Mary) | Howie Eisen (email Howie) | Alumni Directory.

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1978

The big news is unquestionably our 45th (YIKES!) Reunion coming up June 8–11! Now that we’ve reached the “upper” class years, we get all the perks that come with it, like the nicest (air conditioned) on-campus accommodations, meals at the Statler, and more. Event venues include the Milstein Dome, the Johnson Museum of Art, and, of course, the tents on the Arts Quad. Our class headquarters for the weekend is William Keeton House on West Campus—a far cry from the U-Halls (i.e., barracks) of our day!

As I write this in February, Reunion planners Laura Day Ayers, MBA ’86, and Kathy Morris Duggan are busy putting all the pieces together. Check out our class Reunion page, send an e-postcard to classmates encouraging them to join in the festivities, or update your contact information so your classmates can keep in touch.

Someone who didn’t stray too far from the Hill after graduation is Jan de Roos, PhD ’94. After teaching at Cornell for 31+ years, he has retired and moved to Sarasota, FL. “While I miss teaching, the activity of the campus, and beauty of Ithaca, my life here in Florida has its own rewards,” Jan writes. He is active in the Cornell Club of Sarasota-Manatee and serves on the local Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network (CAAAN) committee conducting information sessions with prospective students. He also had the pleasure of meeting Cornell board chairman Kraig Kayser, MBA ’84, at an informal luncheon. Jan still has family in the Finger Lakes area and makes regular visits to Ithaca. He adds that he’s always happy to meet and host Cornellians visiting the Gulf Coast.

Court Williams is working with two Class of ’96 Hotel School graduates—Glenn Skolnick and Susan Furbay—at his executive search firm based in Connecticut. Court and his wife, Stacey, a retired counselor and now an artist, were planning travel to France this spring. Their son is a brand manager for the Botanist Gin owned by Rémy-Cointreau in NYC, and their daughter is a director at RightClick, an IT search firm also in Connecticut. Court’s favorite Cornell memories include the Big Red national championships in lacrosse in 1976 and 1977, ice hockey games, great friendships at the Hotel School, and living by Cayuga Lake senior year.

Court Williams ’78’s favorite Cornell memories include living by Cayuga Lake senior year.

While still helping veterans, grads, and professionals find work in cities, with utilities, and on infrastructure projects at PReP Intl, Matt Sadinsky is also off on a new business venture based on an app for career exploration, called “WITBUG.” Having recently relocated from Charlotte to Lake Norman, NC, Matt is part of the steering committee for the North Carolina Jewish Democratic Caucus. He also keeps busy writing about careers and staying up to date with his five adult children. You can check out the musical talent in the family, Jackson Sadinsky, on SoundCloud.

Carl Popolo volunteered at last year’s Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, the world’s largest three-day rowing competition attracting 400,000 spectators, 11,000 competitors, and 2,400 volunteers. For his efforts, Carl was awarded the Charles Attager Cup for being “most valuable volunteer.” Nathaniel Mishkin and wife Judith (Levie) moved to Long Island (a return for Nathaniel who grew up in Rockville Centre) after a 44-year sojourn in four of the six New England states. They are looking forward to new adventures on the island and are already enjoying the high density of bakeries and Jewish delis. Another plus: their three grandchildren (and their parents) are now only 20 minutes away. Nathaniel continues working as a software developer; he recently realized that he’s been programming for more than 50 years!

If only I could find a good bagel in New Haven, CT! That’s all the news I’ve got this time. Check out the Reunion website and write to either of us when you get a chance. ❖ Ilene Shub Lefland (email Ilene) | Cindy Fuller (email Cindy) | Alumni Directory.

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1979

“I recently retired, after practicing medicine for 35 years in New York and Arizona,” says Michael Finkelstein. “I’m really enjoying spending time with my kids and grandson, traveling, hiking, and meeting new people.”

Jeffrey Gold studied environmental science on the Hill—and he has been making good use of his education! One of the companies he started, Nexus Circular, has a mission to keep recyclable plastics out of landfills. From their website: “We have a viable solution today to convert used plastics into clean, high-quality materials for companies who then create renewable plastic products.” With an expanding customer base, the company secured funding to build more facilities that have the capacity to process more than 250 million pounds of used plastic annually.

Robert Platt’s son Aaron was one of the many talented high school students to participate in the 2022 Cornell Precollege Studies summer program. One of the longest running and most prestigious programs of its kind, it offers students the chance to earn credits and a Cornell transcript, study with top Ivy League faculty, and experience college academics firsthand. If you have a high-school-aged child who is interested in applying for the 2023 online Precollege Studies program, you can learn more here.

Thank you to those classmates who have recently provided updates. To those who have not shared news, 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. ❖ Cynthia Ahlgren Shea (email Cynthia) | Linda Moses (email Linda) | Danna Levy (email Danna).

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1980s

1980

I (Dik Saalfeld) have spent many years living in cities in temperate climates, having eschewed Upstate and Western New York long ago, and am wrapping up my first winter in our New England home. Out of necessity I learned to use a snowblower and a chainsaw. I conservatively estimate that I have moved 140 billion tons of snow and have cut skillions of board feet of lumber dropped into my yard by Mother Nature, without regard to property lines and where the trees were originally rooted. I have done so with steely resolve and the knowledge that I have chosen this path, and I will not shrink from my duties. My hands are calloused, and my work gloves are worn and stained with honest sweat and blood. Saalfeld men are made of stern stuff. But when a wizened Vermonter at the hardware store said, “Man, we lucked out with an easy winter,” I broke down and wept.

Margo Randall Bittner writes that her husband, Jim, recently received the highest honor bestowed by the New York Farm Bureau, namely its Distinguished Service Award. A delightful three-minute tribute to Jim, including brief toasts and testimonials, can be found here. In an article unrelated to the Farm Bureau award, the Cornell Daily Sun featured the Bittners in a sweet Valentine’s Day story about Cornell couples and their courtship on the Hill and beyond. In days of yore, Margo and Jim would attend concerts together, including Harry Chapin ’64’s shows, eat at the Cabbagetown Café, and wear matching Cornell gear. To this day they are prone to wearing matching gear, Cornell-themed or otherwise. They even married in Anabel Taylor Hall.

Margo has stirred up memories for me. Cabbagetown Café was a great spot for a nutritious, cheap lunch; soup and bread were staples of my childhood that carried over into my college years, and Cabbagetown always delivered. And Harry Chapin! What a mensch. Harry’s activism with regard to ending world hunger lives on in WhyHunger, which operates on the “fundamental belief that access to nutritious food is a human right and hunger is a solvable problem in a world of abundance.” Also, Harry would hang out in the lobby after shows and talk to anybody who wanted to chat.

Jim Bittner ’80 recently received the highest honor bestowed by the New York Farm Bureau.

“I’ve now been retired from Wall Street for almost 20 years, but my husband, Lenn, continues to work hard as a professor at Vanderbilt,” says Roberta Walter Goodman. “My life is busy with volunteer work for our synagogue and my three horses. I ride three to four days a week and have a young mare who I bred and is now in training. We recently took our first non-family post-COVID trip to Morocco, which was spectacular in every way: the beauty of the landscapes, the charm of the old cities, the amazing cuisine, and, most of all, the warmth of the people. In family news, our grandson Ezra married his college sweetheart in 2019 and they are now the proud parents of a toddler with another baby due in May (2023).”

From where I sit writing this, I can see the ice fishing people on the lake. They have huts and augers and sleds to haul their gear. Some ice camps are populated by whole families. I saw a car out there last week. And yet my loving, lovely, long-suffering bride won’t let me on the lake alone without colorful clothing, a walkie-talkie (always on), and a whistle. It’s a pretty little orange whistle, but still. At least I talked her out of making me wear the frilled pink water wings.

Send us news! If you don’t, my next column will focus solely on how to gut and filet frozen fish. ❖ Dik Saalfeld (email Dik) | Chas Horvath (email Chas) | David Durfee (email David) | Leona Barsky (email Leona) | Alumni Directory.

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1981

Life with me is busy busy busy—trying to get through the SATs with my daughter, Ella (junior in high school), and applying for a specialty performing arts high school for my son, Brayden. Stay tuned. Exciting times are ahead!

Lisa Early is director of Families, Parks, and Recreation and director of Children & Education for the City of Orlando, FL. A month after graduation, Lisa and her husband moved to Santo Domingo, lived there for 10 years, and then came back to the U.S. in 1990. Lisa says she’s been working for social justice her whole career—and it all began at Cornell! She’s been married for 40+ years to another Cornell grad.

Dan Fenton, EVP/director of global tourism and destination development services for JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group, tells us that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in hospitality has been a hot topic lately, with entities across the industry working to promote a workforce that represents the makeup of society. He says that for the last two years, 36 Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration alumni (mostly Class of ’81 grads) have come together to develop and fund a program designed to attract more disadvantaged and underrepresented Black and Latino students to study hospitality and tourism. The group calls itself Dedicated Recruitment for Hospitality Educational Equity and Mentorship (DREAM).

Dan says there were several reasons why the group started, including the death of George Floyd in 2020. “We also came together as a class and thought about some type of class gift. We really wanted it to be something specific, something intentional.” Upon first coming together, they realized that the Class of ’81 contained only six Black students. “Of course, the demographics have changed considerably since we were in school,” said Stuart Smith, SVP, AETHOS Consulting Group, and a member of DREAM. The group wanted to do something that was meaningful and something they could track the results of.

Lisa Early ’81 has been working for social justice her whole career—and it all began at Cornell!

Alison Sherman Arkin, residing in Beachwood, OH, tells us she is grateful for her marriage to Mike ’80, BS ’78, ME ’80, and for their two children, Monica and Scott. Alison thought she would be a nutritionist forever. Her Cornell degree and her MS from BU helped her to move into other professions and leadership. She never imagined that she would become a professional speaker. Cornell prepares us well.

Art Kruppenbacher lives in Fairport, NY. Following graduation, he was hired as an ag engineer in the marketing department of NYSEG, a New York-based electric and gas utility company. In the years that followed, opportunities opened to advance through the engineering field—in operations management, then as director at the regional level, then heading electric distribution engineering for the company. Over the years, NYSEG has grown through mergers and is now part of a global energy company.

For the last decade, Art was tasked with forming and managing an asset management group that grew to have responsibility across four electric operating companies in New York, Connecticut, and Maine. This role provided the opportunity to travel globally for collaboration and speaking engagements. Art retired in fall 2021 after 40 years with the company. He continues to do some utility-related consulting work. Along the way, he met his lovely wife, and they are proud to have two wonderful daughters. His wife is a music teacher and has passed the music genes along to their girls (he says these definitely didn’t come from him!).

Please do let us know how you are! It’s so great to connect. We hope to see you in person soon! ❖ Betsy Silverfine (email Betsy) | Alumni Directory.

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1982

No news in the pipeline from the traditional sources, so I have mined our Reunion memory book for content. Participation in the book is voluntary, and pages can be as simple or as detailed as you want. My connective thread for this column will be former Sperry (U-Hall 6) residents.

