{"id":19363,"date":"2023-04-11T15:29:39","date_gmt":"2023-04-11T19:29:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=19363"},"modified":"2023-12-12T13:23:05","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T18:23:05","slug":"ludsin-schmoozing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/ludsin-schmoozing\/","title":{"rendered":"In Praise of Schmoozing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">I have always embraced chance encounters\u2014and those serendipitous interactions have made all the difference<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By <strong>Steven Ludsin \u201970<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-style-offset\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Cornell is one of the streams that flows through my life. As I walked around the campus at my pandemic-delayed 50th Reunion in June 2022, it occurred to me that the University provided me with the freedom to interact and learn through listening to others\u2014essentially, schmoozing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Indeed, at Reunion, a classmate who\u2019d lived next door in the freshman dorm commented that I\u2019d never had any inhibitions about talking to strangers. I didn\u2019t realize that the approach was so obvious\u2014but it reminded me that my trajectory of the schmoozing technique began at Cornell.<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/Steven-A.-Ludsin-E-A-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Steve Ludsin\" class=\"wp-image-19508 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/Steven-A.-Ludsin-E-A-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/Steven-A.-Ludsin-E-A-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/Steven-A.-Ludsin-E-A-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/Steven-A.-Ludsin-E-A-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/Steven-A.-Ludsin-E-A-632x790.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/Steven-A.-Ludsin-E-A-316x395.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/Steven-A.-Ludsin-E-A-280x350.jpg 280w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/Steven-A.-Ludsin-E-A-140x175.jpg 140w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/Steven-A.-Ludsin-E-A-70x87.jpg 70w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/Steven-A.-Ludsin-E-A-400x500.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/Steven-A.-Ludsin-E-A-200x250.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/Steven-A.-Ludsin-E-A-100x125.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/Steven-A.-Ludsin-E-A.jpg 1260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I find that schmoozing with people helps me discover that we may have something in common that can create a connection. (Kurt Vonnegut \u201944 called it the \u201cgranfalloon.\u201d) I was never bashful, but age has made me even less self-conscious about starting conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I started building a network in the days before the term \u201cnetworking\u201d was commonly used; essentially, I created interconnectivity to increase my chances for lucky interactions. In retrospect, I see that since I considered myself an outsider, my goal was to be accepted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks to Cornell, the creative side of my brain flourished. The University encouraged me to speak, write, create, organize, and advocate, and not to fear rejection; after all, the worst that can happen is someone says no. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/1.-Supremes-Florida-1968-w-Frat-Bros-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"A group of men around a dinner table in the Sixties\" class=\"wp-image-19509\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/1.-Supremes-Florida-1968-w-Frat-Bros-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/1.-Supremes-Florida-1968-w-Frat-Bros-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/1.-Supremes-Florida-1968-w-Frat-Bros-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/1.-Supremes-Florida-1968-w-Frat-Bros-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/1.-Supremes-Florida-1968-w-Frat-Bros-A.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/1.-Supremes-Florida-1968-w-Frat-Bros-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/1.-Supremes-Florida-1968-w-Frat-Bros-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/1.-Supremes-Florida-1968-w-Frat-Bros-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/1.-Supremes-Florida-1968-w-Frat-Bros-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/1.-Supremes-Florida-1968-w-Frat-Bros-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/1.-Supremes-Florida-1968-w-Frat-Bros-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/1.-Supremes-Florida-1968-w-Frat-Bros-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/1.-Supremes-Florida-1968-w-Frat-Bros-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/1.-Supremes-Florida-1968-w-Frat-Bros-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/1.-Supremes-Florida-1968-w-Frat-Bros-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/1.-Supremes-Florida-1968-w-Frat-Bros-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/1.-Supremes-Florida-1968-w-Frat-Bros-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/1.-Supremes-Florida-1968-w-Frat-Bros-A-100x56.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ludsin (third from right) with fraternity brothers at a hotel in Miami, where they saw the Supremes perform during 1967 winter break. The singing group\u2019s road manager is third from left.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Cornell opened my eyes to a wide variety of people and ideas, and the social skills I developed there took me to places I wanted to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I liked the approval of others\u2014who doesn\u2019t?\u2014so I became freshman class president in the ILR School. I was social chairman of my fraternity, Tau Delta Phi, and by junior year I was social chairman of the entire Interfraternity Council. Being a ringleader was a valuable part of my education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After law school, I realized I didn\u2019t actually want to practice law; through the benefit of hindsight, though, I see that being a lawyer is an avenue for pursuing a variety of careers and interests, and that has been very liberating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>I started building a network in the days before the term \u2018networking\u2019 was commonly used.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>My legal background also helped broaden my mind\u2014since lawyers are supposed to be capable of arguing either side of an argument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The unpredictable sometimes appears as fate or destiny; as my father always said, \u201cyou can be one-in-a-million lucky, or one-in-a-million unlucky.