Beth Berman Zipper and spouse Jeffrey live in Boca Raton, FL, near to her four children (three Cornellians) and three grandchildren. She has used her Cornell nutrition major in many different areas of her life, branching into different health-related fields. Currently, she works various jobs assisting different family members—duties include office manager, insurance billing, and even camp counselor! She enjoys playing tennis, bridge, and pickleball. Her advice to young Cornellians: branch out and meet as many people as you can from different and diverse backgrounds, and enjoy living for yourself before you have family and work obligations.

Elise Yousoufian lives in Bethesda, MD, and is principal at Global Communication Matters LLC. Favorite Cornell places for her include Cabbagetown Café and the reading rooms at Willard Straight Hall and Anabel Taylor Hall. She says that some of her Cornell professors, in particular Barbara Benjamin Rosecrance ’54, JD ’86, and David Grossvogel, encouraged her to pursue her interests in language and other culture, which since graduation have rooted her life.

David Weiss is associate professor and director of liberal arts and integrative studies at the University of New Mexico, and he resides in Albuquerque. Although he’s an Artsie, he says the most life-changing aspect of his Cornell years was doing the College of Human Ecology’s semester-long internship course in New York City titled “The Ecology of Urban Organizations.” He says that it set him up for his first career as an advertising executive in NYC. The experience of the last 23 years in his second career serving state universities has broadened his perspective on all the different forms that outstanding higher education and excellent students can take. His advice for future Cornellians: “Cherish your time at Cornell and never lose sight of the fact that you are extremely privileged to have the experience of being a Cornellian. Let that privilege humble you, not exalt you. Your college experience is vastly different from that of the overwhelming majority of your fellow Americans. This makes you more fortunate than many—but not better than any.”

Scott Phillips ’82 completed 34 Boston Marathons (28 in a row) and 10 Ironman Triathlons, each in under 12 hours.

Immigration lawyer and freelance writer Laura Weinstock lives in Altadena, CA. At Cornell, she was active with the Committee on U.S.-Latin American Relations and loved the libraries and walking in the gorges. Jonathan Talamo and spouse Andrea Robinson live in Boston, MA, where he is a physician, consultant, and board director. He took part in ski club and studied ecology while at Cornell. Mindy Roseman spends time in New Haven, CT, Millerton, NY, and Cambridge, MA. She is director of the Gruber Program for Global Justice and Women’s Rights at Yale Law School. At Cornell, she was part of the fencing team and the Student Finance Commission. Denver, CO, is home to Rebecca Archer Ritter, who is a self-employed HR consultant, and her husband, Mitchell.

Michael Pinnisi, JD ’85, and partner Paige Anderson, JD ’92, live in Ithaca and New York City. He is COO at Hudson Executive Capital. He participated in the Cornell Debate Association and the Cornell Lunatic. His advice to undergrads is simple: “Enjoy the ride.” Chicago, IL, is home to Scott Phillips, wife Lynn Pavalon, and his three children Hailey ’15, Rayne, and Finley. Scott is a Phi Kappa Tau brother and loved the study room at Clark Library. He was influenced by Joel Silbey’s freshman history seminar about the history of suffrage and voting rights in America. Scott is a dermatologist and is proud of his practice caring for underserved inner city and immigrant populations in Chicago, as well as his “house call” practice, ElderDerm, for residents of senior buildings and assisted living facilities. Another proud accomplishment is having completed 34 Boston Marathons (28 in a row) and 10 Ironman Triathlons, each in under 12 hours.

Kristan Peters-Hamlin lives in Westport, CT, and Jamestown, RI (an island just outside Newport). She is a Delta Gamma sorority sister and at Cornell was part of the Sage Chapel Choir and the ambassadors, and she spent a semester overseas in Italy. She is thrilled that her three children are all alumni of Cornell Arts & Sciences. Jon Myers is vice president of the Mattson support business group at Mattson Technology. He lives with wife Beth Rabuczewski in Portola Valley, CA. Some favorite places and events at Cornell were intramural sports, studying on the top floor of Olin Library, Collegetown for drinks, and Barton Hall for concerts. Proud dad Jon reports that son Matt is a software engineering lead for an autonomous driving vehicle company owned by Amazon and daughter Ali works at NBCUniversal Studios music department, where she selects music for movies.

Alfred Cowger Jr.’s daughter Catherine was one of the many talented high school students to participate in the 2022 Cornell Precollege Studies summer program. One of the longest running and most prestigious programs of its kind, this program offers students the chance to earn credits and a Cornell transcript, study with top Ivy League faculty, and experience college academics firsthand. If you know a high school-aged child who is interested in applying for the 2023 online Precollege Studies program, you can learn more here.

Send us your news! ❖ Mark Fernau (email Mark) | Nina Kondo (email Nina) | Doug Skalka (email Doug) | Alumni Directory.

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1983

Greetings! The Class of ’83 Reunion is nearly here, June 8–11! Reunion co-chairs Tony Giobbi and Lisa Esposito Kok have been planning a wonderful weekend of events. We’ll be staying in the newer, “air-controlled” Court-Kay-Bauer dorms, making our on-campus stay a bit more comfortable.

Terrific meals include an outdoor BBQ at the beautiful Nevin Welcome 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. We’re having the very first “Redstock 2023” jam, as ’83 classmates and other alumni reunite with their bands in a concert. We’ve added an off-site (Ithaca Mall) pickleball soirée with darts, other games, and refreshments. We’ll also have a “moments of reflection” gathering to dedicate the Class of ’83 oak tree in memory of classmates no longer with us.

There’s still time to reach out to your friends and make plans to be together again on campus in June. Please return registration materials and check out our private Class of ’83 Facebook page, where we would love for you to share your favorite Cornell memories.

Penny Nemzer, DVM ’87, is keeping busy! “After selling our home in Westchester and renting in NYC and Greenwich, we have been mostly living in our Martha’s Vineyard home. Elissa Klein and Lisa Metz ’84 visited us last summer. We are currently renting in Sarasota, and plan to host Eric ’81 and Liz Meller Alderman and Linda Greene, MS ’85. Our friends Angelo ’80 and Beverly Ditaranti Tramontelli ’80 live nearby. Bev has revived the Sarasota-Manatee Cornell Club and is currently president. While here, I’m hoping to reconnect with old Cornell friend Alison Piper Goldberg ’82. Three of my four children visited for Dan Taitz, JD ’86’s birthday. My daughter, Sarah Taitz (NYU, JD ’19), is doing important work as an attorney for the ACLU. My granddaughter had her first birthday in January. I see her when I am in New York doing veterinary relief work. I was glad to see Lisa Krolick Tager a while ago and am considering attending Reunion.” I hope we see Penny there!

It was lovely to hear from Hans Bauer. “I retired from the practice of interventional cardiology (and associated administrative positions) in September 2020, and I’m enjoying the freedom to spend more time with my family and friends. My older son, Jackson ’22, graduated from Cornell’s College of Engineering in May 2022 (biomedical engineering), and is now in a PhD program at Penn in cellular and molecular biology, with a concentration in gene therapy and vaccines. My younger son, Christopher ’25, is currently a sophomore in the College of Engineering (mechanical). We had a wonderful family trip last summer to Italy, spending time in Venice, Florence, and Rome, with side trips to Modena, Chianti, Pisa, Siena, and Cinque Terre. I also spent some time last summer exploring the Finger Lakes with Buck Briggs ’76 and Doug Kirk ’82. I am looking forward to Reunion in June and a second reunion of early-’80s Phi Psis in Ithaca next July.”

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 presents the happenings of our fellow alum Maureen Burford. For the past 10 years, she has partnered with author Ellen Tadd and the Morgan Family Foundation to advance a new, holistic approach to education, based on results with youth and their teachers and parents. They founded a nonprofit, Creative Lives, in the process. “I am thrilled to share that our training program is now available nationally,” she shared.

“The impetus behind this work began at Cornell, where I met bright, talented students but also observed that many, including me, were developing unevenly. Some had honed a keen intellect but appeared to lack wisdom. Some struggled with physical health. Others suffered from anxiety, poor relationship skills, or low esteem. As I began my career in teaching and performing, I searched for answers. What was missing in my understanding of human development and learning? What do students need to learn and thrive as whole, healthy people?

“When I began studying meditation and philosophy with Ellen in my early 30s, I found detailed answers in her discoveries about the chakra system—the human energy system—and its practical function in actualizing human potential. Decades later, I now train adults and work with youth in what we have dubbed Ellen’s ‘Framework for Wise Education.’ It includes tools and strategies that strengthen the chakra system and can be integrated within any educational setting to support holistic development. The theory: a well-functioning chakra system optimizes learning and potential, for all individuals, across the life span. That’s a big statement, yet it bears out in my results with students from the early years through young adulthood.

“If you work in the field of education, I would love to connect with you. To my cohort in Malcolm Bilson’s piano studio and the Cornell Symphony Orchestra, classes of ’81–87—I think of you all so fondly!” We wish you and the foundation the best!

All, please remember that our president John Toohey started the “84 Faces” communication project! A class member shares their experience at Cornell, what class they liked best, what they are doing now, or a summary of what life has been like after Cornell. Please consider submitting your own narrative! You can find us here. Check it out! It’s really an outstanding effort. Thank you, John!

Of course, do not forget that your amazing class correspondent (that would be me, José Nieves) begins to behave like a grumpy old man (60 years young) when the news doesn’t come by the bundles. Don’t forget that you can submit your news via the online news form. And from me, adieu! ❖ José Nieves (email José). Alumni Directory.

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1985

Fellow 1985ers: There is a fact we all have to face. We are turning 60 this year. I know, I know. How is this happening? We’ve been living our lives, minding our own business, getting through day to day and then BAM! Someone reminds us that math is real and we will be 60 this year.

It’s been 42 years since we first showed up on campus with our trunks filled with Fair Isle sweaters and turtlenecks, big shoulder pads, MC Hammer pants, acid-washed jeans, boxes of vinyl albums, and maybe a Sony Walkman. We were babies with dreams of an Ivy League education and the freedom to be living on our own. We had to juggle early mornings climbing up a 45-degree angled MOUNTAIN from West Campus with making friends, getting homework done, Greek life parties, and gaining 15 lbs. from those ice cream cups with the butterscotch syrup and PMPs from the Hot Truck. No one said it would be easy. Nothing really prepared us for it, but we did it. We made friends. We made memories. We got our sheepskin and now we’ve got stickers on the back of our cars, we have CORNELL-emblazoned sweatshirts and coffee mugs (and wine glasses), and we are proud to tell people we went to Cornell University, far above Cayuga’s waters.

Flash forward 38 years post-graduation, to a lifetime of accomplishments, professionally and/or personally. We may have put our education to great use, we may have met our soulmate and now have children starting or finishing THEIR college experience, we stay in touch with other Cornellians, we go back to campus, and, again, we are proud to be Cornellians. Time has flown by and we, hopefully, have been enjoying the ride.

It’s been 42 years since we first showed up on campus with big shoulder pads, acid-washed jeans, boxes of vinyl albums, and maybe a Sony Walkman.

Joyce Zelkowitz Cornett ’85

For our 60th year round the sun, Sharon Tolpin Topper organized a Class of 1985 birthday party at City Winery in NYC on April 22, 2023 at 7 p.m. Hope those of you who made it will let us know how it went!

In other news, Tracey Nichol Austin has started refinishing furniture as a side gig and she loves it! Her furniture creations are beautiful! She’s hoping it will be her future retirement full-time thing. You can see her work on her Facebook page.

Debra Eisenstat DeRoche wrote in that she recently enjoyed a great mini-reunion with Maryellen Fisher Magee, Cindy Cowen Bowman, Jill Beckenstein Lerner, Margaret Vanasse, Elizabeth Mozesky Langston, and me, Joyce Zelkowitz Cornett, in Ft. Lauderdale. We make it a point to get together annually if not biannually. Bonding at 18 years old and keeping these friendships is what keeps us going! Hope all of you have these kinds of friends! We missed Leslie Nydick, Karen Magri Dadd, Sharon Tolpin Topper, Ginny Scarola, Tara Shuman Gonzalez, and many more.

Life is short. Time passes quickly and it seems that it goes faster and faster. Our health (that we rarely thought about from 1981–85) is important. Do what you can to take care of yourself. I hope everyone reading this is living their best life and is (as we used to say in the Hotel School) HHT—happy, healthy, and terrific.

Please take time, too, to write to me! You’d be surprised who would love to hear from you. It’s been a while, but old friendships are the best friendships. I want to be able to keep us connected, and only you all can help with that. Any news you would like to share, please send to me: ❖ Joyce Zelkowitz Cornett (email Joyce) | Alumni Directory.

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1986

My mailbag and inbox were fairly empty this month. We can only share news if we have input from you, so please send tidbits about your life—marriages, grandchildren, new jobs or retirement, travels, and more—to us, your class correspondents.

Lisa Peller London is circling back to her previous employer, Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, in Washington, DC, after a dozen years as special counsel with another intellectual property firm. Previously, Lisa, whose specialty is trademark law, had been with Finnegan for 12 years.

Samir Patel, ME ’87’s child Rani was one of the many talented high school students to participate in the 2022 Cornell Precollege Studies summer program. One of the longest running and most prestigious programs of its kind, it offers students the chance to earn credits and a Cornell transcript, study with top Ivy League faculty, and experience college academics firsthand. If you have a high school-aged child who is interested in applying for the 2023 online Precollege Studies program, you can learn more here.

Senator Irene Molnar Wrenner was elected to the Vermont State Senate in November 2022. She represents more than 20,000 constituents in a mostly rural district. Irene’s two children are grown and have graduated from college, leaving her time to enjoy life with her electrical engineer husband Kevin, ME ’88. She is also learning to play bridge.

At the beginning of the new year, I took a trip to Boston with my husband, Robert Mandelbaum ’81. The intent was to visit with friends Janet Simons ’82 and Randi Alterman ’82 and to cheer on the Big Red men’s hockey team, who were playing Boston University. The game was a nail-biter to the very end, with the Terriers breaking the tie in the last seconds of the game. Classmate and coach Mike Schafer should be very proud of his team. I hope Amy Underberg Applebaum, who was also in attendance at the game, enjoyed herself as much as I did.

I am looking forward to hearing from you in the days to come. My fellow correspondents and I are anticipating an influx of news to our mailboxes. ❖ Toby Goldsmith (email Toby) | Lori Spydell Wagner (email Lori) | Michael Wagner (email Michael) | Ellen Nordberg (email Ellen) | Alumni Directory.

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1987

Hello, Class of ’87 friends. Welcome to another Cornellians column, where you can learn about classmates with big news, small news, fond memories, chance encounters with classmates, and general musings. In other words, if you send it to us, we’re likely to write about it! You can be a published author—so gimme some news! Here’s what came across my desk this winter.

James Sturz was recently elected fellow of the Explorers Club in New York City. James is a freelance journalist and novelist who lives in Hawaii full time, but he made the trip to accept this important honor. His new book, Underjungle, will be released this summer. While in NYC, he also celebrated Marnie Dreifuss Gelfman’s birthday along with Gligor “G” Tashkovich, MBA ’91.

I also learned from Gligor that Daniel Alonso was named partner of the new law firm formed by the merger of Buckley LLP and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. Gligor and Daniel were invited to Nosara, Republic of Costa Rica, this winter to join about 90 other invited guests from around the Western Hemisphere for the Blue Zone Investment and Sustainability Summit organized by Alvaro Salas-Castro, MPA ’14. The purpose of the event was to discuss problems facing Central America and related solutions.

Lastly, Gligor shared the news that Anthony Capuano, CEO of Marriott, has now added president to his title. Anthony has also just been selected as the 2023 Hatfield Lecturer at Cornell, where he will join University president Martha Pollack for a conversation about the future of the hospitality industry.

Amy Benigno Fothergill ’87 is embracing her Hotelie roots with her gluten-free bakery, Artisanal Delights by Amy.

Amy Benigno Fothergill is living in Northern California (Half Moon Bay to be exact) and is still embracing her Hotelie roots with her gluten-free bakery, Artisanal Delights by Amy. Her husband of 20 years is in tech. They enjoy playing tennis, skiing, and traveling. Amy has a son who is a freshman at the University of Denver and a daughter who is a junior in high school. Two mini-Labradoodles round out her family. Amy has enjoyed being more engaged with Cornell over the past five years. She is currently on the class council and has provided a few cooking demos recently.

Leslie Kalick Wolfe shared that after 27 years of owning and operating Atlanta Orthotics, she has closed her business in anticipation of moving back to NYC. “It was a privilege and an extremely rewarding experience to grow Atlanta Orthotics and to help thousands of people live more active and healthy lives. I look forward to my next chapter.”

Padmavati Ghanta Bending wrote, “I retired at the end of January after 32+ years as an environmental attorney, 30 of them with the U.S. EPA in Chicago.”

Congratulations to Hope Mehlman Hurowitz, who joined Discover as chief legal officer and general counsel and a member of the company’s executive committee. According to the press release, Hope is an accomplished leader, business executive, and legal expert with more than 20 years of legal, compliance, regulatory, and risk management experience in the financial services industry and in private practice.

Chet Morrison’s child Alexandre was one of the many talented high school students to participate in the 2022 Cornell Precollege Studies summer program. One of the longest running and most prestigious programs of its kind, it offers students the chance to earn credits and a Cornell transcript, study with top Ivy League faculty, and experience college academics firsthand.

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

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1988

Nicholas Daniels writes, “My memoir was released in December 2022 and is available on Amazon. Outbreaks and Pandemics: The Life of a Disease Detective explores the important role disease detectives play in controlling outbreaks and pandemics.”

Dan del Sobral’s child William was one of the many talented high school students to participate in the 2022 Cornell Precollege Studies summer program. One of the longest running and most prestigious programs of its kind, it offers students the chance to earn credits and a Cornell transcript, study with top Ivy League faculty, and experience college academics firsthand. If you have a high-school-aged child who is interested in applying for the 2023 online Precollege Studies program, you can learn more here.

What is something you’re doing now that you never thought you’d be doing? What is your favorite Cornell memory? What brings you the most satisfaction these days? No matter if your news is big or small, please take a moment to send us your news and stay connected with our class. ❖ Lynn Berni (email Lynn) | Aliza Stein Angelchik (email Aliza) | Debbie Kaplan Gershenson (email Debbie) | Alumni Directory.

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1989

It’s a sunny, oddly warm day for Buffalo in February as I write this for you. Next year, in June 2024, will be our 35th Reunion with an opportunity for being together and enjoying the Hill again. An in-person Reunion sounds exciting and lavish after all the changes since our last gathering. Let’s jump into the news!

Our classmate Amy McGarry and her husband, Sandy Jackson, own several properties in Jamaica, where Sandy was born. Amy writes that she loves all their properties, including their ranch in Arkansas, as each has something special to enjoy. In Arkansas, they raise beef cattle and have ranch horses. At home in Upstate New York, not too far from where we both grew up, Amy is a primary care pediatrician. “I love my job—kids crack me up!” She describes her favorite campus dining experience: “My best friend, Chris Flynn, would wait for me to finish track practice to have sandwiches at Willard Straight.” Amy and l lived in Donlon freshman year. I admired her cheerful way of moving through life, her running ability, and her super-cool haircut, which I will call a “soft mohawk.” Some autumn day in Donlon, Amy met my then-boyfriend, Michael McGarry. They didn’t know one another and seemed excited to learn of their same surname. “Hey, McGarry!” Michael regularly called out whenever he saw or heard her on the Donlon floor. I do hope to hear that again at Reunion, Amy!

Our classmate Gary Kaye owns an international landscape architecture firm with offices in Manila and Phoenix, specializing in golf, sports fields, and other big projects in California, Mexico, and Southeast Asia. After setting up his Manila office, he was welcomed by the Cornell Club of the Philippines, a group of dedicated alumni. “Alumni coming to Southeast Asia to live or work will be amazed how many Cornellians are around the region.” Reflecting on his time on campus, Gary recalls the Green Dragon coffee shop under the architecture school as “always having a cool crowd.” Best study area? “Definitely Uris Library upper stacks.”

Alumni coming to Southeast Asia will be amazed how many Cornellians are around the region.

Gary Kaye ’89

Roger Pilc keeps busy enjoying life with his wife, Mary Beth, and sons James and Matthew ’24, who attends Cornell currently and studies information science. Roger finds joy in serving on several boards of charities and ministries, such as Fellowship of Fathers Foundation, Nireekshana ACET, and Young Life. He is the president of Epiq Global, a legal solutions business.

Deanna Troust started a nonprofit, Truth in Common, offering “a human-centered approach to the misinformation epidemic.” Deanna keeps busy with this and other communications strategy work and consulting. Her preferred hobby is cycling; she is also caring for her father who has Parkinson’s. She and husband Vic Fernandez ’87, MBA ’89, “enjoy watching our kids take flight!”

Lynn Weidberg Morgan writes that CALS extended early-decision admission to her daughter Kate ’27, who will study biology and join brother Daniel ’23 as fourth-generation Cornell legacies. Daniel and Kate will be on the Hill together next fall too, as he pursues an engineering master’s. Proud mom Lynn describes herself as a #hotelieforlife.

Cornell’s Precollege Studies summer program offers a wide spectrum of classes to high school-aged students. Interested teens are admitted to the program after an online application process. Several of our classmates had students participate this year, including Dana Post Adler’s child Eliana, Linda Chase-Jenkins’s child Victoria, and Deborah Lifshey’s child Anjali. One of the longest running and most prestigious programs of its kind, it offers students the opportunity to earn college credit and a Cornell transcript, study with top Ivy League faculty, and experience college academics firsthand. Two years ago, my daughter Kerith took a four-credit American Sign Language course through this program. It was all online that year, and remains so.

Thank you to everyone who shared some news. ❖ Lauren Kidder McGarry (email Lauren) | Stephanie Bloom Avidon (email Stephanie) | Kris Borovicka Gerig (email Kris) | Anne Czaplinski Treadwell (email Anne) | Alumni Directory.