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He left Latvia in June 1939 to see the World\u2019s Fair in New York; the Nazis invaded Poland on September 1, 1939 so he stayed in America. While 70\u201390% of the Latvian Jews were ultimately killed by the Nazis, my mother survived the Riga ghetto with two of her brothers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I like to say that makes me a Latvian unicorn, since my very existence is highly improbable. And indeed, luck and serendipity have played a major role in my life and success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/11.-DC-1970-Antiwar-Protest-w-Cornellians-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Steve Ludsin and friends at an antiwar protest in 1970\" class=\"wp-image-19507\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/11.-DC-1970-Antiwar-Protest-w-Cornellians-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/11.-DC-1970-Antiwar-Protest-w-Cornellians-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/11.-DC-1970-Antiwar-Protest-w-Cornellians-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/11.-DC-1970-Antiwar-Protest-w-Cornellians-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/11.-DC-1970-Antiwar-Protest-w-Cornellians-A.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/11.-DC-1970-Antiwar-Protest-w-Cornellians-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/11.-DC-1970-Antiwar-Protest-w-Cornellians-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/11.-DC-1970-Antiwar-Protest-w-Cornellians-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/11.-DC-1970-Antiwar-Protest-w-Cornellians-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/11.-DC-1970-Antiwar-Protest-w-Cornellians-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/11.-DC-1970-Antiwar-Protest-w-Cornellians-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/11.-DC-1970-Antiwar-Protest-w-Cornellians-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/11.-DC-1970-Antiwar-Protest-w-Cornellians-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/11.-DC-1970-Antiwar-Protest-w-Cornellians-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/11.-DC-1970-Antiwar-Protest-w-Cornellians-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/11.-DC-1970-Antiwar-Protest-w-Cornellians-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/11.-DC-1970-Antiwar-Protest-w-Cornellians-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/11.-DC-1970-Antiwar-Protest-w-Cornellians-A-100x56.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">At an antiwar protest in 1970, Ludsin is second from right.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>These improbable events are frequently a source of puzzlement. How did they happen, and how many stars had to align? I am always fascinated with chance encounters and the surprises that come from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A classic example was when I was in the lobby of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, preparing for a trip to Hong Kong, and spotted a familiar face. It turned out to be Richard Ramin \u201951, then Cornell\u2019s vice president for public affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was traveling with Frank Rhodes, then Cornell\u2019s president; Alfred Kahn, my freshman-year economics professor; and history professor Walter LaFeber. We wound up being two rows apart on the plane to Hong Kong, and I went on to attend two University-sponsored receptions there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/4.-Cornell-Dairy-Reunion-2022-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Steve Ludsin on the Cornell Dairy trike at Reunion\" class=\"wp-image-19510\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/4.-Cornell-Dairy-Reunion-2022-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/4.-Cornell-Dairy-Reunion-2022-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/4.-Cornell-Dairy-Reunion-2022-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/4.-Cornell-Dairy-Reunion-2022-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/4.-Cornell-Dairy-Reunion-2022-A.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/4.-Cornell-Dairy-Reunion-2022-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/4.-Cornell-Dairy-Reunion-2022-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/4.-Cornell-Dairy-Reunion-2022-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/4.-Cornell-Dairy-Reunion-2022-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/4.-Cornell-Dairy-Reunion-2022-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/4.-Cornell-Dairy-Reunion-2022-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/4.-Cornell-Dairy-Reunion-2022-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/4.-Cornell-Dairy-Reunion-2022-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/4.-Cornell-Dairy-Reunion-2022-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/4.-Cornell-Dairy-Reunion-2022-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/4.-Cornell-Dairy-Reunion-2022-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/4.-Cornell-Dairy-Reunion-2022-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/4.-Cornell-Dairy-Reunion-2022-A-100x56.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Outside Stocking Hall at Reunion \u201922. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>My schmoozing and curiosity ended up with a great weekend in Hong Kong. What were the chances of that encounter in Tokyo?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I like to say that life is an \u201covernight business.\u201d We don\u2019t know what it will bring\u2014so look for opportunities before they evaporate. I tend to plunge into situations and use my instincts to navigate a solution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My years at Cornell provided the foundation for that approach, and I am eternally grateful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>After graduating from Fordham\u2019s law school, <strong>Steven Ludsin \u201970<\/strong> worked at Salomon Brothers before founding an investment advisory firm specializing in the bond market; he also pioneered the <em>online<\/em><\/em> <em>marketing of government real estate. The founder of a Holocaust remembrance foundation, he served on the President\u2019s Commission on the Holocaust and the first U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council. He was the Class of \u201970 <em>fund representative <\/em>for 20 years.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>(All images provided.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Published April 11, 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I have always embraced chance encounters\u2014and those serendipitous interactions have made all the difference<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":30052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[639],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[457],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-19363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-perspectives","cornell_year_post-457"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>In Praise of Schmoozing - 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