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1990s

1990

As you may already know, our beloved alma mater is in the middle of a campaign. Its theme, “to do the greatest good,” comprises words taken out of Ezra Cornell’s diary, and the logo is script written in his hand. We have a number of classmates who are following in Ezra’s footsteps in pursuit of doing the greatest good.

In April, Zach Shulman ’87, JD ’90, director of Entrepreneurship at Cornell, presented Barry Beck with the 2023 Entrepreneur of the Year award at the Entrepreneurship at Cornell Celebration. Barry established the Marla and Barry ’90 Beck Entrepreneurship Fellows Program, which has helped Cornell students pursue ideas without having to support themselves in a traditional paid job setting. Barry also received Cornell’s 2020 Alpern Distinguished Alumni Award and is a former member of the Cornell Council. He currently serves on the ILR Advisory Council and calls Bethesda, MD, home. Barry is scheduled to speak November 3 at the Eclectic Convergence Conference at Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island.

I learned that Barry also lived in U-Hall 4 freshman year and was our residence hall president from a Facebook comment by Andy Alpart, my old pal from the Scholarly Living Unit (better known as the Social Living Unit) on the third floor. Another SLU resident was Andy F. Bednar, whose son David pitched in the ninth inning of the opening World Baseball Classic game for Team U.S.A. against the UK—and struck out three batters!

A Big Red THANK YOU to those of you who were among the 18,296 donors for Giving Day 2023, which raised $13,043,165 on March 16. I was so touched to learn of Rick Lowe’s CALS undergraduate scholarship started in 2022 in honor of his parents, Donna and Dennis Lowe, that I chose this fund for my ninth Giving Day contribution. Says Rick: “I am so grateful to my parents for their amazing support of my education, and I found a meaningful way to properly thank them.” We are grateful for your generosity, Rick!

Dave Coyne ’90, Dan Fried ’90, and Eric Goldberg ’90 caught up over beers during Dave’s annual maple syrup boil.

Doing the greatest good for women’s health, Elise Wiener Joy and her daughters created a project called Girls Helping Girls. Period. Period poverty (lack of access to menstrual products and education) is an issue in every state in the U.S. In 2015, while working as an MSNBC TV news producer, Elise and her then-teen daughters, Emma and Quinn, learned that people in their community were missing school and work because they could not afford pads and tampons. Emma just graduated from American University with a degree in environmental science and is an environmental educator in D.C., and Quinn is a sophomore in medical diagnostics studies at the University of Delaware. Cheering on Elise and the girls are Elise’s hubby Rick ’91 and dad Gary Wiener ’65. To date, their nonprofit organization has supported thousands of people with millions of sanitary products and helped fuel a movement. Elise’s true passion is to create systemic change. She teaches workshops for students on how to manage their periods without embarrassment and within budget. She also consults with business and legislative leaders to create policies and laws that mandate free products in bathrooms, especially in schools.

Stephen ’91 and Melanie Rebak Schwartz are the proud parents of Reid ’27, who is starting his freshman year at Cornell. Like his mother, Reid will be in the College of Human Ecology (Stephen is an alumnus of CALS). Another proud CU parent is Kristen Conrad: “My son Liam McLaughlin ’22 graduated from Cornell with a BA in biology and is currently living in St. Louis. I continue to do music, now with an ’80s MTV tribute band called Basic Cable. Anyone in the Philly area should check us out. Most exciting for me personally is my collaboration with three Cornell colleges: HumEc in smoking cessation research; ILR for research about the solar industry workforce; and Arts & Sciences, doing political and social science research, called the 2022 Collaborative Midterm Survey (CMS). The CMS research was presented at Cornell Tech in NYC at a hackathon in January, and the whole Cornell team, including collaborative partners like me, presented the findings again in May at the American Association for Public Opinion Research Annual Conference in Philadelphia. I had always hoped someday my career would intersect with Cornell, and I am so excited and proud that it has come to fruition! Anyhow, I am hoping to see old friends at the 35th Reunion in 2025.”

Our Reunion co-chair Dave Coyne will be super glad to hear that. Dave and I are among the 55 classmates who had perfect five-for-five Reunion attendance as of June 2015, and we were both heartbroken that the 30th was held virtually as we had so looked forward to seeing everyone on the Hill in 2020. Dave quite enthusiastically takes every opportunity he can to meet up with his fraternity brothers Eric Goldberg and Dan Fried. Over the winter, they not only watched the Big Red hockey team beat Yale in New Haven, but they also caught up over beers during Dave’s annual maple syrup boil in Connecticut. “Dan just held a CAAAN meeting from my basement—we multitask here.” Thank you for doing the greatest good for admissions, Dan!

Please let us know how you are doing the greatest good, wherever in the world you are. We look forward to hearing from you! ❖ Rose Tanasugarn (email Rose) | Nancy Solomon Weiss (email Nancy) | Allan Rousselle (email Allan) | Alumni Directory.

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1991

Leave it to Cornell to name its annual alumni leadership conference “CALC,” a reminder of that tough course back on the Hill. Ugh! Still, I made my way to this year’s conference in San Diego to meet some of the active alumni behind the screens. As an almost empty nester, it gave my wife and youngest daughter something fun to do over school break as well.

Like me, these classmates weren’t fazed by the name “CALC,” and had a lot to share when we met! Cristina Moeder Shaul, a first-time attendee, is a step ahead of me. “Now that I’m an empty nester and have more time, I figured this would be a great opportunity to attend.” Cristina is all-in on the Big Red. “Cornell holds a huge place in my heart. I’ve helped our class Reunion leaders with affinity group communications to encourage class members to attend and have gone back to every five-year Reunion since graduation. My husband, Matt, is also Class of ’91, our son James ’22 is a Cornellian, and I have lots of relatives who either worked for or graduated from Cornell.”

Since graduation, Cristina has been active in the Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network (CAAAN), meeting with prospective students, and in 2021, she helped start Delta Links, a networking and mentoring initiative for Cornell’s Tri Delta Chapter offering professional and personal development programs to active sisters and all alums. “It’s been a great way to stay connected and meet new sisters across the generations.” Debbie Lathrop Lechner ’77, a fellow Tri Delta at CALC, agreed! Cristina continued, “Our Class of ’91 Tri Deltas rock—we are a tight group to this day!”

An Arts & Sciences government major at Cornell, professionally Cristina has “been in the marketing, communications, and publishing realms in the nonprofit, for-profit, and government sectors,” and is now self-employed with a handful of clients for whom she does strategic planning, marketing, communications, grant writing, and event planning.

Cristina and Matt lived in Sanibel, FL, up until Hurricane Ian struck. Not surprisingly, Cristina has a sunny outlook: “It will bounce back!” One day she will again lead meditations and mindfulness walks in nature on behalf of the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge. “I really enjoy connecting with nature and appreciate how resilient it is and how it engages my sense of curiosity, wonder, joy, and beauty.”

My son and I had some of the same professors for the same courses … 31 years apart!

Cristos Goodrow ’91

“I loved being on the Hill and I love going back,” Cristos Goodrow said at CALC. His pride for Cornell is easy to see. On day two, he sported a wide-brimmed straw hat with a red band and “Cornell” scripted in a shiny white font. “I wore this hat to my son’s Cornell graduation and will likely wear it to my daughter’s graduation.” He shook his head and added, “though my family doesn’t share my affection for it.” Cristos showed me a text from his wife, back home in Northern California, after she discovered that the hat surfaced in San Diego: “Noooooooooooo!!!” We laughed at her predictable reply.

Cristos is active in CAAAN, and he double-majored in math and computer sciences as an undergrad—the same majors as his son, Corgon ’22. “We had some of the same professors for the same courses … 31 years apart!” Cristos’s studies and experience have led to an interesting career. “I lead software engineering for the YouTube app, including search and recommendations. I’ve been at YouTube for 12 years and at its parent company, Google, for more than 15 years.”

“Cornell played a formative role in my life,” Cristos shared at CALC. “I had a difficult time after my football career ended due to injury.” He refocused and co-created Alternative Spring Break, for students to spend a week repairing homes for those in need in Appalachia, WV. Cristos admitted that simply sending money may have gone further to make progress on projects, “but it was more about working together with the community, which made a lasting impression.”

Charles Wu, also from Northern California, is no stranger to CALC—though with his broad smile every time I glanced over at him, he had the energy of a first-timer excited to soak it all in. “CALC is a great way to connect with a wide range of Cornellians.” Charles serves as a member-at-large and is the class historian for this term. “Also, since I am involved in the Cornell Council, the Cornell Asian Alumni Association, and Reunion prep, I am able to connect face-to-face with colleagues I only see online. The CALC planners work hard to have a great keynote with actionable learnings. It’s a lot of fun, and you eat well!”

Charles studied computer science and biology at Cornell. Like many of us, he is faced with caring for aging parents. “The past few years, I had to downshift to help my parents out as my father was ill.” In lieu of full-time employment, Charles wrote a game for the iPhone to bring families together and reinvent screen time. “The game is a clever twist on Pictionary, which uses your iPhone and TV together. It is called Draw Me If You Can and is free to try in the App Store.”

Reflecting on his undergrad days, he recalls being tested. “We were pushed in many ways so that, after Cornell, things seemed doable in a way that others who didn’t go to Cornell didn’t see. I remember late-night sessions working on problem sets with classmates and being completely lost.” Charles’s classmates felt the same way. “But being lost together, we somehow found a path. If it were easy, I don’t think the bonds would have been as strong with our classmates or to Cornell.”

Charles sadly reports that Howard Wolkow passed away recently. “It’s a reminder to try to catch up with classmates when the opportunity permits.”

Well, you get the picture by now. CALC wasn’t all that bad—much better than that difficult course on the Hill. We were treated to lectures by the legendary business leader Ken Blanchard ’61, PhD ’67; the University Librarian; and a rocket scientist alum turned best-selling author and motivational speaker. Still, my ’91 classmates and I agreed that the best part was taking a step back to reflect and get to know each other and other spirited Cornell graduates.

We hope to see you at the next CALC in Baltimore in February 2024! Got news to share? Use the online news form. Or contact one of us directly: ❖ Joe Marraccino (email Joe) | Evelyn Achuck Yue (email Evelyn) | Susie Curtis Schneider (email Susie) | Ruby Wang Pizzini (email Ruby) | Wendy Milks Coburn (email Wendy) | Alumni Directory.

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1992

This column is filled with our talented classmates publishing books, poems, and research!

Alli Frank has co-authored a book with Asha Youmans titled Never Meant to Meet You, which came out on October 1, 2022. The novel promises to be a “riotously funny, emotionally real look at race and religion, love and heartache, and the realities of parenting through it all.” It has received exceptional praise from Kirkus, Booklist, and Library Journal. This is the second collaboration for these authors, who also wrote Tiny Imperfections (2020). As Alli is white and Asha is Black, they provide a diverse perspective as they explore such issues as race, religion, family, love, and belonging.

Dylan Willoughby, MFA ’95, has poetry forthcoming in Agenda (England), Conduit, South Dakota Review, Seventh Quarry (Wales), and Exacting Clam.

Tish Oney published her second book, Jazz Singing: A Guide to Pedagogy and Performance (Rowman & Littlefield, 2022), on the heels of her bestseller, Peggy Lee: A Century of Song (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020). Tish presented research at the 2022 International Congress of Voice Teachers in Vienna, completed a concert/artist residency tour in California, and was appointed to the inaugural editorial board for the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS)/Rowman & Littlefield publishing partnership.

Ted Ladd ’92 and his wife celebrated their return from San Francisco to Jackson Hole, WY, by rescuing an abandoned cattle dog nicknamed Monster.

Tish performed five concerts this year as a soprano soloist with the South Carolina Bach Choir and the North Carolina Baroque Orchestra, and her jazz concert, “Divas and Masters of Jazz,” was broadcast on South Carolina Public Radio. Last October, she presented a webinar called “Teaching Jazz Singing: Strategies for Success” for Alfred Music, and she presented a workshop for the Mid-Atlantic NATS National Conference in March. She serves as mentoring chair for the Jazz Education Network’s peer-reviewed journal, Jazz Education in Research and Practice. Tish directs music at Buncombe Street United Methodist Church–Trinity Campus.

Ted Ladd writes that after several years as the dean of the San Francisco campus and of global research at the Hult International Business School, he’s returned to professing, teaching platform strategy and economics to MBAs and execs at Hult, Harvard, and Stanford. He strongly recommends that nobody accept an invitation into academic administration during a pandemic. His latest book, Innovating with Impact, was published by the Economist in March 2023. Ted and his wife, Laura, celebrated their return from San Francisco to Jackson Hole, WY, by rescuing an abandoned cattle dog nicknamed Monster, who welcomes visitors for skiing and hiking out their back door.

We heard recently that both Jeff Garber’s daughter Lauren and Albert and Jennifer Lee Sohn’s son William were among the many talented high school students to participate in the 2022 Cornell Precollege Studies summer program. One of the longest running and most prestigious programs of its kind, it offers students the chance to earn credits and a Cornell transcript, study with top Ivy League faculty, and experience college academics firsthand. If you have a high-school-aged child who is interested in applying for the 2023 online Precollege Studies program, you can learn more here.

Don’t forget to send us your news! ❖ Sarah Ballow Clauss (email Sarah) | Wilma Ann Thomas Anderson (email Wilma Ann) | Jean Kintisch (email Jean) | Alumni Directory.

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1993

The countdown to our 30th Reunion is on, classmates! Hope you are planning to celebrate with us in Ithaca this June 8–11. Our Reunion committee, led by Jessica Graus Woo and Amy Miller Moore, has organized special events for us like a mimosa brunch on Saturday, an Amazing Race family-friendly scavenger hunt that is back by popular demand, and a cool Cornell history chat with Corey Earle ’07, Cornell’s beloved unofficial historian. Obviously, I don’t know all of you, but something tells me you have earned a trip to our beautiful alma mater for a fun, meaningful weekend of connection and re-connection. Find more info here.

If your kids would like to engage with Cornell on a more academic level this summer, please consider Cornell’s Precollege Studies summer program. Many of our classmates’ kids have taken courses: Sima Asad Ali’s child Nadeera, Steven Feinberg’s child Joshua, Matthew ’94 and Kristin Iglesias Scott’s child Hunter, and Robb Tretter’s child Stella were among the many talented high school students that participated in the 2022 program. Cornell’s is one of the longest running and most prestigious precollege programs of its kind, and it offers students the chance to earn credits and a Cornell transcript, study with top Ivy League faculty, and experience college academics firsthand. If you have a high school-aged student who is interested in applying for the 2023 online Precollege Studies program, you can learn more here.

Thank you to our classmates who wrote in with news. Tatiana Rosak Birkelund, MBA ’98, who recently joined Neiman Marcus as general business manager for beauty and jewelry, shared: “I am having the time of my life! The new approach to remote work allows me to live in New Jersey and be a part of this amazing Texas-based company.” Congratulations to Benjamin Gideon (formerly Benjamin Rogoff), for being recognized in several ways by the “Super Lawyer” rating service, including as a 2023 Lawyer of the Year for his work in civil rights law, medical malpractice, personal injury litigation, and products liability suits. Benjamin is also part of the Inner Circle of Advocates, an invitation-only organization for plaintiff attorneys. Benjamin co-founded Gideon Asen LLC, a trial practice with several locations in Maine.

Classmates, please circle back with us after Reunion, or anytime, so we can write the Class Notes columns that everyone enjoys reading and contributing to. Who did you see and celebrate with at our Reunion or elsewhere? Is there anyone that you have lost touch with that you want to find? What do you miss most about our college years? Consider updating us, and join our class Facebook page: Cornell University–Class of 1993. Take care and please share. ❖ Melissa Hart Moss (email Melissa) | Theresa Flores (email Theresa) | Mia Blackler (email Mia) | Alumni Directory.

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1994

Now that I have a child in college (and not at Cornell!), I find myself getting more connected to their university’s activities, sports, and traditions! While I know many ’94 alums might have children who have attended (or are currently attending) Cornell, I can’t help wondering if this is a common phenomenon. I would love to hear from you with your thoughts on this season of life that many of us are experiencing. Regardless, I definitely need to get back up to Ithaca soon to rekindle my affinity for all things Big Red!

Luckily, our 30th Reunion is just a year away! In fact, our class president, Mike Rapolas, recently posted on our class Facebook page that the officer team is in the beginning stages of planning what will I’m sure be an amazing event! The team is open to any ideas, thoughts, and suggestions you may have to help make it a great weekend for all, so don’t hesitate to email me or go to our class Facebook group to weigh in.

Speaking of alumni with children on the Hill, several of us had kids who attended Cornell’s Precollege Studies summer program in 2022. Specifically, Edward Eigel’s child Morgan, Melody Gomez Wubbenhorst’s child Helena, Steven Rodriguez’s child Alexander, Matthew and Kristin Iglesias Scott ’93’s child Hunter, and Enrique Vila-Biaggi, ME ’95’s child Patricia were among the many talented high school students to participate last summer. One of the longest running and most prestigious programs of its kind, it offers students the chance to earn credits and a Cornell transcript, study with top Ivy League faculty, and experience college academics firsthand. If you have a high school-aged child who is interested in applying for the 2023 online program, you can learn more here.

I quit teaching after 22 years and opened my own craft and sip business in Cooper City, FL.

Charo Gonzalez ’94

Raechele Cochran Gathers writes in via our online news form that she is a “busy mom, physician, writer—and now entrepreneur. I am co-founder of the startup Bloomballa Beauty, a dermatologist-developed wellness and beauty brand that creates tea-infused beauty and wellness supplements for the skin, hair, and body.” Also, Raechele’s co-founder is an alum of Weill Cornell Medicine! When asked what her favorite memory was of her time on the Hill, Raechele writes, “I have so many amazing memories of my years at Cornell: climbing Libe Slope on winter days, hiking the gorges, Slope Day, the Hot Truck, trekking to the Vet College for an animal physiology class while listening to my Sony Discman (yikes!), late nights in someone’s dorm room talking about whatever, rushing to get a good study spot in the A.D. White Reading Room (like a good pre-med!) … the list could go on and on. So many sweet, warm memories.”

Updating us via snail mail is Milton Shih, who answered the question, “What’s something you’re doing now that you never imagined?” He responded, “I work at AMD developing graphics cards that are used for video games. I’ve wanted to work on video games since I was a little kid!”

On our Facebook group, I sent out a request for news and got two hits! One was from Antony Papageorgiou, MPS ’94, who writes, “After a very gratifying career in the premium and luxury cruise and wellness industry, I started a brand-new chapter in real estate. If you are looking for a residential, commercial, or investment property, I am a 20-year resident and passionate ambassador of Miami.”

Another note came in from my sorority sister, Charo Gonzalez! Charo reports, “Lots of changes in my life. My oldest daughter is a freshman at the University of New Haven. My youngest is doing her high school junior year in Germany through a Congress scholarship. My husband is still doing the same thing—work. Since the girls are gone, I quit teaching after 22 years and opened my own craft and sip business in Cooper City, FL. I have been coaching archery too. Recently I qualified in recurve barebow for the National Senior Games in Pittsburgh this summer. Wish me luck!”

Keep sending in those updates! You can send news to any of us via email, Facebook, or the online news form. Best wishes for a great summer! ❖ Jennifer Rabin Marchant (email Jennifer) | Dika Lam (email Dika) | Dineen Pashoukos Wasylik (email Dineen) | Alumni Directory.

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1995

I’m writing this on Valentine’s Day and love is in the air … love for our Big Red alma mater! Over the last weeks and months, news has been flooding in about children of our classmates being accepted to Cornell, along with others who are already there and thriving. So let’s dive in.

Among those accepted are Harris Stockton, son of Larissa Selepouchin Stockton; Halle Jakubowicz, daughter of David Jakubowicz; and Molly Heinzelman, daughter of Steve, MS ’96, and Wendi Rabiner Heinzelman, who wrote in, “We are thrilled that Molly will be joining her brother, Nate ’25, in Cornell Engineering next year! Molly will be the 10th Cornellian in our immediate families. We have loved being back on campus again!”

Becca Jeffries, daughter of Bill and Amy Parsons Jeffries (and a friend of the Heinzelmans!) was also accepted. Amy wrote, “Big Red roots continue to grow even deeper in our family! Our younger daughter, Becca, will join her older sister, Savannah ’24 (current junior), on the Hill next year. Spending time in Ithaca over the past few years and reflecting on the memories and life lessons I learned there has been almost as soul-filling as my Cornell undergrad days. We are thrilled to have an excuse to visit for four more years. It’s also a big year for our family as I turn 50, Bill and I celebrate our 25th anniversary, and Becca graduates from high school. Lots to celebrate!”

Alexander Jankowich, son of Colleen Kelly, was accepted early decision to Arts & Sciences. Colleen, who is associate professor of medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, shared that Alexander plans to major in computer science. “We live in Providence, RI, and I was hoping his twin sister would also pick Cornell (she was being recruited to run), but she picked Columbia instead. We are going to be very poor for the next four years!”

Spending time in Ithaca over the past few years and reflecting on the memories and life lessons I learned there has been almost as soul-filling as my Cornell undergrad days.

Amy Parsons Jeffries ’95

In addition, Cornell’s Precollege Studies program let us know recently that the children of some of our classmates attended last summer: Lee O’Haver’s child Grace, Gregory ’96 and Sherry Whitley Fairbank’s child Megan, Aimee Seungdamrong’s child Julian, and D. Michael Stroud’s child Quinn were among the many talented high school students to participate in the 2022 program. One of the longest running and most prestigious programs of its kind, it offers students the chance to earn credits and a Cornell transcript, study with top Ivy League faculty, and experience college academics firsthand.

As for news from classmates themselves, I am pleased to report that David Grubman was recently announced as the new leader of Jones Day’s M&A sub-practice. Dave is based in Jones Day’s Pittsburgh office and was recognized as one of Legal Intelligencer’s 2021 “Most Effective Dealmakers.”

Haideh Yazdani Sabet wrote in to share perspective on a global issue. Haideh is a practicing neurologist in Northern Virginia and assistant professor of neurology in Georgetown, with family in Iran whose lives, in Haideh’s words, “are in danger under increasing state-sanctioned persecution of the Baha’is there. There is a nationwide campaign now in the U.S. to bring increasing awareness of this persecution. I have had family who have escaped and now live in almost every continent except Antarctica, and family who continue to live under very difficult circumstances. They have been jailed, tortured, and killed, all on the basis of religion. Of particular importance for Cornell’s readers is that it is considered a crime in Iran to educate Baha’i students, who are barred from acceptance to any institution of higher education beyond high school.” If you are interested in learning more, drop me a note and I will connect you with Haideh.

Lastly, Rina Agarwala recently published her book, The Migration-Development Regime: How Class Shapes Indian Emigration, which introduces a novel analytical framework to help answer this question in India, the world’s largest emigrant exporter and the world’s largest remittance-receiving country. Drawing on an archival analysis of Indian government documents, a new database of migrants’ transnational organizations, and unique interviews with poor and elite emigrants, recruiters, and government officials, this book exposes the vital role the Indian state, as well as its poor and elite emigrants, have long played in forging and legitimizing class inequalities within the country through their management of international emigration. ❖ Alison Torrillo French (email Alison) | Class website | Class Facebook page | Class Instagram page | Alumni Directory.

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1996

Happy spring, Class of ’96! This is always one of the most exciting times on campus, when bits of green appear through the gray. One of my favorite spring spots is the Cornell Botanic Gardens—I’m definitely checking it out before or after the Dairy Bar on our trip to campus this month.

We love hearing updates for all of you: Jennifer Lagnado, MAT ’97, and Stephanie Cockerl attended the Cornell/Columbia football game and the Sy Katz ’31 Parade festivities in NYC last fall. Janine Abrams Rethy, June Im, and Maureen Richardson Nagle all live near each other in D.C. and are enjoying their monthly book club and hike together.

Jennifer Tishman Willey, founder and CEO of Wet Cement, reports on feeling fulfilled in her professional position, spending her time focused on cultivating inclusive cultures, empowering leadership, and solving the gender equity equation through speaking, training, coaching, and consulting. She was recently honored as the inaugural “Driver of Diversity,” chosen by Captivate as part of a series that aims to celebrate those who are doing the work on their teams and within their organizations to ensure all feel valued and respected. Jennifer was also selected to lead the International Women’s Day keynotes for companies in the U.S., Canada, and Japan.

Do any of you have high-school-aged children? Arturo, ME ’97, and Jamie Dreher Carrillo’s child Francesca, Edward ’94 and Andrea Stern Eigel’s child Morgan, Gregory Fairbank’s child Megan, Michael Froehler’s child Elise, Jeffrey ’92 and Lynn Cyr Garber’s child Lauren, Jay Im’s child Elena, Todd and Karen Dorman Kipnes ’98’s child Kyle, Anna DiDonno Maida’s child Isabel, and Veronica Vazquez’s child Malachi were among the many talented high school students to participate in the 2022 Cornell Precollege Studies summer program. One of the longest running and most prestigious programs of its kind, it offers students the chance to earn credits and a Cornell transcript, study with top Ivy League faculty, and experience college academics firsthand.

Our class council planned a virtual chocolate tasting event in April—if any of you attended, please write to us to let it know how it went!

There are many ways to stay in touch with our amazing classmates, keep updated on class events, and connect with old friends: stay up to date with paying your dues ($25 per year—note this is separate from other contributions to Cornell and helps us stay connected and host class events); join the Class of ’96 Facebook Group; or send us personal, professional, or Cornell-related updates. If you fill out an online news form, we will share your news in a future column! ❖ Janine Abrams Rethy (email Janine) | Marjorie Polycarpe Jean-Paul (email Marjorie) | Catherine Oh Bonita (email Catherine) | Alumni Directory.

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1997

Happy spring, classmates! Do any of you have children in high school who are interested in an academic challenge? Karl and Sarah Deardorff Carter’s child Madeline, Antony Dirga, MS ’98’s child Joshua, and Yvette Hau Zee’s child Desmond were among the many talented high school students to participate in Cornell’s Precollege Studies summer program in 2022. One of the longest running and most prestigious programs of its kind, it offers students the chance to earn credits and a Cornell transcript, study with top Ivy League faculty, and experience college academics firsthand. You can learn more here.

I hope you all took the time to fill out and return the Share Your News form that was recently mailed to you along with class dues information. If you haven’t yet, it’s not too late! Please do send us your news—via the hard-copy form or the online news form—so our future class columns can be full of news from all of you. ❖ Erica Broennle Nelson (email Erica) | Sarah Deardorff Carter (email Sarah) | Alumni Directory.

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1998

Can’t wait to “CU” back on campus for Reunion 2023 this June! Class of 1998 headquarters and lodging are at the beautiful new Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hall on North Campus, and we want to hear all about your time back at Cornell. Feel free to share your news with us via the online news form or send a quick email to me, Uthica Jinvit Utano (email Uthica).

Congratulations to Kisshia Simmons on being named to the Lawyers of Color’s “Hot List” in 2022. As an honoree, Kisshia, an immigration attorney in Chamberlain Hrdlicka’s Houston office, was nominated by her mentors and colleagues and finally selected for her noteworthy accomplishments. With her law degree from Georgetown University Law School, Kisshia has worked in the field of immigration law for almost 20 years.

Tina Strasheim Atwell, MILR ’00, and her husband, Andrew, PhD ’02, were recently featured in Cornellians’ “Hearts on the Hill” article spotlighting Cornell couples who found Big Red love. Included is a photo of the pair at their wedding reception at the A.D. White House. Tina joined International Justice Mission, an international NGO protecting the most vulnerable from violence in 28 countries, as their chief people officer in 2021. She and Andy spent December 2022 traveling in Botswana and South Africa and had an amazing time! When asked what brings her the most satisfaction these days, Tina answered, “Our nine—yes, nine—grandchildren. They bring the sparkle to our lives!”

Thank you for sharing your updates with your fellow classmates! CU at Reunion! ❖ Uthica Jinvit Utano (email Uthica). Alumni Directory.

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1999

David Linhart, ME ’04, an attorney at Goulston & Storrs, has been named a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellow for 2023. “Designed for high-potential, mid-career attorneys,” he writes, “this intensive year-long professional development program connects high-potential attorneys with leading general counsel, managing partners, and their peers for mentoring and career guidance.”

David is a land-use attorney who counsels developer and institutional clients on navigating complex, shifting regulatory environments to achieve project approvals. He is a member of the firm’s training and inclusion advisory committees. He is also involved with the firm’s recently launched initiative to create inroads for diverse real estate professionals through networking, fee arrangements, education, mentorship, and more. David previously worked in the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts as part of the Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness, where he initiated a statewide supportive housing inventory examining resident services funding.

Eric Kelner’s child Emma was one of the many talented high school students to participate in the 2022 Cornell Precollege Studies summer program. One of the longest running and most prestigious programs of its kind, it offers students the chance to earn credits and a Cornell transcript, study with top Ivy League faculty, and experience college academics firsthand. If you have a high-school-aged child who is interested in applying for the 2023 online Precollege Studies program, you can learn more here.

What is something you’re doing now that you never thought you’d be doing? What is your fondest memory from your time at Cornell? What brings you the most satisfaction these days? No matter if your news is big or small, please take a moment to write to us and stay connected with our class. ❖ Class of 1999 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2000s

2000

It’s been a long time since I’ve had the privilege of being on the Hill and taking in the marvelous views across the Cornell campus and Ithaca. Philip Ballard recently visited campus with HotelPlanner’s co-founder and CEO Tim Hentschel ’01, who gave a series of lectures to Hotel School undergrads. It was the first time he had ever had the chance to stay at the Statler Hotel, and it did not disappoint.

In his own words, “While we missed going to our old watering hole, Rulloff’s, we enjoyed a few pints at Ithaca Beer Company and the relocated Collegetown Bagels. The obvious change for both of us was that Collegetown was almost unrecognizable and downtown Ithaca seems to be booming with new restaurants, bars, and coffee shops.”

Philip is currently the chief communications officer and head of investor relations for HotelPlanner in West Palm Beach. He remains active by hiking and, as of summer 2022, has hiked 650 miles on the Appalachian Trail. Only another 1,550 miles to go! He also recently joined F45 Training, the fastest growing gym chain in America. He loves the high-intensity, interval-training workouts.

Sounds fascinating! I would love to hike the Appalachian Trail. Now that I’m back to full-time teaching, I don’t have as much time on my hands, but we shall see.

I’d sure like to know what you’ve been up to. Drop me a line through the online news form. ❖ Denise Williams (email Denise). Alumni Directory.

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2001

Can you believe we graduated 22 years ago? Based on our social media profiles, however, we seem far more youthful than what we had once imagined 40-something would look like. Maybe spending four formative years (or more!) climbing hills in that fresh Upstate air has kept us young in perpetuity!

Speaking of the benefits of campus life, we’re at that halfway point between Reunions—but no need to wait until June 4–7, 2026 to pay our alma mater a visit, right? I’m making plans to be at Homecoming, September 29–30, this year—lured in from Delhi, India, by the dual promise of a Big Red Marching Band “Drumcoming” reunion and my first opportunity to participate in the Cornell University Council. (Maybe I will also find some time on the way up or down to go through a few boxes of cringeworthy mix tapes and teen diaries in my parents’ house in Briarcliff Manor, NY.)

This will actually be my first Homecoming since just after we graduated, when Ali Solomon Mainhart and I got stranded a few miles past Roscoe—the last hurrah of the Ford Taurus that had put me on a first-name basis with the AAA guys in Ithaca throughout our senior year. (Thank god my parents had sprung for that premium-level membership, which got us towed 100 miles back downstate in time to get back to Columbia for our Journalism School/Teachers College classes the next day.)

Anyone else want to make the trip and meet up? Send me an email or chime in on our class Facebook group, and we can figure out a happy hour in Collegetown or a tailgate or something!

In the meantime, here’s some recent classmate updates from our email box. Writing in from Massachusetts, Jeremy Kipling has a daughter who is a high school senior. (Talk about an age-defying reality check!) Jeremy is working as a software engineer, and in his free time, he’s “enjoying natural beauty in open spaces with water and wildlife—and sitting in the sauna.”

A standing ovation to Theodore Kim ’01 on winning an Academy Award!

Lauren Cerand writes, “After 20 years in New York and a year-long sabbatical to attend jewelry school in Florence, Italy, I have relocated to Baltimore, where I continue to consult for authors, publishers, and cultural organizations internationally. In September, my writing was included in ‘Speech Itself,’ an installation at Rockefeller Center by renowned artist Jenny Holzer. This winter, I will lead the inaugural cohort of Get the Word Out, a new publicity incubator for debut authors launched by Poets & Writers. I am now active as an alumna for the first time ever, going to Cornell Club of Maryland events—packing donated clothes for local children was particularly fulfilling—and would love to hear from other Cornellians in the area!”

A standing ovation to Yale University associate professor of computer science Theodore Kim on winning an Academy Award! He won a Scientific and Technical (“SciTech”) Oscar for work he did between 2015 and 2019 as a senior research scientist at Pixar Animation Studios. This is his second Oscar; he received his first in 2012.

Got your summer plans nailed down yet? Last year, Marlene Kwee, BArch ’08, and her husband went up from Manhattan to spend two weeks at Cornell’s Adult University while their kids attended the Cornell University Big Red Sports (CUBS) Camp. “We stayed and ate in the brand new Toni Morrison Hall,” she writes. “It was a wonderful and wholesome experience for the whole family, and I highly recommend it to all Cornellians!”

To share news and get back in touch with classmates, please email either of us, 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). ❖ Nicole Neroulias Gupte (email Nicole) | James Gutow (email James) | Alumni Directory.

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2002

Jackie DeAngelis is the co-host of Fox Business Network’s new program “The Big Money Show,” which focuses on bringing context to Americans on all the financial topics that will impact their lives. Jackie originally joined the network in 2019 as a financial correspondent, providing analysis and commentary across Fox News Media’s platforms. She previously served as CNBC’s chief energy correspondent as well as anchor of the online commodities program Futures Now.

We want to hear from you next! What is something you’re doing now that you never thought you’d be doing? What is your fondest memory from your time at Cornell? What brings you the most satisfaction these days? No matter if your news is big or small, please take a moment to write to us and stay connected with our class. ❖ Class of 2002 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2003

At the beginning of the year, Meryl Conant Governski was elected partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP. She focuses on complex, high-risk commercial litigation and has served on multiple trial teams in federal and state courts, working on cases covering a wide array of subject matters including First Amendment, breach of contract, and election law. Prior to attending law school, Meryl spent nearly a decade in the communications field, including as a member of the public relations team at CNN and as an on-air broadcast journalist in Charleston, SC, and Staunton, VA. While attending law school in the evenings, she worked as the speechwriter for the president of a local community college.

I hope you all took the time to fill out and return the Share Your News form that was recently mailed to you along with class dues information. If you haven’t yet, it’s not too late! Please do send us your news—via the hard-copy form or the online news form—so our future class columns can be full of news from all of you. ❖ Candace Lee Chow (email Candace) | Jon Schoenberg (email Jon) | Alumni Directory.

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2004

Alex Koch is excited to share that he is now the southwest regional vice president for the Cornell Hotel Society (CHS). Congratulations to him, and also to Julie Greenman ’03, who is the new CHS Nevada president!

Raquel Recio is senior people partner at Marsh & McLennan, supporting its global financial planning and analysis group, as well as the legal and compliance group. “I am happily married (10 years and counting!), mom of two boys (ages 5 and 10), and proud supporter of Autism Awareness,” Raquel writes. “I recently visited Greece with some of my closest friends.”

We hope to see everyone at Reunion next summer! Continue to share your news and updates via email: ❖ Jessi Petrosino (email Jessi) | Alumni Directory.

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2005

Hello, Class of 2005! I hope all is well and your summer is off to a good start. We recently heard from Andy Naja-Riese (formerly Andy Riesenberg), who is about to celebrate five years as the chief executive officer of the Agricultural Institute of Marin. The institute is a Bay Area nonprofit that works to educate, inspire, and connect communities, responsible farmers, and producers as part of a healthy, Earth-friendly, and equitable local and regional food system.

Andy was recently honored to receive the 2022 Marin County Heart of Marin Excellence in Leadership Award for his work to put the institute on a path to a wider interpretation of their mission. The organization spearheaded the first-ever “Path to Racial Equity” with objectives that center on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Additionally, he received the 2023 Farmers Market Champion of the Year Award from the Community Alliance of Family Farmers for leading his team to bring mobile markets directly to elderly and economically challenged communities, as well as communities of color, each who struggle with healthy food access.

Further, he also oversaw COVID-era response with subsidized produce boxes, opening up new direct markets for growers while feeding those hit hardest by the pandemic. Andy writes, “I am humbled to be recognized by my peers for my leadership, but even more importantly, I am inspired by our programs that support small- to mid-size farmers and communities every day.” Andy welcomes other Cornell alumni at his year-round farmers markets or to stop by for a farm tour. ❖ Hilary Johnson King (email Hilary) | Jessica Rosenthal Chod (email Jessica) | Alumni Directory.

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2006

Hello, Class of 2006! I hope you and your families are enjoying the start of spring and a little more daylight these days. We’re pleased to share the latest news with you around the class.

Jeffrey Zick was promoted to cellar master and vineyard manager of sparkling vineyards at Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery in Hammondsport, NY, after joining the company two years ago. Congrats! Jeffrey has three children—Elliot, Wyatt, and Murphee—who have all adapted well to school and life in the Finger Lakes. They love the outdoors and enjoy exploring all that the area has to offer.

Sarah Vaughn is assistant professor of anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley. Duke University Press has announced the publication of her new book, Engineering Vulnerability: In Pursuit of Climate Adaptation. It examines climate adaptation against the backdrop of ongoing processes of settler colonialism and the global climate change initiatives that seek to intervene in the lives of the world’s most vulnerable.

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!

First, we have a new book by author L Sam Zhang. She has released a children’s book, The First Lantern Festival, which she both authored and illustrated. It tells a fictionalized story of a young girl and how the lantern festival tradition was born. Looks adorable! I will definitely add it to my own list for my littles.

Big congratulations to Farzon Nahvi on his new book, Code Gray: Death, Life, and Uncertainty in the ER, published by Simon & Schuster. Farzon is an ER physician at Concord Hospital in Concord, NH, and a clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. Prior to this, he worked as an ER physician and clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Mount Sinai Health System, NYU Langone Health, NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, and the Manhattan V.A. Code Gray tells of his time in the ER in NYC during the COVID outbreak and his dealings with the healthcare system, and poignantly illustrates his daily experiences of life and death.

Another medical professional in our class, Lauren Trakimas Frye is in her second year of practice as a vascular surgeon in Nashville. She and her husband, Brooks, live in Brentwood with their young son. She enjoys keeping involved in her son’s daycare and her Orangetheory workouts!

Physician Farzon Nahvi ’07 has written a new book, Code Gray, which tells of his time in the ER in NYC during the COVID outbreak.

Shane Dunn, former Class of ’07 president, recently embarked on two new leadership experiences. In January, he began a new professional role as chief advancement officer at Rosie’s Place in Boston, a multi-service nonprofit organization for poor and homeless women that was founded in 1974 as the first women’s shelter in America. In this new role, Shane serves on the executive team and oversees four departments to advance the mission of one of Boston’s most well-regarded nonprofits: fundraising, community engagement, communications, and public policy.

Additionally, Shane is now president of the board of directors of GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), a Boston-based nonprofit that is well known for its many groundbreaking legal victories, including marriage equality, that have changed the lives of millions across the U.S. As a former class officer and alumni volunteer, Shane is always eager to connect with alumni doing important impact work to advance social and racial justice in communities around the world.

Sara Tam is happy to share that she married her partner, Eric Tang, in October 2022 at Liberty House in Jersey City following their engagement earlier in the year. They were thrilled to celebrate with family and friends, including classmates and AOII girls: Willa Brenowitz (as one of her bridesmaids), Samantha Feibush Wolf, Tiffany Chieu Liu, Katie Miller, MBA ’16, Kristen Munnelly ’06, Cait Myles Webster ’06, and Michele Segalini Westfall ’06. They are joyfully settling in to married life in Jersey City.

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

Hello, Class of ’08! If you recently sent in a Share Your News form, look for your news in an upcoming column! If you haven’t yet, it’s not too late! Please do send us your news—via the hard-copy form or the online news form—so our future class columns can be full of news from all of you.

In the meantime, we have heard about one classmate, Brian Kaufman, who is working in real estate as managing director of the Blackstone Group. He recently received the Peter G. Peterson Award for his social impact efforts, which include leading a grassroots effort to bus people out of Ukraine. Brian has also championed a major refugee hiring initiative at Blackstone, which involves a commitment to hire 2,000 refugees across its global portfolio companies and at its real estate properties, including 1,500 refugees in the U.S. alone, by the end of 2025.

We hope to hear from you soon! ❖ Libby Boymel (email Libby) | Alumni Directory.

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2009

Melanie Gowen reports that she loves working in real estate and interior design in Nantucket and Washington, DC. She assists clients with rentals, buying/selling homes, and designing interiors of properties for residential and investor clients.

Kevin Eckes writes, “Beth Chamberlain and I moved back to the U.S. in April 2020 after a four-and-a-half-year stint living and working in Belgium. We relocated to Denver, CO, to pursue a great new work opportunity for Beth at Guild Education and to enjoy a more outdoors-oriented lifestyle that we had been missing while living in Brussels. I ended up joining an additive manufacturing materials startup company, Elementum 3D, as a research scientist. We bought our first house in July 2021 and welcomed our first child, a baby boy named Maxime, in June 2022!”

Alix Greenberg and Robert Lazar were civilly married in September 2022, she writes, and the pair had their wedding in St. Barts in February! “We also got a really cute puppy last summer, Brady, a 15-lb. Havanese.” Alix has been working to grow her company, ArtSugar, which aims to make colorful, joyful art and design accessible to everyone. When asked if she had taken up any new hobbies recently, Alix replied: “Ballroom dance! My husband is very into it, and we are now taking classes together.”

Jonathan Schmidt has been elevated to principal at employment law firm Jackson Lewis PC. He is an attorney in the firm’s Orange County office and represents public and private employers in labor and employment law matters.

Matt Connors (Buffalo, NY) is VP of development at Sinatra & Co. Real Estate, where he oversees all areas of multi-family development. He has also been elected to the board of directors of the Against the Storm Foundation, a nonprofit with a mission to help fight blood cancers and support other causes that will improve the health and quality of life for people in need. Matt and his wife, Lauren, co-chaired the Foundation’s 2022 Rock for the Cure concert event, which raised a record $27,163.

Active in the community, Matt also serves on the executive committee of the Development Advisory Council as part of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership; is a member of the ULI Young Leaders Board of Directors; is former vice president of the Cornell Club of Greater Buffalo; and chairs the Teens Living with Cancer Prom through Roswell Park. Matt has been honored with four Brick by Brick awards in historic preservation and has also been recognized by the Preservation League of New York State for excellence in historic preservation. ❖ Jason Georges (email Jason) | Alumni Directory.

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2010s

2010

What is something you’re doing now that you never thought you’d be doing? What is your fondest memory from your time at Cornell? What brings you the most satisfaction these days? No matter if your news is big or small, please take a moment to write to us and stay connected with our class. ❖ Michelle Sun (email Michelle) | Alumni Directory.

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2011

I hope you all took the time to fill out and return the Share Your News form that was recently mailed to you along with class dues information. If you haven’t yet, it’s not too late! Please do send us your news—via the hard-copy form or the online news form—so our future class columns can be full of news from all of you. ❖ Class of 2011 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2012

Lei Liu has been working in China since leaving Ithaca in July 2013, and remembers his time at Cornell as a student fondly. He is preparing to take the Chinese National Judicial Examination and has traveled to more than 20 countries since he left Cornell, including Greece, Italy, New Zealand, Japan, Vietnam, South Africa, Malta, Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, among others. He currently works as a lawyer’s assistant in Guangzhou, China, and enjoys partaking in a newer hobby in his free time: cooking.

Jared Hartzman was one of 15 attorneys recently elevated to principal at his firm, Fish & Richardson. He has broad patent litigation experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in complex patent litigation across a range of technical areas, including the electronics, telecommunications, and automotive industries. In addition to his patent litigation practice, Jared dedicates time to pro bono matters, including asylum, immigration, and LGBTQ cases. He received his JD from the George Washington University Law School in 2015. While there, he was an editor of the American Intellectual Property Law Association Quarterly Journal and served as an officer for the university’s Student Intellectual Property Law Association. Jared double majored in chemistry and science and technology studies while at Cornell. ❖ Peggy Ramin (email Peggy) | Alumni Directory.

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2013

It’s not too late for you to make plans to join us on the Hill for our 10th Reunion, June 8–11! Our Reunion chairs, Kelly Wilcox and Kamillah Knight, MPA ’15, MBA ’22, along with our Reunion campaign chairs, Alex Pruce and Lilian Tso, and everyone else on the Reunion committee are working so hard to make the weekend unforgettable for us.

I want to take a moment to thank Dan Kuhr and Meghan Brown for their leadership over the last five years as our class presidents. In the next Class Notes column, I will be able to share who will lead us over the next five years as we already look ahead to our 15th Reunion. To make these next five years amazing and meaningful, it is critically important that members of our class pay their class dues, which go toward our class’s initiatives. These are separate from gifts to the University (which are also vital!), but just as important to ensure that we can have programming each and every year, including at Reunion.

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! It’s hard to believe, but our 10th Reunion is just around the corner. It’s time to mark your calendars and save the date for June 6–9, 2024.

In January 2023, it was announced that two 2014 classmates, Julia Buffinton and Vernice Arahan, were recipients of the inaugural Robert S. Harrison ’76 Recent Alumni Volunteer Award. Vernice served as the president of the Cornell Asian Alumni Association (CAAA) from 2018–20 and is currently a member of the Cornell University Council. She was the first woman of Filipina descent to hold the title of CAAA president, and during her tenure she worked to improve the organization’s bylaws and constitution and helped to raise $20,000 for scholarships. Julia has been president of the 2014 Alumni Class Council since 2019 and serves as a member of the Cornell Alumni Advisory Board and Cornell University Council. She also volunteers with the Cornell Media Guild/WVBR-FM, where she recently led a committee to organize and improve volunteer onboarding. Congratulations, Julia and Vernice!

Benjamin Swinford previously co-founded and held the role of CTO at Rapid Replay, a video tech company focusing on sports that was recently acquired by NBCUniversal. Since leaving his role as CTO, Ben has been doing freelance software engineering and has been involved in the development of Launch Labs, which connects offshore developers with job opportunities in the U.S. and has been heavily involved with recruiting from Ukraine. In addition to connecting developers with jobs, Launch Labs also offers compensation for expenses, equipment, and medical care.

Please reach out if you have any news you’d like to share! ❖ Samantha Lapehn Young (email Samantha) | Alumni Directory.

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2015

In Class of 2015 news, Jennica Egan Luu, after serving in the Air Force, is now in medical school pursuing an MD. Congratulations, Jennica!

“I got married in 2022, exactly 10 years to the day after I met my husband!” writes Melinda Lu. “Our first date was hiking along the gorges and around Beebe Lake—guess the legend worked out for us.”

If you or a classmate you know has any news to share with the rest of our class, please feel free to reach out to either of us: ❖ Caroline Flax (email Caroline) | Mateo Acebedo (email Mateo) | Alumni Directory.

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2016

What is something you’re doing now that you never thought you’d be doing? What is your fondest memory from your time at Cornell? What brings you the most satisfaction these days? No matter if your news is big or small, please take a moment to write to us and stay connected with our class. ❖ Class of 2016 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2017

I hope you all took the time to fill out and return the Share Your News form that was recently mailed to you along with class dues information. If you haven’t yet, it’s not too late! Please do send us your news—via the hard-copy form or the online news form—so our future class columns can be full of news from all of you. ❖ Class of 2017 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2018

Hello, Class of 2018 and happy almost summer! I’m hoping to see many of you celebrating with us in beautiful Ithaca at Reunion in June.

In non-Reunion news, our classmate Jade Song published their first novel, Chlorine, this March. Jade majored in communication and visual studies at Cornell and is currently working as an art director at the communications agency Citizen Relations. Chlorine is about an Asian American competitive swimmer and is a coming-of-age “dark, unsettling horror tale about growing up in a society that puts pressure on young women and their bodies,” according to the official blurb.

This book was also an outlet for Jade to write about their identity as an Asian queer femme. “It’s a novel for anybody who’s ever dreamed of transcending their bodies and their selves into a truer state of being,” they said in an interview with the Guardian. “Which is, I think, what we all long for, and I think is inherently queer, because it might not be what we’ve been told how we should be.”

If you have news—about you or a friend—send it to me! ❖ Stephanie Yan (email Stephanie) | Alumni Directory.

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2019

If you or your friends from the Hill have any news to share, please write to us! What are you doing for work? Have you got any fun plans for this summer? What do you do in your spare time? Drop us a line—we’d love to stay connected. ❖ Class of 2019 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2020s

2020

What is something you’re doing now that you never thought you’d be doing? What is your fondest memory from your time at Cornell? What brings you the most satisfaction these days? No matter if your news is big or small, please take a moment to write to us and stay connected with our class. ❖ Class of 2020 (email c/o Alexandra Bond ’12) | Alumni Directory.

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2021

Happy spring, Class of ’21! I hope you all took the time to fill out and return the Share Your News form that was recently mailed to you along with class dues information. If you haven’t yet, it’s not too late! Please do send us your news—via the hard-copy form or the online news form—so our future class columns can be full of news from all of you. ❖ Geneva Saupe (email Geneva) | Alumni Directory.

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Grad

Architecture, Art & Planning

Michael Manfredi, MArch ’80, recently had one of his projects—the Hunter’s Point South Waterfront Park in Long Island City, Queens—included in an exhibition, “Architecture Now: New York, New Publics,” at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. Michael designed the park with his architecture firm, Weiss/Manfredi, and in partnership with design firm SWA/Balsley. According to the MoMA, the exhibition series (the first iteration of which is on view through July 29, 2023) “serves as a platform to highlight emerging talent and foreground groundbreaking projects in contemporary architecture,” and “will investigate a wide array of strategies devised by architects that engage in new ways with New York City’s shared spaces.”

Mitch Pride, MArch ’09, has been promoted to principal at the global architecture and design firm MG2. According to the firm, Mitch, an award-winning designer for the retail and hospitality industries, “has always gravitated toward the creative aspects of architecture, resourcefully bringing together space, form, and volume to turn complex concepts into alluring yet functional realities. He is an expert at owning and facilitating the creative process, partnering with clients to realize their vision while never losing sight of the big picture.” Some of Mitch’s notable past projects include a global brand and store redesign for the shoe brand Hush Puppies, designing showrooms for ethically sourced jewelry company Brilliant Earth, and a refresh-and-restore design project at a 40-year-old Washington Federal Bank property in Seattle.

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Arts & Sciences

Adam Miller, PhD ’17, has joined the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) as a research staff member in the operational evaluation division of IDA’s Systems and Analyses Center. IDA is a nonprofit corporation that operates three federally funded research and development centers in the public interest, answering the most challenging U.S. security and science policy questions with objective analysis leveraging extraordinary scientific, technical, and analytic expertise.

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Engineering

Qing “Jane” Zhang, PhD ’91, has been named a Breakthrough Energy Fellow by the Bill Gates-founded network Breakthrough Energy, which aims to accelerate innovation in sustainable energy and in other technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The second cohort of Breakthrough Energy Fellows consists of 47 innovator and business fellows from a range of industries and disciplines, including electrofuels, food and agriculture, long-duration storage, and steel. Projects are selected through a competitive application process and must demonstrate and model an ability to reduce the planet’s carbon dioxide emissions by 500 million tons per year at scale. As a business fellow, Jane will use her expertise to help innovator fellows take their climate technology ideas from the lab to the market.

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Human Ecology

Jessica Couch, MPS ’15, founded the brand management consulting firm Fayetteville Road in NYC, working with fashion brands who want to make authentic connections with niche audiences, particularly Black female consumers. Jessica operated her own online boutique, Luxor + Finch, in the early 2010s—working with A-list clients like Lady Gaga—before coming to Cornell for her master’s in fit technology integration. Now, she’s focused on the intersection of fashion and tech, particularly the use of AI. Writes Forbes: “Through their innovative techniques, the firm offers their clients a wide range of services that provide measurable results and pointed actions for corporations looking to authentically connect with niche markets, particularly women of color.” Read more about Jessica’s firm in Forbes.

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Graduate School

Andrew Siwo, MPA ’08, was selected by New Private Markets as one of the “eight people who will shape sustainable private markets in 2023.” Andrew is a director at the New York State Common Retirement Fund, which, wrote New Private Markets, “has a $20 billion allocation to ‘sustainable investments and climate solutions (SICS)’ and Siwo is at its helm.” This allocation covers green bonds, public equities, private equity, and real asset investments, and are split into three categories: human rights and social inclusion; climate and the environment; and economic development. “SICS represents a tapestry of investments that are loosely tied to the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” Andrew told the publication in 2021.

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Johnson School of Graduate Management

Dan Nadav, MBA ’02, is making headlines with his firm Enviro Power and its role in revolutionizing the multi-billion-dollar heating system replacement market. The company recently announced that its innovative SmartWatt Boiler—which utilizes “a mini power plant” developed with Windings Inc.—has achieved Electrical Testing Labs certification under Underwriter Laboratories standards. The SmartWatt Boiler is the first commercial boiler that also produces electricity, and it’s “a product born from a commitment to decarbonizing our built environments,” the firm says. The technology has attracted a network of industry-leading partners and is now powering several notable buildings across New England, from the historic Fuller Brush Building in Hartford, CT, to a custom residence and a university dormitory. Dan has been interviewed by Inc. and was recently featured by Business Insider.

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Law School

Susie Luo, JD ’14, is excited to announce the news that her debut fiction novel, Paper Names, is being published by HarperCollins in May 2023. Set in New York and China, Paper Names, according to Susie, is “an inspirational story about two families who start on different tracks of the American Dream and end up on a collision course with each other. One is a Chinese family who immigrated to the States, and the other is a wealthy white family with a dark secret.”

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Veterinary Medicine

Douglas Miller, PhD ’77, held a book signing in April 2023 for his most recent science fiction novel, Fisscial Intelligence, at the Barnes and Noble bookstore in Elmira, NY. In what Douglas essentially calls “an anti-Terminator story,” Fisscial Intelligence envisions a future where AIs created by humans become sentient and—rather than revolt, as many sci-fi writers have speculated—have no desire to take over the Earth.

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Top image: Photo by Jason Koski / Cornell University

Published May 1, 